Back on Track. :)

Greetings, good folks. It has been a while since I posted here. The problem was this was becoming a trainwreck journal with me gaining every week and not showing that much commitment. Then a couple of weeks ago I hit a crossroads: I could either give up now and slowly gain more weight or I could take care of myself and lose the extra poundage. I went for the latter option. I started attending Weight Watchers (WW) meetings again and sure enough . . .

I lost 1.8 pounds the first week and 1 pound this past week. I have been doing it eating delicious food in good portions, going to the gym three times a week, riding twice a week, and shooting archery once a week. My energy is still very low, but it is getting better. I am sleeping better and exercising more efficiently. I am well on my goal of losing five pounds every month.

So, now I am down from 196.4 to 193.6. It may not seem to be much, but it is enough to give me hope. It is amazing just how much better I am feeling for myself since the weight started finally coming off.

New Year, New Commitment

Unfortunately, I had another car accident on December 8, 2008. This one completed totaled my little car and has put me out of commission for exericse and horseback riding for a while. My neck and back are messed up and we are now going week-by-week on whether I can start riding and working out again.

When I had a car accident on June 29, 2008 that did the same thing, I gained twenty pounds. I decided that this will not happen with this accident. Instead of feeling sorry for myself for the lack of working out and riding horses, I am using this as an opportunity to practice better nutrition.

I also set a very important goal for myself this year: take care of myself. My biggest problem with weight loss is that I take care of everything and everyone before taking care of myself. If I can put myself first, I believe my other goals will come into place.

A Victory!

Despite Thanksgiving and the rich Italian dinner on Saturday night , I lost 1.2 pounds this last week. I am now down to 190.4 with the definite motivation to get below 190 next week.

Thanksgiving was very portion-controlled and I didn't have seconds. Normally, I stuff myself on T-Day, but this time, I just ate until I was content. The only thing I would have done differently was exercise more. I had stalls to muck and horses to ride so it was not an exercise-free week, but I only made it to the gym once.

So far, so good this week. I am feeling very motivated and optimistic. :)

Reflecting on Thankfulness

Here are some of the things I am thankful for:

1. In this country of rampant unemployment, I still have my job. It is not the perfect job by a long shot, but my company is stable and the job will remain.

2. I have lots of horses to ride. I finally fulfilled my childhood dream to learn to ride horses and it may be a constant work in progress, but it feeds my soul.

3. It has its ups and downs, but my marriage is actually very good.

4. I have friends and family who care.

5. My kitties, Millicent and Fiona, are healthy and happy.

6. I miss Viola and Missy (also kitties) horribly, but I also know I gave them good lives.

7. I may be overweight, but I am healthy enough to exercise and eat what I need to eat in order to lose weight.

8. Both the cars are running well.

9. I am taking two vacations next year. One to California and another to Montana.

10. I have good benefits where I work and flexible hours.

Oh Dear God . . .!

I took a hiatus from this blog because I was a) depressed, b) overworked, and c) not keeping my priorities straight. The result of not checking in with people? The result of not writing down my food or exercising regularly? In other words, the result?!?

191.6 pounds.

Breaking 190 has been a huge wake up call. No wonder my wedding ring no longer fits. No wonder I now own two pairs of pants that fit--I own a total of about twelve. No wonder I can no longer ride as long, exercise as much, or go up stairs or a hill without becoming breathless. I can blame the accident and work all I want, but the bottom line is that I did this to myself. Therefore, only I can fix it.

I started with some very simple goals. They are:

1. Exercise at Curves 3x a week.
2. Ride at least 2x a week.
3. Practice archery at least 1x a week.
4. Write down what I eat/actually acount Weight Watchers points

Right now, I will be taking this one day a time. When I think about how much I have to lose and how long it may take, I just get overwhelmed.

Yesterday's Weigh-In

Yesterday was weigh-in and I maintained at 185.2. As I have been gaining fairly consistently since the accident, this was a small victory. It shows that I can get this under control.

My first goal, 60 minutes of exercise four times a week, was reached last week. I just indulged in some self-sabotage which most likely kept me from losing the weight. This week, I am still focusing on the 60 minutes four times a week, but also trying to get at least three servings of fruits and vegetables into my diet. According the Weight Watcher better health guidelines, I should get five. However, I need to start somewhere.

Meeting tonight at a buffet. Wish me luck! Fortunately, I see buffets as an opportunity for portion control instead of one large pig-out session.

Early Morning Work Out

I woke up early this morning and did pilates. I read in Practical Horseman some time ago that pilates are very effective for evening up one's body. As I am much stronger on my right side than my left, and that messes up my riding, I started a morning pilates routine to solve this problem. It ended up being a very invigorating way to start my day.

My goal is to get 60 minutes of exercise four times a week. I already ride for an hour on Thursday and Sunday, which means I just need to work in two more 60 minute workouts. Basically, the plan is to perform 50 minutes of exercise (20 minutes in the morning; 30 during lunch hour) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and the hour of exercise on Thursdays and Sundays. This gives me 270 minutes of exercise a week compared to the 240 minutes I would get in the 60 minutes four times a week plan. This should jump start my weight loss and help me feel better. If this just makes me tired, instead of invigorated, I will drop one of the 30 minute work outs.

So far, it just feels good to make this time for myself.