And so it begins... HOORAY!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!
I think my sleep deprivation from the last few days is catching up to me... plus the excitement of the season. i'm so emotional today... I'm crying for no reason (not bauling, just periodically tears come out. i don't know why!). I think i'm just so happy to have Simon with us for Christmas this year... and every year now I get sad that my grandparents aren't here for Christmas yet again... and this year I get sad because they never got to meet Simon... but then again, I do believe these emotions are also heightened by lack of sleep (due to my christmas excitement insomnia).

Today i'm heading to mom and dad's to do last minute baking and cleaning preparations for the big christmas gathering tomorrow. tomorrow my dad's sister and her husband and their kids and grandkids will come over (dad's family minus dad's brother - we really don't associate with him anymore). In total there will be about 20 of us (just my dad and his sister and their families between the 2 of them. that's a lot for just 2 siblings. i bet my grandparents would love that between dad and aunt bonnie they have 20 family members. actually, only 1 of which they never met [Simon]). Sunday it's back to toronto for christmas here. Monday i work in the morning (not that I plan on working! i just didn't want to use a full vacation day for a half day of work!). I'll leave work on Monday and head to pontypool. from there we will get all dressed up and head up to cameron for our christmas eve party at aunt faye's. santa comes and hands out gifts, it's very exciting. we'll leave there and head back to pontypool. typically we're home around midnight... who knows how early we'll leave for Simon this year. We'll come home and get our christmas eve pj's and head to bed... then we'll be up as early as Simon permits (this is the ONE year I will cave and not make people get up at 7am) and open gifts. from there we have to rush to get BACK to cameron and go to grandma's farm for christmas lunch... and then we spend the day there (minus michele, jacob and simon - they'll be at the ruff's). by christmas day night the 4 of us left (mom, dad, kristen and myself) plop on the couch and don't move until the 27th. boxing day we do nothing and i think we love it!

i have a plan of attack for my food. i'm so determined NOT to gain weight... but it may be inevitable. i was at walmart at 6:30 this morning to finish up shopping i FORGOT i had to do (buy mom and dad's xmas eve gifts from santa). i was there for an hour... it was fun actually. so close to christmas and walmart was EMPTY! i also bought tons of cup of soups and healthy request soups... my plan is to have soup as snacks and lunch as much as i can... i don't know why that is my plan. it just is. i also am taking home my tuna that i really like (costco ocean's tuna)... alex and i are likely going to costco on the 28th so i can buy more then... so i'm taking what i've got home with me to help me survive the holidays!

so far today i've had a ww bagel (2) with light cheese (2).

i will check in over the holidays every day of course... the posts will be short and without graphics due to being at mom's... but i will be a devoted blogger!!!

I'm so psychic

I was up.

But, I guess the good news is I was only up 0.8. not even a whole pound.

I ate my sub for dinner and had 3 lindor chocolates... actually, 4 chocolates now that I think about it. now i'm not feeling great... my stomach is NOT settled!

I may just put a movie on in my room and curl up in bed and call it a night!

I'll be back tomorrow before I head to Pontypool for CHRISTMAS!

Last WI before Christmas... no goal

I won't be reaching my goal. I'm sure i'm up today as well (but haven't stepped on the scale. I'm practicting avoidance). But just for ritualistic sake:


I should mention one good thing about my week. Yesterday we had our office holiday lunch and I didn't touch any of it! The agency supplied the food and all of us bakers brought in treats... I touched NOTHING! I ate my healthy lunch I took with me and didn't touch the desserts. It was pretty easy to do when I was still feeling guilty about eating all that nutri whip and the cupcake from the night before!

Good luck TARA!!!

You win some, you lose some

I'm going to be up tomorrow. There's no way around it at this point. My food has been acceptable, but I'm sure I could have done better. I was really hoping to reach a certain weight for Christmas... but if it doesn't happen this week, it will happen after Christmas. I keep telling myself it's OKAY.

Here's today's menu:
BF - applesauce (1), ww rye bread (1), 2 tbsp blue menu almond butter (4)
Lunch - romaine (0), cheese (2), tuna (1), olives (1), balsamic spritzer (0). yogurt (1). cup of soup (1)
Dinner - same salad as lunch (4). 30g of almonds (4). Nutri whip left over from last night, 6tbsp (2) - yes, I know that's not a very healthy desser for dinner, but it looked good!

Good luck tomorrow TARA! I hope you do better than me!!!

Woe is me

The scale has only gone UP over the past 2 days. I guess eating all those 100cal packs yesterday was a bad idea really. Desperate times may call for desperate measures and tomorrow may have to include the treadmill. I'll have to MAKE time. I really wanted to lose 3lbs this week (well, 2.6lbs i'd be happy with). At this rate it may not happen. I'll be sad if it doesn't!

Today consisted of work, going with the bride to look at dresses at lunch (that was fun!), then out with Alex after work. We didn't take time to eat so I didn't eat dinner until after 8pm... which I don't like to do, but sometimes it's unavoidable.

Today:
BF - yogurt (1), apple (1)
Lunch - lettuce (0), tuna (1), cheese (2), olives (1), FF italian 3tbsp (0). yogurt (1), orange (1)
Dinner - lettuce (0), 2 turkey pepperettes (2), light feta (2), olives (1), FF italian (1pt when combined with the drsg at lunch). tasting the cool whip frosting I made (3 maybe? i'll over estimate). walnuts (2)

Okay, time for biggest loser. I'm with you, TARA - I really don't care who wins!

Who doesn't LOVE pajama pants?

The first thing I do when I come home is slip into a pair of comfy pj pants... it puts me into 'relax, you're at home now' mode. The work day is over, it's time to be comfortable!

Today was one of those days where I couldn't wait to put on my pj pants!

I left Pontypool at 10, got to my place by 11, unpacked, showered, packed dinner, made lunch (all in ONE HOUR) and headed right back out the door to back track to Whitby and work. By the time I got to work I was very tired!

The good news? ONE WEEK FROM TONIGHT IS CHRISTMAS EVE!!!

I struggled a bit more... it was an 'off' day, I was exhausted... and I just wanted snacks all day.

To be honest, I was rather discouraged. I need to start taking MY scale to mom and dad's. My scale here had me 3lbs higher than the one in my sister's bathroom... so, over the holidays when I'm there for a few days - my scale goes with me. I need ACCURATE readings of where I stand with my own consistent scale (note to self - still need a new battery for the scale).

Here's what I had today:
BF - ate 2 100cal packs on the road (4 - BAD JEN)
Snack at apt - 2 more 100 cal packs (4)
Lunch - 2 ww tortillas (2), 2 oz chicken breast (2), 5 kalamata olives (1), 1 FF cheese slice (1), mustard (0), TWO MORE 100 CAL PACKS (4)
Dinner at work - smart ones (6), 100 cal pack (2)

I came, I baked, I CONQUERED

It's taking me forever to post this because I'm posting from DIAL UP at mom and dad's (now THAT is dedication - TARA, I know you can empathize on Pontypool internet frustrations!)

Basically, I've kicked butt this weekend at home. Yesterday I didn't end up eating much because I wasn't hungry, came home and helped with Simon and ended up holding him for his whole nap because napping was tough for him yesterday... before I knew it, it was dinner. I had chicken (3), stovetop stuffing (3), pasta/vegetable stuff which I do know was (2pts) because I made a point of looking on the package, parisienne potatoes x8 (3 i think? i forget now). I had a 100cal chocolate bar for dessert (2), and a 100cal pack for snack later (2). this is on top of my yogurt for breakfast (1) and my cup a soup as a mid afternoon snack (1).

I ate more today, but that was okay because I didn't eat all of my points yesterday. I have done SOME snacking while baking... but overall I'm really pleased with the lack of snacking I've done, I could have done a LOT more damage... i just kept reminding myself how I want to lose at least 3lbs this week and reach the 70 mark for christmas (what a great gift to myself, no?).

Today:
BF - yogurt (1), apple (1), ww tortilla (1), cheese slice (1)
Lunch - lettuce (0), cheese string (1), 1/2c tuna (2), spring roll (3)
Snacking while baking - I don't think it could possibly be any more than 5pts, but i will overestimate just in case (8)
Dinner - 2pc ww bread (1), 2 cheese slices (1), chicken breast (2)
Snack - not sure, likely a 100 cal something at some point (2)

Now i'm going to go out and shovel some snow for some exercise. I'm in Pontypool for the night. The consensus is that I should stay put tonight and go to work from here tomorrow.

I don't have graphics on mom's computer... so I leave you without any. Happy Sunday!

Proactive, I AM!

I'm heading to mom and dad's. This is always a challenge for me. 2 weeks ago I kicked butt. Last week, I kicked half a butt (one cheek?)I did great on Saturday and Sunday I started to fall apart. This weekend, I'm kicking a whole butt. a BIG butt!

I'm eating breakfast here I think... despite not being hungry at all. I feel too busy to eat, but I will make myself eat the most important meal of the day!
I've grabbed my dessert teas to help me get through the evenings.
I've pre-made some tuna to be able to eat at lunch today and tomorrow (tuna with frank's hot sauce, garlic powder, and red onion).
I have a serious goal of losing 3lbs this week (that will get me to the 70lb overall mark!) and I'm not going to let any tough days stand in my way!

I forgot to mention what a great day yesterday was (besides my poor lawyer starting to get sick).

At work a girl (my friend who is getting married, whom I am the maid of honour for - she started working at my work full time yesterday) happened to notice I'm losing weight again (yay).
Last night alex and i were walking about of the LCBO and out of nowhere he told me my face looks thinner... you have to love those little compliments when they say them because they mean them and not because they're just trying to be nice or they've done something wrong or they think you're mad at them and they're kissing butt... he had no agenda, just told me my face is thinner.

okay, time to make a christmas CD for the road and get OUT of HERE!

Keeping my EYE on the PRIZE

I'm being tested here (my strength and willpower that is).

I haven't eaten much today so that I would have points to enjoy when we go out for dinner tonight. Alex is running a bit late (he had a busy day)... so this is turning into a TRUE TEST for me. I'm pretty good now at NOT snacking before we go out for dinner on Fridays... but tonight it's that much later. I ate my lunch late at work so i'm not even starving... but it's testing my old habits and my tendency to grab snacks while waiting for things/people! I'm going to WIN this battle though!!

ALSO today i had the BEST surprise at work. I was paged to reception because someone was there to see me (you always DREAD if a client tracks you down and wants to meet you). I walk out there and who do I see? my sweet little nephew with my sister!! michele handed him over and let me take him all around the office showing him off. I was in heaven. It was sooooo hard giving him up and going BACK to work!! At least i'll be spending the weekend with him in Pontypool. Michele and mom and I are going to be knee deep in baking and i'm definitely taking breaks to play with him!! man, it's amazing how much I love that baby!!! I can't imagine how much my sister and brother in law must love him.

Okay, enough sap. I'm just so happy because i really don't see simon as often as i would like (that would be every day, BTW!)

Today's menu:
BF - yogurt (1), yep. one measley yogurt because i was running late.
Lunch - ww bagel (2) with chicken breast (2), cheese slice (1) and FF miracle whip 1/2tbsp (0). apple (1). *i had more packed but work was so busy i didn't eat any more*
*Edit to update dinner*: Alex isn't feeling so hot. staying in for dinner... ww bagel (2), morningstar farm pizza burger (3), cheese slice (1), 28mccain fries (4). 100cal pack (2)

I'm saving a few points in case we want something to eat later!

Happy WEEKEND! everyone better get all settled in a safe place and prepare for this SNOW STORM!

We have a LOSS

I was down 2.6! yay!

I don't usually post my menus on Thursdays because I really eat as little as possible to try to keep my weight down for weigh in... but in keeping with this honesty vow i took a few months ago... and due to the menu challenge, here it is:

BF - egg (2), 2 egg whites (0), blue menu ketchup 2tbsp (0)
Lunch - ww bagel (2) w/ cheese (2), apple (1)
Dinner - 12" turkey subway (12), 2 100cal packs (4)
Snack - another 100cal pack (2)

Tomorrow's FRIDAY! YAY! And i'm taking the 21st off work now! YAY (i just have to get a hold of the appt i booked that day and see if i can move it up to earlier next week. if not, she'll have to wait until after christmas!)

I also just noticed I've now lost 20lbs from when I recommitted to doing this hardcore 10 weeks ago. 20lbs in 10 weeks, not too bad!