Are you ready for some...

FOOTBALL?

Ok, since I got married, I really haven't watched much football. Hubby isn't a fan, and I usually have other stuff going on. But today, I decided to see if the Virginia Tech game was on. It is...they are playing Miami. HUGE rivalry game, and Tech is at home. I miss Lane Stadium.

But there was just a play where the defender (Miami) drew a pass interference call, and the commentator said something that stuck out to me:

"It's not a bad play. It's not like the penalty is 40 yards. If you know you are beat, take the penalty." (paraphrased...didn't feel like rewinding for the actual words)

Now, at first, I had issues with this. I mean, you are essentially GIVING the other team 4 more chances to score, since the penalty, while not 40 years, is 15 and they get a whole new set of downs...starting 15 years closer to the goal. And I started writing this thinking, why would you WANT to do that? Seriously?

But then, I thought some more and related it to weight loss...yeah, I'm a bit obsessive. What's it to ya?

So, it was highly likely the VT player would have scored had it not been for the interference. He broke away just after, and was alone on the field, with wide open spaces between him and the goal. Basically, the Miami player took what was a sure score, and turned it into 4 more chances to PREVENT that score.

How's this relate to weight loss? Well, there are times you take a hit to give yourself 4 more chances to succeed.

TOUCHDOWN HOKIES! Oh..sorry. They just scored on a blocked punt. I got distracted. 21-0 now.

Anyway...times like when you have no option BUT what someone else has prepared, and you don't really know the points (calories, carbs, fat grams, whatever it is that you count). So, you take the hit and enjoy your dinner. But you give yourself the chance to get right back on the wagon, and back to your goal.

Take hardships in stride, and don't let one meal throw you so far off your goal that you can't recover. Give yourself 4 more chances to succeed.

There's your gem of wisdom and inspiration.

Another milestone, fast approaching

That's right. Despite my struggles last week/early this week, tomorrow is Day 30, which, if successfully completed, earns me a $5 addition to my treasured Starbucks mini card.

I really thought 30 days would feel like a bigger accomplishment than the first 15 days, but it doesn't. In hind sight, that first 15 days was pretty tough. The Disney trip, in my mind, was a HUGE accomplishment. This last 2 weeks has just been daily life...not "extra" struggles.

So how do I wrap my head around the fact that without that first 15 days, I wouldn't be at 30 now? Because that's true. And honestly, EVERY day is a struggle at some point. Deciding between a snack now, or an extra serving at dinner, or even what to make for dinner. I know this is what I need, but some days it frustrates me no end. And I *want* to do what I did the first time around and institute my "off day," but I also remember that sometimes it was so much harder to get back on, that it's just easier to stick it out and just pick a day where I can work in the treats without being "off."

So what are the plans for the last day and a half before my reward? Well, I've only gotten to lunch today: leftover enchiladas from last night. I have 11 points for dinner, and I have 16 flex points left for today and tomorrow. I have no clue what dinner will be tonight, though I'm considering having DH grill some chicken. And tomorrow, all I know is breakfast, because I usually eat the same thing for a week at a time. This week, coffee (3 pts for my creamer) and a Jimmy Dean DeLights Turkey Sausage, Eggwhite and cheese English muffin (5 pts). Lunch will likely depend on dinner tonight, since I usually bring leftovers.

In other news, DH and I are starting to get ready for Halloween. We have a cauldron which is already filled with candy. This is (obviously) our first year in the house, and we know there are a lot of kids in the neighborhood, so we are expecting a lot of trick or treaters. I'm unusually excited about this. We also got some Mickey pumpkin lights and found a set of smaller lights I had bought last year, so those will probably be put up shortly. DH also wants to make a pumpkin sculpture he saw somewhere...and I told him go for it. If anyone knows how to make carved pumpkins last longer, I'd love to know. He was gonna try shellacking them, but oddly enough, I've done that before and they just mold under the shellac. Not worth the extra money or effort. So we are looking for ways. Maybe I'll try to look it up today. Not really feeling like working anyway.

Which probably explains my posting here 2 days in a row, as well...

Challenges and goals

The last week or so has been a real struggle for me to stay OP. Aside from PMS, I don't really know why. But really, isn't PMS a good enough reason? I have managed to pull it off, but there was a day or so where I wasn't sure I would. And what really sucks is, I thought I was making ok choices when we were out.

DH and I went shopping on Sunday. When we left the house, we intended to go to Starbucks for breakfast (I know that menu and the points like the back of my hand), but it was already about 11, so we decided instead to go to Honeybaked Ham and get sandwiches. I got a turkey one. Yes, it had bacon, but I didn't expect just the sandwich (no chips, nothing else) to be 14 points. It's TURKEY. I know a Subway 6 inch turkey sandwich with cheese is 7 points. I was thinking it would be no more than 10. Nope. And of course, while I had my netbook with me (habit on the weekends...it goes in my purse when I leave the house), there was no WiFi anywhere, so I couldn't look it up until we got home.

We did some walking and window shopping. Then decided to see a movie (for the record: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is awesome!)...and share a soda. DH won't do diet, so we shared a large Sprite with lots of ice. Another 3 points down the drain... At the movie, one of the ads was for a restaurant we always see, but had never been to, and we discovered they had Korean food there...so we went for dinner (instead of the planned frozen Chinese food). I had chicken bulgogi. It was very spicy, and came with some rice, potstickers (yum) and fried mushrooms (double yum). Actually, even with the fried stuff, this wasn't bad, had it not been for the sandwich earlier. But the chicken was SO spicy, I INSISTED we go to Coldstone, where I got the FF ice cream, but with Twix.

In total, I was very glad my flex points had reset the day before. And that we did some walking. But this was just another day in a long series where I was struggling for no apparent reason.

I'm pretty much back on track now. I even had room for 5 mini cookies last night, fresh out of the oven. But I really need to see if I can pinpoint the issue, otherwise, I can really see myself caving on the cheeseburger I've been wanting for 3 days now.

One good thing that's happened is that I now have a goal. I mean, I've had a goal weight, but I really don't want to set a specific time to do that in. It just adds pressure, and I like the whole thing about rewarding myself only for what I can control (ie--staying OP), and not for what I can't (ie--losing weight). But we were at Target and saw a really cute dress...that was even on sale. I tried it on, and while I could get it on, it was definitely too tight. Not horribly so, but enough. DH (bless his helpful little heart) says to get it anyway and it can be my goal dress. So we do...and it's hanging in the coat closet where I see it at least weekly when I get my helmet out. But having a goal dress is one thing. Having an occasion where you want to wear it is another. So, I thought of an occasion when I would like to have a pretty new dress: our next Disney trip. That gives me about 3 months to drop probably 1 size. I think that is pretty reasonable.

Especially considering I've lost 8 pounds in about 3 weeks. :o)

Updates and a small review

I did in fact make it through Day 15, finishing the day with 2 Gordita Supreme's at Taco Bell. Probably not the most healthy of choices, but very yummy, filling, and fast...which, when I left work at 7pm after being here 11 hours (and getting a 95% on my test--go me!), was what I needed.

In doing so, I earned this. I'm pretty happy with it so far...which is good, because that's my 2nd purse in a year and I rarely buy them--and won't get another one until probably sometime next year.

I've been holding up pretty well since Day 15, too. I did my 1st official WI on Saturday and was down...

Drumroll, please...


8 pounds. Yay, me. Really...I'm more excited than I sound. But I also know that the first week on ANY diet you lose a lot of water weight, and even though that is a 2 week loss, it includes the water weight. So really, it's probably closer to 3 pounds of fat and 5 pounds of water...but why am I beating myself up about semantics? The scale went down 8 pounds. This is a good thing.

Of course, I really want to celebrate with a bacon cheeseburger and fries. I won't. But I want to.

Actually, I just finished my lunch (this is where the review will come in). I had a Marie Callenders' Pasta al Dente Tortellini thing, which, for a frozen meal, is really yummy...and 9 points. They have other flavors, too. My absolute favorite is the Chicken Balsamico, which is 8 points. Anyway...that's not what this is about. This is about Yoplait's new Delights Parfaits. There was a coupon in this week's paper for $1.00 off (there's also one on their webpage...), and they were on sale for $2.00...so I figured for $1.00, I'll try (almost) anything and I got the Creme Caramel...and for a 2 point yogurt, it makes a pretty darn good dessert. It's more pudding-like, but still has that distinctive yogurt "twang." One thumb up for these...they'd be better if they were only 1 point. ;o)

Well, short of doing a full "this is what I ate at this time" log, and we all know no one really wants a play by play of every bite ANYONE eats, that's all I've got for today.

Swagbucks!

Easy way to earn some great gift cards!

Happy Day 15!

Yes, that's right. I decided to start tracking before we went to Disney...and then when we were there, I figured, what the heck, lets try to stay OP and see how it goes.

And go it did! Granted, had it not been for all the walking (about 6 miles per day) I wouldn't have had a chance. But I came home and still even had a few flex points left over for the rest of the week.

My hardest day was our last full day there. We were eating at the Canadian Steakhouse, eh? and I had Beer Cheese soup. It was DELICIOUS. And 12 points for the bowl. It was followed with potato gnocchi and a few bites of chocolate mousse...leaving me .5 point of my regular points for dinner, plus the APs. Unfortunately, for dinner, I wanted a burger. And I had it. So I used all my APs, plus another 10 flex points.

Driving home was also a little challenging. We didn't do much walking that day, since we left pretty early (we were worried about hitting traffic because of the holiday), so I had no APs to count on. Actually, had it not been for the awesome chocolate covered toffee thing we got at Goofy's Candy to use our last snack options, I would have been golden. But it was too good not to eat the whole thing. And besides, I still hadn't thought I would pull off the OP for the whole time and was figuring I'd be starting over from scratch. Nope. Entered it and was a mere (HA!) 9 points over for the day. Had Flex points, though, so I used those. Leaving me 12.5 flex points for the rest of the week (4 days...I reset on Saturday).

So here it is, Thursday. And I have been OP for 14 full days. So what do I get for this awesome accomplishment?

Well, I'm switching up my rewards a little bit. I found my $10 item...well, $15, but who's counting. An adorable purse. And I went ahead and bought it at DH's urging...and promptly hung it in the closet until I earned it. And I think managing to stay OP in Disney is an accomplishment worthy of switching my 15 and 30 day rewards...so, if I make it through today, I get my purse. Otherwise, it keeps hanging there. If I make the next 15 days (total of 30), I get the $5 added to my Starbucks card.

By the way--a little money-saving tip from the couponer in me: if you use a registered card to pay, any "drink customization" is free--so syrup, soy milk, whipped cream, etc. I don't do soy, but I know the syrups are 30 cents. Doesn't sound like much, but after 10 trips, that's almost enough to buy #11! Also, I've discovered the Cafe Misto. It's just like a latte, but instead of espresso, it uses brewed coffee. Somehow, this is 1.5 points less than an equivalent latte (2 points for a Venti non-fat Misto with sugar free syrup, 3.5 for the Venti non-fat latte with sugar free syrup)...and almost $2 cheaper. SCORE!

Starting my reward day with an 7 point breakfast, then I brought an 8 point lunch, leaving me 15 for dinner. If I was cooking, no problem. But I have a test after work, so it's going to be fast food...