Must. Get. More. Exercise.

Foodwise, I'm doing really well so far.  I've rediscovered lots of WW-friendly foods that I used to eat all the time (I'll mention those goodies later!) and am staying within my points allowed.  I have noticed that, for the past couple of days, I've been picking at the kids' plates a little again, so I need to make sure I am aware of that temptation and staying away from their food.  I've also noticed that I've been getting to the end of the day with extra points, so I need to make sure that I'm snacking throughout the day instead of hoarding points.

Now, exercise is a whole other issue.  I want to get out and move, but I just can't seem to get myself out there.  The weather has been crappy, and the kids make it hard for me to work out during the day.  Ugh, I know these are excuses, but I'm just not sure how to get in more exercise.  I did take the kids to the mall today to walk, so that was good, but not nearly enough to break a sweat.  I will definitely be running this weekend while Joe watches the kids, but running once a week isn't going to cut it.  Any suggestions would be welcome :)

So, about those WW friendly foods, here's a list of some of my favorites.  I like to make a list so that, when I'm in a rut, I can come back to this post and say "Mmm, that sounds good - I forgot about that!"  Oh, and feel free to share your favorite healthy foods!

- Laughing cow cheese wedges (on Wasa crackers, tortillas, sandwiches...)
- String cheese
- Grapes
- Baby carrots
- Smoothies
- Banana with 1 Tbsp melted Nutella (YUMMM)
- Tortilla pizzas
- Baby dill pickles
- Apple slices
- Grapefruit with splenda

The list will go on...

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!

Goodbye 170's! Don't Come Back.

I weighed myself this morning: 169.8! 

Last Monday, I was 172.2 and bummed out.  I was frustrated and ready to change.  Now, I'm excited and proud and 2.4 pounds lighter!

Here's what I noticed over the last week:

- I'm hungry more often, which means that instead of fueling cravings or boredom, I'm actually fueling my body.
- I'm drinking more water and less soda, and actually liking it.
- I'm very conscious of everything that I eat and drink
- I'm making good decisions

All in all, I'm happy with how the week went, and with the weight change.  I was able to go out to eat, go away for the weekend, and snack while losing weight.  Now, I just need to keep up this positive momentum going into this week, which will be a HARD one. 

Yep, I'm talking about Thanksgiving.  Ugh.  I'm not looking forward to all of the temptations I'll encounter this week, but I need to remember how good I felt looking at that lower number this morning.  I need to think about how I'll feel next Monday morning.  Will I be proud, or disappointed?  Is eating that big slice of pie or that second helping of turkey worth the disappointment?  I don't think so. 

So, here's my strategy:

- Try a little of everything, but just taste... don't shovel :)  And, drink lots of water.  And chew gum directly after dinner to avoid snacking!
- Save all of my extra weekly WW points for Thanksgiving day.  That way, if I want that slice of pie, I can have one.  But, just one.  And, if I don't finish my extra points that day, I can use them for the rest of the weekend if I want to.
- Go for a run Thanksgiving morning.  Joe already said he'd come with me!

If anyone else has any strategies to add, I'd love to hear them.  Let me know!!  Now, it's time to make some breakfast.  Good thing, too, because I'm hungry!

Unexpected, but AWESOME!

When I first got the idea to write this blog, I was thinking of keeping it private - kind of like a personal journal.  I would take my frustrations out on the keyboard instead of the bag of chips in the pantry.  I would look back on my meals for ideas when I got bored with the same old breakfast.  I would keep myself accountable by inputting my weight every week.  Then, I realized that I'm lousy at keeping myself accountable.  That's the kind of thinking that got me in trouble in the first place.  So, I sucked it up and went public.

And something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, people are messaging me and telling me how much they like reading my blog, and how it has inspired them to make a change.  Wow - I was not expecting that!  I was expecting to be embarrassed by the fact that I just told my Facebook friends how much I weigh.  But I'm not.  I'm glad that people are reading my blog, commenting, and giving me ideas.  It makes me realize that I'm not alone in this, and that I can't slack... don't want to disappoint my fans :)  Haha.  So THANK YOU to whoever is reading this!

Ok, so now that the mushy stuff is out of the way, here's what yesterday looked like:

B: English muffin with pb, banana and tea
L: PB&J on whole wheat, mandarin oranges and baby carrots
S: String cheese, two pretzel rods
D: Pot roast with onions and mushrooms, noodles, grapes
S: Grapefruit

And, today:

B: English muffin with pb, banana and tea (sense a trend?  I don't mix it up much for breakfast!)
L: Chick Fil A grilled chicken sandwich w/ fruit instead of fries
S: String cheese, veggies with light ranch dip
D: Spaghetti with meatballs, cucumber/tomato salad
S: Hot tea with fat free creamer (it's cold outside!)

I'm doing great with WW points, and have stuck to the points allowed per day.  Now, in the WW plan, you're also allowed extra points per week to do with however you like.  I saved those this week on purpose, because I'm going out of town this weekend and would love to splurge a little.  So, I probably won't post until Sunday, but I'll post honestly when I come back.  Hopefully I don't crawl back with my tail between my legs... :)

Until then, have an awesome weekend!

PS.
I am amazed that I didn't pick any fries or chicken nuggets off of the kids' plates today at Chick Fil A!  This new me has much more willpower than I originally thought.

The Five Ps

You've heard them... Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.  The five Ps are relevant in pretty much every aspect of life - especially weight loss!!  I must pat myself on the back today for adhering to the five Ps and having an awesome WW day.  I even have two points leftover for a bedtime snack (hello, m&ms!!).

Today looked like this:

B: Two eggs, English muffin and tea
L: Peanut butter sandwich, yogurt and grapes
S: Pear and 20 almonds
D: Tortilla pizza (YUMM!) and veggies w/ light ranch dip
S: Halloween m&m's

First off, I planned a fun day for myself and the kids since we spent yesterday cooped up indoors.  Today, it was rainy, so I decided to go to the mall.  While we were there, I planned on walking a few laps with the stroller before sitting down to let them play.  I purposely didn't leave for the mall until after an early lunch because I didn't want to get caught in that "well, we're out and it's lunchtime, so we better stop and get something" routine.  I don't mind eating out every once in a while, but, the more times we go, the more times I'm tempted to get something bad.  Plus, I was already planning on eating out for lunch tomorrow.

So, I knew we would be out during snack time, so I packed the kids a snack and grabbed a pear and almonds for myself.  That way, we weren't out and starving and tempted by Auntie Anne... you all know her, I'm sure!  Not only was I able to get in a little exercise by lapping the mall with the kids in tow, but I was also able to get in a healthy lunch and snack, all the while having fun with the kiddos.  Not too bad of a day!

Oh, and the tortilla pizzas were pretty awesome!  I was originally planning on making pizza on the refrigerated Pillsbury dough but, when I got home, I realized that I must have used the dough without remembering.  Oops.  So, in a pinch, I used flour tortillas.  I sprayed a cookie sheet with Pam, laid out a couple of tortillas, then topped them with sauce, a bunch of veggies, cheese and pepperoni.  Then, I baked them at 375 for about 15 minutes.  Even Joe and the kids liked them. 

Now, I'm off to get those m&ms I saved up for tonight :)