Belinda's WL Diary

I know all about those daily fluctuations. Sometimes it seems that the scale moves just to get your hopes up that you’re finally making progress and then the next day it’s back up again. So frustrating! You’re definitely on the right path though so keep it up!

I’m happy to see you posting pictures too although I have to be honest that I felt bad for that poor snake. ? I love critters (I have a bearded dragon lizard) and hate seeing them dead. I’m a tree hugger and I’m proud of it! LOL I loved your hawk pic and the marshy shot too. You have some nice places to go walking by the looks of it. ?
 
Icychich, yeah I'm having trouble on the muscle front. I can physically see my calves becoming more defined, but when I measure them, they haven't changed at all. I have big legs anyway so I have no idea what to do to make them smaller.

Mandy, good news is that I'm down to 168.0 this morning so the fluctuation at least went down. As for the snake, I can take lizards and frogs, but noooooo snakes or spiders!! Two things that freak me out instantly.

I'll be jogging at the Wellness Center for the last time today (membership is up at the end of the month and I'll be too busy the rest of the month to go). Hopefully my weight doesn't get affected too much until we get a treadmill for the house. After the jog, I'll be coming home and doing the Bowflex workout again. Sunday will mark one week of that.
 
Haha... spiders used to be my freak out thing. I used to kill them, but now even those I'll catch and release. I still get nervous as hell catching them, but I figure they do more good alive than dead. The more mosquitos they can kill, the better! The only thing that really creeps me out these days are ticks. I cannot stand those flippin' things! Those definitely deserve to die!

Glad you're on the down again. I had a nice drop this morning too. Hoping and praying that it's not a fluctuation and that it's the real deal. Hope the same for you! :)
 
We had to fog our garage this past weekend because the spiders were so bad that I started seeing them in the house. I told the hubby I wasn't going to put up with it and it was a deal breaker if they got in the house. He finally fogged it and I haven't seen one in the house since.

On another note, I did 21 1/2 minutes at 4.5 MPH on the treadmill this morning. 1.6 miles of jogging. I finally slowed down to a fast walk to finish out a full 30 minutes and over two miles. And I simply feel great. I'm wore out, but it's a good wore out feeling.
 
We have brown recluses in my shed, but it isn't attached or very close to the house. I am very careful picking things up or sticking my hands inside anything, but I should probably do something about them. I have a healthy respect for snakes, but any venomous snakes found close to the house are generally killed. Not in the woods, but I had one on the lawn and one on the front porch doormat and both where copperheads.

You have done a super job Belinda! It's been a bit since I've caught up on your log and you have come a long way in just a few months. I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that I am about to get pummeled in my own contest.
 
I do not like snakes or spiders. I've gotten a litter better with spiders, sometimes. Usually they get killed, usually by me yelling at my fiance to come kill it LOL. Snakes, luckily I don't think I've ever actually encountered any, other than friends pets and behind glass at like the reptile/aquarium places. But yes I would probably freak out and make the situation much worse.

Good job on the morning workout! Sounds like you did really great :) Keep it going!
 
Hey, Quercus, I don't think you have much to worry about. I think this is one of those times where I drop five pounds then hover at the same weight for a few weeks :( I'm really hoping that's not what it is. As for the spiders, we have brown recluse and I even found a black widow while doing the flower beds in my front yard! I'm just glad we finally fogged the garage; they can stay outside!

Icychic, you're lucky. I live in a developing subdivision and since I've started taking my dog on walks through the neighborhood I've seen four snakes (two were dead, run over by cars; the other two alive, including the one in the picture). One that I found dead was even bigger than the one in the picture I shared. It doesn't sit well with me, having a small child, but I'm pretty sure she knows not to touch any snake she finds. Kentucky has copperheads, but I'm pretty sure the one in the picture is a rat snake.

Aww my dog was being a sweetie, he was curled up against my side while browsing and wanted kisses :)
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There is a lot of variation in rat snake color, but I've never seen the concentric rings on the tail . It's harder without the head, but my educated guess would be a Northern Water snake (Nerodia sipedon), but the skinniness looks more like a rat snake. It's either a skinny water snake, an oddly colored ratsnake, or a snake that I don't know. Kentucky has the same venomous snakes that we do and it isn't any of those. Were you near water?

Here is a snake id book for Kentucky should you be interested.


FYI, I'm a biologist of you're curious why I dorked out on this.

Cute Yorkie! I used to have a Silky terrier which is like a larger Yorkie. He was kind of a jerk, but I miss him.
 
There is a pond/small lake in the neighborhood a couple streets back, but where we found the snake wasn't near it. It was a dark gray color and patterned with horizontal rings, had a narrow head, and tried to wrap around Chris' ankle when he stepped on its head (the description in what you posted says rat snakes kill by constricting, but other snakes probably do that too).
 
167.7 this morning. This will be my starting weight for the Simple Weight Loss Challenge. Not bad, considering the only workout I got in yesterday was on the Bowflex and that I ate dinner not long before bed and drank a decent amount of water. I was expecting to be closer to 169. I'm hoping to be at 163 by the end of October--my dad and stepmother usually have a Halloween get-together and they haven't seen me in several months, so I'm hoping they'll notice I've dropped almost 30 (should be 30 or more by that time) lbs.

I skipped working out on the Bowflex Thursday, but I did last night and upped the weight on some of the workouts like the resisted abdominal crunches and the leg curls. There are a few others I can probably increase the weight on without worrying I'm using so much that it will build muscle. I'll also be shopping for a home treadmill at the end of the month. So far we're liking this one from Sears. The only drawback is I was hoping to get a treadmill with a 22" wide belt because my balance isn't that great and 20" seems a small amount of space for my feet to land. But maybe we'll find one, we still have a few days to browse around.
 
It's so nice to hear it when someone who doesn't see you everyday compliments you on your weight loss. Yesterday both my mother-in-law and my sister commented on how much weight I've lost. My sister even told my husband if he lost any more weight, he'd start looking sickly lol (he's lost over fifty pounds since March of this year), which I'd agree with her. My mom's watching my daughter for the night and most of today. We came home after dropping her off to watch a movie and I was so tempted to order a pizza and relax in bed with pizza, a movie, and some sparkling wine. But I'm proud of myself for not giving in, and I didn't end up drinking any wine either. Also, found out the county fair was yesterday and I'm like Mandy on here and love fair food. But I resisted :) The county fair isn't my favorite, but the BBQ Fest.

So after all that, I woke up to 167.1 this morning. Not bad, if I do say so myself. Despite resisting all those temptations yesterday, I still ate a SuperSonic breakfast burrito and tots, some ice cream from Cold Stone, and part of a burger from Five Guys.

My plan for today as far as exercise goes is to get half the dining room painted (the other two walls are too tall to roll without a ladder and I'm afraid of heights), and maybe work on the kitchen. We're on the home stretch as far as getting the interior walls done and I'm so freakin' glad. Once we get new flooring, this place will look so nice.
 
I’m sure your family will notice your weight drop. Thirty pounds is a lot to lose, they’ve gotta notice! I hope you’re proud of your accomplishments so far. ?

As far as your hubby losing more weight, maybe it’s time for him to start weight lifting if he’s not already just to build up some good muscle tone. Nothing like a hunky man with some good muscle! ;) Kudos to him too no his weight loss!

I’m glad you didn’t give in to your temptations yesterday. I did great at the fair, but gave in at home. Go figure!
 
Mandy, I am proud of my progress. The last two weeks have been harder than usual because I haven't had a phone so I haven't had that distraction to keep my mind off food (I use it for pretty much everything from watching movies to reading books to listening to music). Even tonight all I can think about is Subway chocolate chip cookies and glazes donuts :(

I'm holding strong, though, and so is my hubby. It's good (but slightly annoying) for him to refuse to run to Walmart or Subway to get sugar loaded food. He reminds me of my progress and keeps my willpower strong. Another reason good support and tough love are important in reaching difficult goals.

I have this (probably bad) habit of weighing in before bed now, so I can get an idea of what I'll see in the mornings. I was 167 on the dot just now, 0.1 lb less than this morning. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's weigh in because my goal for this week's Offtober Challenge weigh in is 167. At this rate, I'll be a week ahead :D that's such a good feeling.
 
OMG Belinda.... I've been doing the SAME thing, but haven't admitted it here. LOL Weighing in at night to get an idea on if I'll weigh less in the morning. I personally have found it to be another way to keep myself motivated to stay on track. I guess we're a lot alike then huh? :)

I'm glad your hubby is being so "tough" for you. I'm single so it's me, myself, and I. Nobody here to stop me from eating junk foods. In a way, I feel that's how I need to deal with this anyway. I need to learn to control myself. Although, I would like to have a support system too. :)
 
I do that too! I don't tell anyone because then they will go on and on about how it will frustrate me because I've eaten all day. Although, I have to say it feels good to have eaten all day, then step on the scale and it not be too far off from that mornings weigh in. :)

I'm glad you have support. And Mandy, although I'm not alone, I feel as if we are in the same boat. My wife weighs a whopping 92 lbs. She can eat what she wants, when she wants and doesn't gain an ounce. So I sit here night after night and watch her gorge herself on whatever snack foods are in the house. It's frustrating. Not her fault of course. And she tries to be supportive. But she's never been overweight. So she doesn't understand.

Anyways- good luck on your weigh in tomorrow!!!! :)
 
165.9 and pleasantly surprised this morning :) this means I'm 0.9 lbs away from thirty pounds lost. My daughter is home today and tomorrow. She was supposed to go on a field trip to Bowling Green today but she has a dentist appointment in Owensboro and we couldn't do both. Tomorrow is the afternoon class's turn for the field trip so she doesn't have school tomorrow either.

Good news is my new phone is shipping out tomorrow so I'll have that distraction again. Also, we are getting the treadmill soon so I can get back on track with the jogging. I was so bored last night and was lazy and would've been more productive if we had one in the house to use.

Mandy and br!na, I've found weighing at night actually keeps me in check, too. When I think about donuts or cookies I step on the scale and ask myself if I like sugary treats more or that number staring back at me. The number always wins.
 
That is an awesome way of looking at it!!!
Congratulations on your weigh in!!!! You are doing an amazing job!!
 
I missed this yesterday. I hope you reached your 30lb lost mark this morning. Great news on your phone too. I hope it helps keep your mind distracted. :)
 
MandyH said:
I missed this yesterday. I hope you reached your 30lb lost mark this morning
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Not this morning, unfortunately :( I had a LOT of water before bed so I knew there wouldn't be a huge change on the scale. 165.5 this morning, but a drop is still a drop, no matter how small. I expect to be there before the week is out, though. So that's encouraging.

I got dressed to take my daughter to the dentist yesterday and wore my new jeans and a couple of layered tank tops with a half-sweater over them. I'm actually able to wear tighter clothing without being so self-conscious about my gut being shown off. It's really nice because I usually wear T-shirts that are loose on my arms and belly. But, damn, I looked good yesterday lol I told my husband he better watch out because I may actually start enjoying shopping for clothes now. I still have 20.5 lbs to go before any kind of shopping spree, though. It's gotten to the point where I'm telling everyone I want gift cards to clothing stores for Christmas.

Well, my daughter is home again today and we're just going to hang out here. I do have a couple errands to run and it's supposed to be in the 80s today so I may take her to the park to play (she loves the park!). I'd like to take her to the nicer one in Owensboro but I can't get there without GPS directions and I don't have my phone, so she'll have to settle with the other park.

Otherwise, I feel slightly dehydrated, so I'll be drinking a lot of water this morning and afternoon so that I'm not drinking so much before bed.

EDIT: Had a good workout on the Bowflex. I not only upped the weight of some of the exercises, but the reps as well. I was doing 15 reps of each exercise and today I did 20-25. I can definitely feel it in my abs this time, so I know my muscles did some heavier work.

I've been stressed out over my phone shipping and turned to snacking on animal crackers. They're sweet and 16 crackers has 120 calories. As soon as my husband got home, we ordered the treadmill, so it'll be a relief to get back to jogging to battle boredom and stress.
 
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Well, maybe today will be the day for you. Either way, soon. Very soon! :)

It's so nice to hear the confidence coming from you. All of your hard work is really paying off it seems. I hope you're able to get some really awesome clothes when you go on your shopping spree! :)

I'm glad you're finding ways to keep yourself from snacking. The phone and now the treadmill. All great things to have around to help you out.
 
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