Losing it one pound at a timeLosing it one pound at a time

I finally lost my first 10 pounds!!!

lise — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:01:08 +0000

I first joined buddyslim last December right after Christmas. I didn’t think it would take 11 months to lose 10 pounds, but the thing is, I’ve lost almost 8 in 5 weeks. I finally have a plan and it’s working. Joy, joy, joy. Happy, happy, glee……..

I’ve mentioned in my blog a few things that have been working for me, and here’s another one: I bought a food scale. I was reluctant to get one at first because it seemed like “one more thing to do”, but it has made a big difference. First of all, I bought it at Target and it was only $4.99. I bought a little one that only measures up to 12 ounces because anything I eat will be less than that anyway so why buy a huge, fancy scale? By using the scale an entire week I’ve learned that I was eating much less protein during the day than I had thought. Now I understand why I was hungry all the time and snacking constantly. After getting my scale I made a bunch of little 2 ounce baggies full of lean turkey slices which are only 50 calories - or 1 point for the WW out there. They’re perfectly portioned and easy to get to for sandwiches or if I want a snack. For dinners, I was surprised at how much chicken breast you get for 4 ounces - it was much more than what I had been eating. I also used it to measure out some potato chips. Once I saw how few potato chips are actually in one ounce and how many points it would cost to eat them, they were much less appealing and I put them back in the bag. I really think that buying a food scale was the key to a 1.6 pound weight loss this week.

I wish all of you the very best this week and I’ll check in again next time

Food to lose weight….

lise — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:55:42 +0000

I’m getting questions from people at the Weight Watchers meetings about what I’ve been eating and I thought I’d post a few in case you’d like to see them. I’m still figuring it all out, but I’m having good results and I feel really full throughout the day. So here are a few of my faves…..

Breakfast: oatmeal. It really fills you up and for the WW out there, only 3 points! Another favorite is scrambled egg whites with veggies (squash, green or red peppers) and salsa. I love anything spicy.

Lunch: I’ve been eating this for 3 weeks and it still isn’t getting old….Thomas’s Light Multi Grain English Muffins are only 1 point and so, so good. I eat them with a few slices of turkey and loads of lettuce, tomato, cucumber and a little spicy mustard. It’s only 3 points!

Snacks: I love to snack. I’ve been eating non-fat greek yogurt (it has 14 grams of protein!) and it’s only 2 points!!! I also love light microwave popcorn, only 1 point for 3 cups - and that’s a lot of popcorn. Fuji apples are so good right now, and so are pears. They’re only 1 point and another great snack option.

Dinner: I eat lean meat or fish, about 3-4 ounces and pile the rest of the plate with veggies. I have been broiling squash, asparagus, onion and tomato by spraying it with PAM and then sprinkling salt, pepper and garlic powder on top. They are so, so good! Depending on what type of meat or fish you’re eating you may only have a 6-8 point dinner.

Dessert: I really love my dessert and I’ve been buying the WW ice cream bars. They’re 2 points and really good. You won’t feel deprived at all.

And lastly, I’ve been exercising every day. I have a 3 year old home with me and I take him on bike rides and long walks. He won’t usually take a nap when we’re at home but when I get him in the bike trailer or stroller he’s out like a light.

Happy Election Day buddies!

5 LB’s down in 2 weeks

lise — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 22:55:32 +0000

Thank you Weight Watchers for teaching me how to eat properly again, and for giving me a plan I can stick to. I was happy to find out at my meeting this morning that I lost another 2 pounds this week. In two weeks I’m down 5 pounds! I’m telling you - I have not been hungry at all. I haven’t felt deprived. It’s been amazing. Am I eating a little differently? For sure, but it’s all stuff I like. I even got to eat MEXICAN food this week, which is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE. I am keeping track of everything I eat on e-tools which calculates my point intake for me. I’ve been really dilligent about keeping track of everything - no cheating. And I’m also making sure I exercise every day for at least 40 minutes. This week I walked everyday for at least 40 minutes. Last week I did a few bike rides (pulling my three year old in the bike trailer makes it more difficult) and I also did the Jillian tapes on exercise tv. I lost 3 pounds last week, so I’m going to see if I do the extra bike rides and Jillian tape this week I can lose 3 again. I’m just feeling really great because I’m doing something that is working and I have a PLAN. And I’m seeing results. Gotta run ~ football practice. I’ll check in again next Friday.

Happy Weekend!

I lost 3 pounds my first WW week!

lise — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:35:19 +0000

I joined Weight Watchers with a friend on 10/17, and last Friday when I weighed in - I LOST THREE POUNDS AND MY FRIEND LOST TWO!!! I was so happy because I felt like I had eaten a lot over the week - even homemade cookies. My friend and I decided if we were going to do this we needed a full four month commitment to going to meetings and changing our habits. We also check in daily to see how we’re doing on our point count. I did WW back in 2002 after I had my middle son, Riley, and I lost the remaining 12 pounds hanging on from my pregnancy. This time I need to lose about 23 pounds but I feel like I’m off to a really good start. My three year old took my “before” picture - which I will add to my page. It’s pretty funny because he’d looking up at me and I sort of look like Frankenstein. I decided to go back to WW because I needed some direction with my weight loss. I would lose a few pounds then gain it back and it was getting so frustrating. I joined Buddy Slim 10 months ago and I could not believe I was only down 8 pounds in that amount of time. It was clearly time to get focused and get some hands on support to get this weight off. I know I can do it!

Speaking of Frankenstein, my kids and I are having so much fun getting ready for Halloween. Since I’m not working I am enjoying all of these things I’ve missed out on before! Last night we carved pumpkins and my husband baked the seeds. My 3 year old made a smiley face, my 7 year old made a scull and cross bones and my 10 year old is carving his today after school. He is still deciding what he wants to have. So funny. They picked out their costumes - my oldest is a ghoul with light up eyes (his first year to be something “scary” - he is thrilled), my 7 year old is Slash from Guns and Roses (special thanks to Guitar Hero!) and my 3 year old is a race car driver. He got his costume last week and has worn it every day since. Hey, at least I’m getting my money out of it!

Wishing you all a wonderful week.

Lise

Low Cal Pumpkin Soup recipe

lise — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:50:49 +0000

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE pumpkin. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin cake, pumpkin pie, if it has pumpkin I’m gonna eat it. So you can imagine my delight when at my Weight Watchers meeting on Friday the facilitator gave us a ZERO point pumpkin soup recipe. Did I make it the same day? Of course. Was it yummy? You betcha.

1 28 ounce can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

3 cans fat free broth (chicken or veggie)

1/2 C onion- diced

3 garlic cloves - minced

1/2 C salsa (any kind)

1/2 C cilantro

salt & pepper to taste

Any kind of hot sauce ( I like Tapatio) to taste

In a large saucepan, spray non-fat cooking spray and saute the onion and garlic until soft. Add the pumpkin and 2 - 3 cans of the broth depending on how think you want to make it. Add the cilantro and salsa, salt and pepper and a few shakes of your hot sauce and let it cook for at least 30 minutes or longer if you have the time. It is so good and it’s filling.

I was thinking if you wanted to make it a little more hearty you could add some potato, or low fat turkey/chicken sausage or even a little ravioli or tortellini.

Enjoy!

Did you see The Biggest Loser last night?

lise — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:37:32 +0000

Talk about inspiring! For those of you who didn’t see it, the yellow team (daughter/father) were below the yellow line and had to make a decision about who was going to leave the ranch. The dad was over 350 pounds and has many serious health issues. His daughter has been keeping the team going and doing all she could to keep them there by losing as much weight as possible. His health issues prevented him from exercising as much as the other contestants. So they had to make this difficult choice: let the daughter stay and learn how to change her life forever, or let the dad stay so that he can change his life and stick around a little longer! They ended up making the decision that she would stay on the ranch and he would go home. So here’s the best part - that dad went home and became even more focused! He now runs 5 miles a day! He looked amazing! I was in tears watching it and just so inspired that he was able to change his life! It’s never too late! We all have the opportunity to think before we eat, and get up instead of sitting down. It’s our choice! I love it!

Loving my new life

lise — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:50:05 +0000

It’s been almost 45 days since I lost my job and got the privledge of getting off the crazy working mom career merry-go-round. I am so filled with gratitude about how my life has changed I swear, I want to put in on a bumper sticker (I got canned and got my life back!!) and drive around town.

My oldest boys who are in school are doing great, we get to have play dates and I actually get to meet other moms instead of doing the drop off. My youngest son, who I only got to really enjoy while I was on maternity leave…with HIM - is thriving. We are loving our time together. He’s nearly 4 and people keep asking if I’m going to put him in preschool and I’m saying, no….not yet… I just got him back! We’re playing and laughing and he’s my little partner in exercising. He loves to go in the jogger while I run down to the beach. This morning we went on a 12 mile bike ride to the harbor and brought a soccer ball to kick around while we were there. We explored around the harbor and checked out the boats, watched the birds, it was a blast. A few days ago we went on exercise tv and found a family workout and did it together. The big boys have football practice three times a week so we get to spend more time at the park together. I bring his bike and walk with him while he rides. He’s almost ready to get those training wheels off! I think the boys are seeing that exercising can be fun, and there are so many different ways to bring it into our lives. My 10 year old asked me the other day if we could ride our bikes to the grocery store next time instead of driving. Great idea!

I don’t know what this blog is really about….maybe just that when you think your life is going in one direction and you get a new map…enjoy the journey. I’ve never been happier.

Losing weight on a budget

lise — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:55:11 +0000

A few days ago I was watching Susie Ormond on Oprah and she was talking to people about spending too much money. She was saying that when you get yourself in debt or don’t have enough saved it is a reflection of what is going on in your life. I started thinking that losing weight is a lot like living on a budget. And yes, it is a reflection of what is going on in your life - could be stress, anxiety, who knows what. When you’re on a money budget (as a family we are - it really does help a lot) you know that your end goal is to have extra $$ left over for other bigger goals (vacation, savings, etc). You set aside a specific amount of money you are alloted to spend for various things and you can’t go over. When you are trying to lose weight, you also have bigger goals….getting healthy, increasing your self esteem, looking better in your clothes, etc. And the only way you can lose weight is by budgeting your calories for the day. You get to allot so many calories for various meals without going over - to reach your goal. The cool thing about trying to lose weight (rather than saving money) is that you can make a difference every single day (not every two weeks when your paycheck comes in) by adding calories into your budget from exercising - or better yet, attain your goals faster by looking at it as a little windfall.. you know, like that magical check you sometimes get in the mail and think - I so needed that! Now let’s put it in the bank for a rainy day.

Wishing you all a phenomenal bright and sunny day!

I’m back on

lise — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:28:59 +0000

Thanks to the buddies who gave me a little kick in the right direction. It really helped. Especially Kama, who reminded me that this is about being healthy too, which is something I forget about. I’m usually more concerned about how I look in clothes and I forget that the big picture is better health. My doctor is concerned about my cholesteral (I should be too) and I have a family history of diabetes to keep in the back of my mind. My doctor really wants me to lose 20 pounds to avoid pulling the trigger on diabetes and also to get my cholesteral in check. I just wanted to let you know I made good choices today and yesterday. Healthy, flavorful stuff. No junk. Okay, one tortilla but I made it into a really good tuna wrap and stuffed it with lettuce, cilantro, onion and tomato. It was delicious! Thank you buddies, for your comments and your motivation and for reminding my why I’m here - better health.

I need a kick in the a$$ - can you help me out?

lise — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:27:26 +0000

Hi buddies, I need your help. I need you to turn me around and kick me in the booty. I need some focus here. I do want to lose weight, I really do. I just can’t seem to say “no” to the foods I love to eat….tortillas, guacamole, chips, you know - mexican food. It’s my vice. I’ve found that I get very little satisfaction from ice cream anymore - not even frozen yogurt - but mexican food is just a deal killer for me. Yesterday I decided to kick my own, so I did the whole body measurement thing that I did back in February. I’m down 3 inches….in SIX MONTHS. THREE INCHES? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? What about all of those spin classes? What about the walks I do all the time down to the beach? What..what…what? Okay, well I can’t do anything about it right this minute so I logged my numbers in my journal and promised to have better results by next Sunday. To get more inspiration I watched Dr. Oz’s show on the Discovery Health show on losing weight. I got some good ideas, but mostly it’s the same “eat less, exercise more”. I want it in my head, I really do. But it seems like my stomach overrules my brain and my hand goes along with the stomach and it pushes the food in my mouth. Now that I am unemployed I truly have no excuse for not losing weight. It’s not “I had a business lunch” or “I didn’t have time to pack something healthy”…I’m at home!!

So dear buddies, please please kick me. I want to hear your best ideas, what’s worked and how can I do this? I really do want it. I do. Thanks.