Weigh-In Thursday: Week 10

After my off plan weekend in Las Vegas part of me didn't want to go to my meeting. It also did not help that I was sick, like not getting dressed or leaving the couch sick. I didn't skip my weigh in though, I can't own my choices if I don't know where I stand. I got on the scale hoping for no more than a 2 pound gain. I was expecting the worst, but got the best news. I LOST WEIGHT! Yeah it was only 0.4 pounds but that is almost 1/2 a pound. Apparently my food strategy did work. That and all the walking that I did on Sunday. This result really fueled my fire! I CAN DO THIS! I AM DOING THIS! I signed up for the monthly pass and it recalculated my 5% based on my current weight. My next mini goal is 25 pounds lost and my new 5% goal is 14 pounds away at 271. My goal is to reach my new 5% goal in July. It can be done.

Let's not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 285.2
Current Week: -0.4
Total Loss: 21.2

My Weekend in Las Vegas

Me and my boyfriend in Las Vegas 5/24/15

I had a great Memorial Day Weekend. I spent it in Las Vegas with the family for my Mom's wedding. It is so hard to be good and stick to plan when in Las Vegas and especially when there is amazing food all set out for the wedding. Oh and the specialty cocktails. I sure so love a good drink and I am not ashamed to admit that I usually use all my weekly points on Friday and Saturday night when enjoying libations. This has not stunted my weight loss in anyway because I track every single drink. I also drink water at the end of the night, sometimes begrudgingly, but it mostly works out that way. This is what I love about weight watchers, I can eat and drink anything I want so I don't deprive myself and end up binging later on. I can have my drinks and my cake as long as I track it! 

The vacation started off with a 6.5 hour drive to Las Vegas. Snacks, drinks, and lunch was portioned and packed the night before we left. I stayed on plan and tracked everything. So far, so good. Saturday morning there was continental breakfast at the hotel and they had plan friendly options. Lunch was a rush in between finishing the table centerpieces and getting the house prepped for the reception. One beef hot dog w/bun and fruit. Not the healthiest choice, but the easiest and fastest. Lunch was tracked, still on a roll.

Then came the reception, with platters of food, veggies, stuffed mushrooms (my fave), fruit, and plenty of drinks. I stuck to ice water with sparking cider for the toast. I decided that I could enjoy myself without tracking or worrying about my daily points. Here was my strategy:

• Use the small salad plates only.
• Eat one plate of fruits and veggies
• Have the chicken salad sandwiches without the roll and over lettuce with 2 spoonfuls of dressing.
• Add sugar free flavorings to my ice water
• Eat a bite or two of cake off my son's plate. (it was WAY to rich not to share)

My strategy worked. I did not feel deprived or like I was taking time from the reception in order to track all of my food. Although, I did have some anxiety as a result of not tracking since tracking has become a part of my daily routine.

On Sunday morning I made scrambled eggs with vegetables from the leftover veggie trays. Then we took the kids out on the strip and we walked around for a good couple of hours. After sightseeing we went back to my moms' house for a barbecue. I had a hamburger and a hot dog, both with buns, and it was okay because we didn't really eat while on the strip except for sharing a soft pretzel from NY NY. After the barbecue I got the kids ready for bed and sent them into watch a movie. My moms watched the kids while my boyfriend, my little sister, and I could spend some time together without worrying about the kids. We walked around quite a bit looking for a good slot machine that screamed, "Play Me!" which sometimes took awhile.

On Monday morning we again made veggie eggs and then got the car packed and got on the road for the drive home. At this point I was just hungry and wanted junk. I caved since we were on the road and I just assumed that I would have a gain come the weeks end. I figured that it would be okay and I would just get back on track when I got home. All in all it was a great weekend and I don't feel bad about how I ate. I enjoyed life and that it okay to do sometimes. Now that I am home time to get back to tracking, Whatever the scale says on Thursday is fine. I will own it and keep on going.

Weigh-In Thursday: Week 9

Happy Dance! I hit my second weight loss goal today. My first goal was to lose 5% which I achieved in Week 6! The next goal I made was to lose a total of twenty pounds. What do I mean lose? It is not like I want to ever find those pounds again. I guess I should call it weigh obliteration instead of a weight loss. Obliterating my weight is the ultimate goal.

I never want to see this number on the scale again. I am determined to not give up because if I do the cycle will just begin again and 9 weeks into it is alot of work to just throw down the drain.

This week I focused on eating all of my daily points. I would not leave more than 3 points left at the end of the day. I think I did a pretty good job and my hard work and focus showed up on the scale this week. I lost a total of 2.6 pounds this week and have a total loss so far of 20.8 pounds! I wanted to do a happy dance right there on the scale at my meeting. This was achieved and I felt like I ate so much food. You can eat more and still lose weight. I focused on eating a breakfast that was around 10 points, and that is approximately 1/4 of my daily points allowance. The main benefit I saw with eating more in the morning was less cravings at night. I also found myself not eating as much crap at night because I don't have more than half of my daily points to eat come dinner time.

My next mini-goal is to reach 25 lbs gone forever and once that goal is completed my next goal is 10% which is 30 lbs.

Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 285.6
Current Week: -2.6
Total Loss: 20.8

Weigh-In Thursday: Week 8

I changed my meeting again. This time I think I found a group that I really enjoy. Although that Leader at the Friday meeting was my favorite so far I just felt out of place. The group on Friday was older women and the energy was just way low. I also ran into an issue with scheduling since I am out of school for the summer I no longer pay for my son to go to daycare. That means I have to pick him up from school 10 minutes after the Friday meeting starts and that just would not work.

The first time I attended Weight Watchers back in 2011 I attended the Thursday night meetings and really enjoyed them so I thought I would give that meeting a try. I couldn't have been happier. There were people closer to my age and the energy was amazing. This is definitely the meeting for me. I am excited to go next week and feel like I am truly a part of a great dynamic of people that are going through the same things I am.

This week the meeting topic was spring cleaning your fridge. This is something that I did a few weeks ago out of necessity. The power went out in a storm and that fried the compressor in the refrigerator in my apartment. They replaced my fridge which was great however, they replaced it with a much smaller unit. I had to maneuver and organize everything so that it would fit. When I did this I got containers so that the fruits and veggies are in the open and easily visible. This would encourage me to reach for things that are healthier rather than the junk and it really helps. If you want to eat healthier I would encourage you to do the same. Put the good stuff front and center and you will notice yourself gravitating to them more. At least that's how it happened for me.

How did I do this week. Well, it was a hard one. I gained one pound and it was really hard to see. I wanted to cry. I attributed this gain to a change in meeting day and time, but that is not the whole story. Yes, I went from a Friday noon meeting to a Thursday night meeting and this could contribute to the gain. I talked to my leader after the meeting and we looked over my tracker. I have not been eating enough. I know, I know, you can only lose weight if you starve yourself. That is a myth. You have to eat enough for your body to sustain itself. I figured if I had such a bog loss last week and had a few points left so if I had more points leftover at the end of the day I would lose more. It just doesn't work like that. This next week I will focus on eating all of my daily points and hopefully I can reach my mini goal of 20 pounds gone.

Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 288.2
Current Week: +1
Total Loss: 18.2

Weigh-In Friday: Week 7

After the last couple of weeks it was exciting and encouraging to have a substantial loss. I attribute my success this week to the fact that I ate well. Also that the semester is now over and that means my stress level has dropped dramatically. Less stress equals less stress cravings and or binging.

This weeks meeting is just what I needed. The topic was meal planning. This is something that I struggle with when I am not in school. I am less motivated to make a meal plan when I know I have all day to figure something out. However it is the weeks that I make a plan that I have the most success. This is something that I plan to work on and get back in the habit of doing consistently every week.

Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 287.2
Current Week: -3.6
Total Loss: 19.2

Weigh-In Friday: Week 6

I had a great week after last weeks small disappointment in not reaching my 5% goal. I buckled down and the results sure showed! I have reached my first mini-goal of 15 pounds lost since beginning weight watchers again. I also tried quite a few recipes and I did not beat myself up when I ate something that I "shouldn't" have. That is no way to live. I eat what I want to and I don;t feel guilty because I track it! If I don't want to track it than I don't eat it! Unless I REALLY want it. It is better to give into cravings than to hold out and binge on them later.

This week the topic was all about changing stuff up to make your meals different. So you don't get stuck with the mediocrity of eating the same things week after week. Even just changing up the spices in your go-to meal can change it in a way you never though possible.

Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 290.8
Current Week: -1.2
Total Loss: 15.4

My next mini-goal is 20 pounds.