Biggest Loser Update

To be honest, I have not been dieting the way I should. I've been keeping track of numbers in my head, having too many "treats" and I have not been weighing in every week. In fact, I've been avoiding the scale like my dog avoids squirrels, wide eyed and edging slowly away so I can't be attacked. This should technically be the Wednesday of Week 23 but my blog entries definitely don't reflect that. So, what happened? Life happened. My back has been suffering, I ended my semester of school with a lot of stress and I'm facing even more stress in the next few weeks but the fact remains that I slacked. One problem I have always faced is being able to balance healthy eating with the stress of life. When life gets rough, I reach for a chocolate bar or a bag of chips and I avoid the scale. While I haven't been completely off the wagon, I have been lazy. It turns out that stress has been high for my mother and sister the past few months as well so we have decided to extend our "Biggest Loser" bet. We will be weighing in at the beginning of July, when I visit, and declaring a winner for the first half of the year. However, we will also be weighing in when we see each other in December as well. So, while someone will "win" in July, we will still be working toward healthier lives and toward a winner for December. That said, I do have numbers to report and they aren't bad. I was terrified to step on the scale and was pleasantly surprised. I know I could have done better if I had been watching my eating better but I have accepted that and I have decided to be happy with the loss I achieved. I also realized today that I weighed in once before this without reporting it. So here are the numbers:


Weight Lost Since Last Weigh-In: 6.6 pounds
Weight Lost Since Last Blog: 8.4 pounds
Total Weigh Lost: 26.4 pounds
Total Weight Percentage Lost: 12.89%

No crying this time! :)

This puts me a little past halfway toward my goal of 50 pounds lost. My only problem is that I know I have lost weight but I don't seem to be noticing it like I feel I should. I don't feel much smaller and I don't think I look much smaller. Maybe this is because I see myself in the mirror every day. I think it also has to do with my inability to exercise because of my back problems. I guess I will know if I look any different when I see my family next Friday. This makes me want to compliment everyone I know who has lost weight because I know they have been working hard. So, if you know someone on a diet, try to take notice and compliment them on their hard work. This can really motivate a person to keep going. I hope to recognize my own loss soon. I am proud of the numbers and hope to physically see the results soon. This is the smallest I have been since before my car accident so I am going to be proud of my progress. I hope you all have a great week and I look forward to reporting the results of the first half of the Biggest Loser Family Edition at the beginning of July!


Thanks for the pictures:
http://www.miracleskinnydrops.com/2010/11/26/cheated-on-your-hcg-diet/
http://www.thebiggestloser.info/

Biggest Loser: End of Week 8

Technically this should read Week 12 but if I wanted to be even more accurate then the title of this post would be "Getting Back on the Bike." I think it was my mother who used to tell me that when you fall off the bike you have to climb back on. Well, I fell off the bike big time. In fact, I fell off the bike, tumbled down a hill through brambles and landed in a ditch full of water where I then continued to lay face down in the water as I wallowed in self-pity. What does all of this mean? Eh, probably more to me than to you. It's not that I fell off the wagon with my diet as much as I fell off the face of the earth for a little while there.

I had some family problems and then a few more were added and then a few more until I felt like a million bricks were piled on already heavy shoulders and I broke. I think the final straw was being told by one of my favorite cousins that she no longer wanted to talk to me because she thought she was a toxic influence on my life. To say I broke down would be putting it mildly. I cried for hours and I rolled up into a ball and tried to disappear...I don't have the power to disappear so this couldn't last long. Thanks to a wonderful boyfriend, a great best friend and a comforting mom and a few others, I came out of my ball a little bit. After battling depression for 2 weeks, I am finally starting to feel normal again. I managed to make it through life relatively fine but anyone who knew me couldn't be fooled. They've managed to pull me out of my rut and I am very thankful for them.

But wait, that accounts for 2 missing weeks, not 4. Well, before my little breakdown I was battling mother nature as it happened on two weigh-in days so I refused to weigh-in. That should account for the rest of my time where I went missing. I've decided to forget these past 4 weeks and focus on the future. I was doing fine on my diet until depression hit. Then the bad eating started. There were days where I barely ate and then there were days where I looked at my boyfriend and said , "I want a burger and fries" with a look on my face that said if he commented on my choice in food then he was risking a breakdown. So I had my burger, I had my fries, I had some chocolate and then I had some more. I had forgotten how closely tied my emotions are to my eating habits. As an emotional eater for years, this shouldn't have surprised me but it did. I thought I had gained control but I guess when you break down you lose control over many things, eating included. I even forgot how depression affected my writing. This is the first time I've been able to write in a month and it feels great! I'm glad to be back to my old self.
So there is my sad little shpeel for the day. However, I AM BACK! Watch out world, here I come! I'm still in the competition with my mother and sister and I'm determined to make next week have even better numbers. Yes, I have numbers. It may be a month late but I have numbers. I stepped on the scale this morning, scared but knowing I needed to conquer my fears. 


Here's what I found:
Weight Lost Since Last Weigh-In: 2.2 pounds
Total Weight Lost: 17.6 pounds
Total Weight Percentage Lost: 8.6%

I was happy to find I had lost weight. I'll be honest, I was terrified and expected a large gain in weight. However, 2.2 pounds in a month is not enough for me so next week will be better! I'm determined. I have my life and my emotions under control and now it's time to get my weight under control as well. Thank you to everyone who helped me find my way back. 


To everyone else dieting right now, keep up the good work! I plan on it being a great week!

Thanks for the pictures:
http://vintagelawrence.com/teaching/getting-back-on-track/
http://loseweight-safe.com/diets/what-is-a-balanced-diet/

Biggest Loser: End of Week 7

It seems impossible to say that another week has already passed but it has. Sorry this post is a day late but I've been bed-ridden and in pain for a few days. I did manage to weigh in this morning so I have numbers to post. I also have good news! I've reached the point in my diet where I can proudly say, I am seeing results! I put on my jeans the other day and they were very loose and baggy. I'm now at that unfortunate stage where my fat jeans are too loose and my skinny jeans are still a little too tight but I am loving this stage because it means I have been successful! I can't wait until the day when I can say that my skinny jeans are now my fat jeans!

Not this skinny yet but the pants are loose :)

I've also reached that happy point where people are noticing my weight loss! I received a few compliments this week and was told that you could tell I have lost weight. For those of you who know people on a diet, we find it very encouraging when people notice all our hard work. If you know someone on a diet, try to take notice of their changes because it makes them want to work even harder. If you see them every day it may be a bit difficult to tell at times but try to take notice. I know I always want to work harder toward my goal when people notice because I have the mindset that if it's not apparent I lost weight then why should I try? If you don't believe me when I say the compliments are important to us, look here's an article to back me up that was written by a Weight Watchers user.

So, after saying all of that, here are my numbers for the week. They aren't as good as last week but it is a loss and I am celebrating each and every loss. Some weeks will be better than others. 

Weight Lost this Week: 1.1 pounds

Total Weight Lost: 15.4 pounds

Total Weight Percentage Lost: 7.5%

So I've officially broken the 15 pound mark! I'm very excited. This means I have less than 35 pounds left to lose. I set my goal for an even 50 pounds and I am well on my way. My goal is not to be a tiny little thing. I like my curves but I need to get rid of my extra weight so my goal is to be a size 8. I'm on my way!  How's your diet going? Feel free to share tips and comments below! 

I have been promised that I will be able to update on the competition in next week's post. We will see where I stand. I know I am ahead of mom but she has been consistently losing weight each week and I am very proud of her! My sister has promised to weigh in next week so we will see if I am winning or need to pick up the pace. I hope to be able to exercise soon but we'll wait for my back to allow for that. 

Have a great week! And good luck to everyone on a diet! 

Pictures courtesy of: http://www.clipartclipart.com/free_clipart_images/a_cartoon_woman_holding_the_waistline_of_her_pants_to_show_weight_loss_from_her_new_years_resolution_0515-1012-1716-4853.html

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=87891&sc=3053

Biggest Loser: End of Week 5

So ends another week of weight loss. I didn't update last week for one simple reason that I will state quickly, simply because men don't like this topic. To put it simply, mother nature visited and when mother nature visits it makes women weigh heavier. That said, I always weigh about 3-5 pounds more during this week so I decided to bypass the pain of looking at the scale. Ok men, it's safe to read again. ;)


Now, on to happier subjects. Ever since my initial weight loss of 8.8 pounds I have seemed to be in a sort of slump. I have never plateaued so early in a diet but it happened. I am proud to say I am off of that plateau, though I feel next week will be much better than this one. I started taking a Raspberry Ketone supplement, as suggested by Dr. Oz. I also started taking a supplement that is made from bee pollen, green tea and other natural herbs. I don't normally believe in pills for help in weight loss but these are both natural and I needed help off my slump. I am loving the bee pollen pills especially. 


I had been having this problem where I felt hungry all the time. It's been ridiculous because I know I am not hungry, know I shouldn't need to eat, yet I felt hungry and needed to eat. Maybe it was boredom, but it was not possible that I was still hungry because I was eating sufficiently. This is where the bee pollen pills have been helping. I've only been using them for 3 days now but I already feel the difference. Before buying these pills I researched the effects of bee pollen and apparently it is supposed to help curb hunger, increase energy, help with stress and allergies. I'm not sure about all of that yet but it has definitely helped with the hunger part! I'm already cutting portion sizes and not feeling the need to snack constantly.


I've also been finding nice alternatives to the foods I love and crave. I have been craving chips and fries...hmm, salty, greasy goodness. Well, I bought some Special K cracker chips and I love them! They are 110 calories for 27 chips. I don't need 27 chips (I usually do about half a serving) but that makes for a great substitute to my calorie filled fries. I've also been craving chocolate and I love the FiberOne brownies! They are 90 calories and they help get the chocolate monkey off my back. Before someone asks, no, I'm not being paid to endorse these items, I'm simply suggesting them to help my fellow dieters. 

Mmmm....chocolate!

I actually like these as much as chips!

I will admit that I cheated a little this week. I like to call these treats. Though a friend of mine once pointed out that treats are for dogs, I believe they are important. First, if you don't treat yourself occasionally then you will feel restricted and crave those foods more and more until you fall off the wagon. This can also lead to binge eating. So we went to Buffalo Wild Wings and I had my boneless wings, but I didn't have fries. I also got a bar of dark chocolate this week (for reasons obvious to my female readers). Dark chocolate is better for you than milk chocolate so I guess it was an alright substitute. That's enough treats for a while. Without these treats, I probably would have lost more but this week is a new week and I plan on it being a great week for weight loss!


That said. Here are the numbers:
Weight lost this week: 0.4 pounds
Total weight loss: 9.9 pounds
Percentage of weight lost to date: 4.85%


That 0.4 may not seem like much to most people but to me it says that I am losing again and I will take that happily. I spent a couple hours thinking about how if I had just lost 0.1 more pound I would be at an even 10 pounds but then I realized I was just happy to be losing weight again after my plateau. So, this week will be better! I still can't do a lot of exercising but I am walking more and this will have to do for now. I'm feeling positive and I can't wait to see the results for next week! From what I know, I am still in the lead for the competition. However, my sister has yet to send me her weight for this week so we will see. How is everyone else doing? Please leave comments about success, questions or recipes below! Have a great week!