Monday 2-28

Today we are back to the grind. I had been getting bored with my toast with yogurt or Puffin cereal for breakfast so I tried to mix it up today, with yummy results. I took my skinny bun toast and spread 1 Tbsp of Neutchatel cheese on top, then I sprinkled my Splenda/Cinnamon combo on top. It's like dessert and only 174 calories.

While “P” was in preschool, “V” and I met up with “S” and her daughter “V” to walk around the mall. She introduced me to a GPS tracking app called imapmyrun which she uses all of the time. So we both started our walk and did 2 ½ laps around the mall which left us at the play area in front of JCPenneys. Imapmyrun says we did 2.55 miles in 38 minutes. Taking into account my hungry child who needed me to pause to get snacks frequently, we were walking 4 mph! Awesome! I was guessing this was my rate, but now I know! So the both “V” children played happily and we took our little break. “S” was about to weigh in for her big Biggest Loser Competition, for this one the winner gets $1300, and “S”s sister is in the running for the win! Please wish “S” and her sister “C” luck; they have worked so hard, and look way skinnier!

So we then headed back to preschool for a board meeting which ended up taking longer than I had anticipated. We got home just in time to be late for naptime. But now both kids are down, and I am thinking of having tortilla pizzas tonight. We used to have these all of the time, but not for a while. We’ll see.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-28

Sunday 2-27

The party last night was low key and super fun. Got to hang out with lots of great friends, it was just what I needed after recovering from shoveling (so sore!). I ended up splurging on pizza and cake, but our gracious hosts, the "H" Family offered salad and carrots to snack on as well, which was awesome. She is also doing Biggest Loser; it’s great to have such great support from my friends. We had a wonderful time at “E”s birthday, and “E” seemed to really enjoy herself as well!

Today we had the “H” family over for lunch and sledding before another birthday party! So when they got here at 11:30, we headed across the street for some sledding. The “H” family is from San Jose, so this was their first family sledding trip, and we all had a blast. Our older kids were sledding machines, while the younger kids preferred to eat the snow. But we had so much fun; even the adults all had at least one run! SO FUN! I served a low-cal tortilla soup with my homemade guacamole, I thought it was great, and everyone else really liked it. My big mistake was my Mike’s Hard Limeade. I thought I would indulge; I had no idea that each bottle has 220 calories! I could have drunk almost 4 Skinny Bitches for that, and felt drunk! This may be my farewell to Chick Beers! Bummer, what a waste!

            So then we all headed to “I”s first birthday at the Playroom, what a great party! There were tons of kids and lots of friends. I also behaved here, eating salad (“I”s mommy is also a Biggest Loser) and just one slice of pizza (Lamppost Pizza rocks!) I was entering my food on my new phone app MFP, and decided to have ice cream and not cake (we had cake yesterday) which was a great treat. It was a great day, and now I am looking forward to a quiet evening with Jeff watching Amazing Race. Goodnight!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-27.

Sat 2-26

Today was productive. Got an early start and headed out to run some errands. First stop was Sprint, and I got a new Smartphone! Now I can keep tabs on my eating with MyFitnessPal on the go! So excited! Oh yeah, and I am a total addict for Angry Birds. So that was awesome. Did a little shopping as well. I planned ahead and brought sandwiches for “P” and “V” and some healthy snacks for “J” and me, so we wouldn’t be tempted to eat out. So we returned home with lots of bags and the kids watched Kipper and “J” and I had leftovers for lunch. He had the Red Snapper Parm from last night, BTW, here is the picture:

And I had the leftover quinoa. He had bought some Peppadews at Safeway, so I used those to stuff my quinoa into. Delish! So now we are getting the kids ready to nap so we can all be refreshed for sweet little “E”s  1^st Birthday Party tonight. I knew we would be eating at a party tonight, so I ate light today to save my calories for whatever is being served tonight. Now if only I can behave! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-26.

Friday 2-25

snow, Snow, SNOW! So it is dumping here, a true winter wonderland. Last night’s Quinoa Primavera was unbelievable. Even “J” loved it, and he is not so hot about meatless dishes. So here it is:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
1 tsp vegetable bouillon (optional)
2 oz 1/2 less-fat cream cheese
1/2 tsp dried basil
1.5 tsp butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 cups thinly sliced or bite-size pieces assorted vegetables (I used zucchini, red bell peppers and onions)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Rinse quinoa thoroughly; drain. In 2-quart saucepan, heat quinoa and water/bouillon to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until all broth is absorbed. Stir in cream cheese and basil; cover and remove from heat.
2. In nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook garlic in butter about 30 seconds, stirring frequently, until golden. Stir in vegetables. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender.
3. Toss vegetables and quinoa mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Nutritional Info:
Cal 261, Fat 7g, Chol 13mg, Sod 302mg, Carbs 40g, Fiber 5g, Protein 10g

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

             I actually substituted some leftover Gourmet Garden Italian Herb Paste in lieu of dried basil, it was like pesto, yum! Also, I entered my ingredients to MFP, and found each serving to be only 249 calories per serving, even better! I served it with sliced heirloom tomatoes, and the hubby and kids had garlic cheese bread. It was filling and delicious. The kids were not huge fans, but they are both kind of anti-food. “P” swore she loved it, but took forever to eat it! Whatever.
            Buzz Lightyear's birthday cake turned out ok. The pineapple settled in the bottom so it is really more of the consistency of a brownie or lemon bar. I used a deluxe cake mix, so that may have been the problem. I haven't been eating much sweets, so I thought it was great, everyone else was a little ho-hum. I'll try again.

Then we headed to Winco to stock up on the basics. It turns out quinoa is way cheaper there in bulk. Also bought some more angel food cake for round two on low-cal cake. We also stocked up on my skinny buns and some fish for tonight.

“J” headed out after we were home and the kids were in bed to meet a friend for a drink so I had a quiet evening by myself. Problem was, because dinner was so low-cal, I was only at 1,000 calories for the day, so I treated myself to some yummy cheese and Girl Scout cookies to bring me up to at least 1200.  It totally felt like cheating, but I know better than to go below 1200 calories!

Today we are laying low as preschool is cancelled. I was excited to burn some calories shoveling snow and boy did I. Took me 45 minutes to do the driveway and the sidewalk, 364 calories! Decided to try out some chocolate milk afterwards after reading this study: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/superfoods/chocolate-milk-after-workout/

What a tasty treat! Looking up some recipes for Red Snapper tonight, thinking parmesan. I’ll let you know how it turns out! Here's my diary: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-25.

Thurs 2-24

So last night was a hit. I was glad that I had looked over the menu before I went to dinner, it totally saved me. Ended up with the Cajun Chicken sandwich, and about 3/4 of the fries. It was a great splurge, but not too terribly high in calories. It was so nice to have a night out with friends. Plus we planned some really fun events for the Rugrats.

Weather sucks again so I am confined to the house again. The kids and I went to Raley's today to pick up some ingredients for a Quinoa Primavera that someone posted on MFP. Haven't tried quinoa yet, so if it as good as they all say, I will post it tomorrow. Also, going to try a simple cake recipe, that is only 164 calories per serving, this is easy

1 box angel food cake mix
1 can crushed pineapple

Mix, bake at 350 for 30 minutes in a 13x 9 sprayed with Pam.

Sounds great, we are gonna try it tonight. Whenever I make a cake, we say it is one of the kid's toy's birthdays, so tonight it will be Buzz Lightyear’s birthday party. Only problem is, "V" wants to do it up with a piñata and everything, lol! At least both kids are excited to help me make the cake. Hoping to head to Winco tonight with the whole fam to stock up, we'll see what time "J" gets home. Everyone stay warm!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-24.

Wed, 2-23

Fish tacos last night were awesome. I even allotted myself some homemade guac and chips. Plus, it is one of those things that the whole family will eat, super unusual for us!

Had another great day today. Took "P" to preschool and "V" and I headed to Sparks Marina. We did the loop 2 times. I looked up the mileage and it says 1.78 miles. I am not sure if that includes the peninsula or not. Sure wish I had a GPS to track all of this. Either way, I was pushing the stroller, so I estimated that I walked at about 4mph, I was booking it! Ad even if it was slightly less, I was pushing about 40 lbs! Both way, it was chilly, and poor "V" was not happy. I ended up stopping after the first loop to get him some mittens and a warmer hat. It was fun, but I definitely prefer to walk with friends, then time just flies by!

As far as food today, I have mostly been on my best behavior. I ate lots of veggies; so many that we need to stock up again. Of course, every day when 4 o'clock hits, I am ravenous! So today I went a little crazy on the popcorn. But I figured now I am going into dinnertime with a clear head, not filled with "eat, Eat, EAT!" I have been on my best behavior because we have a board meeting for the Reno Rugrats tonight at Legends Bar and Grill. They do have some healthier options; I just am going to have to estimate the calories for whatever I eat. Looks like I will be going for the Cajun Chicken Sandwich. I went by everything the menu said, but I had to estimate on the fries, just hit generic restaurant fries. Should be a fun! Can't wait for my night out!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-23.

Tues, 2-22 Weigh-in Day!

Started out this day with a little bit more encouragement, weighed in on the Wii, and found I lost 1.3 more lbs! How exciting. This is all paying off, now at 172.6; I am more than half way to my goal of losing 10lbs. Wonder if I can do 15? That would put me right where I want to be, we'll see! View my food and exercise diary at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-22.

So we met up with my Biggest Loser club today so we could walk at the mall. I cheated and showed up a half an hour early so I could get in two extra laps. So we all met up and did two quick laps and let the kids play at the play area. Then the kids were ravenous, so we headed to the food court. All of the kids are members of the Kidgets Club at Meadowwod Mall, which I highly recommend. For an annual fee of $5, your kid gets to spin the wheel for a prize every time you visit the mall, and a coupon sheet. The coupon sheet includes a coupon for one free item at Hot Dog on a Stick, which totally pleases "P" & "V." They ate PB&J's with HDOAS fries and Limeade as well as the lunch I packed for each of us, so I was barely even tempted by the food court food. Then we headed out for two more quick laps, just about 5 miles walked today!

Now at home I am doing light housework and thinking of making fish tacos for dinner.
Here's my recipe, serves two people two tacos:


Corn Tortillas
8 Fish sticks cooked according to box
2 cups shredded green cabbage
Sprinkle of cheddar cheese
Medium salsa

For sauce:
6oz Greek Nonfat Plain Yogurt
Mix in:
 -¼ tsp kosher salt
-3 tsp lemon juice
-cayenne pepper to taste, I use about ¼ tsp

Assemble as you would a taco, tortilla, 2 fish sticks, sauce, cabbage, cheese, salsa. Enjoy!

Yummy and only 390 calories for two tacos! Enjoy!

Mon, 2-21

What a great holiday weekend. "J" ended up working a half day, which meant I spent the first half of the day doing Wii Yoga and 4 loads of laundry. I don't count laundry as exercise because I have done it for my entire life, and I wasn't always skinny. So if I burnt some extra calories, then bonus! So when "J" got home, we loaded up the kids and headed across the street to the park again for some sledding. We spent a good hour there, well into naptime. It was so much fun! "J" and I even went down together once, man do we fly! So during naptime we finished our taxes and I did a little scrapbooking. Then we did some downsizing with my daughter "P's" artwork. She probably draws about 10 pictures a day, so we made a keep-it pile and a recycle pile. Major improvement.
For dinner we headed to BJ's and I realized that going into dinner, I was less than 600 of my 1800, so I knew I could splurge a little. So I had the Garden Veggie Potato (ginormous) and a wedge salad. Ususally I would never order a wedge salad, I know that there is little nutritional value in iceberg, but it sounded good, and I didn't want MFP yelling at me again for being under 1200 calories. Little did I know I would come closer than I ever have before to my 1800 goal. I hit 1750, but minus my exercise, I was at net 1290. Looks like I over did it a little. Makes me really nervous about the weigh in tomorrow. I know I have been really good about my diet and exercising everyday, but I really hope to see more improvement. Stay tuned for the results tomorrow!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-21.

Sun, 2-20

So I had a blast last night, and totally behaved. Mostly ate my popcorn that I brought, and had a slice of angel cake and strawberries (only 130 calories for a huge honking piece!) and a small amount of bean dip that was delicious, and mostly healthy. I avoided one of the most tempting things, "K's" famous homemade banana bread. It smelled delicious but totally not low cal! So I resisted, I wasn't all that hungry anyway. As far as alcohol, my husband "J" and I have a deal, we never drive after more than two cocktails, so I wasn't even tempted to continue after my two "Skinny Bitches." We played Scrabble Upwords and laughed all night, I swear it should count as exercise, my stomach hurts! After our game ended, "S", "K", "E" and I decided it was too early to end the night, so we broke out Just Dance, and danced for at least 30 minutes. We did so many fun dances, I think we convinced "E" to go buy it, what fun exercise! This girl’s night was long overdue, and it was so nice to just be together. So finally, at 1:30am, we all went home all sweaty. It was so nice mixing our great friendships with great food, and topping it all off with great fun exercise together!

Today started with breakfast out, as we try to do at least once a weekend. “J” suggested my favorite, McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin with Egg, but I stayed strong. Instead we went to this great little place called Uncle Vinny’s in Sparks. They have amazing pizza and awesome breakfast. So I started my day with a vegetarian omelet with a side of fruit not hash browns, and was totally satisfied. I even indulged in some toast and was stuffed. I even resisted the urge to finish “V’s” Belgian Waffle, as I normally do. I thought twice and I wasn’t actually hungry! Then we hit the Thrift stores, and I found this adorable Lucky Brand lightweight coat for 7 bucks, plus I had a coupon. Also scored and Oscar de la Renta sweater for “J”, another great find. I stocked up on some paperbacks for our trip to Ireland, “Fast Food Nation” and a Nicolas Sparks book. Just to have something just to read and leave there. Also found a beautiful aluminum queen headboard to use for a garden trellis for the grapes we are planting in a few months. We have been looking forever, and this is totally it, especially for 30 bucks! As we were leaving, everyone told us how beautiful it was, I knew this was a total score.

Upon returning home, we unloaded, dressed the kids warmly, and headed across the street to the park for some snow shoeing with kids in tow on sleds, and sledding. I thought I was super weak, then my two year old “V” hopped off. He is getting heavy! We were there for about an hour and the snow shoeing was a great workout, I just can’t wait until the kids can keep up in their own snow shoes, maybe next year?

So we are laying low tonight, “J” is out buying the fixins for Omaha Steak Burgers and a side salad. Healthy, but will fulfill the burger urge. At least it isn’t corn fed steak. (Side note: Everyone should watch King Corn on Netflix streaming or check it out. It will totally change your attitude about meat.) Excited that we have one more day of weekend, Happy Presidents Day!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-20.

Sat, 2-19

So today was very good. Our house is a winter wonderland; the snow didn't stop at all last night. It was unfortunate that I had to cancel a girl’s get together, but it has been rescheduled for tonight. We went to a friend's house for lunch today, which was nice; we have been trying to get together for over 2 months now! She served some awesome homemade food, Chicken tortilla soup, jalapeño corn bread and for dessert, homemade rum cake- YUM! I was on my best behavior and only ate one serving of each. It was tough!

Of course the minute I got home I was searching through MFP for comps to what I ate, and was not too surprised to find that including dessert, I had just had a 696 calorie lunch, and it was worth every calorie. So while the kids and "J" were napping, I hit the Wii Fitness Plus, did 30 minutes of yoga, and then advanced step for another 30 minutes. (Trying to work up some padding for my girls night tonight), and according to the Wii, I burned 228 calories, which of course, makes it like I never ate the Rum Cake, LOL!

So dinner was a fridge full of leftovers for everyone else, and some of my famous Black bean Chicken Chili with Jell-O for dessert. Holy cow! I had forgotten about Jell-O! It is super low calorie, but has just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. This is going to become a new staple in my new lifestyle. And it certainly will be beneficial to my hair and nails, lol.

So I am about to head to my dear friend "S's" house, to meet up with "K" and "E." I am bringing air popped popcorn to snack on and my favorite cocktail, the "Skinny Bitch" (Diet coke and Vodka, the lowest calorie cocktail) so I don't blow the whole day. Luckily, "S", "K" and "E" are all on the healthy track so there won't be too much temptation, but wish me luck nevertheless!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-19

Friday 2-18

So we have been totally snowed in, which is a blessing in disguise. First of all, this desert needs this; second of all, I have been getting a great workout shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. However, my Wii workouts have been getting a little monotonous; I would rather be on a long walk outside! Hoping this weekend brings opportunity to do some snowshoeing with the fam. I have been cruising the message boards at MFP.com, and feeling a lot of encouragement. On particular topic kind of blows my mind, which is the cheat day. Lots of people are saying it is necessary to have a cheat day, that it can prevent you from hitting a plateau. It just feels wrong. So far I am pretty sure that I am still losing, but when it stops, maybe I will give it a try. Plus, I am heading to a friend’s house for lunch, maybe that will be a splurge! Here's the diary, still counting calories, but not depriving myself!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-18.

Thursday, 2-17

Just trudging along. I was mentioning to my husband "J" today that this whole thing doesn't really feel like it is working. I am pleasantly surprised that I can be full at every meal, without overdoing it, and still be losing weight! I am only planning to weigh in every Tuesday, but I know that my clothes are fitting differently. Also, every day when I finish my food diary at MFP, it say that "If you eat like this every day, in 5 weeks, you'll be ____lbs. in 5 weeks."  Today my number was down to 163! If that isn't encouraging, I don't know what is! Every day I am loving seeing this weight number go down!.so exciting to think that I could be well under my weight goal for Ireland, let's hope that their calculations are right. Check out my diary at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-17. Goodnight!

Wed 2-16

So today featured my first real splurge. I knew that we were going to the annual AGC (Associated General Contracters) SIR Awards dinner, so I planned ahead. I ate really well all day, cuz I knew I wouldn't have much control over dinner, plus this was our Valentine's date. So in preparation, I ate well, worked out for over an hour on the Wii, then shoveled the driveway and sidewalk, buring about 350 calories, this gave me a much bigger calorie allowance. I hit the highest calories, but still didn't go over, so I say it was a success. The dinner was good, and I didn't even clean my plate. I feel like I have really made some big changes, because I feel super full. Seems like even less of a diet, and more like my new lifestyle. Here is my diary: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-16. Sleep well everyone!

Mon & Tues 2-14 & 2-15

Holy Cow!
So I am a MyFitnessPal.com convert. It makes it so easy to track your calories, and exercise. I don't consider this a diet, because there are no restrictions, but it does help to make the right decisions. I have been eating between 1250-1500 calories a day and I am not depriving myself of anything! So I will continue my diary there, which you can view at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-14 and http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-15.

So the big news is I weighed in today. I could not believe my eyes when it said I had lost 4 lbs!!!
I was questioning whether this was working or not, and was talking to my husband "J" about it last night. I told him that I would be really disappointed if I had lost less than one pound. He told me not to be discouraged and that one week I may lose very little and make up for it the next week. I am fully prepared for that next week. But I thought I was noticing my jeans feeling a little loose, just thought I might be wishful thinking! So happy to see results so quickly!

So here I am, 173.9 ready to take on the next week. If only I wasn't starting it with two little sick kids! Wish me luck!

Sat & Sun 2-12 & 2-13

Well, have a friend "K" has been in town so I am lagging. Here is my diary of food, I have been using myfitnesspal.com.  which makes this whole thing a whole lot easier. Did a little Wii walk and ate pretty well, even though I had way too much fun last night!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-12 & http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-13.

Day 4, Fri 2-11

Ok, started out with even more exercise today! After I dropped P off at preschool, V and I went for a walk at Idlewild Park and met up with my friend "K" and her dog. I walked 2 miles before she came, and then we walked a little less than 6 miles together. Total = almost 8 miles! Awesome! Her dog is still learning to stay with us, and V got super cold, but overall, great! I would love to do this every Friday while P is at preschool! Getting motivated to keep doing this, and even more know that I am tracking my calories and exercise at myfitnesspal.com.
Tried to keep my calories down today, went to a Moms Night Out tonight, and I drank my calories tonight! ANd also made healthy choices with the popcorn I brought, Vegan mousse and only two Vodka Diets. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-11.

Breakfast:
1 Slim Bun
2 Tbsp Greek Yogurt

Snack:
1 cup carrots
1 cup jicama
1/2 cup blueberries

Lunch:
an avocado sandwich:
1 slim bun
spray butter
1/2 an avocado
salt and pepper
1 string cheese

Dinner:
3 BBQ'd oysters (yum yum honey!)
5oz red snapper
1/2 cup white rice
1 cup broccolli

MNO snacks:
Airpopped popcorn, 4 cups
2 vodka diets
1 small raspberry chocolate mousse

Day 3, Thurs 2-10

So day 3 started out with a lot of exercise! My mommy group had a tour of Safeway today, so I called up my friend “S” to walk there with us. I knew it was about 1 mile to meet her at the closest grocery store, so we met there. Then we walked together to Safeway, her GPS said it was 1.6 miles from her house which means that my round trip was 5 miles. Wow! I have been feeling sore from the hour of step aerobics I did yesterday, but that is because these muscles aren’t used to being used- so no excuses! The store tour was fabulous, and I even declined the complimentary cookies, fruit juice, and even the Starbucks hot chocolate! The funny thing was, I was totally going to go for it, but I kept thinking, I don’t want to write this down! The food diary is totally working! So we ended up doing a little shopping, and I found this cute little lunch box that helps to portion your food.

Breakfast:

An egg sandwich:

1 Slim Bun

1 Egg

1oz. cheddar cheese

Snack:

1 cup Jicama
2 cups air popped popcorn

Lunch:

2 cups carrots

1 med apple

1 string cheese

an avocado sandwich:

1 slim bun

½ avocado

Spray butter

Snack:
1/2 cup blueberries

Dinner:
(knew I was going out to eat tonight at BJ's so I did a little research, found out about the Lighter Options Menu, and fish tacos with chips for only 600 calories, rad! So I got that and a vodka diet, what a great night out with great company!)
Fish Tacos
Vodka Diet Coke

Met up with some good friends for a great meal, can't wait until they come to town again, so much fun with "S" and "B"! Looking forward to a relaxing night since I did all of my exercise this morning, Netflix time! 

Day 2, Wed 2-9

Wow! Just wanted to say thanks for all of the support here and on Facebook. So much pressure, now I have to do this!
Today was a busy day, had to take P to preschool, then rushed to return some rainboots to Target (found much better ones at Walmart), then V and I met up with a friend for a little Thrift shopping. Rushed back to pick up P from preschool, helped to edit the preschool cookbook, rushed to ballet class for P and then rushed home for V's nap. A whole lot of rushing around, but not very much time to exercise!
So upon returning to the house, I multitasked and ended up drying the laundry, folding it, unpacking my thrift shop finds, reading to the kids, putting V down for his nap (no complaints from him!) and doing one of my favorite Wii workouts. I have the Wii Fit Plus, so I love to go to the aerobics and choose Free-Step, go to the 30 minute duration and turn the channel to watch TV. Ended up doing about 3500 steps, and watching one of my favorite craft/cooking shows, The Katie Brown Workshop on Create. Fun, and one workout down! Diet went really well today


Breakfast:
3/4 cup Puffin Cereal
1/2 cup fat free milk

Snack:
Banana

Lunch:
1/2 an avocado on
Slim Bun
with spray butter, salt and pepper
string cheese
1 cup grapes

Dinner:
3/4 cup pasta
2 small chicken strips
1 cup artichokes & mushrooms
1/2 piece garlic bread
1 cup broccoli

Dessert:
1 WW cookies and cream bar (yummo)

Did some shopping at Winco today and stocked up on fruits and veggies, excited for dinner tomorrow night!Going to keep pounding water and do another 30 min on the Wii. Goodnight!

Day 1, Tues 2-8

OK, So I started tracking my weight with my biggest loser group. I am starting at 177.9lbs. Really hoping that I win this! So we are going to track our weight for 8 weeks, and the winner gets taken out to lunch by the losers! Either way it's a win. We decided these rules before walking around the mall; it was just too cold to walk around the Marina. So we walked twice around the perimeter of the mall which Susan said was 3/4 of a mile. Once we had lunch, the kids and I did 2 more laps. If I am not mistaken, that's 3 miles! I also want to mention, I love Slim Buns! They sell them at Winco, and are only 100 cal for both pieces! What an awesome and easy way to cut calories. Also, they are soooooo good when you toast them! Here is my food diary for today:

Breakfast:
Slim Bun toast
with 2Tbsp greek yogurt
Snack:
Bag of air popper popcorn

Lunch:
1 Tbsp Hummus
2 slices Mozzzarella
Slim Bun Toast
2 cups carrots
1 string cheese
24oz water

Dinner:
(Was craving Sushi, but headed out to Pho instead)
Vietnamese Noodle Bowl, gave most of the meat and noodles to the kids, ate all the veggies.
2.8 oz of Mmmmm Yogurt
24 oz water

Did 7 songs on Just Dance on the Wii, an easy way to burn some calories while the kids are awake. P loves "Raining Men" which is funny coming from a 5 year old, and V loves "Monster Mash" which he calls "MMM thas Gooo!" So two workouts in the day, not bad.
Think I did pretty good today, but I am still considering doing Weight Watchers, get a little more guidance. I have the POINTSfinder, and it helps, but I know that the points have recently changed. Just don't know if I can justify the price to dear husband, I did lose weight once by myself, I hope I can do it again!

Intro to Autumn!

Hello, everyone! Anyone? No one? Well, whatever! 

Here's my blog, here's my story! I have struggled with my weight for my entire adult life, and found myself at my very skinniest right after the birth of my oldest child. I lost so much weight after she was born, I was down 20 lbs from when I got pregnant. Yay! Maybe it was breastfeeding, or just healthier choices, but that was a good time! I was super confident and happy. Went on vacation to Spain, and looked pretty skinny in most of the pictures! In Spain, I got pregnant with my son. I was much smaller during this pregnancy and assumed that all would go as it had with my daughter, I would lose 20lbs beyond my prepregnancy weight. I would be one skinny mama! Not so much, I never went back down to my starting weight. Yuck!

So my husband doesn't think I even need to lose weight, but he does like happy confident wifey, so he is certainly encouraging. But loves to tell me that I look fine and what am I so worried about? So glad that my 

relationship is not dependant on  the scale. I love this man!

So here I am, 177.9lbs. It's scary to write that, and even harder to admit that. However, I am thinking positively, and after I lose all of that weight, I know I will want to know where I started. I have read a lot about the healthiest way to do this, and believe that I am setting a reasonable goal for myself at about a pound a week. My method to lose will be to exercise regularly and change my diet to healthier choices. So to keep myself in line, I will be using this blog as a food diary as well.

A group of my and my close friends are starting a Biggest Loser group, and have a seperate tracking page to track our percentage of weight lost. I will be posting my weekly weigh-ins as well, all in order to keep myself accountable! So here it goes, wish me luck!