Pre-Thanksgiving thoughts....

I've been doing really well with the WW 'travelling tracker' this week. Like really been paying much closer attention to portions & what I shovel into my face & if I'm really even hungry or not.  I just bought one of the WW Success Kits, so I may continue to use the notebook tracker, as well as my eTools.  I can always pretend that I need to turn it in.  We'll see how the scale agrees or disagrees.

I don't know if I'll be able to get on to blog much tomorrow after my meeting, which is why I'm on now.  I'll be going straight to the 4pm meeting after work, and then I'll have to pack up the family & stuff and head to my sister's house.  We'll be going out for dinner, then hanging out for the evening.  Then spend all day Thursday there.

Friday will suck.  I have to work - I was going to attempt to get out of it, but my coworker's sister passed away last weekend and her services are Friday afternoon.  Crap.  I hate covering for her, since 90% of my day is spent doing her work and I get way behind in my own.   She's been out since last Thursday, too.  I do need to leave a little early, tho.  Friday night, we have tickets to Crossroads Village / Huckleberry RR for the tree lighting & carols & fireworks & train ride & all that fun stuff.  It really is a lot of fun.  Sort of our way to usher in the Christmas season.  As of Friday, I will no longer be offended at my neighbors who have had their tree up in their front window for the past week (I keep hoping their cat knocks it over) and I may even listen to some music.

The only problem is that I'm gimpy.  Crossroads Village means a lot of walking!  I got out of bed around 4am yesterday and as I walked to the bathroom, something popped in the back of my knee.  I went back to bed, but when I got up with my alarm, it popped a couple more times.  It hurt like crazy all day yesterday with occasional shooting pains & it was nasty swollen and I could feel the fluid in there. It was worse with my knee brace on!  And of course I had to go grocery shopping and such.  Last night I took the dog outside and bent over to pick up a branch off the patio and twisted slightly - I thought I was going to cry and would have to call Randy to come help me back in the house. It was bad.

Today I felt like I was walking like Asimo....

It doesn't hurt as bad, but I still can't bend it enough to use the stairs gracefully or get in the car without grabbing my leg to pull it in or anything.  It's still swollen, too. Since I'm walking funny, the muscles in both legs hurt & ache.  Hopefully by Friday it'll be better. I'll just take a bunch of aspirin before we go. 

Now I'm really glad Zumba is done til the beginning of the year! There's no way I could do it. 

So Thanksgiving.  Maybe if it was just one meal it would be different.  But we start Wednesday & if I didn't have to work - it would go thru Saturday.  It still does, I just get a reprieve.  I'll just have to be careful with the mindless snacking that tends to happen.  My WW leader, Eileen says to imagine her sitting next to me.  I just don't know how that would work, she seems like she'd be fun to hang out with.  But I'm pretty sure she'd do some silent judging if I reached for the chips or whatever. I'll keep that in mind. 

Oh yeah, Saturday will probably mean more walking - my sister mentioned going to this antique store that has 2 stories and the upper floor is a lot of holiday (Halloweeny) stuff.  Squeee! 

 
So I need to do something to keep my mind off the munchies. Would it be weird to take a picture of Eileen, print it out & glue her face to one of those cheesy wooden masks on a stick from Joann Fabrics?   Too much?

Back in the saddle again!

For Realz this time!

With yet another gain under my belt this week (and I'm starting to feel it in my jeans) - this week at my WW meeting, I volunteered to take home the "Travelling Tracker".  I think this is gonna be good for me.  It's simply one of the spiral notebook trackers and someone different has been taking it home each week, and filling it out.  So far, they've been averaging 3+ lbs loss each week with it.  It's kinda neat to go back and see what others have been eating - makes for some new ideas, too. Whoever had it last enjoyed (and tracked) a rum & diet Coke each night!  Heehee!

Yup.  I can totally understand the gain. 

Since the weather was extremely crappy last night, I went from the meeting, back to the studio to wait for Angel to get done with all her classes instead of going home.  I'm sorta bummed that Zumba is done til the beginning of the year, but I digress.  I took that time to figure out exactly what I was going to eat today and the Points values for them.  I even included snacks!  I have my pad of paper in front of me, with tomorrow's figured out so far, gonna work on the weekend next.  Randy has been out of town all week and comes home Sunday - that's when it'll get tough.  He is a total saboteur to me.  I'd really like to get his happy butt on plan with me.  I fear for his health sometimes.  

I know this is what I should have been doing forever, but somehow excuses kept popping up.  I knew what I needed to do, but just hadn't made myself sit down and PLAN!  So here I am.

Like I said, this is going to be good for me.  I'm really paying attention to how I feel in regards to hunger and not giving in to mindless nomming.   I actually an surprised at how OK I feel.  I feel like I want to snack right now but not because I'm really hungry.  7pm is a normal person's dinner time, but I told Angel when I picked her up tonight, we'd stop at Wendy's.  Sadly she doesn't get out of dance til 9:15.  But I already have one of their Apple Pecan Chicken salads written down in the tracker.   They are really good and only 9 Points!  So I shall have something to drink and maybe a 2 point bar instead.

I also went out this afternoon & got my first snow-shovelling activity points of the season!  Woohoo.  We only have a few inches, but the wind is blowing and it's too damn cold!!  This was the second time Miss Angela has driven in the snow this week.  I heard her & her duet partner talking at the studio last night that they want to wait til spring to take their driving tests for their licenses. Sorry, Sunshines.  You live in Michigan.  Driving in snow is inevitable!

Since I just bought my Vue in August, this is also my first time in a long time driving an SUV in snow.  Totally different  I thought because it's heavier than my Escort, it wouldn't slide as easily.  WRONG!  So I'm pretty glad the girl gets to drive the Escort.  It's a good old car, even with the small hole in the floorboard!

Happy Veterans Day !!

***************************************

...and a big hand salute to those who served

before me, with me and after me....

Bootcamp

Mar - May 1992

NTTC Corry Station, Pensacola FL

CT'M' A-School (that I dropped out of)

May - Sept 1992

USS Canopus AS-34 Decommissioning Crew

Sept 1992 - Dec 1994

USS Abraham Lincoln CVN-72

Dec 1994 - Apr 1997

Naval Station Evertt, WA

Apr 1997 - Mar 2000