Bye Bye May

Well I was super lazy yesterday. I never did go on a bike ride. I did keep the calories lower so I was able to achieve a good deficit. Time is flying by and I just can't believe it is the last day of May! June is a fresh slate and with that I joined the Get Fit After 40 Summer Challenge. It will be a great motivator to increase my activity and get to my mini goal of 40 lbs. gone by July 19th. I will be turning 43 in three weeks (Father's Day) so that will help keep me focused as well. That reminds me that I need to make some new goals for June. I was able to get to 6,000 steps most days. I didn't get to the gym weekly and my water consumption is better but still needs lots of work. I WILL be going to the GYM today though. Hope you are having a good weekend! Until next time...

Crunchy Saturday

Good numbers yesterday. I went to my friend's bar that is called Blinky's Can't Say and sang karaoke last night. I am actually a good singer. I used to sing every week but now I do it like once a month if that. I have been drinking red wine (mostly Cab) and drink it with a big glass of water and lemon. Oh how I miss my Coronas! Well I drank 5 - 4 oz. glasses which was approx. 500 cals. It was over the course of about 5-6 hours. I feeling a little crunchy today - just a little bit tired :-) I am thinking a nap and then a bike ride are the plan for the rest of the day. It is 80 degrees and sunny out so it is perfect for a ride. Hope you are enjoying your weekend! Until next time...

Zilch, Zippo, Nada!

Nice stats yesterday. I kinda felt like it was the "Last Chance" workout on BL. I did 20 mins. of Zumba and then some resistance bands and ab work. Did well on food but not water (Grrr!) and met my step goal. Got on the scale this morning and nothing! Nada! Zilch! Okay, I am not surprised really. I took it easy this week on activity because of my foot and therefore the scale didn't move. I am fully healed now so back to the grind. I WILL be going to the gym this weekend. Not sure if I will swim or do the treadmill but I WILL be going! Until next time...

P.S. I just had to share! I ordered pictures from http://www.pictureyourselfthinner.com/ Linda is charming and does a super job! Check it out when you have a chance! I think these will be a great motivator and since I have trouble visualizing myself at goal these will really inspiring!

Success Stories

Had a good day yesterday. I had 6,984 steps which I haven't seen in at least a week. I did exceed my normal cals consumed but was still able to maintain an okay deficit.

My mom watched a story on Good Morning America about three gals that lost over 100 lbs. and were featured in the latest People magazine. Each of them did it in a different way but they were all successful. They showed their before pics and then their current pics in bikinis! I found it to be very inspiring! I am a firm believer in the power of positive thinking. The more I read about people succeeding the more motivated I am. I follow blogs of people that are in all stages of this journey and they inspire me. People giving me support and encouragement inspires me. This is no cake walk I know. I am not looking at it from rose colored glasses but focusing on others successes and the positive aspects of this endeavor seem to be helping me. Thanks for ALL your help! Until next time...

Hidden Evils

If you were going to the movies and wanted to have some popcorn this would seem like the way to go right? How many calories do you think it would be? Well, I was SHOCKED to learn that it is 300 calories AND 20 grams of fat!!! I have learned to make better choices and eat smaller portions. I am learning more every day. I really would have thought this was a good choice. Now moving forward I will either bring my own Air popped popcorn or popcorn rice cakes but there is a lot to be learned when tracking foods. These are the hidden evils!

Had a decent day yesterday. Ended up have a snack kinda late so had a deficit of 723. I had a Caesar salad with Crab for dinner. Yummers! We picked out the shore excursions for our trip which was fun! It is going to be here before we know it. I need to get cracking! Until next time...

Feels like Monday

Feels like a Monday doesn't it? Well I estimated calories burned yesterday. I stayed home and worked on the closet and cleaned the kitchen. Tried to keep the calories consumed lower due to the low activity. For the first time my battery ran out in the bugg. They last about a week or so but I didn't have any AAA batteries at home. I should throw one in my purse just in case. My foot is healing well and I have normal shoes on today. Tonight I am going to my mom's to pick out which shore excursions we want to go on in Alaska :-) We will most likely go out to eat at the Fish Market which is always good and healthy. Until next time...

Saturday #2

It felt like Saturday today! Did not have much of a deficit yesterday. I didn't wear the bugg until the afternoon so the calorie burn is estimated. I did fine at lunch with Danielle. I got grilled shrimp skewers and loaded up on Spinach salad. It was delish! I was lazy for the rest of the day. My foot is healing well so I can get more activity in tomorrow. I want to do some filing and organizing around my apt. and I will probably go to Deb and Larry's in the afternoon. By the way, I am not moving. I decided it was better to stay where I am at. I did ask for a reduction in rent so we shall see what they say. Worse they could say is no right? Until next time...



P.S. I posted some progress pics. How often do you think I should update them?

May 23rd

No screenshot today since I didn't wear my bugg. I have worn it 135 of the 140 days I have had it so that is a pretty good average. I did input my food which was 1632 calories which again I am adjusting for the low activity. It has the ability to use a previous days activities so I plugged in Thursday's data and did about an 800 cal deficit. Danielle and I are going shopping and out to lunch. We are going to Sizzler which has a great salad bar but also has A LOT of tempting items. I will practice self control and the fact that I am so close to my short term goal is also a big motivator to stay on track. Hope you are enjoying the weekend! Until next time...

Fantastic Friday!!

I didn't put my bugg on this morning so I don't have a screenshot for you but I think there was about a 700-800 calorie deficit for Thursday. I got on the scale this morning and I am down 2 more lbs. for a total of 33 lbs!!! I am thrilled! That means I have 7 more lbs. to reach my short term goal of 40 lbs. by the Cruise which is in 56 days. This also means I am losing an average of 1.6 lbs. per week. If I keep up the same pace I could reasonably get to a 45 lb. loss by then. What a wonderful way to start the 3 day weekend! :-) Until next time...

Evil Pieces of Rubber

I went to Big 5 Sporting Goods today. I bought some evil pieces of rubber a.k.a. Resistance bands and Straps. When I first joined 24hr fitness back in 1997 I took a class that used the Resistance bands and came up with that name. Here is what the package says: Strengthen and condition your back, chest, shoulders, and arms with the Xertube. Slim and tone your inner and outer thighs, hips and buttocks with the Xercise bands. The three Xercise bands provide different levels of resistance for lower body training. Includes two exercise charts and a door attachment. They were $14.99. I figured this would be a good thing to start doing while my foot is healing. They are definitely effective and easy to stash. I also have some 3 lb. weights that I am going to start using with my workout DVDs. Better days are coming! Until next time...

One Step Forward - Two Steps Back

I only had 2,408 steps. Usually I do that many by 10:00 a.m.! Sometimes I feel like it is 1 step forward 2 steps back (literally and figuratively speaking.) I made it over the swimming hurdle which was a big accomplishment for me and then the injury happened. I am just hoping and praying that it heals quickly and I can get back to it. At least with the bugg I can make the adjustments to my calories based on my activity or lack there of. Until next time...

Update on the Swiffer Injury

I had a coworker look at my laceration (she is a retired nurse.) She said I needed to have it looked at especially because I am diabetic. I went in and they cleaned it and put on surgi-strips which are like stitches but in a sticky strip form. I had to get a tetanus shot too :-( They gave me a cane to help get around. I am glad that I went it. They did ask me why I didn't go there last night and told me that I really should have. They prefer to do stitches within 7 hours of the injury. I told them I just wasn't sure that it was serious enough. It should be healed in 5-10 days if all goes well. Until next time...

Sadistic Swiffer

Decent deficit but not enough steps. If you are squeamish please do not read any further. Around 9:45 p.m. last night I decided I was going to clean up the kitchen a little bit. I wanted to put my bugg back on because I wanted it to count the calories I was going to burn (every little bit helps!) While walking over to my desk, I stepped on the edge of my Swiffer Wet Jet and took a chunk out of the ball of my foot. I ran across the room in pain and then asked my friend if it was bad and he said "Oh ya!" It took a little while to stop bleeding and then I was able to get up and get it cleaned and bandaged. Needless to say I am not wearing normal "work" shoes today. This certainly throws a wrench in the exercise routine. I will not backslide! I will not let this hinder my progress! Hopefully it will heal quickly. I can still ride my bike - it is the walking that is more affected. *Big sigh* Until next time...

Lesson Learned

I had a craving for a Salami sandwich for quite awhile. So yesterday I decided to have one. I figured I could account for the calories in my "budget" and I would still have a decent deficit. Well needless to say I was wrong! There are 1080 calories in the sandwich!!! Plus, there is 58 grams of fat!!! It will be at least a year before I have another one. May goal update: I went to the gym last week, I am still struggling with water and did 6,000 steps most days. Why is it so hard to drink water??? Until next time...

80s and Sunny

I didn't have my bugg on for most of the day. Since it was so hot and because I went swimming I opted to go without it. It only accounted for 616 steps! Otherwise the evening was pretty uneventful. I did have to take some Ibuprofen because I was a little sore :-)

On another note: I am planning on moving. It may happen sooner rather then later. I pay $1,000 per month rent for a studio apt. and my lease is up. They are more then likely to increase my rent but I have found a 1 bedroom for $900. The only thing is I need to move by June 1st. I will find out in the next few days so stay tuned. Until next time...

Sizzlin Sunday

As you can see I did not get much activity in yesterday. I did well on calories compared to the level of activity. It is harder for me to eat when it is so hot and since I was inactive I made the adjustment. That is the beauty of the bodybugg for me - to be able to see the numbers so I can make better choices. I am feeling anxiety about going swimming today. I am trying hard to push through it and focus on how happy I will be when I am done. Totally random: I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and there is a radio station called KFOG. They play a little bit of everything including Rock, Reggae, Blues, World music... well they have a show on Sunday called Acoustic Sunrise and they play acoustic music from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. It is a great way to start the day!!! (They also have Acoustic Sunrise from 6:00 p.m to 8:00 p.m.) They do have a live stream on their website so you can check it out. I highly recommend it! Until next time...

Update: I did it! I went swimming! I water walked and did laps. I did it for a 1/2 hour. I am way happy I did it and no one looked at my legs so all was well...

Scorcher Saturday

It is 100 degrees today! It will be hotter tomorrow and then cool down again next week to the 80s which is more like the season normal then 100! Just trying to stay cool today. Planning on going to the gym tomorrow. I am going to go swimming!

I have a skin disease called Necrobiosis Lipoidica Diabeticorum ("NLD") It is a rash that occurs on the lower legs. It is more common in women, and there are usually several spots. They are slightly raised shiny red-brown patches. The centers are often yellowish and may develop open sores that are slow to heal. I had an ulceration on one of the spots that took 6 months to heal! I can't tell you how frustrating it is to have to deal with bandaging your leg everyday for 6 months!! I have had it for 15 years and never had a problem with ulcerations until recent years.

In addition to looking bad in a bathing suit due to the weight, I have the added apprehension because of the spots. Don't relish the thought of having people stare or ask me what happened to my legs. When I went to the Caribbean on a Cruise 2 years ago, I thought that I could wear a swim suit thinking "I won't see these people again" but I just couldn't get myself to do it. One of my health care providers said I should tell people that something happened like a hang gliding accident or a burn from my boyfriend's Harley!! By the way, I have never gone hang gliding or have never had a bf with a Harley :)



Hope you are all having a good weekend! Until next time...

Happy Dance!

Join me doing a happy dance! I am down 1.25 lbs. this week which makes it 30.25 lbs. total!!! I am just thrilled to hit that landmark number. It means I am a 1/4 of the way to my goal. By the way I have had something on my mind lately... How personal can/should my posts be? I know it is MY blog and I can post what I want but I don't want to be distasteful or offensive. I was talking to one of my friends that does not read my blog and telling her I mentioned something about female hormones on my post and she was horrified. Now granted at that point I only had a few followers and one man (Mike) so it didn't seem odd to me but now that there is a mix of folks reading do I need to "edit" my posts? One thing I have seen on a few blogs is a warning when the conversation turns girlie... Not a bad idea... Please give me your feedback okay? Until next time...

Sidenote: Apex is updating the site AGAIN so I will post but won't have screenshots over the weekend.

NSV x 2

I was tired last night. Didn't get my 6K steps in. It is a combination of allergies and the late night on Tuesday. I ended up not having my usual evening snack which helped in the calorie department. I have two NSVs that I wanted to share. 1.) I fit into a pair of slacks this morning that have not fit in over a year and 2.) I am reducing the amount of Insulin I have to use due to the weight loss. At this time I am doing two shots per day and working with my health care professional to reduce and ultimately eliminate the injections. I have been on Insulin for 2 years in July. I would like to be off of it entirely by the end of this year. Nice motivators to start the day! Until next time…

Not a Surplus

After work yesterday I met up with some friends and had a few glasses of wine. By the time I got home it was 9:30ish and I was starving! I ate my dinner but also wolfed down some graham crackers and peaches. I still feel full this morning! Ughh! I am thankful there was a deficit at all but it was a bad choice to wait that long. I do know better but still need to work on being more prepared.

I am super proud of Helen (BL) She looks fantastic and she is a great example that even at 48 you can make changes in your life. Mike and Tara were so close too! Until next time...

Middle of May

Last night when I was uploading my bugg I discovered that I had only done about 5,000 steps. So I put on my iPod and danced around the room hence the spike of steps at 10:00 p.m. I should have had a better deficit but I had a late snack. Looking forward to watching BL tonight! Until next time...

Sunny Day

It is another lovely day in the neighborhood! These are the days that remind me why I pay top dollar to live in California. Gorgeous Spring days like these are so renewing! May goals update: Water: Not daily, 6K Steps/Day: Yes but not on weekend, Gym: No. I will do better this week and I WILL ACHIEVE MY GOALS! Until next time...

Mother's Day

Had a great Mother's Day. Started the day going to church and then Deb and Larry had my mom and I over for brunch. Mom likes to go to a restaurant called Carrow's and today we went to Larrow's! She always orders Belgian waffles with Strawberries and that is what we had today. I had a 1/2 of a waffle with sugar free syrup (Thanks, Deb!) an egg and two slices of Canadian bacon. It was soooo good! I usually don't eat sweet things for breakfast because of the carb overload so it was treat and I didn't get too lethargic. Her strong coffee helped too ;-) After brunch we went to see the new Disney movie "Earth" and I highly recommend it! It is one of those movies that is best seen on the big screen. Awesome cinematography! Mom had a great day so mission accomplished. Hope you all had a nice day too :) Until next time...

Ahhhh it's Saturday

I love Saturday! It is a beautiful day out and is going to be in the 80s! Love it! Mom needs tech support so no Zumba today. I have been doing better with water but not achieving my goal every day. Hopefully I can get to the Gym sometime today. Hope you have a great weekend! Until next time...

Yeah!!!

After the cracker fiasco I thought that I was doomed. I was bloated and still feeling yucky. Yesterday I was feeling better but still not 100%. I took it easy yesterday and I had a salad for lunch and veggie broth with some asparagus for dinner because I wasn't very hungry. Well I got on the scale this morning and I am down 2 lbs! Yeah!!! Can't want to say that I have lost 30 lbs. Next week right? Until next time...

Blechhhh!!!

I was not feeling well yesterday afternoon - had a belly ache. I imagine it was the tomato sauce from Tuesday night. Sometimes acidic things like tomatoes and oranges give me problems. It has been a longggg time since I felt that way. One of my staples when I don't feel well is saltine crackers and 7-up. Well one would think that since I am watching what I am eating that I would just eat a few of them and call it quits... but noooooo... I proceeded in eating almost the whole package! I ate 5 servings! I am disgusted with myself. I am not going to let it get me down though. I am going to move forward knowing that I need to be mindful each and EVERY time I eat... Today is a new day - the sun is shining and it is going to be in the 70s so upward and onward. Until next time...

Hump Day

I tried doing a workout DVD and only lasted about 12 mins. Each time I will add a little more time and eventually I will be able to get through it and progress to the next level. I updated my bugg to 6,000 steps and the deficit is a little bit more so I can meet my short term goal of 40 lbs. by Cruise time (July 19th) It is 11 weeks from now and I need to lose 13 lbs by then. It is 1.25 lbs. per week. Seems achievable right? Until next time...

Jenny-O Turkey

Tonight I made some Penne with Tomato, Garlic and Onion sauce. I tried the Italian Jenny-O Ground Turkey for the first time today and I liked it! :-) I just added a little of my own seasonings to spice it up. I also have been wanting to try turkey burgers with some onion soup mix. Until next time...

Uggghh

I think that is one of the highest calorie intake days this year! Ugggghhh! Well I am thankful there is still a deficit but yuck. I felt full and yucky this a.m. Not gonna let it get me down though. Getting right back on task. Until next time...

Determining % of Weight Loss

For the life of me, I could not figure out how to calculate the percentage so I googled it:

First of all you'll need to remember your initial weight. Secondly, you'll need your actual weight at this point. Now, the formula goes like this: ((IW-AW)/IW) * 100= weight loss percentage In this formula IW is your initial weight and AW is your actual weight at this point. It's not as complicated as it initially seems: practically all you do is subtract the actual weight from the initial weight and divide the number obtained by your initial weight. Multiply the result with 100 and you'll get the exact percent. To date I have lost 8.57%. Until next time...

Stormy Monday

I skipped lunch yesterday so hence the lower caloric intake. I like to eat a late breakfast and early dinner on the weekends. I know it is better to eat smaller meals but it just works out that way on the weekends sometimes. I wasn't active yesterday so I didn't even meet my calories burned target but still a decent deficit. Until next time...

Reflecting

I started this blog in February after using the bugg for about a month. I mentioned to Nicole that I wanted to journal my weight loss and she suggested that I start a blog. I told her."Why would anyone care what I have to say?" and she said "You'll be surprised!" and I admit I doubted her but low and behold I am surprised! Here I am 3 months later, 79 posts and 18 followers. I am so grateful for each and every one of you for taking the time to read my posts and encouraging me. It means the world to me. Thank you!!! :-)

Side note: I was browsing some blogs and found www.mapmyrun.com You can put in your starting address and your route street by street and it will determine the distance. It doesn't have to be running - I chose the ride my bike option and determined that it was .48 miles one way for one of my destinations. It is quite detailed and even computes calories burned during the different activities. Pretty cool stuff! Check it out if you have a chance. Until next time...

Bye Bro

Dinner was fab! I had Salmon with Dijon mustard and Pine nuts with Seasonal vegetables and fingerling potatoes. Yes, I did have a few glasses of wine. I still feel like I made smart choices and planned accordingly so I am not going to sweat the small deficit. I didn't wear my bugg to dinner because I got dressed up and didn't want to deal with it showing. Bob is leaving today so I am taking him to the airport at around 5:30. At least it won't be dark! Until next time...

Saturday stuff

Pretty predictable day on Friday. I was tired so I didn't get any activity in. I feel better today but I am still a little sleepy. Mom, Bob and I went out to breakfast this a.m. I had a veggie omelet with an English muffin and fruit. I couldn't finish the omelet or the fruit. Guess my appetite has changed or my stomach shrank because I used to be able to eat that AND hash browns with no problem. I am going out to dinner with my friends Judy and Danielle for Judy's birthday. The restaurant is called Eulipia and it is super yummy and they have great wine. I haven't had lunch so I will eat a snack and then save my calories for dinner. I should be okay as long as I stick to a glass or two of the wine. I also drink one glass of water for each glass of wine and that helps. Hope you are all enjoying your weekend! Until next time...

New Layout

I have been wanting to change the layout on my blog. I love pink but I was getting bored with it. I was able to find some really cute designs and chose this one. I lost a few widgets but I can always add more later. So whatta ya think?? Until next time...

Fab Friday

I am down another pound! Wahoo!! Good calorie burn yesterday because I was up until midnight picking up bro - his plane was a 1/2 hour late. I am sleepy today but it is Friday so I can power through it. Not sure what I am doing this weekend. I will miss Zumba class at the gym Saturday but at least I can do it at home. Maybe I can get in a workout Sunday morning. Until next time...