goals {april 2011}

it seems that some areas are coming easier for me (organization, for instance), while other areas are more of a struggle (scrap + blog). as i mentioned yesterday, i need to remind myself of these on a daily basis! i created an 8.5x11 printable that lists these goals. i will keep this at the front of my life binder to help me stay focused! i'm excited to see if this helps, particularly because april is a busy, busy month!
{organization}
-- purge downstairs coat closet
-- clean out & organize the kitchen pantry

{time management}
-- select one weeknight for "super productivity"
-- plan out meals for the week on sunday night

{blog improvement}
-- begin making my way through the blog design class (not finish, just start)
-- create an "about the chronicles" page for the blog

{scrap studio}
-- clear off the floor!!!
-- order photos from bridal shower & create album

{weight loss}
-- exercise at least once each week
-- lose at least 4 pounds

{faith + spirtuality}
-- finish reading one thousand gifts (while participating in the book club)
-- read 4 chapters of the New Testament every weekday morning

{financial}
-- manage the best use of extra paycheck in april
-- contact at&t about strange charges

{writing}
-- write four journal entries
-- continue the creativity boot camp workbook.
related posts:
goals for 2011
january goals and january end-of-month progress report
february goals and february end-of-month progress report
march goals

inspired by:
3 in 30, as presented by ap freewriting 101 and the tuckers take tennessee

dieting for dummies {3.27}

total weight loss: i'm still sitting at 13 pounds lost...if you're keeping track, you will know i've been there for a few weeks. let's talk about why...

wavering willpower: though i've definitely improved my overall eating habits, i have also experienced plenty of week moments...most of which are associated with eating out. i ate a quarter pounder from mcdonald's for the first time in months (gasp!!!). shame on me.

closet cleanout: matt and i recently attacked our master closet. the main goal on his side was purging. the main goal on my side -- to figure out what fits, especially spring/summer stuff. i'm happy to say that i fit into almost everything in my closet. this is HUGE! the best part??? my "goal" pants (size 4 camo pants from old navy)...not only can i fit in them, but they look good and there is no muffin top!

future of fat clothes??? one thing i'm stuggling with are my "fat clothes". the things that i've grown out of and hopefully will never wear again. i want to ditch them as motivation to stay leaner. but i'm also nervous about getting rid of clothes that might have to be replaced if i were to *relapse*. agh!!! what's a girl to do????

clothes shopping: i went clothes shopping this weekend for the first time in a while...and actually enjoyed it. i was able to confidently make purchases from my favorite store (banana republic).

in conclusion, though i've hitten a plateau (caused mainly by willpower), i'm very happy with where i am but i'm not done!!! i have a tough week ahead (lots of restaurants in my near future), but come next sunday...i need to get back on track and lose the next 7 pounds!

goals {march 2011}

even though it's halfway through the month, i still want to provide a list of march goals!

{organization}
-- help matt purge some a lot of his clothing carried over from february
-- clean out the kitchen junk drawer carried over from february
-- clean out my car
-- purge downstairs coat closet

{time management}
-- select one weeknight for "super productivity"
-- plan out meals for the week on sunday night

{blog improvement}
-- begin making my way through the blog design class (not finish, just start) carried over from february
-- create an "about the chronicles" page for the blog carried over from february

{scrap studio}
-- clear off the floor!!! carried over from february
-- order photos from coleman's birthday party

{weight loss}
-- exercise at least once each week
-- lose at least 4 pounds
{faith + spirtuality}
-- finish reading one thousand gifts (while participating in the book club)
-- read 4 chapters of the New Testament every weekday morning (as feasible while reading above book)
{financial}
-- work with matt to map out the use of my bonus
-- cancel rhapsody & netflix (two inexpensive services that we just aren't really using)
{writing}
-- write four journal entries.
-- start the creativity boot camp workbook. carried over from february.

related posts:
goals for 2011
january goals and january end-of-month progress report
february goals and february end-of-month progress report

inspired by:
3 in 30, as presented by ap freewriting 101 and the tuckers take tennessee

goal update {february 2011}

i'm quite late in reporting on my february goals (which doesn't bode well on tackling march, but oh well). i will begin with a disclaimer that i knew my ability to accomplish much in february. hosting two parties at the end of the month meant a lot of free time was spent planning & prepping. my goals were a little overambitious, to say the least. i wish i had accomplished more but i'm trying not to beat myself up!

{organization}
-- help matt purge some a lot of his clothing nope :(
-- clean out the kitchen junk drawer nope :(
-- bring home 2 binders from work (to use as home management & recipe binders) yes

{time management}
do laundry at least twice a week. yes. i've done well with this. i've been doing it over the weekend and at least once during the week. i also like starting on it as soon as the workday is done on friday (schedules allowing). then, i will do it again on sunday which allows me to start the work week with a clean (laundry) slate.

{blog improvement}
-- begin making my way through the blog design class (not finish, just start) nope
-- create an "about the chronicles" page for the blog nope
in addition, i haven't been posting as often as i'd like...

{scrap studio}
-- clear off the floor!!! unfortunately this got worse instead of better (because of the parties).
-- order photobook of christmas 2010 photos nope

{weight loss}
-- do the elliptical machine (30 min) at least once a week  nope. i did well at the beginning of the month, but then slacked off.
-- eat out no more than one meal per week doubt it.
-- lose 6 more pounds yes (i think)

{faith + spirtuality}
-- read 4 chapters of the New Testament every weekday morning. in order to do the item below, this has to be pushed aside slightly. it's still a priority, but second to finishing the book.
-- begin participating in the one thousand gifts (by ann voskamp) book club  yes. i'm working on chapter 8 right now (of 11 total). in addition to reading, i've been watching the book club videos, reading the blog posts and journaling.   

{financial}
-- finish reading "debt free for life". yes.
-- start making bi-weekly mortgage payments. oops...forgot!

{writing}
-- write four journal entries. yes, because of the book club mentioned above, i've been journaling a lot more lately!!
-- start the creativity boot camp workbook. nope. again, took a backseat to the bookclub.

related posts:
goals for 2011
january goals and january end-of-month progress report
february goals

inspired by:
3 in 30, as presented by ap freewriting 101 and the tuckers take tennessee

dieting for dummies {3.13}

total weight loss: as of wednesday (my WW weigh-in day), i had lost 13. but over the weekend, i came in more like 12.

exercise:
as i mentioned last week, we recently purchased "singstar dance" for our PS3. both saturday and sunday of this weekend, i did about 45 minutes to an hour of dancing on this. coleman loves it and hops around with me. it's tons of fun and makes the time go by quickly. plus...i can sharpen up my routines and beat spencer the next time we play against one another (shhhh....don't tell).

tip: fruit & veggie prep
prior to joining weight watchers, i didn't eat many fruits or vegetables. it's nothing personal against the little guys - many of them are quite tasty - but i just didn't. that's probably been one of the best things that i've gained out of WW....an appreciation of the them. hopefully that will stick with me long past this diet.

however, i have learned one thing. the easiest way to eat fresh fruits & vegetables (for me) is to make sure i prepare them right away. when i get home from the grocery store, as part of putting the groceries away, i make sure to take the time to clean, chop, and package my fresh goodies. obviously some things don't require thing (like bananas). but things like strawberries, bell peppers, celery, etc....those do. i clean everything, and where appropriate i chop them into manageable sizes. then i usually put some in a plastic container to keep in my fridge at home. but i also put smaller portions in little ziploc baggies so that i can easily grab them before work in the morning. this one tiny step makes all the difference between whether i actually enjoy my yummy fruits & veggies or whether they go bad in my fridge, waiting on someone to grab them.

rewards:
i'm happy to report that i've been enjoying my newly expanded wardrobe. no, i did not go on a shopping spree. i'm actually able to comfortably fit into lots of clothes in my closet that have been in hibernation for a while. a long while. luckily, some of them are still relatively in style!
plus, when the temperature highs have a 20 degree swing in one day, it makes your wardrobe seem twice as large -- sweaters one day, t-shirts the next; boots & flip-flops all in the same week...gotta love spring in the south.

dieting for dummies {3.6}

total weight loss: as of this morning, i'm up to 12 pounds

struggles: party weekend
last weekend was tough for the weight watching. having parties in our home two days in a row lent itself to lots of nibbling. plus, to keep the house clean, we avoided cooking family meals. friday night, we went out to eat at a mexican restaurant (first time since the diet began!!!). saturday night we ordered pizza. see the problem??? ultimately, it was OK though. not every day can be perfect.

tip: find fun ways to exercise
we just purchased "singstar dance" for our PS3. doing a few of these dances is a blast and definitely counts as exercise!

tip: portion control
i've probably said this already but it's such an important element. when matt fixes burgers, now i only eat half of one and with no bun. and guess what...i don't feel hungry or cheated! so much of watching food intake is just eating a more reasonable amount. eat slowly, noticing when you start to feel full. don't eat just because it tastes good (i really stuggle with this at mexican restaurants!!!).

a few random thoughts:
~ i'm still feeling a little baffled that more of my clothes don't fit any longer. there are definitely a few pairs of pants that i can't wear, but many things are just fitting differently (which i guess is still good).
~ fat free half & half is a lifesaver for my coffee
~ technically at the 10-pound mark i could treat myself to a new piece of clothing. i did pick up a new st. patty's day t-shirt and a cute tank top. not very exciting, but that's ok.
~ for the first time in a long time, i saw the target swimsuit ad and didn't cringe. instead i thought "hmmm, in a month or two, it might actually be fun to go buy a new bathing suit!". crazy!

dieting for dummies {2.20}

total weight loss: holding steady at 9 pounds
my body seems to lose weight in a peak & valley kind of way. i don't lose anything for a week or two and then all of a sudden i drop several pounds quickly.

tip: find the victories
despite no weight loss, i'm still feeling encouraged. this week i was able to break out a couple of pairs of dress pants that had been in hiberation for a while. that was very exciting. plus, i've continued getting comments/compliments from friends & family.

tip: plan ahead
think about your day and if you need to "conserve" points. when matt works night, i allow myself more freedom during the day because i know it'll be easy to fix myself a healthy, low-point supper. if i know i will be eating out for dinner, going to someone's home, or just having a high-point meal at home, i am more careful during the day.
a few random thoughts:
~ i failed miserably in the exercise department. no excuses.
~ i'm loving edamame as a favorite snack
~ bubbly water is my liquid treat.

dieting for dummies {2.13}

total weight loss: around 9 pounds
for some reason, my scale has been really inconsistent the last few days. i'm pretty sure i've hit at least nine pounds. maybe a little more.

struggles: my biggest struggle this past week was eating out so much due to travel. i tried to stick to things such as chicken breasts and salads, being careful about portion size and dressings. overall, i did pretty well.

successes: i am excited to report that people are starting to notice and comment that i have lost weight. yay! oh, and i did the elliptical machine twice this week.

confusions: as i mentioned already, my scale will fluctuate within a few pounds in just a day's time, even though i'm consistent about the conditions under which i weigh. i'm sure this is why it's not recommended that you weigh daily, but i don't care - i'm going to keep doing it!

i'm surprised that my clothing isn't fitting more loosely considering i've almost hit 10 pounds, but oh well! it will come in time. at first i thought a goal of 20 pounds would definitely get me to where i want to be, but now i'm not so sure. unless the second 10 pounds makes a much bigger difference than the first 10 pounds.

foods i'm loving:

-- wheat tortillas & flatbread: i have mastered the art of making a healthy wrap out of just about any food combination (breakfast food, mexican-style, italian, etc).

-- i'm really sticking with a lot of favorites i've already mentioned: yellow & orange bell peppers, fresh healthy dips/spreads, special K crackers, spinach.

-- canned chicken/tuna: i'm not sure if i mentioned this yet, but i love keeping canned tuna and chicken on hand. i can add it to anything (a salad, wrap, pasta) for some protein & flavor without as many points as most meats. they are also easy to take to work. sometimes i use them straight out of the can and sometimes i will add fat free mayo and some spices.

-- spices, spices, spices: if anything ever feels like it doesn't have enough flavor, i rely on the spice rack. it's super packed flavor without extra points. i love using some of the mixes that mccormick's makes like the "italian" spices or a mexican chili powder. i'm also a big fan of nature's seasoning.

dieting for dummies {2.6}

new tools:
last week i invested in two new "tools" for my weight loss adventure. i purchased a digital scale (to replace our sad, old non-digital one). it's so nice to be able to easily read my weight and not squint. obsessing over the scale (in a healthy way) has kind of been a fun game. i like to see how different things affect my weight (wet hair, clothing, a meal, etc).

my second new tool is a pedometer. you might remember my participating in a challenge around this time last year. i really enjoyed it but had lost that little pedometer. so, i invested in a new one and began wearing it earlier this week. it's always surprising as to how much i don't walk. one day that felt pretty active, was still only 6400 steps! my average workday (spent mostly at a desk) comes in around 4000. not good.

restaurant failure:
along with my successes, i have to report my failures as well. matt and i enjoyed a tasty meal at a new local restaurant. we splurged on a spinach dip appetizer with flatbread and i had a delicious italian BLT. the points were obnoxius. this was actually lunch and i ended up skipping supper. not because i felt guilty but because i wasn't even hungry. i think my body has adjusted to getting less food and having that massive amount in my belly just held me over. the best guess on the BLT: 18 points!!! ouch. yes, i could've gotten a salad, but i didn't.

friday at work we ordered lunch from a japanese restaurant. i ordered the same thing as always but requested brown rice instead of white. i normally would've cleaned my plate. i barely touched the rice and probably only ate about half of the main meal. i was proud of myself.

the week ahead is going to be tough. i will be travelling for four days...that's a lot of restaurant and on-the-go food.

weight loss: as of friday, i had not lost any additional weight. kind of depressing. given our busy weekend and trips ahead, i am scheduling this post ahead of time. hopefully by sunday, i will have lost something.

goals {february 2011}

i was pleased with my january baby steps and i'm excited about tackling a new set of baby steps this month!!!

{organization}
-- help matt purge some a lot of his clothing
-- clean out the kitchen junk drawer
-- bring home 2 binders from work (to use as home management & recipe binders)

{time management}
do laundry at least twice a week. since my work schedule changed back to going into the office daily, i have been doing laundry mostly on weekends. my goal is to try and tackle some of it mid-week so i'm not so bogged down with this during our family time.

{blog improvement}
-- begin making my way through the blog design class (not finish, just start)
-- create an "about the chronicles" page for the blog

{scrap studio}
-- clear off the floor!!! this seems easy enough but right now it's a collection of items purchased for parties, computer cords, bags of "works in progress", piles of spencer & coleman's old schoolwork and artwork...just to name a FEW.
-- order photobook of christmas 2010 photos

{weight loss}
-- do the elliptical machine (30 min) at least once a week
-- eat out no more than one meal per week
-- lose 6 more pounds

{faith + spirtuality}
-- read 4 chapters of the New Testament every weekday morning. i will continue to plug away at this until i'm done with the Bible
-- begin participating in the one thousand gifts (by ann voskamp) book club i've already purchased the book. the club begins this sunday (feb 6th).
{financial}
-- finish reading "debt free for life". this book was a free download online that i printed and began reading a few weeks ago. my goal is to wrap it up this month and start taking some of his advice (see next item)
-- start making bi-weekly mortgage payments. the above book states if you make 1/2 of your mortgage payment every two weeks (instead of the full amount once a month) you should pay off your mortgage about 3-5 years earlier depending on your interest rate (this is based on making 1 extra monthly payment).
{writing}
-- write four journal entries. since i didn't accomplish this last month, i figured this should remain a goal.
-- start the creativity boot camp workbook. my goal is to finish this before the live summer session in may.

related posts:
goals for 2011
january goals and january end-of-month progress report

inspired by:
3 in 30, as presented by ap freewriting 101 and the tuckers take tennessee

goal update {january 2011}

in early january, i laid out goals for the month based on my goals for 2011. my plan is all about taking baby steps to tackling bigger things and was partially inspired by the concept of 3 in 30, as presented by ap freewriting 101 and the tuckers take tennessee.

my concern was tackling eight mini-goals in a month might be too much. so, let's see how i did...

{organization}
purchase and implement a system for organizing coleman's toys in our den. complete.
we are considering the addition of a toy box also, but right now, this is working well. my other small organizational project was the dresser in our bedroom.

{time management}
master using my new organizational binder and daily calendar. complete.
i have spent the month using these things daily. i absolutely adore my moleskin weekly notebook. it is truly perfect (particularly for work). though my new binder is bulky, it has been incredibly helpful to have everything together in ONE spot. i am thoroughly enjoying both pieces of my new process. i plan to post more detail on this now that i've tested it for a while.

{blog improvement}
choose a digital kit to use when re-designing the blog. complete.
i purchased a kit, at a great price. the colors are reflective of my *color crush*. as for blog content, i seem to be struggling the most with weekend posting. this is partially a good thing because it means i'm living life and enjoying my family. but i'd like to get better and scheduling posts to come out on the weekends.

{scrap studio}
re-claim the room from the havoc reaked during the holiday season. sort of complete.
i have worked on tidying up this room. a couple of times. and then it falls apart again. it's definitely in a better state than it was during the holidays, which is good. the bad thing is that i'm now planning two (back to back) parties in our house at the end of february. this room will become the "catch all" for party supplies and planning so i need a way to keep that organized and tidy!
as for scrapping...i didn't. but i did order a photobook from shutterfly of our december family photo shoot. i also ordered prints from snapfish that completes coleman's first year.

{weight loss}
this is actually going to be more of a three-fold goal. instead of just saying "lose 5 pounds" in january, i want more tangible & specific goals that will hopefully lead to weight loss. complete +.

1. do the elliptical four times
2. go on a walk four times
3. brainstorm healthier meal ideas with matt

i did a lot more in this area than i set out here. i joined weight watchers and lost 6 pounds. i did the elliptical machine exactly 4 times (though it wasn't consistent each week, as i would prefer). i nixed #2 because it's just too darned cold. and, amazingly i got on my bicycle once (for a very leisurely ride) for the first time in probably two years! i can't say that we accomplished much with #3...i am eating healthier but not doing such a great job of working with matt on that.

for more details on my weight loss adventure, check out my weekly *dieting for dummies* series: january 16 + january 23 + january 30

{faith + spirtuality}
read 4 chapters of the New Testament every weekday morning. complete.
as of today, i've read through the Book of John and i'm currently in the Book of Acts.

{financial}
put together a realistic monthly budget and review in detail with matt. complete.
this one got put off to the very end of the month. but, matt and i did finally sit down and review our february budget. we have vowed to discuss our finances more openly and consistently (instead of just letting me deal with everything). we also made a "wish list" together of bigger projects/purchases and prioritized them. as a bonus, we had our taxes done on the last day of the month. Wooohoo! nice to have that out of the way so early.

{writing}
finish reverb 10 prompts here on the blog and write four journal entries. complete + half complete.
i did complete writing based on the reverb prompts, but i actually only completed two journal entries.

reflecting on the month:
i took a long look at this list after about 3 weeks into the month. i realized that i had done a great job in most areas. so, where was i struggling??? financial, scrap studio and writing. those became my priorities for the final week of the month. it's good to know my weak spots so i can make more effort next month.

coming soon: february goals

dieting for dummies {1.30}

total weight loss to date: 6 pounds
i only lost one pound this week. a little disheartening, but i am reminding myself that my original goal was only a pound per week. as long as i'm losing, we are good!

portion control:
when i eat with my family, i continue to put emphasis on portion control & wise choices. for instance, when matt made burgers for supper, i skipped the bun and asked him to make me a small one (he makes huge burgers). mine weighed in at 5 ounces. for additional flavor, i opted to dip my meat in a cucumber dip i'd just discovered that is only 40 calories per 2 tablespoons. it was quite tasty. instead of french fries, i chose to eat some bell pepper slices. i honestly didn't feel cheated and my options were so much more healthy!

weakness substitute:
one of my food weaknesses is that i love dips & spreads. i have started perusing the aisles of the grocery store for healthier options. for instance, i've been steering away from the cream cheese and choosing pimento cheese instead. i also purchased the cucumber dip mentioned above and some hummus, which is a great addiiton to (healthy) crackers. i spent some time reading the boxes in the cracker aisle and there are some pretty significant differences (keep an eye on how many crackers is considered a "serving"). my favorites right now are from Kellogg's Special K. 24 crackers are 120 calories -- not bad at all!


i'm pretty sure that raw spinach makes everything a bit better.

beverages:
i have found it difficult to drink as much water daily as i should. i used to be really good at this, so i'm not sure why i'm struggling now. a few tips that i've implemented to help myself along.

• don't drink as much coffee. this developed on its own as i began eating breakfast first thing in the morning (i was no longer relying on several cups of coffee as my only morning "nutrition"). not having a cup of coffee on my desk all morning means that i will reach for water when i'm thirsty.
• water on the go. i make sure that i always have water with me in the car. since i'm in there at least 2 hours every weekday, it's important.
• straws. i find that i drink more water if my container has a straw. right now, i do not have one of these at work and i need to fix that.
• hot water. last week i mentioned that i was loving hot water with lemon (or lime). we have a water cooler at work that spits out hot water instantly. i love it. our office stays cold, in my opinion, so much of my daily water intake is through cups of hot water.
• no soda. i know this is a weakness for some, but i'm lucky that i really don't care much for coke and such. once in a blue moon i will treat myself to a dr. pepper but it's rare and it's not something i miss.
• carbonated water. i love carbonated water. i got some cans on sale a few weeks ago and use those as a "treat" when we're headed out in the car and stuff. the bubbles just make it seem special!

dieting for dummies {1.23}

this past week, i hit my first milestone of 5 pounds lost! my first 5lb reward was a short sleeve sweater, coordinating sparkly shirt and some matching bracelets for an upcoming trip (total cost = $30).

healthy mexican

one of my weaknesses is mexican food. it's one of the things that i knew i'd miss most. often times, when matt was working, i'd make a mexican concoction for supper. some combination of tortillas/chips, cheese, refried beans, cheese, ground beef, cheese, jalapenos, cheese...

well, it turns out i can have my cake mexican and eat it too. on a whim, i picked up an avocado at the grocery store. it's pretty bland so i added some cajun flavored powder stuff i found in my pantry. a wheat tortilla with the avocado and some black beans...pretty darned tasty!!!  and the next night, i ate the same thing but added a bit of spinach to my "wrap". point value? only SIX. and yes, it was actually quite filling.

italian wrap

after falling in love with the above-mentioned mexican wrap, i decided to try an italian version. i began with the same wheat tortilla and then layered pepperoni and mozzarella cheese (part-skim). i warmed it in the microwave enough to melt the cheese and then added raw spinach. the spinach just helps give it a bit more substance (in my opinion) and keeps it from getting too dry. i didn't have any, but a nice addition would have been to drizzle on some reduced fat italian dressing as well.

beer/wine

i've always felt like you had to drop alcohol completely to lose weight, but that's really not true. my drinks of choice are usually a glass of white wine or miller lite - both of which are 3 points. i found out that miller 64 is only 2 points and i enjoy that so i have made a point to purchase that for myself. as long as i have a decently controlled day, it's perfectly fine for me to add 3 or 6 points to some evenings. weight watchers note: i did learn that you can not use the WW point calculator with alcoholic beverages. the points will not be accurately counted due to the sugars in the alcohol.

food favorites: edamame, hot water with lemon, soup

yucky things that didn't work: plain greek yogurt with stuff added to it. not a fan.

dieting for dummies {1.16}

it's been exactly one week since i joined weight watchers. it's been years since i have made any real attempt to lose weight, eat healthy, exercise...any of that stuff i should be doing everyday. regardless of my complete inexperience in this realm, i want to share my journey here. so, welcome to dieting for dummies. it will be a blog series that will allow me to document this path. i will share things i've learned, things i think...ya know, whatever!

so, after a week ... here's what is going on inside my little brain. keep in mind, at this point...there is nothing helpful here, but more my revelations and reflections. hopefully, as time passes i will be able to provide more useful information!

• it's amazing that i don't weigh a ton. the reality of my bad eating habits has really hit home. eating out a lot. fast food. pizza. snacking on whatever. all the bad stuff and none of the good.
• i need a digital scale.  i have had an 'old school' scale forever. it works fine, but when you are monitoring individual pounds, it's a bit hard to read. i need to invest in a nice, digital scale.
• ranch dressing breaks my heart. i don't crave sweet stuff (often). but homemade ranch dressing is a ridiculous weakness of mine. and it's bad. lots and lots of WW points.
• ww tip: use the points. weight watchers gives you daily points, then you get weekly points as 'extras' and then you can earn activity points from exercising. my type-a personality has me wanting to stay under those daily points and not diving into the others i'm allowed very often. relaxing a little on this will make things easier.
• nights out are OK. i was a little worried about going out for matt's birthday (dinner & drinks). i did exceed my daily allotment by a good bit, but because of the 'extra' points mentioned above, it was totally OK!
• veggies are yummy. the majority of fruits & veggies do not have any WW points. as a result, i stocked up on more than usual. what's interesting is that i don't personally have anything against most fruits & vegetables. many taste pretty good. but i rarely eat them...weird. this week, i've been able to create some tasty meals and snacks at very low point values.
• the first week is the hardest. even though i've only been doing WW for a week, i started watching what i was eating about a week before that. during that period, i felt very hungry and unsatisfied. this has improved greatly. i think it's an adjustment period that your body goes through. or it might be that i started doing a better job of finding healthy foods that are filling.
• exercise doesn't kill you.  in the past 5 days, i've gotten on the elliptical machine three times (30 minutes each). i'm pretty sure this is a record for me. and it really isn't that bad. lack of time is the biggest issue (the unplanned snow days are what helped this past week).
• start your day with breakfast. i get up at 5:00 and don't eat breakfast until after i get to work (3+ hours later). sometimes i never eat it. i've always heard you should eat breakfast early. so, one of the big changes i've made is that i now eat breakfast before i even have a cup of coffee. that is huge for me. it really makes a huge difference in how i feel (and has reduced the amount of coffee i drink).
• stocking my desk.  i made sure i brought in a bunch of healthy lunch and snack options to my office. i needed to make sure i didn't have an excuse to swing by mcdonald's.

some of my food favorites this week:

• black beans
• spinach (raw...can't stand it cooked)
• whole wheat tortillas
• avocado
• multi-grain cheerios
• special k cracker chips (sour cream & onion)

in conclusion...i'm pretty sure that my weight loss for the week was around THREE POUNDS (refer to my above comment about my scale as to why i don't have a more precise number).

note: i added a new label called "health/fitness" which is where i will put these sorts of posts.