Surviving the Holidays

Well, I made it through Thanksgiving without gaining major weight, but the fact that I'm up 8 pounds from last April is discouraging enough.

So on Monday, November 28th, Weight Watchers introduced their new PointsPlus program. Yeah, yeah, I thought. Just another way for WW to make money. Everybody is raving about "free fruit" -- no points for fresh fruit on the new program. Okay, I can go with it. I thought I'd get motivated. Nah, same old, same old for the week.

Then last Monday I saw an old friend at my WW meeting. Talk about a positive motivator, she's got me excited again (especially since it's Monday and I get to see her at tonight's meeting) and I tracked all week. Yes, I did!

So my friend says, with her big ol' grin and sparkly eyes, "We can do this! We'll be at goal and WW leaders before you know it!" So I have a new goal. Happy Monday!

Just Let Me Puke!

I have majorly overeaten today. I can't even rehash what I've stuffed into my mouth today, but this is one of the moments when purging doesn't sound half bad. At least my sour stomach and bloated body would find some relieve.

Note to self: Push away from the table, girl! And throw out the ice cream!

Visualize

Tonight's topic at Weight Watchers - yes, I actually went to the meeting tonight - was about visualizing success. It's amazing how we negative self-talk when we still lose weight! A loss of 0.2 pounds is still a loss! Too bad that I'm up a few pounds.

I'm visualizing my 1990 self - 20 years ago when I graduated from college. I think I was 180# and maybe a size 12/14. I could deal with that again!

Keep on picturing it!

It's Easier to be Fat

Some days I am just resigned to believe that it's just easier to be fat. I love to eat way too much.

Balancing Your Hormones

I started reading Jillian Michaels' new book, Master Your Metabolism, this week, and I must say that that girl makes sense when I think about my own struggle with weight and the craziness that seems to be happening in my body.

Jillian suggests that the way to getting yourself in your best shape possible is to first balance your hormones. This means getting those estrogen levels in check, having your thyroid tested, and making sure you are at the right levels of insulin.

I'm about 1/3 of the of the way through the book, and I'm really, really into it. I hope that once I get past the science of my body -- which I'm a big nerd and really enjoy understanding -- I can kick my butt in gear to really "fixing" my unhealthiness.

It doesn't mean cutting out ice cream, but it means enjoying smaller amounts of the real stuff!

Stress Eating

For the past two months, all I have done is stress eat. For two weeks, I pretty much had nabs and a candy bar for lunch every day. Unfortunately, this was because I have had an incredibly, horribly stressful time at work for the past two months.

I should probably be relieved that the stress eating hasn't caused more of a weight gain -- I'm at least 5 pounds up -- but I can't seem to get back into the cycle of good eating and tracking. Part of it is that I'm still a little depressed from work which I'm sure is complicated by the bad eating habits.

I really just want to sit around the house, never go to work again, and eat all day. Thank goodness there is no ice cream in the house.

I Want Candy!

My sugar tooth is calling for candy. I've probably eaten a pound of those soft peppermint candies over the past week. You know the ones I'm talking about; they just melt in your mouth.

I counted the first few that I ate, but after a while, I figured they were freebies. Probably not the right approach because a pound of peppermints is probably a gazillion calories which means a bazillion points.

Mmmmm, this just makes me want homemade peppermint ice cream.

Just Past 16 Weeks

Wow! I can't believe it's been over sixteen weeks that I've been living healthier, for the most part. I'm down 35 pounds! That's about what my daughter weighs, and I can't imagine carrying her around all the time. It's so amazing to realize how much better your body must feel and operate with that weight gone.

Of course, this means the next 35 will probably be harder to lose. Right now, though I'm just focusing on this week and making it through without devouring every thing in sight. I'm craving salty and sweet foods. But I'm trying my best to plan and count everything that goes into my mouth.

I did discover an incredibly delicious ice cream last week. Well, actually a frozen yogurt. And while we destroyed the whole container, I still managed to lose weight. Yummy!

Ice Cream of the Day: Schwan's Triple Lemon Frozen Yogurt (1/2 cup = 13o calories and 3 grams of fat)

Tracking the Good Life

Almost seven weeks into Weight Watchers, my re-commitment to tracking and food journaling, and I'm right at twenty pounds lighter. It's a great feeling to know that I'm on track, really into portion control, planning ahead and writing down every morsel that goes into my mouth.

What's different? When will it end?

Okay, so I'm trying to remain positive, but I've been here before; I've lost thirty plus pounds on WW in the past. How is this time going to be different?

My dad told me years ago that one day you'll just have it "right in your head" and you'll stick with it. Sounds like mind over matter -- maybe it is -- but I know what he meant now. Getting healthy is a priority at this point, for lots of reasons, and I can tell that it's "right in my head".

It's a good life!

Craving Salt

I've been craving salt all week. Not sure if it's a deficiency or good ol' PMS cravings, but all I've wanted all week is SALT!

So on my visit to Trader Joe's this week, I bought a couple of bags of salty goodness -- sweet potato chips and veggie chips. I calculated the points of a serving -- mostly 3 - 4 points per serving - but was quickly moved to multiply that by the servings per BAG. Yes, you can have a whole bag of sweet potato chips ... for like 17 POINTS or something!

Not a good week for staying on track, although I have tracked every last point of every last taste of salty goodness that has made it across my lips. Goodbye, weekly 35 points! I'll be finishing out the weekend with the last of the zero point soup.

Stuck in the House with Food

We've been home for three days due to a winter snowstorm. I did my grocery order on Friday before the bad weather hit and made healthy choices with the idea that we'd probably not go out for a few days and might lose power. I bought oranges, bananas, grapes, pears, and strawberries. I got rice cakes and rice chips.

We did snack on the rice cakes and the chips, but I have had no desire for the fruit which would have been a better choice, I'm sure.

And then last night I wanted something sweet. Chocolate bread pudding. Yes, that's what I ended up fixing. I calculated the recipe and figured out that I could have an eighth of the dish for eight points, exactly what I had left for my week of WW points. Mmmmmm! It was tasty!

But today the rest of that chocolate bread pudding is calling my name in the refrigerator. I know that I can have more -- at eight points a serving -- but I don't want to use my points that way. I just want that bread pudding to be "free"!

Ain't gonna happen!

Still Hungry

I'm not really sure what's going on this evening, but I just can't seem to get satisfied. I'm still hungry.

I ate what I thought would be a very satisfying dinner -- spinach salad with London broil, tomatoes, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing, a few artichoke bites on the side, and my glass of milk. But I found myself still wanting more. So I ate the one piece of fish that was left from my husband and daughter's meal. (Yes, I counted it, my WW friends!) I still wanted more.

So I had a WW giant latte bar - 1 point. But I could eat a house right about now. I suppose that I should drink some water to see if I'm just thirsty, not really hungry. But it is getting late. Maybe if I just go to bed, my hunger pains will disappear.

I'm sure that I'll wake up starving!

Food Finds

Since I'm making healthier choices, I'm on the lookout for some different, low points, food finds. This afternoon at the Target, I found Archer Farms Simply Balanced pomegranate raspberry fruit bars with yogurt coating. Break out the handy dandy points finder and discovered that they are 1 point! So my snack tomorrow at work will be one of these, hopefully fabulous, bars.

I've also rediscovered rice cakes. I know; I know. Some people can't stand them. But I actually like the cheesy rice cakes. If I can just keep them out of my daughter's reach, I may have plenty to snack on this week!

I divvied out my Chex chocolate turtle mix and the peanut butter M&Ms into baggies. 1/2 cup of mix is 3 points, and a 1/2 cup of M&Ms is 10 points. (I had 11 points left on Sunday night from my weekly points and I happily indulged in a bag of those sweet chocolates!)

So now I just need to find more yummy ice creams to put in my freezer for snack time.

Ice Cream of the Day: Weight Watchers Giant Latte Bars (1 bar = 90 calories and 1 gram of fat and only 1 point)

Eating on Vacation

Well, I'm not really on vacation, but I am out of town for a professional conference. And that means eating out EVERY single meal. So I'm trying to make the best choices so that I can still stay within my points and enjoy a few regional favorites while I'm here.

Yesterday, I managed to use all my points and just a few of the weekly points AND I tried the Boston creme pie at the restaurant we ate at for dinner. My dinner companion and I halved the pie (I gave her the bigger half!) and it was plenty to get a taste of the delicious dessert. My dinner was on the healthy side -- grilled shrimp, Brussels sprouts, and spinach -- although I wasn't quite sure how to count the possible oils used to saute the spinach and sprouts. I did count them, though, and possibly on the high side.

We're trying right now to decide what to do for dinner, but I'm close to no daily points left -- I enjoyed some clam chowder with my salad at lunch today -- so I'm concerned about what I'll be able to choose for dinner.

I've got my handy-dandy WW points guide and I'm tracking, so I'm feeling good about my food choices while on vacation.

The Road to Success

When I actually joined Weight Watchers last week, I weighed more than I thought I did. It really shouldn't have been too much of a shocker, since I had practically gorged myself for the the month of December on anything sweet that I could get my hands on.

Starting weight: 267.4

But I seem to have gotten off to a super, tremendous, great start, and it's definitely due to the change in commitment. It's about time to lose some weight, dag-gone-it!

The first WW meeting topic was tracking. The key really is tracking, keeping up with the food you are or have eaten. It's basically keeping a food journal, whether you're doing the WW style and including points, or you're just being more accountable to yourself and your body because it's written right there in front of you. You own it.

So I did a fabulous job of eating my daily points and weekly points and writing everything down, either planning meals ahead of time and sticking with them or including a few snacks here and there.

This week's weight: 257

Yes, people, you read that right! I lost 10.4 pounds this past week! Boo-ya! Now that's motivation to stick with the program.

Ice Cream of the Day: Starbucks Hot Chocolate ice cream (1/2 cup = 240 calories and 13 grams of fat OR 6 points on WW)

Fourth (or Fifth) Time's a Charm

I joined Weight Watchers yesterday for at least the fourth time, maybe the fifth.

I tracked my food yesterday and attended the meeting last night. It was nice to see a familiar face: the positive, energetic leader that's still leading the meeting that I've attended in the past. I'm not so sure that it was nice to see some other familar faces, folks that I've seen there over my off and on seven year stint at this particular meeting.

It makes me wonder what will be different about this time. Will I stick with it? Will I get tired of spending the money and stop going? Will I assume that I can do it on my own and stop going?

They say "third times a charm", but this is probably my fifth time joining. Will I stay long enough to get and keep a WW charm?

Ice Cream of the Day: Weight Watchers Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches (1 sandwich = 140 calories, 1.5 g of fat and 2 points)