Jeff and I were going to join the aquatic center here in our town so we’d have a place to work out, which would have cost $210 for 6 months (a pretty good deal). Only we found out we’re not technically within city limits, so they don’t consider us residents. So instead of the good cost for a resident membership, we would have to pay $205 for only 3 months! It kind of makes me mad because we do pay taxes that go to the roads, and everything else here in our town, but we don’t get the resident discount because we’re a mile and a half outside of town. So we ended up not signing up with them. For the cost, it wasn’t very good.
So instead, we looked around on line, and found 24-hour fitness had a special deal going on right now. We signed up for that, which gives us access to ALL the 24-hour fitness places anywhere. I’m really excited about this, as I haven’t ever had a membership to a gym. I’m going to go tonight after work, and check it out. I’m a little nervous because I always feel really self-conscious surrounded by fit, skinny people, but I know how I am, and that I’ll be able to forget about them after I start it up.
Jeff also was saying last night that he’s going to beat me at our challenge. Which still bothered me because he’s acting like it’s just the challenge, not a lifetime of healthy change. But then, while I was protesting, I realized this is what I want from him. I want him fired up to lose weight and get healthier, and him being a butt about it like he is, motivates me to want to beat him. So, I believe I will. Since it started, I’ve lost 14 pounds, and almost 5%. I figure, we have 4 months left of our challenge. If I really buckle down, I could aim to lose 10 pounds per month (very aggressive) and be down a total of 55 by my birthday. Either way, I’m already a ways ahead of him, and plan to stay that way.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Motivation!
Jeff and I got back from our trip on Monday. We did eat out a couple of times, and I did make small changes all weekend, to keep an eye on what I ate, but I didn’t track my points at all. I also didn’t track my activity, however I did stay a little more active, since we were visiting a new city.
On Saturday, we visited a museum that had a memorial site on a hill (that looked like a mountain!!!). It was a pretty steep, and straight up climb to get to the top. I did make it, only stopping to take a breath one time for about 5 seconds. It was quite a workout! Then we took the trail back down the other side, and it wound more gently down the hill. We followed it around to see the other sites, and probably ended up walking a mile and a half total. Then later that day, we went to the store, and my cousing and I deserted the guys to walk back to their house, which was also up a bit of a hill. It was probably a half mile. Then on Sunday, my cousin and I went on a walk around the block, (a very LARGE block), and got a good 15-20 minutes in.
All in all, I expected to gain, for the simple reason that I don’t do so well on weekends, or on vacations. The fact is, I lost 0.6 pounds. I was really surprised, but then again, I have definitely been more on top of things lately. Even cooler is that it’s the first time in a long time that I’ve had a gain two weeks in a row. Usually, I lose a bunch, then gain a little, etc. It’s slow progress to lose weight, but averaging it out, I’ve lost a tiny bit over 1 pound every week for the last 4 months. It’s progress!!!
I’m also officially at 286 pounds, just 1 pound away from my 5% and 10% goals (Weight watchers, and original starting weight). And if I lose 1 pound next week, I’ll get a couple of awards. The first is another 5 pounds gone. The second is 5% gone. And the third for my attendance of 16 weeks with weight watchers! I have to be down 1 pound, just because I’ll get all of those! That’s some serious motivation!!!
Jeff and I are planning on getting a three or six month membership through the aquatic center in our town. They have the Olympic sized pool, a weight room, exercise machines, hot tub, sauna, etc. It’s a really great place, and I’ve always enjoyed going there. But the last time I went, I was really disappointed to see they had put a Pizza Schmizza right inside the lobby! So you come out of the gym or changing room after exercising and you have to smell the delicious pizza, right there!!! It makes me kind of mad, just because I’m working so hard at changing my body and mindset and they’re standing there dangling a slice of cheesy pizza under my nose. Seriously, where’s the courtesy?!? It’d be easier (and more considerate) if the pizza place was outside the door, so the smells didn't collect in the lobby area. When we get our membership, I'm going to have to be really strong to resist that!
On Saturday, we visited a museum that had a memorial site on a hill (that looked like a mountain!!!). It was a pretty steep, and straight up climb to get to the top. I did make it, only stopping to take a breath one time for about 5 seconds. It was quite a workout! Then we took the trail back down the other side, and it wound more gently down the hill. We followed it around to see the other sites, and probably ended up walking a mile and a half total. Then later that day, we went to the store, and my cousing and I deserted the guys to walk back to their house, which was also up a bit of a hill. It was probably a half mile. Then on Sunday, my cousin and I went on a walk around the block, (a very LARGE block), and got a good 15-20 minutes in.
All in all, I expected to gain, for the simple reason that I don’t do so well on weekends, or on vacations. The fact is, I lost 0.6 pounds. I was really surprised, but then again, I have definitely been more on top of things lately. Even cooler is that it’s the first time in a long time that I’ve had a gain two weeks in a row. Usually, I lose a bunch, then gain a little, etc. It’s slow progress to lose weight, but averaging it out, I’ve lost a tiny bit over 1 pound every week for the last 4 months. It’s progress!!!
I’m also officially at 286 pounds, just 1 pound away from my 5% and 10% goals (Weight watchers, and original starting weight). And if I lose 1 pound next week, I’ll get a couple of awards. The first is another 5 pounds gone. The second is 5% gone. And the third for my attendance of 16 weeks with weight watchers! I have to be down 1 pound, just because I’ll get all of those! That’s some serious motivation!!!
Jeff and I are planning on getting a three or six month membership through the aquatic center in our town. They have the Olympic sized pool, a weight room, exercise machines, hot tub, sauna, etc. It’s a really great place, and I’ve always enjoyed going there. But the last time I went, I was really disappointed to see they had put a Pizza Schmizza right inside the lobby! So you come out of the gym or changing room after exercising and you have to smell the delicious pizza, right there!!! It makes me kind of mad, just because I’m working so hard at changing my body and mindset and they’re standing there dangling a slice of cheesy pizza under my nose. Seriously, where’s the courtesy?!? It’d be easier (and more considerate) if the pizza place was outside the door, so the smells didn't collect in the lobby area. When we get our membership, I'm going to have to be really strong to resist that!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Victorius, in good ways!
On Monday, I went into a little kitchenette here at work to heat up my lunch, and there was a plate with donuts on it!!! I was really tempted, but was resisting fine. As I got my food into the microwave however, the smell of the donuts came wafting under my nose. It was really bothering me, and I kept looking at them, and drooling. So I took a paper towel and covered them up, and I swear, it worked! It was like they didn’t exist, and by the time my food was ready, I completely forgot they were there. Victory for me; take that donuts!
Both Tuesday and Wednesday this week, I went down to the work cafeteria and they had some donuts there, and I had one each day, knowing it wasn’t on my plan, and would mess up my points. When I got back to my office, I tallied them into my tracker and worked on adjusting my day, which wasn’t that hard. I ended up with about 10-14 points left both days for dinner. After that, I planned on an omelet with lots of veggies and a little bit of cheese to use those points up. But when Jeff called and asked what’s for dinner, I learned he’s not a big fan of omelets.
So when I got home, I baked a couple of chicken breasts, small potatoes, and cooked up some carrots and broccoli. I did keep my points within my points target! Then Jeff, my darling husband, went to the store for some things we needed and came home with a 20 ounce grape pop (which I enjoy) and a lemon pie (which I really like!!!) for me. And I was in the middle of my Walk Away The Pounds 3 miles video, so it was even worse. As I’m kicking away, I looked at the nutritional stats on the pie (if you can even call it nutritional. I mean, that’s kind of a laugh in itself) and it was 450 CALORIES FOR THE ENTIRE PIE!!! Seriously, did they dip it in oil and roll it in sugar?!?!?!??!? Those things don’t seem fried, as they’re not greasy; I always assumed they were baked. With trying to stay in a points target here, I couldn’t see eating it as conducive to my weight loss, so I had Jeff move them to a place where they’re less available, and I might not even ever see them. If they go bad, no huge loss. But I think I might let myself have a bite every now and then.
Before I showered, I weighed myself to see how I was doing. My scale said 282.6!!! The lowest ever, and though it’s not my official weight, it shows that I’m doing something right! I just might be in the 270’s in a month!!! YAY!
This weekend, we’re going to visit my cousin out of state and since I’m trying really hard to not gain weight, I’m going to have to work on my portion sizes. Luckily, she asked me to come up with a recipe or two that we could make, so I can keep tabs on what I’m eating a little easier. I have high hopes for my next weigh in.
Both Tuesday and Wednesday this week, I went down to the work cafeteria and they had some donuts there, and I had one each day, knowing it wasn’t on my plan, and would mess up my points. When I got back to my office, I tallied them into my tracker and worked on adjusting my day, which wasn’t that hard. I ended up with about 10-14 points left both days for dinner. After that, I planned on an omelet with lots of veggies and a little bit of cheese to use those points up. But when Jeff called and asked what’s for dinner, I learned he’s not a big fan of omelets.
So when I got home, I baked a couple of chicken breasts, small potatoes, and cooked up some carrots and broccoli. I did keep my points within my points target! Then Jeff, my darling husband, went to the store for some things we needed and came home with a 20 ounce grape pop (which I enjoy) and a lemon pie (which I really like!!!) for me. And I was in the middle of my Walk Away The Pounds 3 miles video, so it was even worse. As I’m kicking away, I looked at the nutritional stats on the pie (if you can even call it nutritional. I mean, that’s kind of a laugh in itself) and it was 450 CALORIES FOR THE ENTIRE PIE!!! Seriously, did they dip it in oil and roll it in sugar?!?!?!??!? Those things don’t seem fried, as they’re not greasy; I always assumed they were baked. With trying to stay in a points target here, I couldn’t see eating it as conducive to my weight loss, so I had Jeff move them to a place where they’re less available, and I might not even ever see them. If they go bad, no huge loss. But I think I might let myself have a bite every now and then.
Before I showered, I weighed myself to see how I was doing. My scale said 282.6!!! The lowest ever, and though it’s not my official weight, it shows that I’m doing something right! I just might be in the 270’s in a month!!! YAY!
This weekend, we’re going to visit my cousin out of state and since I’m trying really hard to not gain weight, I’m going to have to work on my portion sizes. Luckily, she asked me to come up with a recipe or two that we could make, so I can keep tabs on what I’m eating a little easier. I have high hopes for my next weigh in.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
I took a break and feel refreshed!!!
Last week, I found myself frustrated that I had gained twice in a row, despite staying within my points target, using my points allowance, and using all of my activity points. When you’re putting in that much effort, it’s difficult to stay positive through it all. So on Thursday (last week), I decided to lay off and relax until my new points book would start, and maybe figure out what was going on.
This worked out for the best, because AF attacked on Friday and I wouldn’t have done a good job anyways. So, I didn’t track anything. No points, no activities, nothing. I stayed aware of my food and that’s about it. And looking at past books and comparing weights, I realized that I typically lost weight on the weeks that I used little or none of my extra points allowance. The weeks I used more than a quarter, I maintained, and when I used more than half or all of them, I gained. This was an awesome finding for me! It means that while I may not for sure have a loss tonight, next week I will, if I don’t use any of my points allowance. I think that will be do-able, especially since I really want to lose weight.
Last night I weighed myself, to get a feel for how I did over the weekend without tracking, and my weight was my lowest ever!!! 285.6 pounds, which means according to my scale, (not WW), I have lost 30 pounds! 10% of my weight is now gone. I’m feeling pretty proud. On my scale, my first weight last year was 313 pounds. Weight Watcher’s scale seems to be 2 pounds higher, so I can adjust accordingly, but since I first weighed myself on my scale, I’m going to count that as a victory!!!
I also went shopping last night, and got lots of fruits and veggies and some lean meats. Then when I got home, I prepped a bunch of them so that I can just grab a handful of carrot sticks for lunches, and scoop up some cut up cantaloupe, instead of having to cut it. Major time saver! I also made a recipe I found on-line. It was a healthy chicken and broccoli casserole. Only I nixed the 3T. of fat free mayonnaise, because, face it, it still has fat (and it couldn’t be that big of a deal), and used only 1 small can of cream of mushroom soup. I measured shredded cheese onto my new handy dandy food scale and got a precise measurement. And when it was finished cooking, I cooled it and put it into serving sized containers for dinners. I love that I’ll be able to just pull that out of the freezer and not have to cook anything big except maybe a potato or something.
This worked out for the best, because AF attacked on Friday and I wouldn’t have done a good job anyways. So, I didn’t track anything. No points, no activities, nothing. I stayed aware of my food and that’s about it. And looking at past books and comparing weights, I realized that I typically lost weight on the weeks that I used little or none of my extra points allowance. The weeks I used more than a quarter, I maintained, and when I used more than half or all of them, I gained. This was an awesome finding for me! It means that while I may not for sure have a loss tonight, next week I will, if I don’t use any of my points allowance. I think that will be do-able, especially since I really want to lose weight.
Last night I weighed myself, to get a feel for how I did over the weekend without tracking, and my weight was my lowest ever!!! 285.6 pounds, which means according to my scale, (not WW), I have lost 30 pounds! 10% of my weight is now gone. I’m feeling pretty proud. On my scale, my first weight last year was 313 pounds. Weight Watcher’s scale seems to be 2 pounds higher, so I can adjust accordingly, but since I first weighed myself on my scale, I’m going to count that as a victory!!!
I also went shopping last night, and got lots of fruits and veggies and some lean meats. Then when I got home, I prepped a bunch of them so that I can just grab a handful of carrot sticks for lunches, and scoop up some cut up cantaloupe, instead of having to cut it. Major time saver! I also made a recipe I found on-line. It was a healthy chicken and broccoli casserole. Only I nixed the 3T. of fat free mayonnaise, because, face it, it still has fat (and it couldn’t be that big of a deal), and used only 1 small can of cream of mushroom soup. I measured shredded cheese onto my new handy dandy food scale and got a precise measurement. And when it was finished cooking, I cooled it and put it into serving sized containers for dinners. I love that I’ll be able to just pull that out of the freezer and not have to cook anything big except maybe a potato or something.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
There's a pattern in all of this
Last night’s weigh-in was as I had expected. I was up 1.6 pounds, mostly I think, due to the weekend. We ate out more than we usually do, and I did not order as well as I should have. Luckily, and happily however, my weight is still in the 280’s, which is great. Next week, I plan for there to be a loss.
At the meeting last night, someone made a point that when you’re losing weight, it’s like 75% food and 25% exercise. In other words, you can exercise all you want, but if you don’t at least make some healthy changes food-wise, it’s unlikely you’ll lose. Which seems to be true for me. For the last week, I used all 28 of my activity points and then some, and ate well during the week. But most evenings, and my weekend was pretty bad.
Besides my daily points target, I have 35 points in my points allowance, weekly. So I can go over for a couple of days and still stay within reason, supposedly. And it does work for some people. For me though, it seems that when I use more than half my point’s allowance, I gain. So last night, I got out a new points book, and decided to limit how many points I get with my points allowance. I crossed off half of them. To see a change, I will be taking my tracking book with me all weekend. I should really tape it to my arm. I will track everything I eat, and eat way better this weekend, and these evenings. I will exercise, though I won’t be trying for every day right now, to see if there’s a difference.
At the meeting last night, someone made a point that when you’re losing weight, it’s like 75% food and 25% exercise. In other words, you can exercise all you want, but if you don’t at least make some healthy changes food-wise, it’s unlikely you’ll lose. Which seems to be true for me. For the last week, I used all 28 of my activity points and then some, and ate well during the week. But most evenings, and my weekend was pretty bad.
Besides my daily points target, I have 35 points in my points allowance, weekly. So I can go over for a couple of days and still stay within reason, supposedly. And it does work for some people. For me though, it seems that when I use more than half my point’s allowance, I gain. So last night, I got out a new points book, and decided to limit how many points I get with my points allowance. I crossed off half of them. To see a change, I will be taking my tracking book with me all weekend. I should really tape it to my arm. I will track everything I eat, and eat way better this weekend, and these evenings. I will exercise, though I won’t be trying for every day right now, to see if there’s a difference.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Weekends are my downfall!
I have a feeling my weight is going to be up tonight at my weight watchers meeting. While I’ve done amazingly well exercising every single night and using ALL of my 28 activity points (I even went over a bit) and eating well during the week and tracking, this weekend derailed me. Just for the weekend, but it was enough to make my weight go back up. We’ll see how it goes tonight; the scale has definitely surprised me before, and I suppose it could do it again. But I’m pretty positive I won’t be hitting my 5 and 10% weight loss this week, which is a definite bummer!
Last night, I made a cauliflower pizza crust, from the recipe I found on www.lowcarbfriends.com, recipe below. This crust is the best of both worlds. Cheesy for flavor, but low-carb due to no flour, etc. And it really was delicious. I doubled the recipe and made it into 4 smaller pizzas. My mistake was that I made the crusts too thick, so they never thickened up, like the pictures. I think it has to be thin so that it cooks solidly and you can pick it up with your hand. I topped it with a small spoonful of spaghetti sauce, turkey pepperoni (80 calories for 15 slices), mushrooms, green bell peppers, chopped olives and shredded cheese. I was so full after one pizza that I didn’t even touch the other, which happily cut my calorie intake in half!
Then, Jeff had to go to bed early because he has to be up at 4:30, so I got to hang out with myself. I really feel like I felt when I was single. I’d spend how many hours in front of the TV, bored out of my mind and lonely, and there’s no one around to comfort me. I used to make up a box of macaroni and cheese, or 5 cheese pasta and eat the whole box. But I haven’t done that in ages. So instead, I exercised. I’m still working on my “Friend’s” marathon, so I put that in, and got out the wii balance board, planning to do steps to the ticking noise. Unfortunately, after the initial few directions, the batteries in the remote control ran out of juice and I didn’t know where the other remote was, and I didn’t want to search for more, so I played my show and stepped on the balance board (while it was off) for 1 hour. Wow, after I finished that, I was definitely tired, and in a good way. And that exercise helped me go over my activity points. YAY!
While I was exercising, my Dad called to tell me about a show featuring Dr. Oz about a couple who wanted to lose weight before their wedding, and they were going to show them tonight, and “you really should watch Laura, because they lost weight”. We don’t have that channel, so I didn’t watch it. But he will never give up.
All these years, I’ve been fairly comfortable in my body, despite that it’s large. And all these years, it hasn’t been quite enough for him. 8 years ago, it was “I want to see you beautiful before I die”. As if I’m not beautiful now. Those comments from him always made me want to eat which defeats the whole purpose. My immediate thought was well I’m going to eat what I want to; that’ll show you. Rebelling in my way, but hurting myself in the long run. Not very productive. Then when Jeff asked his permission to marry me, my Dad talked about how unhealthy he thought I was and talked about my weight to my future husband! It was so insulting to me. He doesn’t do it out of concern for health so much as he wants to have skinny daughters because he thinks that’s attractive. I guess the reason I put up with it is that he doesn’t really talk to me, or call me unless it’s about something like that. The only other time he’s called me in the last 6 months was when my Grandpa passed away.
Anyways, on to happier stuff. Here’s the recipe for the pizza.
CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST
1 cup cooked, shredded cauliflower 1 egg
1 cup mozzarella cheese 1/2tsp fennel
1 tsp oregano 2 tsp parsley
pizza or alfredo sauce
toppings
mozzarella cheese
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. In a medium bowl, combine cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Press evenly on the pan. Sprinkle evenly with fennel, oregano and parsley. Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes (15-20 minutes if you double the recipe). Remove the pan from the oven. To the crust, add sauce, then toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted.
For the entire crust:434 calories; 25g fat; 13g carbs; 5g fiber; 41g protein
Last night, I made a cauliflower pizza crust, from the recipe I found on www.lowcarbfriends.com, recipe below. This crust is the best of both worlds. Cheesy for flavor, but low-carb due to no flour, etc. And it really was delicious. I doubled the recipe and made it into 4 smaller pizzas. My mistake was that I made the crusts too thick, so they never thickened up, like the pictures. I think it has to be thin so that it cooks solidly and you can pick it up with your hand. I topped it with a small spoonful of spaghetti sauce, turkey pepperoni (80 calories for 15 slices), mushrooms, green bell peppers, chopped olives and shredded cheese. I was so full after one pizza that I didn’t even touch the other, which happily cut my calorie intake in half!
Then, Jeff had to go to bed early because he has to be up at 4:30, so I got to hang out with myself. I really feel like I felt when I was single. I’d spend how many hours in front of the TV, bored out of my mind and lonely, and there’s no one around to comfort me. I used to make up a box of macaroni and cheese, or 5 cheese pasta and eat the whole box. But I haven’t done that in ages. So instead, I exercised. I’m still working on my “Friend’s” marathon, so I put that in, and got out the wii balance board, planning to do steps to the ticking noise. Unfortunately, after the initial few directions, the batteries in the remote control ran out of juice and I didn’t know where the other remote was, and I didn’t want to search for more, so I played my show and stepped on the balance board (while it was off) for 1 hour. Wow, after I finished that, I was definitely tired, and in a good way. And that exercise helped me go over my activity points. YAY!
While I was exercising, my Dad called to tell me about a show featuring Dr. Oz about a couple who wanted to lose weight before their wedding, and they were going to show them tonight, and “you really should watch Laura, because they lost weight”. We don’t have that channel, so I didn’t watch it. But he will never give up.
All these years, I’ve been fairly comfortable in my body, despite that it’s large. And all these years, it hasn’t been quite enough for him. 8 years ago, it was “I want to see you beautiful before I die”. As if I’m not beautiful now. Those comments from him always made me want to eat which defeats the whole purpose. My immediate thought was well I’m going to eat what I want to; that’ll show you. Rebelling in my way, but hurting myself in the long run. Not very productive. Then when Jeff asked his permission to marry me, my Dad talked about how unhealthy he thought I was and talked about my weight to my future husband! It was so insulting to me. He doesn’t do it out of concern for health so much as he wants to have skinny daughters because he thinks that’s attractive. I guess the reason I put up with it is that he doesn’t really talk to me, or call me unless it’s about something like that. The only other time he’s called me in the last 6 months was when my Grandpa passed away.
Anyways, on to happier stuff. Here’s the recipe for the pizza.
CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST
1 cup cooked, shredded cauliflower 1 egg
1 cup mozzarella cheese 1/2tsp fennel
1 tsp oregano 2 tsp parsley
pizza or alfredo sauce
toppings
mozzarella cheese
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. In a medium bowl, combine cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Press evenly on the pan. Sprinkle evenly with fennel, oregano and parsley. Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes (15-20 minutes if you double the recipe). Remove the pan from the oven. To the crust, add sauce, then toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted.
For the entire crust:434 calories; 25g fat; 13g carbs; 5g fiber; 41g protein
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The cup doth overflow!
Last Tuesday night, after a slight gain (I’ve been going up and down for awhile), I set a new mini goal for myself. I had barely been using any of my 28 activity points each week, and need to kick it up a notch. So over the last seven days, I exercised on 6 of them and used 21 points. While not the total amount, for as lax as I’ve been, that was a huge difference.
So when I had my weigh-in last night, I had finally really reached into the 280’s where I intend to stay, unless it’s lower. My official weight is 287 pounds! I lost 3.2 pounds this week! This is my second biggest loss, and I think the other time, when I lost 4 pounds, it was because I had worked out more that time too. I am 2 pounds away from a 5% loss with weight watchers and a 10% loss from my original starting weight!!!
This week, my very-mini goals are to use all my activity points again, track everything I eat daily, and to drink 6 cups of water each day. I know we’re supposed to drink 8, but I’m really struggling getting it there, so I figure I’ll set it a little low, and then work my way up when it becomes more of a habit. I’m already up to 4 cups today, because of this goal, so it’s working!
Starting tonight, I’m going to exercise again. The other day, I did Leslie Sansone’s 3-mile walk, and made it through without really any struggle. Weight Watchers is starting a walking program to get us walking a 5k (I think) by June 6th. I think since I don’t have a problem walking that far, maybe I’ll turn to the couch to 5k again, and make it a jogging program for me. I did day one again last week (I switched among several different exercises) and made it through it, so I should be able to do it again. My only problem is that I don’t like to do it alone. I don’t quite feel safe on my road by myself anymore, and I also like the company. I met another girl yesterday at WW who’s interested in the Couch to 5k as well, so she said she would like to do it with me. We exchanged info and I’m going to see if she wants to try it out on Friday. Hopefully, she’ll actually show up, as opposed to the other two girls who said they were interested.
I’m really looking forward to this upcoming week. I’m feeling really positive about this journey I’m on, and am excited to continue seeing results.
So when I had my weigh-in last night, I had finally really reached into the 280’s where I intend to stay, unless it’s lower. My official weight is 287 pounds! I lost 3.2 pounds this week! This is my second biggest loss, and I think the other time, when I lost 4 pounds, it was because I had worked out more that time too. I am 2 pounds away from a 5% loss with weight watchers and a 10% loss from my original starting weight!!!
This week, my very-mini goals are to use all my activity points again, track everything I eat daily, and to drink 6 cups of water each day. I know we’re supposed to drink 8, but I’m really struggling getting it there, so I figure I’ll set it a little low, and then work my way up when it becomes more of a habit. I’m already up to 4 cups today, because of this goal, so it’s working!
Starting tonight, I’m going to exercise again. The other day, I did Leslie Sansone’s 3-mile walk, and made it through without really any struggle. Weight Watchers is starting a walking program to get us walking a 5k (I think) by June 6th. I think since I don’t have a problem walking that far, maybe I’ll turn to the couch to 5k again, and make it a jogging program for me. I did day one again last week (I switched among several different exercises) and made it through it, so I should be able to do it again. My only problem is that I don’t like to do it alone. I don’t quite feel safe on my road by myself anymore, and I also like the company. I met another girl yesterday at WW who’s interested in the Couch to 5k as well, so she said she would like to do it with me. We exchanged info and I’m going to see if she wants to try it out on Friday. Hopefully, she’ll actually show up, as opposed to the other two girls who said they were interested.
I’m really looking forward to this upcoming week. I’m feeling really positive about this journey I’m on, and am excited to continue seeing results.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The happy, the sad, the tired.
You know you didn’t get enough sleep when you’re lying in bed at 7:45 in the morning, and thinking about how nice it’ll be to go to bed tonight. LOL, that was me. I kept having all kinds of weird dreams, then I got a stomach ache. I swear, I must’ve woken up 15 or 20 times. Then when my first alarm went off, I turned it off, and changed my second alarm (the one I actually have to get up for) for 5 minutes later. I swear, those 15 minutes were the best minutes of sleep I got last night!
On to the better stuff, my mini goal last week was to use all of my activity points in one week, especially since I hadn’t been using many of them before that. As of today, I have used 21 activity points. I’m not going to get to the 28 like originally planned, as I did take one day off. However, tonight after my weight watchers meeting, I think I’ll knock 5 more of them down. For me, this has been pretty successful. I have exercised 6 out of the last 7 days. I’m tracking calories (for fun) and points and have been within my calorie limit 5 out of the last 7 days.
I’m looking forward to the meeting tonight, mostly for my weigh-in. I don’t think there’s going to be a huge dent, but there should be a slight loss, which is better than nothing at all. I’m also finding that I really enjoy the group that I meet with. It’s very light and supportive. The people know each other and have obviously known each other a long time. There’s a relationship and a bond which it really fun to watch. A couple of times, I went to the one at 5:30 and there was such a different dynamic. No one volunteered anything during the meeting, they didn’t really socialize (which the others do), and for some reason, when I want to use one word to describe the group, it would be dark. It’s very strange, but when I compare both in my head, that’s the biggest difference.
I’ve recently noticed that I’m losing friends. Mostly, they just got married and don’t have time to socialize, or they have small children so getting together with them to do something is a pain because they have to find a babysitter and the sitters constantly back out. It’s really hard to nurture a friendship with someone who’s at a different point in their life. There are so many different things they have to deal with. So I’d been looking for friends, people who are like me, who wouldn’t mind a work-out buddy, or someone to hang out with, and I have to say, finding them is a lot harder than I thought it’d be.
It started with Trish, a girl I met at our local clothing swap. We were a lot alike and started exercising together, and hung out a couple of times. But then I discovered that she was VERY negative, and her attitude about her marriage was very sad. I couldn’t hang out with her. Every time I did, she brought me down and that’s really tough. After that, I joined a weight loss group, which had 7 members or so when it started, and about 3 weeks in, it was only me and the leader, so that one went down in flames. Then when I started weight watchers in January, there were 2 women my age that seemed friendly, so we made a date to meet at the track and exercise. I showed up. They didn’t. They never so much as contacted me again, and only one of them has gone to the weight watchers meeting again (one time). It really makes me examine me. Am I overbearing? Or maybe intimidating? Too controlling? Or do I just keep trying to cultivate a friendship with the wrong people? I don’t know. I know I’m not demanding, but I am a decision maker, and if someone is wishy-washy, I tend to jump in and make a decision. I always figured that if someone doesn’t like the decision I made, they can say so and I’m flexible and willing to do what they want. But I never had anyone say that was a problem.
Jeff recently told me about a friend of his at school who is a lot like me. He says he thinks we’d get along great, and she says her husband’s a lot like him. It would be really great to have a couple to go camping with, etc. But first, I have to get him to actually stop TALKING about doing something, and DO something. I just know it’d be a lot of fun to hang out with a couple that wants to hang out with us. Hopefully, he’ll do that soon. I’m feeling really left out. :(
On to the better stuff, my mini goal last week was to use all of my activity points in one week, especially since I hadn’t been using many of them before that. As of today, I have used 21 activity points. I’m not going to get to the 28 like originally planned, as I did take one day off. However, tonight after my weight watchers meeting, I think I’ll knock 5 more of them down. For me, this has been pretty successful. I have exercised 6 out of the last 7 days. I’m tracking calories (for fun) and points and have been within my calorie limit 5 out of the last 7 days.
I’m looking forward to the meeting tonight, mostly for my weigh-in. I don’t think there’s going to be a huge dent, but there should be a slight loss, which is better than nothing at all. I’m also finding that I really enjoy the group that I meet with. It’s very light and supportive. The people know each other and have obviously known each other a long time. There’s a relationship and a bond which it really fun to watch. A couple of times, I went to the one at 5:30 and there was such a different dynamic. No one volunteered anything during the meeting, they didn’t really socialize (which the others do), and for some reason, when I want to use one word to describe the group, it would be dark. It’s very strange, but when I compare both in my head, that’s the biggest difference.
I’ve recently noticed that I’m losing friends. Mostly, they just got married and don’t have time to socialize, or they have small children so getting together with them to do something is a pain because they have to find a babysitter and the sitters constantly back out. It’s really hard to nurture a friendship with someone who’s at a different point in their life. There are so many different things they have to deal with. So I’d been looking for friends, people who are like me, who wouldn’t mind a work-out buddy, or someone to hang out with, and I have to say, finding them is a lot harder than I thought it’d be.
It started with Trish, a girl I met at our local clothing swap. We were a lot alike and started exercising together, and hung out a couple of times. But then I discovered that she was VERY negative, and her attitude about her marriage was very sad. I couldn’t hang out with her. Every time I did, she brought me down and that’s really tough. After that, I joined a weight loss group, which had 7 members or so when it started, and about 3 weeks in, it was only me and the leader, so that one went down in flames. Then when I started weight watchers in January, there were 2 women my age that seemed friendly, so we made a date to meet at the track and exercise. I showed up. They didn’t. They never so much as contacted me again, and only one of them has gone to the weight watchers meeting again (one time). It really makes me examine me. Am I overbearing? Or maybe intimidating? Too controlling? Or do I just keep trying to cultivate a friendship with the wrong people? I don’t know. I know I’m not demanding, but I am a decision maker, and if someone is wishy-washy, I tend to jump in and make a decision. I always figured that if someone doesn’t like the decision I made, they can say so and I’m flexible and willing to do what they want. But I never had anyone say that was a problem.
Jeff recently told me about a friend of his at school who is a lot like me. He says he thinks we’d get along great, and she says her husband’s a lot like him. It would be really great to have a couple to go camping with, etc. But first, I have to get him to actually stop TALKING about doing something, and DO something. I just know it’d be a lot of fun to hang out with a couple that wants to hang out with us. Hopefully, he’ll do that soon. I’m feeling really left out. :(
Monday, April 5, 2010
Easter weekend
I had a really nice Easter weekend. Unfortunately, my eating was sporadic at best, which made it a lot worse for me. We ended up eating out a couple of times, and I did keep track of my points on Saturday, though not on Sunday. Then on Friday, Jeff and I went to church, for Good Friday, then we went to my Mom’s to have a “break your fast” kind of party. Then I realized I wasn’t going to be able to exercise, and I wouldn’t make my points. When I saw her exercise bike, I thought all my prayers were answered, but unfortunately, a bolt was coming loose and riding the bike didn’t happen.
Then on Saturday, my calf was feeling pretty sore from walking a couple of days before, so I rode my bike for 30 minutes and did weights for 10 minutes, earning myself 4 points! And on Sunday, after church, we went to my Grandma’s house for dinner, and I persuaded Jeff and my cousin and his wife to go on a walk with us. We walked probably a mile or so, but it was very low intensity, as we meandered rather than sped walked. But it did take a full half hour, so I was able to get 2 points for it. Then I spent the remainder of the evening cleaning the house. I deep cleaned the bathroom and put the kitchen back in order, and mopped a bit. I counted these for 1 point, since I was active, just on a low scale.
I have to say, going to these family events has always been really enjoyable to me. I like being social and seeing people that I don’t see all the time. But it really is getting harder, seeing all these babies and little kids, and pregnant people around, and not being able to have that same thing. One of my sisters, who is pregnant and due in May, constantly complains about everything, when it comes to her pregnancy. Everything is uncomfortable, everything is awkward, being pregnant IS SO HARD! But she doesn’t consider that the people who can’t get pregnant would give anything to experience the uncomfortable, awkward parts of it. If I knew I could have a baby by it, I would suffer the worst pregnancy to get that. I wish it worked that way.
Then on Saturday, my calf was feeling pretty sore from walking a couple of days before, so I rode my bike for 30 minutes and did weights for 10 minutes, earning myself 4 points! And on Sunday, after church, we went to my Grandma’s house for dinner, and I persuaded Jeff and my cousin and his wife to go on a walk with us. We walked probably a mile or so, but it was very low intensity, as we meandered rather than sped walked. But it did take a full half hour, so I was able to get 2 points for it. Then I spent the remainder of the evening cleaning the house. I deep cleaned the bathroom and put the kitchen back in order, and mopped a bit. I counted these for 1 point, since I was active, just on a low scale.
I have to say, going to these family events has always been really enjoyable to me. I like being social and seeing people that I don’t see all the time. But it really is getting harder, seeing all these babies and little kids, and pregnant people around, and not being able to have that same thing. One of my sisters, who is pregnant and due in May, constantly complains about everything, when it comes to her pregnancy. Everything is uncomfortable, everything is awkward, being pregnant IS SO HARD! But she doesn’t consider that the people who can’t get pregnant would give anything to experience the uncomfortable, awkward parts of it. If I knew I could have a baby by it, I would suffer the worst pregnancy to get that. I wish it worked that way.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Random Ramblings
I’m feeling a tad sore today, though compared to other times, I would say barely. Last night, I worked off another 5 activity points, which brings me down to 20 remaining for the next 5 days. I had considered doing the C25k again (since I won’t be able to do it tonight) but decided instead to do the Wii Free Step. I started out for a half hour, and it starts really slow, so I sped it up as fast as it goes, and did that for a half hour while I watched The Wedding Date. Then, since I was trying to average 4 points a day in exercise, I decided to do another half hour. So I did, and while my calves were definitely aching a little, I made it through and the time flew by because I got to watch the movie. I’m really liking that particular program because once you get it started, you can change the channel to watch something interesting, or watch a movie. I know I work out better when I’m distracted and this seems to work.
I also ate well yesterday, though we did stop by Taco Bell after church and get something. But instead of spending 9 or more points on one burrito that I like, I got a beef soft taco (3 points) and some fiesta potatoes (6). Basically, while we probably shouldn’t have gone there to start with, I did have the points left, and I paid attention to what I ordered to keep my points low. In the end, I went over on my points target by 2 points. Not bad! And they were the first points I’ve used from my points allowance this week, so I don’t think it was a big deal at all.
Because today is Good Friday, I’m fasting, and not eating meat. So I didn’t bring any of the usual snacky things that I’d put into my lunch box. I have 1 container of yogurt, 1 small granola bar and 1 can of Progresso vegetable minestrone soup to last me until this evening (a total of 9 points). But the fun part of today is at midnight tonight, my Mom is having a fun little get-together and providing ham and rolls to break our fast. Should be a lot of fun, and maybe a fun new tradition!
I’ve been thinking about what to do for our Easter baskets this year, as I want to avoid putting too much candy into them. Over the last 3 days, I have gotten about 10different things of candy from people at work for whatever reason, so I’ve been taking them home and stashing them in my hiding spot so Jeff doesn’t see them until I put them into his basket. While I don’t eat much candy, and will be happy with a couple of goodies, he fully expects them, so I think I can control how much he eats, by how much I put into them… Sneaky isn’t it. LOL
I also ate well yesterday, though we did stop by Taco Bell after church and get something. But instead of spending 9 or more points on one burrito that I like, I got a beef soft taco (3 points) and some fiesta potatoes (6). Basically, while we probably shouldn’t have gone there to start with, I did have the points left, and I paid attention to what I ordered to keep my points low. In the end, I went over on my points target by 2 points. Not bad! And they were the first points I’ve used from my points allowance this week, so I don’t think it was a big deal at all.
Because today is Good Friday, I’m fasting, and not eating meat. So I didn’t bring any of the usual snacky things that I’d put into my lunch box. I have 1 container of yogurt, 1 small granola bar and 1 can of Progresso vegetable minestrone soup to last me until this evening (a total of 9 points). But the fun part of today is at midnight tonight, my Mom is having a fun little get-together and providing ham and rolls to break our fast. Should be a lot of fun, and maybe a fun new tradition!
I’ve been thinking about what to do for our Easter baskets this year, as I want to avoid putting too much candy into them. Over the last 3 days, I have gotten about 10different things of candy from people at work for whatever reason, so I’ve been taking them home and stashing them in my hiding spot so Jeff doesn’t see them until I put them into his basket. While I don’t eat much candy, and will be happy with a couple of goodies, he fully expects them, so I think I can control how much he eats, by how much I put into them… Sneaky isn’t it. LOL
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Yesterday's results
Yesterday, I did a great job eating!!! I entered my foods onto SparkPeople, to see where my intake lies, and how I’m doing. I evened out my meals so that the calories were more even, which I’ve been working on for awhile. I ate about 1,409 calories yesterday. My protein, fat and carbohydrates were all kept in the target range, which is pretty awesome too. And, since I don’t mind eating the same thing over and over again, I’m going to do the same thing today. For the most part, the only thing normally that ever changed in my daily menu is dinner.
On Sunday, I made a chicken stir-fry with a ton of veggies someone gave to me, brown rice, eggs and chicken. After I added everything up together and did the nutritional stats, a 2-cup serving was 300 calories, and only 6 points. Last night we had that for dinner with a half cup of cottage cheese and 1 cup of cantaloupe. It was a really delicious dinner! See the recipe below.
Then I shanghaied my two little sisters, Maria and Christine to go exercising with me. We had just enough time to be outside for about a half hour before it got dark. So Maria and I did Day One of the Couch to 5k, and Christine rode her bike along with us. It really made the time go by faster, having them to listen to. We did really well with it. Jog 1 minute, walk a minute and a half, and we probably ended up going about 1 ½ miles total. It ended really well. Maybe that’s my key to exercising; make someone go with me. LOL
I’m getting myself geared up for our Easter dinner with my family. There are usually a lot of people, and A LOT more food! I’ve been really good about eating more slowly; in fact, last year, I ate so slowly that everyone had finished their seconds before I got through my firsts. I know I did try several desserts, but instead of having a serving size of each, I had just a small slice, so I got to try a bunch of them with a lot less calories. That’s my goal for Easter this Sunday. I want to see a weight loss next Tuesday when I weigh-in at weight watchers, so it’s just going to have to work.
Chicken Vegetable Stir-Fry- makes 8 servings
24 oz. chicken breast, no skin, cooked 4 C. brown rice, cooked
3 eggs ½ C. soy sauce
1 T. olive oil 1 T. sesame oil
1 C. chopped cauliflower 2 C. chopped broccoli
1 C. chopped carrots 1 C. chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
Pour both oils and half of the soy sauce into wok and turn onto medium heat. Add vegetables and stir-fry them until tender crisp. Add chicken to heat through. Remove from pan. Scramble eggs in the wok. When scrambled, add rice and stir, making sure to heat thoroughly. Add vegetables back to the pan along with remaining soy sauce. Stir together until heated all the way through. Serve.
Makes eight 2-cup servings.
300 calories; 7.5g fat; 31g carbs; 4.6g fiber; 26.9g protein; 6 weight watchers points
On Sunday, I made a chicken stir-fry with a ton of veggies someone gave to me, brown rice, eggs and chicken. After I added everything up together and did the nutritional stats, a 2-cup serving was 300 calories, and only 6 points. Last night we had that for dinner with a half cup of cottage cheese and 1 cup of cantaloupe. It was a really delicious dinner! See the recipe below.
Then I shanghaied my two little sisters, Maria and Christine to go exercising with me. We had just enough time to be outside for about a half hour before it got dark. So Maria and I did Day One of the Couch to 5k, and Christine rode her bike along with us. It really made the time go by faster, having them to listen to. We did really well with it. Jog 1 minute, walk a minute and a half, and we probably ended up going about 1 ½ miles total. It ended really well. Maybe that’s my key to exercising; make someone go with me. LOL
I’m getting myself geared up for our Easter dinner with my family. There are usually a lot of people, and A LOT more food! I’ve been really good about eating more slowly; in fact, last year, I ate so slowly that everyone had finished their seconds before I got through my firsts. I know I did try several desserts, but instead of having a serving size of each, I had just a small slice, so I got to try a bunch of them with a lot less calories. That’s my goal for Easter this Sunday. I want to see a weight loss next Tuesday when I weigh-in at weight watchers, so it’s just going to have to work.
Chicken Vegetable Stir-Fry- makes 8 servings
24 oz. chicken breast, no skin, cooked 4 C. brown rice, cooked
3 eggs ½ C. soy sauce
1 T. olive oil 1 T. sesame oil
1 C. chopped cauliflower 2 C. chopped broccoli
1 C. chopped carrots 1 C. chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
Pour both oils and half of the soy sauce into wok and turn onto medium heat. Add vegetables and stir-fry them until tender crisp. Add chicken to heat through. Remove from pan. Scramble eggs in the wok. When scrambled, add rice and stir, making sure to heat thoroughly. Add vegetables back to the pan along with remaining soy sauce. Stir together until heated all the way through. Serve.
Makes eight 2-cup servings.
300 calories; 7.5g fat; 31g carbs; 4.6g fiber; 26.9g protein; 6 weight watchers points
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