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?

2015...time to get back on track!

New year, new me?  I certainly hope so.  I know that I need to make the commitment and stick with it.  Even if I take small steps, I need to take them and work on getting back to where I was a few years ago.  I know I can do it.  I don't like the way I feel now and I need to be the one to make the change.  It won't happen on it's own and it won't happen overnight.  I need to do it, and I need to keep reminding myself that I can do it.

Hopefully I'm on that right path.

My first step, first commitment, is this challenge:

If I can stick with this, I believe it can only lead to better things.  I will feel more motivated.  I will want to keep going.  I will feel stronger and healthier and I will be headed in the right direction.

Now, if you know me, if we're Facebook friends or real world friends, I'm going to count on you to poke and prod me every once in a while.  Send me a message and ask me if I'm still focused, ask how it's going, remind me that I made this commitment and that I should update this blog once in a while.

Thank you!!  Here's to a healthier new year and a sexier new me.

Why did you choose to lose?

Today's question was what led us to join Weight Watchers?  What led us to this point?  Well I honestly don't have an aha moment.  There wasn't some great big revelation that made join.

I had a co-worker who had joined and she seemed really excited with her success.  When an at-work meeting came up at her friend's office, she decided to join that and invited me to come along.  So I did.

She eventually quit, but I kept at it.  Why?  Because I don't really know how to quit.  And even though I've put back everything that I lost (and then some), I'm still attending meetings.

I'm still trying to, first, get back to my lowest weight since on WW and being able to maintain that.  Then, work to lose even more.

But it's not just about the weight.  It's about getting fit and feeling better.

I've never been thin.  I was a heavy kid.  I'm a heavy adult.  But that doesn't mean I have to stay this way.  I need to work to change that and it is work.  If anyone tells you it's easy, they're lying.  But if you want it, you have to do it.

I've never been thin.  I was a heavy kid.  I'm a heavy adult.  But that doesn't mean I have to stay this way.  I need to work to change that and it is work.  If anyone tells you it's easy, they're lying.  But if you want it, you have to do it.

I'm never going on a Diet

My mail signature reads: don't go on a diet, change your diet.

When you say you're going on a diet, that implies that at some point you'll go off your diet.  And going back to old habits will just put the weight back on.  You need to change your diet.  Make small changes that you can maintain over your lifetime.  This will keep the weight off.

And think about it, a diet is what you eat.  You can have a healthy diet or an unhealthy diet.  It's not something you can turn on or off. It's not like you eat or don't eat.  So you can't really go "on" a diet.

So change your mindset.  Change your diet, don't go on a diet.  Stop thinking of it as a 4 letter word and think of it as your life!

Obstacles

The biggest obstacle in weight loss is...YOU!  This is probably the most difficult lesson to learn but the more I think about it, the more I realize it is true.  Only you decide what food goes in your mouth.  Only you decide when and how to exercise.

Granted, there are outside influences, but you have to figure out how to work around those things.  It is up to you to find the time, or take the better food choices.  If you're at a party or a bab or any event where there is food, you choose what and how much to eat.  Nobody is holding you down and forcing the food past your lips.

Own it!  Take responsibility for your action or inaction.

We often put the obstacles in our way.  We make excuses.  And we're really good at making excuses, aren't we?

But on the flip side, you are also responsible for your successes.  Take credit when you succeed because you did it.  Nobody else did it for you.

And most importantly, don't beat yourself up.  Give yourself credit for the good decisions you made and acknowledge the not so good.

Weekly update

The weigh-in this week was ok.  I lost the smidge that I'd gained last week.  That was fine.  As much as I'd love to lose huge amounts of weight every week, the reality is - that it won't happen.  I didn't put the weight on overnight and it's not going to come off overnight.

I don't think I'll ever be a size 2 and I'm really ok with that.  One of the reasons I want this fight is to be healthy.  I believe my healthy is nowhere near a size 2.  I also want to be strong.  I want to live for a long time and to do that, I need to take care of this body.  It's the only one I'm going to get.  In general, I am pretty healthy.  I've never spent a night in the hospital (except when I was born.)  I don't have diabetes - and I want to do what I can to make sure I don't ever have it.  (I know that Type 1 Diabetes is a completely different thing and had nothing to do with diet and exercise.)

I turned 44 last month and I still feel like I'm in my 20's.  And I want to keep feeling that way.  I want to keep enjoying life and it will be so much easier to do that if I drop some of this weight.

Write it down!

It's been a little over 2 weeks since I started writing down everything that I eat.  You would think it would get easier over time, but the opposite has been true for me.  The first week, I had no trouble writing everything down.  As I got into the second week, I would forget, but then catch up.  And now, I feel like I have to force myself to do it.  But, I am still doing it.  I'm just hoping I'm not forgetting anything.

I'm also improving on my workouts again.  I'm not going to say that it's not a struggle too, because it is.  But I'm having a little easier time convincing myself to do it.  I go for a walk most days, and when I don't get out to walk, I try to make sure I run.  Ok, now I know you're all confused.  How am I running if I'm not going out for a walk.  I actually run in my living room.  I jog in place.  It all started because of the Wii Fit.  They have running workouts where you jog in place.  So I do that.  I actually count in my head and usually do sets of 100.  Last night I did a 150, a 100 and then a 200.

I try to do little extra things.  Like when I'm standing at the photocopier at work - I'll march in place.  Perfect time to sneak in some extra movement.  Washing my hands, march in place.  Just find those little times when your feet could be moving.  Are you going to lose huge amounts of weight just by walking in place - probably not, but it gets you moving and every little bit helps.

Busy week!

It's been a pretty busy week so I haven't had much chance to post with updates.  I attended a shortened WW meeting this morning as I had to be in the office early.  I was up a smidge (.2) when I weighed in, but I'm fully aware of what that is and I know it will come off again next week.

I've been very busy with work, but am still writing down everything that I'm eating.  And I did get more activity in this week, including several walks to the and at the track with hubby.  Overall, I'm feeling more positive on this new, renewed goal.  I'm toying with the idea of setting a weight loss goal, but I've never been very successful with that.  Maybe I'll start small.

Let's see...it's August 14th.  We have getaway plans for Oct. 9th, which is 8 weeks from now.  How about if I shoot for a 5 pound weight loss goal before then?  That seems reasonable.  Maybe I'll aim for 5 pound goals.  Eventually they'll add up to something great.

I survived the first week!

It hasn't been an easy week.  There is a lot of stress in my life right now, but I committed to writing down everything I ate and I held to that.  I did not count the points, but I wrote it down and I definitely found that it made me stop and think before I ate something.

I'm not going to claim that I made all the best choices.  I did have a company event last Friday, but I chose small portions - tastings of the things I wanted.  And then we left the room where the food was.  I did go out to Wahlburgers with a friend on Sunday and I fully enjoyed my burger with onion strings.  But I didn't overindulge in anything.

I also took a walk several nights this week, so that was more added activity.

I know that just doing these things will not get me down to where I want to be, but it's a one step at a time process.  I'll keep doing these things and make other changes too.  This week I'm going to try to get in more activity.

So what was the end result of Week 1...down 4.4 lbs.

Today's weight:  219.8

I'm going to try to make sure I never go over the 220 mark again.

Day 1 is in the books!

Day 1 of this new or restarted journey is done and we're into day 2.  So how did it go?

Not too bad.  I wrote down everything that I ate.  I never think to write down what I drink because that's almost always iced tea with Splenda and water.  And that is all I had, so no WW points involved.  I'm not going to bore you with all the details about what I ate, but I know I made some good choices and there was a good amount of fruit...but not nearly enough vegetables.

As for being active, I accomplished that.  I walked at lunch as I usually do and then after work, I took a walk up to the apartment office to drop off our rent check.  This might not sound like much, but since the office is at a different complex which is about a mile away, it was a good walk.  So for the first time in I don't know how long, my Weight Watchers ActiveLink exceeded 100%.  Would you look at that, 116% to be exact and that was 9 activity points earned.

I know that I should, but I don't really track points.  I know, you're wondering how I can be on Weight Watchers and not track the points.  The truth is, it's hard for me.  For instance, yesterday, we had a lunch meeting.  Lunch was brought in and because it's a little local restaurant, they don't actually have a nutrition fact sheet that I can reference, so I couldn't really figure out the points.  I know, I should probably try to estimate based on what was in the sandwich, but I didn't.  Baby steps!  I'm just proud of the fact that I wrote it all down.  Maybe next week I'll actually track the points for everything.  We shall see!  No promises yet.  Let me get through the weekend first.

Today could be a challenge!  It's Friday and at my office, they always bring breakfast in.  So this is the day that I tend to really jump off the wagon...but I keep it in my sights.  Breakfast is bagels, fruit and pastry from Panera.  I'll have a bagel with spread and fruit.  Then we have our company summer outing at the Museum of Science with a catered lunch.  All I know is that it's a BBQ themed lunch, so we'll see what they have.  Keep your fingers crossed that I can control myself and make good choices.

And then we have dinner!  That should be a real challenge too because I'm going to be at Gillette Stadium for a special Patriots practice and we all know that stadium/ballpark foods are not exactly Weight Watchers friendly.  And because this is a smaller event, they won't have all the stands open anyway, so it may really limit my choices.  And no, I can't bring food in.

I guess this will be a good day to see how I handle some real challenges!

Frustration!

I am currently at the heaviest I have been since I actually knew how much I weighed.  I know, that sounds odd, but I never really owned a scale until shortly before I started Weight Watchers and my home scale is about 5 pounds nicer to me than the WW scale.  When I originally started Weight Watchers (has it been 4 years or 5?), I weighed 219.  As of today's weigh-in, I currently weigh 224.2.

I did originally lose almost 30 lbs, but slowly put it back on.  Then last year, I lost 13 lbs, and quickly put that back on again...and then some.  Never once did I stop going to meetings.  But I hate tracking.  I hate that I have to count every single thing that I eat.  It doesn't seem fair.  I've never been one to pig out.  I never ate an entire carton of ice cream, bag of chips, package of cookies.

Sure, there are some things I know I need to improve.  More fruits and veggies.  Less carbs.  But I quit drinking soda years ago.  I stay away from the candy dish at work.  I'd love to say I stay away from all candy, but that would be a lie.  But I see people who eat much more than I do on a daily basis and they are so much smaller than I am.

I eat less now and better now than I did before I joined Weight Watchers!  So why do I weigh more?  Did I sabotage myself by joining in the first place?  I was ok where I was before.  I knew I was heavy, always have been, but I never felt awful about myself.  I just figured it was who I was.  But now, it feels like no matter what I do, I can't lose weight and if I eat anything "bad", all I do is gain.

Do I want to lose weight and look good?  Hell, yes!  But do I want to spend the entire rest of my life stressing about every single thing I eat?  Do I want to have to spend every spare moment working out?  NO!  And right now, I feel like that is what I need to do.  So I'm extremely frustrated!  I want to have it easy.  I want to be like my husband who went to the doctor earlier this year and, without even trying, lost 13 lbs.  It's not fair!  Why do I have to work so hard?