Val's Journal (comments welcome)

[vald1977]

I did pretty well yesterday despite my mood that I'm never going to loose weight .
"Brunch" -- lean cuisine pizza (actually really good ), garden salad with low cal. dressing, 1 reduced fat oreo
snack -- low-fat granola bar
dinner -- sandwich (pumpernickel bread), fat-free pringles, banana

I drank 60 oz. of water which is really good for me but the biggest thing I am proud about is that I did my 1 mile. We had company until around 8:30 and I usually try to do it a half hour after I eat dinner which would have been 6:00. Well, by 8:30 I was very tired and dh doesn't do his exercise on weekends so I could have given myself an easy out but I didn't ! I went down and made myself do it. I really think this 14 day goal is good for me since I'm not looking at it like I have to do it everyday for the rest of my life. Yesterday would also have been a fast food day for us as we were out and about but dh and I resisted that temptation too. He really wanted chinese food but I told him no way was I eating that after what the scale said yesterday. I did tell him if he really wanted it to get it for himself (he has been doing awesome and has lost 30 pounds). He said Nah, he didn't need it. I think we are good for eachother that way. We did stop to get ds a happy meal and then came home and made our dinners out of stuff we had in the house.

I'm not weighing myself until Monday. That will be one full week and by that time TOM should be on his way out. I'm hoping I see some results to keep me going with this. I do feel like I have more energy and I'm sure the water is doing some good regardless, I just really want a smaller me.

 

[vald1977]

I'm ready to heave my scale at the wall. Today it says that I have lost 5 pounds. Is there really supposed to be that much fluctuation in the scale in a week?! I'd be convinced it was broken if it didn't always seem to work just fine for dh. I'm glad it says I lost five pounds, I'm just scared that it is going to go back up 4 pounds in two days and make me feel discouraged. UGGGHH! Dh says to only weigh once a week but I don't know if I can do it.

Here's the low down for yesterday:
breakfast: lean pocket (ham and cheese), fresh string beans, lf cottage cheese, ff pringles, 1 ff oreo
snack: low fat granola bar
dinner: broiled scallops, half baked potato, salad
snack: bowl of special k with 1% milk

No treadmill today because I went bowling with sorority so that counted as my exercise. It was fun getting out with the "girls" even if I was the only one who didn't have bowling experience. Everyone else has been or is currently on a league. Drank about 40 oz. of water only because I didn't want to be running to the bathroom every ten minutes while I was out. This week I hope to build up to 80 oz. That's all for now .

 

[toystoryduo]

Hey Val!
You are doing a great job! I like how you have taken the larger goal of weight loss and broken it down into a smaller goal: your 14 day plan. Plus, you have a 5 lb. weight loss! WOOHOO!

Keep up the good work!

Tracy

 

[sharoncity]

Hi Val!

5 lbs!!! WOO-HOO!!!
That is great! In regards to the scale, make sure you weigh yourself at the same time of day. I prefer to do it first thing in the morning, before I hit the shower. But you will see a pound or two flucuation even during the day. Also, look at what you ate the day before (or 2 days before) you saw the weight go up. Anything with a lot of salt? That will cause you to retain too much water. You have to watch out for stuff like that. Even Frozen food has alot of sodium.
i think you are doing great! Keep doing what you are doing. It is working for you, so stick with it. Set the small goals, like 14 days on the treadmill. Then make them happen. Eventually you'll make the big goals happen by breaking it down into small "doable" goals!
Onward and downward Val!!
TTFN-
Sharon

 

[marsh0013]

val, 5 pounds!!!! wahoooo!!!! i wouldn't be too worried about losing 5 pounds in a week, but i would be concerned if it kept up at that pace. maybe the previous week you were holding water, and you had a nice big whoooosh this week. i'd definitely try to stay away from the scale every day. try to do it just once a week, otherwise, you could get discouraged. but if you need to do it, jsut remember, weight fluctuates throughout the week depending what you ate, just like sharon said. so don't worry about it if it goes up one day, it'll be right back down.

your exercise is going so great! keep it up

hope you have a great day today

 

[Strings]

Val,

WOOHOO! Buh Bye 5 pounds. I wouldn't worry about the weight. I can gain 5-7 pounds of water weight during TOM!

Congratulations.
Beth

 

[vald1977]

Thanks everyone for the support. About the 5 pounds though, I don't think I really lost that much so that is why I haven't added a clippie to my signature. I really think it is closer to 1 or 2 (or none ) depending on the time of day I weigh. That is what my crazy scale said Monday morning so that is what I posted.

Yesterday's lowdown:
Breakfast: left overs from Sunday's dinner (broiled scallops, 1/2 baked potato, side salad with low fat dressing)
Lunch: dry Special K with a small glass of 1% milk on the side
Dinner: chicken salad sandwich (pumpernickel bread), pickle, ff pringles, ff banana bread muffin
snack: piece of cheddar cheese

Did my treadmill, drank 80 oz. of water, and I guess I did okay with food. It was a tough day, though. For some reason, I really wanted to cheat. After dinner I wanted chocolate so I made the ff banana bread recipe instead. I made it in a cupcake pan and it came out very good. The muffin killed the chocolate craving. Then when I was watching Seventh Heaven, I was dying for some pizza. Why do they have to do every other scene of that show in the pizza parlor ?! That's when I went and got the cheese and that helped. Sometimes I just feel like I'm torturing myself with these food craving and then I start sabotaging myself thinking that I didn't get anywhere with last week and I should give up and get pizza !

Anyway, I feel better today. We are going out on Sunday and we will be having dinner at Friendly's. I've already decided I'm going to cut myself some slack for that dinner and order what I want within reason. That will keep me going until then. I really do think I'm expecting too much since I'm not being real strict with food. I just watched dh drop a ton of weight in a short time and I want that to happen to me too. Guess it's time to face the fact that this is gonna take a lot of hard work and time.

 

[luvmy2sams]

Hi Val!

I just finished reading through your journal, and I hope you realize that you're making great progress! Just look at how much water you're drinking now. I know how hard it is to cut out the caffeine. I stopped cold turkey yesterday, which is a HUGE deal since I usually drink a 2-liter+ a day. I'm not a big fan of water either, but it's much easier when you look at it as a way to flush the bad stuff out of your system. Congrats on the changes you've made!

Try not to compare your weight loss to your DH's. Men can drop weight so much faster than women can, it seems. I know that my DH can eat 2 Big Mac's a lose 3 pounds, while I can smell the burger and gain 5! You'll get there one step at a time, and we'll be here cheering you on all the way!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

 

[tkd lisa]

Val, luvmy2sams beat me to my comment. Men do seem to lose easier/differently than women. My DH has been complaining about needing to lose weight, but he does very little towards it. No regular exercise, I'm always seeing where he was snacking at night, etc. While I've been on plan for 2 months, including exercising 4-5 times a week, I've lost 10 pounds, he's lost 10 pounds (we're very nearly the same height). Makes me just say GRRRRR!

That treadmill is the steady way to becoming more healthy! And enjoy the Friendly's meal. One suggestion is to start your meal by deciding what is a portion, and splitting off the rest to another plate, that way you don't over-eat just because it's on your plate. Restaurant meals are always SOOOO big!

 

[DoeWDW]

Val, please hang in there! You're doing so well with giving up the fast food and doing your treadie mile every day. I just know you'll see the results you want. It may take time, but you're doing the right things to help your body be more healthy!

Hope all is going well today!

 

[sharoncity]

Hey Val! Hang in there honey! Keep doing what your doing and it will happen for you! And yes, pesky husbands do seem to drop the weight with a blink of the eye don't they??! Oh well, it will mean that much more to you when you reach goal because you had to work so hard for it (isn't that what our folks used to tell us about school???! )
Okay, if your planning a meal off on Sunday, you've gotta stay OP for the other days this week, deal? (That's me holding your feet to the fire! )And honest, if you can resist that TV time snack monster for a few days, it will slowly get better. Try some 94% FF microwave popcorn. Its not too bad on calories and it is somewhat satisfying. Just a thought.
Hope your having a good day!!
TTFN-
Sharon

 

[marsh0013]

hey val, i jsut wanted to come by and offer my support too . i know this is hard. you want the weight to come off quickly, just like dh's did, but like the others have mentioned, women are different than men. you're going to have to work hard and it will be a process to get this weight off. but you can do it! i totally understand the sabotage feeling. and i don't really know how to get past it. i guess whenever you get that feeling of "oh, i didn't lose last week, why should i bother?" try to think positive thoughts.

i'm just looking over some options for friendly's, and they actually do have some stuff that's not too bad. they have a Chicken Stir Fry (490 calories/7 g fat/5 g fiber), Grilled Chicken Deluxe Sandwich (530 calories/18 g fat/5 g fiber), Turkey Club Wrapper (570 calories/22 g fat/1 g fiber), Monterey Chicken (460 calories/32 g fat/< 1 g fiber). ok, that's pretty much all chicken stuff (and doesn't include the info for the fries that come with it...which are about 250 cal per serving i think it said), but it can be done. just try to avoid things fried and opt for grilled instead. as for ice cream, i could suggest their frozen yogurt, or their soft serve (which is lower fat), but i'm sure you'd rather indulge in regular ice cream just this one day

ok, enough out of me. i hope you are feeling more upbeat today, and that you have a great day

 

[vald1977]

Thanks so much for all of your wonderful support, guys! I really appreciate it.

Oh yeah, before I forget... I need to correct my starting weight. While I was re-reading through my journal I noticed I typed 155 but it should be 165. Must be a freudian slip of the fingers . Anyway, just wanted to give an accurate record.

Yesterday:
Breakfast - chicken salad sandwich, string beans, lf cottage cheese
Lunch - ff banana muffin
Dinner - small serving light ravioli, garden salad with lf dressing, slice pumpernickel bread
snack - two graham crackers with pb (probably not the best Low fat choice)

Drank 65 oz. water and did treadmill. I didn't get my 80 oz. in because I was super busy after treadmill and didn't get my last bottle of water. I did have time around 9:30 (when I ate the not so good snack) but I knew I would be up all night in the bathroom if I drank it so late. Will try for 80 today.

As for going out Sunday, I fully plan on splitting my meal in half since this is actually what I do anyway. Haven't decided on what to get and what to do with ice cream. If I do get "real" ice cream, I probably will split with someone or just not finish it. I really don't want to overdo since Monday is my weigh day and I want to see some progress .

I do need to work on my late night snacking (either eliminate it all together or make better choices). The thing is I usually eat dinner at 5:30 and I don't get to bed until 11:30 or 12:00 because I baby-sit 2nd shift and also because my dh works 3rd shift so I have to get him up and out the door. So that is a long time to go being awake and not eating. I read somewhere that you should try to eat a healthy snack about a half hour before you usually start to get hungry. For me that would be around 8:30 or 9:00. I'm gonna try this tonight and see how it works. That's all for now .

 

[DoeWDW]

Val, I like your idea of a planned snack! You're right, with dinner at 5:30 and staying up so late, I can see why you'd need a snack! If you've got a legal snack planned then you'll probably do much better!

DH and I almost always split a meal when out! Usually we'll order an extra salad so we each have one and split the entree and veggies.

Good luck with your water intake today!

 

[vald1977]

Okay, so you have all rubbed off on me. I'm going to set some goals for myself for March. Here goes nothin':
1.) Take vitamin everyday
2.) drink 60 oz of water everyday plus 24 oz. of non-caffinated beverage
3.) Limit fast food (or other eating out junk food) to 3 days a month
4.) Limit very fattening desserts to 3 days a month
5.) Exercise at least 21 days a month (roughly 4 times a week)

A little explanation of goals:
1.) That one explains itself

2.) I have been trying to do 80 oz. of water and it is making me feel sick. My stomach hurts from it and I can't even do my 1 mile on the treadmill without two bathroom stops. DMIL was also telling me that if you are drinking non-caffinated beverages, they count towards your water total too. Don't know if that's true or not, but 60 oz. of water plus two 12 oz. glasses of Crystal Light is working well for me.

3.) I'm talking about fast food, pizza, that kind of stuff. If we go out to eat, and I stay with my healthy eating plan, that doesn't count. I also think if I eat only half the meal, that will be counted as half a cheat. Can you tell I gave this all a lot of thought last night ?! Before I started this, it wasn't uncommon to eat fast food 2-3 times a week so to limit it to 3 times a month will be hard but worth it.

4.) I'm trying to build in a little leeway in this area too. Again, not uncommon in the past for me to have something really bad 2-3 nights a week. This doesn't include my reduced fat oreo I'v been having quite a bit. This is stuff like a brownie, ice cream, etc.

5.)I am going to try for more than 4 times a week and hopefully will be able to have more days than my goal. This is a minimum I want to exercise. I also want to start incorporating some other type of exercise besides treadmill so I don't start to get bored.

I didn't set a cetain goal for pounds to lose because I figure I'll just stick with the goals I set and hopefully the weight loss will take care of itself. I'll be very happy to lose 5 pounds a month but if it doesn't happen, at least I am working to be healthier.

Oh yes, I'm still finishing up my 14 day goal too. Exercise everyday for 14 days and no fast food. Sunday will be my 14th day and it will probaly my first cheat day of March.

So far for March goals I have:
1.)3/3
2.)3/3
3.)0/3
4.)0/3
5.)3/3
So far, so good!

Food for yesterday:
Breakfast - philly steak and cheese Lean Pocket (gross), string beans, lf cottage cheese, ff pringles, reduced fat oreo
Lunch - ff banana muffin
Dinner - lean cuisine beef and portabella meal (yummy ), slice of pumpernickel bread
Snack - 94% ff popcorn

Did good with water and treadmill. My snack experiment seemed to work well so I'll do the same tonight. Baby-sitting tonight so it will be a challenge to stay on goal but I think I'll be able to do it. I'm going to go and make dinner in a few minutes so that will be all set. I think it will be the first meal I actually "cooked" all week. I'm making meat loaf and baked potatoes (having a small portion of meat loaf and 1/2 a baked potato). I'll also have a veggie. Guess I have a lot to say today:happy1:

 

[DoeWDW]

Val, I like your goals! Realistic but challenging! I also like your attitude about doing healthy things and letting the weight take care of itself! Weight loss is a nice side benefit of our healthy habits!

I also have heard that you can count non-caffeinated drinks in your daily water intake. Sounds like you're drinking plenty of non-caf liquids!

Keep up the great work!

 

[DavidandDenise]

Val, your goals look great and I know you can follow them and have a great March! I just caught up with your journal and you're doing great! I love the way you see something you want to change and PRESTO , it's changed--you've made so many healthy changes and you will reep the benefits of all of them! Have a great day--good luck w/ the snacking tonight--you can do it!

 

[sharoncity]

Val-
You are doing great!!!! WTG!!! You are right, if you work on your goals, the weight will take care of itself. In the mean time, you'll develope some great healthy living habits that will stay with you. Plus, by not looking at this so much as a diet, but a way of life, your more apt to stick with it!
You goals are very "doable" and realistic. I like how you have set that up - 3 times for rich desserts for the month, 3 times for fast food for the month. You have allowed yourself to indulge, but not enough to adversely effect you in the big picture. Excellent plan! Think of the money you will save too by not frequenting the fast food places!!! I know I am saving money by not eating lunch out as much as before. I take money out at the ATM and by Friday, I've still got money in my pocket! Its been awhile since I got through the week without going back to the ATM!!
I'll also add that your planned snack is a very good idea. AND the snacks have been very good, smart choices. Your just a natural at all this!!
Keep up the great work Val!!
TTFN-
Sharon

 

[marsh0013]

hey val, great list of goals you've got there! i'm sure you can stick to them. and they will most dfinitely help you on your healthy living journey

you're doing a really great job, keep it up

hope you have a great day tomorrow

 

[vald1977]

Thanks so much everyone for taking the time to post to my journal. It really means a lot to me to have the support from this board .

Here's yesterday's report:

goals:
1.)vitamins 4/4
2.)water 4/4
3.)limit fast food 0/4
4.)limit desserts 0/4
5.)exercise 4/4

food:
breakfast - sandwich (low fat ham on pumpernickel), ff pringles, pickle, reduced fat oreo
lunch - ff banana muffin
Dinner - meat loaf, small baked potato, peas
snack - ff banana muffin (trying to eat them all before they go bad)

Did exercise and drank my water.

Today I am tired. Didn't get much sleep last night and a number of little things put me in a foul mood this morning. We went to the grocery store and their sales start on Thursday. This is Friday a.m. and already about half of the sale items we wanted were gone . Then I stepped in gum at the store. Think after I finish on here I'm gonna go veg on the couch for awhile before the kids start arriving. Hope I can get a second wind to get my butt on that treadmill later. If I'm still tired, I'll probably just go a little slower than usual but I don't want to skip it altogether.

I am going to start checking out some different forms of exercise too. I'm not bored with the walking yet but I want to be prepared before it happens. That's all for now. I'm off to read some other journals before the couch starts calling my name .