Blog Awards

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Leah@MyNewEnding
I was honored to be given this award by both Whitney at Getting Healthy
and
I Said So… at For Real, This Time! 🙂
The Rules:

1. Post who gave you this award
See above… Thank you, girls, for brightening my week by sharing this blog award with me.

2. State 10 things you like

In no certain order…..
1) Snail Mail – I still love to write and receive mail through the postal service.

2) Digital Scrapbooking – A new take on a craft I’ve loved for years.

3) When my husband laughs – especially if I made him laugh.

4) Cooking & Baking – I am really enjoying cooking with fresh vegetables now…I feel like a gourmet cook when cutting up fresh produce.

5) Chatting with a friend over coffee – I’ll even take a good phone call chat while I sip coffee.

6) A rainy day and sipping coffee while reading a good book on the couch.

7) A fresh cleaned house – so invigorating and relaxing all at the same time.

8) Blogging – it’s becoming a vice on some days. 🙂

9) Morning and after school time with the kids – The girls leave and return an hour before my son, so I’m getting some special quiet time with each of them this year and greatly enjoying it.

10) The sweat and feeling of euphoria after a jog – So far there is nothing like it and it makes me feel so accomplished and confident that I can do anything!

3. Give this award to 10 other bloggers and notify them with a comment

I am going skip this one this time around. Feel free to visit all the blogs I follow, because they are still blogs that I check regularly and that inspire me to keep going on this journey.
Have a nice day!
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Why I’m Doing Beck Diet Solution

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Leah@MyNewEnding

I’m 20 days into reading, and following, the book The Beck Diet Solution. Today I was reminded why I am doing this six-week program as I read over some reminder notecards I’ve been writing along the journey.

It had to do with why I should sit down to eat. The helpful response to tell myself when I don’t want to sit down and eat was:
“Get used to it! Your way hasn’t been working. You need to realize that some habits need to change if you want to reach your goals.”
That’s about it in a nutshell. My way wasn’t working the greatest and I knew I needed something to help me get on track as I recommitted to my weight loss journey.
I came across this book at Barnes & Noble, and having heard of it before, I flipped through the book for about twenty minutes to see if it would be worth my time to read. I saw my own struggles and thoughts on the pages and really felt this was the tool I needed to get with the program and start losing weight again.
It hasn’t been easy, but I’m slowly but surely finding myself making better choices and enjoying it. Many of the topics are not new to me, but they are spoken of in a straightforward manner that I appreciate. I am also offered suggestions each day on how to combat the “sabotaging thoughts” that come along during the journey.
When I started this book I committed myself to doing whatever was suggested for each day. There is only one suggestion I’m not following exactly as laid out, otherwise I’ve kept with following the program every day. I’ve only had two days (this past Fri and Sat) that I didn’t read my daily chapters, but boy I sure caught up on them on Sunday. I couldn’t go any further like that and I decided Sunday that I would not skip another day if it was at all within my control.
Reading The Beck Diet Solution daily and following the prompts is helping me to stay focused on my weight loss journey. It’s taking up my blog time on some days, but for now that is worth it to me. I look forward to all I will continue to learn through this book, because…well, my way didn’t work so well most days, so why not give it a try, right? 🙂
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THAT week

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Leah@MyNewEnding

Remember how I said I was reveling in the good feelings last week because I knew the yucky feelings would show up? Well, they hit this week and the reason for them came in full force today. Yep, it’s THAT week of the month…. Joy.

Funny thing is that I always battle the foods and emotions a few days prior and then by the day the physical discomforts start the emotions are pretty much getting back under control.
So, needless to say I haven’t posted because the last three days I was having very negative feelings. On top of that, we’ve just been busy with life, so my posting is a lot more sporadic than before.
I’m feeling a bit better today emotionally, so hopefully tomorrow will allow me some time to post about some new things I’m learning and/or facing about myself in regards to my weight loss journey.
I’ll leave you with a happy fact:
Yesterday I jogged for 2 miles straight at 4.5 mph, and I didn’t even feel like I was dying until the last minute or two. With warm-up and cool down it ended up being a 35 minute workout on the treadmill. I was very pleased with myself. Today I did the bike for 20 minutes and then weights. Yay. 🙂
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Weigh-In … Beck Diet Solution Week 2

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Leah@MyNewEnding
Today’s Weight: 197.0
Loss/Gain: -3.0 lbs
Total Loss So Far: -34 lbs.
I know when I am 140 pounds, or even 160 pounds, 197.0 will seem like a very high weight, but let me tell you how beautiful and fit I feel. Especially when someone I had seen all summer ran into me on Wednesday and said, “You’ve lost weight!!” No, I haven’t lost more than these three pounds since I saw her last, but it sure boosted my spirits to hear her say that. 🙂
It also boosted my spirits to wear a size 18w skirt that was skin tight when I bought it almost two years ago and have it fit me loose, really comfy loose. Oh, and those 18w capris? They’re going to have to go soon too…I have baggy butt when I wear them. But, right now, I’m so very proud of the baggy butt look. 🙂
On top of losing those three pounds this week, I have…
  • jogged three days for 25 minutes straight each time.
  • logged all my food daily, even bites of things.
  • only gone over my calorie limits one day.
  • kept up with week two of The Beck Diet Solution plan I’m following.
And Beck is going well. This week I’ve learned…
  • Hunger is not going to kill me. If I’m hungry, but I know I am going to eat in 60 minutes or less, it’s okay to wait and I won’t die.
  • I won’t binge if I plan ahead and eat a snack in the early evening when I know we’ll be eating dinner later than normal. (Even if I’m not necessarily starving hungry at the snacktime point.)
  • I can pick healthier foods and enjoy them.
That last one is HUGE for me. More than a few times this week I chose the healthier option in food and I enjoyed it. There were no feelings of missing out, or deprivation, or sadness that I couldn’t have something “on my diet”. These are lifelong changes I’m making and they came naturally this week. I will write more on that later.
I feel like something has clicked for me and this is what people feel like who are trying to lose weight. They follow their plan, they work hard, they enjoy it and they see results. It’s a wonderful feeling!!
p.s. As I write the thought crosses my head that I will have weeks where I’m feeling less-than-joyful about eating right, so I’m choosing to revel as much as I can in these happy days. I need to store up good feelings to fight the negative ones that will come from time to time. 🙂
Have a great weekend everyone!! I know I will.
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Sharing her Spark

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Leah@MyNewEnding
I tried using Spark People about a year ago to calculate calories daily and found it very helpful. I moved away from that, but I continue to get their weekly featured posts in my email. I thought I’d share today’s because I really liked what she had to say about recommitting daily.
You can see the original post by clicking here and maybe leave her a comment of encouragement if you feel so led.
Week of 08/26/2010 – Featured Board Post

B_HORTON

Halfway to Goal and Having FUN on the Journey!

On my 47th birthday, I made a commitment to give myself the gift of a new body. For my myself and my health, my daughter, my hubby, my music!!! Starting with a total of fifty pounds total to lose, I made it to the halfway point on June 25, 2010. Only 25 pounds left to go. I think I’ll easily make it by Christmas!

My greatest lessons so far:

Every day I re-commit to myself to eat consciously. When I think about reaching for something sweet or salty, I look at what’s going on in my life, in that moment – discomfort, conflict, need for love or comfort – and I’ve learned that I can consciously choose not to give into to those urges to ease my mind.

I’ve learned to eat smaller meals through out the day and not allow myself to get famished. This practice made impulse eating non-existent!

I’ve learned that I actually enjoy cooking, and that I actually CAN cook!

I’ve learned to weigh and document everything I eat, and drink 8 glasses of water a day!!! Thank you SparkPeople!

I’ve learned getting fit doesn’t have to be “hard”. I learned to create an awesome context that includes an empowering story full of rich motivation, and I SHARE it with friends, family and the people I work with. I’m inspired, and guess what? So are they!!!

I’ve learned to log in to SparkPeople everyday and play to make the journey FUN and in GREAT company!

Most of all? I’ve learned to just HAVE FUN!!!

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Plugging Along

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Leah@MyNewEnding


Or, should I say jogging along? 🙂 I have jogged twice this week and it feels great!

Monday I decided to try jogging on the treadmill at the gym and see how far I could go without stopping. Since it has been a few months since I jogged for 30 minutes straight I wasn’t sure what I was capable of. I was able to jog at 4.5 mph for 15 minutes and back to my old fastest speed of 4.3 for 10 minutes.

Today I was able to jog for 20 minutes at 4.5 mph and took a 5 minute break of jogging at 4.3 mph in the middle. So, I think I jogged for two miles today without stopping. It may have been slow, but I didn’t walk.
I’m pretty excited about this and, as any person who get regular exercise will tell you, it feels wonderful!!!
I’ve also been journaling my food daily, staying pretty well within calories and peaking at the scale a few times. (whispering)…and it’s working…. Needless to say, weigh-in isn’t officially until Friday for me, but I’ve been doing a little happy dance a few times this week.
I hope you’re all having a good week!
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Definitely Changing

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Leah@MyNewEnding

Last week I did two things that I never would’ve done in the past, and liked it.

I made grilled salmon and asparagus for dinner one night, oh and rice that didn’t finish in time this particularly rushed evening. Since I didn’t need/want it that was fine with me.
I also chose to make turkey burgers for my husband to grill for me when we had a barbecue with friends on Saturday. He was grilling hot dogs and hamburgers for everyone else. And I chose to have it on a 100% whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, ketchup and mustard, with only one deviled egg (that I made with half lite mayo and half regular) and nothing else to eat.
The best part?
I was totally happy with my choices. I did not feel like I was depriving myself. Both of those never-would’ve-eaten-in-the-past meals were tasty and enjoyable for me.
Yes, I also made chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans one night, but I made room for my small portion in my calorie budget for that day. So, even that decision was fine and I was happy with my choice.
Yes, I’m definitely changing and so very grateful for it!
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Weigh-In and Week 1 of Beck Solution

Posted on August 20, 2010 by Leah@MyNewEnding

Today’s Weight: 200.0

Loss/Gain: +/-0
Total Loss So Far: -31.0 lbs.
I made it through week one of The Beck Diet Solution. I’ve read and completed each days tasks and learned some things.
A few things I learned this week are:
  • Reading a list of the advantages to weight loss every day can be helpful.
  • Sitting down to eat every meal does leave me feeling visually satisfied as well as physically satisfied.
  • I struggle with wanting to lose weight bad enough to do what it takes. ie. In the heat of the food moment, sometimes the ice cream looks better than the thought of being thin. That was a BIG revelation for me yesterday, sad but true.
  • I learned I’m liking this book and think it will be very helpful for me.
How did week one go for me?
Beck-wise I did great! I’ve made time for it, which is also making time for me and my weight loss efforts, every day. I followed all the prompts, made reminder cards for at least one item daily and even have a written journal going when I read something that really hits me and I don’t want to forget my reaction to it.
I got at least 64 oz. of water in daily, but I only exercised twice and I was over my calories every day, but yesterday I think. Thus the maintain. I’m only slightly bugged by this aspect, but I’m choosing to be proud of myself for journaling every. single. bite. and being accountable on paper for every choice I made. I have been reminded of where my weaknesses are.
Finally, I noticed this Beck program will end on my wedding anniversary in September. She suggest awarding ourselves for the smaller good choices as well as the bigger ones. So, I’ve decided to give myself tally marks for good choices each day, within reason, and I’m going to pay myself something like 25 cents for each tally mark. I’m also going to pay myself $1.00 for each pound I lose. Whatever I “earn” by the end of the six weeks I’ll use for myself and whatever we choose to do for our anniversary. Maybe buy a new piece of clothing or get a pedicure, who knows? The possibilities are endless…. 😛
Now on to week two! 🙂 I hope you all have a great weekend!
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Resolution to Succeed

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Leah@MyNewEnding

Well, so far this week I’ve stuck faithfully to following each day’s tasks in The Beck Diet Solution, but I have had a bit of trouble keeping my calories under 1500. There’s no excuses and because I’ve journaled every morsel of food every single day I know where the problem areas are.


Dr. Beck doesn’t even suggest starting a diet until day 15 of her plan, and maybe this is why. I’m not sure. I’m trying [pause] well, can I say “trying” if I’ve not done the work?? ..hhmmm…. anyway, I wanted to see a loss this week, but it may be a maintain again. I wasn’t going to weigh myself until Friday, but I had to peek this morning and it was a straight maintain so far.


Last night I gave myself a big emotional spanking, but decided I have to get back up and keep going. I will learn the lessons and then do my best to make sure they don’t happen again. (This was an incident of waiting to eat with family, which turned out to be 9:00 pm after soccer and back-to-school orientations all evening , and I was so hungry I ate more than my calorie allowance left me for the day. argh…)


Today is a new day and I’m trying not to let my calorie disobediences bother me. I definitely have to just take this one day at a time. So, I leave you with this quote I came across this morning that has me thinking:

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing – Abraham Lincoln

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Lesson Learned – I Hope

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Leah@MyNewEnding

Okay, I’m embarrassed to post this, but since my blog is more my journal than just a blog I want this memory written down to remind me to never do this again.

Late last night I went into the kitchen to grab a drink for my husband. I saw the large baggie full of chocolate chip cookies my girls had baked earlier in the day. They looked very good and I only ate one earlier in the day. I told myself I wasn’t going to have a cookie because I knew I didn’t need one. I had already figured out they can be about 143 calories a cookie, and I knew I didn’t need a sugary treat.
As I got out the juice to pour I saw some macaroni and cheese from lunch. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I ate a bite, then another and then another. Unfortunately, I probably ate a full cup of cold macaroni and cheese.
I wasn’t full by any means, but I knew I shouldn’t have done that.
Well, this morning I wrote it in my journal and when I looked up the calorie count I saw it was 410 calories for one cup.
four. hundred. ten. *sigh*
You know, the dumb thing is that had I just had the cookie and a cup of 1% milk it would’ve only been half of calories of the macaroni and cheese. I probably still would’ve felt bad for sneaking a cookie so late at night, but at least I would’ve felt bad for fewer calories.
To find the silver lining on this cloud, I almost ate the cookie after eating the macaroni and cheese last night, but I didn’t. So, at least it wasn’t over 500 calories. This isn’t making me feel any better now, because I know I shouldn’t have had the snack at all.
I am posting it and will move on. Lesson learned, I hope.
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