Hold the Stuffing - Results

On November 16 I weighed in to begin my employer's holiday challenge. Anyone who doesn't gain more than 2 pounds, between Thanksgiving and New Years is entered to win a prize (This year it happens to be a Nike sportsband)

My official beginning weight was 302.4

Today, was the end of the challenge for me and I weighed in to see if I qualified for the prize. If you are keeping track, my weigh ins on my blog had me losing 5.8 pounds in this two month time frame. So, I knew I completed the challenge, but would my mid-day weigh in, with a chunky sweater and winter boots on be as kind? Not exactly.

My official ending weigh in was 298.8

A total loss of 3.6 pounds (officially)

There's always disappointment in a foreign scale not matching your home scale, but more importantly, between the gluttony of Thanksgiving, the Christmas sweets and traditional New Years alcohol binge I managed to lose weight. I would be safe to bet that this is the FIRST time this has ever happened. Ever.

However, I look at those numbers (5.8 and 3.6) and I know I can do better in a span of 2 months. I know it. Sure, what I did is great - but I can be better.

Frankly, the new goal I've set for myself scares me. I am only 5 lbs down with just 25 weeks left, which means I need to lose 1.8 lbs to make it to my goal of losing 50 lbs by July 1. That's scary. But I know I CAN do it. And I WILL do it.

New blogger friend
If you haven't yet, go read Karissa's first post at Confessions of an Herbivore. And not just because she's a good friend of mine. Her first post is inspiring. She writes eloquently, so much of what I felt when I first started my blog. She's one to watch y'all.

Holiday pitfall: how I survived

This is probably the hardest week I've had since September. I only walked once due to snow/ice and holiday parties (I will walk 9 miles in the morning). However, I did have one significant victory when I indulged at my work holiday party Thursday night AND stayed within my calorie range for the day. I'd really love to recap what I ate, so here we go:

3 oz honey baked ham - 170 cals
1/4 cup mashed potatoes - 50 cals
2 Tbsp corn casserole - 45 cals
Pea and mint crostini - 40 cals
Croissant - 110 cals
1/4 cup salad w/1 tsp dressing - 25 cals
Captain Rodney's cheese bake (2 Tbsp) w/3 club crackers - 130 cals
1 small brownie - 115 cals
1 small slice cheesecake - 240 cals
7 oz pino grigio - 155 cals

Total - 1,080 calories

Whoa I know, where does the victory come in you ask? For one, I did not eat every dish offered. I left out sausage dip, green beans with bacon, the cheese ball, potato salad, shrimp salad, and the list goes on and on. Secondly, I pre-planned my lunch so that it was low in calories. Lunch came in at 220 calories. With breakfast, I was only at around 585 before heading to the party. My calorie total for the day was around 1,660. Even if I miscalculated what I ate at the party (easy to do) and was off by 10%, that still puts me at 1,900 for the day - my goal.

While I realize others would approach the holiday party differently, I chose to enjoy myself and cut out unwanted calories elsewhere in my day. And so, I'm calling this a victory because I didn't compromise my enjoyment OR my calorie goal for the day.

Hold the Stuffing - halfway point

If you recall, I am participating in my work's Hold the Stuffing holiday challenge. It is a voluntary program facilitated by my employer's healthy and wellness department that encourages little to no weight gain during the full, two-month holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Years. They weigh you in a week before Thanksgiving and a week after New Years. If you do not gain more than 2 lbs, you are entered to win a prize.

Today mark's the half-way point and I am happy to report not only am I maintaining my weight, but I have lost 5.4 lbs in the 4 weeks since I weighed in.

I am hoping putting this in perspective helps me stay away from all the baked goods I have in my house right now. Last night I munched on far too many molasses cookies and toffee bars. I need to bring them into work so they are gone in a snap.

This is also a good reminder of my "guidelines" I set a month ago. I have been letting them slip as of late.

- No consumption of any baked goods brought to work by others.

- Allow myself 1 piece of dessert ON the day of the holiday and not the days before or after (I am going to try to stay away from dessert until Christmas....help me)

Less than three weeks to get through the holiday tempations and I am hoping another 5 lbs lost!

Weigh in - Week 27

Last week's weight: 297.8
This week's weight: 295.8

2 pound LOSS

33.6 pounds lost since June 2010

My scale has been doing some serious jumping around this week. Monday morning I was down 4 lbs from last week's weigh in to 293. Friday, I got on the scale and it showed me 3 different numbers between 293 and 299. Could something be wrong with my scale?

Despite the weird scale jumping around, my calorie differential (from Spark People) was around 8,900 for Sun-Sat, but I know I've had a couple situations where I could have done better. I had french fries twice in a week, which is something I don't normally do. I've also been craving all of the holiday baked goods and sweets so several days last week I had a couple cookies here, a few candies there. And it adds up. I am not of the mindset where I am never going to have cookies or chocolate again, but I need to stop saying, "oh I'll just have these 2 cookies" every other day. That's what gets you in trouble.

I have TWO holiday parties at work this week. One will be easy to avoid over indulgence because it's just an hour and a half wine party with light apps. I am bringing a healthy shrimp salad on cucumber slices. The other is dinner at my boss' house. This will be where trouble comes in. There will be fat filled appetizers, un-healthy honey baked ham with all the trimmings and pie....PIE! Not to mention alcohol galore. I want to enjoy celebrating with my co-workers, but not overindulge. I am bringing a vegetable and I know another co-worker is bringing a salad so at least there will for sure be a few healthy(er) options.

My plan is to simply have a light lunch and have small portions of *some* of the items and limit my alcohol to a glass or two of red wine.

How do you avoid over indulgence at holiday parties without drawing attention to your calorie counting ways?

Post-Thanksgiving report: Two Thanksgiving dinners?

It wasn't perfection, but I was in control and I made my food choices with the knowledge of what I was consuming. If I went back and changed anything, it would be not having the small snacks I had before dinner was served. that added about 400 calories to my day, but overall not bad.

I ate around 2,300 calories yesterday. My normal daily goal is 1,900. However, I ate my favorite Thanksgiving items (in limited quantities) and was very satisfied. I even had a small slice of my uncles' infamous Bourbon chocolate pecan pie.

I come from a family of divorced parents. I often have to split time on holidays between my dad's side of the family and my mom's side. This year was no different. I made the decision to eat Thanksgiving dinner at my aunts house on my dad's side. Afterward, I joined my aunts, uncles and cousins at my mom's house where they had not eaten dinner. I was full from my dinner a few hours prior and faced with another Thanksgiving dinner. I am happy to report that I staved off a 2nd Thanksgiving dinner and sat outside of the dining area while they ate dinner. This may seem weird, but my health is more important. I enjoyed the time visiting with my family before and after the meal, and ate dessert with them.

My Thanksgiving victories:
- No seconds at dinner
- I did not eat a 2nd dinner at my mom's house (normally I would have had another plate)
- I did not eat so many pre-dinner appetizers I wasn't hungry for dinner
- I only ate one kind of pie, and it was a small piece. (normally I would have tried every kind of dessert - pumpkin, pecan, coconut cream and apple pies)

Today, I took a brisk 3.16 mile walk in the 27 degree icy cold of Missouri and tomorrow I plan to do 7 miles. It feels good to get all of my walks in even though I am out of town visiting family - one of my worst binge and unhealthy food eating triggers - a REALLY great feeling.

Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving too - I can't wait to weigh in Monday morning!

If I was making Thanksgiving dinner...

On my mom's side of the family, creamed corn is a veggie. In my book, corn isn't even a veggie. To say my changes in thought over the last several months differs from my family's thinking about nutrition is an understatement.

I am going to my aunts house (on my dad's side) for Thanksgiving dinner, she does the cooking and doesn't let me bring anything. Which is fine, I only say that to paint the picture of how not in control of what is being served I will be this Thanksgiving.

My plan is simple: Walk 3 miles in the morning, have a light breakfast/lunch and watch my portions at dinner. Also, I don't have to feel like I need to eat every side that is served. I'll eat 2-3 that I really want (including as many green veggies that are served). I will also allow myself one piece of pie without guilt (it may even be pecan).

However I've given a lot of thought to what recipes I would substitute if I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner. My arsenal would include:

Creamy turnip-potato puree - 61 cals for 1/2 cup





Amy's green bean casserole - (omit the rice) approx. 75 cals for 1/2 cup

Homemade whole cranberry sauce - (with some substitutions) 95 cals for 1/10

Baked sweet potatoes with honey and cinnamon - 90 cals for 1/2 cup

Roasted vegetables w/olive oil (carrots, Brussel sprouts, broccoli) - 50 cals for 1 cup

Mushroom gravy - calories unknown

And, of course Turkey - 120 cals for 4 oz

For a grand total of 491 calories - and honestly it is a HUGE meal, so using this menu you really could eat smaller portions of the carbs and still be very satisfied.

Hold the stuffing

Every year my company hosts a 'Hold the Stuffing' challenge for their employees to maintain their weight during the holidays. Basically you weigh in before Thanksgiving and then again after the New Year and if you don't gain more than 2 lbs you are entered to win a prize.

2 years ago I gained 2.5 lbs

Last year I didn't participate (i.e. I probably gained 10 lbs during the holidays)

This year my goal is to maintain (or lose). So I weighed in today. And I will weigh in again the second week of January.

I've been working on my "Holiday Plan" for weeks now. I've made several "guidelines." A few are:

- No consumption of any baked goods brought in by co-workers (so far, we've had pie, cake, muffins, bagels and pastries)
- Allow myself 1 piece of dessert ON the day of the holiday and not the days before or after

I'm still deciding how to tackle Thanksgiving Dinner, as I will not have control of what is being prepared. Portions will be key.

Of course, when I talked to my mom tonight and asked her where she wanted me to eat Thanksgiving dinner (her family, or my dad's) she goes, "oh just eat a little at both."

I just can't win.