Wednesday Weigh In - July 20th

Today is weigh in day and I stayed exactly the same as last week - 176lbs.  I'm not too surprised because last week I lost two pounds and for me it's usually just a pound a week.  I really do wish the weight would come off faster, but one thing I noticed is that it is coming off all over.  I mean my arms look thinner, legs thinner and so on.  Of course the midsection is where I wish it would all come off because that is my worst area, but it is an all over weight loss.  My husband was up a pound this week, and he thinks its because of a couple stops at McDonalds for breakfast where he was getting some kind of egg and sausage wraps.  I told him that the bread on those wraps were not the same as the bread we use at home and that probably did it for him.  I asked my son if he lost anything this week but he said he didn't weigh himself.  I suspect he isn't staying on the plan all the way and when you don't feel any different in your clothes or anything than you don't want to weigh yourself.  He graduated at the end of May with a degree in Digital Art and Design and has been having a hard time finding a job.  He spends a ton of time in his room supposedly job searching and sending out resumes online, but I suspect it is leading to a little bit of depression and then eating.   I wish he would find a great job, and get himself on a normal schedule where he is up early and out of the house.  I think the weight would start fallling off then, I mean he is young, it should be a lot easier for him. 
I noticed that some of you are going through Perimenopause right now and are having trouble with the weight loss and mood swings.  I turned fifty in March and have already gone through Menopause two years ago.  Apparently the women in my family all go through it early. Yeah for us!  I wonder if that is why I am losing so slowly.  Maybe everything just goes into slow mode after Menopause.  Every once in awhile I find myself getting totally irritated at everyone for really no reason at all.  I can't sleep the night through unless I take one Tylenol PM, so I usually take one of those every night.  So I think the problems with Perimenopause don't go away all together after Menopause they just lessen.  The slow weight loss could also be because I sit too much.  Like Patti, I also work out of the house for my husband's business.  He is a General Contractor and we run our own home improvements business.  I do all the daily paperwork, advertising, bill paying, taxes, etc. for him.  That happens in the mornings on the computer (with me sitting) and then I run around in the afternoons doing family stuff (my four boys all still live at home), house stuff and errands.  Then in the evening I mainly just sit around.  I should really work in exercise somewhere in there, maybe join a class, but you know, yuck!   They say if you find something you enjoy it won't seem like exercise.  I just haven't found it yet! 
Well, we leave for the Outer Banks on Sunday and I love to swim in the ocean, so I'm hoping a week down at the shore might help me lose an extra pound or two.  Have my menus planned out so I think I'll be ok on the food.  I'll let you know next weigh in.

Wednesday Weigh In - July 13

I weighed in this morning at 176lbs.  So I'm down two pounds from last week.  Usually I only drop one pound so I'm a little leary as to whether this two pounds will stay, or if it was just a fluke weigh in this morning.  Feel a little guilty also because yesterday was my husband's 50th birthday and I had a few beers with him before we headed out to dinner.  They were Michelob Ultras which are only 2.6 carbs per beer, so hopefully they won't make a big difference since I kept my dinner to Chicken Chesapeake and Caesar salad. Chicken Chesapeake is a Maryland dish, I think, which is basically chicken with crab meat on top and a white cream sauce on top of everything - really good!  When we got home I made those tortilla wedges with butter and cinnamon that Amber talks about in her blog (she layers them with whipped cream). I made a simple ice cream in my Kitchen Aide ice cream maker and then layered the home made ice cream with the tortilla wedges and that was his cake!  I have to say it was really good!!  The ice cream was made with eggs, heavy cream, coconut milk, vanilla extract and stevia.  My husband and oldest son are doing this diet with me, so it was nice to have a really special treat for his birthday.
 
My husband is doing really well with this diet as well.  So far he has lost 21 lbs.  His family all have diabetes and heart disease so he really jumped on board when I started this thing as a way to lose weight and prevent those diseases.  He was a huge sweets guy and now he only has the two squares of chocolate at night plus the coffee with cream and Truvia.  My oldest son just graduated from college and came home about forty pounds overweight.  Yikes! College did him in with the staying up all night studying and eating pizzas.   He was resistant at first to joining us on this diet but after he saw us lose weight he finally decided to join in.  He has been at it about three weeks now and is down about five pounds.   I don't think he is quite as strict as we are, but I'm hoping things will turn around for him.   My youngest son is fifteen but is a little over six feet tall and is built like a football player.  He isn't overweight but I guess he could go that route and even though is isn't on the diet,  he is modifying what he eats to really lower his sugar and carb intake.  My middle two sons are super thin!!  That's the way my grandfather was and I think genetically take after him.  They can pretty much eat ANYTHING and stay SUPER thin!   They also seem to naturally eat the right proportion sizes.  We all eat dinner together every night as a family and  it is a bit of a challenge sometimes to come up with dinner ideas that make everyone happy.  I grew up with the meat, vegetable and starch dinner plan and sort of keep with that now except those of us on the diet skip the starch.  Have also been trying to make the starch whole grain like brown rice instead of white, etc.  I figure even though two of my boys are super thin getting them to eat healthier will still be the best route for them. 

This week I'm going to try to drink more water, walk my dogs a little more, try to come up with more variety in our family dinners and of course try to eat more fiber!!

Wednesday Weigh In - July 6th

Well I had high hopes for a dramatic weight loss this week and it was......only a pound.  I'm now at 178lbs.   That is still 19 pounds down from when I started on April 9th, but geez this weight loss thing is so slow!  The reasons I thought I would have a more dramatic weight loss this month?  I started walking my dogs in the evening after dinner with my youngest son.   My son really keeps me diligent about walking, although I think he is into it for the dogs sake, lol!   Also I have cut out almost all snacking in between meals.  I used to grab handful of almonds or slices of cheese between meals if I got hungry, now I just wait.  Also I started making myself some sort of eggs each morning.  They keep me full longer and I figured a bigger meal in the morning would also be better than a bigger meal in the evening.  Plus I have been having no grains with dinner.  The only carbs I get with dinner are in the vegetables I serve.   I really don't know what else I can do except incorporate some kind of exercise or stop drinking cream in my coffee.  To be honest the coffee with cream in the morning and after dinner is the highlight of my day, so I really don't want to give that up.   You have to have something to look forward to!!  The good news is that I don't mind the way I'm eating.  I don't really feel the urge to have something I'm not allowed to have.  Even the cupcakes and brownies that were served over the 4th of July were fairly easy to pass up.   I guess I'll just keep plowing ahead and hope for a bigger weight loss next week!