141 lbs March 2011

Down to 141 lbs. and a size 6-8. Wore size 6 pants yesterday :-) I was down to 137 lbs in November, but then Christmas and the winter happened. Got back up to 146, then went back on fitday to try to rein it in before it got too far out of control. So, down 5 lbs in the past month. I want to be back at 137 by May 1st. Then, keep pushing on to get to the 124 lb goal. I will update my photo today with a picture from Thanksgiving.

over half way to goal!

Weight today was 152.2 for me and 194 for Tom. So, I am down almost 32 pounds with 28 to go! Tom is down 56 pounds with 30 to go! It seems that this primal blueprint is really working for us.

update - almost a year later

Well, we moved to Washington, DC and did not stick with our diet and exercise plan and my goals just went down the toilet. I gained back all the weight I lost plus a little and was weighing in at 184 by mid-March. My daughter, Paula, recommended I read the Primal Blueprint. My husband, Tom, was weighing in around 245 and had to have a heart cath. It was time to do something ... again!

We are now 6 weeks or so into eating primally (meats, nuts, fruits, vegetables, no grains, no sugars, no processed foods) and walking almost every day. I am now weighing 168 and Tom is at 220. I am hoping this is a lifestyle change and not something that we do for awhile and then gain it all back.

Reading back on my posts from last year is depressing. We were making such good progress and let it all go. It makes me discouraged about the wonderful progress we have been making so far this spring.

June 20 back to 174.8

Discouraged. Weight is back up a few pounds and I don't really know why. Getting ready to leave on vacation for a month, so will not weigh in during that time. Hope to maintain exercise plan while gone though.

Measurement update from June 7; goal for Aug 7

Feeling discouraged about gaining a few pounds last week, I took my measurements to see if I had made progress in inches. It encouraged me to see that since starting this new lifestyle, my measurements went from 46-40-43.5 to 45-38-41.5 !! Still not great, but real progress. Lost an inch in the chest and 2 inches in the waist and 2 inches in the hips! My plan now is to take measurements every 2 months.

August 7 will be a time to reassess how my plan is working. That is when I go back to the doctor and have my blood work redone. By then I plan for my the following:

• glucose to be at or below 100
• LDL at or below 120
• triglycerides at or below 110
• vitamin B12 at or above 400
• HDL at or above 50
• weight under 160
• measurements 44-36-40

The most important of those goals is to get the glucose down. The goals above are in priority order. My health is the key reason I started this new lifestyle and needs to stay as my focus. Looking better would be great, but that is not enough to keep me at this!

June 13 - 171.4 pounds

Not quite at the 170 mark I was shooting for, but getting closer. This week I went to master's swim twice plus Tom & I went to swim laps for 20 minutes on Wednesday. I felt much stronger this week and am doing much better with the swimming. We also went bike riding with Mike & Laura on Friday morning for about 45 minutes. We rode a lot further than I thought I could go! I think we walked about 2 or 3 mornings this week. So, the exercise level is good. Tom says I am gaining muscle and toning up a lot.

Not sure if I need to adjust my diet more or not. I could cut out some more fat ... been eating eggs and buttered toast for breakfast several times a week. Perhaps I could try going to cereal more often. I may try that this week. I want to lose the weight, but I want to make small changes in my diet that i can sustain. Otherwise, I will just gain the weight back. Going to have a bowl of cereal now!

June 6 - 174.8, exercised more, gained weight

This week I added masters swim class to my exercise routine. I signed up for a Monday and Thursday evening class and it was tough. It was a really good workout and I know it is helping me build strength and endurance. I was so disappointed when I got on the scale and it showed I had gained 2 pounds!! Hopefully that was just water weight and I will lose it soon. Possibly I have let my diet fall back into bad habits and am not watching my fat intake as carefully. Also, on Friday night I drank a whole bottle of red wine and I know that did not help any.

My plan for this next week is to do more veggies and chicken breasts and cut way down on the fat levels ... again. Fat seems to be my biggest struggle. Will maintain walking at least 5 times per week and the two nights of swimming. Hoping for better results next Saturday. That 170 goal is being very elusive.

Barbara returned to town and said I look much thinner, so that was encouraging! It is important for me to not get discouraged because then I just throw out all my good behavior and eat what I want and go right back where i started.