Monday is my Weigh-In day

A true celebration is in order! In WW they remind us to be sure to set small goals and then CELEBRATE the achievement of those goals. So, today, I'm celebrating the 2nd major goal of my weight loss journey.

I wanted to, first and foremost, lose 10% of my body weight. This is where the most healthful benefits can be achieved. If I could just lose 10% that would be a good thing.
Happily, I was able to do this a few months ago. I am now focused on maintaining a more healthy lifestyle, and developing healthy habits that will support my new lifestyle long term.

My next goal was to lose 50 lbs. prior to Christmas when I will see my daughter again.
As of the Weigh-In on Monday at WW, I have officially lost 50 lbs. Yay!!

It has been exactly 25 weeks since I chose to begin this new journey and change the way I was living my life. 50 lbs in 25 weeks = 2 lbs per week on average. Reasonable pace, sustainable loss.

I'm happy today about this loss - extremely happy. I'm tempering myself with a hefty dose of realism about this, but my coach says to stay positive and focus on the present and the future. I'm worried about the long term, but I don't want that to dominate my thoughts.

I have a lot of micro goals! This week, I want to survive (and actually ENJOY) Thanksgiving with my loved ones - and yet not gain weight or blow the healthy living out of the water. I want to walk and move more. I want to stay in a positive frame of mind. I think I can achieve this goal!

Another goal is 25 lbs. off from now until I see the kids in Cancun in March. I think that I can do it!!

I'm focused on living in the moment, as that is our only guaranteed thing. Along with embracing each moment and day, I have to plan for the future to some extent. I enjoy this and I'm pushing back my personal fears about how it all will work. Balance is one goal, balance of embracing the moment and reasonable plans for future health and happiness. I definitely do not want to let the mindset exist that "Life will be good when I weigh x or z." I am working to make life good NOW, and good then too. Balance. Peace.

Specifically, I am really afraid of gaining this weight back again. That was awful and I am working to overcome that fear the only way I can. (One moment at a time, one hour...)

I'm also afraid of handling the challenges I know I will have to face in the near term. There are some big changes ahead for me and I'm afraid of change, of course! I comfort myself by thinking of all the huge changes I have successfully handled, and I know I can handle the things to come. I'm taking care of myself, eating right, reframing my mental outlook. I will handle things.
I think 2008 turned out pretty good, and I'm going to make 2009 one of my best years yet.

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On a much lighter note, losing 50 lbs. has meant I've dropped a size or two down. I'm shopped some, purchasing basics like pants for work - mostly just basic black and browns that I can wear with everything. I'm wearing a lot of the same tops, as they don't have to fit all that closely and still look OK. I think some of my clothes are more comfortable now, so I'm fine with wearing some of the same. But, it is fun to shop and fun to have pretty new things. (Just not too much!)

Travel is much much easier now. I can walk fine and my feet aren't killing me. I still visit my podiatrist a lot, I'm working to care for my feet in the best way I can. Work is easier, my whole life feels easier without the weight. I think of Tracy hefting a 50 lb. sack of flour, and it makes me realize how much the last 25 weeks of work have meant to me. I've laid down the 50 lb. sack and it is just a whole lot easier to live. Imagine walking around carrying the 50 lbs. of flour all the time, even at rest. I'm so thankful to lay that down!

Weight loss inevitably brings up issues I would rather not think about -- wrinkles, looking older, being saggy, peer relationships, along with a host of others, you name it. But, the good things outweigh the bad and I need to persist in this. I will tell you, it is easier not to face these demons, but I am going there!

Joey is There!

Joey arrived safely in Istanbul and then safely in Pristina, Kosovo.

He had a safe and uneventful 10 hour flight. He was mistaken for Turkish, much to his amusement. One person said, Well, you must be Italian then!

It is 16 degrees and snowing in Pristina, their first snow of the season. They are 6 hours ahead of us.

No Weigh-In this Week

Not that I wanted to miss my weekly weigh in, but I had a very hectic week at work. This was the week I participated in a "site visit" for the major contracts my office oversees.



Monday I was up early and packed for the flight to Houston.

Arriving in Houston, just in time to catch sunset at the airport. The beauty was gone by the time I got off the plane.


Does this look like fun to anyone?


We (my boss and my bosses boss) arrived in Houston in the early evening hours. Met at the airport by a limo (thankfully!) we rushed to check into the hotel. We met the others that would be on our site visit team in the lobby, dropped our suitcases and took a hotel van to a local Italian restaurant. It was an AWESOME dinner, I had grilled red snapper. Wow, I really liked that.





The room at the Hilton in Houston was amazing, large two room suite and very nice. I wished for more time here to just enjoy a little bit. Weather was mild and very welcoming.



However, duty calls! Early the next morning we checked out and took the hotel shuttle to the University Library for our work. It was a day of interesting presentations, poor food choices for me, meeting and interacting with a lot of professionals.




Dinner in Big Cottonwood Canyon, at the Silver Fork Lodge. Very cool place.




This is sunrise at the Houston airport, as we start back to Chicago and then onward to Washington, D.C.

Salt Lake City, Utah was more natural than Houston, which is pretty urban. Lots of aspen trees around the restaurant. Very pretty. Would have loved time to hike a little here.

Where in the World is......our Joey!!

You can click on the map to enlarge. (usually works)

So, I'm trying to figure out where my son will be over the Thanksgiving holidays. As you may remember, last Thanksgiving he was with us in West Virginia. I didn't get to be with my kids on Christmas, but I'm choosing differently this year.
Above is a map of the area of Europe Joey will visit this year. I've highlighted Istanbul, Turkey, where he initially arrives. He flies to Pristina, Kosovo next. Among the other countries he will visit is Albania. That is right across the water from the heel of the boot (Italy). When he leaves, he will fly out of Pristina to Vienna, Austria, which is a bit north of Kosovo. This is all very strange to me, never having been there. It seems, well, foreign! I wonder what it will feel like there...

Seaside Florida 2008

Santa Rosa Beach Club, my luncheon destination with the 'ya-ya's"




Lovely, beaucolic Seaside, Florida. Mostly 2nd homes these days, very exclusive. (Read that - waaaaay too expensive.)



It was neat to see this place. The point is (or was originally) a livable, walkable neighborhood. This appeared to be a mostly deserted place, few ordinary people seen living in these pretty houses. Looks like vacation dwellings for rich people. Quiet, few cars in the actual neighborhood. Stores and Post Office walkable. Probably busy in "season".



Ed is back in Florida tonight. Wish I were there.

Driving: 260 miles Hiking: 6 miles

Well, this was a West Virginia journey weekend. We drove about 260 miles or so.

But, on the way back to Bethesda, we stopped in Hancock and found the Western Maryland Rail Trail near the Park N Dine. We entered the trail at approximately mile 9.5 and hiked passed Mile marker 12, than back to the park and ride lot. We hiked for about two hours. Works out to about 3 MPH. I guess that isn't bad....way better than sitting in the car those two hour!

Yesterday was my WW meeting at work, but I had to miss it. So, I got weighed today at another meeting. Its a lot like AA, you can generally find a meeting anywhere, anytime....
So, at weigh in today, I lost 3.8 lbs!! Yay!! I didn't blog about my loss last week, just didn't have time, however, it is important to note that I have passed the 40lb. milestone. It is going well, so I am working hard to keep this up. I'm working hard to develop this as a habit and live this healthier life.
I like the motto of one of my podcasts: "Walk a little now, so you can walk a little more later."
so I do!

We went to Black Hills Regional Park. We walked for about an hour today, about 2.5 or 3 miles. Great walk, but a little chilly.
Gotta get ready for work in the morning, Ed is off to Tampa for a few days.

One voter's perspective...

Did you go vote?

I know I did. Here is one reason I am so glad I made my voice heard at that voting booth.

http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/resources/selectedarticles/obama05.cfm