Well, I haven't posted in a while, although I haven't fallen off the WW wagon. I went on a trip to my sisters house, and had the adventure of doing WW while traveling for 22 hours in a van.

My best suggestion for eating healthy while traveling is this...take a cooler. The day before we left, I grilled up a huge batch of skinless boneless chicken breast in three flavors. Italian, buffalo wings and fajita. I packaged it, in ziplock bags, in 2 ounce packages. We took a bottle of light done right ranch and a bottle of blue cheese for Sean, and I pre packaged salad in reusable containers. That worked great for meals, and then for snacks we had a lot of 100 calorie snack packs, ziplock bags with a cup of grapes each, and baby carrots. (Keebler has come out with 100 calorie packs of tiny shortbread cookies with fudge on the back. They are wonderful) All of the 100 calorie packs that I have tried come out to 2 pts a piece, so while they are okay as snacks they are not as point friendly as fruits and vegetables.

Since we drove straight through, I probably used food as a way to stay awake more than I should have. And then there were temptations at Jodis house that I don't have here, and I did have a cookie and a baklava or two. The worse veer off the path though came on the way home, when we stopped at Shoneys to eat because we could not find an Applebees anywhere. (Next time, I will look up locations before we leave the house, so we will know where to stop) Anyway, Shoney's was having a seafood buffet. If I had stuck with the baked fish and shrimp and crablegs, I would have been fine, but I tried a bite of this deep fried white fish. One thing you learn in weight watchers is that is okay to try a bite of something. The operative word being, BITE. One bite led to three peices. I just did not do well at all. Next time, if faced with that situation, I will not have any of that at all.

The good thing is, though, that we went to the Smithsonian, and then walked to the Washington Monument down to the front of the White House, and then to a distant metro stop. I probably walked 4 miles that day. And when I weighed in that Tuesday after we got home, I had lost 4 lbs!

So I have lost 25 lbs! I only lost .4 lbs this last week, because of Christmas. At least this Christmas, I did not give myself the ok to eat everything I saw. I did eat cookies and candy (Mom always sends homemade candy for Christmas, and I didn't have the heart to tell her not to send it. Next year, though,(if she sends candy again) we may keep the candy somewhere else besides in the house.) As people have pointed out, I did indeed lose weight at Christmas, even if it was just .4 lbs.

So I have about 1.5 lbs to lose to get to my 10% goal. To have lost 10% of my original body weight really is exciting. I hope I reach the goal this coming Tuesday!

Well, I don't think I posted about my Weight Watchers meeting last week. I had lost 3 lbs. last week. With the 3.8 that I lost this week, I am now under 250 lbs!! I only have 4.6 lbs to lose to have met my 10% goal. Losing 10% of your weight helps lower your risk of diabetes, blood pressure and heart diesease. I still have a long way to go, but I really feel like it's possible. I just have to keep doing the right things, I guess.

The best thing about being under 250, though? I weigh less than it says on my driver's license, which I fibbed about when I got it!

My last weigh in was a little slower than previous. I lost 1 lb. Despite my best efforts, the scale here at the house seems like it hasn't budged in the last 2 weeks, so I don't know what's going on. I really wanted to have lost 20 lbs. by the time I went to visit Jodi, and it doesn't seem like that is going to happen. I also have a goal to be at 245 by New Years. When I sat the goal it seemed easy, now I'm not so sure. I just have to keep doing the exercise and stay on program like I have been. If I keep it up, there is no way I can stay at this weight forever. Just have to stay on program, and make better choices.

Anyway, Thanksgiving went well. The Pecan Pie recipe that I found where 1 slice was 6 pts. was wonderful. I only had one serving of everything, including the pie. I had to use some flex points towards the end of the day for my salad with turkey, but was still well on program and I didn't over eat. So I'm happy I got through that and now am making a plan for my trip to Jodi's.

The War Room

Thanksgiving is coming up fast, isn't it? One of the things that I was most worried about when I joined weight watchers was 'what in the world am I going to do about Thanksgiving and Christmas?' Two of my favorite days, simply because I love to cook things, and have other people rave about how good they are. Yes, pride is a sin too. This year things are going to have to be different, at least how I prepare the dishes I traditionally do is going to have to be different. Hopefully, things will still be good though. I'm going to have to do a test run on the pie and the stuffing this weekend.

Usually I am responosible for the same things every year, and thankfully, they are the things that I needed some control over this year. I can't figure out how to fix the bread recipe, but I can have one roll I think, and stay within my points.
Classic Bread Stuffing 3 pts
Deviled Eggs made with fat free mayo-1 pt
Pecan Pie-6.5 pts-recipe found about halfway down the page. I'm planning on eating a thing half size slice, for 3 pts.
Stuffed Mushrooms- 4 mushrooms=2 pts-may have to modify this a little, but it will make the points less
Rolls-my recipe, haven't figured the pts on that yet.
AuGratin potatoes- 3 pts-recipe is farther down the page than the pecan pie.
Mashed Potatoes-Regular mashed potatoes, made with 2% milk, are only 2 or 3 pts regularly. We will have one kind of potatoe or the other.

As to what else will be there, I know that I will have turkey (1 slice or 2 oz, 2 pts). We also found a recipe for green been casserole. That is 1 pt for 1 serving. My MIL cooks for low points, so I'm not worried about what she is cooking.

So anyway, that's my plan. Everything I want to eat will be a total of 18 points. So a regular breakfast of oatmeal will be 5 pts, Thanksgiving dinner. That leaves me 7 points for dinner. If I exercise that morning, I'll let myself have a whole slice of pie, and that should be a good day!

It's good to have a plan.

Well, another good weight in this week! I was down another 2.6 lbs, bringing me to a total of 13.6 pounds lost! There is no doubt the program is working, and while I have had a few days where I was just overwhelmed by the amount I have to lose, I am just really glad I have started, I'm on my way! Clothes that used to be snug are fitting better, and clothes that used to fit are now loose. I have had to retire three pairs of pants, and the bras I bought that started this whole journey are getting a little loose as well. It's just so exciting to be getting somewhere with this.

I have discovered an exercise program that I kind of like, the Walking Away thePounds series. At first I thought they were going to be hokey and way too easy, but I was wrong. The leader can defintely get on my nerves, but those work outs really make my hips joints burn. THe one mile walks are a little easy, but the two mile walks are torture on my hip joints. So I guess I shouldn't have been so quick to judge, LOL. The other series I have been doing, The Firm, is a lot harder than I can keep up with, so I do as much as I can and modify what I can't. I can do the weight lifting, but the step and aerobics portion move much too fast for me. I'll get better though. I told my husband I look like a rag doll during the aerobics, my arms and legs move completly seperate from each other and I look nothing like the skinny things doing the workouts. Coordination has never been my strong suit, so I guess it isn't surprising.

Till next time,

A quote I found that really speaks to me....it's spiritual food.

Suggestions for Fasting and Feasting:

Fast from discontent; feast on thankfulness.

Fast from worry; feast on trust.

Fast from anger; feast on patience.

Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.

Fast from
unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayers .

Fast from bitterness; feast
on forgiveness.

Fast from discouragement, feast on hope.

Fast from media hype,
feast on the honesty of the Bible.

Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful
silence.

Fast from problems that overwhelm; feast on prayer that undergirds.

--Anonymous

We live in a world that prizes physical beauty above all else. Television and the movies are full of people who are almost perfect physically, portraying characters that are morally flawed, and that is celebrated. It almost seems that the worse the actions of the character, the more beautiful the actress or actor must be, as if the physical perfection will cancel out the spiritual flaws, so that the ugliness of the actions can be laughed off. In real life, actors and actresses are placed on pedestals. It is always funny and sad to me that every election season, actors and actresses start trying to tell us how to vote, and the media acts like we should care. Does their physical beauty make them smarter or more important than the average American?

This has extended into our real lives. One example that sticks out to me is of the high school teacher who was having an affair with one of her teenage male students. She was beautiful and fit, and in the end, recieved at most a slap on the wrist for what was obviously wrong behavior. It was if her beauty made her crime negligible. It seems sometimes that living a law abiding and decent life is made fun of, but you better be thin and pretty, because being overweight or unattractive is now the cardinal sin.

People seem to forget that no matter how fit you are, how fast you can run, how many pounds you can lift, what size dress you can fit into; you are going to die. When you do, it will no longer matter how physically fit you are. What will matter is this. Were you spiritually fit? And I think that that is really what scares people; why so many millions of dollars are spent in this country on weight loss and fitness and beauty. People are afraid to die because no matter how much they jump up and down and scream and yell that there is no God, there was no Jesus, it doesn't matter how you live your life; deep down, maybe so deep down they don't even have to acknowledge it, they know better. Let's face it, the only way to live forever doesn't come through excercise and diet, it comes from knowing and believing in Jesus

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For
God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
through him might be saved. --John 3:16-17

As important as being physically healthy and fit is to me, it isn't the most important thing to me. I know as far as I go to being physically fit, I still have a far greater way to go to being spiritually fit. I need to pray more, read my Bible more, praise more, talk about Jesus more. I need to tell them, you know, yes, I sin. Everyday I sin. I know it, God knows it. But I also know Jesus, and He forgives me.

Spiritually, It's not about being perfect, it's about being forgiven. Spiritual fitness is so much easier than physical fitness because all it takes is one prayer. Forgive me, Jesus, come into my heart and make me whole.

Losin' It

Well, another Tuesday, another weigh in. I know I should be filled with dread everytime I have to weigh in, but I'm not. I go to each meeting really excited because I know I am doing well. Tonight I was down another 3 lbs, which puts me at 259. I have lost 10.6 lbs since starting Weight Watchers. This is still all kind of new, so I keep waiting for the voice telling me, "it's okay, have this or have that" But it still hasn't shown up. I have to thank God for that, because it has to be a God thing. I have never ever started a weight loss program and stuck to it before. I haven't ever felt like I could. I know I haven't changed on my own, but I just have no desire to eat like I did before I joined Weight Watchers. I'm going to keep praying for His help and His strength, because I know I don't have that kind of strength inside of me except through Him.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be
thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is
everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. --Psalm
100:4-5

I did much better at weigh in tonight! I lost 4.8 lbs in the last week, bringing me to 262. The whole number that I have to lose is almost overwhelming, so I am just going to concentrate on 5 lbs at a time. That is so much easier to face.

Well, Halloween was tonight. I knew that all that chocolate was going to be a huge temptation, so I bought a box of CocoaVia bars. I had a two dollar off coupon, so it was a little more reasonable. One bar is only 2 pts. I had half the bar with lunch, and then put it up and had the other half while the kids were sorting through all their candy at the table. The desire for an Almond Joy or something peanut buttery was strong, but I didn't eat it. I didn't really want it, it was just such a habit to have some of the kids candy.

Anyway. I feel much better than I did last week after weigh in. I know that a huge loss like that isn't going to be typical. Shouldn't be typical, if you want to lose weight and take it off. But it sure felt good!

Firm Intentions

I ordered an exercise system today. I waffled on it for quite a while. Part of me kept saying, You really need to be serious about this. The other part, sadly enough, kept saying..You know you aren't going to stick with an exercise program. This is a waste of money.

Now, I have been exercising everyday except Sunday since I started Weight Watchers. I get up, I go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, take my vitamin and blood pressure medicine, and then exercise before I ever leave my room. So why would I think, as committed as I have been to this, that I wasn't going to stick with an exercise program. As soon as I became aware of what I was thinking, I ordered the program. I am determined not to fail this time, I just am. I am not letting a thought like that persist.

I did really well on the program this weekend. I made sure I ate "real" food, nothing processed or salty. The scale has been dropping dramatically this week, so I am really looking forward to weigh in tommorrow. More then.

Weigh In was tonight, and I only lost .2 lbs. Other than Sunday, I had done really well, so it was a little dissapointing, but at least it was a loss. I know this program works, and I have to do something. Even a .2 lb loss every week is better than staying here where I am.

I am looking into exercise programs and trying to figure that mess out. There are a lot of options out there, and it all sounds like Greek to me, LOL. I'm sure it is just going to take a little research.

Well, I felt wildly out of control with my eating yesterday. I didn't technically go off the weight watchers program, but I used most of my flex points yesterday. I think I got off track right from the beginning. I wanted something different for breakfast, so instead of having cereal with yogurt or oatmeal, I had some toast, two baked hash brown patties and some wonderful hot chocolate, which was only 3 points. It was a low points breakfast, but it didn't really stick with me through lunch. I had a salad for lunch, but by then, I was in a munchie kind of mood. My MIL had brought over some WW snacks for me to try, and I ate most of them yesterday. All within my points range, but then I didn't have any points left for dinner, and used some of my flex points. That is something I try not to do, I know it is on program, but it feels like cheating. Also, the snacking did not fill me up like a salad or vegetables or something substantial would have.

In the end, I ate a lot, and none of it left me feeling satisfied. So I planned last night to be much more moderate today. I had oatmeal, with dried fruit and sunflower seeds for breakfast (4 pts), 2 cups of stirfried vegetables and cabbage with garlic, ginger and soy sauce for lunch (1 pt for the tsp. of olive oil I stirfried it in) and I have had a snack of a mini flatout, 7 slices of turkey pepperoni, and 1/2 oz. of part skim mozzerella (3 points, and much better than any of the two point WW "snacks" I had yesterday).

I know I wasn't technically off the program yesterday, but I feel much more satisfied and in control today. I have to remember that I don't want to have to loose this weight twice. Anytime I lose control and just eat anything available, I risk that possibility. I have to be in control, not let the food control me.

My weigh in at Weight Watchers tonight was great! In the week that I have offically been on the program, I have lost 2.6 pounds. I have heard a lot of specatular stories about people losing 6 lbs. or more their first week on the program, and secretly, if that had happened to me I would have been very happy, but I was just glad to see the numbers going down. I just have to keep working on losing the next pound, and this will happen.

I have been exercising every day since last Tuesday, except Sunday. It has been hard to find programs with exercises that I can actually do, but I have found two good ones on Fit.tv. Both are led by a lady named Ellen Bartlett, and the moves are challenging, but at a slow enough pace that I don't feel like my head is going to explode. I have got a lot of programs set to tape, but it's like finding a needle in a haystack. Hopefully, as time progress and I get healthier, I will be able to do more of the programs.

Well, that's all for now.

Onward and downward

At least I hope downward. Certainly not upward!

Well, it is Friday night and that means the weekend. I have done really well through the week keeping OP (on program), getting in all my servings of vegetables and oils, a multivitamin everyday, and lots and lots of water. I have even excercised everyday...

The weekend is a problem though. DH isn't here, he's at work, and I tend to eat from sheer boredom. I usually run to the church to clean and run off the bulletin. After that, I knit or spin, all day. It is the "me" day. The recharge my batteries day.

Obviously I need a plan. What am I going to do if I am tempted to eat mindless snacks when I take a break from the knitting? Hopefully, since everything I eat has to be logged, that will stop any mindles snacking. I also have a a sack of baby carrots, Light Done Right dressing and salad fixins. I am going to make a batch of buffalo chicken bites (chunks of boneless skinless chicken breast done up in buffalo chicken sauce). If all else fails, I will be exercising for breaks instead of eating.

I had a good sign that I am losing weight today. I was able to get my 10th anniversary wedding band on. I have only worn it once or twice in the five years I have had it because it was just too tight. Today, it sits nicely on my finger, not tight at all. My wedding band/engagement ring and an amythest ring I have twirl around on my fingers non stop. Sadly, I still can't wear the half of the ring that I share with my sister Jodi. She has the amythest half, and I have the diamond half that links over the amythest.

I also packed away my summer clothes today (boy was it cold cold cold this morning) and as I packed them up, I said a little prayer than when I get them out next spring, they are just way too big. With His help I know I can do this.

The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon
him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will
hear their cry, and will save them. --Psalm 145:18-19

My First Weigh In...

True to form, I got really nervous before I went to the meeting. I hate new situations. For some reason, I have thrown myself into more new situations lately than normal for me. Anyway. once I got there, I met the leader right away, and we introduced ourselves. I filled out a registration form and paid for a monthly pass. I figured that way I was committed for a month, because I am not one to throw that much money away.

Then it was time to weigh in. The number was not as high as I had feared it would be, but it is still high, and I hate to type it here, but I'm going to.

269.6. And I've been doing the points thing for a week. And I counted calories for a week before that, staying below 1200, so it was probably higher. But that is my starting weight. They asked us to set a goal to have lost by Thanksgiving, but I think I am going to wait a week, see how much I lose and then set the goal. I don't want to commit to more pounds than I can realistically lose and then be dissapointed in myself. The leader was impressed with the changes I have made in the last week though, the exercise choices as well as eating choices. We really clicked and I think she will be a real support with this.

Now I know that Weight Watchers is a plan that teaches you how to eat for the rest of your life, it is a lifestyle change, not a diet. So maybe I should be encouraged that there were more women in there that I would think of as skinny or normal than overweight. I was once again the heaviest woman in the room.

That's not going to be true for much longer though. I promise.

Well, it finally happened. The one thing that I have avoided with a passion my entire married life. I got a scale.

I have never wanted a scale in the house. Not because I was avoiding the issue of my weight, I mean, there is no way that I didn't know I was heavy. I just didn't want to be one of those people who was on the scale fifty times a day, obsessing about every tenth of a pound. And the fact is, I still wouldn't have one except my MIL brought one over. So now it is in the bathroom. I have weighed myself. I'm not happy with the number, but it is less than I thought it was going to be, so that's good. I'll wait to post offical numbers here until after I go to the weight watchers meeting on Tuesday.

I feel sorry for MIL, though. She bought herself a new scale, and gave me the old one. The new one is calibrated a pound and a half higher than the old one.

We had breakfast at church, and I looked up how many points for a biscuit and gravy before we left. I had one biscuit and a 1/4 cup of gravy (didn't even eat all of the gravy), and then I left the room. I wasn't hungry after I ate it, but I was really hungry by the time I got home at noon, so I had a yogurt and cereal for lunch. So my total through lunch was 16 points. Not good, but I guess I could use weekly points for the biscuit and gravy. They are there to use, and the whole point is to learn how to eat for life, including "special" occaisions like breakfast at church. Still, I think the next time I have to eat there to be sociable, I might take along something healthier.

This journey started when I had to buy new bras. I can not find affordable bras in my cup and chest size. This is a problem. They also do not make cute bras in that combination. That little trip to the store got me thinking big time about making some changes in my life.

It's been obvious for a long time that I desperately needed to loose weight. Having three kids and being a homebody, food was the only real excitement in my life for a long time. I resented the fact that I was going to have to quit eating the way I want(ed?) to. Diets meant low fat, reduced calorie everything. Yech. I am finally beginning to see that really, what it means is portion control. I am not going to be able to have everything I want exactly when I want it, and I am going to have to plan more. It doesn't mean no donuts, or no ice cream. It does mean, not th. ree donuts, or melty cheese on everything. But it's doable. I can change. I just had to want to change.

My biggest fear about this whole thing is that I love to cook, love to bake bread, and I love to feed people. AmI going to be able to do these things, especially with Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching, or am I going to have to give them up. I haven't figured that out yet. I know I am going to have to learn to cook in different ways, and with different ingredients, but am I going to like what I can make?

So here we go. It's going to be a long trip, and like the saying goes, it all starts with the first step. So I will be going to the Weight Watchers meeting on Tuesday, although I have already starting counting points with the help of my MIL. I'm praying for a smooth, path, with few pitfalls and rocks in the way.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
--Phillipians 4:13