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

[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! 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!

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! 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!

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!

 

[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

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!!

 

[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! 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 ! 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!

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 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!!!
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