I'm getting better at this...

Every week on the WW Boards, I see people ask whether or not they should eat all their Daily Points, or all their WPA, or how much AP they need. Then like an automated response, the general reply is "you need to play with your numbers."

I didn't really understand what that meant until week 11 on the WW program. But wow, what a difference it makes!

I've learned that for a maximum weight loss (at least, in the past weigh in) I personally need to consume all my WPA and have 16 available AP.

Right now, all the WPA are gone and I have 12.5 available AP. If I can get in 30 minutes on the treadmill today, and maybe another 30-40 with the Pilates/Weight training; then I will be golden for WI tomorrow.

What else have I learned? Water is incredibly key. At week 11, I typically go through 4 -5 refills of my 36 oz. water bottle daily. In the more tropical climate I live in, dehydration is always a threat. But there are also other benefits - cleaner skin (its been proven by Popular Science), hungry less often, and (dare I say) more consistent digestive processes. It make sense, since WW promotes "filling foods" (read: more fiber) you automatically need to up your liquid intake.

Real food is so much better than fake food. For example, I could have 2 servings of a processed 100 calorie pack of cookies/crackers, etc - or I can have 1/4 c. of homemade guacamole with veggies and baked chips. In the end real food tastes better, and keeps me fuller longer.

It's OK to eat Fast Food. I think I've eaten at a Fast Food location 1-2 times a week while on WW. I've eaten at a Restaurant maybe 5-7 times a month. Life doesn't stop, and this isn't a diet. It's a lifestyle change, and I don't want to become a hermit with frozen meals!

I had forgotten how much I love grapes. Cold grapes and water after exercising is absolutely rejuvenating.

Blogging has been wonderful! Having a running record of my thoughts, emotions, actions and behaviors has been surprisingly helpful for self-realization and pattern tracking. No more lies, no more excuses. This is documented!

I've been so excited about the "ah-ha" light that came on this week that I expanded my goals section on the blog. I have no idea what the rewards will be - I'm open for suggestions!

Time for grocery shopping! Keep reaching for those dreams!

A Leg Up...

... on the OP week, and on the couch with ice.

Boo. Hiss. It's on days like this that I truly believe my body hates me.

I've racked up 14 APs this week, mainly through 2 nights of volleyball. Last night was the official scrimmage game before the season starts. It was cold, we played well - but I ended up popping my knee again. I did this towards the end of last season, and I thought it thoroughly healed.

Old injuries just never go away, I guess.

So, for now, I've got my knee wrapped in ice; cuddled under the blankets while sipping water, nibbling grapes, and watching Toddlers and Tiaras.

I'm 3.5pts under for the day. I'm not too concerned since I've gobbled through my WPA already. I even had a yummy Panera dinner: You Pick Two® Mediterranean Veggie and New England Clam Chowder.

That's all for now, I hope everyone is having a OP week. Keep updating your blogs!

Gotta stay OP, gotta stay OP...

Sunday: Lunch at Smokey Bones, Dinner was Digornio pizza and mozzarella sticks
Monday: Triple Dipper Dinner at Chili's (buffalo wings, ancho chile wings, spinach artichoke dip) and a 99 cent container of Ben & Jerry's

I am OUT of WPA!! Sadly, its only day 3 of my week. Oopsies.

Today was our annual Mardi Gras potluck at work. I kept it fairly OP - fried chicken drumstick, orzo salad, cornbread casserole, biscuits and king cake.

I wasn't hungry for the rest of the day. At all. I had some dried cranberries and yogurt before volleyball, followed by grapes and water on the way home.

Could it be? Is my body craving food only when it needs it?! Holy carp, what a concept!

I just put a huge pot of "everything but the kitchen sink" chili into the slow cooker. It's got chicken, beans, pepper, yellow onions, green onions, carrots - you name it, its in there. But, it's 4 pts a serving - so we're good.

Need to up the exercise this week to make up for the early week gorging.

Gotta stay OP, gotta stay OP...

Keep reaching for those dreams!!

HUGE Scale Victory!

-4.4 lbs

14 lbs overall (1 lb off my 15 lb goal)

5% weight loss

SOOOOOOOOO incredibly excited :)

That is all.

Stress!

So, please allow me to sum up my Thursday and Friday.

**TMI Warning... this is a full transparency vent.

After Wednesday's news of my company's plans for reorganization hit the news circuit, Thursday was an incredibly tense day at work. My friends and I met up for lunch at a Nature's Table, where I had a delicious Shanghai Chicken salad. Later that afternoon, I walked into my boss's building for a meeting. In the lobby, every executive in the company was gathered for a meeting regarding the news in the press.

Great, that means some of it must be true.

Thursday night was a treat, however. DBF and I went to see a production of The Three Mo' Tenors. Before the show, we stopped at TGIFridays for dinner. I got a Jack Daniel's burger with a side of steamed broccoli. I thought it was a good choice - probably not the BEST choice, but a good compromise.

Then I researched the NI online, and according to a report by ABCNews the burger has 1540 calories! Oops!

Plus, I've skipped a TOM. In fact, there hasn't been a TOM since December. Don't worry, nothing medically wrong - but this typically happens when I drastically change my diet and exercise. But, it Thursday it reappeared. YAY! I think that partially explains my insane gain last WI.

Friday rolls around, and starts with a request for a mandatory meeting for that afternoon. Ugh. Why? What's going on?!

We chose to sooth our nerves with a lunch at Fuddrucker's. I was good, just a kid's meal for me, hold the free cookie.

The team meeting basically confirmed all our fears - mandatory workforce reductions. ::sigh:: They don't know when or how many - but to have a good weekend and don't worry about.

I did resist the urge to dive into a box of Krispy Kremes. However, the bottle of rum was just too good to pass up.

Today, I took a sneak peak at the scale... -3.6lbs. WOOT WOOT! Granted, its a cheat sneak - but I hope tomorrow will be a joyous WI.

Hope everyone is doing well! Keep reaching for those dreams!

Game on!

I am so excited! Tonight was the kick-off for the Spring '09 Volleyball Season!! YEA!!!

But, I'll back up to talk about my OP day.

I woke up VERY late this morning, and only has enough time to whip up a smoothie before leaving the apartment. My point balance was way out of whack. By the time I left work, leaving 5 points for some after volleyball snacks, I had 15 points for dinner!

11 weeks ago I would have dove head first into a McDonald's burger. But today, I chose Panera's You Pick Two® Bacon Bravo Turkey sandwich and Broccoli Cheddar soup.

Personally, I think that was head and shoulders above a greasy burger and fries.

We played on the sand courts for about 2 hours. I was excited to see that the shirt and shorts I always wear were missing the trademark muffin top bulge. YEA!

On the way home, I scarfed 10 oz. of grapes and 4 glasses of water. Phew!

Then I nibbled my way nervously through my kettle corn as I'm reading online news reports about my company continuing to reorganize and cut more jobs. ::Sigh:: The cuts haven't reached my level yet, so I'm not insanely worried.

I'm going to wash off the rest of the sand and go to bed. No oversleeping tomorrow!

I hope you all are having an OP day as well. Keep reaching for those dreams!

Be all that you can be...

and stay OP!

Hahaha, well at least I amuse myself!

Today I was up at 5:00am ready to work out. I got through a full set of lunges and boxer punches. I transitioned into a new move: Dead Lift to Hip Opener (from Shape or Self, I don't remember which)

DEAD LIFT TO HIP OPENER

Works legs, butt, core, and shoulders

Hold a weighted ball in both hands in front of your chest. Lift right foot and slowly extend right leg back as you bend over from hips and reach ball forward so your arms and leg are parallel to the floor [A]. Rise up to starting position and repeat. Do 10 reps, then switch sides to complete set. Next, repeat move on left leg, but keep right leg and arms extended as you rotate your hips and shoulders to the right as far as you can [B]. Lower them so they're parallel to the floor and repeat. Do 8 reps, then switch sides to complete set.

No sooner than do I get through 5 regular reps when my back says "Oh heck no" and the spasm puts me in crippling pain.

Exercising is so much harder when your body doesn't want to play nice.

Needless to say, no AP for me today. I'll try again tomorrow. Exercise is going to be key in ridding myself of last week's completely unnecessary gain!

A small NSV for me over the past two days: DBF has been working night shifts, and I haven't opted for fast food! YAY! Although, the past two night have had the same meal.

Mmm, tacos and oven-roasted asparagus. Odd combination, but I love it!

I was 7 pts under for the night, mostly because I fell asleep after getting home from work. I did get the chance to indulge in Eggo Low-Fat Nutri-Grain waffles with 1 tbsp of Parkay and 1/4 c of light syrup. MMMmmmm!

Time to watch my new guilty pleasure, Toddlers & Tiaras on TLC.

Keep reaching for those dreams! Skinny vibes to you all!!

5 steps forward, 3 steps back...

Stay strong, stay focused...

I knew I overate this past week. There were lots of nights noshing on fast food on the way home from the hospital (DBF's grandmother was there), lots of dining out at work (business lunches), and a night out filled with drinking and a drunken binge at McDonalds.

I teared up when I saw the 2.8lb gain. I worked so hard to get into the 250s, and now I jumped back into the 260s.

Boo. Hiss. Lame!

I think I ultimately learned that I can't give up on the momentum program, or the weight sneaks right back up on you! A burger here, some nachos there... a couple of alabama slammers and BOOM!

Oh well, this is a new week. Although I did go over by 6 pts last night, I am entirely OP today. I went walking for 30 minutes with work colleagues during lunch. Last week, management mandated that we have to take a 30 minute lunch. So, we eat at our desks and go for a stroll.

Makes the day go by so much faster.

Hahaha, I've been nodding off while writing this blog! I guess that means I should wrap this up, wash the dishes, and get ready for bed!

Hope everyone is having better weight loss successes! Keep reaching for those dreams!

Emotional eating, I know thee well...

Today was the first day in this Sahara desert of a journey that I felt so stressed out that I wanted nothing more than to eat my way through a display case at a Krispy Kreme.

The cute lil' orange temptation monster has nothing on this vile beast - lack of coping skills which results in a caloric gorge fest.

I start my morning with a meeting about my goals and aspirations for the coming fiscal year. Problem was, I had nothing. For a month, I have been cranking the hamster wheel with practically no results. I know what goals I have in my personal life: onderland, a degree, an engagement ring; but I am helplessly lost with direction in my career.

Following that hour of a pressure cooker, I ventured to meeting #2 where I was given less credit than deserved for a recognition event that I designed and executed. Mix in lots of new rules and regulations regarding standard policy, and I was ready to blow!

I tried taking a walk to release some steam: nothing. Sat outside in the sun for some quick meditation: nothing. I could not pinpoint where this stress was coming from, and I couldn't find the off-button.

After driving home with DBF, he offered to take me out to Chili's for margaritas and appetizers. In the past, I would have jumped at the offer. But I sighed and said something I never thought I would be able to admit to myself:

"I need to learn to deal with my stress in ways that don't involve food."

There was a moment of silence in the car, followed by DBF replying "I think that is a great idea." We needed to stop at Wal-mart to pick up some last minute items for our mini-cuban sandwiches. He walked with me through the store for 30 minutes, holding my hand and just letting me savor the silence. After diffusing a bit, I did buy a small box of milk duds.

Eh, I'm human.

After dinner, I flopped on the couch with the milk duds and skimmed the Grammy awards. I barely nibbled through half the box, which was a far cry from the visions of donuts dancing in my head earlier.

Feeling better, I grabbed my workout scrapbook and made myself a berry smoothie.

• 1 c. frozen unsweetened berries
• 1 c. Ocean Spray diet cran-grape
• 2 packets of splenda fiber
• 1 tsp. Fiber-sure
  
• 1 c. ice

Whirl in a blender until smooth

Sip by sip, I channeled my "need-to-achieve" into creating a structured workout plan, utilizing almost all the exercises in the binder. I felt some closure on the day.

More importantly, I recognized a moment of weakness and refused to succumb to it. I know I am an emotional eater, and hopefully I won't be one for the rest of my life. One day at a time...

Keep reaching for those dreams (personal or otherwise)!

Late night snack...

...means early morning workout!

DBF and I went to the hospital last night to visit his grandmother (she's OK, no worries) and brought some other family members Wendy's fast food.

I guess the smell of nuggets and fries got to us - we stopped at Taco Bell on the way home.

I kept the damage to 13 pts (I can't resist the warm, gooey processed cheese!), but I woke up this morning feeling icky, dehydrated and gassy (TMI, sorry). I pulled out that mat, ball and weights and got in a good solid 20 minutes of cardio-pilates and weight training.

I've taken the exercises from my personal trainer class and adding exercises I find in different magazines. I currently subscribe to All*You, Self and Shape. I have this cute little scrapbook of different types of exercises - always keeps it interesting. It also gives me goals - like doing the pike on the fitness ball. Someday Jillian Michaels... someday...

Part of my workout includes "Take a Bow" (about 4:15 in the video)



What I can't figure out is WHY that move is so freakin hard?!

Last night at the hospital did give DBF and I a good reality check. Listening to his family members talk about their ailments (high blood pressure, asthma, adult onset diabetes, etc) gave us a look into the future - at least for him. At his recent doctor's appointment, his blood pressure was a little high (140/90). The doctor recommended 30-45 minutes of cardio 3x a week to bring it down. So far, he's been blowing it off.

I think we saw what putting of your health can do. Come hell or high water, we're getting on the treadmill tonight. He might whine and complain - but better now that deal with the consequences later.

Here's to an OP day! 4 glasses of water already done (and its 5:48am), 1 serving of dairy (yummy Activia) and the multivitamin.

Making a pork tenderloin roast tonight (gotta love Hormel), which will turn into mini cuban sandwiches (with Arnold sandwich thins) later this week.

• 2 oz of pork tenderloin
• 2 slices of lean ham
• 1 slice of kraft thin sliced swiss cheese
• 1 tsp mustard
• 3-4 pickle slices

MMMMM!! Since its so low point, maybe we can throw in a few tostones. Why is all Puerto Rican food fried deliciousness?!

Time to shower and get ready for work. I promised myself I would blog more often - so expect more mindless rambling from me!

Keep reaching for those dreams! We can SO do this!!

Epic Scale Victory!

I did absolutely nothing yesterday! Woke up at 12:30, lounged on the couch until DBF came home from work at 3:00.

I did opt for a Smart Ones meal instead of Burger King. So, that was good at least.

Last night, DBF and I decided to go out tonight for dinner and shopping. A daring move on my part, considering WI is today. We stopped at Five Guys Burgers and Fries for a bite. I had never been there before so I figured, how bad can it be?

We ordered burgers with regular fries. I ordered the little bacon cheeseburger and regular (smaller) fries. We both ended up getting large fries by accident, so I only ate half pf my fries. How bad could it be?

I saw they had a website, so I just checked it for the NI of the food...

Needless to say, the meal put me over for the week by 6.5.

I was beyond devastated. I tried to hard this week to stay OP and I mentally beat myself up pretty bad about it.

WI was the last thing I wanted to do this morning. I kept hitting the snooze button - not because I was tired but because I didn't want to face that dreaded scale. As I activated the scale, I did a mini-confessional - 'fessing up for all my sins of the past week. Damn Catholic guilt - it bleeds over into other areas of life.

SURPRISE! I saw a loss of 2.4 lbs. I jumped back on to double check - was it for real?! Sure was!!

Last week, hit the 10 lb mark - this week, busted out of the 260s. I feel like I'm on top of the world!!!

12.4 lbs in 9 weeks... I know this time its for real. There's no stopping me now!

Back into the Routine

For the time being, I've stopped taking the muscle relaxers. This is day 7, and I'm feeling pretty good!

I've started working out again. UGH. Even just taking a few weeks off makes a world of difference. I was feeling the burn early on, cursing myself for my laziness.

The new blender has practically paid for itself by now! Every morning this week, I have made myself my "Homemade Frappucino" with a tsp of Benefiber. It keeps me full all morning! At night, I've made myself fruit smoothies with Ocean Spray Diet cran-grape. YUMMY!

Overall, this week has been relatively OP. Superbowl Sunday wasn't the normal gorgefest, and I made sure I allocated points for our night at the theater. My co-workers have abandoned the fitness challenge, which makes the tiny room we share difficult when they're bringing in Chick-fil-a and Dunkin' Donuts.

I'm also losing the commraderie with my friends back home. After 5 or so weeks, they've resorted to ridiculous detox programs for weight loss. What happened to getting healthy?

I can't believe Sunday is my 9th weigh-in. Where did the time go? I just have to keep plugging along. I would LOVE to get out of the 260s! OH and I need to buy those shoes!!

Keep reaching for those dreams! We can do this!!

Finally! Another Goal Reached!

I've reached the 10lb mark - I am so happy! I can finally get those shoes! WOOT WOOT!