Will you Support me?!

Why is it when I need support the most, I crawl into a hole and just ignore everyone and everything?  Over the last couple of weeks, I have been bouncing around the same weight.  It has been hard to not get discouraged but I keep reminding myself of the big picture.  I am over 120 lbs lighter!  Actually, now, I am another 3 lbs lighter and am 126.4 lbs lighter!  I am now 15.2 lbs to my goal! OMG!?!  Could it really happen to me?!  I never in my wildest dreams ever figured I would be where I am today.  I am only 15 lbs overweight. Something I keep telling myself when I get into situations where I think I am heavier.  We went to our local amusement park and in going on the rides with my daughters, I had to keep telling myself that I was only 15 lbs overweight and I would fit. I just can't seem to get my head to realize that I have lost all this weight.  Maybe my brain needs to go on a weight loss journey too. LOL I am pretty sure over time, I will be able to do stuff without having to think like that.   Heck, I even went into a regular lingerie store and was able to buy myself some stuff that wasn't in the largest size! Yay for me! LOL

At my meeting this week, the leader shared a recipe for spaghetti squash that she tried for the first time. I have tried spaghetti squash in the past and was not crazy about it but with this recipe, I just might give it another go.
I am definitely not so afraid to try new fruits and veggies like I used to be.  Just this past week, we tried eggplant parmigiana and it is something we are adding into our menu! Adam was the one that surprised  me the most since he knew what was in it.



Spaghetti squash

1 spaghetti squash (2 lbs)
2 tsp olive oil
3 tbsp thinly sliced scallions
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
12 small asparagus spears cut into 2" pieces
1 cups thawed frozen peas
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350*.
Cut squash into half lengthwise. Remove seeds.
Arrange cut side down in baking dish. Pour warm water up to 1/2". Bake approx 45 min covered with foil.
Remove squash and cool. Scoop out pulp.
In largest skillet,  heat oil. Add scallions and garlic. Cook over low heat about 1 min. Add broth, marjoram, lemon zest and salt. Bring to a boil. Add asparagus and peas. Reduce heat to low. Simmer 2 min. Stir in squash and juice. Cook until heated through.

Serves 4 @ 2 pt serving. 

What veggies have you tried that you previously did not like and now love?? 





Over on twitter @HealthyLoserGal has started a challenge to have an awesome August by exercising / walking 24 out of 31 days.  I am committing to this challenge.  Will you?!

Day one under my belt of a 30 minute weight loss yoga workout.





And lastly, I have joined in a challenge over on Sisterhood of the shrinking jeans to see what team can lose the most in 30 days. What a great motivator! If you haven't checked out the 'Hood yet, you should!

I Tabata, You Tabata, We All Tabata Too!

I know everyone at some point in their weight loss journey, sees a plateau.  As it stands right now, I have no idea if I am even in a plateau or not but I am up again this week.  Mind you, it was only 0.4 lbs but it was still a gain.  I am trying to keep my eyes on the prize since I only have 20 lbs to go and keep reminding myself of the bigger picture that I have lost 122 lbs to date! I have inspired my husband to start working out and eating better and he has actually stuck with it for more than a few weeks! My clothes are continuing to get bigger on me and I actually fit into a smaller size today.  A size 13 skirt! I don't ever remember wearing a size 13 growing up and I definitely know I haven't as an adult. Yay! That definitely tells me that the inches are still coming off even though the scale isn't moving much.









And yesterday came the latest NSV in our house.  My daughters (ages 5.5 and 3.5) wanted to go for a walk, even after being outside all afternoon, after dinner to a local park.  They "jogged" the whole way there, like mom has started doing on a semi regular basis. 
And as my 5 year old is starting to fall asleep in bed, she tells me that the jogging made her tired.  I told her that I knew and that it was ok to be tired after jogging.  That it was a good tired. I hope they want to do it more! Its all Anya could do to keep up to Natalia (and even myself walking LOL) but she did it and did it on the way home too!




Friday I decided to amp up my workouts and started Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. Not feeling too bad today after doing it three times now but I am sure feeling it in my chest muscles and my biceps.  They are sore but in a good way!  I also came across a form of training called the Tabata method.  It is known as High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT for short. 


From Wikipedia


High-intensity interval training (HIIT) or sprint interval training is an exercise strategy that is intended to improve performance with short training sessions. HIIT is a form of cardio which is beneficial to burning fat in a short and intense workout. Usual HIIT sessions may vary from 9–20 minutes. The original protocol set a 2:1 ratio for work to recovery periods. For example, a runner would alternate 15-20 seconds of hard sprinting with 10 seconds of jogging or walking.


It has me intrigued enough that I am going to try it on a couple of areas that I know I need extra help with.  My triceps, thighs and abs have been neglected a bit and I am going to show them some love by incorporating some Tabata into my workouts. I am in the process of researching the best moves for those areas to get them toned.


I have a potluck dinner to go to tomorrow night for a year end celebration for some Guide leaders.  I volunteered to bring some dessert (hey that way I KNOW I will be able to eat some) so I am going to share the recipe here. I haven't tried it yet but I hear it is fabulous!



Orange Dream Cheesecake

1/3 cup honeymaid graham cracker crumbs
2/3 cup boiling water
1 pkg Jello no sugar orange jelly powder
1 cup fat free cottage cheese
1 pkg (250 g) Philidelphia light cream cheese
1 1/3 cups thawed cool whip

Sprinkle crumbs into 9" springform pan
Add boiling water to jello, disolve.  Cool 5 min Pour into blender. Add cottage and cream cheese. Blend. Pour into large bowl. 
Gently stir in cool whip. Pour into pan.
Refridgerate 4 hours.
12 servings @ 2 pts each.

Any flavour of jelly powder would work for this.

And a bonus recipe that was shared at my last Weight Watchers meeting.

Carrot muffins

3/4 cup skim milk
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 egg whites
1/2 cup grated apple
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup wheat bran
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Beat milk, syrup, oil and egg whites til smooth. Stir in carrot and apple. Combine dry ingredients. Stir into milk mixture. Bake at 375* for 18 - 20 mins.

Yields 12 muffins at 2 pts each.

Strawberry Time

Strawberries... who could think that something so small could taste so good and be so versatile and oh so healthy for you! June is typically the month that strawberries come to fruition. And other than if you are allergic to them, who doesn't like them?! So, this post, I dedicate to those little, red, luscious berries.



Weight Watchers Fresh Crustless Strawberry Pie recipe
From ww-recipes.net
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
4 cups strawberries
1 (5/8 ounce) box sugar-free strawberry gelatin
1 (1 1/3 ounce) box sugar-free vanilla pudding mix
2 cups water
Preparation
1. Mix together the water and sugar-free pudding mix.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Remove from the heat and mix in the jello crystals.
4. Place the strawberries in a pie pan.
5. Pour the pudding/gelatin mixture over the strawberries and chill for at least an hour before serving.
WW POINTS per serving: 0
Nutritional information per serving: 38 calories, 0.3g fat, 1.9g fiber

We tried this recipe several weeks ago since I had some strawberries that were going fast. I found it way too sweet and next time I might try and mix some fat free Cool Whip in with it to make it lighter so to speak.



Weight Watchers Low Fat Stuffed Strawberries recipe
From ww-recipes.net
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients
1 lb fresh strawberries
2 1/2 teaspoons Splenda sugar substitute
4 ounces fat free cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Preparation
1. Clean the strawberries and cut off the tops so that they are flat. Place them on a plate.
2. Make a hole at the bottom of the strawberries with a small knife.
3. Using a mixer, blend the cream cheese with the vanilla and Splenda.
4. Using a small spoon, put little dollops of the cream cheese in the holes in the strawberries.
5. Chill until ready to serve.
WW POINTS per serving: 0
Nutritional information per serving: 21 calories, 0.2g fat, 0.8g fiber

I haven't tried these ones yet but would definitely do them up for a picnic or BBQ.

Stuffed French Toast Recipe
From laaloosh.com
Ingredients:
- 1 16 oz. loaf of French or Italian bread, cut into 20 slices
- 1 8oz package Fat Free Cream Cheese, cut into 1/4″ thick slices
- 3 cups egg substitute or egg whites
- 2 cups fat free milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp sugar free strawberry preserves
- 1 cup thinly sliced fresh strawberries
- 1/3 cup Sugar Free Maple Syrup
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray

Directions:
Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with a butter flavored non-fat cooking spray. Layer 10 slices of bread in the bottom of the baking dish (You may need to trim to fit). Lightly spray the bread with an even coat of the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray. Then, top the bread with cream cheese slices, spaced out evenly. Spread the strawberry preserves evenly over the cream cheese slices. Then layer on the fresh strawberry slices. Finally, place the remaining bread slices on top.
In a large bowl, wish together the egg substitute, milk, vanilla, syrup and cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour over the bread to evenly coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes while the oven preheats to 350 degrees. Bake for 1 hour or until liquid is absorbed and the French toast is set in the center. Slice into 9 evenly sized pieces.

Entire Recipe makes 9 servings
Serving size is 1 slice
Each serving = 5 Point Total

All I can say for this one is YUM!

Strawberry Soup
SUBMITTED BY: JULZ654
From sparkpeople.com
A light summery fruit soup.

Ingredients

2 pints strawberries
2 cups plain non-fat yogurt
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1 dash ground ginger
1 dash allspice
fresh mint, if you like (to garnish)

Directions

Reserve 8 strawberries, sliced.
In a blender, combine the strawberries, yogurt, orange juice, sugar, water and spices.
Puree until well mixed. Chill and serve.
Garnish with strawberry slices and fresh mint.
Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user JULZ654.

I am going to try this one soon too since it looks interesting!


Spinach Strawberry Salad with Low Fat Poppy Seed Dressing
From tastebook.com
Sweet and tangy poppy seed dressing works with any salad but is especially good with summer ripe strawberries and nutrient-packed spinach. Ideal for an outdoor summer or late spring brunch.
1/4 cup low fat yogurt, preferably Greek drained yogurt
Zest and juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon sugar or sugar substitute
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/4 cup olive or canola oil
1 pound baby spinach
1 pint strawberries, quartered
2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
Prepare the dressing. Combine yogurt, zest, lemon, sugar or sugar substitute, poppy seeds, and salt, mix well. Stir in olive oil and chill.
Place spinach and strawberries in a large bowl and toss with dressing. Sprinkle with almonds and serve immediately.

Another on my to try list! Yum!

Now of course, I can go on and on with recipes for strawberries. There seems to be as many different recipes for strawberries as there are strawberries growing in the world. What yummy things have you done with strawberries? I would definitely love to hear about them!

Rewarding Yourself

A recent article at Sparkpeople.com had me thinking about rewards.
Oftentimes, we go through weight loss as a means to punish ourselves, likely for gaining the weight in the first place so we don't think to reward ourselves for the hard work we have done to get where we are.
When I started my weight loss journey, I was looking at a 150 lb goal. I knew that if I kept that kind of goal in my mind, I was setting myself up to fail. I was needing to lose half of myself! How would I manage with such a high amount of weight to lose?! I kept my sight on smaller goals. First, I started with losing my first 5 lbs and then 10 lbs and then 25 lbs and then 10%. From there, I kept changing my goals accordingly. 50 lbs...75 lbs...100 lbs...no longer obese BMI.... At the moment, I am 2.6 lbs away from my next goal 125 lbs loss.
Up to this point, I haven't exactly been able to afford to give myself physical rewards. At 100 lbs lost, I did get my hair cut and I coloured it myself at home. And even though I haven't been rewarding myself with things I can buy, I am still rewarding myself. Sometimes without even realizing it. I started using facial cream in the morning and at night (the whole reason why I noticed I no longer had a double chin!) I started using makeup on a daily basis and have only missed a couple of days, where I didn't leave the house at all! LOL And chances are, because I am feeling so much better about myself, I am making steps to make myself look better. My self esteem is through the roof compared to where it was. I wear my clothes so differently now. Tighter, showing off my girlie curves! I may be a stay at home mom, but I certainly don't have to look like one!
I have started thinking in terms of when can I start doing that when thinking of a new sport or fitness activity to try. Tennis is the new one that my friend and I will be starting soon.
I will be getting a pedicure and manicure soon. I am giving myself a vacation this year. It may be only a couple of days away camping, but it is something I do enjoy doing! My final reward? A new tattoo signifying my transformation. The design is still in the works.

From the article:

Here’s how to set up a good rewards system:

* Choose some benchmarks and reward levels. You can also reward yourself for levels of consistency.
* Make the reward meaningful to you. As a reward, a new pair of shoes may not hold as much motivation as a simple night alone with a book. Then again, it might.
* Choose two or three options from the Reward Roster below or come up with a few reward options of your own. It doesn’t take much. Sometimes, the best rewards are those you can’t buy.
* A lot of small rewards, used for meeting smaller goals, are more effective than relying solely on the bigger rewards that require more work and more time.
* Don’t use food as a reward. Even good food. It’s just too much of a slippery slope. Don’t even mess with it.
* Plan to celebrate. Figure out now how you’re going to celebrate reaching your health, fitness or nutrition goal. Involve other people, tell them about it. Create a celebration that you can anticipate and then keep it within sight all the time.
* Be honest with yourself. Fudging the numbers mentally, or "borrowing" against the next reward hurts the cause of building a lifetime habit. Remember to keep your focus on building a habit, not just figuring out how to get the reward.

REWARD ROSTER CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITES AND USE THEM LIBERALLY

* Compliment yourself. Write down what you would say to anyone else who accomplished what you did.
* Create an actual plaque or trophy.
* Give yourself badges of honor for different levels of accomplishment.
* Take a vacation or weekend getaway.
* Take a day off from any goal activities.
* Put $1 in a jar every time you meet a goal. When it gets to $50, treat yourself.
* Create a Trophy Scrapbook, where you keep mementos from your accomplishments.
* See a movie.
* Make a grab bag of little prizes. When you reach a significant goal, reach in and get your reward!
* Go for a spa treatment or massage.
* Buy yourself a gift certificate.
* Take a limo ride.
* Subscribe to a magazine you always wanted.
* Go canoeing or do something outdoorsy.
* Watch your favorite TV show.
* Buy something for your hobby.
* Read a funny book.
* Celebrate "100% Days". If you reach 100% of your goals that day, choose two rewards.
* Find some time to be by yourself.
* Pay someone to do the yardwork or house cleaning this week.
* Fly a kite.

How many of these have you done? What do you do to reward yourself? Have any different ideas than these? I know I will be taking a couple of these ideas and implementing them!

Being a woman, oh how I hate thee...... Sometimes!

After rocking the scale 2 weeks ago, (of which now I think I jinxed myself!) I was up. One of the rare occasions where I saw the scale go in the wrong direction. And of course, it had to do with being a woman! Started my weigh in day of all days! lol. Oh the timing!

This week was a better week. I ended up losing the 2 lbs I gained last week and 0.2 lbs more for a grand total of 122.4 lbs gone.

Last weeks meeting was about Why are you exercising?

According to http://www.mayoclinic.com,

1. Exercise improves your mood.

Need to blow off some steam after a stressful day? A workout at the gym or a brisk 30-minute walk can help you calm down.

Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out. You'll also look better and feel better when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. Regular physical activity can even help prevent depression.

2. Exercise combats chronic diseases.

Worried about heart disease? Hoping to prevent osteoporosis? Physical activity might be the ticket.

Regular physical activity can help you prevent — or manage — high blood pressure. Your cholesterol will benefit, too. Regular physical activity boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol while decreasing triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly by lowering the buildup of plaques in your arteries.

And there's more. Regular physical activity can help you prevent type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer.

3. Exercise helps you manage your weight.

Want to drop those excess pounds? Trade some couch time for walking or other physical activities.

This one's a no-brainer. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn — and the easier it is to keep your weight under control. You don't even need to set aside major chunks of time for working out. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk during your lunch break. Do jumping jacks during commercials. Better yet, turn off the TV and take a brisk walk. Dedicated workouts are great, but physical activity you accumulate throughout the day helps you burn calories,

4. Exercise boosts your energy level.

Winded by grocery shopping or household chores? Don't throw in the towel. Regular physical activity can leave you breathing easier.

Physical activity delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. In fact, regular physical activity helps your entire cardiovascular system — the circulation of blood through your heart and blood vessels — work more efficiently. Big deal? You bet! When your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you'll have more energy to do the things you enjoy.
5. Exercise promotes better sleep.

Struggling to fall asleep? Or stay asleep? It might help to boost your physical activity during the day.

A good night's sleep can improve your concentration, productivity and mood. And you guessed it — physical activity is sometimes the key to better sleep. Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. There's a caveat, however. If you exercise too close to bedtime, you may be too energized to fall asleep. If you're having trouble sleeping, you might want to exercise earlier in the day.
6. Exercise can put the spark back into your sex life.

Are you too tired to have sex? Or feeling too out of shape to enjoy physical intimacy? Physical activity to the rescue.

Regular physical activity can leave you feeling energized and looking better, which may have a positive effect on your sex life. But there's more to it than that. Regular physical activity can lead to enhanced arousal for women, and men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than are men who don't exercise — especially as they get older.
7. Exercise can be — gasp — fun!

Wondering what to do on a Saturday afternoon? Looking for an activity that suits the entire family? Get physical!

Physical activity doesn't have to be drudgery. Take a ballroom dancing class. Check out a local climbing wall or hiking trail. Push your kids on the swings or climb with them on the jungle gym. Plan a neighborhood kickball or touch football game. Find a physical activity you enjoy, and go for it. If you get bored, try something new. If you're moving, it counts!

If that isn't enough of a reason to get out there and exercise, the guys over at Fat2FitRadio had a podcast in April where they went through 125 reasons why you should exercise. #122 alone should be reason enough!!

1 Increase your self confidence and your self-esteem
2 Improves your digestion
3 Helps you sleep better
4 Gives you more energy
5 Adds a healthy glow to your complexion
6 strengthens your immune system
7 improves your body shape
8 burns up extra calories
9 tones and firms your muscles
10 provides more muscle definition
11 improves circulation and helps lower blood pressure
12 lifts your spirits
13 reduces tension and stress
14 helps you to lose weight and keeps you at your right body weight
15 makes you limber/flexible
16 builds strength
17 improves endurance
18 increases lean muscle tissue in your body
19 improves your appetite for healthy food
20 alleviates menstrual cramps
21 alters and improves muscle chemistry
22 increases your metabolic rate
23 improves coordination and balance
24 improves your posture
25 eases and may eliminate back problems and pain
26 alters the way that your body uses calories
27 lowers your resting heart rate
28 increases muscle size by increasing muscle fibers
29 improves storage of glycogen
30 enables your body to use nutrients more effectively
31 increases the enzymes in the body that burn fat
32 increases the number and size of mitochondria in each muscle cell
33 strengthens your bones
34 increases the concentration of myoglobin, which carries oxygen , in the skeletal muscles
35 enhances oxygen transport throughout the body
36 improves liver function
37 increases the speed of muscle contraction and therefor reaction time
38 enhances feedback through the nervous system
39 strengthens the heart
40 improves blood flow through the body
41 helps alleviate varicose veins
42 increases maximum cardiac output because of an increase in stroke volume
43 increases contractility of the heart's ventricles
44 increases the weight of the heart
45 increases heart size
46 improves contractile function of the whole heart
47 makes calcium transport in the heart and the entire body more efficient
48 helps prevent heart disease
49 increases the level of HDL (hight density lipoprotein)
50 decreases LDLK (low-density lipoprotein)
51 decreases cholesterol
52 decreases triglycerides
53 increases total hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the red blood cells
54 increases the blood's alkaline reserve (buffering capacity)
55 improves the body's ability to remove lactic acid
56 improves the body's ability to decrease heart rate after exercise
57 increases the number of capillaries that are open during exercise as opposed to when at rest
58 improves blood flow to the active muscles at the peak of training
59 enhances the function of the casrdiovascular system
60 enhances the function of the cardio-respiratory system
61 improves efficiency in breathing
62 increases respiratory capacity
63 improves ventilation of the alveoli for greater oxygen comsumption
64 lessens sensitivity tot he buildup of CO2
65 improves breathing, in that less ventilation is required per liter of O2 Consumption
66 improves bone metabolism
67 decreases the chances of developing osteoporosis
68 improves the development and strength of connective tissue
69 lowers your risk of death from cancer
70 improves resistance to infectious diseases
71 enhances neuromuscular relaxation
72 enables you to relax more quickly and completely
73 alleviates depression
74 improves emotional stability
75 enhances clarity of the mind
76 makes you feel good
77 increases the efficiency of your sweat glands
78 enables you to stay warmer in colder environments
79 helps you respond more effectively to heat, since sweating begins at a lower body temp
80 improves your body's overall composition
81 increases body density
82 decreases fat tissue more easily
83 helps you make your body more agile
84 increases your positive attitude about yourself and your life
85 increases the level of the hormone nor-epinephrine, which boosts the spirits
86 stimulates release of hormones that alleviate pain
87 alleviates constipation
88 increases the efficiency with which adrenalin is used, resulting in more energy
89 enables you to meet new friends and develop fulfilling relationships
90 enables you to socialize at the same time that you are getting into shape
91 helps you move past self-imposed limitations
92 gives you a greater appreciation for life because you feel better about yourself
93 enables you to enjoy all types of physical activities more
94 makes your clothes look better on you
95 makes it easier to exercise consistently because you like the way you look and feel and don't want to lose it
96 gives you a greater desire to participate 100 percent in life - to take more risks - as a result of increased confidence and self-esteem
97 improves athletic performance
98 enhances sexual performance
99 improve the whole quality of your life
100 helps you live longer and better, giving you an extra hour of life for every hour of exercise
101 is the greatest tune-up for the body
102 reduces joint discomfort
103 increases your range of motion
104 give you a feeling of control or mastery over your life and the belief they you can create any reality that you want
105 stimulates and improves concentration
106 brings color to your cheeks
107 decreases appetite when you work out for 20 minutes to an hour
108 gets your mind off irritations
109 stimulates a feeling of well-being and accomplishment
110 invigorates the body and mind
111 is a wonderful way to enjoy nature and the great outdoors
112 increases the body's awareness of itself
113 reduces or prevents boredom
114 increases your awareness of your gait
115 enables you to move from left-brain to right-brain thinking
116 can change the electrical activity in the brain from beta to alpha waves
117 increase your ability to solve problems more easily, and often effortlessly
118 gives you a clearer perspective on ideas, issues, problems, and challenges
119 releases blockages and limitations in thinking
120 affords you the opportunity to experience your fullest potential
121 reduces illness
122 helps you live longer
123 makes you feel better each and every day
124 makes you feel more alive in your spirit
125 makes people look at you and say, wow you look great

Between now and when fall starts in September, my goal is to be 15 lbs lighter from trying a new activity at least once a week, preferably outside. If I get my daughters and my friends to try them to, that will be a bonus! I totally think that in 15 weeks, I should be able to lose 15 lbs. I am hoping for more but will be happy with 15 lbs. I will then be 5 lbs away from my Weight Watchers goal and 15 lbs away from my ultimate goal! I can do this!
What are your goals for the summer?

I now leave you with a yummy recipe my Weight Watchers leader posted for us to try. I haven't given them a try yet but hope to soon! What yummy things have you tried lately?

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

1 cup apple sauce unsweetened
2 cups Splenda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
3 cups grated zucchini
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
4 tbsp cocoa

Mix dry ingredients & add to wet ingredients 1 cup at a time. Bake in a 350* oven for 18-20 min.
Yields 16 muffins @ 2 pts each.

I Rocked it!

Last week, I had a small hiccup.  The scale was not kind to me but it could have been worse.  A whole lot worse!  I ended up gaining what I had lost the week before.  0.8 lbs.  Yeah, yeah I know, its not a big gain at all but still not something you want to see on the scale after working hard all week.

Flash forward to this past Thursday.  My next weigh in day.  I was a nervous nelly even though my scale at home was showing positive results but who knew what would happen between home and the meeting. LOL
I had no reason to be nervous.  I am down 4.2 lbs for a total of 110 lbs lost! I am getting further and further away from 200 lbs and I couldn't be happier!  I will soon be only considered overweight and not obese! So close! Original BMI was 47.3.  I am now 30.1 and then only 1.3 lbs to go to be considered only overweight!

I do attribute my loss this week to changing up my workout routine.  I had been doing 70 minutes of WATP and it had been working for me up until about a month ago when my losses were quite small compared to what they had been and with my gain last week, I was pretty sure that was what it was.  This past week, I started alternating The Biggest Loser Workout: Cardio Max and The Biggest Loser Workout: Power Sculpt
and how it worked!  My legs were sore for over a week! Even now, my legs and arms are jelly afterwords.  Guess its working, huh?! LOL And there is nothing like Jillian Michaels yelling at you even if its on DVD! LOL. Now if only I can get my head wrapped around the fact that even though I am only doing a 30 minute workout, it is just as intense as the 70 minute Walk Away The Pounds workout. I am already researching my next workout dvd's to get when these two stop working again.  The only problem I have is I am completely unco-ordinated.  If I can't do the moves the first time around, I am likely to not continue it.
Would you believe it if I told you I got my husband, whom has fought me tooth and nail to exercise himself, finally got up on the couch today and did the half hour Cardio Max with me! He complained the whole time but at least he stuck it out! LOL Will see how he feels in the morning....


Anyhow, I am off to catch some zzz's now as I am fighting a slight cold.  First one all winter and thankfully isn't throwing me for a loop... yet!

Diane

Inspiration

Dictionary.com says the definition of inspiration is:

in·spi·ra·tion

[in-spuh-rey-shuhn]

–noun
 
1. an inspiring or animating action or influence: I cannot write poetry without inspiration.
2. something inspired, as an idea.
3. a result of inspired activity.
4. a thing or person that inspires.
5. Theology.
     a. a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul.
     b. the divine quality of the writings or words of a person so influenced.
6. the drawing of air into the lungs; inhalation.
7. the act of inspiring; quality or state of being inspired
I think in what I am talking about, the definition we are needing to focus on is either number 4 or number 7although I do personally see a lot of number 6, especially when I exercise.
 Just about every day, I am told I am a great inspiration from others that are trying to lose weight themselves.  On Twitter, on Facebook, at my Weight Watchers Meetings, in person and on online message boards.   I am so glad I am able to help so many to focus on their journey, re-focus on their journey or even to start their journey.  And even though it has taken 10.5 months and hard work, I have a hard time telling people I have lost 105.6 lbs as its an embarrassing fact that I actually let myself gain so much weight to let me have a 105 lbs loss and I still have about 40 lbs more to go!
Don't get me wrong, I have worked hard to get where I am and continue to do so on a daily basis.  I guess I just haven't ever been the person to be in the limelight so to speak.  The last thing I ever wanted people to do was look at me and now people are looking at me as inspiration for their own weight loss journey.
I have been mulling this over since my weigh in that saw me reach my 100 lb loss and entering into Onederland.  And I do admit that I was embarrassed  but, as one of my friends so pointedly said, that was part of my past and I am doing something now to change that.  I don't want to say I am inspiring, more like I am encouraging others to find their healthy journey what ever it may be for them. I will do anything I can to support others as others have supported me along my journey.

 I started to do the Couch to 5K today.  My hips are achy but not sore and my tibialis anterior muscles in both my legs are sore.  I think I might have overdone it so I will go back to my other workouts until feel I can do the C25K again. I felt good while I was doing it until about 3/4 of the way through and then my hips started to ache.  I need to do something different to stave off boredom with my workouts.  I will do them still but am bored, bored, bored! 

Now just to figure out how to get my hubby to start moving his butt! LOL
 
"When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. "
~ Harriet Beecher Stowe 
 
 


 
 

Doggish Supermodels....

What do Supermodels, large dogs, quarter of beef, double stroller, bike stroller trailer, and tortoises have to do with me?  I will let you know after these commercial msgs LOL





Now back to our regularly scheduled program....

So I did have weigh in today.  After picking up my 5 year old from school, we zipped over to my meeting place to weigh in . Took my coat and shoes off and then handed my book to my leader after which I stepped on the scale, hoping.  Hoping I had a loss. Hoping I lost the 1.2 lbs I needed to reach 100 lbs lost.  Hoping for anything but a gain. LOL
Not only did I lose the 1.2 lbs I wanted, but I lost 2.6 lbs more!  I am now officially out of the 200's weighing in at 199.6 lbs with a grand total loss of 102.8 lbs!! I just about jumped up and down on the scale!
My leader didn't have my certificate in but still had me come up to the front of the room and "celebrate".  I even brought my "big" jeans to show the full room where I started.  I will have to take another updated picture and post it here soon.
At this point, I can not even fathom how I functioned with 102 lbs more on my body. 
I don't even think I could actually lift 100 lbs up by myself!
How did I do it daily?! How did I manage to eat the way I did? How did I not move my ass off the couch at all? I have 2 young daughters for crying out loud that I need to be an example for!
 
 They see me measuring out my food and ask to use the measuring cups themselves to measure out their food.  

They see me exercising  and know as soon as I put my shoes on, I am going to do a workout. Now, I just have to get hubby to be more active! In time, hopefully!

And by the way, if you hadn't figured out the answer to the question, all those things weigh approximately 100 lbs. the amount I have lost since I started Weight Watchers last April.
This has not been a kind week in our household.  My 5 year old daughter started off the week (on a holiday no less) quite sick with a fever and throwing up.  That saw her missing school on Tuesday.  On Wednesday, whatever she had, my 3 year old had something similar.  Fever on and off and general malaise but was not throwing up. I weighed in the morning (I'll get back to that in a minute) and had been fighting the feeling of nausea on and off all morning.  In the afternoon, I ended up sick myself (at least I wasn't running to the bathroom to throw up! LOL) Thursday saw one of my dayhome kids sick (slept most of the day) but was in good spirits but cuddly at times. Thursday night saw my 3 year old sick again with round two, this time with throwing up.  And Friday, it appeared we were on the mend. Yesterday, all 4 of us had come down with varying degrees of colds.  Fun?! Not so much! LOL

Wednesday weigh in saw me with a 2.6 lb loss.  I almost cried when I saw how close I am to attaining that 100 lbs loss.  1.2 lbs to go! And then 2.2 lbs to go until I am finally in Onederland!  I am going to be an emotional wreck at weigh in's the next couple of weeks!  My friend and I have set up a little mini challenge that if we meet our goals, we are going to give ourselves a mini spa night out, likely with pedi's/mani's.  That alone is making me excited as I have never had a pedicure before! I am pretty sure I will need to book another one for sandal weather so I can sport any new toenail polish out in all its glory LOL I don't know if my friend will meet her goal since she is already in maintenance phase of Weight Watchers but just wants to lose a bit more weight to be more comfortably in her healthy range.  I imagine she is going to do the mani/pedi anyhow to celebrate with me. And I am still wanting to do my hair professionally so I can finally stop having "mom" hair.  You know, the hair that doesn't do anything but lie flat on your head and looks like it hasn't seen the inside of a salon ever.
Its funny. I have lost this weight and now I am noticing that my views on myself have changed quite a bit.  My self esteem has definitely improved and I find myself wearing fitted tops and caring about how I look. Now if only it wasn't so expensive to change my clothes, hair, makeup etc. I do think that after 100 lbs lost, I deserve it no matter if it costs money. Just have to convince the husband of it now LOL My birthday is coming up and he will be out of town then.  Do you think I can guilt him into it? Or will he just understand.....

Since starting Weight Watchers, I have been way more adventurous with my food choices and am always looking out for new recipes to try.  To be honest, there aren't many that we keep in regular rotation.  It has to be pretty special to be a complete keeper and pass the hubby and kids test.  I have only found a couple of recipes that have met that criteria.  One comes from the Weight Watchers recipes Goddess herself Gina at Skinny Weight Watcher.  She always has fabulous recipes posted all the time and you just have to stop by there to at least take a look at the recipe she spent 9 months perfecting! ;) Gina's recipe for Baked Garlic Lemon Tilapia is one of those recipes that we keep handy.  It gets my vote when both my girls ask for seconds for fish because they love it so much!

And lastly, I leave you with this little diddy. Thank goodness workout dvd's don't look like this anymore! And why the hell did we ever think it was a good idea to wear those?! I can't imagine squeezing my fat ass into one of them to workout. How hard would it be to take off once you sweated in it?! LOL



And here is one more. Anyone recognize the main actress in this one? The picture on her bedside table makes me feel old! LOL




Diane

Stepping Outside the Glass Box

Our Monday Project from Shrinkingjeans.net had us trying something new this week, stepping outside our comfort zone. Since I started my weight loss journey back in April, I have been continuously stepping outside my comfort zone.  I am more willing to try new foods and the way I wear my clothes has definitely changed from what I was comfortable with.  Now, exercise is totally different.  For some reason, I have a very hard time coming out of my glass box for fear of shattering it. I want to.  I sooooo want to!  And, you know what? I chickened out. I finally did it! Granted, it was still a workout at home but I can not afford a gym membership at the moment so I am doing the best I can with what I have at home.  I am not terribly co-ordinated at all and have found great comfort in doing Leslie Sansone's Walk Away The Pounds DVD's.  So comfortable, that I can easily do her 5 Mile walks with jogging intervals. I sweat but I certainly feel like I could go longer.
So, in transitioning to a new dvd, I tried a Stott's Pilates Walk on to weight loss dvd.  Certainly had some of the same moves but also had some that the other dvd's did not.  Enough different moves that my thighs are screaming at me today but, that might also be because I did try another dvd (beginniner Slim in 6) that was not a walking dvd.  I will be adding both into my dvd rotations. You know they are working when parts of you are sore! LOL
I stepped out of my glass box and it didn't crash down around me!  I might be tempted to add in new dvd's on a semi regular basis just to keep things interesting!

What Motivates you?

Today's meeting topic was about motivation.  Getting motivated and keeping motivation going. It was asked what motivated us to join Weight Watchers and then what motivates us to keep going.

My motivation to join Weight Watchers was through an opportunity that I couldn't say no to. The province I live in was conducting a survey of people that needed to lose weight for a study they would be running.  If you qualified, you would be compensated up to 70% of the costs of meetings.  The only thing stopping me from joining was finances so when this opportunity fell in my lap, I jumped on it with both feet and haven't looked back since.
My mom being diagnosed with borderline diabetes at 60 (with a family history of every one of her siblings diabetic way before that) motivated me to lose weight and now to push back when I would likely get diabetes myself.

What keeps me motivated to keep going is now, is that I am so close to breaking that 100 lbs lost mark which is then followed by my leaving the 200's and finally entering into the 100's.
I am motivated by all the clothing choices I will soon be able to wear.
I am motivated by all my blogger and twitter followers.  I think positive support is a great motivational tool! Everyone helps to hold me accountable!
I am motivated by my daughters to stay healthy and active to be great role models for them.
Although not at first, I am now motivated by my husband, to show him it can be done so he will do it himself one day in the near future.
I am motivated by the inspiration I am giving to others just starting out on their journey.  If I can do it, so can you!
I am motivated by the embarrassment I have for the size I was. I will NEVER see that size again!
And lastly, I am motivated by the beautiful Motivational wall I have built but yet to put up due to printer issues.



"You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be." - David Viscott

So tell me, what motivates you?

Weigh In Feb 4, 2010

Couldn't report in yesterday for the Rethink Your Shrink Challenge over at Shrinkingjeans yesterday because I didn't weigh in until this morning. I am down another 1.8 lbs for a grand total of 95.8 lbs lost. My next goal is within reach! 4.2 lbs to go until I am 100 lbs lighter! So so so so so close I can taste it! I envision myself crying on the scale when I see that number.

Now, I am needing to start concentrating on toning up some areas. My arms have grown wings and my stomach is still quite floopy. (have had babies afteral.... LOL ) And the chest area can always use a tone up... definitely use a tone up! Just have to find a workout that works for me that won't cause me to hurt myself LOL

I am still trying to decide on what I want to try as a new thing for the Monday project. I did try a new workout yesterday but it was similar in concept to what I have already been done. I at least am feeling a bit of different muscles that were used during it today so I know I will be adding it into my rotation of DVD's.

Is there anyone that feels that they have to do a long workout in order to feel like they ahve actually done a workout? I kow there are workouts out there that work you just as hard and it only ends up being like 20 minutes (ie. Jillian's Shred) but after I have done something that short, I feel like I haven't worked out enough. Maybe its just me....

Dear 2010 Me

As part of the Rethink Your Shrink challenge over at The Shrinking Jeans, we were asked to compose a letter to our 2010 selves from our 2011 selves letting us know what we did in 2010. This proved to be a rather difficult assignment! But here goes my attempt at a letter to myself.

Dear 2010 me,

At the beginning of 2010, you had already come so far with your transformation to your new healthy self. You had already managed to shed more than 90 lbs! That in itself was utterly fantastic! You always doubt that you will be able to do something that seems difficult and you keep proving over and over to yourself that you can do it! In 2010, you start to actually believe that you can do anything you put your mind to which in turn sees you signing up for a charity run in the fall. I know I never thought I would be a runner, ever and here you do it in 2010!

Speaking of believing in yourself, I think you believe in yourself more than you thought you did even earlier in the year. Look at how you started wearing your clothes more fitted and how you were more interested in actually having more than just "mom" hair.

Even though Adam was such a skeptic when you first started your weight loss journey, look at how far you have influenced him to come with healthy eating and even exercise! The girls may not be able to express how proud they are of you, but you can see it in how they always want to exercise with you and love it when you go for walks with them. I know you have influenced them (and others that come in contact with you!) for the rest of their lives to be healthy and active!

You strived to eat more healthy and you did by cooking at home more often, with vegetables you grew in your own garden! You were not afraid to try anything even though you will never have (_________) again! Yuck! LOL You even ventured to cook ahead to help with planning your meals ahead of time. Adam even helps to plan meals with you, taking off a bit of stress from you!

I am so proud of how you grow into the person I am today in 2011. While occasionally we struggled financially as a family, we were able to work through it and it even brought the family as a whole closer together. Natalia is growing into a wonderful little girl in her own way and just loves grade one. Anya bolts from you as soon as you get her out of the car for preschool since she finally has a chance to play with kids her own age. They are both growing into their own little personalities! And you are finally getting a chance to do things for yourself and I hope you never look back!

I had better go now. My calendar is chock full of volunteering for both schools, volunteering for PAIL, running a scrapbooking group, crafting, and exercising. Who has time to eat??!

Keep doing what you are doing because you rock!

Love
2011 me

Shame on Me!

Can I hang my head in shame now or later? No, its not what you are all thinking. I didn't see a gain on the scale this week but I am rather lax on posting anything here for some time. I really don't have a good excuse. I had a new little girl (11 months old) start in my care last week and she leaves me mentally exhausted at the end of the night so all I end up doing is vegging in front of the tv. And now I am like a week behind in my assignments for The Shrinking Jeans and I feel horrible.
But, I will do them.... eventually LOL

I weighed in on Wednesday morning and was down another 1.6 lbs for a grand total of 94 lbs lost! By the time I am at my goal weight, I will be half the person I was!! OMG! How the hell did I let myself get like that?! I cringe every time I see pictures of myself at that weight. I am embarrassed that I had allowed myself to get to that weight!

But, that is in the past and I am going to let it go. I notice that I am becoming more confident and more self assured in myself. I am wearing more fitted clothes than I used to. I am seeing and feeling bones I have not seen or felt for a long time. My wedding rings (that I could not wear for for 7 years from pregnancy and gaining weight) are almost too big now. I have kept a pair of jeans I was wearing when I started my weight loss journey. Size 32 or a 5X and now, I have some tops I can wear that are L or XL. A size I saw a very, very long time ago! I am so excited for the clothing options that will soon be available for me to even just try on! I can't wait until I can go into just about any store to try on clothes! That is what I am looking forward to now!

Diane

Weigh In Ramblings....

Another week has gone by and this morning was weigh in. I really don't know why I am always so nervous. Likely because I am always afraid of gaining (failing) even though my track record so far has been pretty good. I've only gained 3 times since starting my journey and at that it was less than 2 pounds. I step up on the scale thinking light thoughts and low and behold, I've lost 4.6 lbs!! Nothing like starting the new year off RIIIIIGHT! I am now at a grand total of 91.6 lbs gone! I still don't know how exactly I did it other than I drank my water, tracked and exercised like I should be. I am now only 8.4 lbs away from hitting 100 lbs gone! I honestly can NOT wait!! I haven't been this size since (I want to say grade 8) I don't know when! I found some clothes the other night that I had put away as keepsakes from grade 8 and they were an XL. The size I am heading into now. I also received a care package from my mom yesterday and she had put in a winter jacket I wore in high school. Size L and it fit me! Not too sure how much I would actually wear it since it SCREAMS 90's LOL but it might do me until the jacket my friend gave me fits. My current winter jacket is so big, I can almost wrap the jacket around me twice! LOL Thank goodness for consignment stores!

I have gotten rid of all the clothes that don't fit me (read huge) and now am working on the stuff I bought during the summer that now are getting to be too big. The exception are one pair of jeans. The jeans I was wearing when I started Weight Watchers in April.
This picture isn't too current as it was about 15 lbs ago but you can already still see the difference. Next picture will be when I hit the 100 lbs lost mark.
Now I am off to plan our meals for the next couple of days. And I also need to plan my wall of motivation!

Project Me

I have been overweight my whole life although never to the extent I was when I started my Weight Watchers journey. I don't know if it was my bubbly personality or because I grew up in a small town, but I never was teased or picked on because of my weight. So, growing up, it only bothered me a fraction of the time and likely why my weight ended up so out of control. I always had a steady boyfriend and even was quite active on sports teams when I was younger.
When I met my husband, I still didn't see a complete problem with my weight. He loved me as I was and I was content with that. Or rather, 95% of my thoughts was happy with that. I did wish I was smaller especially as my weight started to creep up.
I, like so many women, only got more overweight once I had children. 3 babies in 3 years did it in for me although, that was not my rock bottom.


Not the clearest picture but you can sort of see me at my highest weight here. This was taken September 2008 but I didn't start WW until April 2009.

My rock bottom occured after our first baby was stillborn at 39 weeks. At the follow up exam with our doctor with the final results of his autopsy, we got a copy of the report and the first line read ...." to a morbidly obese 30 year old woman." But, do you think that would kick my ass into gear enough to do something about my weight? Not exactly. Through my next two pregnancies, I gained very little weight. So in a sense, it did but not enough for me to do anything more than that. But, this is in the past now, and I am on my way to losing all the weight.
What didn't work for me.
I am an emotional eater AND I am a boredom eater. I need to learn to channel my boredom and emotions into different avenues to get me out of the fridge and away from mindless snacking.
Because I have been big all my life so I am very negative with myself. I need to learn to change the way I think about myself and make it positive.
I had support from friends until before Christmas. One made lifetime, the other quit (she was not a good support system anyhow). And while the friend that has made lifetime is supportive, it isn't the same since she is now maintaining and not aiming to lose anymore. I am proud that she has made lifetime but I am still a ways from my goal.
Planning meals the day they are to happen. I believe I will be more successful if I start planning meals ahead of time, allowing me to keep better control of my points.
Water, water, water!

What has worked for me.

The whole Weight Watchers program has worked for me when I do follow it. Eating properly and eating the right portions.
Exercise definitely has worked for me. I was a couch potato last spring and now I crave exercise.
Trying new foods I was afraid to try before. I am constantly on the lookout for new foods and recipes to try. I am no longer afraid to try something, even just once.
Doing challenges I find both from my meetings and online have helped to hold me accountable. And it is a fantastic support system, something that seems to be seriously lacking for me!
Obviously, something is working since I have lost 87 lbs in 9 months!

What I am wanting to get from this challenge
Track more consistantly at least 5 days a week but ideally 7 days a week.
Exercise at least 5 days a week, a minimum of 30 minutes. Eventually, I want to add in strength training as well.
Drink a minimum of 6 cups of water a day.
Find alternate means of support


Can I also say that it completely sucks to try and eat healthy when you are financially broke all the time?!

Wednesday Weigh In

Weigh in was this morning. Is it just me or do others always fret when it comes to weigh in's?! I didn't have a bad week but I didn't have a stellar week either so my nerves started to play their game.
What the hell was I so worried about?! Step on the scale and I was down 1.6 lbs! 87.2 lbs lost and gone FOREVER! Yay!

9 months ago, I was wearing a size 32 jean and a 5X. I am now wearing a 1X or 2X and an 18 / 20. I have clothes that I kept from grade 8 that I can now wear again and other things I had kept that are too big now. When did that happen?! LOL Greatest feeling is when my clothes start to get too big. I can't wait to see what size I am in when I am finally at my goal although, that is not something I am going to focus on. As long as it fits and I feel good in it, I will be happy.

What else feels good? Being able to sit in a booth at a restaurant and not have my stomach on the table. Being able to sit behind the wheel of our car and not have my stomach touch the steering wheel. Going into a clothing store and not having to worry that I won't be able to find something that fits because I am too big for everything. My shoes are starting to get too big. I get an actual hungry feeling when I am hungry and I stop eating before I am full. I have more energy. I exercise more to the point where when I don't, I actually miss it.

What are you feeling good about?

Goals for 2010

At my meeting on the 30th of December, the leader had us start thinking about goals we were wanting to achieve during a 10 week challenge.
I then joined a 7 week challenge with Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans and as part of the challenge, you were to share your goals for the challenge.

So, after a lot of thought, I found the goals I wanted to challenge myself with.
1. Lose the remaining 15 lbs to reach 100 lbs lost (and then 2 lbs to reach Onederland finally!)
2. Track more carefully at least 5 days a week.
3. Exercise more consistently at least 5 days a week for a minimum of 30 minutes.

And while the following aren't really goals, I thought I would give them a go as a means of support.

1. Be a positive influence on others (my husband included) to make more habits healthy.
2. Seek out more positive support and limit saboteurs.
3. Feel good in what I have accomplished already, continuing to my goal weight and remembering I am not going to find those lost pounds again! I WILL do this! And only I can hold myself accountable!

As a reward for accomplishing my goals, I am going to give myself a non-food reward. (Amazing how a lot of times we DO reward ourselves with food, often at a nice restaurant) I am going to reward myself with a new hairdo / colour / birthday plans since my birthday is at the end of the 10 weeks.

In reading some other blogs, I have come across a couple of ideas I am going to implement to help me achieve my goals. Meal planning (then I already know what points are used for what meals and how many points are left over without too much worry) and charting (kinda like a chore chart) when goals are reached so I can have a visual reminders of what I have accomplished.

I just hope I haven't placed my goals so high that I don't achieve them!

The Beginning of the Middle of My Journey

What can I say.... I finally broke down and started a blog about my weight loss. I really should have started it when I started my journey but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think things would go as well as they have.

April 8 2009 was my official start day with Weight Watchers What was I thinking?! The weekend after my start date was Easter. How would I expect to be able to learn the program that close to a holiday?! Had I doomed myself before I even started?!

Well, d-day came and I had lost 3.8 lbs! I guess I did everything by the book! I continued to do everything I learned and the following week I lost 6.6 lbs and the week after that was my largest loss of 7.6 lbs in one week. And those kind of loses only continued for me.

I reached 25 lbs lost at week 8. Week 9 I reached my 10% goal. Week 15 I had reached 50 lbs lost.
Every time I tell someone how much I have lost in the amount of time I have, they always ask what I am doing. Nothing special I always say. Following the Weight Watchers program and added in exercise, something that was definitely lacking before.

I am now finding the support I had previously is gone. One friend is now lifetime and doesn't go to meetings anymore (other than her once a month weigh in) and the other friend quit. Honestly, the latter friend didn't have her heart into it anyhow. She struggled every step of the way and from what I understand, she gained all of the weight she had lost (30 lbs) over Christmas. So really, she wasn't support at all other than encouragement as much as a friend could do.

So here I am. A new year has begun and EVERYONE is on the weight loss bandwagon. I just hope I am able to find someone else that is determined to finish their journey so we can be of support to each other to the end. I still have a ways to go till I do hit my goal and hope I can find the support do I don't get frustrated and just quit. I have come too far for that!