A Birthday with No Cake??

Thanks for all the girls who e-mailed or commented about your Christmas goals. Seems like we got ourselves a challenge here ladies! The challenge officially starts tomorrow so if you want to join in, e-mail me or comment about how many lbs you would like to say goodbye to before Christmas. Or you can e-mail or leave a comment for Randi. Check out tomorrow's post as I will be posting a list of the challengers and their Christmas goals! :)

So.....I said NO to cake yesterday! Actually it wasn't cake, it was pumpkin pie, which in my books, is worse! I LOVE pumpkin pie like you wouldn't believe. But I said no. I did have a 1/2 cup of low fat frozen yogurt though for 2 points so that satisfied my sweet craving and I felt like I was enjoying dessert just like everyone else. I even got out the measuring cup while everyone was scarfing down their pie and ice cream and measured myself out a 1/2 cup. Has anyone tried the Scotsburn Low Fat Chocolate Frozen Yogurt? YUM! Seriously you can't even tell it's low fat yogurt. It is really rich and creamy. I'm going to scout out my grocery store to see what other flavors it comes in. I usually try not to keep that stuff in the house because I seriously can't help myself. But I think this Christmas Challenge is really going to hold me accountable so I might decide to test my will power just a little and buy a tub of frozen yogurt to stick in the freezer. I know I can do it if I just put my mind to it. MMmm it comes in blueberry cheesecake....

Speaking of pumpkin pie though, I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year and I would love to make a homemade pumpkin pie. Has anyone tried out any low fat recipes for pumpkin pie? I don't think I've ever made a pie in my life so it's about time! I just checked the points value for store bought regular pumpkin pie and it is 8 points for 1/8 of a 9 inch pie! I'm SO glad I said no last night!! You wouldn't think it would be so much since pumpkin is so good for you. I guess it the crust and all the things that you add to the pumpkin. Let me know ladies if you have any low fat pumpkin pie ideas :)

In other news Scott and I went to the travel agency yesterday to start planning a vacation for next year. We were thinking about going down south to Dominican Republic or Mexico but we've been down there before on our honeymoon and were thinking about trying something a little different so we came up with...............PARIS! I don't know if I've ever been so excited. We are thinking of going to Paris for 4 days and London for 3. Anyone ever been before and have any pointers? I've been doing tons of research online and I have a few travel books on Europe that I've been fishing through. I think it would be such an amazing getaway for us. It seems like such a romantic place.

Well that's it for me today ladies. Remember to sign up Christmas Challenge with either Randi or I! Just think of how hot we're going to look come Christmas!

Biggest Loser, BB8, Christmas Challenge and other randomness :)

I think I may have went slightly overboard last night at the gym. I hopped on the elliptical for 40 mins but for about 20 mins I upped the resistance to 10 (I doubt all ellipticals have a universal standard for resistance but 10=HARD!) This morning I am paying for it. It literally hurts to walk but I'm hoping I'll get over it in time for tomorrow nights Hatha Yoga class. Tonight is a night off from working out because it is my Mother in Laws birthday today so we are heading over there for supper and cake. Although I've already made up my mind that I am NOT going to partake in the cake part. No way. Not going to happen. NO. No cake for this girl!

Who watched Biggest Loser last night? I LOVE it that Jillian's team won! I really like her a lot and I honestly think she motivates her team and is really focused on getting them healthy without putting so much pressure on the WI part. I found that last night Bob & Kim were entirely too focused on the weigh in results and not on forming good habits and eating healthy. Although I still heart Bob!

I skipped most of BB8 last night in favor of watching Biggest Loser. I did catch a few parts though. I wasn't really concerned about who won since I dislike Dick and Danielle equally. I did get to catch the part when they announced America's Player to the housemates. Eric looked pretty concerned that Jessica's feelings would be hurt. I think they are so cute together. I wonder if they will actually stay together...

Next week starts all the new fall shows. I am excited for Grey's and ER to comeback on and there are a few other ones I wouldn't mind watching (Bionic Woman, Heroes and Journey Man) but I don't want to get into too many shows because I hate spending too much time on the couch in front of the TV. On a positive note though, I can pull out my mini trampoline (which hasn't gotten much use since we joined the gym) and hop on that for an hour while I'm watching TV. Of course it's a good plan right? It's the follow through that I always have trouble with. BUT maybe the Christmas challenge will motivate my butt to get on that trampoline!

Speaking of which......

The Christmas Challenge that Randi and I are putting on starts on Friday and I've gotten quite a few e-mails. Just to clarify, ANYONE can join, you just need to e-mail me with your Christmas Goal. This Friday I will be posting a list of participants and their Christmas Goals. Randi and I will be taking turns posting the results each week but we'll keep you updated on that. Week 1 Results post will be on my site on October 1st so make sure to check it out to see how everyone is coming along with their challenge!! There are a few goals I'm still waiting for:

Sonya
Amber
Glossy
Ms. Kelly
Shannon
Candace
Bridget
DizzyDazey

I think I have everyone else so c'mon girls! Jump on the scale and give me the dirt! E-mail me or just post a comment :)

PS If you don't want to share your weight with everyone, that's no problem (I know where you're coming from, it took me 6 months to work up the courage to put my weight on my blog!) Just let me know how many lbs you want to lose by Christmas and you're in! :)

I think I almost forgot....

how much I love running! I went to the gym last night and instead of getting on the elliptical, I decided to try out the treadmill. I walked briskly for about 20 mins and then I ran for 23 minutes and honestly it felt amazing! I forgot how great it feels to run again. I was never really a big runner but last year I did a running program and really enjoyed it. I stopped running because I was having some slight trouble with my knee but it didn't bother me at all yesterday so I might try to get in a good 30 minute run at least once a week. My legs are SORE today so I guess that's always a good sign. Tonight I'm going to hit the elliptical for 40 mins and Thursday I'm trying out a Hatha Yoga class. I love this whole gym membership thing!

This weekend I am SUPER excited because I am losing my Costco virginity! I've never been to Costco before because they don't have one in my city but my brother and his wife have a membership and there is an outlet about 1 hr and 15 mins from us so we are heading up on Sunday to get our shop on! I can't wait. I have been waiting to get some new fall clothes and of course Scott and I will have to get some Christmas lights, decorations etc for our new house! We also have a wedding to go to on Saturday and Friday night is double date night with a couple of friends. So I have some planning to do food wise. But for the first weekend since the summer began, I'm staying within my flex points and I'm going to be very careful not to go over.

So on to the Christmas Challenge!
We've gotten quite a good response. The challenge will officially start on Friday and I will be posting a list of the participants and their Christmas Goals. We have 14 weeks from today! I think this challenge is exactly what some of us (me especially!) need to get motivated and serious about our weight loss efforts before we get sucked into the Holidays. Plus it will be great to share with each other the challenges (Hello!! THANKSGIVING!) and struggles that we go through on our way to our Christmas goals. So weather it's 2 lbs, 5 lbs, 10 lbs or more, make a goal and e-mail me your info. How hot are we going to look at our company Christmas parties?!?! :) I think I may even go "Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp" style and pick out a hot black dress for my Christmas party and buy it one size smaller just for that extra motivation!

That's it for me today girls! Happy Tuesday!

Weekend Recap and Christmas Challenge!!

Despite my unwavering determination to be completely on plan this weekend, I wasn't. Honestly, I feel awful. I really didn't eat THAT much over my plan but I didn't add up my points on Saturday AND I also had 4 glasses of wine that definitely weren't in the plan for this weekend. I'm so mad at myself but I guess that just feeds my motivation. I'm off the wine for a while. No more. It just gets me into trouble and I really want to start shedding some pounds before Christmas. Scott and I are pretty booked up for the next few weekends with weddings and showers and family things so I'm going to stay away from the wine and count ALL of my weekend points. I think on Fridays I'm going to write out a tentative plan on where I am going to spend my flex points. That way it will give me some sort of structure, which is seriously what I need right now.

Well today is a new day so they say. I'm 100% back in the game and I'm am seriously hoping to maintain his week. I know I will be devastated if I see a gain on Friday and I need to hold myself back from doing a mid-week weigh in. Not getting on the scale until Friday. But speaking of weighing in, Randi and I have been bouncing back and forth on a......

CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE!!

Basically Christmas is now only 14 weeks and 1 day away. I've decided to set myself a goal for Christmas to keep myself on track and to motivate myself as much as possible before we hit the Holiday season. I also think that setting a goal for Christmas will help us stay away from all of those Christmas goodies that are SO tempting. Everyone faces the same challenges through the Holiday season so setting a goal and sharing it with other people with the same struggles will help us get through the baked goods, the egg nog and the all those wonderfully fatty things that come along with the Holidays! Who's with me? I haven't really planned it out but I'm open for suggestions. I think we should make a list of participants and you can e-mail me your Christmas goal. Then each week, you can report in on your weigh in day and I'll keep track of everyone's goals and progress. Or we could even split into two teams (Biggest Loser Style!) and challenge each other to see which team can lose the most weight or % of weight. I'm open for suggestions. Let me know what you think girls!

My current weight: 155
My Christmas goal weight: 145

So I have 14 weeks to lose these unwanted 10 lbs. I know I can do it, I just need to stay focused and get my butt in gear! I've started hitting the gym 4 times a week for 40-45 min cardio sessions but I'm also considering taking a yoga class that is offered at my gym. I think it's called Hatha Yoga? Anyone have any tips or suggestions? I'm a complete yoga virgin so I am a little apprehensive.

That's it for me today! Happy Monday!

It's Friday....and Weigh in Results

Scale: 155
Results: -1 lb

I'm pretty happy with my weigh in this morning. I was hoping to see 154.5 but I'll live and it'll be that much sweeter when I see 154 next week. Last weekend I didn't count my wine and I may have indulged a little TOO much in the chocolate cupcakes (even though they were a WW recipe) I made for our BBQ so I can see why my loss wasn't huge but hey a 1 lb loss feels good and that's one more pound that I don't have to carry around with me anymore. I'm slowly creeping down to those 140s and honestly, I can't wait to get there. I haven't seen the 140s since probably Junior High. It's been that long. I'm going to get there. Anne was talking about making a Christmas goal and really getting serious about getting these last few pounds off before the Holiday madness starts. I think everyone should make a Christmas goal and I think it's a great idea Anne. Christmas is 14 weeks and 4 days away. What is your goal going to be? How much do you think you can lose??

When I recommitted to WW on Sept 3, I set a goal and I think I may have even mentioned it in a post. I'm still keeping track of that goal and I always have it in mind. I wanted to get to 145 by Christmas. That was my ultimate goal. I think joining the gym will be a huge contributor to meeting my goal as well.

So On September 3 I weighed in at 159lbs
Today I weighed in at 155lbs.

10 more lbs to go and I have 14 weeks to get there. Anyone with me on setting a Christmas goal?? Maybe we can turn it into a Christmas Challenge! Sarah's got me thinking about challenges lately with her Food Photo Challenge (check it out here and let her know if you want to sign up, it's a great way to stay motivated!)

Ok So I guess it's time to talk about BB8 last night. To be honest, although it's hard to admit that I was this upset over a TV show, I turned it off during the last 10 mins because I was so mad that Zach lost. I seriously can't stand Danielle or Dick and I absolutely HATE IT that they won. I wanted Zach to win so bad. I've really come to like him in the last few episodes (mostly because I felt so bad for him that no one would talk to him and Dick was being so mean to him.) Yeah he's a little weird and has a quirky sense of humor but I like him. That was a brutal first round for HOH last night and the thing that bugged me the most????? When Dick and Zach finally stepped down and they were both frozen, Zach walked over and said Dick had done an incredible job, Danielle walks out with 3 big fluffy towels and gives them ALL to her Dad. she didn't even offer one to Zach at all. I honestly can't stand the girl. Ok That's enough of a rant for now, I don't want to get all worked up ;)

Friday recap:

3 areas I did really well this week:
1. I went to the gym 3 times this week and increased my workouts by 5 mins each time.
2. I made my lunches ahead of time and planned low point meals for the week.
3. I drank tons of water everyday and went way over the requirement. I also got in all my fruits and veggies and dairy servings each day this week.

3 areas I could improve on for next week:
1. My portions were a little on the high side for supper since I was so hungry when I got home from the gym. I think I may take an extra afternoon snack to hold me over until dinner.
2. I ended up have 5 points or so left every night after supper since my lunches were so low point. This led to late night snacking and not always choosing the healthiest option.
3. I didn't count my wine and after 3 glasses, this led to drunken eating...I wasn't really even enjoying the food, it was more a matter of "oh well, I already had some wine, I may as well have 3 cupcakes to go with it!"

Tomorrow we are having our Family Housewarming party and no doubt there will be TONS of food but I'm making a plan ahead of the party and I'm sticking with it! Wish me luck ladies!

I Heart Ellipticals!

Thank you SO much ladies for all your nice comments on yesterdays post! It's nice to know that there is so much support out there! It's so much easier when you are talking to people who are going through the same things as you and who are faced with the same struggles when it comes to this whole weight loss issue!

So I made a few minor discoveries yesterday...

1. No more mid week weigh ins....it's driving me insane. Weigh in once a week, Friday morning, that's it. Period. NO MORE.

2. No one can even tell that yesterday was my first visit to the gym and No, the entire gym is not going to stare at me while I try to figure out how to use the machine.

3. I actually love the elliptical. I burned 300 calories in 35 mins and worked up a great sweat!

4. Veggies wraps with mushroom, zucchini, cucumber, carrot and tomato with low fat cheese and low fat ranch dressing on a Light Flaout Wrap are DELICIOUS!!

5. I dislike Daneille Donato way more than I thought.

6. I'm extremely glad that we don't Dryer's Slow churned American Idol: Hollywood Cheesecake ice cream available in Canada. (I don't think I could resist eating the whole thing Kelly!)

So those were my Tuesday revelations. Scott and I went to the gym last night after work and had a great workout. We decided last night that we are getting a membership for sure. I only worked out for about 40 mins in totally (including stretching) I went for 35 mins on the elliptical and although I wasn't really breathing too heavy, I worked up a good sweat so I'm assuming it was a pretty good workout. I could have gone longer but I was scared that I would be insanely sore today since it was my first workout in 6 weeks but surprisingly, I'm not sore at all. So tonight I would like to go for 50 mins. I'm bringing this months WW magazine with me for a good read. Can you imagine?!?! Watching TV or reading a magazine while working out?!?! I think I'm gonna like this gym thing!!

On the food front I'm doing great, staying within my points and looking forward to my bonus points on the weekend. We are having a family BBQ so I would like to save up for that. The scale read 155 this morning (I swear, my last mid week WI!) It's down 1 lb from last week so I'm hoping to hold on to that or maybe even see a 1.5 lb loss by Friday but we'll see.

Tonight consists of going to the gym after work, then going out for a quick bite and then it's grocery night so we won't be home until late. We usually hit up Wendy's so I'm looking for suggestions on what to get. I used to always get the Jr. Hamburger Deluxe combo with a baked potato instead of fries but I'm craving something different? Any Wendy's eaters? What do you usually get??

That's it for me today girls!

How lucky are we????

I'm in a very grateful kind of mood today. One of those moods where your life just seems perfect and everything seems to be falling into place. It's weird when you wake up one day and life is exactly how you always pictured it, you have the beautiful house, the most amazing husband, great family and friends and a great career that you love. It seems like it's been years working towards this point in my life and now that I am here, I am just so grateful.

I think a lot of my happiness also comes from the fact that I am leading a healthy lifestyle and after years of being extremely overweight, I finally decided to take action. I'm finally comfortable in my own skin. I love that feeling. So...in the light of my grateful mood, I thought I would TRY to say thank you for all of the support that I have received through my own blog and also from reading other blogs. It's absolutely amazing how someone elses post can motivate me to skip that chocolate bar I was craving, or make that trip to the gym even though I didn't really want to. You guys have kept me focused and on track more times that I can count. You've inspired me to live a healthy lifestyle, you've given me encouragement and motivation when I needed it the most, and you've shared your set back and successes with me and many other bloggers. So I've decided to pick 10 (although honestly there are about 25 blogs that I read daily that I truly love!) blogs that truly inspire me everyday. Just because I think you deserve recognition and praise. You are all strong, amazing women who give me the motivation that I need on my weight loss journey:

Sarah: You are always coming up with new ideas and tips and your comments on other blogs are always SO positive and motivational. You have inspired so many people! Your blog is such a great resource and honestly it's become a staple! The photo food challenge was such a great idea and I hope you'll keep it up. Also you are going back to school for something you are truly interested in and I think that is amazing!

Jodi: I love your blog Jodi because you tell it like it is. No sugar coating. If you're having an off day, you tell us about it. You always seem to say exactly what's on your mind. You express yourself very well and I couldn't count the number of your posts that I've read and then said to myself "Wow, I could have written that myself, she knows EXACTLY what I'm going through!"

Ms. Kelly: I think I can relate to your blog so much Kelly because we are at a very similar point in our weight loss efforts, we both struggled through summer BBQs, weddings, showers etc. I love your determination and you always seem to motivate me in the work out department. I also love it that you secretly challenged an old coworker or old friend (can't remember which) on the treadmill at the gym and when you could go faster and longer than she did, you felt like you had won (because that is TOTALLY something I would do!!!)

Hot Thick Chick: I'm a new reader of yours but I'm so glad I found our blog! Not only are you hilarious but you're also so easy to relate to. You're always upbeat and easy going and you seem ready to take on the whole world at any given second! You have it all together and even at the times that you don't, you're totally aware of what needs to be done and your determination is great!

Noelle: You just plain amaze me. You have your hands COMPLETELY full at all times but you still find the time to be a great mother to SIX children, lead a healthy lifestyle, follow the WW program, maintain a great blog AND make inspirational comments on other blogs! Where do you even find the time?! Everytime I read your blog, I always think, "Wow, she would make a great WW leader!" Thanks for all the kind words!

Anne: When I first started blogging about weight loss and WW, you were my 'go to' blog. All of my posts were basically modelled after yours and everytime I read one of your posts I always thought "I wish I would have thought to write about that". You have TONS of insight and always seem to be throwing out WW wisdom right left and center!

Mouseroo: I honestly don't think I could get through the day without reading your blog. Your sarcasm is just way too funny. There's no fluff here. You tell it like it is, always. I love it that you put a comical spin on some of life's most frustrating situations, especially when it comes to weight loss. I especially like it that you speak your mind, even when it goes against the grain. :)

New Year, New Me: I just found this blog not long ago but now I'm addicted! I love the confidence that you have, it shines through in every one of your posts. Your before and after pictures are seriously unbelievable and you've come such a long way. Thank you SO much for all the tips and tricks that I've picked up from your blog!

Sister Skinny: You ALWAYS have an interesting story to tell! There is never a dull moment over at Sister Skinny. I've picked up so many great ideas from this blog! You always have something positive to say to everyone who stops by and comments. It takes a lot of time and effort but I hope you know how much it is appreciated.

Amber: My first blog friend haha! You have come such a long way Amber. You spent most of the summer away from home and in an uproar but you still managed to hold yourself accountable and we all know that is nearly impossible...AND you still managed to lose some weight! You are doing a fantastic job! Thanks for all the amazing food finds!

Well that's my ten for the day, although honestly I could keep going on about another 10 blogs but I'll save that for another day!

Today after work Scott and I are going to the YMCA for our first workout. We went and took the tour yesterday after work and we are really interested but they are letting us try it out for a week before we commit. Can't wait to get on that elliptical, it's been about 6 weeks since I've been in a steady workout routine. This last 15 lbs has been hanging around WAY too long...time to say GOODBYE!! Christmas is just around the corner and I'm going to celebrate it with my new friend, the 140s!