Belated Weddzilla Wednesday!

Sorry guys, I forgot to post the link yesterday!  My post can be found here!

Its about being a bride with tattoos, and how to compromise with my mom who would prefer I cover them with make-up for the wedding.  In case you didn't realize, I have quite a few tats - you can see my largest one in my before and after pictures here!

Fitness Recap Friday!!!

Woot!  I did pretty well this week, if I do say so myself!  I continued with my Turbo Fire schedule and honestly I think I'm realizing more and more if you don't enjoy the exercise that you're doing, you are going to find excuses not to do it.

It was one thing when I was actively losing weight.  My motivation came from knowing that I was going to weigh in at my Weight Watchers meeting that Saturday and I wanted to get to goal!  After I hit goal, I did okay maintaining my workout routine for a while, and then fell completely off the wagon.  I didn't hate the workouts that I had, but I also really didn't enjoy them.  Jillian Michaels, Jackie Warner, and Jari Love all have great workout DVDs.  If you do their workouts, you will for sure see results.  But I didn't look forward to doing them, and I would get bored during the workout.  But I would stick it out because I had a goal in mind (losing weight).  Now that I'm just trying to maintain it's a damn good thing I found a workout that I actually enjoy doing (I honestly look forward to it) or else I'm not sure I would ever have anything to recap for you!!!

Saturday was my day off.

Sunday I did Fire 45 and Stretch 10.  And I don't know if you recall, but I worked hard.  Seriously, I didn't even know I was capable of pushing myself that hard (you can read about it here).

Monday was Fire 55 EZ and even though I was still a little tired from my workout the night before, I was able to give it about 95%.

Tuesday was Fire 30 and Sculpt 30.  I really like the Fire 30 workout; it is short, but it's intense.  You do the same "fire drill" twice, and at the end of that drill my heart is pounding, I'm panting like I've never exercised a day in my life, and the sweat is dripping off me.  And I don't think I have to tell you again how much I enjoy the resistance training in this program.

Wednesday I did Core 20.  Not much else to say there! lol

Last night was Fire 30 and Tone 30.  Tone 30 and Sculpt 30 are both resistance workouts, they're not the same workout, and I like them both.

Tonight is supposed to be Fire 55 EZ.  Bryan has to do some work, so we can't go out, so I'll probably do it.

I ordered the advanced DVDs on Ebay, and I should be getting those soon, although they don't actually come into the schedule for a few months.  See, the first month of the schedule is an intro and HIIT 1.  Month 2 (which is what I'm at now) is 3 weeks of "cardio" (which is just the "fire" workouts, no HIIT workouts) and then a week of recovery.  Month 3 is HIIT-2 (which is more advanced than HIIT1) and then a week of recovery.  And then Month 4 is "advanced cardio" which used the Fire workouts you already have as well as the advanced DVDs then a week of recovery.  And month 5 (the last month of the program) is HIIT 3 which uses the HIIT workouts and the advanced resistance workouts.  Months 4 and 5 look pretty hardcore, and if I stay on track I should be finishing up the program in the end of August, just in time for the wedding!  How perfect is that (I totally just realized that, lol)!

Well, if that isn't motivation to stay on track with the schedule, I don't know what is!  Because let me tell you, I plan on looking mighty hot in a bikini on my honeymoon!  And Bryan just started doing P90X - we're just gonna be a couple of newlywed hotties loungin' on the beach!

How was your week fitness wise?  How do you stay motivated to workout?

Such a Productive Weekend!

I love it when I can say that.  Bryan and I seriously had such a productive weekend.

Friday night I actually followed through on working out (woohoo), and then basically relaxed.

Saturday, I woke up, did some stretching, practiced painting candle holders in preparation of making my table numbers next weekend, went to my Weight Watchers meeting, went to Marshalls, got home and cleaned.  I cleaned like I have never cleaned before.  We have double pane windows that are a pain to clean.  I literally climbed out on the roof of our porch in order to properly clean all sides of the windows to our bedroom.  I scrubbed and sanitized every surface of our bathroom.  I think the chemicals may have burned the inside of my nose a bit, but I don't think our bathroom has ever been that clean before.  We even rented a carpet cleaner and Bryan did all the carpets.  It's an amazing feeling.

Then Saturday night we went to a Pirates game.  In Bryan's head, spring hasn't officially sprung until he's gone to a baseball game, so that was our kickoff to spring:

A little girl sitting next to us pulled out her tooth during the game, it was quite exciting, lol.  I enjoy baseball, but I didn't realize how cold it was going to get (it was warm during the day) and when my hands turned deathly white Bryan agreed we could leave, even though the game wasn't over yet.

Sunday, got up, worked on an Etsy order a little bit, got ready and we went and returned the carpet cleaner then headed to Ikea to start our registry!

Those of us in Pittsburgh are lucky in that the Ikea here even does registries.  But the computer you use to set it up is SO SLOW!  Apparently the Swedes can design some pretty nifty furniture, but their programming abilities kind of suck...

We were probably walking around/registering for about 2 hours.

And then we had to go to Costco to pick up some odds and ends and Walmart for random stuff and groceries.

Then when we got home I worked more on my Etsy order (it's almost done and has turned out even better then I thought it would), then I worked out, showered, ate, did a load of laundry, watched the Amazing Race and passed the eff out.

It was super busy.  It wasn't a restfull weekend at all.  But at least we accomplished a ton of stuff and had fun!

How was your weekend? (and yes, I realize it would have made much more sense for me to have posted this yesterday, but I'm still recovering from my busy weekend, lol)

Most Productive Weekend - EVER!

Seriously, whoever said weekends are a time for relaxing was lying.  But I don't mind, I love being productive!  And this weekend I got so much done...

Saturday:

7am - woke up
          made Bryan breakfast
          got ready for the day
9 am - went to weight watchers
           went to Marshalls (and got more cylinder vases)
            went home
11 am - went to lunch with Bryan
             went to the movies and saw The Adjustment Bureau (a little disappointed, not gonna lie)
             got cat food and new collars for the cats
            Made our first registry at Macys!!!!

This is Bryan pretending to be excited to be going to create
a registry, hahahaha

6 pm - Got home, ate leftovers
            crashed on the couch for the evening

Sunday
8 am - Got up
           Loaded all my cartridges on my new Gypsy
           Made breakfast
10 am - Started making the cardbox
             Bryan made me lunch at some point
6 pm - Finished cardbox (yes it took that long)

Isn't it pretty?  More on that later!

6 pm - Started doing laundry
            Worked out for 50 minutes (woohoo!)
            Ate dinner
715 - Took a shower
745 - Continued laundry
8 pm - Watched Amazing Race while finishing my 4th load of laundry!!!!!
9 pm - Done with laundry, passed out on the couch!

Seriously, the most productive weekend ever!  And can I just say that creating a registry is slightly exhausting???  But I'm glad to have gotten that all done!

Did you get to cross anything off your to-do list this weekend?

Skinny Bitch!

In case you've never heard of it, Skinny Bitch started as a different kind of diet book.  The authors are pretty harsh (and opinionated) but funny at the same time. 

Although I don't agree with everything they preach (for instance, I don't think you need to be a vegan in order to be healthy) I do enjoy some of the stuff that they talk about.  So, I bought the 2011 Skinny Bitch page-a-day calendar.  Some days I just scoff at it, and other days I love it. 

Yesterday was one of those days:

I really like it, because it's hilarious and true.  We've all been there; hungry as all hell (for whatever reason) and if you don't have a healthy option at hand you go straight for the vending machine.  Since starting weight watchers I've made sure to always have healthy snacks at work.  Reduced fat string cheese, butter free popcorn, weight watchers mini bars...and those are just my back ups.  I always bring fruit to snack on throughout the day.  And having these things here for me prevents me from slipping up if I'm abnormally hungry or if I'm faced with temptation.

Some of my other favorite sayings are (yes, I save the ones I like):

January 6 - Soda is liquid Satan.  It is the devil.  It is garbage.  There is nothing in soda that should be put into your body.  Drink water instead!
This was a hard one for me when I started dieting, but honestly, giving up soda/other sugary drinks has made a world of a difference in my ability to lose weight and just how healthy I feel.  I used to hate water, now I can't get enough of it!

January 7 - You don't need a degree in biology to get skinny.  You don't need to starve yourself to get skinny.  You don't need to spend all day at the gym to get skinny.  You just need to smarten up and use your head.
I really like this one because it's so true.  We know we can't eat pizza, and candy, and doughnuts and expect to be thin, but for some reason it is so hard to actually put into practice what we know is right!

January 13 - Coffee is for pussies.  Think about how widely accepted it has become that people need coffee to wake up.  You should not need anything to wake up!
I'm not gonna lie, I still have a cup of coffee on my way to work.  But I have cut down considerably, and sometimes I don't even drink it on the weekends; I no longer feel like I need coffee to wake up.

January 19 - Feel free to start a little journal, writing what you eat and drink throughout the day and how you feel as a result.  This way, when you start making positive changes to your diet, you'll appreciate all the results - not just the weight loss.
I couldn't love this one more.  I've said time and time again, losing weight was not the best thing that happened to me as a result of joining weight watchers...I just feel healthier.

January 31 - Have you already strayed from your New Year's resolutions?  Get back on track, bitch!  Today, eat fruit for breakfast and a salad for lunch.
I just think this one is funny to be quite honest.

February 1 - Fruit is, quite possibly, the most perfect food in existence.  It is unique in that it barely requires any work to be digested.  High in enzymes, it effortlessly passes through the body, supplying carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, and cancer-fighting tannins and flavonoids.
I just like fruit, haha, and I'm glad to know it's doing so much good stuff for me!

February 2 - No TV today!  Instead, do something productive or creative that feels good for your mind, body and soul.
If only I could convince fi of "no TV today" sometime...less TV today, maybe, probably not no TV though.

Those are all I have for now, what do you think of Skinny Bitch?

Fitness Recap Friday!

And I actually have a decent recap for you!  Woohoo!

Saturday - I did not work out.  But I became a Lifetime Weight Watchers Member!

Sunday - I did all 5 segments of my "10 Minute Solutions: 5 Day Get Fit Mix" DVD.

The 5 segments are:

Cardio Kickboxing
In this cardio kickboxing segment, you will burn up the calories, knockout the fat, and achieve a sleek looking physique.

Fat Blasting Intervals
This workout gives you the best of both worlds with intervals of cardio and strength training. These intervals are one of the fastest ways to transform your body and see results quickly.

Power Yoga
It’s important to take time to connect with your body and keep your body balanced with flexibility training. Using this yoga flow you will become more agile and more flexible.

Belly Fat Burner This series of belly blasting exercises will work the 6-pack, strengthen the lower back and zap away any love handles. Consider it a short-cut to the best abs you’ve ever had!

Lean Body Sculpt
Make the most of every minute with compound moves that work your upper and lower body at the same time. This type of sculpting leads to leaner bodies because it increases muscle mass which can raise your metabolic rate and melt away unwanted fat.

I really like this DVD.  The moves are a little fast paced, so if you're a beginner it might be a little discouraging, but if you have a history of doing kickboxing or choreography of any type this DVD is super fun.  And I love the Yoga section.  You go through the Sun Salutations and the Warrior Pose series in a way that really works your muscles.  Definitely recommend it!

I also did Week 1 Day 1 of the Hundred Push Up Program (yes, again).

Monday - I did all 5 Segments of "10 Minute Solutions: Pilates Perfect Body.
The 5 Segments for this DVD are:

Pilates Perfect Arms
Use light hand weights and your own body weight to beautifully sculpt your arms while also working your shoulders, upper back, and chest

Pilates Perfect Belly
Whittle your waist and flatten your tummy while you strengthen your entire core with innovative twists on traditional Pilates moves.

Pilates perfect Buns & Thighs
This modern taken one classic mat Pilates will give you a perfectly toned and lifted lower body.

Pilates Perfect Silhouette
Compound Pilates exercises will efficiently tighten and tone all the right places, sculpting sexy curves where you want them and creating a gorgeous body line

Pilates Perfect Stretch
Using fluid motion, this stretch will make your everyday movements look more effortless and improve your posture, which is a key part of the Pilates Perfect Body. The arm section and the lower body section are surprisingly tough, I was definitely feeling it the next day.  And I really like this instructor, she's pretty chill but motivational at the same time.  When I'm doing Pilates I don't want like Jillian Michaels screaming at me, know what I mean?  And I can only hope that someday my core is as strong as this woman's!  She is a machine!  Definitely recommend this as a Pilates DVD.

Tuesday - I started my day off shoveling the driveway, and yes, I do count that as exercise!  Shoveling is not easy and is definitely physical!  Then after work I did all 5 segments of "10 Minute Solutions: Knockout Body" with the weighted gloves. The five segments to this DVD are:

KNOCKOUT BODY BLAST
This kickboxing workout mixes combinations of cardio and strength moves for tightening and toning all-over.

FAT ATTACK
Punch, kick, and strike away flab. Fat cells don't stand a chance against this total body, cardio kickboxing routine!

FIERCE & FABULOUS ABS
This segment elevates the heart rate while attacking your abs and lower back to develop a strong, slim midsection with killer curves.

ULTIMATE UPPER BODY
Punches are the ultimate upper body workout! Sculpt a sizzling back, plus sexy arms and shoulders, with this boxing-inspired cardio sculpt segment.

KICKBOX CROSS TRAIN
Use cardio, core, endurance, and power moves in this cross-training combo. Develop your kickboxing form while you blast away fat and shape your knockout body.

Honestly, I think this might be my favorite workout.  But that might just be because I feel really bad ass working out with weighted gloves on.  And there's nothing better after a crappy day at work then pretending to punch your boss/coworkers in the face (with pink weighted gloves).  If you get this DVD though, I recommend "creating your own workout" (you can select which of the segments you want to play, and in which order) and always doing the "Kickbox Cross Train" section first, because it really breaks down the moves that you use in the other segments.

I also did Week 1 Day 2 of the Hundred Push Up Program.

Wednesday - I have a confession.  I had a bad day earlier in the week and ended up ordering 3 new workout DVDs (even though I really have been trying to cut back!)  Fi understands though, since he knew I was having a really bad day.  So Wednesday I did a Jackie Warner workout for the first time, "Personal Training with Jackie - Xtreme Time Saver Training"

This workout was hard.  And I like it better than Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred (and they're pretty comparable since they're both short workouts).  I'm pretty strong, and I even had to do the modifications for some of the moves.  But if you're looking for a hard, but short DVD I recommend this one.  I really didn't know I could sweat that much in 30 minutes!









Thursday - I did another one of my new Jackie DVDs: "Personal Training with Jackie: Crunch-Free Xtreme Abs" 
 I'm a little disappointed with this DVD to be quite honest.  It has 2 "crunch-free" ab workouts, one standing and one on the mat.  I did the one on the mat, and yeah, you weren't doing basic crunches, but you were doing different types of crunches.  And it was kind of boring.  I don't think it would really be possible to make a workout that was only ab work that wasn't boring, but I was a little disappointed all the same.  It was a good ab workout though.  I'm feeling it today (quite a bit actually)








And I finally did Week 1 Day 3 of the Hundred Push Up Program!!!!  And it was damn hard!  I can only imagine what week 2 is going to be like...but like I said, I'm determined to get back into my workout groove, and that includes completing this darn Push Up Program!

Today I probably won't workout, mainly because I worked out 5 days in a row for the first time in what feels like FOREVER, so I kind of want to die.  But hopefully next week I can do as well as I did this week!

Did you do any exciting/fun/hardcore workouts this week?

Guess Who's Officially a Lifetime Weight Watchers Member?

Yeah...that would be me!  Yesterday was the sixth week that I weighed in without going over 134 (which is 2 pounds above my goal weight) so I'm officially a lifetime member!  And I got another charm to add to my Weight Watcher Survivor Kit:

Yay...I got a key!

And, on top of that I got a new "Pocket Guide" (which is the same as the other one, only this one is gold not blue):

So fancy!

And on top of that excitement, I have my second interview with Weight Watchers to hopefully become a Leader tomorrow!  I can't say I'm really nervous since I don't need the job, but I still really want it!

But all of this got me thinking...I've kind of sucked at working out lately.  Okay, that's the understatement of the century...I've really sucked at working out lately!  It was like after I hit goal my motivation just went down the tubes.  Like seriously, I had to restart the Hundred Push Up Program again this week (for like the fourth time) because I failed to do push ups a measly 3 times last week (and the week before, and the week before, and the week before...)  And if I want to be successful at keeping this weight off, never mind become a Weight Watchers Leader, I can't just lose motivation.  So, I am hereby re-dedicating myself to my fitness routine.

And what's the best way to do that, you ask?  No...not buying more workout DVDs (although I'd really like to, I do not need them - fi should be proud of my self control)!  Taking pictures of myself in a sports bra, of course!  For the record, I am not trying to get smaller.  I'm very happy with my size right now (and I don't want to have to buy any more clothes or I might not be able to afford to have a wedding).  I just want to get more muscular.  I would like to have considerably more toned arms and have my baby six pack become a big girl six pack, haha.

So, here are my new "before" pictures:

First off...excuse how gross I look.  I did this post-workout because let's face it, our muscles look the best after we've used them (although our hair does not).  Second, ignore my bright red chin.  My skin is still getting used to the latest cream I got from my dermatologist, and I think the salt from my sweat makes it look worse then usual (not to mention the lack of makeup).  Thirdly, can I just say I love my back???  That might be my new favorite part of me!  It almost makes up for the fact that I'm basically flat-chested now (but who cares, Victoria Secret push up bras do wonders)!
I did workout today (more on that on Fitness Recap Friday) and I'm going to make an honest effort to get at least 4 workouts in this week.  Not to mention complete week 1 of the Hundred Push Up Program, haha!  And hopefully, I can successfully complete all six weeks of the program and get back to you with new after photos in mid March!

So, what do you do to re-motivate yourself to workout?

*All personal photos*

Why, Hello There February!

It is officially February, 2011.  That means I basically have 7 months left of planning and crafting before insanity ensues for about a week, and then I'm married!  Here's what's on the books this month:

Personal creation with some clipart, but the Hive is stolen from my beloved weddingbee.com

Originally I was only supposed to be in Massachusetts until Wednesday, but with the snowstorm heading in, it looks like I'll be here through Thursday.  Whatever...I miss fi and my dogs, but that's another day in a hotel with all my meals paid for and a comfy bed all to myself and an actual gym to use....basically I'm not complaining, haha.

And as you can see Tyson should be wrapping up his class this month.  I have a confession to make though. I've only brought him to 1 of the 3 classes so far.  He's just kind of dumb, a sweetheart, but dumb.  And what's worse is he isn't food driven, which makes it next to impossible to train him.  And the class is past his bedtime, haha.  Not sure if I'll be going to the rest of the classes or not yet...

I have my second interview with Weight Watchers this month.  I totally killed the first one, and I know I would be a great leader because I love to talk and I love the program...I am meant to be a WW Leader, haha.

I have an abnormal amount of doctor's appointments this month.  One is my yearly with my lady doctor.  One is with my psychiatrist and the other is with my psychologist.  They just happen to be all crammed into the same week, it usually doesn't fall that way.  Needless to say, that week will probably be an exercise bust!  And I have a dentist appointment; I need 4 fillings.  That's pathetic.  Hearing that you probably think I like never brush my teeth, but I promise I do.  They aren't actually cavities yet, just soft spots.  So, that's not as bad as having 4 cavities I guess.

Wedding-wise I'll be doing my first round of bridesmaid dress shopping, practicing making the guys boutonnieres (which I still can't spell on my own), hopefully finishing up my wish tags as long as I get my cricut back by then and that lovely little hive is for the Pittsburgh Bee Meet-up that is scheduled for Saturday, February 19th!  I can't wait to meet some of the other Pittsburgh Bees, it'll definitely be fun, and probably loud too because the Pittsburghers of the hive tend to be a little outspoken!

Apart from that we have Valentine's Day this month, and I'm looking forward to an evening at the Melting Pot with my sweetie and I can't wait to give him his presents (more on that once I actually get them though).  And, oh yeah, my birthday is this month.  I love Birthdays, especially my own. I don't look at it as a day to think about getting older (I'll be 23 in case you're wondering) but instead a day to celebrate the fact that you're alive.  So on February 24th you should all end your day with a gin and tonic (my favorite) in honor of MandaMack being alive!!!

Any big plans for this February (wedding related or not)?

A Weight Watchers Pep-Talk

So, I've been PMing about weight watchers with a few of the members of Weddingbee, and yesterday I gave a pretty darn good pep talk to one of them (if I do say so myself) and I think I'd like to share it with the world because anyone who has joined Weight Watchers has gone through a period of time where they freak out, wonder if they're doing everything right, are afraid to live a normal life, etc.

Later today I plan on doing a full recap of my workouts from this week (from this day forward known as "Fitness Recap Friday") but for now, here is a little pep talk for fellow Weight Watchers who may be freaking out a little:


First of all, deep breaths!  The fact alone that you're trying is what matters.  It isn't easy; if it was everyone would love their bodies because everyone would be at their own ideal weight.
Second of all, your weeklies are there for you to use them!  There was never a week where I didn't use ANY of them, they're built into the plan so you will still lose weight even if you eat them!

Thirdly, sometimes life gets in the way of the gym - you can't beat yourself up over it.  I know it's easier said then done, but seriously you can't go back in time, so don't dwell on it, instead think of ways to improve going forward.

And finally, HAVE FUN THIS WEEKEND!  My best advice would be to drink as much water as possible (I use other drinks as *treats*) and never be afraid to ask how something is cooked.  I do it all the time.  If a restaurant doesn't have the nutrition facts of their menu readily available (which some do, so don't be afraid to ask for that either) I grill them about the preparation.  Yes, I may look a little crazy, but that's what they get for not having the nutritional information for me! haha  And never be afraid to ask to have something cooked a specific way - wanna make sure there's no butter on the salmon, just say "And please make sure the salmon is just grilled, not cooked in butter".

Stop worrying yourself, the first few weeks are really tough!  But this program is meant to work WITH life, not against it; so you can go on mini vacations and indulge every once and while.  You'll get the hang of it as you go along, and as usual, dont' be afraid to ask questions!

I think in my past life I was a motivational speaker...hahaha, you have to toot your own horn every once and a while!  But seriously, I know I went through tough patches while getting the hang of weight watchers, heck I still am (damn maintenance)!  But like I said, it's meant to work with life, not against it, and I know that we can all be successful!

A Day in the Life of My Digestive System

One of the cool parts of having been on Weight Watchers and tracking quite diligently is that I can look back in my little diary and see everything I've eaten in the past few months!  During the week my diet has become pretty standardized.  But, since I've reached goal, I've been having trouble stopping losing weight.  This is a problem; I dropped significantly below what Weight Watchers considered a "healthy" weight for my height even though I wasn't trying to.  This past weekend, I'm pretty sure what I did in order to increase my weight should be considered cheating; I binged the night before (cheeseburger, french fries, movie theater popcorn, candy, Icee) and although I usually don't eat or drink anything before my weigh-in, I ate my parfait, drank my coffee and drank 2 bottles of water.  I also tried to not go to the bathroom.  I ended up weighing in at 131.2, which is still technically below what they consider "healthy" but only by .8 pounds, so it was an improvement.

So, I talked to my leader about what I could do to stop my weight loss (and explained to her that cutting out any exercise just wasn't an option for me, I feel and look great, and I'm not giving that up).  She went over my food diary and recommended that I up the amount of Kashi in my parfait from 1/2 cup to 1 cup and I add something to my lunch.

Well, here is a day in the life of my digestive system (and I'll be sure to note what is new to my "maintenance plan"):

• Coffee: Any brand coffee with 1 tbsp of creamer - 1 point
• I have one cup of coffee a day.  Apart from that I basically just drink water.  I have no problem sacrificing a point to have yummy coffee by adding a tablespoon of chocolate creamer to it.
• Breakfast: Yummy Yummy Parfait - 4 points
• Today I tried upping the amount of Granola and it was gross, I'm never doing that again. I'll have to find somewhere else in my day to squeeze in a few extra points.
• This is the ideal breakfast.  There's dairy and fiber in the greek yogurt, all the goodness of the fruit you add, and Kashi is an excellent source not only of fiber, but also protein.  It fills you up and tastes delicious.
• Mid-morning snack: Fruit Salad - 0 points
• Usually between 2 and 3 cups mixed of grapes, a kind of melon, and berries.  I nibble on it throughout the morning and fruit is free!
• Lunch: Lean Cuisine - anywhere from 4 to 8 points
• I try to stick to the "Spa Cuisine" line because that uses whole wheat pasta, etc. and less sodium, but sometimes I can't turn down the "Comfort Cuisine" line.  I really just love lean cuisines.  They're cheap, they're easy, and personally I think they're delicious!
• Lunch Addition***: Boca Burger - 4 points total
• My first shot at an addition to my lunch seems to be successful.  I brought a boca burger to heat up in the microwave and a Pepperidge Farm Deli Flat to put it on.  More specifically I had the mushroomy Boca Burger on a 7-Grain deli flat (each of those are 2 points).  I realize not everyone will like this, but I thought it was delicious.  It was also not the first time I had a veggie burger, so it may be an acquired taste.  Don't yell at me if you try it and hate it.
• Afternoon snack: Wheat Thins and Laughing Cow Cheese - 3 points
• I bring 8 wheat thins and 1 wedge of cheese to work for a snack every day.  I prefer the "Fiber Selects Garden Vegetable" wheat thins and the "Mozzarella, Sun Dried Tomato & Basil" laughing cow.
• Dinner:  Any recipe from Weight Watchers eTools - I aim for around 10 points
• I have yet to find a recipe that I don't like on eTools.  I plan out what I'm going to make on Sunday before we go grocery shopping and it actually makes my whole week just easier.  My fiance also LOVES the weight watchers recipes.  He loves even more that I'm constantly making new things.
• Dessert: Weight Watchers Ice Cream - 4 points
• My absolute favorite is the ice cream sandwich with mint ice cream in it.  I love them.  I don't know what I would do without them.  The fiance IS NOT allowed to touch them...because they're mine.  If you haven't tried these yet, I totally recommend you do.

This new addition to my daily menu has made my already hectic mornings a little crazier, but I'm sure soon enough it'll just become a habit like everything else I do to get ready.

This is of course just an "average" day.  Sometimes we'll go out for lunch or dinner and if I go over my points I just use some of my weeklies.  If I workout really hard I try to drink a Muscle Milk Light to use up some of my Activity Points unless I know there's something I'll be using them for later in the week.

So, have you found that your eating habits have become almost a routine after joining Weight Watchers?  Do you have any tips on how I could add more (healthy) points to my breakfast or lunch?

My favorite edible part of my day!

Yummy Yummy Parfait:

All you need to make yummy yummy parfait (which happens to be 4 PointsPlus for Weight Watchers) is fat free greek yogurt, fruit, and granola.  My favorites are:

Fage Fat Free Greek Yogurt

• Banana
• A mix of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries



Kashi GoLEAN Crunch! Honey Almond Flax

And all you have to do is layer 1/2 cup of the yogurt, approximately 1/2 cup of the berries (though adding more or less won't affect the points value because fruit is FREE), half the banana (any more then that and there's too much banana), and half a cup of the granola!  Et voila:

Personal Photo

Then you mush it all together and get:

Personal Photo

AND IT IS DELICIOUS!!!!

I eat this almost every single day.  Usually not Sundays, but that's because on Sunday's I usually make breakfast for the fi and I.

Try it, lemme know if you love it as much as I do!!!

In case you aren't a member of the Hive...Part 3

What Worked for Me Part 2 - My Weight Watchers Advice!

So, the first segment of what worked for me was all about my fitness routine!  And I told fi about the great response that I was getting from the hive based off that post (and how great it made me feel) and he reminded me that I was working out just as hard, if not harder, before I joined weight watchers with no results.  So, I want to give my little bit of advice for people joining (or current members of) Weight Watchers!

Obviously they give you the plan.  And the more you embrace the changes that the plan requires of you the better results you will see.  I've said this before, and I'll say it again, I had a complete diet overhaul when I started.  What I mean is I basically changed everything I was eating.  I didn't just change the portion size of what I was eating before, I became a million times healthier.

A tip I have since Points Plus has started - prep all your fruits and veggies that you buy the day you buy them.  I actually put mine in those green tupperwares that supposedly keep produce fresh longer.  When you get home from work/school/the gym the last thing you want to be doing is cutting up a melon.  If you take care of it ahead of time it's a lot easier to snack healthy.

And finally I will walk you through what I like to call my Weight Watchers Power Pack.  I decided I needed to have all the tools available to me wherever I was when the plan changed and I could no longer just look at the nutritional facts and get a general sense of what the points value would be.  So I literally carry this around with me almost everywhere:

I got the green faux-crock bag from Marshall's.  It actually came in this whole laptop bag kit that I now use as my laptop bag for work.  The lime green looks pretty sweet with my dark purple jacket, I'm not gonna lie!

My lovely little green bag also happened to have loops on either side of the zipper that I was able to attach my 10% goal key chain (you get this when you hit your 10% goal if you go to meetings) and then I put my Goal Star (you get this when you hit your ultimate goal) on the keyring.  Eventually I'll get the Key (which you get when you maintain your goal for 6 weeks and are officially a lifetime member) and my Stay and Succeed (which you get after attending 16 meetings) on the key ring as well.

This is everything that I keep inside my lovely green weight watchers kit.  In my opinion, the Dining Out Companion and the Complete Food Companion are A MUST for any weight watcher!  Dining out has a bunch of chain restaurants and the points values for their menus and complete food companion has the points values for ANYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE!  The pocket guide they give you at your first meeting and will go over it with you at your first meeting.  The points plus calculator you also have to buy, but is really useful if you have the nutrition facts and need to find out the points value.  You plug in the protein, fiber, carbs, and fat and it tells you how many points it is!  It can also be used as a regular calculator.  I have 4 colored pens because I love color coding.  I keep a copy of my before and after pictures in there for motivation (before I met goal it was just a copy of my before pictures).  And although you can buy a food diary from Weight Watchers, I just got a little notebook from Walmart to use so I could use it my way...

I am a young person (22), I use the internet for everything, I have a smart phone, but I still feel like actually writing what I eat down works better for me then using e-tools to track my points each day.  I like being able to hold this in my hand and flip through it if I need to check something.  Green is the date, pink is the number of weekly points I have left, purple is how many Activity Points I have left and I use purple to input my exercise, blue is the food I eat.  I add up everything that I eat and I total that at the bottom, if it is over my daily points allowance I adjust my weeklies/activity points the next day.  Oh yeah, on weigh in day, since I won't have any Activity Points accumulated yet (they reset each week) I put my weight for that week in that spot in purple.
And finally...

I had extra save the dates, and since my initial motivation to join was the wedding, I glued one on the back of my notebook as a constant reminder of why I was doing this.

So, just like "What Worked for Me" part one, that is a TON of information, and I'm sure I missed something along the way.  If you have any questions/suggestions feel free to add to them!

*All personal photos*