Say What!!

So tonight my 18 year old son informs me that I was the topic of conversation when he was getting his teeth done, Or rather my weight loss was. Of course I am looking at him like he is crazy cause I haven't been to his orthodontist in over a year and wondering how they would know about my weight loss.

He then reminds me it was when he went to the dentist the other day. I smiled and told him that we were talking about it when I was at the dentist a few weeks ago getting my teeth cleaned. Now that I've lost close to 60 pounds I guess it's becoming more noticeable to others.

He replies...."I just can't look at you...I can [only] tell when I see some old pictures." Say What!!!

Talking to him later he was trying to explain how he doesn't notice "subtle" changes.... I think the boy needs to stop while he's not that far in the hole. :-)

Actually I totally understand what he is saying but I just had to give him a hard time. I have a grand baby living with us; she has been since she was first born. Looking at her now, I know she is bigger than when I first saw her...but how much bigger isn't apparent until I look at her in a new born picture.

But as for losing weight and being noticed....it's nice that people are finally starting to notice. And even if my son can't tell how much I've lost...he can at least tell that I've lost.

It's a Journey NOT a Race

We've all heard the saying..."never go shopping when you are hungry", and yet how many of us actually follow that advice? Apparently not me!

Yesterday I ran some errands with the hubby. On our way home we needed to stop at the store to pick up a few items for dinner. As we were entering the store I mentioned how hungry I was and that this probably wasn't a good time to be shopping. But I resolved that I would not give in to my hunger.

Of course we get to one end of the store and I realize we need something from the other end, of which we had just been. So, crossing the front of the store I mention to my hubby that I will have to buy a bag of pretzels to snack on since I was so hungry I was starting to have some low blood sugar symptoms.

His response was, in my own words since I can't remember the exact way he said it was..."it would have been a Cadbury [candy] but now it's pretzels."

Yep, in the past I would have bought a candy bar to appease my hunger. And honestly, I can't remember the last time I've bought a candy bar for myself.

This is the difference between a race and a journey. I am not in a race to lose the weight, however, I am on a journey to change. I believe that even when I get the weight off, I will still not be buying myself a candy bar for a snack. Now, this doesn't mean I will never by a candy bar but rather it won't be the first thing I think of when needing a bit of food in my body.

It's these kinds of changes....the ones that aren't that obvious to me...but yet something that even my husband notices...that stop me in my tracks and make me realize...I am not the same kind of eater I was...and it gives me hope....that I'll not be that kind of eater again.

A New Low

Today was weigh-in day. I worked very hard since I returned from my "Anniversary Get-away" and it paid off.

I lost -1.2 pds. This is more momentous than you'd think because this weight loss has taken me to a new low [in a good way] I have entered another "decade" so to speak. Not really sure what to call it when you go from the 50's to the 40's in weight so unless someone can offer me another word I'll most likely stick with decade.

I entered the 240's today. I haven't seen this weight in at least 13 years, since I was pregnant with my 5th child. I have only 8 more pounds to lose to meet the short term goal I've set for myself. When I reach 241 I will have lost 20% of my body weight.

So, not to sound arrogant....Yay me!!!!

What a Change!

I just got back from a two night, three day get-away with my hubby. We like to do that each year to celebrate our anniversary. This year we are celebrating 20 years!

Even though I had limited computer access I still tracked my food using WW's tracking notebook. Then I came home today and entered it onto the computer. It isn't pretty. I am currently -24 points for the week. And while I should feel bad...I don't.

I actually am pleased with my choices. Especially in comparison to what I would have chosen just a year ago. In thinking about this I decided to share what I ate compared to what I would have ate last year.

Sunday...we ate at a hamburger joint called Maple & Motor, which apparently has the best hamburgers in Dallas.


So, of course I try the hamburger.

I ordered mine without cheese. [would have ordered with cheese and mayo last year] It comes with mustard.


I split an order of french fries with my hubby [Last year I would have eaten my own order of either French Fries, possibly with cheese, or Onion Rings]


I drank a diet Dr. Pepper [ would have drank a regular coke last year]

So... I saved approx. 15 points with those choices.


Monday we parked the car and walked all over down town Dallas. I can't believe I've lived here over 20 years and this is the first time to do this. For lunch we decided to eat Mexican. My hubby, Chris, loves Mexican and he is always so kind to eat where I want so I wanted to do unto him likewise. We stopped to eat at Sol Irlande's Mexican Grill in the heart of downtown Dallas.


I started off ordering the chicken taco salad with the cheese on the side. And I mixed about 1 Tbs. of sour cream into the salsa to make a "lite" dressing. But the salad tasted awful so after two bites I had them take it away and replace it with a bowl of Tortilla Soup, which tasted much better. I also ate a serving of tortilla chips with salsa and drank water.

Last year I would have ordered a bowl of queso to eat with the chips and we would have gone through at least two baskets of chips. Most likely I would have ordered a chicken enchilada with sour cream sauce, or chicken quesadilla's. I also would have drank regular coke.

Not sure of the points saved but I know it's quite a few.

For dinner we went and ate at a steak restaurant that came highly recommended by the manager of the hotel where we stayed. It is called Dunston's and it has to be one of THE BEST steak restaurants I've EVER been to. Between the atmosphere, prices, taste and serving staff it is one place that we will be going back to...it is well worth the drive.

http://www.dunstonssteakhouse.com/harryhines/index.htm

I ordered the 7 ounce Fillet Mignon. It came with salad and bread. I chose a baked potato as my side.

Last year I would have ordered the larger, 10 oz. mignon. I also would have loaded up my baked potato. This year I only put on approx. 1 Tbls. of sour cream and 2 Tbls. of shredded cheese. Again I ordered water.

This year I did order a bread pudding for dessert. Had it not been for our anniversary I would not have ordered a dessert but this was a special occasion and I wanted to splurge and enjoy. The pudding is home made and was it yummy.

Then today, Tuesday, for lunch we ate Chinese which is one of my favorite types of food to eat. But instead of getting our own, we just ordered one dish and shared it. Last year we would have ordered separately and I would have ate the whole thing.

So, even though I went over in points I am still proud of myself in that I made wiser choices and was much more conscious of what I was eating. Plus I tracked every morsel that passed my lips which is so easy not to do after a few days like mine...:-)

This weight loss journey is about sooooo much more than points. It's about change! It's about making wiser choices! It's about doing something different!

So while I may have bombed in the point category....I'm ok because I soared in the other categories.

I am changing and it feels good!!!

Knowledge is Power

I have got to be better informed sooner.

Last night I attended a youth game night with my kids. They had a blast playing various games and I enjoyed chatting with some of the other parents.

Everyone was to bring a snack. We brought peanut butter cookies. There also were bowls of skittles, twizzlers, hershey kisses, and bags of chips. My weakness however was the bowl of dark chocolate peanut M&M's. [we won't talk about the Cheeto's...shhhhh]

Anywhooo, I'd take a few M&M's and eat them. Walk around, come back and take a few more. Go chat with others and swipe a few as I walked by the counter. I knew better, however since my weigh in was today I guess I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. It's not like I am going to gain a bunch of weight over night.

I wasn't even going to track what I ate at the game night because it was the last night before weigh in and honestly I didn't care.

Then I thought....that's not a good attitude and it's not one that will keep me on a track of being successful. So, reluctantly I went ahead and tracked what I ate.

Another eye opener for me....and it will be a while before you see me indulging randomly in a bowl of peanut M&M's. Guess that saying..."knowledge is power"...applies in this situation too.

I guesstimated that I ate a total of about 1 cup of M&M's...or pretty close. Does anyone have ANY idea how many points are in 1 cup??? ......................20!!!


This is the first week since I started WW in July that I ended the week with negative points.

The good news is that I did lose -2 pds. this week. Not sure how that happened as this was not one of my better weeks but hey....I'll take it.

Now if I can survive this coming week. I leave tomorrow for two nights and three days away with my hubby. We are celebrating our 20th Anniversary. Not sure how I'll do point wise but I will try to be as informed as possible BEFORE I eat something.

The Potential to Sabotage

Today I had a dentist appointment to fill some cavities, and four of my children were scheduled for teeth cleaning. The first appointment was at 12:30.

What was I thinking???? Right at lunch time. It wouldn't be so bad if we lived closer but it's about a 40 minute drive sooooo we did NOT eat lunch before we went. Just a snack. And usually I like to take the children out for a treat after getting our teeth cleaned, so I took them to lunch.

We went to Arby's

But I am SHOCKED...and ANNOYED!!!!

I ordered the Jr. RoastBeef Sandwich....which is a bun about 3 inches in diameter and you couldn't see the meat till you took off the bun. The meat, what little there was, was all nestled snug in the middle of the bun.

Guess how many points?......................... 6

This is a sandwich I could have eaten in about three bites.

Of course I got the small fries to go along with the sandwich because it was 2:30 by now and I was very hungry.

Guess how many points in the small fries?....................... 9

I used 15 points on barely anything. Actually I wasted 15 points on hardly anything.

In the future I really need to plan my dentist visits for way before lunch or right after lunch. This not planning ahead and being more informed is what has the potential to sabotage my journey. Thankfully I still had some weekly points.

I'm Still Here...

This picture is of 4 generations: my mother, me, my oldest daughter, and her baby. It's the first picture in a very long time that I can look at and not feel fat.

I guess when I took a holiday break it extended even to this blog. Not that I had any intentions of doing that, it just kind of happened.

Christmas was wonderful and I did pretty good. I counted points and got in as much exercise as I could [mainly walking] however, I totally and unabashedly enjoyed Christmas Eve through New Year's Day. I made some food I only make once a year and I enjoyed eating it.

Compared to Christmas's past this one was much more modest food wise. I didn't eat a lot of the goodies we were given but I did indulge in the monkey bread I make only on Christmas morning and some special cookies I only make during the holiday.

There is a part of me that wanted to go through the holidays very strictly but I just couldn't do it. It would have stolen some of the joy of the season. I didn't go "hog wild" but I did allow myself Christmas Day and New Year's Day to indulge. Of course I did pay with a small weight gain but I have the rest of my life to keep journeying towards my goal. I enjoy these little detours. And while it may make the trip a bit longer it also keeps it from getting monotonous.

And for those who care here are my stats for the weeks I missed blogging:
12-19-09 ~ -3.4 [250.4]
12-26-o0 ~ +3.6 [254]
1-2-10 ~ + 1.2 [255.2]
1-9-10 ~ -3.2 [252]
1-16-10~ 0 [252]