Weigh In Week #6

Hard to believe it's been 6 weeks already. I am down 1 lb, which is pretty amazing considering I didn't track all week and it's that time. Ugh.

Last night was a rough night. I had terrible heart burn and couldn't get comfortable. I barely slept a wink. Eventually, it went away.

Down 4 pounds. Weee!


Not much else to report. Onward and downward.

Weigh in #5

If you noticed, I didn't post a weigh in on Sunday. I weighed in. I maintained my weight for the second week in a row, which is a bit surprising really.

I feel much better today. I think my cold has finally passed... to Drake. Dammit. He's been super fussy the last couple of days and he hasn't been drinking as much at feedings. He will only drink one ounce at a time and spits up more and more. His diapers are... gross. Let's just leave it at that. Poor kid sneezes and coughs a lot more than usual too. But hey- no hiccups! so there is something! (He usually has the hiccups for like an hour a day).

I have a doctor's appointment really effing early tomorrow morning. I was a little apprehensive about going... like usual... but this is sort of important. I think I am suffering from depression. I find it really hard to do anything lately. To get out of bed. To take care of Drake. To shower. To work. To read, or listen to music. To spend time with Brian. It's becoming ridiculous and I can't get myself out of it on my own. I spend a lot of my waking hours crying, and I have not been kind to myself. I can't seem to find any of my positive qualities lately. I think they all left when I decided to throw a pity party. I am not sure how long this has been going on... but it needs to stop.

So, tomorrow, I am going to tell my doctor that I need to be put on some sort of anti-depressant, because the Xanax isn't cut out to handle this.

Brian has the next three days off of work, and Drake is spending the weekend at my parents again. That means I will have help for the rest of the week. I am really looking forward to the break.

Weigh In Week #4

Hey, guess what? I tracked virtually all week! Woohoo! I did really good with my eating mostly too. I tracked the not-so-great choices as much as I tracked the great-job choices! It makes me smile that I was able to do that AND work AND take care of the baby. Seems like nothing is impossible for this mom!

How did I do?

I ate a LOT of fiber. I got high-fiber foods this week (beans, anyone?) I have also been eating a lot of protein and surprisingly, a lot of fruits and veggies (for me anyway). I also drank a lot of beer. Way more than I usually do. I am not normally much of a drinker, but I missed the option of being able to have a drink. Now I can have one or two and just wait 2 hours before pumping. Hurray for metabolism!

Anyway, without further procrastination, I maintained this week. Not a loss or a gain.

Just because you track everything doesn't mean you will lose- especially when you eat all of your daily, weekly, and THEN some points.

Today starts week #5, hopefully I can continue things in a more positive direction. Also- no beer this week. Or for a while. I think I got it all out of my system, both figuratively and literally.

I need to just trudge along and do the best that I can. Maybe WW isn't right for me right now. It's really hard to take care of the baby and myself... but I know that if I don't keep myself accountable then I will continue to gain weight and be more unhealthy. It's a catch-22. Hope that I will find more balance as I continue to practice being a mom and a weight watcher. I'd like for Drake to never know me as fat. Somehow I have to "man-up" and find time to eat well, take care of my son, work, pump, and exercise- as well as sleep, shower, and do household chores. Sigh. It will be a challenge.

But that is my path. And I will walk it.

Weigh In #2

I'm so so tired. I think I have a slight touch of insomnia. I haven't been able to sleep. Every time I try, I end up tossing and turning and inevitably, I get up because there is no point in laying awake. I'm cranky beyond all belief. I'm doing okay with the baby, Drake's crying doesn't bother me any more. I don't get upset when he cries. Babies cry.

Anyway, in my sleep-deprived stupor, I weighed in today. Wee, two weeks on WW and I'm already not tracking. I'm not making excuses: I just didn't track.

The official weight is 231. That makes it a loss of -4, and down 7 from the start. I am officially 7 lbs lighter! My pants from Old Navy are way too big now. I am going to wash them and give them away. Kind of sad, since I just bought them, but oh well- I can't be upset that I lost 7 lbs and will have to buy new clothes again. What kind of silly thing would that be! I'm 11 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight. So awesome.

I'm celebrating the small! I'm reveling in a 4 lb loss this week, a 7 lb cumulatively, and that I did not weigh myself once this week. I feel so much more in control.

This week's goals are simple: Drink more water and track at least 1 meal a day. I am going to try and track every bite, no matter what it is I am eating, but I am celebrating the small, and working toward small goals as well. The key to success is the little things. Small steps equal big rewards.

Once I hit 6 weeks postpartum, I might try and add in a little exercise. I want to do strength training and focus on that this time instead of so much cardio. Cardio was my downfall. I loved how I felt- a runner's high sort of thing- but it left me so hungry all the time. I would earn so many Points+ running on the elliptical/biking and then eat them all (and then some) and not track it. I think if I do a little weight lifting (just hand weights for now) I will be able to build up arm strength. Lugging a baby around is heavy and hard work. To be honest, Drake weighs more than my hand weights, so I can just lift him I guess!

So far, so good. I am going in 5 lb increments for goals, that way I can feel like I am making progress and not be faced with a huge, daunting number. In my weight tracker, WW set my first "goal" for 5% lost, which would put me at 226. That's 5 lbs away!

It was a great week, not just in regards to weight loss, but over all. I am aiming to make weight loss a priority, but not the main one in my life this time. I think having a more relaxed approach will probably help me in the long run, since I won't have all the self-inflicted pressure to lose x amount each week.

Weigh-In #1

My first week on Weight Watchers was interesting. It was only a half-week, really, starting on Wednesday and today is weigh in day.

Wednesday I ate too many points. Thursday I ate enough points, and Friday and Saturday, I did not eat all of my points.

Eating "meals" is really hard with the baby. What I like to call the Rule of Children comes into play every time. Every time I go to do something for myself (eat, in this case) Drake suddenly cries and needs me to attend to him. Of course this only happens when I am alone. I am getting used to it though, and I think I will need to become a grazer (a Point tracking one, anyway) for a few months.

I found the greatest success so far has been to set up my iPad to remind me to track my meals. If I am not near a computer or iPad, I do write it down on paper. Odd, I know, because I don't know the Points values for anything off the top of my head, but I do write down what I ate, then go back and add it in electronically when I can.

This time on Weight Watchers I am going to try to approach things differently. Instead of obsessing on the scale constantly- weighing in naked, first thing in the morning, or several times a day/week- I am only going to weigh in once on Sundays. I am taking a casual approach to the scale, and making sure to track like a fiend whenever possible.

That being said, I am proud to say I have lost some weight my first week! I officially weigh less than I did when I got married, and I am only 13 lbs away from losing the baby weight completely. It is nice to see that I am so close to being back to my pre-pregnancy weight.

My first "goal" is the standard 5% lost, which comes out to 11.9 lbs. I am down 3. Not too shabby of a start, eh?

Oh, and because Liz asked me where I did my shopping recently, it was at Old Navy online. They only carry their plus line on the website, and I found everything I have ordered from Old Navy, whether it was maternity or plus, to fit very well and to flatter both of my body shapes. I used a coupon code for 25% off, and since I spent over $50, I got free shipping too. Win.

Monday: Weigh in!

Well hello again friends? How have you been doing?

Me... I'm good. I'm down another bit of weight this week. I stepped on the scale at 218.8 this morning

That is awesome! Just 3.8 lbs til my first mini-goal weight (215) and then I am going to go in 5 lb increments until I hit 175 (my ultimate goal)

I have to say that things are going very well for me in the weight loss department. I am so pleased with my progress lately. I know 2 major factors are contributing to my weight loss and that is not eating my extra points (eating 'less') and running 3x a week (moving more)

Kayla kindly reminded me that her wedding is in 3 months. My goal so far has been to lose 3/4 of a lb each week (on average) until the wedding. Something small, and readily attainable. In 4 weeks, I lost an average of 2.2 lbs, which puts me at an average loss of .5 lbs a week. Which is great! I still maintain that any loss is better than a gain and those little numbers do add up. That being said, I did not hardly track at all last week even though I still ran, and still reported a loss, I am getting back on the tracking thing. 

If I am able to maintain the average loss of .75 lbs a week until Kayla's big day, that would put me somewhere in the neighborhood of ~209 lbs. That would put me literally *thisclose* to my 10% weight of 207, which is my next WW milestone. It's also pretty smack dab in the middle of my weight loss journey. I will be down 30 lbs from my highest, and with only 32 lbs to go until my official and serious goal of 175. I can taste victory! I am so ready to be done with the high 210s-low 220s. I am ready... for real this time.... to get back down to the lower 200s. I am ready to do this. 

Weigh In: Experiment Results

Hey all! If you remember, last week, I decided to try out a little experiment on WW where I pretend I ate all of my activity points and weekly points to see if I could stay with in my daily limit. I am really pleased with my results.

There were a few days I dipped into them - especially last night- but I managed to only consume 13 Weekly and 0 Activity points, leaving me with 51 points I didn't touch!!!

It looks a little something like this .....

Booya!

What does that mean? How did I do on the scale???

I lost 2 lbs! 


That's right! Two whole pounds!!

I am so happy I could cry.

So I finally figured out what I have to do. Track every day & try not to eat my extra points.

It's really crazy how my week looked last week, I had 84 points on Monday and 42 on Friday, because I kept adding in my activity points as 'consumed' once I earned them.

I'm off for the next couple of days from work so I have lots of time on my hands (more so than usual) and will have to find a way to keep busy so I don't get bored.

On today's agenda?

-C25K Week 1: Day 2
-Tanning
-Cleaning (dishes and laundry- boo)

Monday: The Weigh In

A conversation with my mom...

Me: I changed my weigh in day to Monday since I tend to over eat on the weekends.
Her: That's a good idea
Me: I'm also going to pretend I ate all my weeklies, so I won't be tempted.
Her: That's a good idea
Me: I'll do that with my activities too, 'spending' them the same day I earn them.
Her: That's a good idea
Me: Don't you think that's a good idea? ;)

Any weigh (see what I did there? That's called a pun) on to the good stuff!

This week, I weighed in at... *drumroll please* 223.0 which is a slight gain from last week's weight of 222.6 lbs.

It brings my total loss to 7 lbs since I started WW twenty four weeks ago... that's incredibly... slow... It factors out to be about .3 lost per week. It's okay though... at least I am losing/maintaining rather than what would be happening. If I had given up all the times I thought about it, I would very easily be 300 lbs.

How did I do last week? Here's a look at my tracker...

Tracked! 6.5 days!

*I tracked 6.5 days straight! I only count Thursday as half, since I know I ate on Thursday hehe :)

This morning I opted for toast and peanut butter on it instead of my scrambled eggs with melted provolone cheese because I was too lazy to cook. Which means, most likely, eggs are for lunch. I use the terms breakfast and lunch lightly because it is 4 pm and I just woke up!

Shhhhh. Don't judge.

I have one other, awesome little announcement! Brian and I started a YouTube series called Married in Minecraft!

Minecraft is a PC game in which you are plopped into a randomly-generated world and you are given the task to collect resources and to make items to defend yourself from monsters. It's a great little game that the creator made on a whim and it EXPLODED! into this huge phenomenon! If you want to read more about it, you can do so here, and if you'd like to watch our exploits, you can do so here. I'm ecstatic because I came up with the idea and thought it would be fantastic and funny, but it wouldn't generate any response. I was wrong!! In less than 24 hours, we got 15 new subscribers/followers on YouTube and the video itself got 140+ views which is to say, awesome for us nobody's! We also got a few of the 'big time' Minecraft Youtubers to subscribe and repost our videos, calling us "fresh" and "entertaining" Ha! I'm blushing... no seriously...

We show both our screens at the same time, and of course, we have commentary. Lots and lots of commentary. Am I this eloquent in real life? Am I this funny? Do you want to hear my sexy husband's voice as he screams like a little girl? Now you can!

You can subscribe to my Twitter, Brian's Twitter, and Brian's YouTube

Thanks for putting up with my shameless plugging. And yes, episode 2 is uploaded now!! Go look!!

Weigh In Wednesday

It's Wednesday and that means a weigh in! How did I do this week?

* I ate absolutely all of my weekly points and even delved into my earned activity points.
* I completely failed at my "don't eat out for a month" challenge.
* I TRACKED IT ALL THOUGH so that makes up for it.... a little.
* I earned sooo many activity points through moving. And I know I probably earned more, but I was being modest with the points.
* I ate lots of WW meals to help combat the eating out/moving stress.
* I drank a lot of caffeine and not so much water. I had so much diet soda/coffee with chocolate creamer & stevia, it isn't funny

All in all, a good week considering. Let's see what the scale says this week. Last week, I weighed in at 220.4 lbs. This week I weighed in at 222.6 which is a gain of 2.2 lbs.


Here is my weekly tracker snapshot

Maybe I need to change in my weigh in day? I seem to sabotage myself on the weekend so Wednesday is probably not the best day to weigh in! If I change it to Monday, I might be able to say "no" to all that crappy junk I eat because I know my weigh in is around the corner.

Or I could, I don't know.... stop eating. Saturday was a lot of points. That's when I ate Pizza Hut. Tuesday was bad too, I couldn't stop snacking. But I am back on track today. I started measuring everything again and pulling out my calculator on the spot. Coupling that with pre-tracking and I got it this week.

Also in my fridge- my new secret weapon- jello! Sugar free of course ;) 1 serving of this baby? 0 points. 2 servings of this baby? 0 points. THREE servings? 1 point. 4 servings? 1 point. SF Jello is 1/2 cup per serving, so you can have 2 full cups of it (or one, regular sized box) for 1 point. Or you can space it out all day and eat it all for 0 points, I guess.

I had lime jello the other night and last night I made strawberry! I read on the box that you can put in lemon-lime carbonated soda (Sprite) so I might get some diet sprite and try that.

Am I sad that I gained this week? You bet. Am I surprised? Not at all. With moving, eating out, and not being able to weigh myself every day, it's been a real challenge.

I'm ready for next week. And I am weighing in on Monday.

I was totally going to make this a picture post but still havent uncovered my pictures from packing, so I can't scan them for you. :(

Weigh in- Week Whatever????

I have no idea what week it is, seriously!

But that doesn't matter any more.

Because? I lost. And I lost big time!! I am down 2.2 lbs from last week. (Remember, last week I gained nearly 5 lbs!) It's good to see that number go down again. Im at 220.4 (again!) and even that number was flickering between 220.2 and 220.4, but it finally settled on the latter. I'm not upset though! Quite the opposite, I am elated!!

Everybody say "HURRAY!!"

(no seriously, say hurray!)

I owe my major loss to tracking absolutely everything I put in my mouth the last week. I didn't 'work out' at all, unless you count walking the dog (I did) and cleaning (I did) I still didn't track that every day though.

So really, it is food. It's always been food. Damn you delicious food.

I went to the store last night and picked up some WW meals because, lets face it, I'm in love with them. Also, convenience- hello! I also got a Stouffer's lasagna for Brian too. He really wanted a filling meal (I guess tuna casserole isn't filling??) so I figured, hey, it will work. He really enjoyed it. And at 7 points a portion, I could enjoy it too, for the most part. Not as good as mine, but maybe I am biased?

Anyway here is what I had for breakfast:

New! Cinnamon Swirl French toast with turkey sausage!!

At 7 P+ its a nice hearty meal. I don't know about the rest of you, but I loves me some french toast.

Especially with sausage links. And syrup. Mmm. Syrup was included, so it made it even better.

For lunch? Salisbury steak with macaroni and cheese. (also 7 p+)

My goal for the month of March is to track EVERY day. I think that will be much tougher than Jillian's 30 Day Shred, or as my mom calls it, "power shred thing".

Busy day of errands ahead (thank god for WW!) so I will get going!

Don't forget to leave your HURRAYS in the comments so I can smile all day :)

Weigh In

150 days.

Wow.

Anyway, I'm up 4.8 lbs from last week (which is better than it was yesterday, I was up 6.2 lbs eek) that's what I deserve, not tracking and eating a lot of pizza and pasta. I was on a serious carb-bender there.

The past is history. Cant do anything about it today, just need to move on. Feeling surprisingly well, even though I back tracked into the 220s again... but you know what? It's a journey. Sometimes you get off on the wrong exit, and have to loop back around. (That's quoted straight from the WW site on the article of gaining weight) so I know that I am going to be ok.

Expecting my new jeans and bras today! Hurray! They just shipped them out yesterday and I got an update saying they were out for delivery today!

Finished my scarf completely, even put the roses on it. Starting on a hat for Brian now in a lovely sweet pea green color. About to hit the Shred and get it done today. I had my usual coffee this morning (2P+) and we had left over sloppy joe mix from last night, so just barely enough for one sandwich for me (8P+) It's the start of a new week here in HTMLN land so its time to get focused. Its now or never people! I can earn 42 AP easily this week. I can track all of my food this week. And I can also stay under my dailies and stay away from my weeklies. I did it before. It just takes a little exercise in will power and a lot of water.

Daily goal: Track all my food. Do the Shred. Get one more bottle of water in (16 oz) and then smile

If I am diligent and work out hard, eat better, and uhmmm TRACK EVERYTHING I am sure that I will see a big drop next week. I've talked the talk, now its time to walk the walk. Or shred the shred. You know what I mean.

Weigh in Day!

I'm really starting to look forward to these weigh ins, good or bad. It's nice to have a routine! Also, I think having it in the middle of the week is a huge bonus.

How is everyone's week going? Mine has been effin' awesome! For starters, let's look at my overview of the week.

Here we see that I ate all of my weekly points and I earned 24 activity points!! Which is to say, amazing. And not only that, but if you look at how many days I tracked what I ate, we come up with 5 whole days! Which is to say, double amazing. What does it mean??!  It means that I am doin' it right.

wee!

And if you haven't noticed, I uh, started doing the 30 Day Shred this week! So go check out those posts and revel in my agony, if you like.


Starting Weight: 237.5 lbs
WW Weight: 230
Last Week: 218.0
This Week: 218.2
Change: +.2
WW Change: 11.8
Total Change: 19.3

I gained just a fraction of a pound this week, but you know what? No big deal. I weighed myself when I started the Shred and I was back at 220 again. It's also my lady time and my weight (and cravings) have been all over the place. I actually saw 223 on the scale. So seeing just a small, smidgeon, barely there of a gain this week, I am okay will. Especially considering I ate through all of my dailies, weeklies, and part of my activity points yesterday.

I also ate Taco Bell for dinner! I KNOW! I am just ridiculous! I was totally in the mood for candy or cookies after but I kept saying to myself  "No your weigh in is tomorrow, don't f&ck it up!"

I'm happy to say I did not eff it up! Holla!!

But wait, that is not all that happened this week. Thanks to my friend, the Shred, I have noticed a few things.

*I have more energy!

*I sleep better at night

*I have less back fat. I have a half-hearted roll. It just is barely hanging in there.

*I can feel my rib cage! This one is huge because I can actually feel my breastbone and individual ribs. The fat layer that was right under my breasts is quite literally melting away, because I didn't have a rib cage 4 days ago!!

*My butt is tighter! My husband checked and double checked that one to be sure haha


*I feel completely amazing. I have not been so happy in, oh I don't know, a while. I mean, I'm generally happy, but I am probably approaching annoying levels of perkiness.

I know this post doesn't cover day 5 of the shred (in which I attempt to do level 2) and that is because I have not done it yet. So I am going to say good bye my friends, until we meet again. And I am going to go do Level 2. If I'm not back in 5 minutes, just wait longer. 

Weigh in- A Loss!!

YES!! A small loss but I will take it!! I have my greedy little hands all over this loss.

Starting weight: 237.5
Last week: 218.4
This week: 218.0
Loss: .4 lbs
Total on WW: 12
Total to date: 19.5!!

Closely approaching that 20 lb mark again. Hello again old friend!!

While I didn't track every day, I tracked most days.

Plateau? 

So, it seems this whole "track it fool!" thing is working.

Gonna do it again this week and this time really keep control of my eating. It's hard since I have been eating so much more than I was, now it seems like I am depriving myself when I am really not.

We had a blizzard yesterday! 15 inches of snow and ice. Thankfully though, we didn't lose power. We lost internet for a few hours, which was annoying, but I just went back to bed. We had a level 1 snow emergency- for those of you who don't have snow or don't know, a level 1 means unless you are an emergency vehicle, you are forbidden to be on the road. If you're caught out (god only knows why you would want to be out!) you can get a ticket and your car impounded. A friend of ours who lives in another county is under a level Code Black which is the absolute worst road conditions.

Weigh In, 3 Weeks, and Other Noteworthy Things

First off, a weigh in!

Last week, I made the goal of tracking for 5 full days and earning 14 Activity Points! How did I do?

I tracked 4 and a half days!  (Even though there are 6 entries, there are not 6 full days. There are two half-days)

I earned 24 activity points!

I ate a lot of Weight Watchers meals. 

I still saw a gain on the scale. 

Which is, to say the least, discouraging.

I did all the "right" things this week. I worked out more than I usually do (by a lot!) and tracked a lot too. But I know there are things I did not track, even on the days I recorded. I know that on Saturday, when we had friends over, I ate a lot of things. Pizza. Cheese fries. Coke. Pastry. Enchiladas. To be fair, I didn't eat prior to them coming over, so it was like a mini-binge because I was so hungry. I am starting to recognize my body signals again. Am I really hungry? Am I just bored?

Starting weight: 237.5 

Weight Watchers Starting Weight: 230

Last week's weight: 216.8

This week's weight: 218.6 

Gain: 1.6 

Total lost since WW: 11.6

Total lost since SW:  18.9 

Thoughts: I have gained a total of 5.2 lbs from my lowest weight. When is it going to stop? Uhm, now.

This week's goals:

*Track every day. No matter what. Every bite. Even if I go over my points! 

*Get back in the habit of exercising every day. It's not so hard to do a 20 minute Zumba or a bike ride on my stationary. 

*If I am bored, find something constructive to do. I still need to finish the Lord of the Rings books. I can crochet. I can play with my dog as well. It's not hard to find something engaging.

*Track my hunger signals in eTools. It's there for a reason. I need to figure out if I am eating enough or too much. Sometimes I am hungry and only have a bite or two. Other times I am not hungry, but ravenous, and I eat way too much. 

* Do at least one strength training workout this week. 

That's a lot to do, so I am going to end up making daily lists and then ticking them off. It will make me feel better seeing what I accomplish each day.

Three weeks. Thats when I next see my chiropractor. He asked me how my knee was doing and I told him that it still hurts when I bear my full weight on my leg, or when I extend it fully (like when I am laying down) and when I am kneeling. (such as picking up doggy messes...) And then he said something that really irritated me. He said "Well your knee is 80% better. If you were wanting it to be 100% you would have to come in more. I will see you in three weeks." 

I asked him about this. If my knee still needs more work, why am I not coming in more? His reasoning is that it would be more money for me, and he isn't going to force me into it. I asked him how much more I would have to come in, and he couldn't give me an answer. Basically he is seeing me for my back and neck now (which don't bother me in the slightest) and he's stopped working on my knee since I got my orthotics. He told me they would take care of the issue. They have helped, but they haven't fixed it. 

So here is my train of thought. If I am paying him to fix my knee and he no longer wants to fix my knee, then why am I going? If I had "all the help I can get for now" then why am I going? I have never had any back problems. I went to him specifically for my knee, and now my knee issue has taken a backseat. This upsets me and I am not pleased at all with his answer. Remember, I pay $45 a visit out of pocket. Yeah, it's a lot of money. So I want the best care I can get for it. I would rather him work on my knee the whole time than adjust my back. It's like 20 minutes of back adjustments, 2 minutes of knee adjustment and then another 10-15 of him rambling on. 

It pisses me off. 

I have three weeks until I go back. I am going to do my knee exercises *religiously* until I go back. If I am still having issues, then I am not going to see him anymore. I will look into physical therapy. 

Three weeks. I know it would help to get weight off, exercise, and eat better. So that is what I am going to do. It's an experiment. I am not going to continue to pay someone for a service that they no longer think is necessary. It is bothersome that he works more on my back and when I bring it up, I don't get a logical answer. I don't see how going every three weeks will help my knee any. Even if it's once a week, its still three more times than I am going now! Wouldn't that be more helpful? And wouldn't actually *working* on my knee make my visits more productive? Its not like he is doing anything fancy. He is just rubbing the muscles in my leg and stimulating them and a couple of exercises. I can do these at home, and I can force ask Brian to do my massages. The massages are painful, yes. But necessary.

Truth be told, I don't have the money to go in again before the next appointment I have scheduled. I am using the money in our HSA for glasses. And yes, to me, eyesight is a little more important. Especially at this moment. I am still fuming from this if you can't tell. 

I figure that if I want my knee to get better, I have to do something proactive about it. Tired of being the passenger. It's time to get behind the wheel.

Oh and this is interesting. We ran into a little problem with Brian's new iPhone 3GS last night. The sim card is in a little tray, and you have to use a paper clip to pop the tray open. Kind of like if you want to reset a device, you have to use something small and pointy. Turns out, that it was broken. The catch wouldn't release and it was after AT&T closed so we couldn't go in and switch it. We called the Apple Support line and they suggested a pen or a toothpick (which broke off in the hole, then got pushed into the phone!) and after that didn't work, they told us to go to AT&T in the morning. Which is what we did. At the store, they tried the same methods (really?) and finally decided it was DOA and exchanged us a new phone. This took almost 45 minutes, but we didn't have to pay anything and they switched over his sim card in the store for us, just in case. Now he has his new phone all working and it's all sparkley and everything is right in the world.

To make matters worse! Max peed in the house last night. But it was my fault. I hadn't taken him out in a few hours. Normally he whines, but I guess he wanted to make a point? I yelled "Ah ah!!" Clapped at him and told him "Let's go outside!" He ran to the door and sat down and we clipped on the leash, ran down the stairs, and he peed outside. He really had to go. So 13 days of being accident free has ended. Now starting over. 

Now if you don't mind, I have to go take a nap. I got up really early, slept poorly, and I am exhausted from today's events.

Weigh In

No loss no gain this week! I stayed at exactly 216.8! I'd rather not lose anything than gain a little, anyway.

What did I accomplish this week?

*I tracked 3.5 days out of 7!
*I earned 7 APs walking my dog all week!
*I've been outside more times than I can count in the last week! (Thanks again to the dog)
*I bought more WW meals. I like the convenience. Sorry I'm not sorry.

Which brings me to today's menu:

*Breakfast: Ham and Cheese Scramble WW meal 5 points- egg whites, ham, low fat cheese, and potatoes all scrambled up together! Its really good and reminiscent of my egg ham and cheese casserole. It definitely needs salt and pepper.
*Snack: Apple 0 Points
*Lunch: WW meal: Shrimp Marinara (giving that a try!)
*Snack: String cheese
*Dinner: Spaghetti again. I love spaghetti!!

What are my goals for next week?

*Track 5 full days
*Earn 14 APs

I'm off to do Zumba on the xbox right now and then I have a bunch of errands that need taken care of, including, but not limited to, dropping off a poo sample at the vet. I've had the sample collected and ready for a few days now, I just need to get it to the office!

Sleepless in the Snowfall

For Doggy-related ventures, see The Max Experience

We are picking up Max today.

It's my chiro appointment day

It's my weigh in day.

What a busy DAY!!

My appointment is at 11:30 and we wont be able to pick the dog up from the shelter until after 12:00 so that is perfect.

Oh, also, if I don't wear my shoes with my orthotic insoles in them, I can't walk. Yeah, I know. My calves get really tight (like I did a super intense workout) and my knee aches. But if I wear them, everything is fine, so I guess it means they are working. I will know for sure after my appointment, because he is going to check that today. I can't wait to get my back cracked!

Weigh in was looking a little scary this week. I got on the scale on Sunday and it was as high as 220 (+7 from my lowest of 213) And when I got on the scale on Monday it was down to 219 and when I got on the scale on Tuesday it was 218.4. I tracked all day Monday and all day Tuesday. The excess weight seems to shed quickly if I track what I eat (therein lies the secret to weight loss)

My weigh in this week was: 216.8 which is a .4 lb loss! That means this week I need to track the whole week!

I also did a bit of exercise yesterday. I got a Bollywood dance routine for Your Shape: Fitness Evolved and it was really challenging. I only earned 1 AP in my 10 minute dance, but that is one more than I earn on a daily basis!

Positive self talk and self actions are really making a difference for me. If I catch myself thinking or acting like I am "too fat", then I stop and reframe. It is the Year of the Christie, and I won't let myself get in my way!!

Also, it is the Year of the Rabbit, which was the year I was born. See? It's totally my year! Told you so!

It's another Weigh innnnn

So I would like to point out that this past week I ate a lot. Some of it didn't get written down. Most of it did.

This week I had:

-Roast beef burritos with refried beans, Mexican rice, chips and salsa from my all time favorite restaurant. Oh and I had it delivered. Bad Christie, no soup for you!
-Approximately 2 dozen cookies
-Nachos BellGrande
-Restaurant spaghetti
-Homemade spaghetti
-Chicken with mac n cheese/or rice
-Smoothies
-Diet sodas
-Lots of coffee
-Lots of yogurt/string cheese
-Handfuls of bittersweet chocolate chips/marshmallows. Lots and lots of handfuls. In fact, Brian and I took turns eating out of the bag. That's messed up.

Yeah, I failed pretty much at life this week. I also ended up going over my weekly allowance by 12 points. I also ate all of my activity points too. Not that I earned many. I earned 3. Pitiful.

I am not going to lie, its a BIG weight change. I could whine or cry, or make excuses. But you know what? Truth of the matter is: I ate what I wanted, how much I wanted, and I paid for it by having a weight gain. I used hormones as excuses. I ate and ate and ate. I am not ashamed of my inner (and outer) fatass. I am responsible for my progress, forward or backward. Still, its not exactly pleasant seeing this big of a jump. I gained just a little over 2 lbs this week. 2.2 to be more accurate

I did not once step on that scale during those 7 days- a grievous error on my part. Most people when they step on the scale, it does their head in. They freak out about their lack of progress, or get false hope. Me? I gained nearly 60 lbs in a year because I did not step on a scale. I did not own a scale. When I lived at home, I weighed myself once every single day!

Stupid Christmas. I was like, oh I will make cookie jars for everyone! Wait, I need to try out the recipe to see if its any good <----LIES!! (its a fantastic recipe, by the way)

Redeeming moments: 

Last night, I ate a clementine. Or rather, I tried a clementine. Turns out, I love the taste, not the texture. At least I keep trying fruit, right? Thats the important thing. Lucky me, Brian loves them and gobbled the rest of it down for me.  I also found an apple in the crisper that had been sitting there for probably 2 months. I sliced it open, sniffed it, and then ate it. It was perfectly fine. And delicious! Brian was hesitant, so I made him try it too. He promptly stole half my apple. Hey! That's miiiiine!! 

I took a multivitamin yesterday. Nearly choked on the gargantuan pill, but still took it. I drank all of my water too. I had fruit! It was almost a good day! 

Here's the game plan this week. Or at least today.

-No coffee. I seriously drink all my points in coffee if left to my own devices.
-Breakfast was 6 oz of fat free vanilla yogurt with 1 small sliced honeycrisp apple, for a total of 3 points and 16 oz of water.
-Lunch is going to be 6 oz of fat free fruit flavored yogurt with 1 cup of mixed berries (pureed and deseeded, of course) and maybe one sliced apple as well, as a smoothie.
-Snack: 30 chocolate chips for 2 points
-Dinner is awesome homemade spaghetti. Recipe below.

And that looks like a very well rounded day. I even get almost all my fruits and veggies in, if you can believe it!

My homemade meat sauce consists of 2 cups tomato sauce (16 ounce can), 2 cups diced tomatoes (16 ounce can- I get "petite diced") , 1 cup of frozen spinach (thawed and pureed) and 1/2 c of frozen carrots (also thawed and pureed) as well as 1/4 cup each of diced onion and green bell pepper. Add to this 20 oz of ground turkey (93/7) and garlic powder, seasoned salt, ground black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and red wine vinegar (all to taste) and this is one hearty sauce, this is served over whole grain spaghetti noodles or whole grain penne rigate, depending on what I have in my cupboard. I watched this video that you should let your meat sauce simmer for a few hours. I am considering doing that, just to see how it would taste.

I've finally decided to permanently make the switch from ground beef to ground turkey. First off, its moister. Secondly, its usually cheaper. If I get 90/10 ground beef, I can expect to pay $4.49 a pound. If I get ground turkey, I can expect to pay $3.99 for 20 ounces. That's getting .25 lbs more for .50 less!!

I am going to ride my stationary today. Stella has been neglected for far too long. I also have my last test for my training at work today, there is an extra amount of stress. I would hate to FAIL the last day of training and lose my job :( I am going to do Couch to 5K day 1 and pedal my heart out to some music, sweat a little, earn some APs and then go and ace this test. Tomorrow is my first day of on the job training (not just classroom training) and taking live phone calls. Wish me luck! I am nervous but very excited.

Weigh In Week Something or Other

Wednesday! Its Weigh In Day!

I weigh 214.4! In total, since the beginning of October, I have lost 15.6 lbs on Weight Watchers. I have also lost 23.1 pounds in total since I hit my highest weight of all time!!

YAY!! Is it just me or is that freaking fantastic?!?!

That's another 1.8 pounds down!! Soon I wont be a fat ass anymore. I will be a skinny bitch!! YAY!!


Can you tell I am excited? I sure can!

I am only a mere 7.4 pounds away from my 10% goal. So close, I can taste it. I will get there. I will not give up. I am also only a mere 14.4 pounds away from 200!!

I think this is week 10! Holy crap!! That means my average weight loss per week is a pound and a half. That is right smack dab in the middle of what they say it will be on Weight Watchers.

I don't know about you, but a pound and a half a week is awesome. I will gladly take any downward movement.

Post 497- Just a few more until my vlog!! I can't wait!! I will probably have to stop blogging for a day or so so I can get this done on the weekend. I really want to do my vlog right now, but unfortunately, I have to wait until payday. Keep your panties on, its coming soon. (LOL- sounds naughty)

Weekly Weigh In: Week 10 Wednesday

(Post 489)

Yay its Weigh in Day! 

So time to hop on the scale and take my weight! 

Today's number is 216.2 which is down 1.8 from last week. I was down 3 but then got sick. Still, as I always say, any downward movement is good, so I am quite pleased with myself. Almost 2 lbs a week is a fantastic, safe rate of weight loss, and I am very happy. 

Today marks the first full week of PointsPlus on the new WW plan. I was mistaken earlier, I want to correct it: The new plan does not count calories into the points equation. It is only carbs, fat, fiber, and protein- which make up the total calorie count of any product Sorry if there was any confusion, that was a "my bad". 

I am on my lunch break, again. This time I am making dinner, I am going to have chicken and noodles again. I love chicken and noodles. It's actually very tasty and makes me feel better about life, the universe, everything. 

What else is going on? Hmm not a whole lot. I was very sick this week. Started off with a cold then sort of escalated to an almost-flu. I spent most of yesterday battling to not regurgitate. Thankfully I work at home, so I didn't have to go into the office or anything! Brian even told me "You look awful" haha I bet I do.

I have also put a little thought into what I am going to do for my 500th Vlog Spectacular (That's the working name; subject to change) Paula said she wanted to see me cook- Right back at'cha! 

What wonderful Christie-meal should I do? I don't really have the makings for lasagna, or enchiladas, or really anything at the moment. If I did do a cooking one, it would have to be after the 10th, when I get paid. (First paycheck!!) I'm trying to think of some of my other awesome meals that I make, and really all I can come up with is spaghetti (which you've seen) and lasagna (which you've mostly seen) as well as enchiladas (which are horribly Americanized- but still delicioso if I must say so myself) 

I could do my chicken cordon bleu, or my chicken spinach rollups. Those are the bomb (dot com) and they are gobbled up really really fast. Or I can do my baked mac and cheese, which is really really good as well. Not exactly pointsplus friendly, but then again, thats what your weekly is for! Save those points for my Vlog because you are going to go "Mmmm!" 

I can't wait- I already have some awesome ideas for editing it and some other surprises too. Now my chicken is probably almost done boiling, I have to add in my noodles. I am so hungry. 

Later, Gators!

Weigh in, Week 5

Today is Weight Watchers weigh in, week 5. Now we already discussed that I haven't been pre-tracking and I can tell this had a definite impact on my weight loss this week.

But I have vowed never to be "That Person"

That Person who is upset they only lost x amount in y time
That Person who is not celebrating their achievements


Any time the scale does not move is a victory.
Any time the scale moves only a little downward is a victory.


That being said: I was victorious! I lost .6 lbs this week, bringing my total to 12.6 lost in 5 weeks.
I know my weight loss will slow down a little, because I lost so much the first month. I know I can continue to pull the big numbers too.

I have started pre-tracking every little bite again. I am going to master this art. I will become the Artist Formerly Known As Stuffs Her Face

I bought a set of 3 lb hand weights because I am going to start exercising again and doing my videos. My 2 lbs-ers are too light now and the 5 lbs-ers are too heavy to do repetitions with (I tested them at the store! heh) They are also purple, which is nifty.

Goals for the week:

Exercise at least once with my new weights
Pretrack everything.
Drink more water.

Yay me! down another .6 lbs! I just keep getting smaller and smaller!