200 lb Milestone Reached!

I weigh 200.5 this morning. Can I ignore the .5 and count this as my 200 lb milestone? i think so and I am!!! YAY! I haven't weighed this much/less since before my honeymoon two summers ago. When I went on my honeymoon, I weighed 193, but when I got home after a week in the woods, I weighed 201. Too much yummy barbeque and beer I suppose.

THIS IS THE LAST TIME I WILL EVER WEIGH THIS MUCH.

I'm not going to give in. My lifestyle is changing for good. I will never go back. Being healthy and thin is too important for my health, physical & emotional. I feel too good to become a fat cow again.

down 1/2 a pound...

I'm down .5 today making it 10 lbs down total since I started the Shred. It seems like it was coming off so slow and now all of a sudden, it's 10 lbs gone. WOW.

I'm still not feeling tip top. I really don't know what is wrong with me. I'm beginning to think that my being sick has nothing to do with those sugar free hard candies because it would not be lasting this long. Must be something else, an energy depleting bug for sure.

The uncomfortable pain all over my body from last night is mostly gone. My left ankle is still a bit sore, but other than that, all gone.

Hurting...

So my whole body is hurting... well, not my whole body, but a lot of my body. My left arm hurts like I slept on it wrong, just a dull aching that wont stop. Both shins hurt like they have huge bruises on them (one does have a bruise and I don't know where it came from), my left ankle feels like it doesn't want to hold me up and my butt hurts. I was lying on the couch at one point today and when I got up, it felt like I pulled a muscle in my right butt cheek. It hurts bad now... like it did when I was pregnant. I think the doctor called it my sciatic nerve? Anyway, I'm wondering how it's all going to feel when I try to shred in the morning. Why, 13 days since I started, am I having so many issues. This is when I'm suppose to be feeling good darn it. I think tomorrow I'm going to add some Pilates into my day. Maybe my whole body just needs a good stretch.

I wasn't very hungry today, so I chose to use the rest of my points + a couple on a candy bar, a 3 Musketeers Bar to be exact. And it was king size too (9 points). But... if I had chosen a king sized Snickers Bar, it would have been 21 points, so I'm happy with my choice and don't feel one bit guilty about it.

Tuesday's Food Journal

Couldn't Do IT. (Shred Day #13)

I started level #2 today and got about 8 minutes into it and had to stop. The plank positions really hurt my neck. Because of the hump I have on the back of my shoulders/neck, when I'm in the plan position, it feels like bones are rubbing together and is excruciating. I've tried to get into different (modified) plank positions, and it still hurts. So, I went back to level #1 and did that workout instead. I got a good workout and sweated up a storm. My legs hurt bad. I think not doing that workout for 2 days made my legs not as used to that exact workout. I was feeling guilty the whole time, like I failed. But seriously? Who did I let down? Myself! Nobody else cares. Jillian doesn't know me. I don't know if anyone even reads this blog other than me. So who cares. If I'm happy with the workout I got today, then that's all that matters. And I am happy with it. I'm a ton happier with the workout I got today than I have been with the last two workouts on level #2. I'll try level #2 again in a couple days, but I don't think I'm going to have much luck with it until my posture gets better. The more weight I lose though, the better it's getting, so I'll just wait until I lose a little more.

I haven't ever actually read the directions for the 30 Day Shred. I've gotten bit's and pieces of info from different message boards/reviews, but not exact instructions. One person said that you do each level for 10 days making it a total of 30 days. Another person said that you do level #1 until it gets easy and then move on to level #2, then to level #3. I thought the 10-10-10 seemed like a reasonable pace, so that's the way I chose to do it. But since the whole thing is basically a 30 day workout, I'm still going to count today as Day #13, because it is 13 days that I've worked out. I'm not counting the two days that I didn't work out though. Some people on the message boards count the days they skip, but I don't really think that's fair.

Measurements...

Okay, so I didn't want to wait and did my measurements now. The kids only tried to take my tape measure twice, so we're doing good.

Most of my body parts measured the same as last time with the exception of my waist (-1"), my bust (-1/2"), and my butt (-1"). Slow going, but hey, that's 2 1/2" I lost this week. And even though my arms aren't losing any (like I think they should), they sure are looking different. They look much more toned and not so flabby. My mother-in-law even commented on it over the weekend.

I just realized that I lost 2 1/2 lbs this week and 2 1/2" this week. I wonder if we're on to something.

Down 1.5

I'm down 1.5 today for a total so far of 9.5 lbs lost. It's coming off slowly, but coming off none the less. I'm still not quite feeling great, but not as bad as I have been. I'm looking forward to my workout today to see if it's getting easier yet. My sis-in-law Jacque is starting Level #2 today. I hope I haven't scared her too much.

We are going to the beach next week with my family and will be there for 6 days. My family likes to eat and it's always after a dinner at my Mom's house that I end up a couple pounds. I really need to start preparing now, and plan meals, drinks and snacks that I can enjoy without sabotaging my whole new healthy found lifestyle.

I just noticed that it's time to take my measurements again, so I'll get that done when the kids are napping, before I shred.

Have a great day....

Monday's Food Journal

Level #2, Day #2

I wish I was still on level #1. This is killing me. I'm sure skipping a day isn't helping and neither is being sick. I hope, like level #1, it will get easier the more I do it. I want to cry. My left leg hurts so bad and has since the warm-up jumping jacks. :( There didn't seem to be as many planks this time... I don't know how Natalie and Anita do it with smiles on their faces the whole time. I wanted to scream. And Jillian... I want to tell her to shut-up. That's all.

Still Sick...

I'm still sick. I felt absolutely horrible yesterday. I fell asleep on the couch at my In-Law's house while waiting for everyone to be ready to go to the Saturday Market. We were there for about two hours walking around in 90 degree weather. Everyone was eating such yummy, greasy food and I was so jealous. We got to the last 'food court' area and there it was... a fruit stand. I bought a cup of fruit and it was delicious. It included cantaloupe, watermelon, coconut, jicama, mango, cucumber, and pineapple. The vendor was even nice enough to squeeze some lime on it for me. I'd never had lime on fruit before, but it is something that I will definitely be doing in the future. I had also never eaten a chunk of raw coconut. It was awesome. I wanted to go right to the store and buy one.

When we got back to their house, I took another nap on the couch, until my husband and kids were ready to leave. I had every intention of shredding when the kids went to bed, but I just couldn't. I felt so dizzy and light headed every time I would stand up. I thought it best if I just took a day/night to rest and hopefully feel better in the morning.

Do I feel better today? Nope! But I'm going to make myself shred. Maybe getting my heart rate up and blood flowing faster will help. I can't commit to doing every single plank exercise, but for the ones I don't do, I will commit to doing a different exercise (from level #1).

I didn't journal my food yesterday because we weren't home most of the day and then last night, the last thing I wanted to do was stare at a computer.

I am up .5 today, which is probably due to my Aunt coming to visit. I can't wait until she leaves. She is probably the cause of this whole sickness anyway.

Down 2.5...

I was so determined not to eat any extra points last night, but while I was laying on the couch watching a movie, I needed, er wanted something. I remembered that I had a can full of sugar free hard candies from about a year ago. Hard candy doesn't go bad right? I sucked on a few, and a few turned into a few more, and a few more after that. When the movie was over two hours later, I had eaten 18 of them... oopsies. 18 = 4 points, so I went over. Bad Heather. I started another movie because I wasn't tired, but this time got a bottle of water to sip on. My stomach really started to growl. And then it wasn't just growling, but gurgling and moving and making all sorts of crazy noises. It would not shut up. I ended up on the toilet for about 35 min (TMI?). Turns out:

• Consumption of sorbitol and mannitol, the sugar substitutes, can cause diarrhea . And now to this list we are adding Splenda

Who knew?! I sure didn't.

This morning, I felt like I had been throwing up all night... just a really nasty rotten feeling in my stomach, emptiness, and a horrible headache. The rest of that sugar free candy is going in the garbage. I'll chew gum tonight if I just absolutely need something.

I figured that I'd be down today after last nights stint on the toilet. I'm a little scared to eat because we are going to the Saturday (& Sunday) Market down town today and I don't want to have to rush to find a nasty portable bathroom.

I tried on some shorts today that I haven't been able to wear since two summers ago and guess what... THEY FIT... all three pair. I'm so excited. So I guess even though the weight isn't coming off as rapidly as I was hoping for, I still am shrinking. YAY!!!

I'm not going to Shred until tonight after the kids go to bed. I need to give my body a little time to feel better. I don't think I could get through it right now anyway... especially since I'm on Level #2 now.

Saturday's Food Journal

I had a very hungry day today. I ended up taking a nap this afternoon so that I wouldn't be tempted to eat. I didn't go over my points though and I don't plan on it.

Shred Level #2, Day #1

Yuck Yuck Yuck Ouch Ouch Ouch... Planks... I hate planks. Planks hurt my hands. Planks hurt my wrists. Pretty much every other move in Level #2 is some form of a plank. My hands still hurt and I finished over 1/2 an hour ago. My legs hurt, my abs hurt and my arms hurt to boot. I can see why it's a good idea to do 10 days of Level #1 before going on to Level #2. If I hadn't already had some stamina built up, I never would have gotten through the first 5 minutes. What a pain! I'm trying to figure out if I hated Level #1 this much after the first day too, or if this is a new found hatred. Either way, I HATE LEVEL #2 and I can't wait until it's over. I read that there are NO PLANKS in Level #3, so at the least, I have that to look forward to.

I just enjoyed a post-workout snack of a vitatop and a tbsp of peanut butter.

Best snack ever!

Friday's Food Journal

Well at least I'm aware of what I ate right? The points may vary a tad bit, since I don't know exactly what my Mom puts in her jello salad or caesar salad, nor do I know the exact brand of ice-cream. But I'm sure these point values are close enough. Will do much better today!

I'm UP!

Well, I went to a BBQ at my Mom's house again last night and guess what, I'm up two. Funny how that always seems to happen. It's my fault. I ate a bunch of french bread... 5 or 6 slices. Bad Heather. I don't even know how many points it is. I'll have to look it up. I also ate a scoop of ice-cream and half of a brownie. The brownie wasn't even good. It was covered with too many nuts. My sister-in-law said she was going to go have one and I told her it wasn't any good, so don't bother. She asked me why I was eating it then and I had no reason. She took it away from me mid-bite and said I've been doing so good, why ruin it on a yucky brownie. I wish she would have done that with the french bread too.

I get so annoyed with other people sometimes. My parent's are overweight too, yet they don't (actively) do anything about it. My Mom says she's losing weight, but I don't know how it's possible with the things she eats. I try to tell her how she could make whatever she's making a lower calorie dish, but she doesn't seem interested. I just get so frustrated when people say they're dieting, or doing WW, but they can't seem to lose any weight. It's not rocket science people, if you follow the plan and follow it correctly, you're going to lose weight. DUH!

But back to last night. I felt so sick when we got home around 10 o'clock, which is why I didn't blog. My body is so used to good wholesome foods, that when I put that sweet ice-cream and brownie in it, it rejected it. The good thing is, that I actually crave healthy food now. I don't crave the junk anymore, so I'm not sure why I ate it last night. I know I didn't eat 2 lbs worth of food last night, but the food I ate is still sitting in me and probably holding on to a lot of water. Thus the 2 lb weight gain.

I'm starting level #2 of the Shred today, so maybe I'll burn off some of those unpleasant calories.

Shred Level #1, Day #10 FINISHED!

Bittersweet is what I'm feeling. Today was an awesome workout. I'm finally getting through it without dragging, well, at least yesterday and today. I was even able to keep a smile on my face (just like Anita one of the 'display girls') throughout the whole thing... Just in time to switch workouts. Why was I smiling? Because my 10 month old was sitting in his swing and he let me get through the whole workout as long as I was smiling at him. I even sang him a song during one of the ab routines. If I'm able to sing while working out, then I guess level #1 is too easy now, and it's definitely time to switch. I just didn't realize it would come so soon. I haven't watched level #2 yet because I think it's better if I don't know what I'm getting in to. I've read many reviews from "shredders" all over the world and the general consensus is that Level #2 SUCKS ROYALLY. I have a feeling I'm going to hate tomorrow.

I have never stuck with any sort of physical activity this long and I'm pretty proud of myself.... gives me motivation to keep it up. I'm anxious to see what changing up the workout will do for my body.

I just ate a Deep Chocolate Vitatop with a Tbsp of PB on it and it was the most delicious post-workout snack I've had so far. Yum Yum!

Same Again Today

Well, I weigh the same AGAIN. I've only lost 1 1/2 pounds in a week. It would be depressing if I wasn't noticing so many physical changes. I've already talked about them (the changes) before, so I wont bore you with repetition. Going to Shred again during nap time. I was fine last night and didn't have the urge to snack. Tonight we'll be going to my Mom's again for a multiple birthday party. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can be strong. I'm making zucchini and my Mom promised me she'd have some chicken for me to eat. I should be fine. I'll check in later... not so much in the mood to write right now.

Thursday's Food Journal

Shred Day #9

Intense... that's all I have to say about today's workout. I think this is the best workout I've had so far. I wasn't dragging through it at all like I have been the last few times. I tried not to think about the movements and how long it was taking, and focused on my breathing instead. This helped out big time. It helped out so much that I was able to do ALL of the push-ups. Sure, they are still modified push-ups (girly push-ups is what we called them in gym class), but I did all of them and that is quite an accomplishment for me. I also used my five pound hand weights today, which was definitely tougher, but with my mind on my breathing, I got right through it. Another change that may have played a part in having such a great workout was... it had been 24 hours since I worked out. My muscles weren't sore from doing Pilates, or water exercises. I think that it may be better to focus solely on the Shred, rather than do three different workouts half-ass. The more I think about it, the more confident I am that that was the problem. I wasn't giving my body enough down time in between workouts.

Boy do I feel good right now. I haven't felt this good after a workout since the second or third day. Only one day left until I start Level #2 of the Shred. Most of the reviews I've read stated that the second level is the toughest. I'm not looking forward one bit!

Morning Weigh In...

I weigh the same today. No biggie. I'm getting used to this slow weight loss.

I did notice this morning that my love handles are going away. I still have a nice paunch of skin in the front of my stomach, but on the sides, it's firming up. Those sit-ups must be paying off. Normally when I go on WW, my whole middle shrinks, but everything starts hanging even more and feeling less firm. I always wonder how on the Biggest Loser, people start off so big, finish so small, and don't have much hanging skin at the end. It must be because they work out. I'm glad I'm working out. Granted I'm starting to hate it, but it's making me feel much better about myself.

I think people who work out are more confident... I know I am. I also don't feel embarrassed to go out in public anymore. It's like I'm thinking in my head, "yah, I'm fat, but not for long". Let me rephrase... I wasn't embarrassed to go out in public, I was just embarrassed to be out in public for the chance that I'd run into someone I knew in the past and they'd think "wow, she really let herself go". I also always felt like people were always looking at me thinking "what a fatty", but seriously... how arrogant is that? I'm just a person in the crowd. Not everyone is always looking at me. I know I don't scrutinize everyone I see and make comments to myself about them. They are just people, people whom I don't know and probably never will.

Now if I could just do something about my neck. I really focused yesterday while doing the Shred to try to use just my ab muscles for the sit-ups/crunches. I think I was using too many neck muscles at the same time before. My mother-in-law pointed out to me last night (when I was complaining about my new thick neck) that neck muscles help improve posture. So I will learn to love my new neck, and just keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't get too much bigger. I picture those body builders who's heads look really small because their necks are so big. Eyeyeye...

I'm in the middle of a debate with myself. Yesterday was the first night that I didn't workout because I'd done it earlier in the day. One one hand, I was happy that it was already over and done with, but on the other hand, since I didn't have to workout, I wanted to eat. I ended up going not just two points over (like in my journal) but four points over. I had a Special K bar after I had already posted my journal. I finally went to bed because I didn't want to keep eating. So I'm debating on weather or not I want to workout in the morning or in the evening. Last night, and evening workout would have been horrible. With the power going out, our house was without AC for a couple hours, so it was pretty warm. I wouldn't have wanted to workout in the heat. Hmmm.. I think I'll try another morning workout and see how it goes.

Wednesday's Food Journal

I was planning to make taco's (taco-salad for me) using ground turkey for dinner tonight, but the power went out in mid-preparation. I was so bummed. I had even made homemade salsa to go with it. So... we went to my in-law's for dinner. I had a chicken salad with some oh so yummy Creamy Pesto dressing from the Old Spaghetti Factory. My mother-in-law cracks me up... "I follow WW for the most part, but there are just some things I wont deny myself... and one of those things is good dressing". I happily went along and indulged with her. After-all, I'd eaten pretty darn light today, so what's a little cheat or two every once in a while. I looked up the nutrition facts for the dressing once I got home and wowza.. 9 points for 6 tablespoons! I'll admit, 6 tablespoons was probably way too much, but if you've ever had this dressing, you know exactly why I HAD to have so much. When I imputed my points in my little chart/journal thingy tonight, I was surprised that my dinner was exactly as many points as I had left. Awesome!

I found some chips at the supermarket today called "Guiltless Gourmet Blue Corn Chips. So after we got home, I couldn't resist eating some fresh salsa with 18 chips. Yes, that's exactly how many chips I can have for 2 points. I don't feel guilty about it one bit either!

I didn't have any Vitatops today, but I learned something new tonight that I'm excited to share. These yummy little snacks are only 1 point. I've been counting them as 2 points all along. Now I can eat two :) Isn't that exciting!?!

Shred Day #8

Shredded.

Done for today.

It was hard.

Sweaty.

Glad I have A/C.

No Pilates.

No pool.

Ate a whole 2 lb zucchini.

Making fresh salsa.

Cooking buffalo taco's for dinner.

Kid's are behaving.

Good day!

Mmm, Zucchini...

These zucchini are huge... like quadruple the size that I buy at the store. I couldn't wait so right when she got here and gave them to me, I cooked some up.

I love roasted zucchini w/a little garlic!

Down 1.5 today... WOO HOO

Okay, so the weight loss is (finally) back in progress... down 1.5 for a total loss so far of 8.5. Only two pounds to go until I reach my 200 lb milestone (you can check out my small goals on the right side of the blog). I'm a little amazed today because my whole body (arms, hands, ankles, feet) seem really puffy. I'm no doubt retaining water from this hot weather. And I'm sure the 10 water bottles I drank yesterday didn't help much. Hey, at least I'm keeping hydrated.

I just put the babe down for a nap and was going to Shred, but I have company over, so I thought I'd get this blog caught up and some chores done before they arrive. The gal coming over is bringing a whole bunch of zucchini squash for me. Her garden is producing way too much for them to use, so she's sharing. I'm so excited. I LOVE zucchini.

Sorry so short, but duty calles.

Tuesday's Food Journal

Shred Day #7

Why is this getting harder? Am I getting wimpy or somethin'? Or am I overexerting myself? I did pilates this morning as I mentioned earlier. Then I did the water aerobics as planned. They took about 15 minutes. It was fun because my Mom did them with me. Then I ran around the pool for half an hour to create a giant whirlpool (as planned). After 10 minutes, I'd turn around and run against the flow. Man was that tough. I was sweating and I was in the pool... kept having to dunk to cool off. So yes, maybe I am doing too much now and that is why the Shred is getting harder. I'm not sure if "too much" is really the right words though. It might be just enough. I am still able to get it all in, so why back off a bit? I think tomorrow I'm going to take a break from everything but the Shred. I'm not even going to go to the pool. It's going to be 107 degrees tomorrow again (it was today too), and I'm just going to stay home in the nice AC and get some chores done.

I had five points left after dinner and couldn't decide what to use them on. When I was putting the baby to bed, I had a vision of a chocolate Vitatop w/1 tbsp of peanut butter on it. I think that thinking about eating that is what got me through my workout tonight. But when it was all over and I was literally dripping with sweat, the last thing I wanted to eat was peanut butter and chocolate. I'm eating a peach w/ff redi-whip on it instead. What a nice, light and refreshing snack. And, it's only 2 points, so I still have three to use for whatever.

There's a show on tonight called "More to Love". It's basically a fat bachelor show. These women are talking about how happy they are and how big women are just as lovable as skinny women. I'm sitting here trying to figure out a way to write this without offending anyone, but who am I worried about? Myself? I'm one of these "big" women. But I just prefer to call myself fat. And, being one of these fat women... am I happy? No! And every woman I know who's overweight is not happy. So for these women to go on the show acting like every thing is hunky-dory is a crock. They are not happy... they wont be happy until they do something about their weight. And finding a man who loves them they way they are, doesn't really care about their happiness. But then again, the guy is a fatty too, so he probably isn't happy either. Okay, I'm sorry if I've offended anyone out there, but c'mon, we all know it's the truth.

I'm going to eat my peaches and cream now and cozy in to the couch to watch the fat bachelor.

Measurements...

Just took my measurements. I know, a day early, but I thought I'd do it on the day I do my weekly weigh in instead of the day after. Less confusing that way.

Results:

Right Arm ~ same

Left Arm ~ -1/2"

Hips ~ -1 1/2"

Waist ~ -1"

Bust ~ same

Neck ~ +1/2"

Right thigh ~ -1"

Left thigh ~ -1 1/2"

Butt ~ same

So... we're starting to see some improvements. Will measure again in a week.

Pilates... check.

The kids are napping and I just finished my Pilates routine. It is getting increasingly difficult to do the leg strength segment with my right leg. My left leg has no problem, but the right leg is sending pain through my hip. I'll have to take it easy.

I found (in my magazine) an article on water exercise. It outlined three different exercises I can do and notes that by doing these three exercises at least three times a week, you can drop a whole size in three weeks (3 x 3 x 3 = -1 size). I accept that challenge.. especially since I spend a good 2 hours in the pool anyway. I may as well be losing inches too. The article also claimed that you exert your muscles 800 times as much during water exercising, thus burning 510 calories per half hour. That seems way too good to be true.

Have you ever heard of Agave nectar? I know Tequila is made from the Agave plant, but I've never heard of other uses for Agave until another article I just read. The article isn't that long, so I'm just going to write it word for word. It's from the magazine Women First on page 62 of the 8/3/09 publication.

NEWS! AGAVE NECTAR SLASHES BODY FAT BY 21 PERCENT!

In the health-food aisle of your supermarket is a sweet little miracle that can transform desserts into healthy indulgences. Called agave nectar, this syrup has been prized for thousands of years in Mexico, where it's made from the same desert plant that produces tequila. Nutritionists value agave because it is low on the glycemic index, which means it doesn't cause blood sugar spikes that lead to cravings. The best part: It's indigestible fructans bind to fats in the digestive tract and flush them out of the body, resulting in a 21% reduction in body fat in just four weeks.

To enjoy the benefits, forgo sugar in favor of agave. It's sweeter than sugar, so you can use half the amount (and consume half the calories).

Now... this article claims that you can reduce your body fat by TWENTY ONE PERCENT in just four weeks? That's a huge amount. If I'm 49% body fat, then after I use this nectar for 4 weeks, I'll be down to 28% body fat? What the heck am I spending all this time watching what I eat and exercising? How much do I use? How often do I eat it? This article really left me with numerous questions. I've been searching the internet for about 10 minutes now looking for answers and am coming up dry. I'll agree that it's probably better for me than sugar and artificial sweeteners, but I'm not going to go all gung-ho and drink a bottle a day. I am going to get a bottle though and use it for things I'd normally put sugar or splenda on/in. Not keeping my fingers crossed about losing any body fat though.

Off to do some chores now, I'll be back later.

Back Down TWO

So, the two pounds that I gained over the weekend FINALLY came off. I'm so relieved. I was beginning to think they were there for good. In my internet searching of why it's so hard to lose weight, I learned an important thing. When you strain your muscles, they retain water to repair themselves. Once they're all fixed, they release the water... there's the two lbs. And it makes sense. I'm no longer sore/stiff, which means my muscles are no longer strained, which means they no longer need to hoard water, which means... bye bye excess water weight.

I bought a magazine last night at the store... usually I don't fall into the trap of mags at the check out stand, but this time I did. But ONLY because it has an article by Jillian... and since Jillian's my girl, how could I not buy it? I have only read a couple articles as of yet, but one thing I found very interesting was a segment on grapes. Apparently, a nutrient found in red and purple grapes, Resveratrol, reduces high blood sugar levels and inflammation. The high blood sugar levels are responsible for packing on belly fat, and inflammation slows your metabolism and causes your body to store fat AND ages your skin faster. This woman in the article, drank two 8 oz glasses (each glass 4oz water and 4oz grape juice) every day, and was able to lose her last 20 lbs. She'd been on a weight loss plateau for months, but the grape juice gave her body the jump-start it needed. Interesting stuff! I like grape juice... might have to give this a try.

Another thing I learned that excited me... I was only going to share one thing, but I just can't help myself.. SORRY! Blueberries! Who doesn't love blueberries? I know I love them. And I love them even more now that I know what good things they can do for my body. Blueberries can assist with a trim tummy, lower cholesterol, varicose-vein relief and a photographic memory.

Blueberries and grape juice, here I come.

Today's game plan... Shred during morning nap. Do some chores. Go to the pool (it's going to be 105 degrees today). While in the pool, put the boys in floaties. Run round and round the inside of the pool and create a large whirlpool. I used to do this all the time and I don't know why I didn't think of it this year. The pool is an oval shape with about 3 1/2 feet of water in it (maybe a little more). If I run around, my upper body is still out of the water (to get tan), while I'm getting a killer, aerobic workout for my legs. And since I'll be in the water, I'll be keeping nice and cool. Win Win situation! Once the kids go to bed tonight, I'll do Pilates. I think doing each workout once a day will be good for me. I don't want to overdo it and not be able to finish the 30 day plan.

More later.

Monday's Food Journal

Shred Day #6

So my goal of doing the Shred and Pilates didn't quite happen today. I did Shred during the baby's first nap as planned, but had other things to do during the second nap. Then we spent the afternoon in the pool. So when we got home, I put the kids to bed and did Pilates. I just couldn't make myself Shred again today. I'm not sure why since it was so easy last night when I did it for the second time in one day. I enjoyed the Pilates though. Maybe that should be my goal... to Shred once a day and Pilates once a day. That should be enough. I ate well again today, so still hoping to see some kind of result in the morning. I still have one point left that I will probably use for a 100 calorie bag of kettle corn. I'm not hungry right now though, so I may not eat it at all.

Shredding was SO HARD today... maybe because I did it twice yesterday? Pilates was challenging, but relaxing. I've never worked out this many days in a row before and it feels very good. I'm trying trying trying to not get discouraged with the lack of weight loss. I'm committed to doing it this way for 30 days. If, after that, I'm still having problems, then I'm going to have to do something different.

Sorry this is so short tonight, but the Bachelorette season finale is on right now and I'm going to go watch it.

Same Again

I can be honest right? Isn't that what this blogs for? To be completely honest about what's going through my head and how I'm feeling? Well here it is...

I CANNOT BELIEVE I'M THE SAME TODAY. I ate so healthily yesterday. I ate all the right kinds of foods, veggies, fruit, protein, so WHY? I thought for sure I'd be back down those two lbs that I gained after pigging out on Saturday. WRONG! Seriously. I've never had this much trouble losing weight. I've said it before and I'll say it again. That's why I do WW, because the weight comes off fast. I've never worked out before and I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it. Yes, I do feel great, but I would rather look great too. This is absolutely ridiculous!!!

I've got a few options...

1. Eat less

2. Work out even more, maybe do the Shred two times a day and throw some Pilates in there

3. Quit working out

If I eat less, then my body may think I'm starving myself and start holding on to fat...

If I workout even more, then I'll just be building more heavy muscle to make me a.) weigh more and b.) make my fat stick out even more.

If I quit working out, I'll probably start losing weight again, but will I be losing fat, or just muscle. I don't want to have a bunch of hanging skin when I do lose the weight, so I don't think quitting working out is really an option.

Hmmm...

I think today and maybe every day this week through Friday, I'll try to workout three times. I'll do the Shred during first nap, Pilates during second nap, and the Shred again after the kids go to bed. I did the Shred two times yesterday and was able to handle it. Maybe my body just needs more. Good thing I have AC because it's going to be 100 degrees today.

So other than my bitterness about not losing weight, how do I feel? I feel fantastic. I woke up nice and early and wasn't even tired enough to want to go back to bed. I haven't had a headache for the last three mornings which is awesome. I have a lot more energy, I'm in a better mood and overall, I'm happier (when I'm able to look past the frustration).

Sunday's Food Journal

I Did It...

I worked out twice today... can I count it as day #4 and day #5 so that I'm all caught up? I think so! This morning it killed me. Skipping a day wasn't good. Eating & drinking so much last night wasn't good either. This evenings workout though, was a breeze. I did break a sweat, but not bad at all. My hair is still wet from the pool, so I'm thinking that may have helped me stay cool. I also did it in my bathing suit which maybe helped too. I feel so good, I could go do it again. I'm not going to, but if I wanted to, I could.

I ate great today. So far, I've only had 20 points. I ate so much fruit and veggies today. I was out at the pool most of the day and I'm not that hungry when I'm hot. I also had a chicken breast left over from last night with some yummy yummy yummy homemade salsa. Oh it was good. I never thought about putting salsa on chicken, but I couldn't eat chips and was looking for something other than a spoon to eat the salsa with. I highly recommend it and I will do it time and time again.

I feel really good today. It's funny because even though I consumed way too many points yesterday, I still felt a little slimmer today. And I think I looked a little slimmer in my bathing suit too. Could be all in my head. We shall see in three days when I measure again. I'm going to go find some food to spend my last five points on now. I can't wait for tomorrows workout. After day #1, I never thought I'd ever be looking forward to the Shred... miracles DO happen!

So Expected...

I'm up 2 lbs today. But I expected it. Today will be a much better day and I will say "no" to sangria. Unless... I just found some low calorie sangria recipes on the net. Maybe I'll make some of that. 2 points per glass is definitely better than 8 points per glass!

My legs hurt today. I don't know if it's because I slept in a dead sleep in one position all night long, or because I skipped my workout. Whatever the reason, I hope that working out this morning takes the hurt out.

I'm bringing lots of fruit and veggies over to my Mom's today so I will have plenty "healthy" options for snacking. I am going to ROCK today!

Oopsies...

I had a fun day. We had a get together with visiting family from the East Coast today. I started off the day eating well, and even got most of the way through the day eating well... until dinner. Well, maybe it wasn't dinner. Maybe it was the beer and the sangria that made me throw all reason out the door. I ate too much. Nothing I ate was 'bad' for me, but I ate way more than was 'good' for me.

I'm not working out tonight. I'm way too exhausted from a long day in the heat. I asked my husband if he will think badly of me for skipping a day and he said he wont. So if it's okay with him that I put it off, it's okay with me. We are going to visit with family again tomorrow, but only for the afternoon, with no dinner or alcohol. I'm going to do day #4 of the Shred before I go (during the kids naps) and then day #5 after they go to bed tomorrow night.

My sister-in-law is now Shredding ... YAY! She just finished day #2. It's fun to have someone go through the agony with me. I'll blog more tomorrow. I'm just too tired to think of anything else to say right now. I'm expecting to be up (in weight) tomorrow too, so don't be surprised when you see my post.

NO MORE SANGRIA <-----full of sugar = BAD

Still the Same...

I weigh the same again today, blah blah blah... 203.5. I know I'm not suppose to go by what the scale says but this is really depressing. This has never happened to me before on WW, staying the same for more than two days. I'm really hoping this little plateau is due to my body increasing muscle tone and not burning fat away as fast. That's really the only thing it could be. I've been eating my points, and not going over. I've been exercising and drinking water, so what am I not doing?

I'm not going to let myself worry about it (too much). I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and do my measurements again in 4 days... maybe I'll see some results there.

I feel great today. No headache. No aches and pains other than sitting down. But once I'm down, I'm fine.

Friday's Food Journal

Shred Day #3

Whew, glad that's over with. It was tough at the beginning, but got easier after the first 5 minutes. My body seems to like it. I was so sore all day, could barely climb the stairs... and sitting down, don't even make me go there. After the first set of strength training though, the pain just went away. And guess what! It still hasn't come back. I feel like a million bucks. I was dreading doing the workout all day, but I'm so glad I did it. I had to stop for a sip of water during days 1 and 2, but not tonight. I powered right through. What a good feeling. I can't wait until tomorrow's workout.

At dinner tonight, nothing really sounded good. I snacked on some veggies w/onion dip (2 french onion soup packets w/1 pint of fat free sour cream) and cantaloupe throughout the evening. It filled me up and felt good that I wasn't putting anything heavy into my body.

It's weird that I felt so much fatter this morning when I woke up, because I'm feeling not quite as bulky now at the end of the day. Hopefully that will show on the scale tomorrow. Even though I'm not suppose to go by what the scale says, but rather how my clothes are fitting, I still like to see the numbers drop.

Now, off to do the dishes, eat my post workout snack (a chocolate mint vitatop), and watch some TV. G'night.

Weigh the Same Today...

I woke up feeling horrible today. I have a killer headache (there goes my theory), my whole body aches and I'm so tired. Why is it that whenever I work out, the weight seems to come off slower? At WW they tell us that it's because muscle weighs more than fat, but on the Biggest Loser, both Bob and Jillian said that is just a lame excuse. Maybe it's just my body still adjusting. My neck even hurts today... argh. I will for sure do day #3 of the Shred today, but I'm not so sure about the Pilates. I may be over-doing it a tad. Maybe I'll just do the Pilates every other day. I'll see how I feel a little later before I decide for sure though.

I just did a body fat calculator online using my body measurements... 44.9% fat. OUCH! I'm almost 50% fat. If I lose half of that, I'll be in the right range. And do you know what else that means? I'll be 1/4 smaller of a person than I am now. That would be so weird. I don't know if I've ever been that small, well, maybe in 7th grade. I'm excited.

I looked up info about muscle weight vs. fat weight. It basically said that when you're losing weight, measuring the progress by using a scale really isn't a good way, because the scale measures everything, fat, muscle, bones, organs, water, etc. And when you first start a workout routine, a lot of times, based on genetics, you're building muscle faster than you're losing fat, thus the weight gain, or lack of weight loss. Make sense? Good!

It's a little before noon and I just got dressed. I'm unhappy to report that my pants are tighter than they were before I lost 7 lbs. My new bulging muscles must be making my fat bulge out... hmmm

Thursday's Food Journal

And I didn't even need to eat extra points ;-)

Shred Day #2

Well, I got through it. It was tough, but I did it. Those people who said it gets easier half way through were WRONG! It took 3/4 of the way into it before it started to get easier. And then, it was as if I was just doing it, and not really thinking about it. It went a lot faster tonight too, maybe because I was trying to think about other things. One thing I realized as I was doing some reverse crunches was... I didn't have a headache when I woke up this morning. I've woken up with a headache for as long as I can remember. Sometimes it's so excruciating I can't even hold my head up, or put my hair in a pony tail. Starting to wonder if the headaches are due to lazy neck muscles? I mentioned in a previous post that I have horrible posture and a hump on the back of my neck... that could be from lazy neck muscles too. Maybe now that my neck is getting stronger, my posture will improve and my headaches will vanish for good. Hoping for more than wishful thinking.

I don't feel as dead as I did after day #1. When I finished last night, I lied down on the couch. My husband kept asking me if I was okay. I could barely open my eyes I was so tired and nauseous. I remember watching the Biggest Loser and seeing some of the people throwing up from working out too hard. I felt like everything I had eaten for the day was about to come up. When I did open my eyes, the room was closing in on me. I must be seriously out of shape for one twenty minute workout to make me feel that way. I'm glad I don't feel like that again. It would be very un-motivating to continue tomorrow with day #3 if that was the feeling I was going to have after every workout.

My legs are really hurting right now as I sit her in the recliner. It seems as though every move is one move away from a muscle cramp. In a way, it's a good feeling, because I know that the workout is working. I'm just hoping that it doesn't keep me awake tonight.

Nevermind the Nevermind...

As the day has progressed, my body is starting to hurt. There are muscles hurting that I didn't even know I have. Going up the stairs is absolutely torture. I did the 20 minute Pilates routine while the kids were napping and had a horrible time getting through it. One reason I've always liked Pilates is because I see results without much effort. Wrong! It's effort now. I'm determined to do day #2 of the Shred tonight even if it kills me. In the reviews I was reading before I started it, people said that they hurt really bad when they started day #2, but half way through, the pain went away. I sure hope they're right.

I'm really hungry today. I only have 5 points left for dinner and post workout snack. Normally at 4 o'clock, I still have 11 or 12 points left. Fingers crossed I don't go over. I'm pretty sure that the working out is making me hungrier. With WW, you do get to add points for physical activity. I've just never done it because what's the point of working out if you're just going to eat more... the extra calories would kinda cancel out the workout don't cha think? I may just use them tonight though.

Other than that, I FEEL GREAT!

Nevermind...

After the initial walking around for 10 minutes or so this morning, the pain went away. I think I will add some Pilates to the routine either this afternoon while kids are napping, or before the Shred. Whenever I've done Pilates, I've ALWAYS noticed results FAST! And the faster the better. Woo Hoo!

Yeeouch!!!

I'm in pain. That pretty much says it all. I was so tired after doing the Shred that I went to bed nice and early last night. While I was laying in bed this morning, I started moving different body parts around thinking, "I don't hurt at all". Then I decided that on top of the Shred, I'd start doing Pilates every day too and that would tone me up even faster. I'm glad that I didn't do any more thinking before I got up. Ouch. It. Hurts. To. Walk. It hurts to do pretty much anything. This is going to be a fantastic day, I just know it ;-) Pilates today? I think not!

On the bright side, I'm down to 203.5 lbs (-2.5 lbs). 7 lbs gone in two days is pretty awesome. It's a good feeling. Is it possible to feel lighter already? I know 7 lbs really isn't that much, but I do feel lighter. Maybe it's that I don't feel so sluggish that's making the difference. Well whatever the reason, I'll keep it!

I didn't talk about the Shred last night because I was so completely wasted (workout wasted, not alcohol wasted). I took measurements of practically my whole body before I started so I'll be able to post before and after. Before and after are FUN! Like I said in my post last night... I can't remember the last time I sweated that much. I had sweat dripping off my eyebrows and nose after only 10 minutes. I hope it gets easer as time goes on. I actually did push-ups last night, only two real ones, and a couple dozen modified ones, but they were push=ups none the less. No wonder my arms hurt so bad! I'm going to get some 2 lb hand weights today when I return the DVD. I was using 5 lb hand weights last night and they were really too heavy. I used them about half the time and soup cans the other half. Other than that, I think I'm set.

Shred Day #1

WOW

I don't want to know what level two is like... I can't remember the last time I sweated this much. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow.

Wednesday's Food Journal

Hopefully I won't forget about the kettle corn tonight ;-)

Wowzers!

I'm down 4.5 lbs today (206 lbs). I think that's the biggest loss I've had in one day. I'm sure it was a huge shock to my system, going from french fries, pizza, and burgers to eating healthily. My metabolism is still working as if I'm eating 4000 calories a day. It's weird because over night, I could almost feel my body losing weight. I couldn't sleep either. That's happened before at times I've lost a great amount over night. And if that's not motivation, I don't know what is. Now more than ever, I want to stick with it. I can't wait to see what will happen over the next couple days while my metabolism is still working at rapid speeds.

I stumbled upon a workout program last night when I was mindlessly surfing the internet. It's called The 30 Day Shred by The Biggest Loser trainer, Jillian Michaels. I read about 50 reviews on the 20 minute workout and it seems extremely tough but doable. I'm going to go pick it up today and hopefully start day one today during the boy's afternoon nap. I'm nervous but excited at the same time. That's one more thing I'll be adding to this blog. I'll be tracking my results and letting everyone know each day just how sore I am!

I'll write more in this post as the day goes on, about how I'm feeling and what I'm struggling with. Here's to a new day!

Oh, and I posted my food journal from yesterday, but I never did eat that kettle corn. I put it on there, but then got busy and forgot. So I really only ate 24 points. I'm not going to change it though.

4:00 pm: I'm feeling good. I have much more energy than I did yesterday. My stress level feels lower too and I'm having much more patience with my kids. Now, off to go buy the 30 day shred!!!

Okay, so I'm an idiot... I just bought the workout DVD only to come home and find that all three levels of The Shred are available on Comcast 'on-demand'. Looks like we'll be making another trip to Target tomorrow to return it. Still feeling good!

Tuesday's Food Journal

This is what my food journal each day will look like. If something is in blue, I will include a link at the bottom of the post. Certain food finds I think are awesome just need to be shared!

Vitatops: 100 calories of chocolatey goodness! www.vitalicious.com

Flatout Wraps: www.flatoutbread.com

RE-START (AGAIN)

YIKES!

I WEIGH 210.5 TODAY!!!

I got back up to 223 a couple months ago. I hope that never happens again. I'm was keeping a daily journal on my Mac, but nobody saw it but me... what kind of accountability is that? I'm going to make this blog public again so everyone can see it. Maybe then I'll stay on track. I'm also going to blog daily my struggles with food, what I'm eating, how I'm feeling, etc. etc. So, here goes.

I was just looking at my weekly weigh-in off to the right side. Not that I'm happy with weighing what I do, but it's pretty amusing that the last time I added a weight, I was only .3 lbs different than I am now.

Food... food is the enemy, but also my best friend. The way I eat directly affects my mood, my energy level, my relationships, my outlook on life, pretty much my WHOLE LIFE! Lately, I've been in such a funk... depressed, not wanting to go anywhere or see anyone because I've been eating so poorly. And when I say eating poorly, I mean stopping at fast food 2 to 3 times a day because I'm too lazy to actually fix my 3 year old something to eat. I always tell myself that I'm just going to get an iced coffee or a diet pop, but then I end up ordering 2-3 burgers and fries just for me. My house is a mess, I have stacks and stacks of paperwork to file, piles of bills to pay and baskets full of clean laundry that needs to be put away. I can't even remember the last time I balanced the check book. So as you can see, when I'm not eating healthily, my whole life and those around me suffer. Wow, it feels good to get all that off my chest. I need a change.

In the spring (the middle of May) I went back on WW. I didn't go to the meetings but just counted points and weighed in by myself. I was doing awesome. After 20 days I'd lost 19 lbs and felt AWESOME! We went camping for Memorial weekend and I didn't even cheat. Boy that was hard... watching everyone eat ribs, burgers, hot dogs, all the good camping food. But I did it. So that just shows me that I CAN do it and I AM in control. I need to get back in that mind set. I really don't know what happened. Falling off the wagon, really makes me feel like a failure. I was feeling so good in jeans, but now they're too tight. I recently went on an outing with my Dad and he made a comment under his breath, "looks like I'm a little overdressed". I don't know if he knows I heard him, I pretended I didn't. But he was right. I was wearing capri sweat pants and a sweat shirt. I was underdressed, but that's all that was comfortable to wear.

So, starting today, I'm back to being healthy. And not just eating healthy. I want to BE healthy. I am committing to some sort of physical activity every day, walking, pilates, swimming, going up and down the stairs, something.

My posture is suffering too. As much as I try to put my shoulders back and stick my chest out, I still look like I'm slouching. I've even developed a hump in my neck. I didn't realize how bad it was until I saw some pictures of myself from the back and from the side (taken by my dad on our outing... what an eye opener, thanks Dad). I had this problem years ago and weight loss helped it significantly. BUT, I don't want to wait for the weight to be gone before my posture improves, so that is one thing I'm REALLY going to work on.

As I stated above, I'm going to keep track of what I eat here too. I'll post my daily consumption every night before I go to bed. Maybe if I'm keeping my fingers busy blogging, It'll be too hard to munch.

So, how am I feeling today? It's almost 1 o'clock in the afternoon. I don't have any energy at the moment, but I DON'T feel weighed down by greasy food which is definitely a plus. The first three to four days are always the hardest while my body and metabolism adjust to the new way of eating. I'll get there, just not today.

RE-START

I weigh 218 today...  time to get back on the wagon!  I'm not going to WW anymore because life is way too hectic right now.  So let's see how I do on my own.  My weigh in days will be Monday's this time.  That way, I wont be able to cheat over the weekend.  I'm going to try something different though.  I'm going to blog every day about what I ate and how I felt.  Might be boring for readers, but it'll give me a chance to reflect and see what I liked or want to change.  Actually, I changed the privacy settings, so nobody can read it anyway.  YAY!  This blog is now just between me and the blog.  

Week # 16 / 210.2 lbs

Got up bright and early again today to go to my WW meeting.  Half way there I realized that I'd forgotten the stupid Biggest Loser Trophy and had to go all the way back home to get it.  I was only down 1 lb.  That's okay.  At least it's a loss and not a gain.  I kind of expected it.  I gained 6 lbs last weekend (my birthday weekend), so really this week I lost 7 lbs, though 6 of it was lbs I'd already lost.  I wont do that again.  Just think if I hadn't overindulged last weekend, would I have been down an additional 7 lbs instead of just 1.  I am relieved that the holidays and my birthday are over.  Nothing else coming up for quite a while, so no more excuses.  I should be able to stick to the plan pretty well.  Especially with my sis-in-law texting me non-stop keeping me on track.  Gotta love accountability!

Today at the meeting we talked about the NEGATIVE RESULTS OF HUNGER.  

What happens when we let ourselves get too hungry?  

~we are so hungry that we start to pig out on everything and anything in sight.

~we eat so fast that it takes a while for our brain to register that we're full and then we're uncomfortably stuffed.

~we realize what we've done and get depressed about it.

~the depression causes us to eat even more and just throw in the towel on the whole day.

~can potentially ruin any sort of loss for the entire week.

This is why it's important to keep ourselves satisfied throughout the day with many small/low point meals.  

And that's that!  

Seven Steps to Success ~

At our meeting Saturday we talked about the seven steps to success and how to stick to the plan to reach our goal.  

1. Look up points values before you eat them.
2. Chose filling foods first.
3. Follow the good health guidelines
4. Use your weekly points allowance.
5. Keep track of everything you put into your mouth.
6. Pay attention to portion sizes.
7. Be aware of your body's signals.  

I am guilty of not following every single one of these steps.  How often do I eat something and then say I'll look up how much it is later.  Or snack on something that will satisfy my sweet tooth, but wont satisfy my hunger.  The good health guidelines are hard to follow sometimes.  I'd much rather eat a 100 calorie snack of chocolate covered pretzels for 2 points than drink a cup of skim milk for 2 points, but which one will really satisfy me and help me toward reaching my goal?!  Sometimes I think that if I eat less points than I'm allowed I will lose weight faster.  But that's not teaching me how to eat right and even if I do lose an extra pound or two, I will just gain it back when I do eat again.  When I'm cooking, it's easy to take bites of things to taste it, but every bite, lick and taste (BLT's) has points and I need to remember to count them.  I was reading about a woman who didn't change anything she ate, she just changed how she ate it and lost 32 lbs.  She chewed every single bite twenty to thirty times and that made her eat slower, which gave her brain more time to register when she was full, thus eating less.  I've tried to do that and when I do, it does cause me to eat less (maybe just because I'm tired of chewing).  Most of the time I forget though. 

Goal for the week:  Exercise at least 4 times and try to remember to chew slowly.  

Week #15 / 211.2 lbs

Went to the meeting again today.  I was down 6.4 lbs which got me the biggest loser trophy again.  How fun.  It's such an ugly trophy.  I feel good.  Back on track.  Jacque and I text message each other all day long.  It's great to have someone to be accountable to, since just being accountable to myself doesn't seem to work.  

I ate pretty well this week.  The only time I blew it was right after last weeks meeting when we went out to breakfast at a local bar.  They have the best sausage gravy and I had a sausage and cheese omelette smothered with gravy.  But I kept on eating right the rest of the day and didn't give myself a "free day" like I used to.  

Tomorrow is my birthday and we are going to my Mom's house for lunch today, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to make wise choices.  I requested Angel Food Cake with fat free whipped cream and fresh strawberries as my cake, so if that's my only downfall, I should be fine.  We'll see :)

What Do I Want In 2009?

2008 In Review~

• I'm feeing most proud that...  I lost my baby weight already.  When I had Tyler, he was 7 months before I got back down to my pre-pregnancy weight.  It only took 2 months with Bodhi.
• A great way I found to manage my emotions is...  talking to a friend instead of eating.
• I'm proud I handled setbacks by remembering...  to get back on the wagon.  Just because I blew one meal didn't mean the whole day was ruined.
• The most important thing I learned was...  doing it for myself.  In the past, I've made deals with people like "if you do this, I'll lose weight", or "as long as your doing this, I'll keep eating right".  I'm the one who needs to lose weight to make ME happy.  Who cares what everyone else is doing.
• I'm really glad I discovered...  water!  I knew that I needed to drink 8 glasses of water a day, so at the end of the day I would be gulping down 4 16oz bottles.  I've now substituted all drinks (except coffee) with water.  No more pop, no more juice, just water (sometimes with little calorie free flavor packets).
• My best strategy for successful dining out was...  looking up the restaurant's menu online and planning my meal in advance.  
• The helpful habit that I improved the most is...  planning out everything I will eat for the whole day ahead of time.  Then I would just check off things as I ate them.  

What do I want in 2009?

• What do I want to build on?  Pretty much everything.  I know how to eat good and I know what foods are good and which ones are bad.  But I need to just do it and quit saying "just this one time".  
• What would I like to change?  I want to cook more.  When I'm so busy with three little kids, it's very easy to just pop frozen meals in the microwave.  But those meals are so fattening and full of salt that if I feed them to my kids, they will fallow down the same overweight path that I've gone down.  I want to take the time to cook healthy meals and stop stopping at McDonald's for chicken nuggets and french fries for lunch on the way to take Reilly to school.  That has become a BAD BAD habit.
• What would I like more of?  I would like more free time without the kids.  I don't have any time to exercise during the day because the kids wont leave me alone.  And then by the time they go to bed, I'm already so tired, the last thing I want to do is exercise.  Maybe during nap time I could do some sort of exercise.  That can be my time to do whatever I want.  
• What helpful habits to I want to improve?  I need to drink a glass of water before I eat.  Sometimes when I do that, it satisfies me and I don't feel like I still need to eat. 
• What needs to happen for these things to become a reality in 2009?  I need to WANT it.  I need to SEE it.  I need to post a picture of myself on the fridge where I'm looking good so when I start to graze, I will see it.  Maybe that will motivate me.  

Week #14 / 217.6 lbs

So, I gained a bit over the holidays.  Oops!  At least it wasn't too much.  I didn't go to any meetings for 3 weeks either.  I kept thinking that I wanted to be down to where I was before I went back, but then I wasn't losing any, just kept gaining.  So I went back.  I talked my sister-in-law Jacque into going with me, so that was motivation.  But gaining 4.6 lbs in 3 weeks really isn't that bad considering everything I pigged out on.  

Weight Watchers has changed it's program.  There is no longer the Flex Plan and the Core Plan.  It's all one now called Momentum.  It's basically about choosing filling foods with lower points to feel satisfied longer.  Looking back on previous posts, you can see that I've already kinda been doing that.  I've always said, it's all about quantity to me.  I'm glad WW has finally seen it my way.  

Meeting Talk

On Saturday I was so excited to decorate my Christmas tree that I forgot to write about what we talked about in the meeting.  So I will do it now.  We talked about ways to Move More.  It is very easy to slum around during the winter because of the not so nice weather, so we made a list of things we can do for exercise FOR FREE at home using things that most of us already have.  

• Upper Body Moving

1. Carrying around a baby (maybe most of us don't have one of those but I do)
2. Arm exercises using water bottles or soup cans instead of free weights
3. Pushing a shopping cart while grocery shopping (place a couple boxes of water bottles on the bottom and the cart can get pretty heavy)
4. Push-ups against the wall
5. Vacuuming

*I should have written it down because there were many many more that I can't remember.

• Lower Body Moving

1. Running or walking up and down the stairs
2. Squats
3. Walking in place

*Again, I really can't remember the rest.

My leader Lisa also talked about how much time we spend doing nothing.  One example she used was when we're popping microwave popcorn, how many of us just stand there and watch it pop?  We could have a water bottle or soup can in each hand doing biceps curls or lifting them over our heads while walking in place for the 2 1/2 minutes it takes for the popping.  

That's the main example I remember.  I can think of a bunch of other examples, but I really don't feel like sitting here anymore.  I just moved, I have a bunch of organizing to do.  

Week #10 / 213 lbs

So I'm up a little.  At least it's just a partial pound.  Bo woke me up this morning at 4 o'clock and completely forgetting about having to weigh in a couple hours later, I drank two cups of coffee.  Can we blame the gain on the coffee??  I really should stop playing the blame game and take ownership.  I had a bad week.  In fact, I'm really surprised that I wasn't up a lot more.  I've been so busy unpacking that I never cooked a single meal all week.  Lunches all week were fast food and dinners were take out or delivered pizza.  And I joined right in.  I'm talking french fries, chicken sandwiches, full fat lattes, and everything else you can imagine.  And, I enjoyed it.  It was a little disturbing that every time I stepped on the scale, I hadn't gained any weight.  So I kept eating whatever I wanted.  Perhaps if the scale had shown a gain It would have been more discouraging and I may have stopped sooner.  But what's done is done, so on to week #11!

The first time I joined WW, I joined with my sister-in-law Jacque.  She and I dropped the weight so fast because we talked and text messaged with each other all day long.  We were great food police.  When I started this time, I did it alone.  I still lost weight, but it's just not as easy when I don't have anyone to share recipes and ideas with.  Jacque called me a couple days ago and asked if I wanted to do it with her again.  What a GREAT motivation to get back on the wagon. So, we officially started together today, and so far so good.  It's only 2 o'clock and I think we've already text messaged each other about what we're eating like one hundred times.  This will be very fun and I am very very excited to have someone to do it with again.

Till next time...

Week #9 / DID NOT WEIGH IN AGAIN

Bad Bad Heather!  This time I have a good excuse though.  We are moving today and I was up late late late the night before, packing up the old house & unpacking at the new house.  I didn't gain any weight last week, but I didn't lose any either.  I think we'll place the blame on Thanksgiving this time.

Week #8 / DID NOT WEIGH IN

I had every intention of going to weigh in this morning, but my little 8 week old alarm clock didn't wake me up at 5 o'clock like he usually does.  I welcomed the extra sleep though.  I missed the big "thanksgiving meeting" though and that annoys me, so maybe I'll go tomorrow morning.  I was really dreading weighing in and if I go tomorrow, I may use my "no weigh in pass".  On my scale this morning I was up .6 lbs from last week.  

For some reason, I've lost my motivation.  The first time I joined WW (2 years ago), I lost my motivation shortly after reaching my 10% goal.  I don't know why.  Maybe I'm bored with it?  Maybe I need to change it up a little and try some new recipes.  I don't know.  Yesterday I was at my brother's house and my sister-in-law baked some very yummy pumpkin spice cookies.  I'm sure you all know by now how addicted to pumpkin I am.  Well, she sent me home with 2 dozen cookies and by 8 o'clock last night, they were gone.  I'd like to say that my family really enjoyed them, but my family can only account for 2 of them.  Yes, I ate 22 cookies yesterday and that's not counting the 2 or 3 I ate at her house.  And since I did that and was already feeling down on myself, I thought I'd eat some other things I was craving.  Maybe I'll just make a list of everything I ate yesterday.

• pumpkin spice cookies (25)
• peanut butter cookies (2)
• corn dogs (2)
• spoonfuls of peanut butter (3)

I don't see anything healthy on that list.  Oh, and to top it off, since I was having a eat anything I want evening, at 9:15 I hopped in the car and headed for the Starbucks drive-thru.  I ordered a Venti Eggnogg Latte...  640 calories (14 points).  WOW!

But it's not like yesterday was my only downfall.  I pretty much cheated every day.  Thursday I ordered pizza "for the family", but ate two pieces myself.  Oh, and Three Musketeer Bars have 45% less fat than regular candy bars, so I've been treating myself to a king-size one of those every night.  Like 45% really matters.  It's just been a really bad bad week.  

I am happy to say though that I am getting back on track today (at least so far).  I made the family french toast with eggs and bacon for breakfast.  And I made myself french toast too only with egg beaters, Sara Lee 45 calorie bread and sugar free calorie free syrup.  The kids seemed to enjoy theirs, but mine tasted like cardboard.  Seriously.  I'll have to play around with that and see if I can make it taste any better.  So, hopefully, after having a week of not doing so well, I will be able to stick with it for a while longer.  Keeping my fingers crossed.  

Winter Squash Soup

Since we are moving in two weeks, Jeff decided to move everything we don't use in the garage over to the new house this weekend.  I had a box of weird squashes that he and the kids picked out when we went to the pumpkin patch last month.  He was going to throw them away, but for some reason, I couldn't part with them.  What if I wanted to make something with them?  Well he called my bluff, so today while the kids were napping, I decided to figure out something.  

I grabbed two squashes and looked them up online to see what kind they were.  One was a Turban Squash and one was a Carnival Squash.  The Turban Squash was the hardest squash I've ever tried to peel.  Even softening it in the microwave first didn't help.  So after peeling half of it, I decided half was enough and moved on to the Carnival Squash (which wasn't a fun chore either).  I think I spent over an hour peeling squash.  I pretty much followed the Butternut Squash Recipe that I previously posted except used these squashes instead.  And to tell you the truth, it tasted pretty much the same, except maybe a little nuttier.  

Carnival Squash

Turban Squash

So, I'm enjoying a delicious cup right now and it tastes even better knowing that it's good for me and is only costing one point.  Maybe I'll cook more squash tomorrow and do something with them other than soup.