Still going...

Although it seems like I'm straggling at times, I am still here! I did not make my December goals as I took a little time off for Christmas goodies.

I think that Caleb has a milk allergy, so now I am trying to cut out all milk products while he is nursing. Boy, I think this will really help with my weight loss effort! No cookies, ice cream, or chocolate. It's definitely challenging. I did buy some little non-milk candies to satisfy my sweet tooth in the meantime. :o)

Neal has set up a new challenge for me with a specific goal in mind. He said if I get to a certain weight (which will be 13 pounds to go--so 9 pounds down from today's weigh in) by February 1, 2010, that he will take me out on a dinner and movie date. It's very motivating for me!

I am hoping with Neal's challenge and the lack of milk-laden goodies, plus the help of the Lord to have self control (which I desperately need), that I might be able to achieve my goals soon enough. I hope to come back this Friday to post my progress.

New Goal

I have decided that I want to strive to reach my goal weight by Caleb's first birthday. I looked on the calendar, and if I added it up right, Caleb's birthday is exacty 19 weeks from today. I may weigh in on Friday or Saturday; not sure which one yet. Starting with this morning, here's where I'm at.

Weight lost so far: 15 lbs.
Weight left to lose: 22.8 lbs.
Weeks left to reach goal weight: 19 weeks

My hope is to get under the 20 pounds to go mark by December 17th (Caleb turns 8 months that day). I also hope to lose 4 pounds between now and Christmas. If I can do that, I will basically be at my pre-Caleb pregnancy weight. :o)

First Friday back.

Alright! Back here for my Friday report. I will compare this week to the last time I posted a weight update. Looks like the last time I reported I had 24.8 lbs. to go, so I am down 1.6 pounds from then.

23.2 pounds to go!

Wow, really???

I knew I'd been putting off updating my blog for a while now, but I didn't realize it'd been this long. I didn't post anything for the entire month of November! Wow! Okay, well, my goal has been to post every Friday. I've been floundering the last month or so. I will stick to my diet a few days, then go off a few days, then diet a few days, etc. etc. etc. I know I HAVE to stick with it if I want to make any progress. I am journaling today (started back yesterday) and plan to come here Friday to post my progress at that point. Please keep me accountable! Thanks for reading.

Back on track...for the most part!

This week, starting Sunday (I think), I was able to journal every day. This really helped me get back on track. I did not stay within my goal calorie range every day, but I am thankful I had to write it all down. It really makes a difference when I have to write it down and try to stay within a certain calorie goal.

I was able to lose a pound from Friday to Friday. Here's my current status:

This week: 1 lb. down
Overall: 13 lbs. down
Left to lose: 24.8 lbs.

Thanks for those who are keeping up with my blog. I never know who even reads this, but I'm thankful to those who have encouraged me by saying they are keeping up with me. I really do appreciate and need the encouragement. It helps me to keep going when I feel like giving up.

Losing sight.

Sometimes I find that I lose sight of my goal. There are times when I feel super energized and excited about working at losing weight. There are other times when I just want to eat what I want to eat. I guess it's really rebelling against the process. For the last couple of weeks we've had visitors on and off, and I've used that as an excuse to not eat very well. I weighed in this morning, and I was about half a pound more than I was two weeks ago. So, today, I am trying to get back on the bandwagon again. I'm finding it difficult to stay motivated, but I know I do not want to give up!

So...

12 lbs. lost so far.
25.8 lbs. to go.

Short and sweet this week.

Down .8 lbs. this week. Thank You, Lord, for Your many, many blessings.

Another 1.8 pounds down!!!

I was able to lose another 1.8 lbs. this week...Praise the Lord!! I have been trying to fit more deliberate exercise into my schedule. I have enjoyed doing the wii fit and taking long walks by myself (when Neal is home to be with the boys).

A friend of mine on facebook quoted this verse, and I think it's a good motivation for me as a wife to lose weight and take care of my body...After all, I do need physical strength to be able to do the things I'm called to do (esp. keep up with a 3 year old, 2 year old, and a 5 month old!). Thanks for the verse, Jennifer O.!

Prov 31:17 She girds herself with strength And makes her arms strong.

The Proverbs 31 wife is my hero, so this is one way I'm hopefully getting to be more like her!

10 lbs. down and some progress pictures.

Today I hit exactly 10 pounds down since I started this blog. Yeah!!! :o)

I wanted to post some updated pictures once I hit this mark, and I hope to post again after the next 10 pounds (Lord willing!). The vertical pictures on the left are the before pics and the horizontals on the right are the current pics. I am not sure if they are the best comparisons because Neal took the first ones from a certain angle, and I took the new ones myself from a different angle. Anyways, it helps me to know progress is being made. Thank You, Lord!!

10 lbs. down...

27.8 to go!

I found these verses in Colossians to be a great challenge and encouragement. I just wanted to share them today:

"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3

Week 12...after a week of vacation...

I'm back again. I didn't write last week because we were in Florida, and I didn't have an official Friday weigh in (I also didn't get on a real computer all week).

Well, part of the reason I wasn't on a computer was because I was busy with more important things--namely, family time! I was able to walk and swim a lot with family, and it felt so good to be active like that! I don't miss a lot about Florida, but I sure to miss the flat places (and sidewalks) to walk on! I could walk half a mile with no problem there. But here, half a mile about kills me with the big hills.

I was more active while we were gone, but I did not journal or count my calories, and I did eat a lot. I expected to gain several pounds. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I weighed the same this morning as I did 2 weeks ago. Yay!!!

So, I am down 9.2 lbs. from the start of my blog.
28.6 lbs. to go...

My goal this week is to journal my calories every day and to strive for more intentional activity/exercise. I am hoping next week to hit the 10-lbs. lost mark. If I do, I want to put up some updated pictures. Maybe I'll put up pics for every 10 lbs. I lose. We'll see, Lord willing!

Week 10: Almost 10 lbs. down!!!

Thank You, Lord, for a great week!

I was able to meet most of my goal. I did journal my calories every day this week, but I only got to exercise twice this week. One time was taking Joshua for a walk, and the second was grocery shopping (I counted it as exercise because I had a 40 lb. bag of dog food under my cart that made it challenging to push around the store...). I was trying to take Gideon for a walk last night but the weather did not cooperate. I literally had Gideon in the stroller and we walked about 5 steps when I got a phone call from Neal telling me to take cover! He said it was raining where he was about two miles away, so we put the stroller up and got back into the van. So much for that walk!

I had a great result on the scales, which I am so excited about!! I finally broke the 30 lbs. to go mark this week!!! I lost 2.6 pounds this week! Yippeeeeee!!!

4 steps forward, 3 steps back

Or is that 4 days forward, 3 days back??

After some fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies had been made at my house on Saturday night, I decided that I would totally throw my calorie counting out the window and pig out on the cookies and cookie dough. Then I made sure to eat lots more on Sunday and not pay attention to how much I was eating. Monday was my mom's birthday, and I didn't count my calories that day, either. I don't think I did too bad that day, though. I was almost in shock by my weigh in on Monday morning, after just a day and a half of poor eating choices. My weight was up about 4 pounds from my weight on Saturday! I don't know if it was actual weight or just water weight or some of both (which I suspect is the case).

So, I got back to counting my calories for Tuesday through Thursday (including last Friday, that makes 4 days of counting calories). Thankfully, my weight did come down mostly by today. I actually gained .4 lbs. since last Friday, but considering Monday's weigh in, I am okay with that.

I was thinking of the saying that goes something like this: you make your bed, so you have to lie in it. It was my choice to eat poorly for a few days, and I paid the price for it. It's just too bad that the days I spent trying to stick to my eating plan were basically just used to offset the 3 off days... Makes me realize how much a few days "off" my plan really cost. It pretty much means I've wasted a week of time. But, I'm reminded again of the need to stick with my goals every day.

Here are my specific goals for this week:
-Exercise 3 times
-Count/journal my calories every day

My hope is to lose 2 pounds this week!! And then finally get under the 30 lbs. to go mark!!

I made it (sort of)! :)

Well, I asked last week for you to check in on me this week to keep me accountable. I journaled every day this week and tried to stay close to my calories each day. One day I made this homemade ice cream that I realized was PACKED with calories, but I ate it anyways. So that day I went over by quite a bit. But other than that, I stuck pretty close to my daily calorie goals.

I lost another pound this week...yippee!! Honestly, I guess I wish it was more, but I need to be thankful to God for helping me to lose another pound. Slowly but surely I'm seeing the weight come off. My goal was to be below the "30 pounds to go" mark this week, but I didn't quite make it to that. So, that's why I titled this entry, "I made it (sort of)!" I am hoping next week to break that mark.

Here's my report for the week:
Weight lost this week: 1 lb.
Weight lost so far: 7 lbs.
Weight left to lose: 30.8 lbs.

Am I to week 7 already?

Wow, time flies!! You know, when I look at how long I've been working towards this goal, the time that has passed seems to have gone by so quickly. Funny, because whenever I look ahead, a seemingly large chunk of time that I need to accomplish my goal seems so huge and overwhelming at times. In other words, I shouldn't get so overwhelmed by whatever amount of time is necessary to get to my goal. The time will probably pass much more quickly than I think...

I lost another 1.4 pounds this week; thank You, Lord!!

I've lost 6 so far.
31.8 to go! And...as I said last week, my goal was to get below the "30 pounds to go" mark in 2 weeks from that day, so I need to lose 2 pounds this week to get below that mark.

I actually didn't stick with my calorie counting very well this week. So, to have not given my best effort and still lost weight is pretty amazing to me. It just makes me wonder if I stick with my plan every day this week how well I could do next Friday?

I'm sorry for when I fall short, as I often do. I need God's help so much in this effort! Yesterday I was really hungry in the afternoon. I kept thinking of how I was going to have to post here today; that knowledge really helped me to say no to just eating whatever I wanted yesterday afternoon.

So, I hope to be able to come back here next week with this report--that I stuck with my goal of journaling my calories and eating close to my goal amount EVERY day. Will you help keep me accountable by coming back to check on me?? Thanks to those who check in on me. It means a lot.

6 weeks and another pound down!

I didn't post anything last week, partly because I was in Florida on Friday. I did weigh in when I got back, and my weight had gone up a bit on the trip. It was a challenge to eat well on that trip. My Nana (great southern cook) and my sister (also a great cook) cooked for us. We also ate out several times. Although I didn't count calories, I made it my goal to try to not overeat and try to fill up on fresh fruit. We were so busy during the week that I didn't have much time to sit around and snack or overeat.

My weight went back down this week as I got back into counting my calories. I am thankful that most of the week I was able to count and stay very close to my daily calorie goal. From 2 weeks ago until today I lost one pound overall. :o)

Today is my 5th anniversary being married to Neal. I've been so blessed by him (and the Lord!!), and I hope to bless Neal in return through this effort!

4.6 down...
33.2 to go...

It's my goal to drop under the 30 pounds to go mark in two more weeks.

Week 4 and counting...

I had a good weigh in again this morning! I lost another 1.2 pounds this week. So far I've lost 3.6 pounds overall (in 4 weeks). 34.2 to go!

I was thinking through my pregnancy weight gain, and I figure I've got about 16 pounds to get to my pre-pregnancy weight (from my pregnancy with Caleb). Then about 6 to lose after that to get to my "pre-Gideon" weight. :o) Then......another 12 to go after that to get to my true pre-pregnancy weight. That would be the weight I was before Joshua...the same weight I was when I got married.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my main motivation is to glorify God through losing the extra weight. I think one way I can honor God is to try to honor Neal as well. When Neal married me, I weighed a certain amount, and I want to try to get back to that same weight. Although I can't reverse the effects of aging ('cause I'm so old... :o) ), I do think I should try to take care of myself in ways I can control. One of those areas is eating and exercise. Although some days it is very tough to control the eating! It's definitely been a struggle so far, but I know it's worth it. I am praying for God's help to be self controlled this morning.

I am thinking on these verses this morning...
Gal 5:22-25 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Week 3 is happy news! :o)

So this past week I dropped way down in weight, then gained about half a pound back during my trip to Gatlinburg. Not bad considering I didn't count calories for that trip...and we ate well!!!

I weighed in officially on Saturday since we were still out of town on Friday morning. I'm happy to report that this past week I lost 1.8 pounds overall!!

35.4 to go!! :o)

Thanks for all the encouraging words everyone! It really means a lot.

The good, the bad, and the ugly...

Well, this blog is serving it's purpose today. It's keeping me accountable. I have to post the good news as well as the bad.

We had family in town this week, and I chose to not really watch what I was eating. I gained .6 pounds from last Friday's weigh in.

This week is going to be tough because Neal and I are going away for 3 days to Gatlinburg. I will have to make an effort to make good choices while I am there if I want to lose weight this week. I keep having reasons or excuses for not making the best choices (family in town, birthday, etc.) in regards to my eating, but I've got to stop using those excuses if I ever want to lose this weight!!

So...Basically...

About half a pound down and about 37 to go! It seems so far away, but I know I've just got to stick with the plan.

Oops...

I just figured out I was off slightly...I actually only lost 1.2 pounds. I know it's not a big difference in what I just posted, but didn't want to lie. :o) I'm still happy about that loss!

First week's results...

Today is my official weigh in with some friends of mine who are also trying to lose weight. We have a private group on facebook where we try to encourage each other to make good choices to lose weight to glorify God.

I found out since last Friday that I have lost 1.4 pounds!!! Yeah!!! :o) The first week of dessert dieting was successful. Actually, it was fun to try to figure out how many calories I had each day and how I could use them well (although I did go over a couple of days).

Wendy's is my friend!

Today I had to take Caleb to the drs. for his 2 month shots... :o( He is still snoozing from the experience three hours later. Poor little guy!

My mom watched the big boys so I could take Caleb for a semi-peaceful visit to the pediatrician. Because she watched them up until lunch time, I ran to Wendy's to get something for all of us for lunch.

I got a double stack and a chicken go wrap for lunch. I also ate a few of the boys' fries. I really wasn't sure on the calories, but I found out for the burger and wrap it was 660 altogether! Not too shabby!

It's nice to know that when I'm on a "diet" that I can still have something like Wendy's to eat. :o) Although I did choose not to have a Frosty since I've got a special dessert in the freezer for tonight... If I wasn't counting calories, I'd probably just go for both.

I also weighed myself this morning, and my weight was already down almost a pound from the day before. That was very encouraging.

I've got over 1400 left for the day. Hopefully I will use them wisely. :o)

Day 1!

Okay, first day back on the bandwagon. My goal is to eat around 2300-2400 calories a day right now. I took some time off for my birthday, so now I'm back in the swing of things.

Sometimes I wish that it didn't take so long to lose weight...and sometimes I wish it wasn't so hard. But most things worth doing aren't easy. I am thankful because I think this journey will teach me a lot about self control and honoring God. That is my hope, anyways!

Dessert anyone?

First off, let me explain why I am starting a blog. I never thought I would have one, but I am mainly starting this one to keep myself accountable. Even if nobody actually reads this, I will feel the need to stick to my goal if I know I've got to come to this little tiny corner of the www to post my progress.

I am naming this the dessert dieter because that's what I am...I have lost weight before, and I think I've got a pretty good idea of how to do it. Eat less, basically. :o) However, when I've done it in the past, I often do not cut out taboo foods like dessert. In fact, I usually have them almost every day. I am a calorie counter, so I just make sure I save enough calories to have dessert somewhere (at least once) in my day. I suppose my love for desserts is part of why I have to have this blog anyways...

I have weight to lose due to the extra pounds I've picked up in all my pregnancies. I have about 38 pounds to lose, to be exact. I am posting "before" pictures today in hopes that I eventually will be able to post some "after" pictures. :o)

I have a lot of reasons for wanting to lose the weight, so maybe that will be my post for next time. However, let me post the most important here today:

1 Corinthians 10:31 "So then whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." I want to honor God with how I eat, which is often a struggle for me.

If anyone out there does happen to read my blog here, please feel free to leave comments...I am sure that will be a great help and encouragement to me. I hope that I can be an encouragement to someone else as well! God bless.