1 Month Anniversary!

Ok, so I am lame and I don't even care.  I am sitting here celebrating that I have been on Weight Watchers for 1 month.  I didn't even realize it until I signed into my WW account and it informed me!  

WOW!  This month has flown by.  Not only can I not believe how fast this month has gone, I can't even wrap my mind around the fact that I lost 11.1 pounds.  

I am totally aware this isn't what every month is going to look like, but it is such a great start to my weight loss journey.  I have so far to go.  SO FAR.  Knocking 11.1 pounds off the total makes me smile and feel proud!  It also keeps me pretty motivated.

The boys and I took to the pavement today!  It was such a gorgeous day out.  They were in a great mood too, so I wanted to take full advantage of it and get us out of the house!  We set out on my usual route.

Let me just say, pushing 40 some pounds of babies on a 3 mile walk sure changes things!  WOW!  I wasn't even a quarter mile into the walk before I felt it in my legs, butt, and even arms.  I got a little worried I wouldn't make it through the entire 3 miles.  I hit a good stride though and was able to get in a really nice workout while spending time with my boys. 

We even stopped to have a mini quick visit with Amber and Lo.  In hind sight, I probably shouldn't of done that.  I had a hard time getting my momentum going again.  The rest of the walk was much slower pace than my precious pace and I felt tired.  Next time, I think it will be more of a drive by and wave!  HAHA   

Here are a few pictures of the boys at the Memorial on base.  I have never been up there before.  It was so peaceful and very touching.  We just walked around the circle/fountain and headed back down the hill.  I look forward to walking there again.  Maybe even taking a picnic up there with the boys when the weather gets warmer.  

~ Weigh In Day/ Weekly Review ~

Phew!  I can't believe today is finally here.  I made it through the week!  It was a roller coaster week and I am very glad to see it go away!  I am looking forward to starting a new week on a positive note!

I lost 2 more pounds!  I am also losing inches!  Another inch gone on my waist!  (Ummm just noticed almost all of my sentences are ending in !.  Well, I am excited!)  

My mom joked that I lost a pound for each day I truly wanted to cave and have a binge day.  I love how she looked at that and I am going to have to agree with her!  Who knows what that number would have been had I given into my emotions.  LOOK AT ME LEARNING!  

Overall, I think this might have been my most successful week so far on Weight Watchers.  I am not even referring to the numbers, believe it or not.  I fought through some pretty strong emotions and I came out on top of things.  I feel pretty good about that.

I was able to put myself in check.  I turned to exercise and healthful cooking to get me through those "I want to eat it all" moments.  Truth be told, the exercise made me feel so much better.  I am hoping I can continue to turn to it in my moments of stress and frustration.   


This coming week I plan on doing another 5k and possibly a second.  I have a great route and, as long as weather permits, tomorrow I plan on walking it with the boys.  I am actually excited about it!  Can you believe that?  I am excited about exercise!  


I am also going to make sure I take some time to read more this week.  I can easily get caught up in the latest reality show and of course FB.  I am excited because I earned my second reward on my rewards list: The Hunger Games Series!  I didn't even remember it until now!  WOOO HOOO!!!!  


Lastly, I would like to announce that I am retracting all statements and promises to stay off the evil machine.  I am a daily weigher.  I do not have the will power or even the interset to change that at this point in my life.  I enjoy checking on my weight daily and monitoring myself.  I am able to gauge how much more I should be working out or cutting out sodium or whatever else!  


So there you have it.  I have lost 11.1 pounds.  I have lost 7 inches overall.  I am learning to look forward to exercise.  I weigh daily.  I am me.  

Freeze Your Thorns Off 5k (Walk)

I sort of forgot about this!  Luckily, my bestest Amber and I got together this morning to walk and we did a 5k!  HAHA  Thank goodness!  I almost canceled on her too, but I knew I would feel 1,000 better if I got out of the house and got my booty moving.

Even better was the fact that we didn't even have to freeze any thorns off.  The day was beautiful!  I had a heavy hoodie on and I probably could have just gone with a long sleeve tshirt.  I am going to guess it was around 50 degrees while we were out.  The sun was shinning and it was just perfect.

We walked a route I have been working on for a couple weeks.  It is a perfect 5k!  Some flat and some hills (up and down).  I'll be excited when I can actually run the entire thing.  Something I am working towards, but probably need to work just a little harder at.   

Like I said though, today we walked it.  We did fairly well for 2 girls walking and complaining about the world!  (This was a much needed therapeutic walk/session.)  We completed it in 45 minutes.  

When we got back, we sat on the bed of hubby's truck and just talked.  It was so nice to be outside in the sun and relaxing with my sweet friend.  It was just what I needed.  Amber and I always seem to be on the same page with thoughts and emotions.  She is great friend to have and I am one lucky girl to have found her in a sea of Coastie Wives.  (OMG that is kinda funny...sea....hahaha)

Thanks Amber for getting me out of the house and working some of my stress off.  Exercise really does help and makes me feel better about myself, my life, and the obstacles I have to overcome.  Who would have thought?  

Fighting the Urge

Today has been a rough day.  We are dealing with some things emotionally and somewhat financially that we weren't prepared for.  I know everything will work out and will be fine.  There is a much greater power watching over us and I know we will be able to work everything out with His guidance.  

However, as an emotional eater, today has been a struggle.  I am constantly thinking about things and trying to make a plan for my family.  I am worrying about everything and everyone.  So, of course, it is no surprise that I found myself sitting in my recliner while the boys were asleep day dreaming about twinkies, doritos, Cupcake Charlie's, and so on!  

I fought through it all though and managed to do a workout dvd.  It was hilarious!  Cardio Dance Blast  This dvd is from 2005.  No matter though because I still got a workout!  I was soaked by the time I was done and had ended up having a lot of fun.

I also kept myself busy by playing with the boys, starting dinner (recipe to follow), completing my vision board (more on that to come too), eating popcorn, and talking to my mom.  

I feel good that I did not give in to temptation and eat away like I normally would have done.  I know it wouldn't have fixed a thing.  Goodness, I always know that, but usually after I get my little binge in.  Amazingly enough though, I realized it BEFORE I did any damage to my day.  

As you can see from my list of things I did...I did eat.  I had my popcorn.  The food component was there still.  I ate because I was stressed, but I tried to make it a better decision than the aforementioned  goodies!  I didn't over do it.  I stayed clear of my normal trigger foods.  

For now, this is all I can do.

It Has Been A Long Day

The boys had a doctor appointment this morning in Boston.  We had to be up at 5am and out of the house at 630am.  We literally had to wake the boys up to eat and get ready.  THAT NEVER HAPPENS!  

I planned ahead and brought snacks (crackers, grapes, and apples) and plenty of water.  I also made sure I ate a good breakfast (left over hash brown casserole).  I packed my Dinning Out Companion Book from WW, because I knew we would be grabbing lunch before heading home.  The plan was McDonald's....

We ended up getting Taco Bell.  Since I had only had 6 points in the morning, I had plenty of points for a TB lunch.  I hate to mention it, so skip ahead if you don't want to hear/read what I ate...... A beef and potato burrito for 14 points+.  THIS IS A TON OF POINTS, but please take note of my small breakfast and the fact that I have 38 points for the day.  

I thought I was going to have to dip into my Weekly Allowance of 49 points, but it looks like I am going to be ok!  I actually still have 3 points left after dinner (Bang Bang Shrimp!) and it isn't even 9pm.  

So there you have it.  I planned ahead, I worked around my 14 point lunch, and had a great WW day.  I didn't stress about my food and I let myself have what I wanted.  That's just what Weight Watchers is all about! 

Eating Triggers

Eating Triggers

I was reading an article from Cleveland Clinic about Eating Triggers today.  I found it pretty interesting.  Some of it was common sense yet a very good reminder as to what my issue(s) with food are.  


This is what caught my attention...


     The five main categories are: 

• Social. Eating when around other people. For example, excessive eating can result from being encouraged by others to eat; eating to fit in; arguing; or feelings of inadequacy around other people.  How common is this, right?  Something we do in my group of friends is to go out for dinner, watch a movie and order in, or grab a coffee and a cupcake.  Eating is social.  The problem isn't the food.  The problem is my choices.  
• Emotional. Eating in response to boredom, stress, fatigue, tension, depression, anger, anxiety or loneliness as a way to "fill the void."  DING DING DING  I can't tell you how long I have known I have been an emotional eater!  The biggest factors for me are stress, anger, anxiety, and every so often boredom.  But there is one big emotion that I think also needs to be included; celebratory.  Big games on...bring food.  Happy Birthday...let's go out to eat and have dessert!  Promotion at work...happy hour at the local pub!  Dare I even get started on Holidays?  I think I'll just leave that one alone for now!  The problem isn't the food.  The problem is my choices.  
• Situational. Eating because the opportunity is there. For example, at a restaurant, seeing an advertisement for a particular food, passing by a bakery. Eating may also be associated with certain activities such as watching TV, going to the movies or a sporting event, etc.  My biggest situational eating happens when I would hit the movies with friends or the hubby.  Large popcorn, Large soda, something sweet to eat after the popcorn is gone, and there was usually dinner out before or after the movie.  Ok, fine.  I will also address CUPCAKE CHARLIE'S.  Yes, it is a known fact among my friends and family that I cannot go to The Mashpee Commons without making a stop at said eatery for a sweet treat.  Ha, who are we kidding!  I would  rarely pick up just one cupcake!  The problem isn't the food.  The problem is my choices.  
• Thoughts. Eating as a result of negative self-worth or making excuses for eating. For example, scolding oneself for looks or a lack of will power.  This one has a tendency of sneaking up on me before I even know what is happening.  Perhaps I had a little extra cheese on my breakfast sandwich or I decided to not measure or count the brownie I secretly ate while hubby was at work (I haven't done that yet thank goodness).  I would look at that as a defeat for the day.  Throw in the towel and eat whatever I wanted to.  Promising, of course, to start fresh the next morning.  After all, I deserved that *enter food here.*  I worked hard all week for it.  The problem isn't the food.  The problem is my choices.  
• Physiological. Eating in response to physical cues. For example, increased hunger due to skipping meals or eating to cure headaches or other pain.  Well, this is a brand new trigger for me.  I was never one to miss a meal!  However, with the birth of my sweet little boys, I can seriously forget to eat sometimes.  If I somehow skip breakfast, I make up the points with not so good choices.  For instance, the other day, I missed lunch, so for dinner I double my pasta portion.  Again...the problem isn't the food.  The problem is my choices.  

Of course the article went on to list ways to overcome these triggers.  Things like: take a bubble bath, wash the car, write a letter, call a friend, or go for a walk.  All good ideas, but I couldn't help but wonder when I would have time to squeeze that into my day.  Then I realized something...

I have been spouting on and on about putting myself first (second to the boys).  Taking time to take care of me to be the best mom for them is what is most important.  It is for them that I want to get healthy and live a better lifestyle.  These are the thoughts that made me go a-ha!  I can overcome these triggers by taking a look at those 2 beautiful boys God blessed me with.  Looking at them and knowing that I want to see them play sports, be in a band, go to homecoming and prom, be there when they get their hearts broken and when they find that special someone.  I can't imagine a better way to overcome all my eating triggers than looking into these eyes.....

Tuesday Weigh In Post

Happy birthday to my younger son, who today turns 6! I can't believe my "baby" is so grown up.


I weighed in this morning, and called the handsome hubby in to be a witness for me. I cannot believe it - another loss, thanks in part to shoveling snow like a maniac this weekend - and...

193.5

I am so thankful to still be losing.  I've lost 8.5 lbs since January 1.  That is just incredible.  I did get the warning on WW today that I might be losing too fast, so I'm going to be aware of that.  I thought this was the first week I'd lost more than 2 lbs in a week, but maybe I'm wrong.

I have to say I am SO glad that my week starts over today, because Nicole made my little guy's birthday cake for today, and I KNOW her sinful buttercream frosting is going to dip into my weekly flex points.  Bring it on!  

Convenience dinner!

It's the first Sunday I've worked in a while, and it bummed me out.  I was supposed to sing with the Worship Team today, but I needed to be at work.  I walked in to snow, though, and ended up having to dig my way to my office and out at the Temporary Quarters units.  What a workout!  (And you better believe that I plugged those activity points in!)  After being in the office from 8:30-5, though, the last thing I wanted to do was come home and cook.  In fact, I texted the handsome hubby while I was at work and told him I really wanted some hot and sour soup.  You know, one of those suggestive texts where you hope they get the picture and have whatever it is waiting for you when you get home???  Yeah.  Didn't work.

As I came in from work, he was heading out, and that left me with dinner to figure out for myself and the boys.  We had some frozen burger patties, so I made them some quick burgers, which made them happy.  I was really pleased to remember that I had purchased some Tyson Grilled & Ready chicken breast strips.  Hungry Girl (you guys know her, right???) was on NECN the other day and mentioned these ready to heat meats.  Totally takes the defrosting/seasoning/cooking mess out of the way.  They're ready in about 5 minutes if you warm them on the stovetop!  HOLLA!

I had quite a few points to kill tonight, and I've been really craving some cheesy pasta goodness, so I made the most of what I had left.  This recipe could easily be knocked down to one pasta serving to reduce the points, BTW.

4 oz Ronzoni Garden Fresh Rotini pasta
3 oz Tyson Grilled & Ready chicken breast strips
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp parmesan cheese

Points plus: 15 (but could easily be reduced to 10 with only one serving of pasta).

I just prepared the pasta as directed (in boiling water for 8 min).  The chicken I combined with 1 tsp of olive oil and the mushrooms in a pan and heated through for about 5 min.  I drained the pasta, then threw the chicken/mushroom combo right into that pot, and drizzled the remaining 1 tsp of olive oil over the pasta.  I sprinkled the parmesan while it was hot, because melted parmesan rocks my world.

End result?  Fantastico!  My verdict on the Tyson Grilled & Ready?  Faster than loading up and picking up Chinese take out for sure!  It was so easy to eat, and very flavorful.  It was nice for a quick, thrown together meal.

~ Weigh In Day/ Week In Review ~

Weigh In Day continues to be a joyful experience for me (thank goodness)!  I am proud to share that the scale keeps moving in the right direction!  

This week's biggest struggles were staying off the evil machine (aka the scale) and getting in my workouts.  I was not able to resist the temptation of daily weighing, but thanks to my friend Crystal, I have recommitted to not weighing daily and moved the scale to the basement!  Here's hoping I don't get motivated enough to go down stairs and weigh daily!  HAHA

The workouts were a little difficult to get in because the boys are running on opposite schedules and Ron has had duty twice this week.  I made sure to not let any of those things be an excuse though.  I was able to complete all but one of my "scheduled" workouts.  I don't think that is too bad.  Plus I shoveled my driveway and sidewalk.  That took about 60 minutes and, believe me, it was a work out!  

I am still feeling good about my choice to be on Weight Watchers.  I am very happy that I can eat what I want as long as it is in moderation.  I am even happier that the plan works!  Weight Watchers has always been my "go to" when I was never sure what fad diet I should be on.  I won't leave WW again.  I am in it.  I am in it to be a Lifetime Member.  I am in it to be a Success Story.  I am in it for me.  

So, it is with great pleasure that I announce this week I have lost 2 pounds.  I also took my measurements again and I am down 4 inches overall, 2 of which are from my waist!  

Success Can Be Measured In Many Different Ways

To you, the picture above probably looks like a simple hair band.  Used to, of course, pull one's hair back.  It has that stretchy quality that allows it to go around nice thick hair a few times or thinner hair a handful of times.  It can hold a pack of note cards together, keep a poster rolled up, or even mark your water bottle at the gym.

Most recently this little gem has been used to expand my jeans.  GASP!  This very one has been on said pair of jeans for, gosh, I want to say at least a  year, maybe more!  Why?  Well, I like the jeans, they are just too darn tight...

I should say, were too darn tight!  As of this morning, I had a little non scale victory!  I put my jeans on.  I felt the difference.  I felt a little more room in the thighs.  I felt even more room in my pooch area.  To my amazement, they zipped right on up.  No sucking it in!  Then, to my extreme astonishment, they buttoned.  THEY BUTTONED!!!!!!

I ran out of the bedroom, down the hall, into the kitchen, and then back to the boys' room where I found my hubby.  I lifted my shirt and shared the news!  Holy Cow!  I am making progress!  

In all my excitement, I grabbed a pair of scissors, looked at all my boys and promised, "I will never again need this jean loosener.  I will never again put an elastic into the button hole to make a pair of pants fit.  This is my promise!"  Then snip!  I cut that bad boy!  

If may seem trivial, but this was/is a very important and monumental moment for me.  It is my first accomplishment on this journey.  It feels so good to know that success doesn't always have to be measured by numbers.

Food Police No More

My Dear Sweet Supportive Hubby, 


I am writing this out of frustration, but I do love you to pieces and am thankful you support and indulge me in every weight loss effort I have attempted.  That being said....


I am over it.  I have enough going on in my own little world.  I work 24/7 as a mommy to 2 beautiful busy twin almost 5 month old boys.  I am working very hard at maintaining my sanity.  I am working even harder at getting myself healthier.  

I plan meals, calculate points, bite it and write, cook the meals, blog, FB with my weight loss support group (love you ladies), use the elliptical, attempt pilaties,   do stair climbs twice a day 10x.  I am trying.  I am working on believing in myself and taking control of this journey that I have ahead of me.  76.9 pounds left in a journey that I am afraid I will never be able to finish.

So, please forgive me, but I can no longer be YOUR food police.  If you want to eat another serving of dinner, go for it.  If you want to eat dessert every night, fine. If you feel like snacking constantly, snack away!  I can't do it.  I don't even want to do it.   I am in charge of me.  My weight loss.  My goals.  My journey.  

I have to put myself first.  Well, second, because the boys will always be first!


Love you always, Wifey

Breaking the Habit

I just can't seem to stop weighing myself daily.  It is so frustrating!  Mostly because I don't want to do it!  Sometimes because I don't see a change in the scale or if I do it isn't one I like!  I want to feel that (happy) surprise when I weigh in on Sunday, but that evil machine calls my name every morning! This week is shot!  I had a goal and I failed at it.  Booo!  I will commit to not weighing for the rest of the week.  I hope I can do it.  I am hoping for a loss and a wonderful surprise on Sunday.  Give me strength!

Anyone have good tips for not weighing daily?  I about getting very close to having hubby hide the scale!

My eggplant masterpiece

I've mentioned that I'm not really fond of cooking with a recipe.  It just feels good to me to let the food lead me.  I know that's weird, and I'm fondly called a hippie by some of those close to me, so whatever.  I'm weird and I own it.

We bought an eggplant the other day with the intention of having breaded eggplant with our steaks.  Well, I ended up helping a friend with something and we totally flaked on the eggplant.  Today while I was finishing up at work, the handsome hubby texted me to ask how I wanted the eggplant sliced and what to do with it.  (By the way, I wanted it peeled, sliced in about 1/2 inch slices, and left on some paper towels for a little while with some salt sprinkled on top to help eliminate some of the moisture.)

Here's where things get interesting, and my recipe is going to involve a story and some glimpses into my logic process.  It's a scary place in there, so you might want to wear your seatbelts.

I entered into the recipe builder on WW's site the other day how I would typically make an eggplant parmigiana recipe.  Let's just say 1) I don't make it very often, and 2) it's a darned good thing!  It was well over 16 points a serving for the eggplant alone - forget serving pasta alongside.  I was also starting the dinner process this evening with a refrigerator pretty low on milk, which makes dredging a complicated task.  I was looking around in there to try to figure out what exactly I could substitute for that, and I revisited my kindergarten days.

You know, when I was a kid, my friends called me glue baby.  I'm not kidding.  I would make a mess out of paste.  A MESS!  You know what I had in my fridge that I thought I could use as a glue-y, paste-y, substitute?  Light sour cream!

No, wait... don't run off.  I know it's scary - here's a flashlight to help you find your way...

Here's the recipe:

1 medium eggplant, prepared as mentioned above
3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup light sour cream
2  Tbsp grapeseed or olive oil (we used grapeseed)
2 1/2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 jar prepared pasta sauce (We always use Ragu.  The flavor today was Robusto! Chopped tomato, olive oil, and garlic.)


Preheat oven to 350º.


Using the back of a spoon, paint about a teaspoon of sour cream on one side each slice of the eggplant.  Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top, patting a little as you go to make sure it sticks, then flip over and repeat on the other side.  At this point, we heated the oil in the pan, careful not to overheat.  We did about 2 tsp of oil as needed, gradually adding as we went to prepare the eggplant.  


Fry the eggplant just for about a minute on each side - just enough to get the breadcrumbs to form a crispy crust.  The sour cream keeps it sticking pretty well, but there will be some residual in the pan, so you might want to wipe it out after every other piece or so (if you're so inclined, as my husband was).


We had 7 slices of eggplant, so as he went, we put 4 slices on the bottom of a 13x9 casserole dish.  Then pour 1/2 jar of the spaghetti sauce over the top of them.  Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of the parmesan cheese.  Then layer the rest of the eggplant cutlets, spaghetti sauce, and parmesan cheese.


Bake at 350 for 30-45 min, until bubbly and the parmesan has gotten a little melty.


We served it with Ronzoni Garden Delight pasta.  I ate 1 cutlet of the eggplant (we ended up with 6 servings out of the pan) and 1/2 cup of the pasta.  

Eggplant masterpiece:  7 Points+ (according to the recipe builder at Weight Watchers)

Pasta: 5 points for 3/4 cup, so I figured about 4 Points+ for my serving.

This face:  Pointless.

 

Wait.  Not pointless.  Priceless!  Note the tomato sauce tinge covering the entire lower half of his face.

His reaction as he took a bite of the eggplant was, "I'm not sure what this is, but it's AWESOME!"  My handsome hubby went back for seconds, he seriously loved it.  My older son wasn't a huge fan, but he ate the sauce and pasta, so he had a good serving of veggies at dinner.

In a word, success!

A Meeting. A Play Group. A Journey. Oh My!!!!

I could just explode with excitement!  While my boys had me going nonstop today and barely took naps, I had the most marvelous morning that set me up to feel good about myself, my new life choices, and my journey.  

A small group of ladies, also Coastie Wives, came over to talk Weight Watchers.  Most of them had already started using WW Online and 1 is attending the meetings.  We got together today to talk about our goals, answer questions for newbies, chit chat about why we are starting WW, and how we plan on attacking our goals.  It was such a great experience to sit among friends and talk about our struggles with weight and our hopes for our new futures.  We are planning on meeting each week for a check in.  We even created a FB page for constant motivation and check ins!  

All of us have children (tee hee I love love saying that), so there were 6 children total here.  It turned into an informal play date for them.  My boys didn't really have a clue what was going on.  Poor Jakey had a melt down because of the amount of people in the house.  Eli seemed to love my friend Katie's little boy though.  Jakey will get better the more he is around others...right?  LOL

So here we are.  A small group of military wives embarking on a new journey to find the healthier self we know is somewhere in us.  We will stumble, we may fall, we may even fail, but we will have one another.  Having this support group is keeping me motivated and feeling like this really is about a new way of life for me.  I am very grateful for these woman becoming part of my journey and I look forward to becoming part of theirs.

"For true success ask yourself these four questions: Why?  Why not?  Why not me?  Why not now?"  ~ James Allen

Pins-Day Post: broiled grapefruit

I think I'm going to try to post something each Wednesday that I've tried from Pinterest.  I'm not a big recipe girl, but it might be a recipe, or a craft, or some other wonderful fabulous thing.  You never know with me.

I've seen pins recently touting the sweet goodness of broiled grapefruit.  Have you seen that one?  Of course, on the pin's description, there is no indication that you do anything but slap the grapefruit under the broiler, and voila!  Ahhh, not so.  Clicking on the link reveals the whole story.  The recipe I saw pinned calls for 2 Tbsp of butter and 2 Tbsp of brown sugar, which turns a 0 Points+ fruit into a 6 Points+ piece of fruit.  I have to admit, I was rather disappointed.

I decided to see if there was something I could do to still achieve the sweet, caramelized effect without losing so many points on what could otherwise be a "free" snack.  I never have honest-to-goodness butter in the house, so I used Country Crock.  I tried 2 tsp of margarine and 2 tsp of brown sugar, and kind of smashed them together on a small plate to mix them.  I sliced the grapefruit in half, ran the knife through the sections a little bit so that the margarine and brown sugar could seep down into it, and put it in a broiler safe pan.  Spread the pasty mix on the grapefruit halves.

I placed the pan under the broiler as close to the flame as I could get it.  The instructions online said to broil for 4-6 minutes.  I safely chose the 4 minute window, because my grapefruit was starting to get a little toasty.  It smelled a little like citrusy roasted marshmallows.

With my adjustments to the recipe, the whole prepared grapefruit is 4 Points+.  Half of the prepared grapefruit would be 2 Points+.  I did eat the whole thing, but in the future I'm not sure that I'm willing to lose that many points on a snack like that.

In the end, it was a delicious twist on an otherwise bitter and tart fruit.  The brown sugary caramel treatment to the top of the grapefruit was really yummy, and it melted down into the fruit nicely.  It does not take all of the bitterness out of the grapefruit, but does make it more palatable to this girl that's not a HUGE grapefruit fan.  I could possibly try it again with only 1 tsp of each of the margarine and brown sugar and see if that makes a significant difference.  It would be worth revisiting for sure.

Tuesday weigh in day!

This past weekend I celebrated my 12th wedding anniversary with my handsome hubby.  He and I are high school sweethearts and have been together since I was a freshman in high school.  I'm going to go out on a limb and say he has probably seen me gain and lose HUNDREDS of pounds since we've been together.  Thankfully he's a man more interested in my mind than my body.  ;)

We went out to eat and had some fantastic seafood.  I ordered an appetizer (stuffed artichokes), a delicious entree (broiled seafood en casserole), and dessert (cheesecake).  I had an amazing time and didn't fret over what I was eating as I ate.  I knew I had plenty of flex points available, so I felt good about it.

I got my sweet man a new grill for our anniversary, so on our actual anniversary, we had grilled ribeyes and grilled zucchini.  It was fantastic.  I weighed my steak, planning to eat the whole thing because I had plenty of points set aside.  I sat down to eat, and I could only eat about half!  So I weighed it again, and recalculated my points.

This morning was weigh in day.  Drumroll, please...

Can I get a What What?!

Since my BFF messaged me today and said she's been seeing a lot from Nicole and not so much from me, I'm thinking I'll be needing to stop and check in more often.  ;)  

Thanks for checking on me!  <3

A (Successful) Night Out

Just what this Mama needed ~ An evening out with friends, laughing myself silly, playing Bunko, losing Bunko, and only worrying about food for about 5 minutes!  

Tonight was the monthly Bunko group for the Coast Guard wives.  I haven't been since I was a very pregnant lady, so I was looking forward to seeing everyone and getting my game on!

The evening began as it usually does; a bunch of women standing around cackling!  HAHA  It was 80's themed and I have to say, not very many people dressed up.  Ivy and I did (of course) and that is all that matters!  I'd never miss a chance to doll up, especially 80's style!

I planned well for the evening.  I saved my points so I could enjoy a few of the items I brought to snack on and a few that my friend, Jenna, was bringing (bacon wrapped pretzels!!!!!!!!!!!).  I had 3 of my Sausage Stars and 2 of Jenna's Pieces of Heaven (as I am referring to them now).  That would be 6 points for mine and I am going to go ahead and figure 6 points for hers too.  I made sure to not hang out around the food table.  

Another thing I made sure to do was to bring along my own drink.  Once again, Pinterest to the rescue!  I quickly threw together Hungry Girl's Oh-So-Mocha-Coco Swappuccino.  This drink was oh so yumo!  If I didn't have a few gift cards to Starbucks to use, I'd be less likely to go there with this drink! 

I guess my "losing" is catching on, because last night I lost 18 games of Bunko out of 25!  HAHA  That's ok with me though, I got my $5.00 entry fee back and had a great night of fun for free!  

I did not go over my points. I did not need to use my Weekly 49 either.  All in all a very 

 good night.

Special thanks to my girls, Crystal and Jenna, for the giggles!  

Making Monday Count

I did it!  I got my wog in!  14 degree weather, two run ins with a heard of turkeys (there were 21 of them), and an attack by a branch from out of nowhere, but I got 3.5 miles done!

I realized that this sounds somewhat insane to some given the temperature, but the sun was shinning and I just needed to get out of the house!  So while the boys were napping and Daddy was sleeping, I set out on my wog.

I started out with great hopes.  I could feel the energy that I wanted to expel, however, it was freaking cold outside!  HAHA  I put my hood up on my Cape Cod hoodie, wrapped my sleeves around my hands, and pulled my turtle neck over my mouth and nose; there, ready to go!

Instead of going the usual route hubby and I take on walks, I decided to go a brand new way to spice things up.  I had no idea where half the roads I ended up on were going to take me, but I would make a turn or see something familiar and know I was right where I needed to be.  (Thank goodness I live on a military base and the chances of me getting really lost are small.)

I was able to get some decent jogs in while keeping up my brisk walk.  Truthfully, it was hard!  I haven't jogged since we lived in Florida, which was 2 years ago.  I have gained some major weight and had twins since then, so today was a milestone of sorts.  It wouldn't impress many, but all day I kept saying to hubby, "I can't believe I did 3.5 miles and am still walking.  I can't believe I did it."  

I actually reached my house at the 3 mile mark, but took another trip around the block to reach my 3.5 mark.  I felt that good!  WOO HOO!  

I still have a long way to go.  My time was not impressive AT ALL, but the good news is there is much room for improvement.  For now, I will just marinate in the glory that I finished my first virtual race and still have enough energy to blog about it!

Virtual Run TODAY!

I am joining another virtual run!  Toni over at Running Loving Living is hosting it for her birthday/blogiversary!   My 3.5 miles will look more like a wog (walk/jog).  I love these virtual runs!  They are so fun and I like knowing that somewhere in the world, someone else is trotting through it too!  I am going to try to get the wog in later today.  Seeing that it is almost 4am (just fed Elijah), I better get to bed, so I have the energy to get it done!

Weigh In Day/Week In Review

Happy Sunday fellow bloggers!  I finally found a few seconds to give an update on today's weigh in and fill you in on how my week went; all while enjoying a nice cup of Mexican Hot Chocolate.  

I wasn't exactly looking forward to weigh in today, truth be told.  Why?  Well, I have that visitor that women get every month.  Grrrrr.  I prepared myself for the worst and took a nice deep breath as I stepped on the scale.  As long as that sweet little machine didn't go up, I could handle it.

To my surprise, it read 247.  That is a loss for the week of 1.6 pounds and a grand total of 7.1 pounds.  Ok, so it isn't grand GRAND, but it is grand to me! 

Also grand to me, is the fact that I worked out just like I had planned for the week!  I missed one day, but made it up on the following day by doing double.  

Today I worked on a few new recipes (I have a boat load to post...sorry!) and enjoyed time with the family.  I am really feeling like I have more energy already, even with waking up a couple times a night with the boys.  My mornings are full of "get up and go" and "what's next on my agenda."  I haven't felt that in a long time.  Weight Watchers is teaching me not just about food, but how life is so much more than an oreo (who knew) or slice of gooey, cheesy, greasy pizza (gasp)!  

Saturday Surprise

I just checked my email to find a wonderful message from my gal over at One Chicks Journey on Weight Watchers!  She was doing a give away for a subscription to Weight Watchers Magazine.  Her sweet little girl (she's 4 years old) was the one doing the picking from her comments.  Turns out, I won!  Wooo hoo!  Looks like I will need to update my rewards list now!  I am so excited!  A special thank you to her!  Take a second and check out her blog if you get a chance!  

Progress

I actually got to spend some time with my Coley and her sweet boys this week, and she gave me my own copy of her thermometer.  I'm excited to have this on my fridge, as well, and the magnet I found to hold it is quite appropriate, I think.


To update on my spiritual journey, I am doing well with the daily reading through YouVersion.  I cannot tell you how much more convenient it is to follow the plan from my iPhone.  I know that if I had to depend on myself to grab my physical Bible each day, I would not be doing as well with the reading plan.  That is a shame, but I am just thankful that God created brilliant people who enable us to seek Him.  On the reading plan I have a thermometer as well, or at least a gauge to show my progress.

I have said it before, and I will reiterate this: I am not in a competition with myself for the numbers on the scale.  Wellness is SO much more than that.  I think that's why it feels so different right now.  My mindset has changed in many ways.  I do have old habits that are hard to break (like looking at the stupid scale every day), but in general, I am really proud of myself and sticking with it.

Thank You!

I just want to extend thanks to our friends and family that read our blog.  I'm going to go out on a limb and speak for Nicole here, too, but it really means a lot.  She and I have both gotten texts, messages, and comments from people who have read our story and are following our journey.  Some of you are on the same journey as we are, some are just supportive and extending love, and some are hoping and considering whether a journey like ours is what you could be doing.

All that said, please feel free to share our blog with others.  Nicole and I are human.  We are going to get frustrated.  We are going to make goals that we nearly reach - and hopefully even more that we conquer proudly.  On the good days and on the bad days, your support and accountability is exactly what we need.

On a personal note, I am really honored that my sister texted me this week and asked if she could share one of my blog entries with a group that she works with.  It makes me really happy to know that my words might help someone else, and that my struggles might spark inspiration and lead to something positive in someone else's life.

We love hearing from you and seeing your comments.  Thank you so very much for extending love and positive thoughts our way!

My New Obession

I have a new obsession in the world of food and condiments; Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce! I cannot get enough of this stuff. I am putting it on my egg whites at breakfast, my salad at lunch, and whatever I am having for dinner! If you haven't heard of this happy sauce before it is said, "sir-ra-cha," aka rooster sauce. It is spicy, warm, and smooth.

You don't need very much of it, so be careful if you go to use it for the first time! I tend to add a large amount. The spicier my food is, the longer it takes me to eat. This leads me to drink more water while helping me get that satisfied full feeling.

When I was about to start blogging, I was tinkering around pinterest when I found a pin that I couldn't believe! 25 Ways to Use Siracha. Too funny, considering I was just about to blog about my new love I have found in said