Watching the Scale Go Down-Week 2 on Weight Watchers

This week, I lost another 1.5 pounds for my second week on Weight Watchers. Slow and steady wins the race.

This week I was a little concerned though. My regular routine was disrupted by having to attend two days of training in NYC. I knew this was going to mean having to make some hard food choices since these things are never an opportunity to eat well...just to eat whatever is handy. I did better than I thought I would, though. I skipped the bagels they provided in the morning and the cookies they set out in the afternoon. Ate breakfast before I left and made sure I had some fruit handy. But maybe because it was weighing so heavily (no pun intended ) on my mind, I felt like I was STARVING the whole day. It could be because my day started so much earlier. I had to eat breakfast at 6:30 before leaving the house to catch the train instead of my usual 8:30 (at my desk) And I'm certain that I drank a lot more coffee than I usually do (It was not what you'd call a "sit on the edge of your seat" kind of training so I needed a little help.) The good news is that it forced me to do a lot more walking that I typically do in my suburban life.

I've been wearing a pedometer lately so I can tell you that from my house to the World Trade Center where I got off the train... it was 1700 steps. But between walking to the building where my training was down near Wall Street and getting a little turned around on the first day trying to find the entrance to the train on the way back...I logged over 10,000 steps each day.

I guess that's one of the pitfalls of living a "get-in-your-car-to-go-everywhere" kind of life. When we lived in the city, I wouldn't have given it a second thought to walk anywhere. Now, it's a different story completely.

I also found this week that if I'm really good about eating the right things, drinking water and overall, staying on plan 95% of the time, then when I'm faced with those situations that cause me to stray, I don't have to feel like I just sabotaged my entire week.

This week could have been MUCH worse if I had just given in to temptation and convenience. But I am really proud of my restraint in choosing bananas over cookies and a hot pretzel (in the train station on the way home) over a Haagen Daz ice cream pop.

Happy 4th of July and stay tuned for less of me.

First Weigh In on Weight Watchers

I went to my first weigh in tonight and I'm proud to say I am down 1.8 pounds. I was really hoping it would be more. Every other time I've done Weight Watchers there's been this great jump start at the first weigh in.

I know. I know. One to two pounds a week is the best way to lose.

But I was pretty sure this first week was going to be more.

WAIT. What am I whining about? I followed the plan and it worked! Right??

So what did I do right and what could I have done better? I used WW's eTools to track everything I ate. It's a great tool and recording everything is truly key to keeping track of everything that goes in my mouth. I also found a great tool for looking up anything I don't find in the WW database. Check out www.nutritiondata.com to look up any food you can think of.

Write it down. It'll make a difference.

The goal this week is to get a little more exercise and see if I can step it up for next week.

Stay tuned for less of me.

Surviving McDonald's on Weight Watchers

Every dieter I know struggles with how to get through the weekends. I do ok through the Monday to Friday routine of eating at pretty much the same time every day. But with two small children at home, the weekends are typically a whirlwind of errands and social/ family engagements. Eating on the run and feeding the kids wherever we happen to be that will cause the least amount of drama often means choosing things that I would never choose if I was by myself.

Today...one daughter had a birthday party to attend so I promised the other one that we would do something together (of her choosing). This included lunch out and a trip to the park. So of course she picked McDonald's for lunch which sent me into a mild panic over how many points I would have to spend on lunch.

Much to my surprise, McDonald's is not the enemy. I chose the Southwest salad with grilled chicken and Balsamic dressing which I later learned was only 7 points. Slightly more than I might have normally spent on lunch but certainly not the off the chart point count that, say, a quarter pounder with cheese might have been. McDonald's is even nice enough to provide a handy little chart of nutritional content for the most popular items and a link to their web site to check out anything else on the menu. If you are curious, check it out here. Similar charts exist for Wendy's and Burger King.

It's not always easy to make the healthiest of food choices when out. And don't get me wrong. I am NOT suggesting that we should all run out and eat fast food every day and still expect to lose weight. But what I am saying is that on Weight Watchers, you can eat anywhere and still stay on plan.

Stay tuned for less of me.

Surviving Temptation in a High Carb World

Today's tip: Don't give in to eating peer pressure.

Yesterday, the women I work with all decided that we needed to go out for ice cream at lunch.

Uh-oh. Visions of creamy chocolate ice cream danced in my head.

I considered not going but I haven't been at this job long and didn't want to be standoffish. So, I decided to go with them and only get something if they had anything sugar free.

Of course they didn't. Plenty of "low fat" choices but nothing sugar free. UGH!

I got coffee instead (with Splenda!). And I'm damned proud of myself for it.

I decided that the idea of those size 8 pants in my closet was more exciting than the scoop of chocolate and peanut butter ice cream.

And that thrill carried me for the rest of the day.

The road not taken would have been me kicking myself for the rest of the day.

This tasted much better!

I Don't Need No Stinkin' Resolutions

The season of eating with reckless abandon is coming to end (thank goodness) and I've decided to get a jump start on the New Year. Rather than waiting for New Year's Eve to come up with some lame resolution like:

• This year I'm going to lose weight. (who doesn't say that EVERY freakin' year?) or

• This year I'm going to exercise every day. (as if THAT's ever going to happen?)

Nope. This year, I'm starting NOW (did you hear me?)

I know that I am not alone if I say that I let the holidays get the best of me. Or, that I have paid the price. Too much sugar and starchy things...(but mostly sugar) has added 10 pounds to my "post cruise" self. So before those 10 become 20, I'm shaking myself out of my sugary haze and starting fresh. (again).

I briefly considered signing up for one of the membership based diet sites like eDiets or South Beach but in the end, I couldn't bring myself to plunk down any amount of money on my credit card (which is still smokin from the battle scars of December in a dual faith household). There's just too much FREE information out there to support the diet plan of your dreams.

Yesterday, I just jumped right in with both feet determined to use my knowledge for good. I'm relying on what I know has worked for me in the past and the daily scouring of my fellow bloggers wisdom. For tracking, I went back to Spark People to log my food and exercise. (It's FREE, FREE, FREE)

It's Day 2 and I already just plain feel better. Sluggishness...BE GONE!

And soon those 10 pounds will be too... and maybe a few of their friends as well.

I am back! Stay tuned for less of me.

It All Counts

Creep. Creep. Creep.

That's the sound of extra pounds magically appearing when I have banished them from my body.

UGH.

Admittedly, I have been struggling the past month or so with staying on track but today the scale jumped into the 150's as if by magic.

OK, maybe not magic.

Have I been careful about what I put in my mouth? NO.
Have I consistently tracked what I'm eating? No.
Have I been exercising regularly? No.
Have I been sneaking an Oreo here and there? Sadly...Yes.

So who is to blame but me? No one.

Which got me thinking about those universal truths about dieting.
If you don't write it down it doesn't count.
If no one sees you eat it, it doesn't count.
If you eat standing up it doesn't count.
If you just have a "taste" it doesn't count.
If you eat it straight out of the box/jar/container it doesn't count.

IT ALL COUNTS.
Even if you are standing at the counter. Or eat if off your child's plate so it doesn't go to waste. Or in this case it just goes to "waist"

It counts on the scale whether someone saw you eat it or not.

It counts if you eat the Oreo out of the bag in the fridge...especially when you dip your hand in there repeatedly during the day.

It counts if you just put the spoon straight into the jar of peanut butter or (worse) the pint of ice cream.

And it counts if you eat those nuts by the handful...or two or three.

Am I alone in this or have a struck a nerve?

So before my weight takes off like a runaway train, I'm going to start with a few new universals.

This week, I will eliminate those "special foods" that I know are a trigger for me to over do it. Peanuts, Peanut Butter and of course, the dreaded Oreos. (This week's shopping trip will include cookies for my kids that I can stay away from.) I know that if I can just stay away from those three things, then I will have a successful week and get back on track.

And that is really what it is all about. Staying on track and accepting the fact that I am not perfect and will occasionally have to kick myself in the head to be reminded of that. My new favorite blog over at Cranky Fitness, had this to say about that. She's a scream so check it out.

What are your trigger foods? And what do you do to stay away from them?

GOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!

Today I reached goal and I am just beside myself with joy!

In just about 4 months, I have gone from 177 to 139.5. From a size 14 (squeezing into a 12) to a size 6. I have NEVER been a size 6.

37.5 pounds GONE FOREVER thanks to a low carb life.

If you've been following my journey, you know that I leave on vacation tomorrow which was the immediate motivation for my quest for the single digit size. And there is no doubt I've reached that goal. But more than the weight loss, I have to admit I've undergone a transformation in other ways.

First, besides what it says on the scale, my shape has changed in ways I didn't expect. My face is visibly slimmer, my midsection seems flatter and more toned and while I've always thought of myself as a busty girl... I can now shop at Victoria's Secret because I'm actually a size they carry. This, I think, was nearly as shocking as the single digit dress size. I went from a 38DD to a 34C in 4 months. Not a place I expected to lose but hey, it's all gotta come from somewhere, right?

I've gone from eating whatever was handy to actually thinking about what I was putting in mouth and taking vitamins daily. Low carb eating keeps my Insulin Resistance in check and prevents my blood sugar from crashing by keeping those levels steady throughout the day.

I spend a fair amount of time reading the blogs and websites of other low-carbers hoping to pick up tips (which I do). And in the process, they have all inadvertently offered a level of support and encouragement that I never got anywhere else.

A month ago I actually took up some exercise. This was no easy feat 'cause I am LAZY. Ok, maybe lazy isn't the right word. More accurately, I have other priorities and figuring out where I was going to fit exercise has never been one of them. But rationally, I knew that if I really wanted to get the rest of the weight off, I was going to have to get my butt in gear somehow. So for all you couch potatoes out there...do something. Anything. I inherited a Fitness Flyer and the first week I committed to 10 minutes a day, every day. Then I worked up to 15 minutes. Now I'm up to 20.

So I'm not running a marathon anytime soon but it's something. And I've only missed ONE day since I started (and that was due to a business trip).

The bottom line is low carb eating works for me in a way that no other program ever did. I have more energy which is partly due to how I'm eating and partly due to my 5'3" frame not struggling to carry around 37.5 extra pounds.

Perhaps my initial motivation was the trip but my continuing motivation will be to stay this size because a size 6 feels wonderful.

And this time I will NOT be the fat girl in the cruise pictures.

Tomorrow, I'll get on a plane to Florida and gather with my family before we take off on our cruise. I have not seen my Dad and brothers since months before I started my low carb program. I have also not told them about my journey. I am looking forward to their reaction almost as much as the trip itself... almost.

Have a great week, everyone. I hope to see less of all of you when I return. ;)

Carribean Cruise vs. Low Carb Eating: Is success possible?

I know I can't be the only one on a low carb program who is taking a cruise this summer. And anyone who has been on a cruise knows what an overabundance of food there is at every turn.

You can literally eat yourself into oblivion 24/7.

Needless to say, after all of my hard work, I'm working myself into a bit of a frenzy over striking a balance between enjoying myself and not undoing all my hard work.

I've pretty much decided that I'm not going to deny myself anything that I REALLY want. But I also don't want every meal to be an invitation to overdo it.

So can it be done? Can I make good choices so that those "special" meals or treats are truly special? What can I do to offset the straying from my normal eating routine that is just plain bound to happen? And what consequences am I willing to live with so that I'm not at square one when the trip is over?

First things first. YES it can be done. I found this article from Cruise Traveler's magazine which has some great tips for staying on track even when surrounded by the temptation of a cruise. Most of this was stuff I already knew from my cruising experience but it was great to see it all in one place and remind myself that it's not impossible.

My plan is this:

• I will make good food choices whenever possible.
• I will stay away from high carb foods like bread, pasta and potatoes.
• When drinking, I will stay away from the fruity drinks that are full of sugar.
• I will allow myself to indulge in ONLY those foods that represent an experience that I cannot get anywhere else.
• I will not eat dessert every night just because I can.
• I will make every attempt to get to the gym on board several times during the week. (REALLY!)

Consequences:

• I am prepared to come back a few pounds heavier than when I left.
• I will not let it discourage my success after the trip.

And finally, I am determined that whatever extra weight I come back with will not give me an open invitation to gain it all back.

I will keep this single digit size long after the cruise is over.

If you've taken a cruise while on a low carb program, I'd love to hear from you and hear about how you faced these challenges.

Stay tuned for less of me.

20 Percent

Two big pieces of news today.

One...I'm down another pound bringing my grand total to 35.5. And I'm obviously ecstatic about that.

Another pound and a half will put my BMI in the normal range. Yea, believe it or not, despite my new size 6 figure, those darn BMI charts still say I'm overweight. Go figure. Something is sick and wrong about that, dontcha think?

Another pound and a half also brings me to my original goal weight of 140.

Ideally, I'd really like to get to 135 so I feel like I've got some cushion....and because it would give me a big thrill to be in the 130s. Most of the ideal weight charts I've seen seem to want to put me in the 130s as well.

But, the other big news for the day is that with today's results on the scale, I can say that I have dropped 20% of my body weight. How incredible is that? Unbelievable if you ask me.

One more note... I'm re-reading Atkins for Life again. It the quest for a low carb life, I think you have to just keep reading, keep picking up tips because there is always something to learn.

Stay tuned for less of me.

Today's Epiphany

One week to go.

One week until I put my skinnier self on a plane and head to Florida for the trip I've been looking forward to and working towards for months.

And as I've mentioned before, I've been struggling with these last few pounds and I've come to accept that I may not get to that goal weight by next Thursday. I'm 2.5 pounds from it as of this morning. I'm watching what I eat and drink. I'm mixing things up so as to not fall into a rut and I've actually been (GASP) exercising. Last week was my first week using my inherited Fitness Flyer. I started out with 10 minutes a day...every day. I missed one day when I went to Boston but got right back on the next morning. This morning, as I close out the second week on the Flyer, I'm now up to 20 minutes. A true accomplishment from this self proclaimed couch potato.

But whether I hit that magic number by the time I step on a plane isn't the issue... because what is different THIS TIME as opposed to any other time, is that it is NOT just about losing the weight for this trip. It must be about losing the weight and keeping it off forever.

So what has changed?

Aside from making real life altering changes in the way that I eat and life altering changes in the way that I approach food in general. I've come to recognize that it is my responsibility as a wife, mother, daughter and friend to take care of myself. And that isn't easy. It's EASY to go to the fridge and put the first thing your hand touches in your mouth. And it's EASY to order dessert when you go out to dinner. But it's HARD to accept the responsibility for my actions if I take the easy way out.

And how can I expect to be an example to my daughters if I take a "do as I say not as I do." attitude?

I set out on this journey (this time) with that quest for the single digit size...but to be honest, I don't know that I 100% believed that I would get there. I had tried so many times before and fallen short. But I kept plugging along....and will continue to do so (beyond this glorious vacation). No one... and I mean NO ONE is more surprised than me at my success to date. At the ripe age of 42, am I finally showing some maturity and some responsibility for my actions?

I mean really? Whose fault is it that I was 177 pounds? Nabisco's? Breyers? Oh, I know, McDonald's!? Of course not. The fault was mine because I took no responsibility for what I put in my mouth. I blamed the food I ate for what it did to my body. I blamed the clothes in my closet for not fitting right. I blamed the fashion industry for not making clothes I liked in my size.

But in the end, it was no one's fault but my own. And I am certainly not saying it is easy. Everyone one of us who struggles with their weight...truly STRUGGLES with their weight and knows that it is HARD.

But keep going.

If you are struggling, keep going! The end result is SO worth it.

Stay tuned for less of me.

Low Carb Challenges When Out of Your Comfort Zone

I'm fortunate that I don't have to travel often for work. But about once a month, I find myself spending a night or two in a nice hotel in Boston. (which is where I am as I type this). Traveling is mostly a hassle but even more so when you are watching your carbs. As we know, convenience food is typically wrapped in bread or sugar.

I usually travel by train (which takes about 3 hours) and there is a cafe car but like airplane food, it's not exactly low carb friendly. So, I tried to be smart about it and packed in my purse some low carb bars and some carb friendly trail mix.

Then I actually had a salad on the train and didn't have to dig into those snack bars at all...but I sure was glad I had them.

So it's not impossible to stick to the program even when out of your comfort zone of your own refrigerator. Not easy. But not impossible.

Tonight, I'll head out to dinner with a co-worker which is a challenge whenever a restaurant is involved. but I was able to check out the restaurant's web site and was thrilled to see all the broiled steak, grilled chicken and lots of fish. I'll let you know how well I do.

Also as little side note, since I tweaked my program, I've been struggling a little with appropriate carb, fat and protein levels. I completely expected my weight to fluctuate while in this transition phase. I went up and down all week and ultimately landed a half pound more than last Thursday. I'm not worried though. A few things are contributing to it, I'm sure. First, I'm so close to goal so I know my body is settling in... plus there's the adjustments in my diet, some bloating, and perhaps my daily efforts on my Fitness Flyer. (humor me and tell me the part about muscle weighing more than fat.)

We leave on our trip in exactly two weeks. I'd like to lose just 5 more pounds by then and I will do my best to get there!

Stay tuned for less of me.

Event Driven Goals

I seem to spend a freakish amount of time reading blogs lately. I'm fascinated (and perhaps a little obsessed) with the morsels of fact and opinions that I get from my fellow bloggers. Especially my fellow low carb bloggers. So, today I read a post by Deb over at Confessions of a Jersey Girl about the whys of weight loss and she made a comment about event driven goals.

Hmm.

Have I ever successfully dieted without an event driving it?

Let's see.

NOPE.

The last time I lost 40 pounds low carbing, it was for my 20th high school reunion. I was one of the planners of the event so choosing not to go wasn't an option. And you know how things like that are. Afterwards, all anyone remembers is which girls got fat and which guys are losing their hair. If you've ever been to a reunion, you know that I'm only exaggerating a little.

In any case, I was determined not to go to the reunion in a size 16 dress (as if we wear the dress size on the OUTSIDE of the dress, right?). So in January of that year, I set out on Atkins and by November I had taken off 40 pounds as was down to a size 10....Where I stayed for about 5 minutes before I went back to eating the way I'd eaten before. Not immediately. But a little bit here, a little bit there and before I knew it, 30 of those 40 pounds had crept back on.

So fast forward a few years to this year and the now-infamous cruise I'm going on next month. Once again, my motivation for this life change was not being the fat girl in the family cruise photos.

And I jumped back on the low carb bandwagon. It worked before, it can work again.

I had that date circled on the calendar as the driving force to "get there" by THAT DATE.

OK, so don't get me wrong. I am jumping-out-of-my-skin-happy that I've taken off these 33 pounds. But I have a number in my head that I'm trying to reach and that would mean losing another 7 pounds (or at least 5 more) in the next 2 weeks. And rationally, I know that may not happen.

So am I a failure for not reaching my "event driven" goal?

Of course not. (she says with some conviction).

But I sure feel a little like one. And even as I type those words, I know how RIDICULOUS it sounds to even THINK that.

I mean I've lost 33 pounds. THIRTY THREE. And even if I don't lose another ounce before the trip, I can proudly say that I lost 33 pounds and went down nearly 4 dress sizes. I am thinner now than I think I've been my entire adult life. I have more energy and feel like I am closer than I've ever been to the size I'm supposed to be.

But the true test of my success will not be the weight I've lost to get here but how well I keep it off after my trip. And that's the event we should all be driving towards.

Stay tuned for (a little) less of me.

Before and After

I'm continuing the keep both blogs for a while but I just posted my before and after photos over there and I'm too lazy to reformat them again over here. Please check them out if you are interested in my progress.

I am continuing to tweak my low carb program. I can no longer really say that it is strictly Kimkins but it's also not quite Atkins either. Perhaps I need to just wean myself off one onto the other. Or perhaps there is some gray area in between that will be the right combination for me. I increased my calories and fat content and hope to get down to 142 by the end of the week. We'll see.

In the meantime, I continue to scour the web looking to pick the virtual brains of other low carbers and gain some insight for the long haul. I've found some great resources that I will continue to add to the links on the right. Check them out if you too are looking for answers. And take a look at that "before" picture and you will see what happens when I forget the low carb lifestyle. It's not pretty.

I think perhaps I need to carry that picture around in my wallet or post it on my fridge as a constant reminder of what will happen if I get sloppy.

In the meantime, stay tuned for less of me.

Defining Diet Success

Note: I'm double posting this entry on both blogs because I feel it's relevant in both places.

It seems that I may indeed have reached my goal of the single digit size despite not yet having reached my goal weight.

As I mentioned in the last post, I can now fit into a pair of size 8 shorts but I was skeptical (surprise, surprise) that this was really my size. After all, women's sizes being what they are...is one size 8 the same as another?

And since I didn't think I owned anything else in an 8 to make a fair comparison, I figured that I would just keep doing what I was doing until the last of the weight came off. Hmm.

But I found a pair of jeans buried in my closet that I swear must be 15 years old. They are undoubtedly my "skinny" jeans. The labels inside is from the Limited and says size 7/8. Good Lord, when was I EVER a 7/8?? But I do recall wearing them and I suppose I've held onto them all this time as the measurement of "if I could only get into these..."

But I did...and without effort.

So does that mean that I am done? I honestly don't think so. I still feel like I want/need to lose 5 or 10 more pounds. I'm weighing in now at 144.5...down from the 177 that I was in early April. I'd really like to get down to 135-137 and then settle somewhere around there. I know it's only a number but I'd really like to get below 140 and stay there.

Decisions. Decisions.

I set out for the single digit size. And now I'm here. But obviously that 's just not good enough. I want that bit of cushion before I settle in on what my lifetime goal weight will be.

So stay tuned for (a little) less of me.