Day 13 - Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock...

Mostly rocks.  14 tons of rocks.

Friend says "Hey, what are you doing tonight or tomorrow morning?"
I says "Ummm..WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!"
Friend says "Rocks.  I have rocks."
I says "I have naps to take and stuff to think about doing."
Friend says "I have a new kitty condo. You want it?"
I says "Hell yes!"
Friend says "Rocks.  I have rocks."

Sooo, being the kindhearted and selfless pal that I am, I drove the 15 miles to her house, and with another friend we shoved some rocks.  Into wheelbarrows.  Then pushed those wheelbarrows thru more rocks into a back yard.  Then we dumped the rocks and raked the rocks.  I was there for a couple hours and the pile of rocks never got smaller.  I sweated my ass off, and I'm going to be sore (not as sore as them, they were at it longer), but that's the most physical labor I've done in a long time.

But, it's activity points!  I had to find something along the lines of what I did so I could log it in my WW thingy.  I found one that was "hauling leaves, wheelbarrow work".  I used a wheelbarrow.  1 point for 10 minutes.  Plus, earlier today I walked 2 miles for a sandwich.  With that, I ended up with 13 "activity" points, which came in handy, because of the following issue:

I weighed in this morning - 11 pounds down! Woohoo!  I typo'ed the amount originally, and WW said I'd lost 105lbs - I wish!  Anyway, I fixed it, and then my points went from 35 to 40.  What?

That kind of baffled me all day.  Then I figured maybe it was some kind of maintenance thing - go up for a week, then back down?  Turns out, when I had my little typo faux pas, it somehow changed my plan into 'maintain weight' setting instead of the 'lose weight' setting.  Of course, I didn't figure that out until after I had that pizza for dinner (before rock shoveling).  So technically, I went over my points today.  That's where my Rock Shovelin' came in handy.  So now, I'm at 34 points.  I can handle that :)

And since we're here, I will post what I will call my official 'before' photo.  I hate hate HATE having my picture taken, by the way.  Just so you know.

Why I need suspenders

also known as:  I spent all my money on new clothes that don't fit me now so somebody needs to buy me a damned belt! HA!

True that.  Right before I started this little 'adventure', I semi-permanently scarred my Lane Bryant credit card.  I was so happy that I got a couple pairs of pants, some capri's, and SHORTS!  I haven't had a pair of shorts in years, and I was so happy to have bottoms that fit me like a GLOVE.  Perfect.  Of course, I was unhappy with my appearance anyway (still am), but it was good to not have chub rubbed thighs, or the waste-band cutting into me like Freddy Krueger.

Then this......

It turns out that my 'weigh in' day on WW Online was set for Saturday.  I went and changed it to Friday, since I use the scale at work.  Ain't no way I'm going across town on a Saturday just to put my fat arse on a scale.  So I weighed myself on Friday.  BUT - since I said on here that I was going to weigh in on Mondays, I'm going to do that to.  And I did.

Starting Weight on 6/30/13:  242lbs
Weight as of 7/8/13:             236lbs

That's EIGHT pounds lost!  It's a little, and it's a lot.  Enough that my pants won't stay up.  Enough that The Funny Skinny Girl at work said "OMG, You've lost weight!"...she said, because she could see curves on my sides!!

YAY ME!!!

Location, Location, Location. Day 5.

It's all about how close of a proximity your desk is to the bathroom.  Thankfully, mine is close.

Previously, I hardly drank any water.  I was a HUGE soda drinker.  I'd go on occasional 'binges' where I'd drink Coke Zero instead of regular Coke, but still...water was lacking.  I haven't had ANY kind of soda since last Friday.  When I'm sick of water, I've been drinking unsweetened tea with Stevia.

Drinking this amount of tea in water, results in the obvious.  Water in, water out.  This makes for VERY unpleasant bus rides home. So, I've got to remember to cut myself off 30 minutes before I leave, and hit the can before I go home.  The chances that I'll have to hit a gas station or something on the 3 mile drive home from the bus stop are very good.

I've been religiously tracking my points, and making sure it's 'worth it' before I eat something.  This morning, I did splurge.  I did Jack In The Box again, but I kept it low and in my points budget for breakfast.

One website that is helpful for me in changing my mind is is This One.  It's got just about EVERY SINGLE fast food & dine in restaurant you can think of, with pretty much their whole menus mapped out in points.

Now, Jack In The Box is our regular go-to restaurant, because it's close.  There's McDonald's, too, but The Boy doesn't like their breakfasts.  So, we go to JIB a LOT.  This is what I would typically get from there, for say...lunch:

Bacon Ultimate Cheese Burger (with lettuce & pickles added) - 25 POINTS!
Large Seasoned Curly Fries - 16 POINTS!
2 Tacos - 10 POINTS!
32 Coke - 12 POINTS!

See, that's ONE very LARGE meal and it' 63 POINTS!  That's almost DOUBLE what my WW allowance is!  That may be the only meal I eat all day, but it may not.  Any way, no bueno.  Either way - I wasn't eating enough food thru the day but having more than twice the caloric intake....or just eating WAAYYYYY more than my caloric intake if I had any other meals.

Kind of makes me sick now, looking at it that way.

I spent some time looking at that website this morning, finding places that we typically go to, and stuff that I could 'safely' order.  There's not much, without splurging on those 'extra' points they give for the week (that I don't feel very comfortable using).  I'm trying to keep each meal at around 10 points or under, giving way for the 'snack' points, that aren't vegetables.  This puts me right to my limit of 36 per day.  If I have a lighter meal, I can carry those points up to the next one.

Today, I might splurge a few points over, though.  I'm taking The Boy to the movies in a bit, and I will be "forced" to eat movie theater popcorn. I will be good (mostly, because he's a popcorn hog so I'll be hard pressed to get any in the first place).

Oh yeah, I should mention this:  I weighed myself at work on Monday, and I was right.  I weighed 242lbs.  This is the heaviest I've ever been.  I will make it a point to weigh myself every Monday morning, wearing the same outfit.  Fingers crossed!!

The First Three Days Are the Hardest

I've heard this a few times.  And boy, were they right!

I am happy to announce, though, that I have not cheated even once!  As much as I want some taco's right now, or pizza last night - I prevailed.  Oh yeah, and I still had pizza last night!

Both yesterday and today, I went right up to my points - not under, not over.  So proud!  And I still have an apple that I haven't eaten yet!

Yesterday, I ate:
Nutri-Grain Cereal Bar
Smart Ones Breakfast Sandwich (turkey sausage, egg, cheese on engl. muffin)
V8 Fruit Fusion - Strawberry & Banana
Smart Ones Roast Turkey & Mashed Potatoes (lunch)
Smart Ones Mini Pizza's (dinner) **Note:  I did eat both trays though, stayed within my points.  I REALLY wanted pizza!!**
Yoplait Greek 100 lemon yogurt
Keebler 100 Calorie Right Bites Fudge Stripe Mini's
For  my snacks I munched on fruit - banana's, apples, peaches, & plums.

Today, I ate:
Nutri-Grain Cereal Bar
Smart Ones Breakfast Sandwich (turkey sausage, egg, cheese on engl. muffin)
V8 Fruit Fusion - Strawberry & Banana
Special K Cracker Chips - Cheddar (27 chips/3pts) - these were friggin' tasty!!
Smart Ones Lasagna (lunch)
Yoplait Greek 100 Black Cherry Yogurt
1 mini bag of Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop (butter) popcorn
2 cups mixed greens salad (with kale, spinach, cabbage, and gosh knows what else)
8 mini carrot sticks
2 celery stalks
3oz chicken breast, leftover from Sunday.  I cut up and put on my salad.
4tbsp Wishbone Light 1000 Island Dressing
Keebler 100 Calorie Right Bites Fudge Stripe Mini's
Snacks - the fruits :)

Now see, this is a LOT of food for me to be eating all day long.  I'm finding myself more aware of what I'm about to put in me, and planning ahead of time.  Sure, it's been only 3 days, but I can feel my body changing a bit.  Mainly, after that salad I just ate, I'm actually FULL!  I haven't had a soda in 3 days either - I'm drinking iced tea instead.  I'm using Stevia as a sweetener, so it's ZERO points!

Here's my typical before daily eatin':
1 44oz Coke from QT
1 sausage, egg, & cheese biscuit from QT
and then...
Either a whole totino's frozen pizza or some kind of combo from a fast food drive thru - usually super sized.

That's it.  That's what I ate.  Sometimes, I'd pick up another 44oz of coke on my way home.

Not so good, eh?

So...lets hope the next 3 days finds me not wanting to eat those tacos.

My name is Erin, and I'm fat.  I'm fat and I'm lazy.  I think I'm lazy because I'm fat.

In the past there have been times when I realized that I am fat, and that I need to do something about it.  I'd stop drinking soda for a couple days.  Maybe I'd join a gym and go once or twice.  Then I'd just give up, because I am lazy.

I'm 37 years old, and it's time for me to buckle down and change.

I'm not sure of my exact weight, as I don't own a scale.  We have one at work, so I'll hop on it tomorrow.  Betcha a dollar that it's at least 240.  I'm 5 feet 5 inches tall.  I wear a size 18/20 in 'The Fat Lady Store' clothes, but higher from Big Box stores (Walmart, Target, etc).

Today I started Weight Watchers Online.  You know, the one where you track your points?  I'm allotted 35 points per day, and as of 5:07pm I have 9 remaining, and I still need to have dinner.  This was my fault, because I fell into my normal 'routine' of Jack In The Box for breakfast this morning.  That was 11 points.  I need to not do that anymore.

Part of my problem with gaining (read: not losing) weight, is because of my eating habits.  I don't eat often enough, and when I do, I over eat.  This slows my metabolism.  I've known this for a long time, but I have never done anything to correct it.

Another issue, is the way my family eats:  We are VERY picky.  My husband has eaten the same thing for dinner every night for nearly 9 years.  Yes.  Every night.  The same thing.  He's the same way with his lunch, but with a bit more variety.  He is not fat, far from it.  He's maybe 125 soaking wet. My son, who has Autism, is also picky.  Over the last couple years he's expanded his horizons a bit to build onto his diet of pizza and corn dogs, but I'm still hard pressed to get him to eat 'real home-cooked' food.  And then, there's me.  There are a lot of things I will eat, but a lot of things I won't (or can't bring myself to eat).  I'm more of a 'comfort food' lover.  I really like fried things with gravy on it.  I really like Dorito's.  And I REALLY like my Coke.  I also don't eat vegetables.  Don't judge me.

With the above mentioned, it's good to note that I don't cook.  I don't cook, because I'm the only one that will eat it.  Every once in a while I'll make myself chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes...but then I get stuck eating it for 2 or 3 days because of the leftovers.  Since I don't cook, it's easier for me to pop in a frozen pizza for myself when I get home, or grab some taco's from Jack In The Box on my way home (God, I love those nasty things!).  Or, I just don't eat at all.  I might have a little breakfast sandwich in the morning, and maybe something for lunch.  Then I may or may not eat dinner at all.  Sometimes, I put off eating dinner until right before I go to bed.  No bueno.

So, last night I signed up for WW Online.  I paid my $57 for 3 months.  You know I'm semi-serious when I put that kind of money into something.  That could have bought me 114 tacos.

This morning, I started.  Again, I had a fail moment with the breakfast jack, but I did mark it in my points.  I didn't cheat and skip over it, and I'm owning what I did.

I went to the grocery store today and I bought a bunch of things that I can and will eat.  I stuck with a bunch of the Smart One's meals by WW - firstly, because they're only $2 each (or less), they are somewhat tasty, and it takes the guesswork out of it for me. I got myself breakfasts & lunches for the entire week.  I picked up baby carrots & celery (VEGGIES!) for snacks, and some fruits (bananas, apples, plums, peaches).  Those are all zero points, so I can eat them without guilt.  I also got some 'light' popcorn that I still need to figure out the points for, some flaxseed 'buttery' spread to use on stuff.  Also some salad mix, light dressing, so I can have a side salad with dinner. This was the 'good' mix that has kale, spinach and stuff in it.  For dinners I have boneless/skinless chicken breasts, and I also picked up some veggie burgers to try out.  I can drown those in mustard & ketchup if they taste funky.

Anyway, that's where I'm at.  Going to make every attempt to use this blog to keep me accountable, even if I'm the only one reading it.

Peach out!