Gilbert got home reasonably early this afternoon. Hunter saw that we were both home and was hopeful. I had planned on pulling weeds out in the front flower garden but Gilbert suggested that we go for a walk at the park. Hunter shook Gilbert’s hand when he asked if he wanted to go to the park. Hunter can do two tricks, sit and shake. He doesn’t mind sitting but he hates to shake hands. So, when he does shake, it means that he really, really wants something. He parked at our feet as we put on our tennis shoes.

We went to Hudson Mills and it was an absolutely beautiful this evening. The sun was starting to set and the path was pretty shaded. There was a nice breeze and a hint of fall in the air. Hunter was on cloud 9. Not a lot of people were out just yet, so it was very peaceful, just a few bikes but Hunter didn’t try and take any of them out. He heard a motorcycle and barked at it since he thought it was too loud. He’ll sleep well tonight.

It has been a long and trying week. I am so happy that the weekend is here. Despite the long week, I stayed on program. I learned a few more things about the WW app on-line and I down some more pounds, we’ll see what the official weight in is tomorrow.

I used my anytime points when I needed them but didn’t go over or use them all up. I’ve snacked on veggies more and fresh fruit. I know everybody is wondering but my tummy has finally adjusted well to the newer eating patterns. I did do some housework every night, even if it was just straightening a room or doing a load of laundry.

I tried some new recipes that turned out well. One of the recipes that I fixed last weekend wasn’t my favorite and I tossed it out, but at least I am planning out meals. It makes grocery shopping easier when I know that I want to eat during the week. I tired to use ingredients and food in other recipes that was leftover so I didn’t have a lot of food waste. I think that I bought too much fruit last weekend so I know to pare down on that this weekend. Live and learn, right?

I didn’t go downstairs to exercise every single day but I did do more exercising this week than what I have been doing. I went downstairs on Monday and then we walked today. I was too tired to exercise on Thursday due to a lack of sleep, thanks to my wonderful pager. I didn’t try and push myself and just rested, like I should have. I am trying to break my cycle of all of nothing and not kill myself by exercising every single night, if my body isn’t feeling it. Plus, I am saying that I had a good week and that it wasn’t a failure, even with not exercising each night—something that I previously haven’t done. Small steps, right?

I will let you all know what the results are soon! Week 2 is almost in the books.

• 

I ordered some odds and ends from Amazon Prime and guess what? They lost my paperclips. I got my entire order, minus my multi-colored paper clips. I’ve received daily updates from Amazon that says, “We are still locating your paperclips, please remain patient.” Ok, I ordered stuff on-line to try and help me save some time but if you aren’t going to deliver my order correctly, how exactly is this helping me? Sigh.

Well, I am happy to report that I got my own special delivery of multi-colored paperclips at 9 pm last night! I paid less than $3 and I bet Amazon paid more than $3 delivering my paperclips to me. At least I got them. 

What am I doing with the multi-colored paperclips? I’m glad you are wondering. It is a very important visual tool that I learned from an old WW leader way back when. You create a paperclip chain and each clip represents 1 pound that you have lost. Plus, who doesn’t love making paperclip chains? After an exhausting week thus far where a lot of stuff didn’t go as planned, including the death of my beloved Kruig machine and the destruction of my garage remote, I was able to string together 11 paperclips! Yeah! Yup, I am down another pound. Woo-hoo! 

How is it going? I would say fair. The excitement and newness of the WW program has definitely worn off.  It is a lot of planning and chopping and dicing and cutting…but the program is doable. I have learned to make my breakfast the night before and chopped up all our veggies the night before. Basically, when I go to bed, I need all the food to be prepared already for the next day. It helps save me time. I’ve made a point to eat different breakfast foods as well because I don’t like eating the same thing over and over again and sometimes, when I don’t think about it, this is what happens and then I am done and no longer want to diet. I am trying to avoid that this time around. 

I’ve been increasing my exercise game but I didn’t go down to the basement last night. I was very tired and just didn’t feel like I would get good results, or that I could pedal my bike, at all. So, after we cleaned the kitchen and walked Hunter, we sat and watched some tv while it rained outside. It was a peaceful evening and I went to bed early. I wasn’t even on call so I slept through the entire night and felt nice and rested this morning. 

I’ve also started using the app that Gilbert put on my phone called “Our Groceries” and it is making a difference. I remember a lot of little items that I need and when I go to the store, I always forget at least one of them. You can create any type of list so I even have a list called, “Freezer Foods” and I have listed what I have in our freezer meat. So, when I am planning meals or looking at recipes, I can see if I have it or need it. So, what could go wrong, right? Well, the key to this is what you actually need to WRITE the stuff on the list. If you remember and don’t write it down, then it doesn’t help you at all. 🙂 

I am still trying to do some housework each night. I am not down to doing an entire room completely just yet, but I am getting there. I am just behind on some of the deep cleaning things, like windows and baseboards so it is taking me some extra time to get caught up. The flower beds are still in need of weeding but I figure that the weeds aren’t going anywhere, they are staying. As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day so at least I am working on things. Progress, even slow progress, must be recognized and rewarded. I often think to myself, “I did x, y and z, but I still have A through N that needs to be done, so I am really behind.” Now, I think, I have done x,y and z—that is less that I need to do next time.

The only main difference I can tell with my program so far is that my left knee is feeling better. I hurt my right knee almost a year ago to the day, and that one has seemed to heal up ok. I guess I was compensating too much with my left knee so it was hurting me. The exercise bike seems to be loosing both of the knees up and making them stronger. The ortho doc told me that I was pretty knock-kneed with arthritis in both knees but to keep exercising and moving and I shouldn’t need knee replacements for another 20 years. I sure hope he knows what he is talking about, but I have a sneaky suspension that he does since he is the expert. 

I will continue to hold my chain of 11 paperclips and remember all of the good food decisions that I’ve been making, and keep on tracking my food, drinking my water, and exercising. Until next time…

Hello Friends!

Drum-roll please….I reached my first major goal, I am down 10 pounds. For a better visualization, think of 1 little stick of butter, multiplied by 40, and that is how much I have lost. I like saying 40 sticks of butter better than 10 pounds. A bowling bowl is equivalent to 10 pounds as well, I do believe, but I will stick to the butter analogy. I actually started dieting about a week before I officially joined Weight Watchers on-line. So, just to clarify, I’m down 10 pounds in two weeks, not one. I had done the program before and was sort of following what I remembered. Turns out that the new program isn’t a lot like the old program but I still lost weight with both programs. I liked reaching my first milestone.

I know what is just around the corner, a slowdown in the weight loss department. I will average about 1 pound every week and 1/2 from here on out, regardless of what I eat or how I exercise. Sigh. Oh well, at least the scale moves in the right direction and I’m not increasing in weight anymore. 

Gilbert got home yesterday evening. His flight was delayed but he still got home safe and sound. Hunter was beyond ecstatic to see his dad. He stuck to Gilbert like glue all evening long. He is currently sleeping beside me on the couch, legs up in the air, snoring softly. We are having a lazy morning. I cooked us breakfast and now we are watching some of the first season of “Dead to Me” Hunter’s life is right as rain and he is loving it. Plus, I had to go into work for a few hours last night so he had to stay up and wait for me so he didn’t get as much beauty so he is resting up for the park.

I am a very type A personality and my mentality is pretty much all or nothing. I am trying very hard to remember that it is ok not to do everything all at once. I did finally make it downstairs to exercise two times last week. I tweaked my shoulder at work and have been resting it. I went to the kitchen to get some water and a little dust bunny followed me, no joke. I broke out the vacuum cleaner and was very thankful that my shoulder didn’t hurt. I was able to vacuum the entire upstairs and no pain, yeah! I ended up doing housework for 2 nights and counted that as exercise. I wondered if what I was doing was making a difference and I looked around the house on Friday evening and realized that I had done what I normally get accomplished over the weekend. It was in fact, making a difference, a little at a time.

So, week 1 is officially over, I survived. I tracked everything that I eat, even when I didn’t want to or overdid it on Thursday when I ate almost all of my anytime points in one single day. I drank my water, I cleaned, I exercised and I lost weight. The meals take planning but the on-line recipes help. Day by day, hour by hour, inch by inch, pound by pound the journey continues….Hunter is about to lose it because the idea of the park has come across mind and he remembers, it is Saturday, both is parents are home, it is his time to explore his favorite place in the whole wide world. Until next time…

• 

I did it. I went downstairs and exercised in my gym. I know, I know. I said that I was going to go yesterday but I took Hunter to the park and just didn’t want to in the afternoon so I didn’t. I don’t know why I resist going downstairs so much. It is actually very lovely down there and a pretty spot to work out. I did the recumbent bike for 20 minutes and walked on the treadmill for 15 minutes. I tried my elliptical but my knee was starting to be sore so I figured that I wouldn’t push it. I grabbed Hunter instead and walked him around the yard, again. His friends were here waiting for him (the neighbor dogs, Hank, Harley and Bailey). He had already walked once when I had gotten home but with Gilbert being gone, it is good to keep him entertained. Otherwise, he remembers that Gilbert should be home and sits at the front door barking, or goes into the guest bedroom, perks himself up on the bed and looks out to the driveway, barking and watching for Gilbert’s car to come down the driveway. Hunter likes to walk the premises and patrol the grounds for any unauthorized deer, rabbits, squirrels, birds or whatever he thinks he sees or smells. It takes me about 15 to 20 minutes to let him roam freely around while walking the parameters.

So, you ask, “How do I feel”? Like I have been tortured. The endorphins that everybody raves about are absolutely lacking with me. I get no “high” from exercise. The only good thing is that I crank up my music and enjoy my songs, while dying on the exercise equipment. I don’t think that I will ever fall in love with exercise. Let’s face it, I’m 43 with a body like mine so the whole exercise thing has never caught on. I view it from as a task that needs to be accomplished. Even if I don’t feel it, I know that it helps relieve stress and exercises the heart—both of which I need.

Hunter is mildly amused. He isn’t sure why I changed clothes, why I went downstairs, came up all hot and sweaty, walked him and then took a shower. The routine is most definitely off. I told him that soon this would become the normal routine. He just stared at me with his big brown eyes.

I ate a good salad for lunch but I was still pretty hungry today. I went to the cafeteria and really wanted some steak nachos. With the WW program, you can eat whatever you want and you get so many points each week to use however you would like so I decided to get them. I knew that I wasn’t going to eat all of them and had eaten a good 1/3 but not really 1/2 yet and I got full. I just threw them away. Well, then it happened. Those nachos grew in my stomach and I was beyond full. Yuck. I will not do that again. I am still full and it is almost 8 pm. After I worked out, I ate a small banana and had a glass of milk and called that dinner. I can’t even think about food right now so I haven’t prepared anything for breakfast. I will just do it tomorrow when I wake up.

So, how is it going? I would say that I am definitely still learning and tweaking the program. The on-line is good but I have a few suggestions for how to make it even better but I am sure WW doesn’t want to hear from me. I feel like I am in it for the long haul. Some days I will be stuffed, most days I hope not to be. I sure wished that all the weight would magically melt off now that I have deiced to diet!

This little cutie wants some tummy rubs so I will sign off for now…

Day 2, and I bet you are all wondering how is it going? I wonder how it is going myself most the time. I am still learning to navigate the new Weight Watchers program. The on-line version, remember–I don’t like the meetings, is easy to use but I just need to figure out where everything is. Logging the food is working out ok and I am keeping within my daily points. I sort of think that since I have so many daily points to use, it would be hard to mess up at this point in time, but what do I know? There are lots of ways to get recipes now off of the on-line version, which comes in handy. Anything that can save me time and effort, I am all for!

I do know that my coffee creamer costs me two whole points!!! Ugh. I tried drinking my coffee black this morning but I like a little cream in it so I will how to figure out an alternative that doesn’t cost so many points.

Hunter got to the park both mornings this weekend. He loved it. As excepted, I didn’t get down to my gym yesterday because of work but I will go this afternoon. Hunter and I caught up on our sleep last night and I am feeling pretty refreshed this morning. I made myself an omelet for breakfast and it was pretty good.

One thing that is happening is a science experiment inside my tummy. Can a body de-tox from food? I honestly think that it can and that mine is. Maybe I am detoxing from some of the sugar that I have been consuming. Weight Watchers seems to dock you a lot for sugar now. It seems to follow more of the Whole 30 approach to things and really encourages you to eat freshly prepared food. I hope that things improve soon, otherwise tomorrow will be an interesting day at work!!! I am already down some pounds but I think it is because of my tummy and not because I have miraculously found the cure to being fat.

Ok, it is time to give the dog a bath. He hates it but always feels soft as a feather afterwards and smells so much better than pre-bath. I will keep you posted on my progress.

August 9, 2019.

Why this day? What is different today than all the others days combined? I can’t answer this question exactly. I don’t know, other than I am ready. I am tired. I want to change. I am as fat around as I am tall right now. I don’t want to go through middle age fat and tired all the time with things hurting. I know that things will hurt regardless, but my weight doesn’t have to contribute to my aches and pains. I’ve lost weight, gained weight, lost weight, gained weight my entire life. Regardless of what I look like, my hubby has always loved me unconditionally. I just want to shed some pounds for myself right now. 

I joined Weight Watchers, on-line. The meetings sort of got on my nerves before. Sometimes that people that are talking are morons and I just can’t subject myself to 30 minutes of that each Saturday. My weekends are too precious to me to live through that. I have a friend that is trying to lose weight too so we’ll be each others cheerleaders.

Even though I have a full gym downstairs in my basement, I do not use it. I will start. Come along with me for the ride. I am sure it will be an adventure as I work towards my goal weight. Tomorrow goals? Log the food that I eat, drink my water, don’t eat fat (fast) food. I will take little bit (my beloved dog Hunter) to the park tomorrow morning. We’ll see how much additional exercise I will get in. I am working right now in the middle of the night and I will probably be working tomorrow afternoon/evening as well so I will take the park at my victory tomorrow. One hour at a time…one day at a time…one pound at a time….

It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.—William Shakespeare