it's not good

I gained 2.2 pounds last week & .6 this last Saturday, bringing my total gain these last two weeks up to 2.8 ! So now I have to lose 9 pounds instead of 6. I wasn't happy with this turn of events & I can list a million reasons why it hasn't been easy to stay on course as of late but I'd rather focus on what I need to do today. Besides, like my leader asked us at my last meeting, "what is easier? being overweight and unhealthy or losing weight and having energy?" When it's said like that it seems so obvious. Yet we all know it isn't easy to lose weight... so there lies the wild card. Then I think, once I lose the weight, it'll be easier. I know if I want to be a lifetime member of Weight Watchers I'll need to stay within two pounds of my goal weight. I think I have the ability to do that. The big question now is, do I have the willingness?
I had a good weekend as far as calorie consumption. I wrote down everything that I ate. I drank all the water I was supposed too. I also made sure I slept enough. Yesterday I even walked for an hour. I feel like I've had a bit of an attitude adjustment since I went back to my meetings. Despite my gain, my Weight Watchers leader seems to be good with turning people's attitudes around. One of my worst habits is not monitoring myself. When I neglect writing down what I am eating, I become like an amnesiac & "forget" to eat the healthy stuff first. This sets off even more cravings since junky food always leaves me wanting more. Now that I have found out that I have a high metabolism I am starting to realize how important it is for me to eat at least 1600 calories a day or else I won't lose weight. If half of those 1600 calories aren't nutritionally up to par, like foods loaded with nutrients that will give me energy, I have found my body will only crave more food until I do get those nutrients thus adding way too many calories.
So last Saturday I got back from my meeting and made my yogurt soy milk berry banana shake. It tastes good, it's loaded with all good things and it gives me energy.
Here is the recipe and here's to hope that I lose some weight this week!
I use organic ingredients whenever possible, but if I can't, I just substitute with whatever is available.

1 cup of frozen organic blueberries ( I like Trader Joe's)
half of a banana
1 cup organic nonfat plain yogurt
1 cup organic soy milk
2 packets stevia

I use a hand held blender to mix the blueberries with the soy milk a little at a time. Then I add the yogurt & the cut up banana, stevia and mix again.

For Weight Watchers, it's 4 points. ( or 350 calories)
TIP~ if my bananas are getting really ripe, I like to put them in the fridge & use them to make the shakes a little more "shake" like.

~ a picture of the goodness

Lily needed a change...

I hope you like it!
I think this change in my blog's look had to do with my word organise for this year. Like other words of mine in previous years, it's starting to seep in by osmosis. I have many other things to write to you about, but for now I will let you adjust to this sudden surprise for a moment or two before doing so.
Happy Sunday!

I didn't do so hot with my diet this week...

so of course I am dreading going to my WW meeting tomorrow morning. Last weekend's birthday celebration complete with chocolate cake, paled by comparison with this weeks food consumption. All week long I just felt hungry all the time. My chocolate cravings were ridiculous and I only exercised twice. By yesterday I was so depressed with my lack of willpower and motivation I felt like a total loser. I guess I needed to hit bottom before I could begin the good fight yet again. Yes, I am still dreading getting weighed tomorrow, but I am completely ready.

"If you think you can do it, or you think you can't do it, You are right." ~ Henry Ford

Tips for an Exceptional, Superb and Powerful Life, continued...

This is the last of them. Take what is good and leave the rest!

29. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

30. Do the right thing!

31. Call your family often.

32. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: "I am thankful for___. Today I accomplished___."

33. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

34. Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

"Trust the past to God's mercy, the present to God's love and future to God's providence."~ St. Augustine

I promised I would talk about my word that I picked for this year,
~ o r g a n i s e
I like putting spaces between each of the letters. I think it's because it makes it look so, I don't know-organised perhaps? Plus I like spelling it the English way because I think it sounds clearer and more precise, at least in my mind it does. When I first wrote about this word I felt it was a word that picked me. In other words, when I thought of it, it just sort of popped up out of no where. Pondering this word these last few weeks I became inspired. I've been wanting to get my house in order for a long time. I decided to start with the basement thinking that may give me a good foundation to start with. Here are some "before" photos of the first corner of the basement that I attacked. Unfortunately I removed an entire shelf filled with assorted stuff before realizing I should take a photo, so it was a lot worse. I wish I could have documented just how bad it was, but I think you'll get the idea. As soon as I finish the re-org in this corner, I'll post the "after" pics.

Notice the big rust stain on the floor? If you enlarge this photo you can see some gross details like the 3 brooms swept down almost to their handles. Why were we keeping them?

Those black trash bags are filled with empty or dried out paint cans, old shelving and empty cardboard boxes along with a rusty tool box.


"Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."~Albert Einstein

please, please Albert let it be so!

a couple of things...

I didn't go to my weight watchers meeting on Saturday. Usually I think of going to my meeting as a gift, a time out just for me that I give myself to help me stay on track because it really is a great support. Last Saturday was an exception in that I didn't force myself to go to a meeting even though I was worried I had gained back some weight I had just lost. I didn't count my calories/points as carefully as I had planned too during the week and I thought if I went to my meeting and found out I gained I would be upset, and I just didn't want to be upset on my birthday. Yes it was a big day for me, I am always pleased to be here for yet another year!
Plus it would be a nice present sleeping in a couple of extra hours.
So guess what I did as soon as I woke up? After vowing not too, I weighed myself! If I didn't stay the same, I think I may have lost a pound. My scale isn't accurate, but it's close enough. Feeling guilty I properly consoled myself, telling myself, it's your birthday, you should do whatever you want, if you wanted to weigh yourself, what is so wrong with that? Who is making up the rules anyway? I think I made the right decision because later on (after being sick for the last couple of weeks) I finally had the energy to go for a nice 3 & 1/4 mile run. Feeling empowered, as exercise so often does for me, I also decided that for the rest of the day, birthday cake included, whatever I ate would be eaten joyfully and with lots of gratitude.That is one of the things I love about WW, there aren't any foods off limits.

thanks to my generous parents, the Eggplant Milano that I ordered from my favorite Greek restaurant. I only ate half of it. Thanks Mom & Dad!
& the cake for after...I had one slice with 2 "slivers".


Remember the tips? Well, there are more!
If you missed the first 22, please go here, here & here.

Tips for an Exceptional, Superb and Powerful Life

23. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time!

24. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

25. Your job won't take care of you when you get sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch with them.

26. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

27. Envy is a waste of time. You already have everything you need. God provides, remember?!

28. The best is yet to come.

tomorrow will be the last of the "tips" plus a little about my word for the year,
~ O R G A N I S E !

To lose or not to lose, that is the question.

I pray I am finally truly ready to let go of it.
Saturday showed another big loss for me, I'm down 3.2 more pounds. So in the last two weeks I've lost a total of six pounds. This is great news since 3 weeks ago I had gained 4.6 after being away from my Weight Watchers meetings for exactly four weeks. Now the challenge will be can I continue to lose? I haven't lost this much weight so quickly since I first started WW. At this point I don't know if it is due to my daily 1600 calorie regime or the fact that I've been sick the last three weeks! Maybe it's a combination of both. Whatever the case, I'm a bit nervous. I think I've reached my boiling point. I want to be done with this goal and start my six weeks of maintenance so I can become a lifetime WW member. I only need to lose six more pounds. I think I actually want to lose more than that but I don't have too if I don't want too in order to qualify for starting the WW maintenance plan. Right now my BMI is in the healthy range so that is a relief and my waist size is a tad bit less than half my height. & although I am tall, I'm not a big boned girl so I wonder if I'd probably be a little more comfortable with even less weight on me. I guess that is another decision I have to make once I lose these last six pounds. I often hear the last five pounds are the hardest to shed. Maybe that won't apply to me since I haven't made up my mind yet as far as exactly how much I want to lose!

This week should give me a clearer picture in terms of how much I can realistically expect to lose on 1600 calories a day since I seem to be fully recovered from what I think may have been the flu followed by a nasty stomach virus that lasted four days. I'm surprised I didn't gain weight with all the white bread and salty crackers and ginger ale I had been eating. I haven't had a piece of fruit or a vegetable since last Monday! Today I will attempt a berry banana soy milk smoothie. Yum, I can't wait!
This week I commit to staying positive while I track my calories. I also commit to drinking plenty of water, getting enough sleep and exercising at least one hour a day.
I have no illusions, I know it's not easy, yet I feel up to the challenge for today.

Every year we let our Yorkie Priscilla play with the wrapping paper on Christmas day. She loves paper. Here she is looking all innocent. If you had seen her just moments earlier you wouldn't have recognized her-kind of like me after I've eaten a chocolate bar!