I'm Only Human And I'm Doing It

Getting back on track after the cruise was not easy, and I did a pretty lousy job of it last week.  I'm happy to report that even though I didn't really get back on plan, the scale today only showed a 6.6lb gain.  It's not awesome, but it certainly could have been worse!  After my meeting today I went to the grocery store and stocked up.  I've made a plan for the week that includes tracking, staying on-plan, and  getting more activity.  I hope to lose these 6lbs in the next 3 weeks, then keep on working towards my goal.

One thing that keeps me inspired, is hearing the success stories of others.  If so many people can be successful with Weight Watchers, then I know I can do it too.  If you need a little inspiration in your day, be sure to check out the "I'm Only Human And I Did It" project on YouTube.  Who knows, maybe one of these days I'll have my own story on there! :-)

 -11.8 lbs 

(ps. I wear this shirt on Sundays a lot... I just noticed it is in a few of my weekly photos.)

Feeding My Brain

Well, I am home after a WONDERFUL cruise!  I did indulge quite a bit over the week... too many temptations to avoid all together.  I'm not sure of the effect those indulgences will have on the scale... I'm a little scared.  I am happy to report I got a ton of activity over the week on the ship.  I earned 11 points and averaged 94% of my daily goal over the week!  I am back on plan starting tomorrow and hope my next official weigh in next week will show no more than a 5lb gain.  No pic this week since there is no official weigh in for today.  Check back next week to see how I did!

Now... on to feeding my brain...

I love to read. At any given moment I probably have 4 (or more) books loaded on my kindle.  I'm sure I'll read lots of things this year, but I'm going to focus mostly on books about weight loss & health.  If you have any great recommendations, I'd love to hear them!  

As I feed my brain along this journey, I'll try to share a bit of the knowledge I gain with you!

The book currently keeping me inspired (and on track) is Weight Loss Boss by David Kirchhoff. He is the CEO of Weight Watchers and has a wonderful blog called Man Meets Scale.  He writes with just the right amount of science & humor for my tastes.  And even though he is the CEO of Weight Watchers, it is not really a book about the WW program.  It's really just the story of his weight loss journey.  As someone who has gone down this path ahead of me, he's certainly got some great information and inspiration to share!  Here are some little bits of wisdom I've gained from the book so far:

• "I can focus my energy on developing mental muscle power to withstand the temptations of a food-dense environment."
• "there seems to be a link between my optic nerve and some kind of trapdoor into my stomach"
• "So does beer make you fat? In a word, yes (or at least likely). Beer obviously has calories, but it also has the ability to radically lower eating inhibitions while under the influence."
• "I ate without thinking and gained without noticing … if I looked the other way when I walked past the bathroom mirror."
• "I will always have to watch what I eat because I still live in the tempting food environment that got me heavy in the first place. I eventually came to realize that I had to respect that fact by taking steps to alter the way I interacted with my environment."
• "A healthy lifestyle is not a moral straitjacket. Rather, it is a combination of healthy habits you feel good about and can stick to."
• "weight loss is often not a direct journey. It has its twists and turns, ups and downs. There are periods where you are highly focused and times when you wear doughnut glasses."
• "So the government came up with a simple mnemonic: a dinner plate. Fill half with fruits and vegetables, a quarter with whole grains, and a quarter with protein. Dairy is represented by a glass of low-fat milk, next to the plate. It displaces the esoteric food pyramid, which might have been a gift from aliens visiting ancient Egypt."
• "Plus seeing a ton of food is beyond sexy in my simple mind."
• "The only way anybody can lose weight is to make different choices and live in a different way. The sooner that you put your belief and trust in yourself, the sooner you will realize that you manage own destiny."

Kirchhoff, David (2012-05-08). Weight Loss Boss: How to Finally Win at Losing--and Take Charge in an Out-of-Control Food World. Rodale. Kindle Edition. 

Hitting Reset

This week was tough. Between preparing to be gone from work & home for a week, and having a bizarre nerve inflammation, my head was not in the game at the beginning of the week

I've realized over the years that even when I'm doing really great with my weight loss, I let distractions sabotage my progress.  It's like I can only focus and do 2 or 3 things at a time very well, and being on plan is the first thing to go when something else (no matter how minor) moves up in priority.

I'm not proud of how I started my week. It included (among several indiscretions) of all things... a trip to Taco Bell.  I don't really even like Taco Bell.  And I didn't get something "healthy" I got a stupid 7 layer burrito and a mexican pizza.  It wasn't good.  I didn't want it. I would have rather had any number of other things for the same amount of calories.  I decided (unfortunately after eating that meal instead of before) I really needed to hit reset.  I still had 4 days until my cruise, and there was really no reason to waste them!

I'm happy to say that I managed to salvage those 4 days, and turn the potential gain into a small loss!  HUGE VICTORY!!!

I am traveling tomorrow to Florida, then on board a very large boat (I know... it's a ship!) until next Sunday (Feb 17th).  So, this is my post for the week.  My scale did show a small loss this week, but since it is not my "official" WW recorded weight, no picture or total loss listed for this post.

I do plan to indulge a bit on the cruise, but to not overdo it.  I won't have another official weigh in until February 24th. If I were to show a small (below 5 lb) gain on that date, I'd be pretty proud of myself.  I plan to get plenty of activity on the cruise and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to offset any sweets and drinks I may have.

As soon as I get back home on the 17th I'll be hitting reset all over again.  That's the nice thing about that reset button.. you can hit it ANY TIME!

Inspiration

Hey there!

Thank you!  You may not know it, but you are an inspiration to me.  Really, just because you're reading this, I'm inspired!

I wasn't sure what blogging about this year of losing weight would do for me.  I hoped it would help me feel accountable and stay on track.  It certainly has done that!  I look forward to stepping on that scale on Sundays so I can blog about my progress Sunday night.  Knowing I'm going to have to reflect on my week and share my thoughts here, keeps me thinking about this journey I'm on.  I actually never thought anyone would really read this blog... but, here you are!

Over the past month, several of you have talked to me about this blog.  These aren't direct quotes, but these are some of the things you've been saying to me (at work, on facebook, whenever I see you):

• Your blog really inspired me, I'm back on track with WW too!
• Toni, you're really brave to share what you're doing.
• Keep up the great work, I'm proud of you.
• Awesome!  Keep up the great work!
• Go girl!
• I really needed to hear this.
• I'm in this with you!

I'm overwhelmed by your comments!  Many of these comments have come right when I needed them most (in the middle of a day where I wanted to give up).  They've all come as a complete surprise.  You  are all inspiring me, and I just wanted to say thank you!  I started this to inspire myself and to keep myself on track. Knowing that I have become an inspiration to others is a little overwhelming, but very inspiring too!

Thank you so much for your support! I appreciate your comments, your prayers, and your taking time to read my silly ramblings!  We're in this together, and 2013 is going to be the year we succeed!

 -18.5