About that weight loss thing...

In case you haven't guessed by my complete and utter lack of any updates about that whole weight loss thing, I am failing miserably.

I fell off the wagon a while ago when life got super crazy. I stopped counting points and my days were far too hectic to get any exercising in.

I've been able to maintain for the most part, but I'm not losing at all and I'm feeling pretty low about it.

I saw video of myself last week and wow, what a shock! I didn't realize I was that big. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the camera adds 10 pounds, I know. If you told me it added 50 lbs, then I might be comforted.

I'm close to cancelling my WW online membership. I haven't had time to track points.

I know I need to get my motivation back. I know I need to start exercising again. I had plans to run in the evening after Dh got home, so of course he's working late and getting home at nightfall. I'm hoping he'll get back into his usual work routine soon, but until then, I'm just feeling stuck.

In case you can't tell, I'm heaving a big sigh over here.

My weekly weight loss update (a few days late and a few pounds short)

Sorry I'm late with my posting this week. With Pesach and the news about my friend's mom, I've been so busy.

This week, I was 140.8. I have now lost 10% of my starting body weight. My goal was to be under 140 by Wednesday and maybe, just maybe, that will actually happen. I'm not sure, though, because that weight was at the end of the week, not my usual mid-week weigh-in. Plus I've splurged a little bit since then. I'm going to get lots of walking in tomorrow and Tuesday and then we shall see where that takes me.

The weather is so gorgeous lately. I'm going to grab the opportunity to be out in the sun as much as possible. I'm hoping I can start working in the garden soon. I'm not much of a gardener, but it's great exercise plus then we can grow our own healthy pesticide-free veggies. Plus it's always a homeschool lesson for the kids.

Tomorrow is another big meal night, but we're keeping it simple (fish, green beans [yes, we eat kitiniyot. Dh and I are Ashekenazi, but I'm Sephardic too, so Passover is the one time of year I pretend that other side doesn't exist] and mushrooms) and we'll have a little K for P wine.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can hit that weight goal by Wednesday. Of course, I have a scheduled lunch date with friends that day. We're going out for Chinese to celebrate the end of Pesach and the return of chametz. It's not even bread I'm craving (I'm actually hoping to stay pretty low-carb even after Pesach has "passed over"). It's the sushi and soy sauce. Yum!

Feeling Defeated Until My Pants Start To Fall Down

I haven't lost as much as I had hoped and I've been feeling pretty let down about the whole thing lately. I was considering canceling my Weight Watchers online subscription and throwing in the weight loss towel.

Then I got dressed yesterday. The awesome super cute Target capris I got on sale were very loose--too loose to wear. So I put on a pair of jeans--real jeans, not the elastic waisted maternity ones. They were too big. *Gasp* Today, I put on the pair of jeans I wore to my oldest daughters' birthday party. Back then, I had to use my "sucker-inner" shapewear just to get them closed and even then, I had to hold my breath and lie down. Today, they closed without a problem and I was even able to get them down without unzipping or even unbuttoning them. *Double gasp*

I'm still heavier than I'd like, but this is the first time I'm actually seeing a difference in my body. I think this is the perfect motivation to keep going.

This week, I was down another pound. I'm just over 2 lbs away from having lost 10% of my starting body weight.

Pesach (Passover) starts soon. That's going to make doing WW kind of tricky (I can't find any Kosher for Passover WW foods) on one hand (counting points), but I usually lose a few pounds during Pesach just because my carbs are so limited.

I know it's going to be a stretch, but my goal is going to be 140 or less (I'm 143.6) by the time Pesach ends. Let's see how close I can get.

I'm sure you're sick of my weight loss posts, but here we go again.

This week, I was down about a pound and a half after being up last week. Not bad since I didn't count any points at all last week (it was super busy and I wasn't often home). I'm now just about 2 and 1/2 pounds away from losing 10% of my total starting weight.

Last week was wonderful for exercise. I was able to swim and walk like crazy. I loved it. Unfortunately, I no longer have access to a pool. That's such a shame because I absolutely loved it.

So I'm definitely going to try to mix things up a bit with the exercise. With swimming, I was able to routinely get 2-3 hours of exercise a day and I loved it. It kept us all entertained and even though I gained weight, I could see the difference in my body and feel the difference in the way my clothes fit.

With the weather getting warmer, I'm going to make an effort to get out more and play with the kids.

As far as food, I've been much better with throwing together lower points high veggie foods. Artichokes, mushrooms and portobello mushroom burgers have become staples in my diet. They're tasty, they're relatively easy, they're quick and they're super low in points.

Up up and a weigh

This week has been a mixed bag as far as weight loss goes.

I was up just over a pound. That puts me back over my last goal. Humph! :-/ I'm not thrilled about that at all. There's no explaining it away. I ate too much of the high fat/high calorie foods. I went overboard with Purim. I know it. I probably won't be able to get myself back in check this week either because it's awfully crazy. I haven't counted points in nearly a week. I'm trying to make decent choices, but it's so hectic right now and I'm rarely home at all, so it's difficult.

The good news, though, is that I've been super active this week. Lots and lots of swimming and walking. When I put on an old pair of pants (which have been tight), they fit great. The last few times I wore them, they were tight, even after I started losing weight. So I know I must be losing inches if not pounds.

Before I started putting some weight back on, I saw a few pictures taken of me last weekend and I realized I'm finally at the stage where I don't cringe as soon as I see myself in pictures. That's a big deal. My face is one place where I put weight on almost immediately, so you can absolutely see it in my face when I gain weight. Seeing those pictures, I still look "fluffy," but not as big as I did just a few months ago. This thrills me beyond words.

Of course, I put weight on after that, so well, humph! I don't know.

I'm going to continue trying to make common sense choices and get as much exercise as I can until I can get back into my usual rhythm of counting points.

Weight Loss and Bad Guys With Tasty Ears

In health news, I'm officially down just over another pound. Well, I was when I weighed myself for my official weigh-in and when I weighed myself again today, I was down another pound from there.

My next goal was to be under 145 and I've made it. As a young teen, I hit 145 and for the first time ever, had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I lost some weight, got everything back in check and swore I would never be 145 again. I have further to go, but I'm thrilled to have gotten here.

I've been playing around and managed to create a hamentashen recipe that's 0 points per serving. It's not fabulous, but not bad. It'll do. I'm going to try to play around with it some more, but it will have to be after Shabbat.

Purim starts very soon and I'm super excited. We're going to the Purim dinner after Havdallah on Saturday and the pancake breakfast on Sunday morning, so I'm going to need to plan accordingly.

The kids look adorable in their costumes. I think I look okay in mine. I didn't cringe when I saw pictures of myself in my dress, so that's a start.

Hopping Back on the Wagon of Weight Loss

I'm back on wagon that is weight loss and I'm feeling invigorated. I'm 146 which is a total of 10.8 lbs from when I started WW. I'm making myself exercise. I'm sore and I'm loving it. I love it when I hurt because it reminds me that I actually do have muscles in there plus I'm more likely to work out again when I'm sore because I know continuing to work out is the best way to ease the pain.

Yesterday, a friend said, "Your double chin is gone." I could have kissed her. I had been feeling kind of low since I didn't lose last week and I wasn't as consistent as I wanted to be with my exercise, but her comment was exactly what I needed. It motivated me not only to work out last night, but to exercise longer than I had planned. I only worked out 3 times last week, but I did it, I'm feeling the results and I'm going to keep doing it.

We have family coming out to visit in less than 2 weeks. I really wanted to be down below 140 by then, but I've had to adjust my goals since my weight loss slowed. So, now, the goal is to be at 143 by the time we have visitors. It's going to take some adjusting to keep the weight down because we usually eat out quite a bit when we have visitors. So I'm going to make a point of cooking home for everyone. I figure I can use some Weight Watchers crockpot recipes along with cooking larger portions of the healthier recipes we like.

Purim is only 10 days away. I LOVE Purim. It's one of my favorite holidays. Along with Purim, though, come hamentashen. Those cookies are my favorite Jewish food. The Apricot ones are my absolute favorite. Last year, I couldn't have them because I was pregnant and avoiding carbs. This year, I am so tempted to have a bunch, but I need to remember to do it in moderation. I want to see how much I can tweak the recipes to make them more WW friendly. The ones available at shul during the Purim carnival, though, are sure to be high in fat and calories (and yummy goodness. Yummmmmm. Pardon me while I drool).

So that will be my next challenge.

Zero is NOT my hero.

After a birthday party this weekend wherein I ate far too much junk (I didn't think I was doing badly, but when I got home and calculated the points--OUCH), a few trips for fast food and very little exercise, I stepped on the scale for weigh-in today and found I haven't lost anything since last week. My weight loss is 0.

Ack!

I suppose I should be happy that I didn't gain. So I'll use this as a springboard for change. I'm going to try to avoid using any of my extra weekly points this week and see if that helps. I'm also going to make myself exercising more. I've been lazy and I know it. Time to get up and go.

Weight Loss: One is the loneliest number

I forgot to update earlier in the week, but this week, I lost 1 lb. I know I should celebrate any weight loss, but I'm just not feeling it this week. My clothes feel tighter and my weight loss has slowed.

That being said, Aunt Flo did pay a visit yesterday, so that could explain the tighter clothing and this "Meh" mood I'm in about it all. I'm continuing to count my points, but I definitely need to up the exercise. We had snow and bitter cold here which had us cooped up for a while. Now, though, I need to do more. Yeah, I said that last week too. (sigh)

I weigh in again on Tuesday. I'm curious to see how I do. I've lost exactly 9 lbs. I would love to hit the 10 lb mark. We shall see in a few days.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

When Clouds Hand You SnowMake Snow Frappacinos

Last night, we made snow ice cream with the kids. While enjoying it, I thought, "This is the same consistency as a Frappacino." Then a light bulb went off in my head. That light bulb was behind a sign that looked something like this:

I then made some coffee-flavored ice cream which could easily be turned into a Frappacino (just let it melt for a few minutes).

Here's what I'd suggest:

In a bowl, mix coffee the way you like it and add some milk. You can play around with this. I added some 1% milk in addition to the usual amount of flavored creamer. I suggest that if you use sugar, you add a bit more than you usually would with your coffee. If you want it sweeter, stick closer to the amount of sugar called for in the snow ice cream recipe (With liquid Stevia, I found the usual amount I used in my coffee worked, but with sugar, sticking closer to the snow ice cream amount worked well).

Mix it all together first in the bowl. I added bits individually and it didn't blend well. So mix coffee, sugar/sweetener (artificial sweeteners may not lend themselves well to this), creamer and milk together. Then get fresh snow and add and mix little bits at a time. You'll probably find you can add much more snow then you originally thought. For snow ice cream, we used two large sized pitchers full of snow. For my Frap, though, I used 1 and 1/4 pitchers. It depends on how much liquid you use.

Put it in a cup and depending on whether you have absolutely no patience or if you can wait a few minutes, you'll either have coffee-flavored snow ice cream or a super cheap Frappacino (for a fraction of the WW points that are in the Starbuck's version--a grande no whip Mocha Frappachino is 5 points. Mine came out to less than 1 point per serving when I used Stevia in place of sugar).

Wordless (day after) Wednesday: Reward

I figured out how to reward myself for hitting my first weight loss goal. My last pair of casual sneakers (as opposed to gym ones) are in shreds (literally), so I went on a hunt for new ones. I found these at Target on clearance. I paid a whopping $4.98 for them. Go me!

Wordless Wednesday

Gooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!

Today, I hit my first weight loss goal. I'm 148.8 lbs. My first goal was to be under 150 and I did it. Yay!

That meant my points were re-evaluated. I'm down to 25 points a day (I had 26). That's okay. Lately, I'm eating much less meat, so I've had an easier time staying within my points.

I still haven't gotten back on the Wii Fit (I really should, though. The last time I used it, I was pregnant and about 15 lbs heavier. I'd love to hear that little scale congratulate me for being down. Yes, I really do care what that stupid little scale says.). I haven't exercised as much as I'd like, but I've done something and my food choices have gotten better (and easier). So that's good.

My weight loss is slowing a bit, but that's to be expected. So I'm not heartbroken.

My next goal is to lose 10% of my starting body weight. That will be when I hit 136 lbs and that's only a few pounds away from my goal (I'd love to get down to 125, but I'll settle for 130. When I was at my lowest, when my twins were toddlers, I was 107 lbs. I was also in my 20s, though. I'm not as young as I was then, so I don't know if my body will let me get anywhere near there).

I'm happy. We've been able to balance eating out on occasion and still lose weight.

This week, I discovered that friends are a great resource for recipe ideas. Social networking is a huge help with that.

So, now, what on earth should I do as a reward for reaching my first goal? I have no ideas at all. I'm open to ideas, so suggest away.

Weight Loss update

Here's the latest update from this member of the GREEN TEAM (you thought I was kidding about always typing it that way, didn't you?)

Before I lose my nerve, I'm going to post my weight right off the bat. I'm 150.8. I'm down 6 lbs total so far. Yay! I'm 1 lb away from my first goal (to be under 150). I can now fit into those pajama pants, but yeah, I totally have that fuzzy stuffed sausage thing going on. Not a good look for me (or anyone for that matter). But, hey, I can get them on now. That's one step in the right direction.

This past week was not a great one for me. We had fast food for the first time since I started this. My activity was limited too. I got more low-impact exercise in (lots and lots of walking), but not nearly as much higher impact stuff. So I need to make a point to combat that.

This week, I need to stop playing Wii Sports Resort and get back into the Wii Fit. I haven't used it since I was pregnant, but I had good results in the past. I think I need to have some more Weight Watchers-friendly crock pot meals ready so that I'm not tempted to go out to eat.

Does anyone out there have any great healthy recipes they've found that they really liked? If so, please share.

I'm going green.

I am now a proud member of the Green Team as part of Blog the Weight Away. Also as part of the Green Team (which yes, I WILL always insist on writing that way) are Stacey and Ilissa (I hope I spelled that right). We've been randomly assigned to (wait for it) the super awesome wonderfully astounding Green Team.

My goal is to lose 25 lbs from where I am now. I would love to lose more, but 25 lbs will get me down to a healthy weight. I want more energy. I want to know I'm eating healthy and in reasonable portions. There are a number of diseases that run in my family and, by being overweight, I'm putting myself at a greater risk. I want to know I'm doing everything I can to keep myself healthy. I want to set a good example for my children.

One of my big goals is to donate these damn maternity pants. I would love to fit back into "real" pants so I could get rid of the last of my maternity stuff. Plus, my mother bought me super soft pajama pants for Chanukah, but she, living far away, not seeing me and not realizing I've gotten fat, bought me a size small. I was going to return them, resigned to the fact I would never be a small again, but then I signed up for Blog the Weight Away and now I'm keeping them with plans of losing enough weight to fit into them (comfortably. I don't want to look like a bright pink striped sausage in them). Of course, this might be easier if my mother would stop sending bags and bags of baked good mixes, but that's another post for another day (Holy mixed messages, Batman!).

I have never, in my life, done this, but I am going to be truly accountable and post my weight. Please keep in mind that I am super tiny. I know many normal-sized people would love to be my weight and would be within a healthy BMI at where I am. For Keebler elf-sized folks like myself, though, this weight is super unhealthy.

My starting weight from 1/3 was 157 lbs. This past Monday 1/11, I was 152.8. I cannot believe I just told you people that. My husband doesn't even know what I weigh. The only person I ever told what I weighed was my midwife (and even then, reluctantly so) and that's only when I was pregnant and expected to gain weight (FTR, I was 161 lbs when I delivered the first two times and I was only 9 lbs higher than my starting weight when my youngest was born. She weighed over 8 lbs).

I'm trying to find a before picture, but, as you know, I like anonymity and don't show my face on here. So I may need to work my magic with that.

ETA: Here you go. Here's my "Before" shot. I didn't even need to slap anything over my face (I was going to use a Kermit face--get it? GREEN) I cannot believe I'm sharing this with you. I detest this photo of me.

Much needed good news

I got some bad news last night. I couldn't sleep and was just generally down. I'm still "in a mood" right now.

So I'm trying to rejoice over the little things to counteract that.

Good news:

I stepped on the scale and I'm down another pound and a half. Wah hoo! I'm SO close to my first weight goal. I felt good enough today to put on my regular jeans--not the maternity ones or the stretchy yoga pants I've been wearing, but real jeans that require me to be able to shove myself in AND zip 'em up (unless, of course, I want to leave the zipper open and have my gut hanging out which is OH SO SEXY). I have to wear a billowy top over them, but they close without a problem. Yippee. This morning, while TheBaby napped, I had time to dye my hair AND clean the bathroom. I even had time to blow dry my hair (which I very rarely d0).

The kids are making their own lunches (I love having bigger kids) and later, we're headed out to the park with some friends. It's a local park too. I live pretty far from most of my friends, so I often have to travel to meet everyone. This time, everyone decided to meet at a park just a mile from my house. Yippee!

WW Comeback World Tour 2010

So, I finished week 1 of my WW Comeback World Tour 2010 (it's more exciting if I give it a cool title. It's even more exciting if I insist on saying it in that deep "Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!" Monster truck voice).

Not bad. In some ways, it's more difficult with 4 kids (I have to rely on the online version since I just can't fit meetings in sans kids). The most noticeable is that fast food is no longer an option if we're out and about. In some ways, it's easier (not as much time to eat).

The news, however, is very good. There is slightly less of my fat ass. My eligibility window to apply for the role of Super Fat Ass is closing. There are four pounds less of me than there were this time last week. When I added that to my weight tracker, I found I'm just under 3 lbs away from my first goal. Yay!

Here's hoping I continue to rock on with my bad-ass self.