Alright, since the Christmas Party Plan worked out so well for me, I'm going to try my hand at the House Guest Plan because I have TWO coming tomorrow.
My sister and her new husband will be staying with me until Monday night. My sister, bless her heart, is one of those fortunate people who has never had the cruel hand of weight gain grasping at her throat. In fact, she's had 5, YES FIVE, children and has never gained weight. Wait, that's not true. She gained like 50 pounds with the first one but lost it 3 weeks later. When I asked her how she did it, she told me she just did aerobics a couple of times a week until it was gone.
Ugh. Don't you just hate people like that.
Anyway, they are coming and I need to be prepared. The last time my family was in town was 2 months ago and I gained 3 pounds that week. I'd also like to note that the next week I lost that 3 pounds but it's not like I'm bragging or anything ;)
I have a few things on my side. First, they are only here for about 56 hours. Yes, it's a mighty quick trip. Second, they don't have a huge budget as it's that time of year and as I mentioned before she has five children.
So with that in mind lets begin;
Saturday:
They get in at noon, that gives me time to have a low point, filling breakfast, go to the gym to earn some AP points, and then grab a nice sugar free latte on the way to the airport.
I'll probably have a smoothie. The ones I've been making this week for breakfast have been keeping me full for a long time and they run about 4 points. **sidebar: coconut milk in your smoothie. I recently bought some because the store was out of almond milk. It's higher in fat but man does it keep you full - give it a try!** A sugar free latte will run me 3-4 depending on where I go.
However, what will probably be more likely is that when I get up Saturday morning, I'll be running around my apartment like a mad woman doing some last minute cleaning, if things go as planned, I'll get to the gym, if not, I'll skip the gym AND breakfast but either way I'm grabbing that latte.
So, by the time I get them, I'll be out anywhere from 4-8 points.
They will most likely be hungry. I'll take them somewhere cool and we'll have lunch. I'll just make sure that it's someplace that has salad. As I'm the one that knows where everything is, I get to have control over the choices I give them. Score one for being the host! That lunch will run me as much or as little I want. I'll be charitable and give myself 8 points. 8 points is a lot for a lunch especially if I order the right way. Hopefully I won't use them all.
Now I'm out 12-16 points total for the day.
Once I get thru lunch it's lots of running around being a tourist. I won't be giving myself any APs for that but it's nice to know I'll at least be active.
Saturday night. I can pretty much guarantee this will involve card playing and pizza. How do I know this? Because I just know.
Pizza:
Papa John's original crust Cheese pizza (4.5 ounces) = 7 points
Papa John's original crust BBQ chicken pizza (5.4 ounces) = 9 points
Papa John's original crust Veggie pizza (5.8 ounces) = 7
Papa John's original crust Pepperoni pizza (4.9 ounces) = 9
Ok, those are approximate weights for 1 slice of a large pizza. I won't be ordering from Papa John's because we have local options that are great but I'll use this as a guide. It seems as if ordering as many vegetables as possible is the best choice, but I'll make sure everyone gets something they will enjoy.
I also will order a garden salad from the place and use dressing from my fridge. Now, with all that in mind, I plan on eating 2 slices of pizza, my big old salad and hopefully I can call it a night at 15-22 points for the evening. Wow, that's a lot of points for pizza.
The reality of the situation? 3 slices is possible because to be honest, pizza is awesome. My PLAN is two slices.
Total for the day: 27 - 38 (I get 26/day)
SUNDAY:
Whatever sight-seeing we don't get to Saturday will be gotten to Sunday. If I wake up early enough, I'm going to see if I can squeeze in a super quick workout while they are taking their showers. As for eating, I'm going to suggest brunch at a cheap local diner. Of course, since it's local they don't have calorie counts so I'm going to go with Denny's as a reference:
-Veggie-Cheese Omelette (3 eggs, cheese, veggies): 13 points
And don't be fooled, the sides that automatically come with the omelette are not included in those points
-Fit and Fare Omelette w/ turkey bacon (egg whites, cheese, veggies): 10 points
Components of Meal:
-Bacon Strips: 2 points
-Turkey Bacon: 2 points
-Buttermilk Biscuit: 5 points
-2 eggs: 7 points
-egg whites: 1 point
-English Muffin (no butter): 3 points
-Hash Browns: 6 points
-2 Pancakes (no syrup/butter): 9 points
- Sausage Links: 5 points
Ok, that's enough to make an informed decision. We're looking at egg whites, bacon, fruit, maybe an english muffin and coffee. Er, lets say about 7-8 points for breakfast.
More sight-seeing.
Dinner will be Cheesecake Factory. How do I know we're eating at Cheesecake Factory? Because we're going
to see The Hobbit Sunday night and the restaurant is right beside the
theater!
I already know I'm getting something off of their new light menu. I've had one thing off of it, it still came in at around 14 points for the meal but I only ate half of it and I was STUFFED. SO -- I probably will order it again because it was delicious. It was shrimp creole or something like that.
Hopefully I can say no to the bread basket, have maybe one cocktail (they also have a skinny menu for cocktails!! the sangria isn't half bad in case you're wondering)
So dinner: 7-11 points
Let's see: so far, I'm out 14-19 points. Wow, that's not too bad at all. That definitely leaves room for the inevitable...
Krispy Kreme. My sister has an obsession with my local Krispy Kreme. We will undoubtedly go there at least twice.
Original glazed donut: 5 points (2 for 11 points)
Chocolate iced custard filled: 9 points
Raspberry filled: 8
Wow, the clear winner is the original glazed. Done and done.
Krispy Kreme: 5 - 11 points
Sunday total: 19 - 30
I know that's quite the spread but if I stick to the lower end of the plan I can probably dodge some bullets. You know, like the bread basket ;)
MONDAY:
ugh.
Honestly, I have no idea. I'll try to get an idea Saturday or Sunday how they want Monday to go.
This is exhausting.
Ok, first, if we can squeeze in a workout then we will but I'm not going to stress it.
I wish I could just leave this up to chance but I'm on a streak here and I really want to stay in line.
Ok, so I'll pick up stuff for breakfast (4 -6 points), we'll go out for lunch at either a local Mexican place or this Hamburger joint. Hopefully they'll pick the Mexican place because it has this great salad that is just chicken with tons of vegetables. It's really good too. They use rotisserie chicken that you can see roasting in the kitchen. Mexican points: 8 points
Hamburger points: Good lord.
Outback Hamburgers (just the burger w/ lettuce/tomato/onion): 18 points
Outback Bloomin Burger (burger w/ cheese, bloomin onions, bloomin onion sauce, and veggies): 28 points
I'm going to go with a plain hamburger, no cheese, no mayo, and keep the veggies and mustard. I'm sure it'll still be great.
As for sides:
Outback fries: 11 points.
So, I'll eat half: 5 points.
So Hamburger points: 14 (for 1/2 of everything)
Dinner will be something, quick, easy and cheap. And I don't have to eat it if I don't want because while they have to get on a flight to go back home, I get to go back to my house where there are plenty of options.
Dinner points: Whatever I have left - anywhere from 7 - 14 points. That's so easy I can't even begin to explain.
As long as we can avoid another trip to Krispy Kreme ....
I can totally do this.
Sorry for the long post but this REALLY helped me wrap my head around what's to come. I actually feel pretty good. And don't be fooled. This email was 6 hours in the making. Trying to figure out where to go, finding points, making decisions.
In any case, I'm glad I did it.
Oh wait, I just realized I didn't account for Krispy Kreme on Saturday. And yes, she WILL want to go that many times.
Ok, I'll going to declare this here and now. No matter how many times she chooses to go to Krispy Kreme, I will not eat every time. I will follow my guide. If I don't eat them on Saturday, I'll know that on Sunday I can enjoy them.
There, that was easy.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Weight Watchers Weigh In: Week 13
Happy Friday everyone!
Today's weigh-in: -1.4 lbs
Woo-hoo! I'm crazy excited for two weeks solid of losses. Especially when it's this time of year. What did I do this week to get these amazing results? I have no idea. But lets take a look anyways.
Weekly Goals:
1. I earned 9 AP points. Not my usual 20 but I'll take anything I can get. This time of year is rough. I know that's not an excuse but it is, however, a fact. I also didn't eat all of my AP points.
2. I ate 239 points total. On 3 of the 7 days, I did NOT eat my entire 27 points that are allotted to me. I know that's a no-no but it's just what happened. On the flip side, I know for a fact that on some work days I did not log everything I ate. We are getting lots of gift baskets at work and I've had a piece or 2 of chocolate that I never logged.
3. Water. eh.
4. I didn't stress anything. When someone came in with a Christmas gift, I had a piece of chocolate (why is it always chocolate?), said thank you and enjoyed it. I just didn't take anymore. When I couldn't workout, I didn't sweat it. I went to 2 Christmas parties and was completely excited about both because I planned beforehand.
5. Monday thru Friday only I cut down on my consumption of wheat. I guess I shouldn't say cut down on, I basically eliminated it. I'll explain more about that later.
And that's it. Also keep in mind that I'm coming off of 4 straight weeks of gains (about 9 pounds total) including vacation weight gain. I was HOPING that some of that would come off quickly. I'm going to continue hoping that even more will come off before the new year. And in case he's reading this:
Dear Santa,
I'd like to lose 10 pounds before New Year's Eve.
You're the best,
JH
Now about that wheat thing. My boyfriend and I recently watched a program on PBS. Long story short, it was talking about nutrition and yadda yadda yadda. He was intrigued with what the speaker had to say, as was I. A certain way of eating was suggested and we were game enough to try it. But after the new year. One of the suggestions was to cut out gluten. I know, gluten is the fad of the year but without going into too much detail what was said in that program made sense and made us curious enough to try it for a couple of weeks. We have agreed to try it for 3 weeks. Let me rephrase, we are going to try our hardest to get through 3 weeks because that crap is in everything! SO, a little over a week ago, after we decided this, I decided to cut out wheat during my work days to see what it was like. Also, I wanted to ease myself into cutting it out completely come January. So, I decided that during the work week, I just wouldn't eat the obvious source of gluten: wheat. But in doing so, I found myself checking other items for gluten and realized MOST of everything else I eat is pretty safe. Anyway, that's why I cut out the wheat. I'm preparing for January. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to it. BUT, it'll be kind of fun to have a project/challenge and to have someone to do it with.
Today's Menu:
B: Smoothie: coconut milk/frozen fruit/hemp protein + coffee
S: vegetable soup
L: turkey/swiss lettuce rollups + apple
D: italian
Today's weigh-in: -1.4 lbs
Woo-hoo! I'm crazy excited for two weeks solid of losses. Especially when it's this time of year. What did I do this week to get these amazing results? I have no idea. But lets take a look anyways.
Weekly Goals:
1. I earned 9 AP points. Not my usual 20 but I'll take anything I can get. This time of year is rough. I know that's not an excuse but it is, however, a fact. I also didn't eat all of my AP points.
2. I ate 239 points total. On 3 of the 7 days, I did NOT eat my entire 27 points that are allotted to me. I know that's a no-no but it's just what happened. On the flip side, I know for a fact that on some work days I did not log everything I ate. We are getting lots of gift baskets at work and I've had a piece or 2 of chocolate that I never logged.
3. Water. eh.
4. I didn't stress anything. When someone came in with a Christmas gift, I had a piece of chocolate (why is it always chocolate?), said thank you and enjoyed it. I just didn't take anymore. When I couldn't workout, I didn't sweat it. I went to 2 Christmas parties and was completely excited about both because I planned beforehand.
5. Monday thru Friday only I cut down on my consumption of wheat. I guess I shouldn't say cut down on, I basically eliminated it. I'll explain more about that later.
And that's it. Also keep in mind that I'm coming off of 4 straight weeks of gains (about 9 pounds total) including vacation weight gain. I was HOPING that some of that would come off quickly. I'm going to continue hoping that even more will come off before the new year. And in case he's reading this:
Dear Santa,
I'd like to lose 10 pounds before New Year's Eve.
You're the best,
JH
Now about that wheat thing. My boyfriend and I recently watched a program on PBS. Long story short, it was talking about nutrition and yadda yadda yadda. He was intrigued with what the speaker had to say, as was I. A certain way of eating was suggested and we were game enough to try it. But after the new year. One of the suggestions was to cut out gluten. I know, gluten is the fad of the year but without going into too much detail what was said in that program made sense and made us curious enough to try it for a couple of weeks. We have agreed to try it for 3 weeks. Let me rephrase, we are going to try our hardest to get through 3 weeks because that crap is in everything! SO, a little over a week ago, after we decided this, I decided to cut out wheat during my work days to see what it was like. Also, I wanted to ease myself into cutting it out completely come January. So, I decided that during the work week, I just wouldn't eat the obvious source of gluten: wheat. But in doing so, I found myself checking other items for gluten and realized MOST of everything else I eat is pretty safe. Anyway, that's why I cut out the wheat. I'm preparing for January. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to it. BUT, it'll be kind of fun to have a project/challenge and to have someone to do it with.
Today's Menu:
B: Smoothie: coconut milk/frozen fruit/hemp protein + coffee
S: vegetable soup
L: turkey/swiss lettuce rollups + apple
D: italian
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
The Christmas Party Plan
I had my parties on Saturday. The plan held. Sort of ;)
I, somehow, mismanaged my time on Saturday getting ready before the parties. I did not realize we had so much to do and that the first party started at 6pm and was half an hour (without traffic) away. So I begrudgingly accepted the fact that my workout was not going to happen.
Yeah, that was a bummer. I was counting on some of those AP points. However, I accepted it and moved on and told myself to just stay aware all night long.
I also didn't eat what I planned beforehand. However, I ate the same amount of points I had already planned. Just switched it up a little.
The first party was super easy. There was even LESS food on the menu than I was told. I guess I wasn't the only one who ran out of time. Score one for me. And I was having such a good time talking to people I didn't even really care about much else. I left that party well within my allotted points.
Then came the second party.
By the time we got there, pretty much all the good treats and stuff were picked over. And here's a little secret. The host of this second party is not particularly known for their amazing cuisine. I was also kind of counting on that and they did not fail! I know that's a horrible thing to say but score another for me!!! I had two rum and diet cokes and then spent the evening talking to friends I hadn't seen in awhile. I left that party WELL under budget.
I think mentally walking through both parties really helped me. It made me feel like I already knew what was going to happen. When I walked into the first party and the prosecco was on the table, I grabbed a glass and without thinking poured myself half a flute. When it was time to eat, I got my plate and I didn't even think about it. I just took the amounts I had already mentally planned. At the second party, I went to the bar and automatically grabbed the rum and diet coke. Things like that. And the cherry on top was that I had a great time at both parties.
That's definitely a trick I'm going to use again.
Today's Menu:
B: smoothie: coconut milk + hemp protein + frozen pineapple/mango
S: vegetable soup
L: turkey and provolone lettuce wrap + apple
D: probably cod + ratatouille + wild rice
I, somehow, mismanaged my time on Saturday getting ready before the parties. I did not realize we had so much to do and that the first party started at 6pm and was half an hour (without traffic) away. So I begrudgingly accepted the fact that my workout was not going to happen.
Yeah, that was a bummer. I was counting on some of those AP points. However, I accepted it and moved on and told myself to just stay aware all night long.
I also didn't eat what I planned beforehand. However, I ate the same amount of points I had already planned. Just switched it up a little.
The first party was super easy. There was even LESS food on the menu than I was told. I guess I wasn't the only one who ran out of time. Score one for me. And I was having such a good time talking to people I didn't even really care about much else. I left that party well within my allotted points.
Then came the second party.
By the time we got there, pretty much all the good treats and stuff were picked over. And here's a little secret. The host of this second party is not particularly known for their amazing cuisine. I was also kind of counting on that and they did not fail! I know that's a horrible thing to say but score another for me!!! I had two rum and diet cokes and then spent the evening talking to friends I hadn't seen in awhile. I left that party WELL under budget.
I think mentally walking through both parties really helped me. It made me feel like I already knew what was going to happen. When I walked into the first party and the prosecco was on the table, I grabbed a glass and without thinking poured myself half a flute. When it was time to eat, I got my plate and I didn't even think about it. I just took the amounts I had already mentally planned. At the second party, I went to the bar and automatically grabbed the rum and diet coke. Things like that. And the cherry on top was that I had a great time at both parties.
That's definitely a trick I'm going to use again.
Today's Menu:
B: smoothie: coconut milk + hemp protein + frozen pineapple/mango
S: vegetable soup
L: turkey and provolone lettuce wrap + apple
D: probably cod + ratatouille + wild rice
Friday, December 7, 2012
Weight Watchers Weigh In: Week 12
Yup week 12.
You know what that means? When I joined in September I bought 3 months so that means it will be renewing in a week.
Time really flew.
I lost 3 pounds this week. I'm shocked and amazingly pleased. Shocked because I was sick for the first half of the week. I didn't eat crazy or anything, I just didn't get to work out at all. I was super tired all week long, but it was actually a nice little break. I'm pretty sure I'm all good to go back to the gym but honestly, it's HARD to get back into the swing of things after a break. Especially this time of year. There are so many things going on it makes my head spin.
I have 2 Christmas parties on Saturday. Yes, that's TWO on the same day. I'm already tired just thinking about it. The first is a sit down dinner and the second is a cocktail party. I'm doing my best to prepare for the day. I've decided to eat as many power foods as I can leading up to the events. I will DEFINITELY be eating before the dinner because the less hungry I am leading into a sit down dinner the better. It's a German Christmas Dinner. I've seen the menu and it is amazing. It's got dumplings, turkey, stuffing, red cabbage, and other wonderfully rich things. I know the host and I know how much butter will be going into each of those dishes. She always makes an amazing meal and if it was the only party of the evening I wouldn't have to be so stringent but alas, it is not. Once I maneuver that meal, I've got alcohol and even more food to worry about. Alcohol has crazy points. You're looking at around 4 points minimum for one beverage. That can add up pretty quickly. In addition, the host of the cocktail party has informed me there will be a table full of wonderful goodies and treats. Now, when you have a cocktail, or two, what comes next? Mindless eating. Oh yeah, it's going to be a tough night.
So what to do? Have a plan. Here's mine:
Leading up to the party:
1. Eat a good breakfast with as many zero point items as I can. I'm going to do an egg white omelet with lots of veggies and then add turkey to up the protein. This is what I've been eating this week for breakfast and it's been keeping me nice and full til lunch. I think I can swing it one more before I get completely sick of it ;) Once I add coffee, I'm looking at 3 points for breakfast. Not bad.
2. Workout! Get in a good workout. Since I've been off for a week I should be good for a nice long workout. However, I've learned to not push it too hard. When I workout too much, I get crazy hungry. Balance baby! Whatever AP I earn, I'm planning on using this evening.
3. Snack on fruit and vegetables post workout. I already have a bag of cut of veggies, apples and kiwi in the fridge ready to snack on. Add 1 TB of lite ranch and it's a 1 point snack.
4. Eat a good lunch. We have some errands to run so I'm thinking we'll hit a Panera Bread for lunch. I've already gone online to their calculator and figured out lunch. I'll get the You Pick Two: Classic Salad (0 points) with dressing on the side and only use half (1 point for half dressing) and then the Broccoli Cheddar soup and choose the apple for the side. Total points for lunch: 6 points.
5. Before we leave, have a small snack if I'm hungry. Raw veggies with dip. Apple with some cheese. Something like that. The goal: keep points low but filling. Around 2 points if any.
That way I'm heading into the night of a thousand parties eating 10-12 points which leaves me with:
-15-17 daily points left
-however many APs I earned (hopefully around 5-8)
-And Weekly Points
I've told myself I want to use no more than 10 weekly points for Saturday. We'll see. I'll have all 49 points because I just rolled over today but I don't want to have a free for all and then struggle the rest of the week.
So roughly 30 - 35 points for the evening
At Party #1:
1. Have a glass of prosecco (she always serves it) - already looked it up, 4 ounces (1/2 cup) is 3 points. Here's a fun fact for you: a classic champagne flute holds around 6-7 ounces of liquid so when they pour mine, I'll just stop them around the 4 ounce mark which should be around the halfway point. Or better yet, I'll pour my own. Total points: 3 points (note: 3 points for 4 ounces, 7 points for 8 ounces darn you Weight Watchers!!)
2. Take minimal amounts of each food. I'm a master of eyeballing portion sizes. Years of measuring with cups and spoons will do that. I'm going to take about a 1/4 cup of everything that appeals to me and try to get around 4-5 ounces of white meat turkey to fill up on protein. I'd say I'd fill up on veggies, but I'm pretty sure they will be deliciously covered in butter. I've researched each dish I know will be on the menu and if I stick to my 1/4 cup portion sizes I'm looking at 13-16 points for food. One good thing about her dinner parties: it's always just enough food for everyone to have a small portion of everything. There is usually never enough to go around for lots of seconds. This will work in my favor ;)
3. Leave party #1 down as much as 13-19 points
At Party #2:
1. Arrive hopefully with no desire to eat! At least not right away ;)
2. Cocktails like rum and diet coke run 4 points a pop. That's not so bad. I'm going to stick to just a couple of drinks and choose diet mixers. 2 rum and diet cokes = 8 points
3. While I have my cocktails, keep moving around the party and stay away from the food tables. It's too easy to grab and eat without paying attention. Besides, I'm there to mingle not eat dinner cause I already did that!
4. If I do get hungry, stick to protein. At this party, the host is known for smoking all sorts of meats. If I must eat, I'll stay away from the cookies and treat myself to some delicious meat. When I do eat, I'll grab a plate (no grab and eat!) and make myself aware of how much I'm putting on the plate. Best guess: 3 ounce meat = 4 points (add additional 3 points for condiments or additional food)
5. Leave Party #2 down around 15 points.
This is my plan. I'm going to do my best to stick to it and remind myself, it's not about the food, it's about spending time with these people and celebrating.
Today's Menu:
B: turkey + cheese + veggies + egg + egg white + coffee
S: carrot + broccoli + celery + grape tomato + light ranch + kiwi + apple
L: chili
D: ??
You know what that means? When I joined in September I bought 3 months so that means it will be renewing in a week.
Time really flew.
I lost 3 pounds this week. I'm shocked and amazingly pleased. Shocked because I was sick for the first half of the week. I didn't eat crazy or anything, I just didn't get to work out at all. I was super tired all week long, but it was actually a nice little break. I'm pretty sure I'm all good to go back to the gym but honestly, it's HARD to get back into the swing of things after a break. Especially this time of year. There are so many things going on it makes my head spin.
I have 2 Christmas parties on Saturday. Yes, that's TWO on the same day. I'm already tired just thinking about it. The first is a sit down dinner and the second is a cocktail party. I'm doing my best to prepare for the day. I've decided to eat as many power foods as I can leading up to the events. I will DEFINITELY be eating before the dinner because the less hungry I am leading into a sit down dinner the better. It's a German Christmas Dinner. I've seen the menu and it is amazing. It's got dumplings, turkey, stuffing, red cabbage, and other wonderfully rich things. I know the host and I know how much butter will be going into each of those dishes. She always makes an amazing meal and if it was the only party of the evening I wouldn't have to be so stringent but alas, it is not. Once I maneuver that meal, I've got alcohol and even more food to worry about. Alcohol has crazy points. You're looking at around 4 points minimum for one beverage. That can add up pretty quickly. In addition, the host of the cocktail party has informed me there will be a table full of wonderful goodies and treats. Now, when you have a cocktail, or two, what comes next? Mindless eating. Oh yeah, it's going to be a tough night.
So what to do? Have a plan. Here's mine:
Leading up to the party:
1. Eat a good breakfast with as many zero point items as I can. I'm going to do an egg white omelet with lots of veggies and then add turkey to up the protein. This is what I've been eating this week for breakfast and it's been keeping me nice and full til lunch. I think I can swing it one more before I get completely sick of it ;) Once I add coffee, I'm looking at 3 points for breakfast. Not bad.
2. Workout! Get in a good workout. Since I've been off for a week I should be good for a nice long workout. However, I've learned to not push it too hard. When I workout too much, I get crazy hungry. Balance baby! Whatever AP I earn, I'm planning on using this evening.
3. Snack on fruit and vegetables post workout. I already have a bag of cut of veggies, apples and kiwi in the fridge ready to snack on. Add 1 TB of lite ranch and it's a 1 point snack.
4. Eat a good lunch. We have some errands to run so I'm thinking we'll hit a Panera Bread for lunch. I've already gone online to their calculator and figured out lunch. I'll get the You Pick Two: Classic Salad (0 points) with dressing on the side and only use half (1 point for half dressing) and then the Broccoli Cheddar soup and choose the apple for the side. Total points for lunch: 6 points.
5. Before we leave, have a small snack if I'm hungry. Raw veggies with dip. Apple with some cheese. Something like that. The goal: keep points low but filling. Around 2 points if any.
That way I'm heading into the night of a thousand parties eating 10-12 points which leaves me with:
-15-17 daily points left
-however many APs I earned (hopefully around 5-8)
-And Weekly Points
I've told myself I want to use no more than 10 weekly points for Saturday. We'll see. I'll have all 49 points because I just rolled over today but I don't want to have a free for all and then struggle the rest of the week.
So roughly 30 - 35 points for the evening
At Party #1:
1. Have a glass of prosecco (she always serves it) - already looked it up, 4 ounces (1/2 cup) is 3 points. Here's a fun fact for you: a classic champagne flute holds around 6-7 ounces of liquid so when they pour mine, I'll just stop them around the 4 ounce mark which should be around the halfway point. Or better yet, I'll pour my own. Total points: 3 points (note: 3 points for 4 ounces, 7 points for 8 ounces darn you Weight Watchers!!)
2. Take minimal amounts of each food. I'm a master of eyeballing portion sizes. Years of measuring with cups and spoons will do that. I'm going to take about a 1/4 cup of everything that appeals to me and try to get around 4-5 ounces of white meat turkey to fill up on protein. I'd say I'd fill up on veggies, but I'm pretty sure they will be deliciously covered in butter. I've researched each dish I know will be on the menu and if I stick to my 1/4 cup portion sizes I'm looking at 13-16 points for food. One good thing about her dinner parties: it's always just enough food for everyone to have a small portion of everything. There is usually never enough to go around for lots of seconds. This will work in my favor ;)
3. Leave party #1 down as much as 13-19 points
At Party #2:
1. Arrive hopefully with no desire to eat! At least not right away ;)
2. Cocktails like rum and diet coke run 4 points a pop. That's not so bad. I'm going to stick to just a couple of drinks and choose diet mixers. 2 rum and diet cokes = 8 points
3. While I have my cocktails, keep moving around the party and stay away from the food tables. It's too easy to grab and eat without paying attention. Besides, I'm there to mingle not eat dinner cause I already did that!
4. If I do get hungry, stick to protein. At this party, the host is known for smoking all sorts of meats. If I must eat, I'll stay away from the cookies and treat myself to some delicious meat. When I do eat, I'll grab a plate (no grab and eat!) and make myself aware of how much I'm putting on the plate. Best guess: 3 ounce meat = 4 points (add additional 3 points for condiments or additional food)
5. Leave Party #2 down around 15 points.
This is my plan. I'm going to do my best to stick to it and remind myself, it's not about the food, it's about spending time with these people and celebrating.
Today's Menu:
B: turkey + cheese + veggies + egg + egg white + coffee
S: carrot + broccoli + celery + grape tomato + light ranch + kiwi + apple
L: chili
D: ??
Monday, December 3, 2012
New Weight Watchers Program
I'm sick. Nothing too major (knock on wood) but I spent my weekend on the couch with cold medicine. I did, however, manage to help decorate the Christmas tree.
I love my Christmas tree.
I didn't do any workouts in an effort to help conquer whatever bug I have and hopefully the worst is over. Today, my hope is to feel well enough to go do a walk on my lunch break but I'm not going to push it. I usually push it and a 2-3 day bug turns into a week or two event.
It figures I would get sick as I made my goal this week to not eat any AP points. I mean, what kind of goal is that if you don't earn any points?
Moving on.
Weight Watchers changed their program. It feels like they do this once a year now. It honestly doesn't bug me any but what they changed was not the points system or counting or any core thing like that. They changed what I guess you could call the strategies. I haven't really had a chance to look at it that much but from what I have seen it's nothing too innovative. But it's nice to get some new information. Maybe something they put in there will speak to me and make all of this seem like a cake-walk.
Wishful thinking.
My weigh-in is in 4 days. I feel bloated. I'm also cranky - can you tell?
I hope today gets better ;)
Today's menu:
B: breakfast club sandwich (basically a turkey sandwich with an egg white)
S: carrots/broccoli/celery/cherry tomato + dip + apple + string cheese
L: cod + ratatouille
D: chili + sweet potato
I love my Christmas tree.
I didn't do any workouts in an effort to help conquer whatever bug I have and hopefully the worst is over. Today, my hope is to feel well enough to go do a walk on my lunch break but I'm not going to push it. I usually push it and a 2-3 day bug turns into a week or two event.
It figures I would get sick as I made my goal this week to not eat any AP points. I mean, what kind of goal is that if you don't earn any points?
Moving on.
Weight Watchers changed their program. It feels like they do this once a year now. It honestly doesn't bug me any but what they changed was not the points system or counting or any core thing like that. They changed what I guess you could call the strategies. I haven't really had a chance to look at it that much but from what I have seen it's nothing too innovative. But it's nice to get some new information. Maybe something they put in there will speak to me and make all of this seem like a cake-walk.
Wishful thinking.
My weigh-in is in 4 days. I feel bloated. I'm also cranky - can you tell?
I hope today gets better ;)
Today's menu:
B: breakfast club sandwich (basically a turkey sandwich with an egg white)
S: carrots/broccoli/celery/cherry tomato + dip + apple + string cheese
L: cod + ratatouille
D: chili + sweet potato
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
+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!
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!
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 ;)
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: ??
+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.
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).
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!
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!
Friday, October 26, 2012
Week 6: Weigh-in and Goals
Official weigh-in: +0.2 pounds.
While I would prefer the loss here are reasons why I'm happy with the week:
1. I tracked everything. EVERYTHING. Every piece of Halloween candy that somehow made it into my mouth along with all the really good things I ate.
2. I earned 24 Activity Points. So according to my heart rate monitor, I burned 2400 calories this week. That's two thousand four hundred! **note for other ww members out there: I track activity points by giving myself 1 AP for every 100 calories I burn**
3. I ran out of Weekly and Activity Points and still managed to plan it so that I did NOT end the week in negative points.
And here are things I will work on:
1. I need a better ratio of candy to vegetables :) Seriously though, looking back over the week I can see a few places where it would have been better had I swapped a few points plus items for vegetables or fruit. I have felt heavy and bloated all week and I know this is the reason why.
2. My water intake. I started running again recently and that means I need to step it up with water. I get really dehydrated when I run. This would probably also help with the bloat.
3. Usually every week I tend to eat something during the weekend that doesn't necessarily fit into the healthy guidelines. This past week, that treat came out a couple of times during the week days. There's nothing wrong with having treat meals, but I can't let them keep replacing good, healthy, TASTY meals that I've planned for the week.
And as always, track EVERYTHING (especially if I go over) and get at least 20 activity points.
Today's Menu:
B: Whole Wheat Pancakes + egg/egg white + Coffee + bacon + maple syrup (9 pts)
S: apple (0 pts)
L: Ground Beef and Vegetable Soup (made by yours truly: 5 pts)
D: ???
Weight Loss to Date: 10 pounds
While I would prefer the loss here are reasons why I'm happy with the week:
1. I tracked everything. EVERYTHING. Every piece of Halloween candy that somehow made it into my mouth along with all the really good things I ate.
2. I earned 24 Activity Points. So according to my heart rate monitor, I burned 2400 calories this week. That's two thousand four hundred! **note for other ww members out there: I track activity points by giving myself 1 AP for every 100 calories I burn**
3. I ran out of Weekly and Activity Points and still managed to plan it so that I did NOT end the week in negative points.
And here are things I will work on:
1. I need a better ratio of candy to vegetables :) Seriously though, looking back over the week I can see a few places where it would have been better had I swapped a few points plus items for vegetables or fruit. I have felt heavy and bloated all week and I know this is the reason why.
2. My water intake. I started running again recently and that means I need to step it up with water. I get really dehydrated when I run. This would probably also help with the bloat.
3. Usually every week I tend to eat something during the weekend that doesn't necessarily fit into the healthy guidelines. This past week, that treat came out a couple of times during the week days. There's nothing wrong with having treat meals, but I can't let them keep replacing good, healthy, TASTY meals that I've planned for the week.
And as always, track EVERYTHING (especially if I go over) and get at least 20 activity points.
Today's Menu:
B: Whole Wheat Pancakes + egg/egg white + Coffee + bacon + maple syrup (9 pts)
S: apple (0 pts)
L: Ground Beef and Vegetable Soup (made by yours truly: 5 pts)
D: ???
Weight Loss to Date: 10 pounds
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Week 6: I'm Starving
I don't know what it is but I am hungry. Not bored. Not stressed. Hungry. And it's been going on for days.
Maybe it's because my exercise is getting more intense due to being able to run again (I always burn way more calories running) or it's just one of those weeks.
I've been good and tracked everything so far. I've earned over 20 Activity Points and after today I'll have another 3 under my belt if everything goes according to plan. However, I've eaten all of my Weekly Points (49) AND as of right now, the 20 Activity Points I've already earned.
I have seriously become a master of optimizing what points I have left. Fruits and vegetables are my best friends this week due to their 0 point content.
Tomorrow is my weigh-in. I mean, hopefully I'll lose some weight but honestly I just want my points to roll over so I can have a little extra for dinner ;)
Today's Menu:
B: Whole Wheat Pancakes + egg/egg white + 2 slices bacon + coffee
L: Cajun Chicken Pasta
S: Apple
D: Giant Salad with Vegetables + Crab Salad + Chopped Apple **gonna keep it light for WI tomorrow!**
** NOTE: I made a REALLY GREAT cajun chicken pasta this week. Seriously, it's crazy good. I linked the website I got it from in my menu. Check it out, it's a really great resource for food ideas/recipes. The author of the website gives the nutritional information for all her dishes along with old and new WW points. However, on a couple of the recipes I've used the recipe builder and have come up with a different amount of points than what was listed. So just a word of caution - any time you find a recipe online or anywhere even if it has nutritional info listed, always use the recipe builder using the ingredients that YOU are going to use. It just might change things .. drastically.
For instance, her cajun chicken pasta was listed as 8 points plus - I put it in my recipe builder and had to finagle it to just get it to 10 points plus. And while it's only a 2 point difference. 2 points can really add up day after day!
Maybe it's because my exercise is getting more intense due to being able to run again (I always burn way more calories running) or it's just one of those weeks.
I've been good and tracked everything so far. I've earned over 20 Activity Points and after today I'll have another 3 under my belt if everything goes according to plan. However, I've eaten all of my Weekly Points (49) AND as of right now, the 20 Activity Points I've already earned.
I have seriously become a master of optimizing what points I have left. Fruits and vegetables are my best friends this week due to their 0 point content.
Tomorrow is my weigh-in. I mean, hopefully I'll lose some weight but honestly I just want my points to roll over so I can have a little extra for dinner ;)
Today's Menu:
B: Whole Wheat Pancakes + egg/egg white + 2 slices bacon + coffee
L: Cajun Chicken Pasta
S: Apple
D: Giant Salad with Vegetables + Crab Salad + Chopped Apple **gonna keep it light for WI tomorrow!**
** NOTE: I made a REALLY GREAT cajun chicken pasta this week. Seriously, it's crazy good. I linked the website I got it from in my menu. Check it out, it's a really great resource for food ideas/recipes. The author of the website gives the nutritional information for all her dishes along with old and new WW points. However, on a couple of the recipes I've used the recipe builder and have come up with a different amount of points than what was listed. So just a word of caution - any time you find a recipe online or anywhere even if it has nutritional info listed, always use the recipe builder using the ingredients that YOU are going to use. It just might change things .. drastically.
For instance, her cajun chicken pasta was listed as 8 points plus - I put it in my recipe builder and had to finagle it to just get it to 10 points plus. And while it's only a 2 point difference. 2 points can really add up day after day!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Weight Watchers Week 5
I had a really great week results wise: -3 pounds. I made sure to eat right, get in all the good stuff (working out, sleeping, water) and I was rewarded with a decent loss. I even left some of my weekly points on the table and didn't touch my activity points at all. It was pretty tough.
As for my goals ....
Week 5 Goals:
Water: so-so. Mon-Fri was pretty good but Sat/Sun was horrible. I'm pretty positive I drank more coffee than water during the weekend. Not good.
Exercise: 23/21 Activity Points
Tracking: 7/7 days - had 16 Weekly Points remaining and 23 Activity Points remaining
I'm having some problems this week eating wise. I did the planning, the shopping, and the cooking but I just don't want any of it. I'm having one of those weeks where I don't want to eat I just want to snack. My vegetable intake has been lackluster because of it but at least I'm eating my apples. Also, to make matters worse, we have Halloween candy in the house. Probably not the best idea. I finally threw it in a cabinet that's really high up. Hopefully that will keep me at bay. I'm just so bored with food right now.
Working out has been great. I am supposed to be running a 10k next weekend but due to a summer injury, I haven't been running since July and it would be stupid to try to do a 10k so I changed it to the 5k option today. I've been going to a podiatrist and got the ok to run a little over a week ago and managed to eek out a 5k on the treadmill last weekend (very slowly) so I think I'll be ok. It won't be the best performance of my life but my goal is just to not finish last. I think I can handle that.
Week 6 Goals:
Water: Drink water during the WEEKEND
Exercise: 20 Activity Points MINIMUM
Tracking: Every day, every bite ESPECIALLY if you go over.
I did have a small victory last weekend. I had brunch with some friends at the Cheesecake Factory. And I'm sure everyone knows their menu is BRUTAL. Especially the brunch menu. Honestly, it's ridiculous. So, I ordered off the Skinnylicious Menu. I got the shrimp creole. Cheesecake Factory doesn't really give you all the info to calculate points - they only provide calories, saturated fat, and carbs I think. I did a little searching online and found that if you know the calorie count of an item you can get a rough points plus calculation by dividing the calories by 40. So, the shrimp creole (550 calories) was 14 points for the entire thing and since I only ate half I was only out 7 points plus. Add that to the non-fat latte I got (3) and one slice of their honey oat bread (3) with a tiny bit of butter (1) and I got away with only "spending" 14 points plus. Pretty great considering the eggs and bacon breakfast is a rough 35 points plus just by itself. Yikes. And just so you know, it was really, really good. I ate the other half for lunch the next day.
Today's Menu (I get 26 daily):
B: whole wheat pancakes + egg/egg white + bacon + maple syrup + coffee/cream/sugar = 9 pts
S: 1/2 turkey sandwich on reduced calorie bread + apple = 3 pts
L: Ground Beef and Vegetable Soup = 5pts
D: Vegetable Salad + Chicken + haven't really figured it out but it will be 9 pts
My plan this week is to eat all my points (daily/weekly) and leave all my activity points alone. I'm done with my weekly points as of last night (which is a little early but that's ok) so Tues/Wed/Thur I'll be eating 26 points per day. In any case, I find that I have better weigh-ins if I just stick to my daily points in the days leading up to my weigh-in.
As for my goals ....
Week 5 Goals:
Water: so-so. Mon-Fri was pretty good but Sat/Sun was horrible. I'm pretty positive I drank more coffee than water during the weekend. Not good.
Exercise: 23/21 Activity Points
Tracking: 7/7 days - had 16 Weekly Points remaining and 23 Activity Points remaining
I'm having some problems this week eating wise. I did the planning, the shopping, and the cooking but I just don't want any of it. I'm having one of those weeks where I don't want to eat I just want to snack. My vegetable intake has been lackluster because of it but at least I'm eating my apples. Also, to make matters worse, we have Halloween candy in the house. Probably not the best idea. I finally threw it in a cabinet that's really high up. Hopefully that will keep me at bay. I'm just so bored with food right now.
Working out has been great. I am supposed to be running a 10k next weekend but due to a summer injury, I haven't been running since July and it would be stupid to try to do a 10k so I changed it to the 5k option today. I've been going to a podiatrist and got the ok to run a little over a week ago and managed to eek out a 5k on the treadmill last weekend (very slowly) so I think I'll be ok. It won't be the best performance of my life but my goal is just to not finish last. I think I can handle that.
Week 6 Goals:
Water: Drink water during the WEEKEND
Exercise: 20 Activity Points MINIMUM
Tracking: Every day, every bite ESPECIALLY if you go over.
I did have a small victory last weekend. I had brunch with some friends at the Cheesecake Factory. And I'm sure everyone knows their menu is BRUTAL. Especially the brunch menu. Honestly, it's ridiculous. So, I ordered off the Skinnylicious Menu. I got the shrimp creole. Cheesecake Factory doesn't really give you all the info to calculate points - they only provide calories, saturated fat, and carbs I think. I did a little searching online and found that if you know the calorie count of an item you can get a rough points plus calculation by dividing the calories by 40. So, the shrimp creole (550 calories) was 14 points for the entire thing and since I only ate half I was only out 7 points plus. Add that to the non-fat latte I got (3) and one slice of their honey oat bread (3) with a tiny bit of butter (1) and I got away with only "spending" 14 points plus. Pretty great considering the eggs and bacon breakfast is a rough 35 points plus just by itself. Yikes. And just so you know, it was really, really good. I ate the other half for lunch the next day.
Today's Menu (I get 26 daily):
B: whole wheat pancakes + egg/egg white + bacon + maple syrup + coffee/cream/sugar = 9 pts
S: 1/2 turkey sandwich on reduced calorie bread + apple = 3 pts
L: Ground Beef and Vegetable Soup = 5pts
D: Vegetable Salad + Chicken + haven't really figured it out but it will be 9 pts
My plan this week is to eat all my points (daily/weekly) and leave all my activity points alone. I'm done with my weekly points as of last night (which is a little early but that's ok) so Tues/Wed/Thur I'll be eating 26 points per day. In any case, I find that I have better weigh-ins if I just stick to my daily points in the days leading up to my weigh-in.
Friday, October 12, 2012
I Weighed In Anyways
I figured why the hell not. I was quite aware of the negativeness (is that even a word?) of my points so why not face the results.
I gained 3.4 pounds.
And somehow miraculously, it didn't send me into a negative tailspin. It made me excited for a new week, a new set of points, and a new chance to kick some ass. It's a challenge and I love me some challenges. I want to get rid of those 3.4 pounds and then some this week.
Oh, and just for full disclosure. I was negative 87 for the week. Yes, I tracked every last thing I ate.
Wait, I forgot something. Hold on. Make that negative 90.
I want to mention that even though I'm pretty sure hardly anyone is reading any of this, it's still kind of hard to admit things like negative points and weight gain. And while seeing a gain is hard on anyone who's trying to lose weight, it's even harder to admit to others when you fail. Especially when you HAVEN'T been doing everything right. But I really want to try to become better at admitting when I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm a perfectionist by nature. I HATE failing more than anything. And if I can toot my own horn for a second, I'm usually pretty good at EVERYTHING I try. Everything but weight loss. Seriously, I've been on this earth 30 some years and this is the one battle I can't seem to get the edge on.
But I'm trying anyways. And I want to be honest about my wins as well as my losses. Cause fibbing about it won't do me any good. And who knows, maybe my failure will help someone else.
So for those of you that are reading, I ate too much last week. I ate too much and was -90 points. And I knew that I was doing it. And yes, there were alternative, healthier options but I chose otherwise. And if I want losses, I need to choose better. End of story.
As for my other goals, I did not do my best on the water intake for the first half of the week but I quickly got back into the swing of it once my guests left and my life went back to normal. Also, I did NOT get 20 Activity Points in.
I got 21!!
And with that victory, I'll bid you good day.
Today's menu:
B: 1 egg + 2 egg whites + 2 slices reduced calorie bread + 1 slice RF cheese + COFFEE
L: big veggie salad + tuna salad + dressing + banana
D: ?
Will someone please tell me to go grocery shopping already?
I gained 3.4 pounds.
And somehow miraculously, it didn't send me into a negative tailspin. It made me excited for a new week, a new set of points, and a new chance to kick some ass. It's a challenge and I love me some challenges. I want to get rid of those 3.4 pounds and then some this week.
Oh, and just for full disclosure. I was negative 87 for the week. Yes, I tracked every last thing I ate.
Wait, I forgot something. Hold on. Make that negative 90.
I want to mention that even though I'm pretty sure hardly anyone is reading any of this, it's still kind of hard to admit things like negative points and weight gain. And while seeing a gain is hard on anyone who's trying to lose weight, it's even harder to admit to others when you fail. Especially when you HAVEN'T been doing everything right. But I really want to try to become better at admitting when I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm a perfectionist by nature. I HATE failing more than anything. And if I can toot my own horn for a second, I'm usually pretty good at EVERYTHING I try. Everything but weight loss. Seriously, I've been on this earth 30 some years and this is the one battle I can't seem to get the edge on.
But I'm trying anyways. And I want to be honest about my wins as well as my losses. Cause fibbing about it won't do me any good. And who knows, maybe my failure will help someone else.
So for those of you that are reading, I ate too much last week. I ate too much and was -90 points. And I knew that I was doing it. And yes, there were alternative, healthier options but I chose otherwise. And if I want losses, I need to choose better. End of story.
As for my other goals, I did not do my best on the water intake for the first half of the week but I quickly got back into the swing of it once my guests left and my life went back to normal. Also, I did NOT get 20 Activity Points in.
I got 21!!
And with that victory, I'll bid you good day.
Today's menu:
B: 1 egg + 2 egg whites + 2 slices reduced calorie bread + 1 slice RF cheese + COFFEE
L: big veggie salad + tuna salad + dressing + banana
D: ?
Will someone please tell me to go grocery shopping already?
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Negative Points - No Weigh In
I had all good intentions of not letting that -20 points get to me. Well, without going into too much detail, I would like to tell you that as of this morning, I am -68.
Isn't it amazing what 2 days can do.
I didn't do anything too crazy. I ate normally both days except for dinner. I ate out and that's it. I didn't binge or go crazy or do anything too profound. Were they exceptionally healthy meals? Nope.
However, it's a revelation on just HOW off track you can get eating out. I mean, even healthy options are going to set you back. But "normal" options are going to blow you out of the water.
-68 points.
Oh, and just so you know, that -68 INCLUDES the activity points that I earned too! Yeah, I've exercised.
Yikes.
I'm not too down on myself about it. I'm confident I can get back on track. HOWEVER, my weigh-in is tomorrow morning and even though I'm just an online user - I'm going to invoke the no weigh-in pass.
I'm aware that when I step on that scale Friday it's going to be extra elevated by my nights out, and honestly, I don't want to be deflated because of it.
WHEW!
I did a doozy. And honestly, I'm not looking forward to repeating a week like for quite some time. But lets be honest, they're going to happen. I mean, had my family not been in town, I would have had ample weekly points for eating out 2 nights in a row. However, instead, I had like 80% of my meals at a restaurant this past week. The important thing is to get back on track. I don't know about anybody else, but once I get a handful of bad meals under my belt, I start craving bad things: candy, pizza, pasta, junk food, FAST FOOD! So I'm preparing to be uncomfortable for a few days battling those cravings.
But it must be done.
Here's hoping.
Today's Menu:
B: Skinny Vanilla Latte, Spinach Feta Wrap (Starbucks)
L: Apple or Banana, Lean Cuisine
D: Salad Veggies + ?
** I STILL haven't been to the grocery store, which is why I've been eating out, so here's a tip for all of you out there - GO GROCERY SHOPPING!!!**
Isn't it amazing what 2 days can do.
I didn't do anything too crazy. I ate normally both days except for dinner. I ate out and that's it. I didn't binge or go crazy or do anything too profound. Were they exceptionally healthy meals? Nope.
However, it's a revelation on just HOW off track you can get eating out. I mean, even healthy options are going to set you back. But "normal" options are going to blow you out of the water.
-68 points.
Oh, and just so you know, that -68 INCLUDES the activity points that I earned too! Yeah, I've exercised.
Yikes.
I'm not too down on myself about it. I'm confident I can get back on track. HOWEVER, my weigh-in is tomorrow morning and even though I'm just an online user - I'm going to invoke the no weigh-in pass.
I'm aware that when I step on that scale Friday it's going to be extra elevated by my nights out, and honestly, I don't want to be deflated because of it.
WHEW!
I did a doozy. And honestly, I'm not looking forward to repeating a week like for quite some time. But lets be honest, they're going to happen. I mean, had my family not been in town, I would have had ample weekly points for eating out 2 nights in a row. However, instead, I had like 80% of my meals at a restaurant this past week. The important thing is to get back on track. I don't know about anybody else, but once I get a handful of bad meals under my belt, I start craving bad things: candy, pizza, pasta, junk food, FAST FOOD! So I'm preparing to be uncomfortable for a few days battling those cravings.
But it must be done.
Here's hoping.
Today's Menu:
B: Skinny Vanilla Latte, Spinach Feta Wrap (Starbucks)
L: Apple or Banana, Lean Cuisine
D: Salad Veggies + ?
** I STILL haven't been to the grocery store, which is why I've been eating out, so here's a tip for all of you out there - GO GROCERY SHOPPING!!!**
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Weight Watchers Week 4: Month 1
This Friday is my fourth weigh-in on Weight Watchers. That means I've now been following the plan almost one month and I can't believe how much I've taken to this program.
And this isn't my first time trying Weight Watchers.
I first went on the program in 2003. I used it for about 3 months and lost 15 pounds. I got tired of it and went on to use a food journal, while counting calories, and working out HARD and I lost another 30 pounds. Then, about 2 years ago, I moved in with my boyfriend and proceeded to gain around 20-25 of those pounds back. Around Christmas of 2010, I knew I needed to reel it in, so I tried a free 2 week trial of Weight Watchers and just wasn't having it. I just didn't want anything to do with counting points.
Instead I went back to to the food journal, counting calories, and working out religiously since it was how I was so successful with the 30 pounds I had lost on my own. But, sometimes, what you did before to lose weight doesn't always work a second time so I knew I needed a new plan. Then, one month ago, without seeing a commercial or an ad on the internet, I went straight to the WW website and signed up for 3 months of their online program. No free trial this time, I just plopped down the money, a little nervously mind you, and wished for the best. And for whatever reason, something clicked.
Thank goodness.
It's not all gumdrops and lollipops. There are days when it's just plain HARD but nothing worthwhile yadda yadda yadda. You know the drill.
Anyway, the point is. I'm hopeful for the future. Even with the bad weeks that will be inevitably mixed in with the good weeks, I'm hopeful that I'll reach my 10% target weight by the dawn of the first day of 2013.
Very hopeful.
My parents and my brother and sister-in-law were in town this past week, and man does my family like to eat. I was actually stressing this visit because I give my guests complete control over where we eat, how often we eat, and what we eat. And when the majority of your meals come from restaurants, it gets pretty hard. I made a deal with myself though. I told myself that when they chose a place that A) I got to eat at frequently or B) was a cuisine I wasn't a big fan of, I would just chose the most practical thing on the menu. You know, a vegetable or salad with some sort of protein with dressing on the side, drink lots of water, and just enjoy being there with them. And when they chose something that was new and exciting to me, I would give myself some leeway to enjoy the food as well as the company. And when that happened, I automatically found a way to eat the rest of my meals as sensibly as possible.
I also tried to work out as hard as possible every single day to bank as many APs as possible.
I have to say, I think I did EXTREMELY well. Every day, I ate breakfast and lunch on my own and enjoyed dinner with my family. Yeah, I had some high point days but I logged everything. Even when my mom bought these wheat thin crackers that are like CRACK I logged it. Man, those little thing take some major points.
I stuck to my plan all the way until the end. And then I dropped them off at the airport and went back to my empty house.
And I ate pizza for dinner. I knew I was going over my points for the week but I didn't care. I was exhausted from the trip and sad that they were gone and had absolutely no desire to cook anything. I grabbed the left over pizza in the fridge, sat down with my dog and ate dinner by myself.
It was delicious. I can't remember the last time I was that bone tired.
I just updated my log and it says that I am -20 points for the week so far (and that negative number is ALL from last night's pizza dinner). However, I plan on working out today, tomorrow and friday and earning some, if not all, of those 20 points back.
However, there is a lesson to be learned. Since my family was here during the weekend, I didn't get to make my scheduled weekend run to the grocery store so I didn't have an "exit strategy" for when they left. Next time I have out of town visitors (which will be in December) I will make sure to stash something healthy in the fridge or freezer so that I don't have to think or cook, I can just grab and be on track.
Regardless of what my weigh-in says on Friday, I'm super proud of how I did while they were here and how I made my goal to get healthy a priority over the food. Mostly ;)
Today's Menu:
B: Skinny Vanilla Latte + Whole Wheat English Muffin + Lite Cream Cheese
L: Reduced Guilt Baked Zitit + Apple + Carrots
D: probably a trip to Trader Joe's
WW Weigh-Ins:
Week 1: -2.8
Week 2: -1.8
Week 3: -1.2
Week 4: *fingers crossed*
Total Lost Since July 6th: -10.6
And this isn't my first time trying Weight Watchers.
I first went on the program in 2003. I used it for about 3 months and lost 15 pounds. I got tired of it and went on to use a food journal, while counting calories, and working out HARD and I lost another 30 pounds. Then, about 2 years ago, I moved in with my boyfriend and proceeded to gain around 20-25 of those pounds back. Around Christmas of 2010, I knew I needed to reel it in, so I tried a free 2 week trial of Weight Watchers and just wasn't having it. I just didn't want anything to do with counting points.
Instead I went back to to the food journal, counting calories, and working out religiously since it was how I was so successful with the 30 pounds I had lost on my own. But, sometimes, what you did before to lose weight doesn't always work a second time so I knew I needed a new plan. Then, one month ago, without seeing a commercial or an ad on the internet, I went straight to the WW website and signed up for 3 months of their online program. No free trial this time, I just plopped down the money, a little nervously mind you, and wished for the best. And for whatever reason, something clicked.
Thank goodness.
It's not all gumdrops and lollipops. There are days when it's just plain HARD but nothing worthwhile yadda yadda yadda. You know the drill.
Anyway, the point is. I'm hopeful for the future. Even with the bad weeks that will be inevitably mixed in with the good weeks, I'm hopeful that I'll reach my 10% target weight by the dawn of the first day of 2013.
Very hopeful.
My parents and my brother and sister-in-law were in town this past week, and man does my family like to eat. I was actually stressing this visit because I give my guests complete control over where we eat, how often we eat, and what we eat. And when the majority of your meals come from restaurants, it gets pretty hard. I made a deal with myself though. I told myself that when they chose a place that A) I got to eat at frequently or B) was a cuisine I wasn't a big fan of, I would just chose the most practical thing on the menu. You know, a vegetable or salad with some sort of protein with dressing on the side, drink lots of water, and just enjoy being there with them. And when they chose something that was new and exciting to me, I would give myself some leeway to enjoy the food as well as the company. And when that happened, I automatically found a way to eat the rest of my meals as sensibly as possible.
I also tried to work out as hard as possible every single day to bank as many APs as possible.
I have to say, I think I did EXTREMELY well. Every day, I ate breakfast and lunch on my own and enjoyed dinner with my family. Yeah, I had some high point days but I logged everything. Even when my mom bought these wheat thin crackers that are like CRACK I logged it. Man, those little thing take some major points.
I stuck to my plan all the way until the end. And then I dropped them off at the airport and went back to my empty house.
And I ate pizza for dinner. I knew I was going over my points for the week but I didn't care. I was exhausted from the trip and sad that they were gone and had absolutely no desire to cook anything. I grabbed the left over pizza in the fridge, sat down with my dog and ate dinner by myself.
It was delicious. I can't remember the last time I was that bone tired.
I just updated my log and it says that I am -20 points for the week so far (and that negative number is ALL from last night's pizza dinner). However, I plan on working out today, tomorrow and friday and earning some, if not all, of those 20 points back.
However, there is a lesson to be learned. Since my family was here during the weekend, I didn't get to make my scheduled weekend run to the grocery store so I didn't have an "exit strategy" for when they left. Next time I have out of town visitors (which will be in December) I will make sure to stash something healthy in the fridge or freezer so that I don't have to think or cook, I can just grab and be on track.
Regardless of what my weigh-in says on Friday, I'm super proud of how I did while they were here and how I made my goal to get healthy a priority over the food. Mostly ;)
Today's Menu:
B: Skinny Vanilla Latte + Whole Wheat English Muffin + Lite Cream Cheese
L: Reduced Guilt Baked Zitit + Apple + Carrots
D: probably a trip to Trader Joe's
WW Weigh-Ins:
Week 1: -2.8
Week 2: -1.8
Week 3: -1.2
Week 4: *fingers crossed*
Total Lost Since July 6th: -10.6
Friday, October 5, 2012
Weight Watchers Week 3: Measurements and Weigh In
I truly believe that I could have the most perfect, healthy diet and it wouldn't be enough for me to lose weight. Now, I can't substantiate that claim, it's just a gut feeling I have ;)
Working out is so important. Especially strength training. And it wasn't until I did p90x that I realized how awesome it REALLY is. I mean, I read the studies, I knew the facts. But, after doing p90x and watching my waist lose inches like crazy, I was a believer.
I started p90x with a waist of 41 inches. And in that first week of p90x I lost 2.5 inches. Yes, 2.5 INCHES - just off my waist!
And as of today:
Waist: 34
Chest: 42
Rib: 34
Belly Button: 35
Hip: 43
Thigh at knee: 18
Thigh: 23.5
(original measurements below:)
Waist: 41
Chest: 43
Rib: 35
Belly Button: 42.5
Hip: 46
Thigh at knee: 19
Thigh: 25.25
That's 7 inches now just off of my waist. I love it! And my belly button area - that's a loss of 7.5 inches too! What I'm finding lately is that my waist/hip area is losing slower but my legs are now starting to tone up. And honestly, I don't care how my body chooses to lose, as long as it keeps losing.
And speaking of losing. Today was my weigh-in. I did NOT lose 3.8 pounds. I lost 1.2 pounds. I'm really happy with that.
How did I do w/ my goals?
I did NOT get my 20 AP. I got in 15AP but I swapped out eating points instead of earning AP. I don't really count that goal as a victory but since I couldn't workout I chose to eat less than normal on a couple of days and I'm happy I had control of everything to do that.
I got my water in! YEAH
I got ONE strength training workout in. Not bad but not a complete victory either.
And I DID track EVERYTHING! YEAH!
50%. I got in 50% of my goals.
Now for this week's goals. I'm going for the same four again. I WILL complete them all eventually.
1. 20 AP
2. Water EVERY DAY
3. Track EVERYTHING
4. Strength train 2 Days
Today's menu:
B: 1 egg + 2 slices reduced calorie bread + Coffee
L: Restaurant: vegetable salad + nacho appetizer (shared w/ boyfriend)
D: Tomato Bisque + Wheat Thins and Cream Cheese
Dessert: Pomegranate and Coconut Pinkberry yogurt topped w/ fresh raspberries
Working out is so important. Especially strength training. And it wasn't until I did p90x that I realized how awesome it REALLY is. I mean, I read the studies, I knew the facts. But, after doing p90x and watching my waist lose inches like crazy, I was a believer.
I started p90x with a waist of 41 inches. And in that first week of p90x I lost 2.5 inches. Yes, 2.5 INCHES - just off my waist!
And as of today:
Waist: 34
Chest: 42
Rib: 34
Belly Button: 35
Hip: 43
Thigh at knee: 18
Thigh: 23.5
(original measurements below:)
Waist: 41
Chest: 43
Rib: 35
Belly Button: 42.5
Hip: 46
Thigh at knee: 19
Thigh: 25.25
That's 7 inches now just off of my waist. I love it! And my belly button area - that's a loss of 7.5 inches too! What I'm finding lately is that my waist/hip area is losing slower but my legs are now starting to tone up. And honestly, I don't care how my body chooses to lose, as long as it keeps losing.
And speaking of losing. Today was my weigh-in. I did NOT lose 3.8 pounds. I lost 1.2 pounds. I'm really happy with that.
How did I do w/ my goals?
I did NOT get my 20 AP. I got in 15AP but I swapped out eating points instead of earning AP. I don't really count that goal as a victory but since I couldn't workout I chose to eat less than normal on a couple of days and I'm happy I had control of everything to do that.
I got my water in! YEAH
I got ONE strength training workout in. Not bad but not a complete victory either.
And I DID track EVERYTHING! YEAH!
50%. I got in 50% of my goals.
Now for this week's goals. I'm going for the same four again. I WILL complete them all eventually.
1. 20 AP
2. Water EVERY DAY
3. Track EVERYTHING
4. Strength train 2 Days
Today's menu:
B: 1 egg + 2 slices reduced calorie bread + Coffee
L: Restaurant: vegetable salad + nacho appetizer (shared w/ boyfriend)
D: Tomato Bisque + Wheat Thins and Cream Cheese
Dessert: Pomegranate and Coconut Pinkberry yogurt topped w/ fresh raspberries
Eggplant Rollatini in Tomato Sauce
I like to make at least one meal every week. I make sure it has at least 4 servings so that on the mornings I'm rushing to pack my lunch or when I get home from work and don't feel like cooking anything, I'll have something easy to fix.
I also try to make sure it falls within a reasonable about of calories (or now points plus) so around 300-400 or what I figure would be 4-7 points plus.
This week I chose to make Eggplant Rollatini in Tomato Sauce - it was a recipe on Weightwatchers.com but I modified it a little to suit my own tastes and it came out to 5 points plus per serving.
Eggplant Rollatini in Tomato Sauce
I also try to make sure it falls within a reasonable about of calories (or now points plus) so around 300-400 or what I figure would be 4-7 points plus.
This week I chose to make Eggplant Rollatini in Tomato Sauce - it was a recipe on Weightwatchers.com but I modified it a little to suit my own tastes and it came out to 5 points plus per serving.
Eggplant Rollatini in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
| 1 large uncooked eggplant(s) | |
| 1 Tbsp table salt | |
| 1 cup(s) (shredded) part-skim mozzarella cheese | |
| 2 item(s) egg white(s) | |
| 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg | |
| 2 cup(s) Trader Joe's© Refrigerated - Cottage cheese | |
| 2 cup(s) Trader Joe's© Grocery - Marinara sauce | |
| 1/2 cup(s) basil | |
| 1 tsp sugar | |
| 1/2 tsp Gefen Ground Black Pepper | |
| 1 tsp Kroger Garlic Powder |
Instructions
| ||||
| I REALLY meant to take pictures but I completely forgot. This was AMAZINGLY good and we ate it up immediately. Hence, the no pictures part. The only change I would make is to use more eggplant. I had more slices of eggplant than would fit on my baking sheet so next time I'll just roast them in 2 batches and use all of it. | ||||
And next time I will DEFINITELY take pics. | ||||
Friday, September 28, 2012
Weight Watchers Week 2
I weighed myself this morning and I'm down 1.8 pounds!
And this is my progress to date: (I started WW on September 14th)
-->
And how do you read this lovely chart? So glad you asked. Wi = my Weigh In and I don't know why but I've always written my weight minus the 1 so the 93 = 193. Dif = the difference in weight from one week to the next. The rest of the columns are my measurements. Ch = Chest, Rb = Rib, Wst = Waist, Bb = Belly Button, Hp = Hip, Th = Thigh, Kn = Knee.
I need to take updated measurements. I did it a couple of days ago but to be honest, it was halfhearted and I try to be really particular when I do it for more accurate readings. Also, the measurements at the top without any date are my starting measurements from my first day of p90x back around Feb/March.
And when I entered my new weight into Weight Watchers I got a lovely message that my daily points value has gone down. I'm now rocking 26 daily points to be used with my weekly anytime 49 points.
And now I have to go redo my menu for next week because it was based around my previous daily point value of 27.
Good times.
And since it is Friday, that means I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel for my menu today!
Today's Menu:
B: 2 eggs + 2 slices reduced calorie bread + Coffee/Cream/Sugar
L: Tomato Bisque (my recipe) + orange + cheese sandwich
D: I haven't completely decided but I have some produce I need to use up so some sort of salad will be involved.
Or maybe a vegetable soup!
Or maybe some sort of vegetable pasta sauce over whole wheat noodles!
And since it is a new week here are my goals:
Strength Train TWO DAYS: 1 upper, 1 lower
Track EVERY SINGLE DAY + EVERY SINGLE BITE
Earn at least TWENTY Activity Points (for me 20 = 2000 calories burned)
and
Drink my water PARTICULARLY on Saturday and Sunday (which I did last weekend. Yeah me!)
My family is coming to visit me next week. I had originally intended to be in the 179s by the time they got here (actually 179.8 because my scale reads in 0.2 pound increments). As of today, I am about 4 pounds from that goal (3.8 to be exact). I have never lost 4 pounds in a week. Do I think it's possible to do? Maybe. I have enough to lose that it wouldn't be unheard of if I pulled a 4 pounder. What am I gonna do? I'm going to go for it! I'm going to eat as clean as possible, workout as efficiently as I can, drink my water, and stay positive. And that's all I can do. And come next Friday whether I have a 4 pound loss or ANY loss or even .. ugh ... a gain ... well, then I shouldn't feel bad because I'll have done all I can do.
Right?
RIGHT!
And this is my progress to date: (I started WW on September 14th)
-->
| Day | Wi | Dif | Ch | Rb | Wst | Bb | Hp | Th | Kn |
| 35 | 41 | 42.5 | 46 | 26.25 | 19 | ||||
| July | |||||||||
| 6-Jul-12 | 93 | ||||||||
| 13-Jul-12 | 89.2 | -3.8 | |||||||
| 20-Jul-12 | 88.6 | -0.6 | |||||||
| 27-Jul-12 | 87.4 | -1.2 | |||||||
| August | |||||||||
| 3-Aug-12 | 86.2 | -1.2 | |||||||
| 10-Aug-12 | 85 | -1.2 | |||||||
| 17-Aug-12 | 85.8 | 0.8 | |||||||
| September | |||||||||
| 24-Aug-12 | 84 | -1.8 | 42 | 34 | 34.5 | 43 | 26 | 18.75 | |
| 31-Aug-12 | 87.8 | 3.8 | |||||||
| 7-Sep-12 | 86.2 | -1.6 | |||||||
| 14-Sep-12 | 88.2 | 2 | |||||||
| 21-Sep-12 | 85.4 | -2.8 | |||||||
| 28-Sep-12 | 83.6 | -1.8 |
And how do you read this lovely chart? So glad you asked. Wi = my Weigh In and I don't know why but I've always written my weight minus the 1 so the 93 = 193. Dif = the difference in weight from one week to the next. The rest of the columns are my measurements. Ch = Chest, Rb = Rib, Wst = Waist, Bb = Belly Button, Hp = Hip, Th = Thigh, Kn = Knee.
I need to take updated measurements. I did it a couple of days ago but to be honest, it was halfhearted and I try to be really particular when I do it for more accurate readings. Also, the measurements at the top without any date are my starting measurements from my first day of p90x back around Feb/March.
And when I entered my new weight into Weight Watchers I got a lovely message that my daily points value has gone down. I'm now rocking 26 daily points to be used with my weekly anytime 49 points.
And now I have to go redo my menu for next week because it was based around my previous daily point value of 27.
Good times.
And since it is Friday, that means I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel for my menu today!
Today's Menu:
B: 2 eggs + 2 slices reduced calorie bread + Coffee/Cream/Sugar
L: Tomato Bisque (my recipe) + orange + cheese sandwich
D: I haven't completely decided but I have some produce I need to use up so some sort of salad will be involved.
Or maybe a vegetable soup!
Or maybe some sort of vegetable pasta sauce over whole wheat noodles!
And since it is a new week here are my goals:
Strength Train TWO DAYS: 1 upper, 1 lower
Track EVERY SINGLE DAY + EVERY SINGLE BITE
Earn at least TWENTY Activity Points (for me 20 = 2000 calories burned)
and
Drink my water PARTICULARLY on Saturday and Sunday (which I did last weekend. Yeah me!)
My family is coming to visit me next week. I had originally intended to be in the 179s by the time they got here (actually 179.8 because my scale reads in 0.2 pound increments). As of today, I am about 4 pounds from that goal (3.8 to be exact). I have never lost 4 pounds in a week. Do I think it's possible to do? Maybe. I have enough to lose that it wouldn't be unheard of if I pulled a 4 pounder. What am I gonna do? I'm going to go for it! I'm going to eat as clean as possible, workout as efficiently as I can, drink my water, and stay positive. And that's all I can do. And come next Friday whether I have a 4 pound loss or ANY loss or even .. ugh ... a gain ... well, then I shouldn't feel bad because I'll have done all I can do.
Right?
RIGHT!
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