The end of some adventures and the start of others

I'm sitting here at the Atlantic City airport awaiting the arrival of the plane that will start our journey home. It's hard to believe that we have been gone for over a month! On the other hand, it will be very good to get home and back into our normal routine. The Daddy/hubby have been greatly missed. The cat as well as the fish have been talked about a lot. Our friends, and even "my own violin" have been missed. It is the end of the summer for all intents and purposes. But, it is the beginning of wonderful NEW grand adventures.

My weight loss journey has ended, but the journey into maintenance has just begun. I've been tremendously pleased with myself. I've lost over 46 pounds in 6 months! I'm down 4 clothing sizes! No adventure in life should go uncelebrated, and this one won't either. I'll be needing a new wardrobe. I'll start slowly, waiting until the new paycheck from my new career path gets started, but I'll need to replace it all.

That brings me to the next end...the end of the stay-home mommy part of my life. Now THERE'S an adventure! One I had mixed emotions about ending. It's been rewarding, frustrating, tiring, joyful, educational, and sometimes all at the same time! Hopefully, the children will transition into the next phase of MY life with ease. The beginning of my new job adventure will bring major changes for them...in fact the whole family. Monday is the kick-off of that new chapter, so wish me luck!

Where will our next trip take us? Hmmm...we've talked about a Disney Christmas, but I don't think that will be this year. Next summer, we'd like to do Bryce Canyon for a week. We'd also like to get to Hawaii, but that's going to be a little further down the road I think. We didn't get to go to Seattle this summer's trip, so that's on the short list, as is Whistler, BC. So many great places to go.

I can't say "Less Later" anymore, so a new sign-off is in order. Let's try:

Hoping all your adventures are grand,
Laurie

Just a quickie...

• Japanese Interment Camp Memorial in Poston, AZ....interesting, but don't make a special trip.
• Carved trees in Tehachapi, CA.....couldn't find them at "City Park", but may try again on a future trip. I have been assured by a resident of same that we met on the roof that they are really there. Will also try a hotel there as opposed to Bakersfield.
• Bakersfield, CA...not sure why, but we just didn't see the appeal. Won't stay there again mid-trip. (see Tehachapi)
• San Francisco, CA...Awesome city. Kids were amazed that we parked the car on arrival and never needed it again until we left. Lots to see and do. We'll come again. (see photos in link)
• Diet? Who needs one when you're walking up and down hills all day long? BUT, I have been very disciplined in my logging and that's kept me pretty well on course. The next leg of the trip will have more cooking and less dining out so that will help with the control a bit.
• Minivan vs. Tuscon...Sienna wins HANDS DOWN! Last year's trip included a cartop carrier, luggage and "stuff" piled to the ceiling in the interior of the car. This year? Tons of room, nothing on top, space for everyone.
• Sea Lions...we love them AND we decided that is what our children are. There is plenty of room for them to spread out and leave each other alone, but it is more fun to be in each other's space and nudge each other until someone jumps in the water. Then they come right back to each other and start over again.

Next stop Grant's Pass, OR via the Redwood Forest.

Less later,
Laurie

I love those lazy, crazy days of summer!

Yes all of you oldies lovers, I know I left out hazy. When we lived back east, hazy couldn't have been forgotten, but at this second, the humidity in my backyard, in the shade is 9%, with a temp of 102. I couldn't come up with haze if my life depended on it.

It's been about two weeks since my last post and that can just be credited to summer craziness. We've been doing Camp Invention, 2 vacation Bible schools, summer youth volleyball league, birthday parties, planning the big trip, reading...all around a great time.

Weight loss continues, though so slowly, it's almost imperceptible at this point. I did discover some things in the past week.

• First, I have NO jeans that fit. The last time I tried them on, my smallest ones were tight, now they fall off.
• Second, while the weight isn't going down those last couple of pounds as quickly as I'd like, the measurements all over are much less.
  
• Third, I don't hate exercise if I can be entertained while doing it. Thank God for iPods. I don't know if I can say that I love it, but it's much easier to get out there and do it now.
  
• Fourth, and this is the best of all, for the first time in over 12 years, my weight is in the normal range by BMI.

I'm ready to go on vacation with a renewed enthusiasm for healthy eating. We're going to a region of the country that we've never been to, one that's famous for good food, and I'm looking forward to being able to stay on track and still eat in a wonderful way.

Wish me luck!
Less later (from the road),
Laurie

Of Marshmallows and Other Things

It's summer break and this has been a week full of...not much! That's not a bad thing. Claire has been at Camp Invention (an annual tradition for both of our children), swimming, playing with friends, going to and having birthday parties, and Ted has been playing video games, watching TV, reading, playing volleyball and discovering the fun of Facebook. I have been getting a job for next year, reading, entertaining the kids with crafts, making plans for my new library, finalizing summer trip plans, exercising, taking Apple classes, and watching mindless drivel on TV. Wow! When it's all laid out in print, we've been busier than I thought!

So my title this week mentions marshmallows. I've mentioned them before in regards to weight-loss. Profound words at a WW meeting got me to realize that I DO need to exercise or else the weight-loss simply took me from being a large marshmallow to being a smaller marshmallow. I don't want that, so I've been conscientious about doing SOME kind of exercise on a regular basis. I've walked, added step aerobics to the walk, added the occasional sprint to the walk, done videos, done a class, used hand weights, biked, done Netflix exercise streaming, swimming, and even shoveled rocks with Chip. I'm still a little soft, but more like a day old, left out Peep than a fresh Sta-puft marshmallow. Progress is progress. I just have to keep making it a priority and it will happen.

My family has noticed a difference and Claire has developed a new appreciation for healthy stuff. She asks about the healthiness of everything and wants to know if I feel different now that I've lost weight. She has mentioned that I'm not as "fluffy" when she snuggles with me, but that it's ok since it will make me live longer. Out of the mouths of babes.

A different marshmallow avenue...a helpful tip.
Only use fresh marshmallows to make Rice Krispie Treats. Do NOT make them with even slightly firm ones. The first thing I noticed was that they took longer to melt. I figured, no big deal, they'll still be alright. Hmph...not. I mixed the cereal in, spread it out in the pan, nibbled a little while it was still warm and said to myself, "Wow, these are really good. Aren't I frugal, finding a use for stuff in the pantry?" (Just FYI, they were only two months old, but in Arizona, with very little humidity, they don't last long at all) I was very excited because I had found out earlier in the day that the treats are only 2 points each, so they are a great dessert choice for my food plan. Ate a delicious dinner of potstickers and veggies and went to get a treat out of the pan. I could not chisel them apart! They're too light to be doorstops or weapons, but they might make good styrofoam-type building blocks, or maybe insulation of some kind. Very sturdy. Perhaps NASA could find a use for them. Or BP could use them to sop up some of that oil! Anyway, they're inedible. Probably just as well. A pear is better for me anyway, right?

I'm a mere 3-4 pounds away from the weight goal I've set for myself. Tomorrow is weigh-in day for this week. We'll see how it goes. I know I've done well eating, but I've exercised a LOT more than usual and that can actually temporarily cause a weight gain. Something about lactic acid build-up and water retention. I don't think it has, but the scale will tell.

Less later,
Laurie

Correction and update

I was wrong...last week I was uncertain about what week of weight-loss I was in and posted 24. I am mid-week of week 22 right now. AND I weighed in today for a total loss of 40.4 pounds! 4.2 pounds left to go. 3 weeks until vacation begins. A conundrum. Not really. I don't imagine it will be too hard to at least maintain, if not lose more on vacation. We'll be moving around more, lots of physical activities and we don't do fast food. We're staying in our vacation club place and it has a full kitchen. We plan on preparing at least one of our meals every day there. I think I'll be alright as long as I keep track of what I'm eating. We're going to an area that has lots of locally grown, freshly prepared food, so I'm actually looking forward to lots of fresh fruits and veggies.

We survived the first full week of summer vacation. Did some crafts, read some books, discovered the joy of Netflix, and had lots of lazy downtime. Next week the social calendar gets full (at least for Claire). Camp Invention and various Vacation Bible Schools will keep her busy until we leave, and Ted will be volunteering for some of that.

We've set some reading goals and made a reading chart for each kiddo and they're actually sticking with it. Putting my new job skills to work finding books they'll enjoy is a good practice for next year.

Please see my link to my Goodreads recommendations and listings. I'd love to hear what all of you are reading! I'm always in the market for a good book.

Continuing the weight loss

Well here I am at week...hmmm....25? 24? and I've had some great success! I lost 3 pounds this past week which brings the total loss up until this point to 38.4 pounds. I am now seven pounds from my goal. 7? Holy COW!!!! 7 pounds! That's such a small number compared to where I started. I definitely can do this. I've learned so much about myself and improved my food and weight loss outlook so much over the past half of a year. Some highlights?

• I need accountability. I will probably have to continue my tracking in some way forever. I have made this a part of what I do every day and there's no reason to stop.
  
• I eat emotionally. Some people eat to live, others live to eat. I'm a live to eat who has to stop doing that. I need to think about why I eat everything I eat. I don't expect to change my makeup, I just need to continue other coping skills. I have friends who don't eat when they're stressed. Not a problem I'm familiar with...I eat when I'm sad, mad, celebrating, excited.
• I need to concentrate on filling, healthy foods whenever possible. WW lets you eat any foods you want, you just have to count the points and in previous attempts, I tried to eat the unhealthy things and count the points. There's nothing wrong with eating cookies and milk all day, is there? I counted the points. What's the problem? The problem is I'm not staying healthy, I'm not getting the nutrients I need, and I'm not staying full and satisfied between meals. I get that now. THIS time, I've addressed that issue.
• I have to stop seeing myself as a fat person. I don't see myself as attractive and adding weight to that just gives me a reason that I'm not attractive. I can always point to the scale and say, "Oh that's why I'm not pretty...I'm fat".
• I CAN lose weight! I can no longer use the excuse that it's too hard and I must have a metabolism problem. I don't. If I put the effort into planning and tracking, I can do this.
• I don't want to die young. I always thought that I'd have time to think about losing weight later. Why wait? It will only get harder and harder to lose the weight. I don't want to wait until I HAVE to lose it for some health reason. Now I can do it on my terms.

The journey (and the blogging) will continue. The emphasis may change. For example, the big summer trip is coming up right around the corner, and the job search and school continue. My Grand Adventure goes on every day. I am truly blessed.

Stay tuned.
Less later,
Laurie

Ramble and rant?

So the weight loss continues. I've lost 35.4 pounds total at this point. Last week was a 2.6 loss followed by this week's .2 gain, but I'm still the right direction overall. Lots of factors went into the weight gain and I truly don't expect to repeat it this week. Factors? What factors? Well, when you go to WW, or I'm guessing any weight loss plan, to weigh in, you wear your weighing "uniform". That would be the closest thing to naked that you can legally go out in public in. Thin shirt, no shoes or socks, shorts...whatever, it's one step up from stepping on the scale right before you'd get in the shower at home. You also do the same thing every week for consistency...i.e. if you don't usually eat before you weigh-in, empty bladder, bra-less, whatever your choice, you do it that way every-time. This time I mixed it all up! It wasn't 7 days between weigh-ins, it was 4. I had lots to do that morning, so I ate before I went. My final destination meant I had to wear a real outfit. Really nothing I did was normal, even for me! Thank you for playing, better luck next week.

That was the ramble. Now it's time for the rant.

I really don't understand mean people. I'm a kind, considerate, compassionate person. I never go out of my way to hurt anyone's feelings. I try to abide by, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all". I'm working at a school where caring and consideration are supposed to be hallmarks of good character. So tell me, why someone (a co-worker in the same school) would use the guise of concern for my future to take the opportunity to tell me about the string of highly qualified people coming in to interview for the job I was hoping to get? "Oh Laurie, what will you do? Will you stay anyway? You could work for them. Did you know there were at least 10 people in the past 2 days? I didn't see your name on the interview list--why is that?" Just SHUT UP!

I'm not on the list because the position isn't open to everyone yet. It's only open to people whose jobs this year are going away (RIF--no, not Reading is Fundamental). Yes, I'll probably still submit an interest form, but I really don't hold out much hope for the position at this point. The person they'll likely give it to is in my class, but she's been doing the position for the past 2 years. She is smart, tech savvy, dependable, and trained. I actually told the principal about her. Yes, I know you were interested in the job. You've told me that often over the past school year. "I thought going to school was going to guarantee the job? What a shame you wasted your time."

No, it wasn't wasted. I'll continue going to school, continue doing my job, interviewing for every similar position that opens up in the next week, and I will be IMPRESSIVE! I have the training, the attitude, the drive, and the desire. You, on the other hand, will always be the petty little, mean-spirited, untrained, bossy boots, pain in the butt, two-faced, moody person that you've been since I met you 2 years ago. You may be able to bamboozle your way into the hearts of some, but those of us who get to see the real you will see through you and take comfort that the Universe/God/Karma do balance life out eventually.

Ahhhhh, that felt good! I was tired of the tears. A plan is so much better.

In review...weight loss? Good. Mean people? Bad. I have about 10 pounds to go until I reach my goal. The cooking is still fun. There are only 9 more days of work/school for the kids left. I'm feeling great! Looking forward to a wonderful summer. And I've posted a new weight loss picture in my cute J.Jill pants from Goodwill in the smallest size I've worn since getting married!

The Adventure continues! Less later,
Laurie

Too long since my last post...

I realize that it's been more than the usual weekly timeframe since I last posted...my humblest apologies. I know it's a tired and old excuse, but I just got busy. I did stay on track though and have now lost 32.4 pounds! And I weigh in again today.

Planning is still key for me. Especially with all of the end of the school year activities that are going on for all of us. Crazy busy doesn't even start to describe it all. Camping, scouting, symphony, music lessons, scholarship competitions, work, parties, award assemblies, school, visitors, and the typical stuff that goes on every day for everyone make for a very hectic schedule. Hectic schedules can lead to unplanned eating which, for me, almost always leads to quick and easy bad choices. A little preparation and planning can go a really long way. I also make sure that I hold myself accountable with the food tracking, and that combination has made the difference. I'm shopping according to lists based on menu plans that I still make a week ahead. There's always room for a little improvisation, but a firm foundation means that won't throw my weight loss for a loop.

I think I'm going to set my goal today with my group leader and I'll talk about that next time.

Less later,
Laurie

A smaller marshmallow? And a travel plan.

OK, I've lost 28 pounds and gained confidence in my ability to do this long term. When I went to the WW meeting Saturday though, I heard something I'd always known, but it sunk in for the first time. If you lose weight by just managing food and not exercising, you go from being a marshmallow to being a smaller marshmallow! I mean really, why didn't I think of that? Oh yeah, I don't like exercise. I have noticed that as my body ages, even when I lose weight, things jiggle more than I would like. Having said that I don't like exercise however, doesn't mean that I don't do it. I hit my 10,000 steps a day, do the occasional jaunt on my elliptical machine, have ridden my bicycle for exercise, swim (now that the pool is up to temp), but I'm gathering that it's not enough. I'm going to have to add something to my routine to help firm up my marshmallow-ness.

Enough about weight loss! On to entertainment. This blog started last year with my planning our nearly 8000 mile round the country trip. And since the school year is coming to a close, it must be time to hit the road again. This year's adventure? The Pacific Northwest.

We (this year Chip's on the WHOLE trip with us) will head to San Francisco, Oregon, and Napa. We'll take side trips to Seattle, Mt. St. Helen's, Crater Lake, and more! It's a work in progress and we'll unfold the details as we go along. Yes, we're driving again, this time in a minivan. More room for the kids should make it a little more enjoyable from their perspective.

Having read the cyber-warnings, I guess this is the point where I'll let the criminals know that we will have the house being watched, so don't bother.

It looks like the kids and I will add a trip east right before school starts again. More on that later too.

I've got to get ready for work, so I'll sign off now.

Less later!
Laurie

26.4, 26.4, 26.4!!!

Sorry for the delay in posting, but Easter happens!

I weighed in on Friday morning and found that I had passed 25 lbs and have gotten to 26.4 lost. I feel fantastic! I'll have to buy some clothes shortly, but am living in baggy bottoms for now. I've shrunk back down into some of the clothes I'd outgrown, and then through them.

I'm doing more minutes on the elliptical, have some sense of control over my food choices, and try to be diligent with my tracking and planning. That is still key for me. If you get to lunch and have already lost sight of the food for the day, there's nowhere left to go. But you also have to keep it in perspective. If you mess up and over-do, you don't throw in the towel, you say, "What are you going to do next?".

I wish I had taken some body measurements when I started, but I couldn't bring myself to see those numbers. They were worse for me than the scale.

My goal keeps moving. Originally, I thought 25 would be where I wanted to be, but now I'm there and I acknowledge what I've accomplished already, but I'm not there yet. I'll see what the next 10 feels like and decide where to go from there.

Less later!
Laurie

Day 6, week 11 - It had to happen sooner or later

Yes, not only did I not LOSE any this week, but I GAINED 1 pound. My elusive 25 pound landmark stays out of range for another week. I'm keeping it in perspective however. I mean, one pound could be the difference between riding my bike to the previous meeting and driving to this one, or the salty food I'd eaten causing water retention, or the allergy medicine I started taking...who knows? I DO know that I stayed with the plan, and that the plan works, so I'm not going to lose focus over a pound.

I will say that tracking and measuring is crucial! Portion control was the topic this past meeting and the timing couldn't have been better. You start measuring the yogurt and getting exactly a cup, then you move onto just putting it in the bowl and saying, "yeah, that looks like a cup" and every now and then you need to check yourself. I'm actually pretty good with the cup, but the tablespoon still misses the mark. That's one of the most important ones for me, because IF the serving size is measured in Tbsp, then it's probably a higher point value item so accuracy is critical.

Spring Break was a lot of fun. We tried to do one "fun" thing a day. They each had a friend over, we went to the movies, the Lego store, the chocolate candy factory, and since they cleaned their rooms and their bathroom before the break started, I didn't have to ask them to clean while they were out of school.

Here's hoping the scale reflects my attitude this week!
Less later,
Laurie

Day 3, week 10 - What a great week!

Let's get the numbers out of the way first. I lost 3.8 pounds this week, bringing the total to 24.2 pounds in 10 weeks!

Today is the first full day of Spring Break. It's been busy, for sure. I started the day riding my bike 5 miles to the weigh-in and then back again. For someone who hasn't ridden further than 2 miles in the past few years, 10 is making my backside quite sore. Also, my hips and knees have been hurting since I got home. Apparently, I'm not as spry as I used to be.

After that, I spent time cutting a new solar blanket for the pool to get the water in the pool to a swimmable temperature.

Then it was time to help the Brownies do their service project by walking around a neighborhood park during a festival to pick up trash for three hours. Not all that strenuous, but my endurance was tested after the exhausting morning I had.

But think of all of the activity points I earned! It allowed me to have two chicken enchiladas, some tortilla chips, and some GS cookies for dessert when we got home! There's an improvement to Weight Watchers I like a lot. It used to be that, regardless of the amount of exercise you did, you were limited to 3 points maximum for activity points. This is so much better.

Speaking of GS cookies, I have definitely been eating too many of them. I've stayed within the points, but instead of healthy stuff, I've been eating the cookies...not exclusively :), but more than I should. I'll be done with them soon. The cookie sale is now over! I have some paperwork to do, but it's over for 2010. Of course, I bought enough to freeze so they'd last. I just have to forget they're in the freezer and I'll be fine.

I'll sign off for now, and promise to try to eat more fruits and veggies this week, and get some more exercise in. Plus, we'll have some fun this week too!

Less later,
Laurie

Day 4, week 9 Not much to report....NOT!

Here I sit blogging about nothing in particular except, oh yeah, I forgot...I've lost 10% of my starting weight! I've lost 20.5 pounds! I'm really excited to report this, except that my "mathy" friends will be able to figure out my starting weight. Oh well, I said at the beginning, fail or succeed, blogging will show this all publicly.

10% is a really big landmark in weight loss. That is the loss at which you are supposed to be able to see real changes, AND you body starts to experience measurable health improvements as well. I will concur. The constant pain in my feet has lessened considerably, my sugar highs and lows are much better (no, I wasn't diabetic, or pre-diabetic, but I was always a bit hypoglycemic, so when I was hungry, I felt I HAD to eat), all of my clothes are loose, we've all tried new foods and liked many of them...it's just been a successful experience all the way around so far.

The other landmark is that, for me, this is half of the weight I think I'd like to lose. I may change my mind as I approach the end of the next 20, but halfway to goal is an awesome feeling. I do believe that the weight loss will likely slow down from here on in, but hopefully it doesn't grind to a halt! I've started to add a little exercise at a time and yesterday, as a family, we walked...a lot. Start the morning with a 1 mile walk/run at the zoo event Claire's running club was in, then walked at the Farmer's Market (as well as buying a tomato plant and some other yummies), then went home for a couple of hours of housecleaning/yardwork, then BACK to the zoo for 2.5 more hours and many miles more of walking. We got home and prepared some of the yummy fresh beets and their greens (who knew we'd like those?-except for Claire) and a perfectly grilled burger...ahhhh. Life truly is good.

Well, I've finished meal planning for the week (a busy one, so quick meals), and I've blogged, so it's off to finish laundry, food shop, then go to work at Hallmark this evening.

Less later,
Laurie

Day 5, week 8 --- I'm 44 today!

Happy Birthday to me (singing)! I'm feeling great and losing weight. I've lost 19.8 pounds, so far and can't wait to hit 20 this week. The big birthday plan is to go out to dinner at a steakhouse (TBD) and head home for birthday mini-cupcakes. I made them just now, and can't wait to see how they taste. It's a speedy, easy, low-point way to have your cake and eat it too! Simple:

one box of cake mix (any brand, any flavor)
one can of diet soda (and brand, any flavor)

Mix in bowl by hand until moistened (mine still had some lumps), bake at 350 for the amount of time the box says (10-12 min. for minis). The first tray just came out at 11, just right!

Calculate points using the box label (mix only numbers) and divide by the number of portions you got out of it. I got 48 mini-muffins out of mine, so it's 1 point per muffin. Different brands and flavors will give you different points.

I got frosting (in a tub) for the rest of the family, but I'll dip mine in some cool-whip if it needs frosting.

Point-wise, it's a better deal than Girl Scout cookies. Who knew? You can make different flavor blends...cherry cola with chocolate cake, orange soda with white cake, endless combos.

The weekend was another dreary, cold, rainy weekend. And then Claire got sick. She left for a fun outing with the Brownies Saturday morning, and I was called within the first 30 minutes to come get her. She got sick in their car and came home with a fever and sore throat. She later developed a rash, and I decided that was enough reason to go to urgent care after just a day with fever. I suspected Scarlet Fever and proved why they call us "Dr. Mom". I was right. In fact, the doctor was sad he didn't have students there to show her "classic presentation". The only thing that wasn't textbook was the fact that her fever was not really high. She never really got over 100.5, but it wouldn't break at all for 24 hours.

She's going to be fine and will go back to school tomorrow, and hey, it meant I didn't have to go to work on my birthday! Thanks Claire.

I typed long enough that the cupcakes are done...and they're great! I'd try some flavor combos next time, but you certainly can't tell they're "diet".

Less later,
Laurie

Day 1, week 8 --- I found it!

I didn't weigh in this morning, so there's no weight info to report. I'll go Saturday morning to the higher energy group.

The other day, I complained that I didn't like exercise and that I wished I could find one I liked. Some of you commiserated. Well, I found it. The Bon Jovi concert! I need to get out dancing. Is there a place where people can go hear music they like (80's rock in my case), dance their butts off (literally) without some of the...hmmm...sexual? grinding?...you see on YouTube? We need an 80's rock aerobic class! I'd pay for that.

Anyway, the long awaited Bon Jovi concert was amazing! They sounded as great as ever and looked pretty good too (some better than others). From the people watching perspective, this concert was much less exciting than Def Leppard. Middle class, well behaved, nicely dressed, up out of their seats, singing their lungs out, lots of families, glad to be there, not drunk...truly a nice night. Ted enjoyed himself and I was glad he was there with me. He knew so many songs, I was proud! The playlist was a mix of old and new and lots of rotating, elevation changing video screens that allowed everyone in the audience to get up close and personal. Here's the list:

Livin' on a Prayer, Shot Through the Heart, Bad Medicine, It's My Life, Dead or Alive, Bed of Roses, Born to Be My Baby, Hallelujah, Who Says You Can't Go Home, When We Were Beautiful, Work for the Working Man, Superman Tonight, Love's the Only Rule, Thorn in My Side, We Got It Going On, Homebound Train, We Weren't Born to Follow, probably a couple more. It's hard to know.

The opening act was Dashboard Confessional who were fine. They seemed surprised to be there and did lots of thank you's.

So, if you want to start an 80's aerobics class, let me know!

Less later,
Laurie

Day 6, week 7 I found the elliptical!

Ahhhhh, a little exercise and I didn't throw my back out again. What a relief. The elliptical still works and my exercise ball didn't pop from dry rot when I sat on it. I think I'll stick with the elliptical, as long as I can stay healthy. I'm working on core strength on the ball. That ought to help keep my back healthy.

The scale keeps going down and I can see it in the mirror. My clothes are getting baggier, but I'm not buying new yet. I'm still losing and a season change is coming, so I'm not spending money I'll just have to spend again in 8 weeks. I did buy a new swimsuit at Costco in a size smaller than last year! Costco is definitely a place where you have to jump on the bargains while they're there. Next week, that deal might be gone.

I still need to find some kind of exercise I really LOVE. I do exercise, but only because I have to. There's GOT to be something active that I can find that I will do because I WANT to. Is there a support group for people who hate to exercise? Like Kelly Osbourne in Dancing With the Stars said, "I hate to sweat". I really related to her in that moment.

OK, I'm just rambling now. I'll sign off and go to some aerobic housecleaning...maybe Olympic vacuuming.

Less later,
Laurie

Day 2, week 7

Oh yeah...another 1.6 pounds in 4 days! I've lost over 17 pounds and I couldn't be happier about how well this is working. I will be happier when I can get some exercise in. I'm hoping that will actually speed up the weight-loss and improve my overall fitness. Not that I'm not happy with the speed I'm losing weight. It's a reasonable pace that isn't crash dieting. You can't maintain easily what came off too quickly.

It's been a busy week and today is no different, so my post here is short. But when there's less of me, I'll be writing some more!

Less later,
Laurie

Day 3, week 6 - I ROCK!!!

I didn't get to weigh in on my regular day (orthodontist appointment and job eval), and that's actually a good thing. I like the leader on Saturday morning a lot better. I've had her before and she's much more....energetic? Friendly? I'm not sure what, but I relate better to her. She and another weight loss counselor have a great website with tons of great recipes. I used to use it a lot when I was doing WW previously. Anyway, my 2.6 pound loss may be a little exaggerated due to the extra two days. I don't care though, I'll take it! That brings the grand total in 5 weeks to 15.6 pounds! Not bad for a week with very little exercise due to injury.

My back is almost healed and I'm hoping to get some exercise in besides lifting Girl Scout cookies...perhaps if I add milk lifting, I'll be full AND have a well-rounded workout. :) Really though, I'm the Cookie Mom, and tomorrow is the cookie pick-up day from the warehouse. 172 cases, 3 adults, load into the truck and off of the truck, then into individual cars...whew. If that doesn't kill me, maybe even that nasty elliptical staring at me from the corner of the living room will get used. I'm trying to get inspired by the Olympics.

I did some stir-fry on the outdoor "wok" and it tasted good, but it wasn't a great wok. It's too high above the heat, so Chip's going to see what he can figure out to lower it. Another cooking experiment.

Valentine's Day will not include chocolate, but will have great Greek food. My Big Fat Greek Restaurant is calling to me and I know I can find food there that fits my needs. Staying away from the pita and tzatziki will be a challenge. Maybe I can have a little tzat on some gyro meat. We'll see how it goes.

No new excitement, just keeping on keeping it off!

Less later,
Laurie

Week 5, day 4 ---Super Sunday!

We went up to Flagstaff for the night. Left early Saturday morning and spent the day at the Wing Mountain Snow Play Area just NW of Flagstaff, AZ. It's a great deal really and we COULD have done up and back in one day, but we didn't want to feel rushed. We played all day, checked into the hotel, got the kids into warm baths, then went out to dinner. We figured, "What could go wrong?"

The weather had said that the high would get to 40 and there might be some scattered snow showers but no accumulation. There was plenty of snow already on the ground and all of the roads were great and cleared. Claire thought the snow showers were great because she finally got to catch a snowflake on her tongue. We have played in the snow every year, but this is the first falling snow she's seen that she remembers.






THEN, the snow showers didn't look like showers anymore. As we left for dinner, it started to really snow. The visibility dropped to next to nothing and it started to accumulate right away. When we woke up Sunday, there was a blanket of 10 inches (or so). No plows had been out yet on the surface streets. The continental breakfast at the motel was exactly what I thought it would be at an Econo-Lodge, so we went to Denny's and took our time. I figured that would give the road crews as much time as we could to make I-17 safer.

That was a pretty good plan. The roads weren't totally cleared, but they had been treated. There was one good lane for most of the time. The snow was so beautiful on the trees.






Ted was having a great time taking some very artistic photos along the way and I love taking pictures of him.






As far as weight loss goes, it was a pretty good weekend. It was the first vacation on the plan. I packed a great lunch for all of us to eat at the snow play area and was pretty good at dinner. I planned the snacks and packed a lot of healthy choices. I stayed within the prescribed points, and got a lot of exercise just playing in the snow. When we got home, it was time to get ready for Super Bowl Sunday! I picked some good, healthy snack recipes (some from WW) and got them all made in time for the game to start. The points were good on these too. Only the scale will tell for sure on Thursday. Stay tuned!

day 1, week 5- another success

I passed my 5% loss goal. I'm now at 13 lbs lost. What is the challenge this week? I honestly can't remember. Oh yeah, the challenge is to forgive yourself. Not give yourself permission to go off the reservation and into the Dairy Queen, but when lapses happen in tracking, eating, exercising, give yourself a pass 10 times. I think the way they worded this was dangerous for me. I will be ignoring the challenge. Guess that's why I forgot what it was, I already discounted it's value to me.

I'm a pretty realistic person when it comes to goal setting and I'm also over the whole beating myself up thing. We all make mistakes, but I'm not going to set out with "pre-forgiveness" which undermines my determination. I know I like ice cream and would love to have it almost daily, but I also know that I can't do that and still meet the goals that I have set for myself. If I slip and eat the ice cream, I'll be honest about it, track it, and try to figure out why I made that choice so I don't make it the next time. Or, I'll figure out the way I can budget the ice cream into my plan. I won't call myself a bad person, or judge myself harshly for the mistake. My goodness, I'd be in bad shape if I judged myself by every mistake I've made in my life.

I've been sick for the whole last week, so my entire exercise plan went out the window. I think I was blessed to lose 2 pounds considering I didn't exercise AT ALL. I feel like I'm on the mend, but I'm still not 100% yet. I think I'm about 80%...sinus pressure, post nasal drip, hoarseness, general yuckiness. I stayed on track and I didn't miss any work or school, but I didn't do anything extra. This weekend will change all of that. We're heading north to visit the snow in Flagstaff and play. We borrowed some sleds, rented a hotel room, got out the winter gear, bought boots that fit the kids and long underwear. I think there will be some real calorie burning going on.

I'll keep on keeping on. Next week will bring its own challenges, I'm sure. I've been talking to God, tracking my meals, staying positive, planning and cooking up a storm, and generally having a good time. My family is happy (well, they're doing a good job of faking it if they're not), and I am too.

Less later,
Laurie

Day 2, week 4 making a list

My list of 10 things I can do if I'm hungry hasn't been written yet. I guess I'll do it right here and now.

I could:

1. fold laundry (it's always around)
2. clean the kitchen sink
3. brush my teeth
4. empty my "file" box by the computer (it's already sorted, but hasn't made it into the file cabinet)
5. pick a room to dust
6. pick one messy drawer to clean out
7. clean out my photos on the computer
8. scan old photos into the computer
9. post a blog update
10. read a book

That's a manageable list. Now I need to put them into a hat and draw them out as I have hunger pangs.

Less tomorrow :)

Day 1, week 4 part 2

Drum roll please..brbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrb...3.8 lbs for a total loss of 11 lbs!!!!

I didn't stay for the meeting, but I did find out what this week's challenge is and I can definitely do it. Write down 10 short activities (fold socks, answer 5 emails, sort mail, etc...) I can do when hunger starts. Put the 10 slips in an envelope and when I'm hungry, pull one and do what it says. If the hunger passes then it wasn't really hunger, but boredom. I like it. It could be a great tool for any habit that needs breaking.

Well, since my main post was earlier, I just thought I'd post the results and tonight's menu...Beef Bourginon, 8 points for 1-1/2 cups. I'll probably put it over whole wheat pasta for another 2 points.

Less later,
Laurie

Day 1, week 4 Pre weigh-in

Mentally, I'm ready. I want to go weigh-in. I'm hoping that I get to 10 lbs. lost today. Of course, the downside of that means that I'm in a different decade of weight and I lose a point of what I'm allowed to eat each day to continue losing. That won't be too bad though, since I haven't been using too many of my "extra" points each week so far.

Did I meet the challenge? Well, some of it. I still didn't get 10 filling meals in, but I made 5 this week, 2 more than last week. I didn't get the extra 10 minutes in every day. I think I got 5 days worth in. I've been getting sick since Sunday. Each day has brought a new symptom. Now I'm feeling awful, stuffy head, watery eyes, an annoying cough. I'm just doing the weigh-in today and not the meeting. I'll weigh-in, collect this week's challenge, and head home to pack my lunch for work.

Great recipes this week? Oh yeah! I cooked 6 of the last 7 nights and they were ALL good. Dinners were:

• Lemon-chicken risotto -5 points
  
• pork loin stuffed with spiced peaches -5 points
  
• balsamic chicken with thyme -6 points
  
• whole roast chicken with garlic -5 points
  
• turkey empinadas -6 points for 6
• stuffed shells -8 points

All got at least 4 stars out of 5 by my personal critics. I'm happy to share with anyone who wants...I just didn't feel the need to post the actual recipes if no one was interested. All of this food preparation has been time consuming, but it's what I love as long as I have time. I'll never go hungry this way, that's for sure.

I'm thinking about doing the WW e-tools. That would allow me to enter my favorite non-WW recipes in and get point calculations for them. Then I could substitute ingredients and lower my high point recipes to healthy point recipes. I get a two-week free trial with my WW membership, but with school, work, and kids activities, I'm worried I wouldn't get the full experience before I decide to buy it. I'm still considering. It has other features, but that's the main one I'd be interested in.

OK, time to go hit the scales!

Less later,
Laurie

Day 3, week 3

Woo hoo! I uncovered and actually used the elliptical this morning...not for long, but at least it's being used. I've also tried today to only eat "filling foods" at meals for a whole day. Anything else will have to be at snack time. Breakfast was actually filling enough that I wasn't interested in lunch for 4 hours, but lunch? I ate 2 hours ago and I'm hungry. Not ravenous yet, but I'm heading that direction. I'll nibble on something after this post.

I shopped at Trader Joe's today for some great chicken. It costs more there, but I'm trying NOT to support the large, industrial chicken corporations and instead, buy as local and cage free as I can. I don't know if my little piece makes any difference at all, but it make me feels better about what we're eating. I digress...Trader Joe's has a lot of healthier options and I previously got some freeze-dried blueberries that were fantastic. I chose a different TJ's today (same distance, opposite direction), and liked it better. It seems to be a little larger, was cleaner, and had a slightly larger variety of goodies. Anyway, they not only had the blueberries, they also had freeze-dried strawberries and bananas. I skipped the bananas, but couldn't resist the strawberries. I'll let you know how they were next post.

Claire and I went walking around the adjacent neighborhood to sell Girl Scout cookies. Much better success on one street there than in our whole neighborhood. We'll remember that next year.

Tomorrow, we're checking out a new park in Chandler. It's the first park in the Valley that was built on a defunct landfill. I didn't realize that this was a new concept out in the southwest. I mean, back east we build all sorts of recreational things on old landfills. Golf courses, municipal parks, lakes, you name it. I guess the idea that you might actually run out of space is new here. And the idea that your landfill may actually fill up someday? Unheard of. Anyway, this particular park has walking and bike trails and an archery range. We're going to see if there's a rental archery option and scope it all out.

Great day to all!

Day 2, week 3

Ahhh, the second week slow-down. It was still a success however. This week was a 2.8 pound loss, for a total of 7.2 pounds! I'm happy to say that I'm still feeling great about the experience and am striving on.

So far the biggest lesson for me? I'm repeating myself, but the importance of tracking can't be overstated. At this early stage of the game, I NEED to track it all. Every bite, every nibble...gotta track it all.

This week's goal from WW is to add 10 minutes a day of activity on top of whatever else you're doing. I missed it day 1 and 2, but have uncovered the elliptical in the corner of the t.v. room and will hit it tomorrow morning.

Each week's goal doesn't replace the previous week's; it's cumulative. So now, I should be tracking at least 10 of the meals each week (done), and have 10 meals that qualify as a "filling food" (difficult for me), having an additional 10 minutes of activity every day. What will come next week?

My goal is to not have too many of my points go for non-nutritional items. I mean, I could drink 30 cups of sugar free hot chocolate and stay within the points I'm allowed to have, but that's not exactly a balanced diet. Balance in all things. That's always a struggle for me. I don't seem to have it. I think that there are so many different parts of my life to balance that it's hard to keep the plates spinning. I feel like, if I could do it, so many stresses would mellow and I probably wouldn't be overweight at all. I will try to be more balanced in all things. That will help me more than anything else.

Off topic, this rain is really quite something. When we moved to Arizona, we heard about "the rainy season" and laughed! I mean really, how much rain are they talking about? We're winding up year 5 here and thus far haven't witnessed a real rainy season. We've been below average precipitation every year! This year is only 3 weeks old and I think we're going to hit the entire year's amount in the next 2 days.

OK, I just looked it up and am getting a variety of averages, but they're all under 10 inches a year. We've gotten a third of that in the past 3 days. It is tapering off though and maybe we'll see some sunshine by Sunday or Monday. Then we can have no rain again until the monsoon season this summer :).

The kids are begging to go up to Flagstaff to play in the snow. We'll have to do that this year. In past years, we've gone north and found some snow to play in an turned around and come home. This time I think we'd like to go play, stay the night, and play again the next day. We'll see.

Well I'll sign off for now and post more about being less later.

Day 5, week 2...where'd the week go?

Still on track. The challenges this week were scheduling related. Sometimes even the best plans take a detour, and that was my schedule for the weekend.

Friday night was ladies' night out with my chickie girlfriends. My pick this month, so we went to Applebee's. I had a very nice WW points dinner from their menu. A garlicky chicken dinner with roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli. It didn't taste like the 7 points it was calculated to be. There was a great, but very buttery tasting sauce on it that defied my belief in the 7 points. I'm assuming it was actually more, and skipped dessert. Some of us walked to and from dinner, so that helped keep the damage down if indeed there was some cooking error. We'll see. I've tried to hardly use any of my extra points for the week figuring that even if there was a mistake in preparation, it's not likely to be the whole 35 extra points worth....gosh, I hope anyway.

Saturday was Claire's Kids Rock mile run, and NO, I didn't run with her. I only run if my children are in danger or if tigers are chasing me. Sorry, that's my rule. The challenge Saturday turned out to be scheduling. I was not scheduled to work, so my menu plan including cooking. Then, my second job called and asked if I could switch my Sunday hours for a Saturday shift. I said yes, but then had to cook dinner for lunch AND watch my Cardinals lose at football. Too much pressure. But I stayed on course, and actually got to go get some new walking kicks.

Sunday is a blur to me now. What did we do? Oh yeah, Sunday School, lunch out (Sweet Tomatoes), laundry, homework, cooking a recipe that only one of us (Chip) liked, then assisting in Ted's science fair project from 6 until 10:30 in the cold, dark, desert. Sweet Tomatoes wasn't on the original plan for the day, but we were out and about gathering supplies for the project later and Claire used her great report card reward.

Sweet Tomatoes is a great place for some yummy salads, but it has LOTS of food traps that are easy to fall into. The salad bar has some pre-dressed salads, but they're really point-laden. I didn't know this for a fact until I got home to my point book, but I was fairly certain. So, I got only a little bit of that and added undressed salad fixings to the salad. I was able to stay away from the pastas with not too much effort. Then there's the hot bar area. Man oh man, do I love a good muffin! I was able to have two! Yay! They have a sugar free banana crunch muffin top and a fruit/bran thing that was goooooood. They also had Dreyer's fat free frozen yogurt in the machine so I had a little of that and kept the point total for the meal at 12. Way more than I would've eaten at home, but the damage was minimal.

Overall, a good weekend for WW and a fun one for the Bridges.

The challenge from WW was to have 10 meals that qualify as filling by their definition and so far, I only have 2. I'm thinking that this might be a challenge I don't make, but one I can be conscious of and try again in the future.

Less later.....:)

Day 1, Week 2 - A tremendous start!

I lost 4.4 lbs! Yay for me! Happy dance on the keyboard....

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Anyway, that's enough motivation to keep going for another week. That, and I've already paid for the next 9 weeks. Funny, that's the length of both kids' marking periods and I started when theirs started . Guess we all get graded on something in life.

The family is eating better through osmosis. I'm not about to make separate meals for all of the diners in this house. I just double all of the recipes so that our bottomless pit 12 year old son can eat all he wants. I've prepared 9-can chili, bought rotisserie chicken from Costco, made a chicken stir-fry dish, and added 3 new meals to the cooking repertoire. Tonight was a beef stew from the WW cookbook - family gave it 5 stars, last night I ate Subway veggie sub since I was in class, Tuesday night was honey-mustard pork chops (WW cookbook) - family gave it 4-1/2-5 stars, and Monday night was rosemary chicken and wild rice (WW cookbook) - family gave it 4-5 stars. Chip's a bit stingy with the 5's cause there's always room for improvement. LOL I have great eaters in this house. They'll try more things than I will.

I've felt great all week. Not just physically, but mentally too. The planning ahead means that I've always got something measured out, ready to eat whenever I need or want it. I haven't ever approached an eating plan this way before, and it's keeping me on track. I haven't eaten a nibble that I haven't written down. I haven't been hungry, but I have occasionally wanted to eat something bad for me...like a bunch of Oreos. There's something prohibitive about having to write it down BEFORE you eat it that's helpful. I mean, do I really want to look back at a log and see hot fudge sundae and oreos and have to try to figure out why I'm not losing any weight?

This week's challenge from the meeting was to try to have 10 meals that qualify as filling. That means every ingredient in them has to be from the "approved" list having the right balance of calories, fat, and fiber. That will be a challenge for me. So far, I've eaten lots of filling foods, but at almost every meal, I have some sort of bread or pasta. That negates the whole meal as a filling one. I will try though, just to see what impact a filling meal with no breads on the plate feels like an hour after I eat it. I'll probably stick with breakfasts and a couple of lunches. They seem less intimidating.

My challenge for myself is to add some additional physical exercise to my week. I'm walking with Claire to sell GS cookies this weekend, but that's sporadic and not aerobic, so I don't think it counts as much, but if we stay out long enough, it's still a point. I'll keep you posted.

Day 7, week 1 - Planning does pay....I hope

Well, I'm getting ready to go to bed at the end of the first week. Tomorrow the scale will tell if my diligence has paid off in any measurable way. I've stepped on the home scale a couple of times and need to break myself of that particular habit. Once a week weighing is enough and their scale never changes. My scale allows me to get on before I eat in the morning or before or after any other number of slightly weight changing activities. On the WW scale, I'll be going at the same time, on the same day, after following the same routine each and every week. That type of consistency will give me more accurate results.

I'm prepared for the slow and steady losses of less than a pound a week. I'm older than the last time I did this, less active, more menopausal, and therefore slower to metabolize even the air that I breathe. I swear, there are days when I feel like celery could lead to weight gain. But I'd really like a big number to start off the program and keep that energetic honeymoon phase going!

I haven't been any hungrier than before I started this, and I'm certainly eating better food. My planning has allowed me the freedom to munch a little, and satisfy the different food cravings we all get from time to time...something salty, or crunchy, or crispy. I've had it all.

I'll post the results of week 1 tomorrow!

Day 5 of Week 1

The biggest hurdle of yesterday was football! Gosh do I love to munch and watch. My strategy this time around is write down the points I KNOW I will consume during the day. In other words, extensive menu planning. That means that I know exactly what my meals are going to be and I know how many points I'll have left for "incidental eating". Notice I didn't say accidental eating. That's another of my tripping spots. Accidental eating happens in the Costco aisles, or while making the kids' lunches, or licking the beaters, or nibbling on the new recipe to see what else it needs; you didn't plan for it, and often don't realize you've done it until it's too late. You have to account for those too, but incidental eating is what I'm calling anything outside of a regularly planned meal.

So after I meal planned the day Sunday, I saw what I had left and decided to pre-package some snacks and had stuff I could munch on during the game. It worked really well. I didn't feel left out of the munching, and I stayed on my plan. I ate pretzel slims, cherries, popcorn, carrot sticks, and seltzer with lime. Plus dinner was my awesome 1 point chili. I can eat lots of that without penalty so I stayed satisfied all afternoon.

Lesson of the day is planning does pay.

The new personal adventure

Day 4 of week 1:

We're not on another traveling adventure (YET), but I have embarked on my own personal new journey. I guess it's not a totally new journey, as I have been here many times before, but I seize it this time with hopefully more vigor! The journey is weight loss.

In the past, I've been temporarily successful (25 lbs) with Jenny Craig (prepare for our wedding), gained it back, plus some extra. Then Atkins (post baby #1), VERY successful (over 60 lbs.), loved the food, but thought I could maintain and modify it...I couldn't, but I haven't ever gained ALL of it back. Most of it, but not all. As it crept back on after baby #2, I decided to try Weight Watchers...again very successful (20 lbs), but when we moved I fell off of the wagon...and gained that 20 back. Got settled in the new place and lived with the 20 for a while. Tried to just "eat well and exercise", and that didn't work for me. Decided when I cleaned out a drawer and found some unused Weight Watchers meeting certificates that I'd give it a try again. Stuck with it for 6 months, lost a bit of weight, but got frustrated that I couldn't find a meeting that fit my schedule and let it lapse. Now, 18 months later and 20 lbs shy of my all time high, I'm back with WW again. I find comfort in the meetings, and accountability. I like the camaraderie and support, and there's almost always a great recipe.

Another reason it has worked for me in the past is that I am a foodie. I enjoy everything about food. I like meal planning, recipe searching, shopping, preparing, cooking, the smells, tastes, and textures. Weight Watchers allows me to do all of this and uses real food, so my family is eating it (in larger portions) right along with me and I don't have to prepare two different meals for each sitting.

Why will this time be different? Hmm...I'm approaching it with the goal of getting to the weight I want (30-40 lbs away from where I am now), not just "let's see what happens". I'm looking at it like when I finally quit smoking---I got mad and determined and dug in my heels that this was it. I'm never going back to that place again.

And that is why I'm blogging. I mentioned accountability before and posting about weight loss on the internet might be the highest level of accountability there is. If I get really brave, I might post an unflattering photo and the actual weight I'm starting at, but for now, that's really not necessary is it? Besides you can see photos of me in other places on the blog. I've gained 10 since the trip, you work it out ;).

Please feel free to pepper me with questions and atta-boys! That will keep me engaged and thinking about what I'm doing.