C2D11-14 Staying the same

     I posted the other day about how I need to re-think the basics of this plan and get back to C1.  I plan to do that on Monday once this cycle is over and I get through the wedding that I have coming up over the weekend.  I have had 9 consecutive weeks of losses and even with a plateau for 3-4 days it has generally gone down.  This week it looks like I am staying the same.  I haven't been bad per se but I have eaten out a handful of times.  However, even soups and salads out contain more calories and added fat than I might put in at home.  So I weigh in this afternoon at WW and am expecting to be the same.  Weight loss is not rocket science, but it is hard work.  I am still down 31 pounds lower than I was in mid June when I began, and for that I am thankful. 
     I was drooling over the Lily Pulitzer sale online and really thought hard about buying myself an incentive gift to encourage myself to keep going and keep my eye on the prize.  That got me thinking about measurements.  I was told at WW when I began to take them, b/c there may be weeks where the scale doesn't budge but inches are disappearing.  I finally decided to do those this morning.  Sorta wish I had done it 31 pounds ago to see the difference but oh well, I still have a ways to go and will certainly see my changes in inches from here on out.  From there I decided out of curiosity to go and look for the Lily size chart to see exactly how many inches I need to lose to fit into a size I would be happy in.  It was eye opening and made me glad I didn't buy the dress ahead of time.  I need to lose about 7 inches in my chest alone.  UGH.  I can think about my waist and hips getting smaller, but my chest doesn't seem to shrink no matter what I do.  And for those of you who might be jealous, don't be.  It makes dress shopping a nightmare!  B/c manufacturers make the clothes to fit your bust.  So things that fit my bust well generally are billowy and frumpy everywhere else.  Thank goodness for lycra and stretchable fabrics that give a little.  Anyway, there is a Lily warehouse sale in the spring, perhaps I will be buying then amongst all the other Lily nuts.  
     I have had a wonderful week with my girls and am enjoying the last weeks of summer.  There are only 11 more days till labor day and I still need to lose 4 more pounds to make my next goal.  Hopefully kicking it into high gear come Monday will suck em' right off me.  A and I had 2 wonderful days in NYC together this week and though I was physically exhausted at the end of each day my feet didn't hurt like they had in the past, again another sign of positive happy changes from the 31 pounds gone from my frame.  So, I am ok this week staying the same and continue on one meal and one day at a time.

C3D5-10 31 pounds down

     Life has gotten a little too relaxed over the weekend.  I was at a birthday party and there were only a few healthy options: a salad, a tomato & basil salad and that's pretty much it.  I knew I couldn't survive from 7:30 am with only veggies and no protein or carbs so I sucked it up and had a piece of this sub sandwich on white, crusty, Italian bread along with lots of both salads.  It was really good and helped me get through till I got home.  I didn't have cake, but it looked amazing.  It was one of those fresh, bakery, butter cream cakes with lots of layers and it looked out of this world good, but I couldn't do it.  My weight loss has been at a stand sill for the past few days but that's pretty much par for the course from Fri-Tu so I am not overly surprised.  I am now down 31 pounds.  Holy cow, 31 feels amazing.  I still have a ways to go but I am definitely noticing the difference now in clothes and in pictures.  I had family pictures taken on Sunday morning and though I am very self conscious of my tummy, I am feeling much better about the rest of me.  I had my hair done late last week and had it cut shorter and colored lighter and highlighted blond.  I love it.  The new me!  I am actually wondering if I should finish up this cycle and go back to the basics of 1.  I have become lax with the lemon water in the morning and the 3 cups of green tea, though I still drink TONS of water and several other cups of iced tea daily.  I think I may need to go back.  We'll see.  I may just keep the proteins from C2 and cut out the carbs and follow c1 otherwise.  We'll see what happens in the next week as I finish up this cycle and September begins.  My goal for Labor day was 30 pounds.  I have happily met that goal.  I am hoping to lose 4 more pounds in the next 2 weeks to make an even 35 by labor day, that's 2 pounds a week, totally doable I think.  I do have a wedding coming up over this coming weekend, but it's a buffet so I should have no problem steering clear of carbs and sugar.  The wedding cake may be my only stumbling block.  I know most people don't like it but I actually really like wedding cake and I am pretty sure the bride has a sweet tooth and really good taste, so I may need to make an exception and try it.
     Today, Abby and I took an impromptu took to NYC and had the BEST day together.  It was so wonderful to spend the day with my little girl and have so much uninterrupted time to really listen to her and just enjoy one another.  We went to the museum of natural history and after had lunch at Isabella's.  I highly recommend it and would absolutely go back in a heartbeat.  I asked for a recommendation that was both kid friendly and had healthy options for moi.  She got Wiki sticks and mac n' cheese and I got an amazing chopped salad with grilled shrimp on top and fresh summer gazpacho soup to start!  FANTASTIC and so refreshing.  I did bring some drinks and snacks for abby and myself but I don't think I had enough water through the day.  I am still feeling pretty parched after having probably 4 big glasses since we got home.  I also did a lot of walking in central park, which means I probably sweated out a lot of what I drank.  In any case, today was a wonderful success but I did have a piece of whole grain bread with my lunch.  That's bread 2 days in a row.  So no bread Tu, weds or Th to make up for it.  This is becoming a pattern of sorts that I continue on tomorrow, one meal and one day at a time.

C3D4 2 months in and 28 pounds down

   I have been on this journey for 2 months officially since I first stepped into WW on a warm Thursday in June.  I weighed in this morning and am officially down 28 pounds.  I am pretty stoked about that.  I have 2 more pounds to lose to make my Labor Day goal and over 2 weeks to do so.  I think it's safe to assume another goal is nearly in the bag as long as I stay on this track. It feels good to be in the zone continually for the entire summer.  I weigh in tomorrow afternoon at WW and feel really good about that.  I have been off carbs since Monday to make sure my body went back to normal from last weekends activity.  That has definitely done the trick and I am feeling lighter, less bloated and overall really good.  So that's pretty much it, I just wanted to account for my two months into this journey and what I have accomplished eating one meal and one day at a time.

C2D1-3 Gourmet group=See ya carbs

     Well I had an absolutely decadent, amazing fabulous dinner on Saturday night.  We were subbing for a gourmet group and everyone cooked bobby flay dishes.  There was lobster quesadillas, scallops in an avocado puree, fresh corn guacamole, baked beans, cous cous with roasted veggies, corn bread, filet Mignon in a coffee rub with mushroom sauce, grilled salmon and my blackberry white chocolate fool with toasted hazelnuts.  And my foodie friends I tried it all.  Not huge amounts of it all, but it all was amazing.  It's a good thing gourmet group is only 4 times a year.  Because between the wine pairings for each course, and all of the amazing food I put on about 1.5 pounds.  I did not get on the scale Sunday morning and waited till Monday for any excess salt to hopefully leave and I was still up.  I got on again this morning and the 1.5 was gone with another .4.  So that's a big relief.  I have cut carbs out completely through Thursday when I go to weight watchers and then after that point, I will go back to my every other day of the whole grain carbs that I am allowed.  I have been drinking so much water, I feel like I may float away at any point.  But anything to get rid of the possible water retention.  It's so frustrating to work so hard for a week and have it completely eradicated in one meal and then spend 3 additional days working to get back to where I was pre-gourmet group.  Oh well, it was worth it and doesn't happen very often.  The thing about this that helps prep me for after and the reality check when it's over.  I do the damage, get on the scale, and get right back on 17 DD.  I did not binge or feel out of control during the night, it was just an extremely rich, caloric meal.  But reality is when the journey is over, the real world is full of those, so instead of feeling defeated, rolling over and letting the pounds pile back on, I put my boxing gloves on and beat the sh&* out of myself not emotionally but physically.  Get right back to working out and eating high protein & veggies.  When weight comes on, bye bye carbos.  My body does seem sensitive to them.  So yesterday I only had 1 fruit instead of two and I had no carbs.  Today the scale was much kinder to me.  I guess the moral of the story it be good to your body and it's good back to you.
     Speaking of exercise, I went to stroller strides yesterday and had a great workout.  I have noticed things like running the stairs have gotten much easier.  We had to go up and down the stairs 6 times and do jumping jacks and push ups in between.  I was winded only by the last set of them but got through it all.  I have 3 more pounds to lose to make my labor day goal.  I have a feeling that I will either stay the same or only lose a tiny amount at WW tomorrow, and that's OK.  I will continue to work hard and stay focused through the following week and hopefully have a big week next time.  It all adds up though right? As long as it continues to go in the right direction, I don't really care.  My friend A told me about a Lily Pulitzer warehouse sale they have in the spring every year.  I would absolutely LOVE to make next summers wardrobe Lily inspired.  So who knows, I may be shopping for the girls or for me as well.  I hope I am shopping for me as well.  Till then, I continue on one meal and one day at a time.

C3D17 and Cycle 2 again- Plus a new goal made

     It's been a good couple of days in my journey.  I had weight watchers yesterday and on their scales lost another 5 lbs (in 2 weeks) because I couldn't go when we were on vaca and also officially made my 10%.  They gave me my 10% key chain and a 25 LB weight to hang from it.  I guess for every 25lbs you get a weight to hang from it, to signify & remind you of what you've lost.  It was such a great feeling.  There was another woman who also made hers and you could see how truly proud she was.  I am down 28 pounds on my home scale and decided to look for a new dress.  I have a wedding coming up in a few weeks and was looking for something for that and in addition we're having family pictures taken over the weekend.  They'll mostly be the kids but I am sure Jeremy and I will be in some of them so I wanted to find something that coordinates with the girls and that I felt good in.  I had a tough time finding summer clothes, many stores have already gotten rid of them to make room for Fall. 
     But, eventually I did go to Macy's and found a dress that I really liked.  It's now my profile pic.  I was excited b/c I tried on the dress size I had been in for a while and it seemed to gape in the waist and appear bigger than it should have been so I marched back out to the clearance rack to see if by chance they had it in the next smaller size, they did and I tried it on and zipped it up with ease but it was much more fitted, the way it should have been to really show my shape, which by the way is less Apple like. My waist is starting to come in and I am really noticing the difference.  I was able to go into several stores in the mall and try things on that were not fitting before and now they are.  What a great feeling.  I actually enjoyed shopping yesterday again, first time that's happened in a while.  So Lily P, watch out I'm coming to find you next Spring/Summer and I'm going to do some damage!
     I went out last night with a few girlfriends and we toasted my accomplishment.  One of them asked me what it was like the last time I got this award from WW.  Truth is, I never got that far in WW before because last time, I did it all on my own with no real official support group.  And by the time I joined WW I was already v close to goal.  That was when I lasted a month or so and eventually ran out of that meeting crying when  I had gained weight one week.  Boy have I gained some perspective since then.  I am looking forward to getting the next dumbbell on my key chain.  Hopefully by Jan 1, maybe sooner, who knows.  Feeling good and strong and continuing back on cycle 2, one meal and one day at a time.

C3D15-16 Over another hump

     I hopped on the scale this morning and was ecstatic to see that I made it over another hump in my weight loss.  I am well into the new lower decade and also 1.5 pounds less than the lightest I have been in the past 2 1/2 years (nearly 28 pounds down).  I noticed when we were away the walking bothered me less, my feet hurt less and my knees (knock on wood) haven't bothered me in the past several weeks.  I am pretty excited that this week I hope to hit my a big goal at weight watchers.  So many amazing health benefits occur after losing just 10%.  And I have a ways to go for sure, but this is certainly another step in the right direction.  I am so happy.  Someone recently said to me they were so happy I was still on this.  That comment stuck with me because this is not a diet, it's truly a lifestyle change.  I notice my body is happier and healthier this way and I just plain feel better. So of course I am still on it.  I hope to be on this plan in one way or another for the rest of my life.  

     So weigh in is tomorrow and I am not nervous.  I am excited to see my clan/support group.  It's nice that everyone there shares a common goal and even though I am not counting points per se and following their plan, I take tips away every week and most importantly have support and accountability, 2 of the most important things in weight loss or any big goal one might hope to achieve.  So another day on C3 and then back to C2.  I have some social events coming this weekend and one in particular will prove tricky to stay on track.  I am part of a gourmet group and each couple is responsible for making a different course of a Bobby Flay meal.  I am in charge of dessert.  I am making Blackberry White-Chocolate Fool with Toasted Hazelnuts.  No flour in this dish but lots of sugar.  And I plan to enjoy some of it.  Not sure what the rest of the meal will bring food wise but it's usually a pretty amazing meal, so I plan to eat amazing all day Saturday, exercise and then enjoy a great meal many people have worked hard to cook from scratch.  I think the main course is surf and turf so the only other problematic portions are apps and sides.  I just need to remain accountable even though I plan to be off for this meal, I will never get out of control.  So I plug on the lightest I have been in a long while one meal and one day at a time.
    

C3D8-14 Bye Bye Vaca Hello Lily Pulitzer

     Sorry I disappeared friends from my blog, but we were enjoying fun in the sun in cape cod and Boston weds-today.  That's 5 days of being away from home, 5 days of restaurants and 5 days of attempting to stay on track when not in the comforts of my own kitchen.  I did try to be prepared.  I brought power cookies, roasted chick peas, a veggie tray, cut up fruit, cheese sticks, nuts, yogurt and sliced deli meat for snacks and in between meals as well as several breakfasts but the majority of my meals were eaten out.
     Thank GOD I was on cycle 3, that's all I have to say.  Being able to have carbs and additional choices made life easier but, I did not completely stay on track.  I had a scoop of frozen yogurt one afternoon and a scoop of REAL ice cream another (that was the day my period came).  I never had that dark chocolate that I so desperately had been craving but I had ice cream.  I am going to have to pay the piper tomorrow on the scale.  I tried to make healthy choices like grilled fish, salads, lean meats, veggies etc.  But I did actually have a piece of bread at dinner one night...UGH!  It wasn't even that good, but I was starving.  And last night I just sorta threw in the towel and we ordered pizza.  I had salad and pizza.  I had 3 freakin pieces too.  The pies were small though only 14" so the pieces were not like planet's size of your head that I could have had.  But still 3 pieces was prolly 2 too many.  Again, starving, out of my element and just kinda gave up.  All breakfasts and lunches I stayed on track.  Well I guess the reality check will be tomorrow morning.  I did get a lot of exercise and activity while we were away and did not eat any fried fish which I so desperately wanted.  I felt like cutting my left arm off for a clam strip sandwich or a lobster roll but I didn't do it.  I honestly tried, and have to remind myself that in years past the damage would have been worse so I need to keep that in perspective, but secretly I am so relieved to be home, in my element and my kitchen and back in the drivers seat.  I am actually looking forward to facing the music in the morning whatever it may be and continuing on.  If I gained back 2 pounds, oh well I'll lose them again and keep going.  This is a lifestyle change and despite a few less than stellar choices, I really didn't do bad overall and they were CHOICES.  I never felt out of control or binge.  I brought along what I could and made the best of a tough situation eating out 5 days in a row.  Depending on the scale between tomorrow and Th, I will decide whether I'll go back to cycle 1 or 2.  If it's a bigger gain than I thought, I will hop right back to cycle 1 and not look back but if not 2 it is.
   I decided what my reward will be when  I reach a big goal of mine.  I walked into the In the Pink store in Chatham.  Anyone who knows me well, knows I adore Lily Pulitzer.  I desperately wish I could walk in grab a dress off the rack put it on, zip it with ease and walk around like I owned the joint.  When I reach that personal goal of being in a dress size (blank), I will walk in and do just that.  I am not going to look at the price tag, I am just going to treat myself and then I will walk around with my head a little higher.  So that my friends is the next BIG goal.  I am not sure when I will reach that...but lucky for me I have 2 lovely choices of In the Pink lily boutiques nearby so there's no shortage of rewards nearby.  And I will keep going one meal and one day at a time till that dress zips with ease and continue on and on.