(unofficial) WOOP!

This morning, I weighed in at.... *drum roll*   

150.0!!!! 

Unofficial goal, as my WI day is scheduled for Monday. As long as I can stick with the program for the weekend (ugh, good luck!) it looks like Monday I will be weighing in at my GOAL WEIGHT. 

OMG people, I never ever thought I could do it. And look, I'm almost there! And who knows where I can go from here. I've started taking spinning classes, I'm continuing to run and I am loving the peace I am finding through yoga.  I just can't believe I am the same person I was a year ago.

Mother's Day 2011

For the record, these are me in the jeans I was wearing in the above picture and as recently as OCTOBER. 

Whoa!

So I've been super busy and super over-scheduled. And I've done it to myself. And I'm happy about it (mostly - although I am desperately craving a little time at home.)

Tuesdays - Yoga
Wednesdays - Spin
Thursday - Pilates
Friday - Spin

Even Saturday (tomorrow) I've convinced my hubby to come to the Y with me and take his first spin class!!  I may be a bit obsessive because the classes are 55 min long and I earn 10 activity pts (weight watchers) every time I go. It doesn't hurt to have a buffer of 30+ APs this week!

Plus, last week I was talking to one of the instructors and trying to make sure my form was right. She said that there's a learning/adjustment period to spin and "since you're so fit, it shouldn't take you any time at all."  HuH?? Were you talking to me?! FIT? I've NEVER been called fit before!

I'm so glad I decided to give the spin class a try. I am usually not one to step out of my comfort zone, but I find that at my lighter weight, it's become much easier!

Have you tried anything new lately as a workout that you can't stop talking about??

Stats update

It's been awhile since I've done a stats update, so here goes.  We all know I've cheated a little bit here and there, but I'm happy to still be progressing!

 

I'm getting to a place where I am recognizing what I have accomplished. I don't know how far I can go or will go, but I am getting to a happy place. 

When I started this, I really thought size 10 jeans was a pipe dream. Now I'm wondering what I have to lose to get into an 8!

Hangover.

A sugar hangover, that is.

Yesterday was rough. I completely honestly admit, I gave in to the emotional desires for sugar and stuffed my face.

To be fair, it was a pretty traumatic day.  I accidentally ran over the baby bunny living in our yard. With the lawn mower.  Worse - my daughter had named it Princess Tiana when we discovered it living in our garden a few weeks ago. I have never felt so guilty and awful about anything in my LIFE.  And I found myself eating a cookie that I had gotten for the kiddos & Jen when she watched them on Saturday (but they didn't eat!). Then I was picking at the jelly beans in the bowl. And I thought "Well, heck, if I'm eating sugar, I might as well eat something delicious" so I ate a Reese's peanut butter egg. And a few more jelly beans, just to drive the point home.

*facepalm*

I knew I would hurt today. I just had NO IDEA how bad it would be! I woke up this morning and you would have thought I had 6 margaritas last night! Queasy and headachy, grumpy and still tired. It's CRAZY how awful that sugar made me feel. Because - for REAL - that is how I used to eat. Every single day!

So I learned a lesson and won't be making that awful mistake again (the sugar AND the lawn mowing!!)

** and for the sake of clarity, my daughter was outside with me, but she did not AND DOES NOT know what happened. And never will - until she's maybe 30**

Chugging along...

So Easter came and went. I did have a small lemon square at Easter brunch (it was FABULOUS). Hubby and I went on a date on Saturday and I had my first taste of almond creme brulee. I saw in that moment how far I truly have come - the crust of burnt sugar on top would have been the best part in my previous life. In this new life? I picked it all off and left it on the plate!  Fabulous!

I've been doing pretty well still. A little treat about once a week (this week is an exception!) has been great to get me through! I ran 5 miles in 53 minutes last week, my fastest pace yet! I am excited to run my next 5K, but there are SO many to choose from I just can't make up my mind :-)


I love how I'm feeling, how my tastes have changed. It doesn't mean I don't appreciate a good sweet treat still (I made a killer chocolate mousse yesterday!) but, as I mentioned above, not quite to the extent I used to eat sugar. Sweet potatoes and carrots are like eating candy! I'm down to 153, lowest in quite awhile, and I'm hoping the number keeps going DOWN!

Did you watch the 60 Minutes special?  Did you agree? Are you shocked that sugar affects your brain the same way cocaine does? It's crazy!! And yet believable, especially if you've experienced life free of the reins of sugar.

I don't know if you've seen this blog, but it's a great resource for sugar free living - My Years Without Sugar . She's been sugar free for over two years and still going strong! She's got a great list of natural sugars and lots of recipes as well.

60 Minutes video

So this quitting sugar thing is really catching a lot of media attention!  60 Minutes had a great story last Sunday about sugar as a toxin!

Click here to see it. VERY worth the time to watch.

A success story (that isn't me!)

I LOVE hearing this kind of thing! A friend, K, sent me a message on Facebook yesterday and I was quick to ask if I could share her experience with you guys. I love hearing other people's experiences with quitting sugar.

Hey! Just wanted to say that you inspired me to go sugar free and I have lost 8 pounds in the past 2 weeks! I feel SOOOO much better. My headaches, cravings for sugar and carbs, and bitchy attitude are nearly non existent. I haven't been doing any different kind of workouts or exercise than I was doing when I wasn't sugarfree (still just running and strength training), so I know it has been because I cut out sugar! Thanks for the motivation!

It is seriously scary the control that sugar has over me when I'm eating it. I have found myself eating insane, crazy amounts of food when I am consuming it. The cravings were constant and there was no amount that could satisfy me. I have been reading tons of info about it and am reading in many places that sugar makes the brain react in the same way it does to heroin! It sounds crazy, but I believe it. I just don't think I will ever go back to eating that way again.

I LOVE her point about how sugar has CONTROL over us! I completely agree!  I have found that when I am eating sugar, I'm eating more. Not more sugar necessarily, just more of EVERYTHING! I want to be stuffing my face all.day.long!  Now that I've quit again, my overall calorie consumption is down I would guess by half. I don't snack endlessly all day and I certainly don't crave sugar all day long.

Very interesting point about how sugar affects our brain the same way as heroin! Puts a whole new spin on it, doesn't it??  We're all just reformed junkies, aren't we??

Excuses

Did I make this many excuses last time?! There is always some completely unneccessary reason to sneak in a little sugar...

I'm an emotional wreck.

I argued with my boyfriend.

Work has me stressed to the point of a breakdown.

PMS.

It's Easter.

I'm baking and need to have a little sample to make sure it's good.

But they are just that: excuses. I have no valid reason why I can't be sugar-free. In fact, I know that I feel better when I am. I know that while my cranky self wants ice cream, it doesn't fix anything and only makes me more of an emotional mess later on. I don't need it. It's a struggle in the beginning, because I've formed these habits. I'm an addict. There's no other way around it.

I can't even blame it on a lack of support. I know Nicole is always faithful to check in on me, to encourage me. And Nick spent hours the other day searching and saving several sugar-free recipes we can make. He asks lots of questions about what has sugar, what is allowed and what isn't. So the excuses stop here.

I haven't quite figured out what to cook for Easter considering my initial menu plan (cinnamon rolls for breakfast, brown sugar & pineapple glazed ham, pies, etc.) is now not an option. But that doesn't leave me optionless... I can get a smoked ham. And I can even make a sweet glaze for others to put on the meat if they want to. We make and enjoy lots of steamed or grilled vegetables, that are much healthier than the standard casserole-type side dishes. I can still make a pie for dessert, but I don't have to sample it. I've been making the same recipe for years; I know it's good.

So the excuses stop. I have all the knowledge, all the tools, all the support. It's back to the basics - lean proteins, lots of veggies, healthy oils, cheese and dairy with no added sugars, nuts. I've done this before, so I know I can do it again. And if I can, anyone can!