Lifetime Update: 6 Months!!

At the end of the day yesterday it occurred to me what yesterday was! My six month anniversary as a Weight Watchers Lifetime member! Which means, that I have maintained my weighloss successfully for the last 6 months. (Well, technically more than that since I reached my goal in June, then got Lifetime status 6 weeks later.)

I must confess that maintaining the loss is a hell of a lot harder than the actual losing part! They don't tell you that in meeting or in any of the plan materials. There is no magic attached to the Lifetime keyring they give you that makes all the weight stay off. Really, it doesn't happen, I swear.

I mentioned in my last post that I was having dinner with an old co-worker who is also on Weight Watchers and when the bread was passed around and I passed on it, her daughter said something to me and my response really stuck with me because it was not only profound, but completely true. What she said to me was, "Can't you have bread now that you are on Lifetime? I mean, you aren't fat anymore so why not, right? And honestly, I don't remember you ever being that fat." I smiled at her and gave her my usual speech I give anyone when they tell me to vary from my eating plan, "I compare my weightloss struggle to that of an alcoholic. I am addicted to food, just as an alcoholic is addicted to booze. Just like an alcoholic I went to rehab and beat my dependence. But I am still an addict and will always be one. Sure, one slice of bread won't kill me or cause me to gain all my weight back, but from experience, one slice leads to 3 slices, which leads to a 2 week binge and 10 lbs. Plus, I was told there is ice cream cake for dessert, and I would rather indulge on that!" Sure, I could have said, "You are right, I am not fat anymore, I can eat what I want! Pass the bread, and I am gonna need more butter than what is on the table", but that is the exact thinking that would get me right back to where I started! And she was wrong, I WAS that fat, but most importantly, I was unhealthy and sad.

That whole conversation basically summed up my biggest lesson I learned these last 6 months. I will always, everyday, for the rest of my life have to pay attention to my eating and my weight. Yea, that thought kindof sucks, but which is worse, paying attention and staying thin, or not paying attention and getting fat again? Sure, I can have days where I don't care, and I indulge and let myself loose. However, those occasions have to be rare and controlled!

For example: I spent 10 days with my husband, mother, and step-dad in Disney World in December (I know, I know, I promised to blog about it, and I haven't yet...I will...as soon as I get the pics loaded onto my new computer. And about the countless other blogs I have promised to write...Yea, I will get to them too...eventually...) and I told myself I would enjoy my trip, not over indulge, but not pass up things I wanted, but still make healthy decisions. We stocked up the fridge in the hotel with healthy breakfast items so we started our day out right with yogurt, fruit, bagel thins and coffee. We planned to eat late lunches/early dinners in the parks and then have dessert/cocktails later in the evening. I ate what I felt like I wanted at restaurants. One day I had steak and potatoes, another was pan seared fish over mushroom risotto. I had a glass of wine just about every night with dinner, or in the room before bed while we planned out our next day. I had a huge cone of orange/pineapple swirl soft serve one day, and a warm chocolate filled beignet another. We went to the beach, I had cheese grits with bacon and shrimp, and on the same day I ate exactly 6 Dunkin Donut munckins with my coffee for breakfast. On our last day, I split a deep fried, fat filled funnel cake covered with powdered sugar and chocolate syrup with my husband. After 10 days of eating my little heart out on all the yummy amazingness that Disney has to offer, you know what happened? Yea, I lost 4 lbs!! Shocker, I know. You know how I managed to do that without depriving myself? Planning, walking around Epcot all day, making good choices, planning, walking around Magic Kingdom all day, planning, splitting desserts with my mom or husband, and walking up the stairs to my hotel room.

So, does that mean I can start eating all that on a regular basis and stay at the weight I am now? Uh, HELL NO! Unless I want to spend 16 hours a day walking around at the same pace as my crazy speed demon mother every-damn-day! Was it okay to do for 10 days while on vacation? Sure! Did I go to the store and stock up on my usual yogurt, bananas, and baby carrots the day we got back? You bet your ass I did! Am I still shocked as shit that I lost 4 lbs in freaking Disney World? YES!

So, in conclusion, here are my key lessons for maintaining weight loss:

Don't go back to old eating habits.
Don't forget about the fat chick hiding deep down who is just dying to come out and play.

Make healthy choices, while still enjoying small indulgences.

Go to meetings at least once a month.

Get on the scale weekly! And if the number is not pretty, do something about it quickly!

Plan, plan, plan.

Buy clothes that are so nice that you don't want to grow out of them.

Grocery shop weekly for fresh fruits and veggies.

Pack breakfast, lunch, and an emergency snack everyday to bring to work.

Keep an emergency snack within reach at all times (for example, I keep a snack bar, or some Popchips in my glove box)

Pay attention to hunger signals. Stop at satisfied, NOT at stuffed.

Eat breakfast. Every day. No matter what.

Know your emotional eating triggers and DON"T FEED THEM!

Get off your ass and DO something.  Take a walk, ride a bike, vacuum the hallway, just something other than nothing.

Going grocery shopping!

The last week has been a big week for me in regards to WW.  Not only did I work the new Points Plus program but I got asked to dinner by an old coworker who is struggling with WW and needs some extra motivation, and then I got asked by another good friend to attend meetings with her and support her as she begins her journey with WW.  I am so honored by both of these requests and I am really looking forward to helping them any way I can achieve their goals with WW!   This has made me put some serious thought into applying to become a WW leader, but am still undecided.  With school starting on Friday, I just don't want to stretch myself too thin.  I will keep thinking on it and keep you all posted as to my decision.    I will be having dinner with the old coworker in the next few days and will report back on how that goes as well.

My other friend, KT picked Monday as her official start day and even send out a meeting invite so that my calendar is blocked for the next 2 years!  I usually attend meetings on Monday evenings but my house, and have been terrible about attending monthly so this will be a good way to keep myself focused as well as her.  I believe the leader of this meeting is the same as my current leader which is good.  To be honest, I am really looking forward to switching meetings as I was getting a bit worn out by my other one.  The women there are really negative and whiny and I was getting less and less out of the meetings because of it.  At my second weigh in after achieving Lifetime, I happened to be sitting next to one of those ladies and she turned to me and said "What are you doing here?  You are too skinny to be on Weight Watchers."  I looked at her and said as politely as I could, "I am on Lifetime, I come to weigh in once a month".  She gave me a nasty look like I might be contagious and turned away.  That was the first and only time anyone at my meeting other than my leader has ever spoken to me.  So, when KT asked if I minded switching meetings, I immediately said that I would be happy to switch! 

KT also asked me to go with her on her weekly grocery shopping trip to help her make some smart choices and give her some advice on what things to buy.  Naturally, I jumped at this offer as grocery shopping is one of my favorite things to do!  We spent maybe 2 hours in that store going through the isles.  I pointed out things I like, and things I have tried and didn't like.  We got her all set and ready to start her Monday off on the right foot!

Since I am without my husband this weekend disgustingly bored, I decided to take some time and put together a list of things that I shop for and some of my favorite grocery shopping tips to share with my few, but wonderful, blog readers. 

1. Don't shop hungry.  Everyone knows that shopping hungry is a quick way to buy twice as much as you need.  I shop on Sunday afternoons or Mondays after work.  I will pack a larger snack on Mondays so that I am satisfied and not suffering with stomach growling at me to buy cookies or Doritos to eat in the car on the way home.
2. Pre-plan  your trip.  Know what meals you will be cooking for the week and what ingredients you need.  I shop once a week so I get supplies for 5 days worth of lunches and dinners.  I will pick 5 things to make for dinner that week then let my husband pick out what day he would like each meal. 
3. Make a detailed list.  Before I go, I think of the lay out of my store and write out my list in the order of where the items are located so I don't have to back track.  I also take some time to search online for any coupons for some of the brand name products that I might need.  Paperclip the coupons to the list and mark items on the list that have coupons with required quantities.
4. Shop the edges of the store first.  Fill up over half of your cart with items from the edges and try to limit how much you go down the aisles.  My first stop is always produce.  Then the meat department, then dairy, then frozen foods.  Then I hit the aisles and only the aisles that I need something from.  Never wander without a purpose. 
5. Limit the amount of things that are not on the list that go into the cart.  I am terribly about picking up something delicious and unhealthy just because "it was on sale".  Last week it was my favorite brand of pre-made guacamole.  The week before was mini-marshmallows with the intention of making rice cereal treats out of the leftover cereal in the pantry from Christmas that I would take to work and share (um, yea, haven't done that yet...pretty sure that cereal is stale...).

Here is my usual shopping list that I start from and add to each week depending on what plans I have for dinners that week:

• Bananas
• Apples
• Baby carrots
• Salad mixes
• Broccoli slaw mix (just the bagged shreds, I use them on salads, I don't actually make slaw)
• Celery
• Red potatoes
• Deli turkey
• Deli roast beef
• Ground turkey
• Chicken breast - I get them on sale and I have them wrap them up in 2 breast increments.
• Catfisth - if fresh and on sale - which is rare, but I always check because we LOVE it
• Light yogurt
• Kraft 2% Shredded Cheese - Mexican blend
• Reduced fat sour cream
• Fat free sour cream (I make my own salad dressing with it)
• 1% milk
• Weight Watchers Individual cream cheese packs
• Eggs (half of which I hard boil for salads and snacks)
• Green Giant Steam packs of veggies - corn, broccoli & cheese, and cauliflower & cheese
• Mission brand reduced fat tortillas
• Tostitos Restaurant Style salsa
• Progresso soups
• Whole Wheat Ritz crackers
• Diet Sodas and Arizona diet Green Tea
• Apple juice and Cranberry juice (the Husband is a juice addict)
• Wine (for me...and lots of it...)

 Other things that are always in my house and I usually get at Costco monthly:

• Kirkland brand Mickey Mouse shaped chicken nuggets
• Fat Free refried beans
• Laughing Cow cheese wedges
• 97% fat free popcorn
• Individual bags of Baked potato chips
• Sandwich Thins & Bagel thins
• Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches

What is in your cart each week? 

Tomorrow morning I will have my first WI (weigh-in) on the new Points Plus program.  I think I did pretty well.  It was a struggle the first few days to get all my points in but I figured it out by just adding more wine at the end of the day!  I tracked diligently during the week and not a single thing on Saturday or Sunday.  I am not too worried about it though, as I hadn't touched a single one of my weekly points by the time Friday rolled around and I made good choices at the Mexican restaurant we went to dinner at on Saturday! 

Also, I made a goal to start running in the mornings as my evenings have been so full lately I haven't had the opportunity to get on the treadmill.  It will be really hard for me to change my routine, as I am not a morning person at all, but I know it is something I need to do, so I will just take it one day at a time.  I told the Husband to start nagging me when my alarm goes off to get my ass out of bed instead of hitting snooze 800 times like I usually do.  To start out, I will only get up to run on the days that I need to wash my hair, which is about every other day.  I need to wash my hair tomorrow...but my husband isn't home to nag me...so hopefully I get up!

Oh, and before I forget...my blog got found...by my family...not that it is a big deal, but until now, no one in my real life but one person had read my blog.  Not even my husband has read it!  I knew they would find it eventually, I mean, it isn't a secret.  Hell, I have the link on my Twitter profile!  It is hard to explain my feelings about why I am a little weirded out about it, but maybe I am just being stupid.  More than likely, I am just being stupid.  I tend to keep all my weight loss stuff off of Facebook and away from family gatherings.  I don't want to be that person whose whole life revolves around their weight so I limit myself to talking about it here and on Twitter.  However, my weight and my struggles with my weight are a BIG part of who I am now.  I don't know.  I need to get over it. 

Okay, fine.  I am over it.  (Hi Dad!  Hi Paulyne, Hi Aunt Julee!  Anyone else here?)

2010 in review & 2011 goals

Time to reflect back on 2010 and set some goals for myself for 2011. 

Yea, I know, I am about 10 days behind.  Whatever, I don't care, I can do what I want. Besides, I didn't get my new fancy pants laptop until last week and I finally got it all set up over the weekend.  Baby steps!

So, I got a new laptop for one major specific reason.  In 11 days I will be sitting in my first college class in almost 10 years!  One of my goals for 2010 was to look into the possibility of going back to school, and as it turns out, it was completely possible!  I was accepted into George Fox University's Adult Degree Program while I was on vacation in Disney World.  I will be working towards a BA in Management and Operational Leadership.  I am about halfway there so if all goes well, I should be holding a degree in my hands in the Summer or Fall of 2012.  Which brings me to goal #1 for 2011.

#1)  Maintain a B average (3.0 GPA)

I was a C average student in high school and graduated with a 2.6 GPA so striving for a B average is a lofty goal for myself.

#2) Maintain my goal weight and weigh in at a Weight Watcher's meeting once a month. 

I have been a Life time member for almost 6 months now, and have only weighed in at a meeting 3 times.  Not good.  I weighed in today, and had to pay $13. 

As I am sure you are aware as you have been following my diligently on Twitter and this blog, I lost 65 lbs with Weight Watchers.  Of that 65, 35 of it was in 2010. 

I haven't been using the Online Tracker the last 6 months due to some miscommunication and budget constraints.  However, I still track my weight every Monday in an Excel spreadsheet.  One big thing I noticed was that I was only under my personal goal weight for one week.  For the rest of the time, I was up 2-4 lbs.  This needs to stop in 2011.  I want to be closer to my personal goal number and only fluctuate 2 lbs above or below that number.

In an effort to get back on track, I have started on the new Points Plus program and am tracking again.  Not with the online tools yet, since I still can't afford them, but the old fashioned way with a pencil and paper!  My first day on the Points Plus program was a bit of a challenge as I couldn't eat all my points even though I tried.  Not to worry though, I will get it.  It will just take some work. 

I also need to get my ass back on my treadmill.  I haven't been on it since November 29th.  (Yuck, that grosses me out.)  My wonderful husband has been super diligent on the treadmill lately and lost 4 lbs last week by just adding exercise.  Which says to me, we are eating the right things, we just needed to add exercise!  I don't have a fully developed plan for working out yet, but I think it may involve getting a book holder for the treadmill and doing my school reading while power walking.  There is a 5k coming up March 13th that I am going back and forth on, but I just need to bite the bullet and sign up. 

My plans for 2011 include:

• Shamrock Run in March (?)
• Go to Seattle with friends in February (?)
• Take my husband to a fancy restaurant for his birthday and wear something tight, short, and sexy in March.
• Show my mom around town and party like I am not turning 27 for the 3rd time in May.
• Starlight Run in June.  (Starlight Run was my first ever 5k in 2010!)
• Celebrate one year at Lifetime in July.
• Portland to Coast in August.
• Race for the Cure in September.
• Something super romantic for my 5 year wedding anniversary in October.

I am going to try and post blogs more often with how things are going in my life.  I promise to try!  Feel free to nag me to post more often!  I still need to post about my trip to Disney so hopefully I will get all my pics loaded on to this new computer soon and I will get one written up!

Muddy Buddy!!!

I know I am behind on my Tombstone posts, but I had so much fun at this race yesterday I had to tell you all about it!

In case you didn't know, I am super active on Twitter (@SuperERizzle) and I follow PopChips (@popchipsSeattle) because not only are they an amazing low point snack, they really appreciate their fans and offer all kinds of fun prizes for following them!  (They sent me a great gift basket with a month's supply of Popchips just for being their 50th follower!  Anyway, a few weeks ago the tweeted looking for people who wanted to participate in the Portland Muddy Buddy and of course I volunteered.

I frantically looked for a buddy for the race since it was only a week prior that I found out about the race.  My awesome friend Kim agreed to do it with me even though she felt like she wasn't "in shape" enough to do it. 

The day before the race we went to pick up our race packets and shirts and decided to stop by the pre-race party since they said there would be free beer!  Even though we only had a half  hour left on the parking meter, we hauled ass and got back to the car only 12 minutes past our time with NO ticket!  (For the record, I am not a beer person, but Redhook's Mud Slinger is AWESOME!  It made me nervous because it was so dark, but it wasn't bitter and had a great honey taste to it!)

The morning of the race I had to get up at 5, which I did not like.  And it was freeeeeeeeeezing which I also did not like!  It was a day FULL of things I don't like because I do NOT like mud either!



Kim and I all bundled up before the race.  Please note the fog and frost.

 

We are two Bad Ass Bitches!!


The premise of the Muddy Buddy is simple.  Two people, one bike, 6 miles, 3 obstacles, and one HUGE mud pit!



The mud pit before the race started.  They told us it was heated....they lied.

When the race starts one buddy is on the bike and the other is on foot, when you reach the obstacle you swap so that the other buddy is now running and the other is biking.  This back and forth happens 3 times until the end where you meet up and go through the mud pit together.  I ended up running 3 legs and biking 2 and Kim biked 3 legs and ran 2. 

It was HARD.  I thought I was in shape and that I could totally handle running 3 little miles.  I was wrong.  These weren't just any miles, they were 3 miles up hill on a rocky path in the middle of the woods.  I thought that the biking would be even easier but it was even worse!  The hills were so steep and rocky that I walked the bike more than I rode it.  I was terrified of the downhill and falling flat on my face.  I walked most of my running portions too since the path was so hazardous and I was pooped. 

I wanted to give up about 100 times but I was in the middle of the woods in the middle of no where so there was no where to go except to the finish line.

Speaking of finish line....

We are in the two in pink.  (Love the chick in front feeling herself up though!)



We hesitated for a minute. 



 It was super cold and super gross in that mud pit, but I have to say it really was the best part of the whole experience!

Well, almost the best part...

MORE FREE BEER!!!

Nothing like being covered in mud and drinking beer at 10 AM on a Sunday!!

After the race, we hosed off, enjoyed our free beers (Yes, we got more than one free beer!), changed into some clean  dry clothes,  and headed off to get lunch.  (I was starving and once again, didn't eat breakfast like I know I should.)  When I got home I got in the shower and spent the next hour scrubbing mud out of places that one should NOT have mud! 

Overall, I had a fantastic time and I learned several important lessons.

1. Eat breakfast before doing a race.
2. Being skinny does NOT equal being "in shape".
3. Jalapeno poppers are the perfect after race food.
4. My husband really is willing to do anything for me!  (He has a terrible cold and still got up early and braved the cold to cheer me on!)
5. Not all dark beers are created equal!

The rest of my Tombstone posts are coming soon....I promise!!

Tombstone #2: "I'm not built for running!"

I am not built for running! 


This was always my classic excuse for not working out.  I wasn't built for it.  My boobs were too big.  I was a big boned person.  I have shin splints. 

In the course of my weightloss journey the last few years I realized that each and every one of these sentences were not true and were just lies I told myself so I wouldn't have to actually get sweaty. 

Don't get me wrong.  I still hate working out.  I don't like to run and getting all sweaty is still really gross.  However, I get off my ass and I do it.  Granted, it is sporadic and not a consistent or dedicated as it should be, but I still DO IT! 

I bought a treadmill, and I found different ways to get exercise in without having to buy a gym membership.  I got Just Dance for the Wii and the first time I did it I could do two songs in a row before I melted into a pile on  my floor.  (Last night, I did 8 songs and felt like I could have done more.)  I play Wii Fit, and it is so nice to finally not hear that little bastard say "You're Obese!" any more.  I bought a pink Schwinn bike that I take to the grocery store when I need some small ingredients or want to splurge on something I don't keep in the house. 

I have done Portland to Coast 4 years in a row.  I ran most of the Starlight Run in June.  I am doing the Muddy Buddy on Sunday. 

In all my running/walking I have yet to have a bout of shin splints.  I doubled up on sports bras to stop the jiggling (and as I got smaller, there was less to jiggle...a LOT less!).  And it wasn't my bones that were big, it was the thick layer of blubber over my bones that made me look fat!

By making this tombstone, I am not saying that suddenly I will be an exercise freak and that I will live for working out.  Not going to happen!  I still don't like it.  And I don't HAVE to like it, but I do HAVE to do it.  Not every day, but every week. 

This tombstone is more about stopping the lies and excuses for not doing what I know I should.  I would rather be honest. 

So, here's to being honest! 

This was the desktop on my computer for over a year.  

 

 

Tombstone #1: Being Fake

Being Fake. 


This one is a big one for me and that is why I gave it the #1 spot on my list. 

I had a major revelation the other day while lying in bed and this whole tombstone was perfect timing.  I had just finished watching "Grown Ups" and was thinking to myself how much I wish I had a large group of coupled up friends just like in the movie.  (A future tombstone for me will be to stop trying to live my life like in the movies...but not yet...)  I got really sad about how small my social circle is and how hard I have tried to have lots of close friends in my life. 

I started thinking about my past and how I got to where I am today.  I started thinking about all the failed relationships in my past.  All the friendships that have fizzled out over a short period of time.   All the people i am in contact with on a daily basis but have no actual or real relationship with.  I noticed a common theme.  ME.

I kept thinking to myself, "Why don't people like me?  I try so hard to get people to like me, I don't understand why it isn't working!"


Then it hit me.  I am trying too hard!


I spend all kinds of time trying to act like someone who I am not so that people like me. I put on this facade and parade around to get attention, thinking that this behavior will get people to think I am awesome and want to have a relationship with me.  I have been doing this my whole life.  And until recently, I had no idea it wasn't working! 

I don't want to be like that anymore.  I want to be myself.  I like myself.  For the first time in a LONG time, I actually like myself.  I think I am amazing.  I am funny, smart, witty, and entertaining.  I am pretty much awesome in every way. 

So, here's the deal.  No more Miss Fakey-pants.  No more giggling like I don't understand the joke.  No more feigning interest in what people are talking about.  No more biting my tongue.  No more acting like an angel.  No more pretending.  No more hiding.  No more caring what people think.  No more following trends to fit in.  No more dwelling over shoulda/coulda/woulda's.  No more editing my status updates.  No more checking to see how many Facebook friends I have.  No more stressing about the friends I don't have.  NO MORE BEING SOMEONE I AM NOT!

From now on I will be the person I want to be.  The person I really like. 

I am a bitch.  I like to make rude jokes.  I love pink and glitter.  I love being girly and feminine.  I love sarcasm.  I don't like to act my age.  I am an attention whore.  I like to laugh, really loudly. I am narcissistic.  I think farts are funny.  I don't act my age.  I like being silly.  I tend to be annoying.  I like to use curse words as often as possible.  I am selfish.  I like to wear t-shirts with cartoon characters on them.   I talk to much.  I like to wear sock that don't match.  I like to spend Sundays in bed watching romantic comedies. 

If people don't like any of this, they can beat it.  Honestly.  They can just go.  I don't need them around.  If they can't appreciate how completely awesome I am, than I don't need them around dragging me down!  I don't need to waste my time and effort trying to impress someone who already thinks I am annoying.  (To be honest, I would rather know ahead of time that they find me annoying so I can be even more annoying for the fun of it.)

I know that I am an amazing person, and I know that I will find people who share this feeling and want to be around me.  And, frankly, if I don't, that's fine too.  I am a laugh a minute and can entertain myself with my constant stream of jokes. 

My Tombstones!

First off, sorry for not posting for over a month!  Not that any one really missed me, but that isn't the point.  I do have some exciting things coming up in the next few months so maybe I will have some blogs up my sleeve.  So stayed tuned for the Muddy Buddy blog, the Pumpkin hunting/carving blog, and in late December the Disney blog!

And don't worry, this post will make up for lacking entries by stretching out one topic to FIVE posts!

A few weeks ago my wonderful WW Lifetime friend Trixie, who lives in New York and is awesome, posted a blog about her "Tombstones".  (Read about them here, and while you are there read about how how awesome Trixie is and how she lost 100 lbs on WW!)

In case you are incredibly lazy and don't feel like clicking the link, basically, Trixie came up with the idea of creating tombstones for Halloween for each of the habits/excuses we want to get rid of and bury for good in 2010.  She picked some great ones for herself, took a picture of them and posted them on her blog.  She asked that her readers do the same and she will post them on her blog too.  Since I am a major attention whore and have an overwhelming need to get my face out to the world, and I love taking pictures of myself,  I decided to participate in her challenge.

What did I get rid of in 2010 that I never want to see again?  My first reaction was silly stuff like my double chin, and diabetes.Yea, sure, I never ever in a million bazillion years see that awful double chin's ugly face again, and I totally kicked Diabetes ass this year, but I think she was looking for something a bit more deep and profound.


So I thought a little harder and I came up with five really good tombstones for 2010.  I plan to talk about each one individually throughout this week in detail.

So here they are...in no particular order...My Tombstones!

1. Being Fake
2. "I'm not built for running."
3. Buying Friends
4. "It needs CHEESE!"
5. "I'm not a breakfast person."

Okay, I know I said I was aiming for "deep and profound" but those are just the titles. I promise, the meaning behind the silly titles is really thoughtful!  Don't get all judgemental-pants quite yet! (Wait until I explain myself, then you can shake your finger at me.)

Okay, off to finish dinner for the man!  (Did I mention we had our 4th wedding anniversary last week?)

Smooches!!