The Week In Review

My goal this week up to the weight in on Wed. is to stay within my points each day, not dip into my activity or flex points, exercise, drink water and no grains or cheese.

I'm checking in today which is Monday and I have not eaten cheese or grains. I have to admit, eating popcorn in front of the TV is habit forming and what about homemade cheese nachos with olives, cheese, shallots. corn chip.. I did not eat any! I repeat! I craved the cheese and crunch at night but opted for more water and substituted it with celery, carrots and home made hummus.

Here are some of the things on my menu this week:

Spanish Omelet no cheese
Stir fry with greens, veggies and chicken
Baked Sweet Potatoes
MIxed Green Salads
Salmon
Sprout
Oranges
Blueberries
Steak
Baked Potatoes
Green Beans
Bok Choy
Kale
Swiss Chard
Daahl
Lentil Soup
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Carrots
Hummus


Water, still struggling but I will do it!

Exercise, damn schedule gets in the way but I have committed to going tonight which I did and tomorrow. Then, while I am on course, I have found a Spa Lady nearby that I will go to!

Today while exercising I wondered about a couple of things:

How can people read and exercise?

How can people talk to other people while exercising?

If they can do either then intensity isn't there..

Tired but still movin'

I love Weights but Cardio, not so much!

Weights rock and cardio, not so much...

I love the pressure and the resistance in weights but cardio makes me feel 'uncomfortable' because of my asthma. When my heart rate increases, my breathing does as well and I don't enjoy triggering a asthma attack.

I just realized this today when I talked to one of the trainers. She watched me do my cardio and felt I wasn't huffing and puffing enough or sweating. She knew I could do the weights and have increased the pounds. So, I've increased weights and reps. but didn't move the needle when it came to cardio.

Oh, I sweat on weights so for me its finding the balance.

Every time I go to the gym I do 20-30 mins. cardio and then do the weight circuit. Then, if I have time or I plan to do so I do the abs bench. I do 50 on the abs. bench and I do it to the point I end up having a horrible muscle spasm on the muscle over my rib cage. If that makes sense...

My plan is to now start with cardio, flip to weights and then back to cardio. My new routine starts on Tuesday which is exciting for me because I have been doing everything on my own for the last ..six months. What I did on my own was work up from 10-20 pounds and am now at 30-40 pounds.

I still have an incredibly hard time on the bicep curl using their machine. Maybe I will work with dumbbells instead.

The fantastic news is that I have lost 3.5 inches off my abs. and 1 inch off my hip. Hey, that's amazing to me considering I was a couch potato for MANY years.

Get your body moving.

OSC

I felt like the Biggest Loser!

Today was my first official weigh in and I was excited because I had been exercising, using the Wii Fit and moving my body by doing squats. The person in front of me lost 4.6 pounds and a sudden wave of anxiety came over me.

Crap.

That's quite a bit.

I thought I had lost.. oh, two pounds.

I stepped on the scale and the leader's quiet voice spoke.. actually you've gained weight.

WTF!?

Its ok, I've got my big girl pants on today and I am not going to cry!

I was pissed off and it was a hard pill to swallow when EVERY single person in the room lost weight except me! Our team lost more weight then the other team this week. All of us were awarded prizes and I felt silly receiving mine.

I had to clap and smile when everyone did their whoo whoo's, high fives and I wanted to hang my head in shame. I felt I let everyone down and was continually asked, "How did you do!??

People were shocked because they commented I had been exercising and eating well. I then heard comments like, "Maybe you're exercising too hard and are getting muscular!" or "Maybe you should stop exercising"

At the end of the meeting it was time for the Bravos and Five Pound stickers. This is the time you talk about your week, etc.

My mouth opened, "I want to share with everyone that I am the only person who didn't lose weight. I have started exercising regularly and stayed on plan with my points. I'm disappointed but I am not going to give up"

Bravo. I received a Bravo sticker.

I gained .4 pounds.

Sometimes when something happens you begin to ask yourself things like.. what did I do? and you start to replay things in your mind. I wish I had a do over right now.

I've pinned some of the things I will change this week and I will not stop exercising.

In fact, I'm off to the gym tomorrow.

Week One of Weight Watchers

Its been three years since I joined Weight Watchers for the .. second time. This time I am much more smarter about food, eating, my body and exercise. I've been doing a lot of reading in the form of books, the internet and have made friends with people who are in the fitness, nutrition and life coaching professions. I have all the tools I need and a body that can move so I'm now I am armed to be the Fat Warrior I intend to be!

Here is my action plan:

• Gym workouts 2-3 times a week which will include cardio, weights and stretching.
  
• Staying within my points allowance as per Weight Watchers guidelines
  
• Other activities will include Wii Fitt, 100 Squats 3 x a week Challenge and walking.
  
• Drinking 2 Liters of water each day.
  
• No dairy (effective today I have chosen to fully commit to this and stop eating cheese for 30 days. In the past year I have eliminated all dairy except for cheese)
  
• Going grain free for one week. Starting today for one week. This will be a challenge for me: I love all grains! Quinoa, Rice, etc.. I want to see what results this will bring.

Things I've noticed about people who are new to Weight Watchers:

• Getting bored quickly of eating the same foods day in and day out. Oh, I ate this today and lost weight this week so I will eat it again. Me, variety is the spice of life so I like to experiment. Hence, the grains and cheese challenges. If a person gets bored, are they likely to continue on the path? Switch it up before poor habits return.
  

• Weight Watchers the brand. Go to the supermarket and you have Weight Watchers meals including desserts! Go to the meetings and you can buy everything from cookbooks to measuring spoons! I will buy the tracker book, the free trackers are too tiny. Getting hooked on their low point bars. I got to hooked I wouldn't eat just one or two. I'd eat the box by the end of the day but counted the point. Not a good choice for healthy eating.
  

• They are not eating all their points. Eat. I spoke to one friend and her diet was coffee, chocolate, yogurt and one cup of water. She asked me what I recommended. Eat your points. Choose from proteins, vegetables, grains, oils, etc.. Your body needs fuel. I've eaten all my points. I think its hard for people who are suddenly drinking more water then they ever have and have the full feeling due to water consumption.
  

• Drink your water. Most people don't drink enough water. Its hard if you aren't used to it and now there are lineups to the restroom. :-) Don't worry, your body will soon adjust itself and washroom breaks will be less frequent.

• Eating more vegetables. Many are 0 or low points. You can eat more food and not eat many points so chew away! One person's spouse commented this is the most vegetables he has seen in their house!

Weight Watchers tips for the week and eating healthy:



Take one medium baked potato. Wash and prick with holes, cut in half and wrap in tin foil. Bake in oven for 1 hour at 450 degrees. When done, peel skin off and ready to eat. You can sprinkle herbs and lightly season with oil to cook. I choose, 1 tsp. of Udo's Oil and pepper. 3 points. Serve with veggies and salad.


When making recipes, watch your portion. Measure amounts and put into containers for meals later on. One friend went through her pantry and labeled everything with a felt tip marker. Ie, Can of Tuna 1/2 cup 3 points

Try new veggies that are 0 or low points. Ie, Kale, Swiss Chard, Bok Chewy.


Drink your water. Add lemon, lime or apple cider vinegar.


Today is my first weigh in and I suspect some weight loss. I will post the results. Stay tuned!

OSC

Getting on Track.

I've been to the gym two times this week and tomorrow will be my third.

Not much to some but to me, it is a great thing! If you remember, my goal is to go three times a week.

I have also been doing minimum of 100 squats every second day that was suggested to me by Rob.

All this combined with using Wii Fit and for those of you who think its a kiddies game, its not! It's gotten me running, doing squats and moving. This is amazing.

Today while at the gym with a friend, I even considered doing the July 1st RUN. Last year, you will notice I did the 3 KM walk that left me breathless. Needless to say, I am inspired!

Get your butt off that chair and move your body!

Tomorrow, I'm heading to the gym when it opens at 9 AM.

Test.

This is a test..

New Post Live

I haven't done any writing for awhile except for excerpts for the blog here. I recently did a short piece for www.formerfatguy.com and if you are interested you can read my entries here

The Year In Review -- My Life.

Personally, when I think back many things have changed but some have stayed the same but isn't that the way life is?



I took more chances and put myself out there more then I have ever done. I did the 3 KM walk on July first , many Hedley concerts with my neice, festivals, etc.. and went out with the "gang"at work but there were times when I stayed back because I was intimidated enough to put myself out there.. Sure, it was scary but I felt more comfortable with who I am. I suppose some of that comes with age and letting go of the feeling of being criticized or ostracized. None the less, I went out more socially then I did in the past and reached out to others as friends which I hadn't done for a long time. I'm very excited about the opportunity I will have at the end of January. I will be attending Level One of Personal Best Seminars in Edmonton and after a year of letting my hesitance get the better of me, I have taken the plunge and committed to this course.


Travel wise, even I amazed myself. I traveled to Las Vegas with my family to go to my brother's wedding in May and in September I traveled once again to Vegas but this time with my husband to our first REAL holiday. It was also totally out of his comfort zone and the first time he had been on a plane. Kudos to him for overcoming his fear of flying and using the excuse.. it was too expensive. Vegas can be very affordable and here in Canada, it can actually be cheaper then traveling to one of the other provinces. In 2009 we are looking at going to Cancun or somewhere warm but as per his idea, it has to be cheap. Heheheh. Yes, dear.


Health wise: Sure, I would be lying if I said it was easy. I started out the New Year sick as I seem to be doing again but this time I feel more prepared to take care of my body, mind and soul. The best thing to come into my life was .. nutritional cleansing. Some of the "side effects"for me have included a calmness, feeling healthier and much more energy.



Exercise: I honestly believed that I would never go to a gym because gyms were for thin people but in June I joined Spa Lady and my goal for the New Year is to go to the gym three times a week. I will be spending time with a trainer who will evaluate my current circuit training and I believe, its time to switch it up. Husband and I bought Wii Fit and for those of you who haven't tried it, its quite a workout complete with a trainer and tally of your fitness minutes/progress, etc..




Professionally, I have learned and dealt with situations and people I never dreamed I would have experienced. I think 2009 will see some changes in my professional life and I feel them coming. Stay tuned.



Onesmartcookie