WW Weigh In

HOLY COW I lost a pound!  Thank heavens! And now that I am back on program the ball should just keep on going.  :-)

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I admit it - I basically took a week off for Christmas. I was on track and on plan through Friday and then fell apart. Christmas is my favorite time of year! I did not go as hog wild as I would have in the past, but I did allow myself a few cookies, some gumbo, pot roast and green bean casserole! I did not exercise. In fact, my darling Hubby bought me the Lego Harry Potter for Wii (didn't ask for it, but I'm totally nerdy enough to LOVE IT!) and I've spent many hours couching with it since Sunday. Today is the start of a new WW week though, so we are back on track, and (of necessity) kicking some ass. My ass in fact. I need it. I wish you could reach through the interwebs and kick it for me too. One bit of good Christams-related news. My in-laws are crazy spenders and the holidays. We always tell them not to spend so much on us, but the never listen. :-\ This year, my Christmas love check was sufficient to buy Hubby and I a standing freezer for our utility room - and enough leftover for me to buy a used treadmill!!!! EEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! I found one on Craigslist yesterday and have been emailing with the owner. If she still has it today (waiting to hear back from her this morning), I will be the proud new owner of a treadmill! WOOT!! More running! Without being outside! Or at the gym! YAY!!!!!!

Having taken four days off program in the last week, I am not expecting good things from today's weigh in. But tomorrow is a new day!

WW Weigh In

HOLY SHIT,  Y'ALL!!  158.4 pounds!!!!!  I thought for sure I was going to see a gain this week and instead I lost 3.2 pounds!!  WOOT!!!  Not only am I out of the 160s, I am 1.4 pounds away from 20 pounds!!!  I cannot tell you how absolutely thrilled I am!  :-D

Stop It!!

I'll be honest with you - since there's no one reading this anyway. ;-) I have cramps from HELL today! When I got home from work (kind of late), I got dinner ready, ate and then got online. I kept telling myself "I'm waiting for dinner to settle and then I'll work out" while I was very secretly and privately telling myself that maybe I shouldn't work out because of the cramps. Then I deliberately got on Pinterest and started cruising the Fitness pins. :-) Next thing you know, I was scooting downstairs and getting in 30 mins on the Active 2. I'm gonna call that a close call, but a WIN in the long run!

Meatless Mondays

Hubby and I have been trying a few things lately with our food. One of them that I've been particularly pushing for is Meatless Mondays. I think it not only benefits us (weight and cholesterol-wise) to skip meat at least one day a week, but I've read several articles suggesting it can help out the environment as well. Not sure I believe that second one whole-heartedly, but it's not going to HURT the environment for us to do it, so why the hell not? :) So last night I made a recipe I found in a Weight Watchers cookbook. Mexican Polenta Pie. Basically black beans, corn, salsa and seasoning with polenta and cheese baked on top. It was actually pretty good too! I've been having a hard time thinking of meatless dishes that weren't pasta-centric. I'd prefer not to be limited to pasta on Mondays, not only because that would be boring, but one cup of pasta bare is 5 PPV! Start adding ingredients, and that number goes up!

While I was cooking dinner last night, I got in 30 mins on the Active 2. After dinner I did 45 minutes on the elliptical machine. I had been thinking I'd do another 30 mins Active 2 after the elliptical, but I was beat. I will be getting in a 40 mins Wii workout this evening though! Even with the workouts and tracking like a madwoman, I'm pretty sure there will be a gain on the scale tomorrow. Going to be a pretty severe kick to the ego, but I am going to try to just stay on program and work harder for the next weigh in.

:-\ F.A.I.L

I have one word for the weekend: FAIL. Saturday was an unmitigated disaster. Our Christmas gathering with friends/ cookie swap (for which I made Weight Watchers 1 PPV cookies) was supposed to be over at 7. I was planning to workout when everyone left. Well, some of our friends apparently thought the only people that would really be leaving at 7 were the families with small children. The last couple stumbled away a little after 2 AM!!! Needless to say, I did not jump on the elliptical at 2 in the morning. I had also done really well with eating/drinking until about 9 o'clock that night. Then some friends were like "Come one! Have a beer with us before we leave!" That beer turned into at least 5 at which point I dove face-first into the buffet of food that was still out. *sigh* Yesterday I was hungover like a mutha!! I did manage to get in an hour long workout on the Active 2, but I swear it was touch and go. There were a few times I thought I was going to be sick or pass out or both! Way too old to party like a college kid.

Today I am trying like crazy to get everything back on the right path. I'm eating on program, but didn't get up early enough to exercise this morning. Was already planning to get in another hour of Active 2 and now I'm thinking I might do that 30 mins of elliptical I was supposed to do this morning later as well.

I can't tell you how disgusted I am with myself. I know that people make mistakes and this thing is a lifelong journey. I cannot expect to be perfect all the time. But I have been a weight loss idiot the last two weeks! I have GOT to get 100% back on program and stay there! The plan is easiest at the beginning. That is when you are losing the most. If I can't keep myself on plan now, I'm going to be ridiculous later. I have to make this work. No matter how on-program I am Monday-Friday, if I'm going to fall off the wagon every weekend, I am going nowhere fast. :(

No Excuses!!

Gonna Be a "Free" Day

I made a time-planning "Oops!" last night. I totally forgot until after I woke up that I had a haircut scheduled today. My hour I had set aside for working out quickly got reallocated. :-( After work today, I have to go with my sister dry to BFE to pick up my mother's Christmas present from the two of us. When we're done with that, I have to hit the grocery store and Target. I'm assuming I'll grab a bite to eat SOMEWHERE in there (Subway?). Hoping beyond hope that I get home in time to do an Active 2 workout tonight since I didn't get one in yesterday (got home at 9:45). I need to MOVE IT, MOVE IT!! ;-) But I got my hair chopped off. No more ponytails! I will be wearing a bandana every time I exercise from here out. Hopefully my Christmas shopping will be done by this evening as well. I also need to do some cooking/baking for our Christmas "Linner" tomorrow afternoon. I can't think of anything that needs to be cooked tonight that would prevent me from working out as long as I get home at a decent hour. Cross your fingers for me!

Staying Accountable

Today at work, we had a Holiday Potluck Luncheon. Meats offered were roasted boar (I kid you not - someone brought in a whole pig!!), baked chicken or ham. I had the chicken. I had a bowl of salad before I started on my plate of lunch. I tried to stick to "whole" vegetables. I had the steamed (I *think* it was steamed) broccoli versus the broccoli/cheese casserole, the whole kernel corn instead of the corn souffle thing, etc. I took two bites of cheesecake, one bite of pumpkin trifle, ate two bites out of a cookie and just ate the cream cheese icing off the pumpkin roll (the icing is the best part!). Probably could have done better, but I don't think I would have been as satisfied. If I had skipped the desserts entirely, I'd probably be downstairs scavenging the leftovers. Since I have NO idea how many WW PPV all that was, I just chunked my entire allotment of Weekly Points Plus Values at it. No idea if I hate 49 points worth of stuff, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Tonight is grilled chicken breasts and sauteed squash.

My youngest niece (who is in band) has a Christmas concert tonight that I promised to attend. So I woke up this morning and dragged myself upstairs. I am really not a morning exerciser. That was AWFUL! But I did it. 45 minutes of moderate activity kicked off the day today. I would love to get in a session of Active 2 this evening, but it will depend on time. It would have to be after the concert, but before 9pm (don't want to get heart rate up right before bed, or I'll never get to sleep). Since the concert doesn't even start until 7, that seems really unlikely to happen, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Otherwise, I will have to make up the workout tomorrow.

The weekend is looming straight ahead. Going to try to log into the blog Saturday and Sunday to stay accountable to The Program. And as counter-intuitive as it may seem, I'm also going to try to spend some time on the computer this weekend. Surfing Fitness pins on Pinterest seems to help me stay motivated.

Small victory this morning that I'm not sure I believe: Liar scale at home this morning said I weight 160.5. That was post-workout but before breakfast and like I said - that scale is evil and likes to screw with me. Guess we'll see what the WW scale says next Wednesday!

Weigh In

.4 lbs lost this week. I tell you I will TAKE IT!! Better than I had any right to hope for! And now that I am back on program, I *will* get a sticker next week!!

Weigh In

.4 lbs lost this week. I tell you I will TAKE IT!! Better than I had any right to hope for! And now that I am back on program, I *will* get a sticker next week!!

Back to Baby Steps

So, I graduated from the EA Active 2's "Cardio Kick Start" program with my workout last Thursday. Yesterday was my first workout in the 9-week program. 25 1/2 minutes of butt-kicking cardio, squats and lunges later, I was really kicking myself for taking four days off exercise. Amazing how weak you can get in such a short time. But it was good. I was panting like a dog and sweating like crazy - exactly where I needed to be! Tonight is my Weight Watchers weigh in. Hoping beyond hope for good things, but being realistic. I was a sloth for a week. I'm sure the scale is going to reflect that. You only get out of WW what you put into it, and I didn't give it a lot of effort last week. I am back on program now and (though I'm still struggling a little) motivated to get active! Cross your fingers for me!!

Hanging My Head In Shame

Although I have stayed on eating plan, I have been a SLOTH since last Thursday. I'm not even going to try to make excuses for myself, that's how lazy I am! But it all ends TODAY! I have like three Active 2 workouts to make up tonight. Fun, fun, fun! But hopefully it'll teach me not to be a lazy slug in the future. Pretty worried about tomorrow's weigh in, but at this point, I can tell you that I would deserve a set back. Desperately ashamed that I couldn't get it together at all the past four days. :-( Need to go browsing through my Pinterest fitness board and see if I can find some inspiration that will help me not go through this again. And I need to commit to updating this blog on the weekends as well as weekdays. The blog helps me stay accountable on days I update it. Yesterday, I was at jury duty, so I even missed a weekday! Y'all might get absolutely sick of me, but I really think that being accountable to the blog will translate to being accountable on the journey!

This Weeks Struggles

What it comes down to is my home scale is evil and I'm an idiot for listening to it. I got in a ton of workouts this weekend and Monday. Tuesday morning, my scale said I had gained 3 pounds. Imagine how disappointed, disillusioned and just generally upset I felt. I'd been staying on points and working out like crazy and I was gaining?!?! So Tuesday I did not work out. I stayed in Points, but didn't do any activity. Wednesday, I got home from work too late to run to the WW meeting...where I learned I had LOST 3 pounds!! I was losing the whole time, my home scale is just in league with satan! ;-) Even this morning, it said I was 2 pounds up from last night. So, I'm not going to use it anymore. It actually set me back this week, which infuriates me. I know the thing isn't accurate, yet I let it sideline me. So angry! Getting back in the swing of things today though! Definitely staying in points, and I need to make up my workout I missed from Tuesday on the Active 2 and also do tonight's Active 2 workout! Going to be a sweaty evening! Good thing Hubby has plans with friends tonight. :)

WW Weigh In

OH MY GOD!!!!  162 pounds!!  I'm down 15 pounds from when I first started!!!!  Eeeeeeeee!!

Rolling Along!

Yesterday at work, I was moved from the fourth floor to the third floor. This has thrown off my stair walking a little. I'm trying to get in to the swing of things on the lower level. You wouldn't think it would effect things, but it does somehow. So I was not great at stairs yesterday. I did, however, get in 35 minutes on the elliptical machine and 35 on the Active 2 again. I set out my clothes, etc to do the elliptical again this morning and just couldn't talk myself into it. The house was cold and the couch (with blanky) looked much too comfortable. So I will be working the elliptical tonight and getting in a few more workouts on the Wii. Tomorrow is my meeting and a RUN day! WooHoo! I talked with my Shmoo about the marathon over the weekend and (thank all things holy) she is thinking a full marathon in September might not be possible. So we're training to do a half together. That is still 13.1 miles and my longest run recently was 4. Still got lotsa training to do!

Yesterday's Active 2 workout had a lot of shoulder and back exercises in it, so my shoulders are a little achy today. I loosened the shoe laces on my workout shoes around the middle of my foot and toes and that, happily, seems to be helping my toes not hurt so much. Planning to buy new shoes soon, but there are several big-ticket items on my horizon that are taking precedence over shoes. :-( I will work with what I have for now!

I Want More!

How Was Your Weekend?

What an awesome weekend. Friday, I ran FOUR MILES! YAY!!! I was pretty useless afterward, but it felt good. :-) Saturday, I spend 35 minutes on the Active 2 and 35 minutes on the elliptical machine. Yesterday, in between rain showers, I got in a 2 mile run. :-) And according to the scale this morning, I was rewarded with another pound gone! Can't wait to see what the official WW scale says on Wednesday. In the meantime, I am sticking to the new WW points allowance. I plan to get in 35 mins on the Active 2 tonight and (if Hubby gets the TV hooked back up in the exercise room) another 35 mins on the elliptical. I can't tell you how motivating it is to see results from the scale. I think I can find will power to exercise and eat right forever as long as that scale and non-scale victories keep pace with me. Keeps me pumped up for sure!

Let's have a great week of healthy eating and exercise!

Heeeere We Go

We are weekend bound! Here's hoping for will power galore and time between the sprinkles to get outside and run!

Yesterday, I got in 50 minutes on the Active 2. I was POOPED!! Both workouts were lower body, so I was totally worried that my legs would be too sore to run today. I'm feeling pretty good though, so I'm going to commit to at least 2 miles. Shooting for 4.

WW released the PointsPlus 2012 program today. Knocked me down from 29 PP a day to 26. Going to do my best to stay within that amount and my Weeklies. I have yet to touch an Activity Point and my goal is to never eat those. That's where the weight loss happens!

Okay everyone - let's get out there and have a great weekend!

Embrace the Basics

Thursday Means We're Heading Into the Weekend!

Felt pretty good about my weigh in last night. Was totally inspired by folks who received 5 pound stars, 10% awards and one lady who hit her goal weight last night. THAT is why you go to meetings! I ran to and from the meeting last night, got home, ate dinner and then did nothing! :( Hubby wants us to watch Christmas Classics together this week and to be honest, we really don't get to spend a lot of quality time together, so I think it's important. So even though I hate the Muppets and I really wanted to get in a workout, I watched the Muppet Letters to Santa movie last night. Hubby has his company's Christmas happy hour tonight (I'm skipping it), so I can get in some workout time tonight!

Today's Goals: stairs and water, finish out the "week" on the Active 2. Pretty sure that is going to kick my butt! I want to get the week completed though so I can get in a run tomorrow! My Shmoo (a very, very good friend) and I are supposed to run a marathon together next September! NEED TO TRAIN!!! Right now, a 3 mile run kicks my hiney. 26.2 miles might kill me!