gained weight and lost points

To say I've been lax with WW is an understatement. I've been totally doing whatever I want...and it's finally come back to bite me.

I gained this week. I know it's due in part to the fact I overindulged on Mothers Day (read: brunch, with FAB pastries, and then dinner with cheesecake), AND... the fact that E isn't really nursing as much as he used to, yet I've still been using the extra points. He only nurses at night now and I know that's not enough to warrant the extra 7 points per day I was getting when he was nursing more often.

So.... I edited my settings so I'm no longer getting the nursing points, and I'm determined to track every day this week. I've also been trying to get out and walk everyday. The kids have been asking to ride their bikes to school since the weather has been so nice and that means I get to walk them to school and walk back to pick them up. ;) I'm pretty sure it equals out to about 5 miles a day. I need to check it on my car next time I drive to school to be sure.

Either way... I'm moving more so that's a plus. ;)

Week Eight: results (a little late)

I forgot to post my results last week. Truth be told, I wasn't all that proud. My "slip-ups" from the previous weeks finally caught up to me. I gained. :(

March, as I have said before, is a very hard month. We have a birthday part almost every weekend and then there are the Friday night fish fry's my mother insists on taking us too every week as well. (I'm good though, and get baked fish and veggies). I also realize I am an adult and can simply say no... but how sad is it for an old women to go to a fish fry alone?? haha ;) (she's not really that old.. but the picture of her sitting alone at a table at St. Joes IS pretty depressing.. ;)

Anyway... I think that a gain was just what I needed to get back on track. I hopped on the scale this AM and I'm happy with the direction it's headed. I'm excited to see what it reads on Wed.

Week seven: results

So.... I didn't lose this week. BUT that is ok, because honestly... I was expecting a gain, so... it's fine.

I didn;t track at all and pretty much ate everything I saw. Not sure why... just had one of those weeks. But this week.... I am determined to get back on track. I am even going to start running again. The weather has been AMAZING and I can actually run outside now. ;)

Here's to a better week!!!!!

Week Six: results

I gained. :( it was only a pound...and I know exactly what happened.... But I'm still mad at myself.

Not much more to say....just going to let it all go and start fresh today. I'm still down from when I started, by a lot. So that's good.

Skeered

Its almost 1am.....and I will weigh-in in less than 8 hours. I'm hoping I miraculously lose 2lbs in my sleep.

This was not a good week. I am certain I gained. :/

I am not looking forward to 8am.

Week Five: results

Another week, and another POUND, down!

I lost only 1 lb this week, but I am NOT complaining. March is a crazy month for our family. Between our kids and my sisters kids, there are THREE birthdays, one every weekend just about. Then we have St Pattys day... Fish Fry Fridays (no, we are not Catholic... but the local Catholic Church does Fish Fry Fridays, and it reminds my mom of her childhood.. so we go). So far I've been good, and gotten the baked fish with veggies. BUT...the veggies are smothered in butter... lol, so not very healthy. And I of course can't eat the fish w/o tarter sauce. I usually try and save up most of my points for the dinner though. So far I think I've done well. ;)

This weekend we have ANOTHER birthday.... but I know I'll be okay. I'm going to have fruit and veggie trays at the party, so that will help me not over eat when it comes to the pizza and cake. AND.. with the warming weather... I'm planning to get out for some walks. ;)

So far I'm feeling really good this time around. I'm not losing as fast as I did the first time.... but that's okay. I'm losing and if I keep at this pace I'll be at my goal by the end of April, if not before. AND... if I keep at it... I'll be well below my goal by June!! :) The next step is getting in shape. I'm losing weight.. but I'm flabby.

Smoothie Challenge!

I was informed about this great Smoothie Challenge happening over HERE. I decided to go for it.

I started March 2nd (a day behind).. but am LOVING it so far. I am really bad eating my veggies. I mean, I eat salads.. but really... there are better veggies that I should be eating on a daily basis. And I don't even get a salad in on a daily basis.

Enter... the Smoothie Challenge. ;)

Since all fruit and (most) veggies are 0 points on WW, I was really excited about this! I have been able to make HUGE smoothies each day that are only 2 POINTS!!! That's IT!! And they are really really good. I've been experimenting with different fruits... figuring out what I like best... and this morning I made my BEST one yet!!

Here's what I did:

-1/2 C Yoplait Light and Fit Vanilla yogurt (you can use any yogurt you want.. this one just had the fewest calories per cup)
-1/2 C fat free milk
-handful of ice (more or less depending in how thick you want your smoothie)                  -handful of fresh baby spinach leaves
-handful of baby carrots
-one whole banana
-about 1/3 to 1/2 of a fresh mango (incidentally... if you have a good method for cutting up/peeling mangos, please share! as mine usually end up looking like Freddy Krueger cut them up..LOL)
-about 1/2 cup or more, cut up pineapple. You can use canned if you want.. just be sure to drain the juice. ;)
-a splash of sugar free vanilla syrup. I think I used maybe 1/4 C?? I really don't know... I just sort of eyeballed it. (you can find it in the coffee isle. I use Torani. Delish! And I like it because it uses REAL vanilla.)

This will make about 6 cups, and is 2 points+ TOTAL! So if you split it... it's only 1point+ ;) I But I usually end up drinking practically the whole thing myself. I've been having one for breakfast daily. 

I have been mixing it up with the fruit, trying different combos, but the two constants have been the carrots and baby spinach. I ALWAYS add those two things. They are both really healthy and honestly... I can't taste them at all. Though my smoothies have been kind of green.. ;) BUT if you can get past how they look.. they are sooo good!!

 

Week Four: results

The end of another week. AND... the results are in! :)

I'm down another 1.5 lbs!!!! :) :) :)

That makes a total of 5.5 lbs lost so far. It's not as much as I would have hoped for by this point, but since I stayed the same last week and I've been sick pretty much the whole month of Feb, I'd say it's not that bad. I need to learn to not be so hard on myself. I'm losing weight and I'm eating better and ultimately, that is my goal. ;)

This week I'm going to try and incorporate smoothies into my daily eating plan. I am really bad about getting enough veggies into my diet and I think if I toss some spinach leaves and carrots in with some fruit... hopefully that will help. We recently got a new blender and I'm hoping it's string enough to puree the carrots and spinach.

PLUS.... since fruits and veggies are 0 points.... I'll only have to count the yogurt and milk. Smoothies can be really filling, so I'm hoping I can figure out a good 1 or 2 point recipe that really helps to fill me up. ;)

Week Three: results

NO GAIN!! Also.. no loss. :( BUT.. for how I ate this week I am NOT complaining. A wedding, GS Cookies, and then Fat Tuesday!! For those who don't know, Fat Tuesday is "Paczki Day" in Michigan.

A Paczki is a GIGANTIC custard or jelly filled donut and is a Polish tradition.

From wikipedia:

In Poland, pączki are eaten especially on Fat Thursday (the last Thursday before Ash Wednesday). Many Polish Americans celebrate Pączki Day on Fat Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday). The traditional reason for making pączki was to use up all the lard, sugar, eggs and fruit in the house, because their consumption was forbidden by Catholic fasting practices during Lent.
In the large Polish community of Chicago, and in other large cities across the Midwest, Pączki Day is celebrated annually by immigrants and locals alike. In Buffalo, Toledo, Cleveland, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, South Bend, and Windsor, Pączki Day is more commonly celebrated on Fat Tuesday instead of Fat Thursday. Chicago celebrates the festival on both Fat Thursday and Fat Tuesday, due to its sizable Polish population. Chicagoans also often eat pączki on Casimir Pulaski Day.
In Hamtramck, Michigan, an enclave of Detroit, there is an annual Pączki Day (Shrove Tuesday) Parade,^[4] which has gained a devoted following. In the Metro Detroit area, it is so widespread throughout the region that many bakeries have line-ups for pączki on Pączki Day.^[5] The Pączki Day celebrations in some areas are even larger than many celebrations for St. Patrick's Day.^{[citation needed]} In some areas Pączki Day is celebrated with pączki-eating contests. The eating contest in Evanston, Illinois, started in 2010, and is held on the weekend before Fat Tuesday, while Hamtramck's contest is held on the holiday.





If you want to know more... click HERE So, being Michiganders... we OF COURSE had to celebrate! I ate one (ok, I ate two.. but I regretted the second one almost immediately). 

This week though.... I WILL be better. It helps that I think I'm coming down with the flu or something. Nothing like a good nasty bug to help curb that appetite. *ugh* I am NOT sorry to see Feb go. This month we have ALL be so sick. It's been awful. We just get over one thing and then another thing knocks us out again.

Fail.

That's pretty much how this week has gone. Between a weekend wedding, and Girl Scout Cookies, and Valentines day candy.......I am terrified to get on the scale Wednesday morning. I just bombed this week. :(

But, the great thing about this program is that each week is a new start. So I failed this week....no big deal. Next week will be better.

I hope anyway. I am really hoping I didn't gain. Staying the same would be okay. I just hope I didn't gain.

We will see in a couple days.

Week Two: results

Another week down. And another pound+ lost. ;) This week was much easier. I lost 1.5 lbs. I was hoping for more, but what can ya do. That's still a loss, so I am happy. :)

I wasn't as hungry as I was that first week. And I've found some great snacks/meals that are working well for me right now. Cheerios with yogurt= delish. My hubby hates it, thinks it's nasty. LOL But it's really filling and yummy. Much better than a bowl of Cheerios with milk and separate yogurt.

ANyway... just a quick post today. On to week 3!!!

Week One: results

So, week one of WW is done. :) AND... I will say that I am happy with the results. I lost 2.5 lbs. :) (I'm starting to think that 4lbs my scale said I lost was a fluke, or just water or something) Regardless... I STILL lost! AND... 2.5 lbs is more than I ever lost in one week when I re-joined just after I had Easton. So, I'm happy with that. I hope this trend keeps up.

I will be honest, it was hard to stay on plan some days. I blame it on the fact I didn't have a lot of healthy snack alternatives in the house. I need to be better prepared this week. I also need to not be afraid to eat during the day. I get in this mindset where I want to hoard all my points until nighttime so I can eat a lot if I want, but then I'm hungry during the day. It's not a good way to feel.

So, it's on to Week Two. :) I'm excited and really REALLY hoping I can stick with this for the long run. I'm still sick (getting worse it seems), but again.. that only helps my cravings/appetite so it's not all bad. ;)

Here's to a FAB Week Two!!!!

Because cookies are a great idea when you're on a diet...

I'm gonna be honest.... I started this week off strong, then came Super Bowl Sunday, and I floundered. Bad. I was down 4 lbs, then somehow I gained 2 back! I'm really trying to stick with it and figure out what works for me on this new plan. One thing I have discovered- carbs are NOT my friend. Even if I stay within my points for the day, if I eat a lot of carbs, the pounds come back, and fast. I've also realized that fruit, while technically 0 Points Plus, I have to really watch how much I eat. Any more than two pieces and I gain.

While the new Points Plus is good.... there is NO wiggle room. On the old plan, I could fudge a little here and there, maybe sneak an extra couple bites of cereal, or a slice of bread, even a few M&M's.... but not this time. I don't know if it's because I'm older (hitting the big 3-0 can really mess with your body), or because this plan is so different. But whatever the reason..... I simply cannot go off plan.

SO....with that in mind... you may wonder why in the world I would make cookies last night! LOL

One word; KIDS. When you have kids... they don't understand "diets". Plus, cookies make great bribes. ;)  I was really good, I only had two. Which was fine, since I had 5 points left, and I only ate about a 1/4 of my dinner. So, it all worked out. And, the kids LOVED me for baking them.


And, there is good news......I'm sick! :) Ya, doesn't really sound like good news... but when you are trying to eat healthier, being sick is actually a blessing. I finally caught that horrendous cold/cough that is going around. I went to bed just knowing I would wake up sick. I could feel it coming on. My throat was tight and my voice was straining. It was coming. At about 5am I woke up with the WORST ear ache I can ever remember, I went on a mad hunt through the house looking for Sudafed or any other decongestant. The pressure in my ear was too much. I ended up heating up my rice pack and sleeping with that on my ear. I passed out sometime around 6am, only to awake at 7:30 to get the wolves up for school. *sigh*

When I hoped on the scale after they left, I was down a half pound. :) So I must have done something right yesterday. Tomorrow is the BIG weigh-in day. The end of my first week. I'm hoping to be down 2 or more pounds tomorrow.

Wish me luck!!!!

Bringing My Sexy Back!

I mentioned to the hubs last week that I felt I was "starting to let me sexy go". He looked at me, as I stood there in my yoga pants and t-shirt, and said..."Starting??"

Ya....NOT the reaction I was looking for.In his defense.... the next day I mentioned.."It's time to get skinny Whitney back." and he said... "I never knew Fat Whitney made an appearance." ;) He's a smart guy.

I have been thinking known that I needed that to get back to WW for awhile now. I went back when Easton was only 2.5 weeks old, determined to lose the baby weight, and it just didn't work out. I don't know why... but I lost like 5 lbs over the course of 5 months. Pretty discouraging. I hindsight, I think know I stared too early. I needed to wait at least 2 or 3 months before going back... but I was just ready to be skinny again. And when the weight didn't fall off like last time... I got really upset and just quit.

But now... almost a year later... I'm ready. I'm 12 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight, and 17lbs away from my WW goal. I know I can do it. I also know that I need to exercise this time. Which sucks. I heart being lazy. BUT... I know that moving more is going to help this time. And... I need all the help I can get. Not to mention... last time, even after I lost all the weight, I was still flabby. (I guess my Eva Mendes body WASN'T hiding under all that fat after all. Crap.)

So..... in addition to having a weight loss goal... I also have a "work out goal". I want to run a 5K this year. I downloaded the Couch to 5K app on my phone and I love it. It's really great, it's just finding the time to do that I'm having issues with. But again... I know I can do it.

So... that's it. I'm planning to keep up with this blog again. I plan to post at least once a week with my progress. :) I just started yesterday, so I'm thinking a new post at least every Wed. ;)

Be excited kids... this chick is bringing the sexy back!