Exercise Escapades

This week was a complete success! I worked out every day (Mon.-Fri.)! I actually did a lot more work this week than normal (workout wise) since I only did the treadmill one day and T25 the rest of the week (following Tania's modified version, of course)! I am actually pretty proud of myself. I have always loathed exercising, ever since I was a kid. But, I know I have to do it to get (and stay) healthy. I'll just have to suck it up and DO IT! Here's this week's workout schedule:

Monday: Focus T25 Speed 1.0 (Alpha)

Tuesday: Focus T25 Cardio (Alpha)

Wednesday: Focus T25 Full Body Circuit (Alpha)

Thursday: Treadmill - 30 Minutes; 50 Jumping Jacks

Friday: Focus T25 Speed 1.0 (Alpha)

I was pretty tired by the end of the videos, but I think it will be well worth it come Wednesday! I've also been forbidden to go home and see my family this weekend since the weather is about to get nasty, so I'll be stuck in my apartment all weekend. Actually, that's probably a good thing since I can make smarter eating choices and not be tempted. Here's to hoping for school Monday since I would actually like to be out of school for at least part of the summer!

Shout out to Robin for finding this gem!

5 days until Weigh-In Wednesday!

Recipe Report

I am so excited for today's Recipe Report! I pinned this recipe on my Pinterest forever ago and have been wanting to try it ever since. I found a recipe for Skinny Vanilla Bean Donuts on The Skinny Fork and was dying to see how they tasted. (Her pictures look far better and more appetizing than mine, but you get the idea.) I bought everything I needed: vanilla beans (instead of vanilla bean paste, which I've never heard of and couldn't find anywhere), powdered sugar, flour (white, not whole wheat), eggs, Truvia (2 tbsp for baking instead of 1/4 cup of sugar), cinnamon, fat free Greek yogurt, low-fat milk, and low-fat butter. The only thing I didn't have was a doughnut pan, so my mom said she'd find her mini bundt pan for me, but that took a couple of weeks.
When I finally had everything I needed, I began mixing the dough. However, I clearly filled the bundt pan too full and ended up with muffins that had a hole in the bottom of them. Austin affectionately called them "Butt Muffins." But, I didn't hear him complaining after he ate 3 of them! They were SO GOOD!!! And I figured them out to be (with the glaze) 4 Points Plus (only 3 without). Needless to say, I ate a few. I was thinking about making the dough again and putting it into a banana bread tin so that I have a loaf of vanilla bean bread. Either way, I'm definitely making them again soon!

6 days until Weigh-In Wednesday!

Weigh-In Wednesday

Today's weight is:

302.8

I lost 0.4 pounds this week. I'm not thrilled, but I'm not too upset since 0.4 is better than 0. I weighed yesterday morning just for the heck of it, and it said 301.6, so I think that the big Mexican dinners on Craft Tuesday are killing my weigh-ins. I stayed within my points, but I guess it's just a lot of food late in the evening. . . Maybe I'll have to start getting something else for dinner. It's so delicious, though! But, a loss is a loss, right? Weight Watchers is slower than I remember (but I'm also a few years older). I'll just have to take it day by day and keep to my exercise routine and stay within my points. I can do it, it'll just take time! It took me 23 years to gain all that weight, so I can't expect it to all just disappear in a matter of months. This blog has been great for me, since I post every day and log my weight. I don't go to the Weight Watchers meetings, so this is the next best thing.

Total Weight Loss: 19.2 pounds

Only 122.8 to go!

Artistic Antics

Yay, Craft Tuesday! It actually happened today, despite the slight snow flurries. Last Wednesday, we began working on glitter magnets, but got the wrong enamel, so that got postponed for a bit. This week, we decided to paint tote bags (still not completely done)! We never seem to finish a craft the same day we start it. Oh, well. Wal-Mart is no Hobby Lobby, to say the least, but it's got mostly everything we need.
We started out the night going to Cancun, a fantastic Mexican restaurant in Warrensburg (where I tried my best to stay within my points). Robin, Walter (Robin's boyfriend), Brittany, Caitlyn, and I all went (Austin had fraternity shenanigans, so he didn't come to dinner). They all did quite well staying on track! I also got to see my old roommate, Makenzie, later on in the evening who I haven't seen in forever, so that was really fun! All around, I think craft night was a success! Finished product photos coming soon! (Hopefully!)

Glitter magnets!

Brittany fell asleep. She obviously crafted too hard.

Totes magotes!

The Craft Tuesday Gang. . .
And Robin with all of her flexibility!

Tomorrow is Weigh-In Wednesday!

Phenomenal Foods

Today's phenomenal food is:

Bananas!

I've always loved bananas! Except, I'm weird and only like them when they're still slightly green. If they're too ripe, forget about it, especially if there are brown freckles on them. And I hate the little bottom part that's at the base of the peel. I always pinch it off and throw it away. Picky, picky. . .I know.
According to an article from Health.com, bananas are good for weight loss. It says, "A slightly green, medium-size banana will fill you up and boost your metabolism with its 12.5 grams of Resistant Starch. Even a ripe banana still ranks high on the list of foods containing RS, with almost 5 grams." I've been making my Skinny Banana "Ice Cream" from Skinny Mom almost every night! Health.com's article had a recipe that looked delicious: Chocolate-Dipped Banana Bites. I'm obsessed with dark chocolate, so these would be the best of two things! I buy at least one bunch of bananas every week. They're so tasty AND filling!

Instead of a pretty picture of bananas for this week's Phenomenal Foods post, I'll leave you with some banana humor instead, since I'm a banana snob.

1 day until Weigh-In Wednesday!

Weekend Warrior

Fail sauce. . .I did it yet again; I didn't post on time. I went to PBR at the Sprint Center, and then, my friend Kevin and I hung out until super early in the morning. Even though I drank some, I stayed mostly within my points value for the day. We went to Pot Belly something-or-other for lunch (sandwiches) and then to The Flying Saucer (another sandwich) for dinner. Hopefully it won't ruin my Weigh-In Wednesday! It was fun to see him though, since I hadn't seen him in several months. Plus, I got to experience professional bull riding! However, I stayed out way too late and feel like death today. T minus 5 hours until I can take a nap!

2 days until Weigh-In Wednesday!

Shopping Shenanigans

Big purchase this weekend, everyone! Here's this week's plunder:

• Apples
• Bananas
• Case of Water

Whoa, big spender over here! Everything from last weekend is still pretty much fully stocked, so I really didn't need anything. My bank account appreciated this weekend's shopping adventure.

In other news, I went to my school's PTO carnival today and helped out. The students all seemed to have a good time. After that, I got to go home and have dinner with my family at BD's Mongolian BBQ. Yay, family time! Later on tonight, I'm supposed to go watch movies with some of my best friends (Amanda, Tim, and Justen) and then go to the professional bull riding event tomorrow at the Sprint Center with a college friend (Kevin) I haven't seen in several months. Looks like it's going to be a good weekend here at home!

Exercise Escapades

This week was mostly a success! I worked out every day (Mon.-Fri.)! Well, Monday I actually got back to my apartment pretty late, so I didn't want to make my neighbors hate me for doing the treadmill at 11:30 at night, but I unloaded my car that was filled with the spoils of the weekly Costco/Wal-Mart run and worked up a sweat, and then I did 50 jumping jacks before getting in the shower and heading to bed. Now I get to spend the weekend partly at my school grading papers and attending the PTO Carnival and then the rest of my weekend hanging out at home with my family and some friends I haven't seen in a while! Exciting times, here! Here's this week's workout schedule:

Monday: Unloading groceries; 50 Jumping Jacks

Tuesday: Treadmill - 30 Minutes; 50 Jumping Jacks

Wednesday: Treadmill - 30 Minutes; 50 Jumping Jacks

Thursday: Treadmill - 30 Minutes; 50 Jumping Jacks

Friday: Focus T25 Cardio (Alpha)

I was getting bored with the treadmill, so today I decided to do Focus T25 instead. The videos actually go by pretty fast, so that helps. They're brutal, but they work up a good sweat!

5 days until Weigh-In Wednesday!

Recipe Report

For today's Recipe Report, I chose Roasted Asparagus with Shaved Parmesan from Weight Watchers. I used to hate asparagus, especially boiled asparagus that was mushy and flavorless, but after roasting them in the oven, I love them now. They're crispy and filling! Instead of using shaved parmesan (because I'm not that fancy), I just used regular, old grated parmesan.
This recipe is super easy. You just wash the asparagus and break the bottom part of the stems off. Then, drizzle them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan. Then you stick them in the oven (425ºF) for 10ish minutes. I usually take them out before the time is up because I like them nice and crunchy. This dish ended up being 2 Points Plus per serving (4 servings total) and went perfectly with my flatbread margherita pizza!
I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! I've had over 500 page views so far, and that's keeping me really motivated. If you read my posts, please feel free to comment! It will seriously help me keep posting and make me feel like I'm being held accountable.

6 days until Weigh-In Wednesday!

Weigh-In Wednesday

Today's weight is:

303.2

I lost 6.2 pounds this week! My new scale reads the same each time I step on it, so that's promising! Maybe my 0.3 pound weight loss last week was a bit off, because I don't think I would've lost 6 pounds in a week, but either way, I'm happy! I'm almost out of the 300s for good! Also, I met my goal of losing 5% of my weight! I got a star badge and everything! My next goal is 10%.

Total Weight Loss: 18.8 pounds

Only 123.2 to go!

Artistic Antics

Well, the world seems to be against Craft Tuesday lately. . . I ended up having to work a basketball game at school tonight, so I wasn't able to go to Warrensburg to see some of my favorite ladies. But, I will be able to tomorrow! Not sure what we're making yet, but I'm sure we'll find something on our Pinterest board.
In other news, I bought myself a new scale this weekend, so hopefully it will be a bit more accurate than my last one. (I seem to have a scale-breaking curse or something since my food scale stopped working the week before my bathroom scaled freaked out.) My old bathroom scale was a Weight Watchers glass scale, but I've never really had much luck with the glass ones for some reason. So, I bought myself a Taylor stainless steel one. Woot, woot! (Is it sad that I got excited when I bought it? Oh, well. . .don't care!)
Also, along with my scale, I bought myself a table for my sewing machine. I have a whole room in my apartment dedicated to crafts (I call it Craftland), and my mom gave me her old sewing machine, but it's been sitting on the floor, unused, since I had nowhere to put it. Now, I have a whole table dedicated to sewing projects! I can't wait to get all my sewing supplies organized and start making some of the things I've pinned on my Pinterest!

Tomorrow is Weigh-In Wednesday!

Phenomenal Foods

Today's phenomenal food is:

Quinoa!

Quinoa is delicious, and I absolutely love it! It's a grain, like rice, but it's nuttier-tasting than rice and has a different texture to it. I've had yellow and red quinoa, and the red has an excellent nutty taste, but the yellow is good, too! It's a bit expensive, but it lasts for a long time and a half of a cup of dry quinoa is more than enough for one person. Plus, it's super easy to make! You just put in 2 cups of water for every cup of quinoa, bring it to a vigorous boil, then cover and let it simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes and viola! It's good as a hot side dish with some light butter or as a cold breakfast mixed with fruit, honey, and fresh mint (recipe below). I love it any way you can make it!

Quinoa is also a super food because it helps with weight loss! Health.com says, "Another diet-friendly whole grain, quinoa is rich in hunger-fighting protein. You'll stay full longer on fewer calories and avoid overeating at other meals." It's very filling and tastes great! Plus, there are tons of recipes where you can replace pasta or another grainy food with quinoa to make a low-calorie meal (like mac & cheese). So, next time you're at the grocery store, pick up a bag and try it. Don't be afraid! I promise it'll be worth it!

Quinoa Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

2 days until Weigh-In Wednesday!

Weekend Warrior

This weekend was successful so far (since I have another day here at home, because there's no school Monday for President's Day)! I even managed my points with a night a drinking and fun celebrating a friend's birthday! I'm having lunch with my dad tomorrow at his work since he doesn't have the day off, so I'll pick him up a burger and fries but take my own lunch to stay good.

In other news, my boxer, Cleo, decided to play with a possum (or and opossum if you prefer, since there are, for some reason, two ways to spell it and say it) and ended up killing it and leaving it in our driveway. My friend, Caitlyn, and I got home and thought it was a cat until I looked at it up close and almost puked. I hate possums. They're big, ugly, rabies-carrying rats who play dead so you don't know if they're really still alive and will "wake up" and bite you. So, I made my dad go out there with a shovel and put it in the woods. Dis. Gust. Ing. So, that was the excitement in my life this weekend. . . I'll have to get back to my apartment early enough to do my treadmill tomorrow without making any of my neighbors mad.

3 days until Weigh-In Wednesday!

Shopping Shenanigans

Oops! Sorry, guys. I didn't get a chance to post yesterday because I was out shopping all day, then I had dinner plans, and then I went to a friend's house party. So, to catch up, here's what I bought yesterday during my weekly trip to Costco and Wal-Mart:

• Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt 
• Rotisserie chicken 
• Low-Calorie Kettle Popcorn 
• Chipotle Tobasco Sauce 
• Salmon 
• Lettuce 
• Clementines 
• Cauliflower 
• Broccoli 
• Mushrooms 
• Asparagus 
• Bananas 
• Olive oil 
• Sweet Potatoes 
• Onions 
• Light Sour Cream 
• I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (Light) 
• Fage Greek Yogurt 0% 
• Feta Cheese 
• Mozzarella Cheese 
• Goat Cheese 
• Healthy Choice Fudge Bars 
• Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars 
• Mustard 
• Crystal Light 
• Frozen Peas 

I got lots of (expensive) healthy food! It's ridiculous how expensive good food is and how cheap junk food is. . . Oh, well! It'll all be worth it!

Exercise Escapades

This week was a success!! I worked out every day (Mon.-Fri.)! Now it's rest time for the weekend.

Monday: Treadmill - 30 Minutes; 50 Jumping Jacks
Tuesday: Treadmill - 30 Minutes; 50 Jumping Jacks
Wednesday: Treadmill - 30 Minutes; 50 Jumping Jacks
Thursday: Treadmill - 30 Minutes; 50 Jumping Jacks
Friday: Treadmill - 30 Minutes; 50 Jumping Jacks

Adding the 50 jumping jacks was brutal. I hate jumping, and so do my knees. BUT, it made me break a better sweat, so I guess it's a good thing. Hopefully it's making a difference!

I'm still frustrated with my scale. (I know you're not supposed to weigh every day, but last week's 0.3-pound weight loss made me kind of frustrated.) It's still telling me 50 different weights each time I step on and they're always about 5 pounds different from the last. Looks like I'm adding a new scale to my shopping list for tomorrow.

5 days until Weigh-In Wednesday!

Recipe Report

For today's Recipe Report, I actually have 2 new recipes I tried this week. (1) Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts and (2) Flatout Thin Crust Pizza. First, the Brussels Sprouts were super easy to make and really, really tasty! I'm usually not a fan of just plain, boiled Brussels Sprouts, so I was skeptical to try this recipe out. But, after I did, I was hooked! I found this recipe on Kosher on a Budget's blog.

Now, for the pizza, I actually saw a picture of pizza on the Flatout® package itself, and then I went to the internet in search of a good recipe. I found a great blog called Laa Loosh with tons of great Weight Watchers® recipes. It was super easy and quick! (Not to mention delicious!) I used my own toppings (onions, mushrooms, and pineapple), and it turned out fabulously! The Brussels Sprouts came out to be about 3 WW Points Plus per serving, and the Pizza was about 8 WW Points Plus (depending on your cheese, sauce, and toppings) The Flatout® flatbread is 3 points per flatbread. Hopefully some of you will try it out! You can buy Flatout® anywhere, really. I've found them at Costco and Wal-Mart.

Weigh-In Wednesday

Today's weight is:

309.4

I only lost 0.3 pounds this week. And I'm not even sure if that's right since my scale decided to tell me 12 different weights this morning. . . The majority of the re-weighs, however, were 309.4 lbs. Hopefully I'll do better next week!

Total Weight Loss: 12.6 pounds

Only 127.4 to go!

Artistic Antics

Well, people, no arts and crafts this Tuesday. Instead, we decided to have dinner and a movie! Robin made Caitlyn, Brittany, and me watch Save the last Dance in all of its early 2000s glory, since neither Brittany nor I had seen it. Now, if you know me, you know I'm not a fan of chick flicks. . .at all. But, it was actually pretty good (for being 13 years old). Also, Sean Patrick Thomas is delicious. Nothing else much to report other than I finally had a day back at school after all the snow days, so it was nice to be back to my normal schedule, with my normal lunch, and normal workout time. Hopefully it'll pay off in the morning!

Weigh-In Wednesday is TOMORROW!!!

Phenomenal Foods

Today's phenomenal food is:

Salmon!

I absolutely LOVE salmon (baked, grilled, pan-seared, any way you can think of)! I used to hate fish, but as I've gotten older, I've started to like it more. I've always liked salmon, though. I think it's because it doesn't have that "fishy" taste that most fish has. (Tilapia is my second favorite!) Salmon is a great protein because it's leaner than most red meats. According to an article from Health.com, salmon "is chock-full of MUFAs to boot. A 2001 study found that dieters eating a MUFA-rich diet lost an average of 9 pounds, while their low-fat diet counterparts gained, on average, 6." Also, this morning on my Yahoo! News, I saw an article called Heart-Healthy Fats You Must Have in Your Diet - and Where to Find Them by Woman's Day. It said that salmon is a good source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids which help to protect against irregular heart rhythms, clean up harmful fats known as triglycerides in your blood, and keep your arteries clear of plaque. Salmon is truly a super food! Which is what I have for dinner a couple nights a week.

Here's my super easy recipe for pan-seared salmon:

• Ingredients:
• 1 salmon fillet (9 oz.)
• 2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

• Directions:
• Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Rub the dry ingredients onto both sides of the salmon fillet. Place the fillet in the middle of the skillet. Cook each side for 5-7 minutes or until there's a nice sear. (Check to make sure the inside is thoroughly cooked before eating.)

My pan-seared salmon
with a baked sweet potato
with light butter and light sour cream!

There are tons of baked and grilled salmon recipes out there, so try them out! Well, that concludes this week's Phenomenal Foods post!

2 days until Weigh-In Wednesday!

Weekend Warrior

Well, this weekend was a success! My brother, Austin, was very supportive and ate whatever I cooked to make sure I stayed within my points value. He even ate his extra snacks (Ben and Jerry's Ice cream, a Kit Kat Bar, etc.) when I was asleep so that it didn't tempt me. He's so considerate. ;) Also, I got a call saying that we'll have another snow day tomorrow (after I made salads for my lunches for the week), so I guess I'll have another day stuck inside my apartment. Woot, woot. . . Hopefully it'll be a productive day!

3 days until Weigh-In Wednesday!

Shopping Shenanigans

Well, day 1 of the snow-paclaypse was a success. My little brother and I went to the local grocery store today to pick up some dinner items. (I guess I should really say "younger" instead of "little" since he's 18, but whatever.) We got all the goodies for our weekend meals. For lunch today, we had grilled chicken, quinoa, mixed veggies, and baked french fries. I also made strawberry frozen yogurt in my food processor. (Same recipe as the peach frozen yogurt, but with strawberries instead.) It was delicious! We decided on hamburgers and baked sweet potatoes for dinner tonight and then rib eye steaks with dijon-roasted new potatoes for dinner tomorrow night. Yum! No workout today, but it's the weekend! (Plus I got some quality time with Broski.)

Brother/Sister photo shoot for the parents as a Christmas present

My college graduation and his high school graduation!!

He clearly loves my friends and me dearly!

4 days until Weigh-In Wednesday!

Exercise Escapades

Yay! I did it! I worked out every weekday this week. (Since weekends are spent at home with my family.) Here's the week's workout schedule:

Monday: Treadmill - 30 Minutes
Tuesday: Treadmill - 30 Minutes
Wednesday: Shoveling Snow - 2 Hours (This was ridiculously tiring!)
Thursday: Treadmill - 30 Minutes
Friday: Treadmill - 30 Minutes

And since I've been banned from coming home due to the stupid weather, I'll be at my apartment all weekend. The little brother is coming to stay, so that'll be fun! Snow-pocalypse weekend, ahoy! (Yes, I just said "ahoy." No, you may not judge me. . . Okay, maybe a little judging will be allowed.)

5 days until Weigh-In Wednesday!

Recipe Report

I have an unhealthy obsession with sweets. So, Pinterest is my new best friend for finding healthy dessert alternatives. This week's Recipe Report is 5-Minute Healthy Peach Frozen Yogurt. It was fantastic and so easy to make! (I didn't use the lemon juice simply because I forgot to add it in and I used Blue Agave instead of honey since I'm not a honey fan, but it was still delicious!) This recipe made about 2 servings and I figured it out to be 6 Weight Watchers Points Plus.

Mmm mmm!!! So refreshing and satisfying! I'm thinking about using frozen strawberries next time. I'm sure it will work with any frozen fruit. It was definitely worth trying!

Weigh-In Wednesday

Well, everyone, today's the day! After a week of hard work it's time to see the results. When I stepped on the scale this morning, it read 309.7! That's 1.3 pounds down from last week! Yay!!! It's not as much as I'd like to see, but it's still something. I think that it's mainly because I was lazy last week and didn't exercise. So, this week, I'm doing my treadmill ever single weekday (while I'm at my own apartment, not my parents' house). So, I'm very happy that I'm continuing to lose. It took me 23 years to put all this weight on, so it's going to take a while to take it off. I just have to be patient and stick it out. I can do this!

Total Weight Loss: 12.3 pounds!

Only 129.7 more to go!

After I shoveled snow for 2 hours, I was down to 306.8. That'd make 4.2 pounds for the week, but I'm not going to count that. We'll see what happens next Weigh-In Wednesday.

Artistic Antics

Well, it's another snow day for this teacher! (Tomorrow, too!) But usually on Tuesdays, I go visit my friends in Warrensburg at my college to do crafts (affectionately called Craft Tuesday). Today, however, the weather is ruining Craft Tuesday. So, I guess I'll just post pictures of previous crafts we've done.

Craft Tuesdays are a good way to break up my week and keep my mind off food. My friends who do crafts with me are on Weight Watchers, too, so it's easy to go out to eat together since we're all watching what we eat. We also do Focus T25 together sometimes. But, since Mother Nature decided to cancel Craft Tuesday, I've been deep cleaning my apartment all day long. It was good exercise, and now my place looks fantastic! Hopefully I'll find something productive to do tomorrow so I won't get bored. I tend to snack a lot when I'm bored, so I guess I'll have to paint or craft or something to keep myself busy.

Tomorrow is Weigh-In Wednesday!!!