Previous WI ~ 159.6 Today’s Weight ~ 159 Difference ~ -.6

I realized yesterday I haven’t posted weigh-in updates since I came home, so I thought I’d jump on that again =)

The lady who took my weight was really really confused today. I think she was looking at the wrong numbers and getting her mind scrambled because, well ultimately, I was the one who was right! But either way, a loss is a loss and now I’m only 6 pounds away from goal! I can taste it! It’s that close! This seriously is motivating me to really do well during the challenging holiday season.

Won’t lie, I’m a tad scared for the holidays. It will be my first one while on WW.  I’ve picked up on a couple pointers that I think will help:

• Use smaller plates.
• Play with the kids… they’ll give you some APs!
• Christmas decorating can also give you some activity, like trimming the tree or putting up lights. Lifting things and hauling them up from the basement in my case :P
• Stock up on fruits and veggies during those family meals where everyone brings a little something.
• During said meals, if you want to try something harder to track– try it! Only take a small portion! Portions are everything!
• Give leftovers away to someone else.  Same with that extra candy after Christmas.
• Think of how you want to feel at that first weigh-in after the New Year… Elated that you gained very little, maintained or lost (gasp!)?  Or depressed because your not-so-small gain from the holidays? I’ll take the former!

With these (and hopefully more I’ll learn in the near future) can help with this.  I really want to be as successful with WW as I can during the holidays. It’s closer than we think!

Considering Vegas was a challenge this past weekend, this week looks like it’s playing out pretty well! Hello, good-looking week! You are much appreciated! =)

Ever since I’ve been home, I’ve been having at least one fruit/veggie with every meal. Last night, I even called my dad out on not having any at our weekly dinner and he let me prepare a salad. Then I polished off the rest of my tablespoon of dressing with carrots. Very tasty and healthy! Eating right instills a great feeling of accomplishment particularly when said meal was thought to be a challenge.

Not to mention, I had a kick-A workout at the gym yesterday. Completed 70 minutes on the elliptical doing intervals with a GREAT average heart rate of 149 (my ideal for fat burning supposedly). Following that, I did resistance training, abs, and a little bit of weights for about 30 minutes. Then it was a ten minute cool down on the treadmill while watching Grey’s Anatomy. All in all, 6 APs and a fantastic workout!

I’m not an advocate for weighing myself everyday, but I checked in the day after I returned from Vegas and again this morning to make sure I’m on the right track. The first time I checked, I had maintained from my last WI (with Vegas in between? I was in shock). And then this morning it looks like I’m down a little and on the right track to have a great WI tomorrow morning. *does a happy dance*

On another note, I recently started following Bop Harper on Twitter (male trainer on Biggest Loser, aka: my new fave show) and everyday he posts a challenge for his followers to try and accomplish. I’ve done a couple this week and it’s very fun to try! His challenge for the weekend is to get an hour of cardio from today until Sunday. Can yoga count as cardio since that’s what I usually do on Sundays?

Do you like having someone give you a challenge periodically to keep you on top of your game or to even motivate you to try something new or push past your comfort zone?

Yesterday’s workout, consuming more fruits/veggies, and BL in all its wonderfulness is definitely providing the motivation I’ve been searching for these past couple weeks… And this time, I’m going to work my darndest on keeping it with me! =)

But yesterday was really bad. I think I ate like 5 pieces of pizza plus some of the cinnamon sticks… And a kit kat bar earlier. Chocolate sometimes helps but I had it before the worst drama hit. GRRR!

I came back from Vegas Sunday and said goodbye to my “friend”. Usually when I reach for comfort food, it’s because of the temperature outside. Last night, it’s purely emotional and I hate myself for it: I miss the fun I had in Vegas and I’m pissed off at a possible realization about my friend. Of course, I’m going to do my best to pick myself back up for the rest of the week but it may be more difficult than I’m anticipating.

For sure going to the gym tomorrow night. I’ve made that date with myself for the past two days and I’m sticking to that at least!

–

Morning update: Ready for a better day! =)

Yep! My birthday was a couple days ago (October 13th to be exact) and I’m now 21. The big age in America because it’s when you are legally old enough to drink alcohol. But it’s not the alcohol I’m struggling with… it’s the cake. And the fact that I’m on fall break meaning I have way too much time on my hands which is wonderful, but it also means I fill my hands with little snacks. In particular the delectable chocolate mint creams that the Finnish family brought over when they visited us and whipped cream. I’ve eaten so much of those over the past three days that there’s no way they can be counted. So tracking fell by the wayside for two days.

I’m back on tracking now so that’s a start and I’m trying to plan healthy meals to make up for those two days. However, there is a chocolate cake on our counter that my mom made on Sunday, a cheesecake in the outdoor fridge (my cake of choice for my b-day dinner), and a chocolate fudge cake that will be arriving at my birthday bar celebration that is taking place on Saturday. Oh, boy… Not to mention the Guinness that my step dad bought for me. I had one on my birthday. In all honesty, I don’t want to drink the rest because it isn’t as good as it was in Ireland. Not by a long shot. Good thing about Guinness though– low points for an alcoholic beverage.

Then there is this weekend. With the chocolate fudge cake. And the bar. I have no idea how I’m going to stay on plan. Especially since it’s my birthday and that was my excuse on Tuesday for every food decision I made (which involved a Whopper Jr. and Barqs). I know that’s going to be the excuse again. No one will influence me… It’s my choice. But if people buy me drinks that’s a different story. Oh, boy…

And after the party, I’ll get back on track. No if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. As much as I’m excited to celebrate my newfound freedom to go into bars and order a drink if I so please (won’t happen often since my fave drinks aren’t even in America!)– I can’t wait for it to be over so I can behave like my Leader tells me.

Oh crap! He’s going to tell us to behave Saturday morning and I’m going to be partying that night… oh boy. I’m debating whether I even want to go to WI. I know it won’t do me any favors but I know I’m going to gain. It’s almost a certainty. Why not skip and do better next week after the festivities (which I know I can do)?

So the president of my department brought in doughnuts for everyone today. I’ve had no problem saying no… until now. When I got up to use the restroom a couple minutes ago, my nose caught a glorious whiff of them. It doesn’t help that I’m hungry for lunch prematurely. So now I’m struggling a little with whether I should eat one or not.

I have brewed a cup of green tea. If afterward I’m still peckish for a doughnut, I’m thinking I can afford one. I’ve looked up the points and even though I won’t get in my GHG’s like I have every other day this week, I can arrange my dinner to fit within the 9 points I’ll have left after my planned lunch and doughtnut (if I so choose to eat one).

Besides not getting enough sleep, I’ve been very OP so far this week (mine starts on Saturday). I’ve gotten all my GHG’s and worked out every day earning 3-4 APs a day. Surprisingly, I stayed in control all weekend! Today I have to skip my workout to attend my friends wedding reception. Maybe a little indulgence right now won’t hurt?

To be honest, I cannot remember the last time I had a doughnut… Before I started WW 10 months ago for sure! It’s not that I’ve sworn myself off of them, but they don’t help serve my purpose of eating healthier.

Ok, it’s decided: If I’m still hungry after this tea, I’m having one doughnut.
–

30 Minutes Later~ The doughnut was soooo worth it! I love that you can indulge with WW as long as you tracked… and it’s already in my tracker :)

Usually when I indulge in crazy sweets, I don’t track. I know it’s an awful habit to havebecause no matter if you track it or not, it still shows. Of my current goals right now, tracking more honestly is a challenge yet it is probably my most important.

For example, yesterday we had our first frost. And what does that signal my body? Winter is coming. I don’t do cold at all so I tend to turn to warm food/drink alternatives when clothes just aren’t enough to warm the chill inside my chest. This time last year, I would close out each night with a nice warm cup of Stephen’s hot cocoa and a fresh cookie or brownie. And guess what? I fell into that habit last night all too easily. Last night, I had a steaming cup of Stephens… along with a considerable slice of warm chocolate cake.

The good part about this– I tracked it. I tracked it. Usually when I indulge like this, I don’t track because I’m afraid to see the numbers in my online tracker dip below my daily point allotment, or worse, on the scale. But this time, I tracked it! I still can’t believe it. I went nearly ten points over my daily allotment of points.

I’ve discovered that I’m not an emotional eater, I’m an atmosphere eater. Because of this, I’m slightly afraid for the rest of the cold season. Will I be able to control myself? I certainly hope so. And if I continue to work on my tracking, I may be able to make it out alive! :)

A quote I heard on my fave blog (IowaGirlEats) may help me through this: How will this choice help me get closer to my goal?
Isn’t that such a great question to ask yourself before you eat that last piece of cake or debate whether or not to go on a walk or to the gym? This is going to be my mantra for the next while :)

I bought a scale last week- Woohoo! It’s pretty cool; it can measure fat and water percentage in the body. Reviews said those tend to fluctuate and aren’t as accurate but the general scale worked pretty well. Question though- does it matter if a scale sits on a hard surface or carpet? Will it make a difference in the measurements?

So the following morning, before hopping into the shower, I stepped on. And it beeped up at me: 161 lb, 32% fat, and 46% water. That’s lower than my last weigh in! Of course, at weigh in I normally have on my lightest clothes whereas this morning I was in the buff. But still, good to see that I’m doing well :) However, I will say that the 32% fat threw me a little. According to this article, it’s at the high end of what my body fat should for being under 39 . At least its not over! But still– makes me want to up my strength training =) 

There were a few days where my motivation has meandered on the side lines, I’ve been thinking about some of my favorite things about the program to help boost it back. There is one that has been standing out: trying new foods… and loving it! Since my parents divorced when I was young and money was on short supply, we basically lived off of ramen noodles and mac&cheese. My tastebuds were very inexperienced but when my mom married my step-dad, he would cook all kinds of things for us but I didn’t want to budge from my simple tastes. Yes, I’ve gotten better over the years but it wasn’t until WW that I tried new foods and built a tolerance for foods that aren’t necessarily my favorite (like asparagus). I’ve tried hummus, greek yogurt (didn’t like that much, but I tried!), blackberries, and several healthy recipes… Almost every new thing I’ve tried, I end up liking. Sea food is still exempt because it’s just disgusting and always will be. But besides that, I feel like WW has happened the door to trying new foods and recipes that are GOOD for me :)

Yay for new healthy foods and a new scale to help me stay on track! =)

You’re a Weight Loss Optimist.
You know it’s all about attitude, and that’s why you’re on your way to success. “Vision is very important when it comes to achieving goals, and vision is all about optimism,” says Katherine Tallmadge, MA, RD, author of Diet Simple (LifeLine Press, 2004). “You have to be able to see yourself where you want to be.”
However, says Dr. Misty Hook, assistant professor of psychology at Texas Women’s University in Denton, Texas, “If your outlook is too long-range, there is a danger of become discouraged and giving up.” The trick to preventing this? Break your ultimate weight goal down into smaller, more manageable goals, and be sure to applaud yourself with each achievement.

This is what it said when I took the “What’s your weight loss outlook?” quiz.

Then what the heck? Why have I been struggling to get back on track since England?

Upon returning home, I was talking to a friend I saw not even a week before I left and I told her I had gained about 8 pounds back from when I left. Her direct words were: “I’m sure you’re normal now… you were much too skinny before.” That didn’t hurt me the way someone would expect. The thing was, I was perfectly happy with my body before I left. I felt good and I looked better than I have since high school!
Yes, this friend has been on “diets” and I even tried to talk her into WW when she seemed interested (money was an issue). I’m not sure if what she said was jealousy driven or if she honestly thought that…

Since then, my motivation has been a bit caput. And I want to get back on track, I really do. But it doesn’t help when my mom has basically stopped doing WW either (money yet again)… When it was both of us, it was easy to plan family dinners. But now that its just me, its much harder.

And right now, some pants I fit in before I left I can’t even get into. Tried them on yesterday and it was pretty depressing. That’s definitely motivation to get my rear in gear.

So I’m trying to be optimistic! I’ve joined the Back on Track Challenge and plan on buying a scale tonight or tomorrow.

From July 1 to August 22, I was all over England and Ireland.  Study abroad, you know, plus some traveling on the side. Truth be told, I miss it horribly.  Part of it was not concerning myself with WW. I was in a new place and I wanted to experience it fully, food included. And I did… Probably more than I should. During the first few days when I was in London, I actually lost weight seeing as I had to buy new jeans because all of them were loose after walking all day every day for four days.  Plus during that time, I had a good hearty breakfast that usually included tea, OJ, yogurt, berry cereal, and home made bread and jam (which was so good!)… My B&B owner was getting her Masters in Nutrition so I did pretty well there.  Then if I found time or even remembered to eat lunch, I’d get something small like a wrap or something similar. I was far too busy seeing things and being fascinated by everything to eat at that point. For dinner, I’d almost always try something new (that is, once again, if I remembered to eat!) and I ended up trying Italian, Turkish, Indian, and Chinese food.  I quickly discovered that pasta and pizza was ten-times better than in America though. And of course, I had to try the British staple of Fish and Chips…. Yeah not so much a fish fan (unless it was slathered in tartar sauce), but I did enjoy the chips very much!  Since the drinking age there is 18, I tried a few drinks as well–a particular favorite being cider.

There was one thing about the food in England and Ireland that I LOVED… Everything was so fresh and tasty!  Nearly everything was all-natural and without preservatives. Like the vegetables and fruits, I’ve never tasted anything like them. I got home and had a salad and was horribly disappointed in the quality.  Ok back to the other food stuff, since I feel all of this should be said.

When I got to Cambridge, I didn’t have the meal plan so I was a frequent shopper at the nearby Sainsbury’s. My stock normally consisted of probiotic fruit yogurt (which was divine because the fruits tasted so fresh!), breakfast bars, Alpin low-cal fruit snack bars, bread, turkey, low sugar oatmeal, low fat cheese, peanut butter, raspberry jam, instant soup mix (particularly tomato), carrots, and apples. Sounds pretty good right for not being able to really cook anything?  When I stayed to the confines of my room to eat, I generally did okay!  It was when I ventured out to experience new things that I got in trouble. I found several restaurants that I loved… and some desserts that I soon figured out would be hard to give up (like my caramel slices and English chocolate).  Like the pizza and pasta, the chocolate and sweets over there were amazing! Nearly every meal had a dessert… either that, or it was at least one chocolate bar a day. Ooooh, or the yummy cookies that the buttery made daily and were only 35p each or 1.50 for 5. Then there was the amazing tuna paninis at the buttery as well as the hot chocolate from Cafe Nero and the late night burger runs with the guy that I ended up really liking near the end of the program. Not to mention the pizza and cola I used to keep myself awake and alert enough to write coherent essays the week they were due. And the chocolate bars that were constantly available. I seriously brought home 5 pounds of English chocolate for my family to try… we still have leftovers. In fact, I just finished a bar. Yes, I’m that addicted. I need help.

In London I was constantly active, from 10 in the morning until 10 at night.  Whereas in Cambridge, I didn’t walk as much because of classes and hanging out with friends at the bars, downing ciders, vodka mixers and other alcoholic treats. Yeah– in the world of WW — all of this would be considered NOT BEHAVING! To be honest, I really couldn’t care less. I was having a blast and I still fit into the clothes that I brought with me.

Ireland became a whole new ball game… well in one way at least. With Ireland came Guinness… with black currant (as pointed out by a new friend I made my first night at a pub). Divinity! Oh my goodness… I will forever owe Nadine a debt because of her invaluable drinking tips. So pretty much, I had one every night of the five days I was there if not more! The locals were surprised how easily I managed to down a pint of Guinness. It was love at first sip :P

The after hellish airport experiences, I flew to Minneapolis over night and wanted to get a drink only to realize, “I’m not old enough to drink here yet!” Yeah, pretty sure I was pissed as it was the only time in my life that I ever felt I actually needed a Guinness. Well, I only have one more month left (exactly!) until I’m 21 then I won’t have this problem.

So now I’m home! With my resolve and determination for WW completely shot. My first week back, I didn’t go to a meeting because my normal WI day is Saturday and my schedule doesn’t really allow me to go any other day (I started school not even two days after returning home… I’m crazy, I know). So I had that week to try and get all my bad eating habits out of the way. Weighed in that Saturday to find that I gained about 8 pounds back from when I left.  Considering how much food and alcohol I consumed, I’m surprised it wasn’t more.

First week back, I did pretty well… losing .8 pounds.  But this past week, I just lost it! I seriously don’t know what is going on. Could be the stress I’m under at school and work, or the drama with the fact that I’m falling for someone I shouldn’t and it’s taking all my restraint to not kiss him.  Chocolate is the only real cure for that… Friends don’t cut it. Mine don’t anyways because they all have boyfriends or hubbies. It doesn’t really help that my family buys candy or makes sweets often because I have the biggest sweet tooth in my family. I know people will say “Only you can control what goes in your mouth and it’s not their fault.” That does NOT help. In fact, it just worsens my problem!
My mind has been going back and forth on quitting WW because I’m young and I shouldn’t have to worry about this kind of stuff. And then I rebut myself by saying well you’ll be back there if you gain more weight back! It’s a horrible cycle and I don’t like it. Somehow, WW has lost its appeal for me. I need something to rejuvenate my enthusiasm for the program.

I know this is uber long but I really needed to get this all out. I’m really struggling… and I never thought I would struggle with this. Up until I left for the UK, I was always quite enthused about the program and I loved it. I want it back but I’m finding it difficult to bind myself back in.

Here’s to trying to get my drive back up! *clinks empty Guinness glass*

	Previous WI ~ 151 Today’s Weight ~ 148 Difference ~ -3

So my major goal when I started WW was to reach the weight that I was in my high school senior pictures before I left for England… and this morning I made it!! Weighed in at 148 pounds on my Wii Fit! Ask my mom and my brother’s girlfriend–they were there to witness! :P

I really cannot express how thrilled I am!  Now I know I just need to try and maintain over the course of my England trip for the next couple months.

I’ve got a lot I need to do, but I thought I’d post this update really quick!

Have a great day everyone!