GETTING IT RIGHT

I'm finally getting things right. I know I haven't blogged any recently. I have lost three pounds in the last couple of weeks and I think I realized what I was doing wrong. I know walking is good but only if you can keep a steady pace. I think I got to relaxed with it and it wasn't doing anything for me. I'm going back to the Y occasionaly now and when I'm not going to the Y, I'm getting on my elliptical. As far as the points challenge goes, well I flubbed up a couple of days last week and now that we are in the final stretch of month two with Carrie, I'm a little behind. I have to really pick up the pace to beat her and I will. I'm doing everything in my power. I had the stomach flu for a couple of days but that wasn't good enough reason not to do some of the things I was supposed to. I have been real good lately with making up excuses and I've stopped making the excuses and am trying to get things right for the sake of my health. NO MORE EXCUSES!!! They only hurt not help. I am hoping for a bigger loss this week. THe pills didn't help so I stopped taking them. I am glad that I realized what was going wrong and am now fixing it.

PERFECT DAY

I had a perfect day on SUnday. Okay, i had a little help. Jason consented (in fact his idea) to me going back on the Slimquick pills for a little while. This is not my ideal way to get my weight down. It is a last resort. He has seen me trying the last couple of weeks to no avail. The pills aren't high dose and I'm taking them along with a multi-vitamin. They do help supress my appetitie and control my cravings. I don't see a whole lot of difference with my energy level. I did awesome yesterday as a result. I passed up eating at McDonald's and bought smaller cups for home for my drinks that are not water. I've been drinking mostly water. I even bypassed tea. I walked for an hour yesterday. I ended up with a record 70 points for my challenge with Carrie and 45 with Rebel. I'm looking forward to having a loss next week. I'M NOT staying on the pills to get to goal. The longest I'll be taking them is until Jan. 1st. The only reason I'm taking them is because it was either do that or quit. I got really frustrated with my weight creeping back up. Yes, it was my fault in the first place but when you are trying hard and it is still going up, then it's frustrating not knowing what is going wrong. I'm going to continue exercising and using the pills just to change habits that I think were causing me to not lose. I'm also going to control eating out. Nothing good comes from eating out when you don't have the willpower to change your choices. I'm going to do this. It's nice not walking around hungry for things I can't have. I have instituted a new rule at home where we have to eat at the dining room table. This has been reluctantly accepted by my guys. I have seen a difference in all of our eating habits though. I fix a veggie everynight and all of us including Jason is eating the veggie. I'm eating less and we get valuable time together as a family. I love it. The guys don't but will have to get used to it. I don't think it's too much to ask for everyone to sit together for 30 minutes and enjoy each others company. I'm hoping this will also help in other areas as well. We'll see only time will tell.

BLAH!!!

I hate the cold. It's miserable. Weigh in this week was absolutely horrible as well. I gained three pounds. How? I don't know. I've been busting my butt and walking every day. I've drank my water every day. Fast food was still somewhat of a problem but not as bad as it was. IT's okay because I'm not giving up but trying harder. I've even walked in the cold two days in a row now. I hate freezing. I'm going to lose by next week.

FAMILY SUPPORT

I have so much support from my family. THey all are rooting for me. The last couple of days my son has been especially supportive. He's been there ready to kick my butt when I do something I'm not supposed to or to make me walk one more block. I'm sure part of it is because he has a little bit of permission to tell mom what to do and part of it I'm sure is because he wants me to lose weight. I will be able to do so much more with him when I get the weight off.
The last few days my energy has been zapped. Taking care of grandma is getting harder. It's hard to see her like she has been. It's been harder than I imagined it would be. I'll make it though.
School has been okay. I am acing my math class. It's cool when technically you can flunk a final and get an A still in the overall class. I won't flunk it though. I will do my best. I"m shooting for a 100%.

DOING GOOD

I'm doing much better so far. As of this morning, I was tied with Carrie. I'm doing all I can to pull ahead. I walked more than normal today just to get the bonus points. I didn't want to walk at all yesterday but I got the minimum in even though I was watching my neice and nephew. I took my nephew in and he enjoyed the walk. I'm going to push forward. I want to be at 225 by Jan. 1st. I want to be 200 by my birthday in March. I want to lose quite a bit this week alone. I can do this. I'm looking forward to my graduation from nursing school wearing a pretty feminine dress. I want to look nice. I DON'T want to walk across the stage looking like I am now. I have a ways to get there like 3 years but I will get to goal way before then.

CARRIE WON

Okay, Carrie kicked my butt in the first challenge. Congrats Carrie!! I will not make it so easy this month. I will keep all my teeth...lol!!!! I am back to being focused now. It's easy to get out of focus after being so far behind. To my credit, I didn't lose for lack of trying. I lost because I had a bad tooth. It was majorly infected and I was put on Vicodin which is horrible. It works to well. I was loopy for a few days and I hate that feeling. Well, I'm going to have a better month this month and love the fact that a new challenge has started. It's going to be a beautiful day today. Yesterday was my bad day and I won't have another one. I get my neice and nephew tonite so that is going to be fun. Jakob is going with hubby and in laws to wrestling matches so I get to stay home with the other two. I'm going to get my exercise in before they come over. I will also mail out Carrie's gift today as well. I've had it all week but haven't been able to get to the post office. I will do that today. It's going to be an absolute beautiful weekend.

THREE STRIKES, YOU'RE OUT...LOL

Okay, first to answer the question on my comments....10 per day for 60 min. exercise.
I don't know if you ever know three pt rule. Bad things come in sets of three. I've had my three and want no more.
First, my tooth needed pulled and it's going to cost us money.
Second, my car breaks and needs to go in the shop and cost us the same as my tooth.
Well, the third came today. I was on my way to school in the truck and it breaks down. The kicker, it costs the same as adding the first to together. UGh!!!! The good news is that my car was done so we got to swap cars at the shop. I know this is why we put the money in savings but it sucks to see it drained so fast. It's okay because we are going to bounce back.
My previous experience tells me that with every three bad things something good happens. I'm ready for the good because these three have been very trying.

1ST CHALLENGE ALMOST OVER-ONE DAY TO GO

Well, the first challenge only has one more day left. The challenge with Carrie that is. I am not going to win. I have figured that out. The only way I could would be to earn 400 pts between today and tomorrow. Yeah, like that is going to happen....lol!!!! I'm going to win next month though. SHe's going to make it tough on me. The stakes for next month are so much higher. Here's an overview of what next month's rules entail:

5 pts for:
Each pound lost
Every 20 min of exercise
Eating breakfast
Eating fruit
Eating veggie
Drinking water

Of course -5 for not getting them in.
THere are also bonus points to be won:

Weekly:
15 pts-only eating out once during the week
25 pts= going all week without eat out

Daily:
10 pts extra for 60 min of exercise

I'm back in the game and ready to rack up some big points.

Today hasn't been to bad. I had to put my Monte in the shop. IT's draining antifreeze. IT really sucks because I probably won't get it back until Friday at the earliest. I have to drive the truck and poor hubby is in on his motorcycle in the cold. LOL!!! Okay, so that may not be so funny if he gets sick. I may take him to work tomorrow.
I hope it won't be an expensive fix. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
I'm off to go to class now.

MOTIVATION IS BACK

My motivation is coming back. It is sometimes really hard to stay motivated. I have supporters but sometimes they aren't there like I would want them to be but I know they are there and are rooting for me. Sometimes my family members don't understand. It's okay though because I'm doing this and am going to succeed. I'm going to really amp it up this month and see what I can do. I would like to be at 225 by Jan. 1st. I know I can do it. It's 20 pounds in three months. I am going to bust my butt. There are quite a few reality shows on tv now and I like to watch them. I know their situations and environments are different but I can work just as hard. Next week I'm getting my butt back to the Y.

EARNING THOSE POINTS

I'm finally back to earning the points. It feels so good. I walked yesterday and today. The weather is nice and feels so good to be out there taking in the crisp air. I can clear my thoughts and get motivated. I am going to kick everyone's butts with the points and soak in the rewards...lol!!!! I can't catch up to Carrie this week but our next challenge starts on Saturday and I can sure give it my all next month. I still can catch up to Rebel. I am going to push them both. It's the whole point of the system to be able to push the other to do better to beat you. I am going to do it. Carrie and my points are going to be a lot harder and more is at stake next month. There is also chances for bonus points as well. I don't think you can get so low that you won't be able to find a way to pull yourself up like happened to me this month. I'm at least partly happy that my set back wasn't for my lack of trying but because of my tooth. I am positive that I have fighting chance next month. MY gloves are on Carrie!!! How about you? LOL!!! Love ya!!! Rebel, watch out because I'm going to kick your butt as well..lol!!! LOve ya!!!

ESSAYS...UGH!!!!

I swear essays are the bain of my existance. We have to write an informative essay and explain something. I'm going to explain the ups and downs of weight loss which should be easy, right? Wrong? Getting started is actually the hardest part. It doesn't help that I get the feeling that no matter how hard I try that the paper isn't going to be good enough. I will do my best. I am feeling back to normal. The hilarious thing is that I get my mouth feeling better and then my TOM starts. LOL!!! I feel that this is some sort of joke. I did get back into routine today. Grandma kept me up alnight last night and I slept this afternoon and got up and got on the scale and liked what I saw. IT was even more astonishing when I realized my TOM started. I'm all smiles about that . I did take a walk and enjoyed it. IT's so nice outside. I'm ready to fight this battle again and there is no stopping me this time.

BACK TO ACTION

I am finally getting my energy back so I'm ready to get a move on. I was hoping to forgo a pain pill today but I woke up this morning really hurting. I went ahead and took one. I am drinking a pop today just because of it because I'm tired of being tired all the time. The pills make me loopy and after feeling that way for more than a week, I'm fed up with it. TOmorrow I'll be back full force and kicking butt. I've already resigned the fact that I've lost this month's points challenge with Carrie. I'm also doing one with Rebel which I've not lost yet so I'm going to win hers. Watch out Reb, I'm not going to make it easy for you from here on out. Watch out Carrie, next month I'm winning it. I'm also bound and determined to stay goodbye to the 240's. I'm going to see 237 by the end of the October challenge. I'm going to kick butt. Our October challenge is more rewarding and demanding. It's going to be a great competition because we've added bonus points. YOu also get points for fruits and veggies and no eating after a certain time but you also get penalized for those as well. Bonus points are for exercise and not eating out. This month life got in the way but next month there are no excuses. I'm going to kick butt. I want the reward. I'm going to send her reward out this week and hope that she likes it. Keeping fingers crossed...lol!!! I love the competition aspect and feel that I failed this month because I really didn't lose anything and I didn't get very far on points but that will change for next month.