I feel gross...

Good advice!

So as many of you know I just returned from a week long vacation in the Adirondacks.  I had a great time--we went with our friends that we always vacation with--and we took along 8 teenagers with us!  That might sounds a little crazy but it was awesome!  Four boys and four girls ranging in age from 13 to 19.  We had so much fun!  We have two boys and our friends have two girls and then each of the kids brought along a friend.  We did so much fun stuff--a taco dinner cruise, time at the beach in Lake George, hanging by the campfire, shopping, visiting Lake Placid and all of the Olympic venues, a gondola ride up Little Whiteface Mountain, driving up Whiteface Mountain.....but the best part?  I will tell you about that in a separate post!! :)

The bad part of vacation?  I definitely overindulged.  :(  Today I feel absolutely gross!  My stomach hurts, I feel bloated, and my intestines are NOT happy with me!  I was going to say that I feel guilty....but honestly I don't.  I wish I hadn't indulged quite so much but I had fun!  I drank ridiculous amounts of alcohol...wine, beer, you name it...  I ate lots of stuff I haven't been-- sweet potato french fries, hobo pies and s'mores by the fire, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, ice cream, chocolate covered popcorn, cheese...  It wasn't pretty.  I have no idea how much I gained because I haven't been near my scale.  I didn't go quite as crazy as I would have in the past but it was pretty bad!

So today I have shifted into detox mode!  This is where I am handling things differently than I would have in the past.  Previously I would have just continued on with my binge until my pants didn't fit anymore.  This time I am back to healthy eating right away.  I truly believe that is the key.  I won't feel guilty for my week of fun but I am not going to let it continue!  I have come too far to have this train derail now!

Today I am doing a zero points day as a detox!  I have to say, this is NOT a Weight Watchers method or something that is part of the program.  This is just something I feel like I need to do to get my system back on track.  Zero points doesn't mean I am not eating--I am just eating all zero point items--fruits and vegetables.  I had two bowls of watermelon for breakfast, not sure what lunch or dinner will be.  I just feel like I need to clean out all of the crap (literally!) and then tomorrow I will return to my regular program.

I just spent my morning cleaning out my fridge and making a meal plan and shopping list for the next couple of weeks.   Tonight I am going grocery shopping with a WW friend--who coincidentally has also had a bit of a binge period after losing 125 pounds and needs to get back on track too.  I find that support is soooo important on this journey.  Hopefully she and I can help each other get back on track!  I also feel that by pre-planning meals for my family it is easier to eat healthy.  I am planning to try a few new recipes over the next couple of weeks so I will be sure to post the ones my family likes.

Hope you are all doing well and enjoying your summer!  I can't believe it's already August!! :(

Weigh-In: Week 11

So the verdict is in--I can go on vacation without gaining weight!!

This week's loss:  -1.0 
Total Loss to Date: -37.2

I was worried, especially after I did that last blog post and looked at the yummy foods I had eaten!  Of course I would have taken more, but honestly I was just happy with not gaining!  So I am considering losing any amount during vacation a win!  :)

Now, what should I make for dinner?  Got any healthy recipes that you would like to share?  Email them to mom2cjem@rochester.rr.com.  I'm always looking for new ideas!!

Traveling is tough!!

So I am away this weekend (over the border in Canada) for the first time since I started this lifestyle change.  And I've learned one thing...traveling is tough!!  There are so many temptations around you when you are eating all of your meals in restaurants!  I have managed to do pretty well but I am looking forward to being home tomorrow where it is easier to keep things under control!

Last night we went out to my favorite Canadian restaurant--The Keg Steakhouse.  My mouth waters just thinking about it!  It's hard to calculate points but according to my tracking I came in exactly at my points limit for the day.  Phew!

My absolutely delicious dinner!
Filet Mignon, mushrooms and LOTS
of fresh veggies instead of a potato!  Notice I snuck
a glass of Merlot (4 points) in there too!

Breakfast on the road is a lot easier.  I usually go with a veggie omelet made with egg substitute or egg whites and no cheese.  Almost point free! (Though I add in some because I figure it was still cooked with a bit of vegetable oil).  And fresh fruit is always great for breakfast.  Two pieces of wheat toast are 4 points without butter or margarine.

I packed some snacks--apples, grapefruits and pre-packaged Weight Watchers snacks (2 points each). However, being in close proximity to my two teenage boys who are eating candy and potato chips is hard!  But I didn't give in to temptation.  :)

Dinner tonight was the toughest.  My meal was from the "lighter fare" part of the menu--Chimichurri Chicken--Skinless breast and thigh basted in chimichurri sauce, served with lime cilantro rice and sauteed vegetables.  I ate most of the chicken and rice but only part of the vegetables as they had quite a bit of oil on them from the sautéing process. Why do they have to make vegetables unhealthy with so much grease??  The tough part?  The complimentary chips & salsa they placed on the table right in front of me!  I have to admit that I indulged.  And they were fabulous!  The salsa is zero points but the chips are terrible!  I ended up estimating that I ate about 15 points worth of those yummy chips.  I did go over my points for the day but I still had all of my weekly points left so it was ok.  (They are there so you can have a little splurge each week)  I hadn't used any of my weekly points since I started the program so I felt a little guilty....but it passed quickly!  I don't think it would have bothered me at all if I hadn't had such a small loss last week.  But we were out with friends, having fun, and I am determined not to let this new lifestyle rule my life--so I ate the freakin' chips!  And I asked myself the question "was it worth it?" and the answer was "YES!"  

In a couple of weeks we are going to Las Vegas for 8 days.  It's gonna be tough.  I am hoping that this little weekend adventure helped me to understand what I am going to be facing when we are traveling for that long.  On the plus side, we are staying in a suite with a full kitchen so we can eat some meals there and that will really help.  And I will be doing a LOT of walking!  If anyone has any tips for traveling and eating healthy I would love to hear them!