Last Night at the Meeting

I was wary going to weigh in last night because 1) I'd been on vacation in Austin and had been eating less carefully than I do at home and... 2) my birthday was Tuesday and as a result I had cobbler with ice cream in Austin with DS and his GF, DF got me a little delicious individual serving cake for my birthday, and a slice of cake with the girls at my office when they surprised me with cake! Sooooo... being that I was on a plane on Tuesday and weighing in Thursday and my ankles still looked like grapefruit, I was "concerned".


NO NEED!


I gained one pound ONLY! Which I consider a Non Scale Victory (NSV)! One little pound which - when I stepped on the scale at home this morning - was already gone and I was done into the 240s (barely, but it had 249.6)! So I was psyched.

While I was on vacation I truly did make conscious choices about my food. I avoided cheese and heavy sauces and opted for the fresh, spicey tex-mex foods. I ate one hot dog at the ballpark and didn't get crazy with any huge food frenzy. I had a few margaritas over the time I was there, a glass of wine. But I also walked alot and swam a couple of times and got exercise when I could. Plus the 90+ degree heat doesn't make you want to eat too much. My big night was a planned night out for bbq and it was soooo delicious! I ate a huge plate full and enjoyed every bite and had cobbler following which we shared. That was the only night I felt uncomfortable in a long time. I noted that feeling and don't want to feel it again.


So one little pound isn't gonna wreck me... quite the opposite, I'm motivated. Also... what I really want to remember is the wonderful woman I met at last night's meeting who has lost 101.6 lbs. AMAZING! She is probably late 50s and is a little slender woman now. Probably about my height at 5'9" or so and so nice. She told her story during the meeting and showed her pants (size 26) and blouse (3x) that would not button on the bottom. She passed around a photo of herself. But what she SAID was what got to me...


She took it slowly and stuck to the plan. She makes a lot of her meals herself and plans everything. It took her over 18 months to lose it all. Now she is a lifetime member. She talked about how she regrets she didn't lose it earlier and all the problems she has had due to the weight - knee replacements, broken bones, etc. Not good! She has photos of herself at family events she cannot look at without crying. I know that feeling. She'd lost 70 lbs. before her daughter's wedding and you could see how proud and relieved she was to be able to say that.


Her name is Donna Parker and she lives in the town next to me. She talked about doing the Avon Breast Cancer walk with her friends for the first time and how great it was. We talked after the meeting in the parking lot for a bit and she was sooooo inspirational. She showed me the packet of Kraft Free dressing she carries in her purse... and encouraged me on keeping the almonds with me for a quick pick-me-up plus told me that it is great for asthmatics who need to counteract the prednisone in their system.


I feel blessed to have gone to the meeting and heard her speak. To have met her... and I told her so. To meet someone who has lost 100+ lbs. was so good for me.


People Magazine 2007 100+ Loser feature


She did it. I can do it, too. We need to be as important to ourselves as other people in our lives are to us. In fact, we need to put ourselves FIRST and lose this weight and get healthy.


We're the ones who can do this. No one else can.


No more excuses/lamenting for me... forward... onward... I can see a beautiful happy healthy woman at the end of this journey and I'm not going to veer from that path!



(This is where you all shout "Amen, sister!" lol)

On Never Giving Up, Never Quitting When the Goal is In Sight!


An Inspirational Poem

"Don't Quit" by Edgar A. Guest

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
when the funds are low and the debts are high,
and you want to smile but you have to sigh,
when care is pressing you down a bit - rest if you must,
but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns.
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a fellow turns about when he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow - you may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than it seems to a faint and faltering man;
often the struggler has given up when he might have captured the victor's cup;
and he learned too late when the night came down,
how close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out - the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
and when you never can tell how close you are,
it may be near when it seems afar;
so stick to the fight when you're hardest hit - it's when things seem worst,
you must not quit.

More Food for Thought on Quitting

Before success comes in any man's life, he's sure to meet with much temporary defeat and, perhaps some failures. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and the most logical thing to do is to quit. That's exactly what the majority of men do. Napoleon Hill

Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit. Vince Lombardi

Restoration

I'm writing this at 5:30pm EST June 2- my 51st birthday - as I travel home from Austin, TX... somewhere over the Eastern US ~

res·to·ra·tion

Pronunciation: res-tə-ˈrā-shən\ Function: noun Date: 14th century

1: an act of restoring or the condition of being restored: as a: a bringing back to a former position or condition : reinstatement b: restitution c: a restoring to an unimpaired or improved condition d: the replacing of missing teeth or crowns 2: something that is restored ; especially : a representation or reconstruction of the original form (as of a fossil or a building)


I have had my heart restored to where it should be… full again after seeing my son in Austin for five days. God, I love that kid ‘o mine. He is a good soul. He was glad for my visit, too… said so often. He had a lot on his mind to tell me about – mainly his situation with his girlfriend and where things stand for them right now.

I arrived on the night of Friday the 29th of May and drove straight from the airport to meet DS at his apartment. He came out with GF and I was sooo thrilled to see him. I felt pretty good about the weight I have lost. It felt so incredibly good to be on the airplane and not feel so BLOATED! I didn’t have to worry about whether or not the seatbelt would fit around me, too… so huge nsv there. I just honestly felt better about myself. I realize I still have a long way to go but I am ready to really spend the next four weeks (until 4th of July) on one heck of a mission.

NSVs this week:

  • No asthma difficulties
  • The plane ride. No worries about the seat belt.
  • Swimming in the pool with DS & his GF and then by myself
  • Walking without having to stop
  • My clothes fitting fine or being a little big! (Big!!)
  • Being in 90 degree + weather daily and not having it slow me down other than what it would anyways
  • Not ordering fattening food
  • Even when out with DS, watching what I’m eating – making conscious decisions about food
  • Realizing after the night we went for bbq the harm it did to my system both with upset stomach and then with the bloat of salt intake, an awareness has been born, not just mindless "eating to eat"
So here is the plan...



Water. Tons and tons of water.


Walking. I like to walk… and I’m going to do so every morning.

Wednesday, June 3rd – 10 mins
Thursday – 10 mins
Friday 15 mins
Saturday 15-30 mins.
Sunday 15-30 mins.



  • Orientation tour/workout at the Y
  • Swimming at the Y
  • Spin and pilates at the Y
  • Wii Fit 3x weekly (buy the boxing gloves for Wii w/birthday money)
  • Weekly WW meetings
  • Track everything that goes into my mouth (BLTs - bites, licks, tastes)
  • Keep journaling and checking in on 100+ and 8 week forums


That's all for now - landing soon ~