AmyM's Quest for a Better Bikini Body!

[lovinaz]

Hmmm... Yesterday one bad decision made me have one awful day! We went to Costco and were doing great, only getting stuff on the list. Then we past the snack aisle and they had almond-coconut crunch. If you haven't seen these, it is almonds, coconut and just enough cane sugar juice to stick it all together into 1" cubes of delight. It is on my approved list of things to eat. So I decided to get a bag, thinking I could behave. WRONG!!!!!!!!!! They are SO DELICIOUS I almost couldn't stand it. While the kids got churros for behaving, I ate 6 cubes. And no, it didn't stop there, I had consumed 4 servings (at 180 calories each) by the end of the day... But so far so good today, I haven't touched them! Now that I measured them out and know that 4 cubes are a serving, I think I can do much better in the future. I'm so pathetic sometimes! And I almost talked myself out of doing my workout, but I did it (probably because I was trying to counteract some of the 760 calories of nuts in my belly ). Yesterday I drank 100oz of water, 8oz FF Chai Latte; 10oz Diet Green Tea, 12oz DC and 24oz Crystal Light:

7:15am: Egg Beaters w/Spinach, Red Pepper, Cheese
9:45am: FF Cottage Cheese; Blueberries
11:15am: 2 bites Churro; 1 bite Energy Bar; 6 Almond Coconut Crunch
1:30pm: Salmon Burger-Spinach-Mustard on 1 piece Oat Bran Bread; Cucumber-n-Hummus; 3 Almond Coconut Crunch
4:30pm: 2 tbsp PB; 6 Almond Coconut Crunch
7:15pm: Grilled Chicken; Green Beans; Soy Crisps; SF Jello w/Soy Whip
WORKOUT: Pilates Sculpt DVD (55min)
RESISTED: 3 more lbs of Almond Coconut Crunch; Trail Mix
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tracey, thanks. The cello was certainly a relief, but I'm still not thrilled about coughing up almost $200! At least we have the damage waiver now, so if anything else happens we will not have to pay for it!

CJK, I don't think the Chai is going to be the thing that shows up on the scale, but I bet the Almond Coconut Crunch does! I should have gotten the Cashew Crunch, I bet it wouldn't have taken over my brain like that...

 

[CACruisin']

Your almond coconut crunch sounds like my chocolate pretzels. At least it looks like you got it together by dinner time and today is better.

You really are doing an awesome job with your eating and your exercise and the scale shows it. That should help keep you motivated to stay away from the goodies. You are a brave woman to go to Costco with the kids

I hear ya on the vacation time. It is one of the nice perks of staying home. Of course, when I'm not working, I have lots of vacation time, but the vacation $$$ is limited instead .

 

[CJK]

I was just at Costco a few days ago and am glad I didn't notice the almond-coconut crunch! From the sounds of things, I would have had more than 4 servings. Snack food like that just goes down too dang easy! Good job on figuring out portion sizes and rationing out the rest.

I see that you're the reigning Queen of water intake! Just think how that water flushed out the almond crunch and the exercise worked off whatever was left! Way to go!!

Have a great week!

 

[lovinaz]

I managed to behave for the most part yesterday (except I could have done without the PB). At least I didn't binge on almond coconut crunch! It was really calling my name at 9pm too... For some reason the scale jumped up 3 lbs this morning! I was shocked, but I am not going to worry about it. I'm sure hoping it gets back down by Friday's weigh-in! Yesterday I drank 100oz water; 10oz Crystal Light; 12oz Diet Coke; 18oz Diet Fuze:

7:30am: Egg Beaters (½c) w/Red Peppers, Cheese (2tbsp) & Spinach
10:30am: LF Cottage Cheese; Blueberries (3/4c)
2:00pm: Spinach Salad (w/chicken, red pepper, cheese, LF dressing); Soy Crisps (30)
4:00pm: Low Carb Yogurt; Pear; Trail Mix (1/4c)
5:00pm: 2 tbsp PB
6:30pm: Sloppy Joe on Oat Bran (1); Green Beans; SF Jello w/Soy Whip
WORKOUT: TBK (60min); ABT (30min)
RESISTED: Almond Coconut Crunch ; More Trail Mix; Energy Bars (bread w/fruit & nuts in it)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anna, I don't know what I was thinking when I bought the Crunch. But I got through one day without it and my plan is to limit it to 1 serving a couple times a week. And if I find I can't control myself like that, off to work it will go with DH!

CJK, it is WAY too easy to overeat nuts! Why can't nuts be low in calories like vegetables??!?!?!? My legs are so sore today and I am supposed to go to the gym after work. Hopefully I will be able to move a little better by then. Tomorrow is a much needed break from working out, so I just need to make it through today!

 

[Jane E.]

Your son must be happy the cello got repaired. Hopefully, he'll be more careful in the future. That could really add up.

Great job on resisting those coconut things! Plus, you stuck with your workouts!

 

[SunFloridaDisney]

Hi Amy!

Well, congrats on the loss a few days ago, sorry the scale went up, but I'm sure that's very temporary and things will turn around again shortly. You're doing amazingly well with your plan.

Get rid of the almond crunch!!! It is sooooo hard to only have one small serving of something so good. I've got plenty of experience with bags of candy!

Have a great week.

 

[CACruisin']

Good job resisting the almond crunch .

I am sure the scale was just some weird anomaly . Maybe you just stepped on it funny or the almond crunch from before or the Soy crisps had a lot of sodium so you are retaining. The scale will go back down.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Hi Amy,

Just got all caught up with you. My goodness, broken cellos, almond crunch and you lost weight in the process! I'm proud of you girl! Your motivating me to get my butt in gear. How's Buckley? Benjamin almost choked to death today on a tootsie pop he found in the car. Dumb dog. He bit me while I was removing above sucker from his slimey throat. Sound familar? You are doing so well, I'm really proud of you. You stuck out your detox and made it through skinnier. You are on a roll, keep it up!

And don't even worry about that three pounds, it'll probably be gone in day or two.

 

[CJK]

Hope you enjoy your day off of exercising! My day is probably Sunday and I can't wait! I wouldn't worry about that weird 3lb gain. With all the water you've been drinking and your healthy eating, it'll disappear as fast as it came. Keep up the great work!

 

[lovinaz]

I don't know what has come over me, but I have to lay off the 5pm snacks! I am eating stuff on my "approved" list, but it is stuff I just don't need to be eating. It's 100% mental and some days are better than others. Today I won't even have time to think about snacking because I have to take DS to the orthodontist, then immediately take DD to tap. We don't get back until 6:45pm, then I can eat dinner and not worry about dealing with the "danger hours" of 4:30-6:30pm... The scale was still up 3lbs. NOT HAPPY about that at all! I know it's water because I'm sloshy all over and my socks left rings on my ankles yesterday, so I'm sure it will disappear as quickly as it appeared. I'm trying not to let it get to me. Yesterday I drank 110.7oz water; 16oz Green Tea w/Splenda; 12oz Diet Coke; 20oz Crystal Light:

6:15am: Egg Beaters (½c) w/Red Peppers, Cheese (2tbsp) & Spinach
8:15am: LF Cottage Cheese (3/4c); Strawberries (1.5c); Cantaloupe (1/2c); Honeydew (1/2c)
11:30am: Spinach Salad (w/chicken, red pepper, cheese, dressing); Soy Crisps (15); 7 Peanuts
2:30pm: Low Carb Yogurt; Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
5:00pm: Shredded Cheese (1/4c); 2 tbsp PB
6:30pm: Veggie Burgers (2)-Mustard; Oat Bran Bread-n-Butter (1); Cauliflower; SF Jello w/Soy Whip; 2 Almond Coconut Crunch (yep, only 2 )
WORKOUT: Weights (30min); Elliptical (35min)
RESISTED: Bagels-n-Cream Cheese, More Cookies, Cereal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jane, I doubt DS learned any lesson. I can almost guarantee it will get broken at least one more time before the school year is over. Next time I will make him pay me back - that's a lot of weeks of allowance when he only gets $2/wk!

Kate, if I can't behave with the Crunch, it is gone. I'm not going to torture myself any more than I have to! I have learned to live with trail mix in the house, I hope I can do the same with the Crunch!

Anna, I think my scale needs a new battery, but I know my weight went up because I also checked it at the gym. But usually it's easy come, easy go when it pops up overnight like that. There is no way I actually gained that much fat, so I'm not going to stress. I was just so thrilled with last Friday's weigh-in, I guess this is my body's way of knocking me down a notch...

Amy, Buckley is still a total pain in the butt. He turned 1 on Saturday. He is doing OK in obedience school. He knows "leave it" pretty good now, since he hears it 10x a day... He is also getting better sitting and staying, but he still nips at the kids when they are walking. That had better stop soon or he will be getting some shock collar treatment.

CJK, my legs were so sore yesterday, but I must have loosened them up with yesterday's workout because today they are fine. I am looking forward to the day off. I worked out 5 days in a row, I think that is plenty!

 

[traceycooper]

mmm the coconut crunch sounds yummy, wish they did over here!!!
Hope you have a healthy happy week

 

[Jane E.]

You're doing great with your workouts! Your eating looks really healthy too. Of course, its not that hard to eat healthier than me! Keep up the great work. It will be so worth it by the time your trip comes up!

 

[lovinaz]

I don't know what the #*$&*#^$ is going on, but the scale has not budged from its 3lb jump! I've been stuck at this high weight for 3 days now and I have been eating everything I am supposed to. I just don't get it!!!!!!! How can I go from being skinny on Saturday to being a total cow on Monday? It's times like this that make me want to give up. If I am losing, I am motivated, if I am doing the same thing I was doing when I was losing and now I'm GAINING, you can see where the frustration comes in... I have been eating the same things over and over so maybe I need to change some things around. I'm pretty much stuck with the groceries I have for this week, but next week I am going to get clever with breakfast, snacks and lunches. Hopefully that will help. Yesterday I drank 80oz water; 16oz Green Tea w/Splenda; 16oz Crystal Light:

6:15am: Chocolate Oatmeal
8:15am: LF Cottage Cheese (3/4c); Strawberries (1c)
11:30am: Spinach Salad (w/chicken, red pepper, cheese, dressing); Soy Crisps (20); 15 Peanuts
3:15pm: Low Carb Yogurt; Apple
5:00pm: 5 Almond Coconut Crunch
6:30pm: Salmon Burger; Cauliflower; Soy Crisps (20); SF Jello w/Soy Whip
WORKOUT: None
RESISTED: Trail Mix, PB, Goldfish, More Crunch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tracey, if I can't behave with the Almond Coconut Crunch I will send it to you! Actually I couldn't do that, it would ruin your diet! So far so good, I have been able to moderate my intake of it.

Jane, I was feeling really confident about looking good for my cruise until this latest bout of bloat came along. Usually it goes away quickly, but this time it is sticking around. Oh well, I never question when I LOSE 2lbs overnight, so I shouldn't let this bother me so much...

 

[Jane E.]

What a bummer! I'm sorry that you've had a bad weigh in. If its water weight it should be gone in a few days. What does your ND say? Sending PD your way -

 

[Amy&Dan]

Amy don't despair! If your socks are cutting into your ankles than for sure its water and water flows out when its good and ready! Still frustrating though I know. If all else fails, throw the scale at Buckley and get two birds with one stone! Hang in there, your cruise is coming up. So I see you have a trip to Mexico and a cruise coming up very soon. How did you get so lucky?

 

[CACruisin']

Amy, hang in there! 3lbs does not a cow make. It will come off. You maybe right about changing up your routine. What about TOM timing - could that be it? Is grapefruit on your "approved" list? It seems to work well for me recently for bloat issues. You ARE going to look fabulous for your trip to Mexico and your cruise.

 

[lovinaz]

Yesterday I kinda took a break from eating healthy. And the scale went down 1lb. Maybe I should take more days off... I had an all day meeting with our UK customer and of course there were bagels in the morning and cookies in the afternoon. I did OK on Monday, skipping the bagels and having a cookie, but yesterday they brought Einstein bagels and I figured that I was bloated anyway, so I might as well earn some bloat! I enjoyed every bite and don't feel guilty at all. Today I am back on track with my usual healthy fare, so no harm done! I drank 110.7oz water; 12oz Diet Coke; 10oz Crystal Light:

6:15am: Egg Beaters (½c) w/Red Peppers, Cheese (1tbsp) & Spinach
8:15am: LF Cottage Cheese (3/4c); Strawberries (1c); Cinnamon-n-Sugar Bagel w/LF Honey Almond Cream Cheese
12:15pm: Spinach Salad (w/chicken, red pepper, cheese, dressing); Soy Crisps (20)
2:30pm: Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, Peanut Butter Cookie
6:30pm: Shrimp; Oat Bran Bread-n-Butter (1); Italian Beans; SF Jello w/Soy Whip
WORKOUT: Weights (30min); Treadmill (35min)
RESISTED: Almond Coconut Crunch; Cheetos; Pretzels; Another Bagel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jane, I will be sure to ask the ND about water retention prevention next time I go. I am over the pity party with the weight, I feel much better now that I don't care! My weigh-in tomorrow will most likely be higher than last Friday, but OH WELL!

Amy, your post cracked me up! Buckley would probably eat the scale... And the 2 trips within 3 weeks of each other is courtesy of my obsessive compulsive behavior... Actually, the cruise was booked Aug '05 and the Mexico thing was decided earlier this year since the kids have those 2 days off school and it is the perfect time of year to go.

Anna, I checked the calendar and it was only 9 days since my last "TOM". So that can't be it. I might be able to choke down a grapefruit if that would really help (not a huge fan, many Splenda packets must be sacrificed). I will have to give it a try!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Good for you not feeling guilty about one bagle! Yeah, I'd thought you might appreciate my "throw the scale at the dumb beagle" sentiment. I just got nipped by my senior citizen beagle. I attempted to clean out his skanky ears. If he was my husband I would have divorced his butt about 12 years ago! I love your obsessive compulsive trip planning. That is so me! My favorite was going to WDW the third week of October for 10 days and then one week after that we went to DL for a long weekend. I no longer "check" airfares! Good job getting back on track after Bagle Day. Thats the key to all of this, just rolling with it and staying on track for the long haul. And sometimes eating some no no foods can help trigger a weight loss (this according to Body for Life author Bill Phillips) because it helps remind your body you are not starving it and its okay to burn calories. But its a fine line I must say!

 

[traceycooper]

Glad you enjoyed that bagel
Theres nothing worse than going off track & then not even enjoying it!!!
well done for getting the exercise in

 

[Jane E.]

Hang in there, Amy! You do such a great job with your workouts. Like your ND said, there are lots of other women dealing with this. It sounds like its changed your metabolism. I remember you posted that you ran into a friend who had the surgery and she said it took her body awhile to adjust & then everything turned out fine. Don't give up - give your body a chance to adjust.

I'm using the teeth smilie because this is how I would smile if I didn't eat Milk Duds!!!! You were right - next time I'll use a hammer instead. As bad as the pain was I think the time & money spent at the dentist today was even worse! Motivation comes in many different forms.