Yesterday was my first day back on the weight loss wagon.
As I mentioned in my Weighty Wednesday post, I had a harsh reality check when my shorts didn't fit.
Well, they fit, but I couldn't go out in public in them!
So I tracked my food. And I measured. And I counted my points.
I also drank water and exercised, but I do that normally, so it really wasn't a change.
And I had cravings, lots and lots of cravings.
Look, it's going to happen. Get real about it. For months now I've been shoving high sodium, high fat, and high sugar products into the great maw that I call a mouth.
My body has gotten used to it's infusion of "bad-for-me, but yummy-on-my-tummy" food. It will take a little time to remove the cravings.
It's helpful that I gave up peanut butter for Lent. If you know me at all, this is my 'go-to' food, usually with a big spoon.
One of the reasons I needed to really go back to basics--this time, I really, really went back to basics--was because I had lost all ability to deal with portion control.
Plus I needed to count points to realize how much I was eating that I shouldn't have been.
Here are a few eye-opening examples:
1) I had a small can of mixed nuts that I had been eating off of by the handfuls. No measuring involved.
I weighed them into the serving size on the box of 28 grams per serving . . . which is less than 1/4 cup, but more than an 1/8th of a cup. This small amount of nuts was 5 points.
5 points? I only get 26 points in a day. Do I really want to eat them when I could have an apple, banana and a Clementine (called halos this year) for 0 points?
Or two hard boiled eggs for 4 points?
Or huge Chick-fil-A salad for 4 points? And I didn't even add the small packages of granola or nuts to my salad.
Okay the dressing was a little costly at 7 points for the entire package. I dripped Apple Cider vinaigrette on my salad, using 1/2 of the package. I'll call that 4 points.
2) Last night I made homemade marinara. I know exactly what goes into it since I make it and it isn't a prepackages pasta sauce. I'll call it 0 points.
It was the frozen ravioli that was the reality check.
One serving of frozen ravioli (2-inch round cheese raviolis) was 4 raviolis worth 7 points.
Yikes! 7 points for only four raviolis?? Do you realize how many I had been eating???
As I mentioned numerous times. I don't like tracking my food, but tracking is the only way you will find out what you do eat. Many times just the idea of having to put the food down on paper is what stops me from eating it.
Summer is coming.
Are you shorts ready?
Later, Peeps!
Showing posts with label weighing and measuring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weighing and measuring. Show all posts
10/17/12
Weighty Wednesday -- Willpower
How many people do you know who say, "I know I need to lose a little weight, but I'll just do it by willpower." Or "It's easy to lose weight. All it takes is a little willpower."
Sorry, my friends, but the cards are stacked against you.
Yeah, I'm late. So sue me. It's not like I'm getting paid to post these little tidbits of wisdom.
Here you are overweight with zippo willpower, so what do you do? How do you get started?
As I've mentioned before, and so have reporters, that the weight loss industry is a billion dollar industry and they are there to help you . . . spend your money AND lose weight. But you have to realize a couple of things.
I can eat out at a Mexican restaurant and eat that cheese relleno, but give up something else . . . usually the margarita/chips and salsa, and I take the fried crust off the relleno prior to adding the ranchero sauce, not queso! This is still packed with calories, but not as many as it could have been!
I think I stopped tracking and weighing months ago. Periodically, I'll measure or weigh something as a reminder to see if I'm still eating the correct portions.
After 16 months--five months at goal--I think I can keep the weight off simply by using willpower.
But you have to remember that without the knowledge, the accountability, the hard work of tracking, weighing and measuring, I wouldn't have the tools to be successful at losing weight.
And just because I'm at goal, it doesn't mean that I don't stumble and overeat, or eat the wrong foods, or binge on peanut butter. It happens. But I have the tools to get back on track.
My lows don't go nearly as low or as dramatically as they used to because I know when I've made bad choices and when to get back on track. I don't beat myself up about it, or simply give up for the rest of the day.
I simply go back to my healthy guidelines and eat a nice salad with some protein, or a Greek yogurt smoothie, or whatever.
And how do I do it?
Well, I now have the knowledge, which gives me the WILLPOWER to do it.
Later, Peeps!
Sorry, my friends, but the cards are stacked against you.
- You wouldn't be overweight if you had the willpower to resist those cookies or chips or {pick your nom, nom of choice}. It isn't that easy when you've spent years ignoring those little voices telling you not to eat something, or telling you that you're full.
- Remember the Weighty Wednesday topic last week about Flavorists? Companies are out there to sell their products . . . and they will use every dirty trick in the book. They will take what looks like a single serve bag of something, but make it two or three servings just to get the calorie count in the 100-200 range. Who looks at the number of servings?
- And I think most of us have forgotten how to eat a balanced meal.
- FYI: You might have to forgo your favorite restaurants until you can go there and make a more educated food choice. Yes, I love Mexican food--Cheese chile rellenos and margaritas. Chocked full of greasy melted cheese on the inside, fried goodness on the outside, and sometimes queso on top! And the margaritas, well, a fishbowl of tequila, lime and sugar is easily 20-24 points. Erm, I was only allowed 26 points/day when I was losing weight, did I really want a margarita that badly?? Sometimes yes, but most of the time no.
Yeah, I'm late. So sue me. It's not like I'm getting paid to post these little tidbits of wisdom.
Here you are overweight with zippo willpower, so what do you do? How do you get started?
As I've mentioned before, and so have reporters, that the weight loss industry is a billion dollar industry and they are there to help you . . . spend your money AND lose weight. But you have to realize a couple of things.
- You need to admit that you can't do this by yourself.
- You need to investigate all the programs out there to find the one that works for you at this point of time in your life.
- You need to start the program, but don't just go through the motions. You must commit to learning the reasoning behind the program. If you decide the pre-purchased food programs are for you, then you need to learn portion control and balance from the size of meals you are provided.
- A magic pill won't work. If you read the side of the 'magic' pill bottle, they will say you will have success when you implement their product along with "a healthy diet and exercise". It's not the product that works, but the healthy diet and exercise.
I can eat out at a Mexican restaurant and eat that cheese relleno, but give up something else . . . usually the margarita/chips and salsa, and I take the fried crust off the relleno prior to adding the ranchero sauce, not queso! This is still packed with calories, but not as many as it could have been!
I think I stopped tracking and weighing months ago. Periodically, I'll measure or weigh something as a reminder to see if I'm still eating the correct portions.
After 16 months--five months at goal--I think I can keep the weight off simply by using willpower.
But you have to remember that without the knowledge, the accountability, the hard work of tracking, weighing and measuring, I wouldn't have the tools to be successful at losing weight.
And just because I'm at goal, it doesn't mean that I don't stumble and overeat, or eat the wrong foods, or binge on peanut butter. It happens. But I have the tools to get back on track.
My lows don't go nearly as low or as dramatically as they used to because I know when I've made bad choices and when to get back on track. I don't beat myself up about it, or simply give up for the rest of the day.
I simply go back to my healthy guidelines and eat a nice salad with some protein, or a Greek yogurt smoothie, or whatever.
And how do I do it?
Well, I now have the knowledge, which gives me the WILLPOWER to do it.
Later, Peeps!
3/7/12
Weighty Wednesday--True Confessions
It's time for me to 'fess up about last week. I reported that I had dropped some weight. I was at 135 lbs and was basically closing in on my goal weight.
. . . but that was before the feeding frenzy began--think killer whales attacking a pod of seals, or piranhas going after some poor schlub who had a cut on his leg and wandered into the Amazon River, or a pack of lions, wolves (insert your preferred predator here) ripping apart the weak and old antelope. Yeah, it was like that.
. . . and the frenzy continued through Sunday night.
It wasn't pretty. And the aftermath of such a disaster was exponential.
By Monday morning, I had GAINED 6 pounds!!
Talk about scaring myself straight! I don't think this is 'real' weight gain in the span of only five days, but I'm treating it as such! I'd been playing with fire since last November, and now it has seriously bitten me in the butt! And yes, it's almost as if my fat cells have been aerated to double their normal size!
There were numerous contributing factors to this, but ultimately it was me recklessly shoveling food into my mouth.
Remember, you have to take responsibility for your own actions--I sabotaged myself.
I'd love to pass the blame onto my hormones--because they were the ones who started this mess!--but in the end it was me, all me . . . and the beef nachos from Taco Bueno, the 1/2 package of heath toffee bits (to be used in baking--yeah, right!), the uncounted scoops of peanut butter straight from the jar, the calorie packed pizza, the pitcher of frozen full-calorie margaritas, the ooey-gooey brownies with added toffee bits and chocolate icing . . . I could go on, but I don't want to make myself hungry again.
And now I'm paying for my rash decisions.
Remember--It's okayto screw up. Don't beat yourself up about it. This happens to the best of us--even those of us with the best of intentions. It's just a minor blip on the radar of life.
And personally, I think this is one of the hardest things for us to do--forgive yourself. Yes, you screwed up. But so did I. The key is to make a plan and dig down deep. You've made it this far, you can go the distance.
So how do I fix this?
We go back to the beginning. What worked before will work again.
Later, Peeps!
. . . but that was before the feeding frenzy began--think killer whales attacking a pod of seals, or piranhas going after some poor schlub who had a cut on his leg and wandered into the Amazon River, or a pack of lions, wolves (insert your preferred predator here) ripping apart the weak and old antelope. Yeah, it was like that.
. . . and the frenzy continued through Sunday night.
It wasn't pretty. And the aftermath of such a disaster was exponential.
By Monday morning, I had GAINED 6 pounds!!
Talk about scaring myself straight! I don't think this is 'real' weight gain in the span of only five days, but I'm treating it as such! I'd been playing with fire since last November, and now it has seriously bitten me in the butt! And yes, it's almost as if my fat cells have been aerated to double their normal size!
There were numerous contributing factors to this, but ultimately it was me recklessly shoveling food into my mouth.
Remember, you have to take responsibility for your own actions--I sabotaged myself.
I'd love to pass the blame onto my hormones--because they were the ones who started this mess!--but in the end it was me, all me . . . and the beef nachos from Taco Bueno, the 1/2 package of heath toffee bits (to be used in baking--yeah, right!), the uncounted scoops of peanut butter straight from the jar, the calorie packed pizza, the pitcher of frozen full-calorie margaritas, the ooey-gooey brownies with added toffee bits and chocolate icing . . . I could go on, but I don't want to make myself hungry again.
And now I'm paying for my rash decisions.
Remember--It's okayto screw up. Don't beat yourself up about it. This happens to the best of us--even those of us with the best of intentions. It's just a minor blip on the radar of life.
And personally, I think this is one of the hardest things for us to do--forgive yourself. Yes, you screwed up. But so did I. The key is to make a plan and dig down deep. You've made it this far, you can go the distance.
So how do I fix this?
We go back to the beginning. What worked before will work again.
- Start tracking again--This is a biggie. Document everything that goes into that gaping maw you call a mouth. Keep track of your daily healthy checks! This is very important! If you eat all your fruits and veg, and drink your water, then you really won't be hungry for much of anything else.
- Walk/exercise twice a day if possible--I still walk every morning, but I need to do something to jump start my weight loss again. So, if the weather is nice, then I'll be working in the yard or walking in the afternoons. Any kind of extra movement is good, dance to the music while cooking dinner!
- Gauge your hunger--There is a new gauge under your plan where you log your points on your etools tracker, called "track hunger". It has a before eating and after eating place to mark your hunger strength. In one day, I realized I was eating because everyone else was eating, and NOT because I was hungry! If you're 'satisfied' before food even touches your lips, then why eat?
- Drink six cups of WATER, not other stuff, even diet drinks--checking them off the healthy checks guideline, keeps you honest about it. On a side note: I'm cold all the time and I don't necessarily want to drink tea or coffee, so I heat up a mug of water. Yep, I use it to warm my hands and I drink it down to add to my daily count.
- Measure and weigh--When you first start watching your portions, you will weigh and measure everything . . . and then you will get complacent. The portions will start getting larger and you will start 'mis-calculating' your points. Again, go back to the basics. It's okay to keep yourself honest.
- Tape the peanut butter jar closed--this one's for me. My sis suggested that I stop buying peanut butter, but that's not realistic as I have a kid who lives on the stuff. I have to do something to keep myself out of it, OR being fully aware of what I am doing when I untape the lid and grab that spoon. I basically used painter's blue masking tape and made an X over the lid and down the sides. If you have trigger foods, either remove the item from your household or find some way to make it hard for you to get into without thinking about it.
Later, Peeps!
9/28/11
Weighty Wednesday--My thoughts
Weight loss as of September 25th-- 28.4 pounds!!
When I was talking to my mom last week . . . yes, my mom is still alive--almost 90 years old and still going strong! Well, she is slowing down a little, but she's doing pretty darn good for her age. Anyhoo, she mentioned how surprised she was when she saw me earlier in the summer in my swimsuit.
And it wasn't a pleasant surprise!
But I talked to her about what triggered my realization that I needed to lose weight. Many things triggered it, but one of them wasn't because I finally realized that I was fat.
Trust me, people, fat people already KNOW they need to lose weight. Telling them won't help matters. They have to be at a place in their life where they realize it's time to take control and do something about it.
If there is one thing y'all expect from me, it's honesty. And I have no problem admitting to my triggers, or my starting weight. And for the record, at the age of 50, the only daily pill that I take is a multi-vitamin, so I consider myself pretty darn healthy.
What triggered my decision:
--my blood pressure was 130/84. Now for over 40 years my BP never was above 120/78, and I didn't like the increase. High BP runs in the family, but if I can lower it without taking medication, then I'm all over that!
--my weight of 177.2 lbs. For a person who is only 5'1" that's a lot of weight. It wasn't the weight that triggered my decision, but the realization that I was heavier than I had been when I was ready to have my baby ten years ago. Not good. My goal weight is 130, which is barely inside my weight range for my height, but I might drop it when I get there. I'll listen to my body and see if it's stable at 130 or if I should lose some more.
--I had been feeling like crap for a long time. This scared me because diabetes runs in our family--juvenile and adult-onset. When I worked in the lab, I would test my blood yearly. After I stopped working, I had six years for things to go haywire.
--my daughter and husband. I'm the main cook of the family. What I cook or don't cook directly reflects back on their health. I must be a good example for them.
--we were going to Disney World in August, and I wasn't about to be huffin' and puffin' on that trip. If you've never been to WDW, then let me tell you there is a lot of walking, A LOT! A few years ago, I wore a pedometer. By 6 PM, we had walked 15 miles. I don't know how much further we walked because the silly thing popped off my belt when I used the restroom at the Japan pavilion in Epcot--it was an auto-flusher, so WHOOSH, it was gone!
This time, I was ready to join Weight Watchers.
Heck, it was my fourth time! I should be a pro at it, right?
Yes and no.
In fact, I've heard a rumor that Dr. Oz--yeah, that Dr. Oz from TV--is seriously excited to promote WW on his show. Think about it. This program offers a well-balanced diet, plus meetings, plus recipes, plus REAL FOOD and it teaches you to deal with REAL EATING.
So many other programs require you to buy their products to succeed. Though WW offers products, you don't have to purchase them. I don't.
This time around I decided to do things a little differently. Because I realized that if I totally change the way I buy and cook food, I will simply change BACK after I lose the weight. I'm not going to allow that to happen.
Which is why I won't buy WW products since I don't use them now. I refuse to buy reduced fat, reduced sugar cookies or other treats. I didn't buy them pre-weight loss, so why start now? Let me qualify that statement. I don't buy them for myself. I DO buy them for my daughter to take in her lunch.
Now, this doesn't mean that I won't try Fat Free cream cheese--I did and it totally bites. Never again. But I'll also try the 1/3 less fat Cream cheese next time. And if it stinks in this particular recipe, then I'll buy the full fat product and take the WW points plus hit.
Have you ever tried Fat Free Cheddar cheese? It's nasty. The stuff doesn't melt, and it tastes like plastic. Why waste your time and money on it. Just use less cheese.
Weight Watcher has an online program called e-tools. Love it!
I use e-tools to write down my daily tracking. Everything that goes in my mouth gets written down--yes, even the day I had cravings and ended up eating 2 Tbls. of ice cream sprinkles (3 points in case your interested).
There are also good health checks. If you get the minimum daily required amounts of water, dairy, fruits/vegetables, good oil, multi-vitamin, and exercise, you get a smiley face. I like the smiley faces.
But I rarely get one for the healthy oils or dairy. But I'm okay with that.
We are allowed 29 daily points and 49 weekly points, along with building up activity points.
I will NOT plan to use my weekly or activity points routinely.
Why?
Because I KNOW that I will UNDER estimate the true WW points values, which means I will go OVER my allotted points. I want the extra unused points as padding. Besides, if I used them up then I can't eat a piece baklava (10 pts) that had my name on it. OR if I'm feeling the urge, I can have some candy, or chips, or a nice Fat Tire beer (5 points), or a margarita (124 grams=9 pts). Oh, FYI, 124 grams is slightly over 4 ounces. The mongo margarita you get at most restaurants is about 15 ounces. So quadruple your points. Jus' sayin'. I allow myself a daily glass of wine. Sometimes I drink it, sometimes I don't. Red wine (118 grams = 4 points)
I weigh and measure almost everything. Yes, I weigh my wine. Grams are more accurate than ounces.
And there you have it. A little insight into my weight loss journey.
Later, Peeps
When I was talking to my mom last week . . . yes, my mom is still alive--almost 90 years old and still going strong! Well, she is slowing down a little, but she's doing pretty darn good for her age. Anyhoo, she mentioned how surprised she was when she saw me earlier in the summer in my swimsuit.
And it wasn't a pleasant surprise!
But I talked to her about what triggered my realization that I needed to lose weight. Many things triggered it, but one of them wasn't because I finally realized that I was fat.
Trust me, people, fat people already KNOW they need to lose weight. Telling them won't help matters. They have to be at a place in their life where they realize it's time to take control and do something about it.
If there is one thing y'all expect from me, it's honesty. And I have no problem admitting to my triggers, or my starting weight. And for the record, at the age of 50, the only daily pill that I take is a multi-vitamin, so I consider myself pretty darn healthy.
What triggered my decision:
--my blood pressure was 130/84. Now for over 40 years my BP never was above 120/78, and I didn't like the increase. High BP runs in the family, but if I can lower it without taking medication, then I'm all over that!
--my weight of 177.2 lbs. For a person who is only 5'1" that's a lot of weight. It wasn't the weight that triggered my decision, but the realization that I was heavier than I had been when I was ready to have my baby ten years ago. Not good. My goal weight is 130, which is barely inside my weight range for my height, but I might drop it when I get there. I'll listen to my body and see if it's stable at 130 or if I should lose some more.
--I had been feeling like crap for a long time. This scared me because diabetes runs in our family--juvenile and adult-onset. When I worked in the lab, I would test my blood yearly. After I stopped working, I had six years for things to go haywire.
--my daughter and husband. I'm the main cook of the family. What I cook or don't cook directly reflects back on their health. I must be a good example for them.
--we were going to Disney World in August, and I wasn't about to be huffin' and puffin' on that trip. If you've never been to WDW, then let me tell you there is a lot of walking, A LOT! A few years ago, I wore a pedometer. By 6 PM, we had walked 15 miles. I don't know how much further we walked because the silly thing popped off my belt when I used the restroom at the Japan pavilion in Epcot--it was an auto-flusher, so WHOOSH, it was gone!
This time, I was ready to join Weight Watchers.
Heck, it was my fourth time! I should be a pro at it, right?
Yes and no.
In fact, I've heard a rumor that Dr. Oz--yeah, that Dr. Oz from TV--is seriously excited to promote WW on his show. Think about it. This program offers a well-balanced diet, plus meetings, plus recipes, plus REAL FOOD and it teaches you to deal with REAL EATING.
So many other programs require you to buy their products to succeed. Though WW offers products, you don't have to purchase them. I don't.
This time around I decided to do things a little differently. Because I realized that if I totally change the way I buy and cook food, I will simply change BACK after I lose the weight. I'm not going to allow that to happen.
Which is why I won't buy WW products since I don't use them now. I refuse to buy reduced fat, reduced sugar cookies or other treats. I didn't buy them pre-weight loss, so why start now? Let me qualify that statement. I don't buy them for myself. I DO buy them for my daughter to take in her lunch.
Now, this doesn't mean that I won't try Fat Free cream cheese--I did and it totally bites. Never again. But I'll also try the 1/3 less fat Cream cheese next time. And if it stinks in this particular recipe, then I'll buy the full fat product and take the WW points plus hit.
Have you ever tried Fat Free Cheddar cheese? It's nasty. The stuff doesn't melt, and it tastes like plastic. Why waste your time and money on it. Just use less cheese.
Weight Watcher has an online program called e-tools. Love it!
I use e-tools to write down my daily tracking. Everything that goes in my mouth gets written down--yes, even the day I had cravings and ended up eating 2 Tbls. of ice cream sprinkles (3 points in case your interested).
There are also good health checks. If you get the minimum daily required amounts of water, dairy, fruits/vegetables, good oil, multi-vitamin, and exercise, you get a smiley face. I like the smiley faces.
But I rarely get one for the healthy oils or dairy. But I'm okay with that.
We are allowed 29 daily points and 49 weekly points, along with building up activity points.
I will NOT plan to use my weekly or activity points routinely.
Why?
Because I KNOW that I will UNDER estimate the true WW points values, which means I will go OVER my allotted points. I want the extra unused points as padding. Besides, if I used them up then I can't eat a piece baklava (10 pts) that had my name on it. OR if I'm feeling the urge, I can have some candy, or chips, or a nice Fat Tire beer (5 points), or a margarita (124 grams=9 pts). Oh, FYI, 124 grams is slightly over 4 ounces. The mongo margarita you get at most restaurants is about 15 ounces. So quadruple your points. Jus' sayin'. I allow myself a daily glass of wine. Sometimes I drink it, sometimes I don't. Red wine (118 grams = 4 points)
I weigh and measure almost everything. Yes, I weigh my wine. Grams are more accurate than ounces.
And there you have it. A little insight into my weight loss journey.
Later, Peeps
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