Bar Food and Beer

So, I went to a new bar that had cheap food with my family tonight. I had a chicken breast sandwich, chili cheese fries (the best thing evah!) and 1 1/2 Bud Light's. Now I do not drink often because I have a low tolerance for alcohol, so the beer I drank gave me a serious buzz (my teeth were numb!) and because of the beer the food I ate was some of the best evah! So I had fun and ate whatever for the first time in weeks! And I no longer have any flex points (or very few anyway) so I must really work hard at the gym to earn soe AP's

Weekly Weigh In...

So this week's results are in and I amd down another...

-.8

These results are much more typical for me than all the over 1 lbs I've been getting for much of January. It's a loss, and I'm really happy about that, but I was beginning to hope my body was going to shed this fat a little better than it did in 2008. I had to work really hard for this .8. I feel like I worked harder than last week and maybe that's the problem. I worked harder in the gym so I built more muscle this week. Hmmm, that's a thought.

It has been about 12 weeks since I have done a health assessment at the YMCA, so I think it may be time to get back in there and see where and how much I have improved. I really like that they do fat %. I'm sure that's improved and I'd like to see how many inches I've lost too. I'm going to make an appointment today.

Snow Day!

I did not go into work today. I braved the snow yesterday because I didn't think 2.5 inches was enogh to justify not going into work, but when we hit 7 inches I decided I was not hitting the roads and especially when I leave for work at 5:30 AM and the roads have barely been plowed. So I've been awake since 4:30 AM and I have the whole day to do some cooking and cleaning and snow shoveling today.

Monday Recap

So I made a serious attempt at making mexican beans and rice tonight. It turns out... I don't know how to make it well. It wasn't a bad attempt but it sure didn't turn out like the Smart Ones version of it. It ended up being too dry. I needed to add more tomato sauce to it, but I didn't have anymore so I couldn't really fix it tonight. My daughter and I ate it any way. I'll buy some sauce tomorrow and add it to the leftovers (and there is a lot of it.) I followed the recipe from Lynn.

As for everything else... I stayed on track with my points AND I did 60 minutes on the elliptical at the Y tonight. I usually only do 30 minutes but stayed on longer because no one was waiting for the machine. I was also watching Oprah and I didn't want to miss what was going on. It was about teenagers who are severely overweight. Tomorrow is the 2nd part and Dr. Oz will be on the show and will attempt to help the kids. I'll be watching to what he has to say to them.

Contest for a kitchen scale!

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Weekly Weigh In...

Weigh in was this morning and I am down!!!

-1.4 lbs

So I'm pretty happy with it. I do wish I had lost .2 more because then I would have made it to the 220's but really it's okay because that just means that this coming week I can keep my eyes on the prize. I am determined to get there so here are my goals for the week.

1) eat a protein at breakfast to keep the hunger at bay
2) Get to the gym at least 5 days this week
3) Make a meal plan and stick to it (i've already shopped for the food I just need to work on some prep to make my job easier!)
4) Drink at least 96 oz of water daily

and my last goal is to get into the 220's but I think that is more like my reward for meeting my goals than anything else!

Lesson of the day

Don't expect a 3 point breakfast to keep you full until lunch. I had a 1 point English Muffin and a small (and I mean small) banana at 5:30 this morning and by 8 I felt like I was starving, so I ended up down at the cafeteria. I ended up eating a cup of oatmeal and another small banana for another 5 points, so I'm full now. Hopefully it lasts until lunch time...

Monday Recap

So once again I did not take photos of dinner but I should have because it was delicious.

Here's a recap of today's food:

Veggie omelot w/ just a tiny bit of cheese
hashbrowns

chicken chili
SF/FF chocolate pudding

Sloppy Joe's (made w/ lean beef and WW buns)
Vegetable Medley

SF/FF pudding w/ 1/2 banana

Exercise includes 30 minutes on the treadmill maybe not as long as I wanted but at least it's a little but of exercise. Tomorrow I'll get in at least 90 because I'll get in my Abs class and Zumba!

Weekly Weigh In...

I'm so excited to say that I have lost 3 lbs this week! 3 LBS! I've been back on program for 18 weeks now and most of weight losses have been .08 - 1.2 lbs a week with the biggest loss being 2.4 lbs that I had 2 weeks ago. So 3 lbs is the largest loss I've had in 18 weeks.

I am so excited and I truly believe that the reason I've stuck to the program and exercised consistently is the BLBE, I don't want to dissappoint my team so I've been making better food choices. I realized this morning that I have not been to a Fast Food Restaraunt since before Christmas! That means I haven't been to the evil place that is Taco Bell in almost a month, and I used to reward myself with Taco Bell every Tuesday after Zumba!

So yaay, I'm excited and happy and completely motivated for next week too!

Sidetracked by responsibilities

All my plans were changed so it feels like a failure of a day. My plans for the evening included running to the grocery store to get stuff to make a healthy dinner and also get to the gym to get some cardio in. Instead my suster called and asked if I could pick up my nieces(my brother's kids, he has school at night and his wife is on travel for work this week) and watch them tonight so instead of doing my thing, which I really adore doing, I had to watch the kids. For dinner I ate a salad, which is not bad, actually good. I probably could have used a protein but I'll get that in tomorrow, just like I'll get the gym in then.

Goal sucking

So I'm already sucking on my goal of taking food pictures. I think I'm having a hard time with this one because I eat at work for both breakfast and lunch and cameras aren't exactly allowed. So I think I may have to scratch that goal and redo it to try an accomplish it for dinners only. Not that my dinners ahve been anything to write home about this week.

Zumba and sabotage

I love my Zumba class! I've said it before and I'll keep on saying it. My instructor is awesome and encouraging and I look forward to Tuesday nights like no other night. I worked hard and earned lots of AP's, which is the only reason why I did not screw up my day points-wise.

I do not know what is wrong with my family, but sometimes I think they are evil. My daughter asked if I would drop her off at my Mom's house tonight so she could eat dinner with them. So I did and went to Zumba. When I went to pick her up, my family had not fed her... why I'm still a little confused about. So then, after I said something to my sister, she made Haley Mac n Cheese. Yeah thanks for that... did I mention I hadn't eaten anything yet? I hadn't. On top of that, there were brownies baking in the oven. Brownies! Yummy, gooey, chocolatey brownies. Brownies, cookies, cake etc are sstaples at my parents house and for some reason they decide to make them whenever I go over there. It pisses me off and puts me in a bad mood. So my exercise high was totally ruined. I've told my daughter we are not going over there anymore. You know, they say they want me to be healthy but then they do this. I think they want me to be healthy as long as I stay fatter than them. I'm sure that's not true, it's just how I feel right now.

And to top it all off, I missed most of The Biggest Loser because my family watches American Idol... okay I do too but not during the horrible auditions week.

Living Life One Day at a Time...

So I'm feeling much better about this week and am back on track. I did hit the gym again last night and tonight is Zumba! and I try not to miss my class because I do enjoy it so much. And that is something I thought I'd never ever say about exercise. I noticed that my gym clothes are getting a little loose, so while the scale might not be showing the results I want something is happening with my body so I'm feeling pretty good right now.

I had to take my daughter to the Orthodontist yesterday and it's now official she will be getting her braces off on the 21st. She's really excited and so am I, but for a completely different reason. I made my last payment for her braces yesterday. So who-hoo, one less thing I have to pay for every month.

Everyone has been setting goals and I think that's a great idea so I thought I would do them too:

1) exercise at least 5 days this week
2) Take pictures of my meals and post them (I may have to start on this one tomorrow cuz I've already had breakfast)
3) Limit soda intake to no more than 1 a day (I've slacked on this one lately, since there is currently no soda in my house this one should be easy to stick to)
4) Blog daily recap of how I did everyday.

I challenged my daughter to a Wii fit contest and she just texted me with her acceptance of the challenge. She's 14 and while not fat she's not exactly fit and I've been struggling with finding a way to get her to be more active. So she now has 30 days to unlock all the games/levels whatever Wii Fit has and get the best score she can and then I have to try and beat them. If I can't beat her scores then she gets. of all things, a Batman Backpack and Footsie PJ's. Seriously that's what she asked for. If I win she has to clean the house from top to bottom. Some serious stakes. I bet she drops 10 lbs and hopefully so will I. That would be totally awesome.

Lazy Day Sunday? Nope Not me.

So yesterday was disappointing on many levels. I didn't see the numbers on the scale I wanted to, I didn't drink enough water, and I attended a SLU girls Basketball game and ate concession food. I no longer have any Flex points for the week. That's how many points I managed to consume in one evening.

But it's okay, because today is a new day. I woke up early and went to church with my family, and we did not go out to breakfast afterward. And this afternoon I went to the gym and worked out hard. I actually ran. Well maybe more of a fast jog and I didn't last very long about a 1/4 of a mile but that's like waaay more than I've done before. I'm more of a walker. My sister is the runner. She was there at the gym too and she brought my Mom with her! My Mom is really good at the dieting part of losing weight but has never embraced the exercise. And she needs it desperately, so I was really happy to see her there. I'm hoping she will make it a habit. It would be great to go to the gym and have workout partners there. It gets lonely going by myself.

After the gym, I headed over to the grocery store to pick up a few staples that I need for my lunches this week. I was out of turkey meat and low on bread, and I'm going to bring salad with me this week as well. So I needed a cucumber. It felt really good to get in the grocery store and not be tempted by anything bad. Maybe I should remember to workout everytime before I head to the grocery store.

Tonight, I am going to a class offered by my church called Financial Peace University. 2009 is all about getting b alance in my life again. I've been working on my health and now I'm goign to figure out the money piece and maybe after that I'll be able to tackle the social aspect of my life. It's completely non-existant and has been for quite sometime. I really believe this is my year to figure out me. Give me time, I'm going to work really hard.

Weekly Weigh In...

So, I'm just going to say I'm incredibly frustrated at the moment because I've just gotten back from my weigh-in and there was.... no change. I neither lost nor did I gain! WTF? This was the first week, that I didn't cave and head to a fast food restaurant. This was the first week that I didn't eat breakfast from the cafeteria at work everyday. This was the first week, that other than spaghetti night (that I had all of my flex points for) that I cooked healthy meals and ate well like a normal person and not the overeater that I am. And the results are no loss? So I say again W.T.F.? The WW leader thinks the loss will catch up with me next week, but hell that just does not make me feel better now.

Happy Friday and Thrusday Recap...

Well I did manage to complete the day relatively unscathed. My Food consisted of:

FF vanilla yougurt w/ bananas and blackberries - 5 pts

Leftovers of the sausage and peppers - 7 pts
SF/FF pudding - 2 pts

WW peanut butter cookie - 1 pt
100 cal pretzel bar - 2 pts

Vegetable soup - 0 pts
SF/FF pudding - 4 pts (I had 2 servings)
100 cal icecream sandwich - 2 pts

After writing that all down I realize why I was so hungry yesterday, I did not eat all my points. It's a good thing I brought more food with me today to help with my hunger. It's very difficult to be at work and not have brought your healthy food in because the options here are pretty much awful!

I did not go to the gym last night. My house was a mess and I decided that I needed to do things around my house instead. So I ended up with a completely clean kitchen and livingroom. The kitchen of course is not as clean as it was when I was done because I had to make my homemade vegetable soup and cook something for my teen, who refuses to eat soup. (I think she does it to me on purpose. I know she thinks my goal in life is to be a short order cook) I'll head back to the gym tonight to make up for it. I don't ususally go to the gym on Fridays but well it's not like I'm doing anything else.

Hungry!

Hungry, Hungry, hungry. That's all that keeps going through my head right now. I am so hungry. Apparantly I need to re-examine my new breakfast, which was yummy and see what else needs to be added to it to help sustain me through until lunch time. I've just eaten a small snack but that hasn't helped either. I've also drank a ton of water, that hasn't helped either. I am not happy right now...

Daily Recap

I feel like I did really well with my food intake for the day. I ended using my AP's that I earned today, but that's okay.

Veggie Omelet
Hash browns
Engish muffin w/ cream cheese

Turkey Sandwich
Yogurt
FF/SF pudding

String Cheese

Turkey Sausage Ghoulash w/ Rice,peppers, tomatoes, & onions
FF/SF pudding

Workout: 30 minutes eliptical / 30 minutes weights


I shouldn't have had the hash browns but considering I stayed within my allotted points (as long as I use my AP's ;)) I'm pretty happy. I really like this competition it's really keeping my in line and motivated. I son't want to disappoint my teammates anymore than I want to disappoint myself!

Finishing the evening out on a postive note

So I made sure that I did not eat dinner anywhere but my own home tonight! After I got home from work I ate a snack to tide me over until after my workout. I had string cheese and a WW snack bar. I then went to an Abs class and then Zumba! I love my Zumba, it gives me a fantastic workout and I always feel great after the class ends. I earned 13 AP's, Woo-Hoo!

I came home from the gym and I'll admit I did not cook. I made a Smart One. I used to eat those regularly, but this time around I've tried to eat fresher foods, so I don't feel too bad eating it. I stayed within my points so I'm really happy and I know I'm going to do just as well again tomorrow!

Currently watching The Biggest Loser and this new twist is actually kind of sad. I'm sure there is more to the twist but I don't know what it is yet, so I'm trying to reserve judgement on it.

BLBE2 Team Angie!

I'm very excited to not only be on a team, but to start visiting my fellow team members and read the blogs and follow their success! I'm also looking forward to my own success. This is such a great challenge and it's going to be so much fun!

Variety

I am a creature of habit. Once I find something I like to eat, I stick with it until I've run it to the ground. It's hard for me to change what I eat, especially at breakfast. I usually eat a vegetable omelet for breakfast which is actually pretty good is you limit the amount of cheese you put in it. I recently switched from the omelet to an english muffin and cottage cheese in the morning, which is even better calorie wise for me, but basically I've eaten the same thing breakfast every day for a week now. Is my lack of variety keeping my metabolism from working at its best? Or am I okay as long as I'm sticking within my daily points? Am I keeping myself from truly enjoying food because I lack a pallette that enjoys variety? I don't just things I think about... and I guess my lunch habits aren't any better because I just realized that I've been eatring some form of turkey sandwich for the last 2 months and I'm still not tired of it. *sigh* At least I do different dinners.

Monday Notes...

So today was a bit of a mixed bag. I started off fantastic, but ended the day somewhat off course. Today I had:

Whole Grain English Muffin - 2 points
w/ cream cheese - 2 points
Cottage Cheese w/ pineapple - 3 points

Turkey Sandwich - 5 points
SF Chocolate Pudding - 2 points
Banana - 2 points
8 oz coke - 2 points

Then I went to the gym and worked out for an hour. I worked hard enough that I'm currently ready for bed and it's only 8:30 so I feel pretty good. I stayed conservative on my earned AP's and said I earned 6.

And then came the off course part. Before going to the gym, I hadn't eaen anything since Noon, so after the gym I was pretty darn hungry. My sister made spaghetti for dinner and invited us over. So I went and I ate it and then I ate some more. Instead of being satisfied I was FULL by the end of it. Overall I think I ended up using 11 of my flex points in order to cover today's food intake. Tomorrow I have my Zumba class, so I'm definitely eating a snack before class and then I am not going over to eat at any relatives house.

Lazy Sunday

So today is the last day of my holiday break. It's back to work tomorrow. I'm conflicted about it. I'm looking forward to going back to work because I do like to be productive, but I work in a department that spends a lot of time surrounded by food. It's difficult especially when you work with people that questions the food you eat. I don't even know how to explain it, other than when your life is food you become nosy about the food that people eat.So anyway the whole point of that is I dread going back because my life becomes about cafeteria food and I have decided I'm bringing my own food to eat so I can stick to the WW program.

I did not accomplish a lot today either. I have been completely lazy. I got a couple loads of laundry done and I took H to exchange a pair of jeans she got for Christmas. She was pretty excited because she had to get them in a smaller size. I'm proud of her.

We also went to dinner over at my Mom's tonight. That was probably a mistake because I ended up eating beef stroganoff. It was leftovers so it's actually the second time in less than a week that I've eaten red meat. I'm not a huge fan of red meat, but every once in a while I crave it. I think I'm past the craving now. Points wise I'm still pretty close to my daily allowance. I ate oatmeal for breakfast and a piece of toast and then lost track of the day so I didn't eat again until dinner, so I'm good there, but I did realize that I ate way more at dinner than I needed to because I did not stay ahead of my hunger, something that the WW leader has been trying to encourage us to do. I failed today. Tomorrow I hope to do better.

Also, I joined the Biggest Loser Blog Edition 2. I think that will really help keep me focused. I won't win it because I lose weight too slowly (Thank you PCOS) but I do lose weight steadily when I stick to the program so I'm pretty excited about lsoing weight with others, even if it's with people I have never met in person.

It's a Brand New Year!

So the month of December was pretty much a bust. The last three weigh ins in December saw my weight go up by a total of 3.2 pounds. I almost quit WW again. Thankfully, I took a huge step back and re-evaluated why I am on the weight loss journey to begin with. Losing weight is nice, being thin will be great, but that's not actually why I'm on this journey. In July I was told I have to lose weight. I have a fatty liver, my sugar jumped 20 points in a year, and I was having a hard time walking up a flight of stairs.

So after that reality check for me, I buttoned down and really followed the WW program and went to the gym and made sure I worked out hard while there. I'm really happy to say that it paid off and I am down 2.4 lbs this week! I still have a little bit more to go to get all of the December slide off but I'm moving in the right direction!

And also as a victory for me today... After my Sat. meeting I usually head over to Panera or Sonic and eat whatever I want for breaksfast which could include a breakfast burrito or a chocolate pastry or sometimes even both. This morning I returned home and had an english muffin w/ cream cheese and cottage cheese w/ pineapple for breakfast... about a 1/4 the calories. I'm so very proud of myself and I feel completely motivated to continue on the new Momentum plan. So. excited. Seriously.