R3P2VLCD27 – 163

Weight: 163

Oh, the joys of the scale.  I had anticipated, and have been visualizing, the number going down, but today it was not to be.  Could it be the extra serving of bison burger?  Surely not!  ;-)

I'm not worried about it at all, and that is a good place to be.  I have been visualizing the scale going down, what I will look like, and how I will maintain the weight.  Reinforcement there is that my tummy isn't sticking out like it used to, and I'm fascinated, and motivated, by that!

I have been going over my past progress, and that has been sort of a downer, should I choose to look at it that way.  Back in round 2, I reached 168.5 pounds...hey, wait a minute, that's only 5 pounds difference than I am right now!!  See what I mean?  Downer, dude!

However, when I decide to have a positive attitude about the situation, it just means that, yes, I gained (screwed up?) but I am continuing toward an ever-more-healthy BMI (I am now officially not overweight!)  I need to remember the lessons from those increases and apply them to now, not look back.

So, as Oprah would ask, what do I know for sure?

1. I know that it is up to me to watch what I eat – always
2. I need to continue development of mindfulness
3. I will need to be aware of why I'm eating (see above)
4. I need to stop eating when I'm full
5. I need to enjoy the re-sculpting process I will take my body through next, through exercise
6. Recognize that the reinforcement that I get now for my weight loss progress will subside, then disappear, as it becomes my new normal.
7. My new substitute for this recognition will be more internal, acknowledge by the challenges of how my body changes with exercise, that no one else can really know.

I've done step 7 before; that is, I used to be a power lifter.  I was nationally ranked, in fact, although I didn't know it at the time (I saw it published in a magazine).  What got me there was competing with myself.  When I competed against others, I would fail to reach my potential, but I always could improve on my own accomplishments.

I need to remember that now, too.

R3P2VLCD26 – 163

Weight: 163

Wow!  That's what getting some sleep will do!  Today is the first day that I’ve slept in this whole week, and I’ve had the week off.

I now, officially, have a "healthy" BMI, I am no longer in the "overweight" category!!

I dropped 1.5 pounds from yesterday, and that was with more coconut oil than I had planned, because my shrimp were going to burn, and a couple of bites of corn bread stuffing.  And you, know, as good as the stuffing was, I really didn't want more.  Just didn't want it.  Nice!

I finished a quilt last night, so have to look it over this morning to make sure I did a good job on it, as I finished late.  Assuming it's OK I can drop both of them off to the customer on my way to the fabric store where they are, of course, having a fabulous sale on fleece that I can't pass up.  I normally do not do ANY Black Friday shopping, it's just ridiculous.  But the fleece is $1.99/yard, when it's normally $7.99/yard!

I'm also going to see about a netbook for my mom.  My brother and I will go in on it and I found a great deal, so we'll see if there are any left.

Then, it's back to the sewing room.  I have 2 tops to put together in the next 3 weeks, in addition to finishing my mom's (just needs borders) and then to quilt all three.  So, I'll be a busy gal!

Hopefully so busy that I won't want to cheat, especially since I can practically feel that goal now!

Woo Hoo!!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

R3P2VLCD25 – 164.5

Weight: 164.5

Woo Hoo!!  I wasn't expecting to see that much of a drop, as much as I was hoping for it!

I got on the elliptical yesterday and did 21 minutes, which felt really good, sewed all day and am almost done with a customer quilt.  Had steak and zucchini for dinner and watched a movie with my hubby.

You'd think I wouldn't be so tired, but I am!  Got up at 7am and still haven't accomplished a thing today...well, I did a video call with Mom, so that does count, but no sewing.  I need to move my webcam to the sewing room.

Speaking of which...gotta finish that quilt.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

R3P2VLCD24 – 166

Weight: 166

I thought I did OK yesterday, but I can see by the scale that I need to make an adjustment.  I’m off work this week and I find that I tend to eat more and it’s easier to cheat when I’m home.

So, I'm skipping my breakfast and going to load a quilt top. Then, before I start quilting it, I'll have some lunch and hopefully get the top done very quickly.

I've been dinking around on the computer way too long this morning!

R3P2VLCD22 – 166

Weight: 166

Considering I ate cereal again yesterday, I am surprised I am down .5 pounds!  I was a bit hungry again yesterday, and cold, too, as it's been snowing lightly here.  Plus, I'm off all week and I'm realizing I don't have as much discipline...or is it that I have more access?...as when I'm at work.

So, today I'm going to try a new approach, one I think I've tried before, and I think I will be successful.

I'm having adding protein for breakfast, and pre-cutting all my veggie snacks so they are easy.  Since I've been having more protein and still losing, the plan is to add it to breakfast and cut back a bit on the other meals so I'm still having more than what is on protocol, but just spreading it out over the course of the day.  I think that'll keep me satisfied.

Then, when I need a snack, I will be reaching for the easy, on-protocol foods, instead of the forbidden ones.  That's a no brainer, but I haven't been doing that so getting back on track.

With a plan in place, I am WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR!  ;-)

R3P2VLCD21 – 166.5

Weight: 166.5

I thought I was prepared yesterday, which I mostly was, but not prepared enough.  Which is why I'm up a pound, but I'm not concerned, it will go away again.

I packed my lunch to take with me while I ran errands yesterday, as I figured I would be on the other side of town when I got hungry, and still had errands to complete.  Which I was.  So, I ate my tuna salad in the car, and it was wonderful.

But I only had packed my 1/2 grapefruit for a snack.  That is a messy snack, one that is not easily edible while driving and I didn't take the time to stop to eat it.  That was the mistake, because I got too hungry, so when I got home I chowed down.  Not only did I eat my grapefruit, I went for the cereal again, like I did yesterday when my blood sugar dropped.   Fear and hunger are powerful motivators and not easily reasoned with.

What did I learn on this journey?  I am now figuring out what that feels like to be truly full.  I assume most people normal weight people feel this way when they eat and they stop eating right away when they feel full.  That may sound strange, so let me explain.

When I'm eating something that tastes really good, I often have kept eating, even if I'm not really hungry; it just tastes good and I keep picking at it.  It's mindless.  I don't recall ever feeling this absolute feeling of "please stop putting food into me, I don't want it" , but I did yesterday.  Oh, sure, I've had that "I'm stuffed" feeling from Thanksgivings past where I ate too much.  But my stomach expanded to accommodate what I ate and was full.  This time, it didn't expand, it felt like a container of a specific size which was not to be over filled, not going to expand.  I've experienced the after effects we usually call "your stomach shrank" of not being able to eat as much as you used to after a diet before, but this was not the same feeling.  It's hard to explain.

I did eat more than I needed to yesterday during this awareness awakening, which was part of the awakening.  I hope to continue building this mindfulness ability in all areas of my life.