Weekend Recap

As it turns out, I took a road trip to the Motherland (Pennsylvania) to spend time with my niece and nephew this weekend.  Yes, I had a ton of plans but time spent with the kiddos is rare.  I missed both of their birthdays this year, and I wasn't sure when Joel and I would have another opportunity to get up there this summer. 

1 year old & 4 year old - both already incredibly intelligent!

I was still able to accomplish much on my to-do list.  My sister and I went shopping and I found some dresses at Old Navy and JC Penney.  I plan to model them for Joel when he gets home to get an accurate assessment on whether or not they look good.  I definitely appreciate his honesty when it comes to what I wear.

I only managed to get in 1 day of activity this entire week!  One is better than none, but still.  The single day of activity came this past Sunday when I babysat my nephew while the others went to church.  We took an hour long walk around the neighborhood.  The poor guy has suffered lots of pesky illnesses since his birth just over a year ago, and so everyone thought it best to keep him at home and away from the children at church.  This time he has a rash that the doctor's were unsure of its cause.

Things that were accomplished this weekend that I can feel good about:

• hair is freshly dyed and cut
• bought some clothes and a bathing suit for Jamaica
• dropped my wedding bands off at the jeweler today for sizing
• finalized some last minute details with Sandals in regard to the wedding ceremony
• my veil arrived!! bought on eBay for the sweet price of $25!  AND, it's great!

All I have left to get is a garment bag for my dress to carry onto the plane.  I've been told to go back to David's Bridal for the bag.  Your thoughts?

Another thing to consider.... would you invest in a wedding video?  It looks like the base price for one at Sandals starts at $500 and I just don't know what to do.  Did you do one for your wedding?  Is it worth that price?

I asked on Facebook for "can't put it down" book recommendations for the trip.  Joel and I are both not the bravest flyers.  In fact, we visited the doctor last week for some "happy" pills - I got Ativan and he got Xanax.  I need something to occupy my mind without fail during the 3.5 hour flight!  So, I bought the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy and Weight Loss Boss (by the WW CEO).  Anyone read these?

Are you a fearful flyer?  If so, what gets you through a flight?  If not, why not??    

Weekend Plans

This week is going to be interesting for me.  Joel leaves tomorrow for a week for his bachelor party.  They're going fishing - big surprise! :)

I, on the other hand, am interested to see how life proceeds without Joel around.... life in terms of weight loss.  It'll be a good experiment and one that I'm hoping yields some good last minute weight loss for the upcoming nuptials. 

My weekend plans include a hair cut/color (today!) in preparation for the wedding, as well as lots of shopping for our trip.  I might even buy a dress or two - gasp!  Typically when we go to the eastern shore of MD, I'm usually packing "bum" clothes, which are usually gym outfits.  What do I need to look nice for?  I'll spend most of my time on the beach indulging in a book.  But in Jamaica, I think it's going to be a lot different and so I need to be prepared.  I'd also like to snag another bathing suit as well.  Any and all clothing suggestions are welcomed!

Since it is a long weekend for us feds, I fully plan on taking advantage of that time to get in at least 3 days of activity along with 3 days of sun :).  I want to spend as much time as possible at the pool this weekend so that I can work on my tan for the dress (yes, I'll be wearing sunscreen!).  I've been using the Jergen's sunless tanning lotion and that's working pretty well thus far, but I know sometimes it has a tendency to make me look a little on the orange side, and I don't want that happening for the pictures.

I'm also looking forward to cooking for the upcoming week and doing some major meal planning that I hope will help me lose some more weight before our trip. 

I wish all of you a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend!  May God continue to bless those who serve our nation, those who have served, and those who will.  Freedom isn't free - thank you for keeping our country safe!

What are your weekend plans?

Things I Love: Oregon Chai Slightly Sweet

Chai tea is my absolute favorite morning beverage.  Heck, I don't need mornings to drink this deliciousness. 

I'm always on the search for a lighter chai.  I used to be in love with the chai at Starbucks (made by Tazo), but a grande size made with skim milk is 6 PointsPlus too many for me.  And truth be told, I really prefer to get the venti so it will last.  But 7 PointsPlus is a large chunk of change to be dishing out for just a drink!

I've also made chai via a recipe from Eat What You Love, and it's not a terrible one.  It's actually pictured above and that nice size cup yields 3 PointsPlus (despite what the previous blog post said).  Still, I was ready to give something else a try. 

So this weekend I made Crock Pot chai from the Crock Pot Diet Cookbook.  You basically take several black tea bags, 8ish cups of water, fresh ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and ground cloves along with 3/4 cup of sugar and heat that on high for 2.5 hours.  It's not bad, and I'm sure I can get used to drinking it.  My only complaint with this version is that the spices don't strain out very well in a strainer (I'm using a powdered sugar sifter).  I'm not sure they are supposed to, but you end up with a ton of spice sediment in the bottom of your cup.  I don't think anyone wants to digest about 2 Tbsp worth of wet spices.  I never figured out the PointsPlus value of this one.

THEN, this weekend as I was strolling through Tar-jay, I came across this little lady:

Oregon Chai comes in many varieties, including a sugar free version made with Splenda.  But, if you're like me, Splenda does a number on my stomach.  But slightly sweet?  I'll take it!  As the awesome people at Oregon Chai state in the product description, it's like Light Chai.  The stats are impressive:

Understand that you must add equal parts milk and chai when making it.  So, the chai mix itself for half a cup is 1 PointsPlus.  However, to get a grande size, I used 1 cup of chai concentrate and 1 cup of skim milk for a total of 4 PointsPlus.  I can do 4 PointsPlus for a chai.... 6 is pushing it 'bucks!

Do you have a favorite coffee/tea beverage? 

If you're interested in trying the Crock Pot recipe, I'd be happy to share it.. just let me know!

Jamaica Mun!

I tried my best to mimic the Jamaican accent through the blog title.... perhaps a fail?

Either way, I have some fun news to share with you all today:

Joel & I will be getting married June 9, 2012 in Montego Bay, Jamaica!

That's right!  In just a few short weeks, we will be touching down in paradise....

We chose Sandals Montego Bay to host our intimate wedding ceremony.  

I'm pretty sure this is going to be a trip of a lifetime!

 

I cannot wait to lounge here with a book!

(all pictures courtesy of sandals.com)

We both love the beach and couldn't think of a better place to get married.  While Joel and I did have a hiccup in our relationship back in February (for the new readers), we have worked through our differences over the past several months and continue to honor each other every day through our commitment to one another and to God.  We love each other, and that time apart taught us a great deal.  We chose to do an intimate destination ceremony because neither of us enjoyed the stress of planning a traditional wedding.  Planning our Sandals trip has been so incredibly easy.  We're doing it just for us, and that's all that matters.  This is our wedding.  Not our parent's.  Not our family's.  Not our friend's.  That has been a very tough pill to swallow for some, but we want what we want and we know this is it!             

I will, of course, wear a traditional wedding dress.  Joel will wear  a cream colored suit with a purple shirt - as keeping with the theme of our original decor for the "first" wedding.

I went dress shopping a few months ago with two of my closest friends in the DC area, Racheal and Meghan.  I couldn't have done it without them.  What surprised me most about wedding dress shopping was that I actually enjoyed it :).  Below are some of the dresses I tried on... and THEE dress is pictured.. you'll just have to guess which one it is :).  I went to David's Bridal and Curvy Girls Bridal.  I have to say, my experience at Curvy Girls was nothing short of a Kleinfeld's experience.  They really know how to make a bride feel like a bride!  The facility was clean, fancy and luxurious.  I loved it and am so glad I went!

I was going for a dress that had a vintage feel that wasn't form fitting, but yet wasn't a ball gown either.  I also didn't want satin, but knew I wanted ivory, even though some of the dresses I tried on were in white.  Despite what my intentions were, I came home with a dress that shocked even me!

Dress 1

Dress 1 had very pretty detail on the back and chest area.  It definitely offered the vintage look up top!  I also thought it was a flattering cut.

Dress 2

I thought dress 2 looked great on me as well, accentuating my waist with the wide band of fabric.  It was very flowy and definitely a perfect beach-style wedding dress!

Dress 3

Dress 3 is all lace with great beading detail on the chest, back and down near the top of my legs.  I like how it really gave me a waist when it was pulled in tight.  This is definitely a vintage style look!

Dress 4

Man, when they put that veil on you, it kind of seals the deal, right?  My legs got a little shaky thinking, "Holy crap I really am getting married!"!  Dress 4 was a typical ballgown with the sweetheart neckline and wide, glitzy belt of jewels around the middle.  The cell phone picture does not do it justice!  The fabric felt amazing as well... silk taffeta I think. 

Dress 5

Dress 5 was another cool fabric, though I don't remember the name.  It was shiny and felt sooo nice on!  I liked the ruching/criss-cross detail of the top with the sweetheart neckline and jewel detail near the top of my leg.

Dress 6

Dress 6 offered a combination of dresses 4 and 5: traditional ballgown style, sweetheart neckline, ruching/criss-cross top with the detailed jeweled applique.  Again, poor quality picture due to the cell phone.  I hate when they don't allow real pictures!

Dress 7

And last but not least, dress 7!  I guess you'd call this a drop waist style.  This one, again, offered features of dresses 4 and 5 - ruching on top, sweetheart neckline and beading detail all over the skirt.  I tried this on in white but would order this in ivory!

Any guesses on which one I took home????  Any favorites??  I will be happy to share the answer with you very soon! :)

Changing Things Up: Drinking More Water + Food Finds

Joel calls me a camel.  I almost always have a drink of some sort in my hand, but usually it's water.  Back in college I had a faux Nalgene that I bought at Target.  Not only did it last a long time, it subtly encouraged me to drink the full 8 glasses of water a day.  It was so easy, I only had to fill it up twice.  Eventually the faux Nalgene broke and I just recently got around to replacing it with the real deal.

Enter the new, purple Nalgene (purchased on eBay for $11.99 - free shipping from Robby's All Outdoor and More):

I especially love that they are made in the USA!

I only have to fill up this puppy twice each day and I've achieved the daily recommended 8 glasses.

Additionally, if you're not familiar with these bottles, they have a wide mouth opening that makes it very easy to drop in ice cubes.  With the faux Nalgene, it was a little more difficult to exercise and simultaneously take a drink from it because of this wide mouth - the water would go everywhere.  However, Nalgene makes a handy little "splash guard" insert that prevents this from happening.

this is true color of the bottle btw

I <3 you Nalgene!

Moving on....

I'm changing Greek yogurt brands.  I've tried them all, and I used to be exclusively linked to Chobani.  I thought their yogurt was as good as the Greek stuff could get.  Though I still admit that I thought their 0% variety still offered quite a bit of a sour flavor for which I'm not very fond.  But alas, I tried the Dannon Oikos variety and I've since divorced Chobani. 

I've had both the blueberry and the strawberry fruit on the bottom flavors.  They taste great and the sour taste doesn't even exist (for me).  They are 3 PointsPlus (same as the 0% flavors of Chobani).  According to their website, they also come in black cherry and peach flavors (for fruit on the bottom), but they also offer other flavors in their "traditional style" (aka "with fat") Greek yogurt.  The other 0% flavors include honey, plain and vanilla.

I've been enjoying a Dannon Oikos with a homemade blueberry scone (7 PointsPlus - from the WW Power Foods Cookbook) each morning for breakfast.  It's actually very filling together.  The scone is made with whole wheat pastry flour.

They are VERY good!  Joel even eats them!

Bird watching > homemade blueberry scones

I also recently tried the Chobani Passion Fruit flavor and thought it was gross and slightly bitter. 

 

Do you have a favorite water bottle and yogurt brand?

Changing Things Up: Maintaining Focus

Wednesday night I had the evening to myself.  Such a rare occurrence in my life, especially through the work week.  When Joel and I first started dating, I hated nights like that.  I loved trying to "maximize" the time between us.  However, lately I have an all new appreciation for this precious alone time.  For me, it means getting to focus on myself and what I want to do and when.  I don't have anyone else to cater to or think about - I just do what I want and when I want to do it.  This is when it dawned on me the importance of how maintaining focus will aid in my weight loss.

Take last night for example.  I had a clear plan of attack and I executed it beautifully.  As soon as I got home from work, I hurried off to my WW meeting.  After the meeting, I came home and immediately got to work on prepping dinner.  Dinner was a really quick chili cheese dog (turkey hot dog, turkey chili, and reduced fat mozzarella) and a side of spicy vegetables.  Immediately after eating, I quickly cleaned up the kitchen, packed my lunch for the next day, and I was free to enjoy the rest of the evening to do whatever I pleased.  Normally, my evening does not operate this smoothly and efficiently.

The key for me in last night's dinner escapade is that I was able to maintain focus on one thing.  I wasn't trying to cook dinner, while simultaneously worrying/doing 12 other things.  I'm not wishing I was a single person at all, but how much easier can life be without distractions (I'm sure the mom's can especially relate to this!)?  I am capable of multi-tasking, but I don't prefer it.  I prefer focusing on one task at a time and doing it well.

Often times, especially when Joel is home, I don't feel like going to the trouble of making dinner because I feel pulled in so many directions.  I want to spend time with him, and so I'd rather just take a quick route and order out.  I also want to be able to have time to do other things (like catching up on other blogs, writing my own, reading, etc), and the more time I spend cooking, the more time that is taken away from doing those other extracurriculars.

Still, how amazing it felt last night after I was done with dinner in a flash and was easily able to prep my lunch for the next day.  This night reminded me that my health is extremely important to me right now.  Losing weight is extremely important to me right now.  I cannot continue to let life's other distractions keep me from getting to where I want to be.  I cannot constantly be consumed with focusing on others needs (or what I perceive to be their needs) and ignore what Hilary really needs.  I want to be able to have a night like last night every night.  I come home, tackle dinner, prep my meals for the next day (setting myself up for success!) and proceed with life.  I got more accomplished last night in the time I spent alone than I ever do on a typical weeknight.  It was astounding actually.  I truly believe this happened because I had all night to focus on me and what I wanted to do - not what I thought Joel wanted me to do or thinks I should be doing (even if he doesn't).

Do you have a hard time staying focused on your weight loss journey?  What things do you let get in the way of your success?

Changing Things Up: Weigh In Day

To get myself back on track, I've been trying to change things up in the food/eating portion of this weight loss journey.

Via Pinterest.

I've started with changing my weigh in day from a Friday to a Wednesday.  I did this for a number of reasons.

1. I found that I was blowing through my entire Weekly Points Plus balance by Sunday (weighing in on Friday's).  Then I had nothing left from Mon-Thurs as a back up.  This caused self-sabotage, and I would just eat what I wanted to anyhow.  My logic is that if I weigh in through the week, the likelihood of me using/blowing through the WPA is slim to none because I'll want to try to ration them better pre-weekend.  My work week provides some much needed structure around my eating.  I typically have an easier time staying On Plan M-F than I do on the weekends.  Depending on how this goes, I may even opt to move the weigh in day to Monday's!
   
   
2. Change is good.  I've been using Friday as my weigh in day for YEARS (more than 4 at this point), so picking another day is just a good way to shake things up.
   
   
3. Knowing that my new "week" will start in the middle of the work week kind of relieves some stress.  It provides a mid-week "start over" that helps sustain me through the rest of the work week (I'm on my second week now for Wednesday's).

I picked Friday's to weigh in initially because it gave me the WPA to indulge over the weekend, but with plenty of time to regroup for Mon-Thurs.  The problem was, the regrouping wasn't happening.  I would get so upset with myself for blowing through the WPA during the weekend that I would just let the downward spiral continue through to Thursday.

Via Pinterest.

I read a great article on Weight Watchers that talked about how the day you choose to weigh in can serve as a key strategy in our weight loss journey.  For example, many people use Monday's as an anchor to get them through the weekend (to encourage them not to over indulge).  I like this idea and will consider it after a few months at Wednesday's!

Why do you select the weigh in day you do?  Is it just because that is when your meeting site is open, or do you have a special reason why you choose the day you do?

Oh Hey, I'm Back

I've been absent from The Big Weight.  I'm also pretty good at stating the obvious.

I haven't had a lot to say these days, as I've gained/lost the same +/- 5 lbs.  As I had been stating for several weeks now, I've had an incredibly hard time getting my mind back in the healthy eating game since about February. I eat out of boredom, and that's the bottom line.  BUT, I'm not giving up no matter how many failures I have.  I'm going to lose this weight no matter how many "re-starts" it takes. 

I had a brief email exchange with fellow blogger Kelly @ No Thanks to Cake, and she reminded me that she blogs for her, not for others (thank you SO MUCH for your encouragement Kel!).  As much as I agree with this, clearly I was in the mindset of thinking about what my readers would want to see.   Does anyone really want to keep seeing someone fail who had been on quite a roll previously?  That doesn't sound very inspiring.  But The Big Weight, at the end of the day, is for me.  The more I document my journey here, the more beneficial for  me whenever I do have these stumbling blocks along the way.  I can go back and see what worked before and try to apply those methodologies again.  But if I'm not here writing it down, then I don't have a point of reference.  So hey, here I am again... stumbling around aimlessly or not!

Rarely am I able to do both things well on my weight loss journey - I can either eat perfectly (which is rare), staying within my PointsPlus every week, OR I can get in my allotted goal for exercise.  As is typically the case, I've been tearing it up at exercise!  During the weekend of April 28, I ran, not walked, RAN, two 5K's!! 

On Saturday, I attended the Civista Health & Wellness 5K, which caters to both runners and walkers.  I typically try to run some of the 5K, but I've never been able to do the entire thing.  As the race began, I found this lady who was running at a good pace and I thought, "I can do this.  I'm just going to follow her as long as I can."  And so that's what I did.  I just paced myself according to her and I ran the entire time!  I gave myself positive self talk throughout, reminding myself to breathe, relax my shoulders, and to pace myself.  I did so well and I was incredibly proud of myself!  I also let that lady know what an inspiration she was to me at the end - and she was just as grateful for my kind words to her as I was to her pace-setting. 

Needless to say I was rather sore after that 5K, but I tried to stay active the rest of the day (by going shopping :) ).  I got this suit for a work function.  I am a very anti-black suit person.  That's all women seem to own and I like to go against the grain.

Just call me Dr. Pritt

Anyhow, the very next day I had the March of Dimes - March for Babies.  This was a 5K that is geared toward walking (and I raised $225 for it).  As much as I wanted to say "I ran my first two 5Ks every back to back in one weekend!" I knew I had to be reasonable about it.  I was very sore when I woke up Sunday morning, but as we lined up for the walk and the adrenaline started pumping, I knew I wanted to give this run a shot.  So I did, and I went about the same method: set a nice, reasonable pace and kept encouraging myself that I could do it.  I wasn't out for speed, but for simply finishing without stopping.  I'm not gonna lie though, it was tough - I was sore and also the entire last mile of the race was uphill!  BUT, I did it!!!! I ran the entire thing and I had tears in my eyes walking running (I just remembered!) back to my car. 

after the March for Babies

 I ran two 5K's the entire way through in 1 weekend!!

I do have a LOT to be proud of on this weight loss journey!