Week 6 - The Pink Drink - Freedom to Eat. ..or to Not Eat

While I am really happy that I am down 6.5 pounds and have lost really close to 16 inches as well as a pants size (from 18/20 to 14/16) and bra size (sometimes there is just too TMI, even for me - lol!) I want to focus for a minute on something I just realized last night that Plexus has given me. ..the Freedom to Eat. ..or to Not Eat!   I need to share with you what might be a "no biggie" to you, but is HUGE for me!!

So at my daughter's theater there is a snack bar stocked with some fabulous junk food and while there are sometimes apples and pretzels and nature valley granola bars, most of the time delicious potato chips, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate candy and sugary candy have been calling my name and inviting me to devour them for 2 years.  And I am not one to say no and so I devoured.  And devoured some more.

 The kids have accounts with "credit" on them (i.e., money parents deposit so kids don't have to carry cash around with them) so they can get snacks and drinks when they are in shows or at rehearsals.  I like to pretend that my daughter goes through a ton of her credit and that she generously shares with her friends, but really I am probably to blame for the rapid rate that her snack credit disappears.  I help staff the snack bar during my daughter's rehearsals so I probably have eaten a college credit or two worth of junk food over the past two years.  If you could witness the mental gymnastics that have always gone through my head over whether or not to buy another candy bar or bag of chips you would be EXHAUSTED  - I can get pretty creative justifying why I should have that bag of cheezeits (cheese fills you up, right?) or that a Reese's peanut butter cup was healthy for you because of the protein from the peanut butter and a better option then the empty calories of a Hershey's bar.

Well, the week before every show opens there is a full week of late night rehearsals called "tech week" where they get everything ready in tip top condition to open (costumes, make up, hair, lighting, sound, props, etc) and for the past 2 years I have accepted that tons of junk food, late night fast food stops and iced coffees get me through this week.

PLEXUS IS MAGIC BABY!!!!  Seriously.  I started Plexus just before rehearsal for this latest show started and while I have bought a bag of pretzels or Sunchips here and there over the past 5 weeks, I have easily stayed away from the true crap food 99% of the time!  And really without much self talk or mental gymnastics!!! I just am not craving it or interested in it MOST of the time.  Does that mean I don't want it EVER?  NO, that is not what I am saying at all.  I got a small bag of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies the other night because I wanted some.  I ate most of the small package and gave the rest to one of the kids.  But I made a conscious choice to have it and didn't feel bad afterwards and the rest of the time I haven't bought any crap food and I am just AMAZED!!!  Such a fabulous freedom to just eat when you are hungry and not eat when you aren't!!!  Freedom to easily (most of the time!) make good food choices because that is what you crave. . .and when you do want a decadent treat, have it and enjoy it because you WANT it!!!  When you stop gorging on the "treats" throughout the day, all of a sudden they are no longer the norm and  "treats" are just that!   

Last night Chipotle generously donated food for 200 theater kids for dinner during tech week as lots of the kids are there from 4pm - 10pm (or later) each night. . .next to chocolate and sushi and steak, Mexican is one of my all time favorite food.  Like most people, I think the chips and salsa & guac are lots of the reason that I love Mexican food so much!  Normally when I have Mexican food, I probably eat more chips then actual food. ..about an hour or so after dinner, when I was on the phone talking to another one of my friends wanting to try Plexus I realized that I literally had no more then 5-10 chips with my dinner.  That was completely unintentionally done and I wasn't even aware of it - I was just sharing with my friend all the awesome changes I have been able to make with the help of my pink drink and that just popped into my head!!!!

I think the Food Freedom is right now what I am loving most about Plexus. ..if you have never had a probably saying no to food or always have had willpower to watch what you eat, you might not "get" what I am so excited about and why Plexus is my "magic potion".  But that is okay, there are enough of you who will get it and if you have ever struggled with the mental gymnastics of whether you should or shouldn't eat something and how guilty you feel after for eating something "naughty" then you probably get what I am saying and understand why its so HUGE for me! Freedom to eat or not eat is just HUGE for me. . .now, if they only had a magic potion for doing laundry, that would be just awesome!!!

Pink Drink - Days 14-24

So, what has changed for me in the last 3 weeks since starting Plexus Slim and the Accelerator?  While I haven't won the lottery and I am still short and fat and not tall and thin, I still think there have been lots of wonderful changes that absolutely led me to purchasing another month's worth of Plexus products.

One of the things I noticed just today is that I wake up more energized and ready to go.  I rarely have pressed snooze in the last 3 weeks and I feel like my sleep is better.  Not that I ever noticed a problem in my sleep, but I always pressed snooze a bazillion times and I haven't felt the need to lately.

I am definitely hungry, but NOT AS HUNGRY.  I definitely still enjoy snacks, but I DON'T FEEL AS SNACKY AS I PREVIOUSLY did.

I am not intentionally staying away from crap food, but I find myself just not craving it nearly as often.  Does that mean I don't eat any sweets or chips?  Absolutely not, just not nearly as much or as often.  Usually a taste satisfies me and I have no need for anything more.  I find that if anything, I crave food, like real food instead of desserts.

I am down 5 pounds and 9.75 inches in 3 weeks and I am certainly not complaining at all.

Some other changes - I have not had diet coke or any other iced tea or coffee with any artificial sweeteners in it for 3 weeks and I don't find I miss it as much as I thought.  In truth, I also haven't met any friends at Starbucks lately, so not exactly sure what my drink of choice will be then, but I will figure out something. . .

My water intake has increased drastically - while I don't drink 1/2 my weight every day (how can people be THAT thirsty all the time???), I do drink an average of 70 ounces-80 ounces every day which is far far better then I was previously.

And guess what??? I earned $5 back on my purchases!!  Yep - never in my life with all the MLMs I have ever been a part of , have I had such a wonderfully easy and generous compensation structure! While I did not become an Ambassador to earn income (I became an Ambassador as the products cost less for me that way), I was thrilled and excited to see a little bit of a return on my own purchases!!

You can always check out the products and ask me any questions you want - always happy to share things that I love! 

Pink Drink - Days 4 thru 13

I am in the middle of Week 2 of Plexus Slim plus Accelerator and it is early in the game, but I think I found my happy drink. . .

There is no question that I am not as hungry/snacky while taking these products.  No ifs, ands or buts about it.  And other then 3 times over the last 13 days I have not had anything other then water and with nothing added to it.  I drink an average of 80-90 ounces of water a day - I can't quite get to 100 ounces, but that is more then 1/2 my body weight anyways - for the moment I am shooting for between 85 and 90 ounces.

Some highlights of the last week: 
1) one day I had a rather crappy day, missed lunch and when I was first able to eat, I was ravenous. . .normally I would have eaten anything and everything, but I didn't.  I made good healthy choices and didn't even have mental gymnastics about;
2)  I am eating breakfast (ranges from egg beaters, hard boiled eggs, fruit, smoothie, protein bar, yogurt or something similar with fruit, grains and protein) around 8:30-9:30am and not snacky before lunch which is around 12-1 (or if I am, a banana totally satisfies me!) where as in the past I was continually grazing;
3) I have passed on dessert because I just wasn't hungry - not because I didn't think it was "right" or "wrong" to have dessert while on a "diet"
4) the one or two times I have had frozen yogurt over the past 10 days, the cost of the yogurt (you pay by the ounce) is well under what I used to pay for it and my toppings have not been any of the candy and not because I am telling myself it is "wrong" to have, but because I just don't want it;
5) I went out for a late night snack with my daughter and some friends where everyone ordered wings or a burger or a cookie skillet and I was completely satisfied with 3 or 4 small bites of my daughter's cookie skillet towards the end of the meal - I ordered nothing but water because I wasn't hungry;
6) I haven't pressed "snooze" one time on my alarm - when I wake up, I am ready to go for the most part (that is huge from a habitual snoozer);
7) On Sunday my schedule was all messed up and I didn't have enough water or healthy snacks with me and other then slamming a piece of pizza down, I didn't really have lunch.  It was the one day I didn't drink even 1/2 of my water and I had 2 diet cokes and I was definitely more snacky that day then other days - I found that interesting and am maybe a believer in that artificial sweeteners do make you crave sugary crap.

I am still struggling with whether I should track or not track. . .the other day I felt like I was grazing all day, but at the end of the evening when I look at my fitness pal tracker I was close to 200 calories below my target. .so what did I do?  Despite not really being hungry,  I ate those calories because I keep hearing in the back of my head if I eat too few calories my body will go into starvation and I won't lose. ..so I slammed down 200 calories before bed - kinda silly and stupid in the light of day.

So, I think I am going to try to give myself permission not to track and eat when I am hungry and see how that works and only track water (because I am old and forgetful and if I don't track the water I will have no clue how much I have had for the day) with my choice of lots of fun apps to do that on!

And some of you have asked if the drink is gross? NOOOOOOOOOOOO. .its actually quite yummy! Tastes like a cherry tootsie pop to me!!!

Pink Drink - Days 2 and 3

So far, so good...while I have no complaints (a few struggles which I will share in a minute and should be able to be overcome easily), I have lots of positives.

Someone asked me if I am not as hungry while taking Plexus Slim/Accelerator.  I would definitely say that is accurate for my husband - by 1:30pm yesterday I had to argue with him that a banana and 3 clementines does not qualify for breakfast and lunch and I gave him the old saying that if you don't eat enough your body will go into starvation, store fat, you won't lose weight, blah. . .blah...blah. I think he agreed to eat one more clementine, but that was as far as he went - he just kept telling me that he wasn't hungry and didn't want to eat.  I gave up arguing.  He finally did have a snack around 4:30ish and had a decent size dinner - but not nearly as much as he would eat not being on Plexus Slim.

As for me, I definitely still get hungry - but less food satisfies me then last week.  And I am NOT CRAVING JUNK FOOD at all.  That is what is amazing to me!  And that whole mental gymnastics of "should I eat that piece of chocolate or not" that I have back and forth a bazillion times has been pretty non-existent since I started on Saturday.

I already shared with you in my previous post that I bypassed ice-cream at the Sugar Bowl restaurant when everyone else had some on Saturday night.  My 2nd realization that something is different was on Sunday while teaching my 2nd graders at religious school.  I often use little pieces of candy as bribes/rewards - sometimes you just need that on Sunday mornings and this past Sunday was one of those days. . .so whenever a kid got 2 Hebrew letters correct in a row they got a piece of candy thrown at them.  Now, secretly I get excited for this part of the day because I always partake in snagging a piece of candy or two (or 3? or 4?) - they are in a huge bag in front of me, how can I not have one?  Well, on Sunday I HAD NO CANDY.  Seriously,, none.  Didn't want one and didn't crave one and didn't have any mental struggle - just didn't want one and I didn't have one.  Sadly, I was more worried something was wrong with me then being happy the Plexus must be working!

On Sunday night, I was out dropping my daughter off at a friend's house and my husband asked if I wanted to get something at Frozen Rita's (really yummy frozen custards and frozen ice) and I thought about it and said "nope".  I ended up getting him a small frozen custard and nothing for me - both of those things are huge in that he never gets a small and I never get nothing at a dessert place.

So, all in all - something is working and I'm not complaining!!

Now, my struggles are these:
1) The plan says you need to drink 1/2 your body weight in water, up to 100 ounces. . .that is a lot of friggen water I need to drink.  I didn't get there on Saturday at all.  On Sunday, I probably had 64 ounces but not the 20 more or so I needed.  Again, I was close on Monday - but probably should have had an additional 20 ounces.  This is hard for me, especially because unlike weight watchers other beverages don't count as your liquid - its water, water, and only water. 

2) You can't, or shouldn't, have artificial sweeteners while being on the program.  Well - that throws out my iced teas at Starbucks because they don't have any Stevia or Truvia - only the pink, blue and yellow packets. . .but on the flip side, I guess I can't afford to drink anything else then water considering I can't even get those total ounces in. While perusing facebook and online, I did see that Skinny Girl has a new naturally flavored water enhancers out that might make my water drinking a little easier (the vast majority that are sold are all artificially sweetened and I don't want to go that route) - so I will be on the hunt for those as well as try a bottle of stevia that I hear can be helpful in drinking the water.

So, all in all, many more positives then negative - really no negatives, just some struggles that I am confident will be overcome.

But after day 3, I am saying I am happy with what the pink drink is doing!!

Pink Drink - Day 1

What in the world is the pink drink and why am I drinking it???

The Pink Drink is Plexus Slim from the company Plexus Worldwide (actually located in Scottsdale, AZ!) and basically it is a pink powder that you mix with water (12-20 ounces) and drink first thing in the morning.  The website says  Plexus Slim is the most-natural way to lose weight and inches by burning fat, not muscle. Slim also helps keep blood sugar, cholesterol and lipids at healthy levels. In addition, it helps reduce binge eating and increases your willpower over food.

I also take their Accelerator tablet with breakfast and lunch which when paired with the Slim Plexus drink helps boost energy and metabolism.

Why am I jumping on the pink drink bandwagon?  Because I need to.  I need help and more then just good old willpower and motivation to eat healthy and lose weight.  Over the last 4-5 months I have seen a number of friends rave about their experiences with Plexus Slim and so many people say it made losing weight easier then ever.

No diet plan to follow other then eating healthy and exercising - so no reason this can't be combined with any other healthy eating plan be it weight watchers, paleo, atkins, south beach, my fitness pal, etc, etc, etc. . .in my eyes this is the boost that some of us need to help us be successful. Or at least that is my hope for me if I fall in love with it as my friends have.

So, Day 1. . .

Was nervous to try the drink, but totally fine and kind of tasty.  A cherry type taste. I drank it in a 16 ounce bottle of water around 9 in the morning and then around 10 I had a zone bar and cup of fruit with the Accelerator.

I had lunch around 12:30 from Chipotle - a bowl with chicken, brown rice, veggies, black beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, a little sour cream and NO CHIPS.  My friend had them, but I didn't care or miss them too much.  That filled me till around 3 and I had a bag of French Onion Sunchips and water for a snack.  I wasn't hungry until a quick dinner before going to a movie where I had some chicken & beef teriyaki (normally I eat all the rice, but just a few spoonfuls tonight), a few california roll pieces, 1/2 of a shrimp tempura and water.  I was full!!

Now going to a movie to me is a sin without having popcorn - its almost like I go to a movie to justify movie popcorn.  When we got to the theatre the smell of the popcorn is like a drug that makes me purchase it - hungry or not.  But truthfully - I wasn't hungry and didn't really want the popcorn. ..well, I did feel a bit sad when I was looking at everyone else around me loving on their popcorn, but I was okay in not getting any because I truly wasn't hungry.

Later in the evening a bunch of people went to an ice cream shop where I always get 2 scoops of ice cream with hot fudge, whip cream, peanuts, cherry - all the good stuff!!!   Despite most people around me getting ice cream, I didn't. . .I ordered a dinner salad with ranch dressing and vinegar on the side and ate about 1/2 of it. ..I so didn't care that I didn't get ice cream. . I didn't want it.

My only debate is whether I stay on Weight Watchers and track my food there or go the My Fitness Plan, which there is no cost to. There is really something psychologically problematic to me to have to add calories for fruits and veggies when they are "free" on Weight Watchers. ..so struggling with that for the moment because I do need to track.

If I did go to MFP, today's calories that I consumed were 1297 and because I said I was sedentary and didn't exercise, they put me at a goal of 1250 a day - so according to MFP, I already blew that and I hate seeing that and it kinda makes me feel depressed, even though I felt better about my eating then I have in months. . .but interestingly on the WW food tracker I ate 26 points - exactly my target.

So, I will play around with the trackers and see which works best for me, but in the mean time. . .Pink Drink Day 1 was pretty good!!!

Trying to get Rid of a Toxic Friend. . .

Dear Fat:

We have known each other a really long time.  Almost 45 years. To say that you have stuck with me through thick and thin is really not an exaggeration.  But, I am over it.  For realsies this time.

Over the years we have had some short breakups where I was able to get rid of you for a while - but I always allowed you to find your way back without me really knowing.  Remember when I preferred Nutrisystem to you a few times?  What about Diet Center? That was a really long time ago - probably in high school. How about my all time favorite phen-fen? You were really gone in a flash when I met my friends phen & fen and it was never so easy to lose you and I never thought about you once! But unfortunately when the FDA got involved and took my friends phen & fen away, you came running back to me  .I was never truly happy with Atkins and I know you were laughing in the sidelines while I tried my hardest to stay away from those big bad carbs - but after 48 hours you and I found our way back to each other again. When I met herbalife I thought I was in love, but the headaches and stomach aches and missing of chewing food got the best of me after a while,  and you came running back, as you always do. The thing that was able to put a wedge in between us the most and for the longest time was Weight Watchers.  Weight Watchers was pretty good at keeping you away and helping me to finally be on my way to getting rid of you and hopefully saying goodbye forever. . .but then, I got derailed and instead of staying on track and looking to Weight Watchers for help, you found a crack and slithered your way back in.

I know you well enough by now. You think by growing on me you are making me feel warm & mushy.  I see what you do - you try your hardest to stay and push my healthy Weight Watchers friend away so you can have me to yourself.

Well, I am finally on to you and your game.  I felt so much better 18 months ago after losing close to 40 pounds and lots of inches with my friends Weight Watchers and Exercise. I am not sure how in the world you managed to creep back on me - but you did.  The difference this time is that I remember how I felt when I lost all that weight - lighter, more energetic, craving healthy food and exercise and wanting to shop!  I am really not digging how you are making me feel right now - draggy, lazy, unmotivated and pretty crappy after I eat your favorite foods and don't even think about taking me to a store right now, unless it is to shop for someone else!

So, yes - you might have been noticing a difference this week my old friend Fat.  I haven't been eating as many of the foods as you are trying to send my way - instead I am engaging in some good old mental gymnastics and eating healthier and allowing my true friend, Weight Watchers, to help me.  Yes, I put my big girl panties on and with my head hung low and a bit embarrassed I asked if Weight Watchers would be my friend again (granted with check in hand they really don't ever say no, no matter how many times you kick them to the curb).

I'm not sure why I find it so hard to lose you and make you stay away.  . .its not you personally, but its how you make me feel when you insist on sticking to me and growing.  Yes, for those 5 seconds I soooooooooo love some of that naughty food you waive under my nose or in front of my face so often and sometimes saying no to a warm chocolate cookie seems unfathomable.  But the problem with you around is that there are usually more cookies to come after that one and I have simply had enough.

Interestingly enough the last time I joined Weight Watchers in fall of  2011,  I was 178.8 pounds (gross - I know) and at my lowest on WW the following summer I hovered around 140. . .well, last Saturday when I went crawling back to WW I was the same weight.  The sad thing is that I worked so hard to lose you Fat and somehow you so easily found your way back.

I am not even going to say if you really loved me, you would stay away because I know that you are not able to on your own - I have to be the strong one.  And I know people say you shouldn't break up over the phone or break up in a letter, but I don't know how else to make you understand that this is not a healthy friendship. 

I know that nothing tastes as good as feeling and looking good and because I can still feel how good I felt when I lost my weight I am breaking up with you.  I know it won't be overnight and you won't disappear tomorrow, but little by little and one day at a time you need to accept that this is really a good bye.  .and remember, its not you, it is how I feel when you are with me. 

So as I begin to lose you, little by little, Fat, please do not find your way back to me.  If you feel the need to be somewhere - go find a skinny minny person to hang on. . ..

And to my friends that I eat with or see often - if you see Fat trying to taunt me and trick his way back into my life, please feel free to send him away in whatever method you deem appropriate. . ..

Sometimes a picture is all it takes. ..

People can argue with me til they are blue in the face, but I truly think there are "skinny minded" and "fat minded" people. . .basically, what I mean is that I think for some people the "food stuff" and "exercise stuff" just comes easier and more naturally than others.  I think they are born that way.  And maybe being born with a great metabolism doesn't hurt either. 

Then there are the "fat minded" people, which are not necessarily people who are fat, but people who struggle every day with food and exercise and they have to work really hard at winning the war on food and exercise.

Throughout my journey I have met a number of "fat minded" people who have found their way and are winning the war on food and exercise.  But by their FB and blog posts, I know it hasn't come easy to them and they have lots of blood sweat and tears to know only get where they are, but to stay where they are can almost be harder.  I find these people amazingly inspiring to me each and every day and I will tag those of you that I can via FB.

I am a "fat-minded" person.  Except for the brief period of time in my life when I was on the best drug on the planet phen-fen, I do mental gymnastics with food every day.  Whether I am being on and perfect with Weight Watchers or eating yours, mine and the neighbor's share of points - I ponder about each and every morsel of food that I eat.  Sometimes I don't think and eat and ponder about my bad choice after and sometimes I plan and think and have a fabulous healthy day of eating.  Regardless, lots and lots of time is spent thinking about food.  Either being in control of my choices and thinking about it before, or feeling guilty about it and thinking about it after.

Overall, I am a bazillion times healthier now than I was a year ago.  Even my naughtiest eating moments are far better than what I ate on a regular basis a year ago - let alone what I ate when I was naughty back then.  And I have won many food and exercise battles over the last year, but like my other inspiring friends I have not won the war quite yet.  Currently I am in the middle of a tough battle and the food seems to keep winning more than I would like it too.  I am on and then I am off.  On Friday night I even talked myself into believing that eating McDonald's at 9pm at night for dinner was a good choice because it doesn't agree with me and would go right through me - like my own special cleanse (I am firmly convinced it is the reason for my one pound weight loss at WW).  I had a mostly decent food eating weekend. ..except for the not so good moments.. .but overall, for a person being on maintenance it probably balanced out - but that is not me as  I am a long long way from maintenance.

Last night we went to dinner to Benihana's with cousins to celebrate my upcoming birthday and our cousin's birthday in December.  It was a most delicious dinner and worth every point that was consumed (how can I not have their most delicious fried rice made with tons of garlic butter???) and a great evening spent with relatives.  I was looking forward to having a picture taken to capture the evening!

When I saw the picture I gasped. . .my fat that I have been so successful at losing apparently missed me so much that some of it decided to plant itself right on my face.  The first place it goes whenever it comes to visit.  Ughhh. . .

I immediately pulled up a picture I know I took just a few months ago with a much smaller face.  I kept saying "omg, omg, omg, how did I let this happen"?

My ever fabulous daughter said, "uh yeah, you need to get back to being better with your points, but look at this. . .".  She was quiet and studying my phone for a while and then handed me my phone again and said " But at least you aren't like this picture again, so you are still a lot smaller today, just not as small as the one you just showed me with that really bad haircut."  

I love the honesty of a 10 year old daughter. . .honest enough to acknowledge my face is pudgier today then a few months ago, but kind and loving enough to remember and point out to me I am not as large as when I first started my weight loss journey a year ago.

Its amazing that this morning how I woke up empowered by the words of a 10 year old and the picture collage she made for me. . .

And just in case you were wondering, yesterday it might have been kicking my tush, but  today I am absolutely winning the battle with food. . .

I will win this war. ..its just a little harder (or a lot harder) and taking a little longer (okay, a lot longer) than I first thought.  ..

I am Cheating on My Diet and It Needs to Stop. ..

Ok, I'll admit it. Halloween did me in.  I had every intention of sticking with my healthy eating and exercise program, but it all went to sh#t over Halloween. More than likely, I probably consumed upwards of 3,000 calories. DAILY. But who really knows. . .I lost track.  From October 31st thru TODAY.  But instead of turning ten bad days into a month-long diet detour, I am once again picking myself up & getting back on the diet bandwagon. Or the healthy eating and exercise train.

I know.  Its never too late and thank god tomorrow is a new day and specifically WEIGHT WATCHERS WEIGH IN DAY.   I have every intention of being fabulously appalled when I step on the scale - its just what I need. 

I have used Allie's theater schedule as an excuse as well, for far too long actually, to my crappy eating.  If theater is going to be her world for now, with soccer, guitar, Hebrew school and homework thrown in then I have to just go against my grain and start planning better for better food choices.

A dinner of popchips and diet coke at the theater is not cutting it because then I am ravenous when I get home and am eating everything quick, easy and junky.  

Next week I know going in that I am leaving the house at 5 something and not returning until 9 or 10 something EVERY.SINGLE.NIGHT because its Tech Week for Seussical Jr.. . .so yes, I will pack a little lunch box of healthy food choices - or know what food choices are at Scottsdale Fashion and figure out the points before my day starts. . . I really have no other options.

I need to start my week off right with a good workout. Hit the gym. I need to get back to my Couch to 5K program. . .Rich is returning back home and Allie will no longer be sleeping in my bed and my cold is virtually gone. . .NO EXCUSES.  Working out has to be a priority and getting my body moving because I have to get rid of those extra calories I have consumed.   I need to make sure I am back to drinking lots of water - 32 ounces of ice tea a day is probably not a valid substitute.  I need to get back to journaling/tracking/blogging - write down what I eat, how much I exercise and how I am feeling. The things that worked for me when I started this last November.

Most of all, I realized my success in the beginning was because certainly helped by the fact that I started with a friend and life got in the way and we no longer go to WW meetings together.  On a daily basis for months, we talked about points and food choices.  It was in the forefront of everything I did.  I totally need to recruit a partner, or partners, in crime to help me get back on track and make it through the holiday season without packing on the pounds. 

It is my 44th birthday on November 21st, what better gift to give myself this year than the gift of being able to get back on track to doing what I need to do to wear that friggen TANK TOP ONCE AND FOR ALL?

Wanna be my partner in crime at Weight Watchers? 

Zumba. . .its like my chocolate of all the flavors of exercises!

What is it about Zumba that I love so much?  I actually have no rhythm and I pee in my pants when the instructors tell us to make sure our salsa moves are sexy. But its the best hour of exercise to me in that I rarely look at the clock and time flies by and I just LOVE it.  I love the music and I am always a little sad when the class is over and that is NEVER me when it comes to the end of my exercise time with any other form of exercise.

Not to  mention its a pretty good workout - I burned 413 calories today and in the world of Weight Watchers, that is 5 activity points I earned.  Or in translation, I can eat 5 more points of food if I so chose without going over my daily points.

I used to do Zumba in the spring a few times a week - it was typically my only exercise.  But due to scheduling, I rarely go to Zumba now - maybe only a few times a month.  While Zumba is my fave exercise, its at my least fave time of day - 4:30 and 5:30 pm.  Between homework, Hebrew school, chorus rehearsal, theater rehearsal and did I mention homework, its just a really yucky time for me.  Its sooooooooooooo easy to blow off because of all the other things that hit around that time of day. I found that I was not going far more then I was going to the gym and starting to feel sluggish.

I have discovered that working out early in the morning works best for me - from a scheduling aspect as well as setting a good eating tone to the day.  Somehow if I got my tush out of bed early to work out, its less tempting to eat crappy.

I tried Step class in the morning - I really don't dig it.  The dance moves are way to complicated for me and one week I managed to slip off the step and fall flat on my tush/back with my legs up to the ceiling.  Fortunately it was much more humorous than permanently painful. 

I tried Spin, but at my gym at the hours I need, they turn the lights off and play slower music and the time creeps by for me.  Its some kinda Zen Spin or something - I need fast loud music and a peppy instructor. 

 I tried the stair master, but man its different than the last time I belong to a gym, like in the 80s.  This Stair Master was scary!  It was like revolving steps and I couldn't figure out how to start them or stop them, so I skipped that machine!

The treadmill is just plain boring to me.  Its like vanilla, not  even french vanilla.  Just vanilla.

So on the days that I can't go to Zumba, I hit the gym around 6am and I do the elliptical and bike and weights.   Sometimes circuit weights and sometimes kettlebells.   I don't love them as much as Zumba - but I like them and I do them and my workout is done. And I will admit, there is something mentally stimulating/challenging about pumping iron - however light my iron my be. 

So, like any well rounded person - one cannot live on chocolate alone and I have learned to expand my exercise tastes.  But after being fortunate enough this weekend to go to two Zumba classes, I realize nothing tastes better than chocolate !!

If you workout, what is your chocolate?

Its All About the Tanktop!!

Someone on Facebook sent me a very nice message yesterday, just patting me on the back for not giving up and recommitting myself to this whole exercise/eating healthy thing.

I can't tell you how much any type of enouragement means to me. ..its like my drug that keeps me going.

Next she said to me is that regardless of weightloss, I must just feel so much better than I did before.

Guess what?  I didn't feel so bad before.  Really.  

I wasn't anymore tired or perky than I am now (ok, maybe a little more tired now because I still go to bed ridiculously late and get up super early to workout) and while admittedly staying away from greasy and fried foods has been the biggest gift to my digestive system, its not like I feel this miraculous health improvement than before.

Maybe had I felt crappy, I would have been more motivated to lose weight earlier, and to stick with it.  My doctors have always commented that I was one of the healthiest overweight people they saw.

So, what keeps me going if not the huge inside health effects that I don't necessarily feel?  Now, don't read this wrong and get all fiesty and think that I am saying healthy eating and exercising is not any more or less healthy than eating the voluminous amounts of junk food I was previously eating.  I am NOT saying that.  I clearly know that eating right and exercising is such a better choice -I am merely saying that I wasn't feeling so awful before that I feel so amazing now.  I kinda feel the same.  But I AM LOOKING DIFFERENT.

And that my friends is what keeps me going.  The smaller bra size.  The smaller pants size.  The loss of a few of my chins.  That is what allowed me to get my tush out of bed this morning and workout out at 6:15am.  That and the fact that I am not in my tanktop. . .yet.

Continuing on My Journey. . .Rather then Starting Over

I knew something was different when I signed up for Weight Watchers the billionth time last November.  Just wasn't sure what it was that was different.  But as I started on the WW program and was 100% perfect until April, I just knew it looked and smelled and felt different this time.

It was just as hard as previous times, but perhaps I wanted it more and so it was easier to stick with. ..

Perhaps by putting out in the Cyberspace land via blogging and Facebook it would have been too humiliating to quit. . .

Or maybe I liked the compliments I was getting from people.

Or perhaps I liked the feeling of "clean eating" as I ditched soda (other than occasionally drinking it if going out for dinner) and got away from the frozen WW or Lean Cuisine meals in exchange for fresher and less processed foods.

Or maybe I liked getting all the little stickers and claps at the WW meetings every time I would lose.

Or maybe it was going from a 44 DD bra to a 38/40 C/D (depending on where I got it) and going from a size 18/20 pants to a 12/14.

Or maybe it was just all of those things together that kept me going 100% PERFECTLY from November to April. 

Then BOOM. . .I was no longer perfect.  I was lucky enough to get to be a chaperon on my daughter's 4th grade field trip to the Grand Canyon and while I didn't consume all the junk food that was surrounding me, I didn't track and didn't eat 100% perfectly.  And for me, that started a slippery slope of watching what I was eating, but not tracking and therefore, really having no clue how much I was or was not eating. Fortunately I was still working out 3-4 times a week.

I didn't skip WW meetings, I still went and I would gain 2 and lose 1, gain 1.5 and lose .25 and soon my all time low of 152.2 started creeping up and up and by the end of May it was 157.  I got my tush into gear and by June it was back down to 154 and then summer camp for my daughter began.  And then we hosted teenagers from Israel for 2 weeks.  And then my daughter became immersed in the world of musical theater as she went to dance workshops, an audition and then rehearsals for a local theater company's production of High School Musical.  And then. . .And then. . .And then. . .And then after 2 months of not tracking and having ice cream or frozen yogurt almost every day of the summer I went back to WW and had a very disturbing weigh in at 164!!! OMG. . .WTF. . .

My few pound weight gain in April/May that I started reversing was now a major weight gain and instead of having lost 25.6, as of July 14th I was at 164, having lost 13.8. . having gained 11.8 pounds between April and July 14th.

Well, I can happily say that as of 2 weeks ago I am back on track, weighing 162.4 for a 1oss of 15.4 pounds from when I started in November (yet, almost a little more than 10 pounds more then my lowest of 152.2 in April). 

Did I quit and start again?  Gosh, that sounds so harsh. ..I don't think I quit because I really thought I was eating relatively ok.  I wasn't eating the junk food.  I wasn't eating fast food.  I wasn't having fried food.  What I wasn't doing was working out - I stopped making my way to the gym or the living room for a workout video in June.  I also wasn't tracking and I wasn't drinking my water and I was eating too much and certainly enjoying way too much frozen yogurt and ice cream.  I wasn't mindful of my eating at all.

I am embarrassed to tell you that sometimes I went with Allie & her friends for gelato after camp and then after dinner when my husband suggest frozen yogurt, I didn't say no.

But I have gotten back on track and so instead of saying I quit, I'd like to say I took a detour.  Because to stay I am starting over again meant I quit and I really don't think I quit.   And truthfully, I am really sick of stopping and starting diets over and over again.  I was just lost for a bit.

I now know if I bite it, I need to write it. . .just because I think I am doing "okay" food wise, doesn't mean I am when I really have no clue what I have eaten and am not tracking.  I also need to know that life doesn't always have the same schedule and will change and often get crazy and to be able to stay on track during those times is when I know I have truly conquered my food battles.

But no, I didn't quit and restart. ..the ups and downs are just part of my weight loss journey and my last detour hopefully made me a little more aware and a little smarter for the next time life wreaks havoc on my schedule and routine.  And I am finding with a child who likes to play the guitar, participate in musical theater and play soccer, balancing all that with the homework of a 5th grader is never going to be easy and calm and routine like. . .

But for now, I have had a really good two weeks - eating within points, tracking and working out 11 out of the last 12 days for a minimum of 30 minutes and have drank at least 64 ounces of water for the past week. . .this is a good part of the journey.

The Power of Friends

Not long ago, I seemed  energetic and determined to start my "last diet".  I began WW with enthusiasm and hope.  I watched my  food intake diligently, began exercising in January and 100% avoided any and all "naughty" foods because they were my trigger foods.  And those were hard to say no to because they are all around me:   in my house, as a Mom of a 9 year old; in my Judaica class as students brought in snacks each week; and at various parties, restaurants, etc.  But I stayed away and said no. 

I was were confident that I was going to reach my goal once and for all without problem!!!  And best of all, I was joining WW with friends and there is power in numbers!

Well, somewhere along the last 6 weeks my motivation has been decreasing faster than the pounds are falling. The first 25 pounds (well, probably closer to 20 now) were relatively painless to lose.  Well, not painless, but my excitement and motivation were far stronger than the daily eating challenges.  And then I got really into working out - or so I thought, as I stopped it as quickly as I started it.  Allie's extra-curricular activities took on a schedule of their own and it became harder for me to figure out a time to go then just not go.

Then for various scheduling reasons my friends and I were no longer able to go to the same meeting times together and BOOM, I didn't track one day.  And then I ate something naughty.  And then I continued to eat and not track and not exercise.  And naughty food is my trigger and once I didn't track, didn't exercise and didn't make the best healthy choices I ate and ice cream sandwich and a frosting covered cookie and potato chips.

And then I freaked and said WTF?????

I realized I didn't want to go down this path and wanted to get back in the groove but needed help.  So, I immediately said to my friend Steffanie, I am willing to get up early on Saturday mornings and go to WW meetings together if you are - I really need you and am so much better together than on my own.  Fortunately she was feeling the same pain (although I don't think she binged like I did!) and totally agreeable to jump back on the proverbial diet "bandwagon".  And then my girlfriend  Erica was mutually happy to hear this and happy to go to Saturday meetings with us. . .

The one thing I have realized though is that while I have been lazy about tracking and not really knowing the amount of points I have consumed each day for the last few weeks, other than the other day, I have not gorged and binged and all my foods have mostly been healthy.

But it did start with one ice cream sandwich and it was downhill from there.

I know myself - I cannot still have that junk food and count it as my points and be okay with that.  It is my trigger food to enter a land of naughty eating.  So please don't tell me I can have just one and just count the points.  I obviously can't.

Maybe I was naive thinking this would happen without hiccups.  Maybe a better way to look at this is simply that this is life and I'm glad it was just a few weeks of being off track. I am also trying not to listen to the little bird tweeting in my ear "well, hello, if you have been not 100% the past few weeks and are STARTING FRESH tomorrow, eat everything you want today." 

Wherever today takes me food wise it will take me. . .but really excited about going to WW in the mornings and to the gym right after and getting back on track with the POWER OF FRIENDS right next to me!!

Days 61-67 - Nothing like catching a picture of yourself

Ok, let me just get it out there.  . .yesterday someone took a picture of me from the side (clearly without my knowledge because that just would never be allowed until I am SMALLER. . .) and I just saw it today online. . .and well, WHOLLY GUACAMOLE. Its one thing to look overweight. . .its another thing to look pregnant. . .but fat AND pregnant when you are not pregnant?  Well, if this isn't natural motivation to stay on program and continue exercising I don't know what is. . .Seriously, I am waiting for the comments of "I didn't know she as pregnant" to "when are you due" . . .Ughhh!  And really, I'm not going into a depression or need anyone to tell me that i am beautiful as I am. . .I am just calling it like I see it - THOU SHALT NOT TAKE A SIDE PROFILE PICTURE OF ME UNTIL I AM A SMALLER PERSON. . .Ok, moving on. . .

A couple of weeks on Facebook a friend of mine mentioned that the teachers at her school started a challenge to see if they could exercise for 30 minutes a day for 30 days in a row.  I was fabulously inspired and motivated by that idea and I put it out in Facebook land to see if anyone wanted to join me in such a challenge!  I was so excited when I started getting comments from people that they wanted to do this with me and 8 days into our challenge, I am thrilled with the results!!!

We have an active group that posts their exercise on a daily basis and I have had friends say that without this group they wouldn't have exercised - I love love love the power of Facebook and group activities.  I know myself that i can't remember the last time (ever??) I exercised 8 days in a row and I know its all because of the accountability of a group of people.  And we have a range of people from my end (couch potato) to those that are significantly more active  - but it doesn't matter what you do - just that we are moving our bodies in a consistent way that lots of us haven't done before.

I have never been shy  of telling everyone that I need people with me, behind me and on the side of me to accomplish this losing weight thing and I am so appreciative and love our Facebook group. . .some people have emailed me and asked if we can continue past day 30. . .WOW! Truthfully, I hadn't even thought of that, but why not??? 

Another big change this week for me is that I am trying a new WW program called Simply Filling Technique.  Basically under the traditional program, you eat within your points and with the exception of certain Good Health Guidelines (or GHGs as the world of WW calls them), as long as you eat within your daily and weekly points you are good and on program.  But as time went on, I realized there as a bit more to it. 

I know those of you that are already much healthier than me might be tempted to say "DUHHH'. . .but really, hold your comments. ..I didn't get to be pleasantly plump with making good choices, right? 

One of the things I was noticing was that there were better food choices (power foods) and some less filing food choices and then of course, the not such good food choices. . .A 2 point Fiber One granola bar was a nice convenient quick snack, but not nearly as satisfying as some tuna on a piece of low calories wheat bread for the same 2 points. . .

I was also noticing that I was HUNGRY quite a bit. ..not starving, but always wanting to snack, never truly "satisfied". . .I began to look at my husband's diet and in awe of how he was no longer hungry and not snacky.  The biggest difference?  He was eating a lot more protein then I was. . .and he eliminated ALL PROCESSED FOODS from his diet.  Whereas I was having a frozen WW lunch EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.  We would sit down at a meal and have the same salmon for dinner and he was "satisfied" after 3/4 of it and I always ate the whole thing. . .not that there was anything wrong with that as I always weighed it and it was in my point allowance, but I had no clue (nor a care) if I was full or "satisfied". ..my points said I could have it and therefore I ATE IT.  Always.  Every.single.bite. . .I found I was "scared" to use my points earlier in the day, so I horded them til night. ..therefore, hungry during the day and having a big dinner (hello - isn't that the wrong meal to have as my largest??).  I also decided for the amount of liquids I was drinking, i wasn't peeing enough. . .now, in the best of circumstances I retain water, but eating all this processed foods I am sure didn't help the situation. . .So, I decided that I needed to try to eliminate processed foods and eat more satisfying foods. . .or "power foods" as WW refers to them as.

WW refers to certain foods as "power foods" - those identified by Weight Watchers as having the ability to keep you full and provide good nutrition. Fresh and frozen fruit, the majority of vegetables, whole grains, non-fat dairy, lean meats, light breads and broth-based soups are all considered power foods. Choosing these foods can help you to feel full longer while staying within your Points Target. Although Power Foods are recommended on the Points Plus program, you can choose other foods that may be less healthy if you can fit them into your Points Target.

In addition to the typical Points Plus program where you track and stay within your points target, WW has another program called the Simply Filling Technique where PointsPlus values of those foods. Eat portions that feel right for you. Not so much that you feel too full, and not too little that you still feel hungry.

So, I decided to start that last Friday and see how it goes for about a week or so.  I am still weighing my food to make sure I don't eat too much. ..but guess what?  So far, I am truly not as hungry!!!  I have stayed within my points every day and I am not nearly as snacky. ..Today for breakfast I had Light Yogurt (2 points) with bananas and 1/2 cup of Fiber One Cereal (2 points) and a banana (zero points) and i wasn't even hungry till I had lunch.  For lunch I had 1/2 cup of tuna (2 points) with 2 pieces of Sara Lee wheat bread (2 points) and grapes.  I had a Clementine a bit later and now I am eating Edamame as a snack (2 points ). ..and at 4:08pm I have only eaten 10 points and most days by now i have eaten anywhere between 12-16 points.

So, what I find interesting is that I have overall consumed less points, but much more satisfied. . .I think one of my big problems were the WW frozen lunches (and quite often breakfasts) were totaling anywhere between 11-15 points for both and they were not very satisfying and high in sodium.

Now, let's just hope the all powerful scale will show me some love this week and not have the new plan backfire on me. . .

Days 56 - 60 - When God passed out the Skinny Gene, I think He Skipped Over Me. .

So I have been on Weight Watchers for about 2 months now, or 8 weeks and as of today I have lost 12.8 pounds. . .clearly I am right smack in the middle of the average .5 - 2 lb weekly weight loss one should have.  Won't lie to you, I would be happier if it was at the 2 lb average, but I'm not and I'm kinda sorta okay with it.

There are things that I could do to be "more perfect" on WW and maybe lose faster. . .maybe have more water and less ice-tea. ..maybe not go into my weekly points Allowance 2-5 points a day. ..maybe stay away from a daily banana (yes, a LARGE one). . .maybe have less processed and therefore less sodium infused food. . .maybe have more cooked veggies and less raw ones with salsa. . .maybe not go out as much and guesstimate on some foods where no NI information is available for that  restaurant. . .oh yeah, and maybe do that exercise thing more. . maybe, maybe, maybe. . .but as of today, I'm not and again, I'm kinda sorta okay with that. 

I was sharing this with someone the other day and they told me that yeah, they went on WW once and they didn't lose on it and it doesn't work.  Hello. ..I am 12.8 pounds lighter, it works.  There are things I could maybe do to speed it up, but if this is supposed to be a lifestyle change, I am trying to find something that I can live with, right?  I have decided that anytime someone blames a diet for not working, it is just silly.  Its user error, not the diet.  Maybe WW or Atkins or South Beach or Medifast or Caveman isn't the perfect fit for a certain person, but if followed, all diets work. . .if not followed, you don't need to be a brain surgeon to figure out you won't lose weight . . .of course I am excluding someone that has medical issues that are preventing them from losing weight.  But people - stop blaming the diet...so silly.

So, someone else says to me that they think its great I have been doing so well on WW and now "you must see how easy it is to eat healthy".. .And this is where I think people have the thin gene. .or not.  No, I don't friggen see how easy it is. ..its not easy - doesn't mean its not better, but no, for me, its not easy.  I love love love junk food and I love to grab easy things and I love to go out and I don't like cooking.  And I love to eat.  So no, its a daily struggle for me.  As a matter of fact, I am quite convinced I think about food more now than when I ate like crap. ..I am constantly tracking my food, looking it up and planning lunch based on dinner or dinner based on lunch, etc. . .I'm totally okay with this and an happily choosing to eat healthier (I want to wear that tank top you know!), but no, doesn't not mean this is easy for me. 

But whereas I am thinking about food all the time, guess what I am not doing anymore?  I am not leaving meals feeling bloated and overly full. .I am not having the mental gymnastics of whether I should or should not eat something and the beating myself up if I did eat junk food. . .And while being on WW is a daily struggle for me, I would not give it up for anything right now. . .I feel empowered and better than I have in a long time and I love not feeling stuffed and beating myself up for bad food choices that I know I would continue to make. . .so yes, I am embracing all the reasons to eat healthier and lose weight, but no, after day 60, it is still really hard for me.  Just sayin'. . .

Days 39 - 55. . .I made it through the holidays and there is 12.8 pounds less of me!

First of all I have to say that I am so glad I have decided to share my weight loss ups and downs with my friends via blogging and facebook. . .why?  Because I thrive on the support and cheers I get from everyone!!  The power of praise and support is invaluable and right now its my drug of choice. . .I have had a few people say that they would never feel comfortable talking about their weight and the food they eat and the pounds they lose or don't lose in such a public format.  I ask why not?  Their answers range from its private to they don't want everyone looking and expecting them to be thinner every time they see them to they don't want to disappoint if it doesn't work to they don't want people knowing and asking them about it.  Well friends, for those that know me, that is not me.  I wear my heart on my sleeve and its not like my weight is a secret. . .if you know me, you know I have quite a few extra layers of maternal tissue and the more people that know what I am doing, the more supporters I have out there and that is what works for me now!  So, once again, thank you for supporting me - I love it and appreciate it soooo much. . .but we still have a really really long way to go. . .another 40 pounds to my first goal. ..

Soooooooooooooooo, I have made it through the holidays with a weight loss and I would be lying if I didn't say that I wasn't happy about that. . .I worked really hard at it and I'm so glad the scale showed me some love today!!  And when I say I worked hard at it, let me be clear, I am really only talking about tracking what I am eating and staying within my daily and weekly points and trying to make good food choices.  Exercise has yet to make a regular appearance into my world.  I think about it.  I want to do it.  But sometimes it just doesn't happen.I even signed up to be a part of Kirstie Alley's 100 days of Dance, but other than read the emails and look at the videos of others dancing, I have not made the jump yet.  Wait, I did dance quite a bit over the last week to Allie's new Just Dance Abba Hits on the Wii. ..love love dancing to Abba!!!  Interesting, I had so much fun doing it, I didn't even think of it as exercise. . .

I made a FABULOUS discovery recently.  PB2 - a powdered peanut butter that is an amazing substitute for traditional peanut butter at a fraction of the points.  Basically you take 2 TBS of the powder and mix with 1 TBS of water and the concoction makes 1 TBS of "peanut butter" for 1 POINT ONLY!!!  Pure awesomeness!  It has turned into a delicious afternoon snack for me, especially when I put the PB2 on MoonPops. . .

WHAT ARE MOON POPS?  They are almost like a Rice Cake, very airy and have a similar taste. They don't really have a taste until you top it with your favorite toppings! And while Allie likes to put Nutella on them (way beyond my points!), I love putting PB2 on them, as well as my 3 point tuna salad.  And at 1 point for 3 of the Moon Pops, that makes me a very happy camper!! 




Some other exciting news is that I did buy 3 new pairs of pants last week. . .I was previously wearing 20/22 (yes, I know. . pants actually do go up that high and higher and I can't believe I am actually sharing that with you!) and I was happy to notice they were falling off.  They even fell off a time or two in front of Allie over the past week and  while I wanted to wait to get clothes, I realized I HAD to have something.  Soooooooooooo, I bought 3 pair of $10 pants (walmart can be a beautiful place!) size 16/18. ..a long long way from looking good in that tank top I want so much, but yet, a good start!

I leave you with this final comment. . .in my meeting today I heard a woman say that more important to her than "looking good" is to be fit and healthy and to feel fit and healthy. . .you know what went through my head?  that is all fine and good, but damn I want to look good in a tank top

Day 33-38 - Too Scared to Eat. . .

I had another nice weight loss last Wednesday at my weight in - down 1.2 for a total of 8.8 pounds. . .and yes, I love the stickers and clapping that happens at the WW meetings! I will admit - I am so motivated to do well because I know I will get weighed every week and the look on the weigh-in lady's face says it all.  The one week I went up .2. . .yes,  .2 pounds brought a very different look on her face than when I lost.

I didn't have any fabulous food discoveries this week. . . .although I was very excited to learn that the latkes we buy (Golden Potato Pancakes - sold at Albertson's & Safeway) were only 2 points when they are baked and not fried!! 

We had some friends over for a holiday White Elephant Party  (went through close to 100 latkes for about 30 people and some people told me on Sunday that they only got one or none because they went flying off the plate so fast!) and it was potluck.  People were supposed to bring appetizers or desserts and we were providing latkes and drinks.  At the last minute, Rich & I bought lots of fruits and veggies as we were nervous that everyone would bring yummy food that we shouldn't really eat on our diets.

Well, glad we did because other than one friend, everyone brought really yummy dips and food and desserts and I had NO CLUE what the point value was on most of anything!!  I totally knew to stay away from the decadent desserts - brownies, cheesecake, cookies, homd made large cookie cake, pumpkin spice cakes.  While I was busy checking the point value for potstickers that someone made, they disappeared so quickly that I didn't get to have one!  Someone brought those yummy Hebrew national pigs-in-a-blanket (I always find it completely wrong to call a Jewish food pigs-in-a-blanket), but they were 8 points for 5 tiny things and so I stayed away from them.  There was some really delicious dips that were chock full of cheese, but stayed away from those too because of not knowing the points - I am sure if I had JUST ONE bit it would be fine, but sometimes for me it is easier to have nothing than stop at JUST ONE.  Someone made yummy chicken tortilla rolls, and I assume they would have only been 2 points or so per piece, but again, not knowing made me stay away.  So ultimately, I found I was too scared to eat the foods because either the points were too high or I didn't know the points and didn't want to eat too much of something unknown.

So, I had 3 latkes for 6 points and lots of fruits and veggies and some hummus (about 2 points worth) and then a frozen WW entree at 10:30pm because I was starving!

I wasn't upset about not really eating more at my own party- I know I could have and could have guesstimated the points, but I made a conscious choice and I was okay with that.  I was happy to have some Latkes and hummus and fruits and veggies. . .I just found it amusing that I ate so little in the day to save so many points for the party at night and then not eat because I was too scared. . .

Days 29, 30, 31 & 32 - "Mommy - THAT is what you weigh? I didn't know the scale went that high!"

Somehow the days have escaped me and I find I have 4 days to blog about. . .I'd like to say I have been so busy working out that I haven't been near the computer, but that just would not be true.

Allie and I actually have picked up a new hobby - knitting on a loom!!  So fun and soooooo easy!!  And keeps my hands too busy for snacking!!


I have had a few fun food discoveries over the past few days - one is that Trader Joe's is just AWESOME for someone on WW.  So many great food options and such good point levels.  Some of my faves are the Cioppino (4 points per cup and 2 cups in the bag for $6); the Shrimp Stir Fry (4 points per cup) and the Chicken Stir Fry (5 points per cup); and the Curry Rice & Veggie Mix at 4 points per cup.  All of these are delicious and surprising filing for dinner with a big salad.  They also have a burrito that is only 6 points - but truthfully, the ones from Costco are much tastier and the same 6 points.  Yes, they are probably "better" for you at Trader Joe's, but I am all about the points and the taste and more preservatives or other "crap" is not going to effect the scale, so for now I prefer the Costco one.

Another fabulous discovery was the Solona Beach Salad at Chompie's. . .it was a fabulous salad with lots of fresh fruit, 2 ounces of chicken, 1 ounces of toasted almonds all on a bed of lettuce and the MOST delicious lowfat/low call yogurt dressing on the planet.  Really.  It was heavenly.  Tasted kind of like an Orange Julius. 

Oh yeah - another yummy snack discovery for 2 points are the 90 Calorie Fiber 1 bars (brownie, chocolate and peanut butter/chocolate).  I always care a zone bar in my purse for "emergencies" - I know my downfall is if I am out longer than planned and get HHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUNNGGRRRY - that is when trouble happens.  And while I do walk around with sliced apples and snap peas on a regular basis, sometimes I really need protein.  And while the Zone bar is great for protein, it is also pretty high in points at 5 points per bar.  While this Fiber One bar might not fill me up for as long - it is certainly more than enough to take the edge of and its very yummy and for 2 points, I think its a win-win.

On the exercise note, I bought a pedometer. .this one!  And let me tell you, while I never hit 10,000 steps since I began wearing it on Saturday, I was much closer on Saturday & Sunday (6832, 8302 on sun., 7409 on sat.).  The irony is that I did 10 minutes of Wii Fit (yeah, I know, not too long, but Allie walked in the room and wanted to do Just Dance with me) and then 40 minutes of Just Dance and I was so excited to start the day out with almost 3000 steps by 7:45am that I thought FOR SURE I would hit 10000 steps by the end of the day.  Yeah, no so much.  And today. . .it is 1:03pm and I am at  a whopping 894 steps. . .who knew I was so sedentary during the day? 

So, my personal challenge is to figure out how to get more steps in my day.  Even the workout in the morning is not going to take care of that, as demonstrated by yesterday.  Somehow, someway I need to figure out how to be more active the rest of the day.. .

My other new experiment is eating 1/2 grapefruit 30 minutes before each meal.  Why?  One of my fave magazines, Good Housekeeping, just had a blurb in it that said eating half a grapefruit before each meal or drinking a serving of the juice three times a day helped people drop more than three pounds over 12 weeks. The fruit's phytochemicals reduce insulin levels, a process that may force your body to convert calories into energy rather than flab.

So, my thought is that I like grapefruit and why not give it a try?  Grapefruits are no points and if it works, it didn't cost me anything and if it doesn't work, no harm done - right?

And finally, when we went to buy the pedometer at REI, the nice cute boy asked me if I wanted him to set it up for me. ..I jumped at his kindness and said yes.  Next thing I knew at the end of the counter he was asking me my weight. .MY WHAT????. . .really??? That isn't even on my driver's license accurately!  So I said "my what"?  Yes, I really said that.  I was stalling. ..not sure why - maybe I was wondering if I said 110 would he question it. . .So he said "your weight.?". ..So I just said it nonchalantly like it was no big deal. And to his credit, to him, it wasn't.  He inputted it and off we went.

The minute we get in the car Allie says, "1#0??? OMG, I didn't know scales went up that high.  . "  Its moments of truth like that, that often work better than any tank stop or size 8 jeans I could ever hang on my fridge would. . .

Day 27 & 28.. .7.6 pound loss!!

Ok, yes, I know its not even 10 pounds yet (have I told you in a week less than me my hubby has lost over 15 pounds on his Caveman diet???), but I lost 3 pounds at my weigh-in on Wednesday and I was really happy.  Almost giddy.  Yep, giddy over the scale.  I know I shouldn't give so much power to that scale, but I do and I was loving the scale on Wednesday.  That brings my total loss to 7.6 pounds in 4 weeks. . .just at that .5 - 2 lb weight loss per week that WW says you will be at if you are on program. . .

After WW I celebrated my loss with a yummy lunch at Chipotle. . instead of my usual 7.5 lunch, I will tell you I had a 14 point lunch.  But my breakfast was so small (3 egg whites for 1 point and fruit), that was okay and I was virtually (okay, 2-3 points more) around the same place point wise after lunch than if I had my 5 point breakfast and 7 or 8 point lunch.  This week what made it 14 points is that I had black beans instead of pinto (forgot that black was 1 point higher) and I had cheese (extra 3 points) and a whole chicken serving instead of half (so 5 points versus 2.5 points).  But it was delicious.

But then it bugged me. . .why did I celebrate with food? I am still clearly in that mindset of celebration equals food.. .I mean it was fine to go to lunch with my friend Karen, but why not call it a lunch and eat the same way I had last week?  Why call it a celebration and eat more?  Yes, I tracked and yes I made conscious choices, but again, why celebrate with food?  Hmmm. . .I am sure it just in my DNA and a large (no pun intended) contributor to why I am where I am weight wise.

The rest of the day went by uneventful. . .oh wait, I did make an exciting discovery.  Regular sour cream has only 1 point for 2 tablespoons and I have not found anything else yet to be as satisfying on a baked potato. . .I was happy to know that at least in moderation and much more sparingly than before, I don't have to give up my sour cream.  And while there are lots of food that can be swapped for light or fat free, sour cream just doesn't cut it for me in that department.  Neither does veggie dip for me. . .I need either full fat or no dip at all. ..so I am learning to munch on my raw veggies plain or with salsa for no points.  Sometimes I will do 2 tablespoons of hummus with my veggies for a protein filled and low point snack. 


I did set my alarm to get up early and workout on Thursday. . .but I didn't.  Oh, I got up early alright. . .Allie woke us up at 5am and said her loose tooth HAD to come out NOW (that is Rich's department, so not mine) and even though Rich was the one to deal with it (which it still wasn't loose enough to come out), he got back in bed and was snoring in seconds and I couldn't go back to sleep. So, I played on my phone, finished watching Hawaii 5-0 from 3 weeks ago and then realized I was too late to work out. . .

For my late afternoon dairy snack I did have a grande Skinny Cinnamon Dulce Latte from Starbucks for 3 points - it kept me warm while Allie's was playing soccer and satisfied some of my dairy requirements for the day.  I figure that 1 cup of skim milk is 2 points and not nearly as satisfying or exciting as my Starbucks drink. ..that was a brilliant move on my part, I think!

I got creative for dinner and had a Morning Star Veggie Griller for 3 points, 1 cup of couscous (7 points) with cilantro, tomatoes and onions all mixed up. . .it was very good and very filling. .

So I am facing a challenge tomorrow (Saturday) night that I am already stressing about.  Its an event with my temple, I think its called a Dessert Reception.  Do you see the word - DESSERT???

So, do I hope they have fruit and stick to that?  Do I carry fruit with me?  Do I print off a sheet of every possible dessert on the planet and save 10 points for the end of the day and figure out the points as I see the desserts?  Its the first time since I have been on WW that I have been thrown into this situation and I just haven't quite decided the best approach for me yet.

I am trying to look on the positive side. . in the past I probably would have had the attitude "oh, just be careful and do what you want and you can start on program again the next day and just don't track" - this time I have no interest in doing that, I want to stay on program and not set myself up for failure.  And really, sweets are a trigger food for me and I'd really prefer to stay away from them.  I have managed to stay away from them (other than the WW frozen treat I have at night for 2 or 3 points) and I think that, FOR ME, is a huge part of staying on program.  I can't have JUST ONE.  Once I have JUST ONE - I want more, and more, and more. . .
And then I kind of think isn't it sad that more than 24 hours before, I am worrying more about the food aspect then looking forward to seeing friends and having a good time.. .but that brings me back full circle and so much of a good time is surrounded by food and how hard will the mental gymnastics being playing in my head when I see the food spread tomorrow evening.

Makes me wonder if all my skinny minny friends who I see rarely touch food at parties (yes, those are the moms that always refuse birthday cake at kids' birthday parties.. .and for the record, I never have yet- I mean, I love cake - well, so long as its butter cream frosting.  The whip cream frosting I can say no too...) have mental gymnastics going on in their heads or not. .. probably not and that is why they are naturally thin.  I like to refer to as the Thin Gene- you either have it or you don't.  I mean overweight people can get thin and work hard towards it -but usually with lots of hard work and self-discipline and mental gymnastics.  Those with the Thin Gene just are. . .I'd like to bottle up their DNA and spray some on when it comes to Dessert Receptions.

Days 25 & 26 - How in the World Can You Start a Diet Before the Holidays?

If I had a dollar for every time someone has said/asked that to me over the last 26 days, I could certainly pay for WW next month.  My answer is always the same and very simple - I WAS READY.  Really - that is my answer.  Nothing more and nothing less. 

I had devoured one too many of Allie's Halloween candy bars and I had hit my low.  My bottom.  And while every day is a struggle for me and I truly take it day by day, for the first time in years and years I have to say that for me I am in that zone that Nothing Tastes as Good as Looking Good. . .at least for this 5 seconds.

A friend asked me today if she should also join WW.  Or if she should do another diet.  I cannot advise anyone else, I can only go with my experience in that in the past for all the times I started a program after spending time going back and forth in my head as to whether I am ready, I never ever stuck with it.  Never. This time I think it was on  Monday night that I had reached my bottom and by Wednesday I was at Weight Watchers. Not a lot of hemming and hawing  - just doing.

And tomorrow is my weigh-in day and my 4th week on WW. . .I didn't eat too many bananas this week, I didn't go out every night and I didn't exercise and I stayed within my points and only consumed about 1/3 my Weekly Points Allowance versus almost all of them the previous week. . .I really need to scale to treat me right this week.

And I did make a fabulous food discovery tonight!!  Trader Joe's has a Cioppino that is sooooooooo tasty and only 4 points per 1/2 cup - yummy!!! 

Days 23 & 24 - Exciting Food Finds

OK - so let me throw it out there, have not exercised since walking my 1 3/4 miles on Thursday evening. . .Thought about it this morning when I woke up early to pee, but opted to return to the cozy covers of my bed and got sucked into playing Hanging With Friends (which if you ask me is far more enjoyable than Words With Friends) and then it was conveniently too late to work out. . .

Somehow I find the eating part easier to embrace than the working out part. . .hopefully in time the working out part will come easier.

Saturday and Sunday moved on by without anything earth shattering to share.  Although I did discover 2 great food finds.

My first is the restaurant First Watch.  While they have a fair amount of reasonable to low point choices, I had an EXTREMELY low point meal that was satisfying.  A white egg omelet with tomatoes, onions and salsa for 2.5 points and a dry English Muffin for 3 points.  My meal also came with a side of fruit that is of course zero points.  A 5.5 meal, at a restaurant, that was tasty and satisfying - very exciting in my world!

Secondly, thanks to my daily emails from the Hungry Girl, I discovered Tofu Shirataki Noodles.  They were not bad and I might even go so far as to say they were kinda good. . .I will have to experiment more with them as I just used them for a side dish last night.  I had 3 ounces of steak (I shudder to think of the amount of cow I used to consume just a few weeks ago) and 1 cup of these noodles for zero points and 1/2 cup of marinara from Whole Foods for 1 point.  They were certainly more like spaghetti than spaghetti squash pretends to be! :-)

I am looking forward to trying some of the other recipes that Hungry Girl has for these noodles. ..this could be a great find for a carb junkie like me!

Finally, I do think its worth mentioning that I did bypass getting sucked into the donuts that were permeating my class on Sunday for snack that was brought in by not one, but 2 parents.  I busied myself by munching on some air popped popcorn & apples and chatting with some of the parents of my students, but boy did those donuts look tasty every time I looked at them.   And now that I think about it, I had to walk away from donuts at my daughter's soccer practice on Saturday as well.

Where were all these free donuts when I wasn't counting points????