Weekly WI: 20 Pound Star

I was pleasantly surprised at my weekly WI this week considering I missed my 20 pound star two weeks ago and then had a gain last week before heading out of town on our Vegas Vacation.

I earned my 20 pound star!!!  That is 20 pounds of re-gain lost again and hopefully for good!  That is my plan this go round.

Here is my weight graph over the last year.  I’ve not seen my weight this low since last year.  I’m looking forward to my next goal which is getting into the 220s.  I’m close but I think it will take me at least two weeks to get there. 

My weight on June 27, 2016 was 253.0.  My weight on December 27, 2016 was 245.0.  I’ve lost 20 pounds since June of 2016 and I’ve lost 14.4 pounds since December of 2016, which is when I signed up for personal training sessions and started to get serious again about my WW program by attending regular meetings each week and tracking 100% of my food intake.  I’ve also had a lot of success with my twice weekly personal training sessions as I’ve lost inches throughout and gone down in body fat percentage.

I get really excited thinking about being under 200 pounds again.  It is going to take some time despite me wanting to be here NOW.  I just have to stay positive, stay focused, and keep going.

Vegas Anniversary Trip Night Two

(I decided to break this into two parts since it was one really long post)

Vegas Anniversary Trip Night One ß

Day two started at 2pm where we were up and at ‘em again for our only real full day in Vegas.  Since it had been several hours since we ate (just the one meal and we also shared some pretzel bites in the wee hours of the morning) we were STARVING.  We headed towards the bus to go to the North Premium Outlet Mall and eat at IHOP in the area. 

We made it as far as the next casino over and all the food/restaurants looked so appealing.  We ditched the traditional breakfast idea and had breakfast/lunch at this place called Slice, which happened to be during happy hour so each slice was half off as well as the appetizers.  We each got a slice and shared one of the toasted ravioli appetizer.  I also made sure to hydrate as much as I could with water.

 

We boarded the bus and headed to the outlet mall.  I bought some stuff at the Vera Bradley store but didn’t fall in love with anything at Kate Spade or Coach.  That meant for a very cheap shopping trip!  We back tracked to the area near Slice so I could get a photo with the Guinness Guy and buy some Guinness glasses for our home.  I knew I wanted to have a Guinness pint but you had to pay extra to take it to-go.  Since the bar next door RiRa was open until 3am, I knew I’d be back for my pint sometime in the night.

 

Next up was dinner at Luxor buffet with our 2 for 1 coupons.  It wasn’t very good.  We have been to the buffet for breakfast before and I think breakfast is way better than dinner.  We were really underwhelmed.  After eating we decided to venture down the strip and made our way on the Deuce bus to Fremont Street.  I ordered some drinks and Kenyon gambled.  He ended up winning big a few times and since he was cashing out at each hotel, we ended up ahead of what we brought to gamble with.  Score!  After killing several hours in Fremont Street, we needed to get back to Excalibur so we could redeem our free dessert coupon at Bucca di Beppo.  This is one of my favorite restaurants but since we didn’t really have time to eat there, we made it just in time to get our free dessert to go.  We chose the lemon cake which came with whip cream and raspberry sauce.  Kenyon opted to take it back to our room and so I made sure to get my 24-hour Starbucks fix to go with it!

 

At this point in the night/early morning, we had to decide if we were going to stay up all night and catch our early morning flight or if we would try to call it quits.  Neither of us were feeling tired so we kept moving along.  We re-boarded the bus again and made our way to Bellagio to see the conservatory which was decorated for the Chinese New Year.  It never disappoints!  And, at 1am, there isn’t many people there.

 

Speaking of 1am, I might be stereotyping here but seeing so many scad-fully-clad women on the arms of older men at that hour does make you wonder if they are a girlfriend or a working girl.  Things that make you go huh?  Anyway…

We had an appetizer at one of the 24-hour restaurants called America (not that great) and I also got my Guinness pint at RiRa.  I was a happy camper.

 

We took about a 30-45 minute nap and then woke up so we could get cleaned up and head to the airport.  I had a second Starbucks at the airport so I was able to stay awake until we got home about noon.  At that point we had been up for about 22 hours and boy did it take a toll on me.  I think I am still recovering from sleep deprivation! 

I won a small amount of money at the Vegas airport and we ended up coming home with the original gambling money we went to spend.  This is the first time we have come home with the same amount we left with!  I’m not sure why this was such a lucky trip for us in the gambling department but needless to say, we had fun.

 

We’ve got more travel coming up this year.  I am already ready for another break.

Vegas Anniversary Trip Night One

(I decided to break this into two parts since it was one really long post)

As usual, our Vegas Vacation was a lot of fun but was too short.  We arrived in Vegas at 7:25pm on Tuesday night and departed Vegas at 8:30am on Thursday morning.  So, more time would have been awesome and yet we might not have come home with any gambling money though.

Despite working very hard to lose almost 20 pounds, I knew I didn’t want to micromanage my food (and alcohol) while on this vacation.  I just needed a mental break and some time to relax.  So…I did just that!  We arrived and took a taxi to our hotel.  This trip we stayed at Luxor and booked a room in the pyramid.  Staying in the pyramid is fun because the elevators actually move sideways instead of up and down.  We had a room on the 7^th floor and our room looked out over the courtyard on the second floor.  If you looked down there was a super long escalator that took you down to the chapel.  We never spotted any brides or grooms though.

 

We arrived a bit too late to eat at the buffet as Kenyon had a 2 for 1 dinner offer through My Vegas Rewards.  We were debating making our way to the Wynn to see a show but once we got to our room, we had a bit of a maintenance issue and ended waiting a long time for maintenance who never showed…all weekend!  So, we went in search of food FAST and decided to go back to T&T Tacos & Tequila which is where we had eaten on a past trip.  We were debating ordering the chicken enchiladas or the chicken burrito so we ordered both.  I ended up liking the enchiladas better.  And, as usual with Mexican food, once you fill up on chips, two meals is way too much.  But it was delicious.

 

I changed for the evening into my new sparkly shirt despite not going to a show.  We ended up just gambling in our casino throughout the evening.  I had a couple of really good wins and ended up playing off the houses money from there.  By the end of the night/morning, I still had my original $200 I brought to gamble with.  And I’d had a few drinks too!

 

Our hotel had a 24-hour Starbucks and I really wish we had some in Boise.

Day one ended at about 2am as we ran out of things to do and I had felt like my gambling streak had come to an end. 

Quality Friendships

Hello there.

I met my friend Kate to walk the mall before coming into work this evening.  We walked for over an hour and complete five loops.  It is nice to get in a dose of activity that doesn’t feel like exercise due to chatting away with a friend.  Once the weather improves, along with my work schedule, I hope to invite some of my friends and my fellow WW meeting members out for a walk and talk.  Now, if we can just keep the rain at bay!

I know Kate through Jamie.  We met several years ago and became quick friends as we are a lot alike.  Kate is also my published author friend which is super exciting and feels like I know a celebrity.  Anyway, during our walk we chatted about how lately it feels like our circle of friends has gotten smaller.  I’m not sure if that comes with age, with realizing that you don’t share the same values you once did with your friends, or if it is just being too busy.

I hate the word “busy.”  I’ve always prided myself in disagreeing when I hear my coworkers say that you can’t have a life with the hours we work.  You can have a life…just not the traditional 9-5 life.  Since the most of the world revolves around a 9-5 lifestyle it can be hard to keep those close knit friendships.  The biggest struggle I have is friends that make plans and then cancel or those that says they miss me and can’t wait to spend time with me and yet when I suggest a time and place, they reply with “let me check” and I never hear back from then.  I’m pretty rough in that I often only give friends a couple of chances to cancel before I stop inviting them.

Sadly, they seem to stop inviting me along too.

That leaves me questioning if they are a quality friend to begin with.  But, it doesn’t hurt your feeling any less.  I do feel I am at a time in my life that unless Kenyon can be included (or would feel comfortable tagging along) that I often want to spend what little time I do have on days off in the company of him.  Now, when Kenyon is working and I am not, then it is a free-for-all with whatever friend I can convince to spend time with me.

The quality of friends is more important than the quantity of friends.  I have had friends in the past whom have taken advantage of me and who are only there when they need something but not there when I have needs.  Friends can also ebb and flow and somebody that I haven’t talked to in forever can become an instant friend again.  Slowly though, that communication often dwindles again like it did once before.  It does make me start to worry that my friends don’t reach out to me for fear I am too “busy” or that my schedule is too complicated to hang out. 

So, when Kate sent me a text asking what day I could get together for a mall walk/talk, I was so excited I immediately gave her a small window of days/times.  I am so thankful that she was willing to work around my crazy schedule.  And I am so glad we were able to connect.  It is those quality friendships that I miss the most.

Fried Rice With A Secret Ingredient

I loved fried rice but not when it is dripping in oil or “really fried”.  There are few restaurants around town that have yummy fried rice but often it is high in points for such a small portion.  Same goes for frozen rice meals.  It is usually a very small portion.  Have you ever added riced cauliflower to your rice dishes?  Or substituted it for your rice all together?  Riced cauliflower is all the rage right now and because it is a 0 SPV veggie, you can have twice the rice portion for a very small amount of points.

 

My WW buddy was sharing her grocery store find in the freezer section and it had my craving fried rice.  I don’t like the taste of straight cauliflower rice and much prefer to add some regular rice.  In adding the cauliflower though, I can get twice the amount for the same points.  I was really excited to see this Green Giant cauliflower medley even had some peas and carrots and a recipe on the back for making fried rice.  I, of course, added to the recipe and sort of just did my own thing.  Adding the brown rice is what really drove the points up and my four servings ended up being 9 SPV each.  However, it was a pretty good size portion for that amount of points.  If you want to lower the points, add less rice or leave the brown rice out all together. 

What I added to my fried rice:

Frozen pea/carrot mix

Ham steak, chopped up into bite sized pizza

Brown rice

Green Giant Cauliflower Medley

Sesame oil

Minced garlic

Egg, scrambled

Teriyaki sauce

Soy sauce

 

Yum!

Back From Vacation And Back To Work

Our quick trip to Vegas four our anniversary celebration was a lot of fun.  I’ll get my recap put together with photos to share. 

In the meantime, I’m back home and back at work for a very long week of overtime.  I wish vacation was longer and that I was on spring break like the most of the rest of the world.  Darn that responsibility!

I made sure I stopped by the grocery store last night so I could get myself back on track today.  My goal was to enjoy vacation, which I did, but then to get back on track ASAP.  I cancelled/postponed my training session with Tyson this afternoon as I just needed a break.  My body was tired from all the walking we did.  I told Tyson I’d keep myself accountable over the next few days until I see him again on Monday.  I’m posting here for accountability.

I have no idea what the scale will show on Monday.  If I have a gain I am hoping it is only temporary.

Our Nine Year Wedding Anniversary

I made the best decision of my life nine years ago.

And it has been wonderful every since. I am one lucky woman.

Love you Kenyon.

Weekly WI: An Increase At The Scale & A Decrease In Measurements

While I saw an increase at the scale (undeserved and not sure why I gained), I saw a decrease in my body measurements.  Yippie! 

I had my 12-week check-in with Trainer Tyson and was excited for my measurements.  I’ve lost another inch all over (half an inch in two places) and my body fat came down 2%.  That really makes me happy.  Our fancy scale at home had my body fat percentage up while my weight was down but after a gain this week, the body fat percentage went down.  WTH??  This is why if you allow it to, the scale will cause you much misery and headache!

I found an article on SparkPeople about 7 Times The Scale Lies To You.  This one applies to me:

7. Practically any time during your menstrual cycle.
For women, it's a crapshoot. The changes that happen in your body throughout your menstrual cycle make your weight fluctuate constantly by up to two pounds during menstruation, your follicular phase, ovulation and PMS. Even more reason not to stress about a couple of pounds here or there, as this type of weight gain tends to come and go.

I don’t like to make excuses such as, “you must be building muscle” or “you are just retaining water” well…I do think I am retaining water because my rings are tight…but as a woman, it really is a crapshoot on what the darn scale is going to show.  Even on your hardest week, the scale might have an uptick.  All you can do is swallow the urge to binge eat and keep your head in the game.  Remember, what goes up must come down!

My worry is a legit vacation weight gain on top of a non-legit non-vacation weight gain.  Did I confuse you?  Since Kenyon and I are headed to Vegas Tuesday evening, I am a bit worried about my vacation gain.  I know I need to keep it in check and I do plan to stay mindful.  However, I’ve been in a funk these last few days and I think I need a break.  I need a break from work, stress, life, and points counting.  My goal for this week is to get out of vacation mode starting Friday.  Please help hold me accountable to that!

Back to the numbers.  I had my first training session with Tyson on December 28^th so this Wednesday will be 12-weeks.  My weight recorded on the WW app for December 27^th is 245.0.  My weight at my WI today was 235.2.  I’ve lost 9.8 pounds in the last 12-weeks along with at least 2 or more inches all over my body.  I am not sure what my starting body fat percentage was but I’m down at least 2% in the last six weeks.  Even though it does cost me extra money to have these personal training sessions, it is helping me get closer to my goal of getting back under 200 pounds. 

I’m bummed I didn’t get my 20 pound re-gain/loss star this week.  But, it will come so I just need to continue to work the program and stay accountable to myself.

Chicken Salad Recipe Adapted From 21 Day Fix Recipe

I have a friend I met through Weight Watchers that is now a Beach Body Coach.  She posted a recipe for a very yummy looking chicken salad.  I know that chicken salad can be high in points because it is usually dressed in a mayonnaise-type dressing.  When I saw that this was made with Greek yogurt, I was all on board with trying it out.  However, when I calculated the points of the dressing as per the measurements of the recipe, it was a whopping amount as well.  I know the honey has sugar in it but apparently so does the seasoned rice vinegar I planned to use.  Plus, even thought olive oil is a good fat per WW guidelines, oil is very pointy.

I ended up playing around with the amount of items I put into the dressing until I was satisfied with the points.  I ended up getting three servings of chicken salad for 9 SPV each. 

 

The original recipe is here ß

For my chicken salad I cooked some chicken breasts in the crockpot and then shredded them.  Does anybody else feel like cooking chicken this way yields the same consistency as tuna?  I have a time or two.  Anyway, I also felt my recipe could have used more grapes, apple and celery.  After all, this is the “free” foods so you might as well bulk it up.  I used nine ounces of cooked shredded chicken.

For the dressing, my modifications:

½ cup fat free plain Greek yogurt

1.5 T Dijon mustard

1T raw honey

1.5 T seasoned rice vinegar

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil *I can’t remember but I think this is how much I used

Instead of serving my chicken salad over lettuce, I ate it straight from the container.  It was good and is a nice boost of protein.  After three days of chicken salad though, I was ready for something else.  I liked it but I might need to play around with the dressing amounts a little more. 

Fast Yet Slow Days All In One

I feel like the days are passing fast, and yet I am still only on day three of five at work.  So then it feels slow.  The time in between work is busy so maybe that is why it feels like I am on the go a lot these days.

Our St. Patty’s Day celebration at work was really fun.  It turns out not many of my coworkers like corned beef so my four pound brisket fed a lot.  Kenyon helped out with leftovers when I got home but we still have some left if we are still feeling festive.

 

I had a high point day yesterday between lunch at Carinos with Kenyon, a skinny milky way from Lucky Perk, and our corned beef dinner.

 

In lieu of green beer, I suggested sherbet floats made with Sprite and lime sherbet.  My coworker Kristine brought in orange sherbet and Sprite so I had two half glasses through the night.  It was mighty refreshing.  But, I steered clear of the cake.  It sure did look good though.

 

I’ve reeled in my food today being back at work.  I’m once again excited and anxious for WI this week.  I’ve also asked Tyson if we can take measurements on Monday when I meet with him.  So much excitement that must be contained! 

I swing by my friend Shauna’s house for a Scentsy party before I came to work.  I own a million Scentsy warmers so I knew I didn’t need to order anything.  I ended up getting some scents for spring time and some warmer stands so I can put my existing warmers on something other than my table.  I also supported my friend towards earning free product.  I also left with prizes.  Yippie.

 

My ex-coworker Jenn L was there with her week old baby.  It was wonderful to see her and also meet little Sadie.  I enjoy having fun time before work time.

Now, back to work.

St. Patty's Day

Happy St. Patty’s Day!!!

 

We are celebrating at work tonight with corned beef, cabbage, and all the fixins’.  Since we can’t drink green beer at work my coworker brought green sherbert and sprite.  We are dressed in our festive green attire and got the approval to wear jeans so the celebration is in full swing.  I’ll post pictures when I have some.

If you go out and party tonight, please don’t drink and drive.  Above all…HAVE FUN!

Day Off Relaxation

I was heading into work today sporting my new Lipsense color Peace Pink and having a good hair day thinking about how good I feel. 

 

It might be the almost 20 pounds I’ve lost, the hard workout I completed with my trainer earlier in the day, or the nice spring-like weather we are experience, but whatever it is, it feels good and I feel good.

Weight loss and looking good have been on my mind lately, obviously because I’ve been working hard at it.  I know that having my clothes fitting better is starting to make me feel better about my body and about myself.  I am also reminded that weight loss doesn’t have to be the only way to make you feel beautiful.  A new wardrobe piece, a new lip color, a different haircut, a great workout, etc.  The list can go on and on.  It is finding the positives in all aspects of life that can lead to a happier one.

My day off on Wednesday was nowhere near long enough but with the abundance of overtime needing to be worked, I had to head back today.  I met up with my neighbor Trini for our first “patio beer” of the year.  When we moved in we decided we needed to make use of our patios by enjoying some adult beverages and girl talk.  It is always great to connect with friends.

 

Selfie outtake.

 

It was a very low key evening at home since we were both tired from getting up early for an appointment.  We napped and then I went to Fred Meyer to pick up the fixings for corned beef and cabbage that I’m preparing for my coworkers on Friday.  I passed the Guinness section and noticed a coupon on the box for $5 off by mail if you buy two.  So…two packs of Guinness followed me home.  I was just thinking how my beer shelf in the fridge is finally showing a dent in it.  Well, you can scratch that for now.

Tuesday Thoughts

My activity today was some yard work.  Our temp today was 72 degrees so I knew I wanted to get out and enjoy it.  I woke up pretty sore from my workout with the trainer yesterday so I wasn’t quite up for a walk.  I had been doing some research on growing your grass back after a vole infestation and the best thing to do was to get out and rake up all the dead grass so new grass could grow.  I planned to tackle the yard and then sweep out the sand and what not that has gotten driven into the garage after our epic winter. 

I ended up only having time to rake and pull weeds.  Oh my I had a lot of weeds.  When we bought this house we wanted less yard maintenance.  Between winter snow shoveling and now voles and weeds, I’m not sure we actually accomplished that.  The one plus is that gigantic tree we had at our old house no longer belongs to us.  So I suppose I consider that a win.  I’m seriously considering hiring professionals to keep my lawn looking nice as I’m not very good at it.

During my racking of the yard, I uncovered two dead voles (shuttering as I think about it).  Then, I started to freak myself out and every time a leaf would blow by I’d scream and jump.  Thankfully they were dead, which was the plan.  But, it was still freaking me out.  I met up with my neighbor outside for a chat and she thinks she has voles on her patio side….great!.  They sure did a number on certain parts of our lawn but I am hoping it will re-grow.  If not, then we will call in the professionals.  Ugh.

I had been tipped off that there might be pizza in dispatch tonight so I was trying to plan accordingly.  I packed a salad to go along with one slice of pizza, had I chosen to spend the points on it.  As I was driving to work I started to feel like maybe I should skip the pizza in lieu of using my points elsewhere as I might meet Kenyon for breakfast in the morning after work.  Once I got to work though I realized the pizza was from one of our officers thanking us for all our hard work.  I didn’t want to turn it down so I had my one slice of Pizza Hut Hawaiian and my caesar salad from home.  OMG that pizza was amazing.  I’m not sure if I just haven’t had pizza in a while or what but it was good.  I made sure to savor every bite as I was telling myself “just one slice.”  I could have had four more.  I’m going to hold myself accountable as I really want to get that 20 pound star next week.  As delicious as it was, pizza won’t help me get there.

My only day off this week is tomorrow so I plan to make it low key.  One week until our Vegas Honeymoon Vacation (our anniversary).

Weekly WI: Almost 20 Pounds

I was so close to earning my 20 pound re-gain/loss star at my WW meeting this week but it slipped through my fingers by 0.4 pounds.  It’s okay though as I still lost 2.8 pounds officially at my WW meeting.  My home scale was down 3.2 pounds, which is what I needed to earn my star.  I told my trainer Tyson it was a stretch but if I didn’t earn it this week, I’d earn it next week. So, that is my goal for this week: stay on track and stay focused on that 20 pound star.  100% honest tracking will help me get there.  I’m also down 71.6 pounds from my starting weight 10 years ago.  That makes me smile.

Our meeting topic was on your Support Group and your Tribe.  My WW meeting members and leaders have always been such a huge support.  My family has also been wonderful support.  I am very lucky.  I shared in the meeting not to forget those that you don’t see every day as somebody that can provide you support and that you can connect with people over the Internet.  I “met” many wonderful people and gained so much support during my early journey on the WW message boards.  The boards are not gone but the WW Connect is still a great resource and tool.  If anything I just love seeing all the motivating stories and the positive comments.  Plus, you can post photos which you couldn’t do on the WW message boards.

My 100+ pound WW Buddies along with my 5’6” Maintainer Buddies are still an important support for me.  They are my Tribe and I have moved our group to Facebook so we can stay in touch.  I love each of these ladies (and one guy) and even though they don’t live near me, I plan to meet each and every one of them in person one day.

Having support during a weight loss and weight maintenance journey is so important.  So is asking for help or reaching out to somebody when you need support.  My WW leader Gretchen brought up a great point about the people in your life who can support you if they know how to support you.  Make sure you communicate with them on what you need to be successful or what might be hindering your success.

I now have a personal trainer to add to my list of support and Tyson is a great cheerleader.  He might not always understand the realm of being overweight and the struggle to get thin, but he understands goals and is highly driven by them.  So, with him in my corner pushing me, he is making me reach outside my comfort zone and change my body. 

Work Woes And Cereal Bowls

Good Evening.  How are we all feeling after the time change?  I actually love the lighter evenings and it made driving to work more enjoyable as I was able to take in the last of the daylight and sunshine.  I had desperately wanted to get out for a walk but due to not sleeping well and waking up early, I opted for a nap before work.  I am glad I napped but I have a nagging headache that I can’t get to subside.

After I published my blogpost on my bummer bad mood yesterday, we got word that a fairly new coworker is quitting and has given her two week’s notice even though she is schedule through the next four weeks.  So...MORE overtime!  I was super generous and signed up for 50 hours of OT over the next four weeks but when the schedule was finalized, I was actually signed up for 60 hours.  Then that turned into 62 hours and finally 72 hours.  Oh my!  I have talked with a coworker who will help me out with 10 hours so at least I’m back down to 62 hours.  It is going to be a very long four weeks and sadly, a very long several months as we work to get more trainees through our training program.  Eventually things will get better but it sure was hard to stomach the bad news.  And, I’ll be honest, I cried a bit when my supervisor had asked me to take another 10 hour shift instead of enjoying my very limited days off.

We were all in a pretty bad funk last night and I think we are still processing it all today.  I joked with my coworkers that I needed a drink near the end of my shift as a headache started to come on (maybe the same headache I’m dealing with today??).  I had to stop by the grocery store on my way home so I gave into my stress and drowned my sorrows in cereal.

 

I’m not sure why cereal sounded good and I must have spent forever in the isle comparing cereals.  I was also hungry so that is a bad combo.  Anyway, I got a small bowl once home knowing I’d consume a few bowls of cereal.  I’m craving cereal just a little bit today but I didn’t have any.  It isn’t really worth the points for the small amount of serving size and I usually can’t stick to just one serving. 

Onward we got with work woes and life in general.