Halfway There!

Sorry folks...I've been slacking on the updates.

I gained 1 pound at last week's weigh-in. I think I actually lost last week, but I sabotaged myself by partaking in an "Aloha" luncheon for a co-worker who was leaving the shipyard for greener pastures. I didn't want to be a party-pooper so I ordered the Makino-Chaya fifteen (yes, FIFTEEN!) item bento that everyone was getting. Yikes. Of course, I could have eaten only half and saved the other half for the following day, but I really have ZERO self-control when it comes to Japanese food. The bento included a little bit of everything you could imagine...small quantities, but lots of different items: sushi rice, cone sushi, nishime, azuki bean, shumai, croquette, mochiko chicken, gobo, misoyaki butterfish, fried mahi (I think), shrimp tempura, gyoza...hehe, I forget the rest already!

Anyway, I met a friend for breakfast at the Naupaka Terrace buffet at the Ihilani. Absolutely heavenly! Buffets are this dieter's enemy, but, I really tried to have some self-control. I loaded up on fruits, but still had reasonable portions of breakfast potatoes, chicken-apple sausage, a tiny waffle with fresh berries and creme fraiche (instead of butter and syrup), and I couldn't stay away from the omelet station. I had a bell pepper, mushroom and hint-of-cheese omelet.

Then, we BBQ'd on Saturday and Sunday. Chicken tenders, ribeye, hot dogs, cantaloupe, watermelon, and a veggie platter.

I went waaaaay over on points during the weekend, but was surprisingly diligent during the rest of the week. It must have paid off because....

I "lost" 4.2 pounds this week!!! I say "lost" because I think I actually must have lost some of those 4.2 pounds last week, but it didn't show at weigh-in because I was engorged with Makino-Chaya. :P

It's crazy, but, as I mentioned in a previous post, the more weight I lose, the more afraid I get that I won't be able to keep it off. It's a weird feeling. It's my innate pessimistic attitude rearing its ugly head. I think I'm going to have to start incorporating actual exercise soon. I've lost the weight so far by just tracking and being a bit more active around the house. Some of the members exercise for at least an hour every day of the week at the gym. Hmm, I don't think that's for me, but Brian and I could probably go walking around the neighborhood a few times a week (if it's not raining--we live in Mililani, afterall).

Anyway, my new favorite foods have been fresh, steamed broccoli (0 pts), blueberries (1 pt), Healthy Choice Fudge Bars (only 1 pt) and Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop 94% Fat Free Butter Popcorn (1 pt for 6.5 cups)! Need to buy more broccoli and blueberries...I'm addicted! The WW challenge for this coming week is to try a fruit or vegetable that you've never had before or haven't eaten in a really long time and report back on it at next week's meeting. I have NO idea what to pick! Need to hit up the supermarket and browse. Any suggestions?!

Chugging along!

I'm 0.2 pounds away from 5 pounds lost! Yipee! I'm shocked, really. I would have been thrilled with maintaining after the 4th of July I had! Yikes...I totally went overboard and even made myself sick from buffalo wings. :P

It moved again!

I lost another 1.2 pounds this past week!

I still feel like my moods are better. Again, I'm not sure if that's coinciding with work stresses, but I even have a better outlook at work. Things that I'd normally have a meltdown about aren't as upsetting to me.

I've noticed that my gut is shrinking and my jeans are getting loser in the thigh areas!

My digestion has been great. I kind of assumed that my eczema would improve if I began to eat better. No such luck just yet. :( I'm still itchy. The summer heat is not helping.

My energy level is slightly lower this week, but, without getting into details, there's a perfectly good reason for that. :)

I'm surprised at how much I used to NOT do before WW. The mere fact that I'm planning meals ahead of time and preparing healthy snacks for the following day has increased my daily activity level quite a bit.

I'm really surprised that I don't feel deprived. Don't get me wrong, I'm not eating like I used to, but, to be honest, I really don't miss it that much. I ate chili for dinner last week, spaghetti with meat sauce over the weekend, and chicken katsu (all homemade) last night. I'm just controlling my portion size and cutting back on my white rice consumption--I'm struggling to let go of it completely!

I sometimes find myself wondering if I'll be able to keep this up. The progress I'm making is kind of scary, if that makes any sense to anyone. I'm excited about the changes I'm seeing, but I'm also worried I won't be able to maintain it.

When I start to feel overwhelmed, I try to step back and remind myself to take all of this one day at a time.