Weigh in #11

Blah... well, I knew it would happen but that doesn't make me any happier about it. Yep, I gained this week. I'm up 1.2lbs. I don't need to wonder why it happened (too many slices of pizza, too many chocolate easter eggs, creamy scalloped potatoes, angel food cake with whipped cream and lets not forget the chocolate covered raisins, sick kids, the cold I'm just not kicking and not drinking enough water... it's a miracle 1.2 that I'm up quite honestly). I'm owning it and moving forward. In fact, I've been feeling a little down about my weight loss for the last two weeks and just not super motivated so maybe this gain is the motivation I need to get going again?

So, maybe it's time for the No Cheat Challenge again? Anyone else in? I'm going to plan out my menus and post them in my blog and also make sure that I track every morsel that enters my mouth (that's a biggy for me). It really was amazing to feel how just a couple days off track made me feel so crappy. I felt bloated and really fat... I didn't even want to wear my new jeans that actually fit and instead wore the baggy, falling off pair that look like crap on me now.

Anyways, I'm off to a good start for the week.. I just got home from the Y and did my last day of week 3 in the C25K. I'll start week 4 tomorrow! I got in a good 70 minutes of cardio so that should help me sweat out some of that dang Easter chocolate ;).

Today's Menu: (edited)

Breakfast: Quaker Weight Control Oatmeal, 4oz strawberries, 1/3 cup skim (2.5 points)
Lunch: Smart Ones Santa Fe Rice and Beans, grapefruit (7 points)
Snack: Thinsations 100 cal pack, Fiber One Bar (5 points)
Supper: Chicken Kabob, spinach & strawberry salad, potato wedges (7.5 points)
Snacks: London Fog (2)

24/29 (Edited: It's almost 8pm now and I feel stuffed cuz my spinach salad was huge but I'll probably add a little something in there to use up a few more points)

Healthy You Check In - No Cheat Challenge Week 2!

I'm sorry that I'm a little late checking in tonight, it's just that kind of a day. Working day and night is starting to really suck. I haven't even had time to deposit some checks and just realized tonight that I'd better pay some bills before they are overdue. I'm normally so good with that stuff! Ah well... "two more weeks, two more weeks" has become my mantra.

Other than overall business, it's been a good day today and a good week. A little incident at work today really reminded me about how much I really like to be in control (not controlling, just on top of things). If I have some uncertainties, I feel scattered, stressed and sometimes even a little panicky but the last few months, I've been able to recognize this and have been able to do what I need to do to feel back on top of things before it gets out of hand. I think this is related to my weight loss journey. I don't like the feeling that I get when I'm out of control with food. I have a feeling that this is why I've been able to get right back on track instead of remaining in the depths of an endless binge session, upset, depressed and unhappy. Hurray! My mom also commented to me tonight that this time around on my weight loss journey, I seem different. She was wondering what had finally "clicked" with me and what has made me so persistent and focused on my goals. It was neat to me that she noticed this and actually felt like a huge compliment so that made me feel good.

Anyhow, today's menu:

Breakfast: 4 points
Quaker reduced sugar oatmeal w/1/3 cup skim, 1/2 banana
1/4 whole wheat english muffin, 1/4 tsp butter (kids leftovers)

Lunch: 8.5 points
Ham and Cheese "quesadilla" w/1 multigrain flatout wrap, 2 slices ham, 1/3 cup 2% cheese
Eating Right potato leek soup (new cup of soups thingies from Safeway - really yummy!)
Maxwell House French Vanilla Capp w/2tsp nonfat creamer

Snack: 2.5 points
1 orange
Maxwell House French Vanilla Capp w/nonfat creamer

Dinner: 6 points
Smart Ones Santa Fe Rice and Beans

Dessert: 2.5 points
fat free vanilla pudding w/2 tsp toasted slivered almonds

Snack: 2 points
London Fog (1 cup skim)

25.5 / 30 but I'll have another little snack while I'm watching Biggest Loser... not sure what yet.

Hope you are all doing well... join me in another week of the No-Cheat Challenge!!

No Cheat Challenge Day 7 and Weigh in!

Thank you all so much for the great comments that I receive! Ok, I just really needed to say that.

You all have convinced me not to change my WI day. Having my WI Monday morning was something that I chose to do, just to keep me more accountable on the weekends. And changing it would not really be helping myself but rather enabling myself.

So, today has been better... much better. I weighed in at exactly 245, which was down 1.6 lbs. Not bad considering my cookie disaster yesterday. I'm totally back in control with the eating stuff today and I feel much better about myself. I really can't wait to crack my 20 lbs mark! Hopefully next week for sure.

Today's Menu (so far)

Breakfast: 4 points
Reduced sugar oatmeal, 1/3 cup skim, half banana, half grapefruit

Lunch: 6 points
Smart Ones Florentine Lasagna

Dinner: 9 points
3 flatbread crackers w/1 tsp hummus (while I was making dinner)
M&M's bbq chicken kabob, 4 spears asparagus, 1/2 tsp oil, 4 oz baby potatoes, 2 tbsp light sour cream
1 tbsp sunflower seeds

Dessert: 2.5 points
fat free vanilla pudding cup w/2 tsp slivered almonds

Snack: 2 points
London Fog (one cup skim)

That's only 23.5/30 but I'm sure I'll have a little something else too.

Anyone else care to join in for another round of the No Cheat Challenge starting tomorrow? Though I did slip up yesterday, it's an improvement! In the past I've stopped tracking most Friday nights and haven't started again until Monday. This weekend I only stopped tracking Sunday afternoon/evening. I can do it!!

No Cheat Challenge Day 6

Not good. I counted up until this afternoon.. we even went to Wendy's for lunch and I did OK (taco salad without the dressing and chips so it was 8 points)... then stuff happened and the points when down the drain. Not sure exactly why I binged... I need to think about this some more. I do fine when I'm out of the house but if I am home, I'm finding it really hard. I think I was partially feeling a little frustrated... kid's are a little under the weather and were really whiny this afternoon so I couldn't really get anything done and I couldn't really have a rest (what I really wanted) because baby K kept getting into stuff (when will this phase end?!?!). So I ate. Reaalllly realllly yummy gourmet cookies left over from Christmas. But oh so bad and laden with buttery goodness. Yah. Um I ate the whole box. Which was relatively small but still approximately 20ish points. Then a piece of pizza (which wasn't even good).

I weigh in tomorrow morning so I am really keeping my fingers crossed that this won't totally cancel out what I may have lost this week.

I'm also thinking that maybe I should change my WI day to Friday instead of Monday so that I have the whole week to make up for any crap I may eat on weekends. Any thoughts?

No Cheat Challenge Day 5

Okay... I have a confession. Last night, just before bed, I scarfed down the last three one-bite brownies that were sitting in the kitchen. Not sure why I did it.. I wasn't hungry and I was on my way to bed for pete's sake! I was too scared to check out the nutritional info on those and quickly threw the empty bag into the garbage. When I woke up this morning and decided that I should actually enter my sins into my points tracker, the trash had already been emptied. Rather convenient! But stilll, it's technically not a cheat because I have 31 flex points left still but I still felt bad about it. For a little while anyways.

Anyways, today has been good. I've tracked all day and that in itself is a record for a Saturday.

Here's today's menu:

Breakfast: 3.5 points
Reduced sugar oatmeal with 1/3 cup skim
3 oz grapes

Snack: 4 points
2 flatbread crackers with 1 wedge light laughing cow
1/2 grapefruit
Calorie wise Maxwell House french vanilla capp

Lunch: 7 points
Mr. Sub small ham sub with lots of veggies
sm. bag baked lays

Dinner: 7 points
Yummy omelette with shredded potato, tomato, ham, mushrooms (I'm getting this recipe perfected!)

Dessert: 3.5 points
1/2 banana
fat free chocolate pudding cup w/ 2 tsp slivered almonds

Snack: 3 points
London Fog (1 cup skim)
1 point popcorn
apple

29/30

No Cheat Challenge Day 4

Today was OK. I was home this afternoon and found myself feeling more snacky than I have been... but probably because I was a little bored. I also retook the points quiz and now I get 30 points per day instead of 31. I'm over that by a few today but this is the first of any of my flex points I've used this week so it's fine. The good thing is that typically weekends (starting Friday nights) have been when I've slipped up and stopped counting points. That will not happen this week!!

Breakfast: 3.5 points
Quaker reduced sugar oatmeal w/ 1/3 cup skim and half a banana

Lunch: 7 points
Smart Ones Santa Fe Rice and Beans (one of my faves)
half of a whole wheat pita

Snack: 3.5 points
Grimm's Turkey pepperoni stick
1 package of Annie's organic Hunny Bunnies

Dinner: 10 points (and the worst part is that I really didn't enjoy any of it! But my dad cooked and was trying to be "health conscious" and make something I could eat)
3.5 oz bbq'd steak
4 1/4 baby potatoes
2 oz green beans
1 tsp butter (split between my gr. beans and potatoes)
8 baby dill pickles
1/2 slice garlic bread (shouldn't have had this but it looked so good!)
1/2 grapefruit

Dessert: 3 points
fat free chocolate pudding cup w/1 tbsp toasted slivered almonds (my new favourite!)

Snack: 6 points
whole wheat english muffin with 2 tbsp jam
London Fog (1 cup skim)
1 tbsp slivered almonds

33/30

No oils today and I'm a little short on dairy but overall, far better than the last many Fridays! I hope you all are doing well. Weekends are always the hardest times for staying OP, aren't they? The only thing that may make it easier for me this weekend is that I have to work tomorrow so I'm not home to snack. Stay strong!!

No Cheat Challenge Day 3

Another good day here! I'm finding it a little tough to eat all my points the last few days but it's probably because I haven't been exercising but rather sitting on my butt working at my desk all day. Work has been so busy that the time just flies by and I hardly remember to eat lunch. Oh well, easy not to snack that way I guess. Anyhow, here's today's menu:

Breakfast: 3 points
Quaker High Fibre Berry Medley Oatmeal
1/3 cup skim milk
1/2 grapefruit

Mid-morning snack: 2 points
1 sm bag baked Lays (yesterdays lunch leftovers)

Lunch: 6 points
Smart Ones Veggie Lasagna

Supper: 7 points
M&M's BBQ chicken kabob
2 oz cooked baby carrots and 4 oz baby potatoes roasted in 1 tsp canola and greek seasoning
4 Grissol Garden Herb Baguettes
1/2 grapefruit

Snack (trying to use up points): 9 points
yogurt cup with 1 tsp wheat germ
London Fog (1 cup skim)
1 whole wheat english muffin w/ 1 tbsp light cream cheese and 1tbsp jam
1 apple

27/31 and I'm headed to bed now so that's it for the day.

It's bad not to eat all of my points, isn't it? But I just can't right now!

Hope you all had another good non-cheating day!!

No Cheat Challenge Day 2

Another day OP is nearly over. Carolyn's omelette yesterday made me want one so that's what I had for dinner... a little high in points but oh so yummy! Also, I hadn't eaten much all day so I had points to spare. I used real eggs instead of any of those substitutions and there really is no comparison with the taste. I'd rather have eggs less frequently and actually enjoy the taste than eat those "fake" ones.

Here is today's menu:

Breakfast: 5.5 points
Quaker reduced sugar oatmeal
1 banana
1/3 cup skim milk
3/4 of a little cup thingy of yogurt (baby K wouldn't finish)

Lunch: 5 points
Subway 6" ham sub w/lots of veggies

Afternoon snack: 1.5 points
Maxwell House French Vanilla Capp w/2 tsp fat free creamer

Dinner: 10.5 points
Yummy omelette with shredded potato, ham, cheese, mushrooms and tomato
large grapefruit

Snack: 6 points
10 Grissol Garden Herb Crispy Bagettes
2 wedges Laughing Cow Light
London Fog (oh so yummy 1 cup skim, 2 tbsp Starbucks sugar free vanilla syrup, earl grey tea)

This takes me to 28.5/31 points so maybe some carrots and hummus are in my future.

I hope you are all on program with me today and are feeling good!

Healthy You Challenge Update and NO CHEATING!

My schedule is a little bit wacky right now so I figured I'd do the update a little early. I also did my weigh in yesterday morning, instead of my usual Monday morning because I was away overnight and didn't get back until late this afternoon. Sooooo....

The Good News: I'm down 2.2 lbs! Honestly, I have no idea how I pulled that off but I'm thrilled none the less. That puts me down 17 lbs total and that makes me feel really good. I haven't been at the weight that I'm currently in well over a year. That means that the weight I put on in 2007 is gone!!

The Bad News: I've eaten like crap for the last two days. Yesterday was a potluck for lunch and then finger foods for dinner (consisting mainly of crackers and cream cheese). This morning was a buffet (I filled my plate with fruit and then had 1.5 pieces of french toast and one small serving of hashbrowns), lunch was chicken noodle soup and hot chocolate and dinner was pizza... with a bunch of sweet snacks in between. Not good. BUT, that's what happens when you're staying away from home and come home disorganized and not feeling like cooking... then having to run out to take your kid to the walk in clinic because she's fevered and crying in pain (she has a UTI). I found myself back into that awful mindset of "oh well, today's shot anyways, I'll eat like crap and start again tomorrow". However, I WILL be back OP tomorrow, that is a promise!

Actually, I'm inspired to throw out a challenge to all of you who have been having trouble staying on program or on track, especially on the weekends (like me!!).

I challenge you all to spend the next 7 days (Tuesday the 19th through Tuesday the 26th) completely ON PROGRAM.

If you are on Weight Watchers, this means not going over your points for the week. It also means counting points every day (I've been in the habit of slacking on this, especially on weekends). If you are following some other program, this means sticking to it - NO CHEATING! I know for me, I need some extra motivation and accountability so I will post every day and let you all know my point total for the day (or my menu).

Anyone care to join me?