update: ww

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i bet you thought i gave up! 

to be honest, i thought about it. and i did take a break in the summer. i tell you, it's hard living with a boy (a man, really.) who needs to eat way more than you and LOVES to workout. i've had to do a complete overhaul of our meals and we're just starting to get in a more routine cooking schedule that pleases us both.

but here's the latest info.

lost almost 40 lbs. 

training for a 5k: that might not sound like a big feat to some but for me it's huge. 

i mean, i can't remember the last time I ran for longer than five minutes straight. wait , actually i can. it was the beginning of my 8th grade year. i was trying out for volleyball and you had to be able to run a mile in 8 minutes or less. i worked hard all summer and after two tries i did it! i made the A team and became the setter. good times. if you asked me to bump, set, spike now,i'd think you were referring to baby bumps, setting the dinner table and asking if you can spike my drink. why yes, yes you can! also, i prefer gin, thankyouverymuch.

i digress. it's a work in progress. always will be, i suppose. making life changes is hard. plus I'm a quitter. and a whiner which makes exercising and dieting that much harder.but now I've got a wedding to look forward to and damn it, I will not be fat on that day! and T is not a quitter. so when he's up and at 'em in the wee hours of the morning for gym time, i feel a little guilty if i'm not tagging right along. i'm hating him for waking me up but i'm there just the same!

so for now, especially during the holidays, i'll just say that i'm trying. and isn't that all that matters?

update: weight watchers

i haven't updated y'all on the ww front in a while. not because i jumped ship or because i've fallen down and can't get back up. actually it's just the opposite. i'm doing well. still going slow and steady wins the race path! doing things healthy and smart. changing for life, and that's the way i want this weight loss thing to happen for me.

but i've come to the realization that i'm just LARGE.

yes, i just admitted that i'm a large person.

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let me explain so you don't try to form an intervention to help me with my low self esteem.

i've come up with a mental list (which i'll now but down on digital paper for the world to see) of what makes me a large person.

1. there's the obvious factor that i'm carrying a few extra pounds. and while i've lost a total of 32 (!) of those extra lbs. i still have quite a few to lose.

2. i have a very large voice. i'm talking about volume in the sense of audio and amount of usage. i talk a lot and i love to be loud. i can't help it. i blame it on growing up with too many siblings and having to yell to be heard. and i could literally talk your head off if you let me. about anything. i'm the person you don't really want to sit next to on an airplane (but only if i'm by myself). i must get that from my fatherly, kevin!

3. i have very large cheeks. no matter how much weight i lose in my face, i just can't get rid of them. at least my kiddos will be cute with those pinchable cheekers, right?

4. i think i have large teeth. i'm probably the only person that thinks this, in fact travis is in love with my teeth. being an orthodontists son, it's one of the first things he notices at when he meets someone.

5. i have a very large...chest. good thing there's no pic for this one. no one wants to see that. well, i know someone but this is a family blog!

6. my personality is pretty large and you probably love me or hate me. i'm ok with that. as i've gotten older it doesn't bother me but as a teen i always needed people to like me but i've since decided it's quality over quantity!

7. my hair is large. this pic doesn't even do it justice. i should show you right after i blow it dry and haven't brushed through but this natural look will have to do for now!

8. i like BIG stuff. ie. my 80 lb dog, my 6'4" bf, large jewelry, large purses, the big suv i drive, etc. i mean, come on, i'm a texas gal and everything is bigger (and better) in texas. right?

about the only non-large thing about me is my height. seriously i wish i had about 4 more inches.

i'm in no way getting down on myself. i love who i am and who i'm becoming each day. it's nice to sit down and take an honest look at yourself and decide what it is that you don't like and change it and what you do like and embrace it!

*please don't judge my low quality mac photo booth pics. or my dirty hair and freshly washed, ie. super shiny face! thanks.

inappropriate but so true.

story of my life.

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update: weight watchers and the biggest loser

i've never been into the biggest loser. i would catch a few glimpses every now and then when i lived with my sorority sister kallie. she loved that show! but i never really got into, that is until this last season.

trav and i started watching it together on netflix and i just couldn't get enough. i think i watched four episodes in a row one night! and they're like an hour and a half long :)

i feel in love with the trainers this season but my fav are bob and jillian for sure. their knowledge is extensive and their dedication is insane! although, i think i like bob a little better simply because he's a little nicer and i'm def not the tough love kind of person when it comes to weight loss.

my fav team this season was the purple team. the sister team was hilarious and worked so hard.

olivia on the right is an opera singer living in new york and hannah on the right is her younger sister. each of them started around 260 and ended around 130. 1/2 their size? you bet!

these two women were extremely inspirational all season long but on the second to last episode they both said something that struck me hard.

olivia said her weight was like a suit of armor she wore to protect herself against being hurt. and hannah said the hardest thing she ever did was ask for help. because asking for help with her weight was like admitting that she was failing at life, failing herself for not taking care of her body and living to the fullest every day.

i can def relate to that. it's hard to ask for help. it's hard to do the right thing and take care of yourself. it's hard when there are so many temptations out there. and it's hard to make a decision to change your life.

but it worked for them...

they are the two in the middle, whoa baby! don't they look great? i mean i wish i looked like that. (all in good time!) and they just beamed with joy and happiness. they overcame their physical and emotional issues and made a change to better their lives one day at a time.

i am so happy to say that i've made that same decision. no, i'm not going on the biggest loser. (i don't way nearly enough, which is a good thing!) but i am changing my life one day at a time.

my life changed 6 months ago when i decided to join ww. i've lost a total of 28.5 pounds and while i wish that number was bigger, i'm still on track to meet my goal weight by the end of the year. i've gotten my diet under control (which i knew would be the hardest part for me) and i've started doing the hard work; cardio and strength training.

travis and i recently joined the gym and while i hate spending money on that, i knew this time around i wasn't going to waste it!

today was our first day of getting back into it and i'm happy to report that we went to spin class at 5:30 am! yes, you read that correctly! i woke up at 4:55 am this morning to work out. i can't even believe those words myself but i feel GREAT! i knew i would. one of my fav healthy living bloggers always says, "i never regret a workout." and it's so true. getting there is the hard part but once i'm there, i never regret it.

our plan for now is to get to the 5:30 am class monday, tuesday, thursday and friday for a good cardio workout and then do strength training (kettle bells and jillian's dvd) two to three times a week after work. i'll also still be walking the dog but that's more for him now than me!

i'm finally settling into a routine that i love and know i can stick with and that excites me. if fact i was so excited about this "new" life that i smiled all through spinning class this morning, yeah, i'm a weirdo!

update: weight watchers

so sorry i haven't updated this in a while. i've been busy but really, that's just an excuse.

and it's not that i've been embarrassed or not losing weight. no, ww is going really well.

i guess you could say, i've been lazy.

really? me lazy, never!

anywho, i've lost 24 lbs and still moving along at about a pound a week. the last couple weeks have been rainy and the weather is so weird.

hot. cold. hot. cold.

dal and i are trying to at least get in our 2 miles four days a week. and it's helping for sure.

in fact dal has lost 2 lbs. only 5 more to go for him!

as for cooking, i haven't been doing a lot of that. it's been lean cuisines and sandwiches around here. and if i have one more taco salad, i might just turn into one.

be looking for my taco salad recipe asap. it's my go to ww meal.

seriously, i ate it 4 times last week alone!

recipe of the week

homemade salsa

ingredients:

1 28 oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes

2 cans of mexican style rotel (the pic shoes hot. DO NOT get this. you'll burn your tongue off and this is coming from a texas gal who likes her salsa HOT!)

1/2 onion

1 handful fresh cilantro

garlic powder, salt, pepper and lime juice to taste

one whole jalapeno

5 to 10 shakes of cholula hot sauce (depending on how hot you like it, i use about 8)

(pic also shows double of everything because i was making A LOT of salsa!)

directions:

chop your onion, cilantro and jalapeno. i used my hand chopper that jennifer got me for christmas!

but everything in your blender or food processor. pulse that baby for a good minute or two.

taste it and add things as you like. i usually have to add a little bit of lime, cholula or garlic powder.

put in a mason jar or tupperware

and make it all cute for your fam and friends, who will love it!

update: weight watchers

i have a few recent updates!!

on sunday 2/27 i stepped on the scale and had lost just shy of 2 lbs. yesterday i was the same weight. no loss. but i'm not even the least bit defeated because i ate horribly this week (don't even ask me why!) and really thought and felt like i had gained about 5 lbs. luckily i did not and now that i've got that out of my system i think i can buckle down this week and get back on track.

with that being said, here are some things i've been thinking about in the ww world.

these serving spoons/ladle are awesome. they're also measuring cups and make it that much easier to make sure i have the right amount of the food i'm eating. i must order these pronto. especially since they're on sale right now in the ww shop. and that way i can stop using my actual 1 cup or 1/2 cup measuring cup for things like soup and chili!

this scale is super sweet. it already has tons of food programmed in it and all you have to do is weigh your food and it will calculate the points for you. at $40 it's a bit steep for me (at the moment) but i think it would be a very valuable tool to have. maybe a christmas present? it's not too early to be thinking about those, right?!

this weekend i went shopping for some new (better fitting clothes!). i ended up ordering jeans from oldnavy (thanks mom and greg!) in three different sizes. i know that seems silly but i don't want to be scurrying around trying to find them when i do fit in them.

while i was in the store ordering the jeans, i also picked up a few other things.

i love these chambray shorts. they are so cute. i went ahead and got them in my current size. since they have a draw string i'm thinking they'll still work when i lose another size or two.

this was my fav purchase. i'm a huge fan of dresses (duh!) but not so much white ones. i'm super pale and have a hard time getting any color (unless it comes from a bottle) but once i put this on, i loved it and just new it would be perfect for summer.

i'm going to be buying a couple of skinny belts in fun colors to go with too. obvious colors like brown and black will look great with my leopard print flip flops but i think i'm going to get some fun colors like hot pink and orange or yellow.

here's the recent stats on ww:

1. 19.2 lbs. down.

2. dropped two sizes

3. seem to be losing an average of 1.5 a week

4. just started my 4th month

5. still trying new foods and eating more fruits and veggies

recipe of the week

rutabaga fries

ingredients:

rutabaga

olive oil

seasoned salt (or any seasoning you like on your normal fries)

instructions:

wash your rutabaga.

peel all the skin off.

chop into wedges. i'm horrible at this and need more practice.

now here's where i have no pics because my phone died and my digital camera is awful and well the end result was terrible.

i can admit when i've made a fail. and this was a BIG one.

i used too much olive oil and the fries wouldn't crisp up like i wanted them too. i hate soggy fries. i did however try one that was semi-crisp and it was good. you honestly can't tell it's not a potato until the after taste gets ya. it will take a little getting used to but i will make these again. i'll put an update next week when i make them again.

plus side of the rutabaga: for a cup of raw it's 1 ww point. cooked it's 2 ww points. and a serving of the fries is 3 ww points. not bad.

recipe of the week

haven't done one of these in a while. welcome back recipe of the week!

chicken teriyaki stir fry

this was so so so easy.

ingredients:

2 bags of frozen stir fry with noodles

1 chicken breast

teriyaki sauce of your choice

we marinated the chicken in the sauce for about an hour and then grilled it on the foreman.

while it's grilling, dump your bags of veggies into a large skillet or wok.

once the chicken is done cut it into small chunks and add to the veggies.

add 1/4 cup of the sauce (or really as much as you like!)

let it get all friendly in there. you know they love each other so let them just hangout for a little while.

after about 20 minutes i scooped it all up into a bowl and had a great veggie packed dinner!

and i'll let you know, i did eat all those veggies. even those broccoli pieces :)

yay me!

and this whole dinner was only 5 points...WHAT?

yep, for 1.5 cups of the stirfry and 3 ounces of chicken.

to quote michelle tanner: whoa baby!

update: weight watchers/confessions

when i got home, it was like this out...

so i changed clothes and leashed up the booger.

(yes today he's a shit head because he got in the HUGE bag of trash i forgot to take out this morning and it was everywhere. wish i had a pic of that!)

hello shorts! yep i braved the wind and put on the nikes. oh how i've missed you dear shorts. side note: these shorts were tight when i bought them last september. now they're a little loose! i love ww :)

no jacket for dalpal!

we headed out for our two miles and finished with a nice fast paced jog for the last 1/8 of a mile.

confession #1:

yes, we started doing this because i hate running and wasn't even sure if dallas could run along on the leash. well he can. and i can actually run that long. don't laugh, i was seriously questioning my abilities.

confession #2:

boo, this is my least fav part of, well, life.

it's not that i don't want to be active. i totally do.

i love swimming and biking and walking and shopping (come on, it's totally a legit form of exercise. right mom?) and playing with my dog and the girls.

i find myself wanting to be outside more and more. craving the sun and warmer temps just so i can walk more and possibly go hiking, biking and swimming. (oh my!)

BUT, i hate the gym. let me say this again, I HATE THE GYM,

the only thing i've ever liked at the gym was spinning class. because the music is loud and i like biking (hello? have i said that yet?) and my hunky was usually with me. fun times.

but, the gym love stops there. i hate waiting in line for machines. running on the treadmill is boring and once, when we had a personal trainer (long story), i hated him. no seriously, i did.

i'm trying. i really am. and once i lose enough to feel comfortable i totally intend on joining a gym again and really doing that physical fitness stuff. seriously.

but until then, walking dallas will have to suffice. and i do really LOVE this!

confession #3:

i have come to the conclusion that i am addicted to sugar. i love desserts of all kinds and would totally take a chocolate bar over any veggie any day. (duh.)

and since i've known this for awhile now but never said it out loud, i've been subbing splenda for sugar in anything i can. now before you lecture me about that, don't. thanks!

i've also been making sugar free cakes and brownies which helps with the sugar intake and the points are a lot lower.

but what's a girl to do?

i'm going to have to think of more recipes and start reading more healthy eating blogs.

i've also heard that cutting out sugar for three weeks will help you crave it less and you'll eventually have a pattern of not eating it.

that sounds awful. just saying :)

confession #4:

i want to run a 5k with my dog.

more on that one later.

update: weight watchers

it's been a little while since i've updated y'all.

i'll say the truth. it's been a little slow moving lately.

first was my birthday and then the weather was terrible and now valentines. yikes!

i did manage to lose 2 pounds the week of my birthday but then after eating an entire birthday cake in one week (okay not really a whole cake but close enough!) i hit a rough patch and it was hard to get back on track.

after the last week of snow, terribly cold temps and the wind (oh, that wind), dallas and i didn't make it out walking very much. and the girls and i were cooped up at home most of the week so life was pretty sedentary.

that's why i gained .4 pounds this week. but hey, the up side of that is that it's less than half a pound and should be easy to lose again.

but i hate having to lose it again!

so now we're back on track...total weight loss to date 16.6 pounds.

goals for this week:

1. track EVERYTHING

2. get outside (we're actually in the 40's and 50's!)

3. make a new ww recipie (i'm thinking stuffed cheddar burgers)

4. lose at least 2 pounds

wish me luck and good luck to those of you trying too.

let's all get out there and give it our all this week!

holy spinach!

so i've had fresh spinach before in salads and pastas but i'm not made of money and don't ever eat enough to make a big bag of it worth it so i decided to buy some frozen spinach.

i've had it in the freezer for a couple weeks now and finally pulled it out tonight determined to make a dish with plenty of the green stuff.

what i came up with was pasta with lots of veggies!

i used my carba nada pasta along with spinach, onions, red peppers, corn, garlic and some prego spaghetti sauce. then i topped it all off with some garlic, crushes red pepper and parm.

it was so good that i gobbled it all up before i could snap a pick for you! oops. but i will tell you that the whole thing was 7 ww points!!!!! and it was so filling that i'm still full and probably will be all night.

but don't think that will stop me from having dessert! hey, i've got to finish my points for the day...think i'll have some of these babies...

update: weight watchers

so this week i've tried two new foods.

greek yogurt. this is the strawberry flavor. it's actually really good. not tangy like regular yogurt. too bad after three bites i realized it was expired! i'll be buying this again though.

o. m. g. i can't even tell you how much i love this carba nada pasta. it weighs in with 24 grams of carbs, 6 grams of fiber and 12 grams of protein. awesomeness. plus at only 3 ww points for 1.5 cups i think i'd eat it every day!

update: weight watchers

just found this little beauty! and at only 3 ww points and only 3 ww points for 15 baked tostitos scoops, i've got a 6 ww point snack with a good staying power! plus this is going to be great for the super bowl!

update: weight watchers

so i tried a new food again this morning.

side note quickly, i'm at home today. sick, sick, sick. i actually made it to work but as i sat at the table with olivia i began to feel very hot and light headed. we took my temp and it was over 99 degrees so holly had me go home just to be on the safe side. and to say it's getting better would be a lie. so off to the urgent center at 9:30 i went. sinus infection.

once i got home i decided to try to eat a little breakfast. i pack my breakfast and lunch almost everyday so i decided to break open the lunch pail for a light egg sandwich.

i used a light thomas english muffin, kraft 2% american cheese, egg whites and (new!) veggie bacon from morning star.

now, this "bacon" doesn't really look all that appetizing but i've heard great things about it from julie over at peanut butter fingers. it kind of reminds me of plastic play food you'd have as a child, but alas, i wanted to try it because it's only 1 ww point for two slices!

so here's my yum-o breakfast sandwich...

see what i mean? doesn't look too great! but it was awesome and actually tasted very close to real bacon. dare i say i liked it just as much as turkey bacon or real pig bacon itself? i think i do!

you know who else loved it?

of course you do!

he couldn't even sit still for a pic he was so giddy!

gobbled it all up!

recipe of the week

so sorry i have no pics but this is a fab salad recipie!

it's super easy to make too.

this is for one serving but you can easily make it for as many people as you need.

3 oz of grilled chicken (boneless, skinless, and trimmed please!)

3 cups of lettuce (my choice was a mixture of light, dark and shredded carrots and cabbage)

2 tbs. of ken's asian ginger sesame lite dressing

2 tbs. of wonton strips (from a package at the grocery or you can stop by your local chinese takeout place)

mix all together and enjoy.

this recipe is 6 ww points.

fyi: i had this for dinner last night and also for lunch today. i gave myself 5 cups of lettuce for lunch today to keep me extra full since lettuce has no point value but kept all the other measurements the same. it was a little drier but i kinda like it that way!

update: weight watchers

so i decided that i needed to include a new update to the list.

i'm going to start giving updates on my track with weight watchers. it will include food and recipes, fitness and motivation.

i'm going to focus on my physical goals A LOT in 2011. no resolutions here just goals! and i'm hoping by putting them here (for all to read!) it will keep me on track and accountable.

so here we go readers...let's get motivated!

let's start with my fitness goals:

1. walk dallas 4 miles six days a week. right now i'm doing 2 at 5:30 am and 2 when i get home from work.

2. get involved in a group exercise. i'm looking into zumba and spinning.

i have some foodie goals too!

1. try new foods. this is so important because you never know what you'll like until you try it! speaking of trying new foods!, check out this video of me trying cauliflower for the first time. disclaimer: i look like poo because we just got back from working out and i haven't showered today! and let's be honest, even though i've lost 12 pounds, the camera adds ten! :)

2. cook something new every week. i bought a new ww cookbook online today so as soon as i get that i'm going to go crazy with new recipes! keep an eye out for the outcome here!

and to just keep myself as honest as possible, here are my weight goals:

1. i've lost 12 pounds. i want to lose about 60 more. that's just an estimate for now. but i love losing the weight. i actually look forward to weigh ins on sundays and i've dropped one pant size and that right there is enough motivation!

so what do you think. sorry if it's tmi but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!

thanks in advance for the encouragement! love y'all.

it's amore. it's a pizza!

doesn't that look b-e-a-utiful!

{it was so good i had to take a bite before i could snap the pic!}

at only 225 cals, 13 grams of fat and 8 grams of fiber, it's only 5 ww points. pretty good for the best pizza i've found on ww. almost as good as dominos thin crust...and that's saying a lot.

{if you use turkey pepperoni it's only 4 points because of less fat!}

you just have to try this. go. now!

tasty treat

tonight i made some chocolate croissants. courtesy of my friend from high school, shelby's blog.

her pics are much better than mine! but i'm sure these taste just as delish.

since i'm doing ww, i used reduced fat pillsbury crescent rolls but i used the good ole real nutella!

at 5 points i won't be eating a ton of these but i think it's a tasty treat i can indulge in every once in awhile!

on a side note dallas loves nutella just as much as i do...

deliciousness

i made this little beauty for dinner...

it's a great pasta dish wish oregano and basil flavored chicken, grape tomatoes, an olive oil sauce and a dash of parmesan cheese on a bed of whole wheat pasta!

i found the recipe here {my new fav recipe website, thanks myra!} and it was only 5 points for a cup and half serving {btw, i'm on weight watchers now!}

can't wait to try out some new recipes this weekend.

good eats!