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.