the consequences of a few good meals...

I stepped on the scale with a tad bit of anxiety this morning... facing the consequences for your indiscretions is never fun... but... the good news is that I only gained .4 pounds... not even a half of a pound...and I'm back on track having had a really great two day Thanksgiving indulgence. I don't feel bad about it... as a matter of fact... I'm totally stoked by the results. Here's what went right for me this week:

1. I ate conservatively up until the holiday.
2. I added extra activity into my week - although still not as much as I need.
3. I had a plan and I stuck to it without guilt and without second guessing myself.
4. I ate a bunch of healthy stuff before I started eating any less than healthy stuff.
5. It felt like a treat... now I can wait until Christmas Eve brunch for my next indulgence.
6. I was able to have a normal holiday without feeling like I was a slave to my point tracker.
7. I had the right mental attitude about the process... prepared myself for a gain and didn't let it bother me.
8. I faced the scale. If I had stuck my head in the sand it wouldn't have snapped me back to attention and I wouldn't have gotten back on track. I went to my meeting... regained my focus and I'm excited about staying on plan.

The new weight watchers Point Plus plan is actually being released effective tomorrow... which means that I won't learn about the new plan until my meeting on Saturday... but... the good news is that I have the e-tools which will go ahead and release all the details on Monday and start tracking my food using the new points system that day... and if I want, I can attend a different meeting on Monday to get the details. I'm so glad it's being released at this time of year when those of us who are focused on eating healthy have to work a little harder and use a little more self control.

Here's what I could have done better over the past week:
1. I've gotten away from drinking as much water as I should and I've found myself a bit parched. Because your body confuses thirst and hunger - when you're thirsty you have a tendency to overeat.
2. I ate beyond the point of satisfaction. I was so stuffed on Thursday that I was uncomfortable. I don't like that feeling.
3. I haven't got the exercise thing down yet. Still working on it.
4. I ate more sugar than usual and it led to a lot of cravings for me.
5. I didn't track on Thursday OR Friday. I meant to have just one no-tracking day but then ate out for breakfast and lunch on Friday and was sooooo exhausted when I got home that I didn't want to bother with figuring out my points. I just can't not track. That accountability - journaling every bite - is what makes a difference for me with Weight Watchers.
6. I had starbucks twice last week. I'm going to have to restrict it to no more than once a week... both for dietary and budgetary reasons.
7. I had pizza the day before weigh in. That is NEVER a good idea! I actually think that if not for the pizza bloat, I wouldn't have had a gain.

I intend to eat this way for the rest of my life. It's not a diet... I've already learned the hard way how very easy it is for me to put weight back on once I stop paying attention to what i'm eating. It's my way of life... and all of these things I learned over the past few days will help me over the next holiday... and the next... so it was a good thing.

I crashed and burned last night... i can't remember the last time I was that exhausted. I woke up ridiculously early this morning- 3:30am - and I'm already ready for a nap. I'm supposed to go out with Next Guy today but I haven't heard from him so I don't know what he's planning or when and honestly... today I'm not feeling terribly sociable. I kinda just want to stay curled up under my snuggie. Austin is sick with a nasty cough... he hasn't felt like moving today and he's grouchy.

To make matters worse... I tried to carry Bitty out to say hello to my mom when her and Pop stopped by this morning... and he got spooked and scratched me to ribbons. He impaled his claw in the side of my hand and it's already red, hot and swollen. AND... it's my left hand... and i'm left handed. I don't know why I thought he'd be nice... he's been really good about going outside lately but we usually have him on a leash. Even when I dropped him after he scratched me, he went right to our door to be let back in. Something spooked him.

SOOOO... that's the whole story of today... point four pounds gained... soon to be lost again and they're going to have to take some of their friends with them! Happy Saturday, y'all!