Traveling & Dieting, Say what?

I write here today because I need your thoughts and positive vibes. This weekend I head to Nashville for a blogging conference. I'll be there Thursday - Sunday and am worried that my progress (7lbs so far!!) will be greatly hindered with the temptation of road food, fun/fancy dinners with old friends and the dreaded excuse "it's just more convenient to eat this."

See you would think, because I am writing about this and congizant of the pitfalls that I would be OK.  But I am not so sure.  I know me. I know that I will fall off the wagon and if I do, I'd rather it be a short fall and not a long one!

I've not traveled while dieting before, so if any of you have any tips, I'd love to hear them. I am planning on packing some healthy snacks in my bag, but when it comes to meals I am going to have to get creative.



Shannan
Current Weight: 153
Starting Weight: 160

UPDATE: After reading this post, my friend Phyllis who is a health coach, sent me the following tips:

TOP 10 TRAVEL FOODS

1.     Chia seeds  (find them at whole foods, your favorite health food store or www.emeraldcitytea.com)

2.     Nuts, seeds and dried fruit/veg

3.     Vegetables: sugar snap peas, cut jicama, celery, carrots, cauliflower and bell peppers (hummus to dip)

4.     Fruit – cherries, plums, apples, pears, grapes, clementines

5.     Hard boiled eggs

6.     Ezekial sprouted wrap, organic turkey slices, sprouts & spicy mustard (this might be hard to find on the road but you get the idea)

7.     Flax or nut crackers –check ingredients

8.     Greens Plus Bar with Protein

9.     Homemade trail mix (nuts, seeds, dried cranberries, dark choc chips, coconut)

10.   Emergen-C, Sencha green tea powder, probiotics

You Spin Me Right Round

Continuing my effort to lose weight (can't believe I am staying with it) on Monday I tried my first spin class. I must admit that I have been avoiding spin class for years. My friends have always talked about how great it was, but something about it scared me.

Well talk about feeling dumb. I loved it and it's a GREAT cardio workout and best of all? The time flies by.  Here's a quick video I found that gives an overview of spinning. I will def. be doing this again, and again, and again.
Shannan
Starting Weight - 160
Current Weight - 156




  

When the Lights Go Out

I am writing today because I have a confession and need your help.  My name is Shannan and I am a late night snacker.  It's true....9pm hits, the boys go to bed and all I can think of is, "I wonder what there is for me to snack on?"

Some of you might think a snack is OK. What's the harm in a little late night treat? Well it's not the good snacks - nuts, fruit, etc. - I'm crazing. It's the evil snacks that fill my mind, in particular, chips & chocolate.

I don't know what it is. It's like the lights go out and I lose all self control.  Last night I annihilated a 1/3 can of Pringles and barely stopped there. Just going to bed is not an option when I am not tired.

What am I doing wrong? How can I curb these cravings? Does it have to do with my diet during the day? I really want to nip this in the bud so all my hard work during the day isn't for nothing.

Help!

Shannan
Starting Weight - 160
Current Weight - 158

"Sparking" Change

Like most people, I am using today as the launching point for my weight loss efforts. Things have gotten more than a little out of control and I now weigh what I did right after I had my youngest.... 4 years ago. It's embarrassing.

I've known for a while that I have been "living la vida loca" when it comes to what I've been eating, but everything came to a head two weeks ago when my boys asked me to take them to the pool. You see, when I went to put on my swimsuit, it didn't fit. It didn't fit. I had just worn it ALL summer and looked great in it, and now I looked ridiculous - squishing out from the openings - in particular the mid-section.

This was my wake up call, my realization that I needed to get my act together and make some changes.

So, how will I do it? What's my game plan?

I am heading back to SparkPeople.com. SparkPeople.com is an amazing weight loss web site & community that helped me lose 20+ lbs back in 2006. The site is easy to use and connects you with others who are in similar situations. They also have a great calorie tracking tool that you can also access from your iPhone.

If you are on SparkPeople, my username is sd_boyer, I'd love to connect with you. I can use all the support I can get!!

Happy weight loss to you in 2010.

Shannan
Current weight ~ 160
Goal weight - 135

Shannan - Eating My Veggies

This week I am trying something a little different. If you read my blog, Mommy Bits, you know I've been experimenting with menu planning. I did my first menu last week on a whim but it really wasn't that healthy. It was more about what I had in the cupboard. This week I sat down and really thought about what I would make. I needed to find dishes I could prepare that would be both appealing to my boys, as well as healthy. Not being a cook (or traditionally liking to cook) I knew I was going to have to do some research online.

For my first official menu plan I decided to go the Vegetarian route. Here's what I am looking at for this week:

Monday - Fruit Plate (Boys have soccer, I have a late meeting)
Tuesday-Black Beans & Rice: Brown rice, black beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, shallot & avocado
Wednesday- Veggie Wraps: Whole wheat wraps, hummus, gr. pepper, tomato,
lettuce, cucumber & avocado
Thursday- Soup: Diced tomatoes, onions, potatoes, corn, celery, tomato paste and veggie broth
Friday (Date Night) - Boys having Grilled Cheese & Veggie Soup, Fruit Cup.
Saturday - Veggie Tacos: Whole wheat tortillas, vegetarian “meat” crumbles, tomato, avocado, lettuce, corn & salsa.
Sunday - Pasta Dish: Whole wheat pasta, garlic, olive oil, walnuts & sun dried tomato.

My hope is that menu planning will help eliminate rushed dinners and the tendency to just make "what's easy" which is not always necessarily what's healthiest.

PS. If you have any Vegetarian recipes that rock, I would love to have them!!

Eating Well in 2009 (Recipes)

With the new year I've resolved to cook more and eat better. In my quest I've been doing a lot of searching on the internet for good recipes. This morning I was on the Food Network's site and saw that Ellie Krieger is doing 30 Days of Healthy Recipes to kick off the new year.

I looked through the recipes and they looked really good. Here's a link if you'd like to check it out!

Shannan: Week 19

Dear Scale,

I just want to let you know that you can suck it! You are so mean to me. Why is it that every time I step on you the numbers seem to keep rising? WTF? What did I ever do to you?

Sure I've indulged in a few "heavy" meals lately but that's not my fault! I blame our fore fathers (and my Hub's and mother's yummy cooking) for creating the traditions of family dinners on Thanksgiving and Christmas!

And yes, I've had some candy (OK, a lot of candy), but again, that is not my fault either. Someone put a TON of it in my stocking. I had to eat it so the kids wouldn't. I was only trying to be a good parent!

It's the Holidays. Isn't this supposed to be the time for "goodwill toward men," and all that crap? I don't know why you have some sort of vendetta out against me but I would appreciate it if you would knock it off.


Sincerely,
Shannan "I need to get my ass back on my diet ASAP" Boyer

Shannan Week 15 Part II

Just wanted to add to my post from yesterday. I wanted to mention how awesome social media is. In the less than 24 hours since I posted I have found a support network for my effort to get from the Couch to a 5 k in two months. It's amazing.

Let me explain.

After posting here at Cincy Loser last night I sent out a tweet on Twitter saying that I'd written an update on my weight loss efforts. My Twitter feed automatically posts to my Facebook page so my friend Phyllis, who I met through my son's school, read my post. After reading it she emailed me volunteering to be my gym buddy -- at 5:30 a.m. people!! -- how awesome is that?

Then today two of my friends from Twitter - Marcy from Stretching a Buck and Emily from Mommin It Up -- both invited me to partner with them for online support in doing the Couch to 5K Running Plan. I have NEVER met Marcy or Emilie in person. I first 'met' them when I worked with them on a project for my public relations agency. After working together on a project we all stayed in touch, and became friends.

I guess I wanted to share this as a reminder to us all about how social media is impacting our lives. Social media has created new communities, new support options be it weight loss, parenting, etc. and new friendships all of which are now no longer restricted by physical location.

It's amazing to me.

Sorry to ramble. I know it's shocking enough that I posted 2 days in a row....

Shannan: Maintaining and Motivating

So I didn't really lose any weight this week but I managed to maintain - and that is important. With Halloween on Friday and a wedding on Saturday (with one of those vicious chocolate fountains) I thought for sure that I'd gain a couple of pounds. Some how though I managed to slide and to my amazement, when I stepped on the scale this morning it still said 145!

I wanted to mention real quick the power of words and how they impact people. This week my husband really noticed my weightloss and made a comment about it. It wasn't a big comment - just something simple, but it made me feel amazing. It really was the pick me up I needed to motivate me to stick with this diet and not just settle in.

I guess I wanted to share this as a reminder of how much words can mean to someone. If you notice a change in someone, take the extra second or two and let them know. You just might be the motivation they need to keep going.

Shannan: Making Good Strides

This last week and a half I've really hit my stride. The weight has started coming off again and I've now lost a total of 15 lbs!!!!! With just 10 more pounds to go, I really am hoping to buckle down and am going to try and be serious. These past few weeks were filled with booby traps and pit falls - camping out, trips to Nashville and the infamous Pancake Pantry (who could resist!!), wedding receptions tempting me with tasty hor's doevres and cake, how could I be expected to resist such temptations?

Well the last wedding is in sight - this weekend - and them I'm out of excuses. It will be time to buckle down and bust off those last 10 pounds. I'm a little nervous about making it happen as we put our gym membership on hold for the month of November and it's getting colder outside. I might have to look into working out at work, which I'm not a big fan of, but I might have to suck it up and do it anyway.

I leave you with a YouTube video from Saturday Night Live featuring two of the country's top trainers:





Thank you all for your support. This blog has definitely been a great motivator for me.

Starting weight: 160
Current weight: 145
Total lost: 15 lbs

Confession Time - Shannan

I have a confession. I have been hiding behind guest posts because I've not been happy with my results, or should I say, lack off results.

I think I got to confident. The first few weeks I was watching every morsel I ate, writing it down, being good and the weight was falling off. I was walking at lunch - eating right and I'd lost 10 pounds in 5 weeks. I was feeling good.

As the weight started falling off I think I became complacent. I started allowing myself a bite or two of the things I shouldn't be eating, I used "special occasions" and "events" as excuses to break free from my diet plan. I found myself too busy to talk a walk at lunch. Worst of all - I have yet to really use my Weight Watchers membership.

I have decided that today is the day I get back in the game.

I am 15 pounds away from my goal weight. I don't want to fail this time. I want to loose the weight. I want to weigh what I did before I had children. I want to be that girl again.

This weekend I had a conversation with a friend that really put me back on track. I won't name names because I know she didn't mean it the way it sounded, but here it is in a nut shell:
Friend: Picking up photo off kitchen counter "Wow. When was this picture taken?"

Me: "Back in 1999. I was in Ft. Lauderdale for Spring Break. We were getting
ready to go out to the bars"
Friend: "Wow. Look how thin you were.
I can't believe it."
Me: "I know. It's been 10 years...."
Friend: "I mean,
look at your arms. You were thin."

Truth is, while I know she didn't mean it the way I heard it, it hurt my feelings. Had I changed that much? Other than aging (gracefully) do I look that different?? I don't have the photo electronically but I will try and get it scanned.

So, this week my goal is to get back into my eating routine, use my Weight Watchers membership and start walking at lunch again.

Current Weight: 150

Goal Weight: 135
Total Lost: 10 lbs

Weight Watchers Winners

I am excited to announce the winners of our very first giveaway - two free Weight Watchers Memberships. Drum Roll, Please......

Emily from Mommin It Up & Greisie from Amazing Greis !

Thank you to everyone who entered and to Weight Watchers for offering us this great giveway. We'll be contacting our winners shortly with all the details they'll need to get started.

Stay tuned as we've got more great healthy giveaways coming up!

Shannanb aka MommyBits

The awful Truth: Shannan

This week I managed to get back on the horse and stick to my diet.

One thing I did do this week that is important in my dieting was pick up a new scale. I've been using one of those cheap $10 scales for years. You know the kind - the weight varies based on where you place it on the floor (best spot is to the left of the toilet). Well this weekend I picked up a digital scale and right away it confirmed my suspicions. My old scale had been lying to me. Telling me big FAT lies - almost 10 lbs worth!

I had kind of suspected it and had been accounting for it in my weight reports but I hated seeing my suspicions confirmed. It had been fun (and ego boosting) to think I was close to my goal weight.

This week I am going to explore healthy snacks (in particular the ones involving chocolate!). I am hoping to put together a list of things that you can eat that taste good and satisfy those chocolate cravings.

Weight lost this week (no idea how this happened): 2.8 lbs (please note my old scale was lying to me, this is based on what I thought I had lost and what I actually weigh subtracted from what I thought was my starting weight..... Does that make any sense???)
Total Weight Lost: 7.8 lbs

Shannan: A Milestone (week 3)

This weekend something exciting happened. I was able to fit into a pair of pants that I had not been able to wear for nearly two years. It was an amazing!

I am not sure what made me decide to try them on, as I mentioned before, I had not been able to wear them since 2006. For whatever reason I did and they fit.

It's such a small thing but I feel like it's given me that extra boost of encouragement I needed. I mentioned to some of you that I had a horrible diet week last week. Between an anniversary dinner and then dinner out with my girlfriends on Friday I hadn't done much at all to move the needle backwards on the scale.

This week I am feeling a new energy. Just that little taste of success has really made me want to loose this weight more than ever. Who knows. Maybe I'll be able to fit in go one of my "going out"shirts from the good ole days by the time this is over?!?!?!?!

Weight lost this week (no idea how this happened): 1 lb

Total Weight Lost: 5 lbs

Update: Ok. Because Amy asked, here is one of my favorite shirts from back in the day. The picture doesn't do it justice!

A Big FAT Giveaway!

Contest is Closed. We'll announce the winners on Monday!! Thanks to all who entered. We appreciate your support!!
Shannan

Last week Amy posted on Weight Watcher's Lose for Good campaign that launches this Sunday, September 7th. For six weeks (September 7 - October 18), for every pound lost by its members, WW will donate the equivalent of one pound of food to Share Our Strength up to ONE MILLION DOLLARS.

So why am I posting this information again??? Because the good people at Weight Watchers have given us two complimentary memberships to Weight Watchers Online to giveaway! That's right people. Just leave a comment with the silliest diet you ever tried- perhaps you only ate grapefruit for a month or you lived on carbonated water and h pixie sticks, whatever it was, share it in the comment section and you'll be entered to win.

We'll announce the winners here on Friday, September 19th. Two lucky people will be on their way to being losers, just like us!

Note: You must be a resident of the U.S. to enter. Please include your email address in your comment if it is not attached to your user name.

Shannan: Week 2 I can do this

Sorry to post so late in the day but I spent this past weekend down in Burnside, Kentucky boating with some friends.

Going into the trip I was nervous about maintaining my diet. I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep it going. I didn't know if I had the will power to eat the way should, while watching everyone else eat "normally". Surprisingly.......... I did quiet well.

To help keep me on track I packed lots of fresh fruit - grapes, apples, blueberries to snack on, on the boat. I tried my best to resist the pringles and cheezits (it was tough, I did eat one or two.....). For lunch each day I went with a plain turkey or ham sandwich. In the evenings I let myself indulge a little and went with whatever everyone else was eating - just in moderation.

While I know this probably doesn't sound that impressive, I am proud of myself. I keep saying that it is all about the baby steps and I really believe this. Just making little changes (that gradually grow into something bigger) to my routine seems to be the best way for me to lose weight.

Weight Lost: 4 pounds

Shannan: Week 1

Weight loss Goal: Return to pre-mommy weight of 135.

Well, here I am. Ready to embark on a journey that's rewards are immeasurable. A journey that means no longer cussing under my breath as I try on swimsuits. A journey that means no longer having to suck it in when I get my picture taken. A journey that means feeling better about myself when I look in the mirror. A journey I am so excited to take with these six women that I cannot even find the words to express.

For my first post, in the spirit of sharing and hopefully helping others, I thought I'd share some of the awesome tips for loosing weight that I received from friends when I posted on my weight loss frustrations last week. These are all really simple changes that are easy to incorporate into your day-to-day routine. If you've got some tips that you want to share, feel free to leave 'em in the comments.

Shannon (PhatMommy) said...
I'm in the same boat. One word: WATER. Drink tons. Helps me a lot.
This one is going to be tough. I really don't like water. I went to Kroger this weekend and picked up some low calorie powder drink mix. Made it much easy to start implementing this one!


Sarabeth (I once was HP) said...
Write down everything you eat. You don't have to count points, but write it down with the amounts. Do this for a week and add up the calories. You'll be amazed.
I started this on Friday and it's been great. It's def. helped me think twice before dumping another creamer in my coffee or snacking on another granola bar.

Blogversary said...
When the munchies hit I take at least ten deep breaths before eating what I want and I can usually choose an healthier option or drink water. Did this one last night. Had a huge ice cream crazy, took the ten breaths, and decided on yogurt. Great mind trick.

Headless Mom said...
I lost 10 lb. last year. The things that helped me:-cut down on the coffee-2 cups instead of 5 will take you down A LOT of calories. (I didn't cut it completely out and even still pollute it but I was having 5 cups too.)-cut out soda-yes, even diet. use it as a treat, not an all the time drink.
I started this right away. Did you realize how high in calories flavored creamer is? It's like twice that of plain creamer. I am switching ASAP!

She had more....
Also exercise in any way shape or form that you can. Stairs-yes. Farther in the parking lot? Yes. Once around the block after dinner-even with the little ones in tow will count as getting your butt moving. I love this. All weekend long I've been parking at the far end of the lots. It's such a small thing to do. Also, on Friday I got Laura to go for a walk with me after lunch. We got some quick exercise and we got to check out Downtown - something we don't normally have time to do.

just4ofus said...
Plus, you have to have one cheat meal a week. This was the best comment of all. Knowing that its OK to have one cheat meal a week takes the pressure off and gives me something to look forward to.

Introduction: Shannan

I can talk the talk, but I can't walk the walk.

My name is Shannan and I have been eating with reckless abandon for months and it has finally caught up with me.

This is my big ass. It used to be a little ass. --->

Back in the day, before I had children, before I found myself a desk job. Back when I was in college. This ass was much smaller. About 20 pounds smaller to be exact.

I don't know how it all started. Right after I had my youngest, like Julie I turned to SparkPeople.com. Through their site I started shedding pounds. I started seeing results pretty quickly. Unfortunately, I got comfortable and I let my dietary guard down.

I can still remember the night it happened. It had been a rough day at the office and the hubs asked if I wanted to go out for a drink. We headed down to a local spot and I thought to myself, "I've had a rough day. I deserve to treat myself." And boy did I. I ordered poppers and onion rings and proceeded to through my diet out the window. It was all downhill from there. That was in October of 2006.

For awhile I gave up. I would say that I needed to diet, that I wanted to loose weight but I did nothing about it. I'd still drink 5 cups of coffee with creamer, snack on candy at work or head to the local deli for cream based soups (my favorite). Up until now the only time it seemed I was adamant about dieting was for the few moments I saw myself naked after getting out of the shower or changing clothes.

So that is why I am here. Why I am a Cincinnati Loser. I need help. I need support. I need friends who will hold me accountable - scold me for cheating on my diet, praise me when I do a good job. It's weak and pathetic, but it's true.

In an effort to loose weight I am going to follow the advice given to me over at Mommy Bits: Drink more water, cut out soda (aughghgh), start taking 20 - 30 minute walks at lunch, and change my eating patterns. I do have a gym membership, and I will make an attempt to go at least once a week. I will also start journaling what I eat.

Starting weight: 160

Goal weight: 135