Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Wake-Up Call
So, um, yeah. A good friend of mine sent me and another of our friends an email yesterday asking for help. She wants to drop some weight and realizes she can't do it alone. She asked us to hold her feet to the fire, so to speak, by reading her daily food journal she'll send us everyday. The thinking is that if she must be honest and accountable she'll do better. The 3 of us did Weight Watchers together 5 years ago and we were all pretty successful with it as a group.
5 babies collectively and 5 years have taken their toll.
We ALL 'fessed up to needing to get back on the band wagon with her and pledged to do so. We're not going to WW meetings or anything, but we all dusted off our old materials from our first go-around (POINTS system vs. whatever they're running now - FLEX?) and started keeping track. 3 words: OH MY GAWD!
I knew I wasn't eating as well as I should be to lose weight. I've got the exercise bit down pretty well - I work out 3 times per week on average doing cardio (running 3+ miles) and weights (20-30 min of free weights) each time. Plus just going for walks with the kids/dog, doing housework and the occasional yardwork worked into the mix. I'm happy with my fitness level. But I've really let the food part slide. Big time. Keeping track yesterday really opened my eyes when put into WW context. Yikes.
I should be eating 20-25 points per day. I ended eating 39 points, when all was said and done. That's nearly DOUBLE what I should be taking in. And really, it's not so much the volume I'm eating (although historically my appetite is huge), it's the little yummy accents that caused the most havoc. Like adding 2 measly slices of salami and 2 slices of cheese on my english muffin for breakfast (open-faced - one slice per side). That right there kicked up my point value to 6 for the salami and 4 for the cheese. 10 points!! Before calculating the muffin itself or the egg. Not.good. But of course that's the part of the meal I like the best. Naturally. Sigh - dieting can be demoralizing when you take stock and face the fact that the part of food you like the best is the part that must be eliminated. That sucks. Dinner was better, I thought, when I had a green salad with a handful of baby carrots, a handful of croutons, and a boneless/skinless chicken breast chopped up and mixed in. Blue cheese salad dressing, but really, not that much. I hate too much dressing on a salad, and blue cheese goes a long way. But it's 1 point for the carrots, 3 points for the croutons, 3 points for the chicken breast, and 4 points for the 2 tbsp of dressing. So that's 11 effing points for a salad. A SALAD with barely enough dressing to even taste it! And the dressing and croutons are the part I'd have to leave out if I need to cut down the points (which I clearly do). So yeah, I'm discouraged.
But I'm going to do this anyway. It worked before and I'll get used to eating this way again. WW is heavy on vegetables, fruits and whole grains, which is how everyone should be eating. And I do, but it's the other stuff I add to the good items that turn them into something I shouldn't be eating.
Good-bye to the yummy parts of food, hello size 8 (that's my goal - more than a specific number of pounds I hope to lose, I hope to fit comfortably into an 8 again. I'm a 12 now.) Keeping a daily journal to share with my friends will hopefully make this process more entertaining than discouraging. If you must suffer through something it's better to do it with friends!
I'm off to enjoy my hard-boiled egg sand english muffin and 2nd cup of coffee. 6 points for those of you who are counting.
5 babies collectively and 5 years have taken their toll.
We ALL 'fessed up to needing to get back on the band wagon with her and pledged to do so. We're not going to WW meetings or anything, but we all dusted off our old materials from our first go-around (POINTS system vs. whatever they're running now - FLEX?) and started keeping track. 3 words: OH MY GAWD!
I knew I wasn't eating as well as I should be to lose weight. I've got the exercise bit down pretty well - I work out 3 times per week on average doing cardio (running 3+ miles) and weights (20-30 min of free weights) each time. Plus just going for walks with the kids/dog, doing housework and the occasional yardwork worked into the mix. I'm happy with my fitness level. But I've really let the food part slide. Big time. Keeping track yesterday really opened my eyes when put into WW context. Yikes.
I should be eating 20-25 points per day. I ended eating 39 points, when all was said and done. That's nearly DOUBLE what I should be taking in. And really, it's not so much the volume I'm eating (although historically my appetite is huge), it's the little yummy accents that caused the most havoc. Like adding 2 measly slices of salami and 2 slices of cheese on my english muffin for breakfast (open-faced - one slice per side). That right there kicked up my point value to 6 for the salami and 4 for the cheese. 10 points!! Before calculating the muffin itself or the egg. Not.good. But of course that's the part of the meal I like the best. Naturally. Sigh - dieting can be demoralizing when you take stock and face the fact that the part of food you like the best is the part that must be eliminated. That sucks. Dinner was better, I thought, when I had a green salad with a handful of baby carrots, a handful of croutons, and a boneless/skinless chicken breast chopped up and mixed in. Blue cheese salad dressing, but really, not that much. I hate too much dressing on a salad, and blue cheese goes a long way. But it's 1 point for the carrots, 3 points for the croutons, 3 points for the chicken breast, and 4 points for the 2 tbsp of dressing. So that's 11 effing points for a salad. A SALAD with barely enough dressing to even taste it! And the dressing and croutons are the part I'd have to leave out if I need to cut down the points (which I clearly do). So yeah, I'm discouraged.
But I'm going to do this anyway. It worked before and I'll get used to eating this way again. WW is heavy on vegetables, fruits and whole grains, which is how everyone should be eating. And I do, but it's the other stuff I add to the good items that turn them into something I shouldn't be eating.
Good-bye to the yummy parts of food, hello size 8 (that's my goal - more than a specific number of pounds I hope to lose, I hope to fit comfortably into an 8 again. I'm a 12 now.) Keeping a daily journal to share with my friends will hopefully make this process more entertaining than discouraging. If you must suffer through something it's better to do it with friends!
I'm off to enjoy my hard-boiled egg sand english muffin and 2nd cup of coffee. 6 points for those of you who are counting.
// posted by MP @ 8:54 AM 
Comments:
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dear mp,
how much do you weigh? what is your ideal weight?
thanks,
barbara mcnich
how much do you weigh? what is your ideal weight?
thanks,
barbara mcnich
# posted by 
: 10:11 PM
: 10:11 PM
Let's just say that I weigh more than 160 and less than 180, ok? My ideal weight is in the 150's. In the low 150's, preferably. I have a large frame (really!) and am somewhat muscular. I'd like to lose between 15-20 lbs. Does that answer your question?
Dieting advice from my 4 year old this evening. You may have seen the commercials on TV, about milk being good for losing weight, drink 24 ounces in 24 hours. This is how the conversation went and thought I'd pass these words of wisdom from a 4 year old on to you:
Mom, I know how you can lose weight. It was on TV. You buy this special milk and it has a special glass that is shaped like and hourglass (I didn't know she even KNEW what an hourglass was!!) and you drink 24 gallons in 24 minutes and then you will be skinny because it has a lot of calcium in it and it makes you skinny and I know you want to lose weight and be healthy so buy the special milk and it will do that and you will be the skinniest person in the Goodnited States.
I'm wondering WHERE they sell that "special milk with the special glass"???
Hope this helps, LMAO
MCM
Mom, I know how you can lose weight. It was on TV. You buy this special milk and it has a special glass that is shaped like and hourglass (I didn't know she even KNEW what an hourglass was!!) and you drink 24 gallons in 24 minutes and then you will be skinny because it has a lot of calcium in it and it makes you skinny and I know you want to lose weight and be healthy so buy the special milk and it will do that and you will be the skinniest person in the Goodnited States.
I'm wondering WHERE they sell that "special milk with the special glass"???
Hope this helps, LMAO
MCM
dear mp,
thanks for the posting about your weight struggle. i, too, am a little over weight and reading your blog helps me feel like i am not alone. what does between 160 and 180 mean? heck, i'm 184 with a small frame! what is your weight and how long are you giving yourself to get down to 150? until bikini season or by labor day? i'm giving myself until september to get to 160. would you consider sharing your food log online?
thanks,
barbara mcnich
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thanks for the posting about your weight struggle. i, too, am a little over weight and reading your blog helps me feel like i am not alone. what does between 160 and 180 mean? heck, i'm 184 with a small frame! what is your weight and how long are you giving yourself to get down to 150? until bikini season or by labor day? i'm giving myself until september to get to 160. would you consider sharing your food log online?
thanks,
barbara mcnich
# posted by : 10:25 AM
: 10:25 AM << Home
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