Posts Tagged ‘diets

09
Feb

Epiphany

By Deb 1 Comment
Categories: Pennsylvania
Tags: , , , , , ,

This last week as I was thinking more about my two primary resolutions for 2008 (weight-loss and debt-loss), I realized that I am having to employ pretty much the exact same strategies with both.

Allow me to elaborate.

What does it take to lose weight?  Controlling what you eat.
And what does it take to get out of debt?  Controlling what you spend.

On Weight Watchers if you’re doing the Points system (as I am) then you have a certain amount of Points available each day that you need to stay within for your day - a “food budget”, if you will.  My money budget does exactly the same thing.

I realize this might be something of a “well, duh” for some, but for me, it was pure revelation.

What’s more is that, since I started my “food budget” first and have been doing so well with that thus far (see Weight & Measurements Tracking under Deb’s Progress on the Diet Divas site), I think that has made it easier to port the same mindset and techniques over to my “money budget”.

We shall see…  Time will be the true test for success with both - and I have a long way to go with both.  But I know that “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) 

And if that’s not support, encouragement, and hope, then I don’t know what is.

08
Jan

A New Beginning

By Deb 1 Comment
Categories: Pennsylvania
Tags: , ,

So as to avoid boring those of you who are not terribly interested in what is going on in my diet-world as I undertake this mission, my sister (Joanna) and I have decided to start a separate blog altogether which we have aptly titled The Diet Divas and can be found at http://dietdivas.wordpress.com.

It is on this site that Jo and I will work on this journey together.  We will share our triumphs and struggles.  We will blog about our weight and weight loss.  We will share recipes and other tips.  And most of all, we will welcome any comments or words of encouragement from anyone out there who understands how much of a battle this is!

07
Jan

This Time It’s Personal

By Deb 8 Comments
Categories: Pennsylvania
Tags: , , ,

This is it.  I’m done.  I’m finished.  I’ve had it with watching the amount of things in my wardrobe that I can wear decrease.  I don’t want to end up like the Weird Al song (if you grew up in the 80’s, then you know exactly what song I mean).  And I refuse to buy new clothes.

I know what you’re all thinking - you’ve heard this before…perhaps my Eat, Drink, & Be Merry post from August springs to mind.  And yes, it’s true, this is not the first time I’ve said that I’m setting out to lose this extra weight that has creeped onto my frame since I moved out of New York…  But this time I feel like it’s getting just way too personal for me.  As I said above, I am really sick and tired of looking at some cute clothes in my closet only to not be able to get into them.  I’m tired of looking at pictures of myself from only a year ago and hearing people say, “Wow, look how thin you were!”  Nice.  Really.  It is all these things and more which have become the catalysts propelling me to change.  These things and of course just knowing how much better I feel when I’m happy with the way I look.

So tonight is hopefully going to be the start of it all.  Tonight I am attending my first ever Weight Watchers meeting.

I’ve done WW before, but always as an on-your-own, online, independent thing.  Now I feel like I need to try a meeting.  They’re a little more expensive, but I definitely feel like I need something to jumpstart me in the right direction, and getting some moral support from actual people I think could really help.

I also have a goal in mind.  My aunt and cousins have agreed to go on a shopping trip with me after I lose 25 lbs.  25 lbs and I’ll go out with my aunt and my cousins Camille and Chelsea (the self-proclaimed “Fashion Diva”).  We’ll make a whole girl’s weekend out of it starting with a Friday night where we’ll watch a movie and go through my closet to ensure I’m starting from a good place and not a closet packed with items that would be made a mockery of if they were to appear on “What Not To Wear”.  Then on Saturday, we’ll hit the shops…  Malls, department stores, TJ Maxx…  The sky’s the limit.  This should be fun.  But first, the 25 lbs that need to GO.

I have it all figured out…  If I can get on the right track, I should be able to lose 25 lbs by roughly April.  That’s not bad, right?  And if it for some reason stretches into May/June, well I have my Montana backpacking trip at the end of June which will surely send at least a couple more pounds running away in sheer terror.  So worst case scenario, I’m back to my happy, thin self by summer.  Not a bad deal…if I can do it.

Here’s where you guys come in.  You are my friends.  I depend on you.  I need you guys to get on my case about this too.  Ask me how it’s going.  Check on me if I haven’t written anything about it in awhile.  Who knows, maybe I’ll start a food journal online or something that will help keep me accountable…  No matter how you slice it though, losing weight is no piece of cake - so I’ll take any (and all) help I can get!

27
Aug

Eat, Drink, & Be Merry

By Deb 2 Comments
Categories: Pennsylvania
Tags: , , , ,

…for tomorrow we diet. Well, not exactly tomorrow - I actually have started a “diet” yesterday. I put the word diet in quotes because I really am trying to be active about changing my eating habits permanently, especially if I’m going to continue to live in the ‘burbs where exercise isn’t built in to everything you do.

So I’ve decided to follow the advice of a nutritionist and am working to move away from “bad carbs” - cutting back on my sugar intake and refined carbohydrates. I know, I know, I’m a little late on the bandwagon for this. I actually was doing this a few years ago when I was in the UK, but it’s been awhile and I have to admit it’s a tough habit to get back into when you’ve been used to chowing down on whatever you feel like for a few years.

But I’m older now with only additional birthdays looming ahead so I figure I’d better get on it, so to speak, lest I wake up and find myself topping off the scale at some 400 lbs when I’m 50.

So in case you’re wondering about what else is happening in my refined-carb-less-life, there have been a few events since I last logged an update.

I went up to Boston for a few days for work, but as an added bonus got to spend some time with Es which included dinner, a movie, and meeting “new” baby, Riley - and absolutely edible, happy, fat, adorable baby.

I also found out that my roommate is going to be moving out at the end of September. This came as a pretty major surprise and I’m honestly going to miss her, but for her the decision makes sense. She’s decided to go back to school for her Masters and so is taking an apartment in Philly which will put her closer to school. So I’ll be looking for another roommate most likely… I’ve already placed an ad on Craigs List and it looks like it might have yielded a few possibilities, but we’ll see. I have a month to figure it out.

And finally, this coming Thursday is my 2nd annual Labor Day Seattle trip. I talked to Jel yesterday briefly to iron out details about my arrival, etc. We also discussed an excited prospect of going somewhere to watch the show by the Comet Kiess (which was last seen in 1911). Around 4:26am Pacific Time the earth should encounter the dust from the comet for about an hour which translates into siting up to 40 meteors flying through the sky! Unfortunately the rest of the country will be out of luck since the sun will already be up or coming up in places further east.

So that’s it for now. I’ve got a few other things happening, but none that I can discuss right now as it’s 10:30 which means bed. G’night all.