Event Eating

Its been a rough week.  If I would have weighed in on Sunday as scheduled, it would have shown a loss - I swear!  Unfortunately, due to the 4th of July holiday they were closed.  Sunday afternoon was a picnic and it ruined me. I weighed in on Monday instead at a whopping +2 lbs.

As if that wasn't enough, my husband's grandfather passed away on Saturday morning.  All the sadness, and family togetherness has added to my scale this week.  I couldn't resist the yummy goodies everywhere.

At the meeting on Monday, a member said the following that I wish I would have given more thought to:

"If hunger isn't the issue, food isn't the answer"

Those are truely words to live by.

Weigh in this week, was 222.2 lbs. That's a grand total of -24.4 lbs.

Milestones

First of all, let me say that last week was really disappointing.  I ended up at weigh-in with a gain of .6 lbs.  I was ashamed that I had come this far only to see a gain.  I wasn't going to let that happen again.

Last Saturday (the 19th) was my birthday.  I think I did really well - staying away from the goodies we all love so much.  The girls at work, instead of cake with icing, brought in angel food cake with strawberries and blueberries topped with redi-whip.  It was delicious and extremely healthy compared to what could have happened. 

This past week was different. Determined not to get behind again, I set out and followed plan to the T.  All was fine until Tuesday when I went to dinner with my mother in law.  We went to Applebee's.  Applebee's, while Weight Watcher's friendly, does have some booby traps.  I ended up with the Paradise Chicken Salad.  A whopping 6 points according to their menu.  Word slipped out that it was my birthday dinner to the waitress - and we were informed that dessert was free.  FREE!?! How could I turn that down.  After combing over their dessert menu, and then wiping the drool from my chin, I settled on the Maple Blondie with all intentions on sharing with my dinner mate.  Turns out she didn't like it and I couldn't put my spoon down once I started. 

After nearly licking the plate, the guilt set in.  What did I just do?!?!?  Haven't I learned anything?  Do I not want to achieve my goals like I thought I did?  I set out to find the points on the damage done. 

990 calories + 52g fat + 13g protein = 23 Points

My stomach sank once I realized what had happened.  Knowing that I had to pick up the pieces and start fresh and be more diligent I rearranged my week.  Wednesday did some Zumba, and added a trip to Hershey Park on Thursday.  Knowing that calories burned has to be greater than calories consumed in order to make up for the indulgence, I had my work cut out for me.

It paid off!  Today, I weighed in at -4.0 from last week!  I *finally* hit the 10% mark as well as the 25# mark.  I have earned the 10% keyring and the 25 lb charm!

Weigh in this week, was 220.2 lbs. That's a grand total of -26.4 lbs.

Temptation Sucks

I really need to start forcing myself not to give in to temptations.  I find myself in situations where there are two things to choose from that are bad and I tell myself I'll have just one.  For instance, my son was at a birthday party yesterday.  They had pizza and birthday cake.  I decided to only have a slice of pizza and not to have the cake at all.  When in actuality I should not have had either of them.

This week's goal is to avoid the temptations.  AND to make up for missing last week's goal I'm going to hit the 10% mark.

Weigh in this week, was 223.6 lbs. That's a grand total of -23.0 lbs.

Woohoo!

This week's weigh in went a lot better than last weeks.  I ended up running into someone I know.  It was a nice change as I didn't have to sit at the front of the meeting a by my lonesome self.  It was nice to chat before the leader did her talk and went over everything.

I had some obstacles this week regarding food. 

No matter what I seem to do, dinners and weekends totally throw me off track.  This week was harder than others because it was only a 4 day work week - that means there were three days that had I had to be super careful on in order not to mess things up beyond control.  All in all, I think I handled it well. 

Friday, there was birthday cake at work.  I don't even like birthday cake, but the thought of it being there made me want some.  Also, one of the girls brought in buffalo chicken dip.  OMG I lost what little control I had and indulged.  It wasn't so much that it tasted good, but the fact that it wasn't healthy is what drew me in.  I need to work on the control and maybe even bring my own snacks in for times like those.

Anyway... Weigh in this week, was 223.8 lbs. That's a grand total of -22.8 lbs.

Zumba!

SO MUCH FUN!!!

I did Zumba tonight.  It was not what I expected, but it was so much fun.  I think I'll be going weekly from now on.  I almost want to get a gym membership just so I could go several times a week. I should probably look into that.

Anyway, it was the fastest hour of exercise in my life!  Can't wait to go again.

Disappointed

A little disappointed in myself.  I know I can do better.  No weight loss to report this week - no gain either.  I think it was the pizza on Friday & Saturday which is totally my fault.  I need to stop slacking on the weekends.

There's a Memorial Day picnic to go to today.  Maybe I should bring my swim suit (even though I look like a beached whale) and get some exercise in.  I should also lay off the food today too, it'll be hard but I vow to make the right choices today and not mess things up for a loss this week.

My goal this week is to lose 2 pounds.  Couch25k, Zumba and maybe swimming today will help get things rolling this week.

This week's weight: 226.8 lbs.  Total loss of 19.8 lbs.

Couch to 25 minutes LOL

At this point, I highly doubt I'll ever make it to running a full 5k.  Last night was day 2 of the program and while it did go a little smoother than Wednesday's attempt, it still kicked my butt. 

I'm still motivated to exercise, which does say a lot.  I'll probably keep going with the running/jogging but at a pace that doesn't kill me. 

I inquired about a Zumba class that is held Wednesday nights at the local roller skating rink.  Everyone has nothing but good things to say about Zumba so we'll see how that goes.  My first attempt will be June 2nd.

I really wish someone was exercising with me.  I'm sure I'd be a little more motivated if someone was with me.  I'm not going to let that get in my way though and keep up with everything.  The results of the dedication this time around have been inspiring.

Last night, I measured my arms, legs, waist & hips.  I wish I would have done that at the beginning of the program but it's too late for that!  I can already see a difference in my pants, they're very baggy.  I'm not talking about a little extra room in them - it is a lot of extra material!  I keep wearing my jeans only so I can see them get bigger and bigger - and because I'm too cheap to go out and get a new pair yet.

Tomorrow is weigh in.  It's been a really good week I think so I'm hoping for some good results.  I did have pizza on Friday and a left over piece for lunch today but I did stay within my points.  Fingers crossed!

Exercise UGH!

This is where I sit in a pile of sweat.  So gross!  Why did I pick today to start the routine?  It's 95 degrees out side.

Anyway, at Sunday's meeting one of the girls mentioned the 'Couch to 5k' program.  Basically it's a step up program from sitting on the couch to running a 5k. Sounds crazy, right?  After much review of the comments and reviews of the program I decided it can't be too bad.

O M G I'm so out of shape.  I downloaded some tracks that are designed for the program on my iPod.  They have up beats for running and low beats for walking.  Each track is 30 minutes.

I tried my hardest to get through the whole 30 minutes even if it meant walking when I was supposed to be jogging.  The jogging portion of the workout was only accomplished during the first 10 minutes.  I was able to continue to walk at the fast pace a remaining 15 minutes. The last 5 minutes were me sitting at the foot of my driveway trying to catch my breath and stretching my throbbing legs. 

I am not admitting defeat or giving up though.  What I'm saying is that it'll probably take me longer than the 9 weeks the program suggests for getting from the Couch to 5k.  (more info here: http://www.c25k.com/)

I'll try again on Friday.

Tracking Isn't Enough

Tracking isn't the answer to weight loss.  It's a combination of things.  Eating healthier and exercising.  Damn that exercising bit.  This week I will exercise. 

The WW plan accounts for exercise with Activity Points.  The more Activity Points you 'earn' by exercising the more food 'Points' you are allowed each day.  At this point I'm not worried about tracking Activity Points I just need to start exercising.  That's the goal and I'm sticking to it.

This week's weight: 226.8 lbs.  Total loss of 19.8 lbs.

No Loss is Better Than a Gain

Ok, let's start this off by saying last weekend's birthday parties probably caught up with me.  It may also be the lack of exercise that's I've got going on here too.

Getting back on track this week - I don't like the feeling of no new numbers to report!

This week's weight 229.8 lbs.  Total weight loss remains at 16.8 lbs.

Avoiding the Birthday Cake

I really have no idea how I lost weight this week.  No exercise and two birthday parties for my son (who just turned 7) really couldn't have been bad.

I ended up avoiding the birthday cake on two separate occasions this week!  Personally I'm surprised with myself.  I have horrible will power and give into temptation more often than not.

I think the whole being honest with myself by tracking each item that enters my mouth has really helped curb the cravings & temptations.  Unfortunately I did give into a slice of pizza - but ONLY one slice! 

Weigh in this week went well!  Weighed in at 229.8 I've got a momentum going that makes me think my goals are definitely within reach.  Total weight loss thus far - 16.8 lbs!

Lets go to Lunch

Lunch on WW is pretty simple.  At least I'm making it simple.  I've been buying the Healthy Choice meals which range in points between 5 & 7.  It's quick and easy to throw two of them into a bag each day for hubby and me.

I should really start exercising.  I really want to but I'm not sure where to start.  I did get a bicycle a couple weeks ago but it kicked my ass and hurt for about a week afterward.  Need to start with something a little more my speed.

They mentioned Zumba at WW this week.  I wonder if there's a class around here to try it out without signing up for a gym membership.

Weigh in this week was 234.4.  Total weight loss so far... drum roll please... 12.2 lbs! Yay me!

Big Breakfasts?

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day - or so they say.

Any breakfast is bigger than no breakfast at all.  Sooo... I'm not a breakfast person.  Not one bit.  Just never have been.  Getting into the routine of eating breakfast has been really awkward.

I haven't mentioned this before, but my husband is also doing WW.  While he's not actually going to meetings, he's following along with me.  He's eating what I'm eating when I'm eating it.  What this means is when I'm packing a breakfast for myself, I'm also packing one for him. 

The items we're enjoying, while small, are yogurt & granola, thin bagels with ff cream cheese, and English muffins with light margarine.


Weigh in this week, while not as awesome as last week, was 237.0 lbs. That's a grand total of -9.6 lbs.

The Basics

The Basics of the WW program are pretty simple.  Each person determines the number of 'Points' that they are supposed to consume each day.  Each food is given a 'Points' value.

For example, I have an allowance each day of 30 points. I can choose to spend those points on a slice of pizza (which is a whopping 10-15 points depending on the toppings and crust type) or I can have a grilled chicken salad (which would run approximately 5 points).  The purpose of the program isn't to limit what you eat, but to make better choices.

The thing that was hardest this week wasn't tracking the points, it was being honest with myself while tracking them.  Each and every bite of food must be tracked.  The single piece of candy can't be forgotten or the huge glass of chocolate milk that was for breakfast can't go un-counted. Each item must be counted even if it's an item that is good for you.

With careful tracking and paying attention to good and bad choices it was a great week.  Today I weighed in at 239.4. A huge 7.2 lbs loss!

Enough is Enough

I can't pinpoint at which point in my life the weight began adding up, but one thing is for sure it's time to put an end to it.

Today is the day I say enough is enough.  I joined Weight Watchers - starting weight 246.6.

Over the next few weeks, months, years I plan to become the person I want to be.  The person I see inside myself that I wish others can see too.  

I'm on the verge of 31 years of age and this year is going to be happier & healthier than the past ten years combined.  Even if that means working my ass off (literally)!!