Ugh.

I feel AWFUL. I made it through my class tonight just fine, but as soon as I got home, I felt like a truck ran over me. Luckily (though I'm sad about it) the class I was taking tomorrow night got cancelled, so I can have a break and get some early shut eye. I'm going to skip playgroup too, so I should have a lazy day of rest and recoup that will help. I hope.

I went over on points today (21) but stayed under 1300 calories, so I'm calling it good. Actually, I haven't gone over yet, but I think a skinny cow ice cream sandwich would feel a whole lot better on my throat than a bunch of strawberries, so I'm doing it.

Oh no... now that I wrote that I'm having second thoughts! But I need to seat something before I go to bed and my throat is not interested in strawberries, nor my taste buds interested in vegetable soup this late in the evening. I want something light and sweet, that is cool and soothing. Can you hear me debating this with myself? Do I go for what will feel and taste good because I'm sick, or do I pull out a 60 calorie, .4 points can of vegetable soup and eat what will just feel good on the throat??? *sigh*

Why do I suddenly feel like the decision has just been made and not the way I wanted it?

UPDATED: I went for the soup. Bah.
That leaves me at 1148 cals, 23 g. fat, 40 g. fiber, 19.1 points, plenty of fluids, and no exercise, unless you count watching TV from my bed. I don't.

A note on starvation...

(That sounds awful, doesn't it!)

I think the reason WW would caution you to eat ALL of your points is because if you are only tracking points and not calories separately, you could very well not get enough calories in with just the points. That's what I noticed when I started calculating points. I could eat 24 points and not even have 1000 calories in. Your body doesn't go into starvation mode based on points, but based on calories. Because I'm tracking both I know I'm doing okay because I got over 1100 calories. I would actually be scared to do just the WW points for myself, because I know that I would not get enough calories in each day. Because I am still more concerned about getting an appropriate balance of calories, fat, protein, and fiber at this point than I am getting a certain number of points, I think I'm okay. If I get to 19 points in a day and am still under 1100 calories, I will eat more to get up over 1100 calories, even if it means I eat more points. The calories are just more important, especially if I'm exercising.

Thanks for the food for thought!

And I have a feeling pretty much all my calories will come from fluids today, given how much my throat hurts. I will be eating plenty of soup, and lots of hot beverages. Lots of tea again today! Yesterday I had over 3.5 liters of fluids, and I think I'll be around that today again, given that the only time my throat doesn't hurt is when I am sipping a hot beverage!

Sicko

Good news:

I'm down to 118.4 today! (weight)

Bad news:

I'm up to 102.7 today. (temperature)

It's a record!

I think I set a record for myself today! Despite the discouraging start I had, I ended the day with...

1148 calories
15 grams fat
64 grams protein (I've been having a hard time getting even 45 grams in, so this is great!)
32 grams fiber
well over 2 liters of water
over 5 fruits and veggies
and.... (here's the record part...)

only 17.2 points today! I got enough calories AND stayed under on my points!

My throat has been SO sore today I've been chugging hot tea like there's no tomorrow. I've had 5 cups of tea (most of it caffeine free), 1 liter of water, and 40 ounces of calorie free, sugar free, sodium free soda, because the carbonation helps clear the phlegm out of my throat and make it not so sore. So I've had my fluids today! Now if I could only kick what's making my throat hurt so bad in the first place! I think I'm going to drink a cup of soothing tea before I go to bed in just a bit.

On the plus side, Leif and I got to go on a spontaneous date tonight! The neighbors watched Ellie while we went to hear Kevin Connolly give a talk about his photo series, The Rolling Expedition. Afterwards we went to Walmart (because, as Leif reminded me, no date is complete without a trip to Walmart) and while we were there Leif bought me an ice cream cone to make my throat feel better. =D And it DID! It also tasted very good. And I still had room for it in my diet, since I'd saved a little in case we wanted to get a little something on our date!

And then I was rewarded with the right amount of calories and everything else and only 17 points when I returned home and entered my ice cream. What a sweet way to end the day!

Well, Something is better than nothing...

... and I just did something.

Stephanie and I, with our kiddos in the strollers, went for a walk. We walked 2.5 miles and walked for about an hour. It wasn't the fastest pace in the world, but it was a 24 minute mile. And it was something.

WHY?!

Two days ago I was finally back down to 118.0, the weight I was before that two pound jump. Today I weighed myself and... I'm back at 120! I know I didn't eat the best yesterday, but I most certainly did NOT eat 7,000 calories worth, and that is the amount of calories you have to consume over what you burn in order to gain 2 lbs. It's SO frustrating!!

To top it off I woke up at 6:30 this morning just sweating like crazy! I had to get up and come sit out in the living room until I was cool enough to go back to bed, laying on top the covers, and telling Leif not to snuggle with me.

I feel like I JUST got over a slump and now I'm right back in one? WHY?!

Not good. Not good at all.

Today was built on convenience eating during the day, as I was working quickly to get the house all cleaned up after the weekend. Leif called about noon saying he had invited about 10 people over for dinner and, while I didn't have to do any of the cooking, I did need to get things company ready! So I ate what I could quickly and ended up munching and nibbling on things much more than I usually do. Then we had barbecue bison burgers (with cheese!) for dinner, and cheesecake, and cookies. So, yeah... it was not good at all. On top of that I didn't get a walk in because I was trying to get caught up on the laundry, so... We'll just call today done and move on.

First Hike!

We went for the first hike of the year today! At Susan Beth's suggestion, we headed up to Madison Buffalo Jump. I stuck Ellie in the pack and we headed down the trail to the top of the cliff. The fwp's website says there's only a mile of trails, but the one we took was definitely longer than a mile! We went up to the cliff you can see from the observatory (we went around the back of the hill and then hiked along the top of it to the cliff) and then headed over to the next cliff, just a little further. I had Ellie in the pack on my back (sheesh! That girl is getting heavy at almost 30 lbs!) for the hike up, but she walked most of the way back on her own. Still, we ended up hiking for an hour and a half, not counting the time we spent at the top taking pictures, about 15 minutes. So it was a good workout, and according to Spark People I burned about 630 calories. Add that to the 70 calories I burned gardening earlier in the day and I end the day exercised 700 calories off! If I remember correctly, that gives me an extra 7 WW points, which is good, because today I need them...

I was doing pretty well until we decided to make a Buffalo Jump Bump night of it and picked up a pizza for dinner and ate it in the car on the way out to the hike. I ate 3 pieces. That alone cost me 17 points. Add that to the other points I had today and I ended with (*gasp!*) 30 points today. But subtract 7 for my exercise and it's only 23 points, and considering I haven't used ANY of my 35 extra points until today, I'm not too worried about those extra 4 I'm using today. I did enjoy the pizza quite a bit, and I did work pretty hard lugging that 30 lb pack to the top of the cliff! I always hate the first hike of the season for that reason. I always feel like I'm going to die and today was no exception. Next time Leif gets to carry the pack.

So that's sort of where I am today. 30 points, 1560 calories, 52 g. fat, 24 g. fiber, and 2 liters water. Definitely over what I eat most days, but I don't feel like it's too excessive for a little splurge on an outing with the family. Just so long as the splurges stay few and far between.

The clock is ticking!

I am back down to 118.0 this morning, which means I've lost my 2 lb gain. Hooray! It also means that I've got less than 2 weeks to lose a little over 2 lbs before Protocol. The clock is ticking!

Some new favorites...

Tonight I discovered Skinny Cow. OH WOW. 2.3 points and worth every. single. bite. I saw them at Costco and decided to buy them today, after learning that my beloved fudge bars contain aspartame! So while the Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches are another point, they are also 140 calories (which I often need at the end of the day to get up over 1100), only 1.5 g. fat, and 3 g. fiber. And did I mention that they are delicious? SO GOOD.

Another new favorite of mine is the no-sugar-added Swiss Miss hot cocoa from Costco, with a tablespoon fiber powder mixed in. Really, that's two favorites - the hot cocoa, and the fiber powder I have been adding to my drinks (I mix it in with my water and Fulfill) in order to get enough fiber in my day. And by adding it to foods and drinks that don't normally contain fiber, it also lowers their point values a smidge! 1 T. fiber powder has 3 g. fiber, so that makes it reasonable. And I spread them throughout my day, to make the most use of the fiber for my body.

So there you have it. A few new favorites to add to my growing repertoire of indulgences that help me lose weight.

Just for the record...

I have lost 1.4 of my 2 lb weight gain this week. That's encouraging. I have also stuck with my 19 points daily for the last 3 days, and maybe that's what has helped. In any event, I feel empowered because I didn't think I could stick to 19 points and I have. I feel like I could do anything! As of today, day 4 on WW, I still have 300 calories and 3.2 points. And that's AFTER eating at Costco for lunch (half a turkey wrap) and Domino's pizza (one slice) for dinner. I've been doing really well when it comes to eating at home, but I wasn't sure how the points would work out once I started eating out. But now I have twice in one day and it's okay! I'm even still under 25 g. for fat today, though I still need 6 g. of fiber before my day is done. So I'm going to eat some yummy strawberries (that will take me to 5 f/v) and see where I am after that. But I think today I will be fine. And if worst comes to worst (though I doubt it) I have 2.5 exercise points from today because we just got done riding the bike for 45 minutes! It was a 10 mile ride and it felt great! And I still haven't touched the 35 bonus points for the week. I'm hoping I can get away without needing to use them OR the exercise points at all. We'll see. But so far, so good.

Low Fat Spinach Lasagna (5 points)

Tonight I made a new variation of our traditional lasagna. We dropped the meat from the lasagna a couple years ago, but tonight I did a few other things differently, too. It was definitely different from our usual cheese-laden dish, but it was good! Here's the recipe...

Ingredients:
2 C. Cottage Cheese (pureed to get all the curds smooth)
2 C. Shredded Parmesan Cheese
2 C. Fresh Spinach
3 Egg Whites
------------------------------
2 C. Diced Tomatoes
4 C. Tomato Sauce
1 T. Fiber Powder
------------------------------
6 Lasagna Noodles

Directions:
Combine cheeses, eggs, and spinach together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine tomatoes, tomato sauce, and fiber powder.

In a glass 9x13 baking dish, place a layer of sauce, then a layer (3) of DRY noodles, then a layer (1/2) of the cheese mixture. Repeat, then finish the top with a layer of sauce.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Uncover and sprinkle with additional cheese (parmesan or mozzarella, according to your liking) and bake uncovered for 15 minutes more.

Let cool for about 15 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

The best part about this lasagna is that it's only 5 points for a pretty generous serving. AND it only has 275 calories, 7 g. fat, 4 g. fiber, and 22 g. protein! I've been having a little trouble finding high protein, low calorie options. But this was great! I'll make it again, for sure.

I'm going to have to try it.

One of these 30 minute, full body workouts, that is. It sounds easy enough, and it is sort of like circut training, like they do at Curves and such. So I think I'll have to try it. Sounds like a good T/Th workout.

Here I am,

eating lunch with the kiddos. They are having macaroni and cheese and you cannot believe how badly I want some. Instead I had a large bowl of peas and some grapes. It's just not the same, LOL! But tonight for dinner I think I'm going to make spinach lasagna. I've not made it before, but I've wanted to since we have all that spinach in the fridge. I've been putting off making it because we don't have any ricotta cheese, but we do have a big tub of cottage cheese, so I think I'll puree the curds and use that. I have texture issues with cottage cheese, but maybe if I puree it I'll be okay with it. I made an alfredo sauce that way once and it was good, so I'll give it a shot. Now I just have to figure out points on it, but it's low fat and I can add fiber to it if it needs, so it should be okay.

Well...

... despite my discouragement, I didn't eat myself out of house and home. I wanted to. I really did. But I didn't do it. In fact, I didn't even really head for comfort food when I was feeling down, unless you call two egg whites and a cucumber comfort food. I personally don't. I did make cookies with Ellie for the first time today. She enjoyed it. They were even healthy cookies, too. They didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped (I replaced all the sugar with Splenda), so I'll work on the recipe a bit. Maybe I'll just try half sugar and half Splenda next time. They tasted fine, they just were too dry. BUT... they are only 25 calories each, and 1 cookie is 0 WW points. 3 cookies is only 1 point. So I'm okay with them being a little dry. And I'll still work with the recipe until I get them to turn out like I want them to.

So I just finished eating an ice cream cone and that brings me to today's total. I'm ending my day at 1106 calories, 22 g. fat, 26 g. fiber, and 19.7 WW points. I didn't exercise today (that's where my discouragement kicked in) and I only drank about half my water. But I didn't over eat, and that is a huge first step for me on a day that I am down and out and discouraged.

Tomorrow I've got Zoe from 9:30 to 1:30. We'll see what the weather does, but maybe the sun will come out and we'll get 40 degree weather I can take the girls for a walk in. We'll have to see, but that's what I'm hoping for. I'm just no good for indoor exercise this time of year. I want it to be sunny and I want to be OUTSIDE!

Discouraging...

I'm not sure what the problem is, but my scale is going up and up and up instead of down. On Monday I was at 118.0 today I am at 120.0. WHY???!! It makes it hard to want to eat the right stuff and drink my water each day. I sort of feel like "If I'm not seeing any results (and in fact the opposite!) what's the point??". And that's where I am today. I'm going to try to follow the program still, but I'm just a little discouraged.

Let's See...

So I figured up my points, adding them up so that I have the most points possible (e.g. 2 C. soup counted as 2 C. instead of two 1 C. servings) and here's where I currently stand for today...

Breakfast = 3.6
Lunch = 1.6
Snack = 1.5
Dinner = 9.3

That puts me at 16 points for the day. As for calories and all that jazz, I am currently at 949 calories, 11 g. fat, and 26 g. fiber. That includes dinner AND dessert with friends. I guess it can indeed be done.

So tonight's challenge is... to find a snack that is equal to about 250-300 calories and 3 or fewer points. Game on.

UPDATED: 3/4 of a Healthy Choice Fudge Bar is .8 points. Add that to 2.2 points for a cup of hot chocolate wtih 1 T. fiber powder and you've got a day that finishes at 19 points and 1165 calories. And I'm okay with that.

Ranting aside...

It looks like all I posted yesterday were WW rants. Sorry! I am still trying to work through all that, but we'll see where I end up opinion-wise on WW for myself. I still don't understand when you're supposed to count something as one serving and when you're supposed to count it as two. If you wait half an hour between eating your first cup of soup and your second, does it count as two individual servings? That's .8 points. If it doesn't count as individual servings, despite the break between them, it's 1.6 points. I'm just confused on that front.

But this post isn't about WW. This post is about yesterday. I felt lousy all day yesterday, and unfortunately my eating reflected that. Ate a little junk food in the afternoon, then we had Taco Time for dinner. Definitely not the way I planned for yesterday to go! I woke up with a headache and just had ZERO energy throughout the day. Didn't feel well at all. But after we got home from dinner Ellie and I hot tubbed and I felt a little better after that, so I went for a run outside. Yes, A RUN! I did the full loop around the subdivision, which is a little over 2 miles. I alternated running and walking, but ran over half of the distance. Go me! I was feeling good about it when I came home (go endorphins!) so I went down to the basement and lifted weights. I would really like to get back into my T/Th weight regimen. I'm not doing heavy weights, mind you, but even light strength training is beneficial and a necessary part of healthy living.

Today I am back on track, even though I feel like I have no energy still. I added iron to my nutrient tracker, though I don't think I'm lethargic due to an iron deficiency. Still, it can't hurt to at least make sure I'm getting enough in my diet. Despite my lack of energy, I put Ellie in the backpack and walked to Bible study today. Wow! Adding 30 lbs makes it harder to walk! But we went to Bible study even though I didn't feel like going and I'm glad we did. After Bible Study I called Taylor and we walked over there and let Ellie and Corinne play for a while. Then I put Ellie back in the pack and walked home. All told I walked about 45 minutes with Ellie in the pack, walking at a brisk (as briskly as I could!) pace.

Now she's napping and I just want to munch on stuff. But we're having Clint, Taylor, and the girls over for dinner tonight, so I need to figure out what I'm making before I munch on anything. So far (after breakfast and lunch) I'm at 350 calories, 3 g. fat, and 9 g. fiber for the day. That puts me at 5-6 points, depending on the soup count. See rant above. So I've got 13-14 left for dinner and afternoon snacks.

And today I'm trying to drink straight water, without my Fulfill added in. It's tough!

19 points per day

WW Quiz to determine your daily point allowance...

1. Are you
female?- score 2
Male?- score 8
A nursing mom?- score 12

2. How old are you?
17-26- score 4
27-37- score 3
38-47- score 2
48-58- score 1
over 58- score 0

3.What do you weigh?
Enter the first two digits of your weight in pounds.
(for example, if you weight 199, you will add 19 to your score)
118.... score 11

4. How tall are you?
Under 5’1- score 0
5’1-5’10- score 1
Over 5’10- score 2

5. How do you spend most of your day?
Sitting down? score 0
Occasionally sitting? score 2
Walking most of the time? score 4
Doing physically hard work most of the time? score 6
(I gave myself 3 on this one)

Now add them all together and that’s your daily total.

2+3+11+3=19 points per day

More thoughts on WW

Well, this evening I've been thinking more and more about WW. Not necessarily giving up my calorie counting, but at least trying to stay within the WW points during the day. You know, revising some of what I eat so that it is the best possible. So I did a little research and learned that because I am under 150 lbs I am only allowed 18-23 points. Eek! So now I REALLY don't know that I can do that!

But I am going to try to calculate both the points and the calories (etc.) for a while, at least, and then try to eat more of the lower point foods.

There does seem to be one GIANT flaw with the WW points system, though. Capping the fiber at 4 g. See, if I eat 1 serving of soup at 60 calories, 0 g. fat, and 4 g. fiber, it's .39 points. It rounds to zero. But if I eat 2 servings of it, it's 120 calories, 0 g. fat, and 8 g. fiber. It ought to weigh in at .8 points, rounding to 1. But it doesn't. Not by any calculator I've found, including just the plain old WW formula. Because the fiber is capped at 4, 2 servings of soup figure in at 1.59 points, which rounds to 2. So do you just count every individual serving separately, even if you eat them at the same time? If not, how long do you have to wait between servings for them to count separately? The same with my high fiber and flax bread. One serving is 1 point (almost exactly) but 2 servings is 3 points (almost exactly) because the fiber is capped at 4, when I'm getting 10 grams. It just seems like a flaw in the system. Any thoughts?

Weight Watchers?

Just out of curiosity, I decided to check what I've been eating each day with a Weight Watcher point calculator. I don't know how you CAN eat on WW! I limit myself to under 1300 calories a day and try to stay between 25 and 30 grams of fat. That's only about 20% of my calories from fat.

So according to the WW points, a normal day for me is 27/28 points. A day in the 1100 calorie range is 25. How on EARTH are you supposed to stay under 24 points a day?? I haven't a clue how you do that. I know that Spark People says you shouldn't drop below 1200 calories, even for a small person with a small frame. If you drop below 1000 calories your body goes into starvation mode and starts storing the extra calories as fat.

So what's a girl to do?

Hmph.

So much for losing .2 lbs yesterday and making it down to 117.8 today. Despite the fact that I ended the day at 1293 calories, 25 g. fat, 39 g. fiber, exercised, and had over 2 liters of water, my scale tells me I am at 119.4 today. Good grief. I'm ignoring it and hoping my body gets with the program by weigh in tomorrow, since I think I'm doing everything right. Exercise, water, watch the calories and fat... I'm not sure what else I can do.

10 is the limit.

I used to be able to do about 50 pushups. It looks like 10 is about my limit now. After that my little wimpy arms sort of give out. Oh, for the days when I could do 50. Of course, I could probably do more if I tried to do them more often. Oh well.

I went for a walk today. It would be nice to do something else, too, like go for a bike ride or something, but we'll have to see what the weather does. I was just proud to go for a walk in sub-30 temperatures this morning. It wasn't a terribly long walk, but we were out for 30 minutes, so that's something at least.

And as of 3:30 this afternoon I'd consumed at 2 liters of water for the day. Hooray! A day like today is when I would reward myself with an aspartame free diet pop, but we don't have any. And I'm resisting finishing off the 2 liter of Sprite in the fridge.

I'm good on calories so far, but I have no idea what to make for dinner. Spaghetti sounds easy. Bread sounds good with it. Mmmm.... whole wheat spaghetti noodles with a little melted mozzarella and parmesan on top and a slice of garlic bread and sauce on the side. I had 500 grams of cucumber and 1 T. dip for lunch. I can afford the carbs for dinner.

SO close!

I weighed myself a few times today... the scale kept wavering between 117.8 and 118.0. So I won't count my weight as down another lb yet, but if I continue to eat right and exercise I should be able to soon! It's very encouraging. Hopefully by Wednesday I'll have lost that .2 I need to tip me over the edge! Then only 2 lbs to go...

Just for the record...

Today is my no counting day. Every so often I have a day where I just don't keep track of calories and I don't feel bad for what I eat. =D I'm probably still staying under 1500 calories, but I just don't keep track. Tomorrow I will be back to keeping track again, so I've not fallen off the wagon, just taking a little day trip from Spark People.

You know, it's not how I thought my day would end.

I really thought I totally blew my day with the chicken salad wrap at lunch, followed by 40 m&m's (hey... if I'm going to eat junk food, at least I count them out, LOL!) when I got home. But now that my day is over and my dinner consisted of an orange, 130 grams of strawberries, and 1 cup of baked beans, it turns out I did okay. Still got my 5 fruits and veggies, just squeaked in at 25 g. fiber, I'm working on the last of my water, and the only thing I really messed up today was my fat. Definitely over on the fat calories, clocking in at 48 g. Wow. But it's only 10 g. over what I had in the chicken wrap, so I'm not beating myself up over it.

So that's not how I thought my day would turn out, but I'll take it!

Tomorrow I need to do some exercise.

So THAT'S what I look like...

... when we go for a bike ride. Huh. I look just plain silly! Wonder how many years I've been riding around looking like that. I'm guessing at least 4... I really should have checked a mirror before going out one of these times.

*sigh* It could be worse, though, right? I mean... I could look incredibly silly and NOT get any exercise out of it, I suppose...

HOLY COW!

Today I got a chicken salad wrap from Arby's for lunch at the open house. Whole wheat tortilla, grapes and apples in the all white meat chicken salad, lettuce... I thought I was being good.

Who would have guessed that for the SAME number of calories and LESS fat, I could have eaten TWO (yes, TWO!!) regular roast beef sandwiches!?!

What gives?

Arby's chicken salad sandwiches are good, but for 638 calories and 38 grams of fat, I can do better. I'm so disappointed. Next time I'm getting the roast beef sandwich.

And so we end another day...

Today was pretty good. 5 f&v, 2 liters water, 31 g fiber, 1200 calories (provided I find a 200 calorie snack before I go to bed, but that shouldn't be too hard...)

No exercise today, but that's okay. I'm hoping we do some fun family exercise this weekend, and then I can get back to my MWF cardio TTH weights schedule next week.

But right now I'm tired and I need to haul laundry upstairs and put sheets on the bed so I can climb into it and go to sleep. Oh, and find myself a 200 calorie snack, too.

Things that I love while I'm watching the calories...

New Costco Favorite

Ever since Costco got rid of their soft pretzels, I've been sort of at a loss for what to eat there. With hot dogs at 500+ calories, and a slice of pizza at 700+ calories, it's been sort of difficult to do dinner there since I started tracking calories again.

But then a couple weeks ago they introduced a new menu item: Turkey Wraps.

They haven't yet released the nutrition information for it yet, but I did some of my own figuring on Spark Recipes, and came up with the following information, which I feel is fairly accurate:

Calories: 527
Fat: 24 g
Carbs: 41
Fiber: 0.5
Protein: 36

Now, 527 calories is a lot, but the wraps are nice and big and a half wrap fills me up. So I end up with a 265 calorie dinner that is filling, and high in protein. They come sliced in half, so the guesswork is eliminated (you know, the "I'm just going to eat about half of this" when you really end up eating about 3/4.) and it's just as good the next day after it's been refrigerated.

So the Turkey Wrap is my new favorite. I will get that every time we eat dinner at Costco now. And at 265 calories, I may even end up with room for dessert.

First Bike Ride!

Tonight we went on the first bike ride of the season! We rode almost 9 miles in 38 minutes on our tandem, with Ellie in tow. It felt great to be out riding, but I know I'm going to feel it tomorrow! I was already kind of sore after yesterday's workout, but my legs will definitely be feeling it. Maybe I'll just do some upper body toning for my workout tomorrow instead of a leg intensive workout.

As for food, I am still about 50 calories short for the day, so I think I'll eat a few strawberries before I go to bed. That should bump me up the 2 grams of fiber I need to get to 25, and give me my 5th fruit/veggie for the day.

I'm heading to the scrapbooking store tomorrow to finish up my last project for Saturday, so I'll have to plan and pack food accordingly to keep me from the temptation to snack! Lots of water, and some good fruits and veggies to munch while I work! I would love to work on my own stuff if I get my last project finished, but I just don't know if it will happen. The truth is I'm almost burnt out on scrapbooking since everything I do is for someone or something and not our family stuff. I feel so much like I have to stay within the boundaries of potential class cost and supply lists that it's just not as much fun. It's not as freeing, and it's not as therapeutic. So I'm glad we've got the month of August off, because otherwise I might just have to sit out a whole quarter.

But... I stray off topic. Tomorrow I will try to be prepared with my food and eat well! But right now I need to get a little sleep...

Down again...

Well, I'm a day late, but I'm back down to 118 today. Hooray! In fact, the scale tells me I'm down a FULL POUND from yesterday. I don't know what that's about, but I'll take it. I'm guessing it was water and/or digesting food weight. Either way, I'm happy to be down and I'm looking forward to seeing the scale move even more this week. I still need to lose 3 lbs in 3 weeks, so I'm aiming to lose another lb this week. Here I go!

Changin' it up

I have come to the conclusion that I really need to step up my exercise if I want to lose 3 lbs in the next 3 weeks. I went for a 30 minute walk this morning, and I just got done doing an hour of "cardio fusion", which is a combination of yoga, ballet, and pilates with weights. It's supposed to be a full body workout, and it sure felt like it! I might do a little more cardio (like a walk with the family or a bike ride) a little later, but I'm feeling good right now.

I have to say, though, I miss the days when I had a membership to The Ridge and I could just go to a class for exercise. I liked being able to feed off everyone else's energy.

Weigh Day: MicroChallenge Week 3

Rats! I'm up a pound from last week. Looks like I really need to step up the exercise. I think I'll walk Ellie down to Bible study this morning. Weighing in at 119. That leaves me 3 weeks to lose 3 lbs. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

At the end of the day...

1251 calories
35 g. fat (just within my goal limit)
33 grams fiber
64 oz water

no exercise.

and tomorrow is another day.

I'm torn...

What do I do for dinner? Do I go for the 322 calorie enchiladas I have in the freezer so that I don't dirty any more dishes and have more time to deal with the already dirty dishes and laundry and so we eat the enchiladas before they reach their "been in the freezer too long" date, or do I try to make something with the spinach we have in the fridge? I'm NOT in the mood for a salad at all, and I've done pretty good on my veggies today, but we do need to eat the spinach.

Sigh. Decisions, decisions.

Breakfast of Champions...

I am often a breakfast skipper. It's not good, I know. I know that my body needs breakfast to jump start my metabolism. But I often just don't feel hungry until lunch time, so I end up skipping breakfast, especially if I'm running out the door in the morning. Sundays and Wednesdays I almost never eat breakfast.

The other day Leif bought Pop Tarts. He's planning on taking them to work with him, but they have just been sitting in the pantry taunting me so far. I finally broke down and ate a package (because you can never open a package of two and eat just one!) on Sunday. And I've been craving their fruity pastry goodness ever since! True, he buys the organic ones, but the fact that they're organic doesn't make them any less fatty, and it doesn't change the fact that they're still over 200 calories each. One package of Pop Tarts is 1/3 of my daily calorie allowance!

But the other day I found a solution that satisfies my craving, is healthy for me to eat for breakfast, AND adds to my fiber intake! So for breakfast the past few days I have been eating...

two slices Wheat Montana Flax and Fiber toast with 1 T. 100% fruit spread, no sugar added.

It's a 220 calorie breakfast that gives me the warm crunchiness and fruit flavor of a pop tart, and also adds 10 grams of fiber to my diet. It's delicious, and the fruit spread is actually lower in calories and fat than the margarine I normally spread on my toast, so I feel like I come out better for it in the long run! Since I discovered my "breakfast of champions" I have been eating breakfast more often and have been making lunch fruits and veggies. It's been a good pattern!

Monday, Monday....

And a good Monday it was!

Calories: 1140 right now, but I'll bump that up to 1200 before I go to bed.
Fiber: 25 g.
Water: 2+ liters
Vitamin: not yet... I should take that before I go to bed, too.
Fruits and Veggies: 5

I even went on a walk with Leif and Ellie after I walked with Shannon this morning! Again, not terribly rigorous, but it's better than nothing and I got about 45 minutes of walking in total today, so that's good!

I weigh in again on Wednesday, but I don't expect to see the scale move after my munchy weekend. I guess we'll see when I get there, eh?

Well....

... the retreat is over. It was great!! I met a lot of people, learned a lot, ate a lot, had fun...

Oh, wait! You caught that I ate a lot? Yeah... I tried to slip that in there and get my confession out of the way quietly. I guess it didn't work. I did great for dinner, but I snacked WAY too much. And the snacking sort of continued after I came home through yesterday. But today I am back on track!
I went for a walk with Shannon today, even. We didn't get terribly far, and it wasn't a terribly rigorous walk, but it was something at least. Maybe I'll do more this afternoon. Maybe Leif will be up for a family walk (or bike ride!!!) this evening. That would be good.

I'm getting back on track with my water drinking today, too. I'm only about 1/4 of the way there at 2:00 in the afternoon, but I am determined to drink all 2 liters today.

Here's to getting back on track. *raises Nalgene bottle* Cheers!

Women's Retreat...

I'm leaving for the women's retreat in about an hour and a half, and I'm eating dinner there. That means I won't be able to record what I eat, so I'm just going to wing it. Hopefully I will exercise some moderation and not over eat, but I'm not going to stress about it. I'll eat what's good for me and try to skip what's not. Same goes for tomorrow, since I'll be there then, too!

I guess we'll see what I have to report when I get home...

Another lb down...

And that brings me to 118. Hooray!

I've reached a new level...

... of insanity, I think. I actually took my food scale out to eat with me so I could determine how many calories I was consuming. I don't know if I should be proud of that fact or embarrassed, but either way, what's done is done. Here's what I learned:

• My food scale fits in my purse. =D
• A Mackenzie River breadstick weighs 51 grams.
• A piece of mudpie from Mackenzie River weighs 160 grams, and I only ate 60 of those.

I had a bad day today, so Leif came home with flowers and took me out to dinner! I chose to go to Mackenzie River in Belgrade and opted for a house salad and the breadstick that came with Leif's pasta. I drank water to save on calories, too. Then we got a little dessert (after all, I did behave myself and eat salad and drink water!) and I ate less than half of it. It was great! I love their house salads and dressing and knew that if we got a pizza I would over eat on it. I love their pizza too much! So for the first time ever, we did not get pizza from Mackenzie River. Dinner was filling and wonderful and we had a good night out!

I'm sitting here eating a bowl of strawberries right now, and that brings me to 1210 calories for the day, 5 fruits and veggies, and 26 grams of fiber. I've also had well over 64 oz. of water for the day, so I am doing really well! No exercise to speak of, and I've got Zoe tomorrow and then I'm leaving for the women's retreat in the afternoon, so I probably won't get much exercise tomorrow either. Maybe I'll be able to take Ellie and Zoe for a walk. I guess we'll see how the day goes. But we'll take tomorrow as it comes and for now, I'm pleased with today. I didn't eat the ice cream. That in itself is a victory.

Bad day + Messy House =

I want to eat a tub of ice cream! And I know I've got one sitting in the freezer, just calling my name...

The house is a mess, my to-do list is long, my stress level over Protocol is through the roof, and I've had a bad day.

But I haven't eaten the tub of ice cream, at least not yet. I did eat an orange and a banana. I should eat some veggies if I snack any more before dinner. Carrots perhaps.

And maybe, just maybe, I can keep myself busy (laundry and dishes, anyone??) and control my eating so that I CAN have an ice cream cone after dinner. But first I must make it through my day.

Well... that wasn't so good....

I didn't go completely over my calories yesterday, but I came close. And none of it was healthy. 2 slices of pizza (one of them a giant slice from Costco!) and two Costco cookies. Not good! Very high in fat, very little fiber, and pretty much nothing for vitamins!

Really I was fine (at least calorie wise, even if they weren't the best calories) until I had those two cookies. I sort of figured they were around 100-150 calories each, but it turns out they were over 200 each. Ack! AND they have 4 grams saturated fat and 2 grams TRANS fat each!

I think that means Costco cookies are off limits from now on, too. It was especially frustrating since I can make oatmeal cookies at home that have less than 100 calories each and that would have been so much more satisfying! But this was completely an impulse purchase (that Leif and I both made - it wasn't just me! That's when I fall into temptation the most - when we both want it!) and then the first cookie wasn't very good, so I ate another (white chocolate chip... mmm....) to get that taste I was really after.

So I ended the day at...

1500 calories
71 g. fat (after days of only 25 or 15 g.!)
12 g. fiber
and pretty much ZERO for vitamins!

I'm hoping this doesn't become a pattern now that my weight loss buddy is on vacation! Today I'll be working harder to stay on track and eat well. On the plus side, I weighed myself and I'm down to 119.2, so that's encouraging at least!

Weigh Day: Microchallenge Week 2

I haven't lost much in the past few days, but I'm weighing in this week at 119 lbs, which is down from last week's weight of 120. Specifically, I'm down .4, which is almost a half pound, but considering I had that REALLY BAD day and was up 2 lbs the day after that, I'll take the slight loss and call it good.

I'm hoping to be at 118 by this time next week. Here we go!

I should go to bed.

It's past midnight and I should go to bed. But I've been working on a project I was hoping to finish before Bible study tomorrow so I could get it to one of the ladies then. But at this point my brain isn't really functioning well, so I should just get up and finish it in the morning.

I ended my day with not yet 1200 calories, so I'll consume a little something before I turn in for the night. Not ideal, but that's where I am. I've had PLENTY of water today, and I made it to 25 grams of fiber. 4-5 fruits and veggies, depending on serving sizes, but I'm happy with that. And I even got a walk / jog in tonight with the family. Well, we all walked to the park, then Leif played with Ellie while I walked/jogged around the lake and back to the park, then we all walked home. It's good for 40 minutes of exercise at least, putting me at 150 minutes of exercise this week already!

Okay... I'm heading to bed. G'night.

What's in a drink?

So I've been trying to pay attention to my vitamin intake to see if there's something I'm lacking and should supplement. I suspected I might need to supplement with some B vitamins (6 or 12), so I started tracking those vitamins, as well as A and E, on Spark People.

Last night as I was laying in bed I had a thought. Every day I drink my Fulfill Fitness water. I use it because it is sweetened with Splenda and it gives flavor to my water. But it's also vitamin enhanced. So what vitamins do that add to it?

The answer? Vitamins C, B6, B12, and Niacin.

Huh. So between my prenatal vitamin, my fitness water, and my cranergy juice, I'm pretty sure I don't need any supplemental vitamin B. And as long as I keep eating spinach and carrots, I shouldn't need any extra vitamin A or E either.

But I DID just notice that my fitness water isn't calorie free like I thought it was. Ack! It has 10 calories per 8 oz serving, and I drink approximately 8 servings a day. So that's 80 calories a day I haven't been accounting for. It's not too bad, especially since I stay on the low end of the spectrum for calories each day, but still. It's a shock to watch my calories so closely only to learn that for MONTHS I've been consuming almost 100 more than I thought I was.

I did check my Lipton iced tea packets, though, and they have neither calories nor aspartame, so I think I'm good there. Maybe I'll try to drink half that and half Fulfill each day.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Fries

Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Here's a recipe I want to try. It was recommended by my friend Jenn. I've tried something like it before, but want to try it again since I didn't use a recipe and therefore couldn't remember how long to cook it for! Costco carries the sweet potatoes already peeled and french-fry sliced, so I'll pick up a bag of those when we go to Costco next time. It will have to be soon, because we are already out of bread, spinach, carrots and I just used the last box of chicken broth for tonight's soup. (Asparagus potato soup. We'll have to see if it's good or not!)

So here's the recipe for Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries from Country Living:

INGREDIENTS

1/2 teaspoon(s)	ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon(s)	salt
1/4 teaspoon(s)	ground red pepper
1 tablespoon(s)	vegetable oil
2 sweet potatoes

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare the sweet potatoes: In a small bowl, combine cumin, salt, and pepper. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel potatoes, cut each in half lengthwise, and cut each half into 6 wedges. In a large bowl, combine the cut potatoes, oil, and spice mixture. Toss until potatoes are evenly coated.
2. Bake the fries: On a baking sheet, arrange potatoes in a single layer and place on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake until edges are crisp and potatoes are cooked through -- about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

I am planning on using cajun seasoning instead of the mix they suggest here, and I'll use the already prepared sweet potatoes, so this should be an easy dish. And if it's good using the sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes, this is a great way to get vitamin A in my diet!

WOW!

Mission accomplished. Here's how I ended my day:

• 1259 calories
• 6 servings fruits and veggies
  
• 43 grams of fiber (WOW!)
• 3.5 mile walk (over an hour)
• 40 oz water (but I will drink all 60 by the end of the evening)

It feels so good to have set a goal and achieved it! I am amazed that I did (I was SURE I would go over on calories to get all the fiber in, and it turns out the fiber foods are pretty low cal and very low fat - only 26 grams today!) and it's got me excited for tomorrow. I'm going to do something with the asparagus for dinner tomorrow night. I just have to figure out what.

Take THAT, lousy day!

Ha! The day has improved since this morning. The vitamins did indeed help, and about an hour later I was ready to face the day. I made the bed and got ready to go for a walk. I put Ellie in the double jogging stroller at noon and we headed over to pick up Corinne (to give Taylor a little break and get Corinne out and about!) and go for a walk. Originally I planned to just walk around the pond and head home. But instead we went out and walked around the entire subdivision! I just mapped it out on Streets and Trips, and it says we walked 3.5 miles. My legs agree! We were out walking for over an hour.

My day has also improved because I found out that beans are a vegetable! I probably won't count them as one too often, and I'll try to get my fruits and veggies from other sources, but on a day like today I'm glad to hear that they count toward my veggie count! Plus, it's just after lunch and I've already had 24 grams of fiber today! We're having chili for dinner, too, so that will add another 9 grams. Yay! So I should be able to make my goal, no problem!

Also, the good news about Jennifer helped with my day. The Lord is good, and her laughter this morning and the delayed spinal tap are both reasons to praise Him today!

Fertility, Cycles, and Nutrition

I finished reading this book over the weekend and there are a few things I want to remember for future reference.

The PMS Diet (recommended for more than just PMS symptoms):

• Limit consumption of refined sugar (5 T/day), salt (3 g/day), red meat (3 oz/day), alcohol (1 oz/day), coffee, tea, and chocolate.
• Limit tobacco use.
• Limit intake of protein to 1g per kg of body weight per day.*
• Rely more on fish, poultry, whole grains, and legumes as sources of protein and less on red meat and dairy products.
• Limit intake of dairy products to 2 servings/day.
• Limit intake of fats, mainly saturated and cooked, to less than 20% of calories from fat.
• Increase intake of complex carbs to 60-70% of calories.
• Increase intake of leafy green veggies, legumes, whole grains and cereals.
• Increase intake of cis-linoleic-acid-containing foods (safflower oil is an excellent source). 1-2 T/day of unheated, unrefined oil on your salad, for example.

* I should be eating 54g protein based on this.

One thing I don't think I get enough of is vitamin B, specifically B6. I've added that to my nutrient tracker on SparkPeople, so we'll see how much I get from my diet and prenatal vitamins. But if I don't get enough, I may add that as a supplement, though I don't see a need to add the others she recommends, at least not while I'm on the prenatals and eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and complex carbs. They seem to provide adequate amounts of the vitamins I currently need, except for B6 (and maybe B12).

So there are a couple things I need to change to conform to the diet above. I need to eat a little less fat (I'm currently limiting it to 30%), more fiber, more complex carbs. So I'm off to adjust my settings on SparkPeople to reflect that.

Really, Why??

Why??? Why would you put high fructose corn syrup in applesauce? My inlaws brought some applesauce when they came to visit last weekend and they left it here. Now, we feed Ellie applesauce all the time, and I even eat it from time to time when calories allow. We get the all natural unsweetened stuff from Costco. It's delicious! And if you want a little more flavor to it, we add a little cinnamon. Mmm... So I pulled out the applesauce my inlaws brought, thinking we should use it up before I open another one from Costco. The second ingredient? HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP!! What?!

I hate throwing food away, but I just don't feel good about feeding it to Ellie. And I don't feel good about eating it myself. So unless Leif wants to eat it, I hope it stays good until they come back. Just wish it didn't take up space in our fridge while we wait.

Yesterday

I ended my day in pretty good shape (figuratively speaking! Ha!) yesterday. 1238 calories, 5 f&v, 2 liters water... pretty good!

Today I am really working on upping my fiber intake. I have not been getting enough (or at least my body isn't acting like I have!) so I'm aiming for at LEAST 25 g today. That means breakfast is 2 slice Flax and Fiber whole wheat bread from Wheat Montana. I put margarine on it, so that adds to the calories, but I'll get 10 g of fiber from those 2 slices of bread. Maybe for dinner we'll have something heavy on the beans, like chili or enchiladas. (Sidenote... I wonder if you can throw asparagus in chili?) I'll try to snack on strawberries throughout the day.

I am just flat out lethargic today. It is that lovely time of month where I feel like I've been hit by a train. Today is especially bad for some reason. I made sure to take my vitamin and drink some cranberry/B vitamin juice in hopes that it would boost my energy levels a little bit. We'll see.

I've got to pull myself together today, but it just seems like an overwhelming task! Right now Ellie is watching Blue's Clues while I get a few things done because I just don't feel like I have the patience to deal with her this morning. I'm hoping it will warm up a bit later so we can go for a walk outside before lunch. Getting out, even if there's no sunshine, should help with my mood, and the exercise can't hurt, either!

Okay... off to face the day.

Church Picnic

We had an indoor picnic at church today, and I think I did really well! I am proud of myself, at least. I had a hamburger with no bun (I did have pickles and mustard with it, though!), strawberry spinach salad (that I brought, so I know it was healthy!), half a slice of banana bread, and a cupcake. I stayed away from everything else... all the jello salads, pasta salads, brownies, puddings, desserts... even though they looked GREAT! I even brought my own water so I wouldn't be tempted to drink the pop or juice they had there.

I am left with 600 calories left for the day, so I should be good. We'll see!

Back on the Wagon

It's good to be back on the wagon after yesterday. Today has been good. I'm ending the day at 1300 calories, and I got my water, fruits/veggies, and a walk in. Yay! The party this morning was fun, and I only ate foods that were good for me. =D I had fresh pineapple, two mandarins, and a small turkey wrap. I passed on the spinach dip (though it smelled delicious!), creamy pasta salad, and cheesecake.

Tonight we put Ellie in the enclosed stroller (for warmth) and went for a walk. Because she was in the stroller, we didn't have to wait for her and we could walk at a good pace. We walked for about a mile, which was a fun way to spend time together and get some exercise, even if it was cold out. So I think I reached my exercise goal for the week, 3 times at least 20 minutes each time. I'll take tomorrow off and start in on Monday again!

When I fall off the wagon...

... I fall off HARD.

And that's why I procrastinated posting. The day started out innocently enough, with some oatmeal for breakfast and leftovers for lunch. Then I picked Ellie up from Erika's and put her to bed when we got home and... it all came tumbling down.

I ate.
And I ate.
And I ate.

It was bad. I even ate a full bowl of cereal after dinner (that's right - no half cup serving! A full bowl!) and then was so full I felt sick. I deserved it. (The feeling sick, that is.)

But something clicked yesterday. I have been doing really well with my calories, and really well keeping my house clean. I didn't clean up after we got home from the circus, I just came in, dumped everything (it was after 11 when we got home!) and went to bed. So when I came home from scrapping yesterday the house was a mess and I just wanted to keep scrapping while Ellie napped to finish some projects. But clutter in my home translates in my life to body clutter. And in frustration because my home was a mess (I think) I ate. Comfort food. Junk food. And I drank pop, but no water.

Today I feel awful. Physically. Eating poorly just takes a toll on my body. I did clean up the house last night and I could feel all that tension that made me want to eat fade away. It was so weird.

SO... now I know something new about myself and my destructive eating habits, but I had to learn the hard way. I hate it when that happens.

The good news is that I got both kit instructions typed out and emailed to Sheila. That's done. I got 2 more class projects finished (except for one card I still need to finish, but I have to get a few more flowers from the store for that - no big deal) and I sorted out my box at the store finally, since it was driving me crazy having all my pulled papers mixed together!

This morning I have a Mary Kay party to go to, so I'll be heading to that very soon. There will probably be food there, but I am only going to eat what I healthy for me, and I am going armed with a liter of water. I've got to get yesterday out of my system!

A day at the circus...

... and I survived! Actually, the circus was quite fun. Ellie enjoyed it and clapped and clapped and clapped. And I didn't even have to buy her any expensive, greasy circus food, though I did buy her a spinny-glowy-toy thing because it was cool. She liked that, too.

I didn't count calories, but I exercised moderation (for the most part - we'll get to the splurge later) and ended the day within my SparkPeople range. 1523 calories, and I am allowed 1550. Not bad for a day that included eating at McDonald's and Chinese, plus two sugary coffee drinks!

That second coffee drink was my splurge. We stopped at a gas station on the way out of Billings so I could buy some milk for Ellie and I got a cappuccino for the ride home. I felt like I'd been good all day (at McD's I got a McChicken sandwich without mayo - even though I really wanted the whole McChicken meal with the pop and fries! - and at the Chinese place I got peanut chicken and white rice with veggies and ate half of it, bringing the other half home.), so I splurged a little. And I'm okay with that. It doesn't happen very often, and it was a special day. But I'm pretty stoked to have stayed under 1550 for the day! (That's basically the equivalent of not counting points until the end of the day and finding out that you didn't even have to use your very last exercise point!)

Water, not so great. Exercise, a little walking. Fruit and Veggie count, 2. Day off and fun with friends, priceless! Ha ha! Tomorrow I'm totally back on track, but today was a fun break.

Been there, done that...

I've been at 119 before.

But now I'm back! 1 lb out of my 5 in 6 weeks micro challenge down! 4 to go....

I'm not going to eat...

I'm not going to eat... I'm not going to eat....

This is what's been running through my mind the last hour. I'm at 1235 calories for the day, and I really want to stay under 1300. So I've been telling myself that I'm not going to eat for an hour now.

But you know what? I AM going to eat. I am two fruits/veggies short for the day (unless I count the sauce on my pizza today, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't quite count...) so I am going to eat 200 grams of strawberries. It will curb this hungry feeling, bring me up to 5 on my fruits and veggies for the day, and is good for me. Plus, it will take my calories up to 1297, so I get to stay under 1300. Win - win.

Tomorrow I am spending the day in Billings with Erika and the girls and we are going to the circus. I've never been and it sounds like fun! We're going to hit Hobby Lobby and take the girls to a park to run around, then head to the circus in the late afternoon/evening. It should be a good day! But I am not bringing my food scale, and I am not counting calories. I will try not to go overboard, but I am going to relax and enjoy the day. And hopefully we'll get plenty of walking in.

Now this is interesting....

According to this article on Spark People, you burn more fat if you exercise for 30 minutes, take a 20 minute rest, and exercise for 30 minutes more than you do if you just exercise straight for an hour.

Well, I might just have to find a windy route that will take me 30 minutes to walk to and from Bible study once the weather gets warmer! (I guess that's a long break than 20 minutes, but maybe it will help. The walking certainly will!)

I stink!

... and that's a good thing, because it means I ran on my treadmill! I can't do 20 minutes straight any more, as it's been over a month since I've gotten on that sucker, but I still ran 15 minutes (in segments) out of the 30 I was on there. I walked at an incline for the other 15 minutes. So that's good! The machine tells me I burned 350 calories in that half hour, and I'll take it!

And now I'm stinky and sweaty and sitting here enjoying a small bowl of flax pumpkin seed cereal because Susan Beth inspired me to buy it. Mmmmm! This stuff is good. I just wish a half cup were bigger! And I wish it had more fiber in it.

Gotta go shower...

Weigh Day - MicroChallenge Week 1

Weight: 120.0
MicroChallenge Goal: 115

I am SO close to being at 119. So close, in fact, that I weighed myself twice hoping it would dip to 119.8 the second time I weighed! Sometimes my scale fluctuates by .2 lbs, but today was not one of those days. So today I weigh 120 and I hope that I'll be at 119 by next Wednesday!

That was a close one!

Whew! I didn't think I was going to make my 2 liters of water today! It was 9 pm and I had only had 1 so far. But then I remembered I needed to take my antibiotic, so I filled up a 1 liter Nalgene bottle and... less than an hour later it's gone! And my bladder is full! But that means I got all my water in again today, so yippee! That's 3 days in a row. They say that if you do something for 28 days in a row it becomes a habit, so only 25 left to go, LOL! I think I'll stick with one day at a time for now, though.

I ended the day with 1245 calories and 5 servings of fruits and vegetables. I even had over 25 grams of fiber, which is exciting! My ideal is to get 25-35 g of fiber a day, and I often fall short of that. So when I am within that range it's exciting! Oh the simple things that make me happy....

No exercise today, but tomorrow is my next day scheduled for it, so I will get some then. And tomorrow I will actually be at home, not at Taylor's, so it will be easier to exercise while Ellie is napping.

Micro-Goal

I need a micro-goal. Something small to work toward that I can achieve relatively quickly. Having a timeframe or deadline really helps me get where I want to be (like the class reunion in September - I lost 15 lbs for that!), so I'm going to give it a shot.

I found out today that my mom is coming to visit in 6 weeks. I also have a semi formal event to attend that same night, so that is motivation to look good!

So my goal is to lose 5 lbs in the next 6 weeks, by May 10. That will put me at 115 lbs, the weight I was at the class reunion in September. It's a little under a pound a week. I think I can do it. Here goes.

How do you reward yourself?

I find small rewards very helpful while I'm working on losing weight. And I find that I basically reward myself for three things:

1. Staying under 1300 calories.

When I been conservative with calories and end the day with less than 1200, I will treat myself to a snack or dessert that I wouldn't normally get, like ice cream. I try to pick the treat that will take me to 12oo calories and send me over the least. My treat should never take me past 1300, but it still keeps me from feeling like I'm depriving myself, while keeping my calories low.

2. Drinking 2 liters of water.

One of the rules I have unofficially set for myself is "No soda until I've had 2 liters of water." I obviously cheat on this one more often than some of the other rules, but I am getting better, and it makes soda more of a treat when I have had water all day and have been looking forward to that cool carbonated beverage.

3. Exercising.

Usually I don't reward myself for exercising. It is often enough of a reward by itself. But when it has been especially difficult to motivate myself to do the exercise and I do it, then I like to reward myself with something little. Something I can use as motivation to start exercising or to keep exercising for the allotted time. Last night it was a hot bath. I told myself that if I stepped for 30 minutes I would soak in a nice hot bath and read. I also did Satin Hands for my hands and feet, and that is always a treat. I end the day feeling calm and relaxed.

So those are ways I reward myself for meeting daily goals. One is food related (which I know you aren't supposed to do while "dieting", but I really see these as lifelong changes, not a diet.) but motivates me to eat ENOUGH calories in a day, which I tend not to do if I am watching what I eat.