Back in it!

Very good week this week staying on track considering my post vacation weight in.  I did not let it get me down, I did not let it discourage me.  This week I went on per usual for me and it all worked out in the end.  I think much of the time when we come back from vacation feeling bloated and heavier it isnt necessarily due to calories and fat, but perhaps due to other factors ... sodium intake, dehydration, plane ride ankles, and ... er... constipation :)  There I said it.  Once these issues resolve themselves within a few days it is amazing how much better one feels.  The key is to not let the scale shock waver your commitment.  Okay, that is my big advice.  Fortunately I have until Memorial Day to worry about another vacation.

On a side note and about challenges, last night was my "birthday" dinner with my family.  To be honest, as nice as the company is overall, I was not super excited about being faced with my favorite Italian restaurant, Bambinelli's.  It is one of those neighborhood "mom" owned places that has been here almost as long as I have (will be 37 on Tuesday).  Generally my dish is Chicken Parm with Fett Alfredo as my side.  Not exactly a low point meal.  Obviously that was not going to happen.  Nor is a salad as I do not enjoy them enough.  After much consideration and collaboration with my friend, I decided on the spaghetti and meatballs.  Perfect choice!  Pasta, tomato sauce, and a bit of protein.  Naturally when it came out it had to be 1.5 pounds of cooked pasta...insane amounts of pasta in that bowl.

Now on to the next part of my strategy...not to over eat!

Carefully I marked out the serving I was comfortable with having...and a meatball (large ones).  Moved my serving of pasta to my unused bread plate (the garlic rolls were a no-no) and had my plate outside of that bowl.  It was enough ... more than enough.

I figured 18 points total and came home feeling good about myself.  Success.

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

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

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!

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?  :)

Planning makes perfect!

Somehow (quite artfully) I've avoided going out to eat this entire month.  Not 100% conscious decision, but I do find it easier and of course low pressure having my meals at home.  Today I met up with a good friend (and ex-coworker that I miss dearly) for a late lunch and drinks.  The scene of the crime was to be at one of your typical Mexican places.  Mmmm... Mexican. 

Naturally I obsessed all morning about what I was going to eat.  An issue for me is that I do not really like veggies you would find in a Mexican restaurant.  Onions are off the menu as they irritate my stomach ... and I really do not like bell peppers.  So...the choices are fairly limited.  After much consideration and planning I decided on having a cheese enchilada and a side of beans.  Not very exciting, I know, but I figured it would hit the spot ... and honestly I typically would have a #5 (2 cheese ench, beans, rice).  Felt like a good compromise without actually compromising.  

Before leaving the house I had a large brunch ( 2 egg and cheese on English muffin halves) and a quick bowl of apple sauce before leaving.  At the last minute I had the excellent idea to throw a corn VitaTop into my purse, and off I went. 

Lunch was a success.  Lots of good conversation, diet coke for me, and a lovely meal.  My favorite part of the afternoon is that ultimately the usual drink and food fest for me turned into and afternoon of conversation and a nosh.    The only hitch is that I ordered a cheese quesidella instead of enchilada...mostly because the time not spent this morning obsessing on the points for an enchilada was spent on the point value of the quesidella...the wrong word came out of my mouth, hehe.  All good of course, I was just a bit surprised when the waiter brought the actual food that I ordered :)  Six one half dozen, right?  I figure I actually saved myself a point or two by not having sauce ... and put a bit of salsa on the cheese quesidella and went to town.

Tomorrow starts another week of work ... let the crazy begin!

This is a test of the EIC system [Emergency Ice Cream]

All is well in WW land! Just weighed and tracked for week 3 and I am down another 3 lbs. WOOOOOO!! I know I am on that "new diet honeymoon" high, but I am in a good place and feeling good about the next week.

I'd like to write a profound bit about overcoming challenges, but it simply has felt very easy. Given my 30+ years of trying, I attribute my ease to the following factors:

1. New diet euphoria
2. Starting to take Welbutrin again
3. Sharing my experiences with my best friend who is also doing WW Online (though we are not in the same state)
4. Fear of horrible diseases known to really really really obese people (like myself)
5. A smidge of what might actually be better decision making skills

There it is folks. A little early to start throwing myself a parade, but I am very very pleased with my direction and feeling even more inspired by my results to press on.

This is the vew in my freezer currently.  Notice the Vita-Tops below the creamy naughty goodness!

Oh, for the post title...this may be my first real test of all those items I outlined. My other half went to the grocery store to pick up a few things ... and came home with not one ... not two...but THREE pints of ice cream! Now, to be fair, these pints are for him and he is allowed to have them (i firmly believe if i am going to be successful, it will not be in a bubble) but I did enjoy giving him a bit of guff about it! What he said kind of amused me, "they are small ... if you are going to fall off the wagon, it won't be a long fall". Heehee. This I thought, oddly enough, was a smidge of encouragement (you would have to understand the source). My response was "that won't be happening with THESE 3 pints of ice cream so enjoy them!"

Certainly was not going to say "that will never happen" pu-lease. Points or no Points, I need to get OFF the ice cream and cake. Thank god for Vita-Tops ... they really do the trick. And if I really want something that resembles a little frosting with my Vita-top (when a girl needs cake) I like to make a little serving of Sugar Free Cream Cheese frosting using a 1 oz serving of Weight Watchers Cream Cheese. Little bit of "Free" frozen topping, smidge of Splenda ... and there you go...A little frosting to make your Vita-top a bit more pleasing (not that I think it needs help).

Anyway ... that is all good luck to every one who accidentally reads this post :)

-allison

Week Two Recap

Just weighed in for my 2nd week. Very pleased with my progress and my unwavering commitment to eating right! This week I lost 3.0 lbs, which is amazing. My secret in the very back of my mind goal for the week was to get out of the 280's and enter into the 270's. The 280's represent the heaviest I have ever been ... I am glad to take a few steps down and get back to something more familiar. Of course, lets be honest...270's are not a happy place either, but it is one small step closer to feeling like myself again.

Accomplishments for the week:

• Stayed on my points plan while being trapped in my house for a week
• Did not crack open a bottle of wine
• Water Water Water! Had a good amount of water each day
• Overcame a moment of Nutella driven temptation
• Everything I ate had nutritional value (protein, fiber, etc), nothing I would consider "junk"
• Relied more on cooking real food than eating all processed
  

Things I want to focus on for this upcoming week:

• Take lunch to work each and every day this week
• Drink Drink Drink my water while at work
• Take a little walk during lunch (hoping my knee stays in place)
• Continue to count my points and make better decisions on spending my points
• Cook 3 more dinners at home

I am sure there are many more things I can add to my list, but we will start with that. Hope you all have a great week also...What are some of your goals?

Snow Day 3 and Counting!

Here we go again ... another day "working" from home and another one on the way. I am starting to get a bit of cabin fever!

Today my BF walked to the grocery store. He came home with Coke Zero, 2 slices of cake, bag of Chips Ahoy (all for him). Something kind of funny about his grocery selection. Most people flocking to the store to find fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, bread...etc.. Nope, what do we get? Cake and cookies! The good news for all of you following me is that I really have no interest in any of those things. Woo!

This morning I made a simple yet very delicious breakfast:

Here we have a bagel thin, 2 over easy eggs, and 2 slices of cheese. 6 PointsPlus each!

What is interesting is this ... my instinct was to make 2 because the bagel has 2 halves. When I was finished and had them on my plate I realized that I had made 1 too many. Why did I do that? My eyes are getting bigger than my stomach, which is not a bad thing. Lesson learned!

I ate one ... and cooked the 2nd one a bit so the egg was no longer over easy and ate it a couple hours later for lunch.

Dinner was less creative, PB & J sandwiches (2 small) on sandwich thin's for bread. I weighed everything to the gram and counted every drop. They were a delicious 14 points, I am not going to lie.

What is in store for tomorrow? More of the same. We are stuck in this house for yet another day. My feeling is that it will actually be late Friday afternoon before things really start to melt. YIKES!

Oh, random thing ... my BF was watching hockey while having dinner and my cat seemed to be enjoying the game (please ignore the fact that my xmas tree is still not pulled apart, I will get to it when we can take it to the storage unit this weekend):



Enjoy!

-a

Slayed a dragon tonight and lived to tell!

Gracious ... still a frozen tundra here in Atlanta. I am crossing my fingers this ice goes away soon .. getting restless here in the house. Today I did well with my points, and that is an achievement. All this time in the house and I haven't grazed once!!

This evening I'd finished my dinner and was thinking about dessert (when am I not). For some reason I started thinking about the unopened jar of Nutella in my pantry. I have several points left, I can justify having that one treat. Jar in hand I calculate the points, 5 for 2 tbs. Geesh, wondering now if that is enough, if I had 2 servings that would be 10 points, yikes ... and I haven't even started counting the crackers. Can you see where this slippery slope is taking me?? There I was trying to rationalize my irrational craving for Nutella! Thankfully while doing this math in my head my best friend texted me to break me from its spell! No way did I need this Nutella, points or no points, so I put it back in the pantry and even hid it a bit so I would no longer have to do mental gymnastics to get back on track.

Funny how a little text message literally broke that spell. The message was from my best friend who is also working to lose weight...so it was really great timing. Sweets are a problem, and so is cake.

My next plan seemed genius! It crossed my mind that I could use my Weight Watchers individual serving of light cream cheese and mix a bit of Spenda ... tiny touch of vanilla extract ... dash of milk...and voila...a perfect little dollop of something resembling cream cheese frosting! I complimented my wonderful chocolate Vita-Top! Cake with frosting for a very filling 5 points. That seemed like a better investment than the Nutella and a smart choice.

As Hannibal would say, "I love it when a plan comes together". Good day, hope the trend continues.

-a

SNOWmageddon 2011 (that rhymes)

Wow is all I can say. After much back and forth with the forecast (what else is new) we got lots of snow! Fortunately we did not get ice in the trees, but the roads are ridiculous right now. I've seen several good snows in Atlanta ... this was a good one. We are all stuck in our homes for at least another day ... I suspect longer. Crazy!

Anyway, having this much time on my hands at home can be a dangerous thing. I've been doing a few things to pass the time and keep focused on the WW program. Yesterday I took the new Cuisinart Griddler for a spin and made some wonderful grilled chicken breasts. Chicken has always been hard for me to cook in a healthy way, mostly because I am terrible at grilling. The new toy made it really easy. My chicken was moist, which is awesome. I have a really hard time eating chicken, especially chicken that is dry, due to my lingering half a LapBand. Most of the time I don't know its still inside of me, but today I was reminded early in the day. Breakfast was going to be instant grits with a scrambled egg. The egg ended up dry from over-cooking in the microwave and overall my breakfast was pretty much like cement. I wouldn't have minded, but my LapBand objected. About 3 or 4 bites in, everything stopped going down my throat. It got stuck! This may not make sense for those who are not familiar with living with a LapBand (even a faulty non-functioning one like mine). Anyway, I wasn't able to eat my lunch but eventually was able to drink my coffee.

Lunch was easy, a portion of my left over chili (made with ground chicken breast) and brown rice. Now for dinner. The bored fat girl in me wanted to open a bottle of wine, finish the bottle of wine, then worry about dinner...but the "in progress" me managed to make a wonderful dinner!

I made "good enough to satisfy" pasta with a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese (I love mac n cheese), green beans, and one of my chicken breasts. Notice it's cut up to make sure I chew it is small pieces ... stupid LapBand. The plate was full and all for about 10 points. Wooo! Pardon the oddly colored picture, my cell phone camera is not great.

Hmm...perhaps HMR Butterscotch flavored pudding for dessert.

It seems small to most but for me, a huge step in a new direction. I have made 3 or 4 more home cooked meals than I would have before, and that is awesome.

Tomorrow is more of the same. Working from home and filling my time trying to think about something other than eating my next meal. Perhaps curling up to my new "Half The Size " People magazine.

Week One Recap

What an amazing week. I have felt in control of my life for the first time in a LONG time. Very pleased to start '11 and this decade on a good note. This will either be the decade where I turn my life around (physically...mentally) or this decade will be the beginning of a fast decline. Slowly killing myself with apathy around my health is not an option. This will change.

So, for the numbers, I lost 3.5 lbs. What pleases me is that I am mostly certain this was fat loss vs water loss. Yay!!! Either way, I will take it. The loss is a great motivator but does not set me up for disappointment next week. Sometimes those big first week numbers can create an unrealistic expectation for the weeks following that can ultimately lead to sabotage. For me, I am having a solid start to a new way of eating.

Weight Watchers is really more than just counting points and losing weight ... it is about new habits at meal time. For years I have been lazy in the kitchen. I would rather microwave a quick salty processed meal vs cooking real food. Its interesting...my boyfriend and I have been in this cycle for years. I have him trained to the point where he eats on a different schedule than me and does not really expect me to cook real meals. It is a sad statement, I am not bragging. All the years of eating restricted diets and calorie counting ... the years while trying to eat around that disaster of a lapband really dictated our meal times. We don't communicate as much because we are not having normal dinner table banter.

This week, however, we had at least 2 meals together. It was nice to cook something new, sit at the table and talk about our days. I know this is not supposed to be rocket science, but we have just not had that in years. A welcome change!

Beyond the diet and cooking...taking control also means facing my declining health and doing something to turn it around. The ball started rolling on Friday when I got the blood work done to see if I have any underlying issues (diabetes, hypothyroidism, high cholesterol, vitamin deficiency, etc) and I hope to get some answers next week. Time to start taking care of myself...I have people depending on me!!!

Okay. That is all for now. I have lots on my mind but realize that I probably do not want to make a novella for a post :)

Have a great day everyone! Winter Storm Watch is alive and well in Atlanta. Looks like we will have something, but not the 6" of snow that was projected yesterday. Probably more like 2 inches of snow followed by ice. Remember folks, the ice is the issue! Try to not make too much fun of us southerners running around buying milk and bread before a 1" snow "storm". Hehe.

-a

Finishing out week 1

Finishing out the week ... doing very well! To be honest, I have really enjoyed following the new PointsPlus plan with Weight Watchers this week. My only complaint (and its a silly one) is that I find it hard to eat all the points! With the new plan I get about 6 more points than in the past. It feels like a lot! I have not had any issues this week with feeling deprived or hungry. What is amazing is that I have managed to avoid any empty calories or just plain sugary snacks! Very proud of that ... because even sugary snacks can be part of the WW plan...I just want them out of my life! Most evenings my sweet treat has been a vita-top. They are 3 points...and a quality 3 points! Just sweet enough to be yummy but I don't have the regret and shame that I would feel after downing a nice slice of cake with ice cream. Yay for me!

I've also had more fruits this week...not really hitting it with the veggies yet. Next week, time to work on the veggies.

Tonight I made a nice chili. I used ground chicken ... yum! I'd never cooked with ground chicken breast and it was delicious. I did not miss beef AT ALL! The texture is what meat should be, and something I missed when cooking with vegetarian soy crumbles. When I have chili, I feel that I need a starch. Generally I would do pasta. Another one of my goals is to ween myself off the pasta when possible. Tonight I had my chili of some brown rice! So darn good and perfect for winter.

Speaking of winter ... there is a storm headed this way. According to the news Atlanta my see "historic snowfall" along with some icing. This event is to start on Sunday night and really kick into gear Monday morning. With the ice comes loss of power. I've spent days stuck in my home with ice and now power...it isn't always fun :) Naturally there is the issue of food. I have electric stove, so no way to warm food if we lose power. I really hope it isn't a problem but I am ready if it is!

Anyway ... that is all for now. Looking forward to weighing in tomorrow. Not expecting a stunning Biggest Loser type loss, but a nice respectable (non-water weight) 2-3 lbs would be nice! I will accept anything I can get, especially when I am not working out.

Oh, as a health update. I did go to the doctor yesterday. Not much yet, just some blood work. My Dr and I are both in agreement that I am "pushing my luck" with serious health repercussions of being morbidly obese. Fairly sure that the blood work will show that my lucky streak has ended, but at least I will know what I am dealing with! Time to unbury my head from the sand and taking care of myself.

-a

HMR and Weight Watchers

Hey All,

I know I get a lot of visitors that are following the HMR program exclusively. I really liked that program and it was successful for me while I was following it.  I also love the idea of Weight Watchers.  At the end of the day I sat down and realized that it is all a similar path to the same goal.  Calories in and calories out.  WW counts points, HMR and other programs use meal replacements to control the calories coming in.  After many times back and forth I have decided that for me using HMR shakes and bars are a great way for me to control the calories/points in the context of Weight Watchers as a larger program.  When I was doing HMR I would typically have 6 shakes a day ( 660 calories), 2 entrees (450-500 calories) and a bar (160 calories).  The total of that intake very close to my point equivalent per day with Weight Watchers.  

If you are following HMR, feel free to say hi!  You will find tools and information that I have gathered about the program and I certainly have a lot of knowledge to offer...especially if you are doing it home. 

Today, I had 2 HMR shakes for snack between my light breakfast and late lunch.  For those of you not familiar with the shakes, one shake is 110 calories/1.5 g fat/ 13 carbs (1 of which is fiber)/ 14 grams of PROTEIN!!!  I use a lactose free shake and typically double them up.  I generally drink chocolate...and I really like them.  What is nice about the shakes is that I can convert them into a chocolate pudding.  One shake is 3 pts, 2 shakes is actually only 5 points. They are very filling.

Just wanted to share!  You can check out my links on HMR and where I buy my shakes online.  No need to join anything...its all just online order and shipping. 

Good luck to all with your chosen paths!  Hope to see you around the blog soon :)

Happy New Year!!!

Feeling good and hopeful today for the first time in a while.  Had a lovely albeit quiet New Years Eve, now enjoying a thoughtful New Years Day!

I officially joined Weight Watchers and have spent some time learning the new PointsPlus plan.  It uses Fat, Carbs, Fiber, and Protein to calculate a points value rather than simple Calories/Fiber/Fat.  Ultimately that makes more sense...it just means that all the cool spreadsheets and data I have collected over the last 10 years are null and void!

Here is a breakdown of what each of those components are as calories:

• Fat: 1 gram = 9 calories 
• Protein: 1 gram = 4 calories
• Carbohydrates: 1 gram = 4 calories
• Alcohol: 1 gram = 7 calories

The new WW PointsPlus plan understands better the nutrition behind the foods, so a 100 calorie pack of empty calories cookies count differently than 100 calories of banana.

So ... tomorrow is the first official weight in, though today I am planning and calculating my points.

First Goal:  Lose 5% before my trip to Palm Springs in mid Feb.  That is just over 6 weeks.  I can do it!