:: Free 2 Be :: the Odyssey ::

Thanks to all of you for your encouraging comments! I’m just here to make sure my blog doesn’t disappear. The assignment is going well (thanks!). We will be halfway through this weekend. It is long days but great. Very much looking forward to another life change in July and see where I have ended up.

I would like to say that people are bringing me food each day (unasked but much appreciated) and it is very interesting how it just keeps showing up! And so many of my favorites. Tonight was fresh homemade chicken salad with golden raisins, granny smith apples and walnuts, cantaloupe on the side, and ginger ale. Yum! God is soooooooooooooooo good to me.

Missing you all! See you soon!

Hello Faithful Readers, your kind support is so encouraging!

My diet is taking a break while I complete a couple of assignments. This next one will be ending July 10 (I believe) so I may not be back until then. In the meantime, have fun and don’t forget me. =) I’ll be back for part two of the 150 pound weightloss saga ASAP!

You guys are the best!!

My Weight Chart:

If you read this post before I update the chart again it will show the dip below the halfway mark…

Down 58.2 pounds since last August (and starting this chart), but down 77 pounds total, from my top weight of 300.

My ultimate goal is 150, so 225 was the half way point. I weighed in this week at 223. Halleluja!

Right now I am focused on losing 3 more pounds this week if I can, which will place me at 20 pounds to go to 200, the 2/3 mark. It also will mean I have lost 61.2 pounds in 9 months, or 20(+) pounds average every 3 months.

With three months to go in my first year on 3FC, I would sure like to lose another 20 pounds and get to the 200 pound mark by my one year anniversary here (August 10). That would also put me in a misses size 16.

Currently I’m down to a misses 18, for which I am very grateful, having made it up to a 26-28W twice in my life.

What are you grateful for this week? Or, what are you hoping for?

Thank you, thank you, thank you all very much! (Said in my best Elvis tones! lol)

Really, I’m thrilled. I worked so hard this month, but had quite a few ups and downs, I’m just sooooooooooooooo grateful that Eileen started all this and that all of you came out to play!

I probably don’t have to tell you how many times I reached out for another star or two JUST BECAUSE… And look! It is working!! LOL

I’m so grateful. And special thanks to JOY! I just noticed she is donating a cook book for a prize! THANK YOU!

Special Congrats to brseay and kevic for second and third.

Congrats to all of you, like Eileen and Meggie, who pushed and pushed to see those star counts go up! You guys make this soooooo much fun!! THANK YOU!

Now, who is up for winning next month???

I really want to disqualify myself from winning for three months, but I will still be in here pushing so that I can make my goal, which is 70 stars in May.

Your thoughts on our May winner?? Hope you will join us!

That is one pound past the half-way mark!!

Okay, here’s the *facts,* ma’am. Top weight 300, today 224.

Down 7 pounds for the month of April, total loss 76 pounds!!! from top weight, 57.2 since beginning again and starting this blog, August 10, 2008.

My very next goal is to hold this or beat it Sunday for my weekly weigh-in which goes on the weight loss chart. Weigh-ins page will be updated asap.

Today’s weight places me back in 1994 territory. =)

I’m deciding now if my *next* goal should be 212, the *new top weight* that sent me back to WW in 1992, or 198, the lowest I weighed in 1992 after joining WW again. Hurricane Andrew happened and I’ve only been below 200 one time since - the last time I almost died, in 2000. (We don’t count that one.) Or maybe 200 or 199.

Votes??

This week my Sunday weigh-in showed a 1-pound loss. At least that is the way the needle looked to me… Digital was easier, but it is still shocking to see that needle drop.

This is 1 pound above the half-way point. Total loss is 74 pounds from top weight and 55.2 lost since August and beginning this blog. 226 is a number so long gone from my memory that I do a double-take every time I see it.

This week I hit a wall on exercise (too much) and food (not enough, especially protein) and have now taken 5 days off exercise except for a little walking. Now, I need to get back on.

The half-way point is my next goal and it is amazing to be *only* one pound away. This month ends Thursday so I will do a monthly weigh-in on Friday, and then weekly weigh-in Sunday. If I could hit the half-way point or below on both Friday and Sunday… ah, the best of both worlds.

What is your next goal?

My workouts have really been my focus here for the last few weeks. It takes me back…

When I was 22-23, I worked in heavy construction after riding a 10-speed bike 10-20 miles a day. My weight was about 20-30 pounds above where I wanted it, and, it didn’t really come down, at the time.

But later, at 24, I suddenly lost 40 pounds. It was the muscle. I had quit working so heavy and quit eating so heavy (eating for fuel) but I still had all that muscle I had built up, and, MUSCLE BURNS CALORIES!

Suddenly, I was 5′8″ tall and able to wear men’s 29″waist jeans. I was THIN!

So the other day I realized, I may not be losing weight fast now, but I am certainly building MUSCLE! And there will be a pay off.

It really gave me hope that whether the scale *looks like* I am losing or not, I am going the right direction every day I do what I need to do to eat right — give my body the good food that it needs — and exercise — challenge my body to go a little farther, faster and lift a little more.

I don’t need to see weight loss every day to know that I am on my way to a new, thinner healthier me. I am burning fat and building MUSCLE! And, I will get *there* (where I want to be) some day. As long as I stay on this road and keep going.

Thanks to all my lovely faithful readers who inspire me and make logging in a treat and a pleasure! I *will* get out there and catch up on your blogs, too. I will, I will!

What gives you hope?

This morning the scale read 227, down 4 pounds from last week’s obviously mis-leading gain. WooHoo! It has taken me 2 months to lose this last 10 pounds, but, I’ll take it!

I have become sooooooo grateful for all the weeks I’ve been able to weigh in on digital scales. And now I am sooooooo grateful that I have scales I can weigh in on! LOL

This puts me down 73 pounds from my top weight, and 54.2 pounds from when I started this blog in August. I have *only* 77 pounds to go to goal, which means I am 2 pounds away from my next goal, the half-way mark at 225 pounds. Whew!

Just so grateful to be still going… Thank you, faithful readers!  Seriously.

What keeps you going?

Don’t know what happened, I wrote and saved this but it disappeared! My apologies - faithful readers - for not posting all week, not even my weigh-in.

Speaking of faithful readers, THANK YOU! Faithful readers, without you I feel sure I would have given up blogging about my weightloss, and then I would have given up tracking and being accountable, and then I would have just plain given up. YUCK! So look. You and all your wonderful visits and comments have saved me from myself. THANK YOU! Really.

Speaking of last week’s weigh-in, I think I was in denial. The scale said +1, it is now a week later, and I still don’t believe it. Enough said.

Meanwhile, this is my *token* belated weigh-in post, just in time to get on with this week’s weigh-in… =)

I just hafta share here, I’ve been concerned that continuing to do my (heavy) CrossFit workouts with the addition of a couple hours a day of dog walking at a fast pace seemed just too much for this body.

Yet today - I set new records on a benchmark weightlifting workout. For those of you who follow such things, here are my personal records:

1. Back squat, 145 lbs. (twice now)
2. Shoulder press, 75 lbs. (new today! WOOHOO!)
3. Deadlift, 205 lbs. (twice now)

CrossFit adds these three up for a total. The first time I did them over a year ago, my total was something like 180. A month ago, it was 385. Today, it was 425!!

This is a real bench mark that I can use to say I must not be doing too much, or, I would have worn out halfway through and not set a new record total.

Can’t tell you how happy I am to think that I may be able to keep up the CrossFit AND add in the dog walking (or, hiking!) that I want to be doing this summer.

Who else around here is lifting weights or setting new records at your exercise?

First, I had trouble doing all my dog walking and workouts. Then, I ran a lot while walking the dog one day and found out I was supposed to *run* a 5k for my workout the next day. It was really important to me to get a good time (for a change! lol) but I was soooo whipped from overdoing it the day before. I could barely walk, but walked extra, and forfeited the run. =/

Next day was supposed to be a rest day and I really struggled with wanting to *make up* what I had missed. Today I didn’t finish my workout because my equipment broke, but again was *whipped* after the dog walking.

Am I trying to do too much? Can I adapt to this doing more and increase my stamina and weight loss? That would be the plan! lol

Next, I went from staying on my food to having chocolate - a lot. And kept going the next day (today). And then forgot to eat dinner ( a real no-no) and got a chicken sandwich at Bojangles which means I ate wheat. Plus sweet tea.

My food plan is meat, eggs, nuts, green veggies and fruit. No sweets, no wheat, and, AT LEAST THREE MEALS A DAY. Could I eat chocolate and NOT count it as a sweet?? Could I count chocolate as a meal?? I think not.

Self sabatoge? Or usual ups and downs? I refuse to panic. But weigh in is less than 36 hours away and just eating wheat usually drives my weight up 3-5 pounds. Yikes. I really do want to get back into the swing of losing at least a pound (or more) a week, then make it to *one*derland 4 months from now. Hmmm.

How was your week?

I made a six month goal about 5 months ago. It may be best not to think about that one now. ;-p Maybe it was just a tad lofty! LOL

But the w8challenge idea is still working for me, and now I’m thinking up a new semi-longterm goal.

In a few days it will be eight months since beginning again, and four months to go to one year. Hmmm. I’ve lost 51.2 in the eight months and I’m 31 pounds from *onederland.* Think I can do it?

That would put me at 82.2 pounds lost for the year, 101 pounds total loss, with *only* 49 pounds to goal.

Got the idea from thinking that if I could keep losing at this rate… we could expect about 25 pounds in 4 months. But why not 31? Get radical! Go for it! All that stuff.

I could always get consistent on CrossFit and tighten up the food again. Really. And maybe even fit in a little extra walking/running/hiking. Sure. Why not? It is springtime!

Why not, indeed? Hmmm.

What goal would you like to make?