IS IT MARCH ALREADY!!!

Hello all!

It IS March already. Man - I'm not showing the virtual world any love lately.

WELL...OK, I'll fess up. Between mid-January weigh-in and the last week in February weigh-in I am (gulp) up 5.2 lbs. There you have it. I've been totally OUT of it. I'm not making any promises and what I'll do - because I obviously have no accountability to myself here. Still 0.6lbs under goal though.

SO - I'm going to Phat Camp with Phit-n-phat in June. Gotta start prepping for that. I also found my sign-in card for the gym, so when I'm ready to re-join I won't need to buy another one. Hubby is still on permanent evenings - so that still sucks.

What HAVE I done? Well, I realized my 'environment' was going to pot. Well, dirty pots, spilled molasses, frozen cake in front of the frozen veggies, pie on the counter, candy at eye level in the pantry instead of up high. You get the picture right? So, I resolved to fix it. I cleaned the pantry and am trying to take back ownership for the groceries that come into the house again.

I've also re-established my weekly meetings with my friend and unofficial life-coach. We're working our way through some 30 year-old Anthony Robbins tapes. Continuous improvement is important. I mean change is inevitable - we're not going to be in this same place next year anymore than we were here last year. Changing in a positive direction though is entirely under your control.

Next on my list is moving my computer into the dining room space and cleaning up my gym space. Right now the computer and related clutter as well as winter gear have taken over my gym space.

The Best Defense

Imagine my surprise yesterday when I walked into the lunch room at work and saw not one, but several boxes and bags of treats. From chocolate and cookies to pretzels and chocolate-covered caramel popcorn. Then what landed at lunch? Food from a cancelled meeting. Sandwiches, soups, sweats and a veggie tray.

I didn't do so well with the chocolate, had a bowl of leek soup, a half sandwich made with real chicken (not the processed stuff) and stuffed myself on the veggie tray. It could have been worse. The treats are still here today. What would you do?

Ahem...what would you do?

Jan 5/08 - Day 1 of a commitment to write it before you bite it.

Coffee with whole milk (1)
Oatmeal with blueberries, 2/3C soy drink and splenda (5)
Water and multivitamin
Coffee with whole milk (1)

Make pulic my commitments:

1. Track all foods eaten for this week
2. Cardio - 30 mins - 5x
3. Strength training - 2x
4. NO chocolate this week

It's 9:40am on Day 1 - So far, so good. I will be tracking in my handy-dandy WW 3-month journal this week and then hand the journal on to one of my members to track in next week. Talk about accountability!

So, what do you think about a rotating journal in meetings? Is this something you would do? We'll be marking the weekly weight-loss of the different members in the book - hopefully starting with me. Also, is it a good idea to start the book with me. My thoughts were: I wouldn't ask you to do it unless I was willing to do it myself. Plus, it provides a good template (I think). Thoughts and feedback on this are greatly appreciated.

2008 in review

Hi everyone. I hope you had a great 2008 and have started planning for 2009.

What was great about 08?

Well, I spent the first part of the year focusing on physical phitness. I learned a lot about what my body is capable of and leared to plan menus. I struggles with this in the next few months, but was still exercising and planning until mid-summer. Since then...not so much. What have I learned? Maintenance is a continuation of skills you have learned, not abandonment of them. My commitment to exercise in the coming months will be to commit to movement every day - unless I am sick and can't move out of bed. Other than that, there is no reason I cannot get on the elliptical or go for a half hour walk daily. Ideally, I would like to participate in a couple of 5Ks and maybe even a triathalon, but we'll see how 'tings go first.
So, even though I fell off the phitness wagon mid-summer, I got through vacation with minimum damage food-wise and continued to maintain my weight throughout the year. Woohoo.
In case some of you missed it, I began training as a WW receptionist last summer. I worked at 2 meetings/week for my training then took Basic Leader Skills training in September. I moved directly into my own meeting on Monday nights as Terry, my mentor, was looking to move on. It's been a great learning experience for me. One lady made lifetime in November and I have 2 more making lifetime next week. What a great way to start the first meeting of 2009!!

What's on the plan for 2009?

I'm recommiting to strength training in January. Apparently, Corinne has a great running/ST routine that would fit with me for the first part of January. I'm commiting to movement every day and strength training twice a week for 3 months, when I'll re-commit.
As for food, I am going back to my excel spreadsheet each week and pulling my grocery list from that. It was the easiest thing I've done yet for journaling - and very effective.
I will attend other meetings for a few months. I have 4 leaders I would like to watch and will be attending 1 meeting per week to watch and learn for the first while. Unfortunately, I have my meeting on Mondays, so I'll be watching after-the-fact. That's OK though. I would also like to take on another meeting, but I'm not sure when just yet. I may post-pone this for a few months.

Financially - I need to clean up a small balance on hubby's MC, but it's been cancelled. I need to consolidate holiday spending on the Visa and Sears card to the LOC. We are not using these anymore. I'm paying monthly on the LOC and would like to cut it in half by the end of summer.

De-clutter - We've done a lot but have alot left to do. I'm giving us 3 months to fast-track any remaining decluttering, such as building supplies, etc. In 3 months I will be hiring a lady to come in and help organize. We'll also be renovating the kitchen this summer.

I will be reviewing my goals over the next couple of days and doing a SWOT analysis on each of them to pull out the top 3 to work on over the first quarter of 2009. I'll try to get a story board up for Q1 09 as well. I haven't updated it since last spring and it's time to do so.

So, not into planning or goal setting? Let's get ready and make 2009 a year for the record books. Many of us have a vague idea about what we want. Honestly, it's not enough. Fail to plan and you plan to fail. If you have a vision you are ahead of the majority of the population. Write it down and BAM! Your chances of reaching your goal have just sky-rocketed. Next, document what you need to do to reach that goal. Think this is the tough part? Really, it is. Because all you need to do after that is follow your action plan. Hmmm, tougher than it sounds, huh. Remember, "Before anything else, preparation is the key to success." - Alexander Graham Bell

What do you want to accomplish in 2009?

What goes up MUST come down:)

Well, let me fill you in on sommin. After last weeks 4 lb gain I experienced a 3.2 lb loss this week. I'm going to tell you this - that gain was a much-needed kick in the caboose.

Without the gain I likely would have gone through the next couple of weeks blissfully thinking I could 'cheat' the system. One cracker with brie would have turned into 2 and a couple shortbread cookies. And next thing you know, I'd be butting 150 and looking for some size 12's. But no - instead I have renewed vigour.

I have documented my not-so-stellar week and watched my daily eating habits improve a bit each day as I made adjustments based on the previous days results. Most importantly, I am eating enough in the mornings now. No more 3-4 pt breakfasts and skipping snack. Not for this 'lil 'ole Weight Watcher. Yesterday and today I ate a huge breakfast and made sure I had my morning snack. Wanna know what my breakfast was?

Into a microwavable safe dish add:
1/3 C oatmeal
a little less than 2/3C water
a whole egg

Microwave for 2 minutes or less. Stir. Mic until egg finished cooking.

Add some frozen berries or fruit

Mic until fruit defrosted

Enjoy with a cup of coffee made with splenda and 2Tbsp whole milk (1/8C, btw)

OK - This may be on the high side for a lot of you, but let me tell you something really important that I've learned during 2008. Ready?

If you eat more in the morning, you'll be less tempted to eat in the evening. Sounds crazy, but it's so true. At my best, I ate at least 6 pts each morning, 2-3 pts mid-morning, 5-6 pts at lunch and 2 - count them - 2 afternoon snacks before landing home at supper. This turns out to be 7 pts, but that could easily be reduced by using 2 egg whites instead of a whole egg (I'm just uber lazy).

Commitments for this week:
1) Track all food eaten in my handy-dandy WW tracker which is kept in my sexy new pocket guide.
2) Walk for 150 minutes (back to basics here, too).

Pick up some Momentum this Holiday season

Most of you who follow Weight Watchers have, by now, heard of the new Weight loss plan. Those who haven't will soon enough. Can I just say...YESSS!!! This plan combines the best of both Flex and Core in a nice little package. It's also the plan that many successful members have been using without knowing it. We've been calling it Flore, for the most part.

For Flex members, you continue to experience the benefits associated with the points system, portion control and the accountability of tracking. Did you know that those who track lose 50% more weight than those who don't. What a great motivator to make this second nature.

For Core members, you continue to experience the benefits of eating a wide variety of high energy-density foods and continue to benefit from understanding your own hunger signals.

Now all members get to experience all of the benefits. Oh, and there's now a focus on lean proteins and activity. Not that these weren't there before, but it's nice to see them front and centre with everything else. What else is new...subtle wording change in your 6 glasses of liquids, but please keep in mind that water is still the best way to hydrate your little 'ole self.

Have fun learning the 'new' plan. Or re-learning old lessons in new ways. Either way, there's now one plan for all, and to all a good lifestyle change.

Holiday Plan - 2008 version

My Holiday plan from last year helped and provided amazing results. I began a resistance training regime with Phit-n-Phat late November and focused on a lot of other things. I was in charge of Christmas dinner, which I found helpful. BUT...it's not the DAY that can cause problems, but the weeks beforehand and the week or so afterwards before we all crawl back to Weight Watchers or begin the latest in a long line of diets.

Like everyone else, I want to have fun throughout the holiday season. Food can be a big part of that. I don't plan on going into 2009 with extra pounds gained this month, though. So, I've developed another Holiday eating plan to be used to maintain my weight for December (and hopefully shed an inch or so in the process).

I'll use the same categories as last year for those interested in reading that one. I really did a copy and paste, then made my changes - and really, what works stays. Changes reflect the changes I've made this year.

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. I strongly encourage my meeting members to use their weekly points allowance for indulgenges, and I usually relax for Saturday evenings. If you have multiple events during the week you may find the need to practice some restraint. Having a plan for the evening is always helpful.

Dinners - I load up on veggies before they're mashed, make cranberry sauce with splenda and used it on my 3-4 oz of turkey breast instead of gravy. If I really want some gravy, I'll be sure to ensure it is made with drippings instead of fat - This can be accomplished by letting it cool for while - there will be a nice separation. And 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 - Subway, McDonalds grilled chicken salads, Tim Horton's broth soup, Chinese with steamed rice vs. fried, grilled fish instead of fried. There are actually many options for eating on the run. An of course, nothing beats packing a cooler. This simple lunch-box is the best friend of someone watching their waist-line.

Quick meals at home - Stock up on some easy supplies, like pre-cooked chicken breasts, low fat meatballs, shrimp and frozen veggies for stir-fry's. 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 - Last year I was determined not to buy them, but I have become somewhat lax on this venue. If you have problems with food item control, honestly, you don't need them and neither does your family. Gifting or tossing baked goods is all in the cards for some and can leave them feeling extremely empowered. I'm not a big baker anyway, so any sweets we get can be frozen and used for recess or after-school snacks. My husband refuses to give up on these carb and sugar based items, but if I have healthy alternatives in the house (salad foods, protein bars, or other snack items) I tend to go for those. Do what you need to do, though. For me, the goal will be to ensure healthy items at hand.

Sweets at work - specifically chocolates or truffles, as that's my downfall. Last year I actually allowed myself 1 chocolate twice a week, but only if it was something 'good'. It worked great and I think I'll do that again. It saves me from over-indulging when we do have chocolate.

Exercise - Having taken a major hiatus from resistance training with Corinne, I really miss my bicep definition. And, I've gained a couple of inches in the waist and hips in spite of maintaining my weight. My plan is simple and I am going to own it. I will be working out using the beginner program I used last year. I am commiting to 2 cardio sessions per week and 2 strength training sessions. I do need to sub some items for my knees, but I am excited for this. All my weights have been moved upstairs, including the eliptical and bench. I'm taking over the computer room.

For the scale, I do not obsess. I am well below my WW goal and I know that the introduction of any exercise regime may cause an increase on the scale. I suspect my weight will remain the same through December and will begin to drop in January. I am going to go back to using my excel spreadsheets for menu planning and posting them on the fridge. AND, I'll be focusing on filling foods.

A lot of this really is the same as last year, with some improvements. I hope you get some ideas from some of these Holiday survival plans and if you post one of your own, please let me know so I can link to it. Have a great December.

Weight Loss, Exercise and Goals

I haven't been around in a while. Life's been crazy, but I really want to commit to maintaining my blog. I have determined to reduce posting to once a week as I was finding the internet process very time-consuming. I have been busy enough that I actually haven't had a chance to catch up on reading blogs, and I do miss everyone. I will be popping in to say Hi to everyone shortly and hope everyone is doing well.

December looks like it's going to be equally busy. Most WW members know that there are some program changes in store. I'm very excited about these and looking forward to introducing the changes in a couple of weeks. All of the leaders and receptionists who have tried this are really psyched.

Well, in spite of not giving this month my best efforts I have succeeded in losing 0.2lbs in 6 weeks (my last weigh-in). I have not exercised one ioto (is that a word?) and, as a result, have puffed back up into size 10's. Yeah, I know, terrible stuff. Well, last year I actually developed a Holiday Eating plan (which I've moved to the top of the blog again) and will update it for this year. Also, last year I began with Phit-n-Phat. I'm ready to give 'er a go again. So, I expect to maintain through the holidays and then would like to get to that ellusive 140 by the end of March. Something new to look forward to.

So, back to year-end preparation. I have 2 weeks and 3 weekends to pull a lot of stuff together - wish me luck if you're reading. The life of a corporate accountant - ugh.

And, to leave you with todays inspirational quote:

I cannot do everything, but still I can do something.
And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do something that I can do.
- Helen Keller

Plan. And Plan to succeed. That is something you can definately do.

Success!!!

I did a double-take this morning when I opened my weekly email from Weight Watchers. Marie was smiling up at me and I hadn't even signed into Blogger yet. Now, I've already read Marie's success story, but if you haven't you should. Then check out her blog - this chick rocks the maintenance world.

The article excerpt:

BEFORE & AFTER

When Marie looked at her younger brother John, who she always admired athletically, she thought, “Why can’t that be me?” Her transformation has been gradual but full-blown. Since losing weight, she’s run three 5ks, a 10k, a 10-mile and two half-marathons.

The Gain/The Small Loss

It's the week after Thanksgiving. A few things have been bopping around in my head today. Colette is upset because she only lost 0.4 lbs. I do feel badly for her, and she's had stresses I don't want to even think about. I've also been thinking about those who will show up at meeting tonight and will have gained or not lost what they would expect to. The fact that they'll be there is huge - it's always those who don't press the re-start button who need worrying about.

I've been thinking about 'Failure' and how it's such a vital part of overall success. I'm participating in a Goals Challenge right now and 'failure' was todays topic. Failure is an important part of overall success. Think Thomas Edison, who was called stupid by his teachers. Fred Astaire who was rejected because he was balding, couldn't act, and could only dance a little. Lucille Ball who was told she was too shy to act. What gives you the right to think you can't lose weight? The program works if you work the program.

As for small losses or gains - I've had my share. The difference? I view 'failures' as opportunities for growth. I always evaluated my small losses or gains and tried to be as honest with myself as I could. Problems in life? They don't define you. It's what you do to over-come them that matters most.

Small loss? Small gain? This is a little something acquired from Weight Watchers written by one pound of fat. I hope you enjoy.

Hello, do you know me?
If you don’t, you should.
I’m a pound of fat,
And I’m the HAPPIEST
pound of fat that you
would ever want to meet.
Want to know why?
It’s because no one ever wants to lose me;
I’m ONLY ONE POUND, just a pound!
Everyone wants to lose
three pounds, five pounds, or fifteen pounds,

but never only one.
So I just stick around
and happily keep you fat.
Then I add to myself,

ever so slyly, so that you
never seem to notice it.
That is, until I’ve grown to
ten, twenty, thirty or
even more pounds in weight.
Yes, it’s fun being ONLY
ONE POUND OF FAT,

left to do as I please.
So, when you weigh in
keep right on saying,
“Oh, I only lost one Pound.”

(As if that were such a terrible thing.)
For you see, if you do this,

you encourage others to keep me around
because they’ll think I’m not worth losing.
And, I love being around you –
your arms, your legs, your chin, your hips

and every part of you.
Happy Days!!
After all, I’m
ONLY ONE POUND OF FAT!!!

Learning From Our Mistakes:)

Well, after last week I was a little tentative about doing another WW meeting. BUT, like a good WW I evaluated the situation and examined ways to do things differently to get me to my ultimate goal. I kept what worked, asked for help from other leaders, and used some ideas from my past meetings that I attended.

Ironically, this weeks traditional meeting message is learning from our past (good and bad) and how this helps with our weight loss efforts. This Healthy Habit was/is key for me in both weight loss and my current maintenance efforts. A bad night on the scales is NEVER failure, only the opportunity to learn something new about ourselves (feedback) so we can move forward stronger than before.

Don't you love how the lessons learned in weight loss can help in other areas of our lives? Hmmm, maybe this is a lifestyle afterall:)

What are some of the things you have learned during your weight loss efforts (past and present) and how are these lessons helping you now?

Have a great week and remember, the only failure is giving up.

Busy Days are Here Again

Yup, life is getting busy. I had thought I would have time to help with Sparks, but I've decided this is not the year. So far my weekly schedule is:

Monday: WW meeting after work, then pick up Ci at dance. Get home after 9pm
Tuesday: Go home on time and enjoy family
Wednesday: At least once a month make my traditional WW meeting (not a huge time commitment)
Thursday: 7.45pm dance class (yup, I joined again this year)
Friday: meet with Peggy. We've set some ground rules for these meetings - goal reporting and plan to-do for coming 2 weeks, then we can chat for a while.

I met with Peggy last night, but next week we're back on the Friday schedule. I need to make my goals SMART. I also need to prioritize those items I want to work on until Dec 31. A lot of my goals may need to be put on hold, or are long-term, and so will be moved to the inactive file. I will review the goals to focus on quarterly. I want to make a list of several SMART goals to be completed before the end of the year, and really a lot of them are sub-goals of my big ones.

I'm pretty excited about my checklist. I did it up and had it laminated with the hard laminate. I'll review the checklist every six weeks - for $3 I think it's a good investment. I also picked up some wet erase markers in 4 colours to use for circles (scheduled items), checks (completed), and weekly additions (time-specific to-do's). The items on the checklist are goals, but the checklist itself is also a goal as I want to complete 80% of my scheduled checks each week. I will use a permanent marker and dates to record this ratio on the back cover.

Planning is great. Now follow-through. Meanwhile - have a great weekend. I plan to:)

Oh, My Nerves

With regards to doing the WW meetings, last week I only did the intro. I introduced myself and gave out the celebration stickers then turned the meeting over to my mentor.

This week she stayed in the reception area. I called her up on one question, but other than that she let me do the meeting. A couple of points to note:

1. I have to learn to engage the group more. They aren't so eager to respond to questions.
2. I need to have a sense of humour and joke with them more. It doesn't matter if they like me - it's me liking them that is important.
3. We have a lot of new members, but that doesn't mean they're new to WW or dieting. They have history, so feed on that.
4. I really need to learn who the talkers are. That will help in the coming weeks.

I prepared a 2-page presentation. It did take me the whole 30 minutes, but I'd like to get it down to a page or two of points. I'll get the flow down in a couple of weeks.

My mentor is there again next week and then I am solo. Meanwhile, I've been asked to cover for MY leader tonight. In front of MY meeting members. Am I up for it? I think so. I have a couple of things in my favour. First, I've already given this meeting once and second, I know who the talkers are.

Tomorrow night I am meeting with my 'life coach' partner. We're not really life coaches, but she keeps me focused and helps me with my goals. Then it's off to Dance class. It's been a busy week.

PS, I ordered a new suite and a dress. The dress is going back. I also bought 3 'new' dresses at a 2nd hand shop last week; although at least 1 will have to be packed in the next couple of weeks with my other summer stuff. I LOVE retail therapy:)

Weekend planning and weekly update

The leadership training was fun. We did got all of our manuals and fancy briefcases with the Weight Watchers logo on it. I really enjoyed meeting a few new people and began to 'see' a lot of things my leader had done. The trainer had only good things to say about Fiona and when referring to the cream of the crop commented 'like the Fiona's of the WW world'. I new she was a good leader while I was going through.

Anyway, I guess I'll be planning a meeting for Monday night. I haven't gotten hold of Terri yet to work out the details, but had left a message for her yesterday. She's currently leading at the meeting I'll be taking over. Fun, huh.

This week will be filled with cleaning the house, beading with the kids and planning for next week. I have some reading to do for Monday's meeting and also need to plan my eats for next week and get the spreadsheet posted in the kitchen. I think we'll try to get a dozer in for the yard next week too.

That's all for today. Have a great weekend. I'm planning to get back into my st routine - I've been a bit of a slacker lately.

Training

Hi - Just a quick post. I'm going for WW leadership training tonight. I'm excited, but it's going to be a long week. I've got our menus all planned and am geared up. We'll be training in Halifax until 10pm, then home (about 45 minutes away) and up at 5:20 tomorrow to start a new day. By Friday I fully expect to be a blabbering sleep-deprived idiot, so may post some ramble about the week for your reading confusion.

Cheers,