Well, I'm reporting a maintain. I'm glad in that it's been a rough couple of weeks to say the least but I was very "by the book" last week and I thought I might see a loss. Now I'm in the position of a major deficit though. Tony had an overnight off-site that meant he had to leave yseterday (Sunday) morning to drive to Pennsylvania and isn't coming home until this evening. I had planned to get a little Chinese takeout and planned what I'd eat, the points, etc. I only got what I had planned but ate way more of it than I had planned. In retrospect, I would have been better not to have planned a "treat" since Tony was away (that was my thinking) because under the circumstances, I took that "treat" and emotionally ate it all!
Well, today is a new day. My rings are very tight although I drank a ton of water and my sneak peek was frightening. I'll be guzzling water today! The good news is that I'm almost back to normal cardio exercise-wise so I hope to whittle the deficit away over the next couple of days with that and low point eating. I hope to try to weigh in on Thursday (since we're going to D.C. on Friday night) but it's going to be a very hectic day so I may need to skip the weigh in until we're back. Going away is good motivation for having a good week food and exercise wise. We're staying at a suites hotel with a kitchen so we're planning on having breakfast and lunch there - that should help food planning wise.
Carla - yes, the traditional break fast meal for my family is what we call "appetizing" - that is, smoked salmon, white fish, herring, etc. with bagels, rye and pumpernickel bread. Very salty but very yummy.
Hi Judy, sounds like you're on the road to recovery--from too much Chinese! Congrats on the maintain and don't worry about the sneak peak. I'm getting to the point where I'm thinking weekly weigh ins are not a good idea, but then again I didn't weigh in when I was packing on the pounds, so maybe they are. It's the temporary water weight gain that can be discouraging. At least you are aware of it and making headway with the water and exercise. I find I am paying much more attention to sodium content since reading the posts here, and some of the packaged dinners in my freezer have a whole day's worth of sodium in them! Yikes! I'll have to check that when I'm in the grocery store from now on.
Weigh in this morning - down 1.5 pounds. I had a good week with getting all my exercise in and staying on program except for two days when I was ill and couldn't eat much. I did eat better the other days, so I'm making progress.
Nothing special going on this week so I shouldn't have any "challenges". Last week when I went for a manicure, everyone at the salon finally noticed I'd lost weight, that sure felt good. My husband is making comments as well! If I knew how to put one of those smilies here, I would! Have a great week.
If you click on the smilies to the left, it will add it to the bottom of your post. You can activate them in your profile.
Sodium is HUGE in processed foods!! If you shop on the edges of the store you will avoid a lot of it! I think that is a major problem with me; now that I have started avoiding processed foods the pounds are coming off. Keep it fresh and you should be ok, and it's probably healthier anyway. They say that 2t or 2000 mg of sodium is the daily maximum. That is really not very much and it's easy to go overboard. Did you know they put sodium in soda?
Judy, have fun with the water...
I am maintaining through TOM, which is VERY good news for me! Weighed in at 203 but I probably weigh around 195 or so; usually I gain about 10-15 pounds before TOM so 203 is awesome! I'll take it! I measured my waist this morning and it is still as small as it was when I lost; I think I am at the edge of a plateau right now. Breaking it with the pink bike, and I'm also fasting today as tomorrow has a party in the evening.
Judy - Congratulations on the maintain. I know you were hoping for a loss, but the scale will catch up. Next time Tony needs to be away overnight, perhaps you can come up with a non-food treat for yourself. Or get your Chinese food, measure your planned portion, and then put the rest in the freezer right away. I'm sure you'll work off that deficit. How long will you be in D.C.? It's good that you'll be able to do breakfast and lunch in your room and I'm sure you'll be doing a lot of walking.
Karen - Congratulations on a great loss. You are doing so well - you're my inspiration. You're so right about the frozen dinners are high in sodium. But for me they're just a lifesaver at lunch. I know myself too well and know that I'm not organized enough to pack a lunch at night. In the morning, there's just not enough time usually. So I grab a frozen dinner and then I'm not buying my lunch and giving into temptation. On the flip side, I add very little salt, if any, to my food so I guess it all balances out.
Jennifa - Congratus on maintaining through TOM. That's a great accomplishment. I'm sure that with the help of the pink bike, you'll be able to avoid that plateau.
Sharon, Yvonne, Holly - How are you?
Speaking of frozen dinners, I just finished one that made me very happy: Trader Joe's Kung Pao Chicken. It tasted great, was spicy enough, and really as good as what I've had at some restaurants. This will really help me curb my Kung Pao cravings in a portioned-control way. I think I'll stock up and when John wants to order in Chinese food he can get his dinner and I can still join him. I picked up some their pot stickers too and have to try those as well.
Are we all geared up for a great OP week? Let's do it!!!
Jennifa - Good for you! I'm glad you're ready with a plan for the plateau busting. No, I had no idea that they put sodium in soda! I gave up drinking it a few years ago and now it's water and coffee for me. Please don't tell me they put sodium in coffee. I try to limit my intake to 3 cups a day.
Carla, thanks for the compliment That should keep me motivated. I'm jealous, we don't have Trader Joe's in Florida and all I ever hear is good things about it. I'll have to check it out when I go to California for Christmas.
Jennifa, I tried the smilie, let's see if I got it right. Thanks
Happy to see a new face here! Please tell us a little about yourself.
About me - I started WW at Home in June, found this group about a month ago and these gals have really helped me a lot. I live in Florida, 25 miles from anywhere, so the at home program is perfect for me. I love your Christmas Wish! Drop in anytime.
It's nice to have a fellow Westerner on board! Glad the @home program is working for you. Your numbers look pretty close to mine! I am combining WW with Deepak Chopra's Perfect Weight book principles and it is finally the winning combination for me. I don't really count points anymore but when I do it's around 25, so it's within the range. I have been on WW for so many years I swear I could pig out and still be OP!!
Phoinix, I gave up soda, too. Who needs that much sugar AND salt??? They say that carbonation causes cellulite, it's probably a myth, but just for luck... I did pig out on cheesy crackers last week. I couldn't help it. But I can this week. Usually if I want something salty I will eat nuts and get some protein, too. I am a vegetarian so it's important for me to eat those. And I don't care about the fat grams, they are healthy fat grams and they don't seem to matter all that much in the long run. I think they are doing more good than harm; I always lose when I eat more nuts.
Judy - Congratulations on the maintain. I like Carla's idea of immediately taking out what you plan to eat and putting the rest away. Glad to hear you are almost back to normal with the exercise. Having the kitchen in your hotel should help a lot. Just eating breakfast out can add up to a lot of points. We just had a refrigerator in our room in Florida, but I was able to eat breakfast in and stock up on some bottled water and some fruit for snacks.
Karen - Congratulations on the great loss. Doesn't it feel good when people finally notice!
Jennifa - Wow, maintaining through TOM is great. Have fun on the pink bike.
Carla - I wish we had a Trader Joe's. The Kung Pao Chicken sounds good. I like your idea of eating that when John gets Chinese food.
Nancy - Sure you can join us. You CAN make your Christmas wish come true.
I had a pound gain this week. I'm not really worried about it since I splurged a little yesterday. My sisters and I went to lunch and an outlet mall and weren't good. I am always up the day after a splurge, but it usually comes right back off. I did pretty well getting back on track today and took my walk tonight. I've got a bad head cold so I have to be careful to fight the "I don't feel good so I deserve a treat" eating.
I've barely made an effort to follow WW (good intentions every morning that end 1/2 way through the day), and I stopped exercising. Now I'm caught in that terrible cycle of being upset because the pounds are creeping back on, but being too depressed about it to get my butt in gear.
I suppose a lot of this apathy I'm feeling started with the WTC attack...thank God you were all OK {{{{{group}}}}}. I'm also wondering if coming off my endometriosis treatment (hormone suppression) is making me feel funky.
In any case...I want to lift my head out of the sand and claim back my life from the food monster. (Apparently baking up a storm of treats, and making huge, fattening dinners doesn't solve the worlds problems or make me feel good about myself ) Unfortunately, easier said than done. I've been saying it for weeks. I guess my first step will be to exercise after work today...if I want to or not :-P
I'm printing out the thread so I can read it at work today...I"ve got *a lot* of catching up to do! It is great to have such a support here...you guys are great. Holly
Jennifa - thanks for the nut idea. I needed some extra points last night and didn't feel like eating anything big, the nuts worked perfectly And the sodium was really low, I was surprised.
Pat - Good for you for getitng right back on the program. I'm sure that pound will be history next week. I wish some of my sisters lived close enough to meet for lunch or shopping, we're scattered all over the country.
Holly - Glad you're back, that's the first step.Take baby steps, one foot in front of the other, soon you'll be OP again. How about counting your points differently? Try starting at dinner, then you'll have plenty left over. This works for a lot of people. Any little thing that can help is worth a try now.
Karen- If they keep you motivated, I'll keep the compliments coming. We just recently got a Trader Joe's near my house, so I spent several years reading about how wonderful they are before I got to try it for myself.
Nancy - Welcome aboard - we're glad to have you! Congrats on terrific progress so far!
Jennifa - Nuts are a great snack. Prevention Magazine came out with a diet earlier this year, based a great deal on the food pyramid, I think, and they recommended eating nuts several times during the week. So keep up that healthy habit!
Pat - Sorry to hear about that pound, but I know it will come right off again. You'll have to take a road trip to visit me and then you can stock up at Trader Joe's. Sory to hear you're under the weather - hope your cold goes away soon. Hey, you can still have your "I don't feel good" treat - just make it an OP one. I'm thinking fudgecicle. MMM - soothes the throat.
Holly - So glad to hear from you; so sorry to hear you're struggling so. {{{{Hugs}}}}. I'm very well acquainted with that cycle you speak of. Karen's right - work your way out of it with baby steps. And since you're a night-time snacker, her suggestion to start counting points at dinner is a great one. There is a thread about that on the WW General board and the people that are doing it are meeting with success. Hang in there girlfriend, and whatever else you do, keeping posting. We'll help pull you through this.
I had a good OP day, despite some unnecessary night-time snacking. Still managed to save 3 points. I'm coming down with Pat's cold, so I too have to be careful that I don't fall into "poor, sick me" eating. I'm armed with my snacks today, so all should be well.
Karen - Way to go on getting rid of those 1.5 pounds! Isn't it great when people notice that you've lost?
Jennifa - yes, congratulations on maintaining through TOM - that is a real victory.
Carla - So how many points is the Trader Joe's Kung Pao Chicken? Of course, I don't think we have a Trader Joe's here but it sounds like a great tool to have. Yes, you are right about next time Tony is away - I never even thought about freezing it. We'll be driving down to D.C. on Friday evening and staying until Tuesday. It's a bit of a drive so I'm taking next Wednesday off again. Yes, I think we'll be doing a lot of walking and I think I may check to see if I can get into a health club that the hotel may be associated with. Way to go on banking those points. I'm sorry to hear that you are coming down with a cold too - good for you for "arming" yourself with point friendly snacks.
Hi Nancy and welcome! It looks as if you;ve made quite a bit of progress already.
Pat - sorry to hear about the gain but I'm sure it will be off quickly as you said. I'm also sorry that you;ve got a bad cold. Maybe you could have things that are good for your cold (like chicken soup and lots of water) that will help give you a full feeling and say on track.
Holly - good to hear from you! I think the WTC and your hormone suppression treatment could definitely have a an effect in how you feel. I just want to point something out though. You came here so you are on the road to reclaiming your life from the food monster! You know, staying OP can help with a lot of things - because it's something that we CAN control unlike so many things, including recent events. Let me know if you decide to count points starting with dinner - I'm an evening snacker too...
I had a good day yesterday. I cut my deficit in half with some great exercise (a new step tape that had me dripping and smiling) even though I ate to my max (but not over). I'm planning to do a little weight work today (leg floorwork - I can't lift or hold any weights with my right arm) and if I can maybe take a walk - it's beautiful here.
Weigh in at home 10/1 - 10/7
That should keep me motivated. I'm jealous, we don't have Trader Joe's in Florida and all I ever hear is good things about it. I'll have to check it out when I go to California for Christmas. 
pig out on cheesy crackers last week. I couldn't help it. But I can this week. Usually if I want something salty I will eat nuts and get some protein, too. I am a vegetarian so it's important for me to eat those. And I don't care about the fat grams, they are healthy fat grams and they don't seem to matter all that much in the long run.
I think they are doing more good than harm; I always lose when I eat more nuts.
) Unfortunately, easier said than done. I've been saying it for weeks. I guess my first step will be to exercise after work today...if I want to or not :-P
Sory to hear you're under the weather - hope your cold goes away soon. Hey, you can still have your "I don't feel good" treat - just make it an OP one. I'm thinking fudgecicle. MMM - soothes the throat.
