May 31, 2015

Making old habits new again

It poured rain again today, all day long. When I woke up, I did the routine I created on the Wii Fit U. It was a 35-minute routine that was mostly yoga and strength training exercises to work my hips and balance.

Even though I've been doing the physical therapy exercises for a while now, I don't feel like they are working. I don't think I've gotten any better at them, which means it's unlikely I've gained any strength (I could be wrong, we'll see when I go to my appointment this week). I noticed when I was walking on the treadmill yesterday that my left knee still buckles inward upon each step--and that's what the physical therapist is trying to correct. When I look straight ahead, it doesn't feel awkward or anything; but when I look down at my legs, I can see that my right leg looks like it's functioning normally, but my left has that weird buckle.

I tried SO hard to correct it while I was walking, but even when I really focused, I couldn't make it look symmetrical to the right leg. So, I'm afraid that even if my stress fracture is healed, I'm just going to fracture it again unless I correct that problem. I can't help but wonder if it's happening because of my weight gain... when I was at my goal weight, my thighs didn't rub together when I ran; but after gaining 25 pounds, they do. I think it may make me swing them out to the side a little when I walk or run, and maybe that's causing my knee to buckle in. I'm not sure why it would be on just the left side, but it's just a theory.

Regardless, I'm going to continue with the strength exercises and getting my weight back down. I've been doing really well on Weight Watchers! The weight is coming off very slowly this time around, but I've logged a loss each week this month, so I'm happy with that. And I'm currently on a binge-free streak of 12 days. That may not sound like much, but it's my longest streak in months, maybe even a year!

After I wrote the post about the habits that helped me lose 125 pounds, I decided to take my own advice and stop worrying about what's "right" or what other people think about my diet. Over this past year, I was eating a lot of crappy food that I wasn't used to eating (fried foods, particularly); so when I was trying to go back to eating a healthier diet, I realized that I just didn't love the healthy foods that I used to. Adjusting my taste buds takes time.

I ended up impulsively buying a couple of Lean Cuisine meals because they were on sale, and while I never really cared for them before, I discovered that I actually like them--and they make staying on track during/after lunch much easier for me. I know that the LC meals have all kinds of processed junk in them, but they are definitely healthier than a binge or super heavy restaurant meal. They're the perfect amount of points for lunch (6-8, generally), and I pair them with a fruit or vegetable, so they're really satisfying. Lunch has always been the most difficult meal for me, because I never know what to eat, and I don't want to cook for just myself. The LC meals have made that easy for me.

For dinner lately, I've been experimenting with new recipes from some cookbooks that I have. I remember doing that when I first started losing weight--I would go through cookbooks and mark several recipes to try, and then we'd try them. If they were good, we added them to our rotation, and if not, we just didn't make them again. Today, it was pouring rain all day, and soup sounded really good. I ended up making an old favorite, Stuffed Pepper Soup. So good!

This whole bowl, 2-1/2 cups, is only 6 PointsPlus
I love this soup, and I think I'm going to try making a stuffed cabbage soup as well, by replacing the peppers with cabbage.

Since the kids started baseball, I've been making a lot of dinners in the crock pot. I normally like to eat dinner at around 4:00, but we don't get home from their practice until 6:15! For the first couple of practices, I was starving, and it was stressful to try and make dinner while helping the kids with their homework and all that. Using the crock pot is so helpful!

In the evenings, I've gotten back in the routine of having a small dessert. This whole week, it's been a tin roof sundae: 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream with 1 T. chocolate syrup and 1/2 oz. peanuts. It's small, but because I love ice cream, it gives me something to look forward to at the end of the day.


I've actually managed to keep a container of ice cream in my house without eating more than 1/2 cup per day--crazy! ;) Usually, it doesn't last one night.

And finally, I've gotten back in the habit of NOT snacking. I lose weight best when I eat just 3-4 times per day, so now I've been having breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. Because of this, I can eat more filling meals (I can spend more points on meals, since I'm not spending them on snacks) and I'm much more satisfied.


I'm going to do Motivational Monday tomorrow, no matter what! I still haven't figured out the whole Photos app thing, but I figured I can at least take a screen shot photo of the email, which saves to my desktop. I really need to take an Apple class or something to get this Photos thing figured out. I can save pictures there, but they aren't there when I want to upload them. They don't show up until DAYS later. So frustrating! But anyway, if you have a submission, here is how to do it :)

47 comments:

  1. When I first lost weight, I used Lean Cuisine meals for almost every meal. That 7 or so months is still probably the highest sales period for the Lean Cuisine company! LOL

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    1. Hahaha, I always think about the stuff I stopped buying when I started losing weight. Haagen Dazs must have wondered why their sales dropped so much! ;)

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  2. AnonymousMay 31, 2015

    Going back to basics always works for me too.

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    1. Yes! It's hard to keep that in mind sometimes.

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  3. I love Lean Cuisines! Healthy Choice meals are really good a lot of the time too, especially the steamer bowls. And I've found that they're trying to make themselves healthier - they can be hard to find, but Lean Cuisine makes these "Simply Good" meals that are really delicious and are all natural, and Healthy Choice has a new "simple" line that's also all natural ingredients. I can usually find them at stores that have large frozen selections.

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    1. I'll have to look for those! I only bought the Lean Cuisines on impulse, but I'm glad I did. They have such a bad stigma attached, but they have been really helpful to me over the past couple of weeks!

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  4. I love the Wii Fit! You are reminding me to pull it out again sometime soon. I am glad to hear that you have been binge free recently! Keep it going- I know you are capable of amazing things!

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    1. I had no idea how long it had been since I used it last, but I'm so glad that I pulled it out again! I forgot how fun it is. (And I'm super sore today!)

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  5. That soup sounds delicious! I would love it if you posted some of the crock pot recipes you use too!

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    1. The ones that I've tried recently haven't been that great, but if I come across a good one, I'll definitely share!

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    2. AnonymousJune 01, 2015

      Katie has posted a bunch of really great recipes; several which I've made in the crock pot. Just click on the recipes button and you can sort in a variety of ways. Hope that helps.
      Martine

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  6. AnonymousMay 31, 2015

    Hi Katie, I'm a long-time reader who has never commented before but I just wanted to say thanks for being such an inspiration. I'm someone who has been maintaining a comparatively small weight loss of just under 10kg (~20 pounds) for a year or so and I have learned so much from you just about adjusting my attitude, as well as practical stuff like giving myself dessert every day as something to look forward to and keep me from blowing all my calories during the day. When there have been times I haven't been able to exercise (which like you I use to be able to eat stuff i want) or when I've been faced with a weight gain from time to time I find myself thinking "what would Katie do?" and then I do that. I've even taken up running, having previously favoured exercise classes because "I'm not a runner" and just did my first competitive 4K. I'm sure you hear this all the time but I wanted to let you know what a tremendous help you've been to me personally all the way over in Australia. Kate

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    1. AnonymousJune 01, 2015

      Seriously, "what would Katie do?" You need to find some better role models. Katie would whine and complain and find excuses since she's an adult with the capabilities of a teenager because of her omg, "anxiety".

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    2. Hi there Kate! Thanks for commenting :) There is nothing small about maintaining a 20 pound weight loss for a year--that is awesome! You should be super proud. I never thought I'd be a runner, either, but it's addicting, isn't it?! Congrats on your success!!

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    3. Anonymous @12:44PM, you know you're not forced to read this blog, right? I mean, you know how to work a basic web browser, so maybe you should change your surfing habits. Your comment is less than constructive and shows what a coward you are (so brave to post as "anonymous.")

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    4. What LizP ^^^ said. If you can't be positive and encouraging, Anonymous@12:44pm, then at least be quiet.

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  7. Love it! Thank you for posting this!

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  8. I know you are right about the Lean Cuisines having a lot of junk in them. But, I also know that calorie wise they can help with sticking to the portion you want to eat. A couple of other brands I eat with less artificial stuff: Artisan Bistro -- these are insanely good. I've tried a couple of them so far and they are just totally good. They have a lot of organic ingredients and no unpronouncable stuff in the ingredient list. I got mine at Whole Foods, but I've seen them other places also.

    Another brand that is a bit healthier is Luvo. I particularly like the Turkey meatballs with whole grain pasta. Very, very good. Also there is a chicken with Polenta that is great.

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    1. I don't have a Whole Foods near me, but I will check to see if I can find those somewhere around here. Thanks for the suggestions!

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  9. I had the same problem with the Photos app, so I googled it to see whether there was a way to see all the photos when I tried to upload them. The suggestion was to restart my computer, which did the trick!

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    1. OHMYGOSH... It worked!!! This has been driving me crazy for nearly three weeks! I could kiss you. Thank you! :) (That shows just how often I restart my computer... only when I have to for an update or something!)

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  10. AnonymousJune 01, 2015

    Hi Katie. Good for you for being so in tune with yourself! Eat whatever and however works best for you. Thanks for being here and sharing your journey.
    Martine

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    1. Thanks Martine! It took a long time to figure out what works best for me, but I'm glad that I did :)

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  11. The soup looks and sounds amazing! Buying the ingredients today!!

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    1. It's really good! Probably my favorite soup. Hope you like it!

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  12. Thank you for being a true inspiration. Like isn't always rainbows and unicorns, but you have gotten back on the wagon....and for that you should be proud! I have just recently committed to myself again and it's nice to not be in this alone.

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    1. It certainly took me long enough ;) Haha, it feels good to be back on track and not feel like I'm completely on edge with it.

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  13. Congrats for figuring your way through lunches. I think the lean cuisines are a great idea! I've never tried frozen meals (I know, that sounds weird!) I'm also having trouble with lunches, so I'm going to pick up a few and see if they help me, too. I'm so tired of making decisions about food for everyone in my house.

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    1. I was never a frozen meal person, either, because I always thought about how I could make the same thing at home for cheaper and it would taste better; but I never did that, because it was inconvenient! So the frozen meals have really helped in that way.

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  14. I completely agree with you on the 3-4 meals- I do the same thing with no snacking. Each meal is satisfying and I last until the next meal. If I can't last until the next meal, then I didn't eat enough! Mentally, too, being entirely satiated is much easier than being consistently half full. Solidarity fist bump!

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    1. "...being entirely satiated is much easier than being consistently half full" YES!! That is exactly what I was trying to say :)

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  15. Keep at the PT, and check with your therapist about what you see as a lack of progress. One of the things my therapist told me that was helpful was that it takes a long time to get body parts working as you want them to work. Keep doing the good work!

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    1. You're right, I'm probably expecting results way too soon. I'm just anxious to get started with marathon training! ;)

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  16. I am 100% sorry that you have felt you couldn't share what you were eating or were somehow ashamed of it because you were eating processed foods. That just sucks! I read an article and wish I could find it, how the "clean eating" trend is actually kinda crappy because it is implying that other eating is dirty when it is not. Sure, healthy whole foods are better. But, YOU are the only one who is responsible for what YOU eat. You go ahead and do what works for you and try to ignore the haters as much as possible!

    Glad you found a way to make lunch work for you! And congrats on the month of losses!

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    1. Yes! Sometimes I feel like the only blogger out there that doesn't eat a super clean diet, and I do feel ashamed sometimes about it. But 100% clean eating just isn't for me--I get too deprived of foods that I really enjoy, and end up binge eating.

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    2. It's been my experience that lot of the "clean" eaters are just talkers. There are several people at my office who claim to do the Whole 30 plan. They are very condescending of my WW diet, which involves a lot of processed foods (I'm not a cook). Well, I catch them cheating all the time on their Whole 30, so just because someone says they are eating completely clean or following a program to the letter, doesn't mean they actually are!! ;)

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  17. Agree totally with going back to the basics. I stopped bringing lunch/snacks to work for a while and that "omg what am I going to eat I am so hungry" hunger that hit midday when I procrastinated lunch lead to some bad choices!

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    1. Yes, that kind of hunger is notorious for throwing me off plan! I've found that eating in a routine (at roughly the same times every day) has really helped.

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  18. That soup looks fantastic. I'm going to have to try that recipe.

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  19. AnonymousJune 01, 2015

    I hear you on the lunch options. I had been eating Lean Pockets off and on (mainly weekends). Since I'm home during the summer, I might just go back to those for lunch. Maybe not the greatest choice but better than scrounging for something every day. I'm trying to limit the amount of peanut butter and lunch meats I eat, which takes out sandwich options, and I don't want salads every day.

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    1. I used to eat a lot of Lean Pockets when I was first losing weight. They have a lot of new choices now, so maybe I'll give those a try, too!

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  20. Hi Katie, so amazed by your story. For me the hardest thing is to control my eating. When I'm reaching for that extra slice or cookie, I need a way to tell myself to put it down. Do you have any tricks? Or know of any online communities that provide that support? If only I had a way check in with someone at that moment of weakness. You know what I mean?

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    1. I find that planning ahead works wonders! If we're going to have pizza, for example, I will fit it into my day and plan the day around it. That way, I know I can have two pieces, and after that, I'm done. Period. ;)

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  21. AnonymousJune 02, 2015

    Do you mind my asking why you eat dinner so early? 4 p.m. seems awfully early for both you and the boys!

    When I was losing weight a few years ago I found that eating between 6 and 6:30 kept me from feeling hungry just before bed, which was prime time for me to eat junk I shouldn't have been eating. Maybe that would also help in your quest not to binge eat?

    Keep up the good work Katie; I know you'll be back to your goal weight and back to running in no time!

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    1. The most difficult time of day for me is actually the afternoon, between 12 and 4. Odd, I know! Also, I like to eat as a family, and that works out best with Jerry's work schedule.
      And thanks... I hope I'm back to running soon! :)

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