February Comes To An End In The Red Zone

The month of February has come to an end.  It wasn’t the best month…but so far is my worst month of 2019.  I ended up gaining back 3.4 pounds of the 4 pounds I lost in January.  DOH!  The good news is that keeps me in the black for 2019.  Yeah.

 

I have no idea why February was so tough but all I can do from here is re-focus and keep working hard to reach my goals of re-claiming my 100 pounds lost and getting back under 200 pounds.

I was able to attend my Tuesday AM meeting, which allowed me to see all my favorite WW members.  I also met the new leader, Cindie.  She is young and has light purple hair…so a perfect match for me.  But seriously, I really did like her and I look forward to returning to that meeting in April when my days off at work change.  It appears she will be a good fit for the meeting location as well.  That is a huge relief!

I decided to skip the WW scale on Tuesday since I had done a quick WI at home and was up 2 pounds.  I didn’t need to add more insult to injury and have an even larger gain for the month of February.  I’m hoping over the next week and a half I can get these gains turned back around.  I know I have to act and not just hope…so I do plan to act!

 

I was looking over my yearly weight loss record in the graph.

 

What was pleasantly surprising is that it looks as though I am not too far off the line marked 198 pounds.  And, it is nice to see that I’ve come down quite a ways from the large spike in 2016. 

I really wish I could get these gains turned back around.  I really have no idea what is going on other than it is something within me.  I am guessing soon I’ll need to turn back to the basics.  Maybe try to up the 0 SPV foods more?  It is so easy to “spin the wheels” as my friend Dawny would say when she is working hard through a mental struggle.  I have no social plans until Saturday.  I have also planned my meals and snacks, which will help me be successful.  I’m going to keep working on that activity each day too as that makes me feel really good.

February Apple Watch Challenge Complete

Good Morning.

It was a crazy, busy, and hectic day yesterday.  I felt like I was running around all day and I was exhausted.  We haven’t been sleeping the best since Kenyon has been fighting the crud. 

My tooth crown was fixed and I also had to suck it up and get my last filling repaired.  Now, I’m all set for bi-yearly cleanings, which I can totally do.  Tooth health is also as important as other parts of my life so I need to work on making this part of my life better.

I had gotten home late in the day with my plans to go to Old Chicago up in the air.  I spent some time (very time consuming) making a chicken enchilada dish in case we didn’t go out to dinner.  I had also planned to get in some activity.  Phoenix sent a text asking if I wanted to meet her for a visit/drink, which cut into my exercise plans but was very enjoyable.

Dinner out wasn’t a go so I am thankful I made the enchiladas ahead of time.  I’ll share the recipe this week as it was really good.  I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed early but knew I needed to get in my activity.  I committed to 15 minutes on the treadmill, which turned into 20 minutes.  I earned my February Apple Watch charm a few days early.

 

Even though I’ve not actually completed 21 workouts, according to my tracking, the Apple Watch has given me credit somewhere on the days I skipped (that is my best guess).  I want to stay committed to this challenge so I got myself on the treadmill today.  It was difficult and I wanted to skip so bad.  But, afterwards, I am so glad I didn’t.  My Aaptiv treadmill workout was a good one and it pushed me through intervals where I jogged at a 5 mph pace for 30 seconds.  I love when I push myself.

I’m waiting to see what the March Challenge will be as I work towards my goal of completing each month.

 

It is a rainy/snowy/sloppy mess outside today.  Is winter over yet?

I’ve Been De-Throned

Apparently the WW gods were looking out for me last night.

I brought in all of the treats left over from my Oscar party into work. I grabbed a small handful of skittles, and sat down at my console to eat my dinner. About the third skittle in, I crunch down on something really hard and I wondered what the heck was in the middle of the skittle. It wasn’t the skittle it was the crown for my tooth. 

Needless to say the rest of the skills went into the trash.

The good news is I’m not really feeling any pain except when I drink cold water. The bad news is I now have to break my boycott with the dentist. I am not a fan of the dentist. I know I still need one more filling, and I absolutely freak out when they have to numb me up. So for the last few years I have been avoiding the dentist, including teeth cleanings, since I knew I had this cavity that needed filled. Once those crown is taken care of I guess I’m going have to see if there is still only one cavity left so I can get it taken care of and get back to regular cleanings. I don’t mind the cleaning it’s the numbing up for a tooth repair that I don’t like. And I’m deathly afraid that I may have to have a root canal one day. Oh and I guess I should add I don’t like to floss and they always get mad at you for not flossing.

I’m really good at taking care of the other parts of my life, including my health, but I’m not very good at taking care of my teeth. I brush two times a day and other than my coffee consumption, my teeth look pretty good. Not as white as they should be. 

Another good news is that the dentist was able to get me in at 11:30 AM. I’m going to go see the dentist that Kenyon goes to, which happens to be his cousin-in-law.  So this means I’ll still be able to attend my morning weight watcher meeting, and meet up with Phoenix tonight to complete my Old Chicago St. Patty’s Day Mini Tour.

I was planning to get on the scale at my meeting today. I’m feeling pretty good and feeling like I had a good few days. I stepped on the scale at home just to doublecheck and I’m up two pounds. I guess all that party food on Saturday may have caught up to me. Well I don’t think I’ve gained two pounds over the course of four days, it was definitely a bummer. I’m going to go ahead and skip the scale and not add any more to this month of February. The sad part is I was feeling really good until I got on the scale.

It maybe time to find a way to shift my mental focus from so much emphasis on the scale. I still need the scale for my WW meetings and that accountability.  I’m really enjoying my activity level, feeling good in my clothes, and even feeling like my body shape is looking better. All of that counts for something and I can’t continue to feel deflated each week at the scale.

I always feel tons better after my meetings. I’m stoked to see my Tuesday AM peeps.

Oscars Party 2019 - Green Book Wins Best Picture

My Oscar Party 2018 was a success. And it was so much fun! 

This year I decided to try themed food after Danielle game me many ideas. It came together easily but we did have a lot of sweets leftover. My coworkers are going to be happy today when I bring it all with my to my OT shift.

Here was the menu:

Fried Chicken Popcorn - “Green Book”

Mexican Bean Dip & Chips - “Roma”

Cucumber Sandwiches Fit For A Queen - “The Favourite”

Artery Clogging Pepperoni Rolls - “Vice”

Chocolate Covered Pretzel - “Black Panther”

Chocolate and White Donuts - “BlacKKlansman”

Rainbow Skittles & Mustache Straws - “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Hard Liquor - “A Star Is Born”

I also served Sweet Kettle and Air Popped popcorn. And, Kelsey brought these adorable popcorn cupcakes that were delicious and not super sweet.

Needless to say, I overdid it...big time. I’m drinking my water today and keeping the points low since I have WI again tomorrow. 

Happy Monday.

Strive For A Little More And Push Harder

I have a million things on my to-do today but wanted to make sure I got my activity in first thing so I could ensure I would get it done. My usual has been to watch a show on TV while on the treadmill. Today, I changed it up with an Aaptiv threadmill workout that would allow me to zone out.

This was a good workout and it really pushed me today. The first half was incline intervals that had me up as high at 10. The second half was endurance that had me jogging at a 4.5 speed. 

By the way, I love my Apple Air Pods. They were a great investment that I bought at Costco when I upgraded my Apple Watch to a series 4. Here I am modeling them with my morning bed hair. I’m growing my hair out so it’s super wild when I wake up.

I won’t say I did this workout to burn off the cookie and pizza splurging last night...but, it did make me feel better to sweat a bit. And, since I had the Aaptiv Coach in my ear encouraging me, I pushed myself harder. 

FYI, cookie delivery right to your doorstep is addictive and dangerous.

Weekly WI: A Tiny Gain

Good Afternoon and HAPPY FRIDAY!  I’m ready for the weekend.  How about you?

I’m eating my Jimmy Johns sandwich as I type this.  I’m starving since I had WI this morning and only ate a small bit of breakfast to tide me over.  I love Jimmy Johns and their new whole wheat sub roll is delicious.

We had a great meeting topic this morning about where ware mentally since it is February and Idaho is experiencing it’s “second winter”.  I tell ya, missing my meeting is never good because I gain so much when I attend.  And, I always leave feeling so energized.  I’ve cancelled my plans to celebrate National Margarita Day and I’m determined to keep myself on track with my food/points as I may have a back-to-back WI on Tuesday.  Perhaps I can see a small dip down in the scale by Tuesday.  If so, it starts with me cleaning up my food.

 

I had a small gain of 0.4 pounds, which was over the last two weeks since I skipped the meeting last Saturday.  I was looking back over my weight record and despite the large gain at the start of the month, I’ve gained 0.6 pounds over three weeks.  That tells me that I’m still doing something right.  And, if I didn’t have to get on the scale, these last two weeks I’ve felt good with the balance of my food.  With that being said, there were many places this last week I could have cleaned it up. 

 

Since the meeting topic was about mental mindset, she asked us a question about what success feels and looks like.  I 100% know what success feels like.  I’ve been there and I strive so badly to get back there.  For some reason, there is something mentally keeping me from getting that feeling back.  I have no idea why and I suspect it is my own self standing in the way.  So, I need to move out of the way.

Activity Rest Day

Morning.

Snow Day X2 and another reason coming in at 10am is kind of nice.  However, I really wanted to stay home today and continue watching The Masked Singer.

 

Also, why does This Is Us make me cry every episode?  It was another good show this week.

I didn’t have it in me to exercise when I woke up this morning.  Part of it was that I just wasn’t feeling the vibe.  Part of it was my hip is hurting me.  And part of it was…I wanted to watch TV, veg before work, and drink several cups of coffee.  I might try to get on the treadmill here at work today if the weather/workload permits.  Or, maybe hit up the treadmill when I get home.  I might just also take a rest day.

 

I’ve taken a few more rest days then planned this month but I am on track for earing my February Apple Watch Challenge award.  I earned a special award earlier this month for exercising for 30 minutes, seven days in a row.  It is so pretty.

 

The next Old Chicago Mini Tour has begun and at the end of it, I earn a St. Patty’s Day green shirt.  Since I don’t have anything to wear next month, I’m going to earn this within two visits.  Our first visit was yummy and thankfully, I have Kenyon to help me.  For food, we ordered fish and chips, Ruben sandwich with veggies, and pretzel bites.  I had an Irish Stout Nitro, which was lighter than I expected but really good.  I always request a 10 oz beer, that way I can save on points.

 

 

Have a great day!

Hanging In There

Good Morning.  Boise is currently under a Winter Wonderland, which makes for an interesting day at work.  Since I just arrived (I work 10am – 8pm), it seems to have settled down.

I did some poking around this weekend so I can gain a new perspective with how I’ve been feeling lately.  If you’ve known me long, you know I love perspective.  This was the FB Memory that popped up recently.

 

Much like I was sharing the recent IG posts have been energizing me, this does as well.  It always motivates me when I can think back and remember the feeling of success after struggling.  And, since it is so easy to get focused on what is right before us, looking back over the last year helps me see I’m still on the losing track…even if I’ve been gaining.

 

I also did some comparison photos so I can continue to remind myself where I’ve been and that I need to appreciate the NOW more than worrying about the future.

 

This doesn’t mean I want to live in this funk where I don’t put good food into my body.  I feel tons better when I eat foods that are on track (and when I track those foods…I eat better).  I am also really liking where I am on the activity front lately.  I like that even though I’m down on the scale, I am more active than I have been in several years.  This surely helps my funky mood!

 

I am still planning to get on the WW scale this week, either Friday or Saturday.  Just because…I got on my home scale today.  I don’t know when it was the last time I weighted at home, but it has me down 3.5 pounds.  That made me feel really good.  Of course, the official WW scale will shed light on my last few weeks.

Valentine's Day Celebration 2019

Since I worked until 8pm on Valentine’s Day, Kenyon and I celebrated over the weekend with dinner at Tucanos and an overnight stay at Anniversary Inn.

I was surprised that Tucanos wasn’t busy when we arrived for our 6pm reservation.  The food service was fast and we were in/out quickly.  They ended the meal with a rose for each female and two chocolate truffles.

 

Anniversary Inn was packed when I made our reservation so the available rooms were limited.  We ended up with the French Canopy suite, which was really cute.

 

I love the addition of the fireplace and enjoyed sitting by it with my included sparking apple cider.

 

I also enjoy their cheesecake and breakfast.  While the stay was quick, it was nice to have time with Kenyon.

The rest of our weekend was low key.  We went to a game night at my friend Kelsey’s house and then took a late afternoon nap on Sunday.  Monday was a bit more of lying around the house watching TV once our Direct TV was installed.  I took both Sunday and Monday off from activity and enjoyed the downtime

Now, it is back to work today.

Monday Motivation

Happy Monday

We are having Direct TV installed right now. We went to AT&T over the weekend to talk about a savings on our bill. That turned into a savings on Direct TV and spending less than I am on Hulu with Live TV, plus even more channel access.  Like I didn’t already watch enough TV. 

This is a two year contract so you always hope you are making the best decision.

I still need to get my activity in for today. And, I’m feeling much more motivated to get back on track. It only takes a few days is crappy eating to whip me into shape.

My WI is Friday, and regardless of how nasty it could be, I’ll be facing the scale.

Chat more tomorrow. Have a great day.

Weekly WI: I Skipped The Scale

I decided last night that I would skip the scale this week and enjoy a date night dinner with Kenyon. I ended up skipping my meeting today too so we could sleep in and snuggle.

We have had a great day off together and just finished dinner at Tucanos as our belated Valentines’s Day.

I’m going to enjoy the rest of my weekend with my honey and worry about weight loss then.

I got a great quote from my WW SLC location, which comes to me via text message every Wednesday. This was much needed and much appreciated.

I’ve also spotted a few people on Instagram that are posting about their 100 pound loss. It makes me want to re-focus so I can keep working towards it. 

I promise, I’ll be back to my old self soon.

Mom Reached Her WW Goal Weight

Since it is Valentine’s Day and we celebrate our loved ones, I wanted to share with you all…

Mom reached her WW Goal Weight!!!

 

Re-posting Mom's 100 Pound Lost photos

I am so excited for her.  And, I’m super bummed I had to miss her celebration.  She has lost 115 pounds in just a little over a year.  This is her first time reaching goal and in six weeks, she will be an official WW Lifetime Member.  I am hoping I can make it to that celebration and I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed for a switch at work to accommodate it.

I know she feels tons better and has worked so hard to reach her goal.  She really deserves all the happiness in the world.

Have a great Valentine’s Day

Working Through This Funk

Hello. 

I’m a bit late checking in today.  I work the 10am-8pm shift and between exercise this morning before work, a little TV watching, and meal prep it was a busy morning.  About 30 minutes into our shift, a winter storm hit our eastern side of the state and so it has been a busy and chaotic day. 

I have my trainee for another few days and I’ll tell ya, with winter finally arriving at Idaho, I’m glad to soon be back on my own.  It feels like twice as much work when you are coaching another person.

I suppose the chaotic mood at work sums up what my week has been like as far as food and tracking.  As I mentioned after my Weekly WI, I have been struggling getting my mind in check after my gain.  I don’t know why I am in such a funk but it has really thrown me off. 

The positive is that while my food/tracking isn’t up to par, I’ve been staying focused on my activity.

 

I had an extra opportunity to earn double the Apple Watch Activity awards so I’m working hard at that.  I have to fill my exercise circle each day for seven days, February 8 – 14.  I am on track to earning my award, although will be strapped for time tomorrow.  But, I’m going to get it done.

At this point, I’m hoping my gain on Saturday will be no more than two pounds.  Fingers crossed!

Leadership Training

Good Morning

I’m starting my work week with a leadership training. Part of being a CTO (Communications Training Officer) I am required to attend a leadership course/training or read a book on leadership each year. Thankfully, I got approved to attend training. 

I love attending training and I learn so much. So far, our instructor Kathi is great and it’s been really enjoyable.

Getting here...now that was not as great of an experience. I’m not a fan of stop-n-go commuter traffic. Starbucks helped!

And, I’ve got cute Valentines Day Jamberry nails.

A Weekend Of Socializing

My social weekend was a lot of fun.

Saturday after my WW meeting, I went home for a bit and shoveled lots and lots of snow.  Welcome to February: Where You Shovel More Snow In A Day Than You Do All Winter.  I met Kelsey and Danielle to see Vice, the last of the Academy Award Best Picture nominated films.  It was very political but I did like it.  I think Christian Bale could win best actor.

I came home and re-grouped with Kenyon where we grabbed some lunch and went to the Canyon County Home Show.  We are looking at some possible landscape upgrades and are on the hunt for suggestions.  We found one that will be calling us for a consult this week so it is nice to get the ball going.

Earlier in the week, I had caught wind of a free comedy show at Craft Beer of Boise and one of the comedians, Olek, was the headliner.  We had seen Olek preform at Liquid Laughs and is a classmate of Danielle’s brother.  All three comedians were wonderful.  And, we loved Craft Beer of Boise.  The manager Ely was great.  They have at least 20 combinations of beers, wine, and cider on tap so if you are local, you should check it out.

Despite the late night, we were up and around by 8am on Sunday.  We decided to go out for breakfast even though we had plans for lunch with my coworkers.  We love LePeep and were in a pancake mood so we shared one meal with eggs, bacon, potatoes, and toast and split the Pancake Of The Month Strawberry Cheesecake pancakes.  Oh my…they were good.

We met my coworkers at North End Pizza for another day of Tiki Oasis.  I had gotten a call to come in for work coverage just before we met up so I decided to skip the alcohol and come to work for a quick three hour OT shift.  None the less, we had a good time and had lots of laughs.

And with that, I’m headed to the gym to get my sweat on.

Have a good Monday.