Are We There Yet???

Are we there yet?  Is the phrase often uttered in a car on a long trip.  It usually starts about 5 minutes into the trip.  If you are lucky.  I like to think of weight loss as a road trip.  We have a destination.  We don't just go we take a map.  If you are savvy you bring a GPS that will tell you in 100 yards to turn left.  It couldn't be easier.  We have dvd players in our cars so the kids won't be bored.  But we hit little bumps in the road.  Sometimes someone gets sick, or the car overheats.   Our weight loss journey is very similar.

We have a goal.  We follow a life style of eating and living.  We use tools to help us keep on track.  We find creative ways to have good and yummy treats the whole family can enjoy and not be bored.  As a result, our family learns a healthier way to eat and gains a healthier relationship with food.  Yes, you can totally have a relationship with food. 

But I find myself whining lately.  Are we there yet??  Why is it so long?  Why can't I eat what I want?  Well the truth is:  I am getting there.  It's long because it will be more effective in the long run.  I can eat whatever I want.  No really.  If I want to eat a full on hot fudge sundae, I can.  I have to count it.  So what can I eat instead?  Well how about a lower fat version of the same?  There are a lot of options out there.  And every once in a while, the real thing is okay too. 

Another thing that keeps me going is seeing pictures of me before.  Wow.  Some of them are too scary to post at all.  But I see them and it gives me new motivation.  So instead that skinny picture of me from the first time I did it, I focus on the me I am trying to get away from.  What is your motivation?

Remember on Monday to link up with me.  Show me your beautiful self! 

Weight Loss: .8
Total Loss: 18.8

So close!!!

What Is Beautiful?

Like most of us, I follow many blogs.  And every time I gain a follower, I return the favor and stalk follow them.  One of my newer followers is Tennessee Mom from Days on the Creek.  She wrote a post that really got me thinking.  What is beautiful? 

Is it her with her bones and lack of shape?

Here are the FEW models that I found in the PLUS sizes....

These models are found at the top of the page.  The rest of the clothing is either displayed on a "fat" mannequin or a model.....

Hmmmm....she's a plus?

She's a little better.  But again she and the strip above were the only plus women featured.  So it begs the question, "What is beautiful?"

Okay, now I want to issue you all a challenge.  I will be playing right along.  Take a deep breath now...I want you all to post a picture of...YOURSELF.  Full length, close up, waist up, whichever you prefer.  Show your beauty, and link up here with me next Monday.  Answer my question with your lovely faces.  I'm going to.  And I am truly a vein woman.  So this will be hard for me.  Will you play along? 

Hip Hip Hoo-ray!

Do you see those hands on my key chain?  It signifies 16 weeks of moving forward. 16 weeks of ups and downs.  16 weeks of good eating, bad eating, and eating in general.  It also shows me I am working hard.  My book shows me my progress in numbers.  We all know the numbers should not matter, but they do.  My numbers say 17.8 pounds lost!  A little over a pound a week!  My leader happily told me I only have 2.2 pounds to go for my 20.  I am looking forward to that day.

Today we talked about when hunger calls.  She had a drawing of an analog clock with breakfast pointed at 8, lunch at 12 and dinner at six.  Draw this for yourself and see why you are so hungry between lunch and dinner and at night.  Fill up those in between hours with snacks.  We are supposed to eat...SUPPOSED to eat breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack, dinner, a snack, and dessert.  Life is short, eat that dessert first.

Breakfast ideas:  Oatmeal.  I make the instant kind, add 1 tsp of brown sugar.  I poor a cup of 1% milk and use that to fill my bowl with enough milk to make it the way I like.  Drink the rest of the milk.

How about cereal.  Measure it.  Add some fruit on the side, or right into it.

100 calorie English muffins with 8 grams of fiber.  Light margarine, jam and low cal hot chocolate.



Snack ideas:  apples with your favorite sugar free jello sprinkled over the slices.  Sandwich rounds --these are awesome btw--a tablespoon of PB and some jam. 

Lunches:  same sandwich rounds, tuna, grapes, light mayo, and lettuce.  Side with carrots

Dinner:  making something with pasta?  Choose wheat over white.  It is very tasty and more filling.  Ground beef, choose the 4% fat. 

Desserts:  skinny cow, cake made with diet coke in lieu of oil and eggs.

Got the munchies?  Gum, carrots, popsicles, tea to name a few.  Did you know when you are feeling actual physical hunger it means your body is metabolizing.  It is doing what it supposed to!  How about that!

Weight Loss:  .8
Total Loss:  17.8

Gains, Losses, Lessons, Successes

I have been neglecting this blog!  Not because I am gaining weight.  Not because I have lost interest, but it is because I have brain overload.  And when you have that, something is bound to short circuit somewhere! 

I actually DID gain a pound and a half two weeks ago.  It was not a good day.  Last week I went down .8...geez can't I have a WHOLE POUND!?  Well, it was still a loss.  This week it was .2...oh now you're just taunting me, scale!  Do scales have bad days?  Anyway, it was indeed another loss.  I tried on a Large shirt a couple of days before instead of XL.  And it looked so nice!  It made my day. 

This week, it was my sister who had the gain.  She hasn't had a significant one yet.  Hello, girl has lost 25 pounds!!  Needless to say she was upset about it.  My mom and I assured her that she will have gains.  To prove our point we both went over our books to see when and where we had our gains.  I have lost 16.8  and have gained 8.8.  Wow!  That's a lot, but I still look thinner than when I started and I feel better too!  I am working towards that 20 pound mark.  Only 3.2 to go!  Root me on!  Because when I get to 20 pounds, I will be posting another picture!!

So what do I take away from all of this?  Our weight truly fluctuates from day to day and week to week.  You really need to watch those nibbles and bites.  It's like "nickel and diming" yourself.  It adds up!!  As one gal in the meeting yesterday said, "I didn't gain this over night, it's not going to come off that way."  She is so right.  I have been building my poundage since about 2003.  I don't think it will take 7 years to get it off, but I know it won't come off in 7 DAYS!  Besides, slow and steady wins the race!

Can You Eat That?

This week at Weight Watchers we talked about supporters and saboteurs.  You know, you have the chicken salad with the dressing on the side, and your friend says, "Oh you can have a hamburger now!"  or you might get the food police.  "Can you eat that on your diet?"  She gave great comebacks! 

"If you really want to know what I can eat, come to a meeting with me."

"I appreciate those cookies you made special for me.  I am going to take them home." (and give them to my family!)

I am very lucky in that I don't have saboteurs or food police.  I have lots of great support.  It helps to have my mom and my sister doing the program with me.  This week was disappointing.  I gained a pound and a half!  Oh I was not a happy camper.  I left meeting feeling somewhat motivated.  I loaded Ryan into the car, and as I did, I put my new fancy cup on top of my car.   I mean don't we all do this???

It is from Bed, Bath & Beyond.  Hard plastic, look at the bottom of the straw.  It won't come up through the hole.  It is top rack dishwasher safe, but not meant for hot drinks.  It has a sister that is.  I love this cup!  It holds 22ounces.  I drove off and I heard a thunk thunk sound.  I remembered I had left my cup on top of my van.  I pulled over and got out to look for my cup--my mom was in the car so Ryan was not alone--that being said, I found my cup.  No lid, no straw.  I finally found them.  Yay! And not only that it survived with only a few scratches!  Now the whole point to this side track is this:  I didn't want my van to be in people's way--it really wasn't--but I just wanted to be out of the way.  So I started running back.  Okay I was jogging.  I don't run.  Seriously.  And what should happen?  My jeans were slipping.  I didn't end up with pants around my ankles, but they did slip down about 1/3 of an inch.  I had to hoist them up.  I was happy about that.  It's not always numbers.  Sometimes it's other signs.

Total Weight Loss:  15 pounds--or something like that!

Cookie Confessions

Jean Neidich is the woman who started it all.  I am talking about Weight Watchers.  She was just a regular gal like any other.  A regular gal with a secret.  A secret she could keep no longer.  So Jean invited some friends over to share her secret cookie confession.  She found out she was not alone.  Just like the Breck commercials, friends told friends about these weekly get togethers and an empire was built.  Okay maybe it didn't happen exactly like that, but that is the gist. 

I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookie yesterday.  They are stellar by the way.  They do have pumpkin in them...so there is fiber....but there is also fat, sugar and chocolate chips.   We are currently working on a more WW friendly version.  I hope we can figure it out soon because these things are what is called a RED LIGHT food.  In WW land, this means a food you have little or no control with.  I thought I would be okay.  I thought I could be strong.  No such luck.  I ate a total of 8 of those cookies yesterday!  And I could have eaten at least 8 more without batting an eye.  Although my stomach may have rebelled.  I sent my husband to work with them.  Take them out of my sight!  I kept some out for the kids, but not too many because I could easily eat one or two or even three and it wouldn't be noticed.  So those cookies are banned until further notice or until we figure out the more WW friendly version.

At WW this week, we talked about dining out and how we can prepare for it.  Things like having a light snack before you go.  Knowing the menu helps too.  You can also go to just about any restaurant site and find their nutrition information.  Use your (un)common sense and look for words like: grilled, broiled, steamed etc.  You can have it your way too...tell them you want veggies instead of fries.  Put the dressing on the side.  Make it interesting and tell the waiter you want him to bring you your salad naked.  After he picks his mouth up off the floor, you can tell him you meant the salad and not him.  ;)  Ask for a doggie bag up front and put half away. 

Happy eating!

Weight loss:  2 pounds
Total loss:  16.2  (I am 1 pound away from their goal for me....I will be able to attend for free after that, and I can choose to lose more...which I will.  At least another 10 pounds.)

Do this Instead

At Weight Watchers, our leader talked first about how when we learned how to drive we had to think everything through.  Think about it.  When you start your car now, and head off to wherever, do you really have to give it  a lot of thought to what you are doing?  No, you just do it.  It is the same with our eating habits.  We are on auto pilot most of the time, with a lot of what we do.  So now we must learn to "drive" a new way.

Let's start with something simple.  I can slather my veggies with butter...or I can spray some "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" on them.  I can have a bowl of ice cream or I can have a Skinny Cow fudge bar.  I can take the elevator or the stairs.  It's just little things like that.  I can eat six or seven cookies because there is yet another drama in my life, or I can listen to my body.  Am I hungry?  If I am truly hungry, I can stop a minute longer and think about what would satisfy that hunger.

So what did I do instead this week?  I took the stairs at the dentist office.  I went out twice this week and both times ordered the lighter choice.  I got up and did stuff--I know I have said this before but it bears repeating because I can be pretty lazy!  I chose "Weight Watcher Chocolate Chip Cookies" and they are yummy and one small point each. 

When we drive we know exactly how much gas to apply to the pedal to go at the right speed.  And we can do the same thing with our eating style.  We just have to retrain our brains.

What do you do instead?

Weight Lost:  2pounds
Total Loss:  14 pounds