Lots of Butter

It feels like forever since I sat at this keyboard to write about this new "food attitude". I just looked and June 14th was my last post.

So much has happened since I posted last that Id like to share; Sarah is settled in her apartment in Charlotte. I visited over the holiday weekend and everything seems to be moving along as planned. Tom is getting ready for his semi annual trip to the mountains to ride motorcycles with his long time riding buddy Dave. With the house to myself I am following a Mediterranean diet for the entire week to make it my personal best in weight loss.

Sarah's new apartment is nice and provides plenty of space for one person. She chose a bright pink couch (for those who know her this doesn't come as a surprise) with black accessories and a grey chair. When it comes to her kitchen she owns one pot and one pan (which also happen to be black and pink). I guess that if you plan to eat Ramon Noodles until you can grocery shop, this is fine. However, if you're trying to follow through with a commitment for weight loss its not quite enough. So, lacking utensils and a baking pan we ate meals out. Gratefully, Sarah has a love for trying new things and has ventured into the city enough to find some very interesting eateries. In the morning we would hit Starbucks(nothing new but we knew what we liked there). If you haven't been there in a while (and I don't frequent Starbucks as Tom makes the best coffee in Port St Lucie)they have a calorie count on the price card for some of their pastry selections, so I would choose that way. We would sit and chat over coffee and pastry each morning and while the croissant looked tempting I always chose something with a calorie count so that I could keep my food journal. When we ate lunch I would choose large salads with the dressing on the side. I'm not a lover of chicken in my salad so lots of veggies would help me keep full until dinner. We were on the go the whole time I was there so it was bottled water every time we left her apartment and small snacks between meals. I suggest whole grain Pringles (cheese or cool ranch are my favorite). Dinner was our splurge each night but never over the top and never desert (but we don't usually order desert). In fact we did get these wonderful looking caramel brownies from Amalie's (this great little french bakery, sandwich and coffee shop in the NODA area of Charlotte) we put them in the fridge at Sarah's and never ate them, I guess it was just nice to know they were there. There is this wonderful local fast food chain called Cook Out. They have the best burgers, but be careful, they let you choose the sides and you can get coleslaw (its delish) fries, hush puppies, a corn dog, chicken nuggets and a bevy of other things. The burgers are cooked on an open flame and I believe they are cooked to order, I had the bacon cheese burger, fries (they dont overload you with fries) and coleslaw. It was very good, $3.99 and included a drink.

All of this "off the wagon" eating kind of scared me. Although we didnt over eat and there was a lot of walking involved, I wasnt sure I wanted to step on the scale this morning. This said, I'm happy to report I have lost another pound.

13 pounds down, I hit the teens. That's 52 sticks of butter and that's a lot of butter.

Tomoorw Tom and I celebrate 11 years of wedded bliss. Im looking forward to going to going to our favorite restaurant for dinner. These days another challange means another lesson.

Until next time, Im going to keep on keeping on.

Double Digits

I hit double digit weight loss this week...I'm 10 pounds lighter than I was 4 weeks ago. My clothes are starting to look baggier. There is a down side to this, my very awesome DKNY denim carpis will soon be too big and I love those pants.
Tom fixed that flat tire in just a day or two so I was back on the road and riding my bike in no time at all. Its good to have a husband that cant stand for things to sit around broken, either fix it or get rid of it is his theory.
So, yes biking again and walking when I can (its our rainy season) and using the shake weight. I'm firming up and seeing the results. I'm no Charles Atlas (thank goodness) but I am a smaller Ginny than I was 4 weeks ago.
I know my mind is in a different place than it was when I started this transformation. I was watching Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition the other night. Have you seen it? A trainer spends a year working with a morbidly obese person and in the end they lose copious amounts of weight and look like a completely different person. Its touching and tear provoking television. The old Ginny would have sat on the couch eaten chips and thought WOW at least I'm not that big. The new Ginny watches with interest realizing that weight gain is so much more than over eating. There is a reason we eat more than we require and we need to figure out why. In my case, I overeat because I had little else to do and the things I enjoy doing most are sedentary activities. I love the beach and people watching, I love to read and write. I don't enjoy hauling my butt to a gym to touch dirty equipment. I cant imagine a spin class and a treadmill is just so boring. My goal is to eliminate taking medication for blood sugar and high blood pressure, I would like to accomplish this in a year, if I don't I will reset my goal. I'm the only one in this race and I determine the finish line. I wont let what others say influence me in a way to take me off this path.
Until next time.

FLAT!!!

I'm late posting this week, Id love to tell you its because I'm so busy exercising, but that would be a lie...my bike has a flat tire. I have stepped up walking and it really has not made a difference. Riding my bike must be better for me, I know I feel better after I ride it and am ready for my day. I guess I will get the innertube and get moving again. I'm going to start taking it places to ride, I'm starting in this great area that has everything, a place to ride, parks and a nice shopping area (hey, shopping can be exercise). I digress...anyway not having my bike this week has shown me that exercise works. I have still walked and used the shake weight, my blood sugar is down and on the scale...I'm exactly where I was a week ago....on the positive side of that I didn't gain...I just didn't lose. I'm still trying recipes from the book and have come up with a few of my own low carb dinners that are actually quite tasty.
Ive read that big changes in ones life have a lot to do with weight loss. Recently my daughter moved to Charlotte NC. It was time and I give her credit for taking this leap of faith, but I do miss her and since currently she is couch surfing with a few friends, I worry not because she isn't able, not because she isn't ready, I worry only because I am her mom...no other reason...its silly I know but that is why.
So this week my weight loss much like my tire was flat. Ive seen the scale go up a pound and down a pound and in the end I'm the same.