beth klocinski

I would choose the large size.

Read more »

It Is All About Balance

Wow it seems like only a couple of weeks ago since I last posted on here but it is more like a month. My how time flies by! Well, Dave made his 100 lb weight loss mark and I attained Lifetime status at Weight Watchers. Dave is working on losing his last +-20 pounds and I am working on finding a balance in diet and exercise to maintain this weight loss for the rest of my life. I had really been struggling since I hit the 100 pound mark at the beginning of July to find balance. As I mentioned in other posts I had been letting some old habits start to creep back into my life, the worst of which was some small scale binges and it started me on a cycle of Eat, Repent (Starve), Eat (quoted from Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat) and I really hated it. Of course I love to eat but I really hate the starving to get that extra weight off the scale the rest of the week. I feel like I am starting to settle into a pattern that is more comfortable for me to live with. I designate one day, usually Saturday, as my eat anything I want with no tracking. I still struggle on Sundays to not feel guilty about any indulgences on Saturday but I think that will come in time. The rest of the time I have been sticking pretty much to 29 WW points per day and I monitor calories on CalorieCount.com with a goal of 1,300 calories per day. I think I can probably increase these a little bit but I really do want to lose another 10 pounds and be in the middle of my healthy BMI range. It helps to know that on Saturday I can have whatever I am craving during the week if I want.

The balance really is coming and I like how it feels.Eating without guilt! Tonight we are going to a Lake Erie Monster’s hockey game. It is quite a new feeling to be looking forward to a beer, hot dog, and a soft pretzel. I put in a good workout in at lunchtime today and love to be able to look forward to enjoying what I eat tonight without guilt.

Speaking of balancing acts, it is not uncommon for me to go to bed feeling a little bit hungry, as I generally suspect it is not physical hunger. Usually with a little sleep the feeling goes away but one particular night I woke up several times in the night still feeling hungry. So, at 4 A.M I got up and ate half and English muffin with ¼ of an avocado and went back to bed. I felt satisfied, not full, and I worked it into my 29 points for the day and felt really good about it. It seems, for me this maintenance journey is really about finding a balance that I can be at peace with and eliminate guilt I feel related to food choices. I will never have a metabolism that lets me eat what I want whenever I want but balance and peace are what I need.

Read more »

Big Week For Me And Dave

Well, this is a big week for me and Dave! This is the last week of my 6 week maintenance period to get my Lifetime status with Weight Watchers and Dave is less than 1 pound away from the 100lbs lost mark. We weigh in on Saturday mornings so we are working hard to stay on plan this week with food and exercise. We have been on this journey together from the beginning so I really hope he hits the 100lbs lost the same week I get my Lifetime status. Although the weight I used to begin the maintenance phase is lower than I actually ever thought I would achieve when I started Weight Watchers. I still have not accepted it as my weight to maintain. I made the decision to start the maintenance phase when I hit a plateau this summer. We had a lot of social things going on and when I relaxed my eating plan a little bit I was maintaining but not losing. Mentally, I really do want a smaller middle section and have set my goal to lose 10 more pounds. I do wonder though, will I ever be satisfied? Will I always be striving for 10 more pounds lost or at what size will I feel like I am ready to accept my body as it is?

Read more »

Tough Exercise Week

Hallelujah, I made a mental and/or physical exercise breakthrough and got in a good workout today – 32 minutes on the elliptical followed by a 20 minute run on the treadmill. This week has been tough on me when it comes to workouts. I didn’t think I was going to make it today but I made myself push through the elliptical workout and surprisingly the run was a lot easier. Yesterday I made it a whole 30 seconds when I started my run and Maya was feeling pretty ripped off since she has gotten used to a 30-40 minute run with me. I have been feeling weak and suspect my blood sugar has been dropping. I need to get in to see the Dr. but hopefully I have broken through whatever my problem has been. I know for me, exercise is the key to keeping this weight off and trying to lose that last 10 pounds.

Read more »

It's A Mental Thing

So, I was home yesterday and I caught an episode of the Judge Mathis show on TV. On this particular show there was a young man that was a recovering heroin addict. He made a statement that really hit home with me. He said that he considers it a relapse when he makes the mental decision to go ahead and use heroin, not necessarily the moment he actually uses it. I have really been thinking about this because weight loss and maintenance really is about a metal battle. I have to fight the bad habits and sabotaging thoughts about food that led me to being overweight to begin with. Let’s face it, I didn’t get fat because I ate only when I was hungry and stopped when I was full. My Weight Watchers journey started almost 11 months ago and I still fight some of those thoughts. It is true, once I mentally make a decision to allow myself to give into one of those bad habits it is as good as done. One difference now is that I can reign myself in and not let one bad moment turn into a day or days of bad decisions. I have a good foundation to base my food choices on and I can fall right back into my routine. So, I try to start my week thinking about the things that I know are self sabotaging behaviors that I have not concurred and try to work on them. Things that I controlled during weight loss but now I find sneaking back in during maintenance. They are always the same and I am hoping one day to cross them off the list as no longer a threat: 1. No sneaking food – if I am going to eat it then I need to own it and eat it openly. Let’s face it, anything in life that we feel we need to “Sneak” to do is probably not the right thing to do. 2. Exercise – 5 days a week. Even if it is only half of the normal time. Keep the routine! 3. Stay away from the cafeteria at work. It only leads to bingeing.

Read more »

Officially Week 3 : Reflecting on The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Saturday is weigh -in day. I was down 0.8 of a pound from last week and today officially starts week three of my six week Weight Watchers maintenance period in order to be a Lifetime Member. Lately, I have been reflecting on the good, the bad, and the ugly. What has really changed for me that will make this 100 pound weight loss stick and what food related “issues” do I still need to concur that will interfere with me succeeding? The good -I no longer crave fast food when I am driving down the road, a candy bar doesn’t call my name in line at the grocery store or the gas station , my diet soda addition is now in check and I can choose to only have one a day and not follow it with six more, I am starting to fall into a pattern of eating a small dinner and more during the day, and last weekend when we were at family member’s house and out at a restaurant, I made choices several times not to eat something that I really did not want. The bad – I again found the cafeteria at work after I had stayed out of it for so long, my exercise habits have lessened and I only worked out twice last week, and I have slacked off on tracking my food. The Ugly – well I still overeat or binge way more than I would like to and it seems like it leaves me chasing those extra pounds all week. I know we all overeat at times but there was no reason that the other day I should have eaten two cupcakes and two pieces of cake in one afternoon at work. My goal this week is to work on the bad – stay out of the cafeteria and make sure I pack enough food to keep me satisfied at work , get in 5 days of cardio exercise this week, and faithfully track my food. I ran today so one day down, and four more to go.

Read more »