Goddess Quest

22 pounds in less than six months!!

meggoat — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 12:49:08 +0000

I really can’t believe it! I’ve lost 22 pounds since beginning this journey less than six months ago through simple calorie counting (portion control, portion control, portion control) and some consistent exercise. I’ve also lost inches and at least two sizes - I’ve gone from large to medium skirts (and some of them are a bit loose…).

I never thought this would be possible without severe calorie restriction or more intense exercise. I try to keep my calories around 1200/day most days and try to walk 45 minutes/day most days. (Although over the summer, I was also doing a Yoga Booty Ballet workout daily.) This is all I’ve been doing over the last month and have continued to lose a pound/week.

I’m so happy to be able to wear form-hugging dresses and shirts, and really glad I can zip up my winter coat this year (it was a pretty tight squeeze last winter)!

I can’t wait until next summer when I can wear a two-piece bathing suit again. Yay! Simple pleasures.

From 149 to 141, but needing to say on course

meggoat — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:57:17 +0000

Despite a hectic August work schedule, before leaving for vacation, I still managed to walk 45 minutes each morning and do a Yoga Booty Ballet DVD nearly every afternoon. Then vacation and a work trip, back-to-back, where I didn’t lose or gain any weight, while only walking for exercise…

September’s been all about trying to get back into a routine after the two-week break. Now back into walking every morning for 45 minutes and getting back into counting calories closely and have lost a couple of pounds since Labor Day. Still not back to YBB on any regular basis.

All told, I’ve lost 17 pounds since the end of June (my goal was a pound per week). I’d like to lose 2 more pounds by the end of this month. By the middle of December, I’d like to have reached my goal weight, which means 11 more pounds lighter than I am now. I think I have to ratchet up the exercise to meet that goal, which is a challenge for me right now since I got out of my daily double exercise routine that I’d been so into in August.

Inspiration needed…

Hooray!

meggoat — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:25:00 +0000

Today is the first day in at least a year that I weighed less than 150 pounds!! After five weeks of calorie counting and daily exercise, I’ve made it down to the 140s (well, 149 on the nose). That’s nine pounds in five weeks and I’ve never felt ravenously hungry. I’m enjoying vitamuffins and skinny cows for treats but eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, a little low-fat cottage cheese, and a fair amount of lean cuisine spa and kashi brand frozen meals (for portion control, which is a major issue for me). And I discovered the 64-calorie Beck’s premium light beer.

Just as key has been walking 2 miles at 4 mph every morning and doing some exercise every evening as well, although I’ve now stepped that up to 3 miles every morning and a Yoga Booty Ballet dvd every evening. I want to have well-ingrained habits in place by the time winter rolls around and the morning walk becomes more challenging in the dark and cold.

It’s been a while

meggoat — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:54:15 +0000

since I posted here. It’s been a busy week but I’ve managed to exercise twice daily, even if the second workout was just a 10-minute Yoga Booty Ballet abs/core session. I’m going away for the weekend (which should include lots of hiking) and next week am committed to stepping up my exercise program, since my weight loss seems a bit stalled. My morning walk will be 2.4 miles and each evening YBB workout will be at least 30 minutes. Wish me luck!

Saturday!

meggoat — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:06:04 +0000

I love this day - got up and took a mile walk before it got too hot. Tied up a lot of loose ends with errands and housework, did YBB’s Cardio Cabaret workout, did a very little bit of work-work, made some great iced tea, and now am lounging before dinner. I love having no obligations. It’s a great day.

YBB kicked my butt

meggoat — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:13:31 +0000

I was having a great day until I decided to do three 12-minute ab/core workouts AND half of an hour sculpt workout this evening. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was having eaten something right before, maybe I just overdid it - but afterwards I felt totally nauseated and it’s just now - 1 hour later - abating. I felt totally overheated even though I drank a couple of glasses of water during the workout. It basically kicked my butt.

One inch

meggoat — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:05:26 +0000

After three and a half weeks of calorie counting and near-daily walks, I’ve lost an inch - hooray - from my waist! (and six pounds)

Wearing a pedometer now as added incentive to move and waiting for Yoga Booty Ballet to arrive to jump start the toning/strength work (and kick up the aerobics).

Picked up lots of yummy veggies from the farmer’s market/CSA today. Making great herbal and decaf iced teas each day (today’s flavors: blood orange and decaf vanilla).

I’m going to a meeting (with a lot of 20- and 30-somethings) at a resort in Scottsdale, Arizona in December and I’m hoping to be at my goal weight (22 more pounds to go) and bikini-worthy by then.

Calorie counting pizza

meggoat — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:23:07 +0000

Yep, I ate nearly two pieces of pepperoni and mushroom pizza for dinner. It was too close to my calorie count limit for comfort so I took another 30-minute super brisk walk and now feel much better about the whole thing.

This calorie counting/exercise thing really works!!

Monday morning and measurements

meggoat — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:38:24 +0000

Hard to kick back into gear this a.m. Postponed usual morning walk to midday since it was still raining pretty hard this a.m. Had a good weekend, calorie-, exercise- and weight-wise; looking forward to stepping the exercise up this week with some Yoga Booty Ballet.

Think I’ll take my measurements before starting this (first time since starting to count calories three weeks ago) so I can track my progress that way. I remember in high school I told a younger, guy friend my measurements: 32, 24, 32. He replied, “Those can’t be right; that’s perfect,” implying I wasn’t (I forgot to mention the AA cup size…)

Anyway, suffice it to say, I’m not 32 anywhere at this point. And I’m still not mentioning the cup size…

Calorie counting works!

meggoat — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 03:22:57 +0000

I was amazed this morning when the scale reported another pound lost. I had stayed within my calorie count yesterday but, with a beer and dinner out, thought somehow I would be tipping the scale. What a pleasant surprise!

It is harder for me on weekends not to nibble, but I can be more active in theory (although today I spent a lot of time lounging in my deck chair reading Duma Key...).

Tonight, had a picnic dinner of fresh fruits, veggies, hummus and wine before an outdoor performance of Twelfth Night. A lovely evening with no feelings of overeating or being deprived.