I got to join my amazing friend with her family in the mountains. She graciously offered me a weekend away from the stress from my area into the mountains which I quickly accepted. It's been an amazing weekend, from helping to put in flower beds and helping to coach a wonderful little guy on my limited baseball knowledge and having breakfast made for me by an excellent cook to long sessions of laughing and talking with my dear friend into the wee hours and many other truly awesome things. I thank them one and all and very much look forward to doing it again soon!

 

Now for the bad news, my weigh in was my worst so far. With my foot injury limiting my workouts and my eating habits still needing fine tuning, I put on 1.2 pounds and now weigh in at 329.2. Bev weighed in at 181.6, another good week for my inspring teammate! 

I wanted to say a big thank you to all those who have rallied behind my amazing teammate. She is one of the strongest ladies I've ever met. She is a big inspiration to me and all those around her. This community is so wonderful. I only wish the people at Biggest Loser came up with the idea earlier. The support and advice and encouragement have been so helpful. Sometimes people forget that just a pat on the back or kind word can brighten a very cloudy day, but the people we have "met" on here understand and rush to help. I hope that we have been as helpful to all of you. Have a wonderful weekend!

 

On my week, it was a slow one because of another foot injury. I tried to do better with my eating, but I'm never comfortable heading into a weigh in knowing my exercise for the week has suffered. Fortunately it's almost healed and next week will be much better!

This has been a hard, sad week.  My mother's illness meant at trip to the ER, two nights in ICU and then putting her in a nursing home.   It is designed to be a short rehab stay but there is always the possibility she won't go home again.  Needless to say, I'm totally worn out.  Thankfully, my family has all pulled together and my beloved friend Buc is coming up for the weekend.   Thank you Buc.   While I did eat the odd piece of Easter candy in the ICU and some pancakes the other night, I've not turned to food for comfort.  For that is EXACTLY why my mom's physical health is so terrible.  Once again, it became crystal clear to me that no food can make any problem better.  It may taste good and you might enjoy it, but it cannot help.  This was never more blindingly evident than this week.  Instead I ran yesterday and all those emotions just fueled the run.  I felt like the Energizer bunny all wound up all I had to do was take the first step.  My legs and emotional upset took over and 2.5 miles later, I felt much better.

Well, the contest is officially over, but the challenge continues. Bev and I are still working on strategies to improve our efforts for ourselves and each other. It's a long road ahead, but worth every bit of the work it will require. I can't think of anyone I'd rather walk with on this road. Thank you so much Bev! Good luck to everyone!

We both made progress this week!     Buc:   Lost 3.1 pounds, walked 18 miles and biked 37.9 miles!!   Bev:  Lost 4.8 pounds and ran 8.1 miles. 

 

 

Buc:   Weight Loss = 28 pounds            Bev:   Weight Loss = 12.2 pounds         

           Biked = 270.5 miles                                      Ran = 47.6 miles

           Walked = 94.9 miles

 

Every time I step up my workouts, my teammate just has to top me! ;-) I'm so proud of the hard work you are doing Bev. With the difficulties you are facing, holding firm in your resolve to continue improving your health is very inspiring!

 

I took a 2 mile walk in the rain this evening, just to clear my mind. My kids just laughed when I asked if they wanted to go with me. lol Fortunately the heavy rains had moved on, so it was not much more than a heavy mist to a light rain. Anyway, I'm finding how liberating these walks have become. I suppose one day I'll load my mp3 player to have music on my walks, but for now I'm content just listening to the voices in my head! :-) Hopefully that doesn't sound too crazy! I'm just finding that when issues pop up in my life, hitting the road or track or trail does wonders for my mental health.

Maybe it was the run?  Or the overall weight loss?  Today I had one of those days when I just wasn't that interested in food.  Any food.  I ate breakfast and a just a bit for lunch because I knew it was the responsible thing to do - especially post run.  But somehow eating and food just didn't seem like a big deal.  My appetite usually decreases after a run - pretty coool! Iit's like something is really beginning to shift inside and while I enjoy food, it's finally taking a backseat to the rest of my life.  Today I enjoyed my run much more than the food I ate and that is a fabulous change I hope continues!!!!    

The weeks are quickly heading toward the end of this challenge. I hope everyone plans on continuing on with their new improved lifestyles. I know without doubt that Bev and I plan on it. I'm hoping they keep this community open so that we can all continue supporting one another and cheering each other on as we approach our own "finish lines". We have met some wonderful inspiring people on here. Just wanted to say a big thank you to one and all. Good luck to everyone as they try to hit their goals by the end of this challenge and much more luck to continuing on from there!

It was a warm beautiful day here, so I took advantage of it and got in 4.6 miles of walking. A good start to my week always makes the rest seem to be less scary in some ways. Being a single parent can be fairly stressful at times and cut into any exercise time. Fortunately my kids are supporting my efforts which definately helps. With Bev's help and support my eating habits are improving, in spite of last weekend's stumble. Fortunately exercise for me has a snowball effect and every bit I do leads me to want to do more. When I get the 2 sides in sync, I'm gonna really start dropping pounds! One of my life long friends is morbidly obese too. I'm hoping my improvements will inspire him to work on his own health. We have started talking about it, so at least it's a start. Bev was my inspiration and I'm hoping I can pass her efforts on down the line. Thank you darlin.

 

On a sad note, the world lost one of the most amazing guitarists on Sunday. Jeff Healey lost his vision when he was very young, but still learned to play the guitar and share his gifts with the world. He fought cancer throughout his life and despite the pain he lived in, he brightened the lives of those who got to enjoy his music. RIP Jeff Healey. God bless all those dealing with his death.

Whew.  That's one week that sure was hard and we made it through.  Neither Buc nor I had our best weigh ins but considering the week, they were reasonable.  We kicked some *** on the activity though!    Buc lost 1.1 lbs, walked 14.3 miles and biked 36.3 - all time highs on the exercise. Go Buc!!   I didn't lose a thing but ran 8.2, so I feel good on that end of things.  And neither one of us lost our mind, so all in all, it worked out.

I ate some extra - more than I would have liked today... though given the day, I don't feel overly bad about it.  My mom suffers from multi infarct dementia and today she absolutely refused to go to the doctor.  That's the second time this week she has refused to go to a medical appointment.  It's impossible to physically make her go.  Needless to say it was a rough day.  That kind of behavior can be symptomatic of her condition but extremely frustrating nonetheless.    So I had some extra pretzels, bean salad, coffee and a peppermint patty along the way.  I won't lose tomorrow but at least I avoided complicating my life even more by not turning to ice cream and chips for comfort.  No food I could eat and will help my mom get any better.  That's true for all of us.  Food will not and cannot fix the problems in our lives.  Overeating can only add to them.  I can see that stress eating is probably my biggest hurdle to overcome.

I've put off doing a goals list and recently have read how important it is to set short term, intermediate and long term goals. So for now my long term is to achieve the weight I have listed on our page, long way to go, but it will be worth it. To get there will take lots of sweat and hard work, but the benefits will make it all worthwhile. My short term goals are to start walking an extra mile and biking an extra mile every week and to start hitting my points (Weight Watchers) daily. Another short term goal is to be under 325 by the next time I see Bev. She has never seen me below that weight, other than pictures. Next I want to take my walking and biking up to 200 miles a month. My mid range goal is to go under 300 by the time spring gets here. And a major goal to hit, for my kids, is to be small enough to be able to ride a roller coaster with them this summer. I rode with them when they were much younger, but that has been years. It's always embarrassed me to be too big to ride them. I'm no fan of coasters by any means, but I owe it to my kids! Hope you all chart goals for yourself and go for them!

My careful eating  paid off this morning on the scale... 184.2!   I was elated to say the least.  This is the lowest I've weighed since I was 27 years old and I'm 40.  Life has been super stressful just recently, so I made a committed effort not to overeat but to burn off the stress instead.  That resulted in a great 3.2 mile run on the treadmill.  Thinking about my stressors while running helped me work the stress out of my body.  When I was finished I felt better both in body and in spirit.  Having said that, I did struggle a little bit at dinner.  I made my grandmother's BBQ hamburger recipe and it was SO good I had two servings.  I'll be sure not to snack before bed and given today's run, I should (hopefully) avoid a temporary gain.

 

Yummy Lunch Update!

My lunch was quick, delicious and extremely healthy - Bev's Black Bean & Corn Salad.   Rinse and drain a can of black beans and put in a bowl.  Add a can of drained corn.  Add chopped cilantro (if you have it or used dried or skip it), cumin, garlic powder, some salt and chopped red onion.  Squeeze the juice of one lime on it and stir well.  This is even better after it sits a bit and the flavors combine - enjoy!  And if your digestive system is a bit sluggish this will get it moving again. 

Sorry I disappeared on everyone. Was battling some personal demons, self doubt and comfort / punishment foods, late last week and fell off the wagon for a few days. Fortunately my friend and teammate helped to keep me from drowning again, but the damage was done. Thank you Bev! This weigh-in isn't going to be good and I have no one to blame but myself. Fortunately I have collected myself again and I'm getting back to where I need to be. It's hard to admit to certain human frailties at times, but they can't become the norm. So I've dusted myself off, picked myself up, picked up where I left off and will get to where I need to go. I used to spend days weeks and months at times in a downward spiral caused by depression. It's hard learning to forgive yourself so you can move on with life. It didn't come easy, but that peace with myself is back and I'm back in the game. One day at a time.

 

On a side note, YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Mark is gone! After the horrible things he has done, it was good to see him go.

 

Well friends, here I am - down .5 yesterday and back up to 186 again today!   I've been increasing my water intake and  fiber, and ran those 3 miles I posted about.  I'm planning another run for tomorrow and will continue eating especially healthy.  Tonight I did struggle and had a few of my son's McD fries, but literally just a few.   I think the water intake is critical and is helping.  It makes sense that as you breakdown fat, you need a way to flush the byproducts out of your system.  I know I'm drinking enough and eating right when I wake up hungry and need pee! LOL

 

Tomorrow I'll try cranking up the fiber a bit more - some barley and beans, continue with the increased water, and hopefully get that run in.   Thanks for your support - I really appreciate!!

Thanks everyone for your support.  You've motivated me to really work on getting off this 186 plateau.  Today I'm going to drink my full 64 oz of water and plan to go for a run on the treadmill.  My goal is 2.5 easy miles, hopefully 3.  I've started the day with a kashi bar and  a cup of coffee with low fat creamer and some sugar (the one daily treat I always allow myself).  I'll keep you posted -let's hope I'm looking a a new number by this Saturday's weigh in. 

Well, we've hit a slow down on our weight loss.  I only lost .5.  Buc lost 2.4 but isn't thrilled about it, but I am.  Can I have your weight loss Buc?   As for me I'm not quite sure why my loss has slowed down.  It may be that due to stomach upset I was eating less fiber, drinking less water, and exercising less.  I'm going to cut out the GFIC coffee , raisin bread and bananas - and switch back to regular coffee, kashi bars, and apples.   On a much happier note, Buc biked 35.3 miles and walked 13 this week!   I ran 6.1 and hope to bring my weekly mileage up a bit next week.

 

So Biggest Loser friends, any suggestions for us?

My kids have been sick on and off for the last two weeks and I haven't felt that great either.  This latest virus has left me with a queasy stomach and not enough energy  to run.  The result?  My weight loss and has stopped and I'm stuck.  I'm hoping to feel better soon so I can start running again!  I have learned one important lesson though.  There really is a HUGE diference between low and high fiber foods.  I've been eating raisin bread for breakfast instead of a Kashi bar and am amazed at how little long term satisfaction the raisin bread provides.  More than ever before, I'm committed to following a low GI diet - once my stomach is ready to go again.

Today has been very gray in many ways. From the winter skies to the slow down at work (making the day ohhhhhhh so long) to running errands to feeling tired to a very sluggish attitide tonight about getting in my exercise, it all seemed to snowball. Fortunately I got in an unscheduled nap that gave me enough energy to hop on the bike and hit the dumbbells. Not sure I could have without the nap. It's like I'm getting old or something! lol Oh well, made it through it and got to see the total thrill in my son's eyes from having asked out his first girl and gotten a yes! Bev has helped get me up and running and done so very much, but I seriously doubt I could face it all daily without my kids and their support in what I'm doing.

Especially spring vegetables!  I'm feeling worn out with winter and ready for sugar snap peas, spinach and picnic dinners outside.  Actually, I'm just not that interested in eating right now, though my sweet tooth could really go for some ice cream or peach cobbler! LOL  My daughter laughed at my dinner tonight - green bean casserole and key lime low fat yogurt.  Low fat tip: if you are a traditional green bean casserole fan, try using low fat cream of mushroom soup instead and you can still get that oniony taste with only 1/3 can of french fried onions.  Low fat or skim milk is an easy way to bring the calorie content down, too.  Honestly, the only foods I feel like eating right now are extremely unhealthy ones.  So I think I'll go make some airpopped popcorn instead and stay out of the kitchen... wish me luck!!!