Ceremonial Jean-Cutting

It looks as if the change in routine has worked. For the last week and a half I've tried to eat all of my daily, weekly, and activity points . I finally am seeing it register on that wicked scale!



I hereby declare next Wednesday to be:

Cut Up the Too-Large Jeans for a Sewing Project Day

It's not that I've lost all that much, it's just that I've been hovering on the brink of a lower jean size for months and these last couple pounds FINALLY enabled me to buy the NEXT SIZE DOWN! Wahoo!

Hmmmm. Maybe I should have refrained from moronic behavior like skimping on points in the first place. Maybe I should have used the program like it's supposed to be used. Maybe my body just decided to cooperate. Maybe running is the secret. Maybe I don't really care, I'm just excited that whatever the combination is, it's beginning to work. Maybe my body reacts well to deliciously over-the-top cheat days like the one I had last weekend.

Untitled Boring Post

My Wii Fit shipped yesterday! I can't wait. This will give me a slow start into some cross-training by getting me started doing something on my non-running days. Yeah, I know it's not exactly step aerobics or power-lifting but it's a start.

I'm going to try to eat every single one of my points this week again, but spread them out over the week so I'm not eating this HUGE amount on the last day of my WW week.

Wednesday:


Morning
1 Tbsp peanut butter
2
1 sl df ww bread
1
yo plus yogurt
2
Subtotal
5
Midday
lo-fat ramen w/ broc/carrots added
5
Subtotal
5
Evening
1 item refrigerated grilled chicken breast fillet
3
1 cup cooked bulgur
2
1 cup cabbage, all varieties
0
2 Tbsp Kraft Light Done Right Asian toasted sesame
1
1 small carrot(s)
0
1/2 large jalapeno pepper(s)
0
Subtotal
6
Snack
1 item McDonald's® Hamburger (yeah, that's right. FAST FOOD. How low can I go?)
6
fiber one yogurt
1
1 tbs pb on df ww bread (1 sl)
3
Subtotal
10
Total Food POINTS values used
26
Food POINTS Balance over (-) under (+)
-4
Exercise
20 min jogging
2
10 min walking, brisk
0
Total Activity POINTS values earned
2

Changin' it Up!

I thought I'd try something a little bit different this week. Since I'm not losing any weight at this point, regardless of sticking to the plan like aphids on roses, I decided I needed to switch something up. I usually barely dip into my weekly points and sometimes even leave my activity points unused. I thought I might try eating as many of my weekly points as I could. I ate all but 3.5 this week. It's tough but somebody's got to do it! For the record, I didn't eat a lot of garbage in order to do this. Yeah, I snuck a bratwurst in there but other than that, I ate good stuff for the most part.

All of this resulted in..............................................................absolutely no loss. Surprise, surprise. Then again, I ate most of those extra points yesterday so I will weigh myself again tomorrow and see if it's made a difference. In the meantime, I've started reading a book called, From Belly Fat to Belly Flat. Has anyone heard of it? I've got to do a little internet research on the author to determine the 'quack level' of the author. From what I'm reading so far, the book makes sense but I'm a skeptic in all things health/diet related. It got decent reviews at Amazon but I haven't done much googling on him or his plan yet.

One Sick Puppy

I am ashamed to report to you that I jumped on the scale BOTH yesterday morning and today. How warped am I?

I can't believe I haven't posted since Wednesday. Things have been going well point-wise, however I felt like I was eating almost nothing yet I was eating all my points and dipping into my weeklies. I decided to take a look at what I've been doing that could have possibly made me feel this way. Aha! Somehow I stopped eating big platefuls of vegetables and didn't even notice. Weird, I know. So the first thing I did was fix myself a pile of broccoli last night. Tonight I had a big sweet potato and fresh green beans for dinner and it was great!

Hopefully getting back on track with the vegetables and fruits will keep me from feeling like I'm barely eating. I also need the iron & calcium that some of those things provide, especially while I'm taxing my muscles and skeletal system with getting in shape.

Sunday:
Morning
fiber one yogurt
1
pf ww mini bagel
1
Subtotal
2
Midday
2 large whole poached egg(s)
4
2 slice rye bread
3
3 oz center slice ham, lean only
4
Subtotal
11
Evening
1 large cooked sweet potato
3
1 cup cooked green beans
0
Subtotal
3
Snack
fiber one yogurt
1
short starbucks skinny latte
1
pbj on ww mini bagel
3
Subtotal
5
Total Food POINTS values used
21
Food POINTS Balance over (-) under (+)
+1
Exercise
10 min swimming, fast
1
20 min jogging
2
10 min walking, brisk
0
Total Activity POINTS values earned
3
Addendum: After I posted last night, I ate a no-bake cookie (4 pts) and a slice of bacon (1.5 pts), This used up the daily point I had left as well as my earned activity points. It dipped .5 points into my weeklies. Occasionally I forget to post these additions to the blog, but I always post them immediately to my WW log so I don't miss anything and it keeps an accurate tally.

The Trial Separation

Proverbs 26:11As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

I knew the relationship was becoming very dysfunctional but I didn't care. The emotional battering was overwhelming but still I stayed. Now I'm stronger. It's time to end this abusive relationship and take control. I'll need your support for this. This day I declare my independence from that stupid scale.


No more middle of the night weigh-ins. Last night I actually weighed myself three times between 11:00 pm and 6:00 am. I've weighed myself twice since I got up two hours ago. While I think it's a good thing to keep tabs on my weight, this has gotten way out of control. I'm already doing everything humanly possible to safely & gradually lose weight. I don't eat junk food. I rarely eat refined carbs. I love my veggies. I'm RUNNING(if you knew me you would know how drastic THAT little measure was!) and getting as much physical activity as possible. The rest is in the Lord's hands. I can do what He's given me the ability to do and the results have to be left with Him.


In order to turn my relationship with the scale back into a healthy one, I'm limiting our 'visits' to once a week on Wednesdays for my Weight Watcher weigh-in. While I'm in the process of building muscle with all this running, the scale always discourages me. I'm not losing weight right now but my body is changing and shifting in the ways that it should. Why do I want to get hung up on a number that really isn't going to do anything but set me back?

Here's the scoop on what I ate yesterday:

Morning
1 Tbsp peanut butter
2
pf ww mini bagel
1
Subtotal
3
Midday
15 items Tostitos Baked! Scoops tortilla chips
2
1/2 cup salsa
0
fiber one yogurt
1
sample fiber one caramel del cereal
3
Subtotal
6
Evening
1/3 cup Fantastic World Foods Jasmine Rice
4
1 serving stir fry 5/12/08
5
Subtotal
9
Snack
fiber one yogurt
1
pf ww mini bagel
1
yo plus yogurt
2
Subtotal
4
Total Food POINTS values used
22
Food POINTS Balance over (-) under (+)
0
Exercise
20 min jogging
2
20 min walking, brisk
1
Total Activity POINTS values earned
3

Almost forgot to post this:

Morning
fiber one yogurt
1
pfww mini bagel
1
Subtotal
2
Midday
1 cup canned ready-to-serve chunky chicken soup
4
1 Tbsp peanut butter
2
pf ww mini bagel
1
Subtotal
7
Evening
1 cup cooked brown rice
4
1/2 cup generic special K
1
fiber one 4 oz yogurt
1
1 serving stir fry 5/12/08
5
Subtotal
11
Snack
1 small apple(s)
1
2 Tbsp peanut butter
4.5
pf ww mini bagel
1
Subtotal
6.5
Total Food POINTS values used
26.5
Food POINTS Balance over (-) under (+)
-4.5


11 weekly points left

Happy Mother's Day!

My family celebrated Mother's Day on Thursday due to kids' work schedules. Today Jim and I ended up in a bookstore (nothing new there). I decided to sacrifice a half-day's worth of points for a 16 oz coffee beverage. There's something sick about ordering a javalicious mocha crunch whatever it was and then asking the server for the nutrition information. I got the total calories, fat grams, and fiber content and went to log it onto Weight Watchers. It was a whopping TEN points even though I opted for no whipped cream. I tell you, it was worth every crunchy, sweet, iced strawful. I've been smiling ever since.

Since I opted to eat dinner as well, it used up a chunk of my weekly points and I don't even care. I wasn't out of control. I made a conscious decision and don't regret it. So there.

Here are the rest of my choices for the day:


Morning
2 large whole poached egg(s)
4
2 slice rye bread
3
3 oz center slice ham, lean only
4
Subtotal
11
Midday
seattle's best iced coffee drink
10
Subtotal
10
Evening
3 cup canned ready-to-serve chunky chicken noodle soup (This was actually homemade soup made yesterday and the fat was skimmed off while cold--it was similar in chunkiness to the canned stuff so it was a good comparison. I also threw a handful of fresh spinach in when I reheated it. Mmmmmm! Good!
11
Subtotal
11
Snack
crust from 1 lg pizza sl.
4
Subtotal
4
Total Food POINTS values used
36
Food POINTS Balance over (-) under (+)
-14
Exercise (haven't logged it yet because we haven't run yet today)
I have 13.5 weekly points left (I'll have 2 more if we actually finish our run--it's pouring out now so I'm not hopeful)

Quick Post Before I Go to Sleep

Here's today's foods...just so I don't forget to post it tomorrow.


Morning
1 large carrot(s)
0
1 Tbsp peanut butter
2
1 sl df ww toast
1
Subtotal
3
Midday
1 serving lunch 5/9/08 (see last post)
4
Subtotal
4
Evening
1/4 pound cooked ground beef
5.5
1/8 cup onion(s)
0
1 Tbsp ketchup
.5
1 tsp mustard
0
1 sl df ww bread
1
Subtotal
7
Snack
4 items graham cracker(s)
2.5
15 items Tostitos Baked! Scoops tortilla chips
2
1/2 cup salsa
0
1 item refrigerated grilled chicken breast fillet
3
fiber one yogurt
1
Subtotal
8.5
Total Food POINTS values used
22.5
Food POINTS Balance over (-) under (+)
-0.5
Exercise
20 min walking, brisk
1
10 min jogging (this was actually 15 min of running, 15 walking but WW doesn't let you log in 5 minute increments)
1
Total Activity POINTS values earned
2

Making Healthy Eating Convenient

I just had the BEST lunch. It was possible because I've got my kitchen stocked for success. I have almost every fresh vegetable you could imagine in the fridge and a variety of lower fat meats and fish in the freezer. I grilled some chicken the other night for whenever we need it.

Today I pulled out about a half cup of frozen shrimp, snow peas, fresh ginger, garlic, mushrooms, onions, peppers, and zucchini. I stir-'fried' it in my non-stick wok (that I leave on the stove 24-7) and finished it with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, soy sauce, and some mahvelously pungent cilantro. Oh my. A treat for the eyes, the nose, and my stomach. No fat, no sugar, no guilt.

I have finally switched the rest of my fam over to whole-grain bread. Carrie balked but has come to terms with the fact that we aren't switching back. I miss the convenience of white rice and occasionally will have Jasmine rice in the cupboard, but 90% of the time we eat brown or wild rice. Sometimes I even cook whole wheat berries in with it. There are a few family members that would probably threaten to blow up the house if I took away their sugar (they're over 18 so I don't make an issue of it) but Jim and I really have replaced sweets with fruit. I keep the house stocked with it. It's expensive but it's worth it. I'm not spending the dough on convenience food or garbage treats so it's not much more.

I'm posting yesterday's food list. I was at a restaurant for lunch. There was no way to know exactly the calorie count of what I was eating. The sandwich was fairly easy to estimate because I knew all the ingredients. The soup was tougher so I looked up a recipe for eggplant soup on allrecipes.com, figured the points value, then doubled it just to make sure I wasn't cheating. I also was very conservative when figuring the sandwich as I want to be honest.


Morning
pb on ww bagel
3
Subtotal
3
Midday
eggplant soup sm cup
10
small ff sf froz yog/no cone
2
3/4 lowfat sandwich at restaurant
10
Subtotal
22
Evening
1 1/2 cup cooked green beans
.5
1 medium acorn squash
3
Subtotal
3.5
Snack
2 items graham cracker
1
Subtotal
1
Total Food POINTS values used
29.5
Food POINTS Balance over (-) under (+)
-7.5
Exercise
Total Activity POINTS values earned
0

Wednesday

Here's my log for today.


Morning
1 Tbsp peanut butter
2
pepp. farm mini ww bagel
1
Subtotal
3
Midday
1/2 cup onion(s)
0
pf ww mini bagel
1
tuna
1.5
mayo lt.
.5
Subtotal
3
Evening
2 cup mixed baby greens
0
1 cup spinach
0
1 item refrigerated grilled chicken breast fillet
3
1 Tbsp red onion(s)
0
1/4 cup snow peas
0
2 medium strawberries
0
3 Tbsp Kraft Light Done Right Asian toasted sesame
2
pf ww mini bagel w pb
3
Subtotal
8
Snack
2 pieces Hershey's Assorted Miniatures Candy
2
1 Tbsp peanut butter
2
15 items Tostitos Baked! Scoops tortilla chips
2
1/2 cup salsa
0
2 oz cooked lean boneless pork chop
2.5
2 items graham cracker(s)
1
pf mini ww bagel
1
Subtotal
10.5
Total Food POINTS values used
24.5
Food POINTS Balance over (-) under (+)
-2.5
Exercise
50 min walking, brisk
3
Total Activity POINTS values earned
3

Sorry!

I keep forgetting to post my intake! I won't bore you with the weekend.....I promise you that I logged every bite every day. Here's Tuesday's log:


Morning
1/2 cup General Mills Fiber One
0
fiber one yogurt
1
Subtotal
1
Midday
1 oz Hormel Honey smoked turkey
.5
1 tsp mustard
0
1/2 cup mixed baby greens
0
1 sl df ww
1
Subtotal
1.5
Evening
1 6-inch SUBWAY® Restaurants Turkey Breast & Ham Sub
5
1 3/4 Tbsp SUBWAY® Restaurants Fat Free Sweet Onion Dressing
1
5 oz cooked lean boneless pork chop
5.5
1 large potato(es), baked
3
2 tsp unsalted butter
2
Subtotal
16.5
Snack
1 item McDonald's® Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream Cone
3
1/2 Tbsp peanut butter
1
df ww bread
1
Subtotal
5
Total Food POINTS values used
24
Food POINTS Balance over (-) under (+)
-2

Wheeee!

Guess what Jim came home with?

He's taking a week off next week. Son# 2 is coming home from college on Sunday, Son#3 is done with school for the semester, Son#4 will be around next week, Carrie's always here, and I need a workout. We aren't going anywhere nor do we have any big plans. So good old Dad came home with a Wii! Then good old Mom logged onto Amazon and pre-ordered Wii Fit. Happy Mother's Day to Mii.

So far, I've only played the bowling as we're all taking turns (and I was the one cooking dinner). I can't wait to play baseball & box a little. This should at least earn me an extra slice of whole wheat bread with peanut butter on it. Hmmmm. I wonder if WW has Wii as one of their exercise categories?

I'm going to go ahead and post today's foods even though the day's not over just in case I don't get around to it tomorrow. I have 4 points left and I promise not to go over unless I dip into my weeklies (I don't forsee that happening, I'm full!)

Have a good weekend!


Morning
1/2 small mango
1
1 item asian pear
0
fiber one yogurt
1
Subtotal
2
Midday
pbj on ww
6
Subtotal
6
Evening
3 oz Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Spaghetti style
4.5
spaghetti sauce
4
Subtotal
8.5
Snack
1/2 small mango
1
4 medium strawberries
0
1/2 cup blueberries
.5
1/2 cup General Mills Fiber One
0
1 large cooked sweet potato
3
Subtotal
4.5
Total Food POINTS values used
21
Food POINTS Balance over (-) under (+)
+1
Exercise
50 min walking, brisk
3
Total Activity POINTS values earned
3

Nothing New - Just posting yesterday's menu

I grocery/garden shopped for 6, count them, SIX hours yesterday. I saved a lot of money in the process, and was rushing so fast I barely ate anything. I ended up trying to stuff a bunch of stuff in my face at around 8:00 just to make sure I ate all my points. I still didn't make it but I'll live.


Morning
1 cup cooked oat bran
1
fiber one yogurt
1
Subtotal
2
Midday
1 6-inch SUBWAY® Restaurants Turkey Breast & Ham Sub - no cheese no dressing
5
Subtotal
5
Evening
1 6-inch SUBWAY® Restaurants Turkey Breast & Ham Sub- no cheese
5
1/2 package McDonald's® Hot Mustard
.5
Subtotal
5.5
Snack
20 items peanuts
2
1 cup Louis Kemp Seafood Co. Crab Delights Fat Free Imitation King Crabmeat Chunk Style
2.5
1/2 item pomelo
1.5
Subtotal
6
Total Food POINTS values used
18.5
Food POINTS Balance over (-) under (+)
+3.5

I've Got Good News and Bad News

Bad news first. It seems that men lose weight faster than women. Duh! Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. The good news is that I watched something yesterday that explained a little bit of the mystery surrounding that and how to work with it.

According to this study, when men begin an exercise program, their bodies experience the benefits immediately. Their bodies go into calorie burning mode right away and they start to build more muscle and lose weight. Apparently, our female bodies handle it differently. When we start an exercise program, for the first two or three weeks...our bodies think they're being starved to death and start to act like it by hanging on to those calories with all their might. (I know it's felt that way for me lately!)

The solution? Consistency. Starting and stopping an exercise program is like yo-yo dieting as far as the havoc it wreaks on your metabolism. They suggest cross-training so that you don't even miss days at all. This is probably part of my problem. I do my walk/run 3 to 4 times per week and it's intense exercise....but then I do nothing on my off days. Bad move. I need to either do some type of exercise video, go to the Y, or do some exercise at home in between.

Another part of the study indicated that women lose weight more effectively with longer, less intense exercise sessions whereas men can benefit from the very intense shorter workouts because their bodies start burning calories right away.

I actually thought all of this was fairly good news. I started my training a few weeks ago and haven't really lost much. At least there's some science behind it.

For those of you on Weight Watchers: This means EAT those extra points you earned with exercise so your body doesn't think it's starving! I have a hard time doing this. I always feel like I'm eating up a bunch of calories I just burned up and nullifying the benefit of the exercise, but the opposite is true.

Wednesday's Fare:

Morning:
pbj on df ww bread
6
Subtotal
6
Midday
3 oz cooked tilapia
2
1 cup broccoli
0
pbj on df ww bread
6
Subtotal
8
Evening
whole wheat blend pasta
3
spaghetti sauce
4
Subtotal
7
Snack
1/2 cups strawberries
0
1/4 cup blueberries
0
Yo plus 4 oz yogurt
2
Subtotal
2
Total Food POINTS values used
23
Food POINTS Balance over (-) under (+)
-1
Exercise
50 min walking, brisk
3
Total Activity POINTS values earned
3