Saturday, January 29, 2011

Week In Review January 21-27

So my week starts on Friday and my weekend as a good one but full of FOOD challenges!  Several times a year I go off to a girls stitching retreat at a wonderful B&B, the motto is pretty much "Stitch, Eat, Sleep".  We do these things exactly in this order too!  Over the years the food we bring to these events has evolved like many of us have, food is definitely getting much, much healthier but as usual there are temptations, treats to be had!

Me with my stitching friends Bonnie and Clare, we were showing off
our matching stitching bags on Sunday

Needless to say I got so much progress on my main stitching progress, and had a great weekend with friends.  If you want to see/read about it... go here.  I often come away from these weekends a pound or two up... I mean what can you expect when you sit all weekend and enjoy wonderful food?  I was pleasantly surprised this morning to find out that my weight had stayed the same!  So no loss, but better yet no gain.  I can't wait until March when we do it all over again! (of course I'm hoping it'll be warm/nice enough to get out for a run each morning).

I have to say I had a pretty good week, except for Monday!  What a day from HELL that was!

First of all, I woke up to this... at one point it did say -30c.  Now let me tell you, -30c is COLD!  So cold, my car (which I had to admit was outside, has no block heater, and I had less than 1/2 a tank of gas) wouldn't start.  Todd (deep down inside he's a real sweetie) went outside at 6:40am to start my poor little car.  It wouldn't start.  On top of this the furnace "wasn't running right" needless to say it was running for 30-45 seconds at a time and cutting out not bringing the house up to temperature, also there were fumes in the house (we have oil heat) ... not right.

Once Todd finally got my car started... at 9am I rushed into work, because I should of been there at 7:30am!  Once I got "settled in" I called the company we have a service contract with for our furnace.  Like most service calls I was expecting someone to tell me they'd be there at 1 or 2PM, I was almost speechless when he asked me if I could be at the house by 10:45am.  So back into the car I went and home to sit in a chilly house while the kind service man tried to fix my furnace.  It took the poor guy until 2PM to fix my furnace!  When its that cold out you need heat!

I am relieved to tell you the rest of the week went very well, and after a day like that things can only go uphill from there!

So here's what my week looked like in the world of Weight Watchers (as usual click to biggify)

The Good :
  • Came out of a retreat weekend not gaining any weight!
  • Resumed my workout schedule which I had abandoned for almost a week!  I went to the gym 3 times, taught 3 hours at Taekwon-Do and took 1 TKD class.
  • On Thursday I really felt like going straight home from work but I toughed it out and made myself to go a spinning class.  Glad I did.
  • I felt good most of this week
The Bad :
  • Got into a bit of a habit of dipping in to one of the candy dishes at work, she's got Hershey Kisses in there right now!  I have trouble resisting them since they changed the chocolate to be creamier!  Have I mentioned I like chocolate?
The Ugly
  • I have a habit of mine I need to confess, and its one I need to STOP!  I've gotten in this habit of going into the kitchen and grabbing something to eat before I go to bed.  I mean right before I go to bed!  Its either a handful or two of cereal, a handful of raisins (nature's jujubes), a few almonds, or a cookie.  Since I do this as I'm going to bed... well I'm quite bad and I don't track the points.  Breaking the cardinal rule of Weight Watchers... if you bite it write it!
Upcoming Challenges This Week
  • Getting in my workouts
  • Trying not to get stressed out or "anal" on my upcoming Dominican Experience trip for work (yeah I know hard life)
  • I have a fairly quiet week besides going to the gym or TKD and I'm going to try to keep it that way.
I'll be hitting my regular Weight Watchers meeting tomorrow, so I'll have another entry for you soon!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Weekly Meeting Topic, Week 3 : Its Your Choice

I honestly didn't expect to make it into a Weight Watchers Meeting at all last week, but I managed to squeeze in a meeting as I was passing through Kingston.  As I've said in the past (at least I think I have) that its always neat to go to a different meeting to get a different perspective and a different speaking style/take.

I am glad I got into a meeting, because I was able to weigh in for this month... and there wasn't a lot of month left!

At the meeting we were all given an elastic/rubber band.  She wanted us to use this as an anchor/reminder that we all need to be flexible.  That it was the flexibility of the Weight Watchers program allows us to be more successful because we don't feel restrained in what foods we eat.

If you are not flexible with yourself and enjoying your favourite foods in moderation makes one focus on negative feelings towards yourself, the plan, and what you are eating.  If you restrict yourself too drastically resentment will build, and you will quit.  The Weight Watcher plan  is built to allow some flexibility, a prime example is the 49 weekly points we can choose to eat or not.

These 49 points are perfect to hold onto for a meal out.  A night out should be special, this way it becomes an event you really enjoy and you will savour each bite.  While the plan allows us the flexibility to eat out once week, there aren't enough weekly points to eat out frequently.  You must track your meals out, some of us "forget" to track things to make our numbers look good (guilty).  You are only cheating yourself and could affect your weight loss efforts.  During my whole weight loss journey, I have gone out for dinner once a week the whole time.  So you don't have to give up eating our to loose weight.

The meeting leader had one thing she said that really stuck with me, that "Treats are NOT Snacks".  Snacks should be wholesome nutritious foods that are on plan.

The meeting leader also gave us a "cheat sheet" for using our Weekly Points Plus Points
  • Track your weekly points values so you know how many are available to you.
  • Use your tools (eTools, points guides, etc) to know the P+ values of the foods you love
  • Choose foods you REALLY want
  • Supplement your treat with power foods to boos satisfaction.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Week in Review January 14-20

My rough week seems to be just rolling on into a second rough week.  I finally hit the wall this week, and my Mum warns me about this constantly and Todd will sarcastically say "look at me I'm never home until midnight" (an exaggeration but I'm often not home before 9PM on a week night).  I have spent this week just feeling physically and mentally exhausted, and I'm not sleeping well... actually I've only slept through the night one night so far this week and its getting to me.  On top of all this, the migraines have hit again this week.

I have been stressed out and a lot on my mind, which has been affecting my sleep.  Unfortunately not a lot of this is under my control right now.  I'm heading to the Dominican Republic in about 4 weeks with a group of high school students on a 3rd world experience.  We're hitting crunch time in terms of fundraisers and collecting clothing, medical supplies, etc. to take with us.  So I'm doing what I do very well, get stressed out and have migraines.

I weighed in this morning and just as I couldn't believe I had put on 5lbs in 2 weeks, I've magically taken off 4 lbs in one week!  The body is truly a mystery over the two weeks where I gained I was running, going to Taekwon-Do and the gym.  This week I made it to the gym once, ran twice and Taekwon-Do once... my last day of activity being on Monday.  I'm very happy but just as puzzled!  I'm going to make a point of hitting a Weight Watchers Center to get weighed in for the month of January since I know I won't be at my regular Saturday morning meeting.


So here's this week at a glance (as usual click to biggify)

The Good :
  • I have tracked every day as is my habit
  • I'm doing very well with my sugar cravings!  They're not so bad anymore and when they've hit I've tried to satisfy them with a cup of tea with milk and honey or a few tablespoons of raisins (nature's jujubes)
  • Friday I bought a big container of jujubes, again letting my cravings get the better of me.  By Saturday I threw most of them out (I did eat some).  I've not had to do that in a long time, but it somehow felt feeling to throw those evil, tasty drops of sugar, colouring, and chemicals away.
  • I went to stitching group and enjoyed it!
  • I had a massage and skipped my work out and didn't feel guilty.
  • I've actually not exercised since Monday and I'm not feeling guilty.
The Bad
  • Todd broke my treadmill earlier this week, he thinks he can fix it, and we can't afford to replace it right now.
  • I'm not listening to my body and I'm fighting to stay up so I can have "more time" to stitch, be online, laundry, etc.
  • I only cooked dinner one night this week (tonight), this usually doesn't have great effects for my weight loss efforts
  • I gave in and bought the earlier mentioned jujubes
  • I've not been to the gym in a week now
The Ugly
  • I ate way too many mini-cream puffs on Sunday at my Mom's birthday dinner.  But I had the points
  • Migraines
  • Stress
  • Poor sleep
  • Its been freakin' cold
  • I have allowed the scale to dictate my mood which I usually refuse to do
  • I have not been happy this week
Upcoming Challenges This Week
  • Potluck situation this weekend
  • Definitely no opportunity to exercise on Saturday
  • I'd like to feel happier
  • I'd like to get back into my exercise routine
  • I'd like to manage my stress better
Oh and remember I mentioned its been freakin' cold.... look at what my weather station said Monday morning?  Now that's in Celsius and without the windchill!  Sunday is looking to be pretty cold as well!

Once again I have not made it into a Weight Watchers meeting for the second week in a row I'm feeling pretty bad that I have no gems of wisdom to share with you from my awesome meeting leader!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Minneolas Are Here

I don't know about you, but there are certain times of the year I always look forward to when my favourite fruits are in season!

Right now its peak time of year for my favourite fruit in the Orange family, the Minneola also know as the Tangelo.  According to the all knowing Wikipedia it is a cross between a "Duncan Grapefruit and a Dancy Tangerine"

These are just so sweet, tangy and juicy!  Also because they are "in season" they're cheap, I was able to buy them at $1.00/lb right now!  An even better bonus?  They're 0 points on the Points Plus system!

So enjoy!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Week In Review January 7-13

Ohhh this past week, what can I say about it?  As you saw from my Friday morning post I was not happy, and you know what?  I'm still not happy at all.  I'm still just as puzzled at how the HELL I gained 5 lbs in 2 weeks?  Two weeks where I have been active, and the last week I ate my daily points every day without going over.  I honestly didn't feel like during the week I had put on 3lbs, my clothes fit fine, I felt fine.  I often can tell when I'm up and I just couldn't tell this time around.

So here's this week at a glance (click to biggify):

Except for Friday I ate 29 pts a day which is may daily target.  I also got in activity points every day that week, and I have every day since.  I know this upcoming Tuesday I won't be earning any as I have a massage booked after work and then I'll be going to my new stitching group.

The good
  • I stayed within my point range all week (except Friday because I didn't find out about the challenge until Saturday morning).
  • I tracked every day
  • I exercised every day in some form
  • I did something for myself this past week, I joined a stitching group (read about that obsession here).  This has nothing to do with weight loss or exercise, a good move for me I think.
  • As of Monday the last of the chocolate (which I should of disposed of sooner) in the house is gone.
The bad
  • Sugar cravings
  • Despite it being sparring week at Taekwon-Do, classes were a disappointment and I didn't get in the killer activity points I was hoping for.
The ugly
  • I've not been able to stay away from the treats that have come into work, but I did track every bit... of course as best as I could guess not knowing the nutritional information.
  • I'm up 3 lbs this week, 5 in two weeks.  I'm quite upset about this.
  • Homemade chocolate chip cookies, someone brought some into work on Thursday, I ate about 6 of them... now they were small cookies but I still ate 6 of them throughout the day.
Upcoming challenges for this week
  • Start focusing on loosing those 5lbs
  • Enjoying my "me" time on Tuesday (massage and stitching group after work on Tuesday), and not feeling guilty about taking a break from working out.
  • Being more disciplined when my sugar cravings hit.  I know if I slowly cut down this will get better.
  • Family dinner tonight, practice portion control and not got silly over dessert.
I did not make it into a Weight Watchers meeting this week, I had company overnight Friday and they had to head home early.  So I didn't want to be rude and leave for my meeting and have them be gone when I got home.  I need to come up with a solution for this upcoming week's meeting as well since I know I won't be in town this weekend.  I'll have to look at my options.

Friday, January 14, 2011

WTF??!!!???

Today is one of those days where I throw my hands up in the air I want to give up and I just want to walk away from all this.

This week I have eating my daily 29 points ONLY, didn't eat a single activity point, didn't eat a single weekly point.  I got activity points every day, to a total of 33.

I even thought maybe if I give up my dayily cup (or three) of tea (with honey & milk) that might help the cause a little.  I can tell you I really wanted my cup of tea at times, I did give in on Wednesday and have ONE cup of tea.

I last ate a meal out on Tuesday, and I had a healthy sub from Subway.

The last of the chocolate was gone out of the house on Monday.

What was I rewarded with at the scale? A THREE POUND GAIN! WTF?

So on top of last week's 2 lbs gain I'm now up 5 lbs and sitting at 148 lbs.

I don't understand how I can go from 143 lbs on December 31 to 148 lbs on Jan 14th.  I have not been eating like a pig, I mean really you have to consume over 3,000 calories to gain a pound.

I'm upset, I'm angry, I give up.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Weekly Meeting Topic, Week 1 : New Year - New You

The New Year is always a VERY busy time at Weight Watchers, I arrived not long before the meeting was going to start since I had no intentions of weighing in.  I was shocked to find the parking lot... full!  When I got inside, the room was full!  Wow!  There were a lot of new members also this was our first meeting in a couple of weeks since we had no meetings the last two weeks due to our meetings falling on Christmas and New Year's Days.

Anyhow I arrived close to the meeting's start time since I had no intention of weighing in.  Todd and I had a fun evening out the night before, not getting home until midnight!  Todd very rarely wants to "go out on a date", so I jumped on this chance!  We went out to the Rideau Carleton Racetrack for their all-you-can-eat buffet, for a limited time you got a lobster with your meal.  I very graciously gave my beady-eyed friend to Todd (the smell still makes me want to gag).  I have to say I was VERY happy with how I handled the buffet!  I started off with a big plate full of salad, with very little dressing (I actually never did like my salad drowning in dressing), a few croutons and bacon bits as a treat also I had 1/2c of minestrone soup.  When I approached the main course selection I had a few slices of lean meat, pork tenderloin, turkey, and prime rib, and a small taste of the "pasta of the day".  For me the true challenge was the dessert selection.  Again I surprised myself, I did enjoy a couple of the portfilarolls (little cream puffs), the chocolate mousse was quite tasty.  There was a tasty looking banana cake, one small bite declared it way to sweet for my tastes so I didn't finish the sliver I took.  One small chocolate chocolate chip cookie, it wasn't good either so it was abandoned after one bite, and I got a scoop of ice cream, it was not good either, the kida cheaper kind with a grainy texture so that got abandoned too.  Like I said, I was VERY happy with how I handled the whole meal.  Not only are there horse races at the track, but slots too!  So for the first time in over 8 years, we went gambling.  I lost my money on the slots in under 5 minutes.  We also tried out the virtual roulette, now that was fun, and my $20 entertained me for a very long time... but I should of cashed out when I won $100 oh well.  It was a fun night and I didn't over-do it at dinner or at the games of chance.

Needless to say despite being good at last night's dinner I was up another pound at the scales (I imagine it'll disappear in a day or so its probably from high sodium foods from last night) this morning.

Today the meeting leader reminded us that the New Year is a chance for a "new you" a chance to focus on the program and your efforts, and make this year the year you make it to goal!  Boy my eyes are certainly set on that finish line!  I'd love it if this is my year to hit my ideal weight as set by Weight Watchers.

She did briefly review the new Points Plus program since there are so many new members.  I really don't like to repeat myself so you can go back and see my posts here and here if you are interested on what my take is on the new program.  The long and the short is it urges us towards healthier eating.  The main focus though was on tracking and how important it is.

Tracking is important and members who track have a higher success rate than members who don't.  Weight Watchers offers several tools to help its members track.  There are those annoying and very small trackers that you can pick up for free at the scale every week, you can purchase a 3 month tracking diary, there's e-tools online tracking, and if you own an iPhone or iPod Touch there is now the Weight Watchers app.  I have been tracking online for years now, and since the app came out I've been using it diligently!

So with our trackers we are able to track : food (obviously), activity, healthy checks, and your hunger level.  Tracking gives one an awareness of exactly what they are eating, this is why we should even track those zero point fruits and vegetables.  If you don't write down what you eat before or soon after consuming it you are likely to forget exactly what you ate my leader called this "food amnesia" or "food-timers".  Tracking also makes us stop and think before we bite... how many points is that?  Do I have enough points?  Is it worth the points?  Questions I ask myself all the time.

Tracking is also a tool we can use to look back when we have a bad week to see exactly what may have caused the gain at the scale.  Or perhaps if you have a really good week at the scale you may want to repeat that same "menu" a few weeks later to try and get the same results. 

So the long and the short of it is, if you don't track you don't know you're overeating.

If you snack it, track it;
If you bite it, write it;
If you nibble it, scribble it;
If you take it internal, you journal;
If you drink it, you ink it;
And if you must hog it, you must log it!!!

We have been set a challenge this week : not to eat over our daily target!  I'm up for a challenge, how about you?

Friday, January 7, 2011

Week In Review & Weigh In

Once again, its been awhile since I posted, I feel like I haven't had anything to "talk" about, but my Weight Watchers Week is over so I do have something to blog about.

I spent a lot of Sunday in a pretty crusty mood for two reasons, first of all I had to go back to work on Monday.  Don't get me wrong I do love my job, but honestly if I didn't have to work... I wouldn't.  There are so many things I could pursue on a personal level instead of working to live.  Secondly I had to go out and replace my laptop, it was unexpected so it turned more into a chore I wanted to get done and over with instead of having some fun and getting a new toy (boy do I love toys!).

I had planned to take this week by the horns and get myself back on a normal schedule in terms of food and exercise.  As usual the body likes to throw us for a loop when we have a plan in mind.  On Monday morning, by 10am I had a headache coming on that by 11am turned into a migraine (I was diagnosed with them at the age of 9) despite medicating myself twice, there was no relief.  It kept on through Tuesday as well, leaving me feeling pretty miserable and sorry for myself by the evening.  So my plans of getting back to Taekwon-Do after an almost two week break were thrown out the window, I just couldn't function.

This morning is my weigh in day, and I'm not surprised at all I'm up 2lbs (why???) back up to 145 lbs so its the usual dip below 143 and right back up to 145 again.  So am I subconsciously sabotaging myself or is it truly my body's rhythm?  On the positive side the last month to two months my weight has stabilized in this area and that's a good thing.

Sooo here's my week at a glance (click to biggify):

As usual I have tracked every day, I'm good at that.  However I'm making a strong effort to track honestly, every bite, every naughty moment.

The Good :
  • I tracked honestly every day
  • On Wednesday I felt great, finally back to normal!
  • Got back to my exercise regime on Wednesday with a trip to the gym.
  • Had an awesome first Taekwon-Do class of 2011 on Thursday night
  • I've "felt skinny" this week
The Bad :
  • As you can see from my WW week I didn't exercise for 3 days that of course starts getting me concerned about the week's weigh in.  I find to just maintain my weight I have to work hard.
  • There is still too much chocolate in the house, some days I'm able to eat it in moderation, and some days I don't.  At moments its tempting just to eat it and get it over and done with.
  • My weight went back up to 145
The Ugly :
  • One word : migraine
  • My bad mood on Sunday pushed me away from exercising that day.
Like I said earlier I had an awesome first class of 2011 at Taekwon-Do, its patterns week my favourite and it felt so good, and so right.  Even the warm-up felt good!  It was a small class tonight, I have a classmate Danielle (I'm a Danielle too!) she started out as my student years ago when she first came to Taekwon-Do.  Once she became a teenager she and I became classmates instead.  I was so proud of her in November 2009 when she tested for her first Degree Black Belt and I got to test with her for my 3rd Degree with her.  She is the first student I have seen through from a White Belt to a Black Belt.  What a great day that was for me!  Anyhow Danielle was there tonight and we both wore our "Christmas Presents" from Mr. Marin.  I insisted we take our picture together tonight.

Do you like our snazzy new black tops?  In my 14 years involved in Taekwon-Do we've never had the opportunity to wear anything beyond the standard dobok.

Upcoming challenges for this week :
  • Continue to track honestly
  • Getting back on track with my exercise
  • Dinner out at a buffet

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Goodbye 2010!

I'd like to say a fond farewell to 2010, as I look back to it, it wasn't as "spectacular" year in terms of my weight loss or my physical self. It was more like a "holding pattern" year, waiting to land... somewhere. I hit some amazing milestones in 2009 and I just don't think 2010 was able to live up to it. However I've been thinking and plotting to set myself up some goals/milestones for 2011.


I still have high hopes for the new Weight Watchers Points Plus Plan and will continue to follow it in 2011. Under this plan I have managed to loose 2 lbs between the week before and after Christmas! Now, not to sabotage myself and throw that loss away this week. Today was a bit of a bust as I ate about 15 points in chocolate. I'm down today, and its most likely because its back to work and the grindstone tomorrow! How have I been feeding that feeling? But with chocolate which is in abundance right now (don't have the heart to get rid of it right now cause its the really good stuff) I've attempted to use it to feel better. Even some retail therapy today (had to replace my laptop computer) I didn't feel any better. Actually I've looked at setting up this laptop as more of a chore, and it wasn't a planned purchase the keyboard on my old one bit the dust. We have bought a wireless keyboard for it, and Todd will use it to replace the dinosaur he's been using, he also doesn't need the portability a laptop gives that I do.

Oh yeah, back to the Weight Watchers thing... I'm hoping to loose my last pounds to hit my WW goal weight of 137 lbs this year!

I will start to focus on my training and 3rd Degree patterns at Taekwon-Do. Since my friends Jason and Peter have achieved their 4th Degree its kinda lit a fire under my tiny behind to get a move on. In an ideal world I shouldn't test until 2012, but I've been putting a bug in my instructor's ear that I'd like to try for late 2011. In the end it'll be his decision to evaluate how ready I am. I will continue to teach my Little Tigers and really enjoy it (4-6 year olds). I'm also hoping to compete again a few times this year in local tournaments.

I plan to pursue my running a little more this year. I'm already very bored of my treadmill and anxiously awaiting spring thaws (which won't happen until March!) to get out running on the road again. I am not one of those crazy people you see out trying to run through the snowbanks! I am already registered for the 10K on Ottawa Race Weekend May 28th, my first official timed race! I hope family and friends will be at the finish line! I'm planning to use this race as a jumping off point to participate in the Ottawa Arm Run's Half Marathon in September, which then will lead me to a full Marathon for Race Weekend 2012. At least that's the little thought running through my pea brain. Of course I'm registered for Run For The Cure again on the First Sunday in October, this past year I raised $1,410 for breast cancer research.

Personal Highlights of 2010.... (copied from my Stitching blog)

Little girl in the slum Simon Bollivar in the capital Santo Domingo

My Dominican Experience Trip for sure! What an amazing experience (see my posts from March 2010), and to share it with teenagers just made it so much more rewarding. I'm very fortunate and my Principal has allowed me to run the trip again for 2011 and in a few short weeks I'll be back in The Dominican Republic again, this time with 12 different students! I'm looking forward to my trip February 18-25th, and of course I will have photos for you!

My summer vacation was just so wonderful this year! I got to spend a couple of days up in the gorgeous Georgian Bay area with my friend Sheila, it was a treat for sure!


Then I got to spend 3 days in Quebec City with my Mum. If you're ever in Canada or are a Canadian everyone should make a trip to Quebec City once in their lives! I definitely want to go back and explore it some more.

Of course there have been the wonderful stitching retreats and get togethers I've been lucky to attend this last year! I enjoy and cherish each an every one of them. There's nothing more pleasing than being in a room full of people intent on one purpose that's to stitch!!! I of course am looking forward to more of these great days with friends in 2011!!!
Billy Talent
Nickleback
Concerts! There's not been too many of them in 2010 here in Ottawa but I did get to go to two great shows with Christin early on in the year, Billy Talent and Nickleback! Two of my favourite bands!
I got to see a once in a lifetime show this fall with my Mum when Roger Waters went on tour with Pink Floyd's The Wall from start to finish. Wow! What a show!

There was a hurricane named after me this year! However I do think it was a fairly well behaved hurricane... as well as a hurricane can be.

I was very proud this year to remember to and fully participate in NaBloPoMo! I posted once a day on TWO blogs for the whole month of November. Imagine doing 60 blog entries in 30 days? Yup I'm that crazy!

Finally on the fun side of life, I got to drive a Corvette for the first time ever!

I hope everyone has a fantastic New Year!