Almost there...

I'm almost back down into the 120's... yay! 2 pounds away. That's my first mini-goal. It has been a struggle for sure, but I'm doing it! :) When I started P90X I was at 123... getting back down to that weight will be my next little goal. Then it's the home stretch to ultimate goal. It's the home stretch that is the hardest part of all- that's where I plateaued last time and then gained. I sooOOOooo want to get there this time. I must!

The past 2 weekends I have had a day that has thrown me off track (my nephew's bday- CAKE, and memorial day- BBQ!) But this weekend is pretty much free and clear, besides seeing Star Trek with one of my friends. I kinda got shanghaied into that. lol But anyway, my nutrition will remain strong this weekend and those 2 lbs shall be shed soon. I may start doing video weigh-ins (like my pal Triple Q on YouTube)... I'm not sure though. It would be a good way to stay accountable since my Weight Watchers weigh ins will be done in a few weeks, but then again I don't know if I want all of YouTube seeing my weight every week. lol I'll have to think on that.

Anyway. Here's a recipe for a low-cal dessert item (I made this on Memorial Day.) It is called Orange Fluff... but affectionately got renamed "Orange Crap" at my Memorial Day party. "Hey Ang- that Orange Crap is pretty good!" lol

(1) 8 oz fat free sour cream
(1) .35 oz box sugar free orange gelatin dessert
(1) 8 oz container fat free cool whip
(1) 11 oz can mandarin oranges in light syrup, drained

Stir the sour cream, gelatin, and cool whip together until well mixed. Fold in the orange segments. Serve chilled.

Calories: 149 Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 7mg Fiber: 0g Protein: 4g

I used this as a topping for angel food cake and it tasted really good. The Orange Crap was a hit!

Well ain't that a kick in the pants.

Sooo... I was super excited to try out my new nutrition plan. I did a major splurge and started an at-home delivery service with chef prepared calorie-controlled meals. It's really expensive, but I thought I would give it a go, at least for a few weeks (or till I can't afford it anymore.) I received my first shipment yesterday. The box was HUGE and everything was packed and organized so nicely. I dove into the box and looked at all of my lovely meals and snacks and placed them ever-so-neatly in my fridge.

The pisser of the situation is that I've had a nasty cold for the last week. I ordered this food well before my cold hit. I was so excited to try out the meals (not to mention the amount of money I invested) and I CAN'T TASTE. I had this really delicious looking oatmeal this morning with apples and almonds. I can't even tell you if it was good or not. This angers me.

My body better kick this cold, and SOON!!!

Discoveries.

Hi all.

I know it's been a while. I suck. :P I really go through cycles where I don't check or update anything online.

So anyway... everything is going pretty well, and I made a few discoveries recently.

One of said discoveries is that I found out I *really* like to power walk. Never in a million did I think I would enjoy fitness walking so much, but I really, really do! I'll admit, I always scoffed a bit at the idea of walking for exercise because I love high-impact crazy workouts (kickboxing, P90X, step aerobics etc) or going out and riding my bike. I didn't think I would get the calorie burn I wanted with walking, but I totally do! I get a good sweat on! I've done some 2 hour walks (walking quickly), some interval (mostly fast walking, with some jogging for 90 second to 2 minute intervals), and power walking along to a program with a walking coach that I put on my ipod. I got the walking kit for free when I signed up for Weight Watchers and I never thought I'd use it. And yes, the coach you listen to is a bit dorky... but she tells you when to increase the pace, when to pump your arms, etc. I always do better with fitness programs when I have someone telling me exactly what to do... I push harder than when I work out by myself. After I did all the walking, I was surprised to find I was sore the next day or two. With all the working out I do, I didn't think a measly walk would affect my muscles so much. It totally did. So I'll be working in walks/running with Turbo Jam over the next few weeks.

Another discovery is that I may have found part of the culprit of my mystery weight gains over the past 3 weeks. One of my medications changed, and it correlates exactly with when my weight started to increase. I was on this different brand of medication for three weeks, and was done with it on Saturday. It'll be interesting to see if my weight goes back down now, since I've been doing everything else right.

I'm starting a little something-something new at the end of this week with my nutrition too. More on that later! I'm excited!

I've got the illnesses!!

So, I've been sick since Sunday night. Not the "feel like I'm gonna die" sick, but the annoying "I'm incredibly tired/achy/clammy" sick. I've felt too weak to work out the past couple of days and it feels strange to not have broken an exercise-induced sweat lately. The exercise variety is much more satisfying than a sickness-induced sweat. That's just gross.

I hope I don't get too off track during this week. I fell asleep after work yesterday so I missed Weight Watchers- I plan to go tomorrow to make it up. This weekend (Fri-Sun) I'm supposed to be going with several girlfriends to southern Ohio for a spa-treatment getaway. It will be fun (provided I feel better), but won't really allow much time to work out. I just need to be sure I keep my nutrition in check since I won't be able to burn the amount of calories I normally do. I seem to be having a very hard time losing the pounds lately anyhow- I do have hypothyroidism, and I haven't had my levels checked in over a year. I'm going to go to the doc to be sure everything is still ok with that- sometimes dosages need to be increased or tweaked. I don't try to blame my slow weight loss on my thyroid at all... but it can definitely be detrimental if my thyroid hormone levels aren't where they should be.

I'm so happy spring is around the corner. Like, really happy. It really gets me down when winter weather extends all the way through April- and I truly hope that's not the case this year. I want to get going with this running thing. Mother Nature just needs to cooperate with me so I can hit the trails! *shakes fist*

That's all for now. Hope you all are well, and thanks as always for your endless support.

Ready for a great week.

Ok, so I know I haven't been on here much lately- and I see I have some blog reading to catch up on! I haven't forgotten about those I've subscribed to (promise).

Just a quickie post- I went back to my first WW meeting last Thursday and did my initial weigh-in (which was kind of a "yikes" moment.) I decided I wanted to switch back to Tuesdays, so I weighed in today. I lost .5 lb. I know that's not fantastic, but it WAS less than a week since my first weigh in and I know I am not going to pull huge numbers this time around with WW. I am not making drastic lifestyle changes to cause a dramatic loss of any sort. I was already eating well and working out like a mad-woman!! I know WW will keep my eating more steadily on track though- That's just what weighing in on their scale does for me. Accountability, baby!

Anyway, I'm ready for a great week. I want to be sure to track my little heart out and see what I can achieve by next Tuesday.

Hope everyone out there is doing well with P90X, or whichever fitness plan you're following!

Got my tickets!

So I ordered my Weight Watchers coupons a few days ago... they should be here any day. It's nice because my health insurance offers a reimbursement program for WW. I ordered an 18 week session for about $165, and I'll get $75 back when it's completed. Not too bad! I'm looking forward to going back to meetings... everyone in the room is going through the same struggles together and it's also motivating to hear their successes and tips. Plus I don't do much that gets me out of my apartment lately (since I quit the gym) so it'll be nice to do something that involves other people outside of family and co-workers!

This past week has not been a great one with workouts and eating. Several reasons: I worked late getting ready for a trade show several days this week... and since I'm starting WW next week, I gave myself a few eating freedoms before I start attending meetings. I know that's probably not the best thing to do (and I didn't go crazy or anything) but I just wanted to get it out of my system and start fresh with WW.

The weather warmed up briefly and quickly got cold again. It really made me want spring to get here. I can't wait to be able to ride my bike outside, and also try to get into a jogging/running regimen. It gets old being stuck in an apartment day in and day out.

I want to go out and buy some frozen fruit this weekend. Frozen mango is delish. I like to eat it with a little frozen Cool Whip Free. If you leave Cool Whip frozen, it's a reasonable ice cream substitute. It's cold and sweet, and kinda vanilla-ey. Works for me. :P

That's all for now! I'm excited to go back to meetings! Yay!!!

Me vs. the scale.

I haven't stepped on it in weeks again. I don't know why I get so scared anymore to do it. I used to be OBSESSED with stepping on the scale when I was doing Weight Watchers. I weighed myself in the morning, after I ate, after I worked out... countless times a day. Granted, that's not healthy and I realize it. However, it's funny how I've done a complete 180 and the thought of the scale (and the number on it) kind of freaks me out. I'm so afraid of what I'll see and that I will get depressed and non-motivated if the number is higher than I think it should be. I need to get over it and just step on the stupid thing. Besides, I'm rejoining WW within the next 2 weeks- so I'll be *forced* to get up close and personal with my little nemesis.

Workouts have been good this week. The Biggest Loser Bootcamp DVD is NO JOKE!! I am dripping sweat by the end... actually more than I ever did in P90X. Crazy.

Oooo I have another Food I LOVE!!

Oatmeal.

I loooove oatmeal. I personally prefer original/plain oats with just a little fruit or honey. I eat oatmeal or cream of wheat almost every morning. Anyway, here's just a quickie tip- not necessarily a recipe but something I like. I take an individual packet of original plain oatmeal and prepare it as directed (with about 1/3 C. of water or so.) After it's heated, add a small cup of ready-to-eat fat free or sugar free vanilla pudding. Pop it back in the micro for 15-20 more seconds, give it a stir and enjoy! It makes that little pack of oatmeal seem to go a lot further and adds only about 60-80 cals. You can also get creative and vary the flavors of oatmeal and pudding you use to suit your tastes. Guess I'm a plain Jane since I like plain oatmeal with vanilla pudding... but this keeps that cals down and tastes awesome. Yum!