Active Link, and Earth-shattering Weigh-in

I need to say this immediately. Clay made this WW recipe yesterday and we both fell over ourselves racing for second helpings. It was delicious. He made it in the Crockpot, so no oil was needed. Yes!

In other news, WW has this new thing called the Active Link.

Image courtesy of http://hellrazor-art.blogspot.com/

It's this little device you fasten to your bra strap or put in your pocket and it records your movements and translates them into activity points. I was skeptical of it, because that's basically a pedometer, or a HRM without the HRM (if that makes sense), but it was only $40 so I decided to try it. Well, it didn't work out too well and I ended up cancelling my subscription. But it did open my eyes to a few things . . .

Last week, I stuck to my daily points. I wasn’t a fan of the Active Link, but one thing it showed me was how inactive I was, even though I work out four-five times a week for an hour at a time. Even though my Active Link acted funny a lot of the time, it was consistent in reading lower numbers then the WW database gave me for any given activity. Because of that, I didn’t eat my activity points last week. Also, I didn’t eat any extra weeklies most days last week. I had a few extra on Friday and a few extra on Saturday.

Something else I realized was that I wasn’t eating enough veggies. So, I started including veggies at every meal and often times for snacks. I was also very diligent about packing my lunch every day, AND I turned down a donut. Oh yes I did.

So I basically went back to WW week one. I was on it, guys. On it. And guess what? I lost 3.6 pounds. What?! That’s the biggest loss I’ve had in a while, but I’m still not out of danger. I’ve seen this weight before and I couldn’t get past it, so I just have to be vigilant this week and stick to just my dailies again. BUT, I’m down 45.4 pounds since beginning WW, and I couldn’t be more excited about it.

Clay and I are having a make-your-own-pizza housewarming party next Sunday. It will be after my weigh-in, which is good, but I have to be careful not to overdo it. I’m going to get some lean ham and fresh pineapple and make a Hawaiian pizza. Watch out, pizza world.


Weight loss this week: -3.6 pounds
Total weight loss: 45.4 pounds

New House; New Meeting

It's all a big rush over here, guys. I spent the weekend moving, unpacking, grading, cleaning, fidgeting with knick knacks, and unpacking some more. We're officially in the new house. And, better yet, we officially OWN the new house. We closed yesterday.

But, perhaps the most exciting WL-related thing about my weekend was that I found a WW meeting that I actually enjoyed. I couldn't make it to the Saturday meeting, because moving was too time-consuming, so I went to one Sunday morning. There were significantly less people (seven total, including the instructor), but I realized that I thrive in smaller groups. The leader was a little awkward, but awkward is my thing (seriously, cue Steve Buscemi). I actually talked and shared a lot of my highs and lows of the week. It was very motivational. I even signed up for the Activity Link, which I will be picking up next weekend.

I maintained my weight this week, which is pretty stellar considering that I dined out for practically every meal (didn't grocery shop since we were in mid-move). Since Sunday, I've been off point a bit and exercise is at an all-time low, but I'm still settling in and organizing stuff in the house. I'm back at work now though, and things are back on the straight and narrow. I don't really know what that means.
Here's a picture of our living room/kitchen!

Apple Picking

Things are happening very quickly here, guys. We’re closing on the house this Friday, I have mid-term essays to grade and conferences to hold for my class, and it’s the new fiscal year at work, so things are super duper busy.

Plus, I decided to sign up for WW meetings again. I gained a bit last week, leaving me in the same five-pound range that I’ve been in since January 2011. I’m hoping meetings will help my mojo kick in again.

This past week I managed to work out five times despite my busy schedule. One of those times was a hot yoga class on Saturday morning. It felt nice to start the day with some sweating and stretching. My shoulder stands are getting pretty fantastic.

Sunday, Clay and I went apple picking with my parents and niece. It was a good time, and we got a ton of apples that we can use to bake all sorts of stuff in our new house. Can you say double oven???

Here’s Clay and Hannah. They make a pretty great team. Of course, what's a picture without getting my thumb involved?

Fall Events and Weigh-in

Next Sunday, Clay and I are going apple picking. If you’ll recall, I went apple picking last year with Clay, and we had a fantastic time. We made pies and tarts and, well, I think that’s all we made. This year, we’re taking my parents and my six-year-old niece.

I love the fall. Adore it. It feels like having a new crush. Every year, I get butterflies in my stomach at the thought of its arrival. I love the crisp air, the bright sun, the haunting shade of twilight, the need for scarves and sweaters and jackets. I’m sure the latter could be rooted in my weight, this attraction to the articles of clothing that cover and drape my body. But even with my weight loss, I find comfort in these clothes. I’m so much more comfortable in my own skin (probably the root of my plateau!), but I still love the warmth and coziness that a thick scarf provides.

This weekend, Hannah, her mother, and I are taking a drive through the Laurel Highlands. We’re heading toward Bedford to do some wine tasting and antiquing. It’s peak foliage season around here, so it will be pretty scenic.

In weight news, I’m up one pound this week (last week I maintained, which is pretty good considering I never stayed at my lowest weight for two weeks in a row!). I’m actually thankful it’s just a pound. I didn’t track all weekend. I wasn’t out of control, but I certainly wasn’t IN control. Limbo. The grey area. Purgatory. Maintenance. Only I’m not on maintenance yet, because I’m not at goal weight. Sigh.

Well, another weekend is coming up, so I get to strive again to be on-point, or at least not go into the red on my WW tracker.

Listen. This week I made this recipe. Stephanie made it last fall, and I fell in love with it and had to make it for myself this year. She suggested some edits to the recipe (add another jar of green chile, cook on the stove, more spices), and it turned out amazing. I’ve eaten my weight in it already.

Weight loss this week: +1 pound

Total weight loss: 43.6 pounds

Weigh-In and Goal for Weekend

I lost 1.4 pounds this week. I’ve been here before though, and I can’t seem to break through this number. I’m putting an effort into staying on-point this weekend though, so fingers crossed. This is my weigh-in post, but I’m not at home, so I don’t have a picture to share with you guys.

In other news, Clay and I put in an offer on a house. It’s going through negotiations now. The offer was accepted, but now we’re just waiting to hear back from the seller in response to our inspection addendum (that’s where we ask the seller to fix everything that the house inspector found to be wrong or dangerous). It’s a pretty awesome house, and I hope we get it. It has a laundry chute.

So this week, I will be working toward one major goal: TRACK, TRACK, TRACK! By tracking, I will automatically take care of another goal: staying on point. Saturday is book club, and Hannah is making meat pasties. I hate her sometimes, because her food is so delicious.

This is not Hannah's meat pasties, but it kind of looks like them

My contribution will be something point-friendly so I can have two meat pasties (they’re small). So veggies and dip, most likely. Also, we’re meeting at a winery, so I have to save some points for a glass of wine. I think I’ll be good there, because I’m not much of a drinker.

I got sheer stubbornness on my side this weekend. I can already feel it coming out. I. Will. Track. And. Stay. On. Point. Say it with me.

Weight loss this week: -1.4 pounds

Total Weight loss: 44.4 pounds.

The Return of the Blog

Hey, guys! Not much is going on here. I’ve been chugging away, trying to keep up with everything that’s going on around me. I got an adjunct position teaching Comp 1, so that’s taking up a lot of my evenings and weekends (most of them, actually).

I’m doing well with Weight Watchers. I’m blowing it on the weekends, though, which is pushing me to maintain my weight rather than lose anymore. It’s so frustrating and it really just comes down to lack of willpower. I was down to my lowest weight last Friday, but I’m sure I’m up again after the weekend (it was my workshop weekend, which means a TON of food that I have a really hard time saying no to). Every week I promise myself that this weekend I will get it under control. Then the weekend comes and I give in to biscotti and chocolate and pizza and bread. Ugh. However, I started to track my weekend food, which I had fallen out of the habit of doing, so that’s good. I guess at the very least I am maintaining my weight.

However, I have been weight lifting and exercising like mad. You have no idea. I did P90X this spring and summer, and now I’m doing boot camp. Every day, a different part of my body is sore. Today it’s arms/shoulders/chest. My body is changing so much. Everything is tighter; my waist is trimmer. Things are shifting and tidying up. It’s very nice. I’ve also started taking yoga on Tuesdays. I can do a shoulder stand! Shutyourface.

The best part? I can run! Well, jog. But I can consistently run one mile. I’ve run up to two miles, but my schedule is so hectic that I can hardly maintain a consistent running schedule, so I have yet to build up much more than one mile yet. But still. I remember when I couldn’t run longer than 90 seconds. Wow.

I’ve fallen off the blog wagon for many reasons, but I miss it terribly. Every time I think about blogging, something happens that needs my immediate attention and I get distracted. I really think this blog had a lot to do with my initial success with WW, and I pine over those successful first months.

Let’s try this again, shall we? Even if it’s just a weekly post. Here’s the first one. I might include a progress picture with my next one. But for now, here’s a picture of me on vacation in August. Clay and I went to Mackinac Island. No cars allowed! It was just us and our bicycles. Oh, Heaven, how I miss you.

Before and After

New Menu

Hey, guys. I haven't died. I just started blogging on the WW site and have been meeting some fellow WWers, which is nice. Here's a recent post I put up on over there. I worked with the gym director on-site where I work and she helped me come up with a plan to bust through my plateau. Cross your fingers that it works!

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Here’s my disclaimer for what I’m about to lay out for you guys: this advice came from a trusted professional who knows a lot more about nutrition and the body than I do. This is one person’s advice based on years of education in nutrition and experience in the field, but that doesn’t mean it’s 100% correct or agreeable. I trust this woman, you do not have to. I’m just sharing her nuggets of wisdom in case it helps any of you.

So here’s the low down. The way down. The buckle down. The scoop.

Lara’s Rules of Thumb for an average day:

1. Eat less than 100g of carbs per day

2. Eat 1g of protein per one pound of your weight (I weigh 198 pounds so I need to strive for 198g of protein per day. This will not happen, but I will fit in as much as possible)

3. Eat a big breakfast. Breakfast should be your biggest meal of the day

4. All carbs should be eaten before you leave work (as in, no carbs after five). Any carbs you eat after 5 p.m. should be from vegetables only

5. Watch your fruit. Most are carb-laden; especially melons and citrus

6. You need to get protein into your body no longer than 30 minutes after you lift weights (protein after cardio isn’t as imperative). This helps repair the torn muscles

Lara helped me plan out a sample menu. She suggested a protein supplement shake after my P90X weight-lifting days. I’ve been trying to steer clear of processed foods and supplements, but after seeing how little protein I eat on a daily basis, I’m going to do the protein shake for a while to see how it works. I purchased this one based on Lara's advice. I also planned in a protein bar because Lara wants me to eat within an hour of waking up. Since I have a long drive to work, I needed something car-friendly.

Here’s the menu we worked out:

6 a.m. Protein bar in car. I’ve been eating Kashi Dark Mocha Almond bars (3 PP) and Atkins Cranberry Almond bars (4 PP). Both are very tasty and there are so many more to try besides these two flavors

8 a.m. Two egg whites

10 a.m. Banana and almonds

12:30 p.m. Protein shake, lunch salad with lite dressing (on non-weight-lifting days: a veggie and egg sandwich on a sandwich thin with a side of cottage cheese)

3 p.m. ½ Sandwich thin with ½ TBS peanut butter and some fruit (preferably berries since they have the lowest carb count

6 p.m. Protein and veggies (grilled chicken and broccoli; salmon and asparagus; shrimp and brussel sprouts, you get the picture)

8 p.m. 1 cup of cottage cheese

So that’s going to be the basic idea for my meals in the coming weeks. It doesn’t look like much carbs, but it actually is. In fact, I was just under the 100g-of-carb-per-day with this menu. And you know those beans I thought were going to solve my protein deficiency? They have more carbs than protein! This meal plan is around 26-28 PP per day. I get 31 PP per day. Weight Watchers warns us about eating under our daily allotment, and I’m very conscious of that. I haven’t counted in any oil, which I will use to prepare my dinners (and to get in my GHGs), so that should take up the rest of the points.

I suspect this menu looks a lot like a sample menu from a lifetime WWer.

How to Succeed with Birthday Cake

I come from a family of birthday-celebrators. Growing up, there were six of us in my immediate family. Plus my gram. And now my niece and nephew. Plus my bros-in-law. That’s a lot of birthdays. Each is celebrated with a Sunday dinner, cards, presents, and cake. It’s been 33 years of this.

Let’s do math.

33 years x 6 people = 198 birthdays

And that’s just for the immediate family members.

This year, I ate modestly. I had small portions at dinner. I had strawberry shortcake for dessert. I went for a 2-mile walk with my sister and mother.

Last night, Clay took me out to dinner for my birthday. I had already given myself permission to order anything off the menu. Anything. I. Wanted. I got the Copper River salmon with lemon risotto and asparagus. I even counted 1 TBS of oil and the meal STILL only came out to 16 PP.

I’ve come a long way since last April. I allowed myself to order anything off the menu, anything I wanted, and I still chose a decent meal. Before WW, that meal would have been a lot heavier in all ways.

Tonight, we paddleboat.

How do you celebrate birthdays?

Post from Hiatus

Hey kiddos. I’ve disappeared in a bad way, I know. But it’s for the good of summer, I tell you. I’ve been filling my nights with a second job and my weekends with some friends and family. My absence does not mean I’ve fallen off the wagon. On the contrary, my friend(s). I lost .2 pounds two weeks ago and a whopping 3 pounds last week, bringing me to my lowest weight yet! It was too good to be true though because I’m up already this week. I blame the weekend and the Macaroni Salad Incident of 2012.

I worked out six days last week. And one day I worked out two times. I call that “pulling a Clay.” Guess what I bought this weekend after months of thinking about the purchase? My very first pair of hiking shoes. I almost went with the boots that cover the ankles. Clay said that they offer the most support. That’s true, of course, but I felt more comfortable in the regular-shoe kind, so I went with those. In the end, if I’m not comfortable in the shoe, how fun is my hike going to be? And really, there’s a bigger chance I hurt myself if I’m not fully at-home in the shoe. That’s what I’m telling myself. Anyway, the shoes I ended up getting were Columbia brand and were 70% off at Gander Mountain! Get your booty there rightthissecond to snag the same kind of deal!

I’ve been a little bummed about how little weight I’ve been losing. Stephanie says that my body probably just has to live at this weight for a while. She might be right. But I will tell you this: my body is changing so much from P90X. It’s getting more fit and feels tinier. Even though I’m not losing a lot, I’m looking thinner and feeling thinner. It’s so weird how weight lifting can shift your body around so much. I love it.

These aren’t my shoes, but they sort of look like them.

Weight loss this week: 3 pounds (-.2 pounds last week)

Total weight loss: 43.8 pounds

P90X and the Mile

Hello out there! Here’s the run-down: I lost 2.8 pounds two weeks ago, and gained 1.2 pounds this week. I cannot consistently lose to save my life right now.

P90X is going great. I’ve been making it to most of the classes and have also been getting in some jogs and swims outside of the P90X schedule. Last weekend, Clay and I did the Pine Creek Trail. I don’t have my pictures downloaded from my camera yet, but it was gorgeous. The most picturesque trail I’ve been on, ever.  We did 40 miles on Saturday and 23 miles on Sunday. I could have done more on Sunday, but it was a long drive back to Greensburg and I was excited to sit and relax. I told Clay that I would like to go back in the fall and bike the whole trail! Yikes! That would be 120 miles in two days. Do you think I can do it? After riding the trail and seeing the surface and the grade, I think I can. I know I can!

We’re doing another bike trip this weekend. This time we’re staying in Cumberland. It’s supposed to be 90 degrees on Sunday. I told Clay that I would bike as much as I could but I don’t bike well in that kind of heat. We’ll see. Maybe a cold front will set in between now and Sunday.

Ahh! I forgot to tell you guys! I jogged for a WHOLE MILE last week. And then I did it again this week and beat my record! Now, my record is way slow, as you can imagine (14:26 the first time; 14:10 the second), but the important thing is that I kept jogging. I never once stopped to walk, even though walking might have proved to be faster at times. I held the form. For over 14 minutes, I held the form. I was giddy both days I did it. Texts were flying from my phone like crazy. Oh boy. I ran a mile!

So that’s it for me. What’s going on in your world? Give me the low down, the deets, the chicken scratch.

Weigh-in and Updates

Hey guys. Look at me missing my weekly entry. I didn’t mean to, I promise. I’ve just been working a lot. Good news, though: I lost one pound last week. I’m also doing P90X religiously (well, the days I am at work; I missed yesterday and will miss Wednesday and Thursday this week because of training). I love it so far. Each workout is challenging and insanely hard. I know I’m only on week three, but I thought the routines would become, well, routine and, thus, boring. But they haven’t. Not yet. Next week we switch up the order of the workouts so that will mix it up a little.

This weekend is the Pine Creek Trail bike trip. I just finished making my packing list. I love love love writing out packing lists. Because it means I’m going somewhere.  And, for all those who know me, you know that I love going somewhere. Anywhere. All the time. Always. Let’s go.

Clay is making ham and cheese rolls (about 7 PP per serving), and I’m packing rice cakes, (2PP per serving), fruit snacks (2 PP per serving), peanut butter (3 PP per serving), and fruit (probably a few apples). If you’ll recall, last season, when we climbed the mountain in Cumberland, I finished the first days’ ride by guzzling down a burger, fries, and cheese balls. I’m hoping this year I can control that a little more. Even if I indulge in one of those things (because sometimes a girl just needs a burger, you know?), I am hoping to be strong enough to replace one of the other items with a salad.

I’m not setting a mileage-goal for this trail. Mostly because it’s all uphill, and I don’t do well with uphill rides. So my goal is to bike as long as I can bike. I know that the way back will be all downhill, so I hope knowing that will push me to ride farther than I think I can.

I have felt so successful and healthy these past few weeks. I knew I would get back into things once my class was over. The arrival of spring has helped, too. So here’s to another good week. I hope everyone out there is doing well, too, and enjoying this fine weather.

Weight loss this week: 1 pound

Total weight loss: 39 pounds

Weigh-in (Belated)

Hello, there! Although it’s late in coming, I was up a whopping 4 pounds last week! I’m not too down about it though because my feet were very swollen from all the ACTIVITY I’ve been getting. Plus, my muscles were sore, which means they were swollen, too. So I was just a big swollen mess.

I weighed myself Saturday morning, when my swollenness had all but disappeared, and had already lost the 4 pounds. So what made me all swollen? Glad you asked. Here’s my activity for last week and a half:

Thursday: Spinning
Friday: Swimming
Saturday: Painting (oh yes, this is an exercise -- just talk to my arms about it)
Sunday: 24-mile bike ride
Monday: P90X Chest & Back
Tuesday: P90X Plyo

Wednesday: P90X Legs & Back

Thursday: P90X Shoulders & Arms

Friday: Off

Saturday: Arc Trainer workout

Sunday: Off

Monday (today): P90X Chest & Back

I should also let you know that I’ve been tracking diligently. I whizzed through my extra points, yes, but I tracked them all and didn’t go into the red. I’m going to see how the scale reads this week and then I might try to NOT eat my activity points each day. Maybe that will show a bigger loss each week.

In other news, Clay and I booked our hotel for the Pine Creek Trail weekend, and we decided to do another bike trip to Cumberland on Memorial Day weekend.

P90X is working out great. I needed to add weight lifting to my cardio, but could never muster up the motivation to do so. I think I’ll be ripped by the time this is over. I need to make sure I get my cardio in though. I did good this week. I’m going to aim for one cardio day per weekend if I can. I wanted to go swimming on Saturday morning but there were no free lanes. I found that after a week of heavy leg activity, my legs were cramping up and very tired. Swimming would have been perfect for that dilemma. Oh well, maybe next weekend.

Back to work for me. It’s gonna me one hellish week I’m afraid.

Weight loss this week: +4 pounds

Total weight loss: 38 pounds

Weigh-In and Data Download

I'm down .4 pounds today. That's two weeks in a row that I've lost. I haven't done that many times since January. So go me!

I could have lost so much more this week. Last Friday I was at my lowest weight since starting WW, which was 1.8 pounds lower than my weigh-in today. But the weekend happened. I tracked, which is better than I had been doing, but I tracked after I ate. Now, what good does that do me? If I see that I'm eating too many points, I can't take them back if I track after I eat them.

Good thing I'm usually a pre-tracker.

Things are going well in the activity department. I got in a swim on Tuesday and a gym work-out yesterday. Today I have spinning, tomorrow another gym workout (maybe swimming, not sure yet), and Saturday I'm volunteering to fix up a house, so that will be lots of activity. Ahh. It feels good to be active again.

The 5K was my best yet. Not time-wise. But a few things happened that have never happened before:

1. I didn't get as fatigued as I have on all my other 5Ks.
2. I didn't get any blisters on my feet. Not a single one.
3. My hands didn't swell as much (my hands always swell when I take long walks).
4. It was easier to keep up my pace.

The scenery was gorgeous, and chatting with my sisters the whole time helped a lot.

Clay and I booked our hotel for our Pine Creek Trail weekend. Have I told you that the trail is all uphill? Well it is. Oh boy.

Speaking of Clay, he tried roasted brussel sprouts for the first time last night. Remember those little guys and my obsession with them? Well, Clay poo-pooed them for a long while until I made him try them last night. Guess what? You betcha. He liked them. We ate them with a veggie omelet, which was also pretty tasty. A no-carb dinner. How 'bout that!

Weight loss this week: -.4 pounds
Total weight loss: 42 pounds

You Rush, You Forget

I was rushing through my post yesterday and forgot that I do have some tidbits for you guys. Oh yes, I do.

1.       I’m doing another 5K tomorrow with two of my sisters. This one is at St. Vincent college in Latrobe and benefits The Trooper Kenton Iwaniec Memorial Foundation.

2.       The gym at work is starting P90X at the end of this month. I’m going to get some much-need weight-lifting in and I’m pretty excited about it. Lara, the gym director, took spinning off the schedule. Actually, she rearranged it so I am no longer to do spinning, so I will miss out on that, but P90X has cardio days too, so I’ll get cardio in there. Plus I would like to keep up with swimming. AND, I can easily replace spinning with biking because . . .

3.       It’s bike season! Clay is putting my hitch on this Sunday, my ankle is feeling pretty A-OK, and we’re planning our first overnight bike trip for May: The Pine Creek Trail

See, so I did have stuff to tell you, I just forgot about it. What stuff do you have planned? Anyone out there ever do P90X? Am I going to die?

Weigh-in

I lost one pound this week. I've been diligently tracking and have been swimming a few times this past week.

I don't have much to say. Finals are coming up and I'm busy with that, plus a burst in work activity. The two combined have left me with little time to blog.

But I'll be back! After the semester is over I would like to get back into my picture-a-week posts. So hold tight.

Weight loss this week: -1 pound
Total weight loss: -41.6 pounds

Memory Lapse

I'm an idiot. I've been sitting on my butt for two weeks waiting for my foot to heal, telling myself that letting it heal is what's important right now, not exercising.

Meaning, I COULD BE SWIMMING!!! Why haven't I thought of this?

I will be packing up my suit this weekend and going for a nice, long swim. I feel healthier just thinking about it.

Weigh-in and the Swelling

I gained 1.8 pounds this week. I am rocking this maintenance thing, friends.

The twisted ankle is worse than I originally thought. It is still sore and still swollen. So, you guessed it, no exercise this week. Both the swelling and lack of exercise contributed to my gain, I'm sure. But, I tracked all weekend again and didn't go into the red. So I had success this week, too, which I'm thankful for.

I guess if I was going to hurt myself it's best to get it out of the way before the warm, sunny weather sets in. Now I can concentrate on my last assignment and final while I convalesce. By the end of the semester I should be good to go. Right? Right.

I hope everyone had a great Easter. I went to my parents' house for dinner. I planned ahead and pre-tracked my meal, and then stuck to that plan. I didn't over-indulge in anything and not once did I feel overly full. My family got me a basket of goodies. I allowed myself to have a few small things then sent the rest to work with Clay. So even if I gained, I know I did many good things for myself this weekend, and that softens the weight-gain blow a little.

Weight loss this week: +1.8 pounds
Total weight loss: 40.6 pounds

Weigh-in and Psychoanalysis

Hey, remember that time I tracked all weekend and lost 1.8 pounds??? Me too! In fact, that was just this week. I have broken through that maintenance wall, my friend(s).

Here’s the part that has always interested me about weight loss and healthy living: it’s so easy to do and it makes you feel so good. So why isn’t everyone the healthiest version of himself? Because as easy as it is to eat healthy and exercise, it’s even easier to not. Pizza or carrots? Chocolate or blueberries? Seriously, are those even fair questions? I’ve been slacking on the weekends and eating into the red, and then feeling guilty about it come weigh-in time. But this week I tracked, I showed a legit loss on the scale, and I felt great. I felt accomplished, I felt skinny, I felt healthy. You’d think such feelings would be strong enough to make me think twice about falling off the wagon, but when I’m off the wagon, I pretend it doesn’t feel good to exercise or eat healthy. I just pretend those euphoric feelings don’t exist, because that’s easier than admitting that they do, because then I’d have to admit to myself that I’m choosing not to experience them.

What a head game this weight loss thing is, you know? The more weight I lose the more I analyze what got me to this point in the first place. The more I analyze what got me to this point the more questions I have about myself and my childhood and my choices in life. I should have went to school for psychology. Because then I could just self-diagnose until I pass out. Actually, I self-diagnose myself all the time but it’s more on a physical level. Lactose intolerant: self-diagnosed. Poor circulation: self-diagnosed. Slipped disc: self-diagnosed. Who needs these official quacks anyway?

Weight loss this week: -1.8 pounds

Total weight loss: 42.4 pounds

The Good, The Bad, and The Twisted

The Good: I tracked all weekend! I only dipped into my extra points on Saturday and Sunday. I'm sure I've been going into the red for months now during the weekends, so this is a giant success for me. I'm happy to report that I still have a few extra points left, too. It was easier to say no to things since those points were staring me in the face. I successfully said no to the following things this weekend: pizza, chocolate, bruchetta, cereal, peanuts, and fruit snacks.

The Bad: I didn't exercise at all this weekend (see The Twisted for the reason).

The Twisted: I twisted my ankle. What a big, fat bummer. I went to the chiropractor to get it adjusted, and it feels a lot more stable than it did, but I will be out of commission for the whole week I'm afraid. So that means I have to be super on-point if I want to still lose this week because there will be no activity points for me. And it's too bad, because The Meadows has Peanut Butter yogurt.

Weigh-in

Man, can I maintain. I lost 1 pound this week. I’m back to 31 PP per day and still hovering around that 40-pound-loss mark. One great thing about this loss: I went on vacation last weekend and still lost. Success all around.

I’ve been thinking about my rut and realized that three things happened nearly simultaneously, and any one of them could be contributing to my stagnation. They are:

1.       The holidays. I had my eating under control over Thanksgiving, but I stumbled at Christmas and New Year’s. I never really got back on track since then

2.       The end of my WW meetings (they ended at Christmas)

3.       The beginning of my grammar class, which has taken over my life (in a good way, mind you)

I’ve been so quick to blame my ball-dropping on #3, because that’s what I have to deal with on a daily basis. I feel the stress of class every day, so it’s always available as a scapegoat. But what if it’s one of the other two things?

Now, as much as I love WW, I was not in love with my WW leader. I found her to be non-motivational and often times degrading. I never thought I got much out of my meetings, but what if I really did in some subtle, unrecognizable way?

Or, if I go with #1, what if I just never got back on track after the holidays and I’m using numbers 2 and 3 as excuses for my laziness?

We’re going to find out pretty soon. The semester is over in less than a month. After that I will have no more excuses for simply maintaining my weight. I will start losing again. Although, I must say, I did a pretty good job at staying in the same five pounds for the past four months (makes me feel a little better about maintenance once I reach goal).

Also, the end of April marks my 1-year WW anniversary. I will have lost roughly 40 pounds if I continue at this rate. It’s not the best I’ve ever seen, but it’s a lot better than where I was this time last year.

Weight loss this week: -1 pound

Total weight loss: 40.6 pounds

And Suddenly I'm Worried about the Weekend

I’m heading out of town this weekend. And while I shouldn’t be nervous, I am. Why shouldn’t I be nervous? Because I’ve been treating weekends like they’re something unique, like they’re something that happens only once every five years. That means I’ve been eating and eating and eating, never to track a single bite.

But there’s just something different about going out of town. When I do my regular thing on the weekends, I am in control of it. I might not eat healthy, but it is my choice to do so. But when I go out of town, I put my eating into someone else’s hands, at least to a certain extent. Remember my trip to New York and all those wonderful meals that I ate because that was what there was to eat? But, I did the best I could then and I will do it again now. I am going to the grocery store tonight to stock up on snacks for the drive out – bananas, berries, apples, Special K Crisps (going have to get some kind of reasonable, salty chips or else I’ll be busting into full-flavored Doritos halfway through the car ride), celery – and once I get to our destination I will feel it out then catch a ride to the grocery store to make a few more healthy purchases to carry me through the weekend. I’m also packing two workout outfits. Hopefully it will be nice enough weather to take some good walks.

So I have a plan for this weekend. And that’s more than I can say for every other weekend. Tiny steps will get me back on track.

In other news, I was down a pound this morning, putting me at the same weight as last week. Clay and I are planning a long bike ride Monday afternoon, and I’m beginning the final countdown for the end of the semester. I’m going to miss my class, but I can’t wait to fill my nights with outdoor activities instead of homework. I’m researching bicycle trunk bags. Any bicyclists out there have an opinion about these? At first I found them superfluous, because really, who can’t tether any ol’ bag to the back of a bicycle? But after I several times of tethering my “any ol’ bag” I realized that a bag made specifically for the back of a bicycle would only require a fraction of the effort to secure into place. So I’m taking the plunge. Look at me: all this talk for a $40 purchase. I need to calm down.

Weigh-in and Clipless Pedals Revisited

When I stepped on the scale this morning and saw a 1-pound gain, I thought, “hey, it’s a gain, but it’s no 3.6-pound gain.” This calmed me a little. As far as maintaining until this semester is over, I think I’ve done a pretty good job of it what with all the yo-yoing.

Then I plugged in my weight into the WW Weight Manager and my PP value, which had dropped to 31 PP last week, went back up to 32 PP. Not this again! I had such a hard time going from 33 PP to 32 PP that I volleyed back and forth between the two for weeks. Looks like I’ll be doing that again. You wouldn’t think 1 measly PointsPlus would be that big of a deal, but apparently it is. I guess I just try to get the most bang for my buck (using that cliché broke my heart a little bit) in the area of food, so taking away 1 PP is enough to throw my balance off. I need to suck it up and adjust though, because I will only be losing more PPs with each additional pound I lose.

But let’s move on to brighter crayons, shall we? I’ve been long overdue for an update on my clipless pedals. I purchased them. And I love them. I got these Shimanos (and I got a 15% discount because of where I work!):

http://www.gadgetgrid.com/2010/07/09/shimano-pd-m324-cliplessclip-pedals/

I have yet to use them on my outdoor bicycle, but they work on the spinning bikes at work and also on the spinning bikes at the Y. My feet still go numb after 45 minutes or so, but I have so much more power with which to pedal. I always knew you could cash in on the upstroke when you had clips, but I never realized how beneficial that is. We were doing a standing climb (stand on the bike, put the resistance as high as you can stand it, and pedal for however long the instructor tells you to – it’s hard to do and wears you out quickly) and toward the end of the climb, when I should have been keeling over (and I nearly was, mind you), I was still pedaling faster than I ever had in a climb. Because I was using both legs to simultaneously push down AND pull up. Man, am I a champion or what?!

It’s bike season. Oh yes it is. Clay and I are already planning our first long, overnight ride (we don’t ride all night; we ride all day, get a hotel, then ride all day again). We’re leaning toward the Pine Creek Trail near the PA Grand Canyon. It’s all uphill, but if we do the uphill first, it will be all downhill on the way back. I think a long bike ride is just what I need to shake off some pounds. What outdoor activity are you looking forward to doing this spring?

Weight loss this week: +1 pound

Total weight loss: 39.6 pounds

Weigh-in, Shrimp, and Biking

I lost 3.6 pounds this week. Alright! Now the trick is to keep it off for next week. No pressure, Kels. This back-and-forth loss/gain is getting old, but I am thankful that I’m not consistently gaining. Because that would be pretty defeating, no?

I have two things to share with you this week. First, I would like to introduce you to my new love:

BRUSSEL SPROUTS!!! How have I come this far in life without befriending these little guys?! I’ve been making up for lost time, that’s for sure. In the past two weeks I’ve eaten about five pounds of these round balls of heaven.

Stephanie introduced me to them a few months ago at one of our book clubs (side note: Rules of Civility = Fantastic novel; I highly recommend it). She cut them in half, laid them in one layer, cut side up, in a baking dish, drizzled olive oil on them, and sprinkled them with salt. Then she put them in the oven on 350^o for about 1 hour. The outer leaves got black and crispy, the olive oil soaked in and made the sprouts tender enough to swallow whole (kind of like cereal that has been soaking in milk for a while). And the salt brought out the flavor. When I made them last week, I paired them with Cajun shrimp and it was just perfect.

Second, in exercise news, I’m alternating working from our Pittsburgh office and my apartment this week, so I’ve had to work out at the YMCA all week. Been doing pretty good so far (I’m getting up and going before I start my work-from-home days) and have been on-point. Small successes. But it’s warming up here. I bought my new clipless pedals (have I told you this?!), Clay put them on my bike yesterday, and I’m ready to hit the trail once Clay gets his new handlebars on his bike. I have a feeling I’m going to log a ton of miles this biking season. Just watch me.

Weight loss this week: 3.6 pounds

Total weight loss: 40.6 pounds

Weigh-in and New Weigh-in

I was pretty excited to step on the scale this week. Why? Well, I’m glad you asked. I was excited because I ate on-point this week and got a lot more exercise than I’ve been getting. I went off the wagon on Saturday and Sunday, like I’ve been doing for a while, but I still stayed within my extra points and the surrounding days were full of health and measurements and exercise (I even had a crazy workout on Saturday morning before indulging in pizza and dip).

So you can imagine my disappointment when I stepped on the scale and saw a .4 gain. Whaaat??? A gain? Are you kidding me, Universe? I immediately called bull shit. This was not fair. No way, no how. But I plugged it into my tracker and then sat back and thought about what made me gain. Yes, I overate on Saturday and Sunday. Even a little on Monday (although I had plenty of APs from Insanity class), but I was pretty proud of myself for how I handled the other days and those few days of over-indulgence were still within my points.

I was talking to a friend about this. We’ll call her “Stephanie.” She said that if she eats poorly on the weekends the residual effects of it usually last until Wednesday or so. I had been noticing that about myself as well. I always weigh less on Wednesday than I do on Tuesday. So I got on the scale Wednesday morning and had lost 3.6 pounds. That’s more like it. I know WW says to not go by scale alone, but those numbers do play mental games with you for sure. So, until I can get my weekends back under control, and I have no doubt that I will, I am changing my weigh-in to Wednesday mornings.

Spring is just around the corner and I’m anxious to get back to long bike rides and walks around my neighborhood. I’m going to try the C25K once my class is over in April. I’m crossing my fingers that that pesky tendonitis doesn’t come creeping back again.  Here I come, nature. Hide your children. I don’t know what that means. It sounds kind of gross, actually. I should probably delete these last few sentences.

Weight loss this week: +.4 pounds

Total weight loss: 37 pounds

Weigh-in Teaser

I'm a busy bee this morning but wanted to stop in to tell you that I will be posting tonight about my weigh-in. I had a little gain, but then had a big loss. But how is that possible, you ask?

Guess you'll just have to check back in and see!

sheenapaints.wordpress.com/

Weigh-in

I gained 3.6 pounds this week. Ridiculous, I know. I just can’t commit to any type of weight loss lately.

I think know why, but I just can’t really allow myself to admit it. As silly as it sounds, I am putting all my effort and extra time into this grammar class that I am taking. It’s spreading me too thin to even think about weight loss, much less leave me the willpower to do anything with it. Good news: I suspected from the beginning that this would happen. In the back of my mind I’ve been telling myself, “Just maintain your weight until April, Kelly. Get through this class then start to lose again.” But outwardly I don’t want to admit I am unable to do both. Or rather, I don’t have the energy to do both. I’m sure lots of people can do both. I, however, find it incredibly challenging.

So here’s the deal. It’s silly to find a scapegoat for my lack of weight-loss vigilance. So I won’t. I love my grammar class and it’s helping me tremendously with my job as an editor. I wouldn’t trade it for anything right now. I’m blessed to be able to take it (what employer do you know that would pay for a class and fully support their employee leaving the office at 1 p.m. three days a week??? Not many, I’m sure). Maintaining my weight during this semester is okay with me.

However, last week, I started to re-evaluate my eating. Just some small things. I made the decision to switch some settings in my Weight Watchers tracking plan. On the old program, you used your activity points the same day you earned them. Your extra weeklies were used for any other overflows. On this new program, activity points are fair game all week long ON TOP of your extra weeklies. I was a little skeptical of that since a workout on Monday doesn’t negate overeating on Friday. I found out a while ago that you could switch this around in your WW tracking settings so your activity points were used the same way as they were on the old plan.

So I did that. Now, every day I work out and earn activity points, any points I go over come directly from my activity points. If I don’t work out that day and I still eat over, then they come out of my extra weeklies. AND, each day my activity points reset. So I earn 5 activity points on Monday and don’t use any of them, by Tuesday my activity points reset to 0. Watching those activity points build up sometimes makes you believe you can eat anything you want all week long. Or maybe that was just my attitude becoming lazy.

Also, starting yesterday, I started weighing my food again. I’ve been eyeballing. This allows me to trick myself into thinking I’m eating less than what I really am. Imagine my horror when I found out I’ve been tracking chicken breasts as 4 oz. when really they average 8.7 oz. according to my food scale. Holy shit! I’ve been under-tracking for months now! I’ve been tricking myself into believing that I was eating less than I actually was.

In addition, I’ve been cheating with the things I HAVE been measuring. I’ve been heaping my peanut butter measurements. Last night, when I packed my lunch, instead of pretending that ½ Tbsp over-the-top-buldge of peanut butter was level, I actually leveled it off with a knife. And you know what? When I ate it this morning with my banana, it was perfect. I didn’t need any more than what I had.

So if I can’t fit in my regular killer workouts for a while, and I’m finding it challenging to step up my game in the eating department, the least I can do is measure fairly. Eat the same stuff, just measure. Right? Right.

I’m going to challenge myself to measure my food all week. I think I can manage that.

Weight loss this week: +3.6 pounds

Total weight loss: 37.4 pounds

Your Very Own Crab Rangoon

Hey guys! I stayed at Clay’s last night and my scale is at my apartment, so I didn’t weigh in today. I will weigh in tomorrow.

But I have a food blog for you today. Who out there loves Crab Rangoon? Yeah, me too. In fact, that’s all I pile on my plate when I go to Chinese buffets. Mostly because I’m not a fan of the buffet (another story for another blog), so I just consume my weight in the rangoons because, really, what could go wrong?

Lots can go wrong. Those puppies are fried and loaded with full-fat cheese. That appetizer is no joke. So how do you get your crab rangoon on? You make a light version in the comfort of your very own home, that’s how! And if you aren’t sure what spices to put in them, just have Clay make them for you.

For ours we used (or rather, Clay used) one package of 1/3 fat cream cheese, 1 can of crabmeat (our pick was Bumble Bee brand, based solely on this song), and 1 package of wonton wraps. Mix the cheese and crab meat together and add some spices (Clay added a dash of ginger and soy sauce). Then spoon the mixture onto a wonton wrapper, sprinkle the edges with water, fold over, and seal. Voila!

These guys only took about 8 minutes to bake in a 350^o oven, too. Clay flipped them over halfway through.

Now I’ll let you guess how many points each one is. Go on. The whole batch of filling made 20 rangoons. I plugged the recipe into my WW iPad recipe app and it came out to 1PP per rangoon. One! That’s it! Eat up, kids. 

While Clay was making the Crab Rangoon, I was having a go at making this thing:

I took a bag of frozen berries from Trader Joes (be sure to get the no-sugar-added kind; just frozen fruit!) and sprinkled on 1Tbsp of sugar. I let that sit while I layered a muffin pan with two wontons per hole. I did this because I knew the fruit juice would soak through the first wonton, so a second layer was needed just to be safe. After the wrappers were in place, I spooned in my fruit. Then I baked them. For these I turned the oven down to about 275^o and left them in for about 20 minutes. I don’t know why I did this. Actually, that’s a lie. I did it because that’s how you bake apple pies. Low temperature for a long time. Turns out that was a good decision on my part (Kudos, Kelly, Kudos) because they were pretty awesome. Since they have two wonton wrappers plus the sugar, these are 2 PP each. Not bad for a dessert, I’d say.

The camera on my phone doesn't take the most appetizing of pictures, but I hope you still try to make your own versions. Maybe your phone's camera will make the food more aesthetically pleasing.

Weigh-in and Arc Training

Hello hello! Guess what? I lost 2.4 pounds this week! That means I hit my mini goal and have also lost a total of 41 pounds. Ahh! I set my next mini goal for 15 more pounds. That will probably take me a long time to hit at this rate.

I’m finding it increasingly hard to curb my eating lately, and this past week was no different. However, I worked out a lot harder than I had been. I did two spinning classes (one that was so hard I nearly vomited afterward), and I did a crazy-hard workout at the gym on the arc trainer. I put that puppy’s resistance up to 100 and ran – ran – backwards for 10 minutes. That’s in addition to all the forward-running I did at various resistances. It was a great workout. I haven’t pushed myself that hard on my own in a long time. Any arc trainer fans out there? How do you vary your workout on the machine? It’s so easy to stagnate on gym machines, I think. You can really get in a rut if you rely solely on them for your workouts. But that’s just my opinion. I haven’t done any official research on the subject. Feel free to disagree. In fact, please do! I’d love to hear the other side of that argument. You know, in case I want to change my opinion.

So I think what helped was the increased intensity of my workouts.

As for curbing my eating, I don’t eat horribly. I never go over my weekly + activity points, but I have been going over every day instead of saving them up for one or two special days. But something worked this past week, and that’s all I can hope for.

Also, guess what’s back? My weekly picture! It’s been a while, so I’m also putting up my first picture so you can see just how far I’ve come. Oh boy, I hope you’re sitting down for this.

Weight loss this week: 2.4 pounds

Total weight loss: 41 pounds

The New River Gorge Bridge

Clay and I took a little impromptu trip to Fayetteville, West Virginia yesterday to see the New River Gorge Bridge. We almost did the bridge walk, and I was getting pretty excited about it, until I called and found out it was $70 per person. So we just viewed from afar. 

The mining town of Kaymoor used to sit right at the bend of the river

We did a little bit of hiking around the area as well. The hikes we took weren’t long at all. In fact, one was just a staircase created by the visitor’s center that allowed you to get a better look at the bridge. But guess how many steps it had? 178. Climbing 178 steps at a brisk pace gets your heart going.

The second trail we went to was advertised as “strenuous.” They were not lying. We hiked through the woods on what felt like a vertical wall and when we got to the crest, the trail narrowed quite a bit so you were walking down a windy treacherous slope between a wall and a cliff. I called foul. It wasn’t an official hiking day for us (we were just checking them out) and neither of us was prepared for that kind of hike. So we went back to the car, but we were both huffing and puffing for most of that hike as well. It was steep!

Then we headed over to Charleston for lunch at the Bluegrass Kitchen. I forgot to pull out my camera so I didn’t get any pics of the food or the decor, but it was in an old building and had a pretty artsy vibe going on. I wouldn’t call it kitschy. Or maybe I would. You check it out and see for yourself. It’s worth a drive down just for the scenery. 

I got the house salad with grilled chicken and a side of fries. I shared the fries with Clay. Clay got a cheeseburger, fries, and a side salad. Clay’s a foodie, so he wasn’t too impressed with his stuff. I think he’s also turning me into a foodie, because I am finding myself fine-tuning my taste buds on every meal I eat. My salad was okay. The dressing (homemade strawberry vinaigrette) was a little too sour for my taste. They also put a heeping pile of sprouts on my salad. I’ve never been a fan of sprouts – I think they taste like dirt (literally) – but it had been years since I last tried them so I gave them another shot. Yep, still tasted like dirt. But the fries were really good. That’s why I made Clay eat most of them.

Weigh-in and Winter

I lost 3.4 pounds this week. Still 1.2 pounds from my next mini goal, but I’m a lot closer than I was last week. I just keep dancing around it, as Hannah said.

This past weekend I got snowed in at my parents’ house. It felt pretty fantastic and was needed more than I realized. I didn’t have my winter attire with me, since it wasn’t winter when I drove up on Friday, so I didn’t get to take any winter walks. BUT, Candy and I ventured to Ligonier on Saturday morning to workout at the YMCA, so I did get some exercise.

Do you go for winter walks? Or hikes, depending on your preference? I personally enjoy the leisurely walks: the crunch of the snow giving way to your weight, the slow pace, the silence. Winter is so silent, isn’t it? Stark. I personally enjoy taking winter walks at night, when the snow picks up the light from the moon. It’s like walking on a bed of glitter.  

Weight loss this week: 3.4 pounds

Total weight loss: 38.6

Weigh-in and How I Will Fix It

Oh yuck. Yuck yuck yuck. I gained 4.4 pounds this week. There were some reasons I couldn't control, like the swelling in my foot (yes, that’s still there!), but there was one glaring mistake I made this week.

I said in my last post how I had been up two pounds all week. Every day after my weigh-in day saw a gain of two pounds. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The scale didn’t budge. No matter what I ate, no matter how much water I drank, no matter what exercise I did. It just wouldn’t move. I hate to admit it, but I let it get the best of me. I actually had this thought: “Well, if I’m not losing any weight then why not eat what I want?” And that’s exactly what I did. I used Clay’s Superbowl party as a special occasion to eat what I wanted. A Superbowl party. That was my special occasion. A SUPERBOWL PARTY! I don’t even like football! What is so special about a Superbowl party that I would consider it enough of a special occasion to eat the following foods (in very large quantities, mind you): chips and dip, oreo cream pie, peanut butter cream pie, Italian sausage sandwich, garlic parmesan chicken tenders, cream cheese roll, chips and dip, chips and dips, chips and dip (my weakness is salty foods, not sweets)??? The answer: nothing. There is nothing special about that day. I was discouraged from my consistent gain of two pounds and I let it get the best of me. So now I’m 4.4 pounds heavier and feel like I gained every last ounce of weight back. All 30-something pounds. I feel defeated. I feel like the unhealthy me let the healthy me down.

Okay, so what am I going to do about it? Surely I’m not going to let this setback set me back, right? Right! Here’s my plan: I have no plan. Everytime I come up with a plan – an eating plan, an exercise routine, a set of restrictions – I always feel trapped and end up allowing one misstep to throw me off completely. So here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to be the best I can be this week. I’m going to work on making better decisions and get back to tracking (because I haven’t been tracking on the weekends, another problem for another blog). I’m not only going to think about the food I’m choosing to put in my body, I’m also going to think about the portions of that food. I’m just going to do my best. No rules, no guidelines, just an honest effort. I can do this.

Weight loss this week: +4.4 pounds

Total weight loss: 35.2 pounds