January

Week Eighteen
1/2/03 to 1/7/03
Whew! What a week! Or, mini week I suppose you could say. I just realized today that I hadn't uploaded last weeks journal entry and did that earlier this morning. (Sigh) Things have so gotten away from me in this weeks rush.

I changed meeting days to Tuesdays so I can attend meetings with my great friend Jessica, who by the way, rejoined Weight Watchers on Tuesday! Hooray and welcome back Jessica! We have so much fun together and have done WW'ers together in the past with success. She is such a motivation to me and has also given up smoking as a new years resolution. I really have to hand it to her, and she gets a great big diamond studded star in my book.

I really want to get going on my exercise. Last time I saw my Uncle Sam he mentioned getting together to do a walking/jogging session and I REALLY want to do it, but don't feel conditioned to do it at all. Doing the walking tapes do burn calories, but marching in place doesn't seem to really kick my butt like a fast paced walk does. I think I will take him up on it soon. That would be a lot of butt kicking fun. (laughs)

I think as an addendum to my New Years Resolution, I am going to start jogging. My sister in law runs almost every day, but she started small too She suggested running around the block every day and at the end of the week adding a little more on as I feel comfortable. I tried the "Couch to 5K" thing and found my self more concerned about timing my self and it just didn't feel natural. I obviously nixed that idea and stopped all together and went back to my tapes.

I have also been craving tomato products like crazy this past week. All I have been able to think about is Lasagna and chili. So, Tuesday night (before WW'ers) I made a superb mock lasagna, low fat of course, and had the will power to have just one tiny weenie bite before going to weigh in. I was so proud of my self.

We had take out for dinner tonight and Steve and Jamie had McDonalds and I had a garden salad and a small chili from Wendy's. OMG. What heaven I was in. I was surprised however, to find cheese and egg in my garden salad. I thought chef salad had all the junk on it and garden was just as it sounds, garden veggies only. Shame on McDonalds. I was so very good and scooped the cheese and egg and used my own "Light Done Right" Caesar since I don't care for ANY of the dressings that come with the salads. I just end up putting them in the butter compartment of the fridge door and never eat them.

I have completely given up my two ultimate favorite condiments/ingredients, butter and regular mayo. I have been doing light and fat free mayo in recipes so that is no biggie, but I went off butter cold turkey. Steve was lamenting the lack of butter in the fridge for his popcorn yesterday, but I really think that should be saved for special occasions and I don't do well with having it in the house. Steve understands and it is just healthier for everyone.

I have decided that I might start taking monthly pictures like my pal Kimberly who is doing GREAT and is seeing total changes. Way to go Kimberly! I would like to see the monthly change, so starting February, I will be doing the same.

Weigh In

I was so pleased with my weigh in this week. I took off the 1.4 lbs that I had put on over the holidays. It is such a nice thing to see a loss on the scales after gaining. I was pretty surprised since I was shorted 2 days due to my weigh in day change and was pretty pumped about the whole thing. I am also going to go for a mini jog after Steve gets home form work. The weather has been warmer (40+ degrees) and there is no snow or ice on the streets. Wish me luck!

Week Nineteen
1//703 to 1/14/03
I can truthfully say that this week went pleasantly well. OP wise, I think I did great, but was struggling with evening munchies. I have gotten out my air popcorn popper since I really don't care for the taste of the microwave popcorn. It does help, but I really have to watch myself.

I have been eating oranges and clementines like crazy the past two weeks. I was laughing over the name of the clementines. Darling Clementines. (Just like the song.) They are so tasty and perfectly bite sized. Only 1 point for two of them.

I have also been nuts for black beans and tomatoes of any kind this past week. So I made Salsa Chicken for dinner last night from a new recipe that I overhauled and it was so good! Steve even thought it was great and deemed it a "keeper". That always makes me happy. There is nothing worse than trying a new recipe for dinner and have it not taste like you expected.

I went to the doctor for a check up last Thursday and my doctor was pleasantly surprised over my weight loss. She also said that she totally thinks Weight Watchers is a great program and that I will see great results if I keep it up. So Yay for Weight Watchers! She also told me that she thinks that 120 would be a great weight for me to shoot for. So I am right on target! Things are looking good!

Has anyone else heard of the Great American Transformation? Its goal is to get America to lose 1 million pounds of fat by March 31st 2003. I've joined and pledged 20 lbs of my own fat to the cause. I do not endorse Body For Life, but enjoy participating in worthwhile causes. So from yesterday to March 31st I need to lose 20 pounds. Let's get slim America! Pledge your fat, people!

Weigh In

Ugh on me! I gained 0.4 this week! It is TOM for me and I am retaining so much water I feel like Sponge Kari Tight Pants. I have felt very poorly for the last two days and my friend Jessica that is doing WW'ers as well says that she gains up to 2 lbs during her TOM week. Well, .4 isn't that bad, but it feels so discouraging when I ate really well all week long and still see a gain.

Week Twenty
1/14/03 to 1/21/03
I can hardly believe I have been OP for TWENTY weeks! It totally blows my mind that I have been doing Weight Watchers this long! It seems just like yesterday that I started doing the Winning Points. The time has sure flown by.

The weather has taken a turn for the single digits here in Wisconsin. Right now it is 8 degrees out, and par for this time of year. We usually have a bit more snow, but we have been bare most of the winter so far.

This week I did pretty well with eating points. I did, however, slip up with the exercise. I didn't exercise one single time. I know, I know, shame on me. I felt so lazy and unmotivated. I plan on rectifying that this afternoon when I do my exercise tape and try to squeeze in 2 AP's.

Last Friday night I went to a girls night in that my neighbor was hosting. It was a really fun time and I had a blast. I did, however partake in some vodka pineapple slushes that I couldn't even begin to point. I'm not a fruity drink kind of gal and they were SO GOOD! So I figure I blew the bank and tried to eat better the rest of the time. I really miss socializing with other women since I don't have the option since I am a SAHM and don't belong to any "Mommy" groups.

Saturday night we (Steve, Jamie and I) went to a local pizza place called "The Organ Piper". I don't know if this type of thing is popular all over the US, or just a Midwest/Milwaukee thing, but I guess it was popular in the 70's. It has been a family favorite for my family and Steve's family, and we have been going every so often now that Jamie is a little bigger. He really enjoys himself, and it is loud, boisterous, with people singing and no one cares if your kid is yelling and running around. It is pretty fun.

I don't really know how to explain the whole thing since it involves just about every type of pipe and percussion instrument and accessory and duck calls and disco balls and lights and just about anything you can imagine. It is controlled by one guy in at a whurlitzer control panel that looks like something out of Phantom of the Opera. The guy plays music from "Elmo's world and Sponge Bob Square Pants" to show tunes and classical. You can name just about any song and more than likely he can play it. If you've never been to one, try it. Your kids will love it. Oh, I ate like a pig but figured I would be ok since I had only eaten 4 points during the day prior to going for dinner.

Weigh In

I weighed in last night and I lost 0.8 lb. Not bad since I was bad Friday and Saturday night. I am definitely going to exercise this week and try to have a better loss next week.

Week Twenty One
1/21/03 to 1/28/03
I am thinking of doing a complete web site over haul. I am so tired of the blue and gold colors which, I might add, were the colors of my grade school, Jr. High School and High School. I can't tell you how much I detested seeing blue and gold then, and now without even thinking about it, I chose them again. I never really thought of it until just now as I was contemplating the scallop edging of left hand side border. How Freud huh. Perhaps subconsciously I really like the classic look of it, but the colors are just not all that pleasing to my eye.

I think I might have a touch of spring fever. Isn't that crazy? It is just the end of January and we have had virtually no snow this year and I am craving spring. In the past, I have always enjoyed winter, but this year I am just so not into it. I think it might have to do with the fact that I am literally STUCK in my house all day since it has been too cold to stand out at the bus stop with Jamie. Last week and over the weekend it was in the single digits again. Thankfully today it got into the 20's and we got a dusting of snow.

On the van front, we expect to get our tax return (God Bless H & R Block and Rapid Refund) later this week and I can take the van in to get fixed. I can't tell you how truly relieved I feel about this. My parents, may also be taking Jamie over night this weekend. They are planning a mini day trip to the Horicon Marsh area and love taking Jamie along. Steve and I were also invited out for a Jazz concert and dinner downtown Saturday night with his sister and I think I am going to take her up on it. Steve is not thrilled (to say the least) and has declined to participate. I on the other hand, am dying for adult entertainment since Elmo just doesn't cut it even if he does want to talk about shoes.

I have really begun to miss the adult interaction you get from working or at least belonging to a group. I'm not too interested in a Mommy's group since some of the women you encounter at these functions tend to just want to tell you how smart/good looking/talented their kids are and bitch about everything else. I also am staying away from structured play groups and have been relying on family and friends to socialize Jamie. We are going to start looking into K4 for Jamie next year and hope that we can find somewhere that we both agree on. We are open to parochial schooling, but don't know if it is in the budget right now.

Weigh In

I weighed in with a loss of 2.8 pounds! You could have knocked me over with a feather! I expected perhaps a half of a pound or a pound but not 2.8 pounds! I can't even begin to tell you how good it feels to walk away with a loss like that and then get my 25 lbs lost magnet on the same night. My whole outlook is so much better when I see a nice loss like that. I really shouldn't let that happen, but I just like seeing nice losses since I really must lose weight to fit in that bridesmaids dress and feel good about my self. What stress I tell you!

February


Week Twenty Two
1/28/03 to 2/4/03
We had a busy week, along with a hectic weekend.

The week went fairly well. Got the tax return and Steve's paycheck on the same day. Cool. We paid the mortgage and other miscellaneous bills that needed immediate attention, and then spent a couple of days reveling in the feelings of actually having money to spend and not necessarily having to spend it all on bills, but alas, the bills have been paid and we still need to get the van into an auto mechanic.

We had (again) a big pizza night on Thursday. We had Jimbo's Pizza on 76th and Silver Spring for all you Milwaukee folks. Some of the best pizza around this side of town. So of course, since I had such a great week last week, I blew the bank. It was so good I had to lay on the couch rubbing my tummy afterwards.

On Saturday night Jamie went overnight to my parents' house and Steve took me to Red Lobster for dinner. I again, blew the bank since I had a hard time ordering that broiled fish while smelling all the delicious food that was around me. We had appetizers, and great main dishes. (I didn't have the broiled fish) I thought I was being so good by only having one light beer. <laughs> DUH!

Sunday was a baptism for my cousin's two babies that he and his wife adopted from Russia. Mary is staying home with the kids and is pretty overwhelmed. She is doing great, but it is such an adjustment to go from a couple married for 11 years to parents of a 7 month old and an 18 month old. The food was plentiful and delicious and the spirits flowed. I ate not too terrible, but bad enough. It was a wonderful day to share with family.

I did damage control Monday and today, but two days are just not enough to fix at least 4 days of excess.

Weigh In

You know, I expected this. I gained 3 pounds. I'm not depressed. I know exactly what I did and didn't do. I over ate. I didn't exercise. I didn't drink my water. I didn't journal. I know I need more days of the week in OP status without having major blow outs.

However, I'm not depressed. I tend to let the scale dictate whether I have had a good week or bad week. I need to stop doing that. If I see a gain, I am not going to get all depressed. Last night I picked my self up by my boot straps and got my WW'ers books out and re-red over the information to remind my self of what I need to do. I went and re-read my 100 reasons to remind my self why I am doing this. So, I am actually feeling very ambivalent about the whole deal. Such is life. I will take joy in life and let things like this make me laugh.


Week Twenty Three
2/4/03 to 2/11/03
We had a pretty busy week last week. I ate pretty well (At least I think I did.) and feel pretty good for it.

I did stop buying the Wow chips since it seems to give me an excuse to be grazing all day long and stacking up the points like nuts. So I didn't buy any this week and think that it is all for the best. I have been snacking on carrot and celery sticks instead and feel it is really helping.

We also finally got the van fixed and I can't tell you how great that is! It ended up not costing an arm and a leg. The mechanic fixed it in about an hour so that was definitely a plus. I have been running around town for the last couple of days doing all the errands I can during the day and it feels so GREAT! Wa-hoo!

My parents came over for dinner last Saturday night and it is always nice to have them over. We had ham, green beans, broccoli, red potatoes and an excellent baguette. I also made this terrific zucchini appetizer/side dish that we absolutely loved. I made the zucchini dish again for dinner at Steve's parents house on Sunday to celebrate Steve's Mom's birthday, his Dad's birthday and his sister's birthday. It was really nice to go to his parents house and visit. We had steak, twice baked potatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, and a green salad.

I was more concerned over dinner on Sunday since I couldn't control how things were made. I had just a tiny portion of the steak and a quarter of the twice backed potato. Steve's mom is such a great support with my quest to make goal with weight watchers. She had a great green salad all ready for me in case I didn't want to eat the steak and potatoes. All in all, a great eating weekend, and I didn't blow the bank on great foods. I just fill up on the veggies and go way easy on the starches and fats. It is getting a lot easier as time goes on for me.

Weigh In

We got dumped with some snow right before I had weigh in on Tuesday night. Being the dedicated WW'er that I am, I slogged through the snow and braved the traffic. The roads were semi-bad and I just took is slow and easy. It helps that I took the truck, since it seems to handle pretty well in the snow. I had such a great feeling about going to WW'ers, that I just couldn't stay home and not find out.

So I did go, and about 10 people showed up. The leader had canceled, but the secretary weighed us in since we all braved the snow to get there. I ended up losing 3.2 pounds! I knew I lost, but not that much. So now I am down from what I gained the week before last. That makes me feel GREAT. So, things so far are going well. I can only hope that I can continue like this and start really losing!


Week Twenty Four
2/11/03 to 2/18/03
This week went pretty well. Thursday night I went to Sam's Club with my friend Jessica in search of Baked Lays in snack sized bags. We thought they might have something like that, but they didn't. They had every single snack sized bags of chips except Wow or Baked Lays. Jeesh. I did buy an 8 pack of chicken broth, a giant tub of Nonni's Traditional Biscotti (Yum at 3 points each!) and some spaghetti seasonings. Oh yeah baby.

I found some new products this week that I am pretty thrilled with. I finally found Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop 94% Fat Free Kettle Corn. I knew that they made it, but haven't been able to find it anywhere. (3 points per bag) Jewel Osco carries it. I also found some Swiss Miss "Diet" hot cocoa that is zero points per cup according to my points calculator. Not as creamy or chocolaty as regular hot cocoa, but you really can't beat the (lack) points. I'm not terribly big on chocolate, but I think the cocoa is pretty good.


(Written on Tuesday 2/18/03) Unfortunately for us, we are all sick. Steve was sick over the weekend, I got sick Sunday night and Jamie started last night. We have all the classic symptoms of influenza. Yeah great. Steve is finally feeling better today and I am still feeling pretty poor. Jamie is miserable. I was hoping that if (or should I say when) Jamie got this, that it would hold off for another day so I would feel a little bit better. I made him a little bed on the couch and he crashed right away and I am ready to collapse next to him. <laughs> When it rains, it pours.


I didn't go to weigh in on Tuesday because of the fact that I could barely drag my body off the couch let alone drive my self to Weight Watchers. I will just have to go next week. My friend Jessica lost 2.8 pounds last week and I am so pumped for her! Way to go Jess! I was really sad that I missed her weigh in, but I was just too sick to go.

Hopefully things will hold steady this week. My parents came over today (Thursday 2/20/03) to drop off a care package of juices, soups and other comfort foods. I felt kind of bad, since they didn't stay long. They didn't want to get our sickness. I don't blame them. <grin> Well, happy OP day to everyone!


Week Twenty Five
2/18/03 to 2/25/03
The world bids two wonderful men good by this week. One who is famous the world over, and one who was my great-uncle.

Russell Smith died on Tuesday February 25, 2003. He was 84 years old. He was my Dad's uncle, and a very wonderful and caring man. He enjoyed playing cards and was a W.W.II veteran. He was a true gentleman in the old sense of the word and I loved and respected him very much. His wake was today (Thursday) and it was a very nice service. Since I had Jamie with me, we made it through the viewing and then as the American Legion was giving their tribute to Uncle Russell before the service, he decided that he'd had enough listening "to those men up there" and announced that to all and sundry. We obviously beat a hasty retreat. I'm going to miss you Uncle Russell.

Wednesday, Fred Rogers also passed away. Millions of children the world over grew up watching Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. My husband and I both did, and from time to time we will sit down and watch an episode with Jamie. Jamie is a bit jaded by shows like Sponge Bob Square Pants and Little Bear, but can be persuaded to watch Mr. Rogers from time to time.

I always liked it when Mr. Rogers would have the movies from Mr. McFeely that he would play in picture picture and it would show how something is made like crayons, or dungarees or rain coats. It is kind of neat seeing how every day things are made. We also have a friend that looks slightly like Mr. McFeely, so we usually are sniggering when he comes on. Anyhow, Mr. Rogers taught many children how to deal with their emotions in a very healthy way and exposed them to many interesting experiences such as all the musical guests or authors. Rock on Mr. Rogers! You will be missed!

Weigh In

This week I gained (again) .4 of a pound. My leader suggested that I may have picked this up from the medication I was taking from when I was sick. I can totally see that since so much of the cough medicine and cough drops have so much sugar in them. I did, however try to find some sugar free cough drops when I was sick, but couldn't find any nutritional information on the bags and gave up when I could barley walk anymore and Jamie was lying in the back of the cart begging to go home. Since I could probably count the cough drops as candy (ugh) and I did eat two bags. (My throat hurt so badly and that helped!) So I'm back on track and ready to go!

March

Week Twenty Six
3/5/03
Today I finally got the new site up and running! What an exhausting three days! I tell you, I don't plan on doing this more than once a year! (if even that!) I did lose 5 hours of work on the first night which made me want to run screaming from the house. I had to start from scratch and that was so frustrating! All in all, things ended up working out great.
I haven't been exactly thrilled about my weight loss progress since the beginning of the year. It seemed like I was gaining every other week and I just don't want to do that. So I sat down and took a good long hard look what I what I was doing and what I wasn't doing. I haven't been journaling. So I am exchanging my journal with my friend Jessica. I haven't been exercising, so I walked two times this past week. I know it really isn't enough, but it is better than nothing! This next week I am shooting for at least 3 walks. I don't count the AP's I earn, since weight loss is done with both calorie reduction and calories burned through exercise. Why eat the AP's if I want to make a difference? I am satisfied staying in my points range and I don't want to mess with it. I hope to continue doing this and really start losing the poundage.
I took Jamie to the zoo on Friday morning. It was so nice and sunny and about 35 degrees out. We just bundled up and walked around for about 2 hours. I think the total route through the zoo is 3 miles, but we didn't do the whole thing. I would guess we did 2 miles. We both had a blast and it was so nice to get out of the house. We didn't see many people, so that was an added bonus. It kind of felt like we had the zoo to ourselves.

Yesterday was also Ash Wednesday so that means no meat on Fridays. I do have to say, this is the first time in a long time that I don't dread making meatless or seafood meals on Fridays. In the past, it was always Mac - n - Cheese on Fridays during lent, but now, I am going meatless 3 or 4 times a week since it seems to help with the points. I have also thought hard and long about what I am going to give up for lent. I had considered giving up snacks like chips and pretzels, but I have cut back considerably on them anyhow, and it wouldn't be much of a stretch. So I am giving up bread. All types of bread and any kind of snack derived from bread like croutons or melba toasts. This is certainly going to be hard for me, I love bread! This is also the first time I think since catholic grade school that I have given up something for lent. Gosh! This will be interesting!

Weigh In
Right before I had to leave the house for weigh in it started to snow. We ended up getting about 4 inches (I think) and had to slog home through the snow. I ended up losing 3.6 pounds this week! The last time it snowed on weigh in day I lost 2.8 pounds. I'm seeing a trend here, but I'm sure not wishing for more snow! Happy OP to everyone!

Week Twenty Seven
3/11/03
This week was interesting to say the least. I managed to stay OP pretty well. I can be my own worst enemy however. I really have to work on keeping the garbage out of the house. I keep on snacking on things that are not great WW'ers food. It is my new mini-goal to have lots of low point snacks in the house for all of us, not just for me.
I heard it for the first time this week, the dreaded "f" word out of Jamie's mouth. No, I am not talking about the four letter swear word, but the three letter one. FAT. You see, we talk over Jamie's head, a habit we really need to stop. I don't recall referring to my self as fat, but who knows where he came up with the word. He basically said "Mommy, you are really fat!" and then I went into a discussion on how you don't talk about how fat a person is, and how if someone is different, we don't point that out. I don't think he has put weight watchers/over weight with the word fat yet. End of discussion and end of topic. Or so I thought.
On Monday at the grocery store with Steve, Jamie had to tell Steve that "Mommy is really fat." Steve took great exception to that and when they got home, he sent him to his room to think about the mean things he said at the grocery store. I didn't have a clue as to what was going on, and Jamie wouldn't tell me and neither would Steve which made me obviously come to the conclusion of the fat thing again. I told Steve and he admitted that was what Jamie said too. It is amazing that my three year old can really make a person feel bad. He didn't mean it in a malicious way, but knowing that your kid thinks you are fat is kind of hard to digest. It has really made me get motivated again.
Weigh In
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I have been feeling bloated and looked at my food diary. Lot of salt. I should know better. So my weigh in came out to have gained .0.4 of a pound. No biggie, but just adds to my determination. I have been walking again, so hopefully it will help out. Happy OP to everyone!