WW Update

If anyone is actually reading this blog, you've probably noticed that I haven't really posted much about weight watchers lately.  Why, you ask? Mostly because nothing is really happening with it.  I'm uber frustrated with my lack of progress and blogging about it just makes it worse.  Let me explain the situation.

As most of you know, I've done Weight Watchers before with tremendous success, losing an average of 1 to 2 pounds per week.  Last fall, Weight Watchers changed their program.  It's still a points program, but now the points are calculated differently.  They used to be based on calories, fat, and fiber.  Now they are calculated using fat, fiber, protein, and carbohydrates.  Fresh fruit is 0 points and so are most vegetables.   For some reason, my body doesn't seem to be responding to this new plan.  I sort of yo-yo back and forth between losing and gaining, even when I'm tracking everything and staying within my limits and getting in my exercise.  I've now been doing the plan for 4 months and have lost a whopping total of 4 pounds!  Not exactly great results. 

So, I've decided to terminate my membership, mostly because I can't justify paying $40/month for something that's not working for me.  I'm trying to round up all the old points lists and tools so that I can follow the old plan on my own.  I'm hoping that combining the old points system with my current workouts will give me some better results. 

I'll keep doing my favorite Denise Austin DVD (which I've totally slacked on lately, but I did do it tonight) and I've been dabbling in running lately.  Yes, you read that right.  Any of you who've known me a long time will know that I don't run.  I've never really enjoyed it.  But I was doing a lot of walking and I'd find myself feeling the urge to run.  It was like my body was telling me to just let it go, so I did.  I started with short intervals of running and walking and last Friday I actually ran 2 miles with no walking involved whatsoever.  I know 2 miles really isn't much for a seasoned runner, but for me it's monumental!  I've never in my whole life run that far.  It felt pretty good.  So I figure I'll run 3 to 4 times per week and do my DVD at least 3 times per week and hopefully that combined with the old eating plan will kick things into gear.  

P.S. If anyone has good suggestions for running music, I'd love to hear them!  Right now I mostly use the Pandora radio on my phone, which sometimes is great and sometimes I'm skipping songs left and right.  I want to get an i-pod or something to download some music on specifically for my running workouts. 

Thank You Denise Austin!

I lost 2.4 lbs. this week. Hooray!  
So, remember how I told you that I was bringing out my secret weapon Denise Austin workout?  Well, I did.....and it shows.  I was so frustrated with last week's weigh in that I didn't track a darn thing this week.  I had an " I just don't care"  attitude, which led to some fabulous eating choices such as.....

• Making a batch of peanut butter chocolate chip brownies and eating 2/3 of the batch myself within 24 hours of making them. 
• Cafe Rio--which isn't bad in and of itself, it's just that I ate the entire salad.  We're talking, beans, rice, cheese,guacamole, tortilla, chicken, sour cream, and all. That's like an entire day's worth of points!
• A chicken salad sandwich, waffle fries, and a peppermint shake at Chick-fil-A (although I did only eat half my sandwich and saved the rest for lunch the next day)
• Four pieces of pizza for dinner one night
• Ice cream from Coldstone Creamery
• Two more pieces of pizza for lunch the next day
• A hot fudge sundae
• And lots and lots of snacking

I'm telling you, this weight loss journey is turning out to be a bit confusing and not like any I've had before.  I did balance out my wonderful eating habits with workouts.  I did the magical DVD 3 times and did 2 half hour cardio workouts at the gym.  
Even though I lost weight without tracking last week, I'm going to work on tracking better this week.  
If you're wondering about this DVD, it's Denise Austin's Shrink Your Female Fat Zones and I LOVE IT!!!  Yeah, she's a bit on the cheesy side sometimes with what she says and the way they all smile while they do the workout makes it look deceptively easy, but I love it all the same.  She does sculpting and toning using hand weights and an exercise ball.

  I bought it after Jonah was born and it helped me lose the baby weight after him and after Lilly.  I haven't done it in a while because the kids would always climb on me and interrupt me and I was just finding it frustrating to try to work out at home.  But now Jayne likes to watch it with me and even try some exercises.  
I have tried a LOT of workout videos.  I've done everything from old-school Buns of Steel and Tae-Bo to Jillian Micheals and Bob Harper to other Denise Austin DVD's, The Firm, and more.  But this one is the one I always come back to because it gives me the results that I want.  
When my mom and I were doing WW after Lilly was born, I remember telling her that it seemed like no matter what kind of week I had with my eating, as long as I did the Denise Austin DVD at least 3 times, I'd lose weight.  So, we're going to try that formula again.  
My goals for this week are....

• Track, track, track!  
• Don't be too hard on myself.  When I'm too strict with myself or beat myself up about eating that pizza or that third brownie, I do worse.  I know those things are okay, as long as I track and work them into my plan.
• 3 Denise Austin workouts and 2 cardio workouts
• Recognize and celebrate my NSV's, which are non-scale victories, like when I only ate half my sandwich or when I chose an apple over ice cream one night for a snack.  The behaviors are what will make me successful in the long run.

Late Weekly Weigh-in

I'm a bit late posting my WW progress this last week, mostly because I'm so darn frustrated with it!  But, I'm not sure anyone but me and maybe my mom read this blog, so I figured no one would care if I waited a bit.  
I weighed in last Saturday at 180, which is a gain of 0.4.  I was not a happy camper!  Last week I did everything by the book.  I tracked and stayed in my points allowance.  I worked out for 5 days, 3 cardio and 2 weight training.  I drank my water.  I was totally expecting a loss of at least one pound.
  During my previous WW stints, I steadily lost 1 or more pounds a week.  I've been at it for 7 weeks now and have lost only 4.4lbs.  And I fought tooth and nail for those! 


I wish I could say that this recent frustration with the scale led me to eat better this week, but so far it's been the opposite.  I've pulled out my secret weapon though.....my Denise Austin DVD, Shrink Your Female Fat Zones.  Sounds corny, I know.  But I bought it after Jonah was born and doing it at least 3 times per week helped me shed around 60 lbs after that and then lose 30 after Lilly.  So, I've done the DVD twice this week and done cardio at the gym twice.  It probably won't offset the pizza, ice cream, chocolate, chicken salad sandwich, and chili cheese potato that I've consumed this week.  Guess I'd better hop back on the fruit and veggie wagon.  

I've really been trying to figure out what is different this time around and why I'm having such a hard time shedding these pounds.  I'm at a loss.  The WW plan is a little different than it used to be, but I'm following it so I don't think that could be the problem.  The only significant difference I can think of is my stress level.  Taking 9 credits, doing my church callings, and being a full time mother and wife can really take it out of you.  I'm finding that I don't have as much time to really focus on tracking, trying new recipes, checking out the website for new ideas, etc.  I'm not sure if it's that much of a factor.  I'm also not getting a whole lot of sleep.  I get about 6 hours a night...maybe.  Anyway....now I'm just rambling. 
So.........yeah.  That's where I'm at.  Who knows where I'm going. 

Weekly Weigh In

Yesterday, I weighed in at 179.6 which is a loss of 0.2.  A tiny number, I know.  But a loss is a loss is a loss and after the week I had, I'll take it.  
I didn't track at all last week, I had cupcakes, pizza, birthday cakes, mexican food, coldstone ice cream, and Easter candy.  I blame stress(school, RS party that I helped with, cub scouts, and a lovely little lawsuit we're dealing with), or maybe too many social functions, or maybe I just need to tell the truth and blame myself and my choices.  After all, no matter what else is going on in my life, what I put in my mouth is ultimately my decision.  So.....this week my goal is to track everything!  So far, so good. 

Weekly Weigh In

So I know I'm a bit late reporting this week.  Sorry about that.  Anyhoo,  I weighed in last Saturday at 179.8, which is exactly the same as the week before.  I'm telling you, this isn't going to be an easy journey.  I've decided that no matter what the scale may say from week to week, I've just got to focus on the behaviors.  If I'm drinking my water, getting my workouts in, tracking my food and staying within my points, then I consider it a good week.  Even if the scale says nothing happened. I'm feeling better, my clothes are fitting better, and people are starting to notice.  
So, last week was a good week.  As for this week.....that may be a different story entirely thanks to my husband's birthday, a relief society birthday party, Easter candy, babysitting, and stress of a million different kinds which I won't go into right now.  But, as of this morning, according to my home scale, I'm still exactly the same. 

Weekly Weigh In

This morning I weighed in at 179.8, that's a LOSS of 2.8lbs.  Finally!  So, what was different this week?  Not much.  I only got in 3 workouts, all cardio.  I was good about getting my waters in, and I tracked my eating almost every day.  When you stick to the plan, it works. 

Weekly Weigh In---Getting Frustrated

I weighed in this week at 182.6, which is a gain of 0.4.  So, I've been at this for 4 weeks now and my total weight loss is just 1.8lbs.  I really was expecting a loss this last week.  I did five days of workouts, two of which were the semi-excruciating Bob Harper Pure Burn Serious Strength DVD, one Denise Austin workout and two sessions of cardio on the elliptical at the gym.  I tracked fairly well and stayed within my points range.  I'm wondering if this free fruits and veggies thing is actually backfiring.  Our leader mentioned at our meeting that even though fruits and veggies are zero points, we still need to remember that they are calories and if we're consuming too many calories overall, it can affect our weight loss.  I'm not sure if that's my problem.  I eat more fruits and veggies that I used to, but I don't think I'm consuming enough of them to make a really big difference.  
My other theory for this week is that, since most of my workouts were strength training, I built muscle which contributed to my slight gain this week.  I've had this happen in the past where I start a weight training program and gain a little bit the first couple of weeks and then start to lose again.
I've also been under a lot of stress lately and not getting enough sleep.  I've heard that both of those can affect weight loss. 
Only time will tell, I guess.  I'm missing the old WW system.  My body responded well to it.  No matter what the cause, I've really got to get into the swing of things and figure it out.  I guess I'll just stick to the plan and keep moving forward.  
My plan for this week?  Who knows!  I'll be doing at least 5 workouts again, drinking my water, and tracking my points.  I'm not going to consume my activity points that I earn for working out and we'll see if that helps.  
Check in next week to see if I can finally get out of this rut!

Weekly Weigh In

I weighed in a day early this week.  Nate and I are having a little getaway this weekend and I'm not about to interrupt it to go weigh in.  So, I weighed in at 182.2lbs which is a loss of 0.6lbs.  I know that doesn't sound like much, but I'm very happy with it.  My week included dinner at Marie Callendar's(complete with delicious pie!), See's Chocolates for Valentine's Day, and a cookie exchange for Relief Society.  After all that, I'm just grateful to have a loss at all.  
I did do better with my waters this week and I tracked almost everything I ate.  I got five good workouts in this week as well.  My problem is the food. I've known that I'm a bit out of control in that area for a long time.  I'll catch myself purposely distracting my brain when I'm reaching for something unhealthy so that I'm not thinking about what is going in my mouth or I'll try to convince myself that I don't care or that I really need that chocolate to stay sane that day.  
I didn't get to stay for the meeting today, but the handout was about making your kitchen your ally.  You do this by getting rid of processed, high points value foods that tempt you and filling your kitchen with fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, healthy snacks, fat free dairy, etc.  This is something I'm not so good at.  I like to blame it on my husband and kids.  They've got their cookies, and granola bars, and treats all over the place.  But then I have to stop and remind myself that I'm the one who does all the grocery shopping, hence I'm the one who put those things in our home.  My goal this week will be to eliminate as many of these unhealthy foods in our home as possible.  It's okay to have a few things around as long as they're not huge temptations for me and we don't eat them regularly.  I'm thinking we'll need to do away with the Oreos and M&M's, but the fruit snacks can probably stay.  
So, I'll check back in next week and let you know how it all goes.  Even though my loss was small this week, a loss is a loss and I'll take it with a smile.  At least I'm headed in the right direction.

Weekly Weigh In

So, remember how I said that some weeks you gain weight?  Well, this was one of those weeks for me.  I didn't go up by much, just 0.2, and I actually thought it would be worse.  So, what did I do wrong this week?  Pretty much everything.  I didn't track every day, I hardly drank any water, I binged on cookies and m&m's and whatever else I wanted.  I think the only thing I did right was to get in at least five workouts.  That's probably the one thing that stopped me from gaining two or three pounds.  I'm such an emotional eater and that is my biggest challenge.  I'm working on learning to step away from the situation and ask myself "Why exactly are you putting this umpteenth cookie in your mouth?"  
Like I said, this is a journey and it doesn't come easy.  So this week I'm ready to track everything I put in my mouth as well as my activity points, make sure I get my waters in every day, do my workouts,and cut back on the junk.  
I planned out our dinner menu for the entire week and pre-calculated the points for each meal.  Dinner is always my biggest meal of the day and I find that if I know how many points it will use up, I can plan the rest of my food around that.  I've got my kitchen stocked with fresh fruits and veggies for snacks and I'll be chewing sugar free mint gum while I bake these sugar cookies for Valentine's day to deter myself from eating fifty of them in the process. 
There you have it.  I fell off that blasted wagon already, but I've jumped back on, fastened my seat belt, and committed anew. 

Weekly Weigh-in

Today I weighed in at Weight Watchers at 182.6lbs.  That's a loss of 1.8lbs this week, which is great! For sustainable weight loss, you want to shoot for around 1 to 2 pounds per week.  Some weeks you'll lose less, some weeks you'll lose more, and some weeks you may even gain a little bit.  


What makes the 1.8 pounds really great is what I ate this week.  I had birthday cake, ice cream, pizza, dark chocolate, Wendy's, Arctic Circle, and Applebee's.  This is why I LOVE Weight Watchers!  I can eat these things and still lose weight.  And it's not like I just had one piece of pizza or a salad at all the restaurants (although I probably should have).  I had three pieces of pizza for dinner one night(which I admit is not exactly a good idea and I've committed to do better with that one next time I'm confronted with pizza), had an ultimate grilled chicken sandwich and regular fries from Wendy's, a ranch burger and regular fries with fry sauce from Arctic Circle,and  chipotle lime chicken, one wanton taco, two buffalo wings, and half a butter nut blondie at Applebee's. I wrote them all down, along with their points values and stayed within my little budget that they give us and voila!  I still lost almost 2 pounds.


Even though I ate all those things that aren't particularly healthy, I still found myself eating more fruits and vegetables than I usually do.  On WW new plan, all fresh fruit and most vegetables are 0 points, so I would have them quite a bit.  Just this morning I had an entire banana and one whole apple cut up mixed with a light yogurt and a tablespoon of fat free whipped cream for just 3 points and it was so yummy. 


I'm sure the exercise helped too.  I make it a goal to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise five days a week.  I've found that the key to working out is finding something that you actually like to do.  For me, that's going to the gym.  I love to get on the elliptical machine or treadmill, turn on my music, and just escape from the world for 30 or 40 minutes.  On days that I can't get to the gym, I do a workout dvd at home.  This week, I worked out at the gym three times, doing 40 minutes on the elliptical machine each time.  I also did Bob Harper's "Pure Burn, Serious Strength" workout twice.  

On WW, when you exercise, you earn activity points.  You can add these activity points to your weekly points and eat more food.  That's what I did last week.  This week, my goal is to not eat any of my activity points and just use my daily allowance and my 49 weekly extra points.  I'm hoping this will translate into a little bit bigger loss this week.  
Oh, and I also plan on not eating quite so much fast food. =)

Weight Watchers: Take 4

Last Saturday I joined Weight Watchers....for the 4th time.  Now before you go thinking that the program must not work or I  must be such a quitter if I'm having to go back for the 4th time, let me explain my previous WW experiences.  

Take 1---I joined with my mom halfway through my second year of college.  I started at 180lbs and I lost 20 pounds before getting married that summer and moving away.  After I got married, I gained a lot of weight and then I got pregnant.  

Take 2---I joined, again with my mom, when Jonah was about 8 months old.  My starting weight?  221lbs.  Yes, you read that right.  This time I lost 60lbs before once again getting pregnant.  Are you sensing a pattern here?

Take 3---I rejoined WW two months after Lilly was born. My starting weight this time was somewhere in the 180's again and I lost about 20lbs before we moved and I stopped going to meetings.  I maintained this weight until I got pregnant with Jayne.  

Take 4---I managed to lose most of the "Jayne-weight" on my own, but over the last year I've gained back about 15 pounds.  My mom rejoined WW last year and recently reached her lifetime goal.  Watching her has helped give me the kick in the pants that I needed to re-up.  My starting weight is 184.4. 

Why Weight Watchers? What I love about WW is that it's not restrictive as far as what foods you can and cannot eat.  Foods are assigned a "points" value that is calculated using fat, fiber, carbs, and protein.  You have a daily points allowance and you simply track what you eat and don't eat more than your daily allowance.  You also have extra points to use weekly when you need them.  I've never been one who could just cut out sweets, or chocolate, or carbs, or anything from my diet.  I love that I can still eat ice cream or a chocolate bar once in a while, I just have to plan for it.  Also, all fruits and most vegetables are zero points.  So if I'm hungry, but I don't want to use points, I just grab a banana or apple or some carrots and I'm good to go. 

I also love the weekly meetings.  It's so great to meet with a bunch of people you can really relate to and who understand what you're trying to do and the challenges you're facing.  Plus, seeing other peoples' progress always inspires me. 

So, be prepared to read about my progress.  I'll be posting about it at least once a week as a way to sort of take even more accountability.  

So far this week, I'm feeling pretty good.  I've been to the gym twice, doing 40 minutes on the elliptical machine each time, and I'm planning to do my workout DVD tonight after the kids are in bed.  I've been pretty good with my points, but I definitely need to hit the store and stock up on some more bananas and apples for those "munchie" moments.  

Well, wish me luck and stay tuned for a new and improved, healthier and smaller version of Ashley.