Doin' it and doin' it and doin' it well

In a previous post, I mentioned how important it is for me to have a workout buddy! My mind hasn't changed about this. Not even a little. Much like a hair appointment, dentist appointment, staff meeting, whatever...I SCHEDULE my workouts. I honestly treat them like an appointment. And I HATE being late for appointments, or cancelling. So I don't, unless I have a really, really, REALLY good excuse.
My "trainer" aka workout buddy picks me up at my door. Like a date. At 6 a.m..  And she doesn't even make me dress up for it. EVERYONE needs a buddy like that.
When she arrives, I get a text. Sometimes it will say, "Here." But OTHER times, it says stuff like, "Hop on out" or, "Skip on out" or "Shuffle on out." And so I do. It's the PERFECT way to start a day. With a smile AND a warm up. :)

On to the next topic. I'm becoming a science nerd. Not really, but I have found that I really enjoy figuring out the points values of my meals. Earlier in #myforeverjourney, I was given a digital scale by a neighbor friend. I loved that scale. I loved that scale so much that I actually killed it. So yes. You actually CAN love something to death. So, I had to purchase a new scale. And because the new scale I purchased was red, I had to buy new red measuring cups to go with it. I feel cute in my kitchen when I use them and YES, that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard too!

 But by becoming a science nerd, I figured some stuff out on an "I'm as hungry as a horse" kind of day. Did you know that while a serving size (53) Rold Gold pretzel sticks are 3 pp, you can actually eat up to 71 for the same amount of points? WHY in the world would I count out 53 sticks for 3 pp, when I can have 18 extra for the same amount of points? I know I know. That's last weeks meeting when we discussed serving size vs. portion. Well guess what? Dang straight I'll have a bigger portion for the same amount of points. Just think of your pretzel sticks as being on sale. It's like going to buy your kid new boxer briefs and trying to decide, "Am I going to get the 4 pack for $8.97, or am I going to get the "4pack 2 FREE=6 pack" for $8.97? Duh.

I don't feel like I cheated at all, and the scale didn't seem to think so either.

Weighing in:
July 23 - (that's a MINUS) 2.6
Total loss to date: 41.6

Remember my birthday goal? 40 lbs. lost by my 40th birthday? Well I'm 23 days ahead of schedule. I DID it!!!!
So for your enjoyment, (or not, but I'm posting it anyway)- a #TBT pic for you. The pic on the left was taken 2 years ago TODAY. The pic on the right was taken this morning. I'm getting there. Pound by pound. Step by step. Mile by mile. Spoonful by spoonful. And your encouraging words are the cherry on top of my sundae. Cherry tomatoes on top of my salad.

Smart thinkin'

goal:

An observable and measurable end result having one or more objectives to be achieved within a more or less fixed time frame.

 

Let me just put this out here on the world wide web, that I have NEVER, nor will I EVER have a goal to be in a swimsuit. Oh. My. Gosh. The thought makes me....I can't even.... Uuugh! Aaaaaaanywho.

 

I'm thinking about that first (ok, second) goal I set for myself when I started this journey. I guess I should clarify that my FIRST goal was to lose 10% of my body weight. My OTHER first goal was to lose 40 lbs. by my 40th birthday. I began my quest on April 9th, 2015. My birthday is August 15th. I'm soooooo close. So, so close! *squeal* I'm really doing it you guys! And YOU are helping me. I love the encouragement, the compliments, the honks and waves as you drive by while I'm on a walk. THANK YOU!

 

And this time around it really is #myforeverjourney. There's no hashtag that says #onlyuntilicrossthefinishlineandthenilleatanentirecaketocelebrate.

 

This is not just a goal... it's a SMART goal .

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Time-Based.

 

So now that I'm SUPER close to achieving my 40 by 40, I need to start planning a new goal. You need to help me come up with another. Oh.... and I need suggestions for a toenail color cause when I get that 40/40...I'm getting a pedicure to reward myself.

 

Weighing in:

July 16th -3.0

Total loss to date: 39!!!!!!!!!

Egg-cellent

It's another win for Fonz. This time the gold medal was for a breakfast casserole I made for dinner and by the scents wafting through the house during baking time,  I new immediately that this was going to be a winning recipe!

 

First...You need 7.5 oz. of biscuit dough. Cut each piece of dough into 8 small pieces. Layer them on the bottom of a casserole dish that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray.

 

 Chop:

1 C. peppers (I used red and green bell peppers)

3/4 c. red onion

 

Whisk together:

5 eggs

3 egg whites

1 cup skim milk

 

Add in chopped veggies to egg mixture

 

Add in 8 oz. chopped ham, and then pour mixture evenly over biscuits.

 

Bake at 350 uncovered for 20 minutes.

Cover lightly with foil and continue baking for an additional 25 minutes.

 

Add a sprinkle of cheese if desired to garnish

 

 

Serves 6 @ 6 pp per serving

 

Flippin' went BANANAS

I've been craving pancakes lately, but have been nervous to calculate the points plus values on them because HELLO...carbs! It seems carbs are the thing that makes those pp values crawl up the scale. Well, Sunday is the day of the week where I tend to have a few extra points laying around simply because I am running out the door to get to church on time, and breakfast doesn't usually happen. I also only make one meal for the family on Sunday, and if you get hungry later in the evening, it's grab, root and growl for you.

I decided because I had some extra points, AND I was hungry (Because I'm learning not to eat when I'm NOT hungry...)

I would get brave and calculate. I'm so happy I did. My craving? Soooo satisfied! The pp value? Not as scary as I thought.

 

How did I make them?

 

1/2 c. Hungry Jack Buttermilk Pancake mix (5 points)

7 TBS. water (0 points)

1/2 banana, chopped (0 points)

12 Guittard Milk Chocolate, Chocolate Chips. (2 points and worth it!)

 

Servings:1

Serving Size: 3 4-inch pancakes

Points Plus:7

Dream BIG

Last night I had a dream that I was eating donuts underneath my piano. I was both proud of this, and ashamed at the same time. Proud because I was STOKED that I could fit comfortably under my piano, but ashamed that I was eating donuts. Not so much ashamed of the 'eating donuts' part, as much as the 'eating them in HIDING' part. I would for SURE rather eat a donut with a friend. HELLO! After I downed about a half dozen donuts, I weighed in at weight watchers and was sad to see that I hadn't lost any weight. I decided that instead of letting that weight count, I would run around the meeting room and then try again at the scale. On my second try at the scale, I lost 1 pound.

When I woke up, I was scared, sad and amused all at the same time. I haven't dreamt of food for a loooooong time, and I honestly think the last time I DID dream about food, it was about donuts. I must have a love for some Johnny O's spudnuts or something. Yes. Yes I do. Why would I dream about donuts? Here's my analysis of it all. Just call me the dream Dr.

Just like the hole in a donut, something is missing. I'm tracking my food. I'm working out. I have phenomenal support. I go to my meetings. I weigh in, even when I'm not excited to face the scale. What hole do I need to fill? Well oddly enough, what's missing actually stars with an "O" which resembles that missing piece of my donut. What is it?

 

Being an optimist doesn’t mean that I am never going to struggle or that I ignore the difficulties in life. Being an optimist means that I find positive outcomes and the ability to grow in spite of the struggles or difficulties. Once I start taking on a more optimistic view of my ENTIRE #myforeverjourney, that's when I'll really start to feel successful!

How will I start my optimistic ways? With these 2 things.

1. Celebrate the little things!

First of all, my dream sort of came true. I stepped on the scale tonight and was greeted with a 1 pound loss. So should I feel sad that it was only 1 pound? NO! I had a dang good loss last week. (3.4 remember?) I'm going to pat myself on the back that I went down again on the scale, and over a holiday weekend for crying out loud. God Bless America and weight loss! I also am bettering my time when it comes to my outside walks. I am going further, faster, and without shin splints to boot!!!!
2. Change my language.
Instead of saying “I have to workout today,” I'm going to try saying, “I get to workout today!” Being able to  move my body is a privilege that not everyone has – I'm going to take advantage of it!

I guess to sum it all up, next time I dream about donuts, or weight loss, I hope I devour a full dozen, and then lose 3 or 4 pounds. Haha. If I'm going to dream, I might as well DREAM BIG!!!!

Weighing In:
7/9/15 -1.0
Total loss to date: -36.0
Feeling: Optimistic

 

I'm not a rabbit

I haven't been able to sit down and post since weighing in last Thursday. I've been busy, but now that I 've got dinner in the oven, I've got 40 minutes to ramble.
I ended up losing 3.4 pounds last week, which took me to "One"derland! YAY!! I was pretty excited, and actually shocked that I lost THAT much. I was hoping for 2 pounds, thinking that I might lose at least that much because my pants all the sudden got super baggy. But I'll take the additional 1.4 and proudly report that as of 7/2/15 I'm 35 pound lighter!

I am getting a little less scared to eat out. I'm on my 13th week of #myforeverjourney, and I realized I don't have to eat a salad every time my family wants to eat out. I was super excited to browse the restaurant section of my WW app, and see that my all time favorite fast food place, actually had a decent selection of things I felt like I could choose from.

Introducing: Grilled Nuggets from Chick-fil-a!

(Pic courtesy of the www)

 

A small order, (8 nuggets) was only 3 PP

I also ordered a medium diet lemonade, which is nothing new to what I ordered in the past. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE  CFA's diet lemonade and it was 1 PP.  I CRAVE it!!!!! And I had a fresh fruit bowl, which was 0 PP. So my lunch was a whopping 4 points! YUMMO!

 

I also went to Chili's with some of my besties a couple weeks ago and found they have a lite menu which I decided to order from. Can I tell you something? I have never really loved Chili's, but what I had from there that night might have changed my mind a little. It was sooooo tasty.

 

Introducing: Mango Chili Chicken 

 (Pic courtesy of the www)



I opted to have double the broccoli instead of the rice. I like rice, I just don't like STUFF in my rice. I also like the fact that by choosing the extra green over the rice it took my PP values from 14 to 9....so my dinner was 9 points. Awesome, right? 

 

You better... 

 

Until Thursday.

xo ~Ang