I know it's been forever since I last blogged. It's been a crazy summer. Good but crazy. I ended up breaking my foot at the beginning of July. My weight loss had already stalled, and I knew that the summer could be disasterous if I wasn't able to move around much. One night while I was having an extremely bad pity party, I admitted to my husband, and more importantly myself that I couldn't do it on my own. I'm a food addict. I know a lot of people who are overweight throw that term around, but for me it's true. I would have a panic attack while trying to avoid buying a bag of chips at the checkout line. I would go through the drive thru, order an extra value meal, scarf it down in my car and throw away the evidence so no one would know. I was a closet eater. It was an incredibly hard thing to admit, let alone tell someone else, even my husband. That night, he offered to take over my food, he asked me to give him 2 months to see if he could get the scale to move. In a moment of desperation, I agreed. That was July 17th.
That night, I got on the scale and weighed 198.4. That was not a good number. The next day Kevin dowloaded the Lose It app on my phone and set out a plan. The goal was to get to 155 by my birthday in January. He started planning and fixing my meals, as well as tracking my calories for me. The only stipulation on our deal was that I couldn't cheat. If he didn't plan it or pack it for me, I couldn't eat it without clearing it with him first.
I knew it wasn't going to be easy. The first few weeks were rough, although I handled it better than either one of us thought I would. It helped a lot that I was imobile because of the broken foot. I was cranky. I had cravings. I shed several tears. But the scale was moving down. That was my motivation.
After a few weeks, it started to get easier. The cravings started to subside, and we actually found healthy meal options that I liked. For me, it's important to enjoy what I'm eating. If I don't enjoy it, I won't eat it for long. I still got to have my "cheats"...wings, hamburgers, pizza...but I knew that I had to report my calories for the day to Kevin, so I made sure to plan for every bite of it.
It's been a little over 2 months now and I've lost 15.7 pounds (182.7). We still plan meals together, but I am tracking everything myself. I refer to that first month as my "cleanse". He got me off all of the junk. Now, if I eat more than 1 bad meal a week I get sick, and I don't enjoy that feeling. I still have bad days. I don't know that the day will ever come when I don't have issues with my food. But I have an amazing support system, and I know with Kevin's help that I can do it.
My next goal is getting back into the gym. It's been almost 11 weeks since I broke my foot, and I'm still in my boot. I'm slowly working my way into a tennis shoe, but it's a very slow process. I tested it this morning, and I can get on the eliptical with my boot on, so I have no excuses now. Day one at the gym is Tuesday. I'm only holding myself accountable for going 30 minutes twice a week. I'm basically starting all over again, and I don't want to injur myself or burn myself out right off the bat. I also need to establish a good routine over the next month because I start grad school at the end of October. If I get in the habit now, it will be a lot harder to use the homework excuse for skipping the gym.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Sometimes you have to look at where you've been to figure out where you're going.
I spent some time yesterday re-reading all of my old blogs. I was looking for a recipe I was sure I had posted, but didn't put it in the title, so I ended up reading each and every one of them. A lot of it was like reading through an old high school journal, kind of embarrasing and all I could think was, "What is wrong with me?!" As painful as it was to read, I did get some good motivation out of it. And it reminded me of things I was doing and eating back when I first started WW and was so successful.
I'm finally back in the mindset of wanting to lose weight again, not just maintain what I've already lost. While I still don't have the zeal and excitment of when I first joined, I do feel inspired to get with the program and actually stick to it. I read in an earlier post that before I would lose weight for an arbitrary event (wedding, vacation, etc) and then I would quit. I decided I wasn't going to do that this time around. But then I realized that I really don't have any goals or timelines set for myself, and I think that's part of why I let myself vear off course.
So, I have less than 7 months until vacation in Jamaica; 29 weeks from Saturday to be exact. My goal is to lose 40+ pounds from where I was this morning by the time we leave. I'm not saying exactly 40 because if I'm close or hit it before we go, I'll slack off. So the minimum that needs to be gone by December 22 is 40 pounds. If I can manage to lose 60 pounds, that would put me at goal weight!
I've had an awesome week this week with tracking and styaing within my points. And I've earned a fair amount of activity points, although I've been kind of sluggish the last 2 days. I just need to force myself to stay on plan and move as much as I can. The movement is about to get easier and way more fun...I'm getting a motorcycle sometime in the next couple of weeks. It's a serious core workout and can earn massive activity points!
Todays weight: 195.0
Jamaica goal weight: 155.0
Final goal weight: 135.0
I'm finally back in the mindset of wanting to lose weight again, not just maintain what I've already lost. While I still don't have the zeal and excitment of when I first joined, I do feel inspired to get with the program and actually stick to it. I read in an earlier post that before I would lose weight for an arbitrary event (wedding, vacation, etc) and then I would quit. I decided I wasn't going to do that this time around. But then I realized that I really don't have any goals or timelines set for myself, and I think that's part of why I let myself vear off course.
So, I have less than 7 months until vacation in Jamaica; 29 weeks from Saturday to be exact. My goal is to lose 40+ pounds from where I was this morning by the time we leave. I'm not saying exactly 40 because if I'm close or hit it before we go, I'll slack off. So the minimum that needs to be gone by December 22 is 40 pounds. If I can manage to lose 60 pounds, that would put me at goal weight!
I've had an awesome week this week with tracking and styaing within my points. And I've earned a fair amount of activity points, although I've been kind of sluggish the last 2 days. I just need to force myself to stay on plan and move as much as I can. The movement is about to get easier and way more fun...I'm getting a motorcycle sometime in the next couple of weeks. It's a serious core workout and can earn massive activity points!
Todays weight: 195.0
Jamaica goal weight: 155.0
Final goal weight: 135.0
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
20 Pounds by 4th of July
I realized that I haven't really been working towards anything as far as my weight loss goes. Yes, I want to lose weight, but I haven't been setting any goals for myself. So today, I decided that I want to drop 20 pounds by 4th of July. That's 7 weeks from today. It's going to be difficult, but I know I can do it. I think I need to jolt myself back into reality and back into being on plan. I've been really sloppy and lazy lately. I know I can't accomplish this goal without a plan of attack, and even setting mini goals along the way.
Step 1: get the eating under control. It may sound easy, but this involves tracking every bit of food that enters my mouth and staying within my points. I also need to cut out all of the crap I've been eating. And we need to quit going out to eat on a whim. Or at least I need to stop ordering the high fat stuff. If we go out to eat, it's grilled chicken and veggies, or a salad for me. I will also be limiting the amount of junk food enters the house, and buying more fresh fruit since it's coming into season.
Step 2: move more. We all know I hate to exercise, but I know that I'm never going to be able to lose weight and keep it off without it. So bring on the gym. I'm going to focus more on cardio than weights because that's what will take the fat off. My goal is to go to the gym twice a week so I can do different cardio equipment, like the arc trainer, eliptical, or bike, and then I will walk at home either on the treadmill or outside 3 more days a week.
Step 3: have a contingency plan. Lets face it, life doesn't always go according to plan. There are going to be nights that I don't want to cook, or don't have time to cook. There are going to be days when I don't feel like working out. I have to be able to work around these obstacles without throwing in the towel. First, I will make sure that there is always a low-point food option in the freezer for when I don't want to cook dinner. I'm also going to make sure that I have menus planned in advance so I don't have to wing it. On days I don't want to work out, I'm going to make myself do 10 minutes. If I'm not feeling it after that, I can quit. But more often than not, once I've been doing it for 10 minutes I want to keep going.
Step 4: take my meds as prescribed. This sounds like a no-brainer, but I have issues in this department. While I'm not diabetic, I am insulin resistant and therefore need to take medication to lower my insulin levels. This directly affects my weight loss and I haven't been taking it like I should. I honestly just forget to take it. I'm going to pull it out and sit it on the kitchen counter where I can see it instead of keeping it hidden away in the medicine basket.
I'm going to make this work, come hell or high water. I just have to.
Step 1: get the eating under control. It may sound easy, but this involves tracking every bit of food that enters my mouth and staying within my points. I also need to cut out all of the crap I've been eating. And we need to quit going out to eat on a whim. Or at least I need to stop ordering the high fat stuff. If we go out to eat, it's grilled chicken and veggies, or a salad for me. I will also be limiting the amount of junk food enters the house, and buying more fresh fruit since it's coming into season.
Step 2: move more. We all know I hate to exercise, but I know that I'm never going to be able to lose weight and keep it off without it. So bring on the gym. I'm going to focus more on cardio than weights because that's what will take the fat off. My goal is to go to the gym twice a week so I can do different cardio equipment, like the arc trainer, eliptical, or bike, and then I will walk at home either on the treadmill or outside 3 more days a week.
Step 3: have a contingency plan. Lets face it, life doesn't always go according to plan. There are going to be nights that I don't want to cook, or don't have time to cook. There are going to be days when I don't feel like working out. I have to be able to work around these obstacles without throwing in the towel. First, I will make sure that there is always a low-point food option in the freezer for when I don't want to cook dinner. I'm also going to make sure that I have menus planned in advance so I don't have to wing it. On days I don't want to work out, I'm going to make myself do 10 minutes. If I'm not feeling it after that, I can quit. But more often than not, once I've been doing it for 10 minutes I want to keep going.
Step 4: take my meds as prescribed. This sounds like a no-brainer, but I have issues in this department. While I'm not diabetic, I am insulin resistant and therefore need to take medication to lower my insulin levels. This directly affects my weight loss and I haven't been taking it like I should. I honestly just forget to take it. I'm going to pull it out and sit it on the kitchen counter where I can see it instead of keeping it hidden away in the medicine basket.
I'm going to make this work, come hell or high water. I just have to.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Am I Really Having A Mental Shift?
I was really worried about how today was going to go. I knew we were going out for German/Austrian food tonight for Mother's Day and my dad's birthday. Last time we went I got the sausage sampler...6 sausages to the tune of 8 points each. That was before WW. Anyways, I poured over the menu for the last few days trying to figure out what I was going to get. I was still clueless as of this morning.
During our meeting today, we talked about motivation. Right now, I really don't have any. I mean, yeah, I'm sick of being fat, but that's never gotten me anywhere before. I have a trip to Jamaica coming up in 6 and a half months, but I just got back from a cruise and didn't really lose any weight for that, so why would Jamaica be any different? I'm just kind of here, going through the motions (barely) and having a hard time figuring out why I'm doing all of this when I really just want to go eat a cheeseburger. My leader challenged us to force ourselves to have an on-plan week, even if we weren't feeling it. The theory is that if we have an on-plan week, then we'll notice how much better we're feeling and that will make us want to stay on-plan.
I decided to give the challenge the old college try. So I pulled up the menu again, knowing that I was going to stay away from anything breaded, and the yummy sausages. I decided on sliced beef and roasted root vegetables in a vegetable and beef cosumme. I was not at all excited about it, but I knew it was the best decision, especially if I wanted desert. To my surprise, it was absolutely delicious! And it was only 6PP! It really was one of the best dishes I've ever had, and I don't feel sick after eating it.
Since today was such a positive day, I came home and planned out my breakfasts and lunches for the week and I'm focusing on yummy, but whole and nutritious foods. I'm actually excited. I really thing this is the mental shift that I've been needing and waiting for. Normally when we go out to eat, I order my old standby's, which is what I always ordered before WW. Now I feel like I can branch out and still have wonderful food, but lower points. Now I just need to figure out a way to make exercise fun!
During our meeting today, we talked about motivation. Right now, I really don't have any. I mean, yeah, I'm sick of being fat, but that's never gotten me anywhere before. I have a trip to Jamaica coming up in 6 and a half months, but I just got back from a cruise and didn't really lose any weight for that, so why would Jamaica be any different? I'm just kind of here, going through the motions (barely) and having a hard time figuring out why I'm doing all of this when I really just want to go eat a cheeseburger. My leader challenged us to force ourselves to have an on-plan week, even if we weren't feeling it. The theory is that if we have an on-plan week, then we'll notice how much better we're feeling and that will make us want to stay on-plan.
I decided to give the challenge the old college try. So I pulled up the menu again, knowing that I was going to stay away from anything breaded, and the yummy sausages. I decided on sliced beef and roasted root vegetables in a vegetable and beef cosumme. I was not at all excited about it, but I knew it was the best decision, especially if I wanted desert. To my surprise, it was absolutely delicious! And it was only 6PP! It really was one of the best dishes I've ever had, and I don't feel sick after eating it.
Since today was such a positive day, I came home and planned out my breakfasts and lunches for the week and I'm focusing on yummy, but whole and nutritious foods. I'm actually excited. I really thing this is the mental shift that I've been needing and waiting for. Normally when we go out to eat, I order my old standby's, which is what I always ordered before WW. Now I feel like I can branch out and still have wonderful food, but lower points. Now I just need to figure out a way to make exercise fun!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas...Err, I Mean Kansas City
So for the last few months, I thought that just being a Weight Watcher member was enough to make me lose weight. Forget the fact that I wasn't tracking my food, staying within my points, or getting much exercise. I thought that because I went to meetings and paid my monthly dues that that was enough. Delusional, huh?
Well, I am happy to announce that today I found my right mind. It was really there all along, just clouded by incredible laziness, self loathing, and self pity. Somewhere along my journey, I decided that I wasn't worth the effort. Losing weight is tough. Don't let anyone lead you to believe otherwise. In order to stick with it, you have to decide that you're worth it, and damn it, I'm worth it!
I've heard people say that in order to lose weight you have to be happy with yourself as you are now. I thought that was crazy. My rationale was, "If I'm happy with myself as I am now, what's the point in putting in the effort to lose weight?" Today I realized the powerful truth behind that line of thinking. When I hate the way I look, and the way my clothes fit, I'm more likely to go grab a big bag of chips, a candy bar, and some cake with buttercream icing than I am to grab some fruit or veggies. In my mind, because I didn't like myself, I had permission to keep shoveling the crap into my mouth.
Think about it. How do we treat our friends? I am kind, compassionate, caring, and protective of the people I care about. As for people I don't like, that's a completely different story. I tend to ignore those people, and can even be kind of mean. Well, that's what I've been doing to myself. I haven't been happy with myself, so I've been ignoring the fact that I haven't been tracking, and in a way have been poisoning myself with the kind of food I've been eating.
I've also been afraid. How can someone be afraid of losing weight, you ask? Number 1, I'm afraid of failing. If I don't try, I can't fail. Backwards, I know. Number 2, I'm a little scared of what my body is going to look like with 80 pounds gone. Stretchmarks can be cruel. Number 3, I haven't been thin since high school. That was almost 13 years ago. I'm not sure who I am thin and I really don't want to have an identiy crisis at 31. That's not supposed to happen until I'm in my 40's, and then I get to go buy something ridiculously extravagent to try to compensate.
Today I decided that the fear and loathing stops NOW! As Stuart Smalley used to say, "I'm good enough. I'm smart enough. And doggonit, people like me!" Now it's time for me to like me.
Well, I am happy to announce that today I found my right mind. It was really there all along, just clouded by incredible laziness, self loathing, and self pity. Somewhere along my journey, I decided that I wasn't worth the effort. Losing weight is tough. Don't let anyone lead you to believe otherwise. In order to stick with it, you have to decide that you're worth it, and damn it, I'm worth it!
I've heard people say that in order to lose weight you have to be happy with yourself as you are now. I thought that was crazy. My rationale was, "If I'm happy with myself as I am now, what's the point in putting in the effort to lose weight?" Today I realized the powerful truth behind that line of thinking. When I hate the way I look, and the way my clothes fit, I'm more likely to go grab a big bag of chips, a candy bar, and some cake with buttercream icing than I am to grab some fruit or veggies. In my mind, because I didn't like myself, I had permission to keep shoveling the crap into my mouth.
Think about it. How do we treat our friends? I am kind, compassionate, caring, and protective of the people I care about. As for people I don't like, that's a completely different story. I tend to ignore those people, and can even be kind of mean. Well, that's what I've been doing to myself. I haven't been happy with myself, so I've been ignoring the fact that I haven't been tracking, and in a way have been poisoning myself with the kind of food I've been eating.
I've also been afraid. How can someone be afraid of losing weight, you ask? Number 1, I'm afraid of failing. If I don't try, I can't fail. Backwards, I know. Number 2, I'm a little scared of what my body is going to look like with 80 pounds gone. Stretchmarks can be cruel. Number 3, I haven't been thin since high school. That was almost 13 years ago. I'm not sure who I am thin and I really don't want to have an identiy crisis at 31. That's not supposed to happen until I'm in my 40's, and then I get to go buy something ridiculously extravagent to try to compensate.
Today I decided that the fear and loathing stops NOW! As Stuart Smalley used to say, "I'm good enough. I'm smart enough. And doggonit, people like me!" Now it's time for me to like me.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Time to Reboot and Refocus
Last week was a total bust. I didn't even go weigh-in on Saturday morning. I just couldn't face the scale. Instead I had 4 pieces of pizza for dinner. I've got to get a handle on this thing. It seems as though 1 bad day, and 1 day of not tracking throws me completely off the rails. I'm back on track today, which is good, but tomorrow is going to be tricky. We are having a birthday lunch for one of my co-workers, and my husband is taking me out for Valentine's day tomorrow night. Fortunately Lent is right around the corner and I'm going to take it as an opportunity to re-boot. Most people I know give up something for Lent. This year I am committing to doing something every day as my personal challenge and sacrifice.
February 22 starts my Weight Watchers boot-camp. I am committing myself to following the plan 100% every day during the Lenten season. This includes tracking every single morsel of food that passes my lips, staying within my points, and doing 30 minutes of activity per day. It's going to be really hard, but I know it's just what I need.
Why not start earlier you ask? I ask myself that question all the time. I still haven't found a good answer. I just know that during Lent, I'm less likely to let myself off the hook for having a bad day. Not to mention this gives me a week to get a plan in place.
February 22 starts my Weight Watchers boot-camp. I am committing myself to following the plan 100% every day during the Lenten season. This includes tracking every single morsel of food that passes my lips, staying within my points, and doing 30 minutes of activity per day. It's going to be really hard, but I know it's just what I need.
Why not start earlier you ask? I ask myself that question all the time. I still haven't found a good answer. I just know that during Lent, I'm less likely to let myself off the hook for having a bad day. Not to mention this gives me a week to get a plan in place.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Power Up!
I apologize for the delay in blog posts. I had a really bad case of food poisoning a week and a half ago and it knocked me on my butt. I will never eat another scallop as long as I live. On the plus side, it kind of kick-started my weight loss. I ended up being down 2 pounds this past week. Now I'm super motivated to keep the losses going. This weekend was a little rough food-wise, but I'm hanging in there.
As I've posted before, I love convenience foods. This means processed foods that I can throw in a skillet or the microwave and have lunch or dinner in minutes. Unfortunately, I'm starting to learn that they don't satisfy me, and I'm actually eating more. At our meeting last week we talked about the importance of power foods. A power food is a food that's not processed, low in fat and carbs, and higher in fiber and protein. Fiber and protein are the key, because they help keep you fuller longer. WW has a list of power foods which included fresh fruits, vegetables (even potatoes), lean proteins, fat-free dairy, whole wheat pasta and other whole grains, and reduced calorie breads.
I used to balk at the idea of eating nothing but (or mostly) power foods. I couldn't figure out where the variety came from, not to mention the time to prepare them. But after doing some research and studying, I've come to realize that it's easier than I thought it would be. Most of the dinner recipes I use contain power foods. Some of them are only power foods. I can use all kinds of different spices to flavor chicken, throw some sweet potatoes in the oven, and throw a bag of broccoli in the microwave, and voila, a tasty, realatively easy dinner. Even better, I won't be hungry an hour or 2 later.
Power foods really do power up your weight loss. I find that if I try to focus on eating mostly power foods I don't have the urge to snack. I don't crave junk food, and I generally feel better. Another good side-effect is reduced sodium. Nothing can mess with the scale more than water retention, and lately, I puff up like a blowfish if I eat anything with excess sodium in it.
Tonight for dinner I'm making Szechuan Chicken and Noodles. I don't have the recipe in front of me, but it's basically chicken, whole-wheat pasta, broccoli-slaw mix (without the dressing), and some chinese sauces. It's mostly power foods. The only thing that could be problematic is the soy sauce, but I bought the low-sodium stuff. If it's good I'll post the recipe and a picture later.
This week I'm going to focus on powering up so the scale will go down. I'm shooting for another 2 pounds this week :)
As I've posted before, I love convenience foods. This means processed foods that I can throw in a skillet or the microwave and have lunch or dinner in minutes. Unfortunately, I'm starting to learn that they don't satisfy me, and I'm actually eating more. At our meeting last week we talked about the importance of power foods. A power food is a food that's not processed, low in fat and carbs, and higher in fiber and protein. Fiber and protein are the key, because they help keep you fuller longer. WW has a list of power foods which included fresh fruits, vegetables (even potatoes), lean proteins, fat-free dairy, whole wheat pasta and other whole grains, and reduced calorie breads.
I used to balk at the idea of eating nothing but (or mostly) power foods. I couldn't figure out where the variety came from, not to mention the time to prepare them. But after doing some research and studying, I've come to realize that it's easier than I thought it would be. Most of the dinner recipes I use contain power foods. Some of them are only power foods. I can use all kinds of different spices to flavor chicken, throw some sweet potatoes in the oven, and throw a bag of broccoli in the microwave, and voila, a tasty, realatively easy dinner. Even better, I won't be hungry an hour or 2 later.
Power foods really do power up your weight loss. I find that if I try to focus on eating mostly power foods I don't have the urge to snack. I don't crave junk food, and I generally feel better. Another good side-effect is reduced sodium. Nothing can mess with the scale more than water retention, and lately, I puff up like a blowfish if I eat anything with excess sodium in it.
Tonight for dinner I'm making Szechuan Chicken and Noodles. I don't have the recipe in front of me, but it's basically chicken, whole-wheat pasta, broccoli-slaw mix (without the dressing), and some chinese sauces. It's mostly power foods. The only thing that could be problematic is the soy sauce, but I bought the low-sodium stuff. If it's good I'll post the recipe and a picture later.
This week I'm going to focus on powering up so the scale will go down. I'm shooting for another 2 pounds this week :)
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Strength In Numbers
As I've said before, losing weight is more mental than physical. It's about breaking old habits and cycles. It's about changing the way we think about food, movement, and life in general. It's about setting new priorities. It's truly mind over matter in a lot of cases. I may think I need that donut, but physically, I'm not going to die if I don't get it. I may not want to go for that walk, but I know that I'll feel so much better if I do.
In order to be successful, I have to maintain the right frame of mind. I have to care. I have to focus on my goals and what I want. Some days I just flat out have to MAKE myself behave. Not every day is going to be perfect. I'm don't always feel like having an apple instead of a candy bar. I'm don't always feel like walking the dog. I'm don't always going to want to track my points. But I know that if I want to get the weight off, I have to do these things. So where does the motivation come from?
Well, there is strength in numbers. To me, knowing that there are people on the same journey I can talk to helps tremendously. I started this journey with my mom. We can bounce ideas, and struggles off of each other. My husband is also trying to lose weight. Knowing that he's trying to eat better and move more helps keep me accountable at home. I have other friends and family members who are doing, or have done, Weight Watchers, and seeing their excitement gets me excited.
My husband always jokes about me going to "group" on Saturday mornings when I go to my WW meetings. He's right though. It's a support group. And it really does help to be with like-minded people. In the last year there has only been 1 weekend that I skipped the meeting, and that was the weekend after my mother-in-law passed away. I will move heaven and earth to rearrange my schedule to be at meetings on Saturday mornings. I need the camaraderie.
This has been the best week for me in a long time. I'm completely on plan, and I am so proud of myself. Even more importantly, I feel better than I have in a while. I have eaten healthy (with a few minor exceptions), I've met my activity goal for the week, and I still have weekly points left, which is unheard of on a Thursday. The scale isn't exactly doing what I would like it to do, but I know it will catch up if I keep doing what I know I need to do. Can't wait for "group" on Saturday!
In order to be successful, I have to maintain the right frame of mind. I have to care. I have to focus on my goals and what I want. Some days I just flat out have to MAKE myself behave. Not every day is going to be perfect. I'm don't always feel like having an apple instead of a candy bar. I'm don't always feel like walking the dog. I'm don't always going to want to track my points. But I know that if I want to get the weight off, I have to do these things. So where does the motivation come from?
Well, there is strength in numbers. To me, knowing that there are people on the same journey I can talk to helps tremendously. I started this journey with my mom. We can bounce ideas, and struggles off of each other. My husband is also trying to lose weight. Knowing that he's trying to eat better and move more helps keep me accountable at home. I have other friends and family members who are doing, or have done, Weight Watchers, and seeing their excitement gets me excited.
My husband always jokes about me going to "group" on Saturday mornings when I go to my WW meetings. He's right though. It's a support group. And it really does help to be with like-minded people. In the last year there has only been 1 weekend that I skipped the meeting, and that was the weekend after my mother-in-law passed away. I will move heaven and earth to rearrange my schedule to be at meetings on Saturday mornings. I need the camaraderie.
This has been the best week for me in a long time. I'm completely on plan, and I am so proud of myself. Even more importantly, I feel better than I have in a while. I have eaten healthy (with a few minor exceptions), I've met my activity goal for the week, and I still have weekly points left, which is unheard of on a Thursday. The scale isn't exactly doing what I would like it to do, but I know it will catch up if I keep doing what I know I need to do. Can't wait for "group" on Saturday!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Smoky Shrimp and Corn Soup
Tonight I decided to make a batch of soup for my lunches this week. I wanted to try a new recipe, and boy did I find a good one. As usual, it's out of one of my Weight Watchers cook books. It took less than an hour and turned out erally good. Enjoy!
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks with leaves, thinly sliced (I left the leaves off)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoons smoked paprika or sweet paprika
2 cups fat-free half and half
1 1/2 cups fesh corn kernels (I just used frozen corn kernels)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
228 calories
4g fat
378mg sodium
31g carbs
3g fiber
16g protein
6 PointsPlus
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks with leaves, thinly sliced (I left the leaves off)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoons smoked paprika or sweet paprika
2 cups fat-free half and half
1 1/2 cups fesh corn kernels (I just used frozen corn kernels)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour and paprika and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
- Remove saucepan from heat; add half and half, whisking until smooth. Add corn and salt and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Add shrimp and cook, stirring often, until shrimp turns opaque in center, 3 minutes.
228 calories
4g fat
378mg sodium
31g carbs
3g fiber
16g protein
6 PointsPlus
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Week 2 Recap
Unofficially, I'm down 2 pounds from last week. I say unofficially because I didn't actually weigh-in this morning. Friday morning, I was down 2 pounds from last week. I was pretty good on my food yesterday, but we ended up not eating dinner until about 9:30 last night. When I got up and got on the scale this morning I was up 3 pounds. I was so mad I didn't get on the scale at the meeting. How does that even happen? I didn't eat 3 pounds of food all day yesterday. Needless to say, no more late dinners for me.
Overall I had a good week. I got in quite a bit of activity. I didn't have any stress eating, and even though I was sick on Friday I refrained from getting my go-to bag of Dorito's. (That's normally what I want when I'm sick...not sure why.) I didn't necessarily track all of my points on paper or on-line, but I was keeping track in my head and only went over by a few.
I'm ready to hit the ground runnig this next week. I already have all of my meals planned out and tracked. I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow and am going to make my breakfast and lunches for the week so I just have to grab them out of the fridge on my way out the door. The weathr is also supposed to be nice so I can walk the dog after work.
I saw an interesting quote in some Weight Watchers literature this morning. It said, "A goal without a plan is just a wish." I have a goal, and I have a plan. No wishing here, just doing. I will make it. My goal for this week - 2 pounds. My plan for reaching that goal - tracking everything, staying within my points, and getting 30 minutes of activity per day.
Overall I had a good week. I got in quite a bit of activity. I didn't have any stress eating, and even though I was sick on Friday I refrained from getting my go-to bag of Dorito's. (That's normally what I want when I'm sick...not sure why.) I didn't necessarily track all of my points on paper or on-line, but I was keeping track in my head and only went over by a few.
I'm ready to hit the ground runnig this next week. I already have all of my meals planned out and tracked. I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow and am going to make my breakfast and lunches for the week so I just have to grab them out of the fridge on my way out the door. The weathr is also supposed to be nice so I can walk the dog after work.
I saw an interesting quote in some Weight Watchers literature this morning. It said, "A goal without a plan is just a wish." I have a goal, and I have a plan. No wishing here, just doing. I will make it. My goal for this week - 2 pounds. My plan for reaching that goal - tracking everything, staying within my points, and getting 30 minutes of activity per day.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
No Excuses
So tonight I decided to catch up on the new season of The Biggest Loser. The theme this year is no excuses. It's like getting hit between the eyes with a 2x4. Weight Watchers is one of the easiest diet programs to follow, yet I've been making excuses for why I can't do it. I don't have time to cook. I don't have time to exercise. I don't like to exercise. I've been good so I can eat that fatty food. I don't have time to track. I don't want to track. Long story short, I'm lazy. And that's my biggest excuse. I only lost 14 pounds last year. That's not cool. I know I have the ability to lose this weight, but I need to get over myself.
I've made some small strides in the last couple of weeks towards getting over my laziness. I've been getting in some decent walks afer work because the dog needs them. But you know what, I need them too! I feel better afer I've done it. My body feels better, and my mind is clearer. Tonight it was 30 degrees with 40 mph wind gusts, and I still went. I didn't even complain! Now it's snowing and it's supposed to be colder tomorrow, but I still plan on goin.
My food has been completely off track this week though. The biggest reason is because I have't had the right foods in the house. In an attempt to remedy that for next week, I've thoughroughly planned out ALL of my meals for the next 2 weeks, and have made my grocery list accordingly. I've always known how important it is to have a back-up plan for meals, because life can get in the way of even the best-laid plans. But it finally clicked with me that those back-up plans need to be nutritious as well as fast and easy. I've planned for that as well.
Something else that's been blocking me is the thought of needing to lose 60+ pounds. I can't look at the big picture any more. It's too overwhelming. I know that I'm not going to lose it overnight, so subconsciously I put off giving my best effort. I HAVE to break it down into smaller goals. Weight Watchers emphasizes 5 pound incriments, but I really think I need to break it down even further. My goal for this Saturday is just some kind of loss. I'll take anything this week.
Next week I'm going to challenge myself to lose 2 pounds. This is going to take dedication and discipline. I'm going to have to get my walks in. I'm going to have to stay within my points. I'm going to have to focus on power foods. I'm going to have to stay hydrated. I'm going to have to cook. I'm going to have to take time for myself and do what I need to do to get myself healthy. And everyone else is just going to have to accept that.
As Yoda says, "Do or do not, there is no try." Making excuses is the same as trying. Making excuses is not doing. I want to do. I want this weight off. From here on out, I do.
I've made some small strides in the last couple of weeks towards getting over my laziness. I've been getting in some decent walks afer work because the dog needs them. But you know what, I need them too! I feel better afer I've done it. My body feels better, and my mind is clearer. Tonight it was 30 degrees with 40 mph wind gusts, and I still went. I didn't even complain! Now it's snowing and it's supposed to be colder tomorrow, but I still plan on goin.
My food has been completely off track this week though. The biggest reason is because I have't had the right foods in the house. In an attempt to remedy that for next week, I've thoughroughly planned out ALL of my meals for the next 2 weeks, and have made my grocery list accordingly. I've always known how important it is to have a back-up plan for meals, because life can get in the way of even the best-laid plans. But it finally clicked with me that those back-up plans need to be nutritious as well as fast and easy. I've planned for that as well.
Something else that's been blocking me is the thought of needing to lose 60+ pounds. I can't look at the big picture any more. It's too overwhelming. I know that I'm not going to lose it overnight, so subconsciously I put off giving my best effort. I HAVE to break it down into smaller goals. Weight Watchers emphasizes 5 pound incriments, but I really think I need to break it down even further. My goal for this Saturday is just some kind of loss. I'll take anything this week.
Next week I'm going to challenge myself to lose 2 pounds. This is going to take dedication and discipline. I'm going to have to get my walks in. I'm going to have to stay within my points. I'm going to have to focus on power foods. I'm going to have to stay hydrated. I'm going to have to cook. I'm going to have to take time for myself and do what I need to do to get myself healthy. And everyone else is just going to have to accept that.
As Yoda says, "Do or do not, there is no try." Making excuses is the same as trying. Making excuses is not doing. I want to do. I want this weight off. From here on out, I do.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Thank God For A Snarky Dog
I have an 18 month old Corgi. Scratch that, I have an 18 month old spoiled Corgi! It's hard not to spoil her. She's just so darn cute. Well, all of this spoiling has led to a very bad, high-strung, snarky dog. In an effort to curb the bad behavior, we started walking her last week.
It's paying off big time. Her behavior has gotten so much better. She's not as barky or snippy, and minds a lot better. But the benefits are far further reaching. It's been helping my mood as well. I am much calmer and can focus more easily. Plus, the added movement is good for my weight loss efforts. Tonight I actually jogged for a bit. I went so far that the dog had a hard time keeping up after a while. It was the furthest I've run since the 6th grade. It's been good bonding time for me and my husband too since he goes with us. I am so thankful that we've had great weather so far this winter. I'm not looking forward to the walks in the cold and the snow, but I'm committed to keeping up with them.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Week 1 Recap
Today was the first weigh-in of 2012. I lost 0.2 pounds. It's not as much as I wanted, but down is down. I did really good at tracking the first half of the week, but failed miserably the last couple of days. I know that losing weight goes hand in hand with tracking my food and activity, but it seems so hard to do some days. Im going to challenge myself to track 100% this week.
So far I'm off to a good start this week. I've tracked everything I've eaten today, and most of it has been healthy. I also earned a whopping 10 activity points by cleaning my house and my mom's house. I'm almost to my weekly goal of 14!
We tried a new recipe for dinner tonight that was fantastic...turkey, zucchini, amd quinoa meatloaves. The serving size is pretty big and very filling.
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 zucchini, coarsely shredded
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2 onion, finley chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb ground skinless turkey breast
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Fluff with fork and let cool slightly.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line large rimmed baking pan with foil. Spray foil with non-stick spray.
3. Squeeze zucchini dry and place in large bowl with egg whites, 1/4 cup of chili sauce, onion, sage, salt, and pepper. Add turkey and quinoa and stir to mix well.
4. Shape into 6 loaves. Place loaves on baking pan. Stir together remaining 1/4 cup chili sauce and mustard in small bowl; spread mixture evenly over loaves.
5. Bake until instant read thermometer inserted not side of each loaf reads 165 degrees, 30-35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Serving size - 1 meatloaf
6 Points Plus
195 calories
4g fat
18g carbs
2g fiber
23g protein
So far I'm off to a good start this week. I've tracked everything I've eaten today, and most of it has been healthy. I also earned a whopping 10 activity points by cleaning my house and my mom's house. I'm almost to my weekly goal of 14!
We tried a new recipe for dinner tonight that was fantastic...turkey, zucchini, amd quinoa meatloaves. The serving size is pretty big and very filling.
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 zucchini, coarsely shredded
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2 onion, finley chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb ground skinless turkey breast
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Fluff with fork and let cool slightly.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line large rimmed baking pan with foil. Spray foil with non-stick spray.
3. Squeeze zucchini dry and place in large bowl with egg whites, 1/4 cup of chili sauce, onion, sage, salt, and pepper. Add turkey and quinoa and stir to mix well.
4. Shape into 6 loaves. Place loaves on baking pan. Stir together remaining 1/4 cup chili sauce and mustard in small bowl; spread mixture evenly over loaves.
5. Bake until instant read thermometer inserted not side of each loaf reads 165 degrees, 30-35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Serving size - 1 meatloaf
6 Points Plus
195 calories
4g fat
18g carbs
2g fiber
23g protein
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Managing Stress - I'm Clueless
I need to figure out a way to better manage stress. This week has been killer. I got behind schedule because I came down with a wicked cold on Monday. I've been prepping food on the fly for the week, and work has been beyond crazy. My house is a wreck, the Christmas decorations are still up, we're having people over for dinner on Saturday night, and I don't have the energy to do anything. All of this is the perfect recipe for stress.
I really need to find an effective way to manage my stress level. They always say that exercise is a great way to do that. Unfortunately, if you've ready my blog for any length of time, you know that I HATE exercise. It's not my thing. To me it's a chore and just adds to the stress. I love to do crafty things like scrapbook and crosstitch, but trying to do that with my puppy is practically impossible. TV lets me veg-out, but it really doesn't take care of the stress load or make me feel like doing anything productive.
Today, I decided to manage my stress with buffalo wings for lunch. I haven't been able to taste or smell anything all week so I wanted something spicy. And to be honest, I wanted something fattening. Unfortunately, that bad lunch led to bad snacks this afternoon, including a Kit Kat and way too many Doritos. Dinner was an ice cream cone from McDonald's, which ironically was about the healthiest thing I ate all day.
Let's face it, a person who doesn't eat for emotional reasons at some point is a liar. Every overweight person I've ever met says they are an emotional eater. Forgive me, but duh! For me, I eat when I'm happy, I eat when I'm sad, I eat when I'm bored, I eat when I'm frustrated...you get the idea. Today that resulted in buffalo wings.
What's done is done. I can't go back and not eat the wings. I can't go back and not eat the Kit Kat or Doritos. The only thing I can do is make better choices from here on out. Tomorrow is a new day to get it right.
I really need to find an effective way to manage my stress level. They always say that exercise is a great way to do that. Unfortunately, if you've ready my blog for any length of time, you know that I HATE exercise. It's not my thing. To me it's a chore and just adds to the stress. I love to do crafty things like scrapbook and crosstitch, but trying to do that with my puppy is practically impossible. TV lets me veg-out, but it really doesn't take care of the stress load or make me feel like doing anything productive.
Today, I decided to manage my stress with buffalo wings for lunch. I haven't been able to taste or smell anything all week so I wanted something spicy. And to be honest, I wanted something fattening. Unfortunately, that bad lunch led to bad snacks this afternoon, including a Kit Kat and way too many Doritos. Dinner was an ice cream cone from McDonald's, which ironically was about the healthiest thing I ate all day.
Let's face it, a person who doesn't eat for emotional reasons at some point is a liar. Every overweight person I've ever met says they are an emotional eater. Forgive me, but duh! For me, I eat when I'm happy, I eat when I'm sad, I eat when I'm bored, I eat when I'm frustrated...you get the idea. Today that resulted in buffalo wings.
What's done is done. I can't go back and not eat the wings. I can't go back and not eat the Kit Kat or Doritos. The only thing I can do is make better choices from here on out. Tomorrow is a new day to get it right.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Setting Yourself Up For Success
So I wrote a long post earlier today about obstacles and overcoming them. My cold seems to have come back and I wasn't feeling like doing anything I knew I should be doing tonight. I was having an internal struggle about just laying around all night or prepping my food for the week and getting in some activity.
Long story short, I decided to suck it up and do what I knew I needed to do. Upon arriving home from work I went for a nice 30 minute walk with my husband and the dog. Then, after dinner, I prepped everything I needed for salads for the next 2 days for lunch. I also straightened up some stuff upstairs. All in all, it took me about an hour and 15 minutes. Now I can lay around for the rest of the night and watch Michigan win the Sugar Bowl. And you know what? I feel so much better for doing what I knew I should do.
I knew that if I didn't prep my lunch for tomorrow that I would end up going out and buying something fattening. And it was just as quick to prep my lunch for the next 2 days. I knew that if I didn't take the dog for a walk, that she would be a holy terror tonight and I wouldn't get any rest anyways. And I earned 3 activity points for my short walk. It's all about setting yourself up for success, and I feel like I did that tonight.
Yes, life can present obstacles and challenges. The true measuer of what you're made of is how you handle those obstacles and challenges. I could have just thrown my hands up in the air in frustration tonight, winged it this week, and failed miserably on the scale come Saturday. But instead, I met the challange head on, am prepared to have a good week, and hopefully I'll be rewarded on the scale.
Long story short, I decided to suck it up and do what I knew I needed to do. Upon arriving home from work I went for a nice 30 minute walk with my husband and the dog. Then, after dinner, I prepped everything I needed for salads for the next 2 days for lunch. I also straightened up some stuff upstairs. All in all, it took me about an hour and 15 minutes. Now I can lay around for the rest of the night and watch Michigan win the Sugar Bowl. And you know what? I feel so much better for doing what I knew I should do.
I knew that if I didn't prep my lunch for tomorrow that I would end up going out and buying something fattening. And it was just as quick to prep my lunch for the next 2 days. I knew that if I didn't take the dog for a walk, that she would be a holy terror tonight and I wouldn't get any rest anyways. And I earned 3 activity points for my short walk. It's all about setting yourself up for success, and I feel like I did that tonight.
Yes, life can present obstacles and challenges. The true measuer of what you're made of is how you handle those obstacles and challenges. I could have just thrown my hands up in the air in frustration tonight, winged it this week, and failed miserably on the scale come Saturday. But instead, I met the challange head on, am prepared to have a good week, and hopefully I'll be rewarded on the scale.
"Some people only dream of success, while others work hard every day to achieve it."
Sunday, January 1, 2012
New Year's Resolutions
How many of you have made new year's resolutions before? How many of you have actually kept them more than a week or 2? That's when my resolutions usually end. I think a big part of my problem is that I set way too lofty of goals for myself. I resolve to do things that I realistically could not do. This year is going to be different. While I'm still going to challenge myself, I'm not going to set unrealistic goals. That only leads to disappointment, and self-loathing and then nothing gets accomplished. So here are my new year's resolutions for 2012.
Resolution #1 - I resolve to blog at least twice a week. It helps keep me focused on my goals and organize my thoughts. It's very theraputic.
Resolution #2 - I resolve to do my absolute best at following the Weight Watchers program to lose weight. No one is perfect, and it's unrealistic to believe that I will follow the plan 100%, but I will do so to the best of my abilities. I will not let one bad day through me completely off-track. I will own up to my mistakes and not make excuses.
Resolution #3 - I resolve to get more organized. My house looks completely disheveled and I've kind of been living day to day, just trying to get through things. Each month I am going to focus on one room in the house and organize it. This will include creating homes for the things that belong in that room, and removing things that don't belong. It will also involve a lot of trips to Goodwill. I will also get more organized about planning and prepping food. I am designating Sundays as prep days. That includes planning meals for the week, going to the grocery store, cooking and prepping meals for the week, as well as making my weekly to-do list. That way I don't have to worry about it when I've had a busy day at work or have things to do on week nights. I'm also going to pretrack most meals for the week, noting that flexibility is important for unforseen, unplanned events.
For the month of Janaury, my room of choice is the living room. Time to remove everything that doesn't belong so I can see what I have to work with. After that, meal planning.
Resolution #1 - I resolve to blog at least twice a week. It helps keep me focused on my goals and organize my thoughts. It's very theraputic.
Resolution #2 - I resolve to do my absolute best at following the Weight Watchers program to lose weight. No one is perfect, and it's unrealistic to believe that I will follow the plan 100%, but I will do so to the best of my abilities. I will not let one bad day through me completely off-track. I will own up to my mistakes and not make excuses.
Resolution #3 - I resolve to get more organized. My house looks completely disheveled and I've kind of been living day to day, just trying to get through things. Each month I am going to focus on one room in the house and organize it. This will include creating homes for the things that belong in that room, and removing things that don't belong. It will also involve a lot of trips to Goodwill. I will also get more organized about planning and prepping food. I am designating Sundays as prep days. That includes planning meals for the week, going to the grocery store, cooking and prepping meals for the week, as well as making my weekly to-do list. That way I don't have to worry about it when I've had a busy day at work or have things to do on week nights. I'm also going to pretrack most meals for the week, noting that flexibility is important for unforseen, unplanned events.
For the month of Janaury, my room of choice is the living room. Time to remove everything that doesn't belong so I can see what I have to work with. After that, meal planning.
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