Final preparation day for the 100 days challenge

Well, I have my notebook all ready.  Today I am going to pick up a very cool water bottle.  I have done my initial weigh-in and I am pumped to start tomorrow. I weigh daily, but my official weigh-ins have always been on Sundays. I have also stocked the fridge with carrots and celery and other staples.  My food plan will be calorie based, but will follow the Sugar Busters model which is a lot like the early Weight Watchers plan which was based on the diabetic exchange diet.  It's funny, but Sugar Busters, Atkins Maintenance, and South Beach are all very similar to the early Weight Watcher model - except that good carbs and good fats are emphasized.  Anyway, tomorrow we start!!

100 days challenge begins on Monday!

Now that I am on the road to recovery (for the most part), I am ready to get back to work on getting healthier and getting this weight off. I am tired of being out of breath and not having anything I wear that looks nice. You may have noticed that my blog title changed again. I have not abandoned the Maple Syrup run. I will still post any information on that area. I am still working toward that goal, but the syrup run will be a by product of the 100 Days Journey.

My biggest problem with the whole weight loss thing is that I have a hard time focusing. A while ago I bought a bunch of self-help diet books, among them was a book called:  "100 Days of Weight Loss: The Secret to Being Successful on Any Diet" I pulled it out to read on the treadmill the other day. I like it because it focuses on daily achievement which is about all I can handle these days. It is associated with a website where you can download all kinds of free tools such as a calender, a journal, tips, and other motivational tools. I would like to invite any of my readers to join me on this challenge.  I will be starting on Monday, February 1.  It is not necessary to own the book, but I would highly recommend it.  You can go through the link I have provided, if you wish. Or you can search in the used book section on Amazon where I have found some terrific deals on books.


Whether buy the book or not, you are most welcome to join me and post your progress on this blog. In the group Overeaters Anonymous, there is a saying. "Take my hand and together we will do what we couldn't do alone." If you would like to join me, please let me know by posting in the comment section or by clicking on my profile and sending me an email. I would love to have company on this venture!

This is what you will need to do to prepare to join me on Monday.  Find a 3 ring binder and purchase a ream of paper.  If you don't have a 3 hole punch, consider buying the kind of paper that has the holes pre-drilled. I printed my journal one-sided so I could write any of my insights on the back of the page.  Go to link below and print off the calender, the journal, and any other of the downloads you want to put in your notebook. 100 Hundred Days Challenge

I hope you will join me. There is strength in numbers.  Hoping to hear from you!

Mary

Day one back on Track

Well, I am finally to the point where I don't hack and wheeze with every other breath so today I hit the treadmill. Thanks to the digital switch, my TV in the workout room is now a glorified VCR.

Daily stats:
Workout type: Treadmill
Route: High incline, low impact
Distance: N/A
Time: 30 minutes
AV HR: 122
Max HR: 140
Calories burned:317
Temperature: 14 degrees

What did you think of last night's Biggest Loser? I really wish they had sent Miggy home. That woman is just plain scary. The only good thing is that Migdalia will get to see her husband before he leaves for Afghanistan. Some of the emotional dynamics leave me scratching my head this season. I think the green team needed a major attitude adjustment - maybe Miggy will get the message. I'm kind of glad that they got the 2 pound disadvantage. It made no difference, they would have been below the yellow line anyway. As for the woman on the Red Team - is she lying? Who knows? I don't ever remember them calling anyone else out on game play and they ALL acted like they didn't know why the scale wasn't cooperating - in every single season. I guess they have to keep the drama going so that it ensures the longevity of the show, but they need to be consistent on how they treat people. The way I see it, the Red Woman (can't think of her name right now) wasn't going to cut a break now matter how the scale went. If she lost big, they would say she had no choice and if she didn't, they would say it was because she had immunity again.

Inching my way along

I am finally at the point where I am feeling better for a greater part of the day. I am still congested but my ear is slowly unplugging. I am still on track with my spreadsheet. I'm not really doing anything special as far as diet - just not eating beyond feeling full. I am limiting my food to 3 meals a day. In fact, I am pretty relaxed about the whole thing. I am substituting prayer and other things for "entertainment" eating. That's my big problem with food. Using it for reasons other than it is intended. I am finding other things that give me that "high." Like making a batch of candles or cleaning up a hot spot. Nothing lifts my spirits more than walking into a clean kitchen in the morning.

Grrrrrrrr

My new resolve is holding fast. I can't wait to be able to work out again. I have been sick since December 29. I feel okay now except for the wheezing and the plugged ear. I made a second trip to the doctor and got another scrip for a different antibiotic. Last time the diagnosis was acute pharyngitis. This time it is a sinus infection. Never had one of those. I am itching to get back to working out, but when I do anything too strenous, my ear hurts. Today I am going to at least get on the treadmill.

Ida and Jinx - you ladies are treasures. Thank you for all of the support!

Biggest Loser - Week two

One of the great advantages of satellite TV (which we have had for about a month) is that you can record programs on your DVR. When we switched to digital, we lost the ability to set our VCR to record. Therefore, last season on Biggest Loser, I could only watch the last half of each show. (I have meetings on Tuesday nights.) My favorite part of the show is the weigh-ins, but when you don't see the first half, you don't get to see into the minds of the contestants. Last night's show was very insightful. What seems like a "duh" to people who don't have food issues, is a very real problem for people like me. It's all about choices and accepting reality. The reality for me is that I will never be "normal" around food. I will always have to constantly weigh my choices about what goes in my mouth. But you know what? Everyone has something in his life that needs the same kind of attention. Last night at RCIA we were talking about that very thing. For some people it's food. For others it's alcohol, or working too much, or spending too much or whatever. For most people there is something going on that gets more attention than it should in our lives. It's time for me to grow up realize that ignoring it or whining about it or denying it doesn't work. I'm ready to put food in its place.

Another season

Well, another day of no workout due to this "whatever it is" that has me hacking all night long. I am on track with my spreadsheet, however. Here's a little explanation of my spread sheet. I have set the goal of losing .4 pounds a day in January. I have set up the spreadsheet to show those daily increments. At the end of the month I assess my progress and re-set my goal for February. As I get closer to my goal, my daily loss will be less. So my focus is always on tomorrow - not next week, not next month, just what I need to do to meet my goal for tomorrow. Looking at the big picture is too overwhelming.

Last night began season 9 of the Biggest Loser. Nina called this morning to ask who I was rooting for. I'm not sure. Probably I will root for the lady who is closest to my own age. That would be Patti.

It's a New Year

But so far I have been sick every single day of it. It was my plan to start fresh. I set up a spreadsheet of small goals and so far I am on track. I am anxious to get over this horrible cold so that I can start exercizing. About 3 weeks ago I sent for a trial bottle of Resveratrol. I have noticed a huge difference in my joints. It's hard to tell about anything else because I have been sick.

Tonight begins a new season of Biggest Loser. I am so excited because I can now set our DVR and I don't have to miss any of the episodes. When the digital switch happened I couldn't tape anything so I never really got to know the contestants. A lot of the interaction takes place in the first part of the show and I always missed that. I love being able to access favorite shows whenever I want.

I am going to try and stay more current on this blog.