CNotes

Commit

Or, perhaps re-commit.

I returned to Weight Watchers today after 7 months off - there's no pregnancy program, so I stopped going after the first trimester. Low & behold, there's a new program now, PointsPlus(r), which is good because it will help me retrain my brain and motivate to learn something new.  What's cool about the new program is that it's all nutrient-based, which means not counting calories.  Points are developed by counting protein, fat, carbs & fiber.  So low energy density foods will have lower points values and nutrient-poor foods will have higher points values.

Of the 50 pounds (ouch!) I gained during pregnancy, 30 of it is off.  That's good. So, 20 more to go to get to pre-pregnancy weight and then 50 after that to get to goal.  Here's the plan:

• Plan meals. Since Tapole's arrival, meals have been hit or miss and sometimes not well-planned. Keeping my milk supply up means making sure I'm getting good nutrition, so planning is good. Perhaps we'll take a real adventure to the grocery store together this week!
• Exercise 4-5 times per week.  Yearly target of 200 workouts.  Milestones include Little Rock Marathon Relay on March 6 and OKC Memorial Half Marathon on May 1. (won't be my best time, but it'll be the third year in a row, so I need to do it.)
• Embrace the new program and find ways to include Power Foods in every meal & snack. So even when I want to be indulgent, include Power Foods (essentially low energy density foods - formerly known as Core Foods) in the rest of the meal/day.
• Attend a meeting a week. I know meetings motivate me.  I have the best leader - Heather -at the Kelly & Danforth location in Edmond. She leads meetings on Thursday (5:30 p.m.) and Saturday (7:00 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m.).

So, there you have it. I owe it to myself to get back on track. And, I owe it to the Hub & Tadpole to be the best wife & mom I can be. I can achieve that by being healthy - physically, mentally and emotionally.  For me, it's amazing what physical health can do to influence the other two. 

Watch for more updates. 

Related posts: Weight Watchers on CNotes (note, the last few entries from 2010, we were pregnant so I wasn't pushing weight loss)

This time last year on CNotes: Charity

 

charting 15 & 16

well, no weigh in for #15. Why? Well, we were out of town. Como, Miss. to be exact for a wedding. I usually find a meeting to get to when I travel, however the closest was 35 miles away. And, since I ahd wedding duties that morning, no weigh in. 

#16 - Plus 1. I can live with it, but need to seriously buckle down. Good talk & good recipes in the meeting.  Back to running. May pull out the bike. Seriously.  And, brought my lunch today.  Good stuff.

Lots going on & will post more soon.

Charting #14

Minus .6 pounds

Quite happy to be headed back in the right direction and moving off center a bit. Given the two previous days' race prep including increased carbs, reducing fiber all of which can play havoc on the scale. 

I finished the half with a time of 2:58 - slower than I wanted, but I felt good & it was a great day to run!  Congrats to everyone who ran/walked/cheered - it was a beautiful day in OKC.

Headed to a wedding in Mississippi this weekend.  Need to stay strong :) Can't wait to see my Little Rock friends and have a grand ole time!

Charting 12 & 13

I haven't been very accountable to you lately with regard to WW progress. So, let's catch up today.

Charting 12 (4/12) +1.  I was ok with that. lots of losses since January.  Looking good, feeling good.

Charting 13 (4/17) FLAT.  Ok, clearly my body is rebelling, but let's look at the goals I'd set 12 weeks ago ...

1. Lose 15 pounds.  Actually lost 16.4 pounds YAY!
2. 48 workouts. I need to check my calendar, but definitely exceeded this one. More like 60 workouts.
3. 120 minutes running straight. I haven't quite hit this one. So close.  In 2 hours of running, I usually walk 5-8 minutes. I can live with this.
4. 48 home cooked dinners. Done.  The last few weeks I haven't been as good, but getting back on track with cooking from home.
5. 36 lunches brought from home. All the dinner cooking for the last 12 weeks translated into about 40 lunches brought from home.

We set new goals a few weeks ago to stay on track with seasons, I'll need to share my spring goals with you a little later.

All in all, I'm happy with where I am today. Ready to tackle the OKC Memorial Half Marathon on Sunday.  Should be a beautiful day for a run. This is about finishing, not time.  And, cheering on the Hub as he completes his first marathon - I'm SO impressed!!!

Charting #11

Well, Good Friday's weigh-in was good for me!

MINUS 2.4 lbs.

Seriously.

Nothing new & magic this week. In fact, the night before weighing in, I had a couple of glasses of wine, a couple of ounces of cheese & a bunch of grapes. Grapes can be danger food for me.  I have to ration them out. While no one certainly ever got fat from grapes, they are not the lowest point snack in the world. Good for you, but I have to watch that I don't eat the whole bag/container.  Good thing the Hub loves them so I can't snarf them all.

Have fallen a bit off the cooking wagon. Need to get back on that wagon. Running is going well ~ and the last long run was Saturday morning on a perfect day. Mid-40s, no wind. Wow. What a difference. Hopefully, we'll have that kind of weather for the OKC Memorial Marathon. 

Charting #10

Just realized I didn't post last week.

FLAT - not down, but not up, either.

That's ok, since I've had a good run the last few weeks. So, I just keep plugging away. Drinking my water, staying within my points & what not.

Weighing-in on Friday this week since we have our last long training run on Saturday morning.  11 miles.  Then, taper down. 3 weeks until the half. And, the Hub's first full. Big day ahead.

On another cool note for the runners. New running store in Oklahoma City ... Red Coyote. Owned by fiancees Burke & Jon, the store is GREAT, named after their dog Pancho who has mean retail skills and already very supportive of the local running community. And, for Brooks-fanatics ... the brand is seeking new wear-testers.  Fill out the survey HERE.

Peace out.

Charting #9

Minus 1.4 pounds

I was quite surprised by this number. First off, since I'd lost a good bit last week & on  a different scale than my normal meeting, I'd prepped myself for minimal loss or even a small gain. Even though I've exercised & stayed within my WW points this week. Even though my week started mid-girls trip to the beach. And, I drank wine & ate snacks. I just tracked and planned for it. The surprise was on me! Yay!

A little celebration of me this week at my WW meeting. Heather, our illustrious leader, asked what works for me. And, while I mentioned that last year had been difficult, the meetings & objective weekly weigh-in work for me.  I break the WW rule of weighing at home. I do it almost every day.  But, those don't count.  The official weigh-in that comes with the sticker at my WW meeting is the real one.  And, then, if I've taken the time to go weigh-in, I might as well stay for the meeting. I've already done the hard part: getting up & driving to the scale. When the weather is nicer, I should probably bike or run to the scale. But not today. 

Yoga twice this week - would have gone today except the celebratory First Day o' Spring blizzard has arrived - has helped me get focus some more.  Running is going well, even if the sleeping isn't.  Lack of sleep is another prohibiter to weight loss - scientifically proven.  This time change has really thrown me for a loop and thrown my sleep cycle off. So, my longest run during the week was in the evening. I'm not a good evening exerciser - too full from lunch, less energy in general. But, I pushed through to 6 miles so I can run 11 in the snow tomorrow.

So, the Hub & I had some grand plans for the day. Errand running, checking stuff out.  Looks like we're homebound. I'll have to get creative with the menu since I haven't been to the grocery in a couple of weeks for real shopping. Maybe Mexican pizza for lunch & pasta for supper.

If the snow stays like this, I'll be riding with the Hub to tomorrow's long run. I have 11 to do & he has 20.  I'll just wait for him in the car because I don't drive in this mess.  Happy Spring.

Charting #7

Well, it looks like 2 posts in one day, but it's not.  Somehow, last week's post was saved in drafts.  Oh well, here's #7 from Saturday.

MINUS 1.4 pounds

Still headed in the right direction and at a good pace. Right after WW on Saturday, I jumped on the road to Little Rock (wish it was about 30-45 miles closer, that extra half hour is a killer) for an overnight with my girlfriends & our relay team for the Little Rock Marathon.

Team Name: Logistics Sisters

Logistics originally came about as an informal committee of 4 chicks who worked together on a special event. We needed a place to chat, unwind, compare notes while planning a large event for the organization for which we worked.  We scheduled our happy hours & working sessions under the title "Logistics Committee" for 5:30 every Thursday. We quickly moved from a "committee", as such, to calling ourselves "Logistics Sisters." After I moved away, another colleague joined in my place and the 5 of us have regularly gotten together since then.

We've been friends for about 5 years now. I'll post separately the race, etc., but now you know the story behind the name.

This week's challenge laid out for us at WW?  Try 10, count 'em 10, new foods. Hmm ... I'm always up for new foods & am rarely in a rut, so I'm going to try new combinations of foods. Today's lunch?  hummus, light cheddar, a chicken italian sausage & black beans in a tortilla. Protein, carbs, fat & high fiber in a handy-dandy wrap.  I don't typically put sausage in my wraps, but I know I have a hard time getting enough protein. So, we'll see.

Personal goals this week:

1. Try 10 new or new combinations of foods
2. Work out twice on my trip this week
3. Yoga twice
4. Go to WW meeting when I'm out of town this week

I met the yoga goal last week, finally. And, I believe, I'll hit it again this week.

More travel this week. Again, for fun. To see some sorority sisters, many of whom I haven't seen in more than 5 years!  At the beach. Please let it be warm. Please let me come back to OKC with a bit of a tan.

Charting #6

MINUS 2.4 lbs.

Now, we're seriously heading in the right direction.  Down 11.6 pounds for 2010 - right in line with the weight loss goals for the year.  So, we're ready for March and bad habits have fallen by the wayside. Mostly.

Next week at WW, we're to bring products & recipes on which we rely. I'll bring:

1. La Tortilla Factory High Fiber Wraps & Tortillas
2. Total Fage 0% Fat Greek-style Yogurt
3. VitaTops - muffin mix, brownie mix, frozen muffin tops (Hungry Girl recommended)
4. Yoplait High Fiber Yogurt (HG rec, too)
5. Bagged/Boxed Fresh Spinach
6. Pasteurized Egg Whites
7. Muir Glen Fire-Roasted Tomatoes (with our without green chiles)
8. Some other stuff I haven't decided yet

Working out is going well - 10 miles today. Woohoo!  Feel good & so very proud of the Hub since he ran 18 miles.  That's like running from our house to downtown OKC. Wow.

So, now I have to stay focused.  I'm traveling for work next week, which has been limited the past couple of months, so I need to plan tomorrow for what I'll take, where I'll eat and how this will go.  I can typically stay on program pretty well on the road, if I choose. It's just an overnight, so the question will be, "To bring or Not to bring the running shoes, etc."  Today, I'm leaning toward yes.

Next weekend's run is the Little Rock Marathon Relay with the girls - we'll decide legs on Saturday night.  Actually, our girl club is named the "Logistics Sisters" and one day, I might fill you in on the origin of the name. I can't wait to see them, it's been too long. Will hit my WW meeting at 7A on Saturday and then hit I-40 until I'm delivered straight into the heart of LR.

Charting #5

Minus .4 lbs.

Good news to always be heading the right direction after last week's big number.  This is the first week I didn't meet one of my weekly goals. I didn't take yoga class. At all. I did manage to fit in 60 minutes of yoga in my hotel room while out of town (well, in Norman, Okla.) for business.  So, that was good. But no class & only once. I did strength train three times this week.

So, I'm repeating that goal this week. Frankly, I'm having a hard time coming up with new goals for the week. My 27 points for 27 days is my main priority, which requires the activity & tracking goals to be met. Now that my running is increasing, I find I really need to load up on Filling Foods, those low energy density and low points food with hugh nutrition in order to prevent hunger. I also eat something every couple of hours. My new favorite afternoon snack is a 12 oz. can of spicy V8 and a Light BabyBel cheese.  Protein, veggies & fiber all in one 2-point snack. 

Hilly 7 miles yesterday. And, bought new running shoes!  Fun reward - I love shopping at local running shops, with OK Runner as my #1 right now. It's convenient, they carry what I like and they're having a 20% off apparel sale until the end of Feb.  My new shoes? The updates of my current Brooks Glycerins.  These are the Brooks Glycerin 8s - which received recognition this year by Runner's World Magazine as editor's pick for neutral shoe for their Spring 2010 Shoe Guide.  I switched to Brooks last year after New Balance changed their shoes on me, and they no longer fit. I researched, talked to the folks at OK Runner and ultimately made the switch. And, now, I've fallen in love with the brand. Their motto? Run Happy. I have a shirt & a hat with the motto.  I follow them on Twitter (@brooksrunning) & Facebook.  I read their corporate blog. This is a company & a brand in which I can believe.

So, Run Happy, my friends. New stats posted next weekend and other gear recs to follow this week.