My coke problem

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No, not THAT kind of coke...Coke (as in Coca-Cola Classic).  Not the diet kind, but The Real Thing.  I was an addict (of Coca Cola Classic) for many years before beginning this journey.  It's been about two years since I've had The Real Thing.  Sure, the diet variety has tried to take its place, but nothing can replace The Real Thing.  I'm not a fan of Diet Coke so rather than swapping one bad habit (sugar) for another (aspartame), I went cold turkey.

This past week I have had an awful craving for an ice cold Coke and a Cadbury Wunderbar...oh the peanut buttery-chocolate goodness of the Wunderbar.  A friend of mine used to tell me that if I wanted something I should wait 20 minutes and see if I still wanted it...I could feel the bubbles of the ice cold Coke slipping down my throat.  I denied this craving thinking that it would go away.  But almost a week later it was still there so  I decided that this weekend would be the weekend that I would indulge.  The bar alone is 9 Points+ and 12 oz of Coke is 4 Points+.  A grand total of 13 Points+ for this indulgence. I bought the bar on Friday night but my Sobeys store didn't have any cans of Coke (only Pepsi...which will NOT do).  So I waited.  Today I finally found my Coke - could not get it in a can (without buying a 6-pack) so I bought the small bottle.  Made sure it was nice and cold and tonight I sat down with my 12 oz of Coke and my Wunderbar.  The Wunderbar did NOT disappoint.  The only bad thing about it was the ending...I did not want it to end.  The Coke, however, was a bit of a letdown.  It didn't taste as good as I recalled from my old Coke days.  I wonder now how much of my Coke drinking was habit more so than addiction.  I think I've replaced my caffeine from the Coke by increasing my coffee intake (not terribly) - I am not sure what the draw was...I still have coke left in the bottle and I think I will pour it down the drain.  Never in my 37 years have I ever thrown away perfectly good Coke!  I guess my taste-buds have changed. I will have the Wunderbar again (not for a while at 9 Points+) but likely not the Coke.

I am now realizing that I drank a glass of fully caffeinated/sugared Coke...at 9pm... Hmmm....could be a long/late night!

Can you help me? I'm missing a 7 foot person...

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I know this is not SEVEN feet...do you know how hard
it is to find a picture with
SEVEN feet in it...usually they come in pairs :)

Well, not quite :)  I had my measurements taken last week and as it turns out I am down a little over 5 inches since right before my trip to the UK on September 3rd (even though my weight is only down about 3 pounds since then).  This is showing me that my exercise is doing something (this and the fact that most of the clothes I bought on this trip no longer fit...oh the clothes....I need to go back and replenish!).  In total I have now lost 86.13 inches which equals 7.18 FEET.  I know I didn't really lose a 7 foot tall person, but it's kinda neat to think that I've lost over 7 feet of inches off me when I'm only 5 feet, 8 inches tall ;-)  I am writing this post on Friday night, but will not publish it until after tomorrow's weigh in.  Right now, even though I suspect the scales will be up tomorrow (through no fault of my own...just my crazy body not cooperating), I feel pretty good about things.  I wanted to start this post while I still felt this way because I know how I get when I have a gain...it ain't pretty.  I am determined NOT to let it get me down.  I have done all I could do this week, including eating about 99% of my weekly points (OK, I left 3 points behind...but I tried!) and I earned a respectable 33 activity points.  After this, it is out of my control.  I will, of course, analyze this to death tomorrow and will try and figure out what I could do differently this coming week, but for tonight I am just going to enjoy my 7 feet...to be continued

	Difference 2009-2012
Chest	10.13
abdomen	13.75
Right Arm	5.75
Left Arm	5.75
Waist	15.25
Hips	16.50
Right Thigh	9.00
Left Thigh	9.00
right calf	0.50
left calf	0.50
Total Inches	86.13

Saturday update:

As suspected, I am up today.  Only 0.8, so I'm OK with that...well, as OK as I'll ever be with a gain.  I am going to concentrate on the numbers above and not focus on this blip.  I'll continue to do what I'm doing and whatever happens  will happen....  Happy Saturday everyone!

When you ask for help

Pin It that is when you start forming your team.  I heard this quote today while listening to the Cut The Fat podcast on the way home from work today.  They were talking about getting started with your weight loss journey and asking for what you need from those around you.  This is something I really struggled with and still do to be honest.  Even in restaurants I feel bad asking them to hold this or prepare my meal a certain way.  Part of me wonders why I think they would be willing to help me.  What's in it for them?  That's really a jaded way of thinking about things now that I think about it.  If someone were coming to my house and were diabetic or ate Kosher would I think any differently of them for asking me to accommodate them in their dietary needs/preferences?  No.  I'm not sure why I think others may not be willing/interested in helping.  I guess I've always had a hard time asking for help from others - I blame it (now) on being single in my mid (ok, late) 30s and having relied on myself for so many years. 

Blythe and Dr. Ray are so right - when we go along this journey we need the help of those around us.  We should not be afraid to ask for what we need.  Even though I have not always asked for help, I feel like I have developed an amazing team of supporting cast in this journey I call life.  Even though I've been doing this for over two years, I am still adding to my team.  As you may know if you've been here for a while, I started going to group fitness classes back in the early Fall.  A friend of mine had been trying to get me to go to Zumba with her for probably two years, but I was PETRIFIED of group fitness.  I don't remember what prompted me to actually go, but all of a sudden I found myself at Step class...then at Super Power...then at Zumba...now I'm doing three group fitness classes every week and would LOVE to do more.  I am always posting about the classes on Facebook - in the beginning it was in the hopes that someone I know would join me at the class...now it's so that my friends will come and join me and meet my NEW friends!  I'm not lonely in the class like I thought I would be.  I'm not the worst one there (usually).  Everybody starts out as new at some point in their lives.  I have met some amazing people through these fitness classes and am happily adding them to my team (whether they know it or want to be on it or not!!)  Seeing their smiling faces and warm greetings every class is a huge encouragement to keep on going - I miss them when I don't go and funny enough, people notice when I'm not there...even in our humongous Zumba class! 

So there it is... my team consists of friends, family, Weight Watchers group friends, Gym friends, great co-workers and so many more.  Who is on your team?  Do you ask for what you need?  Don't be afraid - as Nike says...Just Do It!

Hoping for an OK loss tomorrow...or any loss at all, but the way my body has been I will go in with no expectations at all.  My home scales are showing up again and after last week's 2.8lb loss I'm expecting a gain...I'm just going to have to accept that that's the way my cookie crumbles these days...a big gain, a big loss...I'll get there eventually. 

Stay tuned for tomorrow when I talk about the 7 foot person I'm missing....

A crazy idea

Pin It So as you may recall I've been having a rough go of it lately with respect to WW and weight loss in general.  I'm not having problems sticking to the program or exercising...and therein lies the problem.  I'm gaining weight.  I won't rehash last week's post - you can read it here if you like.

I know I said I wasn't going to make any more plans or set any more goals, but I do have an idea I'm tossing around in my brain.  I am thinking of taking my home scales to my WW leader and asking her to hang onto them for a few weeks.  The plan would be to weigh in backwards (yes, backwards!) and have them keep my weigh in book and not tell me the number.  The suspense might kill me...but I have no way during the week of getting to see my leader, so it would be a sure-fire way of avoiding the scales...  Anyone else weigh in and not look at the number (let someone else look)?  Does it take any of the stress off of you?  The numbers stress me either way...if I do bad, the number stresses me in the obvious way, but if I have a good loss...then I'm stressed that the next weigh in will be bad (obsessed much?).

OK, not sure if I will do this, but just throwing it out there... In addition to this, I am going to pick up some hand weights and start a strength program at home in combination with my Wii Sport Active... I did have my measurements done and my BF%/BMI...the measurements did show inches lost (just over 5" since Sept 2/11), but my BMI and BF% have gone up slightly.  I did learn that my BF% is within the healthy range for my age/stats (21-33 is the range and I'm at 30.8)...so that's something.

Off to eat supper...snow storm today in the city, so took about 90 minutes to get home once I finally got on a bus..so I'm eating supper at 8:30 at night :(  "see" you all tomorrow sometime after WW.

No more plans, no more goals

Pin It Setting goals does not work for me.  I've come to realize this.  Anytime a goal is set for me (whether by myself, my family or my WW leader) I fail miserably.  I am hereby withdrawing my goal of getting to goal by V-Day.  I don't understand why this happens.  Occasionally I know it's self-sabotage, but for the most-part, I do all the right things to get to these goals and I never achieve them.  I am great at setting and meeting (or exceeding) goals in my professional life, but for some reason in my personal life...not so much.

So, for those of you out there who tell me I'll get to goal by a certain date or that I'll lose a certain amount of weight this week, please don't.  Please don't put that pressure on me.  I know you mean well and only want the very best for me (and I love you all for that!!!), but it really does not help me in this process.  I ask that you do this for me.  I thank you for respecting my wishes on this matter.  Please don't stop encouraging me, but let's leave dates and deadlines out of the equation.

Obviously the way I have been doing things with the WW program are no longer working for me.  I get all of my healthy guidelines, I earn an average of 35-40 activity points per week, I eat 2/3 or so of my weekly 49 points (more or less, depending on how hungry I am...I don't deprive myself - if I'm hungry, I eat).  I am re-thinking things.  Some have suggested that maybe I'm doing too much exercise.  I highly doubt that - I only workout maybe 4 times a week, but those are high intensity workouts. I take at least 2 days a week off.  I could maybe see if I were maintaining, then the workouts could be to blame (gaining muscle), but I've had 2 significant gains in the past three weeks - I highly doubt I've gained nearly 6 pounds of muscle in three weeks.  Some have suggested I am not eating enough.  In all honesty, I eat when I'm hungry.  I don't tend to eat my activity points, but that's only because I don't usually even get through my weekly points.  If this week I'm hungry enough to eat my weekly points and dip into my exercise points, then so be it - I will. 

I know my title said no plans and no goals...but I am going to try one plan this week (although I'm not setting any goals, other than living through the week!).  This week I am going to try to eliminate artificial sweeteners from my diet.  I don't eat a lot of artificial sweeteners, but I have a friend whose body reacts negatively to them and she suggested that this may be part of the problem.  So I'll give it a try.  Without any expectations.

That's it.  Nothing left to say this week folks.  Sorry for the bummer post, but I'm feeling a bit bummed.  Like I said to a friend today, if I could pinpoint some reason as to why I'm gaining (maybe I don't measure and weigh my food...but I do; maybe I don't workout...but I do; maybe I cheat...but I don't), then I could accept this more readily.  I guess I'm a bit of an analytical person - I need to know the REASON why things happen.  There HAS to be a reason...

Yet another wonderful recipe....

Pin It from Gina @ Skinnytaste.com.  I tell you, I have not been disappointed yet!  Never in my life have I made so many delicious recipes from one source!

The night before last I made Kalyn's Stuffed Cabbage Casserole from Gina's blog.  I made a few minor adjustments (increased beef to 1.5lbs...what can I say? I'm a meatetarian!  I also used the spicy petite cut tomatoes and instead of plain tomato sauce I used Hunts Thick and Spicy pasta sauce).  I wasn't going to include the cheese (to save WW points+), but had a bit of Parmesan/Romano cheese in the fridge, so sprinkled about 1/4 cup over the top after it finished cooking.  This recipe was AMAZING!  A definite 10/10 in my books.  It was also fairly economical to make - the beef was cheap (maybe about $3) and the tomatoes/sauce were cheap...and half of a large head of cabbage (oh yeah, her recipe said to use 1 1/2 heads, so I got one huge one...and only used half)...and it makes 10 servings.  WW points-wise, it was 5 points per serving.  Have the Tums ready if you are bothered by cabbage - there's a ton of it in here!

I have been eating this for a couple of days now and have reluctantly put the rest of the leftovers in the freezer for some quick last-minute lunches.  I think I could eat this all week, but figured it was freezer time.

Sorry, no pictures of my own casserole, but Gina has some great prep and after-cooking photos on her site.

Tonight was Zumba night and there were several songs that were new to me - I had convinced a couple of new people to join me, so I was a bit self-conscious that I didn't know these new songs, but I've learned to let it go and just enjoy myself.  I have to admit...my legs are KILLING me from last night's Step Class...but I'm still glad I went.  Tomorrow is my night off from fitness - although Cynthia said that if I cleaned her house for her, she'd do a Boot camp class with me... I think I'd rather take the night off! haha...I need to clean my own place and pick up a few groceries...it's amazing how fast you go through fresh fruits and veggies!  Only one more workout before my next weigh in...let's hope it's more than .5 this week!

I've graduated...sort of

Pin It I decided to be brave (or stupid?) tonight and stepped it up (literally!) to TWO risers in Step class.  Maybe not my smartest move, but hey - you never know until you try, right?  It went OK.  I kept finding myself tripping over my step which, surprisingly, I don't normally do with only one riser.  That was always my fear before I tried Step class - that I would trip.  So tonight I stumbled a few times, but didn't actually fall down (thankfully!).  Towards the end of the class though...I thought my legs would fall off!  Tonight's class was tougher than usual too.  The microphone is not working for our instructor, so she's not able to do choreography...so she tortures teaches us in other ways using "basic" moves :)  Still an awesome class though.

Tomorrow's Zumba class should be interesting...at this point, I'm not sure I can get off the sofa to go make supper...tummy is growling though, so must force myself.

My (not quite) 15 mins of fame

Pin It OK, you asked for it... here is the link to one of the songs we did in the Zumba taping yesterday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeI4gZvjX4Q

Hope this works!!

Weight Wars

Pin It Sorry for double posting today, but I'm sitting here watching Dr. Phil that I recorded on my DVR earlier in the week and his topic is weight loss.  I am dumbfounded by how cruel and awful these people's friends and families are to them!!!  Sisters ganging up on sisters and calling them absolutely HORRIBLE names.  SISTERS!  Now I don't have a sister myself, but I just can't even imagine talking to my sister (if I had one) in that way.  If you can't rely on the support of your family, what chance do you have at this game of weight loss???  Awful...shameful...terrible behavior.   These sisters think that calling their heavier sister names (fat slob, etc) and belittling them is motivating them to lose weight.  As Dr. Phil says..."and how's that workin' for y'all?"  Seriously...I can tell you right now if someone talked to me that way it would NOT motivate me in the least.  I'd head for the nearest McDonalds drive-through and stock up on salty fries and Big Macs.  I'd then head to the grocery store and pick up some premium ice cream and come home and sit on the sofa eating it all.  THAT is how those words would motivate ME.  These people are toxic and should be ashamed of themselves.  It's bad enough when people pick on non-family members (notice I said bad enough, NOT acceptable), but when you pick on your very own family it's disgraceful...your family should be your safe place to fall - people you can always count on no matter what size or shape you are.

OK, that's all...I just had to get that rant out.  I am SO grateful for the support of not only my family, but my fabulous group of friends.  I find myself receiving support/encouragement from people I don't even know (or hardly know)!!!  Do you know someone trying to lose weight/get in shape?  If so, please, please, please be the encouragement that they need.  You'd be surprised at how far a few kind/encouraging words can go and how much they will be appreciated :)

I might be famous one day...

Pin It Well, not really...but I did participate in a Zumba video recording today that will be posted on Youtube!  My Zumba instructor, Cynthia did a recording today and invited some of us regulars to participate.  I was nervous at first, but figured what the heck!?  I've stepped so far out of my comfort zone these past few months, why perform for a video to top it all off :)  I'm not sure when the video will be up, but I'll post the link when it is.  I had SO much fun!  We have a great group that attends the Tues/Thurs Zumba class on a regular basis.  Our next adventure is a 2 hour Zumbathon in February...a two hour Zumba class might kill me, but at least I'll die dancing/smiling :)  Thanks Cynthia!!

That's all for today - nothing earth shattering to report on the WW front...down 0.5 pounds and 4.9 pounds to go til goal. 

Happy weekend everyone!

PS - here's a pic of me in my new t-shirt I bought for today's video recording (I figured the size XL Old Navy t-shirts I usually wear would not be ideal ;-) Had to take the shot in the bathroom mirror...sorry!

When...

Pin It A quote from my original WW leader, Terry, came to mind today as I was thinking about if I'd ever get to goal.  She was always saying "not IF, but WHEN".  I am claiming this quote (among others) for 2012.

An "anonymous" friend (you know who you are! lol) asked me over the weekend what I planned to do once I got to goal.  I thought she meant what are my plans for what's next, but she meant what was I going to do for ME as something special when I get to goal.  I hadn't really thought about it much at all to be honest.  I've thought about my plans for what to do next once I eventually get there, but not really how I will celebrate.  I think I have trouble celebrating myself.  Does this make sense?  Am I alone in this?  I'm not much for whooping it up for my own successes, my birthdays, etc.  I love to celebrate these things for others, but for some reason not so much for myself.

Soooo, that being said, my friend is right.  I realize that I DO need to do/buy something for ME when I get to goal this year (yes, it WILL happen in 2012...please, Lord!).  Do I want to buy myself a ring?  A necklace? I thought about getting my teeth whitened (it's something I've thought about for a while), but I think I need something more permanent/tangible.  Something that I can look at/touch that reminds me how far I've come and reminds me to never go back.  Any suggestions?