Way off Points!

So today did not quite go as planned.  I hardly ate anything I intended to eat.  The day began alright.  I think it all went downhill when I splurged and had a pumpkin spice latte no whip.  I usually get non-fat, but I decided that I would get regular today.  I only got a tall, so I didn't think it would be a big deal.  I knew I would look up the points value when I got home and work it into my day.  Points value = 6!  What!  It was only a tall!  

But really, before my latte I had a bun with the hotdog in the middle.  Someone at work brought in all these pastries and I gave in and chose that one.  I wasn't sure how many points that was, so I estimated and said 6, because of the size.  The rest of the day I was good at work.  But then I came home and didn't feel like what I planned on having.  So I ate some fish.  Then 2 slices of bread and some cheese.  And I find cheese really hard to estimate for points.  I know you are supposed to go by the size and thickness of your thumb, but who can only have one slice of cheese the size of your thumb and stop?!?!?!  Not me!!  So I estimated I ate 10 points worth of cheese.  And that was a conservative estimate.  And then I proceeded to washed that down with a muffin.  By the end of that eating session, I tallied up my points, and I went over my points by 24!!  You heard me right...24!  Needless to say, it will be a tough week!  Ha!

But at least I have the flex points to use and I typically go crazy on the weekend, because I feel I am entitled and I can.  I will just have  to be careful for the rest of the weekend to ensure I don't go over.

Plan for tomorrow:

Breakfast

1/2 cup cottage cheese - 2 pts

Apple - 2pts

Tea - 0 pts

2 glasses of water

4/19

Snack

1 cup yogurt - 2pts

2 glasses of water

6/19

Lunch

Salad - 0pts

Egg - 2 pts

2 glasses of water

8/19

Snack

Banana - 2pts

Tall non-fat Latte - 3 pts

2 glasses of water

13/19

Dinner

Chicken - 4pts

1/2 cup corn - 1pt

Brocoli - 0pts

1/2 cup rice - 2pts

2 glasses of water

20/19

Snack

Fruit...to be determined... - 2pts

22/19

I am also planning on going to the gym tomorrow and earning 2-3 activity points.  If for some reason I do not make it to the gym then I will not have a snack after dinner, to ensure I stay on points, or I will scrap the latte.  But I think I will want that, so I need to go to the gym.  And I will.

Drumroll Please...

Weigh-in Results: -2.2

I am super excited!!  I was a little worried about this weigh-in, since I went a little over points.  But I managed to get my workout in yesterday (and thanks for the comments reminding me that I need to get my butt to the gym!)  AND...I set a goal for myself that once I hit my 137 pounds mark, I would get to buy a new shirt or two, and I hit that goal tonight.  So I get to go shopping on Saturday.  

My food plan for tomorrow is as follows:

Breakfast

1/2 cottage cheese - 2 pts

Apple - 2 pts

Coffee - 2pts

2 glasses of water

6/19

Snack

1 cup yogurt - 2 pts

2 glasses of water

8/19

Lunch

Salad - 0pts

1/2 cup tuna - 3 pts

Balsamic Vinegar - 0pts

2 glasses of water

11/19

Snack

1 cup yogurt - 2 pts

Tea - 0pts

2 glasses of water

13/19

Dinner

1/2 cup rice - 2 pts

1/2 cup corn - 1pt

Fish - 3 pts

Tea - 0pts

2 glasses of water

19/19

Lets hope I can stick to it.  Actually let me re-phrase that.  I know I can stick to this plan!

Over flex points and feeling ill

Time for a little honesty...with myself...

So I do weightwatchers, watch my points, use my activity and flex points.  By this past weekend I had used all my flex points, which sucks as my weigh-in day is Thursday evenings, so to have used all my 35 extra flex by Sunday evening...yeah.  In fact, I think I was actually over my flex points by Sunday evening.  Anyway, I was doing okay, I knew I would have to be really careful to track everything I ate until I weigh-in.  Then yesterday, I strayed off points a little (about 3 pts).  Which sucks, as I don't have any extra flex points to use!  I could have gone to the gym...but did I?  No.  But I decided that I would eat well and stay on points tomorrow aka: today, and go to the gym.

Moving on to today.  I had a good breakfast, lunch, snack.  I was very prepared.  And then what happens?  I had 2 bite-size wonderbars.  Okay, not terrible, although...don't really have the points for them, but I figured, I would just have to have a really low points dinner.  

But then I went out for dinner.  I wish I could say dinner was unexpected, last minute plans, but I knew for a few days I was going to go.  I had never been to this restaurant before, so I couldn't really pre-plan my meal, but I could have made healthier choices.  So what did I chose?  The spinach salad?  No.  The vegetable soup with a sandwich?  No.  I chose tomato soup with grilled cheese.  Not totally terrible if you think about it, however; the tomato soup...I saw the oil in it!  WTF?  Who puts so much oil in their tomato soup that you see the oil?  And the grilled cheese, well...my hands could feel the oil.  And although at times I was a little grossed out eating it, not because it tasted bad, but because of the grease...but I didn't stop.  I ate it all.  And then I felt ill.  I was planning on going to the gym after dinner, had my gym bad packed and in the car.  But my stomach felt terrible and full.  Is this an excuse?  Possibly...but really it is almost 11pm here, I ate at 6pm, and I am still STUFFED!  And my stomach is still a little queasy. 

People on their blogs have commented that they are all or nothing type people.  So am I.  I could have stopped at half my meal and felt full, satisfied, but no.  I felt I needed to finish it.  What is with that?  So that is something I am going to try to work on.  Really listening to my body and what I want, need to be healthy.

My plan for tomorrow is to stay on points, and go to the gym.  I usually have coffee in my morning for 2 pts, but tomorrow I will substitute it for tea 0 pts, to try and make up a little for going so far over my flex points.  I will also really focus on fruits, and veggies.  I haven't calculated exactly how many points I am over.  The last time I checked...yesterday...I think I was about 6 flex points over for the week, so I am likely up about 10 flex points over?  Maybe more.  Oh goodness...but tomorrow is a new day, and I know I can stay on points.  I also think it was a good lesson for me, because honestly...my stomach feels quite bad, and I think it is because I haven't put that much grease/bread (I have to limit my wheat intake due to excema) into my body in a long time.  I guess my body really is learning to love the healthy choices!  

Before Pictures

Well the Biggest Loser Challenge officially begins today.  I am feeling really motivated and excited and nervous about the challenge.  I think it is going to be amazing and really help me solidify my goals.  

For the challenge we are supposed to post before pictures and then in 3 months, post our after pictures.  I decided to post a picture from last summer - June, 2007 to help me remember how far I have come.  It is the picture on the left.  I don't know my exact weight at that time, but likely around my heaviest, which was 162.4  The picture on the right is from this past June, and I weighed about 1 pound more than I currently do, around 139.6.  I'm really excited to post a picture at Christmas to compare of my hard work and the results!  And having said all that, I am going to go make myself a healthy lunch, and prepare my lunch for work tomorrow.  Happy Sunday!

The challenge begins!

Well I decided to join Angie's Biggest Loser Challenge

I figured it would help keep me accountable, and really motivate me to lose this weight.  Since the summer I have been struggling with my weight loss, gaining a pound or two, then losing that weight.  But I am sick of yo-yoing through my weight.  I want to be a healthy weight once and for all.

By far my biggest weaknesses are the gym.  Once I am at the gym...I love it!  But the motivation to go after work is hard and I can't seem to wake up early enough to go in the morning!  I have decided as part of this challenge for myself, I am going to go to the gym 3 days a week.  It seems completely do-able, but I certainly use excuses to not go.  Most of the time the excuses are I'm tired from a long day of work.  I also have a problem that if I don't go to the gym right after work, then I won't go.  I figure, by the time I get home, have dinner, it is too late to go to the gym.  Which really makes no sense as my gym is open til 10pm!  I also make the excuse that since I only go 3 days a week, I don't have to go today...I can go tomorrow!  So that is what I need to be held accountable to.  Getting my ass to the gym.  I really need to make it a schedule and a commitment to a healthier lifestyle and I know this challenge is just going to be a wonderful encouragement for that! 

Today's Food

I have decided to really try and make a conscious effort to post my menu plan for the day, because it helps keep me accountable, and I am able to look back and see where I struggled.

Breakfast

Cereal - 1/2 cup - 3 pts

Milk -2pts

Tea - 0pts

2 glasses of water

5/19

Snack

Nectarine/Apple - 2 pts

2 glasses of water

7/19

Lunch

Will be at the dentist office, will have snack later...after my mouth is no longer frozen!

Snack

Cottage Cheese - 1/2cup - 2 pts

Banana? - 2pts

Cake - very small piece - 8 pts

2 glasses of water

19/19

Dinner

Salad - 0 pts

Chicken - 4 pts

Rice - 1/2 cup - 2 pts

Corn - 1/2 cup - 1 pt

2 glasses of water

26/19

Hopefully I will go to the gym this afternoon for a workout and earn 2 activity points, so then I will only be over about 5 points to take out of my flex points for the week.  Although I may not be able to have cake this afternoon, depending on my mouth, so who knows!

Weigh-In Day

I knew it was going to be a good week.  I tracked all my points, I went over by maybe 3 or 4, however; the times I went over was for good food - fruits and veggies.  I didn't drink as much water as I wanted, but I am working on that.  I was a little concerned, because I did have Butter Chicken last night for dinner (yummy...) and then today I was at a work conference all day through breakfast and lunch, and it was difficult not having the food I normally eat around.  

But I lost 2 pounds!  Which I think is awesome!  I can't even remember the last time I lost 2 pounds, it seems like months upon months ago.  So I am really excited all my hard work paid off.  AND...I weigh 138.4.  That is the lowest weight I have been yet!  That is also my initial weight I weighed in at in 2005, when I first joined weightwatchers.  But I got down to my healthy weight range then, and I can now too.  I'm actually really excited and encouraged.  I know I am mostly putting healthy food into my body, and yet, I am allowing myself to have treats and not feel deprived.  It is a great day!

I will also say, there was this girl at my meeting last night, who has been coming for a while.  She asked me how I did, I said I did great.  She said she had lost 1.8 pounds, but she had been expecting a bigger weight loss so was not happy with the result.  I tried to tell her losing 1.8 pounds is awesome!  It is certainly not something to be ashamed of.  I have had weeks where I thought I lost more than I did, and although I think it is natural to feel disappointed at first, if you continue feeling that, then you are not honouring yourself for the hard work you put forward and minimizing yourself.  She was not buying it.  As the meeting ended, I saw her go back to the scale, and asked to be weighed-in again.  It just really made me sad to know that she is not celebrating her success, and giving herself credit for a good week.  

I was and am certainly happy with my 2 pound weight-loss.  My goal for this week was to get down into the 137's, and my treat was going to be to buy a new shirt.  I didn't make that goal this week, but next week I will, and I will get to buy a new shirt or two.  Which is quite nice, as I currently have no fall clothes.  I'm excited for the week ahead and all that it will bring!

The Biggest Loser!

Tonight the Biggest Loser began again!!  And I loved it.  It really made me feel motivated and want to workout and eat right, and just plain be healthy.  When they did the part of showing people's lungs, and heart, and how much fat covered some peoples organs, that was a big wake up call.  It is not just about feeling better, and looking better, losing weight will actually make my body better.  My goal is to continue to lose weight to be healthy, and to live a long life.  So here is to a healthier me!  

In other news.  I have been doing AWESOME this week in terms of my eating!  After Saturday, I was out of flex points (only 2 days into the week).  But I stayed on points for Sunday, since I went to the gym. And yesterday, I was basically on points.  I may have been over my 1 or 2, but considering the last few weeks of going over by 3, 4, 5, 6, that was not too bad.  Then today, had a good breakfast and lunch, with lots of points left for a snack and dinner.  However; there was cake at the office.  So I had to have a piece!  And I don't know exactly how many points the cake was, but I counted it for 12 points (as it was very creamy and delicious).  After eating it, I realized I literally had no points left for the rest of the day and it was only 230!  Shoot.  But instead of going home and saying screw that, I will just eat what I was planning on eating, I decided to go to the gym and gain some activity points.  Then I came home and had a big greek salad for dinner and I was full!  So yay me for not going over!  There is only tomorrow and Thursday until my weigh-in, and I am really hoping for a loss this week...a big loss...as I feel I have worked really hard and I just have a feeling that this is the week.  As long as I can continue to stay on points and get my water in, I should be good to go.

Menu Plan for Today

Well since I have no flex points left for this week, I really have to be careful about what I eat for the next few days.  So I am going to plan out my meals and make sure I get all my water, and veggies, and protein in.  Since I am so short I only get 19 points a day right now, so I really have to use my points efficiently.

Breakfast:

Tea - 0 pts

Cereal - 3 pts

Skim Milk - 1 cup (this includes milk used in my tea) - 2 pts

2 glasses of water

Lunch:

Salad - 0 pts

Tuna - 1/2 cup - 3 pts

Balsamic Vinegar - 0 pts

2 glasses of water

Snack:

Popcorn - 3 pts

Nectarine - 1 med - 1 pt

2 glasses of water

Dinner:

Chicken - 4 pts

Rice - 1/4 cup - 1 pt

Corn - 1 cup - 1 pt

Brocoli - 1 cup - 0 pts

2 glasses of water

If I am able to stick to this, then it seems like I should be completely satisfied.  I will have gotten enough protein, my 8 glasses of water, and about 4-5 servings of fruits and veggies.  Not bad, not bad.  I think I can do it.  I am also planning on going to the gym today and hopefully earning 2-3 activity points that I can maybe use if I am really hungry.  I just need to get organized with tracking and staying on points.  No more going over and saying oh well I have gone over, so I may as well go COMPLETELY over! 

Flex Points...Gone...

It is Saturday.  My weigh-in day is Thursday.  This means I am two days into my week, and I have used ALL my flex points.  How did that happen?!?!? And I know this is to be expected on a weekend, but still.  I like a little extra freedom in case.  Oh well.  My goal for this week is to track every single I eat, and I have, so I am pretty happy about that.  Now hopefully I can stay on points for the rest of the week!  

Procrastination at its finest

Here is the problem I have discovered with myself.  I give myself a goal.  Say...go to the gym 3 times a week, and because that is a very realistic, achievable goal, I kinda screw myself!  I say, it's only 3 times a week, so I don't have to go today, I have lots of days left!  But now it is Sunday, and I have other things to do, but I didn't go Friday or Saturday, so I really have to go today.  Plus, saying I will go 2 days during the work week before Thursday...I won't.  Why do I procrastinate to the last minute for everything?!?!?  And my water goal is not going any better.  But today is a new day.  8 glasses here I come!

Re-Focusing for the new year!

Well I sort of feel as if I have come to a stand still with my weight-loss.  Although I am extremely happy that I have not gained a large amount of weight over the summer, I am definately not happy that I haven't lost any weight.  I know I could have worked harder over the summer and not given into as much temptation, and that would have caused me to actually lose more weight.  But September is an interesting time of year.  People go back to school, routines re-form and it's almost like a brand new year.  So I have made the decision that I will do my new years resolutions now.  Why wait until January?  No need!

I really thought long and hard about what I need to do in order to re-focus and achieve my weight-loss goals.  Although I didn't weigh-in this week, the week before I was down to 139.6.  My lowest weight to date on WW has been 139.4, so I am almost back there!  My next mini goals is to be 137.4.  That would mean I will have lost 25 pounds!  Currently I have lost 22.8.  It's hard to imagine that I have lost that much.  Some days it seems as if it is nothing, and other days I tell myself that I have lost over 20 pounds...and that is damn good!  I need to start rewarding myself and not being so hard on myself when I have weeks that don't go so well.  I need to remember that this is a journey, and it's hard, and my weight will be a lifelong journey, even once I achieve my goal.

 So the tools I need to re-focus are this:

1)  Water.  Drinking 8 glasses of water a day.  This is something I have struggled with since joining WW, and I don't know why.  I like the taste of water, and I am often dehydrated (clearly my body is trying to tell me something).  And yet I struggle with getting in 8 glasses each day.  So this is my big commitment at the moment.  Hence the picture.

2)  Journalling.  I need to track my points more carefully.  I have found lately, that I don't always count my points.  I estimate servings and point values, and then I wonder why I don't lose more!  And I eat a piece of candy here and there, and don't count it.  So no more of that.  I want to be at a healthier weight for me and if it means writing down everything I eat and points values, then I have to do it.  There are people who have lost tons of pounds, and gotten down to their goal weight.  And I know I can do the same.  

3)  The gym.  The gym and I have not been friends lately.  By the time I get home from work, I'm tired and I make an excuse not to go.  I did go last night, and it was hard.  I forgot.  But I felt much better about myself, and I haven't sleep very well all summer, and last night I had a fabulous sleep!  And I think it was from the gym.  Maybe it wasn't.  But I'm going to say it was.  So my goal is to go 3 times a week.  I would love to go more, and if I do, then good for me!  But I can't make unrealistic goals.  So I am hoping to go again tomorrow and Sunday, and possibly Tuesday or Wednesday.  

So these are what I am going to focus on.  I will be in my healthy weight-range one day.