ActiveLink – This Crazy Life of Mine

Tag: ActiveLink

28
Dec
2013

WW Weigh-In #52

categories: #beamazing, #expectamazing, ActiveLink, meeting, non-scale victory, running, Simple Start, tracking, weigh-in, weight, weight loss, Weight Watchers 360

Holy cow… Fifty-two weeks. Twelve months. One year. This last week of 2013 seems a bit surreal. It almost feels like I just went back to WW, walking into the meetings at my highest weight ever. I was ashamed of the weight I had put on, but also knew that WW worked for me before and I had to commit to it again. And commit I did. 2013 was the year I would lose weight. I never rushed it or pushed it too hard. I took it week by week, celebrated many losses, had a few weeks of maintaining, and also faced gains.

This morning, I had a feeling I would be up, and I was right. I indulged for Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day dinner and I don’t regret either of the family meals I enjoyed. If I can share a little too much information, I am seriously bloated this morning. I had also gone a month without a gain and knew that I was due for one. And, I’m okay with that.

I did Simple Start *most* of the week, with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners. I will be doing a separate post on Simple Start….

I also had another non-scale victory this week. I went shopping for a pair of boots and jeans and ended up buying a pair of skinny jeans. I have never worn skinny jeans before but these fit wonderful and they fit great. It’s hard to be upset about a 1.4 pound gain when you are in a pair of jeans you’d never consider buying before….

Things I did right this week are:

Ironically, I actually tracked every day this week, with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners. I say ironically because I don’t have to track on Simple Start. I did, though, because I am curious to see how my points stack up compared to doing regular Points Plus.
I made homemade minestrone and homemade meat sauce this week, as part of the Simple Start plan. Both came out great and I will definitely make them again.
I took snacks with me when I knew I’d be gone most of the day.
I added in a new workout, Focus T25. It’s pretty much all cardio, different workouts each day, 5 days a week (ultimately), 25 minutes a day. I’ll be able to incorporate it into my running schedule and not have to take anything away from it.
I also got 3 runs in this week!

What I will focus on this week:

Sticking with Simple Start again this week. I still have plenty of foods still from when I stocked up last week, so I will be good for a few more recipes this week.
Aiming for 4 days of running this week (to hit my goal of 625 miles for the year!) and at least 4 days of T25.
I bought the new WW Success Kit, so I look forward to reading through it, as well as using the steamer that came with it.
The end of 2013 means it’s time to focus on new goals for 2014!

My activity was up this past week, which I love to see on my ActiveLink. 43 points earned for the week is a win!

I love looking ahead to 2014. I am excited to be close to goal, excited to see and feel progress, and I can’t wait to see what I accomplish next.

I hope your last weekend of 2013 is fabulous!

21
Dec
2013

WW Weigh-In #51

categories: #beamazing, #expectamazing, ActiveLink, goals, lifetime, meeting, non-scale victory, running, Simple Start, tracking, weigh-in, weight, weight loss, Weight Watchers 360

It’s so hard to believe it’s the weekend before Christmas. This year is so very quickly coming to an end. I am so excited that as of this morning’s FANTASTIC weigh-in, I am that much closer to my goal. I knew I would have a loss this week, I could feel it. I just didn’t realize it would be such a big loss. Losses like this are harder to come by at this point. I was ecstatic!

And even better….. This loss puts me solidly into the 140’s. When I made it into the 140’s back at the end of November, it was more of a tip toe. I could not wait to share my excitement this morning… A 30 pound loss is incredible. It’s more than I lost when I originally did WW in 2006 and made Lifetime. I don’t know how I carried 30 extra pounds around on my short frame.

So, this puts me 8 pounds from my goal of 140. More exciting than this, though, is that I am 6 pounds from Lifetime status again, since I can be within 2 pounds of my goal weight for Lifetime. This is SO exciting. I can’t wait to say that I’m Lifetime again AND also to be a FREE member of WW. That will be awesome. Every dollar I have invested into this journey this year has absolutely been worth it, but it will be so nice to not have to pay either. I see a shopping trip for smaller clothes in my future!

Things I did right this week are:

I tracked 5 1/2 days! Fantastic!
Water, water, water, water, water!
Breakfast for dinner a couple times this week. I love it and it’s always a great source of protein.
Several times now, I’ve pulled clothes out from the back of my closet. It’s like shopping for free. Non-scale victories are awesome!
I ran my best 5K last Saturday night. It was so great. You can read my recap here.

What I will focus on this week:

So ironically, the last time I hit the 140’s, it was the weekend before Thanksgiving. This week, hitting the 140’s again and it’s the weekend before Christmas. I am also playing hooky from work most of this week so I will not be doing my usual routine, but I will be pretty active as well. Holiday weeks are a challenge, but hitting this huge goal this week is a great motivator.
Proper planning prevents poor performance…. This means I need to have healthy snacks on hand.
Hoping to get 3 days of running in this week. I don’t have any more races this year, but I am trying to keep it up!
More than likely I am going to start the Simple Start program this week. It’s similar to Simply Filling, where I don’t have to track. Change is always hard for me, but after discussing it this morning and hearing Marilyn’s (awesome receptionist at my meeting) success with it the past few weeks, I think now is a great time to try it as I approach my goal. I will do a separate post on Simple Start.

Activity points this week were better than last week, but still on the low side. I am thinking about starting a new ActiveLink challenge after the 1st to keep myself going!

I am so excited to end this year so close to my goal. I have worked so hard at it and it’s so rewarding for it to pay off. I am also excited about 2014 – there is so much I want to accomplish! Now more than ever I know that I CAN and I WILL!

Have a fantastic weekend and a wonderful holiday!

14
Dec
2013

WW Weigh-In #50

categories: #beamazing, #expectamazing, ActiveLink, journey, meeting, running, tracking, weigh-in, weight, weight loss, Weight Watchers 360

Holy moly, was it good to be back at WW this morning. My whole week was off from not going last Saturday and it drove me nuts to miss that one weigh-in. I went into my meeting thinking I had gained simply because I missed last week. I was sure of it. But…. I lost 1.4 pounds! Whew!

I feel like the closer I get towards my goal, the harder it’s going to be and I struggle with not being so darn focused on that number on the scale. I had a HUGE NSV this week with my fabulous little black dress for the Christmas party and I have to remember that that feeling means more than any number on the scale. But still…. I have a goal in mind. Do you understand my struggle?

Things I did right this week are:

Tracked 5 out of 7 days.
I tried to keep snacks on hand when I could, despite the busy week I had. Dinners were not the norm either as we had hubby’s Christmas party one night and we were out late one night at the library with our Little Brother and to pick up bikes for donating.
I always fail to mention that I take my vitamins every day. I think it’s important. I take a women’s multi-vitamin and B12.

What I will focus on this week:

I’m really going to strive for tracking 6 days this week.
Being back at the meeting reminded me how important it is for the start of the week and helps to keep me accountable. It’s always so nice to catch up with everyone and to share thoughts and ideas.
Get back to running regularly…. I only ran one day last week and that was on Saturday at Pretty Muddy, a 5K mud run. It was very odd to not run and I am dying to get back to a regular schedule. I need it – mentally and physically.

My activity points last week were SO low – only 13! It’s so not me to be so inactive for a week. This week will be different!

This evening, hubby and I are running the Santa’s Twilight 5k on Honeymoon Island in Dunedin. I am very much looking forward to it. I enjoy having fun while being active – it certainly doesn’t seem like work then!

I hope you all have a fantastic week!

08
Dec
2013

WW Weigh-In #49 (MISSED!!!)

categories: #beamazing, #expectamazing, ActiveLink, journey, meeting, running, tracking, weigh-in, weight, weight loss, Weight Watchers 360

The weigh-in that wasn’t… I missed my regular meeting Saturday morning because of the Pretty Muddy Mud Run, so I didn’t get to weigh-in. I planned to weigh-in Sunday (yesterday) morning, but slept in instead after being out late at a concert Saturday night. So…. I officially missed my first weigh-in all year and I’m bummed about it. For now, we’ll just pretend that my weight is the same as last week, although I feel like it would be less.

One thing I want to share with you is that last week, I tracked for a full 7 days. Everything I ate, I recorded – the good, the bad, and the ugly. It has been a long time since I tracked for the entire week and it was good. I already missed tracking one day this new week, Saturday, but I was back at it yesterday morning.

Things I did right this week are:

Tracked 7 days!!! This is a huge accomplishment.
While I did not have a lot of snacks on hand when I was out and about, I did drink a lot of water.
For lunch last Thursday, we had Subway and I tried a flatbread sub. It was very good, the perfect amount of bread / carbs. I also opted for mustard instead of mayo. Very tasty and saved on points.
Cake in a cup is still a hit in our house. We are currently enjoying yellow cake. I think it like it better than the devils food one.

What I will focus on this week:

Tracking. I would love to see 6 days of tracking.
Running. I need to put a plan in place because without one, I am not as focused. I ran just a little over 6 miles last week and that is nothing. Already looking ahead to my next half marathon on Feb. 1, I want to keep up my current pace, etc…
Hubby’s company Christmas party is Tuesday night and I am very much looking forward to it. It will be fun to get all dressed up and I can’t wait to wear my new size 10 dress and pretty shoes!

My activity points were WAY down this last week, again because of my lack of structured running. I feel like such a slacker!

I feel really out of sorts not weighing in yesterday. You do something for 48 weeks straight and miss it once and it’s like my world was turned upside down! That just goes to show you how it has become such a habit and routine for me. I can’t wait to go and weigh-in next Saturday and get back to my regular routine.

Have a great week!

30
Nov
2013

WW Weigh-In #48

categories: #beamazing, #expectamazing, ActiveLink, half-marathon, journey, meeting, running, tracking, weigh-in, weight, weight loss, Weight Watchers 360

This weigh-on may have been the hardest one of the year. Just two days after Thanksgiving. I could have taken a pass and not weighed in, but as I’ve done at every other weigh-in, I am there to face the music, good or bad.

Yikes. The worst part is that I’m back in the 150’s after finally getting into the 140’s. Bah humbug.

This week’s meeting topic was a good one. We talked about making a “why-to” list before you make a how-to” list. What are your reasons for wanting to lose weight? Your reasons for why will help you decide how to lose the weight, and will be a motivator along the way. Here is the list of my “why-to” reasons I made at the meeting:

to feel better physically and mentally
to feel better in my skin
to take better care of myself
for my health
for my clothes to fit better
for myself-confidence
to have control of something
to feel stronger
to run better

All good reasons and all motivators for me to keep pushing.

Things I did right this week are:

I ran my 6th half marathon and had a huge PR. It was a great way to start the holiday week.
I tracked 4 days this week, which is good considering I was off all week so my routine was not the norm. However, I did not track complete days. If anything, this is probably the biggest culprit in my gain.
I ran three days during the week to keep active.

What I will focus on this week:

I must get back on track this week. I didn’t want to see the 150’s again and here I am.
Last night I made turkey rolls for dinner which make great leftovers. Tomorrow I will make crockpot chicken, also good for leftovers. Both of these dishes are not bad points wise for a full meal. Plus, with both, I get my healthy oils in.
Back to snacking properly this week. That is also a huge help in controlling my hunger.
Still loving the cake in a cup for dessert. It’s the perfect, portion control dessert that satisfies my sweet tooth. it’s especially yummy when it’s cool outside.

So, my activity points this week were lower. More than half of them were earned at my half marathon last weekend.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!