Plus Size?

I read a blog earlier that commented that size 12 was plus size.
Are you freaking kidding me?
I looked it up and the average dress size for women in North America is size 14.
I'm not saying that size 14 is perfect. I believe the perfect size for anyone is the size they are when they are healthy.
My little sister was really sick a couple of years ago. She was sick for over a year before she finally had surgery to fix her problem. She went from a healthy, fit, wearing a size 5 to the point that size 0 was too big for her. She was a walking skeleton. She had no fat on her; and no muscle tone. Two months after her surgery, I had Muffin. She couldn't hold his little 7 pound self for more than 5 minutes without her arms starting to shake. She was so unhealthy.
How many women out there do that same thing to theirselves willingly? I could easily bet thousands.

This is a size 12 model. 

This is a size 0 model.

Which one looks unhealthy to you?

My sister is back on track, over a year after surgery. She's still really thin, but she's gained enough that she doesn't look sickly anymore. Her boyfriend is a big health nut. He loves working out and eating well. He has a major sweet tooth, but he hits the gym a lot. I'm sure he'll take care of her.
When I started my weight loss journey, I was a size 18. Or at least, I told myself I was a size 18. Looking back, my pants were very tight. I mentally refused to let myself wear anything larger. I refused to believe that 18 was plus size. In my head, plus size was 20. A size not found in most stores. I wouldn't step foot into a plus size store. That would be admitting I was plus size; although I was.
I can admit it now. Now that those size 18 pants I was wearing are now too big. Now that the size 16 pants I am wearing are too big. Now that my size 14 pants from 5 years ago fit again.
I don't know what my "perfect" dress size will be. I don't even really know what number on the scale is right for me. Yes, I'm shooting to be 48 pounds lighter than I am right now, but I don't know if that's the right number for me. I had to set a goal, so I did. I went off of what the BMI scale said is healthy for me.
I just want to be healthy. If I can get myself fit too, that's awesome. That's what I'm working towards. Healthy and fit.
And if I can look and feel great in a sexy little black dress, that's an extra Hubby can enjoy as well.

Yesterday's Overview

Breakfast: Apple (0pts)
Lunch: Roast beef wrap with lots of fresh veggies and more veggies on the side (6pts)
Dinner:  Falafel burger in a pita with (too many yummy homemade) potato wedges (22pts!)
Snacks: none
Pop: one glass

Excerise: No full on workout, but I ran up and down both sets of stairs all day long doing laundry and stuff.

Meetings

Okay, quick question...What happened to Hungry? He used to be on the Weight Watchers commericals. I love seeing Jennifer Hudson because she's an inspiration, but I miss the cuteness of Hungry. I saw the dolls on Esty once. I should track them down again. Would love to have one. I could tell him "No" every time I want something bad for me and I'm low on points for the day. Ha! That would be fun.
Anyways, today I want to talk about something that helps to keep me motivated.
My Weight Watchers meetings.
When I first joined, that first meeting was horrible to go to. I felt like a failure going. Like admiting I had a problem and needed help was a bad thing. The ladies who work there welcomed me with open arms. They made me feel good about about there. After the meeting, I finally understood I was not alone. I went home on a natural high about the journey I was starting. Hubby was so supportive. He may not have joined, but he started eating like me and working out. We were both on our way to changing our lives.
I look forward to my weekly meeting. I go Monday evenings. At first I hated that they were on Monday. It meant if I let lose on the weekend, it showed at weigh-in on Monday. But now I'm happy it's on Monday. It helps keep me in check over the weekend.
I leave for my meetings early. The meeting doesn't start until 7pm. I'm there at 6 most days. I weigh in before there's a huge line. I get to talk to my leader before the crowd comes in. I get my pick of where to sit in the meeting room. And then I get almost an hour to myself. No hubby, no kids, no cat, no phone, no internet. Just me, myself and my book/magazine/notebook/whatever-it-is-I-brought-with-me. I love that little bit of me time.
When my meeting is over, I'm full of fresh motivation and relaxed. I can track my busy week head on without a doubt.

Yesterday's Overview

Breakfast: 2 cups of coffee (3pts)
Lunch: Black bean quesadilla with fat free sour cream (9pts)
Dinner: Pesto pasta - Weight Watchers recipe (8pts)
Snacks: Granola bar (3pts)

I noticed I still drink too much diet pop some days. There are days I don't touch it, but other's where I drink two or three cups worth. So I'm going to start tracking my diet pop intake.

Pop: 2 cups

Exercise: 35 minutes cardio; ran up and down the stairs for 20 minutes

***Little Extra***
I stepped on my scale this morning. It was calling my name. I'm still in my pjs (which are pretty lightweight), and haven't eaten or drank anything yet. The number on the scale was 4 pounds smaller than Monday night's weigh in. Why oh why can't weigh in be in the morning? I like that number so much more. I know I won't be 4 pounds lighter Monday night. The scale can go up and down every day; muliple times a day, if you're into tourturing yourself. I'll be happy with a 2 pound loss. Heck, I'll be happy with a one pound loss. A loss is a loss is a loss, right?
Still, it was nice seeing that -4 pounds this morning. Remembering that -4 might help me keep things in check while I'm at my mother's house today.

This Boy

I got to go to this cutie's classroom today for 30 minutes. I met his teacher who raved about him. He already knows his alphabet, he can count to 100 (and beyond), he can write his name and he knows his colours and shapes. All the things his teacher is teaching the junior kindergarten class. She's teaching the senior kindergarten students (it's a split class) sight words. To work together as a class, the teacher decided to teach the junior kindergarteners how to "read" a story looking at the pictures. My monkey got to get up and hold the book. He then read the book, word for word, to the class. Shocked his teacher.
Monkey loves to learn. Always has. He's been begging to go to school since he was two. When he turned three, we put him into a program called Best Start. It's a daycare for kids getting ready to start school. It gets them used to what school will be like. I was home; it was money we really could have used for other things; but he loved it so much. It was worth it. He went only two days a week. It takes place in his current school. So when he started jk this year, the only thing he wasn't used to was taking the bus. I drove him to and from the school the year before.
I walked out of Monkey's classroom having a very proud Mommy Moment. I thought it was just my bais Mommy thinking he was a smartie, but I guess not. His teacher said he's one of the brightest in her whole class. And he's super polite too. Thank goodness! Feels like all he does is pick fights with his baby brother here at home.
Yes, I'm very proud of my darling big boy.
I am very glad I got this chance to go spy on his class and talk to his teacher.

Me?

Losing weight...What's in it for me?
There are millions of people who are in the same boat as I am right now. They need to lose weight. There are some who pretend they don't care. There are some who are in denial. Me? No, I'm not fat. That used to be me. I honestly didn't see the fat person who was staring at me from the other side of the mirror. And then there are those who decide to do something about it and take control back over their bodies. That is where I am.
But what changes one's mind?
For me, the want to change came with the pregnancy of my youngest.
Many years ago, I was slim. I didn't have a healthy relationship with food, but I wasn't fat. I ended up in a bad relationship. We started out happy, like most couples start out, but then the emotional abuse started. I was unhappy, pretending to be happy. I turned to food. I would spend an entire weekend laying on the couch eating packages of cookies, chips, processed food; downing it all with litres of pop. Looking back is almost painful. I knew what I was doing was bad, but I felt better drowning my sorrows in junk food.
My weight, of course, jumped up.
I got out of that relationship and realized I needed to shed some weight. I tried straving myself. I was not in the right state of mind to lose weight. I wanted a quick, cheap fix. I wasn't willing to work on it.
Then I might Hubby. He loved me just the way I was.
We slowly became foodie wannabe's together. I learnt how to cook real food. And I enjoyed it!
Then we became parents to be together.
I treated my first pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted, when I wanted. I craved processed cheese (ick!), pickles and mayo. Not always together. I would go to Subway and order a veggie sub and just put tons of pickles, mayo and a little bit of lettuce. I would go to McDonald's and order 3 cheeseburgers with extra cheese and nothing else on them.
You can see where I'm going with this, right?
I gained 70 pounds with that pregnancy.
It was not a good pregnancy; I turned to food when I wasn't feeling well.
40 pounds melted off quickly, but I held onto 30.
I knew, deep down, that I needed to lose weight. I guess I wasn't mentally ready.
Fast forward almost three years later, my baby was on the edge of turning three and I was holding a positive pregnancy test.
Those 70 pounds from my first was haunting me. I was terrified of gaining that much weight again.
I turned to Hubby to talk about my fears. He gave me the slap in the face I needed, figuratively speaking. He pointed out that I gained the weight. No one made me. I did it. That's when I told him I was joining Weight Watcher after the baby came out. I was sick and tired of being fat.
I watched my diet carefully with that pregnancy. It helped that I craved mushrooms and jelly beans. I craved the odd greasy cheeseburger, but refused to give in. I gained a total of 15 pounds; still giving birth to a 7 pound, 11 ounce baby. I lost the baby weight and was back in my pre-pregnancy clothes in 14 days. And I hated my clothes. I knew I lost my second round of baby weight, but that first round of baby weight haunted me. That bad relationship weight haunted me. I wanted it gone.
I waited three months before getting up the nerves to walk into my first Weight Watchers meeting. And I am so glad I did.
I did lose sight of the big picture over the summer. Or rather, I just got lazy. Summer was hot and I was busy. I stopped exercising, I stopped counting points; But I don't think I stopped caring. I didn't gain weight. I still wish I hadn't stopped the program for the summer. It's a life style change, not school where you get the summer off.
So now I'm back to losing weight and changing my life for the better.
Once again...Why?
Because I want to be around for my boys now and in the future.
When I first decided to lose weight for good, I thought about how I was slowly killing myself. How could I call myself a good mother if I was on the fast track to give myself heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes? How could I run after two kids when I had trouble running after one?
I knew I had to lose the weight for myself, but my boys are my motivation.
They still are.

And now it's time for...

Yesterday's Overview

Breakfast: Special K (3pts)
Lunch: Tomato soup with rice (8pts)
Dinner: Lamb burgers with a sprinkle of feta (10pts) -- So filling Hubby and I both just had the burger and a few cucumber slices
Snacks: Cheese and goldfish crackers, bear paw snack pack (8pts)

Exercise: Nada. But I did run up and down my stairs about 30 times in the afternoon. I cleaned. And I played with my boys. I didn't find the time to exercise, but I kept moving.

Post #2

Two posts in one day! I'm on a blogging roll. Too bad I'm the only one who really cares.
But this isn't about having hundreds of readers (although that would be cool); this is about me.

Today I made lamb burgers for dinner. I have only had a taste of lamb once before. It was many, many moons ago. When I was 19, my then boyfriend took me to Niagara Falls for New Year's. We had dinner at the Skylon Tower. He had the rack of lamb, I tasted one bite. I don't remember what it tasted like; I just remember I liked it. I did not like the mint though. Mint, to me, is for gum, ice cream and tea.
I have the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook. I bought it for myself last year after Christmas. I love this cookbook! I haven't found a recipe in it that I haven't liked so far.

The lamb burgers are in this book.

I found ground lamb on sale at my local grocery store a few weeks ago. $2.91 for a pound? Sold! I bought two packs. I fell upon the recipe last week when I was flipping though my cookbooks looking for inspiration for my meal plan.

Ground lamb, cilantro, green onion, one egg white, salt and pepper was all it took. Pan fried them, but I think I'll BBQ them next time. Put it in a pita and put on toppings. The recipe calls for tomatoes, lettuce, mint and plain yogurt for the toppings. I did tomatoes, feta and sour cream. Why? It was what I had on hand.

And they were fabulous! Even the kiddos liked them. I may have hinted it was beef to Monkey, but he ate it and he liked it! Muffin was all about the cucumbers I gave him and the pita. He tried feta and loved it. He's very picky about meat. This kid won't eat a chicken nugget! What kid doesn't like chicken nuggets? Apparently, mine. Although he could eat his weight in hot dogs.

Anyways, let's look at yesterday now

Yesterday's Overview

Breakfast: Apple (0pts)

Lunch: Soup (6pts)

Dinner: Chicken, mexican rice, steamed cauliflower, cheddar cheese (8pts)

Snacks: None

Exercise: 35 minutes cardio

Dr Oz's Ten Commandments

I read this on someone else's blog and thought it was great. So now I'm sharing here.

Dr Oz's Ten Commandments of Weight Loss

1. Thou Shalt Not Wear Pants that Stretch
Your clothing is an early-warning system for weight gain. When it's getting hard to snap your jeans, you know it's time to be vigilant. Wearing stretchy clothes allows you to live in ignorance of how your body is growing, making it easier to pack on pounds without knowing it.

2. Thou Shalt Not Keep Fat Clothes in Your Closet
When you keep the clothes you wore at an unhealthy weight, it gives you a back-up plan if the pounds don't come off. Instead, force yourself to stay on track by 86ing your "fat pants."

3. Thou Shalt Not Eat Meat That Walks on Four Legs More Than Once a Week
Meat that comes from an animal with 4 legs is higher in saturated fat (the unhealthy kind) than that which comes from 2-legged animals such as chickens, or animals with no legs, like fish. Plus: women who eat large amounts of red meat more than once a week have a 50% higher chance of dying from heart disease and have higher cancer rates.

4. Thou Shalt Not Graze
Plan your meal before you open the refrigerator, get what you need, and close the door. Opening it throughout the day leads to impulsive choices and overeating.

5. Thou Shalt Not Eat After 7:30pm
When you eat late at night you are more likely to be eating in front of the TV (when you won't pay attention to how much you're putting in your mouth) and you're more likely to pick high-calorie snacks. (we can tweak this one a bit...eat when your hungry...but plan for it!)

6. Thou Shalt Not Pile Food More than 1 Inch High or Within 2 Inches of the Plate Edge
Larger portions equal more calories. 'Nuff said.

 7. Thou Shalt Not Chew Food Less than 20 Times Per Bite
Chewing allows your body to realize that you are eating food, prompting it to create a sensation of fullness at the appropriate time. When you don't chew enough, you get ahead of that process, eating well past when you are actually satisfied.

8. Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Plate
Spend your day nibbling bites on someone else's sandwich or afternoon snack, and you will add on 1,000 calories easy.

9. Thou Shalt Not Carry Small Bills
Nothing loves a small bill better than a vending machine. When you have them at the ready, you are one step closer to an impulsive, calorie-loaded afternoon slip up. (or I guess in our case here in Canada, don't carry twoonies and loonies)

10. Thou Shalt Not Eat While Standing Up
Eating sitting down enables you to be aware of what you're eating and eat it slowly so that your body can tell you your full before it's too late.

Thank you, Dr Oz.

Pizza

Yesterday's hospital visit was a heck of a lot better than last time. Muffin is on the right track this time. His doctor says he's looking good and doesn't have to go back in for another follow up appointment until January. Yay!
I did learn that there is a chance he'll have to go through another surgery when he's older. The doctor guessed somewhere around the teen years. But it's just a chance. Doesn't mean it will happen.

Yesterday was a total write off for healthy eating. I stayed within my WW daily points, but I didn't really try to. It just happened that way. But I said my mother likes to push me towards unhealthy foods. She's super skinny, always has been. The lowest weight I have ever known my mother to be was 101 pounds at 5'6". Since her back injury (which got her discarded from the military when I was 16) and her battles with cancer, she is now the heaviest I have ever seen her at 117. She can eat whatever she wants. Always has been able to. Me, not so much.
So, yesterday while we were taking a shopping break in Kitchener, mom decided to bring pizza home for my dad. It was his birthday. Pizza Hut is his absolute favourite resturant. Mom bought a pizza for him and wanted to get one for Hubby and I too.
I debated and finally decided what the heck; why not. It's been forever since I had pizza I didn't make myself. I picked out the Grilled Chicken Arrabiatta. Check it out...

I geared myself up to spend 10 points per slice. It ended up being only 6 points! And it was really, really good. The marinated tomato slices were my favourite part. I think I could eat a bucket of them. I order mine without the onions, but that's a person preference thing.

Yesterday's Over View

Breakfast: 2 slices of toast with a touch of honey (6pts)
Lunch: 2/3 banana (0 pts) -- I didn't like anything the hospital had, so I ate the banana Muffin decided he didn't want. Not the best choice, but at least it wasn't something high in points.
Dinner: Pizza (18pts)
Snacks: 2 coffees from two different places (5pts)

Exercise: No workouts since I was in a car or in the hospital for most of the day, but I still got over 10,000 steps on my pedometer. Yay! Chasing kids around helps a ton.

I'm almost looking forward to my cardio workout today. Oh my...Did I just say, er, type that?