Thursday, December 30, 2010

Friday Food Find- Mrs. Dash



Today is more of a Friday Flavor Find instead of a food find. As many over-weight people often do, I've been treated for high blood pressure on and off over the years. At the age of 30, that is scary! It seems it runs in the family a little. With my last trip to the grocery store, I decided to get as much low sodium, no salt added stuff as possible. My mom had mentioned once before about Mrs. Dash seasonings. I remembered that from when I was little. Back then there was only one! Now, according to their website, Mrs. Dash has 14 salt free seasoning blends and 6 salt free marinades! So I got a couple to try.


Earlier this week I went way over normal for breakfast points, so had to think light for lunch. I did this Red Pepper Egg-In-A-Whole from skinnytaste.com. I skipped the bread. Then I decided to saute some garlic, onion, mushrooms and halved cherry tomatoes to go with it. I used 1 tsp of olive oil (1 point). When they were just about done, I remembered I had this Tomato Basil Garlic Mrs. Dash in the cupboard! I sprinkled some on, added 1/2 oz of Fat Free Tomato Basil Feta Cheese (0 points) and gave it a quick stir to heat the cheese through. It was delicious!!! With a handful of grapes on the side, it was a wonderful lunch, for only 3 points! I will be trying some of the other salt free seasoning blends from Mrs. Dash for sure! (in fact, we are using the steak seasoning in tonight's sloppy joes recipe, also from the Skinny Taste website!)

~Rebecca

New Years Resolution

What is your New Years Resolution?  How many times has it been "I will loose weight"???  I think that was mine almost yearly for awhile!  Is that really a realistic resolution?  I don't think so.  I think a Resolution should be more specific, or set numerous small resolutions.  Set a Resolution you know is attainable.  That is one of the things I loved about Weight Watchers, they help you set small goals that are attainable.  Reaching my 10% did not take all that long, and I felt like that was a huge victory.  After that, I knew I could loose the rest! 

So, my health and fitness related resolutions this year are:
  • Continue to run and start doing some races.  I know that is attainable!  To reach that I have set  a goal to trave to Spokane and run Bloomsday in May.
  • Work to include strength training into my work out.  To reach that I have slowly started had a small arm weight workout to my schedule after my runs.
  • Continue to attend WW Meeting more than just once a month.  To raech that I have told my husband it is a must that I get up at 6:15 am on Saturday!
Yes, I have other resolutions that are not health and fitness related.  I would like to lead a more relaxed life.  I would like to have more patience with my daughter.  I would like to read more.  I think some of those are attainable, but I need to figure out how to get there!

What is your New Years Resolution?  How will you reach it? 

I want to wish you all a Happy New Year and I hope 2011 brings you peace, joy, and happiness. 

~Marsha

Monday, December 27, 2010

Monday Madness

I know, I know, Monday is almost over.  Here I sit, just showered after a good workout on the elliptical and trying to get this in before Monday is officially over!  I think I procrastinated about this post today because 1) I wasn't quite sure what to write and 2) I had a crappy bad weekend.  No, Christmas was great, but a bit too great! 

I indulged, but maybe a bit too much.  I tried very hard to stop myself, and I did have to remind myself to walk away from the kitchen a couple of times, but I was trying to help in the kitchen, and that is where my mom had all the snacks.  I did gravitate to the veggies as much as possible, but that gourmet cheese and meat tray was just too good!  I woke up each morning ready to push the re-set button, especially today!  This is definitely a Monday that I originally was referring to when I started my Monday madness posts.

On the bright side, I did run.  I ran 3 miles on Friday and 4 on Sunday.  I did try to drink lots of water and eat as much fruits and veggies as I could.  I did work to keep my servings small and pick and choose what I ate. 

And, with the holiday, I did not have a weigh in this weekend to kick my butt in high gear.  According to my scale at home, I wasn't all that bad.  But, I am feeling it.

This is reality.  This is what it is all about.  Knowing that life is hard and all kinds of good food will be thrown your way every direction you go.  The thing my leader always says is "you won't gain back all you lost in one day".  That is so true.  I know I won't gain 40lbs back because I ate too much yummy meat and cheese or brownies and peppermint ice cream!! 

There it is, I am real and I feel off plan for about 5 days! Now, I get myself back on and keep on movin and livin to  be healthy!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Enjoy a Good Cocktail!!!

What, enjoy a cocktail while also losing weight?  YES, it is possible!!  There are a lot of reasonable cocktails out there that will not take up your entire day or week of points.  Some of my favorites involved using Crystal Light or just sipping a shot.  Okay, yes, I enjoy a nice cocktail every once in awhile.  I usually choose to sip on a small glass of wine, which is now 4ppts for 4oz.  

Because I know the Holidays can bring with them choices about not only food, but also cocktails, I decided to share some resources and ideas here with you.

1. The wine choice, as I said above, is red.  It takes longer to sip and you are less likely to go back for another.  
2. Use fresh juices, tonic, Diet Soda, Crystal Light, coffee, or tea as a mixer.  You use less points that way.
3. Avoid the flavored vodkas, etc.  I tend to stick with Vodka and Rum.  I will splurge on the occasional Bailey's or Kahlua.     
4. Stay away from the frozen and pre-mixed mixes you find in the grocery store.  Make your own instead.

Weight Watchers put out this great resources: WW Cocktail Cheat Sheet 

I have Hungry Girl's first cookbook, and it has some great cocktail recipes in it.  A couple of my favorites are:

Kickin' Cranberry Cosmo
Ingredients:
5 ounces Diet Ocean Spray Cranberry Spray juice Drink
1 1/2 ounces vodka
1 teaspoon lime juice
5-8 ice cubes
Optional: splash of diet lemon-lime soda, lime wedge

Directions:
Combine the first three ingredients with the ice in a shaker.  Shake! Strain into glass.  Top with the splash of soda and garnish with the lime wedge. 

This is 1 serving.

Slammin' Slimmed-down Strawberry Daiquiri
Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces rum
1 packet sugar-free powdered drink mix (any strawberry blend)
3 frozen strawberries
1 tablespoon lime juice
5-8 ice cubes OR 1 cup crushed ice

Directions:
Dissolve drink mix into 4 ounces of water and sir thoroughly. 

In a blender combine drink mixture with all the other ingredients.  Blend to desired consistency.

ENJOY!

I hope you can enjoy some fun holiday cocktails while still keeping with your weight loss plan!! 

~Marsha

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Indulge!!

That is my motto! Always has been and always will be! 

Obviously I used to indulge way too much, and that is why I am where I am today.  Now, I still indulge, however, I limit myself, and I make sure I am balancing my indulgence with healthy options. 

Why am I blogging about indulgence you might ask.  Well, I indulged today in a heavenly Gingerbread Milkshake at Red Robin.  It was AWESOME!!  I did the elliptical for 30 minutes before that, so I felt like I deserved it.  I shared a bit with my daughter and I did not finish it.  I also only ate half of my sandwich, so I made sure I did not over do it. 

Please, if you are working to lose weight, let yourself indulge once in awhile.  Enjoy the sweets during the holidays, just keep it under control and do not eat too much.  I find if I deprive myself, I am more likely to over indulge! 

~Marsha

Monday, December 20, 2010

Monday Madness

What a weekend!! 

Remember my goal from last Monday, to do better not snacking when I was home with my daughter.  I think I did a pretty VERY good job!

I started the weekend out with a great weigh in on Saturday morning.  The best part of it, my guest blogger and favorite sister reached 30lbs.  That is 30lbs off her body! She is looking great and feeling great.  I am so proud of her!!

The weekend only got better when I fixed what turned out to be a great dish for a family brunch on Sunday.  The recipe came from here: Lightened-up Creme Brulee French Toast

The recipe just sounded so good!  I had been thinking about cooking a breakfast bread pudding in the crockpot that I found on the Weight Watchers website.  But when I saw this French Toast it just seemed perfect.  The brunch was about 45 minutes away and we would be arriving about 40-50 minutes before eating.  Stoves would be full and this recipe did not seem feasible.  The crockpot idea seemed easier.  My awesome and amazing mother talked me through how to do this recipe in the crockpot!  Here are the things I changed, keep in mind I did 1.5 x what the recipe called for:
  • I skipped the brown sugar and water part. 
  • I used French Bread, broke each piece into quarters and did about 3-4 layers.
  • Did all the eggs, etc. the way it called for.  I skipped the rum due to kids being present.  I would love to try it with rum sometime!
  • I cooked it on low for 3ish hours.  It was probably about 3.5 total.  There was a break in the action during the transport.  The edges were crispy before the transport, the transport caused them to get more moist.  I had read on the bread pudding recipe to make sure you cook it on low so you didn't scorch the bread.  
  • I put a little brown sugar on the top right near the end of the cooking.  
  • Rather than putting the cinnamon and powdered sugar on it, I put it on the side, along with syrup, for people to fix it up themselves.
It got rave reviews!! I must say, I was very proud of myself!!  I was a bit concerned about how it would cook with the layers.  My mother was definitely my hero in helping me figure this out! 

My weekend ended with a nice 2.5 mile run in the cold and dark, but it was much needed after a busy weekend! 

Friday, December 17, 2010

Friday Food Find--Lunch with a Crunch

Everyone has that food they crave. The one that helped get them to where they are today. Mine is crunchy stuff! I sometimes can get away with carrots for the crunchy fix, but not always. Before the roll out of PointsPlus, I did lots of baked lays. For only 2 points for 1 oz, I couldn't beat that. I would eat them as a snack or with my lunch. With PointsPlus, they are 3 points. One point more isn't bad, but I just didn't feel like I got enough "crunch" to make that 1 point worth it. So, I went on the search to find something with lots of flavor and quantity for the points! Here is what I found.

These are Genisoy Soy Crisps. I have tried the Creamy Ranch, and the Cheddar flavors. You get 17 of them for 3 points! For snack, you could pair them with a "free" fruit or some veggies. They are great for snacking in the car too, just remember to count out your 17 crisps and leave the rest at home!

This week I had them with a wrap, apple and milk for a lunch of just 10 points. (only 7 without the milk)

I have been trying to come up with some lunch alternatives since the "sandwich thins" that used to be 1 point are now 3! I found that I can do most things in a wrap form, and save 1 point. I use the LaFactoria high fiber, low carb tortilla's. They don't have the most flavor, but I almost always use hummus on my wraps so the lack of flavor in the tortilla isn't a huge issue.

The wrap pictured is 4 points.

  • LaFactoria tortilla-2 points
  • 2 Tbsp of Tribe All Natural Hummus- 1 point
  • 1 serving (six slices) Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Mesquite Turkey Breast- 1 point
  • 2 Tbsp shredded Fat Free cheddar cheese- 0 points
  • sliced orange and yellow sweet bell peppers- 0 points
The milk is 3 points. On the old points plan, 1% was the same point value as non-fat. Now, the 1% is 3 points and the non-fat is still 2 points. I guess it's time to switch so I can save another point!

~Rebecca

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Biggest Loser and Pound for Pound Challenge

Did you watch the finale last night?  I watched the second half of it.  I usually watch the show off and on during the season and try to watch the finale.  I always get so choked up and usually cry during it.  It is emotional.  While I never weighed what most of the contestants weighed I can related to the journey and the feeling of accomplishment at the end.  I can also related to the fear many of them are probably feelings to keep the weight off.  The pressure that comes with doing it in front of America is probably huge.  I cannot imagine.  I feel enough pressure having done it within a structure like Weight Watchers, I have fellow meetings goes, family, and friends that I would so embarassed if they saw me put on the weight again.

At the beginning of this show I must say I was skeptical of the contestants loosing so much weight so fast.  Since I actually started watching it I have been impressed with the information they provide them and the education they also receive on how to sustain the healthy lifestyle in the "real world".  It is also touching the importance Jillian and Bob put on the emotions behind why the contestants are where they are. 

Last night they announced they are again doing the Pound for Pound Challenge. I would encourage you to check out the link and if you are ready to loose some pounds, why not make a pledge and help feed the hungry and those in need in your area! 

~Marsha

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Weekly Mileage Summary

One of the things I have found cool about Daily Mile is they email me a summary of my week every Monday.  The new week starts on Monday. 

Last Week I:
  • Put in 12:02 Miles
  • Spent 2 hours and 18 minutes working out
  • Burnt 1505 Calories
  • And did 6 workouts
Now, that is a good week!  The week before I did more mileage.  Seems when I use the bike I tend to get more miles!  I recently set a goal for myself to do 11 miles or more a week.  I hope for 2011 to set a yearly goal.  And, through all of this, my back is feeling great good. 

Monday, December 13, 2010

Monday Madness

Since my first Monday Madness column my weekends have changed drastically.  I am now alone with my daughter all weekend while my husband works.  This has been both good and bad on my eating habits. 

First, the good!  I am trying to keep her busy and planning a lot of outings.  With all the holiday activities this time of year, that is not hard.  The good thing is the more we are out of the house and doing fun activities, the less I am home eating.

The Bad. You guessed it, when we are home and not doing fun activities, I am eating too much.  I am grazing a lot.  I am working very hard at still writing down all of my snacks.  Nibble it, Scribble it, right??!!!  I need to have some pre-cut fruit or some kind of healthy snack to reach for.  I mostly have only healthy food choice in the house.  But, one servings turns into to two or three servings. 

My goal for next weekend it to limit my snacking while home with my daughter.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

A Great Family Dinner Recipe

I am always looking for great dinner recipes my family will enjoy.  My husband and daughter both have very different eating styles from me.  This recipe was printed in the Weight Watchers Weekly, which is handed out at each meeting.  The recipe was from January 2010 and I tried it at that time and it was a winner.  I made it for dinner again tonight, and again, A WINNER!!  It is 6 PointsPlus points.  That is great for a dinner, and a very filling dinner too!

OLD FASHIONED CHICKEN POT PIE

Ingredients

2 serving(s) butter-flavour cooking spray
1 tsp butter
1 small onion(s), chopped
2 cup(s) mushroom(s), sliced
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/2 tsp table salt, or more to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cup(s) frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup(s) canned chicken broth
3 cup(s) (chopped) roasted chicken breast, chopped
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup(s) fat-free evaporated milk, divided
4 roll(s) reduced-fat crescent roll dough, unrolled

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a 10-inch round shallow baking dish with cooking spray.

Coat a large pot with cooking spray. Add butter and melt over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook, until tender, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Stir in paprika, thyme, salt and pepper. Add vegetables, broth and chicken. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.

In a small cup, combine flour and 1/4 cup of evaporated milk; stir into chicken mixture. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup of evaporated milk and cook until mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes more.

Spoon chicken mixture into prepared baking dish. Unroll crescent rolls and arrange dough around inside edge of baking dish to form a border (there will be a hole in the middle). Bake until rolls are golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 15 minutes. Cut into 6 pieces and serve.

Notes:
Make this recipe to your family's taste with different frozen vegetable blends such as an Asian mix or bell pepper and onion strips.

~Marsha

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

My Current Exercise Plan

I think I have finally found my exercise plan.  I am logging my workouts at Daily Mile, here is my profile: http://www.dailymile.com/people/marshalmoore#ref=tophd

I purchased a month long card for our City fitness center.  Last week I got there twice, and I hope to make it three times this week.  I am hoping to add an outdoor run on Saturday or Sunday.  I have enjoyed doing a 20 minute warm up on the stationary bike before I hit the treadmill for a shorter run.  I am slowly trying to increase my pace on the run and my length.  Last night I did 1 min of a quicker pace, and two minutes of a bit slower, I did this for 20 minutes. 

I am starting to get a bit bored, so might throw in some elliptical too.  I need to get myself some kind of music listening device.  The City is building a new Rec Center, so their make shift fitness room has no music.  I am one that needs TV or music or something.  I will need to shop for that next! 

I set a goal for myself of 11 miles a week.  Last week I clocked 16 miles.  The bike sure allows you to cover more mileage in a shorter period of time! 

My plan for next week is to add some upper body work into my exercise routine. 

~Marsha

Monday, December 06, 2010

Monday Madness

Well, there is a new kind of Madness to this particular Monday.  It is called Points Plus!  The new Weight Watchers program has sure kept me on my toes!  I am loving it! I have to learn the values to all of my favorite foods again, but it is forcing me to write it all down and calculate the points. 

On Saturday night we went out to dinner and I ordered a flatbread Chicken and Pesto Pizza.  It was awesome, and I did NOT eat it all!!  I was so proud.  After I looked up the nutritional value and figured out the Points Plus, I was sure glad I didn't eat it all!!  I had the rest for lunch today. 

I feel like I had a successful weekend.  Did not get exercise in, but got a lot of walking in, and ran to the from the car to unload the groceries!

~Marsha

Green Giant - Just For One


These things are awesome!!  I had a coupon from a recent Weight Watchers Weekly, so decided to try them.  Last night I made mini meatloafs for dinner.  My daughter and I each had a mini loaf and one serving of the Peas and Corn with Basil Butter Sauce.  It was DELICIOUS!!!  And, she loved it too!  The WW points on the packaging has not yet been updated.  When I figured it out on my calculator I got 2 Points Plus.  What a perfect side!!  And, it was a huge serving!

According to their website they also have:
Broccoli & Cheese Sauce 17 oz. 4 pk
Niblets® Corn & Butter Sauce 17 oz. 4 pk

Broccoli, Carrots & Italian Seasoning 14 oz. 4 pk
Corn & Peas in Basil Butter Sauce 17 oz. 4 pk
Cauliflower & Cheese Sauce 17 oz. 4 pk

I have also heard that the Broccoli and Cheese make a great topping for that Friday Food Finds Baked Potato.

Saturday, December 04, 2010

December Weigh In

I weighed in at Goal for the month of December!!!  I was actually slightly under goal!

I hope to blog later today about my thoughts on the Points Plus Program.  I bought the points calculator, so can save money having to join e-tools again!  I might end up caving and getting the food companion.  I think the Pocket Book will be enough.

Friday, December 03, 2010

Friday Food Finds

My sister, Rebecca, is attending an awesome leadership training today and is not able to post. 

I thought I would share an awesome list of slow cooker recipes I came across recently.  The document can be downloaded from Leading the Weigh.  There are some great recipes here.  They do have the old WW points on them.  Even if you don't care about WW, they are healthy and tasty!

Making Good Choices

Do you always make good choices about what you eat?  Do you regret bad choices?  Do you celebrate good choices? 

I think I can honestly answer YES to the last two questions, but I am afraid I cannot answer yes to the first question.  I mean, let's be realistic, who out there really ALWAYS makes good choices about what they eat. 

I have an example from this week of good choices and one of bad choices.  Except, not in that order! I would say the bad choice caused and somewhat forced the good choice! BUT, I still felt good about the good choice, and yes, I enjoyed the food involved in the bad choice!

Wednesday, after an all day workshop for work I got a great workout in after my husband got home.  I did 20 minutes on the bike (5.5 mi) and 15 minutes on the treadmill (1.2 mi).  I felt great, and figured there was no problem eating four pieces of a small Alfy's Pizza.  Yes, it was at least a small pizza, not a large!  My mistake, not listening to myself.  After two pieces I started feeling somewhat full, and probably should have wrapped up the other two pieces of another time.  I talked myself into eating that third piece.  I was really feeling full at that point.  I sat there for awhile contemplating that fourth piece.  My stomach was telling me I had had enough, but it just looked so good and seemed to be calling out my name (yes, my food talks to me!!).  What do you think I did?  What would you have done?  Of course I ate it, all of it.  The next morning I was kicking myself.

Thursday, I kind of had to make some better choices.  I had put together a dinner for a function at work and ordered these awesome pasta combinations, spaghetti and meatballs, penne and chicken carbonara, and pesto and tortellini.  Thursday morning I made the decision to pack my lunch and dinner and not indulge in those amazing dishes.  I took left overs of the Turkey Sausage, Kale, and White Bean soup I had made for dinner Tuesday night.  I did allow myself a small taste of the tortelline and penne.  Like, one bite of each.  And I avoided the desserts that were calling my name. 

I went home Thursday so proud of myself.  I indulged one day and held back the second day.  No one said this was easy!    

Monday, November 29, 2010

Monday Madness

This weekend was good and bad.  I got a run in on Friday night, but that was it.  I am a bit disappointed in myself for not getting more in and need to kick myself in high gear.  My back has also been a bit sore.  I did feel like I made good food decisions, and I went to my meeting Saturday morning.  I have two items on the Monday to blog about, a non-scale victory and a change to Weight Watchers.

Non-scale Victory
This is partyly my victory and partly my daughters victory.  I try very hard to teach my daughter healthy eating habbits, while still letting her be a kid.  We do not let her drink soda, rarely does she get candy, and occasionally she gets juice.  We are lucky, she does not like chocolate, chooses broccoli as her side at restaurants, and likes to have a V8 in her school lunch!  Saturday night got a bit crazy, so we ended up with Jack in the Box for dinner, I got her chicken strips as her meal.  On Sunday, we were going grocery shopping, which always means she gets a free cookie at the bakery.  Keep in mind, she if 5.  On the way there we hear "you know dad, I don't think I want a cookie, they are not healthy, so I think I will wait and get a cookie next time".  Talk about a proud moment for a mother!!!  I was so happy I had helped teach her something and healthy eating was something she understood. 

Weight Watchers Changes:
Yesterday Weight Watchers made a drastic change to their program.  You can find an article here: USA Today  I don't have my meeting until Saturday so will not get the official explanation until then.  I have heard fruit is mostly 0 pts! I think I can live with that!  I have also heard some great 1pt foods are more now, so that will definitely be an adjustment.  I am looking forward to learning more about the new program and just might have to sign up for the e-tools again to get the hang of the new points. 

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Friday Food Finds, a day late

With the excitement of Thanksgiving and working Black Friday at a popular toy selling chain store, Friday Food Finds got away from me. Well, here it is.

One of the things that doing Weight Watchers has brought me to do, is cook dinner. I try to cook a nice meal at least 5/7 days a week. The problem I run in to is finding foods that my "steak and potato" loving husband will eat. I sneak veggies in like you would for a kid, or make myself a single serving of something. I have been playing around with some different crock pot recipes to find some we both like. I love being able to play with my kids while dinner is cooking. So, Tuesday night I made Barbecue Glazed Turkey Meatloaf in the crock pot. I got the recipe off of the Weight Watchers website. We all thought it was super yummy!!

4 points per serving
Ingredients
1 1/4 pound(s) uncooked ground turkey breast, Skinless
1/3 cup(s) dried bread crumbs, seasoned
1/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup(s) onion(s), minced
1 large egg(s), lightly beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
2 Tbsp ketchup
2 tsp packed light brown sugar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Heinz Spicy Brown Mustard, or other brand

Instructions
Fold a 24-inch length of foil in half lengthwise. Fit into the bottom and up the sides of a 5–6-quart slow cooker insert.


Put the turkey, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, egg, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl; mix with hands until well combined. Shape the mixture into a loaf and place on the foil in the slow cooker.


Cover the slow cooker and cook until the meatloaf juices run clear or an instant read thermometer inserted in the center of the meatloaf registers 165°F, 3–4 hours on high or 6–8 hours on low.


Combine the ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard in a small bowl. Spoon the mixture over the meatloaf, spreading it smooth. Cover the slow cooker and cook until the glaze is heated through, about 30 minutes longer. With the help of the foil, lift the meatloaf from the slow cooker and transfer to a platter. Discard foil and cut the meatloaf into 6 slices. Yields 1 slice meatloaf per serving.

Notes

We line the slow cooker insert with foil—a little trick to help you lift out the finished meatloaf. And, because foods cooked in a slow cooker tend to look pale, we coat the loaf with a colorful barbecue-sauce glaze.


I planned on cooking it on low for the 6-8 hours, but forgot to turn on the crock pot! I did it on high, checking the temp at 3 hours. It was done! I served it with mashed potatoes and steamed zucchini with sweat onions.

I had enough points to have 2 servings of the meat. It was 7 1/2 points for the 2 servings. The barbecue sauce was so good, that I have the recipe on my fridge! It will go great as a dip with baked chicken fingers or sweat potato fries!

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving - Don't Gobble 'til you Wobble!!

That has always been something that my WW leader has engraved in my head and is something I try to live by on Thanksgiving morning.  I did get a short excercise DVD in last night, not what I wanted, but it was something.  I hope to get something in today before I eat.  I thought about just running with my daughter in the snow, but we'll see.  I may just walk up and down our stairs for a bit, just to get something in. 

I have done many things to plan for my Thanksgiving dinner over the last few years.  In 2008 I hosted Thanksgiving and prepared the entire meal based on the Weight Watchers magazine.  In 2007 I got in 30 minutes on the elliptical.  This year I am doing more to manage what I eat during the day.  I had an egg white omlette for breakfast and plan to limit the snacking and extra food.  How do I plan to do that you may ask ... Well, my plan now is to be spending a lot of time with my daughter, and not letting myself have time to snack. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of your out there! And remember, today is just one day, and tomorrow is a new day! You can always press that reset button tomorrow!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Perisimmons (A New Fruit Discovery)

(Picture from FatFree Vegan Kitchen website)

This is a Perisimmon.  Have you seen one before!  I had never seen or heard of one until we got our box from Full Circle Farm last week.  Luckily, our box comes with some great recipes!  It had a recipe for a Festive Fall Fruit Salad.  I made a few changes to work with what we had in the house, but it turned out great!  I think I have a new favorite fruit!  My daughter loved it and had three servings of the fruit salad!

Here is the recipe that came in the box:

Ingredients:
2-3 Perisimmons, peeled, cut into chunks
2 large pears, cut into chunks
1/2 lb of grapes, halved
1 C celeriac (celery root), peeled, shredded
2/3 cup walnuts or peacans, chopped
1 lemon, juiced
2t lemon zest
2T honey
1T red wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
salt

Steps:
In a large bowl combine lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, a pinch of salt and vinegar.  Add perisimmons and pears and toss until coated.  Add grapes and celeriac.  Add more honey or more vinegar.  Cover and refrigerate for one hour.  Remove and stir in walnuts, spoon over a bed of arugula or serve alone.

The front side of the recipe card also makes suggestions of using agave nectar instead of honey, adding celery root, apples, or slices of Satsumas.  It also suggestions adding crushed lavender flowers or mint and minced rosemary.

This is what I did with what I had available:

Ingredients:
2 perisimmons, cut into chuncks (I accidentally over looked the part about peeling them, but they were still okay)
2 pears cut into chunks
2 Satsumas peeled and split into pieces
2t Lemon juice
2T honey
1T red wine vinegar
Salt (I just shook salt shaker a couple of times)

I did end up adding a bit more honey and a bit more red wine vinegar.  I just served it alone as a side to our dinner.  I have leftovers and can't wait for it at lunch tomorrow! 

Here are a couple of recipes I came across as I was researching for this blog post:

Another Great Idea!

And Another

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

My New Favorite Website for WW Friendly Recipes!!!

My life just got 100x better when I came across this website last week: Skinny Taste

WOW! She has some amazing recipes and I can't wait to try lots of them!  For Thanksgiving I am making her Pumpkin Butter to go with small pieces of bread for a snack tray!  She has the WW Points with her recipes too, which makes it even better!   As I try some of her recipes I will let you know that is where they come from. 

Monday Madness

I know what you are thinking, it is Tuesday!  I am a day late on my Monday Madness post, and that is due to the madness Monday brought me! 

The weekend wasn't all that bad, but I did not weigh in.  I instead went on a road trip with my parents and daughter to Oregon for another Linfield football game!  My point of frusturation now comes from the cold weather that has made it difficult to work out.  I have not run since Thursday, and don't know that I will be able to before Friday.  It is snowy and cold here, and I don't really want to drive to the city fitness facility.  My goal is to try and do some Wii Fit tonight after dinner.  We'll see.

Otherwise, this week I did not have the same weekend weight hangover I have had in the past! I feel like I made good decisions!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Guest Blogger: Friday Food Finds - Microwaved Baked Potato

Happy Friday!! 

Remember Here when I shared about my sister and her Weight Watchers journey.  The other day I was talking with my sister and she mentioned a soup she found and how much she liked it.  That got me thinking, as a somewhat newbie to Weight Watchers she was at a different stage.  She was enjoying the discovery stage of find new and exciting healthy food.  I occasionally find that new recipe or new product, but I really already went through that discovery stage.  I approached her and asked if she would like to be a guest blogger and share with my readers some of her finds.

Without further ado, I give you Friday Food Finds with Guest Blogger Rebecca!!   
__________________________________________________ 

When I know that I am going somewhere in the evening where there will be rich foods, I like to plan ahead by having a low point, filling lunch. (even more so when those rich foods are the night before weigh in!) So, for lunch today I did a baked potato, 1 cup of Progresso Light Vegetable soup and some pretzels. I know pretzels aren’t filling, but crunchy is my weak spot!

You may be thinking “I could never do a baked potato for lunch, it takes too long.” I thought the same thing until someone introduced me to microwaving them last week! A plain large baked potato is only 3 pts! (set point of 5) Doing them in the microwave is super easy and quick!

Step 1: This is the most important step. If you don’t do this, it will blow up in your microwave! (or so I’m told) Take a knife and cut 3-4 slits down into your potato.

Step 2: Microwave your potato for 3-4 minutes. If it is on the smaller size, start with 3 minutes. The time needed in total will depend on the power of your microwave. I just put the potato directly on the microwave tray. If you are in an office with a shared microwave, you could put it on a paper towel for easy clean up.

Step 3: Check your potato: Take a fork and stab it into the potato. Lift it up. If it is done, the potato will easily slide off your fork. If it needs more time, I recommend doing 1 minute increments until it does slide from the fork.

Now for some toppings, because lets face it potatoes are boring! If you have the points for it, you could do some cut up turkey bacon (1-2 points depending on how much and brand), or even some fat-free sour cream (only ½ a point for 2 TBLS)!! Today I just did 1 TBLS of country crock margarine (1 point) and 2 TBLS of shredded cheese (1 point). There are so many low point options that you could use as toppings for your baked potato!!

I like to pair my potatoes with some nice hot soup! Progresso has some great soups that are 0 or 1 point per serving! Remember, there are 2 servings in a can! If you are taking it to work, I would suggest dividing the can into 2 tupperware containers that morning or the night before. The 0 point ones are still about 1.5 points for the whole can, so not too bad if you have the points for the whole can.

Enjoy your quick and filling baked potatoes!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Yummmm....The Cranberry Bliss Bar!!

(From Starbucks.com)

OH! MY!

This is one of my all time favorite times of year and the Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar is one of the main reasons!  I walked into Starbucks this morning, and there they were!  My love affair with the Cranberry Bliss Bar has officially started!

Last year my Weight Watchers leader encouraged me to see how long it could take me to eat it.  I took on the challenge and I nibbled on it and 30 minutes to eat it.  I was pretty proud of myself!

This year, I need a new challenge.  I have decided to allow myself three Cranberry Bliss Bars this year.  That is one every other week starting next week and going through New Years Day.  I will keep a count down on the sidebar of the blog to hold myself accountable.  In addition, I will savor each Cranberry Bliss Bar and make it last me 30 minutes or more!     

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

My Love/Hate relationship with Candy

My favorite subject, candy! I can't live with it and I can't live without it!  Tuesday nights is when I am at my worst.  Because last night was like every other Tuesday night I thought I would vent my frusturations with myself and my lack of self control with all of you! 

The first and third Tuesday night of the month I have a Board meeting for work.  It starts at 7pm, but I stay at work to prepare.  There is one office in particular that has the best candy bowl.  She has Kit-Kats, Snickers, Reese's Cups, Twix, and many more chocolate bars that I crave!  Remember when I started blogging again a couple of weeks ago and revealed where I had been.  Well, this candy bowl was a huge part of my problem.  I have been awesome the last few weeks, only visiting her once every couple of days. 

Last night, well, I had a bit of an issue with my self-control and this candy bowl.  It was a bit of a crazy evening with childcare for my daughter and it was past 5pm and I was starving.  I finally got to the point about 5:25 p.m. where I could make my dinner at work.  I was so hungry, I broke the seal and headed for the candy bowl first!  I only had one.  Fixed my dinner, and figured I needed another for dessert.  After eating dinner and dessert, I decided I needed more.  I lost count at some point.  I have no idea how many piecese of candy I ate last night. 

I need a good plan of attack for the next Tuesday night Board meeting.  You would think the nasty headache I had last night on the way home from the meeting would keep me away next time, but I really don't think it will. 

Thank you for listening to my vent about my relationship with candy.  It holds me accountable to say outloud the problems I have!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Monday Madness

My Monday Madness post today was true madness and craziness.  I felt like I had a great weekend and did a great job!  To start the weekend off I got in a run on Friday night and took Saturday off from running.  I had a great Weigh In on Saturday morning.

The crazy part was Sunday.  I had decided to try to fit in a longer, slower run on the weekends.  My husband had Sunday off, so I planned for a slow, long run on Sunday.  He had a great idea that I run and meet him and our daughter at the grocery store, and run back after grocery shopping.  We planned to shop at Albertson's or Safeway, which are kiddy corner from each other.  We settled on Safeway, and I asked him to give me 25 minutes to get there, just a couple of minutes longer than Albertson's would have been. 

I ran to Safeway, getting there is just over 22 minutes.  I waited for about 10-15 minutes.  I decided to run over to Albertson's and after not seeing our car in the parking lot, I ran back to Safeway.  Still, our car was not there.  Naturally I started getting a little concerned something had gone wrong back at home.  I began my run home.  I was tired and irritated and wanted to walk.  But, I pushed through and ran home.  I get home, and one of our cars is gone.  I had no house key, so I plopped myself on the front step and waited.  My husband drove up about 5 minutes after that.  He had gone to a different Safeway! He figured when I asked for 25 minutes I was running further.  He had started the shopping, not seeing me, and eventually left the cart and started driving around.  We went to a different grocery store and did our shopping.

What a crazy day! But, I felt pretty good after a good run and not giving in to the desire to walk! I ran just under 4 miles in all (probably closer to 4 miles with the runs between the stores!!).  Today, my legs feel good and I feel great!! 

Saturday, November 13, 2010

My sister: A success story in the making

After I started attending Weight Watchers and started having some success my sister soon decided to start attending with me.  It was great to have a partner, someone I could talk to about points and bounce things off of.  We would fix meals together every Monday and always make sure they were on plan and fit in our points.  I was so proud of her for taking this step.  She had tried Weight Watchers once before and was now coming back.  She was there the day I got Lifetime! (it snowed, so not many people were at the meeting).  She has been an inspiration to me more than she might realize.  Wanna know why?  She makes me attend the meetings, because I feel I have to be there for her.  I feel she started attending that early on a Saturday because I was there, so I better as heck be there!  Thanks sis!!

Fast forward to today.  After taking a break from Weight Watchers to have a baby she is back!  I love having her there.  And was so excited to hear her walk in the door this morning.  I heard her talking and went to the doorway to wait.  She had done it! She had lost her first 20lbs plus some!  I was so excited for her, gave her five and felt so proud.  For a moment, I didn't care that I had weighed in for November at goal, I just cared that my little sis was on this journey with me and being successful! 

She inspires me and keeps me on my toes! I look forward to the day I am sitting by her side and her name is called at the end of the meeting to receive her Lifetime key.  I know she can do it!  I know she will be an AFTER!!! 

November Weigh In

I weighed in at goal for the month of November!!  I was right at goal, which is okay with me! I would still like to hold my weight down a few pounds, but I am working on it!  I have no travel plans for awhile, so plan to attend my Weight Watchers meeting weekly from now until the end of December.  The only reason I would not attend is if I am out of town.  That is my goal for the rest of 2010! 

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Run, Run, Run

That is my plan right now! I have decided to start running again.  You might remember I have a back injury I have been babying for about a year now.  I am trying to take the running easy.  This week I started and hope to provide you with an exercise re-cap at the end of each week.  I signed up for Daily Mile to help me keep track and keep myself accountable.  Find me here: http://www.dailymile.com/people/marshalmoore#ref=tophd  if you are on Daily Mile! 

This week I started easy and just did a 1.37 mi run from our house.  It is dark now, so I wanted to stay on the main road.  This limited me a bit in how far I could go.  This is a great route, with a good slow up hill and returning the down hill.  I decided to try the local City gym last night and use the Treadmill.  I was able to wait until my daughter was in bed, so none of that GUILT!  I ran 2.20 miles! It felt good and I probably could have gone more, but I told my husband I would only be 30 minutes!  Today, I have the day off of work, so my daughter and I are joining my mother and grandmother for a walk.  I think the walk will be a good break for my legs, they were a bit sore last night! 

I hope to get to where I can do some 5K raises this spring and summer.  Maybe eventually a 1/2 marathon.  All I kept thinking last night was "how do these people do marathons?"

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Creamy Salsa Chicken

This is a great slow cooker recipe I found early in my Weight Watchers journey on the WW website.  It is so easy and so yummy. 

1lb Chicken Breasts
1 Jar of Salsa
1 Can of Black Beans
1 block of neufchatel cheese

You put in the chicken breasts while frozen, pour the salsa and black beans on top.  Cook on high for 4 or 5 hours or on low for 9-10 hours.  For the last 30 minutes cut up the cheese and put on top.  After done mix the cheese in and shred the chicken.

We have tried this three different ways.  First few times we just ate it with the spoon out of the bowl.  Once we tried it in wraps, but it was a bit too runny.  Tonight we tried it with tortilla chips and my oh my, it was awesome!!!   Loved it!  My daughter loves it too!  Tonight I doubled the salsa and black beans, so have two containers in the freezer! This is great thawed for lunch!

Getting Past the Guilt Associated with Taking Time to Exercise

I came across this blog today: Getting to 50/50 and a recent post about Guilt: Guilt if I Do, Guilt if I Don't

This blog post hit me like a ton of bricks.  The way guilt plays into my weight loss journey has been identical to what this person is saying.  I feel guilty if I don't workout and exercise, but when I am doing it, I can't help but feel guilty about the time I am taking away from my family.  Of if I try to fit it in at work, I keep thinking "I should be eating at my desk as I work, not walking". 

Over the last year I feel I have finally gotten myself near the end of the guilt rutt.  In 2009 my husband lost his job, we lost our house to a Short Sale, and my father was diagnosed with a blood cancer.  I was stressed, but running made me feel better.  Running or exercising relaxed me.  I realized I was a better wife and mother when I got that time to myself to run or workout.  My husband started to see that too.  Why feel guilty for that, for making me a better person? 

I still have my bouts with guilt, like when I know my husband has also had a long day, but I know I need that walk or jog to survive the week.  Or, when he tells me after the run he was invited out to watch a football game that started an hour ago!  The best part, is my daughter sees me exercising and knows I am out running and almost always asks "how was your run mom?"  Why should I feel guilty for that?

While I feel like I am working through that guilting feeling, I know so well how the author of this post felt when she was working out and guilt was hanging over her head the entire time.  But, please, do not let guilt stop you! Get out there and take the time for yourself, it will make you a happier and better person!  I know it does that for me! 

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Homemade Chow Mein with mix of fresh Veggies!

My daughter's school became a community drop-off location for Full Circle Farms.  We get a box every other week and split it with my mom.  I have been trying to make up some fun recipes to ensure we use all the veggies and don't let them go to waste.  Last night I made some sort of Chow Mein, atleast that was my goal!  I must say, it turned out pretty good! 

I used carrots, celery, leeks, bok choy, chicken, and linguini.  Add in some olive oil and soy sauce, and you got yourself a decent dinner for two!  And, I have left overs for lunch tomorrow!  I love playing around with the veggies and finding new things to prepare!  One night we had an interesting red linquine with beets cooked in it (hence the red!).  The spinach has been great in omlettes or a side salad with lunch.  The fruit, we have no problem inhaling!

What is your favorite recipe with fresh veggies? 

Monday, November 08, 2010

Monday Madness

Here it is, Monday again!  I took the weekend off from blogging because my daughter and I were out of town for the weekend.  We traveled to McMinnville, OR with my parents for a Linfield College football game.  Linfield College is my Alma Mater.


This week I can say Monday is not all that maddening!  I made what I felt were some great choices this weekend!  When traveling that can be difficult, especially when traveling and tailgaiting!  But, luckily, I have a great support system and my parents know my journey.  I have three moments from the weekend I am most proud of. 

1. My mom has been working on a journey herself and especially gets it.  She was prepared with veggie burgers to BBQ after the football game.  Hamburgers were cooked for my dad and daughter, and veggie burgers for myself and my mom! I did add a cold piece of bacon to it, but have to indulge sometime!  I had the veggie burger on a sandwich thin and used a little mayo and a Sun Dried Tomato Laughing Cow wedge.  I love those wedges and had not tried the new flavors yet!  Also added some portabello mushroom.  This was one good veggie burger!! And, I inhaled the left over mushrooms with a little salt and pepper sprinkled on, this might be a new favorite side dish of mine!  The mushrooms had been on the BBQ. 

2. The drive to McMinnville can take us about 4 hours in a car, without a 5 year old that drank too much liquid.  Our drive in the motorhome, with a 5 year that needed to go potty A LOT, it took about 6 hours.  This included a top at Burgerville.  We do not have Burgerville in the Seattle suburbs, so I did not know what to expect.  They are brilliant! I ordered their Seasoned Turkey Burger.  It was awesome!!  Now, looking at their nutrition values, a small cheeseburger probably would have been better.  But, I was hungry, and I made what I felt was a good choice, and it tasted awesome! I will not get down on myself for this choice! 

3. On the way home on Sunday we stopped at a rest area and made sandwiches.  I had regular bread, instead of the thins.  My mom mixed up a salmon spread and I added to my bread another laughing cow wedge.  Tasted great!  I love the foods I have discovered over the years that I did not like as a kid, but now enjoy them so much!  My daughter was getting ansy, so I took her out to run around in the grass a bit!  I could have sat on a bench and just told her to run in circles, but what fun is that.  Her offer to play tag was just too good to pass up!  We ran around and played tag and I got some activity.  Probably not even a whole activity point, but it felt good! I love the way I can run after her now.

Here I am on Monday, feeling great about my decisions made while on the road this weekend.  I hope I can continue to make good decisions on my weekends, and make Monday less of a battle. 

Friday, November 05, 2010

Name??

Now that I have started blogging regularly I would like to come up with a catchy blog name and detach it from my family blog.  I would like to network myself more in the world of weight loss and more specifically WW blogs. 

I would love your ideas.  I thought once I have a handful of ideas I would create a poll.  Please, share with me your ideas! 

Thursday, November 04, 2010

With Life Changes Comes Challenges (Exercise Edition)

In my post yesterday I mentioned the recent change in our schedule and need to find quicker meals.  Well, I also need help with planning some excercise.  I eventually want to start running again and get to where I can run some races.  I would love to one day run the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  But, maybe I will start with the Disneyland Half Marathon or 5K in September 2011.  And maybe a local 5K between now and then. 

My challenge is #1 finding time to run and #2 taking it slow while my back strengthens.  I thought about starting in the water.  I love to jog outdoors, and do not have a gym membership.  I could do water walking at the local City pool.  My husband gets a 24 Hour discount with his new job, but don't know the cost yet.  But when can I fit it in my schedule?  I hate the idea of using child care at a gym when my daughter has already been gone all day.  I struggle with getting myself up in the morning (except for that Saturday 7am WW meeting!).  Ideally I would be able to do something over my lunch break.  However, that is really only possible with a gym membership.

So, I want to know, when do you workout?  What type of workout do you do? I would love some ideas! 

PS - I can't wait to start trying the recipes some of you shared with me on Facebook!!     

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

With Life Changes comes Challenges

{I apologize for not blogging yesterday, but the title of this post was all too true yesterday!)

Don't we all know that to be true!  Every life change I have ever encountered has brought with it new challenges.  In our house we have been both blessed and not so blessed to have my husband out of work for the last 18 months.  Some of it was by choice and some not by choice.  We liked the fact that he could get our daughter after school at 3:20 pm and she did not need to attend extended day Play School.  Well, that changed yesterday.  In September we decided to send her to Kindergarten at the same place, so really needed my husband to be working to make it work.  He now works until 6pm, requiring her to attend some play school and requiring us to ask family for some help. 

You might be wondering how this relates to my weight maintenance and loss?  Well, my awesome husband was making dinner each night and it would be ready when I got home at 5:30pm.  We would eat, and I would have time for a walk.  Now, dinner is not being made and I don't really have time to walk.  I would like to ask my readers for ideas.  I need some new recipes.  The three requirements are: healthy, quick to make, and few ingredients.  So, please share! I want to hear from you!  I will proceed to make and try the recipes shared and share with you how they work in our now busy life!

Thank you! 

Monday, November 01, 2010

Monday Madness

Welcome to my first true installment of Monday Madness!  This Monday is a special, post Halloween weekend Monday!  I would expect to be blogging about eating too much food and being 5lbs over goal, blah, blah, blah!  But, I am not!

Today, I am going to share with you a Monday Madness victory! I ate one single mini Snickers bar yesterday.  That was all!  I kept my hands out of the candy last night, and so far today have not touched a single candy jar! 

I did eat a good cheeseburger from Five Guys and some great pizza last night.  But, I also walked around with my daughter trick or treating.  I know I was not perfect this weekend, but as you know from my Monday Madness introduction, I tend to indulge a bit on the weekend. 

I decided to share with you my indulgence of the weekend, with the hopes of showing you it is okay to indulge!  My indulgence this weekend was some delicious green drinks my husband made up.  Bless his heart, he used Powerade Zero as part of the drink to make it a bit healthier!  I indulged and I loved it! I felt great this morning and did not have the feeling of a Monday morning weight gain hangover! 

What did you indulge in this weekend?

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Halloween Candy

Last week my loving husband brought home a bag of Candy Corn.  Candy Corn is one of my favorites.  I let myself eat a small handful, and no more.  The next day I came across this blog:  Leading the Weigh , the author is also a WW Lifetime member.  The most recent post on the blog is this: Halloween Candy Cheat Sheet   What a great resource! So, I found out the points for Candy Corn, and Whoppers. 

I hope to keep a very limited amount of candy around our house after tonight.  We let our daughter eat a small amount and keep a few pieces for her.  My husband suggests we keep the rest for ourselves, but that would be death to any good weight maintenance for me!  So, we will keep a small amount and I will indulge in one or two a day.  Here is a deal, if I eat any from a candy dish at work, I don't get any at home.  Hold me to it please!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Report on My Travels

Remember this post from earlier in the week:  Challenges of Traveling for Work

Well, I am back and have a bit to report.  I feel like I was successful. I sometimes ate all my meal and sometimes ate part of it.  I got egg beater omlettes, fruit instead of hashbrowns, and ate the salmon but skipped the steak!  We had social time each night, so that was tough, but I managed.  I also got up early one morning and did 30 minutes +5 min cool down on the elliptical! I was proud the space my work out clothes used in my suitcase was worth it! I also only took the elevator twice, the day I arrived and day I left. 

Now, on to Halloween challenges and a lot of candy around the house!  Last year we threw a lot of it away, so plan to do the same again!  We don't let our daughter eat much, and we don't need it either.  I found a great blog that has a list of nutritional information for Halloween candy, so I will share that tomorrow.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Motivation

I looked up the definition of "motivation" and the one I liked the best was, "a feeling of enthusiasm, interest, or commitment that makes somebody want to do something, or something that causes such a feeling."

That is how I finally felt when I found Weight Watchers, I had an interest in being healthy and a commitment to my daughter to be healthy for her.  In high school and college I did sports and was fairly active.  After college I slowly started putting on weight.  After I had my daughter I lost weight pretty quickly right away, but slowly started gaining weight again and just before her first birthday I reached my heaviest, 196lbs.  I could not believe it.  At that point I decided I had to do something.  I had dealt with gestational diabetes, so I knew that put me at a higher risk for Type II if I did not take care of myself.  I slowly started trying to loose weight myself.  I got a trainer for a couple of months, I tried the Self Diet Club, and I tried just changing my eating habits.  I slowly started loosing weight.  I had lost about 20lbs.

We moved from Spokane to the Seattle area and the first commitment I made to myself was to get healthy and I joined Weight Watchers.  I love food and I wanted something that allowed me to enjoy food.  I was beyond motivated at this point.  I was committed.

This is not a diet, it is truly a change in lifestyle.  It slowly started becoming second nature to eat less and choose healthier.  When I thought I had a rough week, I would sometimes loose, showing me I did pretty darn good!

Now, I look back at what I just typed and I am full of pride.  I am still committed and motivated and know I can do it.  I have done it.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

What was going on when I wasn't blogging

I decided to write about why I had such a large break in my blogging.  I think I am doing this for myself, but also for those reading.  I hope it shows I am real and weight loss and weight maintenance is not all flowers and rainbows. 

My last blog post was around June 2009.  At that time I was working out hard.  I had reached Level 3 of Shred and was easily running 3 miles.  I was contemplating running my first 5K and considered doing my first Bloomsday in Spokane in 2010.  Shortly after a trip over the Fourth of July I started having pain down my leg.  I came to realize it was being caused by my back.  I did some physical therapy and it improved.  In October it got worse again, finally in December I had an MRI and discovered I had a herniated disc.  My Dr suggested surgery, however, I was not ready to take myself out of work for 4 weeks and at the age of 32 have surgery on my back.  I opted instead for acupuncture and massage.  Things really started to improve.  I also discovered a supplement that helped with joint mobility.  I ended up having an emergency gall bladder surgery and shortly after that my regular physician prescribed more PT.  PT worked again, and this time it has lasted longer. 

You may ask: why couldn't you blog during that?  Well, through all of that I battled with the weight maintenance.  I barely made it to WW meetings once a month to weigh in and within the last few months I was scared of not making goal.  I was embarrassed.  I felt I was failing.  I also felt I had nothing to say and in some ways felt I had lost the weight and no longer needed to attend WW. 

WOW, was I wrong!  I was failing myself and my family by having that mentality.  I need WW and I have truly come to realize I will always need WW.  The meetings hold me accountable.  I cannot get lazy.  I do not have the personality to allow me to be lazy. 

Now, I am back, blogging, and being more cautious.  I am also very slowly getting myself back into the swing of exercising.  I have been walking and recently started running intervals with the walk.

That is where I have been and what has brought me to where I am today.  I went back to find a post about why I started WW to begin with.  I can't find one.  I guess I never really blogged about my motivation in the beginning.  So, I will do that tomorrow! 

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The challenges of traveling for work

I am headed out of town today for a conference in Pasco, WA.  Oh yeah!  Traveling is hard when it comes to weight loss and weight maintenance.  Especially when it is for work and meals at the conference are included in your conference registration, and your bosses are there and you can't really ditch!  Here are some things I have done over the past few years to make traveling easier:
  • I take my shoes and workout clothes.  I have almost always made myself hit the gym at the hotel at least once on my trip.  This trip is no exception, I have them in my bag and ready to be used!
  • I have packed instant oatmeal to allow for a healthier breakfast option.
  • When I have had a fridge in my hotel room I went to the closest grocery store and got breakfast, lunch, and dinner stuff. 
  • I always ask for an egg alternative at the restaurant.
  • I eat only part of the lunch or dinner that is served, and make sure I eat the veggies.  And really, how often are these hotel meals any good??? 
  • I try to drink a lot of water and tea. 
I have had a very good week, even got a walk/run in this evening.  I am hoping to use some of my learned skills and keep myself on track while I am traveling.  I pledge to get into the gym at least once and not eat my complete lunch each day.  Please, hold me to the pledge! I will blog on Saturday about how it goes! 

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Monthly Birthday Celebration

Today is the dreaded monthly birthday celebration I am sure every office has in some form or another.  Our celebration happens once a month to celebrate the birthdays in that month.  We rotate who brings the treats.  We have had some awesome treats!! I love tasting all the awesome treats!  Today I am one of the lucky suppliers of the treats!  I planned to plan and bake something last night, but that did not happen, life got in the way!  I will go at my lunch break to find some delicious at the grocery store, of course keeping in mind what might be a bit healthier and more point friendly. 

I am sure there are some people out there on diets that lock their office door and hide during the dreaded birthday celebrations.  And yes, I have done that before.  When I first started Weight Watchers I would go get coffee during that time, or shut my door and pretent I was working too hard.  All that, just to avoid the awesome treats!  As time went on I decided to just give in and allow myself to enjoy the treat and the social time.  Most times (not always, I am not perfect!) I will plan my breakfast and lunch around the event.  I will also make sure I stay away from the candy dishes that day! 

Today, I have a light lunch, left overs of Chicken Taco Chili, and had a Starbucks Spinach and Feta wrap for breakfast.  I have had no snacks and plan to drink lots of water and stay away from the candy dishes!  I am ready and prepared and cannot wait to have a taste of those awesome treats!! 

{On a side note, I wanted to say I did go back and journal for the weekend, and I got a good walk in last night!!!}

Monday, October 25, 2010

Monday Madness

I thought I would start a couple of themed posts.  Monday Madness just sounded good!  I might have done this backwards, but I thought of the blog title first, and came up with the content of the blog second. 

Monday Madness blog posts will include the madness that is Monday in my life of weight maintenance.  Today I will tell you what the madness is all about for me on a Monday and next week I will do my first post. 

When I started Weight Watchers in June 2007 I decided to weigh in and attend a meeting at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday. Yes, I am crazy!  The reason was because my evenings were busy with my family and attending a meeting that early on a Saturday meant my daughter was likely still asleep and I would not miss time with her. 

Over the years that weigh in came to mean I had my weekend to splurge.  I would always wait for Saturday night to do the pizza, etc.; never on Friday night!  And I would enjoy Sunday and eat extra points.  I think I use most of my extra 35 points on the weekend.  Which brings me to Monday, and the madness around playing catch up and trying to live within my points for the rest of the week. 

I have never tried to change this because, hey, I lost the weight, right? So it must be okay.  But, now my life is different and there is less time for gourmet weekday meals and less money to buy the more expensive foods that tend to have fewer points.  While I still plan to splurge a bit on the weekends, because that is what weekends are for, I am setting a goal for myself to hold my self responsible for the points I spend on the weekend.  I will make an extra effort to journal on the weekends and hopefully cut down on the splurging just a bit. 

In future editions of "Monday Madness" I hope to be sharing how I tried to not have the crunch feeling on Monday or the shock at the scale on Monday! I do not want to spend all weekend gaining what I spent all week keeping off or loosing and end up in a vicious cycle. 

Sunday, October 24, 2010

It is about MODERATION!!

That has been one of my mottos throughout my weight loss and into my maintenance.  It is all about moderation.  I never deprive myself of a good meal and good food.  I let myself go out once in awhile.  I let my self indulge.  I prepare for the indulgence and plan for it.  So, that brings me to date night and my favorite food, PIZZA!!!  I cannot live without pizza.  My love affair with pizza was one of the main reasons I decided to follow the Weight Watchers plan.  I did not want to go on some diet that would not allow me to eat what I love! 

We got out for a quick date last night, thanks to my sister!  I have been craving pizza for weeks! So, last night, I will be indulged! I ate some yummy Sparta's real Italian pizza with lots of cheese! I sipped a glass of wine as I enjoyed every bite of pizza.  I do not regret my pizza!!

To prepare, I had a spinach and egg white omelet for breakfast, small turkey and spinach wrap for lunch and some grapes, and a small snack of nonfat Yoplait yogurt.  No, I do not know how many points all that was, I do need to journal it (Please, someone remind me!!).  But, I know I cleaned house all day and probably earned one or two activity points.  And, I know I have 35 points to use how I want.  So, I am going out tonight and enjoying myself and not looking back!  That is the way to do it!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

I am still alive and kicking!!

Wow, I really haven't blogged here in awhile and I really should have.  I know I don't have a ton of readers probably, but I think I want to blog more and maybe inspire someone or I guess inspire myself!  Maintenance is HARD! I made it through two years and decided I didn't need the online tools anymore, that was mistake #1.  I did need them.  But, now we are cutting our family budget, so I am making myself use the tracking book, so got a stack of them in August, and oh, used like 2 of them.  That was mistake #2.  And I thought I could just watch what I ate and not worry about points, Oh, and forget moving, I didn't need that anymore either, or did I???  That was mistake #3 and #4. 

Oh wait, this morning our WW leader told us to celebrate and not dwell on mistakes.  So, here I am to celebrate.  I walked 4 out of the last 6 days! Yeah for me! And, I got my sister to join me for two of them!  I had only 3 or 4 pieces of my co-workers candy all week!!!  And believe me, that is something to really celebrate!!!  And, I made sensible meals and limited my extra snacks!  Okay, so I have something to celebrate today!  AND, after a hard couple of months and (SHOCK!!) trying to avoid meetings, I weighed in at goal for the month of October!  Thank goodness! I was 2lbs over goal on my home scale about a week and a half ago. 

So, here I am, going to blog again and share more and hope to get more readers that can help hold me accountable.  Please, share with me what you are celebrating today.  No dwelling on the mistakes!