In which I search for a gym

I am doing the most cliched thing on the planet: Joining a gym in late December.

I almost want to apologize to the staff when I go in: I swear, I am not a cliche. Really, I've been working out since October!

But the desire to scratch my itch to run coincides with the replacing of the calendar, and here I am. Also, I've been working out in the afternoons when my youngest is napping and I want to start working out before the kids get up. I hate having a workout to-do hanging over me all day and I also dislike having to work out with one ear on the monitor, as in: If she gets up early, workout is over.

My main goal for a gym is A) Close to home. B) Open 24 hours.

There's a great Y about 20 minutes away, but a 40-minute round-trip commute combined with the deadline for getting back home in the morning would leave less gym time than I want. There's a 24-hour gym about 10 minutes away, and since I envision working out at about 6 am, that commute would be very...OK...pretty fast.

I hope to stop by and check it out between Christmas and New Year's. I am shaking my head this is so cliched.

Week 14 WI

Down 1lb, getting annoyingly close-but-not-close-enough to my 40# down New Year's Day goal.

Only .8 to go to hit 40 lbs lost. Really, body, you couldn't cough up another .8?

Donna The Excellent Weigher encouragingly noted, "You'll get it next week!" I hope so, but I am impatient.

Pros This Week

Stayed within Points all week.

Had a successful dinner out without going off-plan.

Got in my 4 planned days of exercise, even thought with schedules, etc. it would have been easy to skip 2 of them.

Goals for Next Week

Switch to new Points Plus program. Adios Points Classic.

Drink at least 48 oz of water each day.

Try rebounding (more on that later).

Mmmmm, fudge

I love fudge, so I was excited to try the recent WW recipe for "Creamy Fudge."

It was easy to make, had only a few ingredients and was delicious.

Each square is the size of a postage stamp, in true WW fashion. Seriously, what other recipe would have an 8x8 pan of fudge yield 64(!) "servings." I'm all for portion control, but c'mon.

However, the fudge is so rich, I don't feel (too) ripped off for the 3 Points spent.

My only advice is to use good chocolate, like Ghiradelli. And give a lot of it away, because these suckers are delicious. I made a batch, had 3 squares and then split the rest between my daughter's preschool teachers. Win-win.

10-oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 14-oz can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1/2t vanilla extract
Pinch coarse sea salt
1/2t flake sea salt

Line 8-inch-square baking pan with plastic wrap, leaving a 2-inch overhang. Smooth out wrinkles.

Combine chocolate, condensed milk, vanilla and coarse sea salt in large, heavy saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer fudge to prepared pan; spread evenly with rubber spatula. Let cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

Uncover fudge. Remove from pan by lifting overhanging plastic wrap. Invert on cutting board. Cut fudge into 8 strips, then cut crosswise into 8 pieces. I found that if the fudge sticks to the knife, run the knife under super hot water, cut the fudge. Wipe the knife and repeat.

64 svgs = 3 Points+ each

Out to dinner, in control

I've been resisting going out to dinner. I initially wanted to write "scared," but that sounded a little dramatic.

Regardless, I like the comfort of my home, knowing I have controlled things to the point I am unlikely to go off-plan.

But Saturday night the family was celebrating and the kids chose Friendly's, a not-so-Friendly place for someone on controlled eating. I decided in the beginning that I will not let me weight loss issues hijack my family. My issues need to adapt to the family, not vice versa.

So, off we went. I was starving as we had been out for a few hours and although that's the worst feeling to have going out to eat (if you can't eat everything you want), it is what it is. Or was.

Anyway, I held it together pretty well. I had about a half-day's worth of Points to use, so I got a gigantic salad with breaded chicken tenders (maybe 1-2 oz of chicken). Gave the boiled egg and tortilla chips to my youngest and I was OK.

Did I want a huge sundae for dessert? Yes. Did I want to feelings I would experience afterward: regret, anger, disappointment? No.

In which I consider returning to running

I have a love-hate relationship with running.

I hate running, but I love the results.

When I lost 126 pounds from 2002-2003, I took up running about 10 months in. I was never an athlete and had never run before without getting side stitches (or course, I was going about it all wrong, but I had no one to tell me so).

But in my mind, and in the minds of many formerly unfit people, running is the ultimate achievement. It's the one thing you could never do successfully in your current condition. And what sport epitomizes health and fitness more than running?

So I started the famous 9-week Couch to 5K (C25K) program. I read John Bingham's great books. I finished the program and later ran a 5K (me, above right, May 2003. On the left, one of my best friends, Cara). It was a huge accomplishment and one of the best non-family-related days of my life. Sure, 3.2 miles may not sound like a big deal to you, but when you used to weigh 286 pounds, it is a Very Big Deal. I ran a few more races, but I failed to set more running goals and as I watched Lifetime status fade in the distance and felt the pounds return, my running shoes retreated to the back of my closet.

But now, I'm getting that itch again. I read a lot of weight-loss blogs and they're so amazingly inspiring. Like Ben or Sheryl, for instance. They were fat. They lost weight and began to run. They didn't think they could and, voila, like every Hollywood cliche, they did and did well.

So here I am, thinking about hitting the treadmill again and finding a race. Stick around, this should be fun. I think.

Week 13 Weigh-In

Down -1.4 this week, still on Points Classic.

The meeting was not as crowded as last week and, interestingly, the Center sold out of Points calculators, so the new program is off with a bang.

My leader reported she's down 6 lbs in 5 weeks on Points+ and people certainly seem enthusiastic about it.

I will definitely try it, maybe this coming week? Total loss is 38.2, coming very close to my New Year's Goal of -40 lbs down. 3 more weeks to nail that down.

In which my day was made

Got together with a friend today, one whom I hadn't seen in a while.

First thing she says, "You look great!"

Awesome. I feel like I'm coming into the "visible rewards" section of this process. Progress is starting to show.