Nov. 9 Weekly Weigh-In: I Lost Nearly 3 Pounds

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weekly weigh-in, weight loss, losing weight, weight watchers

I lost 2.8 pounds this week, bringing my total weight loss to just under 84 pounds.

I had a great week and it showed on the scale — I dropped 2.8 pounds!  That puts my total weight loss at 83.6 pounds.

Body Adjusting To New Routine
I don’t think it was the spinning class that caused the big drop. I expected a bigger dip during last week’s weigh-in. But thanks to sore muscles and working out before stepping on the scale, I retained a lot of water.

This week I recovered more quickly from my workouts and didn’t exercise before my Weight Watchers meeting. So I expected, and got, better numbers when I stepped on that scale this morning.

I noticed that my weight loss is more consistent since I started weight training 3 times a week. Prior to working with my trainer, I’d seesaw between losing a few ounces one week and nothing the next.

My body adjusted to my workout and diet. Another awful plateau was around the corner. Thankfully the weight training gave my body the jump-start it needed to let go of the fat.

Reaching My Year-End Goal
I set a 3-month goal of dropping 19.5 pounds by December 31. As of today I’m 5.6 pounds closer. That gives me 7 weeks to reach my goal. It’s a tall order with the holiday’s coming up.  But I’m up for the challenge.

Healthy Snacks For Midnight Hunger

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I’m always on the hunt for healthy snack ideas for the midnight hour. (Image courtesy of Supertrooper and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.)

If I fall off the healthy eating wagon, it’s that damn midnight snack that gets me. Thanks to the folks at Livestrong who put together a list of easy, healthy snacks for the midnight munchies.

There are some low carb ideas on the list and all of them are Weight Watchers friendly.

I may try some of these ideas for my regular snack times.

Flounder With Greek Yogurt-Parmesan Crust

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Today is Round 2 of my Healthy (a.k.a. Fish) Eating Challenge.  This week I made Flounder with Greek Yogurt-Parmesan Crust and it was delicious. Easy to prepare, the flounder’s texture was firm but flaky. No fishy taste. I think this fish hater found a fish she can actually enjoy.

I ended up serving steamed Brussels sprouts and mixed greens on the side. I’m sure you can think of better sides to go with a flounder. But since I am not a fish connoisseur, pairing foods with fish just isn’t my thing.  But I did drink a lovely white burgundy with dinner.

Why the white burgundy? It was my backup if the fish sucked. I figured I’d drink the nectar of the gods to drown out each fishy bite. Turns out the wine was a bonus.

For all my Weight Watcher pals, you can easily add brown rice and veggies for a very delish low point meal.

Flounder with Parmesan Crust
Net Carbs: 1
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 3
Serving Size: 3.5 ounces
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 6 flounder fillets (1.5 lbs. total)
  • 1/3 C Plain, Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
  • 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1.5 tsp. prepared horseradish, drained

Directions

  • Pre-heat broiler and prepare broiler pan with non-stick spray. Arrange fish on broiler pan.
  • In a small bowl, combine yogurt, cheese, mustard, lemon juice, and horseradish.
  • Spread mixture over both sides of the fillets
  • Broil about 8 inches from the heat for about 6 minutes (turning fish once), or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Sorry I didn’t get a picture of the flounder in all its glory. My iPhone is still uploading a software update.

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges

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The softer, orange-fleshed variety of sweet po...

Sweet potatoes are yummy and back in my diet thanks to my weight training. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Thanks to my weight lifting workouts, I’m adding sweet potatoes back into my diet. The sweet potato, in moderation, is a good carb — it doesn’t jack up your insulin levels like other potatoes.

Of course, the timing of when I eat them is key. Since my muscle workouts are in the mornings, I only eat sweet potatoes within 60 minutes of that workout. It’s officially a lunch time side dish.

This tasty little recipe showed up in my inbox, complements of Weight Watchers. Perfect to try while watching some football (Go Lions!).

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges
Net Carbs: 16g
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 3
Serves: 4
Serving Size: 4 wedges per person

Ingredients

  • 2 large uncooked sweet potato(es), washed and patted dry
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp. table salt (use sea salt or Kosher salt if you prefer)
  • 1/4 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
  • 1 item(s) rosemary sprig, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425ºF.
  • Cut each potato into 8 lengthwise wedges and place on a nonstick baking sheet. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with salt and dried rosemary. Roast for 15 minutes; toss and roast until potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes more.
  • Spoon potato wedges onto a serving plate and garnish with fresh rosemary. Yields 4 wedges per serving.

If you like your potatoes well-done, place them under the broiler for a minute of two.

Nov. 2 Weekly Weigh-In: Down 1 Pound

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Dropped 1 pound this week. Need to lose 16.7 lbs. by Dec. 31 to hit my 30% weight loss goal. Fingers crossed!

I’m down a pound this week! That brings my total weight loss to 81 lbs. And with this week’s loss, I now need to lose 16.7 lbs. to hit my 30% weight loss goal by December 31st.

Considering the average weekly weight loss is up to 2 lbs., 16 lbs. is tall order since I’d need to drop the max weight each week for the next 8 weeks...hmmmmm.

I’m game!

Too Busy To Weigh-In? Poppycock!
The last time I officially weighed in was Oct. 12.  Yikes! Between the 5Ks and family trips, this is the first weekend in weeks with no plans.

I can’t believe I let two weeks slide without going to Weight Watchers. I really hate missing my weekly meetings. It’s always good to check in and see how I’m doing. The accountability keeps me motivated. Plus, the energy from the meetings give me the kick-start I need for the week.

Although my weekend dance card fills up quickly, I need to work harder to keep my Saturday morning date with the scale.

 

 

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Pop Quiz: Creating A Weight Loss Habit

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During my Weight Watchers meeting we discussed making good behaviors stick when it comes to weight loss.

This is a toughy.  My bad habits – drinking 5 sodas a day, gorging on pasta, skipping breakfast, never exercising, not enough water, no portion control – were not easy to break.

That’s not to say I don’t slip now and then. I’m human and life happens. The difference is when I fall back into a bad habit, it doesn’t feel second nature to me. It feels odd and the next thing I know I’m automatically self-correcting back to the healthy habits.

So how long did it take for me to create my own good habits. Depends on the habit. The big myth is that it takes 3 weeks for a habit to form. That’s a crock!

When it came to the soda monkey on my back, it took 2 days – and one long, nasty headache – for me to kick that bad boy to the curb.

Keeping a food journal…hell I’m doing a 3-month challenge to try to make that habit stick.

One I took to like a duck to water. The other, after 18 months, I’m still trying to get it down. The truth is it takes as long as it takes to form a habit.

A suggestion during the meeting was to focus on the small stuff. I agree with that. Weight loss is a marathon not a sprint. Creating small habits helps you build confidence to take on the ones you thought were too huge at the beginning of your weight loss journey. It’s all about baby steps.

My weight loss journey started in January 2012. I tried to eliminate grains from my diet. Ha!  I ended up eating even more pasta because I felt deprived.

Instead, I started reducing the number of times we ate pastas, breads, rice or potatoes during the week. I got creative with my veggie dishes like mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes or spaghetti squash instead of pasta.

By March 2012, when I cut grains completely from our diet, we didn’t miss it.

Another idea from the meeting – write yourself notes and place them in strategic places like your car’s rear view mirror or in the bathroom next to your toothbrush. Just places you look at everyday to help reinforce the habit.

How did I create healthy habits? I focused on what I could actually control. For example: No matter how hard I try, I can’t control my husband (don’t tell him that!). But it is up to me to say no when he suggests we order a pizza.

I can’t control him from suggesting it. But I can say no or I don’t eat the pizza. That I do control.

What healthy habits do you want to adopt?

Dropped Nearly 2 Lbs. This Week

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1.8 lbs. drop this week! That puts me 17.7 lbs. away from my 3 month goal and 106 lbs. away from my goal weight.

1.8 lbs. drop this week! That puts me 17.7 lbs. away from my 3 month goal and 106 lbs. away from my goal weight.

I decided to weigh-in a day earlier than normal since I’ve got the 5K tomorrow. I must say, I’m very happy. I’m down 1.8 lbs this week. That puts my total weight loss at 78.8 lbs. As for my 3-month weigh loss goal, I only have 17.7 lbs to go.

Sweet!

What’s Your Exercise Type?

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This morning I played with Weight Watchers’ eTools checking out the fitness section. I discovered a fitness quiz designed to build a personal activity profile and training guide. A quiz? Fun.

The first time through, I’d answer the questions honestly to get my profile. Then I’d run through the quiz multiple times to see the different types of personalities I am not. Why? I’m a marketer. It’s what I do.

The multiple-choice questions were pretty simple: last time I exercised regularly, do I like working out with other people, outdoor vs. indoor workouts, and am I competitive.

From what I can tell, quiz takers fit into one of five categories: competitor, explorer, individualist, joiner, and perfect partner.

(You can take the activity profile quiz if you are a subscriber to Weight Watchers eTools. Otherwise, take the poll to choose your exercise type.)

Well, it turns out I’m an (drum roll, please)…Individualist!

I can see that. Working out is a time for me to clear my thoughts. Also if I’m exercising with friends I’m more likely to socialize than get a great workout. I know my limitations!

As for the suggested workouts, some I’m already doing like hiking, walking, yoga and strength training. But some suggestions intrigued me: biking, hitting balls at a driving range, water workouts (suggest exercises for the pool), and inline skating.

The last time I rode a bike?  About 20 years ago.  Now I did buy a bike in 2010. Where’s that bike now? Sitting in a shed. How sad. Maybe this fall I get back on that horse.

There’s a pool and driving range near out house. Perhaps a couple of times a month I try swimming and hitting golf balls. It certainly breaks up the monotony of walking and yoga everyday.

As for inline skating, all I can say is “Yikes!”  I’d say that’s a big, fat no for now. Until I master the bike, no way in hell I’m getting on skates.  Now that doesn’t mean never. Maybe it’s something to try next spring.

 

 

Wisdom Tooth Gone But Still Causing Havoc!

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Yes, I broke down. But I needed something soft and substantial to eat after that damn tooth extraction! Image courtesy of rakratchada torsap and freedigitalphotos.net.

Yes, I broke down. But I needed something soft and substantial to eat after that damn tooth extraction! Image courtesy of rakratchada torsap and freedigitalphotos.net.

My sleep pattern is completely messed up. It all started with the 8 hour power nap Thursday afternoon.  On Friday I ended up going to bed 5 hours ago.

Couple my poor sleep pattern with eating only soup for the last 48  hours and you end up doing something incredibly stupid – A 3:00 a.m. IHOP run. 

Did I track it?  Yes. Pancakes, 2/3 glass of OJ and 3 oz of syrup equals 32.5 points and 182g carbs.  Yikes!  Clearly over my 25g of carbs/day.  The plus side? I still had my 49 weekly allowance points, so I’m still within Weight Watchers good graces.

Why did I go? Thanks to the tooth extraction on Thursday, I’ve been on a liquid diet up until late Friday. I decided I needed something a little more substantial but soft. 

Pancakes fit the bill.

I didn’t completely fall off the wagon.  I’m still within my daily and weekly points on Weight Watchers. However, since I’m trying to go low carb, this was a complete screw up. But in reality, once that tooth came out, my 25g carb limit was shot until Sunday anyway.

So no beating myself up. I ate it, tracked it, and accepted it. Now it’s time to move on.

 

First Test In No Alcohol Challenge

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Yummy ice tea! It's what I'm drinking for 30 days.

Yummy ice tea! It’s what I’m drinking for 30 days.

Only 2 days into my 30-Day No Alcohol Challenge and tonight’s my first test.  I’m meeting two friends for dinner at a brew pub.  Of course I suggested the place. Nothing like trial by fire! Why a brew pub? They have yummy ice tea.

Tomorrow’s weigh-in day and I’m not taking any chances. I even have all of my 49 Weekly Allowance Points – but I won’t have to use them. I looked at the menu online, so I already know what I’m going to order. I’ve eaten light today, so I have more than half of my daily points left.

This test is in the bag.