Day Go. Da-a-ay Go! (Evaluation: Week 20)

Last Weigh In: Saturday, 11 January 2014

Weight Information -

• Weight: 389.4 lbs
• Weight Change This Week: -5.2 lbs
• Weight Change To Date: -63.8 lbs
• Weight Gauge: Oh Yaaaa! Oh Yaaaa! Oh Ya! Oh Ya! Oh Yaaaaaaaa!
• BMI: 61.0 (down from 61.8 last week)
• Daily PPV: 71 (unchanged - changes at approximately 374 lbs)
• PPV Used this Week: 150 out of 497
• PPV Not Used this Week: 347 (69.8%)

Current Goals -

• Employment Goals
• Make at least 5 networking contacts each week
• Apply for at least 5 positions each week
• Number Goals
• Weight: 15% Weight Loss at 385.2 lbs (4.2 lbs away)
• BMI: Reach a value below 40.0 (21.0 away)
• PPV Not Used this Week: 347 (Beat goal by 46)
• Waist Goal: Lose another available hole in the belt until I need to switch to a new belt. Currently at 5 available holes.
• Feel Good Goal: Pondering new options on this one
• Physical Goal: Walk upright up the stairs of my house every time. Tie my shoes unassisted anywhere.
• The Y: Go to three aquatics classes and work on the recumbent elliptical machine once next week
• Alternative to the Y:  Need to research further for options outside of the Nampa Rec Center and Axiom
• Weight Watchers:
• Make a meal plan with the PPV's worked out for one day to serve as a fall back
• Use the paper tracker to record calculated points every day this week
• Change available PPV from 26 to 28 for my daily points instead of 71
• Keep range of PPV to 4 points except while fasting (24 - 28 PPV).
• Avoid using 49 weekly points. Daily points leave 43 available every day. That's 301 left over points available per week
• Attend two meetings this week. Scheduled for Wednesday and Saturday
• Overeaters Anonymous: 
• Attend two meetings this week. Scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday
• Read Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 of the AA Big Book.
• Perform moral inventory for Step 4.
• Never Ceases to Amuse Me Blog
• Journal 300 out of 365 days
• Write a weekly Expansionist Knowledge article so long as employment goals have been met
• Sticky Notes
• Be active for 5 minutes out of every sedentary hour
• Push for a WooHoo Weigh In!
• Put down the fork and sip water between bites
• Get to Bed!

Evaluation:

• Employment Goals - Keeping up well so far. Now starts the follow ups of applications.
• Weight Watcher's Awards this week -
• 5 lbs - For losing another 5 pounds
• Number Goals: Direction feels wonderful. Quantity was an incredible surprise.
• Waist Goal: Belt is comfortable and effective at 5 available holes. 6 is ineffective. 4 is nearly comfortable. Suspect changing shape of tummy is interfering with regular, consistent downgrades.
• Feel Good Goal: Still working on it. Need to find something a little closer to home for a feel good goal that isn't mindless entertainment.
• Set aside time to complete puzzles with MBWM
• Take kids to park in the hills (come spring)
• Find sledding hill for the kids
• Physical Goal: Still need to pull myself up the stairs. Cannot tie my shoes without physical aids or personalized assistance
• The Y Goal: To borrow from Nike: Just Do It! *swoosh*
• Axiom Goals: Thoughts on switching to Axiom
• Axiom Cons
• Nearest Axiom doesn't have a pool. Nearest Axiom with a pool is essentially the same distance as the Y.
• Price reduction is nice, but it is comparing family fee to individual fee
• Not really as family friendly as the Y
• Unable to locate recumbent elliptical or recumbent bicycle
• Axiom Pros
• Reduced distance (9 miles vs 17 miles one way) when it's just me traveling to a machine
• Family uses the Y once every one to two weeks. The price reduction wouldn't cause that much of a loss in time spent
• Quite a few different machines
• Alternatives? 
• Nampa Rec Center - Basically the same distance as the Y. Expense is a little more. Problem is it requires a 12 month contract. Unwilling to sign that length of contract without employment.
• Meridian's pools dates - Too busy when open, season much too short, not set up for lane swimming
• Subdivision pools - Haven't located any subdivisions with indoor pools. Only outdoor pools.
• Endless pools - Start at $7400, if you have a pool, $13,900 if you don't.
• WW Goal: Still need to make a meal plan for one single day
• OA Goal: Attended one meting. And it was wonderful. Need to follow-thru on attending both meetings and Step 4.

This week's weigh in was a wonderful surprise. I ate more food and lost more weight. There really is a mysterious rhyme and reason behind weight loss, but that is one exploration I am not going to commence. Getting through the week would be easier with a little planning. Need to take care of that tomorrow. Problem is that church is now right in the middle of the day, 11 am - 2 pm.

Looking Forward:

• Stay on program with Weight Watchers, especially keeping the daily points consumed to 24 - 28.
• Already added in more veggies. Need to work even more veggies in as I adjust food selection gradually away from the strict low carb / low fat options to round out the diet a little more.
• Get back on track with swimming laps and using the exercise machines.
• Hold onto the joyful feelings of this day to get me through the the times of lesser success in weight loss, the trudging through job searching, and other complications life is throwing my way.

IVCUFI:
IV - I have found the way to be pleasantly satiated with the amount of points I consume.
CU - I have seized the road by taking my successes one more week into history.
FI - I am enjoying the journey by referring back to my success in weight loss (as demonstrated in my points and weight especially) to get through those complications that I am facing day-to-day.

Post Number: 98

Review of Yesterday's Progress

     Daily PPV Used/Left: 24/47 of 71 (Goal: 26/45)

     Pedometer Reading: 5341

     Meetings Attended: Weight Watchers

     Exercise Completed: None Scheduled

     M-W's Daily Word: Jilt

     Page Views to Date: 1345

I'm not sure where the day went yesterday, but it went.

Day Go. Da-a-ay Go!

Nighttime come and I wanna so know!

Nighttime come and I wanna so know!

As an eternal husband, forever father, full-time job seeker, some-time author and some-what blogger, I find myself wondering where the day went frequently. Anyone who's experienced it themselves, sing along with me... Day Go. Da-a-ay Go! If enough people sing along, I will author some additional lyrics. We could lose our minds not only collectively, but musically as well!

I lost quite a bit more weight this week than I had expected. And the Weight Watchers meeting was wonderful; It encouraged, it fired-up, gave me strength and hope. These weight changes and motivational moments continue to be exciting. Excitement that I am intensely grateful is recorded here. I know there will be difficulties ahead as my weight fights back. I will have the opportunity to look back and relive the joyful successes as I pushed for better health. I will be able to review those thrilling moments when the push came to shove and I struggled through back into a direction of better health.

And in the midst of that struggle, I am surrounded by family. A family that frequently isn't sure how to assist, but at least they are at my side in spirit. This increases my gratitude and bolsters my hopes.

I would probably be even more grateful for what I accomplished yesterday if I remembered accomplishing something beyond a couple of simple reports, some tech support, and a quick visit to the in-laws. I am hoping that I achieve something more memorable today than I did yesterday.

Yours in the day reborn today,

Eliot

P.S.:
Adapted from a Pinterest moment -

There's this girl that stole my heart. She calls me dad.

And there's this other girl that stole my heart. She calls me dad, too.
And there's another girl that stole my heart. She calls me dad, also.

And there's yet another girl that stole my heart. She calls me dad, as well.

And there's this boy who stole my heart. He calls me dad.
And there's this other boy who stole my heart. He also calls me dad.

And the great thing about loving all these children? Love doesn't divide. Love multiples!

And then there's this woman, who steals my heart every time I lay eyes on her.
She calls me out the door because it is time to leave.


NOTES
Weight Watchers, 11 January 2014

What brought you here today?

• Car
• Warmer weather (no ice)
• Husband wished me well
• Getting fueled up (by the meeting)
• Possibility of hitting 10% (and she did)
• Started Simple Start, wanted to see how well it worked. Review of Simple Start-
• Chaotic
• Need to plan
• It's a good boring (Robin suggested picking a non-food excitement)
• Need time to determine how to work it
• Lost Christmas weight. Had to come in
• Knocked back into reality by the Christmas weight. Wanted to see how much came off. (She gained 5.4 pounds over Christmas. Lost 4.0 pounds this last week)

Success Secret #1 - Timing Is Everything

Where's the magic in scheduling snacks and meals? How can planning the times when we'll eat help us manage our hunger and lose weight? (Robin's comment: The second question has the answer in the question)

• Determine what and when are you going to eat
• Snack on the way home, ready to go, don't get home hungry
• Not lethargic, starving when arriving home
• Make better choices
• Don't overeat at a meal

Start a Simple Meal and Snack Schedule

Meal	Time (Weekday)	Time (Weedend)
Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
Snack

Key Information

• Don't go more than 4 hours without eating
• Do what works for you
• Body works better when the body knows when food is coming
• When we get too hungry, we don't choose well
• Simple Start includes snacks and indulgences
• Keep energy going
• Back off other items of scheduling (don't over-schedule)

What could make it tough to stick to regular meal and snack times?

What needs to happen to put your Simple Meal and Snack Schedule into action this week?

"We cannot do everything at once but we can do something at once." - Calvin Coolidge