"What if Michael Jordan had quit?"

Very inspiring. I couldn't help but share this little gem that I found via Facebook:

Week 3

This week I lost .6 pounds. Now, that might not seem like a lot, but the way I see it, it's forward progress, which is good!

I think the reason that my loss was so small is because I did not track on the weekend. At all. I ate for the most part, sensible meals, snacked better, and what not, but I did not track. I just figured I'd be fine because I hadn't used my extra weekly points or any activity points.

Next week, I'd like to see a bigger loss, and I'm going to track the ENTIRE week. Ready, go!

Cupcake: A Poem

Today, I ate a cupcake.
Gasp!
Not a cupcake...
Yes, a cupcake.
At work.
I wasn't hungry.
It was so cute.
Pink with white frosting.
Cream cheese frosting?
Gave in.
Ate it.
Wasn't cream cheese frosting.
Too sweet.
Now I actually feel gross.
Wasn't worth it.


I'll consider the knowledge that it wasn't worth it is worth the experience of eating it, because next time I want an office goodie that someone brings in, I'll reread this poem and remember that it wasn't worth it then and it won't be worth it this time either. Instead, I'll go home and eat dinner followed by my current favorite dessert of Greek yogurt with sprinkles.

Muffin Tops and Over-Stuffed Sausage Links

Ever have days when you feel like this? Well I do, and today was one of them.

K made salmon with some kind of lemon sauce and brown rice (which was delicious) last night, and then we worked up a sweat playing DDR (Dance Dance Revolution). My plan today was to wake up and go to a work out class- I had my clothes and lunch for today already made and laid out- but didn't even hear my alarm go off! So, I'll have to go to the gym tonight instead.

Anyway, I put on the jeans that I had laid out for today and felt like the picture above. I tried using a slimming top to help the muffin top problem, but the slimming top was too small and it just made me look pregnant- which I'm most definitely not! I put my shirt on and a large cardigan-like thing, and it just looked awful. My self-esteem was super low at that point and I was running late for work... Having only three pairs of non-yoga pants that fit, I quickly struggled to find something better to wear. I ended up in an outfit that I'm fairly pleased with, but the feeling of being an overstuffed sausage link doesn't just go away.

I'm doing okay on Weight Watchers - following the points pretty well- and still I FEEL like I'm gaining weight. I suppose I just need to trust in the plan and tracking, and maybe attribute the feeling to water weight or bloating and trying to put on a pair of pants about 10 pounds too soon...

Stick to what you know fits!


(Picture from http://hocuspukeus.deviantart.com/art/Armageddon-Muffin-Top-153489013)

Emergency Compliment

In case you're ever having a bad day, spend a few minutes at Emergency Compliment. With each refresh, it gives you a new compliment, and some actually make you smile!

Week 2: Junk Food Junkie

Well I gained 1 pound this last week. I did well and tracked during the week, but then the weekend hit and I went to visit my boyfriend for the weekend. Out of my element and unprepared, I did better than normally would have (didn't order ANY delivery) but I snacked a lot. Cheese, popcorn, chocolates...

So, after weighing in, I decided to try some healthier alternatives to junk food. I made kale chips and mozzarella cheese balls- inspired by chips and mozzarella sticks. For the kale chips, I just drizzled bite-size pieces with olive oil, sprinkled onion salt on them, and baked them for about 10 minutes. For the cheese balls, I cut up a ww string cheese, dunked the balls in egg whites followed by bread crumbs and red pepper flakes (I like a bit of heat) and baked those for about 10 minutes.

The first picture shows the results, which I was very happy with! Yummy! Especially when the kale chips and cheese balls are eaten together. The second picture shows what over-cooked kale chips look like. Gross! As a side note, kale is super cheap! Who knew...

Week One Recap

Success!

I suppose it's not fair to really call this week one, but it's week one of me really trying to stay on the program, and I lost 5.6 pounds!!! I was ecstatic. Grant it, that's not a realistic weight loss every week (or even for more than the first week), but I keep hearing that if you get a good start, you're more likely to succeed and keep going.

Anyway, here's how I did it:
-I did a little bit of exercise everyday. Some days all I did was a 30 minute yoga video that was on demand and not very challenging, but other days I did a cycling class or 30 - 45 minutes of cardio using an elliptical machine or a treadmill. One day, I was surfing through the on demand videos and found Bollywood dance videos! Having always wanted to try belly dancing, I decided to try just one 15 minute video. How much could I possibly embarrass myself in the privacy of my own apartment, right? Well, I enjoyed it so much that I did two more videos after that!
-I ate fruits or vegetables with every meal and even tried two new vegetables!
-I used all of my extra weekly points but didn't dip in to activity points.
-I allocated most of extra weekly points for alcohol and snacking on the weekends, but refrained from ordering my usual weekend delivery (HUGE difference.)

Added up, these were pretty major changes and made a huge difference, but I think the biggest change came after the Mexican themed dinner that K cooked. She made us margaritas that really were pretty awful, and pre-Weight Watchers, I would have though, "gee, I really hate to waste the alcohol and don't want K to feel bad," but what I actually thought was, "This really isn't worth the points." So, I spoke up and it turned out that K felt the same way and we found a better solution!

Mexican Dinner!

K cooked dinner tonight and it was Mexican themed! Last week we watched an episode of Hungry Girl that was Mexican themed, and we decided to try her nachorific stuffed chicken. K paired it with homemade chips, salsa con caso, and a margarita.

The chicken was stuffed with retried beans and cheese and topped with cheese and crushed up nachos. Having a Pre-determined aversion to beans, I admit that I was very nervous! BUT, it wasn't bad. I will definitely make it again.

I loved the salsa con caso! K took 1 wedge of laughing cow cheese and about 2 tablespoons of salsa and microwaved it. Paired with the homemade chips, it was delish!

As for the margarita, K first mixed the tequila with Crustal Light margarita mix and it was Not very good. We then discovered that light margarita mix is 0 points and it was much better tasting! All in all it was 12 points and good for a Sunday night special-ish dinner.

Yay for trying new things!

10 (easy) Steps to a Positive Body Image

I found this on Tumblr and think that it is the best list of ways to have a positive body image that I have ever seen. It's not full of wishy washy crap. These are real and easy things that you can do today even if you're overweight like me, and I needed this today. In fact, my body image tends to upset me, which leads me to want to binge eat my feelings away. So, if I can have a better body image, then that should help me eat my feelings less, right? Ready, go!