Finally out of the 180s

Great weigh-in this morning.  I lost 1.8 pounds bring me to a total 7.2 pounds in 5 weeks.  My goal to lose 1 pound a week is working and better yet, I'm out of the 180s.  This just proves that Weight Watchers works.  I'm going a slow pace, but I don't mind as long as the scale is moving in the right direction.

I walked on the treadmill 5 times so that is good.  I ordered my Wwi fit over the weekend and it's suppose to be here tomorrow.  I've heard so many good things about it.  One of the lady's at WW this morning said she got the Michael Jackson game for Christmas and it really gives you a work out.  She lost over 5 pounds this week.  This weeks meeting was all about getting up and moving. 

I did go to the store this past week and got some fruits and some canned veggies.  I heard about dump soup at the WW meeting a couple weeks ago and looked it up.  I made some and that's what I've been eating every day for lunch.  Lots of veggies and low in points.

I've been busy sewing so I've been sitting a lot this past week.  I get my walking in first thing in the morning so I don't have any excuses about not doing it.  It's done and out of the way before my day really starts.

Wish me luck for another loss next week.

1 pound = 5.4 total gone

Today was my WW weigh-in.  I'm down another pounds.  That makes 5.4 total since I went back.  I'm feeling good that I'm still ahead of goal of losing a pound a week. 

I walked on the treadmill 3 times this week.  It snowed a lot on Tuesday, so I walked to my daughter's to pick up her dog.  The snow was deep and no one had shoveled their walks.  It was like walking on sand duns.  I am counting that as a work out, plus I shoveled my whole driveway.  I didn't do any other exercise this week.  If I had I would have probably lost more.  I will try harder to do more this week.  My weekly goal is to walk at least 4 times this week and try and do some other exercise the other 3 days.

The Pantry Challenge is still going OK.  I'm managing to eat healthy while still eating out of the pantry and freezer.  I did go shopping on Friday and bought some milk, eggs, english muffins and cheese.  I knew my grandson would be here part of the weekend so I also bought some chips for him.  I did not eat any of them and he took them home with him yesterday.  I ended up spending $44.19.  So far I've spent $54.00 on groceries this month.  I feel good about that.  A plus is that I still have a lot of food left in the house to work with for the rest of the month.

My challenge tonight is going out to eat at Tumbleweed.  I'm off to check their menu so I can make a wise choice before I get there tonight.

The mini goals are working

Last week I made a mini week goal to walk on the treadmill 4 days.  I ended up walking all 7 days. YEAH for me.  I continued to watch my portions and drank my water.  It was a good week.  This week I am going to make my mini goal to be to walk 4 days and do some other type of activity for 3 days.  I was planning on doing the celebrity workout on FitTV, but it looks like they took it off the morning programming and put it only in the evening.  I used to enjoy doing them because everyday it was a different style workout.  Now I think I might dig out the old Richard Simmon's tapes and do them 3 days.  It's too hard to do exercise in the evening after I've eaten dinner.

So now for the big news.  Today was my WW weigh-in.  I lost 2 pounds this week.  That's a total of 4.4 since I started back to meetings.  I feel good about that.  My long term goal is to lose 1 pound a week so I'm 1 pound ahead of goal.  I know the longer you go the harder it is to lose the weight so that's why I'm trying to mix up the weekly goals so I don't get too bored doing the same thing and to help trick my body into not knowing what's coming next.

The Pantry Cooking Challenge is going well.  I haven't been to the grocery store yet.  I did get some pistachios that were on sale for a good price, but that's it so far.  I am going to have to go tonight and get some cat food, so I might double check the sales and see if there's any real bargains in the fruits and veggies that I can't live without.   My pantry and freezer are still full so I think I can do this for the whole month.  The last week might be harder, but we will see.

Down a little bit at this week's meeting

My weigh-in wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be.  At least I didn't gain.  I lost .6 pounds this week.  Not quite the pound I had on my goal.  I still have a 2.4 total loss since re-joining WW.  Now that the holidays are out of the way and the grandkids are back to school I can get my life back in order.  The exercise room will be back instead of it being the kids bedroom, I can concentrate  on eating healthier foods, and I can have more me time. 

I am going to try and save some grocery money this month by cleaning out the pantry and freezer when I'm creating our meals.  There's plenty of food to start me out with a pretty good menu.  Near the end of the month I might have to be more creative to serve a healthy meal.  I will try to only spend my grocery budget on fresh fruits, veggies and milk.  When I restock my pantry it will be with healthy foods so I'm not tempted to eat things that I shouldn't have.  Next month I am going to try to cook double meals so I can restock the freezer with healthy meals that I can pull out when I'm stuck on what to make. 

This week's mini goal is to walk on the treadmill 4 times this week.  I ended up walking on it a total of 4 times last week so I walked 1 extra day over my goal.  I walked today so only 3 more days to make goal this week.  I'm going to get the Wii out of the box and get it set up so I can maybe get a little exercise in by playing some of the games until I can get the Wii-Fit.

Survived New Years Weekend

I made it through the New Year food fest without doing too much damage.  I did make you veggie dip using low fat cream cheese and lite mayo.  I put it in my WW calculator and it comes up to 2 points a tablespoon.  I use 2 tablespoons and manage to  get a lot of veggies (green peppers and carrots) in.  I didn't eat a single potato chip or fried food.  I tried making some sauerkraut balls in the oven, but that's didn't turn out very well.  I did eat a couple cheese cubes (which I cut in smaller cubes). I had one drink on NYE and a glass of wine on New years day with dinner.  I made my usual New Years dinner consisting of meatballs, sauerkraut and cabbage.  I ate 2 meatballs and a little of the cabbage and sauerkraut.  I didn't have any rolls with dinner.  My lunch yesterday and today were veggies and dip.  We did go out to dinner tonight and I had one slice of a small pizza and a salad.  Since I didn't have much for dinner I thought I could afford it.

Tomorrow is weigh-in again.  I'm hoping for a pound or more.  To stay on track to get to goal by Dec 2011 I have to lose at least 1 pound a week.  I will post how I did tomorrow.

This weeks goal met!

I finished walking on the treadmill my 3rd time this week. Any more walking is a bonus. I like the idea of making a weekly goal. Each week I will pick a different goal and see if it helps me stay motivated. Mini goals help keep me from getting stressed and overwhelmed. Every year I make the same resolution on New Years Eve and every year I'm sitting her weighing the same if not more. Sticking to my mini goals should help me stay on track and with any luck I hope to lose at least a pound a week which should bring me to goal my this time next year. One week at a time. I can do anything for a week.

I'm a loser. My WW meeting proved it!

I had my WW my weigh-in yesterday morning. I'm down 1.8 pounds. I was hoping for more, since it's my first weigh from my long return, but an almost 2 pound loss over a holiday is great. 

My goal for this week is to lose 2 pounds. Of course this is another holiday weekend. I will have to work hard all week so the weekend doesn't ruin me. I will also watch what I eat and stay away from the fried foods. We have family over here on New Years Eve so I'm in control of the food. I will continue having what they like, but when I make the veggie dip I will use the reduced fat cream cheese and mayo. I will eat lots of veggies and avoid the bad things that the others are eating. I can do it. I will enjoy 1 drink to toast in the new year with and that's it. The rest of the time I will be drinking my water. Heck I might splurge and get lemons and put my water in a flute glass and garnish it with a lemon slice. 

I missed walking on the treadmill 4 days last week. The week started out good and then the grandchildren came to stay and the exercise room turned back into their bedroom. I put the trundle bed back and opened up the treadmill again this morning. I walked before I went to weigh-in. My walking goal is to walk at least 3 days this week (that's what I did last week), but would really like to do it everyday. We learned today to set goal at our meeting and to make them realistic. the 3 days is realistic, but if I do more it is a bonus. I'm setting myself up for failure so 3 will work for me.

Thinking about re-joining Weight Watchers

I lost weight when I was going to Weight Watchers before and I think I might start back and see if it will work again.  I found all my weight-in cards.  I joined June 18,  2001, weighing 180.5.  The 1st week I lost 18 pounds. That is amazing seeing I can't seem to lose a pound now.  I had set my goal to be 145 pounds.  I really think this is too low.  I did manage to make my goal on March 15 2003.  It took me 2 years to make goal. I became a lifetime member on April 14, 2003.  I was able to maintain for 3 weeks.  In the 4th week I gained 22 pounds (it might have been Easter week, I don't remember) and continued to gain for 2 weeks after that.  I got disappointed and quit going.  BIG MISTAKE!!  Now here it is almost 2011 and I'm at 188.5.  I looked up when and where the meeting are and I think I'll start back on Monday. 

I've been getting exercise in everyday this week.  We were hit with a big snowstorm on Monday & Tuesday so I spend quite a bit of time shoveling snow both days.  I walked on the treadmill yesterday and today before my morning shower.  I've been trying to eat better too.  I really need to get some fresh veggies and fruit in the house though.  I'm thinking a trip to Aldi's is in order.

Starting over with a healthier lifestyle

I really have to start over again. I have maintained for a year.  I guess that's better than gaining, but I really need to lose at least 30 pounds.  I really don't think I eat all that bad.  I know I could do better. 

I've started to use more strict portion control.  I've bought smaller plates to eat on and we now use the smaller forks for our meals.  I only drink water at meals we eat at home.  We do eat out on the weekends, but I try and make wiser choices.


I know it's a hard time to try and lose weight .  I just don't want to gain through the holidays.  I will really be happy to continue maintaining and then start losing in January.  I don't have any Christmas parties to go to and I'm not planning on making a lot of cookies.  My plan is to stay on plan up till Christmas day's dinner and try to limit one plate full then.


OK, now for my big problem.  I just can't stay motivated to exercise.  I know I should and I do sometimes.  I have a treadmill, but don't keep up on using it.  I just bought myself a Wii and will get the Wii Fit when I see a good price or when I get enough Amazon gift credits to get it cheap.  I'm going to try and walk on the treadmill at least 3 days a week.  I will start today!!  Ok, now I've written it so I will have to do it.  There's nothing good on TV tonight, so I will do it after dinner.


Another problem is getting the water in.  I'm doing better with this, but still not as much as I should be getting in.  I just bought a Brita pitcher to help save on the plastic bottles.  The pitcher holds 5 cups and I try to drink a pitcher a day.  This is a good start for me.  Drinking cold water is hard when it's cold outside.


Today's menu:
B- Peanut butter on toast- 2 slices of white bread
     1 cup OJ
S- Yoplait light yogurt
L- left over spaghetti (wheat pasta)
D- 1/2 chicken breast (baked)

    mashed potatoes
    noodles
    homemade applesauce
S- WW jello pie

Mail Update

Mail update for last week:

Free Shape Magazine
Free Weight Watchers Magazine
Free sheet of coupons for Farmland products
Free Yoplait Yogurt coupon
Several birthday cards

Not So Good Mail Week

t

This week was a terrible mail week.  Here's what I got:

All You Magazine
Taste of Home Magazine
$1.00 coupon for Cheer laundry detergent.

That's it.  I paid for both of the magazine subscriptions so I didn't even get those free.  I hope this week is better.

Weekly Mail Update

This week I got the following in the mail:

Breyers Inspirations Yogurt coupons 1 for a free yogurt and a .50 off coupon.
Free Prevention Magazine
Free Organic Gardening Magazine
Axe Shower Gel sample from Sam's Club
$3.00 coupon for Ensure
Full bottle of Pantene Shampoo from Focal Point.

That's all the free goodies for this week.  I don't want to discuss my US Bank charge bill.  My zero% finance charge promotion ran out so OUCH!!!  It isn't pretty.

2 Weeks of Mail

 

Today I'm listing 2 weeks of mail.

1 Free Excederin Coupon

$15.00 worth of coupons for Bayer products

$5.00 Johnson & Johnson rebate check

(2) 50 cent coupons for Breyer's yogurt

Free coupon for Hellva Good products 

Free SportsCar magazine and calendar

Flip, Clip & Save coupons booklet from Target

Gold Medal Mail Call

This week I got some good Freebies.

A free Uniball pen
Free Family Fun magazine
Free Weight Watchers magazine
Tidy Cat coupons.  1 free 20# and (2) $2.00 off any
I had a problem with my scoopable litter not clumping, so I wrote to Tidy Cat to complain and they sent me these coupons.
I also got a Garden Gate magazine that I got a cheap subscription to.

Not a bad week for freebies

Weekly Mail Update

This weeks mail was a little sparse again this week.

Free Oreos coupon from facebook

$1.00 coupon from Arbor Mist rebate

ConAgra coupon booklet

Sample of Celestial Green Tea

Free American Motorcyclist Magazine

That's it for this week.

Weekly Mail Call

This was a very slow mail week.  It was so slow that I'm going include freebies I got with today's newspaper.

This is what I got.

Free Prevention Magazine

Cheap All You Magazine

$15 worth of Save-A-Lot coupons

$5.40 worth of Dove coupons

$5.00 check from my sister-in-law for her Relay For Life Chili cook-off ticket

A post card announcing my 40th class reunion

And on today's newspaper wrapper a free sample of Fiber one ceral and 90 calorie bar with coupons

Now that I typed it all out I guess it wasn't such a bad week after all.

This Weeks Mail

This week I didn't get a lot of goodies in the mail.

I got:

A free Pillsbury Calendar

$5.00 check form Johnson's rebate

That's it.  I'm hoping for a better mail week next week.

Weekly Mail Call

This was a much better week for freebies in the mail.

This week I got:

Free Weight Watchers Magazine (which had several coupons I cut out)
Free Family Fun Magazine
Free Shape Magazine
Free Self Magazine
Free Delalio calendar with coupons attached
$10 Eukanuba puppy food coupon
Stripes card for T.G.I. Friday's
$5.00 off $300 coupon for Donzell's Garden Center.

I also got a box returned that I sent in for the Biggest Loser Pound for Pound Challenge sponsored by Yoplait yogurt.  I know they would have received the box before the Dec. 31st cut off date, but it was returned saying that the box was closed.  What a rip off.  I guess they could have raised the $275,000 alloted for this cause before I mailed the lids. I mailed the pink labels for Yoplait the same day so lets see if they come back too.

Weekly Mail Call

This wasn't a very exciting mail week.  I got:

20 Nut-trition coupons I ordered from Ebay

All You Magazine

Woman's Day Magazine (free subscription)

Taste of Home Magazine

88 cent check from Capital One.  This was the credit balance still on our closed Credit Card.

Presidential Memorial Certificate in memory of my father-in-law signed by President Obama

A letter stating that Office Max will now take my used canon ink cartridges

That's all the good stuff.  I also got my Discover and US Bank credit bills.

WEEKLY MAIL RECAP

This was a pretty good mail week. This is what I got:

2- FREE coupons for Hefty trash bags. One is for up to $8.00 and the other is for up to $9.00. I had a problem with a box of trashbags and contacted the company and they were kind enough to send me these free coupons. I love it when companies appreciate their consumers.

9- $1.00 coupons for Coke. I enrolled at http://www.recyclebank.com/ and the coupons were my reward. It's well worth enrolling even if your community doesn't participate in the program. If you are lucky enough to have it in your area you can earn more points than the startup reward.

1- .75 coupon for Hellman's mayo plus 2 samples to see if you can tell the difference between the light and regular mayo.

3- .50 coupons for Charmin TP. I commented on their website that they are offering a $1.00 coupon and when you click on it you get a message that there is no coupon for that campaign. So I'm now .50 ahead of the game.

Free Gardening Magazine from a free subscription.

There might have been more goodies, but this is all I can remember. I'll try to keep track better this week.