A slip back, as expected, but not so far.

Well, as expected, my Thanksgiving and lax weekend approach ended up in the red. I'll admit, I was relieved that the weight gain wasn't as significant as I feared:

This week's weight: +0.6 lbs
Total weight loss: -14.1 lbs

As I said in my lament post yesterday, I kind of ate poorly the last few days, starting with Thanksgiving (which wasn't offensive, as far as T'giving meal eating displays go), but I just kind of was too relaxed about it all the rest of the weekend. And indulgence here and there. Some chips. Some of the cake I baked for T'giving that we brought back home. 2 of the popcorn dishes at the Red Parka Pub on Saturday instead of one. Went to the gym once instead of two or three times. It adds up.

It adds up to half a pound, actually.

So, this week, another start, as rebirth happens every seven days in these parts.

The challenge this week will be dinner at Mamma Maria's in the North End on Wednesday, a department outing. But I should get to pilates tonight, and to Zumba on Thursday, and to power pilates on Saturday, and ideally, I find a 4th visit somewhere in there...

Hope those of you watching your weight did well this past week, and whether you did or your didn't, I hope you share the same energy of starting over on Monday as I a clinging to right now...

Thanks for reading!

For the record...

... I really don't want to weigh in tomorrow.

I've eaten poorly this past several days, and only worked out one day.

I'm expecting to be punished in a big way tomorrow for relaxing more than I should have over this holiday weekend.

Shame on me.

The good news is tomorrow starts a new week!

Thanks for reading!

Thoughts about the Thanksgiving Meal

I have to admit, I'm not a huge sucker for the Thanksgiving meal as it's traditionally prepared. I like a slice or two of turkey, but that's it. I don't like gravy. I don't like cranberry sauce. I don't like pumpkin pie.

I do enjoy the things like stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc., but to be honest, if it's not my mother's recipe for stuffing, I'm probably good with one scoop. Mashed potatoes, one scoop. I usually enjoy the vegetables (green beans or broccoli are usually available). But in general, I don't indulge too much for the meal.

Now, what I'm talking about is both "generic" Thanksgiving meal, and the meal we currently attend. For the past 3 or so years, Robert and I have been invited to join his cousin's family, about an hour from us. They put on a great meal, but it's different than the one I grew up with. Some challenging temptations at their house are the fresh rolls, the homemade apple butter and apple pies from their own orchard bounty.

It's different than the Thanksgiving I grew up with... up to 20 people or so at Aunt Jeanette's house, with appetizers like 7 layer Mexican bean dip, chopped liver, tons of cheese and crackers, and a few more temptations for an hour before dinner's even served. Then dinner, not only the traditional turkey, but the sides of my mother's stuffing, my mother's sweet potatoes with marshmallows and pecans, my mother's turnips, various extra vegetables, Cousin Terry's mashed potatoes, and Cousin Jackie's multiple pies, and the chocolate with mocha frosting cake... a tradition to celebrate the various late November birthdays, with ice cream, of course. Ohhh... that cake... I've never mastered making that frosting, but I have the recipe, and hope someday to be a success. This is a feast. It is a day of eating that starts around 2 and ends around 7:30 or so... and one thing is better than the next.

Of course, some of the temptation is because the food is fantastic -- we've got a family full of great cooks. But honestly, some of the temptation is just because "that's what you do on Thanksgiving". I'm not sure why it became a day where you're some where between permitted and obligated to consume a week's worth of calories, but it is. And it's a day where everyone prepares recipes using the full butter, heavy cream, all the sugar and fat, because, after all, it's a special occasion... we can splurge for one day!

So, this year, though I miss spending the time with my family, I'm grateful to be away from all those amazing temptations that I associate with growing up and celebrating with my family. Fact is, my folks live in Florida now, and don't attend the family Thanksgiving anymore. So, by definition, even if I went to Long Island for this year's meal, it wouldn't be the same. All in all, it should be easy to go through this meal enjoying some very good food, in moderation, a taste of everything, and an indulgence in nothing.

I hope all of you are able to find some balance in your meals today... get your fill in quality time with family and friends, and enjoy a few tastes here and there.

Happy Thanksgiving, and Thanks for Reading!

Shout out to another making the journey

Today, I want to send a special "attaboy" shout out to my cousin. He, like a lot of us, has struggled with his weight for some of his adult life, and he's had fits and starts of efforts in the past to do something about it.

Lately, he's redoubled, if not retripled, his efforts. I don't know the full details, but he's started a program with very strict guidelines on eating and exercise, and monitoring by professionals, and really taking this more seriously and making it a top priority in his life, like he's never done before (so far as I know).

And he's already seen some great progress in his first few weeks!

I'm proud of him, and rooting for him, all the way.

I have another friend who went through a similar program earlier this year. I saw her last week, and every time I see her, I can't get over how fantastic she looks. She's another inspiration for me! Thanks, Mrs. S.!

To all of you hoping to make it through Thanksgiving with the best of will power, I wish you all the best! And if you slip, remember: tomorrow is another day!

Thanks for reading!

After the 3 weeks of crazy, would the scale move at all?

Last week, as I mentioned, was my last of 3 weeks of unusual hecticness at work -- harder to plan, lunches get forgotten, early mornings and late evenings throw off other aspects of the schedule. And after 2 weeks of almost no change, I didn't know what to expect for sure. I did know I was down some during last week, but I tend to rise up over the weekend, so I didn't get too excited about it. But, I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised at where it came in:

This week's weight: -2.6 lbs
Total weight so far: -14.7 lbs

I have to say, I'm a bit surprised, since I only made it to the gym once, and I ate okay, but not perfectly. I think it was a bit a function of adrenaline as well (busy weeks can do that, I think). So, we'll see if it stays at this level or rises up over the next few weeks as it gets a bit more normalized.

I am really starting to see a shift in how my clothes fit, too. We went to a cocktail party on Saturday night, and my "go to" black pants just didn't fit like they used to, and I was swimming in them a bit. I might have to go get a new pare of those. :-) As for how I did at the party, I had one fantastic cocktail, and kept myself to that limit. I didn't find I needed more, and felt my indulgence didn't need to be an overindulgence. I also stayed away from the food - I'd already had dinner and didn't need anything else. I was happy with my restraint, and I think it was part of what led to my success this week.

My one unusual indulgence was on Friday night, after the long week of work, where I treated myself to a fantastic chocolatini, which was basically a drinkable dessert. Again, I had one.

But, we all know, this is Thanksgiving week, which not only means access to more food which is usually on the more fattening or more rich side, but also a few days off (I'm working on Friday, but it will be sloooooow) lends to some of the undisciplined time around snacking and meals. So, I'm obviously concerned, as I think all people who struggle with their weight get heading into the holiday season, but this is just one week out of the next 6 or so which will all have indulgences and temptation heading my way. I won't win them all, but I'll focus on what I can and take each week at a time.

Thanks to all my new readers for spending time getting to know my blog! Great to have you! And thanks to ALL my readers for your support... it's a big big part of my success!

Thanks for reading!

How do I know when it's time to make a change?

When the scale hasn't moved in two weeks, I think that's probably a sign. Last week I was down 0.2 pounds. This week I'm back up the 0.2 pounds, so I'm where I was 2 weeks ago.

Yes, I did say that this was going to be a crazy few weeks where I couldn't necessarily plan well or rely on a routine.

Given that, what was I expecting, really?

On one hand, I probably expected it to be worse than it is. On the other, was I hoping for an inexplicable shift? That I can magically melt away weight eating abnormally and going to the gym 2 or 3 times? Probably not realistic.

I do have one more week of crazy to go, but this week might not be as bad as the previous 2. (Famous last words, I know), so I'll see how we can readdress this stagnation a bit more thoughtfully.

On a positive note, my body fat percentage is down another point, officially moving that lever more than 10% from where we started. A lot further to go, but a small victory I'll take.

This week's weight: +0.2 lbs
This weeks body fat percentage: -1%
BMI Change: 0


Thanks for reading!

Quick Thought : It's been a long time...

... since I've been late getting to work because I was having trouble finding clothes that fit, but this time was in a completely different direction!

(and, no, I didn't even have enough time to post this post. :-) )

Thanks for reading!