Part-Time Employment

I have a new part-time job.  It's called taking care of myself.  It requires planning out my food, cooking meals in advance, and exercising every day (I'm allowed one day off from this part a week, but I make more if I don't take it off!).


Since this is a job, after all, I need to get paid.  I make $2 every time I go to the gym, and $5 each pound I lose.  Who knows, maybe I'll save up enough to treat myself to something special, like a spa-day, or some new clothes.  


Let's see if I can make this job work for me...

Weekly Weigh In

Current Weight: 194.6 lbs

Total Loss: 27.4 lbs

Alright, it's a new year, and now I know where I'm starting.  I didn't gain or lose since last week, so I'm glad I survived the food and drinks around New Years.  

So far, 2012 is going well.  I'm overwhelmingly optimistic about this year.

I'm eating well, exercising every day, and keeping my goals in mind.

When it comes down to it, I'm done wasting my own time.  When I look back at the last 6 months where I haven't really lost, I don't remember the food I ate that I really shouldn't have, or the days where I skipped the gym.  

I feel like it is lost time that I just wasted.

I'm not wasting any time now.  Not one single day.

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination"- Tommy Lasorda

I'm determined.

Let's Get Physical

If you've been going to the gym for a while and have been sticking to the same routine, I suggest shaking things up a bit!  Not only is it better for your body, but it will keep you from getting bored and dreading doing the same thing for the millionth time!

I'm a creature of habit.  I would go to work, and then go to the gym after.  40 minutes on the elliptical while watching something on Netflix, then at least 20 minutes of weight machines, mainly arms and abs.  BORING!!!!!!

I've made it a goal to try more of the classes offered at my gym, and I'm so glad I did!  There's a great class called Basic Training that is an all over barbell workout.  It works your whole body in 45 minutes and it's a lot of fun!  I'm doing that on Tuesday nights and Sunday mornings.  Wednesday nights there's a Punch-Kick Weight Camp that's a dumbell workout with kickboxing intervals.  This also gets my whole body working while adding in the cardio element.  It's awesome!  I also plan on going back to that great yoga class on Monday nights and Saturday mornings.

So, just in classes, that's 5 days of different workouts.  On the other days and before yoga, I'm either going to rest or go to my elliptical followed by some kettle bell exercises instead of the machines(never used a kettle bell?  You should check them out!).  

I hope that this will kickstart my body into losing weight again.  If you've been shy about trying classes at your gym, give one a chance.  I think you'll find that it's worth the risk of walking in for that first time!

Happy New Year!

Alright, it's day 3 of 2012, and I've kept to my goals!  So far, so good.  I made it through the Giants game on Sunday and only drank one beer.  And lots of water.  And a delicious turkey burger!


I often forget what I used to do in the past that was successful, but I have to say that keeping this blog has allowed me to go back and look at the past.  If something was good, I posted it here.  Yesterday I needed a breakfast to go, but wanted something more than a fig bar.  So, I came back here, searched for my breakfast tags, and rediscovered a delicious pumpkin smoothie I made last year.  I had everything in my pantry to whip it up, and it was so good!  I even had it again today.


One of my strategies to help me along has always been to cook up multiple meals on Sunday to have for lunches and dinners throughout the week.  This week, I made Split Pea Soup (6 servings, 4 Points+ each) and Meatball and Spaghetti Soup (6 servings, 5 Points+ each) from Skinnytaste.com.  They are both so delicious and perfect for this time of year when it's chilly outside.  I'm slowly cooking my way through that website, and so far most of her recipes are really good.  I highly recommend checking it out.


Here's to 2012!  

Year in Review

Christmas 2010

Christmas 2011

It's been quite a year.

  

I've lost about 30 pounds!  

I have to say, I did that in the first 6 months.  I really let myself down the last half of the year.  I wasn't focused enough, ate things I shouldn't have, and didn't exercise enough.  Still, this year was a good one!  I'm down to a size 12 jeans and large shirts.  I wore a bikini in public for the first time in my life.  It was in a foreign country, but it's a big step for me to take.  


On non-weight related notes, Chris and I worked our butts off this year.  He paid off all of his debt, and I'm almost done with mine.  It's nice being able to keep the house at a comfortable temperature during these cold months instead of walking around bundled up.  We finally went on a honeymoon, and it was amazing!  Work is going very well for the both of us, things are going to be good!


So, this is the time of year many of us set goals.  I have 3.  1- lose another 30 pounds.  Ideally, I want to get down into the 140's, which is 50 lbs away.  I would LOVE to do that this year, but I'm taking the more realistic goal and can always do better.  2- fit into a size 8 by next year.  12 was my first "normal" size, but I want to get out of the double digits.  3- wear a bikini in public and not worry about how I look or if I'll run into someone I know.  No, I don't expect a 6-pack any time soon, but I do want to be able to tan my tummy at the beach, not just in my backyard.


The plan- track my food like CRAZY!  I fall off the wagon when I make a bad choice and don't write it down, so I'm not allowing myself to do that anymore.  The good, the bad, the ugly- they will all be written down.  I'm also getting back into my exercise routine.  I've been getting back into it this past month, and I actually enjoy it, so I'm looking forward to it again. I drink a lot of wasted calories, but I don't do well with cutting things out of my life completely, so if I want to drink, I'll have ONE drink, and that's it.  One glass of wine, one beer, whatever it may be.  I'm also letting myself have one meal a month where I don't track- like a party or another celebration.  If I give myself one a month, I can plan for it and know I'll have a meal that I don't have to measure and count everything.


I wish you and your families a very happy and healthy new year!  What goals are you setting for yourselves in 2012?

MIA

Sorry I've been MIA.  Since the end of the summer, my mind just wasn't in it.  I'd been dealing with a plateau since May, I just came back from vacation, and school was starting.  I didn't totally sabotage myself, but I neglected the gym and wasn't measuring anything or tracking anything.  Whenever I tried to get back on track, it felt like torture because I wasn't ready.  So, knowing that I was going to gain, I made the conscious decision to take a little break before going gung-ho again.  


Last Thursday was my day.  I went back to my Weight Watchers meeting, I was up to 196 again, but that was okay.  I was finally mentally ready to do it all again.  So, the measuring cups and scales came back out.  I made all of my meals for the week.  I had a plan.  I scheduled workouts at the gym so I didn't have any excuse not to go.  I've also decided to do more than my usual workout routine- I'm taking new classes multiple times a week to switch it up for my brain and my body.


After one week back on track, I dropped 3 pounds and I'm at 193 now.  I am very optimistic and excited, knowing that I can and WILL do this again.  I still aim to eventually reach the 140 area, but I'm giving myself more time to get there.  I originally wanted to hit it by next year, but I'm adding a year to it now.  Hell, I'll even say let's get to goal before I hit the big 3-0 (turned 27 this October).  


I lost track of my progress.  I was so focused on my plateau that I forgot how far I'd come.  I am down 60 lbs from my all-time high, and down 30 from last year.  That's AWESOME!!!  As I should remember from the play I did with my students last year "slow and steady wins the race."


I will be posting again, at least once a week to let you all know how I'm doing at my weigh-ins.  I will continue to post recipes and everything else as the inspiration hits me.  Thank you all for supporting me through this!!!


Before I go, check out the new jeans I bought about a month ago.  These are my first pair of "expensive" jeans ($70 on sale for $30, that's how I roll!).  I am in love with them!!!

Butternut Squash Ravioli with a Creamy Sage Sauce

This is such a delicious meal!  Be warned, the recipe below makes WAY too much filling (like, enough for 100 ravioli), but I have a tip for you at the end (or you could just cut the recipe in half!).  One serving of 8 ravioli with sauce has 7 Points+.  Pair with a salad or a side of veggies and you've got yourself a full meal!


Ingredients:
For Ravioli:
1 Butternut Squash, cut in half and baked until soft, insides scooped out and mashed
2 shallots, chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp dried sage
4 ounces goat cheese
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
Wonton Wrappers (8 per serving)


For Sauce:
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup light cream
12 sage leaves, chopped 
3 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp Wondra flour


Instructions:
Melt 1 tbsp butter over medium heat.  Add shallots and dried sage until the shallots are nice and caramelized.  Add to mashed butternut squash and mix.  Crumble in goat cheese and mix, seasoning to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.


Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  While it's heating up, lay out wonton wrappers.  Place about 1/2 tbsp in the center of each wrap.  Dip your finger in water, and moisten 2 adjacent sides of the wrapper, then fold over to make a triangle.  Try to get out any air and make sure to seal it well.  Prepare as many ravioli as you need for your meal.


Once the water boils, reduce the heat so that it's just barely boiling, not going too crazy.  If it's boiling too much, your ravioli will come apart!  Drop in ravioli a few at a time, making sure that they don't stick together or to the bottom of the pot.  Boil for about 5 minutes to cook the wrappers.


While cooking the ravioli, it's time to prepare the sauce.  Bring the chicken broth to a boil and add the butter and sage leaves.  Simmer until leaves are softened.  Slowly stir in the light cream.  If you want to thicken your sauce, add the Wondra flour 1/2 tbsp at a time, sprinkling it little by little while mixing to avoid lumps.  Cook a few minutes longer, and voila!


Serve 1/8 of the sauce over 8 ravioli (about 1/4 cup sauce per serving).
______________________________________________________________
Now, you will have SO MUCH leftover ravioli filling.  What I did was drop 1/2 tbsp servings on wax paper, freeze on a cookie sheet, and them drop them all into a freezer bag once they were frozen.  Now, the next time I want ravioli, I will just wrap the frozen filling and cook them that way.  Hopefully they won't explode!