Donuts AND Cookies!!?? Fighting Temptation

Today I'm at work and I get a stick-it (inter-office IM) that says there are donuts in the kitchen that one of our customers brought us. I LOVE DONUTS. I said to Maria, my office-mate and friend- "Don't read that stickit!" because we try to motivate each other. She already had though and we both "mmmmm"ed at the possibility of that delicious deep fried sugary goodness in our mouths. BUT- we decided to wait as people filed by hoping the donuts would all get eaten. Not 2 minutes later there was another stickit saying there were cookies in Accounting from another customer. Geez! Halloween treats everywhere! Yesterday in class BUCKETS of Halloween candy-the GOOD stuff- were passed around, and kept being passed around. I only ate one piece.

How do you resist all this temptation? For me it's closing the stickit right away and NOT even going over there to look. It's much easier when it's not right in front of you. And waiting. i gave it some time and didn't really want it. What I REALLY want is to lose weight this week. And I have 2 Halloween parties this weekend. I know I will have plenty of opportunity to eat junk and sweets on Sat. So I am waiting. I will get my donut then, on my free day. You know, I always want to lose weight, as most people do, but lately I just really want to prove to myself that I can do it. I want to feel good about myself.

I think my turning point was going to Dance last Sat. My friend, Becky invited me to an Adult Beginning Dance Class at Power Plus on 5400 S. and 3200 W. We went in the summer, but then school started and I had class at the same time. They moved the class to Sat. morning so I can go now! I had SOO much fun and my legs were very sore the next day. Instead of looking at my legs and thinking how chubby they wereI thought "Look at my strong legs that danced yesterday!" It's the best feeling, and I realized I wanted that feeling all the time. Exercise really helps me feel motivated because it helps me feel strong.

Tips to Survive Halloween at the Office

In my Weight Watchers newsletter they send weekly they had tips to survive Halloween at the office. (to get your free newsletter with reipes, tips, and weight loss success stories click here.)

Keep count.Studies show that diners at barbecue joints tend to eat more wings when waitresses continually take away their bones, says Dawn Jackson, RD, Nutrition and Exercise Specialist for The Wellness Institute at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. There's no reason to think that those mini-Butterfingers are any different. So while it's tempting to toss the wrapper as soon as you pop one in your mouth, keep the evidence on your desk as a visual tally.

Make a smarter choice.If you know that there's no chance you'll nibble a couple of Starbursts without tearing through the whole pack, it may be best to avoid them altogether. Steel yourself against temptation by pulling out a guilt-free snack you brought from home while everyone's flocking to the treat table, says Leslie Bonci, nutritionist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Fruit cups, Jell-O cups, meringue cookies and light hot chocolate are all satisfying alternatives.

Don't throw in the towel.We've all been there. You started the workday with a virtuous egg-white-and-veggie omelet and maintained monk-like self-control until your office manager took a meat-cleaver to your diet by bringing out a small truckload of mini-Mars bars at 4 p.m. You figure your diet is ruined for the day, and next thing you know you're in a booth at Taco Bell inhaling a double Gordita dinner. Not so fast, señorita. "The all-or-nothing mentality is what hurts people the most," says Jackson. "If I buy a dozen eggs and I break one, I clean the broken egg up and get on with my day. I don't break the 11 other eggs!"

Are you hungry, or are you just tense or tired?"At 3 p.m., often we don't really want to eat, we just need a drink of water and a breath of fresh air," says Jackson. Listen to your body, and then follow its prompts. If all you want is a little reward for finally finishing the report you've been slaving over, instead of making a self-congratulatory trip to the treat table, go for the grown-up equivalent of a "gold star" and splurge on a new CD, book or DVD. Find something you can look forward to enjoying after work.

It takes a village."No man or woman is an island," says Jackson. So decide with your coworkers to put the candy in an opaque container in the kitchenette this year — out of sight, out of mind. Or, Bonci suggests, rally the team to pool a couple of bucks a week from everyone for the month of October. Invest in fresh flowers or a Halloween happy hour instead of candy. (You'll stick to low-calorie light beer, of course.)

I actually lost weight!

I lost weight this week. I probably lost about 2 lbs since last week ( I didn't have an exact # last week), but since my last WW meeting I lost .2 lbs. So I am done to 150.2. I am so happy that I lost.

Brandon and I have made a pact. We are determined to lose weight and he reminded me that when one of us isn't trying it's really hard for the other person. So here's to a new start.
We have decided to try and give ourselves one "free day". Parties come up, friends want to go out to eat, life happens, but we can plan for it as much as possible and make that our "free day"

Some words on free day from Hussman Fitness:

"You should think of the free day as an opportunity to choose "unauthorized"
foods. It's not about losing control. It's about making choices and enjoying
those choices. The danger of going overboard is that a wild pig-out style free
day can blow several days of "caloric deficits" that are essential for fat loss,
and can also be detrimental for people who tend to be binge eaters. If you're
not a little careful, the idea of "free days" can create an "all or nothing"
mindset and sets up binge eating patterns that are hard to eliminate later. That
said, kept in perspective, the free day may help counter the risk that your body
senses a fasting state. Metabolically, you're trying to convince your body that
it doesn't have to lower its metabolism, shed muscle, or defend its fat stores
in response to the change in its "environment". You don't need a huge number of
extra calories to do that. It's good if your free meals make you feel warm, and
it's great if you actually break a light sweat. The free day gives you something
to look forward to, keeps your body "confused", and gives you a chance to have
that pizza and ice cream you've been eyeing all week, but don't go way
overboard. There's some evidence that cycling high and low caloric periods with
weight training can help muscle gains, but the effective cycle is evidently
about two weeks, not one day. And if your primary concern is fat loss, I
wouldn't try to get that fancy.
If you prefer, my impression is that you can
substitute the free day with 2 "free meals" between any Sunday-Saturday period
(following the program for other meals on those days). Don't try to "spread"
your free day across the whole week and then kid yourself that you're following
the program. That said, if you do have something that's "unauthorized," don't
fall into all-or-nothing thinking and say "I blew it! I'm a loser! The day is
ruined! Now it's a free day!" followed by a self-destructive binge. Just have a
little bit less to eat later that day, or the next day, to make up for that
small amount of lost ground. The main thing is that you don't turn small
indiscretions into self-destructive binges. We're all human. If you ate the
cookie, you ate the cookie. Now get on with your program!"

Remember losing weight is about finding what works for you. And I'm beginning
to find that what worked for me 2 years ago, may not be the same as today.

The Biggest Loser and Halloweeeeeeen!

I love watching this show. But- it doesn't really motivate me. At all. I have to admit I like the drama, and I like seeing cool challenges, and love seeing how people look before and after. But.... no motivation. Hmmm... wonder why that is? Anyone else watch this show?

So this week is going pretty well. I have lost 1-2 pound I think. Next week is Halloween and me and Becky planned this great Halloween party for the Green couples, with lots of amazing yummy food. Most of it not low in calories. So I'm trying to prepare myself. Since I know what's on the menu, I can figure out calories now, so I will know what I'm eating. I don't know if planning what I'm going to eat beforehand is a good idea. It's a party, I want to eat what I feel like at the moment. And maybe I don't want something I planned to have. I want to be able to have fun and not worry about sticking to a strict plan. BUT- I don't want to eat so much that I feel awful about myself afterwards. So I think I have a solution. If I know how many calories something is approximately then I can keep track in my head. We'll see how it goes!

Happy Halloween everyone! Good luck losing weight with all the treats around! :)

What to say?

Thanks for the support friends! I started school again, what a nice week-long Fall break I had! Not having to go to school after work was glorious! I'm swamped again and feeling down. But my friend Chrissy told me about a 10k on the 24th and I thought- man! I should be doing that. But you know how long it's been since I ran? The last 5 k I did this past summer. How sad!

I know it's going to get harder with all the holidays coming. What can I do? Maybe I just need something new? Different? Maybe I just need to believe in myself? Planning more would probably help. Not buying sweets would probably help. Having someone pay me to lose weight would probably help! : ) There's something missing. Something I need to really boost me to make the changes, to stick to a plan, to lose weight. I need to find it.

I'm going to do this. Geez it's been hard. I am stuck at about 152 (it's painful to type that). That's 14 lbs. MORE than my best at 138. Oh to see that 1-3 again.
You know, life has thrown me curves this year, lots has happened, has changed. But I can never give up. Someday I will reach my goal. And I determine to make it happen sooner than later.

Last week

I blew it. Becky, help me! I went to a chinese buffet on Thursday and then had a Math conference on Friday and Saturday where they feed us good food, not so healthy though. I don't know how much exactly I gained since I couldn't go to my meeting on Sat. but I know it was at least 3 lbs. : (
This week is Fall Break for me, so no classes! I hope to get really on top of things so that my life isn't so crazy and stressful.
Yesterday we went to dinner for my brother's birthday, so beforehand Brandon and I made a plan. Since we knew there would be cake and ice cream we decided to only have 1/2 a piece and a glass of milk instead of ice cream. And we did! Then we didn't eat any apple pie that Becky made when we got home, because we'd already had a treat.
Any tips to staying on track? I just can't seem to find that steady gain I used to have. I have just been gaining back what I lose.

Wednesday

Hello friends. Today is Wednesday. I had a breakdown on Monday, a breakdown on Tuesday and today is much better. : ) Life is so busy. I am working 30 or more hours a week, and taking 15 credits. Most days I feel like I am barely making it by. But somehow I make it. I think about all my blessings and realize I have a lot to be thankful for even though life is crazy.

I have gained 2 lbs. this week, but it's okay. Still have 3 more days to make a change.

Another Week

Do you ever feel like you just got through a rough week just to start another one? *sigh* Monday again and I have not planned my meals for this week. Hopefully I will MAKE TIME between writing my paper tonight and fixing my dryer to plan at least tomorrows food. I have to lose 2 lbs this week in order not to pay at WW, but I would be glad for a pound lost.

I didn't eat so well Sat. and Sun. Those are the absolute hardest days for me because there's no set schedule, and usually get-togethers with lots of delicious food. It's easy during the week because I'm at work and school, so I can only eat what I brought. I have a hard time when the unexpected happens. I need to be better about rollin' with the punches, and keeping my motivation and self control when faced with temptation.

Good luck to everyone this week!

Wrappin' up the Week

Today I went to my Weight Watchers meeting and found out I lost 3 lbs. this week! Planning really helped me stay on track and feel less stressed. Thurs. and Fri. weren't as good with staying right on track, and fancy that, I didn't plan as well those days. Today I went to Olive Garden with the girls (my mom and sisters and sister's mother-in-law), and ate too many calories for the day. But I think I can make it up this week by staying on plan. Tomorrow we are having our tri-annual big family breakfast; sausage gravy and biscuits, eggs, bacon.... But I'm going to write down what I'm going to eat, since I know what's coming.

I still have 2 lbs. to lose to be at my Lifetime Goal Weight. If I lose 2 more lbs, I won't have to pay for the Weight Watchers meetings anymore.

Any good ideas for staying on track? I got through one week, but ladies, it's soon to be that time of the month and I'm worried I'm going to give in to cravings. Any help is appreciated! :)

Here's to Shrinking Me for another week!

Today I will eat...

Shredded wheat with skim milk
Grapes
SF Hot Cocoa (it's pretty cold, so I might want some :)
Omelet
Popcorn
Banana Bread
Sugar free Pudding

and.... I'm not sure what for dinner since I'm probably gonna be at Brandon's. Still feeling motivated though!

Hope everyone's having a great week! Thanks for all the encouragement!