Slow and Steady Wins the Race

We all remember the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. The hare, thinking he had plenty of time to beat the tortoise, goofed around until it was too late and then, too every one's surprise, the tortoise won. The moral of this story is slow and steady wins the race. I know that should be my weight loss philosophy, but I am running out of time. The wedding is in six weeks. I have lost 4 pounds. Slow and steady is driving me nuts.

Except for the week before last when I had a terrible cold, I have been to the gym at least six days a week. Typically, I walk thirty minutes, twenty of which I use hand weights. The treadmill has an electronic heart rate monitor so I keep an eye on that, making sure it is within the aerobic range. I can tell that it is making a difference in my endurance. I walked an extra thirty minutes today and it was no big deal.

Two days a week I do water aerobics. I love that. I work hard and push my body but there is just something about being in the pool that I really enjoy. I think part of it is the smell of chlorine brings back childhood memories. I spent a lot of time in the summer at the pool. Come to think of it, I stopped swimming frequently about the time I stopped walking and riding my bike all the time. It was also about that time I started struggling with my weight. Coincidence? I doubt it.

Except for last night's dinner and most of my food today, I have been pretty good about what I have been eating. (Last night I went to Sakuras, a Japanese steakhouse with friends from work; today, a cheeseburger with lettuce and mayo, leftover Sakura and a 4 inch steak and cheese with lettuce and mayo.) I have been increasing my fiber intake. I have been cutting way back on pasta, rice, potato, and bread. The only time I eat bread is when I have a sandwich. I started using deli flats which are whole grain white, 100 calories and 5 grams of fiber. I end up eating three sets of those during the day. I usually have 1 and 1/2 scrambled eggs on a deli flat for breakfast (5:30 a.m.), a chicken sandwich for a mid morning snack (about 9 a.m., hey it is better for me than a Snickers bar!), a chicken sandwich and a 100 calorie pack of cookies for lunch (12:15 p.m.), a banana (3 p.m.), and then dinner, whatever that may be. I have been eating a lot of fish and chicken for dinner. Come to think of it, that's a lot of chicken. If I break into the chicken dance, you will know why.

But the deadline is fast approaching. I have gone out on a limb and purchased a weight-loss supplement, with a 72 hour detox. I ordered it on-line, so it should be here around the first of the week. I just want to jump start the process. I am hoping that with the supplement, it will kick the efforts of eating better and exercise into high gear. We shall see what happens.

I'm back

I have been sick with a spring cold that kicked my butt. I wasn't able to go to the gym all week. I did go today and walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes. I could have gone to water aerobics, but I woke up coughing last night and thought swimming might not be the best thing. I'll start water aerobics again on Monday.

In addition to my cold, I started this week. Well, at least I got both out of the way at the same time.

Because of the cold, I stayed home from work Tuesday and Wednesday this past week. Thursday and Friday, I went with my students on a field trip. It wasn't the week for healthy eating. I know, it sounds like an excuse, and it is. Regardless of the reasons, I wasn't very good about eating healthy meals this past week.

The scales revealed that I have not lost anything the last few days, not that I expected to lose anything. I need to get back on track. I am increasing my fiber intake each day. My goal is 25-30 grams of fiber each day. I was pretty close today.

Bad Bikini

I told you it isn't pretty. I warned you. Now here are the pictures to prove it. I call these pictures bad bikini, but, truth be known, it is not the bikini's fault. It's mine. Now I need to fix it. There is some good news...I have lost three pounds since last week. The problem, these pictures were taken today, after the loss of three pounds. I believe it is quite evident that there is still a lot of work to do.

I read a magazine article that says if I walk 30 minutes a day, six days a week, I could lose the weight I need to lose for the wedding. All of it! Then maybe I could wear this bikini while at the beach for the wedding. Trust me, I will only wear this bikini if the weight has gone. I would not go anywhere in public or private wearing it looking like I do in these pictures. It was difficult enough suiting up for these pictures with the cats watching me!

By the way, I'll also get a tan before I wear this in public. For now, however, the tan is not very high on my priority list.

Beginning of the End

Losin' it? Losin' what? This could be anything. If you know me, I am always losing things, keys, money, pencils, anything really. Those with impure thoughts might think this is a quest to become a "woman". Honey, been there, done that. All of that is way off base. The idea here is to lose weight. However, as I begin this process, challenge, endeavor, or whatever you want to call it, I think what I might actually lose is my mind.

I joined a gym about a week ago. I have a treadmill and Wii Fit Plus at home, but I am so exhausted when I get home from work that my body melts onto the sofa almost immediately after walking in the door. I am hoping that if I stop at the gym on the way home from work, I might actually go and, get this, exercise. I like the recumbent bike and the treadmill, but my favorite part of this gym is the indoor pool. I attended two water aerobic classes last week and went swimming in a lap lane! I am no Michael Phelps (you won't find any pictures of me with a bong), but I really like the pool.

I started eating healthier. (If you had seen the way I was eating, eating healthier is not that big of a deal.) But I am trying. It no secret that I do not like vegetables. I do like La Suer (sp?) peas, in the silver label, and I do eat cucumbers. I eat lima beans but I was told those are not "green" vegetables. I tried to argue and say they are green and they are a vegetable but I don't think it is that simple. Something about limas being a "yellow" vegetable because they are a starch. Now I do like starches! Potatoes and pasta are among my favorites. And not just pasta, pasta in cream sauce. Now, do see why I could lose my mind before I lose weight?

So, here is the deal. I weighed myself a couple of days ago. My weight was 165 lbs. I am 5' 2", which means my BMI is in the obese range. Yikes! Plus a lot of my clothes don't fit. I probably have 20 pairs of jeans. But they range in size from 4 to 12. I keep the jeans from when I was smaller, hoping to fit in them once again. And there you have my goal, to fit into my size 4 jeans again. Plus, if I could lose weight and stay consistent, I could get rid of my "bigger" clothes and have more room in my closet. Oh, and I could fill up that empty space by shopping for more clothes in my new smaller size! This keeps getting better and better.

Motivation is neccesary and I have the perfect motivation. My finace's daughter is getting married in two months. I don't know that I can lose enough weight (about 45 pounds) to fit into my size 4 jeans by then but I do not want to be my current size. She is getting married on a beach for God's sake. I don't want to be mistaken for a beached whale! Plus I have the perfect dress. It fit me once, when I weighed 40 pounds lighter. I have it hanging on my bedroom door so I have to look at it every time I go in or out of my bedroom. Even if I don't lose the 40 pounds to wear that dress, I am determined to look better than I do now.

It is not just for the wedding. It is for me too. I see what look like in the shower. It is not pretty, at least not from my perspective. (Just wait until next time when I upload a picture of me in a bikini. It will all make sense then.) I want to feel better about how I look. I am not trying to attract anyone, I already have my man. And I want to look good for him too. I want him to be proud of how I look. He says he is (thanks, sweetie) but I think he will be prouder, even if he doesn't think so.

Let the losin' begin!