Weighty Wednesday -- Halloween Candy Madness

Halloween is a tough time of year . . . especially for those of us who are losing weight, or simply trying to maintain.


It's easy to break into candy that you normally would never buy to make sure "it tastes okay to give out to the Trick-or-Treaters".

It's also very easy to steal from one's child. . . yeah, I've been known to do that.

Whereas when I was growing up, I learned to keep track of every single piece of candy because I have older brothers and sisters.
Whereas my daughter doesn't really care.

Oh, she has her favorites and keeps track of them, but I can swipe a Skittles or a chocolate bar and she wouldn't even know it.

Sour patch kids and frozen Reeses, well, don't even think about eating them!

She usually nibbles on her candy for a few days and then I put the remainder of it in a bag and put it on the shelf to be forgotten. We usually throw out the rest of the candy around Christmas . . . when a new haul of candy becomes available.

This (exhibit A on the right), however, is the bane of my Halloween.

Once a package is opened, expect it to be demolished within a day, two at the most. The easy response would be, "just don't buy it". Well, yeah, in a perfect world that would be a good response.

But, I'm not perfect.

The only good thing about this is that I manage to get sugar headaches from the excessive sweet, and I eat so much of it in a narrow window of time that I want to throw up, which makes it easier for me to resist other candy.

Well, that's my theory anyway.

Enjoy Halloween. Don't go crazy eating too much sugar. And if you need to make some cupcakes for an office Halloween party, here are a few decorating suggestions:

These are a few of the cupcakes I've made in the past.

Happy Halloween!

Oh, when your daughter wants to be a 'cute candy corn'. She wants to look like this:


Not this:

Just sayin'

Weighty Wednesday -- Hibernation Effect

Holiday season is here, Or as I'm fond of calling it -- CANDY SEASON.

It starts with Halloween and ends with Easter. November and January are lighter months, but the other months make up for it.

And, of course, I make candy.

How can you make candy without tasting the product? 

You can't. Though I don't usually eat a whole piece of the final product, I do take a destroyed one (usually cracked in the freezing process), cut it open to see how the filling holds in the candy, how it looks against the chocolate coat, and then taste a sample of the piece to decide how the flavors meld together.

--this last step is how I decide what type of chocolate covers the filling. If my filling is tart (Limoncello, Key Lime, Bronx Cheer {raspberry}), or pepperminty, and I know it will stand up to the dark chocolate flavor, then I will mold it in dark chocolate. I tend to mold Cup 'o Joe in white chocolate, because who doesn't like vanilla cream flavor in their coffee? Almost all the other flavors I make will go in milk chocolate--the velvety creamy texture combines well with all the other flavors.

And it's not just the fact that candy will be laying around the house for the next few weeks, waiting for Halloween, plus the post-Halloween extras.

--I make a point of having hubs hide the six MONGO-sized bags of candy from Sam's Club, but if he can't hide it, I make a point of 1) NOT OPENING IT, or in a moment of weakness when I open it, I make a point of 2) barely slicing open the end and using my heat sealer to cover the evidence.

Yeah, this old dog has some tricks.

The toughest part of this season is what I like to call the HIBERNATION EFFECT.

With less sunshine, we tend to become sluggish, lethargic, eat comfort food to excess, and not really care about our health. Who wants to exercise?

Only those freaks who live to exercise, that's who.

Okay, I like to walk outside. When it's spitting rain, or the wind is blowing at 50 mph from the north, and it's in the 40's or lower, I don't particularly like to walk on those days, but I still do it.  

It's a habit. And a good one. So I'll keep doing it. . . though I might change the time of day until after the watery sun warms the land just a little bit.

And I hate going to the gym more than I hate freezing my butt off in the nasty weather!

It's a tough time of year when it's dark when we go to work and dark when we get home. We put on our sweats, yoga pants or fuzzy jammies with the expandable waists and go to town in the pantry while we watch TV, or play video games, or sit and read in the evening .

Tis is the season of soups, stews, and all sorts of casseroles. The urge to bake luscious desserts, or just a batch of cookies, is upon us, as the heat from the stove provides comfort along with the food that warms our tummies.

The key to surviving the season is to have a PLAN.

Plan to eat all five servings of fruits and veggies daily. With the modern convenience grocery stores, there is no excuse that you can't get fresh fruit and veggies . . . unless you live in the boonies. A fresh salad before dinner will help fill you up.

Plan to drink plenty of WATER. This is tough since we don't think to keep hydrated in winter, but your skin will thank you. Here's my trick to drinking water on my walks: I fill my aluminum water bottle with HOT tap water. Mile one, the water is very warm, but cools enough by miles two through four to comfortably drink. The container holds 3 cups of water, which is half of the recommended daily amount of fluids.

Plan to make time for exercise. Look, just parking at the back of the parking lot and walking into the grocery store is better than nothing. Walk around your house. Walk the mall a few times before you shop. If you have a second story in your house make a point of walking upstairs to go to the bathroom. Every little movement is better than none at all.

And the biggest challenge of the season is PORTION CONTROL. If you haven't been practicing this little beauty, now is the time to start. I know you want another bowl of stew or soup or another scoop of that chicken enchilada casserole, but do you really NEED it? Are you hungry? Or did it just taste so good that you just want more to satisfy the pleasure center of your brain? Wait a few minutes before you head to the kitchen for seconds. Drink some water. Enjoy family time. Or get more of that lovely green salad instead. Do anything to get past the few minutes of wanting something, but not needing it.

Another trick is to use a ladle that has four or eight ounces marked. Use this to measure your amount of soups or stews. I know WW sells scoops that have specific amounts marked. Buy a set. Oh, and when you measure, don't make it a HEAPING scoop. We're talking level scoop. Use a knife to level it off if you can't trust yourself.

I know the food tastes good--that's what got us into this weighty predicament--but you need to have control over the food, not vice-versa.

This is a challenging season. I know you can do it, because I'm right there with you.

And the sun is up enough for me to change and go on my walk.

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Change

Yesterday I talked about change--writing change--and today I'm talking about change on my weight loss blog of the week.

Change can be scary.

Look at Facebook. Many times they change it up because they can, it doesn't mean they should.  People are content to get into their daily rhythms and routines, and when something is changed, it throws them out of sync.

In general, people fear change.

How many times have you gone into a store only to discover they flip-flopped everything?

This just happened to me last week when I entered ULTA to purchase some hair products. I asked the clerk why they did that, and she had no answer.

Change just to shake things up is crazy.

That is a stupid reason to change. It upsets the comfort we have from our routines. It takes longer to our chores, our jobs, our shopping . . . until we get used to the change and then it becomes a habit.

Making the decision to lose weight is scary, too.

Many of us fear failure. Because with change comes the chance that we might not be successful.

Every day you open your eyes, you can make the decision to change your eating habits. Every time you open your mouth to put food in it, you are making a decision.

Change is hard.

But you have to weigh the pros and cons.

Is your weight becoming detrimental to your health?

Is your weight ruling what you can and can't do in your life?

Is your weight physically uncomfortable? Do you find it hard to tie your shoes because your gut gets in the way . . . and you aren't pregnant?

YOU have to make the decision to change, not your spouse, not your doctor, not your kids.

YOU have to decide when you have that knee surgery, get put on diabetes medicine, or get an increase in your high blood pressure meds that enough is enough.

YOU have to realize you will have to take control of your food, instead of letting food control you.

Yes, you will have to think about food A LOT when you first decide to make a change in your eating habits.

But look at it this way, What has NOT thinking about food done for you?

Yes, change is hard, but it's worth it.

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Frustrations

Though I was really a slacker with my tracking last week, I managed to lose 0.6 lbs--and that was with yoga pants on and not shorts.

--and I have no idea how that happened. It was probably a fluke.

I never bothered to weigh myself at home trying on one set of clothes and then the other, I just went with the yoga pants because it's been a little chilly here in the morning.

Six more pounds to go to get back to my goal weight.

Yeah, it's just as frustrating as it was to lose-plateau-lose-plateau-gain the second time around as much as it was the first time.

It doesn't help that the candy making process has been severely frustrating this week.

I thought I'd knock out 5 1-pound boxes of sea salt caramels and then all I'd have to do to fill the 15 varieties of truffles for the next 5 1-pound boxes.

Well, nothing goes astray like a well-laid plan.

I did manage to get the milk chocolate parts of three boxes finished, but then things didn't go my way.

Sea Salt Caramels (what they should look like!)

--the chocolate was slightly too warm causing the fork to stick to the caramel

-- AND the entire caramel to collapse when it dried.

--I made the sizes for the caramels too small

--I made the sizes for the caramels too large

--I made two fresh batches of caramel, but they managed to be too soft, which means they started melting under the heat of the lights.

Frustrations of standing and working the candy for three hours only to end up with about three pounds of Sea Salt Caramels that I can't use because they won't fit in the candy forms in the boxes.

*sigh*

Back to square one.

Make a batch of caramel AND when it's firm, I'm putting it in the freezer for a day or two BEFORE I go through the process of dipping the chocolates.

Repeat this process three times.

I know I'll be using these caramels, so making extra won't be a killer.

It's simply frustrating.

Just like losing weight. Sometimes you have to wipe the mental slate clean and start back at square one. This can happen anytime on your journey. The key is to heave a great sigh, forgive yourself, and start the next day with a brand new well-laid plan.

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Fair Food

I'm talking pretty much anything fried and/or on a stick here.

Fair food is the most evil, most expensive, most heart-attack-waiting-to-happen type of food there is.

I'm sure you could find healthy food at the fair, but why bother? IT'S FAIR TIME, right?

With the amount of money we spent on fair food we could have enjoyed a nice steak dinner at a good restaurant.

AND I still managed to lose 1.2 pounds this week.

Look, I enjoyed lots of evil food because I planned for the fair.

I tracked all week.

I walked once or even twice a day all week.

I saved all my weekly points for the fair.

You can eat horribly evil fried food and still lose weight--you just have to know what else you've eaten during the week. If I hadn't been so focused on tracking, I probably wouldn't have made the good choices during the week, but I made good choices, which allowed me to splurge a little bit.

And if I hadn't gone to the fair and eaten evil food . . . I probably would have lost a little more weight.

What did I eat?

Fried armadillo eggs -- Jalapeno pepper stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in sausage. My only regret as it wasn't spicy enough and they dumped liquid smoke all over it--YUCK!

Fried Ravioli

Fried cheese on a stick

Apple Fritter--fried, of course

Apple fries --really good, fried and then doused in cinnamon sugar

Fried cheese curds -- the fryer wasn't as hot as it should have been, which meant they were very greasy, good but greasy

Pretzel -- the only thing NOT fried

And a frozen lemonade that actually wasn't frozen--uber sweet

And this doesn't count samples of beef jerky and a smoothie . . .  I think that's the list.

Remember, the three of us 'shared' this, so it wasn't as if I ate it all myself. Yeah, I felt stuffed like a Build-A-Bear with too much stuffing!

Would I do this again?

No. The Fair only comes once a year and we already went. I'm good for another year.

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Finding the STOP button

When I went on vacation at the end of July, my weight loss efforts went on vacation, too. . . for over six weeks.

Oh, I've been tracking, and measuring, and eating all my foods on my healthy guidelines for the last few weeks, but I couldn't figure out what was wrong.

It wasn't until this last Saturday at lunch that I figured it out.

Stock Photo

Copyright : amasterpics123 

I had lost my STOP button.

In fact, I was about to go all crazy person on my hubs when he offered to finish my gyro and I 'growled' at him. Three small bites later, I handed him a piece with two large bites left containing tons of meat. . . .

And had this revelation.

I think Americans have been trained to stop eating when they feel full. Well, the problem is that your brain waves are a little behind the times when they signal you that you are full and you end up in the 'feeling stuffed like the Thanksgiving turkey' full.

I know I've mentioned this before, but it's okay to leave food on your plate. Don't force yourself to finish eating it because there are starving children in ______ (fill in the blank). There will always be starving children somewhere and your food waste isn't going to feed them.

When I'm eating all my healthy guideline foods, I tend to have lots of WW points left at the end of the day, but when I'm not eating my healthy guideline foods, I use up my WW points around noon. The healthy guidelines are basically drinking 6 glasses of WATER, eating 2 servings of fat free dairy, 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, and lean protein. In other words, refined carbs such as sugar and flour products tend to use up your daily WW points.

In my WW weekly, I was reading a small blurb by the guy who does the fitness part of the pamphlet. It was quite enlightening. He had commented that on his tracker, he had gone over on his daily points a couple of days the previous week. When he started investigating as to why, he realized he'd been eating a muffin instead of the potato chips he really wanted.

Here's the enlightening part:

The muffin cost him 16 WW points, whereas if he had eaten the potato chips he would have only used 4 WW points!

Proving that you need to use your point calculator and not assume that one food is automatically less than another product.

You know about assuming things, right?

You make an ASS out of U and ME = ASSUME

Just something to think about.

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Recommit

I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that I've managed to gain ten pounds since right before I went on vacation--IN JULY!

It's true.

But I hope this is 'new' fat and not 'permanent' fat. A couple of the ladies in my WW meeting yesterday coined this term. One tends to shed 'new' fat more quickly than the permanent kind.

What is 'new' fat?

The overindulgence of a weekend, or an event, in other words, a recent acquisition.

Whereas permanent fat has had a chance to get comfy and make itself at home.

Yeah, I think that's the type of fat I've managed to acquire.

I might have gained the ten pounds in the last eight weeks, but I've actually been fighting my pissy attitude since last Christmas.

Remember last week's blog, Weighty Wednesday -- Believe?

Well, I believed I didn't need to follow the program.

I believed I could do it on my own.

I believed I knew all the 'tricks'.

I believe I'm an idiot.

Look, I'm just like you, talking the talk, but not walking the walk.

Just because I made it to my goal and manage to stay there for awhile doesn't mean this journey is over.

It will never be 'over'.

Well, it's time I recommit to my health.

I don't like the way my stomach feels when I sit and the fat rolls over the other fat rolls to warm them up.

I don't like the way my shorts fit with the pockets of the flat front shorts poke out from under my shirt.

I don't like the way I look naked in front of a mirror.

If I don't like myself, why would anyone else like me? Right?

To that effect, I'm recommitting to my journey, my weight-loss journey.

I'm measuring, weighing, and tracking my food.

I don't expect to be back at goal weight by next week, but I DO expect to feel better and regain my positive attitude.

Are you willing to join me?

It really isn't that hard.

It jus takes a little commitment and hard work.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Believe

I'm going to piggyback my Weight Watcher's meeting topic today:

BELIEVE

The power of belief has long been the mantra of many people for many reasons.

When I had major neck surgery, I held the firm belief that I was going to come through the operation just fine. I believed in the hospital. I believed in the neurosurgeon. I believed the surgery would remove the pain

It did.

And for 21 years, everything has been wonderful, until recently when age has finally caught up to my compromised neck.

I still believe that if I need additional surgery that all will go well.

When I started writing, I believed I would succeed.

Well, success comes in many forms. No, I'm not a NYT best selling author, nor do I think I will ever be one. It's just not in my belief system to wish my fantasy world into my reality.

Too many outside factors will manage this belief.

In other words, this particular belief is out of my hands. I can't make people read my stories. I can't make people like my stories, characters, etc.

But I believe I can write the best story that I can.

When I was horseback riding, I believed I could compete at the top levels of the hunter world.

And yet again, this belief was unrealistic. 

None of my horses were capable of competing at those levels, nor was I able to afford to compete at those levels. My belief that I could have an incredibly perfect jumping round didn't make sense because too many other factors were involved: my horse, me, the judge(s), or even the fact that a spectator could walk through a patch of sunlight at the most inopportune time that would make my horse spook.  

I could believe it all I wanted to, but until the planets aligned, and I was perfect with my cues to my horse, then it wasn't something that was going to happen.

Eventually, I believed that every time I mounted my horse I would have fun. I would enjoy the beautiful animal that allowed me to sit his back.

This belief was realistic, and came true every single time.

I also believe that I'll win Publisher's Clearing House . . . . and we know what the odds of that particular event happen would be, about a gazillion to one!

The power of belief is a wonderful thing, but just saying you believe in something isn't going to make it happen.

If you truly believe in something, it will take a lot of time, it will take a lot of commitment, and it will take a lot of hard work to make it happen.

And so does losing weight.

Just because you believe you can lose weight isn't going to make it happen.

You have to focus your commitment on YOU. And while you are on your weight loss journey you will discover that, yes, you are strong enough to lose weight. You are committed to losing weight. And you WILL lose weight.

Even at journey's end, the journey won't be finished. You will face new challenges.

The challenge of maintaining that lost weight is almost tougher than losing the weight.

I know.

Because I've gained 7 pounds over vacation . . . and I came home from vacation four weeks ago. I have to believe that I can lose those pounds because I've done it before. Right?

All it takes is focus, commitment, hard work, and belief in myself.

Because if you don't BELIEVE in yourself, who will?

And if all else fails, then have some dental work done. . . because I can guarantee that you will not want to eat with a numb tongue, numb lips, or numb face, or if your teeth are still sensitive for days or weeks--food will not be your friend.

Believing you can do something is one thing.

Having the courage to actually DO it is a whole different matter!

I believe you have to courage.

All it takes is your belief that through commitment and hard work you WILL succeed.

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Eating Out

YAY! I'm back to within my +2 over goal weight--133.6 lbs! I still have a few pounds to go to be in the comfortable range.

I can honestly tell you that I feel so much better now! Healthy and happy, yanno!

So onward to the topic at hand -- eating out.

If you are like a large part of America, you are eating out numerous times a week and not just for special occasions.

Now the problem arises when we eat out like it is a special occasion numerous times a week.

Make sense?

There's a reason obesity has tripled in the US since 980.

sedentary lifestyle + high caloric/high fat diet + fewer fruits/veg = obesity

 

It all comes down to choosing your meal wisely and moderation.

 

We can't always order the chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, but we can order that on occasion while eating a healthier diet the rest of the time.

 

So the key to eating out is in the preparation. Here are a few ideas:

• go online and look at the menu of various restaurants and check the nutritional information
• have the sauces, gravies or salad dressing on the side
• Substitute. For example: instead of eating Chicken Piccata on a bed of pasta, ask for the Chicken Piccata to be placed on a bed of spinach.
• Order a smaller portion of steak or other protein. Ask for it grilled, but hold the butter basting.
• Find out what's in that salad before you order it. You might do better splitting a meal with your loved one and ordering a side dinner salad.

I've had numerous friends lamenting about their weight, and yet when I suggest they start tracking their food, or measuring portions, they become irate and complain that they don't want to think about food all the time.

 

Well, you know what?

 

NOT thinking about food has caused them to eat indiscriminately -- anything and everything, and it put them in the place they are currently are--OBESE.

 

Harsh words, right?

 

But I want to be harsh, because I don't want to lose my friends simply because they didn't care enough about themselves to start getting healthy!

 

Okay, deep breath . . . I'm back under control  and off my soapbox now. You can eat out and lose weight. It's all a matter of how you approach the eating out.

 

When we go on vacation, we usually do the meal plan at WDW. One of the benefits of the meal plan is that you can make reservations ahead of time, which in turn, allows me to peruse the various menu items ahead of time. I can decide what I might eat two weeks prior to eating the meal. This is a good trick even at home. If you have a smart phone, you can look up a restaurant's menu.

 

Another biggie for me was giving myself permission to leave food on the plate. This was probably the hardest technique of all, since we've been programmed to clean our plate. You don't have to do this.

 

If you splurge for lunch, then consider a light salad for dinner. Do not have two big meals the same day.

 

Salads are good if you know what is on them. So many salads are more calories than the high calorie meal your spouse orders! Be aware of cheeses, corn, peas, croutons, tortilla strips, nuts, bacon bits, black beans, etc. High calorie is high calorie even if you call it a salad! In fact, one of the worst offenders, calorie-wise is the Cobb Salad. Salad dressing on the side is good, but vinaigrettes are better than cream dressings. It's all about your choices.

 

Many restaurants offer a 'light' portion. Ask them what it means. Is it a smaller portion, or is it truly 'lightened'? Appetizers are a good way to get a nice meal without splurging too much. I've been known to order grilled shrimp appetizer and have my hubs order a side salad with his meal. . . . I get the salad.

 

Take your time when you order out and choose wisely. You can lose weight by eating out, you just have to be smart about your choices.

 

Later, Peeps!

 

 

 

Weighty Wednesday -- Good Intentions

Well, I gained a pound this week--137.4 pounds. Still over my goal weight by five pounds.

Since I'm going through some health issues, I must confess that I have good intentions when I'm around food, but I still struggle. . . and I'm obviously losing the battle!

But good intentions won't lose that extra padding that I have.

As it's been said before, "Good intentions pave the road to Hell."

Intending to do something, whether it's to eat better, save a kid from a bully, ask a girl or guy on a date, or whatever, is the lackluster excuse for doing nothing.

Or as Yoda would say, "Do. Or do not. There is no try."

The only way to succeed at something in your life is to take the risk.

You might fail. Heck, you might fail numerous times.
(Been there, done that, AND wrote the book!)

But then again, you might succeed.

Therein lies the quandary.

To take a risk opens yourself up to examination, by yourself  and others, but without taking the risk you go nowhere on life's journey.

Your choice, your journey.

Do you want to be known as the person who didn't take the risk?

To be known as a failure? Though, this is usually in your own mind and eyes, not how others perceive you.

Or do you want to overcome those obstacles? To push through and succeed?

Think about it. I'll leave you with this quote:

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall."
~ Confucius

 Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Body Image

I missed my WW meeting this week. Hubs took my car yesterday morning. I could have arrived late, but why bother when I knew I was still over my goal weight.

Yeah, I'm all about justifying my inability to lose weight . . . sound just a tiny bit familiar?

Anyway, today's topic is body image.

I'll go with the American concept of body image, as I haven't been out of the country since my kidlet was born, and am not familiar with other countries concepts.

Americans are obsessed with the idea of the 'skinny' body image, which makes it even more bizarre to realize we are also one of the most obese nations, too!

But the concept of the 'perfect' body hasn't evolved in only the last 50 years since Twiggy hit the runway in England and became the standard by which designers use to display their clothes.

Oh, no.


In China, it was common to bind the feet of women. This practice can be traced back to 700 AD and it was only recently banned just over 100 years ago, in 1911. Tiny feet were considered a status symbol, but can you imagine the pain these girls and women suffered their entire lives?

Then you have the women in some African and Asian countries who wear neck rings. They cannot take these rings off once they are place on because their neck muscles have atrophied and they couldn't hold their heads up.

 I can't even wear a turtleneck shirt without feeling like I'm choking, I can't imagine having these around my neck . . . but then again, I wouldn't have a degenerative disc disease in my cervical spine, either!

Or 17th century dresses, with exaggerated hips:

Or the advent of the corset to give the hourglass figure. No wonder Scarlet O'Hara ate like a bird in GONE WITH THE WIND. One couldn't eat in a tight corset!

Or the 19th century bustles, which emphasis big butts:

 

It wasn't until the blonde bombshell Mae West came on the scene that women started looking like we should look.

 

Or Betty Grable, WWII pin up girl.

Or Jane Russell

 

Or do you prefer Twiggy's look?

 

I don't. This picture screams anorexia to me, but then again, she could simply be a slender person. Not all of us were made to be this size.

Personally, I think women should be happy in their own bodies. Some of us are short and rounder than others (me) or tall and lanky (not me). This is easy to say, but harder to do. A swim mom and I were talking about this at the last swim meet. It wasn't until age crept up on us, and we had to deal with age-related metabolism and our various aches and pains, that we realized how smoking hot our bodies were 20-30 years ago, while we were in our 20's and 30's.

Too bad at the time we thought we were fat and never realized how good we looked.

Don't make this your future. Enjoy who you are now. I say this with the exception of the morbidly obese. Obese is not healthy. It causes numerous health issues. Slightly overweight with a little extra padding is not obese.

"Normal" is just an average, as there are always people on each end of the spectrum. The key is to find the happy medium.

Personally, I'd go for the Jane Russell look myself, maybe it's just the brunette in me.

Later, peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Insanity is . . .

This is the way many of us approach weight loss.

We eat the same foods, don't change our activity level, and yet we expect the weight to slough off like the snake skin off a snake.

It isn't going to happen, people!

I'm the prime example of this. For months, I've been whining about my 3-5 lb. weight gain, BUT I didn't do anything about it. I simply coasted along and pretended to do something about it while all the time magically expecting something to happen.

This week I had a 1.4 lb weight loss. It isn't much. But considering I didn't have my mental attitude adjustment until Sunday and weigh-in was Tuesday morning, I think this is a fantastic amount! It's because of the way I'm approaching this. I'm finally buckling down and making it happen!

Look--if what you're doing isn't working, then CHANGE IT!

If you want to lose weight you will do the hard work. You just have to want it enough. Many of you talk the big game, but you aren't ready or able to do the hard work. Whether it's the mental block or a physical block, it doesn't matter. You can make change happen if you set your mind to it.

Do you want it bad enough, or are you really happy with the place you're at?

Something is stopping you from losing weight, but I can't fix it for you. Your Weight Watcher leader can't fix it for you. Your spouse and family can't fix it you.

You have to be the one to make the decision.

You have to be the one to make the choice to lose that weight.

You have to be the one to figure out what's stopping you from losing weight.

And don't you dare say, "Hormones."

Hormones don't help, but they aren't the ones that keep packing the weight on--you are.

Yes, losing weight does take some self-control.

You have to WANT to lose weight bad enough to change your habits. Are you ready to take that first step?

It's all about baby steps, my friends.

First you develop an awareness of what you are eating by:

• writing everything down
• thinking about what you are putting in your mouth
• becoming aware of what a real 'portion' size is

Then you develop a plan through:

• limiting certain foods
• increasing intake of other foods
• increasing your activity

Then you follow that plan until you gain the satisfaction:

• of seeing the scale numbers dropping
• of clothes feeling looser
• of compliments about how you are glowing with vitality

As I've said before, we all know what we have to do to lose weight.

The question is, do you want the results enough to do the hard work?

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Mindful Eating

A month or so ago, I heard some weight-loss 'name' (can't remember who!) talk about mindful eating . . . as if this was a new concept.

It isn't.

Basically, this concept is the backbone of the Weight Watchers ideals.

Think about it.

When you are a WW and in the process of losing weight or at goal and focused on keeping the weight off you practice mindful eating all the time, through weighing, measuring, and tracking your food.

In other words, being aware of what you eat . . . every single time you put something in your mouth.

How many times have you found yourself sitting on the sofa with an empty bag of chips?

Or a spoon and a jar of peanut butter in your hand and not realize you even got it out of the pantry?
This happened to me just last night!

Or you were at a restaurant with the intention of taking home half your meal only to discover that it somehow 'disappeared'?

The whole premise of mindful eating is to be aware of what you put in your mouth, and to make certain the stuff you put in your mouth is healthy, or if you opt for the unhealthy then not too much of it.

Look, losing weight isn't easy. Throughout life we find that the 'hard choices' are usually the right ones. The easy way out is almost never the right way.

I have a friend--actually numerous friends over the course of years--who've tried numerous weight loss regimens, from cabbage soup, to Adkins, to South Beach, to Nutrisystem, to . . .you get the picture.

Failing at all of them. Oh, there might be a little weight loss, but then the old habits slip back in and the weight is regained.

I've suggested WW, but they don't want to have to 'think about food all the time'.

Well, my friends, NOT thinking about food all the time got you into this pickle and the only way out is to be aware of what you're sticking in your pie hole.

The beauty of mindful eating is that you become aware of portion sizes (double, triple or even quadrupled in the US!), healthy options, and an awareness of how the foods effect you.

I had another friend who I suggested this concept to and it scared her.

This is because many of us tend to gorge on certain foods through emotional eating--happiness, sadness, stress, boredom . . . yes, boredom is emotional eating.
Boredom is my eating downfall. It took awhile before I figured it out, but I did.

So to round this topic off--I need to get dressed and drive the kidlet to swim practice and then walk while she's swimming--do me a favor and think about everything you put in your mouth today.

Yes, even that pizza, or cake, or salad, or whatever.

This is the first step in the process of mindful eating. Let me know if it helps you make better food choices or stop eating when you aren't hungry any longer--don't eat until full, because you've already eaten too much! 

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Bueno for Breakfast

As I'm sitting at my computer, with a fresh cup of coffee, to write my Weighty Wednesday post, the house is quiet, but thunder is booming outside and I'm thankful my hubby mowed the lawn last night because it will soon become a mucky mess with all this rain.

I'm pondering the day as the kidlet wants to swim this morning, but the swim team certainly won't be swimming outside at McClure, and I am highly doubtful that I'll be getting a walk in anytime soon!

I don't have a treadmill, you know. I love walking. I love walking outside. Walking in thunder, lightening and pouring rain . . . not so much.

Which brings me back to my cup of coffee. I take a cautious sip. It's cooled off enough for me to drink and write this blog.

I'm hesitant to write this blog.

Not because I've gained some weight back -- because I have.

Or because I'm quitting Weight Watchers -- I have NOT.

But because I'm not as tuned into this particular WW-related, just discussed topic. I think I'm stuck on the semantics of the topic, not the underlying idea behind their reasoning for this convo . . .

BREAKFAST

When I was growing up, breakfast meant a small glass of orange juice and a bowl of Captain Crunch or Lucky Charms cereal. Or if you were very unlucky, Wheaties, with their tiny flakes of cardboard.

The thought of breakfast conjures up these images.

Though I might like eating Lucky Charms marshmallows, I'm not as much of a fan of cereals as I used to be.

So, what's the dealio with eating breakfast?

The whole idea is to break your fast, thus the name. But what if you aren't hungry? Or you don't want to immediately eat when you wake up? Or the thought of trying to make a full breakfast is overwhelming?

Here's my interpretation of the situation:

• Americans tend to starve themselves and then gorge on food--This forces the body to make constant and HUGE adjustments with insulin and other regulatory hormones.
• We tend to eat more highly processed foods, read simple "carbs" here -- simple carbs simply do NOT stick with you for very long. Ever eat a huge pancake breakfast but find yourself starving only hours later?
• Or we skip breakfast, substituting a cup of coffee or whatever --skipping is just as bad as eating the wrong thing because the body goes into 'starvation mode'.

Just because it's called a 'meal', it doesn't have to be a major undertaking. The key is to have something with staying power, in other words--protein.

Now, many WW suggestions involved more than one healthy guidelines food choices, such as:

• Fat free Greek yogurt mixed with fresh fruit and a little granola -- the yogurt gives you the protein and dairy, the fruit provides the carbs and sweetness, and the granola a little bit of grain. Be careful with granola--it tends to be high in fat and carbs along with the fiber.
• Whole wheat low carb tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, veggies and some cheese -- same situation here. A little bit of food from every food group to give you something to hold you until lunch.

I'm a fan of bananas. Many times I'll drink my coffee and go for my walk before I come home to eat something. I almost always eat a banana. And if I'm still hungry, I'll eat about 1/2 cup of Fat Free Greek yogurt with cinnamon added. Or make a strawberry-banana smoothie with fat free milk, some yogurt, frozen strawberries and a banana. And if I want to add more protein, I'll add some Greek yogurt.

The key is to get some fuel into your system.

One a totally different, and yet related note--Have you ever watched a slender person eat?

Many times you will see them constantly eating. They also stop eating when they are comfortably full, but then you'll see them eat two hours later.

So how do they do it? How do they stay skinny if they are eating all the time?

Notice it's what they eat along with HOW they eat.

They are eating the same amount of food in very small doses. They are keeping their blood sugar levels at a 'steady state'. Now, this doesn't mean it's at one level constantly, what this means is that they don't have the extreme highs or lows.-- they are constantly fueling their engines, like you do when you drive a car for long distances.

You don't gun the car to accelerate to 70 mph, only to coast down to 0 mph and then gun it again, do you?

No, it isn't efficient. Once you accelerate to 70 mph, you keep your car at that speed by constantly giving it fuel.

Think about it.

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Finding a Routine

Periodically, I find that my normal routine is shot to H-E-double hockey sticks. It happens. It could be the weather. It could be family. It could be errands. It could be a combination of the above.

This week you might think it has to do with the weather--tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, etc. But you would be wrong.

I knew this week would be rough three weeks ago.

Today is my daughter's last day of finals. School was out last Friday, but they have reverted to a finals schedule for three days this week. 9 AM - 12 PM. Two tests in the morning for three days. And driving time is roughly 20-30 minutes ONE WAY, depending on traffic and accidents.

Today is the last day.

I have to drive her to school -- since it's later in the morning, the hubs can't do it -- get some errands done and take a shower, and then I go back to get her.

Today is even crazier. Pick her up to take her to a pool party after school, then another mom will pick her up for a sleep-over birthday party, but I have to take the kidlet's overnight stuff to the other house.

Tomorrow will be a mess with taking my mom to the beauty shop, driving BACK across town to pick the kidlet up, and BACK again to pick my mom up from the beauty shop! All of this driving will happen between 8:45 and 10:15.

*Note to self: FILL THE CAR WITH GAS!

Oh, I suppose I could be walking at 6:30 in the morning, but then I wouldn't be writing this blog, now would I??

And with all kidlet's studying, she hasn't been going to swim practice, thus my second venue for walking is gone until Thursday night.

I'll get back on schedule. I always do. Besides I thrive from my walkies, and not doing them makes me sad. It's my thinking time. This is how I solve the great mysteries of live . . . or maybe just plot out my next picture book.

I see Friday as being my first day back to a routine schedule, but then again, Memorial Day weekend is coming up and I foresee a little bit of traveling in my future.

I'll have to fit my walkies in when I can.

And so should you.

Having a routine is wonderful. But sometimes life gets in the way and we need to MAKE the time for exercise.

If you don't have the time to walk for an hour or go to the gym, then keep moving---clean the house, walk up and down the stairs numerous times, pick weeds in the yard, mow the lawn.

The key is to keep moving. No you probably won't get any aerobic activity from these items, but you also won't be sitting on a chair with a remote in one hand and a bag of Jalapeno Cheetos in the other, will you?

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- WW 360 concept

I tried. Really, I did. I tried to like the concept of the 360 program from Weight Watchers.

But I don't like it. Not at all.

The idea behind the 360 part of the program--as I understand it--is to work on an area of your life for a month to make that part of your life--to bring it full circle, if you will.

To me, it's like beating a dead horse.

Up until January--when this program started--Weight Watchers and I had been psychically connected in a weird way. When I needed a certain concept in my life--they presented it during the meeting. This happened for over a year and a half worth of meetings and 50 pounds of weight loss.

Now, they are talking about different forms of a particular subject ad nauseum for an entire month!

I feel like I'm a kid again . . . and you know what kids do when parents lecture them?

They tune them out. They do the opposite of what the parent wants.

I'm having a hard time with dropping this little bit of weight that I had gained, because the meetings aren't inspiring me or motivating me to push through my obstacles. And don't tell me that they have a gazillion researchers discovering that this is the best way.

Because, for me, it isn't. I'm one of the blips outside the core research subjects.

Think about all those scientific studies that "proved" one thing or another only to have it vilified ten years later?

Food 'pyramid' anyone?? I knew this was a bad idea from the get-go.

Though I love my leader and my group, I don't love the program, which means I'll have to go through my old blogs to find the incentive to get back to goal.

In my mind, the 360 program is a PROGRAM FAIL . . . so I guess it really was a good thing that I decided NOT to be a Weight Watcher leader, because I'd have a hard time selling something I didn't fully believe in.

Right now, I feel as if I'm alone in this weight struggle and I don't like the feeling. I wish Weight Watchers would return to the way the program was set up the last two years. I understand the need to change and keeping it fresh.

But like what's happening with Facebook--new and changed does NOT always equate with better.

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Sabotage!

We hear it all the time.

So-and-so sabotaged my weight loss efforts by ________ (fill in the blank with name).

Really?

You're going to blame someone else for making you eat that _________ (fill in the blank with food item).

It's time to get real here. Unless you happen to be a duck or goose living on a foie gras farm, no one is force feeding you anything.

It all comes down to you sabotaging your weight loss efforts, but wanting to play the blame game.

Yes, I'm still fighting this last two pounds over my Goal Weight. I have to say these surges of cold weather aren't helping any. Who wants to walk in the cold, wind, and rain? Yes, I did yesterday, and today, I'm paying the price.

Who wants to grill in 30 degree weather? Yes, I know people do, but really??
Cold weather inspires comfort food. And comfort food tends to be in the form of something warm, calorie heavy and fattening.

Anyway, I wondered what happened? What triggered this downward spiral that resulted in my weight gain? Discovering this trigger wasn't going to make it UN-happen, but it might prevent me from falling into this abyss again.

It took me awhile, but it was a simple email conversation with a writer friend.

ME (elated): I don't know what's going on, but I'm still dropping weight!

HER (concerned): You might want to go to the doctor to see if something's wrong.

ME (now worried): Maybe I should . . .

And that, my friends, was the start. I wasn't getting dangerously thin. I wasn't even in the middle of the weight range for my height, but I allowed this comment to mess with my psyche. I began adding back flour, sugar, and fried stuffs into my diet, which in turn made me gain weight, plus it has the added addiction of the flour, sugar, and fried stuffs that I need to purge from my diet again.

All it took was one comment for me to trip and fall. It wasn't intentional sabotage. Just like a friend wanting to eat lunch with you and choosing the one restaurant you have no will power. Or the kidlet wanting to go to a fast food restaurant. Or the  . . . .

Whatever. You get my point.

Who is really the one person that sabotaged you?

You are.

We have no one to blame but ourselves.

Now that I know what triggered this downward spiral, I can focus on my goals.

Yes, I have to cut many, many things from my diet.

Yes, it will be difficult to go through the sugar withdrawal again, but I have a goal in mind.

I have focus . . . now, to find the will power.

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Frustrations are Elevated

I've been tracking everything I've been putting in my mouth, counting points, measuring stuff, etc. Though this weekend we did take a trip to Silver Dollar City and ate Krispy Kreme donuts and Andy's Custard. I'm sure that didn't help! 

I've been walking twice a day for three days a week (earning 10 activity points on these days), once a day the rest of the time (6-7 activity points), plus doing yoga (no points worth mentioning) once a week.

And I still can't seem to get my weight below my goal weight maximum line! Grrrrr! Yes, it's only a pound or two, but they have a funny way of multiplying like bunnies in the wild! You have to get a handle on it immediately.

No, I haven't made it to a meeting in April because of this issue. When you go to the first meeting of the month, you have to officially weigh-in. I would have to pay for the meeting if I'm over my goal weight upper range, and I'm cheap. I don't want to pay this until I am forced to do so.

I have two more weeks to get my act together. I have to focus to get this two extra pounds of padding off my body!  I will attend the first meeting in May because I need the group support.

My hormones have been playing havoc with me for the last six weeks--It's no excuse, just an observation--and I wonder how much of this is causing my carb cravings.  

That's it. Rant over. Time to focus.

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Back to Square One

Sort of, but not really. Mentally, yes, I was back to square one.

Weight-wise, it isn't as bad as it was when I joined WW, but I have managed to lazy my way back into poor habits.

And how do we nip those naughty habits?

By going back to what works, and what worked for me in the beginning of this journey was focused tracking, measuring and weighing.

I knew I was heading down this slippery slope for about a couple of months now, but I hadn't reached the point of no return. . .  until I binged on my Easter candy. Last Sunday, was the last straw when I managed to eat two monstrous bagels from Panera Bread, not just bagels, but cinnamon crunch ones with lots of honey-walnut cream cheese. And then, I topped it off by enjoying my homemade heart attack pizza, which is loaded with all sorts of processed meats and cheeses.

No, none of this was 'fat-free'.

And I enjoyed every single bite of it . . . until I weighted myself before going to bed.

If you want to scare yourself straight weigh yourself prior to going to bed, AFTER a sodium-, carbo-loading day. Talk about a weight gain! Oy!

I managed to gain 7 pounds over my goal weight!

Wowzers!

On Monday, I weighted, measured, and tracked.

And discovered that I wasn't eating ENOUGH food.

Yes, you read that right. I wasn't eating enough . . . of the right kinds of food. I had to scramble at 8 PM to eat the last 8 points of my allotted 26 WW points (I changed my tracking option to weight loss mode).

On, Tuesday, I had to scramble to eat 4 extra points.

Which means, I was getting a handle again on spreading my points throughout the day AND marking my healthy check boxes.

And yes, I was stuffed both days.

And yes, I amped up my walking pace for both days (cold days had made me slower).

And I weighed myself this morning.

I was only 1.8 pounds over my goal weight of 132 pounds, instead of 7 pounds. Yes, I know most of what I gained was water weight due to elevated sodium and the bread carbs, but it's too easy to get into bad habits and I had to do something about it. This week, I'll continue tracking, weighing and measuring my food and go to my Tuesday meeting to weigh-in.

Oh, and I didn't NOT eat carbs or 'bad' food on Monday or Tuesday. On Monday, I had a hotdog {8 points--Hebrew National bun length hotdog (5) and bun (3)}, and on Tuesday, I ate a cheeseburger {13 points--cheese slice (2), frozen hamburger (8), and bun (3)}. These points were calculated directly off the nutritional information provided on the packages.

It can be done.

In just two days, I also realized that I tend to have 'binge' days along with 'not enough food' days. This was an interesting discovery. When I 'binged', it usually was a carb-loaded day, not a food-loaded day.

Does that make sense?

Carbs, in general, calculate out to huge amounts of points. It's very, very easy to go over your daily points and into your weekly points without eating, and enjoying, anything 'bad'.

Everything you put into your mouth is a CHOICE. Sometimes we choose to eat unhealthy, but we have to face the consequences of our actions, usually in the form of a weight gain.

It's okay to have a day like that, but the key is to face up to what happened and focus on the now. Odds are you won't suffer any lasting damage from the one day.

Food for thought.

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Easter Candy Stupor

Erm, overdose of Easter Candy. Yes, I'm paying the weighty price. Luckily, those jelly beans have quit taunting me . . . I took care of them, yes, I did!

We still have some of the big stuff, but it doesn't usually get me into trouble like the 'pop them in your mouth' kind of candy.

My weight was up to 135 pounds. I gotta fix this!

The pool is open and swimsuit season is right around the corner!

Later, peeps! I have to get my foodie plan of action into place!