Results day in Iowa

10 days in Iowa now. Time to do a status update. I don't have my scales available but I brought my measurement tape. My jeans help keep me honest as well. After they were washed the fit was still good. I can't have put too much weight back on. This morning when I measured myself I did see a little change. My butt's the same, (YEA!) and the rest of me shows the normal weekly shifts. Hmmm 
On the positive side, I have kept snacking to a minimum. I've stuck with my normal breakfast. Dinners have been very healthy, low-fat, and made with natural ingredients. Janice did a great job of pre-planning meals for us and they were in the freezer. All we had to do was pull them out and heat them up. They consist of fresh veggies from the summer, and low-fat meat. The portions are excellent, so I'm not guilty of overeating.

Exercise has been sporadic, but I've kept my pedometer on so I know what I've done. Actually, that just means I know what I haven't been doing! I've only achieved 10,000 steps one day since I've been here and that was the day I managed 2 walks! I've managed to walk 3 days and I've managed to do a weight's workout 3 days as well! Those are the pluses.

I'm ok with 'pluses'. Why look too deeply, you know? But then there's that truth factor.
So here are the negatives.

I've only used the weights 3 times. There is no excuse for that. On any given day I can find time for that part. I don't want to do it everyday, but I should have been able to do it every other day, or 3 times a week, at least. I have only myself to blame. My excuse is simple. I don't like to do it in front of other people. I get self-conscious. So if no one is here, I do it. Otherwise, I should just go off to my room and get it done, but I don't.

Dinners always have carbs, either as a side dish or as part of the main dish. The garlic mashed smelled awfully yummy, so I had a scoop. Sometimes a double scoop. So much for willpower! This is the problem of eating out. I can control what I fix, but it is hard to ignore what is offered to me.

I have reverted to bad habits and caved in when someone offered me sweets. Last night it was 2 large, fresh chocolate chip cookies totalling 44 carbs. (I mean, who would have said no. Certainly not me! FRESH and WARM!) Today it was 2 hotdogs when 1 would have been enough.
I will be here at least 1 week more. I will try to get my weights workout where it should be.

I can say I have met expectations. I knew I would exercise less, and I did. I knew I would eat more carbs, and I did. And if there is one thing I am REALLY good at it is losing all sense of willpower around sweets.
If there was one thing I would like to change about me, it would be my sweet tooth.

If there is one thing I don't do actively enough it is to visualize positive results. I can avoid making pancakes, but if someone is serving them I can't seem to walk away. So I am.....

Still working at it!

Hangin' In There

Last week was a trip through the danger zone. It wasn't easy. I managed to keep some semblance of control, sort of. The week was fun, but it included dinners out, a couple of trips (long hours in the car, no exercise), and ample opportunities for alcohol. Hmmm, what do you tell yourself when all around you are downing all the things you aren't supposed to?

I'll tell you what I tell myself. "I'm not getting on the scale tomorrow!" Look, if I had will-power in the first place I wouldn't be doing this blog would I? If I had will-power I would be eating salads every day, enjoying one glass of wine, sipping it slowly through the meal, and would casually wave away the desserts, appetizers and other gremlins staring out at me from the table. Well, let me put you at ease. I don't have will power! So here is basically how the last week went.

Bad news first... spinach-artichoke dip with crisp and delicate chips when I had lunch with Kim... French fries, and ice cream on the trip home from Kim's. It's a 4 hour drive and when I drive I nibble...wings and beer with my hubby on one of the few nights out we've had...I like beer, but my hips love beer. :( ....trip to my mother-in-law's house, and a 2 day car show which included dinner at a friends...I lost track of the little chocolate bite sized candies that M-I-L keeps in a bowl by the chair I sit in. I think she refills it every time I leave the room... and of course she had to have a new box of chocolate covered donuts.... they stared at me first thing in the morning.... those little 'o' faces followed me all around the kitchen until I had to snatch a couple.... wine at the friends, 2 ears of corn YUMMM! My Favorite summer food and my BIGGEST diet no-no... beer at the car show--only one day though! I stuck with water the next day:)... Golden Corral for dinner... HELLO! I am trying to lose weight here? And I get to go to an All You Can Eat Place????

OK, it wasn't all bad.

The Good News... I had a salad for lunch with Kim... Wings are actually on my diet, which is one reason I like Atkins :)... I walked a mile to 1 1/2 miles on 2 of the 3 days we were at my mother-in-law's. I avoided all the "fair" foods at the car show... and the upside to Golden Corral is that I ate all the meat I wanted, and skipped the starches. I had some fruit and salad and when it was time for dessert Larry came back with a piece of chocolate cake and 2 cookies. We shared the cake which was great. I would have loved a whole piece for myself, but just a few bites satisfied me so I didn't eat a lot of dessert!

At any rate, it was a tough week so, for now, I'm skipping the scales. Who needs to be hit on the head when they've already been kicked in the butt?

Weekends are tough!

I've really been doing pretty well on my plan. Through the week I've kept up an active exercise program, and I've watched what I eat. But the last 2 weekends have been difficult. Last weekend was the Corvette Club picnic with lots of good food, beer and wine. For the most part I managed to snack conservatively. The main appetizers were cheese and crackers which fit my plan, although I had to be careful about how many crackers I took. I avoided all the chips!! Yea! (I LOVE chips...all kinds).

The meal was ok too. I took small helpings, avoided the pasta salad, had some of the fresh fruit salad and generally behaved myself.... right up to the desserts. I mean, really, it isn't fair. I'm trying my best. I'm following all the rules and then the dessert table is loaded with lots of yummy treats. I tried to be 'better than usuual' which only means I didn't try everything I wanted to, but I should have been better than I was.

This weekend we went to a Re-committment Ceremony and outdoor barbecue held by 2 corvette club members. In this area there is a tradition of homemade cookies at weddings and we have some fantastic cookie bakers in our corvette club. Several of us brought appetizers and I took a fruit tray. At the barbecue I was pretty good and took small portions, no seconds, but the appetizer tent before the ceremony was a land mind that really tripped me up.

So here is the problem! I have to learn how to talk myself past the goodies. The last time I was on the Atkins diet my mindset was clearer. I remember seeing a big cake and having none. For me that was a HUGE accomplishment. At the end of the year parties and picnics I was strong. I need that strength back. The weekend parties are over for awhile, but I need to get my mindset in line before the next land mine attacks!

Today's total--9,049 step