Here's a more recent photo of me. It's a couple of months old, but you can definitely see some progress.:-)
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Picture of Me
Here's a more recent photo of me. It's a couple of months old, but you can definitely see some progress.
Weekly Weight & Measurements 4/28/08
Hi All!
Here's my weekly weight and measurements from yesterday:
Weight-181.2 lbs (DOWN 2.5 POUNDS....YIPEE!!!!)
Abs-36.5" (down 1/2")
Sucked In Abs-34" (no change)
Chest-42.25" (no change)
R arm-11.5"/15.5" (no changes)
L arm-11.5"/15.5" (no change) and up 1/4")
R leg-21.25" (down 3/4")
Neck-14.75" (no change)
Pannus-42.75" (down 3/4")
YIPEE!!! I finally lost a decent amount of weight! I'm very happy about that. I know that my new pedometer played a role in that loss too. I bought one last Monday and started wearing it Tuesday. I've hit over 10K steps everyday since and over 20K on Saturday. FUN!
I'm still participating in the Biggest Loser Challenge on SparkPeople and I'm enjoying it. I post there daily. I also am still posting in my YOAD group and my YOAD group on Yahoo too. (That support is crucial to me and my journey. My YOAD group are like my weight loss family. I just love them!).
I have to dash. I need to get quite a few more steps in tonight to hit 10K.
Talk soon,
Shannon
Here's my weekly weight and measurements from yesterday:
Weight-181.2 lbs (DOWN 2.5 POUNDS....YIPEE!!!!)
Abs-36.5" (down 1/2")
Sucked In Abs-34" (no change)
Chest-42.25" (no change)
R arm-11.5"/15.5" (no changes)
L arm-11.5"/15.5" (no change) and up 1/4")
R leg-21.25" (down 3/4")
Neck-14.75" (no change)
Pannus-42.75" (down 3/4")
YIPEE!!! I finally lost a decent amount of weight! I'm very happy about that. I know that my new pedometer played a role in that loss too. I bought one last Monday and started wearing it Tuesday. I've hit over 10K steps everyday since and over 20K on Saturday. FUN!
I'm still participating in the Biggest Loser Challenge on SparkPeople and I'm enjoying it. I post there daily. I also am still posting in my YOAD group and my YOAD group on Yahoo too. (That support is crucial to me and my journey. My YOAD group are like my weight loss family. I just love them!).
I have to dash. I need to get quite a few more steps in tonight to hit 10K.
Talk soon,
Shannon
Monday, April 21, 2008
Weekly Weight & Measurements 4/21/08
Wt-183.7 lbs (down .5 lb)
Abs-37" (no change)
Sucked In Abs-34" (up 1/4")
Chest-42.25" (no change)
R arm-11.5"/15.5" (down 1/2" and down 1/8")
L arm-11.5"/15.25" (down 1/4" and no change)
R leg-22" (down 3/4")
L leg-22" (down 1/4")
Neck-14.75" (no change)
Pannus-44.5" (up 1/2")
I'm not "unhappy" with that but I've done some evaluating to see what I can do to make some changes.
1. Purchasing a pedometer and wearing it daily to reach a minimum of 10K steps.
2. Avoid Margaritas (LOL--even after a well deserved event celebration)
3. Don't 'reward' myself with food after a good portion of the week.
4. Watch salt intake, it got me a couple days this week.
5. Make sure I'm not sitting at the computer too much every day (if I am, I'm not burning cals).
6. Continue to track food, water & exercise on SP daily.
7. Exercise daily--can't skip even a day or two (like this past weekend), especially when the food intake increases or I eat higher calorie foods--i.e. Mexican food on Saturday night.
8. Continue to work on boredom eating & no desserts. (I did well with the no eating because I was bored and didn't eat any YOAD desserts until Friday. Then I had desserts F,S and Sun. UGH).
9. Keep on, keeping on!
:0)
I'm like the 'Little Engine that Could'. I'll get there, it just won't be fast! LOL!
Have a great day,
Shannon
Abs-37" (no change)
Sucked In Abs-34" (up 1/4")
Chest-42.25" (no change)
R arm-11.5"/15.5" (down 1/2" and down 1/8")
L arm-11.5"/15.25" (down 1/4" and no change)
R leg-22" (down 3/4")
L leg-22" (down 1/4")
Neck-14.75" (no change)
Pannus-44.5" (up 1/2")
I'm not "unhappy" with that but I've done some evaluating to see what I can do to make some changes.
1. Purchasing a pedometer and wearing it daily to reach a minimum of 10K steps.
2. Avoid Margaritas (LOL--even after a well deserved event celebration)
3. Don't 'reward' myself with food after a good portion of the week.
4. Watch salt intake, it got me a couple days this week.
5. Make sure I'm not sitting at the computer too much every day (if I am, I'm not burning cals).
6. Continue to track food, water & exercise on SP daily.
7. Exercise daily--can't skip even a day or two (like this past weekend), especially when the food intake increases or I eat higher calorie foods--i.e. Mexican food on Saturday night.
8. Continue to work on boredom eating & no desserts. (I did well with the no eating because I was bored and didn't eat any YOAD desserts until Friday. Then I had desserts F,S and Sun. UGH).
9. Keep on, keeping on!
:0)
I'm like the 'Little Engine that Could'. I'll get there, it just won't be fast! LOL!
Have a great day,
Shannon
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Moving Forward Daily
Hi!
It's Thursday and I have met my self imposed challenge every day this week! I'm very happy about that. My DH and youngest DD tried to steer me to "Beriyo's" for a sugar free yogurt yesterday and I said "No thanks, can't do it!". YIPEE for me!
On the BLC "Stair Challenge" I've almost made it to the top of the Eiffel Tower, I'm 1362/1665 steps. I'll get there today and choose another thing to climb between now and Sunday (when the challenge ends). It's a fun challenge because it makes me go above & beyond my usual gym exercise and I like that.
I'm feeling great today! I just finished some strengthening exercises here at home. I needed a few more points to get below a 2000 on SP so I figured I'd do a few strength exercises. Well a few turned into a full blown upper body strengthening session. Cool! Now my arms are a bit noodly as I type though. LOL!
I loved the finale of BL! I was happy to see Ali win, she really deserved it! I couldn't believe that the $100K prize was determined by 1 pound! WOW! Who says a pound isn't much of anything....apparently it's worth $100K! ;-) That's amazing to me! It really makes me motivated to push and work for every single pound that I lose too. I really enjoyed watching the finale. I am shocked at how many people have lost over 100 pounds. That's a staggering amount of weight to lose! I'm happy for them. Well on that happy note, I think I will get going. I have oodles to do today, because I'm still preparing for this Saturday's GS Father-Daughter Dance. :-) Adios for now!
It's Thursday and I have met my self imposed challenge every day this week! I'm very happy about that. My DH and youngest DD tried to steer me to "Beriyo's" for a sugar free yogurt yesterday and I said "No thanks, can't do it!". YIPEE for me!
On the BLC "Stair Challenge" I've almost made it to the top of the Eiffel Tower, I'm 1362/1665 steps. I'll get there today and choose another thing to climb between now and Sunday (when the challenge ends). It's a fun challenge because it makes me go above & beyond my usual gym exercise and I like that.
I'm feeling great today! I just finished some strengthening exercises here at home. I needed a few more points to get below a 2000 on SP so I figured I'd do a few strength exercises. Well a few turned into a full blown upper body strengthening session. Cool! Now my arms are a bit noodly as I type though. LOL!
I loved the finale of BL! I was happy to see Ali win, she really deserved it! I couldn't believe that the $100K prize was determined by 1 pound! WOW! Who says a pound isn't much of anything....apparently it's worth $100K! ;-) That's amazing to me! It really makes me motivated to push and work for every single pound that I lose too. I really enjoyed watching the finale. I am shocked at how many people have lost over 100 pounds. That's a staggering amount of weight to lose! I'm happy for them. Well on that happy note, I think I will get going. I have oodles to do today, because I'm still preparing for this Saturday's GS Father-Daughter Dance. :-) Adios for now!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Tax Day!
Hi All!
I didn't pop in again yesterday so I wanted to be sure to pop in today. Today is the dreaded "Tax Day"--April 15th! Have you filed yet? LOL!
Anyway, as I said yesterday I had a lot of thoughts about my weight and measurements. I was a bit disheartened by the weight because I really thought I was going to see a loss of 1+ pounds but didn't. It made me really evaluate what I'm doing and what I've done. I needed to be brutally honest with myself to make sure that my words are meeting my actions. What I discovered/decided is that for the most part, they do. BUT there are times that I 'self destruct' and over eat due to boredom or a dessert craving. I decided to challenge myself this week. I want to work on no unplanned snacks and no "diet desserts". I think that those two things are playing a MAJOR role in my incremental weight loss. We shall see because the proverbial proof will be in the pudding.
Yesterday was the first day of my self imposed challenge and I did GREAT!! I didn't do any boredom eating and I didn't eat any dessert food (the desserts I have are always sugar free or no added sugar HOWEVER, if you have enough of those, they aren't "diet" anymore anyway). I barely even made it to my calorie goal for the day. I'm supposed to eat between 1,200-1,550 calories a day, according to SparkPeople, and I was at 1,201. Whew! That was close! So far today I am doing well too. :-)
Now, back to the measurements side. I was happy with my measurements, overall. I had a few measurements that tied my all time low (pannus & neck) and one that even beat my all time low (abs sucked in). That was pretty cool! The measurements validated to me that I am working hard, I am going in the right direction, I just need to make some "tweeks" to what I'm doing to have greater success. I feel good about that and I think it's an accurate assessment.
I've been very busy with GS stuff. It's taking up a tremendous amount of my time. We are still working very hard to raise the rest of our funds to take our troop to Europe this summer. We are SOOOOOOOOOOOO close we can practically taste the croissants! LOL! (Not me of course, I don't eat enriched flour or butter). ;-) We are hosting a Father-Daughter dance this week as one of our money earning projects. We hope it's a blast for the girls and a great money maker for us. :-) (I'll be sure to let you know).
Well, I suppose that's about it for now. I have lots to do today.
Have a super day,
Shannon
I didn't pop in again yesterday so I wanted to be sure to pop in today. Today is the dreaded "Tax Day"--April 15th! Have you filed yet? LOL!
Anyway, as I said yesterday I had a lot of thoughts about my weight and measurements. I was a bit disheartened by the weight because I really thought I was going to see a loss of 1+ pounds but didn't. It made me really evaluate what I'm doing and what I've done. I needed to be brutally honest with myself to make sure that my words are meeting my actions. What I discovered/decided is that for the most part, they do. BUT there are times that I 'self destruct' and over eat due to boredom or a dessert craving. I decided to challenge myself this week. I want to work on no unplanned snacks and no "diet desserts". I think that those two things are playing a MAJOR role in my incremental weight loss. We shall see because the proverbial proof will be in the pudding.
Yesterday was the first day of my self imposed challenge and I did GREAT!! I didn't do any boredom eating and I didn't eat any dessert food (the desserts I have are always sugar free or no added sugar HOWEVER, if you have enough of those, they aren't "diet" anymore anyway). I barely even made it to my calorie goal for the day. I'm supposed to eat between 1,200-1,550 calories a day, according to SparkPeople, and I was at 1,201. Whew! That was close! So far today I am doing well too. :-)
Now, back to the measurements side. I was happy with my measurements, overall. I had a few measurements that tied my all time low (pannus & neck) and one that even beat my all time low (abs sucked in). That was pretty cool! The measurements validated to me that I am working hard, I am going in the right direction, I just need to make some "tweeks" to what I'm doing to have greater success. I feel good about that and I think it's an accurate assessment.
I've been very busy with GS stuff. It's taking up a tremendous amount of my time. We are still working very hard to raise the rest of our funds to take our troop to Europe this summer. We are SOOOOOOOOOOOO close we can practically taste the croissants! LOL! (Not me of course, I don't eat enriched flour or butter). ;-) We are hosting a Father-Daughter dance this week as one of our money earning projects. We hope it's a blast for the girls and a great money maker for us. :-) (I'll be sure to let you know).
Well, I suppose that's about it for now. I have lots to do today.
Have a super day,
Shannon
Monday, April 14, 2008
Weekly Weight & Measurements on 4/14/08
Hello!
Here are this week's stats:
Weight-184.2 (down 0.4 lbs)
Abs-37" (no change)
Sucked In Abs-33.5" (down 1/4")
Chest-42.25 (no change)
R arm-12" and 15 7/8" (no change and up 1/8")
L arm-11.75" and 15.25" (up 1/4" and down 1/2")
R thigh-22.75" (up 3/4")
L thigh-22.25" (up 1/8")
Neck-14.75" (up 1/4")
Pannus-44" (down 1/2")
I have lots of thoughts about these and I'll be able to write about them later on today. I'm a bit short on time but I wanted to get this posted.
:-)
Shannon
Here are this week's stats:
Weight-184.2 (down 0.4 lbs)
Abs-37" (no change)
Sucked In Abs-33.5" (down 1/4")
Chest-42.25 (no change)
R arm-12" and 15 7/8" (no change and up 1/8")
L arm-11.75" and 15.25" (up 1/4" and down 1/2")
R thigh-22.75" (up 3/4")
L thigh-22.25" (up 1/8")
Neck-14.75" (up 1/4")
Pannus-44" (down 1/2")
I have lots of thoughts about these and I'll be able to write about them later on today. I'm a bit short on time but I wanted to get this posted.
:-)
Shannon
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Prom Night
Hi all!
Tonight is Prom Night for my oldest DD. Today is being spent doing all the prep stuff-shaving, mani/pedi, hair appt., make up and then the getting read. It's a fun day of observing her and remembering my own Prom. It's hard to believe it was 21 years ago. Am I really THAT old? LOL!
I've had some trouble exercising the last couple of days (but no worries, I HAVE exercised) because I hurt my left hip. It's been giving me fits, especially when I jog and do anything really heavy cardio (elliptical, classes, etc.). I've had to make some adjustments and do more bike riding, ease up on the elliptical and do lots of walking (but even too much walking is bothering me). I'm still burning enough calories, it's just taking me a lot longer to do it. Heck, maybe my body is actually enjoying this mixing it up of my exercise regime. Hmmmm....I wonder if the scale will notice on Monday.
Speaking of the scale, my DH let me weigh and measure him yesterday. Needless to say, he was NOT pleased with the results. He has been in denial for so long that he really didn't think he was going to see a gain. Well, he has gained 14 pounds and 3" around his waist & chest. :-( Bummer! I'm hoping it's going to motivate him to really kick himself in the pants and get going again. I hate to see that kind of a gain in a 6 month period. It's not healthy and he really needs to lose the weight. I'm hoping that I'll be able positively motivate him in the right direction.
(I hope).
I've been tracking my diet and exercising on Spark People faithfully. My calorie intake has gone up and down but for the most part, it's hovering around 1,600 calories (which is still too high). I am burning lots of calories every day though, so I'm hoping that will help. If not, I'll have to buckle down even further and get those calorie counts down another 200 calories a day. I wish I could say it was super easy to do that, but it isn't sometimes. Sometimes I get the mid-afternoon or evening munchies and they just take over. I graze in the kitchen & the pantry for stuff to eat, mostly because I'm bored and rarely because I'm hungry. I've recognized I'm doing it though and have made great progress with it this week. It really has become almost a daily challenge though. *sigh* I'm just going to keep on, keeping on....ya know?
I rode my bike for about 7 miles this morning. It was nice. I went at a decent speed but didn't go crazy (because of my hip). For some reason, the biking isn't bothering my hip at all, so it's nice. The weather is gorgeous, at least for this week, and I wanted to take advantage of it. We're supposed to be in the 90's this week. UGH!! I am dreading summer!! I hate 110 degrees, just hate it!! :-( BUT, for now the weather is beautiful--it's in the 70's and we'll have a high today of mid 80's. :-)
I suppose that's about all I have for the moment. I'm going to go enjoy some time with the girls. They are watching a CSI marathon, so I'll go sit in with them. It's time for some Motrin for my hip and I'm ready to relax a bit.
Hugs from AZ,
Shannon
Tonight is Prom Night for my oldest DD. Today is being spent doing all the prep stuff-shaving, mani/pedi, hair appt., make up and then the getting read. It's a fun day of observing her and remembering my own Prom. It's hard to believe it was 21 years ago. Am I really THAT old? LOL!
I've had some trouble exercising the last couple of days (but no worries, I HAVE exercised) because I hurt my left hip. It's been giving me fits, especially when I jog and do anything really heavy cardio (elliptical, classes, etc.). I've had to make some adjustments and do more bike riding, ease up on the elliptical and do lots of walking (but even too much walking is bothering me). I'm still burning enough calories, it's just taking me a lot longer to do it. Heck, maybe my body is actually enjoying this mixing it up of my exercise regime. Hmmmm....I wonder if the scale will notice on Monday.
Speaking of the scale, my DH let me weigh and measure him yesterday. Needless to say, he was NOT pleased with the results. He has been in denial for so long that he really didn't think he was going to see a gain. Well, he has gained 14 pounds and 3" around his waist & chest. :-( Bummer! I'm hoping it's going to motivate him to really kick himself in the pants and get going again. I hate to see that kind of a gain in a 6 month period. It's not healthy and he really needs to lose the weight. I'm hoping that I'll be able positively motivate him in the right direction.
(I hope).
I've been tracking my diet and exercising on Spark People faithfully. My calorie intake has gone up and down but for the most part, it's hovering around 1,600 calories (which is still too high). I am burning lots of calories every day though, so I'm hoping that will help. If not, I'll have to buckle down even further and get those calorie counts down another 200 calories a day. I wish I could say it was super easy to do that, but it isn't sometimes. Sometimes I get the mid-afternoon or evening munchies and they just take over. I graze in the kitchen & the pantry for stuff to eat, mostly because I'm bored and rarely because I'm hungry. I've recognized I'm doing it though and have made great progress with it this week. It really has become almost a daily challenge though. *sigh* I'm just going to keep on, keeping on....ya know?
I rode my bike for about 7 miles this morning. It was nice. I went at a decent speed but didn't go crazy (because of my hip). For some reason, the biking isn't bothering my hip at all, so it's nice. The weather is gorgeous, at least for this week, and I wanted to take advantage of it. We're supposed to be in the 90's this week. UGH!! I am dreading summer!! I hate 110 degrees, just hate it!! :-( BUT, for now the weather is beautiful--it's in the 70's and we'll have a high today of mid 80's. :-)
I suppose that's about all I have for the moment. I'm going to go enjoy some time with the girls. They are watching a CSI marathon, so I'll go sit in with them. It's time for some Motrin for my hip and I'm ready to relax a bit.
Hugs from AZ,
Shannon
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Lots of exercise today!
Hi!
Wow have I had lots of exercise today! It started out with an hour at the gym. I burned 664 calories on the Cybex. I then went prom dress shopping with my oldest DD and spent 6 hours walking in (and driving between) 3 different malls. (Yes, we found a dress! It's lovely and we ended up getting it at Ross, of all places!) Then to top of the exercise of the day, my youngest DD and I walked 5 miles together tonight. Needless to say, I am tired. I think I will probably sleep pretty darn good tonight. :-)
I've eaten pretty well today too. I feel good. I am very confident that if I continue the rest of the week like I have started this one, the scale will move. :-) I'm glad, because I'm ready for that to happen. I want my stagnation period to be over. I've floundered for long enough. I've "maintained" my weight for too long. My butt needed to be kicked in gear and I was the one that had to do the kicking....and I did.
Not to say that I'm not happy that I maintained my weight, because I am. I just know that I'm not done with my weight loss and I needed to get a move on again. I was actually reading in my weekly weight/measurement journal tonight. It was fun to reflect on some of the stuff I wrote. I like that I've been so open and honest in there. I always take my measurements, write down my weight and then write about a paragraph or so on how I feel about the results I got. It's an eye opener and a motivator. I know exactly when I weighed what and when each measurement was. I highly recommend doing that, it really is a wonderful tool.
The only thing I wish I did differently was to take weekly pictures too. I just may start that. I don't have a camera though, I'd have to borrow one of my DD's (and they hate it when I do that). Perhaps I need to make a camera my "reward" when I hit the 75 or 80 pound lost mark. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....now that's a thought. :-)
OK---this tired gal is going to head towards bed. I'm wiped out....but happy!
:-)
Hugs from AZ,
Shannon
Wow have I had lots of exercise today! It started out with an hour at the gym. I burned 664 calories on the Cybex. I then went prom dress shopping with my oldest DD and spent 6 hours walking in (and driving between) 3 different malls. (Yes, we found a dress! It's lovely and we ended up getting it at Ross, of all places!) Then to top of the exercise of the day, my youngest DD and I walked 5 miles together tonight. Needless to say, I am tired. I think I will probably sleep pretty darn good tonight. :-)
I've eaten pretty well today too. I feel good. I am very confident that if I continue the rest of the week like I have started this one, the scale will move. :-) I'm glad, because I'm ready for that to happen. I want my stagnation period to be over. I've floundered for long enough. I've "maintained" my weight for too long. My butt needed to be kicked in gear and I was the one that had to do the kicking....and I did.
Not to say that I'm not happy that I maintained my weight, because I am. I just know that I'm not done with my weight loss and I needed to get a move on again. I was actually reading in my weekly weight/measurement journal tonight. It was fun to reflect on some of the stuff I wrote. I like that I've been so open and honest in there. I always take my measurements, write down my weight and then write about a paragraph or so on how I feel about the results I got. It's an eye opener and a motivator. I know exactly when I weighed what and when each measurement was. I highly recommend doing that, it really is a wonderful tool.
The only thing I wish I did differently was to take weekly pictures too. I just may start that. I don't have a camera though, I'd have to borrow one of my DD's (and they hate it when I do that). Perhaps I need to make a camera my "reward" when I hit the 75 or 80 pound lost mark. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....now that's a thought. :-)
OK---this tired gal is going to head towards bed. I'm wiped out....but happy!
:-)
Hugs from AZ,
Shannon
Monday, April 7, 2008
Weekly Weight & Measurements on 4/7/08
Weight-184.6 lbs (down .3 pounds)
Abs-37" (no change)
Sucked In Abs-33.75" (no change)
Neck-15" (no change)
R arm-12"/15.75" (no changes)
L arm-11.5"/15.75" (down .25"/no change)
R thigh-22" (down .5")
L thigh-22.125" (up 1/8")
Pannus-44.5" (down .25")
Well there's nothing earth shattering up there BUT it's a START! I'm glad to see some changes. It makes me excited for next week though. I really want to see my efforts come to fruition. I started my nutritional journaling last night (logging in my daily intake) to jump start things. It really makes a HUGE difference when I keep exact track of what I'm eating. It probably saves me at least 300 calories a day, on most days. After entering yesterday's info in, retroactively, it showed that I was over about 100 calories. Not too bad, considering I wasn't tracking but I thought I was doing really well yesterday. It looks like I need to subtract just a bit more on the days I feel that way, in order to hit my caloric goal (1,200-1,550 calories).
I've been tracking my exercise daily for the past week or so, so things are going super in that aspect. It makes me feel great seeing how many minutes I've worked (as SparkPeople keeps a running monthly and yearly tally) and how many calories I've burned. BTW, if you aren't on SparkPeople.com yet, get over there! It's a fitness & nutrition ("diet") resource like you've never seen AND it's FREE!! (I'm ShannoninAZ over there, look me up and say hello).
OK--off to continue the day. I think I may go tackle some of the weeds in the backyard before I have to pick up the girls from school. Then it's off to the gym, dinner, shower & to GS tonight. (We've got a speaker from the Peace Corps coming, I'm excited about it and so are the girls!).
Keep on, keeping on!
Hugs from AZ,
Shannon
Abs-37" (no change)
Sucked In Abs-33.75" (no change)
Neck-15" (no change)
R arm-12"/15.75" (no changes)
L arm-11.5"/15.75" (down .25"/no change)
R thigh-22" (down .5")
L thigh-22.125" (up 1/8")
Pannus-44.5" (down .25")
Well there's nothing earth shattering up there BUT it's a START! I'm glad to see some changes. It makes me excited for next week though. I really want to see my efforts come to fruition. I started my nutritional journaling last night (logging in my daily intake) to jump start things. It really makes a HUGE difference when I keep exact track of what I'm eating. It probably saves me at least 300 calories a day, on most days. After entering yesterday's info in, retroactively, it showed that I was over about 100 calories. Not too bad, considering I wasn't tracking but I thought I was doing really well yesterday. It looks like I need to subtract just a bit more on the days I feel that way, in order to hit my caloric goal (1,200-1,550 calories).
I've been tracking my exercise daily for the past week or so, so things are going super in that aspect. It makes me feel great seeing how many minutes I've worked (as SparkPeople keeps a running monthly and yearly tally) and how many calories I've burned. BTW, if you aren't on SparkPeople.com yet, get over there! It's a fitness & nutrition ("diet") resource like you've never seen AND it's FREE!! (I'm ShannoninAZ over there, look me up and say hello).
OK--off to continue the day. I think I may go tackle some of the weeds in the backyard before I have to pick up the girls from school. Then it's off to the gym, dinner, shower & to GS tonight. (We've got a speaker from the Peace Corps coming, I'm excited about it and so are the girls!).
Keep on, keeping on!
Hugs from AZ,
Shannon
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet Sunday!
Today was a great day! Why? Well I spent it with my family and we all had a good time.
We hung out this morning, then went to the gym, then went to church, then went to dinner (made healthy choices, of course) and then came home and played a board game. Good times!! Good times!!
I worked a bit less at the gym today because I'm pretty sore. My hamstrings have been barkin' all day. I only did 35 minutes on the "old fashioned" elliptical (Life Fitness brand) and 10 minutes of strength training. I did the Life Fitness machine because my daughter wanted to "be by me" when she was walking on the treadmill and that was the only machine anywhere near a treadmill. It was fun to chat while we were exercising together. Extra cool since we've done that two days in a row now. Today my middle DD and my DH came to the gym with us too. It was nice, even though we kind of spread out and did our own thing. At least we were all there.
I'm curious what the scale will reflect tomorrow. Will I have lost? Will I have stayed the same? Hmmmmmm....I don't know. I don't want to get discouraged if I haven't lost, so I'm trying to mentally prepare myself, just in case. I'd love to see a 2 pound loss, but I don't think I will see that. I slipped on the scale, I think it was Thursday night, for an "unofficial" progress check and it showed that I had actually gained 1/2 pound. UGH! That pissed me off so I jumped off right away and rationalized that it was night time and that I'd already had dinner, etc. when I weighed. (You know how that goes....). I'll just have to wait and see what Monday morning's weight and measurement routine brings. Even if it is a gain, although I hate the thought of that, I know that I have re-focused AND have been working hard to make the scale move in the right direction.
I'm enjoying a renewed confidence with my YOAD group too! Many of us have found new motivation to get "serious and committed". I love that! Heck, I love it just when we talk and share things. I tell you, I couldn't ask for a better support group and a better group of friends. These 10 folks are just the salt of the earth (I love you guys!!). :-)
On that happy note, I think I will get to bed. I'm tired and it's about that time. I haven't been sleeping well lately and have been only getting about 6 hours of sleep a night. I'm working on increasing that but I'm such a light sleeper, its ridiculous. Sometimes I wear ear plugs, so I can't hear DH banging around at 4:30 AM while he's getting ready for work, but sometimes that doesn't work anyway. Usually just about the time I finally get back to sleep, around 5:30 AM, the kids start waking up to get ready for school. (Not always, but sometimes). Sleep is definitely a precious commodity that I need to get more of though. I honestly have to start working on going to bed sooner. This 11, 12, 1 stuff has got to go. Ya know?
Ok, enough said. Time for some ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. ;-)
Hugs from AZ,
Shannon
We hung out this morning, then went to the gym, then went to church, then went to dinner (made healthy choices, of course) and then came home and played a board game. Good times!! Good times!!
I worked a bit less at the gym today because I'm pretty sore. My hamstrings have been barkin' all day. I only did 35 minutes on the "old fashioned" elliptical (Life Fitness brand) and 10 minutes of strength training. I did the Life Fitness machine because my daughter wanted to "be by me" when she was walking on the treadmill and that was the only machine anywhere near a treadmill. It was fun to chat while we were exercising together. Extra cool since we've done that two days in a row now. Today my middle DD and my DH came to the gym with us too. It was nice, even though we kind of spread out and did our own thing. At least we were all there.
I'm curious what the scale will reflect tomorrow. Will I have lost? Will I have stayed the same? Hmmmmmm....I don't know. I don't want to get discouraged if I haven't lost, so I'm trying to mentally prepare myself, just in case. I'd love to see a 2 pound loss, but I don't think I will see that. I slipped on the scale, I think it was Thursday night, for an "unofficial" progress check and it showed that I had actually gained 1/2 pound. UGH! That pissed me off so I jumped off right away and rationalized that it was night time and that I'd already had dinner, etc. when I weighed. (You know how that goes....). I'll just have to wait and see what Monday morning's weight and measurement routine brings. Even if it is a gain, although I hate the thought of that, I know that I have re-focused AND have been working hard to make the scale move in the right direction.
I'm enjoying a renewed confidence with my YOAD group too! Many of us have found new motivation to get "serious and committed". I love that! Heck, I love it just when we talk and share things. I tell you, I couldn't ask for a better support group and a better group of friends. These 10 folks are just the salt of the earth (I love you guys!!). :-)
On that happy note, I think I will get to bed. I'm tired and it's about that time. I haven't been sleeping well lately and have been only getting about 6 hours of sleep a night. I'm working on increasing that but I'm such a light sleeper, its ridiculous. Sometimes I wear ear plugs, so I can't hear DH banging around at 4:30 AM while he's getting ready for work, but sometimes that doesn't work anyway. Usually just about the time I finally get back to sleep, around 5:30 AM, the kids start waking up to get ready for school. (Not always, but sometimes). Sleep is definitely a precious commodity that I need to get more of though. I honestly have to start working on going to bed sooner. This 11, 12, 1 stuff has got to go. Ya know?
Ok, enough said. Time for some ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. ;-)
Hugs from AZ,
Shannon
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Kickin' butt & takin' names! LOL!
Wow! I worked out hard in the gym yesterday and today. I guess you could say that I'm kickin' butt and takin' names! LOL! I burned 665 calories yesterday and 671 today on the Cybex. WHEW! It was a workout and I really pushed myself. My heart rate stayed where it was supposed to and I was sweatin' like a pig. LOL! After the cardio tonight, me and my youngest DD did some extra leg, glut, ab and arm work. Actually, she didn't want to do the arm stuff so I did that part myself. It felt good. I haven't done strength training in a while. I wonder if I'm going to be sore tomorrow. I already feel my gluts barkin' so I know for sure that they'll be sore.
I also spent 2 hours weeding the front yard today. It really needed to be done. I did it myself and used the time to think and relax. It was really nice not to listen to the kids and my DH complain about weeding the entire time too! LOL! It really is a huge yard though, it takes forever if you do it alone. Next I have to tackle the back yard BUT we'll see what the gluts say tomorrow. Perhaps the kids and my DH will have to do that without me.
I'm kind of looking forward to seeing the scale & measurements on Monday. I'm not sure if they'll move yet, because I had a rocky beginning of the week, thanks to evening munching. UGH! If I could conquer that post dinner eating, I'd have this dang weight think licked. Boredom eating has all of the sudden become a big challenge for me. I've really worked on it the past couple days though. I'll just keep moving forward and try my best. The scale will soon follow as long as I keep the eating under control OR compensate with killer workouts. (I vote for the prior, although the occasional "killer workout" rocks!)
I'm really glad that I feel so motivated again. I was getting a little discouraged with all the stagnation that I was having. The entire month of March was a dud. There were so many sad things happening and so many obstacles trying to bring me down. Fortunately I didn't let any of them win and I'm on track and moving down. YIPEE!!
I've also been thinking a lot about my weight loss progress and where I am now. I've only lost 10 pounds in the last 4 months. It's time to fix that. It's time to push myself more. It's time to challenge myself again. I've been far too complacent. I'm ready to take it to the next level. I feel great. I feel happy! I feel motivated to move that scale number downwards! YEE HAW!
On that wonderful note, I think I'll end my post. I'm wiped out and I think I'll actually try to go to bed.
Have a super day/week! Make good choices, be proud of who you are and give it your all! I know that I will too.
Hugs from AZ,
Shannon
I also spent 2 hours weeding the front yard today. It really needed to be done. I did it myself and used the time to think and relax. It was really nice not to listen to the kids and my DH complain about weeding the entire time too! LOL! It really is a huge yard though, it takes forever if you do it alone. Next I have to tackle the back yard BUT we'll see what the gluts say tomorrow. Perhaps the kids and my DH will have to do that without me.
I'm kind of looking forward to seeing the scale & measurements on Monday. I'm not sure if they'll move yet, because I had a rocky beginning of the week, thanks to evening munching. UGH! If I could conquer that post dinner eating, I'd have this dang weight think licked. Boredom eating has all of the sudden become a big challenge for me. I've really worked on it the past couple days though. I'll just keep moving forward and try my best. The scale will soon follow as long as I keep the eating under control OR compensate with killer workouts. (I vote for the prior, although the occasional "killer workout" rocks!)
I'm really glad that I feel so motivated again. I was getting a little discouraged with all the stagnation that I was having. The entire month of March was a dud. There were so many sad things happening and so many obstacles trying to bring me down. Fortunately I didn't let any of them win and I'm on track and moving down. YIPEE!!
I've also been thinking a lot about my weight loss progress and where I am now. I've only lost 10 pounds in the last 4 months. It's time to fix that. It's time to push myself more. It's time to challenge myself again. I've been far too complacent. I'm ready to take it to the next level. I feel great. I feel happy! I feel motivated to move that scale number downwards! YEE HAW!
On that wonderful note, I think I'll end my post. I'm wiped out and I think I'll actually try to go to bed.
Have a super day/week! Make good choices, be proud of who you are and give it your all! I know that I will too.
Hugs from AZ,
Shannon
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Weekly Weight & Measurements on 3/31/08
Hi! Well I did it, I got back on the scale and did my measurements yesterday. They weren't too bad but they were not as good as the last time I had measured. That's OK though, that's what "YOU turns" are for....right? ;-)
Weight-184.9 lbs (on home scale, not the gym--the gym weighs 1.5 lbs lighter but I want to get adjusted to my home scale now)
Abs-37" (no change)
Sucked In Abs-33.75" (up 1/4")
Chest-42" (no change)
Neck-15" (up 1/4")
R arm-12"/15.75" (up 1/4" and no change)
L arm-11.75"/15.75" (no change and up 1/4")
R leg-22.5" (down 1/4")
L leg-22" (no change)
Pannus-44.75 (up 3/4")
I'm glad that I took the step to do this. I hadn't measured since 3/2/08 which was the day we left for Oklahoma for the funeral. It's been 4 weeks and I need to be more accountable to myself so it's time to get back on track. It's not that I was "off track", I just wasn't doing my weekly measurements, I was only going to the gym about 3 times a week (instead of the 5-7 I used to go) and we were starting to eat out alot more than making meals at home (I was still making good choices though, so it wasn't like a free for all or anything).
Yesterday was also the start of the BLC 4 on Spark People. I joined that so I'll be a part of it for the next 8 weeks too. I want to be sure to WOW myself by the time my 1 year weight loss journey anniversary comes in May.
Make good choices everyone!
Hugs,
Shannon
Weight-184.9 lbs (on home scale, not the gym--the gym weighs 1.5 lbs lighter but I want to get adjusted to my home scale now)
Abs-37" (no change)
Sucked In Abs-33.75" (up 1/4")
Chest-42" (no change)
Neck-15" (up 1/4")
R arm-12"/15.75" (up 1/4" and no change)
L arm-11.75"/15.75" (no change and up 1/4")
R leg-22.5" (down 1/4")
L leg-22" (no change)
Pannus-44.75 (up 3/4")
I'm glad that I took the step to do this. I hadn't measured since 3/2/08 which was the day we left for Oklahoma for the funeral. It's been 4 weeks and I need to be more accountable to myself so it's time to get back on track. It's not that I was "off track", I just wasn't doing my weekly measurements, I was only going to the gym about 3 times a week (instead of the 5-7 I used to go) and we were starting to eat out alot more than making meals at home (I was still making good choices though, so it wasn't like a free for all or anything).
Yesterday was also the start of the BLC 4 on Spark People. I joined that so I'll be a part of it for the next 8 weeks too. I want to be sure to WOW myself by the time my 1 year weight loss journey anniversary comes in May.
Make good choices everyone!
Hugs,
Shannon
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