Fun in the Sun

Well the last 3 days we have been swimming and it has been so fun. I love to swim! The bad news is that I haven't been on the treadmill. I have a feeling this might be an interesting week for my weigh in. I have been doing pretty good in regard to points and staying on track with the eating. I have figured out what my problem is though. I love to snack. Now I am much more conscious about what I put in my mouth. A handful of doritos, a packet of fruit snacks, the crust from Hudson's sandwich, etc...I used to eat these things all the time with out even thinking. Today I was talking with a friend about pre-dinner eating. You get home from work, you are starved and then it takes 30 minutes to make dinner. So you snack as you make it and then still eat a full dinner. It is all those little choices that have been sabotaging me for years. When I think of myself, I don't see a glutton, someone that goes to Chuck-O-Rama on Saturday night for multiple trips to the smorgasbord. I rarely eat fried foods and I even get disgusted when I see people cover their food in butter, gravy, etc. I always look at them and think "you deserve to be fat..I dont". But we all have our vices and while mine seem small to me, looks like they add up. This week, I have noticed that I am snacking more. While I am staying within my points I could be making better choices that would me much better for me nutritionally. This week is my goal to plan out some healthy snacks, portion them out and stay on task. My mom gets here Tues, so I am working on my menu and going grocery shopping. I think as long as we eat most meals at home, we will be okay.

So tonight is "Moms night out"...it is where about 20 ladies from my church and the community go out to eat. We are going to the Olive Garden. This works out good for me. Since, I worked there about a decade ago, I am still pretty familiar with their menu. I already have it all planned as to what I am going to eat. One serving of salad, no bread sticks, and the lunch portion Linguini ala Marinara. It is 310 calories, 4 grams of fat and 5 grams of fiber. It is 6 points and since I really want to have salad (a whopping 9 points), that is about my only choice. I also love the Capellini Pomodoro it is 480 calories, 11 grams of fat and 11 grams of fiber. However, it is 10 points but a good alternative if you would like the minestrone soup in place of the salad. I plan to just drink water; maybe I'll take my slim and sassy oil to add to it!

Can't believe that I have to go back to work in just over a week. I am planning to enjoy this last week in the sunshine, boating, a trip to Dollywood and lots more swimming. The good news is that with me only working 3 days a week, I'll be able to still enjoy our nice, long summer here in East TN.

Arrgghh

Well, while I have been doing better on my diet and eating within my point allowance, I have not been on the treadmill in several days. Excuses, excuses...but it has been so hard. We have been super busy and it isn't getting any easier. Monday night we went to Knoxville to run errands and didn't get home until 9PM, last night my grandparents came over for dinner to celebrate Father's Day late and we played cards until 9:30PM. Tonight I am teaching CPR, tomorrow night I am meeting up with a friend in Knoxville that is going to have a baby any day, and Friday night I am supposed to be going to "Moms night out". I will just have to try and fit it in during nap times. The problem is that my kids don't seem to nap at the same time. Today I am taking the kids swimming and hoping to get in a few laps myself. I love to swim. It is my passion! I would swim everyday if it was easily accessible. I can tread water very well too and it is a good workout. When Travis's family was in town we all went to the lake and I decided to give my niece a workout, I had her tread water for several minutes with her hands on her forehead. It is pretty rough and I almost drowned her..haha. However, it is a great leg workout, so I will have to try and do it again today. Like I said, I am doing good with my eating. I remembered that my zucchini bread recipe makes two loaves. That means that those pieces from my last post were only 5 points instead of 10. Still a lot but now I am not feeling quite so quilty.

Well, a bunch of my family is coming to town next week. My mom, uncle, 4 cousins, cousin in laws and all their kiddos. Should be fun but I will have to seriously keep everything in check!

Zucchini Bread almost tastes as good as Skinny

A friend of mine brought over zucchini from her garden and I decided to make zucchini bread and put it in the freezer for special occasions and when we have guests. The problem is that I froze all of them except one loaf. I indulged in two yummy pieces today. It tasted SO good! I had substituted applesauce for some of the oil in order to make it a little healthier. Well, I should of made it the same way because it was still loaded with points. I plugged in my recipe into the weight watcher website and one piece is 9 points!!! AAAHHH. No dinner for me! Today I feel depressed..like I totally cheated. Sucks, because the rest of the day I did just fine but then I went and ate 3/4 of my daily points in two little pieces of zucchini bread. Doesn't seem possible. I am going to have to hit the treadmill tonight and try to burn off at least one piece. However, it is a catch 22 because the more depressed/upset you are the less likely you are to want to work out. I have no motivation now!

I will overcome it! But DAMN IT...I am mad at myself. I must say though...I would challenge anyone to a zucchini bread cook off (even my sister in law Kimberly who is the world's best baker) because I am pretty sure that my recipe will kick anyone's butt!

Weight Watcher results: Week 9

So, I made my 10% today! Down 2.4. Wish it was more but I am still happy with it.

Not too much new around here. Just enjoying the summer and my last few weeks off of work. I am pretty much just staying the course and moving along, nothing real exciting to report. Thursday I did finally get my hair cut; it hadn't been cut since November. I didn't take off much length but got in thinned out and it feels so much better. I'll be postin pics soon. It was nice to have a relaxing hour at the salon. Friday, I taught CPR for a doctor's office and I noticed that they had a Seca scale. This is a very accurate scale that is used in hospitals. Seca specializes in bariatric scales and the one in this office was really nice. It was a balance scale but it was extra accurate because it was in 20 pound increments instead of the typical 50 pound increments. I have purchased these scales for the hospital before and know that they are supposed to be great. While my class was taking their written exam, I snuck out and weighed on it. I was happy to know that it said 205 pounds and that was in the middle of the day with all my clothes on. That made me happy and validated that my scale is a little bit heavy. On my first day back to work, I am going to go back and weigh on my original doctors scale that weighed me at my highest and see my true progress. I am excited! I think I can make the 199!

Well, I'll just keep moving forward. Perseverance to the end. Yesterday, I was looking at some pictures that were taken recently when Trav's family was visiting. I was disgusted at how big I still look. Can't wait to get out of the 200s and able to focus on a real change!

Hope you all have a Happy Father's Day! I have to honor my two favorite guys...My grandpa for being an excellent father even when he didn't have to and to Travis, my excellent husband for being my support and for creating smiles in my children's life. Dont' know what my life would be like without the two of them. May their day be a special one!

A tad bit depressing

So, my goal of 199 is quickly approaching and I know I am going to make it in time for my return to work. While I am so happy with my progress and proud of what I have done, it is still kind of hard for me. The fact of the matter is that I have been hovering right around 200 for the past 10 years, so being this weight really isn't that exciting for me. I had let it get a little more out of control in the past year and then with my pregnancy, etc but I have been between 200-210 for a long long time. Even though I have lost so much, people really don't notice that much because of the fact that I dont really look any different than I have for the past decade. I am really excited for my weight loss in the one hundreds..that is when I and others will really be able to see a change. There was one time in 2005 that I had gotten down to 185 but that was the only time. After this goal of 199 my next goal is to break below 185 as I haven't been below this weight in a long long time.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving up but sometimes I kind of feel like the guy on the Biggest Loser. His name was Michael. During makeover week (16 weeks into the show), he had lost almost 200 pounds and was still having to shop at plus size stores. He was still grossly overweight. It was hard for him to celebrate the victory when there was still so far to go. That is how I feel sometimes but I have to remember that he came back and won the show. He didn't give up, he pushed on and made a huge transformation.

Bye Bye Biggest Loser

So last night I finished the season of Biggest Loser. It was such a good season. It really helped to keep me motivated and I kept wanting to go back for more. I have to admit that when I finished my workout last night I kind of wanted to cry. I was sad, wondering..what will I do now? Nothing will keep me going like the BL.

This season was especially fun to watch as one of the finalists was from Knoxville. I can not believe the results they get. One thing that was evident to me and just validated my thoughts was the last episode before the finale. One of the contestants was determined to finish the BL marathon in record time. He trained, and trained and trained and he did. He finished in 4 hours. That is amazing. That is a pace of 9 miles per hour for the entire 26 miles. Impressive! However at the end of the month, he had gained 2 pounds. How do you train for a marathon, run it in that speed and gain weight? He was binge eating at night. Just shows you that when it comes to losing weight, diet trumps exercise.

I recently watched a video about diet vs. exercise. It was interesting. For disease prevention they are tied, for energy..exercise clearly wins, and for weight loss..diet is the winner. Check it out here. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/37726086#37273872

So, I had to think about a new plan. The good news is that I looked on the Biggest Loser website and realized that I have never seen season 4 so I will begin watching it this week. I also learned that there is a BL Australia and a BL U.K. both have about 4 seasons so I shouldn't run out of stuff to watch for a while. This makes me happy.

Yummy Dinner

So yesterday I had a little extra time and decided to try out a few new recipes. I made weight watchers macaroni salad, balsamic chicken and grilled some corn. I had made baked beans a few nights before and had a small amount of left overs. I didnt need the extra calories but it was a good addition to Travis's meal. Here is how I made everything. It was 8 points but way better than a 7 point processed Lean Cuisine.

Balsamic Chicken (3 points)
4 oz Chicken Breast
Mix
2 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 garlic clove crushed
Coat Chicken and put in skillet with 1 tsp olive oil and additional marinade

Macaroni Salad (3 points)
2/3 Cup equals one serving
8 oz uncooked macaroni elbow-variety (I used Penne..I like it better)
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste (for cooking pasta)
Mix the following, fold in the veggies
1/2 cup(s) reduced-calorie mayonnaise
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup(s) celery, chopped
1/3 cup(s) red onion(s), finely chopped
2 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped
1/4 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste

Grilled Corn on the cob (2 points)
Rub the following on the corn with your hand in order to evenly distribute, wrap in foil, grill on medium for 20 minutes, rotating occasionally
1 tsp of butter
salt and pepper to taste