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Giving Noom A Try

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For a long time, I’ve thought Weight Watchers was the only diet plan worth trying…until now. I’ve been seeing the Noom ads on my Facebook page, so I decided sign up for the 14-day free trial. Today is day 7, and I’m really loving it.

I’m a rule follower, so I enjoy the structure of Noom. I’m also a stress eater, and that’s where my diet attempts always fail. Noom has psychologists on staff to help with that.

I feel a little freer with Noom because I always know how many calories I’m eating and whether the foods I’m eating are “green,” “yellow,” or “red.” With just a glance at the Noom app, I can tell how healthy I’m eating.

The app also connects with my Fitbit and monitors my steps. As I exercise, it adds more calories to my daily intake level. For my age, height, and weight, it starts with 1200 calories per day, but as I exercise that number goes up.

I feel like I can be successful with Noom.

 

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Boston Market Turkey Breast Dinner

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The new Weight Watchers Freestyle program allows a lot more freedom than prior programs. Sometimes I want to eat out, as most of us do. Boston Market is the first restaurant I’ve tried since starting Weight Watchers Freestyle. I was pleasantly surprised by the turkey breast dinner. It was delicious, and these were the points:

  • Turkey breast – small or large     1
  • Poultry gravy                                  1
  • Rotisserie potatoes                        4
  • Steamed veggies                             1
  • Cornbread                                       7

Sure, that’s 14 points, but it was worth every wonderful bite. I still had 9 points left, and 4 rolled over to the next day.

I can’t wait to find other places to eat out. Oprah says you can eat anywhere. We’ll see!

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Holding Your Body Weight

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My daughter is a petite young woman. She can put one hand on each of the Body Rock Challenger Bars, bring both legs up to a mid-air squatting position, hold it, and then lower both legs. I tried that…and…um…well…let’s say my feet left the floor about an inch for a sliver of a second. I decided to work on that. Of course, I weigh significantly more than my daughter, so I’m lifting a lot more body weight. I’ve been attempting this exercise five times each day. Today, I actually lifted both legs and held them up for about two seconds. Progress. Whatever, I’m getting a little muscle definition in my upper arms.

The problem here is that my core is not strong enough to lift my legs. With the exercises I’m doing with the Body Rock Challenger Bars, my core is getting stronger. I’m just going to keep on keeping on.

The Weight Watchers Freestyle plan is going well. I haven’t had a single craving or been hungry since I started on December 31st. Yep, I started on New Year’s Eve instead of New Year’s Day. I couldn’t wait to start moving forward with my healthier plan.

I’ve been trying to get more steps in. I track them with my FitBit. I’m trying to make 10,000 steps more days each week. So far, so good. I’m seeing improvement. My clothes are starting to fit better.

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Yes, It Is Right

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The other day, I questioned in my blog post “Is This Right?” whether I could really eat bacon, eggs, toast, and butter for breakfast on the new Weight Watchers Freestyle program and still lose weight. Well, yes I can. On week one, I had this breakfast two days in a row and still lost 5.4 pounds.

This is the first time I’ve been on a diet and have not been hungry or had any cravings whatsoever. My daughter weighs 115 pounds, but she’s eating the same meals I’m eating – plus other things as well. She’s thoroughly enjoying the plan. We are eating great! There will be more recipes coming.

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I’m So Out Of Shape

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Since starting my doctorate in 2015, I’ve become quite sedentary. I’m no spring chicken either. Today, I started the 30-day free trial of BodyRock.TV. I attempted the beginner day 1 boot camp video. It said it’s for people who have never exercised, the elderly, after surgery, that type of thing. I’m both proud and disgusted to say I finished the first 100 seconds of the video. That’s like 1 minute 40 seconds.

I have visions dancing in my head of perky elderly people finishing the warm-up and the day 1 boot camp. Pft. It’s okay. I’m going to finish the whole video today…in 100 second sessions. I can do this. Oh yes I can! Just because the name of the video has day 1 boot camp in the title doesn’t mean I can’t just stay on day 1 until I ace it because I know I’m not going to work up to day 30 in 30 days.

To give myself a little credit, I’ve been trying to walk or cycle 10,000 steps per day and do a few body weight exercises on the Challenger Bars. It’s just that hopping around is a little out of my league right now.

Tonight, I’m making zero-point chili for dinner. It’s my own special concoction. I’ll post the recipe this evening or tomorrow. It’s a good dinner for these below-freezing temperatures we’re having.

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Is This Right?

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The Weight Watchers Freestyle program allows a lot of daily and weekly points, in addition to all the zero-point items. Since starting on December 31st, I’ve been eating a lot of the free items, so I have a lot of leftover and weekly points. I’ve been completely satisfied each day and have had no cravings whatsoever.

Since eggs are zero points now, I decided to make myself a special sandwich. It reminds me of the Denny’s Grand Slam breakfast sandwich. I used a whole-wheat sandwich round spread with one tablespoon of light I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter. I cooked three slices of bacon on my indoor grill and two eggs cooked with Pam spray and a little salt and pepper.

Now don’t get me wrong…this is a high-point meal. I counted three points for the bread, five for the bacon, and two for the Light I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter. That’s a grand total of ten points…ten extremely delicious points.

Here’s the thing…today is the point where I would normally be hungry, craving all kinds of things, and likely to cheat. That sandwich tasted like heaven. I’m completely satisfied, have no cravings, and as far as I can tell this is completely on the Weight Watchers Freestyle plan. I guess we’ll find out at weigh-in time Saturday.

Truly, if I can eat like I have been this week and see one to two pounds a week weight loss then this is something I can maintain for life. I had turkey breast and gravy last night. I’ve never had gravy on a diet before.

Is there a retro dietary shift going on?

When I was younger, I ate like this and weighed 115 pounds. Sure, things are different at my age, but I’m starting to think there’s a dietary shift back to the way we ate in the early 1960s. My parents always had a garden, and my mom worked in a grocery store produce department, so we had fresh fruits and vegetables all the time.

Am I misinterpreting the new Weight Watchers Freestyle program? Only time will tell. I can always readjust if I’m wrong.

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BodyRock Challenger Bars

41HvCdSMFsL._SX425_After watching this video on a friend’s Facebook page, I decided I must have this. Body Rock Challenger Bars. It’s probably going to take a lot of work and patience for me to do this stuff at my age, but I’m going to give it my best shot. It will be several days before they come in. I ordered them from Amazon.

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Zero-Point Lunch

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I’m giving this new Weight Watchers Freestyle plan a test drive before my official start date of January 1st.  This is the dish I mentioned in my previous post, An Unexpected Use.

I just open a can of black beans and rinsed them, threw in a package of thawed, frozen corn and a can of Ro-tel tomatoes. I sprayed a pan with Pam and cooked a couple of eggs with a little salt and pepper. I’m not much of an egg fan, but I must say this was good. If I’m going to eat an egg, it has to be cooked solid all the way through. I had a cup and a half of the bean/corn/tomato concoction and the two eggs for lunch. The whole thing was zero Weight Watchers points.

My worst vice when dieting is not going to the store. That’s what always throws me off. I’m a hermit, and I hate going to the store. Before January 1st, I’m going to plan my meals for the week and go to the store.

I’ve been working from home since Hurricane Harvey. Our building took in eight feet of water in the basement and knocked out our power. It has been over four months since I’ve been to the office. We’re supposed to go back the week of the 1st, so I’ll begin the new Weight Watchers Freestyle program the week I get back to the office. That could be a good thing since I won’t be sitting at home with a fridge downstairs. I work in a large, beautiful office complex on a lake where I can take walks at lunch time. I can also walk up and down the stairs since I’m on the 8th floor.

I’m looking forward to figuring out how to make the most of all the new zero points foods. I live with my daughter. We are both pretty great cooks, so I’m going to look at this as an adventure. I currently take several medications and supplements. It would be great to be able to reduce the meds. I’ll keep the supplements.

Dinner tonight will be rotisserie chicken, Instant Pot potatoes, and veggies.  I haven’t used any points yet today, so potatoes it will be.

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An Unexpected Use

CaptureRemember the little under-the-desk cycle I talked about yesterday? Last night, I was watching an episode of My 600-lb Life. The lady the show was about was bed-ridden, and she was using one of these little cycles with her arms. Go figure! I tried it this morning and it works fabulously. It not only works the arms and shoulders, but the back and waist get a really good workout too. I’m not even a third of 600 pounds, but this is my new favorite overall body exerciser.

Today, I’m making one of my favorite recipes of rinsed, canned black beans, frozen corn, and Ro-tel tomatoes. It’s one of my favorites, and on the new Weight Watchers Freestyle plan it’s zero points. I can add a little boneless, skinless chicken breast, and it’s still zero points.

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One of Those People

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One of “Those People”

Every year, I complain about all “those people” who show up at the gym on January 2nd. You know the ones. They go every January and then stop. This year, I’m going to be one of those people who shows up at the gym on January 2nd. I don’t plan to stop. I plan to continue and be successful.

I’m going to start the new Weight Watchers Freestyle program on January 1st. I’m excited about the new zero-point items, such boneless, skinless chicken breast, corn, peas, and beans. This new plan seems so much more do-able. Here’s a video that explains the new Freestyle plan.

For the past three years, I’ve been working on my doctorate. I’ve been sedentary during that time, and the less I moved, the less I could move. I bought one of those little under-desk bicycles. They’re available on Amazon and cost around $39.99. My knees hurt when I use a treadmill or an elliptical, but I don’t have any pain after using this cycle.

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It has been a miracle. My core and legs are stronger, and I can do much more than I have in a long time. I’ve been trying to use this to make 10,000 steps per day on my Fitbit.  To make the steps count on my Fitbit, I put my hand on my thigh and it jiggles my wrist and counts the steps.

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The cycle has toned my abdomen significantly. Before using the cycle, I didn’t believe it would work, but it is an excellent form of exercise. It has increased my stamina significantly.

So, look out gym, here I come…on January 2nd…