Blogs > Lighten Up with Jessie

Jessie Baginski, a Mayfield Heights resident, is back for a second try at Lighten Up. The 2013 contestant says she's ready to take what she learned last year and give it a good go this year.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Easter Fun

Happy Easter to all! I woke up feeling light and cheery until I stepped on the scale! Oh well, some days are better than others. We are going to splurge a little today with food on the grill but I'm sure we will burn off any extra calories as we finish (hopefully) getting down the last two yards of the eight yards of mulch! Looking forward to a fun day playing in the dirt and soaking up the sunshine - and burning calories doing it!

Next week is definitely an 'iffy' one for me. It will be close I think in terms of making that 5% weight goal. Whether I make it or not, the forward momentum continues!

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Missing Aladdin's - the food and the company!

Wow! I can't begin to say how much I miss seeing my Lighten Up friends at Aladdin's the last few weeks. Work commitments and other scheduling conflicts have kept me from attending our Monday night dinners. It's eye opening to reflect on the fact that when I am seeing people every week, I get better results! It's not like a "program" in terms of rehashing with a crowd what did you eat, what exercise did you do, etc. which only makes you want to highlight where you missed the mark, but we celebrate our progress at every level. Sometimes that is about getting all A's on Vitabot; sometimes it's about clothes fitting differently - and sometimes it's just to laugh about the mishaps during the week. No matter what the conversation, I am meeting amazing people I may not have otherwise met and truly enjoying the friendships - and the great food - at Aladdin's!

Miles for Mulching

Well before it actually snowed AGAIN today, we worked on getting down our mulch this weekend. What a great way to get in 12,000 steps!

It felt great to spend time outside in the sunshine and very motivating to make sure I'm staying on task. I was discouraged after the weigh in because the evil red scale had very different numbers than mine did. Amazing what sunshine and warm air can do to inspire activity.

Looks like another sunny weekend so another 6 miles of mulching!

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Stumbling blocks

The most recent weigh in was very disappointing. Although my scale was wavering with 2 or 3 pounds all month, it was wavering beyond the initial loss, which was great. Then on my weigh in I was actually up from my previous loss. That setback was the beginning of a couple of tough weeks. I have to put it out there that when I have days that actually involve breakfast, lunch AND dinner meetings, keeping on track is very difficult. I topped off this crazy two weeks of food meetings by spraining my foot, really feeling like I've derailed so much work. However, now that these two weeks are over, it felt great to get back into my routine with a breakfast smoothie and turkey wrap for lunch. I am so grateful for the friends I have met through this program. Everyone is so supportive and encouraging. We all know that we will have some failures along the way, but the most important thing is to get back on track and try it again. Lifestyle changes are like learning to play a new sport - you have to get comfortable with setbacks before you can master the skills.