Taking a break

I'm taking a break from tracking this week. Tracking every little thing I eat. I haven't been good at it for months now, and it shows in my lack of progress in the weight-loss arena (no, I don't get to be Glinda this year for Halloween, I'll just pull out my purple witches cloak and go from there). So I thought I would give myself a break. After about two days of not tracking. So I really just made it official. I can maintain this weight fairly easily without even trying. So why am I paying Weight Watchers to maintain my weight? We're coming up on a new session starting Monday, so this really is the time to give this some thought.

Pros of keeping with Weight Watchers

• Support Group. these people are amazing. Like J who came in starting at the middle of last year and has lost ove 150 lbs. B who has lost over 60 lbs--she started when I did three years ago, and while she hasn't made goal yet, if I'd followed her example I'd have lost 60 lbs by now too. Diana, our leader, is inspirational and motivating, and sends out a weekly email as well as keeping a blog (Thin Thinking, she's on my list).
• materials. I love stuff. They have trackers and books and snacks and worksheets and booklets and recipe books and all kinds of stuff. All designed to help you keep focused.
• eTools. They have an app for that. I can track on my iPhone, look up recipes, make meals, check out nutritional information at restaurants, just about anything.
• I did actually lose 15 lbs. When I followed the program. And I have kept it off for about three years.
• I do actually have better eating habits than I did, and I know what foods I really just need to not buy (potato chips--actually, just about anything with potatoes--bread, crackers--sensing a theme here?)
• My activity level is actually higher than it was three years ago.
  

Cons of staying with Weight Watchers

• Price. It does cost. It's about 80% cheaper than any other diet you can try (mostly because you eat all your own food, not theirs--they want you to eat normal food so it's easier to maintain once you reach goal). Once I reach goal and become a lifetime member, I won't have to pay anymore, but it has been three years of virtually no progress.
• I don't follow the program. I don't track, or rather, I track until I get home from work and then I eat constantly until bedtime. If I want something and I'm out of points for the day, and out of weekly points for the week, I just eat it anyway. This is the behavior I really need to change.
  
• No Mexican Mondays. My friends at work go to El Azteca for lunch on Mondays. My meeting is on Monday at lunchtime. Conflict!

Desire: I really do want to lose weight. Reasons for doing so (and yes, I do believe these ar ein order:

• Health reasons. I need to lose weight in order to be healthy and live well. Still not convinced I want to live to be 100, but living to 80 to be with my nieces and nephews and their children would be really nice. Plus that whole, "Run and not be weary, walk and not faint" thing is quite attractive.
  
• Clothes. I can never find cute clothes in my size, and when I do, I have to alter them because I'm 5'1" and the world isn't made for short fat people. Even petite sizes, while better, don't often come in big enough sizes.
• Sisters. Oh yes, really want to lose weight so they will tell me I look great. Is that sad or what?

So it seems fairly obvious what I need to do. Stick it out, track religiously, and maybe by Christmas there will be noticeable improvement. but meanwhile I have the weekend. I think I'm going to make cupcakes. With all the little lower-fat tricks, of course, but still!

So weird

There are like three or four blogs that I can no longer comment on. For some reason, Blogger doesn't recognize me on those blogs and won't allow me to log in (even though I tried three times!). I put in the stupid word verification and everything, but no. No comments allowed. I know it's just me, though, because other people comment on these particular blogs. Now I have friends out there who think I don't care about them because I can't comment :( This makes me sad.

In other news, my cold is finally (almost) gone. Lots of going home early to sleep. Ani has been getting his supper at 8:00pm instead of 10:00pm, which allows me plenty of time to read without thinking, "I have to go to bed sometime tonight, you know." He's been coming out a little farther, but the whole being sick thing set him back, I think. I worry about him not getting enough exercise (he doesn't seem to like things that move unexpectedly, so that's an issue). I did make a treat bottle for him--soda bottle with holes cut in it so I can fill it with treats and they come out when he moves it. I don't think he really plays with it, though. I did order a couple treat-dispensing balls, though. I'm going to put his regular food in one and see if he manages to keep from starving to death. Which he won't since I bring him canned food each evening, but hopefully he'll get the idea and start playing. I want him to be happy.

Padme Kitty is being her usually cranky self. She loved having me home for four days to open doors for her and lay on when she wanted to nap (I actually really like it when she does that). She's been attacking me at night again, though. I try to play with her--her new favorite toy is a stick with a string on it (used to have a toy, but Ani ate part of the string the last time he came upstairs and Kitty decided she likes it that way). Sometimes she just sits and looks at my feeble attempts to flick the string until I get tired. She will stand at the door and meow until I come over, but she doesn't want out, she wants something else, but what she does is walk into the kitchen and eat. I think she's a bad influence.

Went to a show Saturday night, my first venture after starting to feel better. It was with the Drama Club, and since I'd already paid for it and felt much better, I decided I would still go. It was "Anything Goes" at Toby's Dinner theater (http://www.tobysdinnertheatre.com/). It was very good. it was dinner and the show, and dinner was good too. I didn't over eat the meal, but then Chris egged me into ice cream and a slice of cheesecake. He's definitely a bad influence--one of those guys who can eat anything and never gains a pound, then feels guilty when he's the only one eating so he tries to get other people to continue eating. I really need to not sit near him for meals. Sunday I made it to church, which was good since the other guy who helps run Nursery was sick this week. Only 12 kids, only one crier--she's still fairly new, although her older brother is in the class and has stopped crying. There should have been another crier, but I just couldn't handle two of them and no one else had shown up to help yet, so the dad just took her with him. He won't be able to do that much longer, though. Good thing I'm over my cold, right?

No major plans this week or weekend, just working on the costumes for the play I'm in. Here's the flyer, made by one of our drama people. She's very talented.

I will be going to some concerts in August, though. Let you know about that then :)

Climbing the Empire State Building

Ok, not literally, but our challenge in my WW meeting is to climb enough stairs in 30 days to have climbed the Empire State Building. 1576 steps is 53 steps per day for once, 106 steps per day for twice. Steps going down don't count, even if you have to go back down in order to go back up. My building at work has 98 steps from the first floor to the fifth floor (I may have mentioned this before). Just a few more steps and I'll have climbed it twice--except that I expect weekends to be more difficult, and I always take Sunday's off. Anyone want to climb with me?

In other news, my cats are still not friends. I guess that's really not news, though. I deliberately left the door to the basement a little ways open, and sure enough at 4:30 in the morning I heard the sound of cats getting ready to fight. Fortunately that's all they do, make a lot of noise then run. Kitty later smacked me in the face--still not sure if it's because I didn't want to get out of bed or if she was still upset at the interloper.

Also in other news, I'm in a play. I'm in the APL drama club, and I auditioned for "The Mouse that Roared". Not really as nerve-wraking as it sounds, given that there were more parts than people who showed up. I actually got three parts, small ones all. I'll also be helping with costuming again (I helped with costuming on their last--which was also their first--production).

Nursery is a breeze these days--last week we had the most we've had since January began--7. Yup. Seven kids. There are actually about 10 on the rolls, but with colds and travel and everything, I doubt we'll get all of them there on the same week. Kind of nice after the 16-18 kids we had before.

Stake History is pretty much done for now. I'll be sending out reminders at the end of each month so hopefully next year won't be as stressful, but that was a lot easier than I expected. And this year I can keep an eye out for what's going on in the stake and be more pro-active about getting write-ups and details.

Ok, time for the next meeting (hey, it's lunchtime, I'm allowed!)

Leader of the Pack

A new diet...

I'm officially on my diet now, the South Beach Diet, Phase 1, Day 2. I did have a little fall last night (that could have been avoided if I hadn't stayed up to watch The Riches), but overall I'm doing good. So far. And fortunately I signed up to host for our upcoming ward activity, so I'm in charge of what gets served. It will all be renamed something Star-Wars-ish, but basically we're having Day 5 on the South Beach Diet *eg* I may have someone bring rolls for everyone else, though, so they don't think the meal is too unbalanced. But the food is all very yummy, so I don't thinnk they will complain. And I have to make ryshcate, a Corellian delicacy, like a chocolate cake only with a gingerbread mixed in. So yummy. I won't be able to have more than three bites, but that should be ok.

Oh, on another note, I will be going to meet some dogs this weekend, to see if they and I will get along. A pair of beagle twins that are very sad, which will promptly be named Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon if they decide to come home with me (although I don't think I'll be allowed to take them home just yet--I haven't had my home visit yet). They have checked my references, though (thanks, Jann!). If we decide that we're a match, I can start getting crates and doggy treats and signing up for obedience school and stuff like that. My home teacher leant me his 'Dog Whisperer' series and the book "Ceaser's Way" so I can learn more about how to treat my dogs. I get to be the leader of the pack! That will be so fun! They'll still run circles around me, though, I just know it!