~*~*Back in Black*~*~

    Wow! So much has changed since my last blog post!! One thing that hasn't changed?? My Weight!! I am starting a new job in just over a week. I will still be a Dispatcher, just in a different 911 center closer to home. I am very excited to start this new chapter in my life, and I want to start with a good healthy routine. Which brings me to my next bombshell, I signed up for 3 months prepaid of Weight Watchers including meetings and online support.

    I am determined to brush myself off from my previous failures and start fresh as many times as it takes. I found an awesome deal from WW for 3 months of meetings and online tools for half off and about $50-$60 worth of free stuff in a starter kit (anyone wishing to try WW, contact me and I will get you the link for this deal) This time I plan to try something a little different, a little easier for me to ease into this time. For those of you not familiar with Weight Watchers; they have two programs Points Plus Tracking and Simply Filling.

• Points Plus Tracking: With this system, foods are assigned points based on Protein, Carbs, Fat, and Fiber in each serving of food. You count and control the total points of the food you take per day. Each week when you weigh in you are given a set amount of Points Plus allowance per day based on your weight that week plus an extra 49 points per week for whatever you want, kind of like cheat points except its built into the diet plan.

• Simply Filling: With this technique, you eat foods based on a list that weight watchers provides called "Power foods". Power foods are foods that Weight Watchers determines to be high in nutrients and low in points. You can eat as much of these foods as you need to feel full, plus you get the 49 points plus a week for anything you may want that is not on the power foods list.

    I am choosing to try Simply Filling for the first week or 2 in order to kick start my weight loss and get me into healthy eating habits. I have not tried this plan in the past because, as many of you know I am very very picky as to what I eat but I am going to try this and see how it works. One thing I know I need to do with this plan, is to prep my meals and snacks the night before. I am a lazy dieter, I need the right choices in my hand and ready to eat when my tummy starts grumbling.

    Anyone reading this living in the Niles, MI area probably knows about the River Valley Trail. This is a trail that runs along the old rail road bed from the State line to Brandywine Creek, about 3 miles. This is  a beautiful trail, if you have not walked it get out there and try! That is the second part of my plan, I want to walk more. I am sure that with walking and losing weight, my back troubles will ease making it easier for me to do other exercises as well.

    I want to thank everyone that has been supporting me through my many many tries at this "healthy" thing. I really hope this time it will stick with me :). Also, to those of you that read my blog and ask me about it, that really makes me smile to know that others look forward to reading about my craziness. As always feel free to comment, share, and follow my Blog. if you have any questions you can email me at nikkimetz2013@gmail.com.

"Great things never came from Comfort Zones"

Another Week bites The Dust

First I would like to thank everyone that reads my blog. Knowing that people come here and follow along with my progress helps me to not give up. Please continue to message me and comment, it makes my day to interact with everyone J.

                A huge pat on my own back for last week, I did great (during my work week…). I weighed in on Friday as promised and I lost 4.6 Pounds! I literally did a jig in the bathroom I was so happy!!! This week my days off were Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Just as I did last week I did not follow my diet those days (and Friday… and today Tuesday….). BUT I will be back on the horse tomorrow for an extended period of time. I can make excuses right and left (I never get weekends off with my family, I did SO good last week I deserved it, BLAH BLAH BLAH) BOTTOM LINE is I can do better.  With that said I am moving onward and I am not beating myself up over it anymore.

                SO what’s the game plan to do better this week? I am going to plan out my meals for my days off, I didn’t do that last week and I think that is part of the reason why I so easily swayed. Also I have to keep reminding myself “You are not a Dog, do not reward yourself with food!”. I will also be making more entries into my Smash Journal, it seems to help ground me when I look through it.

                My advice for anyone wanting to start eating healthier: Plan Plan Plan, but more than that Follow through with your plans. Bag your lunch and dinner up in separate containers and put your snacks in baggies so everything is portioned the way you want it. I wanted to start my yoga this weekend because I was getting up early and had a little bit of time to myself, but I kept forgetting every morning to do it… so tonight I am setting an alarm to remind myself.  If you have a problem, find a way to solve it; don’t let it drag you down. 

 

               P.S. Only 13 more pounds until my first reward!!! A PEDICURE :)

 

 

 

 

 

The First Week Is The Hardest.... Right???

This past week was hell, but I learned a lot about myself. I actually have been doing better during my work week than I did at home this past week. I cheated on each of the 3 days I had off, and I felt it.  So this is what I learned….

·         When I eat junk, I feel like poop… I sleep more and I get nauseous easier (I get nauseous often, but for some reason I get it even more often when I eat like crap)

·         I need to eat a very light lunch, because my hunger hits me more in the evening after dinner.

·         In order to wake up earlier I need to go to bed earlier… DUH! Lol, I was going to bed at 3 and getting up at 11:30… no wonder I was always so tired! I am down to going to bed around 1:30 a.m. So it’s a start.

·         If I am going to do snacking before bed (which I really want to cut out) I try to make it a fruit of some sort. Because usually by that time I am out of points lol.

 

I refused to weigh in; I didn’t want to see that number yet. I stuck to my diet for 5 days and spent 3 days cheating…. I figure it probably counteracted whatever I may have lost the first few days. Soooooo I WILL weigh in for the first time this Friday. I’ve decided not to do the WW meetings, I will just be following using the E Tools and the app on my iPhone.

-Favorite snack this week........ Pickles (0 Points!) Especially the ones from Jimmy Johns!

As far as the exercise goes, I have played Just Dance 2015 three times this week! I don’t know if this actually counts as exercise but it’s fun! I bought a beginner’s Yoga DVD, so I think I’ll try that this week as well as maybe some Zumba! My back has been very sore since my New Year’s Day ride down the stairs… on my butt thanks to Chilly my handsome little terrier… so whatever I do I need to be careful.

I also started a Smash Journal this past week; it is so much fun making pages and adding little inspirations. I’ll share some pics of mine below. If you are looking for one, I got mine at Michaels but I also saw them at Meijer and I’m sure other stores have them as well!

 

In short, this week was rocky, but it will get better. Trying is the hardest part! Yes, I cheated a few days and I definitely beat myself up about it, but I am back in the saddle and already half way through my first day again. I guess in the end as long as you get back up more times than you fall, you are headed in the right direction.

DAY 1

 

Before pictures taken................. Check

Enrolled in Weight Watchers .....Check

Healthy food shopping................Check

Measurements taken ...................Check

Weight recorded..........................Check

 

 

 

    I am ready to start this journey!! I started this morning with a smoothie and toast and spent an hour or so in the kitchen doing food prep. I know that where I tend to stray is with healthy snacks and therefore everything must be readily available to me so I make the right choice. I had my mom take my before pictures as well as a Christmas picture of my little family and I HATE all the pictures soooooooooooooo much! But I will post them because they will be my inspiration to have much better pictures next year.

 

   One thing I learned yesterday is DONT START A WEIGHT LOSS PLAN WITH A HOUSE FULL OF JUNK! As some of you may recall,  I planned on starting eating healthy yesterday... and I started out making good choices while out to lunch with my best friends and then to Meijer to get my healthy on! Orrrrr not.... I got to Meijer and after purchasing Just Dance 2015 (I reasoned this would be a good workout though I have zero rythm) I reached in my purse for my shopping list with color coded categories for each area of the store and realized I left it at home. Rather then trying to remember everything on my list I decided to go home and drag my hubby out with me with my list to get groceries. Loooonnnng story short, I didnt get to the store until 7pm after giving in and eating left over pizza for dinner (it wasn't even good).

    I decided to enroll in Weight Watchers and chose the "meetings" package, only because they sent me a coupon for 50% off my first month. I may decide to drop it down to the "essentials" package if I do not consistently go to meetings because after my first month it is $45 a month for the meetings package. If anyone is interested in joining, I can send you the coupon to get the 50% off to help you save a little.

    I spent the last few days before Christmas writing out a week's worth of meals so I can make this as easy for me as possible, like I said before my biggest downfall is convenience. Like tonight when I get home I gotta throw some chicken in the crockpot for ranch chicken tacos tomorrow. Hopefully I can get in a little exercise before bed in the form of Just Dance 2015.... my husband was not thrilled at the prospect of that lol. Also, I would like to thank everyone for their words of encouragement and for reading my blog. I have had over 200 views in the week since I've started posting!!!!

Please comment, share and throw questions my way. My Next post will be next weekend :)

THE PLAN.....

    

It's almost Christmas, and I am OVER THE MOON excited!! I am off work the 24th, 25th, and 26th. Obviously the 24th and 25th will be spent living it up and cramming as much Christmas garbage into my mouth as possible lol (just kidding, I'm already over the rich food). Anyways the 26th is my self-imposed Day 1, therefore I must set my guidelines for myself (and anyone that wants to follow along).

1. NO POP (YUMMY SYRUPY MANNA FROM HEAVEN)... NONE, NOT A SINGLE DROP EVEN IF ITS FILLED WITH POISON CALLED ASPERTAME AND MARKED DIET, I WILL NOT DRINK ANY MORE DELICIOUS EMPTY CALORIES! I WILL WORK HARD AT DRINKING 4 BOTTLES OF WATER A DAY TO KEEP HYDRATED.
2. EXERCISE AT LEAST 3 TIMES A WEEK. I THOUGHT ABOUT JOINING A GYM, BUT I HAVE SEVERAL FITNESS VIDEOS AT HOME THAT I HAVE HARDLY EVER USED AND I HAVE A PERFECTLY GOOD KINECT FOR MY XBOX WITH ENDLESS FUN DANCE GAMES AVAILABLE. LIKE I SAID IN MY PREVIOUS POST, I PLAN ON STARTING A 5 K TRAINER IN MARCH BUT I NEED A HEAD START.
3. WEIGHT WATCHERS, I WILL FOLLOW THE WEIGHT WATCHERS PROGRAM WITH EXACTLY 1 CHEAT DAY EVERY 2 WEEKS (A GIRLS GOTTA LIVE A LITTLE). I AM NOT POSITIVE YET IF I WILL DO MEETINGS OR JUST FOLLOW THE PROGRAM, THEY ALSO OFFER A ONE ON ONE COACH (FOR THE LOW LOW PRICE OF $57 A MONTH... I WANT THAT JOB!). WW IS SOMETHING I KNOW GIVES ME RESULTS AND SOMETHING THAT ISN’T TOO RESTRICTIVE (AND I GET TO EAT POTATOES... I LOVE POTATOES...A LOT).
4. 8 HOURS OF SLEEP.. I ADMIT I HAVE A SLEEPING PROBLEM! I WOULD SLEEP 14 HOURS A DAY IF MY LIFE ALLOWED IT. I HAVE BEEN GUILTY OF MISSING APPOINTMENTS AND NEVER GETTING ANYTHING DONE DUE TO THE FACT THAT MY PILLOW AND I HAVE A SECRET AFFAIR. I WILL LIMIT MYSELF TO ONLY 8 HOURS OF SLEEP EVERY NIGHT, SO I HAVE TIME TO DO MEAL PREP AND WORKOUT AND PLAY WITH MY LITTLE GIRL.

Now I know that I will need some time to adjust and that there are going to be good days and bad days, but these are my goals. These could possibly be changed depending on what works for me and what doesn’t.

Is it crazy that I am looking forward to planning healthy meals for my family? And I am looking forward to prepping healthy snacks for everyone. So many times I think about what my daughter consumes daily nutrition wise and I cringe, everything is processed! I need to start making her eggs and fruit for breakfast and help her to be healthy as well. I have so far to go, but I am at least taking a step in the right direction, and that first step is always the hardest.    

Introductions

    It's my first Blog post on my first Blog!!! This post is to introduce myself to all you people out there in reader land (if anyone ever reads this).  My name is Nikki and I am a 26 year old Wife and Mom and 911 Dispatcher.
     Mom, Wife, 911 Dispatcher.... I am all these things and I am passionate about each title because I have earned each one. Fat, Morbidly Obese, Overweight.... These are titles placed upon me that I am not proud of and that I am ashamed of.  But if there is one thing I've learned during a life of being the big girl, shame gets us nowhere.  I am embarking on a new chapter in my life, one I've failed time and time again. I am still trying to figure out exactly what will make this time different from every other time, but I'm determined to keep trying.
     As you may guess, being a Dispatcher is an extremely stressful career. I work 6 days straight every week. 8 hour shifts with no breaks, and little ability to get up and move out of my chair.  I can have a peaceful night at work where I am literally board out of my mind and doodling on my note pad and in the blink of an eye my stress level will shoot through the roof due to a 4 car pileup, or a baby not breathing, or an armed robbery. That's the thing about my job, I go from 0-100mph in 1 second and then 2 minutes later my stress drops back down to a 0. This is when the jitters set in, because your mind can't shut itself down that quick, and your hands need something to keep them occupied...... And in walks a short fat bag of potato chips from the vending machine... Or that candy bar you put in your bag for just such an occasion..... Although I don't have specific data, I would say that about 60% of 911 Dispatchers are overweight. We literally sit for 8 hours a day at work, throw in 8 hours of sleeping, leaving you with 8 hours in the day to be active.. I spend 3 of those hours commuting, 1 hour in the shower.... And I mean who am I kidding, I sleep for at least 2 more hours leaving about 2 hours of free time spent doing exactly what I am doing right now ( laying on the couch).   Something has to change, In my 911 center alone there are 4 people who have had weight-loss surgery in the past 3 years and 2 more people scheduled to have it next year. I was literally 2 days from having Gastric Bypass when I backed out. I believe that my profession needs a health overhaul, we need more people willing to step up and get people excited to become healthy... But alas that talk is for another audience, another day.
    I am the mother of an amazing 2 year old Princess named Emme Lynn, she lights my life with her smile every day. I am also the mother of a fur baby named Chilly (Doc McStuffins, is the center of my family's daily entertainment). My Husband Ron is a huge part of my life and in a round about way he is the reason I decided to start this blog... We are challenging each other to become a healthy family and become better role models for our Daughter. I want to be able to go down the slide with her, or crawl through Ebola infested play places if that's what she wants. I want to take her sledding and build a million creepy snowmen with her, I am tired of letting my weight weigh me down. Fluffy mommy will one day be Fit mommy, and that is the day I will work towards for however long it takes.
    I will be rejoining weight watchers for the 3rd time this year..... 3rd time is a charm right? I will also be starting some sort of fitness program... Any ideas? My goal is to start a 5k program in the spring, but I need to work off some of this weight first.  Please give me feedback and ideas, I am here to document my Success and figure out along the way what works for me and what doesn't.


Love always,


Fluffy