Not Obese Anymore

I just realized that according to the National Institute of Health I am no longer considered obese (BMI of greater than 30). To be honest, when I gained all of this weight, I never really thought of myself as obese. Everyone I surrounded myself with had mostly positive things to say about me and my body shape with the exception of my ex fiance who loved to tear me down. I didn't realize how big I was getting. I just now went around the house to try and find an item that weighed the same amount as what I have lost. I found a case of bottled water, but it was only 30 pounds; approximately 2/3 of what I lost. Even still... holding that case of water in my arms while imagining another half case on top of it was something else. I was carrying around all that extra weight and now it's gone. I feel free. I've been here all along, but now you can see me! I was buried by all those extra pounds from stress, emotional pain, the binge eating and the yo-yo dieting.

One of the things that has made this journey so much easier and SUCCESSFUL is that I have some amazing people who love and support me. My friends are the few and the proud; a hand-picked crew of some of the most beautiful souls. My life is completely empty of people who bring me down or want to keep me down. In the past, those negative people have been men, but right now I have the most supportive man I've ever met in my life. He counts points right along with me even though he doesn't need to lose weight. He goes on walks with me. This guy is in my corner.

A couple of weeks ago I told him on a particular day that I wanted to make sure I took a walk. Our day was busy and it wasn't until later that I remembered that I needed to get some exercise. I looked outside and it seemed it might rain soon, so I told him we should probably cancel the walk, to which he replied something to the effect of, "Ok weather woman, what's your excuse going to be next time". He then continued to tell me if we went for a walk that moment, we'd probably miss the rain. I exercised that day because of him. He was able to hold me accountable without pissing me off. This is something others have had a hard time with. You can ask just about anyone who knows me...

Tomato salad & Salmon Burgers

I made this the other night and it was oh so satisfying!

10 pear tomatoes (halved)

1 T red onion finely chopped

1T reduced fat crumbled feta cheese

Kraft Basil Vinaigrette to taste (I only used 2tsp)

toss together

This was very tasty for 1 POINT!

Also, to  mix things up this summer try throwing some Alaskan king salmon burgers on the grill. You can get these from the frozen seafood section at your local supermarket. The variety I found has a 3 POINTS value for a very nicely sized patty. Be careful when selecting buns. Some of the light style 1 POINTS value buns (and breads) have high fructose corn syrup as one of their main ingredients.

20th Weigh-In

This week I lost 1.6 pounds. I am so close to the 150's that I can taste them!!! I am also 1 pound away from the 45 pound marker.
Will post more later, but have to run to the side of a loved one.

Pound for Pound Challenge

For every pound you pledge to lose this summer, General Mills will donate 14¢ to Feeding America™ - enough to provide one pound of groceries to a local food bank.

http://pfpchallenge.com/

Spread the word! This is a great way to give to your community even when you, like me, hardly have the resources to give to yourself.

Biggest Loser Finale- Spoiler Warning!

I am slightly bummed by the results of the Biggest Loser. I have followed the show religiously since the start of my WW journey. While I have felt connected to all of the players and those watching at home through our common goal, I aligned myself with Tara. I was really pulling for her tonight, but Helen took it! The same woman who cost her 10,000 dollars by eating one donut against her time in a half-marathon when she, herself didn't have a chance in hell at winning that challenge. Don't get me wrong, I am happy for Helen. She is truly an inspiration, but GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Yatta!

Yesterday was my weekly weigh-in and I lost 2.2 pounds! I can't believe it... all my worry was for nothing. 

For two days last week I was a bottomless pit! In those two days I must have consumed all of my flex points (that I normally don't even use). I can't tell you whether I did or not because I stopped tracking after I hit my daily target. Paired with lack of exercise, I was sure that was going to be a recipe for weight gain. For the rest of the week I didn't dare to get on the scale at home. 

But no, I hit my 20%! I am so glad that I correctly listened to my body when it was asking for more fuel. I knew it wasn't emotional or boredom hunger! 

Last night I celebrated by going to a local Thai restaurant where I ordered the Kee Maow (5 points/cup) and Dim Sum (2pts/piece) and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. I was very busy earlier in the day so I had a bunch of points left. I grabbed a snack before I left the house, so that I wouldn't lick my plate clean and had a great celebration dinner. I used a couple of flex points because that's what they are for (I need to keep telling myself this so I won't be too restrictive). This time I tracked the flex points I used. I think before I was almost ashamed to use them, but now I know it's necessary sometimes. 

After dinner, I ended up going for a very nice 2 mile walk/jog with my boyfriend to earn some exercise points, so I am feeling wonderful today!

1.8 pounds away from the 150's

12 years ago, the number 150 on the scale is what triggered a full-blown eating disorder, but today I would accept that number with open arms. I can't believe how far I've come. I feel amazing. I'm in better shape and have a leaner body than I've had in years. I actually don't think I've ever been this healthy! When I was much thinner, I had gotten there from long periods of starvation and purging. 

Goals

My next goal is to get into the 150's. After that, I will be celebrating the loss of 45 pounds at 159.2 and 50! at 154.2. Then, I will be looking forward to reaching the 25% (153.2 pounds) weight-loss mark. 

Been a while.

It's been quite a while since my last post. To tell the truth I've lost a bit of focus and I blame it on one thing, getting comfortable with my body. Of course, this isn't a horrible thing, but I am only halfway to my goal and my weight-loss is slowing down. This is the time that I should be extra focused and diligent about my intake and exercise goals, but so far the opposite is happening. This may sound horrible, but I really wish people would stop telling me how great/thin/et cetera I am looking. It's going straight to my head! Lol.

This week has been a bit rough, I've used most of my flex points when normally I use none to 5 of them. My weight seems to be holding steady and I fear I am going to pay at the scale for not earning any activity points. Today I am doing ok, but the two days before that I was feeling hungry all the time. It didn't seem like emotional hunger, so I figured I would give my body what it was asking for. Right now I am regretting it. As of now I am 0.6 pounds away from having lost 20% of my body weight and I don't think I am going to make it by Monday night. I'm trying to focus on the positive, but I'm a little disappointed in myself for my lack of focus and exercise this week.

On the up-side, I bought a pair of size 8 jeans, I am hoping to fit into them by the end of the summer if not sooner!