Brusters, Swimming and Challenges

BRUSTERS:

Last night I skipped boot camp to attend my daughter's pre-school "scoop night" fundraiser at Bruster's Ice Cream.  If you've never had Brusters before, it's just sinful!!  To tell you the truth, I had a double scoop of ice cream on a waffle cone!!  Double Chocolate Chunk and Butter Brick...can you say "TO DIE FOR!!" OMGoodness, it was yummy.  I also didn't feel guilty about it, either. It was a good time with my family and their friends.  

I know that weight loss is about a life style change.  One ice cream cone is not going to derail me.  If I had that every night, then we'd be talking trouble.  So, celebration for me...I didn't feel bad about treating myself!!

SWIMMING:

On Tuesday night I took the little kids to the pool that The Photographer life guards at.  It was really nice because NO ONE was there!!  I've been trying to get the Lego Warrior to swim so I decided to show him some of my moves.  Now, let me be perfectly clear...I have not really swam in YEARS.  I swam the width of the pool and it felt good.  The Photographer told me to try the length. To my surprise, I made it all the way down!  After a short rest, I was able to swim back.  My legs felt like jello, but I was thrilled that I had done it.  I decided to try it again; this time the breast stroke.  It was a lot slower and I had to stop once, but I did it!  I swam 100 meters!!  I did it again with the back stroke to make it a total of 150 meters!!  I was so excited.  I've been thinking of that swim a lot.  I'd like to do it again.  I used to love to swim. I took swimming lessons at the YMCA as a kid and had made it up to the furthest level before swim team.  I had considered doing swim team, but I was already involved in so many other things we couldn't fit it in.  I think I'm going to call around and see if I can get some swim lessons, to improve my strokes.  It was a GREAT work out!!  I'll keep you posted.

CHALLENGES:

Trying to stick to the theme of "Forty by Forty", I have decided to give myself some forty day challenges.  My first challenge is to do 500 jump ropes a day.  We do a lot of jump ropes at Bella Fitness.  I've gotten pretty good at them, too.  They are a quick way to burn a lot of calories.  I started on Monday, June 21, so this challenge will go until August 30.  Who’s with me? 

I’m nearing weigh-in day, and the preliminary numbers look pretty good.  I know I shouldn't, but I weigh myself every morning.  I only record it once a week, though!!

Thanks for your continued support…until next time!!

Slippery Slope

Today I started down a very slippery slope.  I find myself on this slope about every 2 -3 weeks into my weight loss journey.  I do really well and then after a nice loss I start fudging (no pun attended)!  I've actually lost 3.5 pounds in the past 2 weeks, so I tell myself, I can allow some wiggle room in my regimen. A bite here, a taste there, a donut or a handful (or 2 or 10) of animal crackers...NO BIGGIE!!

And so it started today...like clockwork.

It started out like a normal day.  I measured my cereal and milk.  I took the Lego Warrior and the Princess to Michael's for a craft class with a friend and then we went to Stevie B's for lunch.  I actually did pretty good there (I thought!) I had 2 slices of pizza and then a nice big salad.  Then we headed home.  After a while I started thinking, "Hmmmm, I'm hungry!" I walk into the pantry (mistake #1) and what do I see?

So, I take one handful...I mean one handful can't kill me....or COULD IT?!?!?!  One handful leads to LOTS-MORE-HANDFULS!!!  After 10 or so handfuls, I walk away from the big tub of animal crackers.  By now, though, the slope has become VERY SLIPPERY!!  Around 4 o'clock we head to the grocery store.  I'm already feeling guilty about the animal crackers, which is not a good start, it's almost dinner time, so I'm hungry, and I'm just altogether feeling crappy about my crappy decisions.  So...we make it the last aisle (I've already walked past the double stuff Oreos that are BOGO...TWICE!! (insert small victory dance here)) Then I see it...like a beacon in the night...the Krispy Kreme Donut stand.  Usually, I'm pretty good about walking past that...but not today.  My brain is saying, "You've already messed up today, what's one more thing?"  Guess what I come home with?

Not one, BUT TWO bags of donuts!! :-( Ugh..

There is a happy ending, however.  After returning from the grocery store and eating a few donuts (and by a few I mean 4 or 5) and a few (2 or 3) more handfuls of animal crackers I had just about convinced myself that the slope was too steep to overcome, so I should just gorge myself with whatever I could find.  Then, in walks the Hubby.  He sees that I haven't started dinner yet and I'm sure eyes the bags of donuts on the counter.  He asks if I'm planning on going to boot camp tonight.  My first thought is, "NO...can't you see I'm wallowing in my own self pity? I've screwed up today...the rest of the day is a loss...no coming back from this!"  However, somewhere deep inside a tiny voice says, "YES...you can go to boot camp and undo some of what you've done today...you can do it and you will!!"

And so I went...and I kicked BOOTY!!  I know I can't undo all of my bad decisions today...but that one decision to go to boot camp has re-energized me!  I feel much better about myself, now.  Again, small victories.  So, I'm celebrating that I went to boot camp tonight!!  I also came home from the grocery store with LOTs of fruits and vegetables and good-for-me food, too.  Another victory.  And, can I hear an "AMEN" for NOT coming home with BOGO Oreos?

Weigh In Day

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." (Chinese proverb)

Forty pounds is a long journey, so while I keep one eye on the final destination, the other eye needs be looking at something a little bit closer and celebrate those single steps.  Celebrations can be for anything - they all add up.  For instance, this morning I woke up on this rainy Saturday morning and weighed in at my local Weight Watchers and then attended boot camp at Bella Fitness. YAY ME!!!

I said in my last post that I will be as honest as possible on this blog.  So, every Saturday morning I'll update you all on my weight-loss (hopefully!).  But, we have to start somewhere.  You need to know how much I weigh.  I've thought about just putting the weight loss amount on here, but then I thought...I need to be more honest with myself.

So, today I weighed in at 197.4.  That is the starting weight.  So, by April 16, 2015 I'd like to be 157.4 lbs.
Phew...that wasn't so hard.  Now you all know!! My final goal weight is 150 lbs.

Ok, so I've mentioned two tools that are helping me on my journey, weight watchers and boot camp.  I have a couple other tools that will be helping me too.  I will be using My Fitness Pal app on my phone, but there is also a website you can use.  You can request me as a friend (look for dpeltier75) and you can see my food diary and share yours with me.  It's very easy to use.  I actually like it better than my weight watchers app.

I have also started using RunKeeper app on my phone as well.  I use the free version.  You can also request me as a friend on there and we can share our work outs.  It's pretty user friendly.  You can purchase an upgrade and it does more stuff, but I'm happy with the free stuff!

I can no celebrate something else.  I put my weight on the internet!  Now to keep working.  I know what I have to do: Eat Clean and work out.  That's easier said than done!

Comments/Suggestions?  Anyone else with me?  Leave me a comment!

Forty by Forty

In exactly 9 months from today (that's 242 days, 5, 808 minutes, 348,480 seconds) I'm going to be forty!

F-O-R-T-Y!!!!  How did this happen?  I still remember turning 13, 16, 21 and 30 years old - weren't those birthdays just yesterday?  

I'll be the first to admit that staring down 40 in the eye is very disheartening for me.  I remember when I turned 30.  I was so excited, I finally felt like I had grown into just the right age to match all the events that had happened in my life.  By the time I was 30 I had (in order of appearance): gone off to college, had a daughter, graduated from college (B.S. in math ed), gotten married, bought my first house, had a son, got my first teaching job, graduated from college (M.Ed. in math ed), gotten a divorce - hell, that was all by 25!! After the divorce, I moved back home, got my 2nd teaching job, bought my 2nd house, became re-acquainted with a friend from high school who later became my husband, got my 3rd teaching job and got married.  Yep, by the time I turned 30 I felt like I finally "fit into" my life.  

None of this is to say that the last 10 years have been bad.  I've had many wonderful things happen to me in my 30's.  I gave birth to two more wonderful children, I learned what a true love and romance is really supposed to be, I've watched all 4 of my children grow into their own sweet (and sometimes not-so-sweet) personalities, I've seen my daughter graduate from high school and I have a very fulfilling and challenging job. 

I'M JUST NOT READY TO BE 40!! 

So, this brings me to the entire purpose of this blog.  It's all in the name!!  Forty by Forty.  As I stare 40 in the face I realize there are things that I feel that I need to accomplish BEFORE I reach the BIG 4 - 0!  This blog is going to track my journey.  The biggest journey that it will follow is my goal to loose 40 lbs by the time I turn 40.  I plan to post all of my triumphs and struggles here.  I will be as honest as possible.  Who knows, maybe this will help someone else on their journey.  

So, there it is.  I'm turning 40 and I want to loose AT LEAST 40 lbs by April 16th, 2015.  I've put it out in the blogging world!!  Now, it's time to get to work!!