99 Days....and Counting

We have 99 Days until Thanksgiving.  Well, more like 98 since it's the end of this day.  Which means...wait for it..I only have 98 days to lose 30 pounds.  Okay, it's not so terribly dramatic.  It's not like if I don't lose 30 pounds in the next 98 days that I'll explode or something.  But I have some extra incentive to lose the weight this time.  My favorite sister-in-law just had a baby and now she's ready to lose the baby weight and she wants us to be accountable to each other.  I can do it for her, right?  If we break it down, that's 10 pounds a month.  Break it down further, that's 2.5 pounds a weeks.  That's a calorie deficit of approximately 1,250 calories a day.  Okay...not exactly sure what the science breaks down to, but I'm thinkin' 1300 calorie diet and 45-60 minutes of good cardio six days/week.  

It's time to get started.

The Candy Bar: Chubby Mac vs. the M&Ms

In our office, we have what we call "The Candy Bar."  It's a table that sits in our foyer with several apothecary jars full of yummy candy goodness.  What's your pleasure?  M&M's?  We have two and sometimes three different varieties.  Snickers?  Reese cups?  Jolly Ranchers?  Starburst?  We got it at the bar.  When visitors come in, we encourage them to fill a small paper cup with a candy cocktail.  And of course, employees have the freedom to eat all the candy our teeth can handle throughout the work day.  Talk about a sweet office perk!

While it may be good for morale, it's not so good for my diet.  There have been many days when I've fought the temptation to get up and fill my little paper cup (it's not that much, right?) full of M&Ms.  Just a little chocolate with my coffee.  And I admit, more often than not, I've given in to that temptation.  In fact, I was giving in every day.  I kept thinking it wouldn't hurt, but those little bits of candy started to add up.  I would tell myself that I was going to stop eating the candy, but somehow I kept going back.  And so, I started a score card at the beginning of this week.  For every day that I don't eat M&Ms, I get a point.  As of today, it's Chubby Mac: 3, M&Ms: 1.  And I'm really proud of that.

Rating Scale

I'll admit, not looking at the scale has been really hard for me.  The scale and I have been one-sided enemies in a dependent, almost psychologically damaging relationship for years.  I hate it.  Yet, I need it.  It tells me if I am good or if I am bad.  It wields unwitting power over me and determines my mood in the morning.  What kind of day will it be?  Like a fortune teller laying out the cards, I hold my breath as the numbers roll.  I feel like a gambler, luck be a lady, betting it all on a hot pair of dice.  And if I don't have the scale to tell me, I have to spend the whole day blindly determining whether or not I'm on the right path or the wrong path.

If that sounds intense, it's because it is for me.  And I'm thinking I'm not the only woman who has faced that scale since Jr. High and let it determine who I was, what I was worth, how I should be treated and how I should treat myself.  I wish I could say that it's no longer a chain about my ankles.  But I fear, just as Scrooge's Marley, I will be doomed to carry it around my entire adult life, always aware of it, never leaving it behind.   I remind myself that my value is in my character, my talents, my accomplishments, not my dress size.  It sounds noble, but this single girl, this chubby mac, has never been able to believe those noble words.


I attended a tele-seminar about being a positive person yesterday.  It's such a good message, such a God message.  I want to be more positive.  And I believe that part of that means not allowing the scale, and my negative self-image to define me.  I believe it, but I'm not sure how to practice it.  


Anyone else struggling with this?  How do you measure your worth?  What are steps you're taking to be a positive person?

Count Down

Calorie counting.  It works.  I know it works because whenever I want to go on a diet, I always try other methods but end up counting calories.  And it always works.  This time I'm trying to stay under 1300 calories, closer to 1200.  I've done a menu and calorie count for the week.  You can view my diet chart here.  And I'm taking every Saturday as a cheat day.  You can view the logic behind cheat days here.  I will be weighing in once a week, on Saturday mornings.

Here's a picture of what I had for dinner tonight....so delicious.

A Fresh Start

Okay, I admit that I failed.  I just couldn't do the low-carb thing.  I couldn't stand the limited options and my body was seriously craving sugar.  After I got sick from running w/o any carbs in my system, I knew I couldn't do it.  So, never one to stay down for long, I am going to stick w/ my plan to lose 30 pounds...only I want to do it in a more gradual and realistic way.

I'm going to give myself 12 weeks instead of six.  This puts me at losing 2-3 pounds per week.  That's a lot more realistic, no?  And I'm going to aim for running 21 miles per week.  That will include two rest days so I don't injure myself again.  21 miles is easily doable for me.

Source

I'm going to lean heavily on fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains while counting calories.  All of this sounds down right sensible and less like a gimmick.  And my cuz is going to diet and excercise along with me for accountability.

I will be posting my weight every Saturday along with my picture.  Wish me luck...or better yet, pray for me.  Thanks everyone!

Day Twenty-Three

Okay Friends, I'm just going to say it.  I'm discouraged.  So discouraged, in fact, that I couldn't even blog about it yesterday.  Maybe I need a new approach to this whole dieting thing.  Clearly what I'm doing is not working.

I have an injury that's going to prevent me from running this week.  I should have listened to my body, and my previous store of knowledge, and rested on Sunday after those 8 miles on Saturday.  But I didn't.  So, Monday's run ended after about a mile and a half of running on a very sore right shin.  Mary, you warned me, but I refused to heed your warning.  I know better.  This is not my first run around the block.  But with an injured leg, a scale that keeps creeping up, and a diet that's less than palatable, I'm discouraged indeed.

Knowing that there's no possibility of losing anywhere near 30 pounds in 42 days, I've changed the subtitle of my blog.  It's time to get real.  Encouraging words are much needed and appreciated.

Day Twenty-One

I love Sundays.  I love teaching Sunday School.  I love singing the worship songs.  I love the preaching, teaching, time with friends.  Today was an unusual Sunday.  After morning service, our worship and drama team performed a play.  I was in charge of telling the youth how to wait tables.  Being a professional, I took my job seriously.  We had a lot of fun, shared a lot of laughs.  And though I tried to discreetly get out of there without eating...the food looked so delicious, multiple people insisted that I sit down and have lunch.  Somehow, I dodged the well-intentioned and insistent pleas of my friends and was able to escape out the side door.  

Source

I went for my usual 3.5 mile run, came home and ate some chicken.  Part of me wishes I had sat down and ate with everyone else....  In the grand scheme of things, that would have probably been a better decision.  But I'm too self-conscious to eat in front of people anyway.  What's up with that?!?!?

Day Twenty-One 148lbs

I bought some delicious fruit, yogurt, and whole grains for this week.  I'm hoping to incorporate them into a healthy diet  I've got big plans of turkey sandwiches, vegetable soup, and Mulit-Grain Cheerios.
I really hope to see the scale budge this week.  I'd at least like to lose the 3 pounds I've already lost and gained back over the course of these 3 weeks.  With 28 pounds left to lose, I need to see some results.