Hmmmm....

Ok, here's the dealio... I stepped on the scale this morning, and I was down 2 pounds! I nearly jumped for joy, but I contained myself because I couldn't believe that it was true with all the the crud I've eaten over the last several days. So I went on my way, did a few things, and then stepped on the scale again. Mind you, this is only about a half hour later than my first weigh in, and the scale said I had gained two pounds. Now, while that is much more believable, it's makes me mad. Really mad. Today while we are out and about, I am going to buy a better scale. This one I've been using drives me insane because the calibration keeps getting "off" and I have to adjust it, and sometimes the dial gets stuck and won't move.

So anyway, I guess I won't have an accurate weigh in today, but I'll do it again tomorrow after getting a new scale.

And for my first date goal:

By February 16, 2009 (apx. 7 weeks away), I would like to lose 8 lbs.

I think that's a reasonable goal, and if I go above and beyond, even better. I will continue to weigh in on Mondays, and keep you updated with my progress.

Again, if any of you want to join in, feel free. Just make whatever goal you have to be accomplished by February 16. It would be great to be able to encourage each other along. :)

Back in the saddle.... again

Well, we had a wonderful holiday. A little too wonderful, if you know what I mean. Cookies, pies, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, chocolates, ice cream...... Very wonderful. And now that I've given myself *ahem* a few days of guilt-free indulgence, it's time to really step things up and get on track.

Especially since the Unthinkable happened.

Yep, today at church a friend came up to me, big smile on her face, hand outstretched...

(No! Don't do it! PLEASE don't do it!!)

"Oooh! Are you expecting?" (tummy pat, tummy pat).

..... silence .....

"No, I'm just really fat."

Followed by many apologies and sheepish grins.

So yeah, back in the saddle.

We have a ton of leftover goodies from Christmas, and if Sam forgets to take them to work again tomorrow, they are going in the trash. I just can't handle the constant temptation staring me in the face.

So over the last couple of days, I've been thinking of trying to put an exercise schedule in the works. I HAVE to make it a priority. It's too easy to just sit at the computer all day and be "too tired" to exercise, but it's just something I have to do. So, my basic idea (which I'll try for a few weeks and see how it's going), is this:

Monday: cardio/upper body weights/abs
Tuesday: cardio/lower body conditioning/abs
Wednesday: yoga or pilates/upper body weights/abs
Thursday: cardio/lower body conditioning/abs
Friday: yoga or pilates/upper body weights/abs
Saturday: cardio/lower body conditioning/abs
Sunday: rest

For the cardio, I'm going to try to get outdoors a bit more often too. There are lovely hikes around Hong Kong, and I need to get Maya outside more often as well. I know that I need to be a better example to her in terms of exercise and healthy eating.

I was also thinking of trying to set date goals for pounds lost, (i.e. to lose 8 pounds by Feb 15) etc. If any of you would like to join me in that, let me know. Your individual goals can be different, but the point is to try and achieve something by a set date.

I'll check in again tomorrow (Monday) for my weigh-in (dum dum duuuuuummmm) and set my first date goal.

I also have another contributing factor that will motivate me (I hope) to lose this weight. I've been starting to feel lately that I'm almost ready to start thinking about another baby. HOWEVER, I do not want to get pregnant while I'm still over weight from Zoe. If I don't lose it now, it will get harder after the next baby, and even harder after the next... I know Sam's not quite ready for another one yet, but I think if I can lose some weight, it will persuede him in the right direction. :) (p.s... please DON'T tell Sam I told you that. I have not talked to him at all about this.) Thanks, friends. :)

Week 1 results...

Well, the news is that I'm down one whole pound. I figured with all the walking I was getting in that it must be doing some good, but at the same time, I knew I wasn't being dilligent in resisting treats and so forth. So the fact that I'm down one pound is good because it's getting me focused in the right direction. On the other hand, I'm disappointed in myself that I didn't actively try harder. This week is going to be a toughy, too, with Christmas and all. I think the hardest thing that I need to overcome is making the connection between what I put in my mouth and the lasting effects it will have on my goals. That's something I definitely still struggle with. I'm a very "instant gratification" type of person, and I know I need to work on that quite a lot.

On the plus side, I was really happy with the exercise that I did get in this week. I did quite a lot of walking and went on a hike a couple of times. I like the way I feel while and after I exercise, and that's incentive enough to try and do it more often.

Scolded by a 5 year old...

Ok, so last night the pizza we ordered was a medium, but I promise you that pizzas here in HK are much smaller than the pizzas in the US. This medium is probably the same as a small in the US. So anyway, Zoe had fallen asleep before the pizza arrived, and so we saved one piece for her in case she woke up. She never woke up, and so while Maya was getting ready for bed, I went ahead and ate the last piece. (Truthfully, I was still hungry.)

This morning, Maya asked, "Mom, should we let Zoe have her pizza for lunch today?" I tried to change the subject, but she asked again. I finally said, "Well, I actually ate it already." Maya was so offended, let me tell you! She couldn't believe that I would eat Zoe's pizza. But the best part of the conversation??

"Mom, if you're trying to get skinnier and be healthier, then you need to eat healthier. You should have just eaten a banana if you were still hungry."

I have taught her well. :) (Now if I could just "do".........)

Dec 19 Journal

Breakfast:
1/2 cup oats (1.5), 2 Tbsp raisins (1), 2 tsp brown sugar (.5), 1/2 cup skim milk (.5), banana (1)
Total for breakfast: 4.5

Exercise:

Lunch:

Snack:

Dinner:

Dec 18 Journal

Note added: Today was a bit of a rough day for me... Had a dr. appointment in the morning and heard what I didn't want to hear... (enter chocolate kisses), and then Maya wasn't feeling well, and I had a million things to do... The last thing I wanted to do in the evening was make dinner and count points. Therefore, I took the easy route and ordered pizza. Not the best choice, but oh well. Tomorrow's another day and I'll try again to get on track.

P.S. to Cailean... I'm heading to the book store tomorrow to see if I can find the book you mentioned. If not, I have an Amazon gift card burning a hole in my pocket... I looked up the website and it looks like a really good program/idea.


Breakfast: 1 egg (1.5) + 1 egg white (0) scrambled, 1 slice ham (1.5), chopped bell pepper/tomato (0), banana (1)
(total for breakfast: 4)

Splurge: 8 Hershey's kisses (4.5) .... definitely an emotional trigger... will have to work on that more.

Exercise:
1 hour and 20 min outdoor walking (up and down hills, pushing Zoe in the stroller) (+5)

Lunch:
1 bowl veggie soup (1), 2 slice plain toast (3)
(total for lunch: 4)

Snack:
apple (1), 1 Tbsp peanut butter (1.5)

Dinner:
ordered pizza, don't know the points value but I'm sure it's a lot.

Exercise:
45 min heavy housework- moving furniture, cleaning bathroom, sweeping/washing floors (+2.5)


Total points used for the day:

Homemade granola bars

I just found this recipe online and am going to try it today. I hope they really are yummy! :)

Yummy Banana-Oat Bars
Serves: 8
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups quick old fashioned oats (not instant)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup raisins or chopped dates
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (optional)
1 tablespoon date sugar (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients together in a large bowl. Press dough in a 9"X 9" baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack. When cool, slice into squares or bars and serve.

Edited to add: Just figured out the point values for these, and they would be almost 4 points each. :( Probably won't make them after all, but will leave the recipe up in case someone else is interested. Most of the points come from the coconut, so I could reduce the amount or just cut that out all together... Hmmm...

Dec 17 Journal

Breakfast: 1/2 cup oats (1.5), 2 tsp brown sugar (.5), 2 TBSP raisins (1), 1/2 cup skim milk (.5), banana (1)
(total for breakfast: 4.5)

Lunch:
1 bowl veggie soup (1), 2 slice plain toast (3), a bit of Zoe's Pasta (1.5)
(total for lunch: 5.5)

Exercise:
none today, except grocery shopping and some cleaning

Snack:
apple (1), 1 Tbsp peanut butter (1.5)

Dinner:
2 medium calzones (9)

Total points used for the day: 21.5

Dec. 16 Journal

Breakfast:
1/2 cup oats (1.5), 2 tsp brown sugar (.5), 2 TBSP raisins (1), 1/2 cup skim milk (.5), banana (1)
(total for breakfast: 4.5)

Exercise:
90 min outdoor walking (some fast, some slow, some uphill, some downhill, all pushing Zoe in the stroller) (+5.5)

Lunch:
5 mini cookies (from my VT, give me a break! haha) (2.5)
1 bowl veggie soup (1), 1 pkg crackers (3)
(total for lunch: 6.5)

Snack:
banana (1)

Dinner:
3/4 cup white/brown rice (2.5), pork chop (3.5), mushroom soup sauce (1.5), green beans (0), salad (0), fat free italian dressing (.5)
(total for dinner: 8)

Total points used for the day: 20...

Actually, I'm not sure if this is entirely accurate... had to guess on some of the values. But at least I got exercise in! I realize I really need to work on portions, and I need to not feel guilty about throwing away food that I really shouldn't eat.

Day 1....

Well, I'm just going to dive in head first and get started on trying to change the way I eat and exercise. I'm breaking out my old Weight Watchers books. I don't have enough money to join again (and I have conflicts with all of the current meeting times), so I'm just going to try and do this on my own.

According to my book, I should be eating 20 points a day. The points are calculated by the amount of calories and saturated fat grams. When I exercise, I can earn extra points that I can either eat, or not.

I'm going to try and keep a daily journal here to keep me accountable. I am also going to try to do a weekly meal plan, which I hope will help me stay on track.

I've also come up with my 5lb rewards, they are in the right hand sidebar.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Day 1, December 15, 2008
Starting weight: 172 lbs
Points: 20


Breakfast:
1 cup Swiss Miss hot cocoa w/ mini marshmallows (2)
1 egg (1.5) + 1 egg white (0), scrambled
1 slice smoked ham (.5)
chopped bell peppers, chopped tomato, salsa (all 0)
(Total for Breakfast: 4)

Lunch:
1 bowl veggie soup (1)
3 slices zucchini bread (3)
1 piece cake (2.5) (old habits die hard... thankfully that was the last piece)
5 crackers (1.5)
(Total for Lunch: 8)

Exercise:
1 hour Walk Away the Pounds dvd (+4.5 points)

Snack:
apple (1)

Dinner:
Taco Salad - lettuce, tomato, onion, bell peppers (all 0), minced chicken meat (2), kidney beans (1), olives (1), chips (5)
(Total for dinner: 9)

Total points used for the day: 22 (used 2 exercise points)

Time to get real

Every time I come back here, I make excuse after excuse about why I've fallen off the wagon.

I'm tired of excuses.

I need results.

I haven't weighed myself in weeks, but I don't need to. I can tell by how my clothes are fitting, (or not fitting), that I've gained a lot of weight recently. I look like I'm pregnant. And while it's perfectly fine to look that way when you ARE in fact pregnant, or have just had a baby in the last few months, it's not ok to look that way when your baby is nearly 2 years old.

My problem is that I'm lazy. Plain and simple. I eat the easiest foods (usually pasta) because it's easy, or cookies that people have given us because it would just be wrong to throw them out. If I think I might have a bit of a hard time scheduling in my exercise time, it's easier to say why I don't have time than to buckle down and make it happen.

But the fact of the matter is that I don't like looking in the mirror. I don't feel comfortable in my body. It's hard to know that my hubby may not find me attractive, and that every time he looks at me, he's not looking at ME but at all my jelly rolls.

What worries me, though, is that I'm passing on my bad habits to my children. Maya is darling, but she's starting to get a tummy and sometimes there is a hint of a double chin developing. I don't want her to be like me. I talk to her about eating healthily and getting enough exercise, but I'm not being a good example about actually DOING.

I just don't know how to change. I am good about sticking to a routine for three weeks, but then something will knock me off my schedule and I lose momentum until I've fallen so far behind that it's not even funny.

I really need help, and I really need encouragement. I need people to tell me how to stick to it. I need inspiration.

So friends, even though there are only a few of you reading this blog, I need YOU.

I think one of my biggest problems is that I don't plan in advance for meals, and am often left scrambling for dinner. If someone can teach me how to plan healthy meals in advance, I think I would do much better. It's so easy to fall back to all the regular old comfort foods that it's kind of scary to branch out and try new recipes. But I would love to make some new recipes into my new comfort food. :)

My SIL has just started a new weight loss blog, too, and she has a few things on there that have made me think. One is that she's given herself 5 lb goals, and rewards as she meets each goal. I think that something like that would really be great for me. I'll be thinking about my goals and rewards and hopefully will post them in the next day or two.

Until then, though, please send me some inspiration. :)

Oh dear...

I honestly didn't realize it had already been three weeks since I last checked in here. And I can honestly tell you that I haven't made any progress, which kind of makes me mad.

My in-laws were here for two weeks, which meant way too many yummy dinners with the relatives and at restaurants, plus not as much time to exercise. And now that we're heading toward Christmas, I'm hoping I can get on track before all is lost. :)

Do you have any tips for making it through the holidays relatively unscathed? I don't know if I have the willpower to resist all the goodies that will be heading my way. I am definitely going to put more effort into exercising whenever I can, and I'm still going to try to watch my portions, but what more can I do??????