I like hummus... who knew?

Don't you love it when you find a new snack or type of food--that you love--and it's healthy?

I have discovered hummus.

It's funny how your tastes change over the years. A few years back, I would probably have thrown up if I had eaten hummus. I mean, it looks like baby food. Smells bitter and sour. And the texture, don't get me started!

But man it's really good!

And it's high in protein and fiber--bonus!

I've been eating it lately with pretzel flats. I swear I could eat a whole tub of the hummus in one sitting if I allowed myself. It's quickly becoming a red-light food. But as long as I can put the bowl down after only 13 pretzel flats, I think it'll be okay.

So I have a question for you... do you like hummus? Have you ever tried it? What do you like to eat it on or with? I need more ideas of how to eat this stuff!

Broccoli and cheese... my old friend...

I’m not sure how I feel about this, but I thought I’d ask your opinion.

I saw a commercial over the weekend for Green Giant’s frozen veggies with sauce. The commercial says they’re now endorsed by Weight Watchers and as I look, sure enough, it has the new blue box with the Points Plus values right on the box. Then I noticed how low the "points plus" values were; only 1 or 2 points plus. Hmm. I seem to remember they used to be between 4 and 6 "points" depending on the type of sauce.

Now I’m wondering if this is a good thing or a bad thing?

Sure, the veggie part of the frozen box is zero points plus and so it only make sense that the sauces would only be just a couple of points plus. So I get it. But I wonder if this isn’t encouraging bad eating habits.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love cheese on my broccoli and creamy butter sauce on my green beans and peas, so I’m thrilled that I can now eat these sauces on my veggies. But, most of these sauces are loaded with carbs, in addition to the natural carbs that are in some veggies. Not to mention the fat and sugars and salts that are in these sauces.

I’m just wondering if we’re going down the wrong road with this. Is this creating unhealthy eating habits? Is this encouraging our taste buds to crave the cheese sauces and butter sauces? But is this such a bad thing? I mean, it gets us to eat veggies, right?

I'm torn. Part of me is so happy that I can finally have cheese on my broccoli again, but another part of me is wondering if I start eating cheese sauce, am I gonna want to eat more, or will it fill a void in my diet that I've been denying for years?


What do you guys think?

One small step for Cara...

I discovered a really cool thing this weekend...

I can now tuck my shirt into my pants and you can't see my tummy bulging over the tops of my pants!!!

=D

I have to admit, though, it's a little disconcerting. I'm so used to pulling my shirts over my pants to hide the bulge that I feel like something's wrong when I don't. I find myself, like I have some sort of OCD problem, grabbing for the tail of my shirt to pull it down every time I stand up. But its not there. It's tucked in my pants. Its like, something is wrong, where's my shirt, it should be there. But so I have nothing to grab on to, so I just run my hands on the tops of my hips so uncomfortably like 'yea, I meant to do that'. I just feel lopsided or something. So weird.

We met the in-laws for breakfast this morning and we went do Denny's. I was SURE they had nothing healthy for me to eat there and I was so dreading it. Turns out they have added healthy breakfast items to their menu.


I got 2 egg whites with onion and mushrooms, 2 whole wheat pancakes with no butter but sugar free syrup, a chicken sausage patty (yes, chicken!... I've never heard of a chicken sausage before, but it actually tasted like a turkey sausage, so it was good), and a cup of fruit (cantaloupe, strawberries and bananas). I haven't figured the points yet, but I know it was a BUNCH better than what I was expecting.


Before, whenever we'd go to Denny's for breakfast, the waitress would argue with me that they couldn't make an egg-white omelet because they would be too small made only with whites. So I quit arguing with her and just would usually get oatmeal with fruit or a bowl of cereal. Yea, not very exciting for eating breakfast in a restaurant!


So what did you guys do for Memorial Day weekend? Did you make it through without eating everything in sight?


I did splurge a little (well, maybe a lot) yesterday. I had a big fat cheese burger (it had sauteed onions and mushrooms with goat cheese, Mmmm!) and onion rings. But I did good the rest of the day, on plan!


I'm going to try and eat on plan today. Gonna be hard with the cook-outs and all, but I'm gonna try. Drink plenty of water... plenty of water!!


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Weight loss HAS to be deliberate...

Weigh in this morning... Lost 1.2 lbs!!

So all total, I've lost 104.0 lbs!!!

(Technically, though, I've lost 114 lbs because I lost 10 lbs on NutriSystems the year before I started Weight Watchers.)

And another big milestone is coming up this week. As of May 12th, I will have been enrolled in Weight Watchers for 3 full years without missing one single meeting in all three years! Perfect attendance. That was always my forte in school. I may not have gotten straight A's but I always got perfect attendance awards. :)

This past week I've been thinking alot about how deliberate weight loss has to be. Its not something that I can do just haphazardly or willy-nilly. Its not something I can "kinda" "sort" do. It's something that I have to give my full attention and full effort.

Its something that requires focus and determination. It can be exhausting, you know? Of course you know!

My personality type is one where I have a tenancy to obsess over things. In the mid-90s we bought a Nintendo console and Sonic the Hedge Hog. I got so addicted to that game, I would never shut it off. That was back with there were no memory cards so if you shut the game off, you lost where you were. There were like 29 levels and I couldn't stop playing the game. Every waking moment. Was bad. But that's how I am. Once I find something that captures my attention, I'm hooked and almost blinded by it. Blinded to everything around it so all I see is just it.

That's how this weight loss thing gets at times. I've heard my husband and daughter say so many times "that's all you ever talk about". Now, mind you, they are SO incredibly loving and supportive of my weight loss efforts and are behind me 1000%. But I know it's gotta get old after a while. I know they get tired of me talking about how many points I have left for the day or how many points a particular food item has, etc. I mean, I've been at this non-stop for the past 3 years. That's 1,095 days... 156.5 weeks... 156 weigh ins... I'm sure they get tired of me talking about it ALL the time.

But my point is, that we have to talk about it all the time. If we don't, we're likely to push it to 2nd priority and then there goes our hard earned efforts. Everyone around us has to know that weight loss is a priority in our lives. We have to know that too. We have to keep it at the top of our to do list constantly. We have to put ourselves at the top of that list, too. Because without putting ourselves at the top, nothing we do--weight loss wise--will make a difference.

Its hard, though. You know? Its so hard to put ourselves first rather than our family or children. We've been so trained to "put everyone else first". I mean, heck, even Jesus put himself first. He knew that he needed rest to be fresh and alive for the mission ahead of him so he took a nap on the boat with the fishermen. Even when the storms raged, he slept. He knew he needed to put himself first and that the fishermen/disciples could take care of themselves.

From the outside, it could look like Jesus was being selfish and cold hearted to totally ignore those closest tho him, those who were like family to him, and some of them were family. But he knew that if he didn't put himself first and get the rest that his body needed, he would be worth nothing the next day and no good to anyone.

That's a good lesson for us. We have to put ourselves first and our weight loss efforts at the top of our to do list every day. Its not selfish. If we don't lose weight where will we be. We're not going to get healthier... We're not going to live longer... we're not going to be happier as long as we're over weight.

So lets keep our eye on the prize and keep focused on our weight loss efforts this week. Don't be afraid to tell someone no (even if it's your own child), if it means that you're going to have to compromise your weight loss efforts or sacrifice your own well being and health. It's not worth it. It's not worth it to them either. They might not realize it. They might see you as being selfish or obsessed but you're doing it for them, too. So that you'll be around longer to take care of them and to be in their life.

You first.

Weight loss efforts at the top of your to do list.

Without fail.

What do you think?

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Giveaway: Nourish Your Inner Goddess...

Okay, gals, it's time for another giveaway. This one came to me from Yoplait (via BlogSpark).

You all know I'm a HUGE fan of Greek yogurt. The extra (and I mean EXTRA) protein in Greek yogurt makes it a very satisfying snack for me in the afternoons and evenings. Yoplait Greek Yogurt has 12 grams of protein in each container. Greek yogurt tastes thicker and richer than regular yogurt too. Which I like a lot. Don't get me wrong, I love Weight Watcher's yogurt, but there's something about Greek yogurt being thicker that makes it feel like a more substantial snack for me.

Anyway, below are the details for the giveaway, but before I go much further, here's something cool...

To celebrate Yoplait's new Greek yogurt and to encourage women to nourish their inner goddess, Yoplait has teamed up with actress Izabella Miko, who plays Greek Goddess Athena in the epic adventure new Warner Bros. Pictures´ and Legendary Pictures´ film "Clash of the Titans," which opened in theaters on April 2 in 3D.

Here's a cool gadget you can click on to get free yogurt and watch scenes from the movie. Be quick, though, because only the 1st 50 people to click will get the free yogurt.

Who craves crispy granola bars??

I think I may actually be becoming a healthy eater... I found myself saying "Mmmmmmmm!!" when I bit into a dry, crunchy granola bar. LOL

A couple of years ago, heck, just last year, no way you'd catch me eating a crunchy granola bar much less enjoying it! But man! I think I'm in love!

I bought a variety pack of cinnamon, peanut butter and oats n honey and I can't decide which one I like best! Publix was having a sale, is the only reason I even bought the box. If you bought a box of Cherrieos, you'd get a free box of Nature's Valley granola bars. Well, it was free, so what the heck. Now... Mmmmm! I'm hooked!

You know something else I'm enjoying lately, though not NEARLY as much as the granola bars is my spearmint Extra sugar free gum. I kept hearing Bob Harper saying, "chew Extra sugar free gum in between meals to fight off the munchies". For me, gum does nothing but make me crave more munchies. Its like my body gets a taste of the sweetness and just wants more.

But being as I only chew the spearmint, I can't crave anything else because if I did, it would taste all minty. I wouldn't be able to taste it at all. So instead of it fighting the cravings, it actually helps me must stay out of it altogether.

So how have you guys been doing tracking this week? I've been doing good. I tracked every day, so far. I kept forgetting to stick my tracker in my purse each night so I kept writing my food down on sticky notes and then copying them down when I got home. But today I finally remembered to put it in my purse.

I'm finding it very hard to stay below 22 points a day. 21 points is just NOT enough. And I'm eating small portions and healthy food and all the right stuff, but it's so hard to stick to the 21 a day.

Like today, here's what I had:

2 cups cherrieos = 4pts

1 cup almond milk = 1pt

banana = 2pts

1 granola bar = 1pt

2 eggs = 4pts

2 slices Nature's Own light wheat = 1pt

1 tsp light butter = 1pt

2 home made tacos = 6pts

That's 20 points and I haven't had my evening snack. I don't have any 1 point yogurts left so I'm going to have to have a 2pt snack. I'm finding each day that I'm over 1 to 2 points. As hard as I try, I just can't stick to the 21 points.

Oh well, at least I'm close, right?

So tell me, how are ya'll doing with your tracking?

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General Mills "Grains of Goodness" giveaway...

I had a lot of fun with the Yoplait giveaway last week. I hope you did too. I had so much fun, I decided to do it again. But this time, it's with General Mills cereals.

General Mills, through MyBlogSpark, sent me a VERY cool "Grains of Goodness" package which included 2 coupons for free cereal, a beautiful shiny black breakfast mug, a natural looking blue canvas (sort of) tote back and the coolest container I've ever seen for eating cereal on the go:

I'll get to the giveaway in just a sec. I wanted to tell you about something in the package, first. The breakfast chiller is the coolest thing. I absolutely LOVE it!
I use it 2 or 3 times a week when I'm running late but don't want to sacrifice eating my healthy whole grain cereal. Have you ever tried to take cereal on the go? It usually includes multiple items--a plastic bowl, a spoon, some sort of container to carry the milk in, and some sort of thermos bag to keep the milk cold. And a big back to carry all those things clacking around in.


Enter the Fit & Fresh breakfast chiller. It keeps the milk cold and the cereal dry, has a compartment for fresh fruit, and best of all it has a built in bowl and fold out spoon all in one package.


The spoon snaps into the lid of the bowl and everything stack and snaps together perfectly. Here's a video showing how it works:


Cool, huh?!

I really LOVE cereal too. I didn't used to. Cereal was a waste of a breakfast item for me. I'd rather have sausage and eggs with cheese & onions and fried potatoes and biscuits and gravy and... Well, suffice it to say, breakfast was a huge meal for me. That is, before I started Weight Watchers. Even after the first year or so, I still couldn't eat JUST a bowl of cereal for breakfast. I'd still have to have oatmeal or eggs and toast or something warm.

But it turns out I was just eating the wrong cereal. I would always choose the sugary cereals that quite frankly didn't stick with me for more than a half hour or hour after I ate them. And because they were so sugar, I could only have just a little bit. It wasn't until I started eating cereals high in fiber before cereal started to make perfect sense for a great breakfast meal. Fiber, especially in the form of whole grains, helps me stay fuller longer. Who knew?!

And did you know that studies have found that a diet rich in whole grain can be helpful in maintaining a healthy heart, managing weight and may also reduce the risk for diabetes and certain types of cancer?

Do you know what whole grains are? I thought I did, but it ended up that I really didn't. Here's a link to a quiz on the General Mills website where you can take a "whole grain IQ test" (to take the quiz, click the box that's on the left about half way down the page). I'm embarrassed to say that I failed the test. Or rather, my whole grain IQ was quite abysmal. If you take the quiz, let me know how you did.

So General Mills has offered to give one of you the same package they sent me. Trust me, you're really gonna want this package. Its awesome. Plus the coupons for the 2 free boxes of cereal. Double awesome!

To enter the contest, just leave me a comment on this blog telling me what your favorite healthy cereal is and why. Or tell me how you like your cereal... what do you like in it, what type of milk do you usually use, etc.

My favorite cereal is Total or Wheaties with dried cranberries and chopped walnuts in vanilla almond milk. Quite a delight!

The contest will end at 10pm on Friday, April 9th. I'll choose one winner at random using random.org.

In the mean time, here's a coupon for $1 off any General Mills cereal.

Good luck!

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Giveaway: Yoplait YoPlus Gift Pack...

Okay, so who likes yogurt?

I know do. Especially greek yogurt. I've recently become addicted to it. So rich and creamy. Mmmm.

Recently I was contacted by Yoplait (and MyBlogSpark) to try their new flavors of Yoplait YoPlus yogurt. (Not exactly greek yogurt, but yogurt nonetheless.) They sent me a coupon to try it for free and also a "better for you" gift pack.

The gift pack had a lunch sectioned container and a lid that had utensils in it, a canvas-type insulated lunch bag, and a cool pedometer. The coolest part is that they have offered to send another "better for you" gift pack to one of my blog followers (which includes a coupon for a free 4-pack of YoPlus yogurt). So I've decided to have a contest to give it away. The details of the contest are below. Here's a picture of the package:

Yoplait YoPlus yogurt now provides three important health benefits in each 4 oz. cup:

• Antioxidant vitamins A and E (now with 20% of your recommended daily value)
• A blend of probiotic cultures & fiber (3 grams of fiber per 4-ounce serving) for digestive health
• Calcium and vitamin D for bone health

I bought one of their new flavors—Blackberry Pomegranate. Was very good. I was surprised at how good it tasted, actually. It reminded me of a sweet blackberry custard. I couldn't taste the pomegranate seeds in there, but it had a hint of pom flavor in it.

Each 4 oz container was only 2 points. It had 3 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein, so it made a wonderful afternoon snack. It tied me over quite well 'til dinner.

Okay, so here's all you have to do to enter the giveaway. Just leave me a comment on this post telling me what you're favorite healthy afternoon snack is. What ties you over until dinner?

You can also enter by Tweeting your answer. Just use the hashtag of #yoplaitgiveaway. My Twitter name is @mag_maker if you want to follow me.

I'll pick one winner at random using random.org. The contest ends on Friday, Good Friday, the 2nd at 10pm.

Until the winner is announced, here's a coupon for you to save $1.00 on one package of Yoplait YoPlus yogurt.

Good luck.

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I'm on a losing streak...

Those word, for once, are really good to hear.

I lost another 1.4 lbs this week.

My total now is 102.0 pounds lost!!

And the coolest thing is I got 2 paper clips today!!!

I have been looking forward to getting more paperclips for SOOO long!!! Its been so long, they actually stopped doing paper clips at my WW meeting. Something about it not being Weight Watcher sanctioned or something silly like that. I say, whatever works, right? It totally motivates me!

I've been able to keep my head pointed in the right direction. I'm looking at food and hunger in a totally different way than I ever have. I'm finally seeing food for the sustenance that it was meant to be. Don't get me wrong, I still love eating food. But I'm learning some of the negative effects of some types of food and eating too much of certain types of foods and it's making me look at the whole thing alot better.

Like have you ever heard of sugar alcohol? I read an article about it a couple of weeks ago. It comes from artificial sweetener. Our bodies can't process it so it passes straight through our stomachs and right into our pancreas. The pancreas doesn't know what to do with it except that it dehydrates the pancreas like crazy. So it sends out signals to the rest of the body to send all water reserves immediately. So what happens is your pancreas gets over watered and starts to bloat. So if you ever feel bloated and can't figure out why, try and remember what you've eaten with artificial sweetener in it. This process also causes diarrhea. Yuk. Its things like that that I've been learning lately that really make me think twice about some of the foods I've been putting into my body.

I think the biggest thing I've learned, though, is to eat in moderation and to eat frequently. I'll have little tiny meals throughout the day. I try to eat every 3 hours even if it's just to have a banana or a yogurt. It really keeps me from overeating when it comes to meal time. And I try to focus on foods high in fiber and protein that'll help me feel fuller longer.

Oh, and lots of water. I probably drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. That's pretty good for me. I used to only be able to squeeze in 6 glasses, tops.

I still haven't gotten back to exercising, though. And I know I need to desperately. That whole marathon debacle and knee injury has really thrown me for a curve. I really want to start biking again... I just have to get up the courage to do it.

Oh, by the way, I have a guest blogger I'll be posting later on this week and she talks about sugar alcohol alot better than I do. She's a registered nurse.

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Weight loss newsletters...

I love getting email newsletters. Do you? I subscribe to all kinds. Different one's like crocheting, running, social marketing, music, movies, radio shows, design, publishing, health & fitness, cupcakes, crafts, charities, baking, and of course lots of weight loss newsletters. And I've found a few weight loss newsletters that I really like and want to share with you.

The first one I really love is from Eat Better America, which is distributed by General Mills. I love this newsletter because, well, #1, it looks nice. I love it when something looks professional and put together. Secondly, I love that all of the recipes are healthy. They feature recipes that have healthy substitutes. I've tried a few and they've always turned out very nice and tasting great. And lastly, it always has coupons you can click and print out. Here's a link to their most recent newsletter.

Another newsletter I like is, well, pretty much anything by Martha Stewart, but the one I'm enjoying currently is the Whole Body Action Plan which is a 4-week plan to start the new year off by making healthy eating choices and moving more (she offers different "healthy" newsletter type challenges throughout the year and you have to sign up for each of them). Their first week started with a detox, which I have to admit, sadly, that I did not follow. But I plan on doing it soon. I'll let you know when I do. Here's a link to the most recent newsletter.

Never Say Diet is one I've subscribed to for years, almost since I first started losing weight. Their part of iVillage.com which, if you haven't been there, you should. There is just TONS of great info on there for women. They have a section on their website called Your Total Health that has articles about just about every aspect of your health. I've actually been a member of iVillage since the late '90s. Anyway, their Never Say Diet newsletter is a short and sweet tidbit of nutrition. Sometimes its fitness tips, sometimes nutrition, sometimes recipes. I really love it! Here's a link to one of the newsletters.

Oh, of course there's Weight Watcher's newsletter. I don't think you have to be a member to get it, either. I have to confess I don't always read it, but I have found some wonderful thing is it before. Like this one article about the different kinds of ice cream and how you can tell what you're getting just by what it's called. Like did you know that "slow churned" is just another word for "whipped". Basically they churn it extra long which adds air to it so you actually get less ice cream and more air than regular ice cream. So it's better for you. Here's a link to a sample newsletter.

KimBenson.com is another good one. She's lost over 200 lbs and her newsletter is full of motivation, tips, recipes and of course products that she sells (that are all extremely healthy). I don't have a link to her newsletter but here's a link to her website where you can sign up for it.

I'm on the look out for some more good ones. Which one's do you subscribe to?

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Measure Up Bowls Contest Winner Announced!!!

Josie!!!

Just so you know this was fair, I went to Random.org and typed in everyone's name who commented as well as each facebook entry and twitter entry (so if you tweeted and commented, you got multiple entries) and then randomized the list 4 times and then asked them to pick a number at random from the list and Josie's name was chosen.

So, Josie, just email me your shipping info and I'll get the bowls out to you right away. My email address is carashow at gmail dot com.

Congratulations!!

I wish I could send each and every one of you a set of these bowls. They're truly great. If you want to put them on your Christmas wish list, here's the website address: http://shopmeasureupbowl.com/

Also, congratulations to all of you who entered. I'm so proud of how your eating habits have changed to more healthier selections. Listen to all of the wonderful eating habits we all have now...

Rochelle said...

Portion control is half the battle I think!

Lauri said...

I never dreamed of eating cauliflower. Just wasn't going to do it. Then I told Steve about a recipe I had read, so he steamed some cauliflower then pureed it in the blender adding salt, pepper, and butter (or substitute, if you have something you use instead of butter), and it was like eating mashed potatoes. He tried it another time without the blender, just using the potato masher, and it didn't work for me....wrong consistency. But through a blender, great.

Shelley said...

The thing that I never thought I would eat is plain yogurt. And I'll admit it took me a few tries to like it - I add some fresh fruit and it's good - who knew?!? Fage 0% plain is my go-to food.

Georgia Mist said...

Veggies: Never thought I'd come to love them! Quick recipe: 1 zucchini (small), julienned, 1 yellow squash (small), julienned, 1 yellow onion, julienned. 1 clove garlic, diced. Saute in 1 tsp. olive oil until tender, serve over brown rice!

screwdestiny said...

I did a diet for, oh, a couple weeks (ha!), and pretty much the only breakfast-y proteins I could eat were eggs or cottage cheese. I used to HATE cottage cheese. It made me gag. The texture was just so nasty, and the flavor definitely left something to be desired as well. But I was not going to eat eggs seven days a week for breakfast. I need variety, man. Plus, I've always known that cottage cheese is like a perfect protein and it's so good for you and blah blah blah. So I bought myself some cottage cheese and some strawberries and blueberries, and forced myself to eat it. The first few times it did activate my gag reflex about half the time whilst eating it. But I knew it was good for me so I kept at it. And you know what? I kind of, sort of enjoy it now. Only with fruit, gotta have the fruit, but I really don't mind it.

jinxxxygirl said...

I don't think i eat something now that i would have avoided 2 years ago. Its just now i make it a point to eat somethings. Like fruit and veggies . I never would have gone out of my way to 'make sure' i ate some but now i do. And fried foods i never worried about it before now i avoid them like the plague they are.

Stacie said...

The one thing I never used to eat is two-fold: squash and zucchini. I never really knew what to do with it - but there is so much! Now I get it every time I go shopping!

Diane, Fit to the Finish said...

Portion control is such an important part of weight management. One new thing I've learned to like is Greek yogurt. I can't do it plain though.

Josie said...

The one food I had so far that I had never tried before and thought I would absolutely hate is grilled tilapia. I tried it and LOVED it and now I want more of it. There are a lot of foods left that I want to try but was always afraid to...kale, almonds, salmon. I'll face my fears one by one till they're gone.

Leisa said...

I just started my blog http://fifteenfavefoods.wordpress.com to answer that very question. What I would have never eaten before: Broiled broccoli! Now it is one of my 15 favorite foods. If you find just 15 healthy fave foods, weight loss is almost automatic.

HD@Losing Weight-Healthy Heart said...

The one thing I never would have tried is flax seed. Now, I add ground flax to my oatmeal every morning, and I can't live without it!

spunkysuzi said...

I actually eat a lot more veggies now and recently i've been eating them with no dip :) That is huge for me!

Paula Rodriguez said...

I am totally crazy about acorn squash, spaghetti squash and butternut squash... Who knew they were so tasty. Oh, and I'm lovin lentils as well.

Mzchef said...

benefiber powder... great to add to water or yogurt! It fills you up!

Tina said...

I JUST two days ago tried a baked sweet potato. YUM!!! Before this I had only been introduced to them in their slimy can form...BLECH.

Once Upon A Dieter said...

I never used to eat okra, but I discovered they were fabulous sauteed with tomatoes. Also kale. It looked too weird to me. :)

ScrapBook Blessings said...

This is easy for me. Broccoli!!!! I didn't know what I was missing before. I also replaced ground beef with ground turkey. I had to make beef one day for church and my husband wanted to know what that smell was in the house. The grease was just awful, lol.

Georgia Mist said...

Zucchini, Cauliflower, and squash are the veggies I would NEVER have eaten a year ago. Now, I eat them as often as possible. I like to put them in a foil, bake about 15 minutes and serve them over brown rice!

♥ Kenz ♥ said...

I eat so many things now that I wouldn't have eaten before...like...spaghetti squash, baby spinach, eggplant, scallops and fish. I've always known that fish was a good choice, but my answer was "i don't like it." And the same goes for mushrooms for several months ago, I decided I would will myself to like those things...and it totally worked.

Shelley said...

For me, there are two things I would NEVER eat before and turned my nose up at. Spinach and sweet potatoes. Now, I love both...and eat them as often as I can. I add spinach to my daily salad for some variety and some extra iron punch to my diet. And baked sweet potato fries are a great treat. Mmmm....mmmm....good!

wanabskne said...

Growing up my parents never introduced us to any kind of fish dish (not even frozen fish sticks). When I married my husband his family was used to eating fish on a regular basis. As a result of married life and branching out cuisine-wise due to healthy dieting, I have now come to truly enjoy fish. It has become a food that I look forward to eating rather than a food that I am uncertain about. It is now my goal to pass this knowledge and experience on to my parents in hopes that they too will begin to eat healthier meals.

The Chubby Chihuahua...

Guess what I did this morning?

I went running! =D

I love this daylight savings time—well, the kind that happens in the fall. (he he)

I got up early Monday morning and took my little chubby chihuahua for a walk. He's about 2 1/2 pounds over weight. For a dog that's supposed to be 9 pounds, that's huge. Or rather, he's huge. :)

He had so much fun. I did too. I love daylight savings!

Then this morning, I decided to try something different. I haven't been running in a LONG time. But guess what? My knee didn't hurt? You wanna know why?

I bought new sneaks!

Yup, it was my sneakers that were making my knee hurt after a couple of miles of running. I'm so relieved.

I saved up and bought a nice pair of Asics. I was so happy once I passed the 2-mile mark this morning and my knee didn't start hurting. At about 2 1/2 miles, I could feel it, but it didn't hurt. It's like it was telling me, hey, I'm down here, just wanted to remind you. But no pain. Yippee!!!

I've got a medical question for you, though. Why does my heart rate always stay so high? I know my heart rate monitor is not malfunctioning because the last few times I went to the gym, I wore it and would periodically check my heart rate on the machines and they'd be exactly the same. The whole time I was running this morning, it stayed between 165 and 178. That's WAY too high. My target heart rate should be between 135-155 with spurts up to 165-175, but not for more than a couple of minutes at a time. I can only get my heart rate that low when I'm walking. What's up with that??

The weird thing is, I feel fine when my heart rate it up that high. I don't feel like I'm over exerting myself. I don't huff and puff. I breath nice and calm like.

My resting heart rate has always been a little on the high side. Usually around 80. Maybe that's it. My heart rate is just high. If anyone know, please tell me.

Oh, and I was thinking of another healthy thing that I enjoy now but would NEVER have eaten before I started my new healthy lifestyle: Subway. I have always hated Subway. It's always made me sick to my stomach after eating there. I always thought it was their bread. Now, who knows but I'm totally addicted. Last time I went, I even got a veggie sandwich. Who knew?! Me, eating a sandwich full of veggies.

So what healthy food do you eat now that you didn't used to eat before you started losing weight? Let me know on my post from a few days ago, click here, and you'll be entered for a chance to win these awesome Measure Up bowls. Contest goes til the 15th. Read this post for the rules.

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Contest: Eating Healthy Pays Off!

Its weird how my tastes keep changing. I mean, 2 years ago, you couldn't get me close to a plate of kabobs. Now, I'm in love with them. I actually had them 3 days last week and once so far this week.

Hubby and I chop up a sweet onion, a green pepper and 10-12 ounces of top sirloin (very lean) then slip everything onto 3 skewers and plop them on the Foreman Grill for just a few minutes and voila! dinner is served.

The first time we had them, I made some brown rice to go with. I can't stand rice but it seemed like the thing to eat with meat and veggies. I added some steamed corn to the rice so I could tolerate eating it (I have a natural gag reflex to rice when I eat it, don't know why). But I was STUFFED after eating all that food. So the next night, no rice and it was perfect.

It's just funny how my tastes have changed over the course of this weight loss plan. Watermelon used to be a waste of my time—too watery. Now, it's like nectar from the gods.

So what is it that's changed my tastes? Is it that my body is getting used to the new food? Is it perhaps because my body is craving healthy food now that its actually getting some? Or is it just because I can't eat the fatty foods like I used to so I might as well be happy with what I'm allowed to eat? Who knows, but the benefits are wonderful. I feel so much better eating healthy. My body feels good and my mind feels good—like I'm making smart decisions.

So I thought I'd start a contest to find out what you guys eat that's healthy and yummy that you would have never eaten before you started your weight loss plan.

I was given a set of Measure Up bowls to give away on my blog from Heather at Measure Up Bowls. The bowls have ring indent markings on the inside if the bowls to show you where the 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup, 3/4 cup, etc. marks are. So when you're pouring your morning cereal or afternoon snack or bowl of soup, you don't have to worry if you're putting to much in the bowl, you'll just pour until you fill to your desired portion size. How genius is that!?!?

No more "guesstimating" on your portions. I was reading a blog post the other day from Jinxxxygirl and she showed a picture two bowls of cereal sitting on the counter. The one on the left was the serving size suggested on the box. The bowl on the right was the actual amount of cereal she'd been pouring into her bowl every morning. It ends up that she was eating 3 times the serving size and thought she was doing good. She thought she was a little over her servings each morning so she added another point or two but had no idea she'd actually tripled the amount she should be eating.


















It's things like this that trip us up on our weight loss efforts. We think we're doing good, but if we don't measure, we don't know. With these Measure Up bowls, you don't have to worry about getting out the scale or the measuring cups, you just pour to the line that you want and enjoy.

(By the way, if you have a sec, you should check out Heather's weight loss story on the Measure Up website, here.)

So to enter the contest, leave me a comment telling me about the healthy food you eat now that you would have never eaten before you started on your weight loss plan. You can increase your chances of winning by Tweeting about the contest. Just use the hash tag #measureupgiveaway. I'll choose one comment or tweet at random and the winner will get a set of Measure Up bowls—one "Small Bowl" and one "Classic "Bowl". The Classic has 1/2, 1, 1-1/2 and 2 cups premeasured portions on the inside of the bowl and the Small has 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 cup premeasured portions on the inside of the bowl. Together, it's a $29.99 value. Yours for the taking.

I'll draw one winner at random on November 15th.

(Don't forget, if you want to tweet about it you have to use the #measureupgiveaway hashtag.)

If you want to follow me, my Twitter account is @mag_maker.

Good luck!

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From great disappointment to great victory (I hope)...

Weighed in this morning. Very disappointing. I gain one whole pound.

In the grander scheme of things, gaining one pound isn't really that big of a deal. But I tell you, when I saw that "+ 1.0" I wanted to cry! I teared up a bit but quickly calmed myself down.

I know why I gained. That's the part that makes me want to cry.

I've been doing it, every day, for the last year and a half—2 years, 5 months, 12 days—896 days for crying out loud! Why am I NOT at goal by now?!

I sat down the other night and did some horrible math! I mean, the math was correct, but the amount was horrible.

I added all of my losses each week, from Oct 2008 to Oct 2009, and figured out that I've lost a total of 46.8 pounds.

Good huh?

Some would say great!

Here's the kicker...

I then added up all of my gains from each week, during the same date range, and I've gained 49 pounds!

I've spent the last 365 days—every day—counting my points, exercising (off and on), sacrificing (and indulging), paying close attention to everything that goes in my mouth, and I've gained a total of 2.2 pounds over the past year.

Why??!!

I know what to do. I know how to lose weight. Am I just choosing not to?

What the heck!!!???

Look at my weigh in stickers from last year and today as proof positive.

Do you realize if I'd have lost those 47 pounds and kept them off, I'd be 123 pounds right now? Well, okay, so that's WAY to skinny for me. So I could have stopped losing weigh 10-15 pounds ago. Wouldn't that be just darn sweet?!

I want to cry.

But instead...

Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to beat this. I'm going to win this war against the scale (I know, bad analogy). I've got a 2-part plan.

#1, I just went and dusted off my Weeks 1-10 books from WW (the one's from 2 1/2 years ago, I can't for the life of me find the 2009 books, I think I lost them in the move). I'm going to sit down and read through them—cover to cover—every page. Then I'm going to write down, in my cute little food journal notebook (the one that I didn't write in at all this past week) the basic things I need to do, like the 8 Good Health Guidelines. (We talked about 4 of them in the WW meeting this morning.) So I can focus on exactly what I need to do, every day, and see it in writing in my food journal, every day.

#2, I'm going to move more this week. There were a couple of girls in class who encouraged me to join them at the gym or at a dance class this week. I'm going to email them for starts to see what they're doing, and when, to see if I can join them. I'm going to go with my husband to the gym this coming week, too? I'm thinking 3 evenings this week would be good to start. Then whatever else I can squeeze in.

Those 2 basic things are a LOT! I know. But I know it works. I know, because those two things helped me lose the 100 pounds that I've lost so far. So I know they can help me lose the last 20-25 pounds I have left.

Care to join me? Click the link to read the 8 Good Health Guidelines and move more with me this week. We can do it, right?

Leave me a comment if you want to commit to these 2 things this week. Then we can encourage each other along. Tell me what's going to be the hardest thing for you. For me, it's going to be exercising and getting 3-5 servings of fruits and veggies in every day.

Oh, by the way, I'm running in the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure 5K tomorrow morning. The last 5K I was in, I couldn't finish running, I had to walk. We'll see how this one goes. It'll be a lot cooler this time, so we'll see. Race starts at around 7am, it's supposed to be in the upper 60s then. Wish me luck!

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From indulgences to victory...

Boy has this week been a tough one—treat wise. I've indulged way too many times!

No huge indulgences, but indulgences nonetheless.

Like the Krispy Kreme on Monday—which I only had ONE of. I had two huge brown sugar cookies on Sunday. And then there was the homemade chocolates that my boss brought in Wednesday—chocolate covered peanut butter balls, chocolate covered coconut balls, white chocolate covered oreo/cream cheese balls and peppermint bark. I mean, come one, she made these delectables from scratch as her Christmas gift to each one of us. I'm just supposed to NOT eat any??!! :)

(I completely lost track of how many I ate.)

Then today I had 3 tiny little sugar cookies. Seriously, they were maybe an inch around. No icing. Oh, and one Ferrero Rocher (cool website, by the way). Okay, two, but that's it, I promise.

I feel like it's confessional time. "Bless me Father for I have eaten my weight in chocolate this week..." :D

Seriously, that's all I've had—she says as if that was a small amount of sweets, right?

On the flip side, I've been eating extremely healthy and completely on plan all week (aside from these minor indulgences). And I've been putting in extra exercise.

I even went running twice yesterday!

That's right. I ran!

(Hey, isn't that a country in the middle east?)

Two totally special things happened. The first was that hubby ran with me yesterday morning. This is the first time he's exercised in MONTHS. And probably the first time we've exercised together in years. We have different styles of exercise, different paces, etc., so it's hard for us to exercise together. But I went slow and he kept up. It was awesome! What a blast!

We actually did interval—1 minute running 2 minutes walking—for a half hour. Wow! That was great.

But then last night I decided I that I felt so good running in the morning, that I wanted to try it at my pace in the evening. So instead of walking the dogs (sorry buddy), I ran.

I loaded the soundtrack from Memoirs of a Geisha in my iPod and headed out the door. I turned the volume way up and off I went. I don't know if you've ever watched the movie, but the soundtrack is AMAZING! It's so powerful. Compelling. Perfect music for running! (you can listen to the tracks at the link above)

So, I did the same interval run/walk as the morning, but this time was more running than walking. Running for 1 minute and walking for 30 seconds. Then, at one point, I ran completely around my block (inside my community the loop around is a between a half and three-quarters of a mile). This was amazing.

I started out on that lap thinking I'd run half way around then when I got to the halfway mark I thought, "I feel fine. I think I'll keep going". So I did. I had my heart-rate monitor on and checked to make sure I wasn't up too high then kept going. I made it about three-quarters of the way around and I could really feel it in my bones and my muscles and for some reason, I could really feel it in my hips (don't have any hip problems that I know of).

Then the most wonderful thing happened. I had the end of the block in sight. As soon as I make it to that specific spot, I'll stop running and walk for a bit. But I started to doubt whether I could make it because my legs and hips were throbbing by now. I was so out of breath. I looked at my heart rate monitor and it said 189! I don't think I've ever gone that high before. But I could see the end of the block! I wanted to finish the lap—completely.

I took a deep breathe, shook my head from side to side to loosen up my neck and shoulders and the most wonderful sound came over the iPod. I don't remember the track, but as soon as I breathed in, the most powerful and bone rattling drum started pounding. Boom Boom! Then some more percussion of wood blocks being beaten—tap, tap, tap! Then bongo-type drums—bam, bam, bam, bam!

It's like the music was leading me on. It's like it knew I needed to reach down deep to somehow pull off this victory. It was encouraging me to finish with vigor and verve. This music lifted my feet right off the ground and carried me right to the end of the block!

Was truly spiritual!

I made it to the end of the block, settled my pace into a fast walk and took a deep breath just as the drums subsided and went back to strings and horns.

What a run!

I so want to go again!

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a science lesson...

First of all, still eating clean, still exercising, still counting points, still going strong. Oh, and I did Jillian Michaels' Shred 3 this morning. Ugh! Am I going to be sore!!!

Now, on with the science lesson...

Before WW, I tried NutraSystems and lost 10 pounds. I quit the program because the food was so boring. But a couple of weeks ago I was talking to my mom about the science behind their system because I had just read something similar in the Eat Clean Diet book. So I thought it might be worth iterating here as sort of a science lesson.

I'm sure most of you already know all of this stuff, but here goes anyways...

First of all, my disclaimer, I am not an expert on this subject, I am only piecing together bits of information I've researched.

The one thing that both diets have in common is they both believe that having a low Glycemic Index (GI) is a good thing. They also say that complex carbohydrates and low insulin levels help promote weight loss, too. But what the heck does all that mean??

Here's what NutraSystems has to say about that: "Carbohydrates that break down slowly in your body encourage stable blood sugar levels, which is good, so they rate well or "low" on the Glycemic Index. On the other hand, carbs that break down too quickly cause your insulin levels to spike, and high insulin levels can cause your body to store fat. These "bad carbs" are given higher glycemic values and most often leave you hungry soon after a meal. So if you’re looking to lose weight, you should stay away from "bad carbs" and instead, seek to incorporate more "good carbs" with low glycemic values into your diet to help keep your blood sugar levels stable and your appetite in check."

And here's what the Eat Clean Diet has to say: "Foods comprised of simple sugars have a high glycemic index. This causes a spike in insulin levels, which negatively affects the metabolism. Too muchy insulin tells the body to store fat quickly and prevent your body from drawing on fat for energy needs... Complex carbohydrates are processed slowsly, staying in the gut for far longer."

Very interesting... too many carbs too fast and your body can't process them so it sends an emergency signal out telling your body to store all the fats it can find.

Weight Watchers, on the other hand, presents both sides of the "glycemic index" debate as there are studies out there that say the GI both helps and doesn't help weight loss: "Theoretically, using GI as a weight-loss method makes a lot of sense. Several short-term studies indicate that a low GI diet creates a feeling of fullness, delaying the return of hunger following a meal. The effect of a low GI diet in reducing the body's production of insulin is also widely recognized. And a low GI diet may favorably affect the resting metabolic rate, represented by the calories used to keep the body's systems going, when compared to a low-fat diet. ... In another study designed to evaluate the impact of encouraging low GI foods as part of the Weight Watchers food plan, no significant difference in weight loss was found, although there were significant differences in the reported feelings of hunger and satiety."

I thought what Wikipedia had to say was so interesting: "Carbohydrates require less water to digest than proteins or fats and are the most common source of energy in living things. Proteins and fat are necessary building components for body tissue and cells and are also a source of energy for most organisms. Carbohydrates are not essential nutrients in humans: the body can obtain all its energy from protein and fats. However, the brain and neurons generally cannot burn fat and need glucose for energy; the body can make some glucose from a few of the amino acids in protein and also from the glycerol backbone in triglycerides."

So basically, carbohydrates aren't a necessary fuel to keep you alive but you do need them to burn fat because your body can't burn enough of it by itself. Neat, huh?

Are your eyes glazing over yet? :)

So what is a carbohydrate anyway? I know that sounds like a silly question, but I'm someone who has never tried a "low carb" diet and never read anything about it so I really didn't know.

Carbohydrates are basically sugars with fiber and starches attached to them. That's why there are good carbs and bad carbs. Our body needs sugar, but too much sugar and we'll get fat. Our basic metabolism needs sugar to run our basic brain functions as well as just about every important organ in our body. But when we have too much sugar, from bad carbs, our body simply stores the extra in fat cells.

Here's a basic list of good carbs (complex carbs):

• whole grains
• beans
• nuts
• fresh fruit
• fresh vegetables
• fish & chicken
  

Here's a basic list of bad carbs (simple carbs):

• sugar
• white breads
• pasta
• potatoes
• red fatty meats
  

So here's the low down: good carbs are foods low in sugars and high in fiber and nutrition that emit low levels of sugar into your body—just enough to keep it functioning properly; and bad carbs are foods high in sugar and starches that will overload your body with sugar too quickly and will cause it to store it in fat cells.

Okay, so that's my science lesson for the day. Hope I didn't bore you guys too much. I was doing this as much for me as anyone else. Because it really helps me to write things down to remember them.

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Another weigh in another gain...

Well, I think last week might have been a fluke.

I gained 4/10ths of a pound this week.

Who knows.

I did the same thing I did last week. I ate high protein, high fiber, low fat, low sodium, low sugar all week. I drank 65 to 85 ounces of water every day (8-10 glasses). Only had chicken, turkey and seafood (shrimp & crab) with fresh veggies and fresh fruits. Whole grains. Omega 3 & 6 oils. Hard cheese dairy products only. Very well balanced. Nothing processed. All natural like God had intended for us to eat.

I did hard-core exercise twice and walked with the girls once. (Yea, I probably should have done more. My goal was hard-core three times and walking twice.) I walked every night after dinner for a half hour (fast paced). Took the stairs and parked in the back of the parking lot every day. Walked to visit co-workers rather than emailing as much as possible.

The only thing I can think is that it must have been the Lasagna Tuesday night. We had a coupon at an Italian restaurant and I had a week moment and ate a whole huge order of greasy, cheese and oh-so-yummy lasagna. Maybe it just stuck with me longer than I thought.

Oh, well, I'm not discouraged. Because I feel so much better eating the way I have been. I don't even want to cheat today. I'm just craving healthy food so much, now. I came back from the meeting and immediately fixed myself a bowl of steel cut oatmeal with flaxseed, soy milk and dried cranberries. Yum yum! After meeting is usually when I'll fix myself a big plate of scrambled eggs with whatever kind of bad-for-you food I can pile in there with greasy potatoes and some sort of greasy breakfast meat.

Weight Watchers was good today. Hubby went with me (he's been kind of hit or miss lately) and I think the meeting was a help. There was another woman who was going through the same thing. She had gone off plan a while back and, though she's back on plan, she's been having a hard time committing to it.

WW has a new plan coming out next week called Momentum. It's a combination of Flex and Core where you count your points but eat the "fuller" foods from the core plan. I think I should come up with my own plan. It's a combination of eating only healthy (clean) foods but still counting points. Hmm. What could I call it. Clean and Flex? CleanFlex?

Hmm...

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Who is this strange person...

I think there's something wrong with me...

I keep craving healthy food.

:|

Am I alright??



Since I've started eating clean, it's all I want to eat. I think it might be because I know the effects of the bad food on my body. I never knew that the simple foods we eat over and over can really be bad for our bodies.

I've learned how to listen to my body a lot better, now, too. I can feel the effects of healthy food on my body. I can feel how I stay fuller longer from the healthy stuff. I can also feel how bad I feel after eating unhealthy food.

Like the other night, I was in a rut and did not want to cook to save my life. I didn't want chicken either. So I had lasagna. The real stuff, too, not Lean Cuisine.

About a half hour afterward, I could feel my heart racing and and I felt flushed. My stomach was tossing and turning and I kept burping.

It was the effects of the sugary pasta and the fatty cheeses.

I felt so bad but there was nothing I could do. The damage was done. I just had to wait that one out. I went walking just afterward to try and "compensate" for the yucky stuff I ate, but it didn't help much. Sure it was a definite improvement from just sitting around and feeling sick to my stomach. But I don't think it burned much of that lasagna off. :)

The best part is that the more healthy food I eat the more I crave it.

If you'd have told me a year ago that I would be craving granola bars, I'd say you were completely out of your ever-lovin mind! But here I sit in the afternoons craving some Pumpkin Spice Flax granola bars. And, oh my gosh, I'm craving apples like all of the time!

Have I totally lost it?

Who is this girl??

She exercises all the time. Eats healthy. Feels great. Looks slimmer.

I barely recognize her in the mirror.

I can't wait for weigh in tomorrow morning. I hope last week wasn't a fluke. I hope I didn't gain it all back this week. Still no scales. Yippee!

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I think I'm becomming healthy...

My days are going quite good. I feel very good. Very healthy. Very fit.

I'm still eating clean. I'm getting better and better at it. And still staying inside my 22 points a day. I love how I can be on both plans at the same time. I think that's a testament to both of them. Not many "diets" could do that, you know. But being as they're both "lifestyles" they both work perfectly.

I'm getting used to the egg white omelets for breakfast. I'm mixing in all kinds of cool things. I still have my steel cut oatmeal. I haven't added any supplements to my diet. I'm not sure if I will do that. We'll see.

I found a yummy recipe for Pumpkin Pie French Toast on Spunky Suzi's blog. I'm definitely going to try that. But tomorrow morning, I'm making pumpkin protein pancakes. If it turns out okay, I'll leave the recipe on here tomorrow.

I had a BLT for lunch today. First of all, if you knew me well, you'd know I HATE BLTs! I always have. My sister was always the BLT person and I was the grilled cheese. But today, it was quite yummy. Oh, and the "B" was actually a "T"—turkey bacon. The whole sandwich was only 3 points. Actually, I added a bunch of fat free mayo to it that probably raised it to 4 points. But still, not bad!

I've never liked tomatoes or lettuce on bread of any kind. Just always tasted gross to me. Now, I actually like it. I'm considering just having a lettuce and tomato sandwich, but that's not very healthy.

I keep finding myself craving healthy food. I can't get enough of it.

I can feel my arms burning as I'm sitting here typing. I am still doing the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred workouts on Mon/Wed/Fri. I couldn't finish the whole workout this morning. It's only 20 minutes, but I could only make it to 15. I've been sick since last Wednesday and it was only yesterday that I could start walking around again. So I know it was just a lack of energy.

I just got back from my evening walk. I'm still walking every evening after diner. I'll have to ask hubby to un-hide the scale so he can weigh my chihuahua to see if he's dropping any weight. He goes 3 laps around and his little feet just scream so fast. He's a pound and a half over weight. Not much, you might think, but he's only supposed to be 9 pounds. So 10 1/2 is a lot!

My blogs are always so long. I know I have a problem with typing too much. I usually have to trim down my emails before I hit send. But there's just so much I want to type about in here. I'm truly amazed that anyone has the strength to read through my blogs.

Check this out:

I entered the Mary Lou's Weigh Platform Giveaway!

Check out Roni’s Weight Loss Blog for more information.

Roni is reviewing a scale and then she's giving it away this coming weekend. It's the coolest thing, this scale. And if I don't win one, I'm going to have to find out how to get one. It's a scale without numbers. How perfect could that be??!! You get on it the first day and it logs your weight in it's memory. The the next time you get on, it tells you—verbally—how much you've gained or lost. If you gain, it give encouraging words and if you lose, it applauds. How cool is that??!! It's absolutely perfect for me. Me and the scale just don't get along at all. I'm so much better without it. But this one is really cool. I could get on it to see if I'm up or down, but I wouldn't know how much. I'd still rely on my Weight Watchers' weigh in to tell me my weight. Perfect!

Maybe I'll put that on my Christmas wish list. :D

Okay, I'll stop typing. I seriously could go on and on and on...


(Thanks for making it this far.)

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Boy am I sore!

I am so sore!

That workout yesterday morning really did me in. I can't believe it! Jillian kicked my butt! — Literally!

My legs and butt and arms are so sore. I had no idea. It really looked like an easy workout.

I went walking last night. Took the dogs around the block 4 times. That's a little over a mile and a half altogether. Half hour at a leisurely pace.

I have two dogs, one is an 8-year-old Chihuahua and the other is a 2 1/2 year old shepherd/lab mix (rescue animal)—Emma.

When we first got Emma, she was very sick. We didn't know it at the time, but she had distemper. It totally freaked me out because I'd always heard that dogs who got distemper died—there was no cure. Well, there is no cure for it, actually. We found out that the only treatment for it is antibiotics. We took her to the vet, 2 days after we got her, and the vet immediately put her on antibiotics. She seemed to get better, for a day, but then she got worse again. So we took her back and they tried different antibiotics. They didn't work either. So we took her back and they "admitted" her into "puppy hospital" where she stayed for a few days so they could give her intravenous antibiotics.

That seemed to do the trick, but there were some side effects from each of the antibiotics. Things like, she'll go blind when she gets older, she'll have hip problems and a couple of others and the one that is a problem now, is the pads on her feet are extremely thin.

She's the toughest dog I've ever seen, you can do anything to her and she tolerates it and never whimpers or shows any kind of pain (no I haven't inflicted pain on her intentionally, but on accident things happen). So when she's out walking, her paws get raw (they'll even bleed if she walks for too long). But she won't tell us. She just keeps walking and wagging her tail and having a blast. So she can only go once around the block with us then she gets dropped off at the house and her "big" brother (ha ha, he's a 10-pound dog and she's 85 pounds, but he's big brother to her) gets to go around another 3 laps.

He needs the exercise the worse. He's supposed to be 9 pounds and he's one pound too heavy. But we're working on that. He's working on his first 10% :]

I posted her blog entries, from her MySpace page, if you want to read some really cute stories about her illness. They're written from her perspective... Here.

So, anyways, I'm still extremely sore, but I haven't let that slow me down. Walking every night for 30 minutes and walking with the girls 2 days this week for an hour. I'm going to try another workout tomorrow morning, but this one will be level 1. Although I know I won't be able to do much, I know I do need to keep exercising.

Eating has been going great, too. I bought some fresh baby spinach at the store yesterday and cooked that with some grilled chicken (with onions and peppers). Was very yummy. I've never cooked fresh spinach before. I didn't even know how to cook it. I had to look it up online. Ends up its about the easiest thing in the world to cook.

Thanks for all of your responses about the 18 Pounds in 18 Weeks challenge. I'll post everyone's final weights this weekend after my last weigh in.

Still no scale this morning. It's driving me crazy!

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