Every Bite Challenge - Day 4

1. Peach Pie Smoothie (via Ellie Kreiger) and Breakfast Sandwich (6)
2. Saturday Afternoon Picnic - Subway Ham and Turkey, Pretzels, Hummus & Carrots & Seltzer (9)
3. Airhead Sucker - Green Apple, tastes just like the chews (1)
4. Dark Chocolate Raspberry Almond True Delight Granola Bar - Got this as a free sample in the mail. It was really delicious! (3)
5. Stuffed Mushrooms (good, but the recipe still needs some work), Almond Onion Rice & Salad with Ranch (10)
6. Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream Bar (2)

Total - 31

Had a great day as a family. We spent the morning at home relaxing and then when to a big park in the city to feed the ducks, have a picnic and play on the playground. Little girl had a great time and would have spent all day on the swing if we would have let her. She loved the ducks and was disappointed when we rant out of bread. I had been saving my ends for the ducks for a while now but n ow that I have switched to light bread, I save them for bread crumbs. I will have to keep an eye on day old for feeding the ducks next time.

Every Bite Challenge - Day 3

1. Big Bowl Cereal with Strawberry Puree (5)
2. Chef Salad - Turkey, Ham, Cheese, Corn, Mushrooms, Carrots, Eggs, Lettuce & Ranch (9)
3. The WW Chick's Chocolate Fiber One No Bakes with Skim Milk (5)
4. Spinach Stuffed Shells, Oilve Oil Garlic Toast & Green Salad with Italian (8)
5. Crystal Light Slushie (1)
6. Late Night Garlic Hummus and High Fiber Garden Vegetable Wheat Thins (4)

Total - 32

Right on Target for points yesterday! Yeah! Also, I didn't feel like I was filling up on junk just to reach my points. I also met my GHG's for the day.

I am loving being back in the kitchen. The shells turned out pretty good. A little heavy on the spinach for me but my husband LOVED them. I had about a dozen cooked shells left over and didn't want to waste them so late last night I made up some pizza-like filling and froze them individually without sauce for a future meal. I will have to post the recipe if they turn out to be any good. I am kind of betting on it because they smelled delicious!

Also, I am having a problem with twitpic It says that I have exceeded my limit but I can't find anywhere that says what the limit is. It is totally frustrating me so posts on the side might be hit and miss for now but everything will be in the daily challenge post. If any of you know anything about this please let me know.

Weight Update

8 Weeks
-24.1 lbs total.
-1.7 this week.

YEAH!

I was down more earlier in the week but I am not going to dwell on it. I think it stems from eating too few points this week. Can you believe that? I need to remember that and make sure that I am eating enough. Sometimes, I feel like life gets to busy. I need to remember to take care of myself so I can be a better mom and wife.

I am also feeling great about the slow and steady loss. Yesterday there was a spot on TV that was talking about weight loss porgrams. In the conclusion, they mentioned that WW is a great option for long-term healthy weight loss and can be maintained. It made me feel that I made the right choice.

"Honey, How Much Should I Weigh?"

The past few weeks my husband has started losing some weight. yes, with weight watchers but he doesn't have the patience for points and such. Before I met him he lost weighgt with Jenny Craig eating pre-packaged meals. That is more his style. He gets 31 points a day. I pack around 15 for his lunch and then dinner is usually around 10. That leaves him 5 or 6 for a snack after woork and some sort of small treat in the evening. It seems to be working for him. He has lost 17 lbs and is thrilled with the results.

Where I am going with all this is that tonight we were watching a show oin TV together and a new Ask.com commercial. I have been searching the web for it with no luck. I am going to keep looking for it.

It goes something like this:

Man standing on a scale.
Husband: "Honey, how much should I weigh?"
Wife: 170
Husband: "Well I'm about 20 lbs over that."
Wife: "Well whose fault is that?"
Husband: "Yours and your mexican bean dip."

This is us and we could see it and it had us in stitches. We had to rewind it several times and each time was funnier than the last.

I know that the husband is not learning the principles in counting points and the skills to do it long term which frustrates me. The redeeming fact is that I do pack him a lunch and cook dinner every day and as long as he controls his snacks he should be able to maintain.

Every Bite Challenge - Day 2

1. Big Bowl Cereal with Skim Milk and Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup (5)
2. Gum (0)
3. Pretzels with Mustard (2) Not very hungry, just more snacky!
4. Homemade Garlic Hummus (I will be posting this recipe soon.), Flatout Triangles & Sonic Diet Cherry Limeade (4) My husband brought the drink home. Good thing it was diet!
5. Black Bean Burger with Guac on a Whole Wheat Sugar Free Bun, Seasoned Baked Potato Wedges & Large Salad with Ranch Spritzer (11) I have the burger and potato recipes ready to go so look for those in the next few days.
6. Chocolate Black Raspberry Ice Cream Bar (2)

Total - 24

My daily allowance is 32 so as you can see I was under my points for the day. (Not purposely!) I got a late start for the day and didn't get to breakfast until 11 am so it was pretty much lunch. On top of that I was hardly hungry at all. I think I am coming down with something. everyone else in the house was sick this past week so unfortunately think it is my turn. Also, I didn't have enough vegetables. I should have eaten carrots with the hummus and some fruit with breakfast. When I have extra points like this I sometimes make bad choices.

Holding My Ground

I snipped the tips of my little girl's pacifiers this morning. She is so mad! I need to hold my ground because she is getting to old for it. Please keep me from retreating to the cupboards!

Every Bite Challenge - Day 1

Here it is! Not perfect , but here. I am a little embarrassed about the second half of the day, but I just need to learn from it and get over it.

Day 1 of Krissie from Questions for Dessert's Every Bite Challenge:



1. Breakfast - Alternative Bagel with Light Cream Cheese & Sugar Free Jam, 2 honey Tangerines & Fat Free Yogurt with Microwave Granola (6)
2. 14 Lemon Meringue Cookies (2)
3. BBQ Chicken BLT Wrap, String Cheese & Apple (8)
4. Big Bowl Cereal with Unsweetened Almond Milk (4) Ate this as a snack so that I wouldn't snack in the kitchen. Didn't work!
5. 5, yes 5, slices French Bread (10) This was stupid mindless eating with prepareing food in the kitchen at the church dinner. Stupid, stupid, stupid!!!
6. 2 Taffy Apple Tartlets (4) Planned on eating 1 put popped 2 in my mouth and ate them so fast I hardly tasted them. Again, stupid! One savored would have been satisfying.
7. Spaghetti & Salad (5) Served myself the plate during the dinner but didn't get around to eating it until the car ride home. Have to admit that I ate only the cold spaghetti. It tasted great because I was so so hungry. I tossed the salad in the garbage at Sonic.
8. Sonic Diet Cherry Limeade (1) I don't really know had many calories this has if any at all. We got a 32 ox and shared it between myself, the husband and my little girl. This was a huge step to go to Sonic as a family and only spend $2 and not leave with a bunch of junk we shouldn't be eating.

Total - 40

yes, 40! Can you believe it? I really outdid myself at the church dinner. I need to stay away from the bread. I know it is my weakness and I still let meself start in on it. AHHHHH! I have plenty left in my WPA so it is OK, but still not necessary.

To Tempt You

I have posted a bunch of new recipes on Eating Fine. Go check them out! This morning I posted Apple Crisp Oatmeal, Spiced Apples and Microwave Granola. Later today I will be posting Candied Yams. Tomorrow, I will revisit my Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe and I came up with an awesome Almond Onion Rice that is a must try.

Every Bite Challenge - Jumpstart

I know the challenge officially starts Wednesday but I thought that I would get a day under my belt before it started. It is good to see exactly what you are eating. Here is what was on the menu.



1. Apple Crisp Oatmeal, Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, & Gummivites (5.5)
2. Turkey & Cheese Bagel Sandwich, Pretzels & Banana (7)
3. Kashi Dark Chocolate Coconut Bar (2)
4. BBQ Chicken Sandwich, Baked Potato Wedges & Salad with Ranch Spritzer (9)
5. Blue Bunny Chocolate Black Raspberry Ice Cream Bar (2)

Total - 26

Breakfast was very filling. I need to post that recipe on Eating Fine. I used to always eat bagel sandwiches in college, grated they were the ones on a giant full calorie bagel but this Western Alternative Bagel was a great swap. I also ended up dipping the pretzels in mustard and it was so yummy. I was out most of the day running errands and so started making dinner late. The Kashi bar was to munch on while I was cooking so that I didn't mindlessly stuff other things into my mouth. Dinner was fabulous! The husband grilled the seasoned chicken thighs perfectly. I picked them up a few weeks ago when they were on sale for 99 cent a lb. What a steal for boneless, skinless, already seasoned chicken. We put them on whole wheat sugar free buns with veggie toppings. The potato wedges turned out great. I think it is because I tried a different way of cooking them. As soon as I get the seasoning just right on them I will post that too. The ice cream at the end of the day was just because. I wasn't really hungry but realized that I was way under my allowed 32 pts and so I decided to endulge a little.

Because I was so busy, I didn't eat enough for the day. I usually have a few other snacks throughout the day. (usually without chcoalte, but you couldn't tell from this!) Wednesday is going to be a busy day too and so I need to remember to eat enough. I have found eating too little really stunts my losses. Also, we have a dinner at the church. I am helping plan it so I know the menu; however, there is a potluck dessert bar. My neighbor gave me the recipe for what she is bringing, taffy apple tartlets. It had the nutritionals on it and it is 2 pts for one. I think i will stick with having that for dessert.

On The Prowl

Yesterday, I was on the hunt for a snack. I didn't know what. I knew I wanted something sweet but I didn't know what. I was more munchy than anything, not necessarily hungry. I started openning the cabinets, checking the fridge, and peeking in the pantry over and over again. I thought most of the junk was out of the house, but soon realized there is still quite a few things that are in the house that I should not be tempted with.

Case and point:

1. Fruit snacks, my weakness 2. Dibbs left over from cub scouts and homemade fudge from Christmas 3. An openned bag of mint chocolate chips. If they were unopenned I could totally resist them 4. M&Ms my husband brought home the day after we talked about not having candy around the house because that is all the little girl ever wants. 5. Girl Scout cookies that my husband bought. I told him to only buy a box or two if he thought he really wanted them that bad. I packed them in snack bags, 3 pts for 2 cookies. Yikes. I am just glad they are not Thin Mints or I would never be able to resist.

After seeing these things I decided that instead of focusing on what I couldn't eat, instead I should look for some alternatives that I had lying around. This is what I came up with:


1. Frozen gogurts, like a popcicle 2. Frozen Grapes 3. Banana Pops - bananas on a stick with sf syrup and granola 4. WW Chocolate Shakes 5. diet cocoa - great when made with milk 6. Air-popped Popcorn 7. Meringues - 12 for 2 pts 8. Pretzels - portioned into 1 oz bags 9. Fiber One Bars - my favorite for a chocolate fix

These pictures will be a great reminder to think of these healthier alternatives and hopfully keep me away from the homemade fudge at the back of my feezer.

TwitPic Food Journal

So I think that I am going to be able to combine the best of both worlds. I saw on Roni's Weigh that there is a program, TwitPic that you can Twitter pictures of your food. After a little bit of investigation, I think that it should be pretty simple. I can upload pictures from my phone or computer to track and they will show up on my sidebar. Seems simple, huh? I am figuring that most of the pictures will be from my phone. It will be easy to email in the photos that way.

Downfall, it will only show the last 10 pictures. I will hopefully stay on top of it and do a short post at the end of the day. I guess it is kind of up in the air but I am sure it will all come together.

Thanks again Krissie for motivating me!

Photo Tracking - Every Bite You Eat Challenge

I have been tossing around the idea of taking pictures of what I eat to help hold myself more accountable and to stop myself from shoving a bite here and there in my mouth. Those bites are more mindless eating than actually being hungry. I have been following a few other blogs that do this and I love seeing their pictures. Questions for Dessert has given me the nudge I needed to start. She is starting a challenge for the next week to take a picture of every bite you eat. It starts tomorrow, but I am starting today.

I am sure that it will eclectic collection of photos, some from my phone, some from the point and shoot and some from my slr. The full range of quality of photos but everything will be tracked. Maybe I will use flickr too so that I can mosaic the day. I guess we will see. I am going to track here instead of Tracking Fine. I want to record my feelings too. If I continue after this trial week, I will probably move it over there.

Under the Lie

Yes, I lied!

On my Driver's License.

When I got a new license after was married, I was completely honest and gave my real weight. Not ideal but not humiliating though. My little girl was born 2 years later. About 4 months after she was born, my license expired and I had to go in to renew it. I went up the counter and the clerk asked if any of the information had changed. I said no, everything was still the same. She said "Everything?" which made me come clean.

"Well my weight is higher." I admitted and gave her a new weight, 60 pounds higher than was on my old license. She changed it on my license. I was never going to admit that I was actually 20 lbs higher than the new weight I had given her. I had put on weight some weight before getting pregnant and then put on a ton of weight while I was pregnant and didn't lose any of it since having the baby. I was totally mortified by the whole sittuation.

The other day, I was looking at my IDs and remembering that horrible moment. I looked at the weight on my license and realized that I am at least 5 lbs under that weight. It was a relief and felt that the weight of that lie was lifted.

The picture on that ID is horrible. I hate it! I will definately be replacing that ID. I think that as soon as I get to the weight I was when I was married I am heading to the DMV as a reward. Yes, I think that going to the DMV will actually be a reward.

Eating Fine Updated

The recipes have started going up. Check them out! I posted one of my all time favorites, Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs.

Yes, 14!!!

I need to get my act together. I have 14, yes 1 4 recipes that I want to post. I have the pictures taken, uploaded, and saved in their respective posts and just have to type the recipes in.

Stop making excuses and start typing!

Keep checking Eating Fine and get on my case if there are no new changes!

Another Week Down

Some thoughts before I post my loss.

I feel that the routine is turning into a habit. Does that make sense? In the beginning, I felt as if it took a lot of planning to make sure that points were counted and meals were ready. Then if became more of a routine. Easier to plan and track. Still took time, but I was used to doing it. Just the past couple of days, it seems to come more natural. Almost like I have always done it. I know that is not the case because the mirror reminds me that it wasn't always this way. It kind of getting hard for me to understand why I haven't always done this because it makes so much sense and while not easy, very doable. I think this is all a good thing, but I also need to remember not to get complacent.

This week was a good week. I was kind of expecting to be static because I hadn't really flutuated much all week. (Daily scale obsession!) It was nice to jump on the scale this morning and see a lower number than has appeared since the baby boy was born. Down 1.6. I was so excited that I ran down and logged it in right away. Here is my progress chart to date.

I know that I have mentioned it before, but I am not losing as fast as I anticipated, but I am strangly not disappointed. This time I think I am doing a better job at seeing the big picture and don't have goals that the weight will all be gone in a year. I am aiming for 2 years. Seems really doable and maybe it is because I am getting older , but 2 years doesn't seem all that far away. My little girl tunred two last week and it has helped put perspective on things.

My Fridge

Well it is not perfectly clean, I try hard to keep it organized. I HATE searching for something in the fridge am everything has a spot. Over the past 6 weeks our fridge has been slowly been getting a makeover. Healthier options are moving in and the junk in being evicted. The other day when I had the camera in the kitchen I decided to I should give you a peek into our fridge. After all, isn't everbody curious what is inside another's fridge. Wasn't it the first thing you checked out when you were babysitting as a kid, even if you didn't eat anthing. Well I did! Maybe that tells you something about how long food has been an issue for me. Well I am opening the door and letting you sneak a peek.







I'll post the freezer soon. The only guilty pleasure in there is a pack of Dibbs that my husband brought home but that is a whole different post.

Tootsie Pop

I am a candy-holic.


I am sure that that is a big reason that I am where I am today.

The husband has a sweettooth too and so there is usually some sort of treat laying around. Usually, something not very good for you but rather tasty like the fudge or ice cream that is in my freezer, both homemade. Or the giant bag of green M&Ms or the bag of Hershey Bliss hearts that the husband brought home for me the other night. (Can you say enabler? Don't worry I haven't touched either of them.)


Well these are my newest sweet of choice. It helps me skip over all those other treats to have something to reach for when a candy craving is coming on.





The Tootsie Pop. WW Online tipped me off to these. 1 pt each and I can make last quite a long time. Fruity on the outside and chocolatey on the inside. They have a new watermelon flavor that is quite tasty too. I only allow myself one a day at most, but to be honest here, I think I had a day where 2 were necessary. I usually save myself a point each day so I can have one in the evening.

Lately I've Heard...

...two things that have stuck with me.

Somewhere I saw an interview of someone that had lost a lot of weight. I think that it was on Discovery Channel's show "I Lost It!" The woman they were interviewing said that she always refers to "getting rid" of the weight instead of losing it. She said that if you lose something you usually try and find it again and she didn't ever want to find her extra pounds.

Another TV moment that I have been thinking about was on Biggest Loser this past week. Forgive me because while I enjoy the show, I am not routing for one person over another and I couldn't even tell you the players names. We usually TiVo it and watch bits and pieces because it is on right when we have to get the kids to bed. This past week Jillian, was talking to one of the contestants and having her repeat mantras to focus her on her weight loss goals. One of the things that she said was something to the effect of "I love myself more than I love food." It made me think, do I love myself more than I love food? I am still not sure on the answer to that. I think that is where some of my issues come from. I think that is where a lot of people's issues come from. I know that through work on my self image, I will be able to know that I love myself more than I love food. It is kind of sad to think that is where I am but encouraging that I can see past it and know I can overcome it.

What things have your heard that have stuck wiht you or keep you going?

6 Weeks In

I just looked at the calendar. I'm 6 weeks in.

Looking back.....

In the last six weeks I have:
Successfully stayed on WW.
Done it all online.
Motivated my husband to join me.
(He's lost 12 lbs in the past 4 weeks.)
Looked towards the future.
Not become overwhelmed with all that is in front of me.
Started running, well jogging, but that is a great feat!
Got rid of 20.8 lbs!

Yes, I passed the 20 mark. I am so happy to pass that hurdle. My 10% is just around the corner. In the next few weeks I am sure I will be there. I am down 2.5 this past week. More than I thought I would be. I was very excited. The weight is coming off slower this time than last but I am strangely not too bothered by that. I look ahead at the calendar and make very conservative estimates on where I will be by the time visitors come, summer is here, my son turns one, next Christmas, next time this year and beyond. I have decided that my goal is Christmas 2010 be at lifetime. I know that is a ways off but I also feel like once I am committed to the lifestyle and not a diet that will sneak up on my because it will be a part of life and not a drag of a diet.

I have also been cooking up a storm and experimenting in the kitchen. I have a ton to post on Eating Fine. I have been taking pictures so you can have more of an idea what things look like. I know I prefer pictures when I am looking at recipes. Here are a few to peak your interest.

Weighing and BC

-2.7 lbs! 18.3 total!

I feel relieved that the scale is down. I was worried that it would stay the same. I need to trust the program more. I stayed mostly within my points and only used 14 of my WPA, a few each day.

Last week really threw me off. When I was doing WW before, I lost every week for the first 3 months. To gain on the 4th week was hard for me.

I also need to stay away from the scale. My weight fluctuates a lot during the week and after being up .7 last Friday, by Monday I was down to even 19.1 lbs total loss. I was so excited. The next day it jumped up and them jumped again the day after that. It makes me feel like I am gaining weight and makes me forget that I am really making progress. I only remember the progress when I track my weight and see that I am actually down for the week.

Also, I started using a new birth control this week. One of the side effects is weight gain. UGH! I am hoping to avoid this side effect. One encouraging thing is that when I was on birth control before having kids, I felt that it actually helped me lose weight. I am hoping this time is the same even though it is different birth control. Who knows?

The Little Orange Monster

I swear that little orange monster was hanging around. You know the one from the WW commercials.

I was so hungry all day. I kept revisiting the cupboards and the fridge hoping to find something satisfying. I can't say that I did. I munched on a banana, a couple sticks of string cheese, some pretzels, grapes, a sucker, ritz, cereal, and a granola bar. Yes, all of that. By some miracle, I only ended up over a few points today and had plenty to spare for my WPA.

What gives? This is the first time that I have been really hungry since restarting WW.

Let's pray it is a my metabolism revving up but more likely it was a little hunger and a lot of boredom.