Planning for Success (and a Fun Announcement!)

It is Weight Loss Wednesday again! (If you haven’t joined our little cyber group of girlfriends, don’t fret! Newcomers are always welcome. You can get caught up by clicking on Weight Loss Wednesdays in the side bar. Just leave a comment on the last post listed there. You can read the others, if you’d like, but it isn’t imperative. Just hop over each Wednesday to join us and check in with how you are doing. You don’t have to tell us what you weigh. You can tell us how much or little the scale moved, if you want. The point is accountability and encouragement for each other. We’d love to have you!)

I want to chat a bit today about planning for success in our weight loss endeavor. Then, I have a way fun announcement that involves you! And as always, let’s all ‘weigh in’ so to speak, sharing how our weeks went.

My week was okay. I kept up my exercise. I was careful how I ate. However, a couple of days I got kind of lazy and frankly, a bit tired of logging in just what foods I consumed each day and how much. Besides, I had taken an entire two weeks off from logging my food intake over the holidays and had lost over 5 pounds in the process!

So, I defiantly decided on a few evenings last week to stop writing down my calories and just ‘be sensible’.

Bad idea!

Over the holidays I was so strict with myself on the days I wanted a treat or goodie that it didn’t really harm me. I still lost. This past week however, I munched on baked sour cream-cheddar chips (my favs!) without really portioning them out; you know, just sort of guessing what a serving on my plate looked like.

And I did the same with a few other foods on a couple different days. As a result, I know I went over my allotted calories, even if only by a little, on at least 4 days last week. And the scale reflected that.

I didn’t gain, but I only lost one pound. At first, I wanted to kick my stupid scale.

Then I wanted to kick my stupid self!

But I quickly did a little mental gymnastics and some adding in my head and realized that, even though I only lost a pound this week, I hit the ’30 pounds lost’ mark. Yeah!

So, this morning I resolved to not let the runaway calories happen again (even if the foods munched on are healthy. They still have calories!)

That brings us to today’s topic.

How can you plan for success and NOT let the munchies (especially the late night kind) get the best of you? Please share! I’ll give a few first.

Pre-portioning items from a large bag into serving-sized baggies. Had I counted out those yummy, sour cream-cheddar baked chips and placed the servings in individual zip bags, I might not have just kept munching. I would have just taken one small bag out of the cupboard. I’ve read many studies that prove that to be true.

Having raw veggies cleaned, cut and handy in the fridge along with some light dip (homemade or store bought). When I want something crunchy, I don’t like to wait to wash and clean veggies and sometimes, the chip cupboard seems like a quicker choice. However, I have a hard time controlling myself with those pesky chips!

Keep herb tea bags and packets of Stevia (natural, calorie-free sweetener) in my purse at all times. This sure helped me over the holidays. I can sip on something hot and sweet whenever the sweet or salty snacks at a function are calling my name.

Okay, how about you? How was your week? Any ideas for planning for success? Or give me your thoughts on this fun announcement:

Each week when I read your comments, I so wish we could all get together just once. However, since we live all over the country, that is pretty much impossible. But the other night when my Proverbs 31 sisters and I were on a conference teaching call, it hit me.

Let’s do a WLW conference call some evening!

Yes, you and I and all our WLW cyber-sisters chatting it up and encouraging each other from the warmth of our own little homes!

I’d run it much like we do for our P31 calls. I’ll start us off with a devotion/teaching. And then we’ll open the floor for Q & A and discussion.

I know the first time I led a call for a ministry that wanted me to teach on organization, I never thought it would work. How can 60 people all talk at the same time? However, these calls work out fine. Some jump in and add their two-cents worth; others just listen. You know who is talking because we’ll refer to ourselves by our screen name. “Hey–This is mom of 6. I was wondering……”

Oh, doesn’t this sound like fun?

Are you in? I am thinking we may have it at 9 pm EST on a Thursday evening. Your only cost would be for the call and many cell phones are on free nights and weekends by then so it might be totally cost-free!

Well…that’s all for now. Let me know your thoughts and how your week went and any planning for success ideas you have!

Have a great week. I appreciate you ALL!!!

Planning for Success Blessings,

39 Comments

  1. I weighed tonight and tipped the scales up a notch – 1.5 lbs. Very discouraging after doing so well during the holidays. I know its my own fault and that makes it even harder. The weather has been freezing cold and i was not able to walk much. And a big factor was not keeping my food journal. Guess i was getting too sure of myself. Anyway, i decided its time to hit the restart button and begin anew tomorrow morning. Thanks for the tips this week karen, I know they will be very helpful. I like the idea of the conference call. Have a great week everyone.

  2. (me again)
    Is it a full moon? (re: all these wonky scales) LOL
    I did forget I’m PMS (um, not really bc who could forget that minor detail??) so that might explain my no change ( I hope) in numbers. I never thought I bloated, never noticed pants feeling tighter than usual. Shrug
    Phyllis, I want to know how you’re not craving sweets anymore?!
    Does anyone here struggle with eating too fast?? I am the last one to the table & the first one done. And I know I eat too fast, but I just don’t seem to listen to myself. :( Maybe that’s why my kids don’t listen to me! Why should they if I don’t?? Hhmmm So I think once I figure out how to slow down that will make a difference. So you know, I don’t do anything slow! Just not that type.

  3. Hi
    This week, food wise has been ok for me but have had no exercise (kids still on holiday for about 3 more weeks). No exercise is starting to make me feel lethargic and getting up early to go is soooo unappealing!!
    As I said on Saturday, I gained 1.2 kg over the Christmas/New Year time so my aim for this weeks WW weigh-in is to lose even a little bit of it. (All of it would be fantastic!!)
    I have been wondering how much freedom I should allow myself with my food intake. I find that I become very legalistic about food and then feel so bad if I don’t stick to my points… surely there is some sort of balance!? (As I sit typing I am very close to running to the pantry but know to do that would put me over my points for the day). I need some BALANCE!!!
    Karen, I think the phone call is a great idea. Maybe we could do one on Skype sometime as I am in New Zealand. Supposed to be summer here at the moment but you wouldn’t think that by looking outside.
    Have a great week everyone.

  4. Hi Karen,
    I stayed the same this week. I haven’t been able to exercise because I hurt my knee right before Christmas. Now that it is finally healed I can start exercising slowly. I am interested in the conference call. I think that would be fun.

  5. The scale didn’t move for me but that’s ok. It’s close to “that time of the month” so I just give myself a ‘little’ more room. Trust me, if I’m too strict during this time, I go all out.

    Some tips:
    I do the baggie thing or buy food already pre-portioned. If I make my favorite energy bars I cut them ahead of time and wrap them in plastic wrap so they are already to go.

    I guess for me, the best thing is that I make most of my sweet stuff—chocolate banana bread, those energy bars I mentioned, etc. I’m pretty good at limiting myself to the serving size. I also have one protein shake immediately after I work out in the am, so that tides me over til breakfast. I eat 5-6x a day and TRY not to scavange….

    **Erin….I thought it was kinda funny because I’m the opposite of you–I crave sweet stuff, not really salty stuff. (Although at this time of the month I DO crave salty stuff….) Anyway….my suggestion is to find recipes for low calorie/fat cookies, bars, etc. Sure, there are ones you can buy, but I prefer to know exactly what goes in what I’m putting in my mouth. Here’s something I do buy: Edy’s slow churned 1/2 the fat chocolate icecream; only 100 calories for 1/2 c and IT IS GOOD! Do you want to know a CRAZY trick I learned from Hungry Girl? (It’s a website)-take any cake mix in the box (I love Pillsbury yellow cake mix) and mix it with a small can of PURE pumpkin….just the pumpkin and the cake mix….DON’T add anything else that’s on the box! I promise you won’t even be able to taste the difference! I LOVE that with my Edy’s icecream! I know, pumpkin and cake mix? Sounds crazy but it’s simple and really, really good. Devil’s Food cake mix is another favorite.

    On to your next ?, Erin; I can totally relate to your boredom. I had a treadmill and I sold it because I simply could NOT continue. I do all my exercise at home to dvds and I’ve lost 35 lbs. I do cardio and I also weight train. Through the 3+ years I’ve been doing this I’ve added an array of equipment (i.e. free weights, barbell, tubing, step, high-step, etc) and a variety of dvds—but obviously not all at once! I highly recommend that you try some from your local library or even Netflix! That’s where I get mine; the ones I love I buy.

    This group is in my prayers!

    -Amy (Who’s trying to stay warm in WI)

  6. Hi everyone,

    It’s funny that so many of you mentioned whacky scales today. Mine said I either lost .5 or 2 pounds this week. It only said .5 once and 2 three times but I’m really not sure which is accurate! Anyway, I did start writing down my food intake again and it has been quite revealing. I think I need to start adding up my calories before afternoon snacking and supper. I seem to do pretty well before 4 pm on most days but after that can be pretty bad! I’ve been getting a few more workouts in during the week so that’s good. I can’t remember who said this but I agree that this is a life change and not something that I think is or will happen quickly. I want healthy eating and smaller portions to be a normal thing for me not just something I do for a while! As for a healthy snack option, I often pack a small container of almonds for a snack at work. The protien helps keep me feeling hungry and the fat in them is good for you, I think.

  7. Kimberlee – thanks for the idea re: the scale. Funny thing is that about a year ago we had the opportunity to “inherit” a very old, ugly scale with a dial from my husband’s aunt who was entering an assisted living facility. The thing was a dinosaur. I said, “We are NOT putting that ugly thing in our bathroom!” (We have been adding on to our house ourselves for nearly 12 years, and the closest room to being ‘done’ is our bathroom. It is off limits to ugly. Pride – I know! But that bathroom is my oasis at times. :) Anyway, when I happen to be in the nearest big town with a Salvation Army (25 miles away) I will look.
    Also, I realized that I did not give my tip for getting rid of the munchies. One tip is to drink plenty of water. I believe strongly that sometimes what I perceive as hunger is in fact thirst. If I drink a glass of ice cold water, and sometimes it is enough to satisfy. Another trick that I sometimes remember is to brush my teeth before sitting down for the evening. Invariably, if the children are having a bedtime snack of some goodie, I will indulge. But it’s a lot easier to say no if I’ve already brushed my teeth. Hope these tips will help someone else.

  8. I felt like this week was mostly successful however I have been craving sweets, which strange because I am more of a salt kind of girl. Any suggestions for healthy sweet choices? The pint of Ben and Jerry’s I have almost polished off has been my guilty pleasure this week. I worked out everyday but two days I have determined rest days. Yoga and a strength training class to tone my muscles. Yikes! I’m sore today :) But I need some idea for cardio? I don’t mind the treadmill, but get bored. I also watched what I ate. My goal is balance and portion control, but I am not sure what that looks like. I don’t want to deprive my body of needed nutrients but also don’t want to over indulge. Egg white omelets with fresh spinach ham or turkey and a little bit of cheese. Salads and chicken are consuming most of my diet. I might need to take the time to get some new recipes including other things besides that. Does anyone know how to find out what the healthy calorie intake is? I can say I lost 2#’s this week. The goal is maybe 3-5 more by the end of Jan. Is that realistic?

  9. OK. Not a great week for me. Only exercised once. I did try to watch what I ate, but I didn’t write anything down and I know that some of my food choices weren’t good. But, my scale showed me down by 3#’s. Maybe something is wrong with my scale, too? But, I think I like it :). Seriously, I fit into a smaller size jeans today so it must be somewhat accurate. My goal for this week to get back to both exercising and eating like I should–I want to lose 5#’s during the month of January.

  10. Where is everyone?? I’m checking in late today! hhmmm
    I LOVE that idea, Karen!!! YES, let’s do it!! FUN!!

    Numbers didn’t move for me. hhhhmmm I did track my food a little more and exercised better, but I think I’m not making right choices, even when I think I have the room in my calorie allotment.
    I do feel a little bummed, but trying not to let that get to me! I read this on SparkPeople’s blog this week and it was an “aha” revelation for me. I’m so happy to have this awareness now! Here’s what I read: “When my goal is to “lose weight,” I tend to get obsessed with the scale, and very frustrated when it doesn’t give me the results I want to see. Then I start feeling like I’m depriving myself of what I really want to eat for no good reason—and that’s a one-way ticket to overeating.” Um, yep!

    Wow, Heather, that’s pretty deep. Aren’t you happy you had that time with Him and the Holy Spirit revealed that to you? I think being real with ourselves and God is a major part of making His temple healthier and treating it for what it is.

    Vicki, sorry to hear you had another bad week. :( I am struggling myself making God a bigger part of my decision-making too. I just took on something without pausing and seeking His guidance first. Sort of that “better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission” thing. (That is how it goes, right??)

    Crystal, I wonder about my scale too. I haven’t tested it like you, I do have my suspicions, and it made me wish I had an old-fashioned one! Do you have a thrift store or Goodwill nearby? I got mine (a WW one) at Big Lots, $30. And that’s alot to me, I felt guilty getting it!

  11. I was down 1 lb this week. Unfortunately that doesn’t really tell the whole story. I weighed mid week and discovered that I was up 5 lbs. Boy was I discouraged! I spent some time, okay a lot of time praying as I walked that day and was reminded of quite a few things that I won’t take the time to write out here. God and I did business and he revealed to me that my hope has to be in him alone and not in my weight loss or in the size I wear or even in how I look. Not that taking care of those things isn’t good, healthy or okay but at the end of the day I had to put my hope in Him. (I love how God works. Chapter 6 of Me, Myself & Lies is where my Bible Study group is at this week and the lesson was very appropriate. I would strongly recommend this study!) I can’t find my worth in my ability or inability to lose weight. Anyway, I got on the scale this week and was down a 1 lb from last week but 5.5 lbs from my midweek weigh in. My goal was 1 down and I am thrilled with it.

  12. Hi, Stayed the same, but I really only worked hard at writing things down one day, but I know it really helps.

    Like the conference call idea.

    I too like bagging up the chips or treats in little baggiest hat are the right size. Planning what we will have for supper helps too, that way when I get home from work, I know what I am making and it is usually a healthier option than something I decide to throw together.

    It is fun to read that it is rainy for some of you, but here in MN it is a “heat wave!” I remember when it first started getting in the 30’s and 40’s in the fall, when we thought it was cold, my daughter reminded me that come January we would think that it was a heat wave. She was right.

    God’s blessings for a successful week to all.

  13. I’m all for the conference call! I’ve been bad at writing down what I eat. I haven’t lost any weight this week. I’m sure it has to do with the lack of writing things down. That is accountability right there.

  14. The WLW conference call sounds exciting!
    This week I lost 1 lb.
    I’ve began to have quiet time early again!!!God’s strength has helped me to keep going.
    Exercised twice this week.
    God answered my prayer again and I found
    menus that are already done with the calories needed.
    But I got a little carefree and also stopped watching the
    extra tastes and bites. I put down my guard.
    Thank you for sharing and praying.
    These verses are helping me:
    Proverbs 25:28
    Philippians 3:13-14

  15. Down .2 pounds this week. I thought it would be much higher as I had a stomach bug all weekend and have really been paying attention to what I eat. So, I was a bit disappointed, but on the good side, Hubby was down 2 pounds today. :)

  16. Wendy, hope your post-surgery healing goes well!! Karen, I love the plan to succeed ideas. I do pack a snack so that what I snack on is controlled rather than random. If I plan on being strong and not snacking, the vending machine calls my name, so I try to bring something (usually low-fat yogurt for 80 calories or string cheese and 3 veggie wheat thins for a total of 100) that I enjoy for my 3:00 munchies. I just plan to snack rather than trying unsuccessfully to resist. Had another bad week. I’m up 1 more, but I’m not going to get discouraged. Tomorrow is another day and another opportunity to succeed. I do think I’m trying to hard to do this on my own instead of including God in my struggle. My goal this week is to make God a bigger part of ALL my decisions, not just the big ones. Love the conference call idea. Count me in.

  17. Still healing from last weeks surgery, but I am making much better choices when I eat and eating less. Next week is a weigh in week for sure. Still unable to really excercise…might try a short walk this afternoon since it is finally not raining.

  18. I don’t know what I weigh this week – no visit to the doctor to use his scale. I have a scale at home, but frankly don’t trust it. It varies by up to five pounds, depending on what tile it is on in the bathroom, or how I stand. And I’m talking get on, it will read a weight. Get off, get on, a different weight three pounds more or less than the original weight. Can anyone recommend a decent scale for home use that won’t break the budget? (And our budget is very tight here in “land of the highest unemployment in the country.)

  19. Surprisingly, I lost 5.6 lbs. Of course, last week was the first week of eating healthier and exercising in a while, so I doubt my progress will continue at that rate. I truly feel that I’m walking hand-in-hand with the Lord on my journey to a healthy lifestyle. I’ve tried dieting and exercise before, but it’s almost always been a struggle. This time, I feel calm. I don’t crave the sweets and breads that normally chant my name. I find myself easily ignoring the birthday cake I baked for my hubby’s birthday. I also find myself not feeling hungry all the time. It’s wonderful and I am totally blessed.

  20. Lost 2# of the 5# gained over the holidays. Three more to go and then I’ll be ready to tackle the remaining weight again. Long way to go but I’m going to make it this year.

  21. I know I new here and I don’t always join in on Weight Loss Wed. In fact, that wasn’t one of my resolutions at all this year. However, I have felt the Lord leading me to get and stay healthier, to avoid future health problems. One place where I totally fail is work. I work outside the home, and I always want to much at my computer, and then it is always a tempation at lunch time to go grab something yummy and fast instead of go home. On thing I have found it if I keep yummy, healthy stuff in my drawer at work, and at home for lunch, stuff that is healthy and I look forward to, my waist line and my pocket book feel much better! Love the blog:)

  22. Hello fellow WWWers. I FINALLY lost-down 1.7 pounds this week-and it’s the monthly ‘bloat’ week to boot! YIPPEE!!! Ok-I have lots of improvements to make, especially with writing everything down, but I really tried to be more conscientious about the snacks. If I’m ‘starving’ (I use that term loosely) at night, I really resisted. Instead of sitting in the family room watching tv, i went upstairs to stay away from the pantry.

    I had to have blood work last week and well, my cholesterol levels are really bad. Frankly, I KNEW it was going to happen but it still didn’t motivate me very much-someone smack me over the head… I truly feel that God is sending me lots of warning signs about my overall health and I’m just pushing them aside. Time to change, that’s for sure.

    I think a conference call sounds like fun! Count me in!

    Susan

  23. Karen
    I look forward to reading your blog every Wednesday. I just joined in the group last week. I am now 1.4 pounds from my goal! I only lost .4 this week, but that’s ok. It was a step in the right direction. I realize that with only a little over a pound to lose, it may be slow and tedious. My loss has been slow and tedious the whole time. I never reflected numbers like you have, but the important thing is for me to realize that it really doesn’t matter how long it takes, because this is an eating style for life. I need to do it forever. I joined the group because this is where I have a tough time. Realitiy sets in, and I get a little lazy and unmotivated. The group has helped me keep my focus. I am getting ready to go for a long walk today because in the midwest, we are having a heat wave! It is going to be 40 degrees!!! Take care everyone and have a wonderful, spirit-filled, blessed, healthy week!

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