Weight Watchers Update and the gym

I had three weeks where I gained 8 of my 45 pounds back. I can list a bunch of excuses why, but I won't. The bottom line is I screwed up, lost focus, and saw the consequences of my bad choices. I have lived too many years making excuses. This time I'm not going to. I decided I had made enough bad choices and did not want to see anymore weight gain, so I got refocused, made GREAT decisions and this week I lost 6.2 pounds. I am very happy with that and know that I will easily lose the other 1.8 this week if not more. It feels good to be back.

I have also learned a lot from this little detour. I learned how quickly we can gain the weight back. I learned that even when I am detoured I am still making smarter decisions than I would have in the past. In the past I would have skipped Weight Watchers while on my little detour. This time I didn't skip one weigh in. I knew I would have gains, but I went and faced the music. Once I got back on track I realized how much better I feel when I'm doing making the healthy decisions and I never want to feel like I did during my detour. This is real life. I will have my ups and my downs. Each time I have a down I am seeing it last shorter and shorter. That is all I ask of myself. We don't call it a journey for nothing. If you are struggling and on a detour right now, look at the map, and get back on track. You can do it. I did and feel so great.

Another exciting thing in my life is that I joined another contest at the gym. The last contest was called Biggest Winner and we were in teams of 5 and competed to see which team could lose the most percentage of weight loss. My team won. We beat 4 other teams. We each won 2 free personal training sessions. Well, they are having a new contest. It is BIGGEST WINNER Couples. I joined with my friend John. We met at the Bueller YMCA about a month ago, worked out next to each other, got talking about Triathlons (oh Yeah!!) and the rest is history. We are partners for a 10 week contest and we are in the zone. We already weighed in and measured and the next weigh in is not until next weekend and I already lost 6.2 since being weighed in. I will not only keep you posted on my weight watchers experience, but will also keep you up to date on our team journey.

John, are you ready to rumble? We are going to kick some BOO-TAY!!!!

Have a blessed Sunday everyone!!
Remember (to steal a phrase from my good friend COMM) there is treasure everywhere!!

BIKE THE DRIVE PHOTO

My friend, Darlene and I did BIKE THE DRIVE. This is an annual event in Chicago where they close Lake Shore Drive for 5 hours and open it to bikes. The total route is 30 miles. We did 15 this year. The south loop of the route ends at The Museum of Science and Industry. Every year I take my bike up the stairs and raise it in the air like I'm in Rocky. This year Dar and I both posed that way and a Chicago Tribune photographer took our pic. We didn't realize she was taking a picture until she came up to us and asked us our names. My friend Megan found it for me and sent it to me. Here it is:


Bike lift
(Tribune photo by Nancy Stone / May 24, 2009)
Melissa Black (left) and Darlene Seeman hoist their bikes on the steps of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry Sunday morning. The two participated in the "Bike The Drive" event on Chicago's Lake Shore Drive Sunday.

Happy Memorial Day!!

Why do we say Happy Memorial Day when this should be a day of remembering our fallen soldiers. There really is nothing happy about it, but our country has turned this day of mourning into a day of parties, travel, parades, and a kick off to summer. This is not what the holiday is about at all. I'm not saying we should all walk around somber today, but to wish someone a happy memorial day is baffling to me.

In 1971 Memorial Day Observance was changed from the original date of May 30th to the last Monday is May. This way we could have a nice little 3 day weekend. Now don't get me wrong I like a three day weekend just as much as the next person, but in my opinion that has changed the meaning of this holiday. It seriously has become a weekend of sales, BBQ's,travel plans and a day off school. I take my kids to the local parade every year. We make a poster to thank the vets that are in the parade and after the parade we go to the local VFW to thank the vets for serving our country. We also do this on Veteran's Day. I never want my kids to forget why we get to live in such an awesome country. I don't come from a military family, but I'm raising my family to be a family that thanks military.

One Memorial Day after the parade we were heading back to our car and saw an older vet sitting at a picnic table in our park. My kids probably around age 5 and 4 ran up to him and simply said, "Thank you for serving our country." He teared up and said no one had even thanked him that day. Another Memorial Day weekend we had taken the kids to downtown Chicago and they were thanking vets all day. In the evening in the train station to head home we thanked a female vet. She said the same thing, no one had thanked her all day and how much it meant to her.

Please enjoy your weekend. Enjoy your BBQ's, your shopping, and your travel, but please remember why these things are possible. We live in such an awesome country because of those who have come before us, those who are serving now, and those who are yet to come in our military. Please thank a vet today and EVERYDAY!!

Here is a post I did in 2007 regarding Memorial Day. I had met a soldier and he told me they are trained not to expect anything when they get home that way they won't get hurt. Please read on to hear what else he had to say. . . Memorial Day 2007

Weight Watchers Update

I have had a rough few weeks at weight watchers. I have gained the last three weigh ins. I am not letting it get me down and i know what I have to do to get going again and I am doing it. I have joined a website called Sparkpeople.com. It has a lot of great stuff to help me on my weight loss journey. Check it out. Someone sent me the following when I was having a particularly hard day. It put things into perspective. Hope it helps you too on your journey. Someone wrote this on their one year anniversary of being on sparkpeople.com


10 Things I Have Learned On My One-Year Anniversary

Today is my anniversary and I have learned the following during my one year on SparkPeople:

1. Losing weight is hard!
2. Being fat is harder!
3. I rather be fit and healthy than fat and unhappy.
4. Giving up is not a good option.
5. Set backs are inevitable.
6. Overcoming setbacks can make your stronger (if it doesn't kill you- just kidding.)
7. Stay in the game long enough and eventually you will hit a plateau.
8. Pushing harder doesn't always yield the best results.
9. Listen to your body and take a break when you need to.
10. Reach out to at least one person everyday on SparkPeople. (Friends or strangers, it doesn't matter.) It helps and keeps me accountable.

I have been very frustrated because I am in pain constantly and it has been for a couple weeks now. I have pain in my left heel, right knee, and right hip muscles. I am praying a lot and the Lord is really helping me through this challenging time. I am following #9 above a lot lately. I am walking instead of running, I am working out in the pool more, and if I don't get to run my 5k at the end of my triathlon in June I am ok with that. I have a bike ride tomorrow. I usually do 30 miles. I don't know what I'll be able to do, but I'm going to try and do at least 15 miles and if I don't I'm ok with that. The Lord and I have really had some great heart to hearts this week and I'm really feeling on top of the world right now. In the past I would have wanted to quit, but not this time. I usually would have avoided weight watchers and I haven't. I would have quit and gained back even more weight than I have. I would have given up. Not this time. I have a great group of friends from weight watchers. They took me and another member out to celebrate our graduations today and they have been so encouraging. They are all life time members and remember being where I am right now and they are great. I want to thank them all for sticking with me through all the celebrations and all the downs. You are all the best and I couldn't do it without you.

Here's to a new week and to a Healthier me.

Weight Watchers Update and Graudation

Weight Watchers Update: NOT GOOD

Graduation Update: AWESOME. I AM A COLLEGE GRADUATE.

I Graduate Tomorrow

I'm so excited that tomorrow is my graduation.
I really never saw myself ever graduating from college.
I am continually amazed by what I am doing and taking on.
This is not who I have been for years.
It feels great and I am not stopping.
I cannot wait to see what lies in store for me.
There is no stopping me now.

Happy Graduation to all my friends who also overcame many obstacles to graduate. We are doing it. We are living our dreams.

Happy Mother's Day

To all of my friends that are mom's, for those of you becoming moms, you all rock. For those of you, like me, who have lost their mom. I'm thinking of you today and praying for you. I know how hard this day can be. Hang in there. I would like to take this moment to give a shout out to my mom. Because of my mom I am caring, loving, kind, compassionate, and many more things. Because of my mom I love kids and working with kids and because of her I have finished college with an elementary ed teaching degree. Thanks Mom for always being a great role model, not just in what you said, but in how you lived. I am who I am today because of my mom. Mom, You ROCK and you are my ROCK! I love you.

Weight Watchers Update

I gained .4 pounds. It was frustrating because I wrote down everything I ate, worked out, and overall had a great week, but then I decided that the number on that scale does not rule me anymore. Every week I am becoming a stronger, happier, healthier person and that is all that matters.

Instead of dwelling on the negative I am dwelling no my non scale victories today.
Here are just some of them:

I have people changing their lifestyles because of me.

I am inspiring others. I never thought I would be inspiring, but go figure. I am.

I am graduating from college. Me, graduating from college. Wow!!

My clothes don't fit anymore. They are big.

I can exercise longer and harder then ever before. I'm doing stuff I would have just laughed at last year if you had tried to tell me what I would be doing in a year.

I really can say that I love myself now. I have always been a giver to everyone else, but myself and I'm doing it. I'm loving myself and taking care of myself.

Everyday someone tells me how great I'm looking and how happy I look.

I am starting to run.

I have an awesome husband and two great kids that love me when I'm heavy or not.

I finally have realized in the last few weeks that I truly deserve this.

I am happy.

A little .4 gain at WW is not going to take any of this away from me. I don't know why I gained, but it's ok. Next week I'll knock it out of the park and if I don't then I will adjust and keep going. This would have caused a downward spiral in the past, but not anymore. Wahhhhooooooo!! I've come a long way.

Before and During Pics

Here are my before pics that were taken on November 8, 2008. I weighed in at 297 pounds.









Due to more than one person requesting these, I am putting up some during pictures. They were taken this morning and I weign in at 261.2 pounds. I am at 45 pounds lost. The next pictures will be posted when I hit 75 pounds lost. Let me know what you think of my pics.







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Weight Watchers Update!!

Not a big loss at all, but still a loss none the less.

I only lost .2 pounds.

That brings me up to 45 pounds lost, so I am very happy about that.

I am not happy that I didn't work out like I should. I'm not happy that I didn't eat like I should. This next week I am going to my trainer twice and I am back to journaling what I eat. That is a key component to Weight Watchers that I have gotten away from.

Again, not a great weight loss, but I knew it wasn't the greatest week either. I will live and learn and celebrate what I have accomplished. 45 pounds down. Wahhhooooooo!!