Weight Watchers Week 2: The Plan

Aaaaand after a successful weigh in, I did not track Friday or Saturday and am waaaaay over my points today.

Sigh.

But the next choice I make is the important one, right?  Right!

So my plan for dinner tonight is as follows:  Lettuce wrapped burgers and homemade potato fries with a side of roast vegetables.

This weeks’ menu:

Breakfast:  Toasted english muffin with butter, scrambled eggs and fruit

Lunches:  Salads with chicken and fruit

Dinners:
Sunday & Monday – burgers as mentioned
Tuesday & Wednesday – Taco Soup
Thursday – Lasagne with roast vegetables
Friday – pizza night!

Snacks are as follows:  Lattes, almonds, string cheese, fruit and/or a 1/2 sandwich

Weight Watchers Week #1

Well, well, well!  I lost 6 pounds this week and feel like I’ve learned more about what I need and when.

I was talking to a friend of mine about how I was so hungry in the afternoons and occasionally in the evenings.  She has done a medically supervised weight loss program through a hospital where food was pre portioned and you drink shakes.  They told her that if she was still hungry, to eat another serving.  And if she was still hungry after that?  To eat another serving.

Mind. Blown.

I guess the thought process is that eating more of the healthy foods when you’re hungry will stop you from binge eating on things that are high in fat and sugar.  The program also said that if she was going out to a restaurant for dinner?  To eat one of her meals before she went and still eat the restaurant meal too.  They said over time you end up eating less when you just keep having another serving if/when you’re still hungry.

Ummmmmmmmm.  This sounds so logical!  WTF?

So I’m going to bump up my afternoon snack–which I really liked!  Almonds, string cheese and fruit and still add some more protein to my lunches…or a half a sandwich maybe.

I’m looking forward this weekend to making ahead some things like roasted vegetables and maybe some sweet potatoes and red potatoes so I can come home and have some simple, quick dinners.  I have a cookbook coming tomorrow that’s called Sheet Pan Suppers which seems like quick, simple, healthy meals you can just throw in the oven!

So have I been perfect?   Uh, no.  I’ve tracked probably 5-ish days…maybe 4.  But I’ve been much more conscious and taking a step back and looking at where I struggle:

1. Not tracking when I feel “bad”
2. The fact that I even think of it as “bad”
3. Getting a little annoyed when I’m hungry, which???

Instead of jumping in and trying to “fix” those things, I’m just being gentle with myself and thinking “how interesting!”  Then I move on.  I adore having a plan and so next up?  Getting busy on my plan for week number two.  I feel like I’m off to a good start!

Weight Watchers Day #4

Hmmmm today decidedly did not go according to plan.  I was hungry and didn’t have a plan going into a work event where there would be snacks.  Overall the snacks weren’t even good–cupcakes from a box with shelf stable frosting, cheap crackers with inexpensive cheese and coke.  But did I eat them?  Oh h*ll yes I did.  And you know what?  I was satisfied and didn’t want to keep going.  I think overall I just need to eat more food that sticks with me.

I realize I like having a plan.  I was able to throw chocolates away that someone stopped by and left for me.  I came home and ate my planned dinner and asked a friend if we could do a “non food” hang, which was fantastic. It’s so nice having supportive friends (and this week’s GoT OMG).  But I’m hungry.  I think the fat free stuff is getting to me, so I’m going to adjust things and see how it goes.

At some point I stopped counting points yesterday.  One of the habits I have is that I don’t handle seeing a deficit caused by me going off the rails well.  I’m not entirely sure how to correct that, so I decided I don’t need to untangle every habit I’ve learned over the years, I just need to turn toward what I had planned and that was a veggie burger for dinner that was delicious!  I moved on.

But here’s what I ate as a reference that I can look back to if need be:

Breakfast:  Coffee with 1T half & half and a McDonald’s egg mcmuffin
Morning Snack:  Nonfat latte with 1 pump vanilla and banana

Lunch:  Salad with tomatoes, carrots, chickpeas and avocado; beef jerky
Afternoon Snack:  Two string cheeses, almonds, Reese’s PB Cup & Jolly Rancher

Afternoon Off Plan:  Cup of coke, cupcake, wheat thins with cream cheese and cheddar, chocolate dipped pretzel rods and Teddy Grahams

Dinner:  Sweet Thai Chili veggie burger with broccoli slaw, mayo and sriacha
Late Night Snack:  Almonds & string cheese

I’m going to make the move to full fat items–whole milk, “real” cheese and switch to a sandwich and salad for lunch and see how that goes next week.  Discovering and tweaking is fun.

Weight Watchers Day #3

Day 3 is in the bag and it’s TOTALLY normal that I want to eat a quesadilla with like, a pound of melty delicious cheese, right?

I’m definitely going over my points each day and realize I need to bulk up on the protein, so I’ll tweak my menu a bit next week.  A major win today was when I really wanted to stop somewhere for dinner on my way home but didn’t.

I was hungry and tired and that’s definitely a habit I had forgotten about!  But I rallied! I came home and threw a Lean Cuisine pizza in the microwave before changing into my pajamas, eating real quick and passing out for an hour.

This weight loss biz is SEXY!

This weekend I’d like to have some meals prepped that I can just toss together or even just get some frozen dinners.  Something that I KNOW is there and will be ready soon. One habit shift at a time.

I am already feeling better after a few days of drinking plenty of water and eating more fruits and vegetables.  I took a quick walk again at lunch today too and am hoping all of these little bits and pieces add up.

Something tells me they will!

My plan this week was to go a little something like this:

Breakfast:  10 points
Morning Snack: 5 points
Lunch: 10 points
Afternoon Snack: 5 points
Dinner: 10 points
Evening Snack: 2 points

3 activity points per day

I went over budget in these areas:

1. A cookie straw (!) they were handing out at Starbucks.  I toyed with the idea of saying no, but didn’t.  I did track it though!  4 points added to my morning snack.
2. Lunch–oof I went over by 6 points.  I need to make a change to what I’m putting on my salads.
3. My afternoon snack I just went over by 1 point.
4. Dinner I went over by 1 point.
5. Evening snack I went over by 2

So if my math skills serve me correctly that actually adds up to a significant overage of 14 points!  Crazy how fast it adds up and that it all really didn’t seem like that big of a deal.  Hmmm…the reasons for this extra weight are becoming clearer!

I had the points budget, so no harm done.  I think bumping up the protein in my lunches may help the afternoon/evening overages.  And luckily I think the passing out of cookie straws was just a one time event 😉

Weight Watchers Day #2

I went over my points budget today, which doesn’t surprise me.  I was in an over eating habit at work in the afternoon, especially when it came to candy, so I packed some extra snacks to give myself full rein to nosh.

Breakfast (10 Smart Points)

McDonald’s Egg McMuffin (can’t quit these right now!)
Coffee with 1T half & half

Morning Snack (5 Smart Points)

1T almonds
16 oz non-fat latte
Banana

Lunch (14 Smart Points)

Salad with avocado and black beans
2 Tangerines
1 Jolly Rancher

Afternoon Snack (8 Smart Points)

Almonds
2 string cheeses
Grapes
Mini Reese’s PB Cup
1 Jolly Rancher

Dinner (15 Smart Points)

Salmon with asparagus and roasted potatoes
Almonds
String Cheese
Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

Smart Points Used: 52
Over Budget:  9
Activity Points Earned: 4

I did have four big wins today though!

1. I meditated this morning for 15 minutes and just allowed myself to cry.  I think I’ve been more stressed than I’m letting on.  It was an ugly cry too but I felt better afterwards.  I wonder if more emotions will start to come to the surface now that I’m not shoving them down with food.  Tiiiime to get some kleenex.
2. A colleague dropped by a bunch of chocolate and Jelly Belly’s.  I thanked him (so much!) and then when he was out of eyesight and earshot I promptly dropped them in the trash.
3. I took a walk at lunch for 15 minutes.
4. I packed extra snacks and stuck to my plan!

I’m still feeling a little blue, but looking back over my day I’m actually perking up a bit.  It’s really nice to put focus and time toward something that I’ve historically struggled with.

Weight Watchers Day 1

At the time of this writing (6:09 p.m. on Sunday, May 1st), Day #1 is successfully in the bag!   Here was the plan:

Breakfast (10 smart points)

Coffee with 1 Tablespoon 1/2 & 1/2
McDonald’s Egg McMuffin

Mid Morning Snack (3 smart points)

16 oz Iced Nonfat Latte
Banana

Lunch (14 smart points)

Bagged Dole salad with black beans and avocado
2 tangerines
1 Jolly Rancher

Mid Afternoon Snack (5 smart points)

Almonds
String Cheese
Grapes
Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

Dinner (9 smart points)

Salmon
Red Potatoes
Asparagus

Evening Snack (2 smart points)

Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

Daily Total:  43 (over budget by 1)
Activity Points:  2

One of the habits I know I need to work on is treating myself daily in ways other than food.  I use food as a palliative.  So today I went and got a pedicure with a friend.  Tomorrow I plan on curling up in my favorite chair and reading a few chapters from a new book.

Overall today I’m feeling kind of bleh.  I’ve had heartburn all day.  The house is a mess, it’s back to work tomorrow, I don’t have vacation coming up for a couple of months and my boyfriend is far away.  I’m looking forward to starting to feel more energetic, but I know it will likely be a while.  Luckily I do feel really good about STARTING.  And hey!  Writing feels good too.

 

The Beginning

Oh hiiiiiii.  I started Weight Watchers today.  Again.  Foooooooor perhaps the hundredth time in the last 23 years.  The first time I started I was 18 and weighed 173 pounds.  I. Was. Mortified.

So that’s where I WAS.

I currently AM 41 and weigh 280 pounds.  I took my measurements this morning.  At 5’4, my chest measures 50 inches, my waist 47 inches and my hips are currently coming in at 58 inches.  I wear a size 20/22 in pants and a 20 in tops.  I’m giggling as I type that.  I am no longer mortified–just way, way out of balance with my eating and movement.  I have been out of balance for years and am finally ready to prioritize the planning and action that are needed to get to and maintain a healthy weight.

So where am I headed?

Well, good question!  In about five months I’m moving to the South from the West Coast.  I am happy and excited and also a little frazzled and scared.  I have started the process of looking at what I want to move and realize how much I’ve been carrying around that I no longer need.  It was a natural leap to looking at my weight and daily habits in the same way.

As I look toward my future, there is a lot I plan on keeping the same–my morning snuggle session on the couch with a cup of coffee and my pup; climbing into bed at night for cute and sexy pillow talk with my boyfriend; and all of the other little daily rituals that are bookended by those two moments.

I’d like some of those in-between moments to include riding horses; dancing when I hear a good song; cooking while drinking a glass of wine and not worrying about sweating; wearing shorts and skirts; doing outdoorsy things like hiking, biking, and walking, and maybe even doing something new and crazy like zip lining or sitting in an airline seat comfortably (!).  I want to be engaged with my life in an energetic, strong and flexible way.

It’s time.

My goal is “55 in 5.”  I’d like to be down to 225 in the next five months.  I realize it’s a big goal.  And who knows, I might not make it.  Or?  I might beat it!  But it’s important to start somewhere and that feels like a good place to start.

So all that said, in this moment I am making a choice to set down the past.  And while I’m looking toward my future, I am really looking forward to getting there one day and step at a time.  Today is the day that I begin.

 

Spring Break!

I’m heading off on a little spring break for the next two weeks.  I’ll be back in this space on Monday April 11th and am looking forward to talking about my spring wardrobe finds and house keeping secrets.  Because who knows how to party?  Thaaaat’s right.  I might even join Instagram.  It’s gettin’ just that crazy.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn rounds out our month of movies to kick off the spring.  I fell in love with this film–the story, its message and the clothes.  The clothes!  As I’m wrapping up my own spring wardrobe shopping you can bet green is being featured prominently with a vintage aesthetic.  My own little slice of 1950s New York in the 2016 Pacific Northwest.  What did I do before I had Friday Night Flicks to influence my wardrobe (and who am I kidding, design) choices?

Spring Secrets: Crest Whitestrips

Once or twice a year I fork out about $50 and buy some form of Crest Whitestrips.  I’m not going for Hollywood white teeth, but I do think the regular maintenance of cleaning off stains has served me well.  Especially when I combine the bleaching with regular cleanings, flossing, brushing and rinsing.

I find there is some tooth sensitivity for the first couple of days, but that after that it goes away completely.  Eventually you become so used to wearing them that you pick up the phone to talk to your boyfriend and he wonders what in the last 24 hours has caused you to develop a lisp.  (They don’t but that on the box.)