What a GREAT Christmas!

Yup, That's right! I ended up having a great time. Parts were kind of stressful - like staying up late 2 nights running trying to get everything wrapped. Putting up a second Christmas at Mil's on Sunday NIGHT - Thank you Superstore for Christmas tree in a box (ornaments to dorn a full-size tree) and Bargain shop for tinselly and cardboardy hangy things. Oh, and Mr. 3M for Scotch tape. Some old paper, ribbon and bowes found in the basement to wrap up the pictures on the wall and hubby tracked down a light-up Santa head for the wall and, voila, the front sitting room was magically transformed into 'Tacky Christmas'.

My best gift - the squeel and knock-down hug when Ci opened up her TV. Considering we don't have cable I'm surprised that she was surprised to later open a DVD player. I think I was her age when I learned "Dear old Santa Claus, When you get to me, I don't want no mittens, I just want my own TV" - I got mittens. J loved just everything. She went from one thing to another all day Tuesday, Wednesday and most of Thursday. I was so glad to get home last night - whooo.

Overindulgences: I mayyyy have gone over my points last week. Don't know. I was doing really good, then came Christmas eve snacking. We had rice casserole, egg rolls, spring rolls, meatballs with dip, and sil brought over brie, goat cheese and fig pastries, babaganooshe and pita. All of it sampled and I may have had too much of some things. Christmas day was actually much better. I was cooking and able to get a bowl full of potatoes before the butter and milk went in. The girls and I used small plates and I heaped it up. I had some gravy and left the dinner table satisfied - not stuffed. I picked here and there until we left mil's, having some truffles and gum drops. Also, some wine was consumed through the week.

Now, there are a few days before New Years Eve. Eat healthy, stay on points, and watch Chinese food portions on Monday night. We're scheduled to have ham on New Years Day, so I'm looking forward to that, too. All told, I will be watching what I eat as I'd like to have a no gain for next weeks weigh-in.

Hope everyone had an awesome Holiday.

Christmas shopping blues - part deux

Hubby and I made the dreaded trip to the basement last night and categorized, strategized and prioritized. Who did we miss? Is there enough for each bambino? Does it look even?

1. MIL - I know what I want for her and will brave WalMart tonight.
2. SIL - Got it - Body Shop and Liquor store, here we come.
3. SILs long-time beau - Uh, liquor store
4. 18 year-old niece. I was told to by SIL to just give her money. I really don't like that. Really, really don't. Yet, the look of constant disappointment whenever she opens a gift for us makes shopping for her really, really not fun.
5. My niece and nephews in Newfoundland - Their's will be delivered direct to their home (yeah for on-line shopping at Toys R Us).
6. My family - we don't exchange anymore, but I am sending out Christmas cards - yikes, that should have been done already!!

• Bambino's - Well, the TV looks awefully big for the 9yo, but toy-wise she really needs something else. I also need to get a couple of movies for them and get to Old Navy for an outfit each and Chapters for at least 1 book each. I think I need a few more trinkets like make-up, jewellery and craft stuff, too, like from La Senza girl, Ardeen's or WalMart.
• Hubby - 1 more thing - I have it in my head and know where to look.

My Mom didn't want me to 'waste' my money on her, but I did give her a bunch of my clothes, like my Nygard suits and some of my large shells that I loved. I hope she's enjoying them.

The Christmas Shopping Blues

OK, First I went to weigh-in last night and have nothing to report. The scale read 158.0, same as 2 weeks ago. My home scale was actually up a bit from where it had been - figures.

I am sucking at the whole Christmas shopping thing and I hate stores at the best of times. Despise the malls at Christmas. I'm gonna look at everything tonight and 'categorize, strategize and prioritize' (another classic - Flintstones with John Goodman, and a bunch of other famous people). I did have 3 small items that I just left behind when I saw the line-up.

What else sucks - feeling guilty because I'm supposed to only take a 30 minute lunch. How can you get any shopping done in 30 minutes?

Woot, Wooooot!

I had to put a train on the Christmas challenge tracker because I'm really feeling like the little train that could. I'm slow and steady, but eventually I'll get to where I need to be. So, Woot, Wooooot! Watch out, I'm comin' though. Maybe not tonight at weigh-in, Maybe not next week, but my goal is still in tact. Guess I just won't be meeting it for this challenge. I will struggle to get to the top of Gordon's Hill (anyone else a Thomas fan?). I may falter, need a shove from a friend to keep me moving on this upward trip, but my path is there and all I need do is follow it.

If you're slipping off the wagon, or have taken a nose-dive into Christmas treats, remember that it's the first and last bites that you'll remember, but all those others in between that you'll be fretting in January. I guess I'm trying to say, proceed with caution. There were also a lot of crashes on Thomas - and although I loved Ringo's telling of the crashes - we don't have little men digging us out. In January, we'll be the ones working to get those bonbon's off our hips.

If you're feeling the slip start, check out the links to Holiday Survival plans. I read them over periodically and KNOW they've been a great source of motivation for me over the past couple of weeks.

Want to Look GREAT!

It's never been easier to look great. As Corrine pointed out today so many people don't really know how to work out. I thought I knew how to eat (lift food, put in mouth, chew, swallow) until Weight Watchers taught me a thing or two. I also know that when you join most gyms, you just get the standard circuit training session which is included in your membership fee, then have to pay for more personal training as you go. This doesn't give you the ability to switch up your routine as needed and ensure you (and your muscles) don't get bored. This doesn't address your personal questions or concerns as you go and allow you to ask questions about things you didn't even know you didn't know.

Now Corrine is teaching us how to exercise right. This is something our mothers never had. Today she has posted links to several of her materials, including the introductory and intermediate work-out schedules. (Check them out) Thinking of introducing strength training into your eliptical or treadmill routines? Check out this material.

*This is an unsolicited plug for both PhitNPhat and Weight Watchers because of all of the wonderful things they have to offer.

Here's to a healthy and happy 2008. And to steal someone else's cliche (Sparks New Years challenge team name) here's to a Happy New Rear.

As time Flyes

Can you believe it's almost Christmas? Wow! I usually ask for...not much. This year I've got a list. I need some new clothes and lots of accessories to help with my weight loss and strength training efforts. Looking for a heart rate monitor, some whey isolate protein, cardio videos, an exercise bench, more dumbells...
Oh yeah, I'm working the dumbells. I'd like a bench for my dumbell flyes - it's hard to keep those elbows off the ground at home. I've been tossing between feeling pretty damn good about how far I've come and pretty sheepish about how far I have to go. Joining phitnphat has been an extremely humbling and rewarding experience. I have learned so much over the past 7 months and have been extremely grateful to everyone. Phitnphat has made me realize that I have sooo much more to learn. And if I want to be thin and still flabby (calves, thighs, arms - all getting quite flabby as the fat melts away) keep going as I am. If I want to be tight, something else is required.
If you asked me a few months ago if I'd ever wear a 2-piece bathing suit that didn't come with a long enough tank top to cover my tummy I'd have laughed. I'm not saying skimpy bikini, but a regular 2-piece that comes up far enough to the belly button to cover the forest of stretch marks is actually something that I think could be attainable - maybe even next summer. Wow, the thought is invigorating, thrilling..... daring. Understand, I am now a 38 year-old Mom of 2 who at the start of last summer was wearing bathing shorts and flowy top to the pool to hide the perceived sins.
Over at PNP, Trish has been helping us do up Storyboards. Those in Weight Watchers have used this tool (or not, I never put much thought into them except to jot down some food goals). She has given basic ideas and left the creativity of these to us. A living proof of our goals and what we need to achieve them. I'd like to share mine here and hope that it inspires someone else to try something similar. Many of the girls used photoshop with color strips, but I'm still technically incompetent and did mine in Word. I know it's hard to see/read.

#1 - At home beginner strength training, Pump out the cardio 3x a week, and focus on the core. Measurements monthly

#2 - Increase water to help muscle re-build, Choose more protein for muscle development, Focus on Core food choices with lots of fruits and vegetables

#3 - You have an amazing support system. Each one is a special gift along this journey.Use them. (The runners caption says, To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.)

#4 - Get over weight-loss hump and get to Weight Watcher goal of 150. Be able to flex and have stronger arms than ever before by Valentines.

The Pictures

I've got a few. First, Christmas in Nova Scotia:

This was taken on my way to work the other day. The spots are not marks on my camera, but rather falling snow caught by the flash.

Next are the comparative photos of me: The first at around 177lbs just fitting into a 14, and now, around 20 lbs later: The current outfit is my weigh-in outfit, although I missed weigh-in this week.

Finally, some breakfast selections from this week.

I also included some instant coffee in my smoothie. 1/2C each of juice and LF soy drink and cottage cheese, a banana and 1/8C Wheat germ (and 1tsp instant coffee). I had 1C and hubby had around 2/3C. I'm looking to move into tweaking this and adding protein powder, but I haven't boughten any yet. They try to push the soy protein on me at the store, but as you will see, I think I get enough soy. And Corrine says Whey is better for strength training.

The wrap is a fried egg in olive oil with 1/2 small onion, some salsa and 15g LF cheddar + 1/2C LF soy drink

Then the old staple. Throw around 1-1.5C mixed frozen berries in the mic, then add a serving of whole grain cereal and 1C LF soy drink.

Menu for Friday

http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_tracker.asp?id=CANDACE101&dte=12%2F14%2F2007

See what a cool thing I can do? Now I've just gotta figure out how to get the web addy to say "Menu" instead. Mandy? A little help here...

OK Mandy - Here goes

Menu

IT WORKS!!!!!

No Spaghetti and Meatballs - I Hope I've Made Myself Clear

(Can anyone else remember that song?) Should I feel guilty? Should I say No to Spaghetti and Meatballs? - Don't be rediculous!!! So much we didn't know or have in the 80's

Like: Weight Watchers Carrot Cake, Spaghetti Squash, measured 1/4C servings of pasta sauce, and Low Fat Italian Meatballs (5=2.5pts). Including the cake, this was a 6pt lunch and ALMOST made me feel a little guilty - nah, bring on the spaghetti (squash). Pizza and Beer to follow.

Oh Brother!

My BIG big brother called the other night. I have 2 ya know, and this was the oldest. Haven't seen Kari in, well...FOREVER!!! He lives in Texas now with his wife and amazing family while the oldest boy goes to university here in Nova Scotia. I don't know why I always go back in my mind to times when the oldest 2 were babies - I lived with them for around 6 months and I don't know how they put up with my immaturity. I had sooo much fun with the kids on playdates, making mud pies, dancing around the living room with someone on my shoulders, and eating chives out of the garden like they were going out of style, and the effects of others doing the same:0). That's living, baby!

I took a picture for them of the snow on my way to work yesterday because I'm sure they miss it (and for Steph who is surprised snow really happens at Christmas - 70 degrees! - she tries to make me jealous? Let the games begin!) . In truth, the roads were nasty, but I made sure Tim Hortons was in the background. That always warms the soul, LOL. Anyway, having trouble finding the software to install on my new computer so I can actually upload the pictures (grrr). Also finally took an update of moi. So, the pics will follow 'cause I really want to share the joy of snow and cold with ya'll - REALLY. And for those who are experiencing similar winter weather, you can see how great I look now compared to the last photo in July. I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats, haha, but you'll have to be patient.

We a Happy Crew

J is not smiling because someone is actually looking at her and talking. If we weren't on a sleigh ride she'd be huddled behind Daddy's legs. Ci was playing hard in the playground before we climbed on, has ditched her jacket and removed her hat half a dozen times. Can't see Mark's eyes and mine seem awefully dark. I saw it and said "Perfect!" This is us, in all our glory.

Merry Christmas!

OP Weekend (And I feel Great)

What an awesome weekend. Didn't get into the office like I had planned, but maybe that's why it was so great, lol.

1st - After my ST session and some great smoothies, Hubby took kids to J's dance class. Another set of sissy's goes and the big girls get together and play for the hour while the little ones dance. They scored a 'sleeping play date' according to the 4yo. I spent half the time reading Roni's Women's World and the other half straightening the kitchen.
2nd - Once they got home we got ready to go to my staff Christmas party. A good time was had by all. My three cuties rode the mechanical bull, played outside, ate hamburgers, fries and hot chocolate. Mommy brought a protein bar and had a hot dog leaving most of the bun behind and a coffee. We petted some horses and headed home.
3rd - Shopping in Bedford. After a trip through a couple of stores I took them to McDonald's to eat. I tried to order a grilled chicken salad - no go, so I ordered the chicken wraps. Surprised to realize these were the snack wraps and not the fajita ones, so I only ate 1 and left the other for hubby later. It's getting late and we had to head home.
4th - Kids at sleepover. They should sleep well after the day they've had. Hubby and I began some culling in the basement. I think we tossed well over half of the area we cleaned. The garbage is piled on the back deck and will need to go to the curb in segments. We also burned a bunch of wood and cardboard in the back yard - good riddance to bad rubbish. Time to clean up and hit the sack at 11pm. It's been a long night.
5th - Sunday we were still alone and began cleaning the living room. Serious wall washing stuff. At 11am hubby headed out to pick up the kids and my Mom calls to say she's leaving home and heading our way. She'll be hear in around 2 hours. I also began to haul out the Christmas stuff.
6th - I can't wait any longer for Mom. J and I need to get to a birthday party at the rink. She's never skated before. Mom arrives just as we're heading to the car, but she won't be staying as she's taking Ci shopping. After getting skates sharpened and watching the zamboni, J and I hit the ice. It was great to be back on blades again and J did great - she's a natural I tells ya.
7th - The party food. I piled a plate for J and just took some veggies and a small piece of cheese. When the plates were handed around I opted for just a piece of brocolli. Yeah me. Um, well, then J have me a piece of her cake - she had removed all of the icing, and I (gulp) at it.
8th - Home to continue with some Christmas stuff. Hubby bought a lasagna (8pts for 1/4 of the thing - I had 1/4 + 1/8, or 12pts - call it my splurge day). I whipped up some salad (read - I opened a bag of salad) and enjoyed. Mom and Ci landed home and, after I secured the TV for 30 minutes of exercise tapes, we popped in "Three Fugitives" - a blast from the past with Nick Nolte and Martin Short. Nighty-night little ones.

I feel great about the weekend. It was not a lazy weekend, but so much fun. Hubby and I had a great work-out Saturday night cleaning out that basement. It felt great to purge ourselves of so much garbage, and we found a few things we'd been looking for in the process. We also filled a few bags for donation. And we were focused on only the work shop area. Amazing what 5 evening hours without the kids can accomplish.

Happy Monday,

Weigh-In - 0.2 down

Well, I really expected to have a small gain this week, but the scale said I lost 0.2lbs and am now 158

I guess this means I should officially drop my points. I like to wait a few weeks into the new #s before doing this - and, I guess by trying to confine my FPs to 25 for the week I am, to some extent. So, it's official - my new daily points are 21.

On a side, my Christmas Challenge pants - the black ones I never posted a pic of - were definate muffin top at the start of the challenge and have been fitting quite nicely for a while now. In fact, they have recently started to slip (just a bit) in the hips. My Silver 33's are definately getting too big - even hubby commented. So, all is good in the land of wuz.

I keep asking people how they're doing on their Christmas shopping and am getting a lot of 90% done's. Anyone else have 100% to go?

Wednesday Wine

Hi ya'll!

Well, I suppose it's that time of the week to reflect on what I've done and not done that may affect the scale tonight. What a crazy week. I've been very busy at work and my sleep got thrown way off Sunday night to around 4-5 hrs only. Anyway, I'm still feeling it today.

Foodwise, my indiscretions on Saturday night I estimated as 15 pts - I have no idea what the actual damage was, but it involved shared handfuls of bits n bites and a couple bowls of potatoe chips - I have to move on and stop thinking about it because my mouth keeps watering. That coupled with 12 pts of beer Friday night and it put a good dent in my FPs. I've also gotten into protein bars this week a bit. A nice filler if you're waiting for dinner - I may substitute these on occassion as I usually have nuts. Same diff point wise, but when taken after work-outs could have added benefits.

Exercise - I've been thinking a lot about this - and finally doing something now. I've joined Phit N Phat and have a weekly work-out schedule. My schedule currently involves 2 strength training days and 3 cardio days. Each session takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. The ST sessions involve 4 supersets (for a superset you do a set each of 3 activities before breaking, such as 10 lunges, 10 this, 10 that, break 30-60 secs, repeat). Good stuff. I'm currently using 8lb weights and am ready to get some 10 lb ones for some of the bicep moves. I'm having a hard time with actually getting in the cardio sessions and owe 1 session before tonight - guess that's a walk at some point today.

So, because I've been working a lot I've eaten frozen dinners steady. Last night I finally ate 'real' food and brought 'real' food for lunch today, too. I've also been drinking water to flush the sodium out. A double-whamy is the retention the ST activities may cause due to muscle re-build holding onto some water. Anyway, I don't think I 'blew' the week, but just imagine what could have happened had I exhibited some restraint on Friday and Saturday evenings. As I've read over on PhitNPhat - it's week-end, not weak-end.

I'm walking into this weekend more focused (I know, it's only Wednesday already - but isn't that when we should be planning). We have my staff party Saturday - it's at Hatfield Farms (sleigh-ride, hot chocolate, Santa, etc) in the afternoon with kids and all. It should be fun and I'll be pocketing a banana or two and a protein bar. I'll have a hot chocolate, but will skip the hot dog or hamburger and fries. J was invited to her 1st birthday party ever for Sunday, so I will likely stay with her. I'm glad it's an at-home weekend and look forward to getting the house ready for Christmas.

Quickie

Just a quickie post as I've been busy at work. Eats post-Saturday were decent, but I haven't been getting the exercise in that I need. I'm gonna try to get some in tonight and go from there.

My home PC died and I'm picking up a new one today. I'm hoping that I can get my pictures off of it - very scary to think of losing them.

Haven't started Christmas shopping yet - yikes! Bad Mommy.

Take care and have a great week.

The incidents

Yep, there was more than one. Guess I need a kick in the arse. Friday night I had planned to go out with the dog and get in a good fast walk. I got home to supper cooked and a glass of Scottish Ale. The Pump House really outdid themselves on this one. After a dinner of questionable nutritional value (it included Uncle Ben's stuffing and canned gravy) I consumed 4 of those puppies. I woke up feeling less than rejeuvinated.

So, I took a couple Advil and was, fortunately, able to go back to bed. Finally up at 11:30 (thanks to the oil delivery that was making lots of noise outside) I did manage to shower and, after breakfast, decided to get in a strength training session. Probably a bad day to up the weights, but I did finish. I felt quite sickish when done, so I had a bit of yogurt and headed out of doors as it was the Christmas parade and the 9yo wanted to march with the school for the Virtues Project. I decided to go with her and picked up a protein bar on the way. Man, that did the trick. I got suckered into carrying one end of a banner and my fingers were crying out in pain. It was cold, cold, cold, and windy. So, I walked around 4km carrying a side of a banner. It was quite rejeuvinating. I'm glad we stopped to pick up a pair of boots for Ci before going.

The other, um, incident occured later Saturday evening when we went to friends for a movie. There were BitsNBites and potatoe chips. I don't even know why - I'm not a fan but they were both tempting me to have a bit. Thankfully J helped out with the BitsNBites and Doug was also sucked into the potatoe fiasco - I'm not impressed that he ratted me out to Mark, though. Busted, so I figured I'd come clean here, too. It was mindless and left me feeling yucky. So, I'm guessing I likely blew all my flexxies and then some, but will salvage what is left of the week.

So, I've decided that I'm gonna boycot salty snacks and beer for December. I'm done for the month. It's gonna be tough enough without having things I can have anytime.

And It's Here, Kids. Merry Christmas.

Dance/Yoga disappointment and re-scheduling

First, I was going to do ST on Friday and Sunday mornings, but I think I'm gonna re-schedule. This really all has to do with my Thursday night class.

Now, I've heard that adults tend to stay up late, but that only happens in my house if the kids can't (or won't) sleep. But, the class I take is 7:45-9:15, so I don't get home until after 9:30 on Thursdays. For some reason, hubby has a difficult time getting the 4yo to bed and, last night, she was bright-eyed and dirty-kneed waiting for Mommy to brush her teeth and make her bed (why this couldn't have been done earlier in the evening I don't know - all I know is that I'd stripped it in the morning after an 'accident'). Anyway, by the time I put my head down, it was well past my bedtime, so getting up extra early this morning was difficult. I did manage to drag my butt down-stairs with JUST enough time to get everything in except that, looking outside I realized that I left the car lights on all night and hubby's car had the dome light on. CRAP! That's all. Anyway, so much for exercising.

Besides, I don't feel great about last night. A medium-intensity cardio workout is what I look for, and I can live with low-intensity for 90 minutes. But, I ended up working late and ran out of here just in time to be 15 minutes late. Got some cardio going with our dance routine before heading up to yoga. Yoga flow tonight, she says. No, the group says. We worked too hard tonight, they say. Now, I may have missed the warm-up, and it must have kicked butt. Anyway, we ended up doing mellow stretching and I left feeling as though I'd almost be cheating to take 1AP from that. Well, that's all I gave myself.

So, tonight and Sunday night I think I might to weights (this way I can get both sessions in without worrying about the work-week). Also, tomorrow is a big day - the Christmas parade. It's supposed to be nice out.

Wednesday and Weigh-In

Well, I've the WW scales showed a loss. I am down 0.8lb this week to 158.2. When was the last time this number reared it's head - 2 weeks ago I was 158.8, but this 158 just seem more real. My last trip through the 150's I avoided the scale at all costs. In the fall of 2002 when I became preggers with J, I was approximately 170 and had been for a while. I was conscious of being in the 140's when we bought the house in 2000 when Ci was 2. Anyway, let's just say the first 2 years of home ownership were not kind to my behind.

Anyhoo, I feel good about this week. I began a new exercise schedule involving a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio 3x/week and 2 sessions of strength training. My first ST session I just used body resistance and a couple cans of soup. Then I went to Play It Again Sports and picked up a couple sets of dumbells. Funny - I bought 2 each of 5 and 8 lb weights. Know what that totals? 26 lbs. I thought it was funny since I'd lost 27 lbs and was kind of 'replacing' that lost weight.

So the gains and losses are getting smaller, so I'm hopeful that this new routine will shake things up, but I don't expect steller weight loss results for a couple of weeks as I get used to weight training. I'll be posting my measurements as soon as I remember to take them.

So, to review this weeks to-do list:
Join PhitnPhat - Done.
Exercise 5 of 7 days for min 30 mins each, 3 cardio, 2 Strength Training days: Thurs (dance/yoga 90 mins), Fri (ST with No weight and 10 oz wts), Sat (off), Sun (ST with 5lb weights, walk dog), Mon (longish quick walk with dog), Tues (off), Wed (Twister Dance DVD) - 5/5 complete
Food: focus on core (whole) foods. Limit WPs to 25 and eat APs on the day you earn them (fell short on Thurs pts, but stuck pretty close to daily pts for remainder of week)
Journal: write before you bite - calculate pts before eating. For late nights at office, be sure to bring second dinner. - I journalled until supper Monday - I had only used 9 weekly at that point and had stuck pretty close to daily pts from then on. Tuesday I worked late and didn't have supper - bad, bad - ended up eating an large apple with almond butter, a bit of micro popcorn and a granola bar. Likely went over pts on Tuesday with less than stellar nutritional value.

Weekend Update

On the food-front I was pretty good this weekend. I ate the grocery store sushi on Friday night and still had a hankering for it on Saturday, so I took the 9yo to Sunnyside Mall in Bedford where I knew I could score some good stuff outside Pete's Fruitique. Ummmm.

Exercise-wise, I did ST with 5lb weights on Sunday morning and then took the dog out for a walk. I had scheduled some cardio on Saturday, but it didn't happen. That means I have to do 2 1/2hr cardio sessions between now and Wednesday. I'm going to stick with walking for now.

We tried to start the big cleaning session, but things just went so-so. Most of the play-room got picked up and I drug out the outside lights from storage to be put up soon. I'm thinking that we should just get a little dumpster for the week, lol, and do some major clear-out. Most of what we have could stand to be donated and dh is dropping some stuff off today.

So, as mentioned, the 9yo and I headed to the city-limits on Saturday. I actually wanted to take her to Frenchy's in Sackville for some much-needed size 10s (her, not me). We were late getting there, but she picked out a winter jacket since I refuse to buy her one this close to Christmas when hers from last year still fits, tattered though it may be. She also scored a pair of jeans, sweat pants, 2 tops and a chenille sweater. That kid can rummage! I, on the other hand, picked out a pair of sweats for dance class and a pair of slacks that are a bit tight just yet (they're 13/14 - see, sizing is crap since most of my clothes are now 10s). I like them though, and told hubby they'd fit by Christmas or New Year's at the latest. He thinks I'm pushing this too much, but I told him that I've been averaging 4-5lbs/month and now I'm strength training, so not to worry about it. They're like new and he could iron and wrap them for me if he wants - or not. Maybe he'll pick out a nice top to go with them. And nylons - he's very much a leg-man and buys me nylons every year - good ones like I never buy for myself. Hmmm, maybe he'll buy me a new purse this year, too. I'd like a new purse.

Oh yeah, so Ci ended up taking a chill at dinner and we didn't get much further since she came down with 'it'. The same 'it' the 4yo dealt with last week. So, she went off to spend the day at the sitter's disappointed since she had on her new clothes and jacket and it was gym day. I feel badly for her, but down-time was definately needed.

Quantifiable Goals

1. Join PhitnPhat - Done. Check our Corrine's blog if you're reading this
2. Exercise 5 of 7 days for min 30 mins each, 3 cardio, 2 Strength Training days: Thurs (dance/yoga 90 mins), Fri (ST with No weight and 10 oz wts) - 2/5 complete
3. Food: focus on core (whole) foods. Limit WPs to 25 and eat APs on the day you earn them (fell short on Thurs)
4. Journal: write before you bite - calculate pts before eating. For late nights at office, be sure to bring second dinner.

WI - Sucks Arse Sometimes

Crap, I've been reading the Mouse's blog too much lately, LOL. However, it is true - weigh-ins sometimes suck arse.

I didn't make WI last night and, instead went today at lunch. The digital devil said I gained 0.2lbs this week. Now, I know you're saying, "That's nothing, blah, blah." But I was really hoping to see some downward movement this week. Let's review: On Oct 3rd my WI was 160.4 - Today - 7 WEEKS later, it is 159. Farrrk! 1.4lbs in 7 freakin' weeks!!!

Discouraged? YES! Frustrated? YES! Pissed? NO!, well, maybe - but mostly at myself for letting the ball drop in October. What the heck happened? Did I get to this size and become complacent for a while? Well - that sucks arse, too.

So, I chatted with the leader and we took a look at things and she says my tracker looks good, even with occassional indulgences. What's different? I'm exercising again, but....ahhh...Light bulb moment...

I used to walk every lunch break for 20-30 mins. I go to my class for 90 mins on Thursday evenings now, but gave up my daily walks. I suspect that just 'moving' daily has benefits other than the time spent moving. So, I need to find something that I enjoy and continue my focus on DAILY exercise. I've talked about joining the gym, so we'll see what happens next week.

Also, there could be a component of 'what I've been doing has taken me this far - now I need to step it up'.

Meanwhile, I am going to strive for a minimum of 10 APs this week - to be obtained over 6 days. That means, walking the dog for 30 mins (1AP), etc. I will NOT count my cleaning. Let's see if this helps. I am also thinking to add some strength training in a couple of times a week. I know this will affect weight via retained water, so I will be posting my measurements as well once I take them at home. I am also going to review the Goal component of all of this and come up with some quantifiable numbers, like 10 APs this week, and limit FPs to 25, and some not so quantifiable, like write before you bite (do you really think I would have eaten 2 bags of popcorn had I known they were 5pts each - that's CRAZY).

Food Suggestions = Food Cravings

I never fancied myself prone to this phenomena, but I guess I am. Let's leave out the bad stuff this can lead to - and I'll tell a story about 2 such incidents involving healthy cravings.

First, a couple of weeks ago a story was told to me about (here's the Reader's Digest version) a woman who was a horse therapist. She was called to a farm because the horse was upset about something. The horse didn't want her there so she left, but was able to tell the owner this, "He's upset because your neighbour understands him but won't listen.". The neighbour was encouraged to come out to the field and stare at the horse for a while. Finally, she threw up her hands and said, "Pineapples, all I'm getting is that he wants pineapples.". So, the horse was fed pineapples and felt much better. Now, the kicker is that the horse had arthritis and, apparently, pineapples have a natural lubricant for the joints that help with this - pretty smart horse, huh.

So, the point Candace? I ended up craving pineapples. I ate pineapples frozen and pineapples fresh for days.

Next, one of my fav breakies is a waffle or 2 with whip cream and berries. I don't have it very often because of the points and the fact that I am still hungry after a couple of hours. Then the 'mouse' started posting pictures of her meals on her blog. Her breaky was a waffle, cottage cheese and fruit. Hmmm, I'm not a big fan of cottage cheese, yet found myself thinking about this breakfast daily. So, for the past few days I have toasted my waffle, measured 1/2C of regular cottage cheese and mic'd a coffee cup full of field berries to dump on top. I was going to do something different this morning, but didn't. Mainly because I know I won't want anything else to eat until lunch. That's a great benefit for only 5 points, plus the 1 I'm drinking now via whole milk in my coffee.

So, if you want those not-so-subliminal food suggestions to help in your food choices, focus on those posts or stories that talk about crazy pineapple craving horses or go to Marie's blog at http://mousearoo.blogspot.com/ - I've also been thinking about her beef cacciatore. And - good luck negotiating the grocery these days. I went in the other night and everywhere I looked were less than optimal food choice advertisements.

Challenge Updates

I've been tired the past few days and have blogged not much other than updating my menu post for this week. I figured this was 'cleaner' than a new post each day.

I've finally visited all of the blogs from the Christmas Challenge that I could access. Some pretty cool girls out there. Most seem to be doing really good and Corinne and Randy are doing top-notch trying to keep it pulled together here in blogland. I unoficially changed my challenge goal to 153, but this is just for me. I realized that reaching my WW goal of 148 was not going to happen in the specified time period

I had also signed up for a New Year's Best Challenge housed at Sparks. After the first few weeks the leaders made the forum private so ya'll can't see it. Actually, they just wanted to keep the group intimate and didn't want people joining part ways through. We have little weekly challenges which, I must admit, I haven't been into much. I try to visit there a couple times a week, but aren't on Sparks as much as I used to be. There's still a lot of support in the little group and I like the forum environment and the ability to post specific threads.

I also changed my WW goal. I chatted with my leader and decided to go for 150. You may recall that the original one that I had was for 145. Anyway, I guess that's why you have time to think about it. I told her that I may just walk in one day and decide that I'm at goal and she said that was fine, too since I'm now in the healthy range, according to them. Oooh, I'll leave you guessing.

In unrealated news, we have decided to spend Christmas with my mil. Apparently we are going to have my niece, too, but sil is working that day (VON nurse). Hubby was talking about fixing beds, etc at mil's - not sure what was up with that, but forget it. I told him we'd bring up the air mattresses and all of the girls could sleep in the front room, including the niece (she's 18, quite overweight, and won't likely appreciate it, but oh well). Mil's house is a bit messed up. She has the old LR 'upstairs'. She had an addition built on that includes her bedroom and a huge sunroom, which is really the new LR (there's only 3 steps). You can't see one from the other, so Santa can do his thing in private, ya know. Mil is really excited we're going there and so are my girls. I'd say by this time next year, mil won't be 'with' us - as in mentally. She appears to have alzheimer's and it's progressing rather quickly, so we're trying to make this a memorable event for our daughters and, to some extent, Nanny. If it's a bad winter, we'll also find it more difficult to visit regularly, so we're trying to get in as many visits as possible now.

Cheers,

Menu only post - Updated daily Nov 15-21

Catch-up on my menu posts. I think last week was a 'get back into the swing of things' week. I'm guessing I over-estimated some of my meals, like those office sandwich wedges. Funny, but seeing the weekly pts so high actually made me feel heavier. I do think I'm more focused this week on healthy choices.

Thurs: DAY 1
B-fast: Cereal, soy drink, pineapples, coffees with milk (7)
Lunch: chicken, potatoe, veggies and Paul Newman Italian dressing (7)
Snacks: Apple, some sesame seeds (4)
Supper: Chicken, soy drink (8)
Activity: approx 80-85 mins dance/yoga moderate (4) - booked 2
Daily pts: 22
Weekly pts: 35-2=33 left

Fri: - This looks weird because it was an inventory count day and I was at work until 10pm
B-fast: cereal, soy drink and fresh pineapple, coffee with milk (7)
Snack: apple and carrots (I'm booking some pts because of the volume eaten - don't ask) (4)
Lunch: Corned beef sandwich on wheat with cheese (7)
Supper: 1.5 slices take-out pizza and can of reg. Pepsi (13)
Activity: does standing up and walking around count - I think I get and extra pt or 2 for not sitting on my butt all day, but we'll ignore this.
Daily pts: 22
Weekly pts: 33-9=24

Sat:
B-fast: oat bran hot cereal with soy drink, coffee with milk: (6)
Lunch: apple and cranberry salad, pasta with sauce (9)
Snacks: popcorn (10)?
Supper: sushi, pita bread with hummus
Activity: Walked dog (1 banked)
Daily pts: 22
Weekly pts: 24-14=10

Sun:
B-fast: granola bar, Package oatmeal with soy drink: (7)
Lunch: frozen dinner (6)
Snacks: Tim's coffee (1)
Supper: Triscuit cracker with peanut butter, carrots, tomatoe with Paul Newman Italian dressing (9)
Activity: Walked dog (1 banked)
Daily pts: 22
Weekly pts: 10-1=9

Mon:
B-fast: oatmeal packet withsoy drink (4)
Snacks: Tim's Coffee, almonds, coffee with milk (4)
Lunch: Pork, veggies with Paul Newman balsamic vin dressing, potatoe (9)?
Supper: 1/2C rice, 10 shrimp, red bell pepper, oil, thai dressing (5)
Evening snack: 1/5 carmelized dumpling and some fat free fudge brownies (6)
Activity: Nil
Daily pts: 22
Weekly pts: 9-6=3

Tues: DAY 6
B-fast: waffle, 1/2C cottage cheese, 1C berries (5)
Snacks: Tim's coffee, coffee with whole milk (2)
Lunch: LF meatballs, 1/2C brown rice, veggies, honey-garlic sauce (6)
Supper: 3oz chicken salad with 2Tbsp ranch dressing, 1C LF soy drink, LF Fudge brownie (9)
Activity: Nil
Daily pts: 22
Weekly pts: 3-0=3

Wed: DAY 7
B-fast: waffle, 1/2C cottage cheese, 1C berries (5)
Snacks: Coffee with whole milk, carrots (1)
Lunch: 10 shrimp, 1/2C brown rice, veggies, Thai dressing (6)
Supper: 3oz chicken salad with 2Tbsp ranch dressing, 1C LF soy drink, Banana, 3 crackers (10)
Activity: Nil
Daily pts: 22
Weekly pts: 3-0=3

8 Healthy Guidelines

Zazu did an self-evaluation the other day of how she is dealing with Weight Watchers 8 Healthy Guidelines. I think this is a great idea and, at the risk of displaying all of my faults, decided to give it a whirl.

• 5 Servings of Veggies and Fruits per day - I usually have 1 serving in the morning and add veggies to meals all of the time. This has never been a big issue. I don't count many veggies except peas and stuff I know has pts. If I don't know, it's free.
• Choose whole-grain foods - We've always eaten whole wheat bread and I've switched to brown rice and whole-grain cereals. I've also boughten and eaten some whole-wheat pasta, but am just starting in on pasta-season, so will get more into this in the coming weeks. Generally I've jumped on this wagon.
• 2 servings of milk products per day - I don't care much for milk so I substitute LF soy drink and yogurt. I try to have 1C in the morning, I put whole milk in my coffee, and I try to remember to have 1C for supper unless I've had cheese during the day. Usually I get it in, but it's always an effort.
• Healthy Oil - I have actually taken to using oil-based salad dressings as my sauce in lunches. Paul Newman has some great suggestions. This is the one area I don't worry about points - I count them, but will choose high-fat options if I like the taste. It's something that's worth spending 2 pts/day on to me.
• Adequate protein. I usually get enough. This was a new thing to me because I was always so cheap at the grocery. Knowing I need protein and evaluating the cost in pts vs money has really modified some priorities.
• Limit added sugar and alcohol. Sometimes I still struggle with the sugar. I have switched to sweetner and try to satisfy a sweet craving with something like frozen pineapples or strawberries mic'd for a bit with a packet of splenda. I love baked goods, whip cream and chocolate. I try - let's leave it at that. With alcohol, I really don't drink a lot. 4 glasses of wine or beers per week tends to be my limit - not because of the points. Quite often one bottle of beer on Friday night is all I really want. I will very rarely have 3 drinks in 1 day. I just like knowing that I can, if I want to spend 3 pts on it and slow down my progress a bit.
• Drink 6 glasses of water per day. Sometimes I don't have a problem with this and sometimes I do. If I have my bottle, no problem. Lately I've been slacking and would like to get this back up to 8Cs per day
• Multi-vitamin daily. Very rarely, even though I keep a little bottle of Centrum in my desk. But now that I'm typing this I think I'll go downstairs, get a cup of water and take a multi-vitamin.

Holiday Planning

DC&Z is trying to develop a plan for holiday eating. Wow, what an under-taking. I have gone over and over how I am going to keep from gaining that 11 lbs (I actually had 10 in mind, but Becky said Americans average 11 - I'm thinking the other 1 is from Thanksgiving and I've already battled that beast in October).

I love focusing on the main meals (for Americans Thanksgiving, but I only have Christmas and New Years), but that's not what puts 11 lbs on, and I for one am dreading all the other days in between. It's the sweets, chocolates, gathering of all sorts, that get to you. Last year we had at least 1 box of chocolates or truffles in the lunch room at all times for weeks - and I ate more than my fair share of them. When did fruit baskets go out of vogue? When I was young I used to diet before December - I mean, my own version of eating next to nothing - so I could lose at least 5 lbs and enjoy the actual 2 weeks of festivities. I wasn't overweight, but I knew that holidays meant Mom's sweets, big meals, and generally non-stop eating. Any extra weight I gained would be lost in Jan/Feb as I spent a lot of time on the ski hills back then. Well, I haven't skiid in years and have discovered that starvation for a few weeks is not really the healthy way of life that I want to live.

Hmmm, neither is 11 lbs of bonbons and gravy. So, how do we resist these pesky temptations.

• Gatherings - Get a small plate and choose healthy options (i.e. 1 sandwich wedge, some veggies and fruit, limit of 1 small sweet). Why the sweet - because I'm not on a diet. You heard me - I'm a weight watcher but not on a diet. This is my life and we all need a sweet now and then or one of these parties we're gonna stuff sweets down our throat until we're sick of them - at least I would. Deprivation is not pretty. The "I didn't eat a sweet so I'm better than you" attitude is bunk. I drink alcohol too. YUM
• Dinners - I load up on veggies before they're mashed, made cranberry sauce with splenda and used it on my 3-4 oz of turkey breast. Who eats desert right after the meal, so when it's time, again limit to 1 small piece of whatever looks the best - if you can come up with a low point option, go for it. Just add 'healthy' in your google search.
• Fast food during busy days decorating and shopping - This I've got. Subway SW Chicken Terriayake with extra sauce (8pts), McDonalds grilled chicken salad (7pts), Tim Horton's broth soup, Chinese with steamed rice vs. fried, do your research. You may be able to make these for a few less points at home, but it's better than a 30 pt option elsewhere.
• Quick meals at home - Stock up on some easy supplies, like pre-cooked chicken breasts, or low fat meatballs for quick meals. Take an hour and make some frozen dinners that can be easily grabbed - I use the dinners in the frozen food section as guidelines (rice, shrimp, veggies and sauce) or (pasta, cooked chicken breast, veggies and pasta sauce). The choices are endless, but I do tend to use frozen, pre-cooked meat - but you can also throw in a few casserole dishes with various cuts while the rice is cooking. Pork, Steak, Chicken. For pasta don't cook until done as it will continue to finish cooking when being mic'd. Measure, put in container, and freeze. I love the 2C ziploc containers and usually make 6pt meals.
• Sweets at home - don't buy them. You don't need them and neither does your family. If you do any baking, I have found segregating it for the kids tends to keep me from eating it. I guess this is conditioning since we've always boughten separate foods for Ci's allergies and didn't want to eat them all up on her. However, the better option is to do the baking and let the kids take it to school/daycare/outside activities for a treat. My husband can also consume a fair bit without gaining weight, so I warn him to eat it by such and such a date or it's going in the compost.
• Sweets at work - specifically chocolates or truffles, as that's my downfall. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I'm thinking that, when they start arriving I'll allow myself a coffee treat 2-3 times/week. At 3pts each I may think twice about taking them. Maybe I'll pin the cover of a magazine on the wall by the table, the ones with bodies like I've never seen in real life - SWITCH, do you want that body or SWITCH, that chocolate. Frig, that may work at home, too.
• Exercise - Hubby asked what I wanted for Christmas and I said a gym membership. Not what he had in mind, but I'm serious. I'm also thinking - why wait until New Years? I'm going to join the first of December and make a point to go 2-3 times per week for at least an hour. I'd like to get started on my legs and do a few sessions of cardio a week. But make a point of exercising throughout the holidays.

Good luck with whatever your plans are. Let me know if you post a plan so I can check it out.

Wednesday weigh-in and Daily doings

First, I'm down 1.2 to 158.8. I'm guessing I have over-estimated on some of my points and am quite pleased. I think I'll stick around the 150's for a while 'cause I'm not liking the 160's as much anymore.

Breakfast: 1/2C LF soy drink, banana, coffee with whole milk (4)
Snacks: Tim's coffee with dbl cream and sweetner, apple (3)
Lunch: 6oz chicken breast, brocolli and potatoe with salad dressing (9)
Supper: some pasta with alfredo and veggies, waffle with whip cream and pineapples (8)
Activity: Morning walk 30 mins (1ap), POWER Yoga (now it makes sense) 25 mins (1ap)

Daily pts: 22
Weekly pts: Doesn't matter 'cause "Tomorrow is a new day" - Chicken Little

K, What have I learned? Write stuff down and you will learn things - like Pringles aren't terrible and whole wheat bread with sliced meat and mustard may not be so bad. Also, I am becomming more aware that I really need to not only keep food under control, but also to get back on the exercise wagon. I feel great knowing that I did 7 APs this week.

Menu post - Tues the 13th

I'm taking 1 pt off today for the yoga workout I did last night and still feel in my tummy. Not sure if this is legal or not, but who is really gonna care after tomorrow night?

Breakfast: Cereal, 1C soy drink, banana (7)
Snacks: Carrots, Apple, coffees with whole milk (4)
Lunch: 1/2C rice, 10 shrimp, veggies and salad dressing (5)
Evening: 1/8C sesame seeds, 4oz chicken breast, potatoe with becel spray, 1/2C LF soy drink (9)
Activity: 30 mins Yoga

Daily pts: 22
Weekly pts: 3-1AP=2 more in the whole
Weekly pts left: -9

Yoga Hell

So I decided to give this yoga video a try. It said Beginner on it. My azz.

So I got started with push-up pose, upward dog, downward dog. It was definately quicker than I was used to, and I could really feel it in my weak arms during downward dog. So then he starts with the funky moves - bend knees, hands placed on ground behind your legs, rest arms on kness, lift one foot then the other off the ground (what the heck!!!).

This is a similar pose, only he crossed his feet in front of him doing this at one point. They say it requires more core strength than arm. Yeah.

Also, what is this?

I'll tell you what it is. This nasty backwards plank is insane. I skipped most of the insane poses and downgraded my workout to low impact vs. medium. I also researched the video box more closely and realized that this is the second in a series. I was very relieved when we did this:

which generally signals you're near the end of the session. It also signals the end of my post. Have a great day.

Cheers,

Menu Post

I'm very embarrassed to report the following:

Saturday points total 22 + 13

Sunday:
Breakfast: Bran Flakes, soy drink, berries, coffee with milk (6)
Lunch out: Minestrone soup, 3/4 chicken salad sand on wheat, coffee with milk, approx 7 of J's fries and 1 bite Mark's mashed potatoes with gravy (approx 16 - I hope I have over-estimated)
Supper: 1/2 C Brown rice, salmon, veggies and sauce (5)
Evening: 2 regular beer, pringles (12)

Daily pts 22, Weekly pts 17
I am now in the hole 7 pts for the week if I have estimated all of these unhomemade foods right. I'm trying to guesstimate on the high side, but the pants are feeling kind of snug. No room for error the rest of the week.

Monday:
Breakfast: Bran Flakes, soy drink, berries, coffee with whole milk (6)
Lunch: 1/2C Rice, Salmon, veggies and lf salad dressing (6)
Snack: Apple, 1/8C sesame seeds (4)
Supper: scrambled egg with veggie slice and veggies on tortilla with salsa, 1C LF soy drink (6)
Activity: 10 minutes abs and legs stretching
Daily pts 22, Weekly pts 0

Gonna do some activity now - not sure what. Gotta get some of these pts back.

Saturday - chuggin' along

First, IT'S SNOWING!!! We're supposed to get rain overnight, but the kids were both out enjoying our first snow of the season.

OK, I'm writing things down so I'll do better and, boy, so far it's not helping a lot. I keep revising and it's not always good.

Anyway, I'm done for today and it's Saturday, so...

B-fast: half banana, 3/4 dino-eggs porridge pack (Thanks, J)
Lunch: Chinese - Rice with soya sauce, stir fry with shrimp, veggies and oyster sauce, some kung pao chicken stuff, 4 eggrolls (my bad)
Snack: 1 mini-chocolate, 1 mini bag of dorittos, 2 regular beer
Supper: 1/8 Naan bread pepperoni pizza, 1C LF Soy drink

I still have to calculate points on this stuff.

Friday ramble

I’m very happy it’s Friday. I’m wearing my Friday jeans. Funny, I’m almost at the day-of-the-week outfits as my wardrobe shrinks. I have my cords that I wear every Wednesday for weigh-in, and my jeans that I wear every Friday (I usually wear them on Saturday, too, but shhh – don’t tell). Now I have a jean skirt I’m going to wear on Thursdays. I’ve always wanted a jean skirt and never owned one until I ran into this one at Frenchy’s on Tues night (2nd hand). That just leaves Mondays and Tuesdays. I’ll stick to black slacks on Tuesdays now that those 10s fit me (see, even though the scale has moved marginally, a lot of other stuff is happening). For Mondays I’m going to stick with my 14 brown slacks until I find a suitable replacement.

I bought a new digital camera (yeah). A Sokkia L-series slim and I love it, but really need to read the book. It takes mini-movies, too. I forgot to pick up a memory card for it, so have used up all of the memory on 2 pics and a movie of the kids that I don’t want to erase, but can’t figure out how to get onto my ‘puter. So, I have a 2GB card waiting for me at the store and will try to figure out how to get some pics up this week.

It looks like we’re going to re-count inventory at one of our sites. Tell me, why do you think someone bothers to take the time to do up inventory count procedures? So people can ignore the procedures and do the count willy-nilly? Guess what? I get to do a re-count of a problem area next week with the sales guys who bailed on them the last time around. We did our counts over 2 days (half the stores on day 1, other half on day 2), so I’ve already been to 2 counts that I was in charge of. This problem area turned into a 2-day debacle, and the person in charge still hasn’t figured it all out. Frig it – now, the CEO and VP are behind this and will be sure the sales guys show up next Saturday to do this with me – yeah! Did I ever mention that this is year-end – It’s Heeerrrre!

Swizz said she jinxes herself if she tries to plan her day. Guess I do, too. But at least a plan is somewhere to start. We ended up ordering our lunch today, so I got a spinach salad and had a 3 more of those sandwich quarters and some fresh fruit. I also was given (and ate) a muffin this morning. I did skip my second coffee and will end up having something light tonight to compensate, and because I'm kinda still fullish at 4pm.

Cheers all - have a great weekend.

Friday Food and activity

Today is Friday and the plan is:

Breakfast: 1C LF yogurt, some strawberries and pineapple, 1C Bran Flakes, coffee with whole milk (6)

Snack: Apple and maybe some baby carrots, coffee with whole milk (3)
Lunch: 3oz salmon, 1/2C Rice, veggies and Paul Newman Thai salad dressing (6)
Afternoon snack: baby carrots and 1/4C sunflower seeds (3 for seeds)
Supper: Shrimp, rice and veggies with oyster sauce, 1C LF soy drink (9)
Evening snack: 3?

Replaced with:

Snack: Someone bought me a coffee and Tim's fruit explosion muffin (yikes_8)

Lunch: The boss bought lunch, and I got a spinach salad (6?), then had a few sandwich quarters (7?), some fresh fruit (1) and an OJ (2).

Supper: I was still full and only had a parfait (2) - bad, I know.

Activity: 20 minute walk at lunch (Revised - no walk)
Total = 24-1 = 23 (Revised 32)
Daily pts = 22
Weekly pts left = 32 -10 = 21 (Yikes)

Meetings and Menus

Weigh-In last night was as expected. I am up 0.8lbs to 160 again. Since 160 was my official mini-goal, I didn't back-track on that - Phew! I stayed for meeting and feel rejuvenated and know that I need to start taking this seriously again. I also was told to take 160 as my goal (again) so I wouldn't have to pay. Apparently we have to pay through maintenance, so I am thinking that I'll make goal before Christmas, if you know what I mean, but will continue to lose. I've also gotta start taking this Christmas Challenge a little more seriously. I don't expect to reach 148 by the end of it, but I'd like to come damn close. Maybe a little personal challenge to get to 153. That's 7lbs in 7 weeks and totally do-able. That would make me happy.

So, my goals for this week are simple:

• exercise for at least 150 minutes and post on blog
• track all food in journal and post on blog

Boy, aren't you lucky to get to read my daily work-outs and food consumption for a whole week!

Today is Thursday and the plan is:
Breakfast: 1C LF yogurt, some berries, 3Tbsp granola, coffee with whole milk (5 revised to 6)
Snack: Apple and maybe some baby carrots, coffee with whole milk (3)
Lunch: 4oz salmon, 1/2C Rice, veggies and Paul Newman Thai salad dressing (6 revised to 7)
Afternoon snack: baby carrots and

1/4C sunflower seeds (3 for seeds)
Supper: 4oz Chicken, sweet potatoe and veggies with sauce, 1C LF soy drink (8)

This was replaced with:
Veggies and fruit and little bit of dips from a luncheon platter (fruit mainly melons, strawberries and pineapple) I'm thinking 1 for the fruit and 1 for the dips.
5 sandwich quarters from a sandwich platter (I'm thinking around 7)
1 smallish boughten square (maybe 3)

Activity: 90 minutes dance/yoga class (3-4 as some at moderate and some at low)
Total = 25-3 = 22 revised 28-3 = 25
Daily pts = 22
Weekly pts left = 35 revised = 32

Vanity and Chocolate

Vanity sizing to be more specific. How does it feel to be wearing a size 10? Hmmm, good, but…Clothes sizing means very little anymore. Last night I tried on a size 12 slacks and they fit. I’m still wearing some 14s. And get this – I’m also wearing size 10. It’s the 10s I take issue with – sort of. They are actually my favourite pants. Maybe because they are ‘new’ styles and look cool. But a 10? I have a pair of 11 jeans at home that I used to wear when Ci was a baby. These were snug, and yes, I can button them. But, can you say major re-distribution of wealth. I swear my muffin sticks out a full 3-4inches and I feel like something is going to rupture (this is NOT an exaggeration). What I do know is that these 11’s are from 8-9 years ago – back when an 11 was an 11, not something else. So, I know I cannot possibly be a size 10 now.

So, like I said, I tried on some size 12 slacks and 2 size 10 skirts. I didn’t buy the slacks – the purpose of trying them on was to confirm that I am a comfortable size 12 because slacks tend to still have proper sizing. One of the skirts I couldn’t get done up, but at least it came up to the point I could try (Yay). The other fit like a glove. I’m also wearing other size 10 hand-me-on pants thanks to Heidi.

I guess what all of this really means is that maybe I should get rid of all of those size 14s. And, sizing really doesn’t mean as much as it once did. But we keep on trecking, which brings me to Chocolate…

How did you do this week? I ate a small fraction of what I ate last year, but did give in to maybe a dozen or so chocolates (give or, well, not give a dozen), a few suckers and hard candies, and a couple of bags of chippies. The chips were when I was at mil’s on the weekend and they were the store brand plain kind. I haven’t had chips in a while and it was nice to indulge with small quantity. So, way more crap than should be consumed by a weight watcher in 1 week, but way, way less than I would have consumed otherwise. I really deserve a gain this week and I really need to get back on track with journaling. This weeks journal remains empty – sad, huh. So, if the 150’s were short-lived I have no one to blame but myself. On the plus side, even the 9yo admitted to feeling sluggish a couple of days ago and has scaled back her consumption all on her own – I’m proud of her. I’m thinking it’s time to confiscate all candy, review the contents and store chips in the basement (hubby said he’d start taking some to work), candy in a high cupboard to be dolled out an item or two per night until the Christmas advent calendar hits the house and we toss the left-overs. I’m seriously thinking about the Polly Pocket advent calendar this year for the LO (a piece of clothing per day), but not sure what to do for my big girl just yet.

Tagging without the exercise

I guess I got tagged twice officially, and unofficially a couple of other times. There are rules to this, but I'm thinking that most people have already been 'it', so I'm just gonna post my 'stuff'.

1. I gave birth on July 4th twice. I don't have twins, both my daughters are independent (ahh, Independence Day) and I consider both to be fairly unpatriotic. Would it have been too much to ask for them to have been borne 3 days earlier on Canada Day.
2. The OBGYN saranaded me after J was borne by with 'Born on the 4th of July'. I wasn't amused at the time as it was 6am and I was way tired.
3. I lived in Calgary for 4 years. I missed 4 Eastern Falls, and have appreciated every one since coming home.
4. I love the fall so much that hubby and I honeymooned in the North Eastern States in October for the Fall colour. The fall is my favourite time of year.
5. Skiing is my preferred holiday. When I lived out west, all of my 'fun-money' went to ski trips, like Big Mountain, Montana, Lake Louis, Sunshine, Fernie, Kimberley. I love them all.
6. The first time I left Canada was on a ski trip to West Virginia with my boyfriend and his uncles. I went to my first 'real' hockey game in Pittsburg that week, too (Go, Mario)
7. My husband and I went out on a date in 1990 after working together and flirting for a couple of months. We liked each other, but since I was going back to university the relationship ended. 7 years later, after we'd both had broken engagements, we ran into each other again. He's my best friend and biggest supporter.

So, if you haven't been tagged yet, tell us 7 facts about you.

Pound by Pound

Wow, What a week. How did I manage to lose another pound this week after the week I had.

I tried to order healthy while eating out, but didn't think I'd done so great. Maybe that Apple Burrito dessert I ate at Jungle Jim's was covered by my weekly flexxies. Here's a recap:

Friday night Pizza Hut: Spaghetti with plum tomatoes and some grilled chicken, some of the LOs kids pizza
Saturday afternoon: Jungle Jim's Grilled chicken taco salad and dessert, some of Mom's steak and shrimp
Sunday morning: Half of a Tim's ham and cheese scone
Sunday lunch: Cora's spinach omelette with swiss cheese and some of Ci's chocolate sauce
Monday: lunch out, supper out - decent choices
Tuesday: lunch out - decent choice
Wednesday: More candy than I would have like, but less than prior years

I guess when you really boil it down it's not as bad as it felt at the time. I hate eating out, but with the exception of the dessert my choices were all decent - even the fast food choices. I also brought a bit of food with and it was all good choices (maybe not the best, but not the worst). I also passed the bread products on - not saying I didn't have some, but just not everything.

I had actually stressed a bit about weigh-in this week and almost didn't go. I'm glad I did, but not just because I lost. I didn't attend a meeting, but just to be accountable to yourself feels good.

Cheers, Have a great week.

Tempted

I must admit, I did give in to a couple mini chocolates and a pack of nibs. I'm really not sure how I'm going to handle all of this candy in the house for the next week. Maybe I'll have to get the kids to hide it in their room.

To offset my sins I did go with them. In and out of driveways and then the 4yo had an accident and I carried her back up the hill to our friends house. Now that was a bit of a workout. Oh, I guess the beer I drank after we got home didn't help.

I also missed weigh-in. Maybe I'll go today - not expecting great results this week.

How did you do?

The revival

Hmmm, I'm still tired but feeling much better today. I do not function well on little sleep. Why do I feel better? Well, I got an email from our tech support asking me to go home at last night so he could re-boot the server and was wanting to go to bed himself. So, I logged off, posted here and went home. I crawled into bed around 12:30. Honestly, a few late nights and I was like lead getting out of bed this morning. BUT, for the first time in weeks I didn't just roll over and go to sleep. I've been missing hubby and needed some cuddle time - I guess he felt the same way. It's amazing how the 'old married couple' routine just takes over sometimes and you're just 2 people who happen to live in the same house. It's always nice to break down those walls and reconnect, and with kids and work sometimes those walls need to come down when normal people are asleep, lol. Anyway, I don't know if that's the full connection or if I've just gone beyond tired and am bordering on delusional!!!

Anyway, still a tonne of work to do. It's gonna get busier as today is year-end, the scariest time of the year.

Happy Halloween y'all.

The Wall

I think I've hit one. Emotionally I had been dull for weeks. I am tired and want to be home in bed, but here I am working late again tonight. I hate year-end and deadlines. My house is a mess, I missed my 'get ready for the week' night last night, and I missed swimming with J for the second week in a row. I ate at Tim's for lunch yesterday, a grilled chicken salad from McDs last night and Subway at lunch today. You'd think hubby could have at least picked up some groceries. I had to ask him to make sure he bought supplies for Ci's lunch tomorrow - not sure why that isn't just a given.

Negativity coming out. Gotta go and will check in when rested.

Cheers,

Golden!

The weekend in SAINT John was golden. Food-wise I could have done better, but tonight it's over. I won't go into the sordid details, but I will say I tried. We did walk into this place down on the waterfront and the restaurant stunk like a sweaty gym so we left. Grannon's or something. Not exactly kid-friendly and I don't know why anyone would recommend it to us. We ended up at Jungle Jim's - always a safe choice with little ones. I've been wanting to try Cora's, so I drug everyone there for brunch today and...delicious - will go again.

And they danced! They were wonderful - all of them. I would have liked to have seen more, but when a 9 yo has had enough and a 4 yo had been patiently sitting in an audience for over 2 hours, you count your blessings that it lasted as long as it did. Ci did 2 numbers, a jazz for under 10's and a hiphop for under 12's (this they did with girls who've been competing a year longer than her group). They got Gold for both numbers. Our older girls took gold for a couple of the numbers I saw as well. The 4yo was quite upset and asked me what that teacher was doing to Olivia's neck (as part of the dance, the teacher helper from J's dance class looks like she's pulling Olivia, a favourite lifeguard, around by her neck). I tried to explain it was just part of the dance and the teacher never actually touched Olivia. Anyway, J still wasn't too sure and I'm sure will bring it up again at some point.

And we swam at the hotel pool. A few times. The 'hot' tub was more like a 'warm' tub this morning so a few of the kids pretty much stuck to it. I didn't make it to the weight room. I didn't want to leave Mom alone with both kids for that long and she never came to the pool to watch the kids, so I never asked. Another time maybe.

What a long drive though. We stopped in Amherst on the way home for a couple of hours and the kids watched a scary halloween show on TV at Mom's and we ate supper. Then we headed home. Daddy's some glad to see his girls. I'm very tired and will check in on everyone through the week. It's going to be crazy at work. 3 more sleeps!

Cheers,

I Got a Secret

No Where to Run asked what some of my secrets to weight loss were. Heck, like most of us who have had some success with this - I just don't know. I also feel silly posting any advice I may have when faced with the amazing women in my blog community - Steph the big loser, Swizz the scientist, Randi the iron-woman, and everyone else who I turn to daily for motivation. Regardless, I've decided tonight to play 'Randi' and pretend I'm a know-it-all, LOL. Anyone reading this ought to keep in mind that my loss is quite slow, averaging just over 1lb/week since I started this in May.

The beginning: It was recognizing a disgust I had with my body. Staring at my stomach and thinking "I hate this." I go back to this image whenever I feel myself becoming too complacent. Several things lead me to the end of the beginning.

What is the end of the beginning? For me it was walking into a Weight Watchers meeting, but any program will do, even your own. I didn't know about food - I was a thin kid who ate like a man - correction, a working man. Until I was 29 this worked quite nicely for me, but then it stopped - my metabolism suddenly slowed down. WW taught me things about food that I had no idea about. And for the first time in my life I became aware of what I was eating.

In the months since this journey began I have 'trained' my family to be supportive. At first my children were especially upset because they like the built-in pillow. Supportive doesn't mean that they will eat everything I eat - yet - but it does mean that they're more sensitive, they don't try to de-rail my efforts ('Let's eat out tonight - you've been working so hard' is NOT supportive). For everyone this support is different. For me, it is having my 4yo be the first to ask me how my meeting was, my 9yo to smile at my successes and give me a hug, and my husband to try to make point-friendly meals and ask when I can work in a meal out.

Then I discovered blogland. I found Roni who lead me to: Colette who makes me laugh and Steph who makes me laugh and cry at the same time and Becky who is a sweety through and through and Swizz with her crazy graphs and crazier heels. I started my blog - and this community gives me support and information that I wouldn't have had otherwise. I have expanded my blog weight-loss support group, revising my daily reads as I 'meet' new people and discover that others have stopped posting (runnergirl, melody, gone).

Through a blog-friend I discovered Sparks and found a lot of exercise tips there. At around the same time I 'met' Randi who expanded my horizons regarding strenght-training. I still struggle with the exercise thing, but trying and trying again - that's the biggest thing there.

Weight-loss, they say is made up of calories in and calories out, but it is so much more. It is food, it is exercise, and sometimes it's weighing-in after a pee, lol. But it's also your support system. Only you can decide who you will turn to for support. You need support in real life and, for me, in cyber-space.

The only other thing I can say is definately required is attitude. Each person can look at an event and take different steps: you weigh-in today and gain 3.2lbs (uh, yeah, let's not do that again). Do you: a) get depressed, say you blew it, and eat like crazy for a couple of days, b) re-focus, evaluate and move forward, while staying on-plan. This attitude, this perception, is going to be your success.

Other tips:

• Take measurements so you have another tool to measure success other than the demon scale. These should be taken every 1-2 months, or when you hit a plateau
• Attempt activity - do what you are comfortable with. Every little bit helps
• Journal your food (it's amazing what we 'forget' we ate)
• Pack lunches often - make your own frozen dinners
• Eat whole foods whenever possible, including whole grains such as brown rice and fresh fruit vs. dried. They are more filling
• Drink lots of water
• Share successes so others can celebrate with you
• Share challenges so others can offer their support to you
• Stock up on frozen fruits & veggies, and keep fresh stock at reasonable quantities to avoid feeding the composter
• Some protein, such as cheese and crackers or almonds while you're waiting for dinner will keep you full longer and you only need a bit
• I also try to get a dairy and a fruit in every morning at breakfast to get these servings under my belt, so to speak. It gives a great start to the day
• Remember, this is not a diet. It is your life and there's no rush. Take time to develope good habits and love yourself.

PS - I lost 1lb this week and decided to stick withthe cords as my weigh-in clothes. I also bought the 9-week holiday super-saver plan, so I'm good until Christmas.

What's on the Menu Today?

Hmmm, what an interesting post Candace? Oui, oui, mon belle.

Breaky: 2 Coffee with whole milk, 1C All Bran with 1C LF soy drink and 1C blueberries (defrosted) - 6pts

In lunch box today:
2 6-point dinners (one for lunch, one for supper as it's a late night)
Around 1.5-2 cups baby carrots
Large peach
a bunch of almonds. I'll have to measure them out later - a dangerous game, I know.

Well, tonight is weigh-in children. I'm saving one of my dinners until afterwards. I won't bore you any more today with my consumption news.

Instead, I want to tell you that I get to travel this weekend. Very exciting for me. The chickens and I are heading to my Mom's (she and Mel moved into the house this week) tomorrow evening. I get to go to work at our Dieppe location on Friday - tres exciting to hang with the real francais speaking blokes for a day. Then, I back-track to get Mom and the kids and we're off to St. John (that's right Carolyn, I'm heading your way!). We'll be staying at the luxurious Delta Brunswick along with several other rowdy children and my lovely 9yo will be dancing in a little competition on Saturday down-town. I'd like to get the kids out to that beautiful walking park sometime if weather permits, but I think they'll just be content to enjoy the pool and city centre.

Cheers,

Gimme a 1, Gimme a 2, Gimme a 1, 2, 1-2

Can you say Twelve?

I Can!

Beauty Perception

I took my daughter to a workshop for young girls last year which showed this film. Girls and parents were shocked. I'll often remind my daughter of this workshop when I hear her putting other girls down or calling her sister names. I think the film speaks for itself.

While I believe most people I have come across in blogshpere have the same philosophy as I, it is often hard to get around onslaught of images from the media. If you have daughters talk to them early - you can check out other Dove films at:

http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.ca/dsef07/t5.aspx?id=7985&filmno=1

Mark's Answers to Halloween Quiz

What Your Halloween Habits Say About You

You love the drama of Halloween. You definitely like to have the best costume around - and everyone noticing you. You like to think of yourself as naughty. But compared to most people, you're actually quite mild. Your inner child is open minded, playful, and adventurous. You fear people taking advantage for you. You are always worried about protecting your own interests. You're prone to be quite emotional and over dramatic. Deep down, you enjoy being scared out of your mind... even if you don't admit it. You are a traditionalist with most aspects of your life. You like your Halloween costume to be basic, well made, and conventional enough to wear another year.

What's" Your Halloween Personality?

My Halloween

What Your Halloween Habits Say About You

You're a friendly person, but not the life of the party. You like making someone else's day - and you'll dress up if you think of a really fun costume. You definitely think of yourself as someone who has a dark side. And part of having that dark side means not showing it. Your inner child is stubborn and a bit bossy. You truly fear the dark side of humanity. You are a true misanthrope. You're logical, rational, and not easily effected. Not a lot scares you... especially when it comes to the paranormal. You are picky and high maintenance. If you wear a Halloween costume, it's only when you really feel like it. And it has to be perfect.

What's" Your Halloween Personality?

Wednesday WI

For the week ended October 17, I am down 2.4

I knew the gain last week was not all gain, and I recognize that I have officially switched to winter-wear for weigh-in. Current weight at 161.2 and I am eager just to see 15X on that scale.

Acquasize

Many moons ago, when I was going to Acadia University, I took an aquasize class once. Just once. The gym was wayyyy down the bottom of the hill and you had to walk by the gym to get to the pool. The gym was filled with football and hockey players - no one else ever seemed to utilize it. Why would I want to walk by this room and feel ---> <--- big (Marie used that sign the other day - love it). Anyway, I only went to the pool 2x in 2 years and never to the gym.

So, that was my experience with aquasize. The class was good, but there were other things to do than go down to the fitness centre.

Last night I participated in my second-ever aquasize class. The pool was filled with Mom's of all ages and sizes (and a Dad). Really, being in the water, no one can really see what anyone else is doing. Also, most of it is resistance, so could be a good muscle workout if you work it. We used some props, such as mini-paddles that act as weights when pushed quickly through the water. I liked it, but don't know how much I'll do of this while bobbing around with the LO. I think I'll take it again next week.

It also dawned on me that I've been struggling to get in 2.5 hrs/week activity while running around with the kids to various activities. The 9yo, for instance, has the following week, on average: 1hr Hip Hop, 1hr Jazz, 1hr Tap, 30mins swimming lessons, approx 60mins family swims, 60mins of gym classes, plus approx 45 mins everyday running around the school yard for recesses/lunches, plus after school play which often includes biking or tag. Good lord, no wonder she can consume so much junk food and still be thin! I want to be 9 again!!!

Now me (this week), 45mins ballet/hiphop, 45mins yoga, 60mins aquasize, 45mins walk. What is missing: I am doing nothing in the morning (what happened to my abs, biceps and glutes?) and I am doing nothing at noon (what happened to my 20 min lunch walks?). Yes, I'm calling me out. My classes are great, and yeah for taking the dog for a walk, but that isn't building muscle or utilizing my recesses - er, lunches. OK, walk today at lunch - sun is shining and no rain - why, oh why, did I wear high-heel boots today?

Food choices

I've been kind of 'blah' all week and am not sure what to expect tomorrow night at WI. I am going to wear my cords again, so at least we'll get a 'real' reading this time. I know I need to get back to my morning routines - I've been dragging every morning for the past few weeks and know this would help me.

I slacked off on journalling, but have done a mental count of points and don't think I'm under on any day. I've also been conscious of getting my dairy and oils as that's historically been a weak point.

I had a good workout dance/yoga on Thursday night, followed by swimming on both Saturday and Sunday evenings with the kids and a good walk (45mins maybe?) with the dog on Sunday. I'm going to take an aquasize class tonight as well.

I've probably been drinking too much coffee again. Saturday maybe wasn't such a good eating day. I started off behind the 8-ball by running late to the LOs dance class, so I took mil and the 9yo to the donut shop and had a coffee and half a ham and cheese scone. After we got home, hubby and I had to run to the lawyers to sign mortgage documents and took the LO to the bakery afterwards. I had another coffee and a small oatcake (so far, so not good). Hubby was eyeing the brown bread, so I bought a loaf and said I'd make him some baked beans. Then I had a mini-supper while hubby was at the grocery of a bit of chicken, rice, that new PC curry sauce for chicken and some veggies. Mil had some too and really liked it. I just needed some 'real' food at that point. I scored brownie points with the family at supper, but ended up with baked beans, ham and scalloped potatoes for supper. Then I totally blew the day when I decided to have a couple of pistachio's - it's been a while since I've had a salty snack and I went a bit over-board. I did stop myself before I went too-too far. Luckily, both kids love them too, and finished the bag off in short order.

Other than Saturday, I think I've been doing pretty good trying to stick with as many whole foods as possible. I made a few more 'frozen dinners' this week. This little chore actually makes me feel really good and takes some stress out of lunch time. When I go to work, my cooler is packed with lots of healthy choices - I often find myself going home with some stuff uneaten. Today I had granola and soy drink for breaky, a frozen dinner for lunch, 4 Simple Pleasures lemon cookies (120 calories for 4) as a coffee snack (OK, maybe this isn't healthy, but we all need something sometimes, and it's better I have it in small quantities while at work so I don't have any more), an apple and some rice crackers. I don't think I'll bother with the crackers today and really need to get to the grocery for some more fruit, carrots and nuts. I'm working on cup 6 of water mid-afternoon. So, without the crackers, I'll have had 15 pts before going home tonight - which leave 7 pts left for supper and snack, if desired - I'm going to try not to use any flex's today with tomorrow as WI. I think I feel like chicken tonight.

Last night, Mark cooked some trout in I don't know what kind of sauce. Yummy! He was frying some potatoes and I grabbed one. He slapped my hand and told me I couldn't have them because they were fried. So I said, "Aren't you frying them in olive oil?". Uh - duh, yes. So I had trout and fried taters - Double Yummy! Then a piece on Naan Bread with Pizza sauce and grated mozza - OK, badish in that I'd already eaten, but it was a smallish piece, and LF cheese. I love that Naan bread. The garlic is super nice done as a basic pizza (no extra toppings and not too much sauce or cheese). My kids just love this and I'm so glad that it's a good alternative for the 9yo to take on pizza Fridays to lunch since she can't have regular cheese.

I don't feel like I've done a lot exercise wise this week, but I will exceed my 150 minutes that I wanted to do so I feel good about that. It's better than I've been doing, anyway.

Halloween Barbie *itch

I thought it about time to have a little Barbie bitch, but settled on a Barbie witch instead.

This is the weekend that we get to decorate for Hallow's Eve. I'm so excited. I want to hang the white lights that can stay up for Christmas and get the kids involved in some decorating outside and in the living room.

Guess we gotta nail down some costume ideas pretty soon, too. I'm always so late with these things - not the Martha Stewart Mommy by any stretch. Like any good Barbie though, I can come up with a story to depict a lesson pretty quick. See, the Wicked Witch of the West didn't plan adequately - silly to leave that bucket of water just lying around - and did not survive to the end of the story because of this oversight.

Well, I have 2 weeks to plan for this and there's no better time than the present before some brat throws water on me! The water here often comes in the form of staying up late trying to throw up some decorations because we're the last ones on the street to decorate, running out on Oct 31 to pick up treats on the way home from work, trying to console a crying child because all of the 'good' costumes are gone.

Oh yeah, been there. This year, Mamma is NOT dressing up as the Wicked Witch of the West (although I love the costume) and will try to come up with something more proactive.

So, get a broom and fly away to the costume store, farmers market and second hand clothing outlets. Get everything YOU need to be the good Glenda Barbie witch this year. Dorothy loved her.

Holding my Head High

I am trying to hold my head high as I report a gain of 3.2

It is a gain, definately. The scale said 163.6 - or did it? OK, this is where I try to justify the gain. Why? Because I can't accept that a few beer, a couple glasses of wine and 5 VERY small chocolates did this.

I had a debacle at a lawyers office last night and was 'required' to sign new mortgage documents ASAP. NOT - the documents were nothing like what I had discussed with the banker - variable vs fixed, term, interest rate - they were ALL different. What a waste of time. I'll be back there again on Saturday to, hopefully, sign the right documents.

Anyway, this meant I couldn't go home and put on my weigh-in outfit - I was running late for meeting as was. Usually not a biggie, but yesterday I was wearing cords and a belt with a buckle! So, shocker, they weigh significantly more than my cotton slacks.

Also (TMI) I was quite bloated. See, when I go home I usually also hit the washroom. But this was more than that. Something wasn't sitting right. Also, likely related to this, I had processed soup for lunch both Tuesday and Wednesday, which usually means sodium. My MO is to avoid excess sodium after Monday evening.

So, I suspect I DID gain this week, but that a good portion of this gain will be gone by tomorrow morning.

I've also been reflecting a bit after reading Carolyn and Randi's blog and realize that I haven't been celebrating the non-food aspects of this journey. I am going to build some personal challenges surrounding exercise as I know I've been slacking - I didn't have a lot of time available in September, but that's a relatively lame excuse. I'm going to be busy in November, too, but that doesn't mean I can't fit in 2.5 hours/week. I think I'll always struggle with this aspect, so it will be my focus in the coming weeks (again).

Also, thanks to my co-worker Heidi. She brought in 2 more pairs of pants. A pair of black slacks I could do up, but some major muffin toppage and tight buttage happening. I also have a pair of black slacks that fit like this last spring that I'm thinking of sizing the larger ones, but will take some pictures first. So, in line with other Christmas challengers, I have found my Christmas challenge pants that I hope will be suitable for wear by Christmas. The nice thing about this part is that it's not a scale item that we're comparing to, and it's not all food that will get me where I want to be. It's crunches, glute moves, walking, etc.

I really do feel rejuvinated today. It's the start of another week. My food journal is a clean slate and I'm excited to fill it up with great choices and activity points.