The splendor of fall

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It is my favorite time of year, the turning leaves and the crisp air. I know that the harsh frigid wind off the lake will soon follow but now it is time to hear my feet rustle through the falling leaves as I take the dog for a long walk.

Gone are my morning bike rides along the lake at sunrise, which were followed by doing lapses at the pool before I ran off to work. This weekend I am going to start working on my indoor workout program. I try to balance toning with cardio and strength training.

I try to go to the gym several times a week but I am not nuts about the place and I often find myself going to my basement workout area instead. Frankly, it’s easier and there isn’t 20 minutes wasted driving to place that smells like a teenage boy’s locker room. Not the best attitude but my dog knows my routine and follows me downstairs in hopes that I will pet him as I am doing my sit-ups.

My scale didn’t budge this week because of my cold but I didn’t reach for the carbs for comfort and that was a big step for me. Every month I take my measurements and this month I saw a big change just ask anyone that has seen me in a pair of baggy pants this month. My waist and hips went down 2 inches each.

I am still 15 pounds away from my goal but I have faith that my efforts will pay off soon. Wish me luck!

Treat me, don’t trick me

This time of year candy is everywhere. The bits of sweet chocolate in seemingly low-calorie packages aren’t harmless, but just two kisses have 50 calories and a fun-size bar masks 80 calories. One way or the other the extra calories need to be worked off. Yep, the theory of calories in and calories out applies to those tiny little treats that do add up this time of year.
I bought my candy to hand out to the neighbor kids several weeks ago. I stuffed the candy in back of a hall closet; by the way I bought bags of sweets that I didn’t like so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat them myself. Last year, I sat on my porch and ate more than my fair share of not only my treats but my neighbors as well. I have to work the night of trick or treating this year and as much as I will miss the ghosts and goblins I won’t miss all the extra calories. After all, I am on a mission to reach my goal weight and I am glad that I will be at work and not tempted by all the goodies that night.

Hopefully, my scale will treat me to a good number this week for my efforts and not trick me.

Portion-control bowls

You never know what you are going to find at Marshall’s and I was thrilled the day I found these great portion control bowl there. They are perfect for mealtime.

Portion control is key to my diet and these sit right on my counter to keep me on track. Each bowl has two measurement markings and they go with the décor of my kitchen.

I used to use measuring cups but I had the nasty habit of making heaping portions figuring that if it fit in the cup or on top I was having a cup of oatmeal. Not a good idea.

Now, I eat my breakfast right out of the measuring bowls. Hey, whatever works is my motto.

Leaving behind my shaker of salt in Margaretville

My family will tell you in a loud voice that I was a salt-aholic. I would grab for the saltshaker without even tasting my food. Not a good habit. Most are in agreement that your daily intake of salt should be kept to a minimum, a teaspoon for your total daily intake. This includes all the salt that is hidden in most processed foods.

Since starting Joy’s plan I have cut back and frankly have put my saltshaker on vacation for the last three weeks. I use a lower sodium hot sauce if I feel the need to flavor my food.

I haven’t really given it much thought until this weekend when I was having lunch with my parents at Panera. I ordered the Low fat chicken noodle soup; I am fighting a cold and it seemed like the thing to do. The soup was served lukewarm and I sent it back but the salty taste from one spoonful stayed with me all day.  I did a web search on the nutritional value of the soup and learned that just one cup had 1110mg of sodium or 46% of your daily intake of salt.  Lesson learned!

Tip: I have taken the saltshaker off my spice shelf and have replaced it with Vege-Sal Vegetized Seasoning Salt. It is lower in sodium than salt and its mix of spices and vegetables gives my food a nice flavor without all the sodium. I find it my local grocery store or health food market.

Joy’s cement removers

I have said for the last two years that the reason I haven’t reached my goal of lose 200 pounds is because the last 20 pounds were cement. Since I have been following Joy’s new LIFE diet the pounds are finally starting to crumple. Since I was on the Today Show three weeks ago I have shed 8.5 pounds. I am within 16 pounds of my lofty goal.

My pants are hanging off of me once again. So, I have been employed my old trick of putting my jeans in the dryer for hours on end to get them to shrink. It is a good problem to have and I am lucky to have found such a supportive team to help me.

I am learning that I had let too many old habits return which hampered me losing weight, like too many sweets and overeating on weekends.

I am on the straight and narrow now and the hard work is showing on my scale finally. Yea!

Sunday in the park with Jerry

Nothing like a great walk to clear your head and feel better. It is suppose to snow on Monday so I had to get outside while the sun was still out. Jerry loves the view from this park.

Weight Loss Cheerleaders

Since I took up Joy Bauer’s challenge to lose my last 24 pounds on her new diet plan I have lost 6.5 pounds in less than three weeks. I guess the last 20 pounds weren’t cement but just pounds that I wasn’t willing to do the hard work it takes to get make the scale move.

No sugar, no salt, no starches at dinner are really starting to make the scale move.

Stress eating has been a life-long problem for me. I have worked in the newspaper business for nearly 30 years and recently there is little if any good news when it comes to this profession. Conservative estimates have over 14,000 journalists losing their jobs this year. In these uncertain times that is a real concern for me, but I am trying to approach it as a skinny person and not reaching for the candy every time I feel anxiety about the future. Making the scale go up isn’t going to solve anything. Instead I just take a deep breath and realize that the only thing I have control over is how I react to crappy news.

Joy and Johanna are great cheerleaders and I am so happy to have them in my corner as I pursue the last leg of my weight loss journey. I know I can do it and they are right there to lend support. How lucky am I!

Keep the faith that you can do it to.
Lisa

Weight Loss Buddies

My friend Mary and I have been waging a very small bet on who could lose the most weight in the last few months. We bet a buck each and I put it in a frame that we pass back and forth to the winner of our weekly weigh in. Each Wednesday morning we make our way to the mailroom at the paper to step on a freight scale. It was the only scale I could find at the newspaper.

We have both managed to take a fair amount off weight since the middle May. The bet was to end the first of October but I figured since we both didn’t reach our goal of 140 pounds that we should continue to keep up the challenge. The frame with the money has been on her desk more than mine but it is keeping us on track.

To date:
Mary: down 32.5 pounds for a total of 18%
Lisa: down 19 pounds for a total of 11%

I am broadcasting my weight but it would be rude of me to do that to a friend. She is doing great and I am plugging along. I have too much at stake not to keep it up. I want to reach my goal and with the help of Joy’s new diet I am chipping away at the last 20 pounds. It is taking 100% will power but I know I can do it.

Biggest Loser Blues

Every week I watch the show and every week I get the message that my workouts aren’t living up to the ones on the show. I did get to the gym this morning but it is hard to push myself that hard. I try to imagine Jillian and Bob screaming at me but I just turn up my ipod and lapse into my old habits. Meaning I don’t push myself hard enough. Time to get it into gear if I am going to reach my goal of losing those last pesky 20 pounds.

I wish I could see those big numbers on my own scale but I know why they aren’t there. I am putting down my fork but my butt seems to have only one gear, Neutral.

Time to get myself out of the rut I have dug for myself and push even harder. No more excuses!

Family Weekend Gathering and the Goodies Were Everwhere

OOOPS!

My weekend was spent at a family gathering at the Trout Club that we have belonged to since my mother was a small child. Family and friends gathered to help celebrate my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary.

The weather was crisp and sun was shinning as people tried their hands at fishing the century old trout streams. I took my camera and took pictures like I always do. It is my way of paying back my parents for sending me to college to be a photographer.

I got a few friends to take a long walk with me down the country roads at sunrise. I tried like hell to stay on my diet. I even revamped my dinner card by eliminating the carbs that I had asked for a month ago when the menu was set.

Not sure that the scale will reflect my efforts but I figured by not eating the pie and other goodies at least I was at least giving it an honest effort. Man the goodies were everywhere. It is hard to get a great workout in but as least I walked nearly eight miles over the weekend to try to offset the few slip-ups.

Now I just have to stay away from all the Halloween candy that appears this time of year. I have to keep on track so that I reach my goal of losing 23 pounds in 10 weeks.

Stay tuned.

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