WeightWatcher Mama

A Makeover & Update

2012-01-23T16:11:00.001-06:00

First, I want to say how easy it is to post oh the phone. It rocks! So when I have time to turn on the lap top, I'm going to give this blog a little makeover. Like I said earlier I have let my weight creep up & away from my goal. My goal is to get back down into my smaller jeans, but I think I need to adjust my WW Ultimate Goal. So I'm going to just play it by ear. I'm excited to get some of this weight off and back into my jeans. I'm disappointed in myself for not being able to stay at goal or letting do much weight creep on. I guess it could be more, but regardless I'm starting now!

On another note, my sister & I are in a weight loss comp of our own. The one who has lost the highest % of weight will treat the other to a pedicure after our half marathon the end of April. That's right! I'm signing up got another. I really love how running helps with weight loss.

Now, my weight! I'm really procrastinating on putting it on here. It has gone down really close to my November weight (employee monthly weight for WW). But, I think that has to do with the fasting I've been doing for two weeks now. I just pray I don't gain back the 4-5 pounds I gained in the month of December. So when I'm done fasting I'll post my weight.

Hello 2012

2012-01-10T21:42:00.001-06:00

It's here! And we are almost 1/2 way through the month. I've started back at the Y this week. And the main reason why is because I'm signing up for a 1/2 marathon at the end of April. It's not going well starting back at jogging. But I hope that doesn't last long. My weight has stayed the same these last couple weeks. I hope to make a dent this week. Will update when it does ;)

A New Year

2011-12-28T06:27:00.006-06:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been over a year since I was here. A lot has happened in the last year. The real reason I'm here is because I feel the blog really helped me get to my goal. If you haven't guessed it, I've drifted from my goal. Since that time, life has happened and I've had a hard time trying to balance everything. I'm now working part time, which some weeks is full time. I no longer have the 2.5 hours to workout Monday through Friday since the little one is in 1st grade vs. preschool. I have the littlest one still home this year and I'm really trying to enjoy this since she is the last. :( So, trying to balance life, workouts and family/house is not easy and almost 2 years later I'm still struggling. I'm sure it may sound crazy to kind of restart now before the new year, but why not. I'm going to try and get a pic of my starting weight and possibly a body shot as a starting point. It may not happen this week since the kids are home on break, but we'll see. I know this number is going to scare me. And probably be almost if not higher that my first starting weight. But I want to get back down and I want to start now! As far as how low will I go? My original WW goal was pretty low. Looking back, I'm not sure I can maintain that w/o working out 5 days a week for over two hours. So I'm just going to have to see. Now about my starting weight, it is higher because of the holiday. But the past 2 years I've been in the healthy range each month for weigh in. I have been reminding myself that I am still in WW's "healthy range" for my height, which is good and required to be an employee. (Employees are required to weigh in each month and be in the healthy range for your height.) However, I want to be lower. I want to wear my smaller jeans. So, I'm starting today. I will track. And I'm going to try and get a couple workouts in before the end of the week. Ready! Set! Go!

Working on my Workouts

2010-12-13T07:24:00.003-06:00

I'm happy to say that last week I did get 2 workouts of cardio only! This doesn't seem like much, but considering I have not do any exercise since the first few days in November, it is much! I hoping to do 3 days this week, if I am able to fit in more, I will! I will be gone Thursday, Friday & Saturday for leader training. I think I will have some spare time to do some sort of workout at the hotel.

Beginning on Friday started the weekend of eating crap. For some reason I do really well Monday-Thursday. Friday I went to a friends house for coffee, the morning turned into the entire day. And we just had things going on over the weekend, which means lots of unplanned meals, snacks, eating out etc. Which seems to be the trend this time of year. I'm going to do my best to not let my weight go up from last months weigh-in. I would LOVE to lose a few pounds instead of maintain this current weight, however this is what it is for now!

long time....no blog!

2010-12-08T13:09:00.003-06:00

holy smokes! where has the time gone? i haven't posted in months! a lot has happened over the past months!

the most exciting for me is that i am going to leader training for WW next week! i'm super excited! i need to jump start my own weight loss as i have drifted from my lifetime goal over the months. i'm working on this......

another change is that WW has come out with the new PointsPlus program last week! i love it! reading all blogs on the new program made me realize i haven't posted on my blog in months!

since my last post i completed a 2nd half-marathon in chicago, the rock-n-roll half. it was fun, but not a great run compared to the first half we did! i really hated the run itself, but enjoyed the weekend overall. since that run, my exercises has been little to none. i'm going to work on that too......

i'm hoping to post more regularly these days! i think this blog has helped me stay focused on my goals in the past! i hope it will help me with my current goal that i have now.

2:49:58

2010-05-02T08:09:00.002-05:00

I did it! I finished! My FIRST half-marathon! I ran the entire time!

I must say overall I really enjoyed the race. The atmosphere was AWESOME! All different types (ages, sex, etc.) and sizes of people (big, small, in between) I saw running! I was quite surprised at all the people that walk so much of the race. I mean after all you train for these long runs etc. I actually was quite envious of these walkers during miles 8-11. I really wanted to walk seeing all the others walking. But, I was afraid I would NOT be able to start running again. And I sure as hell didn't want to walk across the finish line!

Before the race I lined up near the back for finishing under 3 hours. Must of been a good place to be because of the 15 porta pottys there were NO LINES! I did get to pee before we started! My knee felt fine the entire time (it's been sore around 5 miles for my last 2 long runs, but going to the chiropractor must have helped). I also must have eaten my banana early enough before the race because my stomach was fine also the entire time also. As we crossed the start line there were two fire truck on each side of the road we were running through with their ladders raised high. The two were holding an HUGE American flag over the road between the two ladders. The downtown ,the neighborhoods and park were beautiful. It was a great scene to run 13.1 miles through. The sun was HOT! It was quite windy all morning, which I loved, I think it helped me cool down. I did drink some water at the water stations from like miles 7-12, which was so refreshing. I had never drank water or anything while running before. But since the sun was so hot, I was sooooooooooooooooooo thirsty! It didn't bother my stomach either! Like I said, I really wanted to walk a few times, but my goal was to run (jog) the entire time and I DID!!!!! The last mile seemed like the longest. I didn't know exactly where we run into the stadium. I seemed like we kept running around and around the stadium and I just wanted to take the shortcut inside. Finally we turned up the sidewalk and through the stadium. I ran down the football field and made it to the 50 yard line! And saw myself up on the jumbo tron. THE FINISH LINE! I ran 13.1 miles! My time might be slow, but I was so glad to finish! They handed me my medal and a bottle of warm water (YUCK)! I walk and walked and finally sat down @ the 50 yard line near the sideline to watch DH when he finished the full marathon. I felt kind of light headed and sick to my stomach. I took my socks and shoes off. I felt like I had a blister on my little toe. Sure enough I did, 3 actually total on my feet! About 1/2 hr after the race I felt so sick. I actually had "stomach" issues for about 2-3 hours after. We all just hung out on the field for that time, watching, eating, taking in the atmosphere & lots of pictures and enjoying the day! The post race food (bananas, pizza, granola bars, pasta, bagels, water) was located at the top of the stadium, which was a pain, literally! And with my "stomach" issues, I think I climbed those stairs at least 10 times! I only ate about 3 bites of pizza, 1 banana and a granola bar after the run because I couldn't stomach anything else. After we left the stadium we headed to the 27 mile victory bash where I had 1/2 of a Diet Coke and we sat and listened to the band for a bit. We then decided to go have a beer and the closest to our parked cars was Hooters. LOL We got a beer (I only had 1/2 of my MGD 64) and I ordered boneless wings & fries. Ate about 1/2 my fries and like 4 wings with 2 LARGE glasses of water. My stomach still wasn't feeling great! We visited and left about 2 hrs later to head for home. Right when I got in the car I got a horrible headache. I didn't have my morning coffee before the run, or 2 sodas during the day like I do everyday (only the 1/2 of a can after the run). I'm pretty sure I had a caffeine headache. I took Advil, but it lingered the entire ride home. I was unsure if I'd be able to make it 3 hrs without stopping for a bathroom, but about 2 hrs into the drive I had to pee, from all the water. We stopped at McDonald's and I got a small M&M McFlurry. It tasted GREAT! Made it home, and the shower felt soooooooooooooooooooooooo good!!! Put on my pj's, had a diet Mt. Dew & 1 pt. bag of popcorn and was in bed by 8pm. My body is so achy.

p.s. I signed up for the Chicago Rock & Roll Half-Marathon August 1st!

Race Week

2010-04-26T15:43:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it......4 days! That's right! There are only 4 days left until I run my FIRST 1/2 marathon! I still can't believe it! I've been keeping with my training in the last 2 weeks, missing a day or so, but nothing more than one in a row. My knee was really bothering me during my last two long runs. I think that is why I could only do the 10.5 instead of the full 11. And the week I did 12, my right shoe was tied too tight, which kept my mind off my knee. I've been going to the chiropractor for the last 4 days and have had 3 treatments and 3 ultrasound therapies on my knee. I will have one more done Friday afternoon before we leave and I'm sure I'll be coming in first thing Monday morning. My shins have been sore for about the past 4 days also. I think my body is getting tired of all the mileage I'm putting on it! I will definitely scale back when the race is over, but continue with workouts of some sort.

On May 11, I go back to see the leg doctor and he will inject the foam into the remaining vericose veins I have left. I'm unsure how many treatments I will have of the foam total, I'd guess more than one. I'm also unsure if I will be on walking and weight restrictions following the foam injections. I will find out soon!

Tomorrow will be my final session training as a weight watchers receptionist. I honestly have no idea what will be next for me. I assume the territory manager will be notifying me of where I will be and when. I love working for WW! I also love have a "job". I haven't had a "job" in about 12 years (being a stay-at-home-mom since my first child in 1998) and love doing adult things with adults! It's GREAT! I've missed it!

As far as my weight, that should be a complete seperate post! :-( (More on this later.) I will say for now, at my last weigh-in (for March) I was just at the maximum allowance for the a lifetime member. Following that was spring break for 10 days and I think the kicker for the last four weeks is that I've been training during the meetings and not listening or taking in the information that has been so VERY helpful in my weightloss in the past. So, with that said, my weight has creeped up PAST the allowance for a lifetime member. Funny thing is, as an employee of WW you do NOT have to be within two pounds of your "goal". Employees only need to be in the "healthy range" in the WW pocket guide. Anywho, I do need to find a way to GET BACK TO GOAL!!!!!!

2 weeks & counting

2010-04-17T16:15:00.004-05:00

My first 1/2 marathon is two weeks from today! I have so many feeling going on right now! I ran 12 miles today, which was rough on my body! Last week, I was supposed to do 11 and I only had 10.5 in me! I now am cutting back in prep for the race day! I still can't believe that I RAN TWELVE MILES TODAY!!!!

Training for WW is going well. Two weeks left of training and then I will find out when/where I will be!

That's about as quick of an update as I've got! More later when I have more time ;o)

Home Sweet Home!

2010-04-06T12:44:00.001-05:00

Just a quick update. After being gone 10 days, I'm glad to be home! We had a great spring break! I have no idea how my weight is. I haven't stepped on the scale. I'm sure I overate, I'm sure I ate unhealthy things, but I will get back on track.

Tonight is my first training as a WW Receptionist! So, SOOOOO excited!

WW Receptionist

2010-03-25T08:56:00.002-05:00

My paperwork came in the mail on Monday and I filled out all 9 employment forms and drove them into the post office. I also made a stop and faxed the 1 form to my territory manager. Now, I am just waiting for WW to mail me the employee ID and I can start training. I am super excited to be working for Weight Watchers! I can't wait to start!

We are leaving tomorrow and heading south over Spring Break! We have a 9 hour drive ahead of us and we will be gone for 11 days! We are so excited to go on vacation! I, of course, still have a ton to do before we leave! I am a little nervous about eating out of town, but not going to stress about. I will do my best to make the best choices that are available. I will be packing some groceries to take with, but am not going to be super strict while gone.

some new favs

2010-03-20T07:06:00.003-05:00

My cameras are still sitting with dead batteries, so, no pics. But, I did want to share some of my new favs (food).

APPLE & CHEESE WRAP
1 flat out
1 small apple thinly sliced
1 slice of WW american cheese

place apples on 1/2 of the flat out, tear cheese in half and put on top of apples. fold flat out over top and microwave for 30 seconds! DELISH!

BERRY NUTTY OATS
1/3 c. oats
2/3 c. water
1 T. chopped walnuts
1 T. dried cranberries
1 T. flax seed
1 t. cinnamon

make oats in microwave. stir in walnuts, cranberries, flax seed & cinnamon. add sweetener if desired (which I DESIRE!)

PROTEIN SHAKE
1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
1/2 c. skim milk
1/4 c. coffee
1 T. almond butter
1/2 banana

mix all together in blender. this has been my post workout/long run drink.

For breakfast these days I've found the new "bagel thins". I LOVE me some arnold sandwich thins, and have NOT had a bagel in months! These are 1 point and I top them with the individual WW cream cheese for 1 point. I LOVE them! I've also discovered the krustez corn bread, which is lower in points than the jiffy! And for my fellow WW members, I was in love with the new 1 pt. chocolate/pretzel/carmel bars and bought a box! OMG! DELISH!

It is currently 32 degrees, snowing & windy today, which technically should be my long run day. But, yesterday I decided to do it while it was sunny, 60 degrees and beautiful! So, I did 8 miles! I hate this weather. I just want spring to come and STAY!

My Lucky Day

2010-03-17T17:04:00.004-05:00

Today must be my lucky day!

#1- I had a GREAT interview. HR is going to send me the new employee packet. Hopefully I will begin training in two weeks! WOOT! I'm SUPER excited! Thank you for all the good thoughts & LUCK sent my way!

#2- Last night at Weigh-In, I was surprised to see that I was within my 2# of my goal weight! I took my checkbook to pay the weekly fee, but didn't need to! GO ME! GO ME!

A few updates.....

2010-03-16T07:28:00.005-05:00

My training for the 1/2 marathon is going well! It was really cold & rainy on Saturday, but I did manage to crank out 7 miles on MY treadmill. WOOT! Almost 1 month and $97 later & it's put back together and working!

I haven't been to a WW meeting since 2/24 (which I didn't weigh-in, only attended the meeting). My last weigh-in was on 2/17 and I WAS within my 2#'s of goal! Tonight (3/16), almost a month later, I'm sad to say I am not going to be within the 2#'s, but that's ok! My eating has been ok, but not so much tracking going on with 6 kids around. I was catching myself giving the baby Ritz crackers and myself Ritz crackers, the kids ice cream and myself ice cream. My exercise has been good. I've been going to the Y 5-6 times a week, lifting weights 1-2 days, training for the half 3 days and other cardio on the other 2-3 days.

On the "career opportunity" situation, I am going for a real in-person interview tomorrow afternoon. I am SUPER excited! I hope it goes well. This is such a slow process. I turned in my application in January, 6 weeks later I got a pre-interview phone call. Tomorrow I have the real interview which is 5 weeks after my phone interview. I wonder if it will take a few weeks to hear one way or another! No matter the time frame, I would LOVE IT!!!!! So, wish me luck!!!!!!!

Training for the 1/2

2010-03-11T05:36:00.003-06:00

I've been MIA for a while because I've been preparing for my niece & nephew to stay with us for a week. I got them Tuesday after lunch thru Tuesday. My parents are giving me a 2 day/2 night break over the weekend, which I think my kids will need more than me!

Training for the 1/2 is going good (knock on wood). I got a 6 mile outside on Saturday and hoping to do 7 this Saturday! DH and I are both signed up (he is doing the full marathon) and I have a hotel room booked! The fee for the 1/2 is $55 and the full is $80. The room is already charged to our card, which is $60 with tax. For our race weekend we are already up to $195........there is no backing out now!

Anyway, with 6 kids in the house and DH working a LOT, I don't seem to have a lot of time! Come Tuesday/Wednesday I shall be back!

P.S. on the scale........my weight has been creeping, creeping! I couldn't make it to WW Tuesday cause I had all 6 kids and DH was out of town. I have NOT been having a eat whatever/whenever week so I don't know why the weight is not coming off slowly? It sure seemed to hop on quickly!

What has changed? What is different? What is wrong?

2010-03-04T07:05:00.002-06:00

Over the past few days I've done a LOT of thinking. I'm starting to think I have real issues with food. In the past 5ish years I've struggled a little with my weight, not a lot, but a little. My heaviest weight, not pregnant, was 155 pounds. I had two kids between 18 - 22 years old and both times I was able to get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight of around 115 pounds. After I had lost the baby weight from #2 and before I got pregnant with #3, I found my weight creeping up. I'm guessing I weighed about 125-130 at that time. Which, when I weighed 115 and then going up to 125-130 I could tell I had gained weight (that is 15 pounds). I was blaming it on age/metabolism changes etc. At that time, 2003, I did Weight Watchers online and lost a bit of weight and then got pregnant with baby #3 in 2004. After about two months post-partum, I decided to start tracking points and doing the WW thing again. My starting weight on 01/18/2005 was 140 at home! I tracked myself, didn't go to the meetings and by 06/09/2005 my weight was down to 126! I "think" that I could/was maintaining that loss until I got pregnant AGAIN! Fast forward a bit, baby #4 came in October 2006! I'm not sure why I didn't do WW again right away, but I didn't. I decided to go to the meetings on 01/08/2008 and my starting weight was 144.2 at the weigh-in. I tracked (half ass) and was pay $12 a week through 04/15/2008 and my weight was 139.8 that last night I weighed in. That's right! I paid $12 a week and went to 14 meetings and lost a total of 4.4 pounds! That was $168 folks! For a measly 4.4 pounds. Fast forward again, no more babies and now we are January 2009! I needed to do something! The weight wasn't coming off slowly, in fact it was coming on slowly! I joined WW AGAIN and on 01/27/2009 my starting weight was 152.6 at weigh-in. A year later on 01/26/2010, I made Lifetime with WW and was at, 127.6 my ultimate goal! Fast forward a tiny bit, 03/04/2010. I am struggling! I do not want to track my points, I do not want to make healthy choices, which is probably why I ate a whole bag of chex mix yesterday and not 1, but TWO servings of ice cream! I'm not sure why I feel the need to sit down and eat and eat. I look back over the years and realize that before I realized I had weight issues I NEVER had the desire/need to sit down and eat an entire bag of cheesy chex mix and then 2 servings of ice cream! What has changed? What is different? What is wrong?

Do you like green eggs and ham?

2010-03-03T13:25:00.003-06:00

You do not like them.
So you say.
Try them! Try them!
And you may.
Try them and you may, I say.

Sam!
If you will let me be,
I will try them.
You will see.

Say!
I like green eggs and ham!
I do! I like them, Sam-I-am!
And I would eat them in a boat.
And I would eat them with a goat...

And I will eat them in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
They are so good, so good, you see!

So I will eat them in a box.
And I will eat them with a fox.
And I will eat them in a house.
And I will eat them with a mouse.
And I will eat them here and there.
Say! I will eat them ANYWHERE!

I do so like
green eggs and ham!
Thank you!
Thank you,
Sam-I-am!

Tuesday was Dr. Suess' Birthday! I went to DS's preschool and celebrated with the kids! I also decided to make the kids' green eggs and ham for dinner, which was a HIT! I do so like green eggs and ham! I also rented the movie "Horton Hears a Who!", which was also a HIT!

Since we were celebrating Dr. Suess' Birthday last night as a family, I did NOT make it to my WW meeting! I am pretty sure that I was OVER my 2# allowance on maintenance. When I weigh-in next week, if I am over the 2# allowance I will have to pay the weekly fee. (I'm hoping that I can get back into my range before next Tuesday to save myself $12.)

As far as the perfect week I am supposed to be having, well lets just say it's not going so perfectly! I kind of was a bottomless pit last night after dinner! Monday went well and Tuesday was fine until after dinner. Wednesday is going well so far!

Monday = March

2010-03-01T08:33:00.002-06:00

Good Morning!

Good Monday!

Good March!

New day, new week, new month! That HAS to been a good sign! The weekend was busy, full of food, family & fun! We had a sporting event for DS, a birthday party, church, lunch at mom's, kids' had friends over, and NO SCHOOL today! I can't believe it's already March! The year has already flown by and we're only in March!

This week in the Losing to Win Competition the challenge is to have a perfect week! It should have started Sunday, but being at mom's for lunch and having the kids' friends over doesn't leave me the best choices for food. So, I'm starting today! I need to have a perfect week! I ate a little too much over the weekend, stuffing myself a couple times to where I was miserable. WHY do I do that?

So, today, it's back to tracking, drinking my water and measuring my food. Tomorrow is my weigh-in at Weight Watchers for March on maintenance. I hope and PRAY that I am within two pounds. After stepping on the scale this morning, I'm a little nervous.

Last week the challenge for the Losing to Win Competition was to exercise 30 minutes 5 days last week. Since my treadmill is still not usable, I don't have that to hop on and I don't like my elliptical, I hate to admit I only got in 4 days. Monday we were out of town still on our ski trip, but I did run/walk Tuesday, 30 minutes on the elliptical at the Y on Wednesday, Thursday was my good run, Friday I took off and Saturday I did 3 miles (my back feels GREAT)! No exercise on Sunday. I hope to get to the Y tonight as DH is at the station and two of the kids' have friends over until 4pm.

So, here's to a new day, week & month and I'm going to make it a PERFECT one (week that is)!!!!!

Oh, my aching back

2010-02-26T07:18:00.005-06:00

So yesterday after my fantastic run, I came home to shower & get ready for the day! However my middle back on the ride side was aching. A few times if I moved funny, I'd have to hold my breath. After about 2 hours the ache was so bad, I decided to get an appointment at the chiropractor's office. I got in about 2 hours later. He had a hard time adjusting me the normal way, ended up having me cross my arms while sitting upright, tucking my head into my chest and rolling me down and adjusting my back against his fist. I just laid there for a few minutes and the assistant came in and did the ultrasound therapy on it.

I have been using these non-stop:

(my LARGE ACE cold compress)

(BIOFREEZE)

It is starting to feel better, but I feel like my whole body now is tense and sore from compromising for my back the whole day. I have another appointment this morning and probably more ultrasound therapy. I'm hoping to get a run in tomorrow, or I might even wait until Sunday!

Yesterday's eats were pretty good. I am trying to get back on track from not tracking over our ski weekend!

Breakfast was 1/3 c. oatmeal w/ almond butter & chocolate chips - 3 pts.
Snack was a WW cheese stick & a small apple - 2 pts.
Lunch was a flatout with turkey, laughing cow wedge & pickles - 3 pts.
I also had some carrots & 2 small cuties - 1 pt.
Before dinner I had a WW smoothie with a handful of spinach - 1 pt.
Dinner I made BBQ chicken on a light hot dog bun & a slice of 2% cheese - 4 pts.
With a few baked beans & potatoes fried in olive oil w/ italian seasoning - 3 pts.
While watching Survivor I had some air popped popcorn - 2 pts.
During the day some goldfish & candy also made it into my mouth - 4 pts.

A Good Run

2010-02-25T09:33:00.003-06:00

Finally after almost 2 weeks of crappy runs, I had a good one today! I ran 2 whole miles without ANY pain! WOOT! Almost 2 weeks ago I was going to go for a run on the treadmill, which I only went without running for 9 days! When I attempted to run I had horrible/burning shin split pains on the outsides of my shin bone. I have been "running" 2-3 times a week. I would run until my legs would burn and walk until I had no pain and run again. I did this for about 30 minutes each time. I've been walking to warm up before I run and always stretch afterwards. I'm taking tomorrow off and going to attempt a "long" run on Saturday. I am only shooting for 3 miles and if I'm able to go further I will! I'm a little behind on my 1/2 training and have NO idea if this will affect me at all?

Weekend Update

2010-02-24T06:59:00.010-06:00

We had a GREAT weekend! We ate ate the Cracker Barrel for lunch on our way up to WI. We stayed over 2 nights @ a wonderful resort with our timeshare. As a family of 6, we no longer fit into a standard hotel room, which is why we bought the timeshare. I LOVE that I have a washer & dryer on vacation, so no need to over pack! It had a big living room with a nice warm fireplace and a sofa sleeper for the two little kids. A bedroom for the older boys with 2 double beds and their own bath. A master bedroom with a king size bed for us, a master bath and a jacuzzi tub, which the little kids loved to take a bath in. We had a full kitchen and dining room, which I prepared many meals: tuna casserole & peas, pancakes & sausage, mac-n-cheese & hot dogs, mostacholi & green beans, biscuits & gravy and many snacks and treats in between! I know we saved a TON of money eating in our room! We did stop and eat pizza on the way home, so only 2 meals out as a family, Saturday through Monday.

When we arrived Saturday afternoon we took the kids to the indoor water park, which was a blast! They LOVE the wave pool! Sunday was the day we went skiing. We rented skis for the 2 little kids, 3 & 5 years old. The older boys did pretty good snowboarding for their first time. It was pretty tricky for me on my skis to help the little ones or show them. We tried the harness thing, but that didn't work out so well. I just ended up holding the 5 year old between my legs, holding under his arms and skiing that way most of the day. He did pretty good getting on and off the chair lift, a couple of time I had to grab his arm and he dropped about 3 feet because he couldn't get off the chair like an adult. But we never fell while getting off the chair lift. I ended up skiing the whole day w/o poles. DH was on his snowboard w/ the 3 year old. He ran down the hill a few times holding her hand to try and teach her. A few times he had the harness on her while he was snowboarding, which it was really hard for both of us to try to get them to turn their skis so they wouldn't ski into the woods! UGH! He also just carried her, with her skis on, down the hills while snowboarding. That was quite funny to watch, but he is really good on his board! The little ones were super cute to watch walk in the ski boots, until they CRIED saying they couldn't walk and needed you to carry them along with your skis and their skis. We took about a 2 hour lunch break and went back to our room for hot cocoa and lunch. We then went back to the hill. Around 4 pm the little kids and I went into the lodge for some coffee/soda so DH could do a few runs by himself, but he ended up hanging out and helping the older boys, who were together most of the day because DH and I were occupied with the little ones. Overall the skiing with the little kids was a little challenging & stressful, but we quit trying to teach them and just put them between our legs or carried them (no meltdowns involved that way) and we finally ended up enjoying the day! At around 6pm we went back to the resort for dinner and then back to the water park for more of the wave pool. Monday morning we had breakfast, packed up and went back to the water parks. We took our change of clothes and then left from there. We did stop for pizza on the way home and all 4 kids slept the entire way home (3 hours)! I was exhausted, the kids were exhausted! It was a nice, fun little weekend away!

My eating was OK (damn fudge the resort gave us as a gift)! I think half of Sunday and all day Monday I thought I had FREE DAYS and ate whatever, whenever and am currently paying for it! I did make it to the WW meeting last night, I didn't weigh-in because I was late and had on my jeans and 2 layers of shirts I wore to DS event after school. Next week is my weigh-in for March and I need to be within 2 pounds of my goal. I'm pretty sure that it's doable, considering what I weighed this morning. Getting on track today.......tracking my food and staying within my points!

I leave you with a photo of one of the boys on the snowboard attempting to get off the chair lift!

Weekend Away

2010-02-19T12:18:00.002-06:00

We are leaving Saturday morning for Wisconsin for a weekend away. We are taking the kids snowboarding/skiing for the first time. We are going to be doing the indoor water parks also! So excited, need to start packing!

Yesterday DH and I went out for lunch. I ordered a small turkey sandwich on wheat, no cheese, with lettuce and tomatoes. I also ordered a side salad with only veggies, egg whites and FF french dressing. Then, I ordered a small (4oz.) chocolate cheesecake frozen yogurt with sliced strawberries for dessert. Last night we also went out for dinner with DH's family. I had the "smallest" piece of the famous spaghetti pizza and tons of water! OMG......DELISH! I don't really want to know the points on that. We then took the kids bowling and had 1 MGD 64! Ended the night with another apple in the microwave with almond butter, cinnamon and a sprinkle of oats! What a DAY!

I'm hoping to get a "run" in before we head out in the morning! See ya'll Tuesday!

A New Obsession (or two, or three)

2010-02-18T06:37:00.010-06:00

I've actually been obsessed of this food for a while now.......MUST share!

I start with this!

And pop!

Spray!

Finally sprinkle!

ENJOY!!!!

(I actually take a wooden spoon and stir up the bowl and then continue to spray & sprinkle until there is a touch of butter and white cheddar throughout the bowl.)

Last night I tried a Baked Peanut Butter Cinnamony Apple that I found over @ Truly.Into.Fitness. It was AMAZING! I cut up an apple, put it in the microwave, topped with almond butter, cinnamon and a sprinkle of oats! I think I might be obsessed with this find!

So good, I even had another for breakfast along with another obsession:

(1/3 c. oats made with water, sweetener and topped with a little SF maple syrup) YUMMY!

chalk-it-to-me

2010-02-17T06:49:00.011-06:00

I totally forgot to show everyone what I gave DH for Valentine's Day.......

a RED chalk-it-to-me coffee cup!

I also gave him an 8x10 collage I made thru Walgreen's. It had a pink background with 8 pictures of the two of us in a variety of sizes and at the top of the collage in red it said: i.love.you and put it in a red frame. Of course I think I loved it more than him! LOL The cup too! Oh, well! I LOVE giving gifts that I LOVE!

I've been trying hard to keep up with my tracking as I've been slacking since super bowl weekend! I also think I maybe put myself into a sugar coma over the Valentine's Day weekend. I've been trying to detox since! LOL

Yesterday I wasn't quite hungry for breakfast, but know that if I don't eat breakfast it all goes downhill from there. So I made my own "green monster"! It was a chocolate WW smoothie packet and a handful of spinach! It was DELISH!

Last weeks Weigh-In was cancelled due to weather, which I really needed to go to get on track last week. So I knew I had to go this week, since my eating had just snowballed since then! Going to the meetings always helps me with damage control! I went and did an unofficial weigh-in (I had already weigh-in for February and don't need to weigh again until the first week in March), and I was surprised to see I was within 2 pounds of my goal! YIPEEE!

On another note, I said I was going to get on my treadmill Saturday. Which technically didn't happen because the motor went out. DH is taking it off and having it repaired. So, I had to pack my things up (shoes, iPod, gym card) and head to the Y. I hate going to the gym! Also, my body has not been cooperating with running on the treadmill. My shins are telling me to take it easy or they will become full blown shin splints! Which has happened before! So, I've been walking/running instead, which sucks major A$$ and also makes me hate going to the gym even more, knowing I can't run the whole distance I need to for my training! UGH! But, I must not give up! I will continue to walk/run until I feel pain free to run the entire time.

Heart Day

2010-02-16T07:16:00.016-06:00

Sorry for the missing post yesterday.....it was President's Day, which is a day off school for the kids. I took all 4 to McDonald's for lunch and then to my mom's house where the other 4 grand kids were hanging out. I can home and made some yummy chicken fajitas for dinner! I love cooked onions & green peppers in with the chicken! We had them on flat outs & topped them with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, 2% cheddar and sour cream! DELISH!

On Valentine's Day I made the fam pink heart pancakes!

I then made brownies, cut them out with the heart cookie cutter, frosted them & put red sugar sprinkles on top! They were a hit!

And the 3 roses DH gave me.....we've been together for 15 years (02/14/95) as a couple! He asked me out on Valentine's Day when I was 15! So, he told me a rose was for 5 years! It's his way of saving a buck! LOL

XOXO

"I PROMISE!!"

2010-02-12T18:23:00.002-06:00

I promised my treadmill that I will dust her off and get on her tomorrow! I need to crank out a 3 mile run for my 1/2 marathon training that should have started this week! I have not had the time or mindset to exercise since last Thursday!

We met with our accountant today for 1 hour and 15 minutes. We discussed many things regarding DH's two businesses and our two rental properties, turned in our "organizers", receipts, tax forms and all other documents that I have spent a total of 18 hours over the past week gathering, calculating and organizing! I'm so relieved to have my part done and now it's their turn to do their magic and get us a BIG FAT refund! LOL Now, I will have the time and mentality to give my 1/2 marathon training! WHEW!

....and the fans go WILD!

2010-02-11T08:35:00.006-06:00

So last night for dinner I made something I've never made before. I've been wanting to try & have been surfing the web for a WW friendly recipe. Last night, I made turkey stuffed peppers. I found the recipe over at Gina's WW Recipes. However, I did make a few adjustments. I used 1# of ground white turkey, which is super low in calories & fat. Instead of 1t. of cumin I used 1T. of brown sugar, we love brown sugar in everything.....spaghetti, chili, etc. I used green peppers instead of red, may try other colors though. I only used water instead of chicken broth and ended up using a whole (little) can of tomato sauce instead of 1/4c. Another thing I did was add some cheese to the mixture before filling the peppers. After cooking for 35 minutes, I put a dribble of tomato sauce on each one & topped with the rest of the cheese and let that melt. And let me tell you, it was soooooooooooooo YUMMY, I loved it! And the rest of the fam? Let's just say, it was a hit and the fans went WILD!

Good Bye, Good Will

2010-02-10T11:21:00.002-06:00

So I finally took my jeans that no longer fit out to Good Will! I'd been hanging on to them for about 6 months now. I kept thinking, if I gain some weight back I will have jeans to wear. And I don't want to buy new jeans again! BUT, then I realized keeping them gives me the opportunity to GAIN weight! I am only keeping my jeans that fit, so then I know when I have gained weight. I will have to get it under control, and not put on bigger jeans!

eh, it was OK!

2010-02-09T14:19:00.004-06:00

So, my cell phone rang this morning at 9:30 a.m. It was my pre-interview phone call! I was really nervous, but unforturantly I can't say it went GREAT! Eh, it was OK! I haven't had a "job" in like 12 years, being a stay-at-home-mom since December 1997. I had no idea what to expect or say and I'm not sure if I will get an official interview, which would be the next phase. I would LOVE to get one, but am not feeling that confident!

Crossing Fingers

2010-02-08T16:10:00.003-06:00

I'm crossing my fingers! And toes! I have a pre-interview phone call on Tuesday and I'm crossing my fingers that all goes well and I can proceed onto the next stage of this "career opportunity"! I will keep you all updated as it progresses, if indeed it does! (Which I am hoping and PRAYING it does! I REALLY want this!)

P.S. I am currently doing damage control from the weekend of CRAPPY EATING(out of town over night, took the kids to a rodeo, a birthday party, Sunday lunch @ moms, Superbowl and worked on the taxes for 18 hours AKA eat whatever I want, as much as I want because I HATE doing the taxes)

Competition Update

2010-02-05T09:31:00.002-06:00

On January 5th I joined the Losing to Win Competition. On January 5th, my starting weight was 127.0 and this morning my current weight is......

Over the last month, while I did gain 0.5 pounds, I did continue with exercise, tracked my food most days and, oh yeah, I became a LIFETIME Weight Watchers member! All of which I am really proud of!

It's Here! It's Here!

2010-02-04T11:27:00.011-06:00

I was oh, so excited when the UPS man pulled up in my driveway! Like a little girl at Christmas, I quickly cut open the box, unwrapped the tissue paper, removed the silky white ribbon, opened the little blue box and saw this little beauty......

Enclosed was a lovely note from DH on a little card in an envelope that read......

And of course I had to try it on......

As you read in my Rewards for Success post, "I will wear everyday to remind myself of where I started, how far I have come and all I have accomplished!"

I HAVE the Key to Success!

I want to give a shout out to Kate over at Getting Back to Me for the idea of getting myself a necklace with a key on it as a reward to becoming a Lifetime Weight Watchers Member!

P.S. I am LOVING my NEW black UGGS! They are so comfortable, soft & fuzzy! I remind myself of Will Ferrell in "ELF"........"I'm in love, I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!"

WW Monthly Weigh-In

2010-02-03T14:53:00.004-06:00

Last night I had my first weigh-in as a Lifetime Member at Weight Watchers. My weight last night was 128.2, which was 0.6 above my Ultimate Goal of 127.6. Since I was within 2 pounds of my goal, I received another green star for my bookmark for the month of February.

I have been doing so well without sugar. I'm really proud of myself! I'm SUPER glad the donuts & cake are gone, because it was torture walking through the kitchen many times a day, and looking at those beautiful sugary items without have a BLT (bite, lick or taste)! Again, SUPER proud of myself for not having a single donut or bite of that birthday cake! GO ME!!!!

For breakfast yesterday I had 3 egg whites (1 pt) with green pepper, onion, tomatoes and fresh spinach. I also ate 2 cuties (1 pt).

Mid morning I had 1 c. cantaloupe (1 pt) and 1/3 c. FF cottage cheese (1 pt).

For lunch I had a high fiber tortilla (1 pt), 6 slices of turkey (1 pt), 1/4 of an avocado (2 pt) with some low fat miracle whip, tomatoes and fresh spinach.

Early afternoon I ate a WW cheese stick (1 pt) and a small apple (1 pt).

After weigh-in I had dinner, 1 c. of leftover mostacholi I had made a few days ago (5 pts) and a side salad (0 pt). While watching the biggest loser I made another protein cake (1 pt) and 1/2 c. of sugar-free, fat-free chocolate pudding. This time I added a little more artificial sweetener to the cake, it was a little sweeter, but still has a funny texture type that is really hard to explain. It definitely is not a normal sugar/flour type of cake! But, it does trick my mind I guess!

So, another pretty good sugar free day for me! LOVE IT!

I just need a taste......

2010-02-02T08:56:00.008-06:00

Not having sugar is REALLY hard! I just need (want) a taste! But, look at what I passed on yesterday.....

white cake w/ frosting & chocolate chip cake I made for DS birthday

And I had bought these for a special birthday breakfast, which I passed on also this morning......

yeast donuts with chocolate frosting & Valentine's sprinkles

While making the cake I did not have a single BLT (bite, lick or taste)! I was SO proud of myself!

For breakfast instead of eating the pancakes I made the family, I made my self a moc egg McMuffin. 1 thomas light english muffin (1 pt), 1 slice of FF cheese (1 pt), 6 slices of ham (1 pt) and 3 egg whites (1 pt). I made 2 open face muffins, which was really filling.

Mid morning I had 12 almonds (2 pts) and a small apple (1 pt).

For lunch I had a whole wheat tortilla (1 pt), 6 slices of ham (1 pt), 1 serving of light laughing cow cheese (1 pt) and pickles. I also had a serving of cantaloupe (1 pt) and 1/3 c. FF cottage cheese (1 pt).

In the afternoon after I did my workout I had a protein drink (2pts).

We took the kids to McDonald's last night for DS birthday. I ALWAYS get the grilled ceasar salad w/ the vinaigrette dressing (5 pts total). I never take the croutons. Sometimes when the kids get kiddie cones, I finish one of the little kids' (1 pt). Last night I didn't get the kiddie cone, but I did see that the dressing had sugar in it.

When I got home I made a protein cake (1 pt), which I found over at Foods of April. I didn't LOVE it at all, but maybe I can tweak it somehow.

Hoping I can have another GREAT sugar free day today!

No Sugar......Wha?

2010-02-01T12:26:00.007-06:00

So this weeks challenge for the Losing to Win Competition is NO SUGAR!

Absolutely NO sugar

or high fructose corn syrup

for 1 WEEK!

I have to say that I think this will be really hard for me! There are many things I eat that have sugar in them: chocolate chips in my oatmeal, fiber 1 bars, high fiber bread, fat free puddings, fat free cool whip, english muffins, WW ice cream bars, cookies, cake, you name it! When starting a new diet, it is hard for me to come up with food I can eat that will work with my diet. For instance, when I started WW a year ago I thought it would be so hard to find healthy choices for my diet. Now, after doing it for a year I have mastered lowering points on a lot of my food choices. Examples of cutting my points were: low calorie/high fiber bread instead of regular, FF/2% cheese, milk & yogurt instead of regular, whole wheat tortillas & pasta instead of regular, FF/air popped popcorn instead of regular, low calories soups instead of regular, egg whites instead of whole eggs, FF/light mayo & salad dressings instead of full fat, FF/SF ice cream instead of regular, diet soda instead of regular, double servings of veggies instead of second helpings, leaner meats and more fresh fruits & veggies. I'm going to give this diet my BEST effort without having to go out and purchase new (sugar free) food.

Rewards for Success

2010-01-29T11:35:00.010-06:00

This week has been full of rewards for myself! And I LOVE it! LOL Also, I'd like to add that I have not given myself rewards along the way. I've always wanted to get myself something for reaching my 10%, 25# milestone, reaching my goal AND then becoming a LIFETIME member, but never did! Two of my rewards are great rewards and will help me continue my journey on maintenance.

Weight Watchers Subscription

Oxygen Magazine Subscription

My next reward is something I've been wanting for a long time! Finally decided I deserved it! I asked DH for these for Christmas, instead I got a frying pan! LOL I ordered these on Tuesday, hopefully they will arrive today or tomorrow! Can't wait!!!!!!

Ugg Classic Short Black Boots

The last reward is something I will wear everyday to remind myself of where I started, how far I have come and all I have accomplished! This was just ordered today, and the expected delivery day is 02/05 and will look a little something like this when it arrives! (You'll have to wait to see what it is when it finally comes.)

Weight Watchers Lifetime Goal
01/26/10

Congratulations on making your lifetime goal!
It took a lot of hard work, but I knew you could do it!
Love, Matt

LIFETIME!

2010-01-28T08:32:00.005-06:00

I am a LIFETIME Weight Watchers Member! WOOT! It's official people! On Tuesday I had my final weigh-in on maintenance. I was so excited alllllllll day! DH went with me to the weigh-in & meeting.

At the weigh-in, I actually weighed in 1# under my goal weight. At that time I got a new LIFETIME member bookmark. I will receive a green sticker each month I weigh-in within 2 pounds of my goal. In one year, if I have 10 stickers, I will receive an annual recognition key.

During the meeting, my leader asked me to come up in front and she announced me as a new LIFETIME member! She then gave me my key charm to put on my Weight Watchers key ring.

Key Ring = lost 10% of starting weight
25# Circle Charm = lost 25 pounds
"Stay and Succeed"/clapping hands = attended 16 paid meetings
Star Charm = reached ultimate goal weight
* Key Charm = completed 6 weeks of maintenance as a paid, current member

I then filled out my LIFETIME membership paperwork. As a LIFETIME member I'll never pay a registration fee, and as long as I weigh-in monthly within 2 pounds of my ultimate weight goal, meetings are free of charge. I also received my new LIFETIME membership card!

And that concludes my LIFETIME post for the day! Stay tuned for my "Rewards for Success" post tomorrow! ;o)

A YEAR (365 days) on Weight Watchers

2010-01-27T06:24:00.005-06:00

Today is a a very memorable day for me! A year ago, 1/27/09, I began my WW journey. I have made it 365 days on the Weight Watchers Program. I have lost 25#'s (well actually OVER, 26#'s) in the past year! As one journey ends, another begins.....maintaining!

A look back on my loosing journey.......

WEIGHT WATCHERS GOAL : 127.6
(set on 9/1/09)

Weigh-In #1 1/27/09 152.6 (starting weight)
Weigh-In #2 2/3/09 151.6 -1.0
Weigh-In #3 2/10/09 149.8 -1.8
Weigh-In #4 2/17/09 150.0 +0.2
Weigh-In #5 2/24/09 149.4 -0.6
Weigh-In #6 3/3/09 missed WI
Weigh-In #7 3/10/09 147.4 -2.0 (5#)
Weigh-In #8 3/17/09 146.4 -1.0
Weigh-In #9 3/24/09 missed WI
Weigh-In #10 3/31/09 144.0 -2.4
Weigh-In #11 4/7/09 spring break
Weigh-In #12 4/14/09 145.2 +1.2
Weigh-In #13 4/21/09 144.4 - 0.8
Weigh-In #14 4/28/09 142.6 -1.8 (10#)
Weigh-In #15 5/5/09 143.4 +0.8
Weigh-In #16 5/12/09 142.4 -1.0
Weigh-In #17 5/19/09 143.0 +0.6
Weigh-In #18 5/26/09 141.0 -2.0
Weigh-In #19 6/2/09 141.4 +0.4
Weigh-In #20 6/9/09 139.8 -1.6
Weigh-In #21 6/16/09 138.6 -1.2
Weigh-In #22 6/23/09 136.6 -2.0 (10% & 15#)
Weigh-In #23 6/30/09 135.6 -1.0
Weigh-In #24 7/7/09 135.2 -0.4
Weigh-In #25 7/14/09 134.2 -1.0
Weigh-In #26 7/21/09 133.0 -1.2
Weigh-In #27 7/28/09 missed WI
Weigh-In #28 8/4/09 131.4 -1.6 (20#)
Weigh-In #29 8/11/09 132.0 +0.6
Weigh-In #30 8/18/09 missed WI
Weigh-In #31 8/25/09 missed WI
Weigh-In #32 9/1/09 135.8 +3.8
Weigh-In #33 9/8/09 missed WI
Weigh-In #34 9/15/09 133.0 -2.8
Weigh-In #35 9/22/09 missed WI
Weigh-In #36 9/29/09 130.8 -2.2
Weigh-In #37 10/6/09 missed WI
Weigh-In #38 10/13/09 missed WI
Weigh-In #39 10/20/09 missed WI
Weigh-In #40 10/27/09 134.8 +4.0
Weigh-In #41 11/3/09 missed WI
Weigh-In #42 11/10/09 130.0 -4.8
Weigh-In #43 11/17/09 130.4 +0.4
Weigh-In #44 11/24/09 128.2 -2.2
Weigh-In #45 12/1/09 128.0 -0.2
Weigh-In #46 12/8/09 WI cancelled
Weigh-In #47 12/15/09 127.0 -1.0 (goal met & 25#)
Maint #1 12/22/09 125.8 -1.2
Maint #2 12/29/09 127.0 +1.2
Maint #3 1/5/10 127.6 +0.6
Maint #4 1/12/10 127.2 - 0.4
Maint #5 1/19/10 129.0 +1.8
Maint #6 1/26/10 126.6 -2.4 (LIFETIME MEMBER)

Free Biggest Loser & Subway Workout Mix

2010-01-27T06:18:00.002-06:00

Jen, over at A Prior Fat Girl, has blogged about this Free Biggest Loser & Subway Workout Mix!

Go to this link here and you'll get a free download of The Biggest Loser and SUBWAY® Workout Mix (click here).

12 upbeat workoutable tracks including...

•Leona Lewis
•Rihanna
•Lady Gaga
•Daughtry
•and more!

No coupon code or registration required - just enter your email address and a download will start, easy peasy!

My Weigh of Life

2010-01-25T10:33:00.003-06:00

My Weigh of Life.......weight watchers food scale & weight watchers tracker!!!!! The weekly challenge this week is to pay attention to and consume proper portion sizes. Most days I measure (measuring spoons, cups, weighing etc.) ALL my food and track it in my tracker! I count out 10 baby carrots, 15 almonds, 8 triscuts, etc. I weigh my grapes, baked potatoes, etc. I measure my cream in my coffee, almond butter in oatmeal, etc. There are days I miss, but for the last 52 weeks, I have TRACKED & MEASURED A LOT of food!!!! I also ALWAYS read nutrition info on the packages!

Avoiding the Scale

2010-01-24T07:36:00.003-06:00

At last week's (Tuesday) weigh-in, I was up 1.8 pounds. That only leaves me 0.6 until I'm over the 2# allowance for being on maintenance. This week's (Tuesday) weigh-in is supposed to be my last week on maintenance and I will become a Lifetime Weight Watchers Member. I have always weighed myself during the week to keep tabs on myself. On Thursday I was 1.5 pounds HEAVIER than I was on Tuesday morning. I hadn't been sleeping well, waking up every hour, on the hour to see if it was time to wake up & weigh myself as I had done daily for months! Well, it has really taken a toll on me mentally. I know I'm on track food & doing exercise daily. I even dropped my points back to when I was "loosing". So, today (Sunday) is the 3rd day in a row I have NOT weighed myself. I don't want to get frustrated & eat out of frustration. If I want to loose weight, I know how to. I need to eat right, measure my food, drink my water, not go over my points, track my food everyday, do my exercise and it WILL work! If come Tuesday I have gained, I KNOW that I did what I could and no more. I'm hoping that avoiding the scale will let my brain rest, not worry & come Tuesday, it will show on the scale. Until then.....

Yesterday we had TWO birthday parties. At noon I ate a turkey, lettuce, FF mayo wrap, 2 hard boiled egg whites and an orange before we left. I didn't touch a piece of Domino's pizza or tortilla chips & spinach dip. AND I didn't eat a piece of birthday cake! While driving to the 2nd party, I had 15 almonds, an apple & 10 baby carrots. I didn't eat an Italian chicken sandwich on a big hoagie roll, pasta salad or potato chips! AND I didn't eat a piece of birthday cake there either! When I got home at 7pm I was STARVING! I had a chipotle black bean veggie burger on a "lite" bun w/ a slice of FF cheese and a big serving of steamed broccoli and to reward myself for the will power I had all day I ate a fiber 1 bar!

(typically I will eat food that is served at parties, with moderation. and take the cake, maybe eating half, etc. however knowing I was up in weight last Tuesday, I do NOT want to jeopardize my Lifetime I am hoping to get this Tuesday.)

The Perfect Pair

2010-01-19T21:11:00.003-06:00

The Perfect Pair.......T.P. and water! LOL The weekly challenge this week is to drink at least 64 oz. of water! I'm pretty sure I made it to 64 oz. on Monday. Today, I drank 72 oz. I must say I drink about 64 oz. most days, so I think I'm going to try for 80 oz. or more this week and go with out diet sodas! Key word, TRY! I also have the bathroom stocked with plenty of T.P. because I'm ALWAYS in there! So, this week I have drug out my Weight Watcher bottle to keep on the counter and chug away! Speaking of chugging......I chug water more often & faster when it is room temperature than ice cold. I think for me quantity (64 oz.) is more important that quality (ice cold), so I chug it @ room temp.

2 n 2

2010-01-15T20:36:00.004-06:00

2 = the number of weigh-ins I have left until I am a LIFETIME WEIGHT WATCHER MEMBER!

2 = the number of pounds my weight has been fluctuating these last 4ish weeks!

It is hard mentally to be in a maintenance phase. I "want" to loose weight. I do NOT like it when I see my weight go up & down, up & down! It doesn't seem normal, which it is! I think I should see a loss each time I get on the scale. It makes it hard to weigh, when I know I might be up a little! I think maybe I should just loose like 3-5 more pounds, but then will I think I should loose more? Where does it end? When do I accept that my weight may go up and down regularly and not continue to loose?

It is ALSO hard mentally to be in a weight loss competition where people are loosing and I'm gaining/maintaining. I "want" to maintain my weight, which is why I joined. I don't want to fall off this "lifetime" wagon and be drug thru the mud back up to the 150's. It's very hard to accept.....

Soup Contest

2010-01-13T13:57:00.000-06:00

I entered Roni's Souper Duper Contest!

Check out Roni’s Weight Loss Blog for more information.

my food journal (in pictures)

2010-01-07T11:18:00.032-06:00

I decided to take pictures of my food for a day! I LOVE reading blogs where people share their food for the day!

Breakfast today (and almost everyday) is my favorite and then I took DS to preschool.

1/3 c. oats made with water, topped with almond butter and chocolate chips and 1 c. skim milk

Mid morning I prepared chili in the crock pot and then did my workout.

2 c. water during and a protein shake after my workout

After I picked DS up from preschool I finished putting away the Christmas Decor.

2 c. coffee with 2 t. peppermint mocha cream and equal

I made the two little kids some peanut butter & honey sandwiches and then myself lunch.

A turkey sandwich (2 slices of high fiber bread with turkey slices, lettuce, tomato, pickles and FF mayo), a honey crisp apple, 10 baby carrots and 2 c. water

This afternoon I was busy folding laundry & paying bills.

A candy cane with 2 c. coffee with 2 t. peppermint mocha cream & equal

School was let out early today because of the weather. YEAH!

1 c. homemade chili, 1 jiffy cornbread muffin, salad (lettuce, spinach, carrots & cranberries) with 3/4 T. vinigrette dressing and 2 c. water

After dinner we watched a little TV and put the kids to bed.

2 Hershey's dark chocolate and 2 c. water

New Year, New Competition

2010-01-05T07:50:00.007-06:00

Happy 2010! Here's to a GREAT year! My last competition ended on January 1st, 2010 that lasted 4 months. Over that time I did manage to loose 10 pounds. Since we have started a new year, I've decided to join a new competition. Today is day #1, January 5th, 2010. Today I have to take my before pictures, starting weight and I'm also going to take my measurements. The Losing to Win Competition last 5 months. During these five months I hope to loose a few inches while toning up, maybe loose a few more pounds, maintain my current weight watchers goal weight and get my first 1/2 marathon under my belt!

A quick summary about me....I've been doing Weight Watchers since 01/09, reached my goal in 12/09 and I am currently doing my 6 weeks of maintenance so I can become a Lifetime Member (hopefully on 01/26/10, just 1 day before my 1 year anniversary with WW). I will soon start my training for my first 1/2 marathon which is 05/01/10. In the past year I ran four 5k's and want to be able to say I ran a 1/2 marathon. I am a wife and stay-at-home mom to 4 wonderful kids, 3 boys and 1 girl.

My Stats......

Height: 5'5''
Highest: 152.6
Lowest: 125.8
Current: 127.0

My Starting Measurements......

waist: 28.5
hips: 37.5
right thigh: 22
right arm: 10.5

My Starting Weight is......

My Before Pictures......

Competition Update - final weigh-in

2010-01-01T09:39:00.007-06:00

I joined the Biggest Loser 2009 Competition on September 1st. On September 1st my starting weight was 137.0. Today is the final weigh-in! But, before I get to my weight this morning I want to look back over the past four months on my blog.....

9/1/09
I need something to help get me through the holidays without adding MORE weight.
I badly want to be in the 120's! For me it's all about a number. Not how my clothes fit or how I look. I wish it wasn't, but it is!

10/1/09
I really want to get below 130 before October 1st. Today is October 1st, which is weigh-in day. This morning my weight was......130.5

11/1/09
As I have said before I have not put in the effort in exercise nor have I been tracking my points like I should to see a good number.

12/1/09
There were a couple of reasons I wanted to join. 1) So that I could keep my weight in check during the holidays and not "gain the average of 8 pounds from October 31st through January 1st". 2) I really wanted to bust through the 130's, which I have been struggling for months to do!
This year I've realized I'm THANKFUL for being able to enjoy the food and knowing I CAN get back on track!

1/1/10
The past 17+ weeks I have gone through a lot! A few "highlights and/or low lights" include vacation in Florida for a week, getting sick with H1N1, having surgery done on my varicose veins (with weight/exercise restrictions for 2 weeks), having a tube put in my ear, DS in hospital, allergies w/ doctors appointments, blood work and Rx's, Thanksgiving holiday, Christmas holiday, Halloween treats, lots of misc. gatherings and birthdays, short trips to KY, TN and MO, relatives staying with us for a week, reaching 25 # milestone at Weight Watchers, reaching ultimate goal at Weight Watchers, needing a ring guard for my wedding ring, buying and fitting into new 1/2 size jeans, my 30th birthday, kids' sports practices & games, New Years Eve, and much, much more!

The past 17+ weeks have made me realize that I have lived my life! There are positive and negative things that happen to all of us all year! And I have REALIZED that despite all I go through, I can maintain my weight and I can even loose weight! I am thankful for this competition I have been a part of! I am thankful that I did not gain the average of 8 pounds from 10/31-01/01, in fact I have actually lost a little weight! I am thankful that I finally busted through the 130's! I am thankful that I have made it to my Weight Watchers Ultimate Goal! Thank you to all the gals who competed against me! Thank you to all the gals who helped run the competition! Thank you to all the gals who commented on my blog and those who just read! Your support & motivation has been AWESOME! Thank you!

And now, for the final weigh-in! Today's weight is......

Starting Weight 137.0
Goal Weight 127.6

Month 1 - 130.5
Month 2 - 135.5
Month 3 - 128.5
Month 4 - 127.0

total loss for competition - 10 pounds

The Grinch

2009-12-28T10:35:00.005-06:00

....while sneaking into the Whos' homes and stealing their presents, FOOD, and decorations.

I kinda, sorta, in a way wish the Grinch would of stole all the Christmas food from the past 4 days!

The kids had a wonderful Christmas and I enjoyed watching their faces light up with each gift! We are still in the clean up phase (lots of garbage bags and cardboard boxes to take to the dumpster) and putting away all the new gifts! ACK! We had four delicious Christmas dinners in four days, with delicious appetizers & desserts. I am pretty sure I've consumed enough calories in the past 4 days to last me thru the New Year! Weigh-In is tomorrow, my second week on maintenance. Luckily I was almost 2 pounds below my goal last week, which gives me a little wiggle room tomorrow. I do want to get close to 125 after I get the Christmas pounds off! Today I'm going to get on the treadmill (which hasn't seen me since Wednesday) and break out the tracker & my WW water mug! I'm kinda, sorta, in a way glad the holiWEEK is OVER! Now, to enjoy the rest of the kids' Christmas break!

Maintenance Week #1

2009-12-22T15:51:00.005-06:00

Maintenance Week #1

This past week was so weird, because I was allowed 4 extra points. I tried to be smart about my extra points and not waste them on junk/snacks. For a few days I made sure to get my 2 servings of milk a day, which I hated to drink my points when only allowed 18 points per day. Friday night I went out with a girlfriend where I had 3 beers and we split a frozen pizza at the bar and had too many peanuts too, getting home at 2am! We had a Christmas Party on Saturday night, which I had a few beers and snacks and to bed about the same time as the night before! I'm pretty sure I used most of my WPA's those days! Sunday we ate at lunch a Buffalo Wild Wings and I had a salad w/ the BBQ chicken, deep fried I'm sure! Anyway, I did quite a bit of running last week, and yesterday too! No activity today due to being so behind for Christmas! I spent most of my morning stuck in my bedroom wrapping gifts, with an endless cup of coffee! We had 3 haircut appointments today and a trip to McDonald's for lunch (love having all 4 kids home on Christmas break)! We are going to decorate our gingerbread house this afternoon and do some housework, which had gotten out of hand!

My first Weigh-In on maintenance I was down 1.2 pounds. My current weight is 125.8

I DID IT!

2009-12-15T20:37:00.007-06:00

I don't know where to start......

I am in SHOCK! When I weighed myself this morning I "knew" I was like 3 pounds heavier than last week. I had just started my period a couple days ago and had gone over on my WPA's for the week. I did get a run in this morning and weights (which I've been doing/aiming for twice a week) and have had a LOT of energy today from the prednisone I'm currently taking. I really can't explain how I reached my goal tonight! That's right! I made my Weight Watchers Ultimate Goal TONIGHT!!!!!

My current weight is 127.0 at Weight Watchers (my goal was 127.6)

Since I made my goal tonight I received my gold star to keep on my WW key chain.....

Being 127.0 tonight made my total loss 25.6 pounds, which I received the 25# ring to also put on my WW key chain.....

and another 5 pound yellow star for my bookmark......

Now, I begin maintenance for 6 weeks and I will be a lifetime member! I find it so ironic that if I stay on track for the 6 weeks of maintenance I will reach my lifetime membership on 1/26/10, which is 1 day away from where I started a year ago!

(sorry for the small/blurry pictures taken with my phone)

"contagious conjunctivitis"

2009-12-15T10:06:00.005-06:00

Tonight is Weigh-In #47 at Weight Watchers.

I started Weight Watchers on 1/27/09.

It seems so long ago and I have come so far, almost 25 POUNDS at WW's!

I decided to start tracking points on 1/24/09 when I weighed 155 on my scale that morning, almost 30 pounds ago.

I tracked points thru the weekend, thru my first meeting on 1/27/09 when I weighed 152.6 at my very first weigh-in.

My lowest morning weight on my scale lately has been 126.5.

It seems unreal that I used to weigh 155 a year ago! I am so excited to be close to my WW goal! This past week has been a struggle for me! We had a snow day, with lots of baked goodies n treats. Bunco was Saturday with more baked goodies n treats. Sunday was the Christmas party @ DH's work. My oldest son has been in a baking mood at home. He has made brownies twice this week! I have not been drinking enough water, but have done 5 workouts in the past week. I have never had a loss at my meeting when I have missed the week before! I have been weighing myself over the past week. My weight was on track Thursday, but has gone up since. I also started my period yesterday. If I could predict my weigh-in for tonight, I'd be up about THREE POUNDS! I know going to the meeting will get me back on track to my oh so close goal!!!!!

I am still, still struggling with feeling well! The past 2 weeks my eyes have been swollen like an allergic reaction to something. Over the weekend I realized the benadryl isn't working anymore. I have been feeling horrible and gave in yesterday and called the dr. I got an afternoon appointment and he sent me down to the Opthamologist. After waiting for 5 people in front of me, they were trying to fit me in, I got called back. He put a cream on my eyes and made me sit in the office for 15 minutes and sent me home w/ the cream to apply 4 times a day. I was then sent back to the general doctors office and was sent down to the lab for an allergy test. After 2 hours at the clinic I went to Walgreen's to pick up the prednisone prescription. I will call in a week with a follow up!

Sadly I look like Shallow Hal.......picture eye balls smeared in vaseline where Hal has "contagious conjunctivitis". I hate having to be in public looking like this, looking like I am wearing too much vaseline all over my eyes.

Ring Guard

2009-12-12T07:47:00.003-06:00

So, I finally went to the Jewelry Store and had a ring guard put on my wedding ring. It has been really loose for months now. However, the cold has made it REALLY loose. Last year DH had upgraded my my center stone and I REALLY didn't want to loose it/replace it again!

WW was cancelled on Tuesday because of weather. I was ready to go! I was excited, either way the scale read! My eating has been not so good this week. I have tracked everyday, but am runny low on my WPA (I've only stayed w/in points 1 day) and I still have 4 days left. I need to stay within my points for a few days. The snow day the kids had on Wednesday was one I went over......gingerbread cookies, frosted sugar cookies, hot cocoa, popcorn, pizza for lunch. Missing meetings for me usually doesn't result in weight loss the following week. I need to work hard and do what I need to until Tuesday!

My body has been pretty sore since starting weights again. The running is going well also. It has been so cold here. Thankfully I have the treadmill, which doesn't leave me an excuse when I don't want to drag the kids to the gym thru the 5ft drifts of snow and negative temps.

Lots of Thoughts

2009-12-07T18:31:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow is my weigh-in day @ WW. I am currently 0.4 pounds away from my GOAL! I weigh myself throughout the week to keep tabs on myself, but was discouraged this week when I saw a gain on the scale after last weeks weigh-in. I went over points on 2 days, but have not used all my WPA's. I have not weighed since I saw the gain, and am scared to! I'm afraid that I still might be up, I'm afraid that I will not reach my goal this week!

I've been cutting down the walking I've been doing, as it is no long required per the varicose vein doctor as of last Wednesday. I did walk Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but not 3 times a day! I took Sunday off totally!

Today I started back at the Y. I did a quick walk warm up for 2 minutes, then jogged for 20 minutes without stopping! Totally SHOCKED myself. I haven't run on a treadmill since before I was sick with the flu, so the end of October. I also finally did weights. I did a full body today with free weights, going to start doing a full body then taking 2 days off! My body was in shock for a few hours afterwards, even with a nice stretch, protein, spinach & banana smoothie afterwards! I think I will be feeling this one tomorrow! I wasn't trying to overdue it at all! I hate the feeling the next day/week when I do!

So, my stomach is in knots because of my weigh-in! I hope that if I don't make my goal tomorrow that I can deal with it the proper way and proceed to the next week with the same goal in mind....reaching my GOAL!

(trying to decide if i will weigh myself in the morning to get an idea of what the scale will say at the meeting. decisions! decisions!)

Weigh-In

2009-12-02T21:58:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving break! Wednesday night I went out with some of DH's family (DH was at the station) that were in town from out of state! I only had a couple of beers and headed back to get the kids. We had a wonderful meal on Thursday (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole and homemade bread). I also enjoyed too many cookies, beers, pie & brownies. I was stuffed! I did, however, start the day off with 2 egg whites and 1/3 c. oats with 2 scoops of pumpkin. Friday I did a little Black Friday shopping and met my sister for lunch, chili & side salad. DH & I took the kids to "A Christmas Carol" in 3D. I took a bottle of water & some chewing gum, and didn't take a single bite/piece of the 6 boxes of candy I bought for DH & the kids or a taste of the buttery, yummy smelling popcorn. (so proud of myself) We ended up ordering a pizza for dinner, which I ENJOYED and then make a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and ate too much raw cookie dough :P On Saturday I bought the kids donuts & none for myself. I made myself a sandwich while popping in at home in between errands on Saturday, but when we got back home for dinner the kids' and I finished the pizza and cookies from Friday night, and went out to the bars w/ the family again (insert more beer drinking) and then ended up at the local restaurant eating a greasy breakfast at 1:30 a.m. as a large group! Sunday we had a birthday party where I ate 2 small square pieces of pizza and 2 bites of cake and then went and ate another Thanksgiving dinner with pumpkin pie & cobbler! I LOVE good food! It was a nice Thanksgiving break!

Monday was back to tracking and getting in my 3 walks a day (which were hard to get all 3 in a day while out at gatherings). Monday I also had the tube put in my ear. Shocking to me, it will be in for a year up to two with regular check ups every 6 months. My first check up is in 6 weeks with a hearing test. It was a pretty painful procedure, including about 4 shots in my ear to numb it prior to putting in the tube. Then it was into another room to put the scope in my nose. The sprayed some mist in my nose about 3 times to numb the inside. Then she put some local on a q-tip to make sure the inside was numb before the scope. Good news is there was no blockage to the eustachian tube! YEAH! I still can't hear, the ENT said in a few days I would notice a difference. I can't wait!

Tuesday was weigh-in. I actually thought I was up about 1 pound, which I was ok with! I really wanted to go to the meeting just to make sure I would stay on track to my goal! I weighed in at 130.0, which was down .2 from last week! With that, now I am only .4 away from my goal! I can't believe it! So, SO excited!!!!

Today was my follow up appointment with my varicose vein doctor. I am no longer wearing the hip high compression stocking while awake on my right leg. I can paint my toe nails TONIGHT (WOOT!!) and finally shaved my legs!!!!! I still have some occasional pain, bruising and soreness. I will go back in 14 weeks for the doctor to inject a foam medication into the smaller veins and get things finished up! It will take 3 months for major changes to take place and up to a year for minor changes. I am going to ease back into the running and weights! I can't wait! Walking on the treadmill has sucked! I like it, but hate it at the same time!

So, folks, that is my week! I had moments of weakness, but also strengths! I skipped a few meals being still stuffed from the previous meal/day and coffee was a great filler and kept me away from appetizers! LOL

Competition Update

2009-12-01T07:05:00.003-06:00

I joined the Biggest Loser 2009 Competition on September 1st. On September 1st my starting weight was 137.0. There were a couple of reasons I wanted to join. 1) So that I could keep my weight in check during the holidays and not "gain the average of 8 pounds from October 31st thru January 1st". 2) I really wanted to bust thru the 130's, which I have been struggling for months to do!

The holiWEEK was a little challenging for me! I did track thru Wednesday, but not Thursday thru Sunday! I enjoyed all the food, beers and time with family! This year I've realized I'm THANKFUL for being able to enjoy the food and knowing I CAN get back on track! This beautiful December 1st morning I weighed....

Starting Weight 137.0
Goal Weight 127.6

Month 1 - 130.5
Month 2 - 135.5
Month 3 - 128.5

total loss for competition - 8.5 pounds

Weigh-In

2009-11-25T05:52:00.002-06:00

A quick recap over the last week......

The morning of the first day of my varicose vein procedure I started my period (UGH! cramps!). I had to go back the following day to have the procedure finished. Needless to say for the first few days I was miserable! I did make it to my WI last week. I was unsure what I would weigh considering I started my period, that my leg might be swollen, that I just had loads of novocaine pumped in my right leg from my ankle to my crotch and I was wearing a compression stocking from my toes to my butt cheek! At weigh-in I was up .4, which I was thrilled to see! I wanted to go because I needed to stay on track for the next week! I've been feeling pretty good this week. I've been getting all my walking in the doctor requires you to do each day! I've been tracking EVERYDAY! I have used up some WPA's, but its been good! I had my appointment with the ENT on Monday. I was a little overwhelmed with what he had to say. To make a long story short, I am going Monday to have a tube put in my right ear and he also wants to go up my nose with a scope. Oh Joy! Who knew having the flu so badly for a week would put me at the ENT's office for ear & nose troubles? Not me! Wednesday I have a follow up appointment with the leg doctor.

Last nights weigh-in went well! VERY WELL! I weigh my self kind of regularly during the week so I had a pretty good idea what my loss was going to be! Well I lost 2.2 pounds! My weight last night was 128.2, a total loss of 24.4 at Weight Watchers! Which makes me only .6 away from my lifetime goal! I'm NOT planning or hoping I will make it to my goal this Tuesday after Thanksgiving, but am VERY excited to be under 130 and have been under 130 for over a week now! I am thrilled! I am a little nervous about having TWO Thanksgiving dinners to go to and having family in town (where we gather mostly around food, good food, LOTS of food)! I'm hoping that being so close to goal will talk to me thru the week and remind me of how far I've come and where I want to go! I honestly can't believe December is almost here! WHERE has the year gone?

Jenn's Giveaway

2009-11-20T10:09:00.002-06:00

Jenn over at Watch My Butt Shrink! is giving away Jillian Michaels' "Master your Metabolism" AND "Winning by Losing", go check it out!

Green Monster

2009-11-16T14:59:00.002-06:00

Last week I started feeling better on Wednesday and it just got a little better from there. My ear stopped leaking fluid, my congestion was under control, my energy levels started to return to normal and eventually my appetite returned! I did make it to the Y thru Friday only doing lite/moderate cardio. Over the weekend I was busy as a B!! Bunco, Bars and a Birthday party! I did have a few temptations, which I caved, but I did track EVERYTHING! I still have about 10 WPA's left thru tomorrow.

Today I wanted to use up some of the big box of spinach I have in the frig and decided instead of more spinach salads (GAG!), I'd try and make my own green monster. It was GREAT! I combined a handful of spinach, 1 WW chocolate smoothie pouch, 1 1/2 c. water, 1/2 cup crushed ice an 1 small banana! I loved the taste of chocolate & banana and the fact that it is only 2 points!

I didn't make it to Y today because I had to run to the store and take DS donuts for his birthday at school. Then it was off to a follow up at the doctor for my ear, which I still can't hear out of. I got a referral to an ENT for next week! I took the little kids to McDonald's for a birthday lunch and we celebrated this morning too with pancakes! More celebrating tonight, including another cake! Yesterday we had a wonderful family party with delicious appetizers, spaghetti, salad, french bread & CAKE! Tomorrow I am having the surgery done on the varicose vein in my right leg and again on Wednesday. I am on "walking" restrictions and a 10 pound weight limit for 2 weeks! No intense exercise for me until December. I don't know if I will feel up to my Weight Watchers weigh-in tomorrow night. Well see.......

Weigh-In

2009-11-10T21:24:00.004-06:00

I can't believe I've been going to Weight Watchers for 42 weeks now! Granted I've missed a few weigh-ins, but I've been going at this weight loss adventure for 42 weeks now. Tonight I weighed the lowest I've ever weighed at a weigh-in. 130.0 I'm not sure if it because I was sick and I will gain some back or not. But, I'm very excited to be only 2.4 pounds away from my Weight Watchers goal! That is crazy! I started back at the gym today, slowly! I only did the bike for 30 minutes at a slow pace. My head feels huge still, my balance is still off, headaches come and go and I still can't hear from my right ear. I will probably just do easy cardio this week and go from there for next week and how I'm feeling! Here's to a great week!

Influenza A

2009-11-09T15:27:00.003-06:00

I started getting really sick last Monday. Headache, cough, fever, chills, achy, etc. On Wednesday I couldn't take any more, called the doctor and sent me for labs: flu swab (up the nose) and blood work (for mycroplasma). I tested positive for Influenza A (negative for mycroplasma), which the doctor treated me as if I had H1N1. Was put on 2 prescriptions. DH was put on Tamiflu for preventative. The next day we had 2 kids tested, one had been home since Monday with a fever and the other just started w/ a fever that day. The one who had the fever for 4 days also tested positive for Influenza A. All four of the kids were put on Tamiflu for 10 days, except the one who tested positive is twice a day for 5 days. Being sick totally knocked me on my A$$. Saturday I started having really bad ear pain, went to the weekend clinic and was told I had an ear infection and put on an antibiotic. Saturday night my ear started leaking fluid. Called the doctor said the my ear drum probably tore due to high pressure build up of fluid. Had a check up today, confirmed the the tear in my ear drum. Said to take a different decongestant and if that doesn't help w/ my dizziness, headache, large head feeling to call in 2 days and he will put me on another prescription. Wants to see me in a week. I still feel horrible. I have no energy from the flu and don't accomplish much from the horrible head problems. That sums up my week. UGH! I just want to feel normal.

Competition Update

2009-11-01T07:35:00.003-06:00

So I joined this Biggest Loser 2009 Competition on September 1st. On September 1st my starting weight was 137.0 on that afternoon I decided to join. Today is November 1st, which is another weigh-in day. This morning my weight was......

I am not at all shocked at this number. As I have said before I have not put in the effort in exercise nor have I been tracking my points like I should to see a good number.

Starting Weight 137.0
Goal Weight 127.6
Month 1 - 130.5
Month 2 - 135.5*
total loss for competition - 1.5 pounds

*note to self: Dressing up for Halloween and drinking too many beers the night before weigh-in probably was not a good idea. And then eating BBQ chicken pizza and boneless wings at 2am does NOT help with weight-loss either when you have a weigh-in to do in 5 hours! A GREAT time was had by all but, I'm pretty sure your current weight is reflecting these actions! Good luck in November! You need it!

November!

2009-10-29T19:46:00.003-05:00

I can NOT wait for November to get here. October has been such a busy/crazy month, I do hope November is not a repeat!

Here are a few events from this month where temptation tempted me and sadly won: football games, relatives staying with us, bunco, nephew's birthday party, week in Florida, my birthday, DS in the hospital for croup/pneumonia, two Halloween parties, DD's birthday, trick-or-treating and the usual eating out and "nights out" I've forgotten about. I look back at all the food choices I have made this month and it has been bad. I've been off and on with the tracking. I've been off and on with the exercise.

I can't wait for November 1st to get here so I can start a new month. I hope and pray that I have NOT gained back all of the 6.5 pounds I lost in September, but it would not surprise me! I'm going to try and do my best with food & exercise before weigh-in, but these little guys keep taunting me......

I can't tell you how many I've eaten so far this week! Bad, I know! Come on November...........

Back to Life, Back to Reality

2009-10-23T15:03:00.004-05:00

UGH! I still wish we were in warm Florida. I still wish we had days to do whatever and whenever as a WHOLE family! I still wish (kind of) that I didn't have to track food and exercise to loose/maintain weight!

Back to Life, Back to Reality!

It was warmish for a few days after getting home. For 2 days now it has been raining nonstop and temp. is like 50! I'm cold! I don't feel motivated where there is no sun! I wish we were in warm Florida, but we are NOT!

I hate waking up at 6am to get the kids ready for school! I hate having to rush out the door 5 days a week at 7:45 a.m. to take DS to preschool and then exercise, kid's sports, etc! I hate that DH is back to work, and working a LOT! I wish I could do whatever, whenever, but we CAN'T!

I did start tracking again after my birthday (well, on Wednesday really)! I didn't make it to my WW meeting Tuesday because of my severe migraine that put me to bed super early because I felt so ill. I also started back at the Y on Wednesday! I have dreaded going for the past 3 days, but made it all 3 days! I wish I didn't have to track & exercise daily, but I DO!

This is my life and I need to accept it! I would love for summer to get here already, but we have a long winter ahead and I need to make the best of it. I dread waking up so early everyday but I need to and I do! I know that I need to track my points everyday and exercise daily to get myself where I want to go and I am!

Wednesday: 17 points - 48 oz water - 45 min run outside, 30 min bike
Thursday: 19 points - 64 oz water - 20 min run inside, weights upper body, 30 min bike, 30 min walk
Friday: 14 points* - 48 oz water* -20 min run inside, weights lower body, 15 min bike, 15 min walk

*(before dinner)

Home Sweet Home!

2009-10-19T07:03:00.001-05:00

I'm glad to be home! I can't believe I'm 30!

Disney

2009-10-11T06:54:00.004-05:00

We fly to Orlando, Florida today. Wish us luck w/ 4 kids at Disney. The kids are excited, I'm a little nervous! Be back in a week!

Exhausted

2009-10-07T11:36:00.005-05:00

The company has left, we had relatives from out of state staying with us since Friday and they left this morning. We have had such a good time with them. DH is out of town until Friday night, he is at a training and left Monday @ 4:30 a.m., so I a single mom of four for 5 days. Thursday DS has a field trip, which I'm going with. Friday all kids' are off school, was thinking of taking them to the kids museum. Friday night DH is having a birthday party for me (the BIG 30) at the bar & grill. They are having a DJ and I'm hoping it will be lots of fun with family and friends. Saturday we have a birthday party to go to and then bunco that night. I also need to start packing, we leave for Florida on Sunday. I haven't weighed myself since Friday morning. I have no desire to. My eating has been horrible. I think I've eaten my weight in candy corn. We've had birthday cake, McDonald's burgers & fries, donuts, Italian food, pancakes & sausage, spice cake, pizza hut and on and on. I did make it to the Y Monday, but have been so busy with the company, there has been NO time since! I honestly don't think I will get there the rest of the week. I am so exhausted and have more of the week to get through.

Competition Update

2009-10-01T07:25:00.007-05:00

So I joined this Biggest Loser 2009 Competition on September 1st. On September 1st my starting weight was 137.0 on that afternoon I decided to join. I really want to get below 130 before October 1st. Today is October 1st, which is weigh-in day. This morning my weight was......

Of course after seeing the same weight as Tuesday I wanted to drive to the Y, do a "last chance workout", but to be honest.....I wanted my coffee and BREAKFAST more, so here it is! I'm glad I didn't weigh myself yesterday, because I do feel pretty bummed I didn't make it! But, onward and upward......

Starting Weight 137.0
Goal Weight 127.6
Month 1 - 130.5 (- 4.74%)
total loss for competition - 6.5 pounds

I've been tracking for over a week now. I've kept with my exercise! Here are my nutrition/exercise stats since Tuesday:
Tuesday: 18 points - 80 oz water - run 45 minutes, lower body strength, walk 3 miles, 30 min elliptical
Wednesday: 18 points - 64 oz water - walk 3 miles, 45 min elliptical, 30 min bike

Tomorrow, Friday, October 2nd we are having relatives from down south staying with us thru Wednesday, October 7th. DH's cousin and her 9 year old son. (Plus there's always the football games for the boys Saturday & Sunday, doctor apt, football paractice, field trips etc. in the next 7 days...) Then Saturday, October 10th I have BUNCO (woot! woot! love girls night out!) and Sunday, October 11th we leave for Florida (Walt Disney World here we come!) for 7 days. We get home late Sunday, October 18th. Monday, October 19th is my BIG 30th birthday! And of course Tuesday, October 20th is WI @ Weight Watchers! I will need every ounce of strength in my body to make good food choices, choose to track, choose to exercise everyday and stay on TRACK these next couple weeks! I have a super crazy, busy schedule ahead of me!

Gadget

2009-09-30T13:43:00.002-05:00

I added a new "gadget" to my blog! Any guesses?

YES! It's a countdown to my FIRST Half-Marathon! I've been tossing around the idea since my first 5K on July 4th. Since then I also did a 5K on July 11th, August 15th and September 19th! I have printed off my registration form and am going to send in my money. The big day? It is May 1st! This will give me plenty of time to train and keep my exercise going! I'm super excited. I think DH will run the full Marathon and I'm hoping I will meet a new friend there also ;o)

October!

2009-09-29T11:58:00.002-05:00

Holy Crap! I just realized it will be October this week! Like in 2 days this week! October 1st is the next weigh-in for the Biggest Loser 2009 Challenge! Holy Crap! Now, is it possible to get BELOW 130 by October 1st? I don't know! I have NO clue! I'm going to track today and tomorrow. Get my water in! And exercise! I am going to stay on track! I am going to see if it is possible to get below 130 by October 1st!

Tracking WORKS!!!

2009-09-29T06:41:00.003-05:00

another recap. i didn't get any exercise friday. during my normal workout times i just couldn't fit it in. i had a party @ DS preschool from 8-10:45. then i watched the nephews from 12:15-3:00. during that time i developed a headache which lasted thru saturday afternoon. i went to bed early friday night since i wasn't feeling well, also because i signed up for a 5K saturday morning. that went well. had a time of 31:15 or something like that. then we had 2 football games for the boys! saturday i had a stomach ache for most of the day & night and went to bed early! sunday was church and sunday school. went to lunch with the fam. ordered grilled ceasar salad, dressing on side w/ a cup of veggie noodle soup (it was the only non cream based one they offered). then went home, made chili and watched football. monday i went for a looooooooong, COLD, WINDY walk. it took me like an hour to warm up after we got home. i'm NOT ready for fall!

i started my period this week, which i always tend to gain a couple of pounds during that. i feel so discouraged about my weight. i really want to see a loss! i feel like i've been gaining and loosing about 5 pounds for about 12 weeks. i know i'm not consistent w/ sticking to my points and my tracking usually doesn't happen on the weekends. i know if i halfway do weight watchers it will halfway work. i just need to get my groove on! and keep it!

this week i did finally track for a whole week (which hasn't happened in a long time).

Tuesday: 20 points - 64 oz water - 45 min running, lower body strength, 30 min bike Wednesday: 22 points - 48 oz water - 45 min elliptical, 1 hr walk
Thursday: 24 points - 96 oz water - 45 min run/walk intervals, upper body strength, 1 hr bike Friday: 23 points - 64 oz water - no exercise
Saturday: 23 points - 80 oz water - ran 5K (national move it day)
Sunday: 22 points - 80 oz water - no exercise
Monday: 16 points - 80 oz water- 3 mile walk, 45 min run, upper body strength, 25 min elliptical (while chatting w/ friend)

and let me tell you it worked!

Check this Out

2009-09-28T10:19:00.002-05:00

Over at Fit this, Girl! she has a giveaway ending on 10/1 for i declare! charms.....

Kettle Corn and Waffle Cone......OH MY!

2009-09-21T16:18:00.003-05:00

This is a weekly trend. BAD, BAD, BAD weekends! I need to get a handle on this. Obviously we are busy. Obviously we don't eat regular meals at home on the weekends. Obviously I need to find a new way, new foods, new thinking!

We were at the art shows on Saturday and Sunday. There were good food choices (subway salad, veggie burger on a bun w/o chips, grilled ceaser salad instead of pasta dish at the lovely Italian restaurant) and there were BAD food choices (kettle corn, waffle cones, powdered donuts, McDonald's kiddie cones, animal crackers).

I went running 4 days last week for 45 minutes each, elliptical between there for 45 minutes. I did strength training 4 days last week. I walk 2 miles a day 5 days last week! I can stay on track all week with my exercise and be down a couple pounds and then come Monday, I'm back at square one. Obviously something needs to change in order for my weight to change. I want to get to my goal, I need to get to my goal, I need to find a way.....

Tomorrow is Weigh-In! Unsure of what the scale will say!

ETA: didn't make it to weigh in. had a hard time getting my workout in, so it happened at the time of my meeting. if i were to guess, i'd be about the same as last week +/- .5 pounds.

Cubs Game - Color Guard

2009-09-15T15:17:00.010-05:00

On the field waiting to present the colors

This is when the goosebumps started

During the singing of the star spangled banner

TUESDAY!!

2009-09-14T19:48:00.007-05:00

Tuesday = Weigh-In @ Weight Watchers

Tuesday = Premiere of Biggest Loser

I am soooooooooooooo excited for biggest loser tonight. I LOVE that show! I'm not tooo excited about weigh-in tonight. For some reason I have a hard time on the weekends. They are so action packed and I don't have the will power to ONLY eat my daily points. Sad, but true.

Another weekend recap: Tuesday I weighed in @ 135.5. Was pretty disciplined thru Thursday and weighed in at 134.5 Friday morning before going to the cubs game. I had a fiber one bar in the car on the way. I shared a cub sub (turkey & swiss on a large roll) and a greek salad with the kids. Of course we also shared "peanuts and cracker jacks". We had a GREAT time at the CUBS GAME! On the way home I had a McDonald's kiddie cone. Saturday, I only had coffee at the 8am meeting, I just sampled a few things (bite of a hot dog, bite of pizza, a few nachos, 6 peanut m&m's) at 2 football games. Then, I had to prepare my appetizers for bunco at my house. I ate too many cucumber sandwiches, tried too much of the velveeta & chili dip w/ tortilla chips, sampled my meatballs w/ chili sauce & grape jelly, had 3 beers and a waffle cone w/ chocolate yogurt. And of course had a couple more beers and some peanuts at the bar after bunco with the girls. Sunday after church I had some fried chicken, potato salad, a few cookies, a brownie & slice of spice cake at the family reunion. During the afternoon I had some leftover velveeta cheese & chili dip w/ tortilla chips. While watching DA Bears I had some chili w/ shredded cheese, and a REAL pepsi! And before going to bed I had about 3 oreos and a glass of milk! I can't believe that Monday morning my weight was 135.5. It REALLY makes me think what it would be if I only at 19 points per day! :o( Anywho......Monday I met my sister for lunch. Ordered the grilled chicken ceasar salad w/ dressing on the side. For dinner I had another piece of fried chicken (white meat and I didn't eat ANY breading) two bites of potato salad, a slice of spice cake and about 3 oreos. I think I did well on the day before weigh-in. Could of been better, but also could of been worse. I am a tiny bit scared for weigh-in, but there isn't really anything I can do about it now! What is done is done! Will try to put up some pics of the Cubs Game this week! Here is a pic of my weight this morning (Tuesday)

Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go!

2009-09-11T05:55:00.006-05:00

I bought 4 tickets to the game at the spurt of the moment last night!

I call the 3 kids off school for tomorrow at the spurt of the moment last night!

We are going to the Cubs Game today!

My husband has the honor and privilege of being in the color guard ceremony!

I am so excited for him, I'm more excited for the kids because they are soooooooooooo excited!

up, up and away

2009-09-08T12:59:00.008-05:00

*** (see footer ;o)

i feel like that is direction i am going.....up, up and away from my goal! :-(

this weekend was soooooooooooooo long. we were so busy. i ate & drank and ate & drank some more......

after i blogged on wednesday, i woke up thursday down 2 pounds. i had a good day of eating up until we got to st. louis thursday night. i tried to order healthy at dinner (dressing on the side, only eating 1/2 of a roll, i ordered a chicken & shrimp dish (meat only, no pasta or rice) w/ broccoli which came in a lake of butter :-(, my baked potato was plain, put a tiny bit of butter on it and only ate half), then i ate one of the kids' bowl of sherbet.

friday morning i woke up, ran in the hotel gym for 45 minutes. i had pears and cottage cheese for breakfast. at the combat challenge, i ate my food from the cooler (turkey sandwiches, cottage cheese, carrots, pears, apples, cheese stix, WW smoothies, FF chips, etc) for lunch and dinner. we stopped by mcdonalds before heading home that night and i got a kiddie cone. all seemed well.

saturday morning when i woke up i weighed in at 134. up .5 for those two days. not bad i thought plus my "system" gets behind we i'm out of town, so that could account for that gain ;o) my food for saturday was good up until the wedding. i did well at dinner i thought (ate 1/2 of my chicken dish, baked potato, one roll, veggies & salad). i did have 2 beers, more coffee than i could count because i was freezing the whole night. then the cake....i had a carrot cupcake which was wonderful. then they brought out cheesecake. i had a cheesecake cupcake too. sometime in the middle of the night, after DS had an accident in my bed, i ate the carrot cupcake i brought home for DH who didn't get to go to the wedding.

sunday....met my mom and aunt for breakfast. i was punishing myself for last nights calorie mistakes and ordered 3 egg whites and a bowl of oatmeal. it wasn't that bad. then came the football game. it really went downhill from here for the rest of the weekend. i had popcorn, nachos, sour ropes, peanut m&m's, then DH brought home some leftover pizza which i had a slice. we went out to the bars w/ some friends. i didn't count my beers, but lets just say from 9-1 i was chugging my MGD 64's, we also snacked on some super salty popcorn.

monday.......it only gets worse. i ate just about every unhealthy item in my house. i can't even recall what or when! then we went to a labor day brunch, where i ate some more. i shouldn't have, but i did. we went on the boat and had some cookies. after boating i picked up a pizza we ordered and that's what we had for dinner. plus ice cream for dessert.

and i wonder why my weight keeps creeping up? i now know that i can't eat whatever, whenever and maintain. i need to keep w/in a low calorie diet to maintain and i need to add exercise to that to loose weight.

today is a new day! this is a new week. i went to the Y and spent 45 minutes on the elliptical. i did my upper body with free weights and then took the little one on a 45 minute walk before we had to pick DS up from preschool. i'd like to go for a run this evening. tonight is weigh-in, but DH is at the station and i promised DS that i would watch his football practice for once. last week i had a sitter, but that was such a hassle and we got home so late and didn't get dinner until almost bedtime. still had homework & showers and ended up getting to bed WAY past bedtime. i hope to get on the scale at least tonight, if not tomorrow!

***(i got on the scale wednesday a.m. with a pic....however this "weight" was 3 pounds higher tuesday morning. i did stay w/in my points tuesday (FINALLY!!), exercised (FINALLY!!) and drank 64oz of water (which hadn't been done since thursday :o(.......so that's my little disclaimer.) i've been going to WW long enough to know now what i would weigh at the meeting from my morning weight and with this morning weight, i would probably weigh the SAME as last week. maybe up or down .5 pound. but no BIG loss this week at all! now, if i would of weighed in last night.....honestly i have no clue what the # would be! i had been chugging water all day trying to get hydrated and "full". LOL so......

SERIOUSLY?, SERIOUSLY!?!

2009-09-02T12:29:00.004-05:00

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who struggled with getting a picture of my weight w/o the weight of my camera. LOL I was really laughing out loud when I was reading the other blogs. I too was hopping off and on yelling at my scale: "COME ON!", "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!", "SERIOUSLY?, SERIOUSLY!?!" Hopefully the the end of this challenge we will all have that mastered ;)

A quick recap on today before I call it a night:

Calories - 1146

Exercise - ran for 15 min on the treadmill (Something is going on with my right shin. Last week I was able to run 4 days in a row either 30-45 minutes alternating days. Today and Monday 15 is the MAX! I started icing again and stretching. I think I'm going to have to jump on the elliptical for a while and alternate days w/ running instead of running for days in a row until I have no more pain.)

Water - 80 oz.

We are leaving for St. Louis today for another Firefighter Combat Challenge DH is in. I'm a little scared about food/exercise for tonight & all day Friday. We will head home late Friday night. Also I have a wedding Saturday (with delicious food I'm sure and of course cake) and Sunday DS has a football game and I'm such a sucker for concession stand popcorn! Lord, please bring on the will power, because You know I need it!

Lose for Good

2009-09-01T21:07:00.004-05:00

Weigh-in tonight was painful! VERY painful. It was sad to see how much I've gained in a couple of weeks! I'm up to 135.8 at WW. Tomorrow is the start! The beginning! I can't wait!

At our WW meeting they are starting the Lose for Good Campaign. For every pound of weight I loose in the next 7 weeks I have to bring in one healthy perishable food item for donation to the charity. I'm very excited and I hope this campaign will push me to loose more weight "for good". Another great reason to drop this weight sooner rather than later. Each week for the next 7 weeks I'm going to keep track of my pounds each week for the # of food items I need to take to my WW meeting!

Biggest Loser 2009

2009-09-01T13:22:00.009-05:00

I have decided to join this challenge, paid my fee and took the dreaded picture of my scale! I'm ready to go! This challenge goes from Sept. 1 thru Jan. 1. There are cash prizes for this challenge. I need something to help get me thru the holidays without adding MORE weight.

A quick summary about me....I have been doing weight watchers since the end of January. The past two weeks I haven't made it to a meeting from being out of town, DH's schedule at fire station and both boys in football. I AM going tonight. I have a sitter as the husband is at the station again! A couple weeks ago DH's work has started the leannesslifestyle.com program and the wives are signed up. The program is eating a protein and carb every 3 hours 6 times a day. The reason I love weight watchers is you can eat whatever you want, as long as you are with in your points. I might toy back a forth between the two programs.

I took a picture of my weight this afternoon. I weigh-in for my meetings at 6pm on Tuesdays. I think I'm going to post a picture of my weight once a week on my blog since I will be weighing in once a week at WW.

The starting # is sadly 137. I've had a hard time tracking and getting back into good eating habits from not being at the meetings. I badly want to be in the 120's! For me it's all about a number. Not how my clothes it or how I look. I wish it wasn't, but it is! Anyways! Let the loosing begin!!!!!!

more back pedaling

2009-08-31T07:18:00.002-05:00

i'm so tired of back pedaling. i do well during the week and my weekend puts me back where i started. result = going no where!

friday morning the scale read 132.5. i was thrilled! friday night we left and went camping. i love camping. i love camping food. i enjoyed some pizza pie irons, apple pie iron dessert, more smores than i can count. i did OK: pizza pie: whole grain bread, spray butter, and fat free cheese vs. white bread, real butter, regular mozz. cheese. apple pie: whole grain bread, spray butter & only 3 slices of apple w/ some filling vs. white bread, real butter & too much pie filling. breakfast: 3 egg whites & light english muffin w/ sugar free peach jam vs. eggs and sausage. lunch: boca burger on english muffin, peach a little mac. salad & baked beans vs. hamburger on a bun and lots of sides. i had too many smores. i quit counting. DS made a cherry pie for lunch and then didn't want it, which i ate. i didn't drink enough water because i was tired of walking back and forth to the toilets. on the way home i snacked on the box of camping food: marshmallows, chocolate bars, graham crackers etc. it was sad. i did have a grilled ceasar salad for dinner sat night, which i probably didn't need as i already consumed enough calories for a few days!

sunday......started off good: cottage cheese & peaches before church. then my mom convinced me to go for pizza. it's probably been a year since i've been. we ordered 2 loaves of Italian bread w/ butter. OMG! i LOVE BREAD! ate soooooooooooooooooo much & brought the rest home and finished it last night! we ordered a LARGE spaghetti pizza which is also WONDERFUL! i ate a piece and a half. brought the rest home and probably ate another piece and a half. i don't think i can't eat any more for a looooooooooooooooooong time! anywho. paying for it on the scale this morning: 135.5. where i started last week. sadly i've been eating dry cheerios all morning already. come on! get on track, darn it! what is my problem?

off to a good start

2009-08-27T07:12:00.002-05:00

a quick recap of the last couple days! tuesday morning i weighed in at 135. however my eating was a bust. wednesday morning i woke to my period and the scale saying 135.5. i tracked my food all day (1060 calories for the day). i measured my food all day. i even ran for 45 minutes on the treadmill. thursday (today) the scale read 134. i needed that little motivation. which i'm happy for. i still have bad cramps and a headache. i'm going to keep tracking and have another great day! will post another update in a few days to help keep myself accountable. :)

long time....no blog!

2009-08-25T13:41:00.004-05:00

so its been a few weeks since i've blogged. our schedule has been crazy! things have been good and they have also been not so good. i did really well on the protein/carb "diet thing" on thursday, friday & part of saturday while out of town. i did get on my new treadmill thursday before we left town. we stayed in a hotel thursday night, checked in @ 1am and i got up @ 8ish and ran in the gym at the hotel, which was really nice. friday night we arrived in TN. saturday morning DH and i ran in the towns 5K! my eating went to poo around lunch. its really hard when your food choices are only fried potatoes, mac-n-cheese, creamed corn, battered chicken fried stead, corn bread & sweet tea. really, there was NO healthy option. i was just eating off the kids plates instead of getting my own. it really went down hill from there (the eating). sunday DH & i did get up and run to the end of the road and back a few times. i was glad to get in the exercise since my eating was crap. sadly i haven't really gotten on track YET! school for the three kids has started. football for two kids has me living in the car. last week i did so much yard work getting ready for our "summer party" saturday that i was so tired everyday, to tired to make good food choices, too tired to track, to tired to cook good food. i drank a ton of bud light saturday. i had a real burger (not veggie) on a real bun (not an english muffin or arnold sandwich thin), i tried (small samples) of EVERY dish to pass. i had 2 smores. sunday we went boating, more burgers, beers....... i think you get the pictures. it has been over 1 week since i have tracked my food! last week i only ran once. i don't think i've done free weights in 2 weeks! i know i'm up 3-4 pounds and i'm sad/depressed about it.

i did get on the treadmill today for 30 and did some free weights (my wrist is still swollen from the yard work). but have not tracked today and am pretty sure i'm already over points (too much cereal for breakfast, too many graham crackers while watching tv during nap time). i can't make it to weigh-in tonight because of back-to-school night from 6-7 (weigh in is from 6-6:30 and the meeting is 6:30-7). i REALLY wanted to go, even though i know i'm up 3-4 pounds because i KNOW it will get me on track! :o(

i've counted the weeks and i only have 7 weeks until i turn 30! there are also only 6 weeks until we leave for flordia for one week on our family vacation. i need to get my A$$ in gear and bust this weight off! i'm just going to have to challenge myself. i need to push hard and get to my goal!

127.6 HERE I COME!

a gain

2009-08-13T05:26:00.003-05:00

i knew i had it coming. i gained .6 @ my WW meeting on tuesday. i ate a big salad w/ low fat dressing, about a cup of homemade (wonderful) pad thai, and a small piece of cake after WW at a birthday party. i had only had 6 points before my meeting. when i got home i had 1/2 c. FF vanilla yogurt, some granola and frozen berries and then a 1pt. bag of kettle corn popcorn.

yesterday i went into DH's work (he is a fireman) and they started a new diet/fitness program. wives are invited to join. it is called leanness lifestyle by dave greenwalt. the concept is to eat about 6 meals a day. with each meal containing a protein & a carb. i went grocery shopping & got some staples for this program. since DH is doing it i decided to join him. i bought lots of cottage cups (like individual yogurt), yogurt cups (w/ a good carb/protein ratio), low fat cheese sticks, FF american slices, low fat waffles, lunch meat, single serving soups, apples, pears, protein bars (w/ a good carb protein ration), whole grain wraps, 2 oz. tuna packets, whole grain bread and quick oats. i'm still going to count points, but i think this diet will be more of a "clean eating" diet.

i am nervous about going out of town on this new diet/fitness program. i know there is no Y where we are going. i was thinking about taking some exercise DVD's to have something to do.

another note: DH bought me a used treadmill. it's pretty nice. i've rearranged our front room & put our elliptical in it (it used to be a "towel rack" in our bedroom) and the treadmill. i also put the body ball in there (which used to be in our closet) and my dumbbells (which were under my bed). i'd like to get an incline bench and a heavier set of dumbbells, but in time.

anywho, wish me luck on our little vacation. we leave today. DH is going to KY to compete in a fire fighter combat challenge and they we are off to TN for the other 3 days!

a bit scared

2009-08-11T09:38:00.005-05:00

so for some CRAZY reason, last week after i hit my 20#'s and reached my goal in the challenge things have gone down hill. it probably didn't help that i went home and had frozen pizza and a beer to celebrate. i think things escalated from there..... :o(

anywho.....

today a week later i'm up .5 pound from last tuesday morning. i did go to the Y last night @ 9pm to run on the treadmill for ONE HOUR (i have not run on a treadmill for long period of time since may, i've been running outside)! i know i can't undo a weeks worth of not so good eating and not tracking in one night, but i thought it was better than watching TV. the weather has been hot this week too. meaning there were TWO days in a row i did NOT work out. people, this has not happened since we were out of state for spring break and there was no Y. (i made it to a Y when we went to Indiana for a wedding) i feel like i'm falling off track and i still have some progress to make (my goal).

i need to track this week! AND i need to make it to the Y 6 days again! how do you get re-motivated after doing this "diet" thing for 28 weeks! PLEASE! i need to finish this sooner rather than later......

(edited to add: i forgot we leave thursday to go out of state again (where there is no Y in the town) for 5 days). i have NEVER gone out of town and came home weighing the same or less. i have always gained and i've always gained a LOT. i am going to take my DVD's with me this time since there is no Y.)

wish me luck at weigh-in. it will take a miracle to show a loss this week!

GOAL

2009-08-05T10:36:00.004-05:00

i've been sitting most of the morning thinking of my goal. my weight watcher goal and my personal goal. i would love to loose 25 pounds on weight watchers. and i think that would be a nice ultimate goal to set. the number would be 127.6. as a personal goal i would like to be 125. healthy ranges for my height (5'5") are 120-150. i think 120 would be pretty hard to maintain, but i'm not their so i can't say for sure. i know i'm older, not a young teen anymore. right now i weigh what i weighed before having baby #4 (who will be 3 this fall). i look back and i remember weighing 115 after baby #2 without having to work for getting to that post-baby size. i also was only 22. approaching the big 3-0 this fall i want to look my best ever. i don't want to look like i've had four kids! i want to have muscle tone and i want to look like a HOT MOM! LOL so, with all this thinking i have my goals set and i hope to meet them before my 30th birthday! and i have 74 days to get there! BRING IT! i can do this!!!

Weigh-In

2009-08-04T21:05:00.003-05:00

drum roll please...........................................

131.4 yes, folks! that's right! i did it! and i worked hard for it! you can also see that i finally made it to my 20# milestone. which i was awarded another yellow star!

i was in a challenge w/ a priorfatgirl and here is a summary:

My starting weight - 141.4
My weight goal for August 1st - 132 pounds
week 1 - 139.8
week 2 - 138.6
week 3 - 136.6
week 4 - 135.6
week 5 - 135.2
week 6 - 134.2
week 7 - 133.0
week 8- missed WI
week 9 - 131.4

and actually i lost a total of TEN POUNDS in nine weeks. and i busted my A$$ to do it! i've run more than i ever have. i have run further than i ever have. i've counted many points and look where i am now! WOOT!

Sadness

2009-08-01T12:58:00.001-05:00

Words can not express how sad I was to find out the Jen @ prior fat girl had lost her mom unexpectedly yesterday. Jen and her family are in my prayers!

Chicago

2009-07-28T08:24:00.003-05:00

So we went to Chicago on Saturday. Headed to a cubs game (where I had some beers, hot dog & peanuts :P), out to bars w/ friends (and think we stopped by a taco bell ;o), then we had dinner for our anniversary (lots of Italian bread, wine & a wonderful pasta dish & dessert). We stayed over in a hotel and the next morning morning had a wonderful breakfast (eggs, bacon, potatoes, amazing french toast, beautiful fruit, oatmeal and pastries) and sadly I tried EVERYTHING! We walked to lake shore dr. and then to navy pier where we had these wonderful ice cream "sundaes". OMG wonderful! We walked to union station, missed our train and then had subway for lunch while waiting. The weekend was GREAT. I was glad I enjoyed myself and all the food. I was up 4 pounds when I got home, but it was worth every bite! Yesterday was back on track for food & exercise & was great! I woke up with a horrible headache today because I didn't have any caffeine yesterday, water only. Hoping for another great food & exercise day to get those pounds off sooner rather that later! I'm going to bust my hump to get this weight off ASAP! Not sure about weigh-in tonight @ 6. Both boys have football 5-7 and DH is working.

Weigh-In & Challenge Update.....

2009-07-21T14:43:00.003-05:00

so i said earlier this week that i needed to loose 1.6 to be down 20#'s from my starting WW weight. here is how weigh-in went...

My starting weight - 141.4
My weight goal for August 1st - 132 pounds
week 1 - 139.8
week 2 - 138.6
week 3 - 136.6
week 4 - 135.6
week 5 - 135.2
week 6 - 134.2
week 7 - 133.0

this weeks loss 1.2! sadly, i came home, had three MGD 64's, too many chips, cake and other great food! we had lots of people over last night for DH's birthday! i will not lie, i was soooooooo upset i didn't not make it. i do keep tabs on my weight @ home w/ my scale and i really thought i had this in the bag when i woke up. i was 2.5 pounds less that when i woke up last tuesday. the only thing i can think of was that maybe it has something to do w/ eating such a late lunch yesterday since i was running errands for the party! another reason i was so upset is because this weekend we are going to chicago for our anniversary (cubs game, nice restaurants, hotel breakfasts, etc.) and i'm afraid that i will be up a little from that. oh well, i guess. keep moving forward even if it takes a few more weeks than planned?!?!

total loss during this challenge - 8.4 pounds

1.0 pounds to go on my challenge w/ Prior Fat Girl!

running in the rain

2009-07-21T14:37:00.001-05:00

so i ran in the rain today for the first time and i didn't melt. i actually smiled everytime a semi truck went by and i became wetter! LOL

1.6

2009-07-20T16:30:00.000-05:00

the loss I need tomorrow @ weigh-in to reach my 20 pounds! wish me luck!

Running

2009-07-14T20:41:00.005-05:00

I really think the reason for my great weight loss numbers recently is the running I've been doing for the past few weeks. Tomorrow we are running again. We usually run about 30 minutes @ 5:30 a.m. three days a week. I've only been running every other day to prevent shin splints that I had when I tried to start running when I started my exercise. With running tomorrow, that will be the third day in a row for me! And surprisingly I feel GREAT! I love what it has done for my weight loss and my size (slowly loosing inches EVERYWHERE)! I LOVE IT!

Challenge Update.......

My starting weight - 141.4
My weight goal for August 1st - 132 pounds
week 1 - 139.8
week 2 - 138.6
week 3 - 136.6
week 4 - 135.6
week 5 - 135.2
week 6 - 134.2

total loss 7.2

only 2.2 to go! I think there are only 3 more weigh-ins in this challenge, maybe 2?

33:28

2009-07-11T10:56:00.002-05:00

33:28

that is my time for my first 5k that I ran last Saturday. I did walk last year, but was so proud of myself for running the whole thing. I felt great afterwards, a great accomplishment!

Today my SIL and I ran another 5k and there was a pretty rough hill (really a mini mountain). I did run the whole thing, but thought I might die at the top of the hill. It took me a long time to recover my breathing etc. from the hill. My time today was just under 34 minutes, maybe 33:52. We are going to sign up for more. Total it is me, my sister, and 2 SIL's running or starting. It will be fun doing more 5k's the 4 of us. My one SIL is trying to get me to do a marathon next fall. We'll see......

Weigh-In

2009-07-07T19:53:00.002-05:00

I'll update on my weigh-in tonight & hopefully tomorrow post about my first 5K race. Tonight I lost .4. Not a big loss, but it's a loss! I probably could of done better if I didn't eat 4 pancakes and a fudge pop before weigh-in. I should of stuck to 2-3, but couldn't resist! LOL

My starting weight - 141.4
My weight goal for August 1st - 132 pounds
week 1 - 139.8
week 2 - 138.6
week 3 - 136.6
week 4 - 135.6
week 5 - 135.2

total loss 6.2

only 3.2 to go!

Movie Theatre

2009-07-01T08:21:00.002-05:00

First I'll update my weight from weigh-in last night! Down 1.0 WOOT! Bringing my WW total to 17#'s gone! FOREVER! 135.6 I know this seems strange, but I can almost taste the 120's. I can NOT wait to get there! After weigh-in last night we went to the movies. I ate 1/2 of an extra small popcorn and small regular coke and too many of the kids' milk duds, skittles, butterfingers and reese's pieces! YIKES! Damage control today!

My challenge @ http://www.priorfatgirl.com/

My starting weight 141.4
week 1 - 139.8
week 2 - 138.6
week 3 - 136.6
week 4 - 135.6

total loss 5.8

only 3.6 to go!

The Hidden Scale

2009-06-26T08:11:00.004-05:00

So Tuesday night after weigh-in, I asked DS to hide my scale. Not some high up, secret spot. Just a place I don't look everyday. I am kind of an obsessive weigher. Once in the morning and usually many times before bed. It really doesn't affect me. On days where I know I've gone down, I bust my butt to stay on track and keep that number the rest of the week. But it is stressful when I have gone over on sodium, maybe skipped my "daily dump" (TMI.....sorry!) and the scale is up slightly. So, I'd like to go back weighing once a week. I will ask DS to get the scale out for Tuesday morning, so I'm not shocked @ WW or I may keep it hidden. But knowing my curious self, I probably can't wait ALLLLLL day to know my weight!

10%

2009-06-24T05:57:00.011-05:00

I can't believe I finally made it! 10%! OMG! I had to loose 1 pound this week to get to 10% and I lost TWO! I'm so proud of myself. I've worked so hard over the last 5 months! My leader asked me to go up front of the meeting and say 3 things that helped me reach my 10% and my answers were: water, fruits & veggies and EXERCISE! She also asked me how long it took me and I said "a looooooooooong time". For reaching my 10% I got a nice WW key chain.

Also since i did loose that 1 pound I needed to, I also got another yellow star. Bringing my WW weight loss to 15 pounds (really 16 because I lost TWO pounds this week;o)!

And an update on the challenge I'm doing w/ priorfatgirl.
My starting weight 141. 4
week 1 - 139.8
week 2 - 138.6
week 3 - 136.6

total loss -4.8

only 4.6 pounds to go

14 and 4

2009-06-16T19:15:00.005-05:00

14....my total weight loss thru weight watchers thus far. My total weight loss since "dieting" and working out is 16.5! Woot! Once I get to 15 pounds I will have reached my 10%! My leader asked me tonight about my goal weight, but I don't think I'm ready to pick one. I'm afraid to pick something that isn't maintainable (120 or less), but I want to go as far as I can too!

4....the size of capris I bought at Marshalls on Monday! FOUR'S! WOOT! WOOT! And better yet they fit! I wore them to SIL's birthday dinner!

An update on my weight loss for the challenge I'm in.

My starting weight was 141.4
week 1 139.8 (-1.6)
week 2 138.6 (-1.2)
total loss of -2.8

only 6.6 pounds to go!

8

2009-06-11T18:25:00.002-05:00

The size of pants I wore to a wake tonight. I can honestly say that I haven't wore those in about 3.5 yrs. I can also fit into a pair of GAP "track pants" that are fitted, w/o elastic waist! WOOT!

3.6

2009-06-11T09:38:00.001-05:00

yes! that's right! i ran! and i ran 3.6 MILES! woot!

Challenge

2009-06-09T20:40:00.004-05:00

I have decided to join in a weight loss challenge w/ Prior Fat Girl. There are many of us setting a weight loss goal for August 1st. If you reach your goal you give yourself a reward. If you come up short, you give $50 to a charity of your choice. Here are my details....

My weight goal for August 1st - 132 pounds
My reward - facial (At 132 pounds I would be over my 10% WW goal which my reward was going to be a facial. A massage might be nice too. I'll have to decide between the two!)
My charity if I come up short - K-LOVE christian radio (I have always wanted to donate to the listener supported broadcast.)

My starting weight was 141.4
Week 1 of this challenge 139.8 (-1.6)

I'm so excited for this challenge. I feel like I have my work cut out for me in the next 8 weeks or so. I need to loose 7.8 more pounds. That is about a pound a week!

I also went for a run again outside 2.8 miles. Getting ready for my 5K!!!