I really wish someone had warned me that I would freeze my ass off once I lost my fatty insulation. Damn it's cold!
I've been freezing for about a year now, but I should definitely NOT be this cold in August. It's not right, it just isn't. Since moving to the house, it's much worse. I had forgotten the differences between living in an apartment and living in a house outside the city.
I've decided that I'm going to start posting some of my daily menus again. I've found that I've gotten a bit off track with my blogging and that the focus of my blog has drifted quite a bit lately. So here goes today's menu (which is not a good example of an OP day - I went out for lunch). Please note that instead of eating the 23 that I'm allotted while on maintenance, I've decided to eat 21 points a day because I've gained a couple of pounds and wouldn't mind getting rid of them again, slowly.
Today's Eating Plan: (21 daily + 8.5 flex)
B (4.5 pts) -> Choc Chip Banana Bran Muffin (1), 2 Bodywise w PB (3), Coffee (0.5)
L (9.5 pts) -> Salad Greens (0), Monterey Jack Cheese (2), Chicken Breast (1.5), Avocado Dressing (2), Tortilla Chips (3), Salsa (0), Choc Chip Banana Bran Muffin (1), Diet Coke (0)
D (12 pts) -> Lean Beef Burger (4), Whole Wheat Bun (3), LF Fries (3.5), LF Mayo (0.5), Ketchup (0), BBQ Sauce (0.5), 1 Laughing Cow Cheese Portion (0.5), 1T Thousand Island Dressing (0)
Snack (3.5 pts) -> Smart Pop Popcorn (1), Popcorn Seasoning (0.5), Becel Spray (0), Diet Root Beer (0), 1/2C Frozen Yogurt (2)
Weekly Status: 25.5 Flex Remaining...
Friday, August 24, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
I Hurt ALL OVER!
Every inch of me hurts, every single freakin' inch!
If people don't think that gardening and yard work count for earning APs, they're crazy!
Since buying the house, we've been working like mad to get things cleaned up and the way we'd like them. It's a never ending process, we know, but it's fun right now and we're really enjoying it. I took it upon myself to clean up our front walk way, which is a stone walk way of those interlocking bricks you find at home improvement stores, etc. The previous owners of our house had really not taken care of the yard much (not to mention the rest of our house!), and I love working away at stuff like this, since I'm such a perfectionist.
I started cleaning it up a couple of evenings ago, worked for a couple of hours and was exhausted. Went back at it again yesterday and fell asleep on the couch last night as a result. I never fall asleep on the couch! This morning I woke up sore all over. Even the little meaty parts of my hands below my thumbs hurt!
I'm almost done now though, and I should say, that walkway looks fabulous now! And what a great workout!
If people don't think that gardening and yard work count for earning APs, they're crazy!
Since buying the house, we've been working like mad to get things cleaned up and the way we'd like them. It's a never ending process, we know, but it's fun right now and we're really enjoying it. I took it upon myself to clean up our front walk way, which is a stone walk way of those interlocking bricks you find at home improvement stores, etc. The previous owners of our house had really not taken care of the yard much (not to mention the rest of our house!), and I love working away at stuff like this, since I'm such a perfectionist.
I started cleaning it up a couple of evenings ago, worked for a couple of hours and was exhausted. Went back at it again yesterday and fell asleep on the couch last night as a result. I never fall asleep on the couch! This morning I woke up sore all over. Even the little meaty parts of my hands below my thumbs hurt!
I'm almost done now though, and I should say, that walkway looks fabulous now! And what a great workout!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Lifetime First Anniversary
Turns out that the anniversary of my having reached lifetime status with Weight Watchers was last week, on August 16th. I guess it must have slipped my mind with the move going on and all. I'm actually about 8 lbs. lighter now than I was then.
The past year has held a lot of ups and downs for me, both personally and with my weight loss journey. This time last year I wasn't even an active member of the Weight Watchers online community. I lost all of my weight without making use of those crazy message boards or the online tracker. Imagine! Now somedays I don't know what I'd do without them!
Maintaining my weight loss has definitely been harder than losing the weight initially. I had NO IDEA this would be so hard to keep off! It makes things a lot harder when you aren't rewarded for your efforts every week with a loss. Now when I have a hard week staying OP, I'm no longer "rewarded" with anything visible. I have to tell myself to be happy with staying the same, which is now the goal. Not nearly as much fun as seeing a loss on that scale!
The past year has held a lot of ups and downs for me, both personally and with my weight loss journey. This time last year I wasn't even an active member of the Weight Watchers online community. I lost all of my weight without making use of those crazy message boards or the online tracker. Imagine! Now somedays I don't know what I'd do without them!
Maintaining my weight loss has definitely been harder than losing the weight initially. I had NO IDEA this would be so hard to keep off! It makes things a lot harder when you aren't rewarded for your efforts every week with a loss. Now when I have a hard week staying OP, I'm no longer "rewarded" with anything visible. I have to tell myself to be happy with staying the same, which is now the goal. Not nearly as much fun as seeing a loss on that scale!
Monday, August 20, 2007
We're In!
Ahhh...
Well after 5 days of moving, cleaning, working, and dealing with the zillion little things that come with buying a house, we finally live there! Yay!
There was just so much we didn't expect. We knew we'd run into a few snags though, so we were prepared.
First I'll give everyone the update on my previous post - although I was scared out of my wits the evening before my house was to close because we thought we were missing a septic document required by my bank in order for them to release the mortgage, everything resolved itself first thing the next morning. We arrived at the house at 8.30am to do our final inspection before the close, and the document we needed was sitting on the kitchen counter. Whew! Instant relief...
Then the moving and cleaning began - what a huge effort. Five days later, the house is clean, we're moved in, and extremely exhausted, but so happy we can't even explain it.
Our new home is a dream. We have more than enough space for us now. We have a pool, a double garage, and a view to die for. I never want to leave home...
Well after 5 days of moving, cleaning, working, and dealing with the zillion little things that come with buying a house, we finally live there! Yay!
There was just so much we didn't expect. We knew we'd run into a few snags though, so we were prepared.
First I'll give everyone the update on my previous post - although I was scared out of my wits the evening before my house was to close because we thought we were missing a septic document required by my bank in order for them to release the mortgage, everything resolved itself first thing the next morning. We arrived at the house at 8.30am to do our final inspection before the close, and the document we needed was sitting on the kitchen counter. Whew! Instant relief...
Then the moving and cleaning began - what a huge effort. Five days later, the house is clean, we're moved in, and extremely exhausted, but so happy we can't even explain it.
Our new home is a dream. We have more than enough space for us now. We have a pool, a double garage, and a view to die for. I never want to leave home...
Monday, August 13, 2007
Home Buyers Mistakes, Part 1
CI - PSL = 0
where CI = Calories In, and PSL = Perceived Stress Level (in calories)
Based on the formula above, I can eat whatever I want. In fact, I'll probably need to eat more. Bring it I say, BRING IT...
Holy banana! Actually, more like holy cheeseburger! Can things get much more stressful?!?
As I'm sure some of you know, I'm buying my first home. In fact, I've bought my first home, and my closing date is Wednesday - yes, THIS Wednesday, probably around noon. That's 42:52:00 away. And for the past 7 weeks or so, since I've known that I'm buying this home, I've been skipping my little self along, thinking everything is just freakin' peachy, congratulating myself for being so organized and ready, which is completely out of character for procrastinator-T.
Mistake #1 - When buying a home, never think everything is just freakin' peachy. Never.
I'm skipping along to my lawyer's office this afternoon to sign off on the final papers. (I'm not really skipping, but picture it that way - it's nicer, and I am wearing pink, and it's sunny, so just picture it as if it's a Sound of Music kind of day). He sits me down and gives me said papers. He then proceeds to tell me that there are still some things that he needs from me. These things that he needs, if not obtained by like tomorrow(!), have the potential to hold up my closing date by a couple of days.
This is brought to my attention 2 days (!) before we have a moving truck booked. Awesome.
So now I scramble around, doing outlandish things, all the while in a serious panic at this point. Things are not peachy. They had better be back to peachy by tomorrow, or someone is getting a good swift kick in the shin.
where CI = Calories In, and PSL = Perceived Stress Level (in calories)
Based on the formula above, I can eat whatever I want. In fact, I'll probably need to eat more. Bring it I say, BRING IT...
Holy banana! Actually, more like holy cheeseburger! Can things get much more stressful?!?
As I'm sure some of you know, I'm buying my first home. In fact, I've bought my first home, and my closing date is Wednesday - yes, THIS Wednesday, probably around noon. That's 42:52:00 away. And for the past 7 weeks or so, since I've known that I'm buying this home, I've been skipping my little self along, thinking everything is just freakin' peachy, congratulating myself for being so organized and ready, which is completely out of character for procrastinator-T.
Mistake #1 - When buying a home, never think everything is just freakin' peachy. Never.
I'm skipping along to my lawyer's office this afternoon to sign off on the final papers. (I'm not really skipping, but picture it that way - it's nicer, and I am wearing pink, and it's sunny, so just picture it as if it's a Sound of Music kind of day). He sits me down and gives me said papers. He then proceeds to tell me that there are still some things that he needs from me. These things that he needs, if not obtained by like tomorrow(!), have the potential to hold up my closing date by a couple of days.
This is brought to my attention 2 days (!) before we have a moving truck booked. Awesome.
So now I scramble around, doing outlandish things, all the while in a serious panic at this point. Things are not peachy. They had better be back to peachy by tomorrow, or someone is getting a good swift kick in the shin.
Friday, August 10, 2007
OK, so life has been a bit nuts...
Finally some time to blog...
Life has been nuts lately, seriously. But now I think I'm back. We finally have everything sorted out with the house, and we're almost ready for the move. We're pretty much living out of boxes at this point, which has been frustrating by times, but what hasn't been boxed up yet will be this weekend! We officially get the house on Wednesday, and neither of us can wait!
As far as WW is concerned, things are going well. Since my little breakdown about a month ago, after having been at a 19-point level for quite some time, I decided to switch to maintenance for a while to give myself a break. I'm happy to report that maintenance is going really well now and I may have actually even managed to lose a little since adding the extra 4 points a day!
Running has fallen by the wayside, but only a little bit. It's been very hot here, at least it was last week, so I only made it out a couple of times during the entire course of the week. This week I've only made it out once, but I plan on going again later today. I keep promising myself that I'll get back on track once the move is over with and we're more settled and less busy.
Life has been nuts lately, seriously. But now I think I'm back. We finally have everything sorted out with the house, and we're almost ready for the move. We're pretty much living out of boxes at this point, which has been frustrating by times, but what hasn't been boxed up yet will be this weekend! We officially get the house on Wednesday, and neither of us can wait!
As far as WW is concerned, things are going well. Since my little breakdown about a month ago, after having been at a 19-point level for quite some time, I decided to switch to maintenance for a while to give myself a break. I'm happy to report that maintenance is going really well now and I may have actually even managed to lose a little since adding the extra 4 points a day!
Running has fallen by the wayside, but only a little bit. It's been very hot here, at least it was last week, so I only made it out a couple of times during the entire course of the week. This week I've only made it out once, but I plan on going again later today. I keep promising myself that I'll get back on track once the move is over with and we're more settled and less busy.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Just when I thought I had this eating thing all figured out...
I had a really harsh realization this past week. After working this WW program for a couple of years now, I thought I had mastered this whole weight management thing. I sure was wrong...
I started Weight Watchers in October of 2005. I had no trouble getting my weight off, and lost consistently until I reached goal in June of 2006. I started maintenance just as I was going on vacation for a week. I gained throughout my 6 weeks of maintenance, but did manage to keep my weight under the two-pound threshold so that I would become a lifetime member. I blamed my gains on vacation, meeting my boyfriend, camping, my B-12 deficiency that had sidelined my running, moving back to the city, etc. - anything I could find as an excuse for not maintaining my loss.
Over the course of my first 6 months of being a lifetime WW member, I continued to weigh in monthly to keep my lifetime status, but I continued to gain in small increments until I had regained a little more than 20 lbs. by last Christmas. That's when I decided to get back on the WW program full-time and get myself back down to my goal weight before I gained any more weight and was back to where I had started. I was tired of weighing in monthly and paying for it - I mean, what had I worked for anyway? I definitely hadn't worked so hard to lose the weight just to gain it all back! I knew the WW program worked, and I knew I could do it again, so I got back on the weight loss train.
I knew how to get the weight back off, so I started running again and watching what I was eating. And once again, the weight came off pretty easily. It has continued to come off until now. I am now the smallest I ever remember being, and until now I was still trying to lose a few extra pounds. I'm well below my WW goal weight.
This past week has really opened my eyes. I decided I'd go off plan for a couple of days while we were on vacation and that I'd eat what I wanted. What an eye opener! I was so sad to have to go back on plan when we returned that I had some kind of breakdown or something. I am allotted 19 points a day if I want to continue losing, which really isn't much anymore. It's been very difficult to keep it up week after week, as I'm constantly watching every single point. I haven't been enjoying myself, and I've been feeling quite deprived to be honest. It's summer time, my favourite thing to eat is ice cream, and although I know I can eat it if I use my flex or earn the APs for it, I find myself in a strict eating mode, depriving myself of a treat to save the points. It's crazy and needless and I know it, but that's what I've been doing.
So I'm going to switch my focus and concentrate more on improving my fitness and my body composition while switching my program to maintenance for a while. This is where the new realization comes in. I've been a lifetime member for over a year now, and I've never maintained! Not even for a little while! I'm scared to death of maintenance because I think I'll gain some of my weight back again! What if it doesn't work?!? I know it's supposed to work, but I'm just so scared of it! When it comes to losing weight, I feel like an old pro - I know all the tricks and everything you need to do to lose, but I'm not so sure of myself when it comes to maintaining a loss. I'm just so scared of gaining... but I'm going to bite the bullet and risk gaining a little bit until I can figure out this maintenance thing. I'm going to add the 4 points to my daily amount, giving me 23 points, and I'm going to eat half of my APs earned, and as many flex points as I want throughout the week. Just the extra 4 points a day will allow me to treat myself without feeling so bad about it. I know I shouldn't feel bad, but I'll admit that I sometimes do feel guilty for indulging in a treat. I'm working on that...
It was a rough week mentally finally figuring this out, but I'm gonna conquer this new issue too! I'm going to learn to maintain and finally learn how to live healthily without gaining or losing for a while. I'm going to learn that success isn't always measured with a loss - the hardest part of this whole thing is maintaining the loss. It's going to be harder to put the work in to living a healthy lifestyle without feeling the success of a weekly weight loss. I'll have to learn to love maintaining the loss as much as I have loved losing the weight to begin with - it's going to be tough, but I'll have to revel in the new victories I'll experience.
Glad I got that off my chest...
I started Weight Watchers in October of 2005. I had no trouble getting my weight off, and lost consistently until I reached goal in June of 2006. I started maintenance just as I was going on vacation for a week. I gained throughout my 6 weeks of maintenance, but did manage to keep my weight under the two-pound threshold so that I would become a lifetime member. I blamed my gains on vacation, meeting my boyfriend, camping, my B-12 deficiency that had sidelined my running, moving back to the city, etc. - anything I could find as an excuse for not maintaining my loss.
Over the course of my first 6 months of being a lifetime WW member, I continued to weigh in monthly to keep my lifetime status, but I continued to gain in small increments until I had regained a little more than 20 lbs. by last Christmas. That's when I decided to get back on the WW program full-time and get myself back down to my goal weight before I gained any more weight and was back to where I had started. I was tired of weighing in monthly and paying for it - I mean, what had I worked for anyway? I definitely hadn't worked so hard to lose the weight just to gain it all back! I knew the WW program worked, and I knew I could do it again, so I got back on the weight loss train.
I knew how to get the weight back off, so I started running again and watching what I was eating. And once again, the weight came off pretty easily. It has continued to come off until now. I am now the smallest I ever remember being, and until now I was still trying to lose a few extra pounds. I'm well below my WW goal weight.
This past week has really opened my eyes. I decided I'd go off plan for a couple of days while we were on vacation and that I'd eat what I wanted. What an eye opener! I was so sad to have to go back on plan when we returned that I had some kind of breakdown or something. I am allotted 19 points a day if I want to continue losing, which really isn't much anymore. It's been very difficult to keep it up week after week, as I'm constantly watching every single point. I haven't been enjoying myself, and I've been feeling quite deprived to be honest. It's summer time, my favourite thing to eat is ice cream, and although I know I can eat it if I use my flex or earn the APs for it, I find myself in a strict eating mode, depriving myself of a treat to save the points. It's crazy and needless and I know it, but that's what I've been doing.
So I'm going to switch my focus and concentrate more on improving my fitness and my body composition while switching my program to maintenance for a while. This is where the new realization comes in. I've been a lifetime member for over a year now, and I've never maintained! Not even for a little while! I'm scared to death of maintenance because I think I'll gain some of my weight back again! What if it doesn't work?!? I know it's supposed to work, but I'm just so scared of it! When it comes to losing weight, I feel like an old pro - I know all the tricks and everything you need to do to lose, but I'm not so sure of myself when it comes to maintaining a loss. I'm just so scared of gaining... but I'm going to bite the bullet and risk gaining a little bit until I can figure out this maintenance thing. I'm going to add the 4 points to my daily amount, giving me 23 points, and I'm going to eat half of my APs earned, and as many flex points as I want throughout the week. Just the extra 4 points a day will allow me to treat myself without feeling so bad about it. I know I shouldn't feel bad, but I'll admit that I sometimes do feel guilty for indulging in a treat. I'm working on that...
It was a rough week mentally finally figuring this out, but I'm gonna conquer this new issue too! I'm going to learn to maintain and finally learn how to live healthily without gaining or losing for a while. I'm going to learn that success isn't always measured with a loss - the hardest part of this whole thing is maintaining the loss. It's going to be harder to put the work in to living a healthy lifestyle without feeling the success of a weekly weight loss. I'll have to learn to love maintaining the loss as much as I have loved losing the weight to begin with - it's going to be tough, but I'll have to revel in the new victories I'll experience.
Glad I got that off my chest...
Sunday, July 8, 2007
What a Great Run This Morning!
I got up early this morning and watched a re-run of X-Weighted. The person on the show was a woman who refused to follow the eating plan accordingly (she was all about low-carb dieting at 800 cals/day!), but did discover that she liked running, which eventually led her to lose the weight she wanted. At the end of the show she ran a 10K.
After the show, I headed out for my regular Sunday run, my long run for the week. I was aiming for between 7-8K today. I also decided that I would not pay as close attention to my heart rate, so I turned off the heart rate alarms I had set in my Garmin, and off I went.
I felt fantastic! About 1/3 of the way through the run I decided I'd add a bit more distance to my regular route. I figured worst case scenario, I just finish with walking. So I stopped to chat to a couple of bikers on the trail I was on to ask about the best loop I could do to add a little bit of distance. Friendly they were, helpful not-so-much. So I figured out my own way to add a kilometre or two.
I ended up running 10K! Me - 10K! Random! It was awesome! I felt great, wasn't too tired, wasn't struggling to breathe, nothing. It was great, and I was so proud. I have been so down on running since my co-worker told me my heart rate was running too high, blah, blah, blah. And today was the first day I stopped paying such close attention to it - and I had the best run I've had in about a month and a half! I'm just going to keep things the way they are, add distance when I'm comfortable, and carry on. Woohoo!
After the show, I headed out for my regular Sunday run, my long run for the week. I was aiming for between 7-8K today. I also decided that I would not pay as close attention to my heart rate, so I turned off the heart rate alarms I had set in my Garmin, and off I went.
I felt fantastic! About 1/3 of the way through the run I decided I'd add a bit more distance to my regular route. I figured worst case scenario, I just finish with walking. So I stopped to chat to a couple of bikers on the trail I was on to ask about the best loop I could do to add a little bit of distance. Friendly they were, helpful not-so-much. So I figured out my own way to add a kilometre or two.
I ended up running 10K! Me - 10K! Random! It was awesome! I felt great, wasn't too tired, wasn't struggling to breathe, nothing. It was great, and I was so proud. I have been so down on running since my co-worker told me my heart rate was running too high, blah, blah, blah. And today was the first day I stopped paying such close attention to it - and I had the best run I've had in about a month and a half! I'm just going to keep things the way they are, add distance when I'm comfortable, and carry on. Woohoo!
Friday, July 6, 2007
My 2-Day Eating Frenzy Has Come to an End
As I metioned on the WW boards the other day, I decided I'd take a couple of days off of counting points and just enjoy myself while I was on a brief camping trip, away with DBF. I figure I can do this since I'm quite a few pounds under my goal now, was on vacation, and both DBF and I love it when I take a couple of days off and just eat what I want.
I had someone show concern on the boards as to why DBF likes it when I decide to go off plan. I'm going to respond here (and I posted a response on the WW boards). He just likes it because I allow myself to let loose a little. I'm usually pretty strict with my diet and he respects that (in fact, he eats all the healthy stuff and checks NI on everything with me - he's extremely supportive). We both think it's very important that we eat healthily, so we both do at home. But we also think it's fun when I take a couple of days off from counting everything, so that we can enjoy eating a few of our favourite "unhealthy" foods together without me worrying about how much of it I'm eating. We enjoy being able to indulge a little together, share what we've ordered at a restaurant, etc. We think it's fun to share treats together, even though he could easily eat this food anytime on his own, since he doesn't have to worry about his weight (yet! LOL).
My DBF is extremely supportive of my weight loss efforts, and I appreciate him so much for that. I know I'm lucky because I'm not one of those people who don't get the support from their significant others that they need and deserve. I don't have to worry about cooking more than one meal at home to satisfy both of us. He's happy to eat what I prepare, and we both choose healthy options for our meals at home.
Today, I'm back on plan and counting again. Today isn't nearly as much fun as yesterday was! I'm just going to put the couple of days behind me and start the week from now. If I gain a pound or two, I'm fine with that, and it was totally worth it!
I had someone show concern on the boards as to why DBF likes it when I decide to go off plan. I'm going to respond here (and I posted a response on the WW boards). He just likes it because I allow myself to let loose a little. I'm usually pretty strict with my diet and he respects that (in fact, he eats all the healthy stuff and checks NI on everything with me - he's extremely supportive). We both think it's very important that we eat healthily, so we both do at home. But we also think it's fun when I take a couple of days off from counting everything, so that we can enjoy eating a few of our favourite "unhealthy" foods together without me worrying about how much of it I'm eating. We enjoy being able to indulge a little together, share what we've ordered at a restaurant, etc. We think it's fun to share treats together, even though he could easily eat this food anytime on his own, since he doesn't have to worry about his weight (yet! LOL).
My DBF is extremely supportive of my weight loss efforts, and I appreciate him so much for that. I know I'm lucky because I'm not one of those people who don't get the support from their significant others that they need and deserve. I don't have to worry about cooking more than one meal at home to satisfy both of us. He's happy to eat what I prepare, and we both choose healthy options for our meals at home.
Today, I'm back on plan and counting again. Today isn't nearly as much fun as yesterday was! I'm just going to put the couple of days behind me and start the week from now. If I gain a pound or two, I'm fine with that, and it was totally worth it!
Friday, June 29, 2007
How We All Touch Each Others' Lives
There has been a lot of commotion since yesterday on the Weight Watchers' discussion boards in regards to Shaunna not qualifying to be a Weight Watchers success story due to the rate at which she lost her weight. This has really opened my eyes to how we all touch each others' lives, even if we haven't actually "met" in person.
To be continued...
OK, continuing... It's hard when something like this happens to one of us. I mean, most of us don't really know each other in the sense that we see each other, talk in person, etc. But we're all a part of each others' lives, and we're all linked by the same issue. I often find myself thinking of some of you. I sometimes even talk about you to DBF, my mom, sister, etc.
When we found out Shaunna's story wouldn't be published by WW as a success story, I think it really brought us all together somehow. I can't get it off of my mind. I really feel for you Shaunna, I feel your frustration and your hurt too. It really amazes me to think of how other women I've never even met in person can affect my life the way all of you often do.
We all need to keep supporting each other, and keep on working towards our individual goals. We all have our own ways to contribute to each others' successes, and we need to keep doing so!
To be continued...
OK, continuing... It's hard when something like this happens to one of us. I mean, most of us don't really know each other in the sense that we see each other, talk in person, etc. But we're all a part of each others' lives, and we're all linked by the same issue. I often find myself thinking of some of you. I sometimes even talk about you to DBF, my mom, sister, etc.
When we found out Shaunna's story wouldn't be published by WW as a success story, I think it really brought us all together somehow. I can't get it off of my mind. I really feel for you Shaunna, I feel your frustration and your hurt too. It really amazes me to think of how other women I've never even met in person can affect my life the way all of you often do.
We all need to keep supporting each other, and keep on working towards our individual goals. We all have our own ways to contribute to each others' successes, and we need to keep doing so!
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