I'm baaaaackk!!

Well I had to go on a hiatus from Weight Watchers for a bit because I was pregnant but I'm happy to announce that Brandon Kyle is here!!  Just before I got pregnant I gained quite a bit of weight because of stress.  Once I got pregnant, I gained 19 pounds.  I'm not at the weight that I was when I originally started WW but I'm close enough.  I always said that I would go back to WW as soon as I had the baby and I'm so glad that I stuck to it and was motivated to come back.

During my pregnancy, I let myself eat what I wanted.  I can't believe I only gained 19 pounds and I was mostly belly.  My pregnancy was very kind to me.  Even though I made poor food choices when I was pregnant, I didn't eat much.  I never felt like I needed to "eat for two"and I wasn't very hungry.  Well now that I'm breastfeeding, the hunger is here!!  I am so hungry all the time!  When I wake up to feed the baby at night, my tummy rumbles and I have to have a snack.  I am burning 500 calories a day just breastfeeding so that makes sense why I'm so hungry.  The key to being on WW and breastfeeding will be making the right choices with all of this hunger.

I went to a new meeting today.  Unfortunately, Kerri my leader is no longer leading meetings so I had to find a new meeting.  Kerri recommended Kathy on Thursday nights so I gave it a try.  I brought Brandon to the meeting and he was quite a hit.  Kathy was so sweet and loved him right away.  The meeting was busy enough and they were very interactive.  Kathy seems like she'll be a great leader.  I'm so happy that I found a great replacement meeting.  I'm glad I don't have to try out a bunch of meetings.  I will definitely return next week.

It will be difficult to get back in to the swing of things because the last nine months, I've allowed myself to eat what I want without a thought.  I'm allowing myself to take it easy the first week and try to get used to being on the program again.  I won't be super harsh on myself.  Also, I don't want to lose weight too quickly because it can effect my milk supply.  So this week I will focus on getting the house more WW friendly and get back in to tracking.

Well it has been 8 months since I blogged last and a lot has changed in my life.  Last time I blogged I gained a little weight and I was motivated to lose again.  Kyle and I had just gotten married and the wedding stress was over.  Little did I know what would happen in the next few months.  I have been having pain in my upper back for months.  It would come on as attacks but I just thought I was lactose intolerant.  Well in May the attack lasted 4 days and I became jaundice.  My doctor wouldn't even see me and told me to go directly to the ER.  I had no clue I would be in the hospital for FIVE DAYS!!  I had gallstones and a very sick gallbladder.  I had an endoscopic procedure and then surgery to remove my gallbladder.  It was awful.   I hated every moment.  It was everything I hated.  But, it's over and thankfully the pain won't come back!

Just two months later I'm back in the hospital because of other personal reasons.  It was a very stressful time.  I was having to go to the doctor every week to have blood work and eventually go back to the hospital again.  On top of all this, the doctors at the hospital diagnosed me with hypothyroidism.  It's just been a lot to deal with.

Oh and did I mention that among all of this, Kyle and I also bought our first home together.  This is definitely a great thing but it just added to the stress. Now we are settled in our house and I have gained quite a bit of weight.  I never thought I'd see 200 again and I've exceeded it.  I feel like my last few blogs have been about how I'm done gaining weight and wanting to get back into game.  I have gained weight after each blog.  Which is why I've been waiting to write this one.  Well I think it's safe to say I'm back!

I had to cancel Weight Watchers back in July because of my condition but I had been thinking about rejoining again.  I just couldn't find a good meeting.  Truly, I started gaining once the original Monday meetings started.  I needed Kerri back.  I had thought about emailing Kerri to see if she still had her Tuesday afternoon meetings at Team Disney cause that would be the best timing for me.  Just 4 days later I'm on Facebook and Kerri posted that she's now having a Tuesday meeting at 12:15 at the Hunter's Creek center.  It was a sign.  So meant to be.  I instantly went online and rejoined.  I went to Kerri's meeting that Tuesday and it was me and one other girl.  It was the first meeting at this time.  It was so great to be back.  I went home and cleaned out all of the bad stuff from my kitchen.  I was so motivated but I wasn't sure if it would last.

Well it's been 2.5 weeks and I'm already down 6.8 pounds!!!  I feel like I did when I first lost.  It's not difficult and I feel like I just got back on track.  In the beginning it took some getting used to measuring and counting points but now it's so easy again.  I've even gotten back in to a regular running routine.  Runner's World is doing a "running streak" to challenge runners to run at least one mile everyday from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day.

So I'm happy to be back!!  :)

Back in the Saddle Again

I'm done gaining weight back so I finally made it back to a WW meeting for the first time since February. I still miss my original Monday night meeting but I need to find another meeting that can be my constant. So I went to check out a meeting earlier this week. To protect the innocent I will not say any times but let me tell you... this was NOT my meeting! Wow! Let me start from the beginning. Walking in to the WW center felt weird because it had been so long. Obviously I was nervous to face the scale because I know what it's going to say and I'm not happy with it. I used to walk in and have it feel like a second home cause I would know so many people inside but this time I didn't know anyone. I walked up to the receptionist and I warned her that it's been awhile for me but I'm back. And I also warned her I know the scale's up so don't be alarmed. I was right. My lowest weight was in Oct. and it was 167. When I stepped on the scale this week it was 190. Yikes! I knew it would be that high but it's still tough to see. One of the biggest driving forces for me to go back to WW was, I never want to go back to the 200's again. So I went in just in time. After weighing in and being welcomed back, a woman walks around the corner. I say hello to her because I remember her as a member from my old meetings. I remember her talking alot and she kinda annoyed me. Well, guess who the meeting leader is... I decided to stay cause I certainly needed the meeting and maybe she'd be a great leader! I walked in to the meeting room and I rounded out the group to 5 people. I'm used to it being SRO in Kerri's meeting so this was a shock to me. 3 more people came in at the last minute but it was still weird having such a small group. The leader begins the meeting and is telling us a story about her sister complaining that she gained weight on vacation. She had us write down the advice we would give if our sister came to us with the same complaint. Her directions were really vague at first so everyone was confused. Then we just kinda moved on, it was weird. Later she was talking about how there are 'ups and downs' and she told us "like for example, today this woman came in to weigh in and she was so sunburnt! Burnt to a crisp. She had to step on the scale like this," and she mimed cautiously stepping on a scale. Then said "so there's always going to be ups and downs. It's important to eat lots of colors in your meals..." I was so confused! What does the sunburnt lady have to do with 'ups and downs'?! Then she started talking about how she was reading a blog and she just doesn't get it why people would want to blog. Big lesson for her to learn... you never know who you're talking to! Watch what you say. (The 2 ladies sitting behind me need to learn the same lesson. Before the meeting they were talking about vegetarians and they said "you need to be careful of that soy stuff." then they continued to share food ideas like low point bars and cookies. People crack me up.) Anyways so my leader is talking about reading this blog on the WW site and she said the blogger kept talking about this thing called P Interest. She asked if we've ever heard of it. Saying it out loud, I didn't know what she was talking about. Then someone in the back said "Pinterest". Then the other 5 old women tried to explain what Pinterest is to the leader. Everyone was confused and I just sat there quietly cause it was so annoying. Now let me say, it is not a requirement for my WW leader to know what Pinterest is or to love bloggers but, I can't connect with people that are so behind. So that is not my meeting. I will keep searching though. Hopefully I will find another great meeting that will keep me committed to reaching my goal.

It Must Be My Scale That's Broken

Well I'm pretty frustrated. I have been eating so well! I've been craving terrible things and I've been avoiding them and finding better alternatives. After 2 weeks of eating really well... the scale's not budging. :( I haven't been working out that much, I know I can up that, but I didn't work out at all my first 4 months on WW and I lost a lot. I should say though, it's not just the scale, I'm not seeing it or feeling it on my body either.

I haven't lost hope though. I'm still so determined! I want to, no, HAVE TO lose this weight. I want to be healthy. Well, speaking of healthy, I feel much better the last 2 weeks. So I know that something inside of me is changing. Maybe it's because I've stopped eating animal products. I haven't eaten any meat or cheese since 3.15.2012. I've had very little dairy because it's very difficult to avoid completely.

I'm watching a documentary on obesity. Hopefully this will keep me inspired. It's called Killer at Large: Why Obesity... It's pretty good so far.

Playing Catch Up

I cannot believe how long it's been since I've blogged! Since my last post I have run 2 more half marathons, I ran my first full marathon, oh and I got married!!! :) There have been so many life changes that have happened in the last 5 months! It's been a very exciting time for me. The only unfortunate thing that's happened is I have lost control of my good eating habits and willingness to work out. I've gained about 23 pounds. :( One weird thing that happened though, all of a sudden my willpower came back during my honeymoon. Kyle said it's because I don't have a million things to think about anymore. Now I can just focus on my weight loss again.

So since returning from my honeymoon I went food shopping for tons of healthy foods. It's nice to eat healthy and have control of my eating again. I've had a killer headache for about 24 hours now though so I think my body's detoxing. I've been tracking my food again. Honestly, I haven't tracked in about 2-3 months. I've been terrible. So I'm back to tracking and being strong with candy and other temptations at work. It truly feels like old Eileen is back and I'm happy she is. :)

So while I was on the cruise most of the dinners I ordered were the vegetarian option. Not because I didn't want meat but because it's usually the healthiest option. Also, I've never loved meat. I'll eat it, like I enjoy lean chicken and ground beef, but that's about it. I don't like lunch meat, meat on a bone, ham, sausage, turkey, and if I think the meat is undercooked in any way, I won't eat it. So I'm not a huge carnivore. While we were in Disneyland I noticed myself ordering vegetarian options again. It made me start thinking. What if I did go vegetarian. It would help me when I'm eating out because for some reason people are more accepting when you say "I'm a vegetarian" than when you say "I'm a healthy eater".

I've been giving this some serious thought and haven't eaten any kind of meat since Thursday. Last night I was reading a blog this girl writes of healthy dessert recipes. The girl who writes the blog is vegan and most of her recipes are vegan too. Now when I hear the word vegan, I can't help but also think of the word "weirdo". No offense to anyone reading this. I'm just uneducated about this topic. Well I was reading quite a bit about it and it has me intrigued. Being vegan is pretty much being vegetarian except you also don't eat dairy (and eggs but I'll get to that in a bit). Since I'm lactose intolerant I should be watching my dairy intake as well. I get cocky sometimes and think I can eat dairy and then I'm reminded when I lying on my bed in imense pain. So dare I connsider being a vegan?? Does this mean I have to stop shaving my arm pits?? ;)

So being vegan means no eggs. That is difficult. So many things contain eggs that you don't realize. I know there are options around it but I'm not sure. For now, I'll stick with the no meat thing and work on the no dairy. It's a fun challenge and helps me be aware of what I'm eating. So I guess I'm a vegetarian now. It's kinda fun. :) I like looking for new recipes and reading about how/when people made the change to being a vegetarian/vegan. I've been cooking with polenta, soy crumbles, and lots of beans.

I'm excited to announce that race season is in full swing and the great news is my husband has signed up to run one with me. I'm signed up for the Disneyland Half Marathon, the Tower of Terror 10-miler (that's the one Kyle's running with me), the Gingerbread Run 5K, and the Wine and Dine Half Marathon. I'm thinking of training for the Goofy next year. It sounds good right now but we'll see.

thoughts on my blog

Okay so since I have started letting people know about my blog the response has been overwhelming. My blog started out as a word document that I would vent to when I was at work. I later decided to post it online but didn't tell anyone about it except for Kyle. I figured some people may find it while browsing the internet but I wasn't sure I wanted anyone I know to know about it. I remember the day I told Teresa about my blog. I felt unsure at first as my blog is very personal. I don't hold back. From there I started to tell a few here and there. Then on my one year anniversary of WW, I posted it to Facebook and since then it's been crazy! People message me, email me, and text me still to this day. The reaction Ive been getting is wonderful. I'm so happy to share my story with everyone.

I went to an extra WW meeting on Friday to get my Kerri fix since she wasn't at the Monday meeting this week. :) Kerri mentioned to the meeting that I have a blog. A few minutes later, a lady passed me a note, like in school, that said "Can I read your blog?" I was so touched. (Hi! if you're reading this!) I had tons of other women come up to me after the meeting to get the blog address too. It's still very surreal to me to think I'm an inspiration to people. I'm just simple me. But if I can help inspire people than that's what will keep me going. I whole heartedly believe in the brand of Weight Watchers and good health in general. I want to live as long as I can. I have a wonderful fiancé and I don't ever want to leave him. I want people to understand that life is worth living and you're not living if you're unhappy with yourself or are unhealthy. We are given one body, we have to take care of it. At the end of the day, it's truly all we've got.

I've been thinking a lot about how I can branch out and inspire more people. Someone suggested television. I know that Dr. Oz is now associated with WW so today I emailed his team. I sent him a current photo of me and this message...

"On Sept. 20, 2010 I walked in to a Weight Watchers center weighing 243 lbs. I have done WW before and although I was motivated again I wasn't sure if it would last. I have been overweight and unhealthy my entire life. I'm a happy outgoing person but in the back of my mind I was constantly reminded that I am different than my friends. Well I met my WW leader Kerri and she has truly inspired me! With the help of Kerri, my new WW friends, and my fiancé I have lost 74.6 pounds! I am a new girl! I am not yet at goal but I will be there soon!! I'm hoping to start 2012 at my goal weight which is perfect timing since I will be getting married on 3/3/12. Since I have lost the weight my entire life has changed. I eat better, I have so much more energy, and I'm an athlete now. Before the weight loss, I had never run a mile in my life. That includes gym class at school. I always found an excuse to not run. Last week I finished my first half marathon and am training for the Walt Disney World Marathon in Jan 2012. Throughout my transformation I have inspired others. I am so humbled by this. I am in no way perfect so I don't feel I'm the ideal role model but then that's maybe what makes me a good role model. I mess up, I have bad days and weeks, but that's what makes me real. I have been blogging since day 2 of my weight loss journey and would love for you to check it out. Here's the link... achievingresultsnottypical.blogspot.com. I would love the chance to come on to your show to hopefully inspire more people. Losing weight is one of the toughest things to do in life. I know that first hand. Everyone would be skinny if it wasn't. But the good certainly outweighs the bad and I want to show people it can be done! I am a new me!! :)"

We'll see if anything comes of it. What I thought would be neat if my final weigh in was on his show. I picture me stepping on the scale, the numbers going crazy like they do on tv, the audience biting their nails in anticipation, and then finally the scale stops and it displays my goal weight. Everyone will go crazy! Everyone I love will be there, my family, friends, Kyle, Kerri, Teresa. Confetti and balloons fall from the sky! It would be magical! :) I sent a link to my blog so if you're from the Dr. Oz show... *hint* *hint* this would make a great show! ;)

I'm Engaged!!!!!!

This has been one incredible week!! I feel bad for the rest of the 51 weeks this year cause this one takes the cake! Well, I thought I would be so excited about finishing my first half marathon and then Kyle went and surprised me with asking me to marry him!!! Here's how it happened...

Kyle told me a few weeks ago that he would like us to take a tour of the Seas with Nemo and Friends. He said that Animal Programs is testing out a new tour and needed "guests" to try it out. I had to switch my days off for the tour as it was being offered on Thursday. I was getting a little suspicious as Kyle never makes plans. So I thought he might propose that day but I wasn't exactly sure how. Well the night before, we went to Merritt Island to have dinner with my parents. My mom asked if I worked the next day and I thought it was odd. I thought she would for sure know I was off cause she would know what was going on. I was thinking she wouldn't even bring up the day so she didn't have to pretend to not know. Well she did a really great job at pretending to not even know about the "tour" we were going on. She had me completely fooled and I thought it wouldn't happen on Thursday.

Thursday morning I talked to Thaty and she asked me what I was doing too. When I told her about the tour she said very non-shelant "Oh yeah, I heard about that." Well that sealed the deal for me. There really is a tour and I'm not getting engaged today. I wasn't upset but at least I wouldn't have expectations and be disappointed. Well the time came to go to Epcot. We left the house around 4:30 and parked at the Beach Club. I tried to look for signs of nervousness or excitement in Kyle but he seemed cool as a cucumber.

We walked in to Epcot and he said "Oh I bet Pam's here today, it's Thursday." So we headed in to the Pub. I walked in and saw Pam. She was playing the piano and said "It's been too long Eileen, where have you been?!" Then I noticed that everyone was staring at me. I started to look around the pub and first saw my friends John and Justin. I waved hello. Then I noticed Brenda, Len, Ashby and Michelle. I thought it was so weird I knew so many people. I looked to my left and saw Anna, Lila, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Thaty, Gio, Lucas, and Rebekah. And then... I saw SARA!!!! Kyle flew my best friend in from Seattle!! I flipped out!! I started crying and hugging her like crazy! I couldn't believe she was here!

I then remember someone pulling me back and pulled up a chair in front of Pam's piano. I couldn't believe this was happening! Kyle got down on his knee and opened the box. There was the most beautiful engagement ring I've ever seen! I obviously said yes and the kissed Kyle a bajillion times. As I look up, I start seeing even more people. Kyle invited Kerri (my WW leader), Teresa, and Jimmy! I can't believe how many people came out to see this!! I couldn't be happier that they were all there!! (Nicole and Donna were supposed to be there but they had to work. I was thinking of them though!) It was truly so magical!

I asked Kyle if we were going to be late for the tour, everyone laughed. There is no tour of the seas. So we all stayed to celebrate at the pub. The manager was so sweet and offered a round of drinks for everyone. I so rarely drink now but I indulged and had my signature drink, a cosmopolitan. Kyle then told me that we had reservations at my favorite restaurant, Tokyo Dining and most everyone's coming! We ended up having a party of 15! It was beyond perfect! We had a great time at dinner. Best part of all, Sara got to come home with us and was going to stay through Sunday. I loved how surprised I was and just how wonderful the entire engagement was. If I could have planned it myself it would have been just what happened.

Well my blog is supposed to be about my weight loss journey so I'll tell you about this week. It was an odd week because I ate so many carbs over the weekend because I was preparing for a race. My tummy hurt a bit after the race and it hasn't felt the same since. It's weird. I eat less than I usually do. I have been eating pretty well just smaller portions that usual. I also decided to take a week off from activity to let my body rest from the half marathon. It was weird going a whole week. By Monday I was so ready to work out with Donna. I actually hadn't seen Donna in 2 weeks because I didn't see her after the marathon because of my knees. I was so sleepy yesterday but I knew I had to work hard with her so I could get back in to my routine. I felt tired and a little weak but I tried to push myself as hard as I could. Sometimes I won't want to finish a set because I feel like I physically can't but I love that she never lets me quit. I can take a second to catch my breath or rest my muscles but she always makes me finish each set. I love that. Anyways, Donna has told me to stay off of the scale and I have for 3 weeks! That's a long time for me because I love weighing in everyday. But she said to only weigh in with her and WW. I've been very good at staying off of it so I didn't know what to expect. I stood on the scale at the gym and couldn't believe my eyes... It said 169.something!! I was finally in a new decade!! I couldn't wait to get to weight watchers to see what that scale would say!

I raced to my WW meeting and hopped on the scale. It said 168.4!! That's a -6.6 loss for the week and a total of 74.6! Ahhh!! I will for sure hit -75 lbs next week! I will get a new charm for my WW keychain. I can't believe how well I did this week. Typically when I do well, I tend to slack the next week cause I feel too cocky. I will not let that happen this week. I will be strict but still make it livable. I am so motivated. Especially because now I have a wedding coming up soon! I have to look good!

So this week I finished my first half marathon, got engaged, had my best friend in town, and lost 6.6 lbs. See what I'm saying, it's truly the best week ever!!!

On a side note, I've been meaning to share this gem. I found an ice cream that seems too good to be true! It's called Arctic Zero. The flavors I've seen are mint chocolate chip, chocolate peanut butter, strawberry, coffee, and my two favorites are vanilla maple and cookies and cream. They come in a pint size and I've only seen them at Whole Foods for $4.49. These beauties are only 3 Points Plus for the WHOLE PINT!!! Here's all the info...

Pumpkin Spice??!! I need to find that flavor!!!! :)))