I have lost focus... - Alison

I skipped weigh-in this morning due to my work schedule. I probably would have found a way to avoid the scale anyway. I have not been very focused on my weigh-loss journey as of late. A friend at work suggested that I put on my bathing suit and snap some pictures. I have not been that brave yet (and I will not be posting them here when I do...).

This next week should bve fairly stress-free at work so I hope I can get back on track.

Catering is the Devil - Hannah

As Alison mentioned I am traveling for work the first three weeks of this month. I am currently in Atlanta training new staff. The day started off by my lack of wake up call from the hotel so I missed my workout opportunity. I arrive on time at the training to see a big tray of bacon or sausage, egg and cheese biscuits. So I choose a bacon one and manage to pull off the bacon and eat the rest plus fruit.

The morning goes by quickly and as I am pushing water and more water.

Lunch arrives at 1pm and I am beyond hungry. Make your own deli sandwich. I am relieved we will have some good options here, right? Maybe not.... bread the size of my head, potato salad, pasta salad all drenched in mayo and a whole basket of full fat chips, doritos, cheetos. As if I have to stop there two full trays of cookies, seven layer bars etc...

I pick wheat bread, mustard, turkey and cheese. I sit and eat my sandwich while the dessert bars call my name. I broke down and had half a dessert bar and more water.

Here is hoping for dinner outside of a conference room, maybe I will have time for a workout before then. Guess I will set my own alarm tomorrow morning, what is that saying
"If you want something done right, do it yourself?" I say amen to that.

Girl's Day Out - Alison

Hannah and I took the day off from work on Friday. We weighed in (another -1.2 lbs. for me) and then went for a giant breakfast. Then off for some shopping and a 5:10 showing of Sex and the City - the movie! It was such a terrific day filled with laughter, tears and alot of food and drinks we didn't really need...but a day like this is necessary every once in a while. Hannah and I spend alot of time together but not much time alone so it was a real treat to reconnect with my dear sister.

Refreshed and full of Cosmos and not-so-good-for-us food, we're ready to take on the challenges of June: lots of travel for business and pleasure (Hannah)/ job interview prep and road trip to Louisiana (Alison).

Weigh-in Friday - Alison

I hit the 10 pound loss mark! I feel great and am starting to get back into some of my old clothes. However, as I know from my prior experience, this is the easy part. As I continue on this weight loss journey, I will have to be even more dedicated and aware of what I'm putting into my mouth if I want to get to my goal, which is still a tiny mark in the distance. Summer is a terrific time to eat healthy though. And I can bring back my mantra...

It's too hot to be fat in Texas!

Weigh-in Friday - Alison

Down 1 more pound (total -8)...but not because of good eating. I have much more physically active at work lately and it seems to be keeping the pounds rolling off. I need to get back to my regular counting in order to stay successful.

Defeated - Hannah

This has become my new favorite word this week. First let me start by saying I have a wonderful job at AT&T.

With that said I have become a human pin ball. No matter how early I start my day I am thrown from one meeting to the next on highly complex issues and leave feeling exhausted each day.

While I am getting better about hitting the gym in the morning before work it has been hard to focus on the points counting.

My goal for this weekend is to do a little self reflection to figure out how I can change this. I used to tackle things a day at a time, now I find myself wondering how I am going to get through the next hour.

Something has to give... just not sure what yet.

I am down 3lbs pounds so far which = no good.

Weigh-in Friday (late) - Alison

Sorry for the late post...hell of a week. Another -1.4 pounds this week for a grand total of -7. I wore pre-pregger pants to work today! Woo hoo!


This week's veggie roast included pattypan squash, Vidalia onion (I wait all year for these sweet babies!), baby bella mushrooms and glorious yellow peppers. It's one of my best ever! I sprinkled the mix with Ozark Seasoning from Penzey's Spices.

Weigh-in Friday - Alison

I am down another pound (total 5.4). I got recocnized at the meeting with a 5 pound star sticker. My pants feeling looser is a much bigger reward!

The big salad take-along lunch is a wonderful thing. I try to throw in some leftovers with my lettuce each day to keep it interesting. I have been using a 100 calorie Cheese Nip pack as psedo-croutons which is actually quite good.

Here is my recipe for roasted veggies. I try to make these once a week for easy side dishes, salad toppings or snacks. They taste good cold or hot.

Ali's Roasted Veggies

• 2-3 pounds of veggies, cut into simliar size pieces (Some of my favorties are: peppers, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, baby carrots, mushrooms. Whatever looks good in the produce section...)
• 1 large onion, sliced (red or white...or several shallots , if you want to get fancy)
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Kosher salt (or coarse sea salt)
• other seasonings of your choice (anything from chipotle to curry)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cut all veggies into 1-2 inch pieces. Toss with sliced onion, oil, salt and seasonings. Spread into a single layer on a jelly roll pan (cover with foil for easy clean up, if you'd like). Roast veggies until onions are soft and veggies are crisp-tender (20-30 minutes, depending or your veggies). Serve warm from the oven or package for later use.

Another crazy week - Hannah

Monday through Wednesday in Atlanta again. Very good trip for work but not so much on the sticking to the points. I did keep up with my water though, I can say that much

So surprise surprise when I dropped a whole .5lbs this week, yes ladies and gentleman that is 1/2 a pound not 5 lbs.

Rather than mope about it I am feeling quite liberated. Here is why:

• I am a year away from my divorce and can finally say I breathe easier now
• I have a wonderful man in my life
• My nephew is the possibly the cutest baby on the planet and I have my sister and Ed in San Antonio with me
• I am blessed with family and friends that I can call anytime for anything.

Skinny is good but happy is priceless.

Weigh-in Friday - Alison

3.4 pound loss, 4.6 loss total.

I'm pleased with my progress but this time around is proving to be much more challenging than before. I've gotten into a groove and things seem to be going ok. I just have to keep my eye on the prize!

Daily Challenges - Hannah

Things I am coming to realize:

1. Breakfast tacos are still pretty good without the bacon. Eggs, cheese and little salsa seem to stick with me longer than cereal or yogurt.

2. If I refill my water glass every time I get up whether its for the printer or a meeting this helps me to drink more throughout the day.

3. I need to get better about eating leftovers or not cooking so much in the first place.

4. I have avoided sushi for so long because of my hatred for rice, but it has become one of my favorite things. Who knew?

Grocery Trip - Alison

Purchased:

• gianormous container of spring salad greens plus lots of salad fixin's
• gianormous salad tote in which to take gianormous salads to work
• various 100 calorie items to avoid having a gianormous booty

Not purchased:

• fresh baked bread (even though it's steam seemed to be forming the letters of my name and wafting toward my register line)

The New Math - Alison

At Weight Watchers, they don't say your weight or what you've lost out loud. The scale reading isn't visable to anyone as to make everyone comfortable with the weigh-in process. So yesterday when I weighed in and the woman said that I had a very good week, I glanced at what she was writing on my card. A 2.8 pound loss! That is a great week! I stayed for the meeting and was quite pleased with myself. At breakfast down in the cafe, I went to put my weight card away for next week and glanced at my current weight. Things didn't add up. The difference in my weight since I started was only 1.9 pounds. What she had subtracted was my .6 pound gain from last weeks 3.4 loss. My morning mood took a turn for the worse.

And to top it off, when I got up to leave the cafe, I noticed the gentleman sitting in front of me enjoying a pint of chocolate ice cream for breakfast.

Grilling is good. - Alison

Turkey burgers and corn...mmmmm. I love to be able to grill fresh veggies and good food for me and Ed. He was convinced that I would never use it but is pleasantly suprised. My only slip up tonight was devouring a yummy onion roll while cooking because I came home hungry. And then having another one with my burger. Damn you, delicious onion buns!


* Note to self - save granola bar or fruit from lunch to eat on the car ride home.

One thing at a time - Hannah

Having had two back to back trips I am exhausted on all fronts. After battling some additional issues with my blood sugar I have made an appointment with the doctor.

I really want to get focused on this weight loss and it has been hard to do that with the way I have been feeling.

Goals for the coming week:
1. Get back to the gym
2. Stop over commiting myself
3. Go to the grocery store to stock up my fridge at work
4. Walk Zeus more - we both need it

One high note, I still have not been back to Starbucks including my multiple airport trips. WOOOHOOOO!

Sysco Food Show - Alison

I attended the Sysco Food Show with Ed and Booker yesterday. It was a feast of fried goodies as far as the eye could see. I was there to help Ed make some new food decisions for work and to try the items he couldn't (he's allegic to fish and nuts). My plan was to only eat the things Ed asked me to try and choose 2 other items that I wanted. I would charge myself 15 points for the day and call it lunch.

So...?

I did fairly well and wasn't all that tempted as I had eaten peanut butter crackers on the way there. There was water available at all stations so that helped too. My 2 indulgences? A fried Nutter Butter in coconut batter (which was so good I didn't want to eat anything after it so the taste wouldn't leave my mouth) and a chocolate ice cream cone (sample sized).

Although I did go in with a full stomach and filled up on water, the biggest aid in not overdoing it was all of the people there. Most were there for work but some were there just for the free food. These folks, overweight to begin with, didn't seem to care what was was being fried, they just wanted to eat. There were even a few that were wheeling around on motorized carts due to their size. Sad.

It brought me back to the old Weight Watchers slogan:

"Nothing tastes as good as being thins feels."

My new mantra:

• I am in control of what goes into my mouth.
• I gaining control of my weight and size.
• I can choose how I live and look for my future and my family.

Home sweet home at least for one day - Hannah

Sunday night, the day after my vacation to New Orleans with my a good friend Cindy. I am home almost 48 hrs before I leave for Atlanta to train my new staff.

New Orleans is a broken but amazing city. Great people, great food and if laughing burns calories I probably made up for at least a couple of the beignets I enjoyed while we were there.

Back on the WW wagon tomorrow, it is nice to have my sister along for the ride although as usual she tends to lap me when it comes to this weight loss.

Finding new motivation each day, I will get there!

Weigh-in Friday - Alison

Hannah is on vacation this week so I attended our WW meeting solo this morning. I had a loss of 3.4 pounds! I am very pleased with myself and again realize that if I work this program, it does work for me. I'll be in to that drawer of clothes before I know it!

5 reasons my day was great! - Alison

1. I have the cutest baby ever.
2. My day at work didn't suck and time seemed to pass quickly.
3. Leftovers in the fridge = no cook, on point dinner
4. I'm still getting compliments on my new haircut one week later.
5. I'm married to a wonderful man who does laundry when asked.

Weigh-in is tomorrow at 8am. We'll see if the good mood continues...

At home with the baby - Alison

I have a much harder time getting my water and eating well when I'm home with the baby at the beginning of the week. I did fairly well these past few days but it' much more of a struggle.

I really need to consider how I am going to fit any exercise into my current schedule. Booker is not currenty sleeping through the night consistantly, so getting up early to walk is just not an option. I'll have to put some thought into this...

Homeownership + Motherhood = no lunch - Alison

A very nice man from Sears came to the house today to give an estimate on replacing our windows and doors. He was here for 2 hours and claims that replacing 18 windows and 2 doors will cost us about $20,000 (yes, you read that correctly.).

Booker, who I believe is going through a growth spurt, wanted to eat every five minutes all day today.

I had 6 peanut butter crackers between 11am and 7pm.

I did manage to get to the grocery store, buy some good, on-point stuff and get home without grabbing a candy bar before dinner. We're now stocked with fruit and handy snacks to grab quickly when needed.

Mexican Food - Hannah

Living in San Antonio I could quite easily eat Mexican food every day and never dine at the same place twice. This continues to be one of the biggest challenges. My co-workers headed to Casa Sol today for lunch, so I agree to go along. I am scanning the menu trying to find a reasonable selection.

My solution? Taco salad with chicken, hold the shell, hold the cheese, hold the sour cream.

The result: Overpriced and unsatisfying, I am not sure I can do Mexican without the cheese.

Better choice next time but I am learning.

Yeah, It's Sunday! - Alison

Sunday is like Friday to me. I currently don't work Mon.-Wed. so Sundays always make me happy.

Other good things about today:

• Stayed on point today (under, actually).
• Had a great dinner with Hannah, Reagan and Booker.
• Found out that I am getting Hannah's old grill for my house.
• Successfully avoided dairy Queen for the second day in a row of an awful craving for a Blizzard.

Mindless Eating - Alison

I don't know why I do it. I got to be outside all day today on the grill. It was beautiful, sunny, 80 degree weather. Katie, my demo partner for the day, was a lovely compainion and we got to know each other a little better. So, I wasn't sad or bored or tired or lonely or even hungry...but I kept popping pieces of sausage into my mouth. Katie wasn't eating them...just me. I ate the equivalent of a whole sausage link (7 points) in addition to my lunch ( which was complilation of snack foods because I haven't been grocery shopping yet).

Solutions:

1. Arm myself with a better lunch, including high energy mass foods, like fruit.
2. Chew gum or suck on hard candy while demoing so do not have the option of eating.

Any other suggestions?

Starbucks is the Devil - Hannah

So the reason why we choose this blog name..... I once called my sister early in the morning to tell her that I think they need a twelve step program for scones. Starbucks scones are not even close to my Mom's but somehow have found there way into my hands for years now. Nothing better than a Chai Latte with a blueberry scone. I am surprised that haven't made a value meal just for me.

So my challenge is to break up with Starbucks at least for now. And for those that are wondering.... "It is not possible for me to go to Starbucks for just the latte"

Day 2 and counting, it sucks.

Back in the saddle again - Alison

"Well, here we are again. I guess it must be fate." - Peter Cetera

I thought it appropriate to quote a cheesy love song on my first post to this blog. My love affair with food has been long and torrid. This love affair will continue but with some adjustments.

I lost about 50 pounds on Weight Watchers prior to getting pregnant with my precious Booker. Breastfeeding has not proved to be the magical weight loss tool as promised so here I am again, Point Tracker in hand, striving to fit into a drawer full of clothes I cannot currently wear.

Hannah and I hope to keep each other honest by posting often and sharing the trials and tribulations of our weight loss journey.