33 Things

On my other blog, I wrote a list of 33 things I wanted to do this year when I was 33. Since that blog is supposed to be about my kids, I decided to move my list over here.

Here are the 33 things I want to do when I'm 33. I feel like I better get a move on. I mean, I'm almost 33-1/3! (Sorry, there's laughing in my head. We in Minnesota sort of make fun of those in Wisconsin. We think Wisconsinites would say that "turdy-tree and a turd." hahaha!)

Anyway, here's my list. I've crossed off those I've done and added comments about some of them.

1. Volunteer at Feed My Starving Children - at least twice.
2. Host a Christmas Cookie exchange. (I went to one... I won't be able to host one since I'll be 34 before Christmas)
3. Run a 5K, a 7K, a 10K, and a "longer than 10K" race (maybe a 10 mile or 1/2 marathon?).
4. Read at least 6 books for fun.
5. Make a family cookbook.
6. Take the kids to Wisconsin.
7. Get a pedicure.
8. Swim in a lake (with the kids).
9. Take a family vacation - that doesn't involve going to or staying at a relative's home.
10. Crochet a blanket (you'll remember that was a New Year's Resolution from last year, whoops, didn't get there...). ALMOST DONE!
11. Reconnect (ie: see in person) some old friends who I've not seen much since B&H were born
12. Paint my bedroom.
13. Take a sewing class.
14. Go to Lake Minnetonka.
15. Try Zumba at least once. I have been going to Zumba class every Wednesday!
16. Pay off one of my student loans
17. Send real paper cards to my immediate family members for their birthdays.
18. Sleep in (past 8:00) just once.
19. Stay up late (past 11:00) just once.
20. Go to a movie in the theater.
21. Go to a concert.
22. Go to a play or musical.
23. Leave a treat and thank you note for the mailman.
24. Take the kids on an airplane (Yikes! This is crazy!)
25. Take the Jeopardy online quiz again.
26. Go sledding (with the kids). Well, it was more me pulling them in the sleds, but that's better than nothing. And safer!
27. Learn a bit of basic graphic design.
28. Shovel my neighbor's sidewalk for no reason.
29. Wear pajamas all day.
30. Spend an entire day sitting at a coffee shop reading (without kids).
31. Go on a Girl's Weekend with my friends.
32. Donate blood.
33. Pay for someone's coffee who is behind me in line.

So I have only 3 totally done. WOW! I feel like I have a lot to do! But some are coming up. I am scheduled to volunteer at Feed My Starving Children in April, and I am also signed up for a 10K in April. We haven't had any birthdays in the family yet, but the first one is coming up at the end of March.  My BFF and I are going to a Fleetwood Mac concert in April and to see the play "Rock of Ages" in May.

The rest I really need to work on. I think the hardest thing will be the airplane. I don't know why I said I wanted to do that. I don't WANT to. I can't imagine them sitting still long enough for a plane ride. Though, we do have a lot of family that live a plane ride away. I'd love to go visit them this summer. But we'll see.

What's on your short bucket list??

It worked!

I'm on a weight loss high. My first week with My Fitness Pal worked and I lost 1.6 lbs. HOORAY!!! As I mentioned a few days ago, I'm high on tracking, loving the differences between MFP and WW and using the differences to motivate myself to keep going.

I love how the 1.6 lbs looks like a HUGE drop on this chart. :)

And I've tracked everything - even cookies! And cake! With WW, those things always get "forgotten."

On days when I haven't gone over my goal, I've felt satisfied all day and gone to bed feeling great. There were 2 or 3 days I went over my calorie goal, but not by much. Maybe 200-300 calories. I don't think enough to really tank any success.

I'm also drinking water like CRAZY!!! I love how it helps me feel energized and full without eating. I guess it's true what they say about thirst mimicking hunger symptoms.

I have updated my Weight Tracker tab on the page. Check it out. So far it's just a table - I hope to figure out how to make a chart. I know I know how - I just can't remember.

Here's to another good week - I hope! By the way, I still haven't officially dropped out of WW - it's a bit of a crutch for me, but I also am curious about how the Active Link will compare to my newly-ordered Fit Bit for this upcoming week. It's my MOMs club consignment sale, so I'll be on my feet for about 30 hours straight. Surely I'll burn some calories doing that, right?!

FMM - Pondering Personal Thoughts

It's Monday again, which means I'm doing my little survey again. I love surveys. I'm not kidding. I always fill them out. I create them all the time for my MOMs club (my fellow board members make fun of me). Even when I was a kid, I used to exchange surveys with my friends. I love it! I'm glad I stumbled upon All The Weigh and her weekly Friend Making Monday survey!

Pondering Personal Thoughts

1. How old would you feel if you didn’t know how old you are? I usually have to stop and think about how old I am, and my initial reaction is usually 25 or 26, so I guess that is what I feel like. Though at 25 or 26 I was not married, had no kids, and lived in an apartment with a roomie. Nothing with my life now!


2. Are you the kind of friend you’d want to have as a friend? Of course. My grandma taught me if you want to have a friend you have to be a friend. In recent years, I've been really working on active listening, which I hope my friends appreciate.

3. Look back at the last year.  When did you feel most excited about something in your life? My twins turned 2 last December. I was very excited for the fun toddler times that lie ahead (tantrums and all).

4. Have you ever been with someone and not spoken a word, only to walk away thinking that was the best conversation ever?  Sure - I have a husband, a BFF, and 2 toddlers after all!


5. If you won 100 million dollars Monday, would you continue doing whatever you usually do on Tuesdays? Of course - who else is going to watch my two kids?! Though we might start looking for a bigger house to live in!


6. What would you do differently if you knew no one would judge you? I don't feel worried much about people judging me at this point in my life - but I do get worried about people judging my parenting. Especially with twins it seems like I'm always on display.

7. Share something you do differently than most people. I push 2 carts at Target. :) I also change my kids' diapers with them standing up.

8. What’s one thing that you really want to do that you’ve never done?  Travel outside the USA. I never did before having kids and now I can't picture how we would ever do that. We have enough trouble traveling 3 states away to Grandpa's house!

9. If you had to move out of state right now, where would you move?  Florida. For real. It's March 18th and it's snowing AGAIN. So over winter in Minnesota.

10.  What is the one thing that you’d like to change most about the world? I guess I wish that people everywhere were more tolerant of others unlike them (be it religion, race, sexual orientation, etc).

To participate in your own FMM this week, click here.

If you're here from All The Weigh, hello! I've added a Follow button to join the site with your Google ID. I'd LOVE to have you follow my blog. I will repay the favor, I promise. :)

Trigger Moods & Foods

Oh, the joys of motherhood.

This week my kids came down with some "spring" illnesses (yeah, it's not spring here in Minnesota - the high next week is 22 degrees. SIGH.) that have been ridiculously difficult.

My daughter was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and prescribed a nebulizer. Poor gal.

Because of her illness, she's not been sleeping very well at night. Not at all. Last night she was up from 12:30-2:00 a.m. After that, I finally said enough and pulled out the hideaway bed and laid down with her. We both got a good 3.5 hours of sleep until she was up and at 'em right at 5:30 this morning.

Joy.

Over-tiredness is one of my strongest Trigger Moods. I'm not sure if Trigger Mood is a phrase that is known or if I made it up, but to me, a Trigger Mood is something that makes you want to eat and eat and eat and not stop. For some it might be stress or worry or anger or happiness. For the past 2.5 years, my #1 Trigger Mood has been over-tiredness. Yes, this does coincide with how long I've been a mother.

Today I'm tired. Like, barely-keeping-my eyes open tired.

This Trigger Mood makes me crave my Trigger foods: CARBS.

Here's a look at my food diary so far today (from My Fitness Pal)

Breakfast: Carbs (muffin). Lunch: Carbs (a bagel -WHYYY? I would have been just as content with the vegetable soup!). Snack: 4 cookies.

And that leaves me with only 257 calories for supper. Guess what we're having???

Pizza.

Lord.

If only I wasn't so tired, I'd go to the gym, but I either need to nap or clean. Or go tend to my gal who is crying her head off again. Guess she thinks napping is not on her agenda today.

How much you wanna bet I eat 4 more cookies today?

So far, so good

I'm about 5 days I to my No-WW life, and so far I like what I'm doing! I signed up for My Fitness Pal, a free online calorie and activity tracker. The premise isn't all that different from Weight Watchers - you write down what you eat and add in what you exercise and try to stay under the daily goal.

But there are a few things I like better.

First of all, the barcode scanning tool on MFP is 100x better than the one on WW. You know - the thing where you use your phone to scan the barcode on a package of food. With the WW app, I never got a result 9 out of 10 times. Seriously! I was beginning to wonder why I even tried! With MFP, there has only been 1 or 2 times in the past week where it hasn't worked, and those were really obscure or generic brand foods. I love it!

The best thing that I like so far, though, is this message I get at the end of the day:

I would LOVE to weigh 202.5 lbs in 5 weeks! I find this message at the end of the day to be a total motivator. It's like "keep this up, and see what could happen!"

I've been sneaking on to the scale here and there this week, and I do see that things are moving in the right direction. I am waiting until Saturday to do my "official" weight, though!

There are things I don't like though.

There's no place to "check off" my number of fruits and vegetables each day - something I got used to with WW. I liked to see that number go up and up and up.

Along those same lines, it bums me out that my fruits and veges aren't "free" anymore! Not that I think I stayed this weight for so long because I was eating too many apples & bananas, but I do find myself thinking twice before grabbing a banana at breakfast or an apple with lunch, just so I don't have to count the calories. I know that's not healthy eating, so I need to figure out how to navigate counting fruits and vegetables. (Vegetables aren't really a problem. Their calorie count is so low that it doesn't really put me over the mark for the day like fruits do).

The last change that I'm not used to yet is the WW idea of the "flex points" - those extra points/calories for the week that you can use all at once on a splurge day or throughout the week. They aren't built into the My Fitness Pal plan, so I'm not sure how to navigate days that I go over. Should I try to keep exactly to my calorie goal? Or can I go over now and then?

I've also slacked on exercise this week, which I am sure isn't helping. But I had sick kids. What can I say? That takes a lot out of you!

The best thing about mixing it up?  I have been tracking every little thing! The differences between WW and MFP are *just enough* to keep me interested and motivated. I hope the motivation shows up on the scale!

Instead of WW...

As I wrote yesterday, I'm taking a break from Weight Watchers. My "Dear John" letter yesterday was a bit tongue in cheek, but also very serious about some of the feelings I have toward the weight loss program right now.

It was about this week in 2005 that I joined WW for the first time. Yes, EIGHT years ago I first walked in the door. I weighed 232 pounds at the start and dropped about 40 pounds in less than 6 months and 65 pounds overall over the course of 2 years. So, I know the program works - I am proof of it!

BUT...

A lot has changed since 2005.

I'm not longer a single gal who has loads of time to plan, no one else to feed, and the metabolism of the 20-something!

Now I am pressed most days to get dinner on the table before two squawking toddlers melt down. Unfortunately, convenience foods often make their way on our table. And they (and my husband) are not fans of the tilapia, broccoli, rice dinner I ate every other day when I first started WW. And lord. Mid-30s sure do a number on your metabolism! I swear, I can gain 5lbs just by looking at a piece of candy or a cookie. Sigh...

Not that I"m making excuses. But still. Life is different.

But you know what's not different? Weight Watchers. Sure, now it's PointsPlus and 360 and the materials have changed and the logo is more modern and such. But as I said yesterday, the main basis of the program is to stay w/in your PP values, even if you're eating junk. I did that a lot. Pizza for lunch? It's OK. I can track it, keep w/in my PP value for the day and then move on. Afterall, nothing is "against" Weight Watchers diet plan. You can have what you want!

But that wasn't working for me anymore. I'm not sure what was going wrong, but eating junk, yet staying in my PP value for the week caused either minimal weight loss --- like 7.some pounds over the course of TWO YEARS -- or a bit of gain every week to be followed by a loss the week after.

Beyond frustrating!

Most importantly - after 8 years the information I receive at WW every month is already something I've heard. I am not learning anything new, which is leading to my lack of motivation. My friend Andrea and I (who also joined WW in 2006 or 2007) always say there needs to be a Weight Watchers Advanced for those of us have been around the block a time or two. I don't need to be told to track. No, I need ideas to make it interesting again. I need ways to spark motivation. I need to learn about foods that fuel my body to work to its full potential. I need to learn how to eat when I'm training for a race and what to do with my 35+ Activity Points per week. I'm not getting any of that right now.

So, I am taking this week and tracking on My Fitness Pal, a free online/App calorie counter. It is different counting calories than points. It's harder (for now), but it's just different enough that it's holding my interest. Most different I can see so far: no more "free" fruits and vegetables. My banana at breakfast on WW was 0 points. On MFP, it's 105 calories.

Maybe THAT is the spark I'll need to get the weight off again. Not that I think I'm 40lbs overweight because I eat too many bananas, but it must count for something.

Anyway, I do plan to go to WW on Saturday to "officially"weigh in and see if doing something different did something different. Then I'll decide to become a WW drop out or not.

My First Friend Makin' Monday

I've been browsing around the internet today (rather than doing my Wii Zumba workout!) finding new blogs to follow and be inspired by. I somehow stumbled upon All the Weigh and found her Friend Making Monday questionnaire. I love a good questionnaire, so here goes!

Food Questions

1. What did you eat for dinner last night? This Taco Soup, some Fritos, half and apple, and a bit of cheese. I had Herbal Tea for "dessert." It came to 472 calories.
2. If you could make one food calorie-free for the next year, What would you choose? Cookies!
3. How often do you go to the grocery store? FRICK. I go about every other day. I can't get it together to be a once-a-week shopper. Plus, between the kids and myself, we're always running out of bread, milk, eggs - and especially bananas! Seriously! How many bananas can one family eat?!
4. Do you make a list before buying groceries? Yes, and I meal plan, but you know things jump into my cart all the time.
5. List three things that can always be found in your kitchen. Bananas (see above), yogurt, bread.
6. How often do you clean out your fridge? Once a week. Leftovers OUT.
7. Do you ever use a slow cooker? If so, will you share a recipe? I do at least once a week. The taco soup recipe I mentioned above is a slow cooker recipe and it turned out great!
8. How often do you try new recipes? Some weeks every meal; some weeks not at all. Depends on what is in the freezer and what I feel like eating. I have my favorite recipes, but am always looking for new yummy things!
9. What is the most delicious meal(s) you make? I make a good (but not as good as my mom's) lasagna. I rarely make it because it's so bad for you!
10. Share at least one thing that is currently in your kitchen even though you don’t like it.  Food? I don't like tomatoes, but my kids love them, so we always have grape or cherry tomatoes in the fridge. Other stuff? The 5-10 toys that always end up on or near the kitchen table. Drives me crazy to find choo choo trains and baby dolls all over! ;)

So, from what I can tell from All the Weigh blog, I am just to publish and encourage any readers I have (hello? Anyone out there...?) to also head to her blog to get the questions and keep it going.

So, there ya go!

To the people who are reading this from All the Weigh - this is a new blog for me and I'm just beginning to make it "public" (it was my private journal/blog for about 4 months). Welcome! I'd love some readers & support & advice and hope I can do the same for you someday. :)

Trial Separation

Dear Weight Watchers,

It's time we had a talk.

I find you unmotivating. But don't worry, it's me; not you. I know you're a valid program, but for a seasoned veteran like me, I'm bored. When I first met you 8 years ago, everything was new and I was learning a LOT about how to lose weight. Since then, I've gotten lazy and you're not doing much to motivate me.

I find you frustrating. I wake up on Saturday morning feeling good about Weigh In - only to get to the meeting and feel defeated. This week I was certain I'd see a 1-2 lb loss, only to see a 0.6 lb gain. AGAIN. I'm not sure what is going on, but I don't like feeling deflated.

I find you elementary. I haven't learned anything from you in close to 6 years. The program has changed, but it's the same old stuff week after week. I find myself reaching for the same old foods time and time again - empty calories of crackers, 100-calorie packets, low fat and diet food - all while staying w/in my points range. But not seeing results and not fueling my body.

So, we need a break. Not a break-up, not yet, but a break. But I am going to be honest: I am going to see other diet programs while we are on our break, so don't go all "Ross-and-Rachel" on me. I'm not ready to let you go 100% yet. Afterall, you've been my crutch for these past 8 years. But I need to step away from you for a week or two. Consider this a Trial Separation

Sincerely,
Me - you know, the one who's gained and lost the same 5 lbs since Dec. 2010.

Familial Foods

If there is one memory from my childhood that I revisit often, it is Sunday Night Dinners at my Grandma's house. Chicken, potatoes, gravy, corn, Jell-O, and a big glass of milk. Yummmmm! But - not to discredit or disrespect my dear beloved Grandma -every single Sunday consisted of the same meal. I cannot remember ever having anything green, except maybe the Jell-O.

I lived most of my adolescence with a single dad (my Grandma's son), and our meals followed the same pattern. Vegetables meant corn; fruit meant canned peaches. Again, I don't want to discredit my dad. He did the best he could with the resources he had. But, again, we didn't see much green in that house.

These habits led to my obese adolescence and young adulthood.

I cannot blame anyone, though. I'm not sharing this story to shame my upbringing or blame my dad or grandma for my weight problem. That is how they had lived their lives for years and years - and they were fine. For me, though, corn & canned peaches represent a slippery slope down a path toward truly unhealthy eating habits and lack of will power. It represents a total lack of knowledge on my part about what a healthy diet looks like and how to achieve it. Canned corn and peaches, to me, represent my Kryptonite - the food weaknesses that could kill me.

Now, as an adult and mother, I have changed some habits. We eat fruits and/or vegetables at every single meal. And rarely do we eat canned corn and canned peaches. We eat: blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, bananas, oranges, apples, fresh peaches, fresh pears, carrots, sugar snap peas, peppers, jicama, radishes, broccoli, green beans, peas, zucchini, sweet potatoes, and more!

I feel proud that my kids will grow up with this rainbow of fresh food and delicious palate to choose from. Of course, they are toddlers, so some of the foods are hit and miss depending on the day. But by far, Ben's favorite are blackberries and cherry tomatoes. Hannah especially loves fresh pears, sugar snap peas, and jicama.

What a different perspective on food I hope I've instilled in them! And myself! My fruit and vege count is usually through the roof by the end of the day. YUMMMMMM.

I still do have an occasional side of corn and now and then we eat canned fruits. But not at every meal. And now I can't eat canned peaches. YUCK. The real ones are so much better.

Back on pace

 I *wish* the title here was referring to the pace of losing weight..... sadly, it's not. I'm going up and down the same 1.some pound for a few weeks now. SO frustrating!!!

Back on pace means back to my feelin' good 10-minute mile! I feel like for a non-competitive runner like me, 10:00 miles are just perfect. They're fast enough to feel like you are RUNNING (as opposed to jogging), yet they are steady enough that I can whip out a few miles and not drain myself.

Which is just what I did yesterday!

I did 4 miles in 40:18, which felt just GREAT!

I'd done 10:00 miles for 3 miles before, but not for 4. I feel like I must finally be making some headway in getting more fit if I can go farther at a faster pace! Feels good!!

It's important for me to focus on these little things that prove to me I'm getting healthier little by little --- even if the number on the scale isn't moving too fast!