Re-Think Your Shrink - Week 1

I've never been one to make New Year's resolutions. Not because I won't keep them, but because I think it is crazy to say you are going to make changes in your life, just because it's Jan 1. If you see an area of your life that needs improving-improve it. That's what I've been trying to do for months, I just haven't been very successful yet :)

This is where the sisterhood comes in. I need to be accountable to someone other than myself. I did Weight Watchers years ago and lost 50 lbs. I kept it off for 6 years, but the past 2 years have been rough and I've put 25 back on. Since joining the sisterhood, I've lost 5 of that (a drop in the bucket, really) and I'm hoping to lose at least 10 more. I'm starting this challenge at 161.2, which is up 1.4 from last week. This bouncing around the 160 mark is really pissing me off. I need to get down to at least 157 so my daily water/salt differences won't keep popping me back over 160 and tick me off so much. (I literally fluctuate up to 2 lbs a day based on what I had for dinner the night before-HATE it). Oops, we're not supposed to have any negative talk-my bad!

I love the idea of the "Monday Project". My school does something similar, called "Mission Monday" where students (and staff) are asked to step out of their comfort zones. Things like, sit at a new table at lunch, introduce yourself to a student in another class at recess, stuff like that. I'm very curious to see what our friends at the sisterhood will come up with for the next 7 Mondays.

So, here is my plan:

• I don't think I will follow a specific food plan, but I am going to try to write down what I eat and count points when I can. I'm so burned out on WW that I will start each week really good, but usually give up around day 3 or 4. I'm also going to try to stop the snacking after dinner. (As a side note, I'm getting an iPhone in a couple months-if anyone knows of a good food-logging app, please let me know).
• As for exercise, we just got a Wii for Christmas and I'm 4 days into the EA Sports 30 day challenge. I'm liking it, but I feel like the workouts are too short. I may start doing each day's workout twice when I have time. I also have a gym membership that I really should be using more consistently. I love group exercise classes (spin, step, kickboxing) but haven't been able to go much with my kids' after school schedules. It seems the days that I can go, they don't have a class (or instructor) I like. I need to start making it a priority to have some "me" time each week, even if it is to just get on the treadmill for an hour. I can't exercise outside until about April (too fracking cold and snowy), so I need to use the gym.
• I've joined the 'hood, have a twitter account I never use :), and log my workouts on dailymile. Can't wait to see what we do with dailymile-it's been a great site to track what I do.

I'm really hoping 2010 is the year I get back on track. I'm turning (gasp!) 40 this summer and I want to be 40 and Fabulous, not 40 and Fat. I'm probably never going to see the 130's again, but I'd love to be in the 140's for my 40th. Help me get there, friends!

Shrinkaversary Final Weigh-in

Well, this pretty much sucks. When I started the challenge, I had made it into a new decade: 158.8. Today's weight: 161.0. That is up 2.2 lbs - S**t! But considering how busy I've been the past 2 weeks (no exercise what.so.ever. and eating crap, crap, and more crap) then I'm lucky to have only gained 2 lbs. I did really good on mileage for the first few weeks, but like I said, NOTHING, in the past 2, so by my count on dailymile, I walked 30 miles. I never counted the walking I do all day long at school, so it's probably a little more, but I don't really have a way to track that.

I'm very frustrated and I don't like that feeling.

• I hate that I have to watch every morsel that goes into my mouth.
• I hate that my body seems to retain water like crazy if I've had so much as a couple shakes of salt. Forget about what happens if I go out to eat. Why restaurants have to put so much salt in the food is totally beyond me.
• I hate that one of my coworkers is dropping weight like crazy, but says, "I don't know why I'm losing weight." She was thin to begin with and is beginning to look downright skinny. TOTALLY NOT FAIR.
• I hate that no matter how much weight I lose or how much I exercise, my fat calves will never fit into cute, knee-high boots. (They barely squeezed in when I was down to 140).
• I hate that when I joined the sisterhood this past summer, my weight had ballooned back up over 165, but I've only lost about 5 lbs. I just keep losing and finding the same few pounds. It is beginning to look like I will never see 140, much less my low of 138 a few years ago. My doctor says 150 should be my goal, but even that seems very fat on someone who is only 5'3" on a good hair day.
• Obviously, I'm feeling the need to bitch, moan, and whine. I apologize.

What does this tell me? I need to get my a** in gear-literally. Luckily, I am starting Christmas break in 2 days and I really hope to get to the gym. It is waaaaay too cold now, with snow and ice on the ground and major amts of darkness, for me to even attempt outdoor workouts. I'm a total wimp when it comes to the cold. Why I live in Michigan, I may never know. The only explanation I can think of is that I was born here and this is where my family lives. We are also getting a Wii for Christmas (don't tell my kids) and Santa is bringing me the EA Sports game. I can't wait to start the 30 day challenge. I probably also need to start tracking my food again. Can't wait to see what the girls at the sisterhood have in store for us beginning on the 30th. Bring it on!

True Confessions Monday

We ate at Tony's I-75 in Birch Run, Michigan on Saturday. after my son's Lego Robotics tournament. This place was featured in an episode of Sandwich Paradise on the Travel Channel and has been a Michigan icon for over 30 years. The BLT has a full pound of bacon - 'nuf said.

This is not me eating, but this is what I ordered:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtEzRTBRC_c

I've done absolutely no exercise, except Power Shopping, and most of that has been done with my mouse. My daughter also insisted we make Puppy Chow this weekend (you know, perfectly healthy Crispix cereal, coated in a blend of butter/chocolate/peanut butter, and dredged through powdered sugar). I truly live in fear of the scale - he is going to be quite unkind on Wednesday.

I just learned how to add video to my blog (yah, I'm really techie when you compare me to most of my coworkers, but compared to the rest of y'all, I stink).

Here is some video of my daughter doing her thang:

And here is my son:

Shrink-A-Versary Weigh-in: Week 3

This is going to be brief because I have no real time to blog.

This week: 158.0 (down 1.2 from last week).

Miles this week: 10.5

This next week is going to be rough-I'm fighting a sinus infection and somehow managed to cause a blood vessel in my eye to burst, so I look and feel like complete a** , my dad's 70th b-day is on Friday and we are taking him out for dinner on Saturday (I think I'm having a harder time with him turning 70 than he is), and my kids are busier than usual. I don't know if I'm going to even come close to the 10.5 miles I logged this past week. I'd like to average 10 per week, but it is getting harder with the weather getting crappier.

UGH, stop the ride, I wanna get off......

Virtual 5K

Hey Sisters!
Congrats to everyone who ran this weekend. I did not sign up to participate since I'd been having so many knee and hip issues, but I did manage to get out and walk on Sunday. I finished my 3.1 miles in 45 minutes, which is about 14 1/2 minute miles. Not too shabby, and sadly not much slower than my most recent running pace of about 12 minute miles. I think I've resigned myself to walking from now on, with the occasional short burst of jogging.

Thanks for this new challenge, btw! I'm definitely looking forward to logging the miles. I did another 3.1 today (my usual trail), so I'm on my way to that first button!

Shrink-A-Versary Weigh-In #1

I'm up 0.2 to 159, which is basically like staying the same. Pretty good, since I was up 2 lbs Sunday morning (darn those delicious pickles and olives I ate Saturday night, not to mention the Halloween candy) and it is Parent-Teacher-Conference week this week (anyone who is a teacher knows how "well" we eat during this crazy time).

I know we aren't tracking miles yet, but I have to report that I managed to get out twice this week for 3.1 miles each time. That's 6.2 miles this week. (I've pretty much given up on running at this point-my bod just can't handle the impact anymore.) Also, I was surprised at how sore my butt was after my first walk-guess I'm more out of shape than I realized. The first day I walked was the first day we've seen sun up here in Michigan in quite some time, so I thought "whoo-hoo, I can get out and get some exercise." Wouldn't you know it, it was still only about 40 degrees and it started raining about 3/4 of a mile into my route. So those 3.1 miles should count double for being so sucky! Today was much nicer-sunny and about 50-wopping degrees. I've decided I really need some cold-weather workout gear, so if anyone has any suggestions, send them my way. I'm tired of my legs freezing and turning bright red from the cold.

I hope all the rest of my sisters out there had a great week and good luck to anyone running this weekend.

Happy Shrink-A-Versary!

Starting this new challenge 2 lbs less than last week - I'm at 158.8. Pretty good considering I haven't found the time or motivation lately to exercise. Running kids to umpteen different activities after school really puts a crimp in the workout time. Oh-well. At least is seems I've adjusted my intake to compensate since I'm still losing weight.

I've gotta say, though, I'm very excited to start this next challenge. With the upcoming Michigan winter, getting those miles in is going to be very difficult, but I will certainly try. I just wish it didn't get so dark here so quickly. Good thing we "fall back" this weekend :)

Happy Shrink-A-Versary, sisters!

Weigh In Wednesday - A New Decade!

Wow, I finally made it to a new decade. 159.4 lbs. That's down 2.2 lbs from last week. Granted, this was after sweating through a run, but by golly I'll take it. If I drink a glass of water, I'll probably be back over 160, so I'm just going to stay dehydrated for a while and revel in my new decade. I finally feel like I might be getting back on track. I've started running and again and I'm watching what goes in my mouth. Heck, I even did some strength training yesterday and it didn't suck. Have I been perfect this week? Absolutely not, but I think I'm moving in the right direction. I still need to start tracking, but at least I'm getting in my water and I have been faithful about taking my vitamin. I guess I'm really in this for the long haul.

Some days, I'd like to call up those Ultra 90 diet pill people they keep advertising on the radio, but I know that taking some stupid pill is not the solution I seek. There is no magic pill or potion that is going to turn me back into the slimmer person I was a couple years ago. I need to work with my lifestyle and my crazy-a** schedule and just make it work. It might mean more workouts to youtube (thank you Spark People!!!) and late evening runs/walks, but somewhere in all the craziness, I will find what works for me. Now let's see if I can get this decade to stick!

On a completely unrelated note....my hometown area has a kick butt art contest going on right now. 1262 artists in 159 venues around Grand Rapids, Michigan are vying for a $250,000 top prize. Check it out at http://www.artprize.org/about-artprize One of my husband's friends has an entry: Motawi Tileworks of Ann Arbor Michigan. Here is their page: http://www.artprize.org/artist/id/2444

Here is a crazy video about one of the entries. I was in the crowd that the camera pans over about 21 seconds into the video but I'm hiding behind some tall people :) Now, I don't necessarily think this qualifies as art, but who am I to judge? Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXxJ9i91vfE

21 day challenge - final post

It's been a busy but good week. I'm down to 160.6, which is a 1.4 lb loss from last week. Probably would have been more, but had Girls Night Out last night. 'Nuf said.



I started my new job last week and have met some great teachers. It helps that my new job is in the elementary building that my kids attended the past 2 years, so I already know some of the staff and the principals. I've been setting up my room and moving boxes-that has to count for some exercise! However, the business and stress of starting a new job resulted in my not being very faithful on my habit goals this week. I've been remembering to take my vitamin, but I have to admit that the push-ups and sit-ups have pretty much gone by the wayside. I also took 5 days off from running since my legs/shins/knees have been hurting so much. I did run/walk my 3.1 this morning, but it still hurts. I've been hobbling around ever since. Maybe I need to go shopping for some new running shoes-too bad I spent my shoe money on new clothes for school :)



This was a great challenge, and I did lose some weight (at least I got down to .2 less than where we ended the previous challenge). I didn't make my goal of being in the next "decade" weight-wise, but hopefully I'll get there next week.

21 Day Challenge-weekly post

It's been a busy week. Had a birthday (this was my 1st annual 39th birthday :-), went canoeing with friends, started a new job, and had my sister and her kids over for a few days. Weight-162 which is down 1.8 from last week. I've done "ok" on my goals for the challenge, but not stellar. I've taken my vitamin every day, but the push-ups and sit-ups continue to elude me a few days each week. I did get out of bed last night to do 20 each when I realized I hadn't done them since Monday morning. I'm also having difficulty with my running right now. I tripped and 1/2 fell (caught myself before I hit the ground) when running last week and when I ran on Monday, my right shin and left inner thigh/behind my knee KILLED. I could only do 2 miles and ended up walking the 3rd. Not sure if I pulled something or what. I didn't try to run today.

Am I feeling any different? I don't know. I do know my clothes are fitting better, even though the number on the scale really hasn't changed much. That's a better measure of fitness anyway, right???????

21 day challenge Week 2

Cedar Point is evil-world's best coasters/world's worst food! I've managed to do will with taking my vitamin every day (I found another bottle in the house that wasn't expired) but the push-ups and sit-ups are getting done about 5 days out of the week. I did some on vacation, but getting down on a hotel floor, even with a towel, kinda grossed me out. The massive quantities of water did not counteract the also massive quantities of park food (including funnel cakes and elephant ears, which I split 4 ways with my family). I'm up this week to 163.8 (a gain of 2.6 lbs from last Wednesday). What really sucks -- I had hit 159.6 on Friday, but between my twins b-day party on Friday night (pizza-but only 2 slices, and 2 small cupcakes), going to Red Robin for all of our b-days on Saturday (yes, I had a giant burger and fries), Tiger's game on Sunday (I did not eat at the game, but we had pizza for dinner), and then 2 days at Cedar Point -- I was pretty much doomed. Now I have my b-day coming up this weekend and we are going out again. I guess it's lettuce leaves and water for the next week for me!

21 day challenge update

Ok, so I said I'd take my vitamin and do my crunches and pushups. I did all that yesterday-yeah me-and took my vitamin again this morning. Then I read one of my peeps posts about her vitamins being expired, so I thought I'd check mine. Guess what.....my full bottle of vitamins expired in December 2007. I love it when I waste money like that :( Guess I get to go buy some new vitamins today. Yippee Skippee!

21 Day Challenge - Week 1

I'm super excited about this challenge. I've been reading some of the other gals' posts and you all have some great goals. A few of the suggestions are things I already do. I drink tons of water (never actually calculated how much, but it is many glasses a day). I also exercise regularly (cardio, anyway) and get lots of sleep (probably too much in the summer since I can sleep in). I've decided to focus on 2 goals:

1. Take a vitamin every day. Like many of you, I have a bottle of vitamins in the cupboard right next to my cereal bowls. Instead of opening it in the morning, I just shove it off to the side. Time to start cracking open that bottle. I even took one already this morning :)
2. Push-up and crunches. I'm planning to do at least 10 push-ups and 20 crunches every day. I think this is the only way I'm going to get rid of my High Gladys batwings (thanks, Grandma B for passing those down to all the women in my family) and my flabby gut (thanks to my twins and 50 lb weight loss years ago).

My starting weight for this challenge is 161.2 (up .4 from the end of the last challenge). This tiny gain is actually a big success for me. I just came back from a week in Washington DC with the family and ate lots of yummy food (crab cakes, anyone?). We also walked at least 5 miles a day, which I'm sure greatly helped keep the gain from being more than it was. I'm not planning to put too much emphasis on the scale this time around, but still hope to lose. Ending the challenge in the 150's (even if it's 159.8) would be awesome. But with our family plans over the next couple weeks, hoping to maintain may be more realistic.

I have some major eating challenges coming up which I'm trying to prepare myself for. My twins turn 12 this weekend and are having a sleepover party with pizza and cupcakes. We are taking them to a Detroit Tiger's game on Sunday (healthy food there-NOT) and then heading to Cedar Point Amusement Park for Monday and Tuesday (again, not the place for healthy food choices). Then, to top it all off, my birthday is the following Saturday. We are going canoeing with a bunch of friends and then bar-hopping afterwards. Who thinks of this stuff?????

Wish me luck, folks. I'm gonna need it!

I'm still here!

Got back yesterday from a week in DC with my husband and kids. Tons of sightseeing and even more walking. (We think we walked at least 5 miles almost every day, except the 2 days of driving. Did not run once.) Good thing about all the walking is it helped combat the eating. I tried to make good choices, and some days it was so stinking hot and humid that I didn't really eat much, but I still ended up gaining a little weight. I'm up 2 lbs from where I was when the last Sisterhood challenge ended. 162.8. Really, not too bad. I did not log any food or drinks while we were there. It was also so hot and humid, that I always felt really swollen. I normally take my rings off every night, but I couldn't get them off the whole week. Odd. We camped while we were there, which also meant hot dogs and smores a couple times. No food in the house last night resulted in Chinese for dinner. So maybe some of that 2 lbs is actually salt and water weight. (One can always hope). I did manage to find the best crab cakes I've ever had and I even ate a steamed blue crab. Both absolutely phenom! One of the non-food highlights was visiting The National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and getting upclose to the Space Shuttle Enterprise. This annex out at Dulles was probably our favorite place to visit and I highly recommend it if any of you are planning a trip to DC.

Now, back to the real world. It is time to get back on track and keep working on the weight loss.

I had grand plans to run this morning before taking my son to his Lego Robotics camp, but I woke up to a downpour and some thunder. I'm too much of a wuss to run in the rain, much less thunder/lightening, so I'm headed to the Y after I drop him off.

Shrinking Days of Summer Final Weigh In

It's the final weigh in for the Shrinking Days of Summer Challenge and I got to add a button to my blog! I'm down a total of 5 lbs during the 4 weeks I have been on this challenge with my awesome, strong, motivating Team Peach teammates. When I started the challenge 4 weeks ago, I was at 165.8. This week, I lost another 1.6 lbs and finished the challenge at 160.8 lbs. I didn't meet my goal of 10 lbs, but that probably wasn't a realistic goal anyway. And, besides, I'm NOT finished-just because this challenge is over doesn't mean my weight loss journey ends here!

Here are a few of the benefits to participating in this challenge:

• I've "met" some awesome ladies and have been very encouraged and motivated by their comments. I love you Peachies!





• I finished a 5 K race on Saturday! My husband and I ran together and both finished in 37 min, 31 sec. I met my goal of not being last in my age group, and actually managed to beat 5 or 6 women 10 years younger than me! Overall, we came in at 380/381 out of 414 runners. Not too shabby for someone who took 3 years off from running. And, isn't that about the most beautiful place for a run? 3 mile route along the bluff and beach, with the lighthouse in the distance.


• I lost 5 lbs. Not as many as I'd hoped, but I'm definitely stronger and I'm losing some inches and seeing some definition in my legs.


• I'm wearing a pair of capris today that I haven't been able to wear all summer! It felt great to pull them on today and have them button and zip. Yeah Me!

So, congrats to everyone who participated in the Shrinking Days of Summer Challenge, and thank you for all the words of encouragement and support for the past month. I can't wait to see what the Sisterhood has up their sleeves next!

5K is complete!

Well, my hubby and I managed to finish a 5K this morning. We ran it together and finished together with a time of 37:31. Not the best time (my worst, actually) and I'm pretty sure I came in last in my age group, but we kept moving the entire time and finished. The weather yesterday was horrible-cold and drizzly-with more of the same predicted for today, but when we woke up, the sun was shining and it was a cool 63 degrees. Perfect weather for running along the Lake Michigan shore. The course was beautiful with some challenging hills. Now, do I keep running?????

Weigh-In #7 (or #3 for Team Peach)

Disappointed, disgruntled, disheartened, throw in whatever "dis" word you want, and that's me. I'm having my own personal pity-party here and it's my party and I'll bitch and moan if I want to. As I ran this morning, I had the Trailer Choir's song "Rockin' the Beer Gut" playing over and over in my head as my fat jiggled like jello. It's great that the gal they sing about in that song is proud of the "extra love around her waist", but I absolutely hate mine. I hate my gut, I hate my muffin top, I hate my chub-rub, I hate my batwings, I hate everything in between!

As you've probably guessed, I'm up 1.4 lbs this week to 162.4. I was really hoping to hit the 150's this week, but no, I had to spend the weekend with friends and gain weight. One of the friends I was with is vegetarian (vegan actually) and I decided I would just be her for the weekend. Apparently, vegan food isn't as slimming as I'd hoped when it's really good and you eat too much of it. I had some really great food and stayed away from the beer at all the brewpubs we went to (I only had 1 full beer the whole weekend, plus a few sips from my hubby's samplers), but clearly I did not make as good of choices as I could have. Now I know I shouldn't be making excuses, and I'm trying not to, but this whole not being able to lose weight thing is really pi**ing me off! I've been on this challenge for 3 weeks now and I've managed to lose a whopping 3.4 lbs. After last week, I was .2 from my 5# button and I couldn't even pull that off.

To top off the poor weigh-in, I'm really discouraged by my running. I'm up to running for 25-30 minutes without walking, but I'm so incredibly slow that I might as well walk and save my aching knees. My 5K race is this Saturday, and at my 12 1/2 minute mile pace, I'm going to need to run for close to 40 minutes. My poor husband is doing this with me and I feel like such a slug panting along next to him and slowing him down. This is his 1st 5K, so I should be happy he agreed to run with me, but I feel like I'm holding him back.

Next week and the week after that don't look like they are going to get any better. I'm taking a grad class that meets every day, all day next week and is about an hour from my house (each way). There is no way I can work out before class because the sun doesn't come up until around 6:15 and I won't run in the dark. (I woke up at 5:45 this morning to run before work - I don't normally work in the summer but I was covering for a friend who is on vacation - and ended up hitting snooze for 1/2 an hour until it got light enough to run outside). I may be able to work out after class, but really prefer exercising in the morning. After sitting in class all week, we are headed to Washington DC for vacation for another week. Meals out for 7 days should do wonders for my waistline. At least I'll probably get a ton of walking in, but won't be able to run (I won't run in an unfamiliar area) or do any weight training. We are camping while we are there, so I won't even have use of a hotel exercise room.

How am I supposed to pull this weight-loss thing off? I should know how, since I lost 50 lbs on WW back in the early 90's and kept it off for 6 years, but it is so much harder now. I feel as I've approached 40, my metabolism has ground to a screeching halt and I have to eat 1/2 as much and work out twice as hard to get the same results. I'm starving and sore.

To make matters worse, I have a 12 year old daughter who I should be modeling healthy habits and attitudes for. Luckily, she is a very athletic, active, healthy girl right now. Hopefully she will stay that way and puberty, with all of its boobs and hips, won't throw her for a loop. I really don't want her to grow up with the same issues I've had with weight and body image (I've been heavy since I was a teen and don't want that to happen to her). How am I supposed to keep her healthy when I can't even seem to take care of myself? Anyone have any insight into that one?????

Thanks for letting me bitch and moan. I will try my best to finish this challenge with at least a little bit of a loss over where I started. Luckily, my Team Peach sisters had successful weeks this week and I'm encouraged by their progress. Way to go, girls!

Weigh-In #6 (or #2 for Team Peach)

Hey there everyone,


I am happy to report that I am down another 1 pound this week, to 161.0 lbs. Not as much of a loss as I had hoped, but good considering my family's fun weekend up north in Silver Lake, MI with my sister and her family. (That's me in the driver's seat of the dune buggy. The two big kids are mine and the little ones are my niece and nephew. The lighthouse is the Little Sable Point Lighthouse.)




I managed to keep up my running schedule of 3 x per week (I'm now running 2 1/2 miles consistently and my 5K is coming up) and strength training 2 x per week. My nearly 40 year old body is starting to complain a bit as my knees and legs are aching pretty much all the time, but that is what Advil and Alieve were made for. I also kept within my points range every day, except I didn't track over the weekend. I think I did pretty well, though.


Now it's time to plan for my next trip. We are going to a bunch of brewpubs with friends this weekend, and there is usually nothing on the menu that is even remotely healthy. (Lots of bar food, yummy steaks, etc.) One of the gals is vegan, so my plan is to just eat what she eats all weekend and hope for the best. At least there will be no dairy or animal fats! I also need to keep up my training for the 5K. It actually falls a week ahead of my training schedule, so it is going to be a bit of a stretch to finish without walking, but it is what it is and I'll just do my best.


Hope everyone else had a great week and I wish you all a happy, healthy week next week as well.

Happy July 4th Weekend

I managed to run for 25 solid minutes this morning-maybe I've earned a hot dog this weekend :) Seriously, I hope everyone has a fun, safe weekend. It is supposed to be beautiful along the Lake Michigan shore where I am headed and the kids said they wanted to bring their bikes, so maybe we'll do a nice long bike ride along one of the many trails.

Have a great weekend and hopefully there will be less of you next week ;)

Way to Shrink, Peach!

I'm very proud of my Team Peach teammates, as we were the shrinkingest (is that a word?) team this week! We'll be moving up that leaderboard and into smaller jeans in no time.

On a fun note-I think I saw some muscles trying to peek out in my strength training class today-yippee! Seeing the number on the scale go down is one thing, seeing actual, physical changes in ones body is even better.

My goals for this week:

• stay motivated to keep within my point range
• keep with the exercise (gonna be tough-my knees are starting to complain about all the running, but I'm going to just turn my i-pod up louder and ignore them for now)
• make healthier choices on the 4th and while out to eat at my Dad's this weekend
• I would love to see a weight in the 150's next week, but if I don't get there, I won't beat myself up about it

What are your goals for the week?

Weigh-In #5

Go Team Peach!
This is my official first week with the sisterhood. I'm very motivated and feel I've done a great job this week with the exercise and counting points. It is all paying off! My weight this week is 162.0 lbs, down 3.8 lbs from last week. Yeah Me! Next week will definitely be more challenging with the 4th of July in there, but I'm hopeful.

How many points in wine?

Ok, I've been really good-spectacular even-all week with my exercise and points. My "evil" daughter (I really do love her skinny little gymnastics toned butt) made cookies this week and I've had 1/2 a cookie all week. Today we had friends over to swim in the pool we are babysitting (along with the puppy who lives there) and then had them over for dinner. I had a veggie burger for dinner while everyone else had burgers or hot dogs (which I LOVE). We broke out the wine. I think I've had 2 or 3 glasses (probably 3 with as buzzed as I am right now). I've now dipped into my 35 "bonus" points for the week (it is day 7). That's why we save them, right? Ever notice how you eat more when you've had alcohol? At least I do. I think it is the "oh well" attitude that comes with a good buzz. I came to blog to step away from the table. Only the red wine is left, which I didn't like as much, so I should be ok now. What sucks is that I have to put the wine points on my log. This goes back to my title question, how many points are in wine? I just looked it up. 2 points for 4 oz. I've had 6 points worth of wine! At least I didn't have a bun with my veggie burger!

I hope everyone else has had a successful, healthy week. I'm planning to run this wine off tomorrow! Wish me and my headache luck.

Longest run yet!

Today I managed to run for 20 consecutive minutes-about 2 miles! I'm feeling stronger and healthier than I have in quite a while. I've also been keeping within my points range. The exercise points certainly help.

Yummy Recipes

I have an old (2002) edition of the Weight Watchers 5 Ingredient/15 Minute Cookbook and made 2 yummy recipes for dinner tonight for a 6-point meal!

Tuscan Chicken and Beans

• Olive oil-flavored cooking spray
• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into 1-in pieces
• 1 tsp dried rosemary (or use 2 tsp fresh)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (16-oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 Tbsp minced sun-dried tomatoes

1. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat until hot. Add chicken; sprinkle with rosemary, salt, and pepper. Stir-fry 2 minutes.
2. Add broth, beans, and tomatoes to skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 8 minutes or until chicken is done. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary, if desired.

Makes 4 servings. Only 3 points each! 193 calories; 11g carbs; 1.9g fat; 3.8g fiber; 29.8g protein.

Garlic-Cheese Breadsticks

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder (I used Garlic-Garlic from Tastefully Simple)
• 1 (11-oz) can refrigerated soft breadstick dough

1. Combine cheese and garlic on a plate. Prepare breadsticks according to package directions, pressing each stick into cheese mixture before baking.

Makes 6 servings or so (depends on the brand of breadsticks you get). I used Pilsbury and they ended up to be 3 points per serving (2 breadsticks). I would calculate your points based on the breadsticks. The cheese mix adds a negligible amt of points (probably less than 1).

I served both of these with some fresh zucchini from the farmer's market this morning, sauteed in a cooking spray with minced garlic and Italian seasoning.

Enjoy!

Whew!

Ok, I did a 45 minute strength/core class at the Y this morning and then swam 1/4 mile in my friend's pool this afternoon (it really isn't as far as it seems-took me 15 minutes-it just seemed like a lot longer). Now if the humidity around here would go away, I would feel a lot better. (Tomorrow is a running day and it is so blazing hot and humid here this week!) Hope everyone else is having a productive, healthy day!

Starting Weight - Go Team Peach!

My starting weight is 165.8 lbs. I'm so happy to be joining Team Peach. Let's kick some booty, ladies!

Hot Running

I ran my longest time today-two 8 minute runs with a 5 minute walk inbetween. Very hot out this morning. Already 82 degrees when I was out at 8:30! I think for my long run on Friday, I'm going to need to get up and run very early.

So it comes down to this.....

I can pinpoint exactly when my weight began to spin out of control. I was able to maintain my 50 lb weight loss (thanks to Weight Watchers and exercise) for over 6 years, but according to my old weight logs, my weight started creeping up in July 2007 after a wonderful vacation to St. Lucia (All inclusive resort-very dangerous. I think I drank my points everyday.) It's been nearly 2 years since that vacation and now I'm up to 165.8 lbs! I haven't been this heavy in about 8 years. Somehow I've managed to pack 25 lbs on my 5'3" frame, I look and feel terrible, and I have nothing to wear. Yikes!

When I was maintaining my weight loss (hovering around 139-140), I went to WW meetings every month for my Lifetime Member weigh-in. I even kept going for a while, though I wasn't staying at goal. I felt like a complete failure. I quit torturing myself in November 2008. When I left WW, I was 152.4 lbs. Now I'm nearly 15 lbs above that. Clearly, going it on my own was NOT the answer.

So what contributed to my weight gain?????? I think I can honestly say that life got in the way. This is where I began to go wrong:

1. Overactive Fork Disorder: I'm eating too much of the wrong kinds of food. I've relapsed into old, bad eating habits.
2. BLTs: Bites, Licks, and Tastes - a little here, a little there really adds up, especially the late night snacking or finishing the food on my kids' plates.
3. Not moving my a**: When I was staying thin, I was exercising at least 4 times per week. I was running (did three 5K races-slowly), plus group exercise classes at the YMCA. Lately, I've been shuttling my preteens to all their sports, instead of being active myself.

So, it comes down to this.....blogging about my weight issues for the world to read. Perhaps if I send my goals into cyberspace, and with the support of the Sisterhood, I'll start to have some success.

Here are my goals:

1. Move my butt: I plan to exercise at least 4 times per week. Right now, I'm walking/running 3 times per week and just started strength training. My schedule is to run M-W-F and lift T-TH. I'll let you know how that goes. I'm following the Couch to 5K podcast, with increases in running each week.
2. Complete a 5K: If my knee holds out (I stopped running due to injuries), I plan to run a 5K in mid-July. If my knee doesn't make it, I'll walk the course.
3. Put down the fork: I've started tracking my points again. I usually do pretty well tracking during the week, but fall apart on the weekends, so my goal is to track daily. I'm not ready to face WW yet. I have the tools, I just need to use them.
4. Quit the late-night snacking: I'm really bad about snacking out of a chip bag around 10 pm. That needs to stop. Water, fruit, veggies-make better choices.
5. Fit back into my "skinny" clothes: I'm not happy that my most forgiving size 12s are too tight, especially since I was holding at a solid 8 for so long. I know Stacey and Clinton (TLC's What Not To Wear) say "Don't get married to a size", but I have some really cute size 8's hanging in my closet mocking me right now.
6. A 10% weight loss - 16 lbs - would be a nice start. If I make it to 150, I'll see if I need to set a new loss goal.

So, help me out, send me encouragement, anything to keep me going.

Bari