All I needed was .2 pounds. Two tenths of a pound. That's like a sneeze. I knew I could do it. I had a really difficult week and wasn't expecting a high number. As I took off my shoes and stepped on the scale I was just hoping for .2. When Linda, the receptionist got a big smile on her face I asked how much. 3.2!!! Say wha???? I lost the .2 and 3 pounds more!?!?! So I not only reached my 5% milestone today, but I got another 5lb milestone and am 2 pounds away from the next 5 lb! I have lost a total of 13 pounds and I am starting to see it, feel it, and believe that I can continue to do it.
My pants are fitting a little looser. I can see that my face is a little slimmer. It's easier to make healthier choices. Frighteningly, sweets just don't taste as awesome as they once did. And one of the best things is that I'm off one of my blood pressure meds! All last week I was feeling tired and my vision was all shifty and I just felt weird. I went to my doctor and it turns out that my blood pressure was too low! That hasn't happened ever, but really since being pregnant with Ellie my blood pressure has never been normal without help. I stopped one of my meds and I feel awesome. I still can't believe I lost 3.2 pounds this week. I've had ice cream and Halloween candy but very much within reason. The program is working and it's realistic. I really am gaining confidence that I can do this. 16 pounds by Thanksgiving really is attainable. Those guys at Weight Watchers know what they're talking about. Yup, I can do this!
Week One: 4.6 lost
Week Two: 2.2 lost
Week Three: 0.8 lost
Week Four: 2.2 lost
Week Five: 3.2 lost
Total: 13 pounds lost!!!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Recipe of the Week: Chicken Parmesan Sliders
My inspiration is from Everyday Food. They had a recipe for Spaghetti and Chicken Parmesan meatballs which I made Sunday night. I had leftovers so Monday we had sliders. Can I just say that the leftovers are almost better than the original? If I can, then I will say it. The leftovers ARE better! Italian food really does taste better the next day. Here's the recipe. Prepare to get your hands dirty :)
First make the meatballs: (2 points plus each or 3 for two! I love that math sometimes)
1 pound ground chicken breast
1/2 skim milk
1 3/4 cups breadcrumbs, divided
1 egg white
1/4 c fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
4 oz mozzarella cheese, cubed in 1/2 inch cubes
2 T olive oil
Prepare 1 1/4 cups breadcrumbs and the parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl. Mix it well, tell it you love it and you'll be back later. Combine milk, 1/2 c breadcrumbs, egg white, spinach and a little salt & pepper if you want. Note on spinach: you don't have to have it. You could do a little parsley instead. But this is a great way to sneak in some vegetables so your kids/husband won't notice. You won't really taste the spinach. Having it bulks up the meatball a bit too so it feels like you're eating more. I say put it in. Mix it really well. It will be a pasty doughy thing. Now add the chicken. Once the chicken joins the party you don't want to handle it too much or you'll have tough meatballs. And tough meatballs are not tasty. Once it's mixed, take a tablespoon sized cookie scoop (if you're lucky enough to have one. Hint hint.) or just eyeball it and use your hands and form a little ball. Once it's ballish enough, stick a cube of cheese inside then kind of seal it off with the chicken mixture. This will be messy. You will get sticky and gross but it's worth it. You probably wouldn't get so sticky if you had a really good cookie scoop. Also, note that it's not going to be a firm meatball like a ground beef one would be. These are soft and delicate. Drop the meatball in breadcrumb/parm mixture and roll it around until it's covered. Then place it on a cookie sheet and continue with the rest of the 24 meatballs or so. Depending on how big you make them, this should yeild about 2 dozen meatballs.
Heat a non-stick or cast iron pan then add oil. When it's hot, brown the meatballs about 8 at a time depending on the size of your pan. When they're brown, place them on a paper towel-lined plate or cookie sheet (NOT the same one you put raw chicken on). Finish browning then put in a non-stick foil lined cookie sheet and bake in the oven on 350 for about 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Trust me on the non-stick foil. When they're done they are crusty on the outside and moist and gooey on the inside. Sometimes the cheese bursts out a little bit while baking and that is so stinking good! Making sure you have non-stick foil.
You can serve these meatballs with spaghetti and sauce that night or freeze them or just put them in the fridge til the next night. It's up to you.
To make the sliders:
Buy a bag of dinner rolls. I decided to get fancy and made some Rhode's Rolls (using the fast method. I'm not that fancy.) and bake til they're done. Most of the points (5) are in these rolls so if you wanted to cut some points out, change your bread. I have 2 bags of 36 rolls in my freezer so I used that. Do what you'd like! I literally microwaved the meatballs which is probably a crime and you should probably bake them again but the microwave worked just fine and I have no regrets! To build the sandwich I spread tomato sauce (can of Hunt's) on both sides of a sliced roll and topped it with a meatball and a piece of mozzarella cheese (1/2 ounce). I popped it back in the microwave for about 30 seconds just for the cheese to melt. You could omit the cheese since there's some in the meatball, but hey, live a little. You could probably add a little fresh basil leaf or something too if you're fancy, but I'm microwaving here and that's about as nice as things are going to get.
Serve with potato chips. Which will be next week's recipe.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Week Four: Maybe if I take off my belt...oh wait I'm not wearing one
I'm very superstitious when it comes to my weigh-ins. I don't eat or drink before I go. (this is why I go to the 9:00 meeting). I make sure I pee before I leave. I don't wear jewelry or even a hairband because I just don't want the extra weight. I wear the same shoes each week but take them off anyway before I step on the scale. I'm sure these things really don't make that much of a difference, but I'm superstitious and it's just the way I roll.
So as I stepped onto the scale this morning I made sure to exhale all the extra air that might be inside me (because it weighs oh so much) and held my breath. My silent goal was to reach 5% weight loss today. I was .2 pounds away from that. Not 2, but .2. Emphasis on POINT. Maybe if I took my bra off I could have made it, but alas, I was just a smidge off and didn't quite make it.
HOWEVER
I lost 2.2 pounds this week and feel super great about it! 2.4 would have been awesome because I would have hit that little milestone, ok huge milestone, but I cannot frown upon 2.2 pounds! Even with the doughnuts I had for breakfast Saturday morning, I am still on my way and feeling really good. I'm finally noticing that my clothes are fitting better and I'm even fitting in clothes that haven't fit in months. I wanted to write that I was squeezing in those clothes but to honest, I'm not squeezing!! I'm zipping up in peace! It's been just over a month since I started Weight Watchers and each week I am reassured that I can do this and that it works. It isn't a temporary thing. The weight loss part is temporary. I will not always be counting down pounds and hoping for certain numbers. To be honest, the counting down part is a lot of pressure sometimes. It makes losing 2.2 pounds seem less of a victory because you were .2 away from a big goal. The true victory will be when I can wake up every day and see the same number on the scale. Give or take a bit. The true victory will be when I can hold up these pants that I'm wearing now and say, "wow these are huge!" and give them to Goodwill. The true victory will be being able to shop online and imagine how the clothes will fit me because I'll have the body that I'm not trying to hide. The true victory will be when I can say I am healthy, happy, and stay that way.
As I said, each week I am reassured that I am on the right path and I am doing great. I have never had such success so regularly as I have in the past month of Weight Watchers. I feel good and I feel like I can do this forever. And next week, I plan to get a big sticker that says 5%!!!
My Progress:
Week one: 4.6 lost
Week two: 2.2 lost
Week three: .8 lost
Week four: 2.2 lost
Total lost: 9.8
So as I stepped onto the scale this morning I made sure to exhale all the extra air that might be inside me (because it weighs oh so much) and held my breath. My silent goal was to reach 5% weight loss today. I was .2 pounds away from that. Not 2, but .2. Emphasis on POINT. Maybe if I took my bra off I could have made it, but alas, I was just a smidge off and didn't quite make it.
HOWEVER
I lost 2.2 pounds this week and feel super great about it! 2.4 would have been awesome because I would have hit that little milestone, ok huge milestone, but I cannot frown upon 2.2 pounds! Even with the doughnuts I had for breakfast Saturday morning, I am still on my way and feeling really good. I'm finally noticing that my clothes are fitting better and I'm even fitting in clothes that haven't fit in months. I wanted to write that I was squeezing in those clothes but to honest, I'm not squeezing!! I'm zipping up in peace! It's been just over a month since I started Weight Watchers and each week I am reassured that I can do this and that it works. It isn't a temporary thing. The weight loss part is temporary. I will not always be counting down pounds and hoping for certain numbers. To be honest, the counting down part is a lot of pressure sometimes. It makes losing 2.2 pounds seem less of a victory because you were .2 away from a big goal. The true victory will be when I can wake up every day and see the same number on the scale. Give or take a bit. The true victory will be when I can hold up these pants that I'm wearing now and say, "wow these are huge!" and give them to Goodwill. The true victory will be being able to shop online and imagine how the clothes will fit me because I'll have the body that I'm not trying to hide. The true victory will be when I can say I am healthy, happy, and stay that way.
As I said, each week I am reassured that I am on the right path and I am doing great. I have never had such success so regularly as I have in the past month of Weight Watchers. I feel good and I feel like I can do this forever. And next week, I plan to get a big sticker that says 5%!!!
My Progress:
Week one: 4.6 lost
Week two: 2.2 lost
Week three: .8 lost
Week four: 2.2 lost
Total lost: 9.8
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Small Victories
I found myself in a situation this evening where I was standing in front of a table full of pieces of a pumpkin-based dessert of some kind. It had a cobbler/crisp hybrid crust and lots of whipped cream on top. I looked really tasty. I took two plates; one for Ellie and one to share with Jack. Both kids took one bite and they didn't want anymore. So I had two plates of this delightful dessert in front of me. I took about 4 bites and realized that I didn't need to eat the whole thing. It was good but it wasn't the greatest thing in the world. So I threw them away. The starving people in China are crying on their pillows right now, but I did it. I threw them away because I didn't want to eat them. It was a small victory.
And I totally ate a sundae at Chick-fil-a today.
Emphasis on small! But a victory none the less. And I chose a small sundae instead of the peach milkshake so yet another small victory. The peach milkshake is so good...
I feel good about the choices I made today. I don't feel deprived and I'm happy with who I am today. I can do this!
And I totally ate a sundae at Chick-fil-a today.
Emphasis on small! But a victory none the less. And I chose a small sundae instead of the peach milkshake so yet another small victory. The peach milkshake is so good...
I feel good about the choices I made today. I don't feel deprived and I'm happy with who I am today. I can do this!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Week Three: Slow & Steady Wins the Race
I had a crazy week. I tried really hard to stick to one dessert a day and have been pretty successful. However, I did go out to lunch with Corey on Friday to BJ's. BJ's is not known for their lighter fare. They are known for deep dish pizza, giant burgers, and the Pizookie. I ordered very sensibly and had a half salad and half flatbread thing. Not guilty. Then I shared a Pizookie. Ice cream on the side, awesome. But still, I ate half of it. And still didn't feel bad. It was so stinkin good. Sometimes you just need to go for it. Saturday, I drove up to Fort Worth and saw my cousin then headed to my brother-in-law's house for the night. My sister-in-law had a baby shower and the food was to die for! Her mom is an amazing cook and had made chicken and dumplings and cobbler. I loaded up on fruit and salad and had a reasonable helping of chicken and dumplings and just one serving of cobbler. There were little Dove chocolates in bowls all around the house and I only ate 4 the whole weekend. I would normally have eaten 4 the minute I walked in the door. So even though I kind of stretched it this week, I feel like I did pretty well. I didn't over-indulge but I allowed myself to have fun and not let food and points ruin my world.
On that note: I lost .8 pounds. It was a little hard to see less than a pound lost since the past two weeks have been amazing, but I have to remind myself that I am a human and I had two big weeks and my body just doesn't shed 4 pounds every week. I'm so close to my 5% lost goal that I think that's what made it a little sad. But I'll keep at it. The fact that I went out and at non-weight watcher meals and still lost weight just encourages me even more. Right now I'm on the losing weight train. But eventually, I will be a healthy weight and will just need to maintain that weight. I think that scares me even more than losing weight. I've always bobbed up and down so keeping one number seems like it is just impossible. But last week I felt like I lived a normal life but with some healthy changes that I can stick with forever. Changes like, one serving of something, eating apple slices in the car instead of cookies or other typical car munchies, drinking water and lots of it, and of course one dessert a day.
I can do this. I didn't gain weight. I lost it. I shouldn't be disappointed in that. I can't be focused on numbers. I need to focus on eating the right foods and moving more. I can and WILL do this. Even if it's .8 pounds at a time.
I've decided to post my weekly progress just so I can see it. You know, an extra motivator.
Week One: 4.6 lost
Week Two: 2.2 lost
Week Three: .8 lost
Total lost: 7.6
I can do this.
On that note: I lost .8 pounds. It was a little hard to see less than a pound lost since the past two weeks have been amazing, but I have to remind myself that I am a human and I had two big weeks and my body just doesn't shed 4 pounds every week. I'm so close to my 5% lost goal that I think that's what made it a little sad. But I'll keep at it. The fact that I went out and at non-weight watcher meals and still lost weight just encourages me even more. Right now I'm on the losing weight train. But eventually, I will be a healthy weight and will just need to maintain that weight. I think that scares me even more than losing weight. I've always bobbed up and down so keeping one number seems like it is just impossible. But last week I felt like I lived a normal life but with some healthy changes that I can stick with forever. Changes like, one serving of something, eating apple slices in the car instead of cookies or other typical car munchies, drinking water and lots of it, and of course one dessert a day.
I can do this. I didn't gain weight. I lost it. I shouldn't be disappointed in that. I can't be focused on numbers. I need to focus on eating the right foods and moving more. I can and WILL do this. Even if it's .8 pounds at a time.
I've decided to post my weekly progress just so I can see it. You know, an extra motivator.
Week One: 4.6 lost
Week Two: 2.2 lost
Week Three: .8 lost
Total lost: 7.6
I can do this.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Recipe of the Week: Pumpkin Bars
I decided that I'd like to keep track of some of my favorite Weight Watchers friendly recipes here on this blog. I am no food blogger and a very amateur photographer but this is for me and if it helps other people get some ideas that's great. Just don't knock it! I tried these today and realized that I needed to put it on my blog but of course I didn't think to take pictures until they were already done. So I've written the blog as if there are pictures, and I'll enter them later. Again, don't knock it!
My first recipe is for Pumpkin Bars. I know, I know, I just said I need to limit my treats, but I said limit it to one a day. And frankly, I could eat one of these every day for about a month. And with the recipe making 24 bars, it would be pretty easy to do. But my kids really like these so I better freeze some so I actually get to enjoy them!
I first tried pumpkin bars when I flew to Dallas with Corey to meet his family. We were all playing a very controversial game of dominoes and his mom made these for us to eat while Corey's brother Josh pulled out stupid rules to make me lose at the last minute just because he couldn't bear placing second. 8 years ago. Still not over it. He has apparently forgotten. Back to the bars. I love the mix of cream cheese and pumpkin and these bars were the perfect balance of both. However, with a cup of oil, 4 eggs and 2 cups of sugar, these bars are not the perfect balance for my new lifestyle. So I looked to lighten up and came up with these. Not to toot my own horn, but they are knock your socks off kind of good. And 3 Points Plus. With frosting! The perfect recipe for a dominoes rematch...
Start with a can of pumpkin and a spice cake mix. Dump both in a bowl and add a cup of water. Mix it really well.
Spread the batter on a jelly roll pan taking care to make it pretty on top because it's not going to change much when you bake it. Instead of using non-stick spray, I use non-stick aluminum foil. It's a little more pricey than regular foil and way more pricey than spraying your pan, but it is fabulous and totally worth it. Food does not stick to it and it doesn't do anything weird to your food either. No weird crusts or colors or unexplained slime. Just food. It also protects your pans so they look nice and pretty. It also lessens the amount of dishes I have to do. I hate doing dishes. And using non-stick foil is 0 Points Plus. Can you tell I like the stuff?
Moving on...
Bake your bars for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Check with a toothpick and when it comes out clean, they're done.
The hardest part may be to let these cool completely. Your house will smell so good. Just enjoy the smell and do some laundry or something. Then make the frosting.
The frosting is loosely based off of a Hungry Girl recipe. You'll need a tub of Fat Free Cool Whip,light cream cheese and powdered sugar. The real stuff. I don't love the aftertaste of artificial sweeteners. Start with a tablespoon and see if you want it to be more sweet or not. Totally a personal preference.
So mix the cream cheese and sugar together until it is really soft and nice to work with. My trick to fold in the Cool Whip is to take your rubber spatula and spread the cream cheese all around the bottom and sides of the bowl. It's not rocket science and shouldn't be perfect, just kind of spread it all out like it's going to give the Cool Whip and nice warm welcome when it joins the party in the bowl. Obviously, dump in that tub of Cool Whip and then gently fold it all together. As you scrape the sides of the bowl with each fold, the cream cheese is more gradually introduced and I feel it made it easier to incorporate than working with a big lump of cream cheese at the bottom of the bowl. But there are no rules. Fold until there aren't many lumps and the lumps you have are quite small. Maybe if you whip the cream cheese first it might be better, but that would mean getting out a mixer and dirtying another bowl AND beater and I just can't get myself to do that.
Now your frosting is done and ready to spread on your cooled pumpkin bars.
Spread it on all nice and even. Resist temptation to lick the spatula. Or give in. Not like I've ever done that... Cut into 24 bars. I used a pizza cutterlicking wiping the blade between each cut. You could also use a plastic knife which is my tool of choice for cutting brownies. Try it if you haven't. It changed my life. For these, however, I liked the pizza cutter.
I haven't tried freezing these yet so I will edit when I have and let you know how it turns out.
Until then, enjoy!
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Serves 24 3 Points Plus (2 without frosting. But why would you not want the frosting?)
Ingredients:
Bars
1 - 15 oz can of pure pumpkin
1 - 15.25 oz spice cake mix
1 c water
Frosting
1 - 8 oz tub Fat Free Cool Whip, thawed
6 oz light cream cheese, room temperature
1 or 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a jellyroll pan with non-stick aluminum foil. Combine pumpkin, cake mix and water in a medium bowl and stir until well mixed. Pour batter into pan making sure to spread it evenly. Bake on center rack for 20 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
For the frosting: Mix sugar and cream cheese together until well mixed and cream cheese is soft and pliable. Gently fold in Cool Whip. Spread on cool bars. Cut into 24 squares, rectangles really, and serve. Win dominoes.
My first recipe is for Pumpkin Bars. I know, I know, I just said I need to limit my treats, but I said limit it to one a day. And frankly, I could eat one of these every day for about a month. And with the recipe making 24 bars, it would be pretty easy to do. But my kids really like these so I better freeze some so I actually get to enjoy them!
I first tried pumpkin bars when I flew to Dallas with Corey to meet his family. We were all playing a very controversial game of dominoes and his mom made these for us to eat while Corey's brother Josh pulled out stupid rules to make me lose at the last minute just because he couldn't bear placing second. 8 years ago. Still not over it. He has apparently forgotten. Back to the bars. I love the mix of cream cheese and pumpkin and these bars were the perfect balance of both. However, with a cup of oil, 4 eggs and 2 cups of sugar, these bars are not the perfect balance for my new lifestyle. So I looked to lighten up and came up with these. Not to toot my own horn, but they are knock your socks off kind of good. And 3 Points Plus. With frosting! The perfect recipe for a dominoes rematch...
Start with a can of pumpkin and a spice cake mix. Dump both in a bowl and add a cup of water. Mix it really well.
Spread the batter on a jelly roll pan taking care to make it pretty on top because it's not going to change much when you bake it. Instead of using non-stick spray, I use non-stick aluminum foil. It's a little more pricey than regular foil and way more pricey than spraying your pan, but it is fabulous and totally worth it. Food does not stick to it and it doesn't do anything weird to your food either. No weird crusts or colors or unexplained slime. Just food. It also protects your pans so they look nice and pretty. It also lessens the amount of dishes I have to do. I hate doing dishes. And using non-stick foil is 0 Points Plus. Can you tell I like the stuff?
Moving on...
Bake your bars for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Check with a toothpick and when it comes out clean, they're done.
The hardest part may be to let these cool completely. Your house will smell so good. Just enjoy the smell and do some laundry or something. Then make the frosting.
The frosting is loosely based off of a Hungry Girl recipe. You'll need a tub of Fat Free Cool Whip,light cream cheese and powdered sugar. The real stuff. I don't love the aftertaste of artificial sweeteners. Start with a tablespoon and see if you want it to be more sweet or not. Totally a personal preference.
So mix the cream cheese and sugar together until it is really soft and nice to work with. My trick to fold in the Cool Whip is to take your rubber spatula and spread the cream cheese all around the bottom and sides of the bowl. It's not rocket science and shouldn't be perfect, just kind of spread it all out like it's going to give the Cool Whip and nice warm welcome when it joins the party in the bowl. Obviously, dump in that tub of Cool Whip and then gently fold it all together. As you scrape the sides of the bowl with each fold, the cream cheese is more gradually introduced and I feel it made it easier to incorporate than working with a big lump of cream cheese at the bottom of the bowl. But there are no rules. Fold until there aren't many lumps and the lumps you have are quite small. Maybe if you whip the cream cheese first it might be better, but that would mean getting out a mixer and dirtying another bowl AND beater and I just can't get myself to do that.
Now your frosting is done and ready to spread on your cooled pumpkin bars.
Spread it on all nice and even. Resist temptation to lick the spatula. Or give in. Not like I've ever done that... Cut into 24 bars. I used a pizza cutter
I haven't tried freezing these yet so I will edit when I have and let you know how it turns out.
Until then, enjoy!
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Serves 24 3 Points Plus (2 without frosting. But why would you not want the frosting?)
Ingredients:
Bars
1 - 15 oz can of pure pumpkin
1 - 15.25 oz spice cake mix
1 c water
Frosting
1 - 8 oz tub Fat Free Cool Whip, thawed
6 oz light cream cheese, room temperature
1 or 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a jellyroll pan with non-stick aluminum foil. Combine pumpkin, cake mix and water in a medium bowl and stir until well mixed. Pour batter into pan making sure to spread it evenly. Bake on center rack for 20 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
For the frosting: Mix sugar and cream cheese together until well mixed and cream cheese is soft and pliable. Gently fold in Cool Whip. Spread on cool bars. Cut into 24 squares, rectangles really, and serve. Win dominoes.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Week Two: Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater
Last week I lost 4.6 pounds and was floored and elated and scared. This week became crazy and I was busy, and tired, and emotional, and so lonely without my husband. He's working evenings and most days I literally see him for about 20 minutes in the morning, and 20 minutes very late at night. One or both of us are mostly unconscious when we are together for these 40 minutes a day. It has been challenging to keep my patience and energy high to take care of my kids by myself all day and night. I really miss him and notice that my eating habits were not so good last week. I can't blame Corey, or my kids. I blame myself. It was a hard week and honestly, I did well considering how crazy I feel inside. Weight Watchers says that by following the program and going to the meetings, you can expect to lose 1/2 to 2 pounds a week. This week I lost 2.2. I know, who's the complainer? Me. I am very happy to see less poundage on the scale and more poundage on the "pounds lost" chart. That truly is a victory.
However, I have noticed that in the past few days, while I have stayed in my points range, the points I've racked up aren't necessarily from the best foods. I've been sneaking in too many desserts. A Rice Krispy treat after lunch, an ice cream bar for an afternoon snack, and then some other sweet thing before bed. I see how easy it is to slip back into my old ways. Old ways meaning having some type of dessert/treat 3 or 4 times a day. That's how you gain weight people!
So my challenge this week. One dessert a day. If I want something sweet, eat an apple. One dessert/treat a day. We'll see if that can help the way I feel.
Don't get me wrong. I'm excited for my progress. I am holding onto that and look forward to a new week. A week of less treats. I am learning that how much you weigh does not equal how good you feel. It's not a cause and effect. Weight shouldn't determine how you feel. Maybe how you feel should determine your weight? When I'm stressed or lonely I eat. When I'm happy and have it together, I play, clean my house, serve others, etc. So this week: One treat a day. See if that can change how I feel about myself and then so how it affects my body.
Tally Ho!
(Really? Who says that? And I don't even think I spelled it right. Why can't I just end with something like, Let's Go! or I can do this? Because I'm lame and Tally Ho was the first thing that came to mind. Whatever.)
However, I have noticed that in the past few days, while I have stayed in my points range, the points I've racked up aren't necessarily from the best foods. I've been sneaking in too many desserts. A Rice Krispy treat after lunch, an ice cream bar for an afternoon snack, and then some other sweet thing before bed. I see how easy it is to slip back into my old ways. Old ways meaning having some type of dessert/treat 3 or 4 times a day. That's how you gain weight people!
So my challenge this week. One dessert a day. If I want something sweet, eat an apple. One dessert/treat a day. We'll see if that can help the way I feel.
Don't get me wrong. I'm excited for my progress. I am holding onto that and look forward to a new week. A week of less treats. I am learning that how much you weigh does not equal how good you feel. It's not a cause and effect. Weight shouldn't determine how you feel. Maybe how you feel should determine your weight? When I'm stressed or lonely I eat. When I'm happy and have it together, I play, clean my house, serve others, etc. So this week: One treat a day. See if that can change how I feel about myself and then so how it affects my body.
Tally Ho!
(Really? Who says that? And I don't even think I spelled it right. Why can't I just end with something like, Let's Go! or I can do this? Because I'm lame and Tally Ho was the first thing that came to mind. Whatever.)
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Down, Down, Down...
I attend meetings on Tuesdays, but my eTools say to weigh in on Saturday. I'm sure that can change but for now I've just been weighing myself on my own scale and tracking that. Using my scale, I've lost over 7 pounds now! I've been using the Points Plus program for less than two weeks and I'm already really seeing changes. Okay, maybe not seeing but definitely feeling. I have a little more spring in my step. I have noticed I've been moving more and sitting less. And even on my really bad day (Thursday, and it totally went downhill about 4:00) I stayed within my points limit and woke up Friday and saw it as a new day. In the past this would have been an event in which I would have felt justified giving up. But I didn't and I'm 7 pounds lighter.
My first meeting was about Thanksgiving and how we all had the ability to lose 4-16 pounds by then. Rachel had a bag of apples and a watermelon and a big plastic wad of fat that weighed 5 pounds to show us what that would feel like. The bag of apples alone felt like a lot. Guess what, I've lost a bag of apples! This is doable. I don't feel deprived and still eat chocolate. I just eat it differently. Except for on Thursday, I have found that I really do have it in me to have just a little bit and be satisfied. And I just remember in my head, "Nothing tastes as good as fit feels." Because so far it feels pretty good!
My first meeting was about Thanksgiving and how we all had the ability to lose 4-16 pounds by then. Rachel had a bag of apples and a watermelon and a big plastic wad of fat that weighed 5 pounds to show us what that would feel like. The bag of apples alone felt like a lot. Guess what, I've lost a bag of apples! This is doable. I don't feel deprived and still eat chocolate. I just eat it differently. Except for on Thursday, I have found that I really do have it in me to have just a little bit and be satisfied. And I just remember in my head, "Nothing tastes as good as fit feels." Because so far it feels pretty good!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
I'm not losing weight...
I saw this on Pinterest today:
Amen sistah. Or brother. Whomever said it.
So today I almost slipped but stayed strong. It's only noon, but I feel better about the rest of my day. Last night Jack woke up at midnight with croup. I took him in the bathroom and turned on the shower until he calmed down. I put him back to bed but he was still very noisily breathing. I brought an air mattress into his room and "slept" by him. About 3:30 I couldn't hear him breathing anymore. I got up and couldn't tell if he was blue or if there were just shadows on his face. So I woke him up and he started coughing and sucking in and was having a pretty rough time. I ended up taking him to the emergency room where he got got a breathing treatment and some steroids. We got home about 6:00 and I "slept" for another hour. This brings me to a total of 2 1/2 hours for the night.
This morning I was tired, emotional, and starving. I debated stopping at McDonalds after the hospital. Then debated Sonic on the way to the pharmacy. I made fudge (1 Point + for 3 squares) yesterday because I had company coming over. I also made a cobbler (4 points +) for said company. While both were pretty decent recipes as far as points go, I pretty much wanted to eat them all. But kudos to me, I ate a serving and said that's it.
I discovered today that I eat when I'm stressed, tired, emotional, bored, etc. But mainly stressed. I usually have no self control and just allow myself to stuff my face with whatever tasty goodness it wants. But after having a reasonable portion of the things I craved, I realized that was all I needed. What really helped me was talking with friends. Stepping away from the situation for a bit. And serving others. I don't need food to make me feel better because the foods I think will make me feel better actually make me feel lousy. It was a nice moment today. Even under crazy circumstances.
Now I will nap.
Amen sistah. Or brother. Whomever said it.
So today I almost slipped but stayed strong. It's only noon, but I feel better about the rest of my day. Last night Jack woke up at midnight with croup. I took him in the bathroom and turned on the shower until he calmed down. I put him back to bed but he was still very noisily breathing. I brought an air mattress into his room and "slept" by him. About 3:30 I couldn't hear him breathing anymore. I got up and couldn't tell if he was blue or if there were just shadows on his face. So I woke him up and he started coughing and sucking in and was having a pretty rough time. I ended up taking him to the emergency room where he got got a breathing treatment and some steroids. We got home about 6:00 and I "slept" for another hour. This brings me to a total of 2 1/2 hours for the night.
This morning I was tired, emotional, and starving. I debated stopping at McDonalds after the hospital. Then debated Sonic on the way to the pharmacy. I made fudge (1 Point + for 3 squares) yesterday because I had company coming over. I also made a cobbler (4 points +) for said company. While both were pretty decent recipes as far as points go, I pretty much wanted to eat them all. But kudos to me, I ate a serving and said that's it.
I discovered today that I eat when I'm stressed, tired, emotional, bored, etc. But mainly stressed. I usually have no self control and just allow myself to stuff my face with whatever tasty goodness it wants. But after having a reasonable portion of the things I craved, I realized that was all I needed. What really helped me was talking with friends. Stepping away from the situation for a bit. And serving others. I don't need food to make me feel better because the foods I think will make me feel better actually make me feel lousy. It was a nice moment today. Even under crazy circumstances.
Now I will nap.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Week One: Hoping for a negative number
I walked into my meeting this morning just hoping for some kind of loss. I about peed my pants when I saw that it was 4.6 pounds! I first just felt a rush of adrenaline like I had won the lottery. Well, maybe not the lottery but at least a free night's stay at a resort or something. I felt like this was all worth it. There were a few times this week that I didn't want to get up and walk but I forced myself and ended up enjoying it. There were more than a few times when I just wanted to make some chocolate chip cookies or fudge (totally craving fudge right now for some reason) but I went with some better choices and felt good about it. Better choices meaning not eating cookies because I just really wasn't hungry and didn't need them. I feel like my efforts in calculating points for all my recipes and adding them all up was worth it. I was pretty much super excited.
And then I was not super excited anymore. Now I feel a little pressure. I lost 4.6 pounds! That's so much! Granted, I didn't eat or drink anything before I weighed in. That's why I go to the 9:00 meeting. So I thought, was this just because I didn't eat anything this morning? But 4.6 pounds is more than an empty stomach. I do give myself credit for that. I'm trying to hold onto the excitement. Giving myself credit is a hard thing for me to do, but really I did it. I exercised, I watched my points, I made good choices, I planned ahead. I just need to keep going...
Things that worked this week:
-I planned ahead for a football party. I knew there would be pizza and wings and yummy stuff so I ate a light breakfast and lunch and saved enough points to enjoy what was there. But I also planned out what I would eat. I allowed myself one piece of pizza and stuck to it. Without Weight Watchers I would have eaten 2 or 3 at least. I filled my plate with fruits and vegetables and ate those first. I saved points for a treat which was so amazing (s'more rice krispy treats: think golden grahams instead of rice krispies. Yeah they were good.) But I only ate one. I'm sure I could have eaten that whole pan but I stuck to one and felt good about myself!
-I also planned ahead for dinner on Saturday night. I had a girls' night and we met at Jason's Deli. I would normally have thought that they had a healthy menu, but I went online and started calculating points based on their nutrition facts. Holy Moly!!! Corey's favorite sandwich, the meatball, has 71 grams of fat!!! It was like 36 points! The Zucchini Grillini was 19 points. I would have thought that was safe since it is all vegetables. So I picked out what I was going to order before even going to the restaurant. I got a turkey reuben and a cup of onion soup with fruit. 15 points. Then I snuck a few weekly points for chocolate ice cream. 5 points. Again, I ate pretty light for breakfast and lunch and felt like I did a good job with a restaurant. Bravo star for me. Apparently planning ahead works for me. Whether it's planning for a night out or even day to day, planning has been key for me.
-I walked Monday-Friday. I didn't allow myself to use activity points to swap for food. They were there if I wanted them, but I didn't feel like I need them. I'm hoping to keep that up as I continue to lose weight.
Overall, I feel like this is doable. Now that I have done it for a week, I feel like it will just get easier and easier as I understand the program and get used to my new life. Because that's what this is. It's not a temporary fix. It's a new way of life and I'm gradually changing and becoming this new life. Like the fat caterpillar on A Bug's Life. "Look at me, I'm a beautiful butterfly!!!"
And then I was not super excited anymore. Now I feel a little pressure. I lost 4.6 pounds! That's so much! Granted, I didn't eat or drink anything before I weighed in. That's why I go to the 9:00 meeting. So I thought, was this just because I didn't eat anything this morning? But 4.6 pounds is more than an empty stomach. I do give myself credit for that. I'm trying to hold onto the excitement. Giving myself credit is a hard thing for me to do, but really I did it. I exercised, I watched my points, I made good choices, I planned ahead. I just need to keep going...
Things that worked this week:
-I planned ahead for a football party. I knew there would be pizza and wings and yummy stuff so I ate a light breakfast and lunch and saved enough points to enjoy what was there. But I also planned out what I would eat. I allowed myself one piece of pizza and stuck to it. Without Weight Watchers I would have eaten 2 or 3 at least. I filled my plate with fruits and vegetables and ate those first. I saved points for a treat which was so amazing (s'more rice krispy treats: think golden grahams instead of rice krispies. Yeah they were good.) But I only ate one. I'm sure I could have eaten that whole pan but I stuck to one and felt good about myself!
-I also planned ahead for dinner on Saturday night. I had a girls' night and we met at Jason's Deli. I would normally have thought that they had a healthy menu, but I went online and started calculating points based on their nutrition facts. Holy Moly!!! Corey's favorite sandwich, the meatball, has 71 grams of fat!!! It was like 36 points! The Zucchini Grillini was 19 points. I would have thought that was safe since it is all vegetables. So I picked out what I was going to order before even going to the restaurant. I got a turkey reuben and a cup of onion soup with fruit. 15 points. Then I snuck a few weekly points for chocolate ice cream. 5 points. Again, I ate pretty light for breakfast and lunch and felt like I did a good job with a restaurant. Bravo star for me. Apparently planning ahead works for me. Whether it's planning for a night out or even day to day, planning has been key for me.
-I walked Monday-Friday. I didn't allow myself to use activity points to swap for food. They were there if I wanted them, but I didn't feel like I need them. I'm hoping to keep that up as I continue to lose weight.
Overall, I feel like this is doable. Now that I have done it for a week, I feel like it will just get easier and easier as I understand the program and get used to my new life. Because that's what this is. It's not a temporary fix. It's a new way of life and I'm gradually changing and becoming this new life. Like the fat caterpillar on A Bug's Life. "Look at me, I'm a beautiful butterfly!!!"
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