Maintaing

Pin It So this week I stayed the same...not sure why - I exercised 5 out of 7 days, stayed on program the entire week...the only difference was the clothing I wore - the new dress I wore (yes, I wear a dress to WW...they're light!) was about 4 oz heavier than my usual dress, PLUS I work a tight tanktop underneeth it (to keep things from wobbling!)...that only accounts for just under a pound...I was hoping for more.  Now I have 3 more weigh ins left to lose 7.8lbs...not looking good to reach my pre-SE Asia goal I'm afraid...oh well, on the brighter side of things, the Canadian gov't has improved the travel warning to Thailand!  It's gone from Avoid All Travel to Avoid Non-Essential Travel to today's warning "Exercise High Degree of Caution"...which I think is where it normally stands!  Woohoo!!!  I'm excited that it's looking good for our Bangkok trip - I was SO looking forwared to Bangkok :-)

Well, I'm signing off now...supposed to go to watercise tonight, but not really "feeling it"...I really SHOULD go, but am feeling a bit demotivated today...wanting a night at home to myself (not something I've had a lot of lately)...also need to do laundry :-)

Move over Vitamuffins...here comes Betty Crocker!

Pin It Tonight I made chocolate "muffins" (some would call them cupcakes I guess...we'll call them muffins so I can eat one tomorrow for breakfast!).  This was the simplest recipe every:

3 cups All Bran
3 cups water
1 box Betty Crocker Low Fat Brownie Mix
1 Tbsp baking soda

Mix bran and water and let sit for 6 minutes.  Add brownie mix and baking soda and stir until mixed.  Line (and spray!) 24 muffin tins and fill almost all the way to the top.  Bake at 350 for 18-20 mins (don't overcook!).

Points
1 = 1pt
2 = 3.5pts
3 = 5.5pts

BEWARE:  These are EXTREMELY high in fibre.  One half cup of this cereal containts 12 grams of fibre...this recipe has THREE cups of cereal in it...pig out on them...only if you dare!

Thanks for the recipe Shondi!!

Next recipe to try after these are gone is the one with the cake mix and the canned pumpkin...

Stay tuned for tomorrow's weigh in results...I'm nervous - this week was the Indonesian party (which I could not count because I had no clue what most of it was!  And nary a vegetable in sight!) and I also had ice cream cake (which I counted!)...I just feel heavy this week if that makes any sense...I exercised every single day this week except today, so I should be OK...we'll see I guess :-)


 Food from the Indonesian party:

Where you least expect it

Pin It So, I think I've already established that I have a superb support system of friends and family.  This week proved to me that I also am blessed to have such a support system at work.

Tuesday we were scheduled to go out for supper with the admin girls at work.  We had planned to go the Fife and Drum (bar at the Marriott hotel) - I'd been there since beginning WW, so I had already broken down the points for their spinach salad, which was oh so tasty!  I was all set to go...until I looked at their online menu on Tuesday morning and realized that they no longer had my salad on the menu!  Now most restaurants would have something suitable for someone on WW...not so much here.  They did have a couple other salads - caesar (might as well have a big mac!) and one that had bacon and chips in it!  Everything else was deep fried-ish (wings, nachos, potato skins, etc.).  I decided on Tuesday afternoon that I would quietly back out of dinner and go home - there was no way I could fit this stuff into my daily plan, nor did I want to (well, I DID want the food, but I want to be in control even more).  In the end, I decided i would go and have a diet sprite and then beg off early.  I got there and everything was going according to my plan - was getting ready to bolt from those wings/nachos/skins and go home and have my salad.  All of a sudden the waitress appears with this spinach salad (with dressing on the side)!  I was so confused!  I hadn't even ordered a salad!  Turns out that my co-worker, Angela, had gone over to 44 North (the "real" restaurant at the Marriott) and asked if they would put together a spinach salad for me and bring it over...and they did!!  I was so touched!!  I was trying not to be too much of a stick in the mud, just sitting there, not eating anything, but I was feeling very sad and...quite honestly...very sorry for myself!  Angela's actions were so encouraging to me and meant more to me than she will ever know.  Eating at home and at work is one thing - you can easily control those environments (for the most part!), but eating out is somewhat unpredictable and hard to control...

So Thursday was my first day this week that I was able to go to water aerobics.  My friend/neighbor, Cheryl, had finally been free to come with me.  She normally has yoga on Thurs nights, but it was cancelled this week and she and I were both really looking forward to aquanoodle!  Off we go, both in our new swimsuits and we get to the door of the pool and it is CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So sad....  So I go home to make my salad I had planned for supper...lettuce wilted...thought I'd make myself a baked potato to go with my salmon I'd planned to have on my salad...potatoes had sprouted, tomato was yucky, grrrrr!  Thursday was NOT a good day WW-wise.  So I had my salmon and some brown rice and corn for supper with a bit of spicy thai chili sauce on it...it was OK, but a disappointing day nonetheless.

Off to begin a new week!  Tomorrow I am going with Bianca and Demon to an Indonesian gathering...beware of the food!!!!!!  Perhaps this week I'll commit to being vegetarian (zero point veggies only)!  lol just kidding...although today I did try a veggie (portabello) burger and it wasn't bad!

Do I know you?

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Well, I really realized last week that I'd made a change in my appearance...I met a friend for supper that I hadn't seen since before I began WW (this time!).  We were meeting at my usual haunt (Swiss Chalet...where the points always satisfy!) and I went up to the hostess for a table for two and told her that my friend may have already gotten us a table - sure enough, she was already there.  She said she'd seen me come in and didn't recognize me! lol  I'm sure it only took a split second before she did finally know it was me, but I think I threw her off a bit!  It was a great feeling :-)  I often wished in the past that I could go away to "Fat Camp" and come back all skinny and beautiful, but when you are losing weight and the same people see you every day, sometimes it gets dull and boring, so it's nice to run into someone you haven't seen in months and get that warm gushy feeling...not sure I'm explaining what I'm really thinking, but I'm trying.  Anyways, moving on!  

Made my "regular" muffin recipe this week, but instead of banana, I used pumpkin (thanks Shondi!).  I realized after I made them that I should have bumped up the sugar a tad...forgot that ripe bananas are sweet...whereas pumpkin...er, not so much :-(  Oh well, I did eat them anyways!  By the last one I actually considered NOT changing the sugar back when I make 'em again!

So I had a goal I'd set for myself wayyyyyy back in January when I booked my trip to SE Asia.  To reach that goal, I need to lose 10.8lbs in the next 6 weeks!  This past week was a slow week, but this week I'm aiming for a big number like the week before when I lost 4lbs.  I don't care if I have to drink my way to and from work every day (in water, that is!) and run around the buildings at lunch time, I'm gonna pull at least a 2lb loss this week!!!  At seven months into the program, losses of 2lbs or more are rare as your body starts to slow down, but I've discovered if I shock my body by doing something new (like I've done in the past 3 weeks with water-cise), it reacts positively.  I think this week I'll bring my sneakers to work and start walking at lunchtime if the weather cooperates...then again...I work downtown where almost everything is connected by PEDWAYS!  lol I guess I really have no excuse :-)

OK, so I'm off to prepare for the week - lunch is ready (made turkey soup tonight) so I just have to pull it together and set out my breakfast and put my sneakers by the door and I'm off to the races!  Wish me luck!!!!!

Over the hump

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This is a huge (no pun intended!) milestone for me.  As of today, I have officially lost 52.6 pounds!  I've lost weight before in the past, but never seemed to be able to get beyond 47-48lbs and I've finally made it over the 50lb hump!!  In the past 2 weeks, I have started going to water aerobics (3 times/week for the past two weeks, but working up to 4 x per week).  I am starting to notice a bit of the "melted candle" effect in my legs and arms, so that tells me I really, really need to start going to the gym and working out with weights, not just doing the cardio at the pool.

I've been trying to figure out what's different this time.  I know initially I started this journey (this time!) because I was planning a trip to Europe again and didn't want to be jammed like a sardine into one of those airline seats for hours on end.  My trip to Europe has, obviously, been replaced with my trip to SE Asia in June, so I still have the motivation of a trip to keep me going.  I've come to the conclusion though that it's not just the trip that keeps me going.  The support I have been getting from my friends and family has been amazing, to say the least.  I never thought I'd say that Facebook has helped me lose weight, but I recently started posting my losses (just the number, but those who know me knew what it meant) and the response has been astronomical!  I also have a bunch of lady friends who have been super supportive supportive in person.  In the past I've had people in my life who have (I'm sure, unintentionally) sabotaged my efforts to lose weight, but no more!  I think that I now have myself a solid set of friends who honestly care for my well-being and that means more to me than anyone will ever know.

Well, off to buy a new bathing suit (the old one's are about to have wardrobe malfunctions if I don't replace them soon!!) and then to meet an old friend for supper and a movie...

Might head to the gym this week...we'll see!!