Looking back. What do you see in your rearview mirror?

As I look at the past year I see so many changes in myself and in the people around me too.

My healthier outlook has been good for my psyche and my relationships.  I now view my decisions in a different light.  I think beyond just myself. I look at the impact my decisions have on those people around me every day.  It’s not just me that is affected by my choices.  I can have a positive or negative influence on others.  If I choose to bring in a package of cookies or cupcakes, my co-workers then have their own decision to make as to whether to eat it or not.  It can be very hard to make a healthy choice if you’re hurried, stressed or tired.  I don’t want to be the one who leads someone else to make that decision to eat the cookie at the detriment of their own health.

It’s all about cleaning up the atmosphere of my own environment.  Do I need candy at the front desk where I sit every day?  No, not really.  It leads me into my own temptation and my willpower can become weakened by its presence on my desk.  So my choice is clearly not to have that candy dish filled with sugared candy.  Sugar free candy can be just as tempting.  However, it is less likely to lead to binging.

The second area I’ve been cleaning out is my mind.  I find myself sabotaging my good habits with bad thoughts.   I know I’m my own worst critic.  No one can say anything worse to me than what I say to myself.  So why let the negative thoughts take over my happiness?  I refuse to give in to those thoughts.  I look in the mirror and see how far I’ve come in such a short time.  I’ve literally gone from a size 26 to a 20 in less than 12 months.   That is an accomplishment I carry with me every day.  I hold my head up high and know I’m in control of my life and my choices.

Deciding to hire a personal trainer is one I will never regret.  It cost me $3,600, but was worth every cent.  Now that I have that tool I am learning about eating and Weight Watchers (WW) is helping me achieve my weight loss goals.  Sometimes the sacrifices are hard financially, but worth it in the long run.

I don’t want to come to the end of my life and have regrets about something that I could have changed.  I am the one in control of this life of mine and I need to make sure I give myself the very best I can give to me.

I’m careful about words that I use when speaking to others. In the past my words have hurt people and left me feeling awful.  I want to leave people feeling good about talking with me and smiling when they walk away.  A positive impression goes a long way toward making positive friendships that build people up and help them to achieve all they can in this life.

As Valentine’s Day approaches look around you and see what positive impressions you have left on those people who have come into your life.  Even if the person was only in your life for a few minutes, the impression you left can be a positive one as well.

Today I wish you Love, Happiness and above all else Contentment.

Be content to be yourself and become the person you’ve always wanted to be.  You are in control of your future, where do you want to be 12 months from today?

Below you can see my journey from a size 26 to a size 20.

 

December 2010

New Years Eve 2011

Jan. 26, 2011

Christmas 2011

Jan. 12, 2012

This is why I'm doing all this hard work. Baby Isaak deserves a Grandma who can keep up with him.

Movin' Right Along, Livin' My Life, Doin' It My Way

Nevaeh, Isaak, Grandma (Diana) and Riley 1/14/12

I'm feeling so good mentally.  Physically I'm not doing so well.  My Arthritis pain, diagnosed 1/12/12, has been tough to deal with on a daily basis.  I'm taking pain medicine daily and it helps, but it is NOT what I wanted to use to ease the pain.

It's tough to workout like I had been.  No more heavy weight lifting or hard/fast treadmilling for me anymore.  I did change my workouts to 60 minutes on the treadmill to get a good cardio workout, but have limited my weight lifting to avoid further injury to my joints.  

As soon as my burn is healed I'll get into the pool and do some good pool workouts. 

I've done well the last 2 weeks on my weight loss. I struggled over the New Years holiday and put a few pounds back on :-( and that made me mad because I hate to lose the same pounds again. 

It's been great to put on clothes and see a very positive change in my figure.  I'm down 2-3 dress sizes and 2 pant sizes as well. I'm taking in my pants to put off buying new clothes.  

I know this is a journey and I won't wake up a size 10, but I am enjoying the time it takes to reach my goal.  I've set mini goals so I feel motivated to reach them one at a time.  My Chiropractor always says to me "Inch by inch it's a cinch".  I have to agree with him on that one.  I'm losing inches and cinching my clothing more and more.  The pay offs have been when someone hasn't seen me on a while and they say "You are looking so good".  I'm sure it's not just the weight, but I am much happier with my life now than I was 10 years ago.  I have so many things to look forward to and so many great friends to share my life with now.  My family is behind me 100% and they are becoming more interested in losing weight too.  It's nice to see my healthier lifestyle is inspiring those around me to want to do the same.  My boss told me just last week that he has started to eat healthier too.  Since I'm joining my companies Wellness Counsel I guess my efforts are paying off already.  I hope I can help other people to choose a healthy lifestyle that includes better eating with moderation and exercising by just getting out and moving.
What will you do with your journey? You have choices each and every day, Make them wise choices! 

I fit into this outfit 1/13/12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2012 A New Year for a New ME!

New Years Eve 2011 Diana and Thomas

I rang in 2012 with a weight loss.  I'm down 11.4 pounds since joining Weight Watchers in October.  Down 42 pounds since I hit my heaviest in 2008. 

I'm happy that I got thru the holidays without packing on pounds.  I did enjoy the sweet treats as well as healthy foods.

I did a lot of "Oh My Gosh it fits me" dances when trying on clothes. I've gone down 2-3 dress sizes since May 2011. 

I'm committed to my workout routine and my healthy eating plan.

I've even started to inspire other people to embrace a healthier lifestyle.  Eating with more awareness of what types of foods we eat and what they do to our bodies in a positive way or negative way.  

The main foods we should all eat are fruits, vegetables and protein.  Proteins can come from more than meats and fish.  I know vegetarians get their protein from tofu as well as legumes. Also, quinoa is anther good source of protein.  

Making better choices when going out to eat is very important.   I know I'd rather have a deep fried piece of chicken over a broiled or grilled piece.  However, I like taking pressure off my joints by reducing my weight a little more each week.  I struggle with the temptation to eat the "bad stuff" versus the "good stuff" every single day.

I'm now struggling with a flare up of my arthritis.  Osteoarthritis is very painful and has been stopping me in my tracks these last few weeks.  It was bad enough before, but lately it has gotten much worse.  I almost cry when the now familiar needle pricking feeling hits a joint.  The worst has been in my hands the last 4 days.  I really try to "suck it up buttercup" and not let it bother me, but it's just not letting up on me.  It is just getting worse.  

Now my problem is HOW do I keep doing my workouts when my knee hurts along with my foot and hands? 
I know I have to fight thru it, but then again I'm only hurting my joints more by making them rub bone on bone. UGH!!!! 

I need a new swimsuit so I can go do pool workouts now. The only swimsuit I own is 2 sizes too big and you know how the water make them bigger anyway.  I do look quite funny with my droopy butt suit on and my straps sliding off every time my arms go down.  I can't be flashing the whole gym when I do my jumping jacks in the pool.  Oh dear!

I detest the aqua aerobics classes at LA Fitness.  They are boring and not fun for me.  I'll be bringing my iPod speakers so I can do my own workout with GOOD music. Ha ha take that song Mr. LapSwimmer!

Now how would you handle this change of plans?  Would you throw in the towel and give up or whine about it to anyone who would listen?
 Or maybe you'd suck it up and keep at it because there really is no going backward on this journey that is life!!!

I can't complain too much after all I do have a lot of good stuff happening in my life right now.  My Grandkidlets are getting SO big and are the Lights of my life. 

My family this Christmas from left to right My Dad Curt, Lizzi with Isaak, Christy, Riley, Diana, David and Nevaeh

 

Happy Holidays?? No Ho-ho's or Ding-dongs or...

It’s nearly Christmas, my all time favorite holiday.  My past Christmases were not that great. Lots of holiday hype on how perfect the holidays should be for everyone. Especially with a perfect family, perfect decorations, perfect friends and perfect gifts.  Let’s not forget the perfectly cooked foods we have come to associate with Christmas.

Diana and Tom 12-10-11

I’ve had so many emotional upheavals at this time of year growing up that I know all about emotional eating.  I get upset because something happens and I go dull the emotional pain with a cookie or ten.

I’m vowing this year to not set myself up for emotional overeating.

I’m not stressing about getting this done or that done on time or to perfection.  If the cookies don’t get baked until Christmas Eve day, big deal, so what, who cares!  If I forget a side dish, we’ll eat it the next day.  If one of my beloved family members decides to act like a 2 yr old and throw a tantrum, I won’t get involved in their meltdown.  That person can look foolish without my Motherly guidance.

I no longer stress about how many gifts each person gets to open.  I’m putting lots of little stuff into one bag and that way no one can feel left out.

Foods……ahh how I love my holiday foods. Cookies, candy, pies, potatoes and spiral sliced ham.  How could I ever get thru a family holiday without them?  I won’t eliminate them completely, however, I will eat them in MODERATION!!!!!!!!!

A small taste of my favorites without the guilt of having eaten a dozen cookies before lunch. Or that whole bowl full of “Puppy Chow”, even if it was only a small bowl full.  I’ll do it with an eye on my goal.

Riley and Nevaeh tell Santa their wish lists

My goal currently is to survive Christmas and New Years Eve without gaining any weight back. 

My last weigh in I was at 226.0. I haven’t been at this weight in over 2 years, when I turned 50.  I’ve got my eye on 219 now so I’m trying to be mindful of the foods I’m putting into my mouth.  It’s not easy when my 80 yr old father buys a bag of Hershey Treasures w/ caramel inside. He placed them in the bowl on the dining room table so they call out to me every time I walk by. I’ve silenced at least a dozen already!  Teach those little buggers to talk to me when I’m tired.

I set out to complete some mini tasks this week to keep my mind off food and on being productive. 
I just want everyone I know to have a healthy happy Holiday Season.  After all the new year is coming and with it comes all sorts of new choices for EVERYONE.
What are the choices you want to make?  Are you struggling with making a commitment?  What do you have to lose if you just do it?  Just make the commitment and change things in your life.  You deserve the best life you can give yourself!!! 
Let's bid adieu to 2011 and all it's bad choices. Say CHEERS to 2012 and all it's possibilities!!

Grandma holding Isaak, we call him a baby burrito

Sugar cookies....................

Now that I have your attention. . . .

Do you see the Holiday season as one big sugar cookie bake shop? I do!  I love cookies. Every year it starts like this.

We start baking sweet treats and then try to avoid putting them into our mouths.  What the heck? This amounts to self torture.  However, I enjoy baking cookies at this time of year. It gets me into the spirit of the season and I give them away.  This will be my 31st year of making cookies for my family.  Frankly, I'm kinda sick of them.  I may eat a few, but not like I did last year. I was addicted to the way they would melt in my mouth.  This year I think of eating them as pouring sugar straight into my mouth....ewwww.

The sugar in my life now is my Grandchildren.

Riley 2 1/2, Isaak 16 days and Nevaeh 4 1/2.  My Grandkidlets!!

I'm focused on losing this weight and being healthy for these 3 precious Grandchildren.

They deserve a healthy active Grandma to play with them and chase them around.

I'm 2 tenths from my first ten pound weight loss on Weight Watchers.  I'm happy with my progress and how on track I've been able to stay.

Saturday I'll see if I've made that goal. 

Tonight I tried on more pants I had in the "smaller pants box" and 3 more pairs fit. I did the "Oh My Gosh they finally fit" dance.

These little victories mean so much to me, you just have no idea. Well, maybe you do.  You've read this far so maybe you know how good it feels to beat an addiction, be it food, alcohol, drugs or gaming.  Whatever you may find yourself addicted to it is nice to know other people can relate and will be there for you as you try your best to beat it once and for all.  It's not easy and it sure isn't fun.  I'm finding a way to add fun to this process. Like making up names or stories about who I see at the gym and why they are there. I get on the treadmill and "walk out" to my music.  I try not to do things that will make people report me for being weird while on the treadmill.

I love how my trainer got me to a point where I can now go to the gym on my own and do my own workout.

I'm working my way thru this maze that is my life.  One day at a time and one meal at a time.

Are you on this journey too?  I'd love to hear how your doing and if you have ideas for how to make this more fun.
Oh I forgot to share this in my original post so here I am editing it now. My WW leader uttered the words I mentioned a few months back, "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels"  Now I know it's a WW catch phrase. I still don't agree with it.  I enjoyed every bit of that kit kat bar I ate tonight. AND My thighs are still shrinking :-)

Holding this little one gives me less time to eat.

Dear Santa......

Putting all the pieces together

I've had 4 weeks to figure out this Weight Watchers Points Plus.  I'm on track and losing like I planned. 2 pounds a week is my goal. I've had my own little issues with this though.

I want to lose the weight so badly it's scary sometimes.  I know I can do it, but I find myself trying to sabotage my progress. WHY???  Why would I do that? Am I afraid of being healthier or thinner?  I know I'm terrified of how my skin will hang after these 80 pounds are gone.  If you've seen a pair of panty hose after they've been worn you know what I mean when I say "Will my skin look like that too?"  Well the answer is YES!  I see the skin already starting to hang a bit more, granted it's not as much, but still it hangs. I'll look like a shar pei all wrinkled and having hanging skin.  My arms already look like they have wings.  When I wave now my arms keep waving, even after I've stopped. My arms have big muscles that you can see when I flex them, but there is that flap of skin hanging all droopy down below it.  I do have to laugh at the things I do in front of a full length mirror when I'm alone. I wiggle and jiggle all my loose skin.  I'm trying to get an act together for the next America's Got Talent.  There could be a category for Jiggling and Juggling while dancing to Rihanna.

I go to the gym every week for an hour or more.  I go 4-6 times a week.  I felt like a slug by Saturday this last week because I hadn't gone Thursday or Friday.  I did have a valid excuse.  My Grandson was born at 12:18 p.m. on 11-10-11.  I was there and got to help my daughter give birth. An amazing experience and one that I will never forget.  My daughter handled that labor and delivery with barely a whimper. She was in pain, but she never yelled.  She did say she hoped it was a boy because she really didn't want to have another baby, EVER.

I was running on adrenalin and pure energy by Friday night.  Saturday we got them home and I took a 2 hour nap.  My husband had to go out of town again for work so I went to the gym. 
I can't be that into self sabotage if I'm going to the gym and doing 200+ calories on the treadmill and then doing another 30 minutes of weight machines and crunches. 
I had been finding myself SO hungry in the evenings the last two days.  I deduced it was because I'd get up at 7 a.m., have my cup of coffee and then go to the gym.  I'd wait about an hour before eating after I got home from my hour at the gym. My poor body was starving for food and it was going to make sure I fed it too.
Today, I got back on track.  I had my coffee as usual, but when I got home I sat down to a nice protein fueled breakfast THEN I took my shower.  I blended up a fruit smoothie to drink on the way to work.
I felt much better this morning.  
Okay now to explain how this WW (weight watchers) works for ME.  You can't follow my plan because it may not work for you.  I like how they give me the points I need to have each day and then let me find my own foods to eat.  They have suggestions, but I can find foods to eat at any restaurant I go to.
I can eat any fruit because they have 0 points.  However, I'm not supposed to eat 12 bananas for breakfast, for example.  I've found WW english muffins and WW yogurts are yummy and low in points.  I try to eat an apple every day along with a banana.  I make frozen fruit smoothies.  I only use fruit without added sugar and I'll add vitamin water or coffee to help it blend up better.  I LOVE those smoothies.  I'll find a way to add veggies to them some day.  I find spinach is too green and I get pieces of it in my teeth.  That doesn't look so nice when I smile, I'm a receptionist so I can't have green bits in my teeth.
Lunch is a WW frozen meal.  It's quick and easy.  Snacks are usually hummus and WW dijon pretzels.  String cheese, a progresso light soup with most of the juice drained off makes a filling snack with lots of veggies.  I've bought the WW snacks and some of them I really like, but find myself using those as my points instead of real food like proteins that my body needs so badly when I work out like I have been doing.
Every day is my new beginning.  I can start over again and do the day better, maybe by not eating candy or getting a little more sleep or even taking time to just hold a baby while he sleeps.
Babies don't care what your weight is or how many wrinkles you have on your face or body :-)

Yesterday I was at the gym and was doing my after workout stretching.  I noticed a young woman waiting by the trainers desk.  I assumed she was waiting for the DUD (the trainer I had "fired" in April) .  I see her talking to another trainer and then she's making a phone call.  I hear her talking to DUD and listening to his lame excuse about how his phone was set on vibrate and he didn't hear it to wake up.   I watched her go upstairs to get on a treadmill, bike or elliptical machine. I debated, should I go tell her about my experience with DUD or not.  How would it have been for me if someone had spared me weeks of his lateness and lame excuses by telling me what his work ethic was?  I would have had those sessions with a trainer who showed up on time and truly cared enough about my gym time to invest in me 100% sooner.  You know what I did!!
I walked upstairs and found her.  I told her that she should find another trainer, preferably a female, who would be on time and not give excuses for being late.  She told me this was the first time, I told her that if it keeps happening then find a different one.  I told her that she can do this and she can succeed.  She shared with me that she is a Mom of 3 children all under 5.  I hope she takes my advice because today I overheard the DUD telling his client how he'd gone to see Guns N Roses Sunday night. I read in the paper that the concert ended at 2 a.m. Gee I wonder why he didn't wake up on time?  LIAR!!   I'm so done with the liars like him.  I lost any ounce of respect I had left for him in that instant.  
I'm happier now than I have been in years.  I have my life under control and I have my goals in sight now.
I can achieve successful weight loss. AND I don't have to suffer through lying trainers who only care about themselves and not their clients.  Christine, I miss seeing you at the gym when I go now.  I miss you waving at me when you'd spot me on the tread mill before our workout sessions. Nothing beats a trainer who truly cares about how the client succeeds after the paid sessions have ended. Thank You for caring about my future success.

Isaak Thomas- 9 pounds 2 ounces 22 inches born on 11/10/11

Making Progress

Yup, we are Vikings fans. I like my "Breast Cancer Awareness" Vikings pink shirt.

I feel so in control of myself and my eating.
I'm now more than two weeks without a trainer to push me thru my workouts.
I go on my own and do my treadmill time.  I'm up to 50 minutes on the treadmill and two plus miles.  I'm seeing 10,000 plus steps on my "fitbug" pedometer. 
I joined Weight Watchers 2 1/2 weeks ago and have lost 3.6 pounds.  I'm not even freaking out about not losing more.  I want to lose it slow and steady.  I'm fine with the "Points Plus" and how the whole program works.
I know I won't be going back to Atkin's.  I enjoyed Atkin's, but because of the intussusception my body can't do it.  
Feeling like I can do this and succeed in getting fit and healthy has given me confidence.
I get so many compliments on how I look that my confidence is growing stronger.
I know I can do whatever I set my sights on.  I have even started setting up goals for other things besides weight loss. 
I have a new Grandbaby due any day now. I get to be the birth coach for my daughter.  I have the honor of seeing my grandchild being born and holding him/her for the first time within minutes of the birth.  I want to be around for this baby.  I want to be able to keep up with all that energy and not tire out.
I'm enjoying my Calligraphy class.  It's fun to try new things and explore other activities.  Who knows what talents I have kept hidden behind a veil of food and fat.  
I'm open to new adventures with my husband.  We have plans for the next year that include me walking a LOT to explore.  I am driven to get to my goal weight and even be able to ride a bike again.
Does this make sense to you?  Do you have your goals hanging out there almost taunting you to reach them?  Come on let's reach a goal before the end of the year.  60  days to a new goal?  Sure why not..... Pick a goal and plan out how you can make the steps to achieve it.  Contact me if you want someone to share your goal with or just offer encouragement.   Follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/DesignerNails

Halloween Party.  My inner Goddess came out.