surprise!!

Well, according to my scale, I enjoyed the holidays WAY too much and gaihned 5 pounds! I thought I was being careful. Then, I weighed in at JC last night and found that I LOST 1/2 pound!!! WOW! My scale is history! I had been so psychologically bummed then elated the next moment.

So, I'm still watching my diet for the next couple of weeks, I exercised two days in a row after being off my routine and I plan to get BACK into the routine. New Year's eve will come and there will be food (including piggies) but I will be ok. A few of them won't kill me.

Hope everyone else is feeling well, eating well and exercising. Spring Break will be here soon and I want to be down at least 2 jean sizes by then.

Take care,
Lee

FAILURE!!!

That's what I feel like tonite. I gained again for the second week in a row. This is a first. It wasn't a gob - 1.5 lbs - but it's still a gain. With all the office luncheons and Christmas celebrations last week, I'm not surprised. My total weight loss is now only 23.5 lbs. I doubt I will make my Christmas goal of 30 lbs. :( I'm not being negative, just honest.
So, my first plan is to ge4t up tomorrow morning and going for a LONG walk. That should be a start.

It also doesn't help things to come home and sulk and feel sorry for myself. I ended up diving into a glass of eggnog with Amaretto and nutmeg. Made me feel good but it's just more pounds. Oh well, tomorrow is another day to start all over again.

Hope you all do better than I am,
LMR

REBOUNDING

Hi all. I'm stiting here with Stacy (on our new furniture---FIVE built in recliners!) and reveiwing this week's eating diary. I did awful! Stacy attributes it to the stress of my final this week. My professor doesn't believe in reviews (JERK!!) and it was a cumulative final. So, I would get home from work and hole myself in my bedroom to study each night. Needless to say, food was not top priority and it's quite obvious. I need to learn to be able to deal with stress and still pay attention to what I'm putting im my mouth.

If you're in San Antonio this weekend (12-19), maybe we can get together BEFORE Christimas! :) We could get together to play games or perhaps see a movie.

This has not been a stellar week. Besides the poor eating plan, I haven't even been able to exercise. I've been having severe asthma issues since Thanksgiving. I even missed a couple days of work. My plan is to start walking again today, once this thick fog burns off.

The goal for this week - pay better attention to food choices and start exercising again. I can't let the asthma control me. I want to get to my next ten-pound increment so that I can have 30 lbs off by Christmas. It's SUCH a slow movement but I'm constantly reminded that it should be that way. Maybe...but it's irritating!

Hope everyone has a great week!!!
LMR

Leah Speaking

Grandma's house is dangerous. Since I've been here I've eaten cookies and tamales and Doritos :-/ They were all delicious but now the guilt is setting in. Not to mention the lack of exercise these days. On the bright side I'm all done with finals which will give me no more excuses for not working out. I'll be able to take Charlie on a lot longer runs and a lot more often. Reading all of the posts have been encouraging so hopefully I'll mean it this time when I say I'm back on track.
-Mopeah

I Live with the Snacky Monster

Did great all week until we went to San Antonio. It seems to be a green light for eating bad. The first words out of Steve's mouth is - Las Palapas. I stayed away from the greasy Puffy Tacos and had the Taco Al Carbon plate which is fajita meat in a corn tortilla. The night time rolled around and the next words from the dark side were "Let's pick up a Pumpkin Pie." While I'm decorating, Steve leaves for Marie Calendars and comes back with not only a Pumpkin Pie, but a Banana Cream Pie, Ice Cream, Whipped Cream, Potato Soup and Corn bread. I'm not going to list the bad things I ate but you can only imagine with that selection in front of me on an empty stomach.

Here I go again! After having dropped 3 lbs last week, I'm afraid to weigh this week. Before I do, I have two days to run and eat it off.

Whitney - we forget sometimes that this is a public post but you would think our post is too boring for anyone else to follow. Maybe the word "pluckers" was somehow set up as a trigger for the Plucker's Rep (and founder).

Lee, you're doing great; actually adding up the pounds loss rather than like me Adding and Subtracting weekly - I need to get off the roller coaster diet (or yoyo).

PS - Leah's not posting but she had pie too (nanaNAnaNana) - her excuse - finished finals and now celebrating with some Banana Cream heaven.

Next post - how to overcome the Snacky Monster which is my husband.

Hang in!

LDG (I think we should end our posts with initials just in case we are not quite sure who the author is - although it's pretty obvious most of the time. I was just wondering when mom put her two line post, if Whitney knew it was her Grandma when she said she would workout with her - HA - Grandma does not do Jillian - even on a good day)

Sleepover Night

Oh Lee- I laughed out loud when I saw that you were working with your Jenny Craig person to figure out why Mexican food is tempting. I laughed because I had just finished a fajita and loved it. I don't think there is a mystery here- IT TASTES AMAZING. Just like if a million dollars was laying in front of you, you will always feel tempted to take it - no matter how esteemed your self control. You are not alone, the Mexican food toys with me daily it seems.

I didn't follow my plan exactly last night. The snack monster found me. I snacked on non-fat things but pretty much all night long. Then Lindsey came over and we drank hot chocolate by the fire. It is interesting listening to her guy stories these days. She's back on the dating scene and says she's ready to start getting back into shape. She, too fell of the band wagon when Leah and I did and gained 15 lbs, just like me :(. So no matter which life stage you're in, it shows your health and confidence are directly related and equally important.

I would try to list all of the crap I ate yesterday but I think it would only discourage me because I'm doing well so far today.

Today's Plan:
1. yogurt cup - 120 calories
2. hot choc at work - 100 calories
3. lean cuisine chicken/veggies - 260 calories
4. steamed veggies
5. pop corn - 100 calorie package
7. 3 glasses of Moscatto 360 calories
_____ 940 calories (with room for more)
* Jillian video - 1 hour

I'm right on track so far but as we know night time is the killer. Tonight I have my sleepover with Jackie and Landra. I'm sure they'll want to drink and eat thousands of calories worth. I will NOT partake. I'm going to bring my veggies and pop corn to her house and will not stray from the plan. I have time to do the Boost Metabolism video before I go, too so there should be no excuses.

I did the Boost Metabolism video again last night and I think it's getting easier. Well, not easier but I can get through it without wanting to die. I used to stare at the clock the whole work out but now I try to really get into it and enjoy it. The dogs are getting better at staying up on the couch and allowing me to work out without interruption. Good babies.

Wish me luck tonight. Have a low-cal weekend!

Hi y'all!

This is Lee. Things have been ok lately but that's as good as it gets. I had a really horrible week as far as my asthma goes-couldn't hardly speak at all. The coughing was kicking my rear. Being so under the weather, I haven't walked in at least a week. I WILL get back to it but the mountain seems insurmountable right now.

There was good news, though. I lost 1.8 lbs last week. I'm over 26 lbs now. Wee haa!! I likie having to take my clothes up. The other morning, I had to take in an inch on each side of my shirt from the cuffs all the way down the side of the shirt. THAT was a great feeling!! And, today, I wore a dress that I had ordered weeks ago that was too tight on me when I got it. It's not anymore!!

Even with some losing, I still struggle. I could have mexican food EVERY DAY and be happy about it. Tacos, cheese enchiladas, fajitas...it doesn't matter. It all sounds good. I spoke about this to my Jenny Craig consultant. We can't seem to figure out why this continues to tempt me every day.

Hope everyone doesn't deal with too many struggles. We ALL can do this and be less than we are right now. Keep at it, ladies!

Talk to you later,
Lee

Oops again

Could have been worse. That seems to be my actual motto the past few days.

We went out again, unexpectedly, with Adam and Brandice. Yay! This was the first time I had seen her in so long. I had given up hope that she'd ever be back. Now there's a glimmer. She said at dinner that she has gained so much weight and eats everything in site. Toward the end of dinner I whispered to Brian that she actually had a tiny nibble of everything in site. I swear! The ticket to being tiny is just not finishing your food. Brian thought it was funny, so did Adam. Anyway, my bad part was eating two slices of quesadilla at Trudy's that we ordered to share. And I had a martini.

But I was good the rest of the day yesterday. We had our at-work Christmas party where there were sweets and cheese all over the place. I had 1/2 of a tiny turkey sandwich, no condiments and some broccoli. Then at home, I had 1/3rd of a chicken pot pie. 1/2 of one would have been 530 calories! I had no idea how bad those were. Brian ate my leftovers. I guess it's good to have a human disposal as a partner when you're dieting.

And although I didn't work out, it really could have been worse. I didn't touch the queso or order a second drink. I could have had cake and cookies at the party, but didn't. And you have no idea how hard it was to stay away from the cheese tray. Or maybe you do.

Tonight I'm on my own so the temptation wont be so in my face. I'll actually be able to work out and get a decent night's rest. I had Special K for breakfast and a cup of hot chocolate at work. They're doing free fajitas in the cafeteria today so I may have one. Still on track, on the edges of the track but that counts still I think.

My gray work pants are on and don't cut my circulation off, which is a great sign that I'm headed in the right direction. It feels good to not be depressed when I get ready for work in the mornings. And I must give myself extra props because I have NEVER been able to diet during the winter in my entire life. I usually don't start until Jan-Feb in preparation for Spring. With an early start, I'll be super ripped for August. Fingers crossed. I can do it! I can do it!

Where is everyone?

Oh and I'm a little weirded out that a Plucker's rep commented on my last post. And by the way, that wing sauce is not good for you, even on grilled chicken. But yes, it's better than queso for sure.

Stay on Track

Starting Day 5 this morning. Yesterday I consumed too much again. But again it wasn't all terrible stuff and I did avoid greasy foods even when they were right under my nose.

- Lean cuisine panini 360 cal

- turkey peperoni's (5) 70 cal

- spicy mini dill pickles (4) 15 cal

- Lean pizza pocket 390 cal

- Fat free puddin' cup 100 cal

- Sherbert cup 90 cal

- Banana with honey peanut butter 150 cal

- Slice of lemon cake 90 cal

- vodka tonic 100 cal

1365 calories, yikes! I really gotta watch the snacking. It's crazy how it sneaks up on you. I knew I ate too many snacky foods but until I added it up I was a little in denial. And I didn't really work out very hard. I did a little bit of aerobics but nothing to brag about.

I am very very proud that at Plucker's for Adam's 21st B-Day I didn't have ANY of the food they ordered: wings, chips and ultimate queso, fried pickles, cheese fries ugh! It was super duper tempting. I was a little disappointed that Brian gave in. He's obviously not totally on the diet band wagon with me. But he also didn't try to get me to eat any of it. He knew not even to offer and apologized after ordering. How is he not fatter? It's not fair.

Today I started well. I had some strawberries for breakfast on the way to work. I'll probably go for a cup of 100 calorie hot chocolate because it's so cold and I like to drink it while everyone is drinking their coffee. It makes me feel business-y. I brought a Lean pizza pocket (360 cal) for lunch. And for dinner, we're defrosting some chicken breast to eat with steamed veggies. I'll do the Boost Metabolism Jillian video and the No More Trouble Zones video tonight which is gonna hurt tomorrow. But I'll remember the motto - regret hurts worse than self discipline. It's really true.

I can't deviate from the plan! The Christmas parties and dress fittings are in a matter of days and I waited way too late to start focusing.

What can I say. I'm not doing much to watch weight. Back is still real bad. Need that encouragement.

Winter Coat

I'm trying to shed my fall coat right now before it becomes a heavy winter one.

B and I shopped for healthy foods at the grocery store and are ready to dive into the more controlled lifestyle. We're going to shape up our budget and our bodies. It's nice to have support - online and off. It's hard to be motivated to work out when it's cold, dark and rainy. Even when the dogs are begging to go for a run, I just wanna lay in bed with a good book.

Yet, for three days now I have not had fast food, greasy food or sweets. I have done a Jillian video each of the three days, which we all know is NOT easy. She really whips you into shape. As Jillian always says, "Stick with me and you'll lose the weight." She's right. When I did stick with her, I lost and I got complemented all the time. I miss it very very much.

My wedding dress will be here in a week, along with all the work Christmas parties and I must be fit for pix. My camera is back from the shop so I must give it something worth taking pix of. Wow, now that I'm blogging again, all of the reasons for controlling my lifestyle come flooding back. I can do it, as Jillian says, "with intention."

Today's Foods
- pudding cup
- banana w/ honey peanut butter
- turkey, bell pepper, fat free cheese and italian dressing wheat wrap
- special K vanilla almond with sliced strawberries and skim milk
- cup of hot chocolate

^ Maybe coulda done better today but TRUST me it's way better than I had been doing.

Good luck to all and to all a good night.

Holiday Hell - oops, I mean Heck

Why do I have such a hard time with Cold weather and Holiday food. Where is the self-motivation to exercise, eat right etc... At a recent party, my manager gave me a box of Tiff's cookies - they are delicious if you haven't had any - warm and chewy. I said - "I'm only going to eat one cookie and give the rest away"... so I had a Sugar Cookie, then later that night a couple of Chocolate Chip ones, then the next day, a couple more, then a couple more , then a couple... well you get the drift. At 100 calories a piece - yikes! Having said all that, I have to confess that I've gained 5 lbs since Thanksgiving.

But Darn it, it's been fun NOT thinking about every calorie consumed. I've enjoyed indulging on Mexican and Italian food and the Moscato's in the Hot Tub - YES! but alas, the party is over and it's time to focus before all my hard work this past year is flushed away. I'm reminding myself of how I use to feel carrying 5 10lb bowling balls; my backaches, loss of energy, out of breath all the time and most of all, the fear of contracting Diabetes.

I'm ready!!!! I pulled out the journal again, dusted off the treadmill
and began the uphill battle today. It helped hearing that Leah and Whitney were back in the game and watching The Biggest Loser finals. Incredibly, one of the contestants that weighs only 10 lbs less than me, ran a marathon. It took her 6 hours but she did it! That show is such an inspiration although in reality their weight loss is not natural and sadly some of the past contestants have gained all their weight back. My focus is on those that have maintained their weight!

Lee, it was nice seeing you too. Don't think about the big number - just focus on the weekly objectives to reach that final goal. Next week, I've set a goal of losing 3 lbs. How? 30 minutes of Treadmill every night and 30 minutes of weightlifting every other night, update a Daily Journal of food and calories consumed and my biggest challenge - NOT EATING AFTER HOURS!

Ready! Set! Go!!!!

Lee Here

Hi all. It was SO great to see everyone at Thanksgiving. Laura, you look ABSOLUTELY fantastic! What's your loss at so far? It was really good to see you in person. Leah, just an FYI - you looked really good too! Don't be too hard on yourself. I'm sure you'll be able to get back on track. Whitney, sorry we missed you but we'll see you at Christmas, right?

Weighed in tonite..I gained one pound over the last two weeks. Not TOO bad considering the travel everywhere and all. I haven't gotten much walking in asI have been suffering from seasonal asthma for at least five days and it's getting worse. That being said, the walking show I was using in the morning was DRAINING and taxing on my breathing. The doctor said to let go of the walking for a couple days until the steroids set in and it won't be taxing on my lungs. So, ok - I'll let the walking go for a bit! :)

I had a great day, even though I felt like you know what. A few weeks ago, I bought a pair of pants that were my goal to get into. They were slightly tight but not uncomfortable. I wore them to work today and there was no tightness at all! How cool was that! I can't wait until I finally get to the point where Laura has already been - losing 50 pounds. That's 10 pounds short of my halfway point so it whould be exciting. I need to keep myself focused as it's easy to move away from the whole eating program.

I wish you all success this week....keep your eye on the prize!!!
Talk to you all later,
Lee

Leah Speaking

Thanksgiving was amazing but will power was not. I sort of went into it saying I was going to pig out though. I've come so far from the days of Jillian it's not even funny. Yesterday was my getting back into things day. I had a messy room and piles of books and papers to read. In the hysteria of getting re-organized (a process that isn't quite finished yet) I decided it's time to treat my body with respect again. That means no more chips and queso, candy, pie, cheese enchiladas, fried pickles, ice cream ....the list goes on and on. I'm going to start cooking healthy food again, start going on more regularly scheduled runs and visits to the REC. My goal is to drop 10 pounds by New Years Eve so I can look stunning in a New Years Eve dress.
Good luck this week,
Leah