Results of the Wendie Experiment

Wendie was good to me this week - I got away with eating McDonald's and some sweet treats, and the scale showed a loss of 0.8 lbs too. It showed more of a loss when I jumped on it after my shower this morning (like an additional 1.2 lb loss), but I always take the first weigh in of the day. If I am actually lighter than I show on my first weigh in, it'll show up in next week's loss. I'm happy with my loss this week anyway, especially at this stage in the game.

I'm going to do the Wendie plan again this week. It was really easy to do, with only two days where I'm supposed to stay completely OP. Steve's mom is coming to stay with us this weekend, so having Saturday as my super high day is perfect for it.

Serious Raccoon Burn and McDonald's Gripe

I have no idea how anyone can take me seriously today - I can't even stop laughing at myself! I have a seriously ridiculous raccoon burn - it is too funny! I was out in the sun yesterday for like 4 hours with my new sunglasses on. They cover my face down to the middle of my cheeks. I was sooo not thinking of how much sun I was getting because it was so cool here yesterday. But geez, do I ever look like a fool today - too funny!

My Wendie experiment seems to be going well. I totally took advantage of my super high day and ate some McDonald's on Saturday while watching the hockey game. Last night I ended up going over by a couple of points though - I tried all day to get myself a McDonald's vanilla cone, which is only 3 pts. I went to 3 different McDonald's yesterday and every single one was out of ice milk! Grr... Since I really wanted the ice milk, I went to DQ and had a Dilly Bar. I thought they were 3 pts too, but realized when I got home that they're actually 5 pts. Oh well... no big deal. But I sure was mad at McDonald's! LOL

Didn't get out for a run yesterday, but I did play my first beach volleyball game of the season. My feet are killing me today though, from running around in the sand. Ouch! It's raining here today, but I still think I'm going to try to get out for a short run later. Monday is normally a day off running, but my running schedule has been put off a bit, so I'm gonna try to catch up.

Update - Day 3 on Wendie

Today is Day 3 of my Wendie experiment, and so far so good. I get 20 points today, one of my lower-point days. But I find that if I plan in advance, it's no problem to get lots of food for 19 or 20 points - I just have to be prepared. So last night I went the Superstore and got myself some strawberries and a really nice mediterranean salad for lunch. I'll put some light feta cheese and eat my salad spritzer on it and presto! - a nice big salad for just 1.5 pts. That leaves room for some salmon and some all-bran bites. An entire lunch (huge!) for 4.5 pts. Sweet deal!

I have a run scheduled for today, a nice, easy 4K run, which I plan on doing sometime this evening. I'm now really looking forward to my runs, now that I have this heart rate thing under control. I had no idea that I had been running too fast before. Now that I have my new heart rate monitor, running has really changed for me - it's an even more enjoyable experience than it was before.

What Have I Become?!?

To start this post off, I need to say that I have one of the best DBFs in the world. He is one of the kindest, most supportive guys I've ever known. Seriously. Anyway...

I've been at or under my weight goal for over a year now, and I met my DBF after I had lost the weight. We were having a discussion today about the different ways we support each other. He says to me, "I support you in your running, and with helping you eat healthy", among other things. And he totally does. The poor guy comes running with me a couple of times a week, and eats all of the healthy recipe experiments I make at home, he's always checking out the nutritional information of the foods we buy, he likes trying new fruits and vegetables, etc. He really is the best.

But that's not the point of this post. What he said really got me thinkin'. My life now really is very focused on health, fitness, and healthy eating. It's something I think about all the time, and is just part of me now. So what was it like before?

It is one of the best feelings I've ever had to finally be in control of my life, my eating habits, my fitness, and my health. And I guess a lot of this stuff is what my life focused around before too, just not in a healthy, productive way. I was always obsessed with how "bad" I thought I looked, the guilt I felt about what I ate (and how much I ate!), how people saw me, etc. It was terrible to feel so bad all the time and to feel so out of control.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think I finally realize that I will always, always have to deal with food issues, whether good or bad. This will always be a part of my life. Forever. One of my crosses to bear in this life. And you know what? I'll take it. I am so blessed to even have the opportunity to worry about what I eat. And I'm blessed because I don't have to deal with something that I can't control. Not to say that I won't face other kinds of challenges in the future, maybe some that will be out of my control, but for now I have to remember to be happy with what I have, every single day.

Product Review - Oil of Olay Ribbons Body Wash

OK, I'm going to admit right here, right now that I'm a sucker for flashy packaging, overdone ad campaigns, and the products they represent. I've thrown tons of money away trying new crazy products, only to realize that the majority of the money these companies spent on these products was in the flashy packaging. Anyway... save your money and let me be the guinea pig for all of you packaging junkies out there...

Enter Stage Right: Oil of Olay Ribbons Body Wash

I LOVE this body wash!

I have never used body wash that felt so soft while I was using it! It's fantastic, seriously. I forget specifically which "flavour" body wash I opted for this time, but it's kind of a sage green colour and smells wonderful. I actually look forward to feeling it on my skin.

To the other body wash users - Try it! You'll love it to!

Wendie Plan - Day 1

Well today I feel like someone with that all-gung-ho-starting-a-new-diet attitude. Today is my first day on the Wendie Plan, and I'm just plain excited about it.

Today is one of my low-point days, so I got myself prepared for it last night. Went to the Superstore to get myself a big no-point salad for lunch, and some asian pears to fill in any hunger gaps this week. I've got my cottage cheese and yogurt for my protein today. I think I'm good to go! I'm hoping to be able to get in either a quick run or a walk sometime today, but I have a seminar for first time home buyers tonight, and I just can't miss it. It'll be an evening of running around in a rush from what I can tell, but we'll see how it goes.

This week I'm gonna really make the best of it - drink tons of water, get my exercise in, and take advantage of being able to treat myself a little on the high-point days. I really want to see if this will work for me, so I can get those last few stubborn pounds off! Oy!

Finding It Hard Lately...

I've been following the WW program for a long time, and this is probably one of the hardest times I've ever experienced on it. Now I know that most people probably don't think I need to lose much more weight because I've already reached lifetime status, but please keep in mind that I chose the top of my weight range as my goal weight, to make things easier. I still would though like to lose a few more pounds. I just really want to see if I can make it to 126. That's 10 lbs, and is still well within my healthy weight range.

My problem now is that I only get 19 points a day, plus my weekly flex. I'm eating all of my daily points, my APs, and almost all of my flex. I'm just not really losing like I used to, but to make things worse - I'm hungry a lot!

I've been eating lots of good, low-point protein like cottage cheese, and chicken, lots of veggies, etc. I drink tons of water, and I'm running regularly.

So, I think it's time for a little switch up. Tomorrow I'm going to start the Wendie plan. I've never tried it before, but I've heard wonderful things about it, and I'm excited about the concept of having a super high day (mine will be Saturday!). I will have no problems staying within my points limit for the low days (I'll be eating my APs too, thank goodness) and the point allocation for the rest of the days seems completely do-able too. I'm pumped about it - I really hope this will give me the jump start I need.

Here's how my points will be broken down for the week with Wendie:

Wednesday -> 19 points (+ eat all APs earned - should be 4 for running)
Thursday -> 24 points (+ half of any APs earned)
Friday -> 20 points (+ half of any APs earned - should be 4 for running)
Saturday -> 34 points (Super High Day - eat no APs - perfect since this is my day off running)
Sunday -> 19 points (+ eat all APs earned - should be 5 for running)
Monday -> 23 points (+ half of any APs earned)
Tuesday -> 21 points (+ half of any APs earned - should be 4 for running)

I'll keep everyone posted!


Today's Eating Plan:

Breakfast (3.5 pts) -> Banana Bran Choc Chip Muffin (1), FF/SF Yogurt w 1/8C Fibre Cereal (1), All-Bran Bites (1), Coffee\Milk (0.5), Asian Pear (0)

Lunch (2.5 pts) -> 1/2C Cottage Cheese (1.5), 3 Wasa Light Rye Crisps (1), 1/3 T Dijonnaise (0), Diet Pepsi (0)

Dinner (10 pts) -> Lean Burger (4), Smart Hamburger Bun (2), 1T Thousand Island Dressing (0), LF French Fries (3), Chili Sauce (0), 1/2T Light Mayo (0.5), 1/2T BBQ Sauce (0.5)

Product Review - Dove Energy Glow Moisturizer

I'm a white girl, and when I say white, I mean WHITE. Pasty white. Almost purply white. Now I know that I am blessed, but unfortunately, skin with even subtle colour was not one of the things I was blessed with. So I have to improvise...

I was never leary of tanning beds until just recently. In fact I used to love going to a tanning bed. I found it so relaxing, and I just felt sexier when I left. But now I'm just too worried about all of the terrible health consequences that can come along with using a tanning bed or staying in the sun too long without skin protection.

I considered a full-out self-tanner, but I've heard too many stories of girls getting orange and streaky. Trust me, I'll take white and pasty anyday over orange and streaky. *giggle, giggle*

In light of all of this, I've decided to try a moisturizer with a subtle hint of self-tanner. The first problem for me was that there are so many of these new moisturizers on the market to choose from! I spent many a time in front of a Walmart shelf debating the different kinds, only to leave empty handed.

I finally decided to give the Dove Energy Glow moisturizer a try. And I have to say that I LOVE it! It really does just leave you with a subtle glow, sans-streaks. There are two types out there - one for fair skin tones and one for medium to darker skin tones. I, of course, tried the one for fair skin toned people. So far so good! I highly recommend this one...

Ran 6K For The First Time Yesterday

Well I went out yesterday with my Garmin and ran 6K for the first time. This was Day 1 in the Running Room's 10K Conditioning Program. It was supposed to be an LSD run, which means it should be run at 60-70% of my max heart rate.

I decided I'd start using more of the features on my HRM, so I used it to alert me if my heart rate was too high or too low. I discovered that that pace is really quite slow for me (it would pretty much put me at a fast walk), so I ran at a slightly higher pace, but still much slower than I was used to. It turned out to be one of the most enjoyable runs I've ever had! I finished the 6K with no problems, in about 45 mins. Keeping my heart rate in the right zone (ie. running at a slower pace) really helped me enjoy my run - I paid attention to the beautiful things I saw along the trail, the birds chirping, etc. I really think I had a running breakthrough yesterday.

This new HRM is going to make a world of difference for my running!

No run planned for tonight, but since Steve is working late anyway, I might see if Jenn wants to go out for a little run with me.

Come to think of it, yesterday was a big day for me all around... I roasted my first chicken yesterday. It was a breeze and Steve and I both loved it. What an easy dinner. I put it in my slow cooker on high for the first 4 hours (so the house wouldn't get too hot), then finished it in the oven for the last half hour or so, to get some brown skin on that chicken and some yummy caramelization on my veggies. Turned out to be a really yummy dinner.

We also got out last night and golfed our first 9 holes of the season at Carmen Creek. Steve had a great night and made some really nice shots. I started off great, but did terribly on the longer holes. I really need to work on my drive. I wish I could just use a wedge the entire time - then I'd probably be pretty good!


Today's Eating Plan

Breakfast (2.5 pts) -> Banana Bran Choc Chip Muffin (1), FF/SF Yogurt w 1/8 Cup Fibre Cereal (1), Coffee\Milk (0.5)

Lunch (4.5 pts) -> 1/2 C 1% Cottage Cheese (1.5), 2 Bodywise Bread (1), 1 T PB (2), Asian Pear (0)

Dinner -> ?

Snack -> ?


Today's Exercise Plan

Running -> ? Maybe

Nice Weather! Yay!

We finally got some nice weather! Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful day here in NB... we've gone from frost warnings to 32F - all in one week! Only in the maritimes!

Stephen and I decided to take advantage of the nice evening last night and sat ourselves on a patio for dinner, then we were off to the Bucket Club for some golfing. It was a great time - nice for the two of us to just get out and do something fun for a change!

Today I'm trying my slow cooker for the first time and I'm scared to death of it! I have no idea what I'm doing, since I've never done this before. I threw a marinated pork loin in there with onions, potatoes, baby carrots, and mushrooms. Then I boiled the marinade, added some water, and poured it all over the veggies and pork. I left it on low for the day - hopefully it'll all work out... I'll let ya know!

I have a run scheduled for tonight - just a short 3K - I can't wait to get back out there with my new HRM. I love that crazy thing!


Today's Eating Plan:

Breakfast (4.5 pts) -> FF/SF Yogurt with 1/8 C Fibre Cereal (1), Banana Bran Choc Chip Muffin (1), Coffee\Milk (0.5), Strawberry All-Bran Bites (2)

Lunch (6 pts) -> Huge Salad (0), Hellmann's Asian Silk Salad Spritzer (0), FF/SF Yogurt with 1/8 C Fibre Cereal (1), Small Piece of Light Cheesecake (5)

Dinner (7 pts) -> 3oz Cooked Pork Tenderloin (3), Large Red Potato (3), 1/2 C Carrots (0), Onions\Mushrooms (0), Marinade (0.5), 1 T Light Sour Cream (0.5)

Snack (3 pts) -> Iced Capp made w 2% Choc Milk (3)


Today's Exercise Plan:

Running -> 3K, 25 minutes (-3)