As if I needed something else...

So add this to the list of people who went to the doctor for one thing and came out with another (I recently had a professor who went in for a routine check-up...everything came out abnormal and then on recheck normal and then they found a benign tumor in her stomach). Anyway, Jim encouraged me to go back in last week because I had finished my antibiotic but was still coughing and runny nose (though MUCH improved from before).
She decided I had bronchitis and did an X-ray to make sure there was not pneumonia. I did not have pneumonia but she did mention scoliosis....I didn't know I had that. So today I got the official reading on the x-ray and now I get a referral to an orthopedic specialist.
Oh, and if I still have cough and nose issues after this round of antibiotics and steroids (and inhaler...which tastes terrible...) then we get to treat it as allergies.
On the more positive side I am actually still losing weight even without going to the rec center. Somehow walking on campus and getting distracted so that I forget to have desert seems to be working for me. A slow but steady decline in weight is not a bad thing as long as I can survive next week with the in-laws for Thanksgiving.

Survivormom

Whew! I survived the camping weekend (complete with buffet) and still lost 4 lbs. this week. Even though I'm a little burned out on dieting, it is easier in the sense that I have a much better handle on portions, and if I eat too much, I feel too full much faster.

So since August (early September, really), I've lost... (drumroll, please) almost 30 lbs. I'm 10lbs away from what I weighed when I first got pregnant with JC, so I'm finally loosing the baby weight, I guess!

It's all about portion control and quality foods. For example, I used to eat pretzels, because they are low fat, but it's all white flour and no protein. Fruits, veggies, whole grains, it really is making a difference for me. Combining protein with quality carbs is working - I always knew WHAT to do, it's doing it that's hard.

Ok, enough preaching. I'm not trying to boast but to inspire. Anyone who wants the book from Curves, just let me know. It's really just a regular diet, but it does have a nice emphasis on keeping your metabolism stoked.

Ugh

I hate being sick. Good news is I'm already starting to feel better then I was yesterday, but boy it makes me feel like a slug. I've done some work today but not a lot. Hopefully I'll be over this soon and up and moving and not feel like I've had such an energy drain.

Slogging along

You would think this dieting thing would get easier, not harder, over time. Perhaps it's the time of year, but this last week has been really challenging. Halloween temptation hasn't helped! I've been limiting myself to small size candies, and no more than one (ok, maybe two) in a day. And PMS on top of that.

I'm still losing, but feeling a both a little burned out and also a little scared of going back to "regular" eating. I will clearly have to continue really watching portion sizes and food choices, because I really don't want to regain the weight I've lost. We're going camping in Lancaster County PA this Thursday, and I'm a little worried. Biggest challenge will be an all-you-care-to-eat buffet that everyone else wants to go to. Ok, I'll eat more than the plan but I think I can control myself. But if we eat some lunches out too, it starts to get a little harder - overdoing it at one meal, I can make up for it at others, or the next day. 3.5 days of extra challenges is mostly just depressing.

But I feel like I'm struggling at home, too. Grey weather doesn't help. But I'm committed to doing it until November 26th - the end of the "Biggest Looser" contest at the gym. I have an actual shot at winning. How motivating would THAT be?!?

It's amazing

How quickly you can lose momentum from not exercising. I didn't walk for a few days at the end of last week as Lucy, our dog, had a boil/cyst between her toes and it was painful. This happened almost exactly a year ago too. So, we didn't walk on Thurs. and Friday and then I had to work on Sat. morning and Sunday we don't walk. Wow what a difference that made in my stamina. I had to challenge myself to push myself a bit more at the beginning of this week since I was feeling it more then usual.
I guess this is a good reminder that it's easier to keep up the habit then come in and out of using those muscles! I seem to be mostly back to my walking stamina/speed minus some adjustments for pregnancy. But it's good to feel I'm doing positive things for my body overall. Now I just have to get my eating back to less sugar levels as we've made it through the birthday business of the last two weeks (both John (hubby) and I have birthdays in Oct.).

Reality Check

I gained a pound last week. John did point out that a pound is probably within the error for the scale.

It's a little depressing, although not unexpected. I took the kids out to Perkins for dinner, and while I had scrambled eggs and wheat toast (not too bad) I also ate most of the hash browns even though I was trying to resist. The next night was my birthday and I took the kids to a hibachi steak house, and while I didn't clean my plate like I usually do, I ate over half, and of course it's a lot of white rice and noodles. And I had ice cream. Oh, and JC and I split a California roll and tuna sashimi. So LOTS of white rice. And I had Chipotele for lunch on Friday, although I had NO rice, just their salad but it was probably too much meat. Then on Saturday, I was at the church garage sale until about 1pm and came home starving. Ate the rest of the Sushi House leftovers (more rice and noodles), then we ended up having pasta for dinner. High protein pasta, which I did measure out only 1 cup of, and meatballs for more protein but probably lots of fat. And a small slice of birthday cake at church on Sunday.

So I was both way off course but still more controlled than pre-diet. I was kind of hoping I would at least maintain, but it's proving to me I still have to be really conscious about what I eat, which is a little depressing just because that probably applies to the rest of my life.

Oy. Makes me tired just thinking about it.

Hanging in there

I had a MAJOR cheat this morning - iced coffee and a glazed donut from Dunkin' Donuts. Rachel had an orthodontist appt. and requested a snack as I took her back to school. She had to have three attempts at making the impression for her palate expander, so I was feeling sympathetic. And hungry myself. Yes, I know it wasn't the best choice, but I feel like I am choosing better - less rationalization. I can rationalize anything, you know.

So still feeling very positive about this diet thing - but it helps that I am seeing big results. Nothing like instant gratification! And I actually think it is healthy (in a way) that I feel that I can "cheat" and still get back on track. I lost another 4 lbs last week, so that makes, like, 16 since the beginning of September? SO motivating!

I'm hoping I'm being inspirational rather than gloating. It is a HUGE help that I am at a point where all three kids are in school full time (and on the bus!) and I happen to have a number of local friends that also go to this Curves. It's that accountability thing, you know? I think there is an activation energy (the energy needed to start a process) and then a snowball effect (once you're started, it's easier to keep going). You have to be realistic about what you're capable of concentrating on at any given moment. I'm spending a lot of time thinking about and planning meals, which would have been really hard a few years ago. Not to mention the time at the gym.

But it is very exciting, and I want that to rub off on all of you too!