Dealing with a gain.

I put on three quarters of a pound this week. Now I know it's not big, but it feels big. And there is the problem.
Thinking back over the week I don't think I deserve to have put weight on. I know that is not how it works, but it's still incredibly frustrating. I lost my appetite for the majority of last week. I had a very stressful time and where normally that means quick food on the go I stopped myself. I ate healthily and within my points allowance for each day.

I had no set exercise done other than for a few days run around trying to sort things out. I suppose it's because I know this was the first of possibly quite a few stressful weeks to come I'm honestly gutted with the gain.

It's my sisters birthday on Friday and she had her party on that weekend just past. I am still not drinking so was on my low point, zero alcohol beers and a packet of crisps. All of which got pointed and tracked on my phone. I also went to the cinema and did eat junk food, but it was portion controlled and tracked as well.
I earned 18 activity points and ate them all along with ten weekly points. That still left me with 39 weekly points. I'm trying to not get too fixated on the math, there's no point. It's done, but I can't help but think it was a good week, look over my trackers and wonder what the heck happened?

So I suppose the thing is I am going to have to be positive again. I've had gains before, I let them get to me and then the next week is another gain. Not this time. Though it will be harder this week with two family dinners looming at the weekend and a very emotional Saturday ahead. I'm not giving up and I'm going to continue to track everything.
I'm trying to focus on some success I've had since rejoining but honestly I don't feel like there is much, I suppose the fact I've lasted this long is a positive and that I've managed to be writing away here. I'm looking forward to getting the next few weeks over me and get back into a routine and in the mean time, try not to let the number on the scale make me feel too bad.

Onto my photos from the week. If you follow my instagram you've probably seen some of these from the weekend.

Make-up

My brother is tea total, so both of us and our alcohol free beers, and stripes.

Myself, my sister and my cousin :-)

Pale vs Tan.

antics

And the only two food pics I have that I didn't put in the last post.

8pp

mmmmmmmm homer.

How do you stop a gain from getting to you? Tweet or comment please? I could do with a pick up.
xx

Work time junk food.

Last year I got a different job, I now work in an office and the availability of sweets is crazy.

When I worked in retail I worked in a sweet shop. When I went to weightwatchers classes and heard the girls talk about how difficult it was working in an office in regards to sweets, I admit, I rolled my eyes. "Try working in a sweet shop" I would say to them, where I was surrounded by sweets every day, constant, present temptation.

Now I know it was hard, I did have problems with it until I realised that it was easier to just not bring money with me to work, enough for lunch and transport, but not for sweets, unless they were Saturday treats.

I am finding it just as hard working in an office, I have tried putting a plan in place, I try to bring in enough to keep me satisfied all day in work, but I do keep some treats in my drawer, in the back where they are out of sight so if I do feel the desire for something I have control knowing the exact pointing instead of having a guess at what is in. And when I do take a treat, I do try to point it with a google search or when I get home, searching on my tracker.
There seems to always be something, birthdays, Friday treats, end of month treats or clients being nice and sending them in.

I like how the new design of the weightwatchers site has tips for what you do with your day (shopping, workplace, home, eating out, travelling and occasions) although to be honest as I'm only back on plan a few weeks I haven't properly explored the site beyond work yet.

Sometimes in the office people bring in their own baked goods. After tasting one item of cake not long after I started I made a promise to myself not to try again, and, bar one occasion, I haven't. This was a really, really easy decision to make because I heard someone voice concerns over kitchen cleanliness. Really, really easy decision to make.

When a colleague brings in something store bought it's obviously easier to point too, I don't check out the label in the building but use etools to have a search for it or something similar.

I've been working in the office for 12 months now and it's taken me until now to really have a plan set in place for work time junk food. So I've decided to share with you.

1. If you must munch something, make it something you like, don't give the extra points for something that is just okay.
2. Track it there and then, if you can't, then give a rough guess. I always think worst case scenario and go for the most points it could possibly be.
3. Keep low point treats you like in an easy place to get. 
4. Sit away from the cake table, I'm lucky now in that my seat recently s one of the furthest from the naughty table.
5. Rethink the reasoning behind the sweets, 
• someone brings in a cake because they don't want to have it in the house, why should I eat it if you don't want it?
• we've worked hard this week, we deserve it. I heard once you shouldn't reward yourself with food, you are a person, you are not a dog. That sticks with me a lot when people try to say you deserve it.
6. There is always someone who tries to sabotage, perhaps not intentionally, but there always is. No matter what job I have been in I have one and I find there's different ways to handle each.
•  explain you're cutting down and explain that when you want to use extra points, what you want them for, for example going out for dinner, having a drink later, baking at home.
• take it for later, if it's a bar of chocolate or biscuit it's easy kept until you go home or for another day when you do have the points free. Or give it away to a family member?

For the most part, that's what I do. I wasn't pointing when I took these pictures and I don't have many pictures because the ladies I work with wouldn't get their heads around why I do it haha.

Tesco cupcake, was okay. Not the greatest.

I've found the most frustrating part of junk food in the office is the questions that come when you say no thank you. Offence comes from all sides when you don't want to offend anyone, you just don't want the bun. Just be firm. You are no walk-over.

I buy these scones from the canteen, the macaroon is made by me.

I buy these scones from the canteen, but I know they're not actually baked on site, they are brought in frozen and then popped in the oven for a few minutes. Because they are mass produced and brand name I can find them on etools and point them. Woo.
The macaroon in the picture is one of mine so I know two of them are 1propoint. Yum yum.

Easter treats

My favourite type of office treat is the wrapped ones, I adore twirls and because they are brand names I can point them and eat happily with no guilt. Wins all around!

tiny, tiny little cookies, extremely moreish and impossible to point.

If I do buckle, and I have, not only at work this last few weeks I am not beating myself up the way I used to. I am forgiving myself and moving on. And it's working, because I roughly point what I eat and keep working at it and so far so good, the weight is coming off again.

Weekly Catch-up and first milestone since re-join!

Just a quick update as this week I got my first milestone since rejoining! I have lost half a stone!!! Reflecting on the week I am not entirely sure how exactly I managed it. But I've done it! My exercise really wasn't at the level it should have been at (is it ever?) So that will be what I work on this week. 

My routine is changing due to work and I know I need to change with it this time and maintain the activity levels I've got myself doing. Of course that is easier said than done but at least this time I am thinking about it. Awareness should hopefully help.

Towards the start of this week my tracking started to get a bit poor. I was tracking hours later, now I suppose at least I was tracking but this is a slippery slope with me. I will wind up not tracking at all and I have no excuse now that my app is working as it should. 

If I were doing this at a class I would be getting a silver seven sticker. But with online you don't get an actual sticker, so what I've done is located some stickers from my crafting supplies. It's a gold seven, partly because this time it's really off and mostly because I didn't have any in silver.

Half a stone!!!!

The pictures from here on are actually for this week, after I weighed in on Tuesday I went out for lunch with some of the lovely ladies I worked with, I had a chance to see the menu last week and there wasn't much scope for healthy food. A Caesar salad was the best I could do. I've searched for one on etools and think it would have been 15 points as the very worst. The place we went to didn't really give any salad bar a bit of celery, it was still nice though.Normally I just go with what I fancy and then take the points out of my weekly or activity allowance, but because it was a work lunch I didn't really want to do that. I have a busy two weekends coming up and would rather the weekly points then.

eating out is always a headache for me, normally I just pick what I fancy and enjoy it.

Had fajitas again this week. Yum.

And I had a good few nice coffees this week so far too.

coffee with my daddy and brother

A chilled out coffee where i drafted this post and read in Starbucks.I  felt like a student again.

Entering the Race for Life 2013

I wrote last week about me and exercise and how I want to be able to run again. And how difficult it has been since I have tried. Shins haven't hurt the way that they used to, but my calves have. Normally I can hit about the minute mark and they have been tightening up and no amount of stretching before and after jogs or icing seems to have helped.

I've been at a bit of a loss over what to do if I'm honest, and at times been so very tempted to just pack it in.
So I was thinking of things to get me properly motivated and needing to do it again and I thought of the race for life. Now I have done this before (and blogged about it), and the race this year takes the same route so I know what to expect. But this year, signing up isn't enough. I got both my friend Anna and my sister signed up too!

So that was motivation for all of a week and in that week I have had the super super painful calves which I am now believing (must be) to do with my hydration levels. So I'm trying to up my water intake. Trying.
I'm racing the morning race on the 2nd June and looking forward to it, I did really enjoy the last race I participated in and am hoping this year it should be more fun with more people.

I am of course also fund raising, so if you could spare a few pennies my sponsorship online form can be found here (link opens in a new window). Or you can Text SAZZ95 £1 to 70070 to sponsor me today. Thanks.

I am hopefully going to blog about the training and at the end of it, have a bit of money to donate to the charity and get myself a new medal!

Feeling proud of my last medal and in need of my beer.

So far, training has just been a few jogs and walks. I think I need to find a c25k program to get me going with running again, and try address this calf issue.

Foodie Friday, and being positive.

This week I lost a pound and three quarters, bringing the total since I have rejoined to 5 and 3/4. Not much considering how many weeks I've been rejoined, but good when I consider that's 3 full weeks of actively trying and actually sticking on plan.

It could have been more but I didn't do as much exercise as I should have (story of my life at the minute). I would say this week I want to work on that, but by the time I have got round to writing this it is Friday and I'm pretty much at the half way point of my weightwatchers week.

I've decide to focus on what I've been doing that is good, because I have been losing, and if I focus on what I need to change at this rate I will get overwhelmed and give up.

I have been exceptionally organised these last few weeks. I have myself into a routine where I am ensuring I have a healthy packed lunch for going into work and I go for a 40 minute walk at lunch time. And I've kept small point snacks in my drawer at work to make sure I am not tempted to walk over to the sweetie table (yeah people who work in offices love their cake don't they? But more of that in another post).

7 propoint turkey salad sandwich lunch (other half of sandwich was munched when picture was taken)

This is one of my favourite breakfasts, I'm a sucker for Greek yogurt and it's easy enough to take into work. This was taken in my tea room this morning though.

4pp breakfast, greek yogurt, granola, apple and black americano

I've mostly kept carrot sticks, grapes and cherry tomatoes as snacks this week (all favourites).

zero hero snack

And Gavin came up with this marvellous idea, a sea food paella. Made with mussels, king prawns with chilli and garlic and coriander and frozen veg it was a beautiful meal. And for only 8pp for this big bowl it will soon take up residence as one of the house specialities. Yum yum.

8pp seafood paella, prawns and mussels.

And Gav brought this home. I love garlic, I'm a total garlic fiend and when this is in the fridge I am a very happy lady and I got thinking how much I love weightwatchers and the fact that nothing is out of bounds. 30g of this is 3pp. Now that is 3pp well used in my opinion.

3pp for 30grams. Love weightwatchers, little bit of what you fancy

sparkling water.

Oh but my organising was not limited to being at work and home. I went to the cinema and was prepared enough to bring these in my bag. 5propoints to eat should I want it - I didn't, I just drank my juice, but it was great to know I had something completely pointed in my bag should I want it. Speaking of which, you should go and see The Croods, it was hilarious and left me really wanting a sabre-toothed chunky kitty cat.

Organised 5pp cinema trip junk food.

And just because soon I won't be walking in this area any more I wanted to post a picture, this is my favourite stretch of path on one of my walks.

walking

Being organised is always my key to success, and with that portion control.
I have pointed everything to pass my lips before I eat it, I have managed to do some sort of exercise every day and my water intake has improved.

Keeping positive is the way to do this and so far, I feel great.