I'm still here!!!!

Well, well, well! I guess you all thought I had disappeared from the face of the planet! Well, I'm still here and kicking! And, I'm still losing weight! Albeit, it's not happening quickly, as I'm not being as diligent as I should be with my WW points, but progress is happening very, very, very slow. As of today, I've lost a total of 15 pounds. I think that's 5 pounds lost since I last posted waaaaaay back in February (my, how time flies)! I had about a month where the scale absolutely did not budge, then I lost maybe 2 or 3 more pounds, and the scale hasn't budged now in about 2 or three weeks. Oh well. I guess I'm not up in arms about it because I can now fit back into a regular 14! All of my clothes are now beginning to fit again...clothes that I hadn't worn in two years! So, that's real good progress, but it can be a lot better!

My husband, on the other hand, has lost almost 30 pounds since February! He started modifying his habits when he got a high blood pressure diagnosis in February. His weight just fell off, effortlessly. Sometimes, I hate men!!!

The cookie monster still pursues me! I've been munching my coworker's oatmeal cookies and coconut bars all this week. Gotta find a way to defeat that demon!

Just wanted everyone to know that I'm still around and still plugging away at the weight thing.

Stay sweet and stay blessed!

Ms. Kitty

Making Progress...

Hello all! I know it's been a couple of weeks since I've blogged. However, I am happy to announce that I am making some progress! Since I last blogged, I've lost 5 pounds! Of course, I won't know the final number until tomorrow, since that's my weigh-in day. I weighed this morning, and the scale said 159.5! I'm usually light on Mondays, since I don't eat a lot on the weekends. I usually go up a pound or so by weigh in day, so I'm really expecting to be right at 160.5 on tomorrow. So, make that 4 pounds lost since I last blogged. That's still progress, though! Looks like I'm back on track!

Stay sweet and stay blessed!

Bad Girl, Bad Girl!!!!

I haven't posted in a week, for a couple of reasons. First, I figure that no one is really reading my blog anyway, due to the miniscule amount of traffic I've been receiving. Secondly, I'm a backslidden dieter!!! I've gained another pound in the last week, putting my net weight loss at 5.5 lbs. Boo Hoo!!!! :-(. I've thrown all caution to the wind. I've been eating Werther's Originals chewy caramels (I love those things)! I've gone through two bags in the last few days. And, my husband and I had Valentine's Day dinner at Carrabba's Italian Grill. I got a grilled chicken dish with mashed potatoes and sautee'd zucchini and a caesar salad, and I ate almost all of it (there was enough for two people, by the way). So, needless to say, the last couple of weeks haven't been good for me.

I've got to get back on track! And fast! I feel so discouraged! :-(

Off the bandwagon...

Well, it's official. I've gained 1 pound this week. :-(

Back to the points tracker for me!

In the words of Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

Stay sweet and stay blessed!

Ho-hum weekend...

I didn't do much this weekend. Hubby and I went to lunch at Ruby Tuesday early Saturday afternoon, followed by riding and house viewing in the country (Looking at houses is a hobby of ours. We're hoping to find land for our future dream house); cleaned house a little and read over Sunday School lesson on Saturday evening; went to church on Sunday morning; watched a PBS special on Slavery on Sunday evening (I left the Superbowl happenings to my husband); Napped for a little bit; and, watched 5 or so episodes of Flavor of Love (still trying to figure out what the women see in Flavor Flav, other than his money). So, there were no significant happenings this weekend.

What did I eat this weekend?
Saturday lunch: Ruby Tuesday, I had the Smart Eating Grilled Chicken with a side salad and a baked potato. Used lo-cal dressing on salad, and just a smidge of butter on the potato. Water with lemon.
Saturday Evening: Two Oscar Myer fat-free hotdogs on whole wheat hotdog buns (two points per hotdog, bun and all), Lays fat-free potato chips (1 point), pickles (0 points). Diet Dr. Pepper (0 points).
Saturday snacking: Oranges, a few Teddy Grahams, two Weight Watchers Lemon cakes, skim milk.

Sunday dinner: Cooked Rotisserie chicken from grocery store; corn; yam patty with brown sugar; Diet Dr. Pepper; Roll.
Sunday snacks: Healthy Choice ice cream sprinkled with Teddy Grahams; 1 Weight Watchers lemon cake; Skim milk; orange; apple. I was in a munching mood Sunday evening!

Overall, I didn't have a bad food weekend.

A note on the Michelina's Lean Gourmet meals: They can be found at Wal-mart for 98 cents! I was paying $1.50 at the regular grocery store. Of course, I stocked up on them for lunch. They should last me for three weeks.

Weigh-in is tomorrow. I don't think I lost anything, so I'm not getting my hopes up.

Stay sweet and stay blessed!

Not doing so good this week...

Well, I guess I let my paltry 7.5 lb weight loss go to my head, because I've been lax in tracking my points. I've had too many cookies this week...including several on today. I've been snacking incessantly all day--I've had two tangelos, the coconut cookies, and a 100-calorie pack of keebler shortbread cookies. I cooked spaghetti on Tuesday, and while it was healthy (I used a pound of 99% fat free turkey meat, whole wheat noodles, and 1/2 container of Prego original spaghetti sauce), I think my servings were way too big! My husband and I ate that stuff three days in a row (and it was delicious)!

My husband and I have decided to have pizza and a salad tonight. A slice of thin crust cheese or ham pizza from Pizza Hut is 4 points. I'll probably order the ham pizza. I plan to have two slices, plus a salad with fat free italian dressing and fat free shredded cheese (1 point total for the salad). I hope I can maintain control and not eat my usual 3 or 4 slices.

I'm not going to do my pre-weigh in on tomorrow. I'm sure that I haven't lost a pound this week, with the way I've been eating. I just hope I didn't gain anything! We'll see on Tuesday...

On a high note, today I wore a pair of blue jeans to work (size 15/16 junior) that, two months ago, I was absolutely unable to zip or button! And yesterday, I wore a pair of 14p pants, and they didn't bind me to the point of discomfort. Yay!

Until next time, stay sweet and stay blessed!

Losing weight...save money as well as calories

Since I've started weight watchers, I've been on a quest for satisfying foods that I can eat and not burst my points budget...or my money budget. I'm not one to take lunch to work...I tried that last year, and after a month that effort fizzled out. I traded in my turkey sandwich from home for a $2.08 all American meal from the Mickey D's near my job. Later in the year, a Subway opened near my office, so I traded in the $2.08 All-American meal for a $5.58 sandwich combo (that's including tax) from Subway (almost $7.00 if you count the 3 macadamian nut cookies I would buy for dessert). I paid similar prices at KFC, Wendy's , etc. Needless to say, my lunchtime meals were costing way too much money and definitely too many calories.

The thing that I love about the Weight Watchers program is that, while it allows you to eat whatever you want, it ultimately forces you to make better food choices. I do believe that it was my office eating habits, coupled with a sendentary job where I sit behind a desk in front of a computer all day, that caused the majority of my weight gain...too many fatty lunches and trips to the vending machine, not to mention my co-workers candy jar full of chocolate!

Well, early on, I decided to cut out as much of the fatty and empty calorie stuff as I could...it just wasn't worth my points. So, I set out on a quest to find healthier alternatives to my office fare. While shopping at the grocery store, I happened upon a line of frozen meals named Michelina's Lean Gourmet. Two things drew my attention to this particular line of frozen meals:

1. The points value of the meal is printed right on the packaging (I don't know if they're affiliated with Weight Watchers). The only other frozen meal line that does that is Weight Watcher's. And, the points value on Michelina's Lean Gourmet meals vary between 4 and 6 points.
2. The meals were two for $3.00. That's $1.50 per meal!

I bought a couple of them, not really expecting anything good. But, I was pleasantly surprised...those meals taste pretty good! Not to mention cheap! I've seen my lunch bill decrease from over $25.00/week to $7.50/week! That's almost $18.00/week in savings! Sweet deal!

So, that's my product endorsement for the week. Michelina's Lean Gourmet is tasty and easy on the pocketbook, and they have several varieties available, include lasagna, salisbury steak, shrimp and rice, chicken fettucine florentine, and others. Their website is listed in my links section. Bon appetit!

Stay sweet and stay blessed!

Ms. Kitty

Today's Weigh-in...the Cookie Monster didn't prevail after all!

My weigh-in day is Today. I stepped on the scale this morning, fully expecting not to see any change. Yesterday, my co-worker had some coconut cookies. You know the ones--the long coconut bars that come in the long 99 cent packages. Cookies are one of my weaknesses...my college classmates used to call me the "cookie monster". So, I indulged my self several times yesterday. Then, I got home and had a bunch of Teddy Grahams with my ice cream. And, I ate the skin on my baked chicken. Suffice it to say, I wasn't the most dilligent when it came to my food choices yesterday.

Well, I stepped on the scale and... (((((drumroll)))))....I lost 3 pounds this week! As 162.5 stared back at me, I was pleasantly surprised! Well, to be honest, some of that lost weight was probably water weight, since I had my monthly last week.

Anyway, hooray for the loss! That brings my total weight loss to 7.5 pounds since I've started on January 9th. This gives me the encouragement I need to keep struggling and striving.

Stay sweet and stay blessed!

Ms. Kitty

More on WW...and weekend eating

As I've stated before, I'm doing Weight Watchers online to lose my excess weight. I am following the Weight Watcher's points system. In a nutshell, every food known to man is worth a certain number of points (For instance, a KFC chicken breast with skin is worth 10 points; the same KFC chicken breast with the skin pulled off is worth 3 points. Diet sodas are zero points. Most vegetables are either zero or 1 point. A scoop of healthy choice ice cream is 2 points). Depending on what your weight is, you are assigned a total number of points to consume each day, plus you get 35 "bonus", or additional points for the week. You can use the additional 35 points any way you like: to use for special occasions where you know you'll want to eat less than healthfully; to save up for a really wicked meal or treat; to spread out evenly over the week so you'll have more points to consume each day; to have a cushion in case you go over your points on any given day; or, you don't have to use them at all. Again, you can eat whatever your heart desires so long as you stay within your points range. Each week, your "bonus" points reset to 35. My assigned number of points is 22; that means that I need to consume at least 22 points in food each day. If I consume below that number, then the weight comes off a little slower or not at all. I use my extra 35 points for cushion, because I usually go over my daily 22 points by about 5 points or so.

I think the majority of my 35 points are used on the weekends. See, I'm very involved in church activities on Saturday and Sunday, and often I'm on the go so much on those days that I eat only one meal on those days. So, I really don't count points on the weekend; I just try to eat healthy and not overeat, and I'm sure that my "bonus" points will keep me afloat. I start fresh with point counting on Mondays.


So, what did I have this weekend?

Saturday: An apple in the morning; a fried chicken salad with ranch dressing and crackers that evening and a sprite. A small glass of lemonade later that night.

Sunday: Hamburger Helper (I forget which variety); 2 rolls; corn; sprite; homemade milkshake.

My weekly weigh-in is Tuesday. I did a preliminary-weighin on Saturday, and it seems that I've lost another pound. But, I'll know the true number on Tuesday.

On a good note, I wore a pair of size 14p pants this weekend, and they fit! They were just a tad snug, but not uncomfortably so. I know for a fact a few weeks ago, I probably would not have been able to even zip them. I also wore a size 14 suit to church, and it wasn't as snug as it was when I wore it a month ago. And, my relatives can tell, even at this early stage, that I'm losing. So, progress is being made!

Until next time...stay sweet and be blessed!

Ms. Kitty

My introduction....Hello World!

Hello All,

Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Ms. Kitty. I am 33 years old (God willing, I will celebrate my 34th birthday in May). I am married, 2.5 years and counting (I will celebrate my 3rd wedding anniversary, God willing, in May...May's a good month for me :-)). I live in the South...Alabama, to be exact. Been in Alabama all of my life. I am an only child. My husband and I currently have no children (although we hope to start a family someday). I'm employed as a Software Engineer, and I've been in that line of work for 10 years.

This is going to be a long one, so beware and prepare!

This is my first attempt at blogging. I created this blog primarily to serve as a diary of my weight loss efforts. You see, I am about 40 pounds overweight. I've been struggling with my weight since I was 21. Before I turned 21, I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain a pound! My weight fluctuated between 98 and 110 pounds, and I was a size 4/6. But, when I turned 21, things changed, and I mean they changed!!!! My metabolism must have gotten some molasses or something mixed with it, because since 1993, I have put on, umm, let's see...between 65 and 70 pounds. I am only 5'2", so you know this is too much weight for me to be carrying!

Since 1993, I have been on various diets. I've tried Slim Fast, the Cabbage Soup Diet, Atkins, and Phen-Fen. My most successful diet venture has been Weight Watchers, on which I lost 23 pounds. That was 5 years ago, when I was at 160 lbs and got down to 137--in my mind, a respectable weight. I wasn't skinny-skinny, but I wasn't fat, either. All of my clothing fit nicely...I was a comfortable and happy size 12 petite.

Now, at the beginning of this year, I've found that I am, according to my bathroom scale, at 170lbs (the scale at my doctor's office said 174, but I rather go by my bathroom scale...makes me feel just a tad bit better). This is my highest weight ever!!!! I am in a size 16 misses (a 16 misses petite size fits funny on me, so I have to go with the regular 16 Misses), or a 14 wp (women's petite, for those who don't know..and even a woman's petite is kinda snug), or a plain 14 woman (my most comfortable size). My highest size ever! My blood pressure has gone up, my cholesterol is high, and I generally feel just crappy. I look old and fat and matronly in pictures. My mother nags me constantly about my weight--she has weight issues also, and doesn't want me to follow in her footsteps. My husband, in a non-nagging way, has commented on my weight--after all, I gained 35 of these pounds after we got married...I guess it's true about marriage and happiness putting weight on ya!

You know, it wouldn't be so bad if I were pear shaped. I would kill for a small waist...currently, I have nothing that resembles a waist, just an indention going around my middle. I could also use some hips, as I have no curves worth mentioning in the lower half of my body, and skinny legs to boot. Unfortunately, I'm the dreaded apple-shaped. Yes, I gain all of my weight in my middle! So, that means that I have big boobs (38DD, up from 36DD last year...hard to believe that I started out as a 34B). I have--not one--but two stomachs! I have a big roll up top, right under my boobs, and a big round belly on the bottom...a pregnant looking belly at that! And, I have no butt! I'm a black woman, but you sure can't tell it from behind! I'm flat as a pancake! No bump in the back, nothing juicy for my husband to grab hold of, no roundness anywhere. Just flat and wide. I guess you can say I have a funky figure.

So, about three weeks ago, I decided (again), to do something about my weight. I had joined Weight Watchers online (for like the 5th time) in October, but of course I didn't do anything with it. I purchased a three month plan for $45. Well, that was $45 wasted. But, I've started it back up again in earnest, and I've been doing pretty good. So far, I've lost 5 pounds, and I can began to tell the difference, just a little bit. I figure that I'm not the only one struggling with weight, so I decided to create a blog to journal my efforts. Hopefully, people will read my blog and be encouraged, get a laugh, send tips, commiserate, or whatever. In my mind, going public with my efforts would keep me honest and focused about the whole endeavor. After all, nothing's worse than failing in public! Well, actually, there are worse things, but no need to digress...

I chose Weight watchers because it actually works for me, and I can eat whatever I want to eat. I can't stand anybody telling me what I can and can't eat. I know some people don't like food plans where they have to count things, but I don't mind counting the weight watcher's points, as long as I can eat whatever I want to eat! For those who are interested in Weight Watcher's program, here's the link: www.weightwatchers.com.

What's my goal? Well, I have several. My short-term goal is to get below 160 (I'm 5 pounds away from that). My 1st mid-term goal is to lose 3-5 pounds a month. My 2nd mid-term goal is to get back down to my wedding weight (between 137 and 140). My long term goal is to get down to 125 lbs. I don't want to be anorexic skinny like I was in college, I just want to be nice and curvy and healthy looking!

Well, I'm tired of typing...my shoulder aches, and I want some ice cream (Healthy Choice ice cream, of course!). I'm going to close now. I'll try to blog every day, although I'll probably miss a day or two during the week. In the meanwhile, stay sweet and stay blessed!

Ms. Kitty