Working The Confidence

It has been a weird week for food/eating/tracking/points.  I’ve been out of points since Thursday.  That is right, I’ve blown through all my Weekly Points and I’m sure all of my Fit Points.  It was a really hungry day on Thursday and I feel as though I still haven’t recovered.

My days usually start out on track with a bunch of Daily Points left.  Then, afternoon/evening has been events and or meals out.  I’ve also been giving into my sweet tooth a bit too much this week.  I have no idea what brought on this weird food mood but I’m trying to just roll with it.  I won’t be at my meeting on Tuesday so that could be part of it.

I sat down and laid out my next two weeks ahead so I have somewhat of a plan.  I do want to hit up a different meeting and am telling myself this very minute that I’ll go to WI regardless of what the scale might say.  I’m also planning to track while out of town for the work conference this week.

I’m working hard on better body confidence and focusing more on where I am vs. where I should be or where I have been.  I think it is working.  At the Keith Urban concert, I saw two people I’ve not seen in a while both of which commented, “you look great.”  I do believe that confidence shines through and it is something worth practicing.

I’ll be seeing people this week I’ve not seen in the last year.  I always get nervous thinking I haven’t done enough and that I should be thinner.  Some of these people have even seen me at my lowest weight.  I’ll be working on my confidence and letting my natural amazingness shine.

 

See you in a few days.

"Weekend" Fun & Festivities

I’m blogging a bit late today but since I’m working the 10am-8pm shift, I guess it all works out.  It has been a busy day at work.  I wasn’t quite ready to return but luckily, I’m only working Saturday and Sunday.  On Monday, I am off to Coeur d’ Alene for a work conference, the annual PSAP Seminar, for a few days.  I’ll be home for a few days and then we have our couples trip to Las Vegas with Phoenix and her boyfriend Stacey. 

There is lots of fun on the agenda.

I always have so much fun on my weekends that it is really difficult to return to work.  Tuesday was my WW meeting, a visit with my friend Jenny Ware during her son’s football game, and a walk with Phoneix in the park.  I filled all three circles on my Apple Watch Activity tracker that day.

Wednesday I met up with Rebecca for lunch and later that evening, Kenyon and I met up with my coworker, Jamiee, for dinner and a drink at Enrique’s in Kuna.  I had not been to their new location and my is it fancy.  We really enjoyed our visit and our tableside guacamole.  It is so delicious there.

Thursday was my return to the gym for a kickboxing class.  It felt really good but it was also really tough.  I could tell it had been a while and I’m still feeling the sore muscles.  Kenyon and I ran some errands and then we met up with Kelsey and Julie at The Farmstead.  We got season passes on the Black Friday sale so I look forward to many days of fun at the corn maze.  They also have other activities the engage in so I don’t feel we have to do it all every time we go.

I took Friday off and that evening, Phoenix, Kiki, and I went to see Keith Urban in concert.  We got to Boise State a bit early so we could grab dinner.  The wait time at all the sit down restaurants was too long so we walked over to the new Albertson’s on Broadway. 

They now have a restaurant/bar in the upper part of the store.  The beer tap is mighty large and the food was good but service was really slow.  We barely made it into the concert venue before it started.  Keith Urban can put on quite a show and we had a really great time.  He is very engaging with his audience and he even gave away a guitar.  I’m not a big fan but I did enjoy the show.

 

I ordered the new Apple Watch 4 as I am very ready for an upgrade.  I have one of the original models so it is time.  I also got some Apple Air Pod headphones, which I love!  I am so excited for my watch to arrive so I can go for walks without having to take my phone with me.  Also, the guy at the ATT Store said there is no other way to take a phone call than to use the Air Pods.  It has been nice to clean up the kitchen or prepare a meal while watching a show.  I had a pair of wireless headphone a while back but they broke and I never replaced them.  It sure is nice to be cord free!

Whew.  I was a Busy Bee on my weekend and the rest of this month will be no exception.  I really love making the most of my days off.

Weekly WI: Hanging On

My weekly WI went exactly as I had hoped. At the start of this year, I made a goal to be lighter by Europe. It was quite the year and even in those last few weeks, I was kicking myself for not having more of a buffer before vacation.

My last WI before vacation I dipped into the 218s. I was allowing myself to gain on vacation but that made my buffer only 1 pound. If I gained more than 1 pound, I would be back in the 220s. I really wasn't sure how the scale number would play out and I did my very best getting back on track Thursday when we returned home. 

I drove to my meeting Tuesday mentally preparing myself for a gain and continuing to stay positive as I'd get right to work on tacking it back off. Sure, I was going to be bummed if I was back in the 220s but there wasn't anything else I could do in that moment. 

I stepped on the scale...219.8!!! After 15 days in Europe, I gained 1.0 pounds. WhoooHoooo. I was still in the 2-teens. That was the best part. It made me feel twice as energzied.

As I posted yesterday, I have my sights sets on reclaiming my 100 pounds lost. I am also about to turn 39 in less than a month. I would really like to be under 200 next year for my 40^thbirthday. That is asking a lot since I haven't been able to draw big numbers at the scale each week. But, with each 0.2 pounds that comes off and stays off, it gets me that much closer to my vision.

My monthly total for September was +0.2. That is okay. I'll take it. This time last year we returned from our NYC/New England vacation and I proceeding to pack on 10 pounds that took me all of this last year to take off. I am tried of moving forwards only to get knocked back. I'm going to stay focused and work really hard on just moving forward.

Vacation was the mental break I needed to re-focus. I am also feeling energized with the change in the season and a change-up with my coworkers at work. I won't be changing shifts/days off but I'll be working with a team mates so that helps energize me too.

Here we go.....

Moving At A Snail's Pace

When I started my weight loss journey almost 12 years ago, my decision to walk into my local Weight Watchers Center was mostly because I was starting to really feel my weight.  I couldn’t deny the fact anymore that when I sat between two friends at a movie or concert, I was uncomfortable spilling over my seat.  And after a recent trip to Las Vegas with my sister, I could barely buckle the seatbelt.  It was hard to move around and I tired easily.  I also sweated a ton all the time. 

It was time for a change.

Throughout this journey there have been many times I am have been able to reflect on how far I’ve come.  My recent vacation was defiantly one of those times.  I needed a mental break from the ins and outs of life and when vacation arrived, I knew I wouldn’t be tracking my food.  While I had not quite planned to indulge as much as I did, I enjoyed every delicious food/pastries, decedent desserts, and an abundance alcohol.  I did think many times about the impact of my eating and drinking on the scale.  It wasn’t long before I could start to feel the extra weight/bloat as well.  I tired really hard not to focus so much on weight but it is ingrained in me after so many years of doing WW.

I tallied up the amount of steps during our 15 days on vacation and I walked over 170,000 steps.  I will tell you what, I couldn’t have done that back when I weighed 304 pounds!

It also gets me energized to get back into activity and increase my stamina.  I do miss daily activity.  September was a good month for being active despite it being a low month for weight loss.

Eventually, it all evens out in the end.  This vacation was the mental break I needed to re-focus and re-motivate.  This time of year is difficult for weight loss between my birthday and the holidays.  But, I am still really looking forward to that celebration when I re-claim my 100 pounds lost and get back under 200 pounds.  I know I’m moving at a snail’s pace and I’m having to re-lose time and time again.  I will get there…eventually!

A Quick Stop In Switzerland Then Back To Germany

Our ship docked in Basel, Switzerland and that was the end of our cruise.  We disembarked and took a cab to Hotel Euler.  This hotel was right next to the train station, which is exactly where we needed to be the following day.

Kenyon started to come down with a cold/bad allergy episode and wasn’t quite feeling 100%.  Our room wasn’t ready when we arrived but we were offered an upgrade to a suite for an additional 30 Swiss Francs.  We took the upgrade and enjoyed a very large room with a very comfy bed.

We made our way into town via tram and walked around a bit.  We also popped into the Spielzeug Welten Museum of Toys.  It was really neat to see so many different looking toys.  They also had a whole floor of costumes.

We boarded the ICE Train enroute to Munich, Germany, which was our final city on our Europe trip.  Riding the train sure is easier than having to go through airport security so I understand why it quick to get around Europe.  It was quite crowded and I was thankful for our reserved seats.  When we decided to take the train vs. plane, we had hoped to see more scenery.  That wasn’t the case on this train and we also realized we traveled north back to Mannheim, which we visited on our cruise.  Maybe on future trip we will see more of the countryside.

We arrived in Munich late in the day and found our hotel quickly because it was again across from the train station.  Hotel Excelsior was our home for the next two nights.  I loved all the hotel locations the travel agent picked for us as they were right in the center of town (minus the hotel on Amsterdam).  The only downside to this hotel…NO air conditioning.  Kenyon had been struggling the entire trip with the heat/humidity and it wasn’t until we arrived in Munch that I started to feel it too.  After all, Munich was 94% humidity and our temps were in the 80s.  I really loved the staff at the hotel and they had a very yummy breakfast buffet, which included pretzels!

We explored on foot the first evening and stopped into a restaurant for authentic German food and beer.  It was a great restaurant.

The following day we bought tickets for the hop on/hop off bus.  Now, I don’t know where the fault lies but the company we chose was terrible.  The past bus tour companies we have been on are City Sightseeing.  This was Grayline and they were not good.  Service was terrible, the tour guides were rude, and there were several stops along the route closed.  I don’t like to talk negatively but I was peeved!  I will say that there was a taxi driver strike going on, which wasn’t the fault of the bus company.  However, to pay for the tour and then find out four stops were closed…NOT cool! 

We were able to make our way on foot from one of the close stops to the BMW Museum, which is what we bought the tickets for.  The museum had a fee and with the taxi strike, there was a risk of missing the bus and not knowing when another was coming by.  So, we walked around BMW Welt (world) and called it a day.

We had one more round of authentic German food and beer!  I really wanted to say that I drank from one of the big glasses before we left Germany.  I am sad we missed Oktoberfest but maybe I’ll get back there again someday.

And, with that…back to reality.

Germany To France To Germany To France

Our next few ports took us across the border of two different countries…that is how quickly you can get across Europe!  Okay, it might not be that quick each time but along The Rhine, you jump in/out of different countries pretty quickly.

Our ship made a brief stop in Mannheim, Germany where we got off the ship and made our way to Heidelberg, Germany.  This highlight of this stop was Heidelberg Castle and the amazing views surrounding it.  Unlike Marksburg Castle, you didn’t go into this one.  The history and beauty was amazing.

 

 

 

This cat was chillin' by the castle

We had a little free time in Heidelberg before boarding the bus and driving to the town of Speyer, Germany.  Kenyon and I popped into a recommended pub so I could get a pretzel and some beer.  The dark beer was amazing and was actually really sweet.  It was also 10% alcohol by volume!  Thank goodness I didn’t drink a large one.

 

Once we arrived in Speyer, we walked around town for a bit and then boarded the ship for dinner.  We woke the next morning in France.

Strasburg, France was gorgeous.  People…I’ve never really been a France person and other than seeing the Eiffel Tower, I haven’t thought about visiting.  But, this trip might have changed my mind.  The buildings surrounding the town were like being a storybook.  It was just simply out of this world.

 

 

 

From France, we went back to Germany…but only temporarily!  Our ship docked in Breisach, Germany and our included afternoon tour took us by bus into The Black Forest.  But, we had an upgraded morning excursion that took us by bus back into France to the town of Colmar.  Just like Strasburg, Colmar is adorable.  This town is known for the man who created the Statue of Liberty and her presence is known all over the town. 

Also, France has a special relationship with the stork bird.  This bird is encouraged to nest each year, where they mate for life and have an average of five babies a year.  They migrate to warmer climates in the winter but always return to the same next each year.  It is quite amazing to see the stork next perched high above the rooftops.  We were told they can get so heavy it can cause damage to some buildings.

 

We took a small train trough through Colmar and then had some time to explore on foot where I was able to get a photo of the smallest house in Colmar.  I can’t believe somebody lives in this house.

 

We boarded our bus again and drove back to the ship for lunch.  Our afternoon included excursion was an hour and a half bus ride through The Black Forest to the land of cuckoo clocks, glass blowing, and cake.

 

 

I had been waiting for this stop the entire cruise because I really wanted to buy a authentic German cuckoo clock.  The decision was tough, but I got it!  I will wait to share more about my clock once it arrives in the USA so I can get better photos.  It is perfect and I can’t wait.  I had it shipped home so I didn’t have to carry it back and I also saved on their added taxes that way.

 

We also took part in a demonstration of a Black Forest Cake being made, which the secret ingredients are Brandy and sour cherries.  It was delicious!

 

 

Our time was short as we had to load up on the bus and get back to the ship.  This was our last port stop.  We spent the evening saying goodbye to the new friends we made and packing up our luggage.  Cruising the definitely the way to travel.

I’ll fill you in on our last two cities including a visit to a new country…Switzerland!