Christy

Hello brand new week! I’m so happy to see you. Seriously. After last week’s Flex Points debacle, I’m ready for a clean slate and a fresh set of Points. I will never, ever act like that again! Promise!

So on to the good stuff!

Last week’s weight: 140
This week’s weight: 138
Change: -2 POUNDS <—--Did you see that? OMFG! I haven’t lost 2 pounds in a month, muchless ONE week, in I don’t even know how long!

THIS is why we sing the praises of Weight Watchers. This very reason. If you do it, and  you are honest with yourself in tracking your points, it works. Simple. Yes, it’s a little cumbersome when you first start out, but isn’t anything new? If you are on the fence about Weight Watchers, please get off and give it a try.

What did I learn this week? I learned that I need to plan a little better for my splurges. There is nothing wrong with splurging. As a matter of fact, I think you HAVE to splurge every now and then, or else you’ll go completely insane and the paddy wagon will pull up in your driveway.

I also learned that my indulgences are not what they used to be. One night this past week, I was starving to death (because I blew all my Flex Points) and wanted something, anything to eat. I grabbed the nearest thing and plunged it into Cool Whip. The nearest thing was a Z-bar, okay TWO Z-bars, and the Cool Whip was light. While I totally used Points I didn’t have, it could have been so much worse. The old me would have grabbed a 1/2 gallon of ice cream out of the freezer and polished most of it off. In one sitting. With chocolate sauce and probably nuts, too. Yeah, that was me.

So I am victorious this week, because I finally realized that I’ve been successful! I have changed my LIFESTYLE, and that is a huge win for me.

Also, if you haven’t joined us on Twitter for our Last Chance Tworkouts during the Biggest Loser, you totally should! You’re missing out Just check it out for  yourself.

With my travel last week, I didn’t have an opportunity to write my post out for the 1st Monday Project. Well, maybe I did and I was just avoiding it…

What about 2009 (and beyond) did not work? What were my goals? Did I fall short of achieving them? If so, why? What were my biggest obstacles? What were my patterns? What was my “rock bottom” moment? What are my bad habits? Sit down and think about each question and answer them as fully and completely as you can in your mind. Target your patterns and obstacles that have impeded your efforts in the past, the potential hazards for this time around. Is it sweets at work? No support from your family? No motivation to work out because it’s too early or too late? Eating at night? Emotional eating? Negative self-talk? Are you stuck? No time?

Last year was the first full year of the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. I started out the year with a gigantic gain of over 6 pounds due to terrible eating over the holidays. It was a huge slap in the face for me. Throughout the course of 2009, my weight went down, but I had so many weeks with gains. I know that tracking my points using Weight Watchers online worked for me, because the weeks I tracked diligently, I had loses.

In April of 2009, the Sisterhood starting Shredding using Jillian Michaels’ 30-Day Shred DVD. It was the first time I had added consistent exercise into my routine, and it was also the point when my Points tracking went by the wayside. I think I got a little arrogant, and figured that working out was more than enough, and while I still tried to eat healthfully, I wasn’t keeping track. Huge FAIL.

Looking back, it’s so obvious to me now that I needed BOTH. I needed consistent exercise and I needed to track everything that went into my pie hole. Without BOTH, I was basically struggling for very small losses, maintaining, and even gaining small amounts each week. That struggle gave me a poor attitude and kept me from finally reaching my goal.

On a positive note, I did dip into the 130 briefly in 2009, and my overall loss for the year was 18 pounds. Really not shabby, but as I said before, there were lots of weeks when I gained, and if I’d been in the right frame of mind, I probably wouldn’t have had as many of those weeks.

Then, take a look at 2009 and beyond and think about what did work. Because you don’t want to fix what ain’t broke. If something worked for you, if you felt progress somewhere, found successes, (because along the journey there are a million tiny victories, many of them non-scale related!), what were those? All of your victories are a very big deal! Give yourself a high five, out loud, to everyone!

In 2009, I incorporate physical activity into my routine, and that WORKED. I had more energy, felt great, and started to feel muscles in places that were just soft before. I loved the way working out made me feel, and the compliments I received from people only fueled the fire. I had a HUGE ah-ha moment when I realized that losing all the weight was great, but not being toned and fit when I reached that point would leave me short of my goal. So I exercised. I shredded, jumped on the EA SPORTS Active train with Personal Trainer, More Workouts, and the 5K challenge.

Looking back, I also realize I really woke up and started thinking about what I was putting in my body. I realized that processed foods were just bad, and I really cracked down on my intake of fruits and vegetables. I also started focusing on my water intake, and noticed a huge improvement in the way I felt as a fully hydrated person.

The part three of this project is to work out those bugs from 2009. For anything that didn’t work, think about your proposed solutions to the issues.

As far as solutions go, since I know working out worked for me in 2009, I am fully committed to continuing down that path. With the Sisterhood 1/2 marathon training about to kick off, I’m totally psyched about where my body will take me in 2010. I also plan to keep up with my strength training so my body will be in top condition for training and running.

I know where I need the most work, and that’s in the food intake accountability area. I NEED to track my points. I need to know what’s going into my body. I need to make sure I’m staying within my Points allowance if I want to see the scale move down. I also realize I need to tweak what I’m eating in order to fuel my body for the physical activities I’m taking part in.

This year will be the year it all comes together for me. I will reach my goal weight through tracking Points on Weight Watchers online, decide whether my goal weight is the right place for me, will train and run the San Diego Rock ‘n Roll 1/2 marathon as part of Team Shrinking Jeans, and will do it all consistently. No more arrogance. No more slacking. No more excuses.

The end.

p.s. Thank you Christie. Thank you so much for putting together this awesome new feature for the Sisterhood. Thank you for posing the tough questions and making me really, really think about my journey. You rock, and I love you.

Howdy y’all! Sorry I didn’t get a chance to post yesterday, but we’re on a family ski vacation, and I was busy with new challenge stuff yesterday!

ANYWAY, first things first. I want to give a HUGE shout out to our very own Christie O. for putting together the most amazing challenge the Sisterhood has ever seen. Yes, our past challenges have been fabulous, but this one takes the cake. Okay, maybe cake isn’t the best thing to talk about (or think about) right now. But you get my point. CHRISTIE, I LOVE YOU!!!!

Since I’m out of town, and unable to weigh in (yeah, imagine that! I, the OCD weigher, left my scale at HOME!), I’m just going to go with last week’s weigh in of:

140.4

Although in my heart of hearts, I know that is way off. You see, this past week hasn’t been pretty at all. Yes, I’ve been taking ski lessons, which surely counts for something, but I’ve also thrown caution to the wind when it comes to my eating. I’m not going to go into details, because honestly, I really don’t want to remember all the crap I’ve consumed.

I’m ready to start fresh with this challenge. I’m ready to Rethink MY Shrink!

So, according to Christie, I need to:

1. Figure out my eating plan. Well, since I’ve always used Weight Watchers, with great success in the past, I am going to get back on that bandwagon. I have fallen off of counting points, and honestly I’ve gotten a little overconfident in my ability to guesstimate how many Points I’ve consumed. Time to Rethink it all and get back to the basics of counting and eating my daily Points allotment. Another thing I’m thinking of doing, since I saw it on another blog (which I can’t remember right now, but when I do I’ll share it with you), is taking pictures of all my food (before I eat) and posting it here every day. I mean think about it, if I have to show you pictures of what I’m eating, don’t you think it will make me think TWICE about eating something I shouldn’t or too much of something I should. Anyway, it’s just a thought, so let me know if you’d be interested in seeing what I’m eating!
2. Get your workouts in order. Since I’m still participating in the EA SPORTS Active More Workouts 6-Week Challenge, I’m going to continue on with it, and probably start up another 6-week challenge when I’m done. I also plan to run, run, and run some more. I am training for a 1/2 marathon, you know!
3. Since the Sisterhood of the Shrinking jeans has already infiltrated my life (it’s my baby!), I don’t have a problem joining, taking part, and offering as much support as I can! I’m here for you, (wo)man!!!!

So there it is. The beginning of my plan to Rethink MY Shrink. I know I will be adding to it, honing it, and making it more doable for me, but I think I’m off to a good start!

OH! My goal for the next 7 weeks? *big sigh* Since I never seem to meet my weight-loss goals, I’m not going to set one this time around. I’m a little over 10 pounds from my GOAL weight, and sure I’d love to be there in 7 weeks! I think my goals are going to be:

1. GET ON WW ONLINE AND DO IT! No excuses. NONE.
2. EXERCISE! Strength training, running, cardio.
3. WATER! OMG, I have fallen off on my water intake, and that’s one thing I know helps me lose weight! WATER has got to be a priority!
4. FRESH! I need to start consuming fresh, fresh, fresh food.

LET’S DO IT! It’s time to Join the Revolution AND Rethink Your Shrink!

As promised, today I started back on WW online. As usual, with anything new (ish), I stuck to it like a, well, I’m no good at analogies. Let’s just say I did really good today!

Points Allowance: 22

Points Used: 26.5

Flex Points Remaining: 30.5

Exercise: that would be a big, fat NONE

Water: All the way baby

F/V: 6, read it and weep

I feel good. I’m a little hungry. I’m realizing that I’ve been eating way too much, even though I did WW for years, and I know what a portion is, all that’s been retired to the back of my brain apparently. So I had my measuring cups and scale out today, making sure I was getting everything right.

I need to save the rest of my Flex Points for this weekend, because we’re going to a WNBA game and it happens to be dollar beer and hot dog night (go figure), and we’ll be staying overnight in San Antonio and hitting Sea World the next day. I’m sure Mexican food will be involved in some way. Lord have mercy.

As far as my habits, go, I’m doing a pretty good job. My focus for this challenge was water, and I’m proud to say I’ve met my goal everyday. I also chose to focus on 5 servings of fruit and vegetables each day, and aside from a few missed days while out of town, I’ve done quiet well and actually look forward to my daily 5.

The last habit I wanted to form was getting exercise every day. This one, my fine Sisters and Brothers, I have failed miserably on.  Sure, I’ve worked out sporadically, but not in a habit forming way, and that makes me mad. I truly set out on this challenge with the intent of exercising and making it a habit. I’m not going to give up, though. I know that we have the EA Sports Active 30-Day Challenge on the horizon, so I’m going to prepare myself for that, and workout as much as I can between now and then to prepare.

My weight, well, it hasn’t gone down. Nope, I haven’t shrunk. I’m not making any excuses, because I know exactly what happened. Over the last month I traveled 3 of the 4 weeks. I traveled to places like Chicago, Atlanta, Tennessee and Austin. And if I’m going to be really honest, I’ll just tell you I ate my way through those cities and states. Oh yes I did. I’m not going to say I ate things I shouldn’t have, because really, I don’t feel like anything is off limits. I can’t live like that. But when you partner day after day and trip after trip of eating out, and not making the healthiest of choices, it doesn’t matter how much walking or hiking or babywearing you do. Calories in do not equal calories out which equals a gain.

So here are my numbers:

Last official weigh-in at the end of the Shrinking Days of Summer challenge: 142.6

Today’s weigh-in after weeks of debauchery: 146

Do you know how long it took me to get to 142.6? MONTHS. Months of working through a plateau and struggling so hard. I was so proud. I know I will back to it, but OMG, nothing sucks more than getting there and and then losing it. Can I get an AMEN?

And here is my new commitment: I am going to start using Weight Watchers online again. Today. I used it and lost 45 pounds before my daughter was born. I know it works. I know how it works and why it works. I will do it. Help keep me honest okay? I’m going to blog here everyday about my points and tracking and how I’m doing. Come back here and harass me in the comments if you don’t see me post. Please. Every time you comment, I get an email which is just like a swift kick in the ass.

Smooches.

I’m on day 2 of religiously tracking my points and entering them into Weight Watchers online. And you wanna know what? It feels GREAT! So empowering and important. I knew that if I could get back on track, it wouldn’t be so hard.

So how are you doing? Do you track points? Have you fallen off track? I’m telling you to start right this minute! It’s not too late to start today. Write down everything you’ve eaten, open up the site and start figuring and entering! While you’re at it, think about what you want to eat tonight and start your calculations now! You’ll feel so much better.

Am I right or am I right?

I am so very happy to have moved into the 140s this week. I feel like I’ve been running backwards for the past two months, and now I’ve finally taken a huge leap forward!

I’ve been sitting here going over the past week in my mind and I want to make a note of what I did that worked.

• I counted every sinlge point and I logged them into WW Online. Every snack, every bite, everyTHING!
• I upped my veggies. I bought a huge tub of baby spinach and had a salad with almost every meal in addition to the steamed veggies I prepared. Lots and lots of salad with a light balsamic vinagrette.
• I upped my dairy. I’m normally a huge milk drinker, but I got to the point where I didn’t want to spend my points on a beverage. I mean come on, 2 points for a cup of milk seems like overkill. But I drank my milk (2 cups a day) and I logged the points.
• I didn’t eat all of my Flex Points. The reason is that I feel like the extra points I’m getting for breastfeeding are a little much. I’m allowed 10 extra points and opted to use 9, which are added into my daily allotment. I’ve been using all of my points everyday, but didn’t feel the need to use all of my Flex Points. For the most part, I’ve been completely satisfied everyday with 29 points.
• I got moving. I finally got my Wii Fit and I’ve been using it. Not as much as I should be, but I have used it. And I’m sore, so I know that my movement is paying off a little!

I never, ever want to see the 150s again. EVER. I am looking forward to making my way down the 140s and into the 130s soon. Is it possible that I might look good in a swimsuit this summer? That I might be able to buy a size 10 jeans in a month or so? I love it!! I can’t wait to shrink some more.

I have counted and logged every single piece of food I’ve eaten this week. I’ve actually been kinda OCD about it. The thing is, since I’m a chronic weigher, I just don’t see the weight coming off. It’s kinda depressing actually. I’m not looking for sympathy or help finding excuses or anything.

I think it’s time to cut back on the extra points I get for breastfeeding. I am allowed 10 points, of which I use 9. I think that’s the problem. I’m not nursing fulltime anymore. I’m nursing about 1/2 time. Or maybe 1/3 time. So after weigh-in on Wednesday, I think I’m going to retool my plan and cut back by 5 points to see what happens.

We’ll see.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Beth and I were discussing the need for a WW mobile app for her iPhone (gag, okay, I’m just jealous). We dreamed of being computer geeks and coming up with the app and selling it for like $2 to eleventy billion people and then we’d be gazillionaires. Well, someone beat us to it.

Last night I was checking out the Weight Watchers site (you know, because I’m logging each and every bite, lick, and taste) and I stumbled upon GREATNESS: Weight Watchers MOBILE (queue angels singing and bright mystery lights shining down from above). Can you believe it? I can’t!! No gazillions of dollars for me, but at least it will be so much easier to keep track of my points when I’m out and about. No excuses now!

It works with iPhone, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile 6. You can calculate points at the grocery store, look up points values for restaurant dishes on the go, and even track your activity points as soon as you get done showering at the gym. Seriously. You have no excuses for not fitting into those shrinking jeans now.

It’s simple. Visit http://mobile.weightwatchers.com from your mobile device.

After the complete debacle that was my weigh-in this morning, I decided to get my butt in gear and start counting my points. I mean, I actually pay for a Weight Watchers Online subscription and it just sits there, unused, wasting away.

So today I drug out my trusty food scale, my measuring cups and spoons, and logged onto WW. At each and every meal and snack, I measured, weighed, pulled up WW Online, calculated, and logged. Every single bite, lick, and taste. You know what? It felt GOOD. It felt good to be in control, to know exactly how many points I’ve consumed and what I have left. No more guessing and adding in my head.

I will do this everyday. I will, I will, I will. I’ll do it for me. And for my butt, and my hips, and my jiggly thighs. Because I’m really kinda tired of them, and I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of them if I don’t stay on track.

p.s. Are you sharing your love and support? Are you visiting our Sisters’ blogs and leaving them some encouraging words of support? Some “Congratulations?” Some “I’ve been theres?” Some “Keep up the good work?” You should be!! Would you please? Pretty please? You see, that’s how this site works. We all come here to share something difficult: our struggles with weight loss. Most of us would have NEVER, EVER posted our weight on a blog, but we are now. We’re putting it all out there in hopes that we might finally lose this weight, and it’s so wonderful to get some nice words of support along the way. So hop on over to the Blogroll. Click on a few links. Leave a couple of comments. It will make someone’s day. I promise.