45.4 POUNDS GONE!

As of today, Halloween, I have lost 5.4 pounds since October 1st for a total of 45.4 pounds in just a little over 6 months! I still have 66.2 pounds to go to reach my ultimate goal, but as I get closer & closer to that half-way mark, I'm getting more & more excited :) I also just did my measurements & from September 25th to now, I've lost a total of 10 inches! 10!!! WOOHOO!!!

But for some reason, this month was hard & I didn't lose as much weight as I was hoping to, but I'm still happy with over 5 pounds. This was my first full month of working at the gym & it was harder to get in there to work-out & trying to fit it in my schedule. But that's no excuse! And I refuse to let it be an excuse!

Jim & I are going to sit down & work out a schedule for going to the gym at least 5 days a week. Tuesdays are out right now because I work from 1:00-5:00 & then bowl at 6:30 till about 10:00-10:30. I may also start working on Mondays from 4:00 till 7:00, so we're going to be working out after I get off work that day. Then on Wednesday, since we usually get done with bowling around 6:00-6:30, we go to the gym afterwards. Thursdays are my dance class days & I won't give that up! Fridays are hard because I work until 8:00, so that may be the other day we take off from the gym. We've been doing pretty good about going on Saturdays & Sundays, so I hope we can stick with that. I just know that I have to keep making exercise a priority in my life because it is! Wish me luck!

Happy Halloween!
Benita

Benita, you're not alone!

I am having a tough time right now, hence my lack of posts...it's not so much the exercise that's giving me a problem - I have been going to the gym several days a week after school - it's the food I have issues with. As some of you know, I have had problems with emotional eating for many years...I thought I had a handle on it but recently it's been creeping up on me again. I went to see my doctor a couple of weeks ago and she has changed the medication I take (for depression/anxiety), so hopefully in another couple of weeks it will kick in more and help somewhat. I may have to get back to therapy but we'll see how the new meds go first. I guess if this whole process were easy I would have been successful at it years ago, right?? As for my numbers, I'm holding steady at a 19-lb loss, but haven't lost anything this past month. It's better than a gain, I suppose, and at least I'm becoming more aware of the emotional problems...sigh...

Thank you everyone for your support!!

Not A Very Good Month

October just hasn't been a good month for me for some reason. I don't know if it's because the weather is getting colder, the skies are cloudier or what. But so far this month, I've only lost 3 pounds :( for a total of 43 pounds lost since I started this journey 6 months ago. But ya know what? I'm okay with that. Really, I am. I haven't been able to work out as much as I'd like with working at the gym now, so I know that has a lot to do with it. But I am going to change that! I'll admit, it's hard to workout after working at the gym.....when my shift is done, I just wanna go home & relax. But I know now that I can't do that & this month has proved that.

Things will definitely change come November. Tonight, they're having a Halloween Party for all the member's children which means the gym is going to be packed with kids everywhere, so I doubt that I'll be able to even exercise tonight. Then next week, we're going home to visit my family, but we'll be staying in a hotel that has gym equipment & you can bet I'll be using it! :)

If you read my other blog, I posted the results of our Biggest Loser competition with before & after pictures of Jim & I. It was a lot of fun, but we're still not sure if we're going to join it again. They're going to be doing a 6 week course starting next Thursday, but since we'll be out of town, we'll miss the first week anyway. So we'll see.....we're still thinking about it. It would be nice to have that support during the holidays, though as we all know that's when people tend to gain weight. All those holiday meals, homemade cookies, fudge.....yummm :) It's definitely going to be very hard to resist those this year! I still plan on baking, but not the BIG batches of cookies like I made in previous years.

Someone needs to beg Toni for an update :) I know she's been busy also, but we need to keep her on track & support her. Yoohoo.....Toni.....are you out there??? :)

Till next time,

Benita

Exercise Log

I forgot to post my exercise log in August, but here is September's log:

September 1: Day off.

September 2: 15 minutes bike, 15 minutes elliptical, 30 minutes treadmill (1.86 miles in 30 minutes ).

September 3: 15 minutes bike, 15 minutes elliptical w/o arms, 25 minutes treadmill, 10 minutes elliptical w/arms, 60 minutes weight machines (upper, lower & abs).

September 4: 60 minutes Groovin' Moves Class, 30 minutes abs, 10 minutes elliptical, 30 minutes treadmill (1.90 miles, ran for 5 minutes @ 1 minute intervals ).

September 5: Took the day off for my birthday, but I have a feeling I'm going to regret it

September 6: Day off from gym, but walked around Arts & Apples for 4 hours.

September 7: 15 minutes bike, 15 minutes elliptical, 30 minutes treadmill (1.90 miles, ran for 6 minutes @ 2 minute intervals, incline @ 6.0 for 5 minutes), 60 minutes weight machines (upper body & abs), 30 minutes free weights (arms).

September 8: 15 minutes bike, 15 minutes elliptical w/arms, 20 minutes treadmill (ran for 5 mins. @ 1 min. intervals), 45 minutes weight machines (lower body & abs).

September 9: 15 minutes elliptical w/o arms, 10 minutes elliptical w/arms, 25 minutes treadmill (incline at 6.0 for 8 minutes), 10 minutes abs.

September 10: 30 minutes dancing around the house while doing housework.

September 11: 60 minutes Groovin' Moves class, 15 minutes abs, 15 minutes elliptical w/arms.

September 12: 60 minute walk.

September 13: 5 minutes elliptical w/arms, 60 minutes treadmill (3.64 miles, incline @ 8.0 for 6 minutes and @ 10.0 for 4 minutes, 430.0 calories burned ), 75 minutes weight machines (lower body & abs).

September 14: 60 minutes treadmill (3.71 miles, incline at 10.0 for 5 minutes, ran for 5 minutes @ 1 minute intervals), 15 minutes abs, 15 minutes free weights.

September 15: 15 minutes bike, 45 minutes treadmill (2.75 miles, 8.0 incline for 10 minutes, ran for 1 minute), 60 minutes weight machines (upper body & abs), 20 minutes free weights, 10 minutes throwing 8 lb. medicine ball back & forth with DH .

September 16: 15 minutes elliptical, 35 minutes treadmill (2.11 miles).

September 17: Day off.

September 18: 60 minutes Groovin' Moves Class, 60 minutes weight machines (lower body & abs), 60 minutes Strong Back (Yoga moves) Class.

September 19: 45 minutes treadmill (incline at 8.0 for 15 minutes).

September 20: 15 minutes bike, 50 minutes treadmill (3.05 miles), 25 minutes abs.

September 21: 20 minutes bike, 40 minutes treadmill, 30 minutes weight machines (upper body & abs), 30 minutes free weights.

September 22: 15 minutes elliptical w/arms, 45 minutes treadmill, 75 minutes weight machines (lower body & abs).

September 23: Day off from gym, but bowled.

September 24: 25 minutes treadmill, 60 minutes Defined Assets Class (lots of different things involved in this class.....aerobics, step, free weights, tubing, balls, body bars, etc.....definitely a work-out! Phew! I'm pooped!)

September 25: 60 Groovin' Moves Class, 45 minutes weight machines (upper body & abs).

September 26: 20 minutes treadmill, 45 minutes weight machines (lower body).

September 27: Day off.....cleaned out garage & basement.

September 28: 60 minutes treadmill (3.80 miles ), 15 minutes abs.

September 29: 20 minutes bike, 30 minutes treadmill, 10 minutes stair master, 45 minutes weight machines (upper body & abs), 15 minutes free weights.

September 30: Day off from gym.....had to work & then bowl.

Minutes exercised: 2,250

Today, I also just started the 30 Day Shred DVD by Jillian Michaels. Boy, does she kick your butt! And as of this morning, I've lost 8.4 pounds in September for a total of 40 pounds gone! :) 40!!! I'm on Cloud 9 right now!

Keep movin',

Benita