Neglect

Yeah, I know that the production of thus blog suffers a little when I do my December thingy on Joe Average Writer.  That's just tough.  Deal with it.  I do, but it would be remiss if I didn't mention that the last time I weighed this much (283.2 lbs.) was February of 2012.
Babysteps.

Simply...

I lost four pounds over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend!
I'm down to 284.4 pounds.
Think I can keep it up over Christmas?

Pie, Oh Pie!

No, I haven't weighed in after the great Thanksgiving feast yet.  But I must start by saying that I didn't overeat today.  Sure, my plate was still loaded with turkey (light and dark), potatoes (mashed and sweet), stuffing (plain and apple sausage), wheat (honey butter and raspberry butter), cranberry, a relish turkey (peppers, carrots, cucumbers, pickles, olives), and pond scum (I'll do a post on that later).

It did take a while until I was ready for pie, though.  Tonight it was Mom's traditional pumpkin, chocolate, and this year Liz tried (a very successful) raspberry chocolate cheesecake.  Whoa!  Amazing.  Again, I didn't overeat--believe it or not.

Last night we also engaged in mass pie consumption with Amy's side of the family at the traditional Puckett Pie Party, which is always held the night before Thanksgiving.  There I sampled pecan, pumpkin, apple, strawberry, raspberry, banana cream, and a pumpkin trifle.

Maybe I'll see how many different types of pie I can test before the end of the year.  Heh heh.

Wellness Challenge Update

So, it's been ten weeks since Amy and I started our wellness challenge.  That's quite a while for me to consistently be working toward something health-wise.  All you lifetime exercisers can leave now.  For me, this is quite the accomplishment.  We met our goals for being healthier, and I think it's paid dividends beyond the weight loss.  That said, I have lost and kept off ten pounds.  Weighing in this morning, I sat at 288.1 pounds, but have been as low as 286.  What makes me the happiest is that the weight seems to be staying off; it's not dropping and picking up.

Now the next chapter begins.  I feel better, with the exception that I ate too much sugar (as a small reward) last night, and now I feel sluggish.  If anyone says dares mutter "I told you so," they will be horsewhipped immediately.

We've redesigned our challenges for the next several weeks until we pass through the holiday season.  One of my goals is to maintain what I've done and not regress.  Also, this time we're including points for having a decent bedtime, which will be hard for me, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

P.S.  Even if I might not look any smaller, I hitch up my pants more than I used to, even with the belt cinched tighter.

...And I Thought I Blew It

After a weekend of heavy eating lots of pasta (and I mean LOTSA pasta) and sitting around (four sessions of Stake Conference), as well as committing a few late-night candy binges, I thought all my hard work had been shot.  However, after stepping on the scales (after a quick workout) this morning, I was still hanging in there at 286.4 pounds.  I can hardly believe it.  Not too bad.  I'm just trying not to imagine where I would be with a little more self control.

P.S.  I did resist the candy bowl at grandma's house last night, though.  Heh heh.

P.P.S.  Every day I am also throwing away some of the less desirable sweets from the kids' stash.  Not the good stuff, mind you.  Just the stuff that would still be there at Christmas.

Post-Halloween Assessment

Despite the inundation of sugar and the invasion of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, I am still maintaining.  This morning I was holding steady at 286.8.  Not bad.  Although I have to brag that I have only eaten three pieces of Halloween emptiness so far.  I think what did for me were the cookies and the most exquisite Kouign Amann from Les Madeleines (featured on The Food Network).  Wow!  I thought I was back in Europe.

So good. If you have never tried one, put it on your bucket list.

The junk on top of the fridge, though, isn't even tempting right now.  Hopefully, I can eliminate (dispose of not consume) most of it without the kids knowing much.  I'll have to be sneaky.

Small Breakthrough

So I've been hovering around 290 lbs. since the last time I posted.  I guess the weight doesn't really fit with the word "hovering," but it'll do for now.  Regardless, it was somewhat discouraging.  I've been working fairly hard: exercising, eating less, but it didn't really seem to make a difference, but this morning, after a somewhat crappy walk, the scale dipped down to 286.4!  It's going down, baby.  Even if it's incremental, it is going down like a bucket of chicken wings--one bite at a time.