Going to the Texas State Fair

This past week has been pretty busy since I am working on a power point for a friend's daughter's 16th birthday which is a little over a week away. I've been thinking of blogging but the night ends and I am too tired.

Tonight I am blogging first because I just feel like sharing my thoughts about tomorrow.

Tomorrow I and my family are going to the Texas State Fair. It's opening day. I've never gone on opening day before but when we found out that one of our favorite singers, Jason Castro, was the opening act...well...we didn't have to think twice about which day to attend.

However, this whole week I've been thinking about the food. Not so much because I want to eat it but rather, what can I eat. Or rather, how many points are in the food. Trying to find that kind of information has been a challenge. Now I realize that one of the reasons people go to the fair is to eat the food but I can honestly say that has never been my reason. With as large of family as mine, eating at the fair is a huge splurge and one we usually don't get to indulge in very often, mainly because we go early to the fair and bring a lunch and leave before dinner.

This year it is going to be a bit different. We are leaving our house after lunch and staying at the fair till closing, or pretty close to closing. We are also planning on eating dinner at the fair.

So, this week I have been saving ALL my weekly points for tomorrow. I want to be able to indulge if I feel like it. It will be interesting to see how it goes because there is nothing at the fair I really want to eat. And in a way I am feeling a bit competitive in that I want to see how little of the weekly points I dip into.

Yes, I know that's what the weekly points are there for....but like I said...I am feeling a bit competitive.

And I must say this is also the first year of going to the fair that I've even cared about what food or how much food I eat.

I will be taking my own snacks along with snacks for the rest of the crew. I am planning on having a funnel cake...well at least sharing one.

Guess I'll report back and let you know how it went. I am taking my camera so I may even get some pictures of the food that tempted me the most....or maybe disgusted me the most.

That feeling.....

Today was my weigh in day....and I knew before I ever stepped on that scale that I would probably not be losing any weight this week. I've really been in tune with my body since I started this journey and I could just feel it...that bloated feeling...

I ended up GAINING +o.4....not bad but definitely not as good a loss.

I was a little discouraged because I know I've done well this week. I've gotten in some good exercise every day and I've eaten within my points. Actually I had points to spare.

Of course I needed to "vent" so I called a friend....but she didn't answer her phone. So I then called my hubby. Usually I would call him first but my friend has lost a considerable amount of weight and knows how hard I've been working and is such an encourager and she's a girl....I was needing that.

But my hubby pulled through....he too greatly encourages me but he is a "guy" and doesn't always understand my "way of thinking". However, today he helped me to focus on the fact that this is long term and I am making lifetime changes. He too sees how hard I am working and even though he brings home "treats"....I know he wants to see me succeed.

As I was posting my weight on etools I happened to look over my weight loss history and noticed that the same week last month I had my only other"small" gain....hmmmmm....a pattern...and I KNOW it has to do with my "cycle"...

My husband encouraged me and I know my friend will encourage me later.....but noticing this pattern is like the "icing on the cake"... I am at peace. I won't be over indulging or giving up or not caring [like I might have done in the past]........I accept that I am a woman and I still have my cycles and that does affect my journey....but only slightly....

I am resolved that I will continue doing what I have been doing for the last 8 weeks and I know that I WILL see more losses on this path I am traveling.

I'm changing...

So I've been hungry the last couple of days.

Tonight my daughters and I went with a friend and her daughters to try and find the girls a dress to wear to a "Masquerade Ball" that their friend is having to celebrate turning 16.

I had hoped to go bike riding earlier but with all the rain I was not able to go. But I think with all the stores we went to...all the getting in and out of the car...and all the walking, I got some exercise. Maybe not as intense as when I ride my bike or swim...but a lot more activity than had I stayed at home.

We planned on eating dinner at Chick-fil-a, but changed our minds when we saw how crazy busy it was. Instead we went to Arby's. I am getting to where I don't like eating out when I spend almost half my points on one meal....and a "bad" meal at that.... Yes, I left satisfied and that's good considering I could have eaten this meal and still be hungry.

However the next leg of our shopping was even busier than the first part. We did a lot more walking and moving and by the time I got home guess what??? Yep, I was hungry.

I have some good choices I could have chose from but what did I eat.....candy!! Guess my hubby stopped by the store for some battery's and brought home a "treat". Two bags of candy.

And guess who indulged. Yep....me.

Can I reiterate once again how much I love the point system. Because in the past when I would have come home and was hungry and saw a bag of candy....well, let's just say there would have been a lot of empty wrappers at the end of the night. Instead I looked at my points and weighed out how much I would like some candy. I saw that I had some points I could spare and I indulged. And I only feel a tiny bit guilty. Not bad!! In the past if I was trying to lose weight and I ended up eating candy....I would have felt terrible....so bad that I may have just given up on the "dieting".

Oh...and before I forget. I did try on a pair of capri's tonight. 4 sizes SMALLER than I the last time I bought capri's..... whoo-hoo!!! Now that is exciting!!!

Hungry like the wolf.....

Not actually but I have been hungry today....more than usual. I have noticed in the almost 8 weeks that I have been doing WW that I do have some days where I can't eat enough to meet my points and other days where I have no trouble meeting my points or even dipping into my weekly points.

I don't feel guilty dipping into my weeky points because that's what they are there for...however, I don't include them in my daily eating. I try to eat my daily points and IF I happen to be hungry...really hungry...then I will find something that will satisfy my hunger but not use up a lot of the points.

At the beginning of the week I wasn't very hungry, but today I have been ravenous...

Maybe it's because I've ridden my bicycle? As I wrote in my previous post, I rode 7 miles yesterday. Today after I dropped my daughter off for her volunteer stint at the library, I drove to a park and rode my bike for 40 minutes.

I hadn't been to this park before but I really liked the path. It wound through a lot of trees and there were a few wooden bridges I had to ride over. There was even a spot I made it to that was also a historical spot. I love history so I stopped to read the sign.

And even though it was overcast and there was a lite drizzle I thoroughly enjoyed my ride. When I was finished I called my hubby, excited to share a new place to ride.

It's getting late and the hunger I was feeling earlier has been taken care of with a bowl of Quaker Oat cereal and a little bit of milk. I am so glad to have the weekly points for times like these.

Alternatives to my normal....

This week has been different when it comes to getting my exercise. I have been going to the Natatorium and doing various water exercises but this week the Natatorium is closed for cleaning.

So now I am trying to find alternatives.

Yesterday was a very wet day....it rained ALL day long. I was supposed to meet a friend and bicycle down a trail but we called it off because of the rain. I really wanted to do some kind of exercise but I was losing motivation. My two favorite forms of exercise were not available. What did I end up doing???

I put a workout video in and spent the next 20 minutes working up a sweat. I can't even remember where I got this video...I think it was at the thrift store. It's called Walk Away the Pounds. It is one of the shortest workouts I've done. 20 minutes. But I liked it and would do it again. It was low impact. There was a 5 minute warm-up, 5 minutes of higher intensity, 5 minutes using hand weights, and then a slow down and finally a stretch. I ended the 20 minutes feeling like I did something and glad I finally tried out the video. I think I had this video tucked away for probably two years....

Today I really wanted to go for a bike ride. One of my tires was majorly dead so while my hubby was out going to various appointments he managed a trip to the store to buy a new inner tube and then came home and fixed it. Not only did he fix it....but he was willing to go for a bike ride with me. And I was very happy because I was wanting to try riding somewhere different. Usually I ride my bike in my neighborhood. It's not too bad but it gets boring because there are only two roads in my neighborhood. If I follow them around in a circle it's about 2 miles.

Anyways, I wanted to transport my bike in our truck to a gas station that is on a "country road". This road has a very wide shoulder to ride on. I took a timer and planned on riding for 20 minutes and then turn around. This road we were on is actually a peninsula and it ends at a State Park, so once you get to the end you basically do a u-turn and head back in the direction you just came.

The first half of the ride was nice....a lot of it was downhill. Yep, I knew what that meant!! We reached the State Park in 16 minutes...not bad. However, the return trip was a bit different for three reasons. #1 Most of it was up hill. #2 We were riding against the wind [which I didn't realize till we started back] and #3 My bike doesn't like me to use the 3rd, 4th or 5th gears...which of course were the very gears I wanted to use going up the slow inclines. Our return trip ended up taking 22 minutes and I must admit there were a few times I wanted to stop. But I kept going, lagging further and further behind my speedy husband. And finally I made it back to our truck...feeling very accomplished.

Afterword we drove down the same road to see how far we rode. 7 miles!!! Not bad...the last time I rode 7 miles on my bike I weighed 130 pounds less and was 28 years younger.

Don't believe everything you hear....

Yesterday at my WW meeting we discussed pointers for eating out. One of the ladies talked about how her friend wanted to go to McDonald's but she didn't cause there really wasn't anything low point to eat. But they got on the internet and saw that a happy meal was 6 pts.

After the meeting I went to my water aerobics class and then to the grocery store to buy last minute items for one of my daughter's birthday party which we had today. Anyways, it was after 1pm when I finished shopping and I was hungry. There just happens to be a McDonald's at the end of the parking lot. So, I figured why not get a happy meal....it's only 6 points.

I went through the drive thru and I have to admit I felt a teeny bit guilty asking for a happy meal for myself. I felt even more guilty when they asked if it was for a boy or girl. Of course I said... "a girl". And I even had a mental picture of them not letting me have a happy meal when they realized I didn't have any small girl child in my car. Yep...I can get some silly thoughts.

A hamburger happy meal is not a very big meal...I think the bun is bigger than the burger. But I was hungry and by the time I finished the burger and fries I was satisfactorily full.

Once home I got on the internet to put in my points. How surprised I was when I typed in happy meal and saw that my sorry excuse for a hamburger and the small fries were actually 13 points. Yeah.....13 points!!!! What a waste of points. Had I realized there were so many points in this little meal I would have chosen something else.

A hard lesson learned....Don't believe everything you hear....

I am ready to cross over...

Today was my weigh in day.....and I LOST...-2.8 lbs.

That has made a total of 20.2 pounds lost since I started Weight Watcher's 7 weeks ago. I've only lost this much weight once before and that was about 3 years ago. I then had a miscarriage and ended up gaining 40 pounds....ugh!!!

I was getting to the point where I thought something medically must be wrong with me because I was not able to lose weight. Seriously!! I thought my hormones were all messed up from the miscarriage because I couldn't understand why I wasn't losing weight. I had even started exercising this summer and instead of losing I gained....NOT GOOD!!

But since I joined WW and grasped the point system I've been able to lose weight. And I realized it was not a medical issue....it was not hormones....it was the food I was eating. Not necessarily the amount..... but the type. Working out made me hungry and I made poor food choices, like going out to Pei Wei afterward with my workout buddy. Now I understand that I ended up eating all my daily points just for lunch...no wonder I wasn't losing any weight.

I LOVE WW!!!! I LOVE the point system!! I LOVE losing weight!!

And I LOVE that I am at the threshold of a whole new me....once I pass this 20 pound loss I will be crossing that threshold into a whole new place. I will have broken through that invisible barrier that seemed to keep me from succeeding. I have been trying for over 10 years to lose the weight and for the first time I KNOW that I will be able to do it....I WILL succeed.

How big would we get?

One of the questions asked at my WW meeting was...

"I walked thru the door [of WW] because_____________________"

And in listening to the responses I heard pretty much the same answer......I saw a picture of myself.... WOW!!! I was a bit surprised by how many felt the same way. Not sure why I was surprised but I was and if I am honest, a bit comforted too. It's nice to know that I am NOT the only one who feels this way. And there is HOPE!!! I have lots of life-timers in my meeting and it's very encouraging to know that it is possible to not only reach your goal but stay there too.

Another thought held by many was that....we don't see ourselves fat...not until we see ourselves in a picture. And lets be honest....how many overweight/fat/obese people actually WANT their pictures taken...or if we get them taken how many of us are hiding behind others....yep, I too am guilty.

Towards the end of the meeting and older lady made this statement....

"How big would we get if we didn't see a picture of ourselves?"

Now that's something to ponder upon!!

As much as I hate getting my picture taken, I did have my daughter take these today because I want to show my weight loss journey in pictures too...and also remind myself why I need to keep on this journey...:-)

What's a bike rider to do?

I love to have choices of how to get in my exercise. Today was a great example.

Originally, I planned on going to the natatorium tonight to take the river botics class. That's a class where you run/walk in the lazy river, sometimes against the current. But as the day progressed I just wasn't feeling it. Usually I look forward to my water classes but tonight I wasn't.

However, the natatorium had no classes yesterday and I usually do the evening deep water workout. Figured I'd go tonight.

Feeling a little tired this afternoon I went to my room to lay down and read, with the thought of maybe getting in a nap before I had to go exercise. My husband came into the room close to the time I needed to get moving if I wanted to make it to class and we got to talking. I said something about not really wanting to go tonight but I still wanted to exercise, like maybe take a walk around the neighborhood. The hubby said he'd go for a walk with me. Now, how could I pass that up. I love to spend time with him and getting in some exercise too....easy decision.

So, I got off the bed to go log in my daily points because I was hungry and dinner wasn't ready yet and I needed to see what I could eat. In between getting off of bed and putting in my points, my hubby and I decided to go bike riding instead of walking. While eating some yogurt I remembered I was supposed to drop a movie off at the store and swing by a friends house to get some items for my daughter. No big deal since I was going to be leaving the house but now that I decided to stay home...well that got me to thinking.

When Chris walked in I suggested going to the park to ride. He was up for that and so were three of the kids. After taking the back seat out of the van, loading bikes in, and filling water bottles up we were off.

I was NOT expecting how crowded it was at the park. There were more people there than I have ever seen. Lot's of soccer and cheer leading practice going on. We finally found a place to park, got the bikes out and took off.

This park has a nice wide sidewalk around the perimeter. I could see lots of walkers and runners, but no bicycle riders. I almost thought I wasn't supposed to ride my bike on the sidewalk but once I got going I did see others on bikes.

I LOVE riding my bike! After working out in the water it's my next favorite way to exercise. But while riding around the park I have come to realize that bike riders are those who really don't have a place.

We could ride our bikes on the roads, and many do, but it's so hazardous around here, especially since there is usually not a shoulder to ride on. And let's face it....coming up on a bike rider when you are driving your car is a bit frustrating. Especially if you have to slow down until you can pass them safely. And around here the bike riders who ride on the road are the serious riders. It's very rare to see a casual bike rider out on the road.

So the other option is riding my bike on the sidewalk. But walkers and joggers seem to think that the sidewalk is for them and bike riders are nuisances. I can't tell you how many times I had to slow down or drive off the sidewalk and into the grass to avoid running into someone. Now when it's a solo walker or rider it's not a big deal. But when it's two people walking or one person walking their dog...then it's like they are king of the sidewalk. Now don't get me wrong, the majority of walkers/runners are nice and will make sure there is enough room. However, I feel like they would rather bike rider's not ride there.

So, I feel like I am in a "darned if you do and darned if you don't" place.

I love riding my bike. I just wish there was a place I could do it where I didn't annoy others.

Are we prepared for the risks?

I received a phone call this morning from my pastor. A new family in our church had just experienced a death and I was asked to co-ordinate meals. I called the family later this afternoon and made arrangements to take them a meal tonight.

I was so thankful that I had just made a trip to Sam's and had enough spaghetti sauce and noodles and salad to feed at least 15 people. My daughter made the 30 minute trip with me to deliver the food.

After taking the food inside we took a few minutes to visit. I'm not quite sure how to act in these situations since I don't really know this family; I have no relationship with them other than saying hi to them in church. But being able to take food to them was a blessing and a joy and I hope that this is just the beginning of a deeper relationship. The short conversation we had has left me intrigued with getting to know them better.

And while there wasn't a heavy sadness in the home, hearing about how this mother/grandma died brought a sadness to my heart. Apparently sometime in the near past, she had gastric bypass surgery. And while she lost weight, her body wasn't absorbing nutrients. They were able to put a feeding tube in her last night but she ended up passing away in the early morning. My heart goes out to this family.

This news about someone I hadn't even met has left me pondering a lot about my weight and life tonight.

Many who choose the bypass, do it because they don't believe anything else will or has worked. They desire to get healthy. They don't want to be fat....obese. Many opt for this surgery because they are concerned with dying an early death due to their weight/health. I guess that's why this is so sad to me. The very thing that is supposed to help actually hurt.

The risks are so real. Are we really prepared for the risks?

This isn't the first person I've heard of who has died from this type of surgery. I also have a friend who has been suffering ever since her surgery. And while I know of success stories and I am thrilled for them...I can't help but feel sadness for the ones that weren't successful. When we go into surgery they always tell us our risks and that death could be one of the risks. Yet how many actually believe that it will happen.......to us?

I am thrilled that I weighed in today with a loss of -1.8 lbs.

But this news of someone dying from gastric bypass has put a slight damper on my enthusiasm and makes me realize this is serious. Losing weight is serious!! Being healthy is important!! And what we chose to reach that goal can have some serious risks!!

I am more determined than ever to be successful in my weight loss through Weight Watcher's.

There is a part of me that want's to see bigger results than losing 1-3 lbs a week. And even though there are "dangers" to losing weight too fast, I'd like to think I wouldn't be the one at risk. I'm sure this lady who passed away today thought she wouldn't be the one at risk either. It's a very sobering thought.....

In this journey of losing weight are we really prepared for the risks if we choose options that have serious consequences? Gastric bypass, diet pills, and losing weight too fast to name a few.

I really need to be content with my small weight losses....because in the long run it's safer and those little losses do eventually add up to big losses....

RIP dear lady...even though I never met you, your death has impacted me and has forever changed the way I view weight loss. And I am happy to hear that you had a relationship with Jesus Christ....one day I will actually get to meet you.

Climbing a Mountain

This last weekend we went to Little Rock, Arkansas to visit family. We arrived Sunday evening at my brother's house where we celebrated my nephew's 16th birthday. My sis-in-law made some of her fabulous lasagna. Yummy!! Yes, I dipped heavily into my weekly points but it was well worth it.

We were also in town to celebrate my dad's 71st birthday and my parent's 46th anniversary. More of that later.

Before we left for Little Rock I had suggested to my hubby that we take the boys to Pinnacle Mountain. We planned on going in the morning but Chris, my hubby, walked outside to a flat tire on our van. It took the rest of the morning to get the tire fixed. We decided to go after lunch.

First I must say.....it has been a looonnnggg time since I have climbed Pinnacle Mountain. And second....I really don't consider Pinnacle a mountain but a very large hill. I've seen the Rocky Mountains!

My husband brought an extra shirt to put on for afterward, because of sweating. It was a cool day...who's going to sweat??

We started our trek up the "mountain" and by the time we were at marker 1, I was huffing and puffing. By marker 2 I was having to stop to catch my breath. Not sure why I was having so much difficulty breathing...I mean I have been doing deep water aerobics for 3 months...I shouldn't be having so much trouble breathing so soon. My hubby though is a sweetie and he would stop when I stopped.

By the time we got to marker 5 I decided I was NOT going any further up the "hill", especially since Chris told me it only got harder. I was gasping for air and my shirt was drenched with sweat. I figured I'd let the guys continue upwards and after I rested I would head back down.

So I sat on the only bench on the trail. The scenery was very peaceful and the breeze felt wonderful. I played around with my camera taking pictures and I watched a few people pass by. Pretty soon I was breathing normal.

But instead of going back down........I decided to keep going up. At my own pace. It wasn't too much further going up when I see my husband and one of my son's resting. They had not gone to the top but had decided to head back since I had. Except I hadn't.

I told them to go ahead on up and I was going to follow at my own pace. Of course my son was thrilled and he raced on ahead to find his older brother.

Anyways, upwards I trudged. One rock at a time. Try climbing stairs of uneven heights for 30 minutes and you'll start to get the idea of what I was doing.

I have no idea when my climb went from something "fun" to something "personal". Maybe when I was smack dab in the middle of the rock staircase and everywhere I looked all I saw was rocks.


[The top picture is looking upwards....see my hubby?]
[This bottom picture is my view looking downwards]


In the midst of these rocks, I started to think how my battle with losing weight was similar to this climb. In the past I would start out on my weight loss journey but I never could make it "to the top". Somewhere along the climb I would stop and instead of completing the climb I would start back to the beginning.

This climb came to represent my own personal journey. And now I HAD to make it to the top, no matter how long it took. No matter how many "baby steps" I had to take. And believe me I didn't progress at a fast rate. I'd climb 5 or 6 rocks and then I'd rest and catch my breath. Then I'd look up and pick a spot to aim for and start climbing again. Once I made it to my spot I'd rest up till the next goal.

And that's how I am tackling losing over 100 pounds. One small goal at a time.

I finally reached the top! Sweet Victory!! If I had the energy and coordination I would have jogged in a circle with my hands over my head like Rocky did when he made it to the top of the stairs. But I had a lot further to fall then he so I just asked my husband to take a picture. Here I am with two of my boys...do you notice that I am the only one who is sweating!!!



Of course now I was at the top and all I could think of is...how was I going to get all the way back down? My legs were already feeling like jell-o. But I made it down the same way I made it up...one step at a time.

By the time I reached the bottom my legs were quivering and I was soaked with sweat. In one way I was feeling pretty nasty but in another way I was feeling pretty GOOD...pretty darn good!! [you may not notice that from the picture but inside I was jumping up and down..LOL!!]

And I want to point out what the sign says...

West Summit Trail
Length 1 1/2 miles roundtrip.
Please allow two hours to complete.
Trail is steep and rugged and requires strenuous walking.