Tacos and New Beginnings

The past few months have been insane around here! September 1st the fella and I moved into our first apartment together. Its been really nice having a place to call my own. I had to leave my comfy office job (due to the commute and tolls) and got a part time job at a Mexican restaurant. Yep, that's right, the girl who is trying to work on becoming healthier and fitter is working daily with taquitos, burritos, and an endless bucket of fresh tortilla chips. God help me..

I was offered the job when i was there having birthday meal for my friend who was in town from Minnesnowda (yeah yeah..you caught me, i was totally chowing down on some tacos..). I asked if they were hiring and they replied with "Can you start tomorrow?" I'm so happy that i was able to find a job so quickly. I'm on my feet the whole time and I really enjoy it but the offering of a free meal for every shift worked is getting to me. Ive gained about 2-3 pounds since i last blogged and I'm not too happy about it. Yeah, one could say "Its ONLY 2 pounds" but to me, its alot more than that. Its proof Ive lost a little bit of control in my eating and that just does'nt settle well with me.

I rejoined WW a little over 5 weeks ago. Ive been going to meetings and weighing in every friday morning at 9am. I like the meetings and they bring me back to earth and the plan when the week gets to me. Im going to weigh in tomorrow even though this past week has been wild. There was Halloween, stress due to work and money woes, and Im going back to school soon so ive been trying to keep my head on straight. the gym this week was an uphill battle. I went on Monday morning after dropping the fella off at work and i went Tuesday as well but Im nervous that it wasnt enough to see a loss this week. I suppose Ill have to find out in the morning!

Ill keep you updated! For now, have a wonderful night!

Kels

What a month!

So at the beginning of last month I took a new approach to my weight loss journey. I decided to only weigh myself once a month and to start looking at myself in a new light. I could workout 4 times a day and eat very little, but i didn't want that. I wanted to look at myself in the mirror and be pleased with what i saw.

I also changed my eating habits a bit. Its no secret, I'm always going to love my cheese fries and chocolate. I just needed to learn how to integrate all of that into a healthy diet of organic, non pesticide foods. I began with the easy part. Grocery shopping. It wasn't too hard to find organic yogurts and ice creams, (thank you Stonyfield) but it was a little more difficult on the wallet. I know that its worth it to eat fresh fruits, veggies, organic meats, and whatnot but with the Fella and i moving in a month, its simply not practical. Ive eased up a bit but I'm not totally compromising my new found way of eating. Just having whole wheat pasta instead of gluten free, high fiber, organic milled pasta that costs $3/box (no joke). Ive become accustomed to Trader Joes. Theres only one in the area that i live but i feel a once a month trip there can definitely be possible. Last time i was there i stocked up on veggie fried rice, organic tomato sauce, lemon pepper pasta, veggie corn dogs, and guiltless pleasure multi grain chips. A-mazing : ) I'm still working on the eating healthy part and stopping myself when I'm full. Its a work in progress, as am i...

I didn't run my 5K i had planned i would. There are a few reasons why i didn't, i think the main one was that I would have had to do it alone. But then when i thought about it (hindsight is a b*tch) I realized that doing that 5K was about me. Not me and the fellas sister or me and my mom, just me. I am looking currently for a new one to shoot for so Ill keep you updated on that.

New food find! After a long day of shopping at Trader Joes my mom and I were hungry so after I had heard all about the Panera Strawberry Poppy seed Salad i just HAD to try it. So worth it!! For 280 calories you get an abundance of fresh fruit like strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges, and pineapple on a bed of refreshing lettuce. So. Good. Such a shame its only seasonal.

Tonight I'm hitting the gym again. The first time in a little over the week. I plan on doing the elliptical for at LEAST 30 minutes and some upper body weights. I'm thinking if I'm feeling ambitious, after that ill run a few miles. I have to get home tonight, i have to, you know, pack. That's right! The fella and I were offered our dream apartment! Moving day is Sept. 1st and i couldn't be happier!!

Have an amazing week ladies!

A new way of thinking

Happy Friday everyone! Hope everyone has had a fantabulous week. This week had got me thinking a bit. Wednesday night i went to see the Fella. We were talking about how the points system works for weight watchers and it doesn't always support healthy eating. Example: You have the ww brand yogurt for 1pt. Then you have an organic yogurt for say 3 pts. Because we by nature want to get more bang for our buck one would naturally choose the ww brand. I understand this and have been guilty of it myself. But looking and the ingredient list on each of them, I'm more inclined to want to choose the organic yogurt. Not only cause i can pronounce each ingredient but also because i know what each of the ingredients actually look like. I don't know about you, but I'm not sure what calcium nitrate looks like....

This leads me to other thoughts about my journey. Mostly about how i let a number on a scale determine my mood. I hate that i fall victim to the scale most weeks. If its a lower number, I'm happy and feel that i should celebrate. How you ask? Usually its with going out to eat with friends or the Fella. If its a higher number than the previous week I get upset and will usually binge.. see a pattern here? I do. I use food as an emotional crutch, and its rather hard to admit that out loud. As a result of my recent findings, Ive decided to only weigh myself once a month and focus on healthy eating habits. I will continue to track my 8 good health guidelines (i.e. fruits/veggies, oils) and activity, but not points. I was told once, and i really believe this, that WW is a program to give you the tools to lead a healthy life. Once you have these tools, its ok to go back and refocus, but not to use ww as a way of life. Honestly, i cant imagine counting points for the rest of my life. Not gonna happen.

Tonight should be fun!! I'm going to a birthday party and have looked at the menu and decided to have the mozzarella and basil panini with veggies on the side and a strongbow. mmm! Tomorrow ill be working out in the morning time and trying to break 36 minutes for my 5K time.

Today was WI day!! I'm down that 1 pesky pound i gained last week. I'm pleased at this and also pleased i don't have to step on that scale til August 9th.

Hope everyone has a happy and safe weekend!!

Peeking.. and the dangers it causes..

It isn't a huge secret that i haven't exactly followed the plan this week. I ate out a few times and didn't track a bite. not one. I never prepared myself like i normally do for a bad day, i just went with it. I even had 2 servings of beer battered fries at The Coat of Arms pub. So worth it though. I really do believe that once in awhile, one needs a break from the monotony of tracking and keeping up with points. I was feeling overwhelmed so I took a short break.

Last night, the night before WI (weigh in) I, for some reason still beyond my comprehension, decided to hop on the scale and see how bad it was. I had lost 1.7 pounds. My first instinct was to be elated.. that quickly dwindled when i went back and did a mental overview of what i had eaten. There was no way in heck I worked out enough (3 times..) to make up for the delicious food i had eaten. Quick run down: Pizza hut Hawaiian stuffed crust pizza, meat with rice casserole, pb cups, Dublin Reuben (roll with corned beef and Swiss, thousand island dressing), beer battered fries, kashi pizza with extra cheese, olives, nachos... seriously.. it just keeps going..

Today was WI. I am up one pound. I am very okay with this. I really think that after that awful (food-wise) week, it could have been ALOT worse. I have already set up a game plan for the July 4th weekend and I'm prepared to see a loss next week.

Yesterday I sent in my registration for my first 5K. eeep!! I'm nervous but really excited too. Its Aug. 1st in Maine and even though the Fella wont be there (hes going camping), ill have my friend and his sister there with me. Also, after the race... we're totally going to The Friendly Toast. Hello Orleans Fries!!


My goals this week:
- to track EVERYTHING, even the condiments i put on food
- to workout 4 times and work on getting my treadmill 5K time under 35 minutes
- to stay positive and confident at the beach on Monday.

Hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July!!

Pirates with a side of powdered sugar

Well, let me just say, and i know i say this alot, but the past few days... whew!! ALOT is going on. Friday at WI i was astonished to see a loss of 1.1 pounds for the week! With going out to eat last weekend and not getting in as much activity as i would have liked to, to see 153.6 made me one of the happiest girls you've ever seen.
Yesterday, Saturday, the fella, his friend, along with his sister and i all went to the New England Pirate Faire!! It was small but there were vendors, and tarot card readings, and you know.. FRIED DOUGH!!! I have to say, i was all about not even eating at the faire. I knew it would be small and i even brought a ww sweet and salty bar with me, but that plan flew right out the window when i saw crispy, light, greasy dough covered in sweet powdered sugar. I shared on with the Fellas' sister. along with a hot dog. Hey, at least i got a diet soda...
Later on we also all shared a basket of fries and i had a bite of the Fellas sweet sausage.. (<-you have not idea how much strength it took to type that out without laughing..and naturally i mean it was an actual sausage, not an appendage..dirty minds.)
We got home and i proceeded to make an old family favorite, Meat with Rice Casserole. I would post the recipe, but its highly unhealthy and if i did that my grandma may find you and take it away.

But, yesterday wasn't a total waste. I did manage to wake up at 7 and hit the gym. Maybe not as hard as i wanted but i earned 3 AP's by jogging/walking 2 miles on the treadmill and doing arm strength training. I have decided that now that i have lost over 60 pounds, i want to start toning up a bit and incorporating weights into my workouts more. Today Ill be doing 3 miles on the treadmill, 20 minutes on the elliptical and leg/lower body weight training. Its going to be a long day.

Have a great rest of the weekend! - Kel

What a wonderful weekend!!

This past weekend was such a blast! Lets start at friday..

The dreaded WI day.. I was hoping that with the week previous being not so good that my working out and drinking enough water to fill the English Channel that i at least wouldnt gain. And you know what?? I LOST! All of .1 pounds. Hey, a loss is a loss right? I was chuffed when i saw that. I felt very confident that if you work the program and you know how to recover from a "bad" weekend then you can stay on track : )

Friday night the Fella and I decided to make turkey tacos! I have recently become a fan of replacing ground beef for turkey. I feel that it doesnt overfill me up like ground beef did and its easier on my stomach. While the fella made his double decker tacos a la Taco Bell, i made a fancy little taco salad. I had salad greens, 4 oz of ground turkey with taco seasoning, 1/2 cup mild salsa, 1/4 mexican cheese, 2 tbsp reduced fat sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and 1/2 cup ff refried beans on the side. And to round it all off, a Blue Moon summer ale : )

Saturday I went with the Fella and his parents and sister to celebrate Fathers Day. Where did we go you ask.... only the WW worst nightmare, Outback Steakhouse. (bum bum buuuuuum) Earlier in the day after running a 5K at the gym I sat down and worked out all the points for what i was going to have. When i got there, that all flew out the window. I ended up having the teriyaki medallions with rice and green beans without butter. I didnt do as bad as i could have, but still it wasnt great. I dipped into my WP's and felt satisfied after supper.

Sunday I woke up and had some lovely strawberries and a little whipped cream for breakfast. Then the Fella and i hit the gym. A 30 minute run for us, then stretchin'. We decided since it was so nice out to go get subway for lunch and eat outside. I got the 6 inch turkey and bacon on wheat w/lettuce, black olives, and salt and pepper. A nice low point sammich if you ask me!

Later that night i went to pick up the Fellas sis for a girls night! I didnt track, ate what i wanted, and have moved on from it. Im not going to let it get me down, just have to work as hard as i can until friday. You know, the dreaded WI day..

i just want to give him a hug, and other morning gym thoughts

I have come to like morning workouts. I don't like waking up before the sun comes up (in the winter) or being awake so early my parents think something is wrong but i do love getting to the uncrowded, 'older crowd' inhabited gym. Where people say 'Good morning' and there aren't any ya dudes hogging the weights. In fact, no one uses the weights. I think that may be cause some of them cant actually lift them but that's besides the point. Today I saw an older gentleman probably in his late 60's or early 70's hoofing it on the treadmill. going all of 3 MPH. It made me smile to see this older man working so hard. With his fanny pack and khaki pants, he was the highlight of my morning. : ) I ran my heart out this morning. I only went a little over 2 miles but i ran for 1.65 miles non-stop. now that, to me, is amazing. a little proud? you bet i am!

Tomorrow is my WI (weigh in) day. This past week has been full of celebration and carefree eating. I'm really hoping these past few days of hard work are going to pay off. I don't even really care if i lose. I simply don't want to gain anything.

Ive posted a picture of a sample lunch i have during the week at work. Salad with cucumbers, celery, and 2 tbsp of ff ranch, an orange, a light and fit yogurt and water.
Ive also been known to have sandwiches. My favs are Teddy's All Natural PB, SF Grape Jelly on light wheat bread for a fantabulous pb&j or butterball honey turkey with sargento pepper jack cheese on light wheat. so good!!

I'll update on how my WI goes tomorrow, sweet dreams world! <3