A small WW victory

Hi everyone,

Life has been pretty hectic this spring, so I haven't been doing much blogging. But I finally have a moment to clear my head, so I'd like to share.

In WW news, I weighed in today and got some good news: a loss!

Weight: 140.6 pounds
Pounds lost (since last blog post): -1.4
Total pounds lost: 21.4 pounds
Pounds to lose: 15.6 pounds

As has been the pattern in the past, as soon as I get to a milestone, in the weeks that follow it is difficult for me to maintain the progress. It happened at my 5%, 10 lbs, 10%, etc. So it was no surprise to me that once I got to 20 pounds, I went up and down quite a bit. Today was the first time I made it past that mark, so I am really happy about that.

I've been really consumed with work and school lately. With school, I had a pretty big decision to wrestle with. I had made plans to do my internship this fall, but due to the course offerings over the summer, it looked like I would be unable to complete all my course requirements (last two classes) in order to do my internship in the fall. At first I was a little upset, because I had already made mental plans and preparations for this to happen. I was looking forward to the prospect of being done. But in reality, this way is better for me. It means I can stay at my job longer, and finish out the year, which would help them. Also, finishing in the spring may be a better way to get a job. So after some unrest, I just went with it. So the plan now is to stick around Tuscaloosa until August 2014 and then move on down home to Fairhope.

Something big on the horizon is that my sister is moving to Portland, Oregon with her husband. This is a pretty significant move. We've never lived more than a few hours apart from each other, and I know I will miss her. But I also know that this could be a great opportunity for both of them. I've also agreed to help them move there next month - which means a 4 day road trip there and a 9 hour plane ride back. What have I gotten myself into?!

In general, life is going pretty well. The weather is nice again, and who knows - maybe I'll wear a bathing suit this summer?

20 pounds down!

Just a quick post to share the EXCITING news! I am down 20 pounds as off my weigh-in today! Here are the numbers:

Weight: 142 pounds
Pounds lost this week: -1.4
Total pounds lost: 20 pounds
Pounds to lose: 17 pounds

It is even more exciting that the number left to lose is smaller than what I have lost! My next goal is still to get to the 3/4 mark by Spring Break. As long as I can lose 6.6 pounds by March 23 - I will be golden.

What goals have you reached this week?

Life keeps moving on, whether you're ready or not...

It seems appropriate to start this post with WW news, as I have been doing previously. Fortunately, it is good news! I have steadily been losing over the last few weeks. I can attribute it all to tracking my food, going to meetings, and exercising regularly. When you follow the plan, the weight comes off - what a novel concept, right? Here are the numbers:

Weight: 143.4 pounds
Pounds lost (since last post): -3.4
Total pounds lost: 18.6 pounds
Pounds to lose: 18.4 pounds

One of the reasons I've bee able to stay active is that I am back in karate again. It's good to be back. I really like challenging myself. This past weekend Jennings and I went to the annual winter camp in Fort Walton Beach. It was a good time, like always, but it was extra special this time. Jennings got his black belt!

We also both competed in self defense and ended up doing pretty good. Competing in the black belt division for the first time, Jennings got fourth place. I got third place in my division. Also, the most fun part of the weekend is always doing karate in the water:

Tuscaloosa dojo after karate in the water

Normally, I would be mortified to share this picture online (ok I am still a little mortified), but I am putting this on here to show my weight loss progress. This is our dojo last year:

I am not proud of how I was looking back then, but I am happy to say I am working on it. I hope next year I can show another picture and I will be at my goal weight!

In other news, I did complete the houndstooth cookie challenge some weeks back. Thanks to some help from my friend Nikki and a surprising amount of patience, I churned out 16 dozen of these:

My customer in Huntsville was very happy with them, and she told me that only 2 or 3 cookies broke in the shipping process, so that is great news. This whole experience marked the end of my etsy shop, Blue Bird Baskets. I sold off the rest of my basket inventory and closed it down. In some ways it is sad, but in other ways, it is a chance for me to focus on the many other exciting things going on in my life right now without this nagging feeling that I am being wasteful with all the stuff I'm not using.

So, in closing - what exciting things are going on in your life right now?

Winding down the week, gearing up for the weekend

Since I last wrote, I had another small gain, and then a loss, so I am approaching my 10 percent goal (again). It is a little frustrating to take one step forward and two steps back (literally), but I know that this whole thing is a journey and a process, and I am still learning it -  9 months into it. So here are the numbers:

Weight: 146.8 pounds
Pounds lost (since last post): -.4
Total pounds lost: 15.2 pounds
Pounds to lose: 21.8 pounds

Two things helped me with a loss this week: i actually tracked my food (even when it meant i went over my points) and I started back to karate. i had not been since September, so it was good to get back. I hope I can get myself in a position to where I can actually compete at winter camp and not be totally embarrassed. I plan to stick with karate and do some more activity, and I know as long as I stick to it, I should see the results at the scale.

In other news, this weekend I will be embarking on a little blast from the past adventure. Yes, I am resurrecting my houndstooth cookie skills and will be making 16 dozen of these babies for a nice lady in Huntsville:

I have enlisted some help this time, and have also discovered some new decorating techniques that should help me do some more of them more quickly. I have been in the process of shutting down blue Bird Baskets by selling off my supplies, and in the meantime I had an email from this lady who wanted some of these cookies for her son's bar mitzfah. I normally would have said no, but I thought - why not go out with a bang?

So this will be my official last order in the basket business. I hope they turn out the way i want them to and that they will be the hit of the party. I may take some photos of the process and do a final blog post on my other blog, bluebirdbaskets.wordpress.com, so stay tuned!

2013 is THE year

I am a little late, as usual, on a year-end post. But that's just how I roll.

So the quick and dirty WW story is that I gained after I got to my 10 percent. Am I surprised? No. I didn't track the week of Christmas. I did, however, go to a WW meeting two days after Christmas even though I did not want to. I figured I ought to face the music. So here are the numbers:

Weight: 147.2 pounds
Pounds lost this week: +1.8
Total pounds lost: 14.8 pounds
Pounds to lose: 22.2 pounds

This semester, I am going to get back into karate, which means that I will have change my WW meeting time once again. I am going to start going Wednesdays during lunchtime with one of my coworkers. I am hoping that by going with someone else, I will be motivated. Also the increase in activity level should get me back on track for success. Even though I am disappointed in a gain, I  know that I can try harder and lose again.

As I did last year, these are not resolutions, but rather a reflection on GOOD things from 2012:

1. I  lost 10 percent of my body weight on WW!
2. I completed two 5k races - The Color Run and the Crimson Couch to 5K.
3. I celebrated 5 years of being married to Jennings.
4. Watched my big sister get married in October.
5. Went to Hangout Fest with family and friends.
6. I went to karate summer camp and got first place in breaking competition.

And here's to many more good things in 2013!

I finally got to my 10 percent!

Hurrah - I can finally say I reached my 10 percent goal in WW! I originally thought I could get there back in September, but then life got in the way. With full time school and full time work, WW really took a back seat. I never gained more than a pound or two back, but I didn't lose much either. So at this last weigh in on Thursday, it was such a relief to realize I finally got there! Here are the numbers:

Weight: 145.4 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 1.8
Total pounds lost: 16.6 pounds
Pounds to lose: 20.4 pounds

One of the best parts about this goal is that I got a little WW key chain (yes, I respond to tokens like an elementary school child) and they passed around to everyone at the meeting because they have all been a part of my weight loss journey. It was very touching moment.

So my next goals involve losing half of what is left for my ultimate goal: 10 pounds. An aggressive goal would be to have that lost by February 28 (10 weeks), but with the holidays around the corner and a new semester to adjust to, I think a more reasonable time frame would be by Spring Break, which starts on March 23. So that is 13 weeks to lose 10 pounds. I'm going to need a lot of encouragement and determination to stick with it.

I know talking about weight loss around the holidays is a bit ridiculous, but for the first time in my life, when I sit down to write New Year's resolutions, I know that one of them I have already put some serious effort into, and that is a good feeling.

If any of you out there are hoping to do the same, I know you can do it. You just have to decided to make it a priority. And I have to say, success is one of the best feelings there is, especially when you know you worked hard!

Happy Holidays everybody =)

Still here, believe it or not!

Hi everyone,

Just a quick post to say I'm still around, just been very busy with school/work/life. Classes are over for the semester, but I still have a few things to finish up to get my final grade in one of my classes. I was fortunate enough to have a teacher who would work with me on some things. Working my job and being a full time graduate student has not been easy these last few months. I am actually looking forward to next semester so that I can only take two classes and be in the office more.

In other school related news, since I will be finished with school in exactly one year, Jennings and I are making plans for what to do after that. Originally I thought I may be able to take a leave from my job for a semester and then come back in the spring, but that's not going to work out. So I will be looking for teaching jobs starting in January 2014, which means we will likely go ahead and relocate to Fairhope, which has been our plan anyway. It's pretty scary to think about, but also exciting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

In WW news, I am still going to meetings, but have been up and down on the scale. I am still chasing down that 10 percent loss, and based on the weigh-in last week I am only 1.2 pounds away (need to get to 16 pounds!). I will weigh in tomorrow, so we will see. It has been pretty tough to keep up with WW and all the stress from school, but that doesn't mean I'm quitting. I have just revised my timeline and my expectations. Here are the numbers:

Weight: 147.2 pounds
Pounds lost (since October): .6
Total pounds lost: 14.8 pounds
Pounds to lose: 22.2 pounds

My ultimate goal is to get to goal weight by next August so I can be a FREE Lifetime Member and not have to pay for WW while I'm student teaching - since I won't have an income at that time (scary!). So that is about 30 weeks to lose a little over 20 pounds. If I lose a pound a week - it should happen - wish me luck!

I wish there were some more exciting things for me to share, but unfortunately not much going on with me except the daily grind. Hope y'all are doing well!