The Power of 10 %

Boy do I have alot to celebrate this week! I did it, I finally hit my 10 percent weight loss. After last week's post I decided to try harder and I cried for awhile at first, but then I re-evaluated and kicked it up a notch. I also decided that as much as I would love to hit my 10 percent by the end of January, I would quit stressing out over it. I knew it would happen. So I lost 6 3/4 pounds this week, hitting my goal by the date set and just making it. I needed to lose a total of 37 pounds and I have lost 37 pounds. I am starting week 16 and it feels good this week.

I am going to post 2 pictures this week, the first one being my before picture that was taken in October when I first started TOPS and the second being last night when I hit my 10 percent.

There are other things happening for our TOPS group. Even though the official word hasn't come to us yet, it looks as if my 14 year old niece is the 4th overall best loser in her weight division for 2008. Keep in mind, that we didn't start our chapter until October 13, and she was competing with others that had been doing this from all of 2008. While I don't know for sure yet, our chapter has placed first in 44 counties with most weight loss per member and they are checking to see if we won for the state. We were going to disband our group and start going to a different chapter but after hearing results such as these we are going to keep plugging away at it. We must be doing something right!

So while I am here tooting my own horn, I need to express that I couldn't do this without my TOPS group, we are all doing it! So, thanks to all the members, thanks to all my friends and until next week, I hope to lose nothing but weight and gain nothing but knowledge.

Disappointment is settling in

I have to ask myself this question...Why is it it that last week looked so promising and I was so full of optimism and hope and felt I would do this and then this week I feel so discouraged? Why do people put so much emphasis on the scales? I know that if I don't do as well as I would like at the scales then I am disappointed and even mad and wanting to give up.

That would be so easy, to just give up; however that would also be what people have seen from me in the past and wouldn't be a bit surprised if I gave up. My weigh in this past week netted me a gain of 2 pounds. That is now 6 1/4 pounds to lose to hit my 10% weight loss and I don't see myself reaching that goal by the end of January. That is another thing, I keep setting goals for myself and I feel they are attainable but I never seem to get to my goal by the time I set, it always comes like a week or two after my deadline. Maybe I should quit setting goals for myself because honestly that is what has me down the most this week.

My week went fairly well last week, I had 6 days where I stayed within my point range; but if I am being honest and really I should be, I had three days where I didn't eat as well as I should. I did go to the gym last week and I got all my water in, and journaled the entire week.

I know you are all saying that this is a minor set back, and yes, I know it could be worse but it is hard. The one GREAT thing that happened this week is that Kim Bensen left a comment on one of my blog entries and she is a follower of my blog. That is super awesome, because she is the one person I want to meet when this is all said and done. I love my dear friends and family and you are great supporters but to actually have heard back from Kim Bensen is like getting to meet someone famous.

This post is a hard one for me to write, I want to just shrink into the background and pretend I don't feel bad, but I started this and I have to finish it.

So until next time, I hope to lose nothing but weight and gain nothing but knowledge.

The Excitement is Building

What a great week this has been. After reading Kim Bensen's book last week, and getting motivated once again, the week went well for me. I had a good diet week. I stayed in my food plan, I did not use any of my extra points allotted to me, I drank all of my water, and I journaled all week. I did not go to the gym this past week, but I am planning on it this week.

I feel like I have a new lease on life right now, I just can't explain it. I want to keep trying harder. I am so close to my next goal that I want to see it happen now; but I know that I can't force it, it will happen.

I only have 4 3/4 pounds to lose to hit my 10% percent weight loss. Once I hit that mark, this is when I should see noticeable changes. I have noticed small things like my seat belt fits better, and that I have a little more energy than I have had. More and more people are noticing the weight loss especially in my face. My measurements are getting better. I have been asked by people if clothes are fitting me any differently, and I think that some of them are but I am not sure yet. I have not tried on anything different yet, I am not ready to try that. I don't want to face the disappointment of not getting into something that I haven't been able to wear.

I went to my meeting this week and I am very pleased to inform all my wonderful friends that I have lost 3 3/4 pounds this week. That makes my grand total 32 1/4 pounds in 14 weeks. I also am currently winning the Tax Time Contest we are having right now, but I am also pleased to report that the other members of my group are finally starting to show me a little competition. I want to see them all succeed too, after all they are my family.

My goal is to hit my 10% by the end of January, I feel that I can do this, and once this is done, I will start planning for my next mini goal.

So, until next time, I hope to lose nothing but weight, and gain nothing but knowledge.

My time to Shine in 2009

Here it is, 2009, this is the time I usually make all my New Year's Resolutions and then break them in less than a month.
We started a new contest at TOPS, it is the tax time contest, the goal is: Are we going to have enough deductions to earn a refund or are we going to end up owing? We are using fake money and if you lose weight, drink 6-8 glasses of water, keep a complete food journal, and call a member to encourage them you will receive money. If you gain weight or don't complete your food journal you will have to pay money. The earning potential is great! This contest will last through April 13, 2009.
Well, I have to say that the end of 2008 was not great for me. I fell off the wagon for a couple weeks, it was kind of scary, I wasn't eating right, I wasn't getting my water in, I wasn't journaling, and I wasn't exercising. This can be bad for those of us who are trying to learn new habits. I almost lost my motivation, but then I found a new inspiration.
There is a book that was just published and came out on December 30, called "Finally Thin" by Kim Bensen. Kim has lost over 200 pounds following Weight Watchers and she has kept it off for over 2 years. In 1997, I found Kim's success story on Weight Watchers online and printed it out, she was an inspiration to me. So when this book comes into the library and someone points it to my attention, I realize that this is the same person that I had the success story on, and now I could read what she had to say about this. I am in the middle of reading her book and I will be buying a copy of it. I just finished reading her struggles about her weight and everything embarrassing and all her health issues and it is almost like I could have been writing that same exact story. I realized then that if she can do it, I know I can. It was the motivation I needed to get back on the wagon before I caused to much damage.
I went for my weigh in this week, and I lost 4 1/2 pounds, which brings my total to 28 1/2 pounds in thirteen weeks.
I encourage anyone who is struggling to read Kim's story, it is what got me back on track.
So until next week, I hope to lose nothing but weight and gain nothing but knowledge.