The Gambler

On a whim we decided to go to Vegas this weekend and I went off the diet for 2 days so I could enjoy eat and drink what I wanted. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas - including daiquiris and buffets! Even with all of the fun of not dieting it got me thinking about where I am with my diet. I’ll never be on of those super skinny girls at the pool or wearing a skin tight dress teetering around in 4 inch stilettos. But, I’d at least like to feel comfortable with my own body and I’m not quite there yet. Like any girl, I overanalyze my body. I want my stomach to be flat. I want skinnier thighs. I wish my arms were smaller. The list goes on and on...and becomes a bit of an obsession. Which is where I am now, obsessed.

When I set my goal weight to 130 I thought that would be the easiest weight to maintain. I am really ready to stop dieting but at the same time I wonder if I should lose another five pounds. Or should I go to maintenance and start working out harder. It’s a tough decision and if all goes well, I’ll need to decide tomorrow.

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em

Know when to walk away and know when to run.

Grilled Pork with Arugula and Tomatoes - 5 points

Chunky Balsamic Mushrooms - 1 point

Holy Shit!

I'm always running late in the mornings and today was no exception. I overslept and completely forgot that I needed to wake up early to weigh in. As much as I constantly think/talk/dream about my diet, it didn't even cross my mind until Nico politely asked me, "Did you weigh in this morning?" NO! Crap! The number one rule (which I broke in the beginning of my diet) is to weigh in as soon as you wake up. I already had several cups of coffee and that's going to add ounces! Diet FAIL! So, I took a time out from rushing around and stepped onto the Wii Fit and started the Body Test. As I stand there listening to "Calculating..calculating" I'm certain I didn't lose a lot of weight from the NYC trip. As soon as I saw that my BMI went down, I felt relieved because that means my weight went down as well ...by 2.9 pounds! Bye, bye New York weight! Hello San Diego Summer*! This means I've lost a total of 14.3 pounds with only 0.7 pounds until my goal! I may actually do this right before my 3 month anniversary with Weight Watchers! (Wasn't I just complaining about wanting the diet to be over?)

Last night's dinner - Chicken with whole wheat pasta with creamy spinach sauce - 7 points
sautéed zucchini - zero points


*Disclaimer: Hello San Diego Summer does not mean I'm bikini ready..but I'm damn close!

Is this diet over yet?

Ugh!  I feel like all I've done for the past 2.5 months is diet and exercise.  I'm ready for my life back! But not the weight... So I keep moving forward but I can tell I'm having bigger lapses in staying focused.  Maybe it was a bad idea to go completely off the diet while I was on vacation?  Nah. I had way too much fun but I've had such a hard time getting back into the swing of the diet...especially exercise.  My first day back with exercise was last Wednesday with Pilates, which was great.  But, the rest of the days I've only used the 30 Day Shred DVD and I can tell my endurance is a lot lower.  As well as my patience with listening to Jillian Michael's tell me how awesome her exercise plan is and if I have to do one more jumping jack I might punch the TV!!  Although I didn't want to work out at all yesterday, I pushed myself a little harder yesterday with squats and lunges and my legs are a bit sore.  Tonight I'm playing tennis (which is quite entertaining to watch). Hopefully the gym will work it's way back into my rotation because oddly enough, I miss the elliptical and lifting weights. 

I was slacking in posting last week too so only a few pictures of food for you.  Last week Nico and I made healthy-ish pizza using whole wheat pizza dough from Henry's, reduced fat cheese, chicken and onions.  My side of the pizza was a bit sparse compared to Nico's other half filled with twice the amount of cheese, bacon and avocados. The total for one slice came up to 5 points.

Last night Nico made Ginataang Manok with light coconut milk, chicken breast, spinach, papaya and brown rice.  It turned out to be about 7 points for a serving of Ginataang Manok and 1/4c brown rice. 

And, tonight’s dinner was Pepper Beef with brown rice, totaling 7.5 points.

New York, I love you

Ahhh, New York. Such a great city but definitely not diet friendly which was why I went completely off the diet while we were there. After 4 full days in New York City I came back 2 pounds heavier. Every bite (and drink) was worth it. I missed a couple of picture opportunities, but as you can see below I really enjoyed myself. The Halal cart on 53rd and 6th was my most favorite lunchtime meal. We ate there three times! Chicken and lamb over rice with lettuce, special white sauce and hot sauce that catches your mouth on fire. Cannoli from the Bronx, Grimaldi's Pizza in Brooklyn (followed by ice cream), and of course, beer at every bar we stopped at. Vacation is wonderful. Now back to the reality of dieting and reaching my goal!



Chicken and lamb over rice - Halal Cart


Cannoli


Pizza from Grimaldi's


beer.

No Dieting While on Vacation!

I made a decision that I won’t be tracking any points for the next five days...starting with my first bloody mary! This doesn’t mean I’ll eat pizza and hotdogs from every street vendor in New York, but I will enjoy myself and not stress out about what I’m eating and how many points each thing is worth. I always keep in the back of my mind that this is a lifestyle change, not just a temporary change. So I’m confident that I’ve learned how to make better choices and still have fun. And not annoy Nico with talking about my diet while on vacation. :-)

As a quick update, I lost another 0.7 pounds this week and slacked off on exercising since Saturday. I’ll be ready to get back in the groove when I return on Tuesday. Only 1.4 pounds left!!!!!

"Skinny" Jeans

“Skinny” jeans. I’m not talking about the jeans all of the emo kids wear - I’m talking about that pair of jeans we hang onto in hopes one day they will fit. When I tried on my pair of “skinny” jeans 7 months ago, I couldn’t even pull them up over my hips..much less button them. What the hell? When did I get this huge muffin top? Have I really gained this much weight? Sigh, I’ll just wear a dress.

It took at least another few months for me to start dieting but I thought a lot about those jeans. How sexy I felt in them. How cute they are. How I wanted to wear them but couldn’t. So when I started the diet I told myself then that I wouldn’t try on the “skinny” jeans until I met my goal. When I lost ten pounds, those jeans starting taunting me. I talked myself into trying on just one pair. And, they fit! I rocked those puppies out that night to dinner along with a shirt that I used to wear with them. I didn’t even have to unbutton them for relief! Feeling pretty damn confident, I decided to try on the other two pair. I was able to button them but didn’t feel quite comfortable in them. I took them off and reminding myself of my original plan of not trying them on until I reached my goal. It wasn’t as depressing as the time I tried them on months ago because I know now that I WILL fit into those jeans. Just a few more pounds and it’ll be like I have a whole new wardrobe!


Last night’s dinner:

Lemon (brown) rice with broccoli - 3 points



Oven Roasted Eggplant - 1 point



Pan Seared Chicken with Garlic Sauce - 3 points

61 Days: -12.9, 2.1 to go

Wow, I just passed my two month mark with my so called diet and can't believe the progress I've made.  I'm actually shocked, I didn't think I'd be successful on any diet and here I am two months later and almost 13 pounds lighter.

All around, the diet part is easier than I thought it would be.  It's not to say I love dieting, but I have found that Weight Watchers makes it at least manageable.  Weight Watchers has helped me realize what the correct portion size is and pay attention to my  hunger signals. I like trying new recipes that actually taste good and the points are already calculated for you.  I find it easy to track my points, especially with the iPhone app.

Fitting in exercise daily, however, has a bit challenging and sometimes I just dreeeeeeeaaaaaaaaad it.  I think this has something to do with the fact that I hate to sweat.  But, I go to the gym and fit in as much as I can in one hour.  Or I pull my lazy ass off the couch on weekends and go for walks, play tennis or bike rides.   It's actually becoming more and more part of my routine rather than a chore.  And, believe me, that in itself is a miracle.



Eggplant Parmigiana with 1 cup whole wheat penne - 6 points

Fitter Happier?

As I enter into the last few pounds of my diet, I am having a really hard time staying focused and find myself cheating a lot more on the weekends. I’m having a few more drinks, ice cream sundaes, cupcakes, cookies and not feeling one bit guilty about it. I realized today that it’s because I’m closing in on the end of my diet and I feel fitter and happier. I’m happy where I am with my weight, which is a first in about a year. I’m still being fairly strict about my diet on weekdays and working out almost 6 days a week. I am going to allow myself to enjoy weekends a bit more than I did when I first started the diet. I hope I’ve found a happy medium.

And I’ll be honest, 3 pints of beer is better than one and bundtinis, ice cream and cookies are all really good. In moderation, of course.


Lemon Bundtini



Chicken Saute with okra & brown rice - 4 points