Scale Tales - Week Twelve & Week Thirteen - The GUSTAV Diet!!

Sorry for the lack of posts, but we were nearly swept away by Hurricane Gustav! Fortunately for me, I have lost another 4 lbs over the last two weeks for a total lost to date of....

13.5 lbs!

I was worried that the hurricane would throw me off track, because I couldn't use the gym (no power), and I was working a minimum of 12-hour days at the parish emergency operations center (EOC). When I wasn't working, I was busy moving things and cleaning up, so I probably did get some exercise in.

I also found that I wasn't eating as much during the hurricane because no restaurants were open and we had no power. For about a week, I ate one good meal every day (dinner) at the EOC, and a light breakfast and light lunch.

My goal is to get back to the gym either tonight (if I'm not working late) or tomorrow morning. I still have 1.5 lbs to go before the wedding in 11 days. I really think I can do it!! I believe!!

Thanks to all for your prayers for us during the hurricane. I must say that my first hurricane was by NO MEANS uneventful. For where I live, it was the worst devastation that this area (especially Baton Rouge) had ever seen. There are still countless homes without power after 8 days. I feel very fortunate that our power came back on Sunday. I have a new sense of appreciation for the little things in life, like air conditioning, grocery stores, gas stations, and traffic lights. I am so blessed that my home was not severely damaged. All I lost was some junk in my shed which probably needed to be pitched anyway (although it DID pain me to throw away an entire storage tub of Mardi Gras beads). My office mate at work lost her house when a tree fell through the living room. My other co-worker still is without power. Please keep the prayers coming for those who were not as fortunate as us. Love to all!

Scale Tales - Week Eleven

The numbers are in, and I lost 1.5 lbs this week for an official total of 9.5 lbs!

Considering the debauchery I participated in at my in-laws new house, I am very satisfied with my results!

5.5 lbs to go until my mini-goal of 15 lbs by my brother's wedding. Yay!

Non-Scale Victory - A Smaller Belt!

This morning as I was getting ready for work, I put on a pair of jeans that I haven't worn in awhile. I wasn't paying attention when I was putting my belt on, and I was like, "Where is the hole?" I look down, and I'm past the smallest hole, trying to shove the pin into the leather! No wonder it wasn't working!



I am very anal about wearing a belt, so I dug WAY in the back of my closet and pulled out an old belt I hadn't worn in probably 2 years. It really doesn't go with jeans, but I was desparate for SOME kind of belt. I put it on, and not only did it FIT, I didn't even have to use the first hole! I'm already on the second hole!



Needless to say, I am going to buy a couple new belts this weekend! YAY!!

Scale Tales - Week Ten

Sorry for the late posting, but I did weigh in on Tuesday and lost 2 more lbs for an "official" total of 8 lbs.

I figured the 10 wouldn't hold up, but I am perfectly happy with a loss for the week I am supposed to gain.

I peeked at the scale this morning and was back down to 10lbs lost - that's an "unofficial" weigh-in, of course. :)

An Unofficial Weigh-In

This morning I stepped on the scale just to see how I was doing, even though my "official" weigh-in isn't until Tuesday.

I have lost 10 lbs!

I don't know if the numbers will up since this is the week I normally gain, but I'm thrilled with the number I saw today! Woo hoo!

Scale Tales - Week Nine

This week, I lost .5 lbs for a total loss to date of 6 lbs.

The scale didn't show it, but I did have a big milestone this week. On Saturday, I did 40 minutes on the eliptical machine - 3.72 miles and 368 calories burned! We were staying at a hotel so I used their fitness center, which had shiny new machines. I think the change of scenery helped a lot.

I really want to lose 9 lbs in the next 5 weeks. I don't know if it will be possible, but I am going to really kick it up a notch this week to try and make that happen.

I didn't get around to tracking my progress on SparkPeople last week, but I've already logged everything I've eaten today. It is amazing how much you learn about your diet when you write everything down. Not just how many calories you are consuming, but how much sodium, protein, and carbs are in your diet. I definitely have room for improvement!

My calorie intake goal for this week is 1,300 - 1,400 calories a day. I ate just over 1,300 today.

Scale Tales - Week 8

I gained 1.5 lbs this week, for a total loss of 5.5 lbs.

I'm not exactly sure what went wrong. I worked out more over the past week than usual, and I worked out for a longer time period, too. I also didn't drink at all this weekend but for one strawberry daquiri (the best one I've ever had, by the way!).

I felt a little down out after stepping off of the scale this morning. That is, until I pulled a pair of dress pants out of the very back of the closet. I hadn't worn them in over a year. I put them on, and not only do they fit, they are not tight!

So, I guess I'll chalk up this week to some kind of a weird fluke of nature. Either that or maybe I'm building some muscle. Or maybe I've hit a plateau. I will keep trucking on.

My goal for this week is to track what I eat on SparkPeople. For those who haven't heard of it before, it's a totally free health website. You can track and plan meals, exercise, and there is a community forum as well. The best part is that it is completely free! I signed up right when I began my challenge, but I haven't used it much at all. Maybe if I'm even more conscious of my calorie intake, I can shed a few pounds for next week.