Back to my Weight Watchers meetings

I had thought that the last time I went to Weight Watchers to weigh in was very early this year, but I looked at my weigh in card this morning, and it said I weighed in on May 21st. Not as bad as I thought! But I was still pretty nervous to go today.

After I got the kids off to school, I ate breakfast and sipped some tea until it was time to leave. Knowing that my weight was going to be up from last time regardless of what clothes I wore, I ended up wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, and sneakers for my weigh in. Last time I weighed in, I'd been hoping that I was still under goal (or at least close), so I wore the lightest clothes I could.

When I walked inside, I was so glad to see that my leader was there today. I had been hoping she didn't switch her meeting times or locations or something since the last time I was there. She was really happy to see me, and she came around the counter to give me a hug. I instantly felt at ease, even though I knew I'd be weighing in. I talked to her for a minute about everything that's been going on, and she even told me I didn't have to weigh in if I didn't want to--but I really want the accountability, so I said I was going to weigh in.

I bought a new 12-Week Journal. Since I have 12 weeks until I leave for Portland, it'll be a nice way to count down the weeks and (hopefully) see myself getting closer to goal. When I first started losing weight, I made it a goal to go through an entire 12-Week Journal without a single binge... and I ended up going through FOUR of them! It would be nice to do the same with this one.

I sat down for the meeting and was a little disappointed to see that I didn't recognize more than a couple of people in there. April, the woman that I used to sit next to, wasn't there. I hope she still goes on Wednesdays.

Today's meeting was about food pushers--people who push you to take foods that you may not want or you don't have room in your plan for; and when you politely say no, they keep trying to change your mind.

Thankfully, I haven't had to deal with this for a few years. When I first started losing weight, I had to stay very firm with my decisions about food, and I think people just learned that I'm not going to give in just because they want me to. They know now that if I say no to something, it's not because I don't love them or want the food they made; it's because I have to put a lot of thought into my food choices.

One thing I love about Glenda, my leader, is that she is very careful never to call foods "good" or "bad". She, like me, believes that we can make room in our diets for anything we want. Some of the other leaders at meetings I've been to said things like, "How can we avoid eating a piece of cake at a birthday party?" But Glenda is realistic, and says if you want a piece of cake, just deduct it from your weekly PointsPlus allowance, and enjoy it! Today, when she was talking about the holidays, she used the same mentality.

When I was losing weight in 2009-2010, I was very picky about what I splurged on. I would have no problem turning down several splurge foods in order to really enjoy one splurge that I had my mind on. I chose my splurges very carefully. This year, I've gotten out of that habit, and I've been saying "yes" to pretty much everything. I didn't want to feel like I was missing out on things, so I just always said yes. My goal for now is to really put thought into what I choose to spend my PointsPlus on. I can have the things I want; just not everything all at once ;)

This week is going to be the most challenging week ever. I could have waited another week to go back to Weight Watchers, but I don't believe in "waiting until the new year", so to speak. If I can get through this week and feel good about my choices, then I will feel I can conquer anything! Haha.

My week at a glance:
Thursday- Dessert feast at Noah's school
Friday- Wine Club (Christmas party)
Sunday- Jeanie will be in town, so I'm guessing Keno and drinks?
Monday- Christmas at my mom's house (including dinner)
Tuesday- Childhood friends coming to my house for dinner, drinks, snacks, and games

That, on top of the fact that I'm not earning any activity PointsPlus right now, makes for one heck of a tough week! But I'm feeling up to the challenge. I don't plan to eat any desserts at Noah's school; I'll drive myself to Wine Club, so I won't be tempted to drink more than a glass or two of wine (knowing I have to drive); and I requested that my mom make a healthy Christmas dinner on Monday. The only day I'm worried about will be Tuesday, but I'll probably buy some super light beer (2 PP each) and keep the snacking to a minimum. When I have time to plan stuff out like this, I usually do pretty well; it's the unplanned events that I have a hard time with!

Anyway, I'm really glad I went back to my meeting today. Glenda was SO nice and I don't even know why I felt nervous about going. Weighing in made me feel really determined to have a good week!

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Real foods, foot injury, and Portland

Yesterday morning, Noah woke up with a fever. The flu has been going around here, so I really hoped it wasn't that! His only other symptom was a headache, so I just had him get some rest, and I kept him home from school.

In the mid-morning, we ended up watching a documentary called Hungry for Change (on Netflix). I'd seen it in 2012, and loved it; in fact, I even wrote in my blog that I wanted to buy it so I could watch it whenever I felt I needed a boost in motivation to eat healthy. It was fun watching it with Noah, because it opened up conversation about healthy eating. And the things I've been telling him are apparently more believable when someone on TV says them ;)

Watching the documentary made me want to read through my old "Real Foods Challenge" posts--where I'd challenged myself to eat only "real foods" for 30 days. I only made it through 20 days before I decided it was just too difficult (I was gaining weight like crazy, because I was eating too much of the real food), but there were some foods and recipes that I really enjoyed. One was homemade whole wheat tortillas.

When I first made them, I was SO blown away at how good they were. I swore I'd never buy tortillas again. Then, somewhere along the way, I forgot about them, and just bought tortillas. Yesterday afternoon, after reading through those posts, I decided to make some again. We used the tortillas to make tacos last night, and then this morning, I had scrambled egg whites and cheese wrapped inside one.

The tortillas themselves are 4 PointsPlus each, which is the same as the soft taco-size white tortillas that I buy at the store, but they taste a million times better! Here is the recipe I used.

Last night, I taught the kids (and Jerry) how to play Hearts. I've always thought of it as an adult card game, but the kids caught on surprisingly quickly. I'm sad that the kids are growing up so fast, but I do like the fact that the days of Candy Land and HiHo! Cherry-O are over ;)

I emailed Golden Harper (founder of Altra running shoes) yesterday about my foot issue. My gut feeling was telling me that my foot injury was NOT caused from the shoes, but I just wanted to see what his thoughts were. He has a degree in Exercise Science, and studied running technique and running injuries; I met him at the RW Half, and really trusted his opinion. He's very passionate about fixing the problem with running injuries. I've been conversing with him via email for a guest post/interview for my blog, and I thought I would pick his brain (I hate that phrase, by the way!) about my foot.

He wrote me back last night, and everything he said was exactly what I was thinking, and what my gut feeling was telling me. When I had done my 12-miler a week ago Sunday, I ran a different route that had recently been repaved; and the side of the road was slanted more than usual. I think that, along with the fact that I jumped from 8 miles to 12 in a week, is what caused the injury. Golden also suggested that I take some time off--he said he takes a month off each year, and that many of the Kenyans take up to three months off every year!

He said it would be helpful to rotate my shoes as well, in order to strengthen my feet and even out any muscle imbalances (which are the cause of most injuries, along with upping mileage/intensity too quickly). He agreed that since I was running injury-free with the shoes for two months, he highly doubts it was the shoe switch that caused the problem. I'll probably post his interview later this week, because it really is very interesting!

I decided to go back to my Weight Watchers meetings. I'm not a "free" Lifetime member right now, but I think that paying the weekly fee and weighing in once a week will help keep me accountable. I've been doing well this month, and I really want to keep it going and get to my goal by the time I go to Portland in March. I'm nervous to go to my meeting tomorrow, because I know the scale will show a gain (I think the last time I went was in early 2014?), but I love my leader, and she's not at all judgmental. I'm looking forward to going back, and seeing some of the people I'd gotten to know at my meetings.

I leave for Portland 12 weeks from Friday. To keep myself focused on my goal, I even bought a Trail Blazers hoodie.

Interestingly, the day I arrive in Portland, the Blazers are going to be playing the Detroit Pistons in Portland. If I was a sports fan, I would like to go! But we're going to go to the Shamrock Run expo instead, which is definitely more my style ;) By the way, I know several of you mentioned meeting up... the expo on Friday night would be a great time/place to meet if anyone is still interested! My flight arrives at 5:00 pm, and then we're going to head to the expo right away--so maybe 6:00 or 6:15.

This post is all over the place, but here is one more random picture that I just had to share. Chandler cracks me up!

I guess that's one way to fit on the new cat tree ;)

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Motivational Monday #91

Happy Motivational Monday! I have lots of great stories to share with you today, so I'm just going to get right down to it...

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Hilary, a dear Sole Mate of mine, has been dealing with IT band issues since September, and her rehab has been slow. She had to significantly reduce her running mileage and speed, but instead of completely blowing off working out altogether, she decided to put more effort into her yoga practice. She started practicing yoga in January 2014, but didn't start doing it regularly until the summer. It helps her physically and emotionally, and helps her stay focused and grounded. Since increasing the yoga, she's discovered she can do things she never thought possible, and she's noticed some serious muscle definition! She is most proud of being able to bend over and put her hands flat on the ground--when she started, she couldn't even touch her toes. She encourages everyone to give yoga a try. You don't have to be flexible or strong when you start out; you just have to have willingness to practice!

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In October, when Sarah mentioned to me via email that she'd be doing the Runner's World Half in Bethlehem, I told her to make sure and get a picture for Motivational Monday. She kept forgetting to send it, but she had a great race! It was her first race together with her sister, and she was a little intimidated going into it--she assumed since it was put on by RW, it would be a very competitive field. She'd done three 5K's this year, but couldn't get her time under 40:00; at the RW Half, then, she was thrilled to finish in 39:53! She has a funny story about the finish line:

"In your race report you mentioned the announcer being really great, and I totally agree!! In fact when I accidentally stopped after the arch that was ON FIRE (so cool!) because I thought it was the finish line, he ran up and was saying, "keep going Sarah!! You're almost there!!" I was trying to figure out what he meant and why everyone on the sidelines was waving their arms at me and then I looked up and behold the REAL finish line!!! One of the race photographers actually got a picture of the look on my face when I realized I still had more to go. :) sooooo I gave everyone a good laugh and ended up with one of those pictures that's worth a thousand words!!"  (Sarah's race report)

Best finish line photo EVER ;)

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Christina, along with her son, have run 5K races over the past two weekends. They have had a blast running together! This past weekend, her son PR'ed and took second place in his age group. She is very proud of him for getting out there and run/walking alongside her.

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About six weeks ago, Diane was asked by someone in her local running club if she would consider running for the club in the USATF National Cross Country Club Championships (they needed another 60+ woman to round out their team). Her first instinct was to say no--she would have to join the club, join the USATF, and register for the race ($100+). She would also have to get shoes, because she didn't have appropriate shoes for a grass course. But then she thought, "What the heck--this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" She increased her runs and distance each week, and on Saturday, she completed the 6K course in 29:16, finishing 9th in her age group! (Diane is number 2265 in the photo).

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This weekend, Amber completed a big goal she'd set for herself: to run three half-marathons in 2014! The funny thing is, prior to this year, Amber wasn't a runner. She decided she wanted to challenge herself with something she thought was nearly impossible--running half-marathons. In February, she ran the Disney Princess Half in Florida; in April, she completed the Run Like A Diva Half in South Carolina; and just yesterday, she completed the Santa Hustle Half in Tennessee. She said she would not trade this journey for anything--she's learned so much about herself over the past 400 miles of running. She's already planning to do the Run Like A Diva Half next year, and looks forward to improving her speed.

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Brittany just ran her first 5K! She had tried doing the Couch to 5K plan, but, like me, found it too difficult. Instead, she tried out my plan, and her goal was to run the entire 5K. The race was Saturday, and she did it--she ran the entire thing! She finished in 45 minutes, and it looking forward to working on improving her time now that she knows she can complete the distance. She said they ran the race nice and easy, and really had a lot of fun doing it!

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Summer just completed her first half-marathon! She had signed up for the 2013 Dallas Half-Marathon, but after all that training, the race was canceled due to an ice storm that weekend. The participants were offered a discount on the 2014 race, and were told that if they completed it, they would be given their medals for the 2013 AND 2014 races. She wasn't thrilled at the thought of training all over again, but she did, and the weather was much better this year. She crossed the finish line in 2:45:44!

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Congrats to everyone!! Great stories this week :)

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Santa Hustle Half-Marathon Cedar Point race report

My foot was feeling 100% back to normal yesterday, and for that, I was so grateful! I still ended up having a really lazy restful day--I worked on my new puzzle, and even got it finished before I went to bed. I decided to stop posting my food logs, even though I'd planned to do it for the whole month. It was causing me too much anxiety--and that was on my "good" days! Christmastime is stressful enough, so there was no point in adding to that stress. (I'm not going to quit tracking--just posting my log).

Anyway, my younger brother, Nathan, drove over to my house this morning so we could head down to Sandusky, Ohio for the Santa Hustle Half-Marathon. Sandusky is about 90 minutes away, and the race was being held at Cedar Point, a huge amusement park (which is closed for the season). The weather was supposed to be great for running--43 degrees and overcast. I wasn't really sure what to wear, though. The race requested that we wear the shirts they give us for registration, which is a Dri-Fit hoodie. We hadn't picked up our packets, so I wasn't sure if the hoodie would be too warm or not. I just ended up bringing a smorgasbord of options to change into if needed.

The drive was uneventful. When we got there, we parked and then went to pick up our packets. I love the shirts we got! Lately, I've been requesting a men's small shirt, because I like the fit of them better than women's shirts (I have no boobs to speak of, and an undefined waist). I'm really glad I did that, because I was told that the women's shirts ran two sizes too small this year, and there were a lot of upset women about it. The men's shirt was a little big, but I like sweatshirts to fit loosely. Nathan and I changed into our "uniform" for the race, and ended up deciding to wear the race shirts, even though we'd probably get too hot.

As much as I wanted to be festive, I just couldn't get on board with wearing the hat and beard during the race. The hat was really tight and the beard was uncomfortable, so I just stuck with the shirt.

After we changed, we headed over to the porta potties. There weren't any lines, so we were in and out really quickly. We were going to head back to the car, when a blog reader recognized me! (I wasn't wearing the beard at that time, haha). Her name is Sarah, and she was going to be running the 5K. We stopped and chatted for a few minutes, and then Nathan and I went back to the car to wait. (Hi Sarah! I meant to ask you to email me the picture of us, if you could? It was great to meet you!) The race started at 9:00, and it was only around 8:00, so we had a long time to wait. Finally, at 8:35, we went to use the porta potties one more time, and found that the lines were crazy long.

We figured 20 minutes would be enough time, but when we finally got to the front of the line, my watch said 8:59:32. Cutting it close! When I got out of the porta potty, I didn't see Nathan, and wasn't sure if he went to the starting line or was still in the porta potty. I called his cell, and there was no answer. The announcer was counting down to the start of the race, so I just booked it over to the starting line, and as soon as I moved my way into the corral, the race started. As I got closer to the line, I noticed the big start/finish line balloon was falling down, and it cut us off from crossing the line. We were told to stop and wait until they fixed it.

Nathan called me then, and I didn't see him, but he said he was in the back, and he'd try to catch up with me once we got moving. About three minutes after the official start of the race, they let us go through. I started running, and my foot felt totally fine--no issues at all! I decided to try and run a 9:30 pace, but if I had problems with my foot, I'd just run very easy.

I kept hoping to hear Nathan, but it wasn't until nearly a mile in that I saw him pass me. I called out to him, and he said he didn't recognize me, because everyone looks alike with the same shirts on. I ran with him for a couple of minutes, and then told him he should try to place in his age group. He was feeling good, and wanted to try for sub-1:40, so I told him I'd buy him a beer if he placed ;) He ran ahead, and then I just tried to enjoy the sights.

The first three miles was through the inside of the park, and it was awesome to see all the roller coasters as I ran. I tried to get some pictures, but the pictures don't really do it justice (also, I was running, so they're a little blurry):

That yellow roller coaster in the background is the Top Thrill Dragster.
I'm almost as scared of that as I am of the thought of skydiving.
It goes from 0 to 120 mph in just 4 seconds!

Once we got out of the park, we ran to Soak City, which is Cedar Point's water park. We also ran around a campground. I liked this part of the race, because it was almost like a big maze--there were so many turns that everyone was going different directions, so I spent most of the time looking for Nathan, who I knew was ahead of me. You can see my path in red below:

My pace was great--average pace of 9:30 as I hit the 10K mark. However, I noticed that the mile markers were showing the course as really short. When I would reach a mile marker, my Garmin would read consistently 0.10-0.15 less than that mile. That's happened before at races, but it usually evens it self out at the end, so I wasn't worried about it.

When I hit mile 6.5, I started to feel a little pressure on the side of my foot. Ordinarily, I would've just ignored it, but I was worried about it, so that's all I could focus on. I decided the race wasn't worth pushing myself through injury, so I slowed my pace way down. When I got to mile 7, it was a long, straight, out-and-back until mile 12.

Running along the side of the road made me feel a little more pressure on my foot. The road was terrible, with a big slope and a lot of potholes. It was the sloped asphalt that was making me feel uncomfortable. I still wasn't in pain, but I knew that something was going on with my foot.

The out-and-back part felt like forever! I saw the first place person run past, and then I started watching for Nathan, which was a nice distraction. I was even counting people, to see how far back he was--he was number 102 to run past me. When I saw him, I thought, "Oh, please let the turnaround be just ahead!" but I kept running and running, and it felt like it was never going to end. I saw a sign that looked like it was pretty much made for my eyes to see:

Finally, I turned around at about mile 9.5, and then started running back. The change in direction was nice, because I wasn't on the very edge of the road anymore, and I had a tailwind. When I reached mile 11.5, it was like a switch just turned on the pain in my foot. And not only my foot, but the side of my leg and even my IT band. I wasn't sure what to do--I was a mile and a half from the finish, but the only way back was to actually finish (there weren't any shortcuts).

I took a short walk break, which helped a little, but then as I ran, it kept building up. Ironically, I saw this sign as I was taking a walk break--hahaha!

I reached the park at mile 12, and took a quick picture of the roller coaster skyline.

As I ran/walked/hobbled through the parking lot, I realized that there was no possible way that the course would be 13.1 miles. When I reached the finisher's chute, my Garmin was reading nearly a half-mile short. My official finish time is 2:07:59, but my Garmin read 12.77 miles, so I don't even really count that as my time. But at that point, I didn't care at all about my time! I was regretting running a half so soon after my foot issue.

When I got my medal, it was just the medal--no neck-ribbon attached. I was told that they ran out of the medals with ribbons.

It's a really nice medal, and I emailed the race to see if they'll send me a ribbon for it. Nathan's had a ribbon--he finished in 1:39:59! That was his goal time; but like me, he doesn't really count it, because the course was short. (He finished 71 overall, so he passed a bunch of people after I saw him at place 102).

My foot was absolutely killing me by that point, so we walked (slowly) to the car for the long drive home. We took a different route, which was about two hours, but a nicer drive. When Nathan left, and I thanked him for going with me, he said, "Yeah, that was fun!... ish". Hahaha! That's exactly what races are: fun...ish ;)

When I got home, I decided that I really need to take a break from running and let my foot heal properly. I'm going to take the rest of the year off, even if I'm feeling better. I'll start slowly again in January, but if my foot feels at all sore or tender, I'll give it some more time. Now that I'm home, and I've been resting it all day, it's not bothering me very much; but I would rather just play it safe and make sure it gets better. I think it's a good idea to take a week or two completely off every year anyways; usually, I've done it after my marathons, but since I didn't run a marathon this year, I haven't really taken a break. I think it'll be good for me (although mentally, I may go a little crazy...) ;)

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Don't forget, tomorrow is Motivational Monday! If you have a photo of a health/fitness accomplishment that you're proud of this week, you can email it to me at Katie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com, subject "Motivational Monday", along with a short description, and I may include it on tomorrow's MM post.

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Peroneal tendinitis

Yesterday was the third day of rest (due to an issue with my foot), and my foot was feeling a lot better. I was tempted to go for a run in the afternoon, but decided against it--I figured it'd be better to give it one more day, just to be safe. Due to the type and location of the pain, I really think it was peroneal tendinitis caused from doing too much on Sunday.

I've had peroneal tendinitis a few times before (usually when my shoes need to be replaced), and the first sign of it is pain on the side of my foot. If it's bad, I'll feel the pain up into the lateral side of my leg, which is what happened this time. Usually a few days' rest will take care of it, and it seems to have helped a lot this time, too.

Jerry was off work yesterday, so we decided to give the kids one of their Christmas presents early--the board game Clue--so that we could play it last night. I hadn't played that game in ages! Did you know the revolver is now the pistol? And the billiard room is now called the game room. Anyway, we ordered pizza and played a couple of games of Clue after dinner.

Later, my older brother, Brian, came over for a little bit to visit. I told him that my flight to Portland in March has a layover in Minneapolis, which is where he is based. I told him to try and pick up that flight, so that he'd be the one to fly me to Portland. He's been flying commercially since 2007, and I've never been on one of his flights, so I think it'd be awesome if it could work out that way! I would at least be much less nervous about flying.

After Brian left, Jerry and I watched an episode of Breaking Bad before bed. My food log was pretty bad yesterday, but some days are just like that:

This morning, my foot was still feeling good--not 100% normal yet, but probably 90%--so I wanted to try a run. When I walked Noah to the bus stop, I lightly jogged home, to see how it felt. Then when I got home, I decided to try a three-miler on the treadmill before taking Eli to the bus stop.

I started out nice and easy at 6.0 mph, and my foot was feeling pretty good. For the second mile, I bumped it up to 7.0 mph, and didn't have any problems at all. For mile three, I went back to 6.0 until I got to 2.5 miles, when I noticed that Eli was going to miss the bus if I didn't hurry. I bumped the speed back up for the last half mile.

I'm really glad that my foot is so much better! I am going to plan on going to the Santa Hustle on Sunday, but I'm going to really listen to my body. I'll take it very easy (no time or pace goals) and if my foot starts hurting again, I won't be too proud to call it quits.

I got a new puzzle yesterday. Working on that last puzzle really helped to keep me from snacking at night. The new one looks fun (and probably a little easier than the last):

Noah liked helping me work on the last puzzle, and this morning, he asked me to get him a couple of 300-piece puzzles for Christmas so that he and Eli could work on them together. I'm so glad that he's interested in it! Usually, unless the game or puzzle is in video form, it's "lame" ;)

I just realized that tomorrow is 12/13/14... pretty neat!

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How to count Weight Watchers PointsPlus

Since I've been back to counting PointsPlus (PP), I've gotten several questions about the program--how and when to use activity PP or weekly PP, calculating PP for recipes, etc. I don't work for Weight Watchers, nor am I associated with them in any way, but I know the program like the back of my hand, so I thought I'd write a post explaining it the best I can.

I like to keep a handwritten food journal, but I also use etools (the online version of tracking). When you first join WW, you are assigned a particular number of PP to eat per day (your PP "target"); this number is based on your height, weight, sex, age, etc. The minimum PP target is 26, which is what mine is. The PP target is the minimum number of PP we should eat per day.

On top of the daily target, everyone is given a weekly PP allowance of 49--these 49 "extra" PP can be used any time during the week. My week starts on Wednesday, and ends on Tuesday; therefore, I get a new set of 49 weekly PP every Wednesday. If any are unused by Tuesday night, they are gone--they cannot be carried over to the next week. The weekly PP can be used all at once; spread throughout the week; or not at all. It's completely up to the us how and when to use them.

Finally, there are Activity PP. These are not "given" to us at the beginning of the week; rather, they are earned throughout the week by doing exercise. The amount of Activity PP earned depends on the person's sex, weight, duration of exercise, and intensity. For example, I might earn 4 PP for a 3-mile run. The Activity PP earned can be used for food, just like the weekly PP or daily target PP. They don't *have* to be used; it's up to us how and when to use them.

As part of the PointsPlus system, Weight Watchers has recommended "Good Health Guidelines", or "Healthy Checks" on the app:
Drink 6+ cups of water per day (some other liquids count)
Consume 2 dairy servings per day
Eat 5+ servings of fruits/vegetables per day
Take a daily multivitamin
Consume 2 tsp. of healthy oils per day
Get 30 minutes of physical activity per day.

I admit, I don't follow these; but I wanted to make sure to point them out.

Food is assigned a certain number of PointsPlus, based on the number of carbohydrates, fat, fiber, and protein that food contains. When you eat, you calculate the PP you consumed, and then subtract it from the number of PP you are "allowed" per day.

To calculate the PointsPlus in a food item, you can use the calculator on etools (or use this free one online). You can calculate the PP in a recipe by one of three ways: 1) Enter the ingredients into the etools Recipe Builder, if you have etools; 2) Add up the carbohydrates, fat, fiber, and protein in the entire recipe by looking up those nutrition facts (using labels or a food database), then dividing each by the number of servings. Use the nutrition info per serving to plug into the PP calculator (or the free one I linked above). 3) Use the PP calculator to calculate the PP in each ingredient in the recipe, then add up the PP in the entire recipe, and finally, divide that PP number by the number of servings.

There are a couple of exceptions to calculating the PP in food items: 1) Most fruits and vegetables are considered "free"--ZERO PointsPlus; 2) Alcohol. If you try to figure out alcohol by the nutrition fact label, it won't be accurate (it will probably tell you that it's 0 PP, and while I wish that was true, it's not!). These have to be looked up, but as a general rule of thumb: light beer (12 oz) is usually 3-4 PP; regular beer is usually 4-5 PP; wine is usually 1 PP per ounce (minus 1 PP total--so a 5 oz glass would contain 4 PP, an 8 oz glass would contain 7 PP, etc); liquor is usually 4 PP per 1.5 oz shot.

Food tracking is kind of like balancing a checkbook--you start with your target PP as the balance for the day, then "withdraw" from that target as you eat throughout the day. When your balance gets to 0, you can either stop eating for the day, or you can take a little from "savings" (your Weekly PP or Activity PP).

It is up to the individual whether we choose to dip into the Activity PP first or the Weekly PP first. Personally, I like to use the Weekly PP first, and then when I run out of those, I start dipping into my Activity PP. The Activity PP don't have to be used on the day they are earned; they can be used any time during that current week.

Here is a page from my food log where I only at the minimum 26 PP (this is rare that I only eat 26 PP--usually, I use some of my weekly or activity PP as well):

I list the foods eaten, and then in the first numbers column, I write how many PP that particular item "costs". Then I keep a running balance on the right. My total PP was 26 for that day. The numbers at the bottom show Activity PP earned that day (and then the balance for the week is in the right column); the Activity PP used that day (again, balance in the right column); and then Weekly PP used, and the weekly balance (in this case, it was still 49 PP, because I hadn't yet used any).

Here is yesterday's food log, where I used some weekly PP:

When the balance got down to 0, I took 7 PP from my weekly allowance, bringing that balance to 42.

There are a few Weight Watchers "rules" that I change to fit my needs (for example, I don't do the "healthy checks", even though I probably should; I find when I try to do that, I get overwhelmed and it makes me quit altogether). Also, when I use just a touch of something--say, a squirt of ketchup on my eggs, or a splash of cream in my tea, etc--I don't count it. Even when I was losing weight the first time around, I wasn't completely perfectionist about a few extra calories here or there, and it never hindered my weight loss. I think it's important to make the program work for ME, so that I stick with it.

I find counting PP easier than counting calories, because you don't have to be so precise with measurements, and the fruits and veggies don't have to be counted at all. It's also easy to keep a basic tally in my head how many PP I've consumed that day; when counting calories, it's hard to remember the bigger numbers. Anyway, I hope this post helps explain counting PointsPlus a little better :)

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Tough night

Last night was really, really hard for me to stay on track! The kids were at my parents' house, Jerry was at work, and I was bored. I'd finished my puzzle, I'm not reading a book right now, and there was nothing on TV. Even after I ate my snack (my usual Weight Watchers brownie and wine) I was really itching to eat.

I ended up eating two Dove Promises and having two more ounces of wine. That's actually really impressive to me, because I wanted to eat an entire box of cereal ;) The only thing that stopped me was knowing that I was going to be posting my food log here--I am just really determined not to binge, because I really don't want to have to post about it.

So, even though it wasn't a great day, it could have been MUCH worse. This is the first week I stayed out of the negative in a long time. From Wednesday to Tuesday, a full week, I used all of my weekly PointsPlus and all but ONE of my Activity PointsPlus. So I came out ahead, which is good. (A few people have asked me what all the numbers mean, so I think I'll write about that in a separate post to explain further.)

My weight was down three pounds for the week (yay!)--I guess that's what happens when I track EVERYTHING ;)  Unfortunately, my foot was still really hurting this morning, so I'm still trying to rest as much as possible. It felt a little better today, but definitely still painful. When I'm not moving much, though, I don't get any activity PointsPlus, so it's going to be hard to rein it in a little this week.

Jerry and I went to see a matinee showing of Mockingjay while the kids were at school. I didn't want to end up ordering popcorn at the show, or worse, a big old cookie from Mrs. Fields, so I made some popcorn at home, and then bagged it up to take with us.

We attempted to go see Mockingjay last weekend, but it was sold out of two showings! We're used to being two of about six people in the theater when we go. Today, we went to an 11:50 show, and we were the only ones in there until just before the show started, and then there were about six people total.

I love the seats at our theater. They were just installed about a year ago, and they're so comfy! They're La-Z-Boy style, so we could recline and put our feet up. Perfect to rest my foot! ;)

The movie was good. It didn't follow the book as closely as the first two movies did, but I liked it. I wish that the second part was out already--it's going to be hard to wait to see it!

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Spoiled kitties

I finished my puzzle last night! After I put the kids to bed, I was super determined to get it finished. I poured a glass of wine and got to work. One thousand pieces later, it's finally done:

I've learned that puzzles are fantastic at keeping me from snacking, but they are also fantastic at keeping me from getting other (more necessary) things done ;)  I'll probably do another one, but I'm going to take a break. I haven't taken this one apart, because I put so much work into it, but it can't sit on my coffee table forever. I'm tempted to put puzzle glue on it and mount it. It's a pretty picture!

Yesterday was a hard day for me not to overeat. I was feeling really snacky all afternoon. I'm glad I worked on the puzzle, because once I got busy on that, I stopped thinking about food. My food log from yesterday:

I hadn't made Cabbage Casserole in a long time, and I forgot how much I love it. I'll be making that a lot this winter, I'm sure.

I have no idea what the heck happened between yesterday and today, but I woke up and my foot was absolutely killing me. It's the tendonitis pain that I get when my shoes are too old--but my shoes have less than 200 miles on them, so it's not that. I don't *think* it's the fact that I switched to the Altras, because I've been wearing them for two months without any problems.

I'm wondering if my jump to 12 miles for a long run on Sunday was too much. I would never advise someone else to go from an 8 mile long run to a 12 mile long run in the matter of a week, but that's exactly what I did. So, it could just be from overuse. It didn't hurt during my run yesterday (I just ran 3 miles at an easy pace), but this morning it was really bad.

I was supposed to do hills today, but I took an unscheduled rest day instead, and I barely moved from the couch all day. I really want it to get better ASAP, because I have the Santa Hustle Half-Marathon on Sunday. I'll rest again tomorrow, and reevaluate on Thursday.

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Jerry and I were doing some online shopping for Christmas last week, and we had the idea to get the cats a new cat tree. There were some really fun looking ones on Amazon, and after reading a ton of reviews, we finally bought one. It arrived today, and of course I wanted to put it together right away. It came in a large box, but I still had no idea how it was going to be as large as the specs said!

Estelle jumped into the box before I even got all the pieces out. She was so excited, and she didn't even know yet that it was for her. Every time I built a new layer, she made herself at home on it while I screwed it together.

When I was done putting it together, all three cats were pretty happy. (It seems kind of empty without Paolo, though--he would have loved that empty perch on the left!)

I had no idea if Chandler was going to be able to fit into one of the two boxes on it. He squeezed through the opening, and was SO content all day long (six hours and counting right now...). Anyway, the tree is huge, and kind of an eyesore, but what can I say? We're cat people ;)

(ETA: A couple of people have asked for a link to the tree that we bought. Here is the link it on Amazon. We got the 50"x26"x74" one. Armakat Cat Tree Condo)

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Motivational Monday #90

Happy Motivational Monday! I hope that everyone has had an awesome week. I've managed to have a great week as far as counting points (and I've stuck with my goal of posting my food logs every day). Speaking of which, here is yesterday's food log:

I have a few stories for you for Motivational Monday. Enjoy!

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Carey (on the right) just completed the Via Lehigh Vally Half-Marathon! She wanted to finish it after a "failed attempt" last October, and she started training in May. She set a goal of 3:00, and crossed the finish line in 2:43! She has also lost 60 pounds in the process of training.

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Lori just ran/walked her first 5K! She said she hated running, and never imagined she'd do a race, but after finding my blog, she decided to give it a try. She used Hal Higdon's 5K training plan, modified slightly by her personal trainer, and successfully completed the Reindeer Romp in 43:27--15 minutes faster than she could complete a 5K prior to her 5K training! She makes a fitness goal each year, and her goal for 2015 is to do a 5K race each month--and she hopes that she'll be running the whole race by this time next year.

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Kathryn had always struggled with her weight, and then when her weight was at its highest, she had an accident that caused her to crush her ankle. She needed a steel plate, screws, and bolts to put her ankle back together. After recovering from that surgery, she was at her all time highest weight and very depressed. Along the way, however, she quit drinking, quit smoking, and gave up Diet Coke to get healthier. She dropped 70 pounds, and then after she'd quit smoking, she decided to start using the treadmill. She gave running a try, but was only able to make it about four minutes before she thought her lungs would explode. She kept at it, and as her lungs healed from quitting smoking, she pushed herself more and more. She ran a couple of 5Ks this fall, and she is training for a 10K in the spring. She is proud this week for completing her farthest distance yet--5 miles! She never imagined she would one day be able to run 5 miles straight. She loves running because it has made her more confident in life, and helps her to realize that she can do anything she puts her mind to with patience and perseverance.

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Meg said she almost didn't submit this, because she thinks her time is slow compared to everyone else's. But the whole point of Motivational Monday is to share the health/fitness accomplishment that you're proud of--and she has every reason to be proud! She ran the Detroit Turkey Trot 10K on Thanksgiving, and finished in 1:16:07. That was a PR of over 4 minutes!

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Brandon ran a 5K with his "big brother" Thomas yesterday (Brandon is Thomas's "little brother" from the Big Brothers Big Sisters program), and he set a new course PR by 1:20!

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Don't forget to check out more stories on the Motivational Monday Facebook post!

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A run for a brownie-filled chocolate chip cookie!

My PointsPlus total was a little low yesterday, because I didn't have an afternoon snack (I was working on my puzzle, and didn't want to stop!). Normally, the day before a long run, I try to have a little more food than usual. But anyway, here is my food log:

Today was my long run, and I knew it was going to take me around two hours (for 12 miles), so I headed out as soon as the kids left to go to church with my parents. It was a cold morning--just 27 degrees. I wore my Eddie Bauer clothes, along with my Camelbak. I hadn't used the Camelbak since probably August.

Because I'm running the Santa Hustle Half-Marathon next Sunday, I wanted to keep my pace easy today. I did an out-and-back route that took me past the house where Chelsea Bruck went missing in October. She still hasn't been found, and there aren't any clues as to what happened to her. I thought about her pretty much the entire time I was running. I really do hope that she's found.

My thighs were SO cold the entire time I was running. My hands warmed up and I took my gloves off after a couple of miles, but my thighs were freezing cold and then numb. My face was frozen, and my lips were so dry I thought they were going to be a cracked mess when I got home. Aside from being cold, though, it wasn't a bad run.

I kept my pace on the easy side, 10:15-ish per mile, but it didn't feel as easy as I'd hoped it would. My plan for the half-marathon next weekend was to aim for a 9:23 pace (2:03 finish), but now I'm not so sure I can do that. I think I may aim for a 2:05 finish time, which is a 9:32 pace. My last half-marathon, on November 9th, was a 9:44 pace, so I'm hoping that the 9:32 will be do-able.

The last two miles were really tough. The farthest I've run since my last half-marathon has been 8 miles, so 12 was definitely pushing it. But I never slowed, so I'm happy with that. I really just wanted to get in a 12-miler before the half-marathon next weekend.

It was such a relief to get home. I took a hot shower, and I was a little horrified to see the bright red patches of skin from where the cold really got to me. It was kind of weird looking--a big red circle on each flank, and candy apple red thighs and butt. I put on some warm clothes, and then worked on my puzzle some more. I was hoping to finish it today, but my neck is aching from bending over the coffee table. I'm about halfway done--the whole top part is all leaves, which is going to be extremely difficult to put together. (It looks upside down in the pic, but that's the bottom I put together already--a reflection of the trees in water.)

I was absolutely ravenous all day, likely because I'd burned 1,366 calories on my run! Since I'd earned so many activity PP, I decided to get a treat from Monica's. I got a chocolate chip cookie with a brownie center--these are SO good!

They're not nearly as big as their regular chocolate chip cookies, and I weighed it to calculate the PP. It was 1.75 ounces, which is 6 PP total--not bad at all! I'm also going to have a couple extra ounces of wine tonight. I certainly earned it! ;)

Tomorrow is Motivational Monday, so if you have a photo of a health/fitness accomplishment to submit, you can email it to me with the subject "Motivational Monday" at Katie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com, and I may include it on tomorrow's post! (It's helpful if you can get them to me by Monday morning, because I like to write the post while my kids are in school.)

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