2012, Here I Come!

Last January, I began Weight Watchers again after giving birth to Natalie.  I weighed 193.2 lbs as of January 23, almost a month after having her.  As of last Monday, I weighed 167.1 lbs. 

That's 26.1 lbs lost in 2011. 

Now, I would be lying if I said that I've been 100% dedicated to WW the entire time.  In fact, I took a pretty long hiatus this summer/fall while packing and moving into our new house, going on vacation, etc.  I found all kinds of excuses not to track my weight or points.  When I got frustrated in July, I started running instead of going back to WW.  While I'm glad I got into running, it wasn't helping me lose the weight.  Sure, it kept me from gaining, but I wasn't losing.

So, I started this blog in November.  In a month and a half, I managed to take off 5.1 lbs.  It's a great start, but I'm hoping that 2012 will get me to my goal weight of 145 lbs.  I still have over 20 lbs to go, but I know I can do it! 

Now on to the resolutions, since it's New Years Day and all...

1) Prepare healthier meals for myself and my family.  This means more veggies and lean meats and less carbs and fat.  I can already hear my kids and husband grumbling :)  haha
2) Train for, and run at least a 10K by the end of the year.  I know I can do this, but I just can't seem to get my runs in lately.

So, weigh in is tomorrow and I'm not sure how it'll go.  I've been doing pretty well this week, but forgot to track my food a couple of days.  I always feel out of control those days, like I can eat anything and it won't count since I'm not writing it down.  I know - this is a bad habit, so I need to keep tracking everything I eat everyday.  It's so easy to backslide.

2012, here I come!  I will cook healthier.  I will finish a 10K.  I will stick with WW and track my points.  I will reach my goal weight!

Now, here's a couple of pics in honor of the new year:

Here I am, two days before Natalie arrived.  Probably around 210 lbs here.  Oy!

Natalie's about three days old here, and I'm around 195 lbs (a rough guess)

 August 2011 - around 175 here

January 1, 2012 - roughly 167 (we'll see where I weigh in tomorrow!)



Another Loss!

Last week: 168.2
This week: 167.5

I know I've been a bad blogger.  Things have been very busy, with the kids' birthdays and Christmas coming up.  But, I'm still doing well with WW, and still losing!  This past week was a tough one, with all the cake and goodies from Jackson's birthday and temptations from a holiday party.  So, I'm pretty happy with my 0.7 lb loss.  I have a feeling that next Monday won't be so pretty, after all the holiday craziness. 

Ok, so here's my plan for this week:

1. Stay on track with WW Monday through Thursday, while we're home.  Exercise as much as possible.
2. Be good on Friday, and try to track while at the in-laws' house.
3. Splurge a LITTLE on Saturday.  It is my birthday, after all!!
4. Taste everything on Sunday (just like I did on Thanksgiving) but don't go crazy.
5. Monday = back to WW and stay on track!

This seems like a pretty good plan to me.  I'm not expecting to be perfect this weekend, but I'm not saying that all bets are off and I'm going to eat anything I want.  It's a good balance, I think.

I'll try to blog some this week, but I'm not promising anything.  I still have gifts to buy, bags to pack, house to clean, laundry to do...  Whewww!  Only 6 days until Christmas!!!!!!!

All About Food (and my weekly weigh-in, of course!)

Today: 168.3
Last Monday: 169.5

Yay!  1.2 more pounds gone.  Lots to go still, but I'm inching closer and closer to my goal of 145lbs - slow and steady.  This past week, I did well tracking my points and measuring my portions, even though I ate out quite a few times.  I had Chick Fil A twice, Panera Bread and even Papa John's pizza. 

So, today I wanted to blog about favorite go-to foods.  Even though I track everything I eat in my WW online program, I still like to make lists every now and then so that I can see what's working and what's not.  Here's what I've been eating and snacking on lately:

- Brown ricecakes and peanut butter (very filling, and really good!)
- Banana-blueberry smoothies with milk, splenda and vanilla extract
- Flatout brand wraps
- Buffalo chicken deli meat
- Nathan's NY style kosher pickle halves (SOOO good!)
- Orbitz bubble mint sugar-free gum
- Baked Lays (BBQ)
- Walmart brand sugar-free drink mix (cherry and grape are my favorites - tastes just like koolaid)
- Diet Dr. Pepper (I'm a borderline addict)
- Yoplait 100 calorie yogurts - I love lemon meringue pie and french vanilla
- Polly O string cheese
- Tacos on soft corn tortillas - delicious and surprisingly low in points
- Chicken kabobs with rice
- Smart pop mini-bags of microwaved popcorn

I also love getting ideas for healthy snacks and food swaps from http://www.hungrygirl.com/.  This website is great, and posts WW points right on the recipes.  So easy!  http://www.skinnytaste.com/ is another website that I'm always browsing.  The blogger has some great recipes, and also lists the WW points. 

Anyone have other great ideas for healthy snacks, dinners or swaps?  I'll post mine here and there, but I'd love to hear other ideas!!



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Let's Be Honest...

Some of you might be reading this and thinking - wow, she's baring it all via the web.  Has she gone crazy?  Nope.  In fact, I think this might be one of the best ideas I've had in a long time!  While I am definitely not thrilled to be admitting to everyone that I need to change, I DO need to change.  So, I promise to be brutally honest in this blog (and to myself) in order to get healthier.

I weighted myself this morning: 172.2lbs.

Before I got pregnant with Natalie, I weighed around 165.  Before Jackson, 150.  I'm inching up the scale, and definitely not happy with that upward movement.  So, it's back to Weight Watchers for me.  I know firsthand that it works.  I just need to stick with it.

After my wedding in 2006, I began Weight Watchers for the first time.  I weighed around 160 at the time and wanted to be thinner.  I followed the program, and lost 22 lbs.  I weighed 138 at my lowest, and it felt great!  Then, I got lazy and started gaining some of that weight back.  Then, I got pregnant.  Now, I have two wonderful children and a saggy waistline.  While the kids were so worth gaining that pregnancy weight and those stretch marks, there is no reason for that weight to be hanging around.

So, I started this blog.  Partially to keep me accountable to someone other than myself and partially to give myself an outlet for all the frustrations of losing weight.  I know that losing weight is much more than dieting - it's a lifestyle change.  So, here goes...

My goals:

1) Track all of my food intake with Weight Watchers online etools, and stick to my target points.
2) Weigh in every Monday morning, and post that number (good or bad) online
3) Run at least three times a week, either outside or on the dreadmill :)
4) Use this blog to vent frustrations, and celebrate victories

If you're reading this (or any of my upcoming posts), feel free to comment, make suggestions, give advice or scold me (haha, I know I'll need that eventually)!!