Annndddd I'm back...

I had two fairly back to back vacations and then a very busy week last week after getting back (during which I still managed to lose 3.3 pounds... even though I had gained it during the vacations). Well I am back and ready to go...

I was thinking that in just 5 weeks or so, it will have been a year since I started WW again with the intentions of it being the time I will hit goal! As of now, I am just 7.5 pounds down from that time last year, and my goal is to hit 12 pounds by then. At first I was thinking to myself, well thats nothing for a whole year, you can do better than that, but I realized... if I NEVER started I would proabably be atleast 10 pounds heavier by now. So, it has been worth all of the struggling and back and forth.

So, in five weeks my goal is to lose 4.5 pounds, just under a pound a week... I CAN DO IT! That will also put me almost at my 5% goal!!

Here's to a great week OP and working out!!!

Busy day!

I am going away on Saturday until Wednesday, so I feel like it has been crazy at home trying to get caught up/ ahead of things before I go. I have a masters class that ends the Monday after I get back and of course there is a 15 page paper due by then. I finally got around to starting it today and have 3 1/2 pages done... 11 1/2 to go!

The trip I am taking is for "work". I am a Mary Kay Consultant, as I have mentioned in previous posts, and we have our annual seminar. I am SOOO excited to go! I know that eating is going to be a challenge since I'll be at the mercy of pre planned meals through the convention center and going out for dinner. Thankfully, we do an insane amount of walking and I should be able to squeeze in a few workouts. Motivation to eat moderately will be the dress I am wearing on the last night for our awards night.

Between today and yesterday, my points reset yesterday, I am already down to ONLY 4 WP remaining. I have somehow managed to consume 45 WP and 11 AP's already... oops! Looks like I will be working out LOTS over the next few days to give myself some wiggle room. For those who are unaware, I eat EVERY. SINGLE. POINT. every week! This includes DP, WP, and AP. So far I have noticed that the more points I use the more I lose. Two pounds two weeks in a row is a pretty good indicator of that! I'm just hoping that I can make good decisions while away for 5 days. I hate when restaurants and packaging can make a very unhealthy food look healthy.

The next couple of days will continue to be crazy between getting my homework done for this class, my part-time nanny job, and getting caught up on some work at home. So, I am very much looking forward to a few days "off" from the craziness!

Whew

Went for a walk... or shall I say drag... around the neighborhood with my dogs tonight. Burned a nice 680 calories!! I have a golden retriever, Copper, and a bassethound/lab/doxen mix, Penny. All 110 pounds of them combined take me for a nice brisk walk.

I have been super stressed out today with all the homework I had to get done, finally got it done, but not sure how much of it is correct. I am getting my masters in management online and this is the first time I had a hard time teaching myself a subject. Needless to say, I was not having a fun time!

I love the days my points reset, it gives me a nice "free" day where I get to be really snacky! And today I needed it. Tracked it all and moving on... looking forward to a less hectic day tomorrow. Also, making some big batches of rice, beans, and barley to use throughout the rest of the week, yummm.

Down another 2 pounds!

Just weighed in this morning and I am down another 2 pounds! What a great way to start my day! The past couple of days have been great... been working out and staying OP.

 Gotta  run, but had to share my weight loss this morning!!

Trying new recipes...

So I have tried a few more recipes in the past two days and they have been DELICIOUS!!!!

Here they are:

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
-This one is from the skinny taste website. I made them exactly as she describes, just used unsweenetened applesauce since it didn't specify and that's what I had on hand. Also, made them as muffins so I didn't have to worry about cutting into correct portions. SOOO yummy and very moist. I will be making these very often, they could also have nuts or dried fruit in them too instead of the chocolate chips if you wanted to change them up.
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/07/low-fat-chocolate-chip-zucchini-bread.html

BLT Macaroni Salad
-This was another great one from skinny taste. I made it for lunch so I added some olives and feta cheese, another great recipe from her site.
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/06/blt-macaroni-salad.html

Check out her website for some more recipes. Everything I have ever made from that site has been delicious and they are usually pretty easy recipes to make.

Happy Cooking!

So SORE!!!

I have discovered the Exercise On Demand (finally) on our Brighthouse Cable (I'm in Florida) and I have done quite a few different workouts from there. Today I did the Jillian Michaels Shred It With Weights and holy crap I am ALREADY sore!! My legs are so tight and my arms are starting to feel it. It was a great workout and went by pretty quick. Another good one Jillian!

So, my husband and I recently planted some veggies and I am really hoping that they will produce some good stuff for us. Our ground is like 70% sand so we went with potted ones so we could control the soil better and we got already started plants of zucchini, tomatoes, and green bell peppers. The peppers, I think, are doing the best so far. They have a few small peppers starting and they are growing pretty quickly. The tomatoes don't seemed to have changed much in the past week other than having a couple more flowers blooming and the zucchini is growing like CRAZY. It has gotten huge, but during the day it does this weird thing where all the stems pull out to the sides of the pot and it looks like the middle is empty, at night it goes right back to looking normal. Not sure if this is normal or not, but I'll just go with it.

Tomorrow I FINALLY am getting to go to the grocery store. Being OP for the past 10 or so days has really depleted my whole supply of low point foods and fresh produce, so I am really looking forward to it. With that said, tonight is leftover night so we can get all of the leftovers out to make room for all the fresh stuff tomorrow. Hopefully there is something good left in there for me to eat. :)

Good week!

YAY!! Lost two pounds at my WI on Sunday : ) woohoo! Now, to make it through another OP week for another loss! Today has been a VERY snacky day for me, but I will have lots of time to workout tomorrow and get lots of APs to make up for it.

I have a list of a few different recipes to try in the next two weeks so as I try them I will let you know how they are and where they came from. Also, need to restock my fruits and veggies ASAP so I have healthier snacks around.

Yummy!

Just made some black bean dip and it is DE-licious! I had looked up a few recipes to get the basic idea and then made my own... here it is:

6 oz black beans
4.5 oz Pace salsa
Juice from 1 lime, about 1 oz
Couple leaves of cilantro
2.5 oz sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Combine beans, salsa, lime juice and cilantro in blender. Blend until well combined. Stir in sour cream and salt and pepper.

Super easy and very good!

I put this recipe into the Recipe Builder on WW and it came out to 2 pts+ per serving (4 servings per batch).

I weigh in tomorrow and after a FULL week of being OP I am really looking forward to it. I'll keep you posted and let you know the results!

Another good day

Stayed OP all day again!! Looking forward to a great weigh in on Monday morning. Also, did Jillian Michaels' 6 week to a 6 pack workout tonight and it was a killer! I'm already sore : ( but that means it is worth the work. I love that she makes her workouts very intense for short periods of time so they are much easier to fit into my busy schedule.

So, I read the book Food Matters over the past few days that I mentioned in my post yesterday and then today watched the movie Food, Inc. with a friend... REALLY starting to rethink food!!! I recommend these two things to ANYONE struggling to get their food under control. It is unbelievable what we consume on a daily basis without even realizing it along with what it is doing to the environment. I think having been exposed to these will really help me continue with my WW with much more ease.

Woohoo...

Been OP all week so far!! Peeked at the scale this morning and already down 1.2!! Its amazing what happens and what your body does when you are actually paying attention to what you put into it. Can't wait for my official WI on Monday (had to change days because we are away for MANY weekends this summer). It definitely looks like I'll be hitting that goal set for the doctor in September! Then, hopefully she can give me a realistic goal weight. I am so confused on where I should be. My WW website goal they gave me is 129 and I don't remember weighing any less than 150, so I am not sure what my goal should really be. '

So, I read this book called Food Matters by Mark Bitttman. GREAT book and highly recommended. He talks about the conspiracies behind the government and food. And, the ways you should REALLY eat. Its really just a guide to conscious eating like it says on the cover. It really made me think about the foods I eat. Everything he talks about is very doable with WW and would probably make it even easier (I'll be sure to let you know). Off to add that book to my recommended reading list...

Been crazy...

Man, its been crazy around here lately. Today has been my first completely OP day in what feels like months. I got my reminder for my yearly physical today for the beginning of September... about 9 weeks away!! I really REALLY want to be at 165 by then. My doctor will be so happy that I would have lost 20 pounds since last year. So, with the little bit I have gained thats 11.8 pounds in that time. Totally doable as long as I stay on track!! I can do it!

I made the Sausage Pumpkin Pasta again tonight from Emily Bites website. Soooo yummy! Made a double batch so I could have a couple of servings left over after my hubby attacks it. I've got to start trying more of her recipes, I don't think I have found one that I didn't like! And, everyone who eats them, ww'ers on not, love them too! Always a plus.

Day 2 on track!

It's been a LONG time since I have had two days in a row on track! We are going on a mini vacation in a couple weeks and I would be so happy to stay on track EVERY day until then because it will be a little difficult tracking during a weekend at the beach with 6 other people. I know if I can stay on track for the few weeks before then it will make it easier for me to say NO to certain things while we are away, never mind the fact that I'll be spending most of my time in a bathing suit!

Finally, back on track!!!

And... I'm back!! I was off track for a while there and to no surprise it was after hitting the 160's. For some reason that weight ALWAYS freaks me out. So in the 2 and a half months I have been on and off I have brought myself back up to 173 and I'm not enjoying it. SO... back to the 160's I go.

I have a doctor's appointment in August and I would LOVE to get into the 150's by then, even 159.9. I think as long as I can hit that weight she will be able to give me a reasonable goal weight for my body. My WW goal is posted at 129 by the company, but I am not sure if that is what I should be aiming for. We'll just have to see what she says. Also, being in the 150's will put me back into 3 of my FAVORITE pairs of jeans :) yay!

So, cheers to starting again! Hopefully Sunday will be a great weigh in!

Back in the 160's!!

Woohoo HUGE SV today! Lost 2.9 this morning! I decided to change my weigh in days back to Sunday because I know I have a couple of weekends coming up that might derail me, but knowing that I have weigh in coming up usually keeps me OP. This 2.9 loss brings me back into the 160s at 168.9!! yay me!

For Lent, I decided that I would give up cereal, and I am happy to report that I have not had even ONE bowl yet! I am pretty sure this has a lot to do with my loss this week because there were some days where I would use 20 points just on cereal (I know, not healthy, but I LOVE it!) So, my alternatives have been egg and cheese on an english muffin with olive oil, grits, and waffles. All with some sort of fruit on the side.

March Goals
3.9 out of 5 pounds
0.5 out of 8 inches
52 out of 150 APs

Weigh in today...

Lost 1 pound! Bringing my grand total to 13.6! Since starting P+ (which I love) I have noticed a weird trend in my weight loss. I will have a week that I maintain or lose like .3 then I have a really good week from 1-2.7 pounds. Its really weird, but as long as the scale is going in the right direction I am a happy camper. And... I LOVE my fruit!

So, for Lent, because I am realizing it is a SERIOUS problem food for me and giving it up for 40 days will probably help me immensely... I'm ditching CEREAL!! I love cereal... I could and would eat it for every meal if it was acceptable. So, this is going to force me to get creative with my breakfasts for the next few weeks, but I am also sure that it will have a great impact on my weight loss too.

In other news, I had my carpets cleaned today about 4.5 hours ago and they are still pretty wet. I feel SO bad for my puppies because they have been in their crates for most of that time. I don't want to let them out until the carpets are nice and dry. Hopefully, they will be soon, so I can let them run around a bit. Its a good thing I am on a second shift schedule because as soon as they are dry I need to vaccuum them to get all the dog hair up.

March Results so far:
1 out of 5 pounds lost... 4 to go!
0 out of 8 inches lost (those will be measured on Thursday).
47 out of 150 APs!

Busy week ahead!

I have a SUPER busy week ahead of me! Today we're having our carpets cleaned (YAY!). Then I have an MK appointment plus other work to do. Then I have like 6 more MK appointments throughout the week, a huge project to finish to wrap up the course I am in right now, and lots of other errands a stuff. This is good because when I am busy I keep myself out of the house, which means out of the kitchen!

I love that my career has not been affected by the current recession... I just saw a friends post on FB and it said "gas prices up, gold prices soaring, and stock market down... here we go!" But, for me, I have one of the busiest weeks I have had lately. It is chock full of appointments. Never do you hear women say, "well I'll only wash my face on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday or I can only wear mascara on Saturday." Mary Kay is the best opportunity I have ever had, and I love sharing it with other women who are struggling right now. My job can NEVER be taken away from me and I can make as much as I am willing to work for!

Anyways... weigh in tomorrow! I had peeked at the scale the other day and I was down about 1.5! Hopefully I'll see the same tomorrow. After maintaining last week I would LOVE a big loss!

March Goals update:

0 out of 5 pounds (weigh in on Tuesday)
0 out of 8 inches (measured every 10 days)
41 out of 150 AP (maybe this goal should be upped!)

February Results

Well.... for February I am down 1.8 pounds, BUT 7 more INCHES! I am so glad that I am tracking inches because when I don't see a change in the scale, I am still seeing a change there. It is great to know that even though I may not be losing a high number of pounds each month that I am still burning away the inches.... And fitting into SMALLER clothes!

Goals for March: Lose 5 pounds, 8 inches, and earn 150 APs!

Accomplishing that should would be an amazing month! Bring on March!

Progress as of yesterday (reminder I do inches every 10 days, and weigh in on Tuesday):

0 out of 5 pounds
0 out of 8 inches
2 out of 150 APs

I've got the munchies...

We just went grocery shopping the other day so we are all stocked up on my favorite foods. I just want to eat them all! : ) So, I'm trying to stay AWAY from the kitchen as best as I can.

I got in a couple of good calorie burns today. I burned almost 800 calories while we were volunteering at the humane society. Then, I took my dog for a nice long walk in our 80 degree weather and burned another 700 calories. Woohoo!

Now, time to get some homework done (very boring Friday night) seeing that its due by midnight and I have barely started it! oops

Love the Florida Sun!

Got a chance today to lay out in the sun and boy does it feel good! We are back to our 80 degree weather :) That means new bathing suits soon! (Hopefully can drop a few more pounds before then.)

I had my hubby do my measurements again last night and I dropped another 3.25! Thats almost 15 total. I'm am so glad that I decided to do my measurements too because I have been dropping those more rapidly then the pounds because of working out, so it still gives me that satisfaction that my hard work is paying off! I should be finally able to start the running program tomorrow since my stuffy nose and going away, and I know that will make a huge difference in my efforts.

We are going out to lunch today with family that is in town and its a small local place with no nutritional information listed. So, hopefully I can find a good salad (dressing on the side of course) or a grilled chicken sandwich for my meal.

Great Weigh In!

So even after all of the crap and junk I ate over the weekend... I still managed to LOSE 1.6! Yay for self-control!

Today I went grocery shopping and stocked up so I am ready for the week and its going to be a good one! We have family in town, so it won't be a very typical week but I plan on staying very on plan this week so I can have another good weigh in next Tuesday! Tonight we are grilling out and I'm going to make a couple of healthier sides to go along with it.

160's here I come!!!

Can't wait....

To get back to a normal schedule!! We are in Connecticut and head back home tomorrow night. We had a wedding to go to yesterday in New Hampshire so we came up for a long weekend to visit family too. I did pretty well with eating... well atleast as good as I could with no control over what was cooked or accessible. My system is not enjoying all of the different foods it is being exposed to.

I posted a picture of myself in the dress I wore to the wedding... Its a size 9!!! yay!!!

Well when we get back home I plan to start the c25k training again before it gets to hot down here in Florida. Its already in the 80s. Hopefully training will go smoothly, I just have to wait until my cold is completely gone to start. I'll be doing my measurements again on Tuesday along with my weigh in so I will be sure to post what hopefully will be losses! (*crossing my fingers*)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Yesterday me and my hubby went out for our Valentine's day date since he works second shift and Sunday's are his only day off! We went to Carrabba's for dinner and ate WAY TOO MUCH! Hopefully, I don't see it on the scale tomorrow morning when I weigh in!

Today I have been drinking lots of water to help flush it out and have had a very normal day so thank goodness for that... was not tempted 2 days in a row! We have a few busy days coming up, which is great for me (keeps me away from and OUT of the kitchen!). Then, we leave to go to the snow up north for my cousin's wedding. I can't wait to wear that dress I mentioned a few posts ago! I will be sure to get a pic on here too.

Well, Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!

Ugh... Homework...

Friday is my homework day for my Masters classes... no fun! I try to get it done during the afternoon so I have the night to do what I want. So far, I have been avoiding starting and about to avoid more by watching the Bachelor that I missed on Monday night. lol I will start after that though! I will not get the munchies while doing my homework (for some reason this ALWAYS happens).

So, I have started a new book. It is called The Portion Teller by Lisa R. Young. So far I have been really enjoying it. It teaches you how to learn portions at a glance when you can't use measuring cups or a scale. It also has a chapter that teaches you your food personality (I can't wait to get to that chapter). There is also a lot of statistics in the book about how Americans are getting bigger and bigger EVERY day! Some of them are kind of disgusting. Did you know the small snack size candy bars are the same size the originals were when they first came out??? Yikes! Now we have King Size bars! I think this book will really help me when I am out, at a friends, or not cooking for myself to figure how much I am eating.

Losing more INCHES!

So for the past ten days I have just done some random workouts... walking with my dogs, Wii Fit, Wii Fitness Coach, and some dvds. My husband did my measurements for me again today and I am down another 2.75! I have lost 11.25" since the 1st of the year! This explains how I have been wiggling into smaller and smaller pants each week. :) This morning I peaked at the scale and I saw 172.8... that would be 1.3 loss. Hopefully I can maintain and surpass that by my Tuesday weigh in.

Today I sent my huge bag of clothes that are too big to another friend on WW and they fit her all! She was so excited to have lots of new clothes without going out and buying them. I know she won't be in them for long though! I have promised myself that this time around I will get rid of EVERYTHING that is too big! (I think that was a major mistake of mine in past attempts.)

"You look so tiny!"

Those were the words heard from my sister today when I met her for lunch! YAY! I love hearing those comments! And I have yet again gotten rid of another pair of pants that are too big, and wiggled into another pair of 8s! woohoo!

At yesterday's weigh in I lost 0.5! I was thrilled with that especially because the Super Bowl went nothing as I planned it to. But, I drank A LOT of water on Monday and got in a good workout so I am sure that helped.

Today is a crazy busy day for me... woke up (after sleeping in late), cleaned up the house, got ready, drove north to meet my sister for lunch and run around to do errands. Now, sitting in Panera catching up on some homework and Mary Kay things before our meeting tonight at 7. I LOVE busy days. They keep my mind OFF FOOD!!

Superbowl Fail!

Well, the Superbowl went NOTHING like I thought. Friends ended up helping a LOT and bringing more food that I thought, so most of my healthier options were never prepared. On the plus side, I didn't eat that much... never to the point of feeling sick. Well, moving on...

Tomorrow is my weigh in day so today I will be eating only my daily points. I am going to take the dogs for a long walk (if we get a break from the rain). And, I'm going to get my 60 minutes workout done on My Fitness Coach. Plus drink lots of water and try to flush out the junk I ate yesterday! Wish me luck!

Preparing for Superbowl Sunday

So, I'm planning food for tomorrow (since we are having a party at our house)... so far I have:

• hotdogs (I'll be getting the low fat ones)
• hamburgers
• mac and cheese (a WW one that is sooo yummy)
• potato salad (a friend is bring that, I'll probably try to stay away lol)
• salad
• chips and taco dip (recipe on skinnytaste.com)
• diet coke cupcakes (recipe on emilybites.com)
• probably some sort of fruit thing (for 0 points)

Hopefully I will hear from some more people today about what they are bringing so I have less to make. I am planning to track my food in the morning and be really good about what I eat during the game. My weigh in is on Tuesday and I looking forward to a loss. We're going to take the dogs for a long walk in the morning tomorrow too so we can burn a few extra calories.

Today, I did the Wii My Fitness Coach. I forgot how GREAT of a workout that game is. Well, its not really a game. You go through a Fitness Evaluation first so it gets a since of your body type and fitness level. Then, you set your commitment schedule of when you want to workout. When you go in each day for a workout, you can pick what you want to do or do what is suggested. Today I burned just over 600 calories doing the fitness evaluation and a workout! I'm looking forward to doing these workouts again since they can also utiliza whatever workout equipment you have (stability ball, hand weights, HRM).

No energy today...

Today I have NOT been able to wake up! It is such a frustrating feeling. We went this morning and volunteered at the humane society and I burned over 600 calories :) then we came home and I took a nap! oops! Tonight I babysat and we ate mac and cheese with chicken nuggets, but I tracked it all and moved on (it was delicious).

The next couple days I need to get in a few good workouts to build up my APs for superbowl weekend. We're having a party at our house so I can control the food for the most part, but it would be nice to have some extra points for wine!

Lost a dress size!

I went shopping for a dress for the wedding we are going to in a couple weeks and bought a smaller dress!! woohoo! For my wedding in April I was in a size 12 and I just bought a size 9! I will be sure to get a good picture of me in it to add to my progress pictures. Also, another pair of jeans fit that I haven't worn in forever! So exciting.

Weigh in yesterday was good... down 0.6! Not a huge number but I also know I lost 6 inches in the past ten days so I'm very happy! That brings me to a grand total of 10.8.

We made Taco Casserole the other night from Emily Bites (link to the right) and it was soo good! Check out that recipe if you get a chance! Well off to make some lunch and get some more stuff done. Looking forward to a good day!

A wedding to look forward to!

So, me and my hubby are originally from CT, now live in FL. We are going up during February for my cousin's wedding. And, we just invited to another one thats going to be on August 19th for a really good friend of ours. My goal is to be within 10 pounds of goal by then! I won't have seen people for 6 months and I want to look great... and buy a super cute dress that I will be able to keep!

This morning we went for a nice LONG walk with our dog Penny and one that we are watching named Rex. Penny is a 9 month old bassethound mix and Rex is a 3 month old shepherd mix. Since we got home almost three hours ago, they have been passed out. Here is a cute pic of them laying together:

Finished the 30 day shred!

Woohoo! It's over! So here are the final results:

Lost approximately 5.5 lbs (jumped on the scale this morning to get an estimate).

Inches:

Body Part      Start      Finish      Total Lost
L arm               14          13.5              0.5
R arm             14.75        14               0.75
Bust                  39         37.25           1.75
Waist                32           31                 1
Hips               40.25         39              1.25
R thigh              27         25.75            1.25
L thigh              27         25.75            1.25
R calf             15.75      15.25              0.5
L calf              15.5       15.25             0.25

Total 8.5 inches lost!!!

Sooo worth it!! But, glad I don't have to keep doing the same workouts every day!

Still working on deciding what I want to do for February's workouts. I think I'll start the C25k, but we have a wedding to go to in the middle of the month, so I going to wait until after that.

Big Splurge!

Ughh.... so tonight me, my father-in-law and his friend went out to Stonewood Grill. The food there is so good... but here is what happened. Avoided ALL alcohol, ate 3 pieces of a flatbread app, 2 rolls, about 1/3 of my entree (blackened chicken pasta), and some chocolate bread pudding (which was sooooo good!). All of which was NOT point friendly. So, by guesstimating because NI is not online, I am two in the red right now, but weigh in isn't until Tuesday. I will get LOTS of activity points tomorrow and get back in the positives and hopefully still have a loss this week.

On another note... only ONE more day of the 30 day shred!! Then final measurements will be in! I am still not sure what kind of workout schedule I want to start next. Maybe some lifting and cardio dvds? Any suggestions are welcome :)

Victory today!

So I was getting ready tonight to go out to dinner and it took me forever to get dressed because I couldn't find a pair of jeans that wasn't TOO BIG!!! yay!! The pair I wore today I haven't worn in over a year. I definately have to take some time tomorrow and go through my closet and get rid of EVERYTHING that is too big no matter how much I love it. I think that is where I have made mistakes in the past. I would keep my "fat" clothes for when I gained a few pounds. If I get rid of them I'll have no choice but to keep myself on track! I can't believe I am already moving into smaller pants after just 10 pounds. It must be all the working out too!

So far with my father in law in town and his friend, I have been doing great. We went to Outback for dinner tonight and I got chicken on the barbie (light style) with a ceasar salad (that was my splurge) and avoided ALL alcohol.  That says a lot for me.... I love wine. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as good!

Staying on Track!

This morning I went grocery shopping (with a list) and only bought what I planned to buy! Then I came home and split up all my snacks into individual little bags because I realized I was spending so much on 100 calorie packs before. I already put dinner into the crock pot since I will be babysitting late tonight. Here's a great low point recipe:

Hamburg Soup
1 lb lean ground beef (cooked, rinsed, and drained)
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 celery stalk (chopped)
1 onion (diced)
1 lb carrots (chopped)
6 cups beef broth or vegetable broth
3 bay leaves
salt
pepper
pasta (I use ditalini, because its small)

Combine all ingredients (except pasta) and cook either on the stove or in a crock pot. (In a crock pot, I do 3 hours on high and then 5 hours on low so the vegetables get nice and tender.) On the stove it would probably only take 2 hours. Cook the pasta separately and combine when served.

This recipe is super easy and stores very well, even tastes better the next day!

Oh, and another tasty treat I found in a book that I'm reading is low point and taste just like a Reese's peanut butter cup :) It's a small jello chocolate pudding cup (I got sugar free but there is fat free too) and add a little bit of peanut butter (I did 1/2 ounce). Stir together and eat!

Today is my 27th day of the shred! Almost done!!! I have been surprisingly sore the past two days even though we have been doing the same workout for 7 days now. My pants have been getting really baggy on top which is a great sign... even my sweatpants! yay!

Amazing Weigh In Day!!!

Lost an amazing 2.7 pounds today (during TOM)!!! Thank you water! This brings me to a grand total of 10.2 pounds lost...woohoo! 20% of the way there. I again ate all of my DP, WP, and APs... I guess this is my magic formula.

Today I had an appointment with my neurologist (I have epilepsy) and I told him I had been losing weight and was wondering if there was a weight that I would need to adjust my medication, but he said I shouldn't have to worry about that since my medication is at a very low level already. But, he did suggest that I begin to take vitamin B12 because my last bloodwork showed that my levels were really low. I wasn't sure what this vitamin did, but found out it improves energy levels and promotes weight loss! yay! Thanks doc.

On Thursday, my father-in-law and one of his friends come to town for a golf weekend. Whenever we have family in town we tend to eat out ALOT, so hopefully we can avoid that this time. I'll have to cook lots! I have been looking for lots of new recipes lately and have found some that I will be trying during the week from skinnytaste and emilybites (both links are on the side of the page). After I make them, I will be sure to post some reviews on here.

Our fridge is EMPTY right now... we have one more dinner planned for tomorrow night and then going to the grocery store on Thursday (pay day). Getting lots and lots of fruit and veggies. Squash and zucchini fries have become one of my new favorite foods! I am loving this new points plus plan.

Have a good night everyone!

Can't wait until tomorrow!

Tomorrow is weigh in day.... can't wait!!! I'm hoping for a big one (especially after my peak a couple of days ago). Today was day 24 of the shred... almost done!!! It has been a great workout, but doing only 3 different workout for 30 days gets a little boring. I haven't decided what my plan is for February yet... maybe p90x? or just a bunch of different workouts? who knows?

So, I went to the library again and got some more "weight loss" related books. The other two I have read seemed to keep me motivated this past week (hence the hopefully big loss), so I figured I will keep reading them until I hit goal! As I find good ones, I'll be sure to post them so you can check them out too.

Scale Peek!

Peeked at the scale today and am already down another 1.1!! Yay!! It's not offical until Tuesday, but I am so excited! I just made a really good lunch, a much healthier version of fried rice: bulgur wheat (cooked), olive oil, carrots, broccoli, peppers, egg whites and soy sauce. Sauteed the veggies with the oil and then added the egg whites, bulgur wheat, and soy sauce. So good and very filling!

Lots of homework to do today, and so far avoiding it very well... blogging and WW Message Boards. I have a paper to write and some more reading to get done. Hopefully I can get it done early so I can actually enjoy my Saturday night! Still have to do the 30 day shred tonight too.

Getting results with the 30 day shred!

My husband did my measurements for me again yesterday and so far I have lost a total of 2.5 inches since starting the shred! YAY! (0.75 inches was off my bust!) Today we did the first day of Level 3... and it is WAY harder than the other levels... only 9 days to go!

I cannot wait till dinner tonight... Jenni O Hot Turkey Sausages with Peppers and Onions and Zucchini Fries :) yumm! A much healthier take on one of my favorites.

Great weigh in yesterday!

Lost 1.3 yesterday at weigh in for a grand total of 7.5 pounds so far! Soooo close to TEN pounds! I was so happy to finally break the streak of small losses under 0.5. And my plan for leaving half of my Weekly Points didn't work out so well.... instead I ate all of my daily points every day, ate all of my 28 activity points that I earned, and 48/49 of my weekly points! But, since that worked so well, I plan to do the same thing this week!

I am currently reading Secrets of a Former Fat Girl by Lisa Delaney and I am loving it. Her humor about weight loss is great to read, and she is SO honest about her feelings and what she went through for so long to lose the weight. I would recommend this book to ANYONE who is considering/ losing/ or has lost the weight! I will probably read it again and again!

Today was day 18 of the 30 day shred for me! It is definately getting a little bit easier, but all the jumping, lunges and squats are not good on my knees so I have to do the modified versions of most things. I am looking forward to measuring myself again on the 20th and will be sure to let you know how it goes!

Yay!

The past few days have been GREAT!!! I have been on plan and working out! I can't wait to weigh in on Tuesday and hopefully break my streak of .2 and .1's that I have been having. Today is day 15 of the shred for me (missed one day a little while ago) and I must say that level 2 is a killer. I don't even want to know what level 3 will be like.

Back on track!

I had a super busy weekend... training ALL day Saturday at a Mary Kay event, then on Sunday we had a brunch for my sisters birthday, and went out to Outback with friends on Sunday night (soooo NOT WW friendly!) So, on Monday I got myself back on track and lost 0.2 at my weigh in on Tuesday. I thought that wasn't too bad after not having control of my food for 2 days during the past week.

Looking forward to a bigger loss this week! I am going to play around with my points for the next couple of weeks to see what gives me the best results. This week I am planning to use all of the DP and AP's each day and have about 1/2 of my WP leftover. I have done this before and lost about 3 pounds in 1 week, but that was before the change to P+.

Today is day 12 of the 30 day shred. Level 2 is a KILLER! I don't even want to try and imagine what Level 3 will be like. I did my measurements again on the 9th and I had lost .75 inches, pretty exciting for only 9 days! I can't wait to see the difference by the 20th.

One of those days... and a Revelation!

Well, woke up to my 7-month old puppy, Penny, running around the house destroying a BLUE pen on my light tan carpets and found out from my husband that someone backed into my car. UH! Can't get the pen out of the carpet, but at least there are only a few scratches on my car from where someone may have hit it. All while trying to get done the 12 hours of statistics homework I have to do today because I procrastinated!

Anyways, picked up our other dog, Copper, today from the vet. He is being treated for heart worm and today was his last shot. Now, he just has another 4 weeks in his crate before he can go back to playing like normal. He is a 3 year old golden retriever mix that we adopted from our local humane society about 2 months ago. We think someone may have ditched him when they found out he had heart worm. He is the sweetest, most calm dog ever! Our other one, the little monster who ate the pen, is a 7-month old basset hound/ standard doxen/ lab mix. Also, from the humane society.

So, I named this blog "Sweet Success One Day at a Time" for a few reasons. One, success is SWEET, but I am also a pastry chef by education, but not currently. Also, because weight loss is just one day at a time, one meal at a time, one week at a time. It is not a change that happens overnight. I have struggled with weight loss for the past 3 years. I left college at 150 lbs after doing Weight Watchers the first time and moving in with my husband slowly put the weight back on... now at 179 lbs. Well, the ironic thing is that I can track my points and activity and LOSE weight, but have been struggling reaching my career goals. I am a Mary Kay Consultant who has been striving for directorship for over a year. For those of you familiar, I have been up and down the career path almost hitting DIQ (Director in Qualifications) at least once. I know EXACTLY what I have to do to make this happen, but yet still haven't been able to find the motivation to do it! Last night I was talking to my director and she said "You have to take it one day at a time, and get excited about what you can do today to reach those goals, and eventually they will come." When she was saying this I was smiling inside, but also wanted to kick myself because I have been doing this with weight loss and just not applying it to the rest of my life. But, today is a different day and that will happen!

Yay for a busy day!

Today is a super busy day... volunteered this morning at the humane society, 30 day shred, homework, and Mary Kay tonight. I love busy days because they keep me off the couch and out of the fridge. With my work, Mary Kay consultant, I am home ALOT since I work from home and that gets me in trouble! Well, off I go to get this stuff done!

Oh snacks!

Today was day 4 of the 30 day shred... but its making me soooo HUNGRY!!!! This always happens when I am working out consistently. I am trying to stick to the healthy stuff as best I can... it will be dinner time soon. Pork chops, stuffing and salad, yumm.

I lost .3 today at weigh in which was pretty good considering I was only counting points for 3 days and went out to eat twice. So that brings me to a total of 6 lbs lost... 49 to go! Tomorrow we go back to volunteering at the humane society where we play with the puppies all morning = usually about 1200 calories burned in 4 hours :) and lots of fun.

Looking forward to the season premiere of the Biggest Loser tonight! I am so excited to find out who the new trainers are going to be. Hopefully, some of these people are somewhat relateable. I feel like they are getting so far fetched and dramatic that its hard to relate, but I enjoy watching others success with weight loss.

Great start to the New Year!

Today has been a great day! Just finished Day 2 of the 30 Day Shred... my legs are screaming! I took all my measurements (arms, bust, waist, hips, thighs, and calves) before starting and will be sure to post results. I plan to measure myself every 10 days. Now, time to go shower and make a delicious dinner for me and my husband... grilled chicken, salad, and roasted potatoes :) yumm! Looking forward to another great day tomorrow!

First Post!

Yay! My first post! This blog is here to help me stay accountable to my weight loss and fitness goals. I am currently down about 5 pounds from my heaviest weight with another 50 pounds to lose to reach my goal weight. I am not doing any crazy dieting, put am following the WW Points+ Program. Also, I am currently doing the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. Yesterday was my first day at level 1 and my legs are screaming today.

I will be posting about weigh ins, struggles, recipes, workouts and more!

Cheers to a NEW YEAR!!!