I DID IT!!!!!

I finally made it under 200 pounds.

This morning, the scale read 199.6. I cried. Then I felt so stupid that I was standing there crying. But then I realized I was so darn happy that I didn't care if I was being stupid! :-)

I met my first personal goal. Woohoo! Time for a reward! I think I'm going to buy a few new shirts and a new pair of capris for this awesome weather we are having!

Also - I wanted to share a couple of Healthy Food Finds.

I've read a lot of information about this site that makes VitaMuffins and lots of other yummy things. I ordered the sampler pack of their muffin mixes and made the chocolate muffins this morning. At first, I wasn't sure about them, but then I wanted to lick the muffin paper. They grow on you. Especially when you realize that one muffin is only 100 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 6 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein! WOW!!!!

My other favorite thing right now - the Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Bar. OH MY GOSH. Soooo yummy. And NINE GRAMS OF FIBER! (Just don't eat this before bed, I learned the hard way.)

So I hope everyone has a great weekend! I know I will!! :-)

A huge step forward

Last night, my hubby and my oldest daughter got to have a "date-night" and go out to dinner and then to an activity at the school (reward for her latest report card). So I decided to take the youngest two children to the park.

Well, they had not eaten of course - and I knew they would want either Taco Bell or McDonald's.

SO . . . I actually made myself a turkey sandwich, grabbed 15 Light Pringles, and a cup of fat-free, sugar-free Jell-O Pudding, a bottle of Crystal Light Lemonade flavored water, and took them through the McDonald's drive-thru. I got them their Chicken McNugget Happy Meals and I ordered a side salad.

I was pretty proud of myself for not succumbing to the smell of a Big Mac. :-) It was quite simple and only took a few extra minutes of time.

(Image from http://lisiepeasie.blogspot.com/)

I CAN DO THIS. I CAN!!!

I've also ridden my bike around the neighborhood 2 days in a row (and that is making me realize how OUT OF SHAPE I AM!)

How are you all doing?

Hangin' in . . .

I've had a frustrating week. I was up at my weigh-in on Friday and then I was trying very hard to watch what I ate, to get my water in, etc. I weighed myself on Sunday to see if I was going the right direction - and I WAS NOT!!! I was soooo frustrated.

I wanted to go to KFC or Taco Bell and eat everything in sight . . . but I didn't. And that, in itself, is huge progress for me! I refused to give up the fact that I have stuck to this plan for a lot longer than I usually last. I want to be healthy - so I'm sticking to this, even if the scale doesn't always go the way I want it to.

I need some motivation for myself - so I thought I'd start looking for old pictures of myself that might motivate me . . .

I think I went back a little too far . . .

But look at those dancer's legs! I want them back. :-) I haven't grown much in height since then, so it's possible!! HAHAHAHA.

But I also know it's going to take a long time to be able to do . . . this:

(picture from mygirlyspace.com)

The good news is - I weighed myself this morning just to check on my progress and the numbers are going in the right direction again. Yay!!!

I'll keep plugging away!!

Trying not to be bummed

I did pretty well this week - stayed within my allotted POINTS, but didn't get a whole lot of water or activity in.

I gained .6 of a pound.

I know it isn't that much, but it is difficult to deal with anyway. I think I tend to relax a little on the weekends because I weigh in on Friday mornings. I am going to try and be pretty strict this week to see if it helps.

I went looking for some motivation and found it in this article, and I thought I would share it with all of you. It comes from a great 'getting healthy' FREE resource called SparkPeople.

The article lists 25 Ways to get back on track today. I am going to share a few of the points here, and if it motivates you as well - check out the rest of the article.

Start out small with your workouts - some is better than nothing!

Start with breakfast! A healthy breakfast starts your day off on the right foot.

DRINK YOUR WATER. If you have a hard time doing this, like I do, try some of the great things they have out now to FLAVOR your water. My new FAVORITE is the Crystal Light Cherry Pomegranate.

Track everything that you put in your mouth. It really makes you think before you eat something.

Check the nutritional facts before you go out to eat. I like to use The Daily Plate to look up this type of information.

Slow down when you eat. I have a major problem with this. I need to learn to CHEW my food. I have always been so busy that I have never taken the time to enjoy what I'm eating. I have noticed that when I take my time when eating - I do better with not eating too much.

and finally . . .

Use things that motivate you - like listening to an inspirational song. I created an iTunes playlist of inspirational songs - now I'm going to create a weight-loss motivational playlist.

What do you do to get motivated???

Friday Weigh-In Upate

Today, I am a happy camper. I am now down 15.6 pounds since I started this journey. Not too bad!

(Image from my profile on http://www.weightwatchers.com/)

Here is my 15 pounds lighter picture . . . although, I still have chins . . .

About Me

I posted periodic updates on Not of this World about my journey through weight loss and becoming a healthier me. I finally decided it would be better to dedicate a separate blog just to my weight loss experience.

I have been a serial dieter for probably the last 10-12 years. I was pretty active in high school and I believe it wasn't until my twenties that I got away from that and started having issues with my weight. (Plus, when you have no money and no time, you get into the habit of eating crap from convenience stores and fast food.) I've tried South Beach, several As Seen on TV programs, joining gyms, pills, you name it, I've probably tried it.

I am also an emotional eater. I know this - and it is something I deal with every single day. Oh how I wish I could be one of those people who CAN'T EAT when they are stressed. Oh no. I could eat 2 packages of Double Stuf Oreos when I'm having a really bad day. But NO MORE!!

Thanks to my good friend Kristen, who often went through emotional eating binges with me (can we say Papa John's cheese bread anyone?), and her inspirational story - I decided I was ready for a change. I joined Weight Watchers on March 1, 2008.

I have to admit that I have never been a fan of Weight Watchers. In fact, several months ago, my friend Ruth tried to convince me to join and I didn't want to. I didn't like the thought of going to a meeting and saying, "Hi, my name is IzzyBeth and I'm FAT." How was that going to help me? I would just find an excuse not to go every week and get back into the cycle of being unhealthy. BUT - thankfully, Weight Watchers now has an entirely online program that is easy to follow - and you can find support in various places on their site and other places online. So - I joined.

I'm committed to losing a total of about 100 pounds. I know it will be a long road and won't be easy - but I figured if I'm putting it all OUT THERE, I'll be more committed to following through.

So . . . here we go . . . I thought I'd start with my horrible before picture and I'll update the progress pictures as we go along.

This is me in December 2007.

I am determined to get rid of AT LEAST ONE OF my chins. :-)

Aprill 11, 2008. 15 pounds lighter.

June 6, 2008. 25 lbs lighter.

I hope that somehow in sharing my journey online, that someone will stumble across my site and be inspired to make a change in their own life.

******

So here we are in 2010, and as is the story with so many who struggle with weight loss - I've lost and gained back with reinforcements.  I'll be updating this page with new pictures as I go through my new physician monitored weight loss meal replacement program.