Water Weight Vanquished; Finally Below 240 Pounds

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The water weight is gone and I'm now officially below 240 pounds!

I controlled my eating on Thanksgiving and my water weight is gone. I’m now officially below 240 pounds!

While I attended my Weight Watchers meeting last week, I decided to use my free pass and not officially weigh-in. While I didn’t over do it on Thanksgiving, I suspected I’d show a lot of water retention with all that tasty turkey day sodium. Sure enough, when I got home from that meeting, I stepped on my home scale and saw a 6 pound gain.

No one gains 6 pounds in one day. More water weight. Basically I needed to flush the excess water and salt out of my system before getting a more accurate weigh-in.

I worked hard this week to stay on my food and exercise program.

The result? I’m down 2.2 pounds from my earlier weigh-in.  Awesome! That damn water weight is finally gone (for now).

What makes me happy is that I’m finally below 240 pounds. Woohoo!

I know I dropped below 240 a few weeks before Thanksgiving. I just couldn’t let myself get too excited until that holiday was firmly in my rear view mirror.  I needed a post holiday weigh-in for confirmation.

Missing My 3-Month Goal
I’m not going to reach my 3-month goal of dropping about 20 pounds before the end of the year. I’m not being  pessimistic, just realistic. I’d have to lose 14 pounds in 3 weeks. That’s nearly 5 pounds a week…not very healthy (or smart!).

Am I disappointed? Sure, but I was overly aggressive in setting that goal mid way through October. But I’m not beating myself up over it.

Besides, I’m happy I controlled myself over Thanksgiving.  That gives me a lot of optimism for the rest of December.

I’m revamping my expectations and shooting for 6 more pounds by the end of the year. Still a tall order considering 2 pounds a week is at the top of the range for healthy weight loss.

I think an extra spin class can help.

Damn You Water Retention

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water retention and weight gain

Swollen feet, knees, hands and face means I’m retaining water. Just in time for my weekly weigh in!

I knew going into my Weight Watchers meeting that I’d show a gain. Not only were my hands, feet and knees swollen, but my face was puffy too. Great! Nothing like water retention on weigh-in day.

The old me would skip the meeting.  I never wanted to step on the scale if I had a bad week or knew I gained weight. I didn’t get that stepping on that scale week after week makes you accountable to yourself. Without accountability, I’d fail…and I did.

I must admit the thought of skipping yesterday’s meeting did cross my mind…for about half a second. I can no longer fear the scale. The scale is just a snap shot in time and doesn’t tell the full story. Sure Weight Watchers will officially record a gain.  But the difference is I know that it’s water weight and it will fall off in a day or so. The new me knows weight loss is about baby steps and I’m not going to always have the losses I’ve had the last few weeks.

I also know if I want to reach my 3-month goal of losing 19.5 pounds by year’s end, this was the one Weight Watchers meeting I’d be foolish to miss. Thanksgiving is this week and I need all the good karma I can get before Thursday.

This week I’m up 2.8 pounds. I’m less puffy today than yesterday, so I know I’ve lost a chunk of the water. The real test is coming up — no, not Thanksgiving. I’m talking about making it to the post-Thanksgiving weigh-in.

 

 

Seared Ahi Tuna with Wasabi Vinaigrette Recipe

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I enjoyed seared ahi tuna for my fish challenge last night. It was delicious. Is sushi in my future?

I enjoyed seared ahi tuna for my fish challenge last night. It was delicious. Is sushi in my future?

My fish food challenge continued last night with a delightful Seared Ahi Tuna appetizer. My husband took pity on my sore legs and treated me to a date night at the Outback Steakhouse.

I noticed the tuna on the menu and decided to try it.

It was yummy! The tuna tasted amazing. Seared perfectly, the fish and had the right amount of seasoning – it didn’t over power the taste of the tuna.

After I ate the tuna, my husband pointed out that I essentially had sushi. He wants me to visit a sushi bar next week. Not sure if I’m ready for that adventure yet.

If I had a complaint about the dish it was the choice of lettuce for the “salad.” Ice burg…really? Why bother?  I skipped the lettuce and devoured the tuna.

The wasabi sauce was nice, although I wanted more heat. I only tried a small amount – I have no idea what’s in it but assumed it would do nothing to help me lose weight.

This is something I need to try at home, but as a proper salad. I found this little recipe on The Food Network. It had me at the mixed greens!  The recipe calls for using all the vinaigrette on the salad. That’s actually too much for my taste.  I recommend making the dressing as the recipe calls for, but using only one tablespoon on the mixed greens. You can use the rest of the dressing over a couple of days before trashing it.

Seared Ahi Tuna with Wasabi Vinaigrette
Net Carbs: 2
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 6
Single serving

Ingredients

  • 1 Ahi tuna steak
  • 1 Tsp. coarse salt and coarse black pepper
  • Cooking spray or olive oil
  • 2 C mixed greens
  • ½ Tsp. wasabi paste
  • 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 3 Tbsp. virgin olive oil

Directions

  • Season your tuna with salt and pepper.
  • Spray grill pan or lightly oil with olive oil and then heat grill pan on grill
  • Add tuna steak on to the hot surface and sear tuna for 2 minutes on each side. Remove tuna from heat.
  • In a small bowl, whisk wasabi, vinegar and soy sauce. Whisk in oil to combine dressing. Drizzle 1 tbsp. of dressing over your salad and toss to coat evenly.
  • Slice Tuna on an angle and arrange on the salad.
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I’m Down 3 Pounds And Closing In On Year-End Goal

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weight loss, weekly weigh-in

With my 3 pound weight loss this week, I’m now down a total of 86.6 pounds!

Woo hoo! I lost 3 more pounds this week, bringing my total weight loss to 86.6 pounds. Back in October I set a year-end goal of dropping about 20 pounds by December 31. As of today, I’m about half way there with 10.9 pounds to go in just a little over 6 weeks.

Clearly I didn’t do much math when I set the goal, because I’m just 13.4 pounds away from losing 100 pounds since this little journey began. Holy cow!

Well with Thanksgiving on the horizon, I’m not changing my 3-month goal now. Instead, I think hitting 100 pounds lost on my birthday (early January) is an awesome bonus!

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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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healthy snacks to lose weight

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?