Drumroll please....

Everything I'm doing is working!  I've lost 3 pounds!  I haven't taken my measurements because I don't want to have to do that every week, but I can see a difference in my stomach.  :)  Some nights when I go to bed I feel like I'm starving, but then when I wake up I'm fine.  My body is just getting used to not having as many calories.  I haven't had any "treatment effects" from the Alli, either.  In fact, I probably need to work at adding a little more healthy fat to my diet.  I think some of my meals are too low in fat.  (No wonder I have skinny girls!...but I refuse to make them something different than what Randy and I are eating!)  Exercise is going well.  I missed yesterday, but when I've been exercising 6 days a week, I figure I'm just fine.  I've been doing strength training on top of cardio 2 days a week.  I should probably try to do 3 days of it.  Anyway, so far so good!  Can't wait for more!

I AM alive!

I know, it feels like I haven't posted here in forever!  Last week, I was in Idaho, and today has just seemed crazy.  So...

Earlier this week, Randy and I had a really positive conversation about my weight & my efforts to lose it.  The good news up to this point is that I've been maintaining.  Which is really good news considering how much weight I put on last year!

I've redoubled my efforts the past few days.  I'm puting in at least 30 minutes or more of exercise each day.  My legs are actually sore!  I've also begun taking Alli.  It's definitely not something I would normally do or have ever done, but after reading about it, I feel like it's safe to take.  It basically stops your body from absorbing some of the fat that is ingested.  If I were to lose 5 pounds on my own, Alli would add an additional 2-3 pounds to that total.  The biggest thing really is that I am limited to 15 grams of fat or less each time I eat, or else I could face dire consequences (oily toots, greasy poo, etc).  I knew I already ate well (when I cook, but NOT when I eat out!), but I've actually been surprised at how little effort it has taken to eat 15 grams or less.  I haven't had to change any of my meals!  (Maybe that's why my girls can't gain weight?!)  The hard part has been snacking & making sure I don't overeat for fear of going over my fat grams.  Like right now, I ate dinner an hour ago & I'm starving!  I plan to go eat 2 of my Zonya recipe cookies & a glass of milk.  I think that will do me good.  The pills I have will last me about 40 days, and I hope to not need to buy them again after that.

Another thing I'm doing, which is helping me keep track of my fat grams, is using SparkPeople's website.  It's free and it does a lot of things.  Right now, I use it to track what I eat each day & also to track my exercise.  I'm really liking it.  So, that's where I'm at.  I expect to see some great results next week.  How are all of you doing?

Another Opt Out

Late last week and early this week, I was feeling good about things.  I even peeked early to see my weight had gone down from my last weigh-in.  HOWEVER...I have eaten out 4 times in the last 3 days.  The last two nights were with family who had come into town.  And Monday was just a crazy day of running around.  I have such a hard time eating well when I eat out.  Between that and the tons of salt that I know is in restaurant food, I'm not weighing myself this week.  No need to make myself feel bad over it.  I can do better, and I will.  This week, I've done well with my water.  There has only been one day (except fast Sunday) where I didn't easily drink 64+ ounces.  I'm going to keep working on all of it and keep getting at least some exercise in every day--after all, I have to make a habit of the exercise, even if my dear hubby thinks only spending 10-15 minutes on the elliptical is a waste.  :)