Crushing November Goals

Apple Watch set an activity goal for November to log 670 minutes, an average of 22 minutes a day. It felt like a big goal but I crushed it!

As I end this month, I look forward to continuing with activity into December and 2019. While I don’t love it, I do feel good when I exercise and more and more I wake up with the “just get it done” attitude.

I wanted to end my month with a workout but I slept terrible. I’ve got a lot of work stuff on my mind and hoping after today, it will ease a bit. I was awake from 2am-4am tossing and turning. I opted for more sleep and a relaxed morning before I get myself ready to head to work.

I’ve also been sucked into the Lifetime Holiday Movies. It’s a good thing we have a TV by the treadmill at home now.

It’s my older sister Jennifer’s birthday today. Happy Birthday Sis.

Weekly WI: Ending The Month With A Loss

Good Morning.

My days off are quickly fleeting. Yesterday was filled with my WW workshop, lunch, a mall walk, Christmas present errands, and finally a meet up with Kenyon's coworkers at 10 Barrel. Today, I am planning to get a jumpstart on my Christmas cards.

The “back up” meeting was fantastic. When I got there early, I surveyed the group thinking that it wouldn't be a good fit. The leader, Heidi, turned out to be great and she really energizes her members. The members were also great with so much insight. I mentioned to my Mom how great of a meeting it was and she suggested we attend during Christmas and New Years week when our Tuesday meetings are closed. I like that idea.

The meeting topic was about getting back on track after the holiday but more so, what strategies did you use or could you use to. I loved what everybody had to share and I shared that since I didn't meal plan last week, I allowed myself to go into the work week with less stress and bought some microwave meals. That really helped me get back to tracking within my points and took the stress of what to prepare.

I had a maintain this week which brings my monthly loss total for November to -2.6 pounds. This is also the biggest loss I've had since August. That makes me feel really good.

After doing some insight looking back at my weight record, I am really glad I've decided to track my monthly losses this year. It was discouraging after such a large gain in June. But, I was able to get back to losing, even if the losses each month were low. It tells me that I'm on the right track towards getting back to goal. It is just at more of a tortoise pace than a hare.

Since the meeting was so energizing, it kept me on track for the remainder of my day off, including our evening out with Kenyon's work group. I had saved a lot of points for the evening dinner/drink outing and pre-planned what I would eat. It was all successful and I ended the night with 2 rollover points. I had considered a second beer but I really wanted my blue dot yesterday. I know I'll be dipping into my WSPA on Saturday and staying on track now is really important to me.

I also pre-tracking my exercise emoji yesterday which means I need to get on the treadmill! I was going to go to the gym class today but Kenyon expressed interest in meeting for lunch since he is at work. So, I'll get my activity done here at home before venturing out to meet up with him.

New Ice Cream Find

I haven’t been eating many of the light ice cream variations that are on the market. I don’t like having to wait for my ice cream to thaw before eating. And it can be hard to stop at one portion when you have a whole carton. 

I’ve recently had a suggestion to cut the carton in quarters and free each piece. That’s a great idea. I’ll have to try that. When I’ve wanted a sweet treat, I’ve been eating the Chilly Cow ice cream bars. I love that they are single serving and you don’t have to wait to eat them. The only have limited flavors in my area, mint chip and salted caramel. Yummy.

Last season, our area never got the seasonal Halo Top flavor Gingerbread House. I was stoked to see it at Albertsons last week and snagged some. Stocked next to it was the Endulgence White Chocolate Peppermebt Mocha.

The peppermint mocha is all gone. It was wonderful. I love the gingerbread too and bought two cartons, just in case it ran out. 

Ice cream is my very favorite dessert so I’m glad these options are on the market.

Delayed WI Day

Why is it so early?? 

After getting off work at 8pm last night, my trainee and I are back at 6am today. Oy! It’s early.

I did a trade with a coworker so we are working today in lieu of Saturday off. I’m ready for the weekend so I’m

Hoping today goes fast.

I’ll hit up my meeting tomorrow in a different area of town. I like checking out other meetings so it will be fun. Of course I’ll miss seeing my Tuesday morning peeps.

The week has gone really well and staying on track after Thanksgiving has also gone well. I’m feeling stressed at work and haven’t had the time to exercise the last few days. But, I’m hoping for the best.

Happy Tuesday.

Looking Ahead At 2019 Goals

As 2018 is quickly coming to an end, I am thinking about my weight loss goals for next year and where I'd like to be when I turn the big 4-0 in October. I'm not really a goal setter per se but I do like having something to stay focused on. The hard part for me is the difference between working towards a goal and stressing out because you aren't meeting said goal.

I've learned though my years at my job that goals should be SMART:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time Bound

Last year I set the goal to be “Lighter By Europe” and also hoped to lose and keep off 5 pounds a month. In hindsight, this was a very unrealistic goal. I had not been pulling large numbers at the scale despite desperately wanting to. After the Freestyle program rolled out, I would see tons of social media posts on Instagram where WW members were losing huge amounts of weight each month. Me? Well, I wasn't and thus drowning my sorrows in beer. So, I need to be more mindful of a realistic goal this next year. 

My goal last year was specific. I had wanted to be lighter by the time we went on vacation, whatever lighter truly meant. And, I was lighter by Europe, 13 pounds lighter. I also gained just one pound so I came home in a much better place then previous vacations with large weight gain. 

Last year's goal was also time bound since our trip was schedule for September. This gave me a timeframe to strive towards and sort of an “end date” even though it didn't mean I could relax. Well, I relaxed while on vacation but then got right back to tracking upon our return. A time bound goal is also where I can star to feel the pressure, especially if I've not made progress on it and I can see the weeks ticking by.

While my goal to lose and keep off 5 pounds last year was not realistic, It was measurable. Being lighter really can mean that you are 0.2 less then what you weighted the day you set your goal. Obviously, I wanted to be even more lighter than 0.2 pounds. Plus, I had the tools I needed to meet my goal: my WW app, my WW meetings, and my gym membership. It just came down to me putting in the hard work.

I feel my goal last year was relevant, as losing some pounds and getting in some daily activity is always good for my health. I'm not sure it was attainable because I set a very unrealistic goal. It wasn't until I started to look back at my weight records for some perspective. I'm doing this again as I head into the next year.

The weight climb really started to get out of control in 2014. I went back to compare my weight records for around the same date in November (or close to that if I was skipping the scale...ahem...I'm looking at you 2015).

I gained 53.5 pounds in two years. Ouch. This doesn't even show my highest re-gain weight which was 253 pounds. Thankfully I took control of my life again and started to get serious about WW, my meetings, and my tracking.

I've lost 30.4 pounds just in this comparison I put together. I'm down 36.4 pounds from my highest re-gain in July of 2016. And, I'm below what I weighed in 2015. My weight chart from last year is also looking great.

This is where the attainable part of goal setting becomes really important. You don't have to set your goal so high you will never attain it. If you can never reach your goals, then pretty soon you will give up. And you know you've given up when you are eating a half gallon of ice cream in front of the TV wondering why you can't seem to lose your excess weight. Trust me, I've been there (okay...maybe a pint of Ben & Jerry's and not a half gallon).

When I look back at the amazing progress I've made over the last two years, it make me really proud to see my hard work pay off. Were all those weeks perfect losses? No. Did I see a straight downward trend on the graph? No. But, on average, the overall numbers are coming down and down is the BIG GOAL we all strive for.

So, the moral of this long story you have just read is that I'm planning to make my goals next year more attainable by focusing on what I can do instead of how Instagram makes me feel like I should be doing. 

Now go out there and slay your goals!

Activity & Tracking

Good Morning!

I’m about to head to work. Why again are kids in such a rush to grow up? I’m feeling the boohoos of not having days off with Kenyon or having any weekends off. But, I’ve got to make money so here we go.

I got my activity in this morning and earned an award.

And, while the official award had not come yet, I’ve met my November Apple Watch Activity Goal. 

This has started to energize the exercise bug so I do plan to keep up with it. I might even continue to track my emojis. It’s just fun!

Tracking is also going well this week. I’ve spent a lot of WSPA with a couple outings to Old Chicago and also Thanksgiving. I’m working to earn back come WSPA with my rollover each day. And, I’m working hard to save my blue dots.

We have an evening out at a bar & restaurant downtown with Kenyon’s coworkers on Wednesday. After that, I’m going to take a step back from alcohol and social events so I can continue to give 100% focus to my weight loss. 

Happy Sunday.

Checking In

I’m running late for work so I’ll stop in with a quick check in. I’m back at work this week and it’s busy as usual.

Last night we went to Old Chicago before going to Festival of Trees. I had two items left to complete my Holiday Mini Tour. I ordered a beer and we shared a dessert.

Success!!! I got my pullover sweatshirt and I’m stoked. I’ll have to work towards more mini tour challenges in the future.

The Festival of Trees was a lot smaller than precious years. We didn’t stay long but had a nice dates night.

I was exhausted so it was an early bedtime for me. I’ve gotten my workout done this morning and some meal prep so I’m prepared with healthy foods today. I feel so off track between Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday eats.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving had always been a favorite holiday of mine...food! And of course, family.

This used to be me many years ago.

Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy is my all time favorite meal. So, Thanksgiving is right up my alley. We also have turkey and all the fixings at Christmas too so I look forward to that as well. The last several years though, I’ve left my stretchy pants at home.

I’m starting my day with a low point breakfast and snacks so I’ve got plenty of points to use later today. After that I’ll stick to moderation and portion control and enjoy every minute of it.

Whatever your plan is, enjoy the day.

Wednesday Musings

The remainder of my Tuesday was a busy one. I came home from my meeting to eat lunch and change out of my WI clothes before meeting Mom and Emma to see a matinee of The Grinch. That sure puts you in the Christmas mood.

I went a little early so I could walk the mall for my activity. After the movie, I popped back by home to change out my Jamberry manicure. This is the last of Fall as my next ones will be Winter and Christmas. I’ve got some cute ones. Since I was in the Christmas mood, I watched Love, Actually while I applied my nails.

My realtor team has their annual Pie 4 Life event every Tuesday before Thanksgiving. So, each year we get a pie for the holidays. Kenyon picks pumpkin most years. #Pie4Life  #ChristinaAndCompany

I also had a Dutch Bros espresso with egg nog instead of creamer. It’s my favorite this time of year. Dutch Bros doesn’t up-charge like Starbucks for nog. Don’t worry, I still love my Starbucks espresso best.

After the Pie Event, which we bumped into Rebecca, her husband, and kids, we met Phoenix at Old Chicago. I’m now just two beers away from finishing my Holiday Mini Tour so we will be back later this week. I earned some playing cards for the beers I’ve already completed. That was a nice surprise. Of course I could have bought a deck for less money than buying all that beer and food. 

I guess I’ve rambled enough. I’ve got a hair appointment today, need to get in some activity, and then I’ve got a short OT shift later today. Happy Pre-Thanksgiving Day.

Weekly WI: Success

The scale finally gave up its strike and rewarded my hard work.

I’ll tell ya, I was mentally prepping myself this morning just Incase I didn’t see a loss. I was hoping that I could at least continue to maintain until something changed and I found the right combo for losing. Whew! Going into Thanksgiving week definitely makes me feel like I made some headway.

The plan for this week is the same as it’s been every week. Track my food, plan my meals, and get my activity in. I’ve got a couple social things on the calendar and of course a big Thanksgiving meal. I love turkey, good thing it’s 0 SPV.

Confessions Part II

I don’t love to exercise.

I do love how it feels after exercising. I feel motivated, accomplished, and like I can go out there and slay the day. It makes me wanna clean up the kitchen and make the bed before I go to work.

But the actual act of getting out of bed and doing the work out is daunting. I ended up skipping my workout both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was so Kenyon and I could go on our morning breakfast date and we also went on an evening date to Old Chicago. Sunday it was just so nice to snuggle in bed since Kenyon was off for work and I had nowhere to be until 10am. It was really nice just getting to visit while we were cooking breakfast in the kitchen and sat down to eat at the table. I miss having days off together.

But exercise was calling when I woke up this morning and I did my 30 minutes on the treadmill. I’m still on track to complete my challenge for the month. But I definitely need to stop skipping days.

I don’t know if this will create a lifelong habit again. Believe it or not are used to exercise very religiously when I was first going through my weight loss journey. I would go out for walks and most days walking for at least 3 miles. I’ve completed half marathons, numerous 5K and 10K races. I’ve even done a 12K race. 

The motivation I once had just doesn’t seem to calling to me as strongly. My doctor was telling me one of the ways to get my HCL up, the good cholesterol, is through exercise. I am also feeling the benefits of lifting weights when I go to the class on Wednesdays at the gym. It may kill me but it is slowly making me stronger.

I’m going to stay committed to the rest of November and complete this challenge. We’ll see where I go from there.

November Is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

I’m a little late…but I didn’t want November to pass without taking about Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.

During my time at Nampa Police, Chad Register, a Caldwell Police Officer was going through treatment for pancreatic cancer.  Chad’s wife, Diana, is a dispatcher with Nampa Police and was also one of my trainers.  Sadly, Chad lost his battle a two years ago.  Diana has been working very hard to keep his legacy alive and spread awareness for Pancreatic Cancer.

Just like with any cancer, early detection is key.  And sadly, this type of cancer as a 95% mortality rate.  It is one of the most deadly forms of cancer. 

 

Photo Credit: Diana Register

We thought my Dad had pancreatic cancer a few years ago.  Luckily, his cancer was a tumor at the junction of the pancreatic, small intestine, and gallbladder.  And thankfully, Dad is still with us after his surgery and treatment.  I hate to even think about how much worse it could have been had it taken over more of the pancreas.

Diana recently got our Governor to sign into effect that November 16^th is James “Chad” Register Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Day for Idaho.  This comes just one day after World Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Day, which is November 15^th.

Photo Credit: Diana Register

Diana sent out word to rally the troops and we all came out to support her and her daughter.  Our local coffee shop, Dutch Bros, also did an event to raise money and awareness.  It was a really great two days of celebrating an incredible man.

 

Chad badge number was 149 and #IAM149 is the organization Diana founded.  For more information, visit their website.

 

 

Change Of Plans

It has been a busy few days at work, which is typical when I am training our new dispatchers.  Also, I don’t handle stress well so I find I don’t sleep as well either.  I’m hoping this won’t affect the scale but lately, I don’t really have an explanation for what the scale is doing.

Sometimes the best laid plans don’t always work out, such as this morning.  Just after I woke up for about the third time this morning (hard to turn the brain off once it turns on), Kenyon asked me what was on my agenda.  “Ah…I work at 10am.  Before that some time on the treadmill and preparing soup for work since it is my turn to bring in a crockpot meal.” 

Apparently, Kenyon wanted to go out to breakfast.

I had a million and one reasons why I shouldn’t go out to breakfast.  But, I don’t have much time with Kenyon these days since we are working opposite days and have no days off.  So, I decided to skip my treadmill workout, make the soup really quick, and get ready to go out to breakfast with my husband.

It was a very enjoyable morning.

I don’t know if I’ll get in any activity today towards my November Apple Watch Activity Goal.  We might have ourselves a date night and go out to Old Chicago.  We are leaving it up in the air and see how we feel when I get off work.

Socializing

I added some social events to my calendar this week. Last night after picking up Danielle, we met Phoenix and her clan along with Kenyon who had just gotten off work at Old Chicago.

Every season, Old Chicago has a beer, drink, food mini tour and each year I try to complete it but I never get it done. This year I’m going to do it! I have to chose 12 different items between now and December 30. The sooner your complete it, the better chance you have of getting the shirt size you want. This time, they are awarding a zip up pulllover. All the more reason to try and win the prize.

Last night I got four items checked off the list. Kenyon and I each ordered a different food dish and I had the whiskey flight and a 10oz beer. 

Danielle helped me with the flight and I didn’t drink all my beer. One reason was that I had to drive and the other was to reduce the points. But I did pre-track. 

Tonight I’m meeting with Kelsey and Julie for dinner and the a movie. I’m looking forward to visiting with them and catching up.

This morning Kenyon and I went to the DMV to renew our driver’s license and get our Real ID Star Cards. The DMV has been crazy busy with long lines after an upgrade to their system that didn’t go so smoothly. We arrived at 7am to stand in line for 30 minutes. We were given number 12 and still had to wait an hour to get up to the counter. Whew, glad went early.

Today is World Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Day. I’m wearing my purple in support.

Weekly WI: Finished The Week Strong

I had WW meeting yesterday and had hoped all my my hard work would have paid off.  I had a great week where are used some weekly points early in the week but then stayed within my points for the rest of it. I also earned blue dots six days last week.

My exercise game was strong. I returned to the gym last Wednesday and Thursday with a couple of really tough classes. I took Friday off of exercise because my hip flexor on my right side were killing me. As much as I did not want to exercise on Saturday and Sunday, I made myself get up ahead of work, get on the treadmill, and get in some activity. Monday was another rest day. Tuesday turned into a rest day by default because I was swamped yesterday and ran around town all day.

Despite feeling pretty confident about checking in on the scale, I had a gain of 0.2 pounds.  It was a tough blow but I'm staying positive.  I feel really good and I know that my tracking and exercise are on the right path.  I'm really hoping all this is temporary and the scale will start to come back down again.  There are only two reasons for what I think might be going on.  1) I started exercising and that can take a few weeks to level back out and 2) I am eating more points early in the week vs. mid week, which is typically what makes the scale more successful.  It can really sway the scale how close to WI you eat your weekly points.

I was chatting with my WW leader and receptionist after the meeting.  I am now 39 and with that came an onset of sudden adult acne   Ugh!  We were talking all things women and hormones so really, I have no idea what is really going on.  I'm just going to keep doing my thing.

I'm also holding on to the positive thoughts that this time last year, I was weighed 12 pounds more.  So, even if I am maintaining until the new years, that is still a plus. 

Buffalo Chicken N’ Rice From Skinnyish Dish

I have one more recipe from The Skinnyish Dish to share with you, her Buffalo Chicken N’ Rice.

I liked that this dish might appeal to Kenyon’s taste and that I could modify it by cooking the chicken ahead of time and also subbing caluflower rice.  That way, I could prepare it all in advance and have it ready for Kenyon could put in the oven once he got home from work.

One other motification I made was subbing Trader Joe’s light mozzarella in place of the cheddar in order to cut down on points.

I thought it was delicious and would highly recommend it.  Kenyon kept saying he thought something was missing, but he also thinks everything needs green chile.

I was actually sad that Kenyon finished off the leftovers as I was looking forward to it another day.

The whole dish was 10 points (fat free cream of chicken and light mozzarella) and split into four servings, I counted my portion as 3 SPV.  I’ll be making this again since I have a lot of buffalo wing sauce on hand.

A Tasty Treat

I met a friend at Starbucks before work to exchange some holiday Jamberry. Since I’d not had my daily dose of SBucks, I debated getting my usual or a fun holiday drink. I had a promo for 20 extra stars if I order a holiday drink so that sealed the deal.

I went for the Skinny Peppermint Mocha after looking up the points on the WW app. It was 5 SPV for a grande. I also checked the SBucks app for how many pumps were in a grande, four of the light mocha and four of the peppermint. I ordered mine with half the pumps of each and found it to be the perfect sweet treat!

I had planned to count it as less points due to my modifications but I forgot to ask for non-fat milk. I think the skinny is already non-fat but maybe not and that is why it tasted so good? Regardless, I counted this as 5 SPV and enjoyed my treat.

I’m excited for the holidays.

PS, I’m happy SBucks finally has a holiday cold cup. My iced coffee always felt so left out of the holiday spirit.

On Track With November Activity Challange

I completed my first week of my November Activity Challange to exercise 670 minutes during the month.

I took Monday as a rest day so I could combat water retention before my WI. I think I’ll continue to take Monday’s off since I often feel energized on Tuesdays after my WW workshop and a new week to focus on. 

I have returned to the gym and on Tuesday, walked on the treadmill. I like the Nampa location because the treadmills overlook the valley from large full-size windows. 

Wednesday after my annual physical appointment, I grabbed some coffee and a reduced fat turkey bacon, egg white, and cheddar breakfast sandwich. I’m anxious to have their yummy turkey Thanksgiving sandwich but it wasn’t at that location. Anyway...

I hit up the gym and did the Chisel weights class. My legs were jello-o afterwards. Holy soreness on Thursday. 

I was back at the gym on Thursday for the kickboxing class. I needed to shake out my muscles and add another emoji to my November calendar.

I’m also earning WW Wins for tracking my activity through syncing the app with my Apple Watch. An added benefit and will help me get closer to earning those wine tumblers. 

Confessions

I don’t love almond milk.

I’ve been trying this almond milk suggest about my prior WW Leader after my mom was talking about almond milk in place of coffee creamer. 

I do try to regulate my caffeine most days but I love coffee so much I could drink it all day long. Unfortunately half and half adds up. So I decided to give almond milk a try and I’ve been drinking it in my coffee at home for about a week.
What I don’t love about it is that it’s not as rich and creamy as half-and-half. I also don’t really like that I feel it takes away the flavor of my coffee. Since I spend the money for Verismo pods from Starbucks, I kind of feel like it’s a little bit of a waste of a espresso pod if I can’t taste the delicious Starbucks coffee.

What I do love about it is the taste when it iced versus hot. I actually don’t mind the taste of the coffee and the almond milk I brew my espresso over ice.

From here I think I either need to reduce the amount of almond milk per cup, I currently use 1oz per cup, or I need to use only the almond milk in place of adding any extra water. Since I drink Americanos, I brew my espresso pod and then add water. Maybe I need to stop adding water and just add almond milk? 

I’ll keep working on it because it is definitely less points than half and half. And while I don’t like it I don’t really hate it. I’m still trying to get my taste buds time to adjust. I found a toasted coconut version at Albertson’s hoping that maybe that might make me like it a little better. 

Nope. Well it smells like coconut it doesn’t really taste like coconut.

But since I have so much almond milk on hand, I picked up some sugar-free putting and I made myself some almond milk sugar-free putting. I will look at a recipe online which suggested 1 1/4 cups almond milk. Are used one cup regular and 1/4 cup coconut. I also decided to split it into three servings for 2 SPV each.

OK I could get behind almond milk if it was mixed with chocolate putting every time.

Weekly WI: A Maintain

I maintained this week, which wasn’t quite what I was expecting but I was happy it wasn’t a gain and thus I’d be working off excess pounds again. 

No loss is most likely attributed to the change up in activity, the higher points consumed Tuesday and Wednesday, and my monthly visitor. But, persist I shall with high hopes of a lower scale number next week.

In more exciting news....Mom has lost 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣.2️⃣ pounds!!!! We were so excited to see she had earned her 100 pound charm. I am so glad I didn’t have to work and I was there to celebrate with her. She is doing fantastic and looks amazing. Plus, she feels so much better.

It was really motivating for me to see her earn her charm. I have such great memories of how the felt and I can’t wait to get back there.