It works if you work it!

So I weighed a day late, and it was to my advantage. I'm down 11 pounds this morning! It feels great to shed some more pounds, and even better because people are already noticing. I never in a million years thought I'd be able to notice losing just 11 pounds. I wore white stretch capris to work today, and they are actually jeggings, but they fit well and I felt good in them! It's a long shot, but I think I'd really faint if I lost 4 pounds this week and made it to 15 by next Monday. I don't want to be disappointed so I have not set that as a goal, just a thought in the back of my head.

I was worried about how I would do with last week being spring break, but I stayed on the program and counted points every day. It has paid off! School has started back this week, and my life has gone from lazy to crazy in the blink of an eye! I took my lunch both days so far, and have found that since my daily points target is slowly shrinking (I've already lost 2 points per day that I can have, I am thankful for the 5 extra points I get for nursing ;-) I am able to do with less "expensive" snacks. One piece of fruit (which is free) or a stick of string cheese (just 1 point) are enough to tide me over. Plus I've been so busy at school, that helps keep me from snacking.

I cooked a lot last week while I was off, and really enjoyed that. My most favorite thing I made as a Weight Watcher's recipe for Chocolate Chip Cheese Cake. It. was. AMAZING! It uses almond flavoring. That paired with the sweetness of the cheesecake (which also has cottage cheese) and the chocolate is so delicious, and really satisfies my sweet tooth. The recipe makes 12 servings. One serving is 7 points, but 1/2 a piece actually calculates to 3 points. I ate 1/2 piece a couple times, and let me tell you, even being a small piece, it is totally worth 3 points. The regular serving is definitely worth 7!

Here is the recipe:

2 spray(s) cooking spray   10 item(s) cream filled chocolate sandwich cookie(s) 8 1/2 Tbsp fat-free cream cheese 8 oz low fat cream cheese, tub-style 1 cup(s) sugar 2 Tbsp all purpose flour 1 cup(s) fat free cottage cheese 1/2 tsp almond extract 6 large egg white(s) 3/4 cup(s) mini chocolate chips, divided Preheat oven to 325ºF. Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Crush cookies; sprinkle evenly over bottom of pan. Using an electric mixer, in a large bowl, beat together cream cheeses on lowest speed until well-blended. In a small bowl, combine sugar and flour; add to cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. In a food processor or blender, purée cottage cheese until smooth. Add cottage cheese and almond extract to cream cheese mixture; beat until smooth. Add egg whites; beat until well-blended. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips. Bake until cheesecake puffs and center is almost set, about 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Run a knife around sides of pan to loosen; release pan sides. Cover and chill overnight. Cut into 12 slices and serve. Yields 1 slice per serving. *The recipe called for 2 tsp of almond extract, but all the reviews I read said it was too much. I cut it back to 1/2 and it was perfect! Here's another tip! I do my french fries in the oven now, and before when I would bake them, they never turned out just right, and I was not satisfied. I like my french fries very well done, even a little brown. I can't stand under-cooked fries, and that's how mine usually turned out. Even with baking them some extra time. The other night, I accidentally set my oven for broil instead of bake. The fries turned out FANTASTIC done this way, just like I like them! I got lucky that they did not burn, and I have cooked them a couple more times since then this way. My broiler only has one setting, the upper broiler, so I put them on the bottom rack and just keep a close eye on them. About 10-15 min gets them done perfectly, a little crispy and brown on the outside, and nice and tender on the inside!

Making Progress!

2 weeks under my belt on Weight Watchers, and I've lost 8.6 lbs!! I'm so happy that it's going well and I'm losing! I've had a few people tell me that I look like I've lost, but it's hard for me to believe them when I haven't even lost 10 lbs yet, however, when I put on my Northface jacket to take down the trash since my hubby forgot, I noticed it was fitting maybe just a tee tiny bit looser. Could be my imagination though. LOL!

I think the biggest change I've made is increasing the amount of vegetables I've been eating, especially salads, and trying to eat snacks in between meals so that when I sit down for a meal I'm not starving to death, which leads to overeating for me. My eyes get bigger than my stomach when I fix my plate, and I also suffer from "clean my plate" syndrome. I think that I have to eat every morsel on my plate because I can't stand to waste food! I still clean my plate, but I only put what has been measured and counted towards my daily points allowance. I don't go back for seconds, unless I account for the points.

Some foods I've eaten that I absolutely can't live without right now:
1. Briana's Poppyseed Dressing. It's creamy and sweet with a hint of onion. I love it on a mixed green salad bed with strawberries as a side salad, or I'll add grilled chicken and make it a main dish. I also will make chicken salad and use this dressing instead of mayo. It is NOT low fat or low cal. But it is so good, I just make sure that I measure out a serving (2 tbsp = 4 points) and use it wisely. My theory is I'd rather have less salad toppings (cheese, croutons, bacon bits, etc) but a really good dressing.

2. Vitacakes chocolate cake. These are in the freezer section at Wal-Mart near the frozen breakfast items. I'm sure if they catch wind that I like these, they'll stop carrying them. That's what happened with my frozen FiberOne Banana chocolate chip muffins I loved at one time. These little cakes are only 1 point on Weight Watchers. 50 calories, 1 gram fat, and 5 grams of fiber! They will satisfy your craving for a brownie. I'll put it in the microwave and put 1/4-1/3 cup of regular icecream on top of it, and it's so yummy!

3. Mission Carb Balance tortilla wraps. They're a great all-purpose wrap, I like to eat them with deli meat, lettuce, strawberries, and you guessed it, that poppy seed dressing. Sometimes I use light mayo instead. It's a good alternative to a regular sandwich which I get bored with very easily!

4. Nature's Own Oatmeal Toasters in Cranberry Orange flavor. These little things are like a square bagel without a hole in the middle. They are very thin but dense. They are 4 points each. As the name implies, I put it in the toaster and put 1 tsp of peanut butter on each slice for a total of 6 points. It's great with coffee in the morning for breakfast. I don't know why they call them oatmeal toasters, they aren't very oatmeal-y.

I still have not started exercising. It's been cold and yucky this past week, and honestly, I'd rather eat dirt. I have a friend that is moving just around the corner from us soon that is also doing WW and we plan on starting walking soon. 

Back in the Saddle!

Well folks, it's been a long time coming. I'm trying really hard to make some changes, and lose this extra weight I've found! I am so tired of feeling like I am living in someone else's body. I'm tired of being disgusted almost to the point of tears when I try to buy any new clothes, or when I have one of those morning that nothings fits right or looks right or feels right on. I'm maxed out, topped out, fed up, you get the picture. I have hesitated at first to say anything about trying to lose weight either here or on facebook because I kept thinking "What if I fail, again? What if I can't do it?" But maybe if I get on here and write, it will be another way of holding myself accountable.

I told Lacey night before last that mommy was going on a diet; those words came out of my mouth before I thought. She asked what a diet was, and I told her it meant that I wanted to be healthy like her. She really is an inspiration to me. The child loves cherry tomatoes and will eat them like candy. She already at 4 years old knows that "too much sugar is not healthy and will make you have black spots on your teef." She's not perfect, she loves an oreo as much as the next kid, but she is very impressionable right now, and I want her to see me making some better food choices and being more active. She begs to play outside even when it's raining and 30 degrees. She would go out if I would let her. So with the weather warming up, we have been spending more time outside, working in the flower beds, and just playing. I hope too that maybe Holt will pick up on a little bit of the healthiness and maybe learn to try a few new things. He is not my best eater. He would live on PB&J, eat it 3 times a day if I would let him!

So I started yesterday on Weight Watchers. I love this program because it is flexible and personal. If I want an oreo, I eat one. I just have to make sure I count the points. I can eat out on this plan, cook at home, whatever. My first goal is to lose 5% of my starting weight, which is about 9.3lbs. I have a number in my mind of what I want to weigh/how much I want to lose, but it is so daunting. I am going to try to just meet smaller goals first. When I lose my 5%, I'm going to treat myself with something like a pedicure!

I am impressed with how yesterday went, I packed my breakfast and lunch for school, and was anticipating eating out at the Teacher's Appreciation Banquet our church was having at the SawMeal Restaurant in Adamsville. When I signed up for the banquet, I was not making healthy choices, so of course I chose the hamburger steak. I asked when I got there if I could change to chicken, and it was kind of a big deal because the food was pre-ordered. I didn't get to stay however, Colby Jane got sick and started throwing up, so I was able to get my food to go. I ended up with a big hamburger steak, a small serving of green beans, and a huge baked potato. When I sat down to eat at home, I cut my meat and potato in half, and put them in the fridge for lunch the next day. On my potato, I just put salt, 2 tablespoons of light sour cream, and a little drizzle of A1 steak sauce. It was good! I ate the salad that came with my meal before she got sick at the restaurant. So the salad (with 2tbsp ranch), steak, potato, & green beans ended up being about 14 points. I have 35 each day. Colby Jane ended up being up sick most of the night, and I had eaten supper at about 7:30pm. So by 3am this morning, I was starving! I resisted the urge to eat the left over birthday cake from this weekend that was in the microwave and still fabulous I'm sure, and I measured out 3/4 c of Lucky Charms and 1/2 c milk. That was all I needed. I love cereal at bedtime or in the middle of the night as a snack, so that satisfied my craving without breaking the bank. Yes I would have liked to have eaten more, but what I ate was enough. I put the points on my tracker (I'm doing online by the way, using my iPhone) and was glad I didn't crumble under the pressure.

I had my friend Andrea make a "before" picture of me at school yesterday. I can hardly bring myself to look at it. When I've made some visible progress, I will post that with my first of what I hope is MANY "after" pictures!