Not so good day but still 100% OP

I just found out I got charged $100 for not showing up to an appointment that I simply forgot. I feel so stupid (plus I thought the charge was $50, not $100, I don't know when they changed that). I still have appointments left with them so I don't know about contesting.

Anyway it's not been a very good study day at all and my test is tomorrow. Nevertheless I feel proud that I have otherwise stayed on plan, even though I am totally stressing out. I really wanted to open and devour the bag of chocolate chips in my pantry today but instead I made some hot tea. That's a huge step for me.

I'm a little hungrier today but I'm still on track to use my points and maybe the 3APs I earned biking today (yay for running errands quickly AND getting exercise in). Anyway, no matter what happens at the test tomorrow (and in the 64 hours of writing madness that will follow it), I think I should acknowledge and be proud of the small victories.

New trick!

I don't know why I've never done this before ... but I did this kind of by accident the other day and I've just repeated it today. It seems to work really well.

I basically took a whole bunch of fresh vegetables (8 medium sized white-cap mushrooms, two bunches of green beans, 3 red peppers, 2 heads of broccoli) and stirfried them without oil, instead using a mix of low-sodium soy sauce and balsamic vinegar as well as salt and pepper and red peper flakes (for a kick). Obviously that was a LOT of servings of veggies, so I have been eating them slowly with every meal.

I've had them for breakfast with an egg and egg white stirred in. I've had them for lunch with brown rice and fat free mozzarella (like a veggie risotto). I've had them for dinner with some tuna fish. The possibilities are endless!

The thing that I like about it is that it's tasty and it's done. Whenever I end up eating junk food, it's partly because doing anything with veggies takes too long, or I'm tired of the fruits I have at the moment, etc. It's usually an excuse, sure, but this makes it less probable that I'll have an excuse. Plus, it makes it much easier to feel satisfied on 20 points per day (or 19 when I get back into the 130s).

I think I'll keep doing this for a while, trying different sauces with the veggies (and different veggies).

Wow - you can have so much food for 20 points!

Wow - who would've thought you could eat THIS much on a diet? I haven't made dinner yet but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be very satisfied today (been doing well all day in terms of food).

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Morning
1 item(s) egg	2
1/2 cup(s) mushroom(s)	0
2/3 cup(s) fat-free skim milk	1
1 tsp canola oil	1
1 item(s) egg white(s)	0
1 cup(s) cooked sweet red pepper strips	0
Subtotal	4
Midday
3 1/2 oz cooked brown rice	2
28 gm shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese	1
1/2 cup(s) cooked sweet red pepper strips	0
3 spear(s) cooked broccoli	0
Subtotal	3
Evening
4 1/2 oz cooked tuna	3.5
4 oz cooked brown rice	2
10 oz mushroom(s)	1
4 oz cooked green beans	0
1 cup(s) cooked sweet red pepper strips	0
85 gm Vanilla Ice Cream	3
30 gm pineapple	0
1/4 cup(s) strawberries	0
Subtotal	9.5
Anytime
88 gm strawberries	0
150 gm pineapple	1
100 gm Non fat	0.5
1 serving(s) Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop Butter Popcorn (half a full bag)	2
Subtotal	3.5
Food POINTS values total used	20
Food POINTS values remaining	0
Activity
22 min bicycling, fast	3
Activity POINTS values earned	3
Check off these important items daily:
Water Milk & Milk Products Fruit & Vegetables Multivitamin Healthy Oils Activity

The right outfit really makes you feel good

Or in this case, the right dress. I've been feeling down for more than a month for letting myself gain weight, and DF at least could see that. He hasn't seen this dress yet, but we're about to go to a holiday party and holy smokes! Am I glad I spent the $80 on this Suzi Chin dress! (I got it through RueLaLa, message me if you aren't a member). Actually I just followed my own link to Nordstrom and saw more of her dresses, she even has them in plus sizes--how awesome!

I don't know if this will be the end of my upward spiral (I really want it to be) but putting this dress on (and I'm sure what will follow tonight, I will update my post!) has given me the inspiration to get back on there!

Fessing up

I weighed in this morning at home (still haven't returned to meetings) and updated my stats. I am now at 145.4. :(

This time last year I weighed 139.

Thinking about it that way makes me depressed. But I think that kind of attitude has been holding me back (I'm already up, who cares if I have another piece of chocolate? etc.)

I have started taking control back. Today, I've tracked everything that's gone into my mouth and so far I've got 4 veggie servings, 2 dairies and 1 oil. I have to drink more water. I've still got 8 points left, and later on I'm going to do some light biking/spinning while studying. I have a holiday party to go to today, and I resolve to enjoy the people, not the food!

Stress eating

That's what I've been doing lately. Stress eating and not exercising is a very bad combination. I have 5 more days till my final exam and then 2 days to write a paper. I am way behind on everything I was supposed to do and I'm feeling very unprepared and overwhelmed--enter the almost unbearable need to eat things that are bad for me.

I'm not sure what the answer is. I'm trying to take it one day at a time for these days. I'm trying not to procrastinate so I don't feel so overwhelmed (it's an endless cycle that's hard to get out of). After my paper is turned in I will have two weeks of vacation during which I need to rethink my goals in life and how I'm going to fit exercise and health back in.

Going to gym today

I was looking at some pictures from this past weekend (such as the one on the right) and wow ... you can totally tell that I've gained weight on my face. It's only a few pounds but it's noticeable!

I started the day with a mostly egg white omelet and some fruit and coffee and I'm headed to the gym after my 2:30 class today. It just has to happen. No excuses.

There'll be some running and lots of weight training.

I faced the scale

Today isn't my official weigh in day so it doesn't exactly count, but I got on the scale and took a look. I think it's under because I was so good yesterday, but I'll take it! It read 142. The bad part was that my body fat is up 31.8%. That is way too high. It's borderline unhealthy. I need to work on that.

Today

Let's see how I did ...

The bad: I skipped gym to supposedly work and then didn't work as hard as I really should've(watched TV while working, that's never good). I also had two pieces of chocolate late at night. Shouldn't have stayed up so late.

The okay:

Food today:
- coffee with splash ff milk (0)
- light english muffin with hummus (2)
- small banana (1.5)
- lean cuisine grilled chicken club (6)
- 1 apple (1)
- 1 cup of pineapple (1)
- 1 cup of watermelon chunks (1)
- 1 bag of wheat honey pretzels (3)
- 1 grilled cheese sandwich with 1 ounce 50% ff pepperjack cheese and 1 tomato (4)
- 2 chocolates (4)

I biked back and forth from school today, I'd say that's 2 APs total.

That's not too bad, about 6 servings of F/V, some dairy, a little bit of exercise. Not a bad start.

The Great: I passed by a vending machine today and saw that I could get two packs of Starbusts for the price of one. I almost did it. Then I thought, what is the point of that? Of course I'll eat them all and there's absolutely no reason to do it.

Can't think of a good title

I have readers? :) Donna, thanks for your post! I didn't think anyone was reading this (no one I know personally knows about this blog). You've inspired me to keep posting and stay accountable.

I haven't officially weighed in for a couple of weeks, but I know I'm up from 142 (probably at 145 right now) which would put me in the "overweight" category again. I feel disgusted with myself and yet I know how feeling that way usually leads to me eating MORE instead of less. I'm trying to take it one day at a time until my final exams are over in two weeks. Afterwards, I will have more time to work out (at least during vacation through January) and DF has a plan for us that we will work out EVERY DAY during vacation. I think we can do that. I don't ever want to go back to where I was, and I will fight like hell against it.