Saturday December 30, 2012

Saturday December 29, 2012

Well, that didn't go as well as I had planned.

There was those damned cookies that Vern brought home!! There are 4 on that plate in the photo. I did that twice. 20 PointsPlus in cookies alone...yikes!! Oh well, it's done. I used a boatload of my weekly points allowance. I tracked it. And I am moving on.

I made bean soup from the leftover ham bone. I want to begin cooking more. Part of my problem is that I like my cooking, so portion control becomes an issue. But the reality is that I need to learn to really practice self control at some point. It might as well be sooner rather than later, right?

I heard something in my Weight Watcher meeting on Friday that is making more and more sense as I think on it. Our substitute leader said, "Sometimes the first thing you need to do is to STOP THE BLEEDING." .....meaning that sometimes the first thing you need to do is stop gaining....then you can think about losing.

So anyway....today (I am typing this on Sunday morning) I really am going to go for a walk (in about 10 minutes). My back is still pretty painful.

I'm going to track my points and look forward. Onward...

Back at it...

Friday December 28, 2012

Friday morning Weight Watcher meeting, up 4 pounds, for a total gain of 5.2 pounds in the month of December.

The holiday season is drawing to a close, Weight Watchers rolled out the plan for 2013, and I'm ready.

My kitchen is stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables. I'm tired of the junk food. I made a pot of zero point soup. Lets do this!

One minor complication. I tweaked my back a couple of days ago and it's pretty spasmy. I'm doubtful that I can run with it like this. But I can walk....so...ONWARD!

Day one back on plan!!

Tuesday December 18, 2012

Tuesday December 18, 2012

I just threw a bunch of junk food in the trash while my coffee was brewing. I have been completely and totally out of control ..... to a degree that I haven't been faced with in a long time.

I could talk about the feelings and the reasons and the triggers ..... and how difficult this time if year is. Or I could just decide that today is a very good day to start to rein it in. Today is a good day to eat healthy and to track my points. I'll start there...

Monday December 10, 2012

In the interest of complete honesty and transparency in the journey....I bring you this update. I am so stinkin busy!! This is our busiest season of the year at our shop. We are working long days and we worked this weekend.

So the reality is this....I am exercising when I can. I am eating on plan some days and eating crap on other days. I am going to the grocery store this morning so that I have some good food at work. I'll get through this next two weeks....somehow.

Catching Up...Whew, I'm BUSY!!

Monday & Tuesday 12/3-4/2012

Such a busy, busy season!! It's hard to find time to fit everything in! So there will probably be a few of these "hit the highlights" posts over the course of the next month.

I'm trying to be more intentional about getting my activity points each day, rather than only hitting my activity goals on the days when I run. So one thing I've done is set my iPhone alarm to go off every hour at work to remind me to get up and move. On Monday I was able to take a quick walk around the outside of our building each time. Tuesday was more chaotic but I did at least get up and stretch and walk laps around the shop. I also left early for work on Monday and walked the long way to get there. On Tuesday I interval ran 3.5 miles

On Minday I had a cheeseburger from In-n-Out for lunch. I had it "protein style" (wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun) it was 9 PointsPlus. I am pretty stinkin happy about THAT!!

Here are my stats for both days:

Monday:
39 Total PointsPlus
Weekly Points used 13
Weekly remaining 32
ActiveLink earned 5
ActiveLink remaining 16
Goals:
Under 33 PointsPlus-no
At least 2-4 ActiveLink Pts-yes

Tuesday:
28 PointsPlus total
Weekly used 2
Weekly Remaining 30
ActiveLink earned 7
ActiveLink remaining 23
Goals:
Under 33 PointsPlus-yes
At least 2-4 ActiveLink Pts-yes

The photo collage is a from both days. Just the meals I had. There are some frozen entrees in the mix. I add stuff to them and "doctor them up" to make them healthier and more satisfying....they are a life saver for me when I am busy!!

Okay...that's it...onward!!

Sunday December 2, 2012

Sunday December 2, 2012

Another on plan day under my belt!

This was a non-run day. I went for a walk in the afternoon but I should have walked a little farther. I fell short on my activity points. I am learning that I am going to need to be very intentional about getting those points! My plan today is to walk to work and to try and get some movement in for 5 minutes each hour.

So anyway...

Breakfast:
Pineapple Banana Oatmeal
Cooked in Almond/Coconut milk
Coffee with half and half
7 PointsPlus

Late Lunch/Early Dinner
Kale Salad sautéed in olive oil
Baked yam
Rotisserie chicken breast
10 PointsPlus

Snacks:
Sliced apple
Popcorn with olive oil
Pineapple Coconut smoothie
made with Weight Watchers
Smoothie mix and frozen pineapple
12PointsPlus

Total 29
Weekly used 3
Weekly remaining 45
ActiveLink earned 1
ActiveLink remaining 11

Goals:
Stay under 33 Points-yes
2-4 Activity Points-no

Saturday December 1, 2012

Saturday December 1, 2012

This was a good day. I started the day with a seven mile interval run. I'm nursing a sore foot, and breaking in new running shoes, but it was a pretty good run. I walked more than usual but I got some miles in.

We're super busy with holiday orders at the shop. So, after my run I showered and headed to the shop to get some things done. I worked for a few hours. I have supplies at the shop to be able to fix simple meals there and that is very helpful. I had breakfast and lunch while I was there.

A while back I mentioned that I was going to try and eliminate a lot of the artificial sweeteners from my diet and try to use mainly "real" foods. I haven't had a diet soda in about 4 days, I think. It may be longer but I'm not sure. I switched to half and half in my coffee, rather than sugar free French vanilla Coffee-Mate, about a week ago. I'm still using some stevia but have cut most of the sucralose and aspartame from my diet. The aching in my legs is significantly reduced so I really think I am on to something here.

I'm excited to hear what the changes to the Weight Watchers plan will be. The new plan rolls out today in meeting rooms. I'll hear about it on Friday when I go to my meeting. I've poked around on line and it looks like the changes are mainly with the tools and not so much with the plan itself. It will be interesting to find out. I'm almost tempted to go to an early meeting but I'm going to wait until Friday to hear it from my leader.

Okay...here's my menu for Saturday.

Breakfast:
Smart Ones Waffles &
Turkey Sausage
Banana
Coffee with half and half
8 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Roasted Turkey Breast Sandwich
On 2 slices of Roman Meal Bread
Fat Free Cheddar Cheese Slice
Tomatoes & Spinach
Carrot Chips
5 PointsPlus

Snack:
Sliced Apple

Dinner:
Rotisserie Chicken Breast
Kale Salad sautéed in
1tsp olive oil
7 PointsPlus

Snack:
Pumpkin Spice "Sherbet"
3/4 cup frozen canned pumpkin
1 small frozen banana
1/2 cup almond/coconut milk
Pumpkin pie spice
Blend together until it's the consistency of soft serve and fluffy
Yummy!!
1 PointsPlus if you count the fruit as zero.
5 PointsPlus if you count the points for the fruit.

Total 21
(25 if I count the sherbet as 5)
Weekly used 0
Weekly remaining 48
ActiveLink earned 10
ActiveLink Remaining 10

Goals:
Under 33 PointsPlus-yes
At least 2-4 ActiveLink Points-yes

Friday November 30, 2012

Anyone who reads this has probably already figured out that when I'm not doing so well I tend to avoid my blog. This past week was not so good. I seem to start the week determined to do better than the week before, only to fall right back into old habits within days!

Once again I am staring a new week determined to make healthy choices. The holiday season is tough. It seems like the perfect storm of circumstances comes together during the holidays to make it more difficult to stay the course.

I have a plan. I'm going to make one healthy choice at a time. I'm going to do my best and be kind to myself. I am continuing with my goal of staying under 30-33 PointsPlus per day and earning 2-4 ActiveLink points per day.

My Weight Watcher meeting is on Friday morning. I gained 1.6 pounds.

I stayed on plan yesterday. :)

Breakfast:
PB2 and Banana Sandwich
Coffee with half and half
6 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Veggie Burger on a sandwich thin
With FF cheese, tomato, and
spinach.
Sliced Apple
6 PointsPlus

Dinner:
Rotisserie chicken breast
With BBQ sauce
Mixed Vegetables with olive oil
10 PointsPlus

Snack:
Pumpkin Spice Yogurt
(Nonfat Greek yogurt mixed with canned pumpkin, stevia, and pumpkin pie spice)
5 PointsPlus

Total 27
Weekly used 1
Weekly remaining 48
ActiveLink Earned 0

Under 33 points---yes
2-4 Active Link Points earned--no

Goals...

It's Monday morning after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. I just got home from a 4 mile interval run. I have new running shoes. I'm ready to set some goals and get through this holiday season without losing my mind from all the food temptations!

So, here are three goals that I'm ready to commit to.

1. I am committed to staying at 30-33 PointsPlus per day. That's my 26 Point target plus some activity points each day.

2. I am committed to eliminating diet soda with aspartame or sucralose from my diet.

3. I am committed to achieving 2-4 ActiveLink points per day.

There, that's it. Such simple goals and yet I think it's a great strategy for success.

Weekend Update...

Weekend update...

So, I started my Thanksgiving Day with a 5K "Turkey Trot" I was glad that I committed to participating in Alissa's, Thankful Healthy Blogger 5k, at "A Journey To Thin" because it motivated me to get myself out of bed!
I wanted to finish in under 40 minutes and I almost made it. My time was 40:36. Next time!

Thanksgiving was at my Mom's house. My sister, Joyce, did all the work. I just showed up with some yams and green salads....sweet!

I didn't count points. I simply enjoyed the time with my family.

My Weight Watcher meeting was Friday morning. I was delighted to have lost 2.2 pounds at weigh in!

After the meeting we picked up my mother in law and took her to Disneyland for the day. Again, no counting points.

Saturday I did a 5.3 mile "mostly walk." It was hot and I was tired, so I ended up walking most of the way. Then it was a day of running errands, shopping for new running shoes, and stopping by my mom's house again to visit. Again no counting.

Now it's Sunday morning. I am back to counting points. It's hard to believe that the Holiday Season is upon us already!

The Healthy Blogger 5K

So I am going to participate in this challenge this year. It should be a fun way to be motivated to start the day with a run. Here is a link to the "A Journey to Thin" the blogger who has organized this challenge. I'm kind of excited to be participating!!

I've chosen a 5K near my house...how convenient is that? There just happens to be a 5K, organized by a church in my community to raise money for a couple of worthy causes!

So...I'll report back on how it goes!!

Sunday November 18, 2012

Sunday November 18, 2012

This was an interesting day. I'm happy with my choices.

We decided to make an impromptu trip to Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure after church. We hadn't seen the Christmas decorations yet and were itching to see them.

To our surprise, it was really crowded. We hadn't thought about it being the beginning of a vacation week for many people. So yeah. It was crowded and chaotic. But we got to see the decorations and walk around a bit.

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with banana & pineapple
Coffee with SF creamer
(Yes, I am working on eliminating artificial sweeteners but I want to use up the stuff I have and then replace it with natural stuff(
5 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Plaza Inn Fried Chicken Dinner
There were 3 pieces of crispy, fried chicken. I ate the breast.
Mashed potatoes & gravy
Green beans
I estimated this at 22 PointsPlus

It frustrates me that Disneyland will not provide nutritional information for its restaurants. So I just counted the points based on similar foods from other places. I might add that I am REALLY proud of myself for not eating everything on that plate! I didn't eat the other two pieces of chicken or the biscuit. I am making progress!!

We didn't stay late and we were on the road heading home by 7:30.

I was hungry when we arrived home so I made a grilled cheese sandwich. I used two slices of Roman Meal bread, 3 PointsPlus, and two slices of Kraft Fat Free Sharp Cheddar Singles, 1 PointsPlus. Spray lightly with nonstick spray and grill until the bread is browned and the cheese is melted. This is quite the treat for 4 PointsPlus!! I had grapes with it.

Snacks:
Peanuts 8 PointsPlus. YIKES!!!
My guilty pleasure!
Banana

39 PointsPlus Total
Weekly Points Allowance used 13
Weekly remaining 33
ActiveLink Points Earned 2
ActiveLink remaining 18

Saturday November 17, 2012

Saturday November 17, 2012

I started my day with a long training run. I'm behind on my training for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in January. So anyway, today was the day to get that long interval run in.

On the mornings when I do my long runs I have a banana and some Greek yogurt before I run. Of course I have coffee as well....I ALWAYS have coffee!

So, I had my coffee and my pre-run breakfast, used my inhaler to ward off my exercise induced asthma, mixed my Performance drink in my water bottles, strapped on my running belt and headed out.

It was hard getting started. I spent most of the first two miles feeling like I was gasping for air. My feet felt heavy and awkward, like I was running in mud or sand. Eventually though, I found my stride. My muscles warmed up....and I began to enjoy the run. When I run, I run intervals. I run for 45 seconds and walk for 30 seconds....over and over and over again. This run was 10.8 miles. I ended up with a 13 min/mile pace. I walked the last miles and a half. This was a hard one. It's been too long since I did a long training run. By mile 7 I was feeling it. It's Sunday morning as I type this update and my legs are sore. But I feel good that I did it!

My menu for Saturday was odd. And I didn't do a good job of photographing my day. But anyway... I had my pre-run breakfast, my performance drink while I ran, and another banana when I was done.
7 PointsPlus

Lunch and Dinner were combined into one meal. I had to go to work for a few hours after my run and I wasn't hungry at lunch time. So when I got home I fixed shredded beef, the one from Costco. It's in a sealed foil pouch in the aisle where the canned tuna is. The brand is Sampco. It's extra lean and it's 1 PointsPlus per ounce. I made rice and black beans. I had a big bowl with rice, black beans, salsa, FF cheese, and shredded beef.
15 PointsPlus

Snacks:
Yogurt with PB2, WW smoothie mix, and banana.
Grapes
7 PointsPlus

Total 29 PointsPlus
Weekly Points Allowance used 3
Weekly remaining 46
ActiveLink Points earned 15
ActiveLink remaining 16

Friday November 16, 2012

Friday November 16, 2012

My WW meeting was a good turning point for me. Stepping on that scale and seeing my weight above 180 again was quite the reality check. I love my meetings!

So I am back at it.....reminding myself that it's not magical or mystical. It's choices.

Breakfast:
Oatmeal Pumpkin Breakfast Cookie
1/2 sliced apple
Coffee with SF creamer
7 PointsPlus

Lunch:
1/2 cup Quinoa
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
GardenBurger Portabella Patty
5 PointsPlus

Dinner:
Lean Cuisine Chicken Fettucini
Shirataki Noodles
Kale salad mix
FF Cheese slices
8 PointsPlus

Snacks:
Banana
Pineapple
Deep Chocolate VitaTop
Coffee with SF creamer

24 PointsPlus Total
Weekly Points Allowance used 0
Weekly remaining 49
ActiveLink Points Earned 1
ActiveLink remaining 1

I am working towards eliminating most, if not all, artificial sweeteners from my diet. I have given up diet soda and I think I'm going to go back to using half and half in my coffee. That's not to say that I won't use artificially sweetened products occasionally, but I'd like for them to not be such a big part of my regular diet. So there we go...

Friday Morning Weigh-In

Up a pound this morning. I think I'm done screwing around. Let's do this!

Wednesday November 14, 2012 Update

Wednesday November 14, 2012

This was a better day. Immediately after I posted yesterday, I went in the kitchen, cleaned out the refrigerator, and roasted some vegetables. It felt like a good, solid step back to healthy eating to prepare those veggies and throw away the crap food while taking stock of what I needed to buy.

Last night on the way home from work we stopped at Costco and my fridge is now stocked with lots of fruits and vegetables. We grabbed a rotisserie chicken while we were there for a quick, easy dinner.

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with canned pumpkin and cinnamon.
Coffee with SF creamer.
5 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Smart Ones Entree
Roasted Mixed Vegetables
10 PointsPlus

Dinner:
Rotisserie Chicken Breast
Rice
Roasted Kale Salad
10 PointsPlus

Snack:
Banana
Pineapple
SF Vanilla Creamer
1 PointsPlus

Total 26 PointsPlus

November 14, 2012

I wish I could come here with an glowing report of how well I'm doing this week. I wish I could say that I'm tracking in the "Magic Tracker" I brought home from my Weight Watchers meeting and that I'm staying within my points allowance and eating healthy foods. I wish I could say all of that but I can't....because none of that is true.

The truth is, I am struggling. This week feels like an epic fail at this point. Today I am going to do my best to pull out of this tail spin and get back on track.

Saturday November 10, 2012

Saturday November 10, 2012

Road trip !! We're in Arizona for the Nascar race this afternoon (Sunday). We drove in on Saturday morning. We had breakfast at Starbucks in El Centro....well technically we had breakfast in the car after buying it at Starbucks. I had the egg white/spinach wrap and coffee with a banana. (8 PointsPlus)
We didn't eat again until dinner. My sister and her boyfriend took us out for a lovely steak dinner. I had the ribeye with mixed vegetables and a green salad. It was so good!! I counted it as 21 PointsPlus.

I had very little exercise so I'm guessing no activity points. But, it was a very fun day!!

Total PointsPlus 29
Weekly Points used 3

Out of the Mouths of Babes

So, yesterday was my Weight Watchers meeting. I always go to my meeting, even after weeks like this last one when I didn't even DO Weight Watchers.

The fact that I didn't do Weight Watchers explains why my blog has been blank. I didn't do Weight Watchers. I didn't track. I didn't blog. Way to hide from reality Vickie!!

So anyway, I went to my meeting. I gained 2.8 pounds. Meh....

So, once again, I am getting myself back on track. I am tracking my menus. I am counting my points. The reality is that this is my life. I will always need to track and count points or I will gain the weight back...it just is what it is.

We have "Magic Trackers" at my meeting. One person takes the tracker home each week and tracks in it for the week. Then it's brought back and passed on to a different member for the next week. It's grown to 5 trackers full of different menus, notes, and comments. I have the "Magic Trackers" this week. It will help me to be motivated to track.

I shared this story at my meeting. It's a cute story but its also an "out of the mouths of babes" story. Each week at our meeting there is a handout booklet. We call them our "weeklies." They contain tidbits of information, recipes, tips for working the plan and changing our way of thinking about food. They also contain a simple action point or "homework." Honestly, each week I toss it in the back seat of the car and forget about it. Last week Vern told me that our 7 year old, very precocious granddaughter reads them to him, and quizzes him on the information, when he picks her up from school. Last week she said to me, "Grandma, I noticed that there is homework in your Weight Watcher books. I noticed you aren't doing the homework. Weight Watchers is like weight loss school and you should do the homework. Remember, you've gained weight some weeks? You might do better if you do the homework. Okay, are you going to start doing the homework?" Out of the mouths of babes!

So, I'm going to start doing the homework. I might do better :)

Happy Monday!!

Monday November 5, 2012

Catching up from the weekend.

I haven't tracked this weekend. There's a great way to start a new week! So anyway, here's what I've done. I adjusted my tracker to show that I used my weekly points over the weekend and I'll start tracking fresh today. I doubt that I really used all my weekly points but it helps me to track if I have a solid start point. It's just this weird relationship I have with numbers.

On Saturday I participated in the Color Run here in San Diego. With my granddaughter, my nephew, and some friends. I walked it because I had my granddaughter, and it was hot. But it was a ton of fun!!

Yesterday I interval ran a little over 4 miles. I earned 12 ActiveLink points over the weekend.

Okay ...Happy, Healthy, Monday!!

P.S. I got a blog award from my friend over at "700Pounds is as Bad as it Sounds"... I'm excited to complete the challenge...as soon as I have time!!

November 2, 2012

Friday morning weigh in. Down 1 pound this week. I am determined to do a better job of updating daily this week :)

October 31, 2012

It's been one of those weeks....my eating isn't especially bad. I'm on plan for the most part. But I'm busy and stressed. I'm kind of tracking but not as faithfully as I should.

So much of this journey is mental and emotional...so today I'm just going to share something I wrote yesterday morning after waking from a nightmare. It's 24 hours later and my heart is still raw from it...

This morning at 3:33am I awoke from a nightmare. There were those few seconds when I was waking up and hadn't yet realized it was a dream and I was sick with grief and fear and panic. And even after realizing it was a dream I am left feeling a little wounded and traumatized.

I dreamed I was with my granddaughter at a park. A park with a pond. We were walking near the edge and she was being silly. Just as I was about to caution her to be careful, she slipped and fell into the murky, slimy water, and immediately sank to the bottom.

As so often it happens in dreams, my feet seemed to be glued to the ground and my body moved in slow motion as I first reached for her and then jumped in after her. I was swimming frantically in the dirty, murky water trying to find her, to save her, knowing that she was drowning as I was searching for her.

I woke up in a cold sweat before I was able to rescue her. As I came to my senses I reached for my phone to see what time it was. Exactly 3:33am. I snapped a screenshot of the time on my phone, just because.

I got up to use the bathroom and when I got back in bed I told Vern about my dream. I told him I was sure it reflected my helpless feelings about the situation of her mother moving to Texas and her being caught in these circumstances that no seven year old should have to experience. My heart breaks for her and for her Dad, my son, who is doing his best to deal with all of it as his own heart is breaking.

As I laid back on my pillow, reflecting on all of this, I suddenly thought of Naaman, from the book of 2 Kings. Naaman had leprosy and he went to see the prophet, Elisha, to be cured. When he got to where Elisha was, Elisha didn't even come out to talk to him. He sent a messenger to tell him to wash in the Jordan river seven times and them he would be cured.

Naaman was furious. Elisha's instructions made no sense at all. The Jordan was dirty, and couldn't Elisha have at least come out and spoken to him in person?

Thankfully for Naaman, he had friends who convinced him to do what the prophet instructed and he was healed of his leprosy.

So what does that story have to do with my dream? I think it just may be that God is trying to tell me something. I think maybe I need to simply trust Him. None of this makes any sense to me. I don't see how any good can come of this situation. Just as Naaman would never have thought to take a dip in the filthy Jordan river, I would never have chosen this difficult path for my grandchild to have to walk. But I know that God loves her. I know that He brings beauty from ashes. I know that His ways are not my ways and things don't have to make sense in order for me to trust Him. So my choice is this...I can choose to let go of the care and worry of all if this and simply trust God or I can drown in the muck and slime of worry and fear.

This morning, once again, I am choosing to lay it down. I am choosing to trust that God will somehow work this all out and He will care for my precious granddaughter in the midst of it all. I say all of this knowing that its only by the power of His Holy Spirit that I will be able to do this and I'm sure I'll have to lay it down again and again as the care of it all creeps back in. His grace is sufficient ...for me...and for the ones I love.

I'm reminded of this quote by Alan Redpath...

"There is nothing - no circumstance, no trouble, no testing - that can ever touch me until, first of all, it has gone past God and past Christ right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with a great purpose, which I may not understand at the moment. But as I refuse to become panicky, as I lift up my eyes to Him and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart, no sorrow will ever disturb me, no trial will ever disarm me, no circumstance will cause my to fret - for I shall rest in the joy of what my Lord is! - That is the rest of victory!" Alan Redpath

October 29, 2012

Sunday October 28, 2012
Weekend Wrap Up

So it's been a good weekend. Good, but busy! I had every intention of updating my blog on Saturday morning. But the time got away from me. So anyway...

Friday was a 47 PointsPlus day
(There was cake involved)
Weekly points used 21
Weekly points remaining 28
ActiveLink points earned 1
ActiveLink remaining 1

Saturday october 27, 2012
I started the day with a 9.25 mile interval run. I did intervals of walk 30 seconds/run 45 seconds.

Breakfast was a yummy smoothie made with 2% milk, a frozen banana, PB2 powder, and a deep chocolate mini vitacake. So, so good!
Coffee with SF creamer
7 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Grilled turkey and cheese sandwich, made with FF cheese, grilled in a pan sprayed with non stick spray.
Sliced apple
5 PointsPlus

Dinner:
"Spaghetti" made with Shiritaki noodles, Morningstar farms "crumbles" and canned spaghetti sauce.
6 PointsPlus

Snacks:
SF Gelatin with fruit
Fage Total 0 Greek Yogurt
"S'mores" made with graham crackers, chocolate frosting, marshmallows.
13 PointsPlus

Total 31
Weekly used 5 PointsPlus
Weekly remaining 23
ActiveLink earned 17
ActiveLink remaining 18

Sunday October 28, 2012

Breakfast:
Same smoothie as Saturday
Coffee with SF creamer
7 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Turkey and cheese sandwich on
Alternative pita
Sliced apples
6 PointsPlus

Dinner:
Rotisserie chicken leg quarters
Mixed vegetables with
Brummel & Brown spread
Kale Salad with
FF poppyseed dressing
SF Gelatin
13 PointsPlus

26 PointsPlus
0 Weekly points used
ActiveLink earned 0
ActiveLink remaining 18

Friday October 26, 2012

So stinkin busy!! I'll post a real update soon. But for now...Friday morning weigh in...down 1.4 pounds!!

Wednesday October 24, 2012

October 24, 2012

This week has been extremely busy! I had every intention of posting yesterday but the day got away from me. So today is a catch up post.

Monday October 22, 2012
You can see, by the number of frozen entrees in my menu, that it's the beginning of a busy chaotic week....

Breakfast:
Smart Ones Breakfast Sandwich
Sliced apple
Coffee with SF creamer
7 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Veggie burger on a
Sandwich Thin with
FF cheese
Sliced apple
7 PointsPlus

Dinner:
Smart Ones Frozen Entree
While that was cooking I had a
Serving of veggie straws and
2 ounces of cheese
11 PointsPlus

Snacks:
Banana
Pear
0 PointsPlus

Total 31 Target 26
Weekly Used 5, remaining 38
ActiveLink earned 2
Remaining 7

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Ugh!!! This day is what it is...or was, as it's now early Wednesday morning and I'm reflecting on it.

I think it's pretty safe to say that I have some pretty deeply ingrained emotional eating patterns that I am working on changing. There are some things in my life that aren't as I would like them to be. There are stresses as a business owner that still blow me away sometimes....and there is just the junk and stress of everyday life that constantly comes at us. I have made huge strides in overcoming my tendency for turning to food when I am frustrated, overwhelmed, tired, angry.....choose any or all of the above emotions....but there are days when I crumble under the pressure.

Yesterday was one of those days. It was a long day, starting at 4:30am so I could squeeze in time for a run and ending at around 10:30pm when I got home from my bible study group.

It happened when I got home. I fixed my granddaughter's turkey sandwich to pack in her lunch for today and when I cut it with a cookie cutter, rather than tossing the crusty part, I ate it. That tasted good so I grabbed a few slices of turkey and wrapped them around cheese and ate those. That led to a bowl of veggie straws that I mindlessly munched on as I read a chapter of a book. Then I wanted something sweet so I made a half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and ate that. Then I went to bed....

Now it's the next morning. My stomach is not very happy with me. I can't even begin to describe how much I don't want to post any of this because binge eating is my little "secret." The binge food is not photographed for the blog, because as I'm eating it I am telling myself that I'm not going to tell. I'm not going to blog about it or I'm even going to lie about it. I tell myself no one would really know if I just omitted it from the details of the blog post. But then it comes time to write the blog post and I've come to my senses and, of course, I can't lie about it or omit it like it didn't happen...what good could possibly come of that!?

And, of course, the food that promised to comfort and calm my stress had turned out to be a liar once again. It's almost comical when I think about it. I mean really...how many times does a person have to wake up feeling sick, and disgusted, and ashamed???

Okay so there we go. I binged, I tracked it. I can't take it back. I can't end my journey of a healthier lifestyle because of it...I cant lie about it or pretend it didn't happen...it just is what it is. And, today is going to be better.

Breakfast:
Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie
Pears
Coffee with SF creamer
5 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Pastrami sandwich on
Roman Meal bread with
FF cheese slice
Tomato
Sliced apples
7 PointsPlus

Dinner:
Frozen Entree
With added cheese
11 PointsPlus

Snacks/Binge
Listed above
37 PointsPlus

Total 60 Target 26
Weekly used 34, remaining 4
ActiveLink earned 6
Remaining 13

Interval ran 5.03 miles
13.04 min/mile pace

And...onward!

Shiritaki Noodles

Miracle Noodles

I mention Shiritaki noodles fairly frequently, so I decided to share a little bit about them.

There are two types of Shiritaki noodles. One type has tofu in them and can be found in some grocery stores. The tofu kind have around 20 calories per serving.

The ones I use don't have tofu in them. They have zero calories or carbs. I like them better than the tofu ones. I have never seen them in a grocery store.

I order them on line, in bulk, from here:

www.miraclenoodle.com

They have a long shelf life and don't require refrigeration.

There are several shapes to choose from. I use the angel hair and the rice shapes. The "rice" looks more like tapioca balls than rice and works well as a rice or macaroni substitute.

I've learned a couple of things about using these noodles along the way. First, they are packed in a liquid and they have a distinct odor when you open the package. It's almost a fishy smell. So they need to be rinsed very well. I rinse them in hot running water for about a minute. Secondly, they are very wet and they taste the best when they are dried well. I have discovered the best way to dry them is to dump them in a nonstick skillet over med-high heat and stir them around until the liquid evaporates and the noodles start to bounce and sort of squeak against the surface of the hot skillet. Once you've done this they are ready to use in whatever way you choose. They don't really have a flavor of their own and they take on the flavor of whatever you put them with.

I use them the make frozen pasta type entrees bigger. I use them to make macaroni and cheese. And as a substitute for rice. I've also used them with the seasoning packet from ramen noodles as a soup.

There are tons of recipes on the website and I plan to start trying some of them soon.

So there you go...everything I know about Miracle Shiritaki Noodles!

Monday October 22, 2012

Yesterday was a stay at home in my jammies, have imaginary tea parties with my granddaughter, kind of day. It was exhausting....lol. I tend to forget, between visits, how much time and attention one small child requires. And, she has a much larger capacity for the Disney channel and chatter than I seem to have. But we made it through day one of her 6 day stay and I was so happy to see bedtime!!

My eating was on track and thankfully imaginary treats don't have a PointsPlus value.

Sunday October 21, 2012

Pre-Breakfast:
Banana
Coffee with SF creamer

Breakfast:
Eggbeaters omelet with
2 slices precooked bacon
Spinach
FF cheese slice
Sliced apple
Coffee with SF creamer
5 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Smart Ones Angel Hair Marinara
With Shiritaki noodles,
Brummel & Brown spread
And Laughing Cow Cheese
7 PointsPlus

Dinner:
Turkey Meatballs
Shiritaki Rice with
Brummel & Brown Spread and
Laughing Cow cheese
9 PointsPlus

Snack:
Pear

Total 22 Target 26
Weekly Used 0
Remaining 43
ActiveLink earned 0
Remaining 4

Sunday October 21, 2012

So yesterday was my first run after not running for eight days. I did 5 miles. I walked the first half mile, then ran intervals for the next 3.5 miles, and then walked the last mile. It was hard! Harder than I expected it to be. I am sore this morning. But I am glad to have that first run out of the way.

I forgot to wear my ActiveLink when I ran. That's the first time that's happened for me. There is a feature on the Weight Watchers ActiveLink site where you can name your activities for a certain time period and it will add the Points value. Apparently it's not very accurate. Normally when I run in the morning and then have a normally active day. I earn between 6 and 8 activity points. But by naming my points on the site I got 3 points for the day. It's fine because I rarely use all of my activity points anyway. I just found it interesting that that feature is so inaccurate. If I calculate the activity on the Weight Watchers activity calculator it gives me a total of 6 points. Oh well...just musing about it.

My food was on track and I am back to tracking every bite.

Saturday October 20, 2012
Pre-run:
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 banana
Coffee with SF creamer
2 PointsPlus

Breakfast:
Weight Watcher Smoothie Mix crepe
With banana & PB2 Flavored
Walden Farms Pancake Syrup
(Recipe below)
Coffee with SF Creamer
4 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Skipped lunch-busy day

Dinner:
Rotisserie Chicken Leg Quarter
1/2 cup Rice with
1 tbs Brummel & Brown Spread
Okra & Tomatoes
16 PointsPlus

Snacks:
Fage Total 0% Greek yogurt with
Stevia and PB2
Dubliner sharp cheese 2oz
Grapes
10 PointsPlus

Total 32 Target 26
Weekly Points Allowance used 6
Remaining 43
ActiveLink Points earned 3
Remaining 3

Weight Watchers Smoothie mix Crepe:
I packet WW Smoothie mix
1/2 cup egg substitute
Mix together and pour into a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray.
Cook on medium heat until it puffs up and starts to look done around the edges and is firm enough to flip without it running or falling apart.
Turn out onto a plate and top with your choice of toppings.

The one I had this morning was chocolate smoothie mix and had sliced bananas on it. For the syrup I mixed PB2 powdered peanut butter with Walden Farms pancake syrup to make peanut butter flavored maple syrup. It was so good!

Yesterday was day one of being back on track. I'm not going to lie. It was a challenge. It's tough to rein it in when I've been off plan. I felt "hungry" and unsatisfied for a good part of the day. But I knew those feelings and cravings would pass after a day or two of healthy eating. So I exercised my will power and stayed within my points range.

Friday October 19, 2012
Breakfast:
Shredded Wheat with almond milk and half of a large diced apple on top.
Coffee with SF creamer
6 PointsPlus

Midmorning snack:
Banana
0 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Morningstar Farms Turkey Veggie Burger on a Sandwich Thin, with a slice of FF cheese, tomato, and spinach.
1/2 of a sliced apple
Diet Iced Tea
6 PointsPlus
*note-that veggie turkey patty was delicious!! And only 2 PointsPlus!!

Dinner:
Rotisserie chicken breast
Shiritaki "rice" with cheese
9 PointsPlus

After Dinner Snack:
SF Jello with fruit, pineapple, mandarin oranges, and banana, topped with sweetened Greek yogurt.
3 PointsPlus

Total 25 (target 26)
Weekly Points used 0
Weekly Points Remaining 49
ActiveLink Points earned 1
ActiveLink Points remaining 1

Friday Morning Reality Check

It was a heck of a week! I celebrated 50 pounds lost. I went to Club 33. I spent 3 days at Disneyland.

When we got home I continued to eat pretty much whatever I felt like. I turned off my alarm and slept late every morning. I sat on the couch and watched television each night after work. All week long I knew I would face the scale on Friday.

This morning the dread music was playing in my head as I walked across the parking lot to my Weight Watcher meeting. I considered not weighing in but I decided I needed to face the numbers on the scale. So I stepped up on that scale and faced the music.

Up 3.2 pounds. I enjoyed this past week. And now I'm ready to get back at it. Onward...

Thursday October 18, 2012

Thursday October 18, 2012

So yesterday was a good, healthy eating day. I didn't 100% track but I ate healthy. If I was to guess, I would say it was around 30 PointsPlus.

I'm easing back on plan. I didn't go running again this morning. I slept late...5:30 haha! I will run on Saturday. The good part of that is that my legs feel really good. I had some sore spots and tight muscles and that all seems to have healed. So maybe a week of not running is just what I needed.

Tomorrow morning is my Weight Watcher meeting. It is the beginning of a new week. The part of my brain that tells me that all the parts of my Starbucks cup need to be aligned properly before I can take a sip, also makes it much easier for me to get back to tracking when I know exactly how many PointsPlus I have to work with.

Here's what I ate on Wednesday:

Breakfast
Smart Ones Breakfast Sandwich
1/2 Apple
Small Banana
Coffee with SF creamer

Lunch
Turkey Sandwich on Roman Meal bread, with FF cheese, tomato, and spinach.
Baked sweet potato "fries"
1/2 Apple
Diet iced tea

Dinner:
Smart Ones Lasagna with added Shiritaki noodles
Kale Salad

Snack:
SF Jello with fruit and Greek Yogurt

Wednesday October 17, 2912

Wednesday October 17, 2912

Wednesday Morning...
So, it's the Wednesday after the long weekend. I'm still not completely back on plan. But today is the day. I woke up knowing that I must leave early and go by the grocery store on my way to work so I have stuff for lunches.

Tonight I will turn my 4:30am alarm back on so that I'm awake to lace up those running shoes and go for a run.

I've enjoyed this little break and I'm fairly sure I'll see it on the scales on Friday, although I'm not expecting a big gain...just a little bump...but we'll see. It's been fun, but the days of allowing this to slip into weeks and then months of eating whatever/whenever and continuing to gain weight are gone. I will always get myself back to a healthy eating and exercise lifestyle within a few days....it's something I've decided in my heart. I may take a long weekend here and there but the fat, lazy, unmotivated lady doesn't live here anymore.

Here's to a healthy, happy day!!

Weekend update

So today is day three of our weekend at Disneyland. It's been an amazing weekend of enjoying the parks and hanging out with friends!

I honestly haven't tracked or counted points all weekend.

Club 33 was a wonderful experience! The food was incredible. The service was stellar, and the time of conversation and laughter with friends was priceless!

We met these friends through an iPhone app called MouseWait. (It's also available for android) If you're a Disneyland fan I highly recommend this app. It's free and we have met so many new friends via the app!

Today we will spend the day in the Disneyland parks and then head home and back to the real world tonight.

It's been the best weekend I've had in a while!!

Milestone!!!

We're on our way to Anaheim and pressed for time but I wanted to share this!!!

Wednesday October 10, 2012

Wednesday October 10, 2012

Oh my goodness!! I crumbled and had myself an "I don't give a rip about healthy eating or portion control or moderation" night. I'm not really sure of what's going on in my head this week. We are crazy busy at work, preparing to take a long weekend off. So that stress is always a challenge. But it's more than that. Part of me is bitter about trying so hard last week and gaining a pound. I know it's silly. I know those things happen from time to time. I know weight fluctuates for a myriad of reasons. .....I know all of these things in my head....but I can feel it fluttering around on the outskirts of my consciousness ..."Why bother? You tried so hard last week and you gained anyway." I hear those words in my mind and I push them away. At least I try and push them away...but I still struggle.

It would be so easy if this was easy! It sounds so easy. Just count these points, stay within your allotted points range and you will lose weight. And it really is that easy....physically. It's a matter of calories in verses calories expended...physically. The problem is that it's not just a physical journey. It's a journey that involves emotions and habits and knee jerk reactions that need to be retrained. And that's where the struggle comes in to play.

So on this day I faltered. I had a moment in time that involved pizza and ice cream and an " I don't care" attitude. But it's one moment and its done. So I pick myself up, I brush myself off, and I continue on in this journey.

I am proud of the fact that I tracked it all. There was a time, not so long ago when I wouldn't have tracked a day when I stumbled. So tracking it all is a step forward for me. It's progress.

47 PointsPlus Total
Weekly PointsPlus used 5
Weekly remaining 0
ActiveLink earned 2
ActiveLink used 16
ActiveLink remaining 6

So there we go. Technically I had the PointsPlus weekly and activity allowance to cover my food fest, but its been my experience that it doesn't REALLY cover it. And I wouldn't be at all surprised to show another gain at my weigh in on Friday.

On a happier note, we are leaving right after my WW meeting on Friday for a weekend away at Disneyland, including lunch at Club 33! I am so looking forward to it!!

Tuesday October 9, 2012

Tuesday October 9, 2012

When my alarm went off at 4:30am, the last thing I wanted to do was to get up, have a cup of coffee, get dressed, lace up my running shoes and go for a run. But I did.

I found myself praying as I ran and just asking God to encourage my heart. I am feeling unmotivated and blah this week. I know this will pass but it sucks while it's this way!

So, I interval ran 3.6 miles with an average pace of 13.02 min/mile. There was not one of those moments during the run when I realized how great I felt. I just put one foot in front of the other ...over and over and over. And when I was done I was glad. Glad that I was done and glad that I had chosen to get up and do it when I didn't feel like it.

My eating is still just okay. It could be better and it could be a lot worse. I'm glad I threw the chocolate dipped shortbread cookies in the trash! It helps that I don't have junk in the house......well, if I don't count the Klondike bars my husband put in the freezer...sigh. I saw them last night. I'm pretending that they aren't there.

Okay, so here's my totals...

Breakfast:
Shredded wheat with banana and almond milk.
Coffee with FF creamer
6 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Smart Ones Entree- Lasagna
On a bed of spinach and kale salad.
Diet Iced Tea
8 PointsPlus

Dinner:
Lettuce leaves with FF cheese, turkey breast, and mayonnaise.
Special K Popcorn Chips
10

Snacks:
Shiritaki noodles with cheese
Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt
With PB2 Peanut Powder
Grapes
9 PointsPlus

32 Total PointsPlus
Weekly used 6
Weekly remaining 5
ActiveLink earned 7
ActiveLink remaining 19

Monday October 8, 2012

Monday October 8, 2012

Today was a busy, chaotic day! I'm feeling rather unmotivated and blah. These are the days when I have to just put one foot in front of the other and know that eventually I'll feel motivated again.

I did just okay, food-wise. Still struggling with the urge to snack at night. I ended up munching on some Special K cracker chips that I really didn't need but it could have been worse.

I need to start incorporating more exercise on my non-run days.

Okay, here's my menu:

Breakfast:
Shredded Wheat with banana and almond milk.
Coffee with SF creamer
6 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Spinach salad with turkey breast, canola oil, oranges, cucumber, and raspberry balsamic vinegar.
Diet iced tea
2 PointsPlus

Dinner:
K-39 "Protein Tacos"
(Chicken "tacos" wrapped in lettuce leaves from a local taco shop)
16 PointsPlus

Snacks:
Greek yogurt
SF Jello with fruit
Special K cracker chips
8 PointsPlus

Total 32
Weekly Used 6
Weekly remaining 11
ActiveLink earned 0
ActiveLink Remaining 12

Sunday October 7, 2012

So....those Chocolate dipped shortbread cookies from Costco that I was going to throw away last week? Yeah, those. They are really going in the trash this morning...as soon as I go downstairs. And we won't talk about the popcorn.....ugh!

 New day....fresh start....can't go back.

 46 PointsPlus total
Weekly Points used 20
Weekly remaining 17
ActiveLink Earned 0
ActiveLink Remaining 12

Friday & Saturday October 5 & 6, 2012

Friday October 5 & Saturday October 6, 2012

So, Friday morning was my Weight Watcher meeting and weigh-in day. I was just sure I would step on the scale and have lost that .8 of a pound...and be at 50 pounds lost. I was SHOCKED when she said " You gained a pound this week."

I mean really, I know I had that big snack fest on Thursday night but I had been really good the rest of the week....or had I? When I really think about it, there were lots of instances in that week when I had to estimate PointsPlus values and serving sizes. There was the retreat and the struggle to find PointsPlus friendly foods, home fellowship pot-luck.... Oh, and those damned chocolate dipped shortbread cookies!!

So anyway, I gained a pound. I had to move a marble from the pounds lost jar back to the pounds to lose jar...and I had to admit to myself that the scale really doesn't lie. Oh sure, there are some normal fluctuations and weight goes up and down....but in the long run, the scale tells the story of how well I'm staying on plan.

Our leader on Friday was a substitute and she talked about embracing where we're at in the journey. Whether we're sailing along or struggling...it's where we're at right now!! She also spoke about how we link food to certain events and feelings, and how we can re-program those "links" by being thoughtful and intentional about what we're doing and why we do it. It was a really good meeting.

Sometime on Friday I realized that THIS is where I am right now. I am just under 50 pounds lost. And, while I'm looking forward to being able to celebrate 50 pounds...the reality is that it really isn't going to change anything. The day I hit that milestone is ONE DAY. It won't change the journey. I'll still have to count my points and exercise and journey on toward my ultimate goal...and when I get to my final goal it won't really change anything either. I'll still have to count points and exercise and be thoughtful and intentional about my choices!

So, I'm going to be where I'm at, count points, exercise, and be thoughtful and intentional about my choices...and go to meetings each week and step on that scale...and it will either go up or down or stay the same.....and that's okay. It's all part of the journey!

Alright, so Friday and Saturday were busy, busy days. I tracked my food but I didn't get photos or detail anything. So here are the bare statistics...

Friday:
26 PointsPlus total
Weekly used 0
Weekly Remaining 49
ActiveLink earned 1
Active link remaining 1

Saturday:
38 PointsPlus total
Weekly used 12
Weekly Remaining 37
ActiveLink earned 11
Active link remaining 12
Ran 7.2 miles 13 min/mile pace

Thursday October 4, 2012

Thursday October 4, 2012

Started the day with a 4 mile jog/walk, 13 minute pace.

Thursdays are a weird day for me. It's the end of my Weight Watcher week. I usually have a ton of extra activity and weekly points left. And I usually home alone on Thursday night. This makes for a challenging dynamic.

I tend to be a closet eater and having all those points leftover makes me feel somewhat entitled to eat whatever I want. But my weigh-in is on Friday morning! Ahh the challenges of a Weight Watcher!!

So, here's my menu. The part I didn't photograph is the stuff I ate after dinner...ugh! Technically, I am within my points allowance for the week. I am fairly confident I will show a loss when I weigh in. But I'm not happy about the after dinner snacking part. It's not a healthy habit. I am still working on it. The up side is that I tracked it. That is progress for me. In the past I would stop tracking and set a "start over" time in my head. Now it's a part of the journey and I'm working on it, documenting it and not letting it derail me. It's a journey...

Breakfast:
Cereal with banana, apple, and almond milk.
Coffee
6 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Wraps made with an alternative pita, split into two halves, FF cheese, turkey breast, spinach, tomato, and mustard.
Sliced apple
5 PointsPlus

Dinner:
Leftover chicken thigh with sauce,
Shiritaki noodles, laughing cow cheese, and Brummel & Brown spread, with a sprinkling of FF cheese
8 PointsPlus

Snacks:
Leftover bowtie pasta that I made for my granddaughter, yogurt with bananas and coconut smoothie mix, 2 chocolate dipped shortbread cookies (these are going in the trash Friday morning!)
21 PointsPlus!!

Total 40 PointsPlus
Weekly used 14
Weekly remaining 13
ActiveLink earned 7
ActiveLink remaining 23

Wednesday October 3, 2012

Wednesday October 3, 2012

This was an average, busy day. I went to work early to meet a customer. On the way I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things, fresh fruit, baby spinach, cereal and almond milk.

After work we went to IKEA to get a desk chair for our granddaughter. "Grandma, there is a pink one I saw at IKEA that would be perfect." Of course we had to go get it! She is spending a couple of afternoons a week with us at our shop so we're setting up a "work station" for her, with her pencils, markers, papers and craft items. So anyway...

Of course a trip to IKEA means Swedish meatballs! This time I was prepared. I had rechecked the nutritional values on line before we left the shop. Seeing the points values in black and white strengthened my resolve to practice PORTION CONTROL!! So I ordered my plate of meatballs and mashed potatoes with a side of vegetables and a small salad. The MOMENT we sat down at a table I immediately removed 9 of the 15 meatballs to Vern's plate, leaving me with 6 meatballs, and a small serving of mashed potatoes and gravy. I am so stinkin proud of myself for not eating those other 9 meatballs!!

We walked around IKEA for a while, looking at this and that. I love that place! We left with our tummies full of Swedish meatballs and a pink desk chair and desk accessories in the trunk.

When we got home I treated myself to my favorite Greek yogurt with PB2, banana, and a vitacake.

Breakfast:
Cereal, shredded wheat and a Fiber One mix with banana, apple, and almond milk.
Coffee with SF creamer
8 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Large Spinach salad with canola oil, raspberry balsamic vinegar, oranges, and turkey breast.
Diet iced tea
2 PointsPlus

Dinner:
IKEA Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, gravy, steamed mixed vegetables, small green salad with fork dips of ranch dressing.
12 PointsPlus

Snack:
Fage Total 0% Greek yogurt with PB2 Peanut Butter Powder, sliced banana, and a mini vitacake.
5 PointsPlus

Total 27 PointsPlus
Weekly used 1
Weekly remaining 27
ActiveLink earned 2
ActiveLink remaining 16

Tuesday October 2, 2012

Tuesday October 2, 2012

I started the day with a 4.42 mile jog/walk, with a 13 minute pace. It felt good to get out and run. I hadn't ran since Thursday.

Breakfast:
Low fat multigrain waffles with
Sliced apples & SF syrup
Coffee with SF creamer
5 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Sandwich with sliced turkey breast,
FF cheese, spinach & pickles.
Carrots and sliced apples on the side, with diet iced tea.
5 PointsPlus

Dinner:
Honey Mustard Chicken Breast Filets, simmered in FF Cream of Chicken soup, 1/2 cup white rice mixed with Shiritaki rice, roasted Brussels sprouts.
11 PointsPlus

Snacks:
Butternut Squash with Brummel & Brown spread.
Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookie
7 PointsPlus

Total 28 PointsPlus
Weekly Points used 2
ActiveLink Points earned 8
Active Link Points remaining 14

Sunday & Monday, October 30-September 1, 2012

Sunday September 30 and Monday October 1, 2012

Catching up 2 days.
I didn't keep up with photo journaling my food these past 2 days but I have tracked everything.

So Sunday was the last day of retreat weekend. I opted for breakfast in the cafe rather than risking the food that was offered. I had a vegetable and cheese omelet made with egg substitute. I substituted fruit for the potatoes and asked for no toast. I had coffee with half and half.
I estimated 11 PointsPlus

Lunch/Dinner
Boneless chicken thigh cooked in 98% fat free mushroom soup, with shirataki noodles sautéed in Brummel & Brown Spread
8 PointsPlus

Snacks:
Grapes
Fage Total 0%
PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter
Banana
4 PointsPlus

Total 23
Weekly used 0
Weekly Remaining 43
ActiveLink earned 0

Monday September 1, 2013

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with apples
1 tsp canola oil
Coffee with SF creamer
6 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Wrap made with an alternative pita, thin sliced turkey breast, laughing cow cheese, and tomato slices, with sliced apple.
5 PointsPlus

Dinner at home fellowship:
6 oz Lean Pork Chop (grilled)
1/2 cup potato salad
Applesauce
Orange SF Jello with fruit added
10 PointsPlus

Snacks:
This is a big "oops"
Costco Chocolate Dipped Shortbread cookies...how bad can they be? 3 cookies 17 PointsPlus

Total 38 PointsPlus
Weekly used 12
Weekly Remaining 31
I am not up to date with my ActiveLink but I'm sure my activity points are low or zero for both days.

I am glad retreat weekend, which wasn't really a retreat at all, is over and I am back home and able to get back to my routine.

Saturday September 29, 2012

Saturday September 29, 2012

I am on retreat with the women of my church and I can honestly say this had been one of the most difficult weekends, foodwise, that I have experienced in a while.

The problem hasn't been temptation this time. It has been the absence of food choices. I'm sure that whoever planned the menus for this retreat must have tried but there was absolutely no consideration for personal food preferences, dietary restrictions, or requirements. The food available has been mostly carb and/or fat laden junk.

The other challenge has been exercise. There is no exercise room here at the "resort" in Desert Hot Springs, and the city outside of the "resort" property is an armpit of a place and I would NEVER run alone on the streets here. So, yeah, getting exercise in has been pretty much impossible.

So anyway, here's what I ate...

Breakfast:
Yoplait light yogurt, a banana, an apple and coffee with half and half
4 PointsPlus

Lunch:
About 1/3 of a cup of pulled pork the choices were pulled pork or sloppy joe with white hamburger buns. The only vegetables available were onions and pickles. I had 2 slices of watermelon and 4 chips from a bag of Sun Chips, and a spoonful of the pork mixture. I was hungry and disappointed at the end of the meal.
5 PointsPlus

In the afternoon I had some popcorn chips and an orange
3 PointsPlus

Dinner was to be served by the "resort" staff and I held out hope that it would be quality food and worth the points even if it was food I wouldn't normally choose. By dinner time I was hungry and frustrated and a little grumpy.
The meal began with a spinach salad which, apart from the liberal sprinkling of fake bacon bits, was good. Then the main course was served and what was placed before me was a plate with chopped, pressed chicken, wrapped around a slice of lunch meat, breaded, microwaved and covered with some sort of cheese whiz stuff. There was a soggy rice pilaf mixture and asparagus as well. I began trying to peel some if the breading away to find the "chicken" when it just hit me...I was not eating this crap...period. So my sister and I left and drove to Carl's Junior for a Low carb six dollar burger.
10 PointsPlus

Snacks:
Pretzels
Caramel Corn
7 PointsPlus

Total 29
weekly used 3
Weekly remaining 43

So there it is....

Friday September 28, 2012

Friday September 28, 2012

Friday morning Weight Watcher meeting. Weigh in: down .8, total 49.2 pounds lost. Getting closer to that 50 pound milestone!!

After the meeting I packed a bag, picked up my sister and headed off for retreat weekend.

We stopped in the old part of Temecula for brunch a a cute little coffee house. I had a Breakfast Crepe with scrambled egg, a thin slice of ham and cheese...and a cup of coffee. I estimated the points at 15 PointsPlus

We spent the day driving to the resort location in Desert Hot Springs and then just shopping and wandering around until it was time to check in.

We found a Kmart with rows and rows of clearance racks with summer clothes for $2.99 each. We had a ball picking out items to buy!

After we checked in to the resort we had dinner in the hotel restaurant. It was an Italian restaurant and I had pasta primavera. It was angel hair pasta with sautéed broccoli, cauliflower, and summer squash, in a buttery, garlic sauce. It was served with a green salad with dressing on the side. I ate a portion of the meal and then had the waitress take it away so I wouldn't keep picking at it. I estimated that I ate about a cup of the pasta and half the vegetables. The sauce didn't seem oily but I counted a tablespoon of butter to be safe. I ate all of the salad. I dipped my fork a couple of times but it didn't really need dressing because there were beets on it, which added flavor and moisture to it. I counted dinner as 10 PointsPlus

We has the first session with the speaker after dinner and then came back to the room. I ate some caramel popcorn which I portioned out into a paper coffee cup so I would know when to stop.
4PointsPlus

Total 29 PointsPlus
Weekly used 3
Weekly remaining 46
ActiveLink unknown: no computer

I'm happy with how I did :)

Thursday September 27, 2012

Thursday September 27, 2012

Busy day getting ready to go on retreat this weekend. My sister and I are leaving Friday morning for a retreat in Palm Springs with my church's women's ministry. I am looking forward to it so much! Of course the challenge will be to stay on plan when the food choices are out of my control. But that's part of real life so I will do the best I can and call it good.

I started the day with a 4.1 mile interval run. I'm working on increasing the run intervals during these weekday runs.

There was a moment when I was running that was so amazing! It probably won't sound as amazing in the retelling but it was awesome. I started out before the sun was up and I was just running along in the dark, putting one foot in front of the other, listening to my music and the voice commands from my JogLog app, when I realized, all at once, that it was light outside and I was awake and feeling alive and vibrant. I think I may have even giggled a little bit! Honestly, the fact that I run and that I enjoy it is just delightful to me! I remember a time, not so long ago when my Facebook status often said something like "Have I mentioned how much I hate running?" I don't hate it anymore.

Okay, my menu:

Breakfast:
Coffee with SF Creamer
Microwave omelet made with Eggbeaters, onion, peppers, spinach, & FF cheese.
Mixed Fruits
3 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Wraps made with one Alternative Pita split in half and filled with Laughing Cow Cheese, 98% FF Ham slices, tomato, spinach, and mustard.
Green Beans
Grapes
6 PointsPlus

Dinner: (comfort food)
Turkey Burger Patty cooked in 98% FF mushroom soup,
Garlic mashed potatoes,
Asparagus
13 PointsPlus

Snack:
Greek yogurt mixed with chocolate Weight Watchers smoothie mix and sliced bananas. Yes, I eat some variation of this every day :)
4 PointsPlus

Total 26
Weekly Used 0
Weekly Remaining 0
ActiveLink Points Used 0
ActiveLink Points Earned 9
ActiveLink Points Remaining 28

Wednesday September 26, 2012

Wednesday September 26, 2012

This was a long day! I'm trying to get everything done at work so I can take Friday off to go on retreat. So I worked from 7 :00am until about 7:30pm. Long day.

Typically these type of long, exhausting days lead to binge snacking behavior when I get home. That didn't happen this time. Or shall I say, I didn't give in to the temptation this time.

We talk in my Weight Watcher meeting about identifying the feeling or what the reward is that we're looking for when we reach for food for reasons other than hunger. After almost three years of hearing these concepts in the meeting room I am finally beginning to actively do the mental exercises of thinking about why I'm reaching for food when I'm not truly hungry. So I had the brilliant realization that after working for twelve hours I wasn't hungry, I was tired!! So I went to bed :) yay me!! Such a simple concept...if I'm tired I need rest, not food...lol.
(Yes, I am typing this on Thursday morning)

I have no idea when or how the switch in my brain flipped and the concepts we talk about week after week in the meeting room began to be incorporated into my reality. I'm just glad to be making progress. I'm glad I didn't get frustrated and quit when I was struggling and seemingly going nowhere in my weight loss journey. Month after month of going to Friday morning meetings, promising myself that THIS WEEK I was really going to work the program only to falter part way through the week. Months of "starting over" again and again and again.....but I didn't quit. I know in my heart if I would have quit when it felt like I was never going to "get it" I would have gained back all the weight I had lost and then some.

So I guess all of that is to say, if you're reading this and you're tempted to give up DON'T QUIT!!! It's only failure if you quit.

Okay so my menu for Wednesday:

Breakfast:
Coffee with SF creamer
Oatmeal with chopped fruit
6 PointsPlus

Lunch:
Sandwich Thin with low fat sliced ham, FF cheese slice, spinach, tomato, mustard and pickles.
Snap peas & grapes
6 PointsPlus

Dinner:
Frozen entree...something Asian
With added Shiritaki noodles, Brummel & Brown spread, and laughing cow cheese.
12 PointsPlus

Snacks:
Sliced apple (afternoon )
Greek yogurt with PB2 peanut butter powder, sliced banana, and a chocolate mini vitacake
5 PointsPlus

Total 30 PointsPlus
Activity Points used 4
Activity Points earned 1
Activity Points remaining 18
Weekly Points remaining 0

Wednesday is a non run day for me and I am supposed to be doing some other form of exercise, like yoga. I've been slacking on that. There's another behavior I'm working on!