Fabulous First Weigh in!

Well tonight was my first weigh in and am crazy happy because I lost 3.6lbs!!! Down to 225!

whew, bold big letters make it so much more exciting! :)

Tonight's meeting was about exercise and how it is not only essential to lose weight but it also has many other benefits. I was actually thinking today how much I forgot what a high working out is, and how I wished I would have done it more often during my pregnancy. I talked about exercising all the time and how I really needed to stay active... right. Today when I got home from walking Frankie to daycare I got the exercise "high" and realized how much I missed it. I am still somewhat restricted due to having a c-section 5 weeks ago but as soon as I get that "Ok" from my doc I'm going to get going full force! I can't wait to get back into Zumba, P90x, and of course enjoying the beautiful weather of the coming fall walking my babies everywhere in their Super Stroller!!

When I lost a lot of weight after Frankie was born I always had this theory that I was losing weight and enjoying every loss no matter how small because I had no "skinny body" to compare too. (You know those women who constantly compare their current bodies to their high school body or how they looked when they met their husband). Every loss held it's own magical power I wasn't hung up on the long term because I was in a world of uncharted territory in my life, every loss marked a new "skinny body" for me, lol. However, now that I do have a "skinny body" (sorta, I never did reach my ultimate goal) to compare myself too I only find it more motivating! I've done it before and I can do it again, it's proof that, yes, I will get there eventually.

On another note, my baby doll Andie is 5 weeks old today! She's already changed so much, it's amazing how fast time flies after they're born. She's sitting propped up in my lap as I write this just staring up and her mama. She is precious.

Stepping out of my comfort zone

After a long night with a fussy baby and a long busy day I'm shocked I was having such deep thoughts as I sat in my dark Art History night class. So many times I wanted to raise my hand or shout out an answer but I held myself back, mostly (and irrationally) in fear that I would be ridiculed for a wrong answer. I began to think about why I would even think that the professor or any other student would ridicule me?

I came to the conclusion that it would never happen. However, I still never raised my hand. As I sat there I began to wonder where this insecurity came from, and began to realize I've had it nearly my whole life and most definitely since I began gaining extra weight as a child. I watched as other students raised their hands and actively participated in the discussion wishing I had the courage to join and noticed that the students who were speaking out the most were overweight, more overweight than me even. This got the gears turning in my head and I began to wonder if my timidness was really a product of being overweight? Or, if I was letting my weight take the fall for not stepping out of my comfort zone.

Either way I came to the conclusion in my dark Art History class that I'm done letting my weight or anything else stand in my way of being who I want to be.

Oh, and I want to learn to speak Italian.

On a lighter note, I FINALLY got to use my new stroller with the girls today and we LOVE it! Frankie loves that she can stand up and see where we are going and her baby sister. It's not too long, definitely not as long as most double strollers, and rides like a champ! The storage space is a little small and I definitely need to pick up one of those organizers that fits on to the handle, but overall I'm very pleased with it! It felt so nice to get out on a walk today it's been far to long and I'm going to try to start walking a lot more often!

Ok, I'm almost done rambling! Tomorrow is my first weigh in, I can't believe it's been a week already! I've been doing awesome with my eating (I haven't gone over my points once!) however, today was the first exercise I've been able to squeeze in. I'm hoping now that I've got the Super Stroller it'll be easier this coming week! Come visit my blog tomorrow for the results!

My Favorite Low Point Foods

I love low point foods, but really who doesn't? It's a win, win. One of my most favorite low point snacks is 94% fat free popcorn. 5 cups for 1 point!! I love the minibags, 1 minute in the microwave and the whole bag is just about 5 cups.

Next on my list is butternut squash soup! At our house we LOVE Pacific Foods Butternut Squash soup, even my 3 year old will gobble up a whole bowl. 1 cup of this yummy yellow soup only 2 weight watcher points. Pair this with any good whole grain slice of toast (I've found some for 1 point a slice) and you've got a delicious hot lunch for 3-4 points (depending on your toast of choice).
Oh My Goodness, number 3 is so fantastic my mouth is watering.
Red Mango Frozen Yogurt, my current CRAVING! A small size (any flavor) of this heavenly treat is only 2 points! My favorite flavor-of all time-forever and ever-until death do us part- is key lime! If you haven't tried this you need to leave your house right now and get one. Bye.

Breakfast time.... Quaker Low Sugar oatmeal!(I go for the variety pack with cinnamon, maple and apple) 1 packet is only 2 points and makes a pretty decent sized bowl of oatmeal. Pair this with and Activia lite yogurt (1 point for 4 oz size) and breakfast is served for 3 points!

Last but not least is lite string cheese. I love cheese and it's one of the hardest things to cut back on for me. But anyone who has looked at the nutrition facts of cheese knows that now matter if your counting points or calories, it's just not pretty. These little lite string cheese babies are only 1 point and satisfy the cheesehead in me. Yum!

Leave me comments with your best low point foods!

My beautiful motivation

My weight loss is about more than being skinny. It's about feeling good. It's about living a long life. It's about self confidence.... but most of all it's about being a good role model to my beautiful girls.

These two little ladies are my reason for waking up each morning (and not just because they're hungry or have to potty). My dad has always told me that a person doesn't know what love is until they have a child and it's true a child captures your heart in a way nothing else can.

I began gaining extra weight when I was about 10 years old. Fortunately, I was never the target of any harsh bullying in school but I did suffer with incredibly low self esteem and low self confidence, some of which has carried into adulthood. I hate that our society has made being overweight such a shameful thing and it is one of my biggest fears for my girls. I want them to have the best life experience possible and being a good role model by living a healthy lifestyle is the best way I can think to keep them from having the same experience I did as an overweight kid. In a research paper I did last semester in my English 2010 class about childhood obesity I learned that children tend to follow the body shape of their same sex parent (I can get you the article where I learned this if you're interested). Assuming this is true, the best thing I can do is get into shape and live a healthy lifestyle for my babies! :)

I've been diligently tracking my weight watcher points using my ww app on my ipod touch. I LOVE it! My new stroller came yesterday and I plan on getting some much needed exercise in!

First Meeting in a while...

Well I attended my first weight watchers meeting in about a year last night. I don't know why I ever stopped going! The number on the scale was scary, but expected. I weighed in at 228.6, I'm going to get a picture up tomorrow. The message of the meeting was that weight watchers is a Live-it, not a Die-it, and I don't think there could have been a better message for my first meeting back. I am a mother of two, Frankie will be 3 in October and Andie is 4 weeks and a student taking 15 credits this semester. I need a Live-it.


I think I should mention that while I'm a weight watchers .Freak. I don't think it is the only plan in the world that works. It is what worked for me and that's why I love it. I truly believe that any sensible weight loss plan will include the same basic information, but you have to find the plan that works for YOU. I think the points system is so simple, but I can also see why it's not for some people, it's tedious for sure.

Of course after the meeting I was pumped about everything and made a .FABULOUS. dinner that was only 1 weight watcher point, I think. (I need to clarify with an instructor about when a variety of zero points become one point, I'll correct this if anything changes.) Shrimp and Veggie Kabobs. I put all the food on the skewers, sprayed with pam, seasoned and grilled them. Shrimp cooked this way might just be my favorite food ever! On the veggie kabobs I used green and red peppers, summer squash (from our garden) and mushrooms and seasoned them with season-all. For the shrimp kabobs I used jumbo size shrimp and put 6 on each skewer and seasoned them with salt and pepper. I was thinking next time I make this I would make some wild rice to go along with it, while a 1 point dinner is amazing some rice would have made it a little bit more filling.

According to Fed-ex, tomorrow my Joovy sit and stand stroller should be here and I can start walking! Since it's only been 4 weeks since my c-section that's all my doctor wants me doing right now. I'm so excited to take both girls with me on a walk! I think Frankie is going to love to stand up while we're cruisin'.

Life is going to be especially crazy for the next few months adjusting to all the changes of a new baby, school and trying to fit in burning calories where ever possible but I'm looking forward to it! I saw a bumper sticker today that said "Enjoy life, this isn't a rehearsal" and that's exactly what I intend to do!

The Beginning

Today marks the beginning of my second and final weight loss journey. I am re-joining Weight Watchers today in hopes of losing nearly 100lbs. I first joined after the birth of my first daughter Frankie and succeeded in losing 70 lbs before getting pregnant again and gaining nearly all of it back. My beautiful daughter Andie was born four weeks ago today and is perfect in every way, naturally.

I have been struggling with my weight since grade school and it wasn't until Frankie was born that I found true motivation to lose weight and truly become a healthy person. I want to be a role model for my girls by living a healthy and happy lifestyle. Frankie already likes to "exercise" with her yoga mat. It's adorable.

My goals for this blog are to share my experience, to show people that anyone can lose weight it's just about will power, and to hold myself accountable by posting my weekly results with pictures.(eek!!) I also hope this will motivate others that need a little extra convincing that weight loss can be easy and fun, and that the results are rewarding beyond what you think. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you'll continue to be a part of my journey!