The SICKNESS has struck!

Ya, so I've been sick since Tuesday and that does not do wonders for my weight loss. You'd think it would, especially since I have an awful sore throat, but alas, I didn't eat too well this week. Mind you, there were meals I missed because I just didn't feel well or because it hurt my throat too bad to eat. However, when I did eat, I ate some NOT so good things for me. Like ice cream, fruit drinks, etc. They helped to numb my throat and they were among the few things that sounded good to eat. I did get the half fat frozen yogurt ;) if that counts for anything!

This all being said, I wasn't expecting much when I stood on the scale on Friday. I was just hoping I didn't have an enormous gain. Much to my amazement, I still lost! WOW!

I'm down another 1.4 lbs! YAY!

Now, let's just see if we can continue on this weight loss journey. I preparing myself that this week could be rough. Just with getting back into eating all my meals again and eating nutritional food, I know I need to stay really focused! I wanna continue to lose! I really really do!

Wish me luck! 

Scale, here I come!

This week went pretty well. I stayed in my points for the most part and drank a lot! I didn't exercise like I should've. Wait, let's be honest, I didn't officially get down and exercise at all. Unless you can include cleaning cleaning cleaning and chasing around toddlers, etc. ;) Anyways, I kept my focus and was determined to be happy with whatever weight loss I had come weigh in time. I was aware of the fact that last week's weigh in was quite high, so I wasn't gonna shoot myself down if the numbers weren't the best this week. I did make a goal to at least have some sort of loss though. I knew if I kept focused and determined, this could happen.

Well, this week. . . 

I lost 1.4 pounds!!

Nothing extraordinary, but hey, it's a loss right? And I'm happy with it! VERY happy! I'm very glad to have lost weight especially after having a great week last week. I know the first week is a lot of water loss and the weight comes off easier. The 2nd week proves to be a bit more difficult because your body isn't quite sure what's going on and is holding on to it's fat/energy source. SO, that being said, I'm satisfied and motivated to keep going and that's what matters! I truly want to lose and lose and lose. I know it's a difficult road ahead as I'm down to the last  15 lbs until I get to my ULTIMATE goal. I have 7 lbs to go to officially get back to my WW goal. I've been lower than that though and want to be there again! I love how I feel. I love the energy I have and I especially love the confidence I gain. I'm happy at my goal weight, but not as happy as I was when I originally hit that weight before having my children. We all know what kids can do to a body and it seems I don't feel as great and fit as well into my clothes at that goal weight as I did before kids. Big surprise right? So, I ultimately want to get down to the lowest weight I got after hitting goal. But, for now, I'm focusing on just getting to my original WW goal weight. Baby steps right? One foot in front of the other. As long as you're on track to success, it's a wonderful feeling. 

NOW, to get my butt exercising!

Weigh In Day

So, today was weigh in day. It's been 1 whole week since I've re-directed my focus. It's been a week since I wrote down my weight goals and gained some motivation. It's been 1 whole week since I started writing down EVERYTHING I eat. It's been a week and I feel GREAT! Who wouldn't feel great when they stand on a scale and see that they had a weight loss of. . . 

6 POUNDS!!

Um, ya. I was really stoked about that! 

Now, to come off my pedestal. I realize the first week is a week where you lose more easily. I realize a lot of water weight comes off at first. I've done this ALL before when originally doing WW and after having each of my kids. So, ya. I know. I watch Biggest Loser. I see the dramatic weight losses in week 1. This being said, I still believe that this is a triumph. This is a week where it's VERY EASY to go back to old ways, to old habits. This is a week where you can deviate and think, "what the heck, I'll start this whole lifestyle change 'NEXT WEEK' ", but I didn't do that. I'm NOT gonna do that. And I'm most definitely NOT gonna do that even if the scale says something not quit so exciting next week! I'm on a roll and am determined to meet my goals! I will lose the weight I wanna get rid off. I WILL do this! 

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, I don't have anything really motivational to write this week. I haven't done exceptionally bad, but I haven't done anything fantastic either! It's all good. There's no gain, no loss, just stayed the same! Can't really complain about that I guess.

We have family in town and not sure how long they are staying. It's making it difficult to stay focused as we are going going going, but I'm trying my best! I'm hoping that I have a loss next week despite all the chaos around me ;) 

I also haven't been around to all the great blogs that motivate me as much as usual. That is key to my motivation. It really is. I just really haven't had the time, but I don't wanna make excuses. I just need to make the time. It's all about priorities and weight loss is definitely one of them!! We also need to make the time to ride our bikes again even with family in town. We were really disappointed a few days back to come out to the garage and see that my hubby's tires on his brand new bike were both flat. SERIOUSLY, what is up with that? It's not like we were cheap on what we spent on these lovely exercise apparatuses. Oh well. My hubby bought a pump and some new tubes for his tires and hopefully he gets out and fixes them really quick and we can get back to our fun bike riding exercise excursions! 

Well, I'm rambling on and on! Just not sure what to say, but wanting to be sure to post because when I don't, I don't have as much accountability with my goals with losing weight :) 

I hope everyone did fantastic this past week!! Let's keep our focus and be sure to motivate each other along the way! :)

Fitness on Fridays!!

Alright Alright, it's Friday again and I didn't post once this week on this blog. SHEESH! I'm awful! It's been a busy week with Mother's Day weekend and our Anniversary, so I sort of have an excuse I guess. But, I truly need to post more often and also need to plan my week ahead dinner wise, so I have everything I need for meals (plus it saves money).

Anyways, this week didn't start out well. We went to my grandma's house and all they had was horribly fattening food this past Sunday. Luckily, I hadn't eaten more than about 6 points all day, so I had some to spare. I had a small portion of Lasagna (which I know is a killer!). Then, I brought the Chips Ahoy dessert, which I've mentioned before in other posts,(THANKS LORIE for the recipe!) to grandma's so I'd know I'd have something I knew I could eat. (It's only 2 pts a serving). My hubby had a terrific idea to add just a little bit of sugar free carmel on the cookies as you layer it and it was delicious! It didn't even add points. I think the dessert went down in pts per serving as I didn't do the double layer of whip cream (only used half of what the recipe calls for). Long story short. . . or NOT, it was delicious. The BEST part was EVERYONE at the house LOVED it and it was gone within 5 minutes! I told them all AFTER they ate it how low calorie it was and they were shocked! Score one for Low Point Desserts, YIPPEE!!

Monday was our Anniversary and we decided to eat at PF Changs. I know I know, I shouldn't be admitting this to you all as this is a motivation blog, but I thought I'd be straight up honest. Let me digress here and let you all know that I rarely if ever even touch my "flex" points with WW. Although I do know I used those all up, plus some this week, it was fun to go out with my hubby. Previously when I've done WW (I'm a lifetime member now just trying to lose the baby weight and get back to goal), I usually would have 1 time during the week where I could eat something high in points (usually after my weigh in). I didn't do it every week, but I did find that it helped keep me going and motivated. I knew that if I was GOOD ALL WEEK LONG, I could splurge just a little bit. In essence, I guess I was just really using my flex points. Okay, I'm probably not making sense, but that's my tangent for the day. 

Anyways, we went to PF Changs and it was delicious! I enjoyed every bite. I can't say the same for that evening. It's been a pretty long time since I've eaten like that and my stomach was sure not used to it. I guess I can see that as a good thing as it made me not wanna eat the leftovers (I threw them out, YAY) and detracted me from wanting to eat like that again for awhile :)

After our Anniversary, I was set into full gear to do well this week, ESPECIALLY after looking at the damage I'd done weight wise on the scale. It's amazing how quickly you can gain and how much work it takes to lose.  So, I buckled down and stayed in my points the entire week, but was really worried I was gonna gain as I truly gained A LOT from that darn delicious restaurant. BUT, to my utter amazement, I have lost almost 2 pounds this week! Can you believe it? I sure can't! My goal of getting to my "goal weight" before my MIL gets home from her mission is looking more and more attainable each and everyday! I'm just so excited and super motivated.

Now, to slap myself on the wrist with a ruler! I still didn't do any official exercise. This being getting on a treadmill or something of the sort. I went on walks and chased kids, etc, but didn't meet my goal of exercising at least 3 times. SO, I'm making the goal again this week and AM DETERMINED to come back here and let you all (is anyone really out here listening to my long winded posts anyways, LOL) know that I DID IT!! Hold me accountable, would ya? ;)

Alright, I've said enough to put you all asleep. I hope everyone had a terrific week and I'm going to make an honest effort to get posting more often on this blog. I need to plan the week recipe wise and do some recipe reviews, etc. 

As one of my new blogging friends would say, 

''SENDING SKINNY THOUGHTS YOUR WAY!"

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 :)

I'M GONNA LOSE WEIGHT!

So, I've decided to start this blog as a way for me to motivate myself even more to lose weight. I feel more accountable by posting my progress and my accomplishments as well as set backs. It's my hope that by keeping up with my posts here, I can get back to my goal weight with WW quickly and then lose more beyond that! 

I've been REALLY motivated this past week after getting back from vacation to have NO EXCUSES and eat right, drink my water and exercise! It's helped me a lot to visit other blogs who talk about losing weight and the journey they are on. I've found great motivation there!! I've got tons of new recipes and have made some good bloggy friends who help me to keep on going with my determination to lose weight.

I am a participant in Fitness on Friday, which you can find on Bye Bye Fat Mom! It's a great place to check in with others who are trying to lose weight and be more active. If you haven't stopped by, be sure to check it out. 

For now, I thought I'd share some recipes I found on Honey I Shrank Myself. I LOVE this blog and all the encouragement it gives me. Plus, she's always posting terrific recipes that are not only WW compliant, but TOTALLY delicious!! 

I made these yesterday:

Slow Cooker Lasagna:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
28 oz. canned crushed tomatoes
15 oz. canned tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
6 no cook lasagna noodles
~
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add beef, onion, and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently and breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil, and crushed red pepper; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.Meanwhile in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup mozzarella cheese.Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into 5 quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of the ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting at least 6 hours.Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese over top of mixture. Cover and continue cooking until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes.
Makes 6 generous servings.
8 WW Points Make sure you check the points based on the ingredients you use.

OKAY AND WHEN THIS SAYS GENEROUS SERVINGS, IT'S LITERALLY TRUE!! YAY!!!

I also made:

Chips Ahoy Dessert

~
1/2 cup fat free milk
18 reduced fat Chips Ahoy Cookies
2 cups fat free milk
1 8 oz. fat free Cool Whip
1 small box chocolate fat free, sugar free pudding mix
~
Pour 1/2 cup of the milk in a shallow bowl. Dip cookies in the milk very briefly and line 8 X 8 dish with them. Take 1/2 the Cool Whip and spread over cookies. Mix the chocolate pudding with 2 cups milk. Layer over top of Cool Whip. Dip next 9 cookies in the milk and lay on top of pudding. Top with remaining Cool Whip. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
Makes 9 servings, 2 WW points.

ALL of these were delicious and SO FILLING!! Loved them!

Oh and today my hubby and I took our kids swimming, so while it may have NOT been a total work out, at least we weren't home sitting around :)

Okay, there's my first post! I'll get more added on here soon! I'm excited at least have this blog up and running! YIPPEE!