Milestones.. they're a great thing...

Hi all...

Check out my weigh-in today... I am at 103 pounds lost. I lost 13 pound this period, which was 30 days this time, not the usual 15, because I was on vacation at the last weigh-in date.

I past the 100 pound mark, and couldn't be happier. It's a real milestone for me. I have never lost this much in my life. I am very proud and happy, and my life has change so immensely. It's early, and I have to get to work, but I wanted to do a quick post so that you all would know how wonderful I feel. I could just... bust!

Sunny will send me her weight and I will update her chart tonight... have a great day all..

Spiritual Insight

A Trip 'n Fall ;)

First let me say, welcome back, Peggy and I hope you had a wonderful vacation. I liked your comment on the 'Thought for Today' blog so much, that I'll be back to read it over and over again. Thank you so much.

I'm having a great week. I feel upbeat and very happy right now...I do believe I'm on a losing streak! I don't know for sure because I haven't weighed, I really didn't want to know until now. I felt too good, I felt thinner, and I feel healthier than I ever have and I didn't want to be brought down emotionally. I will weigh tomorrow though, it's time.

Now about my trip... I'm going to a friend's house, she lives at the Jersey shore in Wildwood. The weather's been chilly here and although it's not beach weather, I will definitely take that walk and hang out a little bit, maybe even dip my feet in it. As you may or may not know, being near the ocean always soothes me, it's like a healing thing for me that has deep roots going way back into my childhood...let's just say, it's very good for my soul and we could all use a little soul food.

This will be just a little get-away time, I'll be leaving tomorrow and I return on Friday, a very short and sweet trip. I've been getting some things together, like eggs, half and half and splenda (for my coffee) and I'm bringing some steaks, I just have to get my fresh salad greens and fixings and some sugar free Jello tomorrow and I will be all set.

Wishing you a great rest of the week and I'll see you back here sometime Friday! :)

Thought For Today...

The future gets brighter ... every single day!

This journey, up to now, has been so uplifting. It continues to drive me to success. Today was a good day (Sunday)... I stayed on plan as usual, and got to the gym.

I again had to go out and buy more clothes for work. All of my shirts are hanging off of me, so I bit the bullet and got some new ones. It was a great feeling. Saturday we went to a BBQ with friends we haven't seen since the holidays last year. Four different couples all were stunned at how different I looked, and every time they 'marveled' over my loss, I felt so proud and happy.

One of my friends there said, "The difficult part will come when people stop noticing, stop praising you for your accomplishments". I understood where she was coming from, but, at the same time, I'm not in this for the praise, and although it goes a long way to motivating me, it is not what 'sustains' me. My inner pride in my accomplishments, my new control and my dedication to my own journey.. is what keeps me on track, and will keep me there for the rest of my life. The rest.... well.... it's just gravy~!

Sunny Says...

...My very busy weekend turned out to be a lot of fun. I got to see family today that I don't normally see and I spent the day yesterday with some wonderful friends.

Staying on the weight loss journey's been a cinch lately, especially since I stopped fretting over the weight loss stall. I know I'm losing, so I don't even bother to weigh, unless of course it's weigh in time which is (typically) the 1st and last day of the month. Weighing brings me down when I'm stalled and I'm not letting anything hamper my progress. I just keep pushin'.

I went to a memorial for a friend of mine yesterday, it quickly turned into a celebration of her life and a little sad at first, but it became a day full of joy. The food was plentiful and some was not on plan, but these incredible people who are always accommodating and thoughtful of me, know that I can't have certain things, so they always make sure that I have a variety of things from the menu to choose from that are on my plan as well.

Today was spent at baby shower for my niece and I just stayed true, I know what's expected of me, and by me now and I eat accordingly. I don't feel deprived because I've learned to enjoy what I can have, which is key.

I am getting more and more positive feed back about the progress of my weight loss and that always feels good, but what feels even better is that I am feeling positive about staying on course and being true to my goal.

I am very happy that we have some new readers, as I always enjoy getting different views from their comments and visiting their pages as well. The support is greatly appreciated!

Wishing you all an amazing week ahead...~Sunny

Who's Who?

Hi all...

I thought I'd write this because we have had some new followers join who may not have visited or commented on the blog circuit before. Recently a follower thought I had written a post which was actually written by Sunny Girl, my cousin who is on this journey with me and has done wonderfully!

It's pretty easy to tell who has written a post. Just look at the bottom of each post and you will see either 'Shared by Sunny Girl, or Shared by Don. Also, if you have never 'commented' on a blog before, just click on the ''comments' link just to the right of 'shared by...' and a window will open for you to write us a comment.

Thanks for all who follow, our blog keeps growing and we love all the comments and support you each bring. Thanks for joining, all you new followers, including Gene and Shana, and KJ and Michelle.

Update... Doing Great..

Hi all...

The first week back from vacation was rather crazy. I'm back on 60 hour weeks, but for only 3 more weeks. The project is coming to a conclusion, and I'll be glad to be back to regular hours.

I went to the gym only once this week, but I've been on plan with my meals all week. We're going to some friends for a BBQ today and I grilled chicken and veggies (eggplant, squash, onions, peppers and portobello mushrooms) to make absolutely sure I have something for myself on plan.

Once my schedule gets back to normal, I'll post more often. This lifestyle has really become 'part of my life' now. I don't even have to think about what I need to do. I've changed so many aspects of my life in this regard, and I am so much better for it...

Life is good!!

Dedication and Confidence

I had lunch with a an old friend of mine a few days ago, who was aware that I'd taken this journey some months back and at first it was a pleasant conversation. We talked about kids, husbands, politics, funds and a lack thereof, we just talked about life in general.

I purposely didn't mention my weight loss or anything about dieting because I was sensitive to the fact that she has gained a serious amount of weight in the past couple of years. Then she hit me with this question... "So are you still obsessed with this weight loss/no carb thing?" I could feel my temperature rising, I could almost smell blood. I was enraged, I was so incensed that I wanted to ring her neck!! Obsessed??? I kept my cool, and I said something I normally would never say to anyone for fear of hurting their feelings. But damnit, I thought....she wasn't sensitive to mine! I looked her dead in the eyes and said, "Obsessed is just a word that lazy people use to describe the dedicated, so to you, yes, I'm obsessed, but you really should work on that laziness, so you can see it for what it is."

I think my face must have been red or something, because she immediately said, "Wow, OK...take it easy." I retorted and I won't go into detail about the rest of the conversation, but I knew I got my point across loud and clear when she apologized.

The thing is, my original retort was so out of character for the me that I used to be. I think I finally got tired of taking hits for being dedicated (this isn't the first time I've heard the word 'possessed' in relation to my dieting) to something that will only enhance my life, and to have someone attack me for possessing dedication, really pissed me off this time instead of making me question myself (which I will never do again.) I know I'm not obsessed...dedicated is what I am.

I couldn't help but think that turning 50 has brought me into my own, as has this diet. I am truly empowered by being so dedicated and I will defend it to the end. There is a certain self-confidence that I feel now, as opposed to my 30's and 40's, a peace of mind that comes from the dedication I have, a knowing. I won't let anyone sabotage my mind, my diet or the certainty of who I am. Not anymore.

The upcoming weekend will be a busy one, I have a memorial dinner tomorrow and a baby shower on Sunday. I will come back to blog though, as neither of these things is an excuse for laziness ;)

Good News and Bad...

The bad news first......It was not a good day for me yesterday. I did everything right until lunch time, which came late and I wasn't prepared. I could have made an egg or opened a can of tuna...I could have done a lot of things, but I chose the easy route and had a breaded chicken cutlet for lunch
:( not good.

Then, to make matters worse, I had a huge spoon full of peanut butter last night...sigh...It's definitely time to shop for some better choice foods and snacks....so the good news is, today will be a better day.

Finally...

...I can actually sit down and write my blog. I've been crazy busy doing things that need doing this time of year. Most people get crazy doing their spring cleaning, I do Autumn cleaning and cleaning out.

Gina's new job is working out really great and my son is doing an amazing job at being a junior. I'm doing a great job at staying healthy and moving more body parts than I've moved in some time. There are days when I want to throw it all to hell and pick up a piece of pizza, but I don't do it. I'm getting closer to 200 than 300 lbs. now and it's a great feeling. I haven't been down this low in about 7 years, which means, I took off in 6 months what it took me 7 years to put on. Yeah, that feels better than great, it's exhilarating! It actually makes me look forward to another omelet!

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Long Days.. Short nights...

I just got in from the gym. I had a good day on plan. They had a pizza party at work today, and I had a nice chicken salad with jalapeno ranch dressing.

I feel very good day. I felt great all day. A vacation can really make a difference in my energy level. I am being constantly praise for the loss of weight by my co-workers. It's really cool and is great support.

I just wanted to get on and blog a bit to let you know I'm doing ok.

Back in the Saddle again...

It's funny how quickly we roll back into our routines.

Today was my first day back to work after vacation. The world didn't stop revolving just because I was away. Everyone asked how the trip was, and I just spouted off about how different it was from the last time we cruised.

The long work hours are back for at least another 3 or 4 weeks, but, I am recharged and ready. I am right back on the road. I went to the gym yesterday and will go again after work tomorrow.

So, I'm back in the saddle again.. and heading down the road, ready for what comes.. ready to continue the journey... ready for more change. Care to come along for the ride?

My Meals on the Cruise

I took pictures of almost all of my meals that I had on the cruise. I wanted to document that I stayed on plan. I created 5 minute video clip on YouTube. Check it out:

Energized and ready!

Thanks, Sunny Girl, for keeping the blog going while I was gone.. and Congratulations on your weight loss!

I am back! I am energized and ready to keep going down this road to success. I missed being able to blog, but I surely did have a nice, relaxing vacation. The cruise was just great!

I have pictures of most of my meals which I will post on the meals page. My choices were great and the Disney chefs did excellent curtailing my meals to meet my requirements. I ate good protein and lots of dark green veggies and salads.

As I said in the last post, I did make the choice to have a 'few carbs' more than I normally would for 1 meal in Palo's fine dining restaurant. I will post the pictures of that meal as well. I had 1 roll, a small slice of pizza (which had a cracker crust), and a small desert. I did not overeat at all.

I actually lost 1 pound while on the cruise, which, IS A FIRST for me. Usually a cruise would net a 5 to 10 pound gain.

What was most exciting about this trip was my 'attitude'. Previous trips were all about what I couldn't do. I was too fat to walk far, to tired to do anything physical, to embarrassed to try to do certain things... This trip was all about what I could do. I could walk around the ship without feeling tired. I could go off the ship and into the port towns. I could fit in the dining room chairs, deck chairs and all the other places which were previously uncomfortable. Most of all, I wasn't constantly 'thinking' about how my weight was limiting my fun, because IT WASN'T limiting me, at all.

As I said in the post just as I was leaving... I had been preparing for this moment for 6 months, and let me tell you something.. it was well worth the work and effort! It was a fantastic feeling not to be limited, not one bit limited!

On the cruise we made some new friends, and also a new low-carber compatriot, who himself has lost a significant amount of weight. Thanks for joining our blog as a follower, Gene!

I will be doing some video montages of the trip over the next few weeks and posting them on the 'video blog' section of this blog.

I'm energized and ready for the next stretch! I will do a formal weigh-in at the end of the month. I am back to my 60 hour weeks tomorrow, but am going to grocery shop and go to the gym today. Thanks for your continued support and comments, all of you in our village of followers!

All Good Things....

...must eventually come to an end!

First, Happy belated Birthday, Sunny Girl. I missed you, and am sorry I wasn't there to send the wishes in Monday!

We're back in port in Orlando, waiting to have breakfast and then disembark the Disney Magic ship. It has been a wonderful cruise! I got plenty of relaxation and am re-energized.

I'll be blogging and posting pictures within the next dew days.

I did excellent on plan while on the ship! I took pictures of almost all of my meals and will post them on the meals page.

I did decide to endulge (but not overendulge) at only ONE meal, which was celebrating our 15th anniversary. It was a concious decision which I do not regret one bit! After 6 months of no off plan decisions, it was nice to make the choice to have this celebration with no guilt. It WAS worth every bite, and I was right back on plan at the next meal, ready to go for another streatch down the road!

More when I get home!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Autumn Energy

Autumn is my favorite time of year and this one is no exception. I am feeling so energized, so alive and awake, it's even hard for me to sleep in lately. Being back on the losing track only adds to the energy I feel.

I've realized that sodium has played a part in my weight loss 'stall' and I am staying away from anything salty... I was eating slim jims because they were convenient and cheap, but the sodium was hampering my progress. I am prone to water retention, as many are, and water pills are not an option for me, so says my doctor. I was also munching sunflower seeds to curb my smoking, it helped, but I am now realizing that they are way too salty and I am now looking for unsalted ones. I came to this conclusion after speaking with my doctor and he recommended that I halt the salt and bump up the exercise which I have done as well...working my upper body (and some lower as well) has begun to work. My weight loss is on the rise and I couldn't be happier. I want so badly to be closer to 200 than 300...I can feel it happening for me finally and it feels so good!

Looking forward to hearing from Don, his trip is nearing the end of it's ride and I am missing his inspiration.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends.

Chillin' Today....

I am finally doing nothing.

I've been very busy celebrating my birthday with my incredible family and some wonderful friends, it began on Sunday and continued straight through to yesterday (my actual birthday was Monday ;)

To be surrounded by so much love was just heartwarming, the hugs alone were worth turning 50. Friends had me to dinner...my mom took me to lunch and people stopped by, bearing gifts and birthday cakes, of which I had NONE! I had planned on having a piece before my birthday arrived, but I stayed true and feel so much better than I know I would have felt if I'd had it. I'm going to update my weight loss... it's now 3 more pounds lost!!! If would've had that cake, that would never have happened....so kudos to me!

So...today is chillin' time and I am doing just that. Been doodling around on the Internet and reading some blogs and thinking, "Wow, I am soooo not alone on this journey!" So many women and men are struggling with weight issues, and it's very comforting to know that we're in this together. Here's to more losses ;)!!!

Wish I was on that cruise with Don today....I think that's what I will ask for, for my 51st ... *smile*

Happy Birthday...

... Toooooooooooooooo Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Down 2 pounds....I have officially lost 51 pounds total, I am 50 today, and I'm a happy woman!

Last quicky before we are off

We are on the ship and I cheched the internet prices .... No way I'm paying the fee, so no blogging on the ship. Bon voyage my friends!!!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Another milestone

On the plane.....in my seat.....NO.Seatbelt extenders required!!!!

Update... We're in Florida at the Orlando airport. Free internet and 3 hours till we can get on the bus to go to the ship. I was so thrilled that I could actually give back the seat belt extender to the flight attendant. I automatically asked for it when I got on the plane. The trip is starting out great.

I am posting a VIDEO BLOG that Ed just shot... Check it out.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

And we are on our way!

We had a good first day in Atlantic City. We went to the Tropicana and had lunch and dinner. We visited the casino for a bit and Ed did well. I had salads for lunch and dinner. All on plan.

I took pictures of my meals and will post them when we get home.

We're in the airport now waiting for the plane to Orlando. My ability to move around and keep up with Ed all day was so much better than our cruise in March. The hard work is pating off in great dividends!

I'll post from the ship if I can.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Dedicated To The 9/11 Victims & Their Families

I can't help but reflect on that horrific day in 2001. It has nothing to do with weight loss or this blog and I didn't lose anyone I knew on that day, but it certainly affected my life, how I perceive the world and it brought world politics to light for me. I read more, keep myself more informed with both biased and unbiased journalism (yes, I can tell the difference) and I am just more informed now. I'm able to make better decisions about my vote and how it will impact the future for my children and theirs...having said that, I don't want to get political here, so I will move on to what I have been up to.

I have stayed on plan, working hard to insure my weight loss doesn't stay as stagnant as it's been and I think I am succeeding, I've lost a pound...hey, that's something!! I'd rather lose a pound than gain it.

Once again, thanks to Peggy and all of our friends who comment. We were even awarded the Lovely Blog Award! Thank you, Misssarahlou! I am supposed to name 15 other blogs that I would like to pass on this award to, but I don't even have the time to keep up with or read that many...so I will mention the ones I am most familiar with....

Sid
Fat[free]Me
Low Carb Jane
Chubby Chick
Mama Bear June
Ginger Farnsworth
Misssarahlou

I've forgotten how to add the links to their pages, I'm sorry for this.
Have a great week and thank you for your comments.

I've been practicing for this day...

New Video Blog (click here)

for at least the last 6 months. I am so excited.

Today is my 15 year anniversary with my partner (since our service of union) and almost 18 years together. It's been wonderful. He's stood by me through thin and thick. He loves me for me, not my body, and I'm very blessed for that. I am so excited to have lost a significant amount of weight since our last cruise, and will be able to enjoy being with him as we celebrate.

I've had a good week, long working days for the last 6 weeks now, but I'm OFF and going to not think about work for even a minute.

As I said, I have been practicing for this day now since 9 March. I feel great, and know I'll have the focus to stay on plan, even though I will be surrounded with a cruise boat full of temptation. As someone really smart that I know taught me, nothing tastes as good as thin feels, and I'm on my way to thin, again, for the last time in my life.

I plan to take pictures of my food every meal. I am also going to take some video with my Flip video camera and post the 'temptations' which I turned away from. I'll blog it all when I return on a link from the main page. I don't plan to blog while I'm away, I want to go outside of everything that is 'normal' for me and just, relax, exercise, enjoy the sun and sites, and feel wonderful. Blog at you later!

Making Summertime Memories

I have been super busy with all the summer things, things like getting to the beach and basically enjoying all the fun stuff with my children before school's in session once again (One is a teacher and one is a student). We've been having those last bar-b-ques and birthday celebrations and all the fun stuff. As a result of the busy schedule, I haven't even been online much in the past five days and had no time to blog, but I'm back and it's good to be here, it pushes me to think about what I'm feeling and how much I've grown emotionally through this journey. I have to tell you, I really like where I am right now, even though I have some very low moments, I climb out and always feel successful and that drives me even more....powerful stuff.

I've stayed on plan since my crab and spaghetti dinner and I am still very positive about the direction I took. It's a choice I will never regret making. I feel like a totally different person inside and my body is following my mind instead of the other way around.

Well, as the summer is slipping away, and warm days are giving way to falling leaves and cool nights to sleep by, I am even happier. This is by far my favorite time of the year and life is good, there's always room for improvement, but this is as good as it gets right now.

Things.. they are a changing...

Hi all.

(New Body Shots Posted today)

First, I apologize that it has been so long since my last post. I've been working long hours and getting ready for vacation, going to the gym and trying to keep my '.....' together. I am as committed to this journey as ever, and have been staying on plan. Even with the long hours at work, I got to the gym this week on Monday and Wednesday nights.

Sunny, thank you for keeping up with things while I am not able to blog as frequently! Also, thank you for the 'way-t0-go' blog about my progress, it was wonderful.

I feel myself changing in big ways. My energy is much better, I can walk without 'panting' after my first few steps and my overall 'outlook' on life in general is so much 'healthier'.

Vacation is less than a week away now. We're going to Atlantic City on Friday and then ... surprise, surprise... our vacation plans have changed.. We are now going on a Disney Cruise instead of going to the Animal Kingdom Lodge in FL. My partner looked at me last Sunday (from over the lid of his laptop) and said to me.. 'How would you like to go on a cruise..?'. We've been on several previous Disney cruises and have always loved them.

This will be such a 'cathartic' experience for me. You see, Sunny and I had decided that we really needed to take this 'journey' we are on, after going on a cruise together with our families in March of this year. Now, 6 months later, I'm 90 pounds lighter and going on a cruise again. I can only imagine how much different it will be for me physically. I am SO>>>> looking forward to the experience, instead of dreading the 'physical requirements' as I did last March.

Yes, things.. they are a changing.. and I'm loving every minute. By the way, I plan to stay on track during the vacation. I will take video and pictures, and post them on a page linked to the blog when I return, for all to enjoy.

Update (10:38am)... I just got done mowing the front and back yards. I'm hot and sweaty, but not out of breath or flop-down tired. Historical perspective: Last summer it would take me several attempts (with sit-down sessions) to mow the yards... Now.. talk about change~!

Let's Hear It For Don.....

....who has lost a whopping 90 pounds, or in the words of my daughter, Gina, "Don lost the equivalent of a Back Street Boy!!" Hehehe...pretty funny, also pretty darn amazing!!!!!! Kudos to my cuz for doing what no one I've ever known has done! Don, you're my hero!!! You continue to be my inspiration, I can't wait to hug you in person, but this is for you, for now.........................(((((((HUGE HUG)))))))