40 More To Go
Stuff I don't hate March 26th, 2011
Hey, peeps! Been a while since I posted. Sorry, bit of writer’s block. Hate that.
Until I get my act together, I thought I’d give you an update on my weight loss progress.
In the seven weeks since I started working out at a gym and eating better, I’ve lost 10.5 lbs (4.8 kg).
It’s not as much as I’d hoped for by now, but I’ll take it. Besides, all the trainers at the gym tell me that losing 1.0 – 1.5 lbs. a week is perfect and helps ensure I can keep it off for the long term.
I won’t bore you with all the different exercises I’ve been doing, but it’s far more than I ever did in the few years prior.
What I will tell you is that on the day I joined the gym, I took an elevator to the third floor, where the gym is located.
An elevator.
Now I dart up the stairs at 5:30AM every day, excited and eager. I tackle the machines and leave sweaty and triumphant.
My mother always says “Eat to live. Don’t live to eat.” I look differently at food now. It’s fuel, not the “go to” when I’m stressed, tired or bored. Is it difficult sometimes? Hell, yeah.
But then I ask myself do I want to ruin the morning’s workout for junk food? Hell, no.
At the store today, I eyed up some of the things I used to overindulge in. I left with two one-ounce chocolate Easter bunnies. And you know what? That really is enough. Didn’t need the cookies or the ice cream or the potato chips or the Nutella. Self-control tastes better than all of that.
I’m down a size in my jeans.
I’m up a notch in my happiness.
I’m doing it. And anyone who thinks they’re too busy, too old or too out of shape to even care anymore, please, please think again.
I’m proof that a person who spent more time eating than moving can silence the excuses and bring change to her life.
Thanks go to the friends, family and co-workers who tolerate all my excitement when I have even the smallest successes. Your encouragement, tips and feedback mean the world to me.
The trainers at the gym chat with me daily to make sure I’m on track and challenging myself enough. I’m lucky to have such an amazing support system.
OK, enough Dr. Phil. Hope to be back to a more frequent posting schedule soon. Have a great weekend!
Stumble it!
March 26th, 2011 at 6:12 pm
Way to go! I’ve been losing weight recently too. (Finally!!) It’s the best feeling. In the past several months I’ve been able to lose 25 pounds, and I’d like to lose about 15 more. But if I could even stay where I am, I’d be satisfied. It’s so much better than where I was! I struggled with the ice cream aisle at the store the other day, and almost had to call my friend for support. But the thought of calling her was enough, thank goodness. Unfortunately, I’d already been sucked in by the Easter candy.
I did go crazy in the produce section too though, so it’s not all bad. I’m going to try to eat a serving of fruit with every meal. It’s been fairly easy so far! And I’m even using moderation with the Easter candy I bought. Whew!
I can’t wait to hear more about your progress! Keep up the great work. 🙂
Surfie´s last blog post ..Wordless Wednesday- Cool Tree in Iao Valley State Park
March 26th, 2011 at 6:20 pm
Congratulations! You should be very proud of yourself.
March 26th, 2011 at 6:55 pm
I’m so glad for you! My exercising has slackened off again, I really MUST get back to it. I’m fine on the eating (or not) as I don’t eat much at all. It’s the sheer lack of exercise for me.
Well done!
Babs (beetle)´s last blog post ..It’s bloomin’ lovely!
March 26th, 2011 at 7:03 pm
Consider this a huge honor… I’m busting out of my comment silence specifically to say “w00t” to you on this! Good job Kath… keep it up!!!
March 26th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
i love that you are saying magical words about food: it’s fuel, not the go to. it’s all about realizing why we eat and being aware of what we eat and how it helps us do what we need to do. glad you’re having success and going down a size in jeans must feel SO AWESOME! ironically, i write this as i finish off a bag of m&ms. everyone has a weakness……
sparkling74´s last blog post ..Feel Good Friday
March 26th, 2011 at 7:07 pm
Good for you Kathy! That’s fantastic! I am so glad you are making good progress. My sister lost 100 pounds via WE in less than a year’s time. Best of all, she’s kept it off. She’s not tiny, but she’s just right for her height and age. You’ll be where you want to be. Just keep doing what you are!
Linda Medrano´s last blog post ..Terrible Trials Of The Non-Technical Left-At-Home-Alone Wife
March 26th, 2011 at 7:35 pm
Congratulations! Sometimes the “smallest successes” are really big ones in disguise, y’know? You’re doing great!
Melissa´s last blog post ..Ive Been Seeing Beth- In All the Most Surprising Places
March 26th, 2011 at 7:50 pm
Yay Kathy!! It’s such a great feeling when the weight starts to come off. I have a tip for you: If you find that you’re dropping sizes quickly and don’t want to invest a lot in clothes until you hit your goal, Goodwill is a great place to buy “in-between” pants. I dropped from size 18 to 12 when I lost weight a few years ago, and I saved a ton of money that way.
absepa´s last blog post ..Maybe you could cross-market the jerky to the stoners
March 26th, 2011 at 9:19 pm
I am envious of your gym time! Did so enjoy that…Feels great, eh!
Grace´s last blog post ..Its in the genes
March 26th, 2011 at 9:26 pm
Cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 27th, 2011 at 12:53 am
Kathy, I am so proud of you! I’m staying on track with the eating thing, but I’m not exercising as much as I should be, dang it! Hearing you talk about it, though, motivates me, so keep it up, you WINNING winner!
Margaret (Nanny Goats)´s last blog post ..Goat Thing of the Day- Baby Stampede
March 27th, 2011 at 1:34 am
Yeah!! Go, go, go!! I lost 40 pounds way back in 2007 and I’ve managed to keep 30 of it off in spite of the statistics that say I can’t. I’m working on that 10 I gained back (due to some pretty drastic dietary changes) but it’s slow going this time around. Much better to just keep it off in the first place, but that’s easier said than done, as we all know. 😉 Anyway, I’m here to tell you those statistics are a LIE. We CAN do it!!
Kim, Rambling Family Manager´s last blog post ..What Were Celebrating
March 27th, 2011 at 3:25 am
Way. To. GO! Double digit weight loss rules! This is so exciting I can’t wait to hear more.
Plus, aren’t baggy jeans a HUGE incentive at the grocery store? No thank you, Frau Donut — my jeans and I shun you and your little donut holes, too!
cardiogirl´s last blog post ..Bloggers are like Girl Scout cookies — which one are you
March 27th, 2011 at 5:09 am
Alright, Way to go. Several years ago I lost almost 50 pounds and boy does it make a huge difference in how you feel. Not only physically but mentally as well. Keep up the good work.
ann´s last blog post ..Picky Picky
March 27th, 2011 at 6:29 am
Surfie — Congrats on your weight loss! Ten feels so good to me, I can imagine how great it’ll feel at 25 for me. WTG! Glad you caught yourself at the store. All we have to do is pause a couple seconds and really think about it, right? I’m not a big fruits and veggies girl, but I work in grapes and mineola tangerines, and broccoli and green beans. That’s about all I can agree to. Good luck through Easter!
Sheila — Thank you. I am very proud of myself. You really have to know how little I moved this last year. I was pathetic. That I go to the gym every day is something I never thought was possible for me.
Babs Beetle — Right, we need both exercise and eating right. Well, at least that’s the right formula for me. I’ve tried one but not the other, with limited success. With both, I’m making good strides. I think with the warmer weather coming, it’ll be easier for us all to be more active.
Jeff — I’m absolutely honored! I feel special that you commented here, since I know how crazy busy you are. I love all the support here. I’ll feel like you’re all with me when I hit the elliptical in about 2 hours. It’ll be like a party in my head.
sparkling74 — It doesn’t come easy. I had a long meeting with a trainer about food just after I joined the gym. Somehow this time hearing what to eat made sense and I didn’t balk too much. I did have to reduce my carbs over time and up my cardio, which helped me re-awaken my weight loss (I had been stuck at 7lbs down for two weeks, which was disheartening). But now I’m in a good food groove and I’m not hungry all the time (which was more of a problem for me when I had too much sugar and carbs). When you even out your blood sugar, you don’t get the highs and lows throughout the day and feel like you could eat your arm off before dinner.
Linda Medrano — Thank you and congrats to your sister, especially for maintaining her loss. I’m not delusional. I know that it may be harder for me to keep the weight off than to lose it. I have lost weight before and kept it off for 3 years, but then I started blogging and you know how that went. Too much sitting and I gained it all back, and then some. What I have to do is put me first and blogging second this time around.
Melissa — I like that! Yes! Even little things like being able to cross my legs easier is noticeable and worthy of a “Yes!” Any change is good change.
absepa — That’s a great tip! I just bought two new pair of jeans yesterday. I was only OK with it because they were marked down by 50%. Funny, I think before I go to Goodwill, I can shop in my own closet. I think I have every size in there except 0-6!
Grace — Oh, and how! I never, never, never thought I’d go to a gym. That was always for other people. I have to say the one key reason I can go like I do is because it’s located just two minutes from my house. Any farther, and I might find excuses not to go.
Fifthmarch — Indeed!!!!
Margaret — Thank you. I know you’re working on eating right yourself and doing well at it. I did hope I could motivate some readers because when I hear about you and JD, Cardiogirl, Valerie and Jen doing well, it makes me try harder. A support system is so important. BTW, you never look to me like you need to lose weight. You can’t have much to lose!
Kim, Rambling Family Manager — I know how depressing it is to think we’ll all gain it back. And I have done that, which is why I’m anxious about it. However, I feel like this time might be different for me because of the gym component, which I never did before. We just have to keep at it, no matter what. We can never let our guard down. Congrats to you for maintaining the majority of your weight loss. Give yourself a pat on the back!
cardiogirl — And I can’t wait to post again when I hit my halfway point. I have no doubt I’ll get there. Baggy jeans felt so good last week and the week before. The cuffs started to catch on my shoes and I found myself hiking the waist up more often. That’s going to be my new mantra to food I want “I shun you!” Thanks for that!
ann — Absolutely. You look at the whole world differently. In my case, I want to be outside more in public places, not worrying so much now about how I look or what people might be thinking when they see me. Huge boost right there. Congrats on your huge weight loss. You should feel proud.
March 27th, 2011 at 6:54 am
Yay for you!!! My Mommeh has been keeping up with her Kinect Biggest Loser workout; she feels much more fit, but hasn’t really lost any weight.
ps: I think you can still eat a Peep for Easter.
Daisy the Curly Cat´s last blog post ..A Pink Plaid Pairing
March 27th, 2011 at 8:12 am
Congratulations, Kathy! I loved reading this post, because I could just feel your pride and excitement and determination in every word. I know how hard it is, so revel in your weight loss and especially take pride in the fact that you are going to feel SO much better and live a longer, happier life (in skinny jeans).
And I agree with Daisy. I think you can eat a Peep for Easter, as long as it isn’t one of those chocolate-dipped ones.
JD at I Do Things´s last blog post ..I AM 50 so you don’t have to be
March 27th, 2011 at 8:32 am
Excellent! Great job!
Isn’t it fun!?!
I’m loving this whole experience of yours! Thanks for posting on it. I’m rooting for you!
🙂
March 27th, 2011 at 8:40 am
Congratulations, it feels great to lose those pounds doesn’t it? I know when I starting losing weight I not only felt happier but also healthier 😉
Karen´s last blog post ..Blazing Minds Interviews Lauren from Think Spin
March 27th, 2011 at 10:39 am
Awesome Awesome Job. I started a similar program almost 2 weeks ago. I know when I’ve done fitness programs the initial weight change was always way slower than I expected….mainly b/c I was building muscle. I always went by measurements and progress photos rather than scale numbers. Those things show your accomplishments more than a scale number. And from your post about Jeans n such it sounds like you have had QUITE the accomplishment,
I’m also giving you a HUGE CHEER for the 10.5 lbs (grin)
You Rock Kathy!!
March 27th, 2011 at 11:52 am
Congratulations. The publicist remembers the time before her brain went south on her when she joined Weight Watchers and lost close to 50lbs. She was doing step aerobics (gee does this date her or WHAT?) 6 classes a week and weight training. She felt great.
Then her brain failed her.
Stupid brain.
Now she takes care of us and does what she can. We try and keep her agile. I won’t tell you how it’s really not nice.
Pricilla´s last blog post ..Catstacular Event – Review- Scratchkabin by katcabin
March 27th, 2011 at 5:10 pm
Congratulations! You have been working so hard and I am so happy to see you happy about your achievements. I think they say this on one of those diet shows but it has always stuck with me “Thin tastes better than anything you can put in your mouth” or something like that.
Great going and keep it up!
Jen´s last blog post ..WTF! Grocery Store Edition
March 27th, 2011 at 5:58 pm
Woohoo! Go Kathy!! I love this post and have read it twice now. Very motivating. I’ve been so stressed this semester and haven’t been able to work out as much and I am missing it dearly. Maybe we should be virtual workout partners so I can get motivated again. I’m proud of you! (Which sounds cheesy of me to type, since we’ve never met face to face, but still… who cares, I am proud of you!) 🙂
March 27th, 2011 at 6:14 pm
Daisy the Curly Cat — You tell your mommeh I said “Way to go!” I do not know what that Kinect thing is like, except I saw Harley playing it one day. Has he lost any weight? I think you’re right. A Peep can’t do much damage to my thighs. I will allow it.
JD at I Do Things — Thank you so much, and thank you for being one of my very biggest supporters. I’m 6 lbs away from my “BlogHer weight” and you’ll be the first one to find out about it when I drop below it. Then I go for my Disney weight, then my Paris weight. I have many weights.
Ferd — It IS fun! I actually love going to the gym now. I never thought that would happen. I refused to join one for years and years, though many people have tried to ask me along. Something finally clicked. Thank you for putting up with this post. I was a little reluctant to put up such a boring one, but I feel better about it now because of all the support I’m getting here. Thank you for that.
Karen — It certainly does. And with summer coming, I didn’t want to be a fat, sweaty pig for three months. Feeling better is such a motivation for me. That I can take stairs now without getting winded is a huge improvement for me.
Laura — I know you’re right about how clothes fit, etc. But I was so mad that I plateaued so early on, I wanted to give up briefly. So mad! But now my clothes are looser and I can move better. It’s all good. And I can feel some muscles I haven’t had in a while. Bonus!
Pricilla — Wow! 50 lbs! That’s amazing. I did join WW once, with limited success. It was because my head wasn’t in it and I still cheated with bad foods. Hey, step aerobics is tough business! My sister used to do that and got a rockin’ hard body from it. I’m sorry the publicist’s brain gave out on her. Maybe she can at least be outside more, now that the weather is better. Always easier to be more active when it’s warm. Good luck!
Jen — Thank you!!! Yep, thin tastes better than anything. I declined a slice of shoo fly pie today because I didn’t want to ruin my workout. I find I’m successful if I wait a beat, ask myself how I’ll feel if I eat something unnecessary. Then I am safe. No food can hurt me. Such a simple concept.
Devon — I don’t know how you do it, girl. I read how busy you are on FAcebook and my head spins. It’s hard to find the time to work out. I’m lucky because I naturally wake up early and the gym opens at 5:30AM. I’m sometimes standing at the doors, waiting for them to open. We can absolutely be virtual exercise buddies. Write me any time and I’ll cheer you on! I can tell you for a fact that my support system is half the reason I’m doing so well. I gain so much inspiration from them.
March 27th, 2011 at 6:35 pm
Way to go Kathy. My Dad used to say the same thing about food. I started exercising and eating better about a year ago for health reasons. I’ve managed to lose 25lbs so far and hope to lose about 10 more. Keep up the good work, it’s worth it!
March 28th, 2011 at 1:49 am
I will be posting this phrase at our dining wall:
Eat to live. Don’t live to eat
Hope it helps me as well.
RonLeyba´s last blog post ..Dora Games – Dora The Explorer Fun Facts And Trivia
March 28th, 2011 at 1:54 am
Congraulations. That’s awesome.
I’m working on the 1.6 pound a week target, relying primarily on the Wii fit. Here’s the interesting thing I found — when I don’t exercise regularly, I don’t lose weight. Who’s a thunk?
I started on the Wii in November of 2009 at 255 pounds. By June 2010, I was down to 230. Then for various reasons I stopped working out until December 2010 when I was back up to 245. I put in about 3 weeks of working out and got down to just over 240, stopped again until mid-February when I was back to 245. I’ve bee working out pretty regularly for the last 4 week and got down to about 238. Punching through that floor is a bit of a challenge, but I’ll get there. It is so rewarding to watch those numbers go down and not fit my cloths anymore.
Keep it up. You’re getting great results. I’m thrilled for you.
Cromely´s last blog post ..A SXSWi Moment
March 28th, 2011 at 6:11 am
Trica — Congrats on your weight loss and eating better. That’s so key. My sister likes to say “You can exercise all you want, but if you don’t reduce calories, it’s like you’re not doing anything.” Good luck on your next 10!
RonLeyba — It’s such a simple mantra to have. Trouble is following it!
Cromely — Yep. Exercise and eating right really need to go hand-in-hand. I got a little depressed Friday when a friend said she heard that it takes 6 weeks to get in shape, and only 2 to fall out of it if you stop exercising. It has to be continuous. You’re to be commended for your efforts. It’s not easy. I wish you good luck punching through the floor (love that phrase, btw). Keep it up, dude!
March 28th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
YAY! Kathy! Good for you girl! Keep up the great work.
March 29th, 2011 at 6:58 pm
HOORAY! Isn’t that a great feeling??! There is no sugar high that compares with that my-jeans-are-loose high! 🙂
lin´s last blog post ..One Book-One Blog
March 30th, 2011 at 3:02 pm
This makes me all happy at your success and jealous of your commitment……
Bruce´s last blog post ..Good Times!
April 1st, 2011 at 8:24 pm
Very late to the party. Congrats!! I too have been getting healthy. I have lost 24 pounds since mid-November on Weight Watchers and going to the gym. It feels awesome feeling better and getting a ton of compliments.
April 28th, 2011 at 7:08 pm
10 pounds in 7 weeks is actually pretty good especially if you went down a size already. If you continue on this track in about 6 months you could lose those 40 pounds you have left. Congrats on the weight loss!
Tiffany´s last blog post ..My Turbo Fire Workout – 1 Week Update