Stress and Emotional Eating Premonition

So what do you get when you have two weeks to close your account, pack your life, attend a useless work seminar, support your boyfriend as he has his gallbladder removed, move 766 miles to a new place that doesn't even have a chain grocery store, and then start a new account 48 hours after unpacking your suitcase????
Well I'll tell you what you get...some tough ass emotional eating situations.
I have being doing great on the WW although not exactly following the plan (basically not tracking). I have lost just over 15 lbs. which is awesome but still quite a bit to go. I have been having to eat out a lot and I have tried to make good choices but lately the stress is getting to me and I am struggling to stop myself from eating pizza every day for lunch. And not those Lean Cuisine cardboard microwave pizzas...but the deep dish pan pizza from Pizza Hut. I am winning some battles though. Today I was famished and rushed and wanted to head straight to McDonald's for a Happy Meal. But instead I ran into Subway and had a 6" turkey on wheat with some Baked Lays and a Pepsi. Not too bad considering the alternative.
But I am concerned that the next few weeks and the change in jobs and homes is going to throw everything out of whack. It will just really be a test for how much I want this. And fitting into the smaller size pair of jeans is quite a good feeling.
I'll let you know....

Bikini as motivation

So I sailed the seas and made it without hurling over the side of the ship. Caught a wicked cold on the last day but all in all it was a sickness-free journey to the Caribbean.
And guess what???
I wore a bikini (actually 3 different bikinis) in public! And I didn't even rush to get in the water or strategically place the towel to hide my tummy roll. I proudly wore the swimsuit and felt good!
So why with all that goodness am I back in reality and not tracking?????
I could blame it on the sickness. When I catch a cold I lose my appetite so basically if anything looks good at all I just eat it regardless of whether it falls into the "good for you" zone or not.
But truth be told I am just being lazy and all that is doing is probably de-railing my progress.
I missed my WW meeting while on the cruise and then unfortunately I was hacking up a lung last week so decided against bringing the death to my WW peeps. So two weeks of unaccountability is not good for the weight loss.
And of course this week I have another excuse waiting in the wings as we (my team and I) have been invited to attend the horse races at Keeneland in a box seat this Wednesday afternoon. So there is a chance that I will not be able to skate out on time since it is a work-social function.
But I miss it....I miss my leader and all the folks who say hi and ask how I'm doing and you know what? I miss knowing. I feel that I didn't do so bad on the cruise but then when I couldn't weigh in right after I think the eating to feed the demon (read mac-n-cheese, happy meal, fudgesicles, pudding, etc...) has skewed me off course. Very frustrating.
So I've decided to really try and make the meeting. I will drive separately and maybe I can slide out without anyone noticing.
I really need the motivation and accountability because this weekend Marvin is taking me to Asheville for my birthday and I want to be in the healthy choices mindset.
Well enough babbling for now. Wish me luck.

Off to Sea I go....

Today Marvin and I jet-set ourselves to Ft. Lauderdale and tomorrow board the Celebrity Solstice. I am a little nervous, a little jittery and a whole lot excited!!!!!
This vacation is very need for both of us and I can't wait to see all the awesomeness everyone keeps telling me that cruises provide.
So wish me luck, pray for good weather and I'll chat when I return!

Bon Voyage!

All things green and Irish!

Happy St. Patrick's Day all! I hope that each and every one of you find a little Irish magic today.

I can still see the green of Ireland's fields and smell the damp peat bogs (as well as see the stain they left on my tennis shoes when I stepped in one). If you have not yet ventured to the Emerald Isle I highly suggest it. Beautiful views, welcoming people and of course there is the beer;)

I for one am heading to my normal St. Patrick's Day ritual of drinking the dark nectar of the God's (Guinness for those who aren't in the know), listening to Irish music and participating in celebrating the day like a good Irish-American should!

Be safe and have fun all!

Almost my favorite holiday...

Is it bad to be getting up at 6am to work out so that you have extra activity points to drink more delicious Guinness on St. Patrick's Day????

Just checking:)

My new addiction

So a few weeks back I picked up Wii Fit Plus because I read it had a lot of cool things the original didn't and it did. But while perusing Amazon I also came across this:

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

So after reading tons of reviews and weighing the options between the original, 2 or 3, I purchased the Hottest Party 3 bundle with the floor controller.

And last night after dinner I was sitting around watching the Food Network and feeling really tired. But I had been wanting to check this new thing out and had gone to lunch with a co-worker and split a piece of Bourbon Chocolate Cake with her. So needless to say a little movement would not be a bad idea.

So I hooked it up and went to the DDR School Mode to learn the moves. After finally figuring out what the hell the step zone was (not a good explanation anywhere to be found) I realized that this is HARD! I was sweating within minutes and had to change into a t-shirt. So what started out as a "learn to play in case people come over and want to play" time, turned into an all out dance P-A-R-T-Y of one.

I ran through the songs (examples include: Ice Ice Baby, Feel Good Inc., and Let's Get it Started) on beginner and even tried out the Wii Balance Board function that allows you to use hip movements and the remote and nun chuck to punch. 2 1/2 hours later I was wiped out. This thing is crazy fun!

I wanted to do it this morning for my workout in my challenge but I didn't want to stomp loudly on the floor. So I did 5 songs on the Balance Board then proceeded to do my strength routine on Wii Fit Plus.

If you have the Wii and are bored with your workout get this game. If you love to dance but are too old to go to clubs with 21-year olds get this game. Do not walk to store, do not take a bus....drive your car at a safe yet aggressive speed and get there! Or do what I did and order online. You will not regret this.

I can't wait till I have an hour to do some more!

Down 1.2lbs!

Well it worked I was down last night. Not as much as I would have liked but a loss is a loss right?
So I am pretty happy. So motivated that even though I was up every hour on the hour last night I dragged myself out of bed this morning and did the Wii Fit (mostly cardio) for 40 minutes. The sun came out today so that was most likely what got me going.
Now of course I am crashing but I am proud of myself for sticking to my WW Rise & Shine Challenge I signed up for.
Oh and to top off the day....

I am an aunt again! Welcome to the world Baby Perry! And congrats to my brother and sister-in-law.

25 Days and Counting

I have been working really hard this week on my "fit into a bathing suit" plan. I have been using the Wii Fit like a champ and have even come up with an extra cardio workout. I had a ton of laundry this week which is done upstairs. I folded everything upstairs then took it 2 pieces at a time downstairs. Last night I did 25 flights (1 flight = up & down)! Go me. I also only used 8 of my extra 35 points this week which is really good for me since by Wednesday (weigh-in day) I have usually blown them all on dessert and wine.
So why am I so nervous about going to weigh-in today? I guess it is because everyone has "off" weeks where no matter what they do they don't lose. I am afraid that this might be one of those and the vacation time clock is ticking away.
And I did a bold thing last weekend. I went dress shopping for the cruise and bought dresses in size 6. They don't quite zip up but I am busting my ass to be sure they do before the time comes. Of course I still have yet to go into dressing room hell to try on a bathing suit but I truly want to wait until it is almost time to go because they are expensive and I don't want to buy one that is too big in a few weeks. (See positive statements!)
So I have my fingers and toes crossed for this evening. I really need a loss to help motivate me through the weekend when Marvin's sister is here.
I'll let you know....

A stop and thinker...

I just finished reading this blog post Round-and-Round by a very funny blogster who I just recently started reading.
The message in this post was that we are often so caught up in the day to day "chores and duties" of life that we miss out on the important stuff. In her case it was playing with her 2-year old. But we can all relate that to our own lives.

I am very guilty of this very thing. There is dinner to be made, laundry to be done, grocery shopping to do, etc... Then something happens and it hits me like a bus that I haven't talked to my brothers or sister-in-laws in weeks, there are good friends that I haven't talked to in months and Marvin and I haven't just enjoyed each other's company all week. Life literally has passed me by.

The post mentioned above does a powerful job describing how we affect those relationships when we engage in this behavior (and admit it people, we all do it). The deflated child walking away is a visual that is bringing tears to my eyes and I do not even have children. But I can see it at home when I don't take the time to truly listen to the happenings of the day because I am doing 6 other things. Or when I rush someone off the phone because there are so many "important things" I have to get done.

I'm not sure how to stop this or at the very least slow it down. But it bothers me to know that I do this and most of the time it never registers just how hurtful or disappointed the affected party is. And on the flip side it has been done to me and I know how frustrating and upsetting it can be.

Any thoughts on how you deal with this in your life, on the giving or receiving end?

And for anyone I may have done this to, I am sorry and I care about you. I am working on it.

Non-Edible Rewards

At WW they try to instill in you a new reward system that involves non-edible awards for your goals big and small. This is proving to be extremely difficult for me to do.
Ever since the dawn of my life almost 34 years ago, food has been a reward. On your birthday it was always what is your favorite meal (back then it was scalloped potatoes and ham) or where do you want to go to dinner (I don't clearly remember but I think I would pick the Spaghetti Factory). Did well at your softball/basketball/cheerleading game? Head to Friendly's for some ice cream. Get good grades or finish your chores? What about a delicious hot and buttery bowl of popcorn from THE popcorn pan.
Now of course it is the you did a great job at work reward or the you made it through a hellish week reward of a dinner out, a cheese plate and several glasses of wine.

So what do you try and replace these edible rewards with?
I tried shopping....wonderful retail therapy but often hard on the wallet. And who really wants to buy clothes when you aren't at your fighting weight yet.
I tried a hot bath a couple of times but frankly sometimes I just don't want to get wet at night.

It is an incredibly difficult mind set to break. This past week was tough for me. I had to eat out a lot and blew it a couple of times. Over the weekend though I did really good and then "rewarded" myself with a Half-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie from Saul Good Pub here in Lexington. Now before I chastise myself it was worth every single point. Heaven served in a cast iron skillet with vanilla ice cream on the side.
But I viewed it as a reward for good behavior. How do you break this habit? And what can you substitute or better yet replace these edible rewards with? Any ideas are welcome.

Well I am off to weigh in tonight so we'll see if the cookie can make or break you! Wish me luck.