Saturday, February 28, 2009

Lessons learned...

Weigh in today.

Did really bad.

I know exactly why, too.

I gained two whole pounds.

Remember my goals last week were to work on my TEDs (Tracking my food, Exercise every day, Drink all my water every day)? Well, I did all three of them, but only half way. I didn't track EVERYTHING, EVERY DAY. I didn't exercise until Thursday night (ran/walked 3 miles Thurs night, then ran 1 mile Fri morning then ran 3 miles Friday night).

So you know what happens when you do something half way. Yea, you don't get the results you're looking for.

I'm hoping my hubby's new-found enthusiasm for WW will rub off on me and I'll be able to get passionate about it again. My head has really been messing with me lately.

Like right now, I just want to cry because I gained 2 WHOLE POUNDS!!

That's a whole MONTH'S worth of weight loss GONE. I'm now back at the weight I was on January 31st. Ugh!! I just want to scream!!!

Do you know how hard it was for me to lose those two pounds???

Oh my gosh! I worked so hard at it!!

Okay, deep breath, Cara. Deep breath.

...

What have I learned?

I can't have a splurge day ANY MORE.

I have to track, exercise AND drink 80 oz of water. Every day. No matter what. All three or nothing!

I splurged last Saturday and gained 5 pounds in one day. I had a cheeseburger (21pts) with broccoli (1pt) for lunch and a Bob Evans Border Scramble Burrito (27pts) with fried potatoes (4pts) and cherry bread (9.5pts) and fried mush (5pts) for dinner. Then a piece of coconut cream pie (13pts) for dessert. Oh, and a block of 1/3 less fat Philly cream cheese (15pts) and a half a bag of reduced fat Ruffles (20pts).

Can you find any reason in last paragraph why I gained 5 pounds in one day??!!

Can you say 115 points???!!!

In one Day!!!

Ahhhhhh!!

What was I thinking!!???

At the time, I really didn't think all those things were that bad when I was eating them. I mean, I knew they'd be more points, but I had no idea they'd add up to more than a hundred points.

Man!

So, I think I know why I gained 5 pounds in one day. And I think I know why I wasn't able to lose all 5 of those points over the course of the week.

OK. So I'm human. I'm weak when it comes to food. I love food.

But most importantly, I learned from those 100+ points.

I can't do that any more.

I could have done any ONE of those things and been okay. But I can not do all of them like that again.

My indulgences need to be smaller. Still indulgences. I can't live without my indulgences. But I HAVE to make them small ones.

I'll get used to it. It might take a few years. But soon I'll be used to it and it'll be okay. For now, one day at a time.

Today, I had four 1-point pancakes for breakfast, and for lunch I'm planning on some sort of chicken with veggies. Will probably have a light sandwich for dinner (we always swap out lunch and dinner on Saturdays).

By the way, this recipe for pancakes makes the best pancakes I've ever had in my life! I'm a HUGE fan of pancakes! I thought I'd share it with you. You won't need syrup on them. They're perfect the way they are. I changed the recipe just slightly from her original version. Just a slight improvement on perfection. And here's a link to a video made by the lady who I got the recipe from. It's absolutely priceless. It's her and her toddler making the recipe together. It's long, but well worth the watch:
1/2 cup quick oats (40g)
1 cup skim milk (8oz) (I used Almond Milk, made it sweeter, less calories and more protein)
2 tsp lemon juice
3/4 whole wheat flour (90g) (there's no difference in points whether you use white all purpose flour or whole wheat, it's just healthier for you if you use wheat)
2 tsp cinnamon (if you're not crazy about cinnamon, you can reduce this to 1 tsp. I'm CRAZY about cinnamon so I like 2 tsp)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg (I used a 1/4 cup egg beaters for slightly less fat and calories, still the same points for each pancake, though)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp honey

In a medium bowl, combine oatmeal, milk and lemon juice. Let mixture sit at least 2 minutes while preparing dry ingredients.

In large bowl, combine all dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.

Milk/oatmeal mixture will look slightly curdled after 2 minutes. Whisk the egg [beaters], vanilla, applesauce and honey into mixture.

Warm griddle to 350 degrees until water drops dance on surface. Spray surface with non-stick oil.

Just before you're ready to pour the batter onto the griddle, add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.

Pour with a ladle onto griddle. Cook about 1-2 minutes a side, until light brown on both sides.
Enjoy!

.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I CAME ACROSS YOUR BLOG AND TOTALLY LOVED IT. YOU GAVE ME SUCH AN INSPIRATION TO START MY WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM. I AM 22 YRS OLD AND DEALING WITH BEING OVER WEIGHT, IM ALREADY AT HYPERTENSION POINT WHERE IF I DONT LOOSE WEIGHT I WILL BE ON MEDICINES. YOU GAVE ME THE STREGNTH THAT I NEED. THANK YOU.

FEEL FREE TO E-MAIL ME:
LAURA_0223@HOTMAIL.COM

Stephen said...

Hey Cara, I too came across your blog... Don't give up. You aren't the only one fighting this battle. I just started this week, and I weigh 632 lbs... What helped me this week for my snacks is to measure my snack from the big bag, and then put the big bag away.

I thank you for your blog.

Stephen

jinxxxygirl said...

Cara,

We've been at this a long time. But we still have a long way to go like um.....the rest of our lives. We are in this for the long haul arent we? So we have to find a way to make this splurge thing work. Because we would like to eat the things we love once in a while. Isn't that part of the reason we work so hard? I like your idea of smaller splurges. Maybe a meal splurge and not an entire day. And what about upping your exercise that week? Exercise an extra day? Breathe Cara. If you only did half your water itake maybe your still retaining water from that day? Is it close to that time of the month? Jinx!

SeaShore said...

Having your husband back into WW will really help. You can support and encourage each other. (Love that you're training together!) My husband follows WW loosely, and his commitment waxes and wanes. It's certainly easier for me when he's feeling enthusiastic!

The only part of your new plan that makes me nervous is the "All three or nothing". Strive for perfection, but don't set yourself up to fail. Never pick "or nothing".

Good luck. You are such an inspiration.

WWSuzi said...

Oh it's such a hard journey some weeks!!
I know i've been battling the same lbs for ages now!
But that said i won't give up and i know you won't :)
Here's to a great week!!

Dr Wednesday said...

Cara- I really enjoy your blog (and Davids now too). You worried me with something you wrote this week. You said "all three or nothing". That's a TERRIBLE idea, and there's no nicer way to say it. Number one, you must track. As for exercise and water, these are key to losing weight at a faster rate, but not the end-all at all. The only one that should set you back is over eating.

You are so smart and reasonable. You know that 115 points x 50 calories is 5750 calories in a day. That adds up to (drum roll) about two pounds. Don't let this set back that feels big (but is not big) panic you!

You are doing good, and will do great!

David Showers said...

Cara,

You are my lover, friend, hero and inspiration. Without you life has no meaning.

With your help I'm back at it and I know we can do this together.

You have touched so many peoples lives and I admire you for that.

Stay strong.

Lake Mary WWLeader said...

I feel your pain! Give yourself credit for knowing the cause and being willing to do what it takes to prevent it from happening again. As David says, you are an inspiration to everyone at our meetings, and you will recover from this setback and reach even greater achievements in the future. My faith in you is unshaken and absolute!

MaryFran said...

I'm sorry to hear about the little blip you had on the scales. Stay strong and you'll have those 2 pounds off SOON! (much sooner than it took you the first time I'm sure!)