Weigh-In Thursday: Week 23

I did it! I have officially lost 40 POUNDS!!!! That was way exceeding the goal I had set for myself to lose 30 pounds before Fall Semester began. I am so excited I just want to shout it out from the rooftops and tell everyone!!!

I just wish I could see it when I look in the mirror. I still see the 306 pound me when I look in the mirror. Sometimes I feel like I can catch a glimmer of a slimmer me, but then it is gone. I know my clothes fit better. Actually I am having to buy new smaller clothes and have been wearing a belt as of late. The way I figured it was that a belt was cheaper than new pants. I am also starting to feel more confident about myself.

Here is my self sabotage. Fall Semester starts on Monday and I am worried that all the work I have done this summer will go to waste. I am going to have to put in the extra effort in meal prep and planning so I don't go off the rails completely. I got this!

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Join Weight Watchers with Me. This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you subscribe by 12/31/2015.

Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 266.4
Current Week: -3.2
Total Loss: 40

One Month Does Make A Difference

After this weeks Weigh-In and camping struggles I was feeling a little deflated. I realized that it has been a month since I took progress pictures. I know, I never posted any progress pictures. That is a scary thing. Telling my exact weight to the world is much less scary as actually putting pictures of myself out there. Full body pictures that I am not exactly happy about because I am not exactly happy about the truth. Pictures cannot lie, but I think I am strong enough to post them now. I also plan on taking pictures once a month so that I can see my progress even if the scale says there isn't any progress.

I took the first pictures on Week 16 of this journey after reaching my 10% goal and dropping 30 pounds. I realized when I took them, or rather, my boyfriend took them, so I am blaming him for the blinking. HA! I did not take pictures when I started Weight watchers. There was nothing to compare them to. Dang! I think I did not take starting pictures because part of me was not expecting to lose weight like I have. I also never took measurements, however I plan on taking them in the next few days and updating them bimonthly or monthly.

I was actually surprised when I put the two pictures together. I was not expecting to see much of a difference because there was really only an 8 pound difference between the two pictures. This really gets to me when I think about the progress that would have been evident if only I had taken pictures at the beginning of my journey. I am excited to see my progress in pictures since I am still having a hard time seeing my progress in the mirror. I can feel a difference, and I notice the smaller sized clothing is starting to fit better. The mirror just was not reflecting my loss in the same way as those around me can see it. Just more motivation right! I got this!

Weigh-In Thursday: Week 22

After camping this weekend I was hoping just to maintain. I was almost expecting a gain do to my willpower issues camping and the days coming home. Read all about my camping struggles. I felt like I might as well eat what I want because I already screwed up this weekend. That is just a great way to look at things now isn't it?

This small slip up would have totally thrown me down the rabbit hole. I have learned so much about myself over this journey and being aware of my issues is helpful. I can see the patterns and recognize my slip ups. Knowing the issues that can cause me to fail gives me the motivation to keep going. I can do this! I will do this and next week will be better!

This weeks meeting what just what I needed. It was about just a slip not a slide and how a small gain should not through you completely off track. How is it that somehow Weight Watchers just knew what I needed this week? I am turning my small gain into more motivation to have a better week. I have also made a more concrete plan so that I can have more success when camping next time.

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Join Weight Watchers with Me. This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you subscribe by 9/5/2015.

Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 269.6
Current Week: +1.2
Total Loss: 36.8

Taking Weight Watchers Camping

This last weekend my boyfriend and I took the kids camping. There is plenty of preparation that is required just to go camping and adding weight watchers to the mix caused some stress. This happened when I realized that the kind of food I usually take camping is not exactly 'plan friendly'. Things like Smores, tin-foil dinners, cereal, soda, hot dogs, chips, candy, cookies, bologna or any other deli meat and cheese combination for sandwiches.. Pretty much anything that does not require much effort to make and that the kids can cook over the fire themselves.

I had to totally re-evaluate everything food related. We ended up making tin-foil dinners with a twist. My boyfriend and I started out by portioning out the meat and potatoes and plugging everything into the recipe builder on Weight Watchers E-tools. 8 oz of cubed beef chuck roast and 221 grams of red potatoes for a total of 11 Points Plus. We added as much veggies that we chose. I added garlic cloves, carrots, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, and spinach for a total of 0 Points Plus. My boyfriend substituted the spinach for green peppers. They ended up being quite large and for only 11 Points I was excited to cook them.

I make breakfast burritos and wrapped them in non-stick aluminum foil so they can be cooked in the coals from the campfire. The total points for the breakfast burritos was 7 points for 2 burritos. I use Ole Mexican Xtreme Wellness High Fiber Low Carb Tortilla Wraps because they are 1 Points Plus for one tortilla and 3 Points Plus for two tortillas. Why you ask? Weight Watchers math, that's why. I also used 1/2 cup Egg Beaters (1 PP), 2 oz diced ham (2 PP), and  sauteed vegetables (onions, green peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini 1 PP for 1 tsp Olive Oil). I cooked it all up and split it between two tortillas. So the total points is 7 Points Plus for two burritos.

Lunches consisted of tuna sandwiches with Sara Lee Delightful bread and 2 TBSP of olive oil mayo. A total of 6 Points Plus per sandwich. For snacks I took a variety pack of chips to help control portion sizes, diet soda, plenty of water, and sugar free snack pack jello.

I had my food planned out and this was exciting. Now to put this plan to use. This is where it gets hairy. The place we went camping had no service and I forgot to plan for that. I track everything online using E-tools and I didn't even think about how I was going to track my food. The thought never crossed my mind. I know, dumb right? However this was my first camping trip on plan. Since I couldn't track on my phone I felt helpless because I didn't know how many points I had left and this caused my will power to falter. I did good for meals because I had planned and prepped them before hand. Then there were the Smores and the couple bags of chips; not to mention the late night hot dog roasting forte.

Next time I go camping I plan on making sure that I grab some paper trackers at my meeting so that I know exactly where I stand points wise. I will also take foods that will not be willpower kryptonite for me. More planning, prepping, and fruits and vegetables will also be going with me.

Weigh-In Thursday: Week 21

Good-bye 270s! I hope not to see you again. All my hard work this week totally payed off on the scale! I shattered that plateau and it feels fantastic!

This week was such a good week because I made a meal plan for the week and stuck to it! I find I have a hard time sticking to the meal plan that I have made for the week. Sometimes what I plan on cooking just does not sound at all appetizing. This week I allowed myself some wiggle room. This occurred by me cooking all the planned meals during the week, but not necessarily on the exact day that I had planned for it. It was nice to know that I wasn't completely stuck with meals that I made decisions about the week prior. This is what I love about weight watchers! I have total freedom to eat whatever I want without feeling like I am ruining some 'diet' that I am trying to stick to.

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Join Weight Watchers with Me. This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you subscribe by 9/5/2015.

Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 268.4
Current Week: -2.8

Total Loss: 38

Weigh-In Thursday: Week 20

Man, this small plateau is starting to kill my motivation. It may seem like I am not really on a plateau because my weight is not being completely static. However it is kind of bumming me out. This is the point in which I usually end up faltering because the scale is not really moving. I am determined to get through this and not give up.

On the plus side, I am glad to see a loss, even if it is small. Every small amount if consistent can become a larger loss. You just have to keep trucking. I plan on buckling down this coming week to maybe get past this. I can do it!

I have to keep reminding myself that this is a journey and nothing quick. I mean, I didn't suddenly wake up a fat person so I shouldn't expect to wake up a skinny person. I can only wish it worked that way! It works if you work it! My next mini-goal is to reach 40 pounds lost!

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Join Weight Watchers with Me. This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you subscribe by 9/5/2015.


Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 271.2
Current Week: -0.4

Total Loss: 35.2

Healthy Big Breakfast

Who knew you could eat this much food in one meal and stay on plan? I know this wont always bee the case though due to the fact that as I lose weight my daily points allowance will shrink with it. I also know that for me I have to eat bigger breakfasts in order to avoid snacking all day long simply because I have the points to do so. I seem to make more snacky decisions and fill up my points with chips, crackers, and the like. This does not work for me so I have to shoot for breakfasts that are between 8-12 points. Eating these bigger meals in the morning also helps me feel more satisfied and less hungry for the 'junk' snacks. I find that I am more likely to make healthier choices when I am not ravenously hungry. Who would have thought? Here is what I consider a big healthy breakfast:

Big Healthy Breakfast

Food:	Points:
8 oz of Fat Free Milk	2 Points Plus
1 Navel Orange	0 Points Plus
2 Slices Sara Lee Delightful Bread	2 Points Plus
1 Tbsp Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread	1 Points Plus
Ingredients:
1 Whole Egg	2 Points Plus
3 Egg Whites	1 Points Plus
2 Boca Veggie Sausage Links	2 Points Plus
¼ Cup Fat Free Cheddar Cheese	1 Points Plus
2 Cremini Mushrooms	0 Points Plus
1 Cup Spinach	0 Points Plus
1 Tsp Olive Oil	1 Points Plus
1 Tbsp Valentina's Hot Sauce	0 Points Plus
Total Points:	12

Directions:

Chop mushrooms and spinach. Add oil to pan on medium heat, Saute mushrooms and wilt spinach. Meanwhile cook Boca links in microwave according to package. Add whole egg and egg whites to a bowl and beat. Chop cooked sausages and add to the pan. Add beaten eggs and scramble. Once they are cooked sprinkle Fat Free Cheese over top and add hot sauce or ketchup to your liking.