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Showing posts with label Getting Skinny. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Getting Skinny. Show all posts
Friday, September 20, 2013
Weekly Workout: Week 1
Sunday, September 15, 2013
New Series: Weekly Workout
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Running Again
Those of you who have been around for a while know that I have tried a few times in the past to become healthier. This time just seems different. I'm not quite sure why, but it does. And so I'm going with it! But I thought it would be helpful to document why I'm making these changes so that when things start to get really tough, I can find renewed motivation.
... because I totally feel it
... because I need a hobby
... because I want to be a runner
... because Rudy loves to run with me
... because I want to challenge myself
... because I want to challenge myself
... because I want to show myself that I can
... because I want to enjoy shopping for clothes
... because my butt is much bigger than it should be
... because I want to get addicted to that runner's high
... because I need a healthy way to deal with life's stress
... because I need a healthy way to deal with life's stress
... because I love to have some time to look at the clouds
... because I want to be excited to go to the beach this summer
... because I'm running my first 5k very soon with awesome friends
... because I'm running my first 5k very soon with awesome friends
... because I want to take cute tummy pictures if I'm ever pregnant*
... because the doctor cleared me after being sick for almost a month
... because the doctor cleared me after being sick for almost a month
*First we need to decide that we want to get pregnant. And that definitely isn't an easy decision. Then we need to actually try to get pregnant. And then we need it to actually happen! So don't get too excited about upcoming tummy pictures.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Sacrifices Ending in Splurge
It all comes down to how much you are willing to sacrifice for a potential outcome.
After a week of following the Ideal Protein plan exactly, I hit my breaking point. This is not the diet for me. Why you ask?
1. I did not like the Ideal Protein packets, of which you are supposed to eat 3 a day.
2. There is no allowance for "cheats". That means that as long as you are on the program you can't eat any alcohol, fruit, chocolate, carrots, bread, milk, corn, cheese, yogurt, ketchup, balsamic vinegar, avocado and many more fun things.
3. Did I mention that the packets aren't so tasty? There might have been some college styling chugging going on this weekend. And unfortunately it was soups, smoothies and pudding that were being chugged- not beer.
Was the week I survived Ideal Protein a complete loss? Absolutely not!
1. I was shown that I can be completely satisfied without any carbs.
2. I was shown that I can have quite a bit of energy when eating significantly less calories.
3. I was reminded how easy it is to eat lots of veggies. I really do heart veggies.
4. I know this is not the diet for me. Maybe for others. But not me.
5. I was reminded of the fun of losing inches and pounds. I'm down 8 pounds and enough inches to make my pants significantly looser.
6. I was reminded how much I enjoy eating a variety of food.
Do I want to be skinny? Sure. Who doesn't? But am I willing to not enjoy the majority of the food I eat every day? Absolutely not.
So what's next? Lord, only knows! I'm currently planning to enjoy eating the produce that I couldn't eat this week. Tomatoes and strawberries here I come! And then I plan to concentrate on having a well balanced diet. That will include the occasional splurge.
Speaking of splurge, I decided that if I was going to stop the diet I was really going to stop the diet. So I had the dinner that I have been thinking about since I started this diet. My favorite burger and fries.
And then I might have had a sundae. Ha! I was excited to have real food. What can I say?
After a week of following the Ideal Protein plan exactly, I hit my breaking point. This is not the diet for me. Why you ask?
1. I did not like the Ideal Protein packets, of which you are supposed to eat 3 a day.
2. There is no allowance for "cheats". That means that as long as you are on the program you can't eat any alcohol, fruit, chocolate, carrots, bread, milk, corn, cheese, yogurt, ketchup, balsamic vinegar, avocado and many more fun things.
3. Did I mention that the packets aren't so tasty? There might have been some college styling chugging going on this weekend. And unfortunately it was soups, smoothies and pudding that were being chugged- not beer.
Was the week I survived Ideal Protein a complete loss? Absolutely not!
1. I was shown that I can be completely satisfied without any carbs.
2. I was shown that I can have quite a bit of energy when eating significantly less calories.
3. I was reminded how easy it is to eat lots of veggies. I really do heart veggies.
4. I know this is not the diet for me. Maybe for others. But not me.
5. I was reminded of the fun of losing inches and pounds. I'm down 8 pounds and enough inches to make my pants significantly looser.
6. I was reminded how much I enjoy eating a variety of food.
Do I want to be skinny? Sure. Who doesn't? But am I willing to not enjoy the majority of the food I eat every day? Absolutely not.
So what's next? Lord, only knows! I'm currently planning to enjoy eating the produce that I couldn't eat this week. Tomatoes and strawberries here I come! And then I plan to concentrate on having a well balanced diet. That will include the occasional splurge.
Speaking of splurge, I decided that if I was going to stop the diet I was really going to stop the diet. So I had the dinner that I have been thinking about since I started this diet. My favorite burger and fries.
And then I might have had a sundae. Ha! I was excited to have real food. What can I say?
Not Quite Potato Chips
... but Kale chips are pretty tasty.
Previously I heard about the deliciousness that was Kale chips. I didn't really pay too much attention since I'm not a huge chip person. But since starting the Ideal Protein diet, I am looking for any and all recipes that are on plan. And thankfully Kale chips are! Woohoo!
I followed this tutorial, which was quite completely. Although I did change a few things up. Here's my version.
Kale Chips
Kale
Olive Oil
Seasoning
Preheat oven to 350.
Wash kale. Completely dry kale. Dry again to be sure. Rip kale from stalk. Rip kale into bite size pieces. Place on cookie sheet that has been sprayed/lightly greased with olive oil. Spray kale with olive oil. Sprinkle with seasonings of your choice (garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, salt, etc.).
Cook until they are the consistency of paper. Mine took around 8 min. But smaller pieces will take longer. Wait until they are cool to package up. We learned that hard way that you will otherwise you end up with soggy kale and that's just no fun.
Feed leftover kale stalks to your dog.
Previously I heard about the deliciousness that was Kale chips. I didn't really pay too much attention since I'm not a huge chip person. But since starting the Ideal Protein diet, I am looking for any and all recipes that are on plan. And thankfully Kale chips are! Woohoo!
I followed this tutorial, which was quite completely. Although I did change a few things up. Here's my version.
Kale Chips
Kale
Olive Oil
Seasoning
Preheat oven to 350.
Wash kale. Completely dry kale. Dry again to be sure. Rip kale from stalk. Rip kale into bite size pieces. Place on cookie sheet that has been sprayed/lightly greased with olive oil. Spray kale with olive oil. Sprinkle with seasonings of your choice (garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, salt, etc.).
Cook until they are the consistency of paper. Mine took around 8 min. But smaller pieces will take longer. Wait until they are cool to package up. We learned that hard way that you will otherwise you end up with soggy kale and that's just no fun.
Feed leftover kale stalks to your dog.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Getting Skinny: Ideal Protein Style
For those of you that have been around for a while, I am again attempting to lose weight. But the exciting news is that I'm not using Weight Watchers or trying C25K again. We all know that I have been there and done that. Quite a few times. This time I needed something different.
Ideal Protein.
What? You never heard of it? I'm not really too surprised. I had only heard of it a few times prior to this past weekend.
We were out and about doing non-kid-friendly activities like eating at fancy restaurants and going to the symphony since it could be our last kid-free weekend. Because did I mention we are licensed?!?!? Anywho back to this diet thing, over dinner at that fancy restaurant I was talking with a wonderful family friend who mentioned Ideal Protein. She had great success with the plan in the past and was thinking about going back on it to lose those pesky last 10 pounds. I love hearing success stories from skinny people because that is proof in itself that it works! She explained how the program is setup and it all seemed to make logical sense. High protein. Lots of veggies. Very very low carbs. No sugar. The part I really like is that you eat 3 of their foods a day, leaving you only to cook dinner. Besides the convenience, I like that the hubby and I can eat the same food for dinner. And he liked that steak is still on the menu!
So I did more researching and didn't find anything substanial to give me pause. Last night we attended an informational session and I was pretty impressed with the full picture of the diet. So I signed-up and had an Ideal Protein Pineapple-Banana Shake this morning for breakfast. And the journey begins...
The saddest part is that alcohol is not allowed. This means I had to send this.
Note to self: Next time you decide to get all healthy, don't do it the day before girls' night.
Disclaimer: Alcohol is a big no-no on this plan. But I am not planning on cheating without consent. My coach bribed me with a few drinks per week in the future if I follow the plan exactly in the beginning. That's a carrot I'm willing to work for!
Ideal Protein.
What? You never heard of it? I'm not really too surprised. I had only heard of it a few times prior to this past weekend.
We were out and about doing non-kid-friendly activities like eating at fancy restaurants and going to the symphony since it could be our last kid-free weekend. Because did I mention we are licensed?!?!? Anywho back to this diet thing, over dinner at that fancy restaurant I was talking with a wonderful family friend who mentioned Ideal Protein. She had great success with the plan in the past and was thinking about going back on it to lose those pesky last 10 pounds. I love hearing success stories from skinny people because that is proof in itself that it works! She explained how the program is setup and it all seemed to make logical sense. High protein. Lots of veggies. Very very low carbs. No sugar. The part I really like is that you eat 3 of their foods a day, leaving you only to cook dinner. Besides the convenience, I like that the hubby and I can eat the same food for dinner. And he liked that steak is still on the menu!
So I did more researching and didn't find anything substanial to give me pause. Last night we attended an informational session and I was pretty impressed with the full picture of the diet. So I signed-up and had an Ideal Protein Pineapple-Banana Shake this morning for breakfast. And the journey begins...
The saddest part is that alcohol is not allowed. This means I had to send this.
Note to self: Next time you decide to get all healthy, don't do it the day before girls' night.
Disclaimer: Alcohol is a big no-no on this plan. But I am not planning on cheating without consent. My coach bribed me with a few drinks per week in the future if I follow the plan exactly in the beginning. That's a carrot I'm willing to work for!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
WW: Motivation
Motivation is a funny thing. Sometimes I'm full of it (motivation that is) and sometimes it is no where to be found, which is where my Weight Watchers motivation currently is. At first I stressed out about it. I know I'd like to lose a few pounds, so why am I refusing to count points and stay on plan? I really don't have an answer. But for the first time, I told myself that is okay. Better to try to limit eating out and eat more healthy in general than halfheartedly diet to only become more disappointed that the weight isn't coming off like it should, right?
The good news is that my motivation isn't completely gone in all aspects. I have still been running the C25K program after taking a few days break for a mega blister. And that is making me happy. I like pushing myself on the runs and knowing that I've completed another hard workout. To be honest, there have been days that I "should" have ran per the schedule and I just didn't feel like it. So I didn't. And it was great to have a night to myself to go to bed early or spend time with my girls!
I am motivated to get all of our projects done and over with. This might mainly be fueled by the urge to stop living in a construction zone more than the actual completion of the project. But you have to take what you can get.
Hopefully, I will motivated to get back to Weight Watchers one day, preferably soon. But I think it is a "win" this week to go with what feels right and not worry so much on what I'm not doing. Enjoying what I have chosen to do is enough.
The good news is that my motivation isn't completely gone in all aspects. I have still been running the C25K program after taking a few days break for a mega blister. And that is making me happy. I like pushing myself on the runs and knowing that I've completed another hard workout. To be honest, there have been days that I "should" have ran per the schedule and I just didn't feel like it. So I didn't. And it was great to have a night to myself to go to bed early or spend time with my girls!
I am motivated to get all of our projects done and over with. This might mainly be fueled by the urge to stop living in a construction zone more than the actual completion of the project. But you have to take what you can get.
Hopefully, I will motivated to get back to Weight Watchers one day, preferably soon. But I think it is a "win" this week to go with what feels right and not worry so much on what I'm not doing. Enjoying what I have chosen to do is enough.
Monday, January 23, 2012
WW: I'm Running Today
Instead of listing daily "winnings" this week, I have one "winning" that is big enough for the entire week. I am really proud of this achievement and super excited to see where it leads me.
I completed the first week of C25K! Woot! Woot!
For those of you who are new around here, C25K is a 9 week running program that utilizes running/walking intervals to transition beginning runner from couch to a 5k race.
For those readers who have been around awhile, you know that this isn't my first attempt at this program. In part that is why I'm so excited about finishing the first week. For me it is definitely harder to restart something that you haven't finished before, than start something new. I had lots of self doubts going into my first run. Would I be able to keep up? Would I get injured again? The truth is- I completely rocked that first run! So much so that I really surprised myself at how fast I was able to run and how good it felt.
This go round I have a completely different mindset. I am no longer focusing on everything. What 5k I should sign up for? What if I need to repeat a week? Then I need to find another 5k. How am I going to squeeze in my run 3 weekends from now when I might be out of town? Is my foot going to hold up? What am I going to do if I get injured again? Should I keep running through some discomfort, but not pure pain?
So what am I focusing on this time? I'm running today. That's it. That's my entire mindset this go round. Sometimes it might just be- I'm running this minute. I'll decide about the next minute when it comes.
Will I complete the entire program? I have no clue. But I know I will complete my next run. And that's enough for me.
I completed the first week of C25K! Woot! Woot!
For those of you who are new around here, C25K is a 9 week running program that utilizes running/walking intervals to transition beginning runner from couch to a 5k race.
For those readers who have been around awhile, you know that this isn't my first attempt at this program. In part that is why I'm so excited about finishing the first week. For me it is definitely harder to restart something that you haven't finished before, than start something new. I had lots of self doubts going into my first run. Would I be able to keep up? Would I get injured again? The truth is- I completely rocked that first run! So much so that I really surprised myself at how fast I was able to run and how good it felt.
This go round I have a completely different mindset. I am no longer focusing on everything. What 5k I should sign up for? What if I need to repeat a week? Then I need to find another 5k. How am I going to squeeze in my run 3 weekends from now when I might be out of town? Is my foot going to hold up? What am I going to do if I get injured again? Should I keep running through some discomfort, but not pure pain?
So what am I focusing on this time? I'm running today. That's it. That's my entire mindset this go round. Sometimes it might just be- I'm running this minute. I'll decide about the next minute when it comes.
Will I complete the entire program? I have no clue. But I know I will complete my next run. And that's enough for me.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Weekly Winning in a Non-Winning Week
So in the spirit of Weekly Winning, I'm just trying to remain positive in my "get healthy" goal. This week I was definitely not your Weight Watchers role model but I have to say this week wasn't as non-winning as I originally thought after reviewing my "wins" below. I'm looking forward to getting back on track with both my eating and working out this week!
M- Tried to eat healthy despite feeling like sh*t
T- Went to WW meeting and found out I was more successful than I thought
W- Found a healthy dinner at fast food
T- Tried brussels sprouts for the first time ever- and liked them!
F- Improved mental health and got an ab workout laughing with friends!
S- Ate lunch at home instead of on the go while running errands
S- As a first step to get back on the WW wagon, ate a delicious and healthy lunch
M- Tried to eat healthy despite feeling like sh*t
T- Went to WW meeting and found out I was more successful than I thought
W- Found a healthy dinner at fast food
T- Tried brussels sprouts for the first time ever- and liked them!
F- Improved mental health and got an ab workout laughing with friends!
S- Ate lunch at home instead of on the go while running errands
S- As a first step to get back on the WW wagon, ate a delicious and healthy lunch
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Weekly Winning
This week started of great. I decided to jump back into Weight Watchers and am very excited to see the program work. I also like the dual meaning of WW in future posts. This I think will help keep me positive and not so Weight Watchers focused, which I definitely needed this week!
M- I decided and committed myself to a diet program.
T- Started tracking everything I ate and went to my first Weight Watchers meeting in way too long!
W- Completed a monster WW-approved grocery shopping run.
T- Planned out all of my lunches and dinners for the month of January courtesy of Cozi.
F- Ate my planned lunch even though I really wanted to go out to eat, or order in, or eat anything besides my lunch! *I think the sickness was starting to creep in here, I just didn't know it yet*
S- Stuck to my meal plan until the sickness set in full force and all my points all were used up in apple juice! When I ask for apple juice, Kevin knows I'm not just whiny. It is official I'm sick.
S- I was sick and tried to eat healthy, but decided eating to keep my stomach happy was more important.
I'm hoping I'll be able to kick this bug and get back on track next week!
M- I decided and committed myself to a diet program.
T- Started tracking everything I ate and went to my first Weight Watchers meeting in way too long!
W- Completed a monster WW-approved grocery shopping run.
T- Planned out all of my lunches and dinners for the month of January courtesy of Cozi.
F- Ate my planned lunch even though I really wanted to go out to eat, or order in, or eat anything besides my lunch! *I think the sickness was starting to creep in here, I just didn't know it yet*
S- Stuck to my meal plan until the sickness set in full force and all my points all were used up in apple juice! When I ask for apple juice, Kevin knows I'm not just whiny. It is official I'm sick.
S- I was sick and tried to eat healthy, but decided eating to keep my stomach happy was more important.
I'm hoping I'll be able to kick this bug and get back on track next week!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Ups and Downs
The studying went pretty well this week. I definitely am trying to find the balance of studying enough without going crazy which just results in being unproductive. This has resulted in less hours of studying, but I think the studying that I am doing is much more productive since I'm not forcing myself to sit at my desk forever. But I do have to say that my new desk is making the studying much more "fun". It isn't hard to make it more fun when it is incredibly painful to begin with.
I had 2 great personal training sessions this week. I'm really starting to see progress and the amount of strength I have gained. And I think I *might* even be enjoying the workouts. Not completely sure on that one, but at least I don't hate it as much!
Now I am very frustrated with yet another weight gain this week. I was trying to make good choices with all of the studying sessions, superbowl and other general life complications. It really aggravates me that I've put in so much work in my workouts to still gain weight. At least I'm not desperate enough to call my weight gain muscle. But you can't win them all, so I'm going to keep pushing through.
This week I'm in a training session, so I'm going to struggle to not only eat healthy but also have energy to study in the evening. I'm trying to not let this week's set back with my weight gain discourage me. I really need to stay positive this week since the exam is very quickly approaching.
This Week:
Hours Studied: 17.5
Multiple Choice Questions: 242
Workout Sessions: 2(Personal Training)
Weight Loss: up (don't remember the specific number)
Total Results:
Total Hours Studied: 72
Total Multiple Choice Questions: 1004
Total Workout Sessions: 7
Total Weight Loss: don't want to calculate at this point
I had 2 great personal training sessions this week. I'm really starting to see progress and the amount of strength I have gained. And I think I *might* even be enjoying the workouts. Not completely sure on that one, but at least I don't hate it as much!
Now I am very frustrated with yet another weight gain this week. I was trying to make good choices with all of the studying sessions, superbowl and other general life complications. It really aggravates me that I've put in so much work in my workouts to still gain weight. At least I'm not desperate enough to call my weight gain muscle. But you can't win them all, so I'm going to keep pushing through.
This week I'm in a training session, so I'm going to struggle to not only eat healthy but also have energy to study in the evening. I'm trying to not let this week's set back with my weight gain discourage me. I really need to stay positive this week since the exam is very quickly approaching.
This Week:
Hours Studied: 17.5
Multiple Choice Questions: 242
Workout Sessions: 2(Personal Training)
Weight Loss: up (don't remember the specific number)
Total Results:
Total Hours Studied: 72
Total Multiple Choice Questions: 1004
Total Workout Sessions: 7
Total Weight Loss: don't want to calculate at this point
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
When It Rains, It Pours
This week has been rough.
First it started out with a work function on Monday night, which made studying that night completely impossible. Then I caught an awful bug, which put me out of commission Wednesday through Saturday. Yes, that was a lot of studying that I missed. Sunday I tried to catch up as much as possible. And then we found out that Kevin's grandpa passed away. Ugh! And to add insult to injury, we weren't able to go to the funeral due to timing, Kevin now being sick and a horrible ice storm on the way. :'-(
So what went right this week? I went to both of my Becker classes, which finally covered topics I was more comfortable with. I kicked butt on multiple choice questions, completing 336 this week! I worked out twice despite having zero energy. And I've tried to keep everything in perspective since life definitely gets in the way of your plan.
This Week:
Hours Studied: 15.5
Multiple Choice Questions: 336
Workout Sessions: 2(Personal Training)
Weight Loss: up .6 pounds
Total Results:
Total Hours Studied: 54.5
Total Multiple Choice Questions: 762
Total Workout Sessions: 5
Total Weight Loss: 2.6 pounds
My game plan for this week is to get back on track and not beat myself up over the hours I didn't study or weight I didn't lose this week.
First it started out with a work function on Monday night, which made studying that night completely impossible. Then I caught an awful bug, which put me out of commission Wednesday through Saturday. Yes, that was a lot of studying that I missed. Sunday I tried to catch up as much as possible. And then we found out that Kevin's grandpa passed away. Ugh! And to add insult to injury, we weren't able to go to the funeral due to timing, Kevin now being sick and a horrible ice storm on the way. :'-(
So what went right this week? I went to both of my Becker classes, which finally covered topics I was more comfortable with. I kicked butt on multiple choice questions, completing 336 this week! I worked out twice despite having zero energy. And I've tried to keep everything in perspective since life definitely gets in the way of your plan.
This Week:
Hours Studied: 15.5
Multiple Choice Questions: 336
Workout Sessions: 2(Personal Training)
Weight Loss: up .6 pounds
Total Results:
Total Hours Studied: 54.5
Total Multiple Choice Questions: 762
Total Workout Sessions: 5
Total Weight Loss: 2.6 pounds
My game plan for this week is to get back on track and not beat myself up over the hours I didn't study or weight I didn't lose this week.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
2 Weeks Down in Reg
This past week I really started to feel the pressure. Not only did I have to balance my studying with life (aka my brothers visiting from out of town), but I also started to realize how difficult this material is. I knew all along that it was tough, but now I'm seeing how tough it really it. But I think I did a great job of studying 24 hours, only 1 hour short of my intended 25! Also I was much more aware of my diet and made better choices. This was essential since my workouts were a little slack this week!
For next week, I'm vowing to get back to my schedule and really focus on making progress with the CPA material. I feel like I'm drowning right now and I really want to conquer some topics (specifically in R3) so I can feel like the studying is paying off. I also want to keep being committed to WW and exercising because those results are always so encouraging!
This Week:
Hours Studied: 24
Multiple Choice Questions: 244
Workout Sessions: 1(Personal Training)
Weight Loss: 1.4 pounds
Total Results:
Total Hours Studied: 39
Total Multiple Choice Questions: 426
Total Workout Sessions: 3
Total Weight Loss: 3.2 pounds
For next week, I'm vowing to get back to my schedule and really focus on making progress with the CPA material. I feel like I'm drowning right now and I really want to conquer some topics (specifically in R3) so I can feel like the studying is paying off. I also want to keep being committed to WW and exercising because those results are always so encouraging!
This Week:
Hours Studied: 24
Multiple Choice Questions: 244
Workout Sessions: 1(Personal Training)
Weight Loss: 1.4 pounds
Total Results:
Total Hours Studied: 39
Total Multiple Choice Questions: 426
Total Workout Sessions: 3
Total Weight Loss: 3.2 pounds
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Survived the First Week!
Not only did I survive my first week of the journey to be a CPA, I came out of it feeling encouraged and motivated to kick some butt next week!
Life threw me some curve balls this week. I got all of my ducks in order on Monday night in preparation for my first Becker class for REG on Tuesday. But then it was canceled due to snow leaving little to study or do on Tuesday and Wednesday. I was super nervous (not sure why) for class on Thursday night, but it ended up not being as terrible as I expected. I will even admit that the dork in me enjoyed parts of the class. I was starting to stress about the lack of hours I had logged for studying, but my boss surprised us with a day off on Friday. Normally I would have spent this napping and taking it easy, but I got in 5 hours of solid studying. Saturday I was a true slacker and didn't study at all. But Sunday I was right back on track with 4 hours.
I also have been taking my resolution to be more healthy much more seriously. The main reason for this is that I hate my personal training sessions. I'll even admit I was delighted when our session was cancelled on Monday due to snow. I don't hate my trainer- he is a nice guy. I just hate sweating, "the burn", and all of the moving that is required. All in all, I think I just despise exercise. So why am I doing this?
#1 I read somewhere you retain more information after you workout. I have no idea if this is true, but I like to think my evening study sessions are more productive because I broke a sweat beforehand. So in some ways I'm hoping it is helping me become a CPA.
#2 It's healthy. Simple as that. I figure that if I am busting my butt working out, I really need to make that worthwhile by not eating crap. It really has helped me stay accountable to a healthy lifestyle. I even joined a local gym on Saturday so that I would no longer have an excuse to skip my weekend workouts. And I did much better on WW this week, but I am looking forward to continuing to improve next week! But down 1.8 pounds is a great place to start! I can't wait to be a CPA, but I really hope that when I get there I'll be a skinny CPA! Now I might be getting greedy, but it is a nice thought!
Hours Studied: 15
Total Hours Studied: 15
Workout Sessions: 2 (1 Personal Training, 1 at the Gym)
Weight Loss: 1.8 pounds
Total Weight Loss: 1.8 pounds
Life threw me some curve balls this week. I got all of my ducks in order on Monday night in preparation for my first Becker class for REG on Tuesday. But then it was canceled due to snow leaving little to study or do on Tuesday and Wednesday. I was super nervous (not sure why) for class on Thursday night, but it ended up not being as terrible as I expected. I will even admit that the dork in me enjoyed parts of the class. I was starting to stress about the lack of hours I had logged for studying, but my boss surprised us with a day off on Friday. Normally I would have spent this napping and taking it easy, but I got in 5 hours of solid studying. Saturday I was a true slacker and didn't study at all. But Sunday I was right back on track with 4 hours.
I also have been taking my resolution to be more healthy much more seriously. The main reason for this is that I hate my personal training sessions. I'll even admit I was delighted when our session was cancelled on Monday due to snow. I don't hate my trainer- he is a nice guy. I just hate sweating, "the burn", and all of the moving that is required. All in all, I think I just despise exercise. So why am I doing this?
#1 I read somewhere you retain more information after you workout. I have no idea if this is true, but I like to think my evening study sessions are more productive because I broke a sweat beforehand. So in some ways I'm hoping it is helping me become a CPA.
#2 It's healthy. Simple as that. I figure that if I am busting my butt working out, I really need to make that worthwhile by not eating crap. It really has helped me stay accountable to a healthy lifestyle. I even joined a local gym on Saturday so that I would no longer have an excuse to skip my weekend workouts. And I did much better on WW this week, but I am looking forward to continuing to improve next week! But down 1.8 pounds is a great place to start! I can't wait to be a CPA, but I really hope that when I get there I'll be a skinny CPA! Now I might be getting greedy, but it is a nice thought!
Hours Studied: 15
Total Hours Studied: 15
Workout Sessions: 2 (1 Personal Training, 1 at the Gym)
Weight Loss: 1.8 pounds
Total Weight Loss: 1.8 pounds
Monday, July 26, 2010
Success!!!
While I realize both the weight loss and financial journeys will continue for quite some time, I’m so excited that this week was a true success! It gives me hope that I won’t be fat forever and that we can actually meet that crazy financial goal we set last week.
First up: Finances. As a quick refresher, we decided each week we could eat out 1 lunch, 1 take out meal and 1 restaurant meal. Well, this week it was revised to 1 lunch and 2 dinners, since our take out meals cost just as much as restaurant meals for the most part. I ate my lunch out on Monday- I couldn’t resist the offer of Mexican. I’m proud to say I held strong for the rest of the week, with the company-paid lunch on Tuesday definitely helping! Kevin and I made it all the way to Saturday without eating out, but still got our 2 meal quota in since we don’t want to be overachievers on the first week! We were planning on only eating out at lunch, but were quite disappointed by Milton’s lunch buffet. That afternoon we went to a wine tasting sponsored by The Produce Box that was fun but the wine worked up our appetites leaving us hungry for a good meal. When in doubt, we head to Torerro’s, my favorite Mexican restaurant. It was yummy as usual!
And now for the big success! I lost … drum roll please… 5.6 pounds this week! Yippee! I can’t tell you how excited this makes me! I was following the program very closely all week concentrating on veggies, dairy, and exercise. Now I just need to concentrate on not straying from the program since it clearly works!
And don’t all good things come in 3’s? Well, Kevin and I tried a new church yesterday that we both actually like! I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves since we thought we had found “our” church before, but this one has a lot of potential! I’m completely content to celebrate the fact that we know where we’ll be going next week!
First up: Finances. As a quick refresher, we decided each week we could eat out 1 lunch, 1 take out meal and 1 restaurant meal. Well, this week it was revised to 1 lunch and 2 dinners, since our take out meals cost just as much as restaurant meals for the most part. I ate my lunch out on Monday- I couldn’t resist the offer of Mexican. I’m proud to say I held strong for the rest of the week, with the company-paid lunch on Tuesday definitely helping! Kevin and I made it all the way to Saturday without eating out, but still got our 2 meal quota in since we don’t want to be overachievers on the first week! We were planning on only eating out at lunch, but were quite disappointed by Milton’s lunch buffet. That afternoon we went to a wine tasting sponsored by The Produce Box that was fun but the wine worked up our appetites leaving us hungry for a good meal. When in doubt, we head to Torerro’s, my favorite Mexican restaurant. It was yummy as usual!
And now for the big success! I lost … drum roll please… 5.6 pounds this week! Yippee! I can’t tell you how excited this makes me! I was following the program very closely all week concentrating on veggies, dairy, and exercise. Now I just need to concentrate on not straying from the program since it clearly works!
And don’t all good things come in 3’s? Well, Kevin and I tried a new church yesterday that we both actually like! I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves since we thought we had found “our” church before, but this one has a lot of potential! I’m completely content to celebrate the fact that we know where we’ll be going next week!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Double Mission
I have been MIA for a bit (much shorter than my usual breaks), because we headed down to the beach to celebrate our 5th anniversary and Rudy's 2nd birthday! What can I say, he's a lucky dog! My brother also stopped down for a few days, which was awesome to spend some time with him!
However I am back with a mission, or two really!
First up is finances. While I realize this is a touchy subject and definitely one that I won't go into graphic detail on, we all have to deal with at some point. And honestly, it sucks. Basically our goal was to figure out where our money was going and then make sure that is where we actually wanted it to go. Our big realization is that we spend A LOT (and I mean a huge amount) on food, both groceries and eating out. No wonder my ass is so big- we'll get to that in a minute. So starting tomorrow we are tracking our actual expenses to our budget. I'm really hoping we'll kick some ass and reach our goals the first month, but I know it is going to be a work in process.
Second mission concerns my fat ass. Plain and simple, it is fatter than it should be. But at least I'm glad I have something to show for all that money I've been spending on food! So I'm jumping back on board tomorrow and starting Weight Watchers again. It has worked great in the past, so I just need to stick to the program. I'm also going to try this time around to incorporate regular exercise- regular being the key word.
So there you have it. Spend less money and lose more weight! I'll keep you posted on my progress!
However I am back with a mission, or two really!
First up is finances. While I realize this is a touchy subject and definitely one that I won't go into graphic detail on, we all have to deal with at some point. And honestly, it sucks. Basically our goal was to figure out where our money was going and then make sure that is where we actually wanted it to go. Our big realization is that we spend A LOT (and I mean a huge amount) on food, both groceries and eating out. No wonder my ass is so big- we'll get to that in a minute. So starting tomorrow we are tracking our actual expenses to our budget. I'm really hoping we'll kick some ass and reach our goals the first month, but I know it is going to be a work in process.
Second mission concerns my fat ass. Plain and simple, it is fatter than it should be. But at least I'm glad I have something to show for all that money I've been spending on food! So I'm jumping back on board tomorrow and starting Weight Watchers again. It has worked great in the past, so I just need to stick to the program. I'm also going to try this time around to incorporate regular exercise- regular being the key word.
So there you have it. Spend less money and lose more weight! I'll keep you posted on my progress!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Slow Cooker Moussaka
Don't let the fact that this is a Weight Watcher's recipe fool you. It is delicious, and Kevin even agrees!
Moussaka from WW Slow Good Super Slow Cooker Cookbook
1 pound egglplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds lean ground lamb (we used 1 pound ground beef)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup read wine or low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups fat-free milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1. Spray broiler rack with nonstick spray; preheat broiler. Put eggplant on broiler rack and light spray with nonstick spray. Broil 4 inches from heat, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to 5- or 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until onion is softened, 5-6 minutes. Ad lamb and brown, 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, wine, cinnamon, allspice, and salt; bring to boil. Simmer, stirring, until sauce thickens slightly, 10 minutes. Spoon lamb mixture over eggplant. Cover and cook until flavors are blended, 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
3. To make topping, about 1 hour 10 minutes before cooking time is up, whisk milk and flour in small saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture boils and thickens, 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat. Whisk egg and nutmeg in bowl; stir in about 1/2 cup hot milk mixture. Stir egg mixture into remaining hot milk mixture until blended. Stir in parmesan. Pour topping over eggplant mixture. Cover and cook on high just until topping is set, about 1 hour.
4. Transfer stoneware to rack and let moussaka cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Transfer half of moussaka (about 3 cups) to freezer container and let cool. Cover and freeze up to 2 monhts. Divide remaining 3 cups moussaka among 4 plates. To Reheat: Thaw the moussaka in the refrigerator overnight. Transfer to a microwavable bowl. Cover with wax paper and microwave on High until heated through, 5-6 minutes.
Per Serving (3/4 cup): 251 Cal, 10g Fat, 4g Sat Fat, 0g Trans Fat, 91mg Chol, 412mg Sod, 14g Carb, 2g Fib, 25g Prot, 190mg Calc. WW Points: 5
Moussaka from WW Slow Good Super Slow Cooker Cookbook
1 pound egglplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds lean ground lamb (we used 1 pound ground beef)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup read wine or low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups fat-free milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1. Spray broiler rack with nonstick spray; preheat broiler. Put eggplant on broiler rack and light spray with nonstick spray. Broil 4 inches from heat, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to 5- or 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until onion is softened, 5-6 minutes. Ad lamb and brown, 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, wine, cinnamon, allspice, and salt; bring to boil. Simmer, stirring, until sauce thickens slightly, 10 minutes. Spoon lamb mixture over eggplant. Cover and cook until flavors are blended, 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
3. To make topping, about 1 hour 10 minutes before cooking time is up, whisk milk and flour in small saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture boils and thickens, 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat. Whisk egg and nutmeg in bowl; stir in about 1/2 cup hot milk mixture. Stir egg mixture into remaining hot milk mixture until blended. Stir in parmesan. Pour topping over eggplant mixture. Cover and cook on high just until topping is set, about 1 hour.
4. Transfer stoneware to rack and let moussaka cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Transfer half of moussaka (about 3 cups) to freezer container and let cool. Cover and freeze up to 2 monhts. Divide remaining 3 cups moussaka among 4 plates. To Reheat: Thaw the moussaka in the refrigerator overnight. Transfer to a microwavable bowl. Cover with wax paper and microwave on High until heated through, 5-6 minutes.
Per Serving (3/4 cup): 251 Cal, 10g Fat, 4g Sat Fat, 0g Trans Fat, 91mg Chol, 412mg Sod, 14g Carb, 2g Fib, 25g Prot, 190mg Calc. WW Points: 5
Produce Galore = Cooking Extravaganza
We have been loving our weekly delivery of local produce via The Produce Box and highly recommend anyone in the Raleigh area checking them out! However this weekend it became apparent that our vegetable consumption has not been keeping up with these deliveries. So this weekend I was on a mission to cook (and freeze when possible) as many of these veggies as possible.
Saturday, we focused on using the 6 pounds of tomatoes we had accumulated. Our dinner consisted of Bruschetta, Summer Pasta Salad, and Stuffed Tomatoes. These are all super easy recipes to make and all use a good amount of tomatoes, although not enough to deplete our stash. The favorite of the night was definitely the Stuffed Tomatoes. We will definitely use these when we entertain.
I also made Slow Cooker Moussaka (amazing!) to use up our eggplant and Stuffed Bell Peppers to use our bell peppers. Both of these I popped in the freezer for an easy, yummy meal on a busy night.
Recipes to follow shortly- keep reading!
Saturday, we focused on using the 6 pounds of tomatoes we had accumulated. Our dinner consisted of Bruschetta, Summer Pasta Salad, and Stuffed Tomatoes. These are all super easy recipes to make and all use a good amount of tomatoes, although not enough to deplete our stash. The favorite of the night was definitely the Stuffed Tomatoes. We will definitely use these when we entertain.
I also made Slow Cooker Moussaka (amazing!) to use up our eggplant and Stuffed Bell Peppers to use our bell peppers. Both of these I popped in the freezer for an easy, yummy meal on a busy night.
Recipes to follow shortly- keep reading!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Mixing Things Up!
I've been trying to be more dedicated to Weight Watchers lately, but have been bored by our Go-To dinners. I have tried some new recipes that are deleicious and were happily added to the Go-To list!
As many of you know, I LOVE Thai food. Fortunately for our budget, I haven't found a Thai restaurant in Raleigh (yet) that measures up to My Little Thai Kitchen in Jersey. (It is really called The Little Thai Kitchen, but it was mine! I claimed it!) I came across this Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp recipe on one of my favorite healthy recipe sources and had to try it. After a bit of searching for the ethnic ingredients (those in Raleigh head to Harris Teeter), I was amazed how "authentic" this tasted for being made at home! It has a great flavor with a little spice! And it is only 3 WW points!
We put the shrimp over Trader Joe's frozen Jasmine Rice. This added a nice touch! Below is a picture of the box so you know what you are looking for. Next time I think we are going to add some veggies (mushrooms, squash, carrots) to make it a complete meal!
As many of you know, I LOVE Thai food. Fortunately for our budget, I haven't found a Thai restaurant in Raleigh (yet) that measures up to My Little Thai Kitchen in Jersey. (It is really called The Little Thai Kitchen, but it was mine! I claimed it!) I came across this Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp recipe on one of my favorite healthy recipe sources and had to try it. After a bit of searching for the ethnic ingredients (those in Raleigh head to Harris Teeter), I was amazed how "authentic" this tasted for being made at home! It has a great flavor with a little spice! And it is only 3 WW points!
We put the shrimp over Trader Joe's frozen Jasmine Rice. This added a nice touch! Below is a picture of the box so you know what you are looking for. Next time I think we are going to add some veggies (mushrooms, squash, carrots) to make it a complete meal!
I recently heard about adding shrimp to Knorr's Side. I have always been a fan of the Knorr's Sides Plus because of the hidden veggies, but it had never occurred to me to add shrimp to them. We thawed shrimp while the pasta was cooking and just threw them in during the last minute. It was a super quick dinner and very yummy! Below is a picture of the flavor we used. However, I was unable to find Knorr's Sides Plus during my recent trip to Harris Teeter. I'm really hoping these didn't get discountinued right as I figured out an easy and yummy dinner.
So the last "recipe" has become one of my favorite snacks/breakfast. Despite not being a huge fan of peanut butter, I have loved it with banana. At a WW meeting, the banana hot dog was discussed and I've since become obsessed. It is quite simple. Hot dog bun covered in peanut butter (and honey if you are feeling crazy) with a banana. This can be as low as 5 WW points if you use a 1 point bun and a Tbsp of peanut butter. I also add some honey for an extra point because it is just delicious!
So the last "recipe" has become one of my favorite snacks/breakfast. Despite not being a huge fan of peanut butter, I have loved it with banana. At a WW meeting, the banana hot dog was discussed and I've since become obsessed. It is quite simple. Hot dog bun covered in peanut butter (and honey if you are feeling crazy) with a banana. This can be as low as 5 WW points if you use a 1 point bun and a Tbsp of peanut butter. I also add some honey for an extra point because it is just delicious!
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