Monday 9/30/13

....and the reason I needed to calculate the candy points...ugh! 2 things...(trying to learn and grow from these days)....I tracked it. That's huge. And, I'm realizing that I am in very dangerous territory when I'm tired. I did it. I can't take it back. And there it is...

Catching up a little

As you can see by the lack of updates here, I've been very busy. Here are my trackers for Thursday through Sunday. 

I lost 3.8 pounds last week. I ate way too much over the weekend, but I tracked it all and I have activity points left, so I'm calling the weekend done and moving on. 

8.5 mile training run on Saturday morning and San Diego AIDS walk on Sunday ...and then walking around Disneyland all day after the walk. Tons of activity points and a bit stiff and sore this Monday morning!

Tuesday 9/24/13

I will get here to post a real update soon. But for now there's just too much on my plate. I am tracking though....yay me!!

Sunday 9/22/13

Busy, busy, busy!! No time for a real update but here's my tracker for Sunday. Stayed on plan all weekend!! 

Saturday September 21, 2013

I started the day with a 5.2 mile walk/run. I did intervals for the first three miles. Then I walked the 4th mile. And finished with intervals for the 5th. I'm working on increasing my walking pace and find myself doing more walking recently. 

This time, before heading out for my run, I had a tablespoon of chia seeds and a half of a banana. I find that my run goes better when I have a little something to fuel my muscles. It's so easy to run around in the morning getting ready to head out, and forget to eat something. When that happens I find myself fading at about mile four. So anyway, the banana and chia seemed to do the trick. I hadn't been out for about 10 days and it felt really good to get out and get it done!

We had a family BBQ get together at my mom's house. I did well with my choices. I had to remain mindful because it's so easy to just keep popping chips and appetizers in my mouth while sitting around visiting! I allowed myself some indulgences but I PICKED what I wanted rather than just mindlessly munching. And I tracked it all. I brought veggie burger patties to substitute for the hamburgers and I ate mine wrapped in lettuce. 

Dinner was leftover spaghetti squash with tofu and spaghetti sauce. And I had popcorn, which I probably really didn't need, as a nighttime snack. 

So, I had a 34 point day and used 8 weekly points. I earned 7 activity points so I'm calling it even. I'm happy with the choices I made and proud of maintaining control in a setting that usually triggers me to go way overboard. 

Whoa! I didn't expect that!

Oh my goodness! I knew I would gain this week but I didn't expect to gain over 4 pounds. On my way home from my WW meeting it dawned on me that I have been out of my BP medication since Sunday....and it's a diuretic. It all makes sense now...lol. My medication came in the mail today. :)

TGIF!

It's 4:33am and I'm having coffee and getting ready for my WW meeting. I'm not looking forward to my weigh in after my weekend of eating, drinking, and general merrymaking...lol. I can feel the weight gain. 

Just like anyone who has ever had to face the weekly weigh in after a questionable week, I find myself having thoughts of skipping the meeting or using the option of going to the meeting but not weighing in...but then I remember that I made a commitment to myself. Not weighing in doesn't change the reality of the numbers. It is what it is. So I'll go and I'll weigh in, and I'll face reality....and then I'll move on with a refreshed resolve to continue on this journey to a healthier me. 

It's Friday, the beginning of a whole new week. There are 7 days of blank trackers just waiting for me to fill them with healthy choices. Lets do this!

Thursday Morning Update

Good morning! It's Thursday morning and I haven't worked out all week! I am finding that those weekends at Disneyland leave me exhausted and lazy when we get home! Thankfully, we don't have plans for any more extended weekend trips for a while! I need a few weeks of normal routine. 

I am mentally preparing for a run on Saturday morning to get me back on track. I am going to pop in my PointsPlus Cardio Stretch DVD when I am done with this update. I've been stretching this week but not the full 30 minute, guided stretch that the DVD offers. 

I'm still feeling a little puffy from my weekend and fully expect to see a gain on the scale tomorrow at my weigh in. 

I didn't do my Sunday afternoon meal prep for the week so my lunches this week are ready made salad bowls from Vons. They're really quite good. 

Okay...so that's where I'm at :)

Here's my  tracker for Wednesday: 

Update: Tuesday 9/17/13

Yay!! First day back to normal after the long weekend! It's always good to get back to normal, back to the routines that keep me on a healthy path. 

Being gone all weekend, I didn't get to the grocery store. So, I had to find something to take for lunch or the temptation to have fast food would have been too much. I had some squash that I roasted when we got home (to keep it from going bad), and I dug around and found a can of turkey chili in the cupboard...perfect! 

I made a quick trip to the store after work to get some fresh fruit and salads for lunch. Rather than making my own salads this week, I picked up some ready made salad bowls from Von's. they have several different varieties, they average 5-8 PointsPlus, and cost $2.99 when you buy 3 or more. I find them to be an easy lunch and it saves me the washing, slicing, and assembling on weeks when I'm short on time. 

I'm discovering that these long Disneyland weekends exhaust me and I find it difficult to get back to my exercise routine. I haven't been out running yet this week, and I'm typing this on Wednesday morning...sigh....I might try and get out there tonight after work. If not, then tomorrow morning for sure. 

Here's my tracker for Tuesday. 

Tuesday morning, 9/17/13...home from 

a 4 day weekend, girl's road trip, weekend away with hubby....date night, eating out, on again off again food wise, walked a bazillion steps :) 

Today is back to routines that help me to stay on track, drinking water like it's my job, tracking, counting, planning....

Wednesday 9/11/13

Tuesday 9/10/13

I had a good day. I started the day with the 15 minute express version of the Full Body Cardio Stretch before going out for my walk/run. I'm sore from the stretching and from the planks that are part of the workout. But, it's the kind of sore that tells you're doing good things for those muscles. My run was 3.3 miles. It's getting light later and later and I know the day is coming soon when I'll need to move inside to the treadmill for my weekday runs. I know it's coming but I am not looking forward to it and I'm enjoying being outdoors in the morning while I can. 

I stayed within my points allowance and tracked and drank my water ....Yay me!!

I saw a recipe for chili that was just a bunch of cans of stuff heated together. I made my own version if a similar chili for dinner. It was hearty and tasty. I'm posting the recipe along with this post. 

That's it, nothing really exciting, just me, sticking to my healthy plans and making routines that make this all easier! 

Monday September 9, 2013

I've been achy and sore for a while now and I decided that I need to stretch more. So I pulled out my Weight Watchers PointsPlus DVDs and committed to doing the "Full Body Cardio Stretch" one every day for a while and see how that goes. I'll do the full workout on my non-run days and the shorter, express workout in the days I run. The full workout is 30 minutes of stretching, using basic yoga moves. I like that it's not all spiritual and metaphysical like so many of the yoga DVDs I've tried, but it is rather boring. The fact that it hurts when I stretch confirms to me that I really need it. So I did the 30 minutes to start the day.  (And I'm sore)

After work we went to a pot luck get together. Those can be challenging but this one had some healthy options   

So...just a regular day....working, tracking, drinking water....

There we go...

Oatmeal/Chia Seed Breakfast Bar

2 very ripe medium size bananas

1 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 cup nonfat  powdered milk, dry

1 tsp baking powder

Mash the bananas and mix everything together. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and then spread it on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. I spread it pretty thin. Bake it at 350 for 12-15 minutes until its browned and a little crispy on the edges. Cut into 4 bars at 6 points each. 

Sunday September 8, 2013

This was a pretty good day. It could have been better but it could have been worse. 

I had my Oatmeal/Chia Seed/Banana Bar for breakfast. I love this bar. It's filling and it's like eating cookies for breakfast. I'll post the recipe. 

It's become one of our traditions to have lunch at the San Diego Chicken Pie Shop after church on Sundays. One of these times I really am going to stick to my plan to either order just the pie, or to ask for a to-go box at the start of the meal and put half away. This was not that day.   I did, however, make some small changes. I left food on my plate. I had part of a roll. I ate the filling from the pumpkin pie and left the crust. Not huge changes but small changes that help a little. 

The lunch was so filling that we didn't have dinner. I had some frozen grapes and nibbled on a few bites of roasted veggies when I got them out of the oven. 

So all in all it was an acceptable day. I spent a couple of hours in the afternoon preparing breakfasts, lunches, and salads for the week ahead. I'm ready for a healthy, on plan week!

Saturday September 7, 2013

This was a good day. I started the day with my usual coffee and then a 6.26 mile walk/run. It was hot and muggy out there!

I had a smoothie for breakfast as I dashed out the door to run errands and visit my mom and my sister. 

Time flew while I was at my mom's and before I knew it, it was almost 4:00. So much for lunch!

I still had to go to the grocery store as I was out of any fresh fruits and veggies. So off to the store I went. I was now hungry and oh-so-tempted to get something fast! But I held out and filled my cart with fresh veggies and thought about how good they would taste when I roasted them! 

When I got home,as I was putting things away, a banana split open when I was breaking them apart to fit in the fruit basket...must be a sign that I need to eat that banana...lol!! So the banana took the edge off my hunger while I finished putting things away and getting the veggies ready to roast. I wish I would have taken photos! I roasted cabbage, rutabagas, eggplant, zuchini & yellow squash, onions, and cauliflower. It was a sight to behold! I also washed and cut two bunches of red and green leaf lettuce for my salads and put it in the fridge to crisp up. 

When the veggies came out of the oven, I put some on a plate and added some shredded fat free cheese and a half a cup of black beans. I sprinkled the whole thing with taco seasoning. Oh.my.goodness! Food nirvana!!

Night time snack was chia pudding with frozen strawberries. Yummy stuff!

We started a new motivational thing at Weight Watchers. It's called "I'm a 10" and it's a challenge to reach a goal of losing 10% of your body weight by November 30th. That comes out to 18 pounds for me, 1.4 pounds per week. That's rather a lot for me to expect to lose on a consistent basis but I'm going to give it my best shot. I'd really love to be at a significantly lower weight for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon weekend in January. 

So there we go. That was my day. 

Here's my tracker for Saturday:

Friday 9/6/13

Wouldn't you know I would come back and start journaling publicly again on a week when I gain weight! Yep, that happened. I gained 2.4 this week. I knew it was coming and it is what it is. We spent 3 days at Disneyland this past weekend. It was the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend. I didn't participate in either of the longer runs but Vern and I did do the 5K. It was super hot and we walked it. Funny thing, I ended up walking over 15 miles that day! I made the choice to throw caution to the wind and eat all if the wonderful junk that Disneyland has to offer. And, of course, it's so difficult to get back on track afterward....so my week was on again off again. Anyhow...yeah...I gained 2.4 pounds and it's done and I'm putting it behind me and moving on. 

I've actually been doing much better in the last few weeks and I'm down a little over 3 pounds since the last time I posted.

My head is in a much better place than it was back in June...thank goodness! My toe is completely healed and I'm run/walking again. In fact, I'm headed out for a training run this morning. 

I'm signed up for all three races for Tinkerbell Half Marathon Weekend in January. I'll be doing the 5K on Friday, the 10K on Saturday, and the half marathon on Sunday! I'm excited and nervous at the same time. Vern has signed up to do the 5K and the 10K with me! How cool is that!? I'm doing the Half with my friends, Tiam & Rick. I am so looking forward to it!!

I'm doing some things recently in planning and preparing to stay on plan more easily during the work week, like preparing my breakfasts and lunches for the week on Sunday. I'll post more about that later. 

So there we go, I just wanted to post a little update about what I've been up to and where I'm at. If you're reading this, I thank you for sticking with me through the ups, downs, and "I can't do this anymores!" I'm back, my head is in the game and I need the accountability and support that this journal gives me. 

Let's all have a happy and healthy weekend!!

...and my tracker for the day...

Here I am...

Psssst...I think I'm ready to come back and start journaling here again. :) I'm on my way out to my Weight Watcher meeting and I'll post an update later. 

Taking a short break

I read this blog yesterday and literally cried as I read. This is how I've been feeling. I need a break. I'm not giving up. I just need a break from sharing the intensely personal struggle. I will be at my WW meeting on Friday morning fresh faced and front row. I don't know, maybe it's the lack of endorphins I normally get from running... But I could seriously sit down and cry for absolutely no reason. I'm tired and I'm frustrated with myself. Fortunately, unlike the writer of this blog that I'm sharing, I have gotten nothing but support and kindness from my blog/journal. But I still just need to take a short break and get my head turned back around, without feeling like I'm doing it in a fishbowl.

Sunday June 2, 2013

This was a lazy, relaxing day, but, I did start the day with a 4.75 mile walk. I miss running but it was kind of nice to just walk and enjoy the sights and sounds. It was a beautiful Southern California day! 

When I got home from my walk I munched on fruit while I did some light housework. I didn't have a meal that I can really refer to as "breakfast." I just grabbed a banana, and then, in a little while, a couple of apricots, and then some cherries. 

Lunch was a Mahi-Mahi burger on Roman Meal Bread with snap peas on the side. I got the burgers in the frozen fish freezer at Costco. 3 points each and really quite tasty. 

I snacked on some caramel corn. I think (hope) Vern ate the rest of it last night! 

Dinner was spaghetti squash with olive oil, laughing cow cheese and sun dried tomatoes. It was REALLY good!

After dinner I had a sorbet made with frozen banana and cherries with a splash of almond milk. YUM!!

That's it....just a lazy Sunday. 

Smart People Don't Blow All Their Weeklies In The Car On The Way Home!

Saturday June 1, 2013

We went to Disneyland on Saturday. I packed a cooler with fruits. I made great choices while we were in the parks!

I had an eggwhite wrap from the Starbucks in Disney's California Adventure for breakfast for 7 PointsPlus. Coffee with a splash of half and half for 1 Point. And a banana at 0 points. 

Lunch was an Angus Roast Beef salad from the Jolly Holiday Bakery in Disneyland. It comes with a breadstick and dressing choice on the side. I counted the salad at 4 PointsPlus and the Breadstick at 4. 1 point for the fat free Italian dressing for a 9 PointsPlus lunch. 

During the day I had an orange and two apricots, and a "Julie's Giant Oatmeal" cookie. I drank water. We walked over 18,000 steps. So far so good! 

The time got away from us in the evening and before we knew it, it was 8:00 and we were getting in the car to go home. I was hungry. I hadn't packed anything with protein in it in my cooler ... Next time there will be a sandwich in there, whether I eat it or not, I will have it just in case. So anyway, I started munching on caramel corn that we bought on the way out. I ate about 4 cups...I couldn't find a good estimate of the calories/points...so I just gave it 20 to be safe. And then...there we were in the In-n-Out drive through. Now, I know how to navigate this...I really do. But it was late, I was lazy. I had a Double Double AND Fries!! What am I? Crazy?!?! Who eats 49 Points in the car on the way home? This girl. 

I used all of my weekly bonus points for the week. I have 10 activity points left. I just started a new active link challenge to earn 4-7 points per day. So, now the key is to finish out the week without derailing myself. I had the weekly points to spend. It was definitely not the smartest way to use my points but it's not forbidden...so in reality I am still "on plan."

I can have a successful week. I don't have to let this derail me. Cheeseburgers happen. 

Let's do this!

  

Friday May 31, 2013

Posting from the car on Saturday morning as we're zooming up the 5 to spend the day at Disneyland. :)

 Had a great, on plan day. I'm feeling positive about getting back on plan and looking forward to getting a string of good weeks under my belt. 

I have my cooler full of fruit and I'm going to Disneyland....Life is good!

Let's do this.!!

Back in the Saddle Again

Wednesday May 29, 2013

One thing I have always struggled with is getting right back on plan after a slip up. It's do easy to just throw away the whole week with wrong thinking. Thoughts like "I'll start fresh after my meeting" run through my head. So, I'm really happy that I was able to jump right back on plan and put the bad day behind me. 

Now to get back into the swing of exercising in the morning! 

As the day of the Rock & Roll Half Marathon draws closer, I find myself feeling sad that I'm going to be sitting this one out. But the reality is that my toe is just not ready for 13.1 miles. 

I've decided that since I'm no longer training for a half marathon, this is a good opportunity for me to start to train myself to actually run an entire 5K. Up to now I have "only" done intervals.  I'm ready to tackle running longer distances, starting with a 5K. So my plan is to ease back into running, as my toe continues to heal, by doing a Couch to 5K plan. 

That's it...that's all I've got today. Let's do this!!

I need a strategy..

Strategy: a plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems for obtaining a specific goal or result: a strategy for getting ahead in the world.

First of all let's just get it out there ....because every fiber of my being wants to keep this a secret...to not put it in my tracker and not tell anyone what I did. .... I blew my streak last night. I came home late after a long day and I started eating and didn't stop until I had mindlessly consumed an extra 36 PointsPlus. Yes, I have the weekly points allowance to cover what I ate, so technically I am still "on plan." But that's not really the point this morning. The point is the BEHAVIOR. This behavior of losing my mind, throwing caution to the wind, and just eating until I feel sick is not healthy. It needs to change. I need a strategy. 

I wish I could let some of you inside my head, in the car on the drive home. There is such a battle going on in there as I drive the twenty minute route home from my meeting on Tuesday nights. I drive along fighting the urge to stop and get certain foods. Usually it starts with wanting to drive to Mary's Donuts and get an apple fritter the size of a dinner plate. I convince myself not to stop at Mary's and my thoughts shift to stopping at Sprouts for a bag of macadamia nuts, then to In-N-Out for a burger, to Carl's Jr for a turkey burger (that's healthier you know), Taco Bell for a $5.00 box of enough food to feed a small family....and on it goes. 

When I finally arrive home I start out with a healthy choice....after all, I have 5 PointsPlus left in my daily allowance. And then I just don't stop...sigh. 

So, this morning I am sitting here, feeling half sick toy stomach, ashamed that once again I gave in to the urge to binge eat...and realizing that this is a battle and I need a strategy, a battle plan to fight these ridiculous urges. 

So here goes....I am going to write this plan down on a card and review it when I get in the car to go home on Tuesday nights....

1. Pray. Obviously I need help! 

2. Take control of my thought life. 

I know this passage is a little out of context, but the last part of it tells me that I am not helpless in controlling my thoughts. I have the ability to take my thoughts captive. 

(2 Corinthians 10:5

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.)

3. No eating when I get home. I can not take that first bite!! Like an alcoholic who takes that first drink, I don't seem to be able to stop once I start. A cup of tea, a large glass of fruit infused water over ice...but no food. This habit needs to be confronted and BROKEN!!!

4. Go to bed!! Being tired affects my ability to make sound choices...so go to bed!

That's it. It's simple but I have to start somewhere. 

Day Four of Recommit....Done

Monday May 27, 2013

This was a good day. I got up in the morning and went for a walk.  I still can't run. Walking is uncomfortable but running is downright painful! As I walked I realized that it's not just the running and the endorphins that are released that make me love it. A lot of it is just simply being alone, the rhythmic movement, the air and sun on my face, ....the "me" time. So anyway I walked a little over 5 miles. 

When I got back from walking I had a breakfast of chia pudding, strawberries, and banana. And coffee....always coffee wit two measured tablespoons of half and half. 

In the afternoon Vern and I rode the trolley downtown and walked to Seaport Village. We walked along the waterfront, watching families picnicking, kids flying kites, and street vendors peddling paper flowers, palm reading, rock stacking, and storytelling. 

In being completely honest, I have to admit that when it came time to choose a place to get food I was sorely tempted to go for the deep dish Chicago pizza place that is one of our favorites. The old line of "it's just one day" and "it's a holiday" and "I can always get back on track tomorrow" we're running through my head as we walked. 

But in the end we settled for the Greek place and I had a roasted Greek chicken plate. It was a half of a Greek chicken on a bed of romaine lettuce, served with pita bread. It was lunch and dinner combined and I calculated the points...and ate every bite. I figured the meal at 28 PointsPlus. Much better than the pizza that is probably 20 PointsPlus per slice and I would have eaten 3 slices. I'm calling it a success. 

Over the course of the rest of the afternoon and evening I had a banana, an orange, and some cherries. 

My FitBit tells me I walked almost 9 miles and my ActiveLink says I earned 9 activity points. My toe says maybe I overdid it a little :)

Day 4...on plan...Done!!