Operation Coup d'Fat

Yay! I lost ten pounds. That makes me pretty happy. I love how fast it comes off at the beginning - I just need to make sure I can stay motivated when it slows down, because it will. Anyway, for now I'm feeling very good and hopefully I can behave over this 4th of July weekend. How is everyone else doing??

This is mostly food log...feel free to skip to the bottom. Monday Coffee - 3 English muffin w/ spray butter - 1 Fi-bar - 2 1/2 Panera Starwberry Poppyseed salad - 6 Fiber 1 Bar - 3 8oz milk - 3 Chicken breast w/ BBQ sauce - 4 1/2c pasta w/ 1/2c sauce - 4 Bell pepper slices - 0 Tortilla chips & dip - 6 Total: 32 pts (This day was high for two reasons: 1, I originally planned to count the english muffin as 0 points but every calculator I can find says it should be 1pt, and 2, I also miscalculated the points on the Fiber 1 bar.) Tuesday Coffee - 3 3/4c egg beaters w/ bell peppers - 3 1/8c mozzarella cheese - 1 English muffin - 1 Healthy Choice smokehouse apple panini - 6 1c strawberries - 1 Fiber 1 bar - 3 Chicken breast w/ BBQ sauce - 4 1/2c. mashed potatoes - 2 1/2c. pineapple chunks - 1 WW Ice cream bar - 2 WW yogurt - 1 Total: 28 pts Wednesday Coffee - 3 1c Cheerios - 2 1/2c. milk - 1.5 BBQ Chicken mini pizzas - 5.5 *one english muffin, 2T BBQ sauce, 1/2 chicken breast, 1/4c. ...

Hi again! I'm still going really strong - I've stayed within 28-29 points every day this week so far and I've worked out every day. I'm pleased with the way things have started. Like Katie, I think I'll just post my meals at the end of every week, which will be Sundays for my purposes. But yep, I'm still on track. I wanted to post this recipe that I tried tonight. Since it's summer, and I've got considerably less to do, I've decided to try out some simple recipes that I can make for myself quickly and easily (have I said this all before? I'm feeling redundant.) Anyway, I actually got this one from a random TV show I was watching - it looked easy enough so I tried it and it was really tasty! I think it took me maybe 20 minutes to prepare, from start to finish. From the Home Made Simple website: INGREDIENTS 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled 1/2 red bell pepper, julienne sliced 1/2 yellow bell pepper...

I did it! First days can be hard, but this one was OK. I followed my plan for the most part - I deviated a bit when I realized I didn't have all the ingredients for the stuffed chicken breasts, so I substituted with some BBQ chicken and pasta. Also, I ditched my pre-planned nighttime snack because I was itching for something crunchy, so I ate a perfectly portioned amount of chips instead. I think I ended the day at 29 points. That's right about where I should be - I'm certainly not going any higher than that. All things told, I felt pretty satisfied throughout the day. That amount of points actually seems very high...like I said, still not quite understanding this whole Weight Watchers thing, but I'm trying it. I also worked out and oh lord, what a wake up call - I am SO out of shape. Anyway, just saying that today went well. You can all expect to see a lot more of me now that I'm doing this for real. ETA: I just need to take a second and plug the Strawberry Poppyse...

Hi again! Things are going pretty good. I'm about 5 lbs lighter since starting the ER's "Biggest Loser Challenge" last month. Could be better, but I've also been training really hard to get back in shape for running so I've been starving! My appetite has just been voracious, so I've probably been consuming as many calories as I've been burning, translating into less weight loss. But the training has been going great ! I actually ran my 1st 5k (well, not really the 1st, but it may has well have been b/c the last time I did one was about 10 years ago!) yesterday. Finished somewhere in the middle of the pack, but was overall pleased with the results. I might actually run another(Bud's Run in Carol Stream) on Saturday while I'm in IL, but haven't decided for sure on that yet. So..... with all that said, and while the training has been good, the pounds lost has sort of plateaued. So time for more planning. Tuesday's Plan Breakfast: Wh...

OK. Reading about Katie's success has been a good motivator. Also a good motivator: clothes gradually getting tighter. Finally: seeing pictures from less than two years ago and thinking "WTF happened to me!?" There are more, but those are key right now. For many - mostly lame - reasons, I have not been watching my eating habits at all. I haven't settled into any kind of summer routine, which I really need to do. As someone who has dieted for nearly 15 years with various degrees of success at various times (example: I lost 75 lbs between junior/senior year of high school, which is proof positive that I can do this if I actually freaking try), I know my own eating habits and pitfalls inside and out. I know I'm an emotional eater, I know I prefer eating at night, I know that I'm given to binging, I know that when I encounter even just a little bit of stress, I often refocus all of my energies AWAY from being healthy. It's not like this is a quest to ...

Oh my god, Katie, you are kicking ass and taking names! I love it!! I am not doing so well. I could make a million excuses but I won't, because what's the point? Simply put, I need to get my summer act together! I think I probably need to get up earlier - turns out, the ability to sleep in is a dangerous one where I'm concerned - and get into a routine. I really thought I'd have found my motivation by now, but I haven't yet. Buying a scale should be a priority too. I think that might shock me into action. I did buy those English muffins, and I LOVE those Fiber One bars (I can't believe they are one point - they're delicious!) and my fridge is full of healthy food. Turns out, I'm really good at hunting down all the worst options and combinations in my cabinets. What can I say, it's a gift. But god, Katie, I am SO proud of you! I wish you were closer so we could be workout buddies and you could kick my ass into gear.

Note: Feel free to skip the food log and just read the bottom of the post if you want. The log is just more of a way for me to keep track. MONDAY 1 English muffin = 0 2 tbsp. butter = 2 pts. 2 slices wheat bread = 2 pts. 3 slices ham = 3 pts. 1 piece of cheese = 2 pts 2 slices lasagna =12 pts. 1 pc. garlic bread = probably at least 4 1 Coke = 2 pts. TOTAL = at LEAST 27... over the limit! Some end of day thoughts: Still too many carbs overall. This sandwich for lunch is also no good: 7 points in one sandwich? I may as well have a hot dog. I should check to see if Turkey is fewer points than ham. Worked out for 30 minutes today, though. TUESDAY 1 c. Fiber One cereal = 1 pt. 1 Fiber One chocolate and oats bar = 1 pt. 22 oyster crackers = 1 pt. 17 Lays light chips = 1 pt. 2 slices of lasagna = 12 pts. 1/2 can coke = 1 pt. TOTAL = 17 points WEDNESDAY 1 c. Fiber One cereal = 1 pt. 1 Fiber One chocolate and oats bar =1 pt. 22 oyster crackers = 1 pt. 4 Miller Lites = 8 pts. (maybe ...

WEDNESDAY 1 English muffin = 0 pts. (Get these!! They are Thomas' Light Whole Grain - 100 cals, 1 g fat, 8 g fiber) 2 tbsp. margarine = 2 pts. 2 slices whole wheat bread = 2 pts 2 slices ham = 2 pts. 1 chicken breast = 5 pts. 2 c. Caesar salad = 0 pts. 2 tbsp. Caesar dressing = 4 pts. 6 Crotons = 1 pt. 2 Oreas = 3 pts. Water all day = 0 pts. TOTAL: 19 points (The first time I've actually fallen within -- and at the lower end of -- my goal points!) THURSDAY 1 English muffin = 0 pts. 2 tbsp. margarine = 2 pts. 2 c. Caesar salad = 0 pts. 2 tbsp. Caesar dressing = 4 pts. 6 Croutons = 1 pt. Chicken breast = 3 pts. Wok oil = 4 pts. Teryaki sauce = 1 pt. 1/2 c. Mixed veggies = 0 pts. 1/4 c. rice = 3 pts. Water all day = 0 pts. TOTAL: 18 pts (Made it to my lowest number! Woot! And before dinner, though I'll refrain from weighing now, I was at W-2 lbs.) Now off to the bar with Matt, Nate, and Mer. I will be good, though, by ordering just water--I think Mer is doing the same, so ...

So.... I haven't had anything to say lately. Shocking, I know. But here's the 411 for now. I had been doing really well, and then didn't exactly fall off the wagon -- more like plummeted, with weekend potlucks in the ED (there is nothing wrong with 4 desserts!) and less time to work out now that Ian is out of school. But, I have managed to climb back up, and amazingly enough, the damage was not as bad as I thought. I did manage to gain back 2 pounds, but I'm plugging away at getting those off. I have to say, girlies, I'm really impressed with the positive and realistic attitudes so far. Setting small, realistic goals is so important. I'm going to quote St. Francis of Assisi, "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible". What St. Francis is basically saying, and what I want you to be able to do is, to start making small changes as you can, until you find that your small changes have a...

Okay, I am officially on summer break! YAY!!! This also means that now I am getting back on track with my diet. I already told Maureen this, but there was just way too much temptation at the end of the year -- lunch with coworkers after finals, staff BBQs, staff brunches, etc. And I knew it'd be tough to turn those down... I knew that I WOULDN'T turn those down, and I didn't want to beat myself up for that. So I decided that I'd get really serious once school was out. Here is the plan for today: 1 English muffin = 0 pts. (Get these!! They are Thomas' Light Whole Grain - 100 cals, 1 g fat, 8 g fiber) 2 tbsp. margarine = 2 pts. 2 slices whole wheat bread = 2 pts 2 slices ham = 2 pts. 1 c. uncooked carrots = 0 pts. 22 oyster crackers = 1 pt. 1 chicken breast = 5 pts. 1 c. corn = 2 pts. 2 c. Caesar salad = 0 pts. 2 tbsp. Caesar dressing = 4 pts. 6 Crotons = 1 pt. Water all day = 0 pts. TOTAL: 19 points I feel like I planned this day a little smarter than before....

Hey there! Just starting out with you as a group however, I have been watching my "fat gram" daily intake. Because of some "questionable" blood work done with my annual work physical, my doctor wants me to limit my fat grams to 30g per day! Not an easy thing to do. I have been watching this for about 3 weeks now and have only lost 5 pounds (that was during the 1st week!) I dropped about 3 more the 2nd week but have since "found" them! I'm hoping that we can keep each other "honest"! Good luck to all of US and I'll check in again soon! (after the weekend)

Okay, so here is my dealio. I decided that it was way too hard to try to keep up this diet with this past week being the end of school. Our staff goes out for lunch every day that week, we had an all-staff BBQ today, and we have an all-staff brunch tomorrow. And we're all pretty much expected to participate in those things. Not to mention the coworkers inviting me out for cocktails to celebrate year's end. Now, I know I could probably still find some somewhat healthy choices there, but it's the temptation!! YIKES! So I decided not to really track my points this week, but I was still conscious of not OVEREATING. So in short, I didn't feel guilty for eating certain unhealthy foods, but I also didn't overindulge. And I've also been maintaining my workout schedule, so that's something. Tomorrow is my last day, so after tomorrow I plan on counting again. Hope everyone else is doing well! I'm actually really looking forward to getting more in shape...

OK, I still haven't really counted my points yet...moving and unpacking pretty much owns all of my time right now. I like to be really invested when I start tracking my eating so it has been hard to do that with no schedule to follow. Also, up until 8 PM tonight I had no groceries so I was subsisting on fast food...oops. It's alright - I went grocery shopping and got some healthy stuff to start off with, so tomorrow will be my first tracking day. Here is my plan (oh, my target for points is 28): banana - 2 pts fi-bar - 2 pts pesto chicken lean cuisine - 6 pts ww yogurt - 1 pt arizona green tea - 4 pts chicken breast - 3 pts fat free pudding - 2 pts snack size popcorn - 1 pt That's not enough...and when I went shopping I didn't pick up any vegetables or salad fixings....maybe I'll have another yogurt or a second chicken breast. I'm sure I'll get it in there somehow. Honestly, my biggest problem with dieting is that I'm SUCH a picky eater. I'll ...

Thanks for the encouragement, Kim and Maureen! Well, I did make it to Day 2, so it couldn't have been THAT bad. And like I said, though I didn't hit my target points, I did have fewer than the day before. Here are the lessons I have learned in the past two days: even though I have not yet hit my target points, I'm realizing where my pitfalls are (both in regards to the time of day and the particular foods that have suddenly just become NOT WORTH eating. You see, I really like my crunchy chips, and while dessert foods taste yummy, I'm not willing to sacrifice my chips for the sweets. So, here is today: 3/4 c. Special K -- 1 pt. (And not even that because I wound up dumping the last 1/4 or so out because I didn't like how it tasted) 2 cupcakes = 10 points (damn. BUT to be fair, I did wipe all the icing off, so maybe it wasn't quite 10) PBJ sandwich = 7 points 1 cookie = 3 pts Tonight... 1 chicken breast = 3 pts 1/2 c. mixed vegetables = 0 pts Water all ...

My story is that I graduated college and moved out on my own 7 years ago now and really got into some bad habits of eating all the wrong foods and not working out regularly. As a person with an advanced health care degree, I should know better. But, I am human. This put 20 pounds on me and now I am taking action. I went back to the basics of a few hard but well established truths see below. Lesson #1: Whether you have 10 pounds or a 100 pounds to lose there is one basic principle that cannot be disputed. In order to lose wt you must burn more energy than you take in. Energy is measured in the form of calories. We take in calories every day when we eat and we burn calories every day in 3 main ways - resting metabolism, physical activity, and thermic effect of feeding (digestion). The trick is to take in less than you burn creating a "calorie deficit" for the day which translates into a calorie deficit for the week/month/ and year if someone sticks with it. This c...

Ok... Katie! You can not start your diet by beating yourself up. YOU CAN DO THIS. But awesome job on planning for tomorrow. One little hint??? I assume you did consume liquids of some sort today -- those count. But water is 0 points. Alcohol will kill you. And I'm a fine one to talk. We went to the baseball game tonight -- you know with hot dogs and stuff. But I think it was ok. So, overall my day went something like this: My daily allowance is 22 points. Pilsbury cinnamon roll (YUM-O!) 7 points Orange juice 2 points Water 0 points Heavy yard work -1 point Whole grain English muffin 1 point Fresh fruit blend 2 points Yoplait light yogurt 2 points 2 hot dogs + 2 buns ...

Okay, so Day 1 was a little rough. The first half of the day went swimmmingly, but took a turn for the worst at the department picnic. Here it is: 1/2 c. applesauce = 1/2 pt. 2 slices wheat bread = 4 pts. 1 tbsp. peanut butter = 2 pts. 1 tbsp. jelly = 1 pt. 1 brat = 5 pts. 1 bun = 2 pts. 12 tortilla chips = 3 pts. 1/8 c. guacamole = 1 pt. Rice Krispy = 2 pts. Lasagna = 6 pts. GRAND TOTAL: 26.5 pts. Okay, so I went over my limit by 3.5 points. BUT!! And this is a BIG BUT! (but, butt... get it?) I did work out both today and yesterday for 45 minutes. And according to real Weight Watchers, you get extra points if you work out. So it could be worse. Here is what I'm proud of, despite indulging a bit at the cookout: 1. I am ten points under what I was yesterday. 2. I resisted the urge to snack at ALL before the party (this is SERIOUSLY a huge step for me. I had NOTHING but applesauce and a sandwich from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.) 3. I am finding more motivation to work out. S...

First of all, I love Katie for doing this. Our ideas generally fall into either the "Terrible, what the hell were they thinking?" category or the "OMG these chicks are brilliant, when can we award them the Rhodes' Scholars honors they deserve?" c ategory. Operation Coup d'Fat falls into the latter. I know an awful lot of people who have been very successful using the Weight Watchers method, and pretty soon Katie and I will be amongst them! Even though we have pretty drastically different weight goals and reasons for doing this, our powers of motivation, deprivation, and points-counting and stronger combined than separate. I'm just checking in...I won't have internet for the next week or so, but I'll be updating regularly once things get settled. I think the summer is the perfect time to do something like this, so I'm excited to get started. Step one: go grocery shopping for healthy foods. Conveniently, I have zero food in my new apartme...