I'm a Yogi

After watching "The Biggest Loser" this week and reading Workout Mommy's post about yoga, I tried it. I wasn't expecting much, but she promised that I'd have sweat running down my back just by doing the simple Sun Salutation. I tried two rounds of the moves and at the end, I didn't have sweat running down my back, but I could definitely feel that my heart rate definitely was faster than before and I did feel like I had just done a workout.

Last week, I had to laugh at work when a co-worker did the same series of moves during a presentation on India. She demonstrated the Sun Salutation and at the end stated that she was sweating. Little did I know it was such a workout.

What a great way to start the day! If you haven't tried yoga, give it a whirl. I'll be adding the sun salutation to my early morning routine.

Sweet Treat
WOW! Someone on the WW message boards mentioned adding two packets of splenda and a teaspoon of cinnamon to some 94% ff popcorn. It was delicious. Something I've been missing is sweetness to go along with crunch and this did the trick. I probably should use this new treat with caution as it is definitely addicting.

Weekly Update

This Week: 191.4
Last Week: 189.4
Progress: Up 2
Starting Weight: 270.2
Total Weight Loss: 78.8

I've decided to get rid of my numbered weeks. When I reach lifetime, and that is WHEN not if, I will start anew with Week 1. This week was interesting since I was able to add 4 points to my daily points. Went a little over board with my wife's birthday. I'll blame it on the angel food cake this week. It was worth it. I have readjusted my daily points and have taken the 4 points away from myself since I would like to lose a few more pounds anyway. I would like to get to 180-185. After that, I'll readjust once again.

Tonight's meeting focused on the Super Bowl. I have no desire to watch it since my Packers lost such a heart breaker. We talked about having a good offense and a good defense pertaining to food. A good offense would include coming to a party prepared, maybe eating before hand, making sure you bring something healthy to the party. A good defense included sitting far away from the food, drinking plenty of water.

The meeting tonight had many less people than the previous few weeks. Have people already stopped coming after making their resolutions?

Daily Exercise

This has really become an important part of my day. I never would have dreamed 9 months ago that I would look forward to walking 10,000 steps a day. I never would have dreamed that I would ride an elliptical daily. Even more, I never would have dreamed that I would OWN my own elliptical. This is part of my way of life now. It has become a habit and I look forward to my exercise daily. Tonight, I rode my elliptical while watching "The Biggest Loser." Normally, Tuesday night is a choir night, but it was cancelled tonight due to bad weather. I have been trying to wake up early to do my exercise, but if I fail to do so, I have been diligently getting my exercise in during the evening.

Daily exercise will need to continue to be a part of my journey if I want to remain successful.

Tuesday Tip of the Day
Something I am not good about is portion control. One trick that I have been trying to do is to put food on everyone's plates and leave the leftover food in the kitchen. I know a good tip at a restaurant is to get a leftover tray before even starting your meal, why not do the same at home. One helping and if the kids want more, it's available, but we need to get up and walk to the kitchen to get the second helping. I'm still working at this one, but I feel it will help with my portion control as well.

My Elliptical

I love my elliptical. I am writing the last check to pay it off tonight. It is an Octane 37e. I bought it at the Wisconsin State Fair as I had gone to 2nd Wind Fitness to check them out and since they had an exhibition site at the fair, I got a better deal there. I have not missed more than one day a week riding it and I have come to miss it if I don't exercise. I slept in this morning, but plan on hopping on it during the President's speech tonight. Hope I can stay awake during the State of the Union or I'll have to flip on a movie. My SIL, KB gifted me with the mounted TV as she was moving to Brooklyn and didn't have room for it. It has come in handy as I have been watching movies on the weekends and the news during the week. This is an elliptical I would definitely recommend if you have a few thousand dollars burning a hole in your pocket. I'm sure even a cheaper one would be great, but when I bought it, I was still close to 230 and wanted something that would support my weight without moving around. This one has done the trick as it weighs close to 300 pounds. It ain't moving anywhere! All I can say is this next baby better be a boy, or I'll be moving this monster to a different room. Right now, it sits in an extra bedroom.

What are You Going to Make Me?

My wife's birthday was yesterday. I like to tell people she is "MUCH OLDER" than me since my birthday is not till next weekend. We celebrated by going to TGI Friday's at Miller Park. I was thinking that made for an easy way out of eating birthday cake until this morning. I worked for a while this morning and when I came home my darling wife asked, "Are you making me brownies or cake?"

Doh!

Well, I decided that an Angel Food Cake was much more point friendly than a pan of brownies, so I did it. Made my first ever Angel Food Cake. While it was baking, I hopped on the elliptical for 47 minutes, since that's how long it stayed in the oven. So I will enjoy my cake and feel good about it, since I exercised while baking it.

"Jelly Side Down and Sunny Side Up"

Today, I went to an interesting workshop for Activity Professionals Week. The speaker was Cheryl Kirking a local singer, songwriter, author and mother of triplets. She give a great motivational speech about not sweating the small stuff. Lots of personal stories and audience interaction. The title came from an incident she encountered while eating some toast that her husband insisted she eat for breakfast, answering a phone call from a fellow girl scout leader and in the process dropping the toast on her skirt jelly side down. She went through the feelings she had about getting made at her husband, at her friend, at the girl scouts, at the "law of physics," etc. It was an enjoyable afternoon. I love going to this particular workshop/seminar as it allows me the chance to visit with old friends and network to meet new people as well. I saw several old friends, but most of them have been staying in touch, so no one was too surprised by my weight loss. My favorite quote for the day was by Herm Albright: "A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

It's great to be able to attend motivational speeches once in a while as it refreshes and reinvigorates me to try new ideas.


Friday Food Find



I've tried a few different varieties of these Green Giant Frozen Vegetables, but these have become my favorite. There are two servings per container. Each serving is 50 calories, 3g fat, and 2g fiber. These have been a regular part of my lunch during the week. They take 3-4 minutes to microwave, which is better than a few other varieties that have taken longer than 5 minutes. When I'm eating lunch, it's all about time since I like to take a walk as well.

Celebrating with Food.

I've been celebrating with food this week. Particularly, cookies! This week is "Activity Professionals Week" and since that is what I am, a Music Therapist, all the goodies are coming towards our department this week. Cookies, cakes, popcorn, other snacks and I am not doing well. I really haven't gone into my weekly points allowance at all yet, but those extra 4 points for maintenance could not have come during a better week. I will confess to eating, no stuffing 5 cookies down my throat this morning. On the WW message boards, my signature says, "Think you're eating when no one is looking, they'll see it later on your waist!" I haven't been living by my own words. I stuffed them down my throat when I knew no one was around. I've been doing the: "if a cookie is broke, it doesn't have any calories" method. Not a good way to start the maintenance phase.

Had to confess!

Now I feel better and will stay away from the cookies. Tomorrow, I'm away to a special conference for Activity Professionals, which will lend itself to a whole new set of temptations, mainly a continental breakfast.

Who Really Cares?

Does it really matter if you have chrome or gold plated hardware, light grain or dark grain cabinets, laminate or hardwood floors, stainless steel or colored appliances, etc.? Does it really matter if you have a hamburger or a chicken breast for a main course, fries or veggies as a side dish, chips or popcorn as a snack, cheesecake or fruit as dessert, etc.? Well the answer of course is a big YES!

It does matter in the end. What we do affects the other decisions in more ways than we could imagine. We met with a designer to see what could be done with our kitchen. I tried to look past the price and really looks at the details. I don't want to choose features just to save money. I want to do it the RIGHT way! Just as in my weight loss journey. I'm not trying to cut corners by skimping on my exercise, cheating on my water, eating foods that are not quite the healthiest choices, etc. I want to do it the RIGHT way and I want this to last. So our kitchen will be a "lifetime" kitchen.

If I'm paying for a new kitchen, I want the best. If I'm working towards a new me, I want the best. Who really cares? The answer is ME! If no one else notices the beautiful oak cabinets or the fancy coat closet or the phone jack that was never there before, at least I will know and it will matter to me. In the coming years, if people no longer notice my weight loss, or comment on my energy level, or ask me for weight loss advice, at least I will know it still will mater to me.

Of course, my wife will have a big say within the decision process of planning our new kitchen, but in the end it will matter.

Week 39: Reached my Goal!

I entered my weight today into the Weight Watcher Weight Tracker and received this message:
YOU DID IT! YOU'VE ACHIEVED YOUR GOAL WEIGHT!

All of us here at Weight Watchers congratulate you on reaching your ultimate weight goal. Well done. This is a fantastic achievement and we hope you'll take a moment to reflect on all that you've accomplished before doing something special to celebrate.

Now that you've reached this important milestone, you move onto the next phase—maintenance.

Maintenance means "keeping your weight steady" and you do this by sustaining your current activity level and eating a bit more food until you find the right balance.


Week 39: 189.4
Last Week: 192
Progress: Down 2.6
Starting Weight: 270.2
Total Weight Loss: 81.8
Average Weekly Loss: 2.1

I weighed in a day early and got to celebrate with a whole new group of Weight Watchers. What an awesome accomplishment! The leader of the Tuesday night group was so energetic and included me into the group like I had been there every week. She had a great personality and the meeting really was fun. I may have to attend another one of her meetings soon. Unfortunately, Tuesdays don't work well for me since I have choir practice. I skipped tonight to make it to a WW meeting this week. I am glad I did!

At our meeting tonight, we were asked to give tips on: How to gain weight! We got a good list of 20-30 things within 2 minutes. Eat dessert at every meal, fast food everyday, no exercise and my favorite and something I used to do: eat a big bag of Dorito's while watching "The Biggest Loser." The meeting topic was habits and how we learn habits. If we learn a habit, we will miss it. I would miss my daily exercise, fruits and veggies and definitely would miss planning my breakfast and lunch as to give me the most points for the evening.

The WW message states to reflect on my accomplishment before celebrating. I will do so and reflect on a great journey so far.

Video Games and Losing Weight

Found an interesting article entitled Can Video Games Improve Your Health?. I hate video games, always have. My wife, on the other hand, could sit her Nintendo DS all day without giving the rest of the family the time of day. In fact, she has on occasion been so lost in her game that she has not been able to answer simple questions while playing. Even the game system, Wii, does not appeal to me personally. A lot of guys on the WW message boards have been asking about getting "activity points" for playing the Wii. I just have to think if you're playing in your living room, there can't be much physical activity going on. I have heard that when you play boxing, you do work up quite a sweat. I'll keep exercising the way I have and let others continue having the fun and trying to exercise with a video game.

Has anyone ever tried the Wii gaming system? Would you consider it a good form of exercise?

Tuesday Tip of the Day
Check out a restaurant's website/menu before going and place an order in your head before you even get there.

This has saved me the frustration at the restaurant of looking through the menu. I don't even open the menu anymore for fear of unneeded temptations.

What are You Looking Forward to?

Kathy had an interesting post yesterday about maintenance and those bloggers that are practicing maintenance. My post yesterday included something I am now looking forward to.

What got me thinking is the need for me to look forward to something. I am now looking forward to my wife's birthday (1/25), then my birthday (2/3), then as Kathy reminded me, the start of racing, and the start of Baseball season, etc. Throughout my weight loss journey, I have had certain points to look forward to, 10%, every 5 pounds, 25, 50 then 75 lbs., and now my goal weight. After I reach my goal, what will I have to look forward to in my weight loss journey. I am afraid that I will get lazy and decide that I'm not enjoying the maintenance journey and will fall into bad habits again.

I am struggling with the need to look forward to something and will keep thinking about what my next stop along the journey will be.

My Fault

I was watching the Packer game this evening and after halftime, I decided to hop on the elliptical even though I had done a great 1 hr. workout early in the morning. I did another hour during the second half and stayed on until the end of regulation. Best thing was it kept me away from the snacks. I really wasn't exercising hard, it was more a way to stay calm during an exciting game. Well, at the end of regulation, I was so excited that the Giants kicker had missed a game winning field goal, I jumped off the elliptical ran downstairs, made myself some hot chocolate and got ready to settle in for a Packer game winning drive. Unfortunately, it didn't work out.

I should have never gotten of the elliptical!




Best news I can think of, the Brewers opening day is only 70 days away.

Great Visit with an Old Friend

Today, an old friend of mine came over to visit. He and I were roommates in college for three years and once college was over, we lived together for another 3 yrs. He got married, I got married, we both had kids and have seen each other infrequently since. I haven't seen him since about this time last year. I've talked to him and he has even visited the blog, but seeing me in person made his jaw drop. I told him that he had actually seen me at this weight before because I started college at 186. I am now very close to that weight.

So what happened. All I can say is St. Norbert College, made me fat. They forced freshman living in the dorms to get either a 14 meal or 17 meal plan for each week. I would eat breakfast after I worked in the food service department. My job was to get up before the break of dawn and put the food away as it was delivered off the truck. Not the most glamorous job, but it worked with my schedule through my senior year. I'd eat a full breakfast after work, usually grab something from taco bell or the campus Knight Klub full of fatty, fried food, and I usually ate a full dinner with the guys from my floor. Now that I look back at those meals, it's a wonder I didn't gain more weight.

Well, the visit today was very nice. My friend said that he probably wouldn't have recognized me had he seen me on the street. Somehow, I don't quite believe him, but it was a great feeling to have someone really take notice who hasn't seen me for a long while and used to see me daily.

Friday Food Find

We eat a lot of tacos in our house. I'm not a big fan of soft shelled tacos even though I know there are many tortillas that would be low in points, I tend to go towards the crunchy side of things. Found these Snyder of Hanover Multi Grain Tortillas at my local grocery store and thought I'd give them a try. They have 130 calories per servings, which is about 10 chips, 5g fat, and 3g fiber. They are big chips and perfect for dipping into a taco salad. For 2 points, I will be buying them again. It did satisfy my need for crunch and salt.

I'm not a huge fan of torilla chips, so these were safe in my house without threat of overeating.

Week 38

Week 38: 192
Last Week: 194.6
Progress: Down 2.6
Starting Weight: 270.2
Total Weight Loss: 78.2
Average Weekly Loss: 2.06

I know I had a good week, but I was not expecting a 2.6 loss. I did great this week using most of my AP's, but at the end of the week I still had 31 Weekly Points left. I have not had that many left since well before Christmas. I have been in the habit of using every available point plus a few extra, so this week has been a good week.

At our meeting tonight, we discussed making better choices. Our leader went around the room and asked everyone about a better choice they made this week. I really didn't have a great answer, since most of the choices I made this week were "better choices." I exercised my booty off, I hit 10,000 steps everyday, I took a walk outside 4 out of 7 days, I hit my veggie and fruit quota by noon on most days. I'm hoping for another good week this week. Unfortunately, next week I'll have to pick a different Weigh In day as we are meeting with a designer on Wednesday night ((getting ready to remodel our kitchen from a 6x6 box to a huge family gathering space)).

At our meeting tonight, we lost 64.8 pounds as a group. That is the highest group total for a week since I have started. Truly a great total!

Before the meeting, my leader once again approached me and asked if I would ever consider working for Weight Watchers. Our meeting has had a lot of men lately and again tonight, we had almost 10 guys. The guys and the girls were close to equal for the first time. After the meeting, I stopped by the registration desk and picked up the number of the regional manager. May or may not give her a call.

How the Heck do you Eat this Stuff?

Edamame is a veggie I had never tried before finding it at Sam's Club this past weekend. It was frozen and came in 8 ready to eat containers, frozen and ready to be microwaved. I had no idea how to eat the stuff however. I microwaved it and put on the sea salt as the package suggested and attempted to eat the whole pod. Well, I ate a few until realizing that the pod was rather stringy and did not taste good at all. I put the pack in the refrigerator and waited till this evening to try it again. Well, tonight I squeezed the soybeans out of the pod and they tasted so much better. No stingy pods.

It sure is interesting trying new foods that I've never had before. Glad no one was around to see me try to eat the whole pod, it was a rather amusing site.

Now I'll have to keep on the outlook for Quinoa so I can add that cool looking badge to my sidebar!


Tuesday Tip of the Day:
Measure salad dressing and put it on the side and dip your salad. You will use much less dressing than you thought if you use it this way.

Weight Loss as a Hobby?

I've been thinking about this the last few days. I don't really think of losing weight as a hobby, but looking at all of the things that are involved in losing weight has made me come to the conclusion that losing weight is a great hobby to have. Exercising, blogging, cooking, walking, etc. are all great hobbies to have and all are associated with weight loss.

This article talks about how hobbies keep you from becoming bored. I have to admit, since starting my weight loss journey I have been anything but bored. If I have a few minutes on my hands, I go for a walk or sit at the computer and check out blogs or exercise on my elliptical or check out the internet for new resources, books and articles about weight loss.

I think the only thing that has suffered through my gaining weight loss as a hobby are my other hobbies. I know longer sit in front of the television for more than a few minutes at a time and sadly, my piano playing, guitar playing and harp lessons have taken back seat to my new hobby. ((That's ok with me, I hate practicing anyway.))

Hopefully, all my practicing for my new hobby will come in handy as I near a goal weight that I would like to maintain. In my opinion, the losing part is fun and easy, but the maintenance part is the step I will NEED to practice. Hope you're enjoying your hobby as much as I am.

I Can't Stand...

a messy silverware drawer. There may be nothing else clean or tidy in the house and it doesn't bother me, but when my loving wife empties the dishwasher, I can tell. The silverware drawer looks like a tornado went through it. Knives in the spoon slot, spoons in the fork slot, the kids silverware scattered throughout. I can't stand it. It takes me a good 5 minutes to clean up the mess left behind the reckless tornado.

What does this have to do with weight loss? Probably nothing, just a little rant on a otherwise uneventful Sunday morning.

Have a great day. I know I will, since the silverware drawer is back to organized.

Friday Food Find

Thought I'd start sharing something each week that has been working for me. Sometimes I just take for granted that everyone is aware of the basic light/low fat products available, but then I am told about something new that I didn't know about. Feel free to add something that is vital for you as well. I've got a good list going and will share weekly.

Today, I'm sharing my family's favorite garlic bread. It tastes great and has 2g of fat 3g of fiber and only 65 calories per slice. It's a great companion to noodles, which my kids could eat daily. We've been switching over gradually to whole wheat or multi-grain pasta, but still have some old stuff hanging around the pantry.

"What's for Lunch?"

Our at-work weight loss challenge is under way. I've had so many people come up to me and ask for pointers as to how to lose weight. There's no magic pill, no vanishing formula, just plain hard work and determination. Of course, everyone is looking for an easy way out. They do not want to hear that I exercise 30 minutes every morning, talk a walk every lunch and another walk in the evening usually. Exercise has and will continue to be a big part of my success.

The last few days, I've noticed more people than normal asking me what I was having for lunch. Well, today I had an apple, a banana, a grapefruit, a can of Progresso Soup ((I know it's 2 points for the whole can and not 0, but that's still reasonable)), and a WW yogurt to go along with a packet of diet hot chocolate. The nurses and CNA's were stunned to see no meat. I did explain to them, the I have been changing my lunches up and have not been relying on meat so much. I eat a lot of peanut butter sandwiches, some chicken salad made with canned chicken and low fat mayo, and lots of salads with loads of veggies. I have been quite full after lunch on most days, but have had an afternoon snack of 2-3 points at about 3:00pm.

My 6 year old, Elizabeth, surprised me earlier this week. She takes hot lunch 2 days a week and cold lunch 3 days a week, just because hot lunch costs so much and she eats so little. She asked me on Monday night if she could have a lunch full of "healthy" food. She said that she is tired of all of her friends asking for her food. Normally, I give her a peanut butter sandwich, a granola bar, fruit snacks and something else for a treat. She said that her friends always ask for the fruit snacks, so today she took a banana and I was surprised to find out that she actually ate it. I will be sending more fruit with her tomorrow as well.

I am so glad to see that all my healthy eating habits are having a positive impact on everyone around me: friends, family, co-workers, and people I hardly even know.

Week 37

Week 37: 194.6
Last Week: 194.4
Progress: Up .2
Starting Weight: 270.2
Total Weight Loss: 75.6
Average Weekly Loss: 2.04

Stayed pretty much the same this week. I really wasn't working hard to lose this week. Left over cookies at Grandma's, a crispy creme yesterday before my at-work weigh in, and a few evenings of heavier snacking than normal. I'll get back to losing next week. A few too many treats, but I don't feel bad or guilty.

Our meeting tonight featured many more new faces. Before the meeting, I had several people come up to talk to me since I hit 75 last week. Lots of new people looking for advice. I told them that I work the program and it works for me. Tracking, exercise, getting support from meetings, WW message boards and blogging, along with staying accountable to myself daily. During the meeting we were asked to mingle and find someone that we did not know. There were several gentlemen at the meeting, about 7, and I went up to one of them that was brand new tonight. Kurt came with his girlfriend, he is closing in on 50 and has decided to lose some weight before the health problems of diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. creep up on him. I am very glad that I have started to make a change earlier in my 30's so I'll have it down by the time I'm 50.

At Work Weight Loss Challenge #2

Today, I joined the second at-work weight loss challenge for the new year. The first weight loss challenge was a big success. I won and took home almost $50.00.

It's too bad I wasn't thinking way ahead before I weighed in because if I was, I would have worn two sweaters, two pairs of socks, the heaviest shoes possible, etc. Instead, I took it look a man and drink 40oz. of water, stuffed tons of pencils and pens in my pockets, and ate about 10 minutes before being weighed. My starting weight for the at-work challenge 194lbs. I made a goal of 6lbs. in 8 weeks. Should be doable and if there are as many people in it as last time, it should make for a good little payday come March 4.

Thought I'd try to think writing a few handy tips down for a few weeks on Tuesdays. We'll see how long it lasts.

Tuesday Tip of the Day:
Use a measuring cup as a serving spoon. Helps you keep your portions under control. Sadly, I don't do this often enough.

Benefits of being Fat

There was an interesting thread started on the GOAD board today. Benefits of being fat caught my eye and got me thinking about things that have changed since I've lost 75 pounds. A few things that stand out are that I am always cold now and my butt does not have nearly as much cushion anymore. Neither one of these changes are welcome changes, but I will live with them as long as I can stay at a healthy weight. Another comment that struck me was the topic of wrinkles and whether or not losing weight makes you look younger. Personally, I think I look older since I can see more wrinkles and my pudgy baby face checks have disappeared.

Are there any benefits to being fat that stand out to you?

Get Some Fresh Air

Found this interesting article The Fresh Air Fix and it makes some interesting suggestions as to how to get more fresh air. I’m sure if my wife reads it, she’ll be sending me outside for the summer sleep out in the backyard with the kids.

My wife and I took our three kids to the Milwaukee County Zoo yesterday. While walking through the zoo, my 6 yr. old commented that it had been a long time since she was outside. When we thought about it, she hadn’t been outside “All year!” Grant you, the year is only 5 days old, that still seems like a long time to be inside. I think she was talking about playing outside, since we had gone out shopping and running other errands a few days this week. I know when I go outside for a walk or just to take the trash out, get the mail, etc. I feel so much better when I go back inside. The fresh air seems to invigorate me. The kids seem to feel much better with the fresh air as well and it makes them sleep like babies at night as well.

After going to the zoo, my daughters and I played in the backyard. We threw snowballs onto the sidewalk and watched them “splat” and I threw snowballs onto the slide and they had a great time sliding down in the snow. I will definitely try to get the kids to go outside at least for a while a few times a week.

The last two days, I have braved the cold Wisconsin winter and gone out for a walk. It really isn’t the cold that bothers me. It’s the snow and ice on the sidewalks that keep me inside. I remember walking in late November when the temps were just as cold as they are now, but there was no ice on the sidewalks.

I am going to add talking a walk outside to my goals for the year. I would like to get a walk outside at least 3 times weekly. Sometimes I know this will just not be practical, but it’s a reasonable goal for the year and it will help reduce stress, keep me thinker sharper and focused.

Creatures of Habit

I wake up every weekday and down 32 oz. of water along with a vitamin. I find if I drink my water right away and not ice cold it is easier to drink. Afterwards, I make myself oatmeal and eat it. Then it's time to get the kids up and ready. This past week has been a bit different since I was off and home with the kids all week. One thing remained consistent.

My 2 yr. old, joins me every morning for oatmeal by the computer. He grabs his own bowl, own spoon, goes to the pantry to grab a pack of oatmeal, takes the bowl and oatmeal to the sink and waits by an open microwave for me to make it. When it's done, he swings the refrigerator wide open and grabs the syrup. I drizzle a little on it and away to the picnic table in the back office when go.

Well, today when he woke up I was on the elliptical. Mommy picked him up and did not know his routine. Fortunately, he is smart enough to do all the steps in order and lead his mother through our routine. When I was done exercising, my wife asked why he grabbed the syrup out of the frig and I told her our routine.

My breakfast is the one meal that I keep consistent. I've changed it up a bit since beginning WW, starting with 6 points and know I'm down to 4 points for breakfast. I usually have oatmeal and some fruit, but sometimes I skip the fruit and add peanut butter. The peanut butter seems to keep me filled up till lunch much better.

Can't wait to teach my little guy more habits, such as folding the laundry and washing the dishes. He already clears his plate from the table, so we're getting there.

Yo-Yo Dieting

I was never one to be excited about exercise, but ever since I've started wearing a pedometer last summer, I have tried to get 10,000 steps daily. I stumbled upon the "Walk Tracker" on another blog and have also signed up for that. On most weekdays, it is easy as I walk all over at work. Weekends have been tougher, but as long as the weather is nice I can do it. What has gotten me this week is, I am off of work and we are getting blasted with the coldest weather of the winter thus far. My plan has been to take the kids shopping daily and get a few steps in that way. The best laid plans are sometimes just that, plans. My kids have short legs and short attention spans and we can shop for only so long before getting tired, needing a drink, going to the bathroom, etc. So at the beginning of the week, when I was doing laundry, I decided to incorporate walking into folding the laundry. I dump the laundry on my bed, grab one piece and walk with it. Call me crazy, but I've gotten a lot of exercise steps folding 6 loads this week. Besides the fold and walk method, I've also stayed up late to watch Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien. I didn't realize how much I actually missed watching late night television. It has been the one time that I make time to watch TV. The rest of the evening, I don't care about missing my favorite shows.

Last night, was the craziest. I had about 5,000 steps at 10:30 and decided that I would get to 10,000 before I went to bed. So I grabbed a yo-yo turned on Jay Leno and started pacing the living room and dining room. I got about 20 steps per "lap" and by the time Conan O'Brien was done with his monologue, I had over 10,000 steps. The yo-yo really kept me from getting bored and I may have to resort to the same tactic tonight, since I'm home for this one last day.

Today's Report
I'm happy to report that there is no need for the yo-yo tonight. I took an hour walk outside braving the cold...over 10,000 for the day already.

Beverage Find

Food find for the day: Diet Ocean Spray. I bought some last week and of course this week it is on sale. So I'll be buying more. Comes in a 6-pack or a liter. The liter has 4-8oz. servings. Each serving is 5 calories. No fat/no fiber and 2g of sugar. It's a bit of a change from water, so I'm giving it a try.

New Book

I'm not a big book reader and if I do read a book, it's usually to my kids, but today I ordered this book: 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life. I'm always looking for something different to eat and I'm hoping this book will throw something new my way.

Week 36

Week 36: 194.4
Last Week: 195.6
Progress: Down 1.2
Starting Weight: 270.2
Total Weight Loss: 75.8
Average Weekly Loss: 2.11

Sweet 75! The holidays were definitely a challenge, but I came through it with a loss. The week, one person hit 25 pounds, one person got their 10% and I hit 75 pounds. What more could Weight Watchers ask for the day after a major holiday when there were at least twice as many people as usual at the meeting.

At our meeting, we discussed what our goals are for the new year. On the GOAD board, I posted three goals for the new year:
1. To hit my goal by my birthday. 5 pounds in a month seems doable especially now that the holidays are over. Unfortunately, there are many family birthdays coming up in the next two months starting with about 5 in January and 3 in February along with a new baby being born somewhere in there as well.
2. To average 12,000 steps a day for the entire year. This past year, since June 1, I logged over 1500 miles of walking. That my friends, is a long way.
3.) To eat at least 5 fruits and veggies daily. I'm not having problems with this at all, but I know it will continue to be a key to staying on track.

We also got a new Book 4, which discusses dining out. Yesterday, I took the family out to IHOP. The key to staying on track for me was to go to their website and order before I even got there. It made it a lot more manageable as I wasn't tempted by the higher calorie choices, since I knew what I was getting already. I always thought that suggestion seemed ridiculous, but it worked and I'll be looking at other websites before going out to eat again.

Look What You're Missing

Snow Pictures from this week. The snow is just the right consistency to stick to the trees. Been like this since Friday!

"Are You Dying?"

I have been working at this weight loss journey for several months now and I feel that I have done it at a very healthy rate. Needless to say, I was taken by surprise when a dear friend called last night all worried about me. I answered the phone and someone that I used to work with sounded like she was about to cry. The great thing about this friend is that she is a straight shooter and came right out not beating around the bush and asked the question. She had heard from so and so, who had heard from another so and so, who had heard from a so and so that works in my facility that I was dying. She had heard that I had some kind of incurable Kidney Cancer and I am on my way out. Kind of funny that I’ve been dwelling on “The Bucket List.”

I assured her that I am doing better now than I have in years and that I recently went to the doctor and got a clean bill of health, including my first ever, prostate exam, but that is definitely a different story. I am so happy that I have people in my life that are concerned about me even though I don’t see them everyday. She was especially worried seeing that I have 3 small children and another one on the way. I had gone to visit the gang at my previous employer early in December with a group of residents from the Nursing Home I now work at. I definitely would have mentioned something to her and everyone else as they would be an important support system.

Thus, I am glad to say I am not dying today or anytime soon that I know of. I have too much more to accomplish before I “kick the bucket.”