Fun With Friends And Family

I've been squeezing in some fun on my days off during the hours the rest of the world is awake. On Wednesday, a classmate/friend was in town from Oregon so another classmate/friend organized a group get together at Carl's Jr. so the play area would the kids entertained. The group got smaller as the day neared but I still managed to see three of my classmates.

Next to me is Suzie, then Allyson, and Jenn. 

Suzie and Allyson were in band with me and we all played clarinet. I actually grew up with Allyson as we lived in neighborhoods across from each other. It would have been wonderful to see the others and we had a great time talking about our high school days as our 20^th reunion nears. I've not seen Suzie since high school as I wasn't able to attend our last reunion. I'm actually thinking I'll join the planning committee for our next one. I'm good at parties so why not.

On Thursday I organized a group to freeze to death go see the Christmas light display in downtown Caldwell. There was a crash on the interstate that had backed up traffic for several miles coupled with the usual commuter evening traffic back up. My poor friends sat in traffic of hours and I felt awful. After we did a quick loop around the lights (temps were in the teens with fog) we met at Shari's for hot chocolate and pie...my treat! Despite the cold, we had a great time.

Yesterday I took the night off and we celebrated Kenyon's birthday.  It was pretty low key due to it being so cold (our temps are in the single digits and the negatives).  We had a date night at Texas Roadhouse.  I've been craving ribs so the craving was satisfied.  It was delicious.  I didn't get a photo of us on our date night but I snapped one before I headed off to work.  Kenyon's actual birthday is today.  Happy Birthday Kenyon!

And Happy New Year to you all.  Please don't drink and drive!

To Change Your Body You Must Also Change Your Mind

Earlier this year I had decided I needed some sort of gym membership that would push me to be more accountable with fitness as I was struggling with enjoying activity. There was a coupon for half off the joining fee at Curves so I decided to stop by all three local locations in my area and ask about joining. I had been to Curves years ago and liked their 30-minute circuit workout and that is was all women and less intimidating than commercial gyms. At the time I was deciding to join Curves again, my friend Mark was talking very highly of his new personal trainer. Mark worked very hard to lose over 60 pounds and had also found the joy in running. I'm not sure exactly how he ended up with his trainer, Tyson, but he was really liking where personal training was taking him in regards to his fitness goals. I told Mark I wanted to try and see first where Curves would take me. I even blew off his trainer after he sent me a couple of text messages.

Fast forward almost a year (my Curves membership is up for renewal in February) and even more pounds gained, I've realized that I am still not holding myself accountable to my fitness goals. Over the last several months, I think I've gone to Curves a whopping 29 times. It is sort of a “shit or get off the pot moment.” I'm paying $45 a month to attend a gym that I don't actually attend. This is a familiar tune with me as I once also paid to attend Axiom that I rarely attended. Holding myself accountable is really hard. I suck at it.

Mark's shared a Facebook post from his trainer's page of a Christmas special for 20% off his training sessions which makes them under $20 per session. It started me thinking about perhaps making the change from Curves to Planet Fitness, the gym where Tyson works. I don't have to include a gym membership to train with him but Planet Fitness is just $10 with no contract and in addition to their whole assortment of intimidating workout equipment, they also have a 30-minute circuit area (similar to Curves) as well as they are open 24-hours during the week, which just so happens to be my days off on graveyard.

After meeting with Tyson, and seeing the Planet Fitness gym, I decided to make the jump into this new territory. I had my first session yesterday and it went really well. The first few sessions will mostly be him learning my current fitness level so he can make a game plan on where to go from here. Yesterday we started off by learning all about the 30-minute circuit. I had told Tyson that was where I'd most likely do my workouts on my own. He was very encouraging and patient and is a huge ball of energy. I think this is going to be a good fit although I do know that things will get harder. I am feeling slightly sore in my arms today but overall I feel really good. Our plan is to meet at least twice a week and I'll re-evaluate if I'll renew my sessions after I complete the 12-weeks I purchased.

I also signed up for the gym membership on their $99 no contract plan for the next 12 months. This saved me money in the long run since there was also a joining fee on top of the usual $10 per month membership fee. Kenyon and I were discussing the difference in price between Planet Fitness and Curves and he figured the break-even point in cost is six months. I obviously have a history with past gym memberships so we will see how this one goes. It is further away from my house but is mostly all freeway so I really have no excuses. I'm just good at excuses. It also feels really intimidating despite there “no intimidation” motto. Tyson assures me it is a very laid back atmosphere and I hope that once I train with him a few times that I will feel more comfortable around the machines and not feel like a huge dork.

                                        

                                         

Between my re-commitment to WW and tracking (I've tracked and stayed within my points for the last three days this week) and this new venture into better accountability with activity, I'm feeling like 2017 is going to be a good year. Please remind me how energized I was on this day if I start to dwindle down the road. I'm ready to change my body again and it starts with changing my mind.

Weekly WI: Down 2.4 Pounds

My WI this week went smashing. I was super excited about my 2.4 pound loss. I am super focused on getting out of the 240s so I'm tracking again this week. Tracking was the key to my success. Well, that and making up my mind ahead of time and sticking to it. Success feels so much better than defeat!

We had a great meeting about reflecting on 2016 coming to an end. The question was: Where were you last year vs. this year? Was it where you thought you would be? There was some great shares and spanned the who spectrum. Since my 10 year WW Anniversary is a very short four weeks away, I had some thoughts to share as well and as always received such wonderful support. That is why I go to my WW meeting. They are my people and they understand me.

The only negative about a 2.4 pound loss is that I lost one Daily Smart Point Value from my daily allotment. The smaller you get, the less daily points they give you. I know from past experience that I lose better when I eat all the points allowed to me so even though I lost one daily point, I still have 42 weekly points.

We also talked about our abundance of snow and the ways we have been able to get extra activity in:

                                            

On the snow front, I have good news. I made some calls and not only got the approval from the HOA board for snow removal but as my neighbor Trini and I were out shoveling the main road entrance/exit, the ACHD plow truck came by and told us he would plow and sand the area. 

Oh My Gosh! That was the best news all day and I was filled with joy. I'll be honest, this snow over the last few days and the fear of getting stuck has made for some restless sleep. I was exhausted last night at 9pm so I took a three hour nap. I'm so thankful I can get in/out of my neighborhood. I'm still going to look into studded tires though. I feel like I could use the extra traction.

Hopefully you won't have to listen to anymore snow woes. But, I'm not making any promises. I might cave in a weak moment.

Noticeable Differences From Being Heavy Vs. Thin

There are definitely some noticeable things about being heavy vs. being thin:

When I was heavy, I sweated A LOT.  When I got thin I was cold all the time.  Now that I am heavy again I noticed I am more prone to sweating.  I still have my moments when I am cold but sometimes my extra insulation makes getting ready for work and putting my make up on tough.  If I have coffee + a hot shower, forget it.  It takes me forever to cool down.  I swear I am not of the menopause age but sometimes I want to fan myself like a middle-aged woman does.

 

I didn’t realize how much I missed crossing my legs until I had lost enough weight to cross them all the time.  Now that I have re-gained some weight, crossing my legs isn’t as easy. 

I felt it was hard to shop when I was heavy and also equally hard to shop when I was thin.  I kid you not I feel like I am always in the middle size range of the rest of the women in this world as I always struggle to find the right size.  One thing is for certain, shopping is a lot more fun when you are thin.  But then you just spend a lot more money too.

Mobility is less restrictive when you are thin vs. when you are heavy.  I also notice my feet tire easily now than they did when I was thin.  That was also almost eight years ago so there could be a parallel there.  I can get up off the floor better than my pre-WW days and I have no trouble climbing stairs.  Good thing since we moved into a two story house.

I feel bad sitting next to somebody at a movie theater or on an airplane now that I am heavy again.  It was easier to be in the middle seat on the airplane when I was thin.

 

I used to feel like I fit in more when I was thin.  Now sometimes I feel like I'm the “fat friend” again.  Good thing I’m cool as shit so that part doesn’t really matter.

Week Wrap-Up: 100% Tracking & The Absence Of Treats

Well, it’s now the day after Christmas.  What a whirlwind of a day!  I guess we can now look forward to welcoming 2017.

We got pounded with snow earlier in the week and I’ve been getting stuck in our neighborhood.  I got really stuck on Christmas morning when I was driving home from work at 6am.  As is, I had to be up at 11am so my sleep window was already on the small side.  I called Kenyon and we discussed ways to try and get unstuck (he was at work) and I considered calling a tow truck.  After hiking to the house to get a shovel and trying to dig, I got nowhere and I called Kenyon in tears.  My amazing husband was pulling up behind me.  He had left work to come help me and I was so thankful to see him.  All I needed was a push and I made it into our driveway.  We did some shoveling to make sure I could get out later to make to my family event later that day.  Thank goodness I was able to get out again and so far I’ve not had any more problems.  Fingers crossed I get back home okay today.

I enjoyed seeing my extended family so much.  The family Christmas party is a lot of work but so worth it.  We had a lighter than usual crowd since others were having issues getting out of their driveways as well.  (STUPID SNOW).  I got a call from my supervisor that I could come in late so thankfully I was able to grab a quick nap before work.  I didn’t sleep well so I am looking forward to a full night (days) sleep when I get home.  I just have to make it through my shift later tonight and then I am off for the next four days.

So…that positive part of my week is that I have tracked 100% all week!  I am pretty close to using all my WSPA and I might even go over slightly.  But, it is all tracked.  I am most proud that I had NO desserts/treats/candy this week.  Yeeehaaaw!  I’ll be honest in that I started the week of taking a break from treats but not sure how I would navigate our Christmas festivities.  On Friday I made myself some orange sugar-free jello salad with mandarin oranges, cool whip, and cottage cheese.  As excited as I was for it, it just tasted too “rich” when I ate some and ended up not eating anymore.  I think it was the whip cream.  Although it was sugar-free, I think it was just too much.  I much preferred just cottage cheese and mandarins, which I’ve been eating this week as well.

Yesterday was just a crazy and hectic day.  I was running around at the Christmas party making sure this and that was tended to.  I hardly ate any of my chip and bean dip appetizer and for the dinner portion I loaded my plate with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and some sweet potato casserole.  I’ll tell ya, that casserole was super sweet and left me feeling like I’d had enough sugar that I wasn’t even tempted by the dessert table.  I walked by it several times but never really stopped to survey nor did I indulge.  I didn’t feel deprived and I feel really great about my decision to skip it.

I just had such a wonderful successful week that I am so hoping it will show at the scale.  I know that my efforts may not be reflected but I sure do want it to.  My meeting is on Tuesday this week.  I still have a few leftover meals from last week but I need to get more meal plans/prep in place so I can keep this momentum going.  Being off work for that four-day stretch can sometimes make my food choices sway.  Making sure I have food on hand at home helps as does tracking.  Tracking really, really keeps me on track. 

I wasn’t disciplined in the activity area last week but I still met my Apple Watch Activity goal (380 calories) each day.  I got signed up with my personal trainer and I plan to sign up at the gym where he works.  So hopefully this week I can carve some time for activity.  I do plan to spend as much time with Kenyon.  His birthday is New Years Eve.  We are going to celebrate on Thursday.  I’m sure there will be some high point foods in my week but I just have to track it, make sure it is worth it, and plan accordingly.

Onward we go…

Merry Christmas

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas!

I hope your holiday is filled with time spent with loved ones.  To me, that is what the season is all about.

I am going to be lucky enough to spend time with my family later today.  I so look forward to seeing everybody and I can't hardly wait.

I always miss being a kid at Christmas.  I miss the days of waking up early to look through your Christmas stocking as you shake a few presents while waiting for Mom and Dad to wake up.  Ah, to be young again.

Sadly, Kenyon works during the day so I won't get to spend time with him before work.

Enjoy your day.

Weekly WI: On-Track Lindsay

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

This is a photo of the Christmas card that my Great Aunt Pauline sent me from Missouri. I miss my great aunt and uncle and I wish I lived closer. This is also one of her pantings. She is an amazing artist.

So, onto my WI this on Monday. I gained 1.4 pounds over the last two weeks (I took a pass the week before). I have to say, when I got onto the scale at home and saw that it was back down from the week before, I was definitely happy. My hopes for my WI at my meeting was that I was that my gain was at least under 2 pounds, and it was. So I am A-Okay.

I gave myself a pep-talk on Monday morning (very early as I work graveyard) and started tracking my food WITH POINTS. I am happy to report that I have completed honest tracking for four days. I feel so in control when I track so I am glad my pep talk work. I even made a plan for the week of meals to make and how I will navigate my holiday social eating. I want to make sure I set myself up for success this week.

I have also signed up with a personal trainer to become more accountable on the activity front. I am looking forward to starting and I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

My immediate family came over to my house last night for our Christmas festivities. We decided to go casual with a meat and cheese tray. I am also made a jello salad for my dessert.  Despite the temptations, I sailed through my day.  I am now at work finishing the last few hours of my shift.

I like On-Track Lindsay!

Last Minute Holiday Errands

I have been running last minute errands the last two days. I'm exhausted! I guess I was a bit too lazy on my three days off last weekend since I'm now in a rush to get it all finished up.

I hit up the mall on Tuesday evening to include stopped into the Apple Store. I have been wanting to upgrade my iPad and have been kicking around which one I want. Instead of making an impulse purchase, I lounged on one of the couches in the center of the mall and posted on FB about my debate on buying myself a Christmas present.

Nobody disagreed! Thank goodness. Kenyon and I went back last night and still left empty handed. I decided to use my Barclay card for 18 months no interest financing and in order to get the deal I have to wait 24 hours for the activation deal on my credit card. Waaaaaahhhhh. Waiting is so hard when a shiny new toy is standing in front of me. And as it turns out, I'm going to get the new iPad Pro instead of the iPad Air 2 as it will be much easier to blog on the go when we are on vacation or I am out of town. It costs a few hundred more than the iPad Air 2 but I think it will be a good investment. I'll have the benefit of both a tablet and a computer all in one. Ahhhhhhh....if I only I could have walked out of the store with my fun new stuff (actually I'm not sure they have the 254 GB in stock so I think we are going to have to wait a few more days. We will see after the 24-hour waiting period is up (at 7pm later today).

I am currently blogging after midnight and am watching Gilmore Girls and drinking a beer. I have done great with my tracking the last three days and I even tracked everything I ate when we went to Tucanos for an early lunch (20 SPV). I made some mini meatloafs and green beans a bit ago (5 SPV) and I still have 13 points left. So I am doing some quality control on the Blue Moon variety pack.

I won't be able to drink alcohol on Christmas Day due to there not being enough time between our festivities and my shift at work (insert sad face). So, I am trying out some of the beer ahead of time. What better way to use my daily points than a beer (5 SPV). Sadly, this one isn't as good as the Cappuccino Oatmeal Stout. But, I mostly bought the variety pack to try the Cinnamon Horchata. I'm not sure I'll have a second beer tonight. I don't think I can stay up all night if I do!

In addition to mini meatloaf, which I have one serving of leftovers, I'm also baking a spaghetti squash dish and am going to make a pot roast for Saturday. I love having healthy meals and leftovers to last me through my work week and to keep me on track on my days off at home. I was hit with some boredom on Tuesday night but I was able to power through!

I've got more to update you on but I'll end this here.

Tips For Navigating Holiday Parties & Social Situations

It is that time of year where we find ourselves at several different parties with an assortment of delicious looking food, sweets, and alcohol in front of us.  Work parties, family traditions, Christmas, New Years…it all adds up quick.  Here are some tips for navigating those holiday parties so you don’t feel miserable the next day.

 

 

Always make a plan ahead of time:  There is nothing worse than being at a social event and caving to all the temptation in front of you.  If your holiday party is at a restaurant and you have an idea of what will be served ahead of time, make a plan on what is worth spending the points on and what isn’t.  I know sometimes you can’t plan ahead because you don’t know what will be there.  So make a plan to perhaps only consume a maximum of two alcohol drinks.  Or enjoy only one holiday dessert or treat.  If you know your Great Aunt Mary Ann’s chocolate pie will be served at Christmas dinner, then plan on a small sliver.  After all, it only comes once a year!  Whatever you plan is, the purpose of having a plan is that it gets you thinking ahead of how you can navigate your social situation and not feel deprived.

Find balance: If I know there are a lot of social situation coming up, I try and break it down week by week and plan it out so I can balance it all.  I make sure that I am eating healthy food and getting in exercise on the days I don’t have a social obligation.  This will ensure that my high point days are balanced with my low point days.  You don’t have to kill yourself or restrict so you feel deprived.  Just balance in a way that makes you feel good in your pants this holiday season.

Remember it isn’t all about the food (or alcohol): Social situations tend to revolve around food and alcohol.  No matter how many times I’ve been told I should do things with my friends that don’t involve food, it is just that way.  Don’t forget the social part of the social outing.  Sit farthest from the appetizers or the dessert table so you aren’t as tempted to indulge when what you really want is to spend time with your family and friends.  Often people conjure around the food so I like to take my glass of wine into the living room and conjure there for a visit instead.  If I don’t want to waste my points on the pre-party food, I chew on a strong piece of gum.  Nothing tastes good when you have strong peppermint in your mouth…including water!

 

 

Don’t bother with store bought: My rule of thumb for social gatherings is – if it is homemade, it with always worth the points.  I’m not going to waste my time on foods that I can get anytime of the year.  Since I only have turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing two times a year, I’m going to be spending some extra points on that for sure.  Just because the Reeses comes in a holiday colored wrapping doesn’t mean it tastes any different than the Reeses do any other day.  Make your points count.

When all else fails, wing it: There are those cases in which you just have to wing-it.  When you do, make sure you enjoy whatever it is you decide to eat and drink.  Leave the guilt at the door and make sure the points values are truly worth it.  Social situations should make you happy.  Don’t torture yourself.

 

 

The Cycle Of Being Lindsay

I got my act into gear yesterday and cleaned up my food intake. I can't seem to zone in on the reason why I'm having such a difficult time getting over my current mental hurdle. Maybe it has been the same mental hurdle that I've been struggling with for a while.

The cycle is the same:

Get on track

Feel better

Lose weight

Get off track

Feel like crap

Gain weight

Feel even worse

Repeat

I'm hoping others can relate and that it isn't just me. At our WW meeting last week we had a shiny new WW member all full of energy and positivity. Boy do I miss those days (and that positive motiving energy). Our leader Gretchen asked how many of us have lost our spark. I wasn't the only one that raised my hand. When I hear a new member share all their positive experiences I find myself drinking in all the amazing energy and remembering how great it felt when I was a new member. That type of energy radiates and like a drug and you can't wait to take it all in. Maybe that is why I was so successful with weight loss in those early years. I was drinking the water of success.

Getting the spark back, especially mentally, has been really difficult for me. I journaled in my WW food journal yesterday and I literally wrote “get your act together.” Sometimes we need to give ourselves a harsh pep talk! I was motivated to get back on track. And as I mentioned in the cycle above, I feel better today. When I make my mind up, I can follow through. I declined when my coworker was going to Sonic for her “food run.” If I had not had this pep talk with myself nor gotten back on track, I would have considered getting an ice cream treat.

Many times I've tired and many times I've failed. Many times I've told myself isn't about being perfect. Many times I've wanted to make better food choices only to cave a moment later. This mental hurdle feels like a big one. I struggle with how to get over it so I can continue my string of successful days turning them into successful weeks, months, and years.

Lipsense All-Day Lipstick Review

I wanted to write a blog post on a product called Lipsense.  It is a long lasting lipstick that I’ve been wearing for the last two weeks.  I am hosting a Lipsense party on January 19^th and I wanted write about my experience so I can share it with my friends.  Interested in ordering but don’t live close?  Don’t worry.  Lipsense can be mailed to you!

I’m going to try and organize my thoughts the best I can.  Let’s start with the colors.

I have purchased three Lipsense colors (If you are reading this Katee Bake, I’m sorry I bought from another consultant.  I caved when I was at my Jamberry party and another Lipsense consultant was there.  It is hard being around so many pretty lip colors).

Here I am wearing Sheer Berry:

Here I am wearing Precious Topaz:

Here I am wearing Mauve Ice:

 

When I first decided I wanted to try Lipsense (after watching a ton of You Tube videos on the application process) I knew I wanted a color that would stand out.  If I’m going to wear lipstick then I want it to be noticeable.  So far I have not had much success in all-day wear as the color just doesn’t stay on my lips after eating/drinking throughout the day.  I wanted to try some lighter colors in hopes that might help with all-day wear and it does.  The darker the lip color, the more likely you are to notice if it wears off throughout the day.

Now, I have been told that your lips go through an exfoliation process when you start using the Lipsense product and once I’m fully through that process then I’ll have better luck with all-day wear.  I did have some lip peeling early on.  Sometimes when I wear it for several hours it will feel a bit grainy.  So I don’t think I’m fully through the exfoliation process.  It isn’t bad enough that I have stopped wearing my Lipsense.  But, I do think I prefer wearing it for shorter periods of time.

So, how does Lipsense work?  You will need a color and a gloss.  The color is what stays on your lips and you seal in the color with the gloss.  As needed, you re-apply gloss throughout your day.  Ideally, you shouldn’t have to re-apply your color but if you need to, you can.  In one swift motion, you apply the color in three layers (This is where watching You Tube videos worked out well).  If you do a back-and-forth motion like you would with normal lipstick then you risk getting streaks.  You must let your lips dry between each coat and you want your lips to be VERY dry after your third coat.  Oh and it is important not to let your lips touch while you are applying your color.  It’s kind of sticky and it might cause streaks.

Once you have applied your three layers and it is completely dry, you then apply your gloss.  There are no rules to applying the gloss just make sure you get it everywhere so it seals the color fully.  You can re-apply gloss after eating/drinking an anytime your lips feel dry.  I found when I started using Lipsense that my lips felt dry.  The gloss has some really great stuff in it that helps with the dryness.  I used to wear a lot of chapstick but I find my lips aren’t as dry since using Lipsense.  When I’m not wearing color, I wear the gloss.  I also purchased some lip balm from Lipsense that I wear that when I am not wearing the color.  It keeps my lips feeling good.

Something else I should note.  The product has a cosmetic grade alcohol in it as it is designed to last you several months.  When you apply the color you need to shake it first.  This helps re-distribute the alcohol.  I think there is a little bit of a taste when you first apply your Lipsense color.  I noticed the taste got better when I shook my color tube a different way than I was after looking at a video online.  I think overtime you just get used to the taste and it isn't as noticeable as it was before.  Because of the alcohol you might get a little bit of a sting when first applying and I feel this more so when my lips are super dry or if I am re-applying color later in the day.

Okay, here are some photos of my first time wearing my Sheer Berry all day.  I documented my day with photos.

Photo taken at 9:21am.  A fresh application.

 

Photo taken at 11:45am.  This was after drinking water and coffee.

 

Photo taken at 3pm.  This was after eating lunch and drinking a pop.  You can see the color is starting to come off around the “water line” on the inner part of the lips.  This is where the Lipsense wears off the quickest on both the water line and the corners of my mouth.  I had also not yet re-applied the gloss as you can see my lips look dry.
 

 

Photo taken at 4:19pm. Here is where I re-applied my color over the exiting color already on my lips since I was attending an evening out.

Photo taken at 8:24pm.  This was after eating and drinking and where my lips felt very dry.  You can see again the color in the waterline is gone and my lips are very flaky.  I actually ended up removing the color and just applying lip gloss for the remainder of the night.  At the time I felt like it looked terrible.  Now I don’t think it looks too bad in the photo.  But, it’s not as pretty as a fresh application.

 

Despite struggling with all-day wear, I do love my Lipsense.  Your results may be more successful so please don’t not try it just because of my experience.  There are a lot of people out there that have had a lot of great success with all-day wear. 

Here are the colors Lipsense offers.  It is a very popular product so you may find that some colors are out of stock.  As you can see, there is a huge assortment of colors to choose from.

 

 

 

What is the cost?  Each color is $25 + tax and each gloss is $20 + tax (there is a variety of glosses but I've only used the glossy gloss).  To get started you will want to buy a starter collection bundle for $55 + tax.  The bundle includes one color, one gloss, and one Oops remover.  You will need the remover so you can remove your Lipsense color at the end of the day and also so you can correct any mistakes you make when applying your color.  Sometimes we draw outside the line so the remover is needed.  You shouldn't have to buy another remover but if you do it sells for $10 + tax.

If you have any questions, please reach out to me.  I have a fantastic Lipsense consultant that can answer your questions.  And, if you would like to buy some of the product when I have my party, let me know.  You can find a lot of reviews online as well has several application videos.