The Skinny Jean Experiment... Part Two

It's been almost three weeks since I tried on my "skinny" jeans.  Last night, they were hanging there in the bathroom and I decided to try again.  I knew there was no way they were going on because 1.  I've only lost 7 pounds, 2.  it was night and I was feeling bloated, and 3.  this week has not been my best effort (mainly because all I've done is sit on my butt).  But there they were and so I decided to try....

To my immense surprise, not only did I get them up but they button and zipped and I didn't even have to suck in.  I'm still not ready to wear them in public as they are still a bit snug in the thighs but I was thrilled that I got them up and done!

So, this lovely little story has a couple of happy outcomes... 1.  I now know that definite progress has been made and 2.  it motivates me to keep going.  Who knows, if January goes as well as December, I might need to go shopping for new "skinny" jeans to hang in the bathroom!!!

Love/Hate

I love vacations but I hate them too.  On one hand, I'm feeling extremely rested and not stressed. On the other, I feel like I'm accomplishing nothing.  It also makes eating hard for me.  When I'm home and not doing a lot, it's really easy for me to eat because I'm bored or because I have time to actually think about food.  I have a slew of sweets in the kitchen that have thus far been pretty easy for me to resist because there's been a ton going on.  Now, I'm just sitting here.  Christmas is over, the gifts have all been wrapped and opened and all the big meals have been eaten.  I had a 3 pt breakfast today and the massive salad I had for lunch was only 4 pts but then I ate a serving of snack mix for a whopping 3 pts.  Not horrible, I realize, but it opens me up to more "what the hell" moments that I'm trying to avoid.

I really should clean the house...

Sick....

If things continue on the path that I am on now and have been on for the last couple of days I will lose another 5 lbs by thursday. I thought I had a sinus infection, but it turns out that I have the dreaded "flu"....Of course, I never get a flu shot, because I have never had the flu in 34 years! I went to the Doctor and it is too late to give me tamiflu or any other anti-viral so she said I should start to feel better in 2-3 days, REALLY?!?!?!?!?, I haven't felt well since Tuesday Night!!!!!!! Oh well, I am on antibiotics that make me nauseous so I am not eating really, plus running a fever and feeling pretty much like hell, so weight loss will be easy this week :) Trying to see the glass "half-full"....The good news of it is that I am already on antibiotics which she wants me to continue to ward off the side effects of the flu like pnuemonia or other nasty infections, but since I have been working out and eating right the Doc says that it should run a shorter course, so there is the silver lining!!!

I Feel Like I Cheated

At least a bit.  I weighed yesterday morning because I knew that yesterday would be a big eating day.  The good news is that I lost 1.4 pounds from last week... but the bad news is that I feel like I cheated.  I didn't weigh this morning at all but I am back on plan so at least I only "cheated" for one day.  Hopefully by next Friday I'll have more good news.  The best part is that since December 1 I'm down 7.2 pounds--that's pretty cool.  My goal is to be able to say I lost 8 pounds in December instead of gaining like the majority of the world!!

Hope everyone's Christmas was beyond fabulous!!

Well, the worst is over....

So, I made it through Christmas pretty much unscathed. I weighed this morning, and I was down almost 4 lbs (198.5) but I went with my weight from Tuesday as I don't think that this mornings WI was accurate due to me running a fever and being sick/not eating for the last 36 hours. So when all is said and done, from my start weight of 209, I weigh 200.5 Down 8.5, not what I wanted it to be but I feel great about it! The rest of this break should come fairly easily, I will be home mostly. New Years Eve will kill me though as I am going to Charleston SC with a dear old friend of mine and I know there will be plenty of food and drink to go around to blow all of my points! Good thing I can save all my extra points for that!!!!

Finally done.

Christmas Eve... which for a Moravian translates into 7 hours at church... is about to give way into Christmas and I am finally done!  Done wrapping, done playing, done singing, done worrying that my 3 year old will burn the church down with his candle. 

I am not however, done worrying about the dreaded weigh-in.  I'm going to do it in the morning, rather than on Friday for obvious reasons.  And quite frankly, if I can weigh tomorrow and not have gained anything from last week then I will count that as a major accomplishment.  I actually didn't eat too much today--2.5 pts for breakfast, 2 pts at lunch and then came dinner at church... soup and a sandwich--not bad but then (as it always does) came the birthday cake which was lovely and huge and of which I ate too much.  I truly felt ill by the time I'd finished my piece which is good news on one hand but I just wish I could've stopped before that.

I'm hoping that all the running around and up and down stairs helped to counter-balance the cake!

Merry Christmas everybody!!!!

T'was

T'was the night before weigh in and all through my house, not a creature was eating, not even a mouse. The stockings are hung by the chimney with no room to err, in hopes that St. Weight loss would soon be there. The cookies are hidden inside of the shed while dances of sugarfree candies dance in my head. I in my jammies and millie in her cap had just settled down for a short nights nap. When in my stomach arose such a clatter, I jumped out of bed to see what was the matter, when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a tiny red cookie and 8 peppermint spears.
Ok, so that is as far as my creativity goes....I am sick and tired, literally and spent the 2nd Christmas Eve EVER without going to church w/my parents....That is what a fever will do to you....

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is here and with that brings a tradition of a holiday party at friends of my parents, that means lots of bad food, drinks etc.....Then tomorrow is the biggest problem of all, the eggs benedict (not really what you think it is) that mom makes and that I just have to have! Oh well, I weighed yesterday and had lost so hopefully tomorrow when I do my "official" WI I won't be disappointed!

Not Good.

So today, I ate all of my points and then most of my weeks bonus points....We had country ham biscuits for breakfast, with a side of bacon. Yes, that is a lot of pork! Then for dinner we had spiral ham which wasn't terrible, BUT I had 3 yes THREE helpings of my moms cheesy potatoes. That is just not good at all! I am going to the Y in the AM with April hoping to burn some of these calories and I know that nothing is going to be good until after the Bostonians are gone. It is just so hard to have self control with all of these really good foods! Plus, I was a little hung over this morning, so eating the biscuits was almost a necessity! All in all, if I don't gain this week I will be happy, but I so really wanted to lose 10 lbs in a month and have 3 days of eating left this week!

So Goes the Week of Christmas

Well, it has arrived.  One of the most stressful weeks in the year--toy buying, package wrapping, singing playing, hours at church, countless cookies, candies, gooey stuff and on top of all that, it's the week of my period.  UGH!  I'm hanging in there.  Friday's party stole most of my extra points for the week (as best I can figure, anyway) and although I've been pretty good the past couple of days I can still see the week looming ahead of me with no points to go.  Actually my WW points are a lot like my bank account at the moment... a long way to go and no extra to fall back on!

Oh well,  I'll make it through this week with the goal of not gaining... because I'm truly not expecting to lose.

Proud O'Me!

Today was the last (praise the heavens) day before Christmas break.  I dreaded it but I'm happy to say I made it through unscathed.  I had a light breakfast and then we went to Heritage Theater for a field trip during which time they offered us every sort of hot beverage and candy/cookie.  I opted for a diet pepsi and nothing else!  Then they sent us home with fudge... which I gave away.  This afternoon, my students made ice cream cone Christmas trees and it was all I could do not to take a big scoop of cake icing and gobble it down but I didn't and again resisted all the sweet stuff.

In a bit we're off to dinner and then a party where I know my points will be blown for the day... but at least I haven't made it any worse!  I still have 17.5 left for today which should make for a decent dinner and a couple of beers before I started reaching into my extras!

Not so much....

Today has been a tough day....Everywhere I turn there is something else to try, not necessarily sweets but all those other things I just can't resist....Chips, breads of all sorts! So, I have done the best I can which is I have had ONE yes just one bite of everything I want to try...I figure then I am not depriving myself. I am off the Statesville tonight for what will probably be a not great dinner, but I am going to the Y in the AM for bodyvive, but then again it is T-Bone for dinner tomorrow...So, I will start this week of vacation off with a bang and hopefully get to the Y enough to even it out! If I lose 2 lbs this week, I will have succeeded for my month of December, I started off at wanting to lose 12 lbs by christmas, but I altered to 10 and I certainly hope that I can achieve this months goals!!!!

I'm a Believer

After all my rogue eating this week... anniversary eating with the hubby, Christmas eating at school and with school people and  three different (yes three, Little Cesears, Qdoba and Taco Bell) types of "fast food" yesterday.... I am still down 1.8 pounds from last Friday.  Pretty fancy!!

I can't believe I survived about 10 different "eating out" experiences this week and still managed to lose... I'm thrilled!

PMS vs. WW

I have skipped everything sweet, gooey and sugary for a while now and it hasn't bothered me. I know my issues with sweets. However, right now, it's killing me because I have a bad case of PMS that always makes me want to overeat coupled with the fact that I'm not terribly optimistic at the moment about tomorrow's weigh in. I'm taking Cameron's place at Jonah's pizza party today which makes it even harder AND I'm filling my students' stocking with all sorts of sweet stuff! AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!

I'm trying my best to persevere but I'm struggling...

Woo-Hoo

Today I am down 2.5 that puts me at 202.5 and I am ELATED!!!!!!
It just makes is all worthwhile!!!
That is almost 8 pound in 3 weeks, WW is mad about it but I think it is Fantastic!

Blew It Today...

I knew going into today that I had a staff luncheon and dinner at Carrabba's.  So I planned a very light 3 pt breakfast, packed a 1 pt lunch and planned an 11 pt dinner at Carrabba's leaving me several points to play with for the day.  Good plan, right?  Not so much.  If I hadn't gone into the actual room where the food was at school and just eaten what I brought, I would have been fine. However, I went in to see what we were having out of curiosity and the only things in the room I didn't eat were the rolls and the dessert.  My plate had a fried chicken breast, collard greens and potato salad... bad stuff points wise.  I stuck to the dinner plan but I did indulge in a couple pieces of bread so my day is incredibly shot.  Tomorrow is a new day and I will try to do better! 

Christmas is hard!

Bad Sybil,

Bad bad bad Sybil....Oh my....So, today I had the BEST plan for eating. I had a 4 point breakfast that included fruit, then it just went downhill from there!!!!It was christmas in preschool today, so Santa came to town, literally and figuratively. So there came cookies and cupcakes, candies and treats which I avoided like the plague and I succeeded. But then came my GREAT idea to order pizza for the kids, and that I just couldn't pass up. So I ordered chicken with it for one of my kids and of course I couldn't pass that up either. So close to 20 points later, I am left with 5 points for the day. Hmmmm. Bad bad bad Sybil!!!! :) and WI is tomorrow!

The Y....

So, if I count all of my activity points from the Y on Saturday, and Today it is 8 points, I then Have 9 points for walking for an hour on friday, saturday and sunday. I have avoided the scale like the plague, holding out for thursday morning. At least until then, I have two classes at the Y, and no real roadblocks in the way. I did great yesterday and had a grilled chicken salad for dinner. So, I am keeping up with WW and going to the Y and will wait for the verdict to come in on Thursday and will hope that my imagination doesn't get in the way until then!

This Week

It's only Tuesday and I'm already tired.  Rehearsal last night, open house tonight, grade level Christmas thing tomorrow night, rehearsal Thursday night and a party Friday night... ugh.  It all just makes me want to lay down and take a really long nap.  Not to worry, though!  Next week is Christmas and we're off for two weeks.  I am going to make it--I know I am but right now I'm just ready for it to be over!  At least, it seems, it hasn't really affected my eating too much.  I ended yesterday with 3 points leftover and I've planned most of today leaving about half my points left for supper.  Thankfully, I don't have to endure the pizza buffet tonight since I'll be at school.

I'm already planning ahead to tomorrow... we have a staff luncheon and then I'll be at Carrabba's for dinner with my grade level.  We'll see how it goes but I don't really have many extra points to play with so I'm going to have to get creative!

Worry Makes My Hungry

I have a very vivid imagination when it comes to expecting the worst to happen. And when my mind is whirling it makes my stomach growl. Not a good combination. So I am drinking water, typing and texting to make my mind stop. Once my mind stops, the stomach feels better.

It's Monday... Again.

And that's about all I can say.  Home and real life have been such a let down after the dream of a weekend I had with my hubby--but nothing lasts forever and so it's back to work.  At least I know that I only have to survive the next 5 days before we have a long and much needed break!

I had a bigger breakfast than usual today--5 points, but I had the feeling I was going to need something fairly stout to get through what is sure to be a hectic day and an even more hectic week.  The great thing about this time of year is that I barely get to sit down which means I don't have a bunch of idle time to just sit around and eat!   I worry about what will happen when I do have a couple minutes rest but until then, I'll just go with it!

My goal for this week is to undo this past weekend and lose another pound to bring my grand total to 5 pounds since we started... doable, I think!

Back to Life and Reality

I'm sitting in front of this beautiful stone fireplace completely bummed about the fact that I have to leave in an hour.  The only good news (as far as I can see it) is that my eating habits can now go back to "normal" (or at least WW's version of normal) and I get to squeeze my babies in a bit.

I'm not angry with myself about my eating this weekend because I feel like there are certain times when one has to say, "To hell with the points" but I am happy to get back to regular eating.  Last night we ended up at Dan'l Boone Inn.... and boy, did I consume my entire day's worth of points at that meal.  Oh well... today is a new day but I still have to survive Mexican at lunch and a chicken stew at church tonight.

Happy eating everyone!

Another Winner....

So today was another great day all around in Sybil World. I got up, had yogurt and 1/2 english muffin. I went to the Y and did Body Flow, which is tai chi and pilates....it was hard, it works on balance, core strength, abs and gluts, I had a good time in it, worked up a sweat and now am feeling it in my shoulders and abs....That means that it was a good workout. I then survived my first trip to a fast food restaurant, I had spencer today and took him to Wendy's got him chicken nuggets and fries and I got NOTHING and didn't even have a french fry....WOO HOO that is a huge accomplishment for me to resist fries! Anyway, the day went on, Dad and I got my icicle lights hung outside after a few bumps in the road. Sean made me dinner, I was very nervous about it wondering what he would fix and if it would fit in my plan, and he did well. He made grilled chicken breasts, scalloped potatoes (not exactly healthy, but I only had 1/2 cup) and carrots with roast pepper dressing....Yummy! We watched two pretty funny movies that I had never heard of before, a glass of wine and now I am home! My day topped out with only 3 points left so I feel very good.......

Friday Night

So, today and tonight went well....I ended up seeing Sean, which is a good thing I guess....On a totally side note, it is VERY hard for me to believe in men, and even harder for me to trust that something good may come out of anything that makes me smile. Sean makes me laugh like I haven't laughed in a long time. He is shorter than me, which has always been an issue for me, but now that I am laughing and smiling it seems like such a trivial thing. He called tonight and wanted to bring a movie over just to hang out with me and he did. We didn't watch the movie, we talked, yes JUST talked for over 2 hours then he left, he gave me a short sweet kiss goodnight and has already called to tell me he can't wait to see me tomorrow, can it be true? I don't believe it yet....so I will continue on with my dating pessimisn and get up bright and early to go to the Y with Shea and then meet with my personal trainer at the Y....after that, I will hope for the best and call when I promised to call and hope he answers......the hardest thing for me is that a man would be interested in me the way that I look now.....So, I will be sure to go to the Y and follow WW and get to a place where I am comfortable.....For now, I say good night and good luck!

Anniversary Food Angst

Well, considering that I've eaten two meals out today and that it's my 10th anniversary, I'm okay with what I've done today.  I've gone over by quite a bit but not nearly as much as I could have!  

And this is totally off subject... but my husband totally outdid himself and completely redeemed himself for canceling our DC trip... He rented the most gorgeous log cabin out by itself with a stream and a stone fireplace and real logs.... I could go on and on.  He's currently starting a fire and will very soon be getting some love from me...

Good night, all!

The Weekend Looms....

The weekends are always the hardest time...although, I have a class at the Y tomorrow at 9:00 so that should help kickstart it! I am going to try to be good tonight, so far I have been great, had a 3 point breakfast of yougurt and a clementine...I have lunch planned for only 5 points and that leaves me points to play with if I decide to go out to eat! I avoided the left over breakfast casserole this morning, which makes me very proud!!!!
So, my goal with joining the Y is to go at least 3 times a week...I have planned for tomorrow morning, Monday night Yoga, Tuesday night Bodyvive, amd Wednesday night Bodyvive.....Then hopefully with my well behaved diet and my workouts, I hope to be at least 2 lbs lighter next week!!!!!

Drum Roll.... Please!

I am down 3.2 from last Friday!!!!  How's that for motivation???  Of course, I'm going out of town this weekend for my 10th anniversary and I know that I shall be far above my points by the time I come back, but a loss like this motivates me to not overdo it!

Happy Friday everybody!

Convicted of Murder

Yes, ladies... I'm guilty of murder.  It was a good sweet potato, filled with promise and filling yet low point joy and I killed it.  Accidentally, of course, but murder is murder... accident or not.  I planned my supper this morning, leaving myself 7 points in case something happened or perhaps to leave room for another lovely piece of birthday cake.  I was going to have 2 pieces of turkey kielbasa, a baked sweet potato and a lovely salad.  I was making mac and cheese for the boys to eat.  Well, I put the sweet potato in the microwave and set it to cook a sweet potato but when the microwave was done the potato wasn't so I put it in again... and it died a long, smoky and crunchy death.  So I had to revise my dinner and eat some mac and cheese... which honestly I didn't mind too much and it didn't hurt my points horribly either (but I'm glad I left some to play with today).

In the end, I didn't get a sweet potato or a piece of cake but I did get a filling dinner and I'm interested to see if my good feelings about this week will show up on the scale in the morning.

Today is a good day....

So, after a fun night last night and A LOT of points....I woke up dreading my weigh in....But, after some deep cleansing breaths I stepped right on the scale and I am down 2.5 lbs, to 205....this is the lightest I have been in an entire year....I am joining the Y today, so I hope that will help this process!!!
On a bad note, today was our Christmas Breakfast at school....it was catered and I deliberately showed up late hoping to miss all the bad stuff, but I couldn't resist breakfast casserole. So I had a 7 point breakfast....not too bad considering and I did opt out of seconds, which is huge for me!!!
So, I am off to eat some fruit, to counteract the crap I put in my body and I think I might even splurge and have a diet coke, I haven't had one is FOUR days....

It's Thursday

Sorry for stating the obvious but Thursdays are big for me because I weigh in on Friday mornings.  So my day is planned, I have 7  points left to play/eat with if something comes up and all I can do is stick to it and hope for the best tomorrow.  On a happy note, I got on the scale yesterday afternoon, fully clothed (which I never do because it totally depresses me) and I weighed the same as I did last Friday morning!  That's good since I weigh in the mornings (when I'm less) clothes-less!!

The Date....

So, my date Sean calls me at 6 and tells me that he is lost and I try to get him turned in the right direction to the sports bar where we are supposed to meet, of course at this time, I have not left my house, as I think 30 mins will give me plenty of time to get to Kernersville to meet him....It turns out that it takes me a little longer so I have left him waiting for me...by the time I arrive, he's been there 20+ minutes.... All is well when I arrive, we chat, laugh and have an all around good time...We have a drink then discuss what too eat....I ended up BLOWING WW, but I had fun, so I guess I am willing to take the point loss....I had fried shrimp, only 4 and it came with fries so I had 12 fries....I haven't bothered to count the points tonight as tomorrow is weigh in day so really it doesn't matter, but I am worried about the scale in the am.....But, on a good note, the date went well and there is a second date saturday night.....
The ultimate verdict which will either boost my confidence or destroy it comes tomorrow morning!!!

Cake and Coffee

I planned my entire day today around cake. I planned all my meals plus a slice of cake and still had four and a half points left for the day... And then I remembered I have (get, I mean) to go to Starbucks this evening too. So, I'm off to the Starbucks site to see what I can have... and hoping we don't change our minds and go to Border's instead!!

Date Night

So I woke up this morning and suprisingly enough I am not sore. My body is aware that I pushed the limits yesterday but I am moving fine. So my dilema today, I have a date tonight...We are going to a sports bar/restaurant and I am trying to figure out what I can eat during the day today that leaves me enough points to eat a reasonable dinner, and have a drink with it....I have looked at the menu on line and I see they have a grilled chicken sandwich on a wheat bun...I will forgo the cheese and the mayo maybe substitute a fat free dressing....
Who knows, I don't want to be the date that only eats a little salad but I want to stick to my points and plan. This is of the utmost importance since tomorrow is weigh in day!!!

Plans Change

My husband, God love him, planned his holiday concert on his birthday which means that the lovely shrimp stir-fry I had planned for dinner quickly became the Pizza Hut Buffet (again) to save time.  This loop about made me throw in the towel for the day since I hadn't saved a ton of points for eating pizza... I'm glad to report, however, that after leaving the beautiful buffet I am still 2 points under for the day!!!! Go figure.  Now, we haven't eaten birthday cake but since the boys are in bed, I expect it will wait until tomorrow... or at least I will, when I can plan around it. Day 9 has come and (almost) gone and I'm still on track and it feels great.  If only I can manage to get my body in gear and back on the elliptical I'll be in good shape...

The Y Experience....

So, I have just returned home from my Boby Vive class at the Y...Not nearly what I expected, not bad in the least, I am just completely uncoordinated. There were a few moves that I messed up and tripped over my feet a few times, but all in all, I feel good! I feel it, in places that I didn't know existed and if I feel this way now, I can only imagine what I will feel like in the morn....
Here is my problem with group classes, it is not so much money, although that is a big part of it, but I always feel like when I go into a place like the Y, that I am the fattest person there. Yeah, I know that probably noone cares, but I am VERY self conscious in general and in a room full of fit women and surrounded by mirrors, I start to dislike myself very much. I also know in my head that the only way I am going to get over it is to 1) Go to classes more 2) Go to classes more AND lose the weight 3) Go to classes more and get more coordinated by learning some of the routines.
So, tonight ends with me feeling great that I got in a good hours work out, and that I am ending the day with 15 extra points....

Tuesday

So today, I weighed with the hopes that having done really well on sunday and yesterday that it would give me some inspiration....and it did....I am down 2.5 full pounds from my weigh in last thursday which gives me 4 down from day one (that would be the 27th of November)....woo-hoo....Unlike Julie I am a LONG way from my skinny jeans...about 25-30 lbs....so maybe by spring break I can fit into my skinny jeans....I have two pair of them so I hope can fit into them again! Of course by then it will no longer be jean weather....oh well, I have plenty of capris/shorts I can wear when I get to that point!
I am going to the Y tonight for a class that hopefully won't kick my ass, we will see if I can walk tomorrow!!!!

The Skinny Jean Experiment... Part One

And no, I didn't expect them to fit... but I want a basis of comparison so I decided to see just how "skinny" I need to be to fit into my skinny jeans.  I should perhaps explain my skinny jean so that I'm not the only one who knows what in the world I'm talking about.  Last year, and about 10 pounds ago, I bought a pair of Seven for All Mankind jeans off of eBay.  They are the size that TrueJeans.com says I was supposed to wear... Size 30 (EU not US).  They sell for over a hundred dollars and I would never pay full price for something like that so I got them on eBay for less than $40.  Well, they arrived and I was excited, except that when I put them on (and I did actually get them on and buttoned) I couldn't walk, breathe, or move.  So, in fact, I've never been able to wear my "skinny" jeans even when I was "skinny"-er.  

Back to this morning... I decided to give them a whirl to see how far I have to go and like I said, to give me a point of comparison.  The verdict?  Let's just say Julie has a few more pounds to go to even get back to the get them up and buttoned stage... never mind walking, breathing or moving.  I did get them mostly up but buttoning wasn't going to happen!

It's okay and it's what I expected... I just wanted something to work for!  As a result, I have a fine day planned and lots of good and healthy food to eat!!!  

Today

Today has been the best day I have had on the plan yet!!! I still have 9 points to go and I am stuffed, it felt amazingly good to eat healthy and feels even better to know I am home, have points left and really want nothing else to eat! I am about to take Millie around the lake and back, then read for pleasure and watch a little football! I feel really good today!!!!

Chili's Tonight

I am going to chili's tonight, so I have logged in my points for the day already and am sticking to it fairly well...I know I can't have what I really want which is the chicken tenders (fried of course) and french fries....That would do me in for the week....So I have logged in the Guiltless Grill Black Bean Burger, steamed veggies and low fat ranch, it is only 13 points, so I figure that is not bad....I will have some points left over but should be full! Now the problem is actually ordering that once I get there!!

Today's Dieting Dilemma...

Well, I survived the weekend in decent shape and now it's on to a new week and a new set of food hazards!  Tonight, for example, is our annual Community Band Christmas Party in which the director's wife lays out an impressive spread of cookies and candies alongside red and green punch.  It is lovely and sweet and it's the kind of situation where you hate to say, "No thanks," because she's like your grandma and you don't want to hurt her feelings.  So... I've planned out my entire day and if it goes as planned, I will have 9.5 points left to play with at the party.  I just have to remember that less is more...

Then tomorrow is my beloved husband's birthday and the boys and I are making him cake (my biggest weakness of all time) but I am determined to be strong and keep within my limits!  I'm feeling pretty good about this coming week in general with the exception of this coming weekend when Cameron and I hit the road for our 10th anniversary and we'll have an opportunity to eat at ALL our favorite places (none of which include a WW menu)!  Oh well, one day at a time!

Subway for Supper Means Cookies for Dessert!

'Nuff said and my tummy and craving is happy and although I ate two little cookies and would generally be going back to get more, I actually am not feeling inclined to eat anything else... yeah!

Sunday's are hard

Sundays are hard for me....I have been alright today but not great! I had my signature 5 point breakfast today but added a little piece of ham to my eggs which made it 7 pts. By lunch I had seen the molasses cookies my cousin gave me for christmas that i planned on freezing but just hadn't gotten around to yet, and I had to have one, then two then three......So there went 4 points to NOTHING.....So, I sat down at my computer to read some emails and then I was going to go on my walk, but promptly fell asleep and 2 1/2 hours later I wake up, I am hungry I am groggy and I don't want to go on a walk but I head out and get up to the lake and I am FROZEN, didn't think it was that cold outside, so, I came home with the thoughts of bundling up, but instead sat down and decided I am tired! So even though I have points left today, I am making some whole wheat pasta and with a little red sauce and am going to call it a day. I think the stress of finishing the semester has caught up with me!

C & M

Cookies and Mexican food... those were the things I worried about today.  And I am happy to report that I did not eat ANY cookies (including the ones I made last night) and I actually didn't end up eating Mexican because I had a meeting after church and ran out of time.  So I just finished an at home lunch of 0 point soup and a 3.5 point tuna melt.  I'm at 7.5 for the day so far and if I can hold it together through supper then I'll allow myself a cookie at the end of the day.  If I eat it fairly close to bedtime then I'll be able to resist the horrible temptation that comes with refined sugar for me!  

In another fun side note... I stepped on the scale this morning to make sure I am still on track and since it has now (almost) been a full week from our start date.  I am happy to report that the scale said I was almost 3 full pounds less than I was last Monday!  Now, I realize that weight fluctuates daily and all that but it made me feel better and motivated me to have a great day!  We'll see if it hold through till Friday...

Celebration....

So, I was able to eat only some of what I wanted today at the potluck. I avoided ALL cake/sweets and only indulged a TINY little bit in the good stuff today, that left me with 18 points at dinner time, I chose the 0 point soup and 2 point salad for dinner do there was plenty left over for my celebratory drink and a snack......I have now after all of that reached my point limit of the day and I feel GOOD......I just so need the motivation, support etc to keep this up until Thursday when I weigh again. I find it so very hard not only to cook for one person but to NOT eat those day to day distractions that are in the teachers lounge. I just keep repeating to myself 12 lbs by X-Mas which means 10 lbs in 2.5 weeks, which ww frowns upon......maybe if I truly implement my exercise plan this will help.... IT IS NOT THE DIET THAT IS THE PROBLEM IN MY WORLD BUT THE DAY TO DAY CHANGE OF HABITS and ADOPTING A WORTHWILE not to difficult activity program....

Noah's Kitchen

We were in Lexington this evening and decided to eat dinner at a cute little place downtown we'd seen last week when we were there called Noah's Kitchen.  Naturally, it's really difficult to plan for something when you have no idea what they have.  In looking over the menu there was the normal fare:  salads, sandwiches and pasta... I opted against a salad since I had one for lunch and they had no fat free or low fat dressings.  Instead I got a Grilled Chicken Caesar on Pita AND I asked for the steamed broccoli on the side rather than fries... impressive--right?  

Anyway, the food came quickly and my pita looked and actually tasted quite lovely.  But the steamed broccoli? They must not get many orders for that because it was atrocious!  I was going to eat it first to take up some room in my belly but when I picked up the first piece it was dripping in water and limp.  Eating it was like eating broccoli shaped water... no seasoning, no crispness, nothing that I usually love about broccoli.  UGH!  I tried to salt it but it was so dead that even salt couldn't revive any flavor.  As a result, I finished my pita and was still hungry which led to me stealing a few hot chips off Caden's plate... so as good as I felt about the first part of my day, I feel equally as frustrated with supper.  

Oh well, on to tomorrow's Cookie Swap at church and Mexican lunch!

Satisfied on Saturday

So this morning I took a bit of inspiration from Sybil on breakfast.  I usually make the boys scrambled eggs on Saturday mornings and always feel guilty about eating them... but not today!  I used three whole eggs and three egg whites to cut down the points, and 1 slice of 2% cheese instead of two.  So I essentially had, when it was all cooked, 1 egg and 1 egg white, 1/3 slice of cheese with a 1 pt english muffin topped with preserves and about 1/2 cup of grapes.  Lovely, filling and 5 points!  I just finished lunch and am feeling full once again... big salad with fat free dressing for 0 points total, an orange, and a 1 cup serving of my "Sloppy Mac & Cheese" that I made for the potluck the other night for a 9 point total lunch.  Not too shabby and I satisfied my belly and a craving for pasta!

Not sure what's happening food-wise the rest of the day but I'll eat wisely and enjoy it! 

P.S.--Many thanks to Sybil for providing me with a bit of exercise yesterday and today!

A Fantastic Friday!

So Friday went off without a Hitch!!!!!! I had that fantastic breakfast and last night I didn't even use all of my points and went to bed full. So, I wake up this morning feeling the weight watchers mojo....Now, all I have to do is avoid the several cakes and desserts that were brought for our potluck at Gardner-Webb....I will stick to the turkey with no bun, the veggie tray with no dip and the fruit of course with no dip...I want to have enough points left to have a celebratory drink tonight!!!! Now that I am done with this semester, I hope to start my exercise program in full force!

It was a busy, on-plan kinda day!

Today was super busy... my third graders went to the Nutcracker, I spent wwaaayyy too much time putting up a bulletin board this afternoon, dinner out, I walked and fed the fabulous Millie, and decorated our first real live Christmas tree!  And, I'm happy to report that amongst all this hustle and bustle, I stayed within my points and ate happily!

I actually even had food logged for today that I didn't eat... because I wasn't starving!  Now, if I can only make it through the weekend without a binge, I'll be in good shape!

A good filling breakfast

So, I awoke today STARVING....so I looked in the fridge and thought hmmmm....there are no breakfast foods that are good, without using all of my points. So, I got creative, I made egg beaters, with a piece of WW American cheese, which is 2 pts, I made 2/3 cup of simply potatoes with onion (make with cooking spray instead of oil) 1 pt and a WW English Muffin with 1/2 tbsp I can't believe it's not butter 2 pts....It felt like I was eating a huge diner breakfast and it totaled only 5 points and I was STUFFED!!! Now, I can get into eating like this, if only I can figure out how to do substitutions for the rest of my meals!!1

Pleasant Surprise

Okay, I must admit that I struggled terribly last night when I made the boys pizza for dinner. I REALLY wanted it but I used an inch of willpower and solemnly ate my 1 pt supper: salad and 0 point soup. So, to make up for it, I allowed myself 1 piece for lunch today... but when I packing my lunchbox, I couldn't resist and ate my lunch piece for breakfast and put my breakfast in the lunchbox. Not a bad plan and I satisfied my hunger for pizza... BUT, when I logged the pizza online (whole wheat crust and all), I discovered that 1 piece had half the points that I thought it did! That means I got to eat my breakfast piece but also got to put one in my lunchbox for later!!!! Woohoo! I suppose this seems small to most... but to me it is FAN-TAB-ULOUS!

At least WW is happy...

Weighed-in this morning.  Not bad, I guess, as weight loss goes.  I'm down just under a pound (0.8) to be exact and when I logged my weight online, I got the "woohoo, keep it up message".  I'm glad that I've lost and I know that almost a pound is great, especially in only 4 real days of being back on the plan but I can't help feeling a little disappointed.  I know it's only because when I first started WW way back in May '07, I lost something like 4 lbs in the first week... and those were results I could really get behind!  But, a loss is a loss and I need to just be satisfied with that and keep on truckin'!   

I guess considering the fact that I've lived through a pizza buffet, a potluck dinner and fried chicken in the past four days, I really shouldn't complain!  

Alright

After a very disappointing start to the day, I have done well today....I still have 13 points left for dinner....So, in the true spirit of weight watchers, I am cooking a "real" dinner. I think that is my biggest problem, cooking meals for one, is hardly ever healthy....I tend to go for quick one meal ideas and that usally equals a lot of points. So tonight, I am making whole wheat spaghetti, tomato sauce with mushroom and onions and a side of broccoli. I am considering adding a piece of wheat bread to it.....That will almost finish my points but should fill me up!!!!!
So, I am relearning eating on my own, I guess I will have to start "cooking" again. This is a process and even though I didn't do what I wanted to today, I still lost so that makes me a winner!!!!!

Zero

Well, thanks to lunch (which actually came out better than I thought--the fried chicken was boneless/skinless which translated into less fat but more chicken (so I guess it all evened out)) I'm down to 1 point for supper... looks like it'll be zero point soup for Julie tonight!! And in a momentus occasion for me--I skipped the cake!

I'm enjoying my fruits at the moment to make up for the lost sweets opportunity but proud that I didn't give in!

Disappointed

So, I am a little disappointed, mostly because I have been on the scale every day and I know that I SHOULD NOT weigh myself but once a week.....but, it is what it is and I weigh 207.5 today. That is 1.5 down from last week but up .5 from Monday....So, today will be a better day and I will try to resist the fast food as I travel to Chapel Hill. I have my lunch box packed, with fruits and veggies and hope that is enough to keep me from those darned chicken nuggets and fries!!!!!

I've Decided

I've made a decision that "regular" food is quite possibly of the devil and here's why...  last night after having regular food for the first time in three days all I could think about was eating and the thought of eating healthy today totally made me want quit.  Why?  Why is it that I can't eat something I enjoy without going overboard?  I have no idea and therein lies a great deal of the problem I think.  I've always known that refined sugar/sweets have been a trigger food for me... and I've often said that once I get it into my body I'm basically done for the day because I generally can't stop eating after that.  Problem being is that then folks fuss about deprivation and blah, blah, blah... but the truth is, I can't do "just a little bit" of this or that... it is honestly better to just not do it at all because once I start--it's over.

So I'm back on the wagon today... with fried chicken and potato salad looming over me but I've already logged it, so I know what I can have and am planning on skipping the cake and filling my trusty lunch box with many fruits and vegetables to keep the hunger at bay (hopefully).

Potluck? More like Pot-belly...

As you might have guessed, the potluck dinner at church was nicht so gut.   I wasn't trying to do badly but if you've ever had the pleasure of going to a potluck, then you know that doing well is not really an option.  Yes, I could have done better... I could have chosen green beans or collard greens instead of the deviled egg and peanut brittle but honestly the majority of food (including what I took) was casserole-ish.  

So I had a piece of pork... not a bad start--but then I added:  sweet potato stuff (again, not horrible but the candied nuts on top probably ruined it), my mother's potato casserole (complete with corn flakes and cheese), and my contribution to the potluck... a thrown together, last minute macaroni, cheese and sloppy joe mixture, and oh yes, a deviled egg.  And then, of course, came dessert.  A piece of peanut brittle and a little individual pie filled with something that I can only liken to the syrup in a pecan pie (minus the pecans).  As best I can figure (considering that I didn't take a great deal of anything), I consumed my entire day's worth of points.  I'm hoping that I over-estimated because I'd rather over than under.  Regardless, I went over my allotted points by 8.5 today... thank God that WW allows 35 "extra" points per week or I'd be sunk.

Weigh in for me is Friday morning... but first I have to make it through tomorrow's fried chicken and potato salad meal at school... ugh.

Verdict Tomorrow

Ok....so today at my doctors visits, I learned a lot about myself....I need validation, yep even though I consider myself a very independent person, I can't do this weight loss thing alone!!! So, first and foremost, thank you JULIE, and next thank you SHEA and thank you to all of those who have viewed the blog and are wishing us well!!!
Tomorrow is the verdict of my first "week". Even though today is really only day 3, my weigh in day is Thursday....So, last week on thursday I weighed 209, on Monday I weighed 207 and we will see what tomorrow brings....I would like it to be 205, but will be ok as long as it is below 209!
It is a very humbling, embarrassing and hard thing to list my weight in numbers for everyone to see, but I think that being honest and open about where I truly am, will make the journey just a little bit more real....Plus, everyone who views this, knows me and knows what I look like so why keept the number a secret!!!
So until the morrow, I am off, and hoping for the best!!!!

Whatever

So, I'm sitting here in my quiet room, eating lunch alone (thankfully) and trying to organize my thoughts. Here on Day 3, I'm hanging in there but of course wondering ahead to supper and the potluck tonight. True, I made it through the pizza buffet but I'm not sure how one approaches a potluck with dieting in mind... Do I eat before I go and just watch everyone else? And if I don't then how exactly am I to calculate points on a meal with no nutritional info? I heard once that when you're not sure that you should count 1 point per bite... that means 17 bites--and they better be good ones! Does that mean big bites or baby bites?

Oh well, as I ponder, I'll just continue to crunch down on my broccoli... and save my grapes for later.

The Doctor....

So, I had my first of three doctor's appointments this morning, I had been to this one, 3 weeks ago....So, I was a little anxious to be weighed....I am 4.3 lbs lighter than I was 3 weeks ago. That makes these first three days WELL WORTH IT!!!! My next appointment in an hour, is with one that I haven't seen in almost 4 months so we will see what the scale says there!!!

Day two is over

So, day two is over, with regret on my part for not doing more, but I am not going to beat myself up, although I have tried over the last few hours!!!! I will start again tomorrow and I will stick to it and for every step forward there are two steps back....I am trying very hard to take it all in stride, be it hard at times, it is only day TWO!!!!
The hardest part will be the next three days, being off from work, and doing work from home, I have to keep my will power strong and only eat when I am HUNGRY, not out of boredom, loneliness, frustration or fear!!!
Hears to DAY 3!!

Out to eat with Dad

I went out to eat with dad, after a fairly good day and I tried to choose a "healthy" meal for dinner....unfortunately, Little Richards BBQ doesn't offer a whole lot of healthy choices!!! So, I opted for a small chopped plate, with the BBQ slaw (that has vinegar instead of mayo) and I only ate 2 hushpuppies. So, with my 2 mile walk I went over my points by 2 but get counter acted by the activity points....not exactly how I wanted day 2 to go, but, whats done is done and tomorrow will be a better day!

Pizza Hut

Well folks... I made it through the dreaded trip to the PH Buffet and I'm happy to report that I ate pizza and managed to only go over on my points for the day by 1!  Not bad considering I had leftover steak and baked potato for lunch... I think this calls for a "yeah me" moment!!

Kindergarten Homework Makes Me HUNGRY

So here I am, at the kitchen table watching my to-smart-for-his-own-good 5 year old do his Kindergarten homework.  He doesn't need my help and yet if I don't sit here he'll never get done... so I sit here, hungry, so close to food that I can't (or at least shouldn't eat).  At least I am truly hungry (says the rumbly in my tumbly) which is a feeling I haven't felt in a while.  I don't mind being hungry actually because it means for the first time in a very long time I haven't overeaten.

And now (of course) the Kindergarten homework turns to "Gregory, The Terrible Eater".  Ugh... so goes Day 2.  We're off to the pizza buffet in an hour and with it will come my first fabulous feeding test... wish me luck!

A New Day

As I have started to share this blog and the idea of weight loss with a few close friends, many say how they are proud that we have started this in December, even before the new years resolutions! As with all news years resolutions I have had in the past, they are never successful! Starting this diet.....no NOT DIET, Lifestyle change now is a christmas present to myself. I stepped on the scale this morning, yes I know the rule that you should only weigh once a week and I just weighed yesterday but it made me feel good! I weighed Thanksgiving Morning for the first time in almost 6 months and from then until today I am down 2 lbs......so, the motivation is still there!
Last night I decided to take Millie out for what would be my old 5 mile walk routine....it was cold, the wind was blowing and both Millie and I were miserable but we perservered and made it 4.2 miles before I couldn't drag Millie along any more....at least I got some upper body work out along with the walking!!!!!!

December Dieting

People think we're crazy... starting a diet in December.  On one hand, I have to agree.  Who goes on a diet in a month where the entire country generally gains anywhere from 3-10 pounds on average??  On the other hand, it's part of what drives me to do it.  If we manage to come out of December weighing less and looking/feeling better than we did going in, we've really accomplished something.  For some reason, proving people wrong has always been a great motivator for me and so right now I'm using that to keep me going on Day 2. 

Truth be told, the best way to get me to do something is to tell me that I can't... for example, after 3 hours of difficult and strenuous pushing when I was in labor with Jonah, the doctor suggested that I might need some help to get him out... oh no, after that much time he was coming out because I pushed him out--not because some doctor got happy with the forceps.  Anyway, he was out in the next push... 

I suppose it's prideful (and yes I realize that "pride goeth before the fall") but it helps.  Another thing that helps is knowing that yesterday is not in vain.   I don't, as a rule, get on the scale everyday but I had a great "eating" day yesterday and wanted to know that it wasn't all for naught... it wasn't.  Right now that's good enough reason to keep going!

It's almost over

So day one is almost over and I used almost all of my points....I feel bad about it, yet I know that according to WW you are supposed to eat ALL of your points daily in order to feel full and lose weight! It is a lifestyle change and although I did it successfully in the past, losing 80+lbs, I was getting divorced at the time so I don't think it was healthy and I got too skinny.
It is hard to look at myself right now, that is why I am doing this, hanging on to the hope that I can be happy with myself...so for now, I will take it a day at a time enjoy the little victories and figure out how I am going to eat out with my dad tomorrow after the 403b meeting!!!!
Hoping day 2 is better!
I love this blog thing, it makes me feel so much better being able to write out what I am feeling on this long and hard journey!!!!

The Trouble with Dieting...

Oh, I know it's not supposed to be a diet... because it's Weight Watchers but nevertheless I look at it like a diet.  And although I had a fan-tab-ulous first day back on the WW Wagon, all I can see is:  1.  Our weekly trip to the Pizza Hut buffet on Tuesday, 2. Potluck dinner at church on Wednesday and 3.  The monthly "birthday" lunch on my grade level... complete with fried chicken, potato salad and cake.  Exactly how am I supposed to make it through the week?  This is yet to be seen but I will persevere and one way or another finish this week lighter than I started it... or else hurt myself trying.

For now I'm focusing on having a great day today and hoping that tomorrow is just as successful... pizza or not.  And although the day isn't quite done, I still have points left in case tragedy strikes and I just have to have something to eat after band practice.

Day One

So far so good....Day one always seems to go this way....I am now a member of WW and will be joining a gym soon!!! Other strategies I have started are my skinny jeans hanging on my bedroom door, a picture of me and Spence from the times I felt the best, not too skinny but looking good on my fridge. I am counting on this blog, to write when I am feeling any of those emotions that make me want to eat and my dear friend Julie who is embarking on this journey with me.......

Today Starts the Journey

Today starts the journey back to my healthy size 8/10....
Currently at an embarrassing size 16/18...yes I am admitting it...First step to solving a problem is admitting it :)!!!!
I have lost 6 lbs since January when I originally started this journey....My healthy weight loss goal is a total of 50 lbs, but I am shooting for 30 and really want 12 gone by Christmas!!!
Wish us luck on this journey!!!

Day 1

So this is how it normally goes: I get really excited and motivated to lose weight and I go at it... full force for at least a couple of days. And then... well, motivation wanes and something comes up that I really WANT to eat--because I don't get it very often, or because I'm at my favorite restaurant, or because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, or because I'm bored, tired, unhappy, excited, sad, or angry. Well, here I go... again. But this time I'm counting on my blog, my skinny jeans, and my Sybil to get me through Day 1... and hopefully a lot more!!