Choices for Life

Checking in...

2010-09-06T11:45:00.004+08:00

It's been awhile since I checked in. After getting home from our fabulous trip, I felt so jet lagged that I couldn't drag myself to the gym for about a week. I don't know why I was so jet lagged, Singapore is the same time zone and Thailand is only one hour different. I guess that's what happens when you are alone with the kids for two weeks straight. :)

And since we've been home, I've only made it to the gym a couple of times. But now that school is started and we are getting into a normal routine, I have a goal. My youngest will now be at pre-school for a few hours every morning, and I plan to use part of that time at the gym. I think going in the morning will be a lot better for me than late at night.

I was a little surprised this morning when I weighed myself that I had only gained one pound back. After the month I've had, I thought for sure I would have gained more. Well, I am grateful for that, but I've still got a lot of work to do. It's time to get focused again, set my goals, and get going.

hooray!

2010-07-20T09:32:00.003+08:00

Went to the gym last night and weighed myself again.... down 2 more lbs! Hooray! That brings me to a total of 8 lbs in about 5 or 6 weeks. It's coming off faster now that I've really got myself focused on a goal and I'm in the right frame of mind. Yay! I hope it keeps coming off!

The gym my hubby and I go to is about an 8 minute bus ride down the street, but it closes at 10:30pm. So usually what happens is I leave to go right after he gets home from work while he eats dinner with the kids. If he's home early, then I can get in 1.5-2 hours of cardio/weights. If he gets home later and I only have time for 30 min - 1 hour, then I usually focus on cardio. I have to leave the gym by 9:30pm so that he can get there before 10pm so that he has time to do his weight lifting. (Then he'll run home for his cardio... takes him about 25 min- most of it up hill!)

Last night he got home a bit later, and I had to wait forever for the bus, and so by the time I got to the gym, I knew I would only have about 45 minutes. I gave myself a really intense workout on the elliptical to make up for the short time I had. As I was about to leave, Sam sent me a text that said I could stay later because he wanted to study. Yay! So I rounded out a full hour of cardio and then did weights for a little while. After that, I still had some time left before the gym closed, so I got on a treadmill. My intention was to just walk for awhile, but I ended up running for 15 minutes. The good part? I felt like I could have run longer!! The bad part? My hips and lower back didn't like it so much. I'm a little sore this morning.

I am feeling really good now, though. Obviously because I could run for 15 minutes without getting winded (and this was a 7.7 speed), my heart and lungs are getting healthier, and I'm building up my endurance. And during my weight lifting, I can feel my upper body getting stronger, too, because it's not such a struggle anymore. I still have a long way to go, for sure, but I am really happy with the progress I am making.

And I am really, really looking forward to Zoe starting pre-school in September because that gives me 3 hours every morning that I can do whatever the heck I want... i.e. going to the gym. :)

p.s. I adjusted my ticker at the top. Embarrassed or not about my weight gain, I'm proud of getting it off!

ok, but....

2010-07-16T21:55:00.003+08:00

I have been working out really hard this week. My hubby has had the night shift, so I've been able to go to the gym for longer periods of time during the day while he can be home with the kids. My weight has fluctuated down and back up 2lbs over the last week. Unfortunately today, it's back up. I feel like it's not really reflecting how much work I've been putting in. On the other hand, I do have to take some responsibility because I have had a few days where I have not been eating as well as I should. I had some major cravings that I gave in to, and also have been doing a lot of running around, and so haven't been on my regular schedule. I am still focused on my goal, and so I'm hoping tomorrow to get back on track with my food. Hopefully my weight will keep heading down in the right direction!!

My ticker doesn't really reflect all the weight I've lost, though, because it went up several more pounds, but I was too embarrassed to adjust my ticker... So really, even though it says only -1 (from my original starting point), I've actually lost about 6 in the last 3 weeks. I can already start to feel my pants loosening up a bit, which is a relief because I really, really did not want to have to go buy new "fat clothes."

Only 3 weeks until we leave for Singapore and Thailand!! I'm hoping to be down about 9 more pounds, but that might be a little too ambitious....... Wish me luck!

Lady Gaga, welcome to my world

2010-07-08T14:50:00.001+08:00

My Muffintop - watch more funny videos

On the right path

2010-07-08T12:03:00.003+08:00

This week has been fantastic for me. I truly believe I am finally in the right frame of mind. I've set a very realistic goal for myself, and I have a date that I want to reach my goal by. And when I've accomplished that, I'll set my next goal.

I think that one of the things that was tripping me up was that my end goal was so huge and so far away that I kept thinking "there's plenty of time". Well, I'm nearly out of time for that huge goal!

But like I said, this week has been fantastic. Throughout the whole day, I keep repeating my goal in my head so that I don't forget what I'm working towards. I've been sticking (98%... had to sneak some m&m's yesterday) to my diet plan. I've been getting regular time in at the gym. And most importantly, I've been controling my cravings. I did sneak some m&m's, but I didn't devour the whole bag like I usually would. It felt fantastic to be in control of those feelings.

I feel healthy, I feel good, and I definitely plan to stick to it.

Oops

2010-05-30T08:56:00.002+08:00

Things haven't been going so well. For the last 3 weeks, I've only made it to the gym once or twice per week for various reasons, which has really set me back. My weight has been fluctuating a lot, and it's been frustrating. I wish that I had some real progress to report, but I don't.

I've been getting really down on myself, because last year I gave myself a goal to lose 30 lbs before I turn 30 (in August), but instead, I somehow managed to gain 20 lbs. And now I'm only about 6 weeks away from my birthday, and I have 50 pounds to lose instead. :( Another thing is that my dh and I are thinking about having another baby. I've been ready (emotionally) for quite a long time to have another one, but with my weight issues, I am sooo not ready physically. As it is, I'm only about 8 pounds away from my heaviest pregnancy weight, and that's not where I want to start AT ALL. I hate the idea of post-poning pregnancy any more than we already have, but on the other hand, I hate the idea of getting pregnant now at this weight.

It's so weird to me because some days I'll have this huge resolve to do better and eat better and have a positive attitude, and it will last a day or two or three, but then somehow it fizzles away. I don't know why my emotions fluctuate so much. I know what I have to do, I know how to do it, I know why I should and why I want to do it... So why is it still so hard?

On the plus side, last night I did get to go to the gym, and I did about an hour and 20 minutes of cardio, and another 20 min or so on the weight machines.

This next week we have a friend coming into town and staying with us, so I don't know if I'll get to go to the gym very much. She's a vegan, though, so I'm hoping she'll teach me how to cook some new, healthier meals! :) We'll see how things go.

Checkin' in...

2010-04-28T08:24:00.002+08:00

Well this past week has been full of ups and downs, both physically and emotionally. I did get several good work outs in, but my eating habits still need work. Funny thing... last night I weighed myself before I worked out, and I was 1/2 a pound more than I was last week (I told you that 1/2 pound was iffy!), but at the end of my work out, I was half a pound lighter than last week. I really don't think I burned enough calories to lose a whole pound, so I'm going to call it a draw and say I'm the same as last week. That way NEXT week, when I weigh in, I can look forward to a bigger loss, haha. I'm going to really try this week to do better with my food.

I also got lazy and stopped keeping track of calories, which I am going to start up again with right now.

Last night I had such a good workout! My hubby got home from work earlier than I expected, so I took advantage of the extra time and went to the gym early. I actually got about 1 hour and 20 minutes of cardio in. (25 minutes on bike, 35 minutes elliptical, 20 minutes treadmill - walking/jogging). After that, I did about 10 minutes of weight machines. I should have done more weights, but I was so in the cardio zone last night. I have to tell you, I felt sooo good after my workout. And this morning I feel good too. I know I'm not slimmer yet, but my body is starting to feel slimmer. It feels different, and it feels good.

Love it!

Iffy, but I'll take it.

2010-04-20T22:28:00.000+08:00

Well, it's been one full week since I started exercising again. I was able to go to the gym 4 times last week. I felt that I did a good job watching what I ate and keeping track of my calories until Saturday, when I kind of went off track. Sunday was no better, and Monday I was having some issues, and let's face it: I'm an emotional eater.

Today, my issues are under control, but I was running around all day, and so ate on the go and didn't make very good choices. But I did go to the gym and got a good 45 minute work out, so I feel like I'm getting back on track again.

I've learned that I need to take it a day at a time. A meal at a time, even. If I mess up at lunch, I can do better at dinner. It's definitely a learning process, and I have to teach my mind and body how to eat properly.

So, like I said, even though 1/2 a pound can really be iffy, I'll take it. It's a 1/2 step in the right direction. Right????

Day 3 report

2010-04-14T22:10:00.000+08:00

Well, day 3 has passed, and things are going ok.

Yesterday I stayed under my calories goal again (yay!), but I only got a 35 min workout in. It's better than nothing, but I was hoping to do more. I think I'm going to start trying to do some home exercising in the mornings. I'm feeling more motivated to do it these days.

Today, unfortunately I went over my calories because I was home all day and started snacking. One good thing about keeping track of the calories, though, is that you see exactly how it all adds up little by little. I did get to go to the gym for a little over an hour, though, and alternated between elliptical and treadmill. I ran on the treadmill for about 7 minutes, but then had to go to a (brisk) walk because my knee was bothering me too much. I prefer the elliptical, but I know it's important to switch things up and not let my body get too comfortable doing one thing.

I also know that I need to do resistance (weight) training to help build up my muscle and improve my metabolism. So I'm hoping to start adding a little of that a few times a week.

So far, even though I haven't been perfect, I'm feeling good about what I'm doing and I'm motivated to keep going!! I'm only going to weigh myself once a week so that I don't get too anxious about numbers. :)

A good day

2010-04-12T22:23:00.000+08:00

Well, it's only day #1 (again!), but it was a good day. I kept my calories under 1500 and tried to have lots of fruit and veggies, (although I did have a not so great snack... have to get the bad foods out of my house!), and I was able to go to the gym for an hour tonight. I did about 30 minutes on treadmill (alternate walking/running), and 25 minutes on a stationary bike. It felt SO good to get back into the gym and do something GOOD for me!

Changes

2010-04-12T09:50:00.002+08:00

I had an epiphany of sorts last night. I'd rather not go into the details, but I am making changes.

First of all, Sam and I finally got around to applying for a gym membership for me at the university gym. I can get a discount because Sam is alumni. It's just down the road about 10 minutes by bus, so I plan to go as much as I can, if Sam can get home from work early enough in the evenings. It closes at 10pm, so the tricky part is having me organized enough to go as soon as Sam gets home (i.e. dinner ready, Maya working on homework etc), so that he still has time to go, too, after we get the kids to bed. (But next year when Zoe starts pre-school, I plan to go in the mornings while she is gone). I also found THIS website that I am going to start using to track my calories etc.

I've realized that I haven't had much personal growth over the last 10 years. What have I been doing with my time? Wasting it. I'm going to try and break myself out of this habit and really strive to make myself a more well-rounded person.... but less rounded in certain areas, hahaha.

Over the last two years or so, my weight has fluctuated quite a bit, and sadly, I am at the heaviest non-pregnancy weight I have ever been. In fact, I'm only 10 lbs away from my heaviest pregnancy weight. :( So, these changes need to take place immediately. I hardly have any clothes left to wear, and even my "fat" clothes are starting to get a bit tight. Most days, I don't even recognize myself in the mirror. Sometimes I can't understand how I let this happen. But the point is, change is starting NOW.

Confessions

2010-03-04T10:24:00.003+08:00

The truth is... I haven't been trying very hard. I guess part of me wants there to be some magic turning point where everything will just click and the pounds will melt off.

I'm not proud to say that I'm at my heaviest non-pregnancy weight EVER and it does not feel good.

My biggest problem is self-discipline. I know the things I need to do, but it's just so hard for me to follow through and actually do them and then stick to them. It's easy to make excuses or to rationalize decisions, but it's hard sometimes to just do the right thing.

Sometimes I feel like, "I'm chunky. So what. I know who I am on the inside, so why should it matter what I look like on the outside?" But it does matter. And I hate that it matters. But then I have to remind myself that it's not all about looks, either, it's about being healthy. I don't want to suffer from back pain my whole life. I don't want to get winded running around on the playground with my kids. I don't want to be huffing up a flight of stairs.

I've lost weight before, and I know I can do it again. Last Summer, I was running two miles straight without stopping! I know I can get there again.

Motivation?? Are you here?

2010-02-03T11:45:00.003+08:00

I'm still having trouble finding motivation. I have set goals. I have my motivation poster. I have ideals in mind. There are things I really want to work toward, but I'm having a really hard time changing habits. I really, really want to change. Why is it so hard?

that's all I got for now.....

A non-update

2010-01-18T16:59:00.002+08:00

I should not have started my diet on the day that my in-laws arrived, because I was not able to stick to it at all! eek.

They have returned to Taiwan now, therefore I declare tomorrow, Tuesday January 19 the official start of my diet. I am hoping to stick to the plan listed before as much as possible, and find time for exercise at least 4 times a week.

Ready, set, GO!

baby steps, baby steps

2010-01-16T15:44:00.002+08:00

I don't know why it's so hard for me to break out of old habits, but I'm trying.

Day 2 started off great, but by the evening I had snacked on some not-so-great things, and overate at dinner. blech.

Day 3 (today) also started off great, but when I got stressed out about something, I found myself going into the kitchen to get a handful of chocolate chips. eek. I'm hoping I can turn it around tonight, but it's been a bit tricky w/ my in-laws in town. They've been preparing dinner every night, or we've been going to eat with the relatives, which means lots and lots and lots of food. Tonight we're having dinner at Sam's uncle's house again, so I know there will be tons of yummy food. I'm just going to do my best and really try to not over eat.

Still need to get a scale. Still need to pick up "French Women Don't Get Fat." Still need to look into getting a gym membership or something.

Who has ideas for yummy, healthy foods to bring to a baby shower?!?!?!?

Day 1 report

2010-01-15T08:32:00.002+08:00

Well, I figure if this is going to work, I really have to keep myself accountable. So here goes.

Day 1 actually went fairly well. I had 2 bananas and a grapefruit for breakfast. Zoe and I went out walking for an hour on this trail near our home. It's paved, but there are some big hills, and pushing Zoe in the stroller up those hills sure got my heart pumping!

For lunch I ate veggie sticks (red bell pepper and carrot) with hummus, and for a snack later on I had an apple with a little peanut butter. I'm pretty sure the PB is on the "do not eat" list, but oh well. I also had a handful of almonds.

Dinner was a bit trickier because my in-laws are in town, and wanted to cook dinner for us. I'm not going to say no to that! But it also meant that I didn't really have control over what they made. I tried to go heavy on the veggies, but had a little bit of fish and this and that so I wouldn't appear rude. (I didn't tell them I started my diet that day.) They also bought chocolate and chips and ice cream etc, so I'm going to have my work cut out for me to be resisting all that.

For dessert I had some watermelon and a little mango. Thankfully by then it was time to get the kids ready for bed (it was a laaate dinner), and so they didn't get the ice cream out.

Day 2 is off to a good start. I had 1.5 bananas, (1 was my own, and the .5 was the rest of Zoe's that she didn't eat), and a big Asian pear. Mmmm. I love those pears. I don't know if I'll have time to exercise today because we have a lot going on, but I'll do my best to stay on track. My in-laws were talking about going out to eat tonight, so again, I don't know how well I'm going to be able to stay on plan. I'll do my best. Baby steps.

I can do this!

Oh, and P.S. our scale has been broken for awhile, so today hopefully I'll find time to run out and get a new one. Then my "ticker" up above can be more accurate.

I figured it out...

2010-01-13T14:07:00.002+08:00

Awhile back I was reading a book called "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I started following the diet that he outlined in his book, and I started to see some progress. So I am going back to that starting tomorrow morning. Another read through of his book wouldn't hurt, either.

Also, a long time ago, my friend Cailean suggested the book "French Women Don't Get Fat". I've just checked my library and they have it on shelf, so I'll be making a trip there sometime this week to get that as well.

Dr. Fuhrman's plan is a six week plan to lose weight. After the six weeks, he has a modified plan and tells you how to adjust it for your purposes, whether is continued weight loss or maintenance). The very basic breakdown of the plan is this:

Breakfast: fresh fruit
Lunch: salad, beans, more fruit
Dinner: salad, two cooked vegetables, fruit dessert

And these are the basic guidelines:

Unlimited (eat as much as you want)
all raw vegetables, including raw carrots (goal: 1lb daily)
cooked green vegetables (goal 1 lb daily)
beans, legumes, bean sprouts, and tofu (1 cup daily)
fresh fruit (at least 4 daily)
eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes

Limited (not more than 1 serving - 1 cup - per day
cooked starchy vegetables or whole grains (butternut or acorn squash, corn, potatoes, rice, cooked carrots, sweet potatoes, breads, cereals)
raw nuts and seeds (1 oz. max per day)
avocado (2 oz. max per day)
ground flaxseed (1 TBSP per day)

Off-Limits
dairy products
animal products
between-meal snacks
fruit juice, dried fruit

Doing the walk of shame

2010-01-13T13:14:00.010+08:00

It's time to get back on the saddle... again!

It's been almost exactly six months since I last posted on this blog. I was too ashamed and embarrassed to come back. I haven't been eating well, and I've barely been exercising. And it shows. I've put on a lot of weight over the last six months, and I am not happy. I don't have many clothes that fit me anymore, and I really, really don't want to go buy more in bigger sizes. :( For those of you who really know me, you know this is something I have struggled with for a long, long time.

I've made a goal for myself, and it's a perfectly reasonable goal.

I want to lose 30 lbs before I turn 30. My birthday in in mid-August, 8 months away. 30 lbs won't put me at my ideal weight, but it will get me a whole heck of a lot closer than I am now.

I've made myself an inspiration page that I taped to my closet door. Unfortunately I deleted all the photos from my computer after I printed the page, and I'm having trouble finding the exact ones online again, so these will have to do. You'll get the point. :)

The first is someone with severe lower back pain, and next to it is someone doing cartwheels on the beach.

VS.

These images are important to me because it's telling me to choose. Do I want to suffer from this lower back pain my whole life? Or do I want to feel fit and alive, and be able to do active things?

The next picture is 5 lbs of fat vs. 5 lbs of muscle. I don't think I need to expound on that any further.

The next few pictures are things that I want to look forward to in the near future:

Being pregnant (at a healthy weight)

Having a relaxing vacation on the beach (where I am not embarrassed to wear a bathing suit)

And Running (without getting winded in the first 2 minutes)

The last thing is a big '30'. I'm turning 30 years old this summer. 30 lbs by the time I turn 30 years old. I feel so young, but my body is starting to feel so old because I'm not taking good care of it. When I turn 30, I want to feel like I can do anything. I don't want to feel crippled and weak.

I haven't quite figured out, yet, how I'm going to tackle this. I know I need to take things one day at a time. I need to get into a regular exercise routine, and I need to make better food choices. Nobody can do it for me, so I better get going myself.

why??

2009-07-14T23:59:00.002+08:00

Hi friends,

I know it's been a long time since I checked in here. If you read my regular blog, you'll know that we were traveling for about a month, and then spent a week or so getting over jet lag.

Tonight, after being home from our trip for nearly two weeks, I was finally able to go to the gym again. When we left on our trip, I was down 7.5 lbs from my starting point and hoped to keep it all off. While on the trip, I went to the gym several times with my mother-in-law, usually for 1.5 - 2 hours at a time. I went to an aerobics class with my sister-in-law once. I went running with my sister and brother-in-law almost every morning for 2 weeks, and managed to run 2 miles straight a few times. I thought I was doing pretty well even though I knew I wasn't doing so well with the food side of things. (I tried to make good choices, but I didn't always have control over what was available, and let's face it... I was on vacation!)

So tonight when I went to the gym, I was hoping that my weight was still around the same as before. I could have accepted a couple of pounds gained, especially since the last two weeks I have mostly been sitting on my bum and snacking way too much. But I was pretty shocked to see that I had gained most of the weight back again.

I am really frustrated by this. I know I can do better, but I didn't think I was doing bad enough to gain back 6.5 pounds! That just seems insane to me.

Anyway, I've decided to go get my thyroid tested. Several of my family members have to take medication for hypothyroidism, and I feel like that might be part of my problem. On top of my weight issues, I'm also losing a lot of hair, (my sister was actually shocked by how much hair I was losing just by running my hand through it), and I'm tired all the time. I guess if my thyroid is not an issue, I'm just going to have to work that much harder to get rid of this darn weight.

Finally some progress to report!

2009-06-02T09:53:00.002+08:00

The last couple of weeks, I have been trying really hard. I've tried exercising at about 5x per week (whether by going to the gym, going on the hike w/ Zoe, or doing a DVD at home), eating only fruit for breakfast, eating a salad for lunch (most days), and a small portion of dinner w/ another big salad. For snacks, I'm trying to stick with fruit, or veggies w/ hummus. Once in awhile I stray and eat crackers or a few chips, though. I've really tried cutting back on carbs and dairy. If there is a special occasion (i.e. this last weekend we had a party to go to), I do let myself have some treats. Now this has just been in the last 2 weeks that I've really stepped it up, but I've already lost another 3.5 lbs! I am now down a total of 7.5 lbs. So still not much for the last 3 months or so, but a huge step in the right direction. I'm a little worried about our upcoming trip, though, because I won't always have control over what food we eat, but I'm hoping to be able to keep up some of my habits and to be able to exercise a few times a week, at least. I don't want to gain any weight back at all. Wish me luck!

Really discouraged

2009-05-19T15:10:00.004+08:00

Hi friends... me again. I know, I've been neglecting this blog. I wish I had good news, but alas... It's been a real struggle for me to get out of some of my bad habits. I do really well for 2 or 3 days and then I mess up. After I mess up, I get down on myself and fall back into old habits. Then I do really well for 2 or 3 days and then I mess up... It's a constant cycle, and it's really frustrating for me. I'm still at the -4 lbs I've lost, which is good, because at least I haven't gained it back, but it upsets me that I haven't lost more. I expected to be down 10 or 15 by now. :( I've been doing well with exercise, I think. I go to the gym 2x a week usually (depends on hubby's schedule), and I try to go on the walk/hike with Zoe at least twice a week. Still need to work in abs and weights now and then. I know my real weakness lies with the food because although I've been eating a lot more fruits and vegetables, I also am still a bit snacky and some days can go a little overboard. Today I've decided to just not buy any more crackers for the rest of the month and see if that helps.

I could really use some encouragement, though, because right now it feels hopeless to me.

57th times a charm?

2009-04-22T00:25:00.002+08:00

Well, it's been a month since I last checked in, and honestly it's because I couldn't bring myself to face all of you. We had birthdays and Easter and I way over-indulged. Also, dh's work schedule got busy and so I didn't have as much time to go to the gym etc etc etc. Basically, I was up to no good.

BUT! the last week or so I have really been trying to get back on track. I've been making time for exercise if I knew I wouldn't make it to the gym. I even broke out my 12-min abs dvd and have done that a few times. My goal is to do it every day.

I was able to go to the gym tonight, and I was really happy to see that I was down another .5 pound. I was surprised because I was positive that I had gained some back. It's a small loss, but considering the last few weeks, I'll take it.

One thing I've really been thinking about lately is: "Do I control the food? Or does the food control me?" I really want to be able to say that I absolutely control the food, and so when temptations and cravings pop up, I'm really trying to work on resisting them, or finding something else to occupy my mind and time.

I'm hoping to go back to the States this summer (leaving in approx 3 months from now), and I'd like to lose at least 15 lbs before then. That's about a pound a week, which is totally doable, if I stay focused. I'll really try to stop back in here more often. I don't know how many people actually visit this site, but at least it's a good way for me to keep myself accountable.

soooo slow....

2009-03-24T09:28:00.002+08:00

Hi friends,

I didn't realize that I didn't post at all last week, sorry! Well, I am making progress, but it is slow going. I am now down 3. 5 pounds. It's a good start, but I'm only losing about a pound a week, which is much slower than I had hoped for. Of course I'm not sticking to "the diet" as much as I should, but overall I am making much better food choices, watching my portions, not snacking so much, and getting exercise in at least 4x per week. I still haven't tried any new recipes, but I know I need to. I just haven't had time to get organized about it. Usually I cook what I normally would for the kids and I just eat a salad. I can't keep doing that forever, so I know I need to make some changes.

2nd week results

2009-03-09T22:55:00.002+08:00

Well, I was really worried that I had gained back the 1.5 pounds I had lost because last week was BAD for me. It started off rough, and then I got sick and I went for easy and "comfort" foods rather than what was healthy. I think I really only stayed on track one day last week. (eek!)

With that said, I went to the gym tonight, and thankfully, my weight stayed the same. No loss, no gain. I was happy with that because, like I said, I was sure I had gained it all back.

This week I am recommitting myself and hoping for better results next week.

At the gym tonight, I was able to get on a treadmill. I did intervals (walking/running) for about 30 minutes, and then did a 10 minute walking cool down. That's all I could push myself to do tonight. It's better than nothing, but I hope I can build up my endurance bit by bit.

First week's results

2009-03-03T23:26:00.003+08:00

Hi friends,

Well, I made it to the gym tonight. It was quite busy, so unfortunately I didn't get any treadmill time, but I did get 48 minutes on an elliptical. yay! Bye bye 540 calories!! I also weighed myself, and to be honest, I was a bit disappointed. I only lost 1.5 pounds. Now, really, that is great. It's a step in the right direction, but I was really hoping to see a 2 or 3 pound loss at least. I think I stayed on track pretty well last week. This week, I've gotten off to a bit of a rough start, but I'm recommitting myself to staying on track. I can feel a difference in my body, I already feel slimmer, even though the scale is not reflecting it. I'm hoping for a bigger loss this week.

Some goals for this week:

*Make time for exercise on non-gym days (when Sam can't be home to watch the kids)
*Continue to cut out pasta/bread/white rice
*Work on abs/upper body weights

Checking in...

2009-03-02T09:29:00.002+08:00

Well, today is the 1-week mark for my new "diet". I think I've stayed on track about 85% of the time, and I'm pretty happy with that. There were a few days where I slipped up on a meal, or had a not-so-great snack, but I tried to rebound and do better the next time. I also got some good exercise in last week. I wish I could let you know if I've lost any weight, but unfortunately Sam has the night shift tonight and won't be home to watch the girls, so I can't go to they gym. (I never did get around to buying a new scale.) I can honestly tell you I feel like I have lost at least a couple of pounds. I hope that the scale reflects it. I will let you know tomorrow night. :)

Staying on track... mostly...

2009-02-25T22:07:00.004+08:00

Today was another good day.

For breakfast I had 3 pieces of fruit again, and for lunch I had a nice big salad with chopped almonds and a little bit of fat free italian dressing, followed by an apple. In the afternoon I had two small plums for a snack. For dinner we had the missionaries over, and I was going to make tacos/burritos, but both stores I went to were out of taco shells and tortillas! So we modified it to taco salad, which is kind of funny because when I was growing up, my mom always made taco salad when the missionaries came. :) I managed to do pretty well with that. I limited myself to one handful of chips, and made a large salad (including kidney beans) topped with salsa. I resisted adding the meat and cheese to it as well, though it looked and smelled sooo good. (One small step at a time.) We followed that with sugar free jello w/ fresh fruit, and a mango. Yumminess.

After the missionaries left, I was able to go to the gym and did 40 minutes on the elliptical. I've been wanting to try to get on the treadmill more, but there are only 4: one is currently out of service and the other three are always in use. Tomorrow I'll have to keep a careful watch and try to jump on as soon as someone else gets off.

For the most part, I'm feeling pretty good. Today I could tell that my body feels lighter, even if the scale doesn't reflect that (yet.) I feel less bloated and icky. I'd be lying, though, if I said I wasn't craving chocolate chip cookies and oreo ice cream. :) Most of the snacks/crackers are gone out of the house now, which is good for me, but I'm wondering what to replace them with for the girls.

Any ideas for healthy kid snacks?? I do want to try to make these granola bars that my SIL Paige made:

******
Easy Cranberry Granola
INGREDIENTS :

4 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups wheat germ
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups honey, or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
In a large bowl, stir together the oats, wheat germ, walnuts, almonds, and dried cranberries. In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Drizzle over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat evenly. Spread the mixture out in a thin layer on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes to toast evenly. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Granola will become crunchier as it cools.
******

And according to Paige, to turn the granola into granola bars, you do this:

The change is that I put foil down in the pan, with a couple of extra inches hanging off the long sides. Then I sprayed with cooking spray. I turned out all of the "batter" onto the sheet & (with my hand in a plastic bag) patted it all out to about 3/4" thick. Then I cooked it for 30 minutes, which is what the recipe calls for. The thickness made it so that it didn't get dry and brittle. When done cooking, you lift the foil up and cut the bars. Then wait 10 minutes and take off the foil. Store in a airtight place for up to a week (according to the recipes that I read).

I'm excited to try it sometime soon!

Any other kid-friendly healthy snack ideas??

Good day

2009-02-24T23:00:00.003+08:00

Well, yesterday finished out nicely. I got to go to the gym for about an hour. I did 20 minutes on the treadmill (intervals), and 33 minutes on the elliptical. Today, I totally stayed on task with my food. Hooray!

Breakfast: banana, grapefruit, handful of grapes
Lunch: bowl veggie soup w/ beans, 1 slice whole meal toast, 1 oz. almonds, plum
Snack: handful of grapes, carrot w/ salsa
Dinner: big salad w/ a little bit of fat free italian dressing, steamed broccoli, and steamed/pan fried (w/ Pam) zucchini seasoned w/ mrs. dash,
Snack: apple

I made Spaghetti for the girls (Sam's working the night shift), and they each had broccoli, too. Zoe tried the zucchini and loved it, Maya tried it and spat it out. I did make her swallow one bite, but she wouldn't touch it after that. I'll have to think of better ways to encourage her to try more vegetables.

I didn't get any exercise in today, but I hope to go to the gym tomorrow again. The book has a lot of recipes that look pretty good, so I just need to get organized and go grocery shopping tomorrow so I can try them out. The missionaries are coming to dinner tomorrow, and I'm still trying to think of what to make for them. Any ideas?????

First day on the new "diet"

2009-02-23T17:19:00.002+08:00

Well, I'm trying to follow Dr. Fuhrman's six week plan to lose weight and be on my way to better health. Today was the official day 1. (After the six weeks, he has a modified plan and tells you how to adjust it for your purposes, whether is continued weight loss or maintenance). The very basic breakdown of the plan is this:

Breakfast: fresh fruit
Lunch: salad, beans, more fruit
Dinner: salad, two cooked vegetables, fruit dessert

And these are the basic guidelines:

Unlimited (eat as much as you want)
all raw vegetables, including raw carrots (goal: 1lb daily)
cooked green vegetables (goal 1 lb daily)
beans, legumes, bean sprouts, and tofu (1 cup daily)
fresh fruit (at least 4 daily)
eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes

Limited (not more than 1 serving - 1 cup - per day
cooked starchy vegetables or whole grains (butternut or acorn squash, corn, potatoes, rice, cooked carrots, sweet potatoes, breads, cereals)
raw nuts and seeds (1 oz. max per day)
avocado (2 oz. max per day)
ground flaxseed (1 TBSP per day)

Off-Limits
dairy products
animal products
between-meal snacks
fruit juice, dried fruit

Well, I started off the day quite well. For breakfast I had a banana, a grapefruit and an orange. For lunch, I had a big bowl of homemade vegetable soup w/ green beans & kidney beans in it, with one slice of whole meal toast. Around 4:30pm, I was getting quite hungry, so I had a snack of carrot sticks and salsa. At 5pm our home teachers stopped by with homemade pizza for our dinner.

Uh Oh.

I tried, tried, tried to resist, but alas... I succumbed to the temptation. If any of you REALLY know me, you know that if I had the choice, I would live on pizza (and chocolate) for the rest of my life. I love it. So I had three (smallish) slices. :( It was delicious. :) In the evening, I'll have another piece of fruit to help me resist going for more pizza. Hopefully when Sam gets home he'll either finish it off or throw it out. I am going to go to the gym tonight, thankfully Sam will be home to watch the girls. Hopefully I can work off all that cheese.

Tomorrow's another day, and I don't anticipate anyone bringing over pizza again. Or chocolate.

A Big Change...

2009-02-21T15:50:00.004+08:00

Hi friends... I know I've been absent for awhile. I had a really bad case of PMDD (basically severe PMS) that lasted for about two weeks. I was homesick, lonely, depressed, irritable, I cried a lot, I overate and indulged, I didn't exercise nearly enough, etc etc. It was really disorienting for me because I've never had a case of PMS that bad before. I honestly thought I was about to go off the deep end until about three or four days after my period started and everything was fine again. Weird, I tell you, WEIRD.

So now that I've caught you up on my TMI of the moment...

My friend Cailean, awhile back, recommended a book to me called "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I finally got around to buying a copy and have been digging into it. It has really opened my eyes to a lot of the misconceptions and misunderstandings that we have about food. He really promotes a vegetarian (dare I say Vegan?) way of eating. Not for any moral/anti-killing-animals purposes, but just because that the more "animal products" you eat, the higher your risk for tons of different kinds of diseases. He says that over the last ten years that he has been a practicing physician, and for the roughly 5,000 patients he sees every year, 99% of them wind up with much better health after following his diet recommendations. He says that patients with type II diabetes (insulin dependant) no longer need insulin injections, people with high blood pressure no longer need medication, people's risk of heart attack and disease is waaaay down, and on and on and on. He explains that we have been so conditioned to the thought that meat = protein and that dairy = calcium, that we forget that fresh fruits and vegetables have enough, if not more, protein and calcium to give us our daily needs.

He doesn't just spout off things, but he backs up everything he says with science and studies (not just his own, but other well documented ones, too). He explains everything in great detail. Needless to say, he is very convincing, and Sam and I are contemplating making the switch to a mostly vegetarian diet. (Also, keeping in mind that he excludes most pasta, bread, white rice and cheese etc from his recommendations.) This will be a challenging change for us, but from what I've read, it seems like a smart move.

I would love to hear if any of you have experience with vegetarianism, and if you could offer any insights on how to make the change less challenging, especially for our kids? And of course, if any of you have any great recipes, please share them!

Here are a few recipes I've just found that I plan on trying out in the very near future:

Tofu Jambalaya
Dal Bhaji
Ridiculously Easy Lunchbox Enchilada Casserole

Ok, in general THIS website looks like it is going to be awesome.

knock some sense into me...

2009-01-30T20:53:00.002+08:00

I was just reading on MSN and came across this article: America's Worst Supermarket Foods

I went into it naiively, thinking that it would be interesting, but thinking that the foods it mentioned wouldn't affect my habits at all. Until I started reading...

The very first thing it talks about are the worst crunchy snacks, and listed Gardettos, which happen to be one of my favorites. 1/2 a cup of gardettos is the same amount of fat as 3 strips of bacon. Ok, well, I love Gardettos, but I rarely buy them because they're pretty expensive here.

So I kept reading... But I stopped in my tracks when it listed the worst candy. Are you ready for this???

TWIX.

That about knocked me upside the head because whenever I have a chocolate craving that won't go away, I usually splurge on a twix. I LOVE them. This is what the article listed:

***********
17. WORST CANDY

Twix (1 package, 2 oz.)

280 calories
27 g sugars
14 g fat (11 g saturated)

Twix takes the already-dubious candy-bar reputation and drags it through a murky pool of saturated fat. With more than half the USDA's daily consumption recommendation for these dangerous fats in each package, this is one hazardous after-lunch snack.

Saturated fat equivalent: 11 strips of bacon
***********

Ok, so I know every time I buy it that it's not the best thing I could be splurging on, but I didn't know it was THAT bad! 11 strips of bacon? Are you kidding me?

Guess I'll think twice next time I hit the candy aisle.

(The article suggesting replacing it with 100 Grand, which I also love, but unfortunately can't get here.)

Starting over... again

2009-01-29T14:17:00.002+08:00

Well, ok, I never ended up buying a new scale (yet), and so I am just using the one at the gym. The last couple of weeks have been rough with me being sick and not exercising and making some poor food choices, but I am recommitting myself to getting myself healthy. I've readjusted my ticker at the top of the page to reflect my real weight, (according to the scale at the gym), and will go from there.

Today, so far, I'm doing pretty well. I had oatmeal for breakfast with craisins and skim milk, went to the gym and did about 20 min (intervals) on the treadmill, and another 25 min on the elliptical, and then cooled down with about 12 min walking on the treadmill. For lunch I had a banana and a PBJ, and for a snack I'm having carrot sticks w/ salsa.

I realize that I'm not going to reach my original date goal that I had before (lose 8lbs by Feb 16), so I'm going to adjust it a bit and try to lose 4 lbs by that date. I think it's still doable, but it's going to take some real dedication on my part. :) Wish me luck.

set backs

2009-01-19T10:27:00.003+08:00

Well, I started off last week pretty strong. I got 3 or 4 really good workouts in, but then Zoe got sick and we got busy, and I put off going to the gym. Well, now I'm sick and feeling like crud. Last night (before the crud really set in) Maya and I made cookies because we were supposed to go to a lunch today, but now I don't think we're going to make it. So what do I do with 4 dozen cookies??? I've helped myself to a "few", but I really need to get them out of my sight. I wish I had a really good update today, but I don't. I know I am down a few pounds, which makes me happy, but I still have a long way to go and it's going awfully slow.

A bit upset

2009-01-12T09:16:00.002+08:00

Well, I never managed to buy a new scale this past week, but I started checking myself now and then at the gym. (I can only go when dh is home to watch the girls, and with his new rotation schedule I am able to go a lot more often. Hooray!)

Anyway, the reason I'm a bit upset is because I guess my el cheapo home scale I was using was a lot more "off" than I originally thought. Why? Because when I weighed myself at the gym, I was five pounds heavier. On two different scales. Grrr... Now, that was last Monday. On Saturday, I was down 2 lbs., which is definitely in the right direction. I'm just a little frustrated that I have so much more work to do now, and sometimes I feel like I'm never going to accomplish my goals. Sometimes I really let my discouragement get to me and then I splurge on bad things. And then I'm even further behind. It really is a vicious cycle that I need to make stop.

So, I need some advice. What do you do when you start getting discouraged??? What do you do to motivate yourself to keep going?

Healthy snacks...

2009-01-06T22:24:00.004+08:00

My SIL Paige asked what kind of snacks I've been eating. Well, besides my splurges today, I have a few that I eat pretty regularly.

- sliced apple w/ 1 tbsp peanut butter
- handful of wheat thins w/ salsa
- carrot sticks/celery sticks w/ salsa
- celery sticks w/ 1 tbsp peanut butter
- fruit (apples, grapes, oranges)

That's pretty much all I've got. I'd love to hear some of your healthy snack choices!

One step forward, two steps back...

2009-01-06T22:13:00.002+08:00

That's kinda how I feel today. Yesterday I did pretty well with staying on track, but today...

It started out well enough. I had a good breakfast, Zoe and I went on a walk/hike for about an hour which really gave my calves a good workout. :) Then after Maya got home from school, we had a good lunch, I put Zoe down for her nap, and that's where it all went downhill.

I sat down at the computer to catch up on some blogs, among other things, and helped myself to a little snack (wheat thins and salsa), and then made some microwave popcorn to share with Maya, and then had a handful of teddy grahams... you can see where this is going. I just couldn't stop, and I'm not sure why. Then later on I had to go tutoring and my student was being a brat, and the kids were whiney... We had to stop at the store to get a few things and I snuck a candy bar into the grocery cart because I NEEDED chocolate.

Sometimes my brain still just doesn't make the connection between what goes into my mouth and the size of my stomach/hips/thighs/insertyourproblemareahere.

I'm sure that part of it (most of it) also was that I just didn't have much structure to my day. Zoe had a super long nap (4 hours!!! And I had to wake her up, even.) And so while she was sleeping, and Maya was amusing herself, I just sat at the computer and surfed/watched shows/movies and ate and ate and ate. I've told Maya that tomorrow is a no tv/limited computer day. We are going to be productive, we are going to go to the playground, and we're not going to sit on our bums all day long.

Tomorrow's another day and I vow to do better. I know I can't be too hard on myself because that will just discourage me from trying harder. I know I can make better choices, I know what I need to do.

So that's me... How was your day?

Week 2 update

2009-01-05T08:49:00.002+08:00

Well, my scale is completely busted now. The dial won't move beyond 15 pounds. :) I didn't have time to get a new one last week, so I have no weigh in today. I will for sure get a new one this week, though, so I can weigh in next Monday.

Overall, I was happy with the way things went last week. I got a good cardio workout in 5 days, I did abs 2 days, and upper body weights one day. I did oversnack on a few days (though they were "healthy" snacks), and so I do have a few things to keep working on.

My goals for this week:

cardio at least 5 days
upper body weights 3 days
abs at least 5 days
only one snack per day around 4pm
More Water! (although that's really all I drink anyway, except 1/2 cup skim milk in the mornings)

I wanted to try and implement yoga or pilates in a few days a week, but for some reason I haven't got the patience for it right now, lol.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T09:57:00.003+08:00

Well, so far this week, I am pretty pleased with the way things have been going. I have made time to exercise every day so far, whether it be with a dvd, outside hiking with Maya and Zoe, or going to the gym. It feels good! I also feel like I've been trying a lot harder to make good food choices and watch my portions. I still have a lot of progress to make, for sure, but I feel like this week I have done fairly well.

I didn't buy a new scale yet, but it's on my "to do" list. Hopefully I can get one before my weigh-in on Monday. :)

Hmmmm....

2008-12-29T09:31:00.003+08:00

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

2008-12-28T18:29:00.004+08:00

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...

2008-12-22T21:52:00.002+08:00

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...

2008-12-19T08:47:00.002+08:00

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

2008-12-19T08:45:00.002+08:00

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

2008-12-18T12:26:00.005+08:00

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

2008-12-17T14:28:00.005+08:00

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

2008-12-17T08:48:00.003+08:00

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

2008-12-16T09:07:00.006+08:00

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....

2008-12-15T08:57:00.007+08:00

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

2008-12-14T18:52:00.002+08:00

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...

2008-12-06T09:53:00.003+08:00

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??????

The last few days

2008-11-14T18:24:00.003+08:00

The last week or so has been full of ups and downs. I started out the week very strong, and on Tuesday night I did, in fact, resist the refrigerator at 11pm. (Go me!) However on Wednesday I slipped into my bad habits of over snacking, (we were super busy, out and about), and didn't get to exercise. Thursday was ok food-wise, but again, didn't get around to exercising because for some reason Zoe was really clingy and started crying every time I tried to put her down. Today was also pretty busy. I haven't snacked a lot, but I think I overate at lunch. (Got together with friends). So that's my week in a nutshell. On the plus side, I think that overall I am eating a lot less than I used to. I got on the scale this morning and I was down 2 lbs!! I can't decide if it was a fluke or if it was real. I'm going to take it, though, and hopefully it will continue to go down. :)

Cailean asked what kind of exercise I do: Well, I don't ever have time to go to the gym, and so mostly I do exercise dvd's at home. The ones I've been using the most are Leslie Sansone's "Walk Aerobics" (ooh, just looked at her website for the first time. Looks like there may be some good info there.); Kathy Smith's "The Rules of Fat Burning"; and Kathy Ireland's "Core Workout" (for the 12 min abs.) I have several other videos, but these are the ones I like the most. I have one that I'm trying to work up to. I tried it once before and it really kicked my butt. It's Denise Austin's "Boot Camp".

Now, admittedly, our HMV (where we can buy dvd's/cd's), doesn't have a very large selection of workout dvd's. If any of you can recommend any others that are really good (anything cardio! kickboxing, tae bo, aerobics....), please recommend them! Doing the same videos can get boring, and it's good to mix it up a bit for my body, too.

Besides these videos, I do try to lift my little 5 lb weights a few times a week, doing upper body strength training, I'm trying to start doing the 12 min abs every day, but so far it's only about 2x per week, and then I just count all the walking I have to do here just to get around town. :)

What exercise do YOU do???

What do you do?

2008-11-11T22:44:00.002+08:00

Ok, so it's 10:45pm. I actually got to exercise for an hour this morning, plus I did 12-minute abs (go me!), and for 45 minutes yesterday. I've stayed within my points, I've been eating lots of fruits and veggies. I've resisted buying chocolate at the grocery store. Seems like I'm doing ok so far.

HOWEVER, I still struggle with feeling snacky all the time. For example, right now. I could sooo down a bag of chips, lol. Thankfully, we don't have any chips in the house, but you know what I mean. I know I should just go to bed and avoid the temptations all together, but there are still a few things I need to get done around the house first. So while I'm getting those things done, how do I resist the refrigerator?

Ideas??

Staying on track

2008-11-08T09:01:00.003+08:00

Hi friends!

These last 3 or 4 days have been really good for me. While I haven't exercised as much as I wanted (been finding it really hard to wake up at 6:30am), I have been keeping on track with my eating habits. I am making a conscious effort to pay attention to when I am full and to stop eating, and to make healthier choices for snacks. I have also limited myself to only one snack in the afternoon (around 4pm) to help me last until dinner. My favorite snacks of the moment are an apple with 1 Tbsp of peanut butter, or carrot/celery sticks with salsa. Other times when I am feeling snacky, but not hungry, I chew gum and try to find something to do to take my mind off food. I am sort of following the weight watchers points plan, and have kept withhin my points for the last 4 days. For me, this is a huge acheievement.

My friend Nicole, who lives in Japan, said that the Japanese have a saying that is something like, "eat until you are 80% full." I am trying to pay attention to my body and do just that. (So now you know why all the Japanese are so thin!!)

Oh, if any of you have a great recipe for homemade salsa, will you please share? The salsa here is sooooo expensive. I love it, and it's helping me with my snacks, but I can't afford to keep buying it!

Working it out...

2008-11-03T10:06:00.002+08:00

Ok, so we're back home now after our little house-sitting/kid-sitting adventure, back to a regular routine, and Halloween has passed. (I was kind of bummed about not being able to go trick or treating, but you know, it was probably for the better. I totally would have been stealing all of Maya's chocolate.) With that said, I'm ready to give this my full attention.

My goals are:
- to exercise for 45 minutes (give or take) at least 4x per week. (this is including cardio, upper body weights, and abs).
- to really watch my portion sizes (printed out guidelines and posted it on the fridge as a reminder)
- to choose healthier snacks
- to keep a food journal, which really helps me to stay accountable

I'm hoping to lose 10lbs by Christmas, but my ultimate goal is to lose about 25.

Wish me luck!

A minor setback

2008-10-28T15:28:00.003+08:00

Hi friends...

Well, last week I had a good 3 days where I exercised and kept track of what I ate and cut back on my snacking etc. I was feeling really good. And then we had a sudden change where we had to move over to our friends house to take care of their 4 kids while they were out of town. (The person they had originally planned to come had a medical emergency and canceled.) So anyway, our schedules totally got thrown out of whack and I got out of my new routine, and am kind of struggling with staying on track. As soon as we're back home, though, (in about 24 hours from now), I am going to get right back on track, and hopefully have some positive results in the next couple of weeks. :)

Portion Control

2008-10-23T06:56:00.003+08:00

One of my biggest issues with weight loss, I think, has been portion control. Last night I was really proud of myself, though. I made Calzones for dinner, and I usually eat two of them. I had two on my plate, but after finishing one, I realized that I didn't feel hungry enough to eat the 2nd one. I really wanted it because they tasted really, really good, but I put it away in the fridge and ate an apple instead. I was plenty full after that. I was really proud of myself for taking that step. :)

Today I got an email from Prevention.com about portion control. HERE is a little quiz you can take to see if your ideas on portion control are on track. And HERE is a portion control chart that you can print out and put on your fridge so that you can be reminded about what proper and healthy servings are.

Enjoy!

Frustrated

2008-10-20T16:04:00.003+08:00

I don't know why this is so hard for me. Honestly. Last week I started off really gung ho, I kept track of what I was eating, I got up at 6:30am almost every day and exercised, but as the days went on, I slacked. Today I feel like I made no progress whatsoever last week at all. I keep trying to remind myself that I've lost the weight in the past, and so I know I can do it. It's just a matter of DOing it. I don't know why it's so hard to let go of the food. I'm really having a hard time and it sucks.

Old habits die hard...

2008-10-14T16:38:00.002+08:00

Ok, I am in desperate need of some help. I know that I need to make a lot of changes in my habits and routines when it comes to food and exercise, but it is really hard. I find myself snacking all the time, even when I'm not hungry. And I'm not reaching for carrot sticks, either! I don't generally buy a lot of candy or chips and things like that, but we do have snacks around. And it doesn't help that the bread and the chocolate are in the same aisle at the grocery store!

As for exercising, I figure that the only way I am going to get any real exercise in is if I get up at 6:15am before anyone else is awake. If I don't, then I'm busy packing Sam's lunch, making breakfast, getting Maya ready for school, heading off to tutor, or doing a million other things. If I don't get up early to exercise, it's likely that I won't exercise at all.

Anyway, I guess what I am asking is how do I change my bad habits of over-snacking, over-eating, and under-exercising? I really need some tips and advice to kick my bad habits to the curb. I know that it's a step by step process, but I am really having a hard time even taking the first step.

Thanks.

My tail between my legs...

2008-10-09T07:31:00.003+08:00

I don't know if anyone still reads this blog, (I wouldn't blame you, since I haven't updated in months). Well, I'm back. Back to square one, that is.

I was doing so great, and then we went on our trip back to the States. I got out of my routine, out of my habits. Then when we got back I had to deal with jet lag, jet lagged kids, getting Maya back into school, getting back into a regular routine. I made excuses about not having enough time, and then I hurt my back and really couldn't exercise for like a month. I just let go of my exercise and good eating habits. It's gone from bad to worse and now I'm at the bottom again.

I won't tell you what I ate the other day, but it's terrible. I'm really ashamed of myself. I really overdid it in a bad way. I weighed myself yesterday, and I've gained back everything I had lost. And the kicker... a lady at the playground yesterday asked me if I had "a baby coming." That's the absolute worst. It's fine to look pregnant when you are pregnant, it's an entirely other thing to look pregnant when you're not. (Ok, or if you still have a young infant. Gotta give a break there!!) And some of my new clothes that I just bought 4 or 5 months ago barely fit anymore.

I also feel bad because my dh works so hard to stay in shape and work out, but I can't really compare myself to him because he's always had a fast metabolism. (Seriously, this guy can EAT). And he gets to go to the gym whenever he wants. Me? Not so much. But I don't want to be the fat wife of the buff doctor, ya know? I don't like the way I look, I don't like the way I feel, and I just know I'm going to hurt my back again if I don't get this under control.

So anyway, I'm getting back into it, starting at this moment. I don't know when I'll have time to exercise every day, but I have to try. I have to watch my portions, I have to stop snacking. I'm nearly done weaning my baby, so I really don't need all the extra calories I've been eating.

Wish me luck. :)

Thank you!

2008-07-13T16:32:00.003+08:00

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has stopped by and left encouraging and uplifting words. I appreciate it so much! Unfortunately, I haven't much changed my habits over the last 2 weeks, but I know I need to. I know that I need to take it a day at a time and a step at a time. I just wanted to say thank you for your kind words. I hope that you will continue to stop by and that you will continue to share your wisdom with me. :)

The sad truth...

2008-07-03T21:09:00.002+08:00

The sad truth is that I really stink at keeping myself accountable for what I'm eating. I thought I could do it, but these last two weeks have been really downhill for me. My tummy used to be really slimming down, but now it's all pooched out again. I don't dare weigh myself because I'm afraid of what I'll see. I know I have been overeating, and when there are yummy treats to be had, I have too many. Oh, and factor in not really exercising, too, and you know I've got trouble.

So as much as I really hate to do it, I'm going to force myself to start counting points again and to try to journal everything I'm eating. That's the only way that I'm going to make myself be accountable. When you see it written down, it makes a lot more sense.

I don't know what it is... When I put something in my mouth, I just don't think about the long term effects. I just think about how good it tastes in the moment, and then often times I'll say, "just a tiny bit more" which turns into not such a tiny bit. Argh, it's frustrating for me, and I can tell that it's frustrating for Sam, too, which makes it more frustrating for me.

I guess I just really need some encouragement to step it up again and to get going. Some good healthy recipes and tips to keep at it would be great too.

Cantonese Chicken

2008-06-17T11:50:00.001+08:00

Hi All!

I've got a new recipe that I am trying out today. As I'm not counting points anymore, I'm not going to bother trying to figure them out for this recipe. :) Enjoy!

Cantonese Chicken

2 lbs boneless chicken
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey (melted)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp corn starch

Mix ketchup, honey, soy sauce together. Dissolve corn starch in lemon juice and add to honey mixture. Add to bag, remove excess air and freeze with the following cooking instructions:

slow cooker: 4-5 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low
oven: 1 1 /2 hours covered at 350F

Checking in!

2008-06-17T10:49:00.002+08:00

Hi all!

This is waaaay overdue, but you should know that I had a fabulous time on our month-long trip back to the States. So good, that I ate cookies, pizza, ice cream, brownies, cake, chips, and many other yummy-bad foods. To make it short, I didn't really pay attention to what I was eating at all, and I didn't spend much time exercising. I know I have paid for it, too. Although my clothes still fit ok, they are not the best and I just feel like a big blob again. Now that we are home and able to get back into somewhat of a routine, I am going to step it up.

I've made a decision, though. I am going to quit with the point counting for now. I really felt bogged down when I had to try and figure out points for everything, and it was impossible when I was not the one cooking. (I.e. if dh cooked, or we went out, or were at his grandma's house etc.) Instead, I am just going to be more aware of what and how much I am eating. I am going to start each dinner with salad (which won't be hard because I love salad), and then a smaller portion of the main dish. After I finish that, I am going to make myself wait 15 minutes to see if I am still hungry. If I am, then I can get a small 2nd helping. Dessert for me will be fruit.

(Of course I will make the occasional allowances for cookies or cake or whatever for special occasions, but I want to get out of the sugar habit.)

I think I have a good enough idea of what kinds of foods are healthy and what are not. I understand how to read nutrition labels, and I know that whole foods are better than packaged foods.

I guess part of it is when I was counting points, it felt too much like a diet. I don't want this to be a diet, I want it to help me be more well-rounded, and as my title says, these are choices for life. However, if I find that I'm not losing any weight after a month or so, I may go back to counting points for a little while.

I have also decided that I'm just about ready to start weaning my 14 month old baby. I think I will wait a few weeks to actually start since we are all jet-lagged, and we just moved her to a different bed... I don't want her to be too confused all at once.

For the record, I did just weigh myself, and my scale said I was at 162. I honestly don't know how accurate that is because I felt like I gained more back than that. Perhaps if I can make it to the gym tonight, I will weigh myself there and see what it says. I'll keep you posted.

I am a bad, bad girl...

2008-05-19T16:52:00.002+08:00

This weekend has been one bad choice after another. Granted, we are celebrating being back in the States and we had a family bday party for Maya, but it's 2am (darn jetlag), and while everyone else is asleep (except for Zoe), I just finished another piece of birthday cake and a small slice of cheese cake.

Sigh...

I am really worried that my 9 pounds I lost are all going to be creeping back on in the next month while we're here. I am going to try harder to keep things under control and I'm going to try and exercise a few times a week, too, but I think this month is going to be really tough for me.

Doing better

2008-05-13T15:33:00.002+08:00

Hi all... well, I'm happy to report that I am doing better about staying on plan. I haven't really been writing down my points like I should, but I am being a lot more aware of what I eat and how much I eat. I'm also getting back into somewhat of an exercise routine. I've been getting up early to go to the gym before Sam has to leave in the mornings, and mostly just running on the treadmill and doing some weights. My knees were hurting quite a lot after running, and so I've modified what I do somewhat. Instead of just running full out as long as I can, I start with a 10-15 min run, then walk briskly for 3 minutes, then run for 5 minutes, walk for 3 minutes, etc. I have also stopped using the incline.

I don't know if I'll reach my goal before we leave on our trip, but I'm still trying to keep at it. One thing I am concerned with is keeping up the exercise while we're on our trip. I'm taking some of my workout dvd's and I'm planning to get some new running shoes, so hopefully I can fit something in every day. I guess we'll see how it goes.

I'm a slacker

2008-05-04T19:17:00.002+08:00

Hi all... I am overdue for weigh in number 5. I stayed the same, so I wasn't too excited about posting, but staying the same is better than gaining, right? I wrote a post HERE about my current exercise blues.

My friend Cailean suggested that I do an online search to find out why my knees have been hurting after I run on the treadmill. I found out that I am likely doing several things wrong: running too fast and too long when I am still a "beginner", setting the treadmill at an incline, which is harder on the knees, wearing "cross-trainers" instead of proper running shoes. I have a feeling that it also has to do with how out of alignment my hips are, which I think is also impacting my legs/knees. So anyway, I am giong to give it another go, but not try to go as hard as I have been, and hopefully my knees can take it. (But I'm really hoping that the elliptical is up and running again!) I am also going to find a good yoga dvd (thanks for the recommendation, Cailean!) because I can tell that my body needs the stretching out and relaxation.

A couple of people also suggested sparkpeople.com. I actually signed up for that months and months ago, but never followed through because their menus etc aren't suitable for breastfeeding mothers, and living in HK, I don't have access to all the different foods that they suggest. Yes, I know that is just excuse after excuse, but I'm still working with my weight watchers books a bit (though I get tired of counting points) and things seem to go well when I actually follow the plan. :)

So anyway, we leave in TWO weeks for our trip, and my goal is to be down two more pounds, by then. I'm hoping that at my next weigh in (the day before we leave, woot woot!), I will have good news to share. :)

Weigh in #4

2008-04-17T08:11:00.002+08:00

Well, friends, I stepped on the scales first thing this morning, and it said 162 lbs!! That makes me really happy! That means I'm down 9lbs total. It's coming off a bit slower than I had wanted, but as long as it's coming off, I'm happy. I know I need to step it up with the exercise a bit (I've been lazy this week), and I also still need to make some changes to my eating habits. The best part about the weight loss is, though, that my hubby can actually notice a difference. Yay! It's not in vain! lol.

So, I'm 1lb away from my goal of 10 lbs. When I reach that, I can go buy a new outfit! Yay! I'm going to really step it up these next two weeks and see if I can't get below 160!

Argh...

2008-04-14T22:56:00.002+08:00

I was doing so well today. I got up early, went to the gym, had a healthy breakfast, had a healthy lunch... then 4pm hit. I NEEDED a snack and due to poor planning, didn't have much to choose from. I had an apple and some peanut butter, which held me over for about 30 minutes, and then I was snacky again. I had a bowl of honey nut cheerios. And then I finished off Maya's crackers. And then I had a little jello yogurt thing. And then I started making dinner. And then because Sam was gone and both Maya and Zoe had fallen asleep, I ate waaaay too much dinner. I kept telling myself to stop, but I just kept going back for "one more bite."

It's kind of depressing that I have such poor willpower. It's something I'm constantly working on. But the good thing is that tomorrow is another day and I can start fresh. I will put this day behind me and try again tomorrow to eat reasonably and to not overdo the snacks.

Small update

2008-04-10T08:34:00.002+08:00

Ok, I know I haven't gotten around to posting my daily food journal, yet, but I have stayed within my points for the last few days. Actually, I've been coming in under! I've heard that you're supposed to eat ALL your points every day, but what if I'm not hungry? Hmmm...

Also, last week while we were still house sitting, I was able to go to their gym nearly every day and get a really good work out. I usually used the elliptical for 45 minutes or so, and then used the free weights for 15 minutes or so. The best thing about this is that my hubby has even commented that my bum is getting smaller and he's starting to see more definition in my waist. Yay!!

BUT now that we're not house sitting anymore, I had concerns about being able to keep up the same intensity with my home workouts. I talked to my hubby about it and he told me that I could use the gym at his school. I just use his student card to get in. I've been twice, and so far there hasn't been any problem. Now that he's officially done with school (see this post), he can apply for the "alumni card" and can sign family up with him, so I'll have my own card starting in June. Hopefully that will all go smoothly.

Well, I'm still in need of some great, healthy recipes. We're getting tired of the same old things. If you have any great ideas, please pass them on!

Weigh in #3!

2008-04-05T13:03:00.002+08:00

Well, as I suspected, I gained some weight back these last two weeks, though I'm not sure how much because my scale at home and the scale at my friend's gym have been saying different things. It varies from staying the same at 164lbs to gaining back the two that I lost last time.

On the plus side, however, I have been getting a really good cardio workout in almost every day for the last week (yay for my friend's gym!!), and even getting some upper body weights/toning in. I'm working on cutting out the mindless snacking, and now that Sam and Zoe's birthdays have passed and I've thrown away the leftover cake, hopefully I can get back on track. My goal is to be down another 2 lbs (to 162lbs) by my next weigh in. I think that's a reasonable goal, so we'll see how it goes. :)

One thing I've also realized is that I majorly need to get some lower body toning in. I've taken my daughter Maya swimming a couple of time and my thighs and butt... yeah, not so much. So that is going on my "to do" list. I also have a goal to spend ten minutes every day doing some ab work.

Wish me luck!

A rut I can't get out of...

2008-03-31T17:00:00.002+08:00

Wow, ok, my next weigh in is coming up fast and I am not going to be surprised if I've gained some of my weight back. Which is kind of depressing since I haven't lost much yet to begin with! These last few weeks have just been really hard for me to stay on plan. Part of it has been because we've been busy with various things, part of it had to do with Easter and all the treats we were given, and part of it has to do with us house sitting right now and me being out of my regular routine. But mostly it has to do with my lack of will-power. It's something I'm constantly struggling with. I start out the day with good intentions, but I'm usually off track by lunch.

On one hand, I find it really cumbersome to try and keep track of points (a la Weight Watchers), on the other hand, I find if I don't keep careful track of everything I put in my mouth then I am more likely to go overboard with snacking and what not. I'm trying to find a happy medium.

One of the perks of house sitting, though, is that we have access to a nice gym and a pool, and believe me, we've been taking advantage of it! I took Maya swimming the other day, and while she found some other kids to play with in the shallow end, I was able to get in several laps. (Stopping in between each to make sure she was still ok, of course.) I forgot how much work actual swimming is. I was panting after each lap! But it really felt good to get in and do it.

Anyway, I am going to try and get back in the habit of posting my food and exercise journals every day again, and if any of you have fabulous ideas for healthy recipes, I'd love to hear them!

Not so good...

2008-03-24T10:48:00.002+08:00

You know what I've discovered? If I can just stay AWAY from the candy aisle at the grocery store, I'll be ok! Who'da thunk it? When I don't have any treats at home tempting me, I do pretty well. I stick to my veggie soup and my apples and my tuna sandwhiches and fish and chicken and other healthy things, but once something even remotely unhealthy enters our home, it's gone in a flash.

I.E. Easter.

We had to have some treats for Easter, right? I ended up eating about half of them. And then we went to our friend's house where there were more treats, and I didn't want to be rude by refusing what was offered, right? And then we got sent home with leftovers. There is apple pie with a caramel topping in the fridge calling my name right now.

Needless to say, I have some repenting to do. This last week was crazy and I hardly had time to exercise. So no exercise for a week + CHO-CO-LATE = Not so good. Help me be strong! I don't want to lose my 7lb lead!

Weigh In #2!

2008-03-20T12:08:00.002+08:00

Well, it's time for my second weigh in....

I am down another 2 lbs, (for a total of 7!), and am now 164lbs. Yay! That means I reached my first goal and am at my pre pregnancy weight!

I think the reason why I didn't lose more in this 2 week period is because we were pretty busy, so I didn't have as much time to exercise. Also, I did splurge a few times and we went out to eat a few times. And although I did generally try to make good choices, there were a couple of times when I probably could have done better.

But I am happy with 2 lbs, because it is still going in the right direction. My next mini goal is 5 more lbs because I really need to get under 160. I have been stuck in the 160's for many years, and if I can get out of that rut, I would be really happy.

Catching you up...

2008-03-20T12:04:00.002+08:00

I know I haven't posted my food journaling for a few days. We have been really busy, and I've eaten out a few times with friends. I feel like I did pretty well, though, because I really tried to make a conscious effort to choose something healthy on the menu. And yesterday, we went to Disneyland!!! Woo hoo! It was so much fun. I'll be posting all about that on my Adventures in Hong Kong blog soon. We packed our own food, so I had total control about what went into my mouth. Not to mention walking/standing for like 8 hours... Anyway, it was a lot of fun.

Food and Exercise for Friday, March 14th 2008

2008-03-14T19:48:00.002+08:00

Breakfast: 1/2 c. oats (1.5), 2 tsp. brown sugar (.5), blueberries (.5), 1/2 c. skim milk (.5), banana (1)
Exercise: 12 min abs (+.5) (See here why I didn't do more- I know it's not a good excuse, but it's the only one I've got! lol)
Lunch: Calzone (5), 2 plums (1)
Snack: Mango yogurt jello (1.5), 2 little chocolate things (1.5)
Dinner: 3/4 c. rice (2.5), sweet & sour pork (7), 2 spring rolls (4)
Snack: apple (1)

Total points used out of 26: 27
Total exercise points earned: .5

Today was another busy day. I totally guessed on the points for the sweet & sour pork and the spring rolls. We bought them from the store, so I have no idea how many points they are. Also, on the package of the little chocolate things I ate, the nutrition info is all in Japanese, so I actually have no idea how many points they are worth, either. So yeah... Tomorrow I am definitely going to get some exercise in. I don't have anywhere to go in the afternoon, so I can take my time if Zoe doesn't cooperate again. Then again, if she insists on staying up, I might as well just strap her in the stroller and take her for a walk.

Food and Exercise for Thursday, March 13th 2008

2008-03-14T19:40:00.002+08:00

Breakfast: 3 pancakes (3), 1/4 c. lite syrup (1), blueberries (.5), banana (1)

Exercise: 45 min WATP (+3.5), 12 min abs (+.5)

Lunch: Veggie soup (1), Tuna sandwich (4.5), bits and pieces (2)

Snack: 20 mini pretzles (1.5), apple (1)

Dinner: 2 calzones (10)

Snack: plum (.5)

Total points used out of 26: 26
Total exercise points earned: 4

I was actually surprised that I stayed within my points today, since it was such a crazy one. I'll be honest, in the evening I had a major case of the snackies, and I almost gave in so many times. But I knew that I wasn't truly hungry, my body was just in a habit of having a snack later. I ate a plumb, and thankfully that was enough to curb the craving for a little while. Cutting back the evening snacking is definitely something I am working on.

Bad day

2008-03-12T22:43:00.004+08:00

Well, I was doing really well today, but had some poor planning and time-management issues around dinner time, and I ended up over-doing it. I made dinner before I had to go tutoring, but ran out of time to eat. So I grabbed a snack, but then when I got home I was really hungry and ate a lot more than I should have. And then because I'd already gone over my points, I had some chocolate. And if you know me, you know I can't stop at just one. Sigh...

So yeah, I didn't stay on track today, but I will try again tomorrow. It's going to be another busy day. I have to get a bunch of stuff done (including exercise) before Maya gets home from school at noon, and then after lunch we have to head out to Stanley for Girl Scouts. It takes about an hour on public transportation to get there. Then we have 2.5 hours there (long meeting this time), and an hour back. I'll barely have enough time to get dinner ready before I have to head out again for tutoring. I don't know how I will do, but I hope it's better than today.

Thankfully on Friday, I don't have anything going on and I can take it easy at home.

But on a happy note, while I was exercising today, I just felt really good. I think I posted it yesterday, but even though I've only lost 5 or 6 pounds so far, I can really feel a difference in my body, and it feels great.

Food and Exercise for Tuesday, March 11, 2008

2008-03-11T23:10:00.004+08:00

Breakfast: 1/2 c. oats (1.5), 1/2 c. skim milk (.5), banana (1), 2 tsp. Brown sugar (.5), 100g blueberries (.5)
Exercise: 35 min WATP (+3)
Snack: 20 mini pretzels (1.5), a few of Zoe's crackers (.5)
Lunch: Veggie soup (1), 2 slices wholemeal bread (2), 1/3 can tuna (1), 1 Tbsp. mayo (1), 1 slice lite cheese (.5), lettuce, tomato (0)
Snack: Mango yogurt fruit cup (1.5)
Dinner: Leftover pasta (7), salad (0), 2 Tbsp Italian Dressing (.5)
Snack: apple (1), 3 digestives biscuits (4.5)

Total points used out of 26: 26
Total exercise points earned: 3

This was a good day. I felt really good while I was exercising, and I felt like I didn't have as much pudge around my middle. After dinner, I still had 5.5 points to eat, so that's why I had the late snack. I wasn't particularly hungry, but I've heard that it's really important to try and get all the points in. So anyway, I'm happy with today and will try to keep it up tomorrow. :)

Veggie Burger Recipe

2008-03-11T15:45:00.003+08:00

We had this for dinner on Sunday night, and it was really good. Even Maya ate it with compliments to the chef! The originally recipe I used can be found HERE, but this is how I made it.

Veggie Burger Recipe
Makes 5-6 patties

1 can Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans) rinsed well and drained
2/3 cup Bread Crumbs
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup Salsa
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 of a green bell pepper, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Oil or cooking spray

1. In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas, parsley and bell pepper until finely chopped.
2. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the bread crumbs, egg, salsa, salt and pepper until evenly mixed.
3. Form into patties 1/3 inch thick.
4. Heat oil or cooking spray in a frying pan over medium-low heat, cook patties for approx 3-4 min on each side.
5. Top with sliced cheese for the last minute of cooking.
6. Serve with regular hamburger toppings, condiments and buns.

Food and Exercise for Monday, March 10th, 2008

2008-03-10T23:13:00.003+08:00

Breakfast: 3/4 c. oats (2), 1/2 c. skim milk (.5), banana (1), 2 Tbsp raisins (1), 2 tsp. brown sugar (.5)
Snack: 2 oatmeal choc. chip cookies (3), some of Maya's crackers (1)
Lunch: banana (1), veggie soup (1), 2 slice wholemeal toast (2), 1 wedge light laughing cow cheese (.5)
Snack: apple (1), grapes (1)
Dinner: Pasta- 150g bowtie pasta (2.5), 1/2 c. jarred white sauce (2.5), 2 small chicken fillets (2), bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, onions (0)
Snack: 2 digestives biscuits (3)

Total points used out of 26: 25.5
total exercise points earned: 0

This was a busy day. I went to playgroup in the morning and then had to rush home to get Maya, make lunch and all that fun stuff. I ended up taking like a 2.5 hour nap in the afternoon because I didn't get enough sleep the night before. Then we went to the playground for like an hour or so (ok, I guess that is some exercise I got because I did run around with Maya for awhile), and then home to eat dinner, then to the grocery store (only a 3 minute walk away), and then back home and bedtime for the girls. It doesn't seem like I did that much, but the day just passed by so quickly.

And about the oatmeal cookies... I totally guessed on the points. My friend had them at playgroup, and she said these are the healthy version of the recipe. She's really into healthy eating and changing recipes to be healthier, so I figure their points couldn't be too high. But really, I have no idea, lol.

Repenting

2008-03-10T07:49:00.002+08:00

The last few days have been quite busy and I haven't taken the time to journal and keep track of what I've been eating. With that said, I KNOW that I totally strayed and went over on points. I ate one of the Nestle Drumsticks that have been in our freezer for a few weeks... and the saddest part is that it was totally freezer burned and tasted old and stale! I guess that will show me! lol. (I wonder how long it had been in the freezer at the store?)

But anyway, today I am resolving to get back on track. I feel good about my 5 pound loss, and I don't want to gain it back this early in the game. I've still got my goals to reach and I am going to keep working toward them. I'm taking this a day at a time, and I don't want to let my inconsistencies and my short-comings get in the way of overall health.

Food and Exercise for Thursday, March 6th 2008

2008-03-06T23:57:00.000+08:00

Breakfast: banana (1), 1/2 c. oats (1.5), 2 Tbsp raisins (1), 2 tsp. Brown sugar (.5), 1/2 c. skim milk (.5)
Exercise: 45 min WATP (+3.5)
Lunch: leftover spaghetti (5), salad (0), 2 Tbsp dressing (.5), grapes (1)
Snacks: 27 mini pretzels (2), small cupcake (4), a few of Maya's little crackers (1)
Dinner: Pork chop (3) w/ breadcrumbs (.5), gravy (.5), 1 cup rice (3), salad (0), dressing (.5), orange (1)

Total points used out of 26: 26.5
Total exercise points earned: 3.5

We had Girl Scouts today and I had resolved to not eat whatever the snack was going to be. I even brought my own snack (the pretzels) to ward off temptation. But when the cupcakes were brought out... I gave in. I only barely went over on points, though, and I did exercise today, so I'm going to forgive myself and move on. After all, this isn't a "diet". I don't have to forbid all the yummy treats, I just need them in moderation, right???

Moment of Truth...

2008-03-06T13:35:00.002+08:00

It's my first weigh in!!!

So, I've been trying to follow the Weight Watcher's points plan for the last two weeks, and also add some exercise into my days. I weighed myself this morning first thing, and the scale showed a 5 lb. loss! Woo hoo!!! If I had thought about it at the time, I would have taken a picture for proof, but you'll just have to take my word on it. I am now down to 166lbs, and two pounds away from my first goal. (To reach my pre-preg weight of 164).

Thanks for all of your support so far!

Food and Exercise for Wednesday, March 5th 2008

2008-03-05T23:26:00.000+08:00

Breakfast: Banana (1), 2 Weetabix (2), Lite Yoplait berry yogurt (1.5)
Lunch: Crackers (2.5), 1 serve canned peaches (1.5), little bit of french toast (1), apple (1), 2 slices wholemeal bread (2), 1 Tbsp reg. mayo (1), 1 slice lite cheese (.5), 1/3 can tuna (1), veggies (0)
Snack: 3/4 c. granola (2.5), 1/2 c. skim milk (.5), banana (1)
Dinner: 150g spaghetti noodles (2.5), 1 cup spaghetti sauce (.5) w/ ground beef (3), onions (0), mushrooms (0), salad (0), 2 Tbsp lite Italian dressing (.5)
Snack: orange (1), 2 cups lite popcorn (.5)

Total points used out of 27: 27
Total exercise points earned: 0

We made French toast for Maya & Zoe's lunch today because we had to make something using eggs and take a picture of it for one of Maya's school projects. I had about 1/3 of a piece that Zoe didn't eat. I also ran out of time to exercise because I had a bunch of other things going on that I had to get done.

Food and Exercise for Tuesday, March 4, 2008

2008-03-05T00:03:00.003+08:00

Breakfast: 1/2 c. oats (1.5), 100g blueberries (.5), 1/2 c. skim milk (.5), 2 tsp B. sugar (.5)
Exercise: 25 min WATP (+1.5)
Lunch: Banana (1), 2 slice wholemeal bread (2), 1 Tbsp reg. Mayo (1), 1/3 can tuna (1), 1 slice lite cheese (.5), lettuce, tomato, slice bell peppers (0), apple (1)
Snack: banana (1), 1 Tbsp PB (1.5)
Dinner: 2 calzones (10)
Dessert: 2 triangles dark choc. toblerone (2)

Total points used out of 27: 24
Total exercise points earned (1.5)

I didn't get as much exercise in today and I had planned again. I got going on it and then I started having some major lower back and hip pain, so I took it easy. I think I was hurting because yesterday when I took Zoe to playgroup, it was about a 15 minute walk down a big hill from the bus stop to our friends house. Pushing the stroller (or rather just holding onto it as gravity was pulling it down just fine), put a strain on me. Grrr. I hate feeling geriatric at 27 years old! After I finished the short workout, though, I did take the time to do some good stretching and that really helped with the pain. I think I want to start doing some yoga or pilates a few times a week. I'll have to see if I can find a good beginner's DVD. Any recomendations?

Also, I think after my weigh in on Thursday, I'm going to cut down my daily points to 25. I realized that since I'm not nursing Zoe full time that I shouldn't be using all the points for it. I think that will help my progress as well.

Calzones Recipe

2008-03-03T22:48:00.004+08:00

I originally got the recipe for calzones HERE. But for easy reference, here it is copied and pasted. (My notes will be at the bottom of the post).

Calzones

To make the dough:
1 cup + 2 TB. of warm water
2 tsp. yeast
1-1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups flour

The easiest way to do this is to use your bread machine on the dough cycle, but if you don't have one simply start by dissolving the yeast in the water. Next you will add the flour and the salt until you are able to handle the dough (it shouldn't be extremely sticky, although a bit of stickiness is OK). Knead the dough on a lightly floured counter for 8 minutes. Place the dough in an oiled bowl (covered with a cloth) for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.

Gather your filling ingredients:
For these calzones I used meatballs and mozzarella cheese. For eight calzones I used approximately 16 meatballs (each one cut in half) and about 1 cup of cheese. You will also need spaghetti sauce, barbecue sauce or ranch dressing, depending on your filling ingredients.

Once your dough is done, divide it into 8 pieces. Roll one piece into a small circle and place your fillings on one-half of that circle. Fold one-half of the dough over the filling and seal the edges with a fork (kids love to do this!). Be sure to seal the edges well so that the cheese doesn't leak out. Place these on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with all of the dough pieces until you are done.

Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15-18 minutes or until they are golden brown. Serve and eat with your favorite sauce, or freeze in ziploc bags for later use. These are great when served with pasta or green salad. Enjoy!

**** Katie's Notes *****

In an effort to make these a bit healthier, I used 1.5 cups of plain white flour and 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour. I thought they still tasted great! Also, for the filling I cooked up some ground beef, chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, and bits of chopped broccoli. I also mixed in a packet of fajita seasoning mix. Before closing it, I added a tablespoon or so of cheddar cheese. I made Maya's without the bell peppers and onions (she's not a fan), but she loved it with the broccoli.

My point finder book that I have didn't list whole wheat flour in it, so I used the points value for wholemeal flour. It was basically the same as white flour. For each calzone, I used approximately 35g of beef (about three tablespoons or so), about 15g of cheddar cheese (a good sized tablespoon I think, and piled on the veggies.

Food and Exercise for Monday, March 3, 2008

2008-03-03T22:38:00.003+08:00

Breakfast: 1/2 c. quick oats (1.5), 2 tsp B. sugar (.5), 100g blueberries (.5), 1/2 c. skim milk (.5)
Exercise: walk 15 min (+1)
Snack: Red/Yellow bell pepper crudites (0), 1 TBSP ranch dressing (1??), few grapes (.5)
Lunch: personal frozen pizza (6), apple (1), 1 TBSP pb (1.5)
Snack: 1 serve dark choc. Toblerone (3)
Dinner: 2 homemade calzones- bread (5), cheese ~30g (3), ground beef ~ 70g (2), veggies (0)

Total points used out of 27: 26
Exercise points earned: 1

I know I need to eat more veggies. I was planning to make a nice salad for dinner, but when the time came, I didn't get around to it. Zoe's been extra clingy today since we lost her blankie. :(

In response...

2008-03-03T20:58:00.002+08:00

In response to my last post, Lorie said that in the US you have 35 flex points to be used throughout the week. When I was going to meetings 2 years ago, I don't remember them saying anything about flex points, so I'm not sure if they do that here. Things could have changed in the last two years, I don't know. I'm just going by what info I got 2 years ago.

Anyway, I'd rather not even add them into the equation, I think, because I'm pretty sure it will counteract any good I'm doing now. :) I'm also thinking of knocking one or two of the BFing points off because I'm not nursing Zoe full time. I'll give it a few weeks and see if I'm losing, I guess. I am going to only weigh in every two weeks, the first one is coming up this Thursday! Stay tuned!

A bit of an update...

2008-03-03T17:08:00.003+08:00

I've been really proud of myself this far. Well, it's only been a week and a half, but I have really stuck to it. Well, until last night anyway. I went a bit overboard on the snacking. Ultimately, I think I went over on points by about 5 or 6, so it's not that bad, but I was upset that I let it happen. And it was for no good reason other than I was bored. I've found that if I keep some gum handy, it helps with the snacking urges. I drink a glass of water, chew some gum, and if I still feel "hungry" 20 or so minutes later, then I will eat something. Today I am right back on the wagon, (yay!) though I only got about 15 minutes of walking exercise in. I'm hoping to get more done tomorrow. I am getting anxious about weighing myself on Thursday. I think I've lost at least a couple of pounds, but I guess we will see. Some is better than none, right?

I'm too lazy to post my food journal for the last few days, but I will post todays later on.

Food and Exercise for Friday, Feb 29th 2008

2008-02-29T20:47:00.005+08:00

Breakfast: 1/2 cup quick oats (1.5), 2 tsp. brown sugar (.5), 2 TBSP raisins (1), 1/2 c. skim milk (.5)
Exercise: none
Lunch: Left over pasta from last night- smaller portion (7), apple (1), 3/4 c. veggie soup (.5)
Snack: apple (1), 1 TBSP pb (1.5), 1/5 Maya's snickers (1), 1 serve dark choc. toblerone (3)
Dinner: the rest of the leftover pasta (4), 1.5 c. veggie soup (1), 1 slice wholemeal bread (1), 1 lite Laughing Cow cheese wedge (.5)
Snack: Banana (1)

Total points used out of 27: 26
Total exercise points earned: 0

I had a horrible headache all day today that even pain meds couldn't help, so I skipped the exercise. I did splurge a bit and had some chocolate, which was nice. I was really tempted for a little while to eat more than my one serving, but I held off and now the temptation is not there anymore. I've put the rest of my toblerone in the freezer for another day. Self-control when it comes to sweets is really something I am working on.

Also, I did a search online and found out the the Nestle Drumsticks we have are like 6 or 7 points each. I was really tempted at lunch today to have one, but then I thought, if I'm going to splurge on that many points, I better make sure it's something I really love! (i.e. the Snickers Maya had today. The Toblerone was ok, but I much prefer the Snickers!!)

Taking it easy...

2008-02-29T11:06:00.001+08:00

This morning I woke up with the worst headache EV-ER. Even after taking some meds, I still feel terrible. So with that said, I'm taking a break from exercising today. I just need to chill and get over this sore throat and overall yuckiness. I am going to still try to stay on plan with my points, but the exercising is going to have to wait.

Food and Exercise for Thursday, Feb 28th 2008

2008-02-28T22:56:00.001+08:00

Breakfast: 200g strawberry yogurt (3.5), 2 weetabix biscuits (2), banana (1)
Exercise: 10 min cardio (1), 20 min lower body toning (1), 10 min upper body weights (.5)
Lunch: 2 slices wholemeal bread (2), 1 Laughing Cow cheese wedge (.5), 1 XL egg (2), 1.5 cups veggie soup (1), apple (1)
Snack: 3/4 cups granola cereal (2.5), 1/2 cup skim milk (.5)
Dinner: Pasta (5) w/ white sauce (3), cubed chicken (2), chopped onion (0), mushrooms (0), frozen veggies (.5)

Total points used out of 27: 26.5
Total exercise points earned: 2.5

I started out aiming for 45 min of cardio today, but then Zoe woke up really early from her nap and I only got 10 min in. I was thinking about just scrapping it because it's nearly impossible to do anything with Zoe underfoot. But then I had the great idea of using a different video and getting some toning in, which I really, really need. That worked out fine, but I also ran out of time to finish my upper body work before I had to get Maya from the school bus. I'll need to figure out a way to get this toning and light weight work in several times a week....

Fighting temptations

2008-02-28T21:17:00.003+08:00

Last week while my in-laws were in town, they were kind enough to buy us some ice cream. They are the single serving cones with ice cream in them (I think they are called Drumsticks?). However, they happened to bring them on the day after I started my WW thing. I gave one to Maya and put the rest in the freezer. When they asked why I wasn't eating them, I just told them that I was trying to "cut back."

Well, they've been in there for a week and surprisingly haven't been much of a temptation for me. Until today. I've already eaten all my points today, but I am sooooo tempted to just go rip open the wrappers and eat them all right now. THIS is why. It's just been one of those weeks, you know? But I know that if I give in right now, it will be that much easier for me to give in again, so I am just trying to get it out of my mind.

What do you do when you are faced with a temptation?

WW Veggie Soup recipe

2008-02-28T10:41:00.003+08:00

This is the Weight Watchers veggie soup recipe that I make quite often. It is 0 points for 1 cup. I really like it a lot. Sometimes I make variations, adding a can of kidney beans or chickpeas or something (adding a .5 to 1 point per bowl, depending on the size), and most times I add both the peas and a can of green beans. Or if I eat more than one cup, I also add points. This recipe makes a huge pot.

Free Veggie Soup

2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes (regular soup can size)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
pinch dried chilli flakes
2 carrots, chopped
2 sticks celerly, finely chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup peas or beans (optional)

1. Place all ingredients except peas or beans in a saucepan. Season with salt and black pepper.
2. Cover and cook at medium heat for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
3. Transfer the soup to a food processor (or blender) and blend until smooth. If you prefer a chunky soup, just blend half the mixture at this stage. Return the soup to the saucepan, add the peas or bean if using, and reheat before serving.
NOTE: This soup can be frozen for up to 12 weeks.

Serves 4
Points value per serve: 0

Food and Exercise for Wednesday, Feb 27th 2008

2008-02-28T10:32:00.002+08:00

Breakfast: 200g Strawberry yogurt (3.5), 2 Weetabix biscuits (2), banana (1)
Exercise: 35 min WATP (earn 3)
Lunch: 2 slices wholemeal bread (2), 1/3 can of tuna (1), 1 TBSP lite Mayo (.5), tomato slices/lettuce (0), 1.5 cups vegetable soup w/kidney beans (1)
Snack: apple (1), 1 TBSP peanut butter (1.5), 3 digestive biscuits (4.5)
Dinner: Spagetti- 1.5 cup sauce w/onions, mushrooms, ground beef (3), noodles (4), orange (1)

Total points used: 26
Total points allotted: 27
Earned 3 exercise points

Food and Exercise for Tuesday, Feb 26th 2008

2008-02-26T23:54:00.004+08:00

Breakfast: 1/3 cup pancake mix (3); banana (1); 1/4 cup 50/50 syrup (1)
Exercise: 45 min. Walk Away the Pounds (earn 3.5 points)
Lunch: 2 slices wholemeal bread (2); 2 slices low fat cheese (1); apple (1); cucumber slices & baby carrots (0)
Snack: apple (1); 1 TBSP chunky PB (1.5); 3 digestives biscuits (4.5)
Dinner: 1 cup rice (3); Steak slices approx 140g (3); sauteed onions (0); cucumber slices & baby carrots (0)
Snack: 1/2 mango (.5); orange (1)

Total points used: 23.5
Total points alloted: 27
Earned 3.5 exercise points

I think the only reason I was under my points today was because I ran out of time to eat a proper lunch, and I didn't plan well for dinner. I thought we had some other food in the fridge that I was going to cook, but I guess DH cooked it up yesterday. Time to go grocery shopping! I am tired of cucumbers and carrots, lol.

A quick word on my WW points...

2008-02-26T17:26:00.003+08:00

I am following the WW points plan as it is done here in HK. I believe they follow the UK/Australian program which is different than how they do it in the US. From the way it's figured, I should be eating 20 points, but then 7 more are added because I am also breastfeeding, giving me a total of 27 points. The points are calculated by using the number of calories and grams of saturated fat.

I am planning to keep a journal on here of my daily points and exercise, but the points are according to the UK program and not the US program, so my calculations will probably be different from you gals in the USA.

Making a change...

2008-02-26T16:51:00.006+08:00

Hi friends!

Last week I made a decision. I decided to make some changes and to get healthy. I have excess weight to lose and muscles that need to be worked, and I need to get off my bum and exercise! I have constant lower back pain and I realized the other day that my knees get tired way too easily. I am only 27! I do not need to be feeling like I'm elderly and infirm.

A couple of years ago I joined Weight Watcher's, but over the course of about 4 months only managed to lose 10 lbs. I was only trying half-heartedly. And then of course things came up and I stopped going to meetings, and then I got pregnant with Zoe, and then I had a newborn baby, and the excuses just kept piling up. Well, now that Zoe is nearly a year old, I've decided to get up off the couch and get moving.

I still have all my materials from Weight Watchers and so I am going to try and follow the points plan on my own, with no meetings. I've been at it for 5 days now, and I've been doing ok. I've mostly stayed within my points range, (though it's hard to keep track when I'm not the one preparing meals), and I've been able to exercise for 45 minutes on 3 of the 5 days. For me, that's pretty good.

The thing I like about Weight Watchers is that it's not a "diet." It's a lifestyle change. You can still eat pretty much whatever you want, but you become accountable for every bite you put in your mouth. It teaches you about proper portions and eating a balanced, healthy diet.

I started this blog to help me be accountable and to motivate me to work hard and to get healthy. I understand the importance of baby steps and small goals. If I just say "I want to lose 30 pounds," that's all well and good, but it probably won't happen, (as shown by my previous 10 years of New Year's Resolutions). If I say, "I want to lose 7lbs," it's much more attainable.

My first goal is to lose 7lbs. That will take me down to my pre-pregnancy weight of 164lbs. My goal after that will be another 5lbs, which will get me to 159lbs. I've always been stuck between 160-175, and I think that getting under 160 will be a huge motivator for me to keep going.

I also understand the concept of rewarding myself for my successes. If you read my other blog Adventures in Hong Kong, you may remember that for Christmas, some very good friends of mine all chipped in to get me a bunch of gift certificates for a nice clothing store here in HK. I have yet to use any of them. My first reward will be to buy a new outfit after I have lost 10 lbs.

I know, though, that I should not get too hung up just on the numbers. While losing fat is a great thing, I will also be gaining muscle. With that in mind, I understand that even if the scale doesn't show a loss, I know that my body mass is changing for the better. I want to focus on just being healthy, how I feel about myself and the way my clothes fit more than the actual numbers. With that said, I will probably only be weighing myself every two weeks, so my ticker up at the top won't be moving very often.

Anyway, thanks for reading this. I will need a lot of encouragement to keep it up and to keep going when I am feeling tempted to give it up. Thanks for sharing my journey with me.