Success

Ran in the morning for 15 minutes and walked for 10. 
Ran tonight for 15 minutes x 2 and walked for 10!

5K here I come!


Finalized food tracking from today!

Breakfast:

• Sausage (3)
• Banana (0)
• Citrus Fruit (0)
• Soy Milk (1)
• Coffee (1)

Lunch:

• Tofu (4)
• Orange Pepper (0)
• Sugar Snap Peas (0)
• Strawberries (0)
• Diet Coke (0)
• Corn Salad (3)

Snack:

• Turkey Sticks (5)
• Cracker Chips (3)

Dinner:

• 6 Sake Sushi (4)
• 4 Shrimp Tempura Rolls (6)
• Seaweed Salad (1)
• Ice Cream (4)

Total: 35
Regular: 29
Flex: 6

Here are some photos from my DELICIOUS dinner:

Seaweed Salad

Ice Cream, I asked for smaller than a kid's scoop

Happy Friday All!!!

It's Ok To Ask For Help!

Last week I went up 2 pounds again.  Not the end of the world, but not good either.  I don't want to go above 170 again.  So, Meg and Serina stepped it up in an amazing way for me.  They each left notes through out my tracker and I am responsible to email them what I eat everyday. 

Not surprisingly, this has been amazingly helpful, even in just 2 days.  I am now not only accountable to myself, to my tracker, but to my two friends.  And what this made me realize, is that sometimes, it's ok to ask for help.  Seriously.  This isn't something we should feel we have to do on our own.  I love them for it.  And I love that I feel that I have support every where I turn.

So, I will do the same for you.  I am going to track EVERYTHING I eat this week and post it here.  Accountable x3!

Yesterday:

Breakfast:

• Granola Bar (5 points)
• Sausage (3 points)
• Banana

Lunch:

• Orange Pepper
• 2 turkey dogs (6 points)
• Cracker Chips (3 points)

Snack/Dinner:

• Pizza (9 points)
• Turkey (1 point)

Snacks with my students (2 points)

REAL Dinner Last Night:

• The Med Salad (4)
• Tofu (2)

Total Points: 36
29 regular, 7 flex

Planned for today: 
Breakfast:

• Sausage (3)
• Banana (0)
• Citrus Fruit (0)
• Soy Milk smoothie (1)

Lunch:

• Tofu (4)
• Orange Pepper (0)
• Sugar Snap Peas (0)
• Strawberries (0)
• Diet Coke (0)

Dinner:
4 Sake Sushi (3)
6 Shrimp Tempura Rolls (10)
6 Spicy Tuna Rolls (7)

Total: 28
Left Over: 1

Sitting in the car

I didn't blog at all this week. I started  to almost every day, but then something would happen. Mostly I think it's because I'm so embarrassed about my eating this week. I snuck food. I ate entire meals when I wasn't hungry. I embodied exactly what the fuck it attitude looks like. Pardon my french. But that's exactly how I felt.  I felt guilty eating. And all my negative associations with food came rushing back. I haven't worked out today, even though I need to.  I wasnt going to weigh in, but I need to. I need to weigh in and know. I need to be accountable for my choices. Just like I tell my kids. Luckily, there will be 2 people there to hold my hand. To make sure that I don't throw myself a pity party. This isn't a sprint. It's a marathon. I can't keep thinking that when I make it to goal everything will magically be better. Magically easier. It won't be.

So, I'm sitting in my car, dreading this weigh in. I can see weight watchers and I know what I have to do.

Although I may trip or stop for water or stop at McDonalds, I have decided that this marathon is worth it. I just need remind myself of that sometimes.

Deep breath. Here goes nothin'.

Just Sad

So, I knew it wasn't going to be good.  I thought that maybe I shouldn't weigh-in at all.  But I had to know.  I wish I didn't.  Up 2.  Back to 167. :-(  4 pounds from 50 seems like a lot more than 1.8.

And I am just sad... And then I ate 7 buffalo wild wings.  14 points over already this week.  And it's my birthday week.

Anyways, that's my pity party that I am currently throwing myself.  I am trying to positive, but I am just sad about it.

I am sure by tonight I will feel upbeat and be my positive self, but at the moment, I am just disappointed.

Another Tuesday, Another Weigh-In Anticipation

Well, tonight is my weigh-in.  I am not feeling good at all.  I was feeling stressed about MCAs today (an excuse for sure) and ate 8 points over my daily allotment.  Which would have been fine if I hadn't fallen off the wagon this weekend.  I know that I shouldn't obsess and stress about weigh-ins on Tuesday, but I definitely do.  I used to not eat very much on Tuesdays.  However, I got over that pretty fast, when after meetings I ate house and home.  Can I say that?  I know that's not quite the saying, but I will say it nonetheless. 

Today wasn't the greatest either.  Started with the same breakfast as usual. Fruit, yogurt, granola, and coffee with creamer.  Then didn't have normal lunch hours because of testing.  So instead of making my chicken, I just grabbed school lunch.  8 points for cheesy bread.  And although I will probably regret it later, it was SO worth it while I was eating it! :-)

I already ran this morning, but I am going to go for a brisk walk tonight before class as well!  I am feeling like this 5K isn't impossible, but it is going to require me stay on schedule.  And even though I was pretty much kicking and screaming inside, I got up at 5:15 this morning to go on my run!! This is what I look like after running 7 mins, walking 2 mins x3. 

You may think that the shiny nature of my skin is the lighting, but that would be incorrect.  That is sweat pouring down my back.  It's yucky, but kind of exciting. 

Oh, before I say adios for the time being, I wanted to share an article that I was linked to from Prior Fat Girl.  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39851482/ns/health-womens_health/

It's a great article that rang true to me in several ways.

I just need to keep reminding myself that I am eating better, look better, feel better, and am healthier than I have been since high school. 

And with that, I will leave you with my "game face" MCA superbowl outfit...

P.S.  A lot of bloggers have a tag line at the end of their blog.  Should I have one?

Conference=Off the Wagon

Yup.  After ALL that hard work last week.  I fell off the wagon.  These past 3 days were AWFUL!  I was good with my exercise, but bad with eating.

So, although I followed my plan for running, I fell off the wagon HARD CORE with my eating.  It's hard when you are given what to eat.  Although, I did have people reminding me and helping me.  I can tell that this summer I will have support.  I just need to figure things out better for myself when I have these conferences.  I probably should have planned my eating better.  But I didn't.  So instead of focusing on my monumental failure, I am focusing on what I can do for this week.

I spent the last hour chopping food (watching Game of Thrones on HBO) and getting three days ready, so that I can have three days of healthy lunches.

Three days of breakfast and lunches! Virtually no points, but completely delicious!!

My lunches will consist of salad, either my cole slaw with limes and salt or my salad with cheese and olives, orange peppers, chicken to go on top, watermelon, and grapes.  My lunches will be fruit with yogurt and granola.  Little points, delicious food.

I need to be held accountable this week, so in addition to writing in my journal, I am also emailing a very dear friend of mine my daily food so that I can stay on track.  Hopefully that will help get me back on the wagon.  Thank goodness to her and having her to keep me on track.  For my own state of mind, I hope I didn't botch all that hard work last week this week.

Here's to hoping I didn't gain too much.

I Can Almost Taste It!

Well, all my hard work last week REALLY paid off!!! I was down 3.4 pounds this week! :-) 

Proof that I lost 3.4!  I am officially 165.4!

I am 1.8 pounds away from 50 pounds total!!!!!!  AHHH!!! 1.8!   I can do that!  I got this!!!  It was an amazing feeling today knowing that I can do it.  I have to keep to the points.  I have to track EVERYTHING.  Every last BLT (bite, lick or taste).  From coffee to olive, it all gets written down.  Also, I don't NEED carbs in everything!  Tyson 3 point chicken is my new hero! :-)

I feel SO good.

This is EXACTLY the kind of boost I need to keep me feeling motivated.  Especially since running is not going as well as I had hoped.  This morning I got up, ran for 1 mile and then had to walk the rest.  30 minutes total, but not the best.  I decided that after school I would run again.  I tried again to run a mile, but alas, I made it a total of 8 minutes jogging before my chest couldn't handle it any more and I had to walk.  Buah... this 5K is not going to be easy!!

However, this week was an amazing week.  I haven't felt so healthy or good about my eating choices.  AND, I showed a lot of willpower.  All week.  Focusing on my goal, REALLY thinking things through, knowing that even a BITE gets written down, kept me focused and on track. 

I am nervous though.  This next weekend is a conference weekend and those are hard for me.  So, I will start planning through it now.  And I will save my flex points.  And I will be texting those people in my life that keep me on track.  And, perhaps I will write the #50 on my hand so I can continue to think about the fact that I am only 1.8 POUNDS AWAY!!!

So, that's that.  3.4 in one week after a LONG plateau!  Feels good.

Running all the way! Dropping to a 10!

Today was a SUPER exciting DAY! :)  Two big goals achieved today!!!!!

The first was that I have been talking for weeks about being able to walk to the lake by JD's house and then running around it.  Today, I did it!  I ran all the way around! :-)

The second big, exciting, AWESOME piece of news... I bought 10s today!  Yes ladies and gentleman!  I, me, Emily fit into size 10 jeans! :-)  I am sure that not every size 10 will fit, but I bought size 10 jeans and they fit nicely!!!

Size 10

This is the size 16.  Look how much smaller I am!

I put on a size 16 today to compare.  This is the back side.

I am very happy about both of these ACHIEVED goals!  VERY VERY HAPPY!

Breakfast

Happy Sunday everyone!

This morning I started the day by making breakfast for JD and I.

I made him a fried egg sandwich (14 points).

I made myself an egg white omelet.   (3 points- 1 for the egg whites, 2 for the cheese)

Sundays are my hard day, so I am hoping that this will help keep me on track!

Delicious Dinner

Tonight I made a 6 point dinner for JD and I! It was delicious and I ended it with a scrumptious 3 point smoothie!

First of all, this is my new found obsession.  3 points for a grilled chicken patty!

This is another new favorite!

I always thought that I couldn't have buns or bread, but these buns are only 2 points a piece!

Then I put 1 points worth of spicy mayonnaise on it to make a delicious dinner.

To top it off, I put Light and Fit Yogurt, strawberries, bananas, and 1/4 cup of milk in a blender. 

Great meal, followed by a 45 minute walk with the boyfriend!  What a great day!!

And Another One Kicks Some Butt!

Yes ladies and gentleman!  I do have will power!  It's shocking, I know!  But I do.  I have learned this in the last couple days... I turned down a FREE jimmy johns sandwich and a peanut nut roll! :-)  If that isn't will power, I don't know what is.

Just wanted to check-in with you about my AWESOME choices again today!

Breakfast:
Blueberries (0 points)
Bananas (0 points)
Vanilla Light and Fit Yogurt (2 points)

Lunch (from yesterday)
Shrimp (4 points, 2 from shrimp, 2 from oil)
Rice (3 points)
12 Black olives (2 points)
Tomato and Cucumber Cut-up and squeezed with lime juice (0 points)
Nut roll (8 points)

PLANNED Dinner:
Chicken (3 points)
Beans (0 points)
Rice (3 points)
Red marinara sauce (1 point)

Yah for the fact that I WILL lose this week! :-)

Preparing for the Day to be RUINED! AKA WW Walk-It Day #2

Well, last night I was SUPER pumped to get ready for a healthy day! :-)  I had made a delicious dinner, so I put it into a container.  (I meant to take a pic to blog about when I was eating it, but I got super excited and ate it all really fast).  After I was done with my work I stayed up late making sure everything was ready for 5:15 am wake up!!

I set out my clothes.

Packed my lunch.

Put it in a cute lunch bag.

And at 5 am, I was happy I did all that.  I ran 1 min and walked 1 min, 10 times.  I feel awesome!  I feel worked out!  I felt READY to run this 5K!

It only continued when I got to work!  I was SO hungry that when I got to school and I put some Rice Krispies in with my fruit! :-) DELICIOUS.

I was so excited, feeling good... and then disaster struck!  Because of office mishaps, I didn't have time to eat lunch and we had to go straight to the BOWLING ALLEY... duh duh duh.... (that was a musical emphasis, in case you missed it).

Yes, this is where the panic began to sink in.  I had to eat at the bowling alley.  By this point I was STARVING!  So, I looked at the menu and decided on chicken tenders.  Well, chicken tenders were cheaper with fries, so I got fries too.  And of course honey mustard.  So, 34 points later I felt bummed that I had eaten so many flex points.  BUT, instead of feeling sad and defeated, I changed the rest of my plan for the day.  Instead of getting a burrito bowl with rice and the fixins from Chipotle.  I got a burrito bowl sans rice, fajita veggies, 1/2 the serving of beans, chicken, a dab of sour cream, a dab of guacamole, 2 big spoonfuls of the fresh pico, and as much lettuce as would fit in the bowl.  Needless to say, with all the greasy food consumed that day, I wasn't very hungry for the bowl and only had 1/2 of it.  But I felt good about my choice.  This is proof to myself that I have changed and that I CAN make good decisions.

WW Day 2... ruined, and then success!

40 Pounds

I found this out yesterday:

4 sticks of butter = 1  pound

That means I have lost 160 sticks of butter!  That's an awesome feeling.

I found this on another blog:

"Lets put this into perspective shall we? What is 40 pounds? What things typically weigh 40 pounds? According to the American Kennel Club a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier should typically weigh about 40 pounds. Another example, for those of you with children, is that most state laws require that children over 40 pounds must be in a booster seat, and I believe most children get to that type of weight when they are about 3 years old. For those of you with a love of boats, a 15-foot canoe weighs about 40 pounds."

The Right Foot

Last night, a wise woman in my group (also a good friend of mine), shared that she doesn't think that people don't have time to exercise, they just make different priorities.  At first I thought that was not true.  I mean, I barely have time to sleep and finish my work, let alone work out.  But then I realized, she's right.  I am making priorities and those are taking my time.  Getting my teaching license finished is a big priority.  Teaching my students solid lessons, that's a priority.  If I want to get past this 168 plateau, I have to make it a priority.  This week, by hook or by crook, I WILL lose.  The hope would be to lose more than .8, but I will take anything.  And I will stick to my 5K training schedule.  AND I will do all my work.  I will make all of these things my priorities.  

To make sure that I am starting the week on the right food I had to make tracking and eating purposefully a priority.  After calculating all my points from yesterday, I feel like my week has already begun.  No more Tuesday night HUGE binging because my weigh-in is over.  I am going to be accountable for that night as well.  Maybe not every week, but this week, I have made it a priority.  Even though I woke up a bit later than I meant to,  I made a good breakfast and lunch to have today.

Breakfast: Grapes, Strawberries, and Light Vanilla Yogurt sprinkled with Granola- 4 points
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Breast, Yellow Peppers, Tomato (I like to eat them like apples), Melon (already at school)- 3 points
Snack: Nectarine

And to help me keep on track, I got the WW Walk-It kit and pedometer to keep me honest!

I know that I am ready to start this week (my WW week Tues-Tues) on the RIGHT FOOT!!

What are stumbling blocks and defeat before you, can be stepping stones to victory if you remain determined.

Walk-It Challenge Day 1

I am not like my friend Serina who talks about learning to love moving.  Man I wish I was.  I actually despise it.  I actually hate working out.  I like dancing, I like zumba, and I generally like swimming, but after a while I get bored.  And there are MANY MANY MANY other things that I would rather do.  The after glow is great, but still, I would rather not HAVE to work out.  I wish basketball games at my school would just happen or I could take a zumba class regularly (no time or money).   With all that said, I know I owe it to my body to get my a** off the couch and move! 

So....  EARLLYYY this morning I started my Walk-It challenge 5K workout.  Holy bojangles was it painful.  Who knew that 2 weeks off would make it feel like I have NEVER worked out before!  Running 1 min and walking 1 min ten times should not have kicked my rear as much as it did.  I mean, I was hurting my side was killing me.  But, hey!  In 2 months I will be running a 5K, so it's worth the pain.  Well, I need to keep reminding myself of that!

Smiling even though I secretly (or not so secretly) hated life for being up early

The After-Workout Glow

Tonight was my weigh-in.  Didn't go down, but I didn't go up.  Standing at a steady 168.8.  Good and bad all at the same time.  More frustrating than anything.  However, afterwards I stayed for the whole meeting!  This is something that I haven't been able to do because of my class on Tuesday.  It was so amazing to sit in the meeting and be able to be surrounded by my Weight Watchers family again.  Seriously, it gave me the push that I needed to get this week started right.  We are all going to do the 5K walk together and it was just the best! :-)  I LOVE that we are going to do it together and that we are going to get ready for it together. 

After the meeting we went to dinner together.  We went to Chilis.  I didn't make great decisions, but I didn't make awful decisions either.  Regardless, it was amazing to be able to sit and talk freely about things.  Not only that, but I just love those ladies.  A lot.  They are just amazing people and I feel proud to know them.  I am ready to continue on this journey and know that I can do it.

This is my new idea for the week, taken from Meg, I am going to really track my dinner from tonight and count it towards my points for this next week.  :-)

Tomorrow, a workout day off, a day to sleep in a bit, and the SECOND day of my weight watchers week! :-)

When you get to a plateau, think of it as a landing on the stairway to your goal. And maintenance is a lifelong plateau, so a bit of "rehearsal" for maintenance isn't the worst thing in the world.

Exciting News

I HAVE OFFICIALLY SIGNED UP FOR A 5K!!! :-)  As part of Weight Watchers Walk-It Challenge!!  I am so excited!  It's already paid for and in my calendar.  And I am GOING to run it!  I have planned out my running schedule from now until the 5K and it is totally do-able.

I am the busiest that I have been in a long time.  At this time last year I totally fell off the wagon and did not get back on until August.  I am determined that this will not happen this year.  You might not have been able to tell this weekend.  And that was disappointing because I was SO good last week.

On Tuesday of last week I planned all my week days.  Then on Saturday I still made good choices! :-)  And I went out twice this weekend, but I did a good job and planned for it! 

Friday at Olive Garden:

• 2 breadsticks (8 points)
• Salad with dressing on the side... I just dip my fork in and eat the salad with tiny bits of dressing (2 points)
• Shrimp Caprese (I had them box 1/2 of it!) (21 for the whole, 10 for half)

I didn't go over my points on Friday because I planned for them.

Saturday at Big Bowl:

• Summer Rolls 
• Stir Fry (I asked them to give me 1/2 the amount of rice and 1/2 the amount of ginger sauce)  

I did a good job of tracking and planning.  Sunday KILLED me.  Not only did I finish off my flex points, but I went WAY over them AGAIN!  ARG!  I know that if I go up this week it is because of that misstep and not exercising.

So, this 5K plan is going to keep me exercising!  I am DETERMINED-- DETERMINED-- DETERMINED that I will run as much of it as I can! :-) And I know I can do it.  I want to hit my 50 and so far today I have shown myself that I can say no to bad snacking and just be full. :-)

I will need your help to keep me motivated and on-track.  But that's why I blog, it keeps me honest... and I do hope that it helps other people out there on their journey.

That's all I have for you today.  Have a healthy week and a wonderful Monday.

Your body is the baggage you must carry through life. The more excess the baggage, the shorter the trip.
Arnold H. Glasgow