Bye-bye 10 lbs...

Actually, 10.8 lbs. to be exact... The last two weeks, I've had a 2 lb. loss each week. The losses definitely make up for the gains and the frustration and irritation that goes along with it. Sometimes, even when we do everything right, our bodies still do not respond. But when my body does respond, it makes me very happy and it is very gratifying, and that motivates me ALOT.

So in my 12 weeks on WW, I have lost a total of 10.8 pounds, which puts me at 155. My ultimate goal is 130. My next goal is to reach my 10% which will put me in the 140's - I cannot wait to hit my 10%!

Here's a photo my hubby took of me on Friday. I figured after losing 10 lbs., it was time for a progress picture.

I cannot believe I never blogged about last Sunday, but I walked TWO 5k's for the WW Walk-It Challenge. My mom and hubby both joined me on the first one in the morning, which was in beautiful downtown St. Petersburg by the Vinoy. Our fearless leader Lorraine joined us for a bit and my friend Tammy from our meeting walked with us also. It was such a nice morning. That afternoon, my hubby and I also walked the one at the park by our house. It was great also, although much warmer than the morning one. By the time the day was over, we had also walked the dogs 2 miles. 8 miles in one day!

The biggest thing that I think has helped me the last two weeks is my water intake. I've made sure to have at least 64 oz. every day. It is the one thing I can really control even when I'm at my busiest and I am going to continue to make it a priority.

A busy week and a happy weigh-in!

It's been a week since my last blog post - I hate that I haven't had time all week to update. So, I sit here now with my cup 'o coffee, watching the sun come up outside my kitchen window, ready to do just that.

It was a BUSY week!!! On Tuesday evening, I met up with a friend from elementary school (in Maryland) who I have not seen since then. We re-connected on Facebook a few months ago and she was in town this week for business. Hubby and I met her for dinner. It was GREAT to see her! Amazing how much has changed in 28 years time. I hope that we see each other again the next time she comes to town.

On Wednesday, I was at the Hula Dog Yappy Hour to promote Creative Memories, specifically my page prints. For any pages that are purchased from an event, I will donate 30% to the Humane Society of Pinellas County. This was my first event with them and I have pages to design, a free page to give away, and I am hopeful there will be some purchases so I can make a donation. The Humane Society of Pinellas is where we got our sweet Ozzie from - they are absolutely wonderful over there.

Thursday was agility class with Blue. He was VERY saucy in class and barked his little head off when he wasn't being paid attention to. He is doing good in the tunnel, over the a-frame, on the platform, and the through the weave poles. He has a lot of work to do, or I should say, "I" have a lot of work to do. I feel bad that I do't have more time to work with him but the time we do work on stuff, he does well. And he has fun. That makes me happy.

I walked 3 mornings (M, T, Th) and did not do any TaeBo. I tried to eat the best I could given the state of craziness I was in. The biggest thing I did this week, which I started last Saturday, was to drink AT LEAST 64 oz. of water every day. After last week's disappointing weigh-in, having gained weight 2 weeks in a row, I knew I had to do something different. I knew I wasn't drinking as much water as I should and with the busy week I had planned, I felt that was one thing I could do and keep control of. My eating was not the best with all the running around I was doing but it helped staying focused on the water.

So.... I was down 2 lbs. this week!! I didn't know what I was going to do if I had another gain, but I didn't. And seeing that -2.0 lbs. show up guarantees I will keep up my goal of at least 64 oz. of water every day.

Here are my stats for Week 11 on WW:
Weight: 157.0 lbs.
Total: 8.8 lbs. lost
Ultimately I would love to hit the 10 pound mark next week  - that is my goal!

This weekend is busy - a crop today (yay for girl time!) and the WW Walk-It 5K tomorrow morning, but after that my week should be more normal with time to get my TaeBo in and make dinner at home.

Accountability

For the first time since going back to WW, I briefly thought yesterday after weighing in that I was not going to post my weight on Facebook. That thought lasted all of two seconds as the word ACCOUNTABILITY popped in my head.

I went back to WW because clearly I could not do this on my own. I was not capable of making the right choices and healthy decisions needed to get back to where I used to be. Back to where I know I can be again.

For two weeks I have gained 1.2 pounds. The exact same weight gain both weeks does not sit well with me. The week before I didn't work out at all, it was not totally surprising to me. This past week I did work out, I walked 3 days and did TaeBo twice. If anything, I was expecting to stay the same.

But when the scale went up AGAIN, I thought about what I was doing that I shouldn't be, and what I wasn't doing that I should be. So here we go:

- Drink at least 64oz. of water. - this is usually easy for me. I drink water like it's going out of style, but the past few weeks, my water intake is way down. This is priority number one for me this weekend to get back on track.
- Track my foods - many times the past two weeks,  I have not tracked my meals. Other days I have, even tracking ahead of time to plan for my day (such as Mother's Day when I decided in the morning what I would have - and stuck to it - and planned the rest of the day around it).
- Soda - I have had a couple more than I normally would this last week. There is nothing wrong with having soda - if you count the points and budget for it, you can have it. But for me personally, I do much better with only a couple a week. I usually save it for when we go out to eat.
- Wine - I had wine last weekend and that is just a lot of empty points. It certainly is good when drinking it but at 4 pts. a glass, it really adds up.

This is my confessional. I cannot have another gain this week. I know that there will be gains from time to time, but I cannot let a gain two weeks in a row go unnoticed. Here are my stats to date:

Joined WW 03/11/11 - 165.8 lbs.
Last weigh-in 05/13/11 - 159.0 lbs.
                    = 6.8 lb. loss

I was up to 9.2 lbs. on 04/29/11 prior to my gains.  SO close to hitting 10 pounds.

I will continue to be accountable for myself. Getting close to 10 pounds was a huge confidence booster, knowing that my hard work was paying off. I slipped. So now it's time to tighten the reins and do what I need to do, because I KNOW I can do it.

Guest blogger, anyone?

I recently got to be a guest blogger on Joanna's blog, Diary of A Mad Fat Woman . I thought it was pretty cool doing a post on her blog, and having her do one on mine. Sooo, I am wondering if anyone would be interested in doing that? Send me an email at nanci.cernak@yahoo.com and let me know. Please include your blog address in your email. Happy blogging!!

May Your Way Check-In: May 11

Geez, it's Wednesday AGAIN. Where is May going?? And why is it so hard to accomplish things this month? I know, wah, wah, wah... Could I get some cheese with that wine?

So last week my check-in was alot of worry over my impending WW weigh-in which happens Friday mornings. I was right to be worried because I gained 1.2 pounds. I expressed my concern over how I am the only one who can make things happen in my favor. At the end of the day, it is ALL ABOUT ME.

Last week's *SisterSays* mission was attempted,  but not achieved. I did not get in 64 oz. of water a day. On the days I kept track, I came close. I really need to work on this more because I love water and there are times when I can't get enough of it. I need to get back to that place.

This week's *SisterSays* mission of 5 servings of fruits and veggies ever day should really be easy for me. Every day I have a big salad with lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and artichokes. I also have mango or pineapple, sometimes both. Then there is a veggie of some sort with dinner. I'm pretty sure I'll rock this week's mission.

I set a new goal for myself this week to help get me back on track with working out after last week's big fat 0 in the workout department. To get my 15 miles a week in, I have decided to walk in the mornings so it's done and I don't stress when I get home about things I should be doing when I am walking. So far I walked yesterday morning and this morning. I already met my weekly goal of TaeBo 2 days a week. I did it Monday and today. Being that it's just Wednesday, I am hoping to get a bonus day in as well. Fingers crossed.

I have not been on the scale since last Friday at WW. I won't get on one until this Friday at WW. I do not have a scale at home, nor do I want one. The urge to get on it daily would be more than I can handle and it would hurt me more than it would help me.

I took part in SisterChat on Monday - it was fun. I love all the ramblings of cool women striving for the same thing as me. Before I had to log off, there were many topics being discussed. I like that and I am excited to join in again next Monday.

So, in closing.... I will continue with my personal goal of walking every morning and TaeBo twice a week, get back to drinking those 64 oz. of water a day, and keep up my good habit of eating 5 servings of fruits and veggies every day. I can do this!!

Anyone following my blog who is interested in joining in the fun that is May Your Way, visit Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans . Everyone over there ROCKS!

Monday randomness

I can't believe I haven't blogged since last Wednesday. Last week was such a blur, so much going on. This week I hope to not be in such a state of constant running and hoping to be able to stick to my more normal routine. I definitely do better with structure.

My Friday morning weigh-in at WW showed a 1.2 lb. gain. I was not happy about it but there is no one to blame but myself. The scale MUST go in the other direction this week and I know that for the most part, that is up to me. Like I said before, structure.

I did not work out at all last week. My only physical activity was when we took the dogs to the park Saturday morning. It was our first time taking Ozzie and we were pleased to see that he loves the park as much as Blue. And they walked great together. He really fits in nicely and it's already hard to imagine him not being here. Anyhow, I DID work out today - did my 36 min. TaeBo Cardio Circuit 1 workout. While doing it, I decided that I need a new plan of attack this week. Still wanting to walk 15 miles a week and do TaeBo twice a week, I am going to split it up. I am going to get my walk in in the morning. Whether outside with the pups, on the treadmill, or Leslie Sansone workouts on ExerciseTV - I wll get my walking in. Then in the afternoons, 3 days a week, I will do TaeBo. This will serve a couple purposes.... One, in the morning it will keep my from going back to sleep on the couch after hubby leaves. Ironically, I think this may be making me more tired. And two, it will let me spend more time with the pups in the afternoon and time to do other things that need to be done. Tomorrow will be day 1 of walking in the morning.

I have a new obsession - the Kindle app. Hubby recently got an iPad and in my playing around with it, I decided to give the Kindle app a try again. I used it once on my iPhone and while it was neat, it was just much too small for me. Too small to read on a regular basis. I also love books - real ones. Something about the hardcover and the feel and smell of the paper. And how they look so neat on our fabulous IKEA bookshelf. But a book that I've been wanting happened to show up as a FREE download. I love the word FREE. The download was super quick. And I immediately started reading it. Much of my day yesterday was spent on the couch reading Fixing Freddie, a book about a woman and her son and a dog. No shocker that I love books about dogs. Anyone who has the Kindle, I highly recommend that you go on Facebook and "like" the Pixel of Ink page. They have alerts every day for free or discounted e-books. Just what I need, another addiction.... Now if only my hubby would get home with the iPad so I can get back to my book.

Wednesday check-in (already?!)

Today is Wednesday May 4, we are 4 days into the May Your Way Challenge. It seems like I just posted my goals on Monday. I guess technically it was just 2 days ago.

I do not have much to report on this 1st check-in of the month. I have majorly failed in the walking and/or TaeBo departments so far this week. I am a little disappointed in myself over that and I am not trying to make excuses, but it has been a busy week so far. I need to NOT make excuses and JUST DO what I need to do. But this week, the balance is not there.

I am nervous about my weigh-in at WW on Friday. It was my goal hope to hit the 10 pound mark this week, which would be a .08 loss. I am hoping for a miracle now, given that tomorrow is Thursday and I fear I won't get a good workout in as it is agility class night for Blue. I know, another excuse.

I am anxious to get to next Wednesady so that I can have a better check-in with more to report.

May Your Way!

Can you believe it's May ALREADY?? Time really is flying by quickly this year. I know I say that every year, but it really is.

I am excited to commit to a new challenge this month on The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. The challenge is May Your Way. It is a different challenge than they normally do, without specific goals, but I like that is is all about ME.

One thing I have learned about losing weight, given the fact I've done it a few times, is that I have to be absolutely selfish when it comes to taking care of myself and losing weight. I HAVE TO do what I need to do, even if it means putting myself before others or other things that may be happening.

So, what does MY May Your Way challenge entail? I am setting the following goals for myself, some of which are a continuation of my April goals.

• Walk 15 miles a week
• TaeBo 2 days a week
• Increase my daily water intake which I have not been as good about as I normally am
• Lose 5 pounds for the month (catchy, huh? Five pounds for the fifth month of the year...)

I am looking forward to the support of the Sisterhood for this, my first challenge with them. So many ways to get that support from them:

• Check in each Wednesday
• Blog about my week
• Stick to my goals each week
• Participate in Sisterhood Says
• Chime in on SisterChat
• Participate in their Twoworkout on twitter on Tuesday nights. 

If any of you are interested in checking out The Sisterhood for some support, ideas, tips, challenges, and more, you can find them over here The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. I hope to see you there!