Breaking Old Habits

Old habits and environmental influences have no impact on this lady when there is money at stake!

Largely due to the fact that I planned ahead and am on a mission to eat healthy, I haven't had any desire to reach for the jar full of candy, cabinet full of chips, or freezer full of ice cream.  This. Is. Huge.

I will admit to one moment of weakness.  When we first arrived at the cabin and began to open things up, I had a strong urge to reach into that candy jar for no other reason than because it was there and that is what I'd always done.

Since that moment, I have been focused on meal planning and preparation.  It has helped so much and I haven't even felt deprived one bit.

The only struggle I'm having in getting a little more activity in.  Besides rainy days like today, my problem has been that I am completely stuck in Week 4 of C25K.  I have tried the 3min jog / 1.5 min walk / 5 min jog / 5 min walk (or something like that) routine for nearly a month.  I've gone back to Week 3, tried to do as much as I can, and tried to really push it.  I'm guessing it's really a mind-over-matter thing, but I tried really hard yesterday and still ended up limping along through the last 5 minute jogging stretch - I kept running but I probably ended up with a full minute of walking in there too.  So, technically, I have not completed Day 2 yet.  I know I can do it if I completed Day 1, but I have been struggling ever since...

On a positive note, the food situation has been great!  I've allowed a nighttime snack of 16 chocolate animal crackers and that has been enough to fulfill my chocolate craving (even with a certain visitor).  Last night, I had a Black Bean Burger and green beans.  This morning we had a delicious breakfast of Hashbrown Stackers that the entire family enjoyed and I will definitely be making again.  I loved my Steak Salad from yesterday so much that I had another one tonight for dinner.  We each had different quick meals for lunch so I grabbed a Pizza Snacker out of the freezer.  I made these a while back as a quick meal for 2YO or a larger snack food, but it was the perfect quick lunch for me because it calculated to about 166 calories - not too shabby for a really yummy pizza!

Most meals have been a complete success.  I've really had great experiences with almost every Weight Watchers recipe I've tried.  I bought some yummy soy milk on the way up and that was also a delicious snack.  However, we used some of that soy milk in a smoothie with a bag of frozen fruit and it did not turn out as delicious as I was hoping.  It was a good way to get some fruit in since my lunch was lacking a bit, but it did not do much to satisfy.  Anyone have some good smoothie recipes?  Maybe I just wasn't in the mood tonight.

Again, a bit of a wordy post, but I feel like I actually have a lot to share, unlike the days where I wasn't getting much of anything right.  We might be staying up here the rest of the week, so I need to be looking for some new recipes, and I'm going to have my scale brought up.  I know, I think there is a reason we don't have one up here, but I'm doing well and I'd like to peek!  :)


While I'm at it I should probably just link up with Jess for the Weekly Goals

1. I'm not positive what my water intake has been because I switch water bottles all day, 2YO drinks out of them, and I just forget to drink. My goal is to aim for at least 2 full bottles of water a day and to make a conscious effor to keep track.
2. Skip 1 day of nighttime snacking this week. Skip 2 the next, and so on.
3. Complete Week 4 of C25K - finally!

Friday weigh-in and off to the cabin

Weigh-in results: 6 pounds down!!! Must have been because I didn't eat those animal crackers I was planning on. :)

This puts me back at where I was after my last visit to the cabin and garage sale weekend...

But still... I'm happy.

 I knew I would see a big loss again if I buckled down instead of scraping by enough to see a weekly 1 pound loss. I'm so excited to see what this month (and hopefully longer) will bring.

I've focused on diet this past week, because I didn't do much exercise to speak of. Actually, the only thing I can think to speak of is the little bit of running around I did with 2YO at gymnastics. The weather was a little iffy and I never knew if it was going to ran or not.

Now that we're up north, I'm already ready to don my new clothes and go for a run!

I've been spending all afternoon with my meal plan, changing things around to accommodate our groceries. Tonight we're trying the Orange Beef with Noodles. I'll need to be on the ball because we're doubling the recipe and I need to measure my serving size. I came prepared with my food scale! :) I'm also proud to say that I wasn't tempted by the fried chicken the rest of the family had on the way up. I had enough going on with helping 2YO eat and tracking my own grilled chicken salad.

--- It's so hard to post things up here! I never got to this so I'll just add on. ---

The Orange Beef with Rice Noodles was good. I don't know if I'll make it again but it was fun to try something new. The rest of the fam liked it, but 2YO had a hard time with the textures of rice noodles and steak.

We've had some amazing meals since then, though!

Breakfast was a delicious Eggs Florentine that I will definitely make again. I used a Sandwich Thin in place of the WW English muffin and a half slice of a cheese single because I didn't have WW low fat thins.

We used some leftover steak for Steak Salad. I cut the portion down quite a bit and used 4oz of lettuce and 4oz of steak (instead of 6 of each). We also didn't have the feta, but didn't miss it at all.

I think I'm about to head out for another attempt at C25K Week 4 Day 2. I tried yesterday but only made it one time around the mile circle, because my phone was dying and the Mosquitos were terrible! A little bug spray and a charged phone and hopefully I'll be able to push myself a bit more. I can't believe I'm struggling so much with jogging 5 minutes. I keep reading about people that run miles and I can't even imagine.

Whew! That was long. Just to keep thing interesting, I'll share this little gem we drive past each time in the way to the cabin.

Classy.

I didn't eat enough today - what!?!

Today was kind of a busy day and I know I didn't eat like I should. I mean, I ate very well but I didn't eat at the right times.

I skipped breakfast. I know, big no-no, but it didn't turn into a binge session later so that was good. 2YO and I went to baby gymnastics and I got a little exercise in instead.

We then went to visit with Grandma and Grandpa to pick up the little one and, since we stayed so long, I had a quick snack of a Spinach Asiago Chicken Sausage on a Sandwich Thin.  We stayed a bit longer to check out the new addition to the playhouse - a little table.  2YO loves that place and who can blame him!

I can't believe, looking back, that I did no snacking between lunch and dinner. The little lady kept me pretty busy because she's not happy these days without someone to hold onto while she stands up. I'm wondering if she'll follow in her Momma's footsteps and walk at 8 months.

We're leaving for the cabin in the morning, Hubby will be out at a friend's shop working on his work vehicle all weekend, and his daughter is with her mom this weekend. All that added up to a Clean Out The Fridge Night.

We had leftover sloppy joe mix (which I've been steering clear from mostly because of the bun), Arby's chicken strips and fries leftover from a grandparent outing (not going to work for me), and Cheddarwurst burgers (definitely not going to work for me!).

I added some ingredients to make something I felt good having and here's what I came up with.

I dusted off my food scale of weight watchers days and found I had a 4oz potato topped with 1/2 cup of sloppy joe mix and 1 cup broc/caul mix. And, let me tell you, it filled me up! It ended up being such a big meal and, yeah, it didn't really need the sloppy joe, but I've been eyeing that stuff for a while and it was good!

I have to admit I also had to add to my calorie counting 1/2 an Arby's chicken strip that 2YO didn't eat - I'm only human! Now, although it's late, I'm going to grab 16 chocolate animal crackers, get a back rub from Hubby, and hit the sack.

I'm still 400 under my calorie goal, so I know I didn't eat enough. But what I did eat was pretty good. Weigh-in is tomorrow and I'm actually excited! So far, this DietBet has been my best motivation yet, and I really needed something to kick start me into these healthy habits.

Non-Scale Victories - I'm working on it!

I don't exactly have any non-scale victories this week.

I'm working on it

Since finally joining two DietBets (it's not too late to join the DietBet, it just started yesterday! http://bit.ly/11h3A74) I have been committed to staying on track. I will not lose that money! I have tracked my food (MyFitnessPal 2Momma2), not eaten any chips or chocolate, and started meal planning so I won't have trouble at the cabin.

I got creative with leftovers tonight. I used half of 2YOs bun for sloppy joes (which I would have loved to have since that particular recipe was delicious) and sliced it into two super thin pieces. I spread a really thin layer of Hidden Valley Farmhouse Originals Southwest Chipotle dressing (yum!) and added lettuce and my fish. It was sooo good!

Half a bun, cut in half :) it actually looks pretty thick! It wasn't...

I'll definitely have some NSVs next week - I'm counting on it!

So, here is my official Non-Scale Victory: I finally got some cute clothes for working out! I may have already posted a picture earlier today, but I'm that excited about them. I'm also happy that I' committed to keeping up with running, even though it is totally hard for me, enough to justify buying the clothes and that I feel like I'll be comfortable wearing them in public.

Finally going to look like I'm serious instead of some old slob in baggy clothes
attempting to move faster than the speed of snail!

A Whole New Committment

Day 2 (ish, because my diet bets were a day or two apart) and I feel really committed! It's been rainy so I'd have liked to get a little more exercise in, but I have actually been tracking my food. I haven't done that in a long time! Of course, it's much easier when you're eating well.

I had one last unhealthy, indulgent meal on Monday. We grilled some Jimmy Dean Cheddarwurst Burgers! Holy cow, yum! I had one and a half - oops! However, I skipped the fries and had a nice helping of broccoli instead.

Yesterday, after oatmeal for breakfast, I was SO ready for lunch!  Luckily I had this yummy dish in the fridge - spicy turkey sausage with Bowie pasta, peas and mushrooms.  I kept to a good portion size and shared with the little one.

Last night, I was debating about making a salad and serving the fam leftovers or cooking up some fish.  I looked up the nutrition information and it was a no-brainer.  Fish is so good for you and all I did was brush them with a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle them with some Cajun seasoning.  Yum!  We each had a little side salad and I had a little Lite Honey Mustard dressing on that and some homemade croutons.

My salad yesterday was so good I decided to have another today (after a Egg Beater breakfast in the morning). I could have used some chicken, but time was of the essence and I couldn't search the freezer. I added a tablespoon of toasted flax seeds which adds some great flavor with my Newman's Own Sesame Ginger dressing. I added a little more than half of the Clementine I shared with the little one. It made me think of a yummy Asian salad I would order out.

While I was out today I finally picked up some serious (and seriously cute) workout clothes! This wasn't just fun, it was a necessity! The other day as I ran to pick the kids up I spent more time pulling up my pants and pulling my shirt down than running. Not good!

How cute!?! I should also add that I got all this for only $23! Pat on the back bargain and coupon shopper! :)

How's that for motivation? I can't wait to try them out!

It's not too late to join the DietBet, it just started yesterday! http://bit.ly/11h3A74

Healthy Meal Planning for the Cabin

The cabin is usually my sabotage for healthy eating. Something about that place makes me want to pretend calories don't exist and turn my head to the obscene amounts of unhealthy choices I make.

This happens for multiple reasons.

First, I have a long history of unhealthy eating in that environment. I have always thrown the healthy eating out the window there because I was "on vacation" which doesn't work so well when I spend half the summer there.

Also, I hate feeling like a burden when a lot of my meals are prepared for me. I hate having to try to modify for myself and watch others eat the stuff I wish I had. I tend to just get crabby and give in and then go overboard.

Last, it's just hard. I often can't come up with a substitute for myself, I freeze and literally have no idea what to have. I have a hard time finding things and then it goes back to being a burden. It is also so hard to have all the unhealthy options around and the snacks on the boat or dessert after dinner.

This time I am going to be prepared!

I entered two diet bets and can't afford almost a week of setbacks. Want to join in? http://bit.ly/11h3A74.  It's over on the 3rd so we can overindulge on the forth (and start all over again!).  It's going to be hard, but I'm committed! I started looking through some of my old Weight Watchers cookbooks Best Eats and Sensibly Tasty Deliciously Easy and outlined a meal plan and shopping list.

This goes against all my thrifty, couponing training but, regardless of price (within reason), I'm going to shop for this trip.my health goals are much more important at this point. I've also found many recipes with ingredients in common so they'll do double duty.

Without further ado, on to the plan! Keep in mind that this is an outline - I plan to utilize each recipe but times and days may change.

Thursday

Lunch - this one is up in the air because we'll be driving up after Baby Gymnastics -I'm thinking sandwich or salad

Dinner - Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

Friday

Breakfast - Egg Florentine

Lunch - Ham Sandwich with Edemame Spread and Black and White Bean Salad

Dinner - Grilled Flank Steak with Potato and Pepper Packets

Saturday

Breakfast - Breakfast Pizza with Turkey Sausage

Lunch - Steak Salad

Dinner - Orange Beef with Noodles

Sunday

Breakfast - Bacon, Egg, Hashbrown Stackers

Lunch - Curry Chicken Salad

Dinner - Grilled Pizza with Chicken Sausage, Sweet Peppers, and Onions

Monday

Breakfast - Oatmeal

Lunch - Frozen Pizza Snacker with fruit

Dinner - Stir Fry

And an alternate - because it looks/sounds so good.

This is just a general idea. I'm not going to feel so stuck that I can't deviate from this plan. I know things will change as we have boat days, raining day, etc. We can always grill chicken breasts or grab some yummy Trader Joe's Tomato Soup if there is a rainy day. At least I feel like I have a plan and some ideas. Next, I need to figure out some healthy snacks, but there's always fruit or veggies.

Weekly goals - June

I only set one goal last week and today I did it! Better late than never, right? :)

I joined two diet bets and stand to lose $55 if I don't lose the weight!

I'm still really nervous about this.  Is there anyway to lose money even if you lose your weight?  I KNOW I will lose because I am way too cheap to lose that much money.  I'm just always nervous about something that sound too good to be true

Want to join in? http://bit.ly/11h3A74.  It's over on the 3rd so we can overindulge on the forth (and start all over again!).

My goal this week:  

Do what I have to do to lose - cut back on portions, cut back on crap, get running a bit more, etc...