First Monday in a long time....

that I don't feel like I weight 200 lbs again and my pants are actually still fitting me well!
I did pretty good on the weekend. I wasn't an angel by any means but I was very aware of my bonus points and tried to stay within them all weekend. I only had one small slip up with a few glasses of wine on Saturday night that I didn't count. I wasn't expecting to get into the wine but you know how it goes ladies, one glass leads to two and then three. But overall I'm happy with my weekend, I wish I hadn't of had that wine but there's nothing I can do about it now. I just have to accept it and move on I guess.

On Sunday Scott and I had a great NSV. Scott kept dropping hints about Pizza Shack all afternoon and when it came time for supper, he had ALMOST talked me into a 9" Garlic Fingers and a Caesar salad but my better judgement got the best of me and we both decided we would feel a lot better about ourselves if we just had something at home. I ended up making some Onion Rings and they were delicious! I'm pretty happy today that we didn't give in! I know I would have felt awful

This weekend we are having a housewarming party for our family. We had to have 2 basically because there was just too many people. We had our first one on August 25 and we had about 45-50 friends show up so we were pretty packed and we are having one for our family this weekend and are expecting about 40 people all together so it should be a good time. I'm planning out the menu so I'm planning on sticking with healthy options and I'm NOT planning on getting into the wine on Saturday so I will be better equipped to fend off any temptations.

I'm also hoping to go down to Maine (about 1 hour and 15 mins from home) to pick up some WW products like bagels, wraps etc and some other low fat low cal products. I need to stock up! I absolutely love going down there, I'm like a little kid in a candy shop.

I had trouble with my camera so I wasn't able to join in on Sarah's Food photo challenge :( I'm getting it back today though so Sarah, if you start the challenge for a second time around, let me know, I'm so in! It's such a great idea!

Scott and I are going to the YMCA after work today to get a tour of the gym and to see if we want to get a membership or not. We are both pretty sure we would like to join at least for the Winter months. They have some great cardio and yoga classes that I would love to try out. The gym is only about 3 mins form my work so we could go right after work and get in a great workout. The membership fees are really reasonable. The corporate rate is $39/month and your spouse gets 50% off of that so you really can't beat it! I'll let you know how it goes.

BB8 last night....I'm really starting to dislike Danielle. She is so smug and annoying. I think Zach did the right thing by putting them both up. I just hope that Jameka or Zach win the POV and they get rid of Danielle. She needs to go. I can't stand her anymore. Both her and Dick need to go. I would love to see Zach win! What did you guys think?

That's it for me today girls! :)

Weigh in, BB8 and weekend plans

Scale: 156
WI Results: -3lbs!

I knew that my first week back OP would give me a pretty good loss, especially since my first weigh in was immediately following a junk fest but I'm still super excited to tell everyone that I lost 3 lbs this week. 3 SOLID lbs. Feet firmly planted on the scale and standing up straight (I used to be one those weighers who would move their feet around and shift their weight until you get the number you were looking for, don't tell me you haven't done it yourself!!) I am a solid 156. That needle wasn't moving from that number. I was actually pretty excited to see that number. I'm slowly but surely working my way down to that 150 mark. I felt so great when I was at around 152 or 153 so I'm getting close girls! Although this weekend does present some pretty difficult challenges......

Challenge One: Dinner tonight at my brother's new house. One the menu? Homemade Lasagna (probably the best I've ever tasted at that) So in preparation, I have packed a super low lunch, AND I offered to bring dessert. I was thinking about getting some Pillsbury Cinnamon rolls and baking them there so that they are nice and warm and gooey and I am willing to use some of my bonus points to have HALF of one. I'm going to check out the point value before I make any decisions though. If I can find the reduced fat one, I'm getting those for sure! I'm WIDE open for suggestions though girls!

Challenge Two: Hot Air Balloon Festival tomorrow (including those greasy carnival vendors that smell SOO yummy!) We'll be there all day SO I was thinking of actually packing a little cooler. Making some egg salad sandwiches on WW bread made with low fat miracle whip. That way I can control the amount of points I'm taking in and I won't be craving the deep fried goodies. I'll also throw in some yogurt and some fruit to snack away on.

Challenge Three: Family BBQ on Saturday evening. Luckily I'm hosting this time so I'm planning the menu. Right now we have BBQ's corn on the cob, hot dogs, hamburgers, BBQ'd potatoes, Salad and to top it all off I am making Roni's Simple Big Chocolate Cupcakes. They look yummy and I'm sure no one will be able to tell that they are WW friendly!! I'm planning on having 1 hot dog, some corn and salad and a cupcake for dessert. Downfall: Everyone is bring something so I'm going to try and hold back the temptation! But that's what flex points are for right??

So that is how my weekend is playing out. My Mom got into town late last night and it was SO good to see her. It's been about 4 months and it was great for her to finally see our new home. Oh before I forget, I did have a GREAT NSV last night. My Mom got into town around 9:10 last night....Which means I MISSED probably the most exciting episode of the SEASON for BB8!!! Fill me in ladies!!! I've read the BB8 website to find out what went on and I had it playing in the background while I gave Mom the tour so I know who got evicted but did anything else exciting happen? I heard Eric said the "L" word to Jess. I'm so upset that they went home, I just loved them together!!
Anyway back my NSV. My Mom and her boyfriend got in around 9:00 and they were starving, I offered to make them something but they had passed the Pizza Shack on the way to my house and they had a hankering for Pizza and Garlic fingers (my #1 weakness!!) so they ordered some and around 10:00 started in on a 12" Garlic finger and pizza. I was so tempted to just have 1 teeny weeny garlic finger with donair sauce but I resisted!! Scott and I just basically sat there and drooled until it was all gone. I knew I need something to nibble on while they were chowing down so I had some baby carrots and a diet ginger ale. It definitely satisfied that need to munch on something.

Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!

I'm still trying to catch up on Sarah Food Photo Challenge but my camera is not cooperating so I may need to get it fixed before I can get in all my pictures!

Yummy Finger Foods

I am kicking myself for not taking a picture of my dinner last night for Sarah's Challenge. It was amazing, low in points and I swear when I was done, I felt like I had just eaten greasy pub food without the heavy bloaty feeling that comes afterwards. I should have taken the picture but by the time I was all finished cooking, I was famished and the thought of spending an extra 10 seconds to go get the camera seemed absurd to me at the time.

I took a few recipes from Hungry Girl and one from Roni's site and we had a "Pub Grub" night last night. If you haven't found either of these sites yet, oh baby, you're about to hit a goldmine of amazing recipes and tips for WWers. First on the menu was Chicken Strips found on the Hungry Girl Website and let me tell you, if you haven't tried these...do it NOW! They are amazing. Honestly it is hard to tell that they aren't deep fried and with a little low fat BBQ sauce, honestly it feels like you are cheating! They are great with a honey mustard sauce too or even some low fat ranch dressing. To die for!!

Next we had battered Onion Rings. These rival the chicken strips and seriously there is no way to tell that these little numbers are WAY less fat and calories than their deep fried counterparts. It's amazing. These may have been my favorite but everything was so good, it's hard to tell.

Last but certainly not least we tried Roni's Zucchini Pizza bites. Mmmm Scott absolutely fell in love with these. They were pretty good actually and the topping was yummy. We used low fat cheddar instead of mozzarella but we got more cheese for less points and I don't think we sacrificed any of the taste. If your in the mood for some pub food, check these ones out. They are fantastic!

On other news, I tried out my mini trampoline yesterday. I wanted to start off slow so I was only on it for about 30 mins while I was watching TV but it was nice to get in some cardio and I can see how it could be a great workout. I'll let you know how it goes from here. It feels great on the legs and butt and you can really feel them working hard.

Scott and I have been thinking about joining the YMCA for the winter months. They have some great aerobics classes and I would love to have the option of using the machines right after work. I wish my work had a gym. We are going to go for a trial week next week and see how we like it. Anyone have any tips??

That's it for me today :)

Happy Hump Day!

I know I've said this so many times but it's amazing what one good OP day can do for your confidence! I feel so in control and I am loving the freedom that WW gives you! I am doing great and I am beyond motivated! I am going to get these last 15 lbs off before I even know it.

When I weighed in on Monday I was pretty shocked at the number. It hasn't been that high in a while. Then I though back to all the junk I ate at the drive in the night before (Peanut M & Ms, Swedish berries, onion rings, Smartfood popcorn AND a chocolate bar all in the course of 6 hours!!) No wonder my weigh in was so high on Monday morning. My body was bogged down with all that awful junk food. I'm very excited to use my flex points because it gives me something to look forward to all week and my splurges will now be controlled. No going over points for me! No Way! My motivation has also transferred over to my hubby so it's great to have someone help me along the way.

For some odd reason, I really don't know why, I have been petrified about posting my weight on this blog. For some reason I just didn't want anyone to know how much I weighed. It scared the hell out of me. But for some reason now, I feel like I should post my weight, I just feel like it will hold me more accountable and it will only motivate me more to get this last 15 lbs off. So here goes......yup....here it comes....I'm announcing my weight to the world, or at least my blog buddies........(deeeeeeeep breath)................

1...........5..........9

Ok That wasn't sooo bad. I weigh 159. 159. 159.
In May at my lowest I was 150.5 so I need to get back down there and pronto. I am hoping to see 2 lbs come off my Friday but that is asking quite a bit so I will be happy with 1 or 1.5. Usually your first week back on the plan, you tend to lose a little more.

I did buy my mini trampoline yesterday at lunch and spent a good chunk of time last night putting it together so tonight will be my first workout on it. I found one online and I plan on following that for the first week or so. I've done some reading online and apparently the trampoline is great for toning your legs and butt. I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes.

Today at lunch I ran to the grocery store to pick up a few things for the weekend. My Mom is down from Ontario this weekend and I haven't seen her in almost 4 months so I am really looking forward to spending some quality time with her and to show her my new house!! I picked up some Weight Watchers Whole Wheat Wraps. Anyone tried these ones? They are new to my grocery store so I thought I would give them a go.

That's it for me today. Except a little recap of BB8 last night. I missed the Biggest Loser Recap last night as it was on the same time as BB8! I couldn't believe how mad Jessica was at Eric. I really hope she doesn't go home on Thursday but it is a double eviction night so anything could happen. I wonder why they haven't shown the jury house? Hmmm....

Back on WW!! Finally!!

I finally recommitted myself to Weight Watchers. I have been off it now since the first of May and I decided that it was finally time to come back and start holding myself accountable again. I miss counting points and I really miss the freedom that WW gives you. When I was doing SFL It was great and the weight came off super quick but I was basically eating the same thing over and over everyday and it really got to the point where I was doing the SFL during the week and then on the weekend I would just eat whatever I wanted. Not healthy.

Last weekend was the last straw for me. I finally realized that I wasn't eating all of that junk on the weekend because I necessarily wanted to, I was eating it because I had convinced myself that the weekend was my splurge time so I HAD to stuff in as much junk as humanly possible. That is NOT a healthy way to live. I would find myself gaining 3 or 4 lbs in one weekend (I'm sure a lot of that was water retention but still!) and then I would do SFL during the week and be back down to my normal range by Friday. I certainly didn't lose any weight, but I didn't gain any either so I was able to justify all the garbage I was eating all weekend. Has anyone else ever had this problem? For example, we went to the drive in movie theatre on Sunday night, since it was the long weekend they were playing 3 movies. That's almost 6 hours of sitting in your car or out on a chair with nothing to do but watch a movie and snack snack snack. I didn't even want half of the stuff I scarfed down but I ate it anyway because it was the weekend and it was my "Splurge time". If I didn't eat it then, I wouldn't be able to eat it again (or at least this is what was going through my mind as I popped each peanut M & M into my mouth). Monday was a good day for reflection and I got to thinking about how my eating habits had changed from healthy eating with a little occasional splurge (in moderation) to the all out junk fest that I was participating in every weekend. I think it was good for me to get a little break from Weight Watchers because after being on the program for 17 months, I did get a little tired of counting points and I was getting sloppy with my weighing and measuring. So I do think that the break was a good things for me but now it's time to get back in the zone and stick with the program that has given me so much success in the past!

I have about another 15 lbs to get off and I'm determined to get there before Christmas. It is 16 weeks from today and I'm pretty confident that I can do this. I'm going to set myself up for success. My hubby is also doing WW which is such a HUGE motivator. I'm also thinking about going to Walmart today on my lunch to pick up a mini trampoline and maybe even a trampoline workout video. I plan on walking outside as much as I can but I thought that having a mini exercise trampoline in the house would be a great motivator as well. I can just plop it in front of the TV when I am watching an hour long TV show and the time will just fly by! A friend of mine swears by hers and she said it is amazing for toning your legs and butt. Plus it doesn't take up much room and it's pretty inexpensive. I would love to eventually get an elliptical but for now I think the trampoline will do nicely. So my workout plan for the next few weeks (until I get back in the groove) is to get in at least 3-45 min walks/week and 2 hours on the trampoline. Depending on how difficult I find the trampoline...It seems like such an easy concept but I remember I had one a few years ago and I was sweating it off after only 10 mins (of course I had a few extra pounds on then but still).

I am also DYING to try out some new WW recipes!! I am so anxious to go out and buy the stuff to make Roni's Spaghetti Squash and Zucchini Lasagna. It's so fantastic! Also if anyone has any great recipes for low point WW casseroles, I would LOVE to try a few. I need to get some new dinner ideas and I have decided that this fall and winter, I'm going to be way more adventurous in the kitchen. I need to explore new ideas and spend some time making new masterpieces in the kitchen. I used to LOVE to cook and I always thought it was very relaxing so I definitely want to get back to that.

I'm so EXCITED to be back on a plan that I LOVE! Just talking about it makes me SOO excited!!

Long weekend recap...and my 100th post!

I've been slightly MIA since last week. Not because I fell off the wagon or anything (although I did have a weekend FULL of good food and lots of wine!) but only because I have been on vacation and have been enjoying the time with my hubby and getting out to enjoy the outdoors.

But today it is back to reality, back to work and back to my meal plan. Actually Monday and Tuesday were on plan (with the exception of a small teeny tiny love affair with a brownie on Monday night) I feel good about getting back on track and last night Scott and I went for a 35 min power walk. It's not much but I NEED to get back in the habit of exercising regularly. Last night I realised how much I actually miss it. It felt so good after I was done and I could feel that all too familiar burn in my legs and butt which only reminds me of how long it's been since I have gotten out to get any exercise. I plan on getting in 2 more 45 min power walks before the week is over and next week I am hoping to get in 4 good 45 min walks to gear myself up for the C25K program. I may just start it next week though. For those of you who have completed the program....did you jump right in or did you try to get your exercise groove back before diving in head first?

I'm also contemplating buying a mini trampoline. A friend of mine swears by hers. Especially during the winter she just puts it in front of her TV and watches TV for an hour or so and she says she gets a great workout. Anyone have one??? I think it would be great for the winter when walking outside isn't always an option. And I've heard those thing are great for your legs and butt. I'm going to go check them out this weekend I think. I'd LOVE to get some feedback form you guys though!

So we had our housewarming party on Saturday and we had so much fun! We had about 45 people show up which was great and we got tonnes of great presents!! We had a sweet bonfire and a washer tournament (for any of you that are form the country!)

Here are a couple of pictures from the night. Surprisingly I was looking through the pictures for pictures of our house and there are NONE!! I wanted to show off all the renos that we have done and all the great colors we chose for the house but I will have to post them this weekend. I have some great before and afters! This one on the right is of me and a few of my friends. Not the most flattering pic as I'm kind of straddling the camping chair!! The one on the left is CLASSIC Carolyn. It's too funny. This picture sums me up perfectly. Smile on my face, glass of wine in my hand (almost empty, as it usually is), holding on to one of my best friends. This is when I am happiest! (also you could insert my husband where my friend is!! haha) It was a great night and we all had a great time but what a mess! I spent 2 hours the next morning cleaning up after my messy friends! People keep posting up new pics on Facebook so I may have some more shortly.

Can't wait to check up on all of your blogs! I've got a ton of reading to do! Take care!

Long Weekend here we come!!

It's been a pretty good week I must say. I haven't been perfect, but let's face it, I rarely am.
I have the nagging urge though for the past week or 2 to go back on WW and get back to the structure and the counting points. Basically what I have been doing for the past month or so is to follow SFL (Simply for Life) on the weekdays and then basically eating my face off on the weekends. Last weekend wasn't too bad. I did ok during the days but then Saturday night rolled around.......... and I had cheesecake..........and I had swedish berries (those things are addictive!) Then Sunday rolled around and after spending the whole day working on the house, painting and cleaning, Pizza shack sounded pretty damn good. So Garlic fingers and Caesar salad were on the menu. Although I haven't gained any weight, I still feel like this is certainly an unhealthy way to eat. I end up gaining a couple pounds on the weekend and then I eat super healthy during the week and by Friday I am back down to comfort zone. I just seemed to have slipped into this pattern with all the summer activities. BBQs, weddings, showers, get togethers and parties, camping. It just never ends.....except it has to. I need some sort of structure and I could certainly stand to lose these last 10 or 15 lbs. The worst part is, I have 3 weddings to go to in September, one in October and one in November. Everyone and their dog seems to be taking the plunge this summer and fall! BUT that is no excuse. That is what flex points are for right????

I also want to start the C25k program. I have been contemplating it for so long and I'm ready. I've downloaded the program onto my Mp3 player and I'll going to rock this program. Anyone who has done it and completed it...have any advice? I'm going to be doing it outside instead of on the treadmill as I want to get out and enjoy the great new neighborhood I live in!! (the fact that I don't actually OWN a treadmill MAY have a contributing factor in this decision as well)

I am actually excited to be going back to WW. 'm not in any big rush to lose the weight this time so I think I will be able to relax and try out some great new recipes. I did try Roni's Spaghetti Squash Lasagna and WOW! It is fantastic!! I am anxious to try this one out again...and again!! Mmmm and SO little points!!

BB8 tonight....I definitely love Eric and Jessica together buy the guy needs to get some game!! I would like to see Jameka go home tonight...I kinda like Jenn. What about you guys?