A Year & A Half

As of today, it's officially a year & a half, 18 months, since I started my weight loss journey. In that year & a half, I've become healthier, I have more energy & I'm 70+ pounds lighter :)

I'll be honest.....I haven't been exercising like I should be. The summer was just really crazy & although that shouldn't be an excuse, I'm making it one ;) And because of that, I haven't really lost much more weight....okay, I haven't lost any more weight.....but you know what.....I'm okay with that. Because I have been able to maintain & that right there is an accomplishment in itself!

I know that one of the reasons why it's harder for me to lose weight right now is because I'm currently going through menopause :( I went to see a new doctor last month & he comfirmed it.....I'm no longer peri-menopausal.....I'm officially menopausal! Just more proof that now I need to work even harder at losing weight! Yippee! LOL Mother Nature may be messing with me, but I can't let her win! I WON'T let her win!

Jim & I are going to start hitting the gym regularly again, starting this week! There, I put it in print so now I have to keep my word :) I know I always feel so much better after a work-out.....it just seems like the hardest part is actually going to the gym. But once I'm there, I'm so glad I went. Weird, huh?

I apologize for not updating my blog more often, but like I said, my summer has been crazy. I hope I still have my regular readers. If you're out there, leave a comment so I know you're still there :) And I promise to continue on this journey & update this blog once a month. Thanks so much for supporting me along the way :)

Keep movin',

Benita

15 Months

It's been exactly 15 months since I first started busting my butt to lose weight. I was really hoping to be closer to my goal by now, but I'll admit it.....I've been struggling. And mostly, by choice. I guess I got to a point where I just got tired of going to the gym everyday. And to top it off, the weather has been absolutely gorgeous so I'd rather go for walks in the evening instead of being in the gym.

To date, I'm down right around 71 pounds (give or take a pound), which I'm not complaining about by any means. For me, that's a HUGE accomplishment! But I've really been fighting myself & the food urges. The weekends seem to be the worst! Why is that??? I can be really good all week long, but once Friday night gets here, all I wanna do is EAT! The good thing is, although I'm not losing weight as fast as I was before, I am still slowly losing & I've been able to maintain it pretty good. Since my last update (4 months ago.....bad me!), I've dropped another size in jeans.....I'm now in a size 14 & they're starting to get a little big on me :)

The other day, I asked Jim how he would feel if I didn't lose anymore weight & stayed where I am today. He said he loved me even when I was at my heaviest :) But then I told him that I need to ask myself that question.....will I be happy with myself where I am now? Sometimes I think yes, I would be. But other times, I feel like I have to finish what I started. I've come way too far to give up now! So, with that said, this blog will continue & I promise to update it more frequently (at least once a month) until I reach my goal. And once I get there, no matter how long it takes, you, my faithful blog readers, will be the first to know!

Keep movin' & keep motivating each other!

Benita

11 Months Ago

It was exactly 11 months ago today that I started my journey to a healthier me. And when I weighed myself this morning, I lost another .6 of a pound, bringing my total loss to 63.2 pounds :) That averages out to 5.75 pounds per month. I've had a few setbacks along the way.....the injury to my shoulder back in November, finding out that I have bulging discs in my neck & now, the possibility of having osteoarthritis. I go back to my Rheumatologist on April 2nd, so hopefully I'll get the answers then. She doesn't think I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, so that's good news! I just hope that I've finally conquered my plateau & I'm back to finally losing again!

I realize that I'm not losing the weight very fast, but like they say......slow & steady wins the race, right? ;) I don't want to lose it too fast because I know that's not very healthy for you.....plus, they say you're more apted to gain the weight back when you lose it too fast. 1-2 pounds a week is ideal for me. I also realize that I'd probably lose it a little faster if I changed more of my eating habits. But I told myself when I started this, that there were some things that I wasn't willing to give up......pizza, for one. Nope, no way I'll give that up ;) And I feel that you still need to have those things you love.....you shouldn't have to completely deprive yourself.....you just have to be more careful about eating them. I'll admit.....I even had a Reeses Peanut Butter Egg the other day :) Hey, it was calling my name & who am I to argue with Easter candy? LOL

Yesterday, I did the Les Mills Body Pump Class at the gym & wow, what a work-out that was! I used muscles that I didn't even know existed! I'm a little sore this morning, but thankfully, not too bad.....mainly just my neck & shoulders from when we put the bar of weights on them to do squats. Squats is one thing I can't stand doing, along with push-ups.....but I'm proud to say that I did both yesterday during this class :) I did have fun & can't wait to take the class again!

Till next time.....keep movin'!

Benita

Updated My Ticker!

I'm so happy that I was finally able to update my weight loss ticker today :) Over the holidays, I gained a few pounds back with not being able to work out due to my shoulder injury (okay, so it was due to eating too many cookies & fudge, too!). But this morning, I got on the scale & I lost all the weight that I gained back (2.8 pounds) plus another .8 of a pound on top of it! Yay me! I'm officially down 61.8 pounds now :) 49.8 pounds to go to my long-term goal!

One of the ladies at my PT appointment asked me yesterday how I lost the weight & I told her, just exercising & cutting back my portion sizes. That's pretty much all I've done. I was doing some protein shakes when we did the Biggest Loser competition & I still drink them occassionally, but I decided I wanted to do this & still be able to eat real food....not stuff that tastes like cardboard. I like my waffles, pancakes & french toast for breakfast, so I still eat them....I just don't eat as much as I used to! Plus I've cut way back on how much butter & syrup I use. And pizza is one thing I will NEVER give up! ;) Now, I just have 1 or 2 slices instead of the 3-4 I used to eat. When you start losing weight, your stomach does shrink & you truly can't eat as much as you used to.

Happy Valentine's Day!

B

Size 16 Baby!!!

Tonight, I went shopping for some new clothes with the money I earned from the LSS yard sale & I was completely shocked when I tried on some Lee jeans. I took 2 sizes into the fitting room.....18s & 16s because Lees tend to run small on me. I decided to start with the 16s first.....I figured I might as well get it out of the way, thinking that they probably wouldn't fit. But surprise.....they did! And needless to say, 2 pairs of size 16s came home with me :)

I'm still stuck at the same weight since the last time I updated, only fluctuating a pound here & there, back & forth, back & forth. But then again, I still haven't gotten completely back into the groove of working out again :( THAT is going to change! I know I need to work out in order to keep losing weight. And I really do enjoy going to the gym......it's just been hard finding the time for some reason. Or it's been too dang cold out that I don't even want to go out to the car to go to the gym! But I have to stop making excuses! NO MORE EXCUSES! Hear me??? NONE! This is my commitment to myself! And I refuse to give up!

Keep movin'

B

It Was Bound To Happen

Yep, it was bound to happen.....I had a gain :( Since I haven't been able to exercise for the past 2 months, I was really trying to be more careful watching what I ate. And I thought I was doing good, but the weight just seemed to creep back on :( In the past few weeks, I gained 2.8 pounds back :( I know that's really not too bad, but it's still disappointing!

But, the good news is, I just got permission from my Physical Therapist yesterday to start exercising again :) She told me to just start out slow & not to do any upper body weights yet. WOOHOO! Gym, here I come!!! :) Tonight I have to work, but as soon as I get off, I'll be hitting the bike & treadmill! I probably won't be able to do the elliptical with the arms for a while & won't be running on the treadmill (swinging my left arm still hurts quite a bit), but anything right now will be a huge plus & make me feel so much better....not just physically, but mentally as well! I've been a little depressed since I haven't been able to exercise :( And I've been sitting around the house way too much! Time to get off my butt & get back on track!

Keep on movin'

Benita

New Year, New Me!

I am proud to say that I am starting out 2009 weighing 60 pounds lighter than I was this time last year! And this year, I plan on continuing my journey to lose another 51 or more pounds, hopefully by summer. It's not going to be easy, though with the health problems I'm currently enduring, but I refuse to give up! Quitting is no longer a word in my vocabulary!

Although I haven't been able to exercise in about a month, I'm still watching what I eat & still managing to lose some weight, although it's coming off a lot slower without exercising right now. I go to a neurosurgeon on January 6th, so I'm hoping to get some answers then. I can't wait to get back into the gym & back on the elliptical & treadmill! Believe it or not, I truly miss working out! So once I get the all clear from my doctor, you can bet I'll be back to busting my butt once again :)

I did the layout above a few months ago about the 12 week biggest loser weight loss competition that I did. I tell ya, it feels so good to be 60 pounds lighter! It took me about 8 months to lose that 60 pounds, but it was so worth it!

Till next time, keep on movin' & Happy New Year :)

Benita