January 31, 2012
Crock Pot Stroganoff (2.5 syns)
Ingredients:
1 lb beef cubes
1/4 cup water
1 can cream of mushroom soup (we use low fat cream of chicken instead)
1 TBSP worcestershire sauce
4 oz reduced fat or fat free cream cheese, softened
Directions:
Place beef cubes, water, soup, and worcestershire sauce in crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add cream cheese before serving to thicken it up. Serve over egg noodles with veggie of your choice on the side or mixed in.
This serves 4 at about 2.5 syns per serving if you count the cream cheese as an HE. I usually double the recipe since I feed a family of 8.
1/31/2012 food diary and weigh in
Breakfast:
eggs
turkey bacon
cheese (HE)
Lunch:
salmon
baked sweet potato fries (I made them so syn free)
Snack:
Clancy's baked potato chips (1 syn)
orange
Dinner:
taco salad- lettuce, carrots, ground turkey, picante sauce, ff plain greek yogurt, shredded cheddar cheese (HE), pinto beans
Snack:
Bran cereal (HE)
Weigh in: 219.3 for a loss of exactly 1 lb. I was hoping for more but I'm pretty sure my being sick had something to do with it.
I"m still not feeling well. I took the day off today to try to rest and get better. I've been thinking about what is different now and why I struggle to lose weight compared to years ago. Aside from age, my HG pregnancies took a major toll on my metabolism, and I figured out that even though I didn't work out before, I still got plenty of exercise. In high school I took aerobics and weight training classes in school. My friends and I loved to go hiking and exploring in nature. In my 20s before I met my husband, my friends and I loved to go out to the clubs and would dance nonstop for hours at least 3 nights a week. Plus, I worked a job where I walked an average of 5 miles a day. Now, I have 6 kids to keep fed and sheltered so most of my time is spent at a desk at work and when I come home I sit and help them with homework and we eat dinner. By then its bed time and I'm too exhausted to even think about exercising. My day starts at 5:30 in the morning and I cannot see waking up any earlier than that to try to get exercise in. Its hard because I know I need to do it. I love to walk on the treadmill and I wish I could afford one for the house. I know I would use it. I bought a used elliptical a few years ago but it was off balance and I always felt like I was going to fall so I sold it. I have bought several exercise videos and I always start off doing them like I'm supposed to but then one day I don't have time, then another day I'm too tired, then eventually I'm not doing them at all.
eggs
turkey bacon
cheese (HE)
Lunch:
salmon
baked sweet potato fries (I made them so syn free)
Snack:
Clancy's baked potato chips (1 syn)
orange
Dinner:
taco salad- lettuce, carrots, ground turkey, picante sauce, ff plain greek yogurt, shredded cheddar cheese (HE), pinto beans
Snack:
Bran cereal (HE)
Weigh in: 219.3 for a loss of exactly 1 lb. I was hoping for more but I'm pretty sure my being sick had something to do with it.
I"m still not feeling well. I took the day off today to try to rest and get better. I've been thinking about what is different now and why I struggle to lose weight compared to years ago. Aside from age, my HG pregnancies took a major toll on my metabolism, and I figured out that even though I didn't work out before, I still got plenty of exercise. In high school I took aerobics and weight training classes in school. My friends and I loved to go hiking and exploring in nature. In my 20s before I met my husband, my friends and I loved to go out to the clubs and would dance nonstop for hours at least 3 nights a week. Plus, I worked a job where I walked an average of 5 miles a day. Now, I have 6 kids to keep fed and sheltered so most of my time is spent at a desk at work and when I come home I sit and help them with homework and we eat dinner. By then its bed time and I'm too exhausted to even think about exercising. My day starts at 5:30 in the morning and I cannot see waking up any earlier than that to try to get exercise in. Its hard because I know I need to do it. I love to walk on the treadmill and I wish I could afford one for the house. I know I would use it. I bought a used elliptical a few years ago but it was off balance and I always felt like I was going to fall so I sold it. I have bought several exercise videos and I always start off doing them like I'm supposed to but then one day I don't have time, then another day I'm too tired, then eventually I'm not doing them at all.
January 30, 2012
1/30/2012 food diary
Breakfast:
eggs
turkey bacon
Snack:
pineapple
Kellogg's fiber + antioxidant bar (HE)
Lunch:
chicken breast
broccoli, cauliflower, carrot medley
mashed sweet potato with splenda and cinnamon
Snack:
orange
Dinner:
whole wheat pasta
homemade spaghetti sauce
mozzarella and parmesan cheeses (HE)
eggs
turkey bacon
Snack:
pineapple
Kellogg's fiber + antioxidant bar (HE)
Lunch:
chicken breast
broccoli, cauliflower, carrot medley
mashed sweet potato with splenda and cinnamon
Snack:
orange
Dinner:
whole wheat pasta
homemade spaghetti sauce
mozzarella and parmesan cheeses (HE)
January 29, 2012
1/29/2012 food diary
Breakfast:
eggs
toast (HE)
applesauce (1.5 syns)
Lunch:
salad- lettuce, tomatoes, feta (HE), and black olives (1 syn)
lamb
tzatziki sauce (2 syns)
Snacks:
Clancy's brand baked BBQ flavored potato chips (2 syns)
1 lasagna noodle with ricotta and mozzarella cheese rolled up (HE)
Dinner:
salmon with sweet chili sauce (2 syns)
broccoli, carrot, and cauliflower medley
white rice with ICBINB spray
Evening snack:
FF peach flavored yogurt (1.5 syns)
Still not feeling great but at least I can breathe through my nose today. I spent a good portion of the afternoon making my lunches for the coming week. I figured that would be the best way to make sure I do right while at work, especially since I have been a bit lazy about my lunches this past week. Looking at my previous food diary entries I noticed that I'm not getting all my healthy extras in. This is something I definitely have to work on. I also counted up all my syns and realized I have 10 extras to play with tomorrow since Monday is the official last day of my SW week. I didn't do so great on getting in all my fruits and veggies today (they want you to get 5 servings or more) so I will work harder on that too. I still don't have much of an appetite so I think that will make a difference when I get back to myself. I also know I need to work on eating less pasta even though it is a free food, you still shouldn't overdo it. I don't have to be at work until 10:30 tomorrow morning so it will be nice to get some extra sleep in the morning.
eggs
toast (HE)
applesauce (1.5 syns)
Lunch:
salad- lettuce, tomatoes, feta (HE), and black olives (1 syn)
lamb
tzatziki sauce (2 syns)
Snacks:
Clancy's brand baked BBQ flavored potato chips (2 syns)
1 lasagna noodle with ricotta and mozzarella cheese rolled up (HE)
Dinner:
salmon with sweet chili sauce (2 syns)
broccoli, carrot, and cauliflower medley
white rice with ICBINB spray
Evening snack:
FF peach flavored yogurt (1.5 syns)
Still not feeling great but at least I can breathe through my nose today. I spent a good portion of the afternoon making my lunches for the coming week. I figured that would be the best way to make sure I do right while at work, especially since I have been a bit lazy about my lunches this past week. Looking at my previous food diary entries I noticed that I'm not getting all my healthy extras in. This is something I definitely have to work on. I also counted up all my syns and realized I have 10 extras to play with tomorrow since Monday is the official last day of my SW week. I didn't do so great on getting in all my fruits and veggies today (they want you to get 5 servings or more) so I will work harder on that too. I still don't have much of an appetite so I think that will make a difference when I get back to myself. I also know I need to work on eating less pasta even though it is a free food, you still shouldn't overdo it. I don't have to be at work until 10:30 tomorrow morning so it will be nice to get some extra sleep in the morning.
January 28, 2012
1/28/2012 food diary
Breakfast:
Sheetz bacon egg and cheese breakfast burrito (6.5 syns)
Mid-morning snack: (HE)
kellogs fiber + antioxidants bar
Lunch: mostly free
Salad from Sheetz- lattuce, carrots, black olives, hard boiled egg, ham, turkey, monterey-jack cheese, fat free italian dressing (1 syn, 1HE)
Mid-afternoon snack: free
pineapple
Dinner: free
homemade chicken noodle soup
Evening snack:
fat free food lion brand yogurt (1.5 syns)
Once again I had to force myself to eat half of my lunch. I'm stuck at work and sicker today than I was yesterday. I packed pineapple and syn free applesauce but I haven't wanted to eat anything. I only had breakfast so I could take my Dayquil without getting nauseous. I know I need to get the fruits in, especially the pineapple because of the vitamin C. Which reminds me, I should list the vitamins I take on a daily basis. I take iron due to anemia, vitamin C to help absorb the iron, B complex because I have all the symptoms of a B deficiency, and vitamin D3 because right now its winter time and I tend towards SAD or depression in the winter due to lack of sun exposure.
I'm also feeling very swollen. I know I'm retaining water which for me means I need to drink more because I am becoming dehydrated but I just can't stomach water right now. I'm trying to get fluids in but its just HARD right now. I guess when I get home this evening I will go for some broth and see if that helps, although the salt may make it worse. :( I just want to feel better.
I found out from my SW veteran friend that I have been counting my applesauce all wrong. I am supposed to be counting it as 1.5 syns due to the fruit being cooked. Thank you, Helen, for steering me straight on that :) I have updated the recipe to be called Yummy Almost Syn Free Applesauce and updated my syn values for the days I ate it this week. Since I was counting my syns wrong, I think I went over what I was supposed to have so I will have to be extra careful for the rest of this week.
Tomorrow is grocery day so I better get to planning the weeks meals so I can optimize my shopping trip like I optimize my food now. Should be fun :)
Sheetz bacon egg and cheese breakfast burrito (6.5 syns)
Mid-morning snack: (HE)
kellogs fiber + antioxidants bar
Lunch: mostly free
Salad from Sheetz- lattuce, carrots, black olives, hard boiled egg, ham, turkey, monterey-jack cheese, fat free italian dressing (1 syn, 1HE)
Mid-afternoon snack: free
pineapple
Dinner: free
homemade chicken noodle soup
Evening snack:
fat free food lion brand yogurt (1.5 syns)
Once again I had to force myself to eat half of my lunch. I'm stuck at work and sicker today than I was yesterday. I packed pineapple and syn free applesauce but I haven't wanted to eat anything. I only had breakfast so I could take my Dayquil without getting nauseous. I know I need to get the fruits in, especially the pineapple because of the vitamin C. Which reminds me, I should list the vitamins I take on a daily basis. I take iron due to anemia, vitamin C to help absorb the iron, B complex because I have all the symptoms of a B deficiency, and vitamin D3 because right now its winter time and I tend towards SAD or depression in the winter due to lack of sun exposure.
I'm also feeling very swollen. I know I'm retaining water which for me means I need to drink more because I am becoming dehydrated but I just can't stomach water right now. I'm trying to get fluids in but its just HARD right now. I guess when I get home this evening I will go for some broth and see if that helps, although the salt may make it worse. :( I just want to feel better.
I found out from my SW veteran friend that I have been counting my applesauce all wrong. I am supposed to be counting it as 1.5 syns due to the fruit being cooked. Thank you, Helen, for steering me straight on that :) I have updated the recipe to be called Yummy Almost Syn Free Applesauce and updated my syn values for the days I ate it this week. Since I was counting my syns wrong, I think I went over what I was supposed to have so I will have to be extra careful for the rest of this week.
Tomorrow is grocery day so I better get to planning the weeks meals so I can optimize my shopping trip like I optimize my food now. Should be fun :)
January 27, 2012
1/27/2012 food diary
Breakfast: all free
eggs
bacon
pineapple
Midmorning snack: HE
Kellogs fiber + antioxidants bar
cupcake (14 syns)
Lunch: mostly free
salisbury steak (2 syns)
corn
sweet potato
Dinner:
homemade chicken noodle soup- broth made from bullion, egg noodles, chicken, green beans, corn, peas, carrots, corn
Yes, I caved and ate a cupcake. I was hungry this morning and I still had 2 hours until my lunch break and I didn't pack an extra snack because I feel like shit. So, instead of choosing a semi-healthy snack from the machine at work, I ate that damn cupcake and it didn't even taste good because I can't taste anything! The texture was what I was looking for though and it worked. Thankfully I had a few extra syns to use from earlier this week. Yes, you can save up your syns and spend them later in the week if you want to :)
I'm still sick and even though I was hungry this morning, I have had no appetite since then. I had to force myself to eat half of my lunch because I know I need the energy and nutrients it provides. I didn't have an afternoon snack and I had to make myself eat a big bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. I wanted to leave work early today but another girl went home sick and another one didn't come in at all, so I was stuck. I'm exhausted and I have to be back at work at 7:00 am tomorrow morning. I hope my partner comes in tomorrow because no way am I doing it alone. I hope I feel better soon, this just down right sucks!
Its 6:21 and I am off to bed.
eggs
bacon
pineapple
Midmorning snack: HE
Kellogs fiber + antioxidants bar
cupcake (14 syns)
Lunch: mostly free
salisbury steak (2 syns)
corn
sweet potato
Dinner:
homemade chicken noodle soup- broth made from bullion, egg noodles, chicken, green beans, corn, peas, carrots, corn
Yes, I caved and ate a cupcake. I was hungry this morning and I still had 2 hours until my lunch break and I didn't pack an extra snack because I feel like shit. So, instead of choosing a semi-healthy snack from the machine at work, I ate that damn cupcake and it didn't even taste good because I can't taste anything! The texture was what I was looking for though and it worked. Thankfully I had a few extra syns to use from earlier this week. Yes, you can save up your syns and spend them later in the week if you want to :)
I'm still sick and even though I was hungry this morning, I have had no appetite since then. I had to force myself to eat half of my lunch because I know I need the energy and nutrients it provides. I didn't have an afternoon snack and I had to make myself eat a big bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. I wanted to leave work early today but another girl went home sick and another one didn't come in at all, so I was stuck. I'm exhausted and I have to be back at work at 7:00 am tomorrow morning. I hope my partner comes in tomorrow because no way am I doing it alone. I hope I feel better soon, this just down right sucks!
Its 6:21 and I am off to bed.
January 26, 2012
1/26/2012 food diary
Breakfast:
Sheetz bacon egg and cheese breakfast burrito (6.5 syns)
pineapple
Mid-morning snack: (HE)
kellogs fiber + antioxidants bar
Lunch: mostly free
Salad from Sheetz- lattuce, carrots, black olives, hard boiled egg, ham, turkey, monterey-jack cheese, fat free italian dressing (1 syn, 1HE)
Mid-afternoon snack: free
banana
Dinner:
homemade salisbury steak (1.8 syns)
gravy (1 syn)
potato
corn
Evening snack: free
homemade almost syn free apple sauce
I am sick. I woke up with a sore throat and my sinuses are gross. This is going to be a rough few days because when I get sick I also get lazy and I crave comfort food. My laziness is apparent in today's food diary with the breakfast burrito and the pre-made salad. All I want to do is get in bed and try to sleep this off but I had to go to work instead. Oh how I wish we were rich so I could be a stay at home mommy!
Well, one good thing about my lack of taste right now, I was able to turn down the yummy looking cupcakes at work without feeling even a twinge of wanting to go back and get one. I'm not sure I would have kept my willpower if I had taste buds today. I can't wait to take some nyquil and drift off into never never land. I just hope the 3 year old actually sleeps tonight, last night she didn't do so good.
Sheetz bacon egg and cheese breakfast burrito (6.5 syns)
pineapple
Mid-morning snack: (HE)
kellogs fiber + antioxidants bar
Lunch: mostly free
Salad from Sheetz- lattuce, carrots, black olives, hard boiled egg, ham, turkey, monterey-jack cheese, fat free italian dressing (1 syn, 1HE)
Mid-afternoon snack: free
banana
Dinner:
homemade salisbury steak (1.8 syns)
gravy (1 syn)
potato
corn
Evening snack: free
homemade almost syn free apple sauce
I am sick. I woke up with a sore throat and my sinuses are gross. This is going to be a rough few days because when I get sick I also get lazy and I crave comfort food. My laziness is apparent in today's food diary with the breakfast burrito and the pre-made salad. All I want to do is get in bed and try to sleep this off but I had to go to work instead. Oh how I wish we were rich so I could be a stay at home mommy!
Well, one good thing about my lack of taste right now, I was able to turn down the yummy looking cupcakes at work without feeling even a twinge of wanting to go back and get one. I'm not sure I would have kept my willpower if I had taste buds today. I can't wait to take some nyquil and drift off into never never land. I just hope the 3 year old actually sleeps tonight, last night she didn't do so good.
January 25, 2012
1/25/2012 food diary
Breakfast: all free
eggs
turkey bacon
pineapple
Mid morning snack: HE
Kellogs fiber + antioxidants bar
Lunch: all free
chicken breast
broccoli
sweet potato mashed with splenda and cinnamon
Mid afternoon snack: free
banana
Dinner: all free
spaghetti noodles
homemade spaghetti sauce with ground turkey
Evening snack: free
0% fat free plain greek yogurt with splenda
cheddar cheese (HE)
Cheese curls (7 syns)
I feel like I'm eating too much. I am probably eating triple what I was eating before, even on Atkins. I love that I can eat fruit again! I didn't eat fruit for a year and I missed it so much! I'm not having any sweet cravings at all and I really attribute that to the fact that I am eating plenty of fruit. When I was doing Atkins I craved sweets constantly. I am finding that I forget to eat my afternoon snack at work so I have been eating my banana on my ride home from work. I hope this lasts!
I got worried about how much I am eating and thought I might be taking in too many calories so I entered my food for yesterday and today into my food journal on myfitnesspal.com and guess what, I am right at 1200 calories a day! When I did Atkins it was closer to 2000 and even though they kept telling me calories didn't matter, I really think it did.
I kind of can't wait for the next weigh in on Tuesday :)
eggs
turkey bacon
pineapple
Mid morning snack: HE
Kellogs fiber + antioxidants bar
Lunch: all free
chicken breast
broccoli
sweet potato mashed with splenda and cinnamon
Mid afternoon snack: free
banana
Dinner: all free
spaghetti noodles
homemade spaghetti sauce with ground turkey
Evening snack: free
0% fat free plain greek yogurt with splenda
cheddar cheese (HE)
Cheese curls (7 syns)
I feel like I'm eating too much. I am probably eating triple what I was eating before, even on Atkins. I love that I can eat fruit again! I didn't eat fruit for a year and I missed it so much! I'm not having any sweet cravings at all and I really attribute that to the fact that I am eating plenty of fruit. When I was doing Atkins I craved sweets constantly. I am finding that I forget to eat my afternoon snack at work so I have been eating my banana on my ride home from work. I hope this lasts!
I got worried about how much I am eating and thought I might be taking in too many calories so I entered my food for yesterday and today into my food journal on myfitnesspal.com and guess what, I am right at 1200 calories a day! When I did Atkins it was closer to 2000 and even though they kept telling me calories didn't matter, I really think it did.
I kind of can't wait for the next weigh in on Tuesday :)
Yummy Almost Syn Free Apple Sauce
I discovered this by accident. I was making baked apples and I over cooked them so they were kind of mushy. I figured out that if I mashed them up with my fork it made the best tasting apple sauce I have ever had!
Ingredients:
Apples- I use Granny Smith
1 TBSP splenda for each apple
1/8 tsp cinnamon for each apple
Directions:
Peel apples and cut them into about 8 pieces each
toss with splenda and cinnamon
bake covered for 40 minutes at 375
let cool then mash with a fork
this tastes awesome warm or cold and it keeps well in the fridge. It is fast becoming my favorite after dinner snack.
Due to the apples being cooked, it makes this 1.5 syns.
Ingredients:
Apples- I use Granny Smith
1 TBSP splenda for each apple
1/8 tsp cinnamon for each apple
Directions:
Peel apples and cut them into about 8 pieces each
toss with splenda and cinnamon
bake covered for 40 minutes at 375
let cool then mash with a fork
this tastes awesome warm or cold and it keeps well in the fridge. It is fast becoming my favorite after dinner snack.
Due to the apples being cooked, it makes this 1.5 syns.
January 24, 2012
1/24/2012 food diary
Breakfast: all free
eggs
slices turkey bacon
pineapple
Mid morning snack: HE
Kellogs fiber + antioxidants bar
Lunch: all free
chicken breast with picante sauce
carrots
baked potato with I Can't Believe Its Not Butter spray
Mid afternoon snack: free
banana
Dinner: free
shrimp
broccoli
rice
sauce (5 syns)
evening snack: free
apple
cheddar cheese (HE)
eggs
slices turkey bacon
pineapple
Mid morning snack: HE
Kellogs fiber + antioxidants bar
Lunch: all free
chicken breast with picante sauce
carrots
baked potato with I Can't Believe Its Not Butter spray
Mid afternoon snack: free
banana
Dinner: free
shrimp
broccoli
rice
sauce (5 syns)
evening snack: free
apple
cheddar cheese (HE)
How does it work?
I can't give too many details otherwise people wouldn't have to sign up to the SW website and then I could get in big trouble.
Basically there are lists of foods you can eat. There is a free foods list that includes fruits, veggies, and meats which you can eat as much of as you want. Seriously, no measuring or weighing, you just eat until you are satisfied. Then there is the healthy extras list which consists of dairy products as well as high fiber choices of stuff like cereals or breads and some soups and snacks. You should have 2 measured dairy products and 1 fiber choice a day. They want you to eat your 5 fruits and veggies. The last list is your syns. I can have 10 syns a day. A syn is anything that is not on the list and allows you to splurge on the really yummy stuff like your sweets, chips, cakes, higher fat foods, etc. This is all called food optimizing and it is supposed to work really well.
Basically there are lists of foods you can eat. There is a free foods list that includes fruits, veggies, and meats which you can eat as much of as you want. Seriously, no measuring or weighing, you just eat until you are satisfied. Then there is the healthy extras list which consists of dairy products as well as high fiber choices of stuff like cereals or breads and some soups and snacks. You should have 2 measured dairy products and 1 fiber choice a day. They want you to eat your 5 fruits and veggies. The last list is your syns. I can have 10 syns a day. A syn is anything that is not on the list and allows you to splurge on the really yummy stuff like your sweets, chips, cakes, higher fat foods, etc. This is all called food optimizing and it is supposed to work really well.
WHY do I want to lose weight?
That is the question, isn't it?
When I was younger I would have said I wanted to lose weight because I want to be sexy. Thats not the case now. Of course I want to look good, who doesn't? But my figure is not my #1 motivator. I want to be healthy. Almost everyone on my mother's side of the family is diabetic. They are also all obese. My father is in remission from colon cancer. I don't want these health issues. I just don't. I also want to be here for my kids and future grandkids for as long as possible. I don't want them to worry about me like I worry about my parents.
Right now I have a pretty good body image. I'm comfortable in my skin. I don't feel like I look terrible and my husband is sure happy with me just the way I am, he still can't keep his hands to himself 10 years and almost 100 lb later. I guess that mean he really does love me, lol. Don't get me wrong, there are parts of me I would change in a second if given the chance. I hate the apron I have where my flat stomach used to be. I know that it should be considered beautiful because it is came from having babies (3 c-sections cause it), but I still hate it. I couldn't care less about my stretch marks, I don't want to wear a bikini anyway. I would also make my butt a little rounder and my calves more shapely. But those aren't the reasons I am on this journey.
I won't lie, it feels great when I see the number on the scale go down. Its almost like a high and I'm usually in a great mood all day long after a good weigh in. When that number goes up I get kind of depressed and I tend to obsess over what may have caused it and how to make it better next time.
I officially signed up for SW last tuesday. I started the plan with almost nothing in my house that is on their food list but I made do. I met up with some friends on saturday who I only see once in a while and I said "fuck it" and ate what I wanted. I had chips, cheese cake, brownies, 2 types of pasta salad, potato salad, and a whole bottle of wine. How do you think my weigh in went this morning? Yup, I gained. But thats ok, I knew I would. I'm actually counting today as the start of my SW adventure.
Official start weight as of this morning: 220.3 lb
When I was younger I would have said I wanted to lose weight because I want to be sexy. Thats not the case now. Of course I want to look good, who doesn't? But my figure is not my #1 motivator. I want to be healthy. Almost everyone on my mother's side of the family is diabetic. They are also all obese. My father is in remission from colon cancer. I don't want these health issues. I just don't. I also want to be here for my kids and future grandkids for as long as possible. I don't want them to worry about me like I worry about my parents.
Right now I have a pretty good body image. I'm comfortable in my skin. I don't feel like I look terrible and my husband is sure happy with me just the way I am, he still can't keep his hands to himself 10 years and almost 100 lb later. I guess that mean he really does love me, lol. Don't get me wrong, there are parts of me I would change in a second if given the chance. I hate the apron I have where my flat stomach used to be. I know that it should be considered beautiful because it is came from having babies (3 c-sections cause it), but I still hate it. I couldn't care less about my stretch marks, I don't want to wear a bikini anyway. I would also make my butt a little rounder and my calves more shapely. But those aren't the reasons I am on this journey.
I won't lie, it feels great when I see the number on the scale go down. Its almost like a high and I'm usually in a great mood all day long after a good weigh in. When that number goes up I get kind of depressed and I tend to obsess over what may have caused it and how to make it better next time.
I officially signed up for SW last tuesday. I started the plan with almost nothing in my house that is on their food list but I made do. I met up with some friends on saturday who I only see once in a while and I said "fuck it" and ate what I wanted. I had chips, cheese cake, brownies, 2 types of pasta salad, potato salad, and a whole bottle of wine. How do you think my weigh in went this morning? Yup, I gained. But thats ok, I knew I would. I'm actually counting today as the start of my SW adventure.
Official start weight as of this morning: 220.3 lb
My Dieting History
My name is Jessica I have been yo-yo dieting for 19 years.
I was a skinny little kid, so skinny in fact that my family referred to me as Tiny Hiney. I stayed skinny up until I hit puberty at age 13. It was like a switch went off when I got my first period I began gaining weight. I went from a size 14 little girls size to a size 14 junior size in the course of a year, that is about a 50 lb weight gain. I didn't feel fat at that time, I just felt like I was growing up. I was getting curves, I finally had boobs and my butt was nice. I had no problems with my weight or how I looked until I was around 15 years old.
When I started high school everything changed. Suddenly every girl I knew was talking about how fat she was and how she needed to lose weight, and most of them were much thinner than me. So obviously if they were fat and needed to lose weight, I must be a whale.
When I was growing up my mother always had weight issues. Over the years she has lost and gained 100+ lb multiple times. She was a member of Over-eaters Anonymous for years and had tried the Cabbage Soup Diet among others.
When I was 15 Mom decided to start going to Diet Workshop meetings and was losing weight pretty easily. I asked if I could join too and she said ok. I was 5'2 and 150 lb wearing a size 14 jean. Over the next year I reached my goal of 122 lb and was in a size 5 jean. I did not follow the plan exactly, in fact I didn't really follow it well at all and it is amazing that I lost weight at all. Probably the one thing that really helped was that I was very active going hiking with friends, riding my bike, taking weight training and aerobics classes at school, etc. Unfortunately within weeks of reaching my goal my boyfriend was killed in a car accident and that sparked a period of binge eating for me that lasted over a year.
When I was 18 fen-phen became well known and my mother and I went to the doctor and got our prescriptions. I didn't lose any weight at all and the doctor kicked me off the program.
When I was 20 I had my first child and was disowned by my parents. I had a very difficult pregnancy and lost almost 50 lb due to a condition known as Hyperemesis Gravidarum. I was on my own and had lost my job so was depending on food stamps and WIC to feed my baby who needed special formula. For about a year I survived on 1 dry bagel a day and tap water to drink. I lost even more weight and was back down to about 125 lb. Gradually things got better and when I was able to eat well again I did.
When I was 23 I was up to 178 lb and I decided to go to Weight Watchers. By this time I had been reunited with my family and I was going to meetings with my mother. I lost 30 lb and got down to 148 lb. Then I met my husband and I stopped going to meetings because, well, you know, he was more important *eye roll*. Anyway, I kept the weight off until I had our twin boys. I actually gained weight during that pregnancy even though it was another difficult one.
After the twins were born when I was 26, I started back at Weight Watchers right away. I was 190 lb. I lost 32 lb and got down to 158 lb by following the plan and working out regularly at Curves. Then my work hours changed and we bought a house. I could no longer get to Curves during their open hours- I swear, they had really weird hours! And with a new mortgage to get used to paying, the $12 a week WW fee was hard to come up with. So I quit. And I stopped following the plan. And I gained weight. Then I got pregnant again.
After I had my son at age 29, I tried to go back to WW but my heart just wasn't in it. So I just did nothing for 4 years. During that time I had another baby, a little girl, when I was 31 and her pregnancy was another rough one and I lost weight. I started the pregnancy at 245 lb and ended it at 230 lb. I managed to maintain that weight for 2 years but then I felt it creeping up again.
When I was 32 I went back to Weight Watchers. I went for about 8 months and lost a whopping 18 lb. I went from 238 lb to 220 lb. And I got tired of going and of counting and weighing and measuring. So I quit. And I gained every ounce back. I was still on the scale every week and when it showed me 238 lb again, I decided not to let it get any higher.
Last year, at age 33 and 238 lb, I decided to give Atkins a try. Diabetes runs rampant in my family and while I don't have it yet, I figured a low carb diet would be the best way to go. It has taken a full year but I have lost 20 lb. But its too slow for me and I have been stalled at 218 lb for almost 4 months! Its time for a change.
I have a friend named Helen who decided about a year and a half ago to do something about her own weight issues. Over the course of about 6 months she lost 50 lb and has kept it off for a year now. She eats tons of food, doesn't count calories, weigh, or measure. She is never hungry and the pictures she sends me of her food are amazing! She has done all of this on a program called Slimming World. She lives in the UK and was able to go to meetings. SW is still new to the US and they only have meetings in Texas. Since I live in NC I couldn't very well go to a meeting. They now have a USA website and I was able to join online and get all the information I needed as well as books and tons of recipes. I can't believe how easy this looks like it is going to be!
So, I will be using this blog to keep myself accountable. I will be posting what I eat each day as well as my feelings and frustrations. I will update my weight each week and I will post recipes that I like. I don't really care if anyone else reads this or not, but if they do and I can help them, then Welcome! :)
I was a skinny little kid, so skinny in fact that my family referred to me as Tiny Hiney. I stayed skinny up until I hit puberty at age 13. It was like a switch went off when I got my first period I began gaining weight. I went from a size 14 little girls size to a size 14 junior size in the course of a year, that is about a 50 lb weight gain. I didn't feel fat at that time, I just felt like I was growing up. I was getting curves, I finally had boobs and my butt was nice. I had no problems with my weight or how I looked until I was around 15 years old.
When I started high school everything changed. Suddenly every girl I knew was talking about how fat she was and how she needed to lose weight, and most of them were much thinner than me. So obviously if they were fat and needed to lose weight, I must be a whale.
When I was growing up my mother always had weight issues. Over the years she has lost and gained 100+ lb multiple times. She was a member of Over-eaters Anonymous for years and had tried the Cabbage Soup Diet among others.
When I was 15 Mom decided to start going to Diet Workshop meetings and was losing weight pretty easily. I asked if I could join too and she said ok. I was 5'2 and 150 lb wearing a size 14 jean. Over the next year I reached my goal of 122 lb and was in a size 5 jean. I did not follow the plan exactly, in fact I didn't really follow it well at all and it is amazing that I lost weight at all. Probably the one thing that really helped was that I was very active going hiking with friends, riding my bike, taking weight training and aerobics classes at school, etc. Unfortunately within weeks of reaching my goal my boyfriend was killed in a car accident and that sparked a period of binge eating for me that lasted over a year.
When I was 18 fen-phen became well known and my mother and I went to the doctor and got our prescriptions. I didn't lose any weight at all and the doctor kicked me off the program.
When I was 20 I had my first child and was disowned by my parents. I had a very difficult pregnancy and lost almost 50 lb due to a condition known as Hyperemesis Gravidarum. I was on my own and had lost my job so was depending on food stamps and WIC to feed my baby who needed special formula. For about a year I survived on 1 dry bagel a day and tap water to drink. I lost even more weight and was back down to about 125 lb. Gradually things got better and when I was able to eat well again I did.
When I was 23 I was up to 178 lb and I decided to go to Weight Watchers. By this time I had been reunited with my family and I was going to meetings with my mother. I lost 30 lb and got down to 148 lb. Then I met my husband and I stopped going to meetings because, well, you know, he was more important *eye roll*. Anyway, I kept the weight off until I had our twin boys. I actually gained weight during that pregnancy even though it was another difficult one.
After the twins were born when I was 26, I started back at Weight Watchers right away. I was 190 lb. I lost 32 lb and got down to 158 lb by following the plan and working out regularly at Curves. Then my work hours changed and we bought a house. I could no longer get to Curves during their open hours- I swear, they had really weird hours! And with a new mortgage to get used to paying, the $12 a week WW fee was hard to come up with. So I quit. And I stopped following the plan. And I gained weight. Then I got pregnant again.
After I had my son at age 29, I tried to go back to WW but my heart just wasn't in it. So I just did nothing for 4 years. During that time I had another baby, a little girl, when I was 31 and her pregnancy was another rough one and I lost weight. I started the pregnancy at 245 lb and ended it at 230 lb. I managed to maintain that weight for 2 years but then I felt it creeping up again.
When I was 32 I went back to Weight Watchers. I went for about 8 months and lost a whopping 18 lb. I went from 238 lb to 220 lb. And I got tired of going and of counting and weighing and measuring. So I quit. And I gained every ounce back. I was still on the scale every week and when it showed me 238 lb again, I decided not to let it get any higher.
Last year, at age 33 and 238 lb, I decided to give Atkins a try. Diabetes runs rampant in my family and while I don't have it yet, I figured a low carb diet would be the best way to go. It has taken a full year but I have lost 20 lb. But its too slow for me and I have been stalled at 218 lb for almost 4 months! Its time for a change.
I have a friend named Helen who decided about a year and a half ago to do something about her own weight issues. Over the course of about 6 months she lost 50 lb and has kept it off for a year now. She eats tons of food, doesn't count calories, weigh, or measure. She is never hungry and the pictures she sends me of her food are amazing! She has done all of this on a program called Slimming World. She lives in the UK and was able to go to meetings. SW is still new to the US and they only have meetings in Texas. Since I live in NC I couldn't very well go to a meeting. They now have a USA website and I was able to join online and get all the information I needed as well as books and tons of recipes. I can't believe how easy this looks like it is going to be!
So, I will be using this blog to keep myself accountable. I will be posting what I eat each day as well as my feelings and frustrations. I will update my weight each week and I will post recipes that I like. I don't really care if anyone else reads this or not, but if they do and I can help them, then Welcome! :)
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