Big Loss!!

Last week: 167.1
Today: 164.5

Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!  That's a 2.6 lb loss this week!!  I was so thrilled to see those numbers on the scale this morning.  I guess my "no leftovers" mantra worked out great.  I didn't have any cookies in the house (or I would have been tempted to eat them, I'm sure!) and I didn't take anything from dinner, other than a couple of lean pieces of ham.  I did have ice cream cake for Natalie's birthday and champagne for New Years Eve, but other than that, I was pretty good.

So, on to my resolutions.  I made a new dinner last night: Pork Au Poivre from Food Network's Healthy Appetite show.  I found the recipe online, and tried it out for our New Years dinner.  It was pretty good, and low in points.  I'll tweak it next time I make it (I tend to do that will all my recipes!) and it'll be really good.  If you want the recipe, let me know!

I'm also heading out for a run this morning while Joe watches the kids.  I usually only get to run on the weekends lately because it's too dark before Joe leaves for work and after he gets home.  But, I haven't run in two weeks due to the holidays and all the craziness.  It'll feel good to get out there, especially with all my new gear.  Thanks, Mike and Aunt Diana!

2012, Here I Come!

Last January, I began Weight Watchers again after giving birth to Natalie.  I weighed 193.2 lbs as of January 23, almost a month after having her.  As of last Monday, I weighed 167.1 lbs. 

That's 26.1 lbs lost in 2011. 

Now, I would be lying if I said that I've been 100% dedicated to WW the entire time.  In fact, I took a pretty long hiatus this summer/fall while packing and moving into our new house, going on vacation, etc.  I found all kinds of excuses not to track my weight or points.  When I got frustrated in July, I started running instead of going back to WW.  While I'm glad I got into running, it wasn't helping me lose the weight.  Sure, it kept me from gaining, but I wasn't losing.

So, I started this blog in November.  In a month and a half, I managed to take off 5.1 lbs.  It's a great start, but I'm hoping that 2012 will get me to my goal weight of 145 lbs.  I still have over 20 lbs to go, but I know I can do it! 

Now on to the resolutions, since it's New Years Day and all...

1) Prepare healthier meals for myself and my family.  This means more veggies and lean meats and less carbs and fat.  I can already hear my kids and husband grumbling :)  haha
2) Train for, and run at least a 10K by the end of the year.  I know I can do this, but I just can't seem to get my runs in lately.

So, weigh in is tomorrow and I'm not sure how it'll go.  I've been doing pretty well this week, but forgot to track my food a couple of days.  I always feel out of control those days, like I can eat anything and it won't count since I'm not writing it down.  I know - this is a bad habit, so I need to keep tracking everything I eat everyday.  It's so easy to backslide.

2012, here I come!  I will cook healthier.  I will finish a 10K.  I will stick with WW and track my points.  I will reach my goal weight!

Now, here's a couple of pics in honor of the new year:

Here I am, two days before Natalie arrived.  Probably around 210 lbs here.  Oy!

Natalie's about three days old here, and I'm around 195 lbs (a rough guess)

 August 2011 - around 175 here

January 1, 2012 - roughly 167 (we'll see where I weigh in tomorrow!)



Beating the Odds

Last Monday: 167.5
Today: 167.1

So much for that average 7-12 pound weight gain over the holidays.  I totally kicked that statistic's butt!!  Instead of gaining over the holiday season, I lost 2.4 pounds instead (between Thanksgiving and Christmas)!  Yesss!!

I wrote a long, awesome blog post earlier, but my computer ate it and I don't have time to write it again.  It's my daughter's first birthday, so I'm getting ready for a day of fun!

I'll write more about my holiday eating later.  But, for now, I'll just end with...

YAYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another Loss!

Last week: 168.2
This week: 167.5

I know I've been a bad blogger.  Things have been very busy, with the kids' birthdays and Christmas coming up.  But, I'm still doing well with WW, and still losing!  This past week was a tough one, with all the cake and goodies from Jackson's birthday and temptations from a holiday party.  So, I'm pretty happy with my 0.7 lb loss.  I have a feeling that next Monday won't be so pretty, after all the holiday craziness. 

Ok, so here's my plan for this week:

1. Stay on track with WW Monday through Thursday, while we're home.  Exercise as much as possible.
2. Be good on Friday, and try to track while at the in-laws' house.
3. Splurge a LITTLE on Saturday.  It is my birthday, after all!!
4. Taste everything on Sunday (just like I did on Thanksgiving) but don't go crazy.
5. Monday = back to WW and stay on track!

This seems like a pretty good plan to me.  I'm not expecting to be perfect this weekend, but I'm not saying that all bets are off and I'm going to eat anything I want.  It's a good balance, I think.

I'll try to blog some this week, but I'm not promising anything.  I still have gifts to buy, bags to pack, house to clean, laundry to do...  Whewww!  Only 6 days until Christmas!!!!!!!

Slooooooow, but Steady

This week: 168.2
Last week: 168.3

Well, this week's loss was a bit disappointing, but I have to remember that a loss is a loss.  That is 0.1 lbs gone and, in the grand scheme of things, I know the weight will continue to come off.  I'm not looking for an instant cure, after all.  Like I've said before, it's a lifestyle change so, if I stick with it, the weight WILL come off.

This week will be a challenge, as Jackson is turning 3 and we all know that birthdays aren't complete without the cake!  I'll just have to be careful, have a small piece, and count WW points for it.  No problem - I can do it.  And, if I want more, I'll just drink some water and pop a piece of gum... and send everyone home with the leftovers!

While I'm planning for the inevitable cake-fest this month (which includes Jackson's, Natalie's and my birthday), I should also start preparing myself for the holiday season.  Last year, when I was enormously pregnant with Natalie, I was eating all of the Christmas goodies I could get my hands on - cookies, candy, chocolate.  This year, I'm avoiding.  Well, not completely avoiding, but just tasting instead.  Ugh, it's hard.  But I can do it.  After all, I did manage to lose over Thanksgiving.  But, that was only one day.  Christmas eating has seemed to engulf the entire month.

I can do it.  I can do it.  I will stay strong.  I will not eat my weight in cookies.

Stay tuned to see how cake-fest (part 1) turns out!

Not Too Bad at All!

Yesterday was my second weigh-in: 169.5 

I am down 0.3 lbs from last Monday and I'm pretty happy with that.  No, it wasn't a big loss, but it was a very tough week!  Temptation stared me down literally every day I was at home in PA - from Thanksgiving meals to Vincent's Pizza (legendary at the Brewers!) to leftovers and desserts, I had my work cut out for me!

I'll admit - when I first saw the number on the scale, I was a little disappointed.  After losing almost 2 1/2 lbs last week, I was hoping to see a bigger loss.  Then, I came back to reality and realized that losing ANYTHING over the holiday week was a success.

This made me curious about weight gain and the holidays, so I just Googled the average weight gain during the holiday season.  I was thinking it was probably 2 or 3 lbs.  But nope: the average American (according to http://www.healthguidance.org/) gains 7 to 12 pounds over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season.  WOW... that number surprised me!!  I know that the next few weeks will be tough, with Christmas cookies and candies and treats at every corner, but I'll just have to be strong and avoid the temptations!  Of course I'll indulge every once in a while, but I'll make sure to be smart and use my WW points wisely to fit in some treats.

So, here's to staying strong and sticking with WW during the holiday season!!  I know I can do it, and will be so happy when I do.  Instead of going into New Years with another new resolution to lose weight (like every year!), I'll go into New Years lighter and fitter than I was before Thanksgiving. 

Take that, Mr. Healthguidance.org statistic!!!!!!!!!!

Operation Thanksgiving: Success!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!  I had a great day with family, and felt so blessed to spend the day with them.  I could go on and on about how thankful I am for the MANY blessings in my life, but this blog is about weight loss.  So, let's get to it... 

Joe's and my parents live pretty close together, so we did the double turkey dinner today.  So, not only was I battling with my inner eat-a-holic self, but I had to do it TWICE.  Oy!

So, a few days ago, I told myself that I wanted to:

1. Taste everything in small portions
2. Save all my WW extra weekly points for Thanksgiving dinner
3. Go for a run on Thanksgiving morning

Here's how that went...

When it came to the dinners, I was able to taste everything - just like I'd planned.  I had a little of everything, which was plenty to fill me up and left me feeling like I didn't miss out on anything.  It felt great to walk away from the table comfortable instead of overfull and lethargic, like most other years.  I also stayed busy in between meals, so I skipped out on the snacking and tasting in between.

As far as WW weekly points go, I have stayed within my daily points all week, so I had all of my extra points to play around with today.  Since there was no good way for me to calculate points for the dinners, I just relied on portion control to make sure I was doing well.

Then, because we had to go to two different houses, I decided to do my run yesterday morning instead of this morning. That actually worked out great, and Joe and I ran about four miles (well, we ran most of the route, but walked up the enormous hill!). Today, we rested, and tomorrow we'll go run again.

Overall, I think everything went according to plan and I'm pretty proud of myself, which feels great!  For the rest of the weekend, I'll skip the leftovers and head straight for the fruit and veggies!

Here We Go...

It's the start of the long Thanksgiving weekend, and I'm feeling pretty good about my game plan so far.  Just because I'm not at home doesn't mean I can't stay on track and eat healthy.  So, this morning, I pulled out my mom's measuring cups and measured out my breakfast, like I always do at home.  Then, I came online and tracked my breakfast on my WW online tools like I always do.  And, I came online and blogged.  So... so far, so good.

Now, if any of you know my mom, you know that she's a great cook.  She is also an amazing baker.  So, I need to be careful that I don't overindulge in all the goodies she makes.  Luckily, she also reads my blog and cheers me on, so her fridge is stocked with fresh fruit and healthy snacks.  Thanks, Mom!  I'll make sure I'm munching on fresh berries and pineapple when those cookies and pies come my way!

Ok, gotta go play with the kiddo...  he's been chanting "Mommy go play!" for the past couple of minutes, so I'm off.  I'll check in later to let you know how I'm doing!