I got behind. No really... I have a lot of behind.

Ok... so I got a little behind.  Life... Apathy... etc.   I still tracked all my food and stayed within my "bites" (points) but I just didn't sit down and journal.  So let's play a little catch up shall we?

Friday-  It was Independance Day!  Ahh... Independence from the tyrannical brits and independence from the tyrannical hold that food has on us.  I had planned on telling you how strong I was at the picnic and how to make good choices and all that baloney but one of my clients called me out to deliver a baby so I got to skip this holiday! I was a little bit sad because I love hanging out with friends and fireworks but I also love seeing a woman power through labor and bring a wee little one into the world.  So... it's all good.  No picnic food for me!
The Healthy Strategies that come out of this is to really come to a place where food is secondary to the celebration.  This is HARD for me. I LOVE pot-luck.   Come on... sampling 30+/- different delicious dishes?  It's like tapas! But I like hanging out with friends too.  I may also have a spoon of 'tater salad.

Monday - Complete Food Journal.  

Tuesday July 1, 2014

Breakfast - Yogurt and a protein bar  9pts

Lunch-  Turkey Wraps 4pts

Dinner- Cabbage and noodles - 3pts

Snack- Skinny Cow ice cream bar 2pts

After workout smoothie - 9pts

UNDER- 8pts

Wednesday July 2, 2014

Breakfast - eggs, toast 6pts

Lunch - chili and baked potato 10pts

Dinner- Steak, mashed cauliflower and carrots  6pts

Snacks - apple, PB2, tic-tacs, watermelon 7pts

UNDER 2 pts

Thursday July 3, 2014

Breakfast -  Yogurt and Cereal 4pts

Lunch - Low Fat Pasta Salad  and watermelon- 5pts

Dinner- Pasta salad, mashed cauliflower, green salad and fish - 12pts

Snacks - Popcorn, skinny cow and watermelon 8pts

UNDER 6pts

Friday July 4, 2014

Breakfast- Egg, yogurt, toast and an orange 6pts

Lunch- Grilled Nuggets, lentil chips, laughing cow cheese 4pts

Dinner- (Working... missed dinner)
Snacks (SNACK ATTACK when I got home) Lean Cuisine Spring rolls, Pretzels, popcorn, skinny cow dreamy clusters 23pts

UNDER 3pts

Saturday July 5, 2014

Breakfast- Salad, avocado, turkey  3pts

Lunch- Chili and baked potato 9pts

Dinner- Turkey burgers, olives, Corn on the cob, salad  12pts

Snacks - SC ice cream sandwich, blueberry protein bar 5pts

UNDER 6pts

Sunday July 6, 2014

Breakfast- Waffles, strawberries, egg 7pts

Lunch- veggie roll 4pts

Dinner- pork chop, green beans, cucumber 3pts

Snacks- almonds, SC ice cream sandwich, fruit leather, lentil chips and cheese, 1 piece of pizza 20pts

UNDER 1pt

Monday July 7, 2014

Breakfast- yogurt and cereal 4pts

Lunch- Chipotle BBQ snack wrap grilled 6pts

Dinner- Taco Salad 11pts

Snacks- pretzels, V8 fusion, laughing cow and lentil chips, SC ice cream 12pts

UNDER 1pt

Tuesday - Weigh in Day! 

So I weighed in this morning and I'm only down .2 for the week.  You can see by my log above that I stayed in my points but I also started walking pretty hard!  I read a great thing about why you're not losing weight in Fitness Magazine : 

You Work Out Regularly

I know, I know. How can an exercise routine make you gain? For starters, people tend to eat more when they work out, either because they feel they've earned it or because they're overestimating how much they've burned -- or both. "This is especially true in the early stages of a fitness program, when your body is getting used to the decrease in calories consumed and the increase in calories burned," Finger says. (Read: You're freaking hungry.)

But here's the real shocker: Working out can make you retain water. "To ensure that you don't get dehydrated, the plasma in your bloodstream will store an extra two to four pounds of water," explains Michele S. Olson, PhD, a FITNESS advisory board member and professor of exercise science at Auburn University at Montgomery in Alabama. "You'll always carry that extra water unless you become inactive; it's not fat or muscle, but simply superhydration. It's a good thing." It's also a good thing to keep chugging H2O, which can, counterintuitively, help minimize additional water retention. So I'll take Olson's advice and stay active, well-hydrated...and off the scale.

So, it's all good.  Instead of pouting about my .2 weight loss, I'm going to rejoice that my body is working the way it should and I'm sure I'll get a crazy woosh! of weight loss sometime in the next few weeks that will make me glad I kept at it.
I thought of something else this morning "I know what quitting looks like... let's see what NOT quitting looks like"
So I'm not gonna quit.  You have to treat your bad days like your good days!

Thursday - NSV- 7-3-14

Hmmm,, non-scale victories this week?   I wore a dress that I couldn't get past my waist last month!  I wore it all day even tho my appointments were canceled.  I felt pretty. That's a huge victory!  I went out and bought a little white sweater to throw on my shoulders (it's a sleeveless dress) and I bought a 2x.  It's a bit small but I'm  super confident that it's going to be a fine fit very soon!
I don't look very different but I feel different for sure! I did catch a glance of my face in the mirror and thought it looked a little thinner.  Hubs also said "there's less of you!"  I'm not sure if that's true but it felt good!!!

Ooops... my bad... Exercise Wednesday on Thursday

I got all busy and involved and just didn't make it to the computer.  I also had a hungry day yesterday.  Just wasn't satisfied with anything I ate.  BUT... I persevered! Made it through under my points. WOOT!

I've decided to join Skinny Hollie's July Challenge.  100 miles in July!

I have to add... this is harder than I thought but I'm going to push as hard as I can.  July 1 and July 2 brings my total to 6.5 miles under my belt.  I'm gonna shoot for another 3.25 miles again today.  I've got to get ahead of the game because I know I'm gonna slack a few days!

Weigh in!

Bet you thought I forgot huh??  Talk about the 11th hour!

Down 4.8lbs this week.  Oh yeah baby!!

Complete Food Journal June 30

Complete food journal for the week of June 24-29th  I wrote down every single bite that crossed my lips!  I was under all days except one and that day is really iffy.  It says "0" left but seriously... probably went over.
Tuesday June 24, 2014
Breakfast-
greek yogurt with my custom cereal topping  -4pts

Lunch-
A bowl of cut up veggies  - 0pts
A large bowl of cottage cheese - 6pts

Snack-
Kashi Chocolate Almond and Sea Salt bar - 2pts
Sabra Hummus and pretzels 2pts

Dinner-
Large Wendy's chili - 7pts
Plain baked potato - 5pts

Late night snacking -
Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich 1 3pts
(8pts under!)

Wednesday June 25, 2014
Breakfast
Greek yogurt with custom cereal topping 4pts

Snack-
Pirates Booty Rice and Corn puffs 3pts

Lunch-
Lean Cuisine Three Cheese & Spinach pretzel bites 4pts
Lean Cuisine Thai Style Chicken Spring Rolls 4pts

Dinner-
Kale/Quinoa salad  9pts
Cantaloupe (a ton of it) 3pts

Late Night snack-
Waybetter Pita Chips (x2) 4pts
Hummus 1pt

1 half of one cheesy bread stick from Marcos  2pts
(2pts under!)

Thursday June 26, 2014
Breakfast-
Greek yogurt and cereal -4pts

Snack-
Emerald Vanilla almonds - 2pts

Lunch-
Leftover quinoa and kale salad  3pts
black bean patty from Morning Star Farms - 3pts

Dinner-
2 slices of Health Nut Bread -4pts
1 thin porkchop 3pts
1 serving of green beans 0pts
1 mini wheel of reduced fat babybel cheese
1 tbsp reduced fat mayo -1pt

Late night snack-
Skinny cow ice cream sandwich (snickerdoodle) 2pts
hot Chili lime puffs 2pts
(11pts under!)

Friday June 27,2014
Breakfast-
Yogurt and Cereal- 3pts

Snack-
Grapes 1pt

Lunch-
2 whole wheat tortilla  3pts
turkey breast  1pt
Avocado 2pts
tomato/lettuce 0pts

Snack -
Outshine apple and greens bar - 1pt
Lowfat cottage cheese 4pts
Hot Chili Lime Puffs 2pts

Dinner-
2 pieces of Long John Silvers fish (HUGE MISTAKE) 14pts
Corn Cobbette - 3pts
Salad -0pts
dressing - 1pt
(0 points left... probably went over)

Saturday June 28, 2014
Lunch-
Fruit Cup Medium from Chickfila- 1pt
Diet lemonade 0pts
Apple  1pt
Small chili from Wendy's 4pts
baked potato with low fat sour cream 6pts
Dinner-
Grilled veggies with oil 1pt
Grilled pineapple with honey 3pts
black bean burger 2pts
Snack-
cottage cheese x2 4pts
Skinny cow candy dreamy clusters 2pts
(12 points under)

Sunday June 29, 2014
Breakfast-
Greek yogurt and cereal 4pts
Lunch-
x2 tortillas lo carb  2pts
1/2 an avocado 2pts
1/8 cup hummus 1pt
veggies 0pts
chicken lunch meat 2pts
Dinner-
kroger Crispy chicken strips 6pts
big salad 0pts
Lite Ranch Dressing 2pts
2% shredded cheddar cheese 2pts
Late night snack-
Skinny Cow dreamy caramels 4pts
skinny Cow ice cream sandwich 2pts
Pirates booty rice and corn puffs 3pts
(3pts under! even after that snack attack!)

Healthy Strategies June 27 edition

Stay thirsty my friend....

And hungry.  
WHAT?   Stay hungry?  Yep... you heard me.

So one of the many hats I wear is that of a Midwife's apprentice.  Being a homebirth helper I do all matter of things.  We act as wiper... scooper... holder... wrapper... hander... pumper... deflater... comforter... cheerleader and rarely but sometimes... catcher.   In this modern age, most mama's first concern when discussing labor is pain control.   Our mamas though... they're doing this au natural.  Pain is part of the game.  When we talk to them about how to handle the pain we tell them to welcome the pain.  Seems insane doesn't it?  I know, I know but hear me out.
In labor... Pain is not dangerous.  Pain is not unexpected.  Pain will not kill you.  Labor pain is the result of your body doing the work that it's supposed to do and every pain brings you that much closer to the end result.  When a contraction comes, your uterus is literally pulling upwards to pull itself over the baby's head. Each time you feel this, imagine your cervix being pulled over the baby's head.   It's a kind of creative visualization that actually works for some moms.
Other moms?  Not so much but hey... we're keeping it real here right?

Hunger is the same way.   Normal hunger is not dangerous.  It is not unexpected.  It will not kill you.  You may kill someone else but that's a personal issue.  ha ha.  So embrace what hungry feels like.  Study it.  Realize that your stomach doesn't have to be full all the time.  Give it time to rest.
We all hear and we've all said "but will it keep me full" when we're talking about meal plans but let me propose that maybe, just maybe.... we're looking at this all wrong.   Was the food I ate an hour ago easily digestible?   Did it nourish me?  Am I hungry because my body is recognizing that I'm more active?   These are all great things!!  So welcome the hunger! Embrace it!  You can also ask yourself "why am I so afraid of being hungry?"  Someone told me once "every negative emotion is based in fear".  Think about it... it's so true.

And while we're at it, here's a little tip that helps me a bunch!  

Keep a stapler in your pantry.  When you open a bag of chips?  Take out what you're gonna eat and staple it closed.  You're gonna think twice before you open it again! 

Non-Scale Victory June 26 edition

Non-Scale Victories.  

I'm going to have to dig deep this week.   I haven't seen a lot of difference in how my clothes feel, I haven't gained a notch on my belt, I haven't received any compliments lately but you know what I have done?

*kept this blog up every day.

*logged every bite I've taken... for real.

*had only ONE HALF of ONE PIECE of cheezy bread.

*stayed within my points range for 23 days in a row

*made an effort to get more steps in whenever I can

*noticed that my hair feels softer.  YES!  I'm counting that!  I think I'm actually getting enough vitamins to affect how my hair feels! 

None of those things has an affect on how I look but they're all so important.  This is about a mindset and a lifestyle, not only about losing weight! 

Recipe Review: Sesame Quinoa Spring Rolls

Sesame Quinoa Spring Rolls

I so had all the ingredients here in the house to make these and I was so hungry!  I thought "great opportunity for a recipe review!"

I'm not really even gonna bother taking pretty pictures or any other junk like that because if you're counting points I do NOT want to entice you into making these.    I thought it would be really good and as far as taste goes there were "meh".  I mean... I love kale.. I love quinoa but it doesn't get any yummier than that.  Bleh.  

I halved the recipe.  I'm glad of that.  It calls for 2 cups of quinoa... TWO CUPS.  Do you have any idea how A) expensive quinoa is and B) how much frickin' quinoa 2 dry cups makes?  gah!   I also used "light" soy sauce as I am trying to watch my sodium intake.  

2 of these rolls came out to somewheresabout 10 pts and after I was done eating I was like "wheres the rest of the food"   It needed way more dressing than I put on it but I wasn't willing to spend the points on the sesame oil.  

Exercise Wednesday

I've made some strides in exercise this week.   It's not been super impressive but it's definitely better than last week so I'm not gonna sweat it.
2 intended puns right there in the opening.  Har har!!

I've been walking in the cemetery in the evenings.  Seems strange doesn't it?  It's not!  It's very peaceful, it's pretty, my cemetery is mostly shady (in a lack of sun way... not in a ripping off their customers way!) and the inhabitants leave me alone!

I got rained out last night so I skipped walking.   This morning hubs had to have some minor surgery so I tried to walk around the hospital while he was under and got caught in the rain AGAIN.  Gosh... you can't blame a gal for trying!  I may try to walk again tonight.  We'll see.

I have a treadmill, I should have used it instead of skipping my walk.  Excuses excuses

I'm using the apps
MapMyWalk and Argus   I use MMW to log my complete workouts but Argus does a great job at tracking my steps for the day.

Weigh In Tuesday 6/24/14 edition

It's Weigh in Tuesday!
Can you taste the excitement? LOL
I'm down exactly 2lbs today.   I tried really really hard this week.  I've had exactly 21 perfect diet days in a row.  That's unheard of! (for me)  I'm down 18lbs from when I started on June 3rd, 2014.

I'm actually down 4.2 lbs for the entire week but I snuck a weigh-in in on the 20th.   I'm getting a little ahead of myself lately.   I want it so bad and I want it now!!  Slow and steady wins the race though and I'll never actually be done so I might as well suck it up, buckle down and settle in for the long haul.  

Complete Food Journal #2

It's Monday!!!  That means it's complete food journal day.    You're in luck!  I was feeling froggy and decided to list the entire week's worth of journals.  
Don't get spoiled ok?
I didn't go over my points one time this week.  As a matter of fact... I was under every day.   We'll see how that materializes tomorrow on the scale!
Tuesday June 17, 2014
Brunch-
Chicken wraps
3 whole wheat tortillas -3pts
3 servings of Sriracha Chicken breast luncheon meat -3pts
Kraft light mayo- 2pts (used very little on all three)
Snack (on the road... stressful day)
1 small bag of Cheesy Chex Mix.  Not a good choice but before I ate it, I vowed to not let it ruin my day -10 pts
Dinner-
Gorton's Fish fillets with Garlic butter - 4pts
Coconut oil - 2pts
Summer squash - 0pts
Snow pea pods - 0 pts
Late night snacking-
Skinny Cow Ice Cream sandwich - 3pts
Chia Pop popcorn - 2pts
29pts total, had 7 left over.
Wednesday June 18, 2014
Breakfast-
Kroger reduced sugar strawberry preserves 1pt
eggo whole wheat waffles x2 - 3pts
strawberries raw 0pts
Kroger turkey sausage 2pts
snack - 
Light Ranch dressing 2pts
baby carrots 0pts
Emerald vanilla almonds 2pts
Grazing-
1 small cup wendy's chili - 3pts
pineapple 1pt
Dinner-
Homemade pizza x2  12pts
late night snacking-
Skinny cow ice cream sandwich 3pts
pirates booty corn puffs 3pts
32 pts  4pts left
Thursday June 19, 2014
Breakfast
Kroger carbmaster yogurt 1pts
post great grains protein blend 2pts
Lunch -
homemade pizza  12 pts
Snack -
caramel peanuts 8pts
Dinner -
Light Kroger hot dog buns x2  2pts
Oscar Meyer light hot dogs x2 3pts
Green Salad plain  0pts
Late night snacking -
Skinny cow ice cream sandwich  3pts
31pts total  5 left
Friday June 20, 2014
Breakfast-
Turkey bacon x4slices  3pts
Eggo whole wheat waffles x2 3pts
2 eggs 4pts
coconut oil  2pts
kroger RS Strawberry preserves  1pt
strawberries 0pts
Snack-
Pirates booty corn puffs 3pts
Lean Cuisine Pretzel bites 3pts
Carrots 0pts
1 chicken finger (moment of weakness)  3pts
Dinner-
Sweet and Sour chicken and cauliflower fried rice x2 servings 12pts
34 used 2 left
June 21, 2014
Breakfast
Smoothie
Protein powder 1 scoop 3pts
Kroger carbmaster yogurt 1pt
Blueberries 1pt
strawberries 0pts
Lunch
Cauliflower fried rice 4pts
Snack
unsweetened applesauce 1pt
Dinner  (Jug and Kilt)
Black bean veggie burger  2pts
Poppy seed roll 2pts
Avocado 2pts
broccoli with butter 2pts
Cheese provolone 1 pt
Late night snacking
Pirates booty corn puffs 3pts
pineapple 1pt
babybel light cheese wheel  1pt
pumpkin seeds hulled 4pts
yogurt carbmaster 1pt
great grains cereal 2pts
31pts used... 5 left
June 22, 2014
Breakfast
Yogurt with cereal  3pts
Lunch (Firehouse Subs)
Veggie Sub medium (only ate 1/2)  10pts
Light Cherry Limeaide  2pts
Dinner
Morning Star Farms grillers veggie burger 4pts
1 snack size bag of Lay's kettle cooked jalapeno and cheese chips  4pts
light hamburger bun 1pt
babybel light cheese wheel 1pt
Kraft light dressing 2pts
Green salad 0pts
Late night snacking
Skinny cow ice cream sandwich 3pts
Pirates booty corn puffs 3pts
33used  3 left

Little bags of health and deliciousness!!

I posted about it once before but I absolute heart the heck out of some Post Great Grains Protein Cereal.  I've never sat down to a bowl of it with milk but I'm sure it would be great that way!! What I do is sprinkle it on top of my yogurt!   To make it convenient, I premeasure it out into little snack bags.  I can grab this and a cup of yogurt (or buy one in a pinch) and hit the road.  Today I only put one points worth of cereal in each bag but I added 1/2 t of both flax seed and chia seed for a total of 2pts per Baggie.  That coupled with a one pt yogurt is a major protein boost and keeps me from longing for food for a good long while!!

Small victories.

So today is hub's official birthday and he wanted to go to Cabela's and Firehouse subs. If you don't have a Firehouse Subs in your area and your watching your diet, You.  Are. Lucky. I mean the medium sub there averages more that a full days worth of points alone.  Never mind the chips and drink. I tried to plan accordingly. The site that I checked for nutritional info said I could get away with a veggie sub for about 12 pts.  I got there and it was not on the menu. I had to ask for it.  I got my sub and took a bite.  Delicious!! But... It was so delicious that I KNEW it wasn't 12pts. I did a little more research on my phone and found that indeed... It was NOT 12pts but TWENTY points.  *sigh*

Here's where we find the victory. I only ate half and half my friends.... Is not a lot.  It was also soooooooooo good.  I really wanted the other half. I also was duped into a light cherry lime aide. Au contaire !! 5pts is not "light" to me!! I dumped it. I got the little bag on 40% less fat kettle chips for 4pts and only ate 4. So I came out of there for about 12 pts and didn't feel bitter about it.  In fact I felt pretty pleased and not dying for something else to eat. 

What a huge victory!!

I hung out with my family and did what they did while not making them feel guilty about their lunch and being good to myself. 

Last night was a restaurant victory as well!  We went to a local gastro-pub with friends and I was able to escape with only 12pts of food in my tummy.  I actually had 14pts left over last night!! I planned my day a little TOO well!!

Today I'm feeling it in my clothes and hubs said he's noticing. How could I possibly not keep doing this?

Attitude / mindset is everything. 

Saturday Morning Breakfast. 5 points

Smoothie. 1 cup of Kroger Carb Master Blueberry Muffin Yogurt, 1 scoop of Mus-L Blast vanilla protein powder, 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup frozen blueberries. Yum. 

A Recipe Review

I was in the mood to cook today.  Cooking here is generally not all that challenging since my people are not foodies, hate anything that was once a plant or has yellow cheese on it.  Yes... I'm a Hoover food vac in a house full of picky eaters.  So it's hard to find something we all can enjoy (read: that they all like and I can live with).   So I scoured the interwebs and found 2 recipes that I thought would be adaptable.  Sweet and Sour Chicken and Cauliflower Fried "Rice" (for me not them).
The S&S Chicken was supposed to be done in the Crockpot but I just made it on the stovetop due to lack of time.   I also left the vegetables out of the chicken dish since I'd have my veg in the "rice".  In a perfect world, both would have veg but I pick my battles ya know?  I also used fresh pineapple since it was on sale. The family verdict on the chicken (which they ate with white rice instead of cauliflower) was that it was very yummy.  4 out of 5 stars.  They even liked the flavor of the pineapple but none of them actually ingested any chunks of the aforementioned plant.   Easy.  I mean... how much easier can you get than throwing everything in a pan and cooking until done?   Value?  Very good.   I used Kroger brand S&S sauce and the pineapple and chicken were on sale.   I'll be adding this recipe to the rotation for when I'm craving Chinese!
The Cauliflower Fried "Rice" I made exactly as the recipe stated.  As the writer on the Laaloosh site said, I was was skeptical.  It was VERY GOOD though!   Did it taste like rice?  Not really but it was delicious and only tasted a wee bit like cauliflower which I love so it's all good.  It was spectacular under the chicken.  I indulged and had 2 servings of each and I am STUFFED.  It says to "grate" the cauliflower but I enjoy not having bloody nubs for fingers so I pulsed it in my Ninja.

Healthy Strategies

If you'll notice on the sidebar, I've set myself a schedule.  Maybe it'll help me with writer's block?  I'll follow it loosely and break pattern often.
DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!
Ok... that's out of my system.
So today is "Healthy Strategies" day.  I keep hearing from successful people that I need to surround myself with motivation.  I'm doing my best to do that.   I love Pinterest of course but what I love most is reading other people's success stories and ideas.   I've been amassing a list of blogs to read on the sidebar and that will continue to grow but what I'm loving right now is Bloglovin' for my phone.  I even added a wittle widget on the side bar of my blog! yay!
I can read all my favorite blogs wherever I am, whenever I need a boost, anytime.  That sounds like a healthy strategy to me!
Other things you can do are:
* Watch healthy documentaries on Netflix
* Surround yourself with helpful people
* Find some helpful apps (may I suggest iTrackBites? LOL)
* Find a helpful online community or local support group
* There may even be weight loss pod casts! (ohhhh! new idea! I'll have to look!)
* Youtube!  I don't have a list of youtube channels yet but Weight Watcher Girl is great!

Netflix watch list (not endorsements... just suggestions)

• Forks Over Knives
• Food Matters
• Hungry For Change
• Vegucated
• My 600lb Life

App list:

• iTrackBites
• My Fitness Pal
• Argus
• DietBet
• Map My Walk
• Lose it!
• FitBit  (requires fob or iPhone) 

I snuck in a weigh in.

I know I'm supposed to weigh in on Tuesdays but I had to sneak one in because I felt "lighter" lol.  Sure enough! My next goal is 25 lbs!

Non-Scale Victories

Non-Scale Victories.   So important because sometimes the scale just doesn't move.   It doesn't mean there aren't changes happening in your body and in your mindset! Mindset is EVERYTHING.   I mean... 100%.   You can't do anything without the proper mindset.   One of the many hats I wear is that of a firearms instructor.   Mindset is of the utmost importance.  To develop that mindset in those who have decided to carry a gun for self defense I ask:
Q: Why do you want to carry a gun?
A:  To protect myself and my family
Q: Why do you need to protect yourself and your family?
A:  Because bad people do bad things to good people.
Q: Ok... when will you carry your gun?
A: When I feel like I need it.   (WRONG!!!  you NEVER know when you'll need it!  This will be important later) The right answer is "100% of the time that I have on pants"
Q:  Do you think you can win a gunfight?
A:  (the student might say...)  Oh.. no... I shoot good enough but I'm not a fighter.. that's why I have a gun  (WRONG!  You're going to be IN A GUNFIGHT!  that's why you've decided to carry a gun)
Q: Do you think carrying a gun will make you more confident? ready for anything? kinda badass?
A: (the student might say...) Well, I'll be more confident for sure...
The truth is that you will be hyper vigilant.   Just the aura you put off will project to most attackers that you are not one to be dealt with.  This doesn't mean you're badass... it means you're aware of your surroundings and you're gonna be harder to attack than the woman with her head down texting.

Now you're wondering... what has this got to do with weight loss?  Let's follow the same thought process.
Q: Why do you want to lose weight?
A:  I'm in pain, I'm unhealthy, I'm embarrassed, I'm limited.
Q:  How will losing weight fix those things?
A:  less stress on my knees and shoulders, less stress on my heart, I'll look normal and fit into normal things, I'll be able to do more activities.
Q:  How will you lose weight and maintain a healthy weight?
A:  by making healthy choices, not binging, watching my calorie intake and getting regular exercise.
Q:  How often will you do this?
A:  (the right answer) for the rest of my life unless I want to gain weight.
Q:  Do you think losing weight will make you more confident, ready for anything, kinda badass?
A:  No, those are mental states of mind, I will develop those attributes with work of a different kind.  I will be hyper vigilant though.  Carelessly eating donuts and not planning before going out to eat can't happen.  I will not let weight and food sneak up on me again.

Developing the proper mindset is more than just knowing these things, it's putting them into action.  People come to me for gun advice because I'm passionate about it.   In the future... people will come to me for health advice because I'm gonna get passionate about it!  It's a good thing!

That realization has been a huge NSV for me this week.   I've had others though.   I officially have a pair of shorts that I can't wear without a belt! Kind of a shame since I love them so much but I'll take it!  I also resisted the urge to stop at Wendy's yesterday and get a double cheeseburger.   Instead, I stopped, looked up a healthy FILLING (because lahhhwwss.... I didn't want a vegetable!) choice and got it instead.   I had a small bowl of chili for 3 CWW points.  It was delicious and hit the spot.   I got some protein and fiber!  GOOD FOR ME!  So those are my NSVs for this week.  I'm going to start keeping little notes in my iTrackBites tracker so I can be sure and list every NSV next week.

Remember.... treat your good days like your bad days because there will BE BAD DAYS.   You have to carry your good choices everywhere! You never know when food will attack!

exercize.

Ah... Girl look at that body 
Ah... I work out
Ah... Girl look at that body 
Ah... I work out

Ok... so I'm far from being sexy and I know it but the hubs walked with me and he thought we were cute. (: 

I don't know how WW is today but it used to be that after you'd been consistent for 2 weeks you got an exercise tracker.  Depending on how much exercise you did... you got extra points to use!  iTrackBites is no different.   I earned an extra 4pts today.  I probably won't use them though.  I walked yesterday as well.   The husband is on vacation right now and he's such a dear to help me get my exercise habit set in stone before he returns to work! 

Look what I would have missed if I hadn't walked this morning!

proof.

I've been watching my food very closely.  Planning every bite and logging every bite.   I know that's not sustainable.  For 2 weeks now I've not "cheated" once.  Even though on WW there is no "cheating".  That's what makes it easy to do! What I mean by that is: I haven't gone over my points once, haven't dipped into my bonus points once and haven't used any activity points. Everything I've eaten with the exception of my coveted ice cream sandwich before bed has been a real food, not junk.
I start to worry... "Surely I can't keep this up forever"  and "what if I eat some cheetos and they're so delicious that I can't quit eating them and I eat them every day and and and.... what if I can't do this!"

So I purposefully made myself eat something that wasn't ideal today and then get right back on the wagon.  I think I need to make myself do this periodically to teach myself that chex mix is a "sometimes food" as Grover on Sesame St. would say.

So I did eat a whole (small) bag of cheesy chex mix today and it was 10pts and I DID log it.  

That's the idea right?  You can have what you want (within reason) so long as you write it down.  It's all about personal accountability!  

Weigh in Tuesdays!

Happy Dance.   I'm down 4.4 lbs this week for a total of 14.6 total in 2 weeks.    I know it comes off really easy at first and then it's much harder as you draw closer to your goal but I'm going to enjoy the big drops while I have them!

What I'm doing

What plan am I following?   The Classic Weight Watchers points plan.
I'm doing it because I've tried everything.  Atkins, Physician's weight loss, counting calories, Atkins (I've done it a few times... ha ha) Lean Cuisines, Modified Gerson, Paleo, Clean eating, Whole foods diet... I could go on and on and on.
I've done them all.   Weight Watchers is the only thing that's ever consistently worked for me and the only plan that I could stick with long term.  It's "sustainable".   About a dozen years ago I did WW hardcore.  I stuck with it and lost 80 pounds.  And then I ate donuts... lots of them.   Guess what?  You can't do that.  Donuts got me into this situation... rejecting donuts is gonna get me out.  Pretty simple.
So... I'm back on.  More weight to lose this time but what choice do I have? I need to lose 113 lbs to feel "human" again.  If I lose 1lb a week... that's 2 years.
TWO YEARS.   Gosh... seems daunting doesn't it?  It's a shorter amount of time than the rest of my life though and this is what I have to do in one form or the other for the rest of my life.  I can't resort to eating donuts.
But it's not going to take me 2 years.  I promise. (big smile)  I lost 10.2 lbs the FIRST WEEK.   But I always do so don't get real impressed and those results are not typical.  I always lose a buttload of water weight the first week.  Tomorrow is weigh in day... we shall see.
OH.... I'm not going to meetings and I'm NOT getting on the scale every day.   I drive myself nuts with that so one time a week is enough for me.  I'm using an app on my phone called iTrackBites.  It's the shizz.  You can do the new WW or Classic WW or just calories!  It's SO convenient! It tracks how much you've eaten all day, your exercise, your bonus "bites" and sets goals for you!  It has a calculator, a "community" page for support, a few handy food guides and a barcode reader!  I love it.   I think it was $2.99 and worth every penny.  Here's a screen shot.

It's also worth mentioning that I'm focusing really closely on how much protein I'm getting and that I'm eating real food and not filling up on a bunch of junk.   More on that later.  

Breakfast Time.

I'm undermotivated in the mornings.   Am I the only one?  I kinda doubt it.  I rarely feel like fixing a lovely veggie and egg white omelette in the a.m.

But I NEED protein.    This is good.  I know it looks like crap but it's REALLY good.  It's my favorite breakfast or snack lately.

1 container of yogurt (this is Kroger Carb-Master for 1 classic WW point) but Greek yogurt is best due to it's high protein.  

1/2 cup of Post Great Grains Protein blend.   A serving on the label says 1 cup but I divvy it out into 1/2 cup servings when I get the box.  I put all the servings in snack size baggies and then put all the baggies back in the box.  It's 2 CWW points for the cereal but it's totally worth it.  It stays crunchy, it's delicious, it really packs a protein punch and is really satisfying.  

Complete Food Journal #1

So as I go through this process, I will post everything I ate for the day so if anyone else comes across my blog, they can get some ideas about what they can eat.  "Complete Food Journal" entries may not be daily but will be regular.  I will share good days and bad days.  Today was a good day.
Breakfast:
Hunger level - low
1 cup of Kroger brand Carb-Master White Chocolate Raspberry yogurt.
1/2 cup of Post Great Grains Protein Blend cereal crumbled on top.
1 bottle of water

Lunch:
Hunger level - moderate
("Dinner" at the mother in laws.  Not a healthy food in sight.  So difficult)
about 1/2 cup of navy beans
1/2 a triangle of cornbread
1 fried chicken finger
big glass of water
---- resisted the urge to eat more chicken and french fries.  I was bitter about the whole meal ----

Snack:
Hunger level - moderate + suspected emotional eating
1 large diet lime aide from Sonic
---- resisted the urge to have a cookies and cream milkshake like the rest of the family ----

Dinner:
Hunger level - moderate to high
1 large green salad with Kraft light Raspberry Vinaigrette
2 Morning Star Farm Grillers sirloin veggie patties
2 Kroger brand low calorie hamburger buns
1/8 cup of shredded 2% cheese
Mushrooms, onions, tomato, lettuce
1/2 a cob of corn
1 diet coke
---- This was a delicious dinner.   Very happy and full.  ----

Bedtime Snack:
1 Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich

I ate a ton of stuff today and I'm totally satisfied.  I came in a whopping NINE "bites" under my limit!

The first post.  The beginning.   Far from a new journey for me though.  I've set out on this path many times.  Every time I get frustrated and tired and quit.  I don't want to quit this time.  I want to try hard forever.  I want to live a long time.  I want for people to not have my weight as an excuse to ignore me.  I'll write more later of course.  I'm trying to resist the urge to spill it all on the first post. (: