1st day back to Weight Watchers meetings

Not sure If I told you but they are doing a Weight Watchers at work program. I decided to sign up, I seem to follow the plan so much better when I attend meetings & with the meeting being right at work I have no excuses not to go. Today was the first meeting, however I missed it because I did not go to work. We had yet another snow storm today & I do whatever I can not to drive in it so I took the day off. I did still start the plan today on my own & I am looking for a lose next week at weight in. I am excited to be back in the swing. For exercise today I did the Wii Fit for a little over an hour. I am really starting to like it a lot. I don't think I get nearly as good a workout as I do on the Elliptical or treadmill but it is fun & I am moving.

Food for today

Breakfast=Steel cut oats with 1/4cup Fiber One & Orange

Lunch= Salad & Turkey muffin

Snack=Greek Yogurt with 1/4 cup peanut butter puffs & apple, Granola bar & Hot chocolate

Dinner= Turkey, sweet potato & corn (I ate 1/2 then remembered to take a pic)

Weights

I did some weights at the gym today. I am not sure how much I should be lifting & for how many reps. I did the machines & a few free weights, I did 2 sets of 15 reps not sure if that was enough. I want to feel the burn & I don't think I did on most of the exercises. I really want to hire a Personal trainer for a few sessions but it is so expensive. I think I am going to try to save up for it. I also did a warm up on the treadmill for 10 minutes then after the weights I did 50 minutes on the elliptical. I ended up burning 750 calories at the gym today go me. I think Fridays will be my long day at the gym, I get out of work at 11 am so it gives me pretty much all day so no excuses. I also have new motivation, we are going on vacation in August to The Dominican Republic to an all inclusive resort. I don't want to feel so self conscious in a bathing suit so I really need to stick to the workouts & good eating.

Food for today

Breakfast= Steel cut oats & an apple

Lunch= Special K protein bar ( I was out and about all day & had to eat on the run)

Snack= Pineapple & cinnamon raisin bread & Hot chocolate

Dinner= Subway turkey on wheat no cheese with lots of veggies & baked lays ( baked lays & processed turkey so not clean eating I am sure)

Loving it

I am loving the clean eating. Not sure if I am really following clean eating to the T but I do feel so much better. I have not had a headache in 2 days & I feel so much more energized. I am eating a lot more fruit & vegetables, Whole wheat instead of white flour items & lean meats. I do visit the bathroom more often but I guess that is a good thing. I did not make it to the gym today nor did I get any exercise in. We are having a pot luck at work tomorrow & I am making a Death By Chocolate so I had to go to 2 different stores to get the stuff then come home & make it. ( I will not have any). I am not making excuses just saying why also I just did not feel like it. The Death by Chocolate does smell & look yummy but I don't even want any. I actually won't eat anything at the pot luck because I get out at 11am so I think I will be gone before it starts.

Food for today

Breakfast= Steel cut oats with Cinnamon, Orange

Lunch=Egg frittata, Salad & Pineapples

Snack= Fiber one bar, Popcorn & Hot chocolate

Dinner= Grill cheese on whole wheat, Noodle Soup, peppers & tomatoes

Back to the gym

I finally got my ass back to the gym tonight. Just got back. I did the elliptical for 50 minutes. I feel so much better that I went. I am rejuvenated I am planning on going Friday after work to do cardio & weights. I think tomorrow I will do the treadmill or an exercise video or I might just go back to the gym. I am considering hiring a personal trainer for 3 sessions, I might have to wait a bit however because the funds are kind of low. I signed up for the Weight Watchers at work program so I will be weighting in on Wednesdays starting next week. I am excited to get back to the meetings I always do so much better when I go to meetings vs just doing it on line.

Food for today

Breakfast=Oats with cinnamon & 1/4 cup Almond Breeze, Grapes

Lunch= Salad with egg white, Crasins & almonds with light Italian dressing, Pineapple

Dinner= Whole wheat tortilla with lean beef, lettuce, tomato & laughing cow cheese, Sugar snap peas, Tomato & Roasted pepper soup.

Snacks= Special K crackers with Laughing cow cheese & night snack=Tea & Popcorn

So far so good

I have almost made it thru day 2 of my new eating plan. I was able to upload the food pictures yesterday so go check it out. Today was such a memorable day with the inauguration of President Obama. I was able to sneak away from my desk to watch it & it was great.

I do feel a little better today, but again I woke up with a migraine. I am going to have to see the doctor if this keeps happening. I have had a migraine everyday since last Wednesday & it is not fun. Maybe now that I am eating better that will help. I did not go to the gym today because I am still not feeling 100% & I just did not feel like it. I am defiantly going tomorrow.

Food for today

Breakfast= 1 cup grapes, 1/2 cup oats with 2 oz almonds

Lunch= Wheat wrap with 1 3/4oz chicken, 1tb hummus & lettuce, Peppers & an orange

Dinner= 1cup wheat pasta, 18 small shrimp, 1/4 cup sauce & 1 slice lite garlic bread

I did not take a picture of dinner sorry.

Snacks= egg white & V8, apple with low fat cheddar cheese & 100 calorie popcorn.

First Day

OK so today was my first day of trying to eat clean. Well my mix of eating clean & Weight Watchers. Not sure how I did but I feel good about it. I took pictures of my meals & I will post them at the bottom. I ended up not going to work today. I woke up & showered to go but then I just did not feel good, I ended up watching TV all day long. I did manage to get off my but at 5:30 to snow blow the drive way then make dinner. I will get back to the gym tomorrow. I do feel so much better when I exercise so I don't know why I get in these moods where I just don't feel like going. I think once you get in the groove of going it gets much easier to go.

It seems my computer does not want to upload my pictures so I will try later.


OK I think it is working now

Breakfast= Pineapple, Ezekiel Cinnamon raisin toast & Egg Frittata






















Lunch=Steel Cut Oats with 1/2 an apple & Cinnamon, side=1/2 an apple with low fat cheese
































Dinner= Salad, Pork Chop, Sweet Potato baked fries, Asparagus & Peppers

Pound For Pound Challenge Widget

Getting ready

I have spent the day getting ready to start clean eating. I will be combing the clean eating with the Weight Watchers plan. I did buy the clean eating cookbook yesterday, I also picked up the Biggest Loser Family cookbook. I spent today looking over the books & preparing food for the week. I think I like the Biggest Loser cookbook better. Well for me it is better because it has a lot more recipes I will actually like. I made the Tex-Mex-Frittatas (pg 20 in BL cookbook) this morning ( I have not tried them yet ) they look good. I thought it would be a good quick breakfast. They are made in a cupcake pan so it is a good size to have in the morning. I made sauce, chicken soup & the frittatas today. I also cut up a pineapple & some kiwi. I put almonds in snack size baggies at 2oz each & packaged grapes in snack baggies. Everything is all set to just grab & go so no excuses.

Getting ready

Clean Eating

I started reading a book called the Eat Clean Diet I must say it is very good. (was recommended by Ron) I am going to try to eat as clean as I can this coming week. It looked like I would even enjoy some of the recipes that are in the book. I noticed they also have a Eat Clean cook book I am thinking of getting, Who am I kidding I am so inpatient I will go out & get it today. I will let you know what I think of it. Yesterday after work ( I only work till 11am on Fridays & love it) I went to Whole Foods, I had never been but have heard great things about it. I did not think that greatly of it. I thought it was a bit over priced. I do think they have a lot of great things but why expensive. I did get some fruits & vegetables & some of this almond milk I have read so much about, I have not tried it yet. I then went to Trader Joe's & spent another $70 but I did get a lot of healthy stuff. I am getting excited to start my Clean Eating lifestyle,

On a happy note my friends Kathleen & JT had a baby boy last night Daniel John, I am so happy for them it is their first baby. I am so excited to go visit today.

Clean Eating

All talk no action

All talk no action that is what I am!! I say I am going to eat healthy & exercise & what do I do just the opposite. Why can't I get control over my life? I just want to be normal. I don't want to obsess over food. I don’t want to be lazy, but I find my self doing those things. I am going to take the weekend to do some research & come up with a plan that I hope I will stick to. I have heard that if you cut out white flour & sugar from your diet it helps with cravings of sweets. I think I am going to try to do that. I am going to try to eat only fruits, vegetables, whole grains & lean meats.

Addicted to Food

Do you think one can be a food addict? I believe you can be addicted to food. I feel as though I am. I get these food cravings and all I can think about is food & getting it & eating it just like an addict would be with a drug. Not just any food ( I wish it was healthy food) but food like cookies, chocolate, nachos & quesadillas to name a few. I am sitting here thinking of cookies right now. I was just working along & for some reason cookies popped in my head. So I start thinking who am I kidding I can not defeat this I should just go to the vending machine & buy the cookies or go to the store on the way home & buy a bag. My mouth starts to water & it is all I can think about. I have not gone to the vending machine & I have decided not to. I am writing about it instead and hoping this will make me feel better. I just read a blog by FiTCETERA (katschisfitcetera.blogspot.com/) her post has hit a spot with me, I had some crackers yesterday & ever since then I have been wanting to eat. Could that be what triggered my brain? I am going to try to start eating more clean. I did read the clean eating book & thought I would love to eat clean however I am not a big vegetable person. I have been trying more vegetables lately. I am going to try to start out slow by substituting one clean food for a processed food a day. I will let you know how it is going. I know this post is all over the place but I must say I am already feeling so much better.

Now on to yesterdays mess. I started the day off good with my eating. Then lunch came around I was going to just have a snack & then have lunner at around 4 (lunner is my combination of lunch & dinner). I was cold so instead I decided to have soup. Well I ate the whole can of Cream of Broccoli soup & about 30 crackers along with it. I didn't feel like exercising but after I ate that I felt so bad I did the treadmill. Now here is the good part I jogged for a record breaking 45 minutes in a row. Go me!! But the bad eating did not stop I ate more crackers then dinner. I need to get control. I will let you know tomorrow how today ended up.

WHY!!!

Why is it I work my but off exercising everyday & eat healthy & lose 4 pounds, while my husband did not do one lick of exercise, did not watch what he eats & loses 8 pounds? It just is not right. Granted I am very happy I lost 4 pounds but it is so upsetting that I have to do so much to lose it and my husband doesn't have to do anything. I am not going to let this deter me however, I will use it to motivate me.

We went out to dinner on Friday night to Outback. I went online prior to going & figured out how many points I had left for the day & planned on what I was going to eat. I did not have any bread ( I could have had a piece but I probably would not stopped at 1 so why bother). I had a salad without cheese & croutons with fat free tangy tomato dressing. I had a 6oz sirloin with 5 shrimp no butter & a plain sweet potato. It was a very good meal & I did not feel as though I was missing out on anything. I was very happy I stuck to my plan.

I went to the gym on Friday & did legs, the cybex for 20 min then the elliptical for 45 minutes, it was a great workout. Yesterday I did a step aerobics tape. Yesterday we got more snow so I think today is a stay at home all day kind of day. I am planning on doing the treadmill later this afternoon .

Should I take a day off???

Should I take a day off? That is what I was trying to convince my self yesterday.(from exercise). I almost convinced my self but then I realized that is how I end up getting off track. I committed to exercise at least 20 minutes everyday & I am going to stick to it. I ended up doing an hour of exercise. I started of with 25 minutes of Turbo sculpt then went on the Wii fit for the rest of the time. I was so glad I did it & did not decide to skip. You know you never regret exercising but you almost always regret not exercising. I am taking a new attitude, when I don't feel like exercising I have to remember how good it makes me feel. Usually I just decide I don't want to exercise & I don't, I don't even think about it. If I think about how good exercise is for me I think I would be more likely to do it. That can go the same for food. I get into these funks where I get obsessed with food, all I can think about is getting a fix. I think if I think of the consequences before I binge that might deter me from binging. I must say I have not had the bad food funk since the new year, I am hoping it will stay away.

Motivation

What is your motivation?? What made you say it is time to lose weight & get healthy. I would love to hear your answers. My ah moment, well I can't say there was a specific moment probably a life time of moments that built up. Not being able to fit on a ride at 6 flags after waiting in line for an hour, not being able to fit in nice clothes, being squashed in a plane seat & being depressed are all just some of the things that have lead me to a healthier life. I started on this journey on September 20, 2005 at 254.5 pounds. I am starting 2009 at 208.7 pounds, yes I have lost 46.3 pounds but I should be so much further. I was down to 177.6 pounds in August of 2007. What happened that I got off track, I don't know. I would do good for a week then do bad for 2 weeks this has been my life for the past year. Well no more I have been so motivated by all your blogs & I feel so much better about my self. I know I can do this & I will, I am looking forward to 2009 & how much better my life will from eating healthy & exercising. No excuses.

Yesterdays menu ( I did go over my daily points by 1.5 but I have 32 of my weekly points left)

Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Morning
1 serving(s) 100 cal English muffin
1
1 serving(s) jelly
0
1 cup(s) pineapple
1
1 tsp olive oil
1
1 coffee 2 cup w/skim/ff cream
1
1 omelet
3
Subtotal
7
Midday
1 salad
5
Subtotal
5
Evening
1 1/2 serving(s) stuffed shells
9.5
roll - Quick-added food
2
Subtotal
11.5
Anytime
1 small apple(s)
1
5 cup(s) reduced-fat microwave-popped popcorn, 94% fat-free
1
100 cal snack - Quick-added food
2
TEA W/ FF MILK
0
Subtotal
4
Food POINTS values total used
27.5
Food POINTS values remaining
0
Activity
treadmill wii - Activity I created
7
Activity POINTS values earned
7

7 Days!!

7Days, that is how long I have been eating healthy & exercising for at least 20 minutes a day. I love it, I feel great.

The month prior I was not eating well, OK I was eating everything & anything in sight. I did not exercise much either. I felt awful, I had bad heartburn, no energy & was not sleeping well. Since I have been on track I am sleep better, no more heart burn & I have way more energy. The pictures are from today's workout. Showing off my sweat.

Yesterday I went to the gym & did the elliptical for 50 minutes, boy did I work up a sweat. I stayed within my points for the day also.

Food for yesterday

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Morning
1 tbsp reduced-calorie pancake syrup
0.5
1 steel cut oats
3
egg white/v8
0
Subtotal
3.5
Midday
1 item(s) Chocolate
1
lc flat bread - Quick-added food
7
1 cup(s) grapes
1
Subtotal
9
Evening
1 cup(s) mixed greens
0
dressing light ranch - Quick-added food
2
5 oz cooked chicken fillet
4.5
1 medium cooked sweet potato
2
Subtotal
8.5
Anytime
1 large orange(s)
1
almonds - Quick-added food
2
ww brownie - Quick-added food
2
TEA W/ FF MILK
0
Subtotal
5
Food POINTS values total used
26
Food POINTS values remaining
0
Activity
elliptical - Activity I created
5
Activity POINTS values earned
5

7

New Year new gym schedule

So with the New Year comes new people at the gym, a lot of new people. I have changed my gym schedule to try to dodge the rush. I was going after work however it has become so crowded at that time I have decided to go later at night. I don't like to feel rushed with my exercise & when there are people waiting I feel rushed. I also don't want to go all the way to the gym & not be able to use the machines I want because they are all full. I went last night at 7:30 & it was nice. Not a lot of people & I felt relaxed. I did 50 minutes on the elliptical. I guess I have to get use to it again, I only took about 1 week off from the gym but boy did I feel it. My feet kept going numb & I was a bit short winded, but I did they whole 50 minutes. I was going to exercise at home tonight but we are in for yet another storm tomorrow so I think I will go to they gym tonight & exercise at home tomorrow.


I did good with my eating yesterday, I defiantly got in more fruits & vegetables & even an oil. I am going to start posting my food again it helps keep me from the food I should not eat.

Monday, January 05, 2009

Morning
1 1/2 serving(s) coffee creamer
1
1 steel cut oats
3
egg white/v8
0
Midday

1 item(s) Chocolate pudding
1
1 salad
4
Subtotal
5
Evening
4 1/2 oz cooked extra lean ground beef
5
ENGLISH MUFFIN - Quick-added food
1
FRENCH FIRES - Quick-added food
3
1 packet(s) Lemonade mix
0
1 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
2
1 cup(s) cooked green beans
0
1 tsp olive oil
1
Subtotal
12
Anytime
1 medium pear(s)
1
1 medium orange(s)
1
NIGHT SNACK - Quick-added food
2
TEA W/ FF MILK
0
Subtotal
4
Food POINTS values total used
25
Food POINTS values remaining
1

A successful weekend!!!

I had a very successful weekend in VT. I was able to control my food & my alchole. I actually wasn't even tempted by the chips & Ice cream my friends had. On the way up we stopped at the grocery store & bought mostly healthy food. My friends did by some unhealthy food that I did not eat. We cooked all our meals so that helped a lot. Friday night we made grilled barbeque chicken, Sweet potato fries (baked in the oven) & salad. For breakfast on Saturday & on Sunday we made omelets with 1 egg & egg white, ham & peppers, Turkey bacon, pineapple & light English muffin with jelly. We ate kind of late so we did not have lunch we had some snacks instead. I did have to pieces of cheese & crackers but I did not have any of the pepperoni or potato chips. For dinner we had Grilled pork chops, grilled peppers, some more sweet potato fires (they were so yummy) & I had a bud light. So all in all I only went over my points all weekend by 5. I also got some exercise in, we went walking in the snow on Saturday morning for 40 minutes then had to shovel. Yesterday morning we went walking for 50 minutes. So all in all it was a great healthy weekend. I will post some pictures once I have time to download them.

Off & Running

I am off to a great start, New Years day was a success. I stayed with in my points & got some exercise in. I did 50 minutes on the treadmill. I did not do any running but I did walk at a 4.0. I started off saying I wanted to do at least 20 minutes & then after the 20 minutes I said I can do 10 more & so on. I find that works for me when I don't want to work out, If I say I have to do at least 20 minutes it usually turns into more.

So I am off to VT for the weekend with a few of my girlfriends & our dogs. I went to the store this morning & bought some low cal snacks so I will have healthy snacks with me. I think we might go snowshoeing so I will get some exercise in. I have never been but I bet it is hard. I am going to bring a workout DVD just in case we don't go. I went to the gym this morning & did 50 minutes on the elliptical machine. You can defiantly tell it is a new year by all the people at the gym. Well I am off have a great weekend.

2009

stuck to my plan. I know the day is not over but I feel like I can really do it this time. I just have to keep it up & not slack at all. My new matto is I

Happy 2009 to all. I am happy to say I have can do it. ( I have this bracelet as inspiration) Last night we had a party & I ate so much yummy food & drank way to much wine. I actually thought for a moment as I was putting the left overs away, maybe I should start on Friday instead ( so I could continue to eat all the great food today). However a minute later I said to myself "self, no you are going to start tomorrow, the food will taste the same tomorrow as it does today & you had your fill today" so I woke up this morning with a new attitude. We had a few friends stay over so we made our annual breakfast. I ate scrambled eggs (1 egg & 1 egg white with fat free cream & cooked in Pam), Turkey bacon 2 slices, turkey sausage 2 slices & a potato. Then for lunch they all ate the fatty leftovers & I had 2 slices of chicken. I feel great that I said I was going to start Jan 1 & I did. Now I just have to get my exercise in today. Here is to a new life.