Keep calm and carry on

I started my Christmas shopping last week as I am determined to have it all done by the end of this month. It makes December so much more pleasurable. I love everything about the holidays; the carols, family and friends, the decorations, church, the food...

The food. In the past, by this time of year I would have given up on whatever diet I was on, either because the weight loss had stalled or I had gained a few pounds. I would rationalize that "it's the holidays" I can eat, drink and be merry until the new year and start again.
This is the first year in a long time that I am not going to use the holidays as an excuse to eat with abandon regardless of the consequences. It's freaking me out a bit as there are already so many meals out that I cannot decline, not to mention all the cookies, chocolate and other goodies at the grocery store. I am developing an action plan to deal with all of this, the first being that none of those treats are coming into the house until just prior to entertaining. Any leftovers will be sent away with guests. Second, I am going to stick to the cardinal rule of protein first for all of those luncheons and dinners out. My challenge will be declining dessert, I'm hoping that I'll be full enough so that I can only have a bite or two or none at all. Third, I am going to make sure that I get my workouts in, no excuses allowed.

I plan to truly enjoy the holidays this year without feeling miserable about my weight for the the first time in a decade.

What is your action plan for the holidays?

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Destination Onederland - week 2 results

Last week was a great week, until the weekend. I worked out all week, followed my eating plan and hit a new low of 215 on Friday.  I was out most of the weekend and didn't plan for meals away. I didn't eat a lot but didn't make the best choices, lots of sodium and not enough protein or water. Weight on Sunday was 217, just a blip along the way and I'm back on track. Still determined to hit onederland by Christmas or at least be pretty darned close!

Destination Onederland - Week 1 results

In my previous post I mentioned that getting back into the ones is a goal that has eluded me for over a decade. But not for long; I am determined to get there before Christmas. To that end I've buckled down.

Weight at start of "operation onederland" - 222.5 (All that grazing I mentioned a couple of posts ago resulted in a 2 pound gain)
End of week one weight - 217.5. My official weigh-in day is Sunday and it's been the same the last couple of days as well.

What I've been doing:

• Drinking 6 - 8 glasses of water
• Exercising at least 4 days a week for 30 minutes
• Keeping my calories between 1200 - 1500

If I'm hungry between meals I have a snack. usually a handful of almonds along with some greek yogurt or a luna bar or a few rice crisps with some cheese. Getting the water in really helps.

A potential stumbling block is all of the left-over Halloween candy that everyone (including me) brought to work. There are bowls and bowls of it. I know that I can't have just one, so I've bought some sugar-free mints and everytime I get the urge to have a "just a wee bit of candy" I have a mint.  Something about the minty-ness really takes away the craving for sweet.

An excerpt from my journal circa 2000

"I don't know when it happened, when I got lost or rather when I lost myself. I went for my yearly physical last Monday and according to the doctor's scale I weigh 210 pounds. When I saw the number I couldn't believe it. Part of me knew it was bad, but where, when, how? When did I give up on myself? I have lost sight of everything and I don't know how to find my way back. I do know that I have to lose this weight. I must, it cannot be good for my health and this is not me. I do take complete responsibility for gaining all of this weight, it was my doing. It is easier to keep sinking than to try and pull myself up, but no more it has to stop."
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I recently found some old journals and the above entry. When I had my first consultation for lap-band surgery, I weighed 295 pounds and at the start of my pre-op diet in January I was 292.5. It has taken me a while to find my way, but I truly believe that I have.
I weighed anywhere from 125 - 140 through most of my teens. Then things seemed to start spiraling out of control around me and I turned to food for comfort and stopped working out (I had always worked out). I gained weight very quickly; I moved from 130-something to 210 in less than  5 years. I haven't been out of the 2's since that physical in 2000.  I feel great about myself even though I weigh more than I did when I made that journal entry. It's amazing how the perspective changes. I know for some bloggers reaching the 1's has been anti-climatic, but for me it's been an elusive goal for over a decade. I finally believe and know that I will get there.

Vegas baby, Vegas!

It feels like I've been travelling none stop for the last  month or so. I was recently in Vegas and had a blast. It was a bit of a spontaneous trip and something I wouldn't have done pre-band. I stayed up late and got up early, got dressed up every night, ate some great food, had a few drinks... It felt good to feel good in my skin.  I'm still recovering from all the travelling and really want to focus on getting these 20 pounds off and hitting the 1's by mid to late December. In order to do that I need to refocus on meal planning and exercise. 

Lately I've been grazing a lot; eating far more chocolate that I have in many months and not paying any attention to my caloric intake. Interestingly, the scale hasn't moved. Every morning I step on it expecting a gain and it hasn't happened and because it hasn't I keep grazing. It has to stop. Tomorrow I'm going to run 5K and plan and shop for my meals for the week. I'm aiming for 2 pounds down this coming week. From now until the time I hit the one's I'm going to post how I do each week. It will help to keep me accountable and focused. Onwards and upwards!

Back to reality

I've been away for a while and finally have a chance to post. M and I headed south for a few weeks of R & R. We rented a villa on the beach and had a great time.

I had my good share of frozen watermelon margaritas (so yummy!) along with good food and dessert.It was tough the first couple of days to not be able to step on the scale, but I soon got over it. The band really helped me to limit my portions and I was only up 2 pounds when I came back which I've since lost plus a bit more to bring me to a new low. I'm determined to be in the ones by mid-December and I think that is totally attainable, I'm going to do my darndest to get there.

It sounds like the BOOBS event was a resounding success. I still have to catch up on all of the posts of those that attended plus all of your other posts!

Hope everyone is doing well and Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians.