Ginger: The Bottom Line, Part IV

Last Week:

• N/A
  

This Week:

• Eat: yogurt + vegan protein/calcium sources on 5 days
  
• Drink: 50 oz of water on 5 days
• Lift: Do 2 strength training classes
• Move: Do 2 cardio workouts
  
• Log: Track meals + snacks on 5 days
  
• Stop: Eat before 7:30pm on 5 days

*What did I learn about "what works" for me + how can I use this information?

Another week of zero movement. Although technically, the scale recorded a 1/2 lb loss that the tracking tool didn't detect -I think it only registers changes of 1 lb or more. Of course now I'm paranoid that I'm losing muscle. Ha Ha.

I'm not surprised by this result because I abandoned my targets during the second half of my trip. I saw the writing on the wall and decided to take a short (planned) break. Not the ideal course of action but, in the process, I DID learn that "not going crazy" works for me. What does that mean? If I don't eat huge restaurant meals (or 3 scoop ice cream sundaes) every day I can ride out a "not hitting my targets" week. I think this lesson will come in handy the next time I'm on the verge of a binge of some kind.

Sporty: Eating & Moving (Wk 7)

The "honeymoon period" is definitely ending and I need to build in more accountability. I feel myself beginning to lose interest. Following the lead of Ginger and Posh I'm going to try building in more accountabilty by posting my eating and exercise. This will probably be pretty boring but feel free to comment if you see me getting off track.

• Targets
• Daily Points Target (28) /Weekly Bonus Points (35) /Activity Points Goal (14)
• Good Health Minimums: Water - 6 c; Fruits&Veggies - 5, "Milks" - 2; Healthy oils - 2 tsp; Vitamin - daily

Thursday (28)

Breakfast:Tropical fruit cup, pineapple fruit cup, mint tea w/ splenda & soy milk [4.5]
Lunch: Amy's Tofu Lasagna, Vitamin water [7]
Snacks: Soy yogurt w/granola, popcorn, sugar free red bull, orange [5.5]
Dinner: Wild rice stuffed portabello mushroom, spinach salad w/(strawberries, almond, stripples, dressing), corn on cob, fresca [11]

Good Health: Water - 19 cups; F&V - 4; Milk - 2; Oils - 0; Vitamin -Yes
Exercise: EFX, 35 mins, moderate [3 Ap]
--
Friday (27 .5)

Breakfast: Oatmeal, soymilk, granola [6]
Snack: 2 c cantaloupe & honeydew w/splenda, flax oil pills [3]
Lunch: Brown rice w/coco milk, vegebeef w/greenpeppers, tomatoes w/olive oil and basil, diet coke [7.5]
Snack: Pudding cup [2]
Dinner: Wild rice stuffed portabello mushroom, sweet potato, spinach salad w/(mandarins,almonds,dressing), fresca soda [9]
Good Health: Water - 16 c; F&V - 5; Milks - 2; Oils - 2; Vitamin - Yes
Exercise: Core secrets dvd, 25 min, low [1]
--
Saturday (-24)*

Snack: Almonds [7]
Breakfast: Muscle milk shake* [1]
Lunch: Spinach salad w/ (almonds, stripples, strawberries, onions, tomatoes, dressing), brown rice, lentils, curried vegetables, smoked vege turkey, roll, flax oil [14]
Snack: Apple pie w/ 2 tbsp custard [8]
Dinner: Chipotle (Lg burrito w/ rice, beans, tomato salsa, corn salsa, sour cream, gucamole, fajita peppers) [25]
Good Health: Water - 12 c; F&V - 4; Milk - 0; Oils - 1; Vitamin - Yes
Exercise: EFX, 40 min, low [3]
*Used activity pts and bonus pts
--
Sunday (25)

Breakfast: 2 c cantaloup & honeydew, wheat tortilla, cereal w/ soymilk [6]
Lunch: 2 stripple sandwiches w/ (olive oil, mayo, tomatoes, 4 slices bread) [15]
Dinner: 1/2 c butternut squash soup, 1 1/2 c vegetable soup, crix, fresca, flax pills [4]
Good Health: Water- 9 c; F&V - 5; Milk - 0; Oils - 2; Vitamin - Yes
Exercise: No
--
Monday (28)

Breakfast: Myoplex shake w/ (blueberries, soymilk) [5]
Lunch: Amy's brown rice and veggies, pudding cup [8}
Snack: fruit cup, pineapple cup [2]
Dinner: Vegetable soup, BBQ griller w/ vegetables, green beans, corn, baby red potatoes, olive oil, grapefruit juice [11]
Snack: WW icecream bar [1]
Good Health: Water - 16c; F&V - 9; Milks - 2; Oils - 2; Vitamin - Yes
Exercise: Cardio Mix (bike, efx, treadmill), 65 mins, low/high [9]
--
Tuesday (28)

Breakfast: Myoplex shake w/ (banana, soymilk) [8]
Lunch: butternut squash soup, sweet potato w/ sourcream, wild rice portabello mushroom, brown rice, corn [10]
Snack: Mandarin orange fruit cup [2]
Dinner: Spinach rice, griller w/ vegetables, olive oil, brocolli [7]
Good Health: Water - 16 c; F&V - 8; Milk - 2; Oils - 2; Vitamin - Yes
Exercise: EFX, 35 mins, moderate [3]
--
Wednesday (27)

Breakfast: Breakfast smoothie [4]
Snack: Almonds [3]
Lunch: Chicken w/(articokes, mushrooms), brown rice, anchar, green beans, tomatoes w/ (olive oil, basil), diet coke [8]
Dinner: French bread, chicken w/ (artichokes, mushrooms), white wine, butternut squash soup, tomatoes [12]
Good Health: Water - 16 c; F&V - 5; Milks - 0; Oils - 2, Vitamin - Yes
Exercise: EFX, 20 mins, high [4]

Summary: Daily pts - 4 out 7 days; Bonus pts - used 12; Activity pts - earned 23; Good health - 3 out 7 days.

Sporty: Week 7 (3/29/07)

Grateful for progress...made it to mini goal of 234 lbs.

• Last Week's Goals
• Stay within points - 4 out 7 days
• Journal foods daily - Yes
• Earn 14 AP incl. 1 strength training - Yes. Earned 23 AP w/ core secrets.
• Eat "home food" M-F- Yes
• Prepare & pack foods for work the night before - Yes

• This Week's Goals
• Identify 2 ways to "stay energized"
• Follow WW Good Health guidelines
• Stay within Points
• Journal Foods Daily
• Earn 18 activity points including 1 strength and 1 pilates
• Grocery Shop

Scary: Indegestion & Accountability

So anyhoo, I am comitted to checking in one time per week but also want to check in when I am on a downhill trend. Last week was great. This week (as in the first day of the 2ND week!) not so great... I am well within my points no binges or anything but I began the day not really hungry and skipped a properly planned/sit down lunch. So by the visit to my grandma's house and dinner I was eating sweet bread and indian food like it was going out of style. I ate way to late... should have followed Red's lead and skipped the late dinner (he and Ginger are visiting us this week) so now I am up with Indigestion at 5 in the AM... and the kids will be up in an hour... I'll be feeling sick and exhausted and I should know better. Haven't had a bout of indegestion in months... So the lessons learned for me are.. 1. Do not eat past 7pm (especially not Indian food) 2. Do not eat any out food that is not preplanned and precounted (I stay within points when I preplan how much I will eat) 3. Even when I am not hungry eat regular meals/snacks (because it will come back to bite me in the butt later)

Posh: Uhm...Stuff

See if you can keep up with this:

I've lost a total of 2 kg (4.4lbs) in the last two weeks.
I got a new digital Weight Watchers scale that measures in lbs.
It says I currently weigh 210.6 (which is different from the 94kg [206.8lbs] that my old scale says)
I'll be using the WW scale from now on.
So to get to under 200lbs, my new goal is to lose...






PS. Walk Away The Pounds Still Rocks!

Ginger: The Bottom Line, Part III

Last Week:

• Ate: yogurt + vegan protein/calcium sources on 5 of 5 days
  
• Drank: 50 oz of water on 2 of 5 days
• Lifted: Did 1 of 2 strength training classes
• Moved: Did 0 of 2 cardio workouts
  
• Logged: Tracked meals and snacks on 7 of 7 days
  
• Stopped: Ate before 7:30pm on 1 of 7 days

This Week:

• N/A
  

*What did I learn about "what works" for me + how can I use this information?

Honestly, after reviewing my targets, I'm shocked that I didn't gain weight this week. Of course I didn't lose weight either, but it could've been worse. I think the (mostly) vegan thing "worked" for me and so did the food log -even though it probably bored the life out of everyone. There's definitely something to be said for tracking/conscious eating! I will resume my food log (hard copy) next week. This time I'll take it up a notch by using the Mayo Clinic version where I actually have to shoot for specific goals.

Scary: Week 2

Starting Weight:
244.2

Current Weight:
242.8

Weight Lost:
1.4 lbs

Weight Gained:
0

Goals For Week:
Write Down All Foods (Even on Saturday!)
Stay Within Points
Weigh In Next Sunday
Minimize Use Of Bonus Points (Try to save all/most until Saturday)

Ultimate Goal:
Get to 200 Ilbs

Dream Goal:
Get to 150 lbs

Challenges Experienced Week 1:
Some hungry nights where I was determined not to use any bonus points... and not tracking carefully on Saturday because I knew I had bonus points.

Anticipated Challenges For Week 2:
Maintaining the drive on week 2. The first week tends to be easier. Here we go...

Reflections On Results:
Happy that I lost but feeling slightly disappointed that it was only 1.4lbs (didn't know I would have this issue). I think in the back of my mind I was hoping for a bigger first week loss to give me the drive for week 2. The truth is though I would be happy if I could just maintain losing 1 lb per week. The only thing that panicks me is the thought that I may lose only one per week and then gain 5 in one week! Undoing the last 5 weeks (as my past indicates is likely). This thought is going to have to be incentive to stay on track at all times... can't afford any big gains if I am losing slowly. But I'll be very happy to lose slowly and consistently... they say that's healthy right? After all this rambling I guess I am pretty happy with the outcome of this week... I am going to embrace my losses and change the trends of my past. Consistency... that is what we are going for this time around.

Sporty: Week 6 (3/22/07)

This week was fairly unremarkable with the exception of a pizza attack. I love Papa John's Thin Crust Pizza so I saved my bonus points to have 2-3 slices last weekend. However while watching a movie I ate 5 slices! 5 slices = 30 ww pts. When I paused and realized that I was in the midst of a pizza attack I immediately launched the "dish soap strategy". In a pizza attack - grab dish soap, bleach, Mr. Clean or anything toxic and pour over the food in question then immediately throw in the trash. Note: The "dish soap strategy" can be used for any dire food self-control emergency.

Last Week's Goals
Write down everything I eat - Yes / Earn 10 activity points - Yes. Earned 20./ Eat "home food" M-F - Yes / Grocery Shop - Yes./ Stay within points - Yes / Prepare & Pack foods for work the night before - No. 3 out 5 days.

Weekly Stats
Starting weight: 248
Last week: 238.6
This week: 236.4
Change this week: -2.2
Overall change: -11.6
Mini Goal: 234 lbs (-2.4)
Next Milestone: 24.8 lbs gone (10% goal)

This Week's Goals
Stay within points /Journal foods daily / Earn 14 AP incl. 1 strength training/ Eat "home food" M-F/ Prepare & pack foods for work the night before.

Almost halfway to first milestone (10% goal). More to follow.

Posh: Miscellaneous

1. 2 liters may sound like a lot of water but it ain't. Just looked it up online and 1 liter = 4.22 cups. I'm aiming for 12-13 cups a day...I've only drunk 10 cups...K... I can do it...2 more to go. I had filled up a two liter soda bottle with water and was drinking from it most of the day, thinking that I was drinking lots and lots of water... Thought I had superceded my expectation...moral of the story: don't use metric measurements unless you actually know how much it is...

2. My mom made some soup one night and I had some. Thought it needed some salt...said as much and added more salt to my bowl. My mother worries now about me and High Blood Pressure. Her exact words, "Salt? This soup doesn't need salt...pause...now I'm worried about you and high blood pressure!"

3. Mentioned aloud that I was feeling a spasm in my calf..asked what causes muscle spasms... Mother told me she's worried about me and diabetes 'cause that's how hers started. I asked her if she was saying that her diabetes started in her calf...she got a little impatient but she said that one of the symptoms of diabetes is muscle spasms.

4. She suggested that I go to the pharmacy and ask to get a blood test for diabetes. Or I should go to the health clinic and check.

5. The "spasm" feels more of a knot like feeling, in the same calf I had the "charlie's horse" thingy a few weeks ago. I must admit that after my online search about the causes of charlie's horse thingys, late stage developing diabetes was listed. (It's just aggravating hearing my mother say anything).

6. I don't want diabetes.

7. I walked for 60 mintues today (included intervals of walking and jogging and hiking up a hill).

8. Just off the top of my head, I don't think I have diabetes. However, I think it's really important that I get in control of my weight and bring it down.

9. I really, really don't want diabetes. It's not on my wishlist. Nope, ain't writing Santa Clause for that one.

10. I can't believe 2 liters is only 8 *#$?^%!@ cups!!!

11. I really shouldn't have had those last 3 chocolate cream cookies or the handful of chips or the bag of cheese balls... sigh...alas...tomorrow is another day...

Posh: Food Log

Well, clearly (as you will soon see), Ginger is on a much healthier track of eating than I am...lol...we've both committed to tracking our food this week...I must admit that looking back at today's list of food raises my awareness! I'm just keeping a list and adding WW points in a random way (mainly to snack-ish items). Anyway, I will update this post this week but here's the start:

Sunday
3 slices of toast
2 servings sautéed cabbage and tomatoes
1 veggie breakfast link
1 cup coconut water and jelly
1 bag of corn curls- 4pts
4 coconut cream biscuits- 6pts
2 chocolate cream biscuits- 3 pts
3 servings pak choi rice
2 servings mac & cheese
2 servings of red beans
1/2 bag of cheeseballs- 2pts
2 cups sprite
1 1/2 liters and 2 cups of water and still counting
(haven't even had supper yet...)

9:35 pm
handful of tortilla chips
3 chocolate cream biscuits
1 bowl of rasin bran
1 1/2 cups silk vanilla soymilk

Water intake up to 2 liters and 2 cups

Monday
2 slices of toast
1 servings of bodi w/potatoes
2 slices of cheese
1 serving pak choi rice
1 serving mac and cheese
1 serving red beans
handful of tortilla chips
1/2 cup beans
lettuce
sprinkling of grated cheese
1 bag of cheeseballs
1 bag of cheese curls
1 chubby
2 slices toast
1 serving of bodi w/potatoes
6 cups of water

Tuesday
2 slices toast
1 serving bodi w/potatoes
small 8 oz orchard orange drink
1/2 bag of cheese balls
1/2 serving rice w/ pak choi
1/2 serving mac and cheese
1/2 serving pasta w/ corn
1/4 serving red beans
2 medium florets of cauliflower
4 slices of toast
2 slices of cheese
1/2 serving cabbage w/tomatoes
1/2 serving pak choi
10 glasses water

Ginger: Food Log Blitz

Posh and I were up way too late on Friday night/Saturday morning...we agreed to share our food diaries every day this week! I really like the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid Tool BUT I'll start out with a rough log -small goals, you know? I'll post links to some of my favorites and mark "non-vegan" and/or "restaurant" food in red -for obvious reasons. Feel free to check back and comment throughout the week. Here goes:

SUN

Kashi Heart to Heart Honey Toasted Oat Cereal, 1.5 C
VITASOY Unsweetened Original Soy Milk, 1 C

Walnuts, handful

WholeSoy & Co. Smoothie, 5 oz
Amy's Rice Crust Spinach Pizza, 2 slices
Split Pea Soup, 1/3 C (leftovers)

Soy Delicious Fruit Sweetened Frozen Dessert, 1/2 C
Fabe's All Natural Bakery Peanut Butter Mini Cookies, 6

Apple, 1 jumbo

Tossed Salad, 1 cup
Carrot Cake, 1/2 slice
Fruit Salad, 1/2 cup
Sparkling Blueberry Juice, 4 oz

Smart Pop Microwave Popcorn, 1/2 bag

MON

9:30 am
Kashi Heart to Heart Honey Toasted Oat Cereal, 3/4 C
VITASOY Unsweetened Original Soy Milk, 1 C
Amy's Rice Crust Spinach Pizza, 1 slice

12:40 pm
Rice and Peas, 2/3 C
Jerk Tofu, 2 slices
Fried Plantain, 2 slices
Ting grapefruit soda, 5 oz
Soy Delicious Fruit Sweetened Frozen Dessert, 1/4 C
Fabe's All Natural Bakery Peanut Butter Mini Cookies, 6
Smart Pop Microwave Popcorn, 1/4 bag

4:40pm
Walnuts, handful
WholeSoy & Co. Smoothie, 5 oz
Multi-Seed Flatbread, 3 pieces
Soy Cheese, 1 slice

6:50 pm
Salmon Salad

TUES

9:15 am
Whole Grain Pancakes, 4
Walnuts, handful

1:45pm - 4pm
Fabe's All Natural Bakery Peanut Butter Mini Cookies, 6
Mac & Cheese, 1 C
Broccoli, 3/4 C
Veggie Burger, 1
Ting Grapefruit Soda, 5 oz

7:30pm
Mac & Cheese, 1 C
Fabe's All Natural Bakery Peanut Butter Mini Cookies, 6

9:25pm
Smart Pop Microwave Popcorn, 1/4 bag

WED

Food Bar

Tofu Noodles

Vegetable Soup
Flatbread Pizza

THURS

Pita Bread
Tuno

Buss-up-Shut
Pumpkin
Potato
Channa
Bodi

Salmon Salad

Apple Pie
WholeSoy Frozen Yogurt

FRI

Yogurt
Fruit

Eggplant Sandwich
Brownie

Ting Corn Sticks

Tofu
Rice

Apple Pie
WholeSoy Frozen Yogurt

SAT

VITASOY Unsweetened Original Soy Milk
Nature's Path Honey'd Corn Flakes

Brown Rice
Lentils
Mixed Vegetables
Worthington Smoked Turkey Roll
Spinach Salad

Apple Pie
Brownie Bites
Soy Dessert Bar

Apple
Worthington Smoked Turkey Roll
Ting Corn Sticks

Ginger: The Bottom Line, Part II

Last Week:

• Ate: yogurt + vegan protein/calcium sources on 5 of 7 days
  
• Drank: 50 oz of water on 5 of 7 days
• Lifted: Did 3 of 2 strength training classes
• Moved: Did 3 of 2 cardio workouts (look for a "Mt. Tam" post)
  

This Week:

• Modified targets from last week*
  
• Log: meals + snacks on the blog
  
• Stop: eat all meals + snacks before 7:30 PM.

*What did I learn about "what works" for me + how can I use this information?

Preparation works: I will buy water and groceries in advance. Flexibility works: I will build in 2 off days for "eat" and "drink" targets; Variety works: I will add fish as a protein source; Routine works: I will continue to follow my exercise routine.

Scary: Week 1

Starting Weight:
244.2

Weight Lost:
0

Weight Gained:
0

Goals For Week:
Write Down All Foods
Stay Within Points
Weigh In Next Sunday

Ultimate Goal:
Get to 200 Ilbs

Dream Goal:
Get to 150 lbs

Anticipated Challenges:
Remembering I am on program. Already for the morning after carefully measuring out my breakfast I almost took a bite out of a slice of toast... for no reason... without thinking... I caught myself just in time.

Scary: Ready, Setty, Go...

Tomorrow AM I begin counting points again. Every weight watcher knows that "if you never quit you can never fail" so in the AM will mark the first of my weekly Sunday morning blogs, weigh in's and daily points counting! Wish me luck. Tonight I am going to set up my weight ticker thingy and get ready for my AM post... I have to start somewhere right? For activity I'll be trying to amp up my activities with the twins... We will soon have gymnastics scheduled with Sporty, weekly zoo trips (to the UPHILL zoo) with our new zoo membership and at least 1 day of backyard or in-door ball per week (weather permitting) and a weekly neighborhood walk, we may even try to throw in a weekly library trip. After our construction is done in our upcoming exercise room - we will be attempting a round of body for life or the abs diet (not sure which one yet)... but that is at least 2 months away. So for now I begin with the old faithful weight watchers. Keep me in your prayers...

Posh: I'm walking away the pounds!

So, me and Leslie Sansone are the best of friends now. She doesn't quite know it but we are. This week I gave myself a goal of exercising 5 times max for the week and 3 minimum. Had made this goal two weeks before. One week I got 3 days in. Next week nothing. Both weeks I felt like I had fallen short of the main goal- 5days of exercise. Gave myself the challenge again this week but didn't want to see it typed in print (hence no previous post) for fear that I wouldn't make goal again. But I gathered some inspiration from all of you and from my skinny sister who helped me take my measurements and set me on a plan. 2 weeks of regular Walk Away The Pounds and then 3rd week I'll add weights to the work out. So now we have to pause for me to go on and on about this DVD.

For anyone, who finds exercising hard, or can't get to a gym or is trying to start walking/jogging and needs help starting, Walk Away The Pounds is the way to go. It's gentle, easy to follow with simple ways of adding intensity. I've done other DVD workouts before and a lot of times I could barely make it through-- intensity out of my heart's league or the steps to complicated for my coordination levels...I'd end up feeling like a heart attack was on it's way or frustrated that I couldn't keep up, either feeling leading to a seat on the couch. Leslie is friendly, warm, funny and encouraging...you always feel like you're doing ok. If you have to keep at a low intensity, she lets you know that what you're doing is a way better than sitting on the couch so just keep doing it. AND she has this walk away the pounds club online! You get 5 minute clips to walk with at your desk in the office! Great stuff! At least it works for me! 2lbs down and 8 more to go for my Below 200 goal!

Jill: Got my machine

I got an elliptical machine from my aunt this week. I'm really happy for that because now I can workout harder and accumulate alot of activity points. Jr. will be by tonight to exercise and I'm going to put her on the machine for 10-20 minutes to start out. I have to be good with my meals this weekend. I can't do what I did last weekend with Sporty.

Sporty: Week 5 (3/15/07)

Bye, Bye 240's. Hopefully Forever!!!



This week was tough. Jill came to visit for the weekend and we went out to eat a couple times and we also went to Scary's house on Saturday and she is a great cook. Let's not even talk about her corn roast!! Needless to say I ate to much. -37 points to be exact. So I went hardcore after the weekend hoping to "minimize the gain". Exercised each day including a 6:45 am spinning class, drank a lot of water, drank protein shakes and ate a lot of protein and vegetables. Glad that's over because I certainly can't maintain that level of intensity for too long. Hopefully, this week will be more balanced.

Last week's goals:
Write down everything I eat - done, Earn 8 activity points - done earned 14, Eat "home food" M-F- done and Have emergency "healthy" meals in the car and at work - done, Stay within points despite planned restaurant visits - No (-37 points)

Weekly Stats:
Starting weight: 248
Last week: 240
This week: 238.6
Change this week: -1.4
Overall change: -9.4
Mini Goal: 234 lbs (-4.6)
Next Milestone: 25 lbs gone (10% goal)

Goals for next week:
Write down everything I eat
Earn 10 activity points
Eat "home food" M-F
Grocery Shop
Stay within points
Prepare/Pack foods for work the night before

1 Vanilla Shake = 560 Calories = Over an Hour of Cardio = Not So Much Worth It

If you saw Super Size Me (great movie -totally worth renting) you'll remember this quote from filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. It's the scene where he's eating his double quarter-pounder Super Size meal while talking to the camera:

"See, now's the time of the meal when you start getting the McStomachache. You start getting the McTummy. You get the McGurgles in there. You get the McBrick, then you get the McStomachache. Right now I've got some McGas that's rockin'. My arms... I feel like I've got some McSweats goin'. My arms got the McTwitches going in here from all the sugar that's going in my body right now. I'm feeling a little McCrazy."

I've had my share of late night fast food runs -so I can totally relate to this experience. Plus, this week's goals include vegan calcium/protein, remember? And I'm working my way up to the Fast Track Detox Diet (i.e. kicking the sugar habit). However, I didn't plan ahead today. At 20 past lunch I found myself in the car...far far from home...not a single organic food bar in sight. There was a Burger King drive-thru up ahead (isn't there always). Do you see where this is going?

What I Planned to Order: Veggie Burger.

What I Decided While Waiting On Line: Veggie Burger + Fries.

What I Picked Up At the Window: Veggie Burger + Fries + Shake.

Talk about creeping compromise. Forget the calories for a second. Do you know how many grams of sugar are in a medium (and here's hoping that I had the medium -I'm really not sure) vanilla shake?

SEVENTY-SEVEN.

Yeah, that's 15 x as much sugar as my boy Dr. Oz recommends for a single serving. It wasn't even a good shake -more "ice" than "cream" which really annoys me. Still, I didn't let that stop me from downing the whole thing -although I did briefly consider throwing it away and stopping at In-N-Out to make the calorie hit worthwhile. Now there's a place that knows how to make a shake.

Anyway...now I have to up the ante on this afternoon's workout. 500 calories should take just over an hour on the machines -if I really push it. And by "push it" I mean short stints of jogging y'all. You know how I feel about jogging! Ha ha. Stay tuned for the update.

[Update: I did it. Burning off that shake was no joke! Great incentive to plan ahead and keep a stash of snacks on hand.]

Jill: Bad Week

I think has just been a bad week all around. I was by Sporty for the weekend and was totally off ww.

So Jr. and I didn't get to do our pilates on Monday and we won't be able to do it tonight either. We have scheduled Friday to make up for this week. I'm hoping we're able to push ourselves to do more than we've done before. To add on to being bad and not working out for the week I'm going to a dessert bar with Jr.'s sister. I'm going to try to be good.

Next week will be a much better because I'm going to workout everyday. I've had one accomplishment since I've started and I'm going to make sure I have alot more.

Thinking about it I think it's this stupid time change that has me off.

Sporty: Do you Flax?

This weekend Jill came to visit. We stopped by GNC and encountered a very talkative clerk who shared his wisdom about all things health. Needless to say, Jill and I left with several bottles of healthy living "essentials" including flax seed oil.

I've always heard that flaxseed oil is "good for you". This article talks about the benefits and ways to include it in your diet. Here are the highlights:

1. Flax promotes colon health
2. Flax fat can be slimming
3. Flax promotes cardiovascular health
4. Flax provides fats that are precursors for brain building
5. Flax may lessen the severity of diabetes by stabilizing blood-sugar levels
6. Flax promotes healthy skin.
7. Flax supplements can boost immunity

WW also recommends including 2 tsps of health oils daily, so I'm going to try to flax. I bought the oil and the pills. I'll let you know if notice any differences.

Ginger: The Bottom Line, Part I

This Week:

• Eat: yogurt + vegan protein/calcium sources
• Drink: 50 oz of water a day
• Lift: 2 strength training classes
• Move: 2 cardio workouts

Mimi: Build on Successes

Ok, seeing Sporty's post was a good incentive for me to get out and take a walk today. It's gorgeous out! About 65, blue skies and bright sunshine. I walked briskly for 30 minutes. You know, after exercising, I feel less like "ruining" my work by stopping by McDonald's or making bad eating choices. I need to remember that successes build on one another. If I'm making good eating choices, I want to complement that with exercise. If I'm exercising, I certainly want to make healthy eating choices. My goal this week is to try to make small successful steps so that I can build on these.

Sporty: Week 4/Month 1 (3/8/07)

Whew! One month of trying to break in healthy habits completed. Yipee!! I was really happy to see results at the scale after a year of gains (gained 60lbs last year). I am excited about the results at the scale but I'm also excited that I tried really hard this week to "bring healthy back" - drank lots of water, took my vitamins, exercised 3x, journaled everything I ate, ate fruit/veggies and stayed within my points. Also since I'm on the Flex program, I got to enjoy Papa John's pizza and had a super dinner combo at the Vegetable Garden. Yummy!

However, I know my pattern and I acknowledge that I am in the weight loss honeymoon period and that this effort is not going to continue feeling as easy as it does now. I acknowledge that at times I will lose interest, get super busy at work, gain weight, not feel like cooking or grocery shopping, not feel like exercising and that I will make many, many excuses. I acknowledge that what I can do is keep trying and recognize that this not a race to my goal weight but forever and permanent habits. In the past I gave lipservice to "lifestyle change" but I secretly I held on to the thought that when I got to my ultimate goal weight I could just relax and be "a skinny". I acknowledge that this is not true and being healthy takes effort. *Sigh*

With that in mind here's the weekly recap:
Last week's goals:
Write down everything I eat - done, Earn 6 activity points - done earned 8, Grocery Shop - done, Eat "home food" M-F- done and Have emergency "healthy" meals in the car and at work - have at work not in the car.

Weekly Stats:
Starting weight: 248
Last week: 243.8
This week: 240
Change this week: -3.8
Overall change: -8
Next mini goal : Lose 6 lbs
Next Milestone: 25 lbs gone (10% goal)

Goals for next week:
Write down everything I eat, Earn 8 activity points, Eat "home food" M-F and Have emergency "healthy" meals in the car and at work, Stay within points despite planned restaurant visits.

Sporty: Incident at the Gym

Found this on a blog a couple weeks ago. After laughing hysterically (from shock of course), I thought "Jeez, I hope that doesn't happen to me!" ... given my long history of clumsy behavior (the sunflower shower seat incident comes to mind along with falling out the maxi taxi and of course getting stuck in the bucket). Needless to say I'm hoping for the best.

I should mention though that I did have a bit of a scare yesterday as I was getting off the treadmill but fortunately I caught myself before diaster struck! Whew!

Here's to NO future incidents at the gym!!

Jill: Improvement

Thanks for the support Ladies.
Got on the scale last night and found out I lost 7lbs in 1 month. I'm happy to see that my work is paying off. Now I'm hoping I can continue to lose 7lbs each month. At that rate I'll be where I want alot faster than I expected.

Ginger: Red

Today I gotta give a shout out to Red.


I was committed to going to the Y this AM -but not really feelin' it. You know how it goes right? I was running a little behind schedule...getting dressed very slowly...stalling with random chores. Anyway, somewhere in there, I called Red to see how he was doing.

Red: (casual) "So, what're you doing?"

Me: (trying to sound committed) "I'm going to the Y...20 minutes of cardio today."

Red: (perks up) "Yeah? Why don't you come over? We can work out together."

Me: (now genuinely interested) Oh, ok! I'll see you in a few.

There's a very fine line between support and nagging. Red has always struck this balance perfectly. He raises the bar on diet and exercise BUT he's not above the occasional gelato run. Now he will call me out if the gelato run comes right after a big meal + rich dessert -and that's great. Sometimes I need a "sweet tooth" reality check. Even better? He's super low-key and practical about body image...totally supports a "natural" look. It helps me to stop obsessing about the superficial stuff and focus on the goals that really count.

Thanks Red!

Sporty: Flexible Restraint

What does flexible restraint mean to you? Found this info on the Weight Watchers website.

"Developing the skill of flexible restraint, which is the ability to put a moderate level of control on your eating, is important to weight-loss success. The key is to find the balance between control and flexibility in an eating plan that is not so rigid that it is impossible to stick with.

Finding an eating approach that works is key to weight-loss success. Whatever approach is used, there are some fundamental food choices essential for good health and nutrition:

*Include at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables.
*Have at least 2 servings of milk; 3 if you are a teen or over 50 yrs.
*Drink at least 6 glasses of water.
*Get a serving or two of a protein-rich food.
*Take a multiple vitamin-mineral supplement.
*Limit added sugars and alcohol.
*Have 2 tsps of healthy oil, like olive, canola, sunflower, safflower, or flaxseed.
*Choose whole-grain foods whenever possible."

Balance .... once again this issue is highlighted for me.

Flexible restraint = Balance.

Jill: New to this

So my cousin, Sporty, has been bugging me for a few weeks now about starting a blog. I didn't/don't think I will be consistent with my posts so I didn't really bother with it. But after reading everything here I decided that I will do add and do my best to be consistent.

I've always been a 'big' girl and never really let it bother me. But since I've hit 30 I've realized and decided that all of the firmness I had before has somehow magically disappeared and now I really have to work to have a little of it. So I'm on weight watchers and doing Pilates. Right now I'm not able to join the gym so I'm going to do all I can at home. I live on the 8th floor and have decided that I'm going to take the stairs every day. I'm going to try to walk up the stairs 3 times a week. My aunt has an elliptical machine she's not using so I'm going to get that from her.

My little cousin, Jr. (she has the same same as me), and I have decided that we're going to work out together at my place. She's preparing for her prom and I'm just trying to be fit. We started pilates last week for 30 minutes and did 1 hour last night. It's not easy but we're doing our best. Last night she kept saying, 'it burns'. I just kept going even though it burned for me too. We're scheduled to work out again on Wednesday. In April we're going to join a pilates class once a week. We're both praying that this twice a week venture for the month of March on our own is good enough for the class. Pray for us.

So this is my beginning and I will try my best to post something at least once a week.

Mimi: My Half Full Water Bottles...

So the formula for how much water we're supposed to drink is one half our body weight in ounces. That's a lot of water for me. I do make a valiant "good faith" effort, too. I buy bottled water by the case, usually the 24oz sports top, or the 1.5 liter for when I'm home sitting at the computer (like now, for instance). Ginger and I have had some conversations of about the safety of drinking from the half finished water bottle. How many days is it safe to drink from the same bottle? We know that we're not supposed to keep refilling them like an "official" plastic reuseable bottle...but what if it's not refilled, and it's just the original water?

I decided to do some research. Haven't found a whole lot, quite honestly. Just enough to confirm that Ginger and my suspicions were correct. The most specific information was in an article titled: "9 Things You Need to Know about Drinking Water". http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/gallery/0,21863,1170208-1,00.html

The article warns: "So think twice about sipping from that half-drunk water bottle that’s been sitting on your nightstand since the day before yesterday."

I'm off to water my plants...

Ginger: Creamy Banana Ice

4 large very ripe bananas*

*For the best flavor, use well-ripened bananas whose skins are no longer tinged with green. Bananas are at their sweetest just as the skin becomes speckled with brown.

Peel the bananas and slice them into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Place the slices on a baking sheet or a large plate lined with waxed paper. Freeze the bananas for at least 1 hour (see note).

In a food processor or blender, puree the frozen banana slices, stopping the machine occasionally to scrape the sides of the container. As the bananas thaw slightly, the texture will become smooth and creamy. Serve immediately.

PER SERVING: 104 CALORIES, 1.2 g PROTEIN, 0.5 g FAT, 26.5 g CARBOHYDRATE, 1 mg SODIUM, 0 mg CHOLESTEROL

NOTE: The uncovered frozen banana slices can be kept in the freezer for 2 days before pureeing. Or, when the bananas are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or covered container, where they will keep for several weeks.

Source: Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

Mimi: Free Food

Ok, I don't get it. I make a decent salary. I'm not swimming in money, but I'm not living off of top ramen and crackers. So why is it that whenever there is free food available I eat like I have been starved as a child (if you see pictures of me young, you know this isn't the truth).

Take tonight, for example. Did well with eating all day long. Got to a 6PM meeting and there was pizza and soda available. Not even GOOD pizza. Doughy, tasteless pizza. Did that stop me from having 4 pieces? Not in the least! Ugh. What's UP with that??!!

Posh: Quote of the Day.

"Yeah girl, yuh need to boil some of that down..."
---Cousin who hadn't seen me in 10 years referring to the fat that I had gained.

Ginger: Climbing

I went to the Y tonight. It was an impromptu visit - largely prompted by the pile of work on my desk (procrastination) and the empty Tofutti container in the trash (uh...moving on).

It'd been a while since my last cardio workout so I was planning on a low-key activity -say 20 minutes on a treadmill. Wouldn't you know it? No free treadmills. O-kay. I was willing to take it up a notch on the elliptical. Yup, you guessed it. No free ellipticals. Not even one of the second-rate ones with no TV! Then I spotted two free stair climbers. Yikes. Not so much low-key. While I stood there (trying to decide what to do) a woman brushed past me to the sign up board.

And then there was one.

Oh well, why not? I figured I'd go for as long as I could. I entered my info, picked the fat burner program, set the machine to level 3, cranked up the music, and started climbing. My heart rate promptly shot up so I tried to do the slow breathing technique that Posh had taught me -quickly switching to shallow breaths whenever the woman on my left hacked RIGHT ON ME. AAARRRRRGHH!

Anyway, I guess it worked 'cause I didn't pass out. In fact, as the time wound down, I found myself humming along to the music. After 20 minutes, I hopped off and headed home. It felt good to start the week with a workout. Now if I can just do it again on Tuesday. And Thursday. Oh yeah, and the Tuesday after that...

Mimi:Need Some New Inspiration

I'm excited to borrow some inspiration from the group. That essay Ginger posted seems like forever ago!! There's nothing worse to have gotten something than to lose it again. I feel like that with my eating and exercise. I was HARD CORE...lost that 100 lbs with Weight Watchers, worked the program. Not so much now. I've gained about half of it back. YIKES! Dissertation writing is KILLING me...or not dissertation writing and eating instead is killing me. I finally got back on the scale on Saturday after avoiding it for the last month. I'm determined that the number on the scale is the highest it's going to be. No more gaining. My plan is to get back to Weight Watchers on Saturday. That's my incentive to eat a little better this week and hopefully have a jump start before getting back on the "official" scale.

Posh: Let's get physical...

I wanna get physical, let me hear your body talk, your body talk … (Can you hear me singing???)

So, I woke up yesterday with a cramp in my leg as I stretched to meet the day. Oh it hurt! Through the pain I remembered that the morning before, I had a cramp also. Finally it subsided, but the muscles in my calf ached all day. I used to wake up like that regularly for a while. As I thought back though, the cramps had stopped while I was doing the CORE diet with weight watchers and when I had been focusing more on my health. I jumped online to see possible causes… Untreated Diabetes, Fybromyalgia, Dehydration, Defficiency in Potassium…. Ain’t none of those sounding good to me! I got wistful for that healthy clear feeling that comes when health is an active priority. So, I have two goals right now…create a daily menu for a CORE diet and Exercise!! So, first things first, I’m going to get my butt up today and EXERCISE!!!! Yeah, baby! Ginger, You hit the gym with your ipod and playlist and I’m gonna hit the living room with Walk Away The Pounds and some Booty Shaking Music!!!! Anybody who’s not up to working out at the gym or can’t work out at the gym and you want a really stress free workout to do, then check out Walk Away the Pounds with Leslie Sansone! She’s friendly, encouraging and awesome! As usual, my goal is to aim for 5 days and hope for 3!

Posh: Super-Heroes and all that jazz...

I want to dedicate this blog to someone …

Dear Someone,

Thanks so much for having my back. It’s almost like you’re a super-hero with that ever-watchful-eye power thing you have going. Thanks for monitoring my food intake at suppertime, yesterday. If it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t have had a clue as to what went in my mouth! And I love, love how you just rely on subtleties…not like other super-heroes, like Spiderman or Superman who display their powers with a grandstand approach, inclusive of poses and body hugging costumes. You don’t do much to draw attention to yourself; you just do what has to be done. Like when I took my second plate of food and you sat up to see what I had on it…all you did was raise an eyebrow and shrug your shoulders. No grandstanding, no background music. Or when I had some soda with my meal all you did was sigh loudly and shake your head…Any other super-hero would have been doing jumps and kicks, ready for action…But you… you hold the course steady…. I like how you stepped it up a notch when I took that last forkful of spaghetti from the pot as I passed by to put my dish in the sink…showed that your subtleties don’t equate passiveness. You can kick ass if you have too. That firm tone with the “Can’t you even try to have some self-control? Just a little bit? Can’t you exercise some control over what goes in your mouth??” That was a real attention grabber, especially with you doing it all in one super-breath! Amazing! Oh, and that x-ray vision to see through what I was saying about not having lunch to actually know that I was eating all day! Even more amazaing! I think about ALL the things you could be doing with these powers to fight crime and save the world, but yet you focus them on me! Thanks again!!

xoxoxo

Ginger: Cardio Music

Next week, I'm putting Tuesday/Thursday cardio back in the mix. The "default" plan is to hit the Y @ 10:30 + hop on a machine. Whenever this plan doesn't kick in, I'll go to a 5:15 aerobics class with Mimi. I see myself jammin' on the treadmill but my "workout" playlist is outdated. I need some new upbeat, inspirational stuff. Any ideas?

Sporty: Week 3 Weigh In (3/1/07)

"You did good". That's what they said at WW today. Whew! Some weeks you're in a "space" to hear "You're just up a little" but today I really wanted to hear that I made a dent in this 120 lb mountain I'm trying to chip away at. Last week was an "you're up a little" week and that was ok.

Aftter today's weigh in I started wondering if WW staff get training on how to mask their facial expressions at the scale. Because some folks are clearly better at looking neutral then others. A couple months ago I was trying to get back on track and went to weigh in. I knew that I was "up" but the person weighing me in was clearly not ready for how "up" I was. As she looked at the display her eyes bulged out at my 17lb weight gain. She tried to recover and then croaked out "Well...you're up a little this week". Ha! Ha! It was one of those funny but not really funny moments. Anyways, hopefully there will be more "you did good" weeks than "up" weeks.
--

Weekly Stats

Starting weight: 248

Last week: 246.2

This week: 243.8

Change this week: -2.4

Overall change: -4.2

Next milestone: 6 lbs gone

Goals for next week: Write down everything I eat, Earn 6 activity points, Grocery Shop, Eat "home food" M-F and Have emergency "healthy" meals in the car and at work.