Happy Rocktober Everyone!

On one of the many weight loss blogs I follow, the host created a challenge for the month of October to help people rock it out!

Jess over at Operation Skinny Jeans put this together, complete with Facebook page and everything!  Make sure you check it out!

She has given us a set of "rules" for the month or rather, things to complete and when it's all done, you have a chance to win a prize!

Let's be real here....I need accountability...LOTS of it!  More than what I had in place and I wanted to really get October on track before my surgery in November where I will be home and am unsure how long I will be laid up.

Through this challenge, we were asked to pick an accountabilibuddy.  That term is FaBuLoUs by the way!

I've paired up with a lovely woman from France.  I'm going to break out my worst French and together we will give each other pep talks to keep us going strong and successful through the month of October!!

The Truth Of Tuesday Night

Well, the contest I started at TOPS last week did me well...at least in terms of paying attention to what I was eating and getting my exercise in.

I logged it all...the good and the bad.

The results are in:

Last week: 251.75 lbs
This week: 251.25 lbs

Loss of  0.50 lbs

My downfall was the overabundance of mint girl guide cookies in the house this week.  I'm the contact guider for our local girl guide group, so on top of storing and selling...we had to sample them too (not as an official rule of course)

Two of these babies will set you back 120 calories, which is pretty standard for cookies really...HOWEVER, they are about the quarter of the size of a regular cookie and you almost need 4 to get the same portion.  Do you know how easily 4 turns into 8 turns into 12?  Super easy!

I plan to indulge less in them.  I took a little survey at the meeting tonight to see which of us members that logged food ALSO lost weight....5 out of 6 of us did.  Time and time again it proves that logging works.  I should get that through my thick skull!!

Here's to another good week with the scale on the downside!

The Truth Of Tuesday Night

My lack of focus has continued on for yet another week.  I'm not sure what it will take to make me snap bck into it.  Clearly the motication of losing weight is not enough.

Last week: 251.25 lbs
This week: 251.75 lbs

Gain of .50 lbs

Not huge, but it's been a steady increase, not a slip up from one week.
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I created a new challenge for my TOPS group.  Partly out of my own need and selfishness.  I needed to do something to make me food log, exercise and feel motivated to eat better.  I think my group is in the same position though.

One of the things I did to help keep the incentive there was to partner everyone up...that way, your personal failure not only affects you, but your partner too.

Part of the challenge includes food logging and exercise.  I refuse to let my partner down because I couldn't manage to walk every day.  As for food logging...I didn't indicate it had to be full of healthy food...it could be all chocolate bars for all anyone cares, just write it down.

Linking up this week....because I can!

Road Trip Review - 2014 Edition - Months 7 & 8

Well, Julie and I have been trekking along for quite some time now.

I have done terrible....I'm going to come right out and say it.  There is about a month and a half left to go, and I am soooooooooo far behind, I might as well start over!

I'm not giving up....just facing facts that I am terrible.  Perhaps Julie will be lenient on me and we can extend the deadline until the end of December!!!!!

Julie has also been way better at getting her updates up too...check out her latest one HERE

Let's see how I have fared shall we?

Quickly, here are the rules and the road so far

The Facts:

• First Pit Stop of the journey is Crowley State Park, Arkansas - 1399 km
• Next stop and final destination is Devil's Den State Park, Arkansas - 325 km
• Total of 1724 km
• 5.70 km a day, 40.95 km a week and 172.40 km a month
• We have 10 months to complete the journey, from January 1 - October 31
• Our daily, everyday walking counts, but only up to half of our required distance - 2.85 km
• Each 30 minutes of non-walking/running exercise counts as 0.50 km, up to 3.20 km of our total

The Road So Far:

Month 1 - January

- total walked: 197.53 km

- total eligible: 174.22 km

  ( + 1.82 over)

Month 2 - February

- total walked: 180.13 km
- total eligible: 160.05 km
  (- 12.35 behind)

Month 3 - March

- total walked: 242.54 km
- total eligible: 201.23 km
  (+ 33.22 over )

Month 4 - April

- total walked: 176.30 km
- total eligible: 141.75 km
  (-27.91 behind)

Month 5 - May

- total walked: 204.43 km
- total eligible: 165.64
  (-10.97 behind)

Month 6 - June

- total walked: 182.40 km
- total eligible: 136.42.64
  (-34.58 behind)

Month 7 - July

- total walked: 190.49 km
- total eligible: 157.33 km
  (-18.14 behind)

Month 8 - August

- total walked: 140.98 km
- total eligible: 134.02
  (-42.68 behind)

GRAND TOTALS:
- total walked: 1514.86 km
- total eligible: 1270.66 km
  (-111.59 km behind)

How the frig am I supposed to make up that many km?  I'm hoping to make a big dent on them on Wednesdays.  I have those days off and now both kids are in school.  From the looks of it, realistically I should be walking the entire day!

By the end of July, it appears that I have ended up in Kentucky.  Let me say this though...while geography was never my skill....I am utterly lost here in the US.  When I look at the Google map...I cannot tell where I am!

While I end this leg in Kentucky, it looks like I am camped out at an Airport.  This nerds me out a bit and let me tell you why.  For those of you that don't know me well, I lived in the Yukon Territory for 2 years.  One of the jobs I held there was as an Observer/Communicator at the local airport.  This job had me responsible for recording the weather every hour and communicating and providing critial information to airplanes, either passing through or landing.  So I think it's pretty awesome that my random click on the map had me camped out on the taxi of an airport.

In August I am back to roughing it in the bush...I'm real close to the Kentucky/Tennessee border (or as best as I can tell anyway)  Once I put my markers up on my map....I am much closer than I though.  Hey, I might just do this after all!!!

The Truth Of Tuesday Night

Last night was my return to routine!

I got my butt back to TOPS after 3 weeks away, and truthfully, missing much of the summer as well.

The last time I weighed in was August 12th.

Last weigh: 249.75

This week: 251.25 lbs

The last time I was able to squeak by without going over my mental goal of 250, however I knew there was no chance of it this time.  I have made 0 effort to this journey...eating until I was stuffed and more treats and desserts than one person needs.

My treadmill had so much dust collected that it was embarrassing.

Each each before our TOPS meeting, a small group of members get together and walk.  I even managed to get myself out of the house to make it on time for that.  I can tell you this, that walk was much harder for me than is used to be or should have been...but that is what happens when you have done little exercise since April.

My day today was pretty good.  It was my first day off with both kids at school and I promised myself that once that day came, I would make Wednesdays about ME!

I walked the kids to school and continued on for my own walk.  It was a lovely morning.  When I got home, I hung out some laundry, grabbed a book and sat in the hot tub for 20 minutes.  The rest of the day was filled with household stuff, but I didn't spend it sitting on the couch for sure!  I'm already looking forward to next Wednesday!

The Truth of Tuesday Night

So, the truth of Tuesday night is that I didn't go to my meeting.

Next week brings the beginning of September and my re-commitment 100% to everything.

This summer has just been so busy.  My TOPS group typically dwindles down to just a few people each week during the summer, but I have missed more meetings this summer than in previous years.  However, this summer has been busier for us than in previous years too.

From what I could tell by the scales at home, I was down a bit at least.

I've upped my water intake and have done better with that.

If you read my last post, I mentioned my new Facebook page and put in the link for it.  Apparently, I'm new or something...because the link didn't work.  I soon realized that I had to make the page "live" for that to happen.

So, it's done, I think it's safe to say you can now click HERE

                                                                                                                                                HERE
HERE
                                                                           or HERE

and be taken to my page!

Motivation Monday - # 1

It's time!

Time to get off my pansy ass and smarten up!  I have been failing myself since April really.  Since that time, I have put back on about 12 lbs.

I am not proud of that and my "skinny" jeans are now getting tight.  I refuse to buy larger ones, so I have no other option.

I was talking with a woman the other day and she was commenting how much she loves fall.  That it has this feeling of refresh and starting new.  As I got thinking about that later, the more I agreed with it.

There is only one more week left of summer and then the kids go back to school.

It's the return of ROUTINE!!!!!

This fall will however bring a new routine for me.  My daughter starts full day kindergarten and my Wednesdays off will just be me.  I would lying if I didn't admit that I can't wait!  As of right now, my plan is this....walk the kids to school and then finish off with a walk of my own.

I will then spend some time with my blog and showing it some love too!  It's feeling much neglected.

Quite some time ago, I played around with the notion of starting a Facebook page for my blog.  I felt it would be give me a space to share my blog post without clogging up the TOPS page and I didn't want to put it in my news feed for everyone to read.

I did start one, it's out there ready to go, but I wasn't committed enough to make it "live".  That changes today.  I need the accountability of it

So, if you would like to "join" my page, pop over HERE and "like" it!

So, with the renewal of fall in mind, here is a quote just to help you remember!