Weight Loss Update

Friday I had my monthly weigh in and I thought it was about time to share an update on my blog.

I am trying to keep my 'diet' sane and sensible. Focusing on physical fitness and eating healthy so I am able to sustain this lifestyle change for the rest of my life. That said, weight loss isn't going as fast as it did at first. I hit a plateau, gained some weight back and hung there for a really long month.

I am finally losing again!

Curves keeps track of your exercise, frequency, strength and calories burned along with weight and measurements. Each month you get a handy dandy print out to proudly hang on your fridge.

This last month I lost 15 total inches.

Bust -2.25 inches
Waist -3.25 inches
Abdomen -3.00 in
Hips -3.00 in
Thighs -2.5 in
Arms -1.0 inches

Body Fat -1.70 %

Weight -15.5 lbs
Body Fat Lbs -11.86 lbs

My total weight loss for the month was 15.50 lbs, of that 11.86 lbs was pure fat!

My total weight loss since starting the Curves plan is 32.5 lbs

Finally my bust sticks out further than my stomach. *smile*



Look Ma, I am actually running now in the field with my dog!



On the off chance you cannot see that picture clearly. That is my new friend Cindy (she adopted Kiddo) with Bonnie and I in the field...running to keep ahead of the sheep.


The best part? I didn't need to swollow entire bottle of ibuprofen today.

That is a very good thing.

Aspiring Loser

I am fat.

No more hiding it with control top pantyhose or good ole fashioned elastic 'suck-em-in' undies. When your upper arms are almost as big as your waist - that should be a reality check. When your tummy sticks out further than the 'girls'- whoa Nelly, time to see Jenny Craig.

Reality came home to roost the other night when we were out with the dogs.

John, my lovely thinner husband (I hate him & his metabolism) was snapping pictures. As usual I kept shrieking in my fishwife tone "DON'T GET ME IN THE PICTURE!" I hate my picture being taken, it is like being slapped in the face with an old smelly shoe - distastefully unpleasant.

The next day when I was reviewing the pictures that were taken, looking for good ones of the dogs....I found this



My husband clearly was not listening to the shrieking about not getting me in the shots. Either he is a terrible photographer or he was trying to send me a message (that he will pay for later). What other purpose is there for these pictures?

Beyond displaying my questionable fashion choices?



He doesn't know it yet, but he is a dead man.



I look like the Michelin Tire Man with boobs

*shudder*

This isn't a surprise. I am not completely blind and we have mirrors in the house.

How did this happen? I quit smoking last year (viola - 50 lb gain). Stress in my life is triggering some out of control emotional eating (I can blame another 50 lbs on that). Since I became unemployed - woohooo slap another 25 lbs on my hips.

Bottom line (ahem, correction: very LARGE bottom-line) - this happened because I have shoved more calories in my mouth than my body has burned. WOOHOO! Light bulb moment there huh? 'Doh!

The perplexing thing is... something about being heavy has been emotionally working for me to this point. Why else would I have allowed this to happen?

I need to lose an entire person. Sweet...maybe I feel like I dont have enough friends, so I haul one around with me every day? WTF kind of thinking is that?

It makes me think of that Oprah Winfrey episode after she lost all her weight (the first time) and she hauled that huge wagon full of fat onto the stage.

Every time I climb out of bed, go for a walk, get out of my chair...anything - I am schlepping all of that with me.

The reality is, how can I train my dogs adequately when I am so fat I can barely bend over to tie my shoes?

--I need the energy to chase them around the field.

--I need to know that if I fall I can get back up again (important in fields full of manure)

--I want to walk without pain (arthritis & plantar fasciitis can bite my overly large butt)

--I really want to see the tops of my thighs again (other than in a mirror)

--I don't want to feel disabled by my weight (airplanes are the WORST!)

--I want to wear cute rain gear - not the extra large size roofing tarp I wore this winter

--I want to feel good about myself (I never really have....ever).

--I want to live a nice long life.

How am I going to accomplish this? Egads.... (insert panic attack here). I have NEVER been on a diet in my life. I also have never joined any type of fitness club. Just going into those places was like sticking my hand in boiling water - stupid & incredibly painful.

I know I need more exercise in a safe nurturing environment - preferably without men present.

So... this morning I joined 'Curves'. I have committed myself to going three days a week. Curves is only 1.5 miles from my house & very easy to get to. I also signed up for a weight loss program and the first class is next Saturday

Today I went shopping for good sensible food. Tomorrow I clean out the pantry and fridge and make out the menu for the next week.

I am making baby steps that hopefully will some day enable me to run ... because if I tried to run now I would kill myself.

Border Collie Weight Loss Plan

I realized this morning when I was getting ready for work. My pants are loose. My shirts button. Even my shoes fit better!

Then it hit me. I can bend over to tie my shoes now without holding my breath!

What is going on, you ask?

It is very simple really.

I adopted three border collies.



The Border Collie Weight Loss Plan

Exercise Program: Daily aerobic walking is the foundation of this exercise program. Rain, shine, sleet or snow – you will be walking. You must walk your Border Collie everyday or they do things like rearrange your furniture. Combining brisk walking with the use of a Chuck-it will strengthen your upper body, tone your arms and help reduce the dreaded back fat. Picking yourself up off the ground shortly after your face meets the dirt (due to being tripped by a dog lunging at the ball in your chuck-it) also helps to increase upper body strength – akin to push-ups.

Three dogs (plus one foster) equal four tons of dog flops to pick up daily – bending, stooping, & lifting – excellent for core strengthening. Schlepping large bags of dog food hither and yon (weight bearing exercise) helps to increase bone density and fight osteoporosis.

You must find your Border Collies jobs (or they find their own) such as sheep herding or agility. Agility requires running, jumping and bending. Herding involves, walking backward, running and falling. Both Agility and Herding are excellent aerobic exercise programs that assist in improving coordination & flexibility. Added incentive to improve quickly or face weeks of compounding humiliation increases mental alertness.

Food Program: Try eating a whole meal without a dog face in your lap – it won’t happen. Don’t leave your food unattended, it will disappear. If you are eating and you dare put the border collies in the yard – they will engage in retaliatory landscaping. Your Border Collie will remind you to share your meal by targeting your elbow thus making you spill whatever you were going to stuff in your mouth (particularly risky with hot liquids). They work this technique in teams. One nudges your elbow suddenly and quickly (like a rattlesnake strike) the other waits to snatch the dropped piece of food. This results in reduced caloric consumption due to depravation and followed eventually by acceptance.

Remember: You have been placed on this earth to feed your dogs – not yourself.



Over time this effective diet program results in improved cardiovascular health, lowered cholesterol, looser pants, and general feeling of wellbeing.

A healthy lifestyle brought to you by Border Collies. Adopt one today!

www.pnwbcrescue.org