Mrs. G's Journey to Better Health

On a recent trip to my local Costco, I saw a bathroom scale with big letters across the top saying "weightwatchers".  This got me me thinking about my bathroom scale and wondering if I needed to get a new scale. Maybe I need a better scale to help me along my weight loss journey. The problem is determining what IS a better scale for ME. In looking at the Weight Watchers bathroom scale, I did not see anything I personally felt was worthy of the "Weight Watchers" name. Having a large display is nice, but other scales offer this too. The box also lists as features having a high contrast, a blue back light, and tempered safety glass. This all seems like something I can find on other scales. The only thing I found at a quick glance that made this scale more appealing to a Weight Watchers member is the weight limit, 400 lbs. Most bathroom scales I have come across have had a weight limit around 250-300 lbs. So when choosing a scale, take in consideration how much you ...

Today for dinner I had Lemon Salmon and Lentil Soup 3.5 oz of Kirkland Signature Atlanticsalmon seasoned with lemon juice, (9 Smart Points, 340 calories) 5 oz of Tasty Bite Madras Lentils, (5 Smart Points, 150 calories) and about 2 cups of boiled broccoli. (0 Smart Points, 110 calories) Total was 14 Smart Points and 600 calories. At first look, I did not think it would be enough. I was pleasantly surprised to find it filling! The salmon I have had before. Instead of  using oil, butter, or anything else to keep the salmon from sticking to the pan, I use fresh squeezed lemon juice. Then I let the edges get a little crispy or a touch of burnt. This was the first time I prepared this lentil mix so I followed the instructions to the letter. The consistency was as expected for a lentil soup. It sort of reminded me of a light/thin, meatless chili. It did not taste salty, a plus for me. It might have been the cumin but I felt like it contained black pepper. I like black pepper, ...

A quick and easy dinner tonight. Nothing fancy. It was plain and simple. 2.1 oz - Near East Roasted Garlic and Olive Couscous. It was prepared per the instructions on the box. 3.5 oz skinless chicken thigh pan fried with lemon juice and seasoned with Mrs. Dash Table Blend. 2+ cups of boiled broccoli. Of course my meal was plated on a genuine Weight Watchers portion controlled plate. All this and it was only 11 Smart Points. One day at a time, one pound at a time.

Get my 10,000 steps in a day is tough. Some days I do well, and then I have long streaks of not being able to hit 5,000 steps. I tend to do a lot of work on my computer or drive around town doing errands. In other words, most days I end up sitting on my bottom for long periods of time. By the end of the day, I'm tired and have no real desire to get up and go exercise intentionally.  Sometimes I make it to the gym, sometimes I don't. My kids are still on winter break so taking a trip to gym or going for a long walk is not feasible. We do have a treadmill and I could get on it and sneak a walk in here and there. I start and get 10 minutes in, then I get distracted with laundry, endless super-important-must-ask-now questions from my kids, or the dog trying to walk on the treadmill with me, or let me just pull this out of the freezer for dinner tonight and then, and then, ... *sigh* It's a new year and I am going to *sketch* out my week and *plan* out one day at a time...

Old habits die hard, ... or do they? As I sat down to work on my laptop I also started getting a hankering to snack on something. Something to crunch on, to chew on, to keep my mouth busy while my fingers work the keyboard. Mindlessly I reached out for a bag of Reese's Mini Bars. I placed them next to my laptop and kept on typing. After a few minutes went by when I tore the bag open and stuffed one in my mouth. I crunched, I typed, and I crunched some more, and I typed some more and that was it for that piece.  I felt satisfied and kept on working. It felt like I continued to work for a few more minutes, something like 10-15 minutes maybe. I came to a point in my work where I had to stop and ponder. My mind was preoccupied with my work and my hands went on autopilot as I reached in the bag for a second piece of Reese's. This time I felt like I was moving in slow motion. My mind went from my work to genuinely focusing on what my hand was doing. I savored the chocolatey tast...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Taking a deep breath and feeling energized about having a clean slate to start off 365 days in 2017. Through Weight Watchers Connect I have read about so many who in only 6 months have lost a good chunk of weight and the difference can clearly be seen. I have read about people who in ONE year have lost 100 lbs our more. They did it, I can do it too. One big question, "How can I do it too?" My stradegy is to immerse myself in my weight loss journey. Let's stop the hand waving and get to the nitty gritty details. I am a member of Weight Watchers and I am logging everything I eat. I may be over my alloted daily/weekly Smart Point Value (SPV), but logging is important. It's important to make it a habbit, for accountability, to learn to eat mindfully (as opposed to mindless eating). I'm also using LoseIt.com to log, but not as much as before I joined Weight Watchers. Logging your food intake on paper, in an app, with LoseIt.com or with Weigh...