Those Girl Scouts are MEAN!!

Have you seen these?  This is just mean!!

Is there anything like a Girl Scout thin mint cookie?  I like to support the scouts and I did buy 6 boxes this year (which my 17 year old made quick work of!) but the only ones that really tempt me are the thin mints.  And now there is a cereal to torment me when I grocery shop??

Now for the confession....there is a box of the thin mint cereal in my house.  I haven't tried it yet and it's been there for several weeks calling my name.  One of these days I am going to try it.....probably with almond milk to try to reduce points.  But it's 5 Smart Points for just 3/4 of a cup!!  That is craziness!  I wonder if it's worth it?  Maybe I should just have the cookies!

If only...  :(

Weigh-In: Weeks 47, 48 & 49

The last three weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster...

Week 47:
    This week:  +1.8
    Total to date:  -99.6  (I am NOT happy that I have slipped below the 100 pound mark!)

Week 48:
    This week:  -3.0
    Total to date:  -102.6

Week 49:
    This week:  +2.4
    Total to date:  -100.2

Week 49 was Christmas week so I wasn't surprised by the gain.  I wasn't upset by it either.  I enjoyed the holiday and didn't stress about counting points too much.  I feel comfortable that I have got this and that I can go off plan very briefly and come back to it.  And I did.  I have no doubt that if I hadn't gotten back on plan it would have been more like a 5 pound gain that week!!

What did I eat to gain 2.4 pounds?

• pizza
• chicken wings
• deep fried mushrooms
• cream cheese stuffed peppers
• onion rings
• Christmas cookies
• chocolate
• breakfast casserole (our Christmas morning tradition)
• chicken fingers
• beef on weck
• cheese--LOTS of cheese!
• WINE--even more wine than cheese!
• Moscow Mules (my new favorite alcoholic drink!)

And it was all delicious!  Was it worth it?  Some of it was and some of it wasn't.  I definitely wish I had skipped the chicken wings, deep fried mushrooms and onion rings.  They were good but I felt gross after eating them.  And on Christmas day I munched on snacks so much that when it was time for dinner I wasn't even hungry.  Of course I ate anyway and after dinner I was STUFFED!  I haven't had that feeling in a long time and I can't say that I enjoyed it.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and it'll be another rough one!  I am saving all of my points till evening and I definitely will be WAY over!  But I don't care.  This is a journey, not a sprint, and I believe that to be able to do this forever I need to be able to have these special "days off"....but only one day off...New Year's Day it's back to business!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoy your NYE tomorrow!!!

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 25 & 4th of July

Wow, 25 weeks sounds like a long time!!


This week's loss:  -.4
Total Loss to Date:  -68.8

I was really hoping for a better week....even with the holiday in there.... sigh...  I always seem to struggle when I get close to a milestone that I have in my mind.  Like when I got almost to 50 pounds....suddenly everything slowed way down and one week I even gained.  Now I am so determined to hit the 70 pound mark and I feel like the same thing is happening.  I HAVE to get there next week!  Seventy pounds is an important milestone for me as I have NEVER, on any of my many weight loss attempts, hit that mark.  I have gotten into the 60s several times but 70 has always been elusive.  I seem to fall apart in the 60s and I think that psychologically it will be a boost for me if I can cross that hurdle!  

See what I just said there?  "IF I can cross that hurdle!"  I noticed that after I typed it.  I was going to just change it but thought maybe it meant something.  Am I still doubting myself?  My brain may not have caught up to my body....

I WILL get to 70 pounds...and to 80....and 90....and even 100.  I truly believe that.  Maybe for the first time ever....

How was everyone's 4th of July?  We had a fun time with friends....had about 40 or 50 people over for a cookout, swimming, a fire and fireworks.  I was bad...very bad....  See, I'm doing it again....I know you're not supposed to think of it as BAD, but I still do when I have a day that I am not following the plan.  But I did have fun!!  I had the best of intentions to make these healthy margaritas.....but they tasted like crap! LOL  So when my next door neighbor came over with 2 pitchers of yummy margaritas I just couldn't help myself!

Nothing like a margarita on a hot summer day!!

And then there was food....and lots of it!  I indulged way more than I should have....but still less than I would have a year ago.  I can consider that a victory, right?  Someone brought these maraschino cherries soaked in Fireball liquor and then dipped in white chocolate and sprinkles....Mmmmm!  Yep, I had a few of those....can't even think about the calories!

Oh well, it's a new week.....  On a positive note, in the past I would probably have continued on with my little binge for a while.... but this time I got right back on track and have been super good since then.  I wish the scale had rewarded my recovery but I keep thinking of Weight Watchers theme of "Beyond the Scale."  Even though I didn't lose what I would have liked this week I still had some non-scale victories!

Anyway, here are a few pics of my super cool friends at the party....

My hubby and our extra kid!  (He lives next door but spends a lot of time at our house!)

Bill & Stacey--my Weight Watchers inspiration!!
She has lost like 125 pounds and looks AMAZING!!!

Connor, Chris, Justin & Brandon chillin' by the pool

Mom & Kim

A little beer pong action in the pool...

Cindy, Brenda, Deirdre, Becca, Keith, Mike & Jorryn

Mike & Jackie

Is he adorable or what?

The girls hanging out

Jadan

Chris, Connor & Josh

Now this is just MEAN!

Have you seen this??  This could be my undoing!!  My two favorite Girl Scout cookie flavors are now available to make cupcakes and brownies at home!!  How could those sweet little Girl Scouts be so mean??  This will take some willpower...