Jenny Craig Update: Week 5

Oh, what a crazy couple of weeks it has been. I traveled to Toronto for work, and went through shoulder surgery after injuring myself with an overly enthusiast golf swing. (Stitches come out tomorrow and I am counting down the hours!)

After my trip to the Great White North, I gained a pound. No biggie considering that more than one of my meals included fresh chocolate-covered blueberries. And last week I was too tired (and drugged) to drive to my weekly appointment. Instead, I sat on the couch for a couple of days eating like I didn't have to worry about it. Cupcakes included.

After all of that, I was a bit nervous about weighing in today. But I went, and I'm glad I did. Six pounds down since starting five weeks ago. It's not a huge loss yet, but it's a loss. Enough of one to keep me inspired for at least another six pounds!

Back From NYC

Cole and I just returned (well, a week ago) from five days in New York City. Why, oh why, do I love cupcakes and pizza so much? The good news is, even though I had more pizza and cupcakes than a girl should have in an entire year, I lost half a pound because we walked so much while we were there.

I've lost track of my total weight loss the last two or three weeks. It's up, it's down, I'm not paying much attention. What I am trying to do is pay more attention to simply living healthy. And I hope these little things I do to challenge myself will start adding up.

Today's challenge: Walk the dogs. Again. The weather has been beautiful and fall may actually arrive soon. I don't think we ever got higher than 71 degrees today, so after lunch today, I snuck away from my computer and took all the dogs out again for another walk. They loved it and napped all afternoon, and I felt better about at least one of those NYC cupcakes.

Vegas Challenge, SWAK

Cole and I are going to Las Vegas in a few weeks. We're both excited and agreed it would be a good time to challenge ourselves (and each other) to get a few pounds off. So I weighed this morning, wrote the date and the weight on a little piece of paper, and sealed it in an envelope. Cole is going to do the same. Then, on the Friday morning before we fly out, we'll open our envelopes to read our beginning weights and see who did the best!!!

We're still trying to decide on the prize, so if you have any fun Vegas (non-food related) ideas, I'd love to hear them!!!

So, here's to tracking and getting back on track...

Breakfast: yogurt with granola and sliced bananas

Mid-morning snack: 100-calorie chocolate bar

Lunch: grilled cheese sandwich
trail mix

Dinner: grilled stuffed pork chop
sliced apple
parmesan slices
slice of sourdough bread
snack cakes

Not great, but I started out strong.

Where to Begin

I've been absent, busy, unmotivated, happy to not be thinking about food and calories and points for a bit. But I'm about to talk myself back into getting into gear.

Now that things have calmed down after my dog bite, trip to Port Aransas and trip to Washington DC, I can begin to concentrate again on my health.

Hope and Sand

If my bathroom scale here is any indication, I've made progress the last two days. SXSW was tough on me in the food department. Good food, don't get me wrong, just too much of it. And I didn't drink half as much water as I should or as I usually do. If I had had my normal amount, I would have been up at least three times during those hour-long panels.

Our scale here at the house usually weighs me 2-2.2 heavier than the official WW scale, so I'm expecting (and hoping) to see a loss in the morning. Plus, I have new motivation: a beach trip the last weekend in May. Hanging out in a bathing suit on the boat with Cole is one thing, but being on a beach full of thousands of complete strangers is another for some reason.

I'm planning on going with a cousin and his kids, my folks and my grandmother, and I just want to play in the sand and collect shells and take pictures with the kids and be comfortable in my own skin.

Today's points:

Breakfast: chocolate-bran muffin: 1 point
banana: 2 points

Lunch: chicken pasta salad: 5 points
chips: 3 points

Afternoon snack: South Beach cookies: 3 points

Dinner: salad: 6 points
two cheese sticks: 4 points

TOTAL: 24 points. Still too many, but we'll see how tomorrow goes.

There's No Place Like Home

Home from Nashville. Pictures to come.

Turbulence

I don't like to fly. Well, scratch that. I do fine up in the air. It's the thought of flying that I really don't like. But I've come up with a little system that helps me get into the air without having to self-medicate or curl up into the fetal position, crying on the floor:

• Step 1: The rabbit is always in-hand.
• Step 2: I step on the airplane with my left foot, touching the plane with my right hand as I step in.
  
• Step 3: I pick a seat on the right side of the plane somewhere between aisles 11 and 15.
• Step 4: I listen for the landing gear to come up. I feel some comfort knowing that the pilot doesn't think we're going to need it anytime soon.
• Step 5: The "ding" when a flight attendant tells everyone we can now feel free to use electronic devices such as laptops, iPods, DVD players, etc.
• Step 6: The flight attendants actually get up and take drink orders.

When all of this happens in a timely manner, I feel fine and finally settle down.

Unless it gets bumpy. Last night's flight from Austin to Nashville was good for the most part. Before we even left the ground, the captain told us there would be some bumps as we headed up because of the clouds and rain. He told us. I was prepared. So it wasn't too bad when we hit said bumps and quickly got above the clouds into smooth sailing. Smooth sailing that is until we started our descent into Nashville. We were landing in the same weather we left: cold, rainy, wet, cloudy.

And we hit some bumps. I mean real bumps. Turbulence like I don't remember experiencing in several years. The kind that rocks you back and forth in your seat and knocks your elbows into the armrests on both sides. I gasped, prayed, clutched onto Cole's arm until the rockiness pulled him from my grasp. It felt like it lasted for about seven minutes.

And all this time, there was a little girl across the aisle from me, I mean little, maybe two years old tops, all throughout this turbulence she is giggling like she's on the tilt-a-whirl at the amusement park. Not just little giggles, but laughter. The pure laughter that must be one of the prettiest sounds on earth. Uninhibited, uncensored, joyous laughter. I'm on the verge of tears and she's having the time of her life.

The bumps stop. We hit smooth air. And it turns out it wasn't seven minutes, but probably just 12 seconds. I open my eyes again, and the little girl across the aisle -- binky still in her mouth -- is yelling: "Do it again! Do it again!!!"

Home From NYC

After eating our weight in pizza, we're finally home from five days in New York City.

We had an absolute blast -- and my pants did fit this morning when I got dressed -- but I haven't stepped on a scale yet to see the damage. Hopefully walking seven miles every day helped too...

Back on track tomorrow...

It's good to be home.

Five Thoughts to Carry

This is a note to self, so please don't feel like you have to read it...

When traveling this week, the following five things will help me stay in control:

1. Watch portions!!! It's okay to eat just half of what's on my plate and waste the rest.
2. Get some fresh fruits and veggies in every day.
3. Drink more than enough water.
4. Wear the pedometer every day. The highest number I've ever seen on the pedometer was around 19,000. It'd be nice to hit 10,000 each day.
5. It's okay to have fun. I will not feel guilty about the cupcake I'm going to enjoy Sunday evening.

Today's points:

Breakfast: Smart Ones muffin: 4 points

Mid-morning snack: banana: 2 points

Lunch: nuggets: 3 points
fruit cup: 1 point
snack cakes: 1 point

Afternoon snack: English muffin w/peanut butter: 4 points

Dinner: pork chop: 4 points
apple: 1 point
parm crisps: 2 points
snack cakes: 1 point

TOTAL: 23 points

Home in Austin

I flew home from Nashville last night and we landed about 20 minutes early. (Rex's flights on Southwest were early this week too.)

I came home to a houseful of sweet doggies and kitties that all seemed very happy to see me. Thunder and I shared one of our most tender moments to date when he came and sat at my feet and looked up at me while I was unpacking some things in the closet. I squatted down to pet him, and he tucked his head under my chin and just sat there for several minutes. Such a sweet boy!!!

We're off to the lake today. Grab your swimsuit and join us!!!

My Timing Is Totally Whacked

I'm not used to eating breakfast at 6:30 in the morning. On a normal day, I get up, feed and walk the dogs, and sip on a cup of coffee my first hour of work. Then, finally around 9, I'll go into the kitchen for a bite to eat. Then about two hours later, I'll have a little snack to hold me until lunch.

While I'm in Nashville, I'm up and moving much earlier and at a much brisker pace. By 6:30 I'm awake, showered and heading for the continental breakfast in the lobby. So come 9:30, I'm hungry again. But I think if I have a snack and can talk everyone in to an early group lunch, I should be back on track come 1 p.m.

Breakfast: This morning it was Cheerios, skim milk and yogurt. Banana in my purse for my mid-morning snack.

Mid-morning snack: Said banana, and a Kashi granola bar. It had gotten too far from 6:30, and I had to have something.

Lunch: Half a chicken salad sandwich (made with apples and pecans, yummy!!!), about five sips of shrimp bisque and some fresh melon from Bosco's. And... a kid-size cup of Maggie Moo's cinnamoo ice cream. We'll call that John's fault.

Afternoon snack: Half a cup of coffee and a Rice Krispie treat (small one).

Dinner: Megan and I wandered the Mall at Green Hills for a while after work this evening then grabbed a quick dinner at Carrabba's. Neither of us really thought we were hungry for a full dinner, but when we sat down and caught the fresh aromas wafting through the restaurant, we were both ready to eat. Here's what I had: a crab cake about the diameter of a tennis ball, a piece of sourdough bread, minestrone soup, and about half of the Tomato Caprese you see above. Yummy!!!

The Land of Cream Cheese Danishes

(Photo: Somewhere between Austin and Nashville last night.)

Breakfast: Shame on the man who first concocted such a sweet treat for breakfast!!! But I'm happy to report: This morning at my hotel continental breakfast, I resisted. Oh, there were plenty of danishes ready for the taking, along with bagels as big as my head, sweet muffins and some toasted bread piled two inches high with cheese, eggs and bacon bubbling on the top. But I was strong.

Instead I opted for the Special K cereal, skim milk and yogurt. I also threw a banana in my purse to have as my usual mid-morning snack. It was a proud moment.

Lunch: Laura, Rex and I had lunch today at Noshville. I feel like I may be getting this eating-while-traveling thing down. I had a club sandwich with no mayo (ick!) or cheese and was only able to eat half of it, and a side of fresh fruit instead of fries. Mind you, they brought the giant basket of fries out anyway and sat them right beside my grapes and pineapple and melon, but I did not touch a single one. Rex and Laura are witness to my strength. I also had some iced tea with Splenda. There were some beautiful black and white cookies staring at us from the counter, and the thought of bringing one back to the office to have as my afternoon snack crossed my mind -- more than once -- but I packed snacks yesterday before I left the house so that such urges didn't take my brain over. I have Kashi bars, Kudos bars and 100-calorie Gold Fish packs. A single bite of the b/w cookie probably has that many calories.

Afternoon snack: There's a cafe in the bottom floor of our building, and I hadn't had a drop of coffee all day. Our kitchen has a coffee pot, but I'm fairly snooty and froofy when it comes to coffee. So when Megan told me the cafe closes at 3 p.m. and they serve only Starbucks coffee, I thought I'd better head down there for my fix. I had a cafe latte with skim milk. And I only drank about half of it. I can't handle coffee when it starts to get cold the least little bit.

I also had a Kashi granola bar. You know the one.

4:42 p.m. Two pieces of hard butterscotch candy.

Dinner: By the time I got out of the office and drove across town, I was ready to just grab some food and take it back to my hotel room. I did not want a burger and fries -- though that would have been so easy. Instead, I ran into Darfon's on Elm Hill Pike and ordered some spinach lasagna and a house salad with cucumber and tomato. I ate almost all the salad (balsamic vinaigrette on the side) and about half of the lasagna. I also ate a piece of sourdough bread that they included in my bag. Stinkers.

Overall, I'm pleased with how the day went...

Catching up and Flying out

Just some quick catching up before I pack a bag and head to Nashville for a few days...

When I weighed in Saturday morning, I was up a pound. A perfect ugly round pound. But I totally get it. Last week had burgers and pizza and too many things that a week shouldn't normally have. I continue to conquer this weight-loss effort giving myself permission to eat the things I want every once in a while, but last week was further proof to me that I can't do that every single day. I just can't eat the way I could when I was 20. And I do hope getting in several bike rides each week for the next few weeks will help knock these last nine pounds off. I know just one week of trying won't do it.

We did get a lot of activity in this Labor Day Weekend though. Skiing, long walks with the dogs, a nice bike ride, walking around the State Capitol and running in the rain.

Going to Nashville will not be reason for me to just eat whatever I want. I may not be able to track every single point perfectly, but I will keep an eye on portions, getting in plenty of fruits and veggies, and drinking lots o' water.

Here's how today looked before I hopped on the plane...

Breakfast: cereal: 3 points
1/2 cup soymilk: 1 point

Mid-morning snack: banana: 2 points

Lunch: wrap: 3 points
pretzels: 2 points
cantaloupe: 1 point

Afternoon snack: Kashi granola bar: 2 points

Dinner: chicken strips and fries: 8 points
(My plan is to grab a kids pack from Sonic as I land and head to my hotel. Not healthy, but quick.)

TOTAL: 22 points. Here's hoping for a good week of eating out of town... wish me luck!!!

Eating in Nashville

Well, I landed in Nashville last night just before 9 and went to the grocery store for snacks, water and fruit. The hotel where I'm staying has a little fridge and microwave, so I figured I'd do much better with points and calories if I planned and prepared rather than eating out for every meal and hitting the vending machine for snacks. Today, it's working. But after three days of traveling and living out of a hotel, I'll be happy just to maintain come Thursday's weigh in. I just don't want to have any sort of gain...

So... water, water, water and smart choices will get me through Wednesday night when I fly home. I find that I really want my scale here with me. Can't they come up with some sort of little fold-up scale for travel??? Someone probably has already. I find myself wanting to weigh to see how I did over the weekend, to see how I've done today. Even though I know what I ate, how much water I drank and how much Cole and I ran around and worked this weekend, I'd still for some reason like to see a digital read of it. Is that obsessive of me???

What a Week!

Well, this time a week ago, Cole and I were grabbing luggage and heading to the airport. Right now, I'm sitting at my desk with three dogs sleeping around me.

It's been a crazy week, but the boys have allowed Thunder to come in and start becoming a part of our little family much more smoothly than I expected. There have been a couple of barks here and there, don't get me wrong, but that's mostly T.J. just telling Thunder he doesn't want to play right now. No fights over food or toys or who is sitting closer to Cole. Now that the ice is thawed and down the drain, we've started getting ourselves into a regular walking routine that is good for all of us.

Now this weekend the real fun begins: Getting Thunder to understand that the cats are not an afternoon snack... I'll keep you posted!!!

Thunder and Rain

Well, he's home. We're home. Exhausted, drained, safe and home. We're running on four hours of sleep right now...

Cole provided an excellent recap of the trip back from Nashville. It really went more smoothly than I expected. It rained on and off the whole trip, basically from one end of Arkansas to the other, but we were very lucky that at the vital points of the trip -- picking Thunder up from NHA, stopping to rest/walk in Memphis, etc. -- the rain let up enough for us to do what we needed to do. I consider it someone up above taking good care of all of us...

I can't express my thanks enough to Rex and Kerry for their support during this whole crazy thing. Thanks to them, we have plenty of pictures of the adoption day, Jan. 13, which will now be Thunder's official birthday in our house.

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon. The first blood was drawn. Thunder thinks the cats are pretty cool and would realllllly like to get close and check them out. C.J. is hiding right now so that doesn't happen to her, and Augie let him know that she's not cool with that quite yet either by leaving a claw in his forehead. I hope the novelty of the little kitties will wear off soon.

After eating lunch at the Salt Lick for our annual "Huggins-Bailey-Fowler-Saucedo After-Christmas Birthday Celebration" today, I headed out to Stay 'N Play to pick up the boys. Then Cole and Thunder met us in the park. Again, the rain let up long enough for us to spend all that time outside together. I was pleasantly surprised at their first meeting!!! I'm not saying they were acting like long-lost friends, but we sniffed and walked and sniffed and walked and they all did really great. Thunder has been around other dogs and it shows. As I type, T.J. is curled up in bed, Bugsy is sitting beside me on the couch, and Thunder is laying in the floor near Cole, chewing on a bone.

So, when is this dog gonna get some sleep??? hehe

Check out his pictures, more to come soon.

Country Ham and Moon Pies

We got home from Nashville last night a few minutes before 8 p.m. I don't have the energy this evening to do an eloquent wrap-up post of any kind, so this will be what Stacey calls "one of them bullet posts."

• I landed in Nashville late Tuesday night. I've started going late at night instead of waking up and taking the first plane out. I just do better when I get a good night's sleep.
• Wednesday I worked a full day.
• Thursday afternoon Cole flew in and we attended the annual Hammock Publishing Christmas party. View pictures here. Dinner was great. Rex was as generous as ever. And the party bus was a scream. I think it got to about 17 degrees while we were out that night, so I feel like I've officially seen winter.
• Friday I worked half a day, then Cole and I grabbed a bite to eat at the Flying Saucer and visited the Tennessee State Capitol. It was a little cold to be strolling the grounds, but we did it anyway. It's a beautiful building. Visit if you get the chance.
• Friday evening we drove to the Loveless Cafe for dinner. Well, we ate breakfast foods at dinner, so I guess it still counts as dinner. Again, it was incredibly cold! We got there during their last hour of being open, and we wanted to do some shopping in the "Hams and Jams" giftshop. Our waitress called the giftshop to see if they were still open, and they were actually trying to close up. But the kind lady at the giftshop stuck around for us to do some shopping. Biscuit mix, t-shirts and a magnet, and we were on our way to get lost in rural Tennessee.
• Saturday morning we slept in a bit before hitting the road to Lynchburg. We did the touristy thing and took a tour at the Jack Daniel's Distillery. Our guide was a hoot. I didn't understand every word that came out of his mouth, but he made the tour very entertaining and educational. Maybe one day the hair in my nose will grow back. Sniffing that stuff in the middle of the mellowing process will clean your sinuses right out!!!
• After our tour, we headed out of Lynchburg looking for a speck on the map called Lynnville. Laura had tipped us off to the Southern Living article about a gentleman named Colonel Littleton. I think we drove for probably an hour, winding in and out of the hills of rural south Tennessee. There were miles and miles of the drive where we couldn't pick up cell service. And you know you're driving through really small towns when there is horse poop on Main Street. When we finally hit Lynnville, we stopped for directions and ended up having a late lunch at a place called Soda Pop Junction. It's apparently pretty famous in those parts. After shopping at the colonel's place and visiting with the sweet ladies there, we took our mini Moon Pies (order something from him and you'll get one too!) and headed back to Nashville. This time on the interstate. We were drained enough from our day if whiskey-sniffing and driving winding roads that we ordered room service and stayed in.
  
• Sunday morning we got a fairly early start and fueled ourselves with breakfast at the Pancake Pantry. We timed our visit perfectly because by the time we sat down, the line to come in and eat was down the sidewalk. It was a little warmer on Sunday, so we walked around Centennial Park and enjoyed the Parthenon and the squirrels.
  
• Side note: If/when you shop for Christie Cookies, shop at the Village Green location. We stopped by there for our regular Christie fix. The place looked open from the parking lot; there was a gentleman inside working. But upon sticking our heads in and asking, he was he was in fact closed and asked what we wanted. We only wanted a couple, so he hooked us up and would only take about half what a register would have told him the total was. He was so kind to us, and never made us felt like we were ruining his day or not moving fast enough for him. That is now officially my favorite Christie location!!! Visit there soon and do your cookie business there.
• Although I didn't have room for it, we had lunch at Maggiano's. That's the same place where we had the Hammock Christmas party last year, so we knew it would be good. Then we headed to the airport to catch a flight back to the Lone Star State.

See all my pictures of the trip here. I'll let you know when Cole's are up. I'm sure I'm probably forgetting something, and if I am, I'll fill in the blanks later. G'night!!!