(week 13). make progress or make excuses.

The title of my blog is a quote we were left with in today’s WW meeting. According to my leader, she heard it from a Real Estate guru (who’s name escaped her, sorry), but felt that it applies to weight loss. I absolutely agree. I find it encapsulates my journey. Basically, “put up or shut up”... “try or fail”. I’m in this to make progress, and I need to work on not making excuses about my faults. BUT, without an excuse or two, I wouldn’t have a blog, so…

After the past two weeks I’ve had, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was down another 2.6 pounds! (Please know, I did NOT weigh in last week)

After the last weigh-in, I was very focused on the plan. Then Noah got sick. It happened so fast, that it was hard to focus on anything else BUT him (as it should be). He was diagnosed with RSV and pneumonia, and we were admitted to the hospital for a few days (read about it here: http://mamabare.blogspot.com/2011/01/week-from-hell.html).

Now, kids, for what you SHOULDN’T DO on WW. NOTE: while I ultimately had a very successful weigh in, don’t follow this. Basically, “do what I say, not what I do”, got it?

I didn’t count at all. I tried to keep track of SOME things in my head, but for the most part, I said eff it. I managed my portions by sight, and I can tell you now that some were waaaaay off. There was a day or two where I just couldn’t eat, then I found myself wanting to snack on everything! Swedish Fish, Doritos, Crackers, Popcorn, Cookies… if it was in front of me, I wanted it in. my. belly.

I’m sure the stress of it all did a number on me, and I need to work harder on doing this the right way ALL THE TIME.

*end of the bad junk. time to tune back in*

Alex and I are talking about joining a gym, and have it narrowed down to two. We are looking for CHEAP, with child care and exercise equipment, of course… other than that, we don’t really care. Otherwise, I’ll step up my activity level with more walking and the wii. It sounds silly, but playing the wii for even 15 minutes a day can really get you moving!

I love getting messages from all of you, talking about your own experiences with weight loss or WW, so keep them coming! We can all learn from one another! That’s why I’m blogging about this now; it is not only keeping myself accountable, but it’s sharing tips with all of you, and hopefully motivating you to get healthy!

hello again. remember me?

first of all, i'm back! it's been a crazy few weeks, but things have finally settled down enough for me to drop you all a line.

where did we leave off? oh yes — riley.

she has been settling in well. we're all still adjusting to our new schedule, but overall, we're doing great. alex and i are so proud of how far she's come in the past six weeks!

and when i'm not spending my time watching/continuing to train her, i'm working. a lot.

with that said, it's been really difficult to find the time to work out (or blog). i made it to the gym a couple of times (seriously, just two) since signing off.

my logic? well, i walk the dog every day, so that counts, right?

apparently not. i'm back up to 201.

in retrospect, i didn't watch what i ate as well as i thought i did. with alex's birthday and traveling, we ate out more than normal. (and did i mention cake? there was an abundance of cake!) i didn't shy away from pastas (although i'm still avoiding red meat and pork, for the most part) ... i drank caffeine. if there was one "let down," it would be that.

now that i'm back, it's time to get on track with things.

my new goal? work out EVERY morning before work. (fallback plan: if i miss my morning workout, i can make it up when i get off work)

and given my "type A" personality, i've decided to multitask during my 30-minute workout. instead of just listening to music, counting down the seconds until i'm done, i'll be reading all the books i want to read, but don't have time for. HAH, two birds with one stone!

(i did this for "the last lecture" — it really helped to pass the time!)

i am ready to feel better. i am ready to look better. i am ready to lose weight.

the gym, day two.

bleh.

i've been a virtual zombie most of the day — doing my job, but dead to the world.

the whole way home, the devilish half of myself kept saying to spend the evening on the couch.

thankfully, the smarter side (i won't say angelic) won.

her argument? screw getting exercise! [you] can't let myself or my readers down, and cheating and lying about it is out of the question ...

so i went for day two this week!

here's me walking in, still unsure about the decision ...


and me walking my butt off. i'll never get a good picture while actively moving — sorry!


despite having to coerce myself in during the hard times, this whole thing is really working for me.

p.s. yes, sara, i'm wearing a tank top. i know! i'm branching out! (it's definitely better than the hoodie!)

the gym, day one.

i went, i saw, i conquered!


i was super proud of myself. not only did i go by myself, i bumped up the speed on the treadmill by .5 mph, rode the bike twice as long, and did 60 sit-ups with 20 pounds on the machine.

oh! a GUY at work asked me if i was losing weight (and meant it in a complementing way) ... how often does that happen (especially since most men are afraid to comment on weight at all)!?

happy monday to me!