October > September

Overall October was better than September was in terms of my weight loss attempts. Though I don't think I lost much, I definitely feel like I have gotten back on track. I am eating properly and starting to track my food intake again. I have increased my exercise, though have no set routine just yet. I definitely have things to work on this month but feel better now than I did a month ago and that is definitely a plus. Dave and I are going grocery shopping tonight to once again pick up some healthier foods. My main goal this month is to get in a decent workout at least once a week.

Choosing2Lose

For the past 3 years I have been a member of a weight loss forum. I have mentioned it before here and to friends, but never given the name. I am completely open with my weight there as those women are literally in the same boat as me. As of today, the forum has closed. I am sad to have lost such a great resource, though to be honest, in the last few months I had not been using it to its full potential. I have met many great ladies through the site and luckily have found the majority of them on Facebook and other forums and will therefore be able to stay in touch with them. I wish to thank Mandy, the creator of C2L, for all the hard work she did on the site and let her know, once again, that I completely understand her reasoning for shutting the site down. Goodbye Choosing2Lose.

WW online

As you know, I enrolled in the WW online program some time ago. Since then I have let the daily logging and monitoring fall by the waist side. BUT as my prepaid months have ended, it is appearing on my MasterCard statement every month. This recurring payment is a really great reminder and has made me start tracking again. I could prepay for several months and save some money, but would likely forget about it again - so instead I am going to stick with the monthly payment and reminder. Time to face reality and see how much damage I have done lately and how far away from my daily point goal I have been recently.

Looking Back - Reasons to Lose Weight

I refreshed my blog page the other day to verify that my most recent post had published and was referenced back to a post entitled Top 10 Reasons to Lose Weight (via LinkedWithin). I decided to read it and feel that the reasons are all still as valid now as they were when I first wrote them. I had this list taped near the door of my old room (which also happened to be near my elliptical machine) and feel that I need to make a feature of this list once again. I plan on printing it off and putting it on the basement wall near the workout equipment.

Thanksgiving

Dave and I ventured to Newmarket for his family's Thanksgiving this past weekend and I have to say, I am pretty pleased with how I handled myself. I didn't overeat, in fact I didn't even get seconds. I had one slice of apple pie for dessert and left it at that. I didn't move around as much as I should have, but I did play with his wee cousin Olivia and carried her around for a large portion of the day. I of course spent the majority of my time there taking photos and am pleased with those as well - but that is not for this blog.
Hopefully I will be able to continue this trend of restraint through the Beach Family Thanksgiving, which is this weekend. *fingers crossed* - again.

Been A While

It's been a while since I stepped on the scale. This point was proven correct when I got on it this morning and found that I am up to only 7 lbs lost. I was down to as much as 10 lbs lost, but a combination of Chicago and shear laziness has brought me back up. Now that I know this however, I have no excuses to letting myself continue on this downward (or rather upward) spiral. Dave and I picked up a few groceries last night and I intend on getting back on track with eating home cooked, healthy meals and cutting back on the restaurant meals. I have been choosing better restaurants meals, most of the time, but they are still higher in calories and fat than the alternatives I can whip up at home.
I did get a fair bit of exercise in this weekend though, by walking around downtown Ottawa taking photos both Saturday and Sunday. This upcoming weekend is sure to be a challenge as it is Thanksgiving, and though most people give themselves a break on this holiday, I feel that the past few weeks have been enough of a break for me and I need to do my best to stay within my limits. Fingers crossed on achieving that goal.

Chicago

I have been eating heavier while here in Chicago as most of my meals are provided for me and aren't the healthiest of choices. BUT I have also been walking around a great deal more than I usually do. I have walked about 2-3 hours most nights taking photos and generally taking in the sites of the city. I am really enjoying it so far and hope that my weight loss goal for this month doesn't get blown out of the water because of it - but if it does, I will just have to work even harder next month.