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.