Wow, tons of posts to read here! Oh goody! I love it when we all get really chatty!
Ann, what a great thing to be seeing a dietician. Does your health insurance pay for this, or do you pay privately? I wish I could afford it or have insurance that would pick up the tab. I do think there is something to the not eating two hours before bed thing. I hardly ever have time to watch Oprah on TV, but that was one of the things she also felt was key to her own weight loss. We've all seen so much of her struggles with weight over the years. I am so proud of her, how hard it must be to do everything like that publicly. Yet, maybe having the public watching is more of a key to her overall success, if you think about it? Think about how we fret over our own weekly weigh ins in front of someone on the scale, I can't imagine having millions of people aware of my success or failure!
Briza and Emma, I've been thinking of you both throughout my days lately and I hope things are going well. Ann said something very important, Briza, about how in your heart you probably know what is right.
Erica, so glad that journaling in the AM seems to be working. I do find that writing out exactly what I plan to eat for the day is really excellent for me. If I make a plan, bother to write it out and plan exactly how many points it all will be, I generally stick with it. Today, I am meeting my two childhood friends for lunch, by the way. We are going to a Cracker Barrel. It's right off the interstate exit about halfway between our respective residences, so a very good meeting place. I find those restaurants to be dangerous and can't be trusted with their menu. So, what did I do? Well, I went to Dottie's Weight Loss Zone and printed the menu choices and points, folded them up and put them in my purse. I will not read their menu, I will read Dottie's menu instead and order by points. Chicken tenderloins with brown rice and carrots are sounding good. Their green beans (I learned this the hard way) are not good as they arrive swimming in bacon fat with bits of bacon in them. I shall probably ask them not to bring me rolls and order diet soda. When they order dessert, and they often do, I'll maybe ask for one of their side orders of fruit with de-caff coffee and milk to go in it. I hope I do OK. This time, I have a plan. A plan is an awesome thing to behold. If you plan ahead and you are prepared for a challenge, maybe that is the key to it all.
I wonder how many restaurants (locals I know I can) I could walk into and ask to NOT see a menu and order what I want, prepared the way I want it? If the menu doesn't tempt me, perhaps that is key? Just thinking "out loud".
Erica, I hope that planning the day ahead thing also works for your members, keep me posted. Erica, I too have trouble denying myself anything at bedtime. But, maybe we should try fruit based "desserts" vs. ice cream based desserts (WW bars, even) or wine, etc. as our after dinner treats? I expect a treat at the close of the day, darn it! My family ALL has their own treats and I can't just sit there with nothing while they have these great things. It seems so unfair and when I feel cheated, I then cheat and then the tumbleweed affect happens. When I feel deprived/cheated, that is when I lose control.
Erica, I know ham and I know the gym exercise situation well, that is probably what affected me this week at weigh in. My daughter adores ham and my husband doesn't like ham all that much. I try to have ham when DH is away and also try to plan it for the one or two days after weigh in, so then I have time for the water weight to go away. I am very susceptible to water gain, I think. That could be part of the 2.4 pound gain this week, but who truly knows? I did work out many times of the last week. I tried to do only cardio work in the two or three days before weigh in and the day of my weigh in, I skipped working out. By the way, I haven't had Chinese food in perhaps about 3 or 4 months. Every time I ate it, I would have a significant gain. I love the stuff, but I hate what it does to my body.
Erica, you've got it where the planning/journaling ahead thing is concerned. Way to go! So, if there is a 7 point lunch planned and you find yourself stranded away from home and you are starving, where can you then find a 7 point lunch in your average town? Why, believe it or not, MacDonald's, of course! I know a plain hamburger is 6 points, a side salad can be had with a very low calorie dressing and if you only use a little bit of it, it would be 7 points, I think! That, with a diet coke, can fill you up and keep you going. Their grilled chicken salad is also pretty good, I forget the points for it but I think it's ok. You have to be careful to order the grilled chicken that is not breaded as their wording on the menu can be confusing. I can walk into a Subway shop and get a 6 point sandwich as well, anytime. I can walk into a D'Angelos (not sure you all have them) and get a 5 point grilled veggie pocket and add cheese for 2 points and have a very satisfying lunch. We are in control.
I am proud of you, Paige, I just read your comments and you seem so very much in control. Planning ahead can also save you money! I will often review my kitchen cabinets as well as freezer/refrigerator and write out a week's worth of menus. I try to utilize what is on hand vs. buying new stuff. Food costs are way up and it's really hard to support a family on all of this. Lately, I've been dipping into savings to pay bills way too often and it's truly time to be conservative. I am also doing what is called "eco-driving" as I have mentioned before. I shut off my engine whenever I can and "coast" when possible. I consolidate my errands as well. Gosh, if I lived a teeny bit closer to the gym, my warm up and cool down could be walking there! Maybe I should drive halfway there, park the car, walk the rest of the way, do my circuit training and then walk back to the car on nice days?
Paige2, welcome! What a coincidence that you have the same name as "our" Paige, I've never met a Paige in my life and now there are two of you here! Cool!
Well, my one suggestion to you, after reading your story (which I can totally relate to) is the last remark you made... something like "I've only dieted three times in my life". A WW leader would slap you on the hand (not literally, of course) and tell you that you are not dieting. You are changing to a better lifestyle that will hopefully stick with you for the rest of your days and you will never find yourself in a position to "diet" again. Keep going to meetings, this takes many of us ages before it truly sticks in.
Sometimes all of these things take us a great deal of time and we ALL backslide from time to time.
Cathy, you are on the right track. I went cold turkey years ago when I quit smoking. I was driving in my expensive new car, a Saab, and flicked a cigarette butt out the window, or so I though. It actually was suctioned into the back window of the car that I had cracked for air as I drove along and it laid on my upholstery and burning a hole in the seat of the car. I flicked cigarettes out the window as I hated the smell of a full ashtray in the car. That ruined a fairly new car for me. But, I continued to smoke.
Then, (always in the car, I guess) I also dropped a burning cigarette in my lap while driving and burned a hole in a $200.00 silk skirt that had been my "gift" to myself for being named a bank officer and I was feeling good about myself. This was the first day I had worn that gorgeous skirt.
I gave myself a stern lecture about what an idiot I was being. I smelled like cigarettes, I was sure, I destroyed my new skirt and my new car by being careless and I threw the cigarettes away and have never had one since then. I learned a lesson, and I am always glad I made the decision. Once I made the decision to quite, I never looked back.
Paige, the chicken recipe sounds great! I might give it a try.
EriKa, a sneaky idea to stay in control might be to always only allow a certain number of points for each meal. So, if you say that breakfast is ALWAYS 4 points and lunch is ALWAYS 6 points then you know you have 10 left for dinner and a dessert. If you fit in any low point snacks in between meals, they are always flex points. That could work while traveling to keep you more in line. Then, if you allow yourself 3 flex points a day for snacks, you will have used 21 points out of 35 by the end of the week. The remaining 14 points and any you earn by exercising could be Saturday night splurge points, especially for a glass or two of wine!
