Where Have I Been? Where Am I Now?

Good morning all!  This "use to be" active blogger sure fell off the deep end.  In many ways, really.  From my blog about heading to the Biggest Loser Resort to now.
{http://countdowntobiggestloserresort.blogspot.com/ (great read if you need a kick n the butt)}

If you've been reading my blogs throughout the years, you have seem many upsides and some downsides of my life.  I have picked up blogging with promise of good health only to disappear after a single entry.  And here I am once again...only its different this time...let me explain.



I started blogging at the age of 50, and here I am "58" years old, WOW!
That's 8 years of the ups and downs of Cat and her health!  I have been blessed to have no real issues to talk about.  Of course, my failing feet and the loss of my mom have been serious setbacks for me.

I am professing now that I weighed in at 196 the first week of August!  I was avoiding the scale at all cost because I knew my weight was rising for months yet I let it continue.
Not sure why I did this time, I've come to accept not having my mom anymore. I've had the joy of becoming a grandma 7 times since I started blogging, and 2 of those babies were born in 2017.  I have no real grasp on why I let myself go, "I just did", (sigh).




Now...If you know me, you know I am easily faithful to dieting and have strength in willpower.  But when you try so hard to drop weight and after a month the scale says, oh you lost 2.5 pounds after a month of  kicking butt...well you know...do you quit? do you try something new?  increase the exercise?  What?
In my case,  I have a tested RMR (resting metobolic rate) of 1200 calories, thats only enough calories to maintain.  Without exercise I never lose weight.  Weightloss has always been about working out and watching my calories.

After my successful 60 pound weightloss back at age 50 (all in my blog link above), I gained a lot of it back when I got plantar fasciitis followed by muscle atrophy in my left ankle.  Since, then the struggle has been real to take off any weight, because now I had no way of getting the kind of exercise I needed to go along with such a low calorie diet.

So here I am weighing in at 196 pounds on my small 5.2 body frame. YIKES!

What has changed?  My husband, who really knows my struggles pointed out a friend of his who

lost a crazy amount of weight on a diet. So now I become somewhat intrigued.  I don't know his friend but he shows me before and after pictures of his friend and his now positive attitude.  I immediately google the program, but dismiss it. 
What follows, is our mutual close friend on the same program and he is a changed man!  I mean every facet of his being is renewed!  This is a guy we hold near and dear to our heart, but truth is, he slipped away and we feared for his life, both mentally and physically.  But now, he was alive and well!  He was rejoicing and proclaiming his complete joy in weight loss and good health.  He was now spreading the word, and I could NOT ignore him.  Once again, I was googling the program and I decided to dive right in!
I didn't ask for assistance, I'm a very determined and independent woman and I am all the support I need.  Okay, so I learned, support is great!  I reached out to my friend and he hugged me from 300 miles away!  He was so happy that I joined the program and thanks to reaching out to him, I learned the most important thing for me was to set an alarm to eat every 2.5 -3 hours.  Wow, that has changed my life!  I use to forget to eat till I was starving because I'm a big multi-tasker and rarely relax, this really effects my eating habits.  When I am working on any given project food becomes that thing I grab when my body says "hey feed me!".
Now, I rely on Siri to tell me when to eat, and I eat! Every 2.5 to 3 hours successfully!

If you made it down to here, I commend you on reading this far as I am a bit winded about my newest life changing experience.  First of all, my plan is called Optavia, its super easy to order online, you read the food choices and pick what you want.  It comes in the mail and there you go.  You eat 5 of these very small meals a day, aka "fuelings"  and add one lean and green meal each day.  I have been on the plan 2 months now and know my "go to" favorites.  I always have a few bars in my purse because I'm always on the go and it keeps me eating on schedule. It's super easy and really keeps me grounded and able to satisfy any craving.  Financially, I spent way more money eating out and ordering in then I do now.   Oh and there is no exercise involved which is super important to me, I hope to regain my feet when they are not carrying an over abundance of extra weight. Exercise can be included, you just have an adjusted plan, and a good walk everyday is not essential but great for your muscles!
http://www.optavia.com/

I  had the mindset, that this too will fail me.  When the scale seemed slow, I felt as though the plan was failing me again.  Truth is, I splurged  a few times for my birthday week.  That slowed progress down.  I even told my coach that I was considering quitting because I was feeling that the program was not working anymore.  But I was very wrong, the scale is shocking me as it continues to drop unlike any other program I've been on.

So in this post, I proclaim to you, that as of today, I am weighing in at 176 pounds!  I have lost 20 pounds in 2 months!  I am regular (TMI), I have energy every day and I have no desire to cheat, I eat mac n cheese, brownies, ice creams and so much more.  I am so grateful to have found this program and have ordered my fuelings for month 3, which hasn't started yet, so I guess technically I've lost 20 pounds in less that 2 months.

This is a fantastic plan to help you get back your life, and I really encourage anyone struggling to do it!  There are 1000's of success stories and pictures that go with them, as well as a great support page on Facebook once you start the program.  If you refer friends, they can get a $25 credit for your next order as well.  I'm not telling you that so you can say I referred you, just so YOU know. (I'll take the referral of course lol)

 If you've been looking for real help, I truly believe in this.  I hope I reach out to some of my struggling friends and convince you to try it.  If you do, definitely keep me updated as there is a lot to be said for losing weight and gaining health with your friends.

I am so thankful, I can't even express it enough. Thank you Jimmy for sharing on Facebook your journey, you found me, it found me, and I appreciate the support you give me as well as the support I am receiving from everyone on the plan.

In closing,  I can see my future and I see it in skinny jeans and its not worlds away!

Downsizing Has Begun

I am just 4 days shy of seeing the latest work of art, my 6th granddaughter.  She will be entering the world this Friday, March 31, 2017.  I am preparing to head out for Florida on Sunday for a 9 day stay to help take care of new mommy,  her daughter, Charley and the new baby girl.  I must admit I am pretty excited.  A month ago, I was imagining it and thinking of how my weight is so up.  I was not liking the fact that I was in the 190's for this trip. I am happy to say, that I have lost about 7 pounds since then and am feeling way/weigh better!  My clothes are so much looser and I am getting excited about seeing the 170's when they arrive, maybe by late April.

When I wrote the last blog post, I was all gung-ho about getting my weight down, but the truth is, it wasn't until Ash Wednesday that it really started happening.  My husband and I decided to diet through lent, with days off on Sundays.   He hasn't been as faithful to the idea as me, but then again, when you have 15 pounds to lose and not 45 pounds to lose, I guess its easy to take breaks.  I made a decision to lose weight, look good and most importantly get healthy.  That is my goal!  I use the word diet loosely, because as my daughter Michelle has taught me, diets mean an end, like your going to eat good, then stop.  My goal is to eat healthy and enjoy guilty pleasures in small doses, in moderation.  For now, although not wanting to claim diet here, I would say, I am less about the guilty pleasures and moderation and more about seeing the 170's on my scale.  So I am more restrictive to what I am eating.  I am not really counting calories this time, but do think about not eating more than 400-450 a meal.  I think more about how much protein, vegetables and carbs.  Carbs, are my extreme moderation right now.  Although, my daily regimen starts most days with oatmeal, raisins, nuts, chia seeds and a little almond/coconut milk.  I don't want a fad diet, nor do I want to be on Atkins, I want to, you know..I want to poop!  So I am just being cautious of what I eat, how much I eat, and what it does to my body.  My body seems to be pretty happy right now!

So, yesterday was Sunday, you know "Cheat" day.  We decided to go see Beauty & The Beast, and that usually means greasy popcorn, candy and soda for my husband.  We talked about going out to dinner first as well.  As I sat there contemplating the night, I saw myself in the morning on my scale.  I got up off the couch and said, I'm cooking dinner.  I found cauliflower, brussel sprouts and chicken in the house.  My daughter taught me to make a high protein faux mash potato with cauliflower and it doesn't take long to make.  Simply steam a head of cauliflower saute an onion, take both of those add a can of white beans, mash in a processor or blender and salt to taste.  See more healthy recipes on her website:  busybeeorganics.com.  To make my brussel sprouts, I sliced them in half, and roasted them in the oven with olive oil and salt.  I made a sauce for the sprouts with a small amount of turkey bacon, a shallot and some chicken broth.  Mixed that together with the sprouts once roasted in the oven.  Now the chicken, I took chicken broth and cooked the chicken in that, seasoned with a garlic medley seasoning I love called "gobs of garlic", then a dab of half/half and made a slurry
to thicken with a lil flour.  The sauce was poured over my cauliflower mash and the chicken.  Yum what a dinner!

Then it was off to the movies...I convinced my husband to have trail mix we owned rather than buy popcorn or candy, and I had my water.

So...lets go back to me sitting on my couch envisioning going out to dinner followed by the usual poison at the movies...and how I thought about the morning scale...I decided to eat healthy at home and not eat the crap at the movies....




Today, 1/2 pound lighter!  186.6.   If you can think about the result of your actions prior to indulging you might take the lean road.  In my case, the food was so delish and the scale was my dessert!

Hello 2017, I'm going to kick you in the ASS!

First off, WOW it has been a long time since I posted anything,  so much has happened and as it does, my life has definitely changed my body and health.  2015 was both joyous and depressing.  My youngest daughter,  Morgan said her "I do's" to her boyfriend of 4 years.
Sadly, at the same time my mom went through open heart surgery and contracted a stage 4 bedsore during her 11 day stay in ICU.   I lost my mom on Veteran's Day, November 11, 2015 she never recovered from her bedsore.
I spent a good part of 2016 eating whatever, not working out.
Food has always been my go to when I am sad, angry, upset....you know when things are just not going right.  At the same time, I continued to deal with feet problems.  Waking up in the morning, a joke, a  wobble everyday.



 

                                                      I did have some happiness in 2016 as well,
                                                  my birthday gift this year was a picture of my
                                                granddaughter, Charley wearing a shirt that said
                                                                                       "promoted to big sister."                                                                       A month later, I find out my baby,
                                                              Morgan is having her first baby as well.                                                            What beautiful news about my daughters!

So here we are....January 3, 2017...WOW! So ready to kick it's ass!





I have 2 grandchildren to look forward to, so now its time to look forward to that and to feel better.
So...I hopped on my scale and decided today is the day I get YOUNGER, well at least feel younger.
So goodbye 192.9 I'm going down...