Stats - Week 3

I am a day late writing this, but I did weight and measure yesterday...with NO change. Not a pound, not an inch, nada. BUT, I'm ok with this. My birthday was on Monday and it was an eventful weekend. Thursday night I had margaritas with my girls, Saturday night my hubby treated me to dinner at a local grill, and Monday night we had ice cream and a yummy chicken alfredo for dinner. I know, I know..that's too much cheating!!! But its also why I'm not disappointed in my results. I'm relieved, actually as I thought I would get back to my starting weight.

I'm trying to get back on track this week, and its a struggle. Things are so insanely busy right now that finding the time to count points and diet is so difficult, let alone get any exercise. But I am proud of myself for not giving up completely as I usually would during a crazy time like this and I really am doing the best I can.

Next week is going to be nuts. I have to turn in my final project for school on Tuesday, Wednesday night we have the final walk through in the house, Thursday morning I have a job interview, and Thursday afternoon we are closing on our house!!! If I survive, I'll be sure to let you all know. :)

Deep-Dish Pizza Casserole

Talk about a recipe that even your husband will drool over!! I made this casserole the other night for dinner and it was amazing! Making 6 servings, at 6 points a piece, it is the perfect dinner size, and one serving is enough to make you (and any men in your life) nice and full!

Again, I apologize for the numerous steps. I'm a timid cooker, so breaking it down to every little step is so helpful to me!

Deep-Dish Pizza Casserole

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
1 (15 ounce) can chunky Italian-style tomato sauce (I used Ragu tomato, garlic, and onion)
1 (10 ounce) tube refrigerated pizza crust dough
6 slices part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Cook the meat in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until browned and crumbly. Drain and return to skillet.

3. Add tomato sauce, and cook until heated

4. Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

5. Unroll pizza crust dough, and press into bottom and halfway up the sides of the baking dish.

6. Line the pizza crust with 3 slices of mozzarella cheese (I cut them in half to cover more area)

7. Top with meat mixture, and bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes.

8. Top with remaining 3 cheese slices, and bake an additional 5 fimunes or until crust is brown and cheese melts.

9. Cool 5 minutes before serving

6 Servings
6 Points each serving

A Sure Sign of Summer

Besides the AMAZING 75 degree day we saw here in Maine yesterday, while shopping last weekend, I saw real, yummy, FRESH strawberries!! Strawberries are by far my favorite fruit, and are just horrible during the winter months. So all week long I was treated to this yummy breakfast and reminded of the warm weather ahead! And the best part?? Strawberries are one of the lowest point fruits..at 1 point a cup. :)

The Biggest Loser

If you have never seen this show, you MUST tune in when it comes back next October. This was my first full season watching, and I have been more inspired by this group of individuals than I ever have been before. The HEALTHY transformations these people make in their bodies, their lifestyles, and their minds are just incredible. Its easy to say "Well I could do that if I had trainers like Bob and Jillian to kick my ass too" but all over the country people are using this show as inspiration and losing tons of weight. Over the past few months I've learned more types of exercise, ways to eat healthy,and most importantly, that weight loss CAN happen.

I can't get over the before and after pictures of these people. Maybe they mean more to me because I watched the show religiously and feel like I got to know them, but I just had to share,and hope that they inspire some of you like they did me. This isn't everyone..for a full set of pictures go to http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser_5/photos/index.shtml but here are my favorites:

Ali (the winner!)
Before
After

Roger (Runner-Up)
Before

After

Mark and Jay, Brothers from Massachusetts (Yay New England!)
Before

After (Aren't they SO cute???!!!)

Kelly (Second Runner-Up)
Before

After

Dan and Jackie (Son and Mom)
Before

After

Brittany, (my hubby's fav..hehe) and Bernie
Before

After
Bernie was the At-Home Biggest Loser!

Curtis and Mallory (Husband and Wife)
Before

After

Amazing! Thanks for the inspiration!

Stats - Week Two

So after two full weeks of my new program, I decided to weigh in and measure. Much to my surprise I am seeing some results!

Weight: 163 (-2)

Bust: 37 in (no change)
Waist: 33.5 in (-1.5)
Hips: 42.25 in (-1.25)

BMI: 25.5 (-.3)

I am so excited to be seeing some change! I'm definitely on track, and this keeps me motivated!

Can't....give.....up.....

So I am almost two full weeks into my new weight loss adventure, and man, its HARD. I think losing weight would be a cinch if life just didn't get in the way. This weekend my friend Kristen came to town and we ended up enjoying beverages and going out to eat and I didn't even attempt to count my points. While I know I went over, I am really proud of myself though for making healthier decisions, out and at home. At home, instead of making really bad for you dip, I enjoyed chips and salsa (0 points for the salsa). Saturday morning we went to a diner for breakfast. I LOVE diners, and I LOOOOOVE french toast at diners which is definitely not the healthiest choice. Instead I went for an omlette with raisin toast, and it was just as great! Saturday night we went out for wings, and instead of wings I got a grilled chicken wrap. So, while I didn't 100% stick to it this weekend, I think I did a good job of making better choices while having a friend in town.

The hardest part for me right now is definitely getting the exercise I should be. I like the gym, I used to despise it, but this winter I was going pretty regularly and started enjoying it, much to my surprise. But the past few months, (WARNING: Here come the excuses!!), life has gotten insanely busy. I'm taking the hardest class of my life. One three credit, should be 10 credit, class takes up many of my evenings with extensive reading, group work and papers. We're also closing on our first house on May 1, so we're really busy with getting ready to move on top of the end of the semester craziness. Finding time to go to the gym, is just really hard. I am trying to walk more though just to get moving, but (I can't believe I'm saying this), I miss the elliptical and weight machines at the gym..I just always felt so good about myself after..and that's something I've been missing for several weeks now.

This week is supposed to be gorgeous outside. I know I'm struggling to fit into my warm weather clothes, so hopefully this will give me the kick in the butt I need. If I could just get to the gym once......better than none right?

Red Sox!!

So Jim and I are both really big Red Sox fans, and last week, our friend Eric called Jim saying he had gotten tickets to Opening Day and that he wanted to treat us! So on Tuesday we played hookey, drove to Boston, met up with Eric and Jon, and off to Fenway we went. It was a blast. We got to see the World Series Ring Ceremony, hear the Boston Pops, see Bill Buckner throw the first pitch, see Steven Tyler sing "God Bless America," and best of all, see the Sox blow out the Tigers at their home opener. Thanks again Eric for such a great day!

Here are some pics I took!

Me and My Hubby

The whole crew, Eric, Jim, Me, Jon

All lined up for the ring ceremony

2007 World Champs!

Championship Banners

Corn Chowder

As I write about my adventures in weight loss, I'd also like to add on here the yummy recipes I'm finding along the way, one because if its here I won't lose it :), and two because hopefully those of you who read this blog will enjoy some of these two.

The first recipe is from my friend Angie. It's a delicious corn chowder that I made last night. While I was cooking, Jim was raving about his mom's yummy chowder and I was very nervous that this wouldn't be up to par, but by the time he finished his first bite, he was raving, and didn't stop until a good hour after dinner. So, thumbs up on this one..its a keeper!

Corn Chowder

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons water
1 onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (about one can)
2 medium all purpose potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups whole corn kernels (about one can)
1/4 cup light cream
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium pot, over medium-high heat, saute the onion, 2 teaspoons of water (or olive oil) until soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the chicken broth and potatoes, bring to a boil.

3. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are almost tender, about 10-15 minutes.

4. Stir in the corn, simmer 5 minutes longer.

5. Remove from heat, cool slighty.

6. Transfer 2 cups of soup to food processor or blender, puree.

7. Pour back into the saucepan, stir in the cream and heat to serving temperature.

8. Add salt and or pepper to taste (optional) and serve warm!

Makes 4 servings at 4 points each. Yummmy!

Grocery Shopping

So part of getting healthy is learning how to grocery shop right. And for me, that means having the right recipes. My husband and I are on a really strict grocery budget, so when I go shopping on the weekend it is just for meals for the week and a few snacks. Lately, given the lovely economy, I've noticed the pile in my cart getting smaller by the week while the total grocery bill gets higher. This week, as I am trying to get both myself and my husband healthier, I decided to try some new things for lunch, dinner, and snacks. When I made out my grocery list it was almost double the length it normally is and I was definitely panicked. At the grocery store though, I noticed that I was spending most of my time in the fresh foods, and far less time in the aisles where all the processed food lives.

Even so, as I wrapped up my shopping adventure and put all the food on the belt, I was definitely feeling nervous. My cart was much more full than usual, and filled up the entire lenght of the belt.

The verdict...$6 UNDER budget!! I was thrilled! Yay for fresh food! That's definitely motivation to keep shopping like this!

Moral of the story: stay away from the pre-packaged ickies, buy fresh, and save money!

The true verdict was to come when I got home however. Now, I love my husband, but he's not a big fan of much that isn't round with chocolate chips in it, or covered in cheese. While most of the stuff I bought was for meals, the hard part is figuring out how to make healthy snacking enjoyable too. We're still working on that, but I've found that if I make baggies of veggies, and even bag up the crackers in the house into smaller portions, snacking isn't so bad. And ice pops are awesome, at only 2 points each. Jim loves to eat little sandwiches for snacks, so some low-carb wraps at one point each, definitely make a difference when compared to two slices of bread at 2 points each. If anyone has any good healthy snack ideas and tips though, I'd really love them!

I've also discovered that healthy lunches come SO much easier if you just do a little prep at home over the weekend. Saturday I chopped up all the peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and fruit that I bought, and this morning, I was able to whip up some wraps for us (4pts each) in the same amount of time it takes to throw together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (8pts each). When you put in a little extra effort, this eating right thing isn't so bad after all. :)

Me :)

So I realized I haven't posted a picture of myself yet. I honestly don't have a single recent photograph of myself, which is weird because I take pictures all the time. Maybe that's the problem..I'm always behind the lens :)

So here is a picture of me, from my rehearsal dinner last July, (with my two studly bros). This is me at my thinnest, and about 15 pounds lighter than I am now, at 150 pounds. The difference always shows in my face, my arms, and my stomach and love handles. Awesome.

So, I'd very much like to look like this again soon, and hopefully be a little thinner in the end. Think I can do it? I do :)

I'll try to take a picture of myself this weekend and post it..it might make for some good motivation :)

Finding My Groove

Well, I've gotten through the first five days of my new diet, and I'm still really excited about it!! Counting points has been a lot easier than I thought it would, and with the support of some awesome friends, my hubby, and even writing in this blog, my motivation is way up there.

I did work out twice this week and I'm going to do some tonight too. Yesterday the weather was gorgeous and I went for a nice walk with just my ipod and my thoughts, and it was perfect. I can feel it in my legs today. I know that getting to the gym is really important too, but I'm going to take advantage of the new nice weather we are getting!

I've stayed in my points range every day this week except for that day we don't talk about with the taco salad..lol. I'm really hoping to see some results when I weigh in and measure next Wednesday.

This weekend should be interesting. I know overall I either don't eat enough or eat too much on weekends so I really have to pay attention to what I'm doing. I also don't drink enough water, so I need to pay attention to that too. Next week we are traveling to Boston for opening day at Fenway Park (oh you know you're jealous!), so it will be interesting to see how I do on the road too.

Stats - The Start

So this morning I did my "official" weigh-in/measurement taking. When I weighed myself the other day it was at the end of the day which they say not to do, and low and behold, I'm two pounds lighter in the morning! So mornings will be my time to weigh in :)

So, here are the beginning stats. I'll update every Wednesday and pray they are going down!

Starting Weight: 165lbs

Bust: 37 in
Waist: 35 in
Hips: 43.5 in

Calculated BMI: 25.8 Officially overweight :(
Normal BMI range is 18.5-24.9 as per the Health and Human Services Calculator (http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/)

So, there's my motivation. Yesterday I ate a total of 25 points, my maximum alloted points for the day, but I'm really proud of myself because I was starving during class and forced myself to just drink water instead of eating more..and it worked! I was also very tempted to snack after dinner but held off and stuck to my points.

Next week I'm going to try some yummy new recipes which are low in points so keep an eye out!

Big Oops!

So yesterday, my first big day of counting points, I went to bed thinking I had nailed it! My total points for the day were 22, out of my allotted 20-25. I ate moderately throughout the day, and made a oh-so-yummy 10-point taco salad for dinner. I drank water with dinner, and didn't snack before bed.

So today, just because, I decided to double check my points on the taco salad to make sure I had it right. Um, yeah, I read the wrong line for "beef" and my 10-point taco salad quickly became a whopping 22 points!! Ooops!! So I actually finished the day with 34.5 points. Not such a great start after all.

I also didn't exercise yesterday like I planned, but in my defense I went to bed at 7:00pm with an awful sore throat and unfinished homework. I know though, excuses, excuses (this is where you yell at me).

I joined a program at work to get people active, and you qualify to win a sweet prize (I want to say like $200 bucks?) if you meet your goals for 8 of the 12 weeks. My goals are to work out for 30 minutes a day, 4 days a week. So far, I haven't done any. And I have to meet my goal this week or I'm out of the running, since this is week 5. So, tonight is class, and tomorrow I'm working out. I swear.