wednesday weigh-in: weeks 17-38

If you couldnt tell by the huge gap between the weeks in the title of this post, I have been a major slacker in updating you all on my progress with Weight Watchers. The last time I checked in on the blog was back in May. In short, I want to start off by saying that I have had positive results, however, it hasnt always been the easiest over the past few months, evidenced by my below progress report.

You can see there were a couple of weeks I skipped, and *gasp* a few weeks where i actually gained back more than I would have liked. That last spike, the week of Sept 19th, when i hadnt tracked a single thing for 2 whole weeks, and I undoubtedly gained a whopping 4.8lbs, that was my last straw. You see, basically since June Ive plateaued. Ive been in that grey area where i either need to step it up or give up. And i sure as hell was NOT giving up. As i stated in my very first check in, back in January, this time is different. Im not doing this for some grand event (graduation, wedding, etc), although those are good mini goals this time around, its not my main goal.

My #1 goal this time around is to do it for good. To make this a lifestyle change. To be healthier for me. For my son. For my husband. Yes, its nice to look thinner, but thats really not all that its about this time. A major perk, most definitely, but its more about being able to teach my son healthy habits. To be able to play with him outside without feeling winded. To be happier with myself, thus happier with my relationship with my husband.

Im officially back to pre-pregnancy weight, actually even less than that. And when i gained majorly 2 weeks ago, I told myself I needed to go back to basics. TRACK.TRACK.TRACK! And that is what I did, both this week and last week. Heres a little look at my tracking skills from last week.

I definitely made up for the minor setback the previous weeks by getting rid of 5.6lbs. I exercised 3 out of the 7 days this week, so that probably was a majorly influence as well. I love that weight watchers online lets you look at progress reports like this. I can totally tell where my weaknesses are. For starters, I need to drink waaaaaaaaaaaay more water. But thats always been an issue for me :/ and i think i may need to just start taking a multivitamin before i got to bed when i take my birth control, because I seem to forget taking it the majority of the time.  However, you'll noticed i tracked everylittle nibble, taste, bite, and snack. Even if I went over my points values a couple days. And yes, there were a few days i didnt reach my points plus target, but i honestly wasnt hungry and i need want to eat empty calories for the sake of reach my target.

Now, for what you really want to see, progress pictures. I always hate taking these kind of pictures, but in truth, its what i look for when i read someones diet progress, and considering i havent updated for so long, i figured i kinda owe it to you. So, without further ado, first are the before pictures i took when i joined in January.

And heres my "half-way" pictures. Same outfit. Same pale skin ;)

Its not a huge drastic change, but its my half-way point, and I am DAMN proud of myself! I have my next weigh-in this evening, so hopefully me jumping back on the bandwagon as helped me shed even more, but only the scale will tell....

So to do a quick recap

lbs shed this week: -5.6 (technically this was last week, i wont know till tonight what i did this week)

lbs shed in total: -33 

lbs still need to shed: 17

first goal: 10lbs - reached on 2/13/13

•     reward:  mani/pedi and possibly massage (still havent done this yet)

second goal: 25lbs - reached on 6/6/13

•     reward: new rollerblades (I also got the BOB stroller and with the two its awesome!)

final goal:  50lbs

•     reward: epiphanie camera bag or maybe the 50mm lens ive been dreaming about :)

success: im a tracking maniac! lol, no but seriously, every tiny thing that went into my mouth i made sure to put in my tracker, even if i went over my points.

set-backs: i need to make sure I drink more the minimum amount of water each day. im horrible at this. plus need to start taking a multivitamin too

exercise: rollerblading with matthew in the mornings before breakfast seems to be the best for me. I feel so much better if i get it done early and dont have to worry about it for the rest of my day. Also, walked to/from my parents to swim in the pool with matthew, my neice and nephew. Every little bit of exercise helps!

One last picture, which Im kinda horrified and proud to show. I hate when any picture shows my stomach, but I couldnt not post it because it shows such progress for me! :)

sorry for the bit of underwear display, the pants literally are falling off me lol

So how are all of you doing with your weight-loss journey? Would love to her what has helped keep your momentum going when you hit a plateau or have a bad week!

Five on Friday vol 2

Linking up again this week for Five on Friday

O*N*E
I booked my first unofficial photography gig a couple weeks ago for a close friend who is pregnant with #2 thats happening tomorrow afternoon. Im a little nervous to say the least. Im no professional, and am honestly scared that we will end up with no good pics. My friend has complete confidence in me and says shes knows that im just beginning, but that she thinks i take really good pics. (if youve see pics on here of matthew and his girlfriend sam, thats her firstborn). I told her she didnt have to pay me unless she liked how the pics came out. That way its a win-win for both of us, cuz honestly Id do it for free just to get the experience, and this way if the pics dont turn out good then she can hire someone else to take pics. :/ Wednesday during my lunch break I even went downtown to the location to scope out some areas where we can hopefully have some nice background scenery. Now only if I could figure out how to make my camera do the focused foreground blurry background trick when i want it to (i only sometimes get it, and it frustrates the crap outta me!)

T*W*O
We finally put up the swingset that Matthew got for his birthday back in June, this past weekend. It took hubby and 3 of matthews uncles to build it in 2 days. It sits so nicely in our big backyard and I can already picture many future playdates with lots of kids. Matthew already is attached to it. He'll grab his shoes, bring them to me to put on, and then head straight to the back door. And also, his changing table is right next to the window that overlooks our backyard, lets just say diaper changing has become a complete challenge since he can see the swingset thru the window. Look forward to a whole post of the swingset, but for now, ill leave you with this pic.

T*H*R*E*E
Kinda fitting I pick to write about this third. I have this weird theory that everything comes in threes, but more particularly life and death. So if someone tells me they are pregnant or that someone has passed away, im always looking for the second and third person to be pregnant or pass away. (sorry if the death one is kinda morbid, but its true) So basically, where this comes into play is i think i have major baby fever right now. Matthew is starting to act more and more like a toddler and less and less like a baby. He has his own characteristics, and is becoming so smart that its hard for me to enjoy it because i already miss his small baby squishiness (yes, i made that word up). So when a friend of mine announced her pregnancy, I immediately started looking for the next couple of preggos, and OMG they just keep coming. Literally

1. Friend - Sarah L
2. Acquaintance - Krista G
3. Friend  - Julie F
4. Friend's wife - Jamie L
5. Friend's sister - Daniella S
6. Friend - Ciji J
7. Friend - Kristina
8.  
9.  

And these are all IRL friends. I dont really count blog friends since I dont know them personally. So basically Im am literally chomping at the bit wondering who is #7 & #8. And unfortunately even though baby fever has come in at full force, i know for a fact its not me :( we're not trying yet, but hopefully soon.

F*O*U*R
Ive been a total slacker on weight watchers lately. I feel like a drop-out. But i refuse to give up. So what if ive have a few bad weeks, as long as i go back on it i am good. Im still down 30lbs so Im happy about that, but i finally got my bob jogging stroller and ive had my new rollerblades in my closet for a good 1-2months. So i have absolutely no excuse not to be exercising now. Plusalso the temps should be dropping at least a degree or two soon (thats alot cooler for us floridians lol) so i should be able to rollerblade after work before dinnertime. We shall see. I just need a good kick in the butt! Any volunteers? jk

F*I*V*E
We finally booked our Thanksgiving cruise. Its kind of a tradition on my side of the family to go on a cruise for Thanksgiving, but we missed last years due to matthew being too young.We were debating going on this years because it goes to a port we've already been to and because its only a 4day cruise. But at last minute we decided a short cruise is better than no cruise. So basically the countdown begins for when i need to be in a bathing suit in front of people. Which brings be back to point four above. My small goal is to be down at least another 10lbs before the cruise. My final goal weight is about 20lbs more, but Ill be happy with 10lbs by Turkey Day. Wish me luck!

Thats about it for me. Hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

If youre new here, leave a comment and ill make sure to hop on over to your blog too!

wednesday weigh-in: week 10

This really should be called Thursday weigh-in, seeing as my meeting is technically wednesday night and I never really get the chance to post either on the correct day, or with all my updates. But Thursday weigh-in just doesnt have the same ring to it ;)

So this week, I was semi bad again. It didnt necessarily work against me, but I know I need to get back into the rhythm of things. You see, I didnt track, at all, again. However, I think since I didnt track, I was more conscious about what I actually put in my mouth. Does that make sense? lol. Kinda like I knew I was doing bad, so if I ate alot on one day, then I didnt eat as much the next day. Like I was balancing it out. I actually think this is the process of making it a habit. Being conscious of everything you put in your mouth and knowing when and when not to overindulge in something. Which in the end, it worked out in my favor, I shed another 2lbs this week! Yippie for me!!

I was really looking forward to staying for the meeting last night, but unfortunately I didnt get to due to hubby making dinner plans with his mom and sister. Some people can follow the plan by just doing everything online or via their cell, but to me, the program works so much better when you participate in the weekly meetings. That and I feel more accountable, specifically standing on that scale. Sad to say, but if I were to just weigh myself on my own scale (which ive come to the conclusion its literally 4.5lbs off) then if Ive gained its kinda like "Oh no big deal, its only a pound or two," but if I weigh in at the meeting, its someone else telling me, with a disappointed look on their face "well this week you gained, is there something you can contribute this gain too?" Umm yeah, the 3 Reeses peanut butter eggs I ate for breakfast?!?!? those things are addicting by the way.

But anywho, I did good this week, and I plan on getting on track, literally, by tracking everything I put in my mouth. Yes I know I said that last week, but im going to keep telling myself that and maybe it will eventually stick. That and exercise. I was able to get the Zumba Wii game when it was a groupon recently and I just got it in the mail the other day. Im kinda excited to try it out. And whats even better, weigh watchers just added it as an exercise in eTools so I dont have to guess my activity points values.

Also, I know 15.6lbs isnt alot when youre trying to loose a total 50lbs, but let me tell you, when i logged into track my weight and looked at my little progress chart, just to see the little line going down AND never going up, it just put me in a much better mood and gave me a great little confidence boost for the day!

lbs shed this week:   -2

lbs shed in total: -15.6

lbs still need to shed: 34.4

first goal: 10lbs - reached on 2/13/13

•     reward:  mani/pedi and possibly massage (still havent done this yet)

second goal: 25lbs (little less than 10lbs to go! really looking forward to this one!)

•     reward: new rollerblades

final goal:  50lbs

•     reward: epiphanie camera bag

success: another 2lbs down!

set-backs: Not tracking, no exercise, easter candy

exercise: none :( but hoping to start the Zumba Wii

p.s. dont forget today is the last day to enter my giveaway! (not alot of entries so theres a good chance you could be the winner!!)

wednesday (er thursday) weigh-in: week 7

Ill just come right out and say it, I got rid of 1.6lbs this week! I personally thought I would have gotten rid of more since I stuck to the plan so strictly this week, but you know what, Im still very proud of my self for getting rid of any weight! Which means I also reached the first goal WW sets for you, my 5%. And funny thing, I guess Weight Watchers actually thinks Im losing weight too fast?!?! (ironic right?) I got this little notice when I tracked my weigh-in on eTools.

For those who really wanna know my weight, you can technically do the math,
but Ill never actually say the number to you lol

I guess youre only supposed to lose 2lbs or less averaged weekly. It makes sense, but Im not sad that im losing more. lol. This also means that my daily PointsPlus target changes too. It only changed by 1 point, but I think its significant to realize here, that as you make successful steps in your weight-loss journey, its still important to reevaluate your daily intake and routines to help you continue shedding the lbs.

Couple of things Im proud of myself for this week. First, I did actually exercise! One day on the elliptical, one day doing a video, and I tried to do a third day. I busted out the old roller-blades, but unfortunately I found out once putting them on that they are both broken. To the point I cant use them and will have to buy a new pair. :( It kinda made me sad. I was really looking forward to going rollerblading during my lunch, and honestly I cant afford to get a new pair right now. (i looked them up on SportsAuthority.com and they are at least $100). And then I realized, I could totally make this my next reward for my 25lb goal! Not only is it something I want, but it will also be a great idea to motivate me to exercise. win-win.

The next thing Im proud about, the ability to walk past the donuts at the grocery store. You know, the ones they purposely place right on the end-cap in front of the fruit section. The oh-so-delicous Entenmanns' ones that have the crumb topping. With a huge sign that says "BUY 1 GET 1 FREE." I actually turned around and went back to get them. But as i stood there in front of the display, I asked myself, "Do I really need these? Or just want them? Is the taste of them so good for those couple of seconds that I would be willing to sacrifice my weight loss this week?" And the answer was no. So I proudly walked out of that store without them. No one else was proud of me, but you know what, Im not doing this for them, Im doing it for me! And then I remembered a saying I heard long ago in one of the WW meetings from the previous times I joined:

And its honestly so true!

Last but not least, I am proud of myself for tracking every single thing that I put in my mouth. The first week or two its easy because everything is so new. But by the time you past the 1 month mark, you get a little lackadaisical on the whole thing. And then come the time to input it all you may for get that you ate four two of those pecan clusters. ;) So this week I made sure that was one of my priorities, and Im happy to say I did stick with it.

lbs shed this week:  -1.6

lbs shed in total: -12.4

lbs still need to shed: 37.6

first goal: 10lbs - reached on 2/13/13

•     reward:  mani/pedi and possibly massage (i really do have to schedule at least one of these)

second goal: 25lbs

•     reward: new rollerblades

final goal:  50lbs

•     reward: epiphanie camera bag

success: umm hello did you read above? 1.6lbs, 5%, exercise, no donuts, and lots of tracking. oh and one little thing I forgot to mention above, im wearing my pre-baby jeans! they are very snug, but you best-believe i squeezed my tush in them this morning!

set-backs: broken rollerblades :(

exercise: elliptical and video. I wanna start walking too! maybe around the neighborhood after dinner?

hows your weight-loss journey going? leave a comment with your link if youd like to share, Id love to read about it. we all need to support each other and if a little blog hop will help then so be it!

p.s. dont forget you enter my giveaway, lots of chances to enter, and not alot of entries so good chance you could be the winner, but you only have till midnight tonight! Enter Now

fridays letters

 

dear hubby, i know we're a lil tight with money lately, but yesterdays valentine date night was just perfect. i dont care if we didnt get all dressed up and go to a fancy restaurant. I loved that we were casual and went to a quick dinner at Chili's and then out to see Identity Thief, which was absolutely hilarious. But that time, the time we spent together, just the two of us, meant alot to me. i know i say it all the time, by i do truly love you sooooooo very much!

dear matthew, you scared mommy yesterday with waking up at 3:30am with a 102 degree fever. Im glad I made an appointment for you this morning just in case. Even though you were already back to being your normal somwhat-annoyingly bouncy (literally nonstop bouncing) self when the doctor came to check up on you. He says your perfectly healthy, but if it happens again or goes about 103 to make sure to call him immediately.

dear work, i know with this whole transitional phase due to the acquisition that theres alot of loose ends and busy work to be done, but it would be nice to go back to somewhat of a normal workload/schedule. Although, I guess I cant really complain since i am back to doing the things I love (design for marketing) plus my normal day to day responsibilities.

dear diet, thank you for making me feel proud of myself. i know 10lbs isnt a whole lot, but you know what? you have to start little by little, and Im sure I will get to my end goal.....even if it is years from now ;)

dear valentine chocolate, please dont let my diet know I gave in to eating quite a few pieces of you last night after we got home from our date.

dear unorganized self, how many times are you going to tell yourself that you are going to get organized? stop procrastinating and get your butt in gear. as with everything else, you have to start small. I see that you started with the kitchen pantry, now continue doing those little projects and eventually you will have an organized house. fingers.crossed.

dear moms-to-be, trying-to-conceivers, and breastfeeding mamas, i have a giveaway coming up soon on this lil blog of mine. ill give you a hint, do any of you have a hard time taking your prenatals? well i sure did when i was preggo with lil man, and now that im thinking about #2 (not like anytime soon soon but the idea of #2 lol) i know i need to start taking prenatals again, and I have the coolest new product to share!

dear hubby, i want to make something clear, i LOVE your family, i LOVE that matthew now gets to spend more time with his grammy, and i LOVE that your sister is going to have a baby cousin for him to play with, but i also LOVE having alone time and just us three time. So just because they live close and have nothing to do doesnt mean I need to hang out with them EVERY weekend.

dear matthew, i know i keep saying this, but i swear i feel like any day now your are going to crawl. im pretty sure you can, you just have to put all the motions together. i dont want to miss this milestone so I keep grabing my phone to try and video record it whenever i think you might possibly do it, and then you fake me out. please just somehow, can you give your mommy fair warning when you finally decide you want to? ok thanks :)

and i know there was an overload of cutest yesterday on this here blog, but as usually i will never leave you without a picture. This was taken before our photoshoot and I just thought it was so cute how they were staring at each other.

p.s. if you dont already link up for friday's letters, go check out ashley's blog and link up today. plus also, ashley got to share some amazing news yesterday!

wednesday weigh-in: week 5

I did it! I actually exercised this week. It may only have been once, but you know what? You gotta start somewhere. Remember the elliptical I got last year? Well it had found a new home in Matthews closet. You know, so it would be easier to bring out and use, opposed to siting in the laundry room. Well yeah I dusted it off and brought it out to help me with last weeks goal of moving more. I was only on it for 18mins while I caught up on one of my shows. Lets just say 18mins was hard enough for me. Thank god my machine has a bike seat because I dont know how I would have been able to do even those 18mins standing the entire time. Can you say out of shape? yeah......

i think the 5.04 means miles, but i feel like thats way to high of a number for being done in 18.25mins

Unfortunately, I honestly didnt have any other time this past week to blog clean sleep exercise with how busy work is. I know its not an excuse. And I need to make sure I "make an appointment" to exercise. I think if I write it down or put it in my work calendar then it will feel more like a necessity than if I just say Im going to do it. And it seems like my only "free time" to do it, is going to be during my lunch hour. Which is completely ok with me, i just need to make sure I stick to it.

At tonights meeting my leader made it a point to remind us that making something a routine helps it become easier, almost automatic. She said that technically speaking we should each be aiming for at least 14 activity points a week. I was flabbergasted. 14? I would be happy to get 1! And then she explained that if you are normally sedentary (thats me lol) then you should try just exercising once a week for 30 days. And after 30 days it will become a routine. Then you can add more days as you go. This way you wont feel overwhelmed and if you are able to do it more than the once a week during those first 30 days then great! So Im going to commit to that and hope for the best!

Oh and I forgot to mention one lil thing about this week.... I got to my first goal!!! Im not going to say its from the exercise, because honestly I doubt it is. But I am going to say its from my hard work. My self discipline. And my recent obsession in finding new easy low point value recipes. Ive been having so much fun making meals lately. We even had my mom and day over for dinner for the first time at our house on sunday and I made the entire meal myself. Baked Chicken, fresh roasted veggies, and sweet potatoes! It was absolutely delicious! (Oh and if you caught the whole first time eating dinner at our house thats a long story, lets just say their house is just so much easier, and bigger, and heck normally the food is already made, but after 2.5 years living in our house, i figured it was about time)

lbs shed this week: -2.4

lbs shed in total: -10.8

lbs still need to shed: 39.2

first goal: 10lbs - YAY!!! go me!!

•     reward: changed my mind, the hair salon is going to be kinda expensive, so Im thinking a mani/pedi this weekend and possibly using my massage certificate from my baby shower (before it expires lol)

second goal: 25lbs

•     reward: new outfit? hair salon?

final goal:  50lbs

•     reward: epiphanie camera bag

success: meeting my first goal of shedding 10lbs!

set-backs: i think I can say there were no setbacks this week :)

exercise: brought out the elliptical and plan on doing it again this week, wish me luck!

wednesday weigh-in: week 4

This week Ive come to realize that even if I do get rid of the amount of pounds I want to, my body itself is not going to go back to the way it was before I was pregnant. Not that I had a great body before, but its just different now. I had stretch marks before, but not in the places I have them now, particularly my stomach. And even with dropping close to 35lbs off the bat thanks to breastfeeding, I now have extra skin in areas I dont want either.

I really dont mean to start this post off in a negative manner. Because honestly thats not what Im trying to do. Im proud of my body and what it endured in order to old a precious life for 9-10 months. I wouldnt take that back for the world. But with this realization, that Ive changed, in more ways than one, Ive also realized that Im going to have to work even harder to get back in shape.

Which means, I hate to say it, because I honestly dont want to, but I need to start exercising. The eating healthy part has always come relatively easy for me with diets. Its the working out part that I tend to slack on. And being a mom (i know thats not an excuse but bare with me) i feel like i never have time to do it. Again i know thats not an excuse, but when i have extra time i like to relax. I feel like im always tired. Ironic i know because its know that exercise actually helps increase your energy levels.

So basically Ive come to the conclusion i NEED to MOVE! Funny how tonights meeting was all about creating our own moving plan. I was so glad I stayed for the meeting even though my sis and bro-in-law werent able to. Besides talking about getting started moving, i got to listen to alot of the lifetime members talk about what has and hasnt worked for them. I needed to hear this because although i didnt gain this week I also didnt get rid of a significant amount either.

My mini goal for this coming week is to exercise at least once. I know that may not sound like at lot to some of you but for me it at least gives me a starting point.

Any advice from those who lack the motivation to exercise but have found something that works for them, PLEASE share!

lbs shed this week: -.4

lbs shed in total: -8.4

lbs still need to shed: 41.6

first goal: 10lbs

•     reward: maybe a trip to the hair salon?

second goal: 25lbs

•     reward: new outfit?

final goal:  50lbs

•     reward: epiphanie camera bag

success: exploring different healthier recipes

set-backs: ate way to many frozen meals this week. Wish I wouldve cooked more, but i just felt like i didnt have the time this week. And not exercising. :(

exercise: none, but i am going to this week, so you better hold me accountable

fridays letters

dear hubby, valentines day is coming up and Im trying to come up with something creative for you as your gift. I know were trying to save some money where we can, so Im thinking of maybe arranging a date night for us to go out to dinner and see a movie (lucky I already have a groupon for the movies)

dear matthew, you are so close to crawling these days. You litterally rock on all fours, and then even sometimes on your tiptoes. Im excited for when you finally do, but i know once you start youre going to be all over the place. You daddy thinks youre going to walk first, but I just know you will start crawling any day now.

dear south florida, oh how I love you so! my lil trip to NYC last week really made me appreciate the nice weather we have year round. i dont know how those northern folk deal with freezing cold weather ;)

dear self, youve got alot of goals on your mind lately, and i do want you to achieve every single one of them, but try to focus on the small ones first. they are more achievable and will help motivate you to complete the larger ones. lets start with your 10lb goal (you only have 2.4lbs to go!) and spending less money (eventually we will pay those credit cards off, i promise!)

dear work, how am I ever going to get longevity with a company if you keep getting bought out?!?! the company I first started with out of college got bought by a larger corp within 1 year of me starting, luckily I was able to continue working from home for the other company, I moved within departments and was able to get 3 years with this company, and then my department got bought out last week by another company. Again Im lucky to be able to continue working from home, but Im not going to lie, the benefits are quite different. not necessarily bad, just different. Im excited for the new change, but sad that I technically start over as a new employee again :(

dear credit cards, i will NOT use you, i will NOT use you, i will NOT use you........unless its a  good deal or an emergency ;)

dear house, please clean yourself today, my mother-in-law moved back to florida last night and were hosting dinner here tonight, unfortunately I just dont have the motivation to clean

dear hubby, we really need to sit down and figure out how to divide and conquer when it comes to household chores, as previously mentioned, the house is an absolute mess! I know neither of us enjoy doing housework (come on who does?) but it still has to get done. i volunteer for laundry, dishes, and vacuuming. If you could just take trash, litter box, washing the dogs, and mowing the lawn that would be perfect! lol

dear matthew, i dressed you in the most adorable overalls today that your Aunt DeAnna got you. I couldnt believe just how big you look in them! Your Aunt Denise even said you "no longer look like a baby," when I dropped you off this morning. Please can you stay my baby just a lil bit longer?
and speaking of baby.....we got some wonderful news this week, youre going to have a baby cousin this october! Aunt DeAnna and Uncle Eric are expecting! We are so happy for them, its been a long time waiting. Shes only 5 weeks, but we couldnt be more excited!!

And i would never leave you without a cute photo. Sorry for those of you who already follow me on instagram, as youve already seen one of these..

p.s. i just noticed I am only 2 followers away from reading 100! maybe Ill have to do something special when I hit the big number!

p.s.s. go check out this awesome Jo Totes giveaway!

wednesday weigh-in: week 3

So not sure if everyone saw that I updated last weeks weigh-in on Saturday, but I ended up gaining slightly. It was only a small amount so Im not going to kill myself over it, but it still does get me down a little. I told myself a few thing after I got on that scale 1) at least you didnt gain more and 2) that just means I have to work harder this coming week. Which I wish I could say I did, but I have a feeling I didnt. It isnt anything in particular, but to start with it was a shorter week between weigh-ins (Sat - tonight).

One thing I am so very proud of myself for this week is that I started to explore more with healthier recipes, both cooking and baking. And yes there is a major difference, I can bake basically anything, cooking on the other hand I tend to completely and udderly destroy not do so well with. But thanks to one of my lovely readers (thanks samantha!) i found a couple of awesome sources for healthy recipes. This week alone I made Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf Muffins (perfect for portion control), an Apple Cinnamon Tart, and a Slow Cooker Apple Bacon BBQ Chicken. (notice I have a thing for apples? lol) I made sure to have the hubs try each one, and even made some for my sis and bro-in-law to try as well to get there opinions. Mostly good reviews, a few minor tweaks needed for others.

I also realized that although I have blatantly stated that Im following the Weight Watchers program, I havent really talked in depth about how it works. Not that Im a professional when it comes to it, but I figured for those of you wondering exactly how it works I could maybe give you a  little insight.

1. First you get a personalized daily PointPlus Target.
• Its based on you height, weight, age and gender
• You must eat your daily target points, but if you go over you have a weekly points allowance you can borrow from (but no rollovers lol)
2. Every food has a PointsPlus value
• Its calculated based on the foods content of protein, fiber, fat, and carbs
• They even have a calculator and barcode scanner in the app that makes it super easy for you
3. Fresh Fruit and most veggies are 0 PointsPlus value
• So STOCK up!!!
• And try to eat at least 1 fruit or veggie with each meal or snack (this has helped me ALOT!)
4. You can even earn MORE points each day for activity
• These points swap one-for-one with food points, but you can also choose not to swap them, its up to you
• You can figure out how many activity points youve earned a few ways
1. The pocket guide you receive during your first meeting gives a a great chart that calculates using your weight, duration of activity, and level of exertion
2. If you have eTools there is a whole database of activities that you can just plug in
3. Or if you are an ActiveLink subscriber you can wear the little device and it monitors your daily activity and automatically syncs with your eTools

I also found this great comparison chart on the difference between Weight Watchers and all the other quick fad diets and thought it was a great reference. I know Ive personally been one to fall for quick fix diets and they never work for me in the long run. As Ive mentioned before, weight watchers is a lifestyle change!

 I hope this helped answer any of your questions. If you want to know more about any particular topic just comment below and Ill try to answer the best I can.

On to this weeks summary

lbs shed this week: -2.8

lbs shed in total: -7.6 

lbs still need to shed: 42.4 

first goal: 10lbs

•     reward: maybe a trip to the hair salon?

second goal: 25lbs

•     reward: new outfit?

final goal:  50lbs

•     reward: epiphanie camera bag

success: exploring different healthier recipes

set-backs: i admit, i stepped on my home scale multiple times this week. I know i shouldnt, but i guess since im doubting my progress this week i wanted to see if i was doing better, but it only made me feel guilty for every little thing i put in my mouth.

exercise: none this week, but I think its about time to start incorporating it into my routine. im thinking walking, rollerblading, or maybe even bike riding (i saw a cute little seat that matthew can sit in while i ride!)

wednesday weigh-in: week 2

I wish I could say I feel as confident this week as I did last week. Technically speaking i dont know how my progress has gone this week. Im in New York right now for work, and I was going to try and venture to one of the WW meetings up here, but umm have you turned on the tv? its like way to effing cold here.

so this south floridian will not be venturing out into the freezing temperatures to try and find that meeting. Instead, ill wait until I get back home and probably go to the Saturday morning weigh-in. But I still wanted to give a quick update on how I feel I did this week.

We again had another birthday to celebrate over this past 3day weekend. Hubs best friends bday was on Monday and we took him out to dinner at champps americana. I did look up all the entrees before we left the house to try and pick the healthiest lowest in points option. However, that didnt last very long when everyone decided to order the sampler appetizer. And I even told myself that the bread that came with my salad I was NOT going to eat. But I was weak. And I admit, I ate all 4 pieces. But as usual I made sure to track every single bite.

And I told myself that New York was not going to jeopardize my good streak. But again, life happens, and when your boss invites you and your coworkers out for lunch at an italian restaurant, you just cant say no ;) So I had my pizza. And now Im feeling guilty. And Im sure to tomorrow is going to be just as difficult since we will be meeting at a nearby hotel for our kickoff meeting where breakfast and lunch will be served. Wish me luck.

lbs shed this week: +.6

lbs shed in total: -4.8

lbs still need to shed: 45.2

first goal: 10lbs

• reward: maybe a trip to the hair salon?

second goal: 25lbs

•     reward: new outfit?

final goal:  50lbs

•     reward: epiphanie camera bag

success: not letting the little setbacks ruin my end goal. there are going to be days I dont do as well as I had hoped, but im not going to let that lead into a downward spiral. im going to start new the very next day, back on plan. oh and make sure to track every bite even if I do have setbacks.

set-backs: another birthday celebration, new york......

exercise: does walking new york city blocks in the freezing cold weather count for anything?

wednesday weigh-in

Its official. Im starting weight watchers again. Like I said on Friday, there are no more excuses. Matthew is now 7 months old and I should be back to my old weight by now. Or better yet, i should be back to my ideal weight. Ive done the weight watchers plan a few times before and I know it definitely works. And it is really all about fitting it into your own life.

I say this because, yes, Ive done the program multiple times, with multiple successful endings. But they were at different times in my life. The first time I did it I was still in college. I dont didnt cook, i ate alot of fast food, and had no time (between full time school, internship, and full time waitress) to exercise at all. So I was successful by literally eating all the frozen, SmartOnes meals for every meal of the day. Can you say sodium overload? Which in my eyes at the time, I had no problem with. I shed close to 20lbs. And was happy with how it worked, but Ill admit, I think I quit from boredom with the meals. (not the programs fault, but more of my own)

The second time I was out of college, newly engaged, and had a particular deadline (my wedding) to shed the pounds for. I think it was the goal part that motivated me this time. I also got my mom, sister, and best friend involved too, since they saw how easily I was shed the weight last time. Plus, I started exploring more on how I could be creative with the little bit of cooking I knew how to do.  In the end, I think I weighed the second lowest I had my entire life! (the first being sophomore year in high school when I was on the softball team) With a total of over 35lbs shed by my wedding day. I had accomplished my goal. I fit into a gown I only dreamed I could ever fit into. Dare I even say "I looked HOT" for my honeymoon. The same honeymoon that had an open buffet practically 24/7. The same honeymoon I came back from 5lbs heavier and hit with the holiday season of delicious delights back to back.

Ill take 100% responsibility when i say "I got LAZY." I gave up. Going back to my old ways by default. Making myself believe I was giving my self a "break" and would easily jump back on the program whenever I felt like it. Then a few weeks went by. I was embarrassed to go back to my meetings. Even though I knew damn well my leader and other members would welcome me back with open arms and encourage me to not let the past hinder me from making healthier choices now. Then a few months went by. I was back to my heavy point. And then I received the most wonderful news I could ever imagine. I was pregnant! There was a little baby growing inside of me. Out the window went any thought of a diet. I did tell myself I wouldnt become one of those "eating for two" pregnant ladies, and I didnt. But I still gained close to 30lbs by the end of my pregnancy.

I always new I would go back to Weight Watchers when I was ready. And that time has finally come. Tonight is my first meeting. 6:30pm. With my old leader. And bonus? My sis and brother-in-law are doing it with me too!

Im not going to share my actual weight here (bc what woman wants to do that? lol) but I will be sharing my progress, be it with pics or pounds ive shed. Ill share my ups, downs, and in-betweens. And hopefully by doing this I can hold myself somewhat accountable. Lets start with a before picture:

Oh and just so that I make this extremely clear, this is not a resolution. As Ive said before, I hate that word. To me, this is more a lifestyle change. A goal for me to be healthier, not only for myself, but for my son. And a goal for me to look & feel better, not only for myself, but for my husband. And for the rest of you out their who are trying to do the same, even if it is one of your resolutions, I ask for you to join with me and share your progress, challenges, and healthy tips! Good Luck to ALL of us!