weight

i've been stagnating in the weight loss part of my life for a couple months now. that gets so frustrating. but the worker at my ww meeting gave me a couple pointers, and they do seem to be helping. at least helping the mental side of the game. we shall see if it helps on the scale.

she pointed out that i probably am not eating enough protein on a daily basis. so i have been making a concerted effort to eat more protein. this led me to look at stew & soup recipes, and i've been making some concoctions like that. so warm and yummy this time of year, and they're filling too. other changes: eating peanut butter or cheese with my apple at lunch time and TLC granola bars have more fiber and protein than other granola bars (a ww friendly snack).

another thing i changed about how i'm following the plan is the activity points. when i first started ww, i could eat all of my daily points and the extra weekly and any activity points i earned and still lose. well things change, your body adapts, and sometimes you need to shake things up. so i am still exercising, but no longer counting the activity points for extra food. i thought that this would bring on much suffering, but adding more protein definitely seems to be helping me to not be as hungry as much, so i think i can live without these extra points.

on the activity front, i've only been doing half-hour runs, which is about 3 miles. and i've been running mostly on the track, which seems to be knee-friendly, or friendlier than the sidewalks. i hope i can keep this plan the way it is because i really hate the treadmill and i might have to give up my gym membership anyway (to be decided by the end of the year). as much as i dislike the gym environment, i am continuing with some weight training and a pilates class on wednesdays. these things are supposed to strengthen the muscles around my knees and help keep my joints functioning efficiently. but the arthritis isn't really bothering me much, so it's preventative medicine i suppose.

maybe in the spring i'll try some biking and less running. but for now, i'm just trying to come up with a plan and a schedule to get me through the winter with as much activity as possible. there will be icy days and blustery days when i will have to decide between no activity or just gym activity, but having a plan is crucial.

not so diet-friendly news: today i stopped at wegmans on the way to work for supplies, and decided to visit their coffee shop on the way out. the sign at the register indicated the special of the week was a "pumpkin chip mocha" latte. well, that sounded too yummy to pass up, so i got one. very yummy indeed. i always skip the whipped cream -- it does nothing for me, but this beverage is still more calories/points than a starbucks mocha. so, i'll have to cut out something else today, but that's ok. it was a nice way to start the day. not as good as my pumpkin cookies, but not bad.

why do we only eat pumpkin in the fall? because that is when they are harvested? but you can buy the cans of pumpkin year round, and i imagine the latte flavorings as well. strange. and off-topic. anyway...

speaking of starbucks, they have new hot chocolate beverages that sound delicious, and from what i've heard people do like them much better than their regular hot chocolate, which has a reputation of beng watery and weak. one day i will try the salted caramel hot chocolate. but i will definitely have to plan ahead for this, because a small one, without whipped cream, is about half of the daily points i am allowed. half! ...for what will probably be a liquid breakfast on the way to work. ok, well, maybe they're not worth trying, even though they sound tasty. it's basically just empty calories.

so that's that. portion sizes. more protein. keep active. whole grain carbs. healthy fats. lots of fruit & veggies (especially veggies). soup fills you up (and disguises the taste of some yucky veggies). prayer helps. and maybe one of these days i will actually make it to my goal weight. it's not too late, yet, to make it in 2008. that is what i am hoping for, but the year is flying by. flying!