Saturday, February 28, 2009

Trying something new

I've decided to try out the website www.myfitnesspal.com in order to track calories. It'll be the first time I've ever really tracked calories, as with Dr. Phil's The Ultimate Weight Solutions, you just do portions per day. I decided to experiment with this website and really get an idea of calorie intake. So far it's a really neat and easy tool to use and it lets you set goals, tells you how many calories you will need to eat and exercise off to lose X pounds by your goal date and has message board forums to ask any questions about anything weight loss related including a recipe board. What I like best so far is that at the end of the day you can click the "end of day" button (not sure if that's exactly what it says but you get the idea) and it will tell you how long it will take you to reach your goal if you continue to eat/exercise at the pace you've input for that day. Pretty nifty.

I toyed with sparkpeople.com at one point a while back but it was just too difficult for me to navigate and I couldn't be bothered to really put THAT much effort into it. If you've never counted calories before and have been on the fence about it you should at least check out My Fitness Pal and see if it's something you could work with that can also work for you!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Not complainin...

It wasn't as bad as I was expecting on the scale this morning, which is kind of silly but I'll get to more of that later. I dropped 0.7 kilos or 1.5 pounds. Well done me! As I posted on Sunday, water retention, bloating, swelling and all the fun-ness that comes with being a woman once a month (well, I'm a woman ALL month, but you know what I mean) always makes you nervous for your weekly weigh in. I don't know WHY it makes you (and when I say you, I mean me of course) nervous because it's a legitimate reason not to see the needle budge (do they even make scales with needles anymore?) but even with knowing that it's logical you don't drop any poundage at that time of the month, it can still dash your spirits not to see the numbers go down. And we all know how much of weight loss is a mental game, so going into a new week with less than high spirits can be disastrous. Ah well, this week I am high on life... or was that the car exhaust from last nights traffic jam?


Back to my silly-ness. I have this totally irrational fear sometime that when I get on the scale for a weigh in that I am going to be back to my original number. It's not irrational in that it couldn't happen... it very well could and one day I could be looking in the mirror and staring back at me could be that 301 pound women I used to be, but it's irrational in the fact that I think I may have gained 26 pounds in one week. As nonsensical as it may be (and, yes, nonsensical is a word, my boss uses it all the time and I swore he was making it up so I looked it up and what do you know... it is a word... a silly one at that but I, now, like it) it is how my mind works sometimes. Now why can't I have the irrational hope, rather than fear, that I jump on the scale and 26 pounds have slid off my body in one weeks worth of time? I guess it's easier to have doubt than hope... if you doubt then when it comes true, or doesn't, you aren't disappointed because you never thought it would happen. When you have hope and it doesn't come true you're left wallowing in self pity, and sometimes a pint of Ben and Jerry's because you had that little spark of "it could happen" in your heart.

Which brings us back to "the bible" or rather "my weight loss bible". I haven't pimped out Dr. P in a while but I am still following his book The Ultimate Weight Solutions and am in the process of re-reading it again (for the nth time). What's good is now I am re-taking all of the self assessment tests that I took when originally starting this journey back in 2006 and it seems I have taken the keys (the steps in the book are referred to as keys) and ran with them, not to be confused with running with scissors, which I do not recommend. Many of the bad habits I had once had are now pretty much gone. All of the negative talking I would do to myself internally… vanished (for the most part). All of the ‘setting myself up for failure’ is nowhere to be found. Overall I’m doing pretty darned good, in the mental challenge of weight loss. Now I just need to get the physical, ‘put the fork/spoon DOWN’, ‘is this a portion’ part mastered and I just cannot lose (lose the game, not not lose weight because obviously I will lose weight).

And now… my challenge for you… off the top of your head how many sets of parenthesis did I use in that post? NO CHEATING!

I hope you all are having healthy successful weeks.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Happy Sunday! I'm having a really fantastic weekend. I'm off on Fridays now with my parental leave and I have the weekends off and Sadie and I have just had a really terrific weekend together. She's been so fun and in such a good mood. She's been sleeping so much better and it's made a huge difference for Marco and I. She's still not sleeping wonderfully but so much better. I took some pictures of her just yesterday (they're on her blog) and she is just getting so big and changing so much. Any day now she's going to be mobile and then our whole world will change once again. I'm looking foward to it and wishing time would slow down all at the same time. Sometimes I still can't believe I'm a Mom. Somebody called me a parent the other day and it about sent me into a panic. What?!?!?! I'm a parent?!?!?! For pete's sake I'm a parent! It seems like I shouldn't be old enough to have that 'label' but God knows that's not true... I'm old enough and then some. We won't get into that though.

I've managed to do pretty well with my eating and was feeling fairly confidant to see a drop on the scale this coming Tuesday for my weigh in... that was until this morning when the dreaded aunt flo reared her ugly head. Now I'm not sure if bloat and water retention will spoil my weigh in or not. I'm drinking plenty of fluids, not eating sodium laden foods, have been controlling my portions this week and the snack monster has been kept at bay. I've also wii'd my way into a frenzy for about 1.5 - 2 hours this week, which isn't great but it's still pretty okay, so that should also help. No matter what the scale says I know in my head and heart that I did well and it will all even out in the end so I won't let it send me diving for the fridge in a despressed panic.

So that's about it for this week. Work is a mad house since they let go of 3 people from our department thanks to the financial crisis (we only had 9 to begin with) so my blog time has been pushed to the side for now even on my lunch hour. Don't worry though.. even when I'm not blogging... I'm still wishing I was blogging and not working. LOL

I hope you all are having successul healthy weeks!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Tuesday weigh-in...

Well I'm down by 0.4 kilos or 0.8 lbs. Not phenominal...not exceptional....not great...not super... actually that doesn't even deserve an honorable mention. It's my eating for sure. I have been a bit out of control (again) with portion control. For instance Sunday I went with Marco and Jennifer to Subway and instead of eating a 6 inch sub I went for the entire foot. I did choose one of the subs under 7 grams of fat but still, half og one would have been just fine. It's stupid crap like that...just eating more when I KNOW I shouldn't that I need to get grips on again.

I'm determined that this week is going to be better. I'm tired of typing out the same old crap all of the time "I ate too much" or "I had a second sandwich when I didn't need it". blah blah blah. I need a good week to get me back in the right mindset and the only person who can make that happen is me.

I hope you all are having healthy successful weeks!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day everybody! May the chocolates that tempt you taste like poo, saving you from hours of extra workouts to even the calorie intake score!

Today marks the day, 5 years ago, that Marco and I met. We're celebrating the anniversary of the day that changed our lives forever (and left us both terribly hung over) by having Oma and Opa watch Sadie so we can have dinner out and go to a movie. WOOHOO!

We're going to our favorite Mexican place again. I've decided that since I go here about once every 3 or 4 months (although I was just there a month ago, that's not the "norm") I am going to get whatever I want, within reason. I'll be having a burrito, minus the beans, easy on the cheese, no smother sauce. Basically a tortilla with beef, lettuce, tomato and some guacamole (which I know some people avoid but it's actually a really "good for you food" although high in fat. moderation!). It will be the best burrito I've ever hand guarenteed!

I don't know which movie we'll see. I wanted to take Marco to see Role Models but it's not released in Europe yet. I saw it already with my colleagues as it was part of our "christmas gift" from my employer, to see the screening of the movie and it cracked me up. I loved it. It's the juvie humor that is just perfect for our night out. I hope we can find something else. Either way, we'll be happy we're hanging out and spending time together.

Hope you all have a very Happy Valentines day!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Old habits are terribly hard to break. Like eating an entire frozen pizza rather than 2 slices like you intended when you decided that it was "the only thing in the house". And really... was it my only option or is that just an easy way out of making myself feel bad for making an unhealthy choice? Yeah, I could have made scrambled eggs. Yeah, I could have had oatmeal for the second time that day. I could have had some veggies (canned) that were in the cupboard but who wants to eat just veggies? Those were my other options so I chose the pizza. And ate the whole.damned.thing.

Pizza is definately a weakness of mine. I love it. All kinds. Any kind. Thick or thin crust. And kind of sauce and just about any kind of topping. I try to live by the rule "all things in moderation" but this is one of those things that no matter how good intentioned I am, I binge on it. Pizza and ice cream. There just is no middle ground for me. No moderation. So when shopping today we did not restock the freezer with "just in case" pizzas. Marco was surprised how little I had throwin into the cart for me before I was announcing "I'm done." I simply told him, if it's not there I can't eat it. He didn't argue and we came home with less groceries, more money in our pockets and less temptation for the girl determined to lose some poundage this week. I did remember to grab some fruits and snack bars so I am not sitting here hungry with NOTHING to eat in the house. Now I just have healthy choices or nothing. This is what works for me.

So determined to make up for yesterday's not so good day I a having a really decent day today. Afterall weight losss not determined by one meal, it's a compilation of all of your efforts over a period of time.

I hope you all are having happy healthy successful weeks!

breakfast
oatmeal
coffee w/ splenda and cream

snack
2 snack bars (b-fast was early and lunch was late)

lunch
1 egg, 2 slices of wg bread, one slice lowfat cheese, 2 pieces of bacon

snack
1 cup of no fat yogurt with frozen raspberries

supper
grilled chicken ceasar salad (518 calories total)

And I did 45 minutes worth of fun stuff on the wii fit today. Yay!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Breakfast-
oatmeal w/ brown sugar
coffee with sugar and cream

snack-
Sultana cracker (165 cal)

Lunch-
too much
2 rolls with one slice of cheese, 2 slices of deli chicken, red pepper pesto
2 bites of potato salad
cuke and red bell pepper slices

My meals seem to be very "lather rinse repeat". I think in a way it's helpful that I eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch nearly every day but boy it sure is boring to type it out.

On a side note, Marco has asked for his parent's to babysit for us on Saturday, Valentines day, and we're going to have an evening out! It'll be the 2nd time since Sadie's been born that we have had a date and I'm really looking forward to it. We're going to try and make it a regular thing which I feel is really important for our marriage. Not only is it V-day but it's the anniversary of the day we met, 5 years ago. We're a total cliche but it seems to work for us. I don't think we'll be celebrating in the way we did the day we met but I'm sure we'll make it special somehow.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

breakfast-
oatmeal w/brown sugar (310 calories)

lunch-
hot lamb sandwich on a roll with cukes, lettuce, tomato and hot sauce


snack-
an orange

supper-
veggie chili

What a boring day!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

There will be no finger pulling this week

Nope, I didn't make it 4 weeks in a row. I was 125.7 kilos this morning, up 0.9 kilos or roughly 2 pounds from last week. I'm not surprised just disappointed. I've had a horrible week eating. Not that I'm making bad choices when I do eat it's just that I'm eating altogether too much food. Nighttime snacking is the worst enemy right now.

Also, isn't it funny how you find something that works for you, like logging my food intake, and then you stop doing it for some stupid reason, such as just not doing it for no good reason. Why would you not continue doing what works for you? Laziness? Time crunch? Embarrassment? Fear? Anxiety? Why, if you know logging your food intake helps you... why oh why... dear Sarah...wouldn't you keep doing it?

I don't know. I don't have a good reason so I'm not even going to try. What I am going to do though, is start logging again. Religiously.

Breakfast-
coffee w/ splenda and cream
oatmeal (250 cal)
small banana

snack-
sultana crackers (165 calories)

lunch-
cup of cream of mushroom soup
4 slices of wg bread (yeah, too much bread)
2 slices of cheese
red bell peper and cucumber slices

snack-
1 orange
10 ike and mike candies (the Dutch version)

Supper-
Chili verde

So, no need to pull my finger for this weeks trick. Hope you all are having healthy successful weeks.

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

It's a hat trick! 4 pounds gone this week!

No, I’m not going to pull a cute fuzzy bunny out of my hat folks but for the third week in a row I’ve dropped some weight. I saw a whopping 4 pound loss on the scale this week bringing my weight to 124.8 or 275lbs! Of course last weeks drop was miniscule but a loss is a loss is a loss is a loss and this makes 3 weeks in a row for me! I have lost a little over 10 pounds in the last three weeks and I am feeling pretty fabulous about that. Simply fab.

I really didn’t know what to expect this morning to be fully honest. It was a tricky week. Not logging my food religiously had me a bit worried although I still was being very conscious about what I was eating. It seems like I did a-okay.

What makes me most excited though is my over all goal. Right now I am a mere 33.9 kilos or roughly 75lbs away from my goal. A mere 33.9 kilos you scoff as you raise your hairy brow (you may want to look into waxing that thing, two eyes = two eyebrows)…. Yes, a mere 33.9 kilos. Why is it so “not a big deal” you ask…I will tell you why...because that is the amount of weight I lost before my pregnancy! I know I can lose it, I did it before so it just gives me so much more confidence that I can do it again! It just seems so much more attainable and much less abstract now that I realize how ‘close’ I am.

So now the question is….can I make it 4 weeks in a row? The other question is… if 3 is a hat trick, what is 4, a “pull my finger” trick? Hopefully you’ll all be giving my digits a tug next Tuesday when I hop on the scale again.

I hope you are all have successful, healthy weeks!


Breakfast-
Sultana biscuits (165 calories)
Coffee w/ milk and sugar

Snack-
banana

lunch-
2 cups of veggie soup w/ 2 slices of w.g. bread
3 deli slices of chicken
cuke and red bell pepper slices

snack-
3 w.g. crackers (25 cal each) w/ pb (1tb) and a drizle of honey
10 red hots (which instantly gave me heart burn)
5 tortilla chips plain, 3 with guacamole
an orange

Supper-
baked chicken
3/4 of a small baked potato

Monday, February 02, 2009

Back at it

So it's back to work today and back to logging my food. Oddly, having to go to work actually frees up more time for me to blog than when I'm at home as I can blog at my lunch break. At home it's baby, baby, baby all the time. I'm really curious to see what the scale screams at me tomorrow morning after a week of being home all day and not really logging my food intake. Could be interesting, could be a happy little surprise, could be mildly disappointing, could be mortifying... ahhhh what a way to start your morning, on the scale.

So here's what I'm having today (I'll add more as the day goes on):

Beakfast- mixin it up a bit
1 cup 0% fat yogurt (which is horrible in comparison to the U.S.'s yogurt selection but alas, I am in Holland and must live with it) with 1/2 cup of mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, cherries) about 10 dried cranberries and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
cup-o-joe at work, so it'll be with cream and sugar.


Lunch -
The absolute best spicy indonesian noodle/veggie dish prepaed by my colleague Richard. It wa fantastic. I also had some cuke and red bell pepper slices and a banana.

snack-
4 delicious belgian chocolates

Supper-
Salad with tuna fish and a raspberry fruit bar.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Inspirational accident

If you don't do anything else today, at least do this one little thing. Check out this blog The Anti Jared and just take a looksie at his progress pictures down the side of the page. I was flabbergasted. The man looks amazing!

I just happen to stumble upon his blog while checking out A Girl Worth Losing's blog roll and it's like hitting the lottery! That's why he's my inspirational accident. If that doesn't inspire you to keep on working, no matter what you've done in the past, no matter how bad your year has started, no matter how many cookies you ate yesteray... if the Anti-Jared doesn't inspire you then you're just uninspirable (or having a total craptastic day and should bookmark it so you can check it out when you're not in such a foul mood)!

How exciting would it have been to have been watching his blog through his entire weight loss journey and feel like you were virtually cheering him on as he is about to cross his finish line? I'm going to watch the end of the race even if I missed the first 3/4's of it.

I hope all of you will be able to experience that same feeling when I cross my finish line after this marathon of weight loss. It's going to be a long journey because right now I am just rounding the first bend. Thanks Anti-Jared! You were exactly what I needed to see today.