Here comes the sun......day!

So it's Sunday!  The last two Sunday's have been particularly hard.  I have been thinking about it...  I think because Sunday morning I attend meeting and despite the fact that I am in a loving congregation, I miss my Persian congregation back home.  I miss my family.  Being at the meetings makes me think of my family, friends, bible studies that attended the meetings.  And then because I miss my family, I feel sad and depressed and as you know from my past posts, I am an emotional eater.  So then I come home and wallow in my sorrows with whatever I want to eat.  I don't measure.  I don't count points.  I don't say "hey maybe I shouldn't blow it on this order or carne asada fries..."  I just eat it, without thinking about it.  Mindless eating.

Well today, I am determined NOT to be that way.  I am changing my Sunday!  A friend crashed at my house last night while her hubby is out of town (shout out to Charlotte).  We spent the day at the Farmer's Market taking in all kinds of goodies!  Made homemade Orange Chicken last night (only 10 points) and so its only natural that I send my house guest along with a good delicious breakfast.  So I chopped up some fresh sweet onion, red, yellow, orange and green peppers and sauteed them in a little olive oil, added some scrambled eggs and a delish cup of coffee.  Only 5 points!!!  My Sunday is off to a good start!  Now if I can just get through the meeting, enjoy the special talk and association with my spiritual family and get home without stopping anywhere lol, I think I will make it through this day.  After all, you cant eat bad things if you don't keep them in the house!  I'm halfway there!!!

Enjoy your Sunday everyone!  The special talk will be a treat as always, reminding us of the beautiful promises Jehovah has set before us.  May your day be full of life, love and delicious, healthy foods!!!
~Chrissy

Hedonic Hunger

That subject was something brought up in my Weight Watchers meeting yesterday.  I had never heard of it before.  But as she started to explain it, it made complete sense.  It has been defined as food consumption that is not driven by the need for calories but just for pleasure.  Hmmm, pleasure eating...  Been there, done that.  The thought stayed with me as the day went on.  How many times have I eaten, not because I was hungry but because I was emotional?  Most often its associated with negative feelings.  If I am depressed, sad or upset its so easy to walk to the fridge take something out and eat it.  It dulls the pain of whatever I am going through.  Those that suffer from hedonic hunger are similar to gamblers or drug-dependent persons that are preoccupied with their habit even when they are not engaging in it.  They experience frequent thoughts, feelings and urges about food.  These may be prompted by food related cues such as the smell or sight of food, talking, reading or even just thinking about food.  That's a lot of cues.....

In talking with my cousin yesterday, we discussed the fact that we are trying to view food simply as fuel.  She mentioned that she doesn't want to view it as "Ok now I need to work off this huge plate of Carne asada fries I just shoved down my face" but rather "I'm going to eat this fruit, yogurt and nuts because it will fuel my body."  Later in researching the subject of hedonic hunger there was a paragraph that brought this thought back up into my head:

"Subjective feelings of hunger are more likely to reflect our hedonic hunger level than our body's actual energy needs.  Our body's hunger signals are not closely linked to the amount of food we are likely to eat at the next meal or snack.  Satiety (the state or condition of fullness gratified beyond the point of satisfaction) has only a small effect on the pleasantness of foods.  It's the availability and palatability of foods which keep us eating."

It made total sense.  So many times I have eaten when I wasn't hungry.  It was hedonic hunger, not my body's actual need for fuel.  So now I have the desire to learn how to control that hunger.  In addition to just normal 'self-control' I have read of several ways to help fight against hedonic hunger.  So this will be a new road in my journey to fixing me.

This concept of hedonic hunger deeply interests and fascinates me.  I look forward to learning more about what triggers it, how to avoid it and get it out of my life!

Hope you have enjoy your day and remember, food is our fuel!

~Chrissy

Working my way down!

Well it's Wednesday!  Weigh in day!  Went to my meeting really certain that I had gained this week.  I felt heavy and solid.  Didn't feel as "light" as I have felt the last 2 weeks.  I did ok last week but then the weekend came...  For some reason I had a rough time on Sunday again.  Ate bad food for lunch and then had a photo session in the afternoon.  Once we got done with that, we went out to eat.  It was a pub type place, with a menu of maybe a dozen items.  Everything either didn't sound good or really didn't sound healthy.  I settled for a burger.  It was on a thinner bread than a bun.  I opted out of the mango chutney (since I am allergic to them) and nixed the cheese and mayo.  Asked if I could have lettuce and tomato added to it.  It came with fries; I ate 5 or 6 of them.  The next two days leading up to today I tried to be really diligent.  This morning I wore the same outfit as last week, I stepped on the scale determined to own whatever it showed... "Down 1.4" the lady said with a smile.  I heaved a sigh of relief   I had this horrible feeling that I was going to undo the last 3 weeks worth of work.  That was my emotional side rearing its ugly head.  So with that 1.4 off, it's a total of 8 pounds in 3 weeks.  If I can keep my momentum going and keep losing about 10 pounds a month I can have the bulk of this weight off in no time.  Just don't want to get ahead of myself.

One thing that I have done to help along the journey is invested in an ActiveLink monitor.  Its a small device you clip to your body and wear 24/7.  It tracks your activity, tells you how much you have moved, how many extra points you have earned, helps you create your own activity plan and motivates/challenges you to reach personal activity goals.  Those that have it, swear by it.  What's unique about it is it's personalized to you and your own body.  Depending on the activity you do within the first week of assessment it then tells you how much activity you need to do to earn extra points.  Now extra points CAN be eaten, maybe if you are going to a party or out to dinner, you will have extra points.  But the more working out you do and NOT eating the points, the better your results will be on the scale.  That's what I'm goin for!

So not a great week, but not a bad one either!  I am excited for this journey!  I have the best support!  One thing a friend shared with me was something along the lines of "Don't let that the bad food you have wanted for an hour rob you of the body you have wanted your entire life!"  That is something I can relate to.  I have heard the saying "Nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels".  But those are just empty words to me, I have never been skinny.  Not YET that is......

Have a great week my wonderful friends!  Thanks for all your support!
~Chrissy

Back in the game!!!

So as you can see from my previous posts, I have tried this weight loss thing several times in the past.  There have been many things I have tried over the years which you can read in my first entry on this blog.  After many failed attempts I joined Weight Watchers September 4th 2007.  In May 2009 I started learning the Persian language and life got a little crazy.  After a year and a half of Weight Watchers and only losing 23 pounds, I gave up.  I figured I might as well eat what I want if I am not going to lose weight restricting myself from those things.  In November 2009, I went to my lady doctor to have a routine checkup.  They scheduled me for a DNC to clean out the lining of the uterus.  The results?  There are 6 ways it can look under the microscope: 1 = clean and healthy... 6 = full blown cancer.  I was looking at stage 5 which means the uterus is full of abnormal cells that turn into cancer.  The doctor had already reviewed my file with an Oncologist and scheduled me an appointment.  I week later I met with him and he had already scheduled me for surgery.  Within 3 weeks I was in the hospital having a hysterectomy.  They removed the uterus which was 3x the size it should have been because of so many of those bad cells in it.  Thus started my road to recovery...

In October 2010 I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes.  I was under the care of a wonderful Endocrinologist.  She had to be in her 70's but was sharp as a tack and so stinkin smart.  She took such good care of me and helped get the insulin levels down from 235 to 65 (normal for a woman is 17).  To this day I still try to get those numbers down.

In May 2011, I decided to visit one of my best friends who had moved some 6 years earlier to North Carolina.  Before I even went, I had made up my mind that I would move there.  When I visited, I had so much peace and contentment.  I also noticed there were Persian restaurants so that means Persian speakers!!!  I came home to San Diego and told my roommate I was moving.  The next 10 months after I moved out of my apartment and in with my cousin and her husband were a whirlwind.  Planning, preparing, scheduling...  In addition to that, I had the greatest experience living with them!

On April 27th 2012 I said goodbye to San Diego and headed north to spend a few days with friends there.  On Monday April 30th at 4am we headed East!  I was accompanied by my roommate/friend/sister Jennifer and my parents who drove their own car!  We made the trek in 4 days, should have done it in 5.  It was exhausting but amazing to see so many states, so much scenery.  Thursday night May 3rd we pulled into Wake Forest, NC.

Within a week, I had a job!  Within 2 months, I had a home!  It was amazing to see Jehovah provide so many things for me!  Life got started!  Its been a blast getting to know new sights, sounds, lack of sounds, people.  New friends.  Busy with Persians.  Fast forward to March 2013.  I don't exactly make the money I thought I would make here and my expenses are the same (I just get more bang for my buck).  I was eating lots of processed foods because its all I could afford.  I started feeling gross.  And for the first time in my life I FELT overweight.  In California I ran 3 miles every day.  I hiked.  I biked.  I was active, the weight didn't hold me back.  My sister who is still in California is doing Weight Watchers again.  So far she has lost over 40 pounds and feels great.  So I thought: it's a new program, I'm in a new environment, my body has been through a lot of changes...  Maybe this time it will work.  On Wednesday March 13th I went and signed up for my first meeting.  I was excited for a new change!  "I am worth the change I envision for myself"!  Its a saying I keep in my mind daily!  I am in my 3rd week and still going strong!  I have had two great weigh ins:
Week 1: March 20th 3.4 loss
Week 2: March 27th 3.2 loss
So I have got a good start going!  I will continue to work hard!  I have great support!  I have a better frame of mind!  I will have ups.  I will have downs.  I hope to face them with courage and continue on in this journey to make me a better me!!!
Love & kisses,
Chrissy

Time for Change

Ok, so we have all said it... Time for a change! But really this has to happen. I have wonderful support from my roommate who also joined Weight Watchers last night. I am back on track. I went grocery shopping last night. I planned my lunch today and have dinner planned for tonight & Thursday already. I am going to try my hardest to fight through this rough time in my life and not let it overtake me. The biggest thing I am dealing with right now is my grandmother dying. I usually have a strong tendancy to emotionally eat when I am going through stress of something like this. But I am starting to have a new outlook on food. Not just eating it cause its there. But only eating for fuel, when I am hungry. Something finally clicked in my head and I am seeing it that way now. I am going to try as hard as I possibly can to not only follow plan everyday but try and get 30 minutes of some kind of exercise in EVERYDAY, I know that will help speed things along too. I think I am just so overwhlmed with the fact that I have so much weight to lose. I also think of what I USED to be able to do and becuase I cannot do that NOW, I get discouraged. I used to run 3 miles a day and felt great. Now I have an arch that is falling and have to wear inserts in my shoes to reshape my foot. I have something limiting me now and becuase I cannot go full fledge like I used to I think "whats the point?" Well, the point is that SOMETHING is better than nothing..... So with a new attitude and new motivation, I am going to do this!!! Hope that I can help encourage anyone else who needs it. Love to all,
Chrissy

Back now...

Ok so I dont know if anyone even reads this thing. But I have been gone for some time now. I am so sorry. I didnt realize how long it had been until I looked and for my progress box it said that there was no data cause it had been more than 80 days. Oops, my bad! Well its been a tough road. I have had a lot going on. I have not eaten well, I have not been to the gym, I just had come close to giving up. But I had a talk with myself this weekend and told myself that when my membership expired and I had to cancel cause I didnt have the money, someone bought 10 more weeks for me. Someone spent $130 for me to continue to attend the meetings for another 10 weeks. That means someone believes in me that much. I cant let them down, I cant let their money go to waste. So I started back on track yesterday. I have been counting my points, back at the gym and have a whole new attitude. I really wanna do this. I am tired of being the way I am. I mean, I am happy with myself and I love myself but I wanna be healthy and I wanna be happier. I know that the only way that I can feel better is by being healthier and eating right. Yesterday I DID NOT want to go to the gym, but me and ebizzle talked each other into it and we went toether after work. I went to the WW meeting last night and I gained 2 pounds and so not bad for being away for 3 weeks. I also had just drank a whole bottle of water at the gym and had other stuff going on in my body that could have contributed to that gain. But you know what? In the words of Heidi, I am going to own it and take that number as my mess up. That scale does not lie. And next week, its going to tell me I lost something...

So keep up the good work everyone. I am off to the gym for my lunch breakk. Have a great week and much love to you all!!!
~Chrissy

Measurments

Ok, so this is just a generalization becuase I cant remember the numbers exactly. But jessie did my measurments the other night and I have lost an inch in my waist, like 2 in my arms and thighs and then like 4 inches in my hips. I may not be seeing as much progress on the scale as I want, but the fact that I am seeing it elsewhere makes me so happy. On my way to being that presumptuous pin up...

Yosemite Countdown

Ok for those of you going with us in September, I have now added our Yosemite Countdown so that we can know how many days we have left to slave away til we are relaxing away in Yosemite with the bears. Cant wait!!!

Cool texting tool

So I was reading an article yesterday on cools tricks when texting. One of them was very effective and thought I would share it with you all:

If you're watching your weight, Diet.com can help you count your calories. Text any major restaurant chain's name and menu item to DIET1 (dial 34381) and Diet.com will shoot you back the nutrition stats: calories, fat, carbs and protein.

The only stat it does not give you is the fiber which at least you can get a general idea of what the points value is. I mean if anything, the points value will go down if there is a fiber content. I gave it a whirl yesterday morning and it was pretty sweet! I sent "McDonald's Sausage Egg McMuffin" and in about 15-20 seconds I got a text that said:
McDonalds Sausage McMuffin W/ Egg
Cal: 450
Fat: 27g
Carb: 30g
Prtn: 21g

How cool is that??? I mean, whats not cool is that that item is 11 points!!! What would have been cool is that if I had found this out before yesterday morning, I could have avoided that 11 point Sausage Egg McMuffin I had for breakfast... But from now on that will be a GREAT tool to use when you are out and happen to stop at a fast food place. Or you go to a restaurant and didnt look up the items before you came. This is a great tool for those that fail to plan! Like myself... There was a saying that my 9th grade Algebra teacher used to say: Fail to plan then plan to fail. That is true in money situations, life situations but also in food situations. If you fail to plan on what obsticles might come upon you then you will have to put up an even harder fight. Be like my good friend Heidi, who when she knew she was going to a picnic this weekend that would have lots of possible "Red Light Foods" she brought her own lunch and ate that. Well done my friend!!! Well people, that is my tip of the day! One last thought I will leave you with: "Many times we're so wrapped up in our problems that we can't see how simple it can be to solve them." I wish you all succes in living a healthy lifestyle. Love and kisses,
~Chrissy

Whidldfnkias

Ok, so I know that they title does not make any sense. I thought it was indicitive of my weight loss this week. I lost 3.8lbs. I mean, dont get me wrong. I am so happy about that. But I didnt count points once last week. It seems that the weeks that I dont worry about it and just eat normal (obviously paying attention to how much I eat) I lose but the weeks that I count the points like they were my money, I gain. I just dont get it, its confusing, frustrating and annoying. But its a loss non the less so I am happy. When I weighed in last night, Pamela said that I just needed to lose 0.4 somehow. So since I had taken off my rings, earrings, bracelet, glasses and slip before I got on the scale (always do every week), I asked if I could take off my bra. She laughed (but objected) even tho I assured her that I could do it without removing my shirt. She still would not allow me... So I decided that I am boycotting bras. Another .04 more I would have been at 25 pounds total. "Stupid bra!!!" Needless to say I will never wear a bra to WW again!!!!!!!!!!!!! So since you have that mental picture I will leave you with the final thought that Stephanie left us with last night: "If you ignore your health, it will go away!" All too true!!! Thanks to all of you for your love and support. Love you all,
~Chrissy