Weighty Matters

Tomorrow night, we shall again sing "Auld Lang Syne" and bid a big ol' sayonara to 2010! I think we ought to sing a different tune: "You say you wanna revolution, well, you know...." Last year, I wrote that I had decided I would not do resolutions, but do revolutions instead: " Revolution: a turning around. What are you doing to turn your health ... your lifestyle ... your family's health ... around? How are you moving from the negative into the positive? Join the revolution. " In 2010, we had revolutions along with revelations. And I'm glad that I was part of a move toward being even healthier. I learned to be proactive and take charge for health -- both mine and for others. The words that kept coming up for me, over and over, were "educate and advocate" ..... in ways I never imagined, I find that I am doing exactly that. I took great joy in learning more about preparing food, and finding just how much better my own food could ...

In the holiday madness, I just realized it's been a while since my last post. So how did the holidays go? I will be so glad to have the Season of Carbs behind me, I won't know what to do!! I love this time of year, but I'm tired of the endless parade of carbs (especially sweets!). Oh, don't get me wrong.... I love the taste but holy cow, it's gotta end. I am on a mission to get back to the basics: good lean protein, more fruits and veggies. Real foods. And I have to get my rear back in gear with exercise. With this event and that event, and this thing to do and that, it's been pretty hard to stick to a routine the last few days. I did manage, of all things, to hit the gym on Christmas Eve .... but that was my last visit. OOPS. And I have a couple more events just after the New Year. As much as I enjoy my strength training, I have neglected my cardio workouts. That needs to change as soon as possible -- but how to work it all in? Much to ponder as 2011 comes arou...

Today, my dad found some old photos from a family Christmas dinner, circa 1993. There are a couple I want to share....... First, this is a picture of myself and my cousin; I'm on the right, as if you couldn't guess. I apparently must have been trying to do an impression of the Michelin Man ... or auditioning for the next Ms. Stay-Puft (because "puft" I was!) And next up is a small shot from a picture where I was enjoying dessert; I couldn't tell you if it was a first trip, a return trip, or a "hey let me eat something for the road" plate..... Now I ask you: what in heck was I doing with TWO monster slices of red velvet cake? You know, I can't even tell you whether or not it was worth it. I mean, red velvet is pretty much the same, no matter who makes it. You would think I'd want to distance myself from those days as much as possible: shred every picture, never to be seen again. But actually, I want to remember. I want to recall what it was like t...

Need a good boost right about now? I did too – and I got a great one yesterday afternoon. It was a cold, blustery day here in the South. It was starting to get dark already on my way out the door from work. I had already decided that morning that while I was going to work out, I would do so within the comfy and warm confines of my home and not at the gym. I think that with the weather, my homing instinct kicked in and I couldn’t think of any place I would rather be. Yeah, odd for me….. There I was, on my way out the door when I stopped to thank our marketing director for all she had done to make our office party a hit. She said, “Oh, I’m glad – you looked like you were having a great time. You had tons of energy!” What a fantastic thought!!! That was a feeling I couldn’t buy five years ago: not only the glow of the compliment, but the reason itself. Yes, I did have a lot of unexpected energy for 9:00 PM and a pretty busy day. This Saturday was even busier for me than normal. I had work...

"So ... how YOU doin'?" It's been 10 days with all the tools at my disposal and I am PROUD to say I'm down 2 pounds from where I was last Thursday! YAHOO!!!!! I am up a bit still from a couple of mornings ago, but it's a goal to work toward. So if you've joined (or rejoined) us this week with PointsPlus, how is it going for you? It's definitely an adjustment, but the changes are wonderful! If you're brand-new to Weight Watchers, WOW, what an introduction, huh? One of my fellow members tonight had just joined last week, and she kicked butt: down nearly 8 pounds!!! WOW!!!!!! If you're having trouble making the transition, keep working PointsPlus. It may take you a little while longer to adjust but your body is going to say, "Oh wow! Look at all the good stuff you're feeding me!" And you may even find that the things you ate on Points (because of a low value) aren't really worth it on PointsPlus -- or that you have to work them i...

If you haven't been to this week's meeting then make sure you get to one this week .... because PointsPlus is here!!!! PointsPlus is the newest program offered by Weight Watchers, combining the best information in nutritional science with the well-known successful Weight Watchers approach! Most of my readers know (or at least have figured out) that not only am I a Lifetime WW Member, I am also a Weight Watchers employee. I have been using this new plan for about 8 weeks now, and it has definitely helped me maintain my weight loss -- which is what I wanted anyway..... Now, I am ready to ramp it up even more to lose about five more pounds. I truly believe that PointsPlus will help me do just that. One of the things I appreciate most about PointsPlus is the sense of extra flexibility -- not that the previous plans didn't have that built in, but I really feel it with this one. I don't want to give away too many spoilers, especially for readers who will be hitting their la...

What a week! It's always busy around this time of the year, and it's just going to be even busier until after the BCS bowl season ends. And with it comes all the holiday parties, all the gathering of friends and family, all the temptations that come your way. So what do we do? Do we throw up our hands and say, "Well, I'm done. Over. Can't do it. Might as well wait until January...."? Do we dig in our heels and make ourselves miserable -- passing up events so we can stay on course? Or do we seek to find balance? Balance is so important this time of year. We cannot deny, hide, or escape the seasonal treats and events. To do so puts our relationship with food over our relationship with people, and that's never good. And to throw up our hands and elbow up to the trough -- well, that's not healthy either. There is a way to strike a balance. There was a leader who substituted for my usual leader right around Thanksgiving of my first year on program. She joke...

Yeah, it's time. It's time for me to update my MP3 playlist .... not only what I actually have on my MP3 player, but the list that I share with you, my friends and followers. I'm going to work on this over the next few days (especially as I have some time off), and post it later this week. There are a few songs that I've had on there since Noah built the ark, and as much as I personally love them, they just aren't cutting it for me anymore. And I'll be adding some things over the next few days too *** Speaking of needed updates, are you excited yet about Weight Watchers' new program??? I sure am!! If you're a WW member, you're going to love what's coming down the pike! Be sure to attend a meeting the week of Nov. 28-Dec. 4 -- the launch week!!! Here's an article on the WW website (from the Nov-Dec 2010 magazine) from CEO David Kirchoff -- and in the post before this one, click on the link for the awesome video. There's also the " Wh...

In many ways..... I forgot to post before I left for a weekend getaway at the home of my dear pals Tal & Sera. But since I'm fessing up, I didn't really track this weekend. I had fried chicken (a couple of legs) for the first time in years -- I mean, homemade fried chicken at the Beaver House in Statesboro GA. I ate a piece of Cracker Barrel chocolate pecan pie. Got home on Monday and had two big slices of pizza. And yes, I'm up a little. Not as much as I expected, and I'm right back on track. Back to tracking (meticulously!) and got in a great workout. *** By the way, if you haven't heard yet -- Weight Watchers has something wonderful and new coming up starting November 29!!! Check this out for more: Weight Watchers -- Better Than Ever

Today was the Lifetime weigh-in for me and WHEW!!!! Perfectly maintained! Oh, after last weekend's difficulties, I could have kissed the scale. Someone up there likes me!! This past Wednesday, November 3, was the American Heart Association's "National Start! Eating Healthy Day" -- because my company is taking part in the Start! Heart Walk this spring, we participated in this day. I was glad that we had a pretty nice turnout, and that we are talking about healthier eating habits as the holidays approach. I've decided that I'm making this a "November to Remember" -- to remember the success I've had in previous holiday seasons, to remember to make good choices, to remember to work out even with the time change and changing weather, to remember that each day and each meal is a fresh start. So I plan to make the best choices when faced with temptation: to choose healthy foods and right portions, to work out even when I don't feel like it, to stick...

I had a busy last few days -- and as my leader said, "The first train in the candy car from here to Easter just pulled in....." Yep, Halloween was a food feast at the office -- pizza luncheon with a bakeoff. Yes, I made healthy mini-muffins. I had about 4 of them, just to make sure they were good..... oy vey. And then yesterday, I made a very healthy lunch, and then took my godson out for the day .... and we indulged in Fuddrucker's. Now, I chose as best I could -- I got a kids meal, and for the first time in AGES, indulged in fries ...... although I like that their "Fudd Fries" are more like potato wedges, with actual potato and not just a little meal with heavily-fried breading! So what did all this extra indulging teach me? To judge whether or not a deviation is really worth it. To remember that I'm only human. To keep in mind to make the best possible choices in every circumstance. To enjoy the moment. To remember that this is a lifestyle change. To appr...

I am up a little, so I used the "no weigh-in" option this week. As a Lifetime member I really only *have* to weigh in once monthly, but I like to monitor my progress. I monitor it at home anyway, but I like being on the official scales and seeing how things go. I have some water retention going on, more than usual... not sure why, because I've been drinking my water all week. I have tried to watch my sodium intake, although today I had some delicious soup with more sodium than I expected.... Oh well. So thinking of my four questions from a few weeks ago: 1. What do I want to happen? Some weight loss. 2. What do I need to make this happen? I need to do Simply Filling again, and to get in an extra cardio workout this coming week. Re Simply Filling: I'm amazed that I like this technique as much as I do.... and that I waited so long to try it! 3. Can I do this? Sure I can! 4. Will I do this? Yes! Speaking of workouts, this was my first week of doing the new routine --...

I met with my trainer after my meeting tonight, and we have changed up my workout routine for the next few weeks. It's another full-body workout and it is INTENSE. Just what I need to shake me up. I am debating whether to go back to Simply Filling to shake things up. This is going to sound utterly crazy, but I almost kinda sorta like the idea of sticking to the healthier foods and leaving the others behind. I don't mind asking myself, "Do I *really* want to 'waste' my precious points allowance on this?" Most of the time, the answer is no..... So if I don't do it this coming week, definitely the next one! But in the meantime, I shall continue to track diligently, work harder, be smarter and live fully. What more can you ask?

I'm down 2 pounds from this time last week! I promise, all that has changed is increased diligence to tracking. I may go back to Simply Filling again next week (when it rolls around), but I am glad that I am paying more attention to what I eat. Proper portions, following the Good Health Guidelines, making sure I write down all that I eat.... sure, it takes time, but I can't argue with the results! The one thing I need to do this week is to eat more veggies than fruit servings. This past week, it seems to have been the opposite -- not that fruit is a bad choice (I could be going face first into a bag of Doritos, right?). But my gut feeling is that more veggies would be even better. Last weekend, I baked a pumpkin for the very first time -- most of the time, pumpkin for consumption comes out of a can! "Real" pumpkins are for decorating! But roasting/baking this pumpkin was so easy. I pureed it and then put it in the fridge.... so I think I'll eat some of it tonight ...

What I did was to track more carefully. Doing Simply Filling is great, and I enjoy the emphasis on the healthier Filling Foods. But not *having* to track every little point I consumed .... well, I didn't get out of the habit of tracking, but I felt I needed to do a little better. So I switched back to tracking points again. And I'm glad: I needed a little more flexibility this week with a couple of days that were just jam-packed! I stepped on the scale tonight and I am within my range for weight goal this month. I want to get down a few pounds again, and so I figured careful tracking would help. It's been nice to be back on this aspect of Momentum again. One very nice aspect of the Simply Filling Technique is the emphasis on fruits, vegetables, lean meats/proteins, whole grains, fat-free dairy..... and so I am planning to keep that as part of my tracking. Who knows? I may find that I have a few points available here and there to "play" with too! So here's to d...

I just got home from the 2010 Race for the Cure. I paid a little extra for the timing strip (attached to my bib) and so my time is official and all.... 50:27 from gunshot. A minute-plus slower than last year. So I definitely did not hit my plan to do 45:00 or less, but I'm okay with it. This year's Race was at a new venue (Fluor Field) and a course that I'd never taken at other races from Fluor Field. I went down streets that I didn't know existed, but nice quiet neighborhoods. The residents came out to cheer us on, and I appreciated that an awful lot. And I am not lying when I say that half these streets were all uphill!!! All those hams and glutes that I've been pumping up over the last few months got quite a stretchout this morning! And I am feeling it already..... I am tired, but it's a great tired. It's the "tired" that comes from accomplishment, from a job well done. And this year, at the food court, they had fat-free Greek yogurt. It was all...

but I had a higher calling! No, really, I did..... This weekend was our women's Christ Renews His Parish retreat at church, and I was part of the team that presented the retreat. As part of that, I provided some treats for our breakfast on Saturday morning, and in the weekend's "Snack Lounge." Knowing some others on the retreat try to watch their calories/points, here's what I made: * 24 mini-muffins, blueberry (thanks to Krusteaz Fat-Free Blueberry Muffin mix) * 24 double chocolate mini-muffins * Pretzels, dips & lo-cal treats I did. It was good too. It was a wonderful retreat -- last time, when I was a participant, I went home renewed in spirit and body. This time, even though we worked like mad to make it all work, same thing: I thought I would be just exhausted but I am also renewed. And I will be paying for the goodies I consumed this weekend: I foresee a workout nearly every night this week!!!! AND, AND, AND............ my Race for the Cure on Saturday. ...

Today is Lose-a-Palooza Day for the Weight Watchers (R) Lose for Good campaign. I've put some information below, and I encourage everyone to check it out -- even if you're at your ideal weight or happy wherever you are on the scale. We're dropping pounds and raising funds ...... as well as giving hope and help. As I mentioned earlier, our center is doing a food drive for a local children's shelter. Plenty of other locations are doing the same -- food drives to help the needy in their area. One thing that we can all do is educate and advocate for healthier lives -- whether we do not have enough, or are blessed with so many alternatives that we hardly know what to do. Do your part today in your area!!!

Click on the link if you would like to learn more about Weight Watchers' LOSE FOR GOOD Campaign -- and remember, we can ALL do something to help the hungry at the same time we do better for ourselves!

The statistics are staggering: 1.6 billion overweight people in the world....... and 800 million people who do not have enough food. I can't begin to think how wrong those numbers are on so many levels. There shouldn't even be one person who never has enough food to sustain their lives. And it's sad to think there are twice as many people who may have more food than they need; granted, there is the whole dilemma of overweight people in poverty, who eat whatever is affordable regardless of the nutritional value (or lack thereof). They live in food deserts as much as those who do not have enough. Well, I'd like to let you know that Weight Watchers is in their 3rd annual "Lose for Good" campaign. Over the last two years, WW Members have lost over 8 MILLION pounds and donated more than 3 million pounds of food to local food banks in these 7-week campaigns. In addition, Weight Watchers, Inc. has donated at least $1,000,000 each year to Share Our Strength and Acti...

I weighed in this morning, and I was up a bit, but still within my window..... WHEW! I was a bit surprised, since I was about 3 pounds lower than that amount just yesterday morning. But I had sauerkraut last night... DOH! Sodium! Today, I went to a local orchard to pick up Honeycrisps -- one of my favorite types of apples! They also had Asian pears available, as well as peaches. Apparently, the peach season is running a little long this year; fine by me! I love peaches! Whenever I go to the grocery, the Asian pears are usually pretty huge, and in the past, I'd split them in half. These, however, are a little smaller -- and boy, are they ever juicy! Yummo!!! This week, traveling presented some interesting challenges: airsickness, "cocktail hour" (without the cocktails but with the appetizers), and trying to choose the best options possible when dining out. I am proud to say that I did the best job I possibly could, and felt very good about my choices. But even better, I wo...

Sorry for the lateness in posting; I was out of town on business most of the week. I will post more after today's weigh-in. But I'm glad to say that for the most part, business travel had some challenges, but nothing I couldn't face and handle -- and handle well, given the "fun" that transpired on Day 1. More to come..... after weigh-in, of course!

It has now been 3 weeks on Simply Filling Technique, and I am spreading the news with Billy Graham-like fervor. I was up ever so slightly (0.4 pounds; Oh woe is me....), but really, 8 pounds over 3 weeks is wonderful. I'm honestly amazed that it took me so long to try this method. It's really far easier than I expected it to be. And it's made me really stop and think, "Do I want that?" I find that a lot of times, the answer is "No, I'm not willing to use that many points for that." Anyway, the evangelistic zeal comes from hearing other people say, "I don't know how I can break this rut I'm in....." I have recommended it now to a couple of fellow Lifetimers who mentioned to me that they were stuck or had gone up despite all their best efforts. So I'm really hoping that they try it, and that it works just as well for them. I'm doing SFT again this week with a special twist: business travel. I will be leaving Tuesday afternoon ...

I followed the Simply Filling Technique for another week. I didn't really intend to, it just sort of fell that way ..... and I'm SO glad I did!!! I lost another 3 pounds this week. Ho. Lee. Molee. I am jazzed!!! This week, I am going to purposefully follow SFT for one more week. The next week, we'll see, since I will be out of town for a training session. It might actually work to my advantage to do Simply Filling that week as well, now that I ponder it. I wonder if it's the lack of stress from not having to worry about the point value of every little item, of not necessarily having to wonder about the measurements & weights ("okay, was that 3 oz of chicken or 4 from the restaurant ... oh drat!"). Yes, my food choices are a little more limited -- in the sense that I have to track the points if they're not on the Filling Foods list. But that makes me a little more cautious. With the regular Momentum plan, I could justify a splurge by saying, "Oh, I...

So what did a week of Simply Filling Technique get me? TRY 5.2 POUNDS DOWN. One word: Halle-freakin-lujah ! For the first time in a while, I'm actually below my goal weight. I'm so happy I could just about cry. But really -- what it got me was yet another alternative. I still have 11 points to spend for the week (ending tonight, that is), but I doubt I'll use more than one or two tonight. I can actually see myself doing Simply Filling for a week at a time, maybe not every week but rotating a week in once or twice a month. Or having maybe 4 days a week when I follow SFT more than Points. Now in a method that I definitely don't suggest adopting, I actually did this week of SFT with minimal planning. Bought enough fruits, frozen veggies, fresh veggies, and lean meats for a few meals, but I found ways to make it all work well. It was yesterday before I actually used rice or pasta as part of a meal! I thought at first those would be staples, and HOW was I only supposed to ha...

I'm actually kind of amazed. Today was Day 5 of the Simply Filling Technique experiment, and I am pleasantly surprised at how well I've done (Lord, don't let me jinx it by saying that....). No, I've stuck mainly to lean meats, fruits and veggies. Haven't even done brown rice or whole wheat pasta (though I did cook up some rice last night for Maddox's upset tummy). Having only 35 points for the whole week's made me pretty stingy about using them! So far, I have used just 13 -- and it's been on things like salad dressing or bread. The one thing that has been difficult is making recipes unless they're specifically from WW cookbooks and marked as either "Simply Filling" or "Core" (from the old books). I would love to be able to use the Recipe Builder and have it tell me "Yes, this is SF-friendly" or "Mm, sorry, that's X points." I guess it's when the majority of ingredients are SF, then it counts, but reall...

Here's the short story – up a little but with a good explanation: department luncheon meeting 2 hours before weigh-in. So it was an unofficial weigh-in; official one this weekend. And to try to do something different to get this weight down, I’m trying the Simply Filling Technique for a week – no tracking except for the non-filling foods I choose. For portion control, I will eat until I am satisfied – note: this doesn’t mean full as a tick or stuffed … it means, I could eat more but I’m good where I am. Now for the deeper thoughts ….. At my job, each morning I run a computer routine that triggers part of what I do in purchasing. This morning, it ran veerrrrrryyyy sssslllloooooowwwwwwly. While I was waiting on it to chug along, I visited WW e-Tools for more information on Simply Filling. In following one link, I saw a messageboard post from someone who is struggling with the idea of loving a “defective” body (she has some health issues and my heart really hurt for her…). And I can...

Okay, first the good news: I am down!!!! I didn't look at the exact decimal figure but it's over 2.0 -- WHEW!!!! Monday night, I was given the privilege of sharing my story with another meeting. I truly mean it when I say that I love being able to tell people that all things are possible. I enjoy sharing my ups and downs, and reminding others - and myself - that persistence pays, determination delivers, and that it isn't failure, it's feedback. I know that sounds like a trite phrase but it is TRUE. "So what did you learn from this?" is a question that needs constant answering. On Monday night, I shared a Chicken BBQ recipe with the group. My leader told tonight's group about it, and I have been asked to post it here --- GLADLY!! I love BBQ, no doubt. Had WW ever said, "Give up the pig" I would have been gone! But a local chain does chopped/pulled chicken as well -- very handy years ago when I was having gallstone issues!! And I love good mustard-...

.... is not just a song by Bruce Springsteen. Up this week. But I understood why. It's been a slightly off-kilter week. I've carbed way more than usual this week, and haven't watched my sodium as much. This one is on me. So guess what? So is the solution. Part of that solution was meeting with Dave The Trainer tonight and getting a new workout. The current workout is still working, but it was time to shake it up and do something new. There is something to be said for the concept of muscle confusion! Tonight's was Upper Body Giant Sets.... two smaller Supersets .... one for chest/upper back; one for upper shoulders/biceps/triceps. Right now, my arms are a little sore..... heh. I asked Dave if I was going to be able to grip a steering wheel tomorrow; he laughed and said, "Yep! You'll be sore tonight and fine tomorrow." We shall see. Then next week, we'll work on Lower Body/Core. Tonight's core exercises were .... a little less successful. But with pr...

It's been a while but the scale moved significantly in a lower direction. W.H.E.W. As it turns out, this week's topic was all about NSV's - non-scale victories. I've been living off NSV's for a while now. They are important, more important than we realize! The funny thing is, several times this week, I've had people asking me, "How much more have you lost?" When I tell them I've actually put a little back on, they're like, "But you look so thinner!" To which I say: THANK YOU DAVE!!!! Dave is the personal trainer who is working with me, his workout is killer ... and it works! My leader has encouraged us to write in our trackers, or on e-Tools, or somehow to actually write each day, at least ONE good choice we made that day..... So for Thursday, mine was being satisfied with my lunch -- enough so that I completely forgot about the WW Giant Latte bar that I'd had on my mind not even 30 minutes earlier. I had told myself that I would ...

Many years ago, Susan Powter wrote her "diet" book called Stop the Insanity! Somewhere, I think I still have a worn-out copy of it. And out of all the diet/nutrition/fitness books I owned, even though I never followed the plan, hers at least seemed to make sense to me. And I loved the title... Right now, it feels sometimes that portions of my life are just insane. And I need to stop as much of it as I can..... so last night at the meeting, I made the decision to change my goal weight, by bumping it back up. It was not easy to do this... oh, yeah, filling out the paperwork was, but I was so reluctant. It feels like defeat. It feels like cheating. It feels like my body is telling me, "You wouldn't listen to me, would you? Well, let me show you ..." Which is purely insanity, isn't it? It's rumored that Albert Einstein said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. So I've changed things up to...

I'm not dropping my basket (to use the phrase from the Ya-Ya book), but I am setting some of the contents down for a while. The stress of the last couple of weeks has finally gotten to me this week, and it showed especially in my weigh-in. For starters, I am not sleeping well at all..... you know those little "5-Hour Energy" shot drinks? Yeah, I've used a couple of those this week to make it through. On the good side (I suppose), they didn't quite give me the boost that the ads promise, so I doubt I'll be getting any of them again. And a couple of times when I needed to go to bed early to wake earlier than usual, I've used Nytol. Again, not good, and I know this. The weight gain is giving me grief, and last night as I cried a little from being up YET AGAIN (though only 0.2 pounds), even my leader said, "This is not worth the stress you're putting yourself under; we'll figure out what to do...." So here's my plan: 1. I have to stop wor...

Okay, I FINALLY got my test results back on Tuesday: everything is in normal ranges. For two of the tests, my scores were pretty much in the dead center. For the last, it was toward the lower end of normal but not so much so that it was cause for concern. I have answers, but I still have more questions. I was up at this week's weigh-in ... it wasn't entirely unexpected but really, can one blowout meal cause that much of a gain? No. I still think there is SOMETHING going on, and while it's not my thyroid, I don't know what it could be. But I have bigger fish to fry right now: my mother's health. She has been feeling puny (that's a Southern phrase) for about 2 weeks. She went to the doctor last week because she could not kick a feeling of nausea. It would just come in waves but never so strong as to actually make her upchuck. Just that awful feeling of "I'm gonna be sick, I'm gonna be sick, no wait, yes, no...." So the doctor gave her some Phener...

I have been able to rearrange my schedule in order to attend the 5:30 meeting on Thursdays. It's a different group, but they seemed very nice so far. And I discovered that one of the 5:30 members (who had been attending the 7:00 a while back) is moving to Europe on a 3-year transfer assignment. WOW! Lots of changes in store for her - and smart girl, she has already found where WW meets in the area to which she's moving! You go!!!! Sara, wishing you all the best, and please stay in touch! In fantastic news, my weight was down. Not by much -- 0.4 pounds -- but I will take every single ounce or fraction thereof I can get. It's nearly 2 sticks of butter gone! I made a real effort this past week to listen to my body's hunger signals instead of those little signals from my head..... the ones that say, "What a day! You've earned a little wiggle room...." or "Man, this workout is something else; you can eat a little more today." Well, no, not really - no...

I weighed in at work Saturday morning, and I’m more or less holding steady. Part of me is happy about that, since I had some binge-y moments this week. In reflection on those moments, I know how it happened. On Tuesdays, I eat dinner at work (4:30 PM) in order to make my schedule work for a committee meeting each week. I don’t like this, since I usually finish lunch around 12:30. 4:30 is a little too soon for a full meal. By 10:00, I’m starving and shoveling in whatever's not nailed down (and that’s even with snacks at the meeting). So now, I’ve decided that I will simply have to stop and pick up something on the way to the meeting and eat it then. I hate the idea of spending money instead of taking something from home, but you do what you have to. And this week, I tended to listen to my "head hunger" instead of my "body hunger." I wasn't really caring whether or not I was physically hungry, but wanting to satisfy my emotional hunger instead. I was letting m...

I'm not sure I have a lot of words of wisdom this week. I'm not feeling very wise. I'm not discouraged, but I am .... well, I'm not sure there's a good descriptor for it. Baffled. Angry. Inquisitive. Perplexed. Not-Quite-But-Awful-Close-to-Helpless. Determined. (For what it's worth, the one on the list that kills me is the "helpless" phrase.... don't even get me started on my absolute dread/dislike of "helpless"!! I don't believe we're ever without help, whether it's from others or divine assistance. Help is always there. But it's the only way I can really describe the feeling.) I am still up, weight-wise. This week, I used 25 of my 35 weekly extra points. I use those extra very infrequently, but I did this week. Was it too many? Not enough? I know that maintenance is ongoing and one of those constant experiments to see what may work and what may not. But I hardly think that using 5/7ths of those points was enough to send...

I'm someone who loves my sleep. I mean, I love sleep like a fat kid loves chocolate cake. Like the quote from Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood: "She used to say she could taste sleep and that it was as delicious as a BLT on fresh French bread." Even in elementary school, I had a late bedtime (compared to so many other kids) but my mother must have found it pure hell to try to drag me out of bed in the mornings. She asked, cajoled, threatened, demanded, and basically did whatever it took ...... my sleep needs simply didn't coincide with the demands of real life. Here I am 30+ years later, and nothing's changed. I cannot fall asleep before 11:00 but in order to accomplish everything I have to, I have to be up at 5:30 on a normal morning, 5:00 if I have to be at work at 8:00. No, I'm not kidding. Why 2 hours to get ready? You eat breakfast, unravel the leg bandages, roll them back up, hit the shower, dry off, put back on a pair of support hose, fix lunch (a...

After 4 years, it is the end of an era. I am losing my 7:00 meeting on Thursday nights. Several back-to-back meetings at various locations and centers are being consolidated, and this happens to be one of them. But oh my..... I've built so much of my schedule and my world around Thursday evenings being MY time. Right now, unless I can change my schedule to attend the 5:30 meeting, my only option is Sunday afternoons.... and really, do I want to weigh in after Sunday dinner? :D So I will do what I can to get to Thursdays at 5:30. To everyone who has been part of my life for those 7:00 meetings, I sure hope to see you soon. You have meant the world to me! **** Week 2 of the "Dave Workout, Plan One" ..... we upped the weight to a 15-pound dumbbell, and added yet another lifting/stretch thing to it. Oh. Em. Gee. I feel it this week in my abs and my shoulders/arms. It's still a good hurt. Strangely enough, I'm enjoying this. They have a word for that: masochism. :D

My personal trainer, that is. I started a new fitness routine this week. Medicine balls and twists. Dumbbells used as kettlebells. Learning to juggle (kinda sorta). Glutes & hams, with calf raises and lowers. Heavier weights than usual. Dave told me Monday night, "You are going to be sore tomorrow." Dave was wrong; I was getting sore 2 hours later!!! But it feels good . It is hard work that feels good to body and soul. Am I perfect, do I remember all the routine yet? No. And trying to do the routine in the mornings is tough because I only have so much time, but I do as much as time will allow, and I am finally at a point where my schedule is evening out. *** Last night, I had the opportunity to share a portion of my story at a WW meeting/open house. I really enjoyed getting to meet everyone, and hearing their stories and questions. If there's anything I want others to hear by sharing my tale, it's that there is hope, there is success, there is great joy in getting...

I'm reading the Geneen Roth book little bit by little bit. It's pretty deep, so I want to savor it and not just give it the speed-read treatment. In fact, tonight over dinner, I read more of it, and got just whammied by what I was reading. About paying attention to your body and to stop the obsessing (and get to what's really eating you instead....) This weekend, I experienced this for myself a little on Saturday night. I had a birthday party for a high school friend, and I didn't worry about the food. I ate what I wanted, to satisfaction, and earlier than my usual dinnertime. Amazingly enough, I didn't eat again until very late (just to have a snack before bed)..... I was very satisfied, to say the least. And I made it a point that I was going to count it against my weekly 35 points. I also worked out a little more this week, because I know I feel lousy when I don't. It is starting to pay off. I am down 1.6 from my official weigh-in, and only 2.8 to go in order...

I'm reading a new book, just in Chapter One right now, but it is quite an interesting premise: Geneen Roth's Women, Food and God -- about how the choices we've made with food (and other things) reflect our deepest core values and our spirituality. I cannot wait to keep reading it..... if I'm not dead asleep Sunday afternoon (after a pretty busy week and weekend), then I will be nose-deep in this book!

It is what it is. Yeah, I'm up. Not quite as much as February (oooh, a whole 6/10ths difference), but it's up. Oh well, weekly weigh-ins, here I come! So what do I do need to do differently to get this fixed and soon? Set a better schedule. The last couple of weeks have been a lot of curveballs and change-ups to my time frames. So that ends. Not only do I need to map out my day and eating plans to accommodate my new evening meetings, but my exercise as well. I've gotten off a good set schedule, and I need to get back. This will be a little easier once choir practice ends, so hopefully in about 2 weeks, I'll have a really good schedule set. Do more cooking. Another thing I haven't had time for, but really need to work on. I have new recipes to try out, and I can't wait!!! Figure out exactly (calorie-wise) what I should be eating each day -- not just the points, but the calories too. Points are a little different because I can use one point on something that...

I went on a much-needed retreat for women last weekend. I did not realize how desperately I needed a break from the everyday world, and just what sort of physical impact it would have on me. Knowing I was going to be busy with that all weekend, on Friday, I did a workout for my legs. This is important for later on...... I got up early Saturday, drove to the retreat, and -- oh my gosh, I can't begin to tell you about all the food that was there, and I proceeded to just enjoy myself with it. We were fed VERY well..... too well; not only were our bodies well-fed but our souls and spirits too. It was a beautiful weekend, with lots of emotion (at least on my part). I'm a pretty emotional person to start, so you know that means I will become a weepy mess pretty quickly. The stress of the last few weeks has honestly left me close to either a big ol' ugly outburst or a huge meltdown. But in the midst of all that emotional garbage, I found wonderful love and support from the women w...

"Not so fast, my friend....." I mentioned previously that I finally found some protein shake stuff at Vitamin Shoppe last weekend, and it was on clearance so, oh why not? I also stopped in at Wally World on Sunday and bought a nice little shaker/mixer thing -- "perfect for vinaigrettes, shakes, etc." (you see where this is heading, don't you?) I took the protein powder with me to work yesterday for a quick pre-workout boost. I even only used half the recommended portion, in part to control calories and also to see how I would like it. I mixed the powder with a cup of Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla almond milk. The verdict: the protein powder is at home again, where it will stay. One, I didn't like the taste. Had I used a whole portion, it might have been better. But also, my "perfect for..." mixer? Not so much. I had to open it a couple of times and stir. Perhaps the powder should have been sifted or something first? It might have been the unswe...

Okay, first....................... Some exciting news to report on the WW scene: a new location for our Clemson & Seneca area meetings!! Join us at the Heritage Point (a/k/a "Bloom") Shopping Center, on Highway 123 between Clemson & Seneca. We're actually right next to the Chinese restaurant in the center. If you live in the area, and you're interested in meetings at this location, just go to www.weightwatchers.com -- type in your zip code and look for the "Heritage Point" location in Seneca. After moving the East Clemson meeting's inventory and paperwork over, we started unpacking the Seneca paperwork and inventory. However, I had to take off before everything was finished -- I had an appointment in Travelers Rest yesterday afternoon. When that was finished, I headed to Vitamin Shoppe, since I knew they were having a sale. And I wanted to look into a few things. I don't know everything there is to know about nutrition, and especially perform...

Okay, I don't get political on this blog or any of my others, for that matter. I was a poli-sci major in college, and I would crawl if I had to in order to vote..... but otherwise, I don't delve too deeply unless it's a campaign season. Campaigning is another beast entirely - I love watching the tactics that politicians will use (read: depths they will sink to) in order to win. BUT..... no matter how you feel about the recent health-care legislation, one of the brightest shining provisions is the one requiring chain restaurants to post the calorie counts (if nothing else). Frankly, I wish they'd make them hand out a complete nutrition guide at the door, with fat, fiber, sodium, sugar, and a few other things listed..... but at least the calorie count is a starting point. And I love restaurants that WILLINGLY provide that information now. Regular readers know that I am totally kookoo for Jason's Deli, just because of the great information they provide and are willing ...