Weekly Weigh In

Quick little post from my Kindle. Weighed in yesterday at 192.5... so I GAINED a pound and a half since last week. I am not surprised. I had a majorn lapse in self control and basically went over my targetted calorie intake every day. I'm not sure why it happened, but I can tell you this: I had to lose nearly 15 pounds before I felt remotely thinner, But only had to gain one to feel like a big fattie... I inow it isn't true, though. I am not a big fattie. I am a girl who has still lost over 10 pounds, despite my recent gain. I can't let a bad week make me stop. That would be the worst thong I could do. So I accept last week as it was and focus my attention on the week ahead and all the possibilities it has in store...

Eating, eating, eating...

This has been SUCH a hard week for me.  The stress of trying to sell our house has been compounded by the baby not sleeping (she just cut a new tooth today) and all the usual house cleaning and summer music lessons.  I have really buckled under the pressure and have been eating everything in sight.  Snacking with reckless abandon has been my routine this week.  I suppose it had to happen sooner or later, I couldn't have TOO many great weeks in a row.  Frankly, I will be lucky and happy to maintain my weight this week.  Losing is probably not going to happen. 

As always, however, I am not giving up on my long term goals, and I'm not letting one rotten week spoil my drive or motivation to get healthy.  I will weigh in on Saturday, accept whatever the scale says, and turn the page in my planner to a new, fresh week.  Here's to hoping I can eat less tomorrow and reserve some dignity to bring to the weigh-in in 2 days. 

Dinner by Nick

Nick made dinner tonight, and he even took the time to figure out the caloric value of all the foods on my plate.  It was delcisious, wholesome, filling, and surprisingly low in calories.  AND beautiful!  (See picture above.)  Here is what he prepared for us: 

4 oz Swai filet - 90
1/2 cup of prepared Trader Joe's Harvest Blend Grain Mix - 170
1 cup Steamed Broccoli - 50
1 tsp oil for frying the fish - 40
1 tbsp flour to coat the fish - 35
8 oz red wine - 170

That works out to 555 calories for the entire meal, red wine included.  I thought it was such a great meal because it included whole grains, lots of fresh veggies, protein, healthy fats and oils, AND wine to boot. (um... antioxidants... yeah, we'll go with that as our excuse for drinking red wine.)  In addition, it was made with minimal processed ingredients.  Bravo, Nick, what a great meal.  Does this mean I have to cook tomorrow.... ;-)

Weekly Weigh In

 I weighed in this Saturday, and it was good news again!  I lost 2 pounds, bringing me down to 191.  I am very pleased with my progress.  As I mentioned last week, I seem to be on a roll and LOVING it.  After being stuck at 200 lbs. for weeks, this string of successes is so sweet.  I attribute my success to a few key factors:

1. JOURNALING!  Using MyFitnessPal has revolutionized the way I eat and exercise and balance my diet.  It is so very good to look back and see all that I ate during the day.  Its also fun for me, dare I say, to log my daily caloric activity. 

2. NOT GIVING UP.  In recent years I have often had a manic spell of weight loss motivation that shot out like a cannon but died within days.  My husband Nick could tell you how frustrating it was for him to stay supportive every time I would have a big idea, work hard for 2 weeks, then slowly give up and slip back into self loathing.  This time, however, I fought through the let down that comes after the "honey moon" of a new weight loss plan, and now I am experiencing real rewards.  And Nick stuck with me through it all, which brings me to my next factor...

3. SUPPORT SYSTEM.  Nick is an incredible man.  He fell in love with me when I was 150 lbs. and he has loved me through every weight gain and loss all the way up to my peak at 205 lbs.  He admits that it was hard for him to watch me put on so much weight and feel so sorry for myself.  Although I was the same woman he loved on the inside, I did change drastically on the outisde, and that was hard for us both!  However, Nick has not only loved me through it all, but also supported me and encouraged me and believed in me despite the dead ends I kept running into. I cannot tell you what strength that has given me.  In addition to my spousal support, I also find incredible support through my friends on MyFitnessPal, my faithful blog readers, as well as my sisters and parents.  No matter who it is in your life, you need someone who will love you enough to see past your weight gain but NOT see through it.  The people who truly love me never treated me differently because I was fat, but they never ignored the fact that I needed to make some changes in my life and get healthy.  That support has made all the difference. 

 

 So here we are, 4 months into this... 14 pounds down, 41 to go.  I continue to feel good and motivated and excited as my body takes new shape.  Just have to keep on trucking.  Thanks, as always, for being such an important part of this journey.

Track the calories BEFORE you eat them

Just a quick little post today with another quick little trick...

If you are able, when going out to eat, look up the caloric values of the food you intend to eat and log those calories BEFORE you eat them.  Try to plan your day around your big meal.  You may not be able to prevent yourself form going over your calorie goals, but you might be able to prevent yourself from totally and utterly blowing it. 

A couple of months ago I wrote about going out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory.  I though I was eating a healthy meal, only to look up the nutrition facts later on and find that my dinner 100 calories over my TOTALLY daily intake.  (YIKES!)  Tonight my husband and I went out to eat at the Olive Garden.  I decided to do it differently this time by looking up the nutrition facts and logging them before we went out to eat. By doing this, I was aware of what I was eating and planned my day around the big splurge that was coming.  YES, I still went over my alloted calories for the day, but only by about 200 calries instead of 900 that is typical when I go out to eat. 

The moral of the story is to think ahead, plan ahead, and prevent complete pig outs by being an informed and educated consumer. 

Alternative forms of Comfort

Here's my little trick of the day - if you are a person who tends to turn to food for comfort, try and find other ways to comfort yourself!  I know it sounds simple, but if you struggle with your weight and/or compulsive eating like I do, then you know how hard it can actually be.  Its taken me many years to find things that comfort me as much a a big slice of cheesecake.  Here are TOP FIVE WAYS TO BE COMFORTED, other than food, of course...

 1.  Coffee - nothing like a hot, delicious mug of coffee to make me feel cozy.  Tea also works.

2. Pajama Pants - Slipping into a comfy pair of pajama pants makes me feel like everything is going to be OK in the world.  I feel relaxed and cute in my favorite PJ's.  And for the record, pajama pants are not just for bedtime!  

3. Hoodie Sweatshirt - This comfortable pullover is best coupled with the pajama pants, or a good old, comfortable pair of jeans.  The feeling of being snuggled and secure in a big hoodie makes me feel like I am wrapped up in my security blanket.  I feel protected and comforted. 

4. Pedicure - I realize that you may not be able to do this anytime or anywhere, but when the time is right, a spa pedicure really makes me feel nice.  It is an excellent alternative treat, one that I often look forward to instead of food. 

5. Glass of wine - Now, I know that wine has calories just like food, but a 6 oz glass of wine, roughly 120 calories, is MUCH better than that 500 calorie slice of cheesecake I might otherwise reach for.  AND you can slowly sip your wine and enjoy it for a much longer period of time then a piece of cake that you might just shovel in.  If you are not one to enjoy an alcoholic drink, you may enjoy a sparking cider or some flavored seltzer water instead. 

I encourage you to find YOUR top 5 favorite ways to be comforted, other than eating, of course.  Make a list and post it on your fridge, so the next time you want to throw in the towel and graze, count to 10 and try something less calorific first instead.  Don't know what your top 5 are?  Try some of mine on for size and see if they bring you the same comfort that they bring me.  Whatever you do, try to realize that there are other ways of relieving stress and anxiety other than eating. 

Last Chance Workout

Sometimes its 9:30 or 10:00 at night and I am reviewing my day of eating.  I realize that I have gone over my allotted calories for the day.  This brings me to my little trick of the day - LAST CHANCE WORKOUT.  

If you ever watch the show, "Biggest Loser," you know that the contestants go through a very rigorous workout just a few hours before their weekly weigh in.  The call it the last chance workout.  The point is that it is never too late to burn some calories and try to improve your weigh in, even in the 10th hour.  Well, I think its never too late to burn some calories and try to balance out your calories in/calroies out ratio for the day.  As I've said time and time again, the only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume.  So if you consume too many, all you have ot do is burn more to balance things out. 

What do I do for my "last chance workout?"  Simple - walk.   I like to put the dog on her leash and take a walk around the neighborhood.  Sometimes I call a friend on the phone while I walk.  Sometimes I just walk in silence and think or pray or meditate.  Just 45 minutes of walking will usually burn enough calories to get me back in a good place.  If I don't feel like walking I sometimes go over to my parents house and swim in their pool for 20 minutes.  Cleaning the house for half an hour works too. 

So don't go to bed feeling sorry for yourself if you eat too much.  Just get up off the couch and burn some more calories and try to improve your situation.  Its never too late for a last chance workout.