Just made WW Roasted Tomato Enchiladas for dinner. They're in the oven and smell absolutely fantastic!
Imagine, tofu, black beans and roasted corn (my addition) wrapped up inside whole wheat tortillas and topped with a chunky green chile-tomato sauce. Oh Mexi-veggie yumminess.
Let's hope they taste as good as they smell!!!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
I call it compromise
I've just spent about 30mins trawling around the Weight Watchers website message boards. It's interesting to read so many comments from folks who are trying to figure out what they "can" or "should" eat.
I too have those days when I'm thinking in should and shouldn'ts. I should save money and cook at home. I shouldn't get take-out. I should wait to save my points for a weekend splurge. I shouldn't splurge at all. Should. Shouldn't Carrots. Chocolate.
I think it's about compromise. I've recently experienced the most wacky food exchanges. My temporary distaste for eggs led me to eat whole-wheat tortillas with fat-free re-fried beans and Trader Joe's peach salsa for breakfast. And, I've loved it. Those tortillas keep my full and give me energy.
This afternoon, hungry 45minutes after a low-cal toast snack, I heated a serving of Trader Joe's meatless meatballs with a little tomato sauce and 1/2oz bread for "mopping up". Perfect. I'm happy, full, and not stressed about lasting until dinner in 90 minutes. As a "snack" it's a weird choice, but great choice.
Some days I need to snack and so reach for Smart pop 1pt kettlecorn popcorn and 1oz chocolate chips. Tonight, in celebration of the good weather, Heather and I will treat ourselves to ice-cream from JPLicks. I'm already looking forward to my sugar-free fat-free soft serve with St. Paddy's Day green sprinkles. Yum! 2pts of happy (like WW ice cream treats but on a cone and green!)
I call it compromise. I'm going to enjoy a couple of glasses of wine on Friday night with friends and take-out on Saturday night. To prepare, I'll watch my points all other days and option for high protein, high fiber foods.
I took Mon and today as "rest days" because after a 5am wake-up and 7-hours of teaching high schoolers about dating violence, I'm wiped. So I ran yesterday and I'll run tomorrow and Sunday. Friday, I'll WATP and lift. I'll hike on Saturday. I'll also lift on Sunday.
It's got to be a balance. And not of "good" and "bad" or "should" and "shouldn't" but just of give and take. Compromise.
I too have those days when I'm thinking in should and shouldn'ts. I should save money and cook at home. I shouldn't get take-out. I should wait to save my points for a weekend splurge. I shouldn't splurge at all. Should. Shouldn't Carrots. Chocolate.
I think it's about compromise. I've recently experienced the most wacky food exchanges. My temporary distaste for eggs led me to eat whole-wheat tortillas with fat-free re-fried beans and Trader Joe's peach salsa for breakfast. And, I've loved it. Those tortillas keep my full and give me energy.
This afternoon, hungry 45minutes after a low-cal toast snack, I heated a serving of Trader Joe's meatless meatballs with a little tomato sauce and 1/2oz bread for "mopping up". Perfect. I'm happy, full, and not stressed about lasting until dinner in 90 minutes. As a "snack" it's a weird choice, but great choice.
Some days I need to snack and so reach for Smart pop 1pt kettlecorn popcorn and 1oz chocolate chips. Tonight, in celebration of the good weather, Heather and I will treat ourselves to ice-cream from JPLicks. I'm already looking forward to my sugar-free fat-free soft serve with St. Paddy's Day green sprinkles. Yum! 2pts of happy (like WW ice cream treats but on a cone and green!)
I call it compromise. I'm going to enjoy a couple of glasses of wine on Friday night with friends and take-out on Saturday night. To prepare, I'll watch my points all other days and option for high protein, high fiber foods.
I took Mon and today as "rest days" because after a 5am wake-up and 7-hours of teaching high schoolers about dating violence, I'm wiped. So I ran yesterday and I'll run tomorrow and Sunday. Friday, I'll WATP and lift. I'll hike on Saturday. I'll also lift on Sunday.
It's got to be a balance. And not of "good" and "bad" or "should" and "shouldn't" but just of give and take. Compromise.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Lessons in self-love
Well, I'm officially bustin' though it; 1.6lbs off this week. That's 32lbs total since Jan 2009, 84.6total since Jan 2005. I have officially lost a small child's worth of weight. How big do 5th + 6th graders get these days? I think I've lost me a 6th grader.
Before I get into the self-love, me-me-me land babble, let me say Yum! I'm dessert-ing on a WW Chocolate Fudge Brownie premium ice cream cup. 2pts of pure heaven. I don't know what chemicals they use to get this stuff to taste so good and, really, I don't care. It's fantastic. If you're ever PMS-ing for something sweet and are on WW, pick up a pack (or two) of this ice-cream (there's also chocolate chip cookie dough and mint chip to enjoy).
So, back to self-lovin'. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I gave myself a praise-talk on the way home in the car from WW tonight. To clarify, I missed my regular Monday meeting so picked up a Tuesday closer to work, and I met my Leader, Arlene's, leader, Sherry. Fancy that. I still love Arlene- she's brilliant. But, Sherry is simply lovely. So it's 6:15pm and I'm stuck in traffic and realising that I've lost a small child and that while it's taken over 4 years (and I'm still going), I am a WW rockstar. Really. I started this program first as a child. I continued as a teen. And then as a young adult. And this is the first damn time, these past 4 years, that I've done it right. It's not a race. It's a journey. It's about enjoying life and myself and, while I do get stressed about the journey at times (especially the weigh-ins), I am making WW about me for the first time.
See, it's always been about the food. How much I could eat of it. How much I could get away with. Or hide. Or how restricted I was from it. Or how hard I was working for it. But, it's about more than that now. It is definitely about food; portion control, healthy choices, nutrition. But, when I dig down deep now, it's not just about the food and my (in)ability to control it. It's about me. It's about running. And hiking. And eating chocolate (or WW chocolate ice cream cups!). It's about enjoying a glass of wine as much as I enjoy walking my dog. Not more than. It's about challenging myself to test fitness limits. It's about getting a runner's high (yes, it's happening!). It's about being honest with myself. It's about looking in the mirror on "fat days" and reminding myself that I'm beautiful. It's about learning to love these stretch marks. And curves. And muscles. And bumps. It's about balancing my work life out with writing. It's about leaving the office at lunch for a run. It's about saying no to those things that take away from me. It's saying yes to me.
Yes. To. Me.
And because I'm finally learning this, I spent 2 minutes taping myself on my Blackberry voice notes recorder. No. Not crazy. Because I know that there are hard days. That there are depressed days. That there are second-guess myself days. That at some point I'll forget how far I've come for a moment, or hour, and that I might need reminded. And, I know that while praise form family and friends lifts me up and sustains me, I have to be the loudest voice praising myself. So I taped myself and labeled the note "I rock". So when I'm having that bad day I'll be able to hear myself, saying to myself, "You are f'ing amazing. I am so proud of you. I am proud of me."
And that, my friends, is the biggest gift I've given myself (apart from losing that 6th grader) for a long, long time.
Before I get into the self-love, me-me-me land babble, let me say Yum! I'm dessert-ing on a WW Chocolate Fudge Brownie premium ice cream cup. 2pts of pure heaven. I don't know what chemicals they use to get this stuff to taste so good and, really, I don't care. It's fantastic. If you're ever PMS-ing for something sweet and are on WW, pick up a pack (or two) of this ice-cream (there's also chocolate chip cookie dough and mint chip to enjoy).
So, back to self-lovin'. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I gave myself a praise-talk on the way home in the car from WW tonight. To clarify, I missed my regular Monday meeting so picked up a Tuesday closer to work, and I met my Leader, Arlene's, leader, Sherry. Fancy that. I still love Arlene- she's brilliant. But, Sherry is simply lovely. So it's 6:15pm and I'm stuck in traffic and realising that I've lost a small child and that while it's taken over 4 years (and I'm still going), I am a WW rockstar. Really. I started this program first as a child. I continued as a teen. And then as a young adult. And this is the first damn time, these past 4 years, that I've done it right. It's not a race. It's a journey. It's about enjoying life and myself and, while I do get stressed about the journey at times (especially the weigh-ins), I am making WW about me for the first time.
See, it's always been about the food. How much I could eat of it. How much I could get away with. Or hide. Or how restricted I was from it. Or how hard I was working for it. But, it's about more than that now. It is definitely about food; portion control, healthy choices, nutrition. But, when I dig down deep now, it's not just about the food and my (in)ability to control it. It's about me. It's about running. And hiking. And eating chocolate (or WW chocolate ice cream cups!). It's about enjoying a glass of wine as much as I enjoy walking my dog. Not more than. It's about challenging myself to test fitness limits. It's about getting a runner's high (yes, it's happening!). It's about being honest with myself. It's about looking in the mirror on "fat days" and reminding myself that I'm beautiful. It's about learning to love these stretch marks. And curves. And muscles. And bumps. It's about balancing my work life out with writing. It's about leaving the office at lunch for a run. It's about saying no to those things that take away from me. It's saying yes to me.
Yes. To. Me.
And because I'm finally learning this, I spent 2 minutes taping myself on my Blackberry voice notes recorder. No. Not crazy. Because I know that there are hard days. That there are depressed days. That there are second-guess myself days. That at some point I'll forget how far I've come for a moment, or hour, and that I might need reminded. And, I know that while praise form family and friends lifts me up and sustains me, I have to be the loudest voice praising myself. So I taped myself and labeled the note "I rock". So when I'm having that bad day I'll be able to hear myself, saying to myself, "You are f'ing amazing. I am so proud of you. I am proud of me."
And that, my friends, is the biggest gift I've given myself (apart from losing that 6th grader) for a long, long time.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Time to unwind from work
Yup, just finished working. This week is going to be the death of me. And while I need to go to bed terribly, I want to share my WW success because I'm damn proud of myself.
This week I earned 24 activity points, comprised of 3 runs, 1- 2hour hike, and a WATP workout with weights.
I distributed points differently this week; eating over my points every day by adding 3-7 weekly points. It was a hungry week. I also ate 2 of my earned activity points.
And....drumroll please...I lost 3.2lbs at weigh-in. Hell yeah!!! While I may not make my original goal by the wedding, I still weigh less that when I bought my wedding dress last year so no worries about it fitting.
So bring on this week. I've already worked one 12.5hour day and there's at least 2 more 10+ hour days to follow, plus a weekend half-day. Ick. I'm gonna be toast my Saturday night. But, am still going to try to get in the workouts as I know they make me feel better.
So, now off to bed. Have a 6:30am run to do!
This week I earned 24 activity points, comprised of 3 runs, 1- 2hour hike, and a WATP workout with weights.
I distributed points differently this week; eating over my points every day by adding 3-7 weekly points. It was a hungry week. I also ate 2 of my earned activity points.
And....drumroll please...I lost 3.2lbs at weigh-in. Hell yeah!!! While I may not make my original goal by the wedding, I still weigh less that when I bought my wedding dress last year so no worries about it fitting.
So bring on this week. I've already worked one 12.5hour day and there's at least 2 more 10+ hour days to follow, plus a weekend half-day. Ick. I'm gonna be toast my Saturday night. But, am still going to try to get in the workouts as I know they make me feel better.
So, now off to bed. Have a 6:30am run to do!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Thank you Universe...and Heather...and Mum + Dad + Chris...and Emily...and Carlye...and Arlene...and...and...and...
Blog of thanks.
Thank you Heather. You are a motivator. A comforter. An encourager. A reminder ("How many points is this???"). A supporter. Thank you for all the little things like coffee in bed, and bigger things like coffee on a Sunday morning with the paper and a walked dog, and the even bigger things like "You're beautiful...and sexy" when I've put on 3 lbs AND "Way to go" after working out, and the biggest things, "When's your rest day?" and "You can do this- you already are" and "I love you." Thank you.
Thank you Mum + Dad + Chris. You encourage me every week. You've seen me in all my rough places and you're still cheering me out of them. Thank you for letting me call or text and gloat about losing weight or running a race. Thank you for telling me I'm pretty...and that I'd still be your daughter (or sister) even if I wasn't. Thank you.
Thank you Emily for your facebook post today praising and encouraging me in a total "hell yeah me" way :) And thanks for all of your encouragement throughout these years. Not just in weight loss, but in getting through relationships, and school, and friendships. You're a fantastic woman and friend. Thank you.
Thank you Carlye for all of your virtual-support. Your blog comments always buoy me up and make me smile. It's been years of knowing you with years of time and space in between, and I appreciate your continued uplifting words. Thank you.
Arlene. There's no reason you'll ever read this blog as you don't know it exists. But, thank you for being the most funny, motivating, authentic Weight Watcher leader I have ever taken class with (and I've been through at least 5 different leaders). Your stories and jokes make all the words of wisdom I've been told throughout the years of meetings take on real meaning. You have a gift. And my Monday nights, well they wouldn't be as fun without you (and my fellow WW fat-camp group therapy participants!). Thank you.
Thank you Universe. I have been blessed to get through this disease (and I use that word purposefully as I keep battling it) many many times. From my overweight childhood, to WW, to an overweight adolescence, to WW and bulimia and skinny HS, to overweight late-years in college and bulimia, to WW and recovery.... to consistent loss through thyroid surgery and treatment....and still WW. But happier. Accepting of my "disease" of overeating and overweight. Accepting of my label of recovering bulimic. Accepting of my tendency to eat under stress or happiness or [insert emotion here]. Accepting (most days) of the length of time this will take and my capacity to go the distance. It's been over 16 years since I attended my first WW meeting when I was a pre-teen in England. It's been one hell of a journey so far. (I think I've even got Odysseus beat). Thank you Universe for giving me the chance to get back on my horse (or feet) and for keeping me here to work it out and chart the course.
And for the record... I scored a 2.8lb loss this week. Thank you me; for setting the challenge and sticking to it. You rock.
Thank you Heather. You are a motivator. A comforter. An encourager. A reminder ("How many points is this???"). A supporter. Thank you for all the little things like coffee in bed, and bigger things like coffee on a Sunday morning with the paper and a walked dog, and the even bigger things like "You're beautiful...and sexy" when I've put on 3 lbs AND "Way to go" after working out, and the biggest things, "When's your rest day?" and "You can do this- you already are" and "I love you." Thank you.
Thank you Mum + Dad + Chris. You encourage me every week. You've seen me in all my rough places and you're still cheering me out of them. Thank you for letting me call or text and gloat about losing weight or running a race. Thank you for telling me I'm pretty...and that I'd still be your daughter (or sister) even if I wasn't. Thank you.
Thank you Emily for your facebook post today praising and encouraging me in a total "hell yeah me" way :) And thanks for all of your encouragement throughout these years. Not just in weight loss, but in getting through relationships, and school, and friendships. You're a fantastic woman and friend. Thank you.
Thank you Carlye for all of your virtual-support. Your blog comments always buoy me up and make me smile. It's been years of knowing you with years of time and space in between, and I appreciate your continued uplifting words. Thank you.
Arlene. There's no reason you'll ever read this blog as you don't know it exists. But, thank you for being the most funny, motivating, authentic Weight Watcher leader I have ever taken class with (and I've been through at least 5 different leaders). Your stories and jokes make all the words of wisdom I've been told throughout the years of meetings take on real meaning. You have a gift. And my Monday nights, well they wouldn't be as fun without you (and my fellow WW fat-camp group therapy participants!). Thank you.
Thank you Universe. I have been blessed to get through this disease (and I use that word purposefully as I keep battling it) many many times. From my overweight childhood, to WW, to an overweight adolescence, to WW and bulimia and skinny HS, to overweight late-years in college and bulimia, to WW and recovery.... to consistent loss through thyroid surgery and treatment....and still WW. But happier. Accepting of my "disease" of overeating and overweight. Accepting of my label of recovering bulimic. Accepting of my tendency to eat under stress or happiness or [insert emotion here]. Accepting (most days) of the length of time this will take and my capacity to go the distance. It's been over 16 years since I attended my first WW meeting when I was a pre-teen in England. It's been one hell of a journey so far. (I think I've even got Odysseus beat). Thank you Universe for giving me the chance to get back on my horse (or feet) and for keeping me here to work it out and chart the course.
And for the record... I scored a 2.8lb loss this week. Thank you me; for setting the challenge and sticking to it. You rock.
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