Day 38

 Keep calm and eat yogurt?!?  Apparently whoever wrote that has never been into one of those "Weigh by the ounce" frozen yogurt places with their kids.  It was "School Spirit Night" at the local "You Say When!" yogurt shop tonight so I decided to treat the boys to some frozen yogurt.  I did good as far as my diet is concerned.  I got a small serving of the fat free frozen yogurt with only a "few" sweet treats on top.  The problem that prevented me from "keeping calm" was the fact that I looked away for a few seconds to answer my phone while the boys were adding the toppings to their yogurt.  The next thing I know......their cups are OVERFLOWING!  We put it on the scale to pay............$ 16.00+ for FROZEN YOGURT!  Of course, they weren't able to eat 1/4 of it, so the guy in the shop was nice enough to give us some lids so they could take them home to eat tonight, tomorrow, and probably the day after that too.  On the bright side, the $16 worth of yogurt did earn us enough "store points" to take a home a free yogurt for my hubby.  Next time, I'll be sure to leave my phone in the truck and keep my eyes on the boys the ENTIRE time and I'll be sure I'm the one to say "when" before it's too late.

I made another yummy and easy dinner for the family tonight.  The recipe is below or you can click here for a link to the recipe. (although I made a few changes to the original recipe)

Cheesy Chicken Crockpot Spaghetti

16 oz dry spaghetti, cooked (I used whole wheat spaghetti)

1 lb. Velveeta Light cheese

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken (cooked & shredded)

10 3/4 oz can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

10 3/4 oz can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup, undiluted

10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies (Ro-Tel)

4 oz can mushroom stems and pieces, drained 

1/2 c water1 small onion, diced 

1 medium green pepper, diced

salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

 

Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and stir well. 

Cook on LOW for 2-3 hours. 

Stir again just before serving.

Number of Servings: 12 

WW Points+ Value:  7 points

My home scale says I'm down 10 pounds now!  As the quote above says, I'm beginning to see a few changes in my body.....especially in two spots........First, in my "twins" up top (always happens when I lose weight......no surprise) BUT the other spot is weird........my feet?!?!?  Yes, my feet did get larger when I was pregnant and they did eventually go back to "normal" when I lost weight a few years ago.  But now for some weird reason, my current shoes are too big!?!?  Weird huh?  I just need to remember......that as long as my body is changing for the better, it's a good thing---regardless of where it's changing........Everything 4:13!

 

Day 37

"You can't eat just one"..........Unfortunately I found out today how true that slogan really is.  In a moment of weakness, I had a "few" chips & dip......which turned into a plate full!  That little voice in my head kept saying "Stop it!" but........they were soooooo good!  In the past, that plate full of chips would have had me "fall off the diet wagon" for the rest of the week and wait to re-start again on Monday.  Instead, this time I logged right into Weight Watchers & entered my "not so healthy" snack.  Even after that little "mistake", I still managed to stay within my points allowance for the day without having to use my weekly points........whew!  

I have 2 homework assignments due tonight by midnight and both require A LOT of reading.  Well......it's 9:00 p.m. and I haven't even started yet and............ thanks to staying late at school today to do paperwork and late baseball practice, I haven't exercised yet either.  So, I have a plan.........Once I get the boys in bed I'm going to put on my tennis shoes, workout clothes, and get my highlighter and textbook.  I'm going to make good use of my time and get my reading done while I walk on the treadmill.  I always tell my students to "use their time wisely"........I might as well practice what I preach.  Remember.........Everything 4:13!

 

Day 36

As this school year moves along, my urge to hit the snooze button OVER and OVER in the mornings has dramatically increased.  I went to bed last night with the intentions of waking up bright and early this morning to workout before school since I had class tonight.  It didn't go quite as planned.........10+ snooze button hits later and I'm dashing out of the bed at 7:00 a.m., rushing to get myself and my kids dressed and out the door in 40 minutes.......Thankfully I live a mile from school!   My issues with the snooze button not only keep me from missing morning workouts on my "class days"......since I'm running late I end up rushing to fix breakfast and pack my lunch which forces me to make the quick/convenient choices......which are also usually higher in points. 

So......tomorrow morning I'm going to TRY to make a conscious effort not to hit the snooze button (O.K.....not hit it more than once) so that I can have time to prepare for my day, eat a healthy breakfast, and pack a healthy lunch and Remember......... Everything 4:13!

Day 35

 Today was the start of Week 5 of my Weight Loss Journey and I am beginning to notice a difference in my clothes.  I'm not down a complete size......yet, but I guess you'd say I'm "in between sizes".  I can fit into a few things that I couldn't even button before the New Year which is a GREAT feeling and my "fat" jeans are waaayyy too big to wear now...........YES!  My closet has clothes ranging from Plus sizes all the way to Size 8.  But, the selection of larger sizes are pretty much........plain, boring, and predominantly black.  I'm looking forward to getting down to the smaller and "more exciting' part of my closet & eventually getting a new "wardrobe" as a treat.......I can't wait!

I pulled a "swap" on one of my families favorite meals tonight.  They didn't even notice......so I was able to pull it off!  It was just as yummy as the "fatty" version, but lower in fat and calories.  Here's the recipe.

Cheesy Chicken Rolls

1 lb. cooked/shredded chicken breasts

1 c. mayo 

(I used the "real" mayo b/c it was all I had, but the points would be lower if you substitute light mayo, greek yogurt, or sour cream instead)

2 c. shredded 2% sharp shredded cheese

1 can Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup

1 package of WhiteWheat Dinner Rolls

Brummel & Brown Yogurt Spread (butter substitute)

Combine chicken, mayo, cheese, and soup.  Cut the tops off of rolls.  Spoon the chicken/cheese mixture onto bottom portion of the roll.  Spread brummel & brown onto tops of rolls and replace.  Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. 

Serving = 1 roll

WW Points Plus = 10 

I weighed in today at Weight Watchers at Work.......I was down .4 lbs. from last week.  I wasn't too terribly excited about the number, but it's better than going up!  Everything 4:13!

Day 34

I spent most of the day deep-cleaning my kitchen..........such a deep-clean that I'm still not done even after cleaning for about six + hours!  I scrubbed the grout, cleaned the oven, cleaned the cabinets, the list goes on and on.......whew!  We have started the de-clutter/deep clean process to get ready to put our house on the market this March.  At my weight, cleaning house burns about 360 calories per hour.  So that means  I could end up burning over 1000 calories each time I have a "deep clean" session...and I have a lot more "house' left to clean....now that is multi-tasking at it's best!  So.........the next time I don't feel like cleaning, I need to remember the "calorie-burning" potential and of course.........Remember Everything 4:13!

Day 33

My family went to Monster Jam in Tampa tonight.  While tailgating before the show began, I watched a group of teenage girls parked next to us getting their picture taken.  All of them had their shirts tied up to show their belly and they asked their friend taking the picture to "be sure they get a FULL BODY shot".  I couldn't help but giggle when I heard this and was so tempted to walk over and say, "Girls.........Wait 20 years.......and you'll be BEGGING whoever is taking your picture to be sure it's from the neck up!"  Like those teenage girls, I used to LOVE getting my picture taken when I was younger.  I had pictures of me and my friends all over my bedroom and once upon a time, I also wanted a "full body picture"(NEVER with my belly showing though......eek!)..........these days, not....so.....much!  Maybe someday I'll take a full body picture without the urge to instantly hit delete, but until then I'll be thankful for the wonders of photo cropping and continue to remember............Everything 4:13!

Day 32

I just finished doing what EVERY student despises doing on a Friday night..........homework!  It was torture sitting in the back of the house working on my computer while I could hear the rest of my family giggling and laughing over the movie they were watching together.  They BEGGED me to join them, but I HAD to get my homework done so I can get on with the rest of my weekend and actually enjoy it. 

Doing homework on a Friday night is kind of like being on a diet and visiting an "All You Can Eat" buffet.........uggh!   It's no fun doing what's expected of you, but it feels great once you are successful. 

Today's "Devotions for Dieters" was perfect since it was the start of a busy weekend that will be full of non-diet friendly food.  Click here to view or read it below.

1 John 2:1My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

'I can't win,' the woman lamented. 'I give in and eat something, and then I feel guilty. When I feel guilty, I eat. The more I eat, the guiltier I feel, and the guiltier I feel, the more I eat!' Sometimes we feel like failures when we break our diets. We can be swept up in a sense of guilt that makes it nearly impossible for us to stick to our diet. The solution to guilt is forgiveness, and forgiveness comes to us through our advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous. Jesus knows that we sometimes give in, and He loves us just the same. Accept His love, accept His forgiveness, and let go of any guilt you may feel.

Today's thought: I am not condemned just because I sometimes slip! 

 

While I'm out & about with my family this weekend, I may have a slip-up (or two).  Slip-ups in the past have led to twenty/thirty extra pounds. I can no longer let one little "slip-up" throw me completely off course.  A little exercise, using my "weekly points allowance", and drinking ALL my water will help keep those slip-ups from turning into "mess-ups" but the most important thing to keep me on track is for me to remember.........Everything 4:13!