Thursday, February 17, 2011

Vacation Looming

Two more days until I begin my jet set vacation to sunny Palm Springs!  My work week has been bananas so it has been difficult to muster up some excitement.  More so I am always a bundle of anxiety getting ready for a trip.  No exceptions this time!  Now I am not only worried about the usual logistics (ya know, getting to my destination and realizing I forgot to pack any underwear) but now I am fretting over what the heck I am going to be eating for a week!!!  I can hear everyone now, "It's vacation Allison ... who cares?".  I feel like a recovering crack head...what if I have one taste of pancake and can NEVER QUIT? :)  Perhaps I haven't mentioned my pancake issues.  Pretty sure my last meal would be the pancake breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  In fact, that was my first meal after 9 months on a liquid diet :)

So perhaps I will start small and make a pledge now:  

I, Allison, of fairly unsound mind and body, do pledge that no buttery maple pancakey goodness will touch my lips for the duration of my vacation. 

Okay, there you have it.

Also, I plan on consulting that nifty "Dotti's Weight Loss Zone" website for assistance with planning when possible.  How nifty that there is an iPad app also???  Very nifty ... and it is now mine.  Even though the majority of the listings do not have PointsPlus listed, I can guestimate by adding a point or two to what is listed.  Not an exact science, but better than pancakes at every meal.  I am also planning on packing a stash of Clif Builder Bars ... my go to protein bar.  LOVE them.

Off to worry a bit more about packing my 18 gadgets, chargers for 18 gadgets, spare batteries for 18 gadgets ... etc.

-allison

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Week 6 WI

Another 2.1 pounds gone!  That is a total of 14.425865723 (but who is counting)! 

Only 6 more days until I fly off to sunny Cali for a week.  I've never been to Palm Springs and I am sure there will be nothing but delicious and not always point friendly food.  I will not be taking my laptop with me (iPad only) but I will have my Bodymedia Fit.  The reading for moderate and vigorous activity will help me calculate Activity Points.  There is no doubt I will be using those as well as some of my weekly points allowance.  That is what they are there for, right?

Today I am planning another go at the Walk it Out game which I did twice yesterday.  It seems to be the perfect mixture of silly game (which I love) and getting exercise.  Kicking myself for not buying the game months ago when I first started thinking about it! 

-allison

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Finally!

After two weeks of saying "I really need to do some exercise" I actually did.  Wooo!  It was a small start, but I feel very good about it.  Last week I ordered a couple of Wii games to see if it would help me do some exercising at home.  I have the Fit, but I really don't use it for much more than weighing.  The activities haven't really appealed to me, but I honestly haven't given it much of a thought in a couple of years.

I had been checking out some other things and found something called Walk it Out.  I feel very cheese in explaining that it is a walking video game.  The premise is that you are walking though this virtual video game town and as you step with the music you are able to open new routes, buildings, trees, etc.  You start with nothing but paths and minimal scenery ... and you start unlocking street signs, street lamps, trees, etc.  Yes, it is silly, but I actually had fun doing it!

I spent 30 mins solid on the game and according to by Bodymedia Fit arm band I had 21 mins of moderate activity, 6 minutes of vigorous activity, walked 3100 steps and burned 300 calories!  The game keeps track of steps and calories, but the step count is more about how the controller is being used vs actual steps.  Interestingly enough the burned calorie count within the game was about 280, so very accurate!  I would not use the game to count steps towards my daily goals or mileage for real, but it is fun none the less.

Anyway...I looked like an idiot hopping around, marching in place, almost jogging in place in my living room with the Wii nunchuck down my pant leg (dont ask) but I accomplished something that I hadn't accomplished in a long time.  THIRTY CONSECUTIVE MINUTES OF EXERCISE AND EVEN SOME OF IT HIGH INTENSITY!!!

The other game I bought is Just Dance.  I haven't popped that one in yet, maybe later.  I don't expect to get the level of workout I got with the walking game, but dancing is fun.

Hope you are all enjoying your day, the weather here in Atlanta is cool but gorgeous!

Tomorrow is WI #6.  I have been on program with my food, but have not exercised until now.  My expectations are not super high for a loss that will be substantial, but I am so proud of myself for sticking to the actual food piece 6 weeks into the new year.

-a

UPDATE:  I did another 25 mins after my original 30.  Wooo!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Mmm Mmm Good!

Tonight I decided to make one of my favorite soups, Greek Lemon Chicken soup.  Soo good and soo filling!

It is a stupid easy recipe:
  • Chicken Stock (i use natural low sodium)
  • 1/3 cup of orzo
  • chicken breast meat
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tbs lemon juice
  • season to taste
Very basic and  good.  Just boil the stock, add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes.  Add the chicken, boil for 5 mins until cooked.  Beat 2 eggs and lemon juice in a bowl, temper with the stock while continuing to beat.  Add the egg mixture slowly to the soup and mix very well.  I slowly bring it to a low boil, then reduce the temp and let cook for another 5 or so minutes, stirring frequently.

That is it. I calculated it to be 6 points per serving, making 4 servings per batch.  Probably 1.25 cups a serving.

Of course I had 2 bowls tonight and split the rest for meals tomorrow and this weekend. 

This has been a long work week and my face is physically tired.  Looking forward to my weekend and of course my next WI on Sunday!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Another Week, Another WI

Hello Blog world!  It has been a quiet week I know.  Why?  Not sure really.  At the end of each day I feel like I have pretty much accomplished the same things as the day before ... and the day before that, etc.  Fortunately for me, that means that I am staying on program with my food and counting my daily points.  It also means that I have not yet taken the plunge into the exercise world.

At the end of week 5 I am down another 1.8 ish pounds, making my total just under 13 total.  Woo!  Very pleased.  The last couple of weeks have shown me that eating right is great and all, but if I am not exercising I am limiting my results.  Apparently it really is diet + exercise = weight loss :)

Today I will charge up my nifty little GoWear Fit or BodyMedia Fit device that I will wear on my arm.  The program is pretty simple, you log what you eat calorie wise, it logs what you burn calories wise and at the end of the day/week there is a deficit.  Yay math!  Because I am doing WW for all of my food logging I have decided to take my average calories for the last 2 weeks and calculate that as my daily range for the BodyMedia program.  Fortunately I have the option to do that vs logging everything on 2 websites.  That would be a chore!

What else is new?  Oh, I did join in on a weight loss challenge with some folks I work with.  The other folks in the contest (12 in all) are mostly people I don't know (friends of friends who work elsewhere) but that is cool.  I decided to use my Wii Fit to log that weight vs my usual scale.  Not sure why, mostly because it is easier to take a picture of the number on the TV than it is on a glowing blue LED of the scale.  My camera did not love that glowing blue and essentially censored the reading, heh.  So, on my Wii I weigh in on Tuesdays and on my scale I weigh in on Sundays (for WW).  

The contest runs 8 weeks and the winner gets 200 bucks.  I put in 25, so my goal is to be in the top 3 so I at least get my money back!  The contest isn't really necessary as I am really in competition with my long term health, but it is fun, so what the heck.  I wish all the participants good luck, but obviously I hope I destroy them :)  My good friend a work who invited me to join the contest is losing weight for her wedding day (aww).  She has gone to the gym all week and will continue to go during lunch.  Good for her!  Seeing her bust her ass is motivating me to "get in the game" with some exercise of my own so that I am not lagging behind in this contest!

That is all for me right now. The Super Bowl is tonight. My plans, like the rest of the universe, is to make chili!  Of course no wings for me, but I am good with the chili. I may sprinkle some cheese on it to support the Packers.  Not really a Packers fan, but I REALLY am not a Steelers fan, so Go Pack!!!

Hope everyone has a great day and week!  Hope I come up with something to say between now and next Sunday :)  How about I talk about all the calories I am burning according to my BodyMedia Fit thingy?  :)