Weigh-in yesterday brought a smile to my face. I was down for the 4th week in a row! My total weight loss since re-starting Weight Watchers and writing this blog is 3.8lbs. That may not seem like a lot, and there was a time in my life when I would agree. But when I once complained about only losing a pound or so a friend of mine put it in perspective by saying “If you don’t think losing a pound is a big deal I’ll gladly give you back that pound.” I stopped and thought about it for a second. It took some pretty hard work to lose that pound and I wouldn’t want it back. At that point I realized that no matter how much (or little) weight I lose, even the little victories are still victories.

Sometimes the victories aren’t just about what the scale reads. What I try to focus on is how my clothes fit. A bit looser is always nice. Reminding myself that it’s not all about the scale is sometimes a struggle but putting on a pair of jeans and having room in them keeps me focused. I’m also paying more attention to my energy levels. I’m sleeping better at night and waking up more refreshed and ready to start the day. Hard to believe I’m experiencing all of these benefits after on a 3.8lb weight loss, but I’m more motivated than ever! It’s all about putting it in perspective.

Liz

I’m not a cook by any stretch of the word. I find microwave meals easy to mess up. My husband usually does the cooking or he fixes me something. We rarely eat the same thing; I’m Weight Watchers and he’s Atkins. BUT, Weight Watchers has this wonderful recipe that not only does my husband absolutely love, but it’s easy for me to cook…and not mess up!

MEXICAN MEATLOAF

½ pound uncooked lean ground beef

½ pound uncooked ground turkey breast

2 large egg whites

2 oz cornbread stuffing dry mix (about 1 cup)

1 medium uncooked onion, chopped

½ tsp chili powder

¼ tsp ground cumin

4 oz canned green chili peppers, diced

8 oz canned enchilada sauce

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, mix beef, turkey, egg whites, stuffing mix, onion, chili powder, cumin, chilies and half of enchilada sauce together. Shape into an oval with your hands and place on prepared broiler pan.
• Cook for 1 hour, top with remaining enchilada sauce and bake for 5 minutes more. Slice into 6 pieces and serve.
• 4 points per serving

I like to add a small can of sliced black olives which adds about 1/2 point per serving. My husband asks that I make this at least once a week. Finally, a healthy recipe we can both enjoy…together.

Thanks to some unexpected dental work on Monday I have been drinking my meals for the last few days. While I have been somewhat uncomfortable I actually consider this a blessing in disguise. How you ask? Read on.

Over the years I have forgotten what hunger signals truly feel like. As stated in my previous posts, my issue with food is not the food choices I make; it’s the amount of food I eat. I also eat out of boredom. The minor oral surgery I had on Monday made the thought of consuming any non-liquid very unsavory. Low sodium soups, broths, almond milk, yogurt, juice and good old H2O have been my reality for the last few days. What this experience reminded me of is what hunger signals feel like and to eat only when I’m hungry. The growl of the tummy alerted me that it was time to eat. Since I was in a bit of pain I steered clear of snacking. If I felt the need to have something I opened a container of low-fat yogurt and had a cup of almond milk. Both choices only carry 2 points per serving and satisfied my hunger until my full on meal.

As the week carries on I’m finding it easier to resist snacking temptations and wait until I feel an actual hunger signal before I eat something. I’m feeling satisfied a lot quicker and have no problem controlling my portions. My energy level has also increased. The lighter meals don’t weigh me down the way full meals do. Oh! And another perk of being on a liquid diet is the loss of an extra couple of pounds! See? Blessing in disguise.

Liz

So, after last week’s hiccup I’m feeling much more enthusiastic. I went to weight-in on Saturday and was down 1.8lbs! Current weight is now 153.2lbs. Yay me! So my fretting the week before was all for not. So, I got over myself and I’m moving on. What a whiner…

Anyway,  I’ve been tracking my meals everyday and trying to fit in more water. The exercise thing is still a bit of a hurdle. After working long hours I just don’t have the motivation to exercise. And frankly, I just don’t like doing it! My job requires me to sit at a desk all day so I’m very sedentary. I need to find new ways to move more that don’t necessarily involve workout equipment. I have my hand weights sitting at my desk and need to start using them during my down times. My company sits on a very pretty piece of property so on sunny days I plan on taking short, brisk walks during my break and lunch. On the not so great days (typical PNW weather) I can walk around the indoor atrium and climb up and down the stairs (3 stories).

I’ve recently taken up photography as a hobby. On the weekends I plan on walking around taking photos of the local towns and attractions. That’s a much better use of my energy than sitting in a pub. Although pubs and breweries are my favorite places to be, I need to get outside for some fresh air every once in a while. About a year ago a friend of mine turned me onto an online program: www.Runkeeper.com. Basically, you choose what activity you are doing, enter the time it took you to do it, and Runkeeper will tell you how many calories you have burned. There is even an app for your Droid or iPhone that has GPS. The GPS tracks were you are going and records the data while also telling you how far you have gone and how many calories burned. You can set up a posse (like Facebook friends) and track each other’s progress and even post your results on Facebook (optional). Using this app helps me feel a little bit more accountable, and it creates a friendly competition.  Pretty slick!

I have considered joining a gym, but have done that in the past and don’t care for it:  too expensive, don’t like the atmosphere, and with my work schedule it would be difficult to get there at a decent hour. I don’t like working out in front of strangers. It’s feels odd to me. So instead, I think it will be a fun challenge to come up with new and creative ways to be active that don’t involve public displays of sweat.

Liz

Sticking to my promise of being open and honest I have another confession to make… I didn’t go to my Weight Watchers meeting on Saturday because I was afraid I had gained. Not the best decision on my part. The week I gain should be the week I get my butt to the meeting. Instead, I let my shame and embarrassment keep me from what I needed the most: the support of others that understand what it’s like to hit the highs and lows. This week I feel very low.

I can’t explain why I have had a sudden drop in motivation. I exceeded my weekly points target and then stopped tracking my points, didn’t exercise at all, lost motivation for writing my blog, and was just feeling emotionally poopie. Part of understanding where I’m going on my journey is to accept the fact that I’m going to have up days, and down days…literally. So last week was a slow-moving week for me. The best thing I can do is pick up self up and move on.

I started tracking again, I’m trying to find the physical and mental energy to start exercising, and plan to be at my Weight Watchers meeting bright and early on Saturday morning. Time to pull out my vintage patterns!

As reported in my last post I maintained the same weight as last week. While I could be upset that I didn’t lose anything I choose instead to focus on the positive. My “positive” is the fact that my pants are a lot baggier than they were a week ago. My weight my not have changed but my size has. That’s what is more important to me. My energy is up and my pants size is down. It feels good to slip into something that was a bit too tight and find that it now has a bit of room! Currently in a pants size 12, I think in about a week or so I will need to buy some size 10 jeans. Yay!

It may sound funny but my rings even fit better. I no longer have to soap up my fingers and force my rings off at night. In fact, they even spin around a bit during the day. My co-workers have advised me that they can see a difference in my figure and how my clothes fit. Nice! Positive reinforcement!

Though losing pounds is my obvious goal, I must remind myself that my journey is more than just losing pounds. It’s about gaining self-confidence and feeling comfortable in my own skin…and baggy jeans!

Liz

My Weight Watchers tracker.

Wow, has it been a long week! Raking in more overtime hours, photography classes, fighting off the plague, and spending time with my hubby have really drained me physically and mentally.

Weigh-in on saturday held no surprises. I maintained my weight which means I didn’t lose any weight, but I didn’t gain either. I’ll take it! Staying motivated on my weight loss journey can sometimes be a challenge. Negative self-talk hits at any time testing my patience, and courage. I try to find inspiration and motivation in many different places. My WW meetings are a huge source of motivation. Sitting in a room with others that “have been there” really helps humble me. Sharing in the celebration when others hit milestones along their journey helps keep me focused and reminds me that my goals are also attainable. I just need to stay on track.

So, being a “visual” person I have found that keeping images around me that I find inspirational really helps. I often pull out my vintage sewing patterns and study the illustrations. The darling dresses, skirts, pants and blouses from the 1940’s-1960’s refocuses my attention back to the task at hand. My goal is to crank down the size of my dress form, stitch these darling items together, and wear them proudly on my new, svelte figure.

My dear friend, Joy, shared a great idea with me. She does her Weight Watchers tracking “old school.” In other words, she tracks by writing everything down instead of logging it in on her WW etools. How does she stay inspired to track? She decorates her tracker with inspirational things. She talked me into doing the same and guess what? It works! I have cut out and pasted photos of some of my favorite pin-ups, classic Hollywood actresses, and models to my WW 3 month tracker. As I have said in my earlier posts I have no unrealistic expectations that I will ever look like those gorgeous women. They simply keep me inspired to push on. Whenever I don’t feel like tracking I simply glance at my whimsically decorated tracker and remember why I’m on this journey: to live a healthy, happy, and fun life.

Liz

Today was weigh-in day. I wasn’t able to make it to my Weight Watchers meeting as I had to go into work. I don’t like missing my meetings. That’s where my support and inspiration comes from. But, I do need to pay the bills so off to work I went. I have a Weight Watchers scale at home so at least I could keep up my weight tracking. I’m very happy to say today’s weight is 153.4! I’m 1.6lbs lighter than last week and I couldn’t be happier.

My jeans are beginning to fit a bit looser, my energy is slowing picking up, and my spirits are soaring. It feels really good to be back on track. After feeling a bit under the weather this week, I’m eager to jump on my bike and peddle my butt off. And once the weather warms up and the street aren’t so icy, I’m putting my walking shoes on. Who knows, maybe I’ll sign up for some 1/2 marathons this summer!

So, here I am. Sitting at work with a phone in my ear. Lunch has been provided by our management to take some of the sting off coming in on a Saturday. So what’s on the menu? Fried chicken and submarine sandwiches. Now, the Cajun girl in me reeeeaaaallllyyyyy wants that fried chicken. But the Weight Watcher girl thinks the sub sandwich is a smarter choice. The sandwich is one of those really long, pre-sliced sandwiches for banquets and parties. I picked up my slice that has turkey, ham, and roast beef. So let’s see how the points work out: Instead of eating both chunks of bread I opted for just the bottom chunk and estimated the amount of bread as 2 slices of white bread for about 3 points. The deli-sliced turkey came out to 1 point for a 2 oz serving. Deli-style roast beef is 2 points for 2 oz, and the deli-sliced ham is 2 point for 2 oz as well. Mustard is @ 0 points as is the lettuce and tomato. So for 8 points I enjoyed a very satisfying sub sandwich. Not bad!

Since Saturday nights are date nights with my hubby, I think I will talk him into some Japanese food. Stir fry veggies sound really tasty. Looking up the nutritional value of stir fry veggies it looks like the point value will be about 7 points for a cup. Again, not too shabby. Beer? Of course! I also write a beer blog so that gorgeous beverage is my points splurge.

So all in all, it’s been a pretty good week. I didn’t catch the plague after all. I just needed some extra rest and I’m good to go. Next week’s meeting….look out!

Liz

Just finished another 12 hour shift. Very tired tonight and really don’t have the energy to jump my butt on my stationary bike. Believe it or not, I may be too tired to eat! To top it off I think I caught the plague from my hubby. Stuffy nose, headache, fatigue; just shoot me. Ok, don’t do that. I’m just not feeling the “healthy journey” today. But that’s OK.

I accept the fact that there are going to be off days. I may go over my points or eat something that makes me feel guilty. I may not feel like exercising or may forget to track. The important thing is to get back on track ASAP. If I stray, the beauty of Weight Watchers is I can jump right back to it the very next meal. So far I have stayed well within my points for the week. I can make up workout time on the bike tomorrow and regain my momentum. Just not feeling it today. Not much else going on. It’s time to take some Vitamin C and get some much-needed rest.

Liz

Just a bit cold and icy out today. Since I have made a promise to myself to stop making excuses I jumped my tooshie on my stationary bike. Taking it easy due to my heart monitor I still peddled further and longer than I have in the past: 5 .26 mi for 20 minutes!  Weight Watchers activity points here I come!!

There’s a really cool website that my friends turned me on to last year called Runkeeper.com. It’s kind of like Facebook for workouts. You can invite your friends to join your “posse” and keep track of each other’s workouts. It creates a friendly competition atmosphere and inspires me to try harder when I know others are looking at my stats. I also have the capability to link my Runkeeper account to my Facebook and publish my results to my Facebook page. Can we say even more accountability?

I’m pretty proud of myself right now and can feel a burst of energy. Think I will do a bit more house work, hit the shower, and do my nails.

Liz