My Journey Week 8

Not much to report this week.  I did not go weigh in on Wednesday because I had a killer headache and needed to sleep instead of drive to the meeting.  Based on my weight on the scales, I had not lost anything.  Very frustrating but I must keep moving forward.

Still need to get into the groove of working out again.  Last weekend I went back to the running store where I got my original running shoes and come to find out they had fitted me for the wrong shoes.  I was sad and happy all at the same time.  The first time my feet went into the Brooks Glycerin, I had a foot orgasm and instantly fell in love.  I wore those shoes all the time.  BUT I as my training for the 5K started increasing, so did the issues with my feet.  My feet started going numb and my left ankle started hurting really bad.

The new shoes are helping alot.  Even though there were no fireworks, moaning, and just pure enjoyment when my feet went into the Brooks Aerial, I can tell a difference with my running.  My pace has gotten so much better and I can jog over 8 minutes without stopping.  I contribute the better pace to shoes, good music, and a great running trail.

Today I'm going to run again and then start back up with the 30 Day Shred program.  I miss my work out buddies and really need to get back into it for my mental stability.  I haven't been feeling great this week and have really let those Mind Monsters (that's for you Christina) get the best of me.

Hope everyone has a great week and please keep your fingers crossed that I have a good weight loss week.

My Journey Week 6 and 7

Wow a lot has happened in the last 2 weeks.  I was on vacation for a week and had a blast catching up with friends and family.

Week 6 weigh in was .6 pound lost.  I was a little frustrated with the results but kept telling myself a loss is a loss.

Week 7 weign in was 0 pounds lost but 0 pounds gained.  I was ESTATIC about this.  While on vaction I did not track one single point and I did not eat exactly healthy.  I did watch my portion sizes and I did work out HARD three of the 6 days I was gone.

The theme for the last 2 weeks has been RECONNECTING.  I was able to reconnect with 4 friends from high school.  3 of those friends I hadn't seen in almost 21 years and my other bestie I hadn't seen in 5 years.  What was so cool is even though we hadn't seen each other in 20 years, we acted and talked like it had just been days since we last had last seen each other.

I also got to reconnect with my 3 nieces who I hadn't seen in 5 years.  2 of my nieces were 2 years old last time I saw them and really don't remember how cool their Auntie Diva is.  I got to spend the day with them on Monday and it was so much fun.  They had me laughing so hard and I miss them so much.

I LOVED running outside while I was in Washington.  I have to find some running trails in Texas.  Nothing in Texas will compare to the scenery that I experienced in Washington.

We signed up for our 1st 5K run in March and now it's time to really get serious about this running and make it happen.

Hope everyone has a great week!!!

My Journey Week 5

I know I'm a day late in posting this blog.  Little Drama Queen had a gymnastics meet this weekend and her gym was hosting so I worked the whole weekend at the gym.

Weighed on Wednesday and was very pleasantly surprised that I lost 1.2 pounds.  I was still trying to get back into my groove of eating healthier and there was still some leftover stress from Older Drama Queen's knee injury.

The theme for last week was BLESSED!!!  I have really reconnected with friends that I went to high school with 20+ years ago and we have really inspired each other and held each other accountable.  In addition to reconnecting with friends, I have met some great ladies over the last 6 months or so.  I've even started a mini workout group and Little Drama Queen's gym.  We keep each other going and lift each other up when one of us just isn't feeling it.

I was a little nervous going into the weekend due to being at the gym 12+ hours each day.  I had 2 friends hold me accountable and make sure I didn't drink a Coke or run out and grab fast food.  They were even thoughful enough to not eat fast food around me.  I packed my food for the day and snacked when I got hungry.  Not one time did I crave a Coke or fast food.  I did have a few slivers of dessert and nachos on Sunday but I'm human and did not over do it.  I even earned activity points for walking around the gym like a chicken with its head cut off.

Well it's time to wrap up my day and prepare for tomorrow.  Got to start packing and getting ready for my mommy vacation.  Looking forward to seeing my friends and family in less than 48 hours!!!

My Journey Week 4

This week's weight loss was 1 pound.  I've lost a total of 5.4 pounds in 4 weeks.  My goal is to be at my target weight by the end of the year so if I keep losing a pound a week, I'll make it.

The theme for this week was CHAOTIC.  Older Drama Queen got hurt at a basketball game a little over a week ago.  We were at some type of doctor visit every day this week.  Juggling work, school, working out, and trying to stay on track with my eating proved to be very difficult.

While I stayed away from junk food and Cokes, I did not eat very well this week.  On top of taking care of Older Drama Queen, Little Drama Queen had the flu, and I was dealing with some sort of flu like illness myself.  I had no appetite all week and struggled with eating.

I did manage to work out but my 5K training was horrible.  I couldn't focus while running.  Mainly because I was battling a low grade fever, while sneezing and having a runny nose.  I will probably try week 4 again since it really will not do me any good to try week 5.

Friday night my body shut down completely.  I went to sleep around 9 pm on Friday and did not FULLY wake up until 12 am Sunday.  I did get up long enough on Saturday to eat some lunch, but that was about it.  And I'm not talking about laying in bed watching TV rest.  I'm talking about fully asleep, could not keep my eyes open.

So today is a new day and next week is a new week.  I'm going to try and run today and get back on track with my eating.  Wish me luck...

Hope everyone has a great week.

One More for the Road

I have some spare time this morning while Older Drama Queen sleeps in and Little Drama Queen is at a sleepover.

When I did WW before and now again this time around, I have heard a lot of excuses from people as to why they can't lose weight and I'm here to call bull**** on those excuses.  Believe me, I was one of those people who used the excuses and I hope I will not slip up and use the excuses again.

Excuse #1 when I tell people I joined WW:
I can't afford the monthly fee for WW.

My thoughts:
It costs about $40 a month to be on WW if you attend the meetings.  It's a little less if you do it online.  Find out what you spend most of your weekly money on and cut that activity in half.  For me, I would spend about $20 a week on books.  Reading is good, but it also became an addiction and money pit for me.  I would lay in bed all weekend long and read.  No excercise.  No healthy eating. No interaction with my family.

Stop spending money on fast food.  It may seem convenient but I have found that the amount of time I wasted on getting dressed and driving to the fast food place, I could've made my own meal in half the time and half the money.

If you truly are serious about losing weight and need help from people who have been in your shoes, I strongly believe WW is the way to go.  And if it's important to you, then you will find the money to do so.

Excuse  #2 when I tell people I joined WW:
I don't want to take the time to count points.

My thoughts:
Seriously???  How freaking lazy are you really?  I'm one busy mom and wife who works a full time job, shuffles kids around town every night until 8:00 pm and I can find the time to track my points.  Hell a lot of the foods already have the point value on the front of the box.  Most of us have smart phones and WW has made it so easy to track points.  It has a scanner app so you can just scan food at the grocery store and most of the time the point value will pop up.  But if it doesn't then just plug a few numbers into the calculator and you find the point value.  I spend about 2 minutes each day tracking my food intake.

So you don't want to join WW?  That's fine...find an app or program that will help you count your calories.  I have some friends who have been very succesful using the Lose It app.  The key is that you HAVE to track your food!!!!  It will hold you accountable for what you eat and you will make better decisions.

Excuse #3 when I tell people I joined WW:
I never had any success with it and was sick when I tried WW.

My thoughts:
You weren't following the plan then.  The plan has changed a lot since I was on it over 4 years ago.  You can still eat and drink whatever you want on WW, you just can't have it 7 days a week.  And that is really true for any calorie counting plan.  WW has you incorporate lots of fruits, veggies, dairy, and water into their plan.  They give you 49 extra points each week so you can splurge and the program gives you activity points to use if you get your butt off the couch and get active.  I know several drs that endorse this plan.  It's not a quick plan.  You don't drink shakes to flush out your system.  There are no miracle pills.  The plan is to teach you how to live a healthy lifestyle without being deprived.  I still go out to fast food places.  I just chose to get smaller portions and if I'm still hungry, I grab a fruit to fill me up.

Excuse #4
I don't like to excercise because I don't have the time.

My thoughts:
You have the time to drive thru and get Whataburger for dinner and watch Biggest Loser don't  you?  Get off your ass and go for a walk around the block.  You will feel so much better.  But if you're going to start exercising don't ruin it by going to Whataburger or Braum's to reward your self.

Excuse #5
I don't like fruits and/or veggies

My thoughts:
Too bad sister!!!  You have to eat fruits and veggies.  I am not a big veggie person but I LOVE fruit.  When I know I need veggies, I'll go to Subway and get a sandwich and load up on veggies.  To be perfectly honest, I have no clue what to look for at the grocery store when purchasing veggies.  I just stick with the bagged baby spinach, carrots, and cucumbers.  You are an adult.  Grow up and try a vegetable or two.  You may like it.

You wanna know something?  All of these excuses I listed above are excuses I have made over the years.  If I can do it, you can do it.  I remember a friend of mine texting me and inviting me to go run with her.  My reply back was, "If I'm going to run anywhere, it's going to be to the refrigerator to get my ice cream."  I'm glad that I got back in the zone and am really focusing.  It's not all that bad and I feel so much better.

If you would like some encouragement and need help getting started, you know how to get in touch with me.  But if you're not seriously ready and are going to keep making excuses, don't waste my time.  I don't have the energy for it.

One last note...My friend, Jenn, would randomly send me texts or FB posts telling me I need to start running.  She would get on to me about all the Cokes and sugar I was consuming.  I knew she was right, but I wasn't ready to give all that up.  I did not waste her time in helping get over my pity party.  Now that I'm serious, I yearn for her help.  Even though she is 2,000 miles away, we text everyday and she checks up on me.  I never once doubted her knowledge of nutrition or exercising and so far she has been spot on with everything she has suggested to me.  And I love passing that knowledge on to others.

My Journey Week 3

Wednesday was my weigh in and I kept telling people that I felt lighter and was hoping for a great weigh in.  Well, I was right as I lost 2.8 pounds week 3.  My grand total is 4.4 pounds in 3 weeks, which averages out to 1.5 pounds a week.  Very doable and a healthy way to lose weight.

I have to contribute week's 3 success to maintaing and tracking what I ate, keeping up with my 5K training, and all of my supporters.  You know who  you are and I love you!!!!

This week's theme was all about discoveries.  Meaning, I discovered new healthy yet enjoyable foods to eat.  The first couple of week consisted of Lean Cuisine meals, fruit, and Subway breakfast sandwiches.  While I still love all of those, I was getting burned out on eating the same stuff.

My favorite discovery this week was Veggie Straws.  OH MY GAWD!!!  My Weight Watcher leader kept going on and on about these things so I finally found them at the store and HOLY COW they are yummy.

They are 1 point for per serving (38 straws) or 130 calories per serving.  This is the perfect alternative to eating chips with a sandwich.  So far I have only been able to find them at Walmart and they are located near the rice cakes at the very top of the shelf.  38 straws is a lot and these will fill you up.

My next favorite food discovery was Laughing Cow cheese.  1 point for each wedge or 35 calories.  1 wedge is plenty to to spread across a sandwich.

I was tired of eating plain dry sandwiches.  I DO NOT like reduced fat mayo and am not a big fan of mustard.  Again, my Weight Watcher leader went on and on about these cheeses.  This week for breakfast I would get a whole wheat english muffin, spread the Chiptole Queso cheese flavor on it, cut up a boiled egg, put some baby spinach leaves on top of that, and slap on a few slices of turkey and that was my breakfast.  Saved me $3.25 from going to Subway each morning and it was so very good.  I was able to get a protein, carb, dairy, and veggie out of that one sandwich.  I also ate banana or apple with the sandwich.

As y ou can probably tell, I love sandwiches but I didn't want to use 4-6 points on just 2 pieces of bread.  A friend told me about the Sara Lee 45 calorie bread and I really like it.  I'm a bit of a bread snob and will only eat Mrs. Bairds bread.

This is 2 points or 45 calories for 2 slices of bread.

And my last discovery (actually I used to use these a lot when I was on WW 4 years ago) are the Crystal Light packets that you put in your water. 

Actually, I was cheap this week and bought the generic form of the packets.  Let's face it, water gets boring.  I have not had anything to drink except for water and milk since December 31st.  Mainly because I want to use my points for FOOD and not drinks.  And I'm weird in the fact that I HAVE to have a glass of milk with my dinner if I'm eating at home.  So the water was getting a little boring day in and day out.  Picked up a few flavors of these and drinking water isn't half bad.  These are 0 points or 5 calories.

That about wraps up this week's blog.  I'm gearing up for another busy week and getting ready for my trip to Washington.  Hope everyone has a great week.

My Journey Week 2

Week 2 presented itself with several different challengs and I'm happy to report that I handled those challenges with success.

I had my weigh in on Wednesday and I only lost .2 pounds but I am not discouraged.  Again, it was a loss.  There was nothing I could've done differently during the week.  I stuck with my plan and excercised 3 times during the week.  Stayed away from Cokes and candy.  Ate all my alloted fruits and veggies and probably drank up whole Lake Michigan in water.  The point is is that I feel better and if it takes me 3 years to get this weight off then so be it.

The theme for this week was CHOICES.  I was faced with several different challenges this week and instead of going back to my old ways of eating and have the f*** it attitude, I made good choices.

I learned that I can eat out and still enjoy good food with good people.  I may not have eaten that 1500 calorie meal, but I ate 500 calorie meal and did not feel like I was losing out on anything.  The food was still great and the company was fantastic.

Last Monday was a tough training day for me.  I started feeling sick about 2/3 of the way into training.  Instead of stopping and just making Geek Boy get the car and drive me home, I walked briskly through the rest of my training.  Got back up a 5:15 am on Wednesday and trained.  Did the same thing on Friday at 5:15 am and felt great after the training.  I even threw my hands up in triumph like runners do when they cross the finish line.

Well Jillian Michaels is calling me on my treadmill so I better go get started on my day.

Hope everyone has a great week!!!

My Journey Week 1

Last Wedneday was my weigh in and I lost 1.4 pounds.  I have to admit, I was hoping for at least a 2 pound loss. but hey a loss is a loss.  As long as that scale keeps going down and STAYS down.

In the past week I have been very proud of my accomplishments and have noticed a significant difference in the way I feel.

My accomplishments were:

Sticking to my points plus value with Weight Watchers
No Cokes or candy during the week
Started actually training for a 5K and enjoying training

During this week I noticed a lot of things (things that so many people have tried to tell me and I wouldn't listen) like: 

Now that I'm eating lots of fruits and veggies, I feel so much better.  I'm not as lethargic as I was.  Just two weeks ago I would literally fall into bed as soon as I got home from work.  If it was a night my girls had an activity then I would take a quick nap, go to their activity, and go to bed.

I don't miss drinking Cokes.  All of you know I'm a Coke (or recovering Coke) junkie.  I had one bad headache right after I stopped and that was it.  I know I'm the exception to the rule.  I'm the one who smoked for 3 years and just one day quit with do withdrawals.

I really do enjoy walking/running.  Now when I'm doing it, I want it to be over, but once I'm done and I see that I have accomplishment a longer distance in the same amount of time, I feel proud of myself and want to go at it again.  I've tried running in the past and hated every minute of it (and this was when I was in great shape), but I think the key for me is the Run 5K app that I use on my phone.

I have a great support system.  Geek Boy has gone with me on every run and walk this week (except the 5:45 am one) and he has been a great motivator.  That first run was tough and thank God he was there because I would've had to have been picked up off the side of the road.  We are looking at schedules to run our first 5K together and I'm excited.

In addition to Geek Boy, I have 4 WONDERFUL motivators who I check in with daily.  Jenn has been wonderful.  I call her my Out of State trainer.  When I need great advice on running and what to do next, she's the one I text.  So far she has been spot on.  Most important thing when running-good running shoes.  Joyce, Christina, and Keri---you guys ROCK.  Thank you so much for all your support this last week.  I can't wait to see what the 4 of us accomplish this year.

Well, the family just got up so my blogging time has come to an end.

Have a great day everyone.

Goodbye 2012...Hello 2013...

So it's been about 8 months since I've blogged.  A lot has happened over those 8 months but I won't bore you with all the details because frankly I don't want to relive the last 8 months.

Last year was a rough year for me emotionally.  Lots of changes at work.  Changes with my daughter's extracurriculer activities.  Changes financially.  I was in a deep depression most of the year.  During one week last year I was going to file for divorce, I tried quit my job, I was going to move to Florida, and when non of that happened I was going to go buy a new house.  Sounds pretty funny now, but it wasn't funny at the time.  I was not in a good place and it was scary. Only those close to me knew how bad I really was and I thank them now for saving me.  Took a lot of tears and tough love to make me open my eyes.  I went to my wonderful doctor  who I cried to for about 30 minutes and he changed my medication.  He told me to call him if the new medicine didn't work and said he would work with me and help me get through this.  He assured me I wasn't crazy (which is still debatable) but that I was just like every working mom with 2 teenage daughters. The medicine has seemed to help a lot, but I'm still not 100% there.

This year I'm taking control of myself and getting myself back on track. 4 years and 9 months ago, I joined Weight Watchers and lost about 20 pounds.  I worked out some but it was mainly watching my portion controls and choosing healthier foods to eat.  I was looking GOOD!!!  I could go into anystore and wear the cute little clothes and people noticed my weight loss.  Well I got cocky and stopped  Weight Watchrs, thinking I could do it on my own.  Well 4 years and 9 months later I have gained all that weight back plus 30 pounds.

Last Wednesday I joined Weight Watchers again and I am determined to make this lifestyle change.  Most of you know that my youngest is a gymnast.  She trains 4 days a week 3 hours a night.  Plus is at school and has gym time there.  During competition season she is working out 5 days a week (that's including competition days).  I watch her diet very closely and make sure she gets all of her fruits and veggies in for the day.  As well as LOTS of protein during work out days.  It hit me the other day while I was making her lunch, "Why am I not doing this for myself?  Why can't I just make the same lunch for me as I'm making for her?  DUH!!!"  She has been a great motivator and helping me stay on track when it comes to food.  It really hasn't been that hard.  First few days I was pretty hungry and had a caffeine headache, but I don't miss the Cokes and I still get my chocolate in every day.

I also started walking.  My daughter wants to do a 5k with me and I'm thinking about registering us for the Cowtown 5k at the end of February.  I did this 5k a few years ago and walked it most of the time but loved it.  Long term goal is to do a half maration in December in Dallas with 3 GREAT friends who are coming down from Washington State and one of my best friends from South Carolina.

Short term goal is to lose some pounds by the time I go to Washington in February and be able to walk/run enough to go running with some of by besties in Washington. 

I'm hoping to spend more time blogging this year.  Please come back and visit every so often.