intervention needed

Well, something terrible has happened - I don't quite know what it is...well, I know what but not how or why. I've gained EIGHT POUNDS in the last month.

And to that I can only say WTF??!!??!

I have no idea why. The ONLY thing is that my bike was stolen but SURELY, SURELY I could not have been getting THAT much out of my bike rides?

I'm upset and bewildered and kind of panicky. Any encouragement would be gladly accepted right now...

As to details, I haven't changed my diet at all, except in the last week I have gone completely off bread, because I like it too much. Other than that, I am not eating ANY more than I used to.

Encouragement to MOVE!

Hey Everyone,
Today I had an email from Brenda, Susan's sister, who wanted to share what works for her. It gave me the motivation to get moving again because I know that what she said is true, so I asked her if I could post her "nudge" here. She said yes! Here it is:

I bike for 10 k. almost every day and this summer I lost 8 lbs. and I seem to be able to eat anything I want and not gain anything. Maybe what you need is some more aerobic activity? Those hills on my route really make my heart beat faster. I assume that the muscle I have developed in my legs is burning the calories. It's very freeing to not have to worry about what I eat anymore. Once the cold weather hits I plan to put the bike away and take up ice skating at the local arena.

Yes, Brenda, I do need more aerobic activity. Today I intended to take Molson out for a walk in the glorious fall sunshine, but I ended up spending a huge chunk of the day cleaning out our upright freezer and throwing out the fossilized food I found in there! It wasn't exactly aerobic, but I did lots of bending and carrying and stretching.

Small Changes Make a Big Difference

I got tired of the wonky scale in our downstairs bathroom. It had developed digital dementia and registered random weights; sometimes many different ones within a few seconds!

"Enough!" I thought, and caved in and bought a new Weight Watchers one. It was wonderful not to see blinking, rapidly changing, numbers and not to have to weigh several times to be certain of the truth.

The new scale reads one pound less, which made me like it even more, but for the purposes of this blog I will add a pound when I report in.

On Tuesday I was 150.6. It has been a good week even without startling weight loss, because I kept in my mind as a mantra, "Being faced with the same situation you failed in and doing properly this time," only I just thought of it as doing "differently" rather than "properly."

Small changes make a big difference in the long run.

For a guaranteed smile, go to my friend Kim's fitness blog and check out her latest interview with Bonnie Grove, of Saskatchewan. Bonnie's answers are hilarious.
Fit for Faith

"True repentance is being faced with the same situation you failed in, and doing properly the next time. "

I saw this definition on a great blog this morning, and while it wasn't meant in regard to healthy behaviours, I see the application and am encouraged. We keep striving to do better as we face the same situations. I love thinking of it this way. There is so much grace in this definition of repentance, as well as healing.

Still Stopping the Slide

Dear Friends,
It's been a busy three weeks, but the dust is settling and here I am again.

I must confess that the week after I had a bout with a stomach bug and was down to 149.8, I didn't want to confess that once I stopped having the runs as often, I was back up to 152.8. The two weeks since then I have been 151.8, and this week I'm slowly edging down. Maybe next Tuesday I will have something more inspiring to report in terms of weight loss, but the real battle isn't on the scale at all, but in my head.

I was talking to Libby this morning about that; how we seem to hit an invisible barrier that is hard to get beyond. If I really want to get beyond where I am, icecream, high fat cookies, pie and chocolate bars, cannot be part of my every day life and I have to ask myself which I want more, because I can't have both. I do want to shed the 10 pounds that represent icecream, cookies and chocolate. A day every now and then, even once a week, where that rule is broken, won't upset 6 days of a healthier pattern. Can I do it? Do I really want to? Or am I just fooling myself and content to stay as I am.

At this moment at least, I really want to. I can only take it moment by moment and try to make choices that are consistent with my goal, knowing that it will take a lifetime of living this way to stay where I want to be once I get there. So I'm trying. And I'm drinking more water after talking to Libby, who tells me that it really does make a difference.

Shan, I gave up the push ups. How are you doing? I would like to try again; I haven't done a lot of walking either. I do have a new time management plan that I'm working on. This may help with fitting in more exercise more faithfully.

Week Three and Hanging On

Hi Everyone,

Well it has been two weeks and the start of week three for me in this journey. So far I have managed to loose 11.6lbs, which I am really telling you so I can be accountable. I have been down the road of dieting many times before and usually at a 20lb loss, I give up....

Can anyone here tell me why it is when people start to notice the weight loss and compliment me that I give up....
Do any of you have that same phenonmenon. It is like I just start to feel good and then poof I quit... Just doesn't make any sense to me.

So this time as I am getting rid of layers of myself, I am going to try to change the self talk into the positive stuff. I can do this. I don't need to quit at 20 lbs. Even if it is tough which it will be I can still carry on one day at a time.

I am glad to be a part of this blog group as an extra support as I go for better health.

I found a neat recipe on one of the blogs linked to this. They were talking about egg muffins. This is really quiche without the crust made in those silicone muffin cups. I tried it out. Works really good, handy to have ahead for breakfasts. You can freeze them too. It is a southbeach diet recipe.

If you have any favorite healthy recipes or ideas please pass along. I would appreiate fresh ideas.

Have a great week.

Shan and Belinda how are those arms now? Feeling the benefits? I applaud you on....

Jelly Arms

Thanks Shan! My arms feel like jelly and my upper chest as if someone punched me all over. :)

Today when no one was around at work I got down in on the ground in the hallway and tried for my next set of pushups. I'm so glad nobody suddenly came down the stairs, they might have started CPR. :)

I got no further than the first set of cheating pushups. I could hardly use my arms to push myself off the ground! I'm not giving up though, this is good pain.

Miracles, and Freakin' Sore Armpits

I did the first day of the 100 pushup challenge today. O.U.C.H. I didn't expect it to be that hard. I did 20 on the initial test, so I saw the instructions for the first day and thought "Tchuh! 10, then 10, then 8 then 6?! That's going to be a cakewalk!"

Um, it wasn't a cakewalk. It was bloody difficult, and I can tell you right now I will be amazed if I can EVER do 100 consecutive pushups. BUT I WILL SOLDIER ON. No quitting for me. I'm taking tomorrow off then I'm doing it all again on Friday. I think I may do Day One again because I had to do the last two pushups of the third set (the set of 8) on my knees. But I managed 10 for the last, maximum-rep set, anyway.

And now for something really extraordinary: I got an email from a reader yesterday. This woman reads my blog but doesn't comment, and lives in Chicago. The email is as follows:

When I first read about the theft of your bike, I thought, "Hey, I wonder
if she'd like Sam's old bike." Then I dropped it, because, well, because. I have a nice quality mountain/hybrid bike in my basement, about 3 years old. It is sturdy and well-made.... Contingent upon not-outlandish shipping costs, would you like it?

And that, my friends, is what is known as "God closing a door and opening a window".

It's an Ill Wind that Blows No Good

I friends; it's me checking in.

This morning I was down to 149.8. This is largely due to an stomach bug that I have been battling for the past 11 days. Not pleasant, but it had its points! :)

Shan, I was so busy today that I did not start the push up challenge, but tomorrow I definitely will!

At the worst of my upset stomach, I was eating only to keep body and soul together. I realized after I started to feel a bit better, that I had stopped the constant grazing that I am prone to do!

Maybe I should try chewing gum!

If I can keep off what I lost and maintain the momentum that will be awesome. And on with the push ups!

Shan, I'm praying about that bike too, that you'll get it back. I know that humanly speaking that's next to impossible.

Thinking about getting rid of something.....

Monday September 8th, 2008

Hi fellow bloggers, I have officially joined with you on this quest for better health. I have commented occasionaly on the blog, but am now making this official. Hi, I am Libby, which was a nickname from childhood. I am not much of a writer, but if I get inspired by an idea or something I've heard that I feel coud be useful I will pass it along.

I started last week with my resolve to loose weight. I have a lot of it to loose. Every step is a step closer than the day before. I joined Weight Watcher's on tuesday last week and have been packing lunches since then. I lack in discipline in that area. This week all is wel though I have managed to pack my lunch and yes actually eat it too. Do any of you have that problem?

After talking with a friend this weekend, I was inspired by something she shared about weight loss. SHe heard someone say : I am not loosing weight anymore, I am getting rid of it. When you loose something you always end up trying to find it.

So out with the idea of loosing and in with the gettting rid of the extra pounds. Ah ha, a lightbulb went off for me. I am going to get rid of as much of me as I can. And to top it off, I can also clean house on the inside. For example which parts of me do I want to keep. What parts of my character would I also like to get rid of in the process and what are the qualities htat I want to keep. For me this is an exciting new way of looking at my situation.

May you all have a good week, and thank you all for your inspiration to me thus far.

Libby