Why Do I Fight it?

I really don't understand why I fight it. I just finished day 1 of the fitness challenge. I completed a 20 minute circuit routine on Jillian Michael's Fitness Ultimatum 2010, 15 minutes cardio on my elliptical, and a 5 minute ab routine. I feel wonderful! However, it's now 10 o'clock at night and I still have some reading to do.

I also wanted to share a product with you that my friend introduced me to. For all those who love hummus as much as I do, check out Super Hummus by Nasoya! It is only 1 POINTS PLUS(PP) per serving. So, I just made a delicious low carb wrap with hummus, lettuce, carrots, and orange bell pepper as my post workout snack for a total of 3PP. I am about 5 points under target today, but I think my body is still recovering from the weekend.

Hitting the shower, then reading before bed. Tomorrow it's back to the grind, but hopefully my focus on activity and nutrition will fuel me through the long days. Today also marks 1 week without caffeine!

Fitness Challenge

Today starts day 1 of the fitness challenge.

So far, I only have two friends participating in the challenge with me, but I think it's going to be fun. This months' challenge is to be active five days a week for 30 days for a minimum of 30 minutes. Every time we complete our activity we are going to text each other with what we did and for how long. If one of us doesn't meet the challenge for the week, it starts over. Only when the 30 days are completed will we move on to the next challenge.

I want to start the challenge off with a bang by working out on day 1. I am really looking forward to having some support in fitting in exercise. I haven't had caffeine in a week and my goal is to use a combination of a morning exercise routine and proper nutrition to get me charged for long days of graduate school and work. BUT, I need people to hold me accountable for what I say I am going to do. I should probably get off of the couch right now, but I am 1.) very hungry and 2.) have a lot of homework to do.

Time to figure out what I am going to eat for dinner. I have 21 points left for the day, but I don't see that happening. One thing I LOVE about the new WW program is that you don't have to eat all your points every day. Some days, I'm just not that hungry. I am so glad they are focusing on how satieted you feel.

Confessional:
St. Patty's day I had three beers. I don't usually drink beer, but I'm part Irish and it was a holiday. Cost=10 flex points
I ate 1/2 a piece of greasy pizza after a bottle and a half of wine. I'm pretty sure my flex points are gone. Cost=most likely the rest of my flex points.

So after dinner, it's time to Move That Body

Sweet Serendipity

Sweet Serendipity by Lee DeWyze sums up how I am feeling about today.

Early today I wrote about wanting to go back to Weight Watchers, but was feeling unable to pay the $12/meeting. Sweet serendipity stood in today! I was in JCPenney's looking for something to get with my coupon ($15 off $15) when I ran into my old WW Leader and receptionist! I found out that I only have to weigh in and pay once a month and can go to as many other meetings as I want! 45 minutes later I was in a meeting.

I feel so energized right now. I love the positive energy in the meetings and the support cannot be paralleled. I've tried doing it online, but I need person to person contact.

When I went to go step up on the scale I knew exactly what it was going to say, so I asked if I could start fresh. I didn't want anyone to say out loud "you've gained 25 pounds in 6 months". Not that anyone would really say it like that, but in my head that's what it would sound like. So, new starting weight! New goals!

I am completely re-charged. I got out my garage sale "price" tags to label the cost of my food and took my measurements. I thought of posting my new "before" picture on here. Should I?

Current measurements:
Bust- 40"
Natural Waist- 32"
Belly- 37 1/2"
Hips- 41 3/4"
Thighs- 26 1/2"
Arms- 14"

I just finished a glass of wine. WHO CAME UP WITH THESE SERVING SIZES? Four ounces...really? I went by the meniscus!

Anywho...time to work on those inches and get on the elliptical and watch the end of American Idol!

My Subtitle Needs Upgrading

It's been nearly a year since my last post and this first post of the year feels like it may be a confessional. Forgive me readers for I have...stumbled.

This past year has been difficult. I was doing really well with maintaining my weight loss until I started graduate school, and then, I gained 10 pounds. Then my papa died and I gained 15 more. I had just started to lose some of what I had gained when my boyfriend of 2 years and I parted ways just in time for the holidays :(. At 5'2" I now weigh 161 pounds.

So, here I am world! Overweight again. The trials and tribulations that have taken place over the last 6 months have helped me to realize that my subtitle is highly inaccurate. There is no LAST JOURNEY for a person who suffers from food addictions. It is a lifelong battle, but it's one that I am willing to fight. I have been anorexic, I have been bulimic, I have been/am a compulsive over-eater, but I want to be healthy. I will be healthy.

It got to the point a couple of weeks ago where I was so disgusted with myself and guilty after a day-long binge, I had a relapse. That happened a couple of times that week, but hasn't happened since. Now that I live alone, I have to try to figure out how to prevent myself from overeating and binge eating. In the past, I have always lived with people and their presence would always prevent me from overeating because the amounts I sneak in are embarrassing. I used to overeat when no one was around, but these days, that condition exists almost always!

So, what am I going to do about it? I'm not really the kind of person that can complain about something incessantly without doing something about it. Constant complaining without action annoys me when anyone does it.

What I've done so far:

• I stocked up on healthy foods and low cal snacks because I am a snacker! The heavier, unhealthy foods are depleted--I'm not replacing them.
• I made homemade chicken noodle soup with 99% fat free broth, lean chicken, and whole grain noodles.
• I made a hot playlist on playlist.com that I linked to on my Facebook page.
• I ACTUALLY GOT ON MY ELLIPTICAL yesterday and did a circuit routine for about 45 minutes.
• I started writing about my relationship with food again.

This last item is probably one of the most important things for me and hopefully I get some of my readers back. I haven't gone to Weight Watchers(WW) since summer because I can't afford it. Even though I am a lifetime member, because I am overweight, I would have to pay. $12 is just too much! But WW meetings was where I got a lot of my support and I thrived within the cognitive behavioral framework.

Even though I am in graduate school and work, I am going to try and fit in blogging whenever possible. My hope is that it can be a coping skill where I can unload here, instead of loading my body with food.

Recipe: Crispy Sesame Ginger Turkey Wrap!

Hello hello! I should be at Weight Watchers right now, but I am out of gas *sigh* and I put in my two weeks notice at work. Conservation mode here I come! I look forward to my WW meetings, but I usually go visit my mother right after and tonight she's going fishing. I just can't justify spending $5 on the drive right now. My income is about to drastically changed, so I need to spend the time instead blogging (LOL) then applying to more jobs like a mad lady.

Tonight I want to share something with you that I threw together last week that I believe is...amazing, or at least really good.

Crispy Sesame Ginger Turkey Wrap!

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Ingredients:


1 Flatout light wrap (or other high fiber wrap)

2 ounces Jennie-O lean turkey ham (or other lean turkey cold cut)
cubed

2 T Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger dressing

1/2 -3/4 cup broccoli slaw



Nutrition Facts: 195 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 10.5 grams of fiber for 4 POINTS and 42% of your daily fiber


Drizzle the dressing over the ingredients in the wrap, roll up, and enjoy! I love the crunch factor in this wrap. I found it to be delicious, filling, and satisfying orally and visually.



$$$$$ Saving Tips $$$$$



For crazy people like me who may have just quit a job they hate or like saving money.

1.) I buy the big block of Jennie-O lean turkey ham, weigh out 2 ounce slices/chunks, bag them individually in freezer bags and place in a container in the freezer.

I am not a fan of things going bad before I get to eat them and that's usually what happens when I eat the appropriate portions. You save money by buying in bulk and by not having to throw out old cold cuts. This ham is very versatile as well. I've used it in breakfast omelettes, on salads, and in another recipe of mine, Light Turkey Carbonara.

2.) Broccoli Slaw is much cheaper at WalMart instead of getting the one endorsed by HG at the supermarket. That's the one I buy and I haven't died yet.

WW Topic of the Week: Monitoring Yourself

What a great feeling it was to be back at Weight Watchers this week after missing last week's meeting due to surgery! The support I get there is amazing and I love being surrounded by so many kind people with similar goals.

This week's topic was monitoring yourself. There are many different ways to monitor your progress from day to day. The primary monitoring tool I use is clothing; if I'm dancing into my tightest fitting jeans with a few extra hops, I know I've been a little too relaxed with my food intake and exercise plan.

The goal for this next week is to monitor myself in a couple different ways. I would like to track my intake every day and make sure I'm getting proper nutrition and I would like to continue blogging, paying special attention to emotional triggers.

Controlling the Cost of Snacking

For many people, including me, random compulsive snacking can add up! The cost often ends up being more than you wanted to pay.

Today I had some extra time on my hands and spent approximately 20 minutes making a snack drawer using a pile of snacks, snack bags, and garage sale pricing labels. I labeled each bag or bar with the appropriate POINTS value and put all the remaining boxes and bags of snacks out of my reach.

Not everything in the drawer is a filling food, but at least it's all portion-controlled.

In my snack drawer you will find:

Weight Watchers Bars

Pretzel Snacks

Quaker Delights Bars

Smartfood

Fiber Bars

Pistachios

Almonds

Dark Chocolate covered Espresso Beans

Sugar Free Jelly Belly Beans

Quaker Delights Rice Snacks

Crackers

What's in your drawer?

I'm off to family night at my mother's house! We'll see how I navigate that experience. I'm bringing a snack and a couple 4C's sugar free tea2go packets (I love the Red Peach Tea) because her cooking can often be delicious, yet disasterous.