Exercising! Walking! Weight Lifting!

I made a huge effort to exercise more than usual this week. I spent a great deal of time weight lifting at the gym, which I don't normally do, as well as walking with my step-kids and mother-in-law. Every morning I walked about 25 minutes with the children to school, and then fifteen minutes home again (it always takes longer with kids). I went walking with my mother-in-law along the Jordan River Parkway on Wednesday, and I walked 30 minutes with her on Friday (today). My legs and feet are a little sore, as well as my back and arms from weight lifting, but Brad has been very nice to me and has given me plenty of massages, much to my delight.

Despite my extra effort to exercise more this week, I unfortunately did not lose any weight. My plateau continues to linger on, much to my dismay, but I have every hope that I will get past it soon enough. I just need to be patient and try harder not to cheat with food. Brad has suggested that I keep a food diary, and that I weigh myself every day so that I can monitor myself daily instead of weekly. I will try it his way and report how that goes.

Please keep cheering me on! I need the extra encouragement to help me get through this difficult, unchanging time. I'm tired of waiting and working each week and seeing no positive results when I weigh myself. I feel distressed at times.

2nd Month Report: Weight Loss Plateau

My weight did not drop drastically during the month of April. In fact, it barely dropped at all. Right now my weight appears to be at a plateau stage, where I’m not gaining or losing any weight. I’m still eating healthier than a few months ago, and I exercise every day, but it appears that I am not doing enough to keep me on track.

But I have not given up! I still feel I can lose the weight. I just need to improve myself in some areas to get me back to where I want to be. Here are my ideas:

1) I need to exercise more during the day, even if it’s mild. Right now I spend too much time sitting around indoors. My plan is to walk with my stepchildren to school every morning: about a 40 minute walk. I still plan on going to the gym for 20 minutes every weekday morning, and go walking with my mother-in-law.

2) I will eat lighter dinners. Right now I often take large helpings at dinner time, because I’m usually hungry during the evening. Sometimes the food we have is not all together “light,” so I need to learn to take smaller helpings and avoid foods that have a large amount of calories.

3) I should eat healthy snacks during the day, like high fiber cereal or fruit, so that I will not be hungry at dinner time.

4) I plan on lifting weights at the gym more often, instead of spending the whole time walking on the treadmill. I think I need to focus more on strengthening my muscles so that I’ll burn calories more efficiently.

I will report my success next Friday. Stay tuned!