10% Goal! Total loss so far: 29.8lbs

Whooooo HOOOOOO!

Goal Number ONE obtained. Next goal, another 10% which comes out to be 26.3 (since I now tip the scale at a whopping 263.4 lbs. IF I continue to lose weight as I have been and IF I don't hit any plateaus...that goal should arrive sometime around July 25th.

I know I need to move more...still. Went on vacation though and still managed to drop 2.4 pounds this week. So I'm feeling pretty good about that.

The weather in Gualala, CA (up on the coast in Mendocino County) is a bit chillier than Santa Barbara, and the mornings were always breezy thru the late afternoon, when the wind would stop and the weather was more like Santa Barbara til the sun went down. So we saw more sun up there than we'll see at home for a while...it's June Gloom time, yes I know it's MAY, so June Gloom is a little early. (it was early last year too.) June Gloom means, Fog Fog Fog, day after day, for weeks. Then the sun comes out to stay for months...I guess there is more moisture in the air this time of year so we get more Fog. Although, we get a little less here in Goleta than they get up in the touristy area of Santa Barbara.

We had the opportunity to join the group for a couple of hikes, but day one we were dead tired, so we napped instead. (Hey, we were on vacation!) Day two, we went ahead of the group to gather up the dog to take her with us, and never could find the rest of the group...and then we couldn't find many trails that allowed us to walk our doggie, so we found a day use spot that would and walked her around there. I found a lovely wild iris growing there and took a picture of it with my camera phone. :D

All in all the vacation was a win though, I got a lot out of sharing ideas with some really really bright people who were interesting and talented in so many areas of life. Came back with some good goals for myself...probably the first time I ever sat down and nailed a couple goals down and really looked at "Where do I want to go?"...
I took the opportunity to take my doggie for a walk when we got back from the hike that didn't happen...our house was on a hillside so the driveway was quite a workout. I walked down it...then down Highway 1 for a bit, then back and UP the driveway. It was steep and my calves let me know about that walk for DAYS afterward. :D

I even enjoyed some Dark Chocolate and Port wine during my vacation, but I also made sure to account for it in my daily allotment of calories. I special ordered from the restaurant we all ate at on Sunday night. (I'm sure the chef was happy with me..23 of us hit the place without a warning...and here I am asking for special stuff.) They did a great job on my dish and I enjoyed the meal and conversation and the noise level immensly. 23 people can get REALLY loud.

We had dinner at one of the houses on Saturday evening, and watched grey whales swimming by. THAT was cool! Friday and Saturday dinners were potluck style and there were so many people there already into being healthy that it was easy to make good choices. Some great cooks in that bunch too!

More pictures up next week, I've dropped a pants size and am wearing jeans I've not been able to wear comfortably since I bought them. (so why the HECK did I buy them? because I got them at Susie's Deals for $5, THAT's why!)

We're settled in to our new space in the trailer park, with the pool right behind us. Time to find the ear plugs and get out the swim suit soon. (Weather not quite ready for me to be in the pool...June Gloom, remember?)

Off to have a busy day OUTSIDE today. See you next week with Pictures!

1 more pound off this week.

Well, it was a week of eating out a restaurants and that makes it hard to KNOW what you're getting. I've never been one to go out to a nice restaurant and have the salad. I don't see that changing anytime soon, so I'll have to make sure I pick the right restaurants in the future. So Here I am at 265.8 lbs and yesterday and today I'm feeling FAT again. Funny thing is, I AM FAT - :D - but the successes of the past weeks has had me feeling more svelte. I know, I know, funny. Well, I'm feeling fat again, and that could be considered a positive or a negative, depending on how you look at it. I see it as a positive with potential negative pitfalls. Being aware of the pitfalls will keep me on the positive edge I think. :D

I did walk less times this week, but the times I did were more intense, I'm going further and really paying attention to how my muscles are working.

Tomorrow we leave for vacation, but generally most of the food we eat will be prepared by me so I'm sure I'll be ok. If I don't lose anything, I'll miss a goal I had made by .6 of a pound so I really do want to make at least that. But really, the overall goal is reach the big goal so I'll be doing my very best to account for every morsel I stuff in this face.

I had an interesting idea put in front of me that I'd never really entertained before, and that is, when/if I need a little break from the whole calorie counting/weight loss plan...why not just focus on taking a break and MAINTAINING the loss? I'd never really thought that one through before... In the past it was ON the diet and OFF the diet...

So I'd like to say I'll be happy if I maintain my loss thru my vacation, but the truth is, this is way too easy to follow and I'll have no excuse to only maintain and not lose weight this coming week.

Wish me success and good times. :D

2.4! Total is now 26.4

I weigh in on Wednesday and then Jef and I go on vacation...it's kind of a working vacation, and I'm looking forward to it as well as a little apprehensive.

I'm still going strong, this Saturday I didn't count as stringently as I should have...eating out can make that difficult. I think I did ok, but I definetly used some of the extra calories I get every week that up til now I've been trying not to use at all. It was a fine dinner tho so no regrets. :)

I'm moving more regularly, and it's showing on the scale. I do notice that it's imperative that I eat ALL the calories I am allowed each day...and that I lose weight better/faster when I do. I also feel better, satiated and more under control.

It's now Sunday night and time for some relaxation before going back to work tomorrow.

Thanks for reading. :)

Another great week. 3.4! Total now 24 pounds off!

Late posting this...and it's actually the end of week 9 I think..(I weigh in again tonight.)

But wanted to mention I am just 5 lbs away from my 10% goal. Whoo HOO!!!

I've been walking the dog at least 3 times a week, and boosting the speed at which I cover the mile we walk. Some days are tough due to knee pain, but I'm doing it anyway. (Bonus is: Ally is learning MUCH better manners about LEASH walking.)

Had a good week, a busy week, and spent a lot of time in www.secondlife.com ...I'm building a lovely house in there with some cool new building tools I bought. It's fun to be creating something...even if it's only digital. It's really got me engrossed. Silly to some of you who've never been there, but if you had...you'd completely understand.

More later, after weigh in tonight. :)