Life's Challenges

Wow, what an unsettling last few weeks.  I have been trying to stay focused on my weight loss but life threw me a curve ball.  On October first my daughter started complaining about pain on her right side.  We first thought is was her appendix.  But, having gone through it himself, my husband didn't think the pain was in the right spot. Well, he was right, it turned out she had a cyst on her ovary.  Mind you, she is only 12.  This kind of thing usually doesn't happen in adolescent girls.  We waited a couple weeks to see if the cyst would go away on its own and it did reduce its size (it was 7 cm, which, I was told, was pretty big) but her pain never went away.  So my baby had surgery to clean up the cyst and check the ovary to make sure it wasn't damaged.  All was good, she still has two ovaries.  Whew.  Also, since they were working on the right side, they took out her appendix as a precaution.  Watching my daughter being wheeled into the operating room was the worse moment of my life.  I was surprised by the wave of emotion that took hold of me when she was out of my sight.  I am tearing up as I write this just thinking about it.  My daughter is now recovering very well and returned to school right before Thanksgiving.  A couple more weeks and she will be back to PE class (which she is not excited about) and dance classes.  Life is good again.

Needless to say my weight loss goal hasn't been a priority.  In fact, there were several days were I caught myself stress-eating.  You know, that mindless bingeing on anything that's in the house.  My daughter was doing it, too.  And we talked about it and enjoyed eating comfort foods together.

Thanksgiving came and went and I was very thankful for my mother's delicious cooking.  I did eat whatever I wanted but I planned ahead and made sure I only ate low point foods before the feast.  My husband and I also went for a 30 minute walk around our neighborhood.  During dinner, I realized that the sweet potato casserole my mother makes is a dangerous food for me.  It was right in front of me and I kept taking a little and putting in on my plate.  I completely stuffed myself but I also enjoyed every bite,  including the pumpkin pie my 15 year old son made.  He is taking culinary arts class in high school and likes to show off his new skills.  I would be so proud of him if he became a chef.  He would be great at it.

Now I feel like I can focus again on me.  Even with the holidays fast approaching and my in-laws coming to stay with us for a couple weeks I feel like I have to find a way to be focused and stay on track.  With Weight Watchers, the key to success is tracking every bite.  I often think I can keep track of my points in my head but that is just a lie I tell myself in order to eat what I want.  It's amazing how people lie or justify their actions to themselves.  I do it all the time with food.  I am starting to recognize when I do this and change my thinking.  It's okay to have the snack, I just tell myself to track it.  It helps me realize just how much I eat and I usually end up eating less.

My husband has also jumped on the weight loss band wagon.  He is watching his carbs and doing very well.  In just three weeks he lost 25 pounds!  They just fell off him!!!  In three weeks I went up one pound then down two then up two.  I know, I know, it's easier for men, and I am very proud of him.  He does joke about how I'm mad at him but I'm not.  I think it's great and it is inspiring me to keep with the program and get some exercise.  I even got him to walk with me again Sunday.  He goes faster and I have to work harder to keep up with him, but I get a better work out in that way.  Yeah us!

So, to bring you up to date on my weight loss, I am down 7.8 pounds since I started Weight Watchers and down a total of 11 since I started this blog.  That is not the progress I was hoping for at the beginning of the year when I made my New Years resolution to get healthy.  Wow, as I write this, I am thinking thats not good at all! I'm very disappointed in myself.  I was hoping to have lost 10 pounds by Thanksgiving and I was very close.  I was down 9.6 the week before.  Then last Wednesday, I gained 1.8 to put me at the 7.8 I'm at now.  I was very discouraged.  I really need to get my act together and focus.  Next week will be better.  I can do it.  I can do it.  I can do it.

Peace and love,

Karen

Falling down and getting back up.

I immediately started writing about my second week on the Weight Watchers program but I was suffering a bit of writers block.  So now I will fill you in on my progress:  My second week was fantastic!  I lost 4.6 pounds.  I was ecstatic to say the least!  I walked almost every day and logged just about every bite I ate.  Weight Watchers works.  YaHoo!

Then I started my third week.  I was doing great, right?  I didn't need to log everything.  I know what I'm doing.  I can skip a day walking because I'm not up to it.  Guess what happened at my next weigh in... I don't know because I didn't go to my meeting! Ha Ha...

I knew the scale would show a gain.  Oh, I have plenty of excuses.  My daughter is going though some heath issues (minor, but still nerve wracking for a mother) and she was home from school for several days and has had several doctors appointments and tests.  Also, my in-laws were here for a week and we had dinner parties and went out to eat often and had desserts and wine (and more wine).   The strange thing is, as I was eating out and drinking my wine, I knew I would pay for the indulgent  behavior.  I did try to choose items off the menu that might be the healthiest, but that can only help a little.  It's amazing how you know how to do something good for yourself, yet other parts of your brain don't cooperate.  Like the desire to take a bite of that cheesecake, or eat that piece of bread that you told yourself you didn't even want let alone were going to eat.  The good little angel sitting on my shoulder is speaking to me but I don't listen.  The little devil on the other shoulder is shouting too loud!

I've got to get my act together and get back on track.  I always do well in the morning with my breakfast.  I usually have an egg and a piece of whole wheat toast.  Only four points.  Good for me.  Then, I snack.  Ugh.  I think I just need to get out of the house more.  Being home is bad for dieters.  Always walking past the refrigerator or the pantry.  Hearing the little devil on my shoulder say open the door and see what's inside!  Ha Ha.  Not that there is much in there that is bad for me, but I still look and still want to have a taste.

Well, I am going to keep trying.  And that is important.  I need to keep reminding myself that I need to do this and it's more important to be healthy and feel good about myself than to eat a piece of bread or cupcake or have a cocktail.  It will be a constant battle for me and I need to come to terms with that fact and put on my fighting gloves.

I will go to my meeting this week even though I have to go on a different day due to another doctors appointment for my daughter.  I don't think the scale will show a loss.  But I know I need to go for the support Weight Watchers offers.  Whatever the scale says is not the point this week, getting to that meeting and acknowledging my weight problem is.  Thanks again to my friends and family for encouraging me.  Love you!

Peace,
Karen

IF IT'S GOING TO BE IT'S UP TO ME

I'm back....
I haven't written in a while because I have had no real success to write about.  I am trying to keep this blog positive and productive so when I am not posting, it can only mean one thing... I'm not doing well on my diet - um, I mean change of lifestyle.  The few pounds I lost have crept back somehow and my activity level over the summer was the lowest it has ever been.  I was inspired by another blogger and her post about what she missed about being fat, which was nothing, of course.  I then tried writing a couple times about what it felt like to be overweight, both physically and mentally, but had such a hard time with it I never posted what I wrote.  (I wish I kept track of her blog so I can reference it here because it was really encouraging).  I will try to return to that subject another time.

So turn the page, so to speak.  I am starting fresh again.  Last week I joined Weight Watcher for the third time in my life.  I was very diligent my first week and kept track of everything I ate and all my activities and I did everything I was supposed to do.  I lost a pound and a half..... sigh.  It was not what I had hoped for.  Every time I start a diet, the first week is usually quite impressive!  In general three to five pounds.  The sweet lady that weighed me in said I did great, however.  I thoughtlessly gave her a strange look and she again said it was a great week.  I thought about it while I was sitting in the meeting listening to the very passionate leader talk about putting healthy things in our bodies and realized it was a good week despite what the scale said.  I walked with friends several times and tracked everything I ate.  I started feeling really good about myself for the first time in a very long time.  I felt in control.  That is a spectacular feeling.

So I only lost a pound and a half.  If I loose 1.5 pounds per week I will loose 78 pounds in one year!  That would be impressive.  And maybe even doable - Ha Ha.

If you have ever been to a Weight Watchers meeting you will know that the meeting leader often tells us corny sayings and mantras and encouraging quotes.  I do think they are cliche and often silly.  But this one has stuck with me despite how corny it sounds: "If it's going to be it's up to me".  I have found my self saying in my mind several times and trying hard to believe in myself and my ability to be successful at loosing a lifetime of extra pounds.  Their new points system and their smartphone apps make it very easy and empowering.

I plan to keep this blog more up to date now.  A few friends have been encouraging me to write more and I thank them for their support.  I also plan on reporting a weight loss next week so wish me luck!

Karen

Food is Social

WOW! It's been almost a month since my last post... what does that tell you???  I have been very unmotivated to write anything since the scale has not been my friend lately.  But tonight, while I was out to dinner with my husband and son at Maggiano's, I was talking with our wonderful server who we have become friends with about my blog and dieting and all the woes that go with it.  She inspired me to come home and write.  Thanks Erin!

It seems that all we do is eat.  I don't just mean three meals a day with snacks in between, but everything revolves around food.  Last weekend I attended two events where food was the center of the celebration.  Saturday we went to Santa Anita Racetrack to celebrate a great friend's 40th birthday.  There was also a food truck festival with over 50 gourmet food trucks.  This was my first experience with these wondrous eateries and when we walked in my 14 year old son told me he must be in heaven.  So many selections and I couldn't decide! I wanted to have a taste from every truck.  I knew I could easily overindulge but I only ordered from one truck.  I had the most wonderful grilled cheese with asparagus from the Devilicious truck.  It had goat cheese, brie, caramelized onions and tomato, (I did pass on the bacon which they highly recommend - yeah me).  My daughter was into fries from the The Fry Girl and wanted greek food from George's Greek Truck.  She ordered pita bread and hummus and I, of course, took a taste.  My son ate bacon wrapped hot dogs with chili and chili cheese fries, and had a waffle with ice cream peanut butter and carmel topping - so healthy!  My husband just took bites of everyones food because he couldn't decide.  His ADD kicked in big time and there were just too many choices.  I finally got him tacos with spicy shrimp and orange chicken.  I wish I remembered what truck they were from.  Then there were birthday cupcakes for everyone! Yum.  Well, my point is that there was an abundance of food and even though the ponies were going around the track, people seemed more interested in what they could consume than what was happening during the races.  I left there feeling stuffed and lazy.

The next day we attended a party for a family friend who was retiring.  The event was at the Odyssey Restaurant for their Sunday brunch.  Again, there was heaps of food.  They had sushi and a fish station, fajitas and all the fixings at the Mexican station, fresh made omelets and pastas,  eggs benedict, sausage, bacon, potatoes, carved meats, bagels, cheeses, dessert bar, a chocolate fountain, and more!  The food is good but I realized for me it's about trying a little bit of everything.  I have to make sure I am not missing anything wonderful.  No, I didn't take everything.  I wasn't interesting in any sushi or fish, and pasta didn't sound good.  And I didn't take any meat from the carving station.  But I like the omelet and pastries and different salads.  Again, I left feeling stuffed and lazy.

It seems the only thing we do these days for social interaction is eat.  My family often goes out to dine as a way of doing something together.  I'm trying to make better choices while I'm out to eat.  For example, tonight at Maggiano's I just had their sausage orzo soup.  I don't know what kind of calories it has but it had to be better than a bowl of pasta.  What's more, I didn't have a bite of dessert.  I was very proud of myself because they have the most wonderful cheesecake.  My husband ordered a slice but I let him and  and my son polish it off.  Oh yeah, the bread! Yikes, I forgot I ate several pieces of bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  I guess I didn't do as well as I thought.  Focus, Karen, Focus.....

I know I'm not the only one who thinks of food as a social event.  My mother has always had way too much food at any family gathering.  She would not have thought of herself as a good hostess if we ran out of anything.  And whenever we get together with friends for a night of cards the food comes first and is dessert is extravagant and decadent.  

I know I have to make better choices when going out and socializing with family and friends.  Bad habits are hard to break.  But breaking bread with friends is so much fun!

Peace,
Karen

My Closet

My Closet

I have been thinking about what to write about lately but my lack of success on the scale has given me a severe case of writers block.  So, I was getting dressed this morning and stood in my closet looking in my clothes.  That's when I decided to write about my closet.  You see, I have lots of clothes (well not really lots compared to most women's closets) but most of them don't quite fit me.  Some of them are old and show their age because they have holes or are faded from being washed over and over.  My other items are almost brand new.  I put them on and think "too snug," and they get hung back up in my closet.  Then the thought, "if I lose just a few pounds," runs through my head.  But those few pounds are so difficult.  I can't seem to get them off.  Sigh....  I have no dresses or skirts because I believe they look awful on me.  I keep my jeans and shorts in my dresser drawers and most of them fit fine.  But I do have a couple of pairs that would look better if I lost weight.

My closet is a place in my home that I don't like to be in.  Going in there reminds me of my weight problem and my inability to gain control.  It also reminds me that I don't like anything about my wardrobe.  I often buy dark colors to make me look thinner or plain shirts so they don't draw attention to me.  There are very few patterns or prints.  Boring!!!

I definitely love fashion and appreciate a cute outfit with great shoes and stylish accessories!  But shopping and trying on clothes is not an exciting event when your weight gets in the way.  I am currently living vicariously through my daughter who is looking fabulous!!! I love taking her shopping and letting her try on wonderful outfits.  I would buy her more if my budget allowed.  (Don't tell her that.)  I would love the go shopping for myself and not worry about having to go to the larger size departments in Macy's or go to Lane Bryant for clothes that fit.  They typically have ugly styles or the same shirt in slightly different patterns.  Even shopping for shoes is not fun any more.  I now have foot issues that I know would get better with weight loss and then the cute shoes could be mine again.  Sigh...

On a positive note: My walking has been going great.  I am going on a 2.5 to 3.3 mile walk at least three times a week.  I want to walk every day but I don't like to go out when it's windy or too cold (living in So Cal that means below 60 degrees, Ha Ha).  And I sometimes have errands to do or appointments to keep.  Also, in addition to walking, my husband started helping me to build a garden bed in our yard which has been great exercise.  We have been hauling and stacking bricks to make the 15' long x 4' wide x 2' deep bed.  That's a ton of bricks (not literally).  I felt the work in my body on Sunday and Monday even though my husband did much more work than I did.  But it felt great knowing the pain was from something I wanted and worked hard for.

I need more FOCUS.....

Peace,
Karen

A new plan this week.

Wow, time flies when you haven't blogged!!!  

My last post was on the 7th?!?!  What?  I can't believe that.  Well maybe if I would be loosing weight I would have something to write about.  Ha Ha.  I haven't stepped on the scale since my last post because I haven't been eating well.  If you would have looked in my kitchen in the last couple of weeks you would have found cookies and brownies and chips.  How did they get here?  Oh, I brought them into my home.  For Valentine's Day I thought how nice it would be to have some brownies for dessert since we don't really do much to celebrate.  So I made brownies in a heart shaped pan.  My daughter decided it would be romantic to serve my husband and I a bowl of ice cream with brownies and chocolate sauce.  It was yummy.  But after that we had leftovers brownies.  Then, I go to the store and see cookies on sale, and I have a coupon!  Woo Hoo!!! Deal!! My family will be so happy to have cookies in the house.  I am buying them for my family.  But who eats most of the cookies and left over brownies? Yes... me.  My son did a great job helping me.  But he is 14, soon to be 15, and has the typical teenage boy metabolism.  He's tall and thin and in great shape.  He loves to work out with weights, plays basketball and just finished a season of wrestling with his high school.  Where did he get all that great energy and athleticism from?  Not me.  My husband used to be very athletic but not so much anymore.  We really need to get our butts off the couch.

This week I started following a new diet plan I found at Health Magazine.com.  It seems simple and realistic.  The only problem is I had to buy things I didn't have at home and it would have cost me more than I wanted.  So I'm just using it as a guideline and making minor modifications.  Instead of buying pita bread and whole wheat tortillas and whole wheat bread, I just bought flat bread and using it for all menus that call for bread.  And I'm just using brown rice instead of three different kinds of grains.  Simple adjustments.  Hopefully it will result in a loss!  I have to tell you the first night's dessert was fabulous.  It was fresh strawberries with a little mascarpone cheese with a bit of brown sugar.  It was so good, my kids had to have some, too!!! I will serve that again.  It will be a great treat in the summer.

Of course, I started the diet yesterday and had my first challenging temptation.  A birthday party.  There was a ton of food.  Pizza, cake, chips; all the good party food.  I didn't have any pizza - yeah me!  But I had a hard time avoiding the boreks (A yummy bread treat filled with cheese).  Forgive me, my Armenian friends, if I miss-spelled it.  I did share some cake with my daughter but I ate more than I should have.  I love birthday cake.  

Well, enough about yesterday.  Today I feel more focused and trying to stay on my diet plan.  For breakfast I had fat free plain greek yogurt with blueberries.  I really enjoyed it.  I love blueberries.  And for a snack I had a granola bar.  Lunch is coming soon and I am feeling hungry.  I'm looking forward to my peanut butter and banana sandwich with carrots and celery.  I'm staying positive and trying to focus on my goals.  

I was just thinking about my lack of water drinking so I got up and got myself a big glass of water.  Good for me!  I still would rather drink coffee but I started making only half a pot instead of a full one every morning.  My husband doesn't drink coffee at home, he goes to Starbucks every morning.  So half a pot for me is plenty.  Finding ways to be successful... that what this is all about. 

Peace,

Karen

Finally, an update after a week of feeling miserable.

Okay, okay... I know... I haven't given you an update in a couple of weeks.  Last week I felt awful! I thought it was a bad cold but it got worse when the wind picked up so I believe it was a severe allergy attack.  I felt like my head was going to explode.  Allergy medicine such as Claritin doesn't work well on me.  A friend gave me some Allegra and that seemed to help a bit.  But I finally got relief when the weather changed.  It seems my allergies have come back full force.  When I was a child I was always sick from my allergies.  My parents took me to an allergist and I went through the shot treatments for years.  It seemed to work for a long time.  It seems that only a few years ago they have decided to come back.  I wonder if my body has changed or if the air and allergens have changed.  Probably both.

Anyway, about my journey.  I lost a total of 5 pounds in January.  Yeah!! I am grateful for those pounds to be gone forever.  The next week, three more went away, but not forever.  Two of them crept back this week.  I weighed myself Monday morning instead of Sunday, like I usually do.  That was a big mistake because we had a super bowl party and lots of food.  My wonderful daughter made cupcakes, three kinds of cupcakes!  She gave half to my mother for some of her friends but three dozen stayed here.  She made raspberry cupcakes with whipped cream raspberry frosting, chocolate peanut butter cupcakes with a peanut butter cup inside and a margarita cupcake with lime glaze!  They were all fantastic, I know, I tried them all! (not at one time, of course).

So anyway I'm back on track today and struggling with my diet.  I'm looking for a diet plan to follow.  You know how the ladies magazines sometimes have a monthly diet plan.... eat 1 1/2 cups cherrios with 1 cup milk for breakfast with a banana;  Eat carrots and hummus for snack... etc.  I want to try to follow something like that for a week.  I found a great one on the Eating Well website but it had some elaborate recipes that I wouldn't make just for myself and I'm not sure my family would like it.  Meals such as sweet potato-turkey hash, and grilled smoky eggplant salad.  I thought it would be great if I could just buy the meals because most of them sounded great to me.  But it was not realistic in this household.  I know that I would not prepare a great gourmet dinner for myself then make hamburgers for my family.  So I am still searching for a good plan that I know I can follow and my family can participate in.  Let me know if you know of any.

Peace

Karen

A Successful Week - Yippee

I lost two pounds this week.  I'm happy.  That makes a total of 5 pounds since the first.  I'll take it.  It's so funny how I was hoping for more but I am ecstatic with any loss.  I do like to watch the Biggest Loser and wish I could lose eight or more pounds in a week.  But that is just not realistic.  I guess if I lived on a nice ranch and had a personal trainer pushing me every day and a kitchen fully stocked with healthy foods I could do it, too.  But I don't have that, and a loss is a loss and I will be grateful for any and all successes.

I know that walking helped with the weight loss this week.  As I said in my last post, I walked one day around the hills and then I walked two more times.  I usually walk for at least 40 minutes and I think it's about two miles.  I enjoy it, not so much the exercise,  but spending time talking with my friends is what excites me about the walk.  I guess that is why I never walk by myself - I need company.  

I am drinking more water, too.  Maybe not as much as I should. But everyday after I drink my coffee I make sure to down a couple glasses of water.  I also have water with every meal.  You know I love my coffee but I am even trying to drink less of that.

Today, however, I did have a melt down... a chocolate melt down!  I stopped in the store to get some things for dinner and bought those new Hershey Kisses with the air bubbles.  I ate about 10.  And they weren't even that good.  I think they put more sugar in them!  I need to throw the rest away.  Chocolate is one of those things I totally crave!!! I'm sure many people can relate to what I'm saying here.... right????  I have to find a better way to have my chocolate fix.  Hmm, have to get back to you on that one.

Another major fail this week was cheesecake.  My family was wanting a nice dessert and we decided to go get a piece of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.  I got a piece of White Chocolate Raspberry truffle.  Supper Yummy!!!!  I ate half and saved the rest for the next day.  After I ate the first half, I decided I would look up how many calories were in it.  Here is the link for their nutritional information so you can look at what you will order before you go there.  I expected to be surprised, but not shocked. My piece had 930 calories!!!  That's almost half a day's calories!!! Well, lesson learned.  No more cheesecake and always check calories before ordering.  I have a nice recipe for reduced fat cheesecake.  I'll have to dig it out and make it next time we are wanting a decadent dessert.  I'll post it when I find it.

I haven't talked much about my goals yet, probably because I haven't set any definite ones yet.  Being healthy and more active is the most important goal.  I don't want to put a specific number on weight loss because I don't know where I'll be happy.  I do know I want to be able to shop for clothes in any store I want, not just ones that carry special sizes.  Focus Karen, Focus!!!

Peace and Love,
Karen

Not a good week, Well not bad either.

I haven't posted anything in over a week and that is just too long.  I'm feeling unmotivated and discouraged already.  I guess I shouldn't, it's only the third week!   Focus, Karen, Focus.  Okay, things are not that bad.  I walked the hills Tuesday and my wonderful friend made me go up one of the steepest hills around here.  (But I still love her!)  And the good news... my butt muscles didn't hurt the next day! Yippee.  A small success, but I'll take it!

No.... I didn't loose any weight this week.  I didn't gain any either.  But I shouldn't expect any better after a weekend in Vegas, right??  I only had six or seven cocktails in 48 hours.  I was reading an online article at sparkpeople.com on alcohol and weight loss and how detrimental it is to my efforts.  It said that when the body is processing alcohol, it cannot break down foods properly so the food gets stored as body fat.  Also, alcohol contains 7 calories per gram and has no nutritional value.  The funny thing is, I already knew this about alcohol, as I think most people do.  So why do we ignore this information and continue to consume something that is not good for us.  I'm sure it's because they make us feel happy or we do it to be social.  I personally enjoy a yummy cosmopolitan made with fresh ingredients like the one at the Ignite Lounge at the Monte Carlo or the mojito at Diablo's Restaurant (made correctly, of course, with club soda instead of lemon lime soda).  I don't drink too often, but I think I'll drink even less now - maybe.  Read the article!!

I'm still struggling with drinking more water.  I realized this evening that I hadn't had a glass of water all day.  Just coffee.  So I am trying to down a couple glasses.  Tomorrow, I'm going to drink more water. 

Cheers,

Karen

Ugh... Cheese Puffs

So I haven't blogged since Sunday and it's Thursday already.  I guess it's hard to say something about yourself when it's not positive.  I do good sometimes.  Other times, not so good.  The other day I binged on some white cheddar cheese puffs.  They were yummy.  But I feel so bad about it that I have been thinking about those puffs for days.  I think the reason it has been bothering me so much, where last year I wouldn't have given it another thought, is because I know that I should put it to print here in my blog.  I'm embarrassed to do so.  I often have trouble stopping the snack attack.  But the whole reason I started this project of mine, besides changing to a healthier lifestyle, is to be accountable for may actions; responsible to my friends and family for how I behave.  Well... sort of.  I know the people who love me don't care that I ate a bunch of cheese puffs.  But I'm sure they would rather hear that I didn't and instead I grabbed an apple and enjoyed it just as much.  There is just something about crunching on something salty, cheesy, and bad for you.  Right?

Well enough about the damn puffs.  They are gone and will not be returning for awhile.

As far as exorcizing, I walked around my neighborhood with my friend Monday.  My neighborhood is very hilly.  It felt great doing it even though I got a little winded on the steeper parts.  But the next day and the day after that, my butt muscles were killing me.  Ha Ha!!  I walked a flat route Tuesday but by the time we reached the end of the walk I was so tired and my muscles were telling me to rest.  That part was easy.  My daughter came down with a bad cold and has been home from school for two days.  I'm hoping she will return to school tomorrow and I will be able to go for a walk in the morning.

Even though I didn't go out walking I felt I needed to be somewhat active at home.  I did do some yard work.  Moving things around the backyard and trying to kill a gopher (he's destroying my grass).  But it wasn't as much as it should have been.  I am finding it hard to motivate myself to move more.

My husband is doing better than me and that aggravates me.  I'm proud of him for putting his mind to it and working on his eating habits but why can't I get my head around the idea of eating better.  I know exactly how to do it.  I've been to enough diet programs and read enough articles on weight loss and even been successful in the past at losing weight.  So why is it coming easier for him.  I do, of course, have ideas on this, but they are all just excuses.  I don't want to post excuses.  Focus, Karen, focus!!!!!

I have my work cut out for me.
Love to all
Karen.

First Week Recap

We have been into 2012 for a whole week now.  Things are looking good.  I weighed myself this morning and lost three pounds.  I was hoping for more but I'm happy with three.  Of course, my husband weighed himself also and guess what, he lost more!! Surprise, suprise!  Twice as much!!! Six pounds!!!!!  Men, ugh!  Just kidding.  I'm proud of him.  He has been making small changes in his daily meals, not eating as much desserts and he cut way back on drinking beer.  Keep it up honey.

Today is supposed to be the last day of our vegetarian meals but I have nothing planned for dinner.  I'll see if I can make it happen.  Last night I had my first veggie burger.  I got them from Trader Joe's and it wasn't bad.  I could eat it again.  My daughter liked it with her first bite but after three or four bites she was done with it and gave in to the carnivore in her and got a regular hamburger.  She enjoyed every bite!  I'm proud of her for trying the vegetarian diet with me but I think she is done with veggies for a while. The other night I made Pasta with White Beans and Broccoli Pesto from the Every Day Food magazine.  It was tasty and I would make it again as a side dish without the beans.

I think our favorite meal of the week was the veggie flatbread pizza.  Probably because it is most like something we would normally eat.  Lunches were always a challenge.  We like our sandwiches with turkey or other lunchmeat.  But we had egg salad or spinach salads and they were great.

Last Wednesday, when my son had his wrestling match, I was challenged with how I was going to stay on my diet plan while not being home to prepare my dinner.  I ended up having a grilled veggie burrito from Baja Fresh.  It was delicious.  But I learned being vegetarian does not always mean healthy.  My burrito for instance was full of cheese and sour cream and don't forget the side of chips they give you.  And last night I served au gratin potatoes with our burgers.  Yummy, but not so good for weight loss.  I also found I ate a lot of bread and pasta even though I tried to make sure it was whole grain.

My plan from now on is to eat healthier in general.  Lots of lean protein and low carbs and whole grain. Increase my intake of fruits and vegetables.  Drink more water, drink less alcohol, and exorcize.   Sound familiar?  This should be everyones goals for a healthy lifestyle.  Now to put it in action...  Focus Karen, focus.

Peace,
Karen

P.S. A big thank you to everyone reading this and giving me positive feedback.  I have noticed that it helps me focus and encourages me to fight for my health.  Please keep posting and commenting.  I appreciate all my friends and family for their input.  Hugs.

Day 4 of 2012

So far so good!

It's the forth day of the new year and I am feeling positive about my choices. I started out the day with a two mile walk with a friend of mine. It felt good to be out walking, and the weather was beautiful, but I was tired three quarters of the way through. I guess that tells me how out of shape I am!!!! I plan on walking again Friday and hopefully I will keep on going.

Our vegetarian diet is on track and I'm not missing the meat (my daughter on the other hand just commented about a TV commercial showing a bacon burger! - Ha Ha). Tonight I tried spaghetti squash with marinara sauce. It was supposed to be spaghetti squash lasagna style which looked so good and had great reviews. But I didn't have enough time so I took some short cuts. I really want to try the lasagna style so I will make it another time.

Last night we made vegetable flatbread pizzas which were wonderful!!! I used the whole wheat lavash bread from Trader Joe's then topped them with a little sauce and mozzarella then we loaded up the veggies! Red onion, mushrooms, roasted red bell peppers, and spinach. We had fun making it and eating it. I think I could eat this every day!

Tomorrow I have a challenge. My son has a wrestling match tomorrow night and I won't be home to prepare my own dinner. I think we will be eating out. I might make my food in advanced and take it with me. Not sure how that will work. I'll have to think about this situation.....

Another challenge is drinking water. I should increase the amount of water I'm drinking every day but I tend to drink more coffee than water. Love that caffeine! But I don't drink sodas or other sugary drinks so I think that's a positive.

Yesterday, one of my friends on Facebook suggested having a word of the year rather than making a resolution. What a great idea. My word is FOCUS. I need to learn to focus not only on taking care of my health but other parts of my life including house work (which I hate), and planning ahead. Focus, Focus, FOCUS...

Peace and Focus

Karen

It Begins

Happy New Year. It was important to me to start this blog today, the start of the new year. I have always struggled with my weight and have decided to dedicate this year (and all the following years) to improving my health. Weight loss is the highest priority. I decided to start this blog as an opportunity to keep track of my accomplishments and failures (hopefully not too many of the latter). I also hope friends and family will use it to comment and give support and suggestions.

So it begins... I weighed myself this morning... ugh. No, I'm not going to post my weight. But I hope to report a loss by this time next week. My daughter and I are going to start the year by going vegetarian for a week. We are both excited about it but she is worried about missing the meat and I am worried about preparing it all for us as well as additional meals for the men in the house! But it's only one week.

My darling husband is also on the bandwagon and looking to improve his health as well. Doing it together should be helpful.

I have so much to say about what I want to happen, but I think I will take it one day at a time.

Thanks for checking in.... I am excited about this jouney.

Karen