I have been really focused on my weight loss goals. I have been
tracking every BLT (bite, lick and taste) that enters my mouth. I have
logged it all on etools whether it's over my budget or not. I have
exercised every day over the past 2 weeks with the exception of
Sundays. I have even upped that exercise time a minute each day so that
as of this morning I am exercising a full 30 minutes. I have stuck to
my Daily Points Target and am pretty close to my Weekly Target.
Since
I am feeling so good about my progress I stepped on my home scale the
other day hoping to see a lower number than I had the few days earlier
when I had weighed myself at home. I was sorely disappointed to find
that I had not lost even one ounce!! What!? I've worked so hard. I
deserve to see at least a loss of .2 in a few days of "on plan habits".
I pondered my disappointing number as I started my day. What does this mean?
I
rarely have used my home scale the past several years. There was a
time that I was a slave to that scale. I would step on that home scale
every morning with an empty stomach and see the results. I would let
that number affect my mood and actions.
I then started stepping
on the home scale a few times more each day to see what affect my eating
and exercising would make on the scale. It got to the point where I
was obsessive and it wasn't helping me one bit. If the number was down
that day I would celebrate by feeding myself. If the number was up I
would eat to drown my sorrows. It took some time but eventually I
realized that this scale was not healthy for me at all and stopped using
it. I only let myself be weighed at my Weight Watchers meeting once
per week. It was amazing how much this helped me. I would follow things
well for fear of what the scale would say that week if I didn't make
the right choices. If I remember correctly I actually threw out my home
scale to make sure I didn't become a slave to it anymore.
Since
then I have purchased another home scale. I found it helpful to use on
very rare occasions and it wasn't fair to Bryan that he was not allowed
to weigh himself because of my "sickness." He uses the scale to help
him. He uses it as feedback. That's the way it's supposed to be used.
It's not supposed to be used to label us successes or failures....it's
supposed to give us some feedback.
So I picked my mouth up off of
the floor and gave myself some feedback. It's okay if the scale
doesn't feel as good as I do. I feel great because I am doing good
things for myself. The scale will eventually catch up with my feelings.
Since
then I have stepped on my home scale again. It went down .4 over the
past 4 days. I would certainly like to see more, but I'm just going to
use that to keep spurring me towards my goals.
The only number
that really counts in my book is the number that I record once a week at
WW........and even that is just a number.
I'm curious. Do you use your home scales? How often? Does it benefit you?
Corinna
"She
had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched
his cloak, for she said, 'If I but touch his clothes, I will be made
well.' Immediately her hemorrhage stoped; and she felt in her body that
she was healed of her disease." -Mark 5:27-29
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
The fruits of my labor
I love seeing the fruits of my labor. It's so much more rewarding when I can see and feel the fruits of my labor.
Isn't it nice when you get on the scale and see the numbers go down because of how hard you had worked all week? You tracked, you exercised, you ate all of your veggies and now the scale is rewarding you with a smaller number. That feeling is the feeling of success. That feeling is what compels you to do it again another hour, day and week.
It's hard for me to see the fruits of my labor when it comes to exercise. The first day I start an exercise routine I don't feel or see any fruits.....well, except for sour grapes that is. I exercise in the morning 99% of the time so it puts my day late because I wasn't used to getting up and going early enough to fit in exercise. Then, I'm completely lost as to what to do when the people on the DVD are going left and I am going right. And then you can add to the sour grapes when I wake up the next morning and feel as though I would cry just to get out of bed. Gee.....that's what I get for exercising.
But then, I remember how good it is for me and that if I just keep it up, I will see some results. I've been exercising pretty regularly for over a month now and I'm finally seeing the fruits of my labor. I don't feel horribly sore every day anymore. I still feel a little soreness here and there if I turn in a certain direction but it's a good sore. It's a sore that's reminding me that I am exercising and working muscles that I have but don't work very often.
I'm also feeling strong. My muscles feel like they are being worked and actually taking some form on my body instead of mush. I tried playing with the flab that normally hangs from my arms today but it didn't swing back and forth. There is actually muscle in there. I'm getting toned.
I still have a long way to go on the abs area. It's still pretty scary looking in the mirror but at least I'm making progress. Someday maybe my abs will be too tight to play with too;)
This has reminded me how persistence pays off. I have been persistent with my exercise the past month or two and it's finally paying off. I'm not seeing huge losses on the scale yet but that may be the next step. In fact, I know that it will be the next step because that muscle that I am building will start burning that fat that I have been storing and then the scale will come down too. I also know that the scale will start budging in the right direction because I have been making better eating tracking choices but I guess I'll save that for another blog.
Keep working on it. When you see the fruits of your labor, you'll be so glad you did.
Corinna
"He also said, 'The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.'" -Mark 4:26-27
Isn't it nice when you get on the scale and see the numbers go down because of how hard you had worked all week? You tracked, you exercised, you ate all of your veggies and now the scale is rewarding you with a smaller number. That feeling is the feeling of success. That feeling is what compels you to do it again another hour, day and week.
It's hard for me to see the fruits of my labor when it comes to exercise. The first day I start an exercise routine I don't feel or see any fruits.....well, except for sour grapes that is. I exercise in the morning 99% of the time so it puts my day late because I wasn't used to getting up and going early enough to fit in exercise. Then, I'm completely lost as to what to do when the people on the DVD are going left and I am going right. And then you can add to the sour grapes when I wake up the next morning and feel as though I would cry just to get out of bed. Gee.....that's what I get for exercising.
But then, I remember how good it is for me and that if I just keep it up, I will see some results. I've been exercising pretty regularly for over a month now and I'm finally seeing the fruits of my labor. I don't feel horribly sore every day anymore. I still feel a little soreness here and there if I turn in a certain direction but it's a good sore. It's a sore that's reminding me that I am exercising and working muscles that I have but don't work very often.
I'm also feeling strong. My muscles feel like they are being worked and actually taking some form on my body instead of mush. I tried playing with the flab that normally hangs from my arms today but it didn't swing back and forth. There is actually muscle in there. I'm getting toned.
I still have a long way to go on the abs area. It's still pretty scary looking in the mirror but at least I'm making progress. Someday maybe my abs will be too tight to play with too;)
This has reminded me how persistence pays off. I have been persistent with my exercise the past month or two and it's finally paying off. I'm not seeing huge losses on the scale yet but that may be the next step. In fact, I know that it will be the next step because that muscle that I am building will start burning that fat that I have been storing and then the scale will come down too. I also know that the scale will start budging in the right direction because I have been making better eating tracking choices but I guess I'll save that for another blog.
Keep working on it. When you see the fruits of your labor, you'll be so glad you did.
Corinna
"He also said, 'The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.'" -Mark 4:26-27
Technology
Technology is such a huge part of our world today. Sometimes we use it
and sometimes we fight it. I have found myself fighting it on more than
one occasion.
I went without a cell phone long after most everyone I knew had cell phones. When Bryan reminded me of how convenient it would be to own cell phones over and over I would tell him that we can be inconvenienced from time to time. So we have to use a pay phone, so what? I don't need to be available to everyone all of the time. I fought it tooth and nail. I am always trying to save a buck so I had a hard time justifying the expense of a cell phone.
Finally, one day Bryan came home from his umpiring job with a pay as you go cell phone that he stopped at the store to buy. He said he tried 3 different pay phones on the way home and none of them worked. All of the other umpires had cell phones and everyone was expected to call in their scores as soon as their games were over so the office staff could go home. I understood his predicament and gladly accepted his reasons for buying "that technology." Over the next two years he would remind me on occasion that I should now enter the real world and get a cell phone too. I keep resisting until my birthday when he gave me one as a gift. I was happy to play with my new toy and enter the world of technology after being dragged in to it.
I now use my cell phone almost every day. I'm not as attached to it as many people are in this day and age but I also don't really live the lifestyle that needs one every day either.
I've come to use technology to help me in my daily life. Since technology is such a great use these days I was wondering what technology I should be using to help me lose weight. There is so much available to us if we are just willing to try it.
I am using ww.com to use etools. If you are not a WW member you may not know what etools is. It's a fabulous piece of technology. I needed a boost in my motivation. I've been playing the up, down game for a couple of months and needed something to pull me out of the rut. I decided to try something different.
Although I have always used etools to figure out PointsPlus Values for recipes. That's always been helpful. But I've never been one to use it to track my food daily. Last Friday I decided to start using etools and it has given me a new outlook on my eating habits. I am enjoying it thoroughly. I like being able to go to the computer and tell it what I ate. It does the math for me. It tells me how many points I have left for the day and the week. It keeps track of my Activity Points too. I've never been good about tracking activity points. This does the work for me if I just punch it into the computer. I'm loving technology this week.
How do you use technology to help you lose weight?
Corinna
"Then someone came to him and said, 'Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?' And he said to him, 'Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.'" -Matthew 19:16-17
I went without a cell phone long after most everyone I knew had cell phones. When Bryan reminded me of how convenient it would be to own cell phones over and over I would tell him that we can be inconvenienced from time to time. So we have to use a pay phone, so what? I don't need to be available to everyone all of the time. I fought it tooth and nail. I am always trying to save a buck so I had a hard time justifying the expense of a cell phone.
Finally, one day Bryan came home from his umpiring job with a pay as you go cell phone that he stopped at the store to buy. He said he tried 3 different pay phones on the way home and none of them worked. All of the other umpires had cell phones and everyone was expected to call in their scores as soon as their games were over so the office staff could go home. I understood his predicament and gladly accepted his reasons for buying "that technology." Over the next two years he would remind me on occasion that I should now enter the real world and get a cell phone too. I keep resisting until my birthday when he gave me one as a gift. I was happy to play with my new toy and enter the world of technology after being dragged in to it.
I now use my cell phone almost every day. I'm not as attached to it as many people are in this day and age but I also don't really live the lifestyle that needs one every day either.
I've come to use technology to help me in my daily life. Since technology is such a great use these days I was wondering what technology I should be using to help me lose weight. There is so much available to us if we are just willing to try it.
I am using ww.com to use etools. If you are not a WW member you may not know what etools is. It's a fabulous piece of technology. I needed a boost in my motivation. I've been playing the up, down game for a couple of months and needed something to pull me out of the rut. I decided to try something different.
Although I have always used etools to figure out PointsPlus Values for recipes. That's always been helpful. But I've never been one to use it to track my food daily. Last Friday I decided to start using etools and it has given me a new outlook on my eating habits. I am enjoying it thoroughly. I like being able to go to the computer and tell it what I ate. It does the math for me. It tells me how many points I have left for the day and the week. It keeps track of my Activity Points too. I've never been good about tracking activity points. This does the work for me if I just punch it into the computer. I'm loving technology this week.
How do you use technology to help you lose weight?
Corinna
"Then someone came to him and said, 'Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?' And he said to him, 'Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.'" -Matthew 19:16-17
Monday, January 23, 2012
It's the little things
This morning I did my exercises. My kids laughed at me. Why? A few days ago I added a DVD to my workout routine. As I told you a couple of weeks ago, I have been using the Weight Watchers Next Move DVD. I do one of the five 20 minute workouts per day. I really enjoy them. They are slow enough for me to keep up but challenging enough for me to feel like I worked myself when I am done.
I decided that I could use an additional workout added to it for some variety. I have a Tony Horton's 10 minute workout DVD that my mom gave me a couple years ago that I have never tried. It has a 10 minute abs workout that my abs need desperately.So 4 days ago I popped it in after my Next Move 20 minutes. I had high hopes for my sagging ab area. With 5 kids and a 70 pound weight loss my stomach area is something that should be hidden from plain sight.
The DVD started and after just 2 seconds I was already lost. "Okay, so this is a fast moving DVD so I need to pay close attention but it's only 10 minutes so I can certainly do it," I thought. Tony Horton explained that the exercises will change every 30 seconds. "Good, that will keep it exciting." Exciting?!? That's an understatement!
I kept up with the fit, skinny, young lady demonstrating the first exercise after I got past the initial shock. Then she moved on to the second exercise. I couldn't possibly change positions that fast!! And the change wasn't even that major. Both positions were on the floor on my back but yikes, you really want me to do that!? I did it. My form was terrible and I wanted to start crying because my abs hurt terribly and I was out of breath, but I did it.
Third exercise, no way!!! Turn it off. My kids laughed at my sad attempt to fix my unappealing abs but I announced that it was okay. "Tomorrow I will do 2 minutes," I told them. "I'm not hurting myself."
Day 2 came and the kids were perched waiting for the show. I did my 20 minute of Next Move and put in Tony's DVD. I stuck to the plan. I did 2 minutes. That was 4 exercises since dear Tony switches exercises every 30 seconds. My abs were thanking me for making them work after they were done screaming at me for being so cruel.
Yesterday I didn't exercise. I'll admit it. It was a busy day and it just didn't happen. I've learned to forgive myself on these days.
Today was Day 3 then. I needed to do 3 minutes of my lovely abs workout. I got through the first 2 minutes more successfully than I had the previous 2 attempts. I was learning and proud of myself. Then the 5th exercise poked it's head into the DVD. "Oh, my goodness!!" is what I was saying by now. My daughter responded with, "Oh mom, that's not hard." It's a good thing I don't swear so I just abruptly said, "Just be quiet!"
She was right to a certain degree. Once I got the rhythm of the movements it wasn't that hard. Next was the 6th and last exercise for the day. Almost done. The cute little young lady on the screen moved off of her back onto her side and then supported herself sideways with just one hand and the side of one of her feet. She was basically doing a sideways plank only supported by one foot and one hand. This is the best way I can describe it. I was shocked and appalled that she was making me try to get into this position but it was part of my 3 minutes so I had to try it. I tried it. It took me the first 10 second of the exercise to get even close to the right stance. Then Tony said, "Show them the variation." She then went down on one knee. I screamed at the TV, "Show the variation first!! I can actually do the variation!!" I did the variation for the next 20 seconds and was exhausted. I quickly turned it off the second it hit my 3 minutes.
All this just to improved those abs. With my current schedule I will get to do the entire 10 minutes of the DVD sometime over the next 2 weeks. Am I crazy to just do 3 minutes of a DVD? Maybe, but I'm happy with my little steps. My little steps will turn into big steps eventually. For now, I'll take any little progress I can get.
Corinna
"In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it." -Isaiah 2:2
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