Hallowe'en!

Happy Friday, everyone! And, more importantly…HAPPY HALLOWE’EN! *insert creepy wooo-ooo-OOO noises*

As you read this, I will be decked out in a custom-made Queen Elsa dress that a close friend very generously ordered for me as a birthday gift. Yes, Queen Elsa. Yes, like the Disney movie. Does it sound better if I call myself the Snow Queen? No matter – I have a five-year-old daughter you wanted us to wear matching costumes, and of COURSE she picked a Frozen character. Oh, yes, I know what a popular, unoriginal choice it is. I’ve seen the drinking game post on Facebook. But I don’t care. My daugher’s sense of magic and wonder at this age is the most important thing.

My son, who is 2 and a half, is supposed to be dressing as Sorcerer Mickey Mouse. You know, the wizard version with the creepy walking mops. Unfortunately, he has refused to try on his costume and seems to hate it at the moment. I do have a back up plan, though. And I didn’t actually spend any money on the Mickey costume…plus it’s huge, so I can always use it for him next year. But I’m still sad because he would look so CUTE in it. I’ll have to let you know what happens.

Now, onto my oversized booty…

I weighed in today at 188.6lbs. That means I lost almost a pound this week. Slowly but surely, yes. But I know I could have done much better.

Want to know how I did with my (recycled) goals? I’ll keep it honest…

I ate more vegetables (score!). I ate SLIGHTLY less sugar than normal, but not by much (boo). I DID hit the gym 3 times, plus took my dog for a walk/run. I succeeded in using heavier weights for some of my arm exercises, and have started to find that my new squatting weight is feeling easier (almost time to bump it up again, I guess!). I did, however, eat out quite a bit (at least three times….I lost count) BUT, even though it was fast food, I made better choices. Kid meals instead of adult sizes, apple slices instead of fries, etc. So even though I wasn’t perfect, this week was better than last week.

And, honestly, that’s what matters: improvement, not perfection.

Boost

So, I had a little bit of a happy “aha” moment the other day while I was trying on some old clothes. I can, sadly, remember the amount that I weighed when I used to wear these clothes (less than I do now). I was fully expecting the clothes to be tight, not fit, or fit poorly. But, I tried them on anyway.

Well, you know what? I was partly right. Some didn’t fit, and some fit poorly. However, other items DID fit – and some fit great! I tried on a coat that used to be tight when I weighed 10-15 pounds LESS and it felt perfect. I tried on a sweater that never used to fit me at this weight, and it was only slightly snug. And other shirts fit well. I bought some new clothes, too, in a size lower than I was expecting (from stores WITHOUT vanity sizing), like size 12 pants where I was expecting to need a 14 or 16. I’m darned happy with my size 12s! I even scored a cute dress for 12$!!! This was all definitely a little ego boost for me.

So, it made me think…even though I have gained a lot of weight back (not all, but a lot), I haven’t gained nearly as many INCHES. And that is more important. I guess the fact that I kept up my workouts really made a difference.

Now…onto the goals I made last week. I am here to report on how I did:

I wanted to eat more vegetables. I did, although I was only aiming for two per day, which isn’t exactly impressive. I did watch my sugar intake...and by that I mean, it was better than the previous week. I got in one outdoor run and went to the gym twice. I would have hit my goal of going three times, but my little guy decided to bump his head and need stitches on gym night. Priorities! I succeeded in adding more weight at the gym and eating lightly at my dad's birthday dinner, but I also ended up eating out more this week, which wasn't the plan.

Overall, I would say that I did "okay". I did lose a pound, so that's good.

I basically have the same goals this week, except instead of a birthday dinner, I will allow myself one meal out. Let's see if I can do this...

I'm bad....

So…

Apparently I am terrible at “following” through at everything. Fitness, weight loss, projects around the house…and blogging breaks. Yes, I’m back already. What’s up with that, you may wonder? Well, what can I say? I missed it too much!

But, I am still going to be changing things a bit. I have decided that, instead of taking an extended break, I will instead continue on - without the pressure. You see, I am terrible at putting pressure on myself, and blogging was no exception. If I didn’t get out at least three posts per week, I felt like a failure. But I’m done with that. I will not force myself to post if I am not in the mood, or if I’m having terrible writer’s block. If I only make one post a week, then I will only have one post a week – and hopefully it will be a good one!

Moving on…

I remember, back when I started blogging consistently over two years ago, how much it helped me to share my little goals each week with you. So I really want to go back to that – hopefully it will help to keep me accountable.

So, this week I plan to:

1. Eat more vegetables
2. Watch my sugar intake
3. Hit the gym 3 times, plus get in one or two outdoor runs
4. Try heavier weights for my arm exercises
5. Eat lightly at my Dad’s birthday dinner (which will be held at a Chinese buffet), but still enjoy myself. (Please see previous post about all-you-can-eat meals here)
6. Not eat out all week EXCEPT for the above-mentioned dinner

I think that’s enough for one week…don’t ya think?

Checking In

Hi everyone!

I must admit that I miss blogging, despite enjoying taking my little blogging break. However, I decided that I did want to check in with everyone...so that you know I'm still here!

I have been keeping busy with work, crafting, child-rearing, and trying to combat my binge-eating. I am making progress at the gym - slowly but surely - and working on improving my self esteem. I am also trying to enjoy the fall weather. Despite the fact that summer was way too short, I think I am learning to love autumn again.

I have been taking photos of the craft projects I've been working on. Unfortunately, I can't share most of them due to them being Christmas gifts, but I AM really proud of this one: superhero piggy banks for my son and nephew:





I also sewed some Barbie clothes...it was harder than I thought it would be:





I look forward to showing you more of my projects...all in due time!