Jen's Journal: Recording it All to Lose it All

[jenanderson]

I have known that my eating habits and lifestyle choice have gotten out of control and I have made every excuse in the book to ignore what is happening. I have been ignoring the weight gain by not stepping on the scale, ignoring that my blood sugars have gone up even though I can tell that they are high lately and ignoring that I do not have the same energy level as I once had. It is time to take control and quit ignoring all of these things.

In an effort to face this full on, I am going to try to keep a daily journal. I want to be able to posts my weight (even though this makes me totally freak out :eek:), my measurements, record exercising, thoughts about food and just how the whole process is going. I know that I will see ups and downs with all of it, but this will be the place that shows the successes as well as help me be realistic in facing the challenges.

My name is Jen and I am 41 years old. I am married and have two children (DS9 and DD13). We are all “tall people”! This means that you can "hide" weight before people will agree that you need to diet. I have been good at thinking I was "hiding" the weight. My DH will follow along by eating a bit healthier with me and he may possibly exercise some. My two children will also benefit by eating healthier but truth be told…DS is so skinny and I am happy with anything he eats and DD is also fairly thin as she dances 5 days a week on a competitive dance group. So this means that I am primarily on my own in the house. I have had to watch my weight for about the past 10 years (birth of DS) but it has been the last couple of years that have done me in.

Using every ounce of courage I had…I stepped on the scale on Friday so that I could join the BL9 here on the WISH board. The number totally overwhelmed me and I could not believe it was really this bad. I almost felt like giving up right then and there! Instead, I went online to confirm what I suspected…I had 50 pounds to lose!

So, here I am. I am getting ready to take control and I am going to rely on a little help from my friends. Be prepared for long entries because when I am reflective...I tend to ramble on and on! :goodvibes

[jenanderson]

Day One
Well, this is day one of my journal but I actually started my changes 3 days ago. Stepping on the scale for the 1st time in months, I was in for a shock. Here is the important data from facing reality...

Statistics
Weight / Goal: 198 / 148
Pounds Lost to Date: 0
Hips: 42.5 inches
Waist: 41.5 inches
Thigh: 24 inches
Upper Arm: 14.5 inches

I will not post all these statistics each day. First, I don't feel like them. I know it will get better as I continue on but for now...having to type it and actually claim that weight weekly will be enough.

Food is what really gets me...I LOVE food! I love to munch, I love to have a bowl of chocolate next to my computer as I work and I love to eat wonderful meals. Recording my food and the thoughts I have about it will be filled with reflective thoughts.

Breakfast (3.5 points on WW):
Yogurt (low fat, strawberry)
1/4 c. Post Grape Nuts Cereal (mixed in the cereal)

Lunch (6 points on WW)
1/2 Cooked Chicken Breast
1/2 c. White Rice
1 BIG serving of baby carrots

Dinner (10 points on WW)
1/4 lb. of lean ground beef
1 tbsp olive oil (next time I will use way less in the pan)
1/2 c. fat-free refried beans
Homemade Salsa
Lettuce
1 tbsp. reduced fat sour cream (skipping this next time)

Water:
8+ glasses

I am already obsessing over my 4.5 points that I have left for bedtime! :confused3 Alright, my thoughts on these meals. I am going to try this yogurt breakfast for a while. It was pretty good with the Grape Nuts mixed in. The lunch was left overs from supper and was surprisingly filling. I think it helped that I had 16 oz of water to drink before I ate. Supper...it was great! Here is what I did: cooked the hamburger in a pan in the olive oil (as I said, I will use WAY less oil next time). Then, I put the 1/2 cup of beans on the plate and set the hamburger on top of it. Topped that with the lettuce, salsa and sour cream. It was GREAT! Another thought is that next time I will skip the sour cream - it did not add all that much. I might try a slice of cheese instead to help me get some dairy in. I feel like I am sloshing around from all the water I have had today but it has helped with keeping me feeling like I am full. A slight issue with this is that I am a teacher and I can't always go to the bathroom whenever I want to. As I look at my food, I am not very "balanced" at this point. I could use to add a bit of dairy to my day.

Exercise:
I did not exercise today. I am working on getting our Wii moved to someplace where I can use it (right now it is in DS's room and that is not going to work for me). I live in Minnesota where it is below zero today so going outside for a walk is not a good option. I don't belong to a gym and will not consider joining one because the cost is very high where I live. I am going to walk outside when it is 10° or warmer. I eventually want to use the walk to 5K plan to start a walking program and then in the future...train to do a 1/2 marathon (wouldn't that be something). Tonight I also found my pilates DVD so that is an option as well. I know that exercising is important and it will be coming soon.

Today's Challenge:
Obsessing over my WW points. I keep thinking I want food and then I keep going to calculate how many points it is and if I eat it will I still be okay and if I don't eat it what will I eat to use my last points...feel the obsession! :rotfl: I know this will get better as I start getting into the WW habit.

Today's Success:
Getting through this day! Seriously, this is going to be a day by day experience to start with. It takes a lot of will power to account for all my food and not munch without claiming it. It took lots of will power to start my journal and not only face the facts - but share all the facts for the whole world to see.

That's all for day one! Thanks for following along!
Jen

[jbm02]

Go, Jen!!! We can do this together (just separated by several still-not-very-warm-states!)! :cool1::cool1::cool1:

[inkkognito]

Great start! Journaling is such a great way to keep yourself on track and accountable.

[TxRabbit]

I love reading your musings about food! I feel related to you!

I know being a teacher would be rough business with the whole water thing, but I encourage you to keep that up. I recall hearing somewhere that if you add a bit of something to your water it helps it stay in your system longer (i.e. squeeze some lemon into it), the additional nutrients make the water have to be digested or something which makes the whole process take longer.

So your dinner made me want AVOCADO added. I would totally skip the sour cream. Avocado is a good fat and would be an excellent addition. If you like it, though, LOL. Some don't. Maybe in MN is would be difficult to get this time of year?

[jenanderson]

Go, Jen!!! We can do this together (just separated by several still-not-very-warm-states!)! :cool1::cool1::cool1:

Jude - I agree...we can do this together! There are so many times where I think..."If I only I lived closer to Jude"! :rotfl: This is really one of those times!

Great start! Journaling is such a great way to keep yourself on track and accountable.

Thanks! The journaling does help because I tend to obsess a bit about food and this gives me an outlet. :goodvibes

I love reading your musings about food! I feel related to you!

I know being a teacher would be rough business with the whole water thing, but I encourage you to keep that up. I recall hearing somewhere that if you add a bit of something to your water it helps it stay in your system longer (i.e. squeeze some lemon into it), the additional nutrients make the water have to be digested or something which makes the whole process take longer.

So your dinner made me want AVOCADO added. I would totally skip the sour cream. Avocado is a good fat and would be an excellent addition. If you like it, though, LOL. Some don't. Maybe in MN is would be difficult to get this time of year?

I am so going to try adding something to my water! My students have even commented about how I have to go to the bathroom all the time! :rotfl2: I have told them I am drinking water to be healthier and that they should all do the same!

I LOVE avocado and I thought the same thing last night...I would have put the avocado on instead of the sour cream! I might have to get some the next time I make that meal!

[TxRabbit]

Is your homemade salsa REALLY salsa or is it more like pico? Do you have a recipe to make jarred style salsa? I just entered my calories from yesterday into the NutriMirror and my sodium is WAY high and a big part of that is from the salsa that I ate. Now I'm on the hunt for making it, so I can control the salt, but I want jarred style, not fresh pico style...

[jenanderson]

Day Two
Well, today I am having a bit of an issue with food...I will get there when I log all my food in. Today presented many challenges as it was DS's birthday...that means dinner out, cupcakes, ice cream...however, I did not have any of the sweets so I was really proud of myself!!!:thumbsup2

Statistics
Weight/Goal: 196/148
Pounds Lost to Date: 2 :cool1:

Yep, 2 pounds! Here is where it is a bit confusing...even though my journal is labeled "DAY 2", I have been following my WW diet for 4 days. I didn't want you all to think I lost 2 pounds in 1 day.

I still was obsessing a bit over food today. I kept thinking about when I could eat next and planning out what I thought I was going to eat...have I mentioned that I am a bit obsessive? :goodvibes

Breakfast (3.5 points on WW):
Yogurt (low fat, strawberry)
1/4 c. Post Grape Nuts Cereal (mixed in the cereal)

Lunch (6 points on WW)
1/2 Cooked Chicken Breast
1/2 c. White Rice
1 BIG serving of baby carrots

Dinner (???????? points on WW - this is a problem!!!!!!)
1/2 Bowl of Chicken White Bean Soup

Total WW Points Eaten Today
??????????

Water
8+ Glasses (do you hear me sloshing? :rotfl:)

Alright, here is today's problem...I went out for dinner for DS's birthday and I can't find the point value of my soup anywhere!!!! The bowl was a normal size bowl but I was so worried about the points that I only ate 1/2 of it. I had them box the other half and brought it home. The soup had TONS of beans in it. There were exactly 3 pieces of chicken in it. It seemed as if it was a chicken stock that was thickened a bit (by the beans?). In the center it was garnished with a few strips of tortilla chips (maybe 2 or 3) and cheese (I put it in my spoon to "measure" it and it all fit into my spoon). I have no clue what to do to get a point value for this.

This means I am now obsessing over how to enter my information in my WW online tracker. I have no clue if I can have a snack. I have no clue if I should take points away from my extra points. I am going to have to seek more advice on this one.

Exercise
Still no exercising. I am planning on starting the exercising this weekend. Since I hurt my back over Christmas break, I do not want to push it yet. I would try a bit of walking but it is still WAY too cold here.

Today's Challenge
Going out for dinner was a challenge for me. It was difficult because it was a restaurant where no matter how hard I searched on the internet, I could not find point values. I also asked for nutritional information at the restaurant but they did not have any. I hated this feeling...it made me feel a bit out of control as I studied all the choices. At this point in the diet, I like feeling like I am control by knowing the points for everything and really being able to study and make good choices. I did not like being in a situation where I felt like I could possibly spoil all my well thought out plans.

Today's Success
Knowing that I was making good choices. I skipped cupcakes (offered to me 2 times)...I skipped ice cream...I did not get my favorite big burger with french fries...I studied the menu and made what I felt was a good choice...I ate only 1/2 the bowl of soup because I was full (not stuffed but just full)...and I was thoughtful today about everything I ate.

Just so you know, the obsession about food and what I eat usually ends about one week into the diet. It is just the first few days that are so tough for me that I seem to do nothing but think about food! :rotfl:

Day two is coming to an end. I am going to go to bed without a snack (this is okay because I am not really hungry) and be happy with my day! :goodvibes

[jenanderson]

Is your homemade salsa REALLY salsa or is it more like pico? Do you have a recipe to make jarred style salsa? I just entered my calories from yesterday into the NutriMirror and my sodium is WAY high and a big part of that is from the salsa that I ate. Now I'm on the hunt for making it, so I can control the salt, but I want jarred style, not fresh pico style...

Sorry, it is really more of the pico. I don't make homemade salsa because I think salsa is too salty for me. Have you searched online for a good recipe?

Good Luck!

[inkkognito]

Way to go avoiding those sweets! :thumbsup2

[TxRabbit]

Great job avoiding the whole birthday temptation!! My DS's bday is the 17th so I'll think about you as I turn down the cake that I am sure we will have. LOL.

I did look on recipezaar for a salsa recipe. I found what could be exactly what I'm looking for... We'll see how it goes though. Need to smoke/grill the veggies to get that fire-roasted taste. If I don't do it today, it won't happen, with the cold front coming through. But I HAVE to get the sodium down... and I do love my salsas.

[mandac]

Hi. I hope you don't mind my reading your journal. I am looking for all the inspiration I can get. My family is also "Tall People" but all my sister's have been able to maintain wonderful low weights, making them look like the fabulous people from the movies. I on the other hand am tall and chunky. Sadly my DH and I have both gained weight like CRAZY since we have been married (2 1/2 years). Your food ideas and thoughts are great. Hopefully we will both be tall fabulous looking people soon.

[jenanderson]

Way to go avoiding those sweets! :thumbsup2

Thanks! Today it has been a bit hard to say no to all the sweets. We still have cupcakes in the house, there is tons of chocolate sitting around and one of my students brought cookies to school for a treat today. I have skipped them all though. :thumbsup2 I have decided that if I make it through the week without giving into temptations...I will have a small serving of M&Ms at the end of the week.

Great job avoiding the whole birthday temptation!! My DS's bday is the 17th so I'll think about you as I turn down the cake that I am sure we will have. LOL.

I did look on recipezaar for a salsa recipe. I found what could be exactly what I'm looking for... We'll see how it goes though. Need to smoke/grill the veggies to get that fire-roasted taste. If I don't do it today, it won't happen, with the cold front coming through. But I HAVE to get the sodium down... and I do love my salsas.

I am glad that you found a recipe, hopefully it will help with the sodium problems.

Hi. I hope you don't mind my reading your journal. I am looking for all the inspiration I can get. My family is also "Tall People" but all my sister's have been able to maintain wonderful low weights, making them look like the fabulous people from the movies. I on the other hand am tall and chunky. Sadly my DH and I have both gained weight like CRAZY since we have been married (2 1/2 years). Your food ideas and thoughts are great. Hopefully we will both be tall fabulous looking people soon.

Feel free to read and post! The more the merrier! It is kind of interesting how some people are inspired by reading other journals and then how inspiring it is to me to read what people post in response. I feel like I am totally rambling on when I write it all and sometimes wonder what people think as they read all my crazy thought! :upsidedow

We both will be tall fabulous looking people soon!!!! :thumbsup2

[jenanderson]

Day Three
Today is a good day. I have been so good about recording all I eat and staying within my WW point range. I feel really good about how the food situation is going.

I am starting to look at recipes online and try to find some new food ideas (especially for breakfast). One of my downfalls in life is that when it seems like I am eating the same thing every day...I suggest eating out and eating out makes me want to eat things I shouldn't. So, I have to start finding new food that is quick and easy to add to my list of options.

On a positive note, a friend of mine helped me figure out points for my soup. Neither one of us could find the exact soup but she helped me find a soup that was REALLY close to what I had. The one we found was 4 points...so I added 1 point for safety and put 5 down. The bummer part was that by the time I figured out I had extra points for the day, it was really late and I did not want to eat right before bed.

Statistics
Weight/Goal: 196/148
Pounds Lost to Date: 2

Glad to see that the weight was the same today. It would have been nice to go down more...but at least it didn't go up! :goodvibes

Breakfast (3.5 points on WW):
Yogurt (low fat, strawberry)
1/4 c. Post Grape Nuts Cereal (mixed in the cereal)

Lunch (6 points on WW)
1 serving of baby carrots
1 clementine
1/2 bowl of soup (left overs from last night)

Dinner (7 points on WW)
1 1/8 c. fat-free refried beans (can you believe this is only 3.5 points!!!)
1/8 pound ground beef (with taco seasoning)
lettuce
homemade salsa/pico
1/2 serving tortilla chips


Total WW Points Eaten Today
16.5 (I still have points left for snack)

Water
8+ Glasses (still sloshing! )

As you can see, my breakfast has been the same thing 3 days in a row. I don't really care at this point because I actually really like the yogurt/grape nuts mixture. Also, it is really quick and easy. If I tried to do anything that took more time, I would probably skip it because my mornings are so crazy already. So for now, expect to see the same breakfast for some time.

With lunch, I have started eating most of my carrots first. I kind of munch on them slowly. I don't know if it is all in my head or what but this makes me feel like I am a bit full before I start the main part of my meal. So far, my lunches have carried me through the day without problems.

Tonight's supper was great! I totally skipped the sour cream, cheese and taco shell. Instead, I put the beans down first...added the hamburger...put tons of salsa/pico on top with the lettuce. I ate it with the tortilla chips and then when I ran out of those, I ate it alone. I was surprise at how much food it was and felt really full when I was done.

I have started a new routine when eating though...one bite of food...one sip of water...one bite of food...one sip of water....repeat! :rotfl: I have also started eating much slower. Any little thing that makes me feel more full is a better thing.

Exercise
Okay. This is going to have to start. I am going to bring the Wii downstairs tonight and set it up so I can start using the Wii Fit. The weather is totally not cooperating with me and therefore walking is not a good option. My back is still bothering me so pilates is not a good option yet. Tonight it is time to stop ignoring this important part of the plan...time to get set up to exercise!

Today's Challenge
Today's challenge is this...I have always felt that chocolate should be at the base of the food pyramid. It is a fundamental idea that I have built my life on these past few years. :rotfl: So, today my body was begging for the chocolate all day. It has been a challenge to not eat the chocolate cupcakes that are in the house (DS's birthday leftoever), not to eat the Dove chocolates that are in the bottom cupboard way at the back, not to eat the chocolate chip cookies my student brought in for a treat today, etc. I have decided that I will have a sugar free hot cocoa tonight for part of my snack and see if that will help.

Today's Success
Even though I did not really exercise, I went up and down the stairs over and over today. My classroom is on the 2nd floor of the school and the copy machine is on the 1st floor. I had tons of copies to make today! Instead of bringing it all down with me, I took one copy downstairs...made copies...went back upstairs for the next copying job...went downstairs and made copies...went back upstairs! You should have seen people looking at me as I went back and forth! Funny but it was a way to help me feel better about not exercising today!

Time to go as I have rambled on enough tonight! Happy Healthy Day Everyone!

Jen

Day two is coming to an end. I am going to go to bed without a snack (this is okay because I am not really hungry) and be happy with my day!

[inkkognito]

Good idea to have that M&M reward to look forward to. It makes it just a tiny bit easier to say "no" to the temptations.

[TxRabbit]

I know I posted this on a thread...hopefully not yours already...but I heard on a radio show that when you are craving chocolate, you are really craving the endorphin high that accompanies eating chocolate. They recommended that you exercise to get your endorphins on to overcome the craving.

Hopefully the hot cocoa did the trick!

[jbm02]

I am so going to try adding something to my water! My students have even commented about how I have to go to the bathroom all the time! :rotfl2: I have told them I am drinking water to be healthier and that they should all do the same!
Jen, I couldn't imagine not have immediate access to a ladies room with all the water we are trying to drink. I am soo impressed that you are figuring out a way to do it.
Hi. I hope you don't mind my reading your journal. I am looking for all the inspiration I can get. My family is also "Tall People" but all my sister's have been able to maintain wonderful low weights, making them look like the fabulous people from the movies. I on the other hand am tall and chunky. Sadly my DH and I have both gained weight like CRAZY since we have been married (2 1/2 years). Your food ideas and thoughts are great. Hopefully we will both be tall fabulous looking people soon.
AAARGH - I married into a family of "tall people"! My DH is 6'4, DSILs are both 5'10 or so and my DFIL is 6'8!! I, on the other hand, am about 5'2. If I stretch when being measured... I am soo jealous of all of you. Seriously. I can only imagine being able to see in a crowd... But it is also heartening to me to see that tall people understand weight loss issues. One SIL actually weighs almost exactly what I do - and she is a size 6. To be a size 6 I think I need to lose about 40 pounds. There was a comment about weight made at dinner last week and when I said what I weighed (just among the girls), her comment was "NO WAY. That's what I weigh and you look..." Then she trailed off because she realized that her filter was not on. So "tall people" haven't been on my happy list. Thanks for putting them back there!! LOL
Day Three
Today is a good day. I have been so good about recording all I eat and staying within my WW point range. I feel really good about how the food situation is going.

Day two is coming to an end. I am going to go to bed without a snack (this is okay because I am not really hungry) and be happy with my day!

Jen. I really like the way you are listing your food. I think I am going to try that on my journal. I have been having trouble keeping up with the actual writing a bit - does life ever slow down? But I think I need to find time to make it work. I also listed my (gasp) measurements like you did because that is the only way I am going to face my actual size. I used to have a concave stomach - not just flat, but actually concave. I don't know if that can ever happen again but I'm going to give it my best try. When I had that great belly, high waisted pants were in style. Now that I have the baby pooch that refuses to go away, low rise pants are in style. AARGH. Too bad hoops aren't still in style - I have the body that is made for them!! :rotfl2:

I still haven't made it through a day without a snack but I added another 28-day rule (in other words, I am going to try this for 28 days and hope that it works!): no eating after 7PM. Hopefully that will help.

I LOVE reading your journal. Keep 'em coming!
Jude

[jenanderson]

Good idea to have that M&M reward to look forward to. It makes it just a tiny bit easier to say "no" to the temptations.

Had the M&Ms! :rotfl: Tonight for my evening snack I had 10 of them and I was TOTALLY satisfied! I was surprised that I was content with just 10 and then pleased that I did not deny myself something I love. The big change is that in the past, I would have taken the big bag...poured it all into a bowl...and then sit and eat M&Ms until I have a stomach ache. I would just do it because they were there. Tonight when I had the M&Ms, I enjoyed all 10 of them and then was perfectly fine with not eating any more!

I know I posted this on a thread...hopefully not yours already...but I heard on a radio show that when you are craving chocolate, you are really craving the endorphin high that accompanies eating chocolate. They recommended that you exercise to get your endorphins on to overcome the craving.

Hopefully the hot cocoa did the trick!

I do need to start the exercising. I have had so much going on this week that I had kind of just put down starting the eating/diet changes for the 1st week. My goal was to be sure to start exercising by next Monday. I will hope that when I start the exercising, I will lose some of the food cravings. It has actually has not been all that bad today.

The sugar free hot cocoa is great though when I am craving chocolate and don't want to having any!

Jen, I couldn't imagine not have immediate access to a ladies room with all the water we are trying to drink. I am soo impressed that you are figuring out a way to do it.

That is my huge problem with the water! I am drinking the water but I am constantly telling my class I will be right back! I wonder what they are going home and telling their parents about their teacher having to go to the bathroom all the time! :lmao:

AAARGH - I married into a family of "tall people"! My DH is 6'4, DSILs are both 5'10 or so and my DFIL is 6'8!! I, on the other hand, am about 5'2. If I stretch when being measured... I am soo jealous of all of you. Seriously. I can only imagine being able to see in a crowd... But it is also heartening to me to see that tall people understand weight loss issues. One SIL actually weighs almost exactly what I do - and she is a size 6. To be a size 6 I think I need to lose about 40 pounds. There was a comment about weight made at dinner last week and when I said what I weighed (just among the girls), her comment was "NO WAY. That's what I weigh and you look..." Then she trailed off because she realized that her filter was not on. So "tall people" haven't been on my happy list. Thanks for putting them back there!! LOL

That is horrible! This is why I don't want to tell ANYONE my weight. I don't want someone to say something that is going to make me feel even worse about it right now. People don't always think before they speak but it is amazing how much it hurts to hear some of their comments.


Jen. I really like the way you are listing your food. I think I am going to try that on my journal. I have been having trouble keeping up with the actual writing a bit - does life ever slow down? But I think I need to find time to make it work. I also listed my (gasp) measurements like you did because that is the only way I am going to face my actual size. I used to have a concave stomach - not just flat, but actually concave. I don't know if that can ever happen again but I'm going to give it my best try. When I had that great belly, high waisted pants were in style. Now that I have the baby pooch that refuses to go away, low rise pants are in style. AARGH. Too bad hoops aren't still in style - I have the body that is made for them!! :rotfl2:

I still haven't made it through a day without a snack but I added another 28-day rule (in other words, I am going to try this for 28 days and hope that it works!): no eating after 7PM. Hopefully that will help.

I LOVE reading your journal. Keep 'em coming!
Jude

Jude - Glad you are liking the journal. It takes a lot of time and sometimes I feel like I should be using the time to exercise...but this week I know it is important for me to make habits with the food and to really think about what I am eating. I have realized many things while planning my meals and thinking about my hunger level. I have also really enjoyed reflecting on my days when I read through my journal and see that I can do it. I think that as I write each day out it makes me feel like the next day can be just as successful.

I love your 28 day rule! I think I will try that out as well.

Your days are crazy so I hope that through all of this you are still finding time for you. I like that next week's COW is going to inspire all of us to do that. I am thinking about how much I love to take a bath but don't usually find time to do that...I am thinking that even a 10 minute bath would be a great thing to do for myself.

Alright...time to write my journal and sign off for bed! Later....
Jen

[jenanderson]

Day Four
So many plans for exercising today and then every time it just did not really work out...so, I am a bit disappointed with how I let other things "talk" me out of it. For example, I work up to a bunch of snow this morning. I thought that I would go out and exercise by shoveling...but I did not. Instead, I thought that I better get ready for work because when it snows a bunch that I have to bring both kids to school and it was going to be a crazy morning. It was a crazy morning but I could have gone out and shoveled for even 10 minutes. I think part of the problem is that in my mind, I told myself I would worry about the diet this week and then start the exercising next week. Even though I planned it that way, I really should find ways to get a bit of a start now. Hmm...we will have to try again tomorrow.

Statistics
Weight/Goal: 196/148
Pounds Lost to Date: 2

Weighed in at WW tonight and that is what their scale says as well. So, it seems like I am sitting at 2 pounds lost. Again...better get exercising.

Breakfast (3.5 points on WW):
Yogurt (low fat, strawberry)
1/4 c. Post Grape Nuts Cereal (mixed in the cereal)

Lunch (5 points on WW)
1 serving of baby carrots
1 clementine
Yogurt (low fat, strawberry)
1/4 c. Post Grape Nuts Cereal (mixed in the cereal)

Dinner (12.5 points on WW)
2 eggs
4 oz of lean ham
onion
green pepper
2 tsp olive oil
plain bagel

Snack (3 points)
10 M&Ms
4 small graham crackers


Total WW Points Eaten Today
24 (first time I have eaten all my daily allowance points)

Water
8+ Glasses (still sloshing! )

I almost skipped breakfast this morning, blame all the stupid snow we get here in Minnesota, but I decided to grab the yogurt, dump in the cereal and then go. It was a good choice because I really am able to feel full until lunch when I eat it. As you can see, lunch was not the best today. I really needed to have a more balanced day but I did not have much time to pack a lunch today. When it snows bad I have drive both of my kids to school and this means that there is about 25 less minutes for me in the morning. I just kind of did a little bit of a grab something that I know will not send me over in points sort of deal. Supper was really good tonight. I put the olive oil in the pan, added the veggies and then added the eggs. At the last minute I added the ham to heat that a bit. All of the scrambled up egg mixture and a plain toasted bagel was really great. Finally, my snack was oh so satisfying tonight. As you may have read in one of my responses...I had some M&Ms tonight! I was so happy to pull out the big bag...count out 10...put the big bag back in the way back of the cupboard...and then just sit and really enjoy my M&Ms. I truly was amazed that they tasted so great and that I really did not feel like I needed more when I was done. I have decided that I will not have M&Ms every night but when I am really craving them, I am not going to deny myself. I am just going to be sure that I eat just the few that I need to satisfy the craving.

Exercising
I think I have said enough about this topic...I am not going to dwell on it. I will try to get to it but if I do not start until Monday (like I told myself I would)...that is okay.

Today's Challenge
The snow. I almost grabbed high point bad food for my lunch because I did not have much time. I was happy that I took one moment and thought how silly it would be when I knew that I could do one extra yogurt today. The snow also made me really late coming home and I almost missed my WW meeting. This was my first one so I would have been a bit disappointed. I did make it though and so I was happy that I went.

Today's Success
Eating 10 M&Ms. Reflecting on it made me realize that I don't crave them as bad as I thought. When I know that I have control enough to eat just 10 and put them away they are not as "forbidden" as I thought they were. I really enjoyed every ounce of chocolate as I had it and I was really totally fine when they were gone. I think my biggest success is simply the realization of how I feel about food - learning to be satisfied with little things is a great thing!

My day is done and it is time to get a good night's sleep...happy days to everyone!

Jen

[TxRabbit]

I love having breakfast for dinner!

I pack a lunch for DH to take to work. More than lunch even, because his work day is so long, snacks, etc., I have a whole system of dedicated containers worked out for entrees, sides, salads, snacks, etc. I try to pack the containers the evening before when I am dealing with leftovers from dinner. It doesn't add much time to the process and it makes my mornings easier. Your lunch is so simple, it would be easy to pack each evening. Then you would be prepared whether or not there was snow.

And way to go! not letting the snow situation mess up your eating for the day!! It's these things, snow, messy kitchens (LOL) that test how commited we are to living healthier! You do it! You dealt with it! That's a GREAT accomplishment.

[jenanderson]

Friday BL Check In Statistics:

Weight
Today's Weight: 194.5
Weight Change: -3.5

COW
1. 7 Days Drinking Water
2. 3 Days Eating 2 Veggies
Total COW Points = 10 points

Reflections: I am thrilled with the weight loss this week and know if I add exercise it should continue. I am hoping to get out of the 190s very soon because that is the number that is hard for me. I am doing great with the water and I know it will be easy for me to continue drinking as much of it. Still struggling with the bathroom use...but I am at the point where I don't care my students have to be without me for a moment. Just so you all know....the bathroom is 1 classroom away and I have another teacher in my room so it is not like the kids are unsupervised (don't want anyone thinking I am a bad teacher!). I do notice right away that I am not getting many veggies. I am working on it and hope to improve on this as well.

Overall I think it was a great week!

[jenanderson]

Day Five

I felt really relieved this morning when I weighed myself. I have been struggling with how to handle different weights/different scales when dealing with the WW weigh in. I have decided that after a meeting (went last night), I will come home and check my weight on my scale...they matched. That is a night time weigh in though. When I sent in my weight for the BL9, it was a morning weight. So, I have decided that for recording purposes on this board, I will use my morning weights (but I will still be sure that my scale matches the WW weight in the evenings where I weigh in). I bet most people would not worry about this but at this point, I want to be able to claim every little pound that I can...knowing I am losing inspires me to keep on going. So, here I am...3.5 pounds less than I was one week ago. In some ways, I am thrilled. I am losing weight and all the hard work is paying off. In other ways, I am a bit tired of it. I will admit that I know I need to find some new foods and that Fridays are just tough days anyways (I have some long weeks). It is not that I am going to give up or change anything...just thought that I should be reflective of my Friday moods. As I sat and thought about my "Friday Funk", I decided that I better use my 10 minutes of doing something for myself to get me out of it. Here is what I am doing: I am taking the 10 minutes to have peaceful computer time while drinking a beer! :rotfl: Seriously, I thought it was worth the 2 points tonight! I am totally enjoying myself and it is nice to come home and sit in a quiet room and drink my beer to unwind.

Statistics
Weight/Goal: 194.5/148
Pounds Lost to Date: 3.5

This is a morning weigh in. I am being sure to set the scale in the same exact space in the room and am weighing in at the same time each day. I will not be weighing myself on the weekends.

COW (BL9 Challenge)
Drinking Water - I still need to have 2 more glasses tonight but I will get them in.
Eating 2 Veggies - Nope...only one today. Going to buy some V8 though to help with this.
10 Minutes for Myself - Check! :goodvibes

Breakfast (3.5 points on WW):
Yogurt (low fat, strawberry)
1/4 c. Post Grape Nuts Cereal (mixed in the cereal)

Lunch (5 points on WW)
1 serving of baby carrots
1 clementine
Yogurt (low fat, strawberry)
1/4 c. Post Grape Nuts Cereal (mixed in the cereal)

Dinner (12 points on WW)
2 chicken breasts (Tyson brand baked in oven)
12 french fries
BBQ sauce
Miller Lite beer!

Snack (3.5 points - I will have this later)
I am not sure yet. I would like to say I will use this for something healthy but in all honesty, I will probably have one more beer! :rotfl: Maybe I will use 2 points for the beer and the other 1.5 for something really healthy.

Total WW Points Eaten Today
24 if I use all for my snack

Water
6 glasses - Today was a crazy day at school and the day was over and I realized that I did not get all my water in...some days are just like that. On the positive side, that meant I didn't have to leave my classroom a million times to go to the bathroom!

This has been an incredibly long week. It is always a struggle to teach after having a long vacation. I struggle through the days and the students struggle as well. Plus, since we were starting all new units, I was spending hours working on lesson plans outside of school. I just feel really tired tonight and out of energy from being "on" all week. I think the plans for tonight will just include watching some TV in bed and falling asleep early. I have tons of stuff on my list to do this weekend so I had best rest up tonight. One thing I will do tonight is to make a better menu for next week. I want to be sure that I can change up my breakfast, lunch and snacks just a bit.

Exercising
Skipping this reflection tonight! Haven't done a thing! :lmao:

Today's Challenge
At the end of a long week it is so easy to just go out for dinner. Instead, the family made our planned meal with my planned serving sizes. I wanted to go out so bad and knew that I would suggest it...instead, I stayed at work a bit late to make some copies and called home and asked DD to start dinner. This way I knew that I would stick to the plan and not even have anyone in the family suggest going out. I know that there are good choices when you eat out but I felt if I gave in to eating out that I might give in to some foods that I love to eat after a long week! The reward for this...knowing I had enough points for the beer!

Today's Success
It has to be the weight loss. In some ways it is all the little things I did through the week that led to the weight loss but in the end, it is losing the pounds that makes me feel like this is all worth it. I am so hoping to be out of the 190s by the end of next week. I know that I will be starting to exercise and I know I should be able to at least get close to it.

Alright everyone...going to enjoy a few other threads I like to read and respond to! Thanks for following along!
Jen

[inkkognito]

Good for you to avoid the eating out! That is always a big pitfall for me.

LOL, sounds like the beer was well worth it to cheer you up! :thumbsup2

[jenanderson]

Day Six
Since I did not type this up on Saturday, I am going to type a bit less (maybe...I tend to really be a rambling sort of person).

Statistics
Not listing them today as I don't weigh in on Saturdays :goodvibes

COW
Drinking Water - Way over today!
Eating 2 Veggies -Yep!
10 Minutes for Myself - Check!

Breakfast (2 points):
Caribou Coffee Decaf Coffee
Weight Watchers Almond Nut Snack Bar

Lunch (6.5 points on WW)
2 1/2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 cups lettuce
fat free dressing
Arnold Select Multi-grain Sandwich Thin (LOVE THESE!!!)
2 oz lean honey ham

Dinner (16 points on WW)
7 oz steak
baked potato (plain)
1 cup green beans
2 tsp olive oil
onions (cooked in the oil)

Snack (5 points)
Mike's Hard Cranberry Lemonade

Total WW Points Eaten Today
24 + 5.5 of my flex points

Water
I stopped counting at 10!

Some quick thoughts about food today. I knew that I was going to go over in points and had planned for it by leaving ALL my flex points during the week. I was AMAZED at how many points a Mike's Hard Lemonade was...I drank several of them a day up at the cabin this summer! No wonder I have to lose all this weight! My new find...the Arnold Select Multi-grain Sandwich Thin! LOVE THEM! They are not good unless they are toasted but they are a nice change between the low fat bread and they are going to be great for hamburgers. I am always looking for something to give me some choices and this was great. I really enjoyed my nice dinner with DH and am glad that I planned for the good meal.

Exercising
I did not do any "real" exercising today. I did do a lot of walking though. In the morning, DH and I did a bunch of shopping and running around. In the afternoon, DD and I went to the mall. I made us walk up and down the stairs instead of using the escalator and we went visited one store on the first floor...then one store on the second floor...then one store on the first floor. It was a really good workout for us.

Today's Challenge
Today did not have many challenges for me. The hardest part was that I wanted to have one more Mike's Hard Lemonade...not real bad when I thought about what it would cost me. Plus, I was way full so when I thought about it...I was more than fine.

Today's Success
That I followed through on something really important....I went and bought running shoes! I got there and they were so helpful. I even bought wool running socks and a hooded/mitten shirt because it is COLD here! I almost didn't go to the store. In my mind, I kept thinking...I'll do it next week but I knew that if I did not go and do it, I would not go out running. I would keep putting off my exercising efforts. So, I decided I had to go and I am so glad that I did it and followed through!

[kritter]

Jen, way to go. I am feeling like your motivating me to get back on the exercise track now too!!:thumbsup2:thumbsup2

[jenanderson]

Day Seven
Today was a day of many important steps in my weight loss journey. It is one thing to get equipment to help you exercise...it is another thing to actually use it! I will get to all of that later...for now I will just say...I am very sore as I sit here in bed. As I sit and think about today and the fact that I am now 10 days into this...I am now thinking that I am at my hardest point. There has been a bit of success and so it is easy to think that I can not push as hard. I tend to let things slip a little and then just give up again. If I can make it to the end of the month...I know I will have developed the habits I need to make the changes. It is just from now to the end of the month that is a bit difficult for me.

Statistics
I am not reporting any statistics on the weekend. I will report again tomorrow with measurements as well as weight again.

COW
Drinking Water - Way over today!
Eating 2 Veggies -Nope...only 1 today.
10 Minutes for Myself - Check!

Breakfast (2 points):
Yogurt (low fat, strawberry)

Lunch (4.5 points on WW)
Arnold Select Multi-grain Sandwich Thin (LOVE THESE!!!)
2 oz lean honey ham
Clementine
Baby Carrots

Dinner (17 points on WW)
3/4 c. risotto
Lemon chicken with capers and artichoke hears

Snack (5.5 points)
3 1/2 graham crackers
20 M&Ms

Total WW Points Eaten Today
24 + 3.5 of my flex points

Water
I stopped counting at 10 again!

Today I have to say that I know I did not really eat how I should have. First, I started with not enough for breakfast. Part of it was because I got up a bit late and then ate breakfast late...I knew lunch was coming so I just kind of skimped on breakfast. Lunch was good. Dinner was horrible. Here is the deal...I LOVE risotto and lemon chicken...but when I put my recipes into the WW recipe builder I realized that I will not be making it like this again. I actually did not make it tonight. We had a portion left over in the freezer and I decided that I was not going to throw it out. I decided that it meant that I would not be very "balanced" in terms of veggies, milk, etc today but it would be okay. Then, snack...I know I could have fixed things up a bit here but I was REALLY craving chocolate. I will say that one week every month I have chocolate craving issues. This is it. I will get over it in a couple of days.

Exercising
Alright....here it comes...I started exercising today!!!! I got up this morning and put on my clothes to go running. I was excited to try out my new running shirt (complete with a hood and built in mittens) and new running shoes. I also found an app for my iPod (C25K) to help me time the walking and running as I learn to build up to longer runs. It was 6° this morning but the wind was so bad that it felt like -13°!!!! I still went out and did the walk/run. The routine takes 31 minutes and I was totally feeling it by the time I finished. Then, I got it in my mind that we should turn part of the basement into an exercise area. We went out shopping (got a small set of weights, EA Sports Active for the Wii and a space heater -the basement is cool). Then, we moved a TV downstairs and set everything up. I know have a DVD player for my workout videos, the Wii with WiiFit and not EA Active and weights. Once it was all set up, I thought it would be a great time to see what the EA Active was all about so I did my first day of the 30-Challenge (moderate intensity). By the end of that, after the walk/run workout and the shopping and setting up, I was exhausted! It felt good to finally start and know that I have a great place to work out now.

Today's Challenge
As I said, knowing I am doing the right things makes me think that I can "ease up" a little bit. I know deep down that I can't ease up at all but it is a struggle. It was also a challenge to eat correctly today. I should have done a bit better with a balanced diet and I should not have necessarily had the chocolate. I will be sure to fix this in the upcoming week.

Today's Success
The biggest success was getting the exercise room set up. It is so cold in Minnesota in the winter that I need to have a good place to exercise inside. I really like what we did and feel it will be helpful long-term.

Here's hoping for a great week!

[jenanderson]

Day Eight

I have been so exhausted and Mondays are so hard for me (way too busy on Mondays)...so I am really doing this on Tuesday. I will be brief but I want to record it so that I don't leave any big gaps.

Statistics
I said I would report them...but I am not. Like I said, it was just too crazy and I am so tired I honestly could not remember what it was.

COW
Drinking Water - Check
Eating 2 Veggies -Check
10 Minutes for Myself - Check...very early in the morning before the craziness of the day started.

Breakfast (3.5 points):
Yogurt (low fat, strawberry)
Post Grape Nuts

Lunch (5 points on WW)
Arnold Select Multi-grain Sandwich Thin (LOVE THESE!!!)
2 oz lean honey ham
Clementine
Baby Carrots
Yogurt (low fat, strawberry)

Dinner (14.5 points on WW)
Chipolte - No meat, rice, beans, veggies, salsa, lettuce, cheese

Snacks (2.5 points)
1 graham cracker
reduced calorie granola bar

Total WW Points Eaten Today
24 + 1.5 of my flex points

Water
Since I am now exercising, I find that I easily drink more than 10 glasses of water. I stop counting at 8 now but that is close to lunch time and I am still drinking throughout the day.

Before going out tonight, I printed a menu from the restaurant with the points on it. It was so nice to be able to go into the restaurant and know exactly what each menu item was going to cost me.

Exercising
I started the day with 20 minutes of pilates. OMG!!!! It has been ages since I have done pilates and it was so hard! My "core" hurt so bad all day! After a totally crazy day of teaching, tutoring, making 2 trips to the dance studio, grocery shopping, etc....I got home into to run to our new exercise room and complete Day 2 of my Wii EA 30-day challenge. OMG AGAIN!!!! After exercising yesterday and pilates this morning...I thought I was going to die! Instead, I finished it up successfully!

Today's Challenges
I felt like I was running out of time all day. I know that Monday's are hard for my without trying to find time to exercise. Add one more hour to the day to fit the exercising in and it seems like it just is not going to work. It did work but it was a challenge.

Today's Success
I was stiff and sore. I did not think I was going to make it through the whole work out of my Day 2 challenge...I did and even though I was stressed out...I did it!

[jenanderson]

Day Nine
This is where it gets hard. It is always at this point where I wonder if I can just live with how I look, what I weigh and the fact that I am out of shape. I feel like this is where I question if I really have what it takes to do what it takes. I woke up utterly exhausted. It took every ounce of will power to get up at 5:30 so that I could do my pilates. To top it off, I was so sore that I could barely get out of the bed...let alone down the steps. I was stiff and felt as if I was way older than I really am. Yep...I have to do this.

Statistics
Weight: 189.5/148
Pounds Lost to Date: 8.5 (198 Starting Weight)

COW
Drinking Water - Check
Eating 2 Veggies -Check
10 Minutes for Myself - Check

Breakfast (4 points):
Arnold Select Multi-grain Sandwich Thin
Egg
Olive Oil

Lunch (3.5 points on WW):
Arnold Select Multi-grain Sandwich Thin (LOVE THESE!!!)
lean honey ham
Clementine
Baby Carrots

Dinner (15.5 points on WW):
Homemade Pizza: dough, sauce, onion, 14 pepperoni, fat free cheese, onion, green pepper

Snacks (2 points):
piece of chocolate

Summary of WW Points:
Daily Used: 24
Flex Points Used: 1
Flex Points Remaining: 34
Activity Points Earned: 6
Activity Points Remaining: 6

Water
I do not know if I will report on water any more. I am drinking way more than 8 and it is just too much to keep track of once I pass the 8 glasses. I think I will only report this is I do not meet my 8 glasses per day for some reason.

Exercise
20 minutes of pilates - I HATE pilates!!!! I felt like my body was shaking the whole time as the wonderful lady on my TV screen talked about using my core to do it "ONE MORE TIME"!!! It is so hard to get out of bed at 5:30 am to do this! I tried to talk myself into staying in bed but I didn't. I then convinced myself that if I did pilates today...maybe I could skip tomorrow (I won't). Anyway...I know that pilates tones in places where I REALLY need it and there will be a pay off if I keep this up so I will get myself out of bed at least 5 days of week to do this.
Couch to 5K Workout - OMG! It is so cold here and yet, I went out and did my walk/run routine. I want to be successful at this running business but I am so out of shape at this point. I was already stiff from all the prior exercising (I have a feeling I will be stiff for several days in a row). The good thing is...it is so cold that I don't notice how hard the running is. The bad thing is...by the end of the workout I feel like I am going to die! This has to get easier and I am committed. Do you hear me Jude??? I will train and make you proud! I will be able to do the Princess run with you!!!!

Today's Challenge
Today's challenge was to find a breakfast that kept me feeling full longer. Since I work out early before work, I was starving by the time lunch came. I decided today that I should try something different. I will say that it was way better today. I am going to try it again tomorrow. If I was really organized, I would have some veggies pre-cut so that I could throw them in as well.

Today's Success
Even though it was only 9° outside and the wind was blowing (20mph), I went running! The thing is...I LOVE my new running shirt. With the special fabric, hood and built in mittens - I feel I really LOOK like a runner! If I look like a runner...I MUST be a runner! So, I put on my running shirt, lined wind pants, wool socks, hat over the hood and out I went. I actually did not hate it today. This is a huge success. Again....Jude....I think I can do this!!!

Alright, it is time to sign off. I need to have a bit more time to relax and unwind because I feel exhausted tonight...mind and body! Take care everyone!

[jenanderson]

Okay - I have tried to be good about getting every day down in my journal but I have discovered that this week is too much for me. I am just so tired that I am having a hard time keeping up with it. You would think that for all the exercising that I am doing that I would feel totally energized and wonderful...truth is, I don't. I am exhausted. So, I will try to summarize some things and then just give some reflective thought about the past couple of days.

Weight - Who knows! I weighed myself a couple mornings and the scale said the same thing each day. Seriously...I am working out every day and often 2 times a day. I am eating balanced meals and staying within my WW points. I am not eating my flex points or trading my exercise points for food. I am drinking huge amounts of water and the scale stays the same. I keep thinking about how easy all the weight went on and how horrible it is to take it all off.

Food - As I have said, I am doing great. I have found some meals that I really enjoy. I have 24 WW points each day and I do eat all of them. Last week I did use a few of my 35 flex points, but only a couple. I have not used any of my exercise points.

Exercise - I am thinking maybe I need more exercise but I have no clue where to fit it in. I have been getting up and doing pilates at 5:30 and today I even lifted weights for a bit after that. I have completed 2 days of my Wii EA Active 30-day challenge and will continue that in the evening. I have been doing the couch to 5K training in the evening with DH. In 3 days, I have already earned 15 activity points. I am sore, I am tired...but I am not giving up. I hope it will get easier soon.

Challenges over the past couple of days - Each day is a challenge right now. I wake up and have to talk myself into getting up to exercise. I go into the kitchen and want to eat things I know I shouldn't. I have a bag of Dove chocolates in the back cupboard at school and I swear they are shouting out to me to eat them. It seems like these past couple of days have really hit me hard and I am not really totally sure why. I am thinking it might be just a phase (I am hoping it is just a phase).

Successes over the past couple of days - I guess if each day is a challenge, then each day has to also be a success. I am not giving in, I am not giving up and I am trying hard to look past just the weight and realize that it is a life-long change that will help me become a healthier person.

That's all for tonight. I will be weighing in tomorrow morning and praying that the scale finally shows a bit more change again. Signing off...

[jenanderson]

Friday BL Check In Statistics:

Weight
Today's Weight: 189.5
Weight Change for the Week: -5.0 pounds
Total Weight Change: -8.5

COW
1. 7 Days Drinking Water
2. 5 Days Eating 2 Veggies
3. 7 Days Spend 10 Minutes on Me
Total COW Points = 19 points

Reflections: As I look at the weight loss for the week, I have decided that I should not be frustrated that the scale stayed the same for several days in a row. It is an overall big loss for the week and I should not expect to see the scale change every day. I think that one of my goals for the week is to try to figure out why I am so tired all the time and that might help me feel better about everything. I am going to try to add vitamins to my day as a starting point. DH thinks I am just so tired because I am exercising so much. Either way, my goal for the week is to work on finding ways to cut stress, get more organized (so I am not rushing around all the time) and determine if there is anything else I can do to not be so tired.

Looking forward to another successful week!

[jenanderson]

Friday BL Check In Statistics:

Weight
Today's Weight: 187.5
Weight Change for the Week: -2.0 pounds
Total Weight Change: -10.5

COW
1. 7 Days Drinking Water
2. 6 Days Eating 2 Veggies
3. 7 Days Spend 10 Minutes on Me
4. 7 Days for exercising for 20 minutes per day
Total COW Points = 27 points

Reflections: I am really struggling with several things at this point. I am going to list each of them as well as list my plan for acting on my challenges.

1. Logging all my food: I had been really good at logging everything on my journal as well as using my WW food tracker. I am still tracking my food but it seems that it is on scraps of paper and now I am not able to really see what is helpful and what is not. I am also not able to really see how many "bad" choices I am making in the week. I always allow myself "bad" choices during the week as long as I am staying on track with my WW points but I like to see that there are only couple a week. Without a week-long journal, it is difficult to see when there are too many bad choices.

2. What to do about running: I have been doing so good with my couch to 5K program. I was due to run yesterday but would have been fine running today as well. What is the problem??? Well, we have icy rain here in Minnesota and it is WAY too dangerous to go out and run. I don't have a gym membership and I don't have a treadmill. I am going to have to think creatively during the day and ask some other outside runners who I know for advice.

3. The weight loss has slowed down: I lost 2 pounds this week and that should be satisfying. I will be honest and write that it is not. I think I just keep seeing the big number of 50 pounds to lose and it seems so huge. I just feel like I need to have this huge weight loss numbers each week. I know that it not true and with all the exercising I am doing, I should expect that I am gaining muscle. I need to have an attitude change so that I am finding more satisfaction in ANY amount of loss for the week.

4. Stress & Craziness: Life is just crazy so much of the time. I am working hard to work at de-cluttering my life. The problem with stress & craziness is that it is easy for me to make excuses for a snack or for trying not to exercise. I am working at identifying when it is an excuse and not letting that happen.

Some Action Plans:
I am going to give myself a reward this week. IF I log all my food, keep up on my journal and stay active on the WISH board to give me the support I need..I am going to allow myself to go get the OPI nail polish I want and find time to do my nails. If I add to that...being proactive about figuring out my running AND talk positively about my weight loss no matter what the loss is AND de-clutter just one thing (my goal is the back entry way)...I am going to actually schedule a pedicure for myself! I have a gift certificate that will cover most of the cost but I have been saving it. I think this would be a good time to reward myself as an incentive.

So, I will promise myself to be on my journal each night and work on all of this! For now...I need to head to work and work on some organization there to help with all the stress of teaching this year.

[jenanderson]

Yesterday was a good day for me. I knew it was a weigh in day for the BL9, so I hauled myself out of bed a little after 5 AM. I did my pilates and then did a series of Just Dance videos - choosing all the videos that I knew would give me a really good work out. When I did get back upstairs to weigh in...I had lost 2 pounds for the week! :cool1: While I know that is not huge, I am happy.

Food for the Day:
Breakfast - Arnold's Sandwich round, egg substitute and a bit of olive oil in the pan (3 points)
Lunch - Arnold's Sandwhich round, lean ham, 2 small clementines and baby carrots (3.5 points)
Supper - Lean pulled pork, green beans, baked beans, corn muffin, BBQ Sauce (14.5 points)
Snack - Fat Free Brownie (5 points)

WW Points Summary
Used 24 points plus 2 flex points...yes, the brownie was really worth it. Plus, I usually go for a beer with the extra points and I decided to skip the alcohol tonight. I may have some this weekend but at least didn't on Friday night.

Healthy Guidelines
Water = check
Veggies = check

I was going to skip running in the evening (we have had a lot of freezing rain in Minnesota and I run outside). DD needed to go to a short ballet class so I decided that I would go in my running clothing and run while she was in class. It worked out great...only slipped a few times :scared1:! I was really glad that I decided to go.

Feeling really good about the exercise so hopefully that will continue to inspire me!

[TxRabbit]

Hey Jen!

I hear you on life being crazy!! I haven't been keeping up with my journal on a daily basis. It feels like you are still focused though, so don't be hard on yourself. Even if you miss getting on your computer to update your journal, it feels like you are still thinking positively about getting fit and losing weight. That's what really matters!

Do you have a Hobby Lobby in MN? They carry some journals that are really fun that are only $1.99. What about getting one for recording your food?

I admit that I skimmed a bit...I haven't been on the boards with my own craziness, but I noticed something about decluttering a back area? Go for that!!! I'm reading a book called Does This Clutter Make M Butt Look Fat? There is a surprising relationship between clutter and excess weight. Anything that you can do to clean up your home and organize and rid your space of "excess weight" is bound to have a wonderful effect on yourself! It'll lighten your mood, your feeling of burden, and ultimately in the long run, it appears to lighten your own weight as well!

Keep it up!!

[jenanderson]

Hey Jen!

I hear you on life being crazy!! I haven't been keeping up with my journal on a daily basis. It feels like you are still focused though, so don't be hard on yourself. Even if you miss getting on your computer to update your journal, it feels like you are still thinking positively about getting fit and losing weight. That's what really matters!

Do you have a Hobby Lobby in MN? They carry some journals that are really fun that are only $1.99. What about getting one for recording your food?

I admit that I skimmed a bit...I haven't been on the boards with my own craziness, but I noticed something about decluttering a back area? Go for that!!! I'm reading a book called Does This Clutter Make M Butt Look Fat? There is a surprising relationship between clutter and excess weight. Anything that you can do to clean up your home and organize and rid your space of "excess weight" is bound to have a wonderful effect on yourself! It'll lighten your mood, your feeling of burden, and ultimately in the long run, it appears to lighten your own weight as well!

Keep it up!!

I have been thinking about the craziness of life and have decided that I just need to learn to accept it a bit as I now have 2 older and active kids....it was just so simple when they were babies! :goodvibes

I have tried written journals before and I am even WORSE with those then I am with online journals. I am just too much of a techie I think...love to have my computer with me all the time. It is a bad habit though because I know I could cut down on computer time and have more exercise time.

I love the title of the book! I do believe that all the clutter in my life adds to the stress and if I were to organize better it would make me feel better. Last weekend DH and I totally de-cluttered our bedroom and it felt great! This weekend, I already did DS's bedroom. His was horrible but it felt great to do that as well. I have been avoiding the back entry but have decided that I am going to make a plan...30 minutes of cleaning, 30 minutes of computer time, 30 minutes of exercising. I am going to try to work this circuit a few times to see if it gets me motivated. Hopefully it will help me get the back entry CLEAN!

Thanks for all the suggestions and thoughts!
Jen

[jenanderson]

Saturday, January 23rd (yep, I know it is Sunday but I have to reflect on yesterday).

My first thought...although the brownies that are in the house are low fat (made with fat free plain yogurt and 1/4 c. egg beaters)...they have to go. I am in NEED of chocolate and there they are. I did have 2 of them on Saturday and it was okay but I need to have them gone.

Had a very cold and wet exercising session today. DH and I went out and ran again today in the freezing rain. I should not be complaining about the temperature in Minnesota because often it is below 0° in the winter but this 32° weather is making it icy and slippery. Anyway...it was day 3 of our 2nd week of couch to 5K and DH and I decided to push ourselves a bit. We added an extra 2 minute run at the end (at the start of the warm up section) and then added a bit extra warm up at the end. It was great to be able to push ourselves a little bit and survive it.

In thinking about my exercising, I know that I should be adding more to my day but I have a hard time getting motivated to do so. Part of it is that after running, I take a shower because I am freezing and sweaty at the same time. Then, once I have showered, I don't want to work out again and get all sweaty again. I am going to have to figure this out. I know it is an excuse not to get myself moving but also feel it is a bit valid.

Food was pretty much the same today so I am not going to list it all out. I notice that I have to working on my dairy intake. It is almost none. I am going to try to cut up some cheese cubes and put it in little baggies so that when I want a snack, I try that.

I did have one beer for supper (not the best use of points) but talked myself into switching to water after I had the one. I hope it does not sound like I have a drinking problem :laughing: but I normally do like to have a beer or two on the weekend. The problem for me is not really drinking the alcohol but more of if I drink the alcohol, I don't drink as much water.

Weight Watchers Point Summary
I used all 24 points plus 1.5 of my flex points. I still have 31.5 flex points left and I have earned 23 activity points so far this week.

My goal right now is to closely watch for a used treadmill. While it has been okay running outside, I would like to be able to add some walking either late at night or early in the morning INSIDE where it is not freezing cold and I am not getting wet.

Time to go do some cleaning!

[kritter]

Jen,

Have you tried looking on freecycle for a free treadmill??

[jenanderson]

Jen,

Have you tried looking on freecycle for a free treadmill??

Kristin - I have not tried looking there but I have been going on Craigs List every chance I get. I am hoping to find a good treadmill for a reasonable price soon.

Anyway... here is some updates on Sunday and Monday...

Well, DH and I ran again on Sunday. Yep, that means I walked/ran on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and then Sunday again. I never thought that I would be "that" person. That person would be the person who does not make excuses for going out and running. Friday, Saturday and Sunday it was freezing rain, gusty winds and icy roads. I was careful and I did it. It felt great and I even did some additional working out on the Wii just because I felt I needed it.

Today...skipping the exercising. My shins have been bothering me. I have been doing what the trainers have told me to do and icing them but I am going to also give them a day of rest like they told me to do when it gets bad. So, I am not making excuses for today. Today is my day of rest for walking/running so I felt it was a good day to take off. Tomorrow will be another story though and I will be outside running again.

Yesterday the food was really good and within the ranges I want it to be. I had a piece of chocolate even because I was really craving it and I had points. One of the reasons I feel WW is successful for me is because I can have something like a piece of chocolate and not feel like a failure. I was careful with my points, ate foods in the right food groups, drank a lot of water and felt that I did the right things. So the chocolate did not make me feel bad at all.

Today I have struggled a little bit with food. I am not going over in points but I totally did not make good choices. I chose some candy...and had to use many of my points for that choice...but I did hold my self responsible for it and had to give up some other food because of it. This means I will not be having a balanced day. I had a huge amount of stress at school today and as a result, I chose bad food. I wish that I would have had some carrots or something at school because it was just a craving for some chomping and I would have been fine with the carrots. Lesson learned: put a bag of carrots in my fridge at school. I am proud that even with the snacking, I did not give in and go over in points. That would have been a huge failure of a day in my mind.

I have to weigh in for WW tomorrow and if I go by my scale, I will show a loss. This is good. Another positive note, I quickly measured myself again yesterday and I have lost 2 inches in my waist and 1/2 inch in my arms!!! This made me feel great. I still have a long ways to go but it is nice to see that all the exercising makes a big difference!

[TxRabbit]

WOW!! Two inches on your waist is a BIG DEAL!! Way to go! It's fantastic the way that you have been commited to and are following through with your running schedule. Good job on keeping to your points, even if you made bad choices. It is an excellent example of just continuing to work through the day, not giving up on it and thinking about starting over on a different day, just dealing with what you do. That is good work right there. Keep it up, life is full of rough days and if you can make it through one with less than wonderful choices but still within a range of accceptability, you know that there will be those excellent days in the future where you couldn't have made better choices. The pendullum will swing both ways!! Great job Jen.

[jenanderson]

WOW!! Two inches on your waist is a BIG DEAL!! Way to go! It's fantastic the way that you have been commited to and are following through with your running schedule. Good job on keeping to your points, even if you made bad choices. It is an excellent example of just continuing to work through the day, not giving up on it and thinking about starting over on a different day, just dealing with what you do. That is good work right there. Keep it up, life is full of rough days and if you can make it through one with less than wonderful choices but still within a range of accceptability, you know that there will be those excellent days in the future where you couldn't have made better choices. The pendullum will swing both ways!! Great job Jen.

Thanks! I was so excited to see the numbers be so different. I know that with running I may not always see big numbers on the scale but that I am really toning up.

In the past, I normally would have just written off yesterday when I made such bad choices. I decided this time I am going to have to live up to what I did. That is often a problem for me...I make mistakes and think I will start over the next day. The problem with that is that it seems like I am always starting over and never actually dieting.

I am really proud of myself at this point because I am working through all the hard times and really holding myself accountable.

Thanks for the kind words - it is the support that I find on the boards here that keep me going!!!!

Jen

[jenanderson]

Well, it is Tuesday. I feel that as I think about how my week is going (think Friday to Friday because of the BL weigh ins), it is pretty good. Looking at just today:

Exercise: Workout on my new treadmill...oh Yeah!!!:cool1:
Food: Got my fruit, ate my veggies, still missing enough dairy but I did add a yogurt, stayed in my WW points range (no flex points, no exercise points), even had 10 M&Ms!
Water: Had tons of it today. I tend to drink a lot when I do my walking/running.

Proud moment for the day: I registered for my first official 5K!!! I know have committed to a virtual Valentine's Day 5K and registered for the Obesity Challenge in April. I am hoping that they go well and that I continued to be inspired to register and do more!!

Weakness for the day: I did not exercise as much as I said I was going to. I meant to get up for pilates this morning...I didn't. I had slept so badly on Sunday night, had a horrible and stressful day on Monday that I think I was just exhausted last night. When my alarm went off, I pushed the snooze and did not get up. I thought then that I would make up for it in the evening but ran out of time (had to go get my treadmill). I am planning ahead for tomorrow - I will go to bed on time, I have my clothes laying out, set DVD player up (I will start with pilates) and will get up and exercise tomorrow morning. NO EXCUSES!

Tonight at WW we talked about emotional eating and I know that I am a big emotional eater. Tomorrow I am going to focus on the question...am I really hungry. I am going to also come up with a list of things I will try first when I feel stressed or overwhelmed.

Here is the quote that is going to inspire me for a bit...
“Unless You Puke, Faint or Die, Keep Going!” – Jillian Michaels

[jenanderson]

Today was a day with huge challenges and huge successes. Hmmm...how to make the story short???

I woke up - did my pilates AND did my couch to 5K walk/run. I was really feeling pleased with myself for not sleeping in and doing what I had promised myself I would do.

Here's where it gets messy - I checked my e-mail and discovered one from a parent. The e-mail basically said that they did not agree with the homework I sent home and they did not allow their child to do the homework AND that they wanted a meeting to talk about the homework. This is a child who really struggles with math computation as well as recalling information from previous units. The homework was a simple math review worksheet!!!! My whole class was given this math sheet. We had just started a new unit, they had no math homework to go with that so I thought it was a great opportunity for a review.

When I get to school, the parent calls me and talks for 25 minutes about what they think it is okay for me to give for homework as well as what they will allow their child to do in class. She tells me that I cannot have her child doing flash cards - EVER - in class. This is a 4th grade student who does not know their math facts. I spend 5 minutes, 3 days a week having student play flash card games to help improve their multiplication and division facts. Nope, they don't want him doing that.

There is so much more to the story, including a meeting after school that lasted 1 1/2 hours and solved nothing. Here are the important parts though. I was mad at first, I was hurt by the fact that I do a lot for this child and their parents are always complaining, I felt totally disrespected and I was very stressed to start my day this way. I knew it could potentially be a bad day. First thing I did when I got off the phone in the morning was to pack up all the snacks and treats in my classroom and bring them to another teacher's office so that I would not be tempted. I know that I am an emotional eater and this was enough to push me into opening the Twix candy packs! I also took 10 minutes of our class reading time for silent reading and played some instrumental music my students like. I took this time to really breathe deep and focus on not letting the stress impact my whole day.

Finally, when I got home, I knew it had been a horrible day so back on the treadmill I went. I walked for 75 minutes! I will be honest about it all...I walked, I read the book "Marathoning for Mortals" and I drank 1 light beer!!! My family laughed so hard at the sight of it all. It made me feel great though! By the time I got off the treadmill, I felt like the stress of the day was gone.

Alright, that was such a long story I will try to be brief with the rest.

Exercise: 95 minutes walking/10 minutes running on treadmill, pilates
Water: 10 glasses
Veggies and Fruit: Yep
Time for me: tons - it was great to read and relax on the treadmill tonight.

Food: Used all 24 of my WW points today but no flex points or exercise points. I eat almost the same breakfast and lunch everyday so it is boring to list that. For dinner we had homemade chili. I like rice in my chili and next time I think I am going to try brown rice.

My quote tonight is one that a WISH friend shared with me...

Dead Last Finish
is greater than
Did Not Finish
which greatly trumps
Did Not Start

Night everyone!!!
Jen

[jenanderson]

Friday BL Check In Statistics:

Weight
Today's Weight: 185
Weight Change for the Week: -2.5 pounds
Total Weight Change: -13

COW
6 Days Eating 2 Veggies
7 Days Spend 10 Minutes on Me
7 Days for exercising for 20 minutes per day
7 Days for eating 2 fruits each day
Total COW Points = 27 points

Continuing COW on my own
7 Days Drinking Water

:cool1::cool1: I am so excited that I continue to lose weight. I have been working so hard - not allowing for any excuses, actually using a scale to weigh my food, logging everything I eat, exercising more than ever, etc.

Have to run for now but I will come and log in again later!
Jen

[jenanderson]

Alright, I have missed a bunch of days again. In some ways this is a good thing. I sit and think...I could log on and type everything out about my day, my diet, my exercising - or - I could go exercise a little bit more. The exercising has been winning out. I have been doing great with the exercising and it feels really good. I think I will just update in a list...that is just the way my mind works...

1. Just bought the Nike+ and love it!!! It is a great little pod that I attach to my shoe when I walk/run. It tells me my distance and speed. The best is that it then takes all the data and makes these great charts. For me, this is inspiring. I am one of those visual type of people and I love to see the bar graph show an increase every day - it is very motivating to me.

2. I am very hungry. I am going to experiment a bit with eating a few of my extra points each day. Since I am on WW, I know I can do that...I just did not want to because I was afraid I would not lose as much. I have now reached the point though where I am okay with not losing as much each week as long as I continue to lose and tone. I am not going to use the points to eat whatever I want...I am going to do things like have a serving of almonds after working out or eating some extra protein. The hunger is only happening on the days where I do really heavy exercise sessions (especially when I run). I am going to try to be really attentive to my body and make really good choices with extra food. I will try this for a week or two and if I continue to lose weight with the extra food I will know I am on track.

3. Vitamins are a MUST! I am not taking any right now. I know I said I would but I just haven't gotten around to it. I am going to make it a priority this week.

That is it for now. I am taking a morning of rest from exercising...I slept in and am enjoying a nice morning. Tonight I am planning some major time on the TM, a bit of weight lifting and some working out with the Wii. I have a cold that is not making me feel the best so we will see how much of that I really get to. Time for work!

[kritter]

Alright, I have missed a bunch of days again. In some ways this is a good thing. I sit and think...I could log on and type everything out about my day, my diet, my exercising - or - I could go exercise a little bit more. The exercising has been winning out. I have been doing great with the exercising and it feels really good. I think I will just update in a list...that is just the way my mind works...

1. Just bought the Nike+ and love it!!! It is a great little pod that I attach to my shoe when I walk/run. It tells me my distance and speed. The best is that it then takes all the data and makes these great charts. For me, this is inspiring. I am one of those visual type of people and I love to see the bar graph show an increase every day - it is very motivating to me.

2. I am very hungry. I am going to experiment a bit with eating a few of my extra points each day. Since I am on WW, I know I can do that...I just did not want to because I was afraid I would not lose as much. I have now reached the point though where I am okay with not losing as much each week as long as I continue to lose and tone. I am not going to use the points to eat whatever I want...I am going to do things like have a serving of almonds after working out or eating some extra protein. The hunger is only happening on the days where I do really heavy exercise sessions (especially when I run). I am going to try to be really attentive to my body and make really good choices with extra food. I will try this for a week or two and if I continue to lose weight with the extra food I will know I am on track.

3. Vitamins are a MUST! I am not taking any right now. I know I said I would but I just haven't gotten around to it. I am going to make it a priority this week.

That is it for now. I am taking a morning of rest from exercising...I slept in and am enjoying a nice morning. Tonight I am planning some major time on the TM, a bit of weight lifting and some working out with the Wii. I have a cold that is not making me feel the best so we will see how much of that I really get to. Time for work!

Jennifer,,

Keep up the GREAT work. You and Jude are doing a SUPER JOB!! I am soo PROUD OF YOU BOTH!!:thumbsup2:thumbsup2:goodvibes:goodvibes

[jenanderson]

Friday BL Check In Statistics:

Weight
Today's Weight: 183.5
Weight Change for the Week: -1.5 pounds
Total Weight Change: -14.5

COW
7 Days Spend 10 Minutes on Me
7 Days for exercising for 20 minutes per day
7 Days for eating 2 fruits each day
5 Days flossing
Total COW Points = 26 points

Continuing COW on my own - I was bad this week since I did not track the told COW items. I am leaving it here though because I am going to be sure to do it again this upcoming week. I was a bit lazy with tracking EVERYTHING this week and I think that was not the best.
? Days Drinking Water
? Days Eating 2 Veggies

That is all I have time for right now...I will be sure to come back to my journal because it is something else that helps me.

[jenanderson]

I feel like I am always starting over with my journal. The days get so busy and it seems like I am just not taking time to record things the way I should be. Even though I am losing weight, I feel like I have slipped a little in terms of motivation and dedication. I have really good intentions and I am still exercising but I know I need to be better or I will be back on the wrong path.

I will start with the positive...the exercising. I feel like I have done really good with staying dedicated to my running but I think in some ways I am over-dedicated. I do not think I am doing a great job with cross training and I really know I am not doing well with days of rest. Today I was reading my book "Marathoning for Mortals" as I walked on the TM and read the chapter on cross training. I need to get back to other forms of exercise. I had been doing more minutes of exercise each day as well as trying out different things. Now I feel like I just walk or run. I am going to be sure I focus on that this week and give my run muscles a bit of a break.

The not so positive...the eating. I don't think it was horrible and I bet I was not too far off track. The only things is...I did not track at all this week. I am going to be sure that I am dedicated to tracking this week because I know it makes me feel better about where I am at.

The other not so positive...my attitude. I have now been at this for a little over 5 weeks. I have lost 14.5 pounds. I have gone from walking one mile being difficult to my walk/run of 4 miles today (I probably could have done more). You would think that I would be happier. I am pleased but I think I am still feeling very "fat". I look in the mirror and am still so unhappy with how I look. I think part of it is that I have just had a bad and long week. I am fighting a cold, my body feels tired (ran too many days this week) and I am mentally tired as well. I know that part of this journey is mind over matter and so this week I need to work at being more positive with what I have accomplished as well as finding inspiration to keep me going.

Thinking ahead to tomorrow:
Breakfast: Oatmeal w/toast
Snack: Low fat smoothie
Lunch: Ham sandwich, orange, baby carrots, yogurt
Supper: ?? I will have to check out the freezer in the AM

Exercising: Cross Training Day - I will do pilates and spend at least 30 minuntes on the Wii (Fit, Active or Just Dance).

Motivating Thought for Myself Today: In 1 week I have clocked 16.33 miles of exercise on my Nike+. This is INCREDIBLE! I can continue to do this! Plus, I saw a really cute pink running skirt that I want to buy so I must keep going!

Night Everyone!

[jenanderson]

Today was a stressful sort of day...lots of snow = bad drive to work/get to work late, teacher = some days the kids are just a bit more than you are prepared to handle, PMS = how do you avoid chocolate ALL day long when that is all you want?

Let's see how the day went...
Breakfast = oatmeal with 1/4 c. skim milk
Snack = low fat smoothie w/ fruit
Lunch = ham sandwich, orange, baby carrots
Snack = almonds
Dinner = wrap, baked chicken, refried beans, salsa

I still have 3 points left so I will debate that piece of chocolate.

I did not run or walk tonight. I am giving myself a day off to help rest my running muscles. Instead, I did 33 minutes of the hard workout on the Wii Active. I thought of doing more but really need to listen to my body and do just the scheduled 30 minutes of cross training as recommended by my running program. It felt good to know it was just going to be a short workout.

Plans for Tomorrow:
It will be a WW weigh in day and this means that I have to do AM exercising. I am not looking forward to it as I also have to leave for work early tomorrow. So, the goal is to get up and do pilates and some brisk walking on the TM. If I do not get up early, I will make up for it in the evening.

Breakfast - Oatmeal w/milk, toast
Snack - Yogurt
Lunch - Ham sandwich, orange, baby carrots
Snack - Almonds
Dinner - Veggie calzone

Evening exercise will include week 5, day 2 of my C25K workout. It will have to be on the TM because we are getting lots of snow right now. If my legs feel alright, I will continue on the TM with walking to get in at least 4 miles tomorrow.

Alright, plan is in place...time to relax for the night.

[jenanderson]

Friday BL Check In Statistics:

Weight
Today's Weight: 182.0
Weight Change for the Week: -1.5 pounds
Total Weight Change: -16.0

COW
7 days of exercising for 20 minutes per day
7 days eating 2 fruit
6 days flossing
7 days doing something for someone else
Total COW Points = 27 points

I see a trend going on...-1.5 each week. I would like to kick that up a bit this week to see if I can't get in the 170s. I am not sure it will happen but I am going to go a bit hard on myself this week and see what happens. Since I am the BL9 coach for the week, I have to stay focused and that could help!

I love the COW but I need to get back to some of the old things that we have let go of. I need to drink my water and eat my veggies. I also need to focus on time for myself again...it just makes me happier through this tough journey.

[jenanderson]

Friday BL Check In Statistics:

Weight
Today's Weight: 180.0
Weight Change for the Week: -2 pounds
Total Weight Change: -18.0

COW
7 days of exercising for 20 minutes per day
7 days flossing
7 days doing something for someone else
7 days journaling your food

Total COW Points = 28 points

Well, I keep promising that I will use my journal here more but I find that by the time I log all my food on WW, log all my running information on the Nike+ site, post on the thread for the Rebel Alliance, post on the thread for the BL9, post on the thread for my cruise...there is little time left. To top it off, I was the coach for the BL9 this past week and I was amazed at how much time that took. I am beginning to wonder if this journal is just going to hold all my data for the BL9?

I was a bit disappointed in myself this week as I was hoping to reach 20 pounds lost. It would have been a big stretch but I thought with dedication I could do it. I will say...I wasn't all that dedicated. I did record food and I did exercise but I also did things like have tiramisu for dinner one night. I was accountable for all my food but I did not eat like I was serious about losing a huge amount. Still, 2 pounds is not bad and I will take it.

My personal goals for this week include:
1. Figuring out how to streamline this system - what really works best for recording all my data instead of recording all over the place. This week I am going to try using a notebook and keeping it all on paper.
2. To complete week 6 of the C25K program - the 25 minute run scares me a bit.
3. Setting a week-long menu again - I like the feeling of being a bit more in control of the week as a whole and know what I am planning for.
4. Take measurements and record it all again.

That's it. Time to get to work.

[jenanderson]

Friday BL Check In Statistics:

Weight
Today's Weight: 177.0
Weight Change for the Week: -3 pounds
Total Weight Change: -21.0

COW
7 days of exercising for 20 minutes per day
7 days doing something for someone else
7 days journaling your food
7 days for fruit/veggie

Total COW Points = 28 points

[jenanderson]

Friday BL Check In Statistics:

Weight
Today's Weight: 176.0
Weight Change for the Week: -1 pounds
Total Weight Change: -22.0

I have not been posting in my WISH journal much because I have been trying a variety of different methods. It seems that I record things here, I record on the WW website, I have tons of little notes around the house where I record things and it is taking so much time that I don't really have. So, I tried using a whole new method - a running journal/log (book form) with my paper WW journal taped inside of it. It has actually worked really well. But I am still not really sure it is what I want yet. I am almost thinking that I will continue with that but that I will try posting here a bit again. One of the things that is really missing for me is a chance to reflect on it all or put a bit more of my own "feelings" into it.

In reflecting on things, I have been on this journey of weight loss for 9 weeks. Here are some interesting things for me to note:

1. 22 pounds lost divided by 9 weeks = 2.4 pounds average loss per week

2. When I started, I could barely run for the 60 second interval on the C25K program. Last night I ran 3.15 miles in 35 minutes:2 seconds. I find it amazing that I am running! First official race will be on March 20th. I will be running a 7K.

3. I am down 1 pant size. I still wear my size 14 pants because that is what I have the most of but I easily fit in my size 12 now and it feels really good.

4. I am still struggling with the following: my love of Mike's hard lemonade, my love of all things chocolate, going out for dinner (especially when their are chips/salsa involved) and cross training.

Alright. I am going to be late for work so it is time to run! If anyone is reading....have a great day!
Jen

[lisah0711]

To top it off, I was the coach for the BL9 this past week and I was amazed at how much time that took. I am beginning to wonder if this journal is just going to hold all my data for the BL9?

Great job, jen, and thanks for coaching. I know it is a lot of work! :love: You're doing great!

[jenanderson]

I love that the COW is back for the BL9. I think it has been one of the things that has helped me the most. I am really the type of person who if given a challenge where I have the ability to get each point....I am going to get each point. Here is what I have to do this week.

COW 9

Drink 8 glasses of water each day. (1 point for each day)
Do 20 minutes of exercise every day (1 point for each day)
Do something for yourself each day (1 point for each day)
Eat 2 veggies each day (1 point for each day)

Here is how I am doing:

Water - Got 8 glasses yesterday. I could have gotten much more but I decided to have a picture of beer with DH when we went out last night. It may not have been the best of plans but I am not going to dwell on it. It was nice to go out and not feel so worried about everything that went in my mouth. My goal will be to get more than 8 today.

Exercise - After the above eating out situation....came home and got on my treadmill. It was not a day for me to run so I decided to set the pace at a moderate pace and just enjoy a walk. I also grabbed DS's 3-pound weights and did a bunch of curls and such as I walked. Stayed on the treadmill using the weights for 40 minutes and really enjoyed the workout. My goal for today is a long run (anything over 5K) with DH.

Something for Me - Slept in for an extra 20 minutes yesterday. That might not seem like much but it was so nice. In some ways it put me a bit behind as I had to get to school early but I have been so tired and it was so good to just lay in bed. My goal for today is to have a nice candle light dinner with DH. Life is busy and DH and I rarely do much with just the two of us. Tonight I am going to cook lemon chicken with capers and artichoke hearts (going to play with the recipe and try to lower the points). I love to cook this meal but don't often take time to do it. Then, I am going to set the table in our dining room and plan a nice meal. While this benefits DH as well, it is really for me because I love to cook and then sit down for a nice long meal.

Eat 2 Veggies - Yesterday I was able to get just 2 veggies in. I normally have been doing better than that but I didn't eat really great yesterday. My goal for today will be to drink some V8 (2 servings of veggies per serving), have some carrots at lunch, put broccoli in the risotto and to have a nice salad before we eat dinner. I would hope for 5-6 servings today.

There is so much to get done in my life today so I will assume that I will be going full force pretty much most the day. There will be several trips up and down my 2 flights of stairs for laundry today. I will be cranking up the music and cleaning at high speed to feel like I am getting a work out in as I clean bathrooms, dust, vacuum, wash dishes, sweep, mop the floor and more. I know that a cleaning day like today can be a real calorie burning event.

I have to go to a meeting at my school today at 11:00. I am not real thrilled about it because I think this type of meeting needs to take place during the week and teachers should not be asked to come in on a weekend.

I am hoping for a long run today with DH. We have finished our C25K program and I have to find a new training program. Until I do, we will do runs between 5K and 7K. I would like to do 7K today since we have a 7K race in a few weeks.

This afternoon I need to work on lesson plans and report cards. I have a lot going on at school...that tends to make me stressed...when I am stressed I tend to eat...and stress eating is not good for me. I also need to work on my resume. I will be looking for a new teaching job this spring. I like my job right now but the pay is horrible and I have no benefits. I teach in a private school and could do so much better if I were in a public school.

Finally we will have the nice evening with DH! It will be good after such a long day.

Lisa - Thanks for the note about the coaching. It was a lot of work but I loved doing it. I feel like I really got to know people better and I was inspired by everyone. Since I volunteered to do it again you know that I didn't think it was too much work! :goodvibes

Alright....huge list of things to get done means I should not sit here typing away about what I want to do...I need to get doing it!

[cclovesdis]

Just catching up with WISH Journals when I noticed I have never responded to yours.

You are doing great. Like Lisa said, thanks for coaching. I can't believe you have lost so much weight. BL 9 is really keeping me motivated. It's such a wonderful addition to WW. I know I wouldn't be doing nearly as well without the BL 9 and the corresponding COWs. It sounds like we're in the same boat.

I know what you mean about writing things down here and there. I use so many resources myself. I think it's the only way I'd be doing as well as I am.

Have a great day today!

[jenanderson]

Just catching up with WISH Journals when I noticed I have never responded to yours.

You are doing great. Like Lisa said, thanks for coaching. I can't believe you have lost so much weight. BL 9 is really keeping me motivated. It's such a wonderful addition to WW. I know I wouldn't be doing nearly as well without the BL 9 and the corresponding COWs. It sounds like we're in the same boat.

I know what you mean about writing things down here and there. I use so many resources myself. I think it's the only way I'd be doing as well as I am.

Have a great day today!

Thanks! :goodvibes BL9 is probably more motivating to me than just WW. I do go to the WW meeting and the weigh in there helps motivate me but I think I am one of those people who needs the daily accountability I find here on the WISH. So many days I think I would just "let the day go" if I didn't feel like I was going to check in with someone. Everyone has been great with new ideas, motivating thoughts, support when I mess up and it has really made me feel like I can keep going!

[cclovesdis]

Have a great day today!

[jenanderson]

COW 9

2 - Drink 8 glasses of water each day. (1 point for each day)
2 - Do 20 minutes of exercise every day (1 point for each day)
2 - Do something for yourself each day (1 point for each day)
2 - Eat 2 veggies each day (1 point for each day)

Lets see how I am doing:

Water - Oh boy, yesterday was such a challenge. I was getting my last glasses in just as I was trying to go to sleep. I do not know why the water has become such a challenge for me lately. One thing that does make it a bit hard is that for some reason, I don't like cold water...I want it just warm. My DD says it is gross but I think it is because I get so cold and the cold water just makes it worse. I am fine if I just get a glass of water but if we are going someplace and I want to grab a water bottle, they are all really cold so I skip it. I know this just means that I need to put some in the cupboard instead of keeping them in the garage but I haven't done it yet. So on my list of things to do today is to fix that situation. I also need to get back to starting my day with some water. Goal for the day will be to keep my water cup with me at all times.

Exercise - Yesterday was INCREDIBLE! Alright, DH and I have pretty much graduated from the C25K program. We have been successfully running 25-35 minutes and completing 5K without too many problems. We decided to see if we could go a full 7K because we have a 7K event on March 20th. Yep, we did it! The weather was so nice outside, we ran a new path, I could easily have my running skirt and a light weight t-shirt on and life was good! In the end, we went 4.65 miles, burned off 643 calories and averaged a 11'44' min/mile pace (that included our 5 minutes of walking to cool down at the end). I have to say I LOVE my Garmin running watch that gives me such great data! When I calculated our run for WW AP points, that run earned me 6 AP points! My goal for today was going to be a shorter, slow run but it is raining right now so I might I have rethink these plans. I also want to put in 30 minutes of cross training.

Something for Me - DH and I had a wonderful dinner date night last night. I cooked lemon chicken with capers and artichoke hearts along with risotto. We also had some wine with the meal. I did not measure my food and I did not keep track of what I ate. I simply know I did not eat to the point where I was feeling stuffed and I ate WAY less then I normally would with this meal. I know that I had to have gone over my daily points allowance but I allowed myself to have a meal where I was just relaxed and enjoying the evening knowing that I have flex and activity points. It was good not to obsess so much over a meal. Today for me I will be taking a nice long hot bath!

2 Veggies a Day - Yesterday I did okay with this...thought I would do better but I skipped a few things. I still had my glass of V8 (2 servings of veggies) and some baby carrots. I did skip the salad and probably should not have. Today will be easier as our menu has a lot of veggies on it and DH went grocery shopping so there are many choices in the house.

Yesterday I was really motivated about cleaning the house and got a lot done early. Today I need to remain motivated with my lesson planning and report cards. I will plan on a rotating schedule today: school work for a time, workout for a time, and then time on the DIS - repeating this several times to get me through (I do not like writing report cards).

I will hope that the rain lets up and that I can wear one of my new running skirts! Yesterday as a reward for running a full 7K and being prepared for our first race....I went and got 2 new running skirts and I LOVE them.

Alright, I should get a load of laundry going (yep...still washing today even after all I did yesterday) and then get on track for the day. The list is huge and I want to feel successful today!

Have a great day!
Jen

[jenanderson]

Have a great day today!

You too! :thumbsup2

[jenanderson]

COW 9

3 - Drink 8 glasses of water each day. (1 point for each day)
3 - Do 20 minutes of exercise every day (1 point for each day)
3 - Do something for yourself each day (1 point for each day)
3 - Eat 2 veggies each day (1 point for each day)

As you can see, I am focusing on the COW this week instead of just weight. I am struggling to with losing pounds and feel like I have hit a bit of a plateau. I know that part of it is my own fault as I keep on being sloppy even though I say I am not going to be. I even had a pretty sloppy weekend in terms of eating over my points limit. I know that today I have to focus on all parts of my plan to hope for a good week. So, here is what the COW looked like:

Water - I really focused on water yesterday and got more than enough in. I avoided coffee, pop and alcohol so I feel better about that. I struggled with all of those lately and am going to try to cut them out all together this week. Today I will work at keeping the water by me all day again today. It is so cold at work I may have to have some decaf tea this morning though.

Exercise - Yesterday was a good day. I went running and did only 2 miles. It wasn't a lot but after doing a full 7K on Saturday, I did not feel up to doing any more. I also did the Wii Fit for 20 minutes and did some stretching for about 10 minutes. Today would normally be an off day according to my running training. This means no running and no cross training. I think I will try to get on the TM tonight though and do some slow walking with a nice incline for about 30 minutes.

Something for Myself - Yesterday I was able to do 2 things for myself and it was so very nice! First, I took a nap in the afternoon. I really did not intend to take a nap but I sat down to do some computer work and fell asleep! Then, last night I did take the hot bath that I wanted too! It was so nice to have a bit more of a relaxing day. Only problem is that sometimes I get off track when I am trying to do something for myself a bit too much. This is when I tend to get lazy and give myself excuses to be sloppy. So, for today, my something for myself is going to be to read some articles about weight loss that I wanted to get to. Not only will it be something for me but it might help me refocus or give me new ideas.

2 Veggies - Why do 2 veggies continue to be a problem for me? Well, I think it is because my meals are not real balanced right now. Last night we decided to have a DeLite pizza from Papa Murphy's. I did get the veggies in as I loaded my part of the pizza with them. I was just going to have the pepperoni and cheese but at the last minute decided to top the pizza with the veggies to get my servings in. The funny thing was that the pizza was so much better with the added veggies. I have got to quit skipping veggies.

Some quick reflections before I get back to my work:

1. My total miles running this week 15.44. My goal was 10 miles plus cross training. I did the cross training as well and am really proud. My goal for this upcoming week is 18 miles.

2. I am still losing 1 pound a week but I have gotten lazy. I will reward myself this week - if I do EVERYTHING that I should...recording, not using all my points, not going over in points, etc...I will make the appointment to get my hair cut like I want.

3. I have been journaling each day since Friday. I need to continue this because it does help.

Gotta run! I am at work and this has taken me 4 hours to type in my spare moments.

Jen

[jenanderson]

COW 9

4 - Drink 8 glasses of water each day. (1 point for each day)
4 - Do 20 minutes of exercise every day (1 point for each day)
4 - Do something for yourself each day (1 point for each day)
4 - Eat 2 veggies each day (1 point for each day)

Alright, I can see that I am doing the water, doing the exercise, eating my veggies, finding time for me but it is not going to be enough at this point. Going to have to re-think all that I am doing and figure out why I am in a bit of a battle with myself.

Quick Summary

Water - Got it in. Didn't even have the coffee (I drink decaf). Had a lot of just plain old water.

Exercise - Walked briskly on the TM with an incline while using the 3 pound weights. Put in 2 miles (about 40 minutes).

For Me - Went to bed early as I was very tired.

Veggies - Had carrots for lunch and chow mien for supper (lots of veggies).

Today when I stepped on the scale...I had a .5 weight gain! This is bad. I would not be worried except that I know I have not been doing my best and it feels like it could be the start of something bad.

An Honest Note to Me about WHY I am Not Doing Well:
Dear Jen,
You are eating too much. You are making excuses about how you are running and need to eat more. You are bored with what you are eating and need to find some new recipes to change it up a bit for you so you are not so bored. It is not okay to eat your daily points, your flex points AND your activity points. It would be okay to have a treat here and there but it is not okay to eat all of that each week. You have reached a point where you are not embarrassed by your weight but you have not reached your goal. You must keep going and you must work hard again. This is where you normally give up and you should NOT give up. You want to do better and you can do better. Buckle down and get going again!

Enough said! I need to listen to myself and work harder. I am hoping for a better day..time to get started on the day!

[jenanderson]

COW 9

5 - Drink 8 glasses of water each day. (1 point for each day)
5 - Do 20 minutes of exercise every day (1 point for each day)
5 - Do something for yourself each day (1 point for each day)
5 - Eat 2 veggies each day (1 point for each day)

The COW is sometimes my total lifesaver because it gives me very specific goals to work on and those goals often keep me on track in all areas of my new healthier lifestyle. Here is the quick update on how I earned my points yesterday...

Water - Yesterday was a good water day...10 glasses.

Exercise - That was a tough one. It was cold and rainy here which meant that I could not go outside to run and had to use my YUCKY TM! I did not run the whole time which is what I would have wanted to do but I did not give up either and got my whole 5K in. I ended up spending 1 hour on the TM where I ran for 30 minutes and walked for the other 30 minutes. I was so thirsty when I was done which is why I drank so much water.

Something for Me - Went to bed early. I still had things to do but I know if I am going to make it through this week, I need to take care of myself. I have been so exhausted and I think my whole week of something for me might be going to bed early.

2 Veggies - Easy! I had baby carrots for lunch. For supper, I decided I could not do the fries that everyone else in the family was doing. Instead, I made a big salad and had a large serving of broccoli as my sides.

WW Update: While I love so many things about WW, I was crabby with it today. I have now lost so much weight that I had to also lose points. I know that it has to happen but it was still depressing to lose those 2 little points. I have my days planned out with the higher point values so it is going to be a mental shift to give up the 2 points.

Thoughts for the Day:

This week is a week where I know I am not going to be in the best of moods. It had been sunny last week and this week we are expecting rain every day. It is cold and dreary here. The rain also means that all my running has to be done inside and that tends to make me crabby knowing I can't get out. It is report card and conference time for me so I am under tons of stress to complete all my correcting, assemble portfolios and prepare to talk with parents. This is always a stress eating time for me so I am battling it. I have PMS so I would give almost anything for some M&Ms at this point. I would have a few but there are none in the house! I might need to figure out how to get some this morning on my way to work so that I can get through the day. I like M&Ms because I am good at taking out just 10 and eating them slowly and putting the rest of the bag away.

I keep saying I am going to adjust my attitude but I think today I will think realistically and say that I am just going to learn how to deal with being in a bit of a funk. I know that it is okay to be that way once and a while and it is how I deal with the funk that counts.

Have a good day!
Jen

[jenanderson]

Didn't get a chance to post this morning so I am going to do a double update on how yesterday went and how today was. Here we go!

COW 9 - Wednesday

6 - Drink 8 glasses of water each day. (1 point for each day)
5 - Do 20 minutes of exercise every day (1 point for each day)
6 - Do something for yourself each day (1 point for each day)
6 - Eat 2 veggies each day (1 point for each day)

COW 9 - Thursday

7 - Drink 8 glasses of water each day. (1 point for each day)
6 - Do 20 minutes of exercise every day (1 point for each day)
7 - Do something for yourself each day (1 point for each day)
7 - Eat 2 veggies each day (1 point for each day)

So, I will get to send in 27 points for the COW this week. Pretty good!

Water - Doing great with that again and I think it is really helping. I had been struggling with the water but the COW makes me really think about it and make sure that I get it all in.

Exercise - On Wednesday I did nothing! It was a scheduled day of rest for me on my running schedule. Normally I have been doing at least 20 minutes of something light but on Wednesday I decided to just skip it. I was tired, I had a long day and I have been doing really good with the running and cross training. Tonight I ran - 5K in 33 minutes and then did a 1 mile cool down walk.

Something for Me - On Wednesday, I took time to write a friend I have in Italy. I have been really busy but decided to just make time and spend it writing a long enjoyable letter. Today I took a 5 minute break at work and had the can of Coca-Cola that I really wanted. I have not had Coca-Cola in such a long time - it was a total treat!

Veggies - Easy both days! :thumbsup2

I have been paying really close attention to everything that goes in my mouth and my WW points. I have been trying really hard to be sure that my diet is very balance. I have been working hard all week despite the funk I was in at the beginning of the week. I am really hoping for a good weigh in tomorrow!

Gotta get to bed! Will check in tomorrow with weigh in results!

[jenanderson]

Weight
Today's Weight: 172.0
Weight Change for the Week: -4 pounds
Total Weight Change: -26.0

Reflection on the week:

1. I measured everything this week and used my scale to be sure I wasn't underestimating what I was really eating. I logged everything I ate and would not allow myself to put it in my mouth without putting it in my food journal. For me, not doing these things leads to me "forgetting" that I had that extra snack or thinking I have the right serving size but eating way more.

2. I had slacked on my cross-training but this week I got it in. I did take one of my days off rest as I was suppose to but all the other days I ran or did some other sort of major calorie burning workout.

3. I started with week out in a total funk. No more funks for me for a while! :goodvibes In a way it was good. It taught me how to work through the tough days again and think about how badly I really want this.

Alright, it is early and I have to head to work. I have conferences all day long and won't be able to really check in. I will come back to post how my day was tonight.

[lisah0711]

Just popping in to say congratulations on your 4 pound loss this week! :cool1: Your hard work is paying off and I know it was a busy week for you.

[jenanderson]

Just popping in to say congratulations on your 4 pound loss this week! :cool1: Your hard work is paying off and I know it was a busy week for you.

Thanks! I did work really hard this past week. I am also learning that I am probably going to have to work pretty hard every single day if I want to keep it going and then probably even into the future because I have been on this journey before and it didn't last because I did not pay attention once I reached my goal.

[jenanderson]

I took a day off from my journal - the week was so long and stressful with conferences that I just had 24 hours of "vegging out". That is done though and I am feeling like I can get going again. Since last week was so successful, I am going to try to journal every day again based on the COW. We'll see how it goes.

COW 10

2 = Drink 8 glasses of water each day. (1 point for each day)
2 = Do 20 minutes of exercise every day (1 point for each day)
2 = Do something for yourself each day (1 point for each day)
2 = Eat at least one grain a day and try a new one during the week (1 point for each day and 1 point for the new grain)

Water - Friday getting my water was a bit of a struggle but I made sure that I kept filling my glass during my conferences and it really helped out. Yesterday was easy because I ran. On the days I run, I tend to drink a whole lot. Goal for today: figure out how to bring water with me when I run. I know I will have to look around for something to buy for that goal but I will start researching today. I know that I get way too thirsty when I run and that is a sign that I should be drinking while I run.

Exercise - Friday again was a challenge but I did it in chunks of time. I did 10 minutes of work and 10 minutes at home. It is hard when work is so busy but I am glad that I got it in. Saturday was easy. DH and I ran 5K and then walked a bit over a mile more. We exercised for a total of 47 minutes. Goal for today: we are running again today. I would like to do at least 7K (maybe even 10K) but we will see. It is cold, cloudy, windy and dreary out there. It makes it hard to get out and stay motivated but we will do at least the 5K.

Something for Me - On Friday night the thing for me was...I ATE MOVIE THEATER POPCORN WITH BUTTER!!!! Alright, I knew I was going to do it and I thought long and hard about how to make this choice work. Decided that we would take zip lock baggies with us to the theater. I had DH put popcorn in my baggie and that is what I ate out of. I did not eat straight from the bucket and lose track of how much I was eating. I knew exact amounts and felt fine about my choice. Yesterday, I took a rest/nap in the afternoon. The long week had caught up with me and it was nice to just do nothing. My goal for today: Today for myself I plan on going and buying some funny cards to send out to friends. I love to be able to send out mail and I am out of stamps and running low on cards.

Grains - Friday my grain was in my bread and Saturday was my oatmeal. Today I have already had oatmeal. Grains are a difficult area for me. I tend to get at least the one and often 2, but I struggle with the whole well balanced diet thing at times. Since I have gotten my running log where I record all my runs, exercising, food, etc...I have been more aware of it all and working harder on eating healthy balanced meals.

Alright, goals are in place and I am ready for the day! There is so much to get done but I plan on still taking it pretty easy for the rest of the weekend so we will see.

Later!

[cclovesdis]

Congrats on the 4 pound loss!

[jenanderson]

Congrats on the 4 pound loss!

Thanks! I think I actually gained .5 over the weekend but that is pretty common for me. It is time to buckle down again today and get going with the week.

[jenanderson]

Ahh, the start of a new work week. I always seem to buckle down again on Mondays after I realize I was a bit too relaxed on the weekends.

COW 10

3 = Drink 8 glasses of water each day. (1 point for each day)
3 = Do 20 minutes of exercise every day (1 point for each day)
3 = Do something for yourself each day (1 point for each day)
3 = Eat at least one grain a day and try a new one during the week (1 point for each day and 1 point for the new grain)

Water = Just barely got it in yesterday and was drinking right up to the point I turned off the light to go to bed. I know that I need to get more water in when I run and that just didn't happen yesterday. My goal for today is to keep my cup with me all day and focus on drinking more water again. I know we only need 8 but I do better when I get 10 or more.

Exercise = My goal was to run 7K yesterday. It just did not happen. It was a beautiful day but it was not a beautiful run. I was WAY to hot, DH had set way to fast of a pace and I just could not find my rhythm. We ended up running a bit more than a 5K and then we walked over a mile more. I was disappointed because we have a 7K race next weekend and now I am not feeling real positive about my abilities to complete that. I am just trying to think that it was just a bad run day and all is fine. A bit later in the day, DH, DS and I went on a bike ride. We biked about 2 miles as we went to the library and the grocery store. So, I was able to get plenty of exercising in. My goal for today is going to be 20 minutes of very light, easy exercising in. I am a bit stiff today and I want to take it easy as we have our first running race on Saturday.

Time for Me = That was another thing I struggled with yesterday. I had wanted to do some shopping for me but in the end, I didn't get that done. I did take about 30 minutes of time to get caught up with some reading, some computer surfing and such all by myself. It was really nice to just take a bit of down time for that. My goal for today is easy...I am getting together with some girlfriends after work and I love when I make time to see them!

Grains = Still haven't tried anything new but I did eat my oatmeal yesterday. Goal for today: eat my grain at lunch. I am out of oatmeal and that is a bit of a problem for the start of my day.

Well, I am going to have to sign off. I have my plans in place for the day so it is best to get it going!

[cclovesdis]

I feel you. I have to have oatmeal. I was so excited when the hotel I stayed offered oatmeal as part of its free breakfast yesterday morning.

[jenanderson]

Weight
Today's Weight: 171.0
Weight Change for the Week: -1 pounds
Total Weight Change: -27.0

Reflection on the week:

1. It is hard to reflect when you don't journal! I meant to this week and really gave it a good effort but life just got in the way.

2. My journal is like a pendulum. One week I swing way to one side and everything goes great, I do everything I should, I lose extra pounds and life is good. The next week I swing the other way and things are such a challenge, I only lose a bit and I fall back into some of my old habits. I think I am on my way to swinging back to the good side but I really had many days on the bad side this past week.

3. Sometimes, even when you try really hard, all you can do is know you did your best. I always look for losing more than a pound but sometimes that all I can do. I am learning to be happier because a pound is still a loss and it is so much better than a gain.

[jenanderson]

Weight
Today's Weight: 170.0
Weight Change for the Week: -1 pounds
Total Weight Change: -28.0

7 - Drink 8 glasses of water each day.
5 - Do 20 minutes of exercise every day
7 - Do something for yourself each day
7 - 2 servings of calcium each day
26 points

I promise to come back and write more late because I have some thoughts about how bad I did this week. It is time to go running though and I have to stick to my schedule.

[jenanderson]

Weight
Today's Weight: 168.0
Weight Change for the Week: -2 pounds
Total Weight Change: -30.0

Well, I never did get back to posting last week and I am going to have to try to come back later for this week as well. Just got home from a crazy trip to WDW and have so much to catch up on.

I am THRILLED that I took a long road trip and spent 4 days at WDW and LOST weight! I had to make many smart choices and do a bit of sacrificing but it was all worth it and I don't feel like I ever really went hungry.

[DavidandDenise]

Jen! I just finished reading through your journal; you're doing a great job! You really are an inspiration. We have similar goals and starting points. I loved reading your 9-week progress post--all of those changes are amazing! Keep up the great work! :thumbsup2

[jenanderson]

Jen! I just finished reading through your journal; you're doing a great job! You really are an inspiration. We have similar goals and starting points. I loved reading your 9-week progress post--all of those changes are amazing! Keep up the great work! :thumbsup2

Thanks for the compliments! I really feel like there are so many days I struggle and coming back and reading through some of this makes me really see there have been great changes. It always helps me keep going and makes me want to work hard again.

[jenanderson]

I have really been neglecting the journal again. I think I have come to the point that I realize that I can't post as much as I want to but it is important for me to post here and there so that I can learn more about my struggles and successes. Here is what I have for today:

Struggles Today
1. Eating - I don't know why but I was actually hungry today. I guess if I would have recorded my points, I would have known if I really should be hungry right now at 10:45 PM as I sit in bed. I guess I will record it below and see what I have had. So, now I recorded it all and see that there are problems. First, I did not use all my points. Next, because I was craving sweets, I ate 7 points of food that was just CANDY! That was about 1/3 of my points for the day. This was a really bad choice and I need to find something else to help with this tomorrow.

Food Today:
1/2 c. oatmeal (2.5)
1/3 c. 2% milk (1)
Arnolds round (1)
Ham (1)
Orange (1)
Yogurt (2)
100 Cal. snack (2)
Dove Chocolate (2)
2 oz Chicken (2)
1/2 c. potatoes, canned (.5)
green beans (0)
salad w/no dressing (0)
licorice (5)
Total Points = 20

2. Exercise. I just did not want to do it...so I didn't. That was bad and I should have at least done something quick and simple. Tomorrow is a running night but on Wednesday I will promise myself to do some cross training and not skip it!

Success for the Day
Size 12 jeans are too big! This is huge because I can't remember when I last wore a size 10. I am not running out to by any just yet but it was exciting to see that I can put on my size 12 jeans without even undoing the button.

Alright, even though I am hungry, I am not going to eat. It is just too late and I have to go to bed. I will be sure to eat my oatmeal right away tomorrow and make better choices as well as eat all my points.

[jenanderson]

Weight

Today's Weight: 167.0
Weight Change for the Week: -1 pounds
Total Weight Change: -31.0

I have decided that the weight is coming off a bit slower and that I know most of the reasons why...I just don't want to deal with all those reasons all the time.

Here is what I struggled with this week:

Cravings - I swear that I had some major PMS going on and I thought I would just eat the whole house and then top it off with M&Ms! :rotfl2: Seriously, I actually even ate a candy bar this week. I think the cravings have left and I am getting better, but it was a bad week.

Stress - I have been stressed with many things this week and when I get stressed, I eat. I have been working hard to break this habit but really learned this week that this is not a battle that I have won yet. I wish that stress did not lead to eating for me but it does. I have to really work to recognize when this is happening so that I don't eat too much before I even know that it has happened.

Exercise - I think I was still just so tired from my WDW trip that I did not feel like exercising and so I didn't. There was even a night where I just totally skipped my run and that is not normally something I do. Now at the end of the week, I am feeling much better and the runs have gotten better as well. This week I am going to try to really get my cross training done like I say I am going to. So often I say that I am going to do it and then I don't. To help, I am going to try some new exercising this week because I have been bored with it all.

COW - I did not do the COW last week and that was horrible for me. I really need to have some healthy things that I have to do every day to keep me on track. This week I tried to do the COW and still did not do all that great. Here are my results:

5 days of exercising for 30 minutes per day
7 days of calcium
7 days doing something for someone else
6 days of three fruits and/or veggies each day

25 points total