Category: Weight Loss

It’s Been Awhile

I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve posted an update. I’ve been super busy, but now that I sit here and think about it, not much is new (although I wrote a lot).

I sat down with my personal trainer, Sandi, on Wednesday to talk about my diet because I’m really wanting to lose weight. Back in August, I had kept track of what I ate for 2 weeks so I brought my notebook with me. Afterwards, I felt like her comments were obvious and that I should have seen it myself. I started up the food journal again, but this time making more detailed notes. After really looking at what I eat, it’s the weekends where I eat the worst. I’ve been trying to follow Sandi’s advice, but who can pass up on real Belgium chocolate? *sigh* Baby steps…

Scott and I are still attempting the weight loss challenge. He hasn’t lost any weight yet, but he has starting working out. I have lost around 5 lbs, but I don’t think that’s very accurate since the weigh-in times have been inconsistent.

And of course, there’s Damien. I think he’s getting some new teeth in because he is always tired and cranky. I’ve been hearing some super loud, high-pitched screams recently and I’m not a fan. I have a home-visit with EDIS scheduled on Tuesday. They’re the people who deal with child development. I got a referral from Damien’s pediatrician because of how he scored in the communication section of the assessment during his 1 year checkup. Maybe I should explain this more…Before each appointment, I have to fill out a questionnaire about what Damien can do. It asks things about motor skills, communication, etc. Damien has never scored particularly high on these assessments. Anyways, I figured it can’t hurt to have someone take a look at him. I spoke with the lady who’s coming out and she said she can give us some tips on how to maybe move his speech along. AND on top of all of this, my pediatrician recommended a hearing test for Damien just to ensure he can hear sounds correctly. He said it’s just something to knock out and that it could hinder him saying sounds.   

Food Journal Update

It’s been a full two weeks since I’ve started recording everything I eat during the day. It wasn’t too difficult and I didn’t skip a day. Unfortunately, it’s not as effective as I had hoped. I thought seeing what I ate would make me reconsider my food options, but it hasn’t prevented anything. Maybe it’s because I’m not counting calories or maybe it’s because I write it down at the end of the day when the damage is already done. I don’t understand why this is so hard.

Personal Trainer

I’m pumped! I just got off the phone with my new personal trainer, Sandy. We are going to work out every Tues and Thurs starting this Thurs. It’s so exciting to have a professional who can help me get into shape and pass my PT test. She’s also a licensed nutritionist so she said she could help me with food as well. Thursday will be an initial assessment to see where I am now. Wow, I didn’t think I’d be this happy about exercise 🙂 I know I’m going to have some sore muscles ahead of me…but I’m READY! If this goes well, then Scott will get one too. We both need the extra push when it comes to working out. Desk jobs and desk hobbies will do that to you, I guess.

Exhausted

Lately, things have been more organized at home, but I think it’s safe to say that Scott and I are pretty exhausted. Between long hours at work with stressful jobs, entertaining Damien at home, and trying to keep up on the household chores…we are TIRED. Date night went well. We went out to Chilis to eat dessert. I can’t believe how absolutely full I am. Too much dessert! Why can’t they serve half the size for half the price? I’m still struggling with portion sizes when it comes to food. Maybe someday I’ll get the hang of it. I can do well for a while, but somehow I always go back to old habits. You’d think that they excitement of losing weight would be motivation enough. It’s strange. Of course, with the e coli outbreak pulling lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers off the shelves, it takes away from some of the healthy choices I was willing to eat.

Weight Watchers

I signed up for 3 months of Weight Watchers online to give it a try and see if I like it. The system calculates points based on fat, carbs, fiber, and protein. I’m allowed 29 points a day with 49 “allowance” points a week. I have to say that the site is going to take a lot of time to figure out. It’s not that it’s hard to use. The site has a lot of information and it’s just going to take time to go through the different parts to read and understand. I liked the “build an omelet” module…too bad they don’t have that option for more foods. I’m also surprised at how much points something costs. I drink a protein drink in the mornings for breakfast and it costs 6 points. That doesn’t seem terrible, but the fact that I still need to eat something else in between that and lunch means the points really add up.

In short, the site is a little overwhelming which is over-complicating the weight loss process for me. I’m not done with it yet though…I did pay money for this! We’ll see how it goes…

ARGH!

Coming up with meals for the second week was extremely difficult. I just didn’t feel like there was any options. Going through my cookbooks, I couldn’t find any recipes that fit. I read online that the South Beach diet is very similar to the Weight Watchers core food plan. I looked into it a little bit more and the big difference is that on the South Beach diet you can eat whole grain breads too. So I had decided to try pizza with a whole grain crust and spaghetti with whole grain noodles. Anyways, even MORE frustrating was the fact that the Ramstein commissary doesn’t have hardly ANY options. I couldn’t find whole grain pizza crust or nonfat or even reduced fat cheese. What the Hell? By going on this diet, we are already eliminating 90% of all foods and drinks at the commissary, and then they don’t even sell all of the 10% we can eat? This is the first real diet I’ve ever been on and I can see why people have such a hard time sticking to them. We were walking up and down whole aisles with nothing we can eat. I really REALLY want this to work too. And even with trying to eat better, we still haven’t changed what we’ve been eating for lunches. I don’t know where to go from here. Still trying to make it work. I guess I shouldn’t expect change without a few bumps along the way…

New Year’s Eve Treat

I made the steak, onions, mushrooms, and potato wedges tonight for dinner. Very good. I love steak. The only thing is I want to cut the potatoes into smaller wedges next time. Today wasn’t filled with all healthy choices though. Scott and I ate out for lunch and he brought home Dove chocolate ice cream after work for dessert. That’s right, DOVE ICE CREAM. It is too good. It’s dangerous for me to know it’s out there. My excuse for today is that it’s New Year’s Eve. Apparently holidays are free days 🙂

I’m not staying up until midnight, but HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 😀

Chicken and Dancing

I made the teryaki chicken, pineapple, and brown rice dish tonight. Sadly, it was just okay. Maybe I’ll try something similar in the future. This means so far the only truly delicious meals have been steak & eggs and chili.

We got a dance Kinect game today in the mail and I played it tonight. Very fun. That’s pretty much the only way I can work out is if I can trick myself into it. I like the Kinect because you don’t have to use a controller to play and it also reads your leg movements unlike the Wii.

Weight Loss Reward

I have decided that if I get down to my goal weight of 130lbs that I will reward myself with a new tattoo. I haven’t decided the what and where yet, but I’ve been wanting a new one for a while now. I would really love to get something designed to incorporate a collection of things that I love. Losing 45lbs is going to be challenging, but I think 130lbs for 5’5 is completely realistic. Wow, I’m already starting to get nervous! I’m hoping by documenting my progress that I will follow my plan closer because, well, others will know if I fail. No more eating half a cake alone in my kitchen. Wish me luck!