Thanks KatieO!

KatieO over at Sister Skinny who posted on the PNP Board that if anyone was feeling bloated, gross and unmotivated after the holiday trough-eating of sugar and crap (guilty as charged), to get a workout in as soon as possible, and that a domino effect would occur -- you feel PUMPED after a workout, and all things seem possible again. 

And she was totally right. I just got finished (see my other blog for my post about my new HRM) and am now feeling much better about everything. 

Oh and also -- I saw Megan over the holiday and can testify she looks GREAT! So proud of her. 

Sanity Check = Doin OK!

I've managed to do OK this week, despite temptations GALORE. I've had several dinners and lunches out, which I always view as a treat = splurge = not necessarily good for me. I've made good choices for the most part and had a few bites of desserts here and there, but overall I've stuck to the plan. Next week I'm arming myself with Larabars (the cleanest bars ever!), almonds, my beloved prunes, and natural peanut butter. This'll get me through the schnacky-let's-have-some-pie-between-meals thing.

Workout-wise, I posted on the fitness forum this week with Phit-N-Phat, and Corinne told me to email my workout schedule to her, then email every day after I get my workout done. Damn, this has really worked. I was really, really close to not working out yesterday, but instead modified my exercises to include most of the workout (Ok, so it wasn't perfect). Next week my workout plan is to walk in my parents' neighborhood (very hilly, and about about a mile round trip -- I'll be doing 3-5 laps), with walking lunges. The upstairs hallway is perfect for bear crawls, crab walks, and push ups. I'm working out the 25th, 26th, 27th and 29th. On the 28th I'm coming to see Megan -- woo woo!

Oh the downward spiral of negative self-talk

I felt strong yesterday. And stable. And happy. Then an offhanded comment sent me into a downward spiral of self-doubt and negative self talk. I managed to get in my workout, which I did 99% of, and then inhaled my dinner and had 7 oz of white wine and 3/4 of a dark chocolate bar from Trader Joe's. While watching the Biggest Loser finale. How's that for irony?

I find that when I'm inhaling food and in that mindset of Must.Get.More.Food.In.Mouth.Now. that I'm really shoving down my feelings, typically anxiety, about something, and that really I'm just terrified of talking about something that's making me crazy. So I consulted my therapist/husband, who actually is much better than a therapist cause he's REAL honest and tells me all the time that I overthink things, and told him what was on my mind, and we agreed that reality = reality, and there wasn't much I could do about it. And I felt immediately relieved, just by voicing it. The dark cloud lifted, my need to eat more chocolate (yes I considered it) and to be completely buzzed by bedtime passed. I wish that I hadn't eaten the chocolate and wine but I'm working on finding the courage to voice the scary, dark and twisty (Grey's Anatomy reference, thankyou).

I Can't Get No...

You know the rest. It's all about being satisfied as Heather pointed out in her last post. If you eat something that makes you feel satisfied in both the taste and feeling full categories, you're less likely to go searching for additional food. And the problem is, this time of year, there's all sorts of "satisfying" foods out there at parties, luncheons, etc. I literally had to leave a party the other night because I just didn't want to eat or drink anymore and it was too much of a temptation.

I'm having such horrible PMS that I just want to eat! I had 18 pieces of sushi the other day. That's the equivalent of three rolls. Trust me, I could have eaten MUCH more. But it was sooo good. Then I went on to linguine with white clam sauce at a work dinner. I inhaled my food while the other women were daintily making their way through their meals. Yeah me.

But I've lost 8.8 pounds and my jeans are huge. I just want to keep going... Goal AHOY!

Then Again ....

Sometimes I act like a rebellious teenager when it comes to eating right and exercising. Today is one of those days. After thinking a lot about the 80% rule, and still, frankly, not back to 100% from the cold/flu/plague that possessed me last week, I am not excited about working out. This is a departure for me, as I mentioned on my other blog on Friday.

Yet I need to summon the motivation. I'm going to try drinking coffee before the workout. I'm wondering if I'm not eating enough carbs. I just had a very unsatisfying salad with a limp chicken breast. Sigh. I may hit the vending machine for a granola bar, I'll say it.

The 80% Rule

I remembered this when I was panicking from not working out last week: 80% of person's weight loss success depends on what they eat. 10% of it is exercise, 10% genetics. Isn't that incredible? I'm looking for some articles that refer to it, but it's in the Clean Eating book and cited all the time in fitness articles. I always thought that since I was working out like a demon, I had some wiggle room diet wise. Uh no.

I was hangin in the forums of Phit-N-Phat, and Corinne advised another sick client to stick with her eating plans and don't sweat (har) the workouts until she was feeling better. So that's what I did this weekend, barring an unplanned cheat meal consisting of spicy peanuts, gingerbread men and wine. And I feel sizzle lean (but I didn't weigh because my cycle started today.)

Megan, you have some positive news to share, yes?

Oh. Maybe that was it?

Looking back at my food journals, and recalling with fondness the SEVEN chocolate chip cookies I ate over a three-day span, I'm amazed it wasn't more than a half a pound. To self: Being sick does not mean cookies do not have calories!

I'm rededicating myself to the Eat Clean Diet. One cheat meal a week; not three!

THE FRIGGING SCALE WON"T MOVE

No seriously, it won't move. I actually wondered if it was broken this morning. You'd think that not working out for 6 DAYS I'd lose at least some muscle. But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I gain a half a pound. FUCK!

I'm going to experiment with edging my calories down a bit just to see what happens. I'm also looking into calorie cyling, which means something about keeping calories lower for three consecutive days, then increasing them slightly two days out of the week.

I'm also trying not to go completely postal and crazy about beating myself up -- you have GOT to get serious Heather! But still, I downloaded new workouts today from Phit-n-Phat and am going to try to do a bit of cardio tonight, assuming I am not wiped out from being back at work today.

Happy Birthday to... My Thighs!!!!!!

OH MY GOD. My kid and all her little friends had their birthdays this past week. I was really good and either had no cake or just a tiny piece. Then there was the pizza, the chicken nuggets, the ziti... Are these people deliberately trying to sabotage my weight-loss efforts?

There was this one cake, it was so delicious. Heather, I would have given you all the cake and eaten the icing...just like at your wedding shower. The icing was buttercream and had a little almond extract in it. Soooo... good.... I was weak, I kept eating the icing left around the bottom of the cake.

I guess we'll see how this all plays out when I weigh-in on Thursday.

Absolutely nothing to do with weight loss

But look! The Daily Show now has every episode including... 

Slow and Steady...

So I weighed in earlier and I lost .8 pounds this week. That's a total of 7lbs in 6 weeks. I guess that's good. Heather said that slow and steady wins the race and that the slower it comes off, the easier it will be to keep it off.

But, I'm impatient. I want it off now! Guess I should stop having those nightly glasses of wine...

I've got Finley's kids party tomorrow, the adult party Saturday and two kids parties on Sunday. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cookies and Stuff

As predicted, this trip to LA has been harder than I thought to eat healthy. Last night was Cuban food, which was To DIE For, but I suspect the extra oil on the plate from the flank steak remains wasn't exactly calorie conscious. Still, I am awake at an obscenely early hour (I've actually got up an HOUR ago) to hit the treadmill and get my workout in. Gotta do it!

Tomorrow night's landmine: the Google Christmas party. God help me. I'm considering wearing the bridesmaid dress from your wedding; if I can fit into it. I think I can... The party is semi-formal and I'm sure will be jaw-dropping in terms of food and fun. Maybe they'll have a moon bounce!

Good luck at your weigh in tonight; hope you've had a great week!

P.S.

The previous post was written with nothing but love and admiration for Heather. : - )

Heather is a Blog-A-Holic

Ok, so I'm not addicted to blogging like SOME people we know (Heather), but I do have something to say. In fact, I've had a post written in my head since I weighed in last Thursday. I just never got it posted. Here goes.

You know that great scene in "Mr. Mom" when Michael Keaton is dropping the kids off for school and he's going the wrong way into the school's driveway and everyone is yelling, "You're doing it wrong!" Well, that's how I felt after weighing in last week. I only lost .4 lbs in 2 weeks after kicking my ass at the gym nearly every day. However, all of my exercising apparently doesn't mean squat if I'm not eating enough. If I exercise and eat the same amount, my body will hold onto what it has rather than shed the pounds. Go figure. So, I'm doing it wrong according to Weight Watchers, my husband, etc.

So, I need to go back to really counting points AND exercising AND eating enough. That's doing it right. We'll see if it works when I weigh in on Thursday.

Megan Has Gone Blog AWOL

So really, I'm posting solo. Sob.

I'm adopting the more-protein plan! I really am! I'm so freaking full I can barely move! I had cheese Thursday and Friday, and took massive amounts of Lactaid to avoid disastrous consequences, only to find that those things + a McDonald's double cheeseburger on Friday night = cement block stomach. Seriously. I ate prunes this morning, am taking my probiotics and drinking gallons of water. Please God let it help.

Yes, I ate a McDonald's cheeseburger. I was desperate, and stupid. I thought it was around 300 calories. Wrong. It's 440. Dammit.

You're probably wondering why I haven't weighed. This is why, though I'm considering the idea of weighing every day, rain or shine, just to get in the habit. That way I won't be pinning all my hopes, dreams and poo on one day. Know what I mean?

There Might Be Something to This Protein Thing...

No really. I am not hungry. At all. You know I cut out sugar (for the most part) in August, and that cut sugar cravings substantially (although the initial detox could only be described as sheer hell), but here I am, not hungry. FULL. I mean, Thanksgiving Full. I'm at 1,000 calories today and I can't even think about dinner yet. And I ate two hours ago! What is THAT? There may be something to this crazy protein amounts after all.

I'm going to LA next week for a conference (Electricity Markets 101 -- aren't you jealous?) on Tues-Thurs, which is always stressful to the diet. At these things the "continental breakfast" is always Sugar Bombs Galore, complete with a side of cream cheese (which I can't eat, sob). I always feel super guilty about not eating the free food, even though my company pays my way and my boss doesn't care if I spend $20 for eggs and blackberries. (That's the actual cost of my breakfast in Charlotte). I need to get over that. I plan on taking a bag of nuts and my beloved prunes for schnackies, but the meals will be a challenge. Damn. The good news is it looks like the hotel has a nice gym. Woo-woo! The bigger challenge, of course is figuring out how I'll get my hair products into the little containers so I don't have to check a bag... argh!

So Dat's How It Iz???

Look at you gettin' all up in my shizzle. : - ) I haven't posted because I've had family here and I've been cooking and eating. So basically, I'm scared to see if I've made any recent progress. I did not weigh in last week b/c of Thanksgiving. And I don't have a scale at home (I need to get one...) so, I have to wait until Thursday. I wouldn't say I've been counting points, but I've been trying really hard to eat good stuff and not overdo it.

But most importantly, I've stepped up the cardio 100 %. I went to the gym just about every day this last week and burned about 300 calories each time. I LOVE my new iPod shuffle. It rocks and really gets me going.

So, to summarize: No, I didn't get any vitamins, I have no idea how much I weigh, but my pants are all loose.

Until Thursday....

Ahem, Miss Megan?

Where are you? What's happenin wich-yo weight loss? You may be beating me pound-wise, but I am beating you in blog entries! Did get vitamins?

I've managed to stay within my damn calorie range, actually, over the past three days. This is progress! I'm also trying very hard to eat an astonishing 130 g of protein a day, which is extremely hard to do (harder than you'd think!). Yesterday I was at 100, even with 2 eggs and 3 whites for my second dinner. (First dinner = SBD pizza so gooooood.) Dangit -- much more room to go! I just went down to the salad bar to pile 5-6 oz of chicken on my salad. I'm so thankful (har har) to be eating another meat besides turkey, which I know we'll be eating for the next zillion years.

So update me and our three readers!

Great now I have that horrid 80s song in my head

Greetings! Did you get some vitamins?

So apparently I'm weighing 137.5. I've lost two whole pounds since we started. I suck, but I'm not giving up: I'm moving forward. I'm focusing on my calorie counts and not so much on the clean eating, although I will say without sugar cravings, things tend to be a lot easier. The other day someone brought in chocolate cheesecake to the office. Sweet and savory, what could be better? Actually, I can think of a lot of things, like egg whites with salsa. What the hell is that, right? I didn't have any cheesecake; the sweets don't appeal to me as much anymore. (Although I did fantasize about making out with a rich fudgy brownie yesterday; together we were magical.) So it's calories that are mattering for me more, and I'm not getting all crazy if I have a freaking glass of wine. If I have the calories to do so, then I'm doin it! You can't stop me!

I'm also sad -- I mean happy -- to report that I'm tapering off the coffee, which means half decaf in preparation for February or March's um, events?

Catch Me I'm Falling!!!!!!!!

With T-Giving looming on Thursday I'm currently battling with PMS. The food cravings are unreal. And it's not sweets or chocolate I want, it's pasta, cheese, chips, anything salty. I'm trying to be good. Making faux "comfort food" to take my mind off of it. But I can't escape the overwhelming desire to literally shove food in my mouth.

Snakehead, I will try and remember your advice to start taking a vitamin. Maybe that will help. I always remember that you told me to drink some milk. That definitely helps.

Ok, deep breath, I can do this....

Yay Megan, Possibly Boo for Me!

GO MEGAN!

But now about me: I've had a shitty week, eating-wise. Yesterday at work the lunch they provided for our meeting was FRIED FISH. Who the hell EATS THAT? The day before, it was freaking Thanksgiving feast. I had turkey, cranberry and canned -- CANNED -- green beans swimming in butter. Good god. For dinners I had the same thing Monday and Wednesday night; amazing pork tenderloin with sweet potato hash that must have had crack in hit, along with bacon, butter and maple syrup. Those nights I also had large glasses of wine. On the night of my birthday, I had skinny chicken at Macaroni Grill, which was fairly disgusting, and two bites of a really terrible birthday dessert my boss insisted I had to have.

I did have the same breakfast every morning; blackberries/blueberries, scrambled eggs and a 1/2 cup of shredded potatoes (it is possible they were lightly fried).

I had much more diet coke than I wanted, which predictably, brought back the sweets cravings from HELL. Today was the best day: same breakfast, shitty granola bar and diet coke, 2 larabars, 1 shitty salad with pulled chicken, 8 prunes, a Baja fresh salad with chicken (no cheese or tortilla strips), and some peanut butter.

Megan, you're winning and this will not do. :) I'm aiming to get back on track tomorrow. I'm trying not to freak out. I will say that having shitty sleep all week really didn't help. I'm headed to bed.

Go ME!!!

So, I haven't posted in a week because I was too focused on WW and losing weight since I was up a pound last week. I was discouraged and annoyed. Well, I stuck to the plan and voila, tonight I had lost 4.2 pounds for a total of 5.8 since I started. Not bad. I was so excited. I'm getting better at feeling full and the results are like a drug. I want more, MORE I TELL YOU.

Anyway... lots of challenges for the coming week. Dinner at Lisa's parents' tomorrow which means awesome food and lots of booze... Then going to friends' on Saturday who don't exactly eat healthy and then Thanksgiving next week. EEK!

Stay tuned...

Whose Idea Was this Anyway???

So, I weighed-in last night and I'm UP a pound. Yes, UP. I'm friggin' starving and I gained weight. However, I don't really think it was a gain as much as circumstance. I ate before the meeting and wore jeans. I was running errands after the meeting so I wanted to make sure I ate and didn't grab something on the run. Voila, Up a Pound...

Anyway, that's where we are. Apparently it's very common not to lose the second week. We'll see.

It's headed down

Ok, I just weighed in, it was 137 if I stood one way, 136.8 the other way. However, it was was 136.4 I think yesterday. Regardless, it's headed in the right direction -- down. The body fat reading was um, a weirdly 30.5% last night, a full 4 points down from where it was 10 days ago. Methinks that's inaccurate. I'm still trying to figure out how/when the best time to weigh vs. best time for body fat reading. My life is so hard!

Gleaming the Cube???

So, was Christian Slater "Gleaming the Cube" in your nightmare??? You know Katie Holmes looks AMAZING so that's a good sign, that you pictured yourself as someone fabulous.

I weigh-in this evening. I think I'm going to put some inspiring music like "The Final Countown" or "Eye of the Tiger" on my iPod for when I step on the scale. Wadda ya think?

I succumbed!

Fine, I had 2.5 pieces of bread. Fine. Fine. Fine. I surrender. I also had carpaccio and a green salad. Both were fantastic. I did not have wine or dessert -- major MAJOR accomplishments for me.

Megan, how did your weigh in go? I was down slightly this morning although I was so groggy I can't really recall. I had a dream that I was Katie Holmes, and I was dating this SUPER evil guy and for whatever reason he would hypnotize/drug me and then we'd do all of this horrible stuff like mug people and beat them up. Then I'd see them the next day, when I was back to my old self, and my friends and family were like WTF? And I'm like, what are you talking about? To boot, the guy looked like Christian Slater. I guess it officially qualifies as a nightmare then.

It was such a deep dream that I woke up at 6:20, and went back to sleep for TWENTY MINUTES and was able to hop right back in where I'd left off. Which was not where I wanted to be...

Does Dinner Equal Disaster???

So, we went out to dinner for our anniversary last night. I scouted the menu beforehand (my new obsession) to plan my meal. And food wise, I think I did well. I opted for the pan seared scallops instead of the breaded ones. And the meal came with tons of veggies. For an appetizer we got a cold thai chicken wrap. Nothing breaded or fried or anything. Very refreshing.

However, I did have two glasses of wine. They do a generous pour (6oz) but we were celebrating, right? I had a few bites of dessert and called it a day.

I have no idea how to calculate the points. Although a majority of them are alcohol. I guess as long as I don't go over my flex points, I'm fine.

I told Jon on the way home that I felt full, actually full and a little uncomfortable. Oh course, I felt crappy too, like that's a bad feeling and I'm going to gain weight this week instead of lose. I guess we'll find out tomorrow. Stay tuned...

The Shake Update

Ok it wasn't disastrous. I don't feel that great after having the shake. But I feel like it's too much. I'm trying to get permission from my kickass trainer to eat real food post-workout instead.

New Administrative Change

I realized today that for the three people (ok maybe four) that come to this blog, it's unclear who's writing which post. I have performed some magic, and now any post without my name is Megan's. Got it?

Flatulently Yours

So apparently I'm eating the wrong foods to maximize muscle recovery blah blah blah after my workout. I'm supposed to be drinking protein shakes. Here's why this is a problem:

I despise shakes. Unless it has oreos in it. Then I could summon enough bravado to have a sip or two. Seriously, I don't like smoothies or shakes or any of it. I remember being dragged to Orange Julius when I was a kid, and I *hated* it. It's a texture thing.

Circa 2004, I became lactose-intolerant. I have no idea why. It started about the time I clogged Megan's brand new toilet in her brand new house, on the day they moved in. Since then, ice cream is forbidden, as are most cheeses. I miss blue cheese, but the others I can take or leave. Now that I've tested my intolerance a few times, I've begun to associate cheese with spasmodic diarrhea, so it tends to not appeal to me anymore.

Protein shakes have whey, which is apparently a superior form of protein and makes your muscles recover/repair better after a hard strength training workout. Can you see me rolling my eyes? Good lord.

The three times I summoned the courage to try protein shakes, I blew up like a tick on a dog. I thought my pants were going to split open, I am not kidding. My bra hurt. My shirt went from fitting fine to buttons popping off. I felt awful.

It's been recommended that I try Soy Protein Powder and I make my own shakes. There is little chance this is happening, for the aforementioned reasons. Look, I'll get on the floor and bray like a donkey doing those GD glute lifts. I'll push hard in my workouts. I'll eat 6 times a day and carry my cooler around. But I really, really have to draw the line at making and worse, drinking protein shakes.

Don't Feed the Megan

I'll admit it - ever since I started Weight Watchers, I'm friggin' STARVING. I'm so terrified of going over my points and eating too much that I ration out my food and have yet to feel properly full. I'm sure I/my body/my stomach will get used to it, but right now it's making me cranky.

Any suggestions on low-point, filling foods, Snakehead?

This is a proactive blog post...

I can feel myself teetering towards dangerous territory calorie-wise; in other words, I feel a binge coming on... ruh-roh. I'm headed to SF for church with Laura and Becky, and then I'm not sure what we'll be up to. I'm going to try to push my calories to the 1,500 range today, rather than the 1,700. Yesterday it was 1,900, so I gotta make up for stuff. I'm packing my workout clothes and am planning a run/walk in Golden Gate Park. Fun!

Still, I'm happy to report that my body fat % has dropped 1-1.5% this week. Kickass. I'm excited. Hope you're having a good weekend.

Down 2.6

So, they tell me I should be happy about losing 2.6 pounds in a week. Slow and steady, easier to keep it off if it comes of gradually. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Why wasn't it 5lbs? I want to be skinny NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!

Seriously, I almost started crying when she told me how much I lost. I really thought it would be more. Impatient, party of 1. : - )

Waiting for the Weigh-In...

Three hours until I have my first weigh-in. I'm confident I've lost weight, I've been really good. But if I haven't lost like, 5 pounds, I'm going to be annoyed. Just kidding, I know it's a slow and steady thing (which I hate!) and that if you lose too much weight at once that's not good either. But I want results - NOW! Now I say.

Heather, I did see your comments. All good. Thank you!

Down 1.6

I think? Did I do the math right? 137.8 this morning, and fwiw, 1% decrease in body fat. I'll take it! I weighed this morning because tonight is my cheat meal, and I didn't want tons of pizza showing up on the scale manana.

Hope it goes well for you tonight!

Did you see my comments on the previous post?

Happy Halloween!

So, I've been having a good eating week. Staying on target with points. Stayed away from food pretty much at the parties we went to this past weekend. I actually ended up with one point I just couldn't use on Monday. Imagine that.

However, my child is driving me crazy, so, of course, all I want to do is eat and drink. Instead of running last night, I drove to the liquor store. Although, I had already done my brisk 45-minute walk during the day. Just as I'm feeling better about my weight and eating, I'm feeling crappy and insecure as a mom.

Can't we ever win?

H, glad to hear you're back on track. I knew you'd get there. xxoo

Aiming for the Middle

When the crazy train left the other day with me not only fully on board but actually driving, I was deep into my all-or-nothing mindset. It wasn't OK that I had gone over my calories by 100, it was THE END OF THE WORLD.

Now that I'm back in sane-town, I'm fighting hard to stay in the middle. My calorie range is between 1500-1700, and last night I tallied 1600 for the day. Perfect, right? Not in this crazy head! If I was really, really serious, I would have had exactly 1500. Now go have a cookie to feel better cause you're never gonna get to your goals.

And here's the thing -- crazy will always be there. It's my choice whether or not I want to listen to it, and let it get in the driver's seat. Last night I didn't. 1600 was right on target, and I went to bed instead of munching.

This is progress!

Megan, how are you doing?

Sufficiently Talked Down From Ledge

Hookay. I'm better. I removed the whip from my overly self-critical hands and have stopped beating myself up, and thinking WAY WAY WAY too much about my body/weight/body image issues.

Here's what I'm trying to remember in a Stuart Smalley kinda way:

• Every step towards the goal is a good one. Steps sideways are bound to happen.


• I am not my body.


• Every meal, every opportunity to work out, is a choice I make.

In other news, my daily weigh ins are going well; I'm trying to figure out the scale's sensitivity and how water/workouts affect the numbers. I did 45 mins. of cardio yesterday -- woo woo! But went over on my calories. I've picked more veggies to eat today and am trying to do better. And not dwell.

Egads

There's this. Effing scale. Effing me and my self-sabotaging. Gawd.

The Dreaded Birthday Party

Today is my first BIG potential stumbling block in my quest to lose weight: the first birthday party. They'll be cake, candy, chex mix, the whole thing. What to eat? What not to eat? How to use my points wisely?

I'm planning on having a big, filling lunch so I don't go to the party on empty stomach. And I'll spend my time chasing Finley rather than hanging around the food table.

In addition... we have a Halloween Party tomorrow at our neighbor's. I offered to bring some snacks for the adults so that I have something healthy to snack on.

I'll let ya know how it goes...

Today's Educational Article

I'm basically obsessed with reading as much as I can about exercise. Here's my latest finding:

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-interval15jan15,1,1952620,print.column?coll=la-headlines-health

Yes, I realize it's from about 10 months ago. I'm over that.

http://crankyfitness.blogspot.com/2007/06/interval-training-sorry-its-very-good.html

Vacation was um, bad for me?

Right. I'm 3.5 lbs. heavier than the last time I weighed. Now, here's the part where I give you the caveats: yesterday I had my cheat meal, which was a fantastic hamburger and fries. For dinner. Not to be gross, but it's still in me. So there's that weight. AND I lifted on Wednesday night and am positive I'm carrying around the water from that.

So here's my weight: 139.8

However, I will weigh tomorrow and may in future weeks have to move my cheat meal to another night. This is no way to start a Friday!

In This Corner, Weighing in At...

160 pounds...Yes folks...In the boxing world, that would make me a "Middleweight". But, I went to my meeting and found out that WeightWatchers online was docking me 2pts per day - no wonder I've been starving! The meeting was ok, not very inspirational, but oh well.

So, Heather, where ya at?

I like this picture of us too.

If Only I Liked Dates...

Ah yes, your recipe looks yummy if not for the dates or raisins or whatever you put in it. You know I don't like "small food." : - )

I made WW Sloppy Joes for dinner and just had them for lunch with a salad. DELISH! I find myself searching the cupboards for low-point snacks. Why did I have to start this while I have PMS???

It's been raining for two days which makes going outside for walks (i.e. exercise) very difficult. I'm jealous of all your gym time...

I'll report in after my weigh-in this evening. YIKES!

New Recipe, and thoughts for the day

Hola! M, how you doin?

I made a recipe last night that I think kicks ass:

4 c oats
1 c unsweetened applesauce
6 egg whites (or maybe it was 5)
8 dates, pitted and chopped up (which was challenging, dang those things are sticky)
Cinnamon to taste

Mix together. Throw in baking pan, and flatten out so it looks even. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Cut into 6 portions.

This makes HUGE oatmeal bars that have tons of protein and are very filling. I completely stole the recipe from someone else, and didn't add Splenda. I find that if a portion is HUGE, I can totally fool myself into thinking it's more food than it actually is. These are 250 calories, with 6 g of fiber and 10 g of protein.

I kept on track with my calories last night, and did extra cardio. Cup of coffee before the workout is like pure magic.

Ah Memories

This reminds me of when we started WW (me for the umpteenth time), circa early 2005, and we called each other the night before work to report the contents of our coolers: "Mexican meatloaf. Check. Strawberries. Check. Oatmeal. Check." It was all BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES!

Speaking of starting WW for the umpteenth time, I can't say there's ONE reason why I've kept this 20 lb. fat suit on all this time. Everyone who knows me knows that I've been talking about losing weight for as long as I can remember. The reasons are: to prevent unwanted attention from men, to cope emotionally, as everyone knows stressed is desserts spelled backwards, to deal with the unpredictability in life, cause if I was heavy, at least it felt safe and predictable.

It doesn't matter what the reasons were. I tend to forget this and live a good portion of my life in problem avoidance/why god why/poor me land. Where I have really no right to live. Perhaps visit, but not live. I have a great life! I'm happy. Healthy. I have a lot to be thankful for.

Where was I going with this? Oh right, talking about weight loss. I'm ready to go for my goals. I'm tired of fighting myself -- the up and down cycle of I HAVE TO HAVE A COOKIE RIGHT NOW and then beating the crap out of myself for it. Nothing worth having in this life isn't achieved by hard work. So I'm ready to do it.

GO US!

Finley's Mom Used to Have it Going On...

Back in the day, I was what you'd call, well... a hottie. Working out almost every day, eating well (re: Lean Cuisines) and having short, sassy hair and a wicked wit got me lots of attention (good and bad...) Then I found the man of my dreams and we settled down and about two years ago had a baby.

I always wanted to be the "hot mom," like Rachel Hunter in the "Stacey's Mom" video. And while my hair is still short and sassy, the boobs are droopy and the thighs are puffy. I stay home with Finley so there's lot of lunch dates at the mall, drive throughs and finishing whatever she doesn't. I started running and was doing well, but then... I have no idea what happened. But I stopped. But I kept eating. And bitching about eating. And taking my clothes to the consignment store because they're too small.

I'm over it.

I weigh almost as much as I did when I delivered my daughter and I refuse to pack another 30 pounds on top of that. I've taken a cue from Heather and decided to do something about it. No second baby until I lose 20 pounds. It may sound silly, losing all that weight just to "get fat," but that's what I'm gonna do. I didn't use my pregnancy as an excuse to eat, in fact I took even better care of myself then than I do know. Sigh.

So, here's where I stop bitching and start some action. Step 1: I joined Weight Watchers. Step 2: Step-up the exercise.

Stay tuned...