Monday, March 4, 2013
Moving...
Well, obviously, I'm moving a little more myself these days - trying to lose weight and all. But this blog is moving to Wordpress. This will be my last post on Blogger. Please come join me on my journey at judsaloser.wordpress.com.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Back in the Saddle... AGAIN!
So the last time I posted here was some time in November 3, 2010, more than two years ago. It didn't take me nearly that long to become a weight-loss statistic. After losing 52 pounds (down to 208 - 28 pounds from my goal weight of 180), I got all the way back to where I started: 260 pounds.
I told you back in 2010 that I finally just got tired of being hungry. Using Fitday.com to help plan my diet, I'd restricted myself to 1500 calories a day. That's what the system told me I needed to do to lose 2 pounds a week. At the time, I'd had no idea what a collossally horrible idea that was. (I was hungry for a solid six months and finally just gave in.)
On the up side, I did continue exercising. I went to the gym for 30 minutes 3 days a week, but eventually that became difficult because of my schedule. The best time for me to go was during the lunch hour (I ate at my desk), but other things started to encroach on that time. I realized that I needed to make a change in order to get back to a regular workout routine. So, against my own preferences, I started running. We'd recently move into a big, quiet neighborhood with a couple of nice parks nearby, so I headed out 3-4 mornings a week, putting in about 2 miles each time. I was never very good at it, but I definitely got in some exercise. (I used the iOS app/web site RunKeeper to track my progress.)
I was laid off at the end of September. My routine, of course, changed drastically, and I gave up running.
A co-worker at my new job, where I've been since November of 2012, recently introduced me to an iOS app/web site called Lose It! that finally got me interested enough to try again. Since February 11, I've lost 4.2 pounds, bringing me down to 255.8.
Please pray for me. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and encourage me. I can always use it.
A couple of things:
1) I would not recommend Fitday. The web site has a seemingly substantial database of foods and exercises, but I found most foods were not in the database, requiring me to manually input most foods. Add to that the fact that - at the time I used it - there was no way to input recipes. I had to use SparkRecipes to input recipes and calculate the calories, which is actually a pretty nice site. Fitday eventually released an iOS app, but the interface was kludgy, and it ran slowly.
2) I would definitely recommend Lose It! The iOS app includes a bar code scanner, and I've found only one bar code it didn't recognize (Starbucks Via Veranda came up as a 456 calorie sub sandwich). There are a lot of restaurant and brand name foods in the database, as well as all the usual simple grocery items. And you can input recipes directly into the app, either manually or by scanning bar codes for those ingredients that have them. It doesn't take nearly the time that Fitday does.
I've always been a gadget freak, and I've discovered that a cool app or gadget actually motivates me to do things I wouldn't normally do. I'm notoriously disorganized, but my iPhone motivates me to keep up with notes, appointments, prayer requests from friends, and all kinds of things I might not manage otherwise. Lose It! motivates me to keep up with my caloric intake because it's a neat app, and it's easy to use.
Personally I'd love to see the impact a Nike+ Fuelband, Jawbone Up, or even a Fitbit One would have on my weightloss endeavors, but that will have to wait until some generous soul buys me one or until Nike, Jawbone, or Fitbit decide they want some free advertising from me! :)
I told you back in 2010 that I finally just got tired of being hungry. Using Fitday.com to help plan my diet, I'd restricted myself to 1500 calories a day. That's what the system told me I needed to do to lose 2 pounds a week. At the time, I'd had no idea what a collossally horrible idea that was. (I was hungry for a solid six months and finally just gave in.)
On the up side, I did continue exercising. I went to the gym for 30 minutes 3 days a week, but eventually that became difficult because of my schedule. The best time for me to go was during the lunch hour (I ate at my desk), but other things started to encroach on that time. I realized that I needed to make a change in order to get back to a regular workout routine. So, against my own preferences, I started running. We'd recently move into a big, quiet neighborhood with a couple of nice parks nearby, so I headed out 3-4 mornings a week, putting in about 2 miles each time. I was never very good at it, but I definitely got in some exercise. (I used the iOS app/web site RunKeeper to track my progress.)
I was laid off at the end of September. My routine, of course, changed drastically, and I gave up running.
A co-worker at my new job, where I've been since November of 2012, recently introduced me to an iOS app/web site called Lose It! that finally got me interested enough to try again. Since February 11, I've lost 4.2 pounds, bringing me down to 255.8.
Please pray for me. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and encourage me. I can always use it.
A couple of things:
1) I would not recommend Fitday. The web site has a seemingly substantial database of foods and exercises, but I found most foods were not in the database, requiring me to manually input most foods. Add to that the fact that - at the time I used it - there was no way to input recipes. I had to use SparkRecipes to input recipes and calculate the calories, which is actually a pretty nice site. Fitday eventually released an iOS app, but the interface was kludgy, and it ran slowly.
2) I would definitely recommend Lose It! The iOS app includes a bar code scanner, and I've found only one bar code it didn't recognize (Starbucks Via Veranda came up as a 456 calorie sub sandwich). There are a lot of restaurant and brand name foods in the database, as well as all the usual simple grocery items. And you can input recipes directly into the app, either manually or by scanning bar codes for those ingredients that have them. It doesn't take nearly the time that Fitday does.
I've always been a gadget freak, and I've discovered that a cool app or gadget actually motivates me to do things I wouldn't normally do. I'm notoriously disorganized, but my iPhone motivates me to keep up with notes, appointments, prayer requests from friends, and all kinds of things I might not manage otherwise. Lose It! motivates me to keep up with my caloric intake because it's a neat app, and it's easy to use.
Personally I'd love to see the impact a Nike+ Fuelband, Jawbone Up, or even a Fitbit One would have on my weightloss endeavors, but that will have to wait until some generous soul buys me one or until Nike, Jawbone, or Fitbit decide they want some free advertising from me! :)
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Back in the saddle
So, it's been a long time. In the first six months of last year, I lost 52 pounds. I managed to keep it off for a while. Then in October, Kacy, Emma, and I went to visit Kacy's family in South Carolina. There's lots of good food out there, let me tell you. I had gotten really tired of feeling hungry all the time, so when I was confronted with that, I gave in and never really recovered.
Over the last year, I have gained back just about all the weight I lost. Today I weighed in at 244. (Last January, I weighed 260. I got down to 208.) After feeling like a failure for the last year (and experiencing the same over-abundance of food when we went to visit Kacy's family last week), I finally decided it's time to try it again. Please keep me in your prayers. I know that I don't have the strength to do this on my own.
Over the last year, I have gained back just about all the weight I lost. Today I weighed in at 244. (Last January, I weighed 260. I got down to 208.) After feeling like a failure for the last year (and experiencing the same over-abundance of food when we went to visit Kacy's family last week), I finally decided it's time to try it again. Please keep me in your prayers. I know that I don't have the strength to do this on my own.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Struggling
It's been a while since I posted here. Be assured that it's not because I've given up on weight loss. It's because I haven't lost any weight since the last time I posted.
The good news is that I've kept working out and eating well enough that I have maintained my weight. I'm just having a really hard time sticking with the "diet." In order to lose the weight I need to lose, I've got to cut back again.
I need your prayers. I've lost a lot of weight, but I've still got nearly 30 pounds to go. Please pray that God will overcome my hunger.
The good news is that I've kept working out and eating well enough that I have maintained my weight. I'm just having a really hard time sticking with the "diet." In order to lose the weight I need to lose, I've got to cut back again.
I need your prayers. I've lost a lot of weight, but I've still got nearly 30 pounds to go. Please pray that God will overcome my hunger.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Another Milestone: 208
So, the last couple months have been hard. I should have broken 50 pounds back in May, but with moving and shuttle missions, my routine just seemed to go out the window.
I got into the groove through the beginning of May, and it was great – pretty much steadily losing 2 pounds a week. But – especially during the shuttle mission that took up the last two weeks of May – I found it impossible to go to the gym at my usual time, which translated to me not going to the gym with any regularity for two weeks. So, my weight hovered around 212 for most of the month. However, I’ve managed to get back on the horse, and – as of last Friday, 6/5 – I weigh 208 pounds. That’s a total of 52 pounds lost.
To add to the encouragement, I’ve found that most of my clothes are so big now I can’t wear them without looking completely ridiculous. Pretty much since starting college, I’ve been wearing XL shirts. For the last several years, I’ve been wearing 40-waist jeans (42 slacks). Around February or March, I bought a pair of 38 jeans, and earlier this month, I got into some 36s. I was INCREDIBLY excited! Not only that, but I actually put on a shirt size LARGE. In the picture above, I’m wearing a large shirt and 36-waist jeans.
I got pretty discouraged for a while, but God has blessed me with a renewed vigor and determination. Only 28 pounds left to go!
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