Taking the Reins

Yes, it is ironic…..the day I decide I desperately need to get back on program and start tracking again, I come to our community and there’s my blog, “in need of support.”  Roni, you can say that again. 

It’s funny, because lack of exercise is not my problem.  It’s learning to balance properly fueling my body with my training.   My training program is cyclical, so in one week I may burn 8000 calories, and in another, down to 2500.  Yet I continue to eat as though I were burning 8000 calories, and then the pounds pack on.  Want to know the facts?  Well, back in January, I decided to train for an Olympic distance triathlon.  I got down to 150 lbs through a month of WW (1 lb. below goal, although I was 141 for my wedding and 145 for an entire year after).  I am now fully trained, 156 lbs, but have lost 1/2 inch in my thighs, chest, hips, waist, and bicep.  Tell me this is not cruel!  So while everything I own still manages to fit, I find that the extra weight has packed onto my body and I have this stomach POOCH that is quite possibly larger than it was when I started triathlon nearly a year ago.

I’m devastated.  The extra weight makes me feel very self conscious, and a part of me feels as though I am losing control.  I never thought I’d end up above my goal weight again, let alone 5 lbs. over it.  It scares me to think that I’m only a few lbs away from somewhere I swore I’d never, ever be again.  Petrifies me.

So I am trying to take it all back and get on the wagon again, but it has been hard.  Being able to eat everything I wanted to was not a good influence on me.   Now I feel deprived.  Hungry.  Tired.  But I need to stick with it, because my weight is in the one place that jeopardizes my health…….I need to make it disappear so that I can keep a healthy heart.  (And get faster!!!) 

Anyway, to start being accountable, here is my food log for yesterday.  I’ve got an Achilles injury, so my training is pretty sad right now.  20 minutes on the trainer and I was shot yesterday! 

<my apologies to Amanda and Steph and Melanie, who have already seen this on my other blog>

I did it.

That’s all I wanted to be able to say after this race. I know I have this crazy, speed-seeking reputation and all, but honestly, I do triathlon because it pushes me to do things I don’t think I can do. The Olympic distance, until Saturday at 12:00pm (approximately!), was something I wasn’t entirely sure I could do. A year ago, if you mentioned the distance, I would have said I’d have to be smoking crack to do it. Well, here I am, crack free and I’ve done it.

It wasn’t pretty, though.

So, to the race.

I strolled into transition at 5:30am and couldn’t help but notice that nearly every other Diva was already in transition and done with their setup. Seriously, I thought I was early!! I looked like the kid who came to class late. Anyway, I had no trouble getting in, dropped my gear, got marked, and then chatted a bit. I was more concerned with where I was going to use the bathroom than what was happening in transition. To help alleviate all other stress, my Garmin mysteriously turned itself on sometime in the night and had run its battery dead….so I had no way of knowing my speed, distance, or time on the bike or run. Oops. This race was going to be done on perceived exertion…..how can I go all out when I don’t know how fast I’m going?

We had a ½ mile walk to the swim start, where I put my wetsuit on at the car and then joined the other Olympians down by the water. The Sprinters were already in their chutes, and the crazy, FAA-rule-breaking NBC helicopter was continuously buzzing by. We took a few photos, chatted, and waited. And waited. And waited. When the Sprinters went off, we started getting nervous again…but then nothing happened and we had to wait some more. So there was time for some “acclimation” in the water and a fabulous photo op with Elvis. I was a wreck until our Elvis photo. How bizarre that this triathlete with a shaved chest dressed up like Elvis actually calmed me down more than my husband or fellow teammates!!

Then it was time.

I wasn’t panicky this time around. The thought of doing Pacific Coast had me whimpering at the swim start, but this race I was determined to just get it over with. So I lined up to the far outside in the very front, and then I made them swim over me when the gun went off. It seemed to be pretty smooth compared to the kicking and throttling we witnessed in the Sprint starts. I got out pretty cleanly and managed to stay somewhat close to the front. I never really sighted the big orange buoy too much…..every time I looked up I was headed for it, so that was a plus. About halfway through the swim, we started getting some waves. When we turned towards shore, they started hitting us from the right and I swear, they were almost like rollers out in the Pacific Ocean. They really hit the snot out of us! It was fun, though, and soon enough we were under the bridge and it was time to focus on the bike.

(that’s me on the far left!)
I crawled out of the water and when I got to the pavement, whipped that wetsuit right off. I then proceeded to run. Well, not before I looked at my watch. 26 minutes. Holy cow. Either that was not 1500 meters, or I just swam the fastest I ever have. Anyway, this is important, because I then ran my little tush off to get to the mat as fast as I could. Coach said it was ¼ mile according to her Garmin. My transition time was 28 and change, so this means I clocked an 8-minute mile pace up that miserable hill, barefoot, into transition. FYI – I don’t run 8-minute miles. I am slow, and 8-minutes is what I muster in an all-out timed mile. And then I vomit immediately afterwards.

So I think this is the first thing that went wrong for me. In my vain quest for a good swim split, I sprinted to transition and blew out my legs. In T1, I quickly got my gear on and sucked down a gel while pushing my bike over the mat.

Hopping onto the bike, my legs were shaking and my heart rate was refusing to come down. I was whooped by the time we got out of the Lake Las Vegas vicinity and onto the multi-use trail. I just have to note here that I carefully studied the elevations on this bike course, and while I’m not so good at measuring how comparable one course is to the other, I was certain Santiago Canyon could kick this course in the rear. But I was WRONG. The 3 sisters (er, Bitches as I am told they are really referred to by Nevada locals) are evil cows. That’s what they call the three hills that we hit in the first few miles of our time on the trail. They are fairly short as far as hills are concerned, but the grades were ridiculously high and not something I’d ever encountered before on a road bike. I heard someone say 17% at one point? At any rate, my inner quads were shaking 1/2way up the first and I saw several girls walking towards the top.

I had initially sworn I would never walk these hills, but I started to do some math. These hills finish by mile 9, and then that’s it for the hills. So I have 12-15 + miles of downhill and level riding ahead of me, which I knew I could hammer out on “fresh” legs. Why blow out my legs on these ridiculous hills and sacrifice the majority of my bike leg? So what did I do? I clipped out as I neared the top of #1 and walked my sorry butt a few feet up the remaining part of that miserable, god-forsaken hill. I made it up #2 with no problems, but again with #3, I dismounted and started to hike.

And then I got caught in the act. There went Shannon, FLYING up the hill right past me on her little blue bike. Talk about deflating. My fellow Diva saw me walking up the hill on my strongest sport. Oops! But I was supposed to ride my own race and not get injured, so I let it go.

The rest of the bike was easy, minus the insane crosswinds that rocked my bike out on the trail, the headwinds that fought us back up to Lake Las Vegas, and the car that pulled out in front of me in the street right in front of the cops. I almost threw a bottle at him, but decided that I couldn’t afford the abandonment penalty. After Hill #3, I was never passed again and was able to pass a few people in my age group, finishing the bike fairly strong. I was insatiably thirsty despite drinking all the liquids on my bike, but I did come into transition at 1:25 feeling pretty good.

I’m not sure how I managed to spend three whole minutes in T2. I did take time to apply sunscreen, but I didn’t even rub it in! Oh well. Room for improvement next time.

I was on pace for a 3-hour finish. Or so I thought……….

One of the pros in the race was overheard proclaiming that the run course for this race was VERY HARD and that she felt like she was running on the moon. Honey, we weren’t running on the moon. It was more akin to Dante’s 1st circle of hell, filled with the virtuous pagans and unbaptized children (you know, that’s us—Olympic virgins and those that just don’t know any better— and yes, it’s sad that this race actually invoked a Paradise Lost reference from me). Not only was there not enough water out there, but the damn course kept going up and up and out. You would look out and see little ants in the distance. Girls who were faster than you. On the course you had to run…..in the land that looked like the place in all those horror movies where college coeds’ cars break down and then some crazy cowboy in a blue pickup stalks them and chops them up? Yeah. That was like the run.

The run chewed me up and spit me out. Between the horrible stomach ache I had, the racing heart rate that refused to settle, and this overwhelming voice in my head saying “just stop trying so hard—this is torture—just walk,” I was in pretty bad shape for the first few miles. I had seen Shannon out of transition, but lost sight of her after she ran up the first hill and I ended up walking. I was pretty much alone for quite some time and just had no concept of how far I’d gone or how I’d be able to salvage the run. (Darn the Garmin for dying on me!) I walked up the hills, ran the downhills and the flats, and spent as much time as I could downing water at the aid stations and dousing myself. One of my teammates had told me to keep drinking to make my stomach feel better, and she was right. After I got out of that horrid wasteland of a course out in back of the resort, I was back in the groove. Run a mile, walk a minute. I stopped getting passed. I kept moving forward. And I kept thinking to myself, “there is no way anybody could possibly convince me to run longer in a triathlon.”

I’d just like to state that all the people at the transition area saying that the finish line was only a mile away….only six minutes away….almost there — they were wrotten and cruel liars. That was the longest mile of my life, then! It was such a tease to run through the excitement of transition only to have more race left to run. And then snaking through the village and finishing UP another freaking hill? Insanity, I tell you. But I kept running for the sake of the camera crew and because my fellow teammates had stuck around to cheer us on through the finish chute. And then it was over, and instead of crying like I thought I would, I had no emotion at all. The run had sucked my poor brain dry. I was proud that I had finished, but a little disappointed in my run and in the end, was a bit upset to see that I wasn’t as high up on the results list as I’d like to have been. I know, I’m so shallow. It just means I’ll have to train harder and focus on my newfound weaknesses so that I can hammer out Danskin and redeem myself at Pendleton!

Yes, I am still around.  It’s been months, I know, but to be honest, I’ve been a little distracted.

On Saturday, I will attempt my first Olympic distance triathlon.  A year ago when I started this triathlon thing, I thought it would be a great way to get into shape and challenge myself.  I raced sprints, which are short, 1.5 hour events that require you to do a little bit of everything.  NEVER, in my wildest imagination, would I think myself capable of stepping up to Olympic, and swimming 1 mile, biking 26 miles, and running 6.2 miles.  Never!!  In fact, even though I have consistently put 2 of the 3 together in practice at that distance, I still am wondering if this is something I am capable of doing.  Darn self doubt.

The past few months have included a lot of firsts for me.  My first 3 hour bike ride.  My first 7 mile run.  My first 2 mile swim.  Each first seemed sweeter than the last, and left me feeling like I’d conquered the world, no matter how slow I actually was.  And I have to admit, I’ve been eating things I ordinarily wouldn’t dream of eating.  So even though I burn 2500 calories on a Saturday morning, I eat 1/4 of them during my ride and then probably compensate by going out to eat and demolishing everything in site.  No major weight gain, but clearly, NOT on program.

So after Saturday, I will be back on weight loss mode.  Because lighter means faster, and I have a uniform to squeeze into for the rest of the summer!

But yes, I am alive…..if anyone remembers me.

I have to admit, I have not behaved very well this week.  In fact, after burning 3000 calories in less than 4 days, I decided that I’d partake in the hamburger and french fries meal at Disneyland yesterday for lunch.  (Salt….craving salt…..wonder why?!)

So today, I was an angel.  Oatmeal for breakfast.  Apple and banana for snack.  Measured my almonds.  Ordered a chef salad (the equivalent of 1 slice of cheese and a few slices of deli meat) and had oil & vinegar that *I* put on it for lunch.  Oh, boy, was I good.  And to top off my excellent day, I did my first 2000 meter swim set.  I’ve swum a mile before, but I’ve never gone over a mile, and certainly not after sprinting the majority of my swim time.  I was pretty darn proud of myself, I must say!

Tomorrow, hubby wants to hit the mountain bike trails and do a nice ride in the morning.  Then he wants to take photos on the beach at sunset while I get in my 4-mile aerobic run.  Sunday, I have practice, where we have a 90-minute bike ride on tap followed by a leisurely 30-minute run. 

While I may be feeling slightly guilty about my Disneyland indulgence, I’d like to think the weekend will take care of it all.  I hope.

Anyway, there’s my update.  Race day is now 9 weeks away.  Yikes!!!  I have 9 weeks to add 6 miles to my biking and 1 mile to my run.  And then to string them all together effortlessly.  I hope I can get there.

On Super Bowl Sunday, hubby and I were all by our lonesome.  I’m not one for making a huge event out of the Super Bowl, since I HATE football, but I decided to humor DH and clear the schedule for the day.  He bought Habanero Doritos, a frozen pizza, and other nasty, tempting goodies that surely are not on program.  So to counteract this, I went on a hunt for a recipe I could make for the week that would satisfy my junk food craving and also be somewhat healthy.  Miracle of miracles, I found Velveeta Light in my local grocery store for the first time since I moved from Washington, DC over a year ago!!!

Do you know all the things you can do with Velveeta Light?

Call me low rent, but I went to town.  I cooked some lean ground turky with some taco seasoning, sauteed some fresh green peppers and onions, added a can of TJ’s salsa, cubed 3 servings of Velveeta light, and then tossed in 1/2 box of cooked whole wheat pasta….put it in the oven for a 1/2 hour, and voila!  Yummy goodness.  Now, probably 8 points a serving if I really wanted to calculate that, but that’s a heck of a lot better than Doritos and frozen pizza.  And boy, did it feel good.

Life’s been crazy lately, but I have been weighing in.  In a month, I’ve lost 2.9 lbs, am back down below goal, and am 0.8 lbs away from the 140’s!  On top of that, my triathlon training has stepped up a notch.  We can now comfortably swim a mile, bike for an hour, and run for 4 miles…..now we are learning to go longer and combine those workouts together.  So last night was my first 90-minute bike ride on my trainer — I watched a whole movie!– and tonight I hit the gym and knocked out 5 miles on the treadmill at 6.5.  A year ago, I never could have imagined it.  But now?  Piece of cake.  Both workouts were very easy and I could have gone MUCH longer.  I’m psyched!

In more exciting triathlon news, our big Olympic distance race in April is being nationally televised.  I can’t remember if I’ve discussed this here or not, but this is pretty cool.  You usually never see anything on TV aside from Ironman, so this will be different…..every day women racing a distance that Olympians compete in.  I’ve booked my hotel room, booked my flight, and I’m ready to go!  (OK, need some more training time)

So, for now, back to my Velveeta Light creation.  Because I’m in love……..

http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2008/pdf/history/HB/HB0282.xml

Mississippi should be ashamed of this bill.  I thought it was a joke when I was directed to the site, but I really think it might actually be legitimate.  Some idiotic lawmaker thinks that it should be against the law to serve obese people food in restaurants.  Can you believe that?  And the kicker is that BMI is used to determine obesity, and we all know what a crock of you-know-what that can be!  I am beyond annoyed by this.  One of my favorite triathlon bloggers — an Ironman triathlete — is technically obese and linked to this article.  It’s so absurd I don’t think I have any other comments.

that I resorted to double workouts today so that I could eat a hamburger and french fries tonight?

 Well, I didn’t do the workouts in order to eat poorly.  I actually needed to get them in for my training this week because my schedule has been so chaotic.  It just so happens that hubby wanted to check out Knowlwood tonight, I had flex points, and I figured, why not?  I know I shouldn’t reward myself with food, but I was really craving salty fries and protein at the end of the day.

Got up nice and early this morning and hit the pool.  I had my workout in a Ziploc bag, so it was easy to keep track of what I needed to do.  Lots of speed intervals, an all-out timed 500 meter for our coach to gauge our fitness levels, and then a nice slow, long 1000 meters.  It was so great to be in the pool again and to hammer out an excellent workout.

I came home and then took my new bike on its maiden voyage.  It was only in the neighborhood because I was breaking in my new pedals, but it was slick!!  I love my new bike.

Hubby wanted to do a run this afternoon, so we hopped in the car and went to my favorite park that has a 1.3 mile loop that’s 1/2 on a mulched path, and 1/2 on asphalt.  I had to do a run that adds 10% to my current distance, so that meant I needed to do 4.4 miles.  We also needed to do some speed pickups in the middle, so I alternated between SLOW and fast for the whole 45 minutes.  I was exhausted by the end, but I got in my run and increased my distance.  I’ve never run farther, and I’m closing in on 5 miles!  I need to get up to 6.2 for my race.

So that’s my scoop.  I’ve abandoned the Abs Diet because I just don’t have time to make smoothies all the time, and found that all the nuts were leading me astray in the calorie side of things.  I’m all WW, and I’m happy!  (Finally — what a week)

Down 1 lb today!  Now, back in the day, 1 lb was definitely a bummer for me, but at this time in my life, I’m psyched.  That’s a 2-week trend there, and proof to myself that I can get there.  I’ve been traveling quite a bit on top of my training, so I’m happy that all the French restaurants and strange dining times haven’t taken their toll. 

Anyway, I’m still alive.  I’m still on program.  I’m just lacking in the time department and haven’t had anything too thought-provoking to blog about.  Maybe tomorrow?

Since when did wraps become worse than the sub???  OMG, I am about ready to scream!  I didn’t want to waste too many points today, so I decided on the wrap instead of the regular sub.  Now, I haven’t ordered the wrap in several years, but I seem to recall it being low in points.  Well, the wrap looked suspiciously like a flour tortilla, but I decided that maybe after all these years, they’ve come up with something a little better.

MY DARN WRAP WAS 390 CALORIES!!!!!

I’m feeling like crying right now.  Here I am, still hungry, and out of points for the rest of the day.  My knees hurt, but now I HAVE to go out on my run because I’ve used my flex points up on Thursday and Friday.

Good grief.  I could smack them for switching the wraps.  Bite me, Subway.  You stink!

This morning, when I weighed myself at home, I felt my stomach drop.  I didn’t immediately recall my weight from last week, but I was instantly discouraged by what I saw.  Then the panic set in.  “How can I go to WW if I haven’t lost a pound?”  “What will they say to me?”  “Why can’t I just skip this week and weigh in next week?”

Thank goodness for my coworker.  She was gung-ho about going and gave me the extra push I needed to get out the door and into that meeting.  And lo and behold, I was down 1.2 this week!  Hey, at this point, I will take it.  If it takes me 10 weeks to drop 10 lbs, it takes 10 weeks.  I can handle this.

This is why going to meetings is important.  When you stop, the mad cycle of “maybe next week I’ll lose enough to go back” begins and it’s vicious and difficult to get out of.  So step out the door and go, even if you think you’ll get bad news.  It doesn’t hurt as bad as we sometimes think it will.

Ah, day 5 of “back in the saddle.”  In that time, I have ran 10 miles, biked 40, swam 1, hiked 4…….well, suffice it to say I’ve been a busy girl. 

Ordinarily, by day 5, I’d see some favorable movement on the scale.  Unfortunately, this has not been the case so far.  In fact, I’ve even gained!!!!  I’m technically “on program.”  22 points a day, have had 8 of my 35 flex points, and I’ve only eaten 1/2 of the points that I “earn.”  Yet I have gained.

What cruel, cruel power is making me so fat?  I’m working my tail off.  I’m denying myself the food and quanitities that I want.  And for once, I’m not lying about it, either.  I’m straight up serious….have recorded every last bite for the past 5 days…..and have gained.

Am wondering if maybe it’s my activity points?  In order to lose weight, I have to be in caloric deficit.  So if I run 4 miles and burn 440 calories (according to my Garmin, which records my heart rate and knows my height, weight, and age), that is the equivalent of 4 activity points.   I only eat 2 of those…..I eat them, because I am starving if I don’t eat them.  (And I do have to eat a recovery food after a 40-minute workout, and this isn’t planned in my day)  If I do a 1/2 hour, mile swim workout in the pool and burn 380 calories, I call it 3 points and eat 1.

What gives?

I just don’t even know what to do right now.  Two years ago, it all worked for me.  I don’t know what makes it all different now?

Sorry for the vent….helps to write it out.

I’ve had this post semi-composed in my arsenal for quite some time now, and after my first WW meeting this week after a long hiatus, I thought I’d share it.

I finally caught up on my DVR recordings this past week, and one of the episodes I watched was of last season’s Biggest Loser.   One of the contenstants said something that really got me ticked off, so I thought I’d come over here and chat about it.

So, The Biggest Loser.  Ah, I love this show.  It’s been inspirational for me in my time of need, and it’s inspiring thousands of others to change their lives as well.  But one of the contestants said something in an interview about the twin that lost over 100 lbs that really irked me.  She said, “it’s not fair that he wins all the challenges.  I don’t even know why he’s still here.  He’s thin now!” 

When you are “thin” by everyone else’s standards but still technically not in a healthy BMI range, do you get thrown out of the fat club?  Does the fact that you may not show outward fat mean that you are not fat anymore and therefore do not deserve the support and attention that others who happen to weigh more than you receive?  Is it assumed that once someone reaches a reasonable weight that makes them appear more “thin” to the outside world, that they are somehow “cured” of what got them to be overweight in the first place?

Well, it’s crap.  I was really offended by her comment on the show, because that guy was heavier than she was when he got there!  And he’s still the same person who joined the show at 300+ lbs…..he was just a really hard worker and was blessed with a body that willingly sheds pounds.  But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve to be there anymore to continue to work towards a goal.

 I guess I see this in weight loss communities everywhere, particularly at Weight Watchers.  Meetings are geared towards changing your lives and eating right…..getting to your goal.  What happens when you hit Lifetime?  Nothing.  You get a keychain, you have to weigh in once a month, and suddenly nobody wants to hear from you.  There’s no more “yeah for Suzie, she lost 2 lbs this week!”  The strangers who join are not interested in listening to you talk about your struggles— they see that you look “normal” and don’t believe that you ever had “struggles.”  And the content of the meetings themselves just aren’t geared toward a “maintainer” lifestyle, so you are there, all by yourself, on a mission that nobody but a few and your leader understand.

People, I don’t think there’s a CURE!  So here’s my personal plea.  Do not kick me out of the fat club.  DO NOT.  Because I’m going to struggle with this my entire life, no matter how I look now, and I need just as much support as somebody who is 50-100 lbs. overweight.  Because all it takes is my support to go away and I can be back there faster than the blink of an eye.  Such a tenuous balance, this healthy lifestyle is in this day and age.

So the next time you see the Lifetime at WW talk about how the scale went up last week and they are freaking out, please, please don’t roll your eyes.  It might be you in 6 months.

Yes, I finally returned to Weight Watchers after a yearlong absence. 

I can’t explain what started this random act, except that I’m sick of seeing myself inch farther and farther away from goal despite my gains in fitness.  I know what I need to do…..but I need the meetings to help me do it.

My new leader is adorable.  An older lady, with plenty of other older ladies sitting in the front row laughing away at all the jokes.  I thought it was hilarious.  But better yet, I had to weigh in, I faced up to the truth, and now I know what has to be done to get me there.

We don’t lose weight in triathlon training because the training program is aimed at improved performance.  When one is in caloric deficit, which is what is required for weight loss, the body is lethargic and does not “perform” to the best of its ability.  While the next few weeks are base-building, I CAN be slow and lethargic, so I need to take advantage of it and really hit the program as hard as I can.  It has to be a simple matter of calories in = calories out.  I can crack this code.

So that’s my news.  I’m back.  153.6.  Next week, I’ll be back down close to goal and won’t have to pay WW another dime.

I’m happy to report that the initial shock and awe of my excess eating due to the Abs Diet has now subsided.  I’ve got a grasp on it, and I’ve modified the plan so that I’m staying within my WW points now.  As a result, I lost the 1.5 lb gain, and lost another 0.5 lbs.  I even completed my 3rd weight circuit last night and managed to get to spin class on Thursday!  How’s THAT for dedication?  Hey, baby steps here.

 My triathlon training program starts up again next week.  We get schedules e-mailed to us for our individual workouts, but with the group, we are doing “Power Yoga” and a timed run for next week.  I’m psyched!  I cannot wait to get back into it, and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again and meeting new people.  We are getting together tomorrow to do a run clinic and buy new shoes, and a part of me really wants to get down there and buy a pair….it’s just not in the budget quite yet.  At any rate, suffice it to say I am motivated and ready to get moving!  The gym isn’t so bad when you have a goal like a race to look forward to.

 On another positive note, my parents are planning on flying out to Las Vegas for my first Olympic distance triathlon in April!  I told them not to expect greatness because it’s an early season race and my first time pushing myself, but it’ll be so much fun and so motivating to have them there cheering me on. 

 Anyway, that’s my update.  Have a great weekend.

Well, the sheer panic has set in. Abs Diet day 4 reveals a 1.5 lb weight gain. I’m not sure what is happening here, but I’m going to look at what I had yesterday to see if I can identify the culprit:

Meal 1 at 9:00 am: Honey Shake - 1/2 cup skim milk, 1/2 cup Lite & Fit vanilla yogurt, 1 scoop vanilla protein power, 1 tablespooon honey, a tablespoon flax seed (Just eyeballing this, I’d say 3 points, but it could be 4.)

Meal 2 at 11:00am: 15 almonds, 1 skim milk string cheese, 1 Fiberful bar (200 calories, 4 points)

Meal 3 at 1:30pm: Chicken breast with corn, black beans, and tomatoes, covered in tabasco and 1/2 serving of low fat shredded cheese (estimate 6 points)

Meal 4 at 3:30pm: Power Shake - 1/2 cup skim milk, 1/2 cup Lite & Fit yogurt, 1 scoop chocolate whey protein, 1 tablespoon natural PB, 1/3 cup ground oatmeal (looks to be at least 6 pts)

Meal 5 at 6:30pm: Egg Sandwich: 1 Thomas’ Lite English muffin, spray butter, 2 eggs, 2 slices fat free cheese (7 points)

Meal 6 at 8:30pm: 2/3 cup of shelled pistachios (holy cow, these are 310 calories and 24 grams of fat…..pistachios are EVIL!!!!….estimate 7 points)

Activity: 30 minute weight lifting circuit — maybe 2 points?

So, 1.5 lb weight gain = salt, not enough water, and 34 WHOPPING POINTS.   I had no idea!!! I just really need to go back to what has worked…..WW…..and try to incorporate SOME of what the Abs Diet preaches into it.

So, here is what today is shaping up to be like:

Meal 1 at 9am: Coffee with creamer and 1 Fiberful bar (3 points) — Powerfood is dairy and fiber

Meal 2 at 11am: 1 cup Dannon Light & fit yogurt with 1/2 oz. walnuts and strawberries (4 points) — powerfood is dairy, nuts, and berries

 Meal 3 at 1:00pm: Chef salad with spinach, chickpeas, green peppers, hard boiled egg, in vinegar and oil — (6 points) — powerfoods are spinach, eggs, EVOO

Meal 4 at 4:00pm: 7 almonds and string cheese (2 points) - powerfood dairy and almonds

Meal 5 at 7:00pm: Protein Shake with 1 cup of Almond Breeze, scoop of chocolate whey protein, 1 tbsp peanut butter, and ground flax seed (5 pts) - powerfood peanut butter, whey protein, and flax

Meal 6 at 9:00pm: Organic oatmeal square bar (2 points) - powerfood: oatmeal

Total points: 22

Activity points: 6 (spin class)

 I’m just now realizing that nuts, although good for you, cannot be eaten by the handful. They are just loaded with fat and calories. The Abs Diet was written by a man, but I don’t know how women can eat 1800 calories a day unless they are burning big-time calories. Hopefully that’ll be me next week, but we shall see… At any rate, thanks for letting me vent and work out my issues. Helps to write!