I Track Bites

First I have to start off by saying that I was sick again these past few days.  This has not been my year health wise.  I have been sick more times this year than in the past three years since I came home from South Korea.  Last night was not friendly to me so lets just say that I will not be staying up until midnight tonight as there were a few times that I didn't think I was going to make it through the day without falling asleep.  On a positive note, Chloe is officially done nursing in the middle of the night!  It took me a week to get her off of her midnight (actually more like 2am) feeding but I did.  Wahoo!  That is a happy place.  She is waking up earlier now (around 6:30 instead of 7:00) but I will take that over waking up at 2am every night any day.  So after almost a whole year of interrupted sleep, things are finally starting to look up.

I am not sure if I mentioned yet, but I canceled my weight watchers account.  I felt like I knew the program well enough to follow it without the tools and I found a site online that calculates weight watchers points for you.  However, while browsing the apple app store today, I ran across a really neat app that is called I Track Bites.  Basically it is Weight Watchers Online, but at full price it is only $6!  And I bought it for half off!  That is super awesome since Weight Watchers Online is $18/month every month.  I couldn't believe it.  Basically it calculates how many "bites" (points plus) you get per day based off of your gender, age, and weight.  Then it has all the tools as e-tools does for weight watchers online.  However, their "Pocket Guide" (food bank if you will) does not have as many foods in it as Weight Watchers does.  I haven't found this to be an issue since I just calculate the points for the food I want and then save it.  They also have a favorites folder which is alphabetized and easy to access and find foods from (unlike the favorites folder in Weight Watchers which I found I couldn't find anything in there).  It even has a little bubble in the upper right hand corner of the app on your home screen to tell you how many bites/points you have left in the day.  I love it!  Weight Watchers tools for practically free!  If you are accustomed to the Weight watchers system this is definitely worth checking into.  They even have filling foods.

http://pointscalculators.com/

 

 

This is my new favorite app!  Super excited to use this for the remainder of my weight loss (they even give you the fun weight loss stickers as weight watchers online does). 

On a different note, I got a new phone today!  I upgraded to the new Iphone 5S and I am so glad that I was able to upgrade!  This phone works so much better than my Iphone 4.  I was so upset with the performance of the Iphone 4 after IOS7 came out that I was thinking of switching.  I almost went with the new Nokia Lumina 1020 with the super awesome camera, but Windows doesn't have many of the apps that I use like Sworkit, Square registrar, The Pampered Chef app, Amazon Cloud Player, and of course my new favorite app: I track bites.  So I was then thinking of getting an android but after hearing about how the performance varies from phone to phone I just went with apple trusting that the newest model would have solved my slow phone problem.  And it did!  I am also excited for Siri and Voice to Text, features that were not on my old model.  And just for fun here is the first picture I took with my new phone:

Chloe is almost walking!!!!

I taught Lily to ride a bike

This year for Christmas we bought Lily a bike.  We were very excited to get it for her as we knew she would love it and she if finally old enough to enjoy and learn how to ride a bike.  Lily loved her bike, and it was the first thing she said when she came downstairs Christmas morning "ooooo It's a Bike!"  I knew I would have to take her out soon.  We didn't go out Christmas day since we packed up pretty soon after we finished opening presents and went to my in-laws house.  So the day after Christmas I took Lily outside to begin teaching her how to ride a bike while Chloe was taking a nap.

It was tough going at first.  Lily had never been on a bike before and of course had absolutely no idea what to do, so I was holding onto her feet and moving them to show her how to push the pedals.  For the first little while I was actually crawling on my knees moving her feet in a circular motion so she could feel how to pedal her bike.  After a little while, I got up and was hunched over holding her legs and pushing her legs down to move the bike forward.  We were outside for probably 45 minutes that morning and she was starting to get the hang of it.

The next day we went out in the morning during Chloe's nap again and Lily really improved.  We were outside for an hour and I was pushing her, and helping her pedal and running along side her once she got the hang of it!

The thought occurred to me then that I would not have been able to teach my daughter how to ride a bike if I had not lost the weight and made the progress that I have made this past year.  It took a lot of energy and effort to teach Lily how to ride that bike, and it was something I did entirely by myself.  I felt a great surge of accomplishment.  I was proud of Lily for learning so quickly how to ride, by the end of our third session later that same day she was able to pedal and steer her bike.  (she still needs a push to get started and doesn't quite understand how to break).  I was also proud of myself for seeing a need in myself to make a change, and then doing it.  What's more is that I have stuck with it for longer than any other time in my life and I don't ever want to go back to the way I was.
Here is Lily riding her bike, and she got it down the second time we went out!

With that being said, I gained 2 pounds this week, weighing in at 154.5.  Not surprising considering that Christmas was this week and there have been a surplus of food and sweets around.  But now I am ready to kick it to the curb and get back in gear.  I recently bought some new clothes and I was given some super awesome Victoria Secret Pajamas (nice cotton pajamas, not lingerie or anything skimpy, just regular pajamas) from my sister for Christmas.  To motivate myself to get back on track and not fall into the temptation of spiraling down and down and out of control I have decided that I am not allowed to wear any of my super awesome new clothing until I reach 150 (that is only 2 pounds less than my lowest weigh in so it shouldn't take too long if I get back on track right away).

That is super motivating to me!  I love my new clothes and I like the way I look in them.  I want to wear them!!  So that is where we are at.  I am going to start the new year off right.

Christmas Jubillation

First off I have to admit that I utterly fail in my not weighing myself campaign.  I have weighed myself every day except Monday this week.  However, that might be a good thing since this week is Christmas week and I have not exactly been eating very healthy.  I have not gained any weight and that right there is an accomplishment.  I finished out my week of Zumba classes on Monday, and I had a great time but was pretty low on energy, which is interesting since I hadn't worked out since last Thursday, but maybe my body was still recovering.  Monday was just about my only good eating day this week.  Tuesday we went over to my Parent's house for Christmas Eve and my mom had done a lot of baking (all well and good for her since she is allergic to gluten so she just made a bunch of stuff with gluten in it so that way she gets to have fun baking but isn't tempted to eat any of it!  Me on the other hand.... I ate about half of it!)  It was very yummy, I love chocolate covered pretzels, sweet and salty is just about the most perfect combination.  Dinner was amazing as well, mashed potatoes with ham and peas.  We came home with extra mashed potatoes, not exactly what I need at this moment, but so good, and it will be a great side dish I don't have to make.

We opened presents with my parents that night and my Dad splurged on Lily and spoiled her rotten.  He bought her the doll house of her dreams!  Here she is opening it.  I wish I could have gotten a picture of her face when she realized the gigantic present was for her!  She was so excited.  She absolutely loves her doll house.

On Christmas morning I made Banana Quinoa Waffles for breakfast, just about my favorite waffles in the world.  They are pretty healthy since they are made with whole wheat, bananas and quinoa!  Of course once you take into account the syrup and the whipped cream......... well, go light on the syrup and the points plus value goes down.  I can get 12 waffles out of one batch and that makes each waffle 3 points plus each.  I don't have a picture, and I will post the recipe next time I make them.

We bought Lily a bike for Christmas (bike riding lessons post is coming soon) and she absolutely loved that and the red wagon too.  Here she is at the stockings, she had a blast opening her stocking, she was so excited.  It was a lot of fun this year seeing her reaction.  It is the first time we have had a kid who is old enough to really know what is going on and get into the mood.

Which Stocking is Mine?

Loving the pen and notebook (Dollar Isle! Cha Ching!)

Lily wearing her new necklace and bracelet

After we opened presents at our house, we headed up to Matt's parent's house where I ate two full plates of dinner.  Turkey, ham, stuffing, cranberries, green bean casserole, sweet potato soufle.  By the time I was done I was too full to eat dessert, so I guess something good came out of it.  Surprisingly I did not weigh any more the next day and I am staying at 152.3.  So that is the good news.

Today I just ate poorly.  I was craving all sorts of junk food and I gave into my cravings and I am now paying the price for it.  You would think I would eventually learn from the past and not feed myself junk food.  Everytime I do I get really sick, and tonight is no exception.  My stomach HURTS!  Hopefully I will not be up puking half the night.  *sigh* the lessons we learn.  Well, tomorrow I am picking up all the junk in the house and either tossing it or putting it away where I won't reach for it and grab it.  Tomorrow I am back on track, it only took me a sick stomach to hit reality.  Hopefully I am not up on the scale again tomorrow, but I did get a lot of exercise in today with the kids and we went to a Zumba Master Class tonight and I am beat! 

Resisting the Scale/ Very Hungry Day

It would have been so easy to step on the scale this morning, and I had to consciously choose not to.  It was very difficult since I have made a habit out of it, and my mind kept thinking to "oh, I need to go weigh myself.  No!  I am not weighing myself today."  Even after breakfast when I hopped into the shower, I had to pull myself away from the temptation to weigh myself.  It was not an easy task and I kept wondering what I would weigh today.  This is how the scale draws me in.  I wonder how much I weigh, if I am more or less or the same as yesterday, is my hard work paying off, have I gone down yet, what if I weigh more than yesterday, what then? 

Well, none of these questions and mutterings in my brain were answered today, and it really didn't change how I ate today.  Actually the hardest thing for me today was that I seemed to be in a hungry mood.  I have been hungry all day long and it doesn't matter how much I seem to eat, I am still hungry!  After I came home from the grocery store I was so hungry and Lily's Teddy Grahams were right there in front of me and I was feeding some to Chloe, so I had to have some too.  Then the bag of chips I was putting away was so easily accessible that I had to pop it open and start munching on them.  After a few handfuls of chips I tore myself away and forced myself not to eat anything else until after I ate my lunch.  I made my shake right away and then felt better after I ate it.  Not full mind you, but I didn't feel like I had to shove everything within arms reach into my mouth to satisfy my tummy rumblings. 

Shortly after lunch I was hungry again.  I ate around noon and by 2pm I felt like I was starving again!  I wasn't even doing anything that required a lot of energy.  I was sitting on the couch doing some crochet for the first time in almost a year.  And I was quite enjoying myself but for some reason or other my stomach rumblings intensified rather quickly.  I ate a Greek yogurt and was still very hungry.  What gives?  Why am I so incredibly hungry today?  I am open to any ideas, do any of you get days where you just seem to be hungry all the time? 

My one crowning achievement today is that after my earlier splurge on teddy grahams and bbq chips, I got right back on track.  It would have been so easy to just throw in the towel and say "well I blew it, I guess it doesn't matter what I eat the rest of the day, may as well just have a bad day and get back on track tomorrow".  But I didn't!  I said "I am going to get right back on track because I have Zumba tonight and I have to reach my goal in one week, therefore I will not eat any candy, cookies, popcorn, or other various foods today and eat healthy the rest of the day".  And I did!  After my splurge at lunch time I only had the Greek Yogurt for snack and for dinner I ate a nice healthy meal of Taryiaki Tofu Stir Fry (a Weight Watchers Recipe)

It is super easy.  In a stir fry skillet, spritz with oil, add tofu, edamame, red onion, garlic, snow peas, and taryiaki sauce.  Cook and serve over rice.  For those of you who like having a recipe to cook from here is the official weight watchers recipe:

1 spray(s) cooking spray	0
1/8 tsp minced garlic or to taste	0
1/2 small uncooked red onion(s) thinly sliced	0
1/2 cup(s) snow peas	0
3 oz firm tofu cubed	2
1/4 cup(s) edamame (shelled) cooked	1
2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce	1
1/2 cup(s) cooked brown rice	3

Instructions

Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. Add onion and snow peas; sauté until crisp-tender. Add tofu; sauté until browned and vegetables are tender. Add cooked edamame and teriyaki sauce; cook until heated through and serve over rice.

December 22nd Weigh In

This is the reason why I should not weigh myself every day.  This morning I was 152.3, which wasn't what I was hoping for, but better than the 153.5 that I have been coming in at for the past few days.  So now I need to break my scale addiction.  I hate not knowing where I am at on a day by day basis when I am trying to lose weight (as opposed to when I am not being good then I don't want to weight myself because I don't want to see the consequences of what I have done). 

One and a half weeks to lose just over 2 pounds.  Can I do it?  I am not sure, I have only been losing about a pound a week.  It is so hard to lose during the holidays when there is yummy food and treats everywhere.  For instance just as I was writing this a member from my church came over and dropped off cookies and fudge!  Talk about ironic! Then there is the popcorn from Patsey's.  That is absolutely to die for, popcorn is one of my weaknesses.  I absolutely love popcorn and it is so hard to resist the caramel and cheesy popcorn that we get around the holidays.  Today I have already eaten several mini Hershy's chocolates as well as some popcorn, fudge and a mini cookie.  Not starting off too well.  But the good thing is that I am not going to be exposed to sweets again until Wednesday (so I say now but I am sure I will get surprised on Monday and Tuesday, just you wait and see)

Well at least there is something healthy for dinner: Lemon Chicken and broccoli.  I do think that it could do with a little more flavor, maybe add a little more garlic, lemon zest and juice.  Make the flavor a bit stronger, taste better.  It comes in at a whopping 4 points plus per serving!  Woo hoo

www.weightwatchers.com

Ingredients

	2 Tbsp all purpose flour
	1/2 tsp table salt, divided
	1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
	12 oz uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s), thinly sliced
	2 tsp olive oil
	1 1/2 cup(s) fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth, divided
	2 tsp minced garlic
	2 1/2 cup(s) uncooked broccoli, small florets
	2 tsp lemon zest, or more to taste*
	2 Tbsp fresh parsley, fresh, chopped
	1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

• On a plate, combine 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper; add chicken and turn to coat.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning as needed, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes; remove to a plate.
• Put 1 cup of broth and garlic in same skillet; bring to a boil over high heat, scrapping up browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Add broccoli; cover and cook 1 minute.
• In a small cup, stir together remaining 1/2 cup of broth, 1/2 tablespoon of flour and 1/4 teaspoon of salt; add to skillet and bring to a simmer over low heat.
• Cover and cook until broccoli is crisp-tender and sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in chicken and lemon zest; heat through.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in parsley and lemon juice; toss to coat. Yields about 1 cup per serving.