It Happens to the Best of Us

Yep, I'm up. 9.2 lbs. since mid-June to be precise. I knew I was up before I got weighed in today. My clothes had been feeling different. They still fit, but they felt different. And I ran a little bit yesterday morning and everything felt much jigglier than I remembered :) But, I'm not down about it. Yes, gaining almost 10 lbs. in 2 months is how I ended up obese in the first place, but now I can course correct. I knew I was making poor food choices, but I was in denial:

* I started having a piece of cake here or there when it was some one's birthday.
* I actually had McDonald's last week!
* I have been eating all together too many bagels lately. I started eating them again in Vegas, but usually only after hiking for 3 hours. Now I just eat them because it's morning!
* I've been eating a ton of pita too. And hummus. Both in proper portion are fine, but I haven't been measuring out portions, or even reading calorie and fat counts!
* And then there's the beer and the wine. I've been drinking too often. And sometimes its not even light beer.

And yes, I walk a lot, but I walked just as much when I lived here 75 lbs. ago. That just isn't going to cut it. I'm going running tomorrow morning. I may only be able to run for a minute, but I'm going to start again. I don't want to join a gym because for me its just a waste of money - I won't go often enough to make it worthwhile. But, maybe, just maybe, I can consistently go running. And, then of course, I need to start some resistance/weight training.

So, I'm not saying I'm going to be perfect. But I did measure out my hummus tonight and only had 1/2 a piece of pita. I'm just going to go back to taking it one day at a time. My new goal - lose 5 pounds in the next 4 weeks. That might be too ambitious, but if I was able to again that much in the same amount of time, maybe I can lose it too! :) But, I'm in this weight-loss game for the long haul. I'm just going to go back to what worked for me for so many months. Easier said than done, I know, but if I did it once, I can do it again!

Virginia is for Walking

I just spent a lovely weekend with my mom in VA. We went for 3 walks - one around a neighborhood near where my sister lives (and be amused by all the McMansions and carefully trimmed lawns), one around Lake Fairfax and one on the W&OD trail. The picture above is from a "friends of the trail" website. It was great to be outside and among so much green for a change. I love my morning walks in NYC, but it was really great to have longer, greener trails, and some company :)

I have made a commitment to get weighed at WW this weekend, or sooner. I'm trying to find a place to get weighed before I go. I hate to say it, and you all know I never say anything negative about WW, but sometimes the receptionists aren't the most supportive people when you are up - especially, I assume because this hasn't happened before, if you are up above your goal weight when you have already been at lifetime. If I am above my goal weight, does that mean I have to rejoin again, or can I just keep coming and getting weighed? I really don't know how much I've gained. I'll let you know! (Full disclosure!) I even found my old WW meeting leader on Facebook. I had had his email address and then found him on the site. And I told him I was going to a meeting, so now I have to!

Ohhh! Good news! I got my consent forms from the National Weight Control Registry last week! You are supposed to provide proof of your weight loss in addition to signing all the consent forms to be in the study (and, separately, agree to have reporters call you for interviews). You can either send in photos documenting your weight loss, a contact like a doctor or WW meeting leader, or documentation like our books that record our weekly weights at WW. I'm going to opt for the last option, since it is the most accurate, comprehensive and doesn't require any work by anyone else. (And, I'm not so sure I want to just let them have photos of me if I can't control who they send them to. I'm all for you guys seeing my before and after shots, but I don't want to get surprised if my photo is on the NBC Nightly News without my knowledge first :) So, being in the study means that you are surveyed about your eating and exercise and lifestyle habits once a year for 5 years. I'll let you know what the surveys are like once I get it! You guys should totally look into this and do it with me!

How much do I weigh?

I went for another walk this morning. I cannot tell you how lovely the weather has been here. But interestingly enough, I wasn't compelled to start running. I don't know when that will happen, but so far I'm enjoying the walking. I just wish the path was longer. It is only about 1/2 a mile and I do a loop. But, I feel like I could walk forever. Actually, there's access to a much longer path that I need to try out. I think that will be more satisfying, but obviously not something I can do before work. Probably more likely for the weekends.

I am currently obsessed with bread. Most specifically wheat bagels and wheat pita. I try not to eat it every day. I don't know what it is. I know it isn't great for me, but it fills me up and keeps me from eating something worse for me - oily, greasy, cheesy, fried, etc. Actually, I have very little interest in those kinds of foods, but I love my bread. Ugh!

I haven't been weighed in about 2 months. I'm nervous I'm above my goal weight. I'm going to weigh myself at my friend's apartment before I go back to WW. I think I need to start weighing myself on a regular basis and I don't think the once a month "lifetime member" thing is enough. I liked knowing how much I weigh. I went to the ob/gyn a week ago and she asked how much I weighed instead of weighing me and I felt like I was lying and its only been two months since I've been weighed. I think I need to know more often. I think that will make me feel more actively in control - although it has been a nice vacation not thinking about it. (As a side note, it was so weird being in a doctor's office again. I haven't been to on since I started losing weight. It was so nice to have the nurse not have to use the large blood pressure cuff. Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

Okay, I need to go find something to eat. I'm cooking chicken for lunch this week and its making me hungry!

Monday, Monday

Thanks for stopping by and leaving kind words (Mouse, Jodi & Vickie). You guys are too good to me! Speaking of stopping by, does anyone know how to get Yahoo to give you RSS Feeds? I keep trying to get automatic updates on your blogs, but Yahoo is all kinds of whacked. Advice is appreciated :)

I actually got up at 7:00am (okay, 7:11am) and went for a walk in that lovely park I gave you all a picture of. It was a lovely 70 degrees. There were enough people on the path - running, walking their dogs, greeting the day with an cigarette ;) - that I felt totally comfortable. I didn't really do it for the exercise as much for the peace and quiet. Tomorrow I am going to take the busier path near the Hudson. It looks a little like this picture I've included. Actually, if you want to know what the exceptionally clean version of my neighborhood looks like, watch the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movie "You've Got Mail". Yep, that's pretty much it. In fact, the ending scene of that movie was shot at the garden I posted a couple days ago.

Does anyone know the song "Monday, Monday" by The Mammas and the Pappas? Well, they have to be one of my favorite groups. Back before VH1 turned totally crazy (but it still has its moments), "Behind the Music" was a reputable show. That's how I learned about the group. I went out and bought their greatest hits - can you believe I bought a cassette? :) That shows you how much of a techno-phobe I have been. (I didn't get a cell phone until the summer of 2005!) Anyway, it is a great song, you should listen to it sometime. It makes me smile.

I'll be back again soon! Take care,

Trixie

I'm Speechless

Hey kids! I don't know if any of you are still out there, being that I haven't blogged in like 6 weeks and you've probably all given up on me. But, I wanted to at least let you know that I am alive and well and still figuring things out one day at a time.

The broken toe has healed, but for countless lame reasons I haven't started running again yet. Today's lame reason is that NYC is overshadowed with black clouds and thunderstorms. Normally, this could be a good reason. But, since I'm planning on going out in it to run errands, undeterred by the elements, not running is pretty lame.

I haven't been to a WW meeting since God was a boy - okay, in like 2 months. Granted, I'm Lifetime, but I still should go more often. It sucks because that means I'll have to pay to weigh-in. I'm a little scared to see what the scale says, but my clothes still fit, so I guess that's a good thing :)

I started the application process to join the National Weight Control Registry. It is something I've been wanting to do for a long time, but you have to keep off at least 30 lbs. for at least a year. I was going to wait until I had kept the 85-ish lbs. off for a year, but I was too excited to wait. I've kept off about 50 for a year, so I thought it was okay to apply. I filled out their initial questions, but I haven't heard anything since. I think becoming a part of a "maintenance group" will be really motivating. I'll keep you all posted.

The only good thing is that I've continued to walk a lot - at least a mile a day. And since this isn't really planned exercise, just my daily commute, I think that's pretty good. I have also found that I have a beautiful park near me along the Hudson River. Check out the view of the park and water here. I keep setting my alarm early to take a walk in the morning, but so far it hasn't happened. Maybe tomorrow :)

Okay, so now I'm going to go run errands in the rain. I promise to come back again soon. I have been lurking on all your blogs and silently rooting for you!

Take care,

Trixie