A Whole Different Weight Class

This Tuesday I had my weigh in and it was really great.  I had 2 goals I wanted to reach and I hit both of them!  I lost 1.8 lbs which FINALLY put me over the 55 lb total loss mark!  Actually 55.8 lbs to be exact!! Second of all I wanted to be out of the 170's and I achieved that as well.  My official weigh now is 169.6!  I haven't seen this weight in a long time and man does it feel fantastic!!

This week has been going great! I have made it to the gym every day - Monday I went to Total Conditioning Class, Tuesday was 30 Minutes on the Elliptical and Abs, Wednesday was No Limits Circuit Class and Thursday was 30 Minutes on the Elliptical and Abs.  I will be taking Friday off because I will be out of town.  I am stressing about this weekend as I have a lot going on.

Here are some of the things that are worrying me about this weekend:

1. Spending the Night at other people's houses is always tough.  I have packed a lunch bag with yogurt, fruit and granola bars.  I am planning on eating those for breakfast to help get my day started off on the right foot!
2. Eating out Thursday Dinner, Friday Lunch and Friday Dinner.  Eating out is always tough but I am going to do my best!  Dinner Thursday is Sushi and I know that I can make decent choices.  Friday lunch is a cafe and they have really good salads so I am not too worried about that.  Finally Friday dinner will be at my favorite Mexican restaurant.  They have the most amazing margaritas and food.  I am planning on just having 1 margarita, avoiding chips & salsa and finding a healthier main course option.
3. Saturday I have a birthday party and I know there will be food galore! I am trying to remind myself I am there for the person and NOT for the food! I have also given a few people at the party permission to monitor what I eat and remind me not to graze by the food table.

Here's to hoping my plan is successful.  I always struggle when I am out of town but I am going to try my best to stay on track!

Here's to a fun and healthy weekend!

Belated Weigh In Update 10/9

With my Thanksgiving goal in mind I really pushed myself this past week.  I was determined to lose and did everything in my power to help with that.  I was a total Trackstar and wrote down everything! I was also spot on with my eating for the weekend and managed to actually go in to a Sunday for once with some Flex Points and Activity Points.  It really helped to have my step-mom on board and helping me throughout the weekend.  We both held each other accountable over the weekend and we were both successful!  

I am happy to report that after stepping on the scale I had a nice 2.4 lb loss! This was great to see and I couldn't be happier!  That's the biggest loss I have had in a long time and it is pushing me closer to finally getting over the 55 lbs total loss plateau and down in to the 160's for the first time since I can remember! 

It's amazing how getting back to the basics and honestly tracking everything really does help.  This week has been a great success so far as well! I have tracked every day, only used a few flex points and have been to the gym ever day since Sunday.  I have plans to hit up the gym after work for a little ellipitcal machine workout and then tomorrow morning one of my favorite instructors is teaching Spin! 

Thanksgiving Goals

Last week in my Weight Watchers meeting we were informed that it was only 8 weeks until Thanksgiving... Yes 8 - that is hardly any time at all.  We talked about setting goals for the next 8 weeks and throughout the time between now and Thanksgiving we are going to talk about and planning how to achieve those goals and be successful Weight Watchers in the process.  

I have been thinking about my last 9 months on this journey.  I have not been losing weight - I have been fluctuating up and down between 50 lbs lost and 53 lbs lost.  I can not seem to get over the hump and hit 55 and keep losing.  I am not entirely upset about this because I feel like I have done a good job of maintaining my weight and I am happy I haven't gained anything back.  However, I really want to start losing again.  I want to get to my goal weight and I want to no longer spend $40 a month for weight watchers!  I realize that this far in my journey with the bulk of my weight gone, I won't be losing as fast.  Although I would like to set my goal at losing 8 lbs by Thanksgiving (that's 1 lb a week) I am not sure that is feasible.  I want to be successful and reach my goal and feel good about it.  After some thought this is what I have come up with for goals until Thanksgiving!

1. Lose 6 lbs by Thanksgiving
2. Workout 4-5 times each week 

I think these are both attainable and I am going to try my hardest to achieve both of these!

A few other things...

New Trick I Learned

I learned how to calculate % of Body Weight Lost... This might be the coolest thing ever and it's really simple! Here is how you do it:

• Subtract your current weight from your starting weight.
• Divide the amount of body weight you have lost by your starting weight.
• Multiply this figure by 100 to convert to your % body weight loss.

After doing this calculation I learned that I have lost 22.8% of my body weight.  That's almost 1/4th of my body weight.  Learning things like this are so motivating and encouraging.  

Giveaway

A favorite blog of mine is hosting a giveaway for the new Weight Watchers endorsed Yoplait Yogurt and Greek Yogurt.  I am very excited about these because all yogurt options are only 2 points!  Head over to Danica's Daily to enter! 

I am off to the cabin this weekend! Kimberly and I are planning on going on a few longs walks and we are both going to keep each other accountable when it comes to eating!  Hope you all have a great weekend as well!

Weekend Goal Update

Well this weekend proved to be tough just like I thought it would be.  The whole weekend wasn't difficult, but parts of it really proved to be.  

It really helped to have a few goals in place but I know I can do even better, and really want to focus on that.  I typically struggle with car trips, there is something about getting in the car that makes me automatically hungry or in the mood to munch.  

1. Pack car snacks: In order to avoid unhealthy gas station snacks, I packed up my dinner along with a few car snacks to keep me satisfied.  This was extremely helpful and I was completely satisfied with my dinner and snacks.  I had cucumber slices, grapes, a turkey & cheese sandwich, string cheese and some Boom Chicka Pop.  Side Note: If you haven't had Boom Chicka Pop before, I would highly recommend it.  This stuff is delicious!  It's a Sea Salt Popcorn and you get 3 1/3 Cups for 4 points.  It is great when you are in the mood for a salty snack!  
2. Breakfast: I did great with this on Saturday a.m. I packed a Greek Yogurt, Hard Boiled Egg Whites and a Banana.  I ate this before we went wedding dress shopping.
3. Eating Out: Saturday's lunch was not too bad at all.  I piled my plate high with greens, 0 pts. veggies, a few bacon bits, some sunflower seeds and topped it with a little olive oil and vinegar.    I estimated 4 points for this salad because I went very light on the toppings.  I also took a small amount of the broccoli salad.  You know the one with cheese and a mayo and bacon bits.  I topped off my lunch with a very small cheese biscuit.  My total lunch was 12 points and I was completely satisfied.
4. Eating Out:  The 2nd part of my eating out was definitely my biggest failure.  We actually got done shopping early so we headed out for a celebratory drink.  I had a bloody mary and few beers as well as a few bites of a sun dried tomato dip with pita chips.  After that it was back to Amanda's house for grilling.  I started off the night drinking a big glass of water and filling it up several times as I continued to have beers.  But I didn't track anything as I went.  I tried my best to recall everything I ate the next morning.  But I am sure I forgot a few things.
5. Tracking:  I could have been more successful with my tracking, but I also wasn't horrible.  I am still working on this and hope that this week is better.

That being said, I was really nervous for my weigh in last night.  I knew I wasn't perfect and I knew I had been a little reckless with my points.  When I got to my meeting I stepped on the scale and I was at the exact same weight I was last week.  Honestly, I was thrilled with this result,  I knew I could have easily gained weight and probably should have.  This week, I am really going to focus on tracking and try to make that my number one priority. 

Weigh In Update and Thoughts for this Weekend

Last night I weighed in after my successful weekend of tracking and working out and I lost 1.6 pounds.  Which means I lost what I had gained the week before.  Now the next goal I have is to continue losing weight and stop gaining.  One thing that really helped during my meeting last week was listening to other people and how they make their weekends successful.  I compiled a list of tips and ideas of how to make myself more successful on the weekends and here they are:

• Track the 1st thing you put in your mouth on Saturday & Sunday
• Schedule workouts/activity first thing on Saturday/Sunday morning
• Use the Weight Watchers Mobile App (I already have this, but usage is minimal sometimes)
• Save each bottle cap or swizzle stick when having drinks so you can see the drinks add up and know how many points you've consumed (I really like this idea and think I need to start using it)
• Carry low points plus value snacks in your car/purse for when you are out running errands
• Keep water on hand in the car to keep your H2O intake up
• Have a pack of gum on hand to curb your appetite
• Alternate a glass of water with every cocktail you have
• Eat a healthy breakfast to start your day off on the right foot
• Have an accountability buddy you can text for support

As I have discussed before, weekends tend to be my hardest time.  I am traveling, going to the lake or meeting up with friends and I have found myself getting off plan and letting that throw off my entire weekend. My goal for the next month is to really focus on weekends and try to make them easier for myself and my waistline.  

This weekend I am heading back to Des Moines to help my dear friend Amanda go Wedding Dress shopping.  It's a 3 1/2 hour drive and  I am a person who loves to snack when I am bored in the car.  I have countless pre-weight watchers memories of gas stations stops just to pick up something to snack and generally it was something that wasn't healthy at all.  So this weekend I am really going to focus on making better choices!

Here's my plan:

1. Pack car snacks: Thursday night I will cut up fruits & veggies as well as pack dinner for myself to eat in the car. This will help me avoid stopping at gas stations where I rarely find anything healthy to eat.
2. Breakfast: I will be staying with friends both Friday & Saturday night and sometimes I feel weird about bringing in food and having it for breakfast.  I know it's important to start off with a healthy breakfast, so I will be packing yogurt and granola to eat Saturday & Sunday morning so I can start my day off on the right foot.
3. Eating Out: Saturday in between dress fittings we are going to lunch at Ruby Tuesday.  I have only been there 1 time but I know they have an awesome salad bar.  I plan on ordering a big salad for lunch and adding to it any toppings that are power foods that way I won't spend a lot of points on them and I can keep my lunch points value down.  
4. Eating Out:  Part 2 of Eating Out will take place at dinner time.  Amanda and a few of her friends and I are going to go to a restaurant to watch some football and have a few beers.  I plan on going in to this weekend with all of my Flex Points as well as any workout points I have acquired and so I will be dipping in to those at this point.  Amanda is very aware of my healthy lifestyle and she is also a very healthy person so I know she will support me.  I am going to aim to alternate anything I drink (Beer or otherwise) with a glass of water.  
5. Tracking:  I struggle with this on the weekends so I am going to put alarms in my phone as reminders to track my food - I hope this helps me stay on plan and be successful.

Here's to hoping I can stick to the plan this weekend and be successful.  I will keep you posted on how it goes.  As for this week in our meeting we talked about the "Countdown to Thanksgiving." Yes you read that correctly... Thanksgiving is only 8 Weeks away... I about fell off my chair when I read that.  More to come on Thanksgiving goals soon :)

Weekend Warrior

Last week the topic for my Weight Watchers meeting was "Weekend Warrior."  I had to miss my original meeting due to a prior engagement, but knew this was a topic I needed to listen to.  I decided to go to a different meeting to try and get some ideas of things I could do to make my weekends more successful.  

I struggle on the weekends.  I know I am not the only person who does, but it is frustrating.  I am on-plan all week long and then Friday/Saturday roll around and I slip up.  I think one of the biggest reasons this happens is because on the weekend, I tend to eat out more or attend more social engagements.  On the weekends I find myself heading out of town, going to the cabin, scheduling happy hour and dinner with friends and brunch.  During the week I tend to have the same schedule... Monday/Wednesday Workouts occur after work and then I'm home to cook dinner and early to bed because Tuesday/Thursdays I try to get to the gym before work.  During the week I rarely have any drinks and I can think of maybe 3 times where I went over my Daily Points Plus allowance.

But here's the problem... The weekend rolls around and I have all of my 49 Bonus Points available as well as my activity points, which usually is around 30.  So that's a total of 79 extra points to use in a 2 day span.  What ends up happening is I have this idea in my mind that since I have sooo many points, I don't really need to track because there is no way I can use that many points (yea right Shelby, let's be honest here).

So this weekend I tracked everything.  Yes on Saturday I consumed 80 points, but I had them to eat and I tracked all of the food/drinks I consumed.  I also got up and got my bootie to the gym Saturday and Sunday morning.  Yes I still indulged, heck yes I still had cocktails but I made tracking a priority.

Here's what I did this weekend!

Friday night I was off to a girlfriends house for some girl time! I brought all the fixings for stir fry and had a glass of wine.  After dinner we headed out for 2 drinks and I was home by 12.  I got up Saturday morning and headed to the gym where I ran 2 miles, did some core work and shot some hoops.  I had a light breakfast of yogurt and fruit and then ran some errands.  Saturday evening was going to be the hardest part for me.  I met up with some great friends in St. Paul and we went on a little "pub crawl" stopping at different places and having drinks, etc.  I managed to have a few cocktails but I wrote down everything I had.  Dinner was at The Happy Gnome and I decided on a grilled chicken sandwich and it was served with a delicious looking side of french fries.  I tried to limit myself to 10 and then got rid of the rest.  

Sunday morning, despite a small headache I was at the gym at 7:45 for Spin Class.  After that I ran to Starbucks for a Skinny Latte and then I joined grandma for brunch (photos of my food below).  Brunch offered up all sorts of unhealthy options and I knew what the old Shelby would have done... I would have had a little of everything! Biscuits/Gravy, Sausage, Waffles, Prime Rib, Cinnamon rolls, etc.  But I knew I couldn't do that. I went to the omelet station because I thought that would be my safest bet.  Unfortunately they had no egg whites or egg substitute and a limited amount of veggies.  However, the chef was doing a spinach pesto omelet that sounded fairly healthy.  I watched him make it and requested he go easy on the butter as well as the cheese and he did.  It was absolutely delicious.  I did give in to the bacon (but only 3 pieces) and finished my meal off with some plain shrimp and lots of fruit!  Pictures below include of the yummy beverages I had as well as my Sunday brunch!

(Clockwise from top left: Stella Artois, Fall Harvest Sangria, Riesling, Bloody Mary and Beer Chaser)

All in all, I would call this weekend a success and I am proud of myself for tracking everything.  Tomorrow will be the true test when I step on the scale.  I will be back with results as well as a few pointers I picked up from my meeting on how to be successful on the weekends!

DIY: Workout Shirts

Over the past few weeks I have been organizing and going through my old clothes.  I have found that I have a lot of old t-shirts that don't fit, which is a great thing of course, but I hate to get rid of them!  I knew I had seen quite a few different ways to convert old over-sized t-shirts into workout shirts on Pinterest so I thought I may as well give it a try! I found 2 different websites with directions on how to go about converting my shirts and gave both of them a shot.  I liked aspects of each and kind of just made up my own styles as I went about my project. 

Shirt Style 1

Shirt Style 2

I wore the blue style to the gym on Monday and couldn't believe how many people complimented me on my cute shirt.  I am wearing the red one tomorrow!  Below are the links to the 2 different shirt styles and directions so you can make your own!!

Shirt Style 1

Shirt Style 2