Be Nice

It's been longer than I would like since I posted last so let's catch up!  I weighed in at WW two weeks ago and I was 4 pounds down (yay!).  The next weigh-in night was only 4 days from the previous one so I didn't want to pay $15 for that.  That's when things started to unravel.  Slacking a bit at the gym, straying from my plans and points, having treats, sigh.  However, in reference to my title of this post, the slacking and straying don't hurt me nearly as much as my own thoughts and negative self-talk.  I won't share exactly what I say to myself in my head (not yet anyway) but I'm sure that these things keep me firmly in the rut for much longer than it would have been.  I retreat.  To my sofa, to my television, to my couch, to my bed.  I really just have to work on being nice to myself.  I would never dare say these things to someone else so why would I dare say these things to myself??  Be nice!!  As of this morning, I think I was a pound or two up so I'd like for those to be gone by Monday so that I'll break even this time around.

I didn't go to WW this past Monday because I had previously registered for an Asian cooking class.  It was great and one recipe I can definitely do for low points and the other two I'm sure I can adapt.  Once I make them work, I will post them.

For the other goals I've had, I've been doing pretty well.  The water has been easy.  Easier on work days but still doable on the weekends.  I've been getting to sleep earlier, still could improve on this one though.  I've been doing well with packing my lunches as well.  I made a big pot of chili from the Hungry Girl website which was delicious!  I used extra lean ground beef instead of the turkey because Superstore didn't have the turkey and I increased each serving by a point.  I used less of the hot stuff too because while I like zip, I don't like fire!

Today I was trying to think of ways to make preparing healthy lunches & suppers easier.  I find cooking for one really annoying and I'm trying to think of ways to make this easier.  My best bet (I think) is to make a nice dinner without cutting all the ingredients in half and just make the full recipe.  Then when I measure out my supper servings to my plate, I will do the same to some lunch containers and put them in the fridge or freezer.  If I'm taking a frozen lunch to work, I would much rather it be something I prepared myself.  Healthier and cheaper!  Win-Win!!  After work today, I was exhausted.  It really was a horrible day.  I was so tempted to order pizza because I just wanted something that I didn't have to make.  I decided to unload the dishwasher and tidy in the kitchen hoping that would get me inspired.  It worked.  I bought a deep skillet with a lid this past weekend.  I've always wanted one and decided it was time to use it.  I found a recipe on the back of the Campbell's Soup Vegetable Broth called Pasta Primavera and I had all the ingredients except for the tomato.   I figured I could do without it.  I had this ready in 15 minutes and it was wonderful.  So great, I took a picture!!

Lovely!  How do you like my new skillet? I love it.  Especially with the frying pan handle on one side and the short handle on the other.  I had supper and packed three lunches.  The next time I make it though, I'm going to add a bit more in the way or seasonings and add some more broth so that I can add even more of each veggie and maybe some red pepper.  

So my goals this week . . . 

1.  Start being nicer to myself!

2.  Keep up with the water.

3.  Prepare lunches and suppers till this weekend.  

Tata for now!

Michelle

Weigh In & Weigh Down!

My normal Weight Watchers meeting/weigh-in night is Monday but this past Monday was a stat holiday so no meeting :(  I was going to wait the two weeks but with the way I've been feeling over the last couple of days, I decided it was best to find a meeting pronto.  Without a weigh-in and the pep talk to go along with it, I would likely be halfway through a Whopper combo right now.  I was down 4.0 pounds!!!  That was 9 days not 7 so I had a couple extra days in there to contribute.  Now instead of feeling awful about a Whopper, I'm waiting for my marinated pork tenderloin and veggies to be ready.  Smells so good!!

I love the WW leader.  I drove further than I needed to just so I could get to a meeting where it was my regular leader.  She is very motivating and is never short of excellent tidbits to get us through another week and tonight was no exception.  I'm going to start taking a pen & paper to jot down some of the things she says.  

So in a nutshell, I totally needed that and now have the motivation to keep on going!  Oh!  And I got to update my little weight loss ticker thing!

Too Early for PMS so What Gives??

Oh the cravings.  Not necessarily cravings for chocolate or cravings for chips or cravings for pizza, but just cravings.  All day I've wanted to dive headfirst into . . . something bad.  Anything bad.  I didn't though and I'm really hoping this feeling isn't with me tomorrow.  What do you eat when you want something bad and you want it bad!??  

I went to the gym right after work today in spite of every thing in me willing me not to.  It really is so much easier to just sit around and do nothing and that makes me even more proud of myself for going.  If it was easy, everyone would be doing it and obesity wouldn't be an epidemic.  The hardest part is just getting there.  Once I'm there, cranking out 45 minutes of cardio isn't a problem.  Lots of people watching, a few sitcoms on the equipment tv, or some upbeat tunes on my iPod really help the time fly by.  What do they say?  Six weeks till it's a habit?  I just want it to become something I do without question, just part of my lifestyle.  So four and a half weeks left till it's a habit.  Better start crossing off the days on a calendar!

Not the Plan Day

Well, today is Labor Day.  I woke up this morning exhausted and that did not change throughout the day.  This does not bode well for a plan that involves a goal of going to the gym every day.  I decided to go about my day and decide as I went.  A rest day isn't the end of the world and I did go to the gym 9 days in a row.

I decided to get on laundry and cleaning so it has been quite an active day.  Six months ago I bought a condo that I love and between watching episodes of "For Rent" (fantastic design inspiration for apartments & condos), I was doing laundry, moving things around, and making a new recipe (one goal complete!).

The recipe is Italian Spinach & Chicken Skillet.  It is 8 points per 1 1/2 cup serving and delicious!!  I had a serving for supper tonight and I will turn the remaining 3 servings into 4 lunches reducing the point values to 6 points each.  Add some fruits & veggies and I've got some great workday lunches.  So all in all, not a bad use of a day and I'm okay with it.  :)

Goals for Week Two

I still can't believe I completed all my goals for week one so here we go week two!!  

Wanting to build on what I started in week one, I was going to add weight training and some more cardio.  I wasn't entirely sure of my plan when I went to the gym this morning so I did my 30 minutes walking on the treadmill and then 15 minutes on the bike.  While I was on the bike, I was watching everyone on the weight machines and realizing that i had no idea how to use the majority of them.  I hate walking up to a machine not having a clue how to use it.  I'm going to set up an appointment with the gym trainer so that they can go through the machines with me.  So for this week, I will be using free weights in the aerobics studio when it's empty or my own 8 pound weights at home. 

My Goals for Week Two!

1. Walk 30 minutes per day, bike for 15 minutes per day.

2. Resistance training, 4 days this week. (See below)

2. Drink 3 litres of water per day.

3. Eat at least 6 servings of fruits & veggies per day.

4. Try a new recipe.

5. Set up an appointment with gym trainer.

Resistance Training - two sets of 10 of each.

Squats, Lunges

Crunches, Reverse Crunches

Bicep Curls, Tricep Pushbacks, Lateral Raises, Shoulder Press

I would have "go to WW meeting" on this list for Monday but it's Labor Day so no meeting till next Monday (13th).  

Here we go!

Seven Days!!

I don't have much time but I wanted to put this down while I was still sweating like a pig glowing like a fit gym goddess.  Seven Days!  I did all of my goals for seven days.  Walk 30 minutes per day, drink 3 litres of water per day, eat at least 5 servings fruits & veggies per day, and try a new recipe.  I did the first three and for the last one, I tried a different smoothie, made my own marinara sauce and tried the cod from Costco.  All wonderful!!  I also packed my lunch every day.  That wasn't one of my goals but it certainly helped me stay within my Weight Watchers points and get in the fruits and veggies.

Gotta run!

p.s.  The office treat guy had cookies again today.  For those of you keeping track, that's treats hanging around for 3 out of 5 days!   RESISTED!

I Wanna Be OVERWEIGHT!

So get this . . . I'm obese!!  I had no idea!  Here I am thinking I'm chubby, round, curvy, or fat and I'm obese!  I was googling weight loss, exercise, recipes etc and I come across a BMI calculator.  A BMI will say if you're underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese.  I enter my height and weight and get a  BMI of 33.  A BMI of over 30 = OBESE!!  I then looked a little further down the chart to see how much I have to lose to squeak into the overweight category.  22 pounds.  I wish I knew at the time that I was gaining the weight that I was crossing that line.  


On April 5th, 2010, I typed this line in my journal: 
"I was 201.4 this morning.  I don’t know what it’s going to take for me to snap out of it.  A miracle."  


Sometime that week, I passed 203 pounds.  Sometime that week, I crossed the line from overweight to obesity and I didn't even know!  Between you & me, it was likely partway through a Whopper, pizza, or Sausage McGriddle.  UGH!!  So not worth it!  I never thought I'd say this but . . . I wanna be overweight!!!

The Office Treat Guy

Every office has one.  You know them, the person in the office that always brings in treats and sends out a little email or two letting you know of all the delicious goodies lurking around the corner.  I really credit the office treat guy with at least 5 of my extra pounds.  Three pounds was Easter alone, I'm sure of it.  He had chocolate eggs, mini Cadbury eggs, mini Caramilk eggs, and even a chocolate bunny!  He brings in Lindt chocolate too.  Evil!!!  This week, it has been cookies . . . twice.  And today is only Wednesday.  He called them Italian Stallion cookies.  I did not even venture over into the area of his desk to see what they were.  So yay me for resisting the treats!!!

Ever notice how the office treat person is always thin??  Take note.  95% of the time, thin!!