15-Year Weight Watcher Anniversary

 Goooood Morning and Haaaaaaapy Thursday!  

That is a lot of pep for 6:30 a.m.  I have an overtime shift later today and I am taking Saturday and Sunday off this weekend.  It has been so nice to sprinkle in some days off with the husband the last two months.  

With our return late Sunday from our couples weekend in Spokane and Coeur d’ Alene, I decided to not step on the scale this week and risk feeling bummed about the progress I had made over the last three weeks.  Instead, I got back on track and am working towards making this week successful.  It has been hard to get back into activity and while my bum hip is telling me I need to walk, I felt so sluggish when I finally got out and about yesterday.  I will follow up with a walk this morning to continue to stretch out that side of my body and ramp back up the intensity as I had last week.  

My 15-year Weight Watcher Anniversary was also this week.  

What an amazing accomplishment.  I’ve been reading my blog post from when I reach maintenance in 2009.  These portions especially jumped out at me.  

I suppose I just started getting heavier and heavier in college. Living the single life and enjoying life in general. I can’t really say it was one thing or another. Poor food decisions and no exercise. I remember going to the doctor and slowly the scale started to increase. When the nurse weighs you, to be police they always started the weight at the 200 lb marker. I always told them to start it at the 250 lb marker as I knew I was over 250. One day she moved it to the 300 lb marker. I couldn’t even believe I was over 300 lbs. How did I get this way and why didn’t anybody tell me?? Because YOU have to be ready to change. Nobody can make you do it. Nobody can make you want to eat healthy and exercise. It has to be your choice and it has to be for the reasons you want to do it. 

It is amazing what an impact weight loss can have on a person. It is way more than just losing pounds or looking good. For me it was a whole life change. It was making the outside match how I felt on the inside. No longer hiding and no longer allowing myself to make excuses. I’m active, I’m alive, and I love my life. I have a great husband, great family and great friends. My support system is HUGE! And I am grateful for each and every one of my supporters. 

That last part is still true today.  I have been so lucky to have such great support along my journey.  As a coach, I get so much support from my members.  I love our WW Community.

It’s a beautiful morning so I’m going lace up my shoes and go for a walk.  Have a fabulous day.

Weekly WI: I'm On A Roll & National Telecommunicators Week

 Happy Wednesday!

 

I am counting down until quittin’ time as I have lot of fun this weekend to look forward to.

 

I had a great loss this week, which makes a three week stretch and it is making me feel so much better.  Now, as I said above, I am headed out of town this week but that doesn’t mean I need to go cra-cra.  I mean…there will be fun!  But, it can be controlled fun.

 

This week has been tough as it is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

 

That means a whole lot of food and treats have made their way into the dispatch center.  It has not been easy to be faced with so many pre-vacation splurges.  We haven’t even left town yet and I am already craving veggies!  I know when we get back into town on Sunday it will be 100% back on track!

 

Last night we celebrated with a game night at Intermountain Communications.  I raided my parents game closet and played some old school games.  We had so much fun.

 

My activity the last few days has been low due to a stressful and busy weekend at work.  I have also been swamped with my time outside work.  I know my activity also contributed my loss and plan to be as active as I can on our mini getaway and then resume my normal routine once we get home.  As I type this email, I am feeling so tired I should move over to the treadmill for a walk.  I might just do that!

 

I will check in after the weekend and share all our fun.

Weekly WI: Two Weeks Of Losses

I am so sorry I have neglected this space.  It has been busy but that isn't an excuse.  Let’s rewind…

Despite being super nervous to step on the scale this week, I just never feel like I’ve done enough, I had a 1 pound loss with puts me back on the downward trend.  Yippie!

I was down 1.4 pounds since my last employee weigh-in which put some pep in my step.  It has been a good week so far and I’m on Day 3.

I’ve been getting in extra movement too.

We are headed out of town next week and my goal this week is to not slip into vacation-mode early.  My two weeks of losses has been feeling on cloud nine and I am so glad I have another week to log a (hopeful) loss.  I am doing my best to make that happen!  

When out of town, my focus will to control myself and I am posting here and now that I WILL step back into focus mode when we return. 

Weekly WI: Consistency Is Key

Good Morning!  Happy Wednesday.

 

I took some time off over the weekend making it very tough to return to work this morning for an overtime shift.  I still have Thursday off and then it is back at it, full force, including having a trainee for a few weeks.  Already today we have a sick call out for night shift.  DOH!  I do not miss this line of work.

One positive to look forward to, in two weeks, we are off on a long-weekend adventure.  WhoooHoooo.

 

Despite being off work and on “vacation” this week, I was mindful of my food and limited splurges.  We focused more on eating in, when we wanted to eat out, and I limited my alcohol, when I wanted to drink beer.  Wanda and I held each other accountable at the Elks Lodge twice where we didn’t drink alcohol beverages or eat salty popcorn.  All were a huge WIN, which did not show on the scale.  On Monday, my home check-in was up 0.2 pounds.  Grrrrr…. I got on the scale on Tuesday and was down 0.8 pounds.

 

I continue this week to remind myself that it is about being consistent and I am committed to working at it each week.  The plan this week is less eating out and less alcohol along with more activity.  I’ve taken more rest days recently and it is time to ramp it back up again.

Progress can look differently for everybody.

 

It is so difficult to feel like you are doing all the right things and the scale won’t budge.  I know my members have shared they feel this way sometimes too.  It is all those little things that add up. 

 

On Saturday, our home builder had a block party with a tethered hot air balloon.  We waited about 30 minutes for a very quick ride, which it was fun. 

 

Our weather has been so hit-and-miss this week.  Welcome to Springtime in Idaho!  I managed to get the lawn mowed yesterday on what is the last of our sunny days for a bit.  The wind has been relentless. 

We celebrated Easter at the annual Melba Fireman’s Pancake Breakfast.  All you can eat for $5!  It has been a nice lazy week where I busted out a jigsaw puzzle which has kept me occupied.  I have a few social events with week with winetasting and NCAA final four.

New Snack Alert

 I have a new snack alert I stumbled upon at Winco last week.

 

When I walked by the refrigerator section the hummus caught my eye.  I wasn’t sure what I’d think of Everything Bagel hummus but for the price, I figured I’d give it a go. 

 

I knew I could dip veggies in it for a low point snack, but I am really in love with Wasa Crispbread.  I usually buy the whole grain variety.  I spotted the light rye variety and thought I’d give it a go.  I really like the rye as they are smaller than the whole grain, so you get three for 1 point.  They are also the perfect substation for a cracker.

 

This has been a really easy 3-point snack for my workdays.  The hummus has a nice salty touch to it.

Weekly WI: Monthly End And A Rough Start To 2024

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!!

I decided I would not be stepping on the scale today.  After a back-to-back gains and a week that I thought would turn out more promising than it did for successful weightless, I don’t think mentally I can handle another gain right now.  I am going to track last week’s weigh-in results as my monthly end for March.

As you can see, I’ve been climbing the scale each month of 2024.  A member last night shared they had reached their “don’t go above” weight and are determined to bring the scale back down.  I feel the same way.  Two months of climbing the scale?  Nope!  Not going to do it again.  Typically as the weather gets warmer, my weight rises.  Or at least that has been my recent past experiences.  I can’t let the scale continue to climb any higher.  It is time to take action NOW!

Here is a glimpse of the last week…

We celebrated St. Patty’s Day in downtown Meridian.  We had tons of fun and I just love spending time with my friends.

The Hubs and I had our 16th Wedding Anniversary.

I was instilled as an officer with the Nampa Elks Lodge #1389.  I have taken on the role of Tiler.  I was also surprised and humbled to receive the 2023-2024 Distinguished Citizenship Award presented by our out-going Exalted Ruler Julie.  Wow!  What an amazing honor so soon in my involvement with this amazing organization.  I can’t say it enough, the members that make up the Nampa Elks Lodge are wonderful. 

With all that celebrating, you can see why this week was not favorable in being optimistic last week’s gain was just temporary and would drop off.  I continued with my activity return and this week, I plan to get back to the gym.  I also plan to keep up that consistent routine.

My alcohol consumption needs to change.  This week I plan to focus on engaging in less activity when in social situations.  I don’t need to drink and if there is one thing I can do differently, that is the goal this week.  Focusing on that will help the rest fall into place.  I also (should) have less social on the calendar this week.  I promise you, I am my own worst enemy.

I’ll spend this week shifting my focus to a more helpful mindset. 

I Joined The Sourdough Club

 A few weeks ago, I ventured into the world of sourdough.  Okay, in all honesty, I’ve only just dipped started playing around with easy recipes.

 

For years, I’ve enjoyed sourdough pancakes as a tradition when visiting the Silver City cabin. 

 

When a WW member offered me some sourdough, the first thing I tried was pancakes…but not my Dad’s high point recipe!  So, needless to say, it didn’t turn out very well when it comes to delicious sourdough pancakes, but they were still yummy pancakes.

 

My next attempt was sourdough pizza crust.  Success!

 

I have made easy sourdough pizza crust twice and I was I love about it is that is also just as quick and easy to bake your pizza.  I even made a breakfast pizza.

 

It took two attempts to succeed at making blueberry sourdough scones.

 

Once I went to Biz’ Instagram and watched the video again, I realized what steps I was missing from reading the recipe.  These are best fresh out of the oven when they are slightly crispy.

 

I have not yet attempted bread as it feels really intimidating and too many steps.  I also have not tried these amazing bagels my coworker’s wife makes.  Again, it is a bit too many steps, but I might have to give it a go.  I really do love bagels.

It's Green Beer Season

 

It’s GREEN beer season!

 

I love St. Patty’s Day and I am so excited to drink some green beer and eat some corned beef and cabbage.  I’ll be celebrating the Friday before at the Elks and I took Sunday off so my friends and I can enjoy some of the festive events around town. 

 

In the meantime, I picked up some Guinness Extra Stout which I don’t know if I’ve tried before but I am 100% loving! 

 

I love me a good Guinness draught and the extra stout provides so much more robust flavor.  It has been hard to talk myself if not drinking one each night.  I know Guinness season, similar to Oktoberfest season, is short so I’ll be soaking up all that I can in the meantime.

Weekly WI: My Resistance Muscle Has Boarded The Struggle Bus

I have been struggling.  It appears my resistance muscle has boarded the struggle bus and taken a comfy seat.  

My Weigh-In this week was not pretty and a gain was 100% expected.

The last month has been filled with ups and downs.  One minute I am on track and plugging along and the next, I’m eating with reckless abandon.  I also have been consuming a lot more alcohol with more social situations.  It all adds up.

My activity was off the charts last week!  I made time for intentional exercise everyday except yesterday.  I had planned to clean house today for my 32 minutes…but running errands took up too much time.  My plan this week is to keep the activity up and ramp it up even more where I can.

I am also going to work on better balance with my food and consistent tracking.  I will track for several days and then let it drop off.  When I saw two weeks of large losses, I was tracking 100% and being accountable to what I was eating.  I need to get back to that habit to continue to find success.  

It is never easy when you know what you need to do but don’t want to do.

The 10-Week Colonel’s PT Challenge Has Come To An End

 The 10-week Colonel’s PT Challenge has come to an end.  Here are the results of the last two weeks.

 

 

February 25 – Glorious outdoor walk before our weather turned on us.  I logged 22 minutes and 1.16 miles.

 

February 27 – 20-minute treadmill walk for 0.84 miles., 20 sit-ups, and 20 push-ups.

 

February 28 - 60-minute gym class and 25 push-ups.

 

February 29 - 28-minute treadmill walk and 20 sit-ups.

 

March 01, 02, and 03 were BUSY and I did not have time to squeeze in any activity.  Even when I thought I could, the winter weather wreaked havoc on us making work insanely busy.

 

 

I found my grove again and just celebrated a 7-day activity stretch.

 

March 04 – 30-minute bike/elliptical workout.

 

March 05 – 20-minutes treadmill for 0.92 miles, 10-minute bike elliptical workout, 20 sit-ups, 30 push-ups.

 

March 06 - 22-minute treadmill walk for 1.02 miles with an incline, 20 sit-ups, and 15 push-ups.

 

March 07 - 50-minute outdoor walk for 2.56 miles.

 

March 08 – Today, I had to get creative!  20-minute treadmill walk for 0.86 miles, 9 minutes on the big electric console bicycle at work, and 15 minutes bike/elliptical workout.

March 09 - 35 minutes bike/elliptical workout.

 

We still have until March 11, and I plan to do my weight-in on Monday to log my results.  When the challenge started out, I was hopeful I’d lose 5% of my weight but that won’t be the case.  Bummer.  I will keep working on bringing the scale down!

 

I surpassed my aerobic goal and let the sit-ups/push-ups lapse a bit.  Maybe next year…may not!