Weigh In - 580

The weight continues to come off. I believe it is due to three things: 1) portion control, 2) no binging, 3) little to no take out. These are coming about half because we simply can't afford large amounts of food or take out and half due to my decisions. Eventually I'm going to need to put more effort into exercising on a consistent basis. Even though I've lost 40 pounds in the last few months, I'm not physically feeling the difference.

It is just so hard to exercise. Getting my butt up off the couch alone can be an exercise of sheer willpower. Then I walk around the house until I am out totally out of breath - about two minutes - and collapse back onto the couch. I know that in the long run that it will be worth it. But dang, does it have to be SO hard? Maybe I need to bring it down to one minute of walking to start.

There has been a death in the family and my husband has lost his temp job. We found out on the same day, within the same hour. It sent us reeling. My fourteen-year-old nephew's heart stopped during a severe asthma attack. He died on the street in front of his father' s house. Life is so fragile and so precious. Hug your loved ones today and tell them that you love them. You never know.

Things are looking a little bit up as the agency called the next day and said they had a possible job starting on Tuesday. It is better pay, with overtime and a much higher probability of him being hired on permanently. It is my slim hope that this comes through. It will mean he lost his other job just so something better could come about. I hope. I hope.

Weigh In - 590

I've lost over 80 pounds and I'm feeling good. I've been walking to the mail box every day. It was a suggestion from the book The Spark by the creator of the SparkPeople website. I'm panting and wheezing by the time I get back to the house, but I'm doing it!

I haven't been journaling my food but I also am not binge eating or over-eating. Only once in the last couple of weeks have I gotten overly full. I'm eating three proportionate meals and two small snacks. Also, I'm eating at least one fresh produce per day. I'm trying very hard to not make this a huge production. Small, consistent changes are going to be the rule here.

I also just read Women Food and God by Geneen Roth and realize I need to be more present in my body. Oddly enough, her suggestions of making sure you eat food you enjoy is spreading to other parts of my life. I was force-feeding myself the audio book Emma by Jane Austen because I "should" read it. But it really is gag-awful. So I'm not punishing myself anymore by forcing myself to read (listen to) it.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Wrap-up

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
My last, 9pm to 10pm

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
My Antonia by Willa Cather was wonderful.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
None.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
I liked the challenges more. They didn't take too much time. Especially liked the title scramble.

5. How many books did you read?
5

6. What were the names of the books you read?
Juniper by Monica Furlong
A Murderous Yarn by Monica Ferris
My Antonia by Willa Cather
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Sleeping with the Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
My Antonia by Willa Cather

8. Which did you enjoy least?
Sleeping with the Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson. The heroine was near unlikeable.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
None.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Very likely. Reader. Hopefully next time be able to donate an Amazon gift card.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 14

I'm done. Time for bed!

Title of book(s) read since last update: Sleeping with the Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson
Number of books read since you started: 5
Pages read since last update: 173
Running total of pages read since you started: 1,021
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 57 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 559 minutes

Average pages per hour: 109.5

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 13

Title of book(s) read since last update: Sleeping with the Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson
Number of books read since you started: 4
Pages read since last update: 128
Running total of pages read since you started: 848
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 60 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 502 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: 1

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Book Scramble

1.yfferil enal - Firefly lane

2.aste fo eend - East of Eden

3. retwa orf pntshleea - Water for Elephants

4.ot lkli a ckomgnrbdii - To Kill a Mockingbird

5. het gtaer ysbtag - The Great Gatsby

6. yrhra tetrpo dna eth lyhdtea wollsah - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

7. ht e rat fo nrgcai ni eht nair - The Art of Racing in the Rain

8.eth mite reslveart efwi - The Time Traveler's Wife

9. eht rlig ithw eht gnodar ooattt - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

10.ydira fo a mypiw idk - Diary of a Wimpy Kid

11.a kwrlnei ni emit - A Wrinkle in Time

12. het rpoal sxprese - The Polar Express

13.vole dewlak ni - Love Walked In

14.reehw eth dwli hingts rea - Where the Wild Things Are

15.eht ginnhsi - The Shining

16.dnohogigt oonm - Goodnight Moon

17. vwtienrie hwti a pvmarie - Interview with a Vampire

18. eht cretse file fo eesb - The Secret Life of Bees

19. eht raesch - The Search

20. het pelh - The Help

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 12

Title of book(s) read since last update: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Number of books read since you started: 3
Pages read since last update: 140
Running total of pages read since you started: 720
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 60 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 442 minutes