Another Motivator

One more reason that I have made the decision to try and get healthy is the fact that my blood pressure is gotten very high. My cat bit me a couple of weeks ago and I went to a walk in clinic to have it looked at and to see if I needed and antibiotic or anything since it was red and swollen. My blood pressure was so high that they would not treat me and I was advised to go straight to the E.R. Kip and I had already been talking about making changes and we had actually started a couple of days before that, but I hadn't seen any weight loss yet. (BTW, I am under the care of my regular doctor.)

What a slap in the face. Not that they wouldn't treat me, but that I had allowed me health to get so far away from me. But like I said, we had already discussed making changes and had already started putting them into place. Today, it hit home even harder when I got a phone call from my Mother. She was at the hospital with her younger brother. He had a stroke. His blood pressure, according to my mom, was sky high. He is stable, and they are thinking it was a mild one. He was in a room waiting to see a neurologist. What a reminder of where I could be if I don't keep up with the changes and do get healthy. So if you are the praying type, please keep my uncle in your prayers. 

I went to the grocery store today. Of course I sat down first and planned our meals for the week and then made my grocery list from there. Lost of fresh fruits and veggies on that list! So it is harder to make coupons work for us. It is getting a little easier to cut costs eating healthy since I am making out meal plans and I am trying to incorporate the fruits and veggies that are in season. Of course I do find it easier this time of year since I do enjoy fresh veggies, you know when tomatoes actually taste like tomatoes! 

Weekly Weigh In

Oops, I forgot to write down what I lost last week! I do know that I have lost a total of 7.6 pounds so far. I keep up with my weigh loss, goals and everything using an app on my phone. I love it, it does almost every single thing I want it too. The only thing is does now do is tell my how much I lost since the last weigh in, it only gives me how much I have lost since I started. Not a big deal and watching that number grow is nice. Once I put in the new weight it replaces the last one and if I forget to look then I don 't have a weekly total. I am happy with that number.

One thing this app also does is let me record my food intake each day. And I have been good at logging all the food that I eat. I can see what I am eating and keep a running calorie count. It keeps the guesswork out of it for me and I think helps me stay on track.

We did pretty good this weekend, even with the traveling. I packed a healthy picnic lunch and we stopped at a rest area and had a picnic on the tables there. The weather was perfect for it too and we felt better knowing we did not spend money on fast food or waste the calories eating foods with no nutritional value. Thanks for the encouraging emails and comments I have gotten.

A Challenging Weekend

I hate that I am going to be out of town for the next two weekends and then the weekend I get back I have a birthday party. If I had a choice, I would have been on my healthy eating plan a little longer before spending two days completely out of my routine. I am packing healthy snacks and some yogurt and fruit for breakfast tomorrow. We are also packing a picnic lunch for this afternoon. Hopefully by planning some I not blow it too bad. Weigh in Day on Monday. My parents are notorious for eating out for almost every meal and they know all my favorite spots. By heading out this morning instead of last night we will miss my favorite breakfast place, and that was another piece of planning. 

I am thinking about taking pictures of myself and posting to chronicle my weight loss. Haven't decided yet though. Have a great weekend!

Still at it!

Well I am still following my healthy eating plan. I went to the grocery store on Sunday evening and got all the food for this week. I prepped as much as possible. That has made it very easy to stick with the healthy foods. As of this morning, I have lost 8.2 pounds. I am starting to notice the slightest difference in the butt of my pants. Once again, planning has come to the rescue!

Some success---finally

I had gotten so far off my healthy eating plan and got to the highest point my weight has ever gotten to before. After steeping off the scales that morning two weeks ago, I felt so bad about myself, so defeated that I had gotten and overwhelmed with how much weight I needed to lose. Later though, I realized that I could make the decision to continue on the path I am on and keep gaining weight or I could make some changes. So the first week I started cutting back on portion sizes and paying attention to what and when I was eating. I lost 2 pounds that week. This past week, I went to the store, bought mostly fresh vegetables and fruits. When I got home, I went ahead and portioned all the food into containers. I also sat down and planned my meals. This week, I lost 4.5 pounds. 

What frustrates me the most is that when I eat healthy, I feel better. So much better that you would think that I would want to keep doing it. I like healthy foods too, I love vegetables of all kinds. The difference in my energy level when I eat healthy is amazingly different. When I exercise, I also notice a difference in my pain level and the fact that I can go a little longer before having to stop. So I feel better when I eat healthy and exercise. But I still grab junk food. It's crazy, I know.