One Stinkin' Pound...

That is what separates my team from the winning team in Biggest Loser. One stinking pound. Percentage wise, it was .4% difference! I keep thinking, "What if I had gotten a haircut? What if I had started counting points earlier? What if I had shaved my legs this morning? :)" So many what ifs. But regardless, we came in second. Not first. Not third. Second. And all I am left with is no winning pot and a big sigh.

Or am I?

Maybe, just maybe, I have learned to eat a little better? I have really started eating salads, fruits, and veggies consciously. It has to be consciously because those habits don't come naturally. I am not a big "produce" person. I never have been, even as a little girl. Green beans still (just like then) make me gag at just the smell of them. I have just started eating corn in salsas/dips. I still cannot eat it off the cob or creamed. I try. I really do. They just don't appeal to me. I will eat raw veggies like carrots, snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower...IF I can have a little Ranch to dip them in. Even fruits have never been a strong point of mine. They are okay but I would much rather eat sugar, candy, etc. However, I have a new found love for pineapple and applesauce. I do enjoy apples with apple dip (which is not an ideal food but as a meal isn't so bad). I like strawberries and grapes on occasion. So I am getting there.

I am also really thinking about what is going into my mouth. I never considered myself a big snacker until about two weeks ago when I started writing down what I ate during the day. Suddenly I thought long and hard about the food about to go into my mouth and whether it was worth walking over to the kitchen to record it. I realized that it was easy to grab a snack here and there just because I had the munchies. And sweets are not typically my downfall. It is salty. Salty chips and cheese. Popcorn. Nuts. I love salty. (With a sweet milkshake is even better. :)

I haven't given up all of my "loves". You know, I have that love of Mountain Dew. I count that in my "food count" each day. But I usually go for the can which is only 8 ounces. I still have my Ghiradelli dark chocolate with caramel square. I eat one a day...dark chocolate is supposed to be good for the heart. I want to be heart healthy. :) But I count that in my food count which means I may need to give up a piece of bread at dinner. I have my daily pistachios but I measure them out rather than eating out of the bag where I don't keep track of how many I have eaten. I still eat what I want but I have to choose wisely throughout the day, sometimes making choices or eating smaller portions. My measuring spoons and cups are getting a workout.

Speaking of workout, for the first time ever in my life, I am exercising. I typically exercise 5-6 times a week. I do a mixture of exercises. I am still doing the Wii Active (though I occasionally cut out some of the lunges/squats that I know hurt my knees). I have some new Sweatin' to the Oldies, and I use my elliptical. As the weather warms up, I will have more opportunities to walk, both around the neighborhood and on family hikes. I know I am far from being in shape. But you know what? I can feel a difference. Unfortunately my clothes do not show a big difference yet; they don't fit any differently. But sometimes my hand will brush my leg or I will cross my arms, and I realize that I actually have some muscles with some definition. Maybe the workouts are making more of a difference than I first thought.

So maybe, just maybe, I am not the Biggest Loser loser. Maybe I am a winner after all! (Oh, I have lost six pounds, which isn't great but it is better than not losing at all or even gaining! Congrats to my weigh in partner who lost 11!)

Sorry I didn't post last night. It was just a really hectic night and about midnight, I had to go to bed. I was falling asleep at the board. The keyboard that is. (Oh, just for my sake, pretend like you noticed I didn't post :)

Thank you for the tips on organizing. I had never thought about scanning. That would be perfect for recipes. And I do have plenty of notebooks; I need to just make a list of what I want to check out later via the Internet. I want to get back on top of this paperwork before it takes over my closet!

I don't think I mentioned that our youngest is sick again. :( He got sick at school a couple of times today. Now he is afraid he is going to throw up at any moment and he panics. I don't think he was running a fever today but he was very lethargic and still which is HIGHLY unusual. However, he would perk up for a few minutes before stretching out on the floor to tell me how tired he was. We have an appointment for him in the morning, so hopefully we will find out something and more importantly how to fix it!

Well, I must tackle some magazines, so I better go for now. I hope you are having a great week, whoever and wherever you are!
Reba