I want to be a LOSER!

Happy to say that I dropped another pound, however I got a bad case of tendinitis from peeling all those apples!  I am doing well with the diet but horrible with the exercise. Maybe because it's just not part of my routine. Or maybe it's because I hate exercising.  I had a flare of GERD and my appetite has been horrible.  Back on my meds and will most likely need to have my esophagus dilated again.  It's my own fault. I snuck a piece of dove chocolate and it sent me into a spiral! It was just a tiny little piece!!!  The diet is beginning to get easier. I know by writing this blog that I will accomplish the weight loss.  I have to, otherwise I will look like a LOSER! lol....A friend of mine sent a picture of me to FaceBook and I almost passed out!  I could not believe I was that big. Maybe avoiding all the mirrors is a bad thing.  I should make myself look, so I know what's going on.  Part of me wants to copy that picture and paste it to my fridge!  As horrible as that picture made me feel, it also gave me more motivation.  I really need to get this done with once and for all. I've been putting it off too long. I'm not getting any younger and time continues to tick.

Can Not Break a Tradition!

Today was the day that I set aside to turn all of those hand picked apples into yummy bakery treats. Despite the fact that I am watching my weight, traditions must not be broken. I prepared myself mentally to just taste and not indulge so I was fine with it. I baked an apple pie, 2 apple crisp pies and 5 caramel apples. I had a small piece of the pie. Not sure if I out did myself OR I was just happy to have a sweet. But it was good. I also had a very satisfying dinner of chicken with a cilantro sauce, baked potato, and a side of spinach. I actually even left some in my plate because I was full. This is something I am trying VERY hard to practice. It's hard to break old habits of cleaning the plate or going for seconds. After dinner my husband and I went to see the movie "Dolphin Tail". I enjoyed it so much that I am making plans to go see the real dolphin in Clearwater, Fl. After the show I came home and had a caramel apple. I was surprised to find out that it was only worth 4 pts on weight watchers! That is the same as a bowl of cereal. I think that is why I like W.W.in comparison
to other diet plans. You can eat ANYTHING as long as you stay within your daily points. So I was able to enjoy the treats I made and still managed to stay within my limits. On a negative note, I didn't exercise. I was busy baking and cooking all day and was too tired to ride the bike. I find exercising tougher than dieting. It's just so boring. Still thinking about joining water aerobics one of these days. Just not sure which day!
Hope you had a successful day!

4 Sticks of Butter = 1lb. of Body Fat

I actually did pretty well over the weekend. I had a lot of good food in my face and I was actually able to say no to over eating. I ate everything I liked(except the elephant ears) but had them in small amounts. I had gone out on Friday night and noticed that I got really full, really fast. I didn't even eat that much and I was bloated and uncomfortable. My stomach must have shrunk already. I need to somehow get used to eating small portions and feel mentally satisfied. That might take some time and work. I realized that I don't just eat to live. I enjoy the whole eating experience. And to eat only a small section of my plate seems wrong. It just feels incomplete. I don't know if anyone else knows what I'm talking about. But growing up in an old world Italian family...food is everything. Your life and relationships revolve around the kitchen table. Not yet sure how I am going to reconcile this issue.
Sunday morning I stepped on the scale and to my happy surprise, I dropped 1.5 lbs! May not seem like a lot to you especially if you're a guy, but to me that's 6 sticks of butter!! When I think in terms of butter sticks then even a half pound can make me feel a sense of accomplishment. The weekend was busy and it was really weird to go apple picking in shorts and flip flops. That was a first for me. Tomorrow I will probably make apple pies, apple crisp, and apple sauce. I had better save up some points for that. I wait all year for freshly baked homemade pie. I don't think it's healthy to deprive yourself of things you love most. I think it causes bingeing later. So I'll just need to be careful with the portion size. Hope you did well. Until next time.....

Happy to have Canker?

Ok, so does this happen to anybody else but me? I stick to a diet and within the first two weeks I either lose NO weight or gain a pound or two!? Years back I was very discouraged by this pattern and asked my doctor what was going on. He explained that the brain is used to being a certain weight and when we diet and begin to burn fat, the brain will actually hold water for a couple of weeks to make up for the weight loss, therefore tricking itself into thinking it's the same weight. Weird, but really cool at the same time. Well that's me. It happens every time without exception. I usually weigh myself on Fridays. Sure enough...no weight loss noted. So I will be patient because it will eventually catch up by next week. I was good today thus far. I even rode my stationary bike. I am going out to dinner tonight so I went really really light on breakfast and lunch. Tomorrow will be a challenge also. We are hosting an eight course dinner party. Thank God I'm not cooking it! I chipped a tooth  and developed a cut on the side of my tongue. I am almost glad I have it because it hurts to chew. I'd say it's pretty good timing. Enough for now....hope you had a successful day!

If My Head Wasn't Attached

I would consider today another success. I actually attempted to drink the pitcher of water, but only managed half of it. Believe me, that is an accomplishment. The only down side is that I need to pee constantly and that's really annoying! I ate breakfast today around 11:00. I had a bowl of Special K with cherry flavored cranberries(kind of weird tasting fruit).
I think I skipped lunch. I was EXTREMELY forgetful today. I booked a last minute dentist appointment at the same time I was at my Physical Therapy. Then when I rebooked the dentist for two hours later, I forgot my phone who knows where. My head was just not screwed on straight. Must be because I am malnourished or something. For dinner I sautéed beef tips in a little bit of olive oil along with some green peppers and onions. I chopped some tomatoes and olives and made a fajita topped with some low-fat Mexican cheese and low fat sour cream. It was both delicious and satisfying. Although I am not much of a meat eater, I find meat to be much more filling. I bypassed the bike today because my Physical Therapist made me break a sweat for over a half hour. She is really encouraging me to join water aerobics. In fact she brings it up EVERY TIME I see her. I suppose I can't avoid it much longer. It's a big commitment and that is probably why I am dragging my feet.
Eight o'clock came and the sugar craving was manageable. I had a weight watchers ice cream cone and my usual popcorn. I watched the X- Factor and then settled in to write my blog. I feel I did well again today...this is pretty miraculous. Hope you did well too. Let me hear from you! Until tomorrow........

Big Butt!

Well I was wicked busy today and a bit stressed out with all the phone calls I had to make concerning my daughters wedding, SO I really didn't get a chance to eat that much and now I'm STARVING! Even though I had my usual lunch salad with cottage cheese and 2 cups of homemade chicken soup for dinner, I know that wasn't enough and now I am climbing the walls with another sugar craving! I think I'll make a cup of tea. That always seems to curb my hunger. I was too distracted to even remember to put the pitcher of water out. I think I only had a cup of coffee and a bottle of water today. That is NOT good.  I will try to make up the fluid loss tonight before I hit the sack.  I didn't ride the bike either. I suppose I could get really down on myself, but I won't. The day wasn't a total loss because I didn't over-eat.  So I will focus on making tomorrow a better success.  Gotta keep moving forward...refuse to look back. There's nothing there but a big Butt anyway!   Until tomorrow.......

Climbing the Walls....

So I did pretty good today. I didn't over eat although I had a really weak moment around 8 pm tonight. I wanted to eat everything including the dog! My body was craving sugar so bad so I ate a few candy corns and decided to make myself a salad instead of eating Cheetos and a chocolate bar. The craving waned enough for me to exercise what little will-power I had at the moment. It was a huge VICTORY for me.
I rode my incumbent bike today. That was a big deal too. I also starting looking into a water aerobics program. I know it's important to speed up my metabolism so I can burn calories easier. It's not easy at my age. But I figure any amount of exercise is better than no exercise at all. My Physical Therapist only gave me the go for 10 minutes of bike riding at a time. I am still healing and I need to be wise.
I decided to have breakfast today although it seems to activate my appetite which makes it more challenging. I ate 1/2 cup of grape nuts, with 1/2 c skim milk and some dried cranberries. For lunch I had a huge salad with Boston lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, onions, and cabbage slaw. I topped it with low fat raspberry dressing. I also had a 1/2 c of homemade chicken soup and a cup of tea. I am never really thirsty so drinking is not something I think about. I think I will put out a pitcher of water so that it is in my face. Hopefully that will help increase my fluid intake. For snack I had a Clementine. For dinner, I ate the same thing I had last night. 1 c Wheat pasta with diced tomatoes, olives and artichoke hearts. Later I snacked on some low fat microwave popcorn and then I ate another salad when I started craving sugar AGAIN. I know it will take about a week or so to break that craving. Overall, I feel I did well despite the overwhelming urge to eat my house!. I am hoping tomorrow will be successful also. Hope you did well! Please feel free to post comments, concerns, struggles or prayer requests. Don't be shy, we are all in this together.