Sale Saturday: Weight Watchers Magazine

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Weigh in Day: A Loss!

As the title suggests, I logged a loss this week! Yippee!

I lost 1.5 lbs. this week. For the past few days, I’ve been doing really well. Total loss = 26.8 lbs.

There have been quite a few times when I just wanted to eat something that I know isn’t going to help me lose weight, but I have persevered!

This is one of the most difficult times to stick to a diet. Easter candy is by far the best candy ever. And just last night I noticed an entire row of Cadbury chocolates that I have never seen before. You know how much I love Cadbury!

Speaking of chocolate, I have found that I would much prefer the little chocolates that are on my plan than any of the ones I can buy at the store. They are delicious and really help a sweets craving!

I make one exception to the rule. When I want a treat, I buy myself a Chobani almond coco loco Flip—because they are just so yummy. I feel like it’s a healthier alternative and it doesn’t cause me to fall off the wagon and consume more and more and more and more…

I also allow myself my coffee with creamer or a latte—usually twice per day. My coffee is one thing that I will not give up! It hasn’t hindered my weight loss, if anything—the slow activity of sipping on the warm beverage keeps me from eating.

I have also found that my Dutch Chocolate protein shakes are the most satisfying to me. I’ve been out of the chocolate shakes and I really miss them! I will get a shipment today—hopefully!

I’ve started adding 2 Tbs. of unsweetened cocoa powder to my strawberry or vanilla shakes and I find that it has the same effect. I looked it up and it turns out that cocoa is a potent appetite suppressant! Who knew? But that explains it.

How did you do this week?

How to Handle with Food Pushers

You’re doing great on your diet and losing weight, carefully avoiding your trigger foods—the ones that you can’t seem to control yourself around—and then suddenly a co-worker is shoving rich and delicious treats in your face.

A simple, “No, thank you” doesn’t satisfy the food-pusher and you’re faced with either saying “No” a second time (goodness knows saying “No” the first time was a struggle), or you end up giving in and taking a guilt filled bite and more than likely end up eating two or three.

It’s hard. It really and truly is hard to say no to those foods that got you fat in the first place. If you were good at refusing those foods, you wouldn’t be battling your weight! It’s a tough battle.

I successfully spent a number of years in an office setting where probably 90% of the employees were morbidly obese (including myself). You can about imagine the foods that popped up around the office—donuts, pizza, Chinese food, candy, cupcakes, Italian food, fried chicken, you name it and I saw it in that office.

As a side note, strictly for entertainment’s sake, Food wasn’t allowed in the cubicles and some employees even hid McDonald’s value meals in their desk drawers and snuck bites when the boss wasn’t looking. There was forever a phantom smell of french fries in the air, and sometimes much worse smells when said employees forgot about their concealed value meal and left for the weekend.

Oh the stories I could tell, but I digress.

Here are a few tried and true tips for how to handle food pushers.

Explain Yourself

Sometimes you don’t want anyone to know about the fact that you’re on a diet. There are a myriad of reasons for this, but I’m going to tell you right now that it’s a good idea to just let go of your pride and admit that you’ve got goals and you’re going somewhere.

Most people are completely understanding and supportive. I found that when food was brought into the office, many people would offer me the food to be polite and say something like, “I know you’re dieting, but I didn’t want to leave you out”. In such a situation, it’s easy to say “No” because others know about your goals and that helps hold you accountable.

It doesn’t make having to watch your co-workers chow down on delicious foods much easier, but you’ll feel better about yourself afterwards—I promise.

Be Prepared

Keep some healthy snacks in your desk drawer. If need be, when the food pusher is making the rounds—just tell the person that you just ate said healthy snack and you’re just not hungry. Remember, the first tip and explain yourself.

You could even make the food pusher feel sorry for you a bit. Just indulge them—“I’d love to eat that because it looks so good, but I’m on a diet and it’s important to me that I keep on track. I’ll munch on these carrots instead”, and give the food pusher your best pout face. Make it a joke, and the person will likely move on.

Avoid Eye Contact

I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I often utilize this technique to avoid interactions. People don’t usually talk to you unless you make eye contact.

For example, hubby is notoriously pursued by salespeople because he is just too friendly and makes the mistake of making eye contact with everyone he walks by. I tend to avoid eye contact at all costs and usually avoid the situation entirely.

This is a fairly easy one to do in the office without seeming rude. If you’re at your desk—become engrossed in your work. Pretend that you don’t even notice the food pusher making the rounds. Pretend that you’re on the phone and can’t talk. For goodness sake, just don’t make eye contact!

Compliment the Food Pusher

Food pushers don’t usually have bad intentions, even if it might feel like they’ve dedicated their lives to sabotaging your diet. They’re usually the type of people that like to make people happy by feeding them. People love food, hence why you and I are on a diet.

Let the food pusher know that you see the effort they’re making and you think it’s really great. Tell them they are so kind and thoughtful and you really appreciate the gesture, but “No, thanks”. The food pusher will be so absorbed in the compliments that they’ll have received the gratification needed and will move on.

Be Firm

If it comes down to it, you might have to firmly tell the food pusher no, and while you mean no disrespect, please don’t offer these foods to me any more. Let the food pusher know what a difficult struggle it is for you to say no and that you would really appreciate it if they did not force the food upon you. Being firm complements well with complimenting the food pusher.

Accept the Food

If the food pusher does not give up no matter what you have said or done, you may just have to take the food to get the person off of your back. Accept the food and give it to a co-worker or throw it in the trash. Just get rid of it.

How do you handle food pushers?

Being Honest With Myself About Why I’m Not Losing Weight

My weight has stayed within a range of 4 lbs. since the beginning of February. My weight goes up and it goes down, but it has stayed within 4 lbs.

I’m glad that my weight has not fluctuated upwards to the tune of 10 lbs. or anything, but I do want to continue losing weight. So while being able to maintain my weight is fabulous, it’s not my goal right now.

The graph below shows my weigh-ins since December, with the vertical line indicating the beginning of February. You can see how my weight has stabilized instead of continuing the downward tend.

It’s time to take a hard look at my habits over the past few weeks because I know that my lack of weight loss is a direct result of my lack of effort.

So here is my list of habits and behaviors that have to stop in order for me to continue to lose weight and achieve my health & fitness goals.

• Night time snacking: I’ve gotten back into that horrible habit of snacking in the evening—sometimes whether I’m hungry or not. When I was doing my best, I did not snack in the evening.
• Lack of exercise: I have a perfectly reasonable explanation for my lack of exercise (being sick multiple times), so I’m not really getting down on myself about this one— I’m Simply noting that I was getting to the gym when I was doing my best. 
• Slacking on H2O intake: Yep, that’s right. I have been drinking water, but certainly not in the amounts that I was before.
• Indulging too much: We have purchased pints of ice cream a couple of times and bringing ice cream into the house is just not a good idea. In the last few weeks I have had a cupcake, a Starbucks chocolate chunk cookie, and a caramel Cadbury egg. That’s definitely not going to help me lose weight.
• Eating out: When hubby and I were making the most progress, we rarely ate out. We were all about cooking that healthy meal at home—and really enjoying it!
• Not cooking enough: This goes hand-in-hand with the last one, but I have been slacking on the cooking. I’ve been doing whatever is easy and convenient instead of really planning meals with a variety of healthy foods. The meals aren’t necessarily bad for us, but they’re getting dull and it’s never a good thing to get bored with your food when you’re trying to lose weight.
• Lack of blogging & reading blogs: I’ve been busy! But I also know that I am able to stay more focused on my goals when I am following the weight loss journeys of other bloggers. I also do a lot better when I’m honest with myself (like I am being right now) and blog about what’s going on in my head.

Getting this all out “on paper” helps me put it all into perspective. These are all things that can easily be fixed with a conscious effort. If I get it together right now, there’s a chance that I could still log a loss for the month of February. That’s my goal!

Book Club

I’ve been thinking about starting another online book club session—is anyone interested in joining me?

We would meet online once per week. Those who participated in the past know that we definitely make exceptions if it doesn’t work for someone’s schedule—we can work around whatever is best for the group. The weekly reading will be something manageable—so no crazy amounts of reading to do! This is just for fun.

I’m open to any suggestions for books to read. They don’t have to be about weight loss or health. I’m actually going to start reading Bossypants by Tina Fey, so that’s an option if anyone is interested in reading that.

I’d like to have at least two other participants. We can determine our meeting place later, but in the past we have used Google Hangouts—I’m also open to Facebook Messenger.
If you’re interested in joining me, please leave a comment below!

A Fun Weekend

Hello everyone! I hope you had a good weekend.

On Friday, my MIL had the day off and wanted to spend some time with Little Miss Sunshine so she was over pretty much all day. I left for a couple of hours so she could have some alone time with her.

I found the perfect little coffee shop and it’s not even that far from my house. I’m so excited about it because it will be the perfect place for me to go enjoy a latte and either read a book or get some work done.

Isn’t that pretty? I look forward to going back.

Hubby and I were able to go on a date night too! It has been over two months since our last date night, so it was time. We went out for pizza at our favorite pizza place, stopped by the Home Show to see if the video I had been working on was playing correctly, and I went to Target while he went to a sporting goods store. Yep—we sound like an old married couple!

Since my video wasn’t working correctly, I spent a long time trying to figure that out when I got home! This was the first video I’ve ever made and it needed to be on a DVD. I finally got it all figured out and we brought it back to the Home Show on Saturday. That was a big stress relief for me! I got lots of compliments on it—so that makes me feel good!

The corporation that I made it for is very happy with it so far, but there is a lot more to add and it will probably never be “finished”, so I am thankful to have another ongoing work project!

The video took me 33 hours—I couldn’t believe it! I had estimated 10 hours. I apologized to them, explaining I had no idea how much work was involved in making a video—they told me not to worry one bit about the hours and to just send them an invoice. Whew!

I don’t know why I didn’t start trying to do more freelance work prior to becoming a SAHM. I can make more money in less than a week’s time than I did in 2 weeks—or even in a couple hours. It’s nice to finally feel like my time, work, and talent is being valued. I am thankful for the experience that I got at my last job though—it has served me well in many areas, including some of the freelance work I’m doing.

Speaking of, I have been a Microsoft PC user all of my life. I have been so fed up with the updates on Windows 8 and 10 and how incredibly slow my laptop was running that I did some research and determined that the MacBook Pro is best for the type of work I do.

I took the plunge and upgraded and I am SO glad that I did. I cannot believe how much better this Mac is. It’s so clean and intuitive…not to mention incredibly faster! I hope it will last me many, many years.

As a side note, I also bought a bright pink hard cover for it. Totally me. I thought you might enjoy that.

After the second stop at the Home Show on Saturday, we decided to use some gift cards to Red Lobster. I am obsessed with their Soy Ginger Salmon. So good.

I got to go to Target (alone!) and do some shopping with some gift cards that I’ve saved up. I bought a French Press (oh my goodness…amazing), eos lotions, and some random office/paper things that you know I like so much. Just perfect!

Except for the fact that I was still sick all weekend, it was a good one! Today is the first day that I feel like I’m actually improving. Fingers crossed! I also feel like I’m getting my energy back so that’s a good sign.

Now that I have phase 1 of my big project completed, I hope to have time to blog more this week! Not to mention, focus on my other business again, and get back to decluttering the house!

What are you up to this week?

Indoor Play Time Outing

Today was another first for me—and another step in the right direction. I took Little Miss Sunshine to an open gym playtime for little ones. She had a lot of fun. There were various pieces of play equipment, a bouncy house, balls, etc. There were probably 10 other children there. It only cost $3 for her to play and I would say that was well worth it for a new and different activity where she could run around during the winter months.

Why was this a big step for me?

I have been talking a long time about wanting to take Little Miss Sunshine to some sort of activity where there are other kids to play around/with, but this is really the first time I’ve done it (the park and mall being an exception). I felt anxious the entire time, but did it anyways and I’d take her again.

It all comes down to my thoughts—still thinking other moms are looking at me and thinking negatively of me. It’s not NEARLY as bad as it used to be when I was suffering with PPD, but there’s still just a tiny bit of that going on in my head and it’s something I need to continue to work on. I do remember thinking to myself, “You have just as much a right as every other person to be here—so just stop thinking like that”. So that means I was conscious about my thoughts a little bit.

Since this is something I’m “afraid” of, I think that the more I do it the less afraid I will be because I will grow more confident. It seems like a small battle, but it really isn’t for me! It would be a lot easier to just stay home and not take any risks.

I didn’t try socializing with any other mothers and may have avoided them a little bit. Hey, one step at a time, right? Eventually, I would like to do something like this once per week. It’s good for both myself and Little Miss Sunshine. I just hate that it has to be so far away for any activities. There used to be something similar in my town but I guess it was discontinued. I might look into trying to get it started up again. Who knows? Maybe the mom who kept it going doesn’t have kids that age anymore.

What activities do/did you do with your toddlers in the wintertime?

Just a Little Update

I hope you had a love-filled Valentine’s Day!

Hubby made it very special for me by bringing home roses for me and giving me two cards with giftcards—one from him and one from Little Miss Sunshine. It was really cute and unexpected.

I have been so incredibly busy this past week. I never made it out to go shopping and then we ended up having guests for the weekend. Horrible wife nomination goes to me!! But I told him about this on Friday, and he was totally fine with it. I told him that I would have his present ready by our date night this coming weekend.

I have a big project due soon and I’m thinking once that is done I will feel less anxious. I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself—which I know isn’t always a good thing. I made a goal to have it completed by this weekend and then we had the guests and I got sick, so that didn’t get done! I got quite a bit of work done on it today though, despite being super tired (thanks to not feeling well) and having to take a couple of quick cat-naps.

I am still struggling with getting my head back into the game. I have to say that I’m not doing HORRIBLY—but I’m not doing what it takes to keep losing either. I will probably extend out my weigh in day this week.

That’s all for now folks!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This was supposed to be published yesterday! 

Sale Saturday

Self-Sabotage

I’ve begun to notice a pattern. I imagine if you’ve read my blog for any length of time you will know what I’m about to talk about.

I begin to lose weight. I’m all fired up and finding success, incredibly motivated, and inspired. It’s evident that I’ve “got this”. When I’m doing well, my thoughts are positive and I believe in myself. This drives me to see positive results.

And then BAM—it happens.

You read about my journey here on the blog but don’t get a glimpse into the thought pattern that begins to emerge at the times when I begin to struggle. And it’s a constant in many areas of my life when I begin to find success. Actually, the reason I stumbled upon this pattern is because it began to happen in regard to my ability, talents, hopes, and dreams.

I am finally beginning to accomplish what I’ve always dreamed of as far as a “career” goes. It really is happening. I’m beginning to be a paid writer, I’m helping other people meet their goals, and I’m able to be a SAHM at the same time. I have wanted this for a really, really long time. You’ve probably even read my posts about this!

And you know what has started to happen? These negative thoughts start popping into my head.

Maybe you should just quit Alissa. I don’t know if you can handle this.

What if I’m not good enough?

What if I fail?

How can I help other people when I can’t get it together myself?

I’m not pretty/fit/skinny enough to be doing this.

I don’t know why people are putting so much faith in me—I hope I don’t disappoint them.

You can’t do it all—maybe you’d better not do any of it.

Maybe I’ll just do it later.

I’m sure everyone else does a better job than I do.

Why does this begin to happen? The only reason that I am in the place of feeling at risk of failure and disappointment is because I had the courage to seek after that which makes me afraid and, now that I’ve made it there, I begin to doubt my ability.

I doubt myself and it would be easier to just quit. To get rid of the fears of failure by allowing myself to fail.

This is the same for my weight loss journey. I’ve lost 26 lbs. and now I feel stuck because of negative thought patterns which lead to negative, self-sabotaging behaviors.

I don’t know what the solution is to this problem yet, but I just wanted to put it out there and get my thoughts out about it.

I think it’s time that I get back to the counseling that I started for my emotional eating issues. I’ve only been able to go once so far! I will have to schedule an appointment soon.

Do you self-sabotage?

Weigh in Day: More like Maintenance

This week, I gained back the .1 lb. that I lost last week. So basically, I’ve had two weeks of maintenance. I’m going to choose to look at that in a positive light!

But I want to lose weight! However, my eating hasn’t been what it should be. Too many snacks I shouldn’t have. A few too many indulgences. Maybe not drinking enough water. Not being able to get in my workouts. Hormones. It just all adds up!

I still feel good though. There are still times when I feel like I’m getting smaller, but I haven’t taken measurements lately. Hubby often comments about how I’m getting smaller—so those are signs of progress!

I will make it my goal this week to lose at least 1 lb. I will be more mindful of my eating choices and drink more water.

How was your weigh in this week?

Inspiration Sunday

What’s Happening Lately…in pictures!

I can’t believe that the last time I did one of these posts was before Christmas! It’s time to do a little update on what has been going on in the A Journey to Thin household.

Little Miss Sunshine loves to watch Masha and the Bear on Netflix. I can’t lie, I think it’s a pretty good show too! It’s pretty funny. This picture reminded me so much of Masha!

I have been searching Goodwill and consignment stores for new toys. I can't believe what great deals you can get on toys that are in good condition! These are some Goodwill finds—I happened to stop there on a day they had an additional 50% off of everything. Score!

I've been on the lookout for the Fischer Price Little People toys. Just the other day, I found a barn and the Disney Princess Castle. Little Miss Sunshine loves to play with the Little People.

We were able to be with my sister & family for a little while a couple of weeks ago. Little Miss Sunshine loves her older cousin!

She loves to play grandma’s piano!

We’ve gotten to visit my mom a couple of times in the last few weeks. It has been fun!

But it’s always nice to be reunited with hubby!

Little Miss Sunshine loves to play in her little princess tent—another consignment store find! She also loves Elmo.

Doesn’t this picture look like the ocean at first glance? It’s actually just a snowy field, but it’s fun to dream!

We don’t have such exciting shopping carts where we live—but they do where grandma lives! She loved it.

My mom came across this picture of me when I was a little girl. I can definitely see the similarities to me and Little Miss Sunshine!

I recently had a rank advancement in my new business and received another leadership bonus! LOVE this opportunity!

Everything has been going pretty well around here—except for being hit with colds now. Poor baby has had hers for almost 2 weeks! It seems to be getting better.

Have a great weekend!!

What has been happening with you lately?

Month by Month Weight Loss

I like to keep track of how much weight I’ve lost per month because I feel like it’s easy to get caught up in the little differences of weight shown on the scale from day to day that I don’t consider the bigger picture and the progress that’s being made.

I am happy with my progress this month but I would like to kick it up a notch and get back to how strict I was when I first started! Not that what I’m currently doing is “bad”, it’s just that I think I could lose at a faster rate and get to my goal faster if I buckled down and put my mind to it.

So here is how my journey has gone since I began:

I would love to lose 10 lbs. per month. I could probably do it if I was more strict with my eating—but I’m not sure I want to do that either! Even at 6 lbs. per month, I would lose 72 lbs. in a year and weigh less than ever. I could handle that!

It seems like my weight will hold steady and then, BAM—a big drop of weight. I’ve also noticed that I seem to do better when I’m eating more. I have never been restricting calories all that much, but it’s good to know that I have some wiggle room there too. Many days, I eat over 2,000 calories—albeit, it’s usually “healthy” foods and lots of protein and I think that makes a big difference. And, of course, the amount of calories I’m able to consume will go down as I lose weight.

Just remember that, while each week the weight loss might not seem like that much, it all adds up!

Weigh in Day

Snow is starting to cover the Midwest! Little Miss Sunshine and I are with my mom and are planning to hunker down and stay inside today.

I have felt a little “off” this past week. I began to recognize my “signs”—starting to feel more anxiety in normal situations, being moody, extra tired, not so nice to hubby (just being honest), and emotional eating. I’ve been tracking all of this and determined that it began happening on exactly the same day last month. I think it might be due to progesterone. I’m just glad I know what’s going on no when that happens—it always scares me and I think that I’m slipping back into depression. So it should be over soon!

But anyways, I only lost .1 lb. this week for a total loss of 26.1 lbs.

My mom and I are doing a cleanse day today. I always feel good after I do one—I just always dread it because I like food so much! But fasting is good for the body and I have seen positive results after each cleanse. I haven’t been faithful in doing them and I need to get back to it because I know they help with cravings, etc.

My mom has done incredible too! She has lost 13 lbs. since beginning. My dad has now joined in—it’s a family affair!

Yesterday, I went shopping at Torrid and I looked in the mirror and couldn’t believe that I looked smaller! My shirt even looked a little too big. That’s so exciting. I try not to buy too many clothes but I want to feel good about myself too. I’m always looking for a good deal! I just love Torrid’s clothes—well, the ones that are my style. They just fit so wonderfully for my body type.

How did your weekly weigh in go?

4 Quick, Easy, & Healthy Meals for People on the Go

This is a guest post from Sara that I think you will enjoy!

When was the last time you went home from work, cooked a healthy dinner, and sat down to enjoy it? If you’re like most people, you either likely can’t recall because it was so long ago or your answer is “never.” 

Between demanding work schedules, home obligations, running kids here and there, attending family functions, going to after-work meetings, and sometimes doing things you actually enjoy, it can be difficult to eat nutritious meals. Difficult, but not impossible.

If you’re looking for some quick, easy, and healthy meal options that will work with your active lifestyle, then look no more. Here are four to consider:

1. Crock Pot Oatmeal

Are you guilty of never eating a good-for-you breakfast because you simply don’t have the time? Well, now you can set that excuse aside because it really doesn’t get any easier than crock pot oatmeal, which you prepare the night before. 

In fact, one Overnight Oatmeal recipe shares that it takes only five minutes and the only ingredients you use are water, steel-cut oats, dried cranberries and apricots, and a little salt to taste. That’s quick and easy enough, right?

2. Sandwich Wraps

Bread sandwiches can get easily squished or soggy thanks to the condiments or toppings. A healthy solution to both problems is to use whole wheat wraps to make your sandwiches. They’re simple to make and you can fill them with a bunch of healthy ingredients. Plus, they hold everything inside better, which means less spillage if you’re eating them on the go.

To make them, start with a lean protein in your wrap, something like turkey or ham. Then add any veggies you like as you have many options, from lettuce to tomato to spinach to peppers. For a condiment, depending on your taste, you can add oil and vinegar, a little mustard, or simply salt and pepper. Whip these together in just minutes and they’ll be fine all day long. (Eating Well offers an array of healthy wrap recipes if you need some ideas.)

3. Fruit and Vegetable Juice

Part of eating healthy means getting in your daily allotment of fruits and veggies, which can be hard when you’re always running around. Fortunately, one option that doesn’t take a lot of time and is pretty easy is juicing. All you do is throw all of your ingredients in the juicer and you have a healthy drink that is ready to travel with you.

Not only does juicing allow you to get your nutrients in, but it can also help you improve your overall health. For instance, one woman was able to get rid of her skin disease through juicing and integrative nutrition techniques. If it’s that powerful for her, just imagine what it could do for you!

4. Trail Mix

When you’re not super hungry but you need to get something in your stomach, you might want to consider a trail mix. It only takes a couple of minutes to throw all of the ingredients in a bag or bowl and you’ve got a snack that will be good to eat, no matter if it’s left in the hot or cold.

Famous chef Giada De Leaurentiis has a recipe for Goji Berry Trail Mix that you may want to try if you don’t have one of your own. It contains raw almonds and walnuts, goji berries, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and dried apricots. Yum!

Eating healthy while on the go is possible and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Follow these four suggestions and you’ll be eating more nutritiously without spending hours to do it!

Photo via Flickr.