Lynda's Weight Loss Timeline

California Weight Loss

2007-06-22T11:44:00.000-04:00

Beginning of California Trip

End of California Trip - 10 lbs lighter

Weight: 216.8 lbs
Weight Lost: + 1.4 lbs
(As recorded on May 31, 2007)

Weight: 210.6 lbs
Weight Lost: -6.2 lbs
(As recorded on June 9, 2007)

Weight: 207.6 lbs
Weight Lost: -3.0 lbs
(As recorded on June 16, 2007)

On my regular blog, I predicted a weight loss of 20 lbs by the end of my trip to California. While in California, I only acheived half of that.

May 24, 2007

2007-05-25T15:28:00.000-04:00

May 4, 2007

Weight: 215.4 lbs
Weight Lost: 12 lbs
(As recorded on 5/24/2007)

I gotta work out. I keep saying it all the time. I keep saying I gotta start working out. It's been about two months since I've worked out. And I just don't have the time. Which uh..is odd. Because I have the time to go out to dinner. And uh..and watch tv. And get a bone density test. And uh.. try to figure out what my phone number spells in words.
- Ellen DeGeneres

Here is my latest weight. The picture was taken a few weeks earlier, with the intention of updating.

Weight Loss for Month of March

2007-03-30T15:45:00.000-04:00

Here is my weight breakdown for the past month! I can't believe I have been so deliquent. Next week, I will try to post pictures again.

Weight: 216.8 lbs
Weight Gained: +0.8 lbs
(As recorded on March 29, 2007)

Skipped week of March 22, 2007

Weight: 216.0 lbs
Weight Lost: -1.2 lbs
(As recorded on March 15, 2007)

Weight: 217.2 lbs
Weight Lost: -1.4 lbs
(As recorded on March 08, 2007)
**Earned my 10 lb star!! Total lost 10.2 lbs.**

Weight: 218.6 lbs
Weight Lost: -0.4 lbs
(As recorded on March 1, 2007)

February 22, 2007

2007-02-22T22:06:00.000-05:00

Click to Enlarge

Weight: 219 lbs
Weight Lost: -8.4 lbs
(As recorded on 2/22/2007)

Today we talked about forgivness with weight loss. I thought it was a really good meeting. Dan and I had some slips during the week, but we already were putting into practice getting on track again when we slipped, but I think we need to work on being more positive and forgiving when we do make a mistake.

The most important thing is that this is a lifelong change, and we don't have to be perfect all the time.

*Is my butt looking smaller in this picture? I think it may look smaller!

February 15, 2007

2007-02-16T00:49:00.000-05:00

Weight: 220.6 lbs
Weight Lost: -6.8 lbs
(As recorded on February 15, 2007)

The big snowstorm didn't help the eating any. Today I signed up for the monthly pass with Weight Watchers. Dan will still be paying $7 a meeting, the family price.

The nice thing is that we will have access to e-Tools again.

February 8, 2007

2007-02-08T22:05:00.000-05:00

click to enlarge

Weight: 220.8 lbs
Weight Lost: -6.6 lbs
(As recorded on 2/8/2007)

Dan joined WW this week. This was my second week and I lost over 6 lbs, which earned me my first 5 lb star! Hooray!!

Feburary 1, 2007 - Today I Rejoined Weight Watchers

2007-02-02T11:57:00.000-05:00

click to enlarge

Weight: 227.4 lbs
Weight Lost: 0 lbs
(As recorded on 2/1/2007)

Yesterday I rejoined Weight Watchers after being absent for a while. I just started over again. The program is new. Weight Watchers use to be a franchise, and last year Weight Watchers International bought out the franchise operations. So, now all the materials are new. Things that you can buy at the meetings you probably can find online. And one of the new cookbooks is only $10. The cheapest they ever were before was $15, and that was when they were promoting it. Usually it would shoot up to $25 or something like that.

Next week Dan plans to join me, which I am really excited about. I think we will do better doing this together, and I think we will both be more focused if we pay each week.

My mom asked me why I joined. I told her I was ready to. Which is true. I also started to notice a few other problems I have been having:
big belly doesn't allow me to tie my shoes wellacid reflux problemsback hurtsknees hurtno energy not being able to do certain things I could do while I was on a weight loss planAfter the meeting last night, Dan and I went to Panera Bread to have our "last supper". We enjoy eating out, but I think we will skip that for a while. It is easier to control what you eat if you make it yourself. =)

I would be happy to just to look like this again!

Strength Training update

2006-11-28T16:46:00.000-05:00

So, since I posted the pictures below, I have been lifting weights every Monday and Friday. About that time, my cat Brutus has been sitting on my chair, and I think he threw out my back. You can read about that on my regular blog. Last night, I did some Pilates and that really made a big difference.

For my arm exercises, I have been lifting 6 lbs. I feel a little under challenged by this amount, but with the back pain, I don't want to over exert myself right away. I have notice there is a little more tone in my arms, which probably won't show yet in the next set of pictures. My plan is to do the next set of photos on December 16, but I make no promises. LOL. One of my biggest faults is that I am a slacker. That is probably why I stop and start with exercise so much.

This time, I am taking it slow and adding things in gradually. I remembered I have this great stretch video by Richard Simmons. I think it is called Sweatin' to the Classics. The best part of the video is that he doesn't talk at all through the whole thing. And he isn't hyper. I remember living in Simi Valley, when he had his show broadcasted and he wasn't so hyper then. Maybe he has added too much sugar to his diet.

November 13, 2006

2006-11-15T00:13:00.000-05:00

I took these pictures to track my progress with strength training. Hopefully I will see some more muscle and less flabby with the next set.

September 2006

2006-11-15T00:08:00.000-05:00

This is the first picture thought I looked fat and slouchy.

September 2006

2006-11-15T00:05:00.000-05:00

December 9, 2005

2005-12-14T16:11:00.000-05:00

Weight: 189.2 lbs
Weight Gained: 7.0 lbs
(As recorded on 12/10/2005)

Here is a picture of me and my little blog buddy. Facing the wrong direction is my dad, my Weight Watchers buddy and my big blog buddy. We decided during this visit to blog our successes and struggles to keep each other motivated and updated, and maybe inspire others as well.

On December 10, 2005, my dad took me back to Weight Watchers, so I can start up again after a 6 week or so hiatus due to my sister's death.

November 2005: Need to Find a Photo

2005-12-14T16:04:00.000-05:00

The title says it all. I think I can find one from the first week of November. Otherwise, no photos during this time. Also, no Weight Watchers Info.

October 27, 2005

2005-11-08T13:38:00.000-05:00

I am not as happy as I appear to be. Actually, when looking at the other pictures, I don't think I look happy at all. Anyway, stats will come later.

September 25, 2005

2005-11-08T13:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, dear Dan!! To bad I was in California, and thank goodness I was in California. Tune in next week, for the whole story. (OK, it might not be next week.)

August 4, 2005 and August 7, 2005

2005-11-08T13:05:00.000-05:00

Info to follow, same as before.

July 23, 2005

2005-11-08T12:57:00.000-05:00

You know the drill if you read the other entries.

June 16, 2005

2005-11-08T12:22:00.000-05:00

Info to follow.

May 15, 2005

2005-11-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

More info to follow.

Photo Gap: February through April 2005

2005-11-08T11:53:00.000-05:00

I got a couple of my dad with Nikki, and a couple with my sister in February, and there is some with the animals. Just none with me. I only got a picture of my feet in April. But that doesn't count.

January 30, 2005

2005-11-08T11:48:00.000-05:00

How I look when I wake up in the morning. Story to follow soon.

December 25, 2004

2005-11-08T11:44:00.000-05:00

More to come.

Nomvember 25, 2004

2005-11-08T11:29:00.000-05:00

Info to follow.

October 11, 2004

2005-11-08T11:23:00.000-05:00

Info to follow.

September 25, 2004

2005-11-08T11:18:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, dear Dan!
Info to follow.

August 31, 2004

2005-11-08T11:07:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to me!!
Info to follow.

July 2, 2004

2005-11-08T11:02:00.000-05:00

Info to follow.

Photo Gap: June 2004

2005-11-08T10:53:00.000-05:00

I didn't take any pictures of me in June 2004. However, here is a great picture of Nikki! I remember telling the girl at Target that I was going to do a dry run with the pool, to see how my dog likes it. She said, "Oh, that's going to be messy." Then I explained to her that I was going to have the pool be empty, just see how my dog likes it. She loved it. Then I took it outside and filled it with water. Nikki acted like I was punishing her.

May 9, 2004 (?)

2005-09-01T17:19:00.000-05:00

Weight: 165.8 lbs
Weight Lost: 39.8 lbs

(As recorded on 05/11/04)

This is a rare picture of me with all my four-legged children. I know that it was taken about the time that my parents came to visit at the beginning of May 2004. From looking at other photos, I estimate the date to be May 9. The date in the corner of the picture is incorrect because once again, my camera crashed.

During this time, I was still struggling to lose weight. I would gain and lose a few pounds every week, but always seemed to maintain about 165 lbs. I think a lot of stress from changing jobs, plus a lot of unhappiness from lack of responsblity in my new position made it difficult to really concentrate on losing the remaining few pounds I was carrying. In fact, I changed jobs again in June, which also did not help my weight loss efforts.

April 25, 2004

2005-09-01T16:51:00.000-05:00

Weight: 165.2 lbs
Weight Lost: 40.4 lbs
(As recorded on 04/27/04)

Nikki and I are getting ready to walk the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the First Annual Mutt Strut on April 25, 2004. (Dan was ready too, but someone had to take the picture!) The shirt I am wearing is a size small, and underneath that shirt is another shirt also in size small. I was really proud to ask for that small shirt.

Nikki is about a year old for this event. We aren't sure of her exact age, but we do know that she was born around the beginning of May. She had a great time. There was only one incident in turn 4, when Nikki's paw was accidentally stepped on by Dan. (When I was trying to take their picture, of course!) Lots of petting and treats, and she quickly forgave us.

I was also happy to earn a few activity points this day.

Photo Gap: February and March 2004

2005-09-01T16:43:00.000-05:00

There are no photos for February and March. I didn't take any of me at this time and I did not have any new 5 lb stars.

At the end of February/beginning of March, I also started a new job. While it was very difficult to lose, I did maintain my weight. I would often bring my lunch to work, and pack healthy choices. I also was very excited because the stairs were really convenient and I worked on the fourth floor, so with my new job, I got a lot of extra exercise. I only took the elevator when I was carrying too much to be safe on the steps, which was rarely. Amazingly enough, the head of the department even commented on how he always saw me taking the steps. I think it impressed him even though he also took the steps, because he only worked on the second floor.

January 21, 2004

2005-08-31T16:03:00.000-05:00

Weight: 166.4 lbs
Weight Lost: 39.2 lbs
(As recorded on 1/20/2004)

In January 2004, I started looking for a new job. I tried on my old size 18 suit, and lo and behold, the skirt was falling off. Not only that, but the jacket was so big, I was swimming in it. It wasn't exactly the first impression I wanted to make.

So, Dan and I hopped into the car and about 1/2 hour before JC Penny's closed, we picked out this size 12 suit and three nice dress shirts. (One of them is shown here.) I must make a pretty good impression in it, because I have been hired twice since I got the suit.

December 29, 2003

2005-08-31T15:37:00.000-05:00

Weight: 172.8 lbs
Weight Lost: 32.8 lbs
(As recorded 12/30/03)

Here I am with my cat Brutus. This was after my last Weight Watchers meeting for 2003. I had lost 35 lbs!! (And gained about 2 lbs back at Christmas.)

The picture to the left, Brutus is loving me up to get me to pick him up. As you can see on the right, he obviously got his way.

My husband always likes the right handed picture, because it looks like Brutus and I are saying the same thing. We probably are both saying, "Meow!"

November 24, 2003

2005-08-31T15:16:00.000-05:00

Weight: 173.6 lbs
Weight Lost: 32.0 lbs

(As recorded 11/25/03)

Here I am with my 30 lb and 35 lb stars! On November 4, 2003 I was at 33.4 lbs lost and on November 18, 2003, I was at 35.8 lbs lost. This picture was taken a week later, when I had a slight gain, right after Thanksgiving.

November 2, 2003

2005-08-31T13:08:00.000-05:00

Weight: 172.2 lbs
Weight Lost: 33.4 lbs
(As recorded 11/04/2003)

Here Nikki and I are enjoying a warm November day at the park. If Nikki seems a little small in this picture compared to me, it is because she is only 6 months old. She is so cute!

October 11, 2003 - Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk

2005-08-30T17:42:00.000-05:00

Weight: 176.8 lbs

Weight Lost: 28.8 lbs

(As recorded 10/14/05)

Here Dan and I participated in the Making Strides walk with Dan's company team. I have almost lost 30 lbs in this picture. Due to my being on Weight Watchers, Dan lost a considerable amount of weight as well.

September 30, 2003

2005-08-30T17:28:00.000-05:00

Weight: 178.8 lbs
Weight Lost: 26.8

Here I am with my 25 lb star, and my 25 lb magnet. The magnet itself does not weight 25lbs, of course. It says on it, "I did it! 25lbs" and serves as a reminder to the person that earns it of what they can achieve.

I know the t-shirts in the other pictures were an X-Large size, however, I believe this t-shirt is a Large, which is another achievement for me.

August 30, 2003

2005-08-30T17:10:00.000-05:00

For my 30th birthday, my husband took me to the Indianapolis Zoo and White River State Park. I had always wanted to go. Above, I am pictured with giraffes, because I love the giraffes. (The date is wrong due to a system crash on my digital camera.) My dad still talks about how I wanted to feed them at every feeding when we would visit Marine World Africa USA. Below is a picture of me in the Butterfly Habitat. They have this every year in the spring until mid to late September. We arrived at the end and a lot of the butterflies were gone, but there were still a lot to see at this time as well. I wore a white shirt to attract them, but they weren't interested in me. Dan and I had a lot of fun!

With the amount of weight I lost, I was feeling very energetic and positive for this birthday. One of my goals for myself was to be happier and healthier by the time I turned 30 and with Weight Watchers, I feel like I acheived this goal.

August 26, 2003 - 10% Goal Reached

2005-08-30T17:00:00.000-05:00

Weight: 184.0 lbs
Weight Lost: 21.6 lbs

In this picture, there is 10% less of me. I reached my goal of losing 20 lbs which was 10% of my start weight. I received a cool 10% keychain as well as my second gold star.

The 10% goal is really important in Weight Watchers. When you lose 10% of your weight, you lower your risk of diabetes, stroke, heart attacks and other health issues that can be more likely to affect you when you are obese.

July 29, 2003

2005-08-30T16:39:00.000-05:00

Weight: 189.2 lbs
Weight Lost: 16.2 lbs

Here I have earned my 15 lb star. After losing your first 10 lbs with Weight Watchers and recieving your 10 lb ribbon, you receive a gold star for each additional 5 lbs that you have lost.

As you can see, I am pretty happy to be so much thinner.

July 8, 2003

2005-08-30T16:29:00.000-05:00

Weight: 193.4 lbs
Weight Lost: 12.2 lbs

On July 8, 2003, I earned my 10 lb ribbon. I lost 12.2 lbs total! It took me six weeks to earn this achievement.

May 2003 - One Week Before I Joined Weight Watchers

2005-08-30T16:17:00.000-05:00

Starting Weight: 205.6 lbs

Here I am showing off my really cool Holland, Michigan T-shirt. The red strips are made of windmills and the stars are tulips on this shirt. I thought it was a great representation of the country I was born in (The Netherlands) and the country I call home (United States of America, of course).

I joined Weight Watchers on June 2, 2003. At that time, I weighed 205.6 lbs.

Photo taken 5/26/2003

May 2003

2005-08-30T16:10:00.000-05:00

This photo was taken in May of 2003, one month before I began Weight Watchers. We were in Holland, Michigan for the Tulip Festival.

At this point, I was considering once again trying to lose weight on my own.

Photo taken 5/3/2003

Introduction

2005-08-29T12:03:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking of creating a timeline of my weight loss, a visual for people, especially myself, to see my progress over the years I have been on Weight Watchers. After creating a blog to talk about my triumphs and struggles with weight loss and life in general, I thought this would be a good venue for creating a timeline as well. I will begin at the beginning and gradually add pictures and comments about my weight until I am current. My intent is to add a picture for each month.

I began my weight loss journey in June of 2002. I am hoping this visual representation of how I look and feel will help me to achieve my goal weight sometime before my next Weight Watchers anniversary in June 2006.