Lost 5% Since Joining Weight Watchers!

Down another 3.2 pounds today! I've hit my first 5% target!

The leader asked me what I've done differently over the last six weeks. It's hard to pinpoint. I should ask the family what they've seen me do differently....

- Measuring my food as much as possible and making better food choices. Not eating a lot of pasta right now and the bread is typically a 1 pt flat bread, english muffin, or something similar.
- Trying to be more diligent about my exercise - I definitely feel stronger in Jazzercise.
- Drinking more water.
- Tracking what I eat and drink.
- Not nibbling when making lunches or dinners.
- Making sure I take my Calcium and multivitamin just to make sure I am getting enough nutrients.

I know that I was hungry all the time during the first week and a half of this journey, which began February 24th. I can remember the day that this changed ... March 5th, when I realized I wasn't hungry. It was strange. I figured my metabolism was slowing down, which is a huge fear of mine.

I also haven't told many people that I am on Weight Watchers... yet. I guess it is that fear of failure. And it usually takes about 30 pounds of loss for people to really begin to notice. I am slowly opening my network up. But right now, those that do know have been wonderful. And my family is right there at the top.

Thank you everyone!

Next goal... another 5%!

Blah...

I think I am just tired. But the darkness and dreariness outside is blah!

Yesterday morning, I woke up at 3:30AM and couldn't go back to sleep. I realized while I was laying there that I was hungry. I don't know why since I thought I did well on Sunday. I even ate a 9-point piece of salmon (6 oz)! My oldest daughter was mad that the salmon is so "costly." But I explained to her that although there is no doubt that salmon is really good for me, it still has fat. This is also why some people don't get all of their nutrients. Healthy foods that are high in fat, e.g. nuts, typically get shunned when you are watching what you eat!

Anyways, by 5AM yesterday morning I was eating a bowl of my vegetarian chili! What a way to start the day .. to a hungry day! I ended the day with a 30-minute walk on the treadmill. I then went to jazzercise the next morning for a 30-minute jazzercise class at 6AM. Hopefully this helped.

Weigh-in is tomorrow!

Guess What! Lost 5 Pounds This Week!

Am I happy? I'm ecstatic!

I thought I was doing pretty well because my home scale was going down too. (Yes, I admit it, I do use a scale at home too. I HAVE to!) But because the scales don't weigh me the same, I didn't know "how well" it would be.

The meeting leader, Laura, asked me what I did this week. Well, I exercised (Jazzercise) enough to gain an extra 26 points, but I did not use them. I also did some yard work over the weekend that really kept me moving (lots of sticks and branches all over the yard!) I also continued to measure my food and be selective about what I ate. So, when the family had grilled chicken sandwiches, I stayed away from the bread. But, yes, I did eat those Starburst jelly beans - but only a 1/4 cup at a time.

2.8 lbs away from my first goal of 5%!

Great 1 Point Food Finds

1 Point Foods
Arnold Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins
Drakes Coffee Cakes - three small cakes per package
Egg Beaters - 1/2 cup
Feta Cheese (fat free) - 4 TBSP
FiberOne 90 Calorie Bars (Chocolate)
FiberOne Yogurts (2 of them = 100 calories with fiber - they are small)
Hostess Chocolate Cake with Creamy Filling (100 calorie)
Kraft fat free shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese (1/4 cup)
Orville Redenbacher 100 Calorie Pack Microwave Popcorn (94% Fat Free Butter or Kettle Corn)
Smartfood Popcorn Clusters - honey multigrain (per package)

Very Happy with Slight Gain Last Week

I would not normally be happy about gaining anything right now. However, with the kind of week I had ... I call it a success!

One night, I went to a Girl Scout Awards Night in which I received an Honor Pin for my service. The food was decent... and I ate all of it, including a big huge piece of chocolate cake. I did give one of my daughters my bread and my shortbread cookie. :>) However, I did well for the day up until that point. So, I might have gone over a little bit.

On Saturday, I ate lunch at the mall where my Girl Scout troop was selling cookies. It was a D'Angelos vegetable quesadilla. When I got home I calculated the points. I did well - it only had six points! So many things on their menu have 40+ grams of fat!

On Saturday night, one of my daughters had friends over and we ordered wraps and pizza from a local restaurant. All I can say is at least I didn't eat any of the potato chips - but I ate a lot of other stuff!

On Sunday, late morning, we went to brunch with my in-laws to celebrate my husband's birthday. Here, I tried to be selective. No sausage or ham. But I couldn't stay away from hash browns (so yummy!), omelet with real eggs (at least it was full of vegetables), and fruit.

It was so hard for me to stay focused knowing that I had eaten out so much! I was NOT looking forward to the weigh-in. Wednesday, came the weigh-in. I only gained 0.2 lbs! I couldn't believe it - still can't! It gave me real hope. I am learning that I can eat out, but also be good at other times.

I can't tell you how much incentive this gave me! I've done really well this week, even with having my Starburst jelly beans (1/4 cup is 3 points). I'm looking forward to getting on that scale!

I did try on a pair of pants that I couldn't wear prior my weight loss journey. They're still a little snug. I'm going to try them on again soon!

Lost Another Two Pounds!

Well, weighed in today. Lost two more pounds.

I know I should be happy... and I am. But I was hoping for at least three. So, since joining Weight Watchers, I've lost 5.4 lbs. I got my first "5" star. Combined with what I lost before joining Weight Watchers, I've lost around 10 pounds. Not too bad.

Tonight, for supper, I made spinach stuffed shells on Gina's WW Recipes (www.skinnytaste.com). Yummy! This is the first recipe that at least one child liked! I used substitute eggs, half of the cheese was fat free, and the ricotta was fat free. So, I need to calculate the points. The original recipe at the website was 6.6 points for three shells. I will definitely make this again!

Looking forward to being weighed again next week! I hope I can lose another two. Of course, this number sounds so small... But I know it will slowly add up!

Food .... gotta love it ... gotta hate it. I love to cook (most of the time) and I love good food. But food doesn't love me. Even with exercising, family genetics has taken a strong hold... especially over the last few years. Yep, most of my family struggles with weight.

But will my daughters have the same struggles? We don't know. Lucky for them, their dad has a smaller stature than I do. We've also been teaching them since day one that you need to remain active and eat healthy. So, maybe they will get lucky.

So, I've begun down the road of Weight Watchers. I already know what I should do and already have in place lots of healthy practices, but getting weighed... that's the real kick in the pants. That's what gets me going.

Last week was my second weigh-in. Lost 3.4 lbs. I wanted 5. I know... newbies always think big.

I am ready ... this is it ... this is my time.

I get weighed tomorrow. Stay tuned!