Progress Picture for December

This has got to be one of the things I like least....posting a picture.

Yet it was a picture/video that motivated me to lose weight...and to be honest the more weight I lose the less I dislike getting a picture taken.

I decided to use the first pictures I took with my "progress picture" outfit on...and put it side by side with a Christmasized decorated Dec. picture.



Even with the shadows in the Dec. picture I am seeing a difference. I will mentally tuck this comparison away for those times in the next few weeks that I am tempted to indulge in too much Christmas goodness.

There is nothing that tastes as good as being skinny feels....there is nothing that tastes as good as being skinny feels...there is nothing that tastes as good as being skinny feels...there is.....

I'll let you know how well it works.

Purposefully sneaking in activity

Yesterday my hubby and I went on a Christmas shopping date. Because of his work schedule we are very limited in the time we get to share together so anytime we can do something alone it's considered a date.

At the first store we stopped at my hubby was planning on getting a front row parking place but before he could pull in I asked him is he would park further away from the store so we would have to walk a little further. That way I could get in a little more activity.

Of course he obliged and was joking about how far away to park but he picked good spots that gave us more steps but not so far away that it was ridiculous.

We went to a total of 9 establishments and it's funny how we are geared to find the closest parking spot. I had to constantly remind my hubby to park further away and then I laughed and said that if we were looking for close parking there probably wouldn't be any but since we weren't we were constantly tempted. :-)

We were out a little over 5 hours and with the extra walking and the walking through the stores I could safely guesstimate that I spent around 2 hours walking. Possibly more but since there was a portion of that time sitting in the car and standing while looking at something, plus we sat to eat dinner I felt that 2 hrs. was realistic. Plus I'd rather under guess than over guess cause getting activity points for no activity only hurts me in the long run.

So, if you are looking for ways to increase your activity, especially during the holidays....park further away from the store you are going to.

Another tip I heard from a lady who has lost 96 pounds is that once you are in the store, walk the perimeter of it before you start to shop. I haven't done that yet but if I am only going to one store I may give it a try.

Eating at a Chinese Buffet

I went to a Chinese Buffet tonight!! I'm pretty sure this is the first time since joining WW that I dined at a buffet. I ADORE Chinese food...it is my choice of food whenever my hubby and I go out to eat. Thankfully he doesn't mind Chinese.

I felt like a contestant on Biggest Loser when they have a challenge, like having to eat out all their meals every day for a week. When I have gone to a Chinese buffet pre WW I loaded up on stuff like fried egg rolls, fried chicken, fried biscuits, and all the good food like sesame chicken or orange chicken and dumplings....lots of dumplings...yum

But not tonight....I had to do good, especially since I blew through my points yesterday.

It was probably good that the food selection looked "sad". Very dry and most of the food wasn't even warm. I thought I'd try the sweet and sour soup, which I've never eaten before and the lady next to me in line was telling me how good it was but as I was standing there I smelled a most disgusting smell...like a combo of rotten food and socks. I didn't know where the smell came from but when I went to eat a spoonful of the soup I found out....blech!!! It tasted like it smelled. Awful!! It was so bad it about spoiled my eating of anything else. Thankfully I had some wonton soup and that tasted good and took the yucky taste out of my mouth.

I sit here recalling the less than pleasant experience of dining at this establishment and my stomach is feeling a bit queasy....hope it's not because of the food. The best part of the meal was sitting across from my husband. One thing I can guarantee it that it's the last time we will be going to this particular restaurant.

Oh yeah....I stayed within my daily points. I had 1/2 c.steamed rice, 2 non fried chicken on a stick, broccoli, 1/2 serving of baked fish, 1/2 c. of wonton soup and two cookies. I also had a bite out of two different egg rolls but I didn't like either one so I didn't eat any more.

We are planning on going out to a different Chinese Buffet for Christmas Eve but somehow I don't think it will be as easy....cause the food is much, much better. But at least I have an idea now of how to tackle that when it comes.

***added the next day-
just in case you are concerned...I did not get food poisoning...I think just remembering is what made me queasy...:-)****

My Thanksgiving Strategies

Wow!!! 2 posts in one day....how unusual. But since I didn't blog about Thanksgiving I thought I would jot down what helped me make it through Thanksgiving without gaining weight.

Besides gearing myself up mentally, my "best friend" was the measuring cup.


We were only going to have one Thanksgiving meal and since I was cooking it I wasn't too concerned...and then we were invited to my oldest daughter's grandparents family get together. It was pot luck style and I wish I would have taken a picture of the dessert table because it was loaded down with goodness. Pumpkin pies, chocolate meringue pie, apple caramel pie, a variety of cheesecakes and a pumpkin roll.

I used one of the strategies mentioned at our last WW meeting. If you are going to eat/indulge then do it with foods you don't usually eat or make. That's what I did at the afternoon meal at the grandparents. And of the food I took I only took enough for a bite or two and by the time I was finished I was satisfied.

Later that night at my house we had our big meal. I had gotten on etools and recorded my points before I ever ate them. When the time came I waited till everyone got their food and then I pulled out a 1/4 measuring cup and went around to all the dishes and only served myself what would fit in the cup. At first I thought it wouldn't be enough but considering we had 5 or 6 side dishes it all added up to enough. A fourth of a cup of potatoes by themselves would have been a joke but sitting next to stuffing and sweet potatoes and green beans and corn....it was plenty.

I liked that I waited till the end of the line because there was no one asking me why I was using a measuring cup...or making comments about how that wasn't very much...it's nice to just go about my business without the questions sometimes.

The best part of the day...I never once felt deprived. I ate whatever looked appealing but I ate it in a smaller quantity.

I even took this approach at the dessert table. At the grandparents I didn't even bother with a piece of Pumpkin pie since I was serving that at our meal later that night. I perused the selections and which ever dessert caught my fancy I just took a bite size piece....just enough to get a taste. And it was enough.

Not my normal kind of week

I had all sorts of plans and ideas of things to write about this week and now the week is over and I've yet to write. Well, I am writing now but still...

This week was unusual in that I had my first grandbaby's baby shower on Sunday, a daughter's birthday on Monday and a son's birthday today. I started off the week a little "stressed" about how I was going to handle this week. And now the week is over and I look back and see that it was easier than I thought.

The baby shower was nice and there were some good things to eat. Thankfully there was also a veggie tray. I snacked on carrots and actually enjoyed it. I did have a bite of the cake and a couple of treats but at the end of the day I had only used about 4 of my weekly points. Not too bad..but I still had a daughter's birthday to celebrate on Monday.

Monday comes and we ended up eating at Genghis Grill for lunch. I got about 4 oz. of chicken [wish I had brought my scale to of made sure] and then I loaded up with veggies. I love that I could go to their website and find the nutritional value for the sauces and stuff and when I added up the points it came to 11. A little higher in point than I usually eat for lunch but not too outrageous either.

Dinner consisted of chicken fried stead, mashed potatoes and green beans. For dessert the b-day girl picked out cheesecake bites which ended up being 2 points a piece. I allotted 6 points for dessert. I did by pass a Hawaiian roll with dinner, figured I'd rather spend those points on a cheesecake bite...yum!!

One good thing on Monday is I got up super early to participate in a water aerobic class. The class was from 6am to 7am which is hard for me since I am not an early bird but I did it because I knew I wouldn't have any other time to exercise all day.

Wednesday I ended up sick with a virus and had no appetite or energy for the whole day. I was nauseous and ended up eating saltines because it was the only thing that sounded good and helped with the nausea. Between the crackers and some yogurt and pudding I was able to accumulate some points. Not enough to meet my dailies but enough to show I did get some nourishment.

And here I am tonight. We had ham, twice baked potatoes, apple pie and ice cream. That's what my 12 year old son picked out for his birthday dinner. I measured out my ham, ate my potato like a regular baked potato and then indulged in the apple pie....the homemade apple pie....and it was well worth the points spent on it.

Tomorrow I weigh in. I have no idea how I've done other than I think I probably have maintained, which is o.k. with me. It's been strange not getting in the exercise I usually do during the week but I also am o.k. with that because my body is still recuperating from being ill.

My mind is getting use to the concept that this weight loss journey is just that....a journey...NOT a race. I enjoyed this week [ other than being sick] and I ate moderately considering all the things I could have indulged in. I started the week apprehensive about all the eating challenges and ended it very happy that I only used 10 of my weekly points.