Staying on program in lean times

I have discovered something important. When we get low on groceries, I get stressed. If I get stressed, I am susceptible to making really bad food choices. Because of pay period timing, we did not do our usual grocery shopping pass on the weekend, and suddenly we are out of fresh fruit and salad makings. Funny thing is, before we began this journey there were weeks when I did not buy fresh veggies at all outside of onions, and felt like we were safe and secure. Now, fresh fruit and veggies seem to be the cornerstone of our eating, and having things run out is scary. It will be remedied tonight with a stop at the store, but it has served as a learning experience.I combated the stress with some extra time on my stationary bike.If mom keeps a cool head, everyone else will follow suit.

It would be nice to live in a world where you would always be assured of a full crisper drawer every day, but it is not reality. We all have periods of temporary lean times for a lot of reasons. I had considered this last spring and I began to stock up on some healthy staples. Glad I did , because had I neglected to do so , this pay period weirdness would have been a disaster. So what things do I keep in stock ?

Dried fruit ( not WW Core plan food, but it will ensure you at least get the vitamins and minerals in fruit)
canned tomatoes
canned beans
canned corn
canned tuna
canned chicken
canned solid pack pumpkin
Healthy Choice soup
whole wheat pasta
quinoa
brown rice
dried beans
spaghetti sauce
whole wheat flour
oatmeal
cornmeal
milk powder
green tea
instant coffee
tofu in cartons
spices
microwave popcorn
sugar free jello
Fiber One Bars
Snack Pack Pudding

The last two are fun foods, that act like comfort foods, yet in manageable portions. It's not a list that everyone should use, and it is not perfect by any means. The sodium in canned veggies is quite high, but it will at least allow you to throw together a meal with some vegetables in it. Combine the tomatoes, black beans, pumpkin and whatever dribs and drabs of meat you have on hand and you can at least make a healthy, nutrient dense emergency chili sort of dish.

Now I am wondering if i could grow an indoor fruit tree and perhaps a dishpan of lettuce on the winddowsill to have just in case.

A walk and a wardrobe change

We went for another walk in the woods yesterday. The colors of the fall wildflowers are so pretty ! it is almost as if they are trying to compete with the leaves that are soon to show their riot of colors here. Walking on trails is more difficult than a treadmill because of the unstable terrain, but there is always something wonderful to catch your eye and distract you from the grumblings of your muscles. I love it ! Before our son was born and we began the journey of parenting an autistic child, we would do a lot more walking. We even took several walking architectural tours on the weekends for fun. However, after our son was born and sensory challenges entered our lives, it became difficult to do many things. We are finally geting on our feet it seems. I can relate to the Red Team in this years Biggest Loser show- I fully understand how they got into the shape they are in !

There are three of us losing weight, and therefor 3 of us needing new clothes. Slowly we are replacing some items, but to help prolong the need to take a serious financial hit, we are playing hand me up/down/sideways. Yesterday we each went into our closets to find things that were too big and passed them around till they found a body that fit them. Great reason to wear unisex clothes like sweats and tee shirts ! It will buy us a little more time till the inevitable big shopping trip. I do not want to invest a lot because these will also be transitional clothes. I would rather save the big bucks for when we reach goal- which will also serve as an incentive to maintain that weight loss !

Good day yesterday. We started out the day with oatmeal and yogurt for breakfast, and then headed out for a walk at the local state park. It felt so good to be out, checking out the sights and just feeling free !

It is going to be a bit of a challenge this week. In the months of September and October DH's pay cycle gets odd, and we wind up with some days that get a little "interesting" . Nothing serious, but this is the first year that this has happened while we are attempting weight loss. We will be able to go to the grocery store on Tuesday, but today we are out of fresh fruits and any fresh veggies beyond celery and carrots. We had some scragglers in the vegetable bin, so I tossed them in the crock pot with 2 abandoned chicken legs and thighs, and it will become soup. I am calculating that 2 chicken legs and thighs , celery, carrots,onions, a parsnip and more onions in 5 quarts of water will work out to 1 point a cup soup by the time I add a handful of tiny pasta to the mix. We have lots of dried fruit, yogert and a fair stock of frozen veggies so all will be fine. i just feel weirdly naked not having a mountain of salad makings and fresh fruit in the house !

The rest of the gang

Just a quick picture- here are the guys as of this morning. Son is to the left, DH to the right. We were out on a walk for exercise and to try to find some beaver lodges.

Weigh in

Back on track here- at least for me. The guys, being guys, never seem to get ambushed by the Hormone Fairy with TOM. So the results are

Me 231 - down 2 lbs
son 360.2 -down 1.4 pounds
hubby 251.6 -down 0.2 pounds

Grand total lost so far between us all-141 pounds. Wonder if our floor notices the difference ???

Loving those morning walks

Yesterday was such a great day ! We went on a 30 minute walk around our apartment complex before doing school, and not only did it make my son and I feel terrific from the walk, but it made the school day fly. Clear heads, calm emotions and all that blood pumping to everywhere makes it easier to tackle things like math and essay writing. It went so well that we were able to finish in record time, and I was able to get on the bike and just ride till it started hurting. While on I kind of zoned out, listening to the music on my MP3 player, and suddenly 20 minutes was gone. Whoo hoo !!!!

Stayed in my point range, met my health goals, so hopefully tomorrow's weigh in will show a loss for me . i have experienced gains for the last 2 weeks, and i am determined to bucki the trend . I have been getting inspiration through reading those participating in The Biggest Loser Blog edition as well as from the guys here. It's a good place to be !

A non scale victory

I took a day off from exercise yesterday for a couple of reasons, but the main one was the fact that lately I have been gaining, and it might be because of increased exercise at the moment. Muscles first break down and then build up, and in the breaking down process your body kicks in with different fluids to help clear out the waste products. I have not been very good about taking days of rest, so it might be a good idea to take one. I double checked all of my food logs to insure that i was not getting in hidden points, and not the case. Plus, doing the program as a family with everyone eating the same but in different quantities helps to monitor. They have been consistently losing, I have been gaining.

I discovered something- the idea of doing no exercise made me really anxious ! Every time I got a spare moment I thought about getting on my bike or taking a walk, but told myself no just for this day. The idea of resting was not restful in the least !I am so glad this is a new day and I can get in some exercise ! When did this happen ? At what point did I begin to actually like exercise ???

Show me ! Show me !

My somewhere in the journey, July of 2008 at 40 pounds down


My before picture- Thanksgiving 2007 at 269.8 pounds

Wii whine

I really know better than to weigh myself every day. I really, really do . I know the human body can fluctuate in weight as much as 4 pounds in a day for assorted reasons. Normally i restrict myself from stepping on the scale more than once a week, same time, same place and in same clothing.

Enter the Wii Fit, which has a body test function . It weighs you every day , like it or not. It also calculates your BMI each day, and if you do the extended test, it will give youir body age. On a good day, these will come out as a loss of weight and being less than your calander age. In truth is, these fluctuate as well- if you are tired your core muscles get weak and you are less stable. You can suddenly be 20 years older, or at least have that state of physical condition.

I do other forms of exercise, mainly walking and riding my stationary bike. I am the mom of this losing family, and have to act as weight loss buddies to both the guys. Boy and i are great walking buddies. The husband and I do Wii fi together in the evenings( boy is still too heavy for the board), and I ride the bike for myself. With my last serious weight loss journey it proved to be the most effective exercise. I wind up having a great day , till I step on the Wii fit and it tells me I am older and fatter. Gee thanks ! Yesterday it said I had gained 6 pounds since Saturdays weigh in and I was 10 years older than my cronological age. Then, to add insult to injury, after punching in the info for the rest of my daily exercise, it told me I needed to take a break after 6 minutes. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper !

Yesterday- pointe allowed 29- points used 29
65 minutes of exercise
all health goals met

Two good days

Two good days in a row !!!

We took our second morning outside walk today, and it was just so awesome ! We have lived in this place for almost 5 years , and not once have we stepped out to really explore the terrain. I have no excuses outside of being lazy and letting my arthritis get in the way. i am so very tired of letting pain and stiffness prevent me from really living. I used to love going for hikes in the woods when I was growing up. Time does not always allow for the opportunity to walk in the woods, but darn it, there is no reason to avoid walking outside !

The boy is my walking partner, and as long as he has his MP3 player, he is a happy camper. His style is not so much walking as happilly dancing and walking wherever we go. it is really funny to watch, and proves to be a great distraction to any discomfort I may be feeling. It is hard to grumble about a walk with Mr Happy Boy spreading sunshine everywhere he goes. I think we amuse the squirrels as we go .

I have set a personal goal to reach the 200 pound mark by years end. That will be something I have not seen since first grade ! I am currently hovering at 233, so I belive this is a realistic goal.11 pounds per month is a very reasonable goal.

Visions of One-derland

Points allowed- 29 used 29

EXERCISE 65 min
Walk 20 min (beautiful outside !)
House-cARPET sweeper 15 min ( non electric- good arms and legs workout)
bike 25 min (13 miles)
Wii Fit 5 min Yoga ( too pressed for time to do more)

Breakfast 3 pts
veggie omlette( egg beaters, mushroom, onion, zuchinni,peppers, dill,garlic,olive oil)1
Yo + digestive yogert 1
1 cup melon 1
2 t flax seeds
coffee, black
water

snacks 15
Yo plus digestive yogert 1
1 c melon 1
1/2 c sugar free jello 0
100 cal pack almonds 2 ( double checked- really only 2 pts)
Snack pac pudding 2
Fiber 1 bar 2
1 Laughing Cow lite 1
18 all bran crackers 2
Keifer 2

Lunch 5 pts
salad(lettuce,mushroom, cucumbers, green onion) with 2 oz chicken breast 2
10 spriz Wishbone salad spritzer
apple 1
snack pack pudding 2
water

DINNER 8 pts
Grilled cheese ( Thomas lite Eng muffin, 2 slices provalone)6
Healthy Choice chicken noodle soup 2
carrot celery sticks 0
Diet pepsi 0

Water 128 oz
Exercise 65 min
multivitamin-yes
healthy oils 1

It's been a while

Wow- I keep forgetting that I have this blog !

Our weight loss journey has been going very well. Son has lost 60 pounds, I am still hovering around 40 pounds lost ( hormones just get more challenging as you age !) and hubby has lost 35.

Rather than simply accepting the fact that my hormones are going to make weight loss more challenging and slower, i am going to step up my efforts and try to send that hormonal roller coaster packing ! I have been reading a few Biggest Loser challenge Blogs, and I am considering trying to see if I can join one for some extra insperation. I really want to make greater progress before the year ends !