WI#22 +1lb

All day I tried to make excuses about why I should not go to my weigh in tonight, my DH was coming home and I wanted to spend time with him, it was pouring rain out, I was so tired from working late etc... but the real reason was that I knew I had gained and I knew I deserved the gain. The Thursday evening WI is at 6:30, at 6:10 I was laying in bed still making excuses.. and then my DH said let's go!! So he drove me to the meeting and waited in the car while I faced the music. 1lb... when I lose only one lb I feel ok but wish it was more, when I gain one pound it makes all the old feelings of self doubt pop up. Sometimes this is such a mental game.

Onto brighter things, a great NSV today. I am officially a size 16! I bought some new fall clothes today and the tops and bottoms were 16s or 1x. I am buying only a few pieces (I have to wear the new season product at work) because I hope to be out of the plus sizes completely by the time the winter line arrives.

So as promised to myself here is my eating journal for today.

Strawberry mini wheats (3)
6" Turkey Subway sandwhich (6)
Small bag Baked Lays (3)
Cadbury Thin bar (2)
Portabello mushroom swiss patty - PC blue menu (6)
Burger First hamburger bun (3)
Condiments (1)
Tomato, lettuce, pickle (0)
Snap Peas (1)
Dijon Honey Dressing (1)
Pita chics with cinnamon and sugar (2)
Cool Whip (1)
Pineapple (1)

Points used 30/30
Veggies 7/5
Water 2L
AP - 1earned

Focus...

I will have to WI on Thursday night this week instead of tomorrow as I promised my nieces a day at the wave pool. Of course, since I am a scale addict I know that I will probably not show a loss this week, or a maybe a small loss or gain. I have not journalled at all this week and I know that is a big problem for me. I have been making healthy choices but not watching my portion sizes. I have been feeling so good about how far I have come that I find myself losing some of the discipline that has been the key to my success. I am going back to the basics, I will be recording my daily menus here as well as my AP for the week. I have a few special events this week that will be a challenge, and I need to hold my self accountable for staying OP. I WILL reach onederland by Christmas - that is my main goal and I will remain focused on it!

Goals for this week:

Journal 7/7 days
C25K 30min 3/3 days
Swimming 2km 2/2 days
Water 2L 7/7 days
Blog Posts 7/7 days

Becoming a way of life.

I had a couple pf girlfriends from high school come to visit over the last few days. We went back to the town we grew up in (where all our parents still live) and spent time catching up as life has taken us in all directions of the country. We ate out for every meal at all the places we used to go as teenagers, so point tracking (never mind Core) was difficult. I made pretty good choices, seafood instead of beef, fruit instead of hashbrowns, salad with dressing on the side instead of fries. But, I also indulged in chocolate mousse cake (shared) 2 fried oysters, half an eggs benedict and a couple of drinks in the pub at night. I found myself estimating points and keeping a mental tally druing the day, cutting back for one meal to splurge on another. I feel like this is how this program will work for me in the long run. Yesterday night when I got home I was 230lbs and bloated... I drank a litre of water before bed and this morning I am back down to 225.8 - so I think no long term damage was done.

One of the best moments of the reunion came I picked up one of my dearest friends who I have not seen in two years. I have not mentioned anything about how much I have lost to her. It was dark outside when I drove to her mom's place she gave me a huge huge and then said, 'what happened to the rest of you, holy shit how much weight have you lost!'

This is a picture taken yesterday and it is so nice to feel like I blend in with my friends and not stick out as the 'fat one'.

WI#21 -1.8lbs

A solid loss this week. I saw a smaller number yesterday but I ended up eating a lean cuisine pizza as a late dinner last night after some last minute plan changes. Those things are pretty high in sodium so I think I was retaining a little water.

A friend of mine who has been working hard to get healthier as well has decided to train for the mini-triathalon along with me. The race is in May so we have some time.. I am not at all worried about the 1km swim as I do twice that a few times a week. The 20 bike should be alright as well since the route is relatively flat and I love riding. I am very concerned about the 5k run though. I have been struggling with the C25K so she and I are starting back at week one next week. I can visualize myself finishing that race and I really want that feeling of accomplishment!

HYC - check in

My official WI is tomorrow but today the scale told me that I am at a weight I have not seen since I graduated high school 14 years ago! And I am 50 pounds lighter than my heaviest weight 7 months ago. My DH and I were just discussing this milestone and he commented that I finally seem happy in my own skin. I have always been a happy person but consciously or sub-consciously my weight has prevented me from doing many things over the years, and from being able to be completely relaxed and myself in certain situations. I still have a long way to go and if my confidence is this high now I can only imagine what it will be like when I reach my goal weight.

It is time to set some new goals for the next few months:

I would like to reach my 50lb lost at weight watchers by September

I would like to reach onederland by Christmas (that is about 1.2 lbs a week)

I would like to complete the C25K by Christmas

Goals for the next year:

Reach 175lbs by 1 year ww anniversary (Feb 20, 2009)
Complete the mini Tri-athalon in May 2009 (swim 1km - bike 20km - run 5km)

100 lbs lost by April 2009

I really want to thank everyone who reads this blog and especially those who comment regularly. This forum has been a huge part of my success.. a safe place to confess, confide and celebrate with people who really understand what a challenge this can be. Thank you!!!!!!

WI #20 -1.8

I lost 1.8lbs this week and FINALLY got my 40lb star!

We had a fantastic time camping. The site was right on the lake front so each morning I would roll out of the tent and right into the lake for a peaceful swim. It was relatively quiet in the campground and very private where we were. Yesterday we rented a canoe and went on a 2 hour cruise around the lake (7 ap!). Late at night with the stars out and full moon shining, DH and I would go skinny dipping (the dog was just watching us like we were crazy) like we used to do together 12 years ago! Here are a few pictures of the beautiful location and one of my "boiled baggy omlette" I mentioned in an earlier post. The breakfast also included the turkey sausage rounds from M&M (2 for 3pts) - the picture is of my DH's portion (his 44 points a day buys a lot of turkey sausage).

Back to the Great Outdoors

My DH and I are going camping for a couple of days. Last time we went to a huge campground complete with man made lake, swimming pool, hot showers etc.. and we went with 7 other family members. This time we are going to a small provincial park way off the beaten track. The sites are really secluded and right on the lake front. I can't wait to kick back and relax... The park is about 40 min from home so I will sneaking out of the tent early Wed morning to go to my WI. I am sure the 40lb star will be mine!

A Summer Classic - done light!!

Tonight I made my favourite summer meal, with a few changes. The burger was a lean beef burger, carefully measured to be 3 points, a Burger First whole grain bun (still 3 points but really big and really tasty) fat-free cheese slices, fat free mayo, ketchup, tomato and lettuce. Since I don't have a BBQ yet I pulled out the trusty George Foreman grill.

I spritzed the corn cob with Becel spray, added salt and pepper and it was delicious! The iced tea was Crystal Lite with lemon slices.

The whole meal was only 8 points. I figured out how many points this meal would have been the way I made it last summer

Burger 6
Bun 4
Cheese 3
Mayo 2
Corn 1
Butter 2
Iced Tea 2

20 freaking points!!! For pretty much the same meal! These small changes are exactly how this will become a permanent lifestyle change for us.. I don't feel deprived and I feel like I am giving my body the fuel it needs! I would call that a NSV

Can too much pineapple be a bad thing??

It is so hot here! I don't have air conditioning (yet!!!)! I don't have a BBQ (sold it before we moved) so the last thing I want to do is turn on my oven, or eat anything hot. So for the last 24 hours all I have eaten is fruit... pineapples, mango, pineapple, strawberries, grapes, pineapple, canteloupe and pineapple. Can you tell that I LOVE fresh pineapple. Problem is that fruit is so low in points that it is 10pm and I have 16 points left. I am going to have some milk and maybe a turkey sandwich and then plan out my day for tomorrow so this doesn't happen again.

On the plus side.. at 8pm (when it was cooler outside than inside) I went for a 5k bike ride through the trails near my house. 4ap to bring my total since Wednesday to 13!

The scale gods were kind this morning!

The scale finally moved for me this morning.. these 2 pounds have been the toughest to lose so far. I hope I have seen the last of the 230's. For some reason seeing 22x makes me feel really close to reaching onederland - which is my goal by Christmas. So I am going to celebrate with a nice long swim and a turkey burger for dinner!

WI#19 STS

I went to my weigh in this morning and I stayed the same.. which means I am still stuck at exactly 230.0 I have been going over my eating journal for the week to see where I might have gone wrong. I was on plan all week, except for that nasty box of chocolates last Thursday. I struggled to fit in enough water on a couple of days so that probably hindered me a bit as well. I think maybe I am not ready to forgo the portion control of flex while I am on Core. So this week I think I will stick with the core foods but measure and count the points to make sure I am eating reasonable portions. I am frustrated but I feel great.. some pictures have surfaced on Facebook from the family camping trip last weekend and for the first time as an adult I am not embarrassed by what I see (and everyone else sees).

Today DH and I went hiking to a swimming hole that we last went to when we started dating 13 years ago. It is completely off the beaten track and totally private. We hada fun time hiking through the woods and swimming the afternoon away.. I love this new found energy and I am excited to continue enjoying the great outdoors this summer.

12 AP points today!

After work today my DH, SIL and I went to the pool for a swim. 1 hour and 2km later (and 6 ap) we left feeling good and tired! We had a delicious dinner of BBQ lettuce wraps. My favourite restaurant in Calgary was Bow Bulgogi and they make the most delicious chicken that you wrap with veggies and rice in big lettuce leaves. I was missing the fun lunches we used to have there so created my own version. I found a plastic tub of lettuce leaves at superstore that are specifiacally for this purpose. They are big, crisp and strong. A little rice, mushrooms, chicken and hoisin sauce and for a moment I was back at my favourite restaurant!

After dinner DH suggested a walk and it was the perfect evening. Just starting to cool off and a slight breeze. We decided to go in a direction we had not gone before and the next thing you know we had walked 5 km and two hours had slipped away as we chatted and looked at the beautiful mountains.. we really have moved to one of the most beautiful places on Earth! Much of this walk was uphill and I was not winded at all! Pre-WW I would have been red faced and out of breath, tonight was easy and enjoyable! So another 6 ap earned and I think I will sleep well tonight!

Here are some pictures of the Korean Chicken Lettuce Wraps.

The good the bad and the ugly...

The good: I saw a few people today who have not seen me in a few months and they were amazed at the changes in my physical appearance. I also tried on some of the new fall line (I manage a clothing store) and am now a size 16 on top and an 18 on the bottom (5 months ago I was a 22/24 on the bottom and 22 on top).

The bad: A last minute change in plans had me out of town for work and I skipped lunch, and am just about to eat dinner now (10:00pm) I had nothing between 10am and 10pm except an unexpected treat (see the ugly!)

The ugly: I was filling in at a store and hour away as they had a sudden death of a sales associate - I went to cover while the staff attended the funeral. As a thank you the store manager gave me a gift. When I opened it in the car I found a box of gourmet chocolates. So, many hours without eating and an hour in the car led to a complete annihilation of my will power and the box of chocolates is now gone... and I feel gross! I don't even like chocolate that much (I am a salty kind of girl) but I had one and that was all it took to kick in my hunger! So I will count them and move on. I am not that hungry now but I am going to have a veggie filled dinner and a big glass of water to get me back on track.

Tomorrow is a new day!

WI#19 -2.2

We came back from our camping trip just in time to WI at my meeting tonight and I lost 2.2 this week. I strayed a bit from my plan while we were camping but earned a ton of AP in the lake to make up for the treats. I had some great camping food discoveries form the WW message boards that made the trip more points friendly.

1. Put a couple of beaten eggs, bit of skim mozzarella, mushrooms, and any other veggies in a ziploc freezer baggie. Squeeze out all the air. Place baggie in boiling water for 10-13 minutes. You will then have the perfect omelet with no oil or butter necessary. These were so delicious that I will be cooking eggs like this at home form now on!
2. M&M meat shop turkey sausages. They have both breakfast rounds and turkey smokies that are perfect for roasting over the campfire.
3. Old Dutch Cream Dill Baked Chips... so good and made me not feel deprived while everyone else was eating their junk food snacks.
4. Pasta salad made with whole wheat penne, fat-free mayo, couple tablespoons of pickle juice, fat-free turkey and lots of veggies.

I was so close to my goal of being under 230 (saw 229.4 before I had to get dressed for the meeting). My goal for this week is to reach 40lbs lost so I would like to see at least 1.2lbs gone. Hope you all had a great Canada Day weekend as well (or a great Independence Day for my Yankee friends!)