i broke up with my scale

Yes...it was time to say goodbye. We had a love-hate relationship and it was getting me nowhere. It would tell me I'd lost weight and I'd be so excited. Then it would tell me I'd gained weight, I'd get so mad at it! I'd get on it every 5 minutes during the course of a day, just to prove it wrong! This went on for 3 weeks! Up, down, up, down, up, down... For 3 weeks, I would eat right (maybe a bit too much), and would hop up on the scale to monitor my progress. 3 weeks and 1 pound lost.

So, it was time to say adios...farewell...so long...see ya! I put it in the closet, on a shelf, under a handbag, and I could still hear it calling my name. It would tempt me with all sorts of sounds, just to get on it and see what number appeared. I resisted temptation. I resisted temptation for 7 solid days. Do you know where it got me? I lost 4.4 pounds after breaking it off with my so called "friend".

The scale is back in the closet for 7 more days.

congratulations! when are you due?

I'm baffled! Someone just mistook me for being pregnant and asked me when my due date was! I told her I wasn't pregnant and she patted my tummy and said, "Oh...I thought this was a maternity top." NEVER ask a woman when she's due...even if she's in the delivery room!

I'm going to work out now...

extra stuff

Extra clutter, extra weight, extra bills, it's always something extra. About every 12-18 months I feel like I've got to clean it all out. Tackle the weight, tackle the budget, tackle the clutter. If I stayed on top of it, and take baby steps, I know I would get there. It's such a challenge for me because I want it all done now. I joined Weight Watchers and want to lose all the weight THIS WEEK. I signed up for Dave Ramsey's My Total Money Makeover and want to get out of debt, pay off the house and have our retirement fully funded THIS WEEK. I get e-mails hourly from FlyLady to stay on top of our housekeeping and want a perfect home THIS WEEK. I have a hard time with the baby steps and want immediate gratification. That's why I love the Bible verse so much "Steady plodding brings prosperity...". It's a favorite -- especially when it comes to finances. I know that taking baby steps and improving on what I'm doing each day will result in wonderful results.

tgif

We made it through the first week of school!
It's payday!
I've stayed on my WW points everyday since my 1st meeting!
I've reworked our budget!
No homework for the kids this afternoon!
DH comes home tomorrow!
It's a gorgeous day!
No football practices this afternoon!
I'm sending extra $$ to our truck payment today!

TGIF!!

reasons to lose

Yesterday I rejoined Weight Watchers. Just 4 of us in a meeting and that felt kind of strange...especially since 2 of us were new. Discussion was almost necessary to give the leader a break, so I added to the discussion feeling a little bit uneasy. While I was trying to avoid being called on, I made some notes as to why I wanted to lose these extra 20 pounds and here is what I came up with.

1. I'm tired of my face looking puffy.
2. My ass is hanging down to the back of my knees.
3. My clothes don't fit.
4. So I won't be tired all the time.
5. So I'll have more energy, and
6. so I'll have more self confidence.
7. So that my jeans will fit (or be baggy!) in the fall
8. To be at a weight I'm happy with before my birthday in February
9. So I can quit sucking in when I'm sitting down, standing up, or having my picture made.
10. To not be considered overweight at the doctor's office
11. I guess I can keep going...
12. To lower my blood pressure
13. To lower my cholesterol
14. To save money on groceries...by not eating so much
15. I think that's enough!!!

grocery stores

I used to not be able to walk into a grocery store for a head of lettuce without spending $60. I've cut my quick trip expenses back to about $30 now that I'm being cautious, but that is still ridiculous. I found a website that will give you (for a small fee...) dinner menus for a week based on what is on sale at your local grocery store. The average cost for the 7 dinners is about $75. Since I budget about $800 for food at the grocery store, I thought it was definitely worth trying! I have signed up and printed out my menu for the next week. I'll let you know how it works and if the recipes are tasty. That will leave only breakfast, lunch, snacks and beverages that I need to budget extra. I would LOVE to cut my grocery bill in half and apply that to our debt.

six days and counting

Let's see...has it even been a week since I recommitted myself to eating better and exercising 30 minutes a day? I truly thought I could do this on my own, but obviously I can't. I lack the motivation and will power. I need someone to hold me accountable. I'm still journaling what I eat, but am not writing down the Weight Watcher points that go with each thing. And exercise...well that's another story. I did great for about 3 days. The kids start back to school in 6 days. In 7 days I'm rejoining Weight Watchers. I did lose about 2 pounds last week and that has helped a little. I'm looking forward to school starting so that I can focus on this weight I'm trying to lose and to also continue my focus on debt reduction and savings.

Today the city put orange flags on top of all of the School Zone speed limit signs. Ahhhhh...what a wonderful site!! Just six more days.