"It's okay to cheat."

Yeah, somebody said that to me today. I'll get to that in a minute....

My workouts this week have been great! I haven't been to the gym much because of time, but I did the Biggest Loser videos a lot and met my exercise goal for another week.

I wanted to go to the gym Wednesday morning but slept in. I woke up with a decent headache and sore neck. So I took the BL Yoga DVD to work and did it with a coworker after school! I've been working out a little with a couple other teachers and this one was good. We were both dripping and felt great! But, don't be misled: Yoga - especially weight loss yoga - is tough! Bob works you so hard! You will be amazed!

Last night was my first weigh-in of maintenance. I gained .2. My leader said that was awesome! She said alot of people either continue to lose their usual 1-2 lbs or GAIN 1-2 lbs the first week. She was proud of me! She said to do the exact same thing - maybe not quite as many weekly points, but other than that I'm set!

I went to tutor afterwards. When I got done, David had texted me. He wanted to go to dinner with friends. At Noodles & Company. Really? Can we be any less healthy? I also found out the dogs had not been out much throughout the day, and David hadn't been to the store yet. I'm thinking: there is so much I need to do! I don't have time for this. But, I decided to go. I got there before everybody else, so I looked at the Nutritional Values and used my slider to calculate points. I decided to get a small buttered noodles (6) with sauteed shrimp (1) and lots of veggies (0). I also got a small salad with fat-free dressing (0). Dinner was great! They offered to go to Dairy Queen, and I knew I could get a small chocolate cone for 5 points.

Well, I got home after enjoying dinner and found out: the noodles were 11. Yeah, that's right. WW has Noodles & Company in their tracker, and it was 11. Even for the small one. And the dressing was 1. Yeah, not bad, but still... I was so frustrated! I took it out on David - he knows I can't go to a restaurant without knowing my healthy choices and noodles are NOT healthy. AND he knew that WW had Noodles & Company points but didn't bother to share that with me until AFTER I ordered and ate. He never did tell me my points for the noodles. It's not fair that I took it out on him.... Yeah, he had more data than I did, but it's not fair. I was just tired and stressed.

So, today... I'm talking to a coworker about the spaghetti. I told her how frustrated I was last night and she says "You know it's okay to cheat! You don't ALWAYS have to eat healthy." I looked at her and said: You're right, I can choose less healthy foods. But, that dinner wasn't worth the calories it cost me. It's not cheating to choose a less-healthy alternative, but I can be upset with it when I wasn't expecting to do something so high in calories! This is also the girl who works out 4-5 times a week but eats junk 9/10 meals. Then she complains that she can't lose weight. Um, duh? She's watched me lose 62 lbs - she knows that what I've done works. That I've had my wine, Chinese, and Italian. I've had my chocolate, emotional eating days, and turned down treats that aren't worth the calories. But, yet, she makes the most assanine statement she could possibly have made! UH! I was so frustrated.

I get home... David had started the kitchen but not made dinner for me to reheat. He forgot he had to work and left the kitchen mid-cleaned. I still don't have clean counters (grumble) to cook on. So, I'm chilling a bottle of wine and planning on eating a lean pocket for dinner. It's about all that's in the house.

I know everybody is allowed to have a bad day here and there... I'm tired, crabby, and hungry. But am I hungry because I'm hungry? Or because I'm emotional?? I'm having trouble figuring that out! Maybe the wine will help me figure it out? I did work out this morning, so I don't have to try to do that tonight on top of my mood. I will probably work out in the morning again because I have to tutor after school. Then, David is taking me to dinner. I know I will be more prepared this time!

Alert: Random Post Ahead!

I'm watching the Biggest Loser finale - loving it! They all look great! I'm surprised Mandy and Aubrey didn't lose more, but they still look good.

So, last night I did some math... at my goal weight, I lost 24% of myself. Wow! I couldn't believe it! I knew I had lost alot, but to put it with a percentage - just like Biggest Loser does - was astonishing! I was talking to one of the teachers today and told her how much I had lost... I had to laugh when she said "And we don't want that bitch back, do we?" HA! I vow, right here and now, that I will NEVER go above 200 again, unless I'm pregnant or losing pregnancy weight. That "bitch" will never come back. I don't consider being pregnant a bad reason to gain weight - obviously - and I will take the initiative as soon as my doctor lets me to lose the weight again!

I have another picture for you. The parent finally sent the pictures from field day. Obviously, I blacked the kids' faces out for security reasons. These were taken the day after I weighed in for my goal weight!


And yes, I was yelling at kids for some reason - you have no idea how hard it is to keep attention on a field full of excited kids! But, the point is: I feel great in this picture! There are always the trouble areas that I want to get rid of: tone my arms, get rid of the stomach.... But, I did it! I've reached a weight that I'm proud of; I'm wearing clothes that I feel comfortable in. My 14s are really baggy, my 12s are a little loose, and I can wear 10s comfortably! I'm proud of where I'm at - I'm proud enough to show you these pictures. That has to say something, right?


Yes, I actually did the sack race! Well, I started to do it, and jumping hurt my one incision. But, this more of a humorous picture than anything.

I told you this was gonna be random! But, there you go! Tomorrow is my first weigh-in of maintenance. Next week is weigh-in at work for Biggest Loser - $150 jackpot! 8 days of school left. That's it! YAY!!!

Quick Update

I really wanted to work out tonight. I didn't get much in yesterday - a walk and mowing... I came home from tutoring and David was sick. He made the same mistake I made a year ago: ate super greasy food after being strict on WW for 6 weeks! Oops! He said he was up for a walk around the neighborhood, but I could tell he wasn't.

I made myself dinner and decided to do a DVD workout. A couple weeks ago, David and I ordered some Biggest Loser DVDs. They are great workouts, but Bob and Jillian are sadistic. Seriously. Sadistic. Especially Bob's Bootcamp! What I like is that they have it in a 6 week plan - 3 different levels that you do for 2 weeks at a time. This weekend, I did Bob's Yoga and the Power Sculpt that has all 3 trainers. Tonight, I did Bob's Boot Camp and the Power Sculpt. Great workout, but damn, I was sweating!!!!!

The rest of the week has gone well. We weren't as busy at the shop as I expected - good and bad. Friday night and Saturday lunch were brought in. So, of course, I used some of my weekly points. But, overall, I've earned 12 activity points, used 25 weekly points (out of 35), and I haven't used all my daily points 2 days. I weighed myself this morning and I'm where I was Wednesday morning. So, as of right now, I'm doing a good job maintaining! Official weigh-in is Wednesday.

We have 9 days of school left. I got selected to teach summer school which is exciting. We need the money, and it's only 3 weeks. The rest of the summer will be spent cleaning and organizing! We're hoping to hit a few wineries this summer as well!

Other than that, there isn't much going on. I'm loving this weather - if only the pollen would go away! Our veggie garden is going good - the 4 tomato plants and 2 pepper plants are growing. I hope I don't kill them! The dogs are enjoying their walks. The girls don't walk very well when I'm by myself, so I may have to switch up how I walk them (boys vs. girls is how it is right now).

I just ate my ice cream... now I'm on my way to bed with my "sick" husband.

Random thoughts...

Well, today was Day 1 of maintenance. I didn't eat all the points - hell, I didn't eat all of my "old" daily points. I just wasn't hungry. So shoot me. :-P

David was so sweet today. I had to work at the flower shop after I tutored, so he brought me dinner. He also brought me a gift and told me I could open it whenever I wanted. So, I opened it when I had a few minutes - he got me a really sweet card and.... the Biggest Loser family cookbook! So excited to use that! :-)

A couple weeks ago, we ordered some workout videos - all 4 are Biggest Loser based. Bob's Bootcamp and yoga. We also got the sculpting and cardiomax videos. David did part of Yoga tonight, and when I got home I wanted to try it. Man, that was tough! But, I feel good afterwards, and it only took 35 minutes! It actually tells you where to "start" - so Week 1 and 2 is only 35 minutes, Week 3 and 4 build, and then 5 and 6.... You're supposed to do it 4-5 times a week, but I'll probably only do it 2-3 times. I'll see how I feel in the morning and go from there! :-)

We had field day today at school. Remember the days when we would race around the track and play relay races? Well, things have changed. We had some pretty lame games, but my 5 year olds loved - and I mean LOVED - it! Well, how do you explain to 5 year olds how to put a ball between your knees and walk? I had to show them! One of the parents took pictures and said she'd share them with me. While I don't really want embarrasing pictures around... the thing is: I can do it! 2 years ago, I had trouble even WALKING with the kids around the field. Last year, I did a few of the activities, but I tried to avoid the tough ones. This year, I was excited to do things with the kids - I showed them what to do on all but one (the sack race - my incisions started hurting when I jumped). So, I'm sure I'll have "interesting" pictures to share with you soon.

Anyways... I think that's about it. David is patiently waiting for me to finish this so we can go to bed. Tomorrow is Friday - Thank God!

I did it!!

Tonight was our weekly weighin. I lost 5.4 lbs this week. Holy cow!! The biggest part of this though is.......
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I made lifetime!!!! My doctor set a goal for me slightly higher than Weight Watcher's "guideline" because she knows me.... And I hit it tonight! After my maintenance phase, I want to lose another 5 lbs, maybe a little more. We'll see what happens.

So, maintenance phase... I increase my daily points to 4 - so I'm at 33 points instead of 29. I still have the weekly points if I need them, and any activity points I earn can be traded in. But, I can't go more than 2 lbs below or 2 lbs above where I'm at right this second. That makes me nervous! I've been trying for so long to lose weight - and I've been so "good" at gaining weight all my life... Now I have to stay right here for 6 weeks????? I just got used to eating only 29 points - and using a few weekly - now I have to up my points and see what happens.

My leader is awesome. She is totally here for me, and I'm so thankful for her for being here the entire time... I really don't think I could have done it without her constant support!

David also did great tonight. He lost 7.6 lbs, and hit his 5%! So proud of him also!!!!

So, here's to the next 6 weeks......... :-)

Rice Krispie Meatloaf

David got this recipe from somebody on the WW boards. He tried it tonight and it was YUMMY! Unusual combo, but really yummy and low in points!

POINTS® Value: 3
Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 60 min

Ingredients

1 pound(s) uncooked ground turkey breast (If you use lean ground turkey, it will change the points a little)
2 clove(s) garlic clove(s)
1 medium onion(s)
1 egg white(s)
1 egg
1 cup(s) Kellogg's Rice Krispies
1 cup(s) ketchup

Instructions

Mix all ingredients except for ketchup together.
Put in loaf pan.
Bake at 350 for about one hour (until cooked in the middle).

Lesson(s) Learned

Something Weight Watchers talks about is controlling your environment. When you know where you're going for a meal, you check online and find something healthy. If they don't have online menus, you search for keywords like grilled, whole wheat, etc.... You ask for a box when the food comes out.

Well, I work at the flower shop every Saturday. I always bring my lunch because I rarely get a break to go get something. Hell, I'm lucky to sit down for 5 minutes to eat sometimes. The owner offered Quizno's for lunch today. I love Quizno's. Love. With a capital L. So, I ordered my favorite: Chipotle Raspberry Flatbread Salad. Sounds healthy, right? Well, it's lettuce, tomato, chicken, cheddar cheese, a creamy raspberry dressing, and bread. This bread is to die for. Seriously. It's why I order it. Of course, it's not the healthiest thing, but today, I figured I'll "pay for it" later. It can't be that bad, right? It's tons of lettuce and tomatoes!!

I'm paying for it. All 18 points. That's right. My yummy salad is 18 points! That's WORSE than a kids' meal from McDonald's! Wow! The sad thing is that, without the bread, it's still 11 points! I know I can make it healthier by getting rid of the bread and cheese. Plus, I could choose a different dressing, but then... what's the point of that salad? Taking all the yummy stuff away!

So, the last couple days I've been in a funk. I gained weight last week, and I think I'm still mad at myself about it. I know it's part of losing weight - having up weeks, but I only lost 2 lbs last month! That's the worst month I've ever had. I know I'm close to goal so it's going to decrease, but damn it! I should have done better than that! I used alot of my weekly points last week - 20 to be exact - and limited exercise because I hurt my knee on Tuesday. I learned that I cannot eat that many of my weekly points unless I work my ass off in the gym!

I'm trying to get myself out of the funk. I "deserved" that salad - but now I feel bad that I ate it. I should have made a healthier choice, but I didn't plan for the environment -- I didn't control my choices or anything else that Weight Watchers has taught me.

I made a healthy choice for dinner - a Lean Cuisine dinner for 4 points, but basically anything I eat tonight, unless it's vegetables, is putting me over my daily points. I took the dogs for a walk tonight, and my knee started hurting. So, I'm obviously not ready to go back to the gym. That's frustrating, too, but I need to take care of my knee or I'll end up in worse shape than I am.

So, here's to a better week! I WILL have a loss this week. And I've definitely re-learned the core principles behind Weight Watchers this week...