Saturday, August 27, 2011

I confess....

I haven't posted in a couple weeks (I guess that's how long it's been). Last week's weigh-in had me a tad bit bummed. I lost, but barely. Last week I was down .2 - really???? That's it???? Yup. That was all.

So, I thought about what I was doing and what I wasn't doing... and I think I pinpointed my two big problems.

What I Was Doing
When we'd serve lunch at the pre-k where I work, I'd help myself to a little. The kids had all been served, and there was some leftover. And it looked so yummy. What would a spoonful hurt, right? (By spoonful, I don't mean a teaspoon. I'm talking about the big ol' serving spoon.)

What I Wasn't Doing
I wasn't tracking everything that went into my mouth. So, that spoonful of yumminess I sampled at lunch never made it to my online tracking. When dinner was done, I'd show that I had "X" number of points left (I'm doing Weight Watchers), and so I didn't measure anything - I snacked without worrying about the portion sizes.

I did (and didn't do)these for a week. It's no wonder .2 was all I lost. It's a wonder I didn't gain. I have no idea what I actually ate that week. Nothing was bad for me, it was just too much. In the past on Weight Watchers, I'd do this.. and start gaining.. and quit.

I refuse to give up.

How I Changed This Week
I decided after my very small weight loss that I was going to change my mentality where tracking is concerned. I had to make tracking as necessary as brushing my teeth or taking my medications. I didn't eat anything that didn't get written down. Even when I was "bad" I was still "good" and tracked it. I still tasted the yumminess that was prepared for the meals this week. But I tracked it. I also gave myself a much smaller portion - a taste, not a serving - and put it in a small drinking cup (like the small bathroom cups you use to rinse).

So, maybe you've made it this far and are wondering how I did with the changes.... I lost 4.2 pounds this week, giving me a 5-week total of 13.4 pounds gone! Yay, me!!!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

It's the little things in life....

Well, I had a small weight loss this week.. only 0.8 this week. At first I was bummed. Seriously? The week before I had no idea exactly what I ate, was pretty sure I'd gone over points some days, and I lost over 3 pounds. This past week, while I wasn't perfect, I knew what I was eating. I expected more.

But...

1. Many days I went to bed without having reached my points target. I would have 10 more points to eat on many days.

2. I lost. Period. I. Lost. Weight. Gotta remember that if I had gained 0.8 of a pound I'd have been ticked that I had gained almost a pound back. Yes. I lost almost a pound.

3. I ate Mexican the night before WI, and that may have caused me to retain water the following morning.

4. My three-week total weight loss is 9 pounds. And I'm pretty darn proud of that weight loss, too. It's the little things... they add up to make something big. I'm not going to lose 3-4 pounds each week, or be 150+ pounds lighter at the end of a year. I didn't gain this weight overnight, and it's certainly not going to drop off my body overnight, either.

5. I promised myself that I wouldn't go into a weigh-in each week with a number expectation in mind. I would do the absolute best that I could do, and whatever that number is I'd embrace it and keep on the journey.

So, while it may have "only" been 0.8 of a pound gone this week, every little bit adds up. I'm ecstatic to be only 1 pound away from a 10-pound weight "gone." (Doesn't saying "lost" imply that you need to find it? I don't want to find it. It's gone!)


Oh, can't forget... my pants were a little looser this morning. No, not loose as in "I need to go shopping" or "I can pull the next size down out of storage... I could just tell that they didn't hug my legs today like they did the last time I wore them. I'll take it!

Monday, August 8, 2011

Look Before You Leap

There are so many instances where the phrase "look before you leap" applies. But I couldn't help think about it today as I was checking out at Wal-Mart.

The temperature outside was 95 with a heat index of 103. (Yes, I know it's hotter in Texas.) I was so thirsty, and what do they so graciously put at every other cash register? Yep, a soda fridge. But this soda fridge didn't have Coke, Pepsi, or Dr. Pepper. Nope. It had root beer and cream soda.

I. Love. Cream. Soda.

I didn't even think twice before I opened that baby up and got myself one.

I didn't think twice as I started drinking it as soon as I got back in the van.

I was halfway done before I thought twice.

It was then that I realized... I should have looked before I leaped.

This bottle of cream soda had 310 calories and 77g carbs. No protein, no fiber, no fat. All that equaled 8 PPV (Weight Watcher's points). That's more points than I consumed at dinner tonight or breakfast this morning.

Oh boy.

Well, guess it's a good thing I had planned a light dinner tonight, huh?

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Week 2... Success???

Yes, it's a question.

I did lose weight this past week, but can I really call the week a success? I think it was more luck than real success.

School started back this past Monday. I wish I could say that we just slipped into a wonderful routine, and I ate wonderfully and tracked it all. I didn't, though. I did great during the day, but at night I blew it. We gave in to being tired or stressed and ate out too much. I could have made good choices eating out, but I didn't.

I thought for sure I'd gain, so imagine my surprise when I lost 3.4 pounds. My two week total is 8.2 pounds gone.

I'm aiming this week to eat at home more (we can't afford to eat out anyway), take my lunch to work everyday, and try to get some exercise. Even a short walk is more than I have been doing. I'm aching to get back to the gym, but it's not in the budget. I'm making Weight Watchers be in the budget because I need the accountability, and I need to lose weight too badly to just keep ignoring it.

Morbid obesity isn't fun, and it isn't healthy. I'm at the point where I've finally come to terms with just how badly I need to get a grip on this. I know I'll be happier as my weight decreases. My family will be happier, too.

And I think we'll all be healthier. I'm hoping the changes I make in my life will positively influence my family to make better choices. I beamed today when the kids got excited that I was cutting up a watermelon.

I have to get a handle on this and keep moving forward. I can't give up. I need to be healthy, and I need to be a good role model for my children. So, week 3... here I come.