Non Scale Victories!!!

Over the last few days my scale has been going up and down between 3 and 4 pounds - So I recorded a gain today.  It can be frustrating but there are other things going on than just the silly number on the scale... Non Scale victories can be better than a number defining your journey. Dieting can be like a road trip.  You can simply go from Point A to Point B and when the odometer reaches that magic number of miles between you and your destination you can declare victory.  However, if you pay attention to the scenery along your destination, I can guarantee you'll have a much more rewarding trip.  For instance, my recent victories are:

1. I have consistently recorded daily in my food journal either online or in a notebook (catch-up in one or the other, but consistently journal) since Feb 16, 2011. 42 days. - this being said means that I've also been conscious of the food I eat for 42 straight days. I've been  known the fall of the wagon within hours of starting a diet on n Monday,  so 42 days this time is a nice feeling.

2. I'm noticing my shirts are bigger and hanging on me differently.

3. People have made comments that they notice I'm losing weight.

4.  I have maintained every doctors appointment I have had since 2/16/11 unless it was out of my power and then promptly rescheduled. My next appointment is April 8.

5. I took control of my health and then even more control when I fired my doctor and got a new one.

6.  My arthritis in my knee isn't as painful.

7.   I was eating my lunch today - a turkey and ham sandwich and was to the point of almost gagging as I've ate it, turkey or ham for lunch for over a week, thinking that I've got to make a change and realized that it wasn't the sandwich itself, it was the crust.  I don't like crust. I don't think I had ever slowed my eating down enough to really taste the whole sandwich. May be trivial but I liked finding that out about me.

8.  There is a contest at work like the biggest loser and while I am not in the contest several of my employees are. One was sharing with me today that she weighed 140 pounds and my reaction left a strange look on HER face like I'd hurt her feelings. I immediately felt bad. My reaction was that of shock because I would not have put her over 120 pounds soaking wet. I knew the look on her face was a familiar feeling I'd felt so I opened up to her and told her the truth. Your weight number is where I want to be, where I'll get and you look so small, I was having a hard time seeing Me look like you. I think she understood but the reality of what I will actually look like had so much impact on my mental journey that it was surreal.

Where is your road trip taking you?

ABC's of Me

The ABC's of Me:

Age of first gray hair: 18 - My husband says I have more than what I see. Whatever!
Bed size: Kimg Size
Chore I hate: All of them :)
Dogs: None right now, but we have 2 cats.
Essential start of my day: Getting my butt out of bed.
Favorite color:  Pink

Gold or silver: Silver
Height: 5'5"
Instruments Clarinet, Tuba and Piano.
Job title: Supervisor
Kids: Two - boy 10, girl 3

Languages: English
Memory (favorite childhood): Spending the summer with my cousins
Never tried: flying in an airplane
One Do-Over (if I could have just one): I don't think I'd take a do over - it might change who I am and where I am today.
Pet peeve: lying
Quote from a movie: "I'm your Huckleberry" (Tombstone)
Recurring Dream: I'm on a dirt dead end road in a rickety shack house with weeds all grown up around and  an old chevy truck pulls up and starts shooting at the house...
Sisters: None no brothers either!
TV Shows: Current Favorite- Survivor, The Amazing Race, American Idol, Raising Hope, America's Got Talent
Unable to stop: Smoking, drinking pop
Vegetable I dislike: cooked carrots
Weirdest food I've eaten: squid or alligator - both deep fried of course.
X-Files: don't think I've watched an entire episode.
Yummy Food I make: Green meat burritos
Zoo animal favorite: The Monkies or Bears

Why I Feel Like An Elephant... It's Not Why You Think!

Dude! Seriously. The guy in the office next to me has been eating Pringles every fricking day for the last 2 weeks.  I can be concentrating heavily on work and Pop goes the cap and shake shake shake goes the can... I have super sonic hearing like an Elephant. Did I seriously just admit that I can detect the sound Pringles make without actually seeing them... lesson learned... I've ate far too many Pringles in the past to know that! So ... while my ears are like the Elephant, my body is shrinking day by day like that one animal that shrinks... ummm yeah! that one! ... The scale put me at 387.... looking for that number to say 37X soon... 32 down and counting!!! Take care

The Conversation with my Scale this Morning.

Scale: Hello
411 Gurl: Hello
Scale: It's ready.
411 Gurl: Are you sure? Stand still.
Scale:....
Scale: 390.6 pounds.
411 Gurl: Good Scale....

Bring me 389 scale... bring it now!

I Eated but was Not Defeated

I am really good at staying focused during the week and staying within my calorie limit but when the weekend comes, not so much.... During the week, I plan my meals with structure making sure they include fruits and vegetables and that they are within my calorie budget.  Then,when Saturday morning comes around... here we go let the roller coaster begin.  Hubby is famous for talking about lunch right after breakfast and dinner right after lunch and sometimes it feels like food is the topic non-stop.  I just don't care that much about it.  I just eat.  When I was single, I planned nothing.  ...anyhow... Hubby woke up and declared he was not going to track anything he ate all day... He was a Rebel with a plan,;I guess you could say.... I, on the other hand, knew I was counting; and counted all day.. but when Sunday rolled around... I blew it. The whole day down the drain with no care in the world for staying within my limit.   Not pleased with myself and not going to re-hash it over and over but I need to make a better plan for weekends. Hubby usually does all of the cooking or it's a constant eating out frenzy from drive throughs to Subway runs..so I'm going to start doing the cooking on the weekends. For the next few weekends every meal that comes out of 411 Gurls' kitchen will be "never seen before" - maybe with some experimenting and new meals... we will have some better results...
Take care...

Quick Check in Weigh in

Busy day today but I saw another loss on the scale this week!  I am almost to the 380's!!! I'll get there!
Take care everyone.

Doctor Doctor Give Me The News!

Two weeks ago I went to see the same doctor I have had since as long as I can remember. I've seen this man for at least 30 years and to be honest, I never really liked him.  I liked him well enough to get antibiotics when I needed them and that was about it.  However, two weeks ago I had hit rock bottom.  My knee was so inflamed and swollen that for the 3 weeks I'd endured the pain, it had only gotten worse and I couldn't imagine going another week.  People started to warn me about blood clots and I knew I had to find out what was going on.  I went in to see him and I broke down in his office.  I explained to him that I was miserable carrying  these 250 or so extra pounds and I had to do something.  I wanted to have the gastric bypass and I needed him to monitor my weight loss for 6 months so that my insurance will cover it.  I admitted that I couldn't do it by myself and I needed the extra tool to save my life.  For me, it really is a matter of life or death.  I am sick of living like this and I am a prisoner in my own body literally watching life pass by me. I could go on and on but this is my decision and I'm going to do it. 
Anyhow, he agreed to monitor my weight loss stressing two things. 1. I must write everything down every day that I put into my mouth and that before surgery, I had to quit smoking or he would not release me.  Check and Check.  I'm ready.  And then he said, "and you need to start being responsible for your health.  If you don't take this seriously, I won''t help you."  He ordered and xray for me, wrote a rx for my pain in the knee and ordered a complete blood work to start the process. I went straight over to the lab and did all of the tests.  He additionally ordered a doppler test on my legs to test circulation and I scheduled that appointment and went to it!  Everyday I wrote down every single thing I put into my mouth even when I was stuck staying in a hotel with limited food choices.  I have had many more good days than bad and when averaged, I'm right on target.  I was proud and looking forward to go seeing my doctor yesterday.  I was anxious because that is how I get when I go see the doctor but I couldn't wait for him to see how well I had done.  At this appointment, we were to go over my lab results, the doppler test and my xray and then do a complete physical.  He walked into the room and immediately opened up my file...