Victory is Sweet

Week 1 under my belt and I made a huge victory- on and off the scales!! First of all, my loss because it is such a big deal!! I lost 4 pounds!!!! Dum da da dum!!! Big victories off the scales include some pretty awesome discoveries and temptation defeats. First of all, I stared down the fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and cheesecake last Friday. I ate Mexican two days in a row- Saturday and Sunday. Then on Monday I had company over and we made this amazing burger with "garlic and chives" cheese curds in the middle of the burger, a bacon "patty" under the burger, and alfredo sauce drizzled all over the top. I know. It sounds over the top and believe me- IT WAS!!!! I know what you're thinking- it is absolutely, absurdly impossible that I consumed said food and lost said poundage, but indeed, I did. Yes. I did. So, "how is it possible?" should be the next question you ask. Because, dear friend, I counted the points. I used nearly every last flex point I had, as I'm sure you can imagine. But, it was worth it. Very worth it. I was so proud of myself.

The other victory off the scale was discovering that, if I come home hugely hungry and seriously over-exhausted then I need to have a very small 1 or 2 point snack and facebook for about 30 minutes. After that, I'm ready to cook a very healthy meal. It works for me.

I have yet another victory to share, although it isn't part of last week, but belongs to this week's victories. Today I had a meeting out of town and they had a very beautifully-catered spread. They had everything a non-dieting person can only dream of (and consume without the guilt of point crushing) and this diet diva just shouldn't eat. So, I had to get a game plan together. First, a salad. Now, salad can be point devastating if you drench the salad in dressing. So, I piled on lettuce, a few crutons (because I can't resist crutons), skipped the bacon bits that were actually real bacon and skipped the cheese, drizzled about a tablespoon of ranch dressing, and moved on. I chose to eat the steamed vegetables though doing so forced me to reach right over the scintillating mashed potatoes (of which I ate none). I chose the fish over the fried chicken. Then, there was the dessert table. Oh, the desserts. Cheesecakes of varying flavors, apple pie, chocolate cake. I had to glance very quickly and then away so that it would not hypnotize me and draw me over. Victory- I ate not a bit of any dessert. Can I get a woo hoo??

So, those are the victories for me to report. Until tomorrow, Happy Eating! Happy Friday!!! Happy, oh Happy Weekend!!

It's WEIGHS-DAY!!! (Week 1)

Well, today is the big day! I feel like I've had such an awesome WW week. I counted every single point that I've consumed and I'm so proud of myself for doing it. The only thing that I'm a bit bummed about is that I didn't do any exercising. I was in Quincy Friday through Sunday and then stayed in J'ville Sunday night so I didn't get home from leaving Friday until Monday night. Then it was rush rush rush! I had company over to help me pick up my new hutch (which I got for the basement-bargain price of $20). Then we created our hamburger for the upcoming Kenny's Burger Bash! By the time they left (with there three boys aged 5 and under) my house was destroyed and I was exhausted. Then my Robb came home and we hung out for a while. I only get him for a few evenings a week lately and it's just not enough time. Blah.

This WW week, I'm staying home for the weekend and will have time to exercise. I also need to clean and do laundry which means that I'll probably be counting some of that as exercise time too! I'm super excited about tonight's meeting and look forward to a good loss. You never know because your weight fluctuates even during the day. But I imagine I'll lose, at least, a couple of pounds! I'll report the results tomorrow.

Happy WEIGHS-DAY!!! It's also the middle of the week! Yay! Only two more work days after this one! Hip hip hooray!

Failure is not an Option

 Well, I am super duper proud of myself after this weekend. First of all, I went to visit the fam which is always nice but usually means "food pushing".  Especially when one is on a diet. I knew my mother was cooking a feast of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn. Looking at that menu I heard the faint cries of the WW angel on my shoulder begging me to abort the mission (the "going-home-and-consuming-said-feast" mission). I called up the mother and asked her to include green beans in the meal. Plain, old green beans. I could substitute those for corn. I knew I'd want a piece of chicken and a bit of mashed potatoes and a very small amount of gravy. So I went to work. I looked through my WW books and got online and looked up points. I figured out the points for one chicken thigh and a very small helping of mashed potatoes and gravy. Then, based on the those calculated points, I planned the rest of my day.

 Of course, you know that when you're expecting a heater straight down the middle, that's when you get the dreaded curve ball. I had eaten my chicken, my pots and grav, and some gbeans, and was shining proud of myself, when the mother pulls out the weapon of mass diet-destruction- the cheesecake. My whole body sunk into my chair as if I'd already consumed the cheesecake in shame. The WW angel and the diet devil duked it out as I sat by, already feeling defeat. To my amazement, the WW angel beat the tar out of the diet devil and I did not have said cheesecake. Hip hip hooray! Score 1- WW angel. Later on that night though, I did have a piece. The cheesecake, as it turns out, was actually the pudding kind, which is what I "affectionately" refer to as the fake kind. Points on those babies aren't so disastrous. So, I ate a piece.

 Next day I lunched with my Bestie, and again I figured out all of the points for the meal. I knew we were having Mexican, so again, I figured up the points that I'd need for the meal, and then planned my day accordingly. That seems to be the thing that makes all of the difference- counting points.

 When I decide to splurge and dip into my flex points sometimes the mistake I make is just saying, oh, I'm using flexers and then not actually doing the math. Suddenly, I'm flying right off the track into oncoming diet traffic and I'm being threatened with defeat. But when I sit down, look up points and figure out how many flexers I actually used, that makes for success. Also, being attributed to success is the planning aspect. If I know I'm going out to eat and I know what I want to order, I can plan the rest of the day.

 Overall, a very successful first weekend full of temptations. I did use 20 flex points in all and I'm ok with that. I have 35 a week. It's not a sin or a WW crisis to use them. WW gives them to you weekly, for crying out loud. So, they are there to use and you still can lose weight using them.

 So, that's it. Happy Eating! Happy Monday! Two days 'til Weighsday!!

Day One, It's Done, It Was Fun, Heh Heh

So, I wouldn't mind if every day goes like yesterday did. As you may or may not know yesterday was my first day after my first meeting. So, yesterday was officially the beginning. I know, you can figure that out on your own. I'm just saying it for my benefit. Anyway, WW is stressing that while under the points system you can have anything you want as long as you are calculating the points, you should focus on foods that are "filling". Those types of foods would include lean protein, veggies, fruits, whole grains, you get the picture. So I'm trying to eat more filling foods.

For breakfast I ate a WW bar. For those of you who don't attend meetings, you are so missing out. They are delectable. I'll never forget the first time I actually read the label at my office one morning. I was eating a chocolate-caramel bar (for breakfast, nonetheless) and saw that it was jam-packed with vitamins, minerals, calcium. All of this super duper stuff. I was so excited, if I had been a facebooker at the time, my status for sure would have said something about it. I felt better about eating said chocolate-caramel bar for breakfast. Those, my friend, are filling. They are only 2 points and they are full of deliciousness. Now, WW has come a long way since back in that day. They still have the chocolate-caramel bars and they are still my fave. But today, they have so many varieties of foods. They have bars, oatmeal, baked snacks, and shakes and those items can only be purchased at meetings. Or if you subscribe to online tools (but only online tools- if you do the monthly pass, like me, and go to meetings and have access to online tools, you have to purchase your stuff at the meetings- can I just say, boo!). Anyway, they are super yum and I started my day with one and with some hot tea. Drinking hot tea without sugar in it is a great way to get in some water.

For lunch I ate a WW frozen meals- it was an Artisan Creation. Some sort of steak and cheese stuff in a pita wrap. Super yummy and filling too. For dinner, I was thinking chilli. My version comes to 4 points a serving and a serving is mighty. But when I got home I was super starving and I didn't feel like cooking a big meal, although I knew that would be the wiser choice. So I thought about it. Why not have a small snack to tide me over until I can get dinner made? Plus, when I get home I'm tired. I just want to relax. So, for the first time ever (and I am going to be giving myself a genius status here, because this was, after all, genius of me) I ate one of those WW bars, only a 1 point bar. I got on the computer and relaxed for about 30 minutes. It made all the difference in the world. Then I didn't mind getting up and cooking. I got all the cans opened and put the chilli on the stove and started heating it up. In the meantime, I sliced up a banana for BG (baby girl) and gave her a sippy of milk. Then I relaxed some more. When it was done, I was so happy I didn't opt for what I usually do- eat tons of carbs and never feel satisfied because I didn't eat what I really wanted. Do you ever do that? You are craving something (in my case here, it was chilli) and you opt for something else that's easier and then you never feel satisfied. I need veggies or protein to fill me. I was so proud of myself for coming up with an alternative to eating whatever I got to. Have a healthy snack and give yourself some moments before you go diving into cooking. I felt so much better and chilli hit the spot that only chilli can hit! Yay me!

So, Happy Eating! Happy Friday! Happy Weekend! (and for me- Happy Chilli Leftovers!!!)

A Fat Chic's Triumphant Return to Weight Watchers

 Well, I'm back at WW. OMG! It's so exciting. When I got there the staff who worked there when I used to attend meetings, instantly recognized me (how frickin' cool is that??) and said it was so good to have me back. I, in return, very happily cheered that I was also happy to be back. I used to go on Wednesday nights. I know that seems an odd time. I mean, you're not close enough to the weekend that if you blow it Friday night or Saturday, you still have time to make it up. I also attend evening meetings which seems like a bad time because you've eaten throughout the day. I realize all of this. But it was the Wednesday, evening meetings I attended before when I lost 40 pounds and I feel a kindred spirit with the people attending. As I sat in the meeting room I looked around at everyone. The thing I notice most about WW meetings is how happy everyone is. They are all really glad to be there and share their stories, ask for advice, give some advice, applaud for those who hit milestones, and encourage those that are experiencing setbacks. But still, there is absolutely not a pinch of negativity in the air. I started reminiscing about the days when I used to attend meetings. If you go to the same meeting each week, people start to remember you. They talk to you, ask about you, and just make you feel so welcome. Very subtley you begin forming a team. You don't realize it when it's happening but when you're there, you feel it.

There's also something about WW meetings that brings out the semi-socialite in me. Oh, I'm not good at going into a room of people and just introducing myself. DH, on the other hand, could walk into a room and walk out 10 minutes later with 50 new friends. Ten minutes later I likely haven't spoken to a single soul. But not as true at WW. While I certainly wouldn't match my husband in his "social butterflying", I do tend to open up. Maybe because it is the one social setting in which I feel the least bit of anxiety. I have a bit more confidence because I'm surrounded by people just like me. I love the new group from last night. There were two waitresses that came together and seemed approximately my age. I sat near them and since the three of us were newbies, we had to stay afterwards for the orientation meeting (as if I really needed it, but I stayed nonetheless- I'm a rule-complier) and I actually talked briefly to them. There is one lady, about my mom's age, who has lost 90 pounds!

I was also amazed at how yesterday I blogged about the need for exercise and guess what the meeting was about? If you said exercise give yourself a round of applause. I didn't start the first week of this new "program", but the first week was committing to (I think this is right) counting points, then tracking points, and this week was about moving. They had some really good ideas that don't involve the whole process of getting ready to exercise. I mean, you know, when you're gonna workout, well, you usually have to change your clothes. If you're a woman, you usually tie back the hair. Then you put on your tennis shoes. You know, the ones for exercising that you hardly wear because you hardly exercise? Those are the ones. By the time you've gotten yourself prepared you realize that the dryer just buzzed, the dishwasher just stopped, and your friend is calling for the third time. You simply can't put any of that off. So you put off exercise. Well, they had some ideas for exercising that don't involve that. For instance, if you park at the end of the parking lot when going to the mall, it may take you five minutes to get inside. Well, you just did 5 minutes of exercise. Then, once you're ready to leave, you have to make that same walk back to your car. That's another 5 minutes. So, you just got 10 minutes of walking under your belt for the day. How easy is that? Simple things you can add to your day. One woman (in WW Weekly- how fun is that?) said that she does some "weight-lifting" while making dinner. While in the kitchen, waiting for things to get done, she will just lift milk jugs for five minutes. I thought that was a pretty cool idea, actually.

For me, I want to get the Sweatin' to the Oldies DVDs. See, I want to do the Wii Fit and I know that I will. But that's something I really have to do when Lainie is asleep. I'm afraid I'm gonna hit or kick her on accident by getting into it. But Lainie loves (and I mean loves) to dance. Even if you just sing, she'll dance. The STTO workouts are not these crazy violent moves. They're very simply and I think Lainie would like the music and dance. So it's something we can sort of do together. Plus (huge bonus) I'm teaching her the importance of moving around, not by telling her to, but by doing it myself and pulling her in. I love it.

That's what I have for now. Happy Eating! Happy Dancing!

Exercise-aphobic

I have to admit, I hate exercising. I don't mind exercising when I don't know that it's exercise. But I hate to exercise. I have this love-hate relationship with it. I love to hate it. heh heh  Ok, I know, I know. It's a necessary evil. Ok, it isn't evil. It's just necessary. It's like dieting. As soon as I tell myself I can't have something, I want it. You know I can live every day without eating a piece of bread but if I were to go on the no/low carb diet, all I'd want is bread. I hate chocolate cake. Really, can't stand it. But if I tell myself I'm no longer allowed to have it, I'm gonna want it. I don't know why my mind works like this. It just does. Well, the same rings true for exercise. If I tell myself that I am going to get up at 6 am and I'm gonna exercise for 30-45 minutes, that is the morning that I absolutely, under no circumstances, can drag myself out of bed. I love the Wii and the Wii Fit games. But as soon as I tell myself I have to start doing them as part of some fitness regimen, I'll start making excuses why I can't do it. I hate this about me, but it's just the truth.

I do want to start exercising and I want to enjoy it. I used to love (as corny as it sounds) doing Richard Simmons' Sweatin' to the Oldies. It is actually really fun and I love those songs, courtesy of lots of rides to Junior High with my Grandma. I'm gonna look for them on DVD. I really do need to start doing the Wii Fit. For fun even. Just getting up and moving. I'm gonna try to commit. Maybe not commit. Maybe I'll just say I'm gonna do a little less farmin' (on FB- Farmville- I'm a certified addict) and do a little more groovin'.

I'm going to my first WW meeting since rejoining. I rejoined Friday via the internet but you still have to go weigh in. So I will not have lost anything at this point. But I will be losing. I usually get some good recipes at the meetings too so I'll share them when I can. Happy Eating and Exercising! Or, should I say, Groovin'!

Lazy Gone Wild

I've been so lazy ever since the Holiday and I have not been able to pull myself out of this slump. I mean, I've actually been eating a bit healthier because I'm trying to teach my baby girl to eat healthy. I do not want her to have my weight loss struggles so I try to give her lots of fruits and veggies. That means I am eating more veggies, not as much of the fruit though.

Anyway, it's not about the dieting part. That part is going ok. It's the exercising part. I've come to the realization (more like "acceptance") that it is absolutely crucial to exercise too. You have to move the body. Building muscle mass will increase metabolism and that is so important for permanent and lasting weight loss. So, I have to move more. We have a Wii fit. There is no reason I can't get up and move. Even with Robb gone through the week now for his new job, when Baby Girl (BG) falls asleep there's no reason I can't shake my groove thing. There are so many good exercises on Wii fit that I could be doing.

Not to mention that my house needs to be cleaned and I just keep sitting here on facebook and blogging and not getting stuff done like I need to. So, I am committing to no Facebook tomorrow (until the evening) when all the work is done. I'm gonna stay off of the computer tomorrow and get stuff done. I used to be so good at keeping my house absolutely perfect. I'd just put a movie in, you know, one that you have watched a million times so you don't have to pay direct attention to it. You can just listen while you work? I am going to pick out some good movies and get some work done. Plus, it'll get me off my fat keister and we all know that fat keister needs to get moved around. I think it's starting to take the shape of my recliner. Not good.

I haven't gone to a meeting yet, but I have rejoined WW. I started online. I will go to my first meeting Wednesday and I can't tell you how excited I am. So, here's to moving my rear and losing some weight.

At the Beginning

 So, guess what? If you guessed that this fat chic re-joined Weight Watchers and did a little fat-chic happy dance, when you've got it!! Ding! Ding! Ding!

 As of today I'm back on WW, my friends. So, what does that mean for you? It means that this Dieting Diva is gonna have new posts, new polls, new recipes, and NEW STORIES!! Hip hip hooray!

 I finally decided that I need the meetings. There's just nothing like ringing that bell. But even cooler? I know, you can't imagine anything cooler than me and joining of WW, but there is! I joined with the monthly pass online which means I get the best of both worlds. I get the meetings, the accountability, the ringing of bells, the stickers, THE APPLAUSE!! Then on here I get to share stories, goals, accomplishments, humor, and the like. I know some people have probably begun their New Year's Resolutions and some may endeavor to lose weight. Let's do it together!

 Stay tuned! My first meeting will be next week I think. I'll report back!

It's All Gonna Be New

 Hello! Hi! Bon Jour! Hola! Here I am! Were you looking for me? Have you missed me? Well, I have missed you! I have. Really.

 First and foremost, this does in fact mean that I am issuing a return to my blogging ways as well as to my original plan of losing weight. Also, as some may know, my Robb has gotten a job in St. Charles and we are relocating. Now, nothing official for me just yet. He's gonna give it some time before we go moving.

 So, while the cat is gone, this mouse is gonna play. Play, meaning return to Weight Watchers. Not just the plan, either. I'm going back to meetings! I need them so desperately. I tried blogging for my accountability and to no avail. This Diet Diva needs the meetings. I need to ring a frickin' bell, people!!

 I do promise complete honesty. As we speak I'm laying my hand over my heart (after I put down the McDonald's fries I'm having for dinner) and swearing to complete honesty. Today is my last day of freedom. As my best friend pointed out to the world, this is the beginning of a new decade. A decade! Anything can happen now. That anything for me is to get healthy! It doesn't matter how long it takes to get the ultimate goal weight. What matters is, I'm gonna do it. For real.

 So, join me if you will on a decade long adventure to health! Here's to you!