This week stats

Not a whole lot to say today, so here are this weeks stats are has follows

Calories burnt- 1480
number of workouts-6
Time- 3.36 hours

Weight 187- another 2 pounds lost for a total of 12 pounds.

Happy Birthday to Me

So today is my 28th birthday. It is hard to believe that in 2 years I will be 30.
I have set some goals that I would love to complete before I turn 30.

*Working on getting my MSW
* Pay off out credit debt
* Be at my ideal weight of 130
* Have 10k in savings
* Have a game plan for a new baby.

Some of these I hope to get soon others may take a while but I am hoping that we can accomplish some soon.

Double Workout Days

So yesterday and today were a double workout day. Yesterday I decided that it was time to get into my garden and pull about 6 trees that I had in my flower bed. It took me about an hour and an half to pull out the trees. I burned roughly 400 calories doing that. Then later on Friday I did a 15 minute workout where I burned about 10 calories.

Today I did my normal workout of 40 minutes which was a good workout. Then I did some step aerobics was about 20 minutes.

So between these 2 works outs have done roughly 3 hours of good workout. I am hoping that this will translate into a good weight loss on my scale.

Best Workout Time

So I know that alot of people like to workout in the morning. They feel better through out the day and at the end of the day they don't have to worry about working out.

When I started working out years ago, I would walk first thing in the morning because I had the time to do it and did not have to worry about having my children with me. However since becoming a working mom I am now working out at night. I have tired to workout in the morning however I am not a morning person so I decided to go back to my night workout.

Now when I workout at night I have a routine, I have to come home from work set the game up and then workout. Then we have dinner. However there have been a few nights that I have had to eat dinner and then workout. I can say for me this is harder because once I am done working out I am starving I will allow myself a small snack yet I feel like a I am destroying my workout.

My question to you_ what is the best time for you to workout.

Tater Beef Bake

So I found this recipe in the taste of home ground beef edition. I did not think my husband would like this becasue he does not like sloppy joes but he did like it and saud that he would eat it once a month. My kids loved this of course and I have to say it was pretty good. I did have to modify it a because it had veggies in it. I calculated the nutiroal information at sparkpeople.com

Tater Beef Bake

1 lb pound ground beef
1 cup water
2 envelopes sloppy joe mix
1 can tomato sauce
27 tater tots
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain. Stir in water and sauce mix. bring to a boil. Reduce heat: simmer, uncovered for 3-5 minutes. add tomato sauce; stir until blended.

Transfer to a greased 13 x9 baking dish. Top with tater tots, baked uncovered 350 for 30 minutes. sprinkle with cheese and heat another 5 minutes.

Nutrional infromation- 6 servings half cup

Caloires- 259
fat-13.3
cholesterol-52.
sodium 696.7
Carbs15.3
fiber 1.1
protein 18.2

Crab Salad

SO I love seafood, however my hubby is not a big fan of it so I have to make it in small batches. I saw this recipe online but I modified it to my taste. Again all nutritional information is from SparkPEOPLE.COM

Crab Salad- MAKE 4 1/4 CUP SERVING

8 oz imitation crab meat
1/4 c chopped green pepper
1 celery stalk sliced thin
2 tbsp Low fat mayo
salt pepper and old bay seasoning

chopped all the ingredients including the crab. Mix together, let sit in the refrigerator at least 2 hours(overnight would be better).

Nutritional Information
Calories 73.6
Fat- 1.8
Cholesterol-3.1
sodium-358.4
carbs- 10.7
fiber- .5
sugar-2.2
fiber- 5.3

Keeping at it

So last weekend I managed to twist my left ankel. Well this weekedn I managed to twist my right ankle which I thougth I had broken at one point. So last week I missed one workout which I was hoping I would make up this weekned which did not happen. Then on Sunday when I hurt my other ankle I was not able to finsh my workout so last night I attempted the workout which I did complete. I did take it easy but managed to do it. Tonight I got on the wii and when I saw it was a 40 minute workout I almost gave up because I did not think I could do it however because I was so tired,yet I did not give up I completed the workout which took me roughly 45 minutes. I am proud of myslef for not giving up

Week 4 update

So today was my day to check in with my weight. This week was rough as I had twisted my ankle last week and then I was sick most of this week, so imagine my shock when I weighed in and had lost weight. While I was sick I was still eating but I was eating healthy. I did have a few slip ups but I think I did great. So without further ado

Caloires burned- 988.5
Workout-4- missed one scheduled workout
Time spent- 2.26 hours

Weight 189- woo hoo got my first 10 pounds gone.

Pictures and a Reciepe

1/22/2011- Roughly 191



1/22/2011- Roughly 191- Side View

Here are some newer pictures of me and my current weight loss journey. I will update the pictures once I lose 20 pounds

Now for the recipe, I know everyone has a chicken noodle recipe however I went on the search for a recipe that would be good and low in calories. This soup was so good that my kids even ate it vegetables and all

Chicken Noodle Soup

3 pieces of chicken
4 celery stalks, dice
4 medium carrots, diced
2 cup noodles, these were not cooked,
4 cups water
1 can broth
2 bouillon cubes and 2 cups water
salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and minced onion

I prepared the the bouillon about an hour earlier wit the 2 cups of water. Then I used frozen chicken and boiled in it water with onion, garlic for about 30 minutes. Let the chicken cool and cut into pieces. In a large pot add the chicken broth, chicken bouillon, and 4 cups water, carrots, celery, garlic powder, onion powder, minced onion, with a little bit of salt and pepper. Let this simmer for about 20 minutes then add chicken. While this is cooking cook the noodles for about 8 minutes. When finsihed ad the noodles and water together in the large pot and let simmer 10 minutes. Let cook a few minutes and enjoy.

Nutritional information- Servings 8, Serving size 1 cup.

Calories- 102.5
Total Fat- .7
sodium- 420.6
Potassium- 250.4
Total carbs- 14.7
Fiber- 1.9
sugar- 2.6
protein-8.8

Pictures- Older Pictures

These pictures are from my first weight loss journey. I am hoping to have new picture tomorrow of this journey. Enjoy







January 2007- 230 plus (not sure of exact weight)




230.5- 3/20/2007



170.5- January 2008




155.5- 4/7/08





142.5- August 2008

Sickness

So on Wednesday night I started to feel bad, by yesterday evening I thought I was dying, Matt and I went to bed at 730 and I can honestly say I never slept so good. I did wake up twice. I did manage to go to work and decided that I was going to do the workout that I missed last night so that I would not be behind by 2 workouts(missed one on Tuesday due to tiredness, will make up tomorrow). I am hoping that this cold/flu crap will go away because I am so ready for this weigth to be gone permanently.

In other news I have applied for grad school so that I can get my Masters in Social Work. I am hoping to start in the Fall, I Will keep ya'll in the loop and let you know if I get in.

Baja Shrimp Boil

So shrimp is one of foods that most people eat as it is a low calorie food and can be made into several different recipes. The recipe I found below in Weight Watchers Slow Cook it. The orignal recipe called for wine and since I don't cook with wine I used chicken broth. The orignal recipe also was 6 shrimp with 3 tbsp cooking liquid which was 80 calories and is 2 points, however my recipe is 4 shrimp and I made it into lettuce wraps. This recipe is so yummy and simple, I added salsa to it. Super Yummy

Baja Shrimp Boil

1 LB unpeeled large shrimp
3/4 cup white wine- used 3/4 cup chicken broth
4 tbsp chopped parsley
4 tbsp dill- did not use
zest of 1 lemon- did not use
1.5 tsp butter- used 1 tbsp
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
10 bibb lettuce leaves

Combine shrimp, wine/brothe, 2 tbsp parsley, 2 tbso dill, kemin zest, butter, salt and pepper in 5-6 qt slow cooker, cover and cook until shrimp are pink 2-3 hours on high, 4-6 hours on low.

At the end of cooking time, stir in the remaining spices.

Nutrional Information - shrimp with lettuce- 4 shrimp per wrap
Calories- 58.8
Total Fat-.5
Cholesterol-85
sodium-184.3
Total Carbs-4
Fiber-.3
Protein-10.9

Nutrional Information - shrimp- 4shrimp
Caloires- 56.3
all other nutrional information is the same.

Few Updates

So after my rough day yesterday, I was determined to come home and workout for a little bit. However I wanted to be careful of how much pressure I put on my leg. I did about 28 minutes on the wii and felt so much better. I have figured out that I do better if I workout and then have dinner. I have found that this way I feel better getting it done before trying to veg out on the couch.

I also have been keeping a very close eye on my calories and you will see over the next few weeks that I will be adding some recipes. I will only post recipe that workout calorie wise and are yummy and healthy at the same time so keep an eye out for the recipes.

Also, I will be posting a picture of myself with my weight right now and then will post pictures throughout my journey.

Healthy Meatballs

So the only way I can get my husband to eat spaghetti is if it has meatballs in however have you ever looked at the price of a bag of meatballs, they are not cheap and do not always have the best ingredients. So for this weekend I went looking through my hundreds of cookbooks and found this recipe. This recipe I made with turkey and hamburger. Next time I won't use the parsley in the turkey recipe. I did not use it in the hamburger meatballs. Also I did cook these longer about 15 -20 minutes. Also the nutritional information will be at the bottom. These freeze well.

Turkey Meatballs
olive oil spray
2 egg whites
1/2 c quick cooking oats
1/4 c ff milk
1/2 c fresh parsley
1 tbsp minced onion- I used onion powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2/tsp garlic powder
1/4tsp salt
1 pound ground turkey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with spray.

In a medium bowl, using a fork mix together the egg whites, oats and milk until well combined. Add the parsley, onion, oregano, garlic and salt until well combined. Mix in the beef until well combined.

Make 32 ( I got 36) uniform meatballs, each 1 1/4 diameter. Roll the balls with your hands and arrange, not touching on the prepared baking dish. Bake 7-10 minutes. I baked for 15-20 minutes.

Nutritional Information- per one meatball
Calories-29.6
Total Fat-1.2
cholesterol- 11.3
sodium-15
Total Carbs- .8
Fiber-.1
Protein-3.4


Hamburger Meatballs
olive oil spray
2 egg whites
1/2 c quick cooking oats
1/4 c ff milk
1/2 c fresh parsley
1 tbsp minced onion- I used onion powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2/tsp garlic powder
1/4tsp salt
1 pound ground turkey

Same directions as above

Nutritional Information- per one meatball
Calories-50.9
Total Fa-3.6
cholesterol- 11.3
sodium-14.9
Total Carbs- 1.1
Fiber-1
Protein-3.7

WII- Round 2

So tonight I was determined to get on the wii and workout hwoever while on it I did not to be on it. I did manage to do about 34 minutes however I still had 12 minutes and I could not do it. I ended up turning the WII and coming to relax. Hopefully tomorrow will be better

ME- 1
Wii -1

Twisted

So yesterday I was doing my wii workout like normal plus I was dealing with my children. I am a big multi-tasker and always have been however it was not the best time to do two things, because as I was doing a running exercise my left ankle went to the right and then back to the left. Yep I managed to twist my ankle. It hurt so bad that it made me nauseous however I did continue my workout. Big mistake, I was in so much pain hours later that I could barely limp around. I have always had issues with my ankles so I know I need to be careful but I have not had a sprained ankle in a while. Now today I am sitting on the couch with my leg up and in a air cast. I am hopefully that it will feel better tomorrow so that I can workout. Today I will be keeping a close eye on the number of calories I eat. Please pray my ankle feels better

Ham and cheese sliders

I have a hard time finding recipes that I will eat and that my husband will eat without complaining. These sandwiches have been all over several blogs and after much time I deiced today was the day to make them. I am not sure what calorie content would be in a regular recipe, how I did modify mine some and then figure the calories out at Sparkrecipes.com. I do have to say that my hubby took one bit and said they were yummy. My kids not like them because of the poppy seeds but they were so good. I did have 3 but the last one I jut atethe bread. Ham is not my favorite thing and I can only handle in small doses. However this recipe could be changed by the different meats you use. I did change up the cheese this time from Swiss(not a fan) to provolone. The original recipe is below, my changes are in parenthesis

Ham and Cheese Sliders-


24 good white dinner rolls( 12 rolls_
24 pieces good honey ham ( 2 pieces per roll of sandwich ham)
24 small slices Swiss cheese ( half a slice of cheese per roll- only used 6 slices)
1/3 cup mayonnaise ( I used lite)
1/3 cup miracle whip (did not use)

Poppy seed sauce (you probably could half this...I had plenty extra)
1 T poppyseeds
1 1/2 T yellow mustard
1 stick butter, melted (only used 4 tbsp)
1 T minced onion (did not use)
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce


Nutritional information from sparkpeople- Per one roll

Calories- 208
Total Fat-10
Cholesterol- 370
sodium- 538.8
Total Carbs- 19.6
Fiber-1
sugar 3.8
protein-9.9

Not a loss but not a gain

So I knew that this week was a struggle regarding my weight loss. I have hit a small plateau. I will over come it and keep on moving however it is frustrating when the weight goes on so easy but takes so long for it to be lost. This is one of the main reasons why people give up on their weight loss. However I am going to keep going and will not give up because I am sick of my spar tire. Also this week I have noticed that my clothes are fitting loser, so while I may not be seeing the scale move I am feeling the inches come off.
So without further ado

Calories- 1253.5
number of workouts- 6
Total time - 3 hours
Weight -191- Stayed the same.

Zucchini Pizza Bites

So I have a confession, I don't like pizza, the only time I really want to eat it is when I am craving pizza. However I saw this recipe on one of the many blogs that I visit( not sure which one. These caught my eye becasue I love zucchini and I have some tomato sauce in my refirgartor. These recipes would be could serve as a appietezer. Plus thye are low calorie but high in protein which I always have a hard time eating. SO without further ado here is the simple but yummy recipe.

Zucchini Pizza Bite
4 slices large zucchini 1/4 inch thick
2 tbsp pizza bite
1/4 cup mozzarella

Cut zucchini about 1/4 inch thich. Spry both sides with cookign spray,and season with salt and pepper. Broil or grill about 2 minutes on each side. I would say do it about 3 minutes. Top with sauce and chesse and cook for an addiitonal minute. I have to say that I broiled it for about 3 minutes I think next time I will cook for about 5 minutes to make the cheese a little bit crunchy.

Serving Size- 4 slices
Calories 124.8
Fat-5.7
protein-8.2

Water, Water, Water- Everywhere

So as part of my weight loss I have been drinking water like crazy, and when I mean crazy I am talking about 12 8 oz glasses a day. I drink 4 of those glasses when I am working out. I have also been cutting out caffeine which has been the hardest thing because I love me some coffee early in the morning. Today I had my first cup of coffee in like 4 days and it gave me a migraine and made me nauseous at the same time. I am hoping to reintroduce one can of soda but I want to wait until after February. I am praying I can make it until March 1st with no caffiene

Refried Bean Chili

I love chili but I have to be careful how I make it because my picky hubby only eats certain things. However I am always on the lookout fir a new chili recipe. This recipe caught my eye because it uses refried beans. I never saw a recipe using these type of beans but oh my goodness I have to say I love this recipe. I also have a litte bit leftover for my lunch tomorrow. This recipe can be found on page 121 of the Better Homes and Garde Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes.

Refried Bean Chili- all my changes will be in quotes
2 pounds ground beef - "1/2 pound hamburger, 1/2 pound ground turkey"
1 cup chopped onion- "did not use"
2 15oz chili beans with chili gravy- " 1 can black beans drained"
1 16 oz jar salsa- " i used 1/4 cup salsa and added diced tomatoes"
1 16 oz can refried beans
1 12 oz can beer or 1 can beef broth
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp lime juice "did not use"

In a large skillet cook beef and onion until meet is brown . Drain off fat.

In a 5-6 qt crockpot place the beef mixture, beans, salsa, refried beans, beer/broth, chili powder and cumin. Cover cook on low 6-8 hour or on high for 3- 4 hours

To serve ladle chili into bowls

Nutrition
Serve 8-10 1 cup servings- Orignal recipe no my modified

Caloires- 482
fat -22
cholesterol-86
sodium-960
carbs-36
fiber- 10
protein-30

Compliments

I recived two compliments yesterday at Work. Woo- hoo. So excited to know that others can see the change even though it is only 8 pounds.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

So I love chicken pot pie however have you ever looked at the back of a chicken pot pie box, there is 550 calories or more per servings and there is 2 servings in a box. However I saw this recipe over at skinnytaste.com for chicken pot pie soup which has everything but the crust but you can add bread if you want. I decided to try my hand at this recipe and all I have to say is yummo. I did change it up a tiny bit but you can find the original over at skinnytaste.com

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

1/4 cup Flour
2 cups water
4 cup lowfat milk
1 large celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 chicken bouillons
pepper
Thyme-pinch of
10 oz frozen veggies- I used 16 oz
2 potatoes peeled and cubed- I used small ones
2 pieces of chicken, cooked and diced small
salt

Create a slurry by combining flour and 1/2 c cold water. Set aside
Pour remaining water and milk into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add celery, onion, chicken bouillions, thyme pepper, and frozen veggie, return to a boil, partially cover the pot and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Remove lid add potatoes and chicken and simmer additional 10 minutes. Then add the slurry and stir while adding (soup will thicken). Cook additional 2-3 minutes. Serve.

Serving Size- 1 cup
Calories- 169.2
Fat-1.2
protein- 18.5
Fiber-2.3

Serving Size- 1 1/2 cup
Calories- 253.8
Fat-1.8
protein-27.7
fiber- 3.5

Week 2 Weigh In

So today I woke up with a mixed bundles of nerves on what my weight would be. This week has a been struggle not only food wise but thought wise. However I think that I ended up having a great week even if I did not lose a million pounds. So without further ado here are this weeks results

Calories Burned- 1307.6
Workout-7
Time 3.22, hours

Weight 191.

This week my wii did not weigh me because I hit the wrong button so I am going off of my scale that I own. It did say 190.4 but since my wii scale rounds up so will I.

I am happy with the amount of weight I lost. Yes it is not 6 pounds like last week however it a good and healthy amount of weight for a one week period. This week should hopefully see me leaving the 190's

Cheesecake and a workout

Now I bet the title caught your eye. Yes I had cheesecake not just any plain cheesecake but cheesecake from the cheesecake factory. Now I know you are thinking "is she kidding me" "is she not dieting"? My answers to both question is yes I am not kidding and yes I am dieting however I am not going to deprive myself for the rest of my life. I knew that we would be going out tonight so today I limited my food in take. I did not get up till 11am, and by then I was ready for coffee not breakfast so I had my coffee and then about 2 pm I had a small salad. We then took the dogs for a walk which was nice. We then went to dinner where I had half of a grilled piece of salmon( other half for lunch) broccoli and asparagus. I did allow myself to have one small piece of bread and then half a piece of fried mac and cheese ( super yummy). Then I got my cheese cake but it was not plain it was a piece of recse peanut butter cake cheesecake, however I only ate half and threw the other half in the trash. The workout you ask was great I got home from dinner not feeling guilty but knew I needed to workout since it was a workout day. I did my regular 33 minutes where I burned 250 calories. Then i did another 14 pictures where I burned 100 calories. I am so happy with myself because I can feel that muscles in my arms are sore but in a good way. Whatever happens with my weigh in I am proud of myself.

Losing It

The last few days at work have been very tough and I had a really hard struggle with my eating habits. I did great both yesterday and today eating wise until I got home. Last night I was so tired, and after working out I did not want to cook so we had chickfila. Then tonight I had a health lunch and then I came home and could not figure out what to make for dinner.So I made the bad decision to order pizza. I did manage to work out for close to 30 minutes and then I had 2 big pieces of stuffed crust pizza and 4 boneless wings. I did not eat garlic bread which is my weakness but I am not a fan of Pizza hut bread. I feel like if I don't get my eating back under control I will not lose the 2 pounds I am hoping to lose.

Getting Discouraged

Will I knew this week was going to be hard just because the second week losing weight is always hard since you lose a good amount of weight the first week. Last night I did my workout and was very pumped up. I did good eating wise, then today I woke feeling like crap so I new it was goign to be a hard day. I did put on a pair of pants that have been tight the last few weeks, however I was able to button them without alot of problem which in the past I had too lay on my bed flat and pray I could button them and then pray I did not have to use the restroom. I was happy about that however I got to work and still was feeling down, had lunch still feeling down, then I came home and was still discouraged. I am still discouraged and I am hoping tomorrow will be better. Today is a rest day but I am hoping to see a weight loss this week.

Breakfast Recipe

SO like I said in the previous post I have a hard time with foods for breakfast. Part of it is that I don't like cereal or oatmeal and like recipes that are hot. However I am so not a morning person even though I get up at 6. However yesterday I made the following recipe for lunch(woke up at 10:30). I have to say it was good but I think i would use less eggs and more salsa. I love salsa. Another good thing about this recipe is that it is a WW recipe. I did not use FF tortillas but even with the recipe was maybe 250-300. Great recipe.

4 Points Per Serving



1 cup egg substitute

1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheese (such as Sargento Light Shredded Cheese)

2 (10-inch) fat-free flour tortillas, warmed

1/4 cup salsa



In medium non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray, over medium heat, cook egg product, stirring occasionally until set. Divide egg mixture evenly between tortillas; top with cheese and salsa. Fold up tortillas over filling like an envelope. Serve immediately.

Yield: 2 servings

PER SERVING: CALORIES 192 FAT 2g SATURATED FAT 1g SODIUM 640mg CARBOHYDRATE 24g PROTEIN 15g CHOLESTEROL 3mg FIBER 1.0g

My calorie content was higher because my tortillas were 110 calories each.

First weigh in

Man this week has been tough food wise. There were some days I did great and there were a few days when I wanted a big cheeseburger, bag of chips and chocolate. Yet I managed to keep on my diet and only let myself have chocolate one night and then I did a double workout. Last night was really hard on me workout wise because I had a a migraine. Matt motivated me enough to turn it on and keep going however my 20 minute workout took 40 minutes because I was hurting do bad. I did get up this morning and do my workout and my weekly weight in. I was a little nervous but I have to say that I did really well.
Here are the stats for this week.

Calories burned for the week- 1126.30
Workouts- 8
Time spent 3 hours

Weight this week 193

Woo hoo I had a 6 pound weight loss and while I know most of it was water weight I will take it. This week I know I will probably only lose a pound but I plan on working hard and keeping my eating in check so that I do lose that one pound. I have been looking for breakfast recipes to help me but I am not a big breakfast eater.