From Chin Up to Pin Up

In an instant...

2013-06-04T13:31:00.001-07:00

I often times think of how much we are bombarded in life. We get so busy and overwhelmed and the days come at us faster and faster the older we get. But sometimes things happen in life that really stop & shake you... For me its been things like finding out that we are moving far away 4 days before my senior year, finding out my grandfather was dying of cancer, out of the blue being told my grandmother had just days to live and the most devastating of all; hearing the C word from MY doctor.... Cancer. Some things just shake you, you grieve and you go on with your life not quite as adversly affected. Other things make you evaluate all aspects of your life and promt you to make changes. And sometimes something happens that reminds you how fast your life on this small little planet can end...

Last night around 11pm I turned all the lights off and crawled into bed. I started my nightly routine of listening to something on my iPad and setting my alarm on my phone so I could wake up for work this morning. Not 2 minutes after I laid down I heard a loud crack and explosion. The power went out and I sat straight up in bed. It was a noise that jostles you from the inside out. A couple minutes later the power in my house came back on but the security light outside didnt. I looked out the front window from my living room and noticed that the power was out across the street too. I grabbed a knife (yes, i AM my father's daughter...) and went outside. As I walked out my driveway I saw a few people outside looking at a car that had flipped upside down and slammed into a light pole. It stunk outside, the transformer must have blown and that's why we lost power. My heart sank into my stomach and I got chills. No authorities were on the scene yet. As I stood there paralyzed with fear/sadness/disbelief, my thoughts in my head were going a million miles a minute but it was like muffled silence. Just then I started to hear the ring of sirens. As they got louder and louder I could see people running as if in slow motion around the car. I watched as the first police vehicle arrived. Then a first ambulance arrived. Then the second... And a fire truck. I stood there and watched as the medics and firemen got down on their knees to look inside the car. I waited for the medics to pull the person from the car and load them into the ambulance. And over the course of what seemed like forever and like I was watching it in slow motion in a movie, I watched as the first ambulance left and then the second and then I saw people walking away with heads down. I didnt stay around to see if a coroner or medical examiner arrived on the scene... I just walked away stunned and went back to my house. I walked in, shut the door, crawled into bed and laid there stunned thinking to myself "did someone lose their life tonight?"...

Our lives can end in an instant. We dont know when, we dont know how... Until Jehovah fixes it and we dont have to say goodbye to our loved ones, make every moment count! Live each day to the full. Tell people you love them: family, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, parents, children. You never know when that opportunity will be taken away from you...

So my dear friends, I LOVE YOU!!! I will do my best to tell you that as much as possible, but please never forget it...
~Chrissy

It all evens out...

2013-05-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

Finally feel like I am back on track! Lost 1.2 this week, which I find ironic that in the last 2 weeks I gained 0.8 and then 0.4 and this week lost the total of those two. So I guess it all evens out. It made me happy to see a loss. I was a little discouraged about the gains but owned them and took each day as new! I made it through my best friends wedding, company in town from ATL, NYC, DC & Jersey, and several meals that I was invited over for and a cookout! The loss of 1.2 puts me back at 12 pounds lost. Now if I could just hit the 15 number soon that will be my 5% goal and then on to the 10% goal. I know a lot of what I struggle with comes from within my own head. And I often feel like I am sabotaging myself. But I just need to focus on the end game.

Today at my Weight Watchers meeting we celebrated a weight loss of 100 pounds for one of the gals in our group. It took her one year to lose it and she has more to lose. It made me cry, that's where I want to be. I have a little over 100 pounds to go, I cant WAIT to get there! But I know I have to, its going to take a long time so I just need to be patient!

In the meantime I have so much encouragement! From my sister who is rockin it out, to my boy Todd who knocks my socks off dropping like 10 pounds every week (YOU ARE A MACHINE TODD) and my girl Arlene who never ceases to amaze me with her encouragement, love and support! I know that if I didn't have you guys in my life (and ear everyday) I would not be as successful! Thank you!!!

I started walking/running yesterday. I gotta get ready for this 5K. I am so excited! We have about 16 people on our team and its going to be amazing!!! Only 6 more weeks to go!

Well off to bed. I need to get some rest as I have a 10 hour work day tomorrow and lots of preparations for a camping party we are having for a dozen little girls Friday night...... Yes, we are taking 12 girls camping... in my BFF's backyard! Tents, campfire, hot dogs, s'mores, songs... its going to be insane!

Thank you for your love, support, encouragement and advice! It keeps me going, because I am not about to give up!!!!! Love you all,
~Chrissy

Color Vibe: My first 5k!!!

2013-04-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

So I signed up for my first 5k today! The Color Vibe 5k! Looks like it's going to be a blast! A bunch of friends back home in San Diego did the Run or Dye 5k last month and it looked like so much fun! So I decided I was going to do the one that's coming to Charlotte. But then I saw that they have this one in Raleigh. I'd rather do a local run because Charlotte is 2.5 hours away so that would entail gas, food and hotel for at least one night. This one is right here in Raleigh. So now I can start using that :C25K app that I have had on my phone forever. Time to prepare! There are lots of friends who wanna join my team which just makes it more fun! So we'll see how many we can get for Team Skittle Shenanigans!!!!
Will keep ya posted!
~Chrissy

Seeing the results!

2013-04-17T08:32:00.001-07:00

Another week down! And I thought for sure it would be a gain. I had a terrible weekend! I did my taxes and for the first time in my life I owe. I usually get between $1200-1500 back each year between federal and state. This year I am getting appx $100 back from federal, but owe appx $100 to North Carolina and almost $600 to California. It was like someone had knocked the wind out of my sails. I already have been stressing about every aspect of my life including finances and now I have to come up with this money? That's almost half my monthly income.... And with California if they don't get it postmarked by April 15th it accrues 3% compound interest PER DAY..... I really thought I would be paying California til I was dead. But someone in my life stepped up and offered to cover it for me until after my parents get moved here and things get a little more OUT OF THE RED financially. It was a blessing from Jehovah! Because I truly didn't know what I was going to do. Then on top of that my uncle passed away over the weekend. It was just one thing on top of another. As I have mentioned before, I am an emotional eater. And the old me would have gone right for what would bring me comfort.... food! But the new me is learning! I'm learning to use my food to fuel my body, not comfort it. I am re-learning that I will get better comfort and endorphins from walking/running/activities. Plus being busy with the Circuit Overseer this weekend and having so much spiritual activity helped keep me busy and focused on positive things in my future. If I am going to pioneer I need to be healthy! I need to give my best of everything to Jehovah, and that includes the best me!!!

So anyhow, today as you know is Wednesday and that means time to weigh in. I stepped on the scale with confidence and heard Jan say "WOW! You are down 3 pounds this week!" I was so happy!!! I really thought I was going to gain and I was ready to own that! Anything that shows up on that scale is because of me..... lose or gain! I hit my 10 lbs lost (total of 12) and only 3 away from my 5% goal!

Last night I got home and it was ALMOST dark. But I rushed in the house, threw on my workout clothes and went for a walk. Even tho it was pretty dark out there, I did almost a mile and I felt great after! I prefer to walk in the evening. I came home, had a nice wrap for dinner, did some photo editing and went to bed. I was sad at how much difficulty I had with the walk. I used to run 3 miles every day in San Diego. But its been almost a year since I moved here and a lot has changed over that time.... including my LACK of walking/running. So I have the goal to increase my activity so that I can get back to the "in shape" version of me when I was running daily. I miss it! But I know the more I do it, the better I will feel and the better I will be!!! I look forward to getting back there because I have plans for a couple 5k's this year and so much more!!!!

Thank you all for your support! It means the world to me! Know that anything you want, you can accomplish, it just takes time, effort and the belief you can do it!!!
~Chrissy

"Only" lost one pound

2013-04-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

That pretty much sums up how my weigh in went this morning. I couldnt stay for the meeting as we have the Circuit Overseer visit and needed to get into my ministry. I went (in the same outfit I wear each week), stepped on the scale with confidence and got deflated as soon as I hear Jan say "you lost one pound this week". I was rather discouraged because I really expected at least double that. But not feeling good a few days out of the week will definitely show up on the scale. I rushed out of there eager to get where I needed to go. The morning was a whirlwind: preparing lunch for the CO, getting ready to go, having a little one to keep on task and getting out the door on time. Then off into the ministry we went. It was hot but we had a wonderful morning. Then it was back to the house to set up lunch for the group that was coming and waited patiently as the CO and his wife arrived. Lunch was full of healthy delicious food, upbuilding association and spiritual encouragement. After everyone left it was like a ton of bricks that hit with tiredness. What a morning!

As I got in the car, I started to feel really bummed about the ONE pound I had lost. Meanwhile I had a text waiting for me from my buddy Todd; "This week I lost 5.6 lbs. Down 57.2 lbs total." The first thing to go through my head was "man I SUCK!". I texted a few people to let them know about the one pound, people who are so supportive with that text each week. "That's great!", "Woohoo! Go Girl.", "You go!", "Keep up the good work.", "Celebrate the small stuff". With each text that came though I just didn't feel like I deserved it. Then came this picture.....

It was like WOW!!! That's disgusting!!! And then all I could think about was "That's no longer inside me... I DID THAT!!!" And then all the text messages meant something. They meant that I deserved it! It may not have been the number I wanted to see, but it was a negative, not a plus!!!

I had an algebra teacher in high school. He used to always say "Pennies make dollars and dollars buy houses". I dont know why that has stuck with me all these years. Unfortunatly my pennies have to pay bills and put food on the table. But if I modify it to conform to what applies to ME: "One pound by one pound they add up to many and many, make me healthy"!!!

Thank you all for your love and support, no matter how close or how far the miles between us. Know that YOU help me succeed!
~Chrissy

Here comes the sun......day!

2013-04-07T04:33:00.000-07:00

So it's Sunday! The last two Sunday's have been particularly hard. I have been thinking about it... I think because Sunday morning I attend meeting and despite the fact that I am in a loving congregation, I miss my Persian congregation back home. I miss my family. Being at the meetings makes me think of my family, friends, bible studies that attended the meetings. And then because I miss my family, I feel sad and depressed and as you know from my past posts, I am an emotional eater. So then I come home and wallow in my sorrows with whatever I want to eat. I don't measure. I don't count points. I don't say "hey maybe I shouldn't blow it on this order or carne asada fries..." I just eat it, without thinking about it. Mindless eating.

Well today, I am determined NOT to be that way. I am changing my Sunday! A friend crashed at my house last night while her hubby is out of town (shout out to Charlotte). We spent the day at the Farmer's Market taking in all kinds of goodies! Made homemade Orange Chicken last night (only 10 points) and so its only natural that I send my house guest along with a good delicious breakfast. So I chopped up some fresh sweet onion, red, yellow, orange and green peppers and sauteed them in a little olive oil, added some scrambled eggs and a delish cup of coffee. Only 5 points!!! My Sunday is off to a good start! Now if I can just get through the meeting, enjoy the special talk and association with my spiritual family and get home without stopping anywhere lol, I think I will make it through this day. After all, you cant eat bad things if you don't keep them in the house! I'm halfway there!!!

Enjoy your Sunday everyone! The special talk will be a treat as always, reminding us of the beautiful promises Jehovah has set before us. May your day be full of life, love and delicious, healthy foods!!!
~Chrissy

Hedonic Hunger

2013-04-04T05:24:00.000-07:00

That subject was something brought up in my Weight Watchers meeting yesterday. I had never heard of it before. But as she started to explain it, it made complete sense. It has been defined as food consumption that is not driven by the need for calories but just for pleasure. Hmmm, pleasure eating... Been there, done that. The thought stayed with me as the day went on. How many times have I eaten, not because I was hungry but because I was emotional? Most often its associated with negative feelings. If I am depressed, sad or upset its so easy to walk to the fridge take something out and eat it. It dulls the pain of whatever I am going through. Those that suffer from hedonic hunger are similar to gamblers or drug-dependent persons that are preoccupied with their habit even when they are not engaging in it. They experience frequent thoughts, feelings and urges about food. These may be prompted by food related cues such as the smell or sight of food, talking, reading or even just thinking about food. That's a lot of cues.....

In talking with my cousin yesterday, we discussed the fact that we are trying to view food simply as fuel. She mentioned that she doesn't want to view it as "Ok now I need to work off this huge plate of Carne asada fries I just shoved down my face" but rather "I'm going to eat this fruit, yogurt and nuts because it will fuel my body." Later in researching the subject of hedonic hunger there was a paragraph that brought this thought back up into my head:

"Subjective feelings of hunger are more likely to reflect our hedonic hunger level than our body's actual energy needs. Our body's hunger signals are not closely linked to the amount of food we are likely to eat at the next meal or snack. Satiety (the state or condition of fullness gratified beyond the point of satisfaction) has only a small effect on the pleasantness of foods. It's the availability and palatability of foods which keep us eating."

It made total sense. So many times I have eaten when I wasn't hungry. It was hedonic hunger, not my body's actual need for fuel. So now I have the desire to learn how to control that hunger. In addition to just normal 'self-control' I have read of several ways to help fight against hedonic hunger. So this will be a new road in my journey to fixing me.

This concept of hedonic hunger deeply interests and fascinates me. I look forward to learning more about what triggers it, how to avoid it and get it out of my life!

Hope you have enjoy your day and remember, food is our fuel!

~Chrissy

Working my way down!

2013-04-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

Well it's Wednesday! Weigh in day! Went to my meeting really certain that I had gained this week. I felt heavy and solid. Didn't feel as "light" as I have felt the last 2 weeks. I did ok last week but then the weekend came... For some reason I had a rough time on Sunday again. Ate bad food for lunch and then had a photo session in the afternoon. Once we got done with that, we went out to eat. It was a pub type place, with a menu of maybe a dozen items. Everything either didn't sound good or really didn't sound healthy. I settled for a burger. It was on a thinner bread than a bun. I opted out of the mango chutney (since I am allergic to them) and nixed the cheese and mayo. Asked if I could have lettuce and tomato added to it. It came with fries; I ate 5 or 6 of them. The next two days leading up to today I tried to be really diligent. This morning I wore the same outfit as last week, I stepped on the scale determined to own whatever it showed... "Down 1.4" the lady said with a smile. I heaved a sigh of relief I had this horrible feeling that I was going to undo the last 3 weeks worth of work. That was my emotional side rearing its ugly head. So with that 1.4 off, it's a total of 8 pounds in 3 weeks. If I can keep my momentum going and keep losing about 10 pounds a month I can have the bulk of this weight off in no time. Just don't want to get ahead of myself.

One thing that I have done to help along the journey is invested in an ActiveLink monitor. Its a small device you clip to your body and wear 24/7. It tracks your activity, tells you how much you have moved, how many extra points you have earned, helps you create your own activity plan and motivates/challenges you to reach personal activity goals. Those that have it, swear by it. What's unique about it is it's personalized to you and your own body. Depending on the activity you do within the first week of assessment it then tells you how much activity you need to do to earn extra points. Now extra points CAN be eaten, maybe if you are going to a party or out to dinner, you will have extra points. But the more working out you do and NOT eating the points, the better your results will be on the scale. That's what I'm goin for!

So not a great week, but not a bad one either! I am excited for this journey! I have the best support! One thing a friend shared with me was something along the lines of "Don't let that the bad food you have wanted for an hour rob you of the body you have wanted your entire life!" That is something I can relate to. I have heard the saying "Nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels". But those are just empty words to me, I have never been skinny. Not YET that is......

Have a great week my wonderful friends! Thanks for all your support!
~Chrissy

Back in the game!!!

2013-03-30T14:38:00.001-07:00

So as you can see from my previous posts, I have tried this weight loss thing several times in the past. There have been many things I have tried over the years which you can read in my first entry on this blog. After many failed attempts I joined Weight Watchers September 4th 2007. In May 2009 I started learning the Persian language and life got a little crazy. After a year and a half of Weight Watchers and only losing 23 pounds, I gave up. I figured I might as well eat what I want if I am not going to lose weight restricting myself from those things. In November 2009, I went to my lady doctor to have a routine checkup. They scheduled me for a DNC to clean out the lining of the uterus. The results? There are 6 ways it can look under the microscope: 1 = clean and healthy... 6 = full blown cancer. I was looking at stage 5 which means the uterus is full of abnormal cells that turn into cancer. The doctor had already reviewed my file with an Oncologist and scheduled me an appointment. I week later I met with him and he had already scheduled me for surgery. Within 3 weeks I was in the hospital having a hysterectomy. They removed the uterus which was 3x the size it should have been because of so many of those bad cells in it. Thus started my road to recovery...

In October 2010 I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes. I was under the care of a wonderful Endocrinologist. She had to be in her 70's but was sharp as a tack and so stinkin smart. She took such good care of me and helped get the insulin levels down from 235 to 65 (normal for a woman is 17). To this day I still try to get those numbers down.

In May 2011, I decided to visit one of my best friends who had moved some 6 years earlier to North Carolina. Before I even went, I had made up my mind that I would move there. When I visited, I had so much peace and contentment. I also noticed there were Persian restaurants so that means Persian speakers!!! I came home to San Diego and told my roommate I was moving. The next 10 months after I moved out of my apartment and in with my cousin and her husband were a whirlwind. Planning, preparing, scheduling... In addition to that, I had the greatest experience living with them!

On April 27th 2012 I said goodbye to San Diego and headed north to spend a few days with friends there. On Monday April 30th at 4am we headed East! I was accompanied by my roommate/friend/sister Jennifer and my parents who drove their own car! We made the trek in 4 days, should have done it in 5. It was exhausting but amazing to see so many states, so much scenery. Thursday night May 3rd we pulled into Wake Forest, NC.

Within a week, I had a job! Within 2 months, I had a home! It was amazing to see Jehovah provide so many things for me! Life got started! Its been a blast getting to know new sights, sounds, lack of sounds, people. New friends. Busy with Persians. Fast forward to March 2013. I don't exactly make the money I thought I would make here and my expenses are the same (I just get more bang for my buck). I was eating lots of processed foods because its all I could afford. I started feeling gross. And for the first time in my life I FELT overweight. In California I ran 3 miles every day. I hiked. I biked. I was active, the weight didn't hold me back. My sister who is still in California is doing Weight Watchers again. So far she has lost over 40 pounds and feels great. So I thought: it's a new program, I'm in a new environment, my body has been through a lot of changes... Maybe this time it will work. On Wednesday March 13th I went and signed up for my first meeting. I was excited for a new change! "I am worth the change I envision for myself"! Its a saying I keep in my mind daily! I am in my 3rd week and still going strong! I have had two great weigh ins:
Week 1: March 20th 3.4 loss
Week 2: March 27th 3.2 loss
So I have got a good start going! I will continue to work hard! I have great support! I have a better frame of mind! I will have ups. I will have downs. I hope to face them with courage and continue on in this journey to make me a better me!!!
Love & kisses,
Chrissy

Time for Change

2009-01-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, so we have all said it... Time for a change! But really this has to happen. I have wonderful support from my roommate who also joined Weight Watchers last night. I am back on track. I went grocery shopping last night. I planned my lunch today and have dinner planned for tonight & Thursday already. I am going to try my hardest to fight through this rough time in my life and not let it overtake me. The biggest thing I am dealing with right now is my grandmother dying. I usually have a strong tendancy to emotionally eat when I am going through stress of something like this. But I am starting to have a new outlook on food. Not just eating it cause its there. But only eating for fuel, when I am hungry. Something finally clicked in my head and I am seeing it that way now. I am going to try as hard as I possibly can to not only follow plan everyday but try and get 30 minutes of some kind of exercise in EVERYDAY, I know that will help speed things along too. I think I am just so overwhlmed with the fact that I have so much weight to lose. I also think of what I USED to be able to do and becuase I cannot do that NOW, I get discouraged. I used to run 3 miles a day and felt great. Now I have an arch that is falling and have to wear inserts in my shoes to reshape my foot. I have something limiting me now and becuase I cannot go full fledge like I used to I think "whats the point?" Well, the point is that SOMETHING is better than nothing..... So with a new attitude and new motivation, I am going to do this!!! Hope that I can help encourage anyone else who needs it. Love to all,
Chrissy

Back now...

2008-08-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

Ok so I dont know if anyone even reads this thing. But I have been gone for some time now. I am so sorry. I didnt realize how long it had been until I looked and for my progress box it said that there was no data cause it had been more than 80 days. Oops, my bad! Well its been a tough road. I have had a lot going on. I have not eaten well, I have not been to the gym, I just had come close to giving up. But I had a talk with myself this weekend and told myself that when my membership expired and I had to cancel cause I didnt have the money, someone bought 10 more weeks for me. Someone spent $130 for me to continue to attend the meetings for another 10 weeks. That means someone believes in me that much. I cant let them down, I cant let their money go to waste. So I started back on track yesterday. I have been counting my points, back at the gym and have a whole new attitude. I really wanna do this. I am tired of being the way I am. I mean, I am happy with myself and I love myself but I wanna be healthy and I wanna be happier. I know that the only way that I can feel better is by being healthier and eating right. Yesterday I DID NOT want to go to the gym, but me and ebizzle talked each other into it and we went toether after work. I went to the WW meeting last night and I gained 2 pounds and so not bad for being away for 3 weeks. I also had just drank a whole bottle of water at the gym and had other stuff going on in my body that could have contributed to that gain. But you know what? In the words of Heidi, I am going to own it and take that number as my mess up. That scale does not lie. And next week, its going to tell me I lost something...

So keep up the good work everyone. I am off to the gym for my lunch breakk. Have a great week and much love to you all!!!
~Chrissy

Measurments

2008-05-07T10:20:00.001-07:00

Ok, so this is just a generalization becuase I cant remember the numbers exactly. But jessie did my measurments the other night and I have lost an inch in my waist, like 2 in my arms and thighs and then like 4 inches in my hips. I may not be seeing as much progress on the scale as I want, but the fact that I am seeing it elsewhere makes me so happy. On my way to being that presumptuous pin up...

Yosemite Countdown

2008-05-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

Ok for those of you going with us in September, I have now added our Yosemite Countdown so that we can know how many days we have left to slave away til we are relaxing away in Yosemite with the bears. Cant wait!!!

Cool texting tool

2008-05-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

So I was reading an article yesterday on cools tricks when texting. One of them was very effective and thought I would share it with you all:

If you're watching your weight, Diet.com can help you count your calories. Text any major restaurant chain's name and menu item to DIET1 (dial 34381) and Diet.com will shoot you back the nutrition stats: calories, fat, carbs and protein.

The only stat it does not give you is the fiber which at least you can get a general idea of what the points value is. I mean if anything, the points value will go down if there is a fiber content. I gave it a whirl yesterday morning and it was pretty sweet! I sent "McDonald's Sausage Egg McMuffin" and in about 15-20 seconds I got a text that said:
McDonalds Sausage McMuffin W/ Egg
Cal: 450
Fat: 27g
Carb: 30g
Prtn: 21g

How cool is that??? I mean, whats not cool is that that item is 11 points!!! What would have been cool is that if I had found this out before yesterday morning, I could have avoided that 11 point Sausage Egg McMuffin I had for breakfast... But from now on that will be a GREAT tool to use when you are out and happen to stop at a fast food place. Or you go to a restaurant and didnt look up the items before you came. This is a great tool for those that fail to plan! Like myself... There was a saying that my 9th grade Algebra teacher used to say: Fail to plan then plan to fail. That is true in money situations, life situations but also in food situations. If you fail to plan on what obsticles might come upon you then you will have to put up an even harder fight. Be like my good friend Heidi, who when she knew she was going to a picnic this weekend that would have lots of possible "Red Light Foods" she brought her own lunch and ate that. Well done my friend!!! Well people, that is my tip of the day! One last thought I will leave you with: "Many times we're so wrapped up in our problems that we can't see how simple it can be to solve them." I wish you all succes in living a healthy lifestyle. Love and kisses,
~Chrissy

Whidldfnkias

2008-05-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know that they title does not make any sense. I thought it was indicitive of my weight loss this week. I lost 3.8lbs. I mean, dont get me wrong. I am so happy about that. But I didnt count points once last week. It seems that the weeks that I dont worry about it and just eat normal (obviously paying attention to how much I eat) I lose but the weeks that I count the points like they were my money, I gain. I just dont get it, its confusing, frustrating and annoying. But its a loss non the less so I am happy. When I weighed in last night, Pamela said that I just needed to lose 0.4 somehow. So since I had taken off my rings, earrings, bracelet, glasses and slip before I got on the scale (always do every week), I asked if I could take off my bra. She laughed (but objected) even tho I assured her that I could do it without removing my shirt. She still would not allow me... So I decided that I am boycotting bras. Another .04 more I would have been at 25 pounds total. "Stupid bra!!!" Needless to say I will never wear a bra to WW again!!!!!!!!!!!!! So since you have that mental picture I will leave you with the final thought that Stephanie left us with last night: "If you ignore your health, it will go away!" All too true!!! Thanks to all of you for your love and support. Love you all,
~Chrissy

Monday Weigh In

2008-04-30T09:12:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I went to WW Monday night. I gained 1.4 pounds. I ate great the whole week but blew it on Sunday when we went to dinsneyland, egh, it happnes. I also was retaining major water, I took my sock off and it looked like I still had one on. Oh well, will do better next week. Have a good week everyone!
~Chrissy

Its awesome to see results...

2008-04-22T11:07:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I know there are a lot of you who intently look for my follow up information every Tuesday. Its been an insane, crazy, busy morning but as requested, my info is posted over there --> from last night. It was a great night. I busted my butt last week (see blog from yesterday) and it paid off. Now I am more than ever before motivated to stay with this thing and make it happen. Thanks to everyone for your love and support, you know who you are!!! Love you all,
~Chrissy

Wow, thats what being determined is like...

2008-04-21T15:52:00.001-07:00

So last week I spanked it!!! I was never over my points once all week and went to the gym everyday but Thursday and even then I went and played Tennis with Sarah. I hurt, but it was a good hurt. I am finally feeling that determination that I have been lacking for so long. I mean on Wednesday I ran for a mile straight, have not done that in months. I pushed myself everyday to do at least 2 miles (which is where I stopped everyday). I started going to the gym on my lunch break. No lines for a treadmil and not a lot of people which is super nice. I used to go after work and it was like if I didnt get there right at 5pm, well then I had to wait in a line for a treadmil and then be surrounded by these people that go to the gym just to check other people out and its intimidating. Its still that way at lunch but not even close to the way it is after work. Anyway, so I have been enjoying that. Every day last week I stayed within my points, I mean, for once, I was the WW nazi. I was so proud of myself. Saturday I didnt count points, but I didnt eat a lot either. Sunday I was good for the most part, until dinner that is. We went to the Old Spaghetti Factory and I had this Chicken Penne that had both Marinara and Alfredo sauce on it. Could have done without the Alfredo since it tasted like a basic cream sauce with no flavor, kinda killed the meal. But I did have bread too. I am so proud of myself. I didnt eat all my meal cause I just decided I was satisfied and stopped. I am excited about the weigh in tonight. I am anxious to see how I did this week. Oh and the best part!!! I was trying to find something to wear yesterday morning and all my clothes were just hanging on me. Rach even came in to try and help me find something but everything was just hanging down. I was so excited, altho I have NO money to buy new clothes right now. I am going to just keep up the good work, keep kickin my butt at the gym and keep on track. I went on my lunch break today and did 3 miles, thought I would increase it. Then this afternoon I started getting a little drowsy so I used my stress bands to do some arm exercizes and then did 100 crunches. I will update tomorrow on how the weigh in went. Love, peace and chicken grease...
~Chrissy

Guilt is the worse feeling in the world!

2008-03-27T21:24:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I had the worst feeling of guilt today. I had a mini crossoint with turkey and cheese on it. It was low in points cause it was so small. I ended up getting hungry around 3pm and had a Smart Ones Ziti Pasta to hold me over. We made Orange Chicken and Fried Rice from Trader Joe's for dinner. It was super tasty. The Orange Chicken was 5 points for 1 cup and the Fried Rice was 4 points for 1 cup. It was really good but that is not what I had the guilty feeling for. We had a Board Luncheon yesterday and brought in mini sandwhiches from VONS. We also had cookies. These giant sugar cookies. I ate like 3/4 of one today. I was just craving it like you would not believe. So I bucklede under the pressure. I have no idea how many points it was. I counted 5 points for it. I am hoping that it was not more than that. It was 3/4 or a freaking cookie. I was good the rest of the day. I actually have 1 point left after I just ate my canteloupe tonight. Which was quite yummy and kinda made up for the cookie. Ok, not really... Anyway, I am still feeling very motivated and trying really hard to just do this thing. I am .4 away from 20 pounds, I WANT MY 20 POUND STAR!!!!!!!!!!! I am just trying really hard. I feel like now that I have pretty much 20lbs down, I can do this, its managable. So I am going to keep on keeping on. This weekend will be the real test as that is ALWAYS when I fall down. I go out lots with friends. I eat way too many points. So we will see how it goes and I will update as I can. Have a great weekend everyone!
~Chrissy

No Weigh In Pass

2008-03-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

Hey there, so I updated my weights so that you can see where I am at total. I am thinking tonight I might go to the meeting but use a No Weigh In Pass becuase I have not eaten very well over the weekend. I had an event on Friday and ate horrible on Friday. Saturday didnt eat well, Sunday didnt eat well. Thus the reason I feel like caca... So anyway, things are updated, enjoy!

Going strong.... SPEEDBUMP

2008-02-27T15:31:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have been doing really good all week so far. Been counting all my points, eveything that goes into my mouth gets written down. But see I am an emotional eater. And oh boy are the emotions running strong... Yesterday I made a HUGE boo boo. Our million dollar donor called and had not received the blank invitations I had sent him in the mail. Oh yeah, cause I forgot to send them, even tho I had told his girl I did. I guess there were just so many things coming across our desk that I honestly thought I had sent them. I felt terrible. I had popped them in the mail yesterday so that they would get them today but she wanted them now. I had mailed her the last of my invitations so I looked around the office and was able to scrounge up the amount I needed. I jumped in the car and flew down the freeway heading from Santee to Pacific Beach. I felt horrible. I knew that my boss would be pissed. When I got back to the office, the donor had called my boss, who was on vacation and told her that he was not happy about what had happened. I thought to myself "Great, now I have the wrath of Lesa upon me tomorrow". So I worried about it all night. I woke up with a migraine this morning from it. But not only that, we had gotten a notice from the property management company at home saying that they were going to do inspections of all the apartments. I was freaking out cause a couple months ago they had sent a flyer to every apartment stating that there were no pets, no bbq's and any modifications that were to be done to the place i.e. hanging hardware, painting, etc... required written consent from the management. We have a cat, curtains hanging and a bbq out back, all things that were either ok'd by the previous manager or never mentioned to us. I was so worried that they were going to make us get rid of them all. The curtains offer warmth/coolness to my room, the cat is like my child and the bbq was a gift from my grandmother when we moved in. I dont want to have to get rid of any of them. So I came to work today, talked with my boss, mistakes happen she said. Too bad it was with the million dollar doner as compared to a board member, grrr. The inspection went fine, they checked all the blinds, smoke detectors and windows, we also gave them a list of things that have been needing to be fixed since we moved in over a year ago. They even saw the cat trying to make a run for the door and thought it was funny. Whew... I popped 3 Excedrine Migraine and got back to work. I studied my oral review on my lunch break so that I will be prepared for meeting tonight. I am feeling much better now. Enjoying the rest of my day. Its a quarter til 4 so I will be outta here in a little over an hour. Will go home and finish my oral review since the last few questions are material I dont have access to here at work and my lunch was over before I could get to them. Hope everyone is enjoying our 80 degree sunny weather! C-ya,
~Chrissy

Monday Weigh In

2008-02-26T11:13:00.000-08:00

Ok, so call me a bad person, but I ditched WW last Monday. Two weeks ago I went and had this strong feeling I was going to lose, but the scale never lies and this time it told me I had gained 2.6. I was devastated. I had been soooooo good all week and really thought I was going to lose. I was at the point where I was so frustrated I was ready to just give up. But my sister gave me a pep talk that whooped my butt. Last week I didnt wanna go to the weigh in cause I just didnt wanna face the scale. So since I had the day off, me and a couple friends went to Disneyland for the day. A perfect way to get out of the meeting. Lol... So I started the week with D-land, where I didnt count points but did walk all over the place. Tuesday I was determined to start again but just didnt have the motivation when the day finally came. So I watched what I ate, ya watched it go right into my mouth. Last night I was all set to go the the gym before the meeting but I got out of work late and didnt make it. But I went to the meeting with a good attitude knowing that I was going to gain for my physical, emotional and mental downfall over the last few weeks that kept me inactive and eating things I ought not. But I got on the scale and found out that I lost 3.2 which brought me to 15.6 total loss. I was very happy about that and it motivated me to stay on it this time. I ate my exact points yesterday, didnt touch allowance. Today I have been on a good track, light yogurt, banana, fiber bar and 100 calorie blueberry muffin. I went to Target yesterday and bought a bunch of Smart Ones for work, I have them in the freezer here so that I can have lunches set. Well, I will keep you all updated as things keep progressing. Love you all,
~Chrissy

Yet again, its weigh in time

2008-02-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

So Monday was my weigh in again. I had been telling myself all last week I just wanted 1.4 nothing more, nothing less. I wanted that 1.4 more than anything that I have ever wanted cause I knew that would put me at 15 pounds lost. My mom was joining that night so she could be apart of my celebration. I took off my heavy work clothes and put on my gym clothes, same outfit I had weighed in wearing the last 2 weeks. I went to the meeting and got in line, so nervous to step on that scale and so scared that it wouldnt show that 1.4 weightloss. I got up there and she got the number. Everything went through my head, "what did she see? did i lose? did I gain?" I was almost becoming overwhelmed when I told myself to breathe and go sit down with Heidi. She asked me how I did and I didnt wanna look. But I took a deep breath and slowly opened my booklet to reveal that I had LOST 1.4!!!!!! I was extatic! I was so proud of myself. I know that I can do this! Its mind over matter, which is easier said than done. This week I have stuck to plan really well. I have not been to the gym cause I have been struggling with a migraine. But Holly is joining the gym on Saturday so we are going to start going together, I hate going alone. My real test will come this weekend. I struggle with what I eat on the weekends. We always end up eating bad food. But Friday night my cousin is coming over and we are going to make dinner and hang out. I am going to go to Henry's and get a bunch of fruits and veggies. I need to make this change. I have to. I am going to be diabetic very soon if I dont. I am so greatful to have the love and support of my friends and family. I know that I can do this, I just need to set my mind to it. I watched that documentary "Supersize Me". Oh man, I never wanna eat fast food again. It was listing the things that can come from this type of lifestyle. What I am dealing with is bolded below. The study said:

"In the last 20-25 years there has been a double in overweight children which is responsile for:
*Hypertension
*Coronary Heart Disease
*Stroke
*Gall Bladder Disease (Had my Gall Bladder removed)
*Osteoarthritis
*Sleep Apnea (Slight version of this)
*Respiratory Problems
*Endonetrial Cancer
*Breast Cancer
*Prostate Cancer
*Colon Cancer
*Dyslipidemia
*Steatohepatitis
*Insulin Resistance (High Insulin levels are up to 99, mine is 103)
*Asthma
*Hyperaricemia
*Reproductive Hormone Abnormalities
*Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
*Impaired Fertility
*Adult Onset Diabetes
Then he shared some scary statistics:
*1 of 3 children born in 2000 will have diabetes
*1 in 20 Americans have diabetes
*end*

I dont want any more than I already have. I dont want the cancers. I dont want diabetes. I dont want to die because I am overweight. So I am trying my HARDEST to look at life, food, exercise, everthing in a different way. I have GOT to lose the weight so that it doesnt kill me. I wanna be around a while...
~Chrissy

Monday Weigh In

2008-01-29T08:36:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I was a little worried about the weigh in but was not going to let it bother me. I knew that I had splurged a lot over the weekend, but at the same time, we went to the Wild Animal Park on Saturday and walked, walked, walked. So I figured I had earned some activity points. Anyway, I weighed in and had lost 1 pound. At least it was a loss and not a gain. I was proud of myself cause I had gone to the gym after work and earned 8 activity points. I usually dont eat activity points but last night I was HUNGRY and craving In-N-Out so I splurged. And boy was it good!!! I brought my clothes with me again to work for the gym. So I am planning on earning more activity points tonight, but not planning on using them. I had a muffin and a yogurt for breakfast this morning and planning on having a PB&J for lunch on wheat bread. Not sure about dinner yet, that always seems to be my downfall. We'll see. And I just wanna give a shout out to all my WW partners in crime. Keep up the good work you guys, I am so proud of all of you. We are going to be feeling great and lookin fine in no time!!! Love you all and have a good week!
~Chrissy

Yah yah

2008-01-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I only lost .4 this week. But I had a bad weekend with food. So I deserved it. But I wanna give mad props to my roommate Rachel who threw down 8 pounds and to Heidi for dropping 2 pounds. Keep up the good work girls. Oooh and Alena lost 3.4 whoop-whoop, you go girl. Jessie lost 1.8 and Elizabeth lost 1.4. I am so proud of all of you. Oh and Nadia lost 4.4, heeeeyyyyyy. I am so proud of all my Weight Watchers buddies. Keep up the good work, we will be skinny hos in no time... Love, peace and chicken grease,
~Chrissy