Day 1, Week 2 - A tremendous start!

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

a;ldkjaiharjzcvnartoTtyt07ugfn69q

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.

Shared photo book from Laurie

Click here to view this photo book larger

From Mobile to Virginia Beach

So after we leave the USS Alabama, we get off I-10 for the first time in a week. We head NE on I-65 to Montgomery, then I-85 to Atlanta. We had planned to visit the Coca-Cola World in Atlanta, but our hotel turned out to be on the opposite of town and a significant detour. We opted to continue on the next morning to Wytheville, VA via NW South Carolina and Gastonia, NC. Along the way, we saw a few interesting things, but mostly at that point we were destination driven and just wanted to get there. Here are the pictures. We did make a stop at a nice museum of natural science called the Schiele Museum in Gastonia.

A long day on the road. After the museum, we headed north on I-77 in Charlotte, NC all the way into Wytheville, Virginia. A nice hotel, warm pool, kids to play with, and the laundry got done.

A good night's sleep, and we're just a few hours from family!

Next stop is Skyline Drive for lunch, then Luray Caverns. Ted had been to the Caverns before, but didn't remember much, and Claire hadn't been at all, so she was excited. I've been a number of times in my life and always remember a line and an assigned tour time, so I was pleasantly surprised when we got there and the tour is now self-guided with a choice of audio tours. There was a high energy, informative kid's audio and a more refined (pinkies up everyone), slightly more detail oriented. You could go back and forth between the two at each station. I listened to both, and the kid's was much more fun!

After we left the caverns, we were only about 1 hour from Trish and Brad's in Marshall, VA. An uneventful drive to Marshall, and we were in place for a 2 night stay! Yipee! No moving the very next morning. Instead, we (Claire) got to play with Angel (the scaredy-dog), we (all) got to see the deer, hang out with Trish and Brad, have one person to a bed, eat good food, and sightsee in Washington, D.C. for two days. (see pictures) Thanks so much Trish and Brad!

Washington was hot and humid, but still a great place to see, learn, and experience. We were there for the shooting at the Holocaust Museum, too close for my liking, but stayed safe and still enjoyed ourselves immensely.

We left our second day in D.C. and headed to Midlothian, VA for the night to visit the Haines family. A too short visit for sure, but maybe we can get them to come to Arizona sometime? Thanks so much for having us though. A trip to Friendly's and a night at another comfy family home, and we were off to Virginia Beach!

Virginia Beach means family, fun, food, the beach, a birthday party for Claire, and friends. But first and foremost it means WE GET TO PICK UP DADDY AT THE AIRPORT!!!!! Yay for all of us. I get a break and the kids get to see their dad again, and I get adult company again. A win-win-win situation. Here are the pictures.

We were covered in bug bites, saw lots of rain, thunder, and lightning, but saw UP, ate ice cream, went to the beach, restaurants, and I had a pedicure with Julie to keep me company. Aaaah.

We'll take off for points north in the next blog.

Where did I leave us? Oh yes, Katy, TX.

After San Antonio, TX, we headed for our first stay with family in Katy (pictures). We stayed with Don, Mary, Ellen, and Lucy, as well as our beagle cousins, Basil and Mitzi. We got there mid-afternoon to find Ellen diligently studying for her last final exam. This was a theme for the next week or so. Whatever day we got there was the last day of finals. We chased the last day of school all the way through NJ. Anyway, we were only staying the night and visiting the next day. Back on the road after dinner. We had a great time just hanging out, went to a park where the kids got to scooter and run and play, played with the dogs, played WAR, and ate too much! It was so nice. And too short.

We hit the bayous of Texas on our way out at night and I think the bug population must triple at night. The next morning, when we looked at the car in the hotel parking lot, we couldn't believe the solid coating of insect carnage on the grill! The place that changed our oil in NJ was pretty surprised at the size of some of the bodies on the air filter when he changed it too.

From Lafayette (arrived too late to swim...too bad, the pool looked good), we continued our eastward trek through the Atchafalaya Swamp (the largest swamp in North America). The wonderfully nice ladies in the visitor's center heard me say something to Claire about it being her birthday and made a big ol' fuss over her. They found beads and pins and luggage tags under the counter and presented them to her. By the way, the visitor's center is worth a stop to learn about the swamp habitat and how its boundaries have changed with erosion and storms over the years.

Finally we got to New Orleans (pictures). The Big Easy was cloudy that day, and I'm glad. It was getting hotter as we headed east and definitely more humid. A nice cloudy day was perfect. Got to show the kids The French Quarter, Jackson Square, the Mississippi River, The Audobon Aquarium, had a portrait of the kids done for Father's Day, and celebrated Claire's birthday at lunch. Laissez les bons temps rollez~.

We headed across Lake Pontchartrain, and to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi to my old Air Force Keesler AFB stomping grounds. Toes were dabbled in the Gulf of Mexico, Katrina damage was witnessed, and a beautiful sunset was seen.

We got to Mobile, AL in time for bed, and an early start to the USS Alabama. We didn't realize until breakfast (watching CNN cover D-day), that it WAS D-Day and we were visiting a WWII ship. There were some big festivities going on there and it made the visit a little more special and us feel a little more patriotic. Side note: the "D" in D-Day doesn't mean anything you'd think it does...not debarkation or doom. It means day and is a way of marking time...d is the day something is to occur, the day before would be D minus 1 and the day after would be D plus 1. I had to look it up. Everyone I asked that day had a different answer, and they were all wrong.

There are lots of pictures of the USS Alabama, as well as a few from the Gulf Coast, plus the other picture links that were in the body of the blog.

Enjoy, and we'll pick up from here next time.