How are those New Year's resolutions working out for ya?

First and foremost, I want to thank all of you for your continued support:
My New Blog Buddies: Thanks for allowing my blog the opportunity to entertain and motivate you as we both struggle through our weight loss endeavor. Many many many times I wanted to surrender and just give up, but your blogs and comments encouraged me to persevere. 
Me So Hongry First-Timers:WELCOME! Sit back, strap on your seat belt and get ready for a roller coaster ride. Experience my ups and downs with me, and I hope you plan to return time and time again.
My Supportive Lurkers:You know who you are. Show me some love when stopping by my blog.

So, how are those New Year's Resolutions working out for ya? If you made resolutions and stuck with them, congratulations, you successfully made it through DAY 26! For those of you who floundered, shake it off! As of 2011, I resolve to never make another New Year's resolution...wait, I think I just inadvertently made a  resolution. Okay, starting now, no more resolutions.  As most of you know, I pride myself on keeping it real; so, let's get real!  For eons, millions of people start the New Year by resolving to lose weight, and by the end of January that resolution among others falls by the wayside.  Well, instead of making New Year's Resolutions,  how about making some New Year's Solutions! 

PROBLEM #1: I NEVER TRACK!
Aside from sheer laziness, I never track. According to our leader, those who fail to track eat 30-50% more.  Based of my previous dismal weigh-ins, I believe that statistic to be true. 


NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION  SOLUTION #1: 
To remedy my lack of tracking, I PLAN AHEAD! That means, I create a weekly menu listing options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks. At night (if time permits), I choose meals from my weekly menu. Based on my meal choices, I track my food using the WW app or eTools. Last night I tracked my meals for today, and I stayed within my daily points allowance...even when faced with the temptation of cookies at a school event. In short, tracking the night before holds me accountable.


PROBLEM #2: 1:00 & 3:00 PM HUNGRY MONSTER ATTACKS!
First of all, I teach first grade. As a result, I eat lunch at 10:30 AM, YES 10:30 AM!! By 1:00 PM the hungry monster starts knocking on my door saying, "Let me in!"  If time permits, I sneak a little snack. On hectic busy days, I struggle to steal away for a 1:00 PM snack. Sometimes, time flies and before you know it, the dismissal bell rings at 3:05 PM. When I skip my 1:00 PM snack, the hungry monster beats down my door saying, "FEED ME NOW!" If I fail to pack appropriate snacks, I grab the first available bag of crap: chips, mini donuts, leftover lounge goodies...anything. So what to do to stave of the hungry monster when you eat lunch at 10:30 AM?

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION SOLUTION #2:
To stave of my little friend, I pack an abundance of fruit and veggies! With the new points plus program I enjoy MORE nutritious and filling  fruit and veggies for 0 points! YES 0 POINTS! With the old WW program, a points value was assigned to each fruit and some veggies.


 So with the old program...when face with the choice of choosing a 2 pt banana or a 2 pt WW ice cream treat...you know which one I choose. I choose the ice cream sandwich! Who the heck wants to waste 2 pts on a banana when I can eat ice cream. NOW WITH THE NEW PROGRAM I CHOOSE THE BANANA FOR 0 POINTS AND I EAT THE ICE CREAM LATER IF POINTS REMAIN IN MY DAILY POINTS TOTAL OR WEEKLY POINTS ALLOWANCE. In short, fruits and veggies keep you satisfied and full longer. 


I also keep other snacks in my hungry monster attacks emergency bag:

• WW cheese sticks (1 pt) & orange wedges
• hard boiled egg & apples
• For my sweet tooth: Sugar Free Jello & Pudding
• Sometimes I need a little crunch: Light BBQ Pringles, Wasa & Laughing Cow
• Homemade Tortilla Chips and Salsa

PROBLEM #3: LACK OF CONSISTENCY

I usually stop blogging for one of two reasons (or both):

1. Life gets in the way...
2. I lose my motivation and fall of the wagon.

For whatever reason I frequently lose my motivation which makes consistency something hard to maintain. And the problem with a loss of motivation, I eat whatever, my workout frequency decrease, and my writer's block returns and prevents me from blogging...which explains my recent 2 month hiatus. 

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION SOLUTION #3:

The only advice I can offer for a lack of consistency...a quote from a previous WW meeting:

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but ANYBODY can start TODAY and make a NEW ENDING!"