Weigh in {Crystal}

Starting weight: 245.6
Last weeks weight: 237.8
Current weight: 236.8
Gain/loss: -1.0
Total gain/loss: -8.8
Pounds to 10%: 16.2
Pounds to short term goal: 37.8
Pounds to long term goal: 76.8
At least I have the scale going the right way!  Let's hope I can keep this momentum going!  I'd like to be under 200 by the end of the year...oh to be in onederland (under 200)!!!
~Crystal

Inspiration

I've been obsessed with Pinterest lately and I've been "pinning" all kinds of motivational sayings and pictures.  I thought I'd share a few today to help inspire others.

These are just a few things to help keep me motivated.  I need to post these up somewhere!

~Crystal

Baby weight

Today is my daughter's 8th birthday.  Which led me to ponder this thought.....

HOW LONG CAN YOU BLAME YOUR EXCESS FAT ON BABY WEIGHT????

Just a thought to ponder....
~Crystal

Getting called out

Two posts in one day! Crazy!

I had to blog this though!

My husband is the most supportive, loving, kind, patient, the list goes on and on. He never says anything bad about me or my weight loss journey. Tonight he called me out though. I was looking in the mirror as we were getting ready for church and I looked at my stomach and told him that I needed to get rid of the fat.  I told him I've gained almost all my weight back and he told me that's what happens when you quit exercising. I said that's what happens when you stop keep track of what you eat too.

Now before you get a bad impression of him, I'll just say this and I don't know if I have ever said this or not...HE IS RIGHT!!! I've let myself go this past month and have almost put back on what it took me 6 months to lose.  He was right to call me out, I was just shocked that he did it.  He has NEVER EVER said anything to me when I've complained about my weight or my struggles with my weight.  I'm actually kind of glad he did, because it snapped me back to reality.

So, here's to getting called out!
~Crystal

Can't to Can

I remember as a child if I ever said the word "can't" my mom would scold me by saying, "Can't never did anything." This always stuck with me my whole life, but that didn't keep me from saying the word can't.

I can't lose weight...
I can't exercise...
I can't stay on top of tracking my food...
I can't workout that long...
I can't ride my bike that far...
I can't run that far...
I can't walk that far...
I can't

I may not be 100% back on track with everything, but yesterday I turned my can't into can. I rode my bike on Monday 5.45 miles and yesterday my friend asked me to ride with her. I was only hoping to ride one mile more than that. I started out a little sore from the day before and hoped I would loosen up as I went. I knew I couldn't go much farther than I did the day before. I actually pushed hard and we were making good time and had went farther that I ever thought I would have been able to. As we were near my house my friend went to turn and I told her to keep going. I ended up going 10.64 miles! I didn't think I could go that far! It's amazing what you can do when you stop saying you can't!
~Crystal

Hope's Weigh In

I attended a Weight Watchers meeting again yesterday.  I didn't track any of my food last week, but made better decisions.  I lost 3.2 pounds, which brings my weight to 189.  My goal is to weigh 150, so I have 39 pounds to go.  I would like to reach that goal by February 16...one year to the day that we started the blog.  It would be nice to meet that goal by Christmas, but February would be nice too.  There are about 4 months until Christmas and about 6 months until February.  If I can average 2 pounds a week, I will get there by Christmas!
Not only did I attend a meeting, but Crystal and I walked a 5K last night!  We can tell that neither one of us has held up with our exercising, but we got moving last night.  It was tempting to wrap it up after 2 miles, but we did the full 5K.  I was a hot, sweaty mess, but sometimes that feels sooo good.  As much as I hate to sweat, it makes me feel as though I've accomplished something.  I know it's ridiculous, but I actually feel skinnier after walking or jogging, even if it's just for one night. 
I don't think that I will be able to attend the WW meeting next week, but I will still weigh in.  That way, I will have an accurate post on my weight.  Here's to hoping that I'll weigh less than I do now!

Trying to get back on track

Okay, so after a total epic fail the last few weeks at the scale and some bad decisions on my part I'm trying to get back on track.  Last night Hope and I walked a 5K (3.1 miles) and this morning I was getting ready to ride my bike and got a text from my friend Cindy asking if I wanted to ride my bike with her.  I rode 4.9 miles (almost got ran over!!) and I don't think I would have rode that far if she wouldn't have been there pushing me.

I do have to admit that I was complaining a lot last night and today.  Last night I ate before we walked...bad idea!  I thought I was going to lose my dinner.  Today my big fat legs just don't seem to want to go up hills that well. 

One thing that I realized today is that I can't keep up with those that are much smaller than I am.  I do what I can do and I do push myself, but I have to realize I have over 40 pounds more than Hope, I have over 80 pounds more than Cindy.  People it takes a lot to get all this weight in motion!!  But I'm not going to give up and let my weight keep me down.  The only way I'm going to get it off is to keep moving...even if it does take extra effort to get 237+ lbs in motion. 

I'm even going to try to incorporate a plank a day into my routine. 

If you haven't seen this you need to check it out.  It's a good core strengthening exercise and I need to tighten up that inner tube around my waist!!  Hopefully I can do this for 1 minute every day!

So, that is the plan.  Basically starting over, but got to move forward and not look at the mistakes I've made and keep dwelling on them!
~Crystal

The horrible bad weigh-in day

Starting weight: 245.6
Last weeks weight: 233.2
Current weight: 237.8
Gain/loss: +4.6
Total gain/loss: -7.8
Pounds to 10%: 17.2
Pounds to short term goal: 38.8
Pounds to long term goal: 77.8

I know! That is a total gain of 6.6 lbs for the last 2 weigh-ins!

I can tell why I gained this week, but wouldn't have guesses it would have been that bad. My hormones are all out of whack this week causing me to eat everything in sight! Sweet or salty it didn't matter. If it wasn't nailed down I ate it! I think I need to post that picture of My WW leader in every cabinet, in the fridge and in the freezer, everywhere there is food I need her staring back at me keeping me from making bad decisions. Not to say that's going to work 100% of the time, but it would be pretty effective.

I've said it before, but this time I truly need to buckle down, track my food, exercise, get my good health guidelines in and start taking better care of myself. I've really let myself go this summer! I know what I need to do, I just need to do it!!
~Crystal

Do not skip weigh-ins, Do not skip weigh-ins, Do not skip weigh-ins!!!

I need to write this 100 times, like they did on Little House on the Prairie!!
Do not skip weigh-ins
Do not skip weigh-ins
Do not skip weigh-ins
etc.....

By skipping weigh-ins I think, "Oh, it didn't happen!"  Well guess what...it did!!! 

Weighed in this week and it wasn't good!!

Starting weight: 245.6
Last weeks weight (actually 2 weeks ago):  231.2
Current weight: 233.2
Gain/loss: +2.0
Total gain/loss:  -12.4
Pounds to 10%:  12.6
Pounds to short term goal:  34.2
Pounds to long term goal:  73.2

Every week I go down, then I go up in weight.  Nothing consistent, just back and forth.  I feel like I'm on a weight loss see saw!!

Got to get back on track!!
~Crystal

In the Ring...

Introducing:

In corner 1...

 from the outskirts of Terre Haute, IN...

weighing in at 192.2 lbs...

Hope, "THE MUFFIN TOP", Massey

Opponent:

Lurking around every corner...

Obesity

Join Hope as she knocks out obesity with a left hook to Diet Coke, a right hook to carbs, and a 1-2 punch to sweets!

So, I finally joined Weight Watchers today and attended an actual meeting.  Much to my horror, I found out that my scale is a little off, and I weigh more than I thought I did!  School starts for my kids on Tuesday, so I hope to resume a somewhat scheduled life with more discipline.  (I kind of went hog wild for the summer, which I don't recommend doing.)  Well, the summer's over, so here's to moving down a weight class or two!

~Hope

Hope's Weigh In

Oh my!  I don't think that I have weighed in for three months!  I have been dreading getting on the scale for two reasons:

1. I haven't been active at all!
2. I have been baking and eating whatever I want, whenever I want!

Let's just say that the summer has not been good to me in regards to exercising and eating right.  June was so rainy that it was hard to get out and do anything, and then July was so hot that I hated to even venture out to the mailbox!

The kids start back to school in a week, so I will be going full force once again.  I weighed myself today to see what the damage was, and was surprised to find that I have only gained 5 pounds in the last 3 months.  I feel as though I have gained about 20!  I plan on going to a Weight Watchers meeting on Thursday, and also possibly joining a gym.  It's so hard, with four kids, to find time to do anything, but I am going to try.  There is an Anytime Fitness here in town, so that should help.  I can schedule time at the gym around my husband's busy schedule. 

I would like to say that it's time to saddle up and put my big girl britches on, but I'm actually trying to rid my life of those!  Anyhoo, I'll check back in soon with some progress (I hope!).

Current weight:  186.6

Green Smoothie

The thought of a "green" smoothie doesn't sound to good does it, but it is.

Elizabeth, my WW leader, had this recipe to make a green smoothie.  It had yogurt in it, but I don't care at all for yogurt.  I substituted a WW Vanilla Smoothie Packet (2 PP) for the yogurt. 

I know I need a new blender!  I've had it since we got married, 13 years! 

So, here's the recipe that I use:
1 WW Vanilla Smoothie packet
1 cup of water (+ a little more if it won't mix up well)
2 cups of berries (I use strawberries, raspberries and blueberries)
1/2 banana
3-4 cups of spinach
Little ice
I also add my 2 tsp of healthy oil in my smoothie (olive oil).  You can't taste it and if you wouldn't get it in any other way it is great to do it this way.

I can give you a tip that works for me, I freeze all the fruit and the spinach so that it keeps the smoothie cold and icy.  Also, don't be worried after it turns from a purplish color to brown.  It's from the berries and the spinach mixing colors together.

Here is the breakdown of the smoothie:
3 cups of spinach = 3 servings of veggies = 0 PP
2 cups of berries = 4 serving of fruit = 0 PP
1/2 banana = 1 serving of fruit = 0 PP
2 tsp olive oil = 2 PP
WW Vanilla Smoothie packet = 2 PP
4 total PP

YUMMY!!!!!

~Crystal

Snack idea

I have been having a problem with late night munching.  It seems that I gravitate towards chips and salty things.  So, when I was at the store I picked up something that I thought might help with that. 

30 of these = 3 PP

That seems like a pretty good snack to me and I love the saltiness of these.  I hope to replace my late night chip habit with these.  I just have to make sure I'm drinking enough water to flush out the salt.
~Crystal