The End Has Come

Today marks a turning point in my life. A new year is dawning & my 12 year career has ended. Tomorrow I start a new chapter in my life, during which I plan to get my life & my house organized.

Time to get organized, get in shape & get a job. Tomorrow is my new beginning!
Katy Olson

Random Job Thoughts

So, the end of this month/year I'm losing my job.  I've known about it for months.  First I was being let go in August, then I got an extension til the end of December.  Now, it's all coming to a close.  Nearly 12 years with this company and I'm being cut.  Not because I did anything wrong but because some knuckleheaded consulting firm thought it would be a good idea to take a group of tenured reps in fraud, chargebacks and data entry and replace them with a bunch of people that have never done that kind of work before. As you can tell, I'm still a little bitter.  They wanted me to move to Cincinnati and stay in my old job but that just wasn't in the cards for me.  Amazing how they can have so many other people working from other states out of their living rooms with no supervision but they couldn't let me, and my 12 years of experience, work from the Evansville office.

I've been bitter about it for a while and though I try not to show it too much, I know people can tell.  I've come to the realization that while it's going to be scary to look for a new job and possibly be unemployed for a while this might be the time for me to get out and try something new.  Challenge myself to do something different with my life.  Unfortunately, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.  :)

Any ideas?

Day 1...Good!

Today I lightened up the amount of food that I ate today and it was good.  I didn't feel starved and I didn't feel stuffed.  Amazing how little you actually have to eat to stay alive!  :-)

Tomorrow, I have boneless ribs in the crockpot so I've got a light day planned to make up for it!  Can't wait!

New Day - Monday 12/06/10

Tomorrow I get back to tracking what I eat, watching calories & getting more activity. I must do this or I'm going to end up not being able to walk because of the pain in my legs.

Katy

Taking A Walk

It's windy & cold & may rain soon but I'm going out to walk before I lose the motivation. Now, where's my sweater?

Katy Olson

10/10/10

Did well today...hoping to stay on track the rest of the week.

Must remember to pack my sneakers this week so I can walk at lunch. Casual tomorrow so I'll be wearing them with no excuses. :)
Katy Olson

WI 10/09/10

Today, I'm at my official highest weight EVER...277.0 lbs.  My arthritis is really bad and I'm getting winded after short bouts of activity.  I MUST get back on the WW program faithfully and lose this weight again.

It's so difficult to get started because I'm so tired all the time.  I know if I'd start working out my energy level would improve but I've got to get over that first week hurdle of starting to be active again.

Here goes nothing...let's hope it turns into something!

WI 080710

I lost 2.6 lbs this week.  Didn't actually work out other than the walking to and from places but I hope to step that up this week and start walking more consistently.

07/31/10 - WI

This morning I'm at 274.2...just 0.8 lbs less than when I originally started this journey a few years ago.  It is time to get back on track and lose all this weight again.  I cannot stand it any longer.  Going to have to start slow because the arthritis is really flaring up again but start somewhere I will. Even if it's just walking around the block a couple times to start.

Time to refocus 07/30/10

After reviewing family pictures after the funeral of my grandfather I realized that I really need to get back to business and lose this weight...again.  I've gained back all of the weight that I lost and after seeing pictures of myself now and at my lowest weight in December 2008 I'm disgusted that I let myself gain it all back.

Thinking...

I forgot to WI yesterday but I'm sure I gained, again.  I've been in that emotional & stress eating phase for a long time.  That's the main reason why I've gained back almost 80 of the 88 pounds I lost a couple years ago.  It's so frustrating and I really want to lose the weight again, mostly just so the arthritis will ease up, but also so it's easier to find clothes.  Just need to find my motivation again...not sure where it went.

05/15/10 Weigh In

Weighed in at 263 pounds Saturday morning.  That means I have gained 75+ pounds in about a year and a half.  That is unacceptable and cannot continue.

WI 5/1/10

Pretty disgusted that I gained 1.6 lbs this week. Spent 3 hours mowing grass, walked some & I thought I ate better but stilled gained. Time to get back to the video work outs and more walking. My reasons have changed...I don't really care what I look like anymore but my arthritis has gotten so bad I can barely walk at times. I've got to lighten the load I'm carrying to fix that.
Katy

WI 04/24/10

Got on the scale today and lost 2.4 lbs.  So happy with that, especially after eating at Los Bravos last night.  I was afraid that would hang on to me this morning.  No real workouts yet because my legs and knees are still really giving me trouble and even walking is painful for very long.  Just tried to watch what I was eating and keep my portions smaller.

Did good last night, after Los Bravos, there were caramel brownies and I didn't eat one.  Then Josh was still hungry so we stopped at McDonald's to get him some nuggets and I just got a drink.  I could have easily ordered a burger and fries and eaten that too.

Feeling like I accomplished something this week and hope I can keep it going.

4/20/10 Update

Doing pretty good this week...trying to stay focused...used too many points on a scone today but I'm not in the negative for the week so I think I can make it.

I've just got to try to get in a short walk during lunch and eat healthier each meal. 

Wake Up Call 4/15/10

Today, I had to go shopping and buy new clothes and new shoes because I can’t fit into most of my old ones.  Yes, I’ve had to go back to buying the same size I wore when I started Weight Watchers over 2 years ago.  I’ve gained back 70+ lbs of the 88 that I lost and I feel terrible.

 

I spent $300 getting bigger clothes and shoes that I can actually wear because my legs and feet are in such bad shape due to the extra weight and lack of exercise.  I must get my butt back in gear and lose this weight…AGAIN!  

 

I’ll start slowly with the walking and weights and hope I can get back to a healthy weight again within a year or so.  I lost the last 88 pounds in a year…I can do it again if I just focus!

 

Run over by the wagon...not just fallen off!

I've got to commit to my health again.  Not just to lose the weight but to get healthy and get rid of the pain in my joints.  The arthrititus is so much worse than it used to be and I know it's because of the bad food and no exercise.  My muscle tone has gone to nothing.  When I was at my lowest of 187 people kept telling me I didn't need to lose any more and I could have probably lived at that weight and been happy.

Instead, I stopped working out and started eating like a pig again.  I try to eat healthy now but it never lasts more than a day or 2 before I give up again.  The problem is the exercise.  I don't work out because I'm sick and don't feel well but I'm sick because I don't work out.  I'm going to have to suck it up and get some sort of work out in...even if it's just walking.

Right now my legs and feet are in such bad shape that I can barely walk in the morning.  THIS HAS TO STOP!

Weigh In 3/27/10

Back from vacation and some horrible altitude sickness.  Didn't eat much so I was sure I'd lose something but failed to take into account what I ate when we got home thursday/friday, once I felt better.  Currently at 251.8 lbs and working to get back on track ASAP.  I'm glad the weather is getting a little better so I can schedule some short walks during breaks and lunches at work.  I think that will ensure I get more exercise in and help me relax more during the work day.  I just have to make sure I take sneakers and leave them under my desk so I have no excuses.

Time to start the week fresh and hope I don't screw it up royally.

Weigh In 02/27/10

This week, I lost 0.4 lbs.  Didn't eat great several days and didn't work out because I'm still worn out and sore from the Mastoiditis.  The good news is, I think it's almost gone.  The bad news is, now I'm getting a sinus allergy headache.  Not sure which was worse.  At least the sinus headache is helped by excedrin, the other was not.  I can still feel the tenseness in my neck and upper back but it's probably because I've not been sleeping well and haven't worked out and stretched things out in a while. Definately need to get back to my work outs ASAP.  Maybe even this afternoon while Josh is at mamaws.

Bought The Firm Wave program a few weeks ago and haven't had time to try it because of the yuckiness in my head.  Need to clean out the living room and give it a try.

Just realized that I'm going to miss the Biggest Loser on Tuesday because of a church meeting/dinner.  Hope nobody spoils it for me.  Anyone know if there is somplace online I can watch it sooner than a week after it airs?  I do not have DVR so don't suggest it!  LOL

Weigh In 02/20/2010

Stepped on the scale yesterday and was ok with the results.  Didn't actually track it online and I didn't remember my previous weight so I thought I had lost about 1 pound.  Went online to log it today and I actually lost 3.2 lbs last week!  Freakin' awesome!  I like when things turn out  better than I originally thought they were!

Last week was my first week on the Nutrisystem food.  I'm still tracking the points through WW because you have to supplement some things and I want to make sure I don't supplement too much.  The food is actually really good, the portions are just really smaller than I'm used to and even smaller than I expected them to be.  I'm trying to make sure I add some sort of fruit or vegetable alot to stay full longer.

We'll see how this week goes because I'm still sick and on meds so I've not been able to exercise in the last few days.  I walked on the treadmill wednesday for about 15 minutes and that's really been it.  Got to get back to business as soon as this pain in my head clears up.

Apparently, I have Mastoiditis. It's been plaguing me for a little over 3 weeks and I'm on my 3rd round of antibiotics.  So far, no real change.  If it doesn't clear up soon, I may end up in the hospital with some even stronger stuff to clear this up.  Not looking forward to that at all.  Let's hope this last 5 days of clindamycin kick the infection to the curb.


Mastoiditis is a bacterial infection in the mastoid process, the prominent bone behind the ear.

This disorder usually occurs when untreated or inadequately treated acute otitis media spreads from the middle ear into the surrounding bone—the mastoid process.
Usually, symptoms appear days to weeks after acute otitis media develops, as the spreading infection destroys the inner part of the mastoid process. A collection of pus (abscess) may form in the bone. The skin covering the mastoid process may become red, swollen, and tender, and the external ear is pushed sideways and down. Other symptoms are fever, pain around and within the ear, and a creamy, profuse discharge from the ear. The pain tends to be persistent and throbbing. Hearing loss can become progressively worse.

Computed tomography (CT) shows that the air cells (spaces in bone that normally contain air) in the mastoid process are filled with fluid. As mastoiditis progresses, the spaces enlarge. Inadequately treated mastoiditis can result in deafness, blood poisoning (sepsis), infection of the tissues covering the brain (meningitis), brain abscess, or death.

Treatment is with antibiotics given by vein. A sample of ear discharge is examined to identify the organism causing the infection and to determine the antibiotics most likely to eliminate the bacteria. Antibiotics may be given by mouth once the person starts to recover and are continued for at least 2 weeks. If an abscess has formed in the bone, surgical drainage (mastoidectomy) is required.

Weigh In 2/13/10

Today I start over. My nutrisystem food should arrive Monday but I've got plenty of healthy stuff to last through the weekend. Need to ne careful because tonight is lasagna dinner @ church & tomorrow is Chinese New Year dinner. That will probably take all my points for the week.

Today my weight is...249.2 lbs. :(

I'm only 25 lbs from my original highest weight and I must get rid of this extra weight. My blood pressure was 143/96 Wednesday @ the doctor and I have to get it back under control.
Katy

Update 02/10/10

My eating the last couple weeks has been attrocious!  According to the doctors scale this morning, I'm at 253 lbs.  That is almost 10 pounds higher than what I weighed in at less than a week ago at home.

I've ordered The Firm Wave system and a months supply of Nutrisystem food because I cannot trust myself not to eat fast food if I don't have something pre-made to eat.  I know it's not ideal and now how I'll have to live once I get to goal but right now my main focus is to get to goal.  I'm almost at my heaviest weight again.  I cannot do this anymore.  My clothes don't fit and my arthritis is worse than ever.  Some days I can barely walk and I'm too young to go through life like this.

On March 10th, 2011 I will turn 35.  My goal is to be at 150 lbs (at least) by that birthday.  I've lost almost 90 pounds in a year before, I know I can do this.  I just have to focus and find a way to get some of this stress out of my life.  I was losing weight great before I switched jobs.  I don't want to quit but sometimes I feel like I would be better of (at least my health would be) if I had a less stressful job.

Weigh In 02/06/10

I've been sick for over a week with some sort of inflammation in my neck, head and chest and a low grade fever.  It's making me very tired so my workout routine has been non-existent.  In addition, I'm so stressed when I get off work that I stop at the closest fast food place and get something that is not good for me.

Today, I made the decision to order Nutrisystem.  It's rather expensive but if I think about all the money I spend on fast food, I'm probably doing myself a favor.  It'll be better for me if I know there is something easy and fast to prepare at home or in the cabinet for any meal.  Right now, I just don't have the ability to focus on cooking healthy food for every meal of the day.  Since I switched jobs, the stress level has increased 200% and I'm really finding it hard to do anything outside of work.

My house is a mess, my health is deteriorating and my weight has gone almost back up to my highest ever of 275 in October 2008.  I DO NOT WANT TO BE THERE AGAIN! But I'm only about 27 pounds away right now and it would be so easy to gain that all back.

I'm hoping the auto delivery program will ensure that I always have something quick and low calorie to make for any meal and that I won't be tempted to buy a bunch of fast food anymore.  Gotta make it through this week and then I should have my shipment to start on.  Can't wait!

I also ordered the new Firm Wave program, The Firm step program is what I used almost exclusively when I lost 88 pounds the first time around and I'm hoping this will give me something new to get excited about.

Weigh In 1/30/10

I didn't work out the last half of the week and ate too many points on friday, the day before weigh in.  I gained 0.4 lbs.  Not a loss but not a huge gain so I'm moving forward this week.

Current Weight 242.8

Oops...Big Buford got me!

I went to the grocery store and came out hungry.  Not a good thing.  Ended up getting a Big Buford from Rally's which is NOT GOOD!  I don't even know the real calorie count in that sucker so I counted it as 15.  The burgers aren't too big but there are 2 slices of cheese & some mayo on it so I figure it's got to be at least that much.

With the crackers I ate this morning, I'm way over my daily points and still have to eat dinner.  Luckily, I've still got weekly and activity points I can swap if I have to.  I think tonight will be Tilapia, green beans and a little rice.  That should be minimal points but still good for me.

I'm going to try a ham & potato soup that Amy suggested on her blog.  Can't wait to try it.  It sounds delicious and very simple to make.  I like that alot.

I also plan to try a squash, orzo, mint dish that I saw on 5 Ingredient Fix on Food Network.  Looks good and only 5 ingredients.  That's my kind of cooking.  I really like that show but she uses things that normal people don't keep on hand all the time.  Lots of strange (and expensive) cheeses and such.  We'll see how it turns out.

Are you kidding me?

Our company sponsored a day at the movies this morning so we were up bright and early, ordering popcorn, soda and candy.  I did drink regular soda but after 2 bites of the popcorn, I tossed it out.  It just didn't taste good.  Josh shared his skittles with me and I ate about 6 thinking they were too high in sugar and most likely points.  I get home now to find out they are only 2 points a bag?  I think that might be my movie snack of choice from now on.  They are so sweet I usually can't eat a whole bag anyway and they are chewy so they last longer.  Gotta love those little surprises, eh?

Anyway, went to Chik Fil A for lunch, got a grilled chicken, planned to give the fries to Josh but ate them myself.  20 points for the day down, and 10 left for dinner!  I think that's very doable!  Heck, I could even go get the Grilled Chicken Buffalitos from BDUBS if I wanted to.  :-)

Had those last night so, no more for me today.  Well, I'm off to get some cleaning done before the mess overtakes the house!  Have a great week all!

Weigh In 01/23/10

I lost 1.4 lbs this week.  Very good since I actually went over my weekly points allowance by about 20.  I worked out several days but it's been so long since I've been "into" working out that I've only been able to do about 20 minutes at a time before my knees start to give out.  Hoping to build that endurance back up so I can do an hour or more like I used to.  Also hoping to get some leg strength built up and try to run a little again.  I used to be able to run a bit but not any more.

Current weight = 242.4 lbs
Goal weight = 140.0 lbs

I lost 88 pounds in a year the last time I did WW so I know I can do this.  My goal is to get to at least my driver's license weight of 175 by the end of 2010.  That's about 70 pounds in 11 months...I think I can do that if I buckle down and focus.

Weigh In 1/16/10

This week, I lost 0.6 lbs.  Not a good number but since I had pizza and ice cream cake last night for Josh's birthday, I'm not going to complain too much.  The important thing is that I was eating less (all but last night) and worked out 4 days last week.

Gonna have to ease into is slowly because every thing is so weak again.  It's amazing how quickly your muscles forget what to do when you slack off.

Slightly Ticked

Got on the scale yesterday and I've gained half a pound since Saturday. Really irritating since I've been working out and staying within my points.
Katy

Weigh In 01/09/10

I gained 2.4 lbs this week.  Not nearly as bad as I had feared but not a loss, so not good.  I've only managed to keep off 30 of the original 88 pounds that I lost 2 years ago.  Today I start fresh...I keep saying this, I just don't know why it's not sticking.  I've got to focus and get rid of the rest of this weight.  I feel so much worse at this weight.  I'm tired all the time, cranky,my clothes don't fit and I can't breathe as well as I did at my lowest weight.  Somehow, I've got to get there.

Now, I'm off to have some breakfast and get this house cleaned.  Hoping that burns some calories.  :)

I can't stay focused!

I don't know what is wrong with me but I cannot seem to stay on the wagon and I never got anywhere near a workout this week.  I'm sure I've probably gained at least 5 pounds this week, my clothes are all way too tight and I'm bloated & gassey!  I do not like it but I can't seem to get focused.

Tomorrow is weigh in day...it's not gonna be pretty but I'm gonna step on the scale anyway and start this thing over...AGAIN.  The plan for this weekend is to clean clean clean clean clean.  Hopefully I can get the christmas mess cleaned up so I have more room to get my workouts in and get the treadmill back out.  There is so much to clean that I can burn some calories in the process...I hope!

I've got plenty of healthy food I've just been lazy because the house is such a mess and I don't want to clean when I get home.  It's funny how my weight loss stopped and then reversed the minute I changed jobs because my stress level is so much higher than it was when I started WW 2 years ago.  Obviously, stress is a major factor for me and my weight loss so I need to find a way to get rid of some of that...other than quitting my job which would be great if I didn't need the money.

I'd like to get up and do some yoga each morning, it's on at 5am so I should just do it.  Maybe that will help.  I know working out will because it always made me feel better before.  It's just really hard to get back on the wagon when you've been off this long.

Here is an updated picture of me as of January 8th, 2010.  In this picture, I'm only about 30 pounds away from my highest weight in October 2008.  It's shameful that I would work that hard, lose nearly 90 pounds in a single year and then gain 60 of it back in the same amount of time.

As motivation to myself and proof that I can do this, here is my before and after shot from October 2008 when I was at my lowest weight.

WTH 01/07/2010

So, I haven't eaten all that well this week and done no real workouts...still I didn't expect to see that I had gained nearly 5 pounds since Saturday.  That just doesn't make sense because I'm pretty sure I've eaten less this week than I normally do.

I've got 2 days to turn this around before my WI day on Saturday.  Let's see what happens.

Stupid Stupid Stupid

I ate brownies last night and again today.  Went to McDonalds last night and would have been ok with the chicken sandwich but I ate the stupid fries.

Today has been a crazy day.  It was the funeral for my cousin that committed suicide last week, my uncle passed away from pancreatic cancer, it's the 1 year anniversary of my great grandmother's funeral, and my grandpa might be going into the hospital.

I ate a cupcake today too.  I'm only on day 4 and I've eaten more points than I'm actually allowed in a whole week.  I haven't worked out either cause there is so much crap in my house that I don't have the room to do anything and I cancelled my gym membership cause it was too expensive.  I have a treadmill but can't get to it right now because of all the Christmas stuff.

Maybe one day I'll get back on track.  I really just need to get the food under control and I don't know why I can't seem to do it this time.  It's very frustrating!

Day 2 begins

I used all my daily and flex points yesterday, just snacking throughout the day because we woke up at weird hours and didn't really stay on schedule.  Today, I hope to be better.  Going back to work tomorrow so I'll need to make sure I take a reasonable lunch and snack(s) so I don't end up hitting a drive thru for lunch.

Weigh In 1 - First Day Back on WW

This morning I weighed in at 242.0 lbs.  Not as bad as I had feared but that means I gained nearly 9 pounds in just over 2 weeks.  Today I start back on the WW plan in an effort to lose the last 100 pounds. 

In October 2007 I started WW and lost 88 pounds in 1 year.  Then I changed jobs, took on more stress, lost alot of free time to workout and gained back 55 of that the next year.  I know that I can do this because I've already lost nearly 100 in the past, all I have to do is focus and stay on track.

Time to regain my health and slim down again...hopefully for the last time.

Tomorrow It Starts...Again!

Tomorrow I will start back on Weight Watchers in an effort to lose the rest of this weight. Depending on what the scale says tomorrow, I have about 100 more lbs to lose. It took about a year to lose 90 lbs the last time and about a year to gain 1/2 that back. My goal by this time in 2011 is to be at 150 lbs...minimum!
Katy