HBO's The Weight of the Nation

I'll be watching...

A Weight-Loss Update

Remember the old Slim Fast plan? "A shake for breakfast, another for lunch and a sensible dinner." I would have starved on the first day, devouring everything I could get my hands on come 3 p.m.

For the last month, I've been doing their new 3-2-1 plan (Three snacks, two Slim Fast meals and dinner on my own). And I've lost 10 pounds. 10 pounds! I couldn't believe it when I stepped on the scale this morning. I seriously squinted my eyes and bent closer to the scale to make sure I was reading it correctly.

It's been so easy. I have a shake or a meal bar for both breakfast and lunch, and then I scatter three snacks throughout the day before that "sensible dinner." For me, that means a snack late in the morning and two in the afternoon. My snacks have been things like yogurt, nuts, fresh fruit, dried fruit, even a cookie or two along the way. I try to keep those snacks around 100-150 calories. And it's working!

I was a little hesitant to share that Slim Fast is what I've been doing, that y'all would think of it as something other than real food. But when I compared the labels to the things I had been eating previously, it all made total sense. I'm getting a ton of protein in, fiber, vitamins, the whole shebang, and I'm getting my fruits and veggies in during snacks and dinner. My blood work after my annual visit to my doctor last week came back "excellent."

How will I reward myself? Not with cupcakes. My plan is to start either a Pandora bracelet or necklace now that I've hit that 10-pound mark, and I'll add a charm with each five pounds.

I Ate One Cookie, and Only One Cookie

Two weeks ago, I would not have been able to make such a claim when a box of cookies was placed on the table in front of me. But this weekend, when I picked up a package of cookies on the recommendation of a friend, I ate one of them. Just one. And it was amazing!

I think there has been a bit of a change in my brain. And over the past week, I've lost six pounds. Now, I know that is not sustainable or even healthy to do on an on-going basis, but for my first week on the new mystery program, I'm very pleased. And six pounds: That just shows me how terribly I was eating (and how much) before.

Now if my brain can just turn on its "I love to exercise" lobe, I'll really be rockin' and rollin'...

Oh, the mystery program? I think I'm just about ready to share. If I can just figure out how to do it without sounding like a commercial...

Good Start

I haven't stepped on a scale in about a month. I know without even looking that I gained my six pounds from Jenny Craig back. I can feel it in my jeans. I was thinking about it this morning, and I'm guessing I've lost the same 20 pounds four times now. I know that's not healthy. And I know all I can do is keep trying and going from this very moment.

My goal is simple right now: To eat better and less. And to track it all.

Breakfast: cereal: 100 calories
1/2 cup fat-free milk: 40 calories
banana: 80 calories
(220 calories)

Lunch: Healthy Choice pasta lunch: 340 calories
crunchy bread sticks (90 calories)
(430 calories)

And then I worked a 13-hour day and ordered pizza for dinner. Dadgumit.

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!

Jenny Craig Update: Week 1

In the middle of what has been a crazy day (including an x-ray for a shoulder injury playing golf last night and getting my car towed to the dealership because it had absolutely no power at all), I weighed in at Jenny Craig to see how my first week had gone. A nice 3.4 pounds down!

I like the structure of Jenny Craig. I like that the routine and the planned menu allow me to let go of my tendency to obsess about what I'll be eating next. I know exactly what I'll be having for my next meal.

I know the weight-loss numbers after the first week or two are never as big and impressive as they are when first getting started with a program, but this 3.4 sure gives me some encouragement and motivation to have another great week!

(X-ray showed no problems with my shoulder bones. I'm waiting for a call to schedule an MRI to check for tissue damage. I hope to be back on the driving range very soon!)

Sick of "Dieting"

One of these days, I'll get to a healthy and happy weight and I'll learn to maintain it. All of this yo-yo dieting over the years has taught me that that is the weakest link in my dieting chain. I'm good at losing weight. I'm also good at gaining it back.

So yesterday -- I just felt like the time was right this week -- I had a consultation with a sweet lady named Tish at Jenny Craig. The thought of having to "diet" again makes my head hurt, but walking in those doors yesterday and walking out with a plan feels great!

I did Jenny Craig years ago and was very successful with it. The structure and plan are good for me. Today will be my first full day back on the plan (I did have a Jenny dinner last night) and I'm feeling motivated and ready. Now let's see how long that actually lasts!

Good Afternoon

I've learned something about myself while counting calories these last few days: I could easily eat 1,000 calories from 2-5 p.m. every day. Okay, well, maybe not 1,000. But a bite of this, a handful of that and one of those will add up VERY quickly.

It's good for me. As crazed as I've been about my weight these last few years, I've never counted calories, and doing so has been so eye-opening. I hope I can keep it going!

Day Two

For two days, I've been counting calories. And so far, I love it!

I've never counted calories before. I've eaten what certain programs told me to eat, and I've counted points. But never calories.

My iPhone is helping. I'm using an app called Lose It! that we heard about from a friend on Twitter. And can I just say this: The psychology of the numbers is amazing to me. My mind is doing much better midday when I realize I can eat 800 more calories instead of just 6 more points. For some reason, just the difference in those numbers has let me relax my brain. For the last two days, I haven't been obsessing, worrying or guilting myself about food. And I've lost two pounds!

(Note: I don't expect to lose a pound a day going forward; no one should. It just goes to show how badly I was eating before I started tracking again.)

Holy Cow!

I stepped on the scale this morning. I don't remember the last time I did. It was time.

I'm disgusted.

So, here we go...

I've been making horrible choices and lots of them lately. We haven't been running since before our trip to NYC, so it's time to start that up again too.

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

Lunch: chicken flautas: 8 points
apple: 1 point

Afternoon snack: banana: 2 points

Dinner: soup: 4 points
half grilled cheese: 4 points
chips: 1 point

TOTAL: 23 points. I'll take it!

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.

Drink up!

Yesterday I issued myself a little denim challenge. It didn't have anything to do with counting calories or the number on the scale. I was pleased with the results, and maybe one of my five readers out there decided to do the same. (Let me know if you did.)

So for some reason this morning I woke up thinking about other little challenges I could give myself on this journey to better health. So my challenge today: 10 cups of water.

I'm normally pretty good about getting six in, and on a good day when I run, eight is no problem. But I decided today to try to get 10 full services down the hatch. Whadya say? Wanna join me?

An Experiment in Denim

I don't think I've put on a pair of jeans all summer. My daily wardrobe consists of t-shirts and draw-string shorts. Sometimes I even pair up a tank top and a simple skirt.

So with fall in the air and an upcoming trip to the northeast, where it will surely be a bit cooler, I've started planning what to pack in my mind. It will require long pants and sleeves, so I decided today to slip on a pair of jeans my butt hasn't seen since March.

If you haven't pulled up your favorite jeans all summer. Stop what you're doing now and go into your closet. I'm happy to say mine will be packed for the trip. They fit with no problems. If I wanna look my best in them, continuing on my ever-so-bumpy weight-loss journey will be best, but they do fit.

My point is this: Counting points is one way to measure, so is the number on the scale. But putting those jeans on today and looking in the mirror was just the test I needed to take.

Turning Point

I did not weigh Saturday. I didn't want to and I knew I wouldn't have posted a loss anyway. So I ate with abandon over the weekend. Cupcakes, wings, hamburgers, the whole bit. And I felt physically horrible because of it.

Monday evening after work we ran, and I continued to feel horrible. Heavy, tired, slow, puffy. I knew it was the terrible eating over the weekend, and I don't want to feel like that. I am coming to realize that the better I eat, the better I run. And the better (more) I run, the better I eat. It's a great cycle to get myself into, and I'm trying.

I am also on day two of no caffeine. My head is finally starting to feel like it's deflating and is a normal size again, and the pounding has slowed to a gentle thump. I didn't set out to cut the caffeine from my day, but it's an indirect result of me finally telling myself the truth about my morning vanilla lattes. I wasn't counting the points. I was having one each morning and somewhere in my mind I was letting myself believe that they didn't count. That if they did count, I was walking them off every day when I was walking dogs. That it took me an hour to drink one, so the points were going into my system so slowly they didn't count.

And even though when I stepped on our home scale this morning I was still up from the weekend, I feel like I've turned a corner. One where I'm more honest with myself. As much as I'd like to be thin by next Monday, I know that ultimately this is a lifelong journey toward health. The shape of my body is just a side effect.

A Tiny Loss

Well, I had a loss when I weighed on Saturday, but it was a tiny one. I don't feel like I'm doing great this week, but little by little is fine with me...

Breakfast: whole-grain waffles: 3 points
butter, chocolate chips, syrup: 4 points

Lunch: grilled cheese sandwich: 5 points
applesauce: 1 point
snack cakes: 1 point

Afternoon snack: peanut butter crackers: 4 points

Dinner: cereal: 3 points
soymilk: 2 point

TOTAL: 23. I'll take it, plus, we ran this evening.

Weekend Worries

I need to get a grip on the weekends. I'm only two weeks in to Weight Watchers again, and I'm doing great Monday through Friday. But the weekends I'm letting myself off the hook when it comes to counting points. I really hate to get into the cycle of losing two pounds in a week just to put them back on over the weekend.

I'm trying to make good decisions, but I know the scale would really show it if I made more of an effort on the weekends. Maybe that should be my goal for the week: Actually count points Saturday and Sunday. Yes. I'll do that.

Breakfast: breakfast burrito: 5 points
(scrambled egg, 6" tortilla, 1-point WW cheese)

Lunch: SouthBeach sandwich: 7 points
chips: 1 point
snack cakes: 1 point

Afternoon snack: peanut butter toast: 5 points

Dinner: cereal: 3 points
soymilk: 1 point

TOTAL: 23. Two more than I should be having starting this week, but we did run this evening... And how pitiful is it that I didn't get a single fresh fruit or veggie in today?!

On the Scale

Well, another 2.6 down when I stepped on the scale today. That's four pounds total since starting Weight Watchers and running again two weeks ago. That makes me feel like I can definitely reach my goal of 10 pounds by Thanksgiving.

Last weekend was a bit of a free for all, and I want to try not to do that again this weekend.

Tuesday Food Journal

It's going to be a busy week. Two camera classes, haircut, running, work.

I'm sorry I haven't had more to say on the weight-loss front. I'm sure more will come to me when I get a little further into it. Maybe this is my way of keeping myself from obsessing. I eat. I count points. I go on about my day. No obsessing here.

Breakfast: breakfast cookie: 3 points
banana: 2 points

Lunch: grilled cheese sandwich: 5 points
applesauce: 1 point
snack cakes: 1 point

Afternoon snack: peanut butter toast: 4 points
Tootsie Roll Pop: 1 point
banana: 2 points

Dinner: cereal: 2 points
soymilk: 1 point

TOTAL: 22 points. I think I'll have to drop to 21 points next week.

Catching up

Just some randomness...

I lost 1.4 pounds at my weigh in Saturday. I was pleased enough with that. Then I had a cupcake.

There is a lady in my meeting that drives me nuts. She was there when I was going to meetings before, and she's still there. She tries so hard to be the teacher's pet and just talks the whole time. Pam was out Saturday, so we had a sub, and this lady was seriously trying to run the meeting. I may have to switch my meeting time because she rubs me so the wrong way.

I'd like to lose 10 pounds by Thanksgiving.

Breakfast: donut: 5 points
banana: 2 points

Lunch: SouthBeach wraps: 5 points
applesauce: 1 point
snack cakes: 1 point

Afternoon snack: beef jerky: 1 point
bread: 2 points

Dinner: pork chops: 5 points
apple: 1 point
parm slices: 2 points

TOTAL: 25 points. Darn donut.

22 Points

This Weight Watchers thing is more fun if you think of the points as a numbers game. I have 22 points a day to chew on and 35 weekly points to use (or not) scattered throughout the week. I'm looking forward to trying again. I'm ready to eat healthier again and take better care of myself. I can do it.

Breakfast: cheese toast: 2 points
scrambled egg: 2 points

Lunch: Lean Cuisine sandwich: 7 points
applesauce: 1 point

Afternoon snack: snack cakes: 1 point

Dinner: pork chop: 6 points
apple: 1 point
sweet potato fries: 2 points

TOTAL: 22 points!