Thirty days til goal.

[pjlla]

I am starting this online journal to help me achieve my goal of hitting my goal weight of 130 by Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010.

I started this weight loss journey (again) on 1/2/2008 at 200 pounds even. I made great progress in the beginning, losing about 35 pounds in the first 3 1/2months. But things slowed down after that and now here I am, more than 2 years later, with still almost 7 pounds left to lose before I hit my goal. I am not terribly discouraged, as I have NEVER given up or lost sight of my goal within those two years. And I have learned SO MUCH about healthy eating and exercise during this time. But it is time to BUCKLE DOWN and GET SERIOUS about finally reaching goal. I am hoping that an online journal will help with that.

It won't be pretty... I don't have the time to be picky about this journal. I think it is more important that it be honest and accurate and OUT THERE, to give me some accountability.

I promise to be totally honest when I have an extra bit of cookie/candy without really thinking about it. I am honest with my paper food journals and I can be honest here.

I am hoping to find the time to hop on at least once a day and post my food, exercise, and feelings.

I'll start with today, I guess.

Breakfast: 3 egg whites {1 pt}
1 sauteed green pepper {0 pt}
1 everything Bagel Thin, toasted {1 pt}
1/2 serving French Vanilla Cafe/Suisse Mocha mix with Fiber {1 pt}

Exercise already done: 50 minutes on the TM at 8:15 am. Ran 5K in 34.37 min, walked the remaining time. 5 minute stretch after that.

I've been sitting here at the computer playing catch up with a bunch of emails since about 10 am, so it is time to get moving on to other things (like scrapbooking!! )........................P

 

[LuvBaloo]

Subscribing to your thread!
Looking forward to seeing your journey and your success!

 

[pjlla]

Subscribing to your thread!
Looking forward to seeing your journey and your success!

You're so sweet.... thanks!......P

Midmorning: cup of Earl Grey decaf tea with Splenda

Lunch: Progress Hearty Penne soup (entire can) {3 pts.}
half mango {1 pt.}
1/2 liter seltzer {0 pts}

Snacks: apple (1:30 pm) {1 pt.}
FiberOne bar (3:00 pm) {1 pt.}
1 lt. seltzer {0 pts.}

Dinner: big bowl of steamed fresh broccoli with ICBINB spray and salt {0 pts}
Green Giant Steamfresh Asian style vegetable chicken medley frozen skillet meal
(measured 1 serving 340 grams){ 6 pts},
plus extra added veggies (pea pods, celery, red bell pepper) { 0 pts},
topped with handful of chow mein noodles. {1 pt.}
1 lt. seltzer {0 pts}

WOW.... lots of processed foods today... a bit unusual for me, but running late tonight and meat not defrosted, so I grabbed this "emergency" meal from the freezer. It was actually very yummy! I also hate eating this early, but since I am taking DD to swim, I will not be around again until 9 pm.

I'm torn tonight. I have to take DD to swim and I have three options. Number one option is to drop her off, come home to have some time for myself (folding laundry ) and then go back at 8pm to pick her up.

Option #2... drop her off and go shopping! I could hit lots of fun places like the mall, the craft store, etc. But I would end up spending money I don't really need to spend on things I don't really need.

Option #3.... do the responsible thing and stay at the Y and make this a "two workout" day. ICKY, but probably the best option.

I have 5 minutes to decide.........P

 

[pjlla]

Just as I was leaving to bring DD to swim (and still deciding what to do), DH offered to go pick her up later. So I did a compromise.... I dropped her off at the Y and returned home instead of working out or going shopping, but I hit the treadmill at home for 25 minutes doing full incline intervals.

Evening snack: 2 chocolate bran muffins {2 pts}
French vanilla cafe/suisse mocha/coffee mix {1 pt}

Never did fold all that laundry. Guess it will be waiting for me tomorrow...........P

 

[cclovesdis]

Just thought I'd pop by your new journal. Sounds like you had a good day! You'll make your goal, I just know it!

 

[lisah0711]

Go, Pamela, go!

 

[pjlla]

awwww... you guys are so nice!! Thanks so very much for the support. I really appreciate it!!...............P

 

[pjlla]

Day before weigh-in.... I usually try to stay very low on points and try to get in a good workout.

I got called to work at 5:30 am. Tried to talk myself into a morning workout, but decided to sleep in a bit since I will be at the Y for a few hours tonight.

Breakfast (on the go): 1/2 C lowfat cottage cheese {2pt}
1/2 srvg. canned pears {.5 pt}
usual hot drink {1 pt}
24 oz. water

Packed lunch for today: baby romaine/baby spinach salad with red bell peppers and carrots {0 pts}

2 Tb. Paul Newman lowfat organic Asian dressing {1 pt}

3 slices of Hormel 100% natural turkey lunch meat {1 pt}

grapefruit {1 pt}

1 lt. seltzer

I have a few snacks with me, but will try to avoid them if possible to keep my points super low for today.


Fresh fruits and veggies getting low at home. I will have to hit the store this weekend maybe. I have a large head of broccoli to serve with dinner and then will be down to just a few peppers and onions, a handful of white potatoes, and one sweet potato for veggies, and a a half a bag of apples and about 8 grapefruit. Maybe we can hit Costco at some point this weekend. I LOVE their fruits and veggies and the prices are great.... unfortunately the closest store is an hour away. But we eat like KINGS after a visit there!!

I will be doing my "trail mix" class again at the Y tonight... hopefully she will run it a bit longer this time (it was only 20 minutes last time). I also plan on doing 30 minutes on the Treadclimber and at least 20 minutes on a bike......P

 

[pjlla]

Thirty minutes til lunch time and I am ravenous! Should have brought some baby carrots to munch on. Right now the salad and little bit of meat for lunch doesn't sound terribly filling.........................P

 

[pjlla]

I made it through the afternoon without starving to death..... But I am definitely HUNGRY and glad that it is an early dinner night.

Dinner: 4 oz. pork tenderloin {3 pt}
7 oz. baked sweet potato {3 pt}
steamed carrots with ICBINB spray {0 pt}
1/2 C homemade sugar-free applesauce {1 pt}


Evening snack: Not sure yet... will try to keep it to 2-3 pts.

Well.... gotta get a kid to set the table, put on my exercise clothes, and serve dinner! Early dinner night again, since DD has swim. When DH is away I don't worry about making a big dinner, but with him home I think it is important to have a nice, sit down, family dinner. Hence the reason we are eating at "early bird special" time!!.................P

 

[pjlla]

Exercise: Treadmill 14 minutes
Treadclimber 30 minutes
Circuit class 30 minutes

I would have done more, but DD got out of swim early because of homework.

Evening snack ended up being: usual hot drink {1 pt}
choc. bran muffin {1 pt}
prunes {2 pt}

I ended up eating a few more points thatn I originally planned (the prunes) but I had the munchies.

Weigh-in tomorrow morning.................P

 

[momof2minnies]

Good luck with your weigh in.Sounds like you are really focused and your choices have been great.

Keep up the good work- you will do this by Easter.

Linda

 

[pjlla]

Good luck with your weigh in.Sounds like you are really focused and your choices have been great.

Keep up the good work- you will do this by Easter.

Linda

Thanks for your kind words...........P



Weigh-in was NOT pretty. Up 2 pounds. I'm hurrying and aggravated, so I won't say more than that right now.

Breakfast: hot drink {1 pt}
Go Lean hot cereal {2 pt}
Vitamuffin cran-bran muffin top {1 pt}

 

[pjlla]

Packed lunch for work: Progresso Vegetable Italiano soup {4 pts for whole can}
2 pc. Wasa cracker {1 pt}
grapefruit {1}
seltzer {0 pt}

Still having some anguish about the 2 pounds. I will definitely have to work harder to journal every ounce, every bite, every nibble this week.

I'm thinking I might need to go back to a "week 1" mentality and start double checking my points on EVERYTHING I eat. I do weigh and measure many, many things, but not everything. Time to start doing that again.

Time to increase my exercise time. I try to get in a minimum of 45 minutes 6 days per week, although I often get in more. Time to move that minimum up to 60 minutes. Shouldn't be TOO hard to do as the weather gets nicer.

Off to work again...............P

 

[pjlla]

Mid-morning: cup of Earl Grey decaf with Splenda

Afternoon snack: apple {1 pt}
hot drink {1 pt}
red bell pepper {0 pt}
LC cheese wedge {1 pt}

Exercise (5 pm): 60 minutes on the TM.... 30 minutes of alternating every 3 minutes at full incline, 30 minutes just brisk walking

Dinner: few bites of lo mein {2 pt}
few bites of general's chicken {2 pt}
1/4 of OJ smoothie {2 pt}

Snack: decaf coffee with a bit of skim {0 pt}
half Bagel thin {.5}
half Tb. Better N Peanut Butter {.5}

Tough day. I was really perseverating on that 2 pound gain all day. But I need to let it go and move on.

Dinner at the mall with DD wasn't my best choice. I was being cheap (and I was ravenous) and I shared a plate with DD. (Original plan was to share a $5 footlong Subway with her, but she was being picky and I was too tired and hungry to argue.) It was good but I ate very little (because of the type of food) and was still very hungry, even aftering eating what I figured was at least 4 pts worth of the food (then I had a small share of her smoothie also).

Glad to discover when I got home that I had exactly 1 pt left, becacuse I was very hungry. I'm even hungry now as I type this, but I will survive until the a.m.

I will probably have a small splurge tomorrow if we go to Costco. I ADORE their fat-free frozen yogurt (honestly, I can't even imagine how it can really be fat-free... but if it isn't, I don't want to know!). Not sure how the rest of the day will go. I will probably be home alone for a few hours yay: )
so that won't be too tough, since I can eat what I want and not have to worry about the others.

I am hoping that the weather will be warm enough in the morning to go for a run outside. I am looking forward to repeating my 4 mile/40 minute run I did last week. Hopefully I can borrow DD's I-pod to help stave off boredom.

Gotta get to sleep...............P

 

[cclovesdis]

Do you eat your Weekly Points Allowance or Activity Points? Sometimes I can't lose if I don't. Wish I could be of more help because it's truly only sometimes.

Best of luck this week!

 

[pjlla]

Do you eat your Weekly Points Allowance or Activity Points? Sometimes I can't lose if I don't. Wish I could be of more help because it's truly only sometimes.

Best of luck this week!

Well... I definitely ate all of my Flex points last week ..... all in the form of movie popcorn and Twizzlers at the movie last Friday. We went in an attempt to fend of boredom and the cold during the power outage. As far as my activity points go, I never count them or use them. That said, I suppose I occasionally subconsciously give myself permission to go over my points for the day a bit if I know I've gotten in a super workout.

I had a HUGE response typed here, but I seem to have accidentally hit delete and now it is gone. I will try to recap.


I am feeling MUCH better today than I was yesterday at this time. I had a full day of staying IN CONTROL yesterday and that always makes me feel much better about my weight. It is such a MENTAL GAME, this weight-loss journey. But I MUST win the game.

I was faced with lots of temptations yesterday, like ice cream, pretzels, pizza, and chinese food at the food court at the mall... but I stayed IN CONTROL. I had a busy day and had to work to squeeze in my workout, but I did it and stayed IN CONTROL. I was feeling depressed about my weight gain and was so tempted to throw in the towel, even if it was just for the day, but I didn't and I managed to stay IN CONTROL. I woke up this morning feeling SO MUCH BETTER in my head about this because I stayed IN CONTROL yesterday. I just need to keep remembering this feeling. I KNOW if I had given in yesterday and blown it... even if was just for the day, I KNOW I would have gotten up this morning feeling disgusting and fat and depressed and OUT OF CONTROL. But I got up, put on my exercise clothes, got DD ready and out the door, and immediately started my workout. It was nice to be back IN CONTROL.

I made Mickey waffles for the men (DS loves pancakes and waffles so I make them almost every weekend for the family). I enjoyed my homemade 2 pt breakfast sandwich and the taste of "IN CONTROL" was terrific!

We are heading to Costco later today. It is not a frequent stop for us, as it is an hour away. But I KNOW I will be tempted by their food court. So I must make a plan. I will indulge in a portion of their fat-free frozen yogurt. Need to decide if it will be a full portion or less. That will put me IN CONTROL. And since we will be there near/at dinner time, the family will probably want things like pizza and churros from the food court. I need to decide, before we get there, what/how much I will eat and I will stay IN CONTROL.

See my theme here??

Exercise: 45 minutes of WATP plus Fit Cuff
12 minutes of upper body hand weights
3 minutes of stretching

Breakfast: hot drink {1 pt}
toasted bagel thin {1 pt}
3 egg whites {1 pt} scrambled with
chopped onion and red bell pepper {0 pt}

The men just left for their event for today, so I have the house to myself!! I am off to enjoy a few hours at my scrapbooking table! My favorite thing in the world to do when I have some time alone!.................P

 

[cclovesdis]

Sounds like you're feeling much better and really in control. Hope your trip to Cotsco went well.

Where did you find the new bagel thins? I've heard about them and would love to try them. TIA!

CC

 

[pjlla]

Sounds like you're feeling much better and really in control. Hope your trip to Cotsco went well.

Where did you find the new bagel thins? I've heard about them and would love to try them. TIA!

CC

Found them at Shaw's. I originally bought them because they had everything bagels and I LOVE those but haven't been able to find them in a 100 cal or high fiber bagel. But they aren't as savory as I would like. I bought plain ones today... should be yummy with peanut butter and banana in the morning!

Lunch: salad greens/red bell pepper {0 pt}
2 Tb. Bolthouse Farms creamy yogurt blue cheese dsg, measured {2 pt} mixed with 3 Tb. of salsa {0 pt}

2 oz. leftover pork tenderloin, measured {1.5 pt}

handful of tortilla chip crumbs for crunch {1 pt}
seltzer {0 pt}

Snack: decaf coffee/skim {0 pt}
6 oz. fat free frozen yogurt (Costco food court) {3 pt.}
seltzer {0 pt}

Dinner: salad greens/red bell pepper, carrots, cucumber {0 pt}
2 Tb. Paul Newman's Organic Asian dsg. {1 pt}
>1 oz. leftover pork tenderloin {rnded up to 1 pt}
6 cashews {1 pt}
100 cal bag of popcorn {2 pt}

Dessert: homemade fruit salad, 1 C {2 pt}
hot drink {1 pt}
chocolate bran muffin {1 pt}

Total points for today: 20.5

Our trip to Costco was very succssful to the tune of $315.xx... almost all of it FOOD! And most of that was FRESH food. We will be eating super healthy, at least for the next few weeks. Two boxes of pineapple spears, two boxes of sliced mango, 1 box of strawberries, 1 box of grapes, 1 box of plums, 1 box of tomatoes, a bag of mini cucumbers, 5 lb. bag of organic baby carrots, 4 lb. asparagus, 1 bag bell peppers, 5 doz. eggs, 4 lb. pork loin (I will cut it into smaller roasts and chops before I freeze it), organic chocolate milk boxes for DS's snack time at school... can't remember what else. No other meat, nothing frozen. Also stopped at Shaw's on the way home for salad greens (didn't like the choice at Costco) and seltzer.

Before we left I googled the Costco food court nutrition information and was (first) happy to find it easily online and (second) STUNNED at how HORRIBLY unhealthy the choices are. Except for the fat free frozen yogurt and the smoothies, most things had about 18-23 grams of fat and the calories were in the 450-660 range for almost EVERYTHING!!

I was hoping that knowing this information would keep my family from eating anything there, but they all still wanted a snack. They each got a slice of pizza and a drink and a frozen yogurt. I had a small portion of each of the kids' yogurts.... I brought along my food scale (I was thinking ahead , but DD was horrified so I did this in the car ) and measured out 6 oz into a separate cup and that was my snack. It was just plenty and I really enjoyed it.

If I had eaten a slice of cheese pizza and THEN figured out the points, I would have been FLABBERGASTED to discover that that slice of pizza is 2/3 of my daily calories/points!! At least FIFTEEN POINTS for one slice of pizza... granted it is a very large slice, but STILL..... Actually it is GREATER THAN 15 points, but the points slider didn't go up far enough to figure it out!!

I am SO glad I took the time to check on that before I ate it, instead of after. It really changed my decision about what to eat. Sure, I was hungry while everyone else was munching their pizza, but I felt so IN CONTROL! I came home and made myself a great salad and still had enough points for a big dessert.

I am going to bed feeling GREAT about my IN CONTROL day!......P

 

[jenanderson]

If I had eaten a slice of cheese pizza and THEN figured out the points, I would have been FLABBERGASTED to discover that that slice of pizza is 2/3 of my daily calories/points!! At least FIFTEEN POINTS for one slice of pizza... granted it is a very large slice, but STILL..... Actually it is GREATER THAN 15 points, but the points slider didn't go up far enough to figure it out!!

I am SO glad I took the time to check on that before I ate it, instead of after. It really changed my decision about what to eat. Sure, I was hungry while everyone else was munching their pizza, but I felt so IN CONTROL! I came home and made myself a great salad and still had enough points for a big dessert.

I am going to bed feeling GREAT about my IN CONTROL day!......P

WOW! The whole pizza thing amazed me! You are so right about finding out the points before you go. There have been so many times where I have eaten something, gone home and figured out the points and then have felt so bad about what I ate. You are totally in CONTROL right now and that is incredible!

I do think it feels great when you know that you are able to control your day, your food choices, the exercising and more. I have struggled with it a bit for the past 3 weeks. I am still losing weight but I know I could be doing better. I am hoping that I get to the point where I don't feel the struggle as often and am able to enjoy the feeling of control and satisfaction a bit more.

Keep it up!
Jen