Weigh-in Day Switcharoo!

Ok. So I am changing my weigh-in day from Wednesday to Friday! Why? because on Wednesday my meeting didn't even start until 10:30am. I am a early bird and I hated starving myself until that late for my weigh-in. On Friday they offer a meeting at 9:00am which sounds sooooooo much better! So from this point forward my new weigh-in day is Friday. I hope I like the leader as much as I liked the Wednesday one!!! Let u guys know asap...

Day 11- Another photo of you & your friends.

Me, my sister, and my mom! My bestest friends ever! This was me a few weeks after giving birth.

Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, mad.

I don't really have specific songs I listen to when I'm happy, sad, bored, or mad. I love music and listen to whatever I want whenever I want. My favorite types of music are pop, r&b, and oldies. I listen to rap and some alternative music when I'm in the mood. So yeah... umm.. next question? Lol...

Day 9- Something you're proud of in the past few days.

I am SO very proud of my life! The close family and friends I have are just the best you can get out there! THE HOLIDAYS have brought us all together in the past few days. I love everything GOD has provided for me. I am truly blessed. Truly blessed for my health, my wealth, and the health and wealth of my family and friends. I couldn't ask for anything more! Seriously. Some people just say that... but I MEAN IT.

Day 8- Short term goals for this month & why.

Well how appropriate since the month is nearly over. My short term goal for this month, December 2010, is to get to at least 165 pounds even. So yeah you are probably thinking "that is only .2 pounds from where she's at now!" But honestly, after the holidays and everything I ate and drank, it would be AWESOME to lose that .2 pounds! We'll see.

Day 7- Photo of someone/thing that has the biggest impact on you.

Day 6- Your favorite Superhero & why.

"Rich, glamorous and stunningly beautiful, Selina Kyle is a former socialite who became the notorious burglar called the Catwoman. Lured by the thrill of the hunt, she steals rare and beautiful objects with feline names or designs. Catwoman also enjoys a special bond with real cats, and all felines, tame or wild, instinctively trust her. With her catlike reflexes and cat-o-nine-tails, she is a formidable opponent who is nearly a match for Batman. Realizing Batman now has a team of allies, Catwoman assembles a female feline gang of her own to bedevil them."1

Ok ok.. so some might call her a villian but she is a superhero to me! "Batman returns" is one of my favorite movies and Michelle Pfeiffer played her character to a -T-! I love love love Catwoman!

1 Courtesy of http://shdictionary.tripod.com/superheroes/catwoman.html

Weigh-In #4

Down 0.2 pounds. Wow! Now 165.2... I thought I lost at least a pound! WTH!!! Oh well, moving on.... I guess I didn't exercise as much and had pizza (2 slices) and didn't drink much water... =) Gotta get back on track asap. It's too early in the game for this nonsense. Back to walking tomorrow and drinking at least 3 water bottles a day and sticking to my points. My mom's Christmas dinner won't help the situation though... MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

Day 5- A picture of somewhere you've been.

The Louvre Museum

Weigh-In Tomorrow!!

Once again I'm nervous. I know the scale will show a loss but how much? I've kinda slacked on exercise this week.. been better with the food though. I did have 2 slices of pizza this week but all within my daily and weekly pointsplus values. So. We will see.

Breakfast: I had a blueberry fiber one muffin (I love these things!) and a banana
Lunch: I ate a lean pocket and light pringles
Dinner: Mmm... I made Lemon-Oregano Tilapia, mixed veggies, and 2 ranchero mini wraps
For a snack I ate a weight watchers chocolate creme cake (delish!)

Left with 3 points for the day and I'm NOT gonna use em. Ha! Take that scale! 

Day 4- A habit you wish you didn't have.

I'm actually doing it right now ha! It's so gross so be forewarned. A habit I wish I didn't have happens to me every winter; when my lips get dry. You know what I do? Peel the skin off over and over again. My husband hates seeing me pick at my lip Lol.. It is gross but I can't help it. It's really hard to stop. I use carmex and aquaphor but on days when I have nothing to soothe them they get dry and I start a pickin'!

Day 3- Photo of you & your friends.

A Tag Video: 8 on Losing Weight!

Day 2- The meaning behind your blog name.

It's pretty self-explanatory. My journey with Weight Watchers... I joined 12/01/10. I was trying to eat healthy before WW and lost 6 pounds! But it stopped there so I moved on. So actually I should be counting my weight-loss from my post pregnancy weight of 181 lbs huh? Oh well... it's all about weight watchers for this blog. I'm looking forward to being fit and healthy for 2011!

Day 1 - A recent picture of you & 15 interesting facts about yourself.

1. I am a stay at home mom to two yummy children! Nia and Andre III. 
2. I am 30 years old but act like I'm still 18 ha ha...
3. I am from the Bay Area in California
4. I studied abroad while in college
5. My major was International Studies with a minor in Political Science
6. My favorite place to visit was Florence, Italy
7. I've been to Spain, London, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, Kuwait, Turkey, and I don't remember where else.
8. I was an international flight attendant
9. I HATE math
10. I love reading
11. I never liked sports (but will occasionally watch basketball)
12. I was the shyest person growing up
13. I attended private school for 7 years
14. I weighed 96 pounds all the way til Junior year in college
15. I gained over 70 lbs with my first child

Starting Weight: 175
Current Weight: 165.4
Goal Weight: 145

30 DAYS OF BLOGGING CHALLENGE!!

I saw this on the weight watchers website and thought I'd bring it here since this is where I blog most. Seems fun and interesting. Copy and paste if you wanna join! 

30 Days of Blogging
1. A recent picture of you & 15 interesting facts about yourself.
2. The meaning behind your blog name.
3. Photo of you & your friends.
4. A habit you wish you didn't have.
5. A picture of somewhere you've been.
6. Your favorite Superhero & why.
7. Photo of someone/thing that has the biggest impact on you.
8. Short term goals for this month & why.
9. Something you're proud of in the past few days.
10. Songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, mad.
11. Another photo of you & your friends.
12. How you found out about blogs & why you made one.
13. Letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
14. A picture of you & your family.
15. Put your iPod on shuffle; 1st 10 songs that play.
16. Another photo of yourself.
17. Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day & why.
18. Plans/Dreams/Goals you have.
19. Nicknames you have; why you have them.
20. Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future.
21. Photo of something that makes you happy.
22. What makes you different from everyone else?
23. Something you crave a lot.
24. Letter to your parents.
25. What's in your purse.
26. What you think about your friends.
27. Why are you doing this 30 day challenge.
28. Photo of you then & now, how have you changed since then?
29. In this past month what have you learned?
30. Who are you? 

Starting Weight: 175
Current Weight: 165.4
Goal Weight: 145

Darn 49 POINTS!!

I did great... YESTERDAY! Now today I found myself struggling. Once again I went into my weekly bonus points and had a fiber one blueberry muffin! I tried so hard to leave it alone.. right in the box it came in that was hidden beneath the rubbish in the cupboard.. but oh no. The munchie munchkin got the best of me and here I am.. angry that I ate it. So yes, it's only 4 points over but my goal this week was to NOT go over at all. Where is my self-control? Argh!
What would I do without the 49 bonus points? How could something meant to be so good be so bad. I don't know but this is harder than I anticipated. Yummy blueberry muffins =(

Weigh-In #3

165.4 Down 2.6 pounds!! Yippeeeeeeeee!!!!! That's almost 10  pounds in TWO freakin weeks! I'm so happy. Reached my 5% GOAL. Now if I keep my hand out of the weekly bonus points I could possibly avg 2 lbs a week! Can't wait til next weigh-in.

Will The Scale Budge?

Tomorrow is weigh-in day! Ugh... I'm so worried about it. I've been having trouble staying within my PointsPlus values. At night I get the munchies munchies munchies and tend to snack snack snack. Those weight watcher creme cakes are soooo dangerous. Sure they are only 2 points but it adds up! If I eat two 2-point cakes it totals FIVE freakin points! What happened to 4? I don't know... We shall see what the scale will say tomorrow. I lost 7 lbs last week which I'm sure was mostly water weight but now we are getting to the nitty gritty. TIME TO LOSE FAT BABY!!!!

Sick Days...

I have had a cold the past couple of days. We had a scare with the baby on Wednesday night. He was, in my opinion, breathing very funny and making continuous grunting noises. He had just had his 2 month old shots earlier in the day so we didn't know if it was a reaction or what. It got to the point where his father and I were both scared and needed to get to the emergency room a.s.a.p. Well me being the panic stricken mother I am, did not put on a coat, a hat, or nothing. I ran out, in the nights freezing temperature, in a tank top, sweat pants, and (f)uggs. My hair was a mess and yes. I looked like a crazy woman. Did I care? Nope!

So the baby turned out to be just fine. He had a gas.We had switched formulas on him cold turkey; didn't realize we had to wean him off. Wow.. our mistake. So anyway, now I am sick. Struggling to eat well and drink lots of water and workout. Last weeks weigh-in was wonderful but this week might not get me where I wanna be. Today is Sunday and I am deciding to rest.

Osso Buco-Style Beef Stew (Slow Cooker Recipe)

I made this for dinner tonight and it was SO good! I used fire-roasted tomatoes instead of regular diced. The gremolata added so much MORE flavor. Will use again... courtesy of Weight Watchers Magazine September-October 2010 Issue.

Prep: 25 min  Serves: 8 Cook/Slow cook: 4 hr 20 min

STEW
2 1/2 lbs stew meat
1/4 c all-purpose flour
3 tsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 c low sodium beef broth
3 garlic cloves chopped
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
4 carrots, thickly sliced
6 sprigs+ 1/4 c chopped Italian or flat leaf parsley
salt
pepper

GREMOLATA (Sprinkle on top of each serving)
1/2 c chopped flat leaf parsley
grated zest of one large lemon
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1. For stew, combine beef and flour in large bowl; toss to coat. Heat 1 tsp oil in large nonstick skillet over med high heat. Add 1/3 of beef and cook, turning frequently, until browned, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker. Repeat with remaining oil and beef.

2. Add onions, broth, and garlic to skillet. Bring to boil, scraping up brown bits. Cook until onions are crisp-tender, 3 minutes. Add onion mixture, tomatoes, carrots, parsley sprigs, salt, and pepper to slow cooker; stir. Cover and cook until beef and vegetables are fork-tender, 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low. Discard parsley sprigs and stir in chopped parsley.

3. For gremolata, meanwhile, mix all ingredients in small bowl. Serve with stew.

POINTSPLUS VALUE: 7

Serve over 1/3 cup polenta and up the pointsplus value by 1 or 2.

Weigh-In Week 1

Down 7 pounds! Can you believe it? I'm so happy. Now I know it's the first week and the first week is usually when you lose the most but still; it's a great head start dontcha think? I am going to continue doing what I've been doing which is stay in my points range, drink mostly water, and exercise (walking up to 5 miles a day).

Class was nice as well. My leader is phenomenal! She has a great sense of humor and makes the meetings fun and interesting. Today I learned that a lot of people are losing with the new pointsplus system and here is what they said they like most about it:

• You get a higher daily points value!
• Fruits are now worth 0 points!
• The program just makes sense!
• The program keeps you satisfied and full!
• You get more activity (exercise) points values!
• Less weight watchers math!

I tell ya... I love this program better than any diet I've ever tried. I even ate fast food THREE times during the week. And Bread; I HAD BREAD! We will see how next week goes. I have a feeling it will be good!

Hip Hop Abs Postponed - Back to Leslie

I did the 1st DVD (Fat Burning Cardio) yesterday and my knees instantly hurt. A reminder as to why I stopped using the program in the first place. I'm not going to completely abandon the workout; just postpone it. For now I will continue walking with Leslie. My body has to get used to working out again.

Click Here to visit Leslie's Website!

A Tip You Can Use: Add more of the "GOOD" stuff

Last night we had Chinese. I ate Pork Fried Rice for 10 points. 10 points for ONE freakin cup of rice! It was sooooo good though. Here is what I did to beef it up.

1) I took a package of steamfresh broccoli (0 points!) out of the freezer and zapped it for 5 minutes
2) I put the broccoli (almost whole package) in a bowl added a little salt and pepper
3) Poured the cup of rice (yes I measured!) on top of the broccoli and added low-sodium soy sauce

I mixed it all up and ate it. It was so filling and so good and I didn't feel like I was missing out at all! I normally could eat a whole box of Pork Fried Rice all to myself! This is not something I would do on an everyday basis while on the program but my hubby really wanted to enjoy a "normal" meal together Lol... I have him eating better too so it really was a treat for both of us!

Todays Workout: Hip Hop Abs (Fat Burning Cardio)

Since the start of WW, I have been working out with Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home DVD's.
I love Leslie and her spunky attitude. Plus, her workouts are pretty easy and yield great results. But it's time to switch it up.

Hip Hop Abs has been there for me before... prior to my wedding in May 2009 when I lost 20 lbs with Shaun T. So here I am about to use his 30 day calendar again. So for the next month I will update my progress on the program. The first week starts out really easy but starting the second week it gets more intense with up to two workouts a day.

Time to SWEAT!!!

Korean-Style Beef Ribs and Strawberry Shortcake

Yum! Who knew I could eat like this and didn't tell me??? I've gone broke on the Nutrisystem Diet, starved on the Lemonade Diet, couldn't bare the Atkins Diet, couldn't afford the Diet Solution Diet, and didn't lose any weight on the eat-what-I-wanna Diet! But weight watchers? Weight watchers is a diet I can stick to diet. I guess its what's so often referred to as a lifestyle change right? Well I'm ready for that change!

Tonight I made a recipe using the new weight watchers cookbook I received in my deluxe kit from my first meeting. Let me tell you.. you have to try this recipe! Ok.. so my meat wasn't as tender as it could be but the flavor was there! It was delicious! It was the Korean-Style Bbq Beef on page 131.

For dessert I went to my freezer and pulled out a smart ones for dessert. Strawberry shortcake is what caught my eye and WOW! It was good too. Now listen... they are really small and two come in one package. I wish I could eat both of them but I'd be lying if I didn't say it was still SO satisfying. Yum! Yum! Yum! You gotta try it! Please Beware though.. the new PointsPlus value is 5.

The First Meeting

December 1, 2010. I arrived at approx 10am. Class didn't start until 10:30am. There were already quite a few people there. I was greeted by my instructor who seems very nice by the way. I had registered online which was as new for them as it was for me. Everyone was very helpful though and got me registered in their system quickly.

I checked in and stepped on the scale. The scale is a platform that doesn't show YOU how much you weigh but shows the lady behind the desk. Then she puts your weight in this pamphlet (weight record) and that's what you use to keep track every week. I am at 175 lbs.

Class was all about the new PointsPlus system. Some people weren't so happy about it but I was elated! My instructor convinced me that it's a BETTER plan so I'm all for it.

After class I went and bought the deluxe kit ($34.95 on sale) which was all about PointsPlus. It has a cookbook among many other things. I was so stoked to get the calculator. It actually helps calculate points for every food. All you need is the nutrition label. Enter the protein, carbs, fiber, and fat and WA-LAH! Points right there. I love it!

I am SO looking forward to next week!
Come visit me on YouTube!

Here is me at 194 lbs prior to giving birth to our son on 10-06-10.

 Here is me at 155 lbs. I want to be 10 lbs lighter for a goal of 145 lbs by March 2011.