valerie

I’m going to try something new.   Every morning before I head to the bathroom to begin my routine, I’m going to think of myself on the beach in a bathing suit and imagine the “before me” the “current me” and the “future me”.   Compare in my mind the differences between those images and use that as motivation during the day.   When temptation strikes to skip the workout or eat the food I don’t need - I’ll think of that.  

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Bathing suits come in all different styles, colors, some designed to enhance the bust, slim the hips, tuck the tummy, lift the ass, yadda yadda yadda but the truth is….. you really can’t hide your size in a bathing suit.   Instead of fearing the bathing suit - use it to motivate you to get to a size where you can walk onto a beach or just into your back yard with confidence.   Not to strive for perfection but to be comfortable with your own body.

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—Valerie

Hey buds…the past few weeks have been so bad for me that I am literally afraid to weigh myself.  I won’t bore everyone with the details except to say that along with many other things that were not on track for me, neither was my program.  

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On a positive note, I did continue my exercise not just because of the program but because it is a stress reliever and I was in major need of stress relief.  I don’t know at this point how much weight I’ve gained (if any) from eating whatever was there to eat but I would expect maybe 2 pounds.   Not going to let it get me down.  No matter what I’m going to weigh on Monday the 18th and update my ticker (if I have to move the ticker back up it will not make me happy but I have to be honest).

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Hope everyone is doing well.   I’ve missed you guys!

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—Valerie

Thanks to everyone for the suggestion to my previous blog regarding tummy flab and my new dress.   I went out yesterday and bought a slip that has tummy control built in and it does help a lot.   My tummy isn’t exactly flat with it on but it does help with the way the dress fits me and I don’t have to suck my gut in to be comfortable with the way I look in it.  

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I’m glad it is Friday but with all the things I have going on this weekend, I won’t really be able to relax — but that’s ok.  I am looking forward to my Monday morning weigh-in and I hope that I see at least a 1/2 pound loss.  I do feel positive about it.

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I hope everyone is doing well and making lots of healthy choices

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—Valerie

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One of my best gal friends is getting married on the 26th to one of my best guy friends.  At the wedding I really want to look nice.

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I bought a dress over the weekend that looks great on me IF I keep my tummy sucked in - otherwise it’s fine from behind and everywhere except the tummy but I can’t keep my tummy sucked into my spine for hours on end.   So, I have a little over 2 weeks to work on that problem but it is unrealistic to think that I will be able to alter the appearance of my tummy in that short amount of time?   Do I return the dress for something different, not worry about my tummy pooch, or try to hold my gut in the whole time?  I really LOVE the dress.

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Do any of the rest of you have a big problem with your tummy area?  Most of the time it looks fine under my clothes but I think it’s awful looking when I’m nude.   At around 170 I felt the same way (I’m currently 183.5), as a matter-of-fact, I really can’t see any difference in my tummy area at 170 vs 200.  I see a huge difference in my butt, legs, hips, arms, face, even my back.  But the tummy isn’t much different.  WHY?

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Is it possible that my tummy will always look flabby and have rolls, even if I’m the perfect weight?   I know that ab work doesn’t help because the ab muscles are still covered by fat.   Is this loose skin that will be there forever unless I have surgery or just extra flab sticking there?  

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I’ve watched shows about people who have had extreme weight loss and then had to undergo surgery to remove the excess skin.   Will I be one of them?  Was I so heavy at one point that my skin will never be the same?  At my heaviest I was 90 pounds overweight.

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What do you guys think???

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—Valerie

Last week the “weather” kept me from getting in my activity on 3 different days.  I say it’s the weather but the truth is, if it is very cold and/or raining - I usually do nothing so the weather becomes my excuse to sit at home and catch up on TV.  

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So….Saturday and Sunday I went back to the gym and used the elliptical trainer for 45 minutes each time - hubby was more than happy to go with me so that made it easier.  This is good for several reasons.  It is a break from the routine of walking, it burns more calories per minute than walking, it uses more leg muscles than walking (especially on a steep incline), and .. it can be used no matter what the weather.

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So now that will be the choice I make if the weather will not cooperate for walking or a bike ride.   And, I will make sure this is my activity of choice at least one day each week even if the weather is pretty because it is important to add variety to my workouts.

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We saw 2 movies this weekend.   Spiderman 3 and Vacancy.  The new Spiderman movie was great.   Problem —- I earned a certificate for free popcorn with my rewards card and ate the whole bag.  It’s small by their deffinition but large by my standards.  A small bag at the theater is quite a bit larger than a whole bag of microwave popcorn and instead of being “light” (like I eat at home) it’s loaded with butter.  Tastes great but not a healthy choice!   So that was in addition to the large dinner with my friends on Tuesday night.   End result = no weight loss for the week.  But …. no gain either so I’m ok with that.  Over the past 6 weeks, since starting back on my plan, I have never gained.  I have either lost or maintained so I feel ok about my progress.

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I hope all my buds are having a great Monday so far.   So many people hate Mondays but I really don’t, to me they are “fresh start” days.

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—Valerie

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Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
—Edgar Guest

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I think this is such a cute poem about confidence and proving to yourself that you can accomplish anything you set out to do.   Carry this with you buddies as you continue on your weight loss journey.

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Lots of Love to you ALL…Valerie

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Are there any buddies out there who have trouble living in the moment, for the here and now???  What I mean is, are you always thinking about what is to come or what has been instead of appreciating the day that God has given you?

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Unfortunately, that is me.   I really do understand the importance of living for the here and now, otherwise we don’t truly live - we more exist, just waiting for what is to come or dwelling on what has been. 

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I consider myself a happy person and God knows I’m so very thankful for all I have in my life but at the same time…. in the back of my mind I’m always thinking, if I accomplish this or that then I’ll be happier or if such and such happens for me then I’ll be happier.  But the worst part of it is, I worry.  I spend so much of my time on this earth (which we know is so very short) in worry over what may come next. 

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Examples:  Will I or someone I love come down with a serious illness?   My paerents are getting older, how much longer will I have them with me?  Things at my work aren’t going so well financially and I love my job but how much longer will I have it?  Will my husband make it home safe tonight? Thoughts like this keep us from enjoying what we do have.  Instead I should be happy every day that I have my health , the people I love, a great job, etc.

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In any given week, I may be in really good spirits 2 out of 7 days.  Why is this?   I really have been blessed and I thank God every night before I go to sleep for what I have been blessed with.   Why do I worry so much.   Even when  a great thing happens, in the back of my mind I’m thinking — can’t be good for long, what’s going to happen?!?!?!?

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Now this one is really really crazy —- before I leave for a vacation, I start to worry about how sad I will be when it is over.

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Am I nuts?

So last night I go to a birthday dinner for a co-worker who is moving to Chicago soon.  ITALIAN!!!  Everyone knows how hard it is to find a healthy Italian dish on the menu.  Most are loaded with pasta - not a great carb for us and the few dishes that you can get that have enough “substance” without the carbs are things like Chicken Parm - you can just eat the chicken but it’s breaded, fried, topped with cheese, etc — not a good choice either.  

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So….. I love chicken marsala and decide on that since I can just pass over the side of spag and have plenty of chicken to fill me up.   I start with a glass of chianti, then on to my salad with a “not so healthy” dressing and slice of Italian bread, one more glass of chianti, then entree comes out — 4, yes 4 breasts of chicken smothered in the marsala wine sauce —- YUMMY YUMMY!!!  So I ate 1/2 of that and even a bit of the spag.  In all, I probably consumed 1,000 or so calories in that one meal.    So let’s add that to my 200 calorie breakfast and 400 calorie lunch and guess what - the damage isn’t really as bad as it seems 1,600 calories probably wouldn’t cause weight gain, just no weight loss.  So will I let this get to me — not at all!   I had a great dinner with great friends and this will not be an every week kind of thing for me so ….  worry I won’t.

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I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday so far.

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—Valerie 

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I just spent about 15 min writing a long blog and when I went to submit it, I was logged out of buddyslim and blog is gone

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I’ll just have to hit the highlights.

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I am now 183.5 but since the ticker won’t take decimals I entered 184.  So I’ve lost 6.5 lbs in 5 weeks, a little over 1 lb a week and I’m happy with that.

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Ladies, have any of you noticed that when you exercise more that TOM is not as regular as he once was?  One month he waits 35 days between visits and the next month only 25 days???  Am I the only one here?

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I finished the Chasing Life book and am now reading Dr. Greene’s Best Life Diet.   I’ve learned to love Dr. Greene from the Oprah shows.

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I am feeling great today, lots of energy.  Had a great breakfast…melon, mango, almonds and soy milk.  I am looking forward to putting a lot more miles on my pedometer this week.  I did very well last week and it is expected to be just as nice here this week.   That makes me very happy.

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I hope everyone has a fantastic week and I hope I am able to blog and comment more this week than the last couple of weeks.

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Live, Love & Laugh!!!

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— Valerie

Good morning and happy Monday to all my fellow Buddyslimmers…

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I’m still at 186 so that’s no loss for the past week.   I walked 3x but that’s the only exercise I got in.   I didn’t watch diet as closely as I had been and I know that is related to the fact that I was in a very poor frame of mind.   This proves that I need to work harder on making this a “lifestyle change” instead of a diet/fitness program.  Once you do that - you can live the rest of your life with little worry about weight gain.  I will get there.

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I’m feeling a bit better this week and hope that I’m able to see more progress when I weigh-in next Monday.  I am reading Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s book Chasing Life.   If you enjoy reading about health related issues, I suggest it.  I’m about 3/4 of the way through it and I’ve learned a lot.

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I’m glad that the weather is expected to be so warm this week.  That always makes it easier for the outdoor activities.  I should be able to get outside most every day.  

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We have a leak under a sink in one of our bathrooms that will require some of my attention tonight but I still plan to find a way to get some activity in if at all possible.  Hopefully between the two of us we can get the problem fixed without too much of a hassle.

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I will probably not have the time to read all the blogs I missed last week and I hate that. I’m a little behind at work.   

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I hope everyone is having a great Monday so far and has a fantastic week also.   Please continue to keep all those impacted by the tragedy at VT in your prayers. 

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—Valerie