Is it a 10?

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I think one of the most important things I have learned this time 'round at WW is not to eat food that doesn't rate a 10/10 on the taste-scale.  I tried that over the Canada Day long weekend when I was at a buffet - I picked up some noodles...only a 6/10 so I left them on the plate.  I tried some coconut cream pie...unfortunately this was a 12!  More and more lately I am finding that this theory keeps coming back to me. The 10/10 test is something taught to us by our WW leader, Fiona.  I've never given food a rating before and never really given the actual taste that much thought.  I think Canada Day could have been much, much worse had I not taken the time to apply the 10/10 test at that buffet.  I don't necessarily do that with my everyday/healthy foods - I wouldn't choose them if I didn't like them.  But when it comes to treats - cakes, pies, cookies, chocolates, etc. I try (and am going to try MUCH harder) to apply this test.  If it doesn't rate a 10, then no more bites will pass my lips.  I am, after all, worth a 10/10, don't ya think?

I was walking with a friend of mine today and she and I agreed that this lesson was one of the most valuable and something we will take away with us long after we get to goal.

Anybody else do this?  Do you put down the fork if the food doesn't rate?

Today is a new day with no mistakes in it!

Pin It This quote is, appropriately, from Anne of Green Gables (books based in Prince Edward Island).  Today is a new day and I am aiming for a mistake-free day... I'm going to get ready and head to the grocery store soon to stock up on fruits and veggies for the week and then do some laundry and head for a walk with a friend or two if the rain holds off.  I might even make a pot of soup today...soup always helps me get through a tough week food-wise.  I am thinking squash soup might be a good choice...  or chicken/vegetable...  I think I will also cook up a big pot of quinoa and make some barley to have on hand to toss in salads - might as well cook up some protein to go along with it too...eggs and chicken should do.  Well, there you go - a plan has formed.

I found another quote by Anne that I never remember hearing before and I thought I would claim it for me :-)

"I'm not a bit changed--not really. I'm only just pruned down and branched out. The real ME--back here--is just the same."  - Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

I fought the food and the food won

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Dad, Mom and I in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island

I had a great Canada Day long weekend with my family in PEI this weekend.  I did realize though that I really need to concentrate more on making these social situations more about the company than the food. 

Nobody forced me to eat badly this weekend.  There were healthy options available thanks to my wonderful cousin Karen.  I chose to eat the wrong foods.  I ate cookies, pie, potato salad, hamburger, sausage, ice cream and the list goes on.  Each of these things on their own I realize are not all bad (ok, maybe the sausage is...but it was good!), but in one three-day weekend, it was a bit overboard.  I did not go to WW on Saturday as I had planned to (had mapped out the location of the nearest one in PEI and everything)... I did not exercise.  I am disappointed in myself.  I've really only done this one other time in recent memory and that was when I went to Bangor in May - but at least then I was on my feet walking all the time. 

Thankfully I am able to hit the reset button and tomorrow is a new day.  I am also thankful that tomorrow is another day off for me and that I can head out to the grocery store and stock my fridge with healthy options and take some time to plan meals for the next five days.  Hopefully I have not done too much damage weight-wise, but if I do show a gain on the scale on Saturday, I've nobody to blame but myself.  I was a willing participant in this fight with the food...unfortunately the food won.

There will be no Slimmer this Summer update as I'm afraid this post says it all.  Stay tuned until next weekend when I will have more challenge news...hopefully good news!

Try this class, you'll just LOVE it!!...??

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Why is it that people who don't even know you say this to you?  This happens to me all the time - try this, you'll love it, try that, you'll just adore it!  I have to say, I reluctantly went to Aqua Zumba (Zumba in the pool) tonight.  At the front desk the girl tells me "you, you'll just LOVE LOVE LOVE it!" and "you should come to the land Zumba class on Tuesday nights - you'd love that TOO!"  Ok, first of all, she's never even met me before this minute..how does she know??  Does everyone in the entire world love Zumba on land and in water?  Ummm, NO.  Not everyone.  I know of at least one person who does not love Zumba. ME.  I have to say, I was not a fan.  At least not the Aqua Zumba.  The instructor was fine - he was a character, I'll say that for sure.  From everything I've seen and heard, there is no skill required for Zumba.  I beg to differ.  You do require coordination and rhythm - I don't care WHAT "they" say.  If you ain't got rhythm, Zumba ain't for you!  On top of that, a lot of the moves were just too much for my poor tender shoulder - apparently my shoulder still doesn't like treading water (or moving in certain directions)...  Oh well, live and learn, right?

One of the girls in the class co-teaches the hydrorider class at the pool on Tuesday nights.  She told me that only two people showed up at the class last night (even though it had full registration...paid registration!)  She told me to pop in next Tues night to see if it was full and if not, she'd let me join in (even though I'm not registered)... I am a bit leery... she told me at the start of tonight's class that I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE it...apparently she and another girl there following this teacher to all of his Zumba classes...like groupies...  We'll have to see what Tuesday brings.

Happy Canada Day / 4th of July (to my American cousins and friends) long weekend if I'm not blogging to you before then.  Heading to Prince Edward Island for the long weekend to visit some family I haven't seen in ages...really looking forward to it!

The Wheels on the Bus

Pin It This is a bit off-topic - not weight loss or fitness related at all...

I've had a friend warn me in the past not to make "bus friends" (y'all probably know her as Anonymous "Ann").  Unfortunately / fortunately I have "one of those faces" that seems to make people want to talk to me.  Grocery clerks, people at bus stops, people in airports, etc.  Don't get me wrong, I have met some lovely people on the bus and would not give back the time I have had with them on my commutes over the years, but I have also met some wackadoodles on the bus - the guy with no teeth who all of a sudden starts calling me by name (huh???), the lady who screams at people who try and sit next to her, the stoned kid at the bus stop always asking for bus tickets or change - if you have a ticket, he'll give you change, if you have change, he'll give you a ticket...strange, wackadoodles.  Recently I have changed my working hours so I have also changed the buses I take.  I have to say, I am quite enjoying not having any bus friends.  I find I need that time in the morning to brace myself for the day and the time in the afternoon to unwind from the day.  I listen to music, podcasts or read a book/magazine...sometimes I just people watch.  The peace is nice.  I hate to say it, but I don't want to make any bus friends on my new buses.  I would like to remain anonymous.  Does that sound rude??  I don't mean to be stuck up.  I don't think I'm better than the other people on the bus... I am just enjoying the peace and quiet of it all. 

Are you an anonymous commuter?  Do you have a "talk to me" kinda face? 

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

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I'm still working on my 10 points of protein per day, so today's grand idea was to have an egg on toast for lunch.  I gingerly packed my raw egg in a nice little gladware container all safe and sound so as not to crack it.  Put my lunch bag in the fridge at work and low and behold, at lunchtime he was still in one piece!  I was going to scramble him up and put some cheese I had brought with me in it and pop him in the microwave for a minute.  I sprayed the mug (egg sticks big time!) with cooking spray and cracked my egg.... all over the counter NEXT to the mug!  In all my egg-cracking years, I have NEVER missed the bowl/mug!!!  So for lunch, I had a tiny bit of cheese on dry toast :(  Sad, I know ;-)  I would have had an egg when I got home from work for a bit of added protein, but, alas, that was the last one... Old Mother Hubbard's cupboards are bare...

Supper has turned out much better!  I am having shrimp "fried" "rice" (made with quinoa)...so yummy!  Also high in sodium, but, meh, who cares today?! 

Sorry this is upside down...computer is misbehaving!

There is no finish line

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This is a big truth that I think a lot of us need to accept.  In this journey of healthy living, weight loss, fitness - whatever your journey is - there is no finish line.  All too often I've started this journey with an end in sight... clearly not near-sight, but a definitive end nonetheless.  I think that's the difference with this time.  I finally had my "Oprah aha moment" and realized that there is no end.

There are goals along the road (one of them being getting to my ultimate healthy weight goal), but this is a continuous journey that I am on for the rest of my life.  Along the way I will set new goals - maybe running a 5K or trying new things (zip-lining has been intriguing me lately!), but ultimately I need to keep my eye on the prize and the prize is being healthy.  Living a healthy lifestyle is a daily choice I will make every day for the rest of my life - like putting on my seat belt in the car.  I don't just do it on long journeys and then hope for the best when I jot across town - I wear it every time.  The same can be said for healthy eating and exercise.  I can't just do these things until I get to my healthy weight goal and then stop.  That would be silly and counterproductive to say the least.

I've always chuckled when people say that such-and-such a diet doesn't work - the minute they go off it, they gain the weight back.  Well duh!  I think that's why it's important to choose a weight loss / healthy living regime that you can live with for the rest of your life.  Find one that works for you and gives you the flexibility to enjoy the things you love (um...chocolate?).  For me, that's Weight Watchers, but you have to choose the plan that works for you.  Brand-name programs aside, I do think it's crucial to find a program that demands accountability (weekly weigh ins) and that provides support (meetings, counselor, etc.).  Find others on a similar journey to run the race with you, but remember that you can't make anyone do this except YOU.  You can encourage others and others can encourage you, but ultimately it's a personal choice that only you can make for yourself.

For the love of quinoa!

Pin It Have you tried it yet?  You should.  This super grain is one I've blogged about before and I'll never stop singing it's praises!  Some people say it's bland, but really it's just like rice (only much better for you)...plain rice is bland too, but you have to spice it up.  Tonight I cooked it with some Pueblo Bean dip mix from Epicure and some Mrs. Dash spicy blend...yummm  Tonight's accompaniment is roasted vegetables and salmon (BIG piece of salmon...I'm still aiming for 10 points of protein per day...so far I've only had an egg!)  Check out some of the health benefits of quinoa here if you are interested.

Here is a picture of my super-hero grain and all its friends:

Why am I fat?

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It seems that on all of the weight loss programs, in all the books, on all the podcasts I listen to related to weight loss, there is one general theme I've noticed.  We are fat for a reason that doesn't have anything to do with food or lack of movement.  Why are we fat then?  I understand some people had terrible childhoods, come from dysfunctional families, have had serious tragedies in life.  I keep looking back on my childhood and wonder what my trigger point was that caused me to start gaining weight.  For the life of me, I can't figure it out!  I grew up with two loving parents and had a very normal (I think!) childhood.  No real tragedies that I can think of.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about not having tragedies, nor am I complaining that I had a normal childhood - believe me, I am very grateful for this!  My concern is that if I never figure out the WHY, that the weight could sneak back on.  Am I alone in this mystery?  Are there others out there who don't KNOW why they're fat?  I listen to Jillian Michaels and when she has callers on the phone she usually will ask them why they're fat... she never accepts the "I don't know" answer.... but really and truly, I DON'T know.  ..

Thoughts

The "onlys"

Pin It I have talked about this before, but feel the need to address it again.  This is more for me than anyone else, but I am hoping someone else out there will take something away from it.

How many times have you weighed in at your weekly meeting and "only" lost a pound?  "Only" lost two pounds?  You can insert your own "disappointing" number in that place, but you get the idea.  All too often I say to myself "one pound just isn't good enough" - this week, quite frankly, I was disappointed with 1.3 pounds.  Deep down I KNOW that 1.3 pounds is awesome, but sometimes I need to take a step back to see it.  Sometimes it takes someone else's "only" to put things in perspective for me.  I had a friend who started WW recently and in their first week they "only" lost four pounds.  I'd give my left arm to lose four pounds in a week!  So I thought it was time to bring out some logic (for me and my friend).  First of all, a healthy rate of loss is 0.5-1.5 pounds per week (after your first few weeks on program).  So my 1.3 pound loss (20+ months into the program) puts me up there as a high achiever I guess!  I tried to explain to my friend that she should be so proud of her four pound loss - anything more than that is not healthy.  I told her to go to the grocery store and pick up a package of meat that weighs four pounds... now is it "only" four pounds?  I'd be looking at my butt to figure out which cheek that roast fell off of!!

Do you beat yourself up over "onlys"?  Do you expect big losses every week?  I have to remind myself sometimes that I did not put the weight on five pounds at a time, so I can't logically expect to take it off that quickly either.  This weight of mine took over 20 years to put on... I should be proud that I'm almost done taking it off in under 2 years.  The next time you think of your "onlys", take a trip to the grocery store - a friend of mine made me do this when I'd lost "only" 50 pounds - she sent me to pick up a 50 pound bag of potatoes...which I couldn't even LIFT!  This past week I was disappointed to have only lost 0.7 pounds and that I hadn't hit the 110 pound marker yet... then at a family event on Friday night someone mentioned my Great Uncle Joe (who has been notoriously skinny all of his life...a strong wind would blow him over)... someone mentioned they thought he had lost weight, but his son piped up and said "Nope, Dad still only weighs 108 pounds"...that's when I realized...I've lost UNCLE JOE!!  An entire MAN!  OR an overweight supermodel (this one's for you Fiona!)

Have a great week everyone and don't let the seemingly small losses get you down.  I try to remind myself that a loss is a loss...it's better than a gain!

Can you do 30 minutes?

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Last night I really did not want to go for my walk.  I've been feeling off all week - had a rough night at physio Tuesday and since then had a sore rib that radiated to my back and I just didn't WANT to go...plus it was cold out.  Normally when I go for a walk, I aim for 63 minutes - that's how many minutes it takes me to earn 6 activity points (62 minutes gets me 5... what's one more minute, right?!).  I always feel that if I DO go out, I have to go for the full shot or it's not worth going.  Where in the world did that idea come from I wonder?  Last night I talked myself into going for 30 minutes.  Fifteen minutes out and 15 back.  That's all I was going to force myself to do.  I walked out the door and was promptly splattered with HUGE raindrops (and I'd chosen to wear my fleece over my rain jacket because it was cold out).  Nope, I'm gonna do it... 30 minutes, that's all I have to suffer through - I can have a hot shower when I get home and it'll all be good.  About 15 minutes into the walk my rib "popped" and the pain that had been with me since Tuesday was almost gone!  So I kept walking.  I ended up getting my 6 activity points.  Really for me, the toughest part is getting my sneakers on and walking out the door - once I'm out, I sometimes feel like I could go forever!  When I got home I realized that my speed is getting up there - I clocked the route to my office from home and it's only 8.7 kms... one of these days I'm going to walk to work, I promise you that (I'll have to leave at 5am so I can pop over to the gym next door to shower before work though!).  I figure I could walk to work in about 90 minutes or so... some day.

So... can you go for "half" of your typical workout routine and still feel like you've done something worthwhile?  Do you find that once you get going, you end up completing the whole thing in the end? 

Again with the mind games we play!

Slimmer this Summer update:

I lost 1.3 pounds this week to give me a grand total of 110.1
I ate all 49 weekly points again this week
I ate 10 points worth of pure protein (chicken, fish, eggs) each day (except yesterday, I was 1 point short)
I worked out 5/7 days
Sadly, due to my rib pain (never did figure out what it was), I only ran once.  I will repeat this "week" of my running schedule next week
Lots and lots of water

I think this week I might do 3-4 days of no sugary treats.... I'm not doing a full week as we're going away to PEI this weekend and I want to have SOMETHING (in moderation)....

"See" you all next week!

How much of this is mental?

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I was out for my walk tonight and on the way back I was approaching a hill and my first thought was "Great, another stupid hill... I can't do it, I'll be winded!"  Then I realized that I've walked up much greater hills than this in recent months without getting winded at all... Why did I look at this hill and all of a sudden revert back to the old me who would have been seriously winded?  How many other things is my "old mind" holding me back from accomplishing?  Sometimes I think that the trouble I have with running for any amount of time is mental - for some reason I think part of me is afraid...afraid I can't do it...I don't know.  How long does it take to really realize what I am capable of in my new body?  How do you conquer these old fears that creep up on you?  I know full well that I can walk up hills.  I can walk a kilometer in under 10 minutes on a good day.  I can run for up to 2 minutes, 30 seconds.  Most of me KNOWS I'm not the same person... but then there's that little devil sitting in my shoulder sometimes that says "Who do you think you are? You can't do THAT"...  Oh my...some days I really think this whole game is 95% mental and only 5% diet and exercise!

Happy Friday everyone...stay tuned for tomorrow's weigh in results - week two of eating all 49 points and week one of eating 10 points worth of true lean protein (chicken, fish, eggs)...the only day I didn't get 10 points worth was today....it's really TOUGH!  Not feeling any lighter this week, but we'll see what tomorrow brings.