Greek Yogurt with Bananas

So my current favorite breakfast is something I learn about from my WW meeting this week...I've eaten it three times this week so far and it's only 3 points! Here's the recipe:


1/2 Banana Mashed
1/2 cup plain fat free Greek Yogurt
2 tsp Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp chopped toasted nuts (walnuts, pecans or almonds)
Cinnamon

mix the mashed banana, yogurt and syrup, top with the nuts and a dash of cinnamon. Yummy!

I'm Ba...ack...

So, I'm back on WW for the 536th time...I know, I know, you've heard it before...THIS time is different, THIS time I feel really good about what I'm doing and how I'm doing it, THIS time I will finally get the weight off and keep it off forever. I've said that so many times that it runs like a mantra through my head on a loop...but, I'm not going to say or write that this time. I'm not going to set myself up for failure yet again.

I haven't blogged about being back on WW for a couple of reasons. One is that no one reads this blog anyway and two is that I haven't wanted to set myself up for failure yet again. I wish I could push a button and erase all previous posts on this blog because they haunt me like a failed love affair or a bully on a playground. But, it is my life, it's my history, it's me....and that's okay. It has to be because it's my story.

So, I started back to WW approx 5 weeks ago. I've lost 15lbs so far and I feel really good about it, cautiously optimistic I'd call it. I don't feel like quitting today and I haven't felt like quitting for 5 weeks now - that's a first for me, for a long time at least.

I gave myself some time to get the food thing figured out again...I say again, because I know what I should and shouldn't do regarding eating, I've been on diets on and off since I was 10 for heaven's sake. So, this week, I'm adding walking to the picture. I've read some stuff online and I'm trying to work out a walking routine that works for me without setting myself up for failure. Yesterday, I took the dog for a walk, I needed to go to the library and so I walked instead of driving. It took me 25 minutes and Zoey loved it!

One of the things I appreciate about going to WW meetings is gleaning from other people's experiences. Sometimes, it frustrates me because most people, including my meeting leader, have lost exactly 27 lbs 30 years ago and kept it off and I'm not dissing their achievements, but when you are staring at 100 lbs or 120 lbs to lose it looks very different. So, I was talking about exercise and the struggle I was having and sharing just that it's hard, especially when you have a lot to lose. So my leader introduced me to a woman who has lost 110 lbs, kept it off and now runs marathons. Which is amazing! I don't think I have any need to ever run a marathon, but a 5K would be fun. So, I hit the pavement yesterday and I plan to walk to the bank today and we'll see where it goes from there. But, I'm back and I'm working hard!

Two Weeks Down....

Well, I've been a vegetarian for two weeks now and I'm not starving or craving a cheeseburger or anything. I'm really satisfied actually. Of course, I started this new way of eating right before my "two week cycle of hell" which I have every month now that I'm over 40...as I've said before, I have two weeks of happy, weight losing days and two weeks of hell every month. I have cramps and retain water, ending in my monthly visitor and it sucks...I think I'm ready for menopause or a hysterectomy...

Anyway, I've lost about 5 lbs despite this, all in the first week and then I entered the above mentioned two weeks...which means I have this week and then I should be losing again, right? We'll see...my husband has lost over 15lbs of course, because men suck....

But, I have more recipes to share - my problem is that my son dropped our laptop so I can only post at work and I feel guilty if I spend too much time on personal stuff at work so I haven't had a lot of time to post...hopefully I will be able to do that tomorrow. Just wanted to check in and confirm that I am still a vegetarian as I know my one reader was wondering...:)

Roasted Red Pepper Spaghetti with Goat Cheese...

Still going strong on my new vegetarian road....I have quite a few recipes that I've found that I really love, I just haven't had time to post them. Our closest friends up the road moved this week to Las Vegas and so we've been having good-bye parties and watching their son so they can pack, etc....but through all of that, the only thing I've been restricting is meat and I'm down 5.5 lbs since Monday. Yes, I realize that at the beginning of any new "thing" weight comes off faster, etc - but I'm happy.

Yesterday, we decided to take the kids to see "Brave" and instead of driving the 1/2 mile to the theatre, we decided to walk to the movie and then stop by Trader Joe's to get some stuff for dinner. I made our new favorite Pasta which is here:

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/roasted-red-pepper-pesto-pasta-with-goat-cheese/

I made homemade Roasted Red Pepper Pesto which I found here:
http://www.dainty-chef.com/2012/02/roasted-red-pepper-pesto-for-ravioli.html

And we both loved it! We've had it twice this week so far with some oven roasted broccoli, which is my absolute favorite veggie. So, I'm a happy girl - feeling good and successful and not deprived....I still won't eat Tofu or fake meat though, that's where I draw the line....

To Veg or Not to Veg....

So, I'm back on the wagon yet again after a few months of doing/eating whatever I want. Of course, I've gained back pretty much everything I lost before but I'm trying to get back under control. I still think that WW is probably the most effective way to lose weight long term but, the thought of trying to keep track of points during the summer with the kids home and vacations, etc. Adding in the fact that I work less hours in the Summer so we have less money to pay for things like WW, I've decided to try something different at least for now.

My husband and I both have decided to be vegetarian for the Summer and so far, we are doing really well! I have a few friends that are Vegan and I don't think I could ever do that, but I've always sort of toyed with the idea of going meat-free. I had been thinking about it and then, my husband out of the blue said "I think I want to try being a vegetarian". So, here we are three days into our experiment and so far, so good. We're not keeping track of what we're eating other than not eating meat. It's made me much more conscious of what I'm eating but I don't actually feel restricted much. I've lost 3.8 lbs since Monday - which is just water weight, I'm sure, but it's encouraging.

I also found this walking outline that a friend posted on Pinterest and so I've talked the kids into doing that with us and we're going to start that this week.

I wanted to get back on the blog and write about my journey and also share some recipes that I find along the way. Monday night we had a yummy Roasted Red Pepper Pesto / Goat Cheese Spaghetti with Roasted Broccoli and it was amazing! Last night I made homemade cheese enchiladas with Trader Joe's Enchilada sauce, which is amazing btw....I'll write later about those recipes, but in the meantime, I wanted to let my one reader know that I'm back, plugging along again....

Back on the Wagon...

So I fell off the wagon a little last week and weekend...I blame the chocolate bunnies...But, I am happy to report that I am back on the wagon today and I didn't do too much damage. I was up a tiny bit this morning and hope to have it back down tomorrow. The thing that makes me mad at myself is that, per one of my previous posts, I feel like I have two good losing weeks per month and Easter happened to fall during those two weeks so I've put myself back some...but, it is a marathon no a sprint so I'm trying not to beat myself up too much as I climb back on the wagon.

Here's to a good week before vacation...oh crap, vacation is next week...Lord have mercy!

Reason #546 Why I Love WW....

So, I haven't had a great weight loss week, as referenced in my last post...that hasn't changed yet, but I have hope and I know it has to come off. But, yesterday, I was talking to my mom because she and my dad are on South Beach - as are my in-laws...I've so far been successful in not talking to my family about my WW journey but we were talking about their current endeavor and I remembered what I don't like about low-carb diets. Besides the fact that I don't lose weight on them as well as my husband does, I don't like having to completely cut sugar and other carbs like potatoes out of my diet. I've worked and worked before to cut it out and then when I have one bite of anything with sugar in it, it's all down hill...

With WW, I love the flexibility I have. My husband and I take Friday off and I've sort of decided that Friday will be the day I use my weekly points because we tend to go out for lunch or have people over, etc...Last Friday, we tried a new breakfast spot downtown called Tolousse - it was a sort of New Orleans place and they had beignets on the menu and they sounded really good - so we split a small order and they were yummy. So to counter that, I ordered the yogurt with fruit and granola for my entree and only ate about 1/2 of it and I was so satisfied.

Then, last night, we had friends over and my husband requested The Pioneer Woman's enchiladas so I made those with Mexican Rice, Beans and chips with the wonderful WW Avocado Lime sauce...we made fun fruity drinks and our friends brought ice cream for dessert (it happened to be light)....I think because I've been having a little bit of sugar each day, when I have days like this I don't go crazy. I know these aren't "forbidden" foods there are no "forbidden" foods - and mentally that works better for me.

So, even though I haven't had great weight loss this week, I've lost 10 lbs so far and that's awesome...plus, I know the next two weeks will be better and I feel great....