Should I join a gym? That would take a huge chunk out of my precious work day.

Should I buy a piece of equipment for the home? We all know those end up as clothes horses.

Should I get a buddy? Would they be reliable?

Should I go hiking? That was an hour of driving round trip plus the hike time itself.

Should I just take a walk each day? How would that ever lead to weight loss?

And what about the kids? Between working and taking care of the kids, there just wasn’t any time!

So my friend looks at me and says, “Those are all just excuses. If you wanted to exercise, you’d exercise.”

Maybe, I sulked, but they seemed like good excuses to me. We stopped talking about exercise because he didn’t seem to understand my difficulties. He wasn’t empathizing very well.

The next morning I woke up at 6am refreshed and feeling fantastic. I remembered what my friend had said the night before. If I really wanted to exercise, I’d exercise. I’d find a way.

So I decided to just do it. In a flash I put on my sweat pants, a tank top, and my hiking shoes. I found a holder for my keys, some Kleenex, and my iPhone. Stuck my headphones in there and made sure I could hear my music. I woke Kyle up and told him I was going jogging and not to be scared if he woke up later and didn’t see me in the house. He said in a groggy voice, “Fine fine, Mama, you go do that.”

I walked out of the house and within 30 seconds I was jogging. Me. Jogging. I haven’t jogged in about 12 years. I didn’t care whether it was a good idea or not. I just wanted to do it.

The little ego imp on my shoulder said, “You’re going to hurt yourself. You’ll twist an ankle. You’ll have a heart attack.” I said, “I don’t care. Still doing it.”

He said, “You’ll never be able to sustain this pace. You’re going to be done in 2 minutes.” I said, “Then I’ll walk until I catch my breath and start jogging again.”

He said, “You’re going to be sore tomorrow. Do you really want to deal with soreness for 2 days? Is it worth it for this little jog that isn’t going to do anything for you anyway?” I told him to shut his pie hole.

He shut it.

I kept jogging. After a couple of minutes I was breathless so I walked. When I caught my breath I started jogging again. I didn’t want to stop. I was having a blast. The music mysteriously kept pace with me. I was listening to Within Temptation and when there was a fast song, I was jogging, and when there was a ballad I was walking. I was totally in sync.

My left ankle and knee weren’t feeling too spiffy but I kept going. I was super cold, so I put my hands in my jacket pockets and kept going. The garbage men were keeping pace with me at one point. I was so self-conscious, but me and my jiggly butt kept going. I ran around the block twice. I don’t know what the distance was but I was out there for a good 20 minutes. I was thrilled with my success.

I ran inside the house, made breakfast for the kids and packed their lunches, then took a hot shower.
I emailed my friend and told him I had gone jogging. He was shocked. I told him I had thought about what he said the night before. No excuses. If you want to do it, you do it.

I was super sore the next couple of days. My friend said, “That just means it’s working and you did a good job. Embrace the soreness.” So I did. Ouch. Definitely going to stretch before jogging and stretch afterwards.

Now before I go to bed I put my workout clothes in the bathroom so that as soon as I’m done brushing my teeth in the morning I can put the clothes on and get out of the house within minutes. No excuses.

What I learned from this was that if you want to do something, you find a way to do it. Nothing will stop you.

Ask yourself right now what one thing would you like to do, be, or have, and see what excuses you come up with as to why you don’t have it. If you really want it, squash the excuses and get it done. Just decide that nothing is going to prevent you from getting what you want.

Nothing feels as good as stomping on the excuses and showing them who’s boss. It’s your life. Just do it!

Oh don’t worry, you can still pick up your old emotion tomorrow, if you want to. But just for today, set it aside. You don’t have to be mean to it, or angry with the feeling. Honor and respect it. But send it on vacation. Just for 24 hours.

How are you supposed to do this? Speak to your emotion. Use whatever tone you want. “Hey, Anger, I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to give you a rest for a day. You’ve been working really hard for me, and you’re certainly tenacious about sticking around, and I think you deserve a vacation. So pack a little overnight bag for yourself, and go off to your favorite tropical island for a little rest and relaxation. I’ll collect you tomorrow, though if you decide you want to stay on your island, I will certainly be okay without you for a little while. Oh don’t worry about me; I’ll get along okay without you for a bit. Off you go then. Jolly good.”

Then I want you to imagine your emotion packing a bag and hightailing it to the airport. See your emotion getting on an airplane wearing a loud tropical shirt. Then imagine it flying to an island, getting off, and sitting on a beautiful beach with a book, an umbrella, and a tropical drink. And let it be.

Now come back to yourself. You will not feel that emotion today. You can feel it tomorrow, but you can’t feel it today because it’s off on a tropical island. Today, instead, you’re going to replace that lower vibrational emotion with something you like better. Think of it like shopping for a new emotion at the store. Try it on for size. Take it home with you for 24 hours, and wear it like your new favorite shirt.

You can do this. You probably owe it to yourself in fact. Any time you feel the old emotion welling up inside you, remind yourself that it’s on vacation so you must be feeling something else.

When tomorrow comes, ask yourself if that old emotion is ready to leave its beach or if it still wants to stay on vacation. Give it permission to stay there if it wants to. If you really want to take it back, you can. But recognize that sometimes you two need time apart. So send it on vacation sometimes. Don’t worry, it can take it, and you need a rest sometimes.

And if you have more than one emotion you’d like to send on vacation, send them all on the same flight (may as well get the group rate!). If they need you, they’ll send a postcard.

Find a good spot
You will increase the effectiveness of your meditation if you meditate in the same location every time. It will condition your mind to immediately go to a meditative state or to move there faster. Some people like to meditate in bed, but the danger with that is that if you’re going to bed for other reasons, you may end up in a meditative state without really meaning to. So before you decided that the bed is the best place to meditate be sure that’s really in your best interest. If you want to lie down, you can try a couch or a mat on the floor.

A lot of practiced meditators like to set up a spot in a corner or some other dedicated room location. Sometimes they use pillows or a mat or a chair that can recline. You can set up your meditation location with extra goodies like candles, incense, or a CD player so you can listen to meditative music. Make your meditation location comfortable and relaxing. Then, every time you go there, your mind will automatically start going into a meditative state. If you only use that location for meditation, all the better. You can also try meditating outside or in nature. Let the ambient sounds of nature lull you into a relaxing meditative state.

Pick a good time
It’s often a good idea to meditate at the same time every day. Setting a specific time each day to meditate will help you solidify the habit. In my audio program, Raising Your Vibration, I include a morning meditation designed to get you into a loving state for the entire day, and then an evening meditation designed to put you in a state of gratitude in the evening. By forming a habit of meditating at the same time each day you can help trigger a nice deep meditative state much like the trigger you get from meditating in the same location every time.

Make sure you pick a time of day where you will not be interrupted (especially if you have young children roaming the house) I like to do a personal meditation right before I go to sleep because I find it enhances the messages I get from my dreams. Some people like to meditate when they first wake up in the morning because they want to start their day with guidance or centeredness, plus you’re less likely to fall asleep while meditating if you’ve just woken up from a restful night’s sleep. Some people like to meditate midday as a nice pick me up, a quick mind-rest, or as a way to get insights into problems at work. Whatever time works best for you, try sticking with it for a month and you’ll be a more effective meditator.

Try a new technique
There are many meditation techniques out there. Some concentrate on breathing, some on visualization, some on getting perfectly still and quiet in your mind, and some on connecting and communicating with your spirit guides. Don’t be afraid to change up your technique every once in a while. You never know when you’ll find something that works even better than what you’ve been doing. Here are some things to try:

Stare at a candle: Light a candle, keep your eyes open, stare at the flame, and do your meditation with your eyes open.

Listen to music: Put on some relaxing new age or meditation music, or something with Holosync technology or binaural beats. See how that affects your meditative state.

Listen to a fountain: Some people find it very peaceful and calming to listen to the sound of water running.

Concentrate on your breathing: Make one of your meditation sessions simply about being aware of your breathing. Take deep breaths in through your nose and hold it for a few counts, then release your breath slowly through your mouth. Do this for 20 minutes. It will help clean your lymph system which will lead to greater health.

Automatic writing: Sit at your computer or grab a journal or some paper. Get yourself into a meditative state and start asking the universe, your guides, or your subconscious mind some questions. Write down the answers you get. You may see images, hear an inner voice, or feel a specific feeling. Write it all down.

What else would you like to try to enhance your meditation experience?

Set a specific goal
What is your goal for meditating? Do you want peace? Inner calm? Answers? Advice? Insight? Better health? A more focused mind? Mental clarity? A raising of your vibration? Before you meditate, think about what it is you want to accomplish, and select the meditation technique that will best accomplish that.

I like to use meditation to talk to my higher self and my spirit guides. Sometimes I use it to just calm down if I’m feeling emotionally charged. And during my intuitive counseling sessions, I meditate to connect with my clients’ spirit guides so I can answer important life questions. Meditation grounds me and also helps me achieve inner peace. It’s really a powerful tool!

Try a new position
During meditation you can sit, lie down, or even stand. If you are used to meditating in a certain position and you love it, that’s great. But periodically try a new position and see if you get different results. If you tend to fall asleep during meditation, try meditating while sitting in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. If your goal in meditating is to fall asleep, such as if you have insomnia, then definitely do it lying down.

One time I decided to see if I could meditate while exercising! I was walking on a treadmill, and I kept my hands firmly grasped on the rails so I wouldn’t tip over. I closed my eyes and did some meditative breathing, then imagined I was an Amazon running powerfully on a beach. What an amazing experience it was! I felt more powerful, I stayed on the treadmill much longer than I normally would have, and didn’t feel as tired when I got off the treadmill. I started doing that every time I exercised with great results. I also lost track of time, which is one of the reasons I think I stayed on the machine longer than I originally intended. If you try this, be safe!

Never meditate while driving or operating heavy machinery!

Make meditation a part of your daily life and see what results you get. If you’re brand new to meditation, try it for 30 days and check your results. I think you’re going to like it!

You can’t succeed if you don’t try
Are you afraid to try a new trail? Does it seem impossible to hike? Does it completely overwhelm you to think about? I didn’t think I could tolerate a hike. I just didn’t think I was physically capable. But I decided to try without expectations. Once I got on the trail I realized the hike was going to be even more strenuous than I first thought, but I was there, committed, and eager to try it. So I told myself to just go as far as I could and that would be enough. The more I walked the easier it became. My only goal was to hike as long as I could. I couldn’t fail at this. I could only fail if I didn’t try. I wonder how many other things I’m capable of doing but haven’t tried yet. Don’t let fear of failure prevent you from going after something you want. Just start going, see how far you get, improve your abilities, and keep going.

Encouragement from others can keep you going
We’re all in this together. You might have to carry your body up the trail alone, but there are plenty of people on the path who are traveling with you. Encourage each other. Cheer each other on. Share resources, help each other. It doesn’t matter if others pass you on the trail. You could just as easily pass them later. It’s not about who gets to the top first. Enjoy the camaraderie of the hike. Share the beauty of life. You are not alone.

It’s about the journey, not the destination
If all you care about is reaching the summit you’re missing the point of life and the beauty of the hike. Life is to be enjoyed, every step of the way. There may be an amazing view at the summit, but there is just as much beauty along the trail. Enjoy the fresh air while you climb. Enjoy the smell of the pine as you traverse the trail. Listen to the twittering of wildlife along the trail. Feel the warm sun on your skin and the cool breeze on your body. Be present while you climb and take note of the beauty all around you. What would happen if you didn’t make it to the summit and you didn’t bother to enjoy the journey? Then your life will be filled with disappointment and it will feel empty. Enjoy the journey because it is filled with its own peaks.

It’s okay to stop and catch your breath
Sometimes it seems like you can’t go on. You can see the path, it’s wide open. But you’re tired, and you just can’t continue. It’s okay to rest. Take a breather. Slow down. Take stock. Ask for help even. The hike I just went on was at high altitude and I had a hard time catching my breath, especially going uphill the entire time. I literally stopped to catch my breath every couple of minutes. At first I was really disappointed with myself, but then I realized that if that was the only way to make it to the top, then I could easily accept that pace. The alternative was to push myself so hard that I passed out and couldn’t continue at all. Don’t let others push you beyond your limits either. Go at your own pace, but keep going.

Soreness happens
Also known as growing pains. When you step out of your comfort zone, when you push yourself, sometimes life slaps you down a little. Think of these as battle wounds; wounds you would never have received if you weren’t in the game at all. Soreness after a hike is an indication of growth, an indication that you’ve pushed yourself to the limit and beyond. And how does the body respond? By knitting you back together stronger, because you’ve told the body where you’re going and what you’ll need to get there and the body responds by making you stronger and more capable of withstanding the rigors you’ll face. So embrace the soreness, the wounds, the injuries, and know that next time you make an attempt you will be much stronger.

***

I can’t wait to hike again. I want to experience all kinds of different hikes. I like the feeling of pushing my body and being out in nature. Had I been in a gym on a stair climber I think I would have stopped at 5 minutes. On this hike, I climbed for 75 minutes. So, I will hike again, but it really doesn’t matter to me if I ever reach a summit. To me the summit is my willingness to hike the trail in the first place.

Being grounded means you are present in your life, not obsessed with the past or future.  It means your energy is planted firmly in your body instead of drifting off into airy-fairy land.  Being grounded means you have stability, security, and control over your life.  It means being ready to handle life’s challenges instead of burying your head in the sand and pretending they aren’t there.  It means you are checked in instead of checked out. 

Being grounded is important so you can face your life instead of running from it.  And ironically, being properly grounded can help you reach higher spiritual frequencies.  Think of it like tethering your energy here while the rest of you explores another frontier; it’s easy to find your way back if you are grounded.

So what do you do if you’re ungrounded?  Here are five ways to ground yourself.  You can do them all or pick the ones that resonate with you.

Exercise
Moving your physical body reminds you that you have one.  Instead of zoning out in front of the tv while a show transports your mind to a fantasy land, get up off the couch and get moving!  Try dancing, aerobics, hip hop abs, weight lifting, or jogging through your neighborhood.  Jump up and down a little, that will get things settled.

Walk on the Earth
Take off your shoes and walk on the Earth.  Not the concrete.  Find some actual Earth.  Run through the grass, take a stroll along the sandy beach.  I don’t recommend rock climbing without shoes though.   The Earth carries an energy that nourishes your energetic body.  But when you wear shoes and walk on concrete you don’t get to absorb that energy.  So get back to nature and let Mother Earth ground and restore your energy. 

Meditation
Sit quietly and imagine roots going from your feet deep into the core of the Earth.  Plant yourself.  The first time I tried this I wasn’t expecting much, but I was amazed at how this actually felt.  Imagine your feet have grown roots, and like a beanstalk imagine the roots snaking their way down into the Earth.  Go all the way to the core.  This will completely ground you energetically.

Sit in hot water
A hot bath or a dip in the Jacuzzi isn’t just relaxing, it’s cleansing.  Take a hot bath with some Epsom salts mixed into the water.  Water is purifying.  Sitting in a warm tub of water will slough off any negative energy that’s sticking to you.  The shower is okay if you don’t have a tub, but while you’re in the shower, you want to imagine all the gunky energy peeling off your body and going down the drain.  Sometimes other people’s energies can stick to us.  You may come home from work with other people’s problems attached to you.  Water will clear that right up.

Sit in Stillness
Be in the present moment.  Sit in a chair or better yet, sit outside on the grass under a tree.  Get quiet.  Just look, just listen, just feel the air gliding around your body.  Notice what you smell.  Notice what you hear.  Just absorb the present moment.  Disallow your mind from wandering to the future or the past.  Just be in the now.  Notice that you are alright, that nothing bad is happening to you, and that you are totally at One with the world around you.

There are many ways to ground yourself.  What is your favorite method?

Steve told me that people with acidic blood have a harder time losing weight than people with alkaline blood.  So with our handy dandy ph strips, I tested my urine and I was at 6.8.  He said the goal is 7.2 and higher.  We were both expecting my urine to be far more acidic than it tested.  But I’m going to add a lot of alkalizing food to my diet to see if that can kick start me and my metabolism.  I’m having some hormonal imbalances as I haven’t gotten my period in over three months after being quite regular, so I’m not sure what’s up with that, and I’m not sure if whatever is causing that is having an effect on my weight loss efforts (no I’m not pregnant; I’ve tested 6 times in the last 2 months).

I tested my body fat with our handy dandy body fat tester and saw it was down .5%, but the next day it was back up .5% so I clearly cannot rely on that!  People ask if my clothes are fitting differently, and I’ve definitely gone down a dress size, but that happened late last year.  I haven’t seen much improvement there for the last 4-5 months.

Counting calories and counting points is hard some days when I eat out, because I have no earthly idea how many points are in a salad at a restaurant.  Could be 5, 12, or 18 for all I know.  So some days I’m knocked completely off course with my points and I just do the best I can.  It’s not feasible for me to eat at home every meal for the rest of the year.  At home I’m happy to weigh and measure all my food, but one meal out and I’m off kilter for the day.

All I can do is keep going, keep learning and keep adjusting my course.  I envy those of you to whom this comes very easily.  I’ve had to remind myself that I can’t be an expert at everything.   You always hear about people who say, “Yeah I lost 30 pounds, but then I gained it all back.”  Ha, I haven’t even lost the 30 yet!  I’d be happy to experience that amount of weight loss and then worry about not gaining it back!

People also ask me what my guides are saying.  I tuned in the other day and got myself a metaphor.  Those of you who have had readings with me will appreciate that I get metaphors too.  In this metaphor they showed me an image of pushing at a door that says, “Pull” on it, and wondering why it won’t open.  Yeah, don’t I feel stupid?  They also showed me an image of a fly trying to get out of a closed window.  You can post in my forum if you have a sense of what those metaphors mean.  I’m all ears.

Please don’t send me an email suggesting any diet or exercise related tips.  Honestly, I’ve heard it all now.  Atkins, paleo, blood type, yoga, meditation, prayer, raw, whole unprocessed, fasting, supplements, liposuction, diet pills, therapy, hypnosis, NLP.  Someone even suggested I go vegan (where have THEY been?).  I appreciate the help and concern, but a man with one watch knows what time it is and a man with 30 is never sure.  I’m going to keep exercising, eat more spinach, cucumbers, and celery, and pull at the door instead of pushing against it.  Sigh.

The first week after my last update I made some mistakes.  First it was the Mother’s Day dinner at our favorite vegan Thai restaurant.  I haven’t eaten there since my birthday last July, so it was high time.  But I definitely blew my points there.  Later in the week there was a buffet breakfast, a yummy but high fat raw meal with Matt Monarch and Angela Stokes, and then a raw potluck.  You should have seen me at the potluck, though.  I think I was the only person who had white space on her plate.  35 people came, and so did about 25 dishes!  I took 2 nori rolls that we brought, some corn salad, fruit salad, and thai slaw.  And I had a piece of raw chocolate pie.  If I wasn’t watching what I was doing, I could have easily eaten 3 times that amount, but I really reigned myself in.  At the end of that first week I weighed 197.2!  A week later I was at 195.6, so I know I had a really good second week.

I’m very comfortable with the Weight Watcher point plan now.  I’ve found a lot of things to eat that are low in points but provide high satiety.  Here’s an example of a typical day for me.

Breakfast:
3 slices of veggie bacon = 1.5 points
Apple (or other piece of fruit) = 1.5 point

Mid Morning Snack:
Carrot = 0 points

Lunch:
Amy’s Tamale Verde meal (black bean tamale and Spanish rice) = 6.5 points
2 low- fat, low-calorie vegan chocolate chip cookie = 1 points

4pm Snack:
4 vegan chicken nuggets with bbq sauce = 4 points
Cherries  = 1 point

Dinner:
Vegan BBQ Beef sandwich = 5 points
Corn Creole = 1.5 points

Dessert:
Fat free berry sorbet = 2 points

Total for the day: 24 points

I’ve found a wide variety of foods that work well for me.  Vegan hot dogs are only 1 point each.  The vegan bacon is only a half a point for one slice.  Fruit works well for snacks. And I found these fantastic vegan cookies from a local café that contain fruit puree instead of fat and sugar and they are amazing and extremely low in points.  I’m trying to incorporate more vegetables into the diet, and I’ve been doing more cooking, but I have quite a bit of room for improvement there.

I’m finally over my cough so I started going back to the gym.  I’ve been doing the elliptical machine for 30 minutes.  I have to start the weight training again.  For some reason I don’t want to, even though I remember how much I was enjoying it.  Maybe I feel like I’d have to start all over again after losing 4 weeks to illness.

On Weight Watchers you can get some extra food points for exercising, but I don’t take them because sometimes during the day I grab a few crackers or chips on my way back to my office, so I figure I’m using up my activity points with BLT’s (bite, lick, tastes) of random foods.

So, overall I’m happy, and I’m just going to keep right on going.  I’ll update again in 2 weeks.

Oddly and without conscious intent, I haven’t had any fast food French fries for nearly 6 weeks, which as I reported before was quite an addiction for me.  That alone should have lost me some weight considering how often I was eating them. 

I am doing well at keeping track of my points, I hardly ever use any flex points, but I like that they are there just in case.   This week I’m going to concentrate on eating more fresh, raw fruits and vegetables and see what that does for me.

When I realize just how much food I was eating before doing the Weight Watcher program I am not at all shocked as to why I’m pushing 200 on the scale.  All the unconscious eating I was doing really added up.  Snacking and making unhealthy choices really shows up when you remove them from your program.

I’m quite well adjusted to the amount of food I’m eating.  If I’m ever hungry between meals I usually eat a carrot or some sliced cucumber, or sometimes a piece of fruit.  I feel I have enough points and I’m not feeling deprived in any way.  So all in all I’m enjoying the plan and will continue with it.  My official weight Sunday morning was 196.2.  Again.  Sigh.

I’ll update again in 2 weeks.

Last Tuesday I decided to do a Weight Watcher’s style of calorie counting where I basically use their Points system to monitor my food intake.  The first time I did the Weight Watchers program I lost 20 pounds steadily and fairly easily, but I had to stop the program when I found out I was pregnant with Kyle.  I tried going back after he was born but they give 10 extra points to breastfeeding mamas, and I found I wasn’t losing any weight with those extra points.

So, using some information I found online and correlating it with my gender, current weight, and activity levels, I calculated my daily points to be 24.  Weight Watchers uses a formula to derive a food’s point value.  Steve programmed the formula into his calculator and now I can get a very accurate measure of the point value of foods.  Roughly every 50 calories is a point, 12 grams of fat adds a point, and 4 grams of fiber subtracts .8 points, so you want to find foods that are low in fat and high in fiber, and of course low in calories.  I spent a couple of hours making a spreadsheet of foods and their point values.  I weigh and measure my food, use Calorieking.com to find the calories, fat, and fiber, and mark it in my food journal.  It’s vital, in my opinion, to use a food journal so you can see what you’re really up to.  Any time of day someone could ask me how many points I’m at and I’ll know.  That awareness is vital in my opinion.

You’ll note that 24 points equals roughly 1200 calories, which is a little on the low side.  That’s because you also get 35 flex points to use during the week if you want to, and you should still lose weight even if you use them.  If I used all 35 flex points in a week that would make my daily average 1450 calories, which will still result in weight loss for me.   I can use 7 flex points per day or I can bank them and use them all at once, like if I know I’m going to a luncheon or out with friends, or I just have to have something.

I started last Tuesday and weighed 199.2 pounds.  This morning (Sunday) I weighed 196.2 pounds, for a loss of 3 pounds this week.  I intend to use Sundays as my weigh-in day so I can write my blog entries on Sunday and have them post early Monday mornings.  This is thrilling for me because I feel I’ve found something that will work for me.  What I love most is that technically I can have any food I want, I just have to account for it.  Knowing this, I am careful to consume less points at a meal if I know that later I’ll want to eat something that’s higher in points.  Some days I plan out what I’m going to eat in advance, so I don’t just grab something that looks good and end up going over my points. 

I try to keep my breakfasts on the small side because I’m not terribly hungry in the morning, and I prefer to do readings on a nearly empty stomach.

By the end of lunch I like to have eaten 10-12 points, leaving half or more of my points for the second half of the day.  At 4pm I eat a snack that’s usually 2-4 points, so for dinner I like to get about 8-10 points.

I haven’t had any problems with hunger, though by 4pm I do find that I need that 4 point snack.  All in all, the points are working out well.  I’ve only used 6 of my flex points this week.

Another great aspect to the Weight Watcher plan is that you do get activity points.  So when I make it to the gym (I’ve had a cough and cold this entire past week so I didn’t go to the gym) if you burn off 300 calories you get a few extra points during the day to eat, if you want to, otherwise you just lose the weight faster.

You can also eat a ton of veggies that don’t cost any points.  On some days I was eating a carrot around 10am which gave my stomach something to digest while waiting for lunch around noon.  This week I plan to up my intake of raw veggies.

 I’m also learning that margarine and oil just aren’t worth it.  And salad dressing… forget about it!  The ranch dressing I used for my broccoli costs 3.5 points for 2 tablespoons!  I used only 1 tablespoon but gee whiz, it just ain’t worth it.  This week I also ate a piece of rye toast but put a teaspoon of jam on it instead of slathering it with margarine.

I know the Weight Watchers plan isn’t for everyone.  But it works for me and I like the results.  I’m happy eating what I’m eating, and I don’t feel deprived in any way.

I find that I’m still getting 6-8 servings of fruit and vegetables per day.  That’s important to me because of the vitamins and minerals in those foods.  I should be back at the gym sometime this week, so we’ll see what happens with the addition of exercise.  But so far, so good.  I’ll update again in 2 weeks.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support and encouragement, and a special thanks to those who are dreaming of me being thin.  Keep it up.

In the past, when I was on Weight Watchers, I was measuring, weighing and counting all day long.  It got to be so tiring that I would eat processed foods that came in a can or box because then I wouldn’t have to weigh and measure.  That led to weight loss but not great health.  Last year around this time I was also counting calories but eating a lot more fresh fruit and vegetables, and I was using www.calorieking.com to get the counts.  That resulted in me losing about 4-5 pounds per month.  All of this combined with my workouts should work for me.

Speaking of working out, I’ve found the sweet spot on my elliptical machine that keeps my heart rate in my target zone of 140-150bpm.  I’m still doing the weight lifting, though I stopped seeing gains on some machines while I have made gains on others.  So I decided to try some other machines that work the same areas where I’ve plateaued to see what happens.  I like these new machines better; they don’t hurt my knees and feet so much. 

In my last update I mentioned an addiction to fast food French fries.  Oddly, and without conscious intent, I haven’t had any fast food French fries in 12 days.  I think just openly admitting my love for the fries did something to me.  I can’t really explain it, but I haven’t had cravings or desires to eat fries for the past 12 days.  Maybe it’s because I’ve given myself permission to have them if I want them, and now suddenly it’s not as big a deal as it used to be.

I also went online a couple of days ago and looked up the calories and fat values for places like Wendy’s, Burger King, and Carl’s Jr.  Once I saw how many fat and calories I was really eating, I just didn’t want them anymore.  This is the principle of Truth at work.  Hiding from these facts did nothing for me.  Maybe my weight loss this week can be attributed to the deletion of the fries from my diet.  Who knows?

I’ve decided to post my health updates every other week instead of every Monday.  This will give me a chance to post more blog entries that are not just about me and my health goal.  I don’t have as much time for blogging as I’d like to have, so I don’t want 50% of my updates to be about my health.  Thank you to everyone who is following my saga, and thanks to all of you who have written to tell me my saga is inspiring you.  That means a lot to me. 

All in all, this has been a great week for me.  Tune in on April 27 for the next update, and in the meantime, feel free to weigh in (pun intended) on what’s been going well for you and your health goals.