Excuses excuses..

Uh, I suppose its not really necessary for me to state that YES..I sort of fell off of the bandwagon. I was well intentioned! Buuut.. I discovered a pattern. I'd start the day off really well, recording absolutely everything I ate while staying within my point range. Towards the end of the day I'd eventually get a craving for something totally off-the-wall and more often than not I gave in.

I've heard it countless of times from other people and its true for me, the end of the day (evenings) are the toughest part of the day for me. Usually I'm at home at this point, lounging on the couch, perhaps even watching several episodes of CSI.. I'm in complete relaxation mode and unfortunately my will-power just goes out the door sometimes. What is even worse, when I make last minute plans with friends. I end up in a bar or restaurant and once again, I have zero restraint. Mind you, it doesn't help that my friends are telling me things like "oh, just diet tomorrow" or "tonight doesn't count"! :-/

Every couple of weeks I go to a party and find myself perusing through the pictures the following morning. You know how it is, everyone suddenly turns in to Mr. Photography and the next morning they're up on myspace for absolutely everyone to see. I say this because last night I went to a Birthday party and this morning the host had the pics on-line already. Pictures don't lie! (I mean that in the simplest terms possible, so give me a second to explain)

Here's a picture that's "Anja approved"; I don't mind having people see this one: It's well lit, from the front, doesn't show my lower-half, and that "pompadour" is elongating my face. (ie. slimming it)

Now lets look at a picture from last night:

Ah, were to begin :-o

Pictures like this make me cringe because the first thought that comes to mind is, "so this is how other people see me". I feel like the time I spent on my hair, make-up, accessories, or picking out clothes was a complete waste. And that, to me, is so depressing. I'm a girly-girl at heart! I adore fashion and everything that it entails but my weight won't let me enjoy it. Somewhere along the way I was hoping to make a point, but I've gotten a bit sidetracked.

What I am trying to say is that I am very much BACK on the Bandwagon. I counted all my points today and with 10 points remaining dinner should be a breeze.

Within the last several months I have lost aprroximately 12 pounds but I can't credit Weight Watchers with that little bit of success. I avoided fast food like the plague and eventually the pounds came off. That said, I need to lose about 45 pounds still to reach a truly healthy weight and I am convinced that WW is the way to go for me.

One of my (many) mistakes in the past has been to rewards myself with food. I very much believe in a reward system when it comes to dieting or making major changes that involve restraint or self-control. That said, I want to reward myself with something non-foody. *lol* I'm thinking make-up. (MAC, Urban Decay, Benefit, Smashbox, Make Up For Ever)

I'm thinking if I do good for a week, in regard to points, then I'll "give" myself one make-up item or a set amount of money to spend. I'll keep you all up-dated..

Tired!

2 Apple Juice
1 Bread (1 Slice)
3 Peanutbutter
1 String Cheese
0 Baby Carrots
1 Yogurt (Activia)
1 Cereal (Kashi)
1 Cereal Bar (Kashi)
2 Soup (Progresso)
1 Bread (1 Slice)
1 String Cheese
2 Ice Cream (WW)
-------------------
16 Points :o)

Oh, hey there 24

1 Yogurt (Activia)
1 Cereal
1 String Cheese
.5 V8
4 10 Ritz Crackers
1 6 Turkey Slices
1 Kashi Bar
0 Diet Soda
1 String Cheese
2 Soup (Progresso)
7 Frozen Yogurt
0 Blackberries
4.5 Twix
-----------
24 Points :-)

I did much better today! I went to a yogurt shop after work and it was an ordeal calculating the point value. I put blackberries on my yogurt and then just couldn't resist adding crumbled bits of Twix. Calculating the point value for the Twix wasn't too bad, I even added an extra point to be on the safe side. I kind of wish that I had taken a picture of my yogurt creation; it was definitely worth the points. I do forsee calculating point values for various meals out of the house being a total pain. Ugh..

Animal Crackers

So I decided that I'm going to jump on the Weight Watcher's Bandwagon. A few years ago my Mom gave me two WW books, for my birthday I believe, and I was a tad bit offended. I have actually received quite a few cook books and the occasional diet book from her, a subtle hint you say? Yes, perhaps.. :-/

Anywho, after perusing several blogs that, for lack of a better word, were utterly inspiring I've decided I want to give it a try. The majority of these blogs were so encouraging because they featured pictures of the most scrumptious meals and snacks and yet all of them were quite healthy and a part of their WW plan.

Sometime this week I'll provide a basic overview of how WW works, its quite simple but takes some minor research unless you have a friend who can explain the whole thing. :-)

I'm sure you all know that WW works with a point system. Based on your current weight you're allowed a certain number of points per day. It's not nearly as restricting as you may think, because no food is really "off-limits". Moving on, someone with my weight should stay between 22 and 29 points per day. (so says my WW book)

This is what I had today:
1 6 Slices of Turkey
2 Feta Cheese
0 Spinach Leaves
0 Baby Carrots
2 2 Slices of Bread
5 Animal Crackers
9 Chocolate Raisins
3 Rootbeer
6 Lean Cuisine
0 Water
5 Quesadilla
-------------------
33 Points :- I

The Sandwich was actually my breakfast. My Grandma and I saw "The Ugly Truth" today, that's where the Animal Crackers and Choco Raisins came in. Let me explain the Root beer! I asked for Coke Zero but didn't realize I ended up with Root beer until the movie had already started. As for the Quesadilla, my parent's left it in the fridge and I couldn't help myself. In all honesty, I don't feel too bad about my 33 points. I've got the hang of this whole point system and was good about writing absolutely everything down on a sticky note. I made myself a really good shopping list and plan on going grocery shopping before work tomorrow.

On a side note, I was invited to join a book club and our first book is "Water for Elephants", something I've been wanting to read for a while now. It's uber-geeky, but I love to read so this book club seems like good fun to me! Anyway, my point..I was eager to get my hands on a box of Animal Crackers because they reminded me of the book.

Slot Machine, I heart you

Last night I was contemplating just going to bed early but my best friend from High School sent me a txt, a little before ten I believe, saying she had gotten out of work early and that we should go to a Casino. She had never been to a Casino or gambled and so I figured why not. I scrambled to get ready and we were out of the door within 20 minutes! At the Casino we immediately honed in on the 2cent slot machines and pressed spin buttons until our hands were sore. There was live music playing in the background and the whole thing actually resembled a club scene. I'm almost embarassed to say it, but I was expecting tons of RV-driving retirees all in matching golf gear. In my defense, no I do not watch a lot of TV so I'm not sure where this stereotype came from.
We had Dinner at the Casino and sipped at out free sodas all night long. By the end of the night I lost $7 and we agreed that this was the best way to lose money and have a good time doing so..

At one point a guy next to me won $95 on a machine that I had spent ages on; I even dubbed it my "lucky slot machine". Well, thats how it goes..

I am in no way promoting gambling, but I had a great time! :-)

Busy girl..

I rarely cook or sit at the dinner table to have a meal, especially not in the morning. However, this morning I actually made myself breakfast and sat down at the table with my book. Breakfast looked yummy and tasted alright. *lol*

I met up with two girlfriends and we went to a shooting range. One girl knew quite a bit about guns and how to shoot them so she was our instructor! :o) There may be a little bit of irony here, I can already picture some raised brows in regards to an apparent make-up and fashion lover going out to shoot. Lately I've caught myself wanting to know more about cars, planes, guns, and alcohol. I'm not looking for a new hobby or losing interest in any of my current ones, I just have a desire to familiarize myself with things that girls don't necessarily get exposed to..

• I envy girls that can talk about cars the way that I can prattle on about an eyeshadow. It would also help to not have to rely on a guy's help every time my car has an issue.

• Planes interest me, but I want to know more about them.

• Guns, well..I want to be educated about them. Plain and simple.
  

• Alcohol, occasionally I drink it but I can not order a drink to save my life.
  

I must say I had a really good time at the shooting range. An added bonus, the employees all looked like they'd just walked off the pages of GQ, like so:

Uhm, afterwards I had dinner at a Mexican restaurant and eventually I met up with another friend at a yogurt shop. Perhaps not the best idea, but a good day none the less..

A little bit better?

I really do not know whats going on here Today I found a new batch of pizza on the kitchen counter! I'm convinced people are conspiring against me, yes that must be it. No, I did not have any pizza but I may have had a small dish of ice cream at work. However, I did make myself go on a 40 min walk today.

Breakfast: Turkey and Havarti between two slices of whole wheat toast.
Lunch: Kashi cereal bar, several almonds, and a nectarine
Dinner: ?
Beverages: Water and 2 cans of coke zero

I still have to go groccery shopping and I'm thinking about trying oatmeal for Dinner. I've never actually made oatmeal but I imagine it being quite yummy with some berries and/or bits of banana.

Looking at what I've had to eat today, it almost looks like I didn't eat enough. If only I could have skipped the ice cream and spread my meals out a bit. I need to start having several smaller meals each day. (ie. 5 or 6)