Times Are Tough

I have been really struggling with food lately.  It's the curse of liking to eat.  When I was 20 I would have sworn up and down that I really didn't like to eat.  I was only fooling myself.  I love food.  I love how it tastes and I love how it is always there for me.  Except chocolate.  It always seems to be in short supply at our house.  I was at a 13 pound last week.  YAY!  I gained a pound this week.  BOOOOO!  I have been really struggling with just wanting to eat.  Okay...thin people, this means like eating because it is there, because you have an intense craving for one particular food item *cough* chocolate!  It's saying, "oh it's the weekend!"  Which is exactly what was discussed at Weight Watchers this past week.  I had to miss because Emily was sick.  Man she was sick!  She is better.  So what you have to do is look at it this way:  weekends and holidays constitute to one third of our calendar year.  Yep one third.  So that is three months of over-the-top eating.  This does not include birthday's, weddings, baby showers, family reunions, cruises, or any other time you can think of where food is involved.  Any church activity, no matter your religious preference is likely to be littered with all kinds of tempting creations! 

So what do you do when you have a love affair with food?  Well, you do exactly what I am planning on doing.  I am picking up and not starting over, but moving forward.  Why on earth would I start OVER!?  Doesn't it make more sense to move on!?  And so that is what I am doing.  I am moving on.  It's not an easy road, but then nothing worth having ever is.

Pounds lost 12!  Yay me.   

Slow and Steady

Slow and steady wins the race.  I did not gain my weight over night.  I didn't even gain it six months.  I gained it over the period of about 6 years.  Slowly ever so slowly the scales tipped up and up.  At first my clothes were too tight.  But it's okay, cause I still look pretty good!  I did.  Then I needed a bigger size because it was no longer realistic to get into those jeans.  But I still looked pretty good.  And hey, I can eat that.  I am doing good.  By the time I got pregnant with Ryan I was the weight I had started at when I wanted to lose weight in the first place.  Ouch.

This week at WW our leader talked about investing in ourselves.  When we set money aside for a rainy day we are investing for ourselves.  When make healthy eating choices, have friends who help us along the way, and (gasp) exercise we are investing in ourselves!  And aren't we worth that investment!  Yes we are.  We are absolutely worth the investment.  She issued a challenge to us all.  To start walking.  Just ten minutes a day.  She said, "That means I open my door and walk for 5 minutes then turn around and come back."  Now that I can do.  And after a few days you add a couple more minutes.  And you are moving and investing in a healthier and happier you.  I can do that!

We all have our (weight) ups and downs.  Down is easy.  We celebrate.  We get motivated to keep going.  Weight gain is hard.  It challenges us.  Plateaus happen too.  But you carry on.  Because it didn't happen over night.  It happened over time.  Slow and steady wins the race.

And now for that cookie recipe you all have been drooling waiting for:

haystacks

1 12 ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 cups of fiber one cereal.

Melt chocolate chips in microwave.  Use the lower power setting and go in 30-40 intervals.  Stirring as you go.  Mix the cereal into the melted chips.  I kind of crunched them as I stirred, but not mashed.  Scoop out with a tablespoon and drop on to a cookie sheet with wax paper.  Put in fridge to harden.  It makes 24 and in WW land they are 1 point each.  This is a dirt cheap treat!  It tastes more like a candy bar than a cookie.  I would advise letting the cookie sit out a few minutes before eating(after they have hardened) because they are hard.  Remember they are made with fiber one cereal so don't over do it.  They can be frozen.  I have mine in the fridge.  So far, I am the only one eating them.  More for me!  If you try them, let me know what you think!

Remember...

Remember her?

There is less of her!

Week 9

pounds lost: 11

What WAS He Doing???

Yesterday for "Wordless Wednesday," I posted this picture.   I asked what you all thought he was doing.  The most common guess was of course sleeping.  Kids DO sleep in the oddest places and positions.   However, in this picture,  Ryan is NOT sleeping.  He is playing with cars.  He is driving them on the cushions, in between the cushions and up and down the couch.  If you look really closely, you can see a car in his right hand.  Don't you wish you were still that flexible?  What weird positions have your kids gotten themselves into?  Were they playing or were they asleep?

Big Loser!

I am big loser!  Yep!  That's right.  I said that.  But I am a big loser in the best way.  I lost 3.2 pounds last week!  Yeah baby!!  I literally almost danced right there in the middle of the Weight Watchers meeting room.   It has been my biggest loss yet.

This week, I went up point 2.  So in other words, my 3.2 loss is now 3.0.  But you know what...I am okay with that.  I am okay with that because the night before my weigh-in I was feeling bloated.  You know what I'm talking about ladies.  Like my jeans suddenly shrunk three sizes.  Amazing how all that water retention only added up to be two tenths of a pound.  Next week will be better.

I am also happy, because someone from church, who is one of those super cute tiny people, said she noticed a difference.  Well, I will admit my face does look a little thinner.  So I smiled and said thank you. 

I hope to be a big loser again!!! 

Total weight loss:  7.4 pounds

Week Seven

Another week, and my scale lied this week!  It had the audacity to tell me I gained two pounds.  The nerve.  I refused to believe it.  I went to my weekly weigh in at Weight Watchers even though I knew their scale would tell me I gained 5 pounds not 2.  I stepped on the scale and was told I lost almost a pound.  Well now guess whose scale is my favorite now!

In the meeting, we talked about celebrating our success.  The leader said something that I thought was great.  She said that we don't need to celebrate every weight loss, we can all do that.  She then went onto say that we should celebrate our behavior changes and our change of attitude.  I am still working on the attitude, but I have made some behavior changes already.

Behavior changes:  No longer putting margarine on the veggies.
                             Measure  the margarine I use on bagels, toast etc.
                             Switch to whole wheat brads and pastas
                             eat a larger portion of vegetables
                             Trying new recipes

I didn't think about those things as successes, but they are.  They are the changes that make the weight loss stick and teach our families good healthy eating.  The thing that amazes me most is how good things taste.  who knew?

My scale +2.0 (I don't like my scale anymore)

WW scale:  0.8 loss

Total Loss:  5.0 (my scale)

4.4 (theirs--their is probably the right one really, the scales are calibrated regularly.)

Week Six

Once upon a time, I worked for Weight Watchers.  See that is the really cool thing about WW.  All their employees have been on the program.  They are Lifetime members.  They fought the same battles you do.  I was young and very naive.  I was newly married and I didn't have kids.  I didn't know how hard it was to be approaching 30, 35, and up.  I didn't understand that after 35 your body does something horrible.  It stops.  It likes where it is.  And not only that, it takes every calorie you take in and stores it directly into your hips, thighs, and butt.  I didn't understand what it was like to have kids.  Small kids, babies, school aged kids.  I didn't understand.  I was not a good "go to" person.  I didn't have the right answers.  Now, I understand a little bit more.  I have SOME answers.  I am still not the go to person, but if you want to come to me I am happy to have you.

Exercise to me is an evil thing invented to torture people.  The first time I lost my weight, when I was young, single and had all the time in the world, I exercised.  Every stinking day.  I was hard core.  My tummy was flat.  I dared anyone to find one dimple in my thighs.  Okay I didn't really.  But when moms came to me at WW, and I was their Leader, and they would say, "I just don't have time to exercise."  Well, I was sooo pathetic.  I thought--didn't say--it's about making time.  I have to say, I do not like the taste of crow!  So how do we get exercise?

I have piles of dvd's and video tapes with dust on them. I have a treadmill with lots of dust and dryer lint.  Those things are probably not going to happen.  I think it would be grand to join a gym, but would I really use it? Probably not. So what do you do???  You INVENT ways to exercise.

Who says you have to drive to pick the kids up from school?  If school is close enough and it is not freezing or blistering hot...walk.  Got a little one?  Stroller, wagon, or if they are old enough bike.  This never would have occurred to me back then.  It's not about EXERCISE!  That's such a dirty word anyway!  It's about movement.  Going up the stairs instead of sending your kids--which I do NOT do!  Even playing in the snow with your kids is exercise!  Who knew?

What do you do to exercise move more?

Pounds Lost:  7 pounds (my scale--which I now love)

3.6 pounds (theirs...which...well I don't hate it)