Screw you Lean Cuisine!

Here I was, thinking I am the shit; thinking I am eating so great because I am eating Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, and Smart Ones meals for lunch. My goal was not over 260 calories (it was 250 until I saw the lobster ravioli was 260 so I made an adjustment)for lunch. I still think that was realistic. Until, that is, Chris told me to get the salad stuff I always say I am going to get and never go get. This time I did. I added up my salad today WITH DRESSING and it was a whopping 129 calories. What was I thinking ignoring this fabulousness earlier. Salad, oh how I love thee for you allow me an extra snack later in the day. A bite of sweets, perhaps. Oh yes, I've got your ticket healthy lunch people, and i have ripped it up to throw in your face. Salad has beaten you down with a cucumber!

So, I had a salad for lunch today.

Oh! And i rode my bike 5.02 miles, just as I promised. 360 calories Plus what i saved on lunch is another meal's worth of calories.

I LOVE this now. I love the challenge of the weight loss but, even more, the challenge of working it all out. I really make a game of it. It is a logic problem I must solve each day.

I am winning.

Exercise, not excercise (FYI)

Okay, I got poked. Just a little reminder that it was now my turn to blog, because I hadn't done it in a while. Eh, I got lazy (and busy with school), what can I say?

*****

So here are my stats:
SW: 260
CW: 245
TL: -15

1st goal: -26

*****

I feel like I should have an additional 5 pound weight loss on there, but I've actually reached -15 *again*. I stayed at home (mostly) over Spring Break. Yikes! Kudos to those stay-at-home parents who actually manage to either lose weight or never gain it in the first place! It's easier when I come to work/school every day. I have a routine. I'm a big one for routines. I bring my lunch and my snacks, and I have healthy snacks already up here, so I'm good. At home, I have access to cookies. And cokes. And more fruit than I need. And bread...

Okay, you get the picture. I have self-control issues. But then we knew that, right? Not coming as a surprise to anyone here.

I've done surprisingly well on the "no cokes" things. I've extended it from just Diet Dr. Pepper to everything carbonated. It didn't seem very fair, both Lent-wise and health-wise, to cut out DDP but just replace it with Diet Coke or something. I've only had three since Lent began. I know I'm not supposed to have any, but there you go. It's hard to go to McDonald's when you are on your way out of town to go camping and *not* get a coke. Once Lent is over, though, those are the only times that I will really drink cokes, when I don't really have a different option (at least, not a different option than I want). I even still have 4 DDPs in the garage that I haven't touched. I thought about it once, but decided not to. Yay me.

I've also kind of eased back on the Couch-to-5K thing. I'm going to pick it back up, I swear, as soon as I can. Not sure when that will be, but I really don't want to add it to my list of things I got really excited about, did once, then never again. It got cold for a while, and before the time change, it was dark when I had time to do it. Not that it is light outside when the boy goes to bed, maybe I'll be able to work it in. Right now I have tests that I need to be studying for. Unfortunately, school wins over exercise. In the summer, when it's too hot to really be out running, no matter what time it is, hopefully, I'll have time to go to the gym on campus. I'll even be able to go in the middle of the day, or whenever I want to. I still really want a (space-saver) treadmill for home also. In my head, though, when it comes to exercising, it's kind of on a back burner. I want to see how far I can go with just watching what I eat. Once I seem to get stuck, then I'll really start the exercising. Most days, i don't hit my calorie goal, so I'm interested to see what will happen if I just watch what I eat (and that doesn't mean to watch it go into my mouth). Grr (at myself).

However, I'm not just sitting on my butt. I still walk Jamie to day care every morning, which is about 15 minutes of walking. I'll start to walk to day care to pick him up in the evenings, too, next week (this isn't just me putting it off; I have to leave early today because Jamie has a doctor's apt, and then Lexie has a vet apt tomorrow afternoon). I'm trying to get more exercise into my day. Dakota has started soccer, too, so I'll walk around the field while she is practicing (two-fold purpose: I get exercise and I keep my mouth shut and let the coaches do their jobs).

Speaking of Dakota, she hurt my feelings the other day in that way that kids do. No sensor, you know. I should be used to it, my godson said about the same thing three years ago. She looked at me and said "mama, it's like you're pregnant again". I had to explain to her why we don't say things like that (even if it's true) and why she hurt my feelings. That;s the second time she's said something like that. Last weekend, I was changing in my room. She walked in and said "ewwwww!" Patrick got onto her and she had to apologize. I think that she was more talking about seeing someone with no shirt on (she even said that for Hulk Hogan and other people she's seen shirtless) rather than my weight, but still. Not the greatest thing to hear.

So my birthday is April 29th. I will be 29, so this is my golden birthday. I'm planning on going to dinner, then out dancing with friends. I even have a friend coming up from Houston to hang with us. In addition, my best friend and I are going to have a "girly" day of getting our hair done, nails done (maybe), and going shopping for a dress for her. My goal is to lose 11 more pounds by then (hitting my first goal), and the day with my bestie is my reward. Granted, technically that means that if I don't lose the weight, I have to cancel the day. Hmmm. My second goal is to hit the next weight loss goal (by which point I will be down to 211, a total loss of 49 pounds) by August, Patrick's and my 10th anniversary. If I can manage that, then I think I will be about ten pounds lighter than I was when we got married.

and one to grow (well, shrink) on

1 more gone!
It never seems like much to me when I see 1 pound gone. Then I pick up a pound of shredded cheddar or a pound of sliced rare roast beef. Next time you are at the store go ahead and try it. One, then add another, and one at a time get to six. That is how much I have lost.

Another time it hits me is when I realize that Lars weighs 25 pounds. Wow- I need to lose three and a half Larses. That is a bit daunting.

One Lars at a time though, right?

Still no bike. I am mad at myself about that. I could be at 8 or 10 if I would sit my ass on the seat and pedal. Tomorrow that is my goal; back to 5 miles. No excuses.

Food. Now that has not been horrible. Really, i am just going about it as a total change instead of a diet. I go over my 1500 goal now and then but that's quite alright. I just do better the next day. That is reality - sticking to 1500 every day is not reality.

How are you guys doing?

1 more down

Honestly, I am not sure why I am down only 1 more but I will take it! I still have not been riding my bike (bad, i know) but i will again! Either way, I am still loosing. I did get my cholesterol checked and total was 203 (should be 200 or lower) and bad was 136 (should be 100 or lower). Really not too bad! Hopefully a bit of oatmeal will fix that right up (and diet and exercise).
All in all I feel great about this! I am not feeling miserable or deprived at all. It is awesome just knowing i am making such a great change and sticking to it. It would go faster if i rode my bike but that's my own fault.

Back on track!

As of today I am back down 4 pounds! Yippee!! Well, technically I am really only down ONE piddly pound but I did gain a lot back - I got back up to 275. So, back to 271 is 4 pounds. No matter - I am back and better than ever! I honestly have NO idea what got into me (well, yeah, obviously a lot of shitty food) but I beat it and am back down to 271.

I joined the Trim Success (biggest loser type thingie) at work and that just started Friday. We had a different one going on but that really went nowhere so we ALL quit that one and I started doing this one. It is an entire company-wide program; there are about 669 people in it. As of right now I am # 141 of 669. It is only the first week. Tomorrow is our 2nd weigh in. I hope I do ok!

I have not been riding my bike as often as I should but I have been eating great! I am using my company's website for keeping track of my weight and my food. I have to use it for my weight to be in the contest and it just happens that it has an awesome food and exercise log as well. Plus, when I am on it at work I can use the excuse, "I am doing the Realogy Trim Success program so it is technically work related:. So there.

I am super psyched and I don't know why! Maybe it is because Matt Hardaway is going to have to buy me sushi at the end of July when I beat his ass. Maybe it is because Chris and I are working on a scheme to make this sort of like my Xbox achievements that I hold so dear to my heart.

I always said Xbox should absolutely make a game or some sort of achievement thing where you just keep track of calories and exercise - then I would 100% keep up with it to get those achievements. I LOVE ACHIEVEMENTS!!!! It is amazing motivation for me.

If anyone has any suggestions on great motivation - let me know. I thrive on challenge and creativity. For me, unlike many people, it is not enouh for me to want it. Believe me, I want it. More than a lot of people. I am also very willing to work for it. I just need something, other than the end result, to motivate me. Achievements and challenges (not just someone saying I challenge you) do that for me. I will find it.

Diet Dr. Pepper

Well, the season of Lent is here. For those who don't practice (celebrate? participate?) Lent, you're just like, ho-hum. That means how many days until Easter again? For those who do, it's a time for contemplation, reflection, and sacrifice. You think about something that is ruling your life and shouldn't be and give it up for 40 days. Suggestions for things to give up range from chocolate to sodas to smoking to Facebook, and lots of stuff in between.

Okay, class over.

I haven't ever given anything up for Lent. I won't go into my reasons why not, but I still never have. This year, I've decided to, and the thing that I'm going to give up, as you can tell by the title, is diet Dr. Pepper.

Hello, my name is Becky Weber, and I'm addicted to Dr. Pepper.

Dr. Pepper, and now diet, has led to a lot of the problems that I currently have: excess weight, bad teeth, bad skin (I'm sure, although not quite so much anymore). When I was in high school, my mom tried to restrict me to one Dr. Pepper a day. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. When I moved out, I went crazy on Dr. Pepper. That's all I drank, all day. Considering the fact that each can of Dr. Pepper has 150 calories (I think - it's been awhile), if I have 5 cans a day (and that would be a low day), then that is 750 calories, just from drinks. Empty calories, anyone? Invisible calories, too, so I don't really realize how much I'm drinking. At my worst, it was probably between 7 -10 a day. A freakin' day. Yikes! That's not even talking about the amount of sugar in my mouth everyday, all day, ruining my teeth.

Then I switched to diet Dr. Pepper. It took some getting used to, I'll admit, but now I prefer diet to regular. Plus, there's no calories, so yay! Back up to 5 or 6 drinks a day. I was drinking DDP at the expense of drinking water.

Now, I don't know about those studies that say that the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks are linked to cancers or various other diseases in the long run. I haven't read the papers and looked at the research (what can I say, I'm a scientist). I know that it's not conclusive, though. What I do know, though, is that water is kind of important to drink (supposedly), and the sweetness of diet drinks can be very misleading to your tummy. It makes you actually hungrier, apparently, because of the sweetness, but lack of calories... I don't know; I know that it can actually hinder dieting attempts.

I've actually been trying to cut down on DDP for a couple of weeks anyway, focus on drinking more water. I take one with me to work for lunch, and then water the rest of the day until I get home. But this is where my plan of cutting down sometimes falls apart, because that's all I drink all evening and all night.

So here we go. No more DDP. I'm hoping that it will be reflected in my weight, but we'll see. I'm down to 2 travel mugs of half-caf (black) coffee a day, and at least 64 ounces of water a day. I'm brewing the (unsweet) tea right now, so I have something to drink besides water.

And as a side note: I still haven't gotten back to my running thing, although my headaches are gone. Maybe it was the weather, I don't know. Don't care. I have been watching my food intake, for the most part, walking more, drinking more water. Things seem to be going well. I had a bad weekend, so I haven't weighed myself recently, but I'll do that tomorrow morning. Promise. Oh yeah, and of all the Girl Scout cookies we have in house, I restrict myself to the suggested serving amounts. And that sucks. Did you know that you only get 2 Samoas cookies for 140 calories? That sucks.

still going...

The past two nights I have ridden the bike 5 miles (each night) for an average caloric burn of 360 each time.

Not too bad for a lazy bum.

Also, I had a few pieces (small) of candy, but oh well! I wanted it. :O)

My weight this morning was 266.

So,
Start: 272
Today: 266
Loss: 6 (sigh)

I know, good things come to those who wait but good things come faster to those who don't. I will get there, I will.