Turkey Soup for Dummies

I would seriously buy this book if I could find it! I started making turkey soup last night, and I'm stumped. What veggies do you put in turkey soup? I made the broth and cut up all the chicken last night & I was thinking of swinging by the grocery store today to grab some of the "No Yolk" egg noodles to put in the soup but other than that, all I got is carrots. Any ideas ladies? I don't think I've ever made soup before. How crazy is that? What have we been eating all this time? I seriously need to expand my knowledge in the kitchen. Especially in the soup department. I'm hoping to make a big batch of turkey soup and then I can freeze it in lunch size portions. That's the plan anyway, if I can just get the thing made....help?

Yesterday was a great OP day. I did have one chocolate at the office but I counted it into my daily points so I'd say I'm still doing pretty well. I didn't make it to the gym since I still feel awful with this cold/flu thing. It completely wiped me out. Energy is at an all time low. Although I must admit that if I'm going to be truthful with myself, it's probably from the cold/flu & a lack of gym time. I just went home and jumped into my PJs but then I got a weird burst of energy so I spent an hour making turkey broth and cutting chicken and I also made a banana bread. Although perhaps that was a bad idea. I did bring a small slice with me in my lunch but I'm counting it in my points. We are going to a family thing tonight so I think I'll cut up the rest of the banana bread and bring it with me so I don't have it tempting me at home.

I'm still coming up with my New Year's goals but I know a big part of it is going to involve strength training. I really want to start toning this year and working more with weights. I know it's an important part of exercise but I have pretty much chosen to ignore that fact for the last year or so. But now that I have a gym membership and a new super cute pink MP3 player (Thank Scott!), I really have no excuses. Plus it will get Randi off my back (Thanks for the Christmas card!!) I'll punch out a more concrete goal though when the time comes for New Year's. I've also been trying to be more aware of the sodium content in some of the foods I am eating so that might be factored in there too.

Other than tonight, we have a pretty low key weekend. Tomorrow a few girls and I are going to see P.S. I Love You. Gotta love a cheesy chick flick with the girls every now and then! Then it's just Scott and I for the rest of the weekened! (yay!)

Christmas is gone for another year...

Well it came and it went. It left a few pounds behind though. Too much wine/chocolate/turkey/chips and dip...you name it, I probably ate it over the course of the last week. To name a few of my discrepancies:

Christmas baking (WAY too much)
Cookies
Chocolates (Ferrero Rochet is NOT intended for Breakfast!)
Waffles
Eggs & Bacon
Pizza & Garlic Fingers (my last hooray last night before my wagon ride this morning)
Nuts & more Nuts
Chips and dip
Apple Pie
Chocolate Mint Pie
Lemon Meringue Pie
Whip cream
Nuts & Bolts

BUT the good thing about all this? It's GONE. All of it. I threw out any remaining baking, chocolate, nuts, chips. Everything went in the garbage last night in anticipation of my big OP day today. Christmas is wonderful but who needs temptation thrown in their face every second of the day?
On top of that, I woke up with something resembling the flu yesterday. I'm sweaty and nauseous and bloated and feel gross all over & I had to come back to work today. I'm sure a few OP days will get me back on track though. I think my whole system is just out of whack from the Holidays and lack of gym time. I was hoping to hit the gym after work today but depending on how this cold/flu progresses, I might just hit the hay early.

On a brighter note, has anyone started thinking about their goals for 2008? I've started coming up with a few but I've decided not to look for a number on the scale. I think I'd rather set goals like strength training twice a week, getting outdoors more, maybe a 5 or 10K, more goals related to overall fitness rather than a number on the scale. Something to think about anyway.

Hope you all had a GREAT Holiday and are all ready to get back on track with me. Even though New Year's is just around the corner, don't put off getting back on the wagon until then. You'll feel so much better (and look way hotter in your New Year's outfit) if you start now.

Short and sweet today ladies!

One last time for 2007!

Thought I would punch out one last post for 2007. What a year it has been. Although the pounds haven't been flying off as they did last year, I have had so many successes. Of course with those, came lots of frustration, anguish and anxiety but it's Christmas, and now is the time to focus on the positive (really I should be doing this ALL year around). I've come a long way this year and I'm very proud of myself. My most recent success was making it through Yoga class yesterday. Who knew it would be so hard on the muscles?? Yikes! But I loved it and a year ago, I wouldn't have been able to hold all those crazy poses.

I can't say Thank you enough for the support I've received on my blog over the past year. It has kept me sane and encouraged me to push myself beyond what I "thought" were my limits. Thank you so much ladies. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with your friends and family.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

It's Friday! (For me!)

Today is my Friday since I took off Thursday and (actual) Friday this week to give myself a little vacay. I have to come back to work on the 27th and 28th so I figured if I can't take off those days (seniority thing) then I may as well take off a few days before Christmas. Actually I'd rather take off the days before Christmas anyway because then I can stay home and get prepared for the Holiday and I'm not all rush rush rush.

Update on my Goals:
Day 2 Tuesday:
- Stay away from Christmas baking
- 50 mins of Cardio
- Stay away from Christmas Buffet at work

I had 2 very small Rice Krispie Squares. I took your advice ladies and I really wanted a small treat so I had one. I saved the points so I figure I'm still doing ok. As long as I count the points and limit my potions right? You guys were right, I was being a little hard on myself.

I did get in 50 mins of Cardio. 42 Mins on the treadmill (walking/running intervals) and then I did 10 mins of abs. (Thanks to Scott, I tried to talk him out of going to the gym last night but he stood firm and we went and I'm SO glad we did!)

I did stay away from the Christmas Buffet but we had a little Holiday party in the afternoon and there was mounds and mounds of food but I stuck to the veggies and 2 pieces of shrimp (I don't even like shrimp that much but it was the only other semi-healthy thing on the table besides the veggies)

Overall I think I did pretty good on yesterday's goals. Here is a reminder of the goals I have laid down for today:

Day 3 Wednesday:
- Stay away from Christmas Baking (or limit it to ONE piece but ONLY if I have the daily points left over)
- 15 mins Cardio 45 mins Strength Training
- Christmas buffet at work for lunch (my dept's turn to do the table so I want to try everyone's goodies but I'll limit myself to fruit, veggies, 2 meatballs and count ALL my points!)

My plan for the gym is 15 mins of cardio/warmup and 45 mins Body Ball strength training class. I'm excited, I really like the class and I find it's very interactive and the time flies!

I didn't bring a lunch today but so far all I've had from the buffet is 2 small tastes of homemade hummus. Yum! Bad idea though since I had a client some in and all I could smell was garlic! Oops!

Lunch will be a few meatballs and tons of veggies and fruit from Christmas Buffet table. This will be my last day with that temptation. Good riddance!

How are you ladies doing this week? Only 6 days until Christmas! Are we all ready for it? what is your plan over the Holidays? Free for all on Christmas Eve? Christmas Day? I think we should set a date to get back on track. I think everyone has the same idea about basically letting loose a little on Christmas Day so when do we get back on track? Do we really want to wait until January 1st? Not me! I'm thinking December 27. Some of us are back at work, back in routine, Christmas is behind us. What do you ladies think?

Day 1 - Exercise: Check.....Avoiding Christmas Baking: Check!

So my plan for this week and next week is basically to take it day by day. I really think that's the only way to get through this Holiday Season. I've made goals for myself each and everyday this week to help me stay accountable and not go crazy on the Holidays (and gain 7 lbs like I did last year!) Most of them are redundant but hey...that Christmas baking is damn good so everyday that I get through and don't have any, is a huge victory. Especially since I'm still baking and hubby is still indulging!

Day 1 Monday:
- Stay away from Christmas baking
- 50 mins of Cardio
-Stay away from Christmas Buffet

Accomplished both goals!!
30 mins StairMaster and 20 mins elliptical & Stayed away from all Christmas baking! I even made up the trays for my potluck tomorrow and didn't even have one little nibble of anything. I did have 3 pieces of Broccoli form the Christmas buffet at work but I dipped it in lowfat Ranch and counted the points.

Day 2 Tuesday:
- Stay away from Christmas baking
- 50 mins of Cardio
- Stay away from Christmas Buffet at work

Day 3 Wednesday:
- Stay away from Christmas Baking
- 15 mins Cardio 45 mins Strength Training
- Christmas buffet at work for lunch (my dept's turn to do the table so I want to try everyone's goodies but I'll limit myself to fruit, veggies, 2 meatballs and count ALL my points!)

Day 4 Thursday:
-Stay away from Christmas baking
- 60 min Yoga class
- Eat all meals at home

Day 5 Friday:
- Some form of activity (probably shopping since I'm taking my 2 yr old Niece for the morning and I have a feeling she'd love to go see Santa)
- Stay away from Christmas baking
- Eat all meal at home
- Limit my wine intake (might get together with the girls)

Thursday and Friday are going to be tough since Hubby and I are taking a vacation day those days (YAY vacation!) so I won't have the routine of my workday but I also won't have the temptation of the Christmas Buffet table at work. We'll be keeping pretty busy bu my goal is to eat all of my meals at home. That will keep me from chowing down at any fast food joints.

Menu for Today:

1.5 C All Bran - 2pts
1/2 C Milk (Skim) - 1pt
1/2 V8 Juice - 0pts
Multivitamin

Tuna Sandwich - 3pts
1 orange - 1pt
All Bran Bites - 1pt
Banana before workout - 2pts

4 oz Ham w/mustard - 4pts
1/2 cup packaged Herb & Wild Rice - 4pts
Mixed Veggies - 0pts
Becel - 1pt

Total: 19 points

May have a snack later but it will only be 1 pt.

So what do we think ladies? Any suggestions on my eating, exercise or goals?? Bring it on!

Christmas Baking got to me

Well my weekend wasn't a complete bust. Although the Christmas baking did get to me on Sunday while I was home all day trying to wait out the big storm we got here in Atlantic Canada. I had 8 monster cookies over the course of the weekend. Used up all of my flex points but that's what they are there for right? Other than the cookies, I think I did pretty well this weekend. I ate all of my meals at home so I was able to limit portions and make the right choices. I know I should have limited the cookies a little but it could have been a lot worse right?

I had a slight NSV on Saturday night. Scott and I hit up "I am Legend" (really good movie!! Love Will Smith!!) I bought some Baked Doritos to take with me but I wanted something chocolatey too. So I went to the candy isle in Walmart to find something sweet. Nothing looked really appealing. Then I asked Scott to swing by the Bulk Barn on the way but I got to the parking lot and then thought, "you know what I don't really want anything, let's just go to the movies, I really only want chocolate because it's Saturday and it's supposed to be a splurge day" So Yay me! (although I did have a bite of hubby's chocolate bar once we got there, it's still better than getting my own!)

Sunaday the Surprise party for my good friend was cancelled because she was stuck in Toronto and her flight to NB was cancelled. Booooo. (but Yay that I didn't have the temptation of booze and lots of food!)

I've decided to follow Christy's example and start posting my menu everyday up until Christmas. I just think it give me that extra accountability that I need and will keep me away from the Christmas baking. I'm also enforcing my previous "No Christmas Baking Monday-Friday or Something Really Awful Will Happen to Me" this week so I won't be touching it. I'm bringing a good chunk of it to work on Wednesday for a huge Potluck that my department is putting on for the whole building so I imagine there won't be much left after this week. (not a bad thing at all)

Gym plan for this week:
Monday - 50 mins of machine cardio (most likely StairMaster and elliptical)
Tuesday - 50 mins of Machine Cardio (gotta burn off those cookies)
Wednesday - 15 mins elliptical/ 45 min Body Ball Class (More Strength training Randi!)
Thursday - 50 mins Cardio OR Beginner Yoga Class for 60 mins.
Friday - No Gym time, Vacation Day!
Saturday - May hit up the gym if I can the time in, we have a lot of visiting to do that day!

Menu for Today:

1 C All Bran & 1/2 C Milk - 3 pts
1/2 C V8 Juice - 0 pts
Multivitamin
All Bran Bites - 1 pt

Tuna Sandwich on WW bread - 3 points
Orange - 1 pt
Banana before workout - 2 pts

Homemade baked beans - 8 pts
1 slice WW bread - 1 pt

Snack (yogurt & fruit?) - 2 pts

That's it for me today. How did you ladies make out over the weekend?? 1 More week until Christmas Eve! Everyone done shopping??

The Christmas buffet is wearing down my defenses!

I had a cookie. Not a Monster cookie but a cookie from the Christmas buffet at work. My cookies are better. I also had a half of a piece of Banana Bread (no butter) That's it. I told myself I would allow myself one treat at the buffet table today and now I'm done. No more. I had to post about it asap before I went back again for one of those homemade chocolate truffles that someone brought in. I'm not going back. Now that I've posted my plan, I feel better already. I feel stronger and I feel like going back to the buffet table isn't even an option. Thanks Ladies! (Randi, e-mail me at 2:00 your time would you and check in on me?) I need to know your gonna hold me accountable! I'm holding strong though....even though all my co-workers keep stopping by my office and saying "Carolyn, did you try the (insert super yummy Christmas treat here) yet?? It's soo good, you have to try it!" Ugh. I'm staying away. No more treats from the buffet table until Wednesday next week (my department's turn to do the Christmas buffet) so I'll try a few things then but from what I can tell, most of us are bringing in some decent stuff, fruit trays, veggie trays, meatballs, salad and of course I'm bringing the sweets so I can get a large chunk of them out of the house!

My plan for the weekend? (Since you didn't ask)

Friday night:
Wendy's for supper with my best friend, SIL and 2 year old niece
A few hours of shopping
Home to make a Banana bread and freeze it for company over the Holidays.

The Plan: Junior Hamburger & baked potato for supper. No treats afterwards! Maybe one, but it will be a coffee from Java Moose with a flavor shot! Mmmmm

Saturday:
Visiting family during the day, dropping off presents & cards etc.
Movie night with Scott. We're hitting up "I Am Legend" with Will Smith. Can't wait!

The Plan: Eat my normal breaky, a light lunch and maybe pasta for supper. Plan out movie treats and get them before we go. Probably Baked Doritos (4 pts) and a Mars Bar (6pts)

Sunday:
Course at 11:00 and then we are having my brother, SIL and niece over for lunch.
Surprise party for a good friend who's coming home from out West. (Lots of food and booze)

The Plan:
Having beans and Brown bread for lunch. Have a small portion. Eat a nice healthy and filling supper so I don't go crazy at the surprise party. Limit myself to 1 drink.

What are you ladies doing this weekend?? Everyone read for Santa??

Carolyn: 1 Monster Cookies: 0

I REALLY wanted these.......

But instead I had these:

Monster Cookies: I'd say 3 points each VS Sweet Potato fries: 3 points for a plate full

Note: to really appreciate this, you need to know that Scott had 7 Monster Cookies right in front of me and I still didn't budge!

Randi would be proud....

So I managed to stay away from the Christmas buffet at work for the rest of the day yesterday so I'm counting that as a major success. Today it's filled with fruits and veggies so I had one piece of pineapple but I think I'll stick to my lunch for the rest of the day. The dips get me everytime so it's better to just stay away, fruits & veggies or not.

So after work yesterday I hit the gym but just wasn't really feeling the StairMaster or the elliptical. I was pretty much dreading it, although I knew there was no way I was not going to workout so I decided to just tough it out and deal with it. But when I got to the board, I couldn't figure out what to sign out, they all just looked dull and unappealing. Then comes the light bulb moment. There is a fitness class that starts everyday at 5:00 at my gym. I looked it up and Body Ball was on the menu. So I jumped on the elliptical for 15 mins for a warm up and then hit the class. One word. Ouch. Basically the class was a full body strength training session with the stability ball (Yes Randi, finally a little strength training!). It burned let me tell ya! I thought I wouldn't be able to walk today but actually I'm doing ok....and the best part? The time FLEW by! I couldn't believe 45 mins had passed. So add that session to my previous 100 mins of cardio time and I've already made my goal of 160 mins this week! Sweet! But I'm still planning on going today after work. Even if it's just a little treadmill time. I'm still going. I made my goal so Kelly, it's your turn now!

Now for the awfulness that is my willpower. I broke. I broke twice. & I feel awful.

1. I ate 1 of my Monster cookies last night. But it was just one thank goodness.

2. I had a brief love affair with the scale this morning.

Both made me feel like a big sleazy cheat. I learned my lesson. I made 5 dozen Monster cookies last night (Peanut Butter, oatmeal, walnuts, Smarties, and chocolate chips all in one cookie!) I had one cookie. Half a cookie from the first batch and 1/2 a cookie from the third batch. To my defense I really was trying to figure out how long to cook them for. I ended up over cooking the first 3 batches but the last 2 are just right. My first time making them so I will know for next time. But afterwards I felt so guilty! I know it was only one cookie but I promised myself no Christmas treats during the week. Will not happen again. I promise myself and I promise all of you!

The scale....I just couldn't stay away. It's been 13 days since I last stepped foot on that little devil. I was down 1 lb from last time. Yay right? Not really. The thing is, I was feeling SO great before I jumped on the scale, I felt really good this week like I was really making progress at the gym, food wise, controlling my weekends. I felt skinny. You know that feeling when you can just tell your smaller. Tummy feels flatter, arms feel fit and your legs are starting to look toned? I had all of that. I assumed that I had probably lost a few pounds since I was feeling so great. Nope, just one. That stupid number on the scale took all those good feelings away and today I feel defeated and only half as great as I felt yesterday.

So.

I'm saying goodbye for now. I think this morning really proved that my addiction to the scale really isn't good for me anymore and we need time apart. I want to feel good because I've spent 200 mins at the gym this week, or because I bought a pair of pants in a smaller size or because I said no to that extra chocolate or no the seconds at dessert time. I want to feel good for those reasons and not because a number on the scale says I should. So I'm taking a tip from Katieo and wrapping up the scale. I figure it's the only way we can stay apart. Come the New Year, I may be ready to try again but for now, I want to be the one in control for once.

Thoughts? Advice?

It has arrived....

The Christmas buffet at work. Starting today and being constantly refilled every single day (twice a day!) until December 21st. Luckily I'm taking the 20th and 21st for vacation so there is at least two days that the Christmas buffet won't tempt me. Today I happened to walk by on my way to the water cooler (forgot about it being set up this morning) and there was fresh homemade spinach dip and bread and 4 different crackers and 3 cheese balls, shrimp ring and sauce, a mound of different cheeses, 2 open boxes of assorted chocolates, chips and salsa, bread with other homemade dip, fruit tray with dip, bags and bags of chips, a crock pot with meat balls staying warm. The smell alone is enough to make you crack. I had one cracker, although surprisingly it wasn't form the Christmas buffet, a co-worker brought in a box of All Bran crackers from the States. Anyone tried these? The Garlic and Herb are SOO good. 9 crackers for 1 point. I had 2 crackers and I tried a little teeny bit of the Spinach dip on one cracker but I didn't even really like it all that much. Although I did enlist the support of a coworker so we hit the buffet together. Strength in numbers right? That's all I had, one smidgen of spinach dip. And that's it for me today. I've started taking the alternate route to the mail room and bathroom so no excuses for me to walk by it again today. I can seriously smell it from my office. Luckily I brought a nice healthy lunch so I won't cave due to hunger.

In other news, I hit the gym hard again last night. 30 mins on the StairMaster and 20 mins on the elliptical. Time dragged on a bit yesterday, I couldn't concentrate on the article I was reading in Women's Health but I kept trucking along and eventually it was over. The StairMaster almost killed me yesterday. Today I'm thinking 10 mins treadmill, 30 mins StairMaster and 10 mins treadmill. That will bring me up to 150 mins of cardio this week. My goals is 160 minimum so I'm sure I'll knock it out this week as I'm planning on hitting the gym again tomorrow after work. I might mix it up though a little and throw in some time on the bike.

I was successful last night in making my frogs (chocolate macaroons for the many of you who didn't know what I was talking about. Don't' you guys call them frogs? EVERYONE here calls them frogs. Maybe it's an East Coast thing) After I had placed them all on the cookie sheet, I scraped the bowl clean, there was about enough for a half of a frog, I was honestly JUST about to put the spoon in my mouth when I changed my mind and threw it in the sink with the bowls and the pot and the other spoons and dumped about a half of a bottle of dish soap on them as quick as I possibly could before I changed my mind and licked everything clean. Worked for me. Didn't even lick my finger once!

That's it for me today. Just like Angie and Kelly, I'm totally in the zone this week!

(insert clever title here)

So I did it. I made it through Monday without consuming ANY Christmas baking! I pretty much told myself Sunday night that as a rule, Christmas baking is not to leave the freezer unless I am making up a plate to give away. No Christmas baking allowed between Monday and Friday. I found that if I made that rule and told someone about it (Scott, you guys) then if I broke it, I would feel like I was breaking some big house rule (I also had to convince myself that something bad would happen if I did, like I would break a toe or something, kind of like bad Karma.) So it worked. I didn't touch it. Even after Scott last night tried to lure me in. After supper he asked, "What's for dessert? Christmas baking?" I knew he was trying to get me to splurge so that he would feel better about pigging out but I just said "Go ahead, none for me, I told myself no Christmas baking between Monday and Friday and I'm sticking to it". Then he said I was right and that he didn't want any either. Sweet. I did it. I was super nervous about having all that Christmas baking in the freezer, just sitting there taunting me but it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I can soo do this. I keep thinking that if I were to walk into a store and see a Mars Bar there, it would never even occur to me to buy it during the week (maybe as a weekend splurge but NEVER during the week) so why would I break that rule for Christmas baking? I'm not. So there it is.

PS I'm also making frogs tonight to add to my Christmas baking since I have to bring in a pile of it on Dec 19 for a work potluck thing. Each department takes it turn bringing in mounds of food for a potluck for the whole building. It starts tomorrow so there is a table around the corner from my office that will be filled with Chocolates, candy, meatballs, sandwiches, finger foods, veggies and dip and crackers and cookies and fruit, and all sorts of other most-likely-bad-for-me foods so I've already mapped out a route to the bathroom and mail room so I can avoid the table whenever possible and I've enlisted the help of a co-worker who is also watching the calorie intake so we'll be encouraging each other.

Another success, 35 mins on the StairMaster last night and 15 on the elliptical and 5 mins of stretching. go me AND I'm gong back for more tonight! It's 3:30 and I'm actually pumped to go to the gym instead of dreading it. What has gotten into me this week? I don't know but I like it.

Wish me luck with the frogs otnight ladies, although I'm feeling pretty confident. I can do this!

Still no scale!

I had to slap my own wrist a few times this weekend when I went to grab the scale and hop on but I've managed to get through the weekend without it. No weigh in. For the first time in about 100 weeks. Sounds insane doesn't? I should be happy about not weighing in but I miss it. It's a little like going through withdrawal symptoms...but......there is a little piece of me that feels a little freer. Not in the sense that I can eat whatever I want and splurge splurge splurge but there's just this little part of me that feels more in control. I'm noticing things that I would have noticed when I was weighing in every single week or even more often. Like this morning I woke up and threw on a pair of pants and noticed they were a little bigger then they were last time I wore them. Or I caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror and thought "Wow, I look pretty good." Before I just relied on the number on the scale to tell me what to think or to tell me how my clothes were feeling. I know, sounds crazy right but seriously that is the kind of hold that the magic little number on the scale has on me. It determines everything, right down to what I'm going to wear that day! So I'd say that my absence from the scale has been a good one and I'm slowly learning to live without it. Although I must admit I really can't wait for this Friday so I can weight in...

So this weekend was a great one and I had one Major NSV. As most of you know, I have been going WAY overboard on the weekends, and although this weekend wasn't perfect, I do feel that I did pretty good. Friday night I went out to dinner with my best friend. We shared a chicken wrap and a few nachos at ESM. I picked at the nachos but tried to save up some points for a "treat" later in the night. After 3 hours of shopping, we headed home with 2 Gingerbread train making kits and we were up until 1:00am making them....AND.....no treats! This is the first time in a long time that I haven't had a chocolate bar or a bag of Baked Doritos on Friday night. I was pretty proud. Saturday was Christmas baking day with Scott's family. I got up early and had All Bran for breakfast, lunch was 2 pieces of toast and supper was homemade baked beans and a biscuit. I had about 5 sweets the entire day with wasn't that bad. 3 during the baking (taste test!!) and 2 later when I got home. (more taste testing....I can't give out sweets unless I know they taste great right??) Later in the night I did have 3 pieces of pizza and a few more nachos since Scott convinced me to go out for an appetizer before the movie. I know, bad move. Didn't need it. BUT I didn't get ANY treats for the movie. I don't think I've ever gone to a movie treatless. Seriously. That one was big for me. I debated on getting some M&Ms when we go tthere but really I only wanted them because I was at the move theatre, I certainly wasn't hungry and I really didn't need them, I just wanted to munch.

Sunday was pretty good. I talked Scott out of Wendy's for supper and we had Spaghetti instead with a side of veggies. I did have too many baked goods but I've locked them all up in the freezer now so I won't be touching them again. The novelty has worn off now and I've tried all the different sweets so no excuses now!

Exercise plan for tonight -
30 mins Stairmaster
15 mins elliptical

Wish me luck ladies! Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Friday and no weigh in

It honestly took all I had this morning not to haul the scale out and jump on. It's like an old boyfriend that you just can't let go. Or an addiction that's just too hard to quit. I've decided to takes Glam's advice and I'll most likely weigh in next Friday mainly because I want to stay accountable and make sure I'm staying on the right track. I think Jen summed it up pretty well yesterday..."I think the scale sometimes has an adverse effect and it actually puts you down more than encourages you". That is EXACTLY why I feel that I need a break form the scale, it was ruling how I felt every week. That just can't be healthy. I was actually surprised at all the positive feedback and it's exactly the type of encouragement I needed. Thanks!!

So last night I hit up the gym for 60 mins, 40 mins on the StairMaster, 15 on the Elliptical and 5 mins of hardcore stretching since my legs were feeling pretty weak after that Stairmaster. Now I understand why Katie calls it Satan. Yikes that thing is a great workout. I like the fact that you can't slow down unless you make a conscious effort to take your magazine off the rack and lower the level. I find with the elliptical, while you are reading away or watching the news, sometimes your speed will drop without you even noticing. With the StairMaster, if you slow down, you'll fall off and it will most likely run you over. I'm also finding that working out for longer than 40 mins is pretty easy. Before I was really only working out for 35-40 mins per session but since I set my Minimum Minutes of 160mins/week, I have been upping my time. Mainly because I was only able to get to the gym 3 times this week so I had to go for longer each time. I thought it would be awful but seriously, once you get in the zone, it actually gets easier the longer you go. Does that even make sense to anyone??

Any so my weekend plans aren't too hectic. Tonight is date night with my best friend. We are hitting up some dinner (still in discussion about where we ar heading to but I'll plan it out my menu choice before we go and look up the point value) then a few hours of Christmas shopping and back to my house for some gingerbread house/train making. Looking forward to it. Tomorrow is Christmas bake day with the Scott's family so that may pose a challenge but I'm going to be good! I'm planning on packing up a lot of it as soon as I get home to get it ready to be given away, the rest goes right in the freezer! Some to Scott's work and some to my work, some to our neighbor who was kind enough to plow us out after the big storm for free! Sunday is a planless day...I haven't had one of those in months....oh wait. We have our course to go to so I guess not totally planless but we'll be home most of the afternoon anyway.

What do you ladies have planned for the weekend?

PS Epicure party last night was soooo good. I can't believe how yummy those dips are! AND they were all made with fat free sour cream and mayo. I used raw vegetables for dipping for the majority of them. I ended up buying the Chives, Cheese and Bacon, the Lemon Dilly and the Guacamole (SOOO goood!) I can't wait to use them!!

The Breakup

First of all, last night after work, I went to the gym, actually looking forward to my workout. Went to the changing room , got all dressed in my workout gear and just as I was about to lace up my sneakers....I realized they weren't there! I had worn them home from the gym on Tuesday and had put them in my closet rather than my gym bag. SO FRUSTRATING! I actually dragged my butt to the gym and am more than ready to take on the StairMaster again and I'm stuck without sneakers! Ugh. BUT on a brighter note, I'm not letting this minor set back get in the way of my commitment of getting in at least 160 mins of exercise this week. So far I've got 55 mins under my belt (Tuesday 35 mins on the StairMaster and 20 mins on the Elliptical) tonight I'm hoping to squeeze in another 55 mins before my epicure party which would bring me up to 110 mins. I'm also planning on hitting the gym on Friday for at least 50 mins to round out my 160 mins but I may go for more if I have time.

Friday night I have a date with my best friend. We are going out to dinner (East Side Mario's I believe, does anyone have suggestions?) and then hitting the mall for some Christmas shopping and after that we are making gingerbread houses (although I saw a gingerbread train kit....) How Martha are we? Looking forward to it.

Now onto my big decision. I've decided that the scale and I need some time apart. I've been reading so many blogs about measuring success without using the scale. At first I thought this was utterly absurd. I mean, I know my pants are looser than they were 2 weeks ago and it's a great way to measure success but I still NEED that number just to verify my feeling good....wait. Is that even healthy?? Have I become that attached to the scale? Then I realize that since I started WW almost 2 years ago, I have not missed one Friday WI. Not even one. The scale dictates my whole attitude (if you remember THIS post from September, you'll know what I mean) By now, I pretty much know what the scale is going to say, I can tell by the way my clothes fit, by the way I feel so why do I put so much into the scale? Why do I let the scale tell me how to feel? I guess I use it as another tool to stay accountable but if I am following the WW program consistently and eating well then there's no reason for me to have to worry about a gain right?

Another reason I'm thinking of letting go of the strings for a while is that I find myself splurging on Fridays and Saturdays:

1. because it's the weekened
2. because I've saved up all my bonus points
3. because I know I don't have to weigh in again until next Friday

Seriously, just thinking about not weighing in scares the hell out of me. But I think that anxiety is the exact reason why I have to let go of the scale for a few weeks. I have an unhealthy attachment to that number and the scale and now is as good a time as ever start measuring my success in other areas, gym time, smaller clothes, basically NSVs. The funny thing is, just thinking about not weighing in doesn't really make me feel like I can slack at all, it's actually the opposite, making me want to work harder to compensate for not having that "loss on the scale" relief feeling. More gym time. Better decisions on the weekend. What do you girls think? I need feedback!

Has anyone seen my OP weekends?? I can't find them anywhere!

Thanks ladies for all the encouragement and especially to Noelle for giving me the kick in the butt I really needed. (Side bar, check out Noelle's amazing before and after pic here.) I always come on my blog and complain about my weekends and how out of control they were. It's become a habit. A bad habit. Every weekend. ZERO accountability. Noelle asked me what I am going to do about it? What AM I going to do about it? I know a few other ladies (Randi and Angie to name a few) are going through the same cycle, letting the weekends get of out hand. It's so easy isn't ladies? To forget the gym and the journal and just eat. And eat. And eat. And we're not talking veggies here. Oh no. I'm talking pizza, chocolate, nachos, too much wine. It's all in there. How do we break the cycle? It's become a habit for me. I look back at my journals and the last 2 days are blank. I know what I NEED to do but why aren't I doing it? Why aren't I journalling on the weekend? Why am I having that extra Christmas sweet when during the week it wouldn't even be an option? I don't even remember the last weekend when I actually jounrnalled. I seriously can't remember. I need an OP weekend. I'm way past due. I just need to get back into the habit of using my 35 bonus points and that's it. If I don't have the points for that Mr. Big bar, then I WON'T eat it. It's simple. Isn't it?? sigh......

I didn't make it to the gym last night because we got hit with a major winter storm. Blizzard actually and we woke up this morning with over a foot of snow. It took us forever to get home last night as the roads were awful BUT I'm not letting that get in the way of my Exercise Challenge (See Sarah or Kelly's blog) of at least 160 mins of exercise this week. Tonight I'm hitting the gym hard and I am planning on 30 mins of the StairMaster (It burns and I love it!)and then 20 on the elliptical or treadmill. Next week I am planning on starting a strength training program for 2 days a week. That will leave me with 2 days of cardio so I will up my time to probably 60 mins/session.

This Thursday I am heading to an Epicure party so if you ladies have any suggestions, I'd love to hear if you use any of the products and what you can't live without. I have tried a few of them but haven't really bought much so I'm looking forward to picking up a few new ones! This also means taste testing but I will try to limit it as much as possible and will only try the ones that I would seriously buy.

Well that's it for me today ladies! Hope everyone is having an amazing week so far!

OH wait...I need some suggestions to give hubby for Christmas, I really want to get an exercise DVD for nights like last night when the roads were too bad to make it to the gym. Any ideas? I'm basically a exercise DVD virgin so bring on the suggestions!

Oh what a week! What a weekend. How the scale must hate me now. We're not even on speaking terms. Avoiding each other at all costs (this could be one sided) I know we'll reconcile eventually but for now, I think it's best if we just stay out of each other's way.

Most of last week was spend on the road for work, although I did find time to catch up on your blogs in the evening, even if I didn't post, I'm still reading! This past weekend was a barrage of bad choices. Ugh. When will I learn? Friday Scott and I took a vacation day and headed out of town to get some Christmas shopping done. Oh how I hate the vacation AND out of town mentality. It took over at about 2:00pm when Scott and I split a pretzel from Pretzelmaker. I think my weekend can best be summed up in a GBU borrowed (stolen) from Marie.

Friday
The Good: We spent about 6-7 hours on our feet strolling through the mall, stores and shops. Hello activity!
The Bad: We ordered nachos and fajitas for supper from Lone Star.
The Ugly: 2 hours later we stopped at the Irving Big Stop for Cheesecake

Saturday
The Good: I started off the day with a great breakfast and walked around yet another craft fair for about 1.5 hours.
The Bad: There is always a fudge vendor at those stupid craft fairs.
The Ugly: Pizza was on the menu for supper and there may have been chocolate as well.

Sunday:
The Good: I ate on plan all day until.....supper
The Bad: We had company over and I made baked beans and brown bread. Except I forgot to put molasses in the brown bread (who forgets the molasses??) so it was really just white bread that tasted a little sweet.
The Ugly: Our company bought the most delicious apple pie I have ever tasted
The Really Ugly: They left it at our house instead of taking it home with them..... I had a second helping.

I feel like I just went to confessional.
Ok, that wasn't that bad was it? ok, it was. I know it. You know it. We all know it. What can I do about it now? Nothing. Except...I can follow Randi's advice and set myself a gym goal for this week to melt away those extra calories consumed over the weekend. I have put some thought into it and I think that 160 mins this week is a pretty fair number. What do you ladies think? That would bring me to 4 sessions of 40 mins. Maybe I should step it up a little though? Maybe 170 mins? Then 2 sessions, I could add 5- 10 mins of abs. Hmmm. Feedback please!

How did everyone's weekend go? How are the Holidays affecting your food plan? Or are they at all?