Belinda's WL Diary

Thanks for that info, Quercus. I admit, it's kind of discouraging to see my husband lose almost 3x the amount I have in the same time frame. I mean, I'm proud of him, but also incredibly jealous. I have nothing to blame my gains on besides myself (I see a lot of ladies on here saying TOM has them bloated and retaining water weight, but I don't get to have that excuse :( ).

It's good to know that my rate of loss is healthy. I would like to see the scale move faster, but I have to keep in mind that at least it is moving. I'm on Omega's team in the challenge and she's so much more active than me. It's both crazy and extremely admiral how much she does in a single day. I'm lucky to see 9,000 steps on my pedometer while she's easily getting 2x that and she's saying her scale isn't moving at all. Obviously she's building muscle to not have it moving. But we all like to see lower numbers on the readout.
 
Oh Belinda, I'm so with you! I get so impatient when the number on the scale doesn't move in the right direction (right now I'm gaining for some reason... think it's TOM) or when it doesn't move fast enough, BUT I understand that it's important for good health that weight is lost slowly. In doing everything we're doing; eating right, exercising, we're definitely doing our bodies a favor even if the scales don't show it. With time those numbers will come down. Keep up the good work. :)
 
Dropping Pants Sizes

It's been a little over two weeks since my last update. I stepped on the scale this morning and was thrilled to be past 185 for once. I'm at 184.6; 10.4 lbs down since starting back in mid-March.

I haven't felt like updating simply because the scale hasn't been moving very fast. But this update isn't just about the couple more pounds dropped.

I'm 5'4'' and when I started trying to lose weight (I hovered consistently around 195 lbs), I wore a size 18 comfortably in jeans and could squeeze into a size 16. Now, a little over ten pounds lost later, my 16 jeans are actually a bit loose on me :D The jeans I buy loosen up throughout the day, but when I put the 16s on in the morning, they're not tight at all. This is very exciting to me.

This week's mini-challenge is to have no starchy carbs for one meal/day. This is a huge wake-up call to me. Before this challenge, I did not realize just how many of those carbs I consumed in a day--even while dieting. I've half a mind to stick with this change even after it ends. Before, every day would be cereal, sandwich, something with potatoes. So I'm curious to how much/the rate of loss would be affected if I cut most of that out in exchange for other foods.

Also, I've been having a huge problem getting in 3L of water/day. It's not like I want to drink other things (just the thought of drinking Dr. Pepper makes me cringe a bit), I just don't want to drink at all. It's sabotaging.

Anyway, that's mainly it for now.
 
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Life Stresses

Right, so the team challenge ended early today, several weeks before it was supposed to, and I'm pretty much on my own now. I learned a lot from it, so now I have to adjust accordingly.

My husband is now below my own starting weight. :banghead:

A lot of stress going on right now. It's summer break and I have my four-year-old glued to my heels all day. I can't find time to exercise like when she was in pre-k in the mornings. It's too humid/hot to take her outside for a walk, even in her stroller and she's fair-skinned so I have to be careful with her in the sun. We also took her to a specialist and she's been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, high-functioning. It wasn't a surprise, really, but still something hard to hear. So there's a lot of relief that we're getting her the resources she needs, and stress mixed with that. I find myself wanting to turn to food for comfort and it's exhausting battling the urge to eat. I've started drinking SlimFast, taking a multi-vitamin with metabolism support, and Hydroxycut. I like the Hydroxycut--when I get stressed or depressed I'm just tired all the time, but this gives me a steady energy boost to get stuff done.

As for exercise, I'm still trying to get the pool's chemical levels correct. That's been incredibly frustrating. Once it's straightened out, I'll be in it pretty much every day. Good thing my daughter loves the water as much as I do. It'll be a great alternative to walking in the brutally smothering KY summer heat. Now I just have to buy stock in Coppertone.
 
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Don't let the diagnosis get on top of you, All three of my sons are ASD

try not to rely on the pills, the only proven ingredient in the hydroxycut is the caffeine.
 
The challenge can keep on going for us - or I could start a new challenge. Maybe better with individuals next time as there may be just a few people interested... There is no need for people to feel on their own or stuck for ideas. Let me know.
 
Trusylver, I think it's harder because this is my first and only child (my husband got a vasectomy last year, so no more for us) and I'm still learning along the way. I'm thankful it's mild, that her doctor said by the time most high-functioning autistic children turn 10, you can't tell a difference between them and "normal" kids. As for the Hydroxycut--I have no aspirations to it helping me lose weight. I don't drink coffee or soft drinks anymore, so using it for the energy boost is my only reason for taking it.

Omega, I'd really like to finish it out as you saw on the team post. It's only a few more weeks left. Sure everyone has their busy moments and can't post, and some are just too busy to participate at all, but that shouldn't hinder those willing to stick out the last few weeks so they can say, "Hey, I finished a team challenge. I did this!". It makes a person feel good, keep a positive attitude when they've accomplished something like this.
 
The challenge continues...

Go to the main challenge thread as we are voting there on whether or not to turn it into an individual challenge...

Justina suspects that her whole team has disappeared - so a single chat thread may support her better...
 
Keeping the Munchies at Bay

Stepped on the scale this morning to see 182.8 pounds. Down 12.2 lbs.

This week has been super frustrating with how the scale has been fluctuating but I know I can blame it on stepping on it pretty much every day instead of once or twice per week. I've seen anywhere from 184 to 182 this week so each time I see something higher I just want to throw the scale out the window in frustration.

And it's really messing with me how my husband is now down to MY start weight. He's 5'11" and I'm 5'4" and to have him weighing just 12 pounds more than me is...a wake-up call, I guess. That's the only way I can really describe it. Again, I'm super proud of him for losing 36 pounds in less than 3 months. But at the same time, it makes me feel shitty about my dismal rate of progress. He has it easy, he's not around food all day long. I'm at home, fixing meals for Saryna so I constantly have access to food and I admit, my willpower isn't exactly iron. At the beginning of this diary I freely admitted that I love food.

I guess that's why keeping the food log for this week's challenge is making it slightly easier to resist giving in when I have the munchies. I've also found keeping constantly busy will keep my mind off wanting to snack. For instance, yesterday I started painting the upstairs hallway just to find a project that would keep me busy. It seems to have worked, though. So if you're like me and suffer from the dreaded, sabotaging munchies, just keep busy: clean, mow the lawn, wash your car, paint the walls, get in the pool, go shopping (window shopping is always free, you don't have to spend anything)...anything that'll keep your mind sufficiently distracted so you're not thinking of those tempting chips in the cabinet, or that ice cream in the freezer. And at the same time, you're staying active and burning those calories.
 
WL Tip: No late-night eating!!

I haven't updated this in over a week. I've been steadily hovering at 180-point-something for the past week--everywhere from 180.1 to 180.8 has been reading out on the weight scale. It reminds me a lot of hovering around 185 for several weeks. Stalls in weight loss are, like, the worst. Almost worse than a gain.

I don't think I've emphasized in this WL diary just how much my lifestyle has changed since I started back in March. Most changes happened one at a time, that way I could get used to each one and not get in the mindset of "this is too much at one time, it's too hard."

I ate the most unhealthy stuff ever: full-fat foods, tons of sweets; nothing was low-fat or light or low-calorie. I would eat late at night and go to bed on a full stomach. At this point, I find myself dumbfounded that I wasn't BIGGER than what I was... And at times I'm kinda disgusted by how I lived.

Since March, however, I've been picking healthier foods; low calorie, low sodium, low fat, more fruits and veggies. And I've been fighting the urge (and winning!) to eat late at night. I usually cut myself off before 7 PM now (my husband gets home around 6-6:15 PM and he's the dinner chef). Before, it was really difficult, but I'm pretty much used to it now. So making that change IS possible. If I, of all people, can do it then anybody can.
 
Body Measurements (June 2013)

Took my body measurements for this month (I skipped May apparently). Green indicates a loss; red indicates a gain from the March measurements (when I started my weight loss efforts).

Neck: 13.5 (-0.7)
Bicep: 14 (-0.5)
Forearm: 10.5 (-0.5)
Chest: 36.5 (-2.5)
Waist: 32.5 (-3.0)
Hips: 41 (-2.0)
Thigh: 27 (0.5)
Calf: 16.5 (-1.0)
 
Finding Time!!

Ugh. <<Yes, it's that kind of diary entry. If you're wondering why I don't take the time to update my WL journal more often, this entry is exactly why:

I've been super busy and I think I'm taking on waaaay too much at one time and it has me super stressed. My daughter is on summer vacation for one more month.

Sure, it's only pre-k for a few hours four days a week, but I can do a LOT in those four hours she's at school. She's not in daycare for a few days a week this year like she was last summer. And I still haven't completely adjusted to having her home all day long. I can't believe some people say stay-at-home parents have it easy. I'd gladly get a full-time desk job and hire a maid and nanny and residential contractors to do what I do.

Right now I'm tackling trying to repaint my house a singular color. Since the beginning of the year I've found time to only get four rooms and four closets done... I STILL have nine rooms/hallways and three closets to do. I have no idea what the previous owners were thinking when they were painting; the kitchen and laundry rooms are mustard yellow, the upstairs guest room a greenish gray, the rest of the upstairs a soft yellow, and the rest of the downstairs a burgundy-ish purple. And all of it is matte paint in which the simplest of flaws are as glaringly obvious as neon bar signs. Needless to say, the calico paint scheme just isn't bearable any more. And it's really put a dampener on my mood. It's ugly. It's amazing how new paint can make your house look cleaner and put you in an overall better mood.

On top of that, I'm trying to watch my four-year-old and my dog (the cats pretty much take care of themselves and this has me questioning why I even got a dog) all while trying to keep the house and my car clean (seems impossible to do with said four-year-old dragging toys everywhere she goes), the yard kept, and taking care of myself. My husband gone for work almost 12 hours/day, five days a week, so all the house- and childcare falls on me.

So I've been slacking on the exercise and diet.

I try to walk as much as possible no matter what (while running errands I park in the back of whatever parking lot I happen to be in, going up and down the stairs in my house when doing laundry, etc). And I've found myself skipping breakfast most mornings (not even a SlimFast) and using that time to get extra stuff done. It's freaking hard to do all that AND find time for myself. There are several books I have backed up to read and I haven't even touched a video game for more than half an hour at a time since March! I've been so desperate that when I do happen to find time to use the stationary bike (which, by the way, is the best piece of exercise equipment for multitaskers) I've been grabbing a book or a console controller and catching up while burning those calories. So it's understandable why I'm stressed. Dedicated me-time is pretty much nonexistent right now and has been since the end of May.

But I keep reminding myself that in a month my daughter will be back in school for a few hours a day and I'll be able to manage my time so, so much better. Right now I know I'm not taking the best care of myself, but I will get back on that horse in about four weeks.

My dad and stepmother came over today to help with changing out a new light fixture upstairs and it was definitely nice hearing them both say each time they see me I look smaller. Despite having lost only 15 pounds in four months' time.

With all that being said, I had gained like two pounds early on last week because I wasn't watching what I was eating like I should and can't find time to regularly exercise. But I'm back down to 180, so even though I'm probably not eating as healthy as I should or exercising enough, what I'm doing is at least balancing itself out and I'm feeling adding anxiety each time I step on the scale.

Side note: If any of you are looking to paint your house and you have a busy lifestyle, go with the thicker, slightly more expensive brand of paint. I think I spent $10 more on a gallon of paint from Lowe's than I did from Walmart. While Lowe's paint is more expensive, it's also thicker and between the multiple coats of thinner paint needed to look decent, it uses pretty much the same amount from the can but is less time consuming. You'll save so much time to do just one coat of the more expensive paint vs two or three coats and drying time of the cheaper paint. And if you're hiring labor to paint for you, you won't be spending money on the extra labor time to do more than one coat.
 
Yikes, sounds like life is difficult right now, lovely! Good luck with the house and the manic 4 year old--4 weeks isn't long in the scheme of things and then you'll be back on the wagon :D
 
Checking in for the week.

We've almost got the upstairs paint done--actually finished up my daughter's room tonight and letting it dry. In the meantime, she's been sleeping in our bedroom in her old toddler bed so, needless to say, I haven't been getting the best sleep this week. She usually sleeps good, but she's an early riser and I think being in our room makes her a little restless at night.

I've been slammed with fatigue, so much so that I haven't even made any real attempts at exercising. Even with the Hydroxycut, I still feel tired. I did go walking yesterday, however, and even jogged for a few minutes. It was hot and humid with zero breeze. Three months ago I wouldn't have even stepped foot out of my air-conditioned house. So to be able to actually jog in that stifling heat is pretty impressive to me.

My weight and eating has been fluctuating this week. I was sick Sunday and Monday and didn't bother with exercising or eating really. I think I overdid it and just generally felt flu-ish all day those days. And this week I've been trying to get my daughter's room painted so we can move on the stairwell (and finally get the upstairs DONE).

After being slammed with getting so much stuff around here done, my hubby and I finally sat down and made up a plan to take some of the stress off me. Planning out goals always helps. Our goal this month is to get the upstairs painting finished. Easy enough, which will allow me to finally fit in some regular, solid exercise time.
 
Rawr!!

My aunt had gastric bypass done back at the end of June and she's already lost twice as much as I have. Granted, she's waaaaaay bigger than I am and thus has a lot more to lose than I do. But I've been working my butt off while all she had to do was let someone cut her open.

It's. Not. Fair.

Anyway, I've been feeling pretty immature about it and this has me locked in a sort of competitive state of mind. I should be happy for her: she was diagnosed with diabetes about a year ago and had a really difficult time controlling her sugar. But since the bypass, she's gotten it pretty much under control without tons of medication. But it still rakes my nerves in the wrong way to hear her talk about all the plastic surgery she's going to get when she's done losing weight. She even mentioned a boob job.

RAWR!

That was supposed to by my big reward for when I got down to my goal weight and showed I could maintain it.

I know I'm being immature about this. I have enough maturity left to own up to that. But I've been losing my weight through hard work and exercise and it's just sucky to see someone lose it so easily and be so perky and bragging about it.
 
Well, look at it this way. Would you *really* want to go through such an invasive surgery to lose weight the "easy way" or would you rather bust your butt and earn it the hard way? For me, it's an easy answer. I'd much rather earn it! When people ask me how I did it I would much rather say diet and exercise instead of saying I had *that* operation. Bigger sense of accomplishment you know?

I do understand your frustration though. It is hard when you're losing weight at a slow pace, but at the end of the day, that's the HEALTHY way. We all go through stalls too, it's just part of the territory. Just keep working hard and you'll be proud of yourself when you get to where you're going! :)
 
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MandyH said:
When people ask me how I did it I would much rather say diet and exercise instead of saying I had *that* operation. Bigger sense of accomplishment you know?
Click to expand...

Thank you for that, Mandy. And you're completely right: that's the mindset I need to be in. When it comes down to it, and people start complimenting on how much weight I've lost I want to be able to say I earned it with hard work and determination.
 
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