The Bead Tree.net | Weigh In Wednesdays

Weigh In Wednesday Archives

On April 9th 2008, I joined Weight Watchers after finding out that a friend, who has been following the Core program since January, had lost 27 pounds ~ way to go Jena! She inspired me to get on with & get over my weight woes.

I've been losing & gaining the same *darn* 10 pounds for the last 2 years. Discipline would help me shed them & sabotage would put them right back on. My routine of eating healthily & exercising during the week & eating foolishly & lazing around on the weekends has been absolutely futile in getting off this "10 pound yo-yo" ride.

I know that I need to take accountability for my behavior & I believe having to weigh in once a week is really good incentive to clean up my act. I am also going to record my weekly progress here (yes I am scared).

So with no further ado, I declare every Wednesday Weigh In Wednesday.

My goal (to start): 25 pounds by July 15. That's 3 months away with the average of 8 pounds a month, 2 pounds a week. I think that's pretty realistic as I know some weeks are going to be better than others.

I hope to share some of the tools I utilize, inspirations I have, the ups & downs, any good recipes & whatever else is worth sharing, as I go along. If you want to join in, that's great too, the more the merrier! I would love to hear your comments, suggestions, inspirations, ideas...etc. as well, feel free to email me here.

Wednesday ~ April 16th

11:03 a.m.

O.k. I'm off to embrace Weigh In Wednesday, I'll post my results when I get back...

1:40 p.m.

I'm back & (drum roll please) 6 pounds lighter! I'm very happy with that, the week was pretty good, not perfect by any means, but good. Here are a few things that I think really helped me:

Grapefruit ~ I've been eating one every morning, I cut it in half & slice all the sections so it's easy to scoop out & I add a little sugar twin on top to sweeten it. I've just recently rediscovered my passion for this fruit, it's pretty to look at, juicy & quite filling.
Exercise ~ every day, whether it be a walk, a bike ride, yoga, the gym or gardening, I've been making sure to get out & move. With my job, I just have to.
One portion of starches or grains a day. If I have pasta (whole wheat that is) for lunch, I have a salad for dinner. Or if I have soup for lunch, I can have a potato or rice with my dinner meal. On the Core program bread is not on the list, which I know is a deal breaker for some people, but for me, I don't miss it.
Lots of fruit on hand, grapes in a bowl, oranges nearby, cutup cantaloupe & strawberries in the fridge, all deliciously satisfying when hunger strikes.

Wednesday ~ April 23rd

8:50 a.m.

It's Weigh In Wednesday! I'm running late but just wanted to touch base before I go out for the morning. It's been a pretty good week food wise, however I don't expect the big number like last week. I'll be back this afternoon with the results.

2:15 p.m.

I'm back & 2.6 pounds lighter! I was a little nervous this time because of the big drop last week. I thought that maybe I had lost a lot of water the following week & it was going to show up on the scale now, but it didn't.

It was a pretty good week, I'm finding the Core foods very fulfilling. Here's a picture of a typical dinner for me:

This was a vegetable & ground beef (extra lean) meatloaf that didn't stay together of course, but still tasted delicious, some steamed broccoli, a half of an acorn squash & some roasted cherry tomatoes. Not bad, eh?

The meals have been very delicious & easy to stick too, but the one thing that I was concerned most about were the snacks. If you call "an apple" a snack, than you probably don't have a weight problem. I call rice crisps, blue cheese & crackers, popcorn (not the non buttery & non salty kind you can have on this program, but the good stuff) or the occasional bowl of Cheezies "a snack". So, I knew that things were going to have to change in this department & I found a really awesome substitute for those typical choices.

Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans). They're nutritious & loaded with fiber & if you prepare them the right way, they're a really satisfying snack. Here's how ~

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Drain & wash a can of chickpeas in a strainer.
Toss them in a bowl with a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of olive oil & some cayenne pepper (you could use any spices you like).
Lay out on a baking sheet & bake for 30 minutes. *You can bake them longer for a more crunchy-crunch, but I find after 30 minutes they're perfect, a little crunchy on the outside & still tender & buttery on the inside.*

* The key is not to eat all of them in one sitting because they are high in calories, but I keep them on hand during the weekend when I'm more likely to crave a snack.

Wednesday ~ May 7th

Weigh In Wednesday

I've been for my weigh in & I'm another 2 pounds down! That's a loss of 10.6 pounds since I started exactly a month ago.

So far, so good. I'm finding the Core program really easy & enjoyable. For instance, today I had for lunch: salmon, half of a baked potato with black bean salsa & a fresh salad with sugar snap peas, yellow peppers & cherry tomatoes. It was delicious, nutritious & left me completely satisfied. I don't know what's going on but I think by eliminating processed food & refined sugars from my diet, I can actually taste real food. I can't believe how full of flavor corn, tomatoes, cauliflower, grapefruit, bell peppers, peas, squash, grapes, mangoes...etc. are & so colorful. Every time I plate my meals, it's a feast for the eyes as well. And the amount of energy I have now compared to a month ago has changed incredible. I've been enjoying hour long walks & going to the gym & cleaning the house & I can't wait until my next yoga class, not my next meal. Good things are happening, hope I can keep it up, this is the dreaded 10 pound mark ~ a serious roadblock in the past.

Wednesday ~ May 14th

9:50 a.m.

I have some errands to run & then it's Weigh In Wednesday. Be back in a few hours with the results.

1:35 p.m.

I'm back. I'm also 3.6 pounds down from last week ~ yippee! That makes my total weight loss after 5 weeks 14.2 pounds. Things went reasonably well last week, although again, it wasn't anywhere near perfect, but I think this way of eating is really beneficial to my health so I'll stick with it. Good news is I surpassed the weight roadblock that's been a problem for the last couple of years & I really do feel different inside. It's like my body has switched into a higher gear. Thanks to all of you out there sending wonderful, supportive emails, it's appreciated!

Wednesday ~ May 28th

1:20 p.m.

Back from the weigh in & another 1.8 pounds down!

I want to share an awesome recipe for all you French fry addicts out there *cough, mom, cough*:

Sweet Potato Fries

Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray
Cut the sweet potatoes (allow approx 1 per person) into wedges
Toss with just a little olive oil (2 tsp) & add your favorite spices (I like cayenne pepper, a sprinkle of salt & garlic powder, but you could also use Mrs. Dash spices or anything you like).
Place in a single layer on the cookie sheet
Bake at 400 to 425 for 20-35 minutes until they start to brown (this is so dependent on your oven and how thick you slice them so, just keep an eye on them). You can also adjust the heat if you want them crispier or softer.
Serve, if you want, with fat free sour cream.

Seriously, these will knock your socks off if you haven't tried them already.

Wednesday ~ June 11th

1:13 p.m.

Much to my surprise, I dropped 2.2 pounds this week. I think all the yard work is showing on the scale. Good thing I still have more shrubs to plant & lots & lots of weeding to do.

I've never really mentioned this before, but a really nice part of this process is having such great support from Chris (thank you honey). Each Wednesday he comes home with a treat (reward) for me. Not the chocolate kind either, but usually a c.d. or something pertaining to the garden. Last week he gave me a bat house which I'm so stoked about! We need to stain it & hang it & then wait & hope we get some bats to the neighborhood, we have the most delicious mosquitoes around & we're starting to get lots & lots of them. I'll keep you posted if we do.