This Week's Weigh-In

I decided to weigh-in yesterday (Friday) morning before I went to the gym because this weekend was going to be crazy busy and I did NOT want to find myself giving excuses of why I could not weigh-in. So, in an effort to stay on track and focused, I went yesterday morning. I was pleasantly surprised to have lost 3.2 pounds!! That put me at a total loss of 10 pounds so far. It's a great feeling and I'm already noticing changes in my appearance and clothes fitting differently. My confidence has boosted and I notice myself doing my hair & makeup more often and I was even able to pull out a cute shirt yesterday that hadn't fit in a while and wear it to the cookout we went to! That was a good feeling.

I definitely "let my hair down" at the cookout, but I don't think I did too badly. There was no way to count the points for everything I ate, but I had a relatively low point breakfast and lunch before the cookout, so I had 20 points left for the cookout. I ate a hamburger (on a regular bun), a couple small spoonfuls of sides (mashed potatoes and potato salad- I had MUCH smaller portions than I would normally have gotten), and then I munched on Ruffles & French Onion dip throughout the night. I also drank alcohol for the first time in a long time. I brought 64 calorie beer for myself, so "extra light" beer, but I also had a mixed drink. So I'm considering that I used some of my 49 flex points last night and I have an ENTIRE week to get back on the ball and eating right.

Weight Watchers is all about not depriving yourself. I enjoyed myself yesterday, didn't go crazy with food, but still had tastes of things and enjoyed it. I made No Pudge brownies and brought them to the party which were also guilt-free, but SUPER yummy.

Yesterday at my workout, I burned 250 calories, which met my goal for the week of increasing from 200 to 250. I also did Aqua Fit workouts earlier in the week, but I am not sure how many calories I burn (aside from "estimated" numbers I've read online).

This morning I was back on track food-wise and plan to be the rest of the day & week. If there's one thing about weight loss, it's that when you start feeling good about your accomplishments, it doesn't make me want to ruin things by getting off track. It feels good to get back on the wagon today after a fun, "unknown" food day yesterday.

Cheesy Goodness

I thought I'd share one of my favorite go-to snacks that I keep in the fridge at all times right now. They're basically the same exact thing as the old fashioned Laughing Cow Cheese but they're WW brand. They taste exactly the same, but for some reason they're $1.00 cheaper per package at my grocery store, so that's why I went with the WW brand. Just 1 point for a triangular shaped piece of soft cheese. I've really enjoyed it with a granny smith apple, a few crackers, grapes, or even just munching on it by itself. In searching for this photo, I found that there are other flavors, too! I will have to figure out how I can get some other flavors... like the jalapeno one. Yum!

Wake Up in Hawaii

So, this morning I got a little creative with my breakfast. I had some fresh cored pineapple that sparked my fancy, so I thought about how I could use it in my breakfast without just the typical eating some fruit on the side or mixing it in yogurt.

I decided to make one of my self-proclaimed infamous breakfast "sandwiches" with no bread. I find using less carbs is much easier in the morning for me than it is at lunch or dinner, so I try to do as low carb as possible at breakfast.

I felt like this breakfast sandwich was a little taste of Hawaii, probably because it's a common combination on a Hawaiian Pizza. I shall call this, Breakfast in Paradise. Because I'm cheesy like that. (Oh, and there's cheese)

3 pieces of Canadian Bacon - 1 point
1 slice cheddar cheese single - 2 points
1 pineapple round - 0 points

Brown the Canadian bacon and pineapple in a pan until you see some good color on everything. Then build the sandwich: Bacon, cheddar, bacon, pineapple, bacon. I actually ate this one in the car on the way to the gym, but it was quite juicy from the pineapple so I would recommend eating it at home, but it's really not necessary to use a fork and knife. It was SOO tasty and refreshing with that pineapple. I've always loved ham/bacon with pineapple so this was a special treat.

If you want it to really mimic the flavor of a Hawaiian Pizza, you could use mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar and you could even top it with a bit of 0-point marinara sauce much like I top my other breakfasts with salsa. That's a great idea - I may try that next! How great would that be to enjoy the flavors of (one of my favorite) pizzas, but without all the carbs?

Someone try it and let me know what you think!

Tuesday Tidbits

Well hello there, hope everyone is having a healthy start to the week. This morning for breakfast I had one of my favorite healthy breakfasts that I've only discovered in the last few weeks. It is heavenly and I'm sorry I didn't know about it even when I wasn't "dieting" because I certainly would have loved it then, too. I like to call it, Breakfast Cheesecake.

1/2 cup Kashi Go-Lean Crunch - 2 points
1/4 cup Nonfat Greek Yogurt - 1 point
Splenda to sweeten - 0 points
Fruit of choice, diced up - 0 points

Mix everything together and enjoy.

This morning I chose strawberries because they're incredibly sweet and in season at the moment, but I usually do bananas. The sweetened Greek yogurt tastes like cheesecake when you mix in the cereal, which tastes like the graham cracker crust of a cheesecake, and then the fruit or berries tastes like a cheesecake topping. It is seriously delicious and only 3 points!! It is so very filling because of all the protein and fiber.

I trained a friend today to do the type of work that I do and we hadn't seen each other in quite a few years, so it was great to catch up! Naturally, we wanted to go get lunch together, but I hadn't even planned for that. I assumed I would whip up some leftovers here at the house, so when we decided to go to lunch, I had to think quick. We decided to go to Applebee's. I am not usually a huge fan of Applebee's BUT they have Weight Watchers endorsed entrees on their menu with point values already labeled on the menu! How cool is that? So, I was able to have an 8 point lunch, plus we split chips and salsa so I added 4 points just to be safe. It felt great to choose a healthy option from the menu and know exactly how it impacted my day!

Tomorrow is another Aqua Fit day at 9:00 a.m. My days start to get quite busy from here on out this week, so it's time to get focused and stay on plan. There is no reason not to because I can still enjoy myself tremendously while watching what I eat. I still haven't decided whether or not I'll weigh-in on Friday morning instead of Saturday morning. I think I may actually stick to Saturday and just bring myself a Subway sandwich to the cookout on Friday so I know exactly how many points I'm eating - and I love them, anyway, so it's not like I'm sacrificing to not have a hamburger or hot dog! I also plan to bring chips & dip for everyone to share, and I think I'll make a batch of No Pudge Brownies to share, which are SOOOOO good, but only 3 points per brownie! Can't beat that with a stick! (I'm turning into my husband)

Monday Munchies

I thought I would write out what my day looks like in terms of food. Today is a pretty typical day.

Breakfast:
I like to call it a Fork & Knife Breakfast Sandwich.

2 slices of Canadian Bacon browned in a pan - 1 point
1 egg (I break the yolk & fry it) - 2 points
1 Cheddar single (the real stuff) - 2 points
Salsa to taste - 0 points

I put it together like a sandwich with the Canadian bacon acting like the bread, egg and cheese in the middle, and then top it with some salsa. It is SO yummy and filling, lots of protein, and only 5 points!! It takes like 5 minutes to throw together, too. Easy.

Lunch:
We'll call this Gourmet Italian Grilled Cheese.

1 Whole Wheat Thin Bun - 3 points
1/4 cup shredded, part skim Mozzarella Cheese - 2 points
Slices of tomato, as much as desired - 0 points
Fresh Basil - 0 points
Balsamic Vinegar - 0 points

I open the Thin Bun and drizzle each side with a bit of balsamic vinegar. Then I put my fresh basil (I use the basil in a tube found in the produce area. It's already chopped and it doesn't have any oil or anything, just convenient!). I put half of the cheese on one bun, then add my tomatoes, put some salt and pepper on them, then top with the rest of the cheese, and put the top bun onto the sandwich. In a small frying pan, spray with Olive Oil Pam spray and grill the sandwich on both sides like a regular grilled cheese. It is SO FREAKIN' delicious, this has been one of my favorites and I've made it several times over the last few weeks. It truly tastes like I'm eating something from Panera or in an Italian deli and I feel like I'm cheating on my diet. It's only 5 points, so I could actually have two if I wanted to since I have 38 total points in any given day to use up.

Snack
This afternoon I made myself a cup of coffee (with Splenda and Fat Free half & half) and had two Weight Watchers treats, pre-packaged. They are both delicious and satisfy a sweet tooth plus curb some afternoon hunger. Try these out if you haven't before:

WW Cookies

WW Chocolate Cake
Each is 2 points (sorry, the chocolate cake picture is lying when it says 1 point - it must be an old photo from back when it was the old point system). They are REALLY good, even though they are pretty small in size. I was disappointed when I saw the size, but totally excited when they were super tasty and almost overly sweet, thereby curbing my need to have a bigger quantity of them.

Dinner
Tonight for dinner I'm making Sauce with Hot Italian Turkey Sausage & Cannellini Beans

2 large cans of crushed tomatoes - 0 points
2 cloves of garlic, chopped - 0 points
6 links Hot Italian Turkey Sausage cut into thirds - 1 point per third link (3 points per whole link)
2 cans Cannellini beans, drained/rinsed - 2 points for 1/2 cup
1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti - 4 points per cup
Basil, dry or fresh - 0 points

Brown cut sausage links in Olive Oil Pam spray. When nearly finished, add garlic and let cook until fragrant (30 seconds or so). Add beans and stir for a few minutes, then add both cans of tomatoes. Add basil, salt and pepper to taste and let simmer...the longer the better.

Cook pasta just before serving. 1 cup of pasta plus 3 portions of sausage & sauce (assume sauce serving has 1/2 cup of beans in it - no real way to measure) and your whole dinner is 9 points!! You can add some more sausage to your helping to boost up the protein and, of course, how full you will feel. It is REALLY tasty and makes TONS of leftovers. Highly recommend.

Great Workout this Morning

Went to Aqua Fit at LA Fitness this morning at 9:00. This is my 5th class (I go twice a week) and I think it might have been the best workout I've had yet -- possibly tied with last Wednesday. I think part of it is I'm pushing myself harder each time and trying to not take it easy on myself at any point. I already feel a bit sore and I've only been home for an hour!

This weekend is going to be a challenge to stay on track and focused because I have a really busy week ahead. Today is somewhat normal, but tomorrow I'm training a person at my house for my job for a few hours, then have to work the rest of the afternoon. Wednesday I have a full day of work, then I have to do an evaluation for a dog training client that evening at 6:30 and most likely will be bringing the dog home with me to start her 3-day training program. If that's the case, then Thursday, I will have to work in the morning, then do my work delivery to Atlanta, all while balancing out dog training workouts throughout the day. Trivia Thursday night as usual at Lupitas Mexican Restaurant.

I'm planning to weigh-in on Friday morning at Weight Watchers because we have a cookout to attend Friday afternoon and I'm not sure what I'll be able to eat and how it will impact my weight (mostly because of sodium). I will be working all day plus training the dog throughout, and on Saturday we have another cookout/housewarming party to attend to in the afternoon. Daniel will be working on some house stuff all weekend as well.

So, it's going to be a really busy week and it will be easy to get lost in the shuffle, but I am going to do my best to eat healthy, get to the gym at my normal designated times, and stay focused. I may not see the best weigh-in result this Friday or Saturday, but there will always be weeks like this where some things are out of my control and I just have to do my best and go with the flow. I'm even contemplating bringing my own food to the cookout! (healthy hot dog, wheat bun, snacks, fruit, etc.)

We shall see!!

My Goals This Week

I have a couple of goals that I would like to focus on this week:

1. Drink more water.

I am BAD about this. While Diet Coke is not bad to drink, I know drinking water is healthier and I know I need to drink more of it, too. Water helps flush out the fat and also flushes out sodium. So, in an effort to achieve this goal of mine, we bought a soda machine today. Here is the exact one if you want to check it out: SodaStream

Basically, it turns tap water into soda water which is still water, but fizzy and refreshing. There are also a bunch of flavors so it takes like you're having a soda, but it's still just water! There are diet flavors which are zero calories, etc. but there are also "regular" flavors that are still just 25 calories per 8 oz. Right now I'm sticking with the diet stuff. I hope this helps improve my intake of water!

2. Increase my calories burned to: 250.
On Mondays/Wednesdays, I do Aqua Fit so I actually don't know how many calories I burn in that span of an hour. But on Fridays, I do have the ability to see how many calories I'm burning and each week I want to reach a higher number. This week, I'd like to burn 250. I know some people burn 1,000+ calories in one workout, but I'm simply not there yet. 250 will be my goal this week because it's 50 higher than last week. I think small increments will build my stamina and keep me from getting burnt out too quickly.

Welcome!

Well, hello there. Admittedly, I've been known to create blogs for just about anything and everything, but I feel especially empowered to do so at this juncture in my life. I would like to document my journey to being fit & fabulous and use this as a tool to help me stay motivated and accountable.

Three weeks ago, I signed up for Weight Watchers and also joined LA Fitness. Although I have done WW in the past, my joining was never really initiated because of me. I joined because family members were joining and so I tagged along, usually lost 25 pounds, and then promptly lost motivation or hit some sort of plateau. This time around, I joined for me. It's something I considered doing for several weeks while watching The Biggest Loser on TV and feeling my motivation growing more and more as time went on. Finally I just decided to do it. I made a rash decision to sign up on the computer and attend my first meeting two days later at the first moment it was possible with my schedule.

Deciding to join the gym was also a big deal for me. I've joined once before in college with my roommates, but once again, it wasn't for me. I just tagged along and definitely didn't use the membership but a few times. I also did classes/machines that I may not have normally picked for myself because I was doing it to be with the girls.

Now, I am attending Aqua Fit on Mondays and Wednesdays at 9:00 which is, essentially, water aerobics. I love it. There are lots of old people and I feel like I rock in that class because everyone else is, well, old - and not doing much. I make it a great workout and really push myself and it isn't hard on my joints at all. On Fridays I go and do cardio on the machines. The recumbent bike has been the greatest so far - also not tough on my joints but definitely a killer workout. So far I've been burning around 200-250 calories on Fridays and I hope to increase that number a little bit each time.

My first week I lost 4.8 pounds. My second week I lost 2 pounds. I am now into the beginning of Week 3 and am feeling great about things! It's amazing what losing 6.8 pounds feels like. My energy has definitely increased and my desire to keep going and keep feeling better is burning bright. I do have quite a bit to go. I have not set an ultimate goal or even a timeframe for that matter, but I am hoping to reach my 10% weight loss within a couple of months (that will be 25 pounds). I am pretty sure if we go by my height I need to lose at least 100 pounds, but it does me no good to concentrate on that number right now. Small, attainable goals is where I'm at.

So, I will update this often (possibly more than once a day) with meal/snack/recipe ideas, workout plans/achievements, updates after my weekly weigh-ins, and I may even include some pictures from time to time.