Weigh In's

Yesterday I had a Dr.'s appointment which meant I had to step on their damned scale to let them know how much I weigh. I don't know why they even bother weighing me cause the only thing they have been able to do for me is check my thyroid which was normal & tell me to eat healthier. With proof in hand & no way to sidpute that I am indeed eating healthy my Dr. sent in a request for me to see the nutritionist. If I'm already eating healthy then what more can a nutrionist do for me? I guess we shall see.

Anyway, at the Dr.'s the scale read 203 ... to be honest I didn't worry much about this number cause I had has a bottle of water, plus 2 meals on my belly not to mention I was wearing all of my clothes & I could feel a BM was about to come my way. Oh & lets not forget about dear sweet TOM who is now officially 7-12 days late. I say 7 cause I know how my body works but my doctor says 12 cause that's how a body should work. Whatever the case ... I'm late!!!!

With that being said I figured this morning I would wake up at about 199-200 ... nope ... I woke up to

Yippie ... I'm so excited to see this number. It really helps to see this big loss. I was thinking of cancelling WW online subscription & getting Xenical instead. See while at the Doc's yesterday she informed me that she couldn't prescribe a weight loss pill because she works for the government. I was a little miffed but being a soldiers wife for so long I know the drill. They'll give a dying person motrim but give them any hint that you feel unstable & they want to put you on all kinds of anti depressants. Makes no sence to me but I've learned that this is how it works.

Anyway, I'm gonna hang in there with Weight Watchers ... really get into the flex plan & make it work for me. All the docs say there is nothing wrong with my body so now my body is gonna have to come to terms with that fact & get it off.

Have a blessed day!

Be a real Goal-Getter

Setting goals is an essential first step to success, particularly when it comes to weight loss. That's because realizing your dreams requires a systematic approach. Here are our suggestions:

Identify What You Want
Knowledge is power, and knowing what you want gives you the power to get it. In order to meet your goals, you have to be very clear about what they are, especially when it comes to weight loss. To start, make sure your goals are:

• Positive. The thought of achieving your goals should make you feel good.
  
  
• Specific — state the who, what, when, where and how.
  
  
• Attainable on your own — that means your success doesn't rely on another person's actions.
  
  
• A good fit with your life.

Also, reinforce your goals by writing them down — jot them in your journal or save them as a screensaver on your PC. Don't forget to include anticipated payoffs like: "I will be healthier and feel better about myself." You'll be on your way in no time.

Make It Real
The closer you feel to your goal, the more likely you are to achieve it, so visualize your success by imagining every last pleasurable detail. "See" yourself looking fabulous in a new outfit, "feel" yourself walking up stairs without getting breathless, and "hear" the congratulations from other members when you reach your goal.

Affirm your goal by saying it aloud. For example: "I enjoy being slimmer." (Stating your goal in the present tense boosts your belief that you can make it happen.)

Above all, make it fun. Enjoy the process of achieving your goal, whether it's getting more exercise or eating more healthfully. Recast it as a favor you're doing for yourself, not as a penalty to be endured!

Schedule Your Success
Realistically consider what you could achieve within six months, then break it down into monthly subgoals. For example, if you aim to increase your fitness level by walking three miles a day, you could break this down into six subgoals by starting with a half-mile daily walk, then increasing the distance by half a mile each month. Break each subgoal down into weekly steps (week one, walk to bus stop; week two, walk to next stop along route before boarding bus, and so on). As the saying goes, a goal is a dream with a deadline!

Stay on Track
Regularly review your plan, and tick off each sub goal as you achieve it. Be prepared to rework any objectives that prove overly ambitious (by extending your time frame, for instance).

There may come a time when, despite your best efforts, you've stopped making headway. It's tempting to give up now, but put it in perspective. As Thomas Edison once explained, many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. So make a list of your achievements to date, and read it often to reinforce your will to persevere.

Reward Results
Reward yourself regularly. You might go shopping, get a manicure or a massage for every few pounds you drop. By rewarding progress you build on your sense of achievement, increasing your overall chances of success.

Tex Mex Burger (recipe)

Tex-Mex Burgers with Charred Onion, Salsa and Avocado

 

main meals

POINTS® Value: 5 Servings:  4 Preparation Time:  15 min Cooking Time:  9 min Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Liven up your July 4th celebration with our Southwest-inspired burgers. They're tasty made with lean ground turkey, too.

Ingredients

• 1 pound raw extra lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup cilantro, fresh, chopped, divided
• 4 oz canned green chili peppers, drained, diced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 medium vidalia onion(s), or other sweet onion, cut into four 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• 3 sprays cooking spray
• 4 cup romaine lettuce, shredded
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 2/3 medium avocado, Hass, diced

Instructions

• Preheat grill (or grill pan).
  
  
• In a large bowl, combine beef, 1/4 cup of cilantro, green chilies, chili powder and garlic until thoroughly mixed; form into four 1/2-inch-thick patties.
  
  
• Coat patties and onions with cooking spray. Grill, flipping once (or more as necessary if using a grill pan), until burgers are desired degree of doneness and onions are lightly charred and tender, about 7 to 9 minutes for medium.
  
  
• To serve, place 1 cup of lettuce on each of 4 plates. Top each with 1 burger, 2 tablespoons of salsa, 1 onion slice, 1/4 of diced avocado and 1 tablespoon of remaining cilantro.

Heathy Foods ... the way to go

Believe it or not I'm actually liking this healthier way of living. Last night we had a tex mex burger & I'm tellin ya ... that burger had so much flavor that my mouth was watering just on smell alone. The whole meal was only 5 WW points, now ya can't beat that!

I'm getting back into the cardio to, slowly but surely! I'm getting some type of extra movement in everyday ... I can feel the soreness but it's not to bad this time around. I think it has everything to do with the fact that I'm easing my way back into it instead of jumping in full speed ahead. I don't know that I would be able to deal with sore muscles and the chill that seems to be down in my bones from this cold front that blew in.

The food choices for the day ... I'm feeling good about everything!

	Cal	Fib	Fat	Carbs	Prn
Regular Coffee, 3 cup (8 fl oz)	7	0	0	0	1
Cream substitute, Coffee-mate fat free, 3 tbsp	30	0	0	6	0
Old Orchard Healthy Balance Grape Juice, 8 oz	35	0	0	9	0
Cheddar Cheese, 0.5 oz	57	0	5	0	4
Egg substitute, liquid (Egg Beaters), 0.25 cup	53	0	2	0	8
Bacon, 1 medium slices, cooked (raw product packed 20/lb)	36	0	3	0	2
Whole Wheat English Muffin, 1 muffin	134	4	1	27	6
	352	4	11	42	20
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Fettucini Alfredo, 1 serving	290	3	6	45	15
	290	3	6	45	15
Baked Potato (baked potatoes), 1 potato (2-1/3" x 4-3/4")	145	2	0	34	3
Flounder (fish), 1 fillet	149	0	2	0	31
Vegetables, Mixed Salad Greens, 2 serving(s)	30	2	0	6	2
Kraft Light Done Right Ranch Salad Dressing, 2 tbsp	77	0	7	3	0
	400	4	9	43	36
Kraft Handi-Snacks Fat Free Pudding, Vanilla, 1 serving	90	0	0	20	1
Banana, fresh, 1 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long)	109	3	1	28	1
Popcorn, air-popped, 3 cup	92	4	1	19	3
Weight Watchers Giant Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Bar, 1 serving	110	5	1	25	4
	400	11	3	91	9
	1,443	23	29	221	80
	1320 - 1670	25 - 35	35 - 61	177 - 255	60 - 137

 

Cardio: Last night I told DH to wake me before he left (5:30 am) cause I wanted to get up & get my cardio out of the way. I was really thinking I wouldn't get up but I did ... no problems at all. I was gonna do another walk video but I was ready for something different. I've been walking everyday for the last 4 days. I'm getting bored with it. So I chose a latin dance video.

I purchased mine at Walmart but I found Amazon.com has cheaper ones. (note to self start checking the web first).

Now ... a little about this video!

Sizzling Salsa is one of the latest offerings from the Dance Off the Inches series, which has produced fun, generally easy-to-follow dance workouts. This one is led by Stella Sandoval, and as in the other DVDs, she teaches a class of four in what almost looks to be someone's living room. This time, two of the background exercisers are other instructors, Michelle Dozios and Marie Forleo. (they have their own Dance off the Inches videos).

This DVD has a particularly nice feature called the Step Guide. This is a 17-minute segment in which Stella breaks down some of the dance steps from the workout, first showing the move, then performing it slowly, and finally, bringing it up to tempo. (IMO, the way the moves are broken down in the workout ... this segment isn't really needed if you catch onto moves really quickly like I do). 

The workout itself consists of a 5 minute warm-up, 3 dance routines (Spicy Salsa, Latin Lime Twist, and Mucho Mambo Combo), and a 2.5 minute cool-down. Each dance routine is approximately 9 minutes long. Stella teaches in an add-on style, showing you a couple of moves at a time, having you practice these, and then gradually adding more moves to the mix until you have worked your way up to the full routine. One you have learned all of the moves in the routine, Stella "takes you to the dance floor" (her way of saying that you complete the entire dance) four times total. Each of the three dance segments is stand-alone (ie, the Mucho Mambo Combo doesn't repeat any of the moves from Spicy Salsa), and the DVD is nicely chaptered so that you could mix-and-match if you chose to do so.

I would rate the choreography of this video as moderate: those who enjoy complex choreo might find this a bit on the easy side, whereas those who prefer very simple cardio might get lost a few times here. I tend to be on the latter side, and while I was generally able to follow along my first time through, I did have to really concentrate. I'd say the intensity level is about low moderate as well: the workout did get my heart rate up into my target zone, although it dipped below during some of the teaching/other inbetween moments. I clocked the workout in at just under 37 minutes.

Overall, I found this to be a nice dance routine that was enjoyable, moderately complex, and seemed to have a real Latin dance feel to it. It would probably be suited to advanced beginners to intermediate exercisers who enjoy fun dance steps and easily able to pick up moderately choreographed combinations.

TC Challenge & Video of the Day

 

Starting Position Begin this stretching exercise in a standing position with your feet shoulder width apart. Action Bring one arm directly across your body and hold it tight with the opposite arm. Pull the opposite arm to your body, hold for approximately 12 to 15 seconds and relax. Repeat this stretch twice for each arm, alternating between arms. Special Instructions none

Starting Position Stand with feel slightly apart, toes forward, hands on hips or one hand on a wall/chair for support. Shift weight to right leg, keeping knee slightly bent and spine straight. Action EXHALE: Slowly lift the left leg, keeping it bent until thigh is parallel with floor. From here, extend leg straight out from the knee until entire leg is parallel to floor and straight. INHALE: Slowly and with control, lower entire leg down to the ground, keeping it straight. Repeat for all reps and switch sides. Special Instructions If you can't lift leg parallel to floor, lift as high as you can and complete exercises at this level. Muscles Worked: Hips, Quads

Video of the Day was a last minute find for me. I was getting ready to check out of Walmart when my eyes spyed a huge display of workout videos. I was really relieved cause the stuff in the back was the same old stuff that I'm not interested in. Although I love kickboxing I'm not a huge fan of Billy Blanks, I don't know why though. When I was 234 pounds in Hawaii (2000) his videos helped me take off the weight quick. Anyway ... today's video is a walk video by Leslie Sansone.

 I found this baby for just under $10 & it comes with a firm band to strengthening your muscles during this walk is an added bonus. It's a 2 mile walk with a bonus 1 mile. I did the 2 mile with hopes of trying out the last mile but I was either really working it or my ars is really out of shape cause I was pooped.

My food choices

	Cal	Fib	Fat	Carbs	Prtn
Egg substitute, liquid (Egg Beaters), 0.25 cup	53	0	2	0	8
Whole Wheat English Muffin, 1 muffin	134	4	1	27	6
Cheddar Cheese, 0.5 oz	57	0	5	0	4
Bacon, 1 medium slices, cooked (raw product packed 20/lb)	36	0	3	0	2
Oranges, 1 small (2-3/8" dia)	45	2	0	11	1
	325	7	11	39	20
Beans, black, 0.25 cup	57	4	0	10	4
Vegetables, Mixed Salad Greens, 1 serving(s)	15	1	0	3	1
Apples, fresh, 1 medium (2-3/4" dia) (approx 3 per lb)	81	4	0	21	0
Bread, pita, whole-wheat, 1 pita, small (4" dia)	74	2	1	15	3
Hummus, 0.25 cup	104	4	6	9	5
	331	14	7	59	13
Ground beef, lean, 1 oz	75	0	6	0	5
Salsa, 0.25 cup	18	1	0	4	1
Avocados, California (Haas), 0.5 cup, pureed	192	8	18	10	2
	285	9	24	14	8
Popcorn, air-popped, 3 cup	92	4	1	19	3
Yogurt, Yoplait Light, Strawberry, 6 oz	100	0	0	19	5
Milk, nonfat, 1 cup	86	0	0	12	8
Trader Joe's Triple Ginger Snaps (6 cookies), 1 serving	140	0	5	21	2
	417	4	6	71	18
	1,359	33	49	182	59
	1320 - 1670	25 - 35	35 - 61	177 - 255	60 - 137

Today's Nutrition Notes: About 26 points for WW. It's the first day that I planned out my meals without the sites help. I'm hoping I can get the hang of it before my week trial is over so I won't have to pay for it. I'm back up 4 oz from yesterday (200) but TOM is really messing with me ... he should have reared his ugliness 4 days ago. I'm sure some of this weight is water weight. My face feels bloated ... at least I'm hoping it's not really this fat! So ... how does my day look to you?

Foods to Fight Disease

When it comes to food, we can't ignore the facts — or the science. You need a healthy diet for a healthy life.

Research shows a healthy diet could help or prevent a number of health problems, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. And that number keeps growing as researchers learn more about how nutrition affects your health.

What You Should Know

Adopting a disease-fighting diet is easier than you think. When you shop, choose fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, such as brown rice and whole-wheat bread. Avoid foods high in sugar and fat.

Here are some tips for arming yourself against disease with good-for-you foods:

Follow the Food Guide Pyramid

This guide tells you what foods to include in your diet each day and in what portions. It shows you how to have a balanced diet by eating foods from all the basic food groups:

• milk, yogurt and cheese (two to three servings; one cup of milk or yogurt would be one serving)
• meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts (two to three servings; one serving would be two eggs, ½ cup of tuna fish, or about ½ of a skinless, cooked chicken breast)
• fruit (two to four servings; one serving would be a medium-sized apple or banana, ½ cup of canned fruit, or ¼ cup of dried fruit)
• vegetable (three to five servings; one serving would be ½ cup of raw or cooked vegetables or one cup of raw, leafy vegetables, such as spinach or lettuce)
• bread, cereal, rice, and pasta (six to 11 servings; a slice of bread, ½ bagel or English muffin, or ? cup of pasta would be a serving)

Think color

When it comes to fruit and vegetables, eat lots of deep-colored produce. Oranges and dark berries, like blueberries and cranberries, are especially rich in natural plant chemicals that can protect you against diseases like cancer and heart disease, according to the American Dietetic Association. Orange and dark green vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach are also rich in these plant chemicals.

Remember fiber

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables will give your body extra water and fiber, which will help keep your digestive tract clean and healthy. Beans, bran, whole-grain breads and brown rice, and high-fiber cereals are also good sources of fiber.

Make good bacteria your friend

Fermented foods like yogurt are especially good for you as you get older because they contain "good" bacteria that keep your digestive tract healthy. Check food labels for these bacteria. They will say "contains active cultures." The more cultures listed, the healthier the food. The good bacteria in these foods also fight the bad bacteria that can enter your body through spoiled food and make you sick.

Eat fatty fish

Your body needs some fats to stay healthy, and the fats found in fish like salmon and tuna are good for your heart. Fish also provides a rich source of protein without the large amount of unhealthy fat you get from red meat.

Try soy

Eating about one to two ounces of soy protein daily can help lower cholesterol and unhealthy fat in your diet and protect you from heart disease. You can find many different soy products, which come from soybeans, in your food store. The most popular are tofu, soy milk (in different flavors), soy burgers and hot dogs, soy ice cream, soy nut butter, and soy flour.

Drink plenty of water

To stay healthy, drink at least eight glasses of water daily. Pay special attention to drinking enough because your thirst decision dulls with age, and remember that if you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated.

Don't abstain if you don't have to

Beer and red wine, in moderation, are another rich source of plant chemicals. This means no more than one glass of beer or red wine a day for women, two for men.

Following a healthy diet, along with regular exercise, will prevent you from gaining weight, which is important for good health. Losing 10 percent of your body weight, for instance, could be enough to lower your cholesterol. Choose healthy foods for a longer and healthier life!