44 Inches today... My last measurement was 46.5. Woo Hoo!!!

MARIA'S ENTRY

Ok, so I finally picked up book.
I have to be honest.. It didn't hold my attention very well, but that's because I know 80% of this stuff already. The parts I am interested in so far are the exercise and recipe chapters.

Tonight I will start implimenting the 30 minute walk rule. I will either take Arthur for a walk after dinner, or walk after he goes down.

I need to measure my waist so I can start tracking, so I will post those measurements tomorrow.

I know I need to give the book a little more time, so I will, but it's just boring to read what I already know. I also think that I may start posting pictures of me through the process. I think that blogging every day, or close to every day will keep my momentum going.

I am excited to finally be able to blog! Hooray!

Kara gets exercise

Oops. I forgot to blog yesterday and the day before, but I did exercise on both days!
On Thursday, I did 30 minutes of yoga and strength training exercises on Wii fit plus.
Yesterday, I took a 30 minute walk outside . . . in the rain! It wasn't raining when I started walking, but it started lightly raining shortly after. There was no thunder or lightning, so I didn't mind. It was kind of refreshing. :)
Sadly, I haven't exercised yet today, and I'm not sure it is going to get done. I did walk around Costco, and I'm planning to do a little yard work later, but I think I may fall a little short today. I'll do better tomorrow.

Kara's diet personality test results

As suggested in Dr. Oz's book, I went to www.diet.com and took the diet personality test.
Here are my results:

My eating personality is Steady Snacker. Meaning - I have a diet of unplanned snacking throughout the day whether I'm hungry or not. I've developed the habit of not being able to turn down food that is within my easy reach.
My exercising personality is Rain Check Athlete. Meaning - I'm a busy person who would like to work out if only I had the time. I'm frustrated because exercise is important to me but I don't know how to fit it in.
My coping personality is People Pleaser. Meaning - I do more to help others than to help myself. I say yes to all kinds of projects, and before I know it, I have no time left to nurture my own health.

Not a big surprise -- any of it. I guess it does give me some things to think about as I work on motivating myself to get back to full time healthy living. It's a lot of tough stuff to be up against.

On the bright side, I did do my exercise today: 30+ minutes walking with Walk It Out on the Wii!

Yea Kara!

I exercised for about 40 minutes with my Walk it Out video game on the Wii. Yea me! I feel good. I really enjoy that game.

Kara's official measure-up #7

O.K., I know I'm behind. It's no secret that I've been lacking motivation lately. I've indulged in a few sweets, and I've been snacking on carbs a little too much, and all of this has had me feeling a little down.

Anyway, today I picked up my "You on a Diet" book and started reading again, and that has helped reignite the spark a little. It motivated me enough to measure-up.

Before I give the results, I should explain that I've decided to start sucking in all the way when I measure my waist. I decided that is the only way to have a controlled test. If I suck in as much as I can, I'll always know that any reduction in the tape measure is actual loss of fat. So, this week's measurement looks drastically smaller, because I am REALLY good at sucking in. Drum roll . . . 37 1/2 inches.

Now, I'm going to have to make it a priority to keep reading so I fan the flames of my motivation and really get going again. Conveniently, I'm approaching the part of the book where you're actually supposed to start the 2 week You Diet plan that helps you change your habits and learn healthy eating. While I had skipped ahead and tried a lot of these changes already, I think it will be good for me to kind of start anew when I get to that chapter.

My goal for this week is to exercise for 30 minutes each day. Dr. Oz wants us to have a "buddy" who we call after we finish our daily exercise. I haven't been doing that. What I'm going to try instead is to blog every time I exercise. It may just be a simple sentence, but it will help me stay accountable and I think it will also help me feel proud of my accomplishment.

Kara's official measure-up # 6

Sorry I've been absent for so long. I was away camping for a week, and then I just kept forgetting to blog. Anyway . . . I didn't measure up on the Sunday I was out of town, but I did measure this past Sunday, 7/11.

Drum roll . . . 39 inches, still, I think . . .

I know it sounds wierd, but it is kind of hard to be sure you are measuring accurately when you've got a bunch of flab and loose skin. You are supposed to measure your waist at the point right around your belly button, but it is kind of hard to make sure the tape measure stays even all the way around (this can affect the measurement by a little bit which makes it look like you've lost or even gained inches). And, Dr. Oz says you can suck in if you want to. I think that is kind of wierd -- seems dishonest, so I haven't really been sucking in, but I've also been not relaxing my stomach completely so that it goes all the way out either, so it is hard to remember exactly how far I should keep it in or let it out each time I measure.

Anyway, I exercised on my Wii fit yesterday, and it said I was 3 pounds lighter than I was 18 days ago, so I thought that sounded pretty good. But of course my Wii also saw fit to remind me that I was weighing in a few hours earlier yesterday than I had 18 days ago, and the time of day can affect your body weight by a couple of pounds of so. So, who knows!

I will say this: I am back on track, and I am looking forward to seeing more progress in the near future!