So, how are things going? I think we have a new person or two joining us since last week.  Michelle is with us now.

This was a strange week for me. I felt like I ate better this week, better quality foods, more vitamin-rich foods, etc. The only day I went a bit over was on Mother’s Day. So, I thought my results would be a bit better.  BUT, it had me up one p0und. I was quite suprised.

So, following Kevin’s format of reporting weight:

Week 0 – 255
Week 1 – 254
Week 2 – 255

Net weight loss = 0

That’s a bit discouraging, but I know that happens. It could be the bathroom scale. It could be my body just retaining fluids. There are many different reasons, not least of which is I simply gained a pound.

So, gotta get back on track and lose at least one pound this week.

Exercising

I finally got back on track with my running. I ran Saturday and Sunday, took the day off on Monday, and am going out again after I am done posting this.

I have a long way to go to get ready for the half marathon on July 22nd. I feel very out of shape, but hopefully after a week of running, my muscles will begin to regain their strength and I can begin pushing for longer distances.

Alright… I have a busy day ahead. Sorry to cut it short.

I will make a post before next Tuesday… however, I may not be able to post next Tuesday morning due to traveling. I will either post next Tuesday night, or Wednesday morning.

Have a great week!

Rich

My official weigh in is 254. Total lost during this 10 week challenge: 1 pound. I feel better – mostly from having done it.

Pretty good, and moving in the right direction.  I basically just stuck with the plan this week. Stayed at my point total each day but one. I went over on Saturday while trying out a new restaurant north of Fort Worth. But, that’s alright. I still met my goal.

I didn’t exercise much this last week either. I was mobile, but I only was able to go out running one time since last Tuesday. So, my weight loss is mostly from just eating better… certainly not from exercising.

Join Us

Anyone can jump in at any time.  Currently, as far as I know, there are just a few of us doing this challenge:

1. Darcey
2. Mrs J
3. Kevin
4. Rich (me)

Feel free to jump on board at any time. Most of us are using Weight Watchers to lose our weight, but you can do whatever you want. We are just trying to encourage each other along the way to lose 1 pound per week for 10 weeks. Nothing killer or huge… just one pound per week.

Some of us have been stuck in losing weight… and as Mrs. J said… losing the same 5 pounds for the last several months. So, we are working our way past a weight loss plateau, and just wanting to be healthier.

All you have to do to join is leave a comment on this blog post with your name and weight, and how much weight you lost in this last week. Our goal… one pound per week.

Then, check back each Tuesday morning for weigh in by leaving a new comment on how things went.

The Week Ahead

This is my week to start running, running, and more running. I need to start ramping up again for a race in July. I am nowhere near ready for that race. I plan on doing this week what I did last week.

Have a great week ahead, and leave a comment below about how your week was, anything special you did, and how you lost your weight!

Rich

A small goal is:

1. something that can be done in about 3 months or less (less is best)
2. something that can be done without much effort
3. something that deserves a reward

For example, this 10 week, 10 pound challenge is a small goal. It does require some effort, but it’s not an outrageous goal like trying to drop 20 – 30 pounds in the same time frame. It is also something that I can reward myself for at the end of 10 weeks (more about that later).

Here are a couple of other small goal ideas:

Buying a new shirt, shorts, jeans, or pants. It doesn’t have to always do with weight loss. It could be that by sticking to your points for 2 weeks straight you reward yourself by going out and buying a new shirt or something.

Or, if you want to make it about weight loss, find a pair of pants that are “barely” too tight. You know, that if you dropped another 5-10 pounds, they would fit just right and you could breathe when you sat down. So, set that as a small goal. Do what you have to do over the next few weeks to run, walk, hike, and lose the weight you need to do it.

It doesn’t have to always do with food, clothes, or losing weight either. Sometimes you just need to set a small goal to follow through with a promise you made to yourself and others for choosing a healthier way of life. You’ve stuck to the points. You’ve made smarter choices. You’ve not given up. So, at the end of the month, reward yourself with something.

Rewards

I’m a big believer in rewards. It’s a prize at the end of the goal. It helps make things more fun and worth while. It could be something

• shopping
• special restaurant
• clothes
• massage
• new running shoes
• overnight in a hotel
• go to a concert
• going out on a date
• going to a sporting event

It could be almost anything that makes reaching the goal worth while. But, remember, it’s a “small goal.” Small goal = relatively small reward. Bigger goals deserve bigger rewards, so don’t spend your whole wad on a small goal.

The main reason I mention this is, it can be too easy to forget to have fun. We beat ourselves up all the time because we gain a pound back, we step on the scale and no change, or we keep trudging along like zombies.

Treat yourself. Have fun.  If you’re doing the 10 pounds in 10 weeks challenge… think of a reward you’re gonna give yourself at the end.

This isn’t a killer challenge really… one pound per week for 10 weeks. At least it seems that it shouldn’t be. Here is the main reason for this challenge:

I know that myself and others who have left comments on this blog have struggled with weight loss plateaus and motivation to get past the barriers.

My intention is that at the end of 10 weeks, I will have broken through the barrier and be beyond it, so that this 10 pounds is only the beginning of another 20 or 30.

I know of others who have emailed me said they have been fighting to drop the final 10 pounds they set out to lose. It’s been a long journey, but they can’t seem to shake the final 10.

Another person emailed me and said that 10 pounds will get her to a new dress size.

Another person just said they were struggling with motivation and wanted a challenge or to be a part of something.

Whatever your reason, it’s time to start!!  Woo Hoo!

Here is my weigh in (ugh!) on May 1st:  255 pounds.

Weigh in day is each Tuesday morning for 10 weeks.

If you need any motivation as to why it is important to be doing this, I found this article this morning on Yahoo news:

As America’s waistline expands, costs soar

It is a pretty good article about how much it actually costs to be FAT. It raises several issues that I had not thought about.

When it’s all said and done, the reason to do this challenge for dropping 10 pounds is improved health, feeling better, improved circulation, lower blood sugar and blood pressure, and so many other factors.

I look forward to being 245 in July!

Thanks for joining me!

Rich

It isn’t going to make any infomercials or major news stories. One pound per week is not going to stop traffic. But, here is what it is…

…it is doable.

I could, using some diets, lose 10 pounds in one week. But, that won’t last. I’ll gain that back in 2-3 days.

What I’m wanting to do is feel better, make it last, do something that anyone can do, and live a real life eating real food.

Weight Watchers is my chosen method because I can eat burgers, pizza, tacos, ice cream, bowls of cereal, and have cake or pie for my birthday in May. I can do that, counting my points, and still manage to lose weight.

There really isn’t any other plan out there that does that.

Join Me!

Starting Tuesday, May 1st, join me in losing 1 pound per week for 10 weeks. When it’s done, we’ll all be 10 pounds less.

After getting out of bed on May 1st, step on the scale and weigh yourself. Then, come to this website and record your name and weight. We’ll help each other out and getter done.

Use Weight Watchers, or another method if you want, walk, run, bike, or do some form of exercise, and we’ll stick with this together and by early July, we will all be doing better.

I need the support and encouragement, so I thought this would be a good way to get it done.

Looking forward to next Tuesday!

Rich

Start Date:  May 1st

End Date: July 10th

I know several people have said they have hit a plateau or are lacking motivation, so I want to start a 10 week challenge. 1 pound per week. 10 pounds gone.

This gives anyone reading this a 7-8 day heads up to be ready to start with me.

If you’re doing Weight Watchers or whatever, that is fine. I will be doing Weight Watchers. While WW says you can lose 1-2 pounds per week, if you’ve been on it for a while, it can be tough to do that.  So, that’s the reason for the challenge.

However you have to do it. Exercise more. Walk farther. Eat more veggies. Track your points religiously. No cheating on counting points. Stay away from something that leads to temptation. Eat how we’re supposed to eat on Weight Watchers. Break thru the plateau. Whatever it takes – one pound per week.

10 pounds is 10 pounds, but 10 pounds of fat just looks plain gross!

Here’s what you’ll need to do if you want to join me:

1. On May 1st I will make a blog post in the morning with my official weigh in weight.
2. In the comment section of this blog post (click on the comment link underneath the title of this blog post), put your name and official weigh in date.
3. Each Tuesday (which will be the weigh in day at the beginning of the next week of the challenge), there will be a blog post to leave your name and post your weight, and how much weight you lost.
4. Encourage each other, and at the end of 10 weeks, we will see how everyone did.

Even if I’m the only one, I’ve got to challenge myself to keep myself focused and on target.

Finally, for those who do not have 10 pounds to lose, modify the challenge as you need.

I’ll be making more posts as the week goes on, but let me know what ya think.

I have talked about them several times. You can read those posts here, and here, and here, as well as some of the comments posted there.

Chick-fil-a has several options for someone trying to stay in the 8-15 point range for a meal. Here is what I had to eat:

• Grilled Chicken Sandwich - 7 Points Plus
• Light Mayo – 1 Points Plus
• Medium Cup of Fruit – 0 Points Plus
• Large Tea – 0 Points Plus
• Total for lunch = 8 Points Plus

I have had people mention that the fruit cup has mandarin oranges and that those add up more… whatever. The fruit cup, according to the Weight Watchers website says 0 points. Besides, it’s 3 little tiny slices of mandarin orange. Under the old points system, maybe. But the new system is 0 points.

I could have saved a point by not adding my tiny squirt of light mayo, but so far, this is my best meal of the week. So, I’m not goint to worry about that.

Other options for a good Chick-fil-a Weight Watchers meal

Salads – most of their salads, chargrilled fruit, southwest, or whatever are all about 6 points plus. Then, whatever the dressing is. Their salads are pretty good, and the lettuce and veggies are fresh.

Regular Chickfila Sandwich – If you’re going to get fruit, then a regular chicken sandwich may not be bad if you are craving it. It is only 11 points plus.

Stay Away From

Avoid the cheeses, heavy dressings, and milkshakes. Those are obvious.

Less obvious are the wraps and cold sandwiches. Several of the wraps are going to be 10-12 points. That’s not horrible, but it seems they could be better. Most of the points are in the dressing and wrap. The sandwich is 13 points.

There isn’t really a lot to stay from at Chick fil a when you’re watching your Weight Watcher points… much better than most fast food places by a long shot.

One Other Thing

Chick-fil-a’s wheat bun is very good. One of the things I have noticed with many places is that the wheat bread can be the same, if not more points than the white bun or other type bread. It’s quite deceptive. Most people order “wheat” bread at a restaurant thinking they are getting something healthier, when in fact, it is worse. It has more fat, but mostly more sugar added to the mix.

So, if you want, you can also order the wheat bun for the regular chicken sandwich, and save another point or two, maybe taking the sandwich from 11 points down to 9 or 10 points.

Today I went to Wendy’s. Wendy’s (I thought at first) would have some decent selections for someone on Weight Watchers. I was quite wrong once I started calculating up all the points. I’ll get to that in a second.

Today I had a grilled chicken sandwich combo with a side salad and unsweetened tea. Here is how it broke down for Weight Watchers Points Plus

• Grilled Chicken Sandwich – 9 Points Plus.  It comes with lettuce and a tomato. It also comes with some kind of dressing. That will hit you for extra points, so make sure to ask for no sauce or dressing.
• Garden Side Salad – The salad was 0 Points Plus – A decent side salad with lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots.
• Ranch dressing – 3 Points Plus. I could have gone low fat or fat free, but I don’t like the taste of those.
• Unsweetened Tea – 0 Points Plus. Straight, no sweetener.
• Total = 12 Points Plus for my lunch

That’s better than yesterday, staying within my target point range of 8-15 points.

I could have saved 1 – 3 points by tearing off some of the bun. The bun was bigger than the meat. I could have just taken off the top and eaten it “open faced,” or just torn off the edges. Other than that, not much more could have been done.

The chicken had a good flavor and was a decent size. The side salad was good, fresh, green, and a pretty good size for being a “side.”

Other Options – Uh… not many.

Of course, I could have gone for one of their salads, but BEWARE!  If you go for one of their Garden Sensations salads, you’re gonna get nailed with points.  They are a minimum of 15 Points Plus for the Apple Pecan, and as many as 21 Points Plus for the Spicy Chicken Caesar. If you want a salad at Wendy’s, just get a regular Garden Salad.

You think you’re being healthy when eating a salad at Wendy’s, but they’re loaded with fat, carbs, and high protein. Wendy’s Garden Sensation salads are not Weight Watcher friendly.

The only other real options at Wendy’s is to eat small. Order a kid’s meal or something off the value menu. You’re still going to get 11-13 Points Plus for a kids meal. You would be better off eating what I ate above.

Bottom Line

If you’re gonna eat at Wendy’s and stay within the 8-15 point range for your Weight Watchers diet, your options are very limited. I think I found about the only option, at least worthy of being called a meal.

Wendy’s is also known for their Frosties. An original chocolate Frosty will cost you 11 points plus.

Somehow on the TV commericials it always seems like Wendy’s is better than McDonalds or Burger King… but I think these 3 places are about the same. Your options are going to be slim, and you’re better off choosing another place (if you have that choice).

As you can see from the photo (which you can click on to enlarge), I chose the 7 inch chicken sandwich, baked chips, and an iced tea. Here is the breakdown of how my lunch went with all the Weight Watchers Points Plus totalled up:

1) I ate the chicken sandwich on 7 inch wheat bread. I did “Double Meat,” light mayo, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and cole slaw. No other spreads, oils, or anything else.

• wheat bread – 7 points
• double chicken – 4 points
• light mayo – 0 points
• veggies – 0 points
• cole slaw – 1 point
• Total for my sandwich = 12 points plus

2) Lay’s Baked Sour Cream and Onion chips – 4 points plus

3) Unsweetened ice tea – 0 points

Total for my lunch = 16 points plus

How could I have saved more points?

• I could have dropped the cole slaw and asked for more lettuce instead. That would have saved me 1 point. The 1 point probably came from a cole slaw dressing that was on the cabbage.
• I could have gone regular meat and saved 2 points
• I could have gone regular baked Lay’s chips, which are 3 points instead of 4.

This would have brought my total down to 12 points for lunch, which was within the range I wanted to be in of 8-15 points for lunch.

Other options or things I found out while eating at Which Wich:

White bread and wheat bread are both 7 points. So, don’t worry about one being better than another. The differences on the nutritional chart was so minimal that it didn’t make a difference in the points.

• Turkey, beef, and chicken are all good choices, at 2 points. Ham is 3 points. A Wicked is 7 points worth of meat.
• Load up on the veggies at 0 points. Cole slaw adds 1 point. Olive salad adds 2 points. Other than that, load up!
• Another way to cut more points and stay on the low carb side is to do a bowl, instead of a sandwich. It is 2 points, saving you 5 points over a sandwich.

Stay Away From

As usual, stay away from the cheeses of all kinds. They will hit you with another 2- 5 points.

Stay away from most of the dressings and spreads.

Stay away from the milk shakes. While tasty, most will cost you about 22 points, just for the small!!

Next Time

Next time I might try a bowl, or just get my sandwich without the double meat and load up on more veggies. A sandwich will almost always get you for at least 9 points, whereas a bowl will get you all the way down to 4 points!

I think Which Wich is a great option for those of us on Weight Watchers. Give it a try. It is quite tasty as well.

Go to their website before you go and plan what you want to get:  www.whichwich.com

I hope to find some good stuff out there, and try and keep all my lunches between 8-15 points.

As I’ve done in the past, I’ve looked at other options on the menu, evaluated the taste of the food, and realized later I could have saved a few points by doing something different.

I’m gonna try and eat at places that are common, average prices, and make choices to get the most bang for my buck.

So… until tomorrow after lunch,

Rich