Week/Weekend Recap

First off, congratulations to <a href="http://www.myweightingplace.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kari</a> for winning the Weight Watchers Magazine giveaway :)!  <br /><br />I think I'll start with the bad, then quickly move on to the good and pretend the bad was never discussed.<br /><br />I've been doing a lot of gaining, which means I've been doing a lot of eating {and drinking of beer}, and not abiding by eTools.  I have banished those practices and already have myself set up for some delicious meals this week.  Friday I <i>will </i>have a loss.<br /><br />Now to the fun stuff!<br /><br />Last week I made the <a href="http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=203061&tab=2" target="_blank">Kielbasa Baked Ziti</a>, an eTools recipe.  I didn't change a thing about it and loved it!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2NjXofYORDbVzU5TKBb0LgUMuF3IPRPNyNNqHp8Uc6SbV5dGVGn9DcKs5jo4jEQCfdZIoldnAXCwuTbOZuVPmeEtwB-Vmi1XbcmEl3sdYzbRsL5kSh2BcOavaEaqsIdU3erv3B8x0nE/s1600/WW+Ziti+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2NjXofYORDbVzU5TKBb0LgUMuF3IPRPNyNNqHp8Uc6SbV5dGVGn9DcKs5jo4jEQCfdZIoldnAXCwuTbOZuVPmeEtwB-Vmi1XbcmEl3sdYzbRsL5kSh2BcOavaEaqsIdU3erv3B8x0nE/s400/WW+Ziti+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />It offered plenty of flavor with the cheeses, turkey kielbasa, peas and the <a href="http://www.redgold.com/tuttorosso/products.asp" target="_blank">sauce</a> I used.  Easy, quick, tasty and I will definitely make this again!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UeaDxABhv59DZHB0pAoP6pGC2OErjOZ4F0yWCvGmv0QHnNb_NxXmJnWtQI2X5VsAcHL-6j5OQbROWtIoY0BKACL5HxY1DdkcHhE4BDUEovtYLKezvk7KkRBUZ2_APqJIYo8T2BHeBtg/s1600/WW+Ziti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UeaDxABhv59DZHB0pAoP6pGC2OErjOZ4F0yWCvGmv0QHnNb_NxXmJnWtQI2X5VsAcHL-6j5OQbROWtIoY0BKACL5HxY1DdkcHhE4BDUEovtYLKezvk7KkRBUZ2_APqJIYo8T2BHeBtg/s400/WW+Ziti.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><br /><br />Next up was an AWESOME meal at <a href="http://www.famousdaves.com/" target="_blank">Famous Daves</a>.  I have never been there before, mainly because I'm not a huge meat eater.  I do like meat, but I'm very basic with my meat choices - ground beef, chicken, and turkey.   I don't like ribs, steak, pulled pork, etc.  While Famous Daves is pretty "famous" for those latter entrees, they also had a great chicken sandwich that I loved, made especially delicious by adding some of their tasty barbeque sauce.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEganBtoqPr4xlQrYBVujp0LY-hzA4ojtvH_LtgMBbGpPyVYM2fLCGyDwHKhfVDJz8rdJLxwJbzUvsYSPEv6ILZPLaXhQO5h-gjQWD77HAjbebfhlk7_l_K5LSYCylCyqUoYifLr98gAcx8/s1600/Famous+Daves+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEganBtoqPr4xlQrYBVujp0LY-hzA4ojtvH_LtgMBbGpPyVYM2fLCGyDwHKhfVDJz8rdJLxwJbzUvsYSPEv6ILZPLaXhQO5h-gjQWD77HAjbebfhlk7_l_K5LSYCylCyqUoYifLr98gAcx8/s400/Famous+Daves+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first letters of the different BBQ sauces they offer - presented by our server</td></tr></tbody></table>I felt like I was able to easily stay On Plan eating here.  Their dishes are all on eTools!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQqCdgVYDgfflZ7FazGluZs4n1JQv6Wt4NMstrvw8Opj3ALjnkhEZO9kfYQrnR7hr3cIumIaG18iULk7E4EUdXZFCtxccCoYlheXiNZ5blV0nBWpAvdGRBDqON_e_slXbBWy-ld3Y6lHc/s1600/Famous+Daves+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQqCdgVYDgfflZ7FazGluZs4n1JQv6Wt4NMstrvw8Opj3ALjnkhEZO9kfYQrnR7hr3cIumIaG18iULk7E4EUdXZFCtxccCoYlheXiNZ5blV0nBWpAvdGRBDqON_e_slXbBWy-ld3Y6lHc/s400/Famous+Daves+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I will definitely go back to this place in the near future!<br /><br />Because of all the poor eating I've been doing, I stayed exceptionally active this weekend.  I completed three workouts already!  I did two at the gym, and one at a nearby park.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdjkY1wB_OwMo3OdURxW2IzFn4XA131bru9bqokfN3BW2wYf6TI_5AnOgmxULH5aC-2A_PS68om8zebs8nnZOClzX9w2SwfnBKzUAJ9Krg5B6acJZGc8zJGbDJVhJKv0LVad5aUr9nXE/s1600/Huntley+path.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdjkY1wB_OwMo3OdURxW2IzFn4XA131bru9bqokfN3BW2wYf6TI_5AnOgmxULH5aC-2A_PS68om8zebs8nnZOClzX9w2SwfnBKzUAJ9Krg5B6acJZGc8zJGbDJVhJKv0LVad5aUr9nXE/s400/Huntley+path.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />I got some pretty great pictures while there. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTWrg-kKBJgL0CYkJdeoBqgzY1Fow1IRPnJqhh5E-cf-RQ16r9GGsIg0POtSGB849yv-idkW8s-UGb8dxMIF-2Rb1Qqk4caEHsPi5TFSn0XcpTYZKnVNOA_q4fHNsmVsVVf4qelVdqXc/s1600/Huntley+log.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTWrg-kKBJgL0CYkJdeoBqgzY1Fow1IRPnJqhh5E-cf-RQ16r9GGsIg0POtSGB849yv-idkW8s-UGb8dxMIF-2Rb1Qqk4caEHsPi5TFSn0XcpTYZKnVNOA_q4fHNsmVsVVf4qelVdqXc/s400/Huntley+log.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />We decided to go off the neat and tidy path and head around the Pond Trail.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUPes8x2d6fEydSfK3fYc1Ylr9cvSB_6gDlMqfUyk5iM8AkdyuSd8fTcZDPSYmRok9bLuvCvGbyQaKd8qNESg2mDOrf-EHad5CZmzf4HOjy4WDUQdFd8ChA2cDPU-Jw9_iX7wXd7AOSc/s1600/pond+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUPes8x2d6fEydSfK3fYc1Ylr9cvSB_6gDlMqfUyk5iM8AkdyuSd8fTcZDPSYmRok9bLuvCvGbyQaKd8qNESg2mDOrf-EHad5CZmzf4HOjy4WDUQdFd8ChA2cDPU-Jw9_iX7wXd7AOSc/s400/pond+trail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />It was fairly muddy, but still a nice stroll through the woods.  While on this little diversion, we came upon this crazy looking tree.  There were several trunks with branches that draped down to the ground {click for a larger pic that hopefully offers a better perspective}. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Sx39tv362zKcliDM_wWNs2QzvyySp7PTV1VRmB5M18PU-UPlFY97SyfMJOZAEI38iAbasGdWyor1PnaTI-DbJ296wGQH9u_wNok_UnkUppnEHgcpW5Cesu386DdIcaPnj_ctc4AuqkY/s1600/Huntley+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Sx39tv362zKcliDM_wWNs2QzvyySp7PTV1VRmB5M18PU-UPlFY97SyfMJOZAEI38iAbasGdWyor1PnaTI-DbJ296wGQH9u_wNok_UnkUppnEHgcpW5Cesu386DdIcaPnj_ctc4AuqkY/s400/Huntley+Tree.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Perhaps my favorite part of this walk was coming upon this guy:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8x2_YqK_XuNRK6-Uda1BONbdZwfx2opu0CbgM8zWbuugm2F4tnx5X6XZ5D2gIMb7PlhgtOtyWKZX4zFkSYTk8v3Rs2IBL0dQnFnY3-FgNLTCwSIXz0QeD9xbz8yrNAgADTEADj7yW-50/s1600/cardinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8x2_YqK_XuNRK6-Uda1BONbdZwfx2opu0CbgM8zWbuugm2F4tnx5X6XZ5D2gIMb7PlhgtOtyWKZX4zFkSYTk8v3Rs2IBL0dQnFnY3-FgNLTCwSIXz0QeD9xbz8yrNAgADTEADj7yW-50/s400/cardinal.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><br />My FAVORITE bird, the cardinal!  He also happens to be our state bird here in Virginia.  I love them so much. <br /><br />By the way, "we" in this story is myself and Joel.  By the grace of God <i>alone</i>, He brought Joel back to me.  Even after Joel moved out of our condo, even after all that was said, it was clear that there was no one who would be able to change Joel's heart and mind other than the G-man.  I have held off sharing this information so quickly because of the fragility of it all.  However, it is clear and understood that we are both committed to working on our relationship, placing God first in hearts, and each other second. <br /><br />I am SO happy again!<br /><br /><br />

Exercise Gain Joel Weekend Recap Week/Weekend Recap

First off, congratulations to Kari for winning the Weight Watchers Magazine giveaway :)!  I think I'll start with the bad, then quickly move on to the good and pretend the bad was never discussed.I've been doing a lot of gaining, which means I've bee…

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Weigh In Results

The scale told the tale this morning....<br /><br />After a week of eating foods like this:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jozh7cgsrlSXh5UGRVmhyphenhyphenwWlGec1PRyNiInSGlrNYw4eiDAL-v_0SbjaIfp-xsmoAA8ZK_G_iCPoE_6r8tu7J3Oe6An1NSSUWv9FvxIczeUY-TpT3MhNKoqEjgZo1YBbict2et2BjFw/s1600/Scale+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jozh7cgsrlSXh5UGRVmhyphenhyphenwWlGec1PRyNiInSGlrNYw4eiDAL-v_0SbjaIfp-xsmoAA8ZK_G_iCPoE_6r8tu7J3Oe6An1NSSUWv9FvxIczeUY-TpT3MhNKoqEjgZo1YBbict2et2BjFw/s400/Scale+014.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WW 5 Points+ Pumpkin Pie - found on Etools</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Several indulgences in Asti and beer..<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3O5mYaPagHTQ_gviboxr2FTc6np8hggHYjj_hRTEzqUXanUSd7RFyen17vaFJe6bARvq1Bkd2C7EYsnIILAu3IK4rVvrwwwADy_6ObxvxEZ0AKAHqtLM50qPtUW18q_z9JoFca15z74/s1600/Scale+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3O5mYaPagHTQ_gviboxr2FTc6np8hggHYjj_hRTEzqUXanUSd7RFyen17vaFJe6bARvq1Bkd2C7EYsnIILAu3IK4rVvrwwwADy_6ObxvxEZ0AKAHqtLM50qPtUW18q_z9JoFca15z74/s400/Scale+001.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />And just generally enjoying a lot of food due to the holiday and TOM cravings...<br /><br />The verdict is in!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I gained 0.4 pounds this week.  </div><br />Uhm.  I will <i>take </i>it!  This was not my most stellar WW week ever, but I am still proud of how I <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/12/post-thanksgiving-week.html">combated</a> the big eating holiday that is Thanksgiving.  I am also proud that I managed to track every single thing I ate... even if it did put me into the <b><span style="color: red;">red</span></b>!<br /><br />I am looking forward to a fresh week of staying within my daily Points+ range.... and definitely staying within my Weekly.  <br /><br />I use both eTools and the paper tracker.  At the start of every week with the paper tracker (the book, not the individual pamphlets given out at meetings), it asks you to define any goals for the week, any potential challenges with solutions, and break out your planned exercise schedule.  Rarely do I ever write anything down in this section.  Well this week, I'm going to try something different:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPHHXZcGayhBxS9vC7YcoFq6_ZHzGYSWuOo-BlOdbMWpof09vHPM20Oa2UQfXqzy0bmBTUxveiaJW5X_APpzAfF_nB2GxclJGudMWazU-Mg7SUXmA6CUvvFRcVYsiloZLUl2ZEVaEQ0A/s1600/weight-watchers-diet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPHHXZcGayhBxS9vC7YcoFq6_ZHzGYSWuOo-BlOdbMWpof09vHPM20Oa2UQfXqzy0bmBTUxveiaJW5X_APpzAfF_nB2GxclJGudMWazU-Mg7SUXmA6CUvvFRcVYsiloZLUl2ZEVaEQ0A/s1600/weight-watchers-diet.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><b><span style="color: blue;">Goals for the week:</span></b><br />Stay within daily Points+ allowance for 5 of the 7 days.<br /><br /><b style="color: blue;">Potential Challenges + Solutions:</b><br /><ol><li>First up is a lunch date with some friends on Saturday. Lord knows <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-do-you-track.html">I struggle with eating out</a> and counting Points+. This time, I'm going to look up the menu ahead of time, have my selections already mapped out, and then I won't be tempted to order something less Points+ friendly if I would have waited until doing so at the restaurant.<br /></li><li>Then, there is a cookie exchange on Sunday with another group of friends. I've already informed the host that I will not be taking any cookies home this year because of our commitment to WW and getting in shape for the wedding. She was totally cool with it :).</li></ol><b style="color: blue;">Planned Activity: </b><br />I have not been consistently active since the beginning of October. Joel and I did finish the first "set" of the <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/search/label/New%20Rules%20of%20Lifting%20for%20Women">New Rules of Lifting for Women</a>, but we never moved on to the other weeks, and I would like to get back to doing that. Weight lifting provided some variety that I enjoyed. So, to keep my goals attainable and expectations low, I'm going to plan to do just 2 days of activity this week. If I do more, so be it. But I want to ease back in to regular activity.<br /><br />What are your weekend plans?

Gain Weekly Weight Watchers Goals Weigh In Results

The scale told the tale this morning....After a week of eating foods like this:WW 5 Points+ Pumpkin Pie - found on EtoolsSeveral indulgences in Asti and beer..And just generally enjoying a lot of food due to the holiday and TOM cravings...The verdict…

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Starbucks Giveaway Winner!

Drum roll.... the results are in!  <a href="http://biggerthanababyelephant.blogspot.com/">Jodie from Bigger Than a Baby Elephant</a> has won the $10 Starbucks giftcard! <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivOnxi8qxdaqDCZZq4WF7uq7u-d7E0VccSlh6acWPYCJE0hfSiXuEASbgDHGSOn9CbFLM7FqS9C3PztkUvh4FipmQ_V9zlwRMnap65ezCCWjUGt-KqAAJp7iukVDWQw24l-n6reG0FxBw/s1600/jodie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivOnxi8qxdaqDCZZq4WF7uq7u-d7E0VccSlh6acWPYCJE0hfSiXuEASbgDHGSOn9CbFLM7FqS9C3PztkUvh4FipmQ_V9zlwRMnap65ezCCWjUGt-KqAAJp7iukVDWQw24l-n6reG0FxBw/s400/jodie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Congratulations Jodie and Happy Birthday!<br /><br />This week, I have non-scale victories to celebrate, because I certainly don't have scale victories to celebrate (thanks to <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/09/welcome-to-oa-meeting.html">many cookies</a> and lots of beer this week - I'm not surprised). <br /><br />I stuck to the NROLFW workout this week - and have been progressing well with the amount of weight I've been lifting each time.  And last night, I made my first trip to the gym without Joel where I actually lifted weights!  I kept putting it off all evening because I figured the longer I waited, the more likely it would be that the big men would be mostly gone for the night.  Also, to be honest, I didn't want to go.  I knew this week on the scale was going to bring bad numbers and I felt like "What does it matter now?".<br /><br />Still, I went and I'm glad I did.  I'm just not happy with myself.  I now have to re-lose those 2.2 pounds that just 7 days ago were not apart of me.  Of course it's my fault.  I get it.  And I'm <i>obviously </i>not good at resisting temptation. <br /><br />Hopefully this Septathalon this weekend will help me out. 

Gain giveaways Starbucks Giveaway Winner!

Drum roll.... the results are in!  Jodie from Bigger Than a Baby Elephant has won the $10 Starbucks giftcard! Congratulations Jodie and Happy Birthday!This week, I have non-scale victories to celebrate, because I certainly don't have scale victories …

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Let's Say It All Together Folks..... FRUSTRATION!

<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thank you all for your feedback on the <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-do-you-track.html">How Do You Track post</a> from yesterday.... you gave great options and incite :).</span> </span> <br /><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">One thing I wanted to include in yesterday's post, but forgot, was about a scenario I read in one of Hungry Girl's newsletters.  <a href="http://www.hungry-girl.com/askhg/show/2063">A person wrote to HG</a> about a time when she went to Ruby Tuesday's and had a turkey burger, thinking that was a very smart option.  It turns out, the turkey burger was loaded with calories (700!) and fat (40!).  I understand that this TB could have had mayo on it or a buttered bun or whatever else, but you pick this option thinking you're making a smart choice.  Fortunately, this person was able to acquire the nutrition stats for this after the fact, but what if you can't?  I do realize that you can certainly order it without the mayo or the bun or have it prepared in some other way, but the bottom line is, when you're not preparing something yourself or knowing exactly how the other person is preparing it, just because something "looks healthy" doesn't mean it is, and that is what I struggle with.  You think you've done so well by choosing these better menu options, when, in fact, that turkey burger might have had just as many calories/fat as a chargrilled chicken sandwich from Chick Fil A! </div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB34XTshz6XCFYxIk0-pIYcDkBKV004TnGQ8pLkTZRvvlfJC9TabefmNXmResfKDQKj2ldh5iZnBTwegRl396GtYNGTEIZLf1j0Os5c2XpWi0eejLWmtFp8zo3atF33ZAx0yzIwbk7ttc/s1600/chickfila.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB34XTshz6XCFYxIk0-pIYcDkBKV004TnGQ8pLkTZRvvlfJC9TabefmNXmResfKDQKj2ldh5iZnBTwegRl396GtYNGTEIZLf1j0Os5c2XpWi0eejLWmtFp8zo3atF33ZAx0yzIwbk7ttc/s400/chickfila.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div>And to be perfectly honest with you, if I want a chicken sandwich and I have to nix the bun and any toppings that come with it that I thought were healthy picks but are not, then I'm not going to eat it at all. What is the point of going out for dinner?  To me, going out for dinner is having the opportunity to not only have a meal prepared for you, but to also enjoy a dish that you otherwise would not make at home.  </div><div><br /></div><div>Moving on :)</div><div><br /></div><div>This past week has been one of the best weeks I've had in a long time on Weight Watchers.  Since I started attending meetings again, one thing the leader suggested was to slowly incorporate each of the Good Health Guidelines into your plan rather than just stressing over trying to do everything perfectly all at once (<i>*cough cough* Perfection problem? Nah. :)</i> ).  One of <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/august-goals.html">my goals for the month of August</a> was to incorporate 2 servings of fruits/veggies in to my day (ideally 1 fruit and 1 veg... but, baby steps, I'll take what I can get!).  This method has been working really well for me!  Not only that, but I have been tracking diligently all week.  And friends, I'm so proud of myself!</div><div><br /></div><div>Do you know what's coming?  I think you do.</div><div><br /></div><div>I got on the scale yesterday at that meeting.</div><div><br /></div><div>And.</div><div><br />I gained 2 lbs.  </div><div><br /></div><div>ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME?!  </div><div><br /></div><div>I just don't get it.  Not only did I do all that I stated up above but how can your body not recognize that "Hey, you're not eating erratically like you normally would be - and so now we can start burning off that fat supply you've accumulated instead of adding to it!"  </div><div></div><div>Honestly friends, you can see (on the left) that I've been hovering around 260 for MONTHS.  Granted, this is in large part, no doubt, to my eating habits and living situation I had going on for 8 months.  However, I have still been faithfully exercising since November 2010, on average, of 4 days per week.  And I have what I would consider a STELLAR week, and I gain?!  </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not a cryer. And I certainly don't EVER cry over weight issues.  It is what it is.  I don't cry about it and have pity parties.  But yesterday I definitely teared up when the receptionist told me I had a gain.  </div><div><br /></div><div>And while I was just tested for diabetes and thyroid issues a year ago (all were in the clear), I am definitely going to schedule an appointment for a checkup just to make sure nothing has happened in that year's time.  I'm not a hypochondriac by any means, I really don't feel like something is wrong with me, but I want to be sure.  </div><div><br /></div><div>Other than that, I'm just going to keep on keeping on.  <b>I'm not giving up.</b>  After all, as Joel reminded me: "It was only after 1 week of perfection Hilary.  I'm sure once you have many consecutive weeks like this, then the weight will start coming off. And if not, that is when you can start to consider that something medically might be off."</div><div><br /></div><div>Have you ever experienced this crap?!</div>

Gain Weight Loss Challenges Weight Watchers Let's Say It All Together Folks..... FRUSTRATION!

Thank you all for your feedback on the How Do You Track post from yesterday.... you gave great options and incite :).  One thing I wanted to include in yesterday's post, but forgot, was about a scenario I read in one of Hungry Girl's newsletters.  A …

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A Little Lethargic

I guess because this is the first week back to work after vacation, that must be the reason why I've been so tired in the evenings.  It is seriously all I can do to go to the gym, shower, make dinner and sit down for an hour before it's time for bed.  Tuesday night I even said to Joel at 8:45 PM (I go to bed between 9:30 and 10 PM), "I wish I could just take a nap before I have to shower before the real bed time."  I barely had the energy to shower!  <br /><br />Still, I've managed to make it to the gym 3 days this week, and I will be there tonight as well.  Tuesday and last night were hard - I didn't want to be there, and my legs were just so heavy.  I'm sure this is due to the low energy.  Because I'm only doing a half day of work on Friday, I'd like to challenge myself to get to the gym for 5:15 AM on Friday, so that I can meet my 5 days per week goal.  As much as I'd like to think that I would find time to walk at my sister's, I know that won't be the case.<br /><div><br /></div><div>I had a gain at last night's WW weigh in, not surprisingly.  </div><div><br /></div><div>This weekend we are traveling to my sister's house for her town's big garage sale weekend.  I have several totes/boxes worth of stuff that I'm taking in hopes of it getting sold, and whatever doesn't sell will be donated to the local Goodwill or Salvation Army.  This will be a huge help in clearing out a lot of unused/unwanted items from our condo.  After a little over a month of living in our place, we still have a spare bedroom that cannot even be used because there are still boxes in there filled with stuff!</div><div><br /></div><div>By the way, thank you for the encouraging comments to yesterday's post!  I'm just going to keep doing this.. no matter how long it takes!</div>

Gain Random Weight Loss Thoughts Weight Loss Challenges Weight Watchers A Little Lethargic

I guess because this is the first week back to work after vacation, that must be the reason why I've been so tired in the evenings.  It is seriously all I can do to go to the gym, shower, make dinner and sit down for an hour before it's time for bed.…

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Hey Ya'll!

Joel and I had a safe and awesome trip to/from Savannah, GA.<br /><br />We spent 10+ hours in the car (we stopped a few times on the ride down and back), but the actual drive time was 9.5 hours.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjkT04yBRVF53sqVvSEIEjENidqnIciZCmNqlHya4pgXr2DPl0EoeRw1_knGg5P74Gx_2mNRi59Iv6t7my3QpcwNLXfWwuv98zkT1VqsmaL8HQcMsGn_gdDE-88wYERSrf5BMx-kyr2s/s1600/savannah+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjkT04yBRVF53sqVvSEIEjENidqnIciZCmNqlHya4pgXr2DPl0EoeRw1_knGg5P74Gx_2mNRi59Iv6t7my3QpcwNLXfWwuv98zkT1VqsmaL8HQcMsGn_gdDE-88wYERSrf5BMx-kyr2s/s400/savannah+012.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />We spent half of our week in Savannah and the other half in Tybee Island.<br /><br />The time spent in Savannah was filled with LOTS of walking.  In the first full day there, we walked over 6 miles on just the self walking tour alone!  We made sure to check out as many of the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil hotspots as we could, including a tour of the Mercer-Williams house.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqgQ2kj6SnAj8WVwCvj_lowCWy90UZX35e656rW8iMoTHpguB2kRNbHgic8p-h32HhNylBnMMyVoKGALXFQxy6BuBF0OWL8WBUFDuDhYydiK1gnRKAk9Nw_P8r0MI0uCsXzWv7FUe7rg/s1600/savannah+115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqgQ2kj6SnAj8WVwCvj_lowCWy90UZX35e656rW8iMoTHpguB2kRNbHgic8p-h32HhNylBnMMyVoKGALXFQxy6BuBF0OWL8WBUFDuDhYydiK1gnRKAk9Nw_P8r0MI0uCsXzWv7FUe7rg/s400/savannah+115.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />We toured the entire Historic District, along with the River district. We did a lot of shopping and did a few guided tours as well.  We took a river boat cruise.  We rode around in a trolley bus listening to ghost stories about the townsfolk (Savannah is one of the most haunted cities!) and also took the lovely Paula Deen tour :).<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvJ0pT_zd9pOGbdMM411CXIH8Qfu9uT0qPcEsLhg8iXEUODPLG-tql-Jx05wnxYFJuKZhhuGE1Anwt_91rIFElQEC0rJIGvSjMx9twXVg49WMEXJ06fW7yhfVif4ERIY7ZZ6IxVXIRCI/s1600/savannah+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvJ0pT_zd9pOGbdMM411CXIH8Qfu9uT0qPcEsLhg8iXEUODPLG-tql-Jx05wnxYFJuKZhhuGE1Anwt_91rIFElQEC0rJIGvSjMx9twXVg49WMEXJ06fW7yhfVif4ERIY7ZZ6IxVXIRCI/s400/savannah+004.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The church where her and her current husband were married.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />My honest assessment overall on some of the things we did is this: I pictured the River District to be a little more....."cool" - filled with sidewalk-dining eateries, coffee shops, antique stores, local arts stores etc.  Not really the case at all.  I know the town is probably trying to maintain the original "look" to this part of town, but I just wasn't impressed.  The shops were mainly those that you find at the beach - filled with stuff that is "Made in China".  The ones that pertained to local artistry were way out of our budget!  We stopped into a few bars and had drinks and even ate dinner down there at one point, but this was definitely not what I had pictured and not my favorite part of Savannah.  I enjoyed the Historic District most - the tree lined streets were definitely in full swing!  As for the PD tour - the only things we really did that were exclusively PD related was going to tour the church her and Michael were married in, which sits on a property that Paula has invested a lot of money in - a boys home called Bethesda.  The rest of it was spent driving us around to various local shops (including a candy store and cookie store).  Overall, I still really enjoyed the tour - we had an awesome guide who knows PD personally and told us a lot of stories about how she got her start in Savannah and on the Food Network.   <br /><br />Of course, I had good intentions of trying to stay On Plan while on vacation, and I failed..... miserably.  I took some WW friendly snacks, and while the trip started off well, it quickly went downhill.  I'm not good at staying On Plan when eating out.  Whats the point in eating out if you have to order things you really don't want to eat?  Despite all our walking, I still gained weight on this trip.  I actually even took the scale with me, with the intention of weighing in each day to help keep me on track.  Instead, I became scared of it and only weighed in on the first morning  (which, btw, I did have a loss that morning - why couldn't I keep the momentum going??) :(.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWmYM4iR5hZWMtD0r5X8hMiz6yuN0490LFP0Gc9quFJaasVWyUOrE4NyW-1PzsOYQWrjPTa1fAsZqH_91JLbDSNAWLaH0hca9OXVonEU7_7Lxyt34I6sM2Q5rj94ebWOpaNCPVohj1r8/s1600/savannah+119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWmYM4iR5hZWMtD0r5X8hMiz6yuN0490LFP0Gc9quFJaasVWyUOrE4NyW-1PzsOYQWrjPTa1fAsZqH_91JLbDSNAWLaH0hca9OXVonEU7_7Lxyt34I6sM2Q5rj94ebWOpaNCPVohj1r8/s400/savannah+119.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">not exactly the type of homes I imagined, but still pretty none the less</td></tr></tbody></table>I weighed in last Friday at 261.2 - no surprise.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4it4PFTTVLIEm22KR2ruX6PPurBmpQ4CmkPuHV-Mz3hqoGZ7E3AWy5mLL4DFKsdumGlr7RXNHW8vc2F-hiGags65S2Z-YEAgXKl1fnYzkQclRYtX9a6qK8LeSswxW0uLqiJLKtC4jm4/s1600/savannah+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4it4PFTTVLIEm22KR2ruX6PPurBmpQ4CmkPuHV-Mz3hqoGZ7E3AWy5mLL4DFKsdumGlr7RXNHW8vc2F-hiGags65S2Z-YEAgXKl1fnYzkQclRYtX9a6qK8LeSswxW0uLqiJLKtC4jm4/s400/savannah+017.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">part of Bonaventure Cemetery - from The Book</td></tr></tbody></table>I'm jumping back on the wagon this week and giving it another go... as per the usual.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCxfyoF3F3gY7TsLmW2nZt_EGBgOJMhXuu2JIasehcA7WOLXt4iqyTP42wa7oDQe-dujCy-DXSWg5xyarYyYxeLc6qT8m79FKN8aW72JD8XTIxIMfSCXys1sgwRASG-OcugU4942JWPU/s1600/savannah+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCxfyoF3F3gY7TsLmW2nZt_EGBgOJMhXuu2JIasehcA7WOLXt4iqyTP42wa7oDQe-dujCy-DXSWg5xyarYyYxeLc6qT8m79FKN8aW72JD8XTIxIMfSCXys1sgwRASG-OcugU4942JWPU/s400/savannah+012.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lady & Sons Restaurant (Paula Deen's place!)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstPiHL3_yyZNEc6PqbrHcR9zIa74YWYRtxnP3Zdg6Qp7y7CaEwsB5Wjc48CLqOkctUc1Fv3Um6yc4ecu6FsYQV0IXdKmfQyjFCa6eBJiUDdEYP7TZhKxR50ilfRoIPgFTr0jsUuPIzZU/s1600/savannah+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstPiHL3_yyZNEc6PqbrHcR9zIa74YWYRtxnP3Zdg6Qp7y7CaEwsB5Wjc48CLqOkctUc1Fv3Um6yc4ecu6FsYQV0IXdKmfQyjFCa6eBJiUDdEYP7TZhKxR50ilfRoIPgFTr0jsUuPIzZU/s400/savannah+005.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>We then spent the latter half of the week in Tybee Island, and I worked on finishing The Book while sitting with my toes in the sand :) - I LOVE this life!  I would give up my current situation in a heartbeat if I knew that I could survive comfortably with some other job near the beach if I could do this on a more regular basis - but then again, who wouldn't?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPMPpMoVljOPdJeBe_IFano0NYXOBUyq8KlgqYFeCY63GsF5Pwf_Y2pShWg3O5aDkx5vyRbtZqY_Y5Lmam2w_0QfMD1TWfCNaCdwHDzBsgQZrQNlSbDOz10sDxTn_-WQgW_clVeqC2pY/s1600/savannah+085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPMPpMoVljOPdJeBe_IFano0NYXOBUyq8KlgqYFeCY63GsF5Pwf_Y2pShWg3O5aDkx5vyRbtZqY_Y5Lmam2w_0QfMD1TWfCNaCdwHDzBsgQZrQNlSbDOz10sDxTn_-WQgW_clVeqC2pY/s400/savannah+085.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Joel fished a lot - and only caught sharks. <br /><br />We definitely loved our vacation, and even though it was a long drive, we were grateful and blessed for a safe and uneventful journey to/from Virginia.  <br /><br />Anything else you care to know about Savannah?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEjfWQbC83dAaOL33PjCP9Fx8W6zmi_nhnDJc0WWd9ZOIUcilBXUti_6VM77PUjg2ePE3hTxT8XptTTSiAmf7SikW7095y-yVHOfRcXcrrz2Rnseq8Fj-vvyL9KE2bZRIHzuRgz5gcmU/s1600/savannah+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEjfWQbC83dAaOL33PjCP9Fx8W6zmi_nhnDJc0WWd9ZOIUcilBXUti_6VM77PUjg2ePE3hTxT8XptTTSiAmf7SikW7095y-yVHOfRcXcrrz2Rnseq8Fj-vvyL9KE2bZRIHzuRgz5gcmU/s400/savannah+004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Back at it again folks...

Gain Miscellaneous Savannah GA Weight Loss Challenges Hey Ya'll!

Joel and I had a safe and awesome trip to/from Savannah, GA.We spent 10+ hours in the car (we stopped a few times on the ride down and back), but the actual drive time was 9.5 hours.We spent half of our week in Savannah and the other half in Tybee Is…

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The HilJoe Competition - Revitalized!

If you've been following along with my weight loss journey, you know that a few weeks ago Joel and I started a <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/04/little-competition-never-hurt-anybody.html">weight loss competition between us</a>.  And while our intentions were good, at the end of the day, our living arrangement at the time was preventing Joel from really committing to it.  And it wasn't just him, I tried hard during those 8 months of living with his mom to lose weight as well, and it simply wasn't happening, despite my awesome attendance at the gym 4-5 days/week.  There's a whole slew of excuses that I will save you from.<br /><br />So, now that we're out on our own again, and he has been able to join a gym now, the competition is back on track!  Below are our stats.  We weighed in on Friday, July 1 and this is what we're working with:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.beautyandwell-being.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/weight-scale-400x400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.beautyandwell-being.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/weight-scale-400x400.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Joel (6'): 240.3</b><br /><b> Hilary (5'8"): 261.2</b><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">You'll notice that I gained 4 pounds since last week.  One explanation for this is definitely due to TOM.  Sure, it's not the reason for all 4 pounds gained, but I did hop back on the scale Saturday morning to find that I was 259.8.  I've been feeling super bloated over the last 2 days due to TOM and I'm not too concerned about the gain.  Yeah, I'm not pleased with it, but I literally just got myself back on track after the move.  I'm not worried - I know that the weight will start coming back off soon enough!<b> </b></div></div>

Gain HJ Competition The HilJoe Competition - Revitalized!

If you've been following along with my weight loss journey, you know that a few weeks ago Joel and I started a weight loss competition between us.  And while our intentions were good, at the end of the day, our living arrangement at the time was prev…

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Weigh In & New Gym

After a week of not weighing in, I finally bit the bullet and hopped on the scale on Friday to find a gain of only a pound.  I'll take this gain of only a pound after allllll the eating out I've done and the lack of gym attendance as well.<br /><br />Joel and I made it to the gym twice last week and as of today we're officially members at Gold's Gym!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/news/golds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.opensecrets.org/news/golds.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I'm happy to not only get myself back into a routine, but I'm ELATED that Joel is going with me!  I'm happy for him that he can start making positive changes for his health, and I'm happy that the person I love will be spending these grueling moments with me as well.  <br /><br />The HilJoe competition is not over by any means either.  Joel has an unusual work schedule, and getting him to weigh in at the same time as me has been a llittle difficult.  So we're going to work something out to ensure that our weigh in's continue to be as fair as possible.  Stay tuned as we're going to revamp our competition now!

Gain goals HJ Competition Weight Loss Weigh In & New Gym

After a week of not weighing in, I finally bit the bullet and hopped on the scale on Friday to find a gain of only a pound.  I'll take this gain of only a pound after allllll the eating out I've done and the lack of gym attendance as well.Joel and I …

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HilJoe Competition - Week 2

<div style="text-align: left;">I guess it was only a matter of time that I'd have to face a beating from Joel.  Hopefully this will only be one of a few I'll have to endure.  <b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.beautyandwell-being.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/weight-scale-400x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.beautyandwell-being.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/weight-scale-400x400.jpg" width="200" /></a><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Joel</b> <b>(6')</b>: 239.6</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Hilary (5'8")</b>: 258</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Honestly, I'm frustrated with myself for yet again another gain.  When am I going to get it together? I get one thing under control (exercise), only to have the other one suffer (eating).  I'm not one of those people who can simply 'eat right' <i>alone </i>and lose weight - I need both elements.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm not giving up.  </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">And so we move on to Week 3.</div>

Gain HJ Competition HilJoe Competition - Week 2

I guess it was only a matter of time that I'd have to face a beating from Joel.  Hopefully this will only be one of a few I'll have to endure.   Joel (6'): 239.6Hilary (5'8"): 258 Honestly, I'm frustrated with myself for yet again another gain.  Whe…

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Bloooower

This was the first week I had tracked ALL week and <b>every </b>single thing I ate in a very looooonnggg time. I was so proud of myself for doing it after so many failed attempts. I participated in a 5K on Saturday and I was active all week long - making it to the gym everyday, adding on an extra 5 minutes to my cardio routine and even incorporating weight lifting into it all. Let's just say the scale did not reveal my hard work! I gained over 3 lbs! After all that, <u>ALL THAT</u>, and I had a gain?! This is not at all what I expected. I know you have weeks where you know you derailed big time and a gain is inevitable, but this week was not one of those weeks for me.<br /><br />I've heard and read many, many times that I should be focusing on the other achievements I had this week, such as tracking and fitness, but I am doing both of those things to achieve weight loss after all.  And when the scale does not show a loss, it's hard to see the light in those other things! <br /><br />I wish I could say I came back with a vengence for the upcoming week, but no. Even though I don't want to have this mentality, I couldn't help but think all weekend "why bother, the hardwork doesn't pay off anyhow!" and the eating pattern sure did reflect that attitude.<br /><br />Saturday I did another 5K (more on that later) and then Sunday I took an 8 mile bike ride with Joel's mom.<br /><br />The bike ride was great! I have not been on my bike in almost 5 years.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5epcHE1gMKeAa8KVXYN6v_YfdR4g06-E6boI1NnwuXa8fx8ib6KiY5hI1GOrLXHRehoMHwNyNwhOaIGtQ8oEPdOcP1XkMnpZlI1PIgwIxnFzbWghowO4ymi4YI-GBsc0bjJugeGIJsM/s1600/Me+Indian+Head.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5epcHE1gMKeAa8KVXYN6v_YfdR4g06-E6boI1NnwuXa8fx8ib6KiY5hI1GOrLXHRehoMHwNyNwhOaIGtQ8oEPdOcP1XkMnpZlI1PIgwIxnFzbWghowO4ymi4YI-GBsc0bjJugeGIJsM/s400/Me+Indian+Head.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br />Other than the issues I had with the seat not staying in position, it felt great to get out and do something other than my normal walk/jog. The trail was AWESOME - both scenic and flat - and I will definitely be going to that place again!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii383rqVkUiVAfi4iyNLOT_Oh6UIkjcwe8498yMqYikH0ehzLllecRNLXjBHfeBkLDhHUIK_Uermeol16BvJnApqZPvJrdMF2bv8NrVOYTgdL4UwXpsUts3YnKuzSn_AygxJ4XdsJI5p4/s1600/bike+weathervane.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii383rqVkUiVAfi4iyNLOT_Oh6UIkjcwe8498yMqYikH0ehzLllecRNLXjBHfeBkLDhHUIK_Uermeol16BvJnApqZPvJrdMF2bv8NrVOYTgdL4UwXpsUts3YnKuzSn_AygxJ4XdsJI5p4/s400/bike+weathervane.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cute weather vane, nice bathrooms!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h_acRpHsRnOTXqcwsPMVYLdzmvOWrrYKzo7weOlP5aU3taxgXmMv5QL-tgBSfxrENbIUg8u_-ncjQW3pqPRbRVDNQStBjYd8KmlRxeFnUFEiDQCufo7ySqKSDtWGVw4SipxvjJa3JdA/s1600/laurie+indianhead.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h_acRpHsRnOTXqcwsPMVYLdzmvOWrrYKzo7weOlP5aU3taxgXmMv5QL-tgBSfxrENbIUg8u_-ncjQW3pqPRbRVDNQStBjYd8KmlRxeFnUFEiDQCufo7ySqKSDtWGVw4SipxvjJa3JdA/s400/laurie+indianhead.JPG" width="398" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">they did a great job with this trail</td></tr></tbody></table>

5K Gain Bloooower

This was the first week I had tracked ALL week and every single thing I ate in a very looooonnggg time. I was so proud of myself for doing it after so many failed attempts. I participated in a 5K on Saturday and I was active all week long - making …

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