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!!
Friday, May 25, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Days 61-67 - Nothing like catching a picture of yourself
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. . .
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
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'. . .
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'. . .
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
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
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. . .
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
Monday, December 19, 2011
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. . .
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. . .
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
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. . .
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. . .
Friday, December 9, 2011
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.
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.
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