McFatty Monday - 2012

Well, we all made it to 2012! Some of us a little lighter than we started 2011. I am proud to say that I began 2012 15 pounds lighter than I began 2011! As many of you know, this has been quite a struggle to lose that 15 pounds. Some weeks I lost, some weeks I gained but all in all I was down for the year! That is not the weight loss I expected to have in 2011 when I began at Weight Watchers, but how can I complain. 

Here are a few other accomplishments I had that were not scale related:

1. I was able to toss out ALL my size 18 jeans and now fit in all my cute size 16 jeans! NO MORE FAT JEANS!!!

2. I went down a bra size....not a cup size but the "around" size!!!

3. I have changed my eating habbits and have changed some of the eating habbits of my husband and son......we now only eat wheat bread, wheat pasta, brown rice, a lot of veggies and fruit for snacks (well at least for Ethan and I).

 Here are some of my GOALS for 2012:

1. I will continue to go to Weight Watchers and work the program to help me lose more weight!

2. I will add more activity to my week. I will take my dog  on longer walks, I will do a workout video 3 days a week (and schedule this on my calendar).

3. I will hike with my husband and son this summer, this is a biggie because I have not hiked in several summers!!! My son is such a big inspiration, I want to keep up with him.....he is 6!

I wish all my readers a very happy and healthy 2012!!! May you all reach your goals and may you all have a lot of "cheerleaders" along your journey!!

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McFatty Monday

 

So this week we were introduced to PointsPlus 2012 at our Weight Watchers meeting. There is not that much different from the program I began with. The main difference is they have made it even more flexible than ever before. The thing I like the most about this is, I am a control freak and this puts me in more control. 

 

I have had such a hard time the last few weeks. I would loose then gain then loose. Part of the reason I have been in this cycle is because I made the choice to throw myself a pity party when I gained weight. unfortunately I was the only person invited to my pity party and I ate all the snacks at the party. This did not help me with this horrible cycle. 

 

This weekend I made a decision, I will no longer host this pity party. The only person who can make me lose weight is myself. I have had a very unhealthy relationship with food for a long time now and I am going to break off that relationship. I am ready to start a new relationship with food. Like all new relationships, I am going to find it much more comfortable to go back to my old one, I am going slip up from time to time. I may even call my old relationship just to see how they are doing without me. In the end, I am making the choice to be with my new love.

 

If you are also in an unhealthy relationship with food and want to start a new love check out Weight Watchers to see what it is all about.  Let me know if  you are currently on the WW program or plan to join, I would love to send and receive your support!

 

Have a Happy and Healthy week!!! 

McFatty Monday Update

As many of you know and some might not know, I am on a weight loss journey. I am currently a client of Weight Watchers and I have had many ups and downs. This week our topic was about not being so focused on the number on the scale. I am really going to try to take this message to heart. I am always very focused on that number, however, I don't ever weigh myself at home. I rely on the scale I step on every Saturday to tell me how I am doing. We all know, especially us women, that our weight can fluctuate from day to day; hell, it seems that it will fluctuate from hour to hour some days. Right now I have to be thankful because I am lighter than I was when I started. I have also learned some great, healthy tips along the way and I am still a sponge ready to absorb more information.

I used to have my weight loss ticker at the top of my blog and I decided to take it down. I am not ready at this point to declare my final destination in this journey. At this point my goal will be to be sure I can fit into all my size 16 pants and skirts. I have many that I can fit into but let's face it.....not all sizes are made the same! 

I am so lucky that my mom and aunt are on this journey with me and we can call each other during the week to lift the other up or get lifted up. We can swap ideas, recipes or simply bitch to one another about hating the fact that we have to lose weight. 

If anyone reading my blog is interested in a weight loss program I would be glad to give you the low down on Weight Watchers, just send me an email or comment. 

Please also take a moment to follow my blog on Facebook. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy week!!

McFatty Monday Update

Now that we are really in to fall, and it is finally beginning to feel like fall in Denver, I am very ready for some fall comfort food. While these foods are undoubtedly delicious, they are not always the best food for us. I find myself craving the flavors of fall, this includes more beef dishes (pot roast, beef stew) and some very yummy soups. Not to mention the great desserts that come a long with fall. I have this urge to bake all sorts of things, cakes, pies, cobbles (before the fruit goes out of season). These are not things I need to be baking and keeping in my house because I always over indulge on this yummy goodness.

Today, while shopping with my mom, I found these oh so yummy new nuts from Planters. They are Pumpkin Spice Almonds. They are very similar to cinnamon almonds. THEY ARE SO YUMMY! They taste like pumpkin pie but they are SO much better for you. In one serving you get 22 almonds which only costs me 4 points plus for Weight Watchers. They are so much more satisfying than most other snacks that cost me 4 points plus. I have to say that these nuts are a must try for anyone who likes the taste of pumpkin pie. If you have tried them or you plan to try them, leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Have a happy, healthy week!

McFatty Monday Update

Whoa! What a week....

Last week was my birthday and it was another hard week to get through. It started on Saturday when we celebrated with my mom at Texas Roadhouse then it continued on Tuesday, my actual birthday. First I was greeted at work by a co-worker with a yummy Pumpkin Spice Latte, then I was treated to lunch and a cupcake by a group of co-workers. That night my boys treated me to a great dinner at Applebee's. The fun did not seem to stop and I went out for happy hour with a group of girls for Martinis and Manicure....so much fun!! All this excitement was matched by a lot of stress from work. We had a wonderful Tea Party for our girls and event on Saturday that was a lot of my stress. 

 

I know these all seem like pretty lame excuses but, it was enough to make me nervous going into my weigh-in on Saturday and I decided to "skip the scale". However, I did stay for my meeting which is the most important part of this journey. The meeting topic was about "Why do you want to lose weight?" Paris my leader asked us to come up with some very specific reasons why we want to lose weight. Below are my top 5 reasons why I want to lose weight:

5. I want to be able to shop in any store in the mall. When I go shopping with my girlfriends I want to be able to shop in all the stores they shop in and not have to go to a special section or just stand by and watch them shop.

4. I don't want my son to ask me why I am fatter than his other friend's moms. I know this is totally innocent and he is just curious but I sure does not make me feel good when he asks it.

3. I want to look HOT. My husband tells me all the time that I am hot to him, however; I am a bit shallow and would love to be hot to more people than my husband. I want his friends to think, "damn, your wife is hot"

2. I want to get off my medications.  If I were to get off my medications I would save around $800/year. There are so many more things I would rather buy with that money....clothes, shoes, purses.

And the Number One Reason I want to lose weight

1. I want to weigh less than my husband. I have never, in the 10 years we have been together, been lighter than him. I could be 2 pounds lighter than him and happy for the rest of my life. I simply want to weigh less than he does.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and healthy week!!

McFatty Monday Update

Well readers, I am back. I took a couple weeks off from my blog while my family was moving. We are all moved in to our new place and getting unpacked. It was a lot of hard work but we made it through and love our bigger place. I have to say it was difficult to stay on the Weight Watchers Program during this time. We did not fill our kitchen in a normal fashion since we would have to move it. We ended up in a drive-thru much more than I would like to admit. I did try my best to order food that is better for me but there are not too many choices at fast food joints. 

I stayed the same weight the last two weeks which is great because that means all the "not so great" food I ate was counter balanced by all the exercise I did during the move.  I am not sure how many stairs I climbed but I am sure that helped me not gain any fast food weight.

I must say that we are entering my favorite time of the year! I love fall and all the bounty it brings. One of my favorite foods of the fall is apples. I know we can get apples all year but they taste so much better during the fall. There are so many things you can do with apples besides just eating them for a yummy snack with some cheese. I love to make applesauce, saute them and serve with pork and bake them with cinnamon (its a great dessert). Here in Colorado we have hit the best apple season of them all...Honeycrisp apple season. If  you have never tried a Honeycrisp apple, you need to find one at your local store or email me and I will mail one to you. They are the best apples I have ever tasted, they taste like candy because they are so sweet and they are as crisp as a Granny Smith. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week and be sure to try all the wonderful apples that are out there during this wonderful harvest season!!

McFatty Monday Update

Last week you might have noticed I did not do a McFatty Monday Update. The biggest reason is, I did not attend my meeting or weigh in last week. The last two weeks I have been off track. I used my cousin's wedding as my excuse, but really I could have kept on track better during those weeks.  I did find myself keeping on track much better at work since I typically don't eat any food that I don't bring with me. There is the occasion when we have extra food at work but I can often fend off the need to eat it. My problem is and has always been, my eating at home. I have boys in my house that never gain weight, no matter what they eat. My hubby has quite a sweet tooth and likes all the goodies that made me fat; Little Debbie Snacks, Cookies, Ice Cream and candies. I try to keep snacks in the house that make me feel like I am cheating but are good for me, FiberOne Brownies are my newest love! When my boys are eating their Little Debbie goodness, I am eating my FiberOne yummyness. 


So the verdict when I went to weigh in on Saturday was, I gained 2 pounds, which I have to say, was not as much as I was prepared for. I thought for sure I had gained 3-4 pounds. That day, I did head to the grocery store and made sure I filled my fridge with all the stuff I need to help keep me on track. I just might be too busy this week to actually get off track. I am so busy at work this week and we are packing our house to move next weekend so I may just keep myself preoccupied and not think about the yummy, bad-for-me things I want to snack on. The other great thing is, the weather in Colorado is getting much cooler and taking longer walks with the dog and kiddo will be back in the routine. 

Have a Happy and Healthy Week!!!!

McFatty Monday Update

The last two weeks has been quite a journey. Not only am I still working on my weight loss journey, but life has gotten in my way! Most of you know that my son has started Kindergarten, if you missed that post you can read it here. We are now adjusting to a new schedule and the things that suffered the most were my eating habits and my workouts. So here is how it has gone down: Workouts have all but gone out the door for the last two weeks but I now have a plan to get them back in the schedule. The eating habits have suffered because I have not been planning my meals out very well, especially at night. During the summer, Ethan was able to go to bed later than now so I had more time for dinner and did not have to plan out so much. Now I will have to put just as much time into planning my dinners as I do for my lunches. 

Last week I did not lose or gain weight so I am considering that a good week with all the stress I had in my schedule. I am actually looking forward to adding back in my workout time because there is a lot of stress I need to get out of my body and I might as well pour it all into the workout. You have just witnessed history......that was the first time in my life I expressed an interest in working out....hence the weight problem!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and be sure to take the advice that is at the top of this post.

McFatty Monday Update

It seems that my tag word "Cake" from last week carried over into this week. I think I am officially done with cake until my cousin's wedding at the end of this month. What a relief, Cake is my biggest weakness in life. With all the cake I have consumed lately, I still managed to lose weight this week. I lost 1/2 pound which I was proud of due to my food intake. I have to say that I do so much better when I am at work. I only pack the food I am allowing myself that day and I don't take cash with me, this way I stay away from the vending machine. When I am at home, especially with Ethan, I tend to snack much more. Ethan loves to snack and there are so many more choices in our house than I actually allow myself at work. I used to stock my desk with whole boxes of snacks  and now I leave them at home and only take the ones I will eat that day. 

The website I posted above is a new one from the USDA. This is the new way they want people to think about their food instead of the food pyramid. This is a new fantastic way for everyone to visualize their plate when fixing a meal. I have admit, my plate does not look like this each meal. I doubt there are many people out there who can say they make their plate look like this each time. I do have to say I am proud that the one thing I am sure to get in each day are my whole grains and my fruits and veggies. I never have a problem getting in the grains because that is my favorite food group. 

Hi my name is Jennifer, and I am addicted to BREAD!!

Fruits and veggies are another one of my favorite groups and lucky for me, a lot of the fruit and veggies on the Weight Watchers plan are zero points plus. This is one of the ways I fill my meals and my belly up each day. Protein and dairy are the ones I have to work on fitting into my points better each day. It is not that I don't like these groups, there is not a group I don't like hence the extra weight, but they take up so much more of my daily points plus and there are days I don't always fit them in the way I need to. I do have to say, if any one of you are looking for a wonderful program to help lose weight, Weight Watchers happens to be great! I don't feel hungry or dis-satisfied, most days. There are the days I am dis-satisfied because I only want to eat crap food that day and I force myself to stay on program. Those days I am not dis-satisfied with the program but with myself. 

This weight loss journey continues to be difficult. But each time I have a victory, no matter how large or small, I feel so much better about myself. I am proud of each and every pound, half pound and even quarter pound I have lost. I am glad I can share this journey with each of you who read every Monday. Have a happy and healthy week!!

McFatty Monday Update

This week can be summed up by one word....CAKE!!!! Here is how it all went down.....Monday - I had cake at work for a celebration of co-workers's birthdays. The rest of the work week I did pretty good. Saturday - went to WW and weighed in, lost 1.4 pounds - YAY!! Then had a birthday party for a friend that night, had party food and cake. Sunday - went to my cousin's bridal shower - had party food and cake. WOW - 3 days of cake in one 7-day period is the most I have had since I began WW. 

I am still on track with my Jillian Michael's workout. I did take the weekend off because my body hurt and I needed a break. I will begin this workout again today and continue it through the week. At the end of the week I will see how my body feels and decide then whether I will do this on the weekend. The great thing is, I don't have any parties this week or any reason to celebrate with CAKE! I hope you all have a wonderful week!!

McFatty Monday Update - Late Entry

So, I was not going to blog today because I have not been the best WW person lately. I ended up skipping the meeting on Saturday because my schedule lately has made me exhausted and I really needed to sleep for fear of becoming a zombie! I realized that I can't skip weeks, I allowed myself to basically slack off. Now that I have slacked off enough I am going to challenge myself to complete the 30-day Shred DVD by Jillian Michaels. I am going to do this DVD every day on level 1 for 30-days. I hope that I like the results so much that I will continue on to 30-days of each level 2 and 3. I am not going to lie, this DVD kicked my ass tonight. I know that it will probably kick my ass the rest of this week but I am willing to blast through it because I will never change my body if I don't move it. 

I want to leave everyone with a little saying that is getting me through this hard journey and hope that it also speaks to you in some way. I hope everyone has a great week!!

McFatty Monday Update

Well, my journey has come to another speed bump. I did not lose weight last week, but, this time I will not let it define me for weeks like it did last time. Instead of wallowing in self pity I went out and celebrated a bit this weekend. I was not really celebrating the fact that I did not lose weight, I had several parties scheduled. I ate mostly food that was good for me with a few indulgences thrown in there. I have decided that if I do throw those indulgences in there I will not beat myself up about it. In real life there are times I want to indulge and I just have to take the responsibility for it.

I think the thing that bothered me the most was the fact that I made an effort to get in more exercise and it did not change the scale. I am planning to continue the 3-30 min walks at work this week and the walks with Ethan and the dog and see if this activity will catch up with me on the scale.

In church yesterday my pastor was talking about attitude during his sermon and I was reminded that having a great attitude can change your outlook on anything. I know that my attitude toward this weight loss journey is half my battle. It is not easy and I get discouraged but if I keep my attitude leaning toward “glass half full” I will be able to complete this!

McFatty Monday Update

Yes, this week calls for a celebration. I lost 2.2 pounds and finally broke through the 15 pound mark!!!!! That 15 pounds was haunting me for several weeks with very small gains and losses, I was hovering at 14.6-14.8 for a while. 

The thing that I feel helped the most was actually putting a goal down here on my blog that you can read about here and this gives me some accountability. This means that I am 7.2 pounds away from my short term goal of 10% down by Labor day, that will be a total of 24 pounds gone forever! Yes that means I started out at a whopping 240 pounds.....and my total goal is to weigh 150 pounds. 

One reason I did not mention last week as a reason for wanting to lose weight is....I long to weigh less than my husband. If there is one thing you should know about Brian, it is that he is tall and thin and has a hard time gaining weight (he is lucky I love him so much, because I could really cuss him out about this.) Another reason is I want my BMI to be a number I am proud of then my doctor will not have to lecture me at every physical about being so heavy.  

Here are the two numbers I strive for and will love to shout proudly when they are reached: 150 pounds and 22 BMI. If you have numbers you strive for and want to shout now or someday, leave me a comment! We are all here to support each other in all of life's journeys. 

McFatty Monday Update

Well, last week was better than the week before. I only lost a 1/2 pound, and I am grateful that I did not gain any last week. This week my leader gave us some homework that I am going to complete here.  

Question #1 - Why do you want to lose weight and what does goal look like (not the number you want to be at for goal)?



I would love to buy this outfit in a single digit size!



Answer: To me the reasons for losing weight are many but the main reason is I want to live to see all the stages of my son's life. I want to grow old and see my grandchildren. I want to decrease the amount of medication I have to take. and I want to look good naked in a bathing suit!



Question #2 - What are your goals for the next 8 weeks leading up to Labor Day?

Answer: My goal for the next 8 weeks is to hit 24 pounds gone, and then I will be 10% lighter than I started and feeling great about the next step. That leaves me 10 or so pounds left to lose to reach this goal in 8 weeks. I know I can do it but I have to convince my brain!



Such a cute bike!



Question #3 - What do I need to do to accomplish these goals? 

Answer: The number one thing I have to do to achieve these goals is, wait for it......stick to the WW program!!!! That includes tracking EVERYTHING I eat and eating the things that are best for me. The second thing I need to do is increase my movement. I can't say the word.....exercise.... because then I won't do it!! I am not a person who enjoys the gym, I have to trick my brain into thinking it is not exercising. I have all the tools I need to take care of this, I just need to use the tools!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!! Feed your body well and lets all move a little more!! We will all feel better!! ~Namaste~

McFatty Monday Update

Ok, I think I am torturing myself. My goal from last week was to be at 15 lbs, well I got close. I lost 0.6 lbs to get me to 14.8 lbs.......REALLY???

I think this is going to force me to move my body more because I know I am eating better. I am eating far less than I used to and making much better choices. Last week there was not a lot of exercise being done in my house.

I am glad I did lose weight and ecstatic that I did not gain any but I really want to lose more than I am in any given week. This week our meeting topic was about weighing and measuring all our food, which I can say I do half-ass. I always weigh or measure some things and others I have never measured. Since I went to the meeting on Saturday I have done much better with the exception of Father's Day dinner, I gave myself that meal off. I hope this helps me out this week and I will make a bigger effort to get my body moving.  I hope everyone has a happy and healthy week!!

McFatty Monday Update

WOO HOO!!! I have made it through two very difficult weeks, wanting to give up and eating horribly! I faced the music on Saturday and stepped on the scale and lost 1.6 lbs!! This brings me to 14.2 lbs lost so far and next week I will be celebrating 15+ lbs lost!! I have a renewed energy for the program and I am working harder to keep on track and keep myself interested in losing weight. After so many years of looking for that magic pill that will make me a size 6 overnight, I have come to realize that albeit slow, this method is working because I am so much more aware of what I am eating and why I am eating. It does not hurt that quite a few people have told me that they can tell I am losing weight and I was able to get into some pants this last weekend that I have been wanting to fit for a while. I am going to celebrate this week, but not with the cake that is above. I just found this picture to be ironic to this post.

The thing that makes me to most happy is that I have inspired my mom to join Weight Watchers when she has completely healed from her surgery. She has lost some weight through her recovery and she is ready to lose more and she hears me tell her all the time that I feel satisfied with the food I am allotted each day and I don’t feel like I am on a diet. I am starting to feel much better about my progress and happy to be getting healthier. I hope everyone has a Happy and Healthy week!!

McFatty Monday Update

So, this week I was a coward!!!! I went to my meeting, and decided I was not going to weigh in.  I have been so far off track for the last week and I was not emotionally ready to face the number on the scale!  I think I made the choice to not even try, the thought that actually ran through my head was, “I don’t care if I stay fat forever.”  Irrational I know, but it seemed perfectly rational at the time and I am sure I was eating one of the Ding Dongs we purchased for my husband.  I have not had a Ding Dong in years and have no idea what possessed me to eat one at that time.

I have not exercised much control over the food going into my mouth for the last week, nor have I actually exercised this past week.  I am however proud that I did get my big ass out of bed on Saturday and sit through my meeting.  That has motivated me to get back on track and I have been eating better since then.  I also walked a 5K on Sunday with my WW leader and my family.  That made me feel better about myself and the whole weight loss process.

Since the I have hopped off the “Crazy Train” that I was riding for a week and I am back on track with my eating and food tracking….stay tuned to the new weight loss that I will be able to report next week!! Have a happy and healthy week!!



McFatty Monday Update - Memorial Day

So last week I did not have time to do the Monday update, or maybe I did not want to report another set back. I had a much better week this week. I lost 1.6 (but last week I gained 1.4) so all together I am down by 12.6. Still not bad in my opinion, I am at least fitting into most of my smaller clothes and feeling better every day. This weekend has been a true test and let me tell you, I did not pass the test yesterday. I think I was tired of watching what I eat and decided that yesterday was going to be a free for all day. Well, I ate pretty bad and did not feel too great last night. Lesson learned, bad food = bad feeling. I think I ate bad for so long before that I did not notice how bad that food made me feel and now that I am eating much better, that food, while it is so yummy, can only be consumed in small amounts or I feel like crap.

Today we are thinking of all the service men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedom and we are thankful! I hope everyone has a very happy and healthy Memorial Day and week!

McFatty Monday Update

YAHOOOOO!!! I have finally hit my first big goal. I am officially 5% lighter than when I started Weight Watchers!! Last week was a much better week at work (not as much stress) and I was not as inclined to eat my way through the week. I also went back to my high water intake. I know this works  and I am not sure why I let that slide. I need to remember how much this program works and I just have to work it for myself. This weekend was a bit of a challenge with a graduation party and the Walk of Faith (a 5k walk that I don't get to walk, I have to work) and all the food that came with that. This mornig I am right back on the program and ready to lose more weight. Last week I lost 5.4 lbs for a total weight loss of 12.4 lbs. My next goal is 10% which is 24 lbs. Wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy week!!

McFatty Monday Update

Well......last week was horrible!! All the weight I lost the week I was sick, I gained back. Last week I gained 3.8 pounds. I am trying not to beat myself up too much about this because it is only a minor set back in this long journey. So now I am back down to 7 pounds down. I am still proud of the fact that I am on this journey and have lost 7 pounds.

Last week was not only horrible for my weight loss. It was a very stressful and busy week at work. I happen to be a stress eater so last week was very hard for me. My biggest problem is that I did not take the time to track everything I put in my mouth. I think if I would have tracked everything early in the week, I may have been so horrified by Friday that I would have had to fast that day. So far this week I am back on track. I am eating the right foods and tracking all that crosses my lips. I hope everyone has a happy and healthy week!

"Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but they can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake."
~Author Unknown