Nov 14, 2009

Starting Saturday



I woke up this morning wanting a big, buffet-style, brunch-style breakfast. I was envisioning pancakes and bacon and an omelette and hot buttered toast.

I woke up hungry.  I was completely ready to get everyone up and tell them I was treating them to breakfast.  Back in the days before "teenagehood" hit my boys and they didn't sleep til noon, I would often make a big brunch style breakfast at home and that would pretty much tide us over til dinner time.  It was a lot less expensive than going out and everyone could have what they wanted.  As life got more hectic, we carried on the tradition by going out to a local restaurant.  I was probably eating a week's worth of calories in one meal in both situations.

This morning I made some pancakes (Heart Smart Bisquick/milk/yogurt/rolled oats) and topped them with some thawed strawberries and ricotta cheese.  It was delicious and filling and satisifed my "itch". Along with a big mug of instant coffee and I felt satisfied both physically and emotionally and my wallet is thanking me too!  This clocked in at 7.5 points (549 calories).

I saw my doctor about 2 weeks ago and she was thrilled with my weight loss so far and all my "numbers".  She was worried I wasn't eating enough when she looked over my food journal. Sure, sometimes I indulge and go overboard, but she said "In general, I don't think you're hitting 1000 calories a day and you should be hitting minimum 1200 or an average of 1200 over a 5 day period".  She suggested Sparkpeople, which I know alot of bloggers use. So I've been tracking for about 6 days now and she's right...most days I hit about 900-1000. One day I hit 1400. Following WW, I know some days I don't hit my points target. I think 2600 points works out to about 1300 calories a day, give or take.  I'm going to keep tracking in Sparkpeople, although I find it time consuming and tedious - counting to 26 is much easier than 1200 - and see how it goes.

I think I've written about this before.  I'm in the danger zone for me right now. In other weight loss attempts (except my first attempt where I was almost at goal and then got pregnant), I hit 210-215 and get completely stalled.  Physically, emotionally, mentally. I cannot go on. Then I give up. Then I gain back the weight I lost, plus a few more pounds. More each time.  I've been here for about 8 weeks.  Usually by now, I've given up and am well on the way UP the scale again.

This time, I am not giving up. I am not gaining back the 37 lbs I've lost so far. If I never lose another pound, that is better than going back to 250 (and this time most likely 250+).  I will just keep pushing and going and eventually I will get to a healthy weight and when I do, I will stay there.  This time around is so different. I haven't even thought about giving up - not once. Not after a bad eating day, not after a stressful, no exercise day, not after a week of not tracking or eating properly. I wake up each day and tell myself (some days outloud!) that "I will eat well and do some form of activity TODAY. TODAY, I will take care of myself."  String enough days together and the weight comes off, I feel better, I move easier, I sleep better and my "numbers" show me I'm getting healthier and healthier, by the day.

8 comments:

  1. Wonderful outlook, Enz! When are you getting a new scale?... it could be a helpful further motivator.

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  2. Enz-I'm so proud of you for realizing your past and working past it. I was just telling Cole today how I can physically feel my gain this week. In the past I ignored all my bodies signals and just let myself gain over 100 pds and now I can feel 2.4 pds. It really is amazing what we can allow ourselves to accomplish if we learn from past mistakes. My weight watcher leader encourages us to eat our daily points and our flex but not our activity. She says that the closer you get to goal is when you may have to take away a few flex but for ppl who do it right from the start you have nothing extra to take away.

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  3. You are doing great, and you have a great attitude. Losing 37 pounds is a HUGE deal, and you are making great choices with food, like the healthier brunch you chose. I am feeling lucky, I lost 10 pounds in the beginning of my pregnancy and I haven't lost or gained since, I'm at 15 weeks now. So, great so far! I am sorry I haven't been around as much, but I'm still reading and rooting for you!

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  4. Good for you! You have the right attitude about losing the weight, which means you have half the battle won. Dont give up! Keep remembering how much better you feel (mentally and physically) and remember: One day at a time!

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  5. So glad things are going well for you. I'm on WW too and the weeks that I don't eat my daily points are always the weeks I lose the least amount of weight. I guess those doctors & nutritionists are on to something with that program. :)

    Thanks for the encouragement too! When you blog you open yourself to critiques and opinions... who cares, I'm not losing weight for anyone elses body but mine. By processed, I mean anything that isn't found in nature or in it's whole state. I learned through this process that there are some pure olive oils out there but there are many that have at least 10 ingredients in them. I've found a very good one so I'm using that. I just figured if it has a million ingredients and I can't pronounce most of it, I probably should steer clear.

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  6. Love this, and can't wait to catch up on the rest of your posts!

    When you have a minute, come by and say hi. I think you'll be able to directly relate to what I'm writing about.

    Looking forward to hearing from you.

    www.coachyourmind.blogspot.com

    Dayne

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  7. Pancakes with rolled oats sounds hungry-good!

    Keep going with your goals. go go GO!

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  8. it's just as easy to be under as it is to go over sometimes, at least I think so. I can have days where nothing sounds good and days where I would totally stand in front of the fridge and grab a little of everything. I guess you could set aside those calories unspent and treat yourself to something... although,doesn't one lead to another, so forget I said that! Anyhow, great for sticking to your guns for brekkie, boy I sure miss the days of brunch, but yes, your wallet and your weightloss journey probably do thank you ;)

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