Weight Loss Wednesdays 2010 Kick-Off

Today we kick off the new year of Weight Loss Wednesdays. Now, if you haven’t joined our little cyber group of girlfriends, don’t fret! Newcomers are always welcome. You can get caught up by clicking on Weight Loss Wednesdays in the side bar. Just leave a comment on the last post listed there. You can read the others, if you’d like, but it isn’t imperative. Just hop over each Wednesday to join us and check in with how you are doing. You don’t have to tell us what you weigh. You can tell us how much or little the scale moved, if you want. The point is accountability and encouragement for each other. We’d love to have you!

It feels so good to be through the holidays and back into my regular routine. While I love taking time off from schooling, blogging, etc and doing up Christmas and New Years big, there is something to be said for normal, daily days. They feel familiar and comforting.

So, how did your eating go over the holidays? Which of the three plans did you choose? Were you glad you did or regretful?

I choose plan number two opt to sample the goodies in a sensible and occasional manner, savoring them slowly and hope to just maintain my current weight and not gain or lose.”

What it looked like was this:

  • Actually planning out at which functions I would sample a treat and at which ones I’d only sip herb tea or decaf coffee.
  • Purposefully eating a small salad for lunch on the days I wanted to indulge in a holiday goodie or two in the evening.
  • Intentionally waiting until there was only one piece of peanut butter fudge or serving of eggnog left before sampling. That way, if I wanted to binge on more, there wasn’t any!

I also tried to keep up with moving more by walking, doing light weight training and visiting the gym, although I couldn’t always make it there. My goal was just to maintain my current weight or maybe see the scale only go up a pound or so in this two week span since we last met here. That would have been grand!

However, it seems my eating habits and appetite have really changed since we began in October. I just don’t pack away the food like I used to. And I felt full just sampling those Christmas treats. One piece of fudge was plenty instead of 5 or 6.

In fact, I am amazed at just how little food a gal really needs to live.

So, my plan to “sample sensibly” and try to keep moving paid off. I really expected to stay the same weight. However, when I hopped on the scale today, I discovered I actually lost 5.5 pounds.

Ladies, that is a major miracle! 5.5 pounds lost over the two-week holiday span….without writing down my calories; by just being sensible. God is good…..

And I did not starve myself. Over the last two weeks I had fudge and turkey with potatoes and dark chocolate from my stocking and spinach dip and cheese and crackers and four pieces of black forest cake! And I ate out twice too!

The key was, the rest of the time, I ate veggies and lean meats; fruits and whole grains.

It was a fun two weeks “off” my normal routine and the results made me happy. If I had been super strict, eating celery sticks while the rest of the world celebrated, I would have lost more weight. My guess is though, I would have only lasted so long, felt deprived and left out, threw in the towel and gorged.

Then this morning the scale would have showed at least 5.5 pounds in the other direction!

Now it is back to recording my calories and hitting the gym 3 or more days a week.

Normal.

Routine.

Wonderful.

Now, let’s hear how your time away from our little support group has gone. Please still comment even if you gained some or perhaps totally blew it over the holidays. It is a New Year and time to start fresh, right?!?!

And, no matter if you are a regular, a returner or a newbee, please tell us your goal. How much would you like to lose? Or how many sizes would you like to go down? Also, if you have been here since last year, how much weight have you dropped? I’d love to figure out our total and post it next week!

Also, stay tuned to WLW over the next weeks and months. We’ll be having some special guest posts, sharing recipes and winning giveaways!

But most of all, we’ll be encouraging each other on our journey to a healthy lifestyle and weight…..

Now leave your comments. I’ll go first.

My goal is to be a size 10. I started a size 22-24; got down to that size 10; then when I regained weight, I went back up to a 16-18. Right now I am a 14, but some of my 12s are starting to fit. And, since we began in mid-October, I am down 29.4 pounds!

I could NOT have come this far without you all! Thank you!!!!

Your turn- how were your holidays? Or what is your goal? Or how much have you lost by being part of WLW?

Or all of the above! :-)

New Year’s WLW Blessings,

71 Comments

  1. WooHoo! Glad to hear that you’re continuing to do well, Karen!

    I’m weighing in -1 pounds—but am coming off a little flu bug so got a little help there. Since early November I’ve lost 7. Am shooting for another 7 by Valentine’s Day, and another 7 (good Scriptural number, no?) by Easter.

    It is easy to see weight loss only as the world does (worldly good looks, as Debbie mentions), but I am also trying to keep this a spiritual journey, taking better care of the healthy body He’s given me. I plan to review Karen’s WLW posts again.

    Kimberlee, I have a friend who has lead 1st Place small groups at her church and has always said it is an excellent program, very much tying the physical and spiritual discipline together.

    Have a great week, each of you, with Jesus by your side.

  2. Hello Ladies!
    I have been reading this site for a while now, but haven’t posted. I hate to say that over the holiday’s I did not restrain myself from any food really at all and I completely abandoned my mostly inconsistent workout plan. I am trying to find a workout program I can enjoy and feel good about. I am not sure that exists. As for food, I just need to get better at cooking consistently rather then letting myself become tempted with eating out. A love affair I fall into, no mess no hassle. Not an excuse especially since I like to cook. Really my goal is to eat healthier and lose maybe 5 to 10 pounds. I am in a “healthy” weight range, however I get winded walking up the stairs which tells me I need to take care of my body. I had pneumonia in October and my body has really suffered. I am hoping with the accountability I will do better then previous attempts. Thanks all for the encouragement :) I will be praying.

  3. Congrats Karen. I wish I had positive progress to report. I totally let myself go over the holidays. I need to lose 15 – 20 pounds. I’ve got the exercise thing down, but my eating habits are horrible. I’m so frustrated. I feel lowsy and know it’s a result of my eating, yet continue to make terribly unhealthy choices. I am very happy to have found this site. Please, let’s all keep praying for each other!!

  4. Karen, congrats!! That is amazing! I have no doubt you’ll lose what you’ve set out to.

    As for all the rest of you, my sisters, so will you! God be our strength, and to Him be the glory for all that we accomplish.

    I’ve struggled my whole life with my weight, but these last few years have been some of the hardest for me. I have hypothyroidism, which is not an excuse for allowing myself to get so big, but it doesn’t help with trying to lose the weight now.

    I have lost and maintained almost 40lbs, but I want to go at least another 40, if not more. I was at a point where I was seeing some good results, but allowed myself to gain weight again and now I’m struggling to get back off what I had regained.(10lbs)

    As of January 1, I started following Fit for My King by Sheri Rose Shepherd I’ll be honest and say I’m not following it totally to her specifics, but I’m doing pretty close to it. Amazingly!

    I also bit the bullet and signed up at the gym. I need the accountability. I’ve tried home videos and the Wii, but I’m not consistant enough. *sigh*

    Awhile back, I started a group called Temples of Hope at our Meeting House(church)… and another most of the people have slacked off, my mother, and my aunt are meeting at my house with me on Tuesday mornings. We are doing a First Place Bible Study… but not the program. We pray and try to keep each other accountable. Something I really need.(Obviously) If you’d like to find out what Temples of Hope means, you can check my blog here Sojourner.

    Praying your week is filled with blessings!

  5. I thank God for all His help. On Dec. 21st, 2009, my doctor sent me for blood work, especially for diabetes testing.
    That day after asking God for help, I came across this blog through Making a House a Home. Ever since then I have been encouraged and blessed through Karen’s blog, too!

    My short term goal is to lose 23 lbs. Eventually, I’d like to reach my healthy weight.
    Thank God I’ve lost 5 lbs. since Dec. 21, 2009!

  6. Just joining you for a little group support. I did have a little aha moment last night though. I have been having trouble with my foot so excercise has not been an option for me (or so I thought). Last night I was watching the new “Biggest Loser” and they were using the stationary bicycle–it hadn’t even occured to me that I could do that–why didn’t I think of that sooner?

  7. Hello Ladies!! Happy New Year! I love the whole “new year” concept. I know it’s silly, but it just feels like such a great opportunity to start over. I’ve lost the same 5#’s over the last several months. I could maybe total that to 20 or 30 pounds but the scale never moved down. lol :) I kind of went with the eat everything you can lay your hands on plan over the holiday’s, but I kept exercising and am only up 3. I am very motivated now and a friend and I have purchased a book called Spiritual Secrets to Weight Loss and are using each other as accountability partners, as well as all of you. I have a good 75# to loose, but mostly will just go until I can face myself in the mirror without cringing! I want to be healthy, and not hurt because my bones don’t like the excess weight! I did find out on the 23rd that I have hypothyroid issues and am on medication. I’m feeling much better, but will be happier when my hair stops falling out! I’m really hoping that getting that straightened out will help me because my body seems to be quite fond of the excess weight and I have a REALLY hard time loosing weight. I’m thinking I’d have to do celery every meal and exercise an hour every day to get 5.5 # off in 2 weeks! But, I’m ready and I so appreicate having all you girls to turn to! Have a great week and GOOD LUCK TO US ALL!

  8. WOW, Congratulations Karen and those of you who lost or maintained. I lost control with eating and being lazy and therefore went up 3 pounds. I had only lost 2 since starting in November.

    I have a good 100 pounds to loose, but right now I would be happy with getting to 199. I would love to wear a size 16. The big goal for me is to eat healthy and be active to set a good example for my daughter who is 9. She is now this past year become overweight like me. I struggle with not telling her that she needs to loose pounds, but not sure how to tell her what she needs to hear. I think one of the best things is to be a positive role model to her as ultimately it is because I don’t eat right that I can’t make her eat right either.

    I have heard that 2010 is supposed to be a good year for changes, so hopefully this will be it for me.

    THanks for all the encouragement.

  9. I am back on track this week. Congrats on your weight loss, Karen! I am so thankful that you are doing weight loss Wednesday on your blog. I want to lose over 50 lbs this year.

  10. Hello Everyone-

    The holidays were hard and up and down for me weight wise. I have been batttling very hard kidney stones since October. This past Monday was my 3rd procedure (shock wave blasting). It has been hard to watch what I eat since much of the time I have been in pain and not really able to cook as I would like. And not able to excercise at all.

    At any rate I have hopes that the procedure was a success and will start my excercise program next Monday (a week after surgery). Healthy eating starts today, since I am feeling better.

    I would like to lose 25 pounds by my birthday in October. I know I can do it.

    Wendy

  11. Congratulations, Karen! I’m so proud of you!

    I haven’t been doing nearly as well, although the last four days or so I have been very disciplined with my eating and my exercise, so perhaps I’ll start seeing results again soon. My personal goal is to be down ten pounds by my birthday at the end of February–I think I can do it!

  12. Thanks for sharing your story, Karen. I appreciate the encouragement from your success and struggle.

    I did pretty good this Christmas. Tera, your birthday is the day after Christmas, mine is the day before. :) Because of a new scale that weighed me different, I don’t know where I am for the total, but I am down a pound and a half from last week. I’m encouraged by that, and I’ll be back to trying harder this week. When I got on the scale last week, I realized I was at the same weight I was at when I was nine months pregnant with my first child. *sigh* I want to get off 30 pounds this year. I think that is a reasonable goal, and I’m sticking to it!

  13. I am a returnee…started with you but then didn’t continue…thanks for the encouragement to come back and try again!

    My goal is to be healthy and to be obedient to the Lord…and to lose 50 pounds!

  14. Hi everyone,

    We were gone for 8 days over Christmas break and boy did i discover that it’s hard to eat healthy when not in your own kitchen! I did ok at meal time but there were way too many things to sample inbetween! It was also hard to exercise since there had been freezing rain so everything was very icy. I did take a Leslie Sansone dvd with me but wasn’t able to do it until we got to my parents house. Then my mom and I worked out 3 times. It was fun to have my 70 yr old mom get excited about a home workout. We actually bought the same dvd for her to use! Since we’ve been back home, I have gotten a few more workouts in but need to get back into the routine of writing down what I eat. So far I have lost 22#. My goal is to lose a total of 40-50# and I would love to fit in a size 10 again.
    Rebecca Ann

  15. I’ve been visiting your blog for a while, skipping over the Wednesday posts…but now’s the time. My ultimate goal is to have a healthy BMI. Now I’m in the “morbidly obese” catergory and that just isn’t acceptable any longer. I’ve tried dieting in the past, with good results, but I have failed to make true lifestyle changes. I think this year will be different. I’m super excited that I baked a cake tonight for my family and I didn’t even feel tempted to take a nibble (or lick the icing knife). That isn’t normal for me. Nope. Not at all. I’m a bread and sugar junky.

    My short-term goal is to lose 25lbs by the end of March. Good luck to everyone.

  16. Hi ladies–
    I am just hopping on now and reading all of the comments. It has been a very full day for me with a few major stressers. Seeing all of your comments, your committments and your goals just makes me so proud of ALL of you . And it helps me to stay motivated while taking the rest of this weight off. And keeps me from reaching for the sugary or salty snacks due to said stressers!
    Keep up the good work! I will try to hop on over the weekend and address some of the questions mentioned in the comments. In the mean time, feel free to hop on and chat with each other.
    Cyber {{(HUGS)}} to you all!
    Karen

  17. I’m a newbie… I just found your site through T. Suzanne Eller’s link… I went to the doctor today- I lost 6 lbs over the holidays, not following any particular plan- but trying to be intentional about what I eat and when… and trying to eat more natural foods.
    I need to lose over 100 pounds. My short-term goal is 32 pounds. I hope to lose that in 6 months or less… God help me!

  18. Ok. Hitting the re-start button. I went with option #2 as well…but, I wasn’t successful. I did not keep watch over my eating and I did not exercise. I gained 2 lbs back :(. Why is it so much easier to gain weight than it is to lose it? But, I am getting back on track. I plan to lose 25-30lbs. I am currently a size 14. According to my height and stature I should be a size 6-8. So, I am shooting for that. Please pray for me to be committed and to “do the work”.

  19. hi there! i am new to weight loss wednesdays. i enjoy reading everyone’s posts and i hope you all can help hold me accountable :-) i am looking to lose about 75 pounds, so i have a long way to go. i appreciate all of your stories and advice! many blessings to each of you in 2010!

  20. Amy V., you are so right! This needs to be a lifestyle change, NOT a diet. As for me, the minute I think ‘diet’ I am immediately hungry! I try to watch what I eat, pay attention to portion control and exercise 4 or more days per week.
    I was doing that faithfully for 6 months and lost a total of 8 little pounds. groan. Doctor said it was all stress related.
    Fat goes into survival mode. (we are in foreclosure) I am trying not to be discouraged and stay focused on getting in that exercise no matter what.
    At least if the pounds don’t budge for now, at least I will feel stronger. And the exercise really helps my head stay clear.
    For now, these two things need to be priority. I can worry about the numbers on the scale at a little later date. I need the accountability to just keep moving.

  21. All the leftovers are gone – hallelujah!! I would like to drop 15-20 lbs, which I have been unsuccessfully trying to do for several years now. I’m hoping this will be the year, but know I need to be more serious about it. I just love food and though I don’t eat terribly, I’m sure I could eat smarter.

    Great job Karen!!! You and this whole group are a great encouragement.

  22. We are on a new morning schedule and I completely forgot to weigh this morning. When I weighed yesterday, I had stayed about the same. I went with option #2. I weighed periodically over the last couple of weeks so I knew I was staying within a pound or so of where I was.

    My long-term goal is to lose 75 pounds and be a size 10-12. As others have said, feeling healthy is more important to me than size. I like what I read on Shari Braendel’s blog. She said she advises people to cut the tags out of their clothes so they forget what size they are. Just focus on what looks and feels great. (In addition to trying to lose weight, I’m trying to FIND my long-lost style). I lost twenty pounds last year. I would really like to lose at least 50 of the 75 this year. I plan to continue with my healthy eating plan and try to add in additional exercise. I plan to continue working out first thing in the morning and then work out again with my 10 year old dd(walk outside, wii workout, Fit Kids dvd, etc.) in the afternoons.

  23. I’ve been reading these comments and trying to get encouraged. Right now I’m a little depressed about trying to lose weight and the craving I’m having right now for fried shrimp is not helping. Over Christmas I enjoyed myself and indulged. I was able to turn down cookies my sister tried to offer me but that was because I was full from eating everything I offered to myself. My weight stayed the same.I started trying to exercise. I’m trying to eat healthier, no starches, and drink more water. I want to say that I appreciate these comments. Up until last November I worked for a small business where we sold herbal weight loss products. I also used the products and went from a size 16 to a size 8 in four months. This happened eight years ago and I’ve gained a little back. I was worried that by not working for this company I’d gain my weight bak but then I found this blog and I now have new encouragement.
    Thank you Karen!!

  24. Way to go Karen on your weight loss over the holidays and your total since you started! I know that must be so exciting for you!

    Since I started paying attention and being intentional about losing weight I have lost 9 lbs. I was up and down over Christmas but for the most part maintained, stayed exercising and enjoyed some holiday goodies. One interesting thing is that I moved down a size which was a huge boost.

    My goal in 2010 is to lose 52 pounds. Because of some past issues I have to set reasonable goals and 1 lb lost a week seems reasonable. If more happens to come off then bonus for me! I also plan to exercise 4-5x a week.

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