Monday, May 7, 2007

Weight Loss

And so it begins. Today is the day I begin the May Day Weight Loss Challenge. I am trying to get excited about his - I really am. But I start thinking about how much weight I need to lose and how hard it will be and will I ever be able to try out that new chocolate cake recipe I just got? I have actually been doing a weight loss program on my own for about a month now and have lost 7 pounds, but I think the fun of doing this with others online sounds appealing and will help me to be accountable. So I will report my weight loss/gain every Tuesday for all of you read. And all of you, my dear readers, are to congratulate me or chastise me - which ever is appropriate! Some are posting their actual weight. You will have to forgive me, I am not up to doing that yet!

I am going to follow the Weight Watcher point program. I don't attend the meetings but I have all the books and slide guides from previous attempts, so I keep track of all my points in a little notebook. I find that writing down the things I eat helps me a lot. I never realize how much I have eaten if I don't chart it. It always amazes me how LITTLE we need to eat to keep us sustained. I also, intend to combine some of the South Beach principles, such as high fiber and low carbs into my point system. I have not made a commitment to exercise yet. I know I need to but I am not there yet. I just can't be forced into these things - I have to get there by myself!

As far as a weight loss goal, I haven't settled on a final number yet. Instead I am setting a goal of 30 pounds for now (not counting the 7 I have already lost). That will get me to a size that I will be more comfortable at and once I reach that, I will re-evaluate what I want to do. Somehow, it just seems more "do-able" if I make smaller goals. The road doesn't seem so endless, if you know what I mean.

I have attempted this so many times in my life. Once, I achieved my goal of losing 60 pounds and it was a very good time in my life. I hope to get there again.

I have come to realize that I am somewhat of a stress eater - I get stressed and I eat. But mostly I overeat just because I love good food. I love to cook and bake and I really enjoy the way food tastes. I don't have any deep underlying emotional issues I need to resolve and no matter how hard Oprah tries to convince me otherwise, it's just not so! I just love good food. And I just need to practice a little discipline. Okay, a lot of discipline - I need to keep this real don't I?

So pray for me and wish me success! I'm diving in!

42 comments:

Serving Him said...

Dear Robin, I am glad that we are doing this together and with so many other women. I think your idea of setting small goals is a GREAT idea. One day at a time and one pund at a time. Praise God for the 7 pounds that you have lost so far...that is awesome. Please know that I will be praying for the success of all who are doing this challenge. I pray that God will give us strength to make wiser choices about the food we eat and perseverance to not give up. Have a healthy week. Sincerely, Serving Him

Denise said...

Yes, my dear, you can do this. I will be cheering you on.

Sharon Brumfield said...

Thanks for stopping by. What a journey we have ahead of us. If we were fighting the battle for someone else it would probably be a little bit easier.
But now it is time to fight for us--if you are anything like me this is not something you normally think about. Something for me...usually involves food.
But I do so want to look in the mirror and be pleased with what i see and what I have achieved.
So lets fight the good fight together. I want what I gave up--for me right now my short term goal is a size 14. Last year I was growing out of an 18 and now I am in a sixteen. I need some summer clothes shortly--I live in Louisiana--so it is either do it or die from the heat as I walk around in jeans.
So lets do this thing.
Pop in often and lets encourage one another.

Anonymous said...

I guess that keeping it real is the first step! I think you have a solid plan and you CAN do this!

Special K ~Toni said...

Go Robin! I will be rooting you on!

Anonymous said...

Robin! We can do this! :-)

I am a stress eater too. And I eat when I'm bored. And I love to eat. The thought of denying myself my favorite things is frightening and I too wonder if I can do this. Like you I have tried in the past and did well but never stuck with it long term. But - knowing others are out there dealing with the same things I am helps somehow. Thanks for visiting me. I agree that "together" we can do this! :-)

Angel said...

I'm praying for you!!!

Krista said...

I will help cheer you on girl! Suggestion to you--do the weight watchers online --it is about $50 but it works wonders and you can input everything and it will keep track of your totals for you! it is really cool!

Toknowhim said...

Thanks for your encouragement to me... It seems that you have already come a long way too. I know that our God will help sustain us if we let Him. God Bless, Kim

Amelia Antwiler said...

Oooo...You like good food, too??
We can do this! & 7 lbs is a great thing!! Every tiny bit helps.

I find I do things better when I write them down. I was terrible at that with weight watchers and terrible at planning my food. I'm hoping that planning won't be a problem for me with calorie counting.

Cheering you on!!

Betty's Loosing Race said...

Hey Robin! I'm so glad you have joined this challenge. Thank you for comenting on my site. Yes I can relate to a lot of your post. We are going to succeed in these weeks to come.

I just prayed for you!

~Betty~

Lucydolls' ramblings said...

You Go GIRLFRIEND!!!! I know you can do this!

Girl Gone Wild - BibleStyle said...

I'm excited about the cheers and jeers of peers helping out, also! (Ok, that sounded a lot wierder than I intended it to) BTW, I'm more about the cheering!!

Melanie said...

You can do this. You're off to a great start. You've already lost 7 pounds! Keep up the excellent work!

By the grace of God ... said...

We can do this!! We really can. I think I need to aim for the small goals since I have been "stuck" for so long. Your idea is great. Have a successful week!!

Susan said...

Hey Robin! Thanks for popping in to say hey.

Yup...we can so do this. Together.

Seven pounds is great!

Hugs!

Dianne - Bunny Trails said...

Thanks for commenting at my blog, Robin. I'm so with you - I don't have any underlying emotional issues either - I just love SWEET stuff! Particularly Dr. Pepper - I'm terribly addicted to that stuff. It's also much easier to just eat garbage - it takes time and effort to change that habit. I, too, am setting a smaller goal than what I'd like to lose in total, but I think when we get to September 8th and find that we've accomplished something good, it will spur us on to continue. It's also an adequate amount of time to build new habits. I pray that God will strengthen all of us in wisdom, self-control, and perseverance. In Christ :D

Journey said...

Robin,

All the best to you on this challenge! Thanks for stopping by my blog today. This is going to be exciting...all of us in this together.

Take care!

Kim

Susanne said...

Setting small goals is VERY SMART!! We have to break it into bits and pieces so we can achieve success and feel good about it. Congratulations on the first 7!! I am praying for you and cheering you on!!
In Him,
Susanne
(p.s. - listen to the podcast I mentioned...the verse that you quoted on my blog is featured there, and it's just SO encouraging!!)

Loosin' Baby Fat said...

Thanks Robin for stopping by my site!! :) Nice to "meet" you!

Unknown said...

Good for you Robin! And I am with you. No deep seeded emotional issues, just come home tired and drained (emotionally) and boy those chips and salsa make me feel better. I always think it would be better if I craved Jesus the same way I crave chocolate.

Betty said...

Robin,

Thanks for your vote of confidence. Yes, you can do it, and yes, you can try out the chocolate cake recipe....just invite a whole bunch of people over so you only get to taste it, and there's nothing left to stare at after everyone is gone. :-)

I have been exercising for seven years, and like you, I simply like food. I don't binge, I don't stuff myself, I simply like high fat, high sugar foods...like cookies. I'm a baker, too.

But...I love how I feel when I'm thinner. Because I exercise very regularly, I am not losing weight for health reasons, I'm the healthiest person I know! I am, purely and simply, losing weight to make myself happier...and in my never ending quest to find true love.

Mich said...

Hello fellow challenger! It sounds like you are already on the right track!! And btw, I'm with you--I just really LIKE to eat good food. Now it's just a matter of finding good, point-friendly food!

Marianne said...

Hey Robin, I totally understand this post and am with you on the discipline thing!! I will check on you and encourage you! Thanks for your comment. Are you in the ministry currently? Just curious. My husband and I are missionaries, on leave of absence right now, so just wondering!
Blessings!

kittyhox said...

Hi Robin!

Thanks for visiting (and commenting at) my site!

I am totally with you about the chocolate cake recipe. Every time I want to start a diet I suddenly think of all the horribly fattening recipes I wanted to try and how this will prevent those attempts. Nevermind the fact that I rarely cook, of course.

I've decided that I'm going to make myself one lonely little cupcake for my son's upcoming first birthday party, along with the regular sized cake. This will prevent me from gorging on giant pieces of cake or scarfing down sixteen cupcakes. I. get. ONE. (with frosting)

We're going to do this. You've done it before and I'll be you're an even stronger person now than you were then!

Think how wonderful we'll be feeling in just a few short months!

YAY!

Anonymous said...

You can do it!

Fiddledeedee said...

Robin,
I'm a stress eater as well. But, we can do this!!! Look at all this wonderful support!

Good luck.

Joanne said...

me too good luck with the weight loss journey

Halfmoon Girl said...

My goodness, you are so encouraging- you have visited so many people doing the challenge! This is a great way to motivate each other.

Military Mommy said...

I will be praying for you Robin.

I think it was very wise to make a reasonable start goal. I probably will want to re-evaluate after I get to my goal too. But for now, I just want to take baby steps.

Glad we're in this together!

Love, Michelle

Journo June aka MamaBear said...

raising my hand......another stress eater here. Here's to finding healthy alternatives! Like drinking water and taking a walk.

AimHigh said...

Robin,

Thank you for your encouragment to me. Right back at you! I know that sometimes we feel like there is no end at the tunnel, but there is! Just take it one day at a time! I'm praying for you!

aimee

Sara @ Life With the Two said...

Robin,
Thanks for the comment, and I know that we all are going to do amazingly well with such an awesome support group behind us. Good luck with week 1!

Required field must not be blank said...

Good luck to you Robin! I've got a 30 pound goal for this challenge too. I loved Weight Watchers Flex plan when I was on it a couple of years ago and know that it's a low stress way to lose. See you every Tuesday and take care!

Tishia said...

I to am doing the challenge and following Weight Watchers. I also don't go to meetings but purchased the at home kit so I have all the resources. I was embarassed to list my weight and a before pic but I figured why hide it? I know I'm overweight and have a long journey ahead of me so I figured if that pic and number is there where I can view it (and the rest of the world!!!) then it might help keep me motivated. And I'm bound and determined that by the time this challenge is over I'm going to have another pic to post that shows some amazing results :-)I'm with you and praying for you. Remember Philippians 4:13, for I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

Mom Tu-Tu said...

I hope you don't mind that I tagged you over at my blog!

Nise' said...

Thanks for the encouragment! I can relate to stress eating! I'm going to follow WWs points as well!
Hope to see "less" of you next week!

Annie said...

Hi Robyn, Thanks for your encouragement and I'm glad you enjoyed my roses. I love them too. Keep focused on the challenge. I am looking to the support of all the women to help me with this one, and like you, I have done it many times before .. and have all the "books" - so at least we know it works - one day at a time

Katrina @ Callapidder Days said...

Hi Robin - I'm just stopping by to let you know that you won "Bittersweet" from my blog's giveaway. Congrats! If you would send me your mailing address, I'll get it out to you next time I'm at the post office!

Katrina
callapidderdays AT gmail DOT com

Sandra Garcia said...

Hi Robin,
Thanks for stopping by for a visit :-). I can so relate to how you feel about food. I love food! But I must admit that I tend to eat out of boredom. Especially while I'm at work. It's nice to know that we're all in this together. I'll be popping in and praying for you.

Leah Belle said...

I'm in too. I, like you, LOVE to eat. That wouldn't be so bad if after I had a chocolate chip cookie, I would stop there. But NOOO, I have to have another and another.... they taste too good to put down. So I'm working on self control. I've lost 6 lbs and am shooting for 25! Good luck on your journey. I hope you continue to be successful!

Mariah said...

Hi Robin, I'm diving in too. I joined Mel's group...as you know cuz that's where you "found" me! I just love food too. I've tried to analyze the whole thing for me, and I really think that my issue is that I just like to eat! It's that simple. It's not spiritual or deep rooted. I simply like food and don't like exercise. My daughter has been running lately and she's hooked on it, so she's convinced me to give it a go with her. I used to run when we lived in England, but got away from it when we moved here...new place, new church, new routines, etc. Anyway, I'm going for my first real run in about four years tonight. In about five minutes, to be exact! I'm nervous about it too. Isn't that silly? Anyway, here's to all of us on the weight loss journey!

~Mariah