W-Day #40

Hello, hello... is anybody out there?!?! I cannot believe it has been over a month since my last post! Apologies to all of you following me, as I'm sure your weekends just weren't the same without my weigh in stats! So what's been going on in my "world" lately, well, Christo and I had a fabulous, I mean ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS vacation in Italy and Bulgaria! Meeting all of his friends and family was extremely special and our "alone" time in Italy was a great way to start and end our getaway. I tried my best to stay on plan and although I wasn't counting my points (bad Erika) I was aware and that's huge for me. I tried to eat when I was hungry, not because everyone else was; I tried to monitor my hunger levels and put my fork down before feeling stuffed; I tried to eat the same amount as Christo's mom because she's tiny, ha! I guess those little things helped because I am down .8 lbs! Hoping to reach my final goal soon and every little bit helps!

Click here to see ALL of the pics from Milan and Bulgaria.

*** total weight loss to date 41.2 lbs ***

W-Day #39

Chipping away pound by pound AND super excited to post I'm 1.2 lbs closer to my final GOAL! I have been sticking to plan and loving the fact that I'm seeing actual results on the scale. I try to "celebrate" both non-scale and scale victories. They both show progress and can help with motivation to keep on going BUT as I have said before hearing you're down an actual number makes it a FACT you're losing and that's the best feeling!

*** total weight loss to date 40.4 lbs ***

W-Day #38

WOW... that's about all I could say as I stepped off the scale yesterday morning. I am down another 2 lbs!!! I have been super focused since our trip to Italy and Bulgaria is right around the corner. I am officially 7 lbs away from GOAL! Originally I wanted to make goal before our trip (May 18). At this stage of the game losing 7 lbs in 2.5 weeks is extremely aggressive but I'm going to try my best to get there! I currently weigh a number I have not seen since FRESHMEN year of college and that's celebration within itself!

*** total weight loss to date 39.2 lbs ***

W-Day #37

Yesterday when I went to weigh I did not see Joyce. I HATE when she is not there! I know that sounds weird and "stalker like" but after so many weekly weigh-in's you develop relationships with the staff and become superstitious! I always feel better when Joyce is on the other side of the desk smiling back at me. Clearly she was off, it was time to suck it up and step on for my results. I am happy to report that Joyce or no Joyce I am down .8 lbs! As she always says, "slow and steady wins the race." I'll win this race soon enough but until then I'll take it week by week!

*** total weight loss to date 37.2 lbs ***

W-Day #36

Hmm. One week down, one week up, one week down, the next week up... Hoping this is not going to be the "norm" until I get to GOAL but I'm beginning to see a pattern here! I went to weigh in on Saturday morning and I'm UP .4 lbs. Every time I am faced with a gain I go through the same drill of questions with myself. What did I do wrong? What did I not do enough of? Where can I adjust? Week by week those answers change, however, there is ONE fact that never changes. I have to jump right back in if I want to make my final goal! So here we go folks; new week, new start.

*** total weight loss to date 36.4 lbs ***

W-Day #35

On Saturday morning I went to weigh and was extremely excited and pleased to hear Joyce tell me I was down 1.8 lbs. I have been focusing on gaining "activity" points lately by continuing with Pilate's and doing more cardio. It feels good when the scale cooperates knowing all of the hard work I've been putting in. I am getting closer and closer to GOAL and it has really motivated me to keep on truckin' this time around!

*** total weight loss to date 36.8 lbs ***

W-Day #34

Back on track and super excited to post that I'm down 1 lb! After my slight gain last week I knew I could deal with it one of two ways. Today's loss not only made my day but it proves that staying on course will pay off even when you're not seeing the results you want every week. I am now 1 lb closer to my final goal because of MY hard work. Life is full of ups and downs and apparently losing weight is no different!

*** total weight loss to date 35 lbs ***

W-Day #32

Happy. Content. Motivated. Pleased. These are just a few words to describe how I felt Saturday morning after my weigh-in. I'm down another 1.4 lbs! When you know you have been eating right and working out it's extremely rewarding to see the number on the scale confirm it. In my meetings we talk a lot about "non-scale" victories. I agree it's important to celebrate a new dress size or getting into a pair of jeans that used to be tight but when it comes down to "fact" I tend to rely on the actual number. I know for a FACT I lost weight this week and that feels FABULOUS!

*** total weight loss to date 34.2 lbs ***

W-Day #31

Well, it has never happened and it happened today... I went to weigh and I didn't gain but I didn't lose. After 2 weeks of not weighing (yes, I have been a chicken and avoiding the scale like the plague) I am a little relieved but at the same time disappointed to report that I have stayed the exact same weight since last stepping foot on the scale. Weeks like this usually mess with my mind. No loss... How can that be? Was the scale right? Did Joyce read my last recorded weight instead of today's weight? BUT I've come to realize that none of that matters. What I do know is I have been working out, eating right, and feeling good. The numbers on the scale will catch up and I'm not going to back down just because this week didn't reflect the hard work I've been putting in!

*** total weight loss to date 32.8 lbs ***

W-Day #30

Happy Superbowl Sunday! I just made the WW Mexican dip for later. I went to weigh yesterday and it felt great to hear Joyce say I was down .8 lbs! The past few weeks have been consistent losses for me. It proves going to the gym in addition to Pilate's is "working." It's a daily struggle to walk into that gym and hop on a machine but I've come to the realization I will not get to goal unless I push myself. I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and I think that mean treadmill has something to do with it!

*** total weight loss to date 32.8 lbs ***

W-Day #29

When you do the right thing and you see results... it's a damn good feeling! This week I'm down 1.4 lbs! I have been working on being "conscious" about food. I've noticed I feel a lot better after I eat when I take a minute and actually THINK before digging in. Sometimes by just slowing down you'll start to notice the difference between need vs want. Give it a try! I've had some shocking revelations lately and I'm excited to see where this new behavior can take me. Hopefully to GOAL!

*** total weight loss to date 32 lbs ***

W-Day #28

YAY! WOOHOOO! I am happy to report that I'm down 1 lb... BUT I'm extremely happy to report that this 1 lb gets me over the big 3-0! I have been eagerly waiting and waiting and waiting for this day. Hitting this mark has made me realize that everything I'm doing is worth it. Saying no when my co-workers offer me french fries, choosing steamed broccoli over creamed spinach, freezing my tush off walking to go work-out, finally my new "habits" are PAYING OFF! Getting this initial 30 lbs off has enabled me with the confidence I need to get to my final goal. I feel motivated, I feel focused, I feel capable and most importantly I feel GREAT!

*** total weight loss to date 30.6 lbs ***

W-Day #27 and VERY EXCITING NEWS!!!!!!

Yesterday was not only the first weigh in of 2011 but it was also my first official weigh in since I veered off course during Christmas. With that said, I squinted my eyes while I stepped on the scale waiting to hear the verdict. Joyce my regular lady was not there (which also gave me a bad feeling, stupid I know but these things tend to matter to me). I opened my eyes and much to my surprise I was down .2 lbs! Normally I'd probably question such a tiny loss BUT this week I felt a sense of relief, gave the lady a high five and jumped off that scale!

So now the super exciting news!!!! After my "glorious" weigh in I was gathering my things and putting on my jacket, hat, scarf... yes, I hate winter already and it's only January, when this woman approached me. She introduced herself as the assistant editor of Weight Watchers magazine and she was there to cast a few people for success stories to be published in the mag. She asked if I'd be interested and if I had a few minutes to chat and for her to get some PHOTOS! I was in my most natural state as I had just come from Pilates but I figured, um, no brainer here, heck yea I'm interested! We talked for a few mins, she basically asked me questions about where I started, how many lbs until I was at goal, if I was doing the program alone or with a friend, etc. After the Q & A she snapped probably about 10 pics of me, face shots, some EXTREMELY close and BODY shots as well, yikes! I should hear back in a few weeks if the Editor picks me and then it's a real photo shoot, a full story and I'd be published in the mag!!! Watch out Jennifer Hudson... there's a new girl in town!


***total weight loss to date 29.6 lbs***

W-Day #26

Almost, almost, almost there... so close in fact I can FEEL it! I am excited to post that I am down another 1 lb which means I am only .6 away from the big 3-0 lbs of total weight loss. This week was extremely challenging thanks to Holiday parties, and most of all those overflowing baskets of goodies every where I turn in the office. A bunch of our clients send HUGE baskets of chocolates, cookies, cheeses, crackers, etc. and when the "norm" is to sit there and pick on this stuff all day it's easy to forget about WW. Apparently not being normal paid off this week. Lets just hope I can continue to be ab-normal!

*** total weight loss to date 29.4 lbs ***

W-Day #25

I went to weigh yesterday and all I can say is... I'll take it! I am down .4 lbs and I know it seems like nothing unless you're on the WW plan. Getting on that scale week after week makes you realize a loss is a loss and even those weeks they are tiny will add up to something big in the end! I have learned to be patient with my weight loss and it's motivated me to keep going and to not give up like I have done in the past. I am also at a weight that I have not seen in a long, long time and it's proof those "tiny weeks" have gotten me there!

*** total weight loss to date 28.4 lbs ***

W-Day #24

I am hesitate to post the good news considering it's Thanksgiving week and the woohoo it's a "Holiday" attitude could tip the scales in the wrong direction next weigh in... BUT this year Thanksgiving is going to be a different kind of day for me. Yes, I'm going to enjoy myself but my goal is to indulge in the things I don't get "regularly" and at the end of the night feel satisfied yet pleased with myself. I am VERY excited to report W-Day results this week because I am at a number I have not yet gotten to on my journey of weight-loss. I have lost another .8 lbs and the best part of it all is I am now down a total of 28 lbs! I've been stuck in the 26/27 lbs for a bit and I feel accomplished to finally be over that hump!

*** total weight loss to date 28 lbs ***

HAPPY TURKEY DAY TO ALL!

W-Day #23

I am down another .8 lbs. I know to someone not on WW it probably sounds miserable... work so hard for a mere .8 but honestly I know losing weight the way I'm doing it will almost guarantee I keep it off! I have started to realize what I want out of all of this and it's to be healthier not to wear a certain size or weigh a certain weight. Continuing to think of this as a life style change not just a weight change has really kept me motivated lately. At the same time it has made me relax about the time it's taking me to get to goal. As Joyce always says, "slow and steady wins the race." I know I'll win in the end but for now I'm going to focus on LOSING day by day!

*** total weight loss to date 27.2 lbs ***

W-Day #22

Do you ever feel like you're in a rut?!?! Well, I do... I went to weigh this weekend and although I can post a loss, I cannot say I was overjoyed when I saw the results. I lost .2 lbs... yes, it is better than gaining but it made me realize it's time to make small changes in order to see a big change overall. I have been extremely slack when it comes to measuring. When following the WW plan portion control is a super important component for weight loss. Since you are not technically giving up any foods you have to be sensitive to the amount of food. I am going to focus on measuring out my portions better. The more familiar I get with portion size will benefit me in the long run. Even the tiniest amount over when guesstimating weight could cause you to go over your daily points a little each day, which equals a lot week after week. Fingers crossed this is just what the doctor ordered to cure my rut!!

*** total weight loss to date 26.4 lbs ***

W-Day #21

In the game of life there are ups and downs. When I first started this blog I titled it what goes up must go down because somehow during my "game" my weight managed to go UP and now was the time to get it DOWN. Well, this weekend when I weighed I experienced an UP and clearly that is NOT the direction I'm trying to go here. It's been a while since I last weighed so maybe, just maybe I can make myself feel better by saying, "hey, it could have been worse" but either way you look at it I was up 1.2 lbs. I'm back on track now (like for real, no birthday's, no surgeries, no vacations) and the next w-day results better go DOWN!

*** total weight loss to date 26.2 lbs ***

W-Day #20

Yikes... it's officially less than one week until the BIG 3-0! I felt like it was a good week, I felt like I stuck to my points, I felt like I was going to see a decent number on the scale... and then... reality struck... down .6 lbs. Hmm, wait, is that right? Is the scale working? Did Joyce mean 1.6? I guess in the game of losing weight some weeks are just unexplainable. I know what I need to do this week so we'll see how it plays out BUT what I also know is I feel good, I've retired a ton of clothes from the closet, and I'm ready to continue on this journey until I do make my GOAL!

*** total weight loss to date 27.4 lbs ***