Cookie Jar

Last week flew by fast, at least for me. I was lucky enough to win tickets to "Plaid Tidings" on Wednesday and tickets to "Sesame Street Live" on Friday. I'm sure my winning ways are over for a while now.

My 8 yr old had a much different feeling about vacation. She was more than excited to go back to school today.

"I'm bored."
"There's nothing to do!"
"I'm hungry."
"What's there to do?"
And on and on...

She was excited to do everything we did last week, but whenever there was a down moment, she complained.

Friday, we decorated the house, which meant there was not a lot of complaining. However, somehow a cookie jar appeared in the kitchen. I don't remember having a cookie jar in the kitchen since I was a kid.

My wife has a fasination for snowmen and this holiday temptor is a half melted one she got as a gift a few years back, but this is the first year it has made it's way to the kitchen.

I will try my hardest not to feel obigated to keep it full...or empty for that matter. This could be a challenge.

(Sees if this works, waiting in the parking lot for preschool to finish)
Rambled off on my iPhone

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Back when I was a kid, the students were never involved in Parent/Teacher Conferences. I'm not sure when that changed, but the kids are off the rest of this week as there are Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences starting this evening and all day tomorrow. Then it's off Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for the holiday.

Conferences are a great time to touch base with the teacher since we often don't communicate with them other than the "hellos" in the morning and "good-byes" at night. I'm looking forward to the contact as each of our children are SO different. What will the teachers have to say?

What would the equivalent of PST conferences be in the land of Weight Loss? I know WW has weekly weigh-ins and really if you have questions, you can quickly get an answer, but what about a "real" conference? After attending 16 weeks? What would the leader say to you? I see you've not been tracking (homework). You're losing too slow (more effort). You're losing too fast (teacher's pet!). How would you get an "A", or an "F"?

I'd love if someone would sit me down and really chat about the struggles, successes, etc. After a while, a good conference is necessary to keep going on the right track. I know my kids conferences will be quick, easy and painless for me, but for them...MY TEACHERS TALKING TO MY PARENTS!! That is plenty to scare anyone to be good for awhile.

Have a great week, may be limited this week due to everyone being home.

Dear Dairy

Dairy is tough for me remember to eat/drink daily. I often eat yogurt, but if that's not available, I may go days without having dairy.

How do you get your dairy? I live in the "Dairy State," but am not a huge fan of cheese. I'll eat it when forced with the alternative of not eating it, but when really counting points, I pass cause I know its high in WW points. FF cheese just doesn't taste as good.

Unfortunately, I'm not a huge milk drinker. I drink it only when I need the kids to drink it too. Even then, I usually throw some flavoring in it or mix it into a smoothie.

Today, I tried cottage cheese! It's the first time ever that I remember trying it. I'm still alive so it didn't kill me, but I don't think I'll be choosing to eat it too often.

How do you get your dairy in? Is it really all that important for a grown man to be drinking his milk?

Pie vs. Turkey

I was on Twitter this morning and one of the mindless conversations occurring involved choosing between pie and turkey on Thanksgiving. What is more important to the feast?

I stayed out of the conversation, but was amazed at how much thought people were actually putting into answering the question. Both turkey and pie are usually associated with something special. I certainly don't make a turkey too often, but I also rarely ever bake a pie. Makes answering the question that much more difficult.

Turkey or pie? After thinking for a while, I'm still not sure how I would answer. I know I could eat WAY more turkey and feel satisfied. I also know, I LOVE sweets and a pie has only one purpose: to enter the piehole!! I'll be thinking about this question and hopefully by Thanksgiving I'll have an answer.

DUH!!

I've been losing very little to no weight even though I have been diligently tracking on my new iPod/iTouch daily. Finally, last night I noticed that I am tracking with my "maintaining" points in mind. I could have sworn that I had changed my points target, but I guess I haven't. Taking into consideration not having the right points target, a 3 pound loss since this time last month isn't too bad. Now, I'll be trying to stay within my "losing" points target, 31 points. It's plenty of points for me and I can easily stay within that range, but looking at the amount I have been eating the last month it's a wonder I wasn't gaining!

Maintaining weight is a whole different story, I get 4 more points daily. 4x7=28 That's a lot of extra points/calories/etc that I've been packing in. I've hoping this new revelation will finally kick start a bit of a losing streak.


No idea what happen last week. I've been around, but the nap times have been strange so I haven't been consistent in getting here. Looking forward to a good week ahead. My wife has off school Thursday and Friday and the kids are still in school so that could be a bit of a challenge. I'm giving blood in the morning Thursday, followed by a WW conference call to get the scoop on changes in the program come December.

I've decided my evening snacking this week will only consist of fruits or veggies. I've been doing the 94% ff popcorn, but have started adding other things to the bowl including crackers, pretzels, chips, etc. so who am I kidding? And if I'm out of veggies there's no reason for me not to run to the store to pick some up. Tonight, I had to run out to get a pair of shoes for the 3 yr old...seems we left his only pair at Grandma's.

I'm a Sucker for FREE FOOD

Today, McDonald's ran a promotion to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Ronald McDonald House. They gave away Hotcakes and Sausage! FREE! The only catch was you had to go into the restaurant, no drive-thru. That definitely did not stop me!

Well, before I headed to McDonald's I had a whole other FREE treat to cash in. Last week, I mentioned that I received a check-out coupon for free Oreos. I went grocery shopping yesterday for the week, but had forgotten the coupon. So, this morning, I ran to the store for some bread and of course to use the coupon. I wanted to pick up some Egg Beaters as well, but it seems that our grocery store always remodeling and right now there is very little diary. I picked up the Oreos and grabbed them out of my bag before leaving the store and dropped them into the Feed the Hungry tub.

Then, it was off to McDonald's. Benjamin and I headed to the parking lot and it was packed. They obviously were prepared because there was plenty of help at the counter. I could have easily just ordered the free food and been done, but who does that? So I got a coffee and headed back home to feed Benjamin our new found food. Unfortunately, I downed a hotcake along with the syrup before checking out the points. Who knew syrup could be 4 points!!

Speaking of coffee...my stash of coffee keeps growing thanks to my good friends Nancy & Miloudi. They one a case of JavaFit over the summer and have graciously dropped a few single serving bags in my work mailbox. I had mixed reactions at first. The first day I tried it was the dreaded Peanut M&M day, so it really didn't work. The second day I tried it, I think I was feeling a bit under the weather. That evening I felt sick to my stomach and didn't eat anything. I think my problem was more that I wasn't eating at all! That coffee sure turns a food switch off! I laid off of the coffee for the next two days and felt much better. The last two days have been great food days and the coffee hasn't affected me besides keeping me away from food.

Now, if there were only a way to turn on the exercise switch!

A Struggle Stretch

At a WW meeting on Saturday, one of the few male members approached me for advice. He's been coming to meetings for over 2 years and has had awesome success. Lately, he has been struggling at the scale. Why? That's the question. What's the answer? Excuses! He told me of how his elliptical stopped working, how he doesn't write everything down anymore like he used to, how he has had to dig in the pile of "big" clothes, etc. I did tell him that I have struggled at times. I'm doing fine right now, even though I'm a tad bit over my goal. He has struggled since June and has gained several pounds. Each time he gains, he tells himself that tomorrow is another day and keeps waiting for tomorrow.

We've all been there. We're only human! Struggles come out of no where to grab us by the neck and keep us in check. A time of struggle is a great time to reanalyze your goals. Do a 1-minute motivation to yourself. What would you like to happen? What needs to happen for this to occur? Will you make this happen?

I started thinking about the reasons why I started losing weight in the first place. What were the biggest reasons? I wanted to be able to keep up with the kiddos. I wanted to be able to make it as long as I could without needing any medications. I wanted to be able to walk up the steps without wheezing when I got to the top. I wanted to be able to fit into a pair of pants that had the same waist size and inseam size. This is just a quick off the top of my head list and I'm sure I could think of at least 10 more things very quickly.

It's all about motivation. Motivation definitely has an ebb and flow process. Sometimes there is nothing that could get in our way, and sometimes there is nothing that we can do that seems to go our way.

I listened to the Mizfit and Dietgirl podcast today and they brought up an important subject: Thankfulness. There are so many things we should be thankful for and so many things we take for granted, a great way to start back on the right track may be to remember this list of "thankfulness."

Dear Neighbor

Dear Friendly, Grandma who lives across the street~
I love it when you come outside to compliment me on my interactions with my children. I appreciate the friendly waves and glances you send my way when we are coming and going. You make our neighborhood a safe, inviting place to live.
BUT...
WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE SO NICE FOR HALLOWEEN!!
Sincerely,
TB

Our lovely neighbor across the street has watched our family grow since day 1. She has made homemade blankets for the babies and has always kept an eye out for us. For some reason, she remembers the kids birthdays and usually greets me with friendly gestures whenever I'm outside. She has often brought over treats for the kids at holiday times including Easter, Christmas and of course, HALLOWEEN!!

Usually it is a small token, which is much appreciated. This time, it was a LARGE big of peanut M&M's. Unfortunately, my kids are not huge nut fans and really not big on chocolate. These M&M's have haunted me (pun intended), since Halloween. They have sat on the counter by the coffee maker starting me in the face and tempting me saying, "EAT ME, EAT ME! I'm only 90 calories a pack!" Darn marketing!

I managed to stay away from them on Monday, I put them in a cabinet out of sight on Tuesday after eating two packs or a few more. Yesterday, I really wasn't feeling well and today as well. Seems the only thing that tastes good to me are these stupid M&M's.

I know the tricks and should be doing them, but I really am struggling with these silly little demons. Just wait friendly neighbor. I'll be bringing the Thanksgiving pies over to your house! ;)

The Best Day of My Life

It was 9 years ago today that I was at my heaviest weight. I was nervous, self conscious, and full of so many emotions that I couldn't hide it though I tried to be strong. My friends were surrounding me. Roommates from college, family, colleagues were all gathered to help me celebrate. It should have been the best day of my life. I had everything to live for and yet I was not living just existing.

Today, I am alone with my baby realizing how lucky I am. I have a wonderful family, wonderful wife, kids that love me unconditionally and friends that continue to support me. Today, is the best day of my life. I have realized that I was not living and decided to do something about it. It was 9 years ago today that I married my best friend. It was 9 years ago today that I woke up for the last time to an empty duplex wondering what the future held.

I remember that day. Woke up, went to the donut shop and inhaled a few raspberry filled before buying a paper so I would have something to do with my time. Had my groomsmen come over and we played cards and watched a football game while they tried to take my mind off the big day. We made a McDonald's run and of course I ordered 2 Big Macs since they were 2 for $3. I inhaled those too like I had never seen food before thinking that I probably wouldn't feel like eating our dinner.

Who was I kidding? I felt like eating!!

Today, is the best day of my life. I have stopped existing and started living and boy, do I have a lot to live for!

Happy Anniversary to the reason I am living!

FREE OREOS!!

I went shopping yesterday and when I checked out, I was given my receipt along with a checkout coupon. We receive lots of these coupons for baby items, but never have I received one for FREE OREOS!! How can I pass that coupon up? I may just take the coupon to the store next time I pick up milk and drop it on to of the Oreos for someone else to use. Seems like a lot of folks around here do that, since I have often found coupons on certain things I use. I could just use the coupon and drop the Oreos in the "Feed the Hungry" bin that has appeared for the Holiday season. I could also use the coupon and bring them home. What a dilemma! What will probably happen is that I will forget the coupon until its expired and then just toss it.

When I got to work yesterday, one of my BFF's had left some JavaFit for me to try. I couldn't wait to wake up this morning to try some. Unfortunately, I was not planning on waking up at 3:50, but that's the time the little guy decided was a good time to start the day. We played for a while, watched the news and joined in on "Twitter Tuesday" with the news anchors, and then went to make the coffee. I didn't get around to drinking it till a little later since I had lunches to make and a class snack to get ready. Once I tried it, I loved it! It's not too strong, not too weak, just right! It's the "Diet JavaFit" with the appetite suppressant so we'll see how it works today and I'll be sure to report back.

Now, it's off to ride the elliptical since it's a VERY early nap time. I'll keep thinking about the Oreos dilemma, any ideas??

Not My Idea of a Good Workout, but Cute

We fell back an hour on Saturday night and anyone who encounters this change and has children, knows that it is a difficult time. I tried to keep the boys up a little later than normal on Saturday night, but alas they woke up at the "new" 5:00. Last night, they were zonked and I was not worried about them sleeping the night. Alex, 3, ended up falling asleep by 6:00. Ben, 1, was fast asleep at 7:30. I knew Alex was tired and was hoping that Ben would sleep till at least 6:00. Unfortunately, I was woken up at 3:00 by Alex was kicking his knee in my back and at 4:00 by Benjamin who was singing his rendition of the Black Eyed Peas, "I Got a Feeling!" Not a great way to start a Monday morning.

I left the boys in bed and headed downstairs to start my 9th week of P90X. 4:30 has been my start time, but I knew my time was limited so once I heard the little guy I jumped out of bed. 4:10! By 4:45 he was at a loud crescendo and I had to pick him up. I was over half way through my workout and continued on with Ben and before long his older brother was following right behind.

We finished! Not liking the time change right now!! Yesterday, I woke up early with the boys too and once my wife woke up round about 8:00 after I had been up for 3 hours, I darted upstairs to use my "extra" hour to ride the elliptical. I was glad to be able to exercise early in the day since I was exhausted and tried to take a good nap before being told I couldn't till after Ben went down for a nap. Got him down and was almost asleep and my Mom called. A quick weekly conversation as I was mostly asleep. I slammed my door in hopes the "other people" in the house would realize my displeasure in the loud vacuuming, crying, yelling and overall Halloween hangover that was occurring downstairs. I covered my head and woke up just in time for the kick off of the Packers game.

I've done well staying away from the candy. Here's what I'm trying to avoid.