I’M BACK ON THE WAGON!

So between the holidays and out of town guests and quitting my job at Weight Watchers, I’ve been a bit, well, not just falling off the wagon, but underneath it and run over. Several times.

But I’m back on it. I’ve brushed myself off, put my work-out clothes back on, downloaded the WW app on my new phone and purged my kitchen of everything I could without my family killing me. I’m back, baby!

Here’s what I’ve learned, with a little help from an article written by David Kirchhoff, President and CEO of Weight Watchers.

1. We make over 200 food decisions per day. And those of us trying to eat healthy probably make way more than that. This can be overwhelming, so keeping a food diary makes me more mindful of what I’m eating. I’m not always great at it, but I do my best!

2. If I deprive myself of what I really, really want, I’ll never succeed. That doesn’t mean I can eat an entire package of Oreo cookies, but it does mean I can have one or two.

3.  Whatever I eat, I own it. Period.

4.  I don’t surround myself with my “trigger foods.” I try to manage my environment as much as I can, given I have a husband and two growing boys in the house with me.

5.  I try to have a plan as much as I can when it comes to meals and snacks. If I “wing it,” I’m setting myself up for failure.

6.  Routines work. Yes, they can be boring sometimes, but they help me stay in control.

There you have it! Even though I’m not a Weight Watchers leader anymore, I’m still a Lifetime Member, and right now I need them more than ever! But whether you go to WW, another diet place, or just want to eat healthier, I applaud you. And don’t let those New Year’s Resolutions drift off by mid-February. This is your life, take control!!!

Karen

 

HERE’S TO 2012!!!

As much as it’s a little bit of a let down when the holidays are over, it’s also kind-of nice to get back to the normal routine, don’t you think? I’m a little sick of all the junk food, the Christmas songs, the mess in the house, and yes, the kids being home! I long for peace and quiet again in my home. (Is that bad?)

I also long for getting back to the gym and shedding those holiday pounds. I can’t wait to get all those decorations back into the attic. I’m ready to start working on Spring Break plans. (By the way, only 99 days until The Sister’s Trip 2012!)

But most of all, I’m SO excited to start my new adventure this year, working at Weight Watchers!!! I am officially now a WW employee and have started my training to be a leader. Just think, I have the potential to INFLUENCE PEOPLE’S LIVES. Isn’t that an amazing thing to be able to say?

So here’s my 2012 challenge to you: Influence somebody’s life this year for the better. A friend, a relative, a neighbor, a stranger, a child, or all of the above. Through words, actions, donations, however you can, whatever they need, find a way. You can do it. It doesn’t have to be huge. Lots of influences are small, yet meaningful.

Give it some thought and let me know how you’re doing.

 

Karen

KEEPING THE WEIGHT DOWN!

Many of you have followed my weight loss over the past few years, so you know it’s been a struggle for me. Well, the struggle doesn’t end when the magic number appears on the scale for the first time, you know! The second part of the fight is just beginning then. The past year, I’ve been maintaining, and I’ve been pretty successful at it. Until summer hit!

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’ve gained all 50 pounds back! Not even close!!! Just a few. And I’m not all freaked out about it. Yet. But I know that if I’m not diligent, those few pounds can turn into 5 pounds, then 10, then more. So yes, I’m a little bit concerned.

Don’t forget, I’m somebody who has struggled with my weight my ENTIRE life. So indulge me here!

Now, I’m not going to turn into one of those neurotic, skinny girls who squeals “Oooooh, I’m soooo fat!!!!!” and makes a complete fool out of herself when she gains 1/2 pound. (Tee hee! Me, a skinny girl! Who would’ve thunk?!!!) BUT, since I’ve gained 3 pounds in 3 months (which, if you’re any good at math, that translates to 12 pounds a year, right?), I need to get my butt back to the gym and start counting those Weight Watchers points again!

So it’s time to buck up and get motivated. Goodbye chocolate and ice cream! Hello fiber!

***Sigh***

Karen

IS THAT WRONG?

There are certain things that I think or do that I have to wonder, “Is that wrong?  Am I a bad person?”  So here are some of them.  Please let me know if you do these things too!

• I LOVE being alone in my house!  No kids, no husband, just me, me, me!  And I don’t mean I think it’s kind-of nice.  I mean I LOVE it!
• When it’s right before dinner and I’m kind-of, but not really, hungry, I sneak a couple of bites of something.  I say sneak, because if my kids see me eating something, they’ll want a snack, and of course I’ll say no because it will ruin their appetite for dinner.  Duh!
• I am secretly THRILLED that I weigh less than my Skinny Minnie sister (who, by the way, doesn’t read this, so if anyone forwards this to her, you’re in BIG trouble!).  Of course I say that she’s an inch taller and she works out more so she has more muscle, blah, blah, blah.  But inside, I’m thinking, “I weigh less!  Ha ha! In your face, skinny one!!!!”
• Even though I expect everyone in the family to give me a bite of their meal or dessert, I don’t share mine with anyone.  Really, if I’m having a 5 point Weight Watchers meal, that I’ve measured and weighed out, or splurging on a 2 point cookie, am I really going to give up a bite?
• This surgery that I had?  So maybe I milked it just a little longer than I needed to.  It was just so nice having my husband and kids take care of ME for once!  Not having to worry about dinner and the laundry and cleaning up after everyone else was SO NICE, it was really hard to give that up!  But, alas, I finally did.  (sniff, sniff!)

Those are some of the things I’ll actually admit to, because the others, well, I KNOW that they are wrong!

Karen

 

I DID IT! I REACHED MY GOAL!!!

FINALLY, I reached my weight loss goal! 

50 POUNDS LOST!!! 

YAY ME!!!

Can you tell I’m a little bit excited?  Well, I should be!  I’ve worked really hard over the past year and a half to lose this weight the right way, through healthy eating changes and exercise.  I don’t consider myself having been on a “diet.”  If that was the case, then the diet would be over and I would be going back to my old eating habits (and of course the weight would come right back on).  Hopefully, I’ve learned a lot since the beginning of 2009, lessons that will keep me at this weight for the rest of my life (ugh, that seems like such a long time). 

So what have been the most exciting results of losing this weight?  Well, besides the obvious of looking and feeling better about myself physically, there have been other, incredible benefits.  The first, most awesome one is how proud I am that I accomplished this goal.  I feel so empowered, which has really leaked into other areas of my life.  It has given me strength where perhaps I was lacking before.

The second one that is so amazing to me is that I have actually become a source of inspiration to others.  People at the gym and at Weight  Watchers have come up to me and told me that I have inspired them to keep working out or stay on the WW program.  I can’t begin to tell you how incredible that makes me feel.  And it helps me want to keep the weight off, not just for myself now, but because I don’t want to let anyone else down!  (Isn’t that funny how we do that?  But hey, if that helps me be accountable in keeping it off, I’ll use whatever works!)

Here you can see before and after pictures (and the sad thing is, the “before” picture is after I had lost about 10 pounds already!):

So, am I a little nervous about keeping it off FOREVER?  Yep!  But I know I can do it if I just keep everything in perspective.  Will I indulge every so often?  Of course!  I do now!  That’s what keeps me sane and on track!  Am I happier now than I was 50 pounds ago?  YOU BETCHA!!!

(Skinny) Karen

I'M HAVING A HUNGRY DAY!

Do you ever have those days when you’re just hungry all day? That’s today for me. Nothing is different today. I had the same Egg Beaters on Bagel Thin breakfast that I always have, and then I did a little office work, then walked on the treadmill for a few miles.

But 10:00 rolled around and BOOM, I was hungry and it hasn’t let up yet!

So why does this happen? There have been no changes to my routine. It’s not “my time of the month.” WHY SABATOGE MY DIET THE DAY BEFORE WEIGH-IN????

So quick update on my weight loss progress: I made my Weight Watchers goal (yay me!), but not my personal goal yet. I’ll explain. Once you make goal at WW, you have to maintain that weight for 6 weeks, at which time you become a “Lifetime” member. (HUGE status at WW!) As a Lifetime member, you don’t have to pay any fees, but you have to weigh-in once a month and maintain your weight within 2 pounds of your goal weight.

Yes, you heard me right… 2 POUNDS!!! Okay, I don’t know about you, but 2 pounds could be water retention. It could be having not pooped for a few days. It could be a really big meal the night before. 2 pounds, are they kidding me? So while I set my WW goal at X (no, you don’t need to know that number!), my own personal goal is actual X minus 3. So since I just hit WW goal last week, I really have 3 more pounds to go to hit MY REAL goal. That way, if I ever go above my goal by 5 pounds, well then I should be held accountable and have to start going every week and paying again because I’ll need to. Get it?

So there’s my update! Really, I just wanted to share that I’M HUNGRY TODAY!!!!

Karen

IT'S ALL ABOUT SPIN CLASS

As some of you know, over the past year or so, I have been slowly yet successfully losing weight and getting in shape through exercise and changing how I eat (with the help of Weight Watchers). One of my favorite ways to burn calories has been taking spin classes at the gym. Okay, I have a confession to make (don’t you just love my confessions?). Until I took a tour of my new gym and they showed me the spin room with all those shiny bikes in there, I thought spin classes had something to do with dancing. (You know, spinning around or something. Right?) I have a friend who, to this day, will still do a little twirl sometimes when I mention I’m going to spin class!

So let me tell you first why I started going to these classes. Because somebody told me I shouldn’t! Really! It was early in my working-out days, and I mentioned to a friend (who is very physically fit) that I was thinking of trying it out, and she told me she thought I should get in better shape first. Hmmmph! I showed her! (Actually when I brought this up to her a few months ago, she couldn’t believe she ever said this to me and was even more proud of me that I tried it and stuck with it!)

Here’s why I stick with it: I can’t embarrass myself! In step or dance classes, I just can’t seem to pick up the moves fast enough, so I end up bumping into people or doing the wrong thing. But in spin class, I can’t make a wrong move! All I have to do is pedal! And if I get tired, nobody has to know that I took resistance off for a little bit while I recharged my energy. But in a step class, they would surely notice if I stopped moving for a while!

Now the spin instructors are all over the board. There are instructors who just stay up there and pedal and tell you what to do in a very monotone voice and are very boring. I stay away from their classes! However, I also stay away from the ones who DON’T STOP TALKING THE ENTIRE TIME! Good music is a must. Being motivating is absolutely necessary. And good videos are definitely a plus. Most instructors just use the videos that the gym supplies (Bike-O-Rama-Vision through different parts of the country – yawn, various bike races – double yawn), but I have one instructor who actually puts different music videos together for our rides. Even cheesy 80’s videos! I love those days! (Thanks, Karen K!)

So if you’ve never tried a spin class, go for it!. Yes, your butt will hurt like hell for a couple of days, but it really does go away if you keep going to class. As my “music video” instructor says, don’t worry, you don’t get calluses on your butt, either. If she did, her husband wouldn’t let her teach these classes!

Karen

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION UPDATE

Okay, we’re into March now, so it’s time to ‘fess up on how we are all doing on our New Year’s Resolutions! On my blog post at the beginning of January, I told you about my 2 (yes, only 2, it’s all I can handle!) resolutions: to continue losing weight to reach my 50 pound weight loss goal and to become more organized.

Resolution #1 is going great! I’m up to 42 pounds lost, and still going strong. In fact, I’m shaking it up a bit. While I’m still on Weight Watchers and still love their program, I’m deviating a little bit and counting calories (gasp!) and not just points now. It’s been interesting to see the difference. I’m also changing up my workout routine. I’ve been seeing a personal trainer to get me started in strength training. (At her prices, though, I told her I’m only paying for 4 sessions, so she better cram everything she can into those sessions!) Since I’ve only had 2 sessions with her so far, the only difference I see is HOW MUCH PAIN I’M IN!!! I’m sure it’s not reflected in my mood, though, so I can’t figure out why everyone in my family, dog included, seems to run away when I enter a room! Hmmmm.

Resolution #2 is… well… let’s just say it’s a work in progress. I thought that having my calendar on my phone would be great. But really, it’s just confusing me more. See, I can’t give up my “book” calendar, so sometimes I’ll have something on one calendar and not the other. Great example: Melissa and I moved our weekly meetings from Thursday afternoons to Monday afternoons. I changed it on my phone, because it was with me, but forgot to change it on my “real” calendar (I guess in my mind it was already changed), so of course I made lunch plans today with a friend, totally forgetting about my business meeting in the middle of a REALLY busy time at work. AND right before we are both taking vacations for spring break. (Turns out her son has been puking for the past 2 days and we can’t meet anyway, so I’m off the hook, but still…!)

However, I am getting better with my “piles!” I’m trying to stay on top of putting things away before my piles get out of hand. “TRYING” being the operative word here. Baby steps!

So how are your New Year Resolutions going?

Karen

WEIGHT LOSS UPDATE

It occurred to me that I haven’t given you an update on my weight loss lately. I thought about this for 2 reasons. One is that I hit another major goal, but I’ll tell you about that in a minute. The other reason is that in my Weight Watchers meeting last week, the leader asked us about “going public” with our weight loss journeys. She was talking about whether we share with friends, etc, but here was me, chiming up saying “Oh yeah, I tweet and facebook about it. Heck, I even blog about my weight loss!” When everyone stared at me like I had grown horns, I explained that the more people who know, the more accountable I am to them, and the less likely I am to gain the weight back. I just don’t want to be embarrassed basically!

So here’s my latest weight loss update:

I’ve hit 40 pounds!!!

Just for fun, I thought I’d post all my different head shots that I’ve used over the past year or so for my profile pics. (I really show my weight loss in my face!) So here goes:

LOOK, I went from 3 chins to only 1!!!!

So that’s my self-pat-on-the-back for the day! Anyone else who needs a pat on the back, just post it here and you’ll get one from me!

Karen

BUT I WAS DOING SO WELL…

WHAT HAPPENED?

I was SO on top of things. DH had bought 90% of the boys’ gifts on line (thanks, honey, but really, did you have to go WAY overboard?), I didn’t make Holiday cookies this year because of the whole Weight Watchers thing (I know myself, and cookie batter is one thing I have absolutely no control around), friend and family gifts were purchased, Christmas dinner was planned, decorations were up, cards were sent out… I was ROCKIN’!!!

Then Monday rolled around, and suddenly I realized “OMG, I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO DO!”

HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?????

So now of course I’m in panic mode. I still have to finish wrapping the gifts, taking care to use different wrapping paper on the gifts from Santa. Since I didn’t bake cookies, I need to get cookie tins or something of the sort for DH’s employees, and that needs to be done today since this is their last day of work until after the holidays. (I know, you’re wondering why this is my task, and not DH’s. Don’t go there, okay?!!)

Hey, wait a minute. That’s all I have left to do? Whoa! I got more done Monday and Tuesday than I thought. Yay for me! I’m not in panic mode any more.

ONCE AGAIN, I’M ROCKIN’!!!

So here’s hoping you have all your errands run and all your holiday tasks completed so you can sit back and relax and ENJOY your holidays!

Happy Holidays!

Karen

MONDAY MUSING: MY A-HA MOMENT

Many of you already know that I have been working very hard this year to lose weight, and although I have lost about 28 pounds, it has been a real struggle for me. I’m now on Weight Watchers, I work out 3-4 times per week, and still the weight only s-l-o-w-l-y drops off.

Well, my A-HA moment came last week while I was having lunch with my sister, Margee, and her friend, Anne, who is a Nurse Practitioner at a Neurologist's office. (Anne was in town for their 30th high school reunion. 30th, can you believe it? And the worst thing is, I’m not far behind. Um, no, I won’t tell you how many years until mine!) I was telling Anne how tired I am all the time, so she asked what meds I am currently taking for my migraines. I told her which one I take daily to prevent them and she said (are you ready for this?), “Oh, well that’s why you’re so tired. And did you know that it makes you gain weight?”

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????

So those 17 pounds that I gained in 2008 was NOT due to the fact that I was laid off and not working any more? And the fact that I’ve only lost 28 pounds in 9 1/2 months is because of my MEDS???

AGAIN….ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? IS THIS A CRUEL JOKE?????

Okay, sorry, I’ve regained my composure. Although it would have been nice for my doctor to have mentioned this to me, I suppose I have to own some of the responsibility since I never really read the information that came with it from the drug store.

So I went to my doctor (who, when I mentioned this, was totally nonplussed and just nodded and said “yeah, uh huh”) and we are slowly weaning me off this medicine and starting me on a different med that might help me LOSE weight (oh, yeah, and also help prevent my migraines). The first time I tried this particular medicine I didn’t like the side effects, so I’m not sure how it will work this time, but I’m determined to try it. The one side effect that I am already seeing is that I can’t stand Diet Coke anymore. No, really! It tastes flat but then my tongue burns after I swallow from the carbonation. It’s really weird. So already I’m missing my Diet Coke. I know, I know, it’s bad for me anyway. Whatever! All I know is that I WANT MY DIET COKE!!! (And yes, that was said in a VERY whiney tone!)

So wish me luck adjusting to the new medicine and getting off the old. But even more, wish me luck for getting off the Diet Coke and caffeine!

Karen

CALLING ALL NUTRITIONISTS AND DIET EXPERTS!

As most of you know, I have been working very hard this year to lose weight and get in shape. So far I’ve lost about 27 pounds. But I’m getting a bunch of conflicting information between the gym and Weight Watchers and just what I think I know to be true.

I went to a nutrition class at my gym a couple of weeks ago (WHY won’t I ever learn that although I may discover a few facts, these classes are really just a ruse to get me to buy something?) and I basically learned that I’m not eating enough. It sounds reasonable: by not eating enough, especially on the days I work out, I am effectively putting my body in starvation mode and lowering my metabolism. Okay, now let’s hop on over to WW, where they are saying to eat X number of points, each point being approximately 50 calories, and if you work out, great, you’ll burn more calories. But it’s not necessary to eat more on those days, even though I “earn” points by exercising.

And everything I’ve been taught in my 40-something years is “eat less and you’ll lose weight.”

So which is it? Can somebody out there explain this to me because I am REALLY CONFUSED!

Karen

KAREN’S WEIGHT LOSS UPDATE

I DID IT! I’VE LOST 25 POUNDS!!! I know it’s taken me a while to achieve this milestone, but I don’t care. I’d rather lose the weight slowly and KEEP it off, instead of watching it all come back on as soon as I go off my diet. I’M SO EXCITED! (Hear that? That’s the sound of me patting myself on the back. Okay, I’ll stop now!)

So I think that I’ve really been doing it right this time. I’m really adopting healthier eating habits, and I actually like working out now. But I still have a HUGE sweet tooth, as well as a fried food tooth. Oh, and don’t forget my salty tooth. Sigh.

But speaking of sweet and salty, I found a great snack. Smartfood Popcorn Clusters by Frito-Lay. They are 110 calories, 1 gram of fat and 5 grams of fiber. Because of the fiber, they are only 1 Weight Watchers point. And they are YUMMY!

And I must give a nod to Boca Veggie Burgers. I admit, it took me a while to get used to them, but I have, and now I (dare I say) actually like them. (Not love them, just like them.) But with the Original Vegan ones having only 70 calories, less than a gram of fat, and 4 grams of fiber, they are also only 1 point. So I can have a 2 point lunch by having a Boca Burger on an Arnold Select Sandwich Thin. How cool is that? (I know, it doesn’t take much to get me excited!)

So I’m going to reward myself with something decadent, then work on my next goal of 15 pounds, for a total of 40. If anybody has any suggestions or words of encouragement, lay them on me! I can use all the help I can get!

Karen

Oh, and by the way, clearly I can’t write a short post, so our “Monday Minute” is now “Monday Musings.”

Wednesday Whatever… My FAVORITE Diet Foods

Okay, I know that “favorite” and “diet foods” don’t exactly go together, but I have found some foods that keep me filled up longer than others and are very healthy. The key is fiber. I’m not a diet or nutrition expert, so don’t comment and tell me how wrong I am! These are just MY observations during MY diet! (Oops, it’s not a diet, it’s changing my eating habits to be more healthy. Yeah, whatever!)

My first favorite diet food is an Arnold Select Sandwich Thin. Have you ever tried these? They are really yummy! Here are the stats:

• Calories: 100
• Total Fat: 1 gram
• Carbs: 21 grams
• Fiber: 5 grams
• WW Points: 1

These make great buns for everything from burgers to chicken salad sandwich. My favorite thing to do with them is cook some Egg Beaters and make an egg sandwich. Only 2 points and it keeps me filled up for hours.

My second favorite diet food is Fiber One Yogurt. Check out the stats on this:

• Calories: 80
• Total Fat: 0 grams
• Carbs: 19 grams
• Fiber: 5 grams
• WW Points: 0

Yep, that’s right, ZERO points for this one! And again, because of the fiber, it’s a great snack and keeps me filled up.

KAREN’S WEIGHT WATCHERS UPDATE:

Last week, my family and I went to an all inclusive resort in Cancun, where there was an abundance of food wherever we looked. VERY hard to diet under those circumstances. But I did the best I could, even worked out twice, and told myself that if I gained less than 2 pounds, I’d be okay with it. So sure enough, I gained 1.6 pounds!

I’m back on the WW train again this week, so keep checking back as I update my weight loss story and bring you more tips!

Karen

WEIGHT WATCHERS UPDATE!

I’ve been going to Weight Watchers for a month now and I’m up to 5 pounds lost. Woo Hoo!!!! Thanks to everyone who’s cheering me on!

But I have to tell you about my weigh-in on Friday and my subsequent weekend. When I got weighed last Friday, I had only lost 1/2 pound, which really depressed me. I thought I had been doing so well last week, how in the world could I have only lost 1/2 pound? (Okay, so I had my hand in the Lucky Charms box more than a few times. And I guess all those ZERO point foods start adding up, but still…) So I sulked all day Friday, feeling sorry for myself and wondering if it was all worth it.

But then Saturday afternoon I started to get ready for dinner out with the  family and thought I would just try on a couple pairs of capris that had been too tight. AND THEY FIT!!! Not only did they fit, but they were almost on the LOOSE side! I was so excited I was dancing around the house!

So the moral of the story? How much I weigh is JUST A NUMBER. It all has to do with how I FEEL and how my pants fit!

Karen (still smiling!)

Monday Minute

I’m going to let you in on a little secret… I joined Weight Watchers. (oh, by the way, this is Karen. Melissa would NEVER need Weight Watchers!) I’m on Day 10, and doing pretty well. My first weigh-in last Friday showed a 2.4 pound loss. Yay!!!! Had a little set back on 4th of July, but I’m making up for it by working out and not going over my daily points.

I need all the encouragement I can get, so if you’ve ever been on Weight Watchers and have some advice for me, please give me a holler. Even if you’re not on WW but have struggled with your weight, let me know. It’s nice to know I’m not alone out here!

I’ll keep you posted on my progress. Oh, if you don’t hear from me for a while, just figure I’m not doing so well and give me a kick in the butt!

Karen