Popping in for a quick post, which promises to be quite dull. At last week's WI, I was up 1/2 pound. I don't understand. I'm still up 5 days later! Maybe saltiness? Girl issues?
I planned my day (as I have done for the past 2 weeks). I'm not eating very much at all. I'm not hungry, though, so that's good. But I've been eating all my APs and only half my weekly allowance, which is not a lot of food. I'm... truly unhappy that the scale did not show a loss, I thought for sure I'd be down in the next decade. Right now the scale is holding steady and I'm worried that at this weigh-in on Thursday, I'm still going to be right where I am. :(
I guess all I can do is stick to my plans and drink extra water and hope the scale cooperates. Right now, it is not doing that. I'm not sure what to do. Wait and see, I supposed... will check back in on Thursday.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
13 to go for GOAL! And a recipe I can't wait to try...
Well, I am down 1.2 pounds over the past 2 weeks. YAY! I could not BE more excited about this week's Weight Watchers weigh-in. I expected to be down, but from here I have THIRTEEN POUNDS LEFT until I am at GOAL WEIGHT! 
I found a recipe I am just dying to try out - Cranberry Walnut Pie. It is a crustless cake-like pie and it sounds amazing. I got the recipe from another blog I really like, CanYouStayForDinner. Here is the link to the pie recipe:
http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2010/09/16/cranberry-walnut-pie/
I'm gonna write it again... Cranberry Walnut Pie. SERIOUSLY!?! I am going to make an adapted version of it this weekend, with a little less sugar, and egg beaters and applesauce instead of the eggs and butter. I will let you know how it turns out - I really can't wait to make this!
For those of you who like to bake, I have found that substituting egg beaters for eggs and unsweetened applesauce for oil or butter in a recipe yields really great tasting results with far fewer calories. Sometimes, the substituted version of the recipe is even better than the original. I use straight measurements to substitute, i.e. 1/2 cup oil becomes 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce. 1 egg = 1/4 cup egg beaters. Pumpkin pie, chocolate cake from scratch, breads, muffins, boxed cake mixes all do very well with these substitutions. I have yet to find something that doesn't really work with it, but I'm not sure cookies would work as well. The cakes, breads and pies are great with it, though!
And so I now leave you with this - there are 33 days left in this year. There will probably be a lot of baking in those 33 days. Substitute! And at the end of these 33 days, I will be (at least) 3 pounds lighter and make my mini-goal. Did I mention I only have 13 more pounds to lose until I am at GOAL? ;) YAY!
I found a recipe I am just dying to try out - Cranberry Walnut Pie. It is a crustless cake-like pie and it sounds amazing. I got the recipe from another blog I really like, CanYouStayForDinner. Here is the link to the pie recipe:
http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2010/09/16/cranberry-walnut-pie/
I'm gonna write it again... Cranberry Walnut Pie. SERIOUSLY!?! I am going to make an adapted version of it this weekend, with a little less sugar, and egg beaters and applesauce instead of the eggs and butter. I will let you know how it turns out - I really can't wait to make this!
For those of you who like to bake, I have found that substituting egg beaters for eggs and unsweetened applesauce for oil or butter in a recipe yields really great tasting results with far fewer calories. Sometimes, the substituted version of the recipe is even better than the original. I use straight measurements to substitute, i.e. 1/2 cup oil becomes 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce. 1 egg = 1/4 cup egg beaters. Pumpkin pie, chocolate cake from scratch, breads, muffins, boxed cake mixes all do very well with these substitutions. I have yet to find something that doesn't really work with it, but I'm not sure cookies would work as well. The cakes, breads and pies are great with it, though!
And so I now leave you with this - there are 33 days left in this year. There will probably be a lot of baking in those 33 days. Substitute! And at the end of these 33 days, I will be (at least) 3 pounds lighter and make my mini-goal. Did I mention I only have 13 more pounds to lose until I am at GOAL? ;) YAY!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
35 days until New Year's, Thanksgiving and STRESS
For whatever reason, I miscounted before and I have 35 days from TODAY until it is New Year's Day 2013. My goal is to be 5 pounds lighter by then. Five pounds in six weeks is no easy feat. But I want to be there.
This past weekend was Thanksgiving and I did not keep up my CBL (Carb Back-loading) eating. And I felt AWFUL. I did get a fair amount of activity, including the 4-mile Mile High Turkey Trot and also a 27-mile bike ride, but that ride was followed by consuming margaritas, which led to, well, not the best night. And that led to not the best day as I tried to recover. (But I did *thoroughly enjoy* those challah french toast slices that aided in my recovery! :) All I can say about CBL is that I feel better both physically and mentally when I eat that way. I'm going carb-free until Friday to sort of detox myself from Thanksgiving and be back on CBL.
As for losing these five pounds by New Year's, I'm giving myself the license to eat whatever I want on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. Otherwise, it's CBL and tracking and working out regularly. Those five pounds WILL be off come New Year's Day - or by my Weight Watcher weigh-in on January 3rd!
One other thing I want to address. I was very stressed out last week. I had an incident at work with a friend/co-worker that left us, well, no longer friends. It was very disappointing and I was very upset about it. I do believe that the stress contributed to me being lackadaisical about my eating all weekend, and that I went further from my CBL plan than I would have had all that not been going on. (I see this now, in hindsight.) One positive takeaway is that I did not talk negatively to myself over my poor eating choices. I just let it be, and chalked it up to my mood and the stress and moved on, finally climbing back on the wagon Monday. So perhaps I am improving how I treat myself.
And with that, I'm working on being five pounds lighter by New Year's. I will just do it.
This past weekend was Thanksgiving and I did not keep up my CBL (Carb Back-loading) eating. And I felt AWFUL. I did get a fair amount of activity, including the 4-mile Mile High Turkey Trot and also a 27-mile bike ride, but that ride was followed by consuming margaritas, which led to, well, not the best night. And that led to not the best day as I tried to recover. (But I did *thoroughly enjoy* those challah french toast slices that aided in my recovery! :) All I can say about CBL is that I feel better both physically and mentally when I eat that way. I'm going carb-free until Friday to sort of detox myself from Thanksgiving and be back on CBL.
As for losing these five pounds by New Year's, I'm giving myself the license to eat whatever I want on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. Otherwise, it's CBL and tracking and working out regularly. Those five pounds WILL be off come New Year's Day - or by my Weight Watcher weigh-in on January 3rd!
One other thing I want to address. I was very stressed out last week. I had an incident at work with a friend/co-worker that left us, well, no longer friends. It was very disappointing and I was very upset about it. I do believe that the stress contributed to me being lackadaisical about my eating all weekend, and that I went further from my CBL plan than I would have had all that not been going on. (I see this now, in hindsight.) One positive takeaway is that I did not talk negatively to myself over my poor eating choices. I just let it be, and chalked it up to my mood and the stress and moved on, finally climbing back on the wagon Monday. So perhaps I am improving how I treat myself.
And with that, I'm working on being five pounds lighter by New Year's. I will just do it.
Friday, November 16, 2012
fifteen to go, and GOALS
Since I last posted, I've lost just one more pound. I will take it. The current weight-loss slowness is attributable entirely to ME. I had a work conference in Florida (yes, ANOTHER trip to Florida), FIL went into the hospital, managing work has been very difficult with the departure of my boss and now my IT support guy... and I allowed all these things to get in the way of my goal. And that sort of leads me to this:
When I started this blog, my goal was to lose twenty pounds by the end of this year. It is *unlikely* that I will lose the remaining fifteen pounds before the end of the year, given that there are only six weeks to go. (However, if I keep this relatively low-carb CBL thing going, that may be a reality!) Sometimes we have to revise our goals.
I can't get to the original twenty pounds I wanted to have lost by New Year's, but I will still get to twenty pounds. Just because I don't reach the goal in my original timeline doesn't mean I can't reach it at all. But by the end of the year, I can certainly get myself to ten pounds gone. After I reach that stepping-stone goal, I will continue working toward accomplishing the big goal by losing the final ten pounds.
My new stepping-stone goal of losing five (more) pounds in six weeks is completely realistic. I just have to stay on track for those six weeks - thirty-six days of staying on track. I am going to come here, EVERY DAY, and post my on-track status.
Today is DAY ONE of THIRTY SIX DAYS on track.
When I started this blog, my goal was to lose twenty pounds by the end of this year. It is *unlikely* that I will lose the remaining fifteen pounds before the end of the year, given that there are only six weeks to go. (However, if I keep this relatively low-carb CBL thing going, that may be a reality!) Sometimes we have to revise our goals.
I can't get to the original twenty pounds I wanted to have lost by New Year's, but I will still get to twenty pounds. Just because I don't reach the goal in my original timeline doesn't mean I can't reach it at all. But by the end of the year, I can certainly get myself to ten pounds gone. After I reach that stepping-stone goal, I will continue working toward accomplishing the big goal by losing the final ten pounds.
My new stepping-stone goal of losing five (more) pounds in six weeks is completely realistic. I just have to stay on track for those six weeks - thirty-six days of staying on track. I am going to come here, EVERY DAY, and post my on-track status.
Today is DAY ONE of THIRTY SIX DAYS on track.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Gain Lessons
I am up 1.8 pounds this week according to the Weight Watchers [and my own bathroom] scale. I could attribute the gain to the thick socks and heavy sweater I was wearing, but really I expected that the scale would be up. So, what did I learn this week?
I learned that no matter what Weight Watchers says about having those "extra" weekly points [calories] available, I should not use more than 20 of them if I want to see real losses on the scale. Basically, I ate more calories this week than I should have. I think my points level [calorie level] should be at the LOW end of the recommended spectrum if I want to lose weight.
I also learned that I do have to track fruit points and not eat it for "free." If you are a Weight Watcher, fruit does not count against your daily food intake. However, it still has calories, and it USED to count in Weight Watchers. I abuse this "free fruit" concept. I will factor fruit in to my daily food intake from now on - fruit will still be consumed, but it will be tracked with a points value, not as a freebie.
Two weeks ago I used only 15 weekly points and had no fruit - that week I lost two pounds. This past week I ate fruit without tracking it (free) and used all my weekly points [calories], and I GAINED. Lesson learned, now going to put it in to practice!
16 pounds to go.
I also learned that I do have to track fruit points and not eat it for "free." If you are a Weight Watcher, fruit does not count against your daily food intake. However, it still has calories, and it USED to count in Weight Watchers. I abuse this "free fruit" concept. I will factor fruit in to my daily food intake from now on - fruit will still be consumed, but it will be tracked with a points value, not as a freebie.
Two weeks ago I used only 15 weekly points and had no fruit - that week I lost two pounds. This past week I ate fruit without tracking it (free) and used all my weekly points [calories], and I GAINED. Lesson learned, now going to put it in to practice!
16 pounds to go.
Monday, October 22, 2012
the birthday goal
According to my bathroom scale - which means without clothes - I missed it by .2 pounds! I came very close. If you go by my weight on the Weight Watchers scale, I missed it by 2 entire pounds.
HOWEVER... this means I did lose 5 pounds!
Our trip to Florida involved SEVERAL fruity drinks, quite a bit of fried food, and lots of other snacky things we don't normally eat. We barely worked out. By the time we went to the wedding, I had a canker sore from all the margaritas and was on to dirty martinis. Talk about doing some damage!
On our flight back to Colorado, we decided we'd do a detox where we had ZERO carbs for 10 days. It totally worked. I lost the vacation weight and then some. DH did it with me to be supportive, but of course he ended up losing weight. I think he leaned out (if that is even possible) but he certainly doesn't need to be losing any weight. He's back on the carbs full-tilt, as of today.
Because the detox left me feeling so good, I'm sticking to the modified version of the program for the next month. The program is called Carb Back-loading, or CBL. I know people who have had fantastic results, so I'm trying it. It really is easy for me to do and I am surprised. Basically it is hold off on breakfast as long as you can, then when you do eat during the day, make it very very low carb. Work out in the afternoon, and after your workout you can add carbs in, so long as you keep your calories in check. This is to be paired with pretty intensive weight training and is not well suited to endurance sports (running often or far, spinning, cycling, rowing, etc). The idea is to sort of regulate your insulin, spiking it after a workout to trigger muscle growth while inhibiting fat storage.
I'll let you know how it goes. I have completed 2 weeks on this, the first 10 days were no carb, the last 4 days have been carbs only after the afternoon workouts. I have had NO cravings and am not hungry, ever. It's honestly quite amazing. Apparently once you start adding the carbs back in, you will gain back some of the initial weight lost, so I suppose we will see Thursday where the scale really lands. But overall, it's great. I did go through a moderately uncomfortable couple of days in the middle of the 10-day prep (no carb) phase, but that passed and I have felt really good ever since. As my dad would say... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
14 pounds to go. Yay, me.
HOWEVER... this means I did lose 5 pounds!
Our trip to Florida involved SEVERAL fruity drinks, quite a bit of fried food, and lots of other snacky things we don't normally eat. We barely worked out. By the time we went to the wedding, I had a canker sore from all the margaritas and was on to dirty martinis. Talk about doing some damage!
On our flight back to Colorado, we decided we'd do a detox where we had ZERO carbs for 10 days. It totally worked. I lost the vacation weight and then some. DH did it with me to be supportive, but of course he ended up losing weight. I think he leaned out (if that is even possible) but he certainly doesn't need to be losing any weight. He's back on the carbs full-tilt, as of today.
Because the detox left me feeling so good, I'm sticking to the modified version of the program for the next month. The program is called Carb Back-loading, or CBL. I know people who have had fantastic results, so I'm trying it. It really is easy for me to do and I am surprised. Basically it is hold off on breakfast as long as you can, then when you do eat during the day, make it very very low carb. Work out in the afternoon, and after your workout you can add carbs in, so long as you keep your calories in check. This is to be paired with pretty intensive weight training and is not well suited to endurance sports (running often or far, spinning, cycling, rowing, etc). The idea is to sort of regulate your insulin, spiking it after a workout to trigger muscle growth while inhibiting fat storage.
I'll let you know how it goes. I have completed 2 weeks on this, the first 10 days were no carb, the last 4 days have been carbs only after the afternoon workouts. I have had NO cravings and am not hungry, ever. It's honestly quite amazing. Apparently once you start adding the carbs back in, you will gain back some of the initial weight lost, so I suppose we will see Thursday where the scale really lands. But overall, it's great. I did go through a moderately uncomfortable couple of days in the middle of the 10-day prep (no carb) phase, but that passed and I have felt really good ever since. As my dad would say... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
14 pounds to go. Yay, me.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
on body image and utter ridiculousness
Last weekend I attended a wedding in the Florida Keys. It was really wonderful, the entire weekend was fantastic except for one little segment.
Here are 2 photos (which I really like) that were taken of me while at the wedding:
These pictures were taken JUST before I had a pretty good meltdown over how badly I believe I look these days. The meltdown could have been sparked by the effects of either the drinks I'd had or a residual jellyfish sting reaction... but some of it is, well, definitely attributed to unexplainable self-loathing.
DH's response: I don't even want to acknowledge this ridiculousness, so I'm not saying anything.
I get his reaction, I really do - NOW. That day, I did not understand his reaction - but four days and two fantastic photos later, I have no explanation or justification for the absurdity of the garbage that was coming out of my mouth. But, the garbage was coming out of my mouth and I never want that to happen again. I'm not perfect, I will never BE perfect and that's OK. (After all, only God is perfect.) But I am working on improving myself, and that is wonderful.
My little episode lasted only fifteen minutes, but it was a brutal fifteen minutes and a blemish on what was, otherwise, a spectacular vacation. I have since talked with DH about my issue with myself and this particular incident. He was great. He agreed to help me make the "U-turn" in my thought pattern if I even start going down that road. I have decided to make a conscious effort to stop any negative self-talk - in my head and especially out loud.
This is... NOT an easy thing to deal with and it is NOT a change which will not happen overnight, but I'm happy we talked about it and that I can see how ridiculous it is. My goal is to work toward being able to recognize that I'm being ridiculous and do the U-turn myself as those thoughts are happening. At least I'm aware of The Crazy, so I think that is a step in the right direction.
I feel like as I lose weight, my image of myself has become worse, and I want to stop that trend. I think this is important to acknowledge because it really is one of the tougher things to deal with on a weight loss journey. I know many others go through it, too.
I'm working on it!
Here are 2 photos (which I really like) that were taken of me while at the wedding:
These pictures were taken JUST before I had a pretty good meltdown over how badly I believe I look these days. The meltdown could have been sparked by the effects of either the drinks I'd had or a residual jellyfish sting reaction... but some of it is, well, definitely attributed to unexplainable self-loathing.
DH's response: I don't even want to acknowledge this ridiculousness, so I'm not saying anything.
I get his reaction, I really do - NOW. That day, I did not understand his reaction - but four days and two fantastic photos later, I have no explanation or justification for the absurdity of the garbage that was coming out of my mouth. But, the garbage was coming out of my mouth and I never want that to happen again. I'm not perfect, I will never BE perfect and that's OK. (After all, only God is perfect.) But I am working on improving myself, and that is wonderful.
My little episode lasted only fifteen minutes, but it was a brutal fifteen minutes and a blemish on what was, otherwise, a spectacular vacation. I have since talked with DH about my issue with myself and this particular incident. He was great. He agreed to help me make the "U-turn" in my thought pattern if I even start going down that road. I have decided to make a conscious effort to stop any negative self-talk - in my head and especially out loud.
This is... NOT an easy thing to deal with and it is NOT a change which will not happen overnight, but I'm happy we talked about it and that I can see how ridiculous it is. My goal is to work toward being able to recognize that I'm being ridiculous and do the U-turn myself as those thoughts are happening. At least I'm aware of The Crazy, so I think that is a step in the right direction.
I feel like as I lose weight, my image of myself has become worse, and I want to stop that trend. I think this is important to acknowledge because it really is one of the tougher things to deal with on a weight loss journey. I know many others go through it, too.
I'm working on it!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
one month 'til my birthday...
I'm not into posting more than once on a given day, BUT I noticed that today is exactly ONE MONTH from my birthday!
BIRTHDAY GOAL: 7 pounds to put me down in the next scale decade. :) A difficult goal, yes... but also a doable one.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnddddd GO!
BIRTHDAY GOAL: 7 pounds to put me down in the next scale decade. :) A difficult goal, yes... but also a doable one.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnddddd GO!
scale shenanigans
Dear Scale,
I would love to say that your behavior this morning was entirely your fault, but
you and I have had a relationship long enough (and consistent enough) that I know I cannot blame it solely on you.
While I would love to believe I did everything perfectly this past week, if I look back at what I did and what I ate, I can see things I can improve for the coming week which will make our interactions have a much more positive outcome.
That being said, I'm not taking all the blame for what happened between us this morning. I am acutely aware that I can't trust what you tell me the day after I eat anything with tomato sauce, and given that I had a slice of pizza for lunch yesterday, I know I can only take what you said today with a grain of salt. So I am going to forgive you for your antics this morning.
I still plan to see you again next week. I know you will continue to provide feedback on my weight loss journey, and since I know we are going to be friends for a long time, I'm giving you a pass this week for your behavior. I promise I will also work to improve mine.
No hard feelings. We'll be back to normal next time, I'm sure.
With Love,
Me
I would love to say that your behavior this morning was entirely your fault, but
you and I have had a relationship long enough (and consistent enough) that I know I cannot blame it solely on you.
While I would love to believe I did everything perfectly this past week, if I look back at what I did and what I ate, I can see things I can improve for the coming week which will make our interactions have a much more positive outcome.
That being said, I'm not taking all the blame for what happened between us this morning. I am acutely aware that I can't trust what you tell me the day after I eat anything with tomato sauce, and given that I had a slice of pizza for lunch yesterday, I know I can only take what you said today with a grain of salt. So I am going to forgive you for your antics this morning.
I still plan to see you again next week. I know you will continue to provide feedback on my weight loss journey, and since I know we are going to be friends for a long time, I'm giving you a pass this week for your behavior. I promise I will also work to improve mine.
No hard feelings. We'll be back to normal next time, I'm sure.
With Love,
Me
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
a GOAL without a PLAN is just a WISH
The title is one of my favorite mantras. If you want to be successful (at anything, not just weight loss) you need to have a plan on how you will get there.
My goal is to lose 20 pounds (now 16) by the end of this year.
What will I do in order to meet my goal?
I am an active member of Weight Watchers and I will use that program to help me get there.
Now that's a good start on an overall plan, but it's still pretty general as far as plans go. So let's break it down. Good plans are specific. I like to answer these questions at the beginning of a week:
1) What will I do this week to meet my goal?
I will make sure to track everything I eat and stay within my allotted points, and I'll work out to get some extra points.
This is a good start and a good way of reminding myself regularly of what I need to be doing overall, but I still feel I need to be more specific, which is the purpose of the following questions.
2) Do I have healthy snacks and staples on hand in my house and at work?
If yes, good! If no, make a list of what you need and go to the grocery store to stock up.
This one is key. You have to keep the good stuff around. Carrots, apples, bananas, fresh veggies, frozen veggies, lean meat (chicken, pork), Babybel Lights, greek yogurt, berries. If you have the good stuff to reach for, it's easy to quash your hunger in a way that helps you, rather than reaching for pretzels, cereal, beef jerky or whatever is in the candy dish at the reception desk. Stock up on the good stuff!
3) What is my workout schedule going to be this week?
I will lift weights Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. I will run Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. Saturday will be my day off. I may also go to dance class on Monday night. All workouts are at night this week, after work.
Nice! This is specific and includes the TIME for workouts. Mapping out obstacles (dinner at Boss's house, etc.) also allows you to plan for when you can get your workouts in. Which brings me to the next question:
4) Do I have any obstacles coming this week that will be difficult - a party, a work lunch, a trip out of town, etc.?
If yes, plan that day, leaving lots of "free" room for the event. Party in the evening? Have a healthy breakfast and healthy lunch, get a good workout in, and snack on lots of veggies before the party. If no obstacles for the week, pick a day that will be my free day, OR let the week play out knowing I have ONE free day.
Life happens, so an impromptu happy hour may kind of derail you, but let it derail you just for that day and move your schedule around to make it work. You want to lose weight for good, so you have to figure out how to work "staying healthy" in with your life. Go to dinner with your boss, just move the workout to the morning that day, eat well all day, etc. Keep the overall plan in tact, even if you have to move the pieces around.
And finally... you have to have a consistent way of measuring your progress. My method is Weight Watcher meetings. So my last weekly planning question is:
5) Will I be at my Weight Watcher meeting this week - or do I need to find another one to attend?
This may not apply to you, but it applies to me. I have to weigh in and be present at a meeting to get my bearings on a regular basis. Whatever you choose to do to measure your progress, stick to it and measure, even on the weeks you don't want to. ESPECIALLY on the weeks you don't want to!
So you have your general plan, then your more specific plan, and if you really need it you can make a daily plan (I do that, too). My plans are specific, but not totally rigid. But if I don't have a plan, well, I'm just WISHING the weight will come off, and we know how well that goes.
So make a plan, stick to the plan and GET TO YOUR GOAL! :)
My goal is to lose 20 pounds (now 16) by the end of this year.
What will I do in order to meet my goal?
I am an active member of Weight Watchers and I will use that program to help me get there.
Now that's a good start on an overall plan, but it's still pretty general as far as plans go. So let's break it down. Good plans are specific. I like to answer these questions at the beginning of a week:
1) What will I do this week to meet my goal?
I will make sure to track everything I eat and stay within my allotted points, and I'll work out to get some extra points.
This is a good start and a good way of reminding myself regularly of what I need to be doing overall, but I still feel I need to be more specific, which is the purpose of the following questions.
2) Do I have healthy snacks and staples on hand in my house and at work?
If yes, good! If no, make a list of what you need and go to the grocery store to stock up.
This one is key. You have to keep the good stuff around. Carrots, apples, bananas, fresh veggies, frozen veggies, lean meat (chicken, pork), Babybel Lights, greek yogurt, berries. If you have the good stuff to reach for, it's easy to quash your hunger in a way that helps you, rather than reaching for pretzels, cereal, beef jerky or whatever is in the candy dish at the reception desk. Stock up on the good stuff!
3) What is my workout schedule going to be this week?
I will lift weights Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. I will run Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. Saturday will be my day off. I may also go to dance class on Monday night. All workouts are at night this week, after work.
Nice! This is specific and includes the TIME for workouts. Mapping out obstacles (dinner at Boss's house, etc.) also allows you to plan for when you can get your workouts in. Which brings me to the next question:
4) Do I have any obstacles coming this week that will be difficult - a party, a work lunch, a trip out of town, etc.?
If yes, plan that day, leaving lots of "free" room for the event. Party in the evening? Have a healthy breakfast and healthy lunch, get a good workout in, and snack on lots of veggies before the party. If no obstacles for the week, pick a day that will be my free day, OR let the week play out knowing I have ONE free day.
Life happens, so an impromptu happy hour may kind of derail you, but let it derail you just for that day and move your schedule around to make it work. You want to lose weight for good, so you have to figure out how to work "staying healthy" in with your life. Go to dinner with your boss, just move the workout to the morning that day, eat well all day, etc. Keep the overall plan in tact, even if you have to move the pieces around.
And finally... you have to have a consistent way of measuring your progress. My method is Weight Watcher meetings. So my last weekly planning question is:
5) Will I be at my Weight Watcher meeting this week - or do I need to find another one to attend?
This may not apply to you, but it applies to me. I have to weigh in and be present at a meeting to get my bearings on a regular basis. Whatever you choose to do to measure your progress, stick to it and measure, even on the weeks you don't want to. ESPECIALLY on the weeks you don't want to!
So you have your general plan, then your more specific plan, and if you really need it you can make a daily plan (I do that, too). My plans are specific, but not totally rigid. But if I don't have a plan, well, I'm just WISHING the weight will come off, and we know how well that goes.
So make a plan, stick to the plan and GET TO YOUR GOAL! :)
Thursday, September 13, 2012
sixteen to go
What worked? I wrote down everything I ate. I only had 1/2 of ONE day of the week where I didn't pay attention and track it, that was DH's birthday party. BUT... I assumed I used up all my "extra" points and calories that night, so stayed very strict with my limits on the other days of the week.
Also on DH's birthday party night, we did 10 miles of biking to restaurants and bars (super fun!!) so I am sure that helped to offset things!
I made a workout plan for the week and stuck to it. I've done 2 days of BFL lifting (LOVE IT!!) and also did a 5K time trial run with the tri club this past Tuesday. I was at 30:41 for that run... would like to be below 30 minutes again... but at least I am running.
I also stayed again for the "meeting after the meeting" and while I am well aware of everything discussed, I like hearing it again. I think the refresher is helping - well, judging by my results from last week, it is.
So now, to make a plan for this week. Which will be the topic of another post...
Monday, September 10, 2012
the first step is the hardest
I went to the gym tonight. Yes, THIS is a Big Announcement. I did not want to go. My fabulous Marito did not want to go, either. He said I could go without him. [Not that he is the dictator of what I can do, he just didn't want to go.]
So I went on my own, and I am so glad I did!
I did the upper body workout of the Body For Life [I call it Body For Liz or BFL] training program, which I have had great success with in the past. In fact, it is what got me into weight lifting. I don't love to lift weights, but I *DO* love the results you get, so that is plenty of motivation for me. (It's all about the vanity.) If you really want to change the way your body looks, training with heavy weights is definitely the way to do so the fastest. My body looks best when I spend 70% of my workout time weight training and only 30% doing cardio. YES, you read that right!
In any case, the BFL lift was the perfect thing for me to do tonight. Marito hates those workouts but I love 'em. I think I'm going to just suck it up and do the program - the workout part of it, anyhow. The food part is difficult, and I'm not ready for that just yet. One thing at a time!
Making it to the gym and getting a good weights workout in has left me feeling a lot more optimistic about how I look because now I feel like I'm working on it, on me, that is...
Tomorrow's workout is a run with the tri club. 3 mile time trial. Oh, joy. Have a great night!
--
Body for Life is a program created by Bill Philips. If you would like more info, check out www.bodyforlife.com or go to the library and actually check out the book Body For Life
by Bill Philips. Great info!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
the power of MANY
Snowflakes... one little snowflake is so teeny tiny. It doesn't really do anything of significance on it's own beyond giving you something very pretty to look at. But if you put together LOTS of snowflakes, you have some serious power:
The same thing applies to your eating and exercise choices. One little choice (good or bad) done for one day won't do much on it's own, but if you repeat the behavior over many many days it will have a big effect. And when you string together LOTS of little choices over many days - whether those choices are good or bad - you will eventually see really big results!
I have made lots of seemingly tiny changes to my behavior in the first part of my weight loss journey. Water instead of soda. No sugar in my coffee. Vegetables as my side at a restaurant. Egg whites or egg beaters instead of real eggs. Walking instead of driving. They all add up together and over time. I am positive that since I allowed my many little changes to become my daily habits I have been able to keep the first thirty pounds I lost from returning.
And just when I thought I really couldn't make any more "little" changes, today I did exactly that. After lunch I am accustomed to having a small piece of chocolate, and later in the afternoon I have a snack. Today I decided to postpone the just-after-lunch chocolate and make *it* my afternoon snack. Just one little snowflake, but there are MANY more to come. :)
(image is from SnowCrystals.com)
The same thing applies to your eating and exercise choices. One little choice (good or bad) done for one day won't do much on it's own, but if you repeat the behavior over many many days it will have a big effect. And when you string together LOTS of little choices over many days - whether those choices are good or bad - you will eventually see really big results!
I have made lots of seemingly tiny changes to my behavior in the first part of my weight loss journey. Water instead of soda. No sugar in my coffee. Vegetables as my side at a restaurant. Egg whites or egg beaters instead of real eggs. Walking instead of driving. They all add up together and over time. I am positive that since I allowed my many little changes to become my daily habits I have been able to keep the first thirty pounds I lost from returning.
And just when I thought I really couldn't make any more "little" changes, today I did exactly that. After lunch I am accustomed to having a small piece of chocolate, and later in the afternoon I have a snack. Today I decided to postpone the just-after-lunch chocolate and make *it* my afternoon snack. Just one little snowflake, but there are MANY more to come. :)
(image is from SnowCrystals.com)
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
The Beginning of The End
I have twenty pounds to lose. I have had twenty pounds to lose for, oh, about eight years now. I'm tired of carrying it around. I'm tired of having a body that looks like this:
There is no good reason a triathlete, runner, weightlifter and former rower who has never birthed a child nor had medical issues contributing to weight gain should look the way I do right now.
OK that photo above is the worst photo, but I picked it on purpose. It shows LOTS of room for improvement. :-) It was taken this past Labor day weekend.
Here is another one of me from the same weekend, which is more normal and representative of how I look (and which is still not good):
So that is where I am right now. I know it's not terrible, but it's not how I want to continue to look. It's my starting point.
Here is a photo of how I would like to look:
Maybe I do not want to be *quite* as thin as the runner girl in the above photo, but I really love her muscle tone. I think without the 20 extra pounds I'm carrying, and with some pretty stellar weight training sessions, I can get very close to looking like she does!
Tomorrow I'm going to Weight Watchers (WW). I say this as if it is some big announcement, but the truth is that I have been going to Weight Watcher meetings for - oh, nine years now. I did lose 30 pounds with the help of WW back in 2003/2004. I have since kept the weight off - more or less - but I never made it to goal.
So... isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? Well, yes - but in my defense, keeping up with WW for all this time definitely helped me to keep those 30 pounds off. However, I have 20 more pounds to go, which means that I need to do something differently.
When I go to tomorrow's meeting I'm going to stay after and discuss my goal with the leader - basically make it "REAL" again. I guess that is The Big Announcement. I'm not going to just observe the meeting as I have been doing for the past few years, I'm going to actively use the meeting to help me lay out my goal with the intent to REACH it by the end of this year.
It is time to put all my excuses and the blame aside and just get rid of these twenty pounds for good. This blog is a written account of Losing the Last Twenty Pounds - and this first post is the beginning of the end of my weight loss journey. Bon voyage!
There is no good reason a triathlete, runner, weightlifter and former rower who has never birthed a child nor had medical issues contributing to weight gain should look the way I do right now.
OK that photo above is the worst photo, but I picked it on purpose. It shows LOTS of room for improvement. :-) It was taken this past Labor day weekend.
Here is another one of me from the same weekend, which is more normal and representative of how I look (and which is still not good):
So that is where I am right now. I know it's not terrible, but it's not how I want to continue to look. It's my starting point.
Here is a photo of how I would like to look:
Maybe I do not want to be *quite* as thin as the runner girl in the above photo, but I really love her muscle tone. I think without the 20 extra pounds I'm carrying, and with some pretty stellar weight training sessions, I can get very close to looking like she does!
Tomorrow I'm going to Weight Watchers (WW). I say this as if it is some big announcement, but the truth is that I have been going to Weight Watcher meetings for - oh, nine years now. I did lose 30 pounds with the help of WW back in 2003/2004. I have since kept the weight off - more or less - but I never made it to goal.
So... isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? Well, yes - but in my defense, keeping up with WW for all this time definitely helped me to keep those 30 pounds off. However, I have 20 more pounds to go, which means that I need to do something differently.
When I go to tomorrow's meeting I'm going to stay after and discuss my goal with the leader - basically make it "REAL" again. I guess that is The Big Announcement. I'm not going to just observe the meeting as I have been doing for the past few years, I'm going to actively use the meeting to help me lay out my goal with the intent to REACH it by the end of this year.
It is time to put all my excuses and the blame aside and just get rid of these twenty pounds for good. This blog is a written account of Losing the Last Twenty Pounds - and this first post is the beginning of the end of my weight loss journey. Bon voyage!
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