A quick update.

Things are rolling along smoothly here. My nephew was born on Thursday so the last few days have been filled with family and excitement.

My eating has been on plan. Used a few flex points yesterday after and encounter with a piece of Pineapple upside down cake at a family dinner but the piece was small and accompanied by 1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream. It was really good but I was able to stop at the one piece.

I have gone to the gym Wed, Friday and Sunday (just got back from a morning workout and now heading off to work). I have done the first two days of week2 of the C25K and feel pretty good about it. I will probably do a second week of week 2 - after the runs my heart rate is a little above the rec commended zone for cardio - I would like to run for 3 minutes and stay in that zone.

That's all the news from here. Hope you are all having a great long weekend. I am excited for fall - I think it will be much easier to stay in a routine when all the summer parties guests etc.. slow down.

WI#26 -1.2 lbs

I went to my WW meeting right after work tonight and was a little dissapointed to see a number that was a pound higher than I saw on Monday. When I stepped on the scale at home this morning it said 121.4, that makes me feel good that my hard work is paying off. I was completley on plan with my food this week and earned an astonishing (for me anyway) 29 activity points. I just looked at my tracker and saw that I am half a pound away from being halfway to the first goal I set for myself of 175lbs.

I chose 175 because for a brief time when I was 19 I lost a lot of weight, in a very unhealthy way, and that was the smallest I got before I changed that unhealthy lifestyle. To make a long story short, when I was in my second year of university I began running.. and I stopped eating! I was surviving on salad, diet coke and cigarrettes. I ate absolutely no protein and was exercising like a crazy person. This insane 'diet' I put myself on worked quickly and quickly made me very anemic and obsessive about my body and weight. I ended up in the hospital and after my family, boyfriend (now my husband) and friends figured out what I was doing they helped me see how destructive I was.

13 years of quasi-dieting and I have never been able to get back to that weight in a healthy way. Part of me always believed that it would be impossible to eat moderately, exercise moderately and still lose so I didn't bother trying very hard. So that was the ultimate goal when I started this WW escapade! I now have the knowledge, support and experience to know that I absolutely can be that size and healthy! Once I reach 175 I will re-evalute and decide if I want to lose more.

A Mixed Bag

Thanks to everyone for all the support after my last entry, it is great to know that all my cyber friends are rooting for me. I did not go to weigh-in today as we went on a shopping trip to a nearby town and got back to late. I will go the the meeting tomorrow night and will post my results for the week then.

I went to the gym 6 out of 7 days this week, I only took off Saturday. Usually I am not the type to exercise everyday but I am still loving it so I might as well go while I feel so motivated. Next week my friend and I are going to go before work in the mornings. I am a little leery of this as I have never been much of a morning person but I'll give it a try.

I treated myself to some new running shoes today, they are so pretty that I have to take a picture. I used them tonight on my 3rd day of the C25K week one (AGAIN!!!) and they were so comfortable! I have done week one 4 times now, never feeling ready to move on to week 2. Tonight went really well though and I will start week 2 on Friday. Here is a picture of my new beauties.

Thanks Janet for the carrot cake recipe, It turned out fantastic and my DH said it was better than the one I used to make. We had it for dessert yesterday after a delicious dinner of chicken breast stuffed with spinach, mushrooms and feta. For a side I roasted squash. A low point and filling meal!

Eating Less, Moving More

That has been my mantra this week, and the results are showing on the scale. I have new exercise motivation through the gym. I have gone 4 times this week and it so much different from my past attempts. Seeing my heart rate during my cardio workout has been great - I now know how hard I can really push myself. The bast part of the gym is the weight training. It may sound vain but I like looking in the mirror as I do weights, I am amazed at how much different I look - especially my arms. I can see my muscles working and I look and feel strong! This was exactly the change I needed to keep me on track for my Onederland By Christmas goal!

I am currently waiting for my very very pregnant sister-in-law to go into labour. I will be looking after her 2 year old while she is in the hospital, I am very excited as this will be the first nephew in the family (I have 5 nieces already). It used to be hard when friends and family had babies since being a mom is something I have wanted for the past 9 years. But this time I keep thinking how in a year hopefully it will be me either being pregnant or going through the adoption process. I don't blog much about this as I really want to concentrate on becoming healthy before I even think about starting fertility treatments again or beginning the rigorous adoption roller coaster. It was those fertility treatments, the miscarriages that followed and the ensuing depression that caused me to gain the 40 of the pounds I have recently lost. This time will be different.. I know what I am getting into and I know that my DH and I can handle whatever happens. 2008 is the year for ME - 2009 will be the year for my family, in whatever way it happens.

Saboteurs??

I had an argument with DH a few days ago and something happened yesterday to bring it back to the top of my mind. On Monday after our bike ride we went grocery shopping. I bought all of the usual healthy foods and all of the food necessary to prepare his meals for the week (he works out of town for 4 days) On the way home he turned into another grocery store near our home and said he had to run in and get something. Before I know it he leaves me in the car and is in the store. When he came out he put the bag in the trunk and didn't want to tell me what he bought. Of course, as soon as we got home I went to check the bag and it was a CARROT CAKE and MOJOS (if you have never seen them they are baked potato wedges fried with a spicy crust). I was pretty annoyed with him, he obviously didn't tell me that he wanted these things so I could not talk him out of them, but also that he would bring them into the house.



I let him gorge himself in private while I stewed in the bedroom. Pretty soon though I started to think about the situation more clearly. I used to eat those kinds of things all the time and would bake him carrot cakes and make homemade deep fried everything! Just because I am choosing not to eat that way anymore does not mean he has too. So I apologized for getting angry and for trying to tell him what he should or should not eat. He was feeling pretty guilty by this time and I could recognize that post-binge disgust that sets in. I left it for a while and later we looked up the NI for what he ate (too obscene to post!!!!!) so he is at least aware of what he put into his body. My DH has lost 50lbs since May... and probably is OP 60% of the time - I need to be 100% OP or I lose nothing (or gain) so we are working on giving each other the support we need while making ourselves happy as individuals.



For my part I am actively looking for a moist delicious low point carrot cake recipe to surprise him with when he comes back home in a few days - anybody know a good one?



I truly don't think my DH is trying to sabotage me, but I do think my friends fiance is sabotaging her. When I went to the gym with her last night we were stretching and I was telling her about the Butter Chicken I made and had for dinner. She told me that she had 2 McDonalds Double Cheeseburgers for dinner1 WTF??? Now, this girl has gone from a size 14 to a size 10 in the past 6 months and eats organic everything. I asked her if she went to McD's. She said her fiance brought them home. She did not ask for them, he just wanted McDonalds and thought she would want some too. They have a 2 year old girl and until she started losing the 'baby weight' 6 months ago she felt terrible about her body and always felt tired. She is so full of confidence and energy now - why would he want her to eat that stuff? Of course he did not shove them down her throat but the smell of a McDonalds cheeseburger is pretty hard for most people to resist. It is not the first time he has done this, plus he often will complain when she wants to go out and exercise that she should stay home with him.... ok I'm getting off topic.. have any of you had or have a saboteur in your weight loss journey? People threatened by your new confidence etc...



Thanks for letting me get that out! On to good news. I went back to the gym today! Yup, two days in a row. I did 30 minutes on the treadmill - walk 90sec run 60sec. Then I did 20 minutes of weights and 15 minutes of stretching. My food was good today as well - lots of veggies and lean protein and I came in at my 30 points exactly. I went to pick up some fruit after the gym and came across a French Kiss Melon. I have never heard of this so I picked one up. It is like a cantaloupe but 100x more sweet. Delicious!!

WI#25 -0.4

Phew... I FINALLY got my 45lb star. The scale was lower yesterday but with a 6:30 WI tonight I had to have a little dinner before.

I have been struggling lately getting into the exercise groove. I am doing a little of this and a little of that but not enough of any thing. For the first 6 months of my WW life I have been swimming 3 times a week. I am not really loving it these days and I used to look forward to my swims but now they are boring me. So, time to shake things up! The friend that I go walking with goes to an all women's gym. They were offering a good promotion so I signed up for three months. I have not seriously gone to a gym in about 10 years. The few times I have considered joining I have felt too self conscious.

Tonight was the first night I went. I did 30 min on the stair climber (burned 200 cal) and then 20 minutes of weights, concentrating on my upper body. Then 15 minutes of stretching and abs. It felt great.. I was working hard on the stair climber, my heart rate was between 150-165 the whole time. When I got off after 30 min I was sweating but not really out of breath. Major NSV there! So I am aiming for 3-4 times a week at the gym for the next three months.

Food was on track today as well:

cereal (4)

curves bar (1)

tim horton's chili (7)

whole wheat bun (4)

butter chicken (6)

peas (1)

pita (2)

cereal (4)

curves bar (1)

points 30/30

veggies 5/6

h20 2 Litres

AP 5

I think I will use a couple of ap to have an apple and a 100 cal chocolate bar to get in that last fruit for today.

Overslept... postponed WI

I can't believe I missed WI this morning. Usually I go to the Wed night WI but I have to work tonight so I planned on attending the 10am WI this morning. Since it is 10:43 right now, I guess I missed it. The last WI for the week is tomorrow night at 6:30, so I will definitely be there. She is my least favourite of the three leaders but I really need that WI and meeting to gear me up for the next week!

I tried a new recipe today from the Eat Shrink and Be Merry tv show.

http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails.aspx?dishid=8423

It is absolutely delicious. I love Indian food and this version of one of my favourite dishes worked out to only 8 points (including the rice). It was really easy to make - I have made the more traditional version before and it is an all day event.

My DH and I have a little road trip planned for September. We are going to take two weeks and camp at various places in BC where people have told us there are excellent bike trails. In anticipation of this trip we went on a 10k trail ride on Monday. I usually just ride on the street - It is so much harder (and more fun) to be riding on the trails. Lots of AP and a very sore tushy were my rewards!

To all the other Wed weigh-in friends - good luck today and I will post my results tomorrow!

I love summer, but....

I really do love the summer. I love the lake, I love wearing flip flops everywhere, I love fresh fruit and produce. My problem lately seems to be those pesky weekend trips/BBQs/visits with friends from far away etc... This weekend my DH and 12 other family and friends went on a murder mystery train ride. The train ride was a blast.. and it was followed by a wine and cheese. Wine! Cheese! Danger Danger Danger!! I had saved 10 of my daily points for this adventure. 3 glasses of wine = 6pts. After 3 glasses of wine I forgot to count points for the appetizers we had. We decided to go to a friends for dessert and then out came the Tequila! Old friends and a bottle of tequila led to a reminiscing drinking came... I am terrible at games so 5 shots in half an hour (10pts!!!!). Final stop was the bar we hung out at in our early 20's two ceasers later (6pts) the memories fade... next thing I know it is the next morning and I am definitely feeling the tequila and my age catching up with me.

OK, lets try and pull out the good points of this situation:

1. I ate very healthy until we got on the train
2. I actually had no cheese at the wine and cheese (but had some chicken wings, and veggies and dip, and a mini quiche)
3. I had caesers instead of rum and coke (Clamato is very low points)

This morning I am seeing an OBSCENE number on the scale. Friday morning the scale was 223 - this morning it was 229. I know I did not gain 6 lbs in 2 days. I seem to be saying this every Monday lately, I will b chugging water and hiding the salt shaker in an attempt to redeem myself for Wednesday's WI.

It's Not Easy Eating Green

I was making my lunch for today last night and when it was all assembled I just had to stop and take a picture. I have never eaten so much green food in one meal. I had lettuce wraps with chicken curried cous cous with green peas, grapes, and cauliflower and cucumber with fat free blue cheese dressing.

Despite my advanced preparation today ended up being a weird food day. I was rushed this morning so I grabbed a Curves Bar on my way out the door at 7:30. Of course this did not fill me up s by 11:30 I was really hungry. I ate my lovely green lunch at 11:30 which filled me up nicely. As I mentioned yesterday we had some major technical issues at work, the IT guy was supposed to show up around noon today. I waited and waited and waited... he finally showed up at 5:30pm and tore apart my computers trying to make at least one till work. I was trying to organize everything and make sure none of my employees were stressed out.. by about 7:30 I was feeling light headed and shaky - there is nowhere to get food close to where my store is except the dollar store next door. I went and grabbed a bottle of water and a chocolate bar to get my blood sugar back up. At 10pm the tech and I decided to call it a day with a date for tomorrow morning at 7am to resume trying to rescue the computers. Even with the chocolate bar I had only eaten 15 points for the day. I have just eaten a big bowl of cereal (6 points) and will have another glass of milk to get in a few more points and that will be it for the night.

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On Track

Day one of this new week and I am on track! I was home sick yesterday (but I dragged my wheezing, coughing but out of bed for my WW meeting) and am still not 100% today. Major computer malfunctions made for a crazy day at work but I think I have finally licked the stress-eating issues of my past. Here is my menu from today, with a couple of bonus pictures.

Special K vanilla almond with skim (4)

1 cup pineapple (1)

1 cup grapes (1)

homemade chicken corn chowder (7)

bryers 100 call ice cream (2)

1 cup grapes (1)

chicken quesidilla (7)

apple dipped in chocolate (5)

points 28/30 - 2 left for an evening snack

veggies 8/6

h20 2 litres

Here are photos of the Chicken Corn Chowder and my apple in chocolate

WI#24 -1.2

I think I was one S'more away from my 45lb bling! I am please with the loss though as it has taken me two days of record water consumption to shed the sodium induced bloating from my camping trip. I will just have to wait one more week to get that next star.

Weight Watcher In The Woods

We just returned from a five day camping trip. It was a really fun weekend with some old friends who drove out from Calgary. As usual on these trips I had some great OP moments and some not so great moments. The trouble spots can be summed up in two words - VODKA and S'MORES!

I did not really count points for the Saturday and Sunday so I am going to figure it out now and see how much into my flex I went.

Saturday:

turkey sausage (4)
scrambles eggs with mushrooms and cheese (4)
grapes, strawberries and pineapple (2)
campfire pizza (6)
nacho chips, salsa and ff sour cream (5)
grilled chicken breast (4)
baked potato (4)
corn on the cob (with butter) (2)
s'more (3)

total 34 points

Sunday:

scramble with potato and sausage (6)
toast with butter (3)
deli chicken (3)
whole wheat bun (3)
baked scoops with 7 layer dip (5)
grapes and blueberries (2)
steak (4)
potato (3)
salad (1)
s'more (3)
4 ceasers (8)

total points 41

15 of my flex points used, not too bad but my downfall was lack of water - I drank a lot of diet pop so I am feeling very dehydrated today and showing a 2lb gain on the scale. I have already had a litre of water since I got home and will try for a second before going to bed. I still have hope that my WI on Wed will put me at 45lbs lost .

The biggest NSV on the trip (besides feeling relatively in control of my eating) was that one of my friends brought a pair of LuLu Lemon workout pants that she no longer fits to give to me. This friend has lost about 40 lbs in the past year following Tosca Reno's eating clean plan. I just tried on the pants and although a little snug in the belly area, they fit!! I have always passed the Lulu Lemon stores and longingly looked at the lovely things that I thought I could never buy. I have two new rewards for reaching my next goals. Once I hit onederland I am going to buy myself a LuLu Lemon pink hoodie that I have always wanted. My other reward is a pact I made with another friend. When I hit goal he and I are going to go Bungee Jumping in Nanaimo. This is another thing I have always wanted to do but never thought I would feel comfortable attempting at my previous weight!

I hope all had a great weekend as well and now I am off to catch up on all the blogging I have missed since Wednesday!

WI#23 -2.2

A good WI this week - I lost the pound I gained last week plus one of its friends. Lessons learned and confirmed this week:


1. I still must track all my food - I can not 'guesstimate' the points I am consuming
2. It is possible to stay OP when unexpected circumstances arise
3. I will still lose if I eat some of my flex points

4. H2O is my friend



Today was another crazy eating day and the diet god's way of testing me yet again. I forgot my lunch so I had to eat out - something I never do on WI day as I try to keep my sodium at a minimum. And right before my WI (at 5:30) I got a call that I had to go back to work as soon as the meeting was over, so no time to have dinner at home, the closest thing was a McDonalds (yikes!) So this is how I did!



cereal with skim milk (4)
Tim Horton's Chili (7)
Tim Horton's WW bun (4)
6 Chicken McNuggets (6.5)
Side salad with low fat Italian dressing (1.5)
Diet Coke (0)



So now I am home, I ate at both Timmie's and McD's and only used 23 points!!! I have 7 points left for an evening snack/meal - I am really hungry so I think I will have a Turkey burger and a salad. I am calling this week a huge mental victory and will continue to set mini goals and track my food here next week. I only have 1.4lbs to my next bling and I am determined to get to 45lbs lost at my WI next week. Thanks for every one's constant encouragement - it is so nice to have all of you going through this with me!

Internal Dialouge

7am

*you should take your swim stuff to work and then go right to the pool after your shift*
*I hate changing back into work clothes after a swim, I'll come home and change first*

4pm
*I think I'll just check my email and face book*
5pm
*I should eat something before I go swimming*
5:30pm
*I need to let the food digest, think I'll just close my eyes for a minute*
7:00pm
*hmmm I think it is too late to go swimming*
*but I haven't been in so long and I know I will feel good afterward*
*you worked hard today - you deserve to relax*
*but I committed to it on my blog*
*just lie on your blog, they will never know*
*what is the point of a blog if I lie*
*good point, get off your ass and get to the pool*
8:30pm
*THOSE 60 LENGTHS FELT FANTASTIC*

Menu for today

cereal with skim (4)
apple (1)
snap peas (1)
oreo thinsations (2)
apple (1)
turkey burger patty (5)
bun (3)
condiments (1)
cereal with skim (4)

I still have 8 points left and it is getting late.. I hate eating too late the night before WI so I think I will have some fat free pudding with cut up apple slices and call it a night!

veggies 5
h20 3L
activity 1.5km swim (pool was closing because I procrastinated so long so did not get in the full 2km)

HYC - check in

The past two weeks have been a struggle. I don't think it is motivation that I am lacking, just time! Family, and friends have been crawling out of the woodwork for parties, BBQs, impromptu lunch dates, and twice someone has 'popped over with a pie' - who does that??? I have managed to stay OP all this week but too much restaurant food has left me feeling bloated and a bit lethargic. I usually walk/jog with a girlfriend 3 times a week but we have only managed to go once since last Monday and I have not been swimming in two weeks. So I think I need to narrow my focus - I will continue to blog my menus for each day and will set an activity goal for the next day until I feel like I am back in control and in a routine.

On a separate topic I went out last night with an old high school friend that I have not seen in 10 years. I had heard she lost 140 pounds two years ago so I was excited to see her and ask her about her fantastic weight loss success. Well, she told me that she had gastric bypass and lost the 140 in 6 months! She also just recently had a full body lift to remove all the excess skin. She looks good but I just didn't know what to say to her about it. For dinner we had whole wheat pasta with red sauce. I portioned mine carefully, passed on the garlic bread and had only a tiny sprinkle of Parmesan. She also had a small portion but it included a butter slather piece of garlic toast and at least 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. She also had some hot artichoke dip and chips appetizer. As we sat there eating and catching up I could not help feeling a little jealous that she had this instant quick fix to a new body and I will be counting points/calories for the rest of my life if I want to keep this weight off. I know that its not that simple and that the choice is different for everyone, but in the moment I had a tiny tiny pity party.

Ok, back to my goals for today. At least 3 L of water (for my sodium issue) I will go to the pool after work and swim at least 1.5K.

Still Fighting... Monday Menu

I had great intentions today.. packed a healthy lunch and had a bowl of cereal before I left for work. Then my mom suprised me by coming to town and wanted to spend my lunch break with me. After work an old friend invited me to visit her and her family at their campsite about a half hour away. I ate my lunch on the way there and said I would call it dinner. Then they had dinner at the campground, and I ate again. When I got home I was so HUNGRY!! So I had a healthy(ish) snack - I have no idea how many points I consumed.. but I am about to find out!

cereal with skim (4)
bran muffin (3)
6" Turkey sub (5)
baked lays (3)
hard boiled egg (2)
apple (1)
carrot sticks (0)
snap peas (1)
apple (1)
whole wheat pasta (4)
pasta sauce (meat) (4)
white tray bun (3)
baked lays (2)
apple dipped in melted chocolate (3)

36 points!! I guess it could have been a lot worse!

Good news is that I had 8 servings of veggies
2 Litres of h2o (and am working on a third before bed)

So I have used 11 of my flex points so far this week but only 2 days left so I think I will be ok. My exercise has been seriously lacking this week. Tomorrow I will hit the pool after work and try to kick start myself back into exercise mode!

Sunday Menu

It is so beautiful here today.. 27 degrees and not a cloud in the sky! I had to to work this morning and spent the afternoon doing some yardwork and making DH food for the week as he is heading back up North Island for the next four days. My eating is still scattered and not pre-planned but I am on track for the day.

Grapes (2)
6" Turkey Subway (6)
Baked Lays (3)
Turkey burger patty (5)
Whole wheat bun (3)
Condiments (1)
Small dipped cone (8)

So I have only 2 points left for the day and have only had 3 servings of fruits and veggies. I think some carrots and snap peas dipped in fat free honey dijon dressing will be my evening snack.

TGFF - Thank Goodness For Flex!

I had a plan for today... i knew I was going out for dinner... I knew I wanted to have a glass of wine... I knew I was cooking burgers for lunch... and then... a warm, home made apple pie showed up at my door..i had a piece... now I'm moving on..

Cereal with skim milk (4)
Turkey burger (5)
Whole wheat bun (3)
Condiments (1)
Salad with dressing (1)
Fibre One Bar (2)
Apple Pie (7)
Seafood Curry with Rice (10)
Lovely Glass of Shiraz (2)

Points 35/30
Water 2L
Veggies 5/5
Activiy: 2 hours of shovelling topsoil and manure for the garden

Freaky Friday

Today was a tricky one for staying OP. I knew I would be going out for lunch as my boss was coming for her quarterly visit so I had a very light lunch. When I got home form work my in-laws were helping my husband put up our fence and shortly after my brother-in-law and sister-in-law and niece came over. Everyone decided they wanted pizza (*sigh*) so I went off to Panago to feed the masses. I managed to stay within my points but was a little light on the veggies today

Apple (2)
Boston Pizza Thai Chicken Wrap (9)
Cereal (5)
Piece of pizza (6)
Veggies and dip (1)
Pita chips and cool whip (3)
Cereal (4)

points 30/30
veggies 4/5
H2O 2Litres