Just Kim and Her Weight Loss...

Doing good...

2010-01-19T17:49:00.000-08:00

OK, I've finally put my mind to it and I'm tracking and measuring and doing everything right this week. Better than last and much better than the last 6 weeks. Let's hope there is a change in the number this week at weigh in!

I've re-evaluated all my eating, adding in my fruits and veggies (which are so darn expensive this time of year!) and I've watched what will fill me up rather than just eating junk food to get some points. It also helps that there is NO birthday cake in the house! No cake, no cookies, no junk food that I will eat unless it's my junk food anyhow (100 Calorie Hostess cakes, for example).

I've got my fingers crossed. The only thing I haven't intergrated back into my routine is exercise. I usually walk and it's been snowing for 2 days. Plus the kids and hubby were home (except for today) and I'm NOT using an exercise video in front of them - thank you very much!!! There will be no exercise tomorrow either. I'll be out at one appointment after another all day. So, let's hope the weighing, measuring and tracking works!

Lost... and Found...

2010-01-16T08:38:00.000-08:00

I'm alive and I haven't given up. I sure felt like it the other day though! I've been back to tracking for a week and just like in the beginning, tracking is hard and takes some dedication and getting used to.

Over the last 6 weeks, I've lost and gained the same 1.5 pounds. I fluctuate from loosing 21.8 pounds to 20 pounds. I haven't made it to my 10% goal yet and you'd think that would get me excited but nope, not yet. I'm still kinda taking my time. For a while I was frustrated with my efforts. Last week, it was a tough week. Not only was it a tough week personally but financially and emotionally. OK, I think financially and emotionally go hand in hand! If you don't have the funds to buy good food, it's impossible to diet and eat healthy. Really, it just is!

Things aren't 100% better this week but I forwent some of the junk food for some of the less expensive fruits and veggies. Let's hope it keeps me on track.

Well, I wanted to update this blog and let everyone know I'm still trying. And after taking an hour to update my other blog, I really must get some work done today. More later!

Slipping...

2009-12-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

It's been a tough week. Weigh in isn't until Friday but I've had a really tough time staying on track this week. I haven't tracked but maybe one day. Yikes! I really have to put my head down and get back in the saddle. I haven't completely fallen off. I've tried to eat only what I think is the correct portions and I've tried to eat sensibly but I don't think it's been enough.

Oh, I hope it isn't like this through the rest of the Holiday.

Weighing in....

2009-12-06T04:33:00.000-08:00

Friday was weigh in day. I lost another 2 pounds! I'm very excited!

Last month I didn't loose as much as I lost in October. October was a great month for weight loss. But I can't dwell on that, I must push forward. This is the hardest time of year to loose weight for me. Many people in our meeting were saying that Summer is tougher but we don't go many places in the Summer to make it harder. At this time of year there is a party or two or even three every week through the beginning of the year. There are so many goodies and savory dishes. Something to try at every event and something at home waiting for you. It's tough.

Tonight I'm attending a Holiday party with 9 of my friends. I'm making Guacamole (for that HDL level), low fat Curry Chicken and for the Cookie Swap (yes! my friends are doing a cookie swap - eh curumba!) I made Holiday Meringue's. These are 1 point each. But I guarantee not all the cookies will be 1 point each. And I guarantee I'll be eating a few tonight.

On top of the parties and cookie swaps, I didn't track yesterday. Why? I don't know. I kept thinking of it but then put it off. And now it's Sunday and nothing went into my tracker for Saturday and I can't remember what I ate. Oh well. I know it wasn't too bad. I worked during my lunch time so when I got home I had a very light snack. Patrick made dinner and it was a high point dinner but I just had a Vitatop for dessert. I believe I made the best choices - even though I was very slack in my tracking. I will do better today. It's just this time of year, it's so busy and stressful. Too much to do. Speaking of which, I'm off to get some house work done. Gotta earn those activity points!

Oh, no! I'm behind a few weeks!

2009-11-30T16:42:00.001-08:00

Oops. I didn't realize. That turkey holiday got in my way!

I've been doing well, very well considering there was a large 'feasting' holiday and my birthday in there.

The week of November 14th through 20th I lost what I had gained on the weigh in for the 13th. So I lost 1.8 pounds! Then last Friday, I was weighed again and lost another 1.6 pounds! I'm so very excited about this. That's a total loss of 16.6 pounds since September 4th!

I went to my doctor's last week for a physical. My general practitioner retired and with those HMO's you need to have a PCP. I just chose a name out of a book last December and then made an appointment to meet her. This November was the first available appointment!! Can you believe that? Anyhow... I saw her on Monday, the 23rd and she basically told me that

"I was morbidly obese and that I needed to see a Nutritionist. I had to have blood drawn for testing and oh, my! Thank goodness your blood pressure is 120 over 80~! I'm sure you'll be dying soon though, so please exercise every day, don't eat any sweets and practice good healthy guidelines regarding eating. Oh, yah and use any products that may cause cancer."

OK, so if you know me. Then you know I already have an intense dislike for any doctor. (I was going to say medical professional but I do like my SIL! So I can't say that.) Doctor's and I have different view points on life. I'm a firm believer that surgery is a last resort and pills should be taken only when necessary not because it's fun to write out a script. Again, I digress...

So, I went to the nutrionist today. She asked why I was there and I told her that I didn't think I needed to be. I explained my 16.6 pound loss since September and she congratulated me! She told me I was doing a great job! She also told me that my diabetic fasting level was under 100 (it was 96 AND it wasn't a fasting test! I had eaten just before the doctor appointment - so the nutrionist said that was even better!). My total cholesterol was well below where it should be (147 and the goal is under 200!). My bad cholesterol was great (89 and it should be under 100) but my good cholesterol needed some attention. It was only 22 and should be above 40. Overall, I'm very healthy! YES! And I know that with some more weight loss, I'll be even healthier.

I've read a few things lately plus with the added question from the nutrionist, I've really thought about why I'm loosing this weight. Just for me? So I look and feel better? For my husband? For my kids? To live a long and healthy life? So I can see my grandkids? So I can see my great grandkids? So I can play with my children now? So I can have healthy bones later? So I change my lifestyle thus teaching my children to eat and live healthier? For more than just these?

My answer to all those questions is YES!! A resounding, ABSOLUTELY! I want to be alive at 90. I want to be healthy and picking up grandkids at 65! I want to teach and instil good healthy living and eating into my kids NOW!

This is why I chose to see the nutritionist. This is why I choose to follow the weigh watchers plan. This is why I chose to loose weight. I do all of it for my future and the future of everyone around me.

Up but swollen...

2009-11-13T14:02:00.000-08:00

OK, that title sounds funny. But this is no laughing matter!

I have gained. Yup 1.8 pounds. Ugh! I was doing so well until now.

I do have a reason. For the last 3 days I've been swollen. My poor fingers look like little sausages and my wrists and palms are distended. I don't know why. Even my elbow and knees ache and hurt. My sneakers are tight and my face is bloated. Why? I haven't a clue.

My thoughts on this is ... water weight. But why? I don't have a definitive answer. It could be caused from the infection Caleb and I had last week while we were sick. Or maybe too much salt. Or an allergic reaction to something I ate. Or too many glasses of wine on Monday. I just don't know. I know that this is the third day I'm swollen and I know it is directly related to my weight gain. I bought some water pills today and I've taken one and already had some noticable 'effects'. I can now remove my wedding ring but my right hand still looks shiny and my fingers have a tough time staying straight.

I'll keep an eye on this and see if it goes away but right now, it's caused a weight gain. So, it's time to kick this problem out!

An unbelievable loss... {weight wise}

2009-11-07T07:17:00.000-08:00

I'm sure this will happen again but today I'm in a little bit of shock. As you know, last week was Halloween and Halloween night I started with a fever, which lasted about 3 days. In that time, Caleb got sick and has been out of school all week. Fever, chills, other unmentionables. Yah, it hasn't been fun for him. And me, I've been very lethargic. Two days out of the week I didn't track my Weight Watcher points at all and two of the others I half heartedly did, realizing one day there was no way I was going to make it to my 29 points.

I weigh myself everyday to keep myself on track. I weigh myself on the Wii so it keeps a little graph for me - and I love graphs! So this week I weighed myself and found that although I had enjoyed a large loss at the beginning of the week (when I wasn't eating much), I was gaining it back. I thought I had gained the loss from earlier this week PLUS some. While I was bound to not be upset when I got to Weight Watcher scale this morning, I was pleasantly surprised at my loss. Actually quite floored. I did manage to loose a pound! Yes, one more pound gone!! That brings my total up to 15! I'm so excited!!!

It's been tough trying to loose weight while sick. Or rather, it was extremely tough to eat all the points I needed to eat while sick. I never vomited but I never felt right either - all week. Even now, I could take a nap. Whatever this is, it's worn me right out. But not eating all the points can be a detriment to you goal as well. Your body needs those points to function and lately, I can say... this body isn't functioning properly.

So, a one pound loss is my unbelievable loss this week. I thought for sure it was going to be a gain.

This week is also the last week I get any hand outs. I've reached the 10th week. No more hand outs. Bummer. I think those are my favorites. Even if I don't read them right away, I love looking back through them when I have a question or to sit and devour the important information in them. But they are no more. I've received all I am to get. I did hear a rumor that Weight Watchers is thinking about doing a newsletter they give out in the meetings but we'll have to wait and see. Print now a days is expensive - although I do pay a pretty penny myself just to be on this plan!

In the meeting that I went to today, it wasn't the normal leader - someone different. Since Susan and I usually go on Friday's a Saturday AM meeting is different (and waaaayyyy too early) for us. Today's leader wanted us to pledge to loose 2 pounds by November 30th. That takes in account Thanksgiving for most people. The normal 3 pound gain most people experience over the Thanksgiving weekend. But as she's talking, I was realizing that I've definitely got an uphil battle. Not only do I have Thanksgiving but my birthday is coming up too! And I know that there will be cake on the 15th (the Sunday before my Bday), cake the evning of the 15th, something on the 16th (my actual bday) and then more festivities on the 20th.WHHHAAAT! That's a whole lot of celebrating before Thanksgiving even gets here! I guess a tiny 2 pound loss by November 30th is much more realistic than the 5 I want.

I'm going to plan but still take things one day at a time. And today, I've got to work on getting caught up on some projects and focus. Focus on eating healthy, staying healthy and remaining active and healthy. Oh, and typing up my lunches for this blog. It's definitely something I want to add, great research material for later!

My Typical (breakfast) Menu {right now}

2009-11-03T18:23:00.000-08:00

This is for you Annemarie! But I did think it was a good idea to put here in case I've "forgotten" in a few months how I was doing it.

Right now I get 29 points. Given my height, age, weight, activity level and everything else, Weight Watchers has deemed that I need 29 points a day to loose weight and still remain healthy. So, what am I eating for those 29 points? Sometimes I feel like a LOT!

On a side note, I haven't followed the plan today or yesterday. I've been sick with a fever, chills, dizziness and just today a sore throat so I'm eating what I can when I can and not worrying about the points. I figure this is one of those times it's best to listen to your body and not worry about how many points are in a glass of orange juice! Speaking of which, once I wrote out the breakfast menu, I realized I needed to go lay down. So, tomorrow, Lunch and maybe dinner too. We'll have to play it by ear.

So, I have about 4 different breakfasts that I like to eat. Because really, does anyone ever want to eat the same thing? Nope! Not me anyhow. So these are my choices:

For Breakfast. I've color coded the different breakfasts.

For all my breakfasts I have a cup of hazelnut brewed coffee (Dunkin Donuts roast brewed at home) with 2 TBSP of Carnation Low-Fat Non Dairy Creamer (0 points!) and then I've been using Truvia. It's not my favorite but it doesn't add any points like real sugar does. I used to measure my TBSP of Creamer but I don't anymore. I know what color I like my coffee and just go by that. If it did add up to a point, I wouldn't mind, it would have come out of my 35 additional or my earned activity points anyhow.

2 Slices of Jennie-O Turkey Bacon - 1 point, fried with just a little bit of spray Pam. I cook these until they are pretty crisp - otherwise they are chewy. And chewy bacon is, well.... yuckY! One pound of bacon lasts me about a month. I'm the only one that eats it and I just use a few slices at a time.
1 egg and 1 egg white - 2 points - sometimes mixed together, sometimes just added together to the pan. It depends on whether I want a starch with it or cheese. If having a starch, I'll leave the egg yolk unbroken and eat with the toast or potatoes. If I'm having with cheese, I'll mix them together. For cheese I add 1 TBSP shredded Mozzerella - 1 point. If I have any in the house, I could also have 1/2 cup of eggbeaters for only 1 point. This is a good option if you want bacon and eggs but know you are going out that evening.
2 slices of Johnnie Foodmaster light wheat bread - 1 point. I'm lucky, this is the cheap store name bread at my local grocery store. I'm sure that if my local grocery store offers this than others must too! 2 slices of this bread is only 1 point. SCORE!
If we have mashed potatoes the night before, I may opt to have poor-man's home fries. So, after I cook the bacon, add a little more spray Pam and then throw in 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes - 2 points. Make sure you didn't add milk and butter the night before! Personally, I love to add a little bit of Spinach and Herb dip from Tastefully Simple to my mashed potatoes. Great flavor and no added calories!

So that's just one breakfast and already a ton of options in that. It could be as low as 3 points for that breakfast or as much as 6! And eggs are great because they stay with you longer. Those proteins really help keep you going!

So for an easy option for breakfast, I also choose the stand-by. Cereal. My options are many. All are 2 points for 1 cup. And I have all of my cereal with 1/2 cup of 1% milk for 1 point. So, right now I have in my pantry...
Multi-Grain Cheerios
Kashi Go-Lean
Kashi Honey Sunshine
Fiber One
The Kashi Honey Sunshine and the Fiber One aren't open. I make sure that I buy when it's on sale and when I have a coupon.

A breakfast I'm enjoying a lot right now is my Oatmeal. I do buy the Weight Watcher Blueberry Harvest Oatmeal which is 2 points. But I'm sure there are plenty of other oatmeal choices out there too. I have my Blueberry Harvest Oatmeal with boiling water. And I make it very, very thick. I do this because I add to it a container of Chobani Greek Plain yogurt. I imagine that any greek yogurt would do. The plain Chobani is 2 points and I imagine that others are comperable. My weight watcher leader mentioned adding the greek yogurt to the oatmeal and while you are probably thinking, yuck! Let me tell you... I love it! It's one of my favorites! The greek yogurt makes the oatmeal creamy and very rich. It is important to make your oatmeal extremely hot or you'll end up with cold oatmeal and that's yucky! And I don't recommend heating the yogurt. Well, I guess you could but.... ahh... I'm not gonna!

OK, so one breakfast I have not yet given up is Pancake Sunday. Every Sunday, Patrick makes the family pancakes. He uses Biquick Light and we figure that if he makes the pancakes about 3 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter they come out to be about 2 points each. YUP! 2 points EACH! But here's the best part. My syrup is FREE! What? How? because I found this low calorie, sugar free syrup and it's 1/4 cup for no points. And you know what. I never, never, never use 1/4 cup of syrup. OK. This syrup is expensive. At $3.99 for a bottle, it's an expensive option. BUT! Only I use it and the one container I've purchased has lasted me. I have the same bottle I bought in September. Early September. And I've got about 1/4 of a bottle left. So in the long run, I'm thinking this is still a great deal.

Another breakfast option I like is my FiberOne blueberry muffin - 3 points (I make my own!) fand a weight watcher yogurt - 1 point. Or on weigh in days, I have a Fiber Plus bar - 2 points and a banana - 2 points after I get weighed.

Hmmm, let me think. I think those are my basic breakfasts. Yup. those are the most popular ones I eat. As you can see, there is plenty to choose from. I try to keep my breakfast to 6 points or under. And I can do that even on pancake day!

I'll type up a little something about lunch and dinner tomorrow. Hopefully this will help out not only Annemarie but also others. And I'll use this guide as a way to remember when I'm bored with what I'm eating.

In the right direction...

2009-11-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

As of Friday, I was down another 2.2 pounds! For a grand total so far of 14! Can you believe that? Do you know what weighs 14 pounds? Let's see...

A large cat
A small dog
twins weighing 7 lbs each!
Three 5 lb bags of potatoes with a few potatoes taken out
A medium sized turkey for thanksgiving
A bowling ball!
A portable Kyack
A normal weight for a 3 month old!

And I'm sure the list could go on! Wow! Quite amazing. I'm so happy. I've also lost a clothing size. Or at least a clothing size in some of the fahions I own. It's amazing to see, I own clothing that is from sizes 24 down to 14 and everything in between. But not all clothing is created equal. Just because something says it's a size 20 doesn't mean that the other size 20 jeans is the same size. I'm not sure why - other than quality of manuafacturer but I do know that there are some pants I don't fit into while there are others that fit perfectly.

So, last night was Halloween and I can say honestly that I have not had one piece of the kids or any other non Weight Watcher candy! I guess it helps to know that yesterday I started not feeling well and then went to bed at 8PM with a fever. I woke this morning still not 100% and then all day today I've been a little woozy. I'm better now but not feeling like chocolate, which I guess helps my situation!

I'm wondering if I'm going to make 20 pounds by my birthday. It's on the 16th and I'm thinking that I might not make it by the meeting before it but possibly by the meeting after it. We'll see. Something to aim for, I guess!

Down 2.4!

2009-10-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm on cloud 9!

I lost 2.4 pounds this week!

I'm down 11.8 pounds since I started.

Here are a few things I've noticed:

My clothes are fitting better, I fit into something's I didn't dare wear before
I feel more energetic
I'm in a much better mood
I'm almost never 'hungry'
I'm happy
I'm not as achy
My body is working better
I can eat stuff that's not great for you and still loose weight (I had almost a whole bag of 'real' kettle corn last Saturday!)
I can do this!
I've got a great support system, who help me and want me to achieve

Now loosing 2.4 pounds this week - there's could be one thing thought of as a drawback... I lost a 'point'. Instead of 30, I've only got 29 now. That's ok, I can do it. That's what it's all about! And as my friend, Susan said... "Progress is a bitch!"

I'm sure the 1 point isn't going to hurt me too much, this week I haven't been hungry at all. Somedays forcing myself to eat all 30. But I've got to stick to my guns, Halloween is next Saturday and those kids love to trick or treat. This will be a true test for me. If I can make it through Halloween, I'll breeze through Thanksgiving. As for Christmas... well, we'll see. I'll worry about that in December. I'll do the best that I can today!

Small Achievements add up!

2009-10-21T21:26:00.000-07:00

Other than brownies, my other love is Boston Cream Pie. (Which my friend Susan tells me is all wrong - there's nothing 'pie' about Boston Cream Pie. I told her that it's shaped like a "Pie" and that was all that it needed to be!) Anyhow. I love Boston Cream Pie Donuts from Dunkin Donuts. There's just something about the gooey-ness and the yummy flavors. Ohhhh lala! But with my new way of life, I'm not going that way. At least not until I'm well over the hump of not looking back to the weight I was. And even though Boston Cream Pie Donuts are great, it's a real Pie that I love. My Mom used to make these Dinette cakes with the filling inside and the fudgey frosting on top. Yum, yum, yum!

OK, so until I figure out how to low-cal the Dinette cake concotion, I found something to satiate my donut lust. Holey Donuts. Yup, a company called Holey Donuts. http://www.holeydonuts.net/ Last week, I told Patrick (my husband for those who aren't aware) that I was going to place a small order for Boston Cream Pie donuts from them. I was craving a sweet snack and I thought that those would fit the bill.

Imagine my surprise when I get a message in my inbox telling me they are having FREE Shipping! YAH! So, Susan and I placed an order and they came TODAY!!!! Yup, TODAY!!!1

I didn't open the big box until Susan got here - and some of my donut holes were missing from the order (we ordered a double batch 1 for her and 1 for me and I bet they didn't even notice) but I received my Boston Cream Pie Donuts! It's 4 points for one of these donuts. And I enjoyed every single point! And I was so good, I only ate one and put the rest in the freezer for another day! Can you believe it? I did!

These donuts are huge, delicious and while I took a picture to post, they really look exactly as they do on the website. (http://www.holeydonuts.net/) The donut holes (I let Susan take home the ones we received) looked exactly the same and so didn't the Coconut Cream Pie donuts I got too!

So, I'm excited. Not only do I have some health(ier) snacks for another time but I didn't eat them all! Nope, I didn't even sneak a second! Way to go, ME!

Weigh in is on Friday and I'm feeling confident. I'm looking at a 2 pound loss for sure! -even with my donut!

I'm pluggin' away!

2009-10-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

I've been busy. It's kinda been a whirlwind here. I thought things would settle but not yet. I was happy on Friday when I weighed in and lost again this week! I'm now only .6 pounds away from loosing 10 pounds. YAH! And it's been really easy for me to do this. Yes, I've changed some of my eating habits - or well, a lot of my eating habits but I'm still getting snacks during the day making this change of lifestyle much more manageable.

Now, I do have a question and I'm hoping that writing it down here I'll remember to ask my leader on Friday.

If I am only up for about 13 hours in one day, do I still need to cram in all my points? For instance, this morning, I slept until 11AM. WOW! I know! It's so unusual for me now. But I needed it. Saturday was up and out and going, going, going all day. So, if I'm up at 11AM I've only got 13 hours left of the day. Now, I will admit, I should be asleep now but and should have gone to bed at 10 or 11 at the latest. But my issue is... if I sleep most of my day, how am I to cram in the food I need.??

I think this is an issue that will arise more as I catch a cold or become ill with a fever or such. While I don't wish to get sick, I live in New England. It's almost bound to happen. Although, I can safely say I usually get my sickest between February and March. Once having the Flu for 4 days followed with a 6 week bout with laragytis. Yikes! But anyway, it is bound to happen. So, in those rare cases, what is protocol?

I guess I'll have to wait to find out.

A tiny loss...

2009-10-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

First, let me say.... I cheated.

Yup. Just a little. Let me explain...

I wear the same pants to weigh in each week but I can't remember what shirt I wear. So, knowing that Thursday night I was having a chocolate binge and ate 5, YES 5! 100 calorie chocolate cakes (I know, I know) I knew that weigh in on Friday might now be the best one. I was good and I did record my 5 chocolate cakes into my points tracker, but overall throughout the week I did end up eating about 20 of those "extra" weekly points they give you. - I have a theory about this too, I'll explain in a bit.

Anyhow, knowing that my shirts weigh different, I decided I would weigh them.

On my food scale.

One of my shirts weighed about 8.4 oz. Another shirt weighed about 4 oz. I decided I could use the lightest shirt I could get my hands on and decided on the 4 oz. shirt. Which, by the way - is more of a Summer shirt and I was quite chilly, I really could have used the comfort of the 8.4oz. shirt!

So when I got to my meeting, I jumped on the scale and lost only .2 pounds.

Yup .2. So had I wore the shirt I should have worn (for a chilly October morning), I would have actually gained weight! Yikes! And now what am I to do for next week? I'm going to have to wear slightly heavier clothes. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure how much longer I can wear the pants - they are capris!!

And that's that. That's my small cheat. Weighing my shirt before weigh in to make sure I am wearing the lightest clothes possible.

OK, now let me say something about those extra 35 weekly points you are given. I think they are a fabulous thing. Something that I've used a couple times. But I think they are best used all at once. It's better if you use them for a nice night out or a BBQ or something like that. When you use 1 or 2 or even 4 of those points a day, it's not as effective. Granted I'm thinking that if you go over by 1/2 a point one or two days out of the week I think you'll be fine but using them regularly isn't advised. Or at least, not for me.

So this week, I'm down a smidgen. A teeny tiny bit. But a loss is a loss and I'll take them all - even if I do have to weigh my clothes! Hehe!

5 miles.... or not...

2009-10-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

Susan and I signed up to do a Heart Walk today. Our friend Jeanne works at a local gym and asked if we'd like to come and walk 5 miles for her team. I think she asked about 2 weeks ago. Now, I've been on weight watchers about 4 weeks now. I walk. Susan and I walk sometimes several times a week. I use the eliptical sometimes in the house and I try to stay active but I've been measuring my walks and I just wasn't sure I'd be able to do it.

5 miles is a lot.

And when you are carrying around a 100 pound weight, 5 miles is a long way!

Thankfully there was another option. The 2 mile stroll.

OK. It wasn't a stroll. No way, no how was it a stroll. I started off at the beginning of the pack with Susan, walking like crazy down this busy street. About 5 minutes into the 'stroll' my shins are killing me. I'm walking way faster than I'm used to and the ladies behind me, while they weren't actually pushing me, wanted to go faster. And I just couldn't do it. Nope. I just didn't have the strength. I shouldn't have made that big push at the beginning. Unfortunately it ruined the rest of my walk.

I did finish the 2 mile 'stroll' today but I came in dead last. Not that we were racing for any prize but I was really bummed. I thought for sure that my walking was at least 'up to par' but I guess I must remember a few things...

100 pounds extra
these people work out at the gym that was sponsoring the event
different terrain
and hey, at least I made it and didn't have to be carted away by the EMT's!

According to the activity points section of Weight Watchers, the 4843 steps I made during the walk today equalled out to 3 activity points. Yah for me!

Down we go...

2009-10-02T09:57:00.001-07:00

I went to my Weight Watchers meeting today. I'm down another 3.2 pounds!! I'm so happy! I've noticed that my jeans are feeling a little less tight. I'm feeling like I have some more energy (well yesterday and today. Wednesday I slept all day catching up!) and I feel really serious about this plan! I'm loving it!

There was one day this week where I couldn't get my fill of anything. I've noticed that if I don't get a mid morning snack, I eat like a fiend in the evening. So, that mid morning snack is IMPORTANT!!! And it doesn't have to be something too substantial. A yogurt, an apple, a banana, all will satisfy that need and then I don't eat so much at night. Yes, I know I lost even with my hungry day but I attribute that to not having "my" kind of sweets in the house. I had only Weight Watcher friendly snacks. So even if I ate 2 packages of 100 Calorie Hostess Cupcakes, it was better than eating a 1/2 a pan of brownies. Which, by the way, are my FAAAAAVVVVVVVOOOOOOORRRRRRIIIIIIITTTTTEEEEE! I LOVE Brownies. Chocolate, ooey, gooey, warm brownies. Yum! But they are a red light food. I won't even buy the Weight Watcher Brownies or the Little Debbie/Hostess 100 Calorie brownies. Nope. Not on the plan ...yet. I love them too much. It's probably like crack to an addict - I need my fix once I've had the first bite. And once the first bite is over, I need another and another. OK, I used that example but - just for the record, I know no one on crack, I'm just taking that example from what I see on TV. Anyhow, before I go on drooling...

We talked about what types of food we eat during those 'bad' moods in class today.

Lonely/Sad/Depressed = Chocolate/Ice Cream
Bored = Chips
Stressed = Fast Food

This has just put the hammer in the coffin for me. I'm never bored. Oh sure I eat chips but I hardly ever reach for those when I'm scouring the house for something to eat. Chocolate, YES! And just last weekend, I was stressed out. Getting out of work late, needing to be somewhere quick and what did I do - ran to Wendy's! Yup. So I guess what she says is true. Interesting isn't it. I'm keeping this on my blog for later reference. Great information!

Sunday, I'm walking in a Heart Walk. I'll let you know how it goes. We still haven't decided if we are doing the 5 mile walk or the 2 mile stroll. We'll see...

Good News...

2009-09-25T20:13:00.000-07:00

Well it appears that maybe this weight loss thing runs in the family. Did anyone see the comment in the last blog post? That's my cousin Annemarie. She told me exactly how she usually looses her weight and ... guess what?! I have great news this week!

I lost 2.8 pounds! For a grand total so far of 4.6!

So, I guess I will have to watch my cycles more and take the losses in any increment they come in. Thanks Annemarie, for all the advice!

And THANK YOU! to all my friends who've helped me out so far. I really feel confident and strong about this.

In our meeting today we talked about why we loose weight. Many people were loosing weight because of health reasons... a bad back, advanced age, diabetes, or what ever other ailments they had. When she looked at me and asked why I was there to loose weight I already knew my answer.

So I can go on the rides at Six Flags with my kids.

Yup! That is my motivation. Last Summer, we went to Story Land in New Hampshire and when we got on one of the water rides, I barely fit into the seat belt. I nearly had a panic attack thinking that I had to get off the ride and would have had to walk off, leaving my family behind and walking out embarrassed in front of a lot of strangers. So even though I'm sure I'll be able to fit on the rides well before my actual goal weight, that's my motivation right now to do this.

As for another interesting part of the meeting...

A woman that was at the meeting mentioned that she wasn't sure if she wanted to loose weight. She was just there to maintain the weight she's at. Well that really struck me. Why didn't I think of that? Like 30 pounds ago! So, I'm writing it down here so that in 4 months, 10 months or even 3 years from now when I'm thinking that I don't want to loose more but want to maintain, I can look back at this and see that it's ok to still attend meetings in order to maintain your weight. Heck, those girls at Weight Watchers don't really care if you loose weight. Yah, sure, I'm sure they want you to succeed but really as long as you pay your dues each week, it doesn't matter to them. So why not pay your money and go to the meetings and maintain. And then when you're ready to loose again, you will already know where to turn to! You know, sometimes the easiest things can allude a person.

So, I'm going to enjoy the lost 4.6 pounds and hope that I can loose another 4.6 next month!

Loss for the week...

2009-09-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

Susan and I went in for early weigh in last week. Our normal day is Friday but we went on Thursday since we were going to both be busy on Friday. I'm down .4 pounds. Yah, only .4. I'm gonna keep plugging away.

I tell you, at the meeting I was close to tears. .4! .4!! Can that be worth anything? At this rate it will take me 50 weeks to loose only 30 pounds! Now I know that it will get better. It HAS to get better but the .4 pounds was a blow. Especially since I've been weighing everything, measuring everything and eating every single one of those 33 daily points. AHHHH.... I never am hungry and I'm always feeling like I am eating all the time. So after weigh in and after the meeting on Thursday, we chatted with the leader to see what she says about my points. Must I eat all my 33 points? It's not working like it should - or at least I don't think so....

The short answer is no, I no longer have to eat 33 points a day. I have changed from 33 to 30 but I must eat all my activity points. OK. I think I can handle that this week.

I dont' know why it's been a battle for me to figure out how many points I should have. Really! Have you been to weight watchers recently? It's an entire mathmatical equation for you to figure it out. So, I must have added stuff up correctly. AND on top of that, I plugged in answers on the computer, into their program and it came up with the 33. I had to go in and override the 33 to 30 just to get to where I thought the point system should be.

So, we'll see. I did use up all of my 35 weekly points this week. A half of a slice of cheesecake is the culprit. I know, I shouldn't have but I planned it out. Saving many of my other points for the day and eating healthy the rest of the day, weekend and hopefully for the rest of the week in order to compensate. If I can have a 1/2 a piece of cheesecake and loose anything this week, I'll be thrilled.

Although, I'll be estatic if I loose 2+ pounds too. Anything to keep the momentum going. My heart is in the right place, I'm eating healthier, I just don't know why I'm not shedding the pounds.

My next goal... to walk more. I was walking nearly everyday but then I hurt my foot. I think it was a calamity of problems. The dog tripped me, leading to me hurting my right foot and when that foot was hurt I overcompensated and ended up hurting the left foot. I hurt the left foot so bad I have been unable to walk for nearly a week. Walking last night for the first time in a while. My Parents ended up hearing about my plight and thinking that maybe my sneakers were the culprit, ended up offering to buy me sneakers. So, with my new sneakers on, Susan and I tackled a 9PM 2-mile walk. And my feet felt great! But now that the sneakers are off, it aches. I hope I'll be better in the morning.

So far...

2009-09-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry if you've made a blog comment and you had trouble putting it up here or I didn't reply. For some reason I wasn't getting the emails telling me people left comments. It should be fixed now. And I'm not sure why some couldn't leave a comment at all. That would be blogger's issue, I think. Again, sorry.

So... let me tell you. I've been very good this week so far about eating all my points. All of the ones that I get daily anyhow. So far this week, I have eaten only .5 of my weekly points. Which, for having a Tastefully Simple party on Sunday is GREAT!

BUT!

I don't feel like I'm loosing any weight. I never feel hungry and if anything I always feel like I'm overeating. When i jumped on the Wii this morning (of course after breakfast not before) it says I gained 1.1 pounds. WHAT!!!!!>?????

So, I'm a little unsure if eating all these points is helping me. I haven't been able to log as much time walking as I would like. I think I bruised the bottom of my foot. How, I don't know but Monday I was hobbling around. I started Free weights yesterday to mix in with my workouts. Susan showed me the appropriate way to hold them. I can feel a little soreness in my shoulder blade area so I must have done something right. It's not painful, it just feels like it should - something used that hasn't been used in a while. I'll do more free weights tomorrow, not today. No walk again for me today, but I might try the elliptical. No pounding on the foot for that, right? It's stationary.

We have early weigh in this week. I can't go on Friday, things to do but we can squeeze it in on Thursday. I'll be knocked over with a feather if I did loose this week. All I feel like I do is stuff my face! But I have weighed and measured everything and so far have eaten all the points allowed to me, so hopefully it is working...

We'll see.

Update for 9-11-09

2009-09-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

I lost 1.4 pounds this week! Not as much as I wanted but a loss is a loss. I'll take it!

Started Weight Watchers...

2009-09-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

I started Weight Watchers last Friday, September 4th. While I'm embarassed to tell you how much I weighed in at, I will tell you that my ultimate goal is to loose about 100 pounds. So, that being said, I have a long road ahead of me.

I thought I'd start this blog to let all my friends and family know how I was doing. So I didn't congest my other blog with weight gains and losses and dieters problems, recipes and the such.

Tomorrow is my first weigh in day. I'll be sure to update here what I lost - hopefully something! I'll update every Friday (or on my WW meeting day) as to my progress and if I hear of any good recipes or tricks, I'll update this blog with that information. Hopefully this will hold me accountable plus will let my friends see what and how I'm doing towards my goal.