I win.

After debating the pros and cons of Vegas, Adam has conceded to my position and has agreed to go. He still claims that he will not be able to have fun, but I think I can work on that one. We don't gamble much-- I can put $5 into a nickle machine, and cash out $5 30 minutes later. So, we don't have to worry about extreme spending there. I am going to hunt the internet for coupons, deals and discounts so we can have a good time while we're there. If I can figure out a budget for us, I think he will realize its not so bad. Who knows, maybe I will have a job before we go... A lot can happen in two weeks.

So I got my last official check from my former employer today and went to the bank to deposit it. I went inside and was again asked about direct deposit from my employer. I told her that wouldn't be necessary as it was my last check. She inquired if I quit or... yes, I was laid off I answered for her. As I left the bank, I kept thinking to myself, "isn't there a better option than having to go inside the bank?". Yes. Duh. The DRIVE UP teller. For some reason, in my banking world, there are two options: Inside the bank at the counter or the ATM. I had completely forgot about the drive up teller. No silly questions to answer, no unnecessary sales pitches about online banking or credit cards, just banking. To my defense, I'm used to depositing money when I'm downtown and there is no drive up option since it's in the skyway. It's the little things that make a difference.

Last week I reached my goal weight. And by "reached" I decided my goal weight after I weighed in and liked the number. That's totally normal right? The sad thing, I was at this weight a month ago but was delusional that I should loose 5-6 more pounds. Then graduation came, then getting laid off happened-- two events that don't help weight loss. So, this week I was back to having lost 10% of my original weight and fitting in sizes that I haven't worn since high school. (I think adding stretch to everything makes the sizes considerably different than they were 10 years ago...). I have a pair of pre-Adam jeans that I use to test out my results, if they fit well, I'm happy. This means I have 6 weeks (5 after tomorrow) until I can be a lifetime Weight Watchers member. I guess if I still don't have a job in 5 weeks, I can apply for to work for Weight Watchers... Hopefully I don't have to resort to that.

Fun Weight Watchers point fact:
Whole wheat bagel from Brueggers: 8 points (plain is 5 points)
Light Veggie cream cheese: 2 points
Store bought donut: 5 points
Cake donut with icing: 7 points

Whole wheat and Light are deceiving!

If you're a donut fan, you're on to something. (Samara, I'm looking at you)

Just waiting for coffee to kick in.

I'm not intentionally procrastinating this time. I'm just waiting for my coffee to kick in and take effect.

I went to my weight watchers meeting this morning. I'm was hoping I could loose 3 pounds this week (mostly because my scale indicated I was) but at my meeting I was only down 1.4 pounds. I'm not complaining at the loss, just noting that each week I can think I'm doing one thing, but it doesn't translate to the "official" scale. I'm still happy with where I'm at and how far I've come. I'm 4 pounds away from my goal weight, so that's really exciting. I really wanted to make goal next week, but it looks like I will be at least another 2 weeks before it happens. So far, I'm down 16 pounds and have lost 11% of my starting weight. I've also started to notice how much my clothes don't really fit anymore, which of course leads to shopping. I'm really trying hard to refrain from that as hardly anything is on sale and I refuse to pay full price for most things. But, I have continued to just go into stores to try a bunch of stuff on, and then not buy anything. It's sort of fun, except I feel like I'm running out of places to go or things to try on when I go on lunch. I like to try things on that I might actually buy, but since prices are much more than I want to pay, it's taking some of the fun out.

I think the coffee is starting to kick in as I just had an epiphany about my paper and why it has been so hard for me. I'm doing a case study, but I already knew the outcome of it before I started. So, I've been writing about trying to find results and trying to hypothesize about them when I already knew them! Basically, I need to think about my data in a different way so I can make the conclusions that I need to. This probably only makes sense to me, but is probably the most helpful thing I have thought of all week.

The other thing on my mind.

I'm still doing weight watchers and its going well. This weekend, the end of my 7th week, I reached a total loss of 10 pounds. This is the point in the past where I decide that I've been doing well and can now 'splurge' on a few meals for a couple weeks. This of course off puts any progress that was made and its back to square one. Not this time. I'm training for a 1/2 marathon for August, with the potential of attempting the TC Marathon in the Fall. There's a lot of 'if' with the marathon, but I'm keeping my options open on it. Either way, I'm continuing to run and staying active which will help tremendously in reaching my weight loss goal. I haven't actually decided on my final goal yet as I'm not sure what will be maintainable for me. But the positive side is I have been learning some really good habits and have been able to cook for me and Adam without having to cook two separate meals. I can adjust my meals accordingly, adding more veggies and less starches, while actually making Adam happy about what he's eating. Trust me, this is not an easy task. He is one picky eater. But knowing a few key lessons I think will ultimately allow me to get to where I want to be without getting too frustrated. Its really nice to take control back in my life, eating well adds a nice stable foundation for me and really makes me calmer. I'm sort of wondering why I didn't do this a few years ago...