Post-Lent and Week 10 Wrap-Up

 

Happy Easter from Katie, Annie, Angela and the Easter Bunnies

  Well dear friends, Lent is over, Easter is passed and we are at the end of week 10. So much has happened this week! There have definitely been some highs and lows, not only in our weight fluctuations but also in other trials and challenges. 
  Our 10,000 steps a day Lenten challenge is over. Jeff never missed a single day. He walked in place while he voiced colorful opinions about his computer's performance (or lack of), he subjected himself to long walks with me that at times were like attempting to walk a surly, distracted chihuahua without a leash or treats to keep it under control and he walked 6 miles in a downpour of liquid sunshine to help our friend Tom renovate his new restaurant. Jeff finished #2 on the Jawbone UP team behind only Amy, whom I assume hasn't sat down for the entire 40 days of Lent! She is amazing and inspirational. I'm gonna beat her steps next month-wait and see!

Hey honey, you ready for our walk?

  I missed the mark about 3 times during Lent due to an overcrowded schedule and a family emergency or two. But I finished #3 this week, just beating out Jeff's boss (the incredibly motivating presence that is Nick Sabelhaus) by a mere 1,496 steps this week. Truth be told, I think he let me pull ahead of him in an extreme act of leadership mixed with a little pity and the desire to motivate me 
to keep pushing. Thanks for the ego-boost, Nick! You rock, dude!
  Katie didn't partake in the challenge, but still managed to get in between 7,000 and 11,000 steps a day. She hasn't gone on any walks with me yet, but I get it. She's 15 and it's not super-cool to speed walk with your mommy down a public street. What if someone she knows sees us????? She's got a rep to protect.
  Onto our weigh-ins for week 10. We all had a pretty awesome week and then Easter happened. Listen, I love holidays. I love holiday food. I resisted the urge to tear the head off of a chocolate bunny. But I indulged yesterday (all three of us did) and I'm not going to beat myself up over it. This week was awesome! Sunday morning I weighed in at 133.4 pounds! That's right, I had dropped all the weight I have gained in the time Jeff and I have been dating. I felt AMAZING! I should've just used that number for my weekly weigh-in. That was a 2.4 pound loss for the week! But that would be cheating. Monday is the day, like it or not. So after Easter dinner (which included a couple glasses (ok, 3) of wine, pie AND cake (I couldn't decide) my weight this morning is a bloated 136.4 pounds. I gained a pound this week. My BMI is still in normal range at 24.9. I'm not gonna beat myself up too much. I'm just gonna do better this week.

My granddaughter, Annie, at the church egg hunt. 

  Jeff had a fantastic week! He had dropped to 276.2 pounds-a 4 pound loss! He started using that Thermofit I told you about and dropped those 4 pounds in 2 days. I think he said he dropped another pound the next day. And then we had that Easter dinner. We had ham and there were lots of veggies-green bean casserole, pea salad, Brussels sprouts. His aunt Karen always makes the most decadent mac-and-cheese. This year, in addition to that glorious gooey goodness, she offered to make a second side dish with this amazing cheese sauce over cauliflower for us. It was luscious and savory. We didn't miss the macaroni at all. It is so uplifting to have such supportive people helping us through our journey. Mad love to Aunt Karen! 
  But then he also had German chocolate cake and the strawberry-rhubarb pie I made (by his request). Jeff had asked me to try to make a low-carb crust with almond flour, which I attempted most unsuccessfully (I am not going to describe in detail the enormous temper tantrum I had in the kitchen over this epic failure. I come out looking really bad in that story and haven't I painted that picture already in this post? I would hate for you to think even less of me.) So I made the pie with a regular crust, but I did use sugar substitute. It was really good and I refuse to have regrets. 

Not very pretty, but oh-so-tasty!

  Jeff ended the week at 278.8 pounds, which is still a 1.4 pound loss. His BMI is 37.8 and he has a goal to hit 274.9 pounds by next week. He really wanted me to include the distress to his belly last night, but I think that may be too much detail. Let's just say that when you teach your body to eat healthy and then you go on a sugar-laden rampage, your digestive system is going to stage a protest. What is the worst torture your tummy can impose on you? No, not what you're thinking. It goes on lockdown and forces you to retain all the indiscretions for a sustained period of time. Not enough Tums in a Costco bottle for that discomfort!

Before the Carbohydrate terrorist attack set in.

  Katie lost .2 pounds this week. She doesn't weigh herself every day like the obsessed nut that is her mother, so I don't have info for you on what the ups and downs of the week have been. But I'm certain that Easter had an impact and we'll be getting back on track this week. She is on spring break this week, so her big challenge will be to find ways to get active. Maybe she'll finally take that walk with me!
  So with my stupid gain this week our total weight loss ends up being one lonely little pound. Just one. Bringing our team weight loss to 78 pounds, which is nothing to be ashamed of, right? We're still pretty awesome. And Jeff and I have agreed to continue the 10,000 steps a day. We're going to shake things up with some tennis and bike rides, but we are committed to staying active! April is gonna be great!

Because some days are just those kind of days!