I'm Back and full of Motivation!

Well, we had a wonderful vacation in Yellowstone. Now that we are home, I'm even more eager to lose more weight!! I feel really good right now, but know that my weight can get lower on the scale. I'm about 2 pounds from my WW goal, which makes me ecstatic! So, that is my focus right now. Once there, I have a goal to get 10 pounds below that. I originally set my WW goal at the higher end of the spectrum. I know I feel good at goal, but know I feel even better 10 pounds below that. It's funny because I don't feel as "skinny" as I did when I have been at goal before. I know it has a lot to do with having 2 kids. There are just some things that don't go back to where they were. I just have to come to terms with that. It's just hard to still see a roll when I sit or whatever. I want it GONE! I think another 10 pounds will help ease that frustration a bit. 

It has been nice to start doing some shopping. I have bought 2 new pairs of jeans. It's been a long time since I've done that. Not because I haven't had the money or have been told I can't, I just didn't want to. I felt gross and fat and had NO desire to shop. I love that the desire to shop and look good is slowly coming back. The best thing is to grab jeans off the shelf and think they're gonna be too small and tight and to realize that you can put them on and pull them off again without unzipping or unbuttoning! That is an AWESOME feeling. I can say I had a HUGE smile on my face when I had to go not only 1 size smaller, but 2 sizers smaller than I thought I was when I walked into the store! YAY!

Another great bonus of my weight loss journey is that my husband has decided to start his own weight loss journey. This makes me SO HAPPY! I love my hubby dearly and love him no matter what he looks like, but also want him to be healthy and around for a long LONG time. It makes me so happy that he's deciding to try to lose weight and is starting with little goals and going from there. He's already lost 8 pounds in a week! I'm thrilled that he's having this new outlook on life and health! 

Well, that's about all I have to report right now. I'm sorry I haven't been around for awhile, but plan to be back full force and checking out all of your blogs. I hope to find even more weight loss buddies and get even more motivation!

Have a great week!

Fitness on Fridays!!

Well, this week has proved to end better than I thought. I swore I was gonna gain a TON of weight having tons of family in town, but to my amazement, I'm now only 5 lbs away from my original WW goal! YIPEE!! I intend to go lower than that, but for now, that is my goal. I want to meet this goal by July 24th (when my MIL gets home) and really believe I can do it. I even think if I put my mind to it, I can lose even more than that by then! I have my next goal already in mind! I originally got down to 8 lbs below my WW goal and I loved how I felt at that weight, so that will be my next goal. BUT, for now, it's to just get down to the original goal. Don't worry folks, I set my WW goal at the top of the charts, so I can bear to lose more even when I technically hit goal.

As for eating, I've done pretty well in staying in my points! I didn't do so well in the exercise field. We didn't get out and ride bikes because we've had family in town and my hubby has worked late. BUT, that doesn't mean I've been sitting around. We've been on the go everyday. We even took the kids swimming and I lugged my sweet toddler up about 10 flights of stairs at least 30 times to take her down the water slide! She was in heaven and I was losing my breath. I guess I got some exercise in there at least right? Other than that, it's just been long walks, chasing kids through the park and stores, museums, etc etc. We've been down right active! I think that's why I didn't gain and that's FINE BY ME! :)

I don't have much more to write as I have TONS to do. Sorry to keep it short and boring. I hope everyone is doing well on their weight loss journey! I'm off to read all the other Fitness on Friday participant's blogs! Have a fantastic week!

Fitness On Fridays!

Well, this week was a good one for me in most aspects. I ate what I should be eating and stayed in my points despite being in situations where I didn't have control over what was fed to me. I was also proud that I did well when we ate out a few times as this is when I usually decide that I can deviate "just this once". I feel like I'm "in the mode" so to speak now and I'm just focused on my goal with my weight loss. This is a great feeling and I hope I can stay motivated!! I stay motivated by participating in this Fitness on Fridays and also by visiting other blogs throughout the week that help encourage me, keep my focus and share great recipes/tips/ideas etc. 

I am down 2 pounds this week and I am totally thrilled. I only have 10 pounds to go until I reach my original goal weight with WW. I plan to go even less than that, but for now my goal is to get to that goal weight by the time my MIL gets home from being overseas which is in July. I'm pretty sure POSITIVE I can do it!! I can do this by continuing to stay in my points, drink lots of water, stay in contact with people who motivate me and through exercise.

Speaking of exercise, that was my downfall this week. I've been horrible!! I need to get my rear into gear and get on that treadmill! I don't know why, but I keep finding excuses or I'm cleaning late at night when I usually work out. I realize cleaning burns some calories, but not like walking/running on the treadmill. 

Therefore, my goals this week are to continue to stay in my points, read up on motivating blogs and websites for weight loss (and hopefully find some new weight loss friends), find and try new recipes and finally. . . EXERCISE!!

I hope everyone had a successful week. . . and if you didn't have the best of weeks, try not to let this get you down!!  Instead, just focus on this week and how good you'll feel when you've lost the weight and are living healthier :)

Finally, I found this posted by Lorie on Honey I Shrank Myself and just LOVED it!! Take a moment to read this as it's straight to the point and VERY motivating! 

"If you don't quit, and don't cheat, and don't run home when trouble arrives, you can only win." -- Shelly Long

"Do you want to be successful at weight loss? Don't quit. Weight loss takes time and patience. I think I repeat those words every day. Are you listening? Or do you think I must be talking to someone else?

Do you want to be successful at weight loss in the fastest time possible? Don't cheat. The closer you stay to plan the better your chances of success. Are you following the WW plan or have you adjusted it so much that it now resembles a distant cousin?

Do you want to be successful at weight loss no matter the obstacles? Don't run home in despair and bury your feelings in a gallon of ice cream. You WILL have days of discouragement and disappointment. The way you handle those emotions will impact your continued success.

You CAN win. I believe it"

Thanks Lorie!! I totally agree!

With that said, GOOD LUCK to everyone on a successful week ahead :)

Fitness on Fridays!

Okay, so it's been over a week since I returned home from vacation. Since being home, I'm even more determined to LOSE weight. My first goal is to get back down to my Weight Watchers goal weight. I know I feel so much better about myself when I'm at that weight, so I'm looking forward to getting there! I know I can do it as I've done it before twice. I'm a life time member of Weight Watchers and TRULY love everything about the program. It's exactly what they say. . . It's  "not a diet, It's a way of life!! I was able to lose a lot of weight originally on this program and then after having my first baby, I was able to get back to my goal weight. I'm currently trying to get back to this goal weight after having my second baby. I slacked off for a bit, but there are NO EXCUSES now! I just keep picturing myself at that weight and CAN'T WAIT to be there again! I am more determined than ever to lose lose lose!

Once at my goal, I'm hoping to lose a bit more and even feel better! At Weight Watchers, there is a range that you can be in that is considered healthy for your height. My goal is not at the tip top of the range, but is also not at the very bottom. However, it is closer to the top of the range than bottom though, thus, I can lose more after getting to goal and still be A-okay! But, FOR NOW, my focus is to get to my original goal weight.

What have I done this week to accomplish this? Well. . . I've stayed within my points EVERYDAY! I've also tried to drink more, but could still figure in more water. I exercised, but not as much as I had planned, so that is my goal for this coming week. I plan to exercise at least 5 days this week and drink more water/Diet V-8 Splash ;) ;)  I did however, lose all the weight I unfortunately gained on vacation (which won't happen again btw!!) and am thrilled about that :) Everytime I stand on the scale (which is WAY to often), I'm excited to see the number go down even if it's only a half a pound or whatever. It's still a loss and not a gain! 

This past week, I've also been enjoying visiting tons of new blogs and websites and reading about other people's journeys with weight loss. I find this really helps to motivate me! By surrounding myself with people on the same journey I am, I find I am more motivated than ever!!! I've linked to a few of the sites I've found and need to link to more and will hopefully get that done this week. (I do have a lot of them bookmarked :) I've found LOTS of delicious recipes and am really enjoying making new things that taste great, yet are low in points. I'll try and get some of the recipes posted later on this week as well. Right now, I need to go to sleep as it's almost 2 am and SLEEP is, believe it or not, a important component in losing weight as well. 

Last, but certainly NOT least, I leave you all with a quote from a great friend of mine named Leeann who posted this on her blog recently (take a moment to go read her entire post, it's VERY inspiring!)

Nothing in this world, tastes as good as confidence and respect for yourself!!!

Good luck to you all this week and I'm looking forward to reading other Fitness on Friday entries for motivation :)

Today's Plan

Okay, I just wanted to post my goals for today! Once again, to make myself more accountable! :) Today, I my goals are to make a delicious meal that is low in points, yet one of my hubby's favorite meals! I'm going to make Turkey Meatballs (see recipe below). I'm also making a goal for myself to workout on the treadmill for at least 1 hour!! 

These may seem like small goals, but every little bit helps. I didn't exercise yesterday as I went and had a play date with a good friend. We had a wonderful time, but now I gotta get back and focus!! No excuses!! Exercise Exercise Exercise! 

What are some goals you have each day? 

Turkey Meatballs in Wine sauce (I just use chicken broth here as I don't have wine on hand :(--

1 egg white

1 cup soft bread crumbs

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 Tablespoons skim milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon thyme, crushed

Dash pepper

1 pound ground raw turkey

Nonstick spray coating

2 cups sliced mushrooms (we're not mushroom fans, so we don't add these)

3 cups water

6 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons instant chicken bouillon granules

1 cup dry white wine. (I just add an extra cup water instead when making the cornstarch mixture to equal 4 cups of water total)

2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley

1 box hot cooked noodles

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together egg white, soft bread crumbs (I use the ones you get for cheap that are crunchy at the store and the work just fine), 1/4 cup of the onion, milk, salt, thyme and pepper. Add turkey; mix well. Shape mixture into 1 inch meatballs.

Spray a 13X9 inch baking pan or baking dish with nonstick spray coating. Place meatballs in the baking pan or dish. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. (I find with the oven I have now, they cook in as little as 27 minutes) or till meatballs are no longer pink. Drain any juices; cool meatballs. Then, cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours. I almost ALWAYS skip this step. I've done them both ways and really don't see the benefit of chilling them especially when I'm in a hurry. 

Before serving, spray a cold large skillet with nonstick spray coating. Add mushrooms and remaining 1/4 cup onion. Cook til mushrooms and onions are tender. Stir together water (including extra 1 cup of water as substitute for wine here), cornstarch, and bouillon granules. Carefully add the cornstarch mixture to the mushroom/onion mixture in the skillet. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Add chilled (or not chilled ;) meatballs and wine (or no wine here if already added extra cup of water above); heat through. Stir in parsley. Serve over hot cooked noodles. YUMMY!

5 servings

5 points a serving 

Add points for noodles :)

P.S. I've found that the NEW Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta's work REALLY well!! They are packed full of fiber and nutrients (thus lowering your points), yet they look and taste like regular noodles. I haven't found any egg noodles by them yet, but have found their Rotini or Penne work just as well for this recipe :)