Health Check-In 12.09.19

08/2019 loss:  11.2             (TOTAL -11.2)

09/2019 loss:   9.1              (TOTAL -20.3)

10/2019 loss:   6.8              (TOTAL -27.1)

11/2019 loss:   6.9              (TOTAL -34.0)

12/09/19 loss:  -1.3            (TOTAL -35.3)

So this week and next week, Monday will be my official weigh-in day (too long of a story to explain).

1.3 is surprising...I did not have the best week food-wise and didn't drink nearly enough water.

Things I enjoyed this week:
macaroni & cheese
angel food cake
red chile beef brisket quesadilla w/ queso & guac
Chinese food x 2
scalloped potatoes
3 English muffins
2 mixed drinks 

See what I mean when I didn't have a stellar food week?  Ha ha.  Oh well.  And this coming week will be even more difficult because I'm traveling and that ALWAYS is a challenge.  But, I'll do the best I can.

Non-scale victories:
I got rid of about half of my wardrobe.  Skirts, work pants, jeans, shirts, sweaters, everything that I absolutely cannot wear anymore.  I was so disappointed (well, kind of) because when I went to get dressed for meeting on Saturday I grabbed one of my favorite skirts that I haven't worn in a while and it just hung on me...it came down to about my hip bones and there was no belt or anything I could use to make it work.  Again...disappointed but also happy.  

Things to work on:
*More Pure Barre!  Sigh.  I need to stop making excuses.
*More vegetables!
(the same two things as last week)
*Eating well while traveling!!!

Health Check-In 12.01.19

08/2019 loss:  11.2             (TOTAL -11.2)

09/2019 loss:   9.1              (TOTAL -20.3)

10/2019 loss:   6.8              (TOTAL -27.1)

11/2019 loss:   6.9              (TOTAL -34.0)

This past week I lost 1.1 pounds.  I included it in my November weight loss, even though I weighed in on December 1st.  

I am going to stick with the Purple plan.  I really like a little bit more freedom and my body likes the carbs!

Things I enjoyed this week:
2 mixed drinks
Chocolate every night
Pasta (once)
Potatoes almost every morning (1/2 cup serving)
Burrito from Del Taco

Non-scale victories:
I bought some new clothes on black Friday.  I am now wearing size 8 jeans.  !!!  They are slightly snug, but I don't even care.  And I bought 4 sweaters, all Medium.

Things to work on:
*More Pure Barre!  Sigh.  I need to stop making excuses.
*More vegetables!!  

November Reads (4)

One star:           did not like it at all

Two stars:          eh, it was okay

Three stars:       liked it

Four stars:         really, really liked it

Five stars:          absolutely loved it

1-Star (0)

2-Star (1)

**A Touch of Stardust (Fiction, K. Alcott)

Sigh.  Great concept, poor execution.  And an extremely unlikable main character.

3-Star (1)

***Summer of ’69 (Fiction, E. Hillenbrand)

This was a super quick read.  A little too beachy and tidy for my taste, but I still enjoyed it.

4-Star (0)

5-Star (2)

*****The Family Upstairs (Fiction, L. Jewell)

3 dysfunctional families in one household.  This book is suspenseful and creepy but not in way that will give you nightmares.  More in a way that will make you think, and you’ll keep thinking about it long after you’ve finished reading.

*****Scythe (Ficion, YA, N. Shusterman)

I have such an appreciation for authors who have the skills and creativity to write a book so completely original and unbelievable (in a good way).  I had a hard time putting this one down.  I loved these imperfect young characters who were forced to grow up way faster than they should have and then trained to do the unimaginable.  Well done.  (This book is pretty dark and disturbing, so if that bothers you, stay away from this one).

Total Books Read: 4 (4 Fiction, 0 Non-Fiction)

DNF (3):

The Invisible Bridge – I gave it 8 chapters (it’s a large book…700+ pages) and I just kept waiting for something to happen!  It’s supposed to be really good.  But I just didn’t have the patience.  I don’t have an issue with long books, as long as something is happening!  

The Story that Cannot Be Told – this is a Young Reader, although I think it’s more appropriate for YA.  It just got kind of weird and was VERY long winded (especially for a Young Reader book!).  Apparently I’m definitely the minority here because it currently has a 4.55 rating on Goodreads (which is exceptional).  Oh well.

1^st to Die – This was the first book in the Women’s Murder Club series by James Patterson.  I was not a fan of the main character and figured that I didn’t want to read 20-something more books about her ha ha.

Health Check-In 11.24.19

(Hello old friend)

08/2019 loss:  11.2             (TOTAL -11.2)

09/2019 loss:   9.1              (TOTAL -20.3)

10/2019 loss:   6.8              (TOTAL -27.1)

Monday, 11/4/19 -1.6          (TOTAL -28.7)

Monday, 11/11/19  -0.4       (TOTAL - 29.1)

Sunday, 11/17/19 -1.2        (TOTAL -30.3)

Sunday, 11/24/19  -2.6       (TOTAL -32.9)

2.6 is a HUGE loss for me.  As you can see above, I am kind of a slow(ish) loser.  

This was my first week on the Purple plan.  I have to say....this week was really easy.  And I felt better.  My body just likes carbs.  I need carbs with protein to really fill me up.  

There were even two days where I didn't eat all of my 16 points!  

I am going to be better about portions though.  Just because it's zero points doesn't mean I can go nuts.

I made our 3 Home Chef meals today (we eat them for our lunches) and one of them included pasta.  So I switched out the white pasta for whole wheat pasta AND made it into 3 portions instead of 2.  Doing that cut WAY back on the points.

Things I enjoyed this week:
3 drinks (one mixed, two of my spiked seltzer water)
Chocolate every night
PASTA!!!!! (twice)
Potatoes almost every morning (1/2 cup serving)
BBQ pork tacos
Oatmeal (3 times) with caramel almond creamer (it's like dessert....2 points)

Non-scale victories:
I now have 4 pairs of jeans and 2 sweaters that no longer fit.

Things to work on:
More Pure Barre!  I have been a HUGE slacker this month with Barre.  I don't have any good excuses except for being exceptionally tired and drained.  But I need to remember that Barre does HUGE things for my head (mentally).  So I packed my gym bag and am going tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m.

More detailed tracking.  I've been using the 'Quick Add' feature on the app WAY too much.  I really need to track more, especially the zero point foods.  

Health Check-In 11.17.19

08/2019 loss:  11.2             (TOTAL -11.2)

09/2019 loss:   9.1              (TOTAL -20.3)

10/2019 loss:   6.8              (TOTAL -27.1)

Monday, 11/4/19 -1.6          (TOTAL -28.7)

Monday, 11/11/19  -0.4       (TOTAL - 29.1)

Sunday, 11/17/19 -1.2        (TOTAL -30.3)

A few things.  I'm changing my 'official' weigh-in day back to Sunday.  I don't know why, but I REALLY hated Monday weigh-in as my official date.  It just feels better to do it on a Sunday.

Also, I decided to switch plans on WW.  They recently reorganized some things and now have 3 plans to pick from:  blue (the original), green, or purple.  I'm going to try purple for 2 weeks and see how it goes.  Currently, on blue, you get 23 points a day.  With purple, you only get 16 points per day, BUT a lot of grains and starchy vegetables are on the 'free' list - like brown rice and potatoes.  Even whole wheat pasta!  So I'm going to give it 2 weeks and see how it goes.  I do love my carbs.

Things I enjoyed this week:

FOUR pieces of deep dish pizza (not all at once lol)
Chocolate
Lots of cereal (mixed in with yogurt)
Cheeseburger and french fries (split with my husband)
A mixed drink

I eat this almost every morning, whether at home or at work:

It's scrambled eggs, pinto beans, red chile, and cheese.  4 points and it is SUPER filling.  At work I eat it around 8:00 and I usually don't get hungry again until 1:00 or 1:30.

This is also amazing and my stomach appreciates it:

And THESE.  They are 2 points each and worth it.  Even if you don't like dark chocolate....trust me, these are delicious:

I got them at Costco.

I also had to put sizers on my rings.  They were WAY too lose for my comfort.  So I ordered ring sizers on Amazon.  They work perfectly!

I'll keep you posted on plan purple!

Health Check-In 11.11.19

08/2019 loss:  11.2             (TOTAL -11.2)

09/2019 loss:   9.1              (TOTAL -20.3)

10/2019 loss:   6.8              (TOTAL -27.1)

Monday, 11/4/19 -1.6          (TOTAL -28.7)

Monday, 11/11/19  -0.4       (TOTAL - 29.1)

Small loss this week, but I'll take it.  I didn't drink enough water.  I did exercise more, so the water that I DID drink probably stuck to my muscles and didn't budge.

But, it's still a loss!

Health Check-In 11.04.19

08/2019 loss:  11.2             (TOTAL -11.2)

09/2019 loss:   9.1              (TOTAL -20.3)

10/2019 loss:   6.8              (TOTAL -27.1)

Monday, 11/4/19 -1.6          (TOTAL -28.7)

I noticed my monthly losses have gone down each month, but that's okay.  I have not been 'perfect' and a 6.8 pound loss in one month is still really good.  According to WW, the average loss is 1-2 pounds per week.  A 6.8 loss in one month is 1.7 pounds per week.  So I'm still right on track!

Here are the treats I enjoyed this week and still had a weight loss:

1 hard seltzer
peanut butter crackers
biscuits and gravy
1 piece of pizza
1 small blueberry muffin
1/2 of a Kit Kat bar

And here are some non-food related wins/random thoughts:

*3 pairs of jeans that no longer fit (too big!)

*I put on my 'winter' jacket (which is just a light jacket) yesterday morning and after I buttoned it up, I pulled it away from my mid-section...I had a lot of room.  I may need to get another jacket, but not this year.  I rarely wear a jacket here at all, so it can wait until next season.  Plus, the jacket has a belt, so I can cinch it up if necessary.

*I did a 3+ mile hike yesterday by myself.  It was a moderately easy hike, but at one point I thought about turning around.  I saw a couple ahead of me hiking on a steep incline (think...staircase) and I paused because I wasn't sure if i had the motivation to do that and I couldn't see where the incline ended.  But I wanted to finish, so I did it.  And it wasn't bad at all.

*I had to keep hiking up the leggings I wore on the hike.

*I said 'no' to a LOT of treats this week.  Peanut Butter Pie, lots of chocolate, and pastries at break yesterday.

*I drank a lot of coffee this week.  I found some almond milk caramel flavored creamer that is delicious.

*Trader Joe's mandarin chicken with cauliflower stir fry mix makes a great dinner.  It's kind of pointy (10), but it's a lot of food.  SO GOOD. 

And here are goals for November:

*More Barre!

*At least 2 more hikes

*More detailed tracking.  I track every single meal, but sometimes I get REALLY lazy and will do a 'Quick Add' in the WW app, and just plug in 'Breakfast' 6 points and 'Lunch', 8 points, etc.  I want to be more detailed so I can see how many vegetables I'm not eating ha ha.

*More water.  I haven't been hitting my gallon per day lately.  Usually I get around 75 - 80 ounces, but I'm going to strive for 128 oz consistently this month.