Down 2.6...up .6 Ready? Down, Up, Down, Up, Down, Up...

Ever since I changed the name of the blog, I don't think people can find me so I didn't realize I still had any readers left until my friend Teri asked me where my posts were.  Oops!  I get followers on Twitter, but not so many on the blog.
So when I weighed in after the weekend at the beach for the wedding, as you all know, I was up .8 mainly due to the enormous amount of Bushwhackers I drank while down there.  But then the week after, I was down 2.6 and was ecstatic!!!  I was slammed at work that week following and by the time I was done each evening, I was too tired to stay late to write a blog entry.  You would think I would be thrilled and want to write about that.  But alas, you would be wrong. 
So this past weekend when I weighed I was up .6 and was so upset over that.  I mean, what did I do wrong?  I didn't go over my points...what was the problem?  Ah, yes, my monthly friend who causes so much bloating was about to visit.  Should have known...
So on the eve of the eve of my next weigh in I will resort to an old favorite...chicken and vegetables for dinner.  More specifically?  Lemon pepper chicken and grilled asparagus.  4 points total.

I go into the pre-weigh-in stretch remembering the motto...
Eat to live...don't live to eat!

Fan Friday

So I've never actually done a Fan Friday post, but I plan on doing one today because I can't let any of you go one more second without knowing about this gum.  It has literally saved my big butt on more than one occasion this week when I wanted to stuff my face.  My BFF Lindsay Ann introduced me to it while we were in Orange Beach two weekends ago and - WOW!  Any of you who eat simply because it tastes good or you're bored...go out and buy several packs of this gum right this second.  It is called Fruit Sensations by Extra and I found mine in the candy/gum aisle of my neighborhood Kroger and bought two 3-packs.  One was the oh-so-yummy Sweet Watermelon flavor.  The other pack is what I can only call a party in the mouth - Strawberry Banana and yes, it's that good.  The best part about this gum is that not only is it sugar free and less than 5 calories a stick, the flavor lasts twice as long as other sugar free gum, which is crucial if you're watching what you eat.  I was serious when I said you can't go another minute without this gum.  Here's a picture of the Strawberry Banana package...just in case!

Looong Overdue

I've neglected you all and I'm so sorry!  Since we got back from the beach late the night of May 3 (I know, I know, 8 days ago...) I have been running like a crazy lady it seems!

We got back late the night of the 3rd and then I had a full schedule of work the rest of the week.  Add to that trying to get the house back in shape from the "great laundry explosion of 2010" following the trip and there you have it...

So the news...I weighed in Saturday (May 8th) and was up .8 pounds.  I still have not managed to convince myself that that is not that bad considering at the beach, I think I consumed my weight in Bushwhackers.  For those of you who don't vacation in the Orange Beach/Gulf Shores area, it is a drink made from...wait for it...Vodka, rum, creme de cacao (basically, a really thick chocolate syrup), coconut milk, half and half, and vanilla ice cream.  Yeah, those last two ingredients did me in I think!  But they are oh-so-yummy and every sip tasted like dessert in a glass!  I'm back on track this week with hopes of pulling myself out of the slump.  16.8 pounds shed from my body is still great!

Here is a picture right before the Rad 80's Birthday party we went to this past weekend for our friend Thomas Brandon's 30th Birthday.  I think we look pretty great!

How about that blue eye shadow and ice pink lipstick?  Yeah!

And a sweet picture of Jay and I from Mother's Day at my Aunt Sheila & Uncle Johnny's house. 

My great grandmother was there and bless her heart, she may not have a clue who any of us are, but she's a trooper.  She'll be 100 in October so look for her on the Today Show - I'm sending in her picture!

Lastly, this is also from Mother's Day of my (biological) sister on the right (Sarah) and my (not-so-biological) sister on the left (Dani) who lives/lived with my parents for a while this year.

Finally, I want to leave with you and AWESOME low points dinner!  After the bad I did the weekend of the beach trip and the week following, I need some low points meals!

2 oz grilled chicken breast - 2 Points
Romain lettuce leaves - 0 Points
Shredded carrots - 0 Points
2 Tbsp (total) of Thai Kitchen Sweet Chili Sauce (you can buy this in the Asian food aisle of any grocery store) - 1 Point
TOTAL = 3 Points (for all 3 of those wraps!)  It's actually very filling and I love the spicy kick!

Until next time...
Eat to live...don't live to eat!

I'm down another 2.2 at weigh in this morning! That's a total of 17.6 now and I couldn't be prouder! We are on our way to Orange Beach for a wedding!

I will be a Weekend Warrior!

Due to my impending trip to the beach in which we are leaving on Thursday (I am in my friend Courtland's wedding), I have had to temporarily change my weigh in day to Thursday.  So alas, I will have no update for you on Monday.  Because Weight Watchers requires you to have at least 7 days between weigh-ins, I have to figure it out where I don't have two weeks between weigh-in, because it's easier to get off track without weighing in.  So...I will weigh in Thursday morning on our way out and then will return to my Saturday schedule on 5/8.  Hope this doesn't throw you devoted followers for a loop!

That being said, I don't have my normal Saturday morning weigh in to keep me accountable this weekend so I really have to suck it up and do my best!  Bring on the motivation, please!  : )

Here is your meal for the day:

(btw - I'm listing the points as if I had eaten the whole chicken breast and then listing what it was since I cut it in half in parentheses)
Boneless, skinless chicken breast - 3 Points (1.5)
Half a pack of dry zesty Italian dressing mix - 1 Point (0.5)
2 Tbsp of Kroger brand shaved Parmesan cheese - 1 Point (1)
1/2 c. instant brown rice - 1 Point
1 c. steamed broccoli - 0 Points
TOTAL = 6 Points (4 Points)

So...here's how you make the chicken (using a 3-pack of chicken breasts):
Wash and trim all visible fat from chicken breasts (cut out all the arteries and red vein places, too)
In a small baking dish, combine 2 small packets of dry Zesty Italian with 6 tbsp of shaved or shredded Parmesan and mix together.  Coat each side of each chicken breast with the mixture and place in a Pyrex dish that is lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until completely cooked through.  That's it!

I will hopefully post via my Blackberry on Thursday morning while in route to the beach with the latest weight loss update!

Have a happy weekend and those in Huntsville...be wary of the tornadoes tomorrow!

New Look - Exciting!

Welcome to the new blog!
New name, new look!

I decided since the blog kind of veered away from the musings of my married life to more about my Weight Watchers journey, I thought a new look was in order...as well as a new name!  So this has been about a week in coming together.  I'm still not 100% there on how I want this blog to look, but it's getting there.  I really wanted a look that was fun and really captured who I am as a person and a blogger.  My quest in this has always been to write posts that are entertaining, uplifting, motivational, funny, and also helpful to others on a weight loss journey.  I want the blog to be relevant to all readers - not just those on Weight Watchers.  So be aware some changes will be taking place...some subtle, some not so. 

Please encourage friends and others to check it out and let me know what you all think!

Milestones and Grilling Out...

Good afternoon! Down .6 this week and while that may not sound like a lot...it is over half a pound! The more I lose, the harder it will be to continue losing. The more you weight, the faster it comes off. More importantly...I hit a major "me" milestone this week. My total loss is 15.4 and I am officially only 10 pounds away from my wedding day weight! Here are some of my milestones I plan to accomplish:
The "10% of Starting Weight" Milestone - 18 pounds lost total
The "Half Way There" Milestone - 23 pounds lost total
The "Wedding Weight" Milestone - 25.5 pounds lost total
The "Big 3-0" Milestone - 30 pounds lost total
The "Three Quarters Way There" Milestone - 34.5 pounds lost total
The "Graduated from College Weighing This" Milestone - 41 pounds lost total
The "GOAL!" Milestone - 46 pounds lost total

For each milestone, I'm going to let myself have a non-food reward. I learned about these in one of my meetings. You treat yourself to something totally unrelated to food. For example - most of my milestones have a clothing award attached to them! Another non-food reward I'm giving myself is a mani/pedi at the Heavenly Spa by Westin. My GOAL reward...a new Lilly Pulitzer dress! Extravagant, yes, but I don't care! I love me some Lilly! I really think these are better motivators than food! Of course...one of my rewards is a real margarita (which are totally NOT good on WW...about 12-17 points EACH - for only 10oz).

Give it a try...make a milestone list like I have and set a specific non-food reward for each one. I promise you will see yourself striving even more to reach non-food items than food ones!
I spent the better part of ALL DAY after church yesterday cleaning our house. I'm talking DEEP clean...I dusted every square inch with not only a duster, but also furniture polish, vacuumed every single blind in the house, vacuumed and scrubbed baseboards, scrubbed tubs and toilets, laundry, the works! It was about 6 hours of cleaning and guess what? I earned 5 activity points for all of it! I probably will try not to use them, but it felt great to get my spring cleaning done and get a good work out in the process! Think lots of squats and lots of vacuuming using those arm muscles...

Finally - after all that cleaning, we had worked up an appetite! I had a good amount of Points left for the day and so we cooked up a great dinner that is perfect for grilling out and staying on track! Here it is...(btw - that is my finger pulling back the cheese to reveal the chicken)

3 oz grilled chicken breast (boneless and skinless) - 3 Points
BBQ sauce marinade - 1/2 Point
Healthy Life Light Wheat Bun - 1 Point
Sargento Reduced Fat Provolone - 1 Point
Corn on the cob (boiled with garlic salt sprinkled on it) - 1 Point
1 cup of fresh cut cantaloupe and watermelon - 1 Point
TOTAL DINNER - 7.5 Points and so filling. Loved it!