Friday, November 30, 2012

Week 10 and 11 Weigh In!

As I was in Hawaii for Week 10 there is no official weigh in so I'll jump right to Week 11:

+3.0 pounds

Yes, I have had 3 weeks in a row of gains.  And I have been negative points for all three of those week.  Trust me, while I was gone, I knew it was happening.  I did workout while I was Hawaii.  Actually, I had some AMAZING workouts while away, I just happened to eat too much.   I did, however, track EVERYTHING and those gains were COMPLETELY warranted.  It's over.  It's done.  Now, it's time to regroup.

I now have 4 more weigh-ins left for 2012 and I'm going to make the most of them.  I really don't want to set any wild goals because lets face it, those never work, but if I'm going to be honest, I'd like to be down 10 pounds by January 1st (who wouldn't???).  But realistically, I just want to start chiseling away at the pounds I've gained over this month and set myself up for a productive and successful 2013.

Now before I set my goals for this week I'm going to preface this by saying I'm going to be a little harder on myself but just for this week.  I just got back from a great vacation where I allowed myself to slack (big time) and  I feel the need to reel it in this week to help get myself back on track.  Plus at the end of this week, my holiday parties start so I wanna be on course to maneuver my way through those.

This week's goals:
1.  20 AP minimum
2.  Track EVERYTHING
3.  Drink water
4.  Do not eat ANY of my AP  *WHAAAAAAT?*

Yup, I said it.  Also this week, I would love to leave some WP on the table as well.  But for now, I'm making the eating no AP a hard fast goal for the week.

So, how did I do on vacation?

BEHOLD, my complete honesty:

1. I earned 8 AP (these were scheduled workouts) but while on vacation I snorkeled, hiked, did the walking thing to try to remain active without spending too much time in the gym.  I didn't officially count any of that though.
2. I tracked EVERYTHING.  -106 for the week.  Yes, you read that right, that's NEGATIVE 106.  Did I mention I had an amazing time?? ;)

I don't want to come off too flip about the last 3 weeks and the gains.  Believe me, it's pretty much all I think about.  How am I gonna get back on track?  How am I gonna get the weight off?  What on earth was I thinking?  And to be honest, I'm scared to death.  I'm scared that I won't be able to get back on track.  I'm scared I'll gain more.  I'm scared that I've "messed everything up".

These are irrational thoughts, I'm aware, but they are nevertheless running through my mind.  All I can do is stick to my goals because when I do, the weight comes off (weird right?).

So, this week, I will stick to my goals.

Today's menu:
B:  2 eggs + 2 slices toast  + coffee
L:  garden salad + lean cuisine
S:  apple + string cheese
D:  don't know yet

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Mid Week Weigh In

I guess I was wrong about the 2 pounds that were supposed to melt off.

I leave for Hawaii tomorrow and I'm down 0.2 pounds.  I did, however, have an amazing few days workout wise.  Friday I went on a long walk, Saturday I went spinning for an hour, and Sunday I ran 4 miles. 

Longest run in quite some time.  Makes me think I can do my 10k after all.

In other news, as I was packing for my trip I was able fit into shorts and hiking clothes that did not fit in August so victory for me!


I will concentrate on being able to fit in the smaller clothes.  Don't get me wrong, this 5 pound weight gain disturbs me.  It's a mental struggle, I'm just doing the best I can with trying to keep my head in the game.

I'm a little nervous for my trip.  I see it going one of two ways.  I can see me having this very active, adventure filled week where I come back refreshed and healthier.  I can also see the adventure as well as an eating and drinking fest that lasts all 6 nights and brings me back refreshed and heavier.

Here's the thing, I'll workout.  I absolutely will definitely workout.  I'm not concerned about that at all.  It's the eating that will make or break a vacation.  So, my goal is (barring Thanksgiving Day - there's no way to get through that day without some wiggle room) to keep it in check.  Do the best I can and make my choices carefully.

Tis all I can do.

Here's to a great holiday, reasonable eating, and mad, crazy workouts.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!




Friday, November 16, 2012

Weight Watchers: Week 9 Weigh In

+4.4

Yeah.


I'm going to do my best to turn this positive so here goes.

1.  I got in 4 days of working out earning 15 points and burning 1500 calories.
2.  I tracked everything even though I was negative.  Even as I remembered things eaten days later, I went back and added them to the count.

In the past 2 weeks I have gained 5.6 pounds.  Not really what I wanted but it's what has happened.  I'm, however, going to move forward.  I leave for Hawaii in 5 days.  I had planned on being at 179.8 (at least) by the time I left for Hawaii.  As of this morning, I am 186.6.  Now, I'm pretty certain that about 2 pounds of that will come off without me doing anything at all.  Seriously, I could sit on my butt and it would come off.  So, that puts me around 184.  Thus 5 pounds lie between me and my goal.


Is it feasible to lose 5 pounds in 5 days?  No.

Will I do it?  Probably not.

But I'm going to eat and workout as though it were possible.  I want to leave for my vacation feeling awesome.

I will weigh in Wednesday morning and let you know how I do cause I won't be doing a regular Friday weigh-in post.

There are no scales in Hawaii.  Thank God.

Today's Menu:
B:  Egg Whites + Oven Roasted Hash Browns + Bacon + Coffee/Cream/Sugar
L:  Turkey and Cheese Sandwich + Apples (Maybe a salad from Subway if the weather holds and I walk there on my lunch break)
S:  Skinny Latte (maybe)
D:  Grocery store time!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Day Before Weigh In

As of right now, I'm -46 points for the week.  It was pretty much a combination of Tuesday and Wednesday and a hormonal need to eat if you know what I mean.

Tuesday night the cravings hit me like a mack truck and I had McDonald's for dinner and that is what sent me into negative territory.  And then Wednesday night I felt as if I would die if I didn't eat something.   Seriously, not a hunger pang in sight but the need was there.  When I normally get PMS I don't always feel this way, but when I do it's pretty bad.  And thus I went further into the negative.

I stepped on the scale this morning and it was up over 3.5 pounds from last week.  Who knows how much of that is real.  Honestly, I didn't care, I even had the thought "Might as well make it a trifecta because all of my points reset Friday".   I was prepared to eat my way through the day.  I felt gross.  Actually, I STILL feel gross but going all out eating anything I want is not going to fix that feeling.  And as difficult as it is, I decided to stay the course for the day.  Eat my daily points, eat as well as humanly possible, exercise and drink my water.  It's not going to magically fix anything but at least I've reeled it in.

For the moment.


Here's hoping that once I make it home to dinner this resolution will stick. 

I'll be honest, I'm human therefore anything can happen.

And I've been craving Thai food mighty fierce like ;)

Friday, November 9, 2012

Weight Watchers Week 8: Weigh In / Measurements

Weigh In:

+1.2 lbs

Apparently I'm on an every other week trend with weight loss.  For the past 6 weeks, I've alternated between gaining and losing.  The good news is that I'm not losing and gaining the same weight over and over.  The trend is moving DOWN. 

Thank God.

I had to regroup halfway thru this week.  As I said before, I went through my weekly points quickly due to my birthday, and by the time Tuesday rolled around, I was on the verge of eating anything and everything in sight regardless of how many points it cost me.  Thankfully, I reeled it in.  I revamped the menus I had planned and somehow got through it all.

I managed to track everything EXCEPT:  my birthday cupcake and a couple of pumpernickel pretzels that probably slipped thru the cracks.  I logged the pretzels after the fact but to be honest, I'm not sure how many I actually ate.

Regardless of the gain, here is what I'm excited about:

1.  I earned 25 Activity Points.  I had a great workout week burning 2,521 calories according to my HRM.  I participated in a 5k that helped raise money for a great cause and I worked out 5 out of 7 days.
2.  I drank water.  Lots of it.  Maybe not enough before my race (it was unexpectedly hot) but I made up for it after and throughout the whole week.
3.  I tracked everything (except the cupcake!).  This was actually not going to happen but I fought the temptation to let things slide because it was my birthday and tried my best to keep track (stupid pretzels!)
4.  I could have easily gone negative points for the week but I did not.  I really did have to force myself not to overeat.  It's not easy for me.  Sometimes when I let myself have a treat (or 2 or 3) it just opens up Pandora's box and the next thing I know, I've eaten a whole days worth of calories in one sitting.  This is actually probably something I'm going to have to be aware of for the rest of my life.  In any case, it's a major victory.

Another reason to be excited:

My Measurements

Starting Numbers
Chest:  43 inches
Waist:  41 inches
Ribs:  35 inches
Belly Button:  42.5 inches
Hips:  46 inches
Knee:  19 inches
Thigh:  26.25 inches

9/29/12
Chest:  41 inches
Waist:  34.5 inches
Ribs:  34 inches
Belly Button:  35 inches
Hips:  43 inches
Knee:  18 inches
Thigh:  23.5 inches

As of 11/8/12
Chest: 41 inches (-2 inches)
Waist:  34.25 inches (-6.75 inches)
Ribs:  33 inches (-2 inches)
Belly Button:  35 inches (-6.5 inches)
Hips:  42 inches (-4 inches)
Knee:  17.75 inches (-1.25 inches)
Thigh:  23.25 inches (-3 inches)

No matter what the scale says, my inches keep going down.  In fact, I'm able to get back into my size 12 jeans.  I had to say goodbye to wearing them in October of 2011.  It's still an ongoing battle as they aren't a perfect fit but I'm close.  Really close. 

This coming week, I'm going to keep on keepin' on.

1.  20 AP
2. Track it all
3.  Drink Water


Today's Menu:
B:  Egg Whites on Toast
S:  Tall Skinny Latte + apple
L:  Salad + Whole Wheat Spaghetti
D:  ??

Monday, November 5, 2012

5Ks and Birthdays

Oh my.

It was an eventful weekend.  After I weighed in on Friday morning, I woke up Saturday morning and just out of curiosity weighed myself.  It was the lowest weight I had seen yet.

And that victory would be short lived ;)

I had a great birthday weekend.  It started Saturday- very casual and relaxing.  Ordered in some food from my favorite restaurant, rented a couple of movies, and turned in early.

We had to be up early for our race on Sunday.

We participated in a 10k/5k to raise money for the We Spark Cancer Support Centers.  I originally signed up for for the 10k (it would have been my first) but hurt myself over the summer.  I got cleared by my podiatrist to do the 5k just a couple of weeks ago so they were kind enough to change my registration for me.

I hadn't run in almost 5 months and I thought I had done really well preparing with the 2 1/2 weeks I had.  I even eked out two 5ks on the treadmill prior to the race so I was feeling confident.  However, I was NOT ready.  It just so happens that this particular course went along the back-lot of Universal Studios and is crazy hilly.

CRAZY HILLS.

Even so, it was a great workout and I had a lot of fun.



There were over 2000 participants in my run - very crowded at the start.

But we eventually made our way around the sets and got to see some awesome things.





This is the house from The Great Outdoors.

And below is the Phantom of the Opera doing his thing on Wisteria Lane (where they filmed Desperate Housewives).




And we even got cheered on by "Mother" - she's in the house from Psycho.

We ran into a lot of characters along the way:  Indiana Jones, Zorro, Frankenstein, Count Dracula and even the Grinch.  We got to stop at sets from Jaws, War of the Worlds, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Back to the Future amongst others.

I actually was thankful for all the photo ops because it gave me a chance to stop for a second before the next hill came.  But eventually, I did finish.  It's my slowest 5k to date, even without the stops, but I'll take it.




 After the race, we went inside the Universal theme park and rode a couple of rides.  I burned crazy calories that day.  I probably also ate them all back that night :)

Yeah, my planned birthday night (Saturday) turned into a 2 day event to include Sunday.  It's all good.  I counted ALMOST everything.  My mom sent me gourmet cupcakes from Georgetown and I had one and told myself I was NOT going to count my Birthday Cupcake.  I just wanted to enjoy her thoughtfulness on my special day and not worry about calories or points or anything.

And enjoy it I did.

I did, however, track everything else.

So here's hoping my body recoups from the race (I'm still oddly sore) AND the eating.  I used up ALL my weekly points on those 2 days.  Totally worth it, although, usually when I eat all my weekly points back to back like that I tend to have a gain.  Oh well.  I guess we'll see what happens come Friday.

Today's Menu:
B:  Pizza (Yeah, I made pizza for breakfast this week.  I got sick of eggs.  Like really sick of eggs.  Actually eggs and anything breakfast food related.  So, I made a pizza, easy on the cheese and chock full of veggies. And it will be breakfast for the next couple of days.  Sometimes to stay on track you gotta shake things up!)

L:  Salmon + Grilled Veggies + Quinoa Tabouli

D:  Thanksgiving Sandwich :)  I have been craving stuffing lately.  Especially Stove Top Stuffing.  However, if you look at the ingredients in that stuff .. well it's not good.  So, I tried a recipe I found for my own stuffing.  It was surprisingly easy and with a few substitutions came out point friendly.  So tonight, I will make a sandwich that has:  stuffing, chicken, cheese, and miracle whip.  And while that may sound gross to you - it's what I've been craving.  Hopefully it'll hit the spot.

And, it's only 7 points plus.

Add a side of green beans and roasted butternut squash and you've got yourself a makeshift Thanksgiving feast.



Friday, November 2, 2012

Weight Watchers: Week 7 Weigh-In

I lost 2 pounds!


I'm very, very happy about that.  Since July, I've lost 12 pounds total and 7.2 of those are since I started Weight Watchers in mid September.


It doesn't hurt that I've had a lot of events evenly spaced throughout this time that have helped to keep me on track.  My family came to visit me in early October and I worked hard for that.  Today is my birthday (and 5k race weekend) and I wanted to be on track for that.  In 3 weeks, I'll be off to Hawaii for the Thanksgiving break so you KNOW I'm going to be killing it for that (hello swimsuit).   3 weeks after that, my sister and her fiance are flying out (I've never met him) and so that's another goal point.  And finally, we have the new year and I have made a very specific goal that I desperately want to hit.

I had started all this by making concrete weight numbers as my goal for each event but I wasn't hitting any of them.  Instead, I changed it to just hitting the goals that I write about here every week.  You know, the tracking, exercising, water stuff.  I figure, as long as I'm hitting those goals, you know, the things I'm supposed to be doing, then it doesn't matter what the scale says.  Granted, I'd love a loss each week but ain't no way that's going to happen.  And I'd rather my ACTIONS dictate how I feel about a week rather than the scale.  Because honestly, that scale 9 times out of 10 is going to disappoint me.  Plus, I can CONTROL how often I track and all those other little things.  Those are things that, on a daily basis, I choose whether to do or not.  So, being the control freak that I am, I've decided to let my happiness, or sadness, be decided by things I can actually control.

It makes sense to me.

And with that being said:

Last week was .... pretty good.

Goals for Week 7:
1.   I ate all my Daily Points 6/7 days and all my Weekly Points.
2.  I earned 17 Activity Points and ate 15 of them - I didn't hit my 20 but I got sick one day and skipped my workout.
3.  Water:  honestly, not the best.  I definitely need to step it up.  It's finally fall like weather out here and it's crazy dry so I need to start drinking even more than I was before!

This week's goal:

1.  Enjoy my BDAY but don't let it get out of hand!!
2.  Track EVERY LITTLE THING.
3.  Get at least 20 APs.
4.  DRINK WATER!!!!!

Today's Menu:
B:  Coffee/Cream/Sugar 1pt + 3 Egg Whites 1pt + 2 Slices Reduced Calorie Bread 2pts + 1/2 T Smart Balance 1pt.
S:  Apple 0 pt.
L:  Roasted Pepper and Tomato Soup 3pts/cup + Veggie Salad 0pt + 1T light dressing 1pt
D:  ??  something light - not doing bday dinner til tomorrow!


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30 Days to ... by JH is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.