Rare but There

My tip for you (free and unwarranted ~ but also harmless):

Get a box of mini candy canes. You can get about 40 for $0.99 (plus tax). Or if you are feeling more generous ~ some small Snickers bars or bags of M&M's, the kind you'd give out at Halloween.

Here's the important part, put it in your purse or backpack. Then as you go about your day... you will invariably encounter the crying, whining babies and their parents, the disgruntled store clerk, the pained at customer service department... It might be the season to be merry and jolly, but it sure doesn't feel like it sometimes.

Do your part to help out...hand out a candy to someone. It's a small gesture of goodwill but I guarantee it will brighten someone's day and maybe they will pay it forward. One ripple...

Seeing a smile where there wasn't one before, definitely makes your own steps just a bit lighter. And don't we all want to be lighter this Christmas?!

The Weight is Over

As I battled the psychological war, the Battle of the Bulge continued to rage on with the enemy steadily gaining ground and winning. UGH!

Solace and comfort is found in the pantry. But as my pants grow tighter, so does the disgust with myself.

Besides trying to schedule in vacuuming and laundry and washing the dog and classes and "ME" time, I need to squeeze in exercise...because I am tired of squeezing into my clothes! I miss when they felt loose, when I could see the ridges of my belly and the bones on my ribcage.

Damn you!! Damn you chocolate cake, pistachio ice cream, apple pie, bread pudding, Lay's sour cream and onion potato chips (OH why can't I have just one?!), animal crackers, peanut butter.....!!!!!!!

My eating habits have slowly slipped back into familiar routines. Bad routines. I'm going to restart by just adding exercises. I can do that. And cutting back slowly---breads and rice and potatoes (bye bye Lay's)...eating more nutritious foods---salads and fruits---and drinking more water.

Today is my day to help out in Zorro's class so I must go and get a load of laundry started and get him up for breakfast.

Wouldn't it be great if BUSY=POUNDS LOST?!

HELLO UNCLE NORMAN!! GLAD TO SEE YOU ARE READING. GUESS I CAN'T TALK ABOUT YOU NOW!

What I learned on my summer vacation

(or in other words---MOO!)

1. I cannot eat everything I want to eat.
2. I must actually exercise and not just wear the exercise clothes I brought.
3. Do not eat the chocolate diablo all by yourself.
4. Do not eat the chocolate diablo twice in 1 week.
5. Do not eat the chocolate diable twice in 1 week all by yourself.
6. I do not gain weight in the same places as before (fat is unevenly distributed).
7. I cannot let myself get more than 5 pounds away from goal.
8. It is possible to gain 6 pounds in 1 week.

Back to basic training...BCB.

I'm screaming!

Eating ice cream (even a little) everynight is not conducive to maintaining my weightloss.

Before and After

December 2005

December 2006

Fishing for more than Shrimp

I had lunch today at Bubba Gump Shrimp. No, I did not have shrimp. I was in the mood for a burger. So yes, I had a cheeseburger at Bubba Gump's. But that's not the point of this story.

The waitress, after we have been there for a while, asks me if I am running in the upcoming Honolulu Marathon.

Me?

Are you talking to me?

ME! I say no, and she says she just wondered because she is running in the marathon and I looked in shape. She thought I looked like someone who would run marathons.

WOOHOOOOOO!!!!!!! Can someone give me a HOT DAMN?!!


Needless to say, she got a great tip!

Are you ???

An old family friend came to dinner. She hadn't seen me since high school so her image of me has always been of a thin person (she completely missed seeing me in the fat years).

She happened to see a photo of me from my sister's wedding in 2004.

She says, this must have been when you were pregnant. Um....no. Much after.

Oops!

Homecoming Story

Once upon a time a girl got fat. She got married, got fatter, had a baby, and got even fatter.

Then she found Weight Watchers and Bootcamp Buddies. She worked hard. And she once again could see... she could see her feet and the space between her legs. She even saw her own muscle definition without straining. She was pleased, very very pleased.

Then, she went home.

Somehow coming home for me is such an enlightening experience.

I came home minus 30 pounds of excess body weight. I was looking forward to finally not hearing "Look at the size of your arms" and "You need to lose some weight".

But instead of the usual "You're too fat", I got "You're too skinny." Not "You're too skinny" kidding/ha ha/fun type of comments. Serious "You're too skinny" comments from family and family friends.

Which is weird since skinny was a word that would have last been appropriate for me at age 8.

So it reaffirms my belief...I cannot please everyone so I should try to please me more often.

And I am pleased with me.

So deal.

The end.

Commitment

When I got married, I made a commitment to my husband.

Through the years, I've had to stop wearing my wedding rings for a time, and eventually I had my rings enlarged.

A few days ago, I made another commitment.

I finally had my rings resized. Smaller.

I made a commitment. Not to him this time. But to me.

Nutrition Guide

In the column to the right, you may have noticed I have listed a few sites related to weightloss and health. The newest addition is the Nutrition Guide for Men and Women.

This site tells you how many calories you should be eating to lose weight and to maintain. It will also tell you how many calories you need based on exercise.

***************Disclaimer***************

1. I am not a doctor. I do not portray one on television or in my real life.
2. As far as I know, Weight Watchers has not approved this information.
3. I believe in being fully armed with knowledge as we battle to keep healthy.
4. Take this (as well as any information you may find here) with a grain of salt (and a shot of Vodka). **Sheesh! No! Not really about the Vodka... unless you really really want too. Don't believe everything you read and don't do everything you read! Do I have to tell you everything?!**

***************Disclaimer end***************

Aside from calories, you get an idea of how much fat you should be eating, as well as carbs, and protein. I think too often we forget we need fats in our diet as we strive to purge our bodies of our excess fat.

The key to everything seems to be moderation and correct proportion.

Hope you find these helpful.

Motivation

People ask me, when they hear about my weightloss, "What motivates me?"

It's hard to come up with an answer.

First, I want to say I am proud of the fact that I actually lost the weight I wanted to and then some. I didn't think I would. I just hoped that if I followed the plan it would happen. And I did, and the weight came off. And I am maintaining through watching my points and exercise.

I'm stubborn. My husband would be the first to tell you. So, back up against the wall, I made a commitment, dug my heels in and fell whole heart into WW. (Of course paying $12 a week was also an incentive. I did not want to be the one who "wasted" hard earned money by failing. Money doesn't grow on trees, you know.)

Along the way, I made a lot of discoveries about myself. I hadn't realized how much of me I'd buried under the weight. The funny silly creative Me began re-emerging as I posted on the board with my fellow Weight Watchers. I found an outlet to help others and myself. The more I wrote, the funnier I got and the writer in me surfaced again after a long, long hiatus.

I found I was much stronger than even I thought I was.

Words that became important to me: Perseverence, Motivation, Determination, Fortitude, Attitude, Faith, Hope, Love.

I did a lot of reading. Reading books like Chicken Soup, reading sites like Sparkepeople and Prevention. I kept the quotes that touched a cord in me close at hand. I found motivation in other people's stories and other people's words until I could feel it in myself, believe it myself.

Yes, I first started WW to lose weight, but I ended up changing my health and my way of thinking about food and myself and life. WW is not just about losing weight. It's about control of me.

As far as continued motivation in the maintenance phase, fear of failure is a motivator. I don't want to fail. I don't want all my hard work to just go down the toilet. I made it, and I will do my best to stay here. That means I cannot feel too complacent about where I am. Maintenance is an everyday monitoring that I cannot slack on.

I believe that WW works. I need to follow the plan and keep following the plan all my life. I need to persevere through the rough times when motivation fails me. I need to keep a fighting spirit, a sassy positive attitude. I need to use the tools around me, WW, BCB, friends and family. I need to search for the things that will help me when I need it.

So to answer the question, in a nutshell, I motivate me.

Low Points

If you are a Weight Watcher, you know just what I meant by that title.

Yes, I am a Weight Watcher. I am not ashamed to admit it. In fact, if you could see me now, you'd see a skinny Asian 30-something year old, dancing without much rhythm (Damn! I always spell that word wrong!) but pleased as punch.

Stop me on the street. Ask me a question. You'll be sorry you did! I could go on and on about why I think Weight Watcher's is the best thing since sliced bread. Since sliced 1 point bread.

I began my new lifestyle in April 2006, and since then, have lost 30+ pounds and quit smoking. I've made lifetime and have been successfully maintaining my weight. (And no,I am not pregnant...as I know at least one of you is wondering...Mr. Anonymous!)

But, I digress.

This post is about food, not about Weight Watcher's or my journey and discoveries along the way. I promise to write more about that later for anyone who may be interested. Back to food.

Just finished some newly discovered Trader Joe's food. In the art class I attend with my son, we have to bring snacks for the children and adults so I've had the opportunity to sample some foods I wouldn't normally buy. I found some from Trader Joe's items that are low fat/calorie and tasty. I just ate a small bit of chips and salsa and some mini wheat pita bread with hummus. Yummus! 2 mini pitas and 1 serving hummus for 2 points. TJ's chocolate cat cookies are 2 points per serving. Oh, and my absolute favorite is TJ's banana crisp. It is a thinner banana chip with all the great numbers...30 grams of chips is 40 calories, 1 gram fat, and 1 gram fiber.

If you love pasta, you absolutely must find Shirataki Tofu Noodles. For 1 package, 8oz, it is 40 calories, 1 gram fat, and 4 grams fiber. Make sure to rinse well before cooking. I find no difference between the spaghetti type and fettucini type. Just don't be surprised that fettucini costs more for some strange reason. The noodle texture is firm and chewy. For me, it is like biting into a cooked white mushroom. Other than the texture, I think it's as good as the real stuff.

The Weight Watcher's Chocolate cake is great too. 1 point for 1 piece. I also love their ice cream cones (2 points). I enjoy Safeway's Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (1 point per cookie). If you can eat rice cakes, Quaker's Quakes are pretty good. I love the sweeter flavors (usually 7 cakes for 1 point).

Love yogurt? Hate the taste of Dannon's or Weight Watcher's yogurt? You must try Lucerne light yogurt. All their flavors are great. I said LIGHT not low fat. Low fat means more calories. The light is 110 calories, 0 grams fat, 0 fiber. Absolutely the best (hands down) yogurt on the market. If you find a better one that is equal to or lower in points, I want to know!

But, the absolute best dessert/snack I have ever found is at Vons (maybe Safeway for you?). It is in your freezer section. It is a package of 12 small apple turnovers made by a company called Pegasus (see picture below). It is 1 point for an absolutely delicious, not too sweet, flaky apple turnover. If you can find it, I promise you will love it. Get some low fat vanilla ice cream/yogurt to go with it if you really want to feel like you are splurging!



And if you really really need to eat something that is 3 points or more, like potato chips, go ahead. That's the beauty of Weight Watcher's. Just remember to track and count. And for goodness sakes! Stay within your points!

No food is porn food! It's all good! Just know when to say when!

And unlike Forrest Gump and his "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know...", we need to know what we are eating. I want to know what I get before it goes into my mouth. Nothing sucks more than a few "surprise" points.

Okay, that's all I want to say about low point snacks.

By the way, a shout out to my BCB buddies! You guys rock!