61 lbs down

This week, I didn't weigh as much as I usually do because I've sort of reached my goal (although staying totally "legal" on Weight Watchers and intending to do so for the rest of my life because I do not want to regain the weight).

The weight was 206 - loss of 1/2 lb which is much more what I'd like to lose each week (more healthy to lose more slowly). Last week, did not deplete my flex points and since WW is no longer minusing exercise points - well only AFTER flex points were depleted, I had a "light eating week". Things are getting busy now and sometimes just don't have time to eat a lot during the day so grab a balance bar and a milk and call it "lunch". :)

I did have fun holding my great granddaughter (who is ADORABLE!) though. (photo) Life isn't all about dieting! :)

my all time low!!

As of this morning, I weighed 206.5 which is my all time low. I stood there and stared at the number for a while. It looked BEAUTIFUL. Because I have now taken off the 60 lbs I gained after I stopped attending Weight Watcher meetings in the end of 2004 and I am actually at an all time low in 25 years.... This time I'm not quittin' - staying with Weight Watchers on line and I hope to keep going with my weight loss!

Hit minor Nirvana

This week I weighed 208 three times so can take that to the bank, I think. And that is only ONE POUND from my lowest in 2004.

Now, ideally to keep going and get under 200 would be nice! :)

Slowly....

Last week with the stress of the election (which is OVER [for better or for worse] THANK HEAVENS) I got ill on Friday and couldn't eat. And Saturday I weighed 209 which is only 2 lbs from the magic 207 that I was in 2004. However, after Saturday and Sunday when I ate normally (my right amount of points) I was back up to 211. Well, that's only 4 lbs from the magic number but it's going slowly.

And even with days off from exercise (2 last week) my hamstring injury doesn't seem to be much better.

Can stress interfere with weight loss? :)

Onward and upward...

slowly slowly....

Well, after a several week plateau, I weighed 213.5 this morning (usual weigh-in time) and 212.5 at 4 pm. So which should I count? I am either 6.5 lbs or 5.5 lbs away from the magic (and ellusive) 207 and when I go down to the "0's" I will have to drop 2 points from my daily intake which shouldn't be a big problem.... (you drop 2 points every time you change the left 2 numbers).

Today was a no exercise day - I am taking 1 day off a week because I find it's helpful for healing my ligament injury and also, my muscles like it better. I guess I can live with that although I DO like working out every day. And I very much miss my walking program - I've always been a walker type person. But still working out, doing no impact or low impact stuff. Have temporarily dropped aerobic dancing for a few weeks until my injury heals more but will probably take that up again, at least in the New Year.

As of....now....

I'm down to 217.5 as of this morning. That is exactly 10 lbs higher than my absolute lowest weight on Weight Watchers in 2004.

Got into my size 18 jeans last weekend. Never thought I would be there. It's a strange feeling especially when it is taking so long to lose the weight. The photo to the left (the after) is me in the 18 jeans. I even have some sitting room (I don't like tight jeans - comfort is king) :)

On the bad side, I realize that my current rather nasty knee/hamstring injury (which I aggravated yesterday by walking for 7 minutes... ** Sigh **) is because I was feeling a lot lighter on my feet and started jumping around like I did when I was in my 50's forgetting that there is a lot of difference between the age of 64 and anything below 60.

If this ever heals (and ANYTHING AT MY AGE heals slowly) then I think I will feel a lot lighter on my feet. And hopefully won't be so doggoned stupid next time.

I am still continuing the daily workout of course. But just making it low impact except when I decide to do something stupid.

August

Somehow I managed to trim off 6 lbs since I last wrote this blog... not sure how. But I'm weighing 220 now and that's only 13 more than my lowest weight after Weight Watchers. I never really thought I'd get to this point and glad to be here.

Also I started B12 sublingual tabs and have noticed a definite improvement in muscle pain and fatigue etc. I take one a day. I've known I've had a B12 deficiency for a long time but push came to shove when I started to experience the symptoms of neuropathy... time to stop fooling around I said so here I am. I've only been on it for a week but I'm expecting an improvement of my gum problems. I hope.

Anyway, 6 lbs is the most I've lost in a month. And if I lose 6 lbs this month ... but won't hope for that. I'll be happy for 3 lbs.

1400 calories is the magic number. At that amount, I get NO gerd and wow is it a relief. Acid reflux symptoms get so old. I've had GERD all my life but of course, it, like everything else, gets worse with age.

Another pound down and musings

Weight: 226 as of yesterday morning! Also I measured and found that my waist was 2 inches smaller than it was at my lowest weight on Weight Watchers (which is still about 16 lbs from where I am now)!

I am attributing this to the aerobics videos I'm doing. There is a lot of waist work included in all those videos i.e. the leg lifts etc. I've been doing 2 or 3 a week and then, the other days, I do biking or the Healthrider or the Gazelle Freestyle.

Yesterday I took a bike ride - it was really hot out and I was only going to stay out for 20 minutes but ended up with a 35 minute ride because I was having fun, even in the heat! :) The photo is from the place I rode around in, a large park!

So anyway, when I saw the photo I put up in the last blog, I realized I really HAVE lost weight. It's been so slow that I still feel like I look the same as I did 41 lbs ago. But the photo jolted me to reality (but a nice reality!).

I actually have not used a few photos of me because I thought that somehow the angle made me look "deceptively slim" but I am beginning to realize that I really LOOK like that and that I really weigh 226 and NOT 267!

Onward and upward...well... downward... weight-wise anyway :)

Another pound down

Weighed in Thursday at 227 and have been consistantly weighing that since. That makes in an even 40 lbs that I lost. Somehow that feels like a milestone.

I also can wear my smaller panties which are more comfy than the larger ones. But I almost am afraid to start wearing them. It hasn't sunk in that I've lost so much weight!

Thursday, GG took a photo of my worst view... my rear and it looked pretty good. I made a comparison photo of Thursday's photo next to a photo taken in February 2007 when I was just starting my program. It is the photo to the left!

Today's exercise was a 41 minute bicycle ride in the heat... was 109 out but we had fun anyway! :)

I'm finally down to 228. I know - 1 lb big deal. But I'll take it. That makes 39 lbs in all so one more pound and I'll hit an even 40.

Still sore. Trying to do aerobics twice a week to combat sarcopenia (muscle wasting in the aged). I am walking around with constant sore syndrome. Well, some of it is probably from arthritis.

Not much to report except I am now 20 lbs away from the magic place where I was after Weight Watchers the last time and 13 lbs away from a really good weight.

And sometimes it seems like 50! :\

My workout program looks something like this:
Biking 1-3 days a week, walking twice or three times a week, 20 - 30 minutes a time, gazelle freestyle once a week - 50 minutes and I work my upper body here also, trikke, 1-2 times a week, 20-30 minutes per time (three wheeled cambering vehicle) and aerobic dancing ala Richard Simmons or Jane Fonda (mostly Simmons), 2-3 times a week and Healthrider, once a week, 40 minutes. Thinking of adding Richard Simmons "Sweat and Tone".

I've been working out for 14 years by the way. But one has to shake things up every so often. During 2005, I opted for a few more points a day and easier workouts and that probably caused the weight gain. Now with sarcopenia hitting with a savage vengeance, I HAVE to cross train.

Onward and upward...

first post - introduction

This blog will be about my on going battle with my weight. Briefly, in Jan 2007 I weighed 267 (after regaining 60 lbs from my low weight while in Weight Watchers). I cut 200 calories off my daily intake and lost slowly. In July I started a walking program i.e. added it to my already existent workout program which has been going on for 14 years. I have worked out daily since Aug 1, 1994. But in the last few years, I have succumbed to the easier workouts. Workout machines inside, a delightful HPV called a "trikke" and more. And I was losing my ability to walk for any distance. You see I am 63 years old and am suffering sarcopenia or the muscle wasting of the aged and unlike men, I have no nice testosterone floating around in my blood so basically if I don't move all my muscles twice a week and throw a couple of walks in there, I hurt a lot. I started walking several times a week last July (2007) and by November could walk some kind of distance (at least comfortably in the food store etc) and didn't hurt so much as I did for the first few months of my walking program. Raising the level of fitness at my age is very very hard.

In February 2008, I ended up lowering my daily intake to 1600 calories. And in March, I started doing aerobics tapes twice a week. Now THOSE are hard. I sweat like a pig, I have to pay close attention and they are just hard. But my back pain has already reduced greatly since I've been doing these.

So now I have gotten a low weight of 229 but of course, today on the last day when I weighed it was 230. I would love to get down to 207 or so - that's a nice weight for me although being in "one-der-land" would even be better.

Why I started a blog is so I could write about my frustration with this. It's SO slow. Like in June 2008, IF I really weigh 229 then I've lost only 2 lbs. Yet I know the slow way is the healthiest way and the best chance of keeping it off (IF I continue to journal my food every day and of course, keep up the most intense workouts).

I guess I started this NOW because I'm in the plateau from heck and maybe that IS The time I should be writing.

One more thing about me. I do not eat fast food or junk food. I am on a low fat diet (the old Susan Powter program - nothing below 20 percent fat) which is also supposed to be good for my arteries and heart. I have been low fat since 1996 or so and have not had fast food since then either.

If anyone is reading this, thanks for reading and more later! :)