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Blackberries for me
Posted on May 13, 2009 by tlewia
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I got a boost this week from blackberries.
My goal for the week is to shoot for the recommended 5 servings of fruit and vegetables. And I have found when I do that it’s hard to be hungry. Five servings is a whole lot of fruit and vegetables. But I figure in the next few months this should be a lot easier to do with so many things growing naturally around me.
This week, apparently blackberries are ripening somewhere in the world because suddenly every grocery store has them on sale. And I’m in heaven.
When they are in season they are so sweet. So sweet that I’ve gone a little crazy for them. I like them raw, but I’m also looking into recipes that take blackberries. Might as well get them while they are cheap.
A small victory
Posted on May 11, 2009 by tlewia
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Finally. A little success - just what I needed. Friday I weighed in at 1.6 pounds down. Yippee!!!!
As you may know if you’ve read this blog recently, it’s been a hard few months for me on my journey to losing weight. I originally set a goal for myself of 100 pounds and I have lost more than half of that amount. But I’ve been on a plateau for months and most recently had actually put on a few pounds.
Disappointment. I’ve been living it for a while and I hate the feeling. I needed to be reminded that I can do this. And the person who had to remind me of that was myself. No one else can show me what I can do but me.
So I set out. And then I set out again. And one more time.
Each and every time I walked into Weight Watchers I fully believed I could, and would, get back on course. But each and every time I faltered and again faced my own worst enemy - the face looking at me in the mirror each morning. I can’t hide from that face. I can’t tell it the long list of excuses I had ready to go.
I’m trying, I really am. But mainly the demon I’m fighting is the one that lives inside of me and tells me “you can’t” or “you’ve failed” or “you are failing” or any number of other negative sentiments and criticisms.
I will continue to fight but I’m hoping that meager 1.6 pounds will be a short step in the right direction.
Count me in
Posted on April 28, 2009 by tlewia
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I’m counting points again. Or trying to anyway.
Ever heard the expression “My get-up and go just got up and went?” That’s how I feel. I’m fighting through murky water and mud to get back to where I was when my mind was clear. I am trying. But boy is it hard.
Friday I stepped on the scale for the first time in a couple weeks. I didn’t like what I saw. I’ve got a lot of work to do.
And the gym has become a stranger to my world. I’ve got to change that too.
But first counting…. 1 … 2…. 3…
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Getting started
Posted on April 10, 2009 by tlewia
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I just got an email from my gym reminding me that bathing suit season is just around the corner. Nothing like the thought of yourself in skin tight figure-sucking material to remind you that winter is nearly over and skin season is on its way.
Ugh.
So it’s April and the earth is awakening. I guess it is time - past time - for my motivation to wake up too. Wish I knew what lulled it to sleep, but really it doesn’t matter. What matters is waking it up. I’ve hit the snooze button one too many times.
So how do I do this?
I’ve been grousing for sometime over my lack of progress. I’ve no doubt you are as tired of hearing it as I am of saying it. And in reality the words are insignificant. No matter how many times I do or don’t say it I need to fix it. Need to find a way to get back on track.
I can do it.
I know I can. I really do. I believe I have it in me. Do I sound convincing? ha! But I do know that what I’ve done in the past can be done again. The hardest part will be the first few days and weeks. Establishing a routine is always hard.
I guess, when it comes down to it, the only thing to do is put one foot in front of the other - even if it is just taking baby steps.
So how do you get yourself started on a new goal? Ideas are most welcome! 
All wet
Posted on March 25, 2009 by tlewia
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One new thing.
I’m going to start my way back on track by making one promise to myself each week. It will be one thing that I can do to get myself back to where I’m proud of how I feel. Pride and feeling good are two important things in my life that have been missing of late.
So for this week, my plan is to get back to drinking the recommended eight cups of water a day. It’s hard. Oh boy is it hard, but I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again. Of course, considering that it is nearly 5 and I’ve yet to drink more than a drop or two today will be hard.
But I’m going to do it.
Off I head to the water bubbler.
Lost focus
Posted on March 4, 2009 by tlewia
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I’m having a hard time.
I’m frustrated. I’m unfocused. I’m troubled.
I still have a goal, and it’s the same goal. I haven’t given up. But my goal, which was once so close to my grasp, has slipped further away.
I haven’t stepped on a scale in two weeks and I’m scared to death to do so. What will I see? The unknown in this case is scarier than the known.
I haven’t kept a regular schedule at the gym since the holidays. My clothes still fit the same and I doubt I’m too far up from where I was, but it almost doesn’t matter.
I don’t feel good.
I feel different. I feel lost.
I’m not giving up. I’ll find a way. But to be honest, I’m floundering at the moment.
Where is my motivation? Where is my belief? Where is my confidence?
And more importantly, how do I get back?
Shopping to prepare
Posted on February 20, 2009 by tlewia
Filed Under food, fruit, hunger, vegetables | 2 Comments
Grocery shopping is the key to weight loss success. Or at least for me it is. It’s all about being prepared.
When I go to the store I try hard to purchase things that will help me through the week when hunger beckons. Such things include fruit, vegetables, drinks, smart snacks and the ingredients for healthy meals.
But equally important on that list are things to help me deal with the normal wants and desires that strike each week. Staples for me include lowfat cheese and crackers, peanut butter, popcorn - both microwave and kernels to pop in my air popper and something sweet.
When I have been forward-thinking enough to purchase such things I tend to have a good week. All my needs are reached with the most healthy choices for the things I will crave. And I’m not left scrounging for free candy put out by my co-workers or visiting the candy machine.
What do you do to prepare yourself for a healthy week?
Love isn’t fattening
Posted on February 13, 2009 by tlewia
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Valentine’s Day and chocolate go together like peanut butter and jelly, a coworker told me earlier this week.
Yikes. That makes it hard to stay in control, but she’s probably right. After all everywhere you look there are pink and red hearts and a whole lot of chocolate.
So how can you stay in control?
First of all, remember that you don’t have to do without completely. Moderation is the word. You can have some chocolate and still lose weight. You can have some chocolate and not put on weight. You can even have more chocolate, if you so choose.
Second. If you do find yourself having binged on chocolate - sounds heavenly! - remember that doesn’t mean you have failed. When you wake up from the sugar coma just start over. Try to eat healthier and increase your activity.
And it probably isn’t that bad, either. What is bad is feeling like that one act, that one smorgasbord means you are done and giving in - or giving up.
You are worth more than that. We all are.
Third. Remember that what really goes best with Valentine’s Day is love. Whether it be a partner, spouse, child, parent, neighbor or best friend. Valentine’s Day is really a small holiday but without people to love there would be no holiday at all.
Figuring food out
Posted on January 28, 2009 by tlewia
Filed Under Weight Watchers, food, points, vegetables | 1 Comment
When I first started taking control of my diet I assumed I would be eating less food. I banned some foods from my life including peanut butter, cheese, pasta. I hoped to one day eliminate sugar altogether, though I knew I couldn’t accomplish this right away and that it may be a pipe dream.
For the first few months of my so-called diet I counted calories. My goal was 1,500 calories a day - which wasn’t much for the plump person I had become. I was miserable but I was also determined. I faltered often but tried very hard to stay on course.
And I’m sure I did lose weight. Frankly I couldn’t bear to see the number on the scale - just couldn’t face it - so I didn’t know for sure. But my clothes were a little looser and I could tell the weight was dropping, although at a very slow pace.
After about four months I became frustrated. I found myself confused by the food labels and unsure what is actually good food and bad, of course other than the obvious choices.
And then there are the articles, the fads, the news stories. It seemed everyone had an opinion about what is good food and what is not, what makes a healthy diet and what does not.
Other than vegetables, fish and bare chicken I didn’t know what I could eat. I didn’t know what to do and how to get control over something I knew was out of control.
I knew the biggest challenge would be motivation, something that would be solely in my power to control. And part of that would be making the right choices, which would be, now is and always will be the most challenging aspect of eating healthy. I knew this would all be a fight but I knew I was up for it.
What I didn’t know is how to figure out what is and isn’t healthy in the ambiguous world of the supermarket.
I became frustrated and I longed for pasta, cheese, peanut butter.
Then I joined Weight Watchers.
There I learned that sometimes being in control can mean eating more often and more food. No this does not include vast amounts of unhealthy food but if you make the best choices and pay attention you might actually add food to your diet. Snacks, for instance, are encouraged.
I learned portion control and tricks to maintain motivation.
And I learned the points system, which eventually taught me how to read food labels. The system takes into account calories, fat, fiber. Each food has a certain number of points per serving. And through the program you take a quiz that determines how many points you should eat a day, based on your weight, age and daily activity.
For me this made life way more simple.
I could easily read a label and determine which choices were the most beneficial and gave me the biggest bang for the buck, or, in this case, the biggest bang for the point.
Like peanut butter, cheese and pasta.
When I joined Weight Watchers I found that each of these items could be part of a healthy diet. Peanut butter is very filling and full of protein. So is low fat cheese. Pasta is a little more difficult - a healthy serving is small, but there are now wheat and grain versions that make pasta possible.
Weight Watchers gave me freedom, freedom to keep the things in my diet that I enjoy the most and lose the one thing I hated most, the extra weight.
Since I joined Weight Watchers I’ve lost 70 pounds and enjoyed peanut butter, cheese and pasta weekly.
Shake it up!
Posted on January 26, 2009 by tlewia
Filed Under food, fruit, vegetables | 2 Comments
Sometimes I find it helpful to take a good, close look at the food I’m eating on a regular basis and shake things up. Perhaps I may add variety or throw in some fruits and vegetables I haven’t eaten in a while. Each fruit and vegetable has a very different impact on your body, so why not try new things?
Changing foods and adding foods can pull you out of a rut too. Or at least that is what I’m hoping it will do for me now. I’ve been in a rut the past week. So I bought some pears and made some meals with a ton of veggies. Hopefully this can help me thinking of better choices that help my health.
I often find myself falling into the trap of relying on foods that aren’t all that bad to get me through rather than foods that are actually “good for me.” There is a slight difference. For instance, low fat cookies are better than regular cookies, low fat crackers are better than regular crackers and low fat chips are better than regular chips. But cookies, crackers and chips can never replace fruit and vegetables as being good for you.
Are they better choices? Yes. But are they the best choices? No.
Sometimes making a small change can yield great results both with your motivation and on the scale.
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