That’s My Plan and I’m Stickin’ to It

NOTE: If you are in the Michigan area and would like to grab a friend, maybe head out for some great outlet shopping in Birch Run and then attend a free Advent by Candlelight evening this weekend in Frankenmuth—that totally cool and Christmassy town– click here for details. I’m speaking at the event and I’d love to meet you!

ANOTHER NOTE: Be sure to check in tomorrow (between checking in on that turkey in the oven!). I’ll be giving away two really sweet treats for Thanksgiving….and the are completely calorie-free!!!

Welcome Weight Loss Wednesday gals! (If you are just happening upon this site  and want to join us, click here to get caught up or simply leave a comment today. We’d love to have you!!)

Today will be short. I know we all have places to go, groceries to get and food to prepare.

Tomorrow is probably one of the most challenging days for those of us trying to see the scales head downward. Between the potatoes, dressing, rolls and pies, there are enough calories and carbs calling our name to sink the Mayflower itself! What’s a gal to do?

Have a plan…that’s what. Statistics show that those who are most successful at not gaining weight over the holidays (or actually losing weight that week) are the ones who have a plan in mind before the table is spread with all things fattening, but oh so good!!!

So how about it? What is your plan? Hop on and tell us.

Mine, is to have a yummy appetizer– spinach dip made with low-fat sour cream instead of regular and scooped up on raw veggies instead of crackers. At the meal, I’ll enjoy a serving of turkey, some fresh, chopped cranberry salad ( a yummy recipe with chopped oranges, celery, and jalapenos and sweetened with Stevia instead of sugar.) I’ll also go for the fresh, cooked veggies and end with some crustless pumpkin pie.

What I plan to pass on? The bread-y, potato-y, empt-y carbs and cals. I will pretend they don’t exist. When they call my name, I will politely, but firmly, ignore them.

As a reward, if I stick to my plan, the next day, I’ll sip on a tall, decaf, something— all sweet, creamy and piping hot while out and about shopping. And it won’t be sugar free.

It will be the real deal.

With the whip this time.

I’ll savor and sip and record the calories. Even though that drink may be 250 calories or so, I’ll be rewarding myself with those  250 calories for skipping over 2,000 or even more I could have stuffed myself with the day before. (Results vary when searching for the average calorie count of a typical Thanksgiving dinner, but most put it at 3,000-5,000!!! YIKES!! That is 3-5 days worth of calories I am trying to consume each day—-all at one meal!!!)

So, that is my plan and I plan on sticking to it.

Oh and as for this week’s weigh in….the scale headed south again. And I have you all to thank. 

I am so  stinkin’ serious.

Knowing you are praying; that you too are fighting the urge to splurge; knowing that you are being intentional to eat less and move more; it kept me going when I wanted to quit or to make a bad food choice. (The peanut butter apple crisp I made for my guys Sunday especially called my name this week. I pictured your sweet faces and then ignored it. Thanks!!!)

Anyhow, I do appreciate and thank all of you, because today when I hopped on that nasty weighing device that is the bathroom scale, it showed the same loss as last week for me– 3.4 pounds.

So, since we began our journey together five weeks ago, I have now lost a total of  13.6 pounds. And moved down one size in my jeans. Yeah!!!

We’re gaining momentum gals. And just in time. We may think Thanksgiving is tough, but the entire month of December, with its endless array of calorie-laden lusciousness, is just around the corner….

Speaking of Christmas, it is time to announce the winners of the giveaways with Sylvia Lange.  They are:

Winning the advent devotional package with the single CD of the song Have Yourself a Blessed Little Christmas:

Pearls; timestamp: November 23, 2009 at 11:35 am

And the gal who will enjoy the Pure Christmas CD? 

boonstraj: timestamp: November 24, 2009 12:51 pm

Congrats you two! Please email me your address asap at [email protected] so I can ship those gifts out pronto.

Okay WLW sisters…your turn. How was your week and what is your plan? And remember, if the week was a disaster, pleeeeeease…. still check in.

All you have to say is “restart” and we’ll all know what you mean. 

And, we’ll pray extra hard for you this week!

And, I’ll enter your name twice in tomorrow’s sweet, calorie-free giveaway if you do. You need a motivating boost.

Thanksgiving Blessings,

25 Comments

  1. I turned 50 in 2009 and mostly love it! I am beginning a private practice in Christian Counseling after going to college for the first time when I turned…40! When I learned to delight myself in the Lord…have HIM change MY DESIRES…He sent me right off to full time ministry. Weight loss…I have been at a healthy weight all of my life until about 10 years ago (yes beginning the school journey) when I got very sick and battled high doses of steroid treatment for about 8 years and still have some pretty often. Now, 10 years and 30 pounds later I am so unhappy with myself. Medication or not, the end result is the same. Since I have never “had” to lose excess weight, I just walked around with it! To make matters worse…I would rather read and cuddle than exercise so my motto was…just don’t eat too much. That worked until the illness. The truth is I needed to exercise more for my health and not just to be thin. So…I’m IN! My daughter is getting married in May and I want to be “thin by then”! I would be happy with 15 pounds more by May and then reaccess my goals. I have lost 6 since Christmas!

  2. Thank God for His strength.
    I was able to plan menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
    This menu is just a list of 7 meals for breakfast that I can choose. I use to assign a specific meal to a day of the week and felt so bad when I didn’t follow it.
    Now, each breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal has about the same calories so I can just choose one.

    Our family is trying a martial arts basic class this semester.
    This week I lost 2 lbs. Thank God.

  3. I lost 3.5 lbs this week. I had a plan for Thanksgiving and stuck with it! It was so much fun at the end of the day to realize I had not over indulged but had still enjoyed a wonderful day with wonderful food. I was prepared with a pack of gum in my pocket to pop in my mouth instead of munching on mindless calories.

  4. Couldn’t find my regular Sweet Potato Casserole so used another one. It is not as good. We all agree is not worth the calories so we’re pitchin’ the leftovers. Easy way out of that one!

  5. I have a lost a total of 7 pounds since I have started checking in on Wednesdays. I am going to try to watch what I eat on Thanksgiving – with just one small helping of those items I really want. Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

  6. Hi all!

    I’m down 2 lbs. this week – the first drop in weeks. My plan for Thanksgiving is too skip the potato, bread and pie. I’ll enjoy some turkey and veggies, drink lots of water and take a walk after dinner.

    I’m so thankful for God’s many blessings, of which this group is one. :-) Enjoy the day everyone!

  7. Happy to report I am down 2 pounds this week.

    I love the big family meals, and I’m cooking this year but only for 8. We use pretty healthy recipes, not a lot of sauces and creams. But, yes: Might splurge on the Sweet Potato Casserole! We can skip dessert for that.

    My plan is to enjoy small portions and skip the roll because I’ve only got one stomach and there are better better things to fill it up. Gosh, when we were kids it seems we ate all day long, but I’ve learned now that stuffing me just feels bad.

    Giving thanks to God for the spectacular, wonderful food we get to eat every day! We are so spoiled.

  8. Well, I’m down 1/2 pound this week. Which I’m very happy with since this is pretty typical for me. Although, I probably would have lost more if I had been more diligent about tracking everything I ate (on PAPER).

    My plan for thanksgiving is to enjoy very SMALL portions of the things that are my favorites, and NONE of the things that are not my favorites…on this day only. Which means NO left overs on Friday!

    Happy Thanksgiving and good luck everybody!

  9. I lost one pound since last week’s weigh in.
    My goal for tomorrows “feast” is small portions, eat slow and enjoy what I do eat. When I feel that first full filling in my belly, I am going to stop eating, no matter what is left on my plate or how good it tastes. I don’t want to be miserable for the rest of the day.
    Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

  10. The scales stayed the same for me this week. We were away from home for a couple of days and ate out alot. I thought I did good in choosing my food but didn’t make take to get my daily walk in. I’ve changed my Thanksgiving meal menu and not cooking so many dishes, especially the high fat ones. Using egg subs. and fat free ingredients so hope this will help with my Thanksgiving meal.
    Lets all be careful to not gobble til we wobble and be able to enjoy the day with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving to All.

  11. Hello all~
    Thanksgiving blessings to all of you! I am thankful today for a 2.8 lb loss this week. I am thoughtfully in prayer about my eating patterns tomorrow, God give us the strength to succeed!!

  12. Cheryl!! I do that too! (about the sweet potato). I eat it for breakfast (it’s the BEST), and my recipe has that streusel topping too! I’m trying to figure out how to make it a little healthier, like maybe leaving out the butter, using olive oil instead, use less brown sugar.
    Oh and dont’ get me started on streusel topped pumpkin pie, love pumpkin pie for breakfast.
    Guess I won’t be having those for breakfast anymore! Just some oatmeal with pecans and a tad bit of brown sugar. :)

  13. It’s going to be a tough month. But I know with the Lord I can succeed. I am down 4.4lbs from last Wed. And I rewarded myself with a delicous salty chip. Yumm I chewed slow and loved. it.
    My plan is to not hang out near the food table. To play games and not wonder what every desert taste like. We will succeed!

  14. I’m doing well this week and I have a great plan for tomorrow. I’m hosting it this year (for the first time–I’m excited!!) and my guests are bringing dishes. Since my mom makes delicious-and fattening-dishes, I’m making some healthier versions. I’m making a pumpkin pie cheesecake and homemade crust using FiberOne cereal-only 160 cal-a healthier, lighter version of sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce. I discussed this with my mom already and she’s fine with it….she understands. Since my sis and I are really the only 2 in my family who are on this healthy journey, we’ll be the ones eating my “healthy” versions on Thanksgiving, but that’s fine with me.

    There are so many versions that it’s quite easy to make these meals a lot lighter.

    Here’s the link for the pumpkin cheesecake:

    http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=1575

    Happy Thanksgiving everyone! :)

    -Amy V.

  15. I began my food journal this week. I was surprised at the amount of carbs I eat in a day. I have begun cutting back and adding more fresh fruit – that was lacking in my eating plan.

    For Thanksgiving I plan on eating smaller portions and lots of fresh veggies!

  16. Hi, I am excited to say that my scale said I was down 2.4 pounds. I am sooo excited.

    For those of you who did not do so good….please pray for help. I was struggling with getting the exercise in and on Sunday I asked God to help me do it. And what do you know, a friend from years ago called and wanted to know if I wanted to go for a walk. So I did and that got me started. The other thing I worked really hard at this week is talking to God, instead of eating when all the stress of life would get to me. Did not always work, but I am sure it kept me away from a lot of junk.

    My plan for tomorrow is to skip the potatoes but have the stuffing and cranberries. Then I with the left overs I will only have the stuffing and cranberries when it is meal time and not just eating it in between. This year my mom is having a lot more people so there probalby won’t be as many left overs this year. YEAH! I also don’t like pumpkin pie, so that is not a problem for me. So it is not a great plan, but I do think that I can do it, no wait, I know I can do it, because someone believes in me and He believes in all of us. and then remember too that all of us are going to be sticking to our plan, and that definately helps. thanks to all of you for your awesome support and ideas and encouragement.

    God’s blessings to each of you on Thanksgiving.
    T

  17. Sadly, my scale shows me up 1.2 pounds from last Wed. Of course, Thursday last week showed be down 2.6 pounds from Wed. of last week–a good loss the day after I reported a tiny loss here. Go figure. I don’t understand that scale! I have stuck to my exercise routine but I have eaten a little more than usual, so I guess I’m not that surprised by the scale.

    I really don’t have a problem with Thanksgiving day itself. The day after, when I’ve brought home from Mom’s the things I love, is more of an issue for me. I believe, and this will take willpower, that I will eat what I want in moderation tomorrow and just not bring anything home except maybe some turkey for a sandwich. One thing I always do is eat sweet potato casserole (with pecan streusel topping) for breakfast for two days after Thanksgiving. That will probably be the hardest thing not to do. I am making the sweet potatoes myself, so maybe I’ll save out some plain potato when I’m making the casserole and have that will a few plain pecans and a little brown sugar. I really do love a plain sweet potato and can be satisfied with a teaspoon of brown sugar. Anyway, I am determined not to get off track. I’m tempted to skip exercise today b/c hubby is home. I did sleep late and skip the exercise bike at 6 am, but I’m headed out now for a nice long walk in the neighborhood.

    I’ll be praying for all of you. I am thankful for this group and for the many, many blessing the Lord has given me.

    Cheryl

  18. UGHHHH!!! I gained a pound and a 1/2. I’m not suprized though. I had my mother-in-law’s funeral (with all my soon to be ex-inlaws) and then found out that a very dear friend has colon cancer. So once again, I ate.

  19. Ugh. Not good. Up 2 1/2 lbs. My hubby and I went away for the weekend and let’s just say I wasn’t very good :(. I went the dr. yesterday for a physical and she thinks I may have Polycystic Ovaries Syndrome so I have to have more tests run but she thinks that is not helping my weight issues etc. So I guess we will see where that leads but I have been much more vigilant since I found out. Many women with PCOS have a greater rate of diabetes and heart disease along with many other complications. So I really need to get this weight off to help ward off those serious health issues.

    Rebecca – I really enjoyed your fog analogy. It does really suit our experiences.

    Happy Thanksgiving WLW friends!
    Tera

  20. This is probably a bad sign for my guests tomorrow, but I got confused and posted this under yersterdays blog. I’ll try to clear my head and figure this out.
    Thank you for all the gift giving tips. I will just stay home on Friday to clear the way for all of the serious shoppers. This week the scale was not kind to me. I have kept to my eating and exercise regiments, so I am trying not to be discouraged. After the first few weeks of any change to my diet, the weight loss drops off after a few good weeks. This is where I usually get very discouraged. I have decided to skip the scale next week and go by ‘How are the jeans fitting?’ method. I am hoping that a less snug fit will give me the motivation to stay away from too much of the stuffing and potatoes (my favorites) this week. Yes, this week. I have a Thanksgiving meal at my house tomorrow (I can smell my turkey cooking as I type) and another one on Saturday. Since I am hosting tomorrow I can be sure to have lots of healthy food to go with the traditional goodies and Saturday is potluck, so I will bring with what I need to stay on track.

  21. Well, I stepped on the scale this morning and low and behold after about 4 days of writing things down I’m down 1 pound! I’m happy! I hope it keeps up!!!! Anyway, tomorrow is a very tough day for me as my parents and my husband’s parents live only 20 minutes away from each other. We are expected at both dinners. The meals are only a few hours apart from each other. So, I think that I will make my plan and pray pray pray pray pray that I will stick to it. I am of the mind of having everything you want to eat in moderation. So my plan is to curb it and make sure I have extra small portions so that I can be satisfied mentally as well as physically. I volunteered for the veggi tray so that should help. However, I was VOLUNTEERED to make the desserts. Sooooooo, I’m praying for my willpower! Thanks WLW team for the constant motivation that I’m not alone! Have a safe and happy turkey day.

  22. Oh no, Debbie. :( But yay for your 31# loss!!! That’s awesome! :)
    I was so surprised I dropped 2# this past week because I did not exercise once. :( And again, I didn’t record my food all weekend, and actually I haven’t picked it up still. :(
    My plan for Thanksgiving is Cracker Barrel. Everything is already portioned out. We usually are too full to eat the pie, so we bring it home. I really don’t plan on skipping anything on the plate, I love it all. And I look forward to this every year, and it’s only once a year. It may not be as good as a homemade meal, but it’s right up there. It’s nice there won’t be any seconds lingering around, so no munching on them as I put food away (I find I do that nasty little BLT move after dinner! horror).
    But this weekend…that will be another story. So I’ll be sure there are healthy vegetables! And not alot of desserts. And I’m going to try to drink alot of water before the meal.
    Here’s my lame excuse for why I didn’t exercise once last week, well first let me say it was the busiest week ever, but I did make a choice to exercise and I couldn’t find my shorts anywhere! :( I cannot stand getting hot when I exercise. So I better go get more shorts! :P

  23. We celebrated Thanksgiving last Saturday since both my daughters go to their in-laws on Thanksgiving. I’m OK with that because then I get them on Christmas. So, I broke my routine and weighed Saturday morning before we started eating. I was at my lowest weight in many, many years – 31# lighter. I was very excited…but, it was still Thanksgiving. I ate more than I should have but not as much as I could have. Monday is my regular weigh in day and while I knew it would probably show a gain, I was not prepared for a 7# gain. I could have run to the ice box for the last two pieces of pumpkin and pecan pie but I didn’t. I weighed this morning and the 7# is still there. I really thought some of it would be gone so that was kind of disappointing. I had put my food journal up in the cabinet Saturday but I’m getting it back out today and am hitting restart. Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

  24. The scaled showed a 1.5 increase, but my rings are soooooo tight from being bloated and my period starts in 3 days, that I am thinking that may contribute. I didn’t get my rear in gear for exercising, so I need to make that a goal. No pop for two weeks though–I’m excited about that. T-day isn’t so hard for me, because these aren’t my favorite foods. But we are going to my inlaws and they aren’t known for healthy eating. So I’m bringing the veggie tray and a bean salsa. I’m throwing in some almonds for snacking and a big cup to fill with water!

    We’ll see what next wed brings!

  25. Good Morning everyone,

    I didn’t want to step on the scale this morning but when I did, I was surprised that that last elusive pound of my first 10 percent was gone. I’m so excited! Please know that I started recording calories in September so this has taken me about 10 1/2 weeks. Last Friday I was driving to St. Cloud in a very thick fog. I could barely see the car in front of me or the stop lights until I was right there. It was kind of scary and I was afraid to go very fast. Then the sun started to shine through and it was amazing how fast the fog lifted and how clearly I could see. This may seem like a huge stretch, but it made me think that I had been living in a fog. I knew I needed to lose weight but I let circumstances and life get in the way and felt like I couldn’t do it. Since I’ve been keeping track of calories and working out, the weight has consistantly been coming off and I feel like the fog is lifting. Not only do I feel lighter, but it’s easier to move and do just about everything! I don’t feel like I am being deprived at all, I am making healthier choices and it feels good. I am so thankful that God is with us and that we have this encouragement here too. So now, I need to eat fewer calories. Yikes! My plan is to get a really good workout in today, and try to get out for walks while I’m away. As for the big meal, my plan is to eat smaller portions and fewer carbs. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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