Happy day

Happy day

I bet I look happy today. I feel happy today. I lost 2.8 pounds this week, for a total of 5.4 total since beginning WW again about a month ago. I ran 3.75 miles today in 42 minutes, on my new favorite route. I had time to sit for an hour and talk to the barista at my favorite coffee house. I don’t have a headache today (like I did all day yesterday) and my knee doesn’t hurt at all. And this is all before 10am.

And I still get to go home and relax for 3 hours before I have another obligation. What a terrific day.

Sometimes you’re just eating some blueberries and BLECH you get one that tastes like mold.

Holiday party told so I’m trying to fill up on fruits before I go down and am tempted by cookies, cake, and whatever else they’re fattening us up with. I ate half of my weekly points in pizza and wings last night, so if I plan on having a good week, I have to start today.  It’ll take strength of mind to get through this party.  First step will be:  no alcohol.  Everyone knows that your judgement is clouded when you drink.  My judgement:  completely obliterated. So none of that for me.  Second step:  stay away from the cookies and cakes.  Carbs = disaster for me.  If I can do those two things, I’ll be good for the day and hopefully on track to lost at my next weigh-in.

A Gain….

…. that I totally deserve.  This week I overate more days than I was on plan.  I gained 1.4 pounds and I totally deserve to.  I’ll get it back off this week, plus for good measure, two pounds more.  This I commit to you, dear reader.  I’m off of work beginning on Tuesday, so I’m going to be able to do it.  I’ll have the treadmill time that I need and will work this right off.

Speaking of treadmills:  I sent in my half-marathon registration.  I have about 22 weeks until the marathon happens (May 6) so I have plenty of time to go from my 3 mile runs to my 13.1 mile runs.  I need to get in one 13.1 mile run by about three weeks before so that I can taper back down to a 8 run so that I healed and ready to run the long run on the 6th.  I’m nervous, but no matter what I’m going to do it.  I don’t care if I run, walk or crawl it:  I’m getting through the 13.1 miles.

Lost 2 pounds

I lost 2 pounds this week, bringing my three week total to 4.4 pounds.  Nothing to write home about, but nothing to scoff at either.

Yesterday I learned that almond milk doesn’t count as a dairy serving, even though soy milk does (which I hate.  Hate.)  That totally bums me out as I don’t think that the Points in real milk are worth it.  I eat yogurt all the time and cheese occasionally, but I think I’m just gonna have to be under my daily servings of milk, because I refuse to drink regular milk.  So there.

I have been getting all of my “liquids” daily, all in water, plus getting activity most days.  Regardless, I feel pretty great and feel like my clothes fit better already.  My goal is to have a total of 10 lbs lost by Christmas and another 5 by mid-January.  Ambitious, I know, but I’m giving it my best.

Back on WW…. again!

So I’m back on WW.  This time I’m doing it online.  I like it.  I like tracking online and the reports that they offer.  If you’re online too, search for me at aconstant440. Meetings just don’t work for me at this point in my life.  I do love them though, so I hope to get to one occasionally! I’ve gained back some (a lot) of my lost weight.  I had lost 80 pounds.  I’ve gained back 30.  Bah.  Working it back off is tough.

I’m about two and a half weeks into program and I”m happy with it.  Points Plus still confuses me and to add insult to injury, they took three points away from everyone in the recent plan update.  I guess they’re trying to compensate for all of the free fruit they’re letting us eat.  But it is working (I a pound my first week and 1.4 pounds my second) slowly but surely. But I already see a difference in the way my pants fit (bloat-loss, I’m guessing) and I feel healthier, thanks to the large amounts of fruit and veggies I’m pounding every day.

I’m running too:  someone gave me a free half-marathon registration for the spring so I’m running  just two or three times a week to gear up for training.  Also gives me a few activity points to play with so that’s good too.

On being hungry and on being “allowed” to eat something

Quick bullet points:

• I lost 1.4 pounds this week.
• I ran 16 miles
• I journalled my food everyday, even though I overate on a few days.

This week I remembered what it is like to be hungry.  It had a been a while.  It is a familiar feeling to me and it is a sign that I am eating correctly on that day.  I’m not talking about being famished.  I’m saying that if you eat lunch at 1 pm, at 5 pm when you’re driving home, you should be hungry.  It’s how a healthy body works.  I don’t believe what WW says about always feeling satisified and never feeling hunger.  They say that hunger makes you overeat.  I disagree.  I think that hunger is a signal telling you that you are operating at a calorie deficiency.  And what makes you lose weight?  Calorie deficiency or burning more calories than you take in. 

At a recent engagement, someone asked if I had eaten a piece of cake.  An observer said to them, “She’s not allowed to eat that.”  To which I said, “I am allowed and I have already eaten two.”  It’s not easy to lose weight and eat two pieces of cake, but this week I can proudly say that I have done just that.  I also ate the rest of the meal offered at the same function and some other snacks and things throughout the week.  But I also know that those pieces of cake and the pasta salad and the other items that I ate (half a can of mixed nuts, a fundraising hoagie, a steak, a big chunk of chocalate) all count against me in the game of weight loss and that I have to write those foods down and count them.    The rest of the week was full of fruits and veggies and whole grains and lean meat and fish.  If it had all been full of those good Weight Watchers “Power Foods” I would have lost more than the 1.4 pounds that I did lose.

Not better… yet.

At least I went to a WW meeting this week.  I’ve also run quite a lot, including a 5 mile stint on Monday that I was really happy with.  I had gained back that whole 5% that I had lost, but since they don’t want back your used “I lost 5%” stickers, I just covered up the sticker with something else.  I hope to get another sticker soon! 

I’ll be going to the Farm to Table Conference on March 25 or 26 and will hopefully be motivated by the cooking lessons and farm fresh veggie offerings to get my dinners back in shape.  I’m not planting many things this year, so I’ll probably get a CSA.  Please let me know of your recommended CSAs (Not Penn’s Corner, I had one from them a couple of years ago and was really disappointed with the quantity of food that I got for the money.) 

Other spring goals:  get my driver license already and take a knife skills course.

Here Comes Whining….

Waaa.  I have been the worst WW ever.  I haven’t been tracking my points, I am now back to where I started a few months ago and need to give back my “I lost 5% sticker.”  I am still running, 3-4 miles a few days per week, so yay for that.  But running makes me hungrier.  Plus having any crunchy, carby things in the house is bad as is having any type of pie or cake or cookies.  And they keep showing up.  Some jerk keeps buying them (I’ll blame Butch here…) 

But so I’ll head back to a WW meeting tomorrow (I’ve missed quite a few weeks and there is nothing like the embarassment of weighing in publicly to make you pay attention to your diet.) And I’ll keep on trekking on the treadmill (I’m running a 10K in April and possibly a 5K before that!)  And I’ll get it together yet again.

Running Schedule: Someone hold me to this, m’kay?

Lost .4 pounds today at my weekly weigh-in for a total of 8.4 pounds and earning me a sweet sticker for the front of my WW book for losing 5%!  Yippee!  I only want to lose about 8 – 10 more and am feeling good about doing it.  Next week I’ll be in Sanf Francisco for a work conference.  That comes with it’s own set of challenges including eating buffet food and desserts and airport food.  But I’ve already found a meeting to go to on Monday.  It’s near Jack in the Box.  Hilarious.   I will also be hitting the slammin’ gym that I’m sure the Hilton has and roaming the streets of San Fran as much as possible.   I’m confident I can at least not gain anything!

I’m also now registered to run a relay leg in the Pittsburgh Marathon on May 15.  So my running schedule for this year is coming together nicely.

April 16 — Genesis 10K

May 15 — Marathon Relay

June — Riverview 5K or Greenfield Glide 5K

August  — Run Around the Square

September 25 — Great Race 10K

I was supposed to start a running training program this week.  I didn’t.  Instead I’ve watched TV for the last two mornings.  Not a good start, but I have a big cushion of slacking built into my training for this very reason.  I know I’ll start on time if I give myself a couple of weeks to really slack off at the beginning.  

Stay safe out there, friends.  Get to the grocery store for your whole grain bread and fat free milk to get you through the big winter storm that is upon us!

End of the Year — A Look Back

Here’s last years post about resolutions.   I actually completed some of these as well as a few from years past.  Here is the year before that’s list that included things from the year before that.  I’ve gotten through a good number of these things also.  From the big list I’ve finally gotten an anti-depressant (controlling not only depression but also previously undiagnosed OCD).  I’ve learned how to drive a car.  I’m not great at it yet; I haven’t gotten a license yet, but I could get your from Point A to Point B without killing you or any pedestrians.  I’m still no good at money or controlling what I eat.   

The most important two from last year I have completed:  I bought a treadmill and not only ran a 5K, I ran three of them and a 10K (and in pretty decent times!) 

This year I’m gonna keep it simple:  I’ll continue to run and will run five 5Ks and two 10Ks this year.  I will weigh 15 pounds less at this time next year.  And thanks to Weight Watchers, I will be able to do this.  Anyone with me on the running or the weight loss?