Weigh in

Today was the weigh in after 5 days - I'm down 3.5 lbs to 145.0 Now that I have the momentum, it is going easier - today's meal will be at noon with a shake for dinner. My exercise for today may be shivering since it is -12 degrees at this writing. This is going to be a quick post since I have a number of errands today (in anticipation of major plumbing work in the house to begin Monday)

Back on the Wagon

Hey everyone, I'm back - I had shoulder surgery in November and had a planned hiatus from dieting. The surgery was technically called a shoulder decompression and involved the removal of some bone spurs. After rehab, I'm back to normal, have full range of motion, and am blissfully pain free.

I decided it was time to go back on the wagon and finish what I started. I weighed in at 148.5 on Monday(a net gain of 8.5 lbs), and am wearing jeans a full 2 sizes smaller than when I started this adventure in May '08. Resuming the diet has not been without its problems.

I spent Monday rather hungry and forgot to eat all my snacks. Did better on Tuesday even though I yielded to the call of the peanut butter cup. I was starting to feel like Alex in Madagascar when he kept seeing everything as a juicy steak - including his friends.

Wednesday I felt like I was getting into the swing of things. Which brings me to today, my scheduled cleanse day - I haven't been particularly hungry but I really did have some problems drinking the cleanse drink since it was the first time I'd had it since early November - RPM asked "is this the stuff that has the antidote on the bottom of the bottle?" which is NOT what you want to hear in mid swig! Grounds for divorce? no. Murder, yes!

In case you are wondering how I kept myself occupied, and not eating, the photo at right show my project - a 48 x72 crochet afghan in chenille yarn. It was a Christmas gift to my daughter who loves all things soft and fuzzy.

On hiatus - for awhile

Due to upcoming shoulder surgery, I'll be on a hiatus from my diet - for the record, I am maintaining my weight! I won't be blogging for awhile but I will be busy and plan to get back on track once the surgery is completed and I am pain free. Pain meds tend to cloud my thinking and since I don't tolerate most pain meds well, I'll save everyone the gory details of my recovery and post my next entry when I'm back to somewhat normal.

On the road again!

Well folks, I'm writing from Kansas City MO, City of Fountains. I weighed in before I left and was comfortably at 140.5. Only 10 lbs to go! The surprize for me was as I was packing, I ran across a pair of slacks I'd forgotten about (they were part of a 3 pc outfit - dress, slacks and jacket) that were part of an outfit that went to Goodwill probably 2 years ago.....and they fit - in size 12!

Unfortunately Isagenix can't take credit for all the loss since we had a flooded family room as the result of 12 inches of rain in the west suburban Chicago area and the resulting stress was not been fun. We didn't lose furniture but having to suddenly move a lot of boxes and get stuff off the carpet as the water is coming in makes for workout that I don't like participating in! At least someof our loss is covered by insurance since we had a sump pump failure along with a stairwell drain failure. At least I'll get that new ceramic tile floor I've been thinking about......

The photo is the WWI Liberty Memorial in Kansas City - an art deco gem and a somber reminder of the horror of war - the sphinx has its eyes covered at the devastation of WWI.

Musings on marriage

This has been a hard week. Weigh in was 143.5 and I realized that my biggest issue with sticking on the plan is the one I'm married to! While I'm crazy about RPM (my spouse), the mere thought of deviating from a routine drives him absolutely nuts! Ever since we were dating, our Sunday routine was to have breakfast together - you know, a REAL breakfast of bacon and eggs, juice and toast and tea. And woe to the wife who wants to change that routine, even for the sake of losing weight!

Guys can lose weight easily - as one friend said, while just thinking about it they can lose. Women on the other hand, are a different story. The real reason women gain weight after marriage is that their spouses expect them to eat as much as they do, as OFTEN as they do! Hence, we are married to our biggest sabouteurs (next to ourselves) It is critical for women to have a support system while losing weight, which is why it is also important that women support one another. Ladies, build that network! And don't forget to exercise!

After the Wedding

We got back from the wedding late Sunday night and are back to reality today. I weighed in yesterday at 147.5 (and I'm not happy about that but it was to be expected) yet today I'm at 144.5 and I really didn't do much different. The wedding was beautiful and the food fantastic. The bride and groom looked radiant. My dress fit quite well and I was pleased with how I looked considering I hadn't worn an evening dress in several years.

Today's photo is of a little guy who washed up on the beach the day we left - we presumed he was orphaned since he was too young to be on his own and fending for himself.

Gearing up for the wedding

Weigh in day today looked pretty good....142.5 lbs! I haven't seen that since 2003. The diet is going well and I'm feeling good about the weight lost (so far it has been 23 lbs) and the fact that I'm able to fit into clothes that I previously couldn't get into before. I'm officially into a size 12 regular or a Medium petite pant. I'm pretty happy about that and that many people are noticing that I have lost weight! I've going off the diet a couple of time and done 2 regular meals and a shake and still been able to post a net loss. Hooray for Isagenix! (and to me for sticking to the program!)

My son gets married next Friday and the dress I chose to wear fits quite well in a 12. We'll be off to Carmel, CA for the wedding as of Wednesday. All this travel makes it difficult to diet but, also goes to prove that if I can travel and STILL lose the weight, the Isagenix program works! Several of my friends are looking into the program - I figured out that is costs about $7 a day for the program or $50 a week....not a bad investment in my long term health!

Back to reality

Well, I'm back from my trip to the land of Oz...AKA the International Taoist Tai Chi Centre in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada. Had a wonderful time and found myself doing Tai Chi for upwards of 8 (yes that's right!) hours a day for 5 1/2 days. I attended the Health Recovery Program along with 14 other participants and 9 assistant instructors. I spent the rest of the time visiting close friends/family in Michigan. I weighed in yesterday morning and the verdict was 149.5 lbs, a 5 lb net gain. I expected as much - Chinese food for 2 meals a day although the food was great, the extra carbs were not :-( I did find my clothes were more loose despite the gain so I guess I gained some muscle in the process. I'm doing my cleanse day today and will be back to the program routine of 2 shakes and a meal tomorrow. I'll weigh in on Friday (my usual day) and see how I do for the week.

On the road again......

Just a quick note to weigh in - 144.5 today and I'm off to Canada then Michigan for the next 10 days....We'll see how the steady diet of Chinese food and lots of exercise works on the diet progress.... The photo is of the Blue Water Bridge crossing into Canada at Port Huron/Sarnia....See ya in 10 days.....

Halfway there! (and then some)

I'm a few days late with my post but had great news from the bathroom scale. I weighed in at 145.5! on Friday, an official 20 lb loss. I also remeasured (with help from RPM) and have lost a grand total of 22 inches, most notably 3 inches each off my waist, each thigh and abdomen. From a size 16 snug to fitting into a size 12 (OK, it is snug but still I can get into them without gyrations or gymnastics!) I did some preliminary closet cleaning and got rid of the clothes that were obviously too big and baggy and pulled out some clothes that were formerly too small and they fit! Hooray for the flexible wardrobe. And 15 lbs to go.

I'm pretty enthused about the Isagenix program. It is simple to follow, fits a busy lifestyle, and most importantly, it works for me. I admit I was pretty dubious at the start and RPM even more so ("you have to WHAT!?" on cleansing days) but he is even on the bandwagon.

I am going out of town for 10 days at the end of this week for a Taoist Tai Chi Health Recovery Week with a stop in Michigan at my best friend's and adopted family's home. Remember that neuromuscular condition I mentioned in my early post? I decided to see how I can possibly make a difference in my current physical functioning using Taoist Tai Chi. I've been practicing Taoist Tai Chi for 2 years and have noticed a real difference in my balance and ability to move. Certain moves that for more "normal" folks are easy are quite difficult for me to perform so I decided to go to their Centre in Orangeville, ONT to see if it is possible to persuade my reluctant body to master the tor-yu and "creep low like snake" without falling on my keester in the process. My other goal is that eventually I would like to instruct but I wouldn't make a very good instructor if I did the set poorly. So it's off to Orangeville.

I'll be off the Isagenix program for the 10 days I'm gone and while I'm I Orangeville, I'll be on Chinese food for lunches and dinners. In the meantime, I'll remain on the program until Thursday when I leave. I'll post a weigh in on the day I leave and we'll see what happens while I'm north of the border and off the program!

Slow, hopefully steady

Weighed in at 147 this week. I seem to have settled into a pattern of losing 1.5 lbs per week. It is getting harder to get all the water in since I am travelling a lot more now for work. I finally resorted to carrying 2 bottles in my car so I remember to drink it all. The exciting news is that my clothes are so loose I have had to pull out some clothes I had given up on ever getting back into and they actually fit! (wow, a new wardrobe without shopping - what a concept!) I also had a friend offer to return some clothes I had given her last year since it appears I can get back into them. LOL! Now the interesting problem is that I crocheted a vest and now it is too big. Guess someone will get a gift since I'm not inclined to rip it apart and remake it! (I'm not that much of an experimenter!)

Tried some new smoothie flavors - black cherry (from frozen cherries at Trader Joes) and Pineapple Mango. It is getting fun to experiment.

We have had a lot or rain and gardening efforts have been frustrated by the rotator cuff injury. I posted on freecycle to share plants and in the process get them thinned. Had a lot of takers but much remains to be done. I've been offered some neat plants so if I can ever get the back yard garden tilled, I'll have a lot of fun!

Others are noticing!

Been rather busy with work and lots of activities. Was out every evening this week and fell into bed - I felt lucky to stay on the diet much less weigh in....as of last Friday the 13th I weighed 150.5 lbs. Stepped on the scale today and it read 148.5! To say the least I'm excited. I haven't seen the 140's since 2004 (and my mother's 2nd hip fracture) Now it is only 18 ounces to halfway!

Yesterday one of the women at my office commented on a photo that was on a Tai Chi flyer I had left and said I looked like I'd lost 1/4 of myself (not a bad comment after 17 lbs!) and someone I saw at a meeting last night said I appeared a lot smaller through the stomach and hips.

Last weekend I attended a Tai Chi intensive and tried very hard to stay on program during the lunch break. Sunday being Father's Day was more challenging since my father really doesn't tolerate going out for full meals anymore and we opted for ice cream - the Hot Fudge Sundae was calling and I willingly answered. (I never thought of a Hot Fudge Sundae sounding sexy but it depends on how long it has been since you've had one.....)

Another motivator for losing weight is my son's wedding in August. They opted for 8/8/08 as a wedding date in Carmel CA. I need to get a suitable dress and since I generally have avoided wearing dresses in my adult life (it's the tomboy in me I guess), shopping for one is going to be an experience. I've asked a friend to help me shop....she doesn't know what she is in for yet.....or maybe I don't know what I'm in for yet......

Experimentation

The weekly weigh in was delayed because I had a crazy schedule yesterday - today I weighed 151.5 lbs. Clothes are definitely more loose and friends are seeing the loss in my face (the usual first place I lose weight). Am experimenting with the shakes - tried a pineapple and mango shake and have had those for a few days - trying to keep a little variety in the routine. My biggest issue with most diet plans has been boredom with the menu. I'm not experiencing that here. The diet is quite flexible and even when we have eaten out, I've been able to keep within the recommended 400-600 calories.

We went to the Printer's Row book fair on Saturday. Walked several miles and then had lunch at the Berghoff. Walked to the train with some sightseeing of local landmarks (the Monadnock Building; the Chagall mosaics; 2 North Riverside Plaza - an art deco delight!) After arriving home, I had my final shake of the day and then crashed. Lots of rain lately and although the flowers like it, I'm starting to feel like this is better weather for ducks.....

the sweet feeling of success

Well, it isn't really THAT much larger than life, but todays weigh in sure felt good! Stepped on the scale this morning and weighed 152.5 lbs, down 12.5 lbs from where I started. Even better news, I tried on a pair of shorts that were too tight last summer (and resided in the bottom of my drawer until yesterday) and they were loose! As are the ones I'm wearing as I write this! RPM is quite impressed - (told me I'm getting my shape back!) and has even gotten into the spirit by asking if I'm on a shake day or not.

We have resumed our long after dinner walks, and I'm feeling good. Even better is that I'm feeling refreshed waking up in the morning so I'm sleeping better. I have gotten into a routine that allows me to have my morning and lunch shakes, eat my snacks and not feel like I'm starving right before dinner. Dinner has been consisting of grilled chicken, fish or the occasional steak, salad and a 1/2 cup of veggies - asparagus is in season around here so I've been taking advantage of its availability.

I've been working in my garden - flowers, not vegetables. The rose to the right of the page is called "Harison's Yellow Rose". It is a cutting from rootstock dating to about 1860 - it was a volunteer at my parent's home and when they moved, I dug out several shoots and this was the one that took. Harison's Yellow Rose is most often seen in the area from the Ohio Valley to New Mexico. It was one of the first rose cultivars in the US and is a cross between a shrub rose and a Scottish Thistle Rose. (and it has some really nasty stickers, I might add!). It has a spreading habit and sends out runners. I put it on a trellis to attempt to manage it, and still it is on the verge of eating my patio!

This rose went west with the pioneers and was often planted at the back door. You can tell where houses once stood by the presence of this rose. It isn't fussy and seems to thrive on neglect - I live at the northern edge of its habitat and I'm convinced that the reason it has done so well is that I have it on a southern exposure and it is sheltered from the north wind. It is really a Zone 5 plant rather than Zone 4. End of horticulture lesson!

Houseguest Challenge

Got on the scale this week and was up 1 lb to 156.5 . I was certain I had gained back at least half of what I lost since we had houseguests this weekend and I indulged in a lot of goodies at the St Athanasios Greek festival on Saturday. Stayed away from the breaded smelts, but couldn't resist the souvlaki, saganaki, spanakopita and honeypuffs. I was back on program on Sunday and seemed none the worse for wear. So I think the 1 lb gain wasn't all that bad - especially since I'm able to comfortably wear a pair of jeans I hadn't been able to get into for 3 years and my blouses are fitting better and are without "gap-osis". Yeah, I know my closet needs a good cleaning - but now I am able to wear some of the clothes I couldn't get into before! RPM says he is noticing the change. I'm also sleeping better and beginning to awaken earlier...