Choices!

One of the reasons I chose to join Weight Watchers instead of some other program is because it is all about every day eating.  I am going to be eating for the rest of my life.  I'm going to attend weddings, dinners, parties, bbqs, etc., all kinds of events where food is going to be served and I'm going to have to choose what to eat at these events.  And sometimes, the options are going to be really limited.  But I believe that Weight Watchers will teacher how to make it work.

And sometimes, I am going to have cravings and want to eat certain things.

Friday is usually my "treat day."  We have bagels, pastries and fruit delivered to the officer for breakfast.  I am going to eat a bagel.  I don't think I'll ever not want one.  Friday is also the one day of the work week where I go out for lunch.  And then if the hubby isn't working, we go out for dinner.  It is Date Night after all.

Yesterday, I went to one of my favorite places for lunch - Flour Bakery in Boston.  I love their roast beef sandwich and I can not leave without one of their chocolate cupcakes.  Now normally, I would eat the sandwich and then immediately go in for the cupcake.  But not this time!

As soon as I got back to my office, I put the cupcake in my bag to take it home.  Then I ate my sandwich.  Now, I will admit that I was craving something sweet after lunch, but instead of pulling out the cupcake, I had a couple of Hershey's Kisses.

After work, hubby and I went out for sushi.  Then when we got home, I took the cupcake out and cut it in half.  But I didn't cut it very straight so the two halves weren't even.  Guess who ate the bigger half?  Yep, I gave it to hubby.

So I was able to enjoy something I love, but I did it the smart way.  Yes, I ate it, but I didn't eat the whole thing.  I made the choice early on that I was going to share it.  And for that, I'm pretty proud of myself.

In the beginning...

At today's WW meeting, we were asked why we joined Weight Watchers in the first place.  People often talk about that "aha moment," but honestly, I didn't have one.  A former friend asked me to join an "at work" meeting that she was going to join and I said sure.  I've been heavy my entire life and was never one to really fret over it.  I didn't go on all kinds of crazy diets.  I saw that she'd had some success with WW, so I figured why not try it myself.  My relationship with WW has lasted longer than that friendship.

I wish I could say I've seen huge success, but if you've read my blog at all...and notice how long it's been since my last post here, then you know it hasn't been all rainbows and unicorns.  I did lose almost 30 pounds after I first joined, and then I slowly but surely put all of that and then some back on.  And now I'm having a hard time finding my motivation.

I'm hoping I can find it again.  So I reached out today to see if someone could help me and we'll see how that goes.  I'm not making any grand gestures here.  That hasn't worked in the past.  We'll take it a little at a time and maybe this time I'll stick with it.

I have 2 problems.  The first, I really like food.  That's not saying that I just eat junk constantly because I don't.  I like the stuff that's good for me.  But I do enjoy the not so good too.  I love carbs - bread is like a warm blanket.  And ice cream...most sweets really, but ice cream is my first love.  And I do enjoy things like fried clams, burgers, french fries...but after having fried clams the other day, I realize they really don't like me all the much.  Some are definitely better than others so I need to be really choosy when I feel the urge to have them.

My second problem...I'm fairly lazy.  Now I'm not as lazy as some people.  But there are days I get home from work and I just want to curl up on the couch with a good book.  I don't feel like moving.  But I'm not completely inactive.  I do move.  I walk more than a lot of people, but I know I could do a lot more.

So these are the things I need to work on.  I need to push myself to not be lazy.  And I need to make sure my food choices are much more on the healthy and further away from the unhealthy.

So if you see me slacking off, getting lazy, you have permission to tell me to get moving.  And if you only see me online, then feel free to message me either with suggestions about what I can do that day to get moving or just to check in and ask what I have done.  If someone else holds me accountable, maybe I'll actually feel like I need to be less lazy.  Guilt me into it.  I promise not to get too cranky.

Snow Day!

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

It's true!  There's a blizzard out there.  Snow is falling and blowing all over the place.  So what do I do on a day like this?  I could sit on the couch all day and read while watching cheesy talk shows.  And I'll be honest, I plan on doing that too.  Afterall, if you follow my other blog you know that I read a lot and I have an obligation to my authors.  So I actually go have to read today, but I can still get a workout in.

How will I work out if I can't go outside?  Easy!  First, in my squats challenge, today I have to do 135 135 squats today.  But in addition to that, I can also use my ball and do so many other exercises.

Pinterest is my friend.  But what if you don't have a stability ball?  What else can you do when you're stuck inside all day?

Simply search on Pinterest for At Home Workouts and you can find so many options.  Being stuck inside is not an excuse.  And on that note, please excuse me as I get off this couch and start moving.  Wait, you want to know what I'm going to do exactly?  Well, one of the things I do is to jog in place.  In my head, I count to 100.  Right now, I try to do 6 sets of 100 per day.  But you could also do the jogging in place during commercials.  It's pretty easy and you set your own pace.  And it's easier on your knees than running outdoors.  So start now and maybe by the time spring arrives you'll be ready to run a few laps on the outdoor track.  

Start small, dream big!

Know When to Stop!

Back on January 1, I started my 30 Day Challenge.  If you remember, it was actually two parts - squats and pushups.  I've been doing well, or so I thought.

Today would have been Day 23.  Yesterday, it was 115 squats and 48 pushups.  I won't lie - doing each right straight through was just not possible, so I'd been breaking it down.  I broke the squats up in 2 sessions and the pushups were in 3 sessions.  So last night, there were 3 sets of 16 pushups each.  I won't say it was easy,but I did it.

Woke up this morning and off to work I went.  No problem.  Heading over to Kohl's after work to do a little shopping.  And then it started - a searing pain in my left shoulder.  It came on strong and fast.  Right in the joint.  Not the muscle.

Now I won't claim to be a doctor or any kind of expert, but I'm certain that trying to do the 51 pushups on the schedule for tonight would only make things worse.  I'll give it the weekend and see how I feel, but as of now, the pushups portion of my Challenge is officially over.  If the pain continues or gets worse, I will be calling my doctor first thing Monday.

I'm not usually one to quit, but I have to listen to my body and my shoulder is just screaming right now.

But....this isn't really me quitting, but I need to heal and find something else to do to stay active.

Eating Healthy isn't Boring!

Seriously, healthy food isn't boring, unless you let it be.  Who wants to eat boneless skinless chicken, brown rice and bland vegetables every day?  Certainly not me.  I like FOOD!  Real food with color and flavor, not bland and boring.

In my Weight Watchers meeting this week, a friend was telling us about a new recipe she had tried and really enjoyed.  She had found it on Skinny Taste and it sounded delicious.  It's the sausage, cheese and veggie bake.  She had made it earlier in the week and cut into pieces that she could bring to work and reheat in the morning.  It sounded delicious and I think everyone that heard her talking about it was very excited to try it.

Here's what it looks like.  Do NOT lick your computer screen!  Doesn't it look delicious.  Click here to go right to the recipe on SkinnyTaste.com.

I also recommend that you check out the rest of the site.  Just looking on the home page, I was drooling over so many of the yummy recipes.  I think I've found a new favorite website.  I'll just have to make sure I'm not looking at it when I'm hungry or bored and not able to actually cook because that would surely spell disaster.

Before we put a single bite of food in our mouths, we eat it with our eyes, so when food looks good, we want to eat it.  So why not find foods that not only look good, but are good for you too?  And I think I just proved that you can find healthier options that look just as delicious or even more so than your favorite fattening foods.

One Week Later

It's working!  The first week of the new year is in the books and I'm sticking to it.  And today was also my first weigh-in of the new year and I was down 2.8 lbs.

That's the dancing bear.  He's excited for me.

I feel good, but this doesn't mean I get to slack.  It means I keep going!

My squats and pushups challenge is going well.  Better than I expected really.  I never thought I could go 10 pushups in one try.  Granted, I do the modified (girly) version, but still, I'm doing them.  Last night, it was 18 and I did every last one of them without stopping.  Plus, the squats challenge was 55 for yesterday.  Today it's 21 pushups and 60 squats.  Think I can do it?

I know a lot of people want to see huge weight loss right away and they try to make huge changes all at one time and that really does lead to short term success, but long term goal.  There may be a few exceptions, but it's highly unlikely that you'll succeed for the long term.  And that's really what this should be about...making the changes so that you can spend the rest of your life living healthy.  It's not about needing to fit into that dress for the wedding or reunion.  It's not about just looking good in that bathing suit this summer.  It's about making changes for a lifetime.  I don't know about you, but I don't want to keep starting over.  I want to make the changes and fall into living my life healthier so that it's not a struggle anymore, but that it's just my way of life.

Hope you're all sticking with your plans, whatever they may be.

Hangin' Tough

Yes, the title is an ode to the New Kids on the Block.  Who doesn't love NKOTB?  Especially any child of the 80's who grew up in Massachusetts?  I think every girl in the area had a crush on at least one of those boys.  Donnie was and still is my favorite.  My husband would tell you that he's my boyfriend.  I've met his brother Paul, who is a chef and runs their 2 restaurants here in Massachusetts and I also met their Mom.  But enough about them, this is about getting fit and healthy...although, NKOTB's music could be on any workout playlist, don't you think?

Ok, back to the real story.  I bet you're wondering how it's going on day 6 of this new year.  Well, I'm doing well.  So far I have kept up with my squats/pushups challenge.  Yesterday was the rest day, but I still got in plenty of activity and scored 7 activity points on my Weight Watchers Active Link.

I have also been writing down everything that I've eaten.  I won't claim that I've eaten all healthy stuff because that would surely be a lie, but I've learned from my own personal track record that even if I just right it down, I find some success.  I'm more thoughtful about what I'm eating.  It not just mindless munching.

I did get out and walk at lunch yesterday, but I can't make any promises about today.  It is only supposed to get to 20 degrees.  I might try to do a little walk, but not to the extent that I normally do.  And later in the week, it's going to be even colder with wind chills well below zero.  We're talking 20-30 below zero, which when it's windy is just cruel and unusual punishment.  The human body is not meant to handle that.  So I doubt I'll be walking then.  I think that might be a good day to get in some weight training.

So how are you doing on your resolutions / goals for 2015?