ONE STEP AT A TIME!

I have noticed one small thing, after starting exercising and losing the small amount of weight that I have.  I can go up & down the stairs like a normal person.  This may have you wondering how I navigated  the stairs before?  When you weigh to much as I did, plus no exercise, using the stairs does something to your thought process.   My brian would only allow me to start each new step with my right foot.  This meant, take step 1 with my right foot, and then bring my left foot to the same step.  Take step 2 with my right foot and then bring my left foot to the same step, repeat this process until I was up or down down the stairs.  I am now taking each step like I should.  Step 1 right foot, step 2 left foot, step 3 right foot, step 4 left foot, and so on.  Not only am I taking the stairs like a normal person, and much quicker, but I don't look & feel like I'm 100 years old while doing so.  I have also decided that seeing I can walk up and down the stairs, no more escalators for me at the mall (more exercise).

Stats: 222.4 pounds (17.8 pounds lost)
          226.4 pounds
          227.4 pounds
          227.8  pounds
          227.8 pounds
          229.4 pounds
          229.6 pounds
          231.2 pounds
          232.4 pounds
          232.6 pounds
          232.8 pounds
          235   pounds
          238.6 pounds
          240.2 pounds

HERE WE GO

The diet that I am on, I was not allowed to exercise for the first two weeks.   Well, two weeks are up.  I started today with their 'phase 1' cardio and yoga core.  I could only do about half of them right.  The other half I had to do 'old lady style'.  I do not have any strength in my tummy muscles and I have a little bit of knee problems.   I am NOT going to let this stop me.  I may not be able to jump while doing jumping jacks, but I can move my legs and arms.  I may not be able to do push ups, but I can do a variation of them.  My lunges may only be slight, but I'll go down as far as my tired old body and knees will let me.  My tummy may get in the way of most of the yoga moves, but I'll still do the best I can.  Tomorrow I start with the 'phase 1 strength push & abs' and on Wednesday it will be 'phase 1 strength pull & lower body', and then I start all over again.  I'm hoping that in a few weeks, i'll be able to do deeper lunges, maybe a few full jumping jacks & something that might even slightly resemble a push up.  I know I have a long way to go until my tummy doesn't get in the way of my yoga moves, but that's okay for now.  I know that I'll be sore, but it's okay.   I still want than healthier body and my goals haven't changed.



Stats: 226.4 (13.8 pounds lost)
          227.4 pounds
          227.8  pounds
          227.8 pounds
          229.4 pounds
          229.6 pounds
          231.2 pounds
          232.4 pounds
          232.6 pounds
          232.8 pounds
          235   pounds
          238.6 pounds
          240.2 pounds

OCD

I have been told by a few people in my life time that I'm a 'little OCD'.   I personally don't think that I am.   I do however like to make lists and am a planner.   In certain things, I do not do well with flying by the seat of my pants.   I decided yesterday that I needed to make a menu plan for the week.  Not only will this help keep me stay on track with my diet, but it will also help with the grocery shopping.  I have done meal planning many times before, but normally just for our dinners.   Here is where the OCD may have kicked in; I ended up making a very detailed calendar.  I planned, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks & even what type of exercises I will be doing each day.  I put the exact measurements of things (1 cup all bran, 4 ounces chicken etc.).   I didn't just do this for the week, but through April.  I printed them all up, put them in their protective plastic sleeves and put them on the fridge for easy access. In this case I think the OCD will be beneficial to me sticking to my diet and keeping up with my exercise.


Stats: 227.4 pounds (12.8 pounds lost)
          227.8  pounds
          227.8 pounds
          229.4 pounds
          229.6 pounds
          231.2 pounds
          232.4 pounds
          232.6 pounds
          232.8 pounds
          235   pounds
          238.6 pounds
          240.2 pounds

IT'S A ROCKY ROAD!

I made a dessert for our "small group" that we hosted at our house last night.  Normally when I make sweets I have no problem leaving them alone.   This was not the case with the "mini rocky road brownies" that I made.  I didn't just have one, but I had two!!  I decided to put the leftover brownies in the freezer, so they weren't so temping to me.  I think from now on if I make sweets, they will go home with my guests.  After giving myself 50 lashes with a wet noodles (btw noodles are not on my diet), I'm back on tract.  Before you ask, yes I did have veggies & fruit out for me to munch on.  I just made a bad choice.   This new way a eating make just take me a while to get the hang of it.
The two mini brownies may explain why I didn't lose any weight at today's weigh in.


Stats: 227.8  pounds (12.4 pounds lost)
          227.8 pounds
          229.4 pounds
          229.6 pounds
          231.2 pounds
          232.4 pounds
          232.6 pounds
          232.8 pounds
          235   pounds
          238.6 pounds
          240.2 pounds

BARBY WANTS A CRACKER

I've had some type of bug for a couple days now.  Feeling better today, but not quite back to normal.  Any other time I've been sick, crackers are the first thing I go to, to eat.  It was hard not to do what comes naturally to me.   Another small accomplishment for me, I did not give into my desire.  I'm doing much better this week, although certain things (like crackers) still are calling me.  I'm sure if you listen you can hear it too.  I guess it's time to buy some ear plugs.


Stats: 227.8 pounds (12.4 pounds lost)
       229.4 pounds
       229.6 pounds
       231.2 pounds
       232.4 pounds
       232.6 pounds
       232.8 pounds
       235   pounds
       238.6 pounds
       240.2 pounds

LOSING MY MARBLES!

I was given this idea and I love it.  I took a quart size jar and I filled it with 200 marbles (They used decorative stones).  Each marble represents a half pound.  For every half pound I lose I can take a marble out.  I also have four boulders (large marbles) in the jar.  For every twenty-five pounds I hit, I get to remove one of the boulders.  I decided to add another jar and label it my "Loss" or "Fit" jar (the first jar I labeled "fat").  For every marble I get to remove from the fat jar, I get to put it in my 'fit/loss' jar.  I have them standing next to each other.   I'm looking forward to the day when my loss jar is fuller than my fat jar.  Even better yet the day when the loss jar is full and the fat jar is empty.  I'm not sure how other overweight people are, but for me having a visual reminder of how much weight I've loss can only encourage me.

Stats: 229.4 pounds (10.8 pounds lost)
       229.6 pounds
       231.2 pounds
       232.4 pounds
       232.6 pounds
       232.8 pounds
       235   pounds
       238.6 pounds
       240.2 pounds

HOUSE OF CARDS

Friday nights are normally 'go out to eat and play cards' night with my husband & friends.   I know me well enough that at this point if I did our normal Friday night activity it would be like a house of cards falling for me concerning my diet.  I decided that I wouldn't go out to eat just yet because I didn't trust myself to not to order the bread basket, blue cheese dressing, beer-battered deep fried fish, or my much loved french fries dipped in sour cream.  I decided not to go out to eat for 2-3 weeks, until I get this old body used to eating things healthy.
I did still however want to play cards.  This doesn't sound like much of a problem, except you haven't played cards with my friends & me.   There is always pop, homemade goodies & lots of chocolate or other candy.  We play cards, chat & eat, a wonderful night with my friends.  Last night I brought my trusty 32 ounce bottle of water and an apple.   The apple was only in a eating emergency, seeing I already had my fruit for the day.   I brought some homemade brownie bites dipped in chocolate, but didn't' have them anywhere in arms reach of me.  I was very surprised that I did great.  I didn't even eat my apple.  I will tell you that the fruit salsa & cinnamon chips that were there were very tempting.  It's so easy to con myself into believing that it's healthy because of the fruit, but I knew better.  I'm hoping that is another step to good food choices for this lady.

Stats: 229.6 pounds (10.6 pounds lost)
       231.5 pounds
       232.4 pounds
       232.6 pounds
       232.8 pounds
       235   pounds
       238.6 pounds
       240.2 pounds

CHEATER, CHEATER, PUMPKIN EATER

The last two days have been incredibly hard on me.   I had the, "I'm not eating sugar blues".  I'm trying my hardest not be a member of the 'crabby dieters club'.  Yesterday I didn't think could make it one more hour, let alone another day.  I was so tired, and light headed.  I'm pretty sure that  I whined at some point in the day. Last night I'm sad to say I cheated.  I needed something sweet and I needed it bad.  My solution was to put mixed fruit on my salad.  I'm only allow one serving of fruit in the morning for the first two weeks.  I don't think I'll need to beat myself up over that cheat.  Thankfully, that took care of my cravings.  Even though I "cheated", I feel like it was a successful day, because I didn't give into the the chocolate covered brownie bites that I made the day before or the ritz crackers that were calling my name.   I am happy to say that today is a new day.  I'm not feeling that strong desire to shove sweets and starches in my mouth, or smack anyone who looks at me wrong.  It is a small victory, but I'll take it.

Stats: 231.2 pounds (9 pounds lost)
       232.4 pounds
       232.6 pounds
       232.8 pounds
       235   pounds
       238.6 pounds
       240.2 pounds

"COKE" IS A KILLER

"Coke...after Coke...after Coke" was a slogan for Coke-a-Cola's back in 1966, and it described me well for years.   I started my love affair with Coke way back in 1972.  By the time I was 21, I was a full fledged coke-aoholic.  I would start my day out with a nice cold refreshing glass of Coke. That was my version of a morning cup of coffee. I would then drink it throughout the day.  By the time I was 30 I was drinking a 2-liter bottle a day and did that for years.  Not only did this ruin my teeth, but it helped me pack on a lot of pounds.  I have tried giving up coke to many times to count.  I would suffer through the horrible headaches, the throwing up, and the extreme tiredness, only to start up drinking it again within a couple months.  Somewhere in my mind, I would begin to think that "just one little coke here or there won't hurt".  Once I would do that, before I knew it, I'd be back up to 2-liters a day.  I knew I had to do something, or this addiction was going to kill me.  On March-9-2011, I gave up Coke for lent.  We don't even do lent at our church, that's how desperate I was.   I did very good, even in April when my brother-in-law passed away unexpectedly.  The only reason I didn't start drinking Coke again at that time was because I had made a promise to God that I wouldn't drink it until after Easter.  After Easter, I decided if I could go without Coke durning that stressful time, then I could go longer.  Each month was a huge success for me.  Then in July and August two more brother-in-laws passed away unexpectedly.  I must admit that I drank a glass of Coke when the third brother-in-law passed away.  For some reason in the month of December I decided to drink three Cokes.  I could see where that was going fast.   I'm so happy that I started this diet in January.  This time thankfully no Coke withdrawals (only because I had so few Cokes).  I'm bound and determine not to give into my cravings for that wonderful dreadful Coke-a-Cola!

Stats: 232.4 (7.8 pounds lost)
       232.6
       232.8
       235
       238.6
       240.2

TEXTURE

One of my goals is to try foods that I don't like or that are new to me.  This is really hard for me as I'm a self-confessed picky eater.  I don't think I could be president of the picky eater club, but I certaintly could be a member in good standing.  I
love certain fresh veggies but not a big fan of most cooked veggies.  I think I've come to realize that it may be more about texture than taste.  Here are a few things that I don't like (yes, there is a much longer yuck list than what I'm listing).  To me they all have  similar textures.
*Bananas
*Mashed Potatoes
*Peas (triple yuck on these)
*Beans (another tripe yuck)
*Avocados
*Hummus
*Mashed Squash
*Sweet Potatoes
*Fruit Smoothies
*Cooked Carrots
*Pureed Soups (soups in general, remember not a big fan of cooked veggies)

Most of these things are on my new diet and I really do want to learn a new way of eating.  The new me will not turn her nose up at new stuff and things that I thought I didn't like.  I will plug my nose, put it in my mouth and give it the old college try to make it go down as I promised myself.

Stats: 232.6 pounds (7.6 pounds lost)
       232.8 pounds
       235   pounds
       238.6 pounds
       240.2 pounds

HELP I'M DROWNING!

I do believe I may just drown from drinking all this water.   I drink water quite often, but this amount is ridiculous.  The diet I'm on states that we should divide our weight in half and that's how many ounces of water we should drink (not all at once).  Now if you didn't see my first post, my starting weight was 240 pounds.  That's 120 ounces or just under 1 gallon of water.  Not only am I tired of drinking water but I'm tried of running to the bathroom.   I'm telling you that at this point, I'm more exited about drinking less water each day than I am about losing the weight.  I'm allowed drink coffee as part of that water, problem is I don't like coffee.   I can also drink black or green tea (don't care for green tea), but I'm trying to stay away from any caffeine for 2 weeks.
Okay, I'm done complaining now.   I will continue drinking all my water; because I know it will flush out the toxins in my body; will give me healthier looking skin;  reduces my risk of a heart attack; it will keep me regular (to much information?) & best of all it will help me burn more fat and build more muscle.  So I raise my glass of water and say, "here's to a healthier me".

Stats: 232.8 pounds (7.4 pounds lost)
       235 pounds
       238.6 pounds
       240.2 pounds

GOALS

I was thinking last night (or wee hours in the morning) that I should let you know what my goals are.  I'm even more afraid of writing these down than I was my weight & measurements.  I am still in the mind set of "what if I don't attain any of my goals?".   I'm trying so hard to change my thought process, but it's hard after thinking this way for so many years.  This time I'm setting mini, small & long term goals.  I think if I set my mind on the mini and small goals and succeed at them, then before I know it I'll be at my long term goals.


Mini Goals:
~Lose Five Pounds each month.
~Walk the dog at least twice a week.
~Read my Bible 5 days a week.

Short Term Goals:
~Stick to this at least for 3 weeks, with no cheating.
~Try new foods even if I think I don't like them.   Try them at least 2 or 3 times.
~Exercise at least 5 days a week.  This could be cardio, yoga, walking, bike riding, dancing, core strengthening, or anything that gets my butt up off the couch.

Long Term Goals:
~Weigh 140 pounds by September 1, 2013
~Ride my bike on the bike trail from my house to Richmond and back by August 1, 2012.  As near as I can figure that would be  about 34-35 miles.
~Run/Trot/Walk the local Peach Festival 5k run, by August 29, 2013.
~Walk the bike trail from Romeo to Richmond.  As near as I can figure that would be about 15 miles.

Stats: 235 pounds (5.2 pounds lost)
       238.6 pounds
       240.2 pounds

COUCH POTATO

I have been pretty much sedentary for about 8 years now.  An out and out couch potato is what I've become, and I'm not proud of it.  I am not sure when I gave up almost any type of physical activity, but somehow, somewhere along the line I did.  I didn't set out to stop being active, I just slowly let it happen.    I know that the more exercise I do the more beneficial it is to my health.   I guess it's time to give up being a couch potato.  If I get bored with my DVD exercise videos, I can always go up to the school and swim at the pool, or ride my bike on the bike path.  If no one is looking I might even excercise to a dance video.  I can't wait to have more energy and feel good again.  So, I'm back on the saddle again and with one foot in front of the other, I'm going to start moving again. 


P.S.
The P.I.N.K. Method does come with an exercise program.  I still have almost 2 weeks before I can do the exercise.  It's one of their rules not mine.   I never thought I'd look forward to exercise (maybe that's why they have us wait), but I am, and yet I'm scared that I won't be able to do most of it.
Stats: 238.6 pounds (1.6 pounds lost)
          240.2 pounds

I'M FAT, FAT, FAT!

The name of this blog site should really be "Fat to Fit at 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55?" I have tried every year to lose weight, without success.  I can honestly say it's not the fault of 'Weight Watchers' , 'Medical Weight Loss' (did lose weight, but then put it right back on), 'Dr. Phil's Weight Loss Solution Bookl' (If I would have read the book that I bought, it might have helped), or the Adkins diet.   It is completely my fault.  This time I'm going to try the P.I.N.K. Method.  It's geared for women, and guess what?  I'm a woman, so I hope this works.   I don't want to be skinny-mini.  Like that could ever happen.  I just want to be able to enjoy doing physical activities.  I don't want to worrying if I'm going to have a heart attack from just walking around the block. I want to be able to go shopping in the "petite" section for clothes.   I'm 5 foot and 1 inch and am 240 pounds, so when I shop it has to be it the plus size department.  For some reason clothes makers are under the delusional thought that everyone who is in plus sizes must be at the very least 5' 3".   Shopping in the petite department will mean that I can buy a pair of jeans that won't drag on the ground even when I don't have them rolled up and tops that the sleeves won't hang down to my knuckles.
I've decided to start this blog, it hopes that it will keep me more accountable and aware as to what i'm not only putting in my mouth, but how active I am.   I'm also hoping I can figure what my 'downfall triggers' are.  I know that one of my downfalls is that I like love to cook.   I even have a cooking blog:  barbbrinker.blogspot.com.  One of my goals is to find healthy, tasty, recipes that I can play with and put on my cooking blog.

My beginning stats (I can't believe I'm writing this down for all to see).  I will be posting this every time I blog.
1-1-2012
Weight: 240.2 pounds

I will post my measurements once a month (I think).
Breasts: 49 inches
Waist: 50 inches
Hips: 54 inches
Thighs: 28 inches
Upper Arm: 14 inches
Neck: 16 inches

Now I will post my before pictures.  These may be a bit scary, so scroll down at your own risk!

The first set of pictures are my "I'm fat, but I can hide some of it" pictures.

This is my "buy a bathing suit that covers as much fat as possible" and is "basically black to hide some of the fat" pictures.   I guess I could make a swim suit the resembles one from 30's that might even cover me up more.

The next set of pictures are down right scary!  Even though I'm covered up very well, it truly shows how heavy I really am.  Remember you have been warned.