A Pox on This Snow!!

Today should be my weekly weigh-in day, but because I'm not home, it's not.  I made a mistake by trying to get on Tracy's scale this morning, but no matter what it read, I wasn't going to be happy with it, so I'm not sure why I even tried. If it had registered a loss, I wouldn't have trusted it, and the gain I saw I'm not sure WAS an actual gain.

That said, I have been very slack on my water for the past three days, and I've indulged in some peanuts that were salted, although I tried to get as much salt off as possible as I ate them.  Still...it all adds up.  So my plan for the next couple of days is to flush my body with as much water as I can stand, and do my best to stay STRICTLY on point until I can get back to my OWN scale, which will measure the gain/loss accurately, even if the weight itself is not specifically accurate.

I can feel myself getting really antsy.  Today makes a week since I've been home, and I am really, really ready to be back there. I miss my hubby....terribly.  I miss my boys.  I miss my comfort zone.  I really appreciate Tracy's hospitality this week, but sleeping on her couch is taking its toll on my body, as well, and I am longing for my own bed.  I know all this stress has been contributing to my not-so-strict adherence to my protocol, but at this point in the program, I absolutely can NOT afford to fall off the wagon, as I have so many times in the past.  I MUST stay the course!!

So...back to being a good girl....the best girl I know how to be.  And the rest will just have to sort itself out over the weekend. I'm not a child that can't handle a little adversity.  I'm not a whiner....at least, I don't want to be.  And if I can't suck up a few days away from home, then I'm not as tough as I've always let on to the world that I was.  And that, to me, is unacceptable.  I can tough out a couple more days, and then I'll be home, and the worst of this winter, God willing, will be OVER.

Progress Report...

Well...I took a truly awesome pic this morning to add to my before pic that sort of catalogs the progress I've made so far.  The problem is that I can't seem to upload any pics lately! This is becoming very frustrating. I'm pretty sure that the server at work is blocking my uploads, and that's the computer that I've been using to post my blogs.  But the app on my phone won't let me upload anything, either!  I'm beginning to think the Cosmos is trying to tell me something. :(

Oh, well...onward and upward, I guess.  Maybe I can come back and add pics later, from my home laptop.

The weather is still sucky, although the roads are clear for the moment.  Snow is due to pound us again tonight, though.  My food is still on point, for the most part.  Tracy and I stopped and got some Chinese food last night for dinner, and it was sooo good!  Hot and spicy, just right to warm up my freezing insides.  Although it's not strictly on my plan, it fell close enough to range, and well within my allotted calories for the day.  I only ate half the portion, and saved the other half to enjoy for dinner tonight!

Still no exercise.  I have cabin fever like crazy, but there is currently nothing to be done about it except wait.  So....I wait.  And hope for Spring to make a very quick entry.

DIE, Winter, DIE!!

The older I get, the more I hate Winter.  Absolutely detest it.  Yes, snow is pretty on postcards, but it throws such a wrench in my plans every day!

*sigh*

I had planned, hoped for....even LONGED for...the first of March.  It was my goal to be back on the track next week.  I'm not going to say it won't happen....anything's possible, I suppose.  But it's not looking likely right now.  Winter just will not go away this year.  Last week, we had two major snow storms that kept me home all week long.  Last night, we had another, and are expecting a fourth to move through tomorrow night.  I so can't WAIT for Spring, and warmer weather!!!

I'm ready to start walking again, on a regular basis.  I'm ready to start RUNNING again, even though I know I will have to work my way up.  I'm ready to start hiking, and biking, and being active in the sunny great outdoors!!  I'm ready for SPRING!!!

Back on Track

Oh, boy.  I never thought I'd say this, but does it EVER feel good to be back on schedule!!!  I didn't realize how terrible I felt having to fudge on my food last week.  And I'm not just talking about physically or emotionally....I'm talking about ALL of it! 

I went by the store Saturday night on my way home from work and picked up just the essentials I would need to get through the next few days, thinking it would be hard to get back in the swing of things after eating 'real' food so much last week.  But I found I was actually looking forward to getting back on track, and my body breathed a big sigh of relief all day yesterday, knowing that I was not going to have to angst about sliding back on my hard-earned weight loss.  I've got the momentum going right now, and I sure don't want to lose it!  Even though I haven't been able to exercise at all, that hasn't bothered me nearly as much as not being on point with my food.  I feel that as long as I have that under control, the exercise (at this point, at least) is kind of incidental.

I know there will come a time (and very, very soon!) that this will not be the case.  But as long as I can at least get through the worst of the Winter weather, I'll be ok.  After all...this is a lifestyle change, not a temporary fix.  And that means that I will be exercising for the long haul, long after my food goes to maintenance levels.

Still....I just can't wait for Spring to get here!!!

Snowed In

I don't know how northerners do it. It's quite obvious that I am a dyed-in-the-wool southerner, because I just can't handle the snow.  I just can't.  I've tried...believe me.  But I wimp out every time.

Last Saturday, the weather turned really super-cold, and (due to our own stupidity) our pipes froze.  We tried to thaw them out, but gave it up on Sunday as a bad job, and realized we'd just have to tough it out for a week with bottled/jugged water, as the temps weren't supposed to go above freezing for days.  Monday was a holiday, and we made a run into town for a few supplies and to fill up the propane tanks.  Thank God we did, because it started snowing Monday afternoon, and hasn't really stopped since.

Needless to say, we got snowed in, and the house is currently surrounded by more than a foot of snow.  And by house, I mean driveway.

For most folks, getting down their driveway is no big deal.  But when you live on a mountain, and your driveway is a quarter mile long with a super-steep drop, it becomes a very different story.  Unless you want to go skiing the hard way...with no skis...in your car...you don't move when it snows. Tuesday, we only had about six inches, so Keith fired up the bobcat and tried to clear what he could off the driveway so he could bring his truck up after running into town.  Since it has tracks, the bobcat is really our best shot at navigating the steep slope.  Keith made it down, but couldn't get back up in his truck (which was the object), and actually got stuck, so he told me I had to come get him.

Terrified is not the word.  But I made it.  Trouble is, I couldn't get my car back up, either...even in 4wd.  So the only options we had were to hoof it (as it was getting dark) in the by-now super slick ice/snow, or to bring the bobcat back up.  Even though it meant me having to ride in the bucket, I voted for option #2.  And thankfully, we made it back up in one piece.

Wednesday, it snowed again...another six inches.  And not only were we stuck with no water in below zero temps, but the bobcat wouldn't even crank, because it was so cold. So we huddled in until Friday morning, when we ran out of water. The weather broke enough to get the car cranked (the bobcat is still frozen up, as we speak), and we headed down to where my car was parked.  I was even MORE terrified on the way down the driveway, but we made it in one piece with all our empty water jugs and dirty clothes, and were able to get back into town. 

The weather is still horrible, but at least I'm in town now, staying with a friend, so I can get into work next week, with any luck.  I sure can't afford to take any more time off!  Right now, I'm putting in a few hours of overtime to get caught back up before Monday.  This week, looks like a lot more bad weather headed our way, but maybe it won't be AS bad.  All I know is that Spring can't get here soon enough!!

Through it all, though, even though I haven't been able to really exercise at all, and have had to fudge a LOT on my eating plan (due to lack of supplies and an abundance of drinking water), I still managed to drop another 3 lbs, AND hit my first 25 lb. goal.  I'm very encouraged by that, but am also very concerned that my metabolism will either slow or stop again if this keeps up for too much longer.  I can go maybe another week like this, but after that, I just don't know.  So it's really important for me to get back on track as soon as humanly possible.  I'm really praying for this horrible weather to break for more reasons than one!

I Heart Fridays

Fridays have always been my favorite day of the week.  The weekend hasn't started yet, and it's just stretching out before you, full of possibility.  And laziness....don't forget laziness.  That's the best part! :)

All kidding aside, I do love Fridays, so it's kind of amazing that it took so long to make it my weigh-in day.    This morning, I jumped on the scale, and as predicted, saw the 257 I was looking for...followed by a .8.  So I just did make it.  In total, I had a 2.5 lb. loss, which is a great accomplishment by any standards.  The problem was, I knew I could have...and should have...made 3, if I'd exercised too.  But I didn't.  That was my choice, and I have to live with that decision. Circumstances are all fine and good, but at the end of the day, they are just excuses.  No matter how busy we are, we make time for the things that are most important to us, and it's pretty obvious that exercise is not high priority to me right now.

That has got to change.  That mentality will not have me on the track in two weeks, and it will not satisfy my craving to be 'out there' as the weather warms up and spring calls my name.  Yes, I can lose this weight without having to exercise....but will I like the result?  Will I be able to live with the resulting flabby muscles along with the flabby skin I already know I'm going to have to deal with?  I can have surgery to remove excess skin.  But that muscle is permanent, and the lack of strength/resistance training is not helping my aging bones, either.

So...much more to consider here than whether my teeth have to chatter or not.  The temp is not predicted to rise above freezing today, but I've worn my long johns.  Let's see if I know how to put my money where my mouth (and mind) are.  After all...today is the start of a brand new week.  A week that will hopefully see me hit my first 25 lb. goal.

It's the Little Things

Yesterday went pretty well.  I only deviated once from my eating (not cashews, thank God!), and that was on the way home from work.  I worked over really late last night, and wanted to pick something up on the way home so I could eat on the road, and save time when I got home.  I was so tired, I just wanted to go to bed.

So, I thought hard and then stopped by Chick-Fil-A and got a grilled chicken sandwich on whole wheat with just lettuce and tomato....no mayo.  It was the healthiest option, and the lowest in calories that I could actually eat while driving, and I may just do it again tonight....although I do have to weigh in the morning.  Hmm...

Anyway, no walking yesterday...again.  Hoping to change that SOON, because it's really starting to bug me.  But BY FAR, the COOLEST part of the day was the NSV I scored!

My mother in law has been really worried for months (maybe even years, who knows?) about my rings.  Even though they are not tight IN THE LEAST, they LOOK terrible, because my hands are so puffy and bloated (and FAT).  I've been wearing wide rings for so many years on my ring fingers, though, that there is a permanent groove on both of them.  The result is that even though they look like they're tight enough to cut circulation, they really turn very freely within the grooves.  Getting them off, though...holy cow, get the bone saw.  I literally haven't had my rings off in YEARS.

Yesterday, I was putting lotion on my hands and realized one of my rings was looser than normal. "Hmm", I sez to myself, and pulled.

The ring came right off!

I have a pic, but I'll have to add it later.

Anyway....that was the loosest of the two....my wedding band is a wee bit tighter, so it may take a bit more time to get it off. But I just kept thinking how proud my MIL will be when she sees!

Time to Move

Yesterday was a long day.  After being on the road all day Monday, it was back to the ole' grind with a vengeance.  I love being able to work so much overtime, I really do...I'm very thankful for the opportunity, because it allows Keith to stay home.  But I'd be lying if I said it didn't wear on me some days, especially as I get older.  I want to feel like getting back on the track in two weeks. Hell, I want to feel like getting out and walking TODAY.  But each day, it's a battle.  Too tired, too busy, too effing cold.  Yes, it all applies.  And yes, they're all excuses.

My eating was pretty much on point yesterday, with one exception; the cashews seduced me again.  I counted them, of course, and still stayed under my calorie count for the day;  all the same, I sure am glad the jar is almost empty.

My goal today is pretty simple. I want to move. I've been stagnant on my exercise for about two weeks, now, and that's no bueno.  Gotta do much better if I'm gonna meet my short and long-range fitness goals.  By summer, I want to be flying around the track again, even if that's figuratively speaking.  Besides, the extra push to my metabolism right before my Friday weigh-in sure couldn't hurt!

On the Road Again...

Sunday was a recoup day for me, since it was really my only day off this weekend. We stayed busy fixing the wiring on my car so that the trailer light would work.  This caused me countless trips up to the house and back down to the car fetching/looking for stuff that my husband needed to complete this.  That was good for exercise...but my legs felt like noodles after we were done.  My food was good all day, though, except that I did have a couple of handfuls of whole cashews (sans salt) after dinner.  Even logging them in, and still falling under my calories for the day, I didn't feel really good about my decision....because they're not strictly on my plan, it kinda felt like cheating.

Didn't stop me from doing it again last night, though.  I still don't feel like it was a bad decision, as snacks go...but it does set a dangerous precedent, I'm thinking.  And definitely sets me on a path I do not want to go down at this stage.  So...no to more cashews in my immediate future.

Yesterday was more difficult for me.  I took a sick day and called in to work with a migraine, so that Keith and I could run up to KY to pick up a truck he bought on eBay.  Nice truck, and he's thrilled with it.  Problem is that it is very hard to travel (even for the day) on this program without packing a cooler, and almost impossible to eat on the road if I do pack it.  So yesterday, I ate my breakfast before leaving the house, and then stopped for my mid-morning snack (which consisted of a 6" breakfast sub from Subway...contents: grilled chicken and egg whites), and my lunch, which we stopped at Cracker Barrel for on the way home.  I had a grilled chicken salad, sans dressing, and no carbs at this meal, since I had eaten the bun from my sandwich earlier.  I had no mid-afternoon snack, and a light dinner, again with no carbs, then just the handful of cashews after. And only about three glasses of water, instead of my usual eight.

So....no total meltdowns, and fairly decent choices, I guess.  But I went a bit over my calorie allotment for the day on MFP, and I felt distinctly uncomfortable, knowing my food wasn't strictly on point.  I don't like that feeling, so it's back to regular programming with a vengeance today.  And I'm already feeling better!

My First Milestone

I was so excited when I jumped on the scale yesterday, I just KNEW I was gonna see a loss!  And I really felt that I was going to find myself back in that 3lb-a-week thing that I'd seen the first time I was on this plan 8 (holy cow, has it REALLY been that long??) years ago.  But with the lack of exercise this week, I just wasn't sure if I would see it register on the scale.  I was hoping for two pounds...just enough to hit my first 20 lb. milestone....but I was secretly hoping for three. 

I was not disappointed!! All my hard work is paying off.  I hit my milestone, stayed on course, even with a bum ankle, and I got my 3 lbs!  Not only that, but I was also .2 (please note the point...that's important) lbs away from being in my next decade.  I am so stoked right now!!

Hopefully, I can get my workouts back on track this week.  We're having a momentary break in the nasty weather right now, and although it's still very cold, at least it's not raining or snowing.  I'm working overtime today, which means I'm in town.  So I'm going to try to sneak in a bit of a walk sometime today.  I have errands to run this afternoon, so I want to do it before it gets dark, and right now, it gets dark pretty darned early.

I sure will be glad when spring gets here.  Not only will the weather be warmer, but the days will be longer, too...which will make it much easier to get my walks/runs in after work!

A Little Progress

After walking the last couple of days with pain in my ankle, it felt so good yesterday that I decided to walk anyway.  I didn't do my normal 3+ miles (1 hour), but I did get in two and felt pretty darned good about that.  I'm going to rest it today....don't want to take the chance of injuring it further and creating a major setback instead of a minor one.  So tonight, I'll do my day one workout, and then I'll walk again tomorrow and Saturday(working over on Sat).  Sunday, when I'm home, I'll do my day two workout.  It's scheduled to snow today anyway, so I think that's probably good timing. :)

My food has been good and solid, but I'm not going to lie and say I haven't been extremely tempted to cheat.  There's a huge tin of popcorn in the breakroom that someone brought in after Christmas that is calling my name really bad.  But I just keep thinking that this is the time in my program that I generally start falling apart, and if I really want to be successful this time, I've got to push through.  So far, I've been successful in abstaining.  Hopefully, I can stay strong, but it's really taking a lot of work.

I can't help but think that part of this is stress-driven.  After my blow-up on Tuesday, though, the stress level dropped tremendously yesterday.  I think my message was received, lol, and the individual in question pretty much let me do my job.  That makes a MAJOR difference, and I really hope it continues...at least for a while.

Tomorrow is my weigh-in.  I'm excited!! I really believe I've hit the 20lb. mark, which means I'm almost a quarter of the way to my goal!  A great start, but still a long way to go.

Hump Day....in More Ways Than One.

Well, all my plans to walk/workout yesterday went south.  My ankle just never really felt solid, and I didn't want to risk it and make it worse, so I've decided to take the rest of the week off and just rest it.  On top of that, yesterday was a very rough day for me emotionally. I seemed to be very irritable and agitated all day, and even snapped (very loudly) at my co-worker.  In all fairness, she had it coming, but rarely am I not able to contain an outburst, even as outspoken as I am.  I'm usually fairly even-keeled, but yesterday, I just stayed on edge all day.  It didn't help that I couldn't go walk it off, but it's been seriously cold and icy/windy out this week, even snowy at times, and I just didn't want to risk it.  On top of that, I got home very late from working over, and barely had enough time to make dinner before bedtime.  Keith was sick last night, and couldn't eat the dinner I'd made him.  Being injured, I'm having to do a lot of extra stuff to care for him right now, and maybe that stress, combined with all my work stress is just taking its toll on me.  But I felt the INTENSE urge to cheat and snack last night after dinner.  I was still starving, and had a bag of multigrain chips in my hand before I even realized it.  I did take three.....and I did eat them.  But thankfully, I had the presence of mind to stop before I regretted it, and I went to freaking bed.

So....no lasting harm done. Other than my frayed nerves, I mean.  I still feel a bit....stressed....today, but better.  Overall, I'm really just hoping for a low-key day to help me unwind and get back to my normal, even-keeled self.  Keith has another Dr. appointment today, so I'm hoping for good news on that front, too.  He seems to be doing better, so fingers crossed for a good report.

Injuries are Contageous...

...or are they?  Seems that way, anyway.  Keith injured the ligaments in his knee last week, and I'm not sure what I did yesterday, but when I put my shoe on yesterday morning, I pulled something in my ankle.  Consequently, I hobbled around all day yesterday with my shoe off, and went home on time.  When I got home, I rubbed lavender oil all over it, and wrapped it in an ace bandage overnight.  This morning, it felt much better, although it's still twinging a bit. So I wrapped it again for the day, just to be on the safe side.  I'm not sure what or how I pulled it, but it's supposed to warm up today, so I'm going to try to walk at lunch.  Maybe it will work out what ever is going on.  But if it starts to hurt worse, I'll stop.  Hopefully, I'll be able to finish my walk with no problems.

I'm still wanting to jump on the scale, fighting the urge to cheat and see if/how much more I've lost.  But I'm bound and determined to wait until Friday like a good girl!  Really hoping to hit that 20 lb. mark this week, but if I don't manage to get at least some exercise in, that may be in jeopardy.  If I can't walk today, I know I'll still be able to get my workout in, so that will be my backup plan.

A Friendly Weekend

This was a great weekend, filled with a long-overdue visit from a good friend, and since we have another friend who lives close, it was a wonderful time of fellowship, Keith's injury notwithstanding.  Even with going out on Friday night, I feel like I did well with my food, although I did miss a couple of meals which I know is not good.  I also didn't get enough exercise in, but did manage to sneak in a small hike on Saturday.  Yesterday, I had to make a run into town after my friend left to go home, so I picked up some dinner for us at a mexican drive through.  My choice was a chicken taco salad, sans cheese, beans and sour cream.  It was good....but I ate the bowl. Not terrible in the grand scheme of things, I guess.  Since I didn't have my normal lunch (including baked potato), it was the only carb I had all day. 

I certainly don't feel like I gained or retained anything.  If anything, I actually think I lost a bit, and Keith is certainly noticing a difference...although to look at, I still can't.  It was really hard not to get on the scale this morning, but I am determined to wait until Friday.  In the meantime, I am back to my regularly scheduled program, and am prepared for another successful day (and week).