Countdown to Christmas Challenge – Week 3

As you can see from the ticker on the sidebar, my gain on the scale this week has really set my progress back.  I now have 18 pounds to lose, which is fairly daunting, but I think I can still do it.  I’m determined to give it my best and to get as close to my goal as I can.

Even though I had a major gain on the scale this week, I really am having a great week.  Despite the fact that TOM is here and I have a really miserable cold (still!), I am feeling really positive about my weight loss.

This week Scale Warfare and I started being accountability partners. The way we’ve worked it is to email each other our daily food journal, with all of our points tallies.  We do it at the end of the evening, after each of our “kitchens are closed.”  It’s been a great way for me to stay on track!  Not only am I logging my points into the tracker on WW Online, but I also send it to Scale Warfare.  The thing I like about sending her my food journal is that she can look at it and let me know of any problem areas that she may notice that I’m unaware of.  Also, seeing hers each day gives me some great ideas for meals and snacks, and hopefully vice versa.

The other thing that has been so useful this week is the idea of closing the kitchen. I’ve been eating my dinner in my breakfast nook, away from the living room and the t.v.  This has not only made mindless eating a thing of the past, but it’s also really helped me catch up on my reading.  Sometimes my mornings are so hectic that I don’t have time to read the newspaper before I leave for work, so I’ve been able to catch up with the news at night.  Or, I’ll read one of the many magazines that I have waiting for me.  (I think I’m almost done with all of Septembers, LOL).  After I eat, I clear away the dishes, wash any pots and pans I may have, and clean up the counters.  Then, I start making my lunch for the next day.  I pack everything that’s non-perishable into my lunchbag and put the things that need to be refrigerated in the front of one of the shelves so all I have to do in the morning is grab it and go.  This has been a huge time saver in the morning.  And the fact that I’m doing it at 7:30 at night makes me feel so organized.  As I’m making my lunch, I set the teapot on so that the tea can steep while I’m finishing up, and then when I’m doing cleaning everything up, I can turn off the lights in the kitchen to signal that it’s “closed” and take my tea into the living room to enjoy while I catch up on my shows.  I really suggest trying this if you’ve had any problems with nighttime eating.  It works!!

All in all, I’m feeling much more in control and aware of my eating, which is wonderful.  I haven’t worked out since Saturday morning because of my cold, but I think that I should see fairly good results on the scale on Tuesday.

Week 3 Stats: +4.9 pounds, 18.6 to go. 7 weeks left, which means 2.6 pounds a week – I’m going to do my best to make it!

Wanna join the Countdown to Christmas Challenge? Click HERE for the details.