Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween!

Wow!  What a week to try and watch what you eat and track it.  It's good that I have to be accountable to my group next week or I wouldn't even try.

My calorie intake limit for this week is: 1648

Today, I didn't make out too bad....1705, over by 57.

I did my very best to really cut back on eating today, because I knew that I would not be able to resist the temptation of the chocolate bars here for the kiddies.

I wasn't hungry at breakfast time and I really do try my best to not eat if I am not hungry.  I know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it usually the one I cut back on because my stomach allows it.

Lunch today was:

1/2 bagel
4 tsp. butter
1 1/2 slices of black forest ham
30 g. Havarti cheese
2 sweet pickle slices

369 calories

Dinner today was:

1 cup tomato soup make with 1% milk
1 grilled cheese sandwich
7 crackers

529 calories

Pretty good right?

Ok, time to count in the treats:

807 calories

That is why I am over and also why I am going to bed hungry.

Dinner had no real source of protein, which always leaves me hungry...I know that...but I had to make a choice and I KNEW 100% without a doubt that I would over-indulge in chocolate!  History is a pretty good indicator of it!

So, not too bad and if my evening hadn't been so late...I would have gotten on the treadmill and tried running on my foot!

Here's to a better tomorrow!!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The Truth Of Tuesday Night


I am an intelligent person
I will control my emotions, not let my emotions control me
Every time I am tempted to use food to 
satisfy my frustrated desires, built up my ego or dull my senses,
I will remember,
Even though I over eat in private, 
My excess poundage is there for all the world to see.
I WILL TAKE OFF POUNDS SENSIBLY
- TOPS pledge

Look at that!!!

A Tuesday blog ACTUALLY posted on a Tuesday!  Sign of good things to come for the week perhaps.

I am letting my TOPS meeting this week serve it's purpose....motivation!

The TOPS program has it's own version of a healthy eating guide, known as the exchange system.  I will be the first to admit...I have not read anything about it, tried to follow or understand it.  As a whole, our group is very lost in regards to it.

Our Area Captain came for her yearly visit tonight and she asked if any of us had questions and I pointed out that we feel very challenged in understanding the exchange program.  She encouraged us to just food journal for a week and then as a group, figure out the exchanges.  As leader, I volunteered to journal everything this week and bring it in as the example we can all work off.  My reason for this was purely selfish.  I need to get right back on track with journaling and the best way to ensure I do it this week is having next week program rely on it!

As for the numbers....I gotta say, I am disappointed...once again, things caught up with me.

2 weeks ago:  250.50 lbs
This week: 251.75 lbs

It's not a huge gain, only .75 lbs and I shouldn't have a problem recovering from it if I set my mind to it.  It's going to be a tough one, with Halloween and all, but I CAN DO IT!!

You take my hand,
and I'll take yours,
and we'll start out today,
for a helping hand is what we need to help us on our way.
The way to goal is a lonely road, we need someone to care,
reach out my friend and take my hand
and then we're almost there!
- TOPS closing

Monday, October 29, 2012

Take 2!

So, has anyone noticed that I missed a week in blogging?

My girlfriend up north did and was kind enough to send me a little note....telling me I was a very bad girl!

Thanks Teri!

We had a little conversation that went something like this:

Me ( Tuesday) - I need chocolate!!  Skipping my meeting tonight!!

Her (Tuesday) - Go to your meeting...your group needs you!

I didn't get her e-mail until Thursday

Her (Thursday) - you ignored my advice didn't you?  Hope you at least enjoyed the chocolate bar!  No blog?  BAD AMY!!

Me - yeah, I have been living in "ignore-ville" this past week.

Her - I don't think that's a good place for you, perhaps you should consider moving?

Me - I'm packing right now, heading off to "moveyourass-ville"

It's great to have a friend that will give you the gentle nudge to move along.  It took me a bit longer than planned to pack up for my move to "moveyourass-ville" and I must admit, I am just at a bit of a road stop right now, but I can see the sign telling me I am almost there.



Last week was just a BLECH week.  I had no desire to go to my meeting and in the end, my husband ended up working late, so it would have been difficult to go (not impossible mind you).  I for sure felt I had blown it.  I didn't follow my plan as scheduled once the weekend hit.  My road was paved with good intentions for sure!  The scales at home showed that despite my bad weekend, I still was down a bit.

New week, new rules right?

Treadmill TONIGHT...FOR SURE!  I will run through the pain, both mental and physical.  We will see how the foot holds up!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

The Truth Of Tuesday Night

Remember....I said this was my week to get back on track.

I left my meeting last night determined for it to be the truth.  So far so good.  I just keep reminding myself that I am staying true to being on track.  It's hard....it's a CONSTANT reminder!  Want that wine gum?  Do I really need it?

Of course I don't NEED it, but I sure as hell WANT it!  I resisted.

As for the scales last night?

They were good to me once again.

Last week: 251.00 lbs
This week: 250.50 lbs

I am SOOOO close to my mini goal of being under 250!  Next week for sure!

I also promised I would repeat a good week and food journal.

My calorie goal for each day  was 1572 calories

I'm not going to break down each food item on here (unless you request I do so)

Instead, I am going to compare last time vs. this time and the total number of calories for each meal.

Previous: 1587 calories
Today: 1306 calories

Breakfast: 105 calories
Lunch: 467 calories
Dinner: 742 calories
Snack: 98 calories

Calories Burned: 107 calories

RESULT: -266 calories

I wonder if I will have the same results as last time (5 lbs lost) or if other factors will change those results.  I am not eating the EXACT same food nor am I doing the EXACT same exercise.  Next Tuesday will be very telling!

I hope some of my followers are doing their own "repeat" week!  Would love to hear your results!





Monday, October 15, 2012

This Time I Blame My Dad!

It is pretty often that when something is wrong with how we were raised, we blame our mothers!  Mom's are the scapegoat for EVERYTHING!

Don't know how to do laundry?  Mom's fault!

Addicted to TV?  Mom's fault!

You get my drift and I feel perfectly valid with blaming mom's, because I am now a mom and will someday be faced with this same situation.

(Let me get things straight!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE my parents and everything said is in jest!)

Except for this next part.

I am addicted to pop! (among other things!)

My entire life, my dad drank nothing but Pepsi.  Then a number of years ago, he became diabetic.  Now, you would think that would have put the squash to pop drinking...nope, he just switched it to diet! 

My point?  I love pop too!  My husband is just as big a pop drinker and made the switch from regular to diet when my dad did.



Confession time!  Between the two of us, we can go through about 90 cans of pop in two weeks.  That is roughly 3 1/2 cans each a day.  Horrible right?  My attempts at cutting back are fairly unsuccessful, but I'm trying.  Aside from the basic consumption of this...let me also confess something else about the pop...it makes me feel horrible when I drink it...it's the aspartame in the diet...I'm sure of it.  It makes my shoulders and stomach ache and sometime a bit in my mid-back.  Common sense would make the average person stop drinking it.  That's the funny thing with addiction.  Also, I can reason myself out of it.

I am not a water drinker (I've mentioned that before)  I don't drink coffee or tea.  It's either pop or juice.  Since starting to lose weight, I vowed to myself not to DRINK my calories.  I mean, a glass of juice, milk or pop all have around 100 calories per serving.  In my mind, this has left me only with pop!  I have one first thing every morning. While everyone else is enjoying their coffee, I am sipping on soda.

So, on Wednesday, I tried something.  Everytime I wanted to go and grab a pop, I made myself have a glass of water first.  If after that glass of water I was still thirsty and wanted the pop, that would be ok. 

Guess what!  I didn't feel like I needed the pop after that.  I only had 2 that day.  One in the morning and one that evening downstairs.  It's a small victory, but a victory just the same!

Friday, October 12, 2012

The Nature Of The Bear

I came to the conclusion today....I am not a bear! 

Right now, I bet you are thinking: "DUH!!  Could have easily told you that!  You are just realizing it NOW!?!"

Perhaps I should explain.

See, it's Fall here now.  It's cold and blustery.  Mittens and toques need to be washed up and worn!

While I love the colours and smells of fall...I HATE the cold!

It also means it's time to break out the soup pot.  It's when all those yummy stews and casseroles get cooked...you know, the comfort foods.

Comfort Foods = Fatty Fatty 2 x 4

The ones not complete with thick slabs of fresh white bread, smothered in butter.  The ones that you just scoop onto your plate or bowl without much thought!  Oh man, I am making myself hungry RIGHT NOW!

It also is the start of people not wanted to get out and exercise as much.  It feels better to curl up on the couch by the fire and stay warm.

This brings me back to the bear thing! 

I am NOT a bear!

 (Thanks for the picture,  National Geographic!)

I don't need to load up on food to prep myself for hibernation.  It's not like I am going to go month's without food....I can hardly make it HOURS without food!
As my readers know,  I have been having a tough go with my foot and have gone from lots of exercise to none!  I am on day 3 of my foot feeling pretty good (touch wood!) and am hoping that by next Wednesday I can get back on the treadmill.

It's also my week to get serious again.  I read a great tip in a post of the TOPS facebook page. 

"Review your food journal and repeat a good week"

Well, since I have started this journey...I have had 1 stellar week with a loss of over 5 pounds.  I want to repeat that!

Ironically, it was also the same week that I food journalled and posted it on here. Hmm!

Me thinks I need to do it again.

Starting next Wednesday, I am going to post a food journal again each day for 6 days.  On average, I need to be under my allotted calories by about 71 calories in addition to burning about 706 calories over the week.  Who wants to join me?  Any fellow bloggers want to food journal on their blogs with me?

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

The Truth Of Tuesday Night

I'm a bad blogger lately!  I totally forgot about blogging last Tuesday.  I blame it on the fact that I didn't go to the meeting.  Also, I have some catching up to do on the other blogs I read.  It's on my To-Do list!

Let's get right down to numbers and then I will carry on with my sob story and excuses!

Last week: 252.50 lbs
This week: 251.00 lbs

Net Loss of 1.50 lbs.

I did good once again and was surprised, considering we threw Thanksgiving in there last weekend.

This really just means that I am eating less, without paying any attention to it or planning.

Also, I am still battling foot pain, which relates to ANOTHER week of no exercise.

This is where my excuses come in!  There are lots of things I could be doing that don't involve being on my feet.  I could put my bike out of the garage and go for a ride with the kids.  I could inflate the exercise ball and use it and the hand weights.

The only reason I have to brush these ideas off is I have lost my "mojo"

I had running fever and was IN LOVE with it.  Loved the feel of accomplishment and it made me feel so fit!  Now, once my foot gets back, I have to start at the very beginning and make sure I stick to only 3 days a week of running and not do more like I was.

My plan in the next couple weeks is to re-visit the week where I lost 5 pounds and see if I can replicate it.  I will eat the same foods and burn the same number of calories.

Wishing everyone a great week!!