Well I lost a pound and a half.  I only recorded the pound.  That puts us each at 6 pounds for a total of 12 pounds lost.  Over all we have lost a total of 35 pounds (Tamara at 21 and Marty at 14) since we began our individual weight lost journeys last fall.  Even though it does not seem like a lot during the contest period in comparison with others, I think that for us this is good.  And I know, as does Tamara, that we will never see those pounds again. This is good and worth celebrating. Way to go Church Ladies!! Good Job!!

As Tamara has said, she will be continuing her weight loss/fitness program after this contest is over. This is not the end of the journey for me either. I have figured out that at the rate I am going I should be there at least before Christmas.  My goal date is October 31^st.

Much to my surprise, I find that while the exercise is still a struggle, I can easily continue on the diet part of the program.  The fudge cake is still in the back of the freezer and the Christmas candy is in the drawer, but I have no desire for any of it.  Someone gave me two chocolate coins yesterday and I didn't feel either temptation or deprivation.  I simply gave them to someone else. So in spite of myself I seem to have acquired some healthy eating habits, gruel and all. I will see my doctor next month to get my cholesterol checked again. It will be exciting to see how much it has gone down.

Marty

One might say Marty and I have come to the end of a journey today on this blog, but they’d be wrong. Keeping healthy and getting in shape is a life-long activity. One of the most helpful things for me is to not think of my changes in eating as a “diet.” If I do, that almost certainly sets me up for failure—if not now, then certainly in the future, as has been the case with “diets” I’ve been on. No. I’m going for healthier lifestyle changes. The weight loss has been more gradual than my past attempts, but that’s okay. Because I know that I have a better chance of keeping the weight off this way! One of the things I feel best about is the increased amount of exercise I’ve had in the last six months. Since a good share of my exercise (specifically, my strength training) is in the morning, the effects make me feel good all day long—and on the days that I do the workouts, I don’t seem to need the caffeine! The other day, I measured myself, and I’ve lost 3 inches on my calves and an inch on my thighs—I’m told that’s not an easy task.

Abbey, my beagle, is benefiting from this lifestyle change: I take her for more walks. I’ve often heard it said that if your dog is overweight, then YOU are not exercising enough. It’s true! Abbey was overweight, but she’s looking trimmer these days! She is benefiting with the weight loss and the lifted spirits that a walk brings, as she still deeply mourns her beagle brother, Mo. And it’s so enjoyable to get out, especially as the weather gets better.

I also enjoy my almost-daily strolls outside on work breaks, and those will become more frequent as the weather improves. Trips to the swimming pool (did I tell you I am a fish and have been swimming since I was four?) and workouts with my video will become more common, especially on days when other options for exercise aren't available.

Food is still a daily struggle, but I just remember how diabetes consumed both my brother and mother; with prayer, and the positive support of friends and family, I persevere. In my family, the diabetes buck stops here. My family does not need to put up with this disease anymore. While I cannot control that I *have* diabetes, I *can* control what goes in my mouth, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and keep that sugar count down. I hereby and officially slam down the gauntlet on this genetic nightmare!

I’ve been so excited to be a part of this contest and hope to win it, but in many important ways, I’ve already won, because I’m much healthier as each day passes! However, having said this—I sure hope we're chosen. A personal trainer would be a great help—with the exercise, yes, but also with other aspects of this healthy change. And a trip—who wouldn't want that?! I don't think you'll find two people who would be more grateful!

Tam

PS: As of today, I’ve lost another two pounds!

I attended a Lent Quiet Day at my church on Saturday, and spent a great deal of time walking the halls, reading, writing, and feeding my spirit rather than my tummy. We had a lovely salad for lunch with greens and toppings provided by the various women—almonds, sunflower seeds, Feta cheese, tomatoes, and dried cherries. Apples, oranges, and bananas were available for munching throughout the 6-hour event. It was a bit chilly that day, so I periodically stopped by the church kitchen to try out various teas.

Why am I bringing this up, you ask? Again, this was a period of silence—including the lunch time. I LOVED eating with all these women; we didn’t feel the need to talk and it allowed us to notice more things, I think. For me, I noticed the sound of the forks as they hit the plates…the chewing of the salad. And that was one of the BEST salads I’ve ever had.

I think we need to pay attention to what we eat. It makes the whole thing much more enjoyable!

I read an article a few months ago about an experiment that someone had involving attention to eating. One of the things the writer observed is that when she paid particular attention to foods she was ingesting, she started to learn that there were some foods she didn’t like—that she’d automatically eaten for years! I found more information about this author in the following blog: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/02/21/her_web_message_control_weight_by_eating_mindfully/

I didn’t get a chance to weigh-in this morning, but will do so tomorrow. I am getting a lot of exercise in, which is amazing since I’ve been so incredibly busy these last couple of weeks.

I hope all of you are adjusting to the time change. It was pretty dark when I left for work this morning! Changes like this can be dangerous for our eating habits, so I plan on paying particular attention to what I eat today! I challenge you to do the same!

Tam

I have asked another 'Church Lady' to make an exercise video for us.  Her  name is Susan.  As out of shape as I am I can't do what she is showing you, it is more for your younger folks. I told her if I got down on the floor I would not be able to get up again. It would be nice if I could get in shape enough to squat down to look at something and be able to get back up again.  I have to tell you .. That actually happened to me about a year ago.  I squatted down to get something on a low shelf and I got stuck!  How embarrassing that was. And it hurt too. There was no one around and I didn't know what I was going to do. Finally I was able to grab a shelf without the whole thing falling over on me. It was rather scary too.  I really need help. I hope I win this contest so that I can afford to have a personal trainer for a year. That would really be a great help. I know that when I had a physical therapist I would do the work and the homework too.  Thing is a physical therapist isn't with you long enough to help you get in the habit of exercising for the long haul.  If I had a personal trainer for a year, that would get me in the habit of exercising and I could stick with it for the rest of my life. So ... pick me... pick me.... oh... please, please pick the Church Ladies, Biggest Lose judges!!  Please pick us!!

Marty

Easter candy is out! Alert! Alert! I’m proud to say that when I went to the store during my lunch hour today, I went past the candy and headed straight for the salad dressing. For lunch, I’ve been making salad from fixings that I keep in our break room fridge. I’m tired of iceberg lettuce—and it’s really an “empty” vegetable: zero calories…zero nutritional value. It doesn’t hurt, and it does fill you up, but it gets tiresome in a hurry. So, I’m using baby spinach, instead. Yum!

Like Marty mentioned, I am in an a capella early music vocal ensemble called “Sine Nomine,” and we’ve recorded two (and produced one) CDs. The music you’re hearing was recorded in a cathedral in London, Ontario about 10 years ago; the traffic was so heavy near the building, that we resorted to recording in the middle of the night! Anyway, we hope you enjoy the music; when you hear one soprano, why, that would be me! Oh, and in case you’re wondering what “Sine Nomine” means…well, it means, “without a name.” So I can truly say I am a group with no name!

Music is such a vital part of my life (and a part of my exercise workouts!)!

Happy Friday, everyone!

I’m anxious for spring. I love my walks, and I miss that I don’t take outdoor ones with as much frequency. I am recovering from a bronchial infection, which exacerbated my asthma. I tell you, I was SO GLAD to get back to my normal routine today—the first time since Saturday, in fact! Exercising at the fitness center never felt so good! Those early mornings are worth it! Best thing I’ve ever done, I think. It would be so easy to procrastinate if I saved the exercise until after work. But now, I look FORWARD to the exercise!

I had a chance to look at a couple of exercise videos I purchased recently, and I think they’ll be easy to follow. Since I seemed to be fine with the strength training today, I think I’ll start (slowly) the videos tonight. Have to be careful because of the asthma for now.

Tam

Sometimes, no matter what you do, you don’t lose weight (or gain it). You could have a birthday (like I did this week). You could have an impending “that time of the month (I’m a week away from it, and I usually gain water during that time).” The important thing is not to beat yourself up about it, or let others beat you up. That’s basically how I got so heavy in the first place.

Allow me to explain.

When I was in high school, I was a stick at 100 pounds. Too skinny, I think. After college, I had a series of very emotionally abusive relationships. One of the people I dated told me that “if I was going to marry you, you’d have to lose weight or I’d be unfaithful.” At this point, I was at about 135, which looked fine on me in retrospect.

Fear not, I dropped this guy faster than boiling hot metal. However, I listened to my negative thoughts, I absorbed the negative comments from others, I listened to society’s negative thoughts, and figured, “What’s the use?” Right now, my main thought is to get healthy, and weight loss will be part of that. I’ve become a very patient person. I know that if I keep plugging along with the exercise (strength training at least three days per week, cardio any time I  can fit in) and work on the eating (I’m already drinking so much water that the office women’s room is my satellite office!), I will—slowly but surely—get to my goal weight.

Coaching is a great idea, and I agree with it, as long as the coach you choose provides positive reinforcement, and doesn’t beat you up about a pound here or there. I’m hard enough on myself, thank you. I’ll be interested in what our coach says and look forward to her positive motivations with enthusiasm.

I’m already much healthier than I was a year ago, and that’s the main point and the reason I began this journey.The scale only tells part of the story, anyway. Muscle weighs more than fat, and according to the trainers at my club (and my masseuse), I'm building them quite a bit. Besides, I've lost close to 7 inches since I started the strength training—3 of them since this contest began. Clothes ARE looser, and it's getting close to the time when I have to clothes-shop again.

This reminds me of another tip I was given a few weeks ago: when you get too small for a particular article of clothing, GET RID of that item. I have a Goodwill bag all ready to go that is crammed full of slacks and shirts that are too baggy on me. If I get them out of the house, then I don't have any excuse to gain weight, because WHAT would I wear?

Tam