Wednesday, February 27, 2013

I haven't disappeared ....really :)

Here I am! It's a busy week. I'm trying not to be stressed by it all! I'm doing really well at getting my exercise in. I know I need to get back to tracking but I'm just not doing it this week so far.

And there we go :)

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Blah!

I'm feeling blah and unmotivated this week. But I've decided that exercise and motivation don't really have to be related. Exercise can be one of those things I just do, like going to work or taking my blood pressure medication. So, I ran yesterday. This morning I was feeling particularly blah and very tempted to skip my workout. Rather than skip it, I did two of the ten minute beginner workouts from my PointsPlus workout DVDs. Now if I can dig deep and find this resolve in staying within my points allowance in my eating!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Tuesday February 19, 2013

Happy Tuesday!! I just finished 3.5 miles. The first two I intervaled and I walked the last 1.5. Just a slow, easy one to stretch out from Saturday's 8 miles. I haven't been tracking over the three day weekend so today it's back to it. Have a great day!!

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Reflection on a lifestyle change.

How about an update of a little different type?

First thing; I lost a pound this week at my Weight Watchers meeting.

But, yesterday (Saturday) as I was running I started REALLY thinking about how much my life has changed over the past few years.

I was doing a long run (walk/jog) because it was Saturday and that's just what I do. There's no decision making involved, or motivation, or second thoughts....it's just part of my ROUTINE. haha! Weight Watchers 360 focuses on tracking, spaces, and ROUTINES. The premise of having routines in place is that it takes the willpower aspect out of it. The behavior just becomes ROUTINE.

So anyway, I was in the latter part of my run. I was doing the last miles by doing laps around the perimeter if the shopping center near my house. I was in mile seven. I had walk/jogged in one minute intervals for most of those miles, except that I did some jog 2 minutes/walk 1 minute intervals for miles two and three. So as I was nearing the end of mile seven, I told myself I was going to finish up by walking mile eight and then heading toward home when my running app announced mile eight in my ear.

I had no sooner had that thought when the reality of the conversation I was having with myself hit me. Here I was, walking, jogging, muscles burning, face flushed, feeling so completely alive...and deciding whether I wanted to go a little farther, walk or continue intervals, FOR MILE EIGHT...lol.

It was a sudden realization of how far I've come. There was a time when I never ever would have dreamed that there would come a time when I would have that conversation with myself. I vividly remember the day, several years ago when I decided to start walking. This was long before I started Weight Watchers even. We lived in City Heights and I started driving down the hill to the trolley station, parking at the station, and taking the trolley to Santee. It is one mile from the trolley station to my shop. I started walking from the trolley to work, and back after work. One mile on flat ground and I felt like I was going to die! It was so hard. I was so out of shape.

And here I am today! I am able to push my body to do more than I ever dreamed I would be able to do. I run 3 days a week. I work out the other days with a DVD work out at home.

I am active. I am fit. I am learning to make healthy eating a lifestyle and not a passing diet. It's not always been an easy journey. It has taken determination and a decision to not stay where I was.

I have a way to go with the weight loss part of my journey. It will come.

"I'm not where I want to be, but I'm sure not where I used to be"



Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Tuesday February 12, 2013

Tuesday February 12, 2013

I started the day with a 4.28 mile walk/jog. It was 34 degrees outside when I did it!! Brrrrr. My legs are sore and stiff from my new workout routine but I feel good about the direction my exercise is going.

I had dinner with the girls from my Tuesday night Bible study group. It was pot luck. I had chicken breast with a tomato/feta salad topping, kale salad, a dinner roll and a sliver of carrot cake. I have no way really of getting an accurate PointsPlus count so I just guesstimated it at 35 PointsPlus.




Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Monday February 11, 2013

Monday February 11, 2013

I started the day with my new PointsPlus workout DVDs. I chose the Cardio Bootcamp and the Upper Body Bootcamp, beginner mode on both. Each was a 15 minute workout. There are 5 different DVDs in the set. I plan to rotate through them, doing the beginner selection from two of them in my non-run days for a couple of weeks. After a couple of weeks I'll switch to the regular workout and do one each time. I really like these!!

I made it a point to be ready early enough to walk before/to work. I had time to stretch the mile from my house to my shop into 3 miles. It was funny...I was so close to three miles when I got to my shop that I did laps around the building to get to the full three miles. The same thing happened in the evening when I checked my FitBit stats. I was a couple hundred steps away from 10,000 and a few flights of stairs away from 12. So I walked up and down the stairs in my condo until I reached those two goals. I guess I can say that my FitBit really does motivate me!

Food-wise I did well. It's Tuesday morning as I type this. I have another pot luck get together to go to tonight. I'm bringing the salad and I'm pretty confident that there will be healthy choices as its my ladies' Bible study group and most of us are watching our calories.

And I'm off to bundle up and go for a run...

Monday, February 11, 2013

Weekend update: Sunday

Sunday February 10, 2013

What a lazy day this was! I had planned for an afternoon walk but those plans turned into an afternoon nap! 0 activity points for this day.

Breakfast was oatmeal, made with milk and with blueberries, cherries and banana. So good!

Lunch was, of course, The San Diego Chicken Pie Shop. This time rather than ordering the full dinner, I ordered the pie with vegetables. It was still quite a few points to use on lunch but it was a small change that saved some points.

After my afternoon nap I made Shiritaki Mac & Cheese with a 97% fat free hot dog. Because the Shiritaki noodles are 0 points this makes a 3 point dinner.

Snacks consisted of grapes, banana, and a mango.

Really, just a chilly, lazy, stay at home and relax kind of day :)

Weekend update: Saturday

Saturday February 9, 2013

I started the day with a 6 mile walk/jog. There is a shopping center literally across the street from my home. If I do a loop around the center it's just over a mile. I didn't feel like being creative and deciding where to run so I just did laps around the shopping center. I can only do this on the days when I can run after its light outside because the backside of the center would be pretty spooky if it was dark out...lol.

After my run I had scrambled eggs and mushrooms with FF cheese and salsa for breakfast, with banana on the side.

After a shower we headed out for our tour of the Midway Museum. We walked to the trolley station, took the trolley downtown, and then walked to the museum. For anyone who doesn't know, the Midway is an aircraft carrier. So there was lots of walking and steep stairs involved.

After our tour we walked in to Seaport Village for lunch/dinner. I had 2 slices of deep dish pizza and a small Sprite. I'm still getting used to having regular soda on the few occasions when I drink soda.

We walked back to the trolley station and headed back to Santee. When we arrived in Santee we walked over to Best Buy. I got a new fitbit because mine died during my run that morning :(

With all that activity I earned 11 Activity Points...yay me!!

All in all it was a great day!!

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Weekly Weigh-In .... Start of a New Week



I had my Weight Watcher meeting on Friday morning. I was up .2 pounds. (Point Two) I'm fine with it. I expected to either stay the same or gain a little.

I love Friday. I love the start of a new week. It's always feels like a new opportunity to start fresh. Even when I've had a great week before, I love the feeling of a fresh new week.

So anyway, we talked about exercise and ways to fit it in to our busy lives. I am learning that feeling motivated really should have nothing to do with my choice to exercise. This is one area where I feel like I've made some really significant changes to my lifestyle. I walk/run 3 days a week regularly. It's become part of my normal routine. It's just something I do...whether I feel motivated or not.
I recently started working out with the PointsPlus DVD on the days I don't run. It's a sampler DVD that came in the 360 Success Kit. At my meeting on Friday I bought the full set. I've tried a few different work out DVDs and this one is just a good fit for me.

Foodwise I did well. I tracked and stayed within my points target. It was my exercise rest day. I earned 1 ActiveLink point. I don't think I've mentioned that I started wearing my FitBit again as well. I like seeing the total steps, elevation and miles. And I like the encouraging push notifications it sends to my phone.

Today, Saturday, I am getting ready to go for a walk/run. It's cold and wet out there but I think the storm is over. We have plans to take the trolley to Seaport Village and tour the Midway Museum but we may postpone, depending on the weather. If we do go...there's another challenge to learn to make healthy food choices in real life situations :)

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Reclaiming the Week

Wednesday February 6, 2013

This was a better day. I started the day with a PointsPlus workout DVD. I am loving this DVD. The moves are relatively simple so you don't need to be a professional dancer to be able to do the movements and, it gives me a great full body workout in 15-30 minutes. Right now I'm using the sampler that came in my success kit but I plan on buying the full set when they go on special. I've tried a few different home workout DVDs and this one just suits me well.

I also walked to work rather than driving. I'm trying to get back in the habit of walking whenever I can. Sometimes I don't budget my time well enough to have time to walk. I'm working on that :)

So we had chili dogs for dinner. I had two for 18 PointsPlus. I could pair it with a side dish of fruits and veggies and just have one if I needed it to be lower in points but sometimes it feels good to have a plate full of chili dog!
Anyway, I use Hebrew National 97% Fat Free Beef Franks. They are only 40 calories/1 PointsPlus each. I use Hormel Turkey Chili with no beans, fat free shredded cheese, and regular hot dog buns. The buns are very points heavy so sometimes I split the bun in half and just have one. Or sometimes I'll use a sandwich thin and just place the hot dogs on each half of the sandwich thin. This quenches my craving for junky food in a reasonably low points, healthy way.

So even with my imperfect days and choices, I am technically with my points range for the week, counting that I had the weekly and activity points to cover my choices. I'm not really expecting to see much of a loss on Friday because I don't often lose when I use my extra points. But I feel better knowing that I at least didn't go off the charts with my eating.

I feel like I am reclaiming my week fairly well!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

In Search of Balance...

Tuesday February 5, 2013

So I'm finding that I do really well when I'm regimented and I plan and remain "in control" of everything. But the problem with that is that life isn't like that. There will always be pot luck dinners and impromptu lunches at the Chicken Pie Shop...and visits from a son who bakes chocolate chip cookies that are to die for ...

So yeah...working on that...somewhere in between strict regimen and utter lack of control there is a place of balance and moderation and I will get there!

Today I wasn't in that place of balance. I was in the place of "I can't stop eating these cookies"....sigh...I HATE having to admit that. These are the days when I find myself questioning why I ever thought that sharing these struggles publicly was a good idea...lol

I did, however, walk/jog 4.4 miles. I drank my water, I tracked it all. I had weekly and activity points to "spend" on a cookie binge...

Moving on....I will learn to live a life of balance...I will...

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Home Fellowship Pot Luck

Monday February 4, 2013

Monday Night home fellowship pot luck. I think I did okay. It's so hard to guesstimate points at these events, so I usually go with the high estimate. I'm pretty sure I'm way high on this but I'm going to go with 40 Points for the day.

Of rather err on the side of guessing high than low and it gives me a good solid number to base the rest of the week on.

I don't have a photograph for this entry. I feel really awkward about busting out my phone and photographing my plate at home fellowship. Even as I type this I realize how silly that is. They would all be very accepting and maybe a little amused if I did it!

So anyway...on to the rest of the week...

Monday, February 4, 2013

Less than thrilled...

Sunday February 3, 2013

So, here we are. I had one of "those" days.

We went to the Chicken Pie Shop after church. I ate the whole pie dinner. I told myself it would be lunch and dinner. I told myself I would eat fruit for the rest of the day. Of course that didn't happen.

This past week in my Weight Watcher meeting we made a commitment of one thing we would do this week to help us to be successful. I committed to celebrating what I do right rather than beating myself up over my failures and shortcomings. So here we go.... I tracked every bite. I got up during the Super Bowl, put my running shoes on and went for a 4 mile interval run. I had the weekly points to cover my crazy day of eating. I'm good. I'm not "off plan." I simply used my weekly points allowance.

Now the trick is to not allow the rest of the week to go south, as it often does when I'm less than thrilled with my choices. This is when I feel the shakiest and most vulnerable...the day AFTER (Monday morning as I type this)...today is the day to really have my guard up.

It's a new day...That's the forgiveness of Weight Watchers :)

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Busy Saturday

Saturday February 2, 2012

This was one of those run around, do errands, housework, and laundry days. I missed my run because we got up early to go to the laundromat and catch up on our laundry that we've been putting off for weeks. We decided that rather than be chained to the laundry all day at home, doing one load at a time, we would spend a couple of hours and get it all done at once. So anyway...a trip to Starbucks on the way to the laundromat :) I had a tall Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte for 2 PointsPlus .... What a treat!

When we got home, after putting the laundry away, I needed something quick and satisfying for breakfast. So I mixed 3/4 of a cup of canned pumpkin with 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa, added pumpkin pie spice and stevia and microwaved it for 3 minutes. I topped it with Brummel and Brown spread and it was so good and very filling! Definitely a keeper!

Housework, laundry and errands earned me 3 activity points, according to my ActiveLink, in spite of missing my run.

Sunday we have no plans for SuperBowl. So I think I'll go for a walk/run and maybe do some grocery shopping while Vern watches the game.


Saturday, February 2, 2013

Let's Keep It Going!



Friday February 2, 2012

So, last week was a great week for me, probably one of the best weeks I've had since starting Weight Watchers. Everything just sort of "clicked" and worked. The challenge this week is just for me to keep it going.

I have my dinner menus planned for the week. I still need to calculate the points and make a shopping list of odds and ends I'll need from the grocery store. But at least I have the basic plan outlined.

One challenge that I face this week is our home fellowship pot luck dinner. We meet with a group from our church twice a month for dinner and a bible study. I have struggled with staying on plan for this event. I am planning to be successful this week! I will be taking a large bowl of mixed fruit and I'm sure someone will bring a green salad. This week I think I'll eat an apple or a banana before we go so I'm not as hungry when the food is passed around.

My points for Friday 2/1/13 only added up to 15 of my 26 points allowance. But I ate healthy foods and I was never hungry so I'm not too concerned about it.

Saturday is laundry and errands and go, go, go all day. I am going to try and fit a run in late afternoon.

Here we go...let's keep this roll going!

Friday, February 1, 2013

Weekly Weigh In

Yay!!! Down 2.8 this week.
I also took my February progress photo.



Day 7!!! I did it!!

Thursday January 31, 2013

WhooHoo!!! I did it!! I stayed on plan for an entire week!!

This morning (Friday) is my Weight Watcher meeting. I'm excited to see what the scale has to say. Although I have had really good weeks before and gained or stayed the same....but I am expecting to see a loss this week.

On Wednesday morning I did the full 30 minute workout from the PointsPlus sampler workout DVD that came in my 360 Success Packet. Oh.My.Goodness! It didn't seem really hard to do the workout, but I am so sore that its hard to sit down! So, needless to say, I didn't run on Thursday! I walked to work and then walked the longer way home, for a total of 3.5 miles.

Okay...I'm off to my Weight Watchers meeting!!!