Final Weigh-In of 2010!

I dropped 3 of the pounds I had put back on - Yay!  I'm sure it's mostly fluid, especially after Wednesday's Dairy Encounter, and residual touchiness yesterday, but it was nice to see the loss.

I'm still trying to get over this cold, and the Hubster wound up getting hit with it last night, so we might not be celebrating too hard tonight while bringing in the new year.  I'm going to focus on getting in the fluids and Vitamin C today, and probably all weekend, and try to get ready to go back to work on Monday.  Which I'm NOT looking forward to, but vacations must end some time.  ;P

Note to Self: Dairy is Not Your Friend!

I've always had a touch of lactose intolerance, especially on an empty stomach, but I thought I'd had enough to eat today to allow myself (within calories) an Eggnog Latte from Dutch Brothers.  They make theirs with real egg nog mixed with skim milk, but again - I thought I had enough in my stomach to handle it.  Yah - no.  Tore right through me.  Ugh.  Lesson learned -- Soy lattes only from now on for the rare times I indulge!

I'm still getting over my cold and hoping, hoping, hoping it doesn't turn into Bronchitis like it's threatening to.  I'd like to avoid having to go to a doctor if I can, but I really don't want it to linger.  :P  I should be ENJOYING this vacation, dangit!!!

I baked up my Spaghetti Squash yesterday, and am eating on that -- I need to get some more squash for next week, and I printed out this chow mein recipe from Debbie Does Dieting that I'm looking forward to trying.  So I'm getting back on track and feeling good about it.  Still need to focus on the water, and carving out time to exercise on a regular basis (especially during the work week, AND outside of my dance classes) but I'm (finally) getting back to it!  :D

Letter to Myself on New Year's Eve 2011

Thanks to Lyn at Escape from Obesity for this idea.  It's a letter to myself on December 31st, 2011: 

Dear als,

I hope December 30 of 2011 finds you happy, healthy, and doing what you love to do.  I hope you’ve lost the (at least) 50 pounds you aimed for, and CAN fit back in to all your beautiful dance costumes that are currently too small for me here in 2010.  I hope that getting out to run/bike/swim/exercise in general is second nature to you, rather than the struggle it is for me, and that you can finally squat/kneel/go down easily for floor work and get back up without struggling.

Remember back to where I am now:  238 pounds, relatively inactive (especially when there are no dance classes in session) with foot problems, and occasional hip and knee problems.  Remember how I used to be a lot more flexible without all the bulk in the way?  I’m looking forward to getting back to that point. 

From where I am now, these goals seem pretty daunting: Lose 50 lbs or more; build back up to running on a regular basis; enter and complete a 5K event- possibly even a 10K; ride my bike to work at least once a week during the summer and late fall.  These goals aren’t out of reach, though, and I WILL do what I can to achieve them!

I will continue to use the MyPlate tool at Livestrong.com to track intake/exercise, and I will continue to blog regularly to stay accountable.  I will use the Cto5K or Cto10K plan to build up to running again, and then find a local run and enter it.  I will plan and practice a route to work on my bike on the weekends, and will figure out the best times to actually doing it during the week.

I hope you’re looking at these “daunting” goals of mine and shaking your head with the thought: “That really wasn’t as hard as I thought.” Or “Yes it was hard but I DID it!”  No matter what, I will try to make it so you can look back on all of 2011 and say with certainty, “that was a good year.”

Love, als

Changing My Display Name

I started out as "BD160" as a combination of how I identify myself (a Belly Dancer) and my ultimate target goal weight (160).  Neither of these things have changed, but I realized that this moniker has never really felt comfortable to me.  So I finally had the brilliant revelation that I could just use my initials (yes, the DUH stick finally hit), which is still anonymous enough for my tastes, while still feeling more comfortable to me.  So if you start seeing posts from "als," that's me!

als, formerly know as bd160

Murphy Sure Is a Bastard...

Done with Christmas, done with the weekend, a full week in front of me with no work, eager to get back on track and moving, and how have I spent my first day of all this potential?  Curled up under a blanket on the couch with cough drops and a cup of tea with honey and lemon, nursing a bad sore throat.  Ugh.

I was starting to feel like I was coming down with something yesterday and decided to lay low, hoping I'd be able to avoid catching anything more than that.  I drank a lot of water (about as much as I should be drinking for weight loss, but not as much a I have been) and tea, and took a bunch of Vitamin C and Zinc, but I still was feeling the throat starting to get worse last night.  Which led to the couch and the tea and the cough drops today.  I'm feeling better now, but it just figured that I'd get sick during my vacation!  Thank you, sister-in-law of mine who felt it was so much more important to share her germs with the whole family than it was to stay home and take care of herself.  :P

Assessing the Damages...

Yes, there was damage done by this week's mindless eating and lack of exercise.  4.5 pounds worth.  I knew it was coming, so I'm just putting it out there.  It's probably a lot of the water weight that I had recently lost, and once I get back on track, it will come back off again relatively quickly.  It was kind of surprising to see how easy it was to go off track when I didn't have the structure of my work schedule to keep me in line!

One thing I noticed this week is that I didn't have a lot of veggies -- we just don't keep a lot of them in the house.  I had been making a conscious effort to have them on hand and ready to go for lunches at work, but otherwise, I didn't really think about it.  So next week, I'm going to make sure I've got some squash and other veggies baked/cooked and ready to go so that they will be what's quick and easy to grab for a meal.  That will help me a lot in getting back on track.

Tomorrow (today - yes, I'm a night-owl...) I will try to be mindful of what I eat while still enjoying the day.   And then on the 26th, I will bake the Spaghetti Squash I've got sitting around, and then go shopping for more veggies.  And I'll get back on my water.  And back on track. 

I haven't been tracking my calories and I haven't been exercising, and I think it's going to show on the scale on Friday.  I have been catching up on my sleep, though...  I had a feeling that taking this time off might lead to this!  One of my excuses (and I know it's an excuse, and not a "good reason") is a cat who bitches and complains when she wants companionship, and a husband whose sleep schedule is flipped -- and I don't want her to wake him up!  Believe me, I know it's an excuse, but it's so much easier to give the cat a lap instead of going out to exercise...  Bad BD160...  :P

And my honey has been cooking (yaay!) but that means I don't have control of what's being cooked.  He's a great cook, and he's more healthy than he has been in the past (thank goodness) but I don't have control.  And I have a hard time controlling my portion sizes - I know I need to get better about that. 

Those of you who are staying strong during this holiday season - I am so proud of you, and I am so cheering you on!!!  I will still be surfing the blogs, and trying to blog myself, but I don't think I've got high chances of staying steady, let alone losing.  And I'll just take what I can get, and then get back on track after the new year.

No Energy Today

Felt like I was moving through mud today.  I had planned on getting up and going for a walk, and then going out to do some Christmas shopping.  Wellll, that didn't happen.

It was all I could do to get out to get SOME shopping done, and then my parents called to have us over for dinner and to have us help them with some computer/TV setup things. (My mom just had foot surgery on Thursday, and my dad is 81 and ...wobbly.)  So we had pizza for dinner, and their neighbors had brought over a Pineapple Upside Down cake.  I didn't feel like I went overboard, but after plugging my calories in to My Plate,  sure enough, I was over.  If I had gotten out to exercise,  I would've been fine, but...  Yeah, I wasn't able to handle this unplanned event as well as the last one. 

So I'll focus on getting more sleep tonight, and then make a point to exercise and keep a hard eyeball on my calories tomorrow. 

Friend Makin' Monday!

Friend Makin' Mondays: Three Things

This will be my first time participating, so here goes:

FMM: Three Things

Three of your favorite movies:

Matrix

Hot Fuzz

White Christmas (in the spirit of the holidays)

Three of your favorite things to drink:

Water

Cadillac/Top Shelf Margaritas
Soy Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Three of your favorite songs:
"Wayward Son" by Kansas
"Into the Ocean" by Blue October

"If I had $1,000,000" by The Barenaked Ladies

 

Three people who have been a positive influence on your life (outside of your family):

My Dance teacher

My manager at work

My Dance troupe members (I wouldn't be able to name just one of them)

Three things you to do keep yourself entertained:

Bellydancing

Reading

Card Making

Three things you're attracted to in the opposite sex:

Broad shoulders and strong arms

Kind eyes

Good sense of humor


Three things you love about yourself:

My body is very well proportioned so I "carry the weight well."

People find it easy to talk to me

My hands

The last 3 people you text messaged:

I don't do much texting at all

Three things you're looking forward to this week:

Being on vacation this week

Seeing friends from out of town

Christmas, obviously...


Thanks, Shrinking Kenz!  :)

How Rude!

My stomach is growling at me!  (Yes I know I need to get something to eat, and I'm about to, but I'm kind of enjoying the sensation -- it's been a while since I've had full-grown belly rumblings...) 

I'm having another lazy day.  If I were smart, I'd be doing Christmas cards, or finally making the Peanut Butter Fudge and Rum Balls I haven't gotten around to yet, or even be (*grimace*) out Christmas shopping. 

But I'm not.  If I weren't on vacation this week, I'd probably be feeling more pressure, but I think I'm just going to enjoy today as it is. 

And now I'm going to wander off and find some fud.

 

Happy Sunday, everyone!

AAaaaaaaahhhh, Saturday....

Yesterday was a long, long day at work.  One of our vendors sent us a HUGE box of goodies for the holidays.  I resisted most of the day, but I didn't have enough healthy snacks with me for as long as I was there, so I caved near the end and had some.  I'll be gone for two weeks, though, so hopefully that will be enough time for others to consume them...   I could definitely tell it's been a while since I've had so much sugar!

And then my honey took me out to my favorite Mexican place to celebrate the beginning of my vacation.  I had a nice evening, relaxing and enjoying, and I didn't think too much about counting calories.  It was something I had been planning for, so I was going to enjoy it.  I was pretty pleased with myself, though, for listening to my body and only eating about half of my entree, and not getting a second margarita just to have a second one when I didn't really want one.

Today has been very laid back - I've mostly been napping, which I needed...  Haven't had much to eat yet today, but I've had plenty of water. 

Friday Weigh-In!

Lost 1.5 pounds this morning, despite an office Christmas potluck AND an unplanned dinner at Red Lobster last night!!!  Yaay, me!!!  :)

I still have 3.5 pounds to go to reach my first mini-goal of reaching 230 (and 4.5 pounds to go to break it) and while I'd LOVE to do that before the year turns, I don't think I can do that in the two weeks coming up, considering the holidays.  What will help is that I will be taking the next 2 weeks off of work, so I'll be able to catch up on my sleep, but I'm going to be realistic:  If I can hold steady, or even see a small loss these next two weeks, I'll be happy! 

Have a good Friday, everyone!

Happy Wednesday!

Boy is it nice to be on the downward slope towards the weekend! 

I had a pretty good day today -- took in 1187 calories and 64 oz. water, and had a performance tonight, so I worked up a good sweat even though I was only dancing for about 20 - 25 minutes.  (And that's one thing I WON'T miss when I lose more of this insulation o'mine...)  One of my goals will be to up my water intake to the point where I'm taking in about double the amount of water on a regular basis.  Thank you, Kimberly, on the recommendation of how much water I should be having, although already it feels like I'm floating away...  ;)

I did have something of an NSV (that might have lead to some embarrassment...) when my hip belt slipped a bit further down my hips than I'm comfortable with WHILE I was dancing...  Yes, on a stage...  In front of an audience AND a live band...  EEK!  It didn't slip any further down, and I'm pretty sure the two other layers I was wearing under the belt (a skirt and harem pants) would've stayed up and kept me decent, but it would NOT have been fun to try to continue dancing as if nothing had happened...  So yeah, before I wear that costume again, I'll need to have it adjusted a bit.  Um... Yay?

Blog Hop!

Was It Really Only Tuesday Today?!

Much better day today!  1676 calories in and about an hour's worth of dancing.  Not really hard, but I was moving.   And I had 64 oz water, plus my Gatorade  (G2) after dancing.  I'm not taking part in Allan's challenge this time around, so I don't know what my recommended intake of water would be, but I do follow him so I've read about how important that water is when it comes to losing the weight.  So I'll keep drinking!  :)

So tonight was the final day of classes for the term, and we got to dress up.  Which is especially nice for the teachers, since we can't wear the skirts and harem pants and other fun costumes we usually do when we dance - since the students need to see our legs to be able to learn what we're doing.  So as a troupe (there are three of us in this troupe right now) we decided that we all would wear a costume that we each got to use for the troupe a while ago and haven't had a chance to wear.  Yeah, I was able to make it work, but I felt more than a little self-conscious in it.  It was snug in the arms, and I had to quickly modify the bust line in order to feel comfortable in it (which could also have been the style of bra I was wearing underneath -- it's amazing how much that will change the fit of the top!)  And while there was still  plenty of movement in the skirt, the elastic at the waist made me feel like a sausage.  I usually wear a leotard or body stocking for class, but not when I perform, so I was actually a bit nervous going in to class tonight.  But I finally said to myself, "Screw it.  I am what I am, and anyone who doesn't like it can just shove it."

But after a while, bare belly and all, I felt okay about how I looked.  I felt a lot better than I expected to, actually.  It wasn't anything to the people in the class that I had a muffin top and belly rolls...  And they already knew I've got a big chest - no surprises there...  And I even got compliments on the costume!

As I said on Thursday, now that classes are over for the term and won't start again until mid January, I'll have to be sure to PLAN to get the exercise in, or it won't happen.  I'm going to enjoy the break, but that's something I'm going to have to focus on.

Well, I'd better get myself to bed.  G'night, all!

And Now For Something Completely Different...



LOLKitteh!!!



Must've been a Monday...

Not such a great day today.  It started out okay, food-wise, but when I got to rehearsal tonight, the whole troupe decided to go out to dinner.  I had a great time with my friends, but I  was hungry, and I didn't make the best food choices.  I ordered a portobello mushroom sandwich, which I thought would be a moderately good choice, but it wound up being a greasy, oily thing that... actually didn't taste that good. And there was a Cream of Artichoke soup that sounded great, but...  wasn't. (I only had about a third of that.) And I had a drink with cream in it that also... wasn't that good.  I don't know if my taste buds were just off, or what. I would've been happier with myself if I'd just ordered a salad. 

I'm pretty sure I was at about 2500 calories today, and had 48 oz. of water.  BUT as Scarlet O'Hara says, "Tomorrow is another day."  And I've successfully resisted the See's chocolate that has been calling my name since I got home, so there's my Step to recover from my stumble.

AND I think the sodium from this weekend has been flushed out of my system.  I was able to take my rings off tonight without much effort!  Hey -- I'll take what I can get.!   ;)

Somehow I Ate a Salt Lick Yesterday... :P

Too much sodium-laden foods and not enough water yesterday.  I think I did okay calorie-wise, just waaaay too much sodium -- My fingers feel swollen. It's easy for me to forget about getting my fluids on the weekends - I know it's something that helps the weight-loss process in MANY ways, so I need to focus on getting the water in to me today, and figure out a way to do that on a regular basis on the weekends. 

I have a bottle at work that marks out 32-oz, but contains a bit more than that.  I've started the habit of drinking one of those full of water in the morning, and then filling it up again with one of those single-serving packets of Crystal Light for the afternoon.  Kind of a reward for drinking the first 32+ oz.  I need to find a good 32-oz bottle that I can use at home on the weekends. 

I will be making Peanut Butter Fudge this afternoon as a part of my usual holiday "baking."  I love the stuff, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to resist it, since I typically wind up giving most of it away.  And if I really want a piece, I can work a piece of  it in to my calories for the day.  It's called "moderation."  :)

Sometimes I Hate Being Female!

1.5 lb loss this week!  Yaay, me!  :D  Like I said yesterday, I was hopeful.  That was because I snuck a peek at the scale in the afternoon, and then danced hard at class last night.  I’m going to relax a bit tonight, and then brace myself for the weekend – always a challenge.  And then I want to be sure I carry that momentum in to next week...   

I did start TTOM yesterday – oh, joy.  Along with the “standard” package, I get the extra add-ons (no extra charge!) of migraines and digestive issues when I have my periods.  Yuk.  I’m not complaining too much, though, because for several months (probably due to stress) I haven’t had one at all, despite being off the pill for a long time.*  I had one last month, and am now having my second one in a row.  It’s a bit of a relief to have them again, but I didn’t really need the reminder of what I had been “missing.”  :P

*I think my prescription ran out in June or July, and if I want a renewed prescription, I have to go in for a checkup – they give year-long prescriptions.  And the last appointment I had made me never want to go back, so I just haven’t.   (And before you say anything, believe me when I say I don’t have a reason to worry about “surprises” of any kind in those regards.)

We had our final Thursday dance class of the term last night.  It was a lot of fun, of course, but it will be really nice to have my Thursdays back for a few weeks!  Although I will REALLY have to focus on keeping up with my exercise, now that I won’t have the obligation of the Thursday classes for a while.  (Or Tuesdays, as of next week.)  Classes start up again on January 18 for the Tuesday classes, and the 20^th for the Thursday classes, but until then, I’ll have to schedule (and stick to) my times to exercising.  Gotta stay strong for that!!! 

And The Hubster started getting pouty last night.  He said that I’m not spending enough time with him because of the Blogging.  (And also, more than likely, because of the times I get on the Elliptical when I wouldn’t have in the past…)  I understand that he wants to make sure I’m not obsessing about it, or depressing myself by focusing on it so much.  He loves me no matter what size I am, which is wonderful, AND he wants to make sure I don’t get sick (again) because I’m not getting enough sleep, especially due to the time I spend blogging or blog-surfing...  And that’s a valid point.  He would have absolutely no sympathy for me WHATSOEVER if I were to catch another cold!!!

Quick Thursday Update

Feeling hopeful about tomorrow.

Intake: 1456 calories
Exercise: about 1 and a half hours of hard dancing.

And now I MUST go to bed...  G'Night!

And the Award Goes To...:

After a lot of consideration and blog-reading, I FINALLY was able to narrow it down to 5 to pass this award along to.  Boy, you all made this REALLY hard for me!  And I thank you for that!

1. Kimberly at The Woman Inside Me: Kimberly's blog is straightforward and detailed, and a lot of fun to read.
2. Lyn at Escape from Obesity: Lyn is an amazing role model; she’s willing to be very personal and emotional in her writing, and it touches me deeply
3. Beth at Obesity Strike: Beth is funny and has interesting insights on how her journey is changing her outlook on life
4. Mrs. D at  In Pursuit: Mrs. D is very personable to read, and  I see a lot of myself in her writing
5. Twiggy at Onward and Downward:  I can feel the excitement and frustrations Twiggy feels when she writes, and she’s got a wry sense of humor

Please enjoy your award, please keep writing as wonderfully as you all do, and please choose 5 of the bloggers YOU follow to pass this along to!

Wednesday Review

I took in 1582 calories and got on the Elliptical for 32 minutes.  So stats wise, it was a good day and I should be encouraged.  I made the mistake, though, of sneaking on to the scale tonight -- I do this more often than I should -- and saw more of a gain than I expected to see at that time of day. 

I weigh myself frequently during the week, and then have one "official" weigh-in on Friday mornings.  I know I shouldn't weigh myself more than once a week so I don't obsess about That Number, but I do it any way.  And I know that it will fluctuate a lot throughout the day based on what comes in and what goes out -- I'm not the kind of person who flips out when I see a jump on the scale after eating a high-sodium meal and drinking a lot of water...  :}

So there are a few things that would explain it.  I did have a meal that was probably high in sodium last night; TTOM is threatening to start, and I haven't had a good BM yet today.  (TMI, I know, but there it is.)  So I'll drink more water tomorrow and hope things, well, "move along" before Friday morning.

And now I have to figure out how to narrow it down to only 5 Blogs out of the several excellent ones I follow to give this Award to!  I'll probably post that tomorrow -- I do need to get SOME sleep tonight!  :)

I Got a Blog Award!!! :D

FAB at Fat, Angry Blogger gave me my first Blog award!  Coming from someone whose blog I really enjoy, this means a lot to me!  Here's what she said about me:  " bd160 @ Dancing Towards Myself  because although she hasn't been blogging for long, when she updates - she's interesting to read."  Thank you so much, FAB!!!



And now I have the challenge of passing this award on to 5 bloggers that I follow!  Boy, do I have a lot of them to choose from...

Inertia and Momentum

Inertia: [in-ur-shuh, ih-nur-] –noun inertness, esp. with regard to effort, motion, action, and the like; inactivity; sluggishness.

I didn't escape the bed-monster this morning in time to exercise before work. It was so much nicer to stay in bed under the nice, warm blankets and not subject myself to the cold and dark outside.

Momentum:  [moh-men-tuhm] –noun 1. force or speed of movement

Left work tonight to pick up the Hubster from his parents, and made it home just in time to get ready for dance class.  I thought about not going -- the idea of curling up with a cat and the Hubster in front of a cheerfully crackling fire was very tempting -- and the Hubster was quite willing to help me give in to that temptation...  But once I had my dance clothes on, I didn't really have a reason to stay home.  So I went.  I had a great time, like I knew I would, and actually danced harder than I expected.  Good class - I'm glad I went after all!  :)

Impetus: [im-pi-tuhs] –noun 1. a moving force; impulse; stimulus

(I need to work on recognizing a suitable impetus when it comes to moving my ass getting out of bed in the mornings.)

In other words, the day turned out okay, even though I didn't do everything I wanted to.  I  consumed 1793 calories, and 64 oz. water (not including my coffee and Gatorade - which I did track, calorie-wise) and danced for about an hour and a half tonight.  I ate more than I wanted, but according to The Daily Plate, I still have 575 calories worth of cushion, thanks to dancing.

I'd better go get some sleep...  G'night!

Ah, Mondays...

FYI, 2 cups of Butternut squash is pretty filling for 160 calories.  Especially when it's preceded by about 16 oz. of water...  I love Butternut squash, but I haven't cooked with it enough to just throw something together off the top of my head -- I'm at the Trial and Error phase.  :}   I'm going to try some Greek Yogurt mixed in to the squash for my lunch tomorrow, maybe with some ginger, and see how that is...  I think it will be pretty good.  I hope.  I've got enough squash for lunches for the rest of the week, so I have plenty to play with.  Do you have any suggestions?

I had a good day today - consumed 1617 calories and was on the Elliptical for 32 minutes tonight.  Not too long, but it was something, at least.  I'm going to try to wrestle myself from the insatiable and grasping clutches of the bed monster earlier than normal tomorrow morning.  Hopefully I'll have the will to resist its seductive lullaby and be strong enough to either get on the machine or go out for a walk before work.

Lazy Sunday

Had a Christmas party yesterday, and there were too many desserts.  It's a potluck, and last year we somehow wound up without any (until someone went out and bought a whole bunch)  I think everyone who came this year remembered that, and was trying to make up for it.  I did take a plate with some of the desserts, and had a bite or two of each of them, and then looked at the plate and none of it looked appealing any more.  At all.  I just didn't want any more of any of it!  So after thinking about it for a few minutes, I took that plate in to the kitchen -- and threw it all away!  (except for the plate, of course - it wasn't paper.)  I knew I wasn't going to eat everything when I took it, but I didn't expect to be throwing so much of it away.  I'm counting that as a victory!  :D

I didn't get the exercise in that I wanted this weekend.  I was getting ready for the party on Saturday, and then just wound up sleeping for the most part today -- I think I needed it.  But I really don't have a good reason for not hauling myself out of bed or off the couch and Just Doing it -- I just didn't.  Next weekend I'm going to try telling myself that I can always come back after exercising and relax on the couch, or whatever, but first I need to get out of bed and do the exercise.

I didn't track my food, but I did make decent food choices.  We decided to do takeout on Friday for dinner, and I ordered a mostly vegetable dish from the Thai place, and only ate half of it that night.  I had the other half for brunch Saturday.  And tonight the Hubster cooked -- chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing and Green Bean Casserole.  I only ate about half of what was on my plate, and wrapped up the rest of it for another time.  I was listening to my body -- everything tasted good, AND I was able to realize when I didn't want any more, and just stopped there.  It felt really good to be able to do that!

3.5!

Lost 3.5 pounds this week!  I’m sure it’s mostly water weight, since I’m near the beginning of this journey, but it was still VERY nice to see this morning!  Yaay, me!  W00T!!!!

There is something that’s tempering my excitement, though.  Years ago, my husband gave me a football jersey that I wear once a year – the Friday before the Civil War game.  When he gave it to me, it hung on me.  I swam in it.  Last year I put it on and instead of hanging on me, it… fit.  Since my college’s Civil War is tomorrow, I’m wearing it today.  It’s… “snug.” 

Belly-hugging snug.

“Is she 6 months pregnant or just fat?” snug.

Bleh.

So I’m definitely aware that I still have a long way to go, and I don’t feel “safe” enough to let down my guard for the weekend.  Weekends are always a challenge for me any way, and I’ve got a Christmas Party tomorrow to survive enjoy.  My goal for the weekend will be to exercise both days, as well as to stay as close to my calorie limit as possible.

I don’t think I’ll feel like I’m truly on my way this time until I’ve shed another 5.5 pounds, which would be a total of 10 gone, or even make it to 230 or below, which is 6.5 pounds away.  I’d really like see if I can shed that 6.5 before December ends.  That’s exactly 4 weeks away, and it is a do-able goal if I stay focused, so that’s what I’m aiming for.  It’s within sight! 

It is December, though, and there are going to be the usual temptations the holidays always bring.  With that in mind, I’m making this promise to myself:  If I succumb to those temptations, I will forgive myself and get right back on track. I will forgive myself if I don’t shed that 6.5 in 4 weeks.  It’s not the end of the world; it’s not the end of my progress.  It’s a stumble.  And the only way to avoid a fall after stumbling is to take another step.  I might find myself closer to the side of the road than I would like, possibly even on the shoulder, but I will still be on the road.  And the sooner I get rolling again, the sooner I’ll be able to get to goal.

What was that Boy Scout motto again?

Something about being prepared...?  That's something I need to work on in general, and when it comes to my meals and exercise prep in specific.  That's going to make a BIG difference when it comes to being successful in my weight loss journey.

I managed to do okay today, but I really need to start putting my lunches together the night before work. That way I wouldn't have to worry about it when I'm getting ready in the morning, and wind up just running out and grabbing something - anything - at lunch.  (Luckily I work really close to a grocery store, but still!)

I had 1612 calories today, and danced hard for what I'm estimating to be an hour and 40 minutes during the two 1-hour belly dance classes I teach on Thursdays.  (I'm estimating because I'm accounting for the time I spend talking and managing the music.)  I definitely dance harder on Thursdays than on Tuesdays - I end up quite sweaty by the end of the evening.  But it's always a lot of fun!  :)  Next week is the final week of the term though, and then classes don't begin again until mid-January.  While it will be nice to have my evenings back for a while, I'm really going to have to stay focused on getting my exercise -- it's way to easy to park it on the couch after work and stay there until bed time when I don't have classes.  :P 

There's another way that whole "being prepared" thing will come in handy - if I have my workout clothes already packed and ready to go, I won't be able to use that as a reason to skip going to the gym*!  Oh, and here's something I should try -- bringing workout clothes to work and changing in to them before I go home.  That way when I get home, I'm already ready to go walking/wogging/ellipticalling before settling down for the evening.  Hmmm...  I'll have to give that a try!

Have a happy Friday, everyone!  I'll be weighing in tomorrow, so hopefully things will be positive!  (negative?)

*The "gym" isn't really a gym -- it's an exercise room with some machines and weight sets in the rec center where I teach. I haven't actually used it before, but since I'm one of the instructors, I have access to it at no charge.  So I can't use the cost as an excuse, either...

Resisted McDonald's!

The Hubster wanted McDonald's for dinner tonight - I went and picked up what he wanted, and then came home and ate what I had been planning.  Go, me!  :)

I also cleared a path to the Elliptical machine tonight, dusted it off and spent 48 minutes (I know it's an odd amount - it's a preprogrammed chunk of time) pedaling!  And this was even after I'd pretty much talked myself out of exercising tonight.  Kinda surprised myself with that one!  (I also pulled out season 1 of Alias and watched the first episode while exercising...  Love a girl who can kick ass!)   :D

I also drank a lot more water today than I have been, and consumed only 1424 calories.  And I'm still surprised at how much food I had for that amount of calories -- 2 cups of spaghetti squash with lunch, and then a baked (okay, microwaved) sweet potato with a can of Tuna for dinner -- I'm still full! 

It would be easy, after a day like today, to fall in to the mindset of "this will be easy, no problem!"  But I do know better.  This was one of the good days (Yaay!) but I know those won't be the norm.  I'll face plenty of challenging, frustrating, temptation-filled days, and I'll probably have weak points where I give in to those temptations.  Especially with the holidays on their way.  But tonight, I'm going to enjoy the success of the day.  Yaay, me!!!  :D

Is it really almost December?!

Ah, the last day of November -- how appropriate that I finished the turkey and stuffing for dinner tonight!  Wow, this year has flown...

I'm feeling better - I think I'm back to about 80% of health.  I just need to be sure I take care of myself so I don't relapse -- that tends to hit me harder than the original cold!

Intake was good today -- 1596 calories, and I danced for about an hour tonight.  Moving again felt really good, but I was really low on energy by the end of the classes... 

Happy December, everyone -- brace yourselves, and stay strong!  ;}