Day 89...

The day started off with a good walk and breakfast...as usual.  The morning went by quickly...my daughter had a Furlough day off from school so she went with my mom and I to the chiro.  We dropped my mom off, ran to the mall to buy hand soap at Bath & Body Works...one of my luxury items...although I do wait to buy them until they are on sale and we have a coupon.  From there we went to the library, picked up my mom, went to lunch, stopped at the bank, I ran into Sam's for a few items, got gas, and we were finally ome by 2pm. 

I did really well at lunch.  We went to Marie Callendars.  I had a very small bite of corn bread and decided it wasn't worth it.  I ordered the soup and salad bar.  I had a really good salad with all veggies except for a little bit of ham and ranch.  I did not have croutons, bacon bits, or the delicious creamy potato soup.  I tried the veggie soup but the broth had a stange flavor and the veggies were somewhere in the middle of raw and cooked...not my favorite.  I then tried the chicken tortilla soup and it was much better.  I had one small cup with 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese.  For a bit extra protein I had a small piece of my daughter's fresh turkey...super good!  My mom and daughter shared a slice of pumpkin pie that came free with my daughter's lunch.  I did not have a bite, lick, or taste of it...yeah me!

When we got home a few hours later I was physically hungry.  I opted for a yogurt and some fresh raspberries...good choice, right!?!?  I was good until I picked my son up from school and started making is snack...he is 16 and going through a growth spirt so he likes a "meal" type of snack.  That would be fine except some days I seem to black out and end up having a "meal" snack of my own.  I finally snapped out of it, but not after consuming far too many pp. 

I sat down and watched TV for a few minutes and then decided I better get moving to try and burn off some of the madness.  I found plenty of things to do for a good 2 hours...laundry, picking up here and there, emptying trash cans throuhgout the house, putting away some of the party stuff, doing dishes, etc.  I feel much better when I am moving than I do when I am sitting and eating when I really don't need to be.

On my walk this morning I thought it might be a good idea to note my daily eats everyday on this blog.  I am also going to start tracking on WW online again in addition to my paper tracker.  When I was "double tracking" I seemed to do better and not have so many moments of "what the heck did I just eat and why?".  Saturday I will need a new 3-month tracker so that will be my start date of tracking on paper, online, and on my blog.  I have got to stop momentarily forgetting I am a WW and how much I want to lose weight once and for all.  I am also thinking of a way to decorate the fridge door with friendly reminders not to eat unless I am truly hungry.  With my phone, Pandora, and my ActiveLink, I have found the "key" to getting in my activity...now I just need to figure out the eating part and I will be good!

Yesterday I ended the day earning a total of 10pp and making it to 176%.  Today I have earned 5pp and reached 120% thus far...it is only 5pm so there is still plenty of time to earn more.

Day 89...Food...+/-.  Activity...Success!

Onto Day 90...Hoping everyone has a great Thanksgiving.  I am thankful for so many people and things...my kids, hubby, mom, dad, and the rest of my family and friends.  I am thankful we have a roof over our heads, cars that get is where we need to go, car and health insurance, hot and cold running water, indoor plumbing, a washer and dryer at home, and the list goes on...

Tomorrow I will be making my first pies ever...one pumpkin and one apple.  I am half cheating because I don't have enough patience to make dough and crust on my own.  I am going to make the apple filling using a variety of fresh apples.  I hope they turn out delicious...edible would be fine too.  I didn't want to make a few "test" pies beforehand because we don't need that much pie.  We are eating at my brother's around 4pm.  I am still waiting for the Toys R Us Black Friday ad to decide if I will brave the crowds on my own since my hubby has to work.  I know Thanksgiving dinner itself will not be bad food wise...I just have to keep myself in check before and after dinner!  I am planning on starting the day with a 6-12 mile bike ride.  Last night I rode 8 miles, so I know I can at least do that...12 would be awesome, but I am not sure if my body will agree.  I am thankful it has allowed me to exercise so much.  We also plan to hang up the Christmas lights, go through some boxes in the shed, and put the rest of the party supplies away.  Should be a productive and active day.

I have thought alot about what I want to eat at dinner tomorrow.  I know I want turkey.  I probably won't have mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, or rolls.  I might have a bit of green bean cassarole and plain green beans on the side.  I know what pumpkin pie tastes like so I have decided I will skip it and ice cream and have a small piece of the apple pie instead...but I won't eat all of the crust.  Now if I can keep up with this plan, I will be good!  

Day 88...

This morning started out well with a good walk.  I was tired and decided to walk without hills...I am so glad I did as I ran into one of my WW buddies on the bike trail.  She walked with me a ways, we had a good chat, and then I was to my car and she headed back. 

Breakfast and my morning snack were fine.  Lunch was fine...shortly after lunch things went horribly wrong.  I don't know what comes over me sometimes that I think I need to eat a bit of this, a bit of that, and so on.  I didn't track the madness and have no idea how many pp I consumed.  Ugh.

When my husband got home from work I half seriously asked him to take me and my trike to the bike trail...without hesitation he told me yes.  He is so good to me...maybe it was because there was a fresh box of beer waiting for him in the fridge!?!?  I jumped up and changed my clothes as fast as I could.  I got to the bike trail planning to ride 6 miles.  I ended up riding 8 and the last few were fast as it was getting dark fast and I was freaking myself out...my legs were spinning like I was a woman being chased in a LifeTime movie.

My hubby came back for me, I made dinner, ate, watched the Novela with my hubby, did dishes, and here I am.  For dinner I made lean burgers and baked fries...if I hadn't had eaten like I did earlier in the day, this dinner would have been perfect.  After dinner I thought I needed some ice cream...I stopped eating it about 3/4 of the way through. 

If I could get my eating more consistent I know that scale would move faster in the right direction.  I surely have activity down and feel like today my walk and bike ride were wiped out by my eating.  I know a huge part of my eating problem is due to lack of a good schedule and and abundance of conflict, struggle, and constant chaos.  I have got to find a good balance and figure out how to work everything in.  So far I have earned 10pp and reached 173% on my ActiveLink.

Day 88...Food...Fail...Activity...Success!

Onto Day 89...I may not be perfect, but I am far from where I started, and I am NOT giving up!

Days 85, 86, & 87...

Day 85...The party was great!  My son put his big TV in the patio, we figured how to get the food out there too, 2 of his friends, some family, and our new neighbors all came.  The food turned out and everyone loved the new recipes.  The cake was a hit too...I think my son was in shock and took awhile to process it.  By the end of the day I earned 12pp and reached 166%.  I did not eat much during the day, or the party, because I was too busy running around "hostessing".  Near the end of the party I showed off my trike to some family who wanted to see it.  My niece's husband fixed my brakes and rode it up our street all the way to the top.  It gets pretty steep about 4 houses from the top, and I can only make it to the 3rd one.  I tried about 5 times, and finally got off of my bike and walked it the rest of the way to the top.  My son did it once and made it...as he should, he is only 16!  And my niece's husband is only in his early 20's, so they both should have been able to smoke this 35 year old!  I will keep at it and one day make it to the top.  It was dark and sprinkling some during the "trike" event, but it was still fun.

Day 86...Even though I don't drink, I must have had a party hangover!  I was so tired, as were my kids, hubby, and mom.  We had a bit of a lazy day.  I did not earn any pp and only reached 59%.  I ate a bit of left overs throughout the day not knowing what I really wanted.  I think I was more tired than hungry...oh well, didn't do too bad considering.  Since yesterday was my son's actual birthday I took him to Best Buy so he could use some of his birthday $ and gift cards.  I also made him some spice cupcakes, since that is that cake flavor he decided on too late...2 days before his birthday!  He and my daughter spent the day playing video games in the patio.  My son bought himself a new cell phone...I gave him my "upgrade" to use.  He gave his old phone to my daughter to use for the Internet.  They are both over the moon!

Day 87...I had planned to walk this morning but my daughter's cough was crazy last night.  I think it is hanging on because we always have a ton of things going on with little time to rest.  I kept her home and she stayed in bed all day, except for when we had to take my mom to the chiropractor...we stayed in the car with blankets and read books.  She is feeling a bit better and her cough is calming down some so she is going to school tomorrow...she has Wed ~ Fri off so I really want her to go tomorrow!  I ran a few errands in the afternoon, my eats were not the best, and I have not gotten in too much activity today.  Tomorrow is a new day and will be better.

Today I finished my 12 Week ActiveLink challenge...over the 12 weeks I earned 451pp!!!  I chose to start a new challenge and upped my daily goal from 5pp to 7pp.  I have got to make sure I get my walk in everyday along with some other kind of activity as well.  I also need to pay more attention to what, when, and why I am eating so I can start losing faster.  I know it is not realistic to compare this year to last, and I won't, but I would like to lose faster than I have been.

Day 87...=/-

Onto Day 88...

Days 84, 85, and Weigh In...

Day 84...Super busy cooking for my son's party.  I tasted as I cooked, but just enough to taste, I also did not have any "meals" during the day so I did well.  Even though I didn't take my morning walk I still earned 9pp and reached 138% for the day...woo hoo!

Day 85...Weigh in...I was exactly the same as last week and I am so excited, especially since it is my TOM...last month I gained 2 pounds and the month before 5, so I am super excited!

Most of the cooking is done, the house is clean, and I still have a few hours until I have to start heating up, and setting out, the food.  I am going to take a break and sit with my favorite girl and watch some TV before the chaos begins.  I was up with my hubby at 4:30am this morning when he got up for work.  I started in on laundry, took a shower when he left, went to WW, stopped at the store for fruit, did more party prep, etc.  It is 1:30pm and I have earned 2pp and reached 70%...thus far...we'll see where I am by the end of the night!

Day 84, 85, and weigh in...Success!

Onto finish Day 85, then onto Day 86...

Day 83...Ugh...

Not feeling so well today...my back is tender, my stomach is in knots, my arm and elbow are sore, and I am tired as usual. 

I finished the project for my daughter's teacher and she was so surprised and excited and so were the kids...makes it all worth it!  I went back for her Parent Teacher Conference and she is doing well.  The teacher loves having my daughter in her class, and loves having me there too.  She actually told me when she sees me walk through the door she "sighs in relief as she knows I will be there to help with whatever needs to be done".  That made me feel good too!  She also told me that I am a great mom...:)

After her conference I picked my son up from school.  We went to Wal-Mart to get a plastic bin for my wedding dress.  I never had it preserved...bad idea.  It needs to be steamed, pressed, and cleaned, but it is in good shape considering it has been in a box in the shed for over 5 years.  I tried it on last night and it is big...woo hoo!  Even though I am very far from where I want to be on my weight loss journey, I am also very far from where I started!

Yesterday I ate well and stayed within my daily pp.  Today I have gone over a bit and I am not sure if I will eat dinner.  I have not gotten in a ton of activity, but I am wiped out so maybe that is for the best.  Tomorrow and Saturday are going to be crazy busy with the rest of the party shopping, cleaning, laundry, and cooking.  I have my lists ready and everything planned...hopefully it all ends up good!

Day 83...+ / -

Onto Day 84...

Day 82...

Today was another busy one.  I did not feel very well when I woke up this morning but decided to walk anyway.  I went to a hilly park and only went down and up once.  It took me only 20 minutes, and I still wasn't feeling better so I figured maybe that was enough.

When I got home I started on another project for my son's birthday.  I am not sure if I will be able to finish so it mind end up being for Christmas.  I did get all of the skewer sticks glued onto my road signs and billboards. 

I took my mom to the gym to swim and ran a few errands while she was there.  She took more time than I had planned for so I decided we would split a salad from El Pollo Loco for lunch at home.  I ordered a chopped chicken breast to add to the salad, and even split in two, it was plenty.  After we ate I went to my daughter's school to help in her class. When we got home I got back to my son's project and put away all of the evidence.  I picked him up from school, fed him, and spent hours in our craft room with my daughter working on a surprise for her teacher. 

The classroom theme is "Hawaii" and the kids decorated surfers and surf boards for their multiplication facts charts.  I mounted and hung them all, but the top of the doors looks super plain.  I cut the words "Math Facts" and x2, x3, etc., using my Cricut. I also cut some water waves, palm tree like leaves, and fish.  I am almost finished and should be able to totally finish tomorrow morning.  I would like to go tomorrow right before school is out to put it all up for her as tomorrow and Friday are Parent Teacher Conferences.  School gets out early tomorrow, but I should be able to make it.

In spite of having a short walk this morning, I have earned 6pp and reached over 120% of my ActiveLink.  I was 100% on plan as far as eating goes today too.  Hopefully the scale will show my efforts, but I really think my TOM is close.  I am going to work on being more consistent with my eating, even through stressful situations.  I will do my best.

Day 82...Success!

Onto Day 83...

Day 81...

This morning I took a good walk in the cold and wind...it was worth it though because once I was done I felt better than I did when I started!

Once I got home I got to working on "signs" for my son's birthday cake.  All of his presents from my husband and I are going to be "displayed" on his cake.  I hope the cake base turned out as I asked at Albertson's...it is to have a curvy road from one of the bottom corners across to the opposite top corner, green bushes on either side of the road, and the rest is to be spray painted green.  I asked for blue piping around the edges, but now that I think about it, I am going to call and change it to green.   

I printed some road signs like, STOP, Yield, Caution, Deer Crossing, etc.  I also typed up some "billboard signs".  I will post pictures after his birthday.  His gifts stated on the billboards are online drivers ed, his written permit exam, a $ 10 League of Legends (LOL) card, and two free trips to In-N-Out...for him to eat only!  I will have a note about Behind the Wheel Training as "to be determined" since it is the most expensive part of the process.

Once I saved those to a flash drive, I put some stew meat into the crock pot, took my mom to the chiropractor, went to Wal-Mart, the 99 Cent Store, Staples to print my signs, picked up my mom, took her to get her hair cut, came home and made us lunch, picked my daughter up from school, worked on my son's cake signs, wrapped the t-shirts for him from my mom, hid all of the evidence, picked him up from school, made him a snack, helped my daughter with homework, sat down for a few minutes, made some chocolate pumpkin muffins, burnt my fingers taking them out of the oven, and now here I am.

It is 5pm and I have earned 6pp and reached over 100%.  My hubby just got home so I am off to great him.  I have not tracked so much today, but did write everything down.  I have not been out of control.  Feeling in a bit of a funk, probably from all of the nonsense with my dad lately.  I can't let it get me down.  The night is still young and I still have a ton to do.

Day 81...Success +/-.

Onto Day 82...