9/27 Weigh Day - Great results

306 (-6.2/my total weight loss -17.24)
I have come to the realization that it is impossible for me to blog daily. There has been so much going on in my personal life, that I have been far too busy. I am ok with that. Thru all this craziness I call my life, I have stayed focused on my journey (food wise). Yeah! Damn proud of that.
I am worth it!
Jill

Day 27 thru Day 36 - Fun in the sun!

Just got back from a great vacation in Negril, Jamaica. I went to an all inclusive resort, Breezes Grand Negril. Airfare, hotel, transfers, food, drinks, and some water sports were all included. There was beautiful weather every single day. I could get used to taking turns between lounging on a lounge chair and floating on a raft. Life is good!

I am very proud of my choices while I was there. I did great food wise. Opting for fruit and protein for breakfast. Lunch was light. I choose small portions for dinner; selecting proteins, veggies and small amounts of carbs. I had dessert only 2x's. At the most, the dessert amounted to 80-100 calories. I took very small pieces of items off the dessert table. You know the mini milkway bars, my pieces were smaller than those. I drank a little more than I should have the 1st full day there, but I was swimming and walking on the beach, so I think I equalled it out. The rest of the time, I had 1 or 2 drinks per day. I feel I got enough exercise with all the walking and swimming I did during the week. This can be done. It is not about the food!

Back to work today...boo hoooo! Just finished reading my mail and newspapers. Looking forward to tomorrow and continuing to make good choices.

I am worth it!
Jill

Day 26 - Lost my license!

312.2 (-2 / total -11.04)
Pleased with today's weigh-in, not thrilled...there is a difference. But, I look at my overall results and they are good. I know when I get back from vacation I need to focus on exercise. I seem to have control over my eating and calorie intake, but I have not been honestly giving exercising 100%. I plan on exercising while on vacation. Walking on the beach, going to the gym, dancing, etc. I also plan on having an awesome time!!!

Like I blogged yesterday, I am going to an all inclusive resort for a week. I leave tomorrow am. Unlimited food and drink. In the past, I would definitely get my moneys worth in both food and drink. In order for me to effectively change my patterns of the past, I need to stay on track during this vacation. Now that I am on this journey, I have officially lost my license to eat. I am ok with that. It is not about the food. I am going with some fantastic people, my focus is going to be on enjoying my time with them and having a wonderful vacation.

Not sure that I will be blogging while I am away, but I will journal if I don't blog.

I am looking forward to tomorrow and burying my toes in the sand! Oh, heaven!!!!! : )

I am worth it!
Jill

Day 25 - Buttoning my lab coat

While I was waiting for the elevator to go down to my floor, I adjusted my lab coat. I haven't ever buttoned it, not because I didn't want to, but because it was too tight, the sides wouldn't reach. Not sure why I tried to button it today, but I did.....and I was able to do it. Yes, it was a little snug, but I did it. Wow, I couldn't believe it. Making progress.
I will be leaving for vacation on Saturday, going to an all inclusive in Jamaica for a week. Which means all the food and drinks are included. This is going to be a test, I have been trying to mentally prepare for it starting today. For breakfast, I am going to focus on proteins and fruit. Lunch, hopefully there will be salad. Dinner, I will look for protein, vegetables and a small starch. As far as drinks, I am worried. Not that I am a big drinker, but those island drinks are so refreshing. Maybe I will drink water in between alcoholic drinks. I plan on exploring the beach daily, not only to look for shells, but for exercise. I may even venture into the hotels gym. I am really looking forward to the trip.
How did you handle your trip? Were you able to stay on track? Any advice is appreciated.
I am looking forward to walking out of work tomorrow knowing that I won't be returning for over a week. I am going to weigh-in because I won't be able to do it Monday. It should be good.

I am worth it!
Jill

Day 24 - Too tired!

I have been working on writing a cover letter for a job I am applying for at the hospital. The darn thing took me most of my evening once I got home. I went out to dinner with my Mom, didn't have the best time (that is another story), but gosh darn it, I stayed on track. So proud.
I am too tired to write a long post. Looking forward to tomorrow and continuing to make good choices.

I am worth it!
Jill

Day 23 - Better days ahead!

Still reeling from what happened. I have been going thru many emotions today, mostly anger. But, I did remain steadfast to my journey. Feeling good about that. I finished my calories off with a delicious 100 calorie chocolate ice cream bar. Yummy!
I really appreciate the supportive comments from my blog family. I am not alone on this journey. I do love reading other people's post to see where they are, what they are dealing with or what they are thinking about. Today, I stumbled on Sarah's blog http://theweightitis.blogspot.com/, she has maintained her weightloss for over 5+ years. Good for her. Reassurance that this can be done! I looked at her before pictures and I saw myself in them. I just can't wait to see myself in her after pictures. It will happen.
Well, I know better days are ahead. I look forward to a less emotional day tomorrow.

I am worth it!
Jill

Day 22 - Staying in control!

Something happened last night that put me in a bad emotional state today. My mood fluctuated between sadness, anger and happiness. (Please be aware that no one, including myself or anyone that I love, was injured or harmed in anyway. This is just not the forum to talk about what happened.) The reason I am bringing this up is because I would have normally turned to my old friend food to comfort me while experiencing such an emotional day. But today, I remained in control. Rather than using my mouth to eat, I used it to speak. I didn't hold in what I was feeling, I talked about it. Getting things off my chest freed me emotionally. It felt good to stay in control. I still have to continue to deal with the fall out from what happened yesterday, BUT, I am so focused on my journey, that I am not worried about going off my plan. Feels good.
Sad to be going back to work tomorrow, my four day weekend flew. For tomorrow, I am looking forward to making good choices and remaining in control.

I am worth it!
Jill

Day 21 - Three weeks in!

Wow, I can't believe I have been on this journey for 3 weeks. I am so proud of the food choices that I have made these past 21 days. I am working on the exercise portion, but I will get there.

I am worth it!
Jill

Day 20 - Crystal ball!

I think it would super motivating if I could actually see what I would look like in 3, 6, 9, 12 months. What I need is a crystal ball. (maybe I should check Ebay) Of course, there is no such thing. What I have been doing is looking at fellow bloggers pictures showing their success. That definitely motivates me. I see that this journey I have started, not unlike those fellow bloggers, will show results if I stay the course. It is so hard to imagine (at least for me), myself 30, 50, 70, 100 lbs lighter. It has been so long. Thank you fellow bloggers for posting your photos. I appreciate them and their motivation for me.
Today was another good day of choices. I enjoyed spending time with my sister and my God daughter, she means the world to me. I look forward to tomorrow and enjoying my day.

I am worth it!
Jill

Day 19 - Good choices!

I had a great day today. It was a day filled with good choices. I started the morning with my usual protein/fruit smoothie. I really do love having a smoothie every morning. It is delicious and keeps me satisfied until lunch. I had the day off from work, so I met my Mom and we headed out shopping. She wanted to go to a new Indian restuarant for lunch, I do like Indian food, so I obliged. My visit to this Indian restaurant was so much different then any I had before. In the past, I would always overeat. I would start with an appetizer, perhaps a samosa, a potatoe stuffed pastry deep fried, pretty tasty. For my meal, I would get a chicken or lamb dish with a creamy yogurt based sauce. Of course I would have to order the bread called Naan. Naan is a delicious flatbread, that is served hot and brushed with butter. I would eat 2 to 3 slices of the Naan. No meal would be complete without dessert. I always ordered Kheer, India's version of rice pudding. That's good stuff. This visit today was different than before because today, I was not going to order all of the extras. I surfed the web for calorie counts of my favorite dishes. I was prepared. I allotted myself 500 calories for lunch, and that is just what I stuck to. My Mom opted for the buffet, and wouldn't you know it, Naan was delivered to the table as part of the buffet price! Oh how that Naan called my name...I ignored it's begging and pleading with me to indulge in it's warm, buttery, chewy goodness. I stuck to my plan and was able to enjoy my choice, chicken korma with bismati rice. I drank 3 large glasses of ice cold water. The leftovers are nicely packed in my fridge. After lunch, we walked in a number of stores to work off our meal.
My evening was great, I went out with some friends to see Donna Summer in concert. Her show was at Foxwoods Casino in the MGM Grand Theatre. Our plan was to get dinner at the casino before the show. We opted for a modern mexican restaurant. My choice was easy, I opted for the salad and chose steak as my added protein. It was delicious, I really enjoyed it. Mixed greens, seasoned steak, avocado slices, tomatoes, jicama, and a small amount of cotija cheese.....yummy! It nicely fit into my calorie budget. I drank 2 big glasses of ice water to wash down my meal.
Donna Summer was fantastic, I was singing and dancing as if it were my "last dance". She may be in her 60's, but she still is a disco queen!
I was proud of my choices today, I am doing this! Looking forward to enjoying this long weekend.

I am worth it!
Jill

Day 18 - Avoiding the gym!

I have mentioned this before, I am one of my gym's best customers. I pay my montly membership fee on time and never go there to workout! I can't figure out why? Is it laziness, am I scared of failing there???? I don't know. I have read many people's posts about their intense cardio workouts and how much better it makes them feel. I know from my past experience of successful weightloss that going to the gym really helped me lose weight. I have been walking everyday from the shuttle parking lot to work and then back to the lot after work. Honestly, I noticed today that I wasn't out of breath like I had been when I first started walking. That I am definitely proud of, but beyond that....nothing. I come home, sit on my rump and surf the web. Ugh! This is not good.
I mentioned last night that I haven't been drinking enough water, well today, I really did good in that department. I brought my 32 oz. water bottle into work, filled it with ice cold water and drank it. Then I met some friends out for dinner and drinks. I drank water, three 16oz. glasses! Oh, and I ordered an Asian Salad, which had Sushi grade tuna, served over baby field greens tossed with cucumbers, roasted corn, peppers and tomatoes. I asked for the spicy peanut sesame vinaigrette on the side and used approximately 1 tsp of that. It was delish!
Any thoughts from my blogger friends about my gym issue would be appreciated. I need to stop avoiding the gym!
I am looking forward to being off of work tomorrow, for the start of my 4 day weekend. Another good calorie budget day!

I am worth it!
Jill

Day 17 - Water is important!

While driving home from work tonight, I realized I was really thirsty. I had only drank about 17oz. of water all day. That's not good. I have always loved water, I rarely drink soda or juice. As a nurse, I know water 1) helps move food through our digestive track and rid the body of waste 2) it helps regulate our body temperature 3) it lubricates our joints 4) most importantly, it helps regulate metabolism! When we drink ice cold water, our metabolism fires up to heat up the water that just entered our bodies. Love it when my metabolism is working! I have read several articles that say we should drink 1/2 of our body weight in ounces per day. For example, a 200lb person should drink 100 ounces of water per day. Doing the math, there is no way I could drink over 150 ounces of water per day. How about I try to drink at least eight 8 ounce glasses per day. That is a reasonable goal. I can bring my sports bottle to work and have it right at my desk. No excuses.
I really have been getting into this blogging world. Reading other people's weightloss journeys is so inspirational and motivating. There are people out in this world who have a similar story to my own, just with a different name and weight. Sometimes I read their words and I could swear that they were mine. I would have never imagined, before the age of computers, that anything like a blogging world would ever exist. Pretty amazing stuff! Gotta love technology.
Well, I am getting tired. Looking forward to another good day on my journey and drinking lots of water.

I am worth!
Jill