fat tuesday...updates

As you may have noticed, there haven't been any Fat Tuesday posts for awhile. The reason for this is that WW and I have not been getting along with each other for the past few months. I've been doing this for almost a year now and have been floundering around between a total loss of 13 and 15 pounds since August! Ugh! I have less than 6 months until my wedding and would still like to lose at least 15 more pounds.

Three weeks ago, I got fed up and gave myself an ultimatum...I was going to follow my plan to a T, work out like never before and lose at LEAST one pound...or I was going to quit WW.

So, I tracked everything I ate and drank (I mean EVERYTHING!) and tried a bunch of new classes at the gym - Zumba, kickboxing & dance. I earned a total of 45 Activity Points (for those of you not familiar with WW, you not only eat food points, but you earn activity points when you work out...you can then swap these for food if needed).

Well, last Tuesday at my meeting, I was down 2.6! That's the biggest loss I've had in awhile! I tried to follow the same type of plan this week and earned 35 AP's and tracked almost everything I ate and stayed within my points for the week. Last night at my meeting I was only down .4... While I wish the loss had been greater, I'm just excited that I actually lost 2 weeks in a row! It's been while since I did! The past few months have been up and down every week!

So, there you have it...I'm hopefully back on the band wagon and will stay here for awhile...or at least until I lose some more weight.

For others who are on WW, or other weight loss programs, how are you doing? Has anyone else hit a plateau that's lasted for MONTHS?!

fat tuesday

Welcome back to our regularly scheduled programming!

Ok, so life has been crazy busy lately, hence the lack of blog posts, but I still have not missed ONE Weight Watcher meeting!  Tonight was no different.

I've been stuck in a rut lately between a total loss of 13 and 15 pounds.  My dad told me I should eat high protein and less than 70 g of carbs for 2 days and it would break my plateau.

Well, what do you know...Dad was right!

This week's loss: -2.2

Total loss: 17.8

I can't believe I'm only 2.8 lbs away from 20 lbs!!!  I have never stuck with it this long...I guess a wedding on the horizon is just the motivation I needed!

fat tuesday

I set a goal for myself to lose 15 pounds by my friend K's wedding...which is this weekend.

After the past weekend in Canada eating and drinking myself silly, I was not expecting a loss...but more likely a gain.

Well, the weight loss gods have smiled down on me today.

This week's loss: -1.2

Total loss: 15.4

GO ME! :)

fat tuesday

Even after ALL of the crap that I ate and drank this weekend, I surprising lost weight this week!  I was only down .4, but I had set a goal that I wanted to be at a total loss of 15 before my friend K's wedding, which is next weekend, and I only have .8 to go!  Go me!

This week's loss: -.4

Total loss: 14.2

fat tuesday

And so begins week 16 of Weight Watchers.

I am still only down 13.8.  Today's weigh in was neither good, nor bad, I stayed the same.  The funny thing was at first I had gained .2, but then the lady weighing me told me take my sunglasses off (they were on top of my head) and back down I went.  

I'm frustrated, but have no one to blame but myself.  I've been eating crap on the weekends and drinking beer.  Plus, I haven't really been working out.  I really need to step it up!

I'm going to start setting small goals for myself each week.  This week I'm going to focus on water.  I need to start drinking more of it.  My plan is to drink a whole Nalgene bottle (32 oz) before lunch, and another after.  Then I'll just drink a glass or two when I get home with dinner.  

This week's loss: 0

Total loss: 13.8

fat tuesday

Yeah, I've been a bad blogger...not posting...not commenting...not even reading!  I'm sorry!  This summer has been SO busy and we're starting to get back into the wedding planning.  More on that tomorrow.

This past weekend was my friend K's bachelorette party...it included a day of wine tasting in Woodinville and then a night of music at Chopstix piano bar.  It was a blast, but my gut was NOT happy with me on Sunday.  After tasting at least 15 wines, 3 pieces of pizza and some late night CHEESE FRIES, I was not planning on losing any weight this week.  

Well, my theory of having a loss after a gain held true.  I lost 1.4 this week!  Now if I can just lose 1.2 this coming week, I will be at a total loss of 15 lbs!!!  Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

This week's loss: -1.4

Total loss: 13.8

fat tuesday (a day late and 1/2 lb heavier)

So I gained...again.

Only .6 this week, but still not a loss. I'm done being hard on myself though...I'm just telling myself that I'm going to lose and I'm going to gain...it's not easy. And, I'll lose next week...so far my pattern has been that if I gain one week, I will lose big the following week...

So here's to next week!

This week: + .6 lbs
Total loss: 12.4 lbs

fat tuesday

Since Tuesdays are my weigh in day for WW, I thought I'd start a new weekly post appropriately titled "Fat Tuesday"!  

After drinking my weight in beer this weekend and eating enough Doritos to nourish a small

village, I had to go to my weigh in tonight.  Believe me...I was nervous!

Well, apparently when I stress the most is when I lose more than usual!  I was down 2 more pounds this week!

This weeks loss: 2 lbs

Total loss: 13 lbs

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In other blog news, have you seen this new website called Wordle?  No fewer than 3 of the blogs I subscribe to had links to it yesterday, so I thought I'd post about it too! 

It's actually a pretty cool site.  You can put in any combination of words, or type in your blog url and it makes a word cloud that you can then customize with various fonts, colors and layouts.  

Here's Moments of a Blonde "wordled"!

happy birthday america!

I thought I'd post a quick update before the long weekend, as I will be out of town with no internet access.

I am currently frustrated with WW and the $300 worth of food we bought last night for this coming weekend isn't going to help. Last night at my weigh in I was up 1 POUND! UGH! Why am I fluctuating? My sister is losing at least a pound or more a week and I'm stuck with losing mere ounces, or even worse gaining!

It could have been the weight training I did last week (supposedly when you lift weights and your muscles are sore they are retaining water)...but I only lifted weights one day...I am still slightly sore though.

It also could have been the gyro, strawberry lemonade and strawberry colada I consumed on Sunday...but nevermind that.

This weekend we are heading our cabin down at Mt. Rainier with friends. I'm looking forward to the 3 day weekend and getting away from work and the city. We'll do a little hiking, some swimming, sunbathing, golfing...and lots of eating. Did I mention we spent $300 on food last night?!?! Granted $50 was just in beer...

Anyway, tomorrow is a short work day...off at 3 and then heading to the mountain. Hope everyone has a fun, happy & SAFE 4th of July!!!

summer is FINALLY here!

Summer has finally reached Seattle! This last week of June is forecasted to be great weather, which is a welcome change from the crappy rainy weather we've had during the first 3 weeks of June.

It's SO nice that it's actually warmer outside than it is inside (doesn't happen very often here) and today I spent my lunch break basking in the sun!

This weekend it is supposed to get up into the 80's and my plans include lounging by the pool at my condo with my sister and going to an outdoor festival on Sunday. I can't wait! I'm actually counting down the days to this weekend as if it was a vacation!

I'm also looking forward to getting a little color on this pasty white skin that hasn't seen sunlight since LAST June! And, now that I've officially lost 12 lbs (I was down another .4 last night), I can feel a little better putting my bathing suit on!

Anyone else looking forward to a relaxing weekend?

a turn for the better

Sorry about the morbid post on Monday...I just coudn't stop thinking about it and needed to get it out.

Anyway, my weigh in last night at WW was GREAT! I lost 3.6 lbs! That makes my total loss 11.6! YAY! I made it past my first goal of 10 lbs, and am now well on my way to my second goal which is 10%.

I am again feeling really good about WW and my ability to lose weight!

This weekend will definitely include some celebrating (although I did already treat myself to a new purse this past weekend).

i haven't forgotten about this blog...honest!

I've been busy and haven't had much time to blog lately. So, I thought I'd just share a quick update of what's been going on.

***

As of Tuesday I have lost a total of 8.2 pounds! While it's not coming off quite as fast as I would have liked it to, I have to say that I am starting to feel my clothes becoming a little looser! Woo Hoo!

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Not much new on the wedding front. Once we got our venue booked I sort of slowed down. We're planning on just enjoying the summer and maybe meeting with a few photographers, but not stressing on it to much.

***

We're participating in another fun run this Sunday. It's the Furry 5k that benefits the Seattle animal shelter. While we don't have a dog to run/walk with, it's still a good excuse to get together with friends and sneak some exercise in!

I'm also going to a water aerobics class on Saturday morning with my WW buddy. I can't wait! If we like it, we'll be getting up at 7am every Saturday to go.

***

Friday is my little sister Courtney's 8th grade graduation. I can't believe how old she is or that she'll be in high school next year! Gah, I am OLD!!!

an honorary norwegian

This weekend, well Saturday May 17 to be exact, was the Norwegian Constitution Day. While I am not Norwegian, I work in an area with a large Norwegian population and one of the women who lives in the condo where I work is very involved in the community Norwegian club. Apparently this area is host to the 2nd largest Norwegian Constitution Day parade outside of Oslo itself!

She has been telling me about this special event for months and I mentioned to her that I thought Jason was Norwegian. This fact completely thrilled her and she was SO excited to meet him that she invited us to her party and to enjoy the parade and festival that was scheduled for Saturday.

Well, come to find out, Jason is NOT Norwegian! But, we couldn't tell this woman who was so obviously enamored with the fact that I was engaged to a Norwegian. So we went along with it!

And it was a blast! The weather here in Seattle on Saturday was perfect summer parade weather...it broke a record at 88 degrees. The parade wasn't anything fancy, just a bunch of people who were proud of the heritage, a few middle school bands and some unicylers! It was like a small town summer parade! So fun!

I joked with Jason that we were now honorary Norwegians!

Besides Saturday, the rest of the weekend was pretty event filled and fun! Sunday morning we participated in the Beat the Bridge 8k Fun Run. Well, I did the walk with a friend and Jason ran it with his friends. Afterward we all went out to lunch and soaked up some more of the much welcomed sun. Then, last night was dinner at my mom's for my grandma's birthday.

I ate way too much (both last night and throughout the rest of the weekend) and am NOT looking forward to my WW weigh in tonight. But, such is life. At least I had a great weekend and even got a nice workout in.

This week it's back to the grindstone and saving ALL my extra weekly points for this weekend...first camp out of the season!

Hope you all had a great weekend! Only 5 days until the 3 day weekend!!!

Happy Monday!

hola amigos!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I love Mexican food (among most other foods), therefore I LOVE Cinco de Mayo.

As you all know, I re-joined WW a few weeks ago and have been going strong (I actually have my weigh in tonight...keep your fingers crossed for me!). I really don't want to blow my weight loss victory on a gallon of margaritas and a pound of chips & salsa...so tonight we are doing C de M WW style!

Lean meat tacos with low calorie tortillas, low fat cheese & sour cream. I am, however, going to indulge in REAL tortilla chips (those lowfat cardboard strips just don't cut it) and a few margaritas.

In honor of my WW C de M, I thought I'd share a few low cal margarita recipes that I recently stumbled across over at HungryGirl.com (if you haven't checked out this website, I HIGHLY recommend it!)

I can't guarantee that they will taste like the real thing, but I will be testing them tonight and will get back to you tomorrow!

Rockin' Razzy Rita
(Entire recipe: 105 calories, 0g fat, 5mg sodium, 2g carbs, 0g fiber, 0.5g sugars, 0g protein = 2 Points)

Hand over your keys. It's time for a Rockin' Razzy Rita…

Ingredients:
*1.5 oz. tequila
1/2 tsp. Crystal Light powdered drink mix, Raspberry Ice
5 oz. water
1 oz. lime juice
Optional: lime slice for garnish and salt or no-calorie sweetener for rim of glass

Directions:
If desired, run some lime juice along the rim of the glass and dip into a dish of salt or sweetener. Combine all ingredients, mix well, and serve over ice. Or, for a frozen one, place all ingredients (dissolve Crystal Light in water first) in a blender with 1 cup crushed ice, and blend on high until well mixed. Optional: Garnish with a slice of lime. Serves 1!

HG's Fruitylicious Margarita
(Entire recipe: 105 calories, 0g fat, 15mg sodium, 3g carbs, 0g fiber, 0.5g sugars, 0g protein = 2 Points)

This one's crazy delicious, customizable and guilt-free to boot!

Ingredients:
*1.5 oz. tequila
5 oz. SoBe LEAN; Diet Mango Melon, Energy Diet Citrus, or Diet Cranberry Grapefruit
1 oz. lime juice
Optional: lime slice for garnish and salt or no-calorie sweetener for rim of glass

Directions:
If you like, wet the glass rim with juice from a lime and dunk it into a dish of salt or sweetener. For frozen sips, combine all ingredients in a blender with 1 cup crushed ice, and blend on high until well mixed. Or, mix ingredients well and serve over ice. If desired, garnish with a lime wedge. Serves 1!

HG's Magical Low-Calorie Margarita
(Entire recipe: 105 calories, 0g fat, 58mg sodium, 2g carbs, 0g fiber, 0.5g sugars, 0g protein = 2 Points)This one's an old favorite...and it ROCKS!

Ingredients:
6 oz. Sierra Mist Free (or Diet Sprite Zero, or your other fave no-cal lemon-lime soda)
*1.5 oz. tequila
1/2 tsp. Crystal Light powdered drink mix, Lemonade
1 oz. lime juiceOptional: lime slice for garnish and salt or no-calorie sweetener for rim of glass

Directions:
If desired, run some lime juice along the rim of the glass and dip into a dish of salt or sweetener. Mix all ingredients together. Pour over 1 cup of crushed ice. Optional: Garnish with lime slice. Enjoy. Serves 1!

ww update

Oh yeah...I forgot to mention that I lost 2.8 lbs last week! My total for the 2 weeks I've been on WW is 3.6!

I'm pretty happy with that! I've been really good this week and don't plan to really 'splurge' again until Cinco de Mayo. My WW buddy and her fiance and Jason and I are doing homemade Mexican on Monday night (after our weigh-in) so that we can easily count points.

But believe me...I AM having chips (real ones...not those cardboardy baked ones) and a margarita or 2!

a little nervous

Tonight is my second WW meeting and I am a little nervous.

I've been good ALL week...staying within my allowed points each day and saving all of my "extra" points for Saturday night (pizza with Jason and my sister and her new boy!). I was really proud of myself! I've usually had a hard time staying on track on the weekends, but I was very conscious this past weekend.

I packed my lunch for work today (Smart Ones enchilada, 60 calorie pudding, carrots & low fat ranch) and was rather excited to eat it!

Then I got an IM from a coworker reminding me that we were going out to lunch today for Administrative Assistant's Day! How could I forget??? I look forward to it EVERY year!

I was as good as I could be. I had a grilled chicken sandwich with no mayo and a salad instead of fries...and I only drank water.

I don't know why I'm stressing over it...but going to meetings and having another person actually weighing you and seeing how much you weigh makes me feel more accountable, and I would HATE to have GAINED weight my first week!

Keep you fingers crossed for me!

**UPDATE**

Only down .8...oh well...I'm sure I'll do better next week. I know I was good all week, so I'm not to stressed about it!