Apples - Fruit from Hell

That probably got your attention. Apples. Not. A. Fan. Actually, I like their flavor. I like how easy they are to grab and go. I love slicing them and packing them for snacks.

Unfortunately, they HATE ME. Every single time I eat an apple, shortly after eating it, my stomach begins to cramp up like I'm hungry again. Within minutes, my stomach hurts so bad that I can barely focus on what I'm doing. It's really very uncomfortable.

As you can imagine, this makes the prospect of grabbing an apple on my way out the door, well, less than appealing. I actually have anxiety about eating apples thanks to my adverse reaction.

Okay, so why don't I just NOT eat them?! Why do I keep trying to eat something that tears my stomach apart?! Because I really really like them. I like how they're easy to grab, don't bruise as easy as the other grab and go fruits like bananas and pears. They're sweet and filling. They're fiber rich and SO good for you. Yeah, I love apples. But we're going to have to break off our rather destructive and unhealthy relationship.

Okay, enough apple talk.

What about the weight? I lost ZERO pounds. Nothin'. Nada. I'm wondering if it has something to do with my going on the birth control patch. I have been "snackier" than normal and generally uncomfortable. I haven't really been able to control my appetite this last week and this week isn't shaping up to be much better.

I said that this blog would be honest. I would share the good and the bad, the successes and failures. This week sucked. Losing nothing sucks. I won't pretend to be just fine about seeing no change on the scale. The difference between then (when I've tried diets before) and now (Weight Watchers) is that I'm not going to let this get me down. I'm going to get on track again. I'm going to adjust. I'm going to lose weight again. Maybe not this week or next week, but as long as I don't quit, I'll keep losing. Quitting now would be like quitting a team because I missed one goal, but made the last 40. That would be ridiculous.

So, onward and upward. Off to next week. See you all soon.

Losing TOO Fast?!

Happy Wednesday everyone! Well, this has been one crazy week. For starters, last Wednesday marked the first day we were going to have our friend from Canada come stay with us for about a week. Delayed for various reasons, he actually arrived two days late. Nevertheless, our routine was changed and this can mean serious trouble for diet and exercise. I've been on high-alert this week, for sure. I'm glad I'm in charge of the meal plans! :)

On Sunday, I weighed in at 189.6 pounds. That was a 2.8 pound drop from the previous week and it put me into the 180's and right out of the 190's! It's really something to celebrate, right? I was excited for sure.

NOT SO FAST! Almost three pounds a week is cause for concern! In order to lose weight safely, you should only lose 1-2 pounds a week. There are very good reasons for this, but I'm no expert. Instead of me telling you, I thought I'd post a video of an EXPERT telling you WHY you should lose slowly.

 

 I didn't post "Part 2" because it's only about 38 seconds long, has similar information that's covered in Part 1, and you can certainly find it yourself, if you're very curious.

I know losing weight slowly is important. Weight Watchers doesn't let you forget it, either. This week, when I lost 2.8 pounds and made my second high-loss week in a row, a warning popped up saying I was losing at an unhealthy rate. Sometimes though, I think my body just decides to drop weight. I cannot predict sometimes, what it is going to do. 

I didn't eat very little or exercise very much this last week. I ate far more than my daily Weight Watchers points every day. Some weeks, I lose very little. I've had plenty of 1/2 pound or less lost weeks. I think it evens out; at least I hope so.

On the Weight Watchers website, I see many people losing 3-5 pounds EVERY week. I'm sure they're excited about dropping the weight fast and not ever dipping into their Weekly Points. I'm certain they are ignoring the warnings thinking that saying they're losing too fast is CRAZY. However, losing this fast is setting them up for failure. It can potentially (and most likely) mean they will gain the weight back and possibly be one of the many Weight Watchers repeat customers.

I don't want to be a repeat customer. I want to get to my goal and STAY there. Who DOESN'T want that for themselves?! I refuse to yo-yo diet EVER AGAIN!

If this Sunday, I get on that scale and see another large number, I will adjust what I'm eating to slow my loss. I seriously doubt I will see another big number, however. I typically do NOT sustain the large loss weeks and, like the contestants on The Biggest Loser, which I'm currently only on Season 5, I have a "not so good week" after a "great week." So, I am anticipating a small loss as my body hangs onto the weight. We'll see. 

If I have a low number, I won't change a thing until I have a streak of low numbers. If I change my tactics every time I have high numbers or low numbers, I'll never do the same thing one week to another. Unless my body PROVES to me that something is NOT working, I won't change it. I like to cut my body some slack to adjust itself to the drastic changes I'm forcing it through.

Well, everyone, I've done fairly well with the rest of the time we had guests. Now, our house is back to normal and we can re-focus a bit. We'll have to wait and see how my body reacts this Sunday! I'll update you next Wednesday! Until then, stay stress free, get moving, and eat well!

 

 

Camping - Staying "On Plan"

Okay, so Weight Watchers gives you tons of tools for how to stay "on plan" or "OP" while you're on vacation. I had it all worked out. I was going to eat well, fill up on veggies, eat lower fat foods, drink lots of water and only some diet and diet caffeine-free sodas. I was going to resist the urge to splurge.

Hahaha! I'm hilarious. I did the best I could. I ate lower-fat Spam and eggs (my husbands FAVORITE camping breakfast), we had turkey hot dogs for the trip and I used only lower-fat olive oil mayo for the sandwiches.

Then, I had Texas Toast with one breakfast and formed hashbrowns for another. I ate 2 hot dogs at a time WITH Doritos (limited to about 1 serving or 12-16 chips) and diet sodas. I drank little water and then had S'mores with EVERY dinner and once on the last day after breakfast. And I didn't just have S'mores. I had some normal S'mores and then half of my S'mores were made with...wait for it......
REESES peanut butter cups!! Yeah. I can easily say, I SERIOUSLY doubt I was on plan.

Without any data-enabled devices and no service anyway, I had NO way to track. I also had NO way to weigh myself on my usual Sunday weigh-in day. I had NO idea how I was doing. I won't officially know until this Sunday. However, that being said, I DID weigh myself this morning in order to gauge the damage and....I gained a little less than a pound.  WHA?! Yeah. Let me say that again. A LITTLE LESS THAN A POUND.

Hey, I'll take that. After the week I had, I was afraid I was going to over 3 pounds, putting me back over the 200 pound mark and right out of Onederland. I think I would have taken it like a champ, but I would have been crying on the inside. It goes to show that even if you DO splurge, a little forethought and effort goes a long way. I tried to resist having a 3rd S'more. I didn't skimp on my vegetables when I was hungry. I tried to dish up my Doritos rather than sit down at the camp-fire with the whole bag. If I snacked, I grabbed fruit and veggies, because we HAD them available. I piled my sandwiches HIGH with lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes, and then added lean meats and only a little cheese. I used whole grain/whole wheat bread.

I also made a conscious effort to hike whenever we could. I didn't meander or stroll to the bathroom; I ran when I could. I ran there and then ran back. I ran with my son up and down the camp-ground road to wear him out and get myself moving. I hiked the interpretive trails and hiked to the river and back and again and again. I walked quickly and with purpose. I used to HATE hiking because I would be SO tired afterward and I'd have to stop SO often that I couldn't enjoy the view. I would get winded walking to the bathrooms and so I wouldn't want to walk anywhere with my family. This trip was totally different. I found myself looking for reasons to get moving and wasn't humming and hawing about going to see the sights like I have for 15 years.

Weight Watchers might have suggested I do a BETTER job of tracking and eating well, but doing my best, I managed to keep myself in reasonable check. I'm sure that in years past, a camping trip would have meant a several pound gain as I pigged out and then moved very little, sleeping most of the days.

I want to take this time to say, if you identify with what I'm saying; if you've found yourself "relaxing" on a camping trip meaning sleeping in the tent all day, sitting around the campfire eating hot dog after hot dog, eating S'more after S'more, snacking all day and then feeling TOO worn out or tired to walk the trails and visit the beach/water/landmarks, then listen up. There is FREEDOM from that feeling. Weight Watchers is helping me get there and I'd recommend it if you have the weight to lose. Learning to eat well and get moving has changed my life. Weight Watchers has changed my life. How will YOU get there? Please, join me.

Until next week everyone. Happy Trails!!! ;)