Hangin' in There!

Well, sometimes it's just a struggle to be good and do what you should. Last week I was up .8 and I missed my meeting yesterday because of the Snow Day. It was kind of a relief because I was a little worried about what the scales would say! There may have been a slight loss of control during a cookie baking episode along with a few other issues!

I am still determined to not get completely derailed like I did last year during the holidays, and for me, that means I must track my food every single day. Yesterday I made a firm commitment to do that, and today I ran into a fellow successful Weight Watcher's friend at a coffee shop and asked her to hold me accountable, which she gladly accepted. I tracked everything today!

It's also been fun getting out there and running in the freezing temperatures with snowy landscapes everywhere I look.  I wore my hiking boots the first day (awkward!) but after that the roads were clear enough to wear my running shoes. By the time I come home I'm toasty warm and the house seems quite hot!

I love how different everything looks when it's white instead of green!

Hang in there, friends! It's not about the food, it's about the people you're sharing it with and your relationships with them. You will enjoy the season even more if you have a plan, stick to it, and feel good at the end of the day when your pants haven't suddenly become too tight!

And this morning when I read Ann Voskamp's blog at "A Holy Experience"  I was reminded of where my focus needs to be:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! What do you do if you wake up at 4:40 a.m.  start thinking about all the things you need to do yet before the guests arrive, realize that you haven't gotten around to writing in your Fitness blog for awhile….5 a.m. is your usual time to rise up, so when it rolls around, you might as well get up and start writing!

The last two weigh-ins have both found me down a little, .2 then .8 for a total of 1 whole pound. The Weight Watchers meetings have been very helpful to plan ahead for a successful feasting day. We did a pretend Thanksgiving dinner buffet and totaled the points. It's pretty hard to get a Thanksgiving plate of foods plus dessert for less than 30 points, and the daily goal for losing is 26! That's where the beauty of those 49 extra points and activity points comes in. Being extra careful the rest of the week means I can enjoy all the delicious foods today (in moderation of course).

The past few weeks I've been dipping into the chocolate stash in the office way too much and just craving food all the time, so I decided on Saturday that I would not eat any sugar until Thanksgiving. That lasted until I made apple crisp for the boys on Sunday! But after I had some of that, I went back to the plan. This time it lasted until I was at Hope's house on Tuesday night and had to have some of Janelle's fabulous cherry pie with a little ice cream! I'm so glad that I'm not a legalist! Other than that, I did pretty well! I realized if I only ate sweet treats when I am enjoying them with other people, sugar addiction would probably not be a problem!

For today's dessert, I made a crustless pumpkin custard from a Hungry Girls recipe that only has 2 points per serving, because I didn't want to use 11+ points on pie today. Gotta save points for leftovers later in the day! I wonder if I'll really be able to leave the apple and berry pies alone? I plan to save one piece for Will and send leftovers home with guests! There's not much will power between me and pie!

Exercise is especially important to this week's plan. I enjoyed a beautiful run at sunset last night (wearing my neon reflective vest of course) and intend to do my own little 30 minute Crossfit workout this morning that will include sit ups, push ups, squats with dumbbells, lunges and burpees.  And my guests don't know it yet, but there will be a group walk around the loop between dinner and dessert!

The heat came on a bit ago and wow did it suddenly get hot in here. I had to run upstairs and exchange my cozy fleece pajama top for something a little lighter. That's the other nice thing about getting up extra early, you get more time to sit around in your comfy jammies. And I do love my fleece jammies. Have I mentioned that lately?

Just had to share this…I'm thankful for awesome pjs!

I've been reading each morning from Ann Voscamp's "One Thousand Gifts" devotional, and several of them this week have focused on slowing down and eliminating the hurry from life. I loved Devotion 10, "Recognizing Grace", which told of eating dessert with her family after being stressed by her noisy, fighting, messy children.  "Life is dessert—too brief to hurry."  My prayer for you and for myself is that we will slow down today and truly taste of God's goodness.

The turkey is now smoking in the Traeger!

Happy Thanksgiving!

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."  (G.K. Chesterton)

P.S. 7:47 a.m. I just pre-tracked my food for the day. Now stick with it, girl!

Coasting and Grace

Where does time go? The past few weeks have been extremely busy and some very stressful things have happened. That's my excuse for not living up to my commitment to post once a week. Have I mentioned that I have a little problem with self-discipline?

So here I am, three weigh-ins after gaining a pound on the last one I wrote about. That pound is now gone and I am exactly where I was October 15. So you might say I have been coasting. I haven't been focused on counting points or tracking much at all the past few weeks, and only my consistent exercise is saving me from gaining. 

I got in some extra exercise while Will was gone hunting for 10 days. I drove home at lunch most days and took Zeek for a walk. It was always a great triumph that we made it down the road to the ditch in time for him to do his dirty business. Yes, every day. The dreaded pooper bag never had to be used. 

Last year I had a lot of trouble during the holidays and that's where the pounds started creeping back on. I'm determined not to let that happen this year. I still want to lose a few pounds but I think my goal will be to just maintain during the holidays and try to focus on eating healthy while enjoying moderate amounts of holiday goodies.

I am loving the Cross Fit class. My goal is to still do Zumba twice a week also but that's suffered a little because work is so busy. Tonight I was going to make it on time but when I got to the gym I realized I didn't have my shoes. Grrrr. I raced home, I mean drove sedately home, changed, and got back for the last 20 action packed minutes of Zumba, then stayed for Cross Fit. It feels so good to challenge the body to do different things, things that are hard!

Since I'm so inconsistent and wishy-washy about things, it makes me very happy that I serve an unchanging God. 

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13: 8)

And I've been thinking about the following verse as well: "Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is well that the heart be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited their adherents."

May I keep my focus on the God who gives the grace that strengthens my heart. Because of His grace, I  persevere in spite of my weakness and failures.

CrossFit and Fritters

Today I'm not aware of every single muscle in my body from the knees up like I was every time I moved a muscle yesterday. I'm still aware of about half of them, but the others have started to heal up a bit! I started CrossFit this week, and it is indeed quite an all around workout.

What is CrossFit you ask? Well, this is how it is described on the website of Fitness Experience, where I participate:
"CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program that uses functional movement and high intensity training so your body is ready for the unknown of life.  At CrossFit R3, our program is designed for everyone to succeed, no matter what your fitness level.  We utilize gymnastic, metabolic conditioning and Olympic lifting to challenge you physically and mentally,  but when you are done, you are empowered." 

(You are also tired. And every muscle in your body is just a little bit sore the next day. And a few of them are REALLY sore!) But it's very fun. I was happy that a middle aged couple is in our prep class so I'm not alone in there with all those strong agile young folks. Another week of two prep classes and then I hope to do it three days a week for the next couple of months. I figured this is a good time to do it, since it's hard to run with winter darkness and rain, and I hate treadmills. Besides, it's just fun to do something a little different.

Hmm, have you noticed that I've avoided mentioning how weigh-in day went on Tuesday? I gained a pound, ok? I'm not happy about it. I made some excuses, like there were four days in a row of food events, and I didn't track, and...I just like to eat, ok? At our Weight Watchers meeting, the topic was evening snacking. Why do you do it? Are you really hungry? I generally try to save some points for it, but I admit that on those days when I haven't tracked and I know good and well that I'm over my limit, I often have a little popcorn, a piece of fruit, or a little yogurt anyway. It's a habit. Right now, I find myself back in that place where I just feel like eating all the time, and I'm not resisting it the way I want to. Remember, LeAnn, you don't live your life just doing what you feel like. You exercise the will that God put within you to make smart choices!

The experts often encourage us to think about why we overeat. I am not one who enjoys examining my feelings and delving into my underlying motives. I can't really come up with any good reason, even after thinking about it for about five seconds, other than that I just like to eat. It's really enjoyable. Obviously there's a good reason why some food is labeled "comfort food".

I really did have occasion to indulge in some amazing and unique eating experiences last week. One was a fabulous French toast with pears, pecans and blueberry syrup,  enjoyed in the sunshine outdoors with a panoramic view in the company of wonderful friends.

 Another was a family evening to enjoy Mom's delicious homemade apple fritters. My niece Serena shows the uninhibited way this treat should be enjoyed!

Life's treats should definitely be enjoyed....occasionally!

My favorite healthy treat lately is vanilla Greek yogurt with diced pears, cinnamon, and a sprinkle of chopped walnuts. Wonderful for dessert or breakfast. What's your favorite healthy treat?

"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:13-17, 22-24)

Bitin' the Hand that Feeds Me

What am I excited about? The new season of Biggest Loser starts today! It is recording as we speak. I'm gonna watch it as soon as I get done with this! Biggest Loser helped motivate me to kick start my weight loss two years ago, and I've been hooked on it ever since.

Good weigh in day today. Down 1.2 pounds for a total of 6.2. Not too many challenges this week. I thought I lost my activity monitor and went without it two whole days before I found it clipped onto my fabulous fleece zebra jammies yesterday morning when I donned them to ward off the morning chill as I was getting ready for work.  I'm just glad it hadn't gone through the washer. Again. And again. How amazing, it's true what they say. That thing continues to work even after going through the washer and dryer.

A few weeks ago at the W.W. meeting, I was amused by an older lady who kept shaking her head and rolling her eyes and making little tsk tsk noises as the leader and other people were talking. When discussing challenges, someone mentioned how weekends were harder because the whole routine is different. She scornfully said, "Well, you must all work or something. I'm retired, so my weekends are exactly the same as every other day of the week." Then when the importance of accurately tracking food by weighing and measuring was mentioned, she scoffed again, telling how she has so many sets of measuring cups and spoons, and five books to look up Points Plus, and she weighed and measured every single bite for five years and didn't lose any weight. Her doctor finally told her that she had to stop weighing and measuring because she was driving herself crazy. (Aha!)

Anyway, she became my friend today. Candy corn (one of my own personal weaknesses which I have not yet touched this fall) was mentioned (by someone other than me). My friend asked if I knew how many points it had. I didn't. She looked it up in two books she was carrying and told me she would go buy a bag and calculate the points for me. "Why thank you, but you don't have to do that. I'll look it up on eTools," said I. ("Did you find it yet? Did you find it yet?") Yes, 3 points for 1 ounce. But I don't know how many corn candies are in an ounce. She insisted she would buy a bag and figure it out for me.  But she won't eat any. What a nice person. I hope she not only informs me how many I can eat for 3 points but gives me the bag! What a nice person! (Is it proper to say corn candy or candy corn?)

All this to say, listening to her makes it especially obvious to me how important it is to realize that my routines and habits are not necessarily going to make sense to everyone else even if they bring success to me. There are basic things like eating appropriate portions of healthy food and getting some physical activity that we all need to do. But you can certainly lose and maintain weight without running. Maybe even without tracking your food. (But I doubt it!) Just kidding, there I go again. We all just need to figure out some specific things that help us stick to what we know we need to do, and not think we're superior to other people who are doing it wrong, I mean different!

Impulse eating is another thing we talked about today. I have to giggle when I think about a recent impulsive bite I took. Will was eating breakfast as I was heading off too work. As I leaned down to give a little goodbye smooch, a piece of toast deliciously slathered with Nutella was right there in his hand. I grabbed the hand and took a bite. Of the toast, not the hand, but sadly, a bit of his thumb did get in the way. My steady husband is not one who generally displays much reaction to pain, but he recoiled, dropping the toast, which hit the edge of the table, smearing it with Nutella on the way to a face down landing on his lap. I dashed to the sink to get a rag and clean up the mess. He shrank away from me in fear, resisting my efforts to clean him up. After I finally was able to stop laughing and stand up straight again, I expressed my great concern for his thumb and was happy to learn it was fine, no blood or anything.

Impulse eating. Avoid it whenever possible. Someone is likely to pay a price for it!

Sitting and Tasting

I skipped the Weight Watchers meeting last Tuesday. Since I was bombarded with nasty cold symptoms, I worked through my lunch break, trying to get a few essential tasks done so I could come home early and be sick in peace. That didn't work out so well for me. After getting off work about 4:30, I went to my friend Fred Meyers, stocked up on soup, juice and cold medicine, came home, ate my soup on my recliner, then slept until 11:15 when Will woke me up to go to bed. I stayed in bed sleeping or dozing until 2 pm the next day except one brief visit to the lavatory. After I got up, I lounged on my recliner for the rest of the day. Anyway, I sat around a lot last week. No exercise Tuesday through Friday. Wow.

So it is interesting that the WW meeting topic this week was "The Unhealthiest Thing You Do". Any ideas what that might be? Yep, it's sitting. They say the amount of time you spend sitting has the biggest impact on your health - the more you sit, the greater your risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other ailments. So they encourage those of us with desk jobs to try to get up once an hour and move around. In fact, the goal is to get us walking five minutes of every hour.

How much do you sit? I have a desk job, but the printer is in the workroom next to the office. So is the coffee pot. I  also have to go in there to fill up my water container. Of course, the water and coffee consumption means I have to visit the little room down the hall. And then there are the copy machines that have paper jams and run out of ink, so I am frequently called upon to exercise my expertise in this area. I occasionally get to walk a kid with a bloody nose back to the health room, or go back there to get ice for a wimpy child with an ouchie. Once in awhile, I even provide outstanding service and walk a purchase order down to a classroom for a teacher (but more likely just to their mailbox!) or personally deliver a note to a child in a class. But enough about me and all my fascinating daily activities. The truth is, I spend a lot of time sitting at a desk. And in the winter, I spend a good bit of my evening on my recliner. So I will try to get up and move around more often.

Well, I lost 1.6 pounds in the past two weeks, which brings me to a total of five pounds lost in the past six weeks. I'm trying to track my food first thing in the morning, filling in what I'm planning to have for lunch and dinner. That really helps me know how many points I have left when other things come up during the day.

My sister Hope and I were talking this week, and I was surprised to learn that food still doesn't taste very good to her. It's been nine months since she fell and broke her neck, and I guess I just assumed that with all the amazing progress she has made, the taste buds would have recovered as well. (She's not very good at complaining!) She was saying that Pepsi is the one thing that tastes really good, and really salty foods are about the only thing that's really tasty.

I think about her a lot now when I'm eating something that's satisfyingly yummy! Which leads me to want to pray for her.

"Oh loving Heavenly Father, thank you so much for making food so delicious. Thank you for the ability to taste it. I am so grateful for fully functioning taste buds!  I don't understand why that blessing has been taken away from my sister, but I thank you for her attitude of thanksgiving and gratitude to you for all the gifts she does have. I ask that you would continue to heal her body and bring complete restoration and function to all the damaged nerves. Thank you that you are the source of strength, healing, and joy. Help us all to learn to be content with what you have given us."

"I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." (Phillipians  4:11-13)

Pride and Humility

Have you noticed how people (like me) who are pursuing a healthy lifestyle that involves weight loss and exercise can become extremely self focused? Sometimes it seems that food choices, tracking, and exercise dominate our thoughts, conversations, and lives, boring everyone around us and eventually even ourselves. I've reached that point in the past, where I thought, "Forget it, this is just too much trouble. I don't want to be so focused on what I eat and how much I exercise."   Unfortunately, for a self-indulgent person with a food addiction, the alternative is to go back to overeating, morning, noon and night and in between, nearly every day. Because there's nothing self-focused about that, right?!

Balance. That's why I seek after both physical and spiritual fitness, because for me, they go hand in hand.

Recently, God brought some clarity to this dilemma and blessed me in an unexpected way. It started with worship team practice a couple Thursdays back. Our worship leader, Bryce, showed a short video clip of Francis Chan talking about humility. Some of the highlights that stuck with me:  Moses was more humble than anyone on the earth, and God spoke to him face to face. (Numbers 12)   He quoted Isaiah 57:15, "I live in a high and holy place but also with him that is contrite and lowly in spirit." The following statement really struck me, "The greatest reward for humility is intimacy with God." Intimacy with God! Now that's a goal worth striving for!

After the video, Bryce challenged us to seek intimacy with God by pursuing humility, defined as: stop thinking about ourselves and to think more about God and about other people. "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourself." (Phil. 2:3)

Oh yes. I need to stop thinking about me, me, me and instead, deliberately turn my focus to God and who he is, as well as to other people.

Fast forward to the next Sunday, thinking about humility all the while. I love to sing the worship songs with the team, and we had some really great ones. After our morning practice before church, I saw myself in the restroom mirror and berated myself for how stupid I looked. What was I thinking, wearing a pastel pink sweater on a blustery wet September morning? Ok, I was thinking, what matches my long black skirt, and the pink sweater with black trim fit the bill. Then I realized that my necklace, bracelet, and earrings definitely looked as if they had been grabbed randomly in a rush on my way out the door. I really need a personal fashion consultant. Good grief, I have to go stand in front of the church looking ridiculous. I went out in the foyer and my lovely friend Jan Schoen complimented me on how nice I looked. I humbly told her how foolish I felt wearing pastel pink when everyone else was wearing fall colors (and didn't mention my mismatched jewelry hoping she wouldn't notice!) She graciously pointed out some pastel pink among the appropriate fall colors of her scarf. When I walked away from her I realized... I was focusing on MYSELF! Just get over it! You are here to worship God! You are wearing what you are wearing, now just forget about it! Oh, God, please help me to focus on You!

God is so good about answering our prayers. When the service started, the words to the songs made me forget about myself and get lost in the presence of God. Next thing I knew I was standing there, trying to sing in a quavering voice with tears streaming down my cheeks. (God helped me not to worry about looking stupid, but I think he did remind me to just step away from the microphone a little bit!)
"I will be still, Know you are God."

Recently I'd been kind of wondering if it was maybe a little egotistical and prideful to have a blog to share my fitness journey. (And besides that, it hardly gets any "Likes" or comments when I post the link on Facebook so maybe my pride was getting a little wounded!) So this has helped clarify for me. "My" fitness journey is not just about me, just as yours is not just about you. It is only by the grace of God that I enjoy the health and strength to exercise, and that I have the mental and emotional capacity to exercise the spirit of self-discipline that he has given to me. I know many of us are on this journey together, and I want to encourage all of us to get our eyes off ourselves and fix them on God. And I'd love to hear from you how God is helping you to do that! A shared journey is easier than a lonely journey.

One of my favorite quotes from Oswald Chambers, "Shut out every other thought and keep yourself before God in this one thing only--my utmost for His highest. I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and Him alone. "...my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death."---Philippians 1:20

I love the song "Still" that we sang that Sunday morning, and I leave you with a link to play it and get it in your mind as well.
"When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are King over the flood
I will be still, know you are God."

This Klutzy Old Gal Trail Runs

Accountability day is here again. Let's take care of the boring stuff first. At the WW meeting we were asked to assess ourselves with some questions which included the following:
1. Did you lose, gain, or stay the same? (+.4)
2. How often did you track? (I didn't track for two or more days. But I was camping with my brothers and their wives, and I gave myself permission not to track! )
3. Did you stay within your daly Points Plus Target? (Most days...those days I didn't track while camping - I didn't go crazy but I enjoyed myself!)

Amazingly enough,  the people who tracked most days and stayed in the Points Plus target were the ones who lost! No kidding!  That will be me next week! (Hope springs eternal!) Oh well. I don't stress about about a week where I went camping and had a .4 pound gain. Life is just too short.

Although one would think that if you went for a 10 mile run during a camping trip, that should have canceled out most of the desserts and bacon! We were at Belknap Springs, a most beautiful place on the McKenzie River, which boasts two swimming pools filled with deliciously hot water from the hot springs nearby.

I love hiking along rivers. We group hiked Saturday morning, then I indulged my love of trail running along the river. What, a klutzy old gal like you thinks she can run 10 miles on a river trail, you gasp? How many bones did you break? Ankles sprained? Bruises or contusions at the very least?

I loved every mile of this trail. It was an awesome experience, if a bit nerve wracking.  I never claimed to be graceful. I regularly trip on tree roots and rocks while hiking (who am I kidding, I trip on my own feet while walking through my house), so as I jogged down the trail, I was constantly reminding myself to pick up my feet and be alert and vigilant for tripping hazards at all times, even while observing all the beauty around me.

 There were many fun bridges to cross.

 I met quite a few bike riders. They were pushing or carrying their bikes across some of the bridges.

 There were some fabulous specimens of mushrooms.

 You should have seen me run like the wind across this bridge.

 Just kidding. That was just a log. None of the bridges made me nervous. They were very secure. The snake that slithered in front of me made me nervous.

A gentle rain was falling during part of the run, but by the time it filtered through the canopy of forest above me, I barely felt it. My turn around spot was at a "Day Use area", and I decided to check out a lower trail before I headed back. Wouldn't you know, as I ran along, I caught a glimpse of several people in some hot springs along the river ahead of me, who may or may not have been wearing any clothing, and who were smoking something highly suspicious. That made me nervous too. I turned and hightailed it back to the upper trail.

So, did I manage to run 10 miles of trail without tripping and falling, you're wondering? Well, yes and no. I had to walk through two brief areas that were very rocky, but other than stopping for a few photos, I ran. And while I didn't fall, it was only due to my lightening quick reactions each time I tripped and felt the thrilling terror of hurtling forward toward the ground. Apparently I'm highly skilled at staggering pell mell full speed ahead with nothing but wildly windmilling arms and sheer force of will keeping myself upright. Three times! Good grief. 

My husband gave a big sigh of relief when I showed up back at the RV, 2 hours and 14 minutes after I left. I'm pretty sure he expected to have to mount a rescue mission before it was over. He had been patiently waiting for me to go to the hot pool for a wonderful soak. So awesome. Wouldn't that be a great way to relax after every long run!

Anyone want to drive down to the McKenzie for a nice run next weekend? Actually I'm thinking maybe McDonald Forest. It's fun to put some variety in the routes!

And to close it up for the week, here's one of my favorite scriptures that mentions rivers.

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." Isaiah 43:2,3

Ok, just one more:

"Oh that you had listened to my commands!

      Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river 

           and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea." Isaiah 48:18

Weekly Rundown

Finally, a happy dance kind of weigh in. After a week of carefully tracking points throughout my days and earning 51 activity points which remained unused, I reaped the reward.

Loss this week: 3.6  (making my 3 week total a whopping 3.8!) Yay!
Pounds to my new goal:  5.8 (I think. I'll evaluate when I get closer.)

I've given a lot of thought to the mental aspect of disciplined eating for healthy enjoyment vs. eating whatever I feel like with reckless abandon. It's so hard to change the mindset from using food to relieve boredom, pain, and disappointment, or to celebrate;  to change my self talk from "I can't eat just one", "I'll do better tomorrow but right now I can't pass on this opportunity to pig out on this great food", "Why even try, I'll just fail eventually anyway." People who don't struggle with food addiction have no idea how food can constantly be calling your name, tempting you, making you feel like you have to eat something now.

The good news is, I've noticed that after a period of disciplined eating that includes only occasional moderate portions of one of my many personal weaknesses (desserts!),  that constant temptation ebbs and I almost feel like I'm in a different zone where self-control is much easier. I felt it this week when I bought a box of Krispy Kremes from a fundraiser at school. I had planned ahead to spend 5 WWP+ and have one. I gave away a bunch and brought four home to my husband. Now, there have been times in my life when there is no way I could go down the road with a box of Krispy Kremes on the seat next to me and keep my mitts out of them. But they didn't even call my name. I was happy with the one I'd had earlier (warmed 12 seconds in the microwave of course and accompanied by a cup of coffee). I was in THE ZONE, baby. Oh, how I long to stay in THE ZONE!

But the bad news is, I've also noticed that a few too many indulgences of sweets or chips can knock me out of that Zone and put me right back into craving stuff that does not satisfy me, because the more I eat, the more I want! All the more reason to stay committed to healthy eating and moderation in all things!

 I've still been thinking a lot about Psalm 36 the past few weeks, and I looked up other versions of verse 8. "They relish and feast on the abundance of Your house; and You cause them to drink of the stream of Your pleasures."  Psalm 36:8 (Amplified Version) What does that mean, exactly? I'd love to hear your thoughts. I just know that I want to "relish and feast" on the things of God, the things that truly satisfy me deep down inside and lead to eternal life, instead of on the temporary pleasures in life.

Oh and speaking of temporary pleasures....I found myself craving a longer run this week, after all that talk about how I hated long runs. What is wrong with me? I just had to go 9 miles on Saturday, and not even one mile was torture. I even felt like it might be kind of fun to keep going.  It's still unbelievable to me how great running can make me feel. I'm going to go ahead and indulge that pleasure as long as my body stays strong. I am so thankful that I am blessed with good health and no injuries, and I am committed to doing my part to keep it that way.

Have a great week and go ahead and be a loser like me if you want!

Disappointment

Disappointment. On weigh-in day, the truth comes out.

No matter how many excuses I make for overeating, no matter how I try to justify that an excessive amount of something really good for you won't matter, on weigh-in day, it all catches up with me.

I really didn't mean to eat all the yummy leftover Caprese Salad - oh, that fresh mozzarella on sliced garden tomatoes with basil leaves and a little basalmic/olive oil drizzled over it. Those leftover slices just wouldn't be that great tomorrow...I didn't mean to eat all of them...but they disappeared so I must have...

Yep, the old feet were in the trough again several times last week. I was over my WWP+ goal most days, resulting in a weigh-in of + .8 pounds on Tuesday.

As I weighed in, the Weight Watchers leader Kim asked me she could ask me some questions during the meeting. The topic was, "Do you believe you can maintain your goal weight for the rest of your life?" The first question she asked me was, "How did you feel before you joined Weight Watchers?"

I was tired. I would come home from work exhausted and just want to sit on the couch. My feet hurt. I had Plantar Fasciitis, and sometimes my feet were absolutely killing me. I hated the way the rolls around my waistline felt when I sat down. I hated the way my clothes fit. I hated feeling out of control.

"What helped you believe you could succeed?"

It took awhile for me to believe that I could succeed. I joined Weight Watchers when it became free with our insurance in October 2010 and we had an at-work meeting. Since I was still at work during the meeting, I usually weighed in but couldn't stay. The program changed from Points to Points Plus and it was hard to make the switch. I made a lot of excuses and didn't really stick to the program, losing about 10 pounds in a year.

I had a cancer scare and felt convicted to live a more healthy lifestyle and do my part to take care of the body God gave me. I got inspired when I watched Biggest Loser for the first time and decided to kick-start the weight loss by exercising as much as I could fit into my schedule for six weeks, by actually following the WW eating plan (tracking and counting points and eating healthy food) and going to a lunch time meeting. I joined a gym and set a goal to do 1-2 hours of exercise 6 days a week for 6 weeks.

"What did you accomplish once you started believing success was possible?"

I started on Nov. 7, 2011, and six weeks later was down 18 pounds. I continued regular workouts and sticking to "the Plan," and on June 11, 2012, met my goal weight, a total of 56 pounds. Strangely enough, during the next six weeks while trying to maintain, I lost another 7 pounds, so when I did my final weigh-in for Lifetime, I set my goal weight 5 pounds lower than originally planned.

I also found discovered activities I love that make me feel great, like Zumba and running. When I get off work, I'm excited to go for a run or to an exercise class. Two years ago, I would never have even wanted to run a half marathon, much less believe that I was capable of doing it.

"How do you keep nurturing that belief so it stays strong?"

I feel so much better, mentally, physically, and emotionally when I am living a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise, good nutrition and a healthy weight. I am determined not to let the old habits come back, and not to give up when I experience failures. To keep my free Lifetime Weight Watcher status, I have to weigh in within 2 pounds of the goal weight once a month. I've been struggling to make weight for months, going to the last meeting of the month, starving myself the day before to try to make the weight, and I wasn't going to make it this month. I finally decided to re-join and get back to the bottom range of my goal weight so that I could go to a meeting every single week without paying a penalty if I was over. After being at a meeting the last two weeks, I realize once again how encouraging and helpful it is to be accountable and spend time with other people who understand and face the same struggles I do. So I'm committed to being a regular meeting attender again.

Another way to nurture that belief is this blog. I enjoy writing, and there's no better way to reinforce what I learn and believe that to write about it as I live it.

This week's favorite healthy treat:  Baked pears, drizzled with a bit of maple syrup, generously sprinkled with cinnamon, then microwaved. Yum! Top with a creamy dollop of vanilla yogurt and what a treat! Pears are delicious baked or fresh, and I thank my friend Candace for the lovely box of pears from her mother's tree.

Last week's goals: I stuck to all but #3. I ate up most of my Activity Points. What a pig. Oops, negative self talk is not acceptable. Stop it.

This week's goal:
All of last week's with one addition: Do better about tracking before or immediately after I eat. It's too easy to forget to track if I wait.

So, I disappointed myself last week. I'm doing much better this week, tracking every day and keeping the points where they need to be. But no doubt, I will again disappoint myself and others, as well as be disappointed by others, many more times in my life. Thankfully, my faith is not in myself, but in the One who will never disappoint me.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
       his mercies never come to an end;
  they are new every morning;
        great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Skinny Enough to Eat Cookies!

Today as I was browsing the cookie aisle at Fred Meyer looking for the best value for the money to feed a few hundred parents and kids at our school open house tomorrow,  a portly elderly gentleman pushed his cart down the aisle toward me and remarked, "You're skinny enough to go ahead and eat those cookies!

My immediate response was, "Oh, I'm not buying them for me!"

"Sure," he chuckled. "That's what I tell myself too. I have to buy them for my grandkids!"

I proceeded to fill my basket to overflowing with packages of cookies, and next thing I know, he's coming back down the aisle. When he saw how many cookies I had, he looked so pleased and said, "Hey, I really got you going, didn't I!"

What is the best answer?
1. No, really, I don't even have grandkids, this is for a school open house!"
2. Yep, next time you see me in the cookie aisle, you own't recognize me. You'll be telling me I'm too fat to eat any cookies!
3. Fill in the blanks:___________________________.

Oddly enough, at yesterday's  Weight Watchers meeting we talked about cookies and what a temptation they are!

I also realized how stupid it was to immediately deny that I was buying cookies, instead of accepting the "compliment" with a smile and a thank you. If you're losing weight (or even if you're not), you may notice that a gracious "Thank you" just doesn't always come naturally when someone compliments you. But say it anyway! You don't need to point out how far you still have to go, or the fact that you still have fat rolls around your belly, or that you still have a big butt! Just say, "Thank you!" You will make the complimenter feel good and you will feel better too! And that is my tip for the day! (You're welcome!)

I'm started my weigh-in day weekly post yesterday but got home too late and am too brain dead to finish it tonight so I whipped this out for now. I'll post the other one soon. Hang in there!

Trying to keep my feet out of the trough....

I love occasions like tonight when I'm out for an evening run and the eastern sky glows with pink clouds on one side of the road 

 while on the other side, the western sky is also lit with color from the setting sun. At least half the fun of running is the beauty of the changing skies and country around me.

My goal is to be accountable here to post each Tuesday or Wednesday. Tuesday is Weight Watcher's meeting/weigh in day during my lunch break.  Today when the meeting leader asked for people to share their success this week, I got to say that I tracked every single day for the first time in ages. (I didn't mention my super-duper excessive points day!) I used all 49 of the extra weekly WW Points+ as well as about half the activity points, but managed to lose one pound. I was encouraged by a chat with a friend there who I hadn't seen in awhile who also said nice things about my son, so that's always a bonus!

Another confession: Maybe I kinda over indulged in some very sweet and delicious watermelon. .I got it out for dessert after dinner the other day and helped myself to a generous portion, and my loving husband remarked with a grin, "Got both feet in the trough again, huh?" I fixed him with an icy unsmiling glare. I felt obliged to tell him, "If your goal is to make me extremely annoyed with you, then you just succeeded." There is just nothing good that can come from a remark like that! He recognized the error of his ways and apologized for his inappropriate remark. He's a good man.

This week's favorite healthy lunch:  Garden tomatoes are at their flavorful best, which means it's BLT time. I had a shrimp BLT sandwich that was SO very delicious! I used just one piece of bacon on a toasted Sandwich Thin whole wheat bun (the Fred Meyer brand has only 2 PP instead of 3 like the other brands), put some lemon juice and a little bit of Light Ranch dressing on the baby shrimp, added thick red tomato slices and some lettuce as well a couple thin slices of avocado. Amazing!!

Activity Points: I wear an "ActiveLink" activity tracker that works with the Weight Watchers eTools and calculates how many activity points I earn a day. While maintaining, I can eat the extra points it gives me, but while losing, I try not to use them so I can lose faster. My goal is to earn 7 points per day. I didn't make that every day, but had 54 points for the week. As long as I average 7 per day, I consider my goal met. I ran 15.1 miles last week, making a total 559 this year.  I'm at 79% of my goal to run 700 miles this year.

With the changing season and my busy time at work upon me, it's a challenge to get the run in before dark, especially if there is something going on in the evening. Tomorrow evening, we are looking forward to a visit from Will's cousin Juanita from Idaho, and the boys are joining us for dinner. So I plan to take a brisk walk during my lunch break, because I'll miss my Wednesday strength training/Zumba class. But hopefully, I will make it to my friend Mindy Droke's Zumba toning class at 5:30 Thursday at the new Caliente Fitness at the mall.

How was was your week? Any successes you want to tell us about? Any yummy healthy seasonal food ideas to share?

Goals for next week:
1. Keep planning ahead to make sure I eat healthy and get in my workouts.
2. Track every day.
3. Don't use up any of the Activity Points.
4. Think about this when I run:

"Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
      your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
    your justice like the great deep.
    You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
   People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house;
   you give them drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life
   in your light we see light."
Psalm 36:5-9

Confessions of a Food-aholic

Hi. My name is LeAnn, and I'm a food-aholic. I've decided to start a blog journal about my pursuit of  both physical and spiritual fitness. My two main goals for this are 1) to encourage the many others who struggle with me and 2) to provide accountability for myself.  A bonus would be to have a few laughs along the way.

So, as I was saying, I am indeed a food-aholic. If there are chocolate chip cookies or potato chips or brownies or peanuts or anything delicious sitting out, I have to eat them. Oh, and one is never enough. I've even been known to sneak them when I hope no one is looking. But I just can't help it! Especially when I'm stressed, like today at the school office where I work, when so many teachers (all of whom I love dearly), needed lots of different things on their last working day before students come, and so many other people were in and out with varying needs and ideas, and I didn't receive something I really needed that a volunteer was scheduled to help with, and copy machines balked at the heavy usage demanded of them and needed my expert help to unjam them, and there were so many interesting people to talk to, and every time I started a task I was asked to do something more urgent, so that by the end of the day my paper piles had multiplied exponentially, and I added 11 tasks to my newly discovered Google Task bar  that I hope to check off tomorrow, and some amazing salted caramel chocolate chip cookies called my name every time I walked into the workroom right beside my office. There was also a potluck at lunch, and did I mention the dessert table was pretty amazing? Those salted caramel chocolate chip cookies, the cream cheese swirled brownies, pumpkin pie, and cakes! (I didn't have any cake!)  I just can't resist temptation like that, especially when I'm so stressed out!

Excuses, excuses. Am I really back to making excuses all the time? Didn't I make a commitment nearly two years ago that I was done making excuses and I would instead make good choices, which enabled me to lose over 60 pounds?  So why have I allowed the excuses to creep back in? Strangely enough, a few pounds have crept back in along with those excuses. Did I start tracking my food first thing this morning? No, I never quite got around to it. Ok, face up to it now, girlfriend. Yikes. To lose weight, my goal is 26 Weight Watchers Points Plus daily. I just made myself track today's points. This is so embarrassing. Am I really going to admit this to the world? Hopefully anyone who started reading this and can't relate to a total pig out got totally bored and quit reading by now. So apparently I consumed around 63 points today. (Maybe if you have to go get your glasses to read that little number you just won't bother!) The WW plan gives me 49 extra points to spread out through the week. So I used up 37 of those today. All is not lost,  but definitely nothing was lost today. If I stick to plan the rest of the week, nothing will be gained either.

So I blew it today. Giving up is not an option; I will do better tomorrow. I just planned and tracked tomorrow's breakfast and lunch. I will stick with the 26 points tomorrow.

Remember the quote that helped me lose 60+ pounds:  "Satisfaction does not come from indulgence; satisfaction comes from achievement." (Calvin Coolidge)  All the junk I ate today provided me no satisfaction whatsoever, it just made me crave more. There is no satisfaction at the end of the day when you realize you didn't achieve your goals.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (Matt. 5:6)