Whoa.... Weigh In Update + Holiday Survival

It's been forever since I've checked in on this blog, but I am pleased to announce.... I survived the holidays!!!

It was a LOOOOOOONG 5 days in Richmond.  I purchased my Jenny Craig food there, and had some great selections planned.  But how does JC food compare to delicious holiday treats????  Um, not even.


Days 1-3, I was really good.  Ate my Jenny food, and even went for a walk!  A few nibbles here and there, but that was it!


Then came days 4 and 5.... Apparently, I had only packed enough willpower for 3 days, and food just kept ending up on my fork and in my mouth!  Stuffing and Hashbrown Casserole and homemade gingerbread.... it was like I couldn't stop.

VERY tough few days, and I was almost relieved to be home.  I'll have to figure out how to deal with these instances in the future for sure.  Right now, though, I'm just glad to be home... safe and sound.


Today, I weighed in at my local Jenny Craig, and am pleased to announce that I am ONLY up +.4 lbs!!  Which, to me is fantastic!!!!  I can't even believe how low the gain was!  THANK GOODNESS!!!


Now, I'm getting back on track.  Have bought my food for the week and shopped for some beautiful veggies.  There's no stopping me this week.  


BACK ON TRACK, I AM!

Emotions Rise.... Disappointment Sets In

This afternoon was tough.  I think this is my first official weight loss challenge.  Well, maybe the travel thing was a challenge, but this is harder.  And, I've got to figure it out.


I'm going home for Xmas.


Going home for Xmas in my family means food.  Good food and lots of it.  I had already decided that I would do JC the entire time I was home, with one meal off on Christmas Eve for a delicious italian meal my sister in law was making.


I won't drink wine.  I won't stuff my face with cookies.  I'm going to behave.... that's just how this holiday needs to go  I've waited way too long to be successful at weight loss to blow it on 5 random days home.


I thought the family was on my side for this holiday, but now they are suggesting that they have made a healthy menu for the week.  "Turkey... you can eat the white meat." and "Everything you eat has to be frozen??" comments came out today.  This is so freaking hard.

Do I want to eat turkey???  Damn skippy, I do.  Do I want to eat pasta and meat?  Yep.  But eating this way for years has gotten me into this predicament (see picture at right).  I have to just choose wisely for me.  I just have to.... I don't want to spiral down and find myself with gingerbread in hand.


I had this all planned.  I'm not sure when the game changed.  Makes me crazy.  Makes me not want to go, almost.  I stress the almost.  Of course, I want to see the fam, but gosh.... I just can't eat like they do.  I just can't.  Not this year.

Weigh In: Down AGAIN!

So... I may get sick of fruit, and even whine about it, but GOSH, I love losing weight!!

This week was a huge eating challenge. 

The naughty(and consumed) list includes:

• 4 glasses of wine (uh-oh)
• Eating at a "Coney Island" burger stand - Eeks!  I ate grilled chicken, but that bread was totally buttered.
• A FILET Mignon at dinner - The restaurant (I swear) had horrible food choices.  It was Filet or Chicken Pot Pie.... Filet with all the yummy toppings removed, as well as the mashed potatoes, replaced by steamed spinach.

I did my best, which is all I can ever do, and I was down -1.6 lbs this week!  There was a lot of walking on the island, which I'm sure helped me!  THANK GOODNESS!!!

Success and a SCALE

This week for work, I had a chance to travel to Catalina Island for a work trip.  Honestly, I sorta was dreading it... lots of long days and work.  Not exactly a vacation. 

On the contrary, I had an amazing time!  It was so nice to get away, and it's great to be near the ocean.  I loved it.

I also had a pretty big breakthrough when I was there.  So, my team was there to also do a team builder.  OF COURSE, they chose ziplining.  I didn't really know what that was... I'd seen my niece and nephew do it at Winter Park in the summer, but it was very similar to monkey bars.... but you zipped.

My boss tells us that we have to wear tennis shoes and slacks, and that there's a weight limit:  245 lbs.  He continues to tell us that we will be weighed before they let us get on.  I immediately (internally) freak out.  I mean, I'll have to be on a scale in front of people.  If I have to weigh in publicly, I'll pretend to be afraid of heights and decline.  The other thing I realized.... is that I'm not OVER the weight limit anymore!!!  This was GREAT news.  Interestingly, when I weighed in, I was 244 lbs (um, clearly a misrepresenting scale, as I am soooo 241 at that point.)  SUCCESS though!  I'm in.  Without my decision to do JC, this could have been brutally embarrassing.  Like the kind that you never recover from...

So, when I got to the top all geared up, I was TERRIBLY nervous.  I'm not nuts about heights and I'm definitely not a thrill seeker.  After a few tears and a quick comedy act (my defense mechanism in super stressful situations,)  I jumped.... and did it again for a total of 5 times!  Phew! 

This pic was taken by a co-worker as I "zipped" across above 300 feet.  I'm so glad he took the pic so that I have it.  I'm so grateful, as it's a little weight loss trophy I have. 

I can't say that I loved Ziplining.... but I can tell you I LOVE that I was able to do it, and that I did it!  Yay, ME!  Cheers to the new me, that's able to do more and be more active!

Adorable Slippers for Joanne

Just made some super-cute slippers for Joanne for Xmas.  I think they're just adorable.


Here's the link if you want to make a pair for yourself.  I need to figure out how to make these into a size 8 or 9.  This version is a size 7. 


http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/plain-or-flowery-slippers

Weigh In: Another Loss

Weighed in this morning at JC and am down once again!  My total loss is -15.9 lbs!  Woooooo!


Super excited and ready to get down into the 230s next week!