Friday, June 29, 2007

Going on hiatus...

Year end is tomorrow and I am a fundraiser....anyone want to make a gift? :)

I am still counting points (though I over-indulged a little last night with some celebratory wine and pizza) and am not "taking off" from that. I will just not be blogging about it for a few days as I wrap up work and some house projects (off on Monday and Tuesday). I am looking forward to Sunday as it is a) the official start of a new week and b) the official start of a new month. I have not done great lately and am looking forward to a fresh week. I do want to give up wine as I am sure it is interfering with weight loss, but will wait until at least then , or possibly Thursday to give it another try. In the meantime, I will at least not get too out of control and stay within points regardless. Will also try to get in a few workouts this weekend as well. I am working on painting the bathroom on Monday and Tuesday so that should count for something :)

My points reset on Monay and I am going to work very hard to follow the guidelines first for all snacks before any "empty" food. I really want to make that a habit.

Don't worry, I have no intentions of "falling off the wagon" and eating everything in sight over the weekend. I am just taking a blogging break to get some stuff done.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Trying Something New Today....

I am going to make a concerted effort to get in all of the WW guidelines before any snacking on non-guideline foods. Aside from wanting to lose 25 pounds, I also really want to eat healthy for my body...the older I get the more it is about health and less about vanity (but not completely not about vanity ;) Nevermind that if I fill up on guideline food I will have a lot less room for the empty stuff.

For breakfast I wanted to have a grilled cheese. Instead I had an egg cooked in 1 tsp olive oil and a glass of milk. I brought carrots, an apple, and spinach salad w/ 1 pt. asian dressing as snacks. I have a sandwich (4 pts) on double fiber bread as well for "lunch" though I may just be having mini-meals all day.

Here is my guideline counter, I will update it as the day goes on (lucky for me I work at a desk):

Guideline: Eat at least 5 servings of vegetables and fruits each day.
Progress: 0

Guideline: Include 2 servings of milk products – low fat (1%) or fat-free – each day.
Progress: 1

Guideline: 2 servings of healthy oil (olive oil, canola, sunflower, safflower or flaxseed)
Progress: 1

Guideline: 1-2 servings of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or dried beans each day. (Many dairy products are also good sources of protein).
Progress: 1

Guideline: At least 6 8-ounce glasses of water a day.
Progress: 0

Guideline: Take a multiple vitamin-mineral supplement each day.
Progress: 0

Guideline: Choose whole-grain foods, such as brown rice and oats, whenever possible.
Progress: I do this 95% of the time already.

Limit added sugar and alcohol.
Progress: Working on this.

Have a great OP day!

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Could do better....

Honestly. I have wasted a lot of points this week on empty calories. I only have 9 flexies left for 4 days. That is just plain terrible. I am a fundraiser and my fiscal year ends at the end of this week....and guess what I learned? I am a stress snacker. I don't pig out at meals because I hate to be full. I don't eat terribly in general (candy points aside)...I just graze all day on empty calories...accounting for several points (soy crisps, etc.). I also don't get in enough fruits and veggies.

I need to get cracking on that lessons learned link ASAP. We will add this one....when stressed, pack lots of chopped up veggies (if I have them, I will eat them, but if I don't it's over...)

My brain is fried at the moment so I am signing off before subjecting you all to any more of my mindless rambling....

Will be back with avengence once the weekend gets here.

Over and out,

Jenn

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Hardees is TRASHY

Note: when frustrated, fire off consumer emails to companies who tick you off. Go to http://www.hardees.com/ to see why (I find these alerts at http://www.onemillionmoms.com/).

Dear CKE (http://www.ckr.com/contact_investor.html?group=ir):

I am writing to let you know that my family will not be purchasing any further products from any of your companies as long as you continue to run sex-filled ads for FOOD (which, by the way, are ridiculous). Do you have kids? Do you think it is appropriate for a child to have to watch blatantly sexual commercials for a restaurant? I am not even sure how the two are related other than your company has just decided to sink to the lowest common denominator and place potential profits over good judgment. The good news is that in today's competitive marketplace, consumers with strong family values have a choice. There are millions of restaurants out there waiting for our business. Your continued disregard for your consumers' wishes (despite tens of thousands of requests) tells me that you do not need our dollars. I think that this excerpt from CNN Money pretty well sums up your leadership's view of us:

Carl's Jr.'s message to the PTC: The group needs to "get a life," said Andy Puzder, CEO of Carl's Jr., a subsidiary of CKE Restaurants (Research). "This isn't Janet Jackson -- there is no nipple in this. There is no nudity, there is no sex acts -- it's a beautiful model in a swimsuit washing a car." (How this statement was made with a straight face is beyond me. Mr. Puzder is clearly out of touch with reality, as evidenced by the rest of this excerpt).

Puzder says he has shown the ad to his three children, ages 12, 9 and 7, and they have shown no signs of being corrupted. (I am at a loss as to why on earth a grown adult man would subject his children to this trash voluntarily. For the record, if she had been naked (and let's be honest, there's not a lot left to the imagination in the actual commercial), this would be considered child endangerment and abuse).

"Maybe people are excited because it's Paris Hilton, but there are far worse things on television that these groups should be worried about," Puzder said. (One can opt out of TV shows and movies, commercials are a completely different animal and Mr. Puzder knows that).

As a result, I and countless others, will work to make sure that others like us (and rest assured, there are millions) don't give your companies one dime. I hope you will reconsider your marketing techniques in the future and consider all of your constituencies when deciding on a direction.

Thank goodness for second chances...and thirds...and fourths...

Because I am on my millionth. However, if I was not working on being healthier I would probably weigh significantly more and be in much worse shape. Thus, though I am not where I want to be, I am not where I used to be either so that's progress...even if it is S-L-O-W. Perhaps it is more of a lifelong process and less like a journey to a finite place (like college weight...haha).

I do have a confession to make so I will go ahead and just put it out there. I have decided that it is mandatory for me to journal all confessions. Knowing that I have to write it down might be a deterent. We will see. Back to my confession. I did ok yesterday and was so confident that I journaled it and called it a night for blogging. Then 10:30pm came around. I ended up being up until after midnight working on invitations for suprise party for the in-laws 40th anniversary. After stuffing and labeling for several hours I caved and ended up having 2 glasses of wine...ending the day by using 10 flex points instead of only 6. Argh. I really need to work hard to be to not have any projects to do later in the evening...I can justify any bad behavior after 10pm ("but since it is late and I am tired I should be able to have ____"). I will learn from this and move on. I think I will start a list of lessons learned and re-read it periodically to really make these misakes be of value to the process and not repeated later on because I "forgot".

I have done ok today (11 points so far) and have an apple and veggies for a snack later. Will post on full day's progress tonight. Have a great OP day everyone!

Monday, June 25, 2007

Storms, Stomach Cramps, and Lack O' Motivation

Well, hubby is at a ballgame and we are having big storms...and apparantly I am as brave as a 3-year-old. I swear if the power goes out I might actually cry. Ok, probably not, but maybe :) I have no idea when I became such a fraid-y cat.

I have done ok today for the most part. I have dipped into some flexies, but honestly, I do have a few most days. I prefer not to save them up and splurge...I would rather have a few extra each day. I could have done better today as I did waste 5 points (yes, I know) on candy. I am taking more veggies to work tomorrow so if I need to mindlessly munch, I will have a healthy option. I may take some popcorn too...and an apple. I did pack my own lunch today so I saved points and dollars. Had dinner with friends and resisted BBQ and hushpuppies in exchange for a big grilled chicken (not marinated and icky) salad. I think I may have a WW grilled cheese as I am still pretty hungry (2 pieces of double fiber bread, 1 piece of 1 pt cheese, on the George Forman --- 2 points). I will end the day with 28 points. A few more than I would prefer...but if I had abstained from the candy I would have done much better. Tomorrow my goal will be to not have more than 1 point in candy. Baby steps.

The good news is, although I am home alone and have 3/4 a bottle of open wine, I have had none and don't plan too....yay me!

I am feeling highly unmotivated...but must rally as I have several things to take care of before bed. I think the stomach cramps are hunger so the WW grilled cheese should take care of that.

I hope you all have a great OP evening!

Jenn

I think I will miss wine...

I am trying to stay away from alcohol for awhile but honestly think I am going to miss it. I noticed that Roni rarely drinks and I do think that has a major effect on weight loss (and gain). For one thing, it’s empty calories. For another, your body does not function at 100% when your liver is busy breaking down alcohol. Which means your metabolism is not at its optimal level — not to mention your brain, sleep, etc.

Thus, I have given it up. Maybe forever. Maybe just for a little while. In the meantime, I have discovered that I have used wine to unwind after work at least a few days of the week. Not much, usually just a glass. Maybe two. But enough to take away my energy and drive to accomplish anything else for the rest of the day. The times I have abstained for a few days, I have found myself with more time, more points, and more energy. It is times like those where I feel I should be out feeding the homeless or trying to cure cancer instead of sitting here counting points and blogging about my weight. I do some volunteer work, but I don’t feel that it is nearly enough. I also want to start doing a daily devotional or Bible study. Maybe as I adjust to having more energy and time I will gradually start adding these things into my routine. I don’t want to be 80 and realize that I spent the majority of my free time in front of the TV or cleaning the house.

What a tangent.

I do think this will be difficult in the beginning but that is the case with any habit change. Wish me luck!

Well, I just flat out don't believe it...(originally posted on June 22, 2007)

Well, I just flat out don’t believe it….

Posted by allyandoscar on June 22nd, 2007

All I did was not count points at all last weekend, including Monday (blamed all on PMS, of course, not my complete lack of self control) — sure, I had some pizza, beer, ice cream, cookie dough (don’t shake your head, you’ve done it too), wine, and of course plenty of BLTs — but a gain of one pound? I mean, seriously, I went to spin class (once), have been OP (since Wednesday) and drank all my water (and several diet drinks) — my scale must be broken. Surely, it’s not that I actually have to follow the plan completely for it to work. I can’t imagine how my haphazard approach before my recommital on Wednesday would could have resulted in actual real scale consequences. Clearly broken. Nothing else makes sense…right?

Glad I recommited on Wednesday and will see a loss next Friday!

That’s it, get your booty back on track, RIGHT NOW!!! (originally posted on June 20, 2007)

That’s it, get your booty back on track, RIGHT NOW!!!

Posted by allyandoscar on June 20th, 2007

Dear Jenn —

Do you remember when you were in really good shape? You had great legs, a good booty, and could wear a 4 or 6 at worst in most anything. Well, guess what sister, if you keep up these bad habits (wine, beer, pizza, ice cream, working out once a week at best, not eating fruits/veggies), you will never see that body again. You know you feel better when you eat healthy and abstain from alcohol. You know you have more engergy, more focus, and a better attitude. You know you look better, can wear more of your clothes comfortably, and even get back into the awesome stuff you saved from the in-shape days. You are 27, not 77 and there is absolutely no excuse for you to not be in the best shape of your life. None.

Therefore, today you re-commit for the last time. I mean it, you do not write those words again. You will meet 6 of the 8 WW guidelines everyday. You will workout 3 times a week. You will do at least 1 Firm workout per week in addition to the other 3. Why? Because they only take 30 minutes and it would be nice to be toned when the weight comes off. You will limit alchohol to wine only, no more than two nights a week, and no more than 2 6oz glasses each night. If it becomes anymore than that, you will elimintate it completely.
Outside of the physical stuff, you will make time each day to do a devotional or work on your Bible study. The Lord has blessed you and your family abundantly and you need to spend some time each day with Him.

Lastly, it is great that you volunteer with BBBS and Crisis Control. But, let’s be honest, you also spend a lot of wasted time in front of the TV. You will limit TV to no more than one hour per day (unless it is a ballgame that you care about, which is unlikely…this is also exclusive of CNN being on while getting ready for work). Shut it off. You will likely be bored initially, but guess what? There are lots and lots and lots of productive ways to fill that time. You can volunteer more (think of all the people in the world who could benefit from some of your time - you could write letters for human rights groups, be a penpal to a Christian who is in prison for their beliefs, work in your local school system, go visit shut-ins or retirement homes, do meals on wheels, etc.), work on some personal special projects, work in the yard, work on home projects, read, work on your devotionals/Bible study, practice new healthy recipes, fix food for the week and freeze, whatever. Just stop sitting on your butt and watching other people live through a little box. The exception will be Saturday when you can have it on as background while cleaning or working on something else…but the rule still applies that you cannot solely watch the TV for more than 1 hour. Additionally, you may watch a movie from time to time, but not everyday….since you are not a movie person, this will not be a tremendous challenge. And for the record, this does not mean you can watch any and all TV for that hour…there is a lot of trash on that doesn’t need to go in your brain for any amount of time…you will be discriminating.

You have a mental image of who you want to be: a Godly woman who is well-read, well-informed, a great wife, a hard worker, and takes care of her body. Now, take all the energy spent on bad habits and wasted time and start working towards that. You will never get there if you don’t stop being scared of failure and start putting in some hard core efforts to make some changes and become the person you want to be, and the person that God wants you to be. You can do this, now do it.

Love,
Yourself

Ok, fine, I give…I want to blog too! (originally posted Jun 14, 2007)

Ok, fine, I give…I want to blog too!

Posted by allyandoscar on 14th June 2007

Well, I am finally succumbing to the pressure and starting my own blog. I have been on Roni’s site for over a year and have been reading many of the new blogs here. I think it is a great way to stay accountable and have a place that is just for me. I like how Roni put it in the FAQ that you blog for you, not for anyone else. I also like that this is a place where there are other people dealing with similar issues…it certainly makes me feel less crazy and less like a failure for “falling off the wagon” so many times. But, the important thing is that I am now back on and will do my best to stay on…or at the very least, stop letting one bad meal turn into a bad day, bad weekend, bad week…bad month! That is probably my #1 challenge is being able to jump right back OP after failing off. But, I’ll get there. I quit smoking using a similar format to this (online support) - www.quitnet.com. I loved to smoke more than anything and if I can do that, then I know I can do this (I have been quit for 2+ years thank you very much:)

Anywho…about me — I am 27 and married for 3 years to a wonderful man. We have 2 cats and are ready to start a family…or at least not terrified of the prospect any longer. I am 5′2 and spent most of college between 125-135 pounds. I was 140 when I got engaged and 120 when I got married a year later….which I accomplished with lots of gym and good-carb (not low carb). Well, a year into marriage I had abandoned lean cuisine and the gym for eating with the husband and working on the house…and eating with the husband involved a lot of junk, basically. I hit my highest of 167 in November of 2005 and started going to WW. I quickly got tired of the meetings…I know how to eat healthy and what to eat, I just wasn’t doing it. Meetings are great for a lot of people, but they didn’t really work for me. I started doing WW on my own off and on and lost 19 from the worst to get down to 149. Now I am back up to 155ish. I know what to do, I just need to do it. This week begins a new week of accountability for me and end to the war with my body. I read somewhere that you shouldn’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to your best friend…I am going to try to remember that and I hope you will too.

More later….

Explanation

I started my blog on www.weightwatchen.com. Sadly, the site's hosting company lost all of our stuff --- 2 years of Roni's documented weightloss journey. As she rebuilds, we are all starting blogs elsewhere to keep it going. I will be posting each of my previous posts from her site and continuing from there.