You've Been Waiting

Well, here it is. I did alright, but not perfectly, by any means. I am going to pay for my indiscretions today with no WPA for tonight. So no dessert at the party tonight :( No dessert tomorrow :( Lets see how it goes from here. So far today is going just fine :) I can do this :) I used up ALL of my WPA yesterday, and I can live it, I hope ;D I'll fill you in tonight. I am going to have to bring a HUGE diet Pepsi with me, for sure :)

Friday, June 26, 2009

Morning
1 item(s) egg	2
1 item(s) egg white(s)	0
1 cup(s) mushroom(s)	0
1 tbsp fat-free sour cream	0
1/4 cup(s) salsa	0
Paradise Bakery White Chocolate Chip Macadamia nut Cookie	8
Subtotal	10
Midday
1 cup(s) lettuce	0
5 cup(s) reduced-fat microwave-popped popcorn, 94% fat-free	1
1 serving(s) Cheese stick, Light	1
1 box(es) Good & Plenty	4
Subtotal	6
Evening
Cheesecake Factory Lettuce Wraps	11.5
Cheesecake Factory Key Lime Cheesecake	18.5
3 item(s) corn fritters	5
Subtotal	35
Anytime
1/2 Paradise Bakery White Chocolate Chip Macadamia nut Cookie	4
10 nut(s) almonds	1.5
1 serving(s) Lemon Cake Mix	3
1/8 serving(s) Licorice, red vines	0.5
Subtotal	9
Food POINTS values total used	60
Food POINTS values remaining	0
Activity
45 min Swimming laps, freestyle (50 yards/minute or faster)	7
Activity POINTS values earned	7
Check off these important items daily:
Liquids Milk & Milk Products Fruit & Vegetables Multivitamin/Mineral Activity Lean Protein Whole Grains

David and Me :D

At the Hale Theater...Hello Dolly

Lightening Strikes Twice!

For those of you who thought it could not be done- here you have it! Two days in a row of PERFECTION! Now it is only 5:10 pm, plenty of time for me to screw up, BUT I DON'T WANT TO!!! So there! I am going to eat my dinner in a bit here. I did just have a sugar free snow cone :) YUMMY! I had other plans for dinner, but the pizza crusts were calling me and I beckoned! Weak , I know, but DELICIOUS!!! I even marked my good health guidelines for you too. The oil today is sort of a cheat... I have been prescribed a supplement because of my LOW good cholesterol and I took them and skipped the oil. I had planned to have it on my popcorn tonight, but I caved to the pizza crust :(

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Morning
2 serving(s) Premium Protein, Vanilla, EAS Costco	6
1 packet(s) Creamy Chocolate	1
110 gm banana(s)	1.5
Subtotal	8.5
Midday
2 slice(s) Pepperoni Pizza, 14-inch Large Round, 1/10 of 14-inch Pizza	10.5
1 serving(s) V8 5.5 oz can	0
Subtotal	10.5
Evening
1 serving(s) V8 5.5 oz can	0
2 cup(s) lettuce	0
1/2 cup(s) canned black beans	1
1/3 cup(s) cooked wild rice	1
Subtotal	2
Anytime
1 serving(s) V8 5.5 oz can	0
pizza crusts ;)	4
Subtotal	4
Food POINTS values total used	25
Food POINTS values remaining	0
Activity
10 min Push-ups on knees (as seen in Fitness section)	1
10 min Sit-ups (vigorous effort)	1
55 min Swimming laps, freestyle (50 yards/minute or faster)	8
Activity POINTS values earned	10
Check off these important items daily:
Liquids Milk & Milk Products Fruit & Vegetables Multivitamin/Mineral Healthy Oil Activity Lean Protein Whole Grains

Great Weigh In Today :)

Now, before anyone gets SUPER mad about my loss this week, after reading about ALL the crap I ate this weekend, please note that last week I was up 3.8 lbs because of the marathon. SO, my 2.8 loss this week, was GREAT and I am VERY excited, but it is really a 1# gain, sort of ;) BUT, because I am always saying "down is DOWN!" I guess I had better just party my pants off and whoop it up! So here is the breakdown of my point numbers for the whole week. Hold on to your hats guys, this one is BAD!!! I earned and ATE 27 activity points, I ate ALL 35 WPA, plus an additional 19.5 that I borrowed from my neighbor ;) I suppose that I don't need to mention that I ate all of my Daily Points Target too, eh?
I hope all of my blabbing is helping someone else, because it is REALLY helping me to see it all in black and white.
I was in a training for work a few weeks ago and the point was driven home, that we need to know our numbers... how many daily points we need to eat to lose? How many activity points we need to earn... and eat? How many of our WPA we can eat and lose. All of these numbers are truly crucial to getting to, and maintaining our goal weight. THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW THESE NUMBERS IS TO TRACK!!!! That is the ONLY way. If you hate to track with the traditional tracker, try the 3 month journal. If you love your smart phone or computers (or use them a lot anyway) try e-tools. Find what works for you and just do it!
XOXOXOXOXoxoxoxoxox!!!

VICTORY!!!

Alright- it is 8:10 and I think it is safe to declare victory. HIP HIP HOORAY!!! I made a plan that I could stick to today, AND I DID IT!!! It's a Festivus Miracle!!! Here is the breakdown: (I copied and pasted this from e-tools. Yes, I am pretty cool ;)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Morning
1 serving(s) V8 5.5 oz can	0
1 item(s) Light Multi-Grain English Muffin	1
1 item(s) egg	2
1 item(s) egg white(s)	0
1 serving(s) Ham, Costco Kirkland Extra Lean	1
1 slice(s) Reduced-Fat Pasteurized American Cheese Food	1
Subtotal	5
Midday
1/2 cup(s) canned black beans	1
1 cup(s) cooked wild rice	3
1 serving(s) V8 5.5 oz can	0
109 gm strawberries	0
Subtotal	4
Evening
1/2 cup(s) canned black beans	1
1 cup(s) cooked wild rice	3
1 serving(s) V8 5.5 oz can	0
Subtotal	4
Anytime
1 packet(s) Creamy Chocolate	1
1 serving(s) Premium Protein, Vanilla, EAS Costco	3
323 gm strawberries	1
2 point snack - Quick-added food	2
granola bars - Quick-added food	2
1/2 tbsp peanut butter	1
2- 1 point bars - Quick-added food	2
Subtotal	12
Food POINTS values total used	25
Food POINTS values remaining	0
Activity
55 min Swimming laps, freestyle (50 yards/minute or faster)	8
26 min bicycling, moderate	2
Activity POINTS values earned	10

I am feeling pretty good about today. My big problem, as I mentioned before, is that I get home from work and I must EAT! I had my Beans and rice when I came home and it totally filled me up 100%. There is even a 1/4 cup left in the bowl. I am SO excited about today that I am off to plan for tomorrow. I weigh in tomorrow at my meeting, WISH ME LUCK!!!!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Shameless Plug! ;D

Paysonites Listen Up!!! I just got back from the CUTEST store in Payson. Grin & Wear It, 110 S Main Street. They carry all of the DownEast stuff and MUCH MUCH more! Get in there and shop so we can keep this gem in business!!! It is SO exciting to have such a great store and NOT have to schlep to the malls with my teen Chicklets ;) This of course has nothing to do with Weight Watchers, I just had to share!!! :)

Confessions....

I want to look like the two skinny girls in the pool lane next to me today. I am pretty sure they have not given birth, let alone given birth to 6 children, but I still want to look like them. I also want to swim like them too. Now, not to cut myself short, I did swim straight for 55 minutes this morning and I am REALLY proud of that, but I want to be them. In all honesty, I can't remember a time in my life, with exception to the past two years, when I did not look to others and want to be like them. I suppose it is human nature to do that. To tell you the truth, the past two years have been the first time in my life that I have been REALLY happy with who I am, physically anyway . It hasn't been just a few months that those old unsettled, envious feelings have been creeping back in. I think it is because I am ready for more change. I am finally ready to get to that 100# loss that I have wanted, but not been willing to make the changes to get there. I am pretty sure that I won't ever quite look like those two athletic twigletts at the pool this morning, but I can get closer ;) Now for the REAL confession... I have full confidence that I can do it, but it makes me nervous, I am scared of it. I am not sure what about it frightens me, but it does. I need to think about it more and figure it out. Losing the 100#'s will take me back to my "sophomore in college" weight, really close to the freshman year and high school weights. Hmmm.... I wonder what my deal is??? Could I be really that afraid of Fabulous Me??? Maybe deep down I think I will go back to the moron I was in college and high school? Now that IS something to be scared of!

Ho Hum, what's to be done???

I went over my points by 4! DAG NAB IT!!! I had to have the potato chips that were FOUR points per serving instead of the THREE they were supposed to be! WHAT THE HECK!!????
I am in a REALLY bad mood about the whole thing. One thing about me, is that I always need to eat after I work in the evenings. When will I learn this and save my dinner points for this time of day? I suppose I don't because I really don't like to eat late and normally don't... EXCEPT when I work at night. So here is the new plan.... GET A GRIP AND CONCEDE TO THE FACT THAT I EAT ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT WHEN I GET HOME FROM WORK!!! Move on Marion, deal with it and PLAN PLAN PLAN!!! How long have I been working at night??? Two years... can anyone say denial????
So, tomorrow's meals are all planned for the day and I have 8 left over points. I am going to save 6 of them for dinner after work. Zip, zap, DONE! I will let you know how that goes for me.
Oh, oh oh, I am so excited, my leg is really close to totally healed! I am SO excited! I am going to swim AND bike tomorrow!!! Next week, I should be back to running :) YEAH!!! I am SO happy :D

Tuesday Night Time Changes

I just wanted to send out a note to remind y'all that the Tuesday night meeting times in the Provo Center have changed, starting tonight. For those of you, who this time will not work, please know that on Wednesday there is a 6:00 pm meeting and on Thursday there is a 7:00 pm meeting. We will miss your HORRIBLY , but the meeting staff on those nights ROCK and will take great care of you
The new Tuesday times are:
4:30- the doors open for our Wonderful Week Two Members :)
5:00 pm begins the weigh in for the Rockin' Regular Members
5:30 pm- the Regular Amazing Meeting ;D
6:15 - Registration begins for our BEAUTIFUL (and handsome, as the case may be) new and returning members
6:30- the Getting Started Session for our new and returning members

I Did It...almost! ;)

I did great yesterday :) I did have a 1 point string cheese before bed. That and the fruit at dinner were my only feux pa's ;) I have planned out me meals for the weekend and it looks good. I am going to get the fish tacos at the Cheesecake Factory and the Key Lime Cheesecake. Yes, I have a thing for Key Lime these days ;D I have yummy meals planned for the rest of the weekend. Oh wait, I just remembered that I have a party Saturday night. Ok- back to the drawing board! Hmmm... I may need to change my tacos to a lower calorie salad on their menu. I am going to need some of my WPA for Saturday night too..... Hmmmmm.....

So Far So Good!

It is quarter to seven and so far so good. The only thing I did not eat on plan was some fresh fruit with dinner. That is not going to get me down OR count, because I did not get over weight by eating too much fresh fruit! ;) I am almost finished with the dinner and if I can make it a few hours more with only the KEY LIME PIE going down the pie hole, I will have made it. Now Terri- it you come over with Chocolate cake I will hunt you down and make you go on a date with this weird guy down the street!!!

3 PPV Muffins! PPV Updated

So far so good! I think I have it under control for the evening... I HOPE! Hopefully no "nice" neighbors will bring any sweet (or salty, for that matter) offerings over this evening. My stash of Diet Pepsi is OUT and I am going to need some to make it through the evening.... hmmmmmm... I have already been to Walmart once today, I may have to go again :( I guess I can suffer with Crystal light ;D I really like the Morning Sunrise mixed with the Cranberry Apple. YUMMY! OK, now I am excited :)
Oh- and to keep my mind off of food this afternoon, we cleaned up the yard and patio so we could dine al fresco ;)

Breakfast-
1/2 cheese bagel and light cream cheese 5
5.5 oz V8
Lunch-
1/ Ciabatta roll...3.5 pts
pastrami....2 pts
5.5 oz V8
1 C fruit...1 point
Dinner plans....
1 veggie burger ...1 point
Thomas' Light Multi-Grain English muffin... 1 point
111 g baked fries......1.5 points
green salad
1 slice KEY LIME PIE!!!! 10 points
Snack-
5.5 oz V8
Sugar free shave ice :)
Activity-
Swimming laps for 35 minutes.....5 points
(the quad seemed Ok with this activity :)

Here is the YUMMY 1 Point Muffin Recipe :)

Three PPV Muffins
Mix and let sit for 10 mins:
3 cups All Bran ( cereal)
2 1/2 cups warm water or coffee for chocolate (regular or decaf)
Add:
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 box Krusteaz Fat Free Muffin or Brownie Mix (prepare as directed on the box)
Combine the soaked bran and muffin mixture. Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes makes 24 muffins. They are best if they sit in fridge in baggie over night. I have used the Fat Free blueberry and the Cranberry-orange mixes. I add extra fresh or frozen blueberries to the blueberry and extra cranberries to the cranberry.

Father's Day Disaster :p

I did really great with my plan until David brought out the Charleston Chews! That was the beginning of the end :(:::::::::::: I was great with breakfast and lunch. The main problem is that when we are eating things that are high points and NOT Filling Foods and I only have a little... I am starved and WEAK! You know how I always ask, "if you miss your exit on the freeway, do you just keep going, or do you get off at the next exit and turn around?" Well yesterday, I missed the Payson Exit and went to Baja and since I was there, I decided to go to Cabo! :(::::::::::::
Now since I can't change what happened yesterday, I am going to take what I learned and move forward. I learned that I need activity points for these mishaps. I also need to NOT plan a day of CRAP for Hubby, even on Father's day! He does not need it, and I REALLY don't need it.
Today is going to be perfect, as the rest of the week will be too. We are going out to dinner with my parents on Friday to the Cheese Cake Factory :(:::::::::::::. I will need ALL of my WPA for this one. My quad is feeling much better this morning, and I even went swimming. I need to plan for the whole weekend, if I am going to use my WPA on Friday night. I will do that this afternoon. Using something I learned from this past weekend, I am going to plan FUN low point meals for Saturday and Sunday. I will also plan some low point desserts/treats as well. I would like to not use any of my Activity points either. OOooooh, I think I am going to try that yummy Turkey Burger recipe from Oprah that Lynn gave me a while ago. Hmmmmm.... now I am excited to meet this challenge and show the world that Marion can plan, and STICK TO THE PLAN!!! One day at a time baby.... I will return and report later :)

To Confess or not to confess???

I ate the pie..... ;D

Saturday.....Mmmmmm....

Breakfast-
light string cheese 1 pt
5.5 oz V8 ....0 points
Caramel 1 Point bar
Playground Granola bar ...3 points
Lunch-
hot dog....3 points
1 piece of whole wheat bread.. 1point
light string cheese.... 1 pt
5.5 oz V8 ...0 points
Dinner-
1 C pasta with tomatoes and fresh basil --- 4 points
4 oz avocado 4 points
1 t olive oil 1 point
5.5 oz V8.. 0 points
Snacks-
1 C 94% ff popcorn w/ 2 t olive oil... 3 points
playground granola bar.. 3 pts
and can you guess... 5.5 oz v8... 0 points

I was exactly on my points today. YIPPEE and HALLELUJAH!!! I was counting 1 point for my V8's but when I typed them in to e-tools, each can was actually 0 points. I am going to see how that works for me ;)
Now, today, Sunday, Father's Day is going to be a bit of a challenge. I sat down last night to figure out how I was going to get in all of the treats I had planned for my husband. It should all fit if I can just stick to the plan. It's going to take a nap and a TON of Diet Pepsi! I'll report later. Wait... TOO LATE!!! So far I have succumbed to some Charleston Chews (4 points), and some chips (3 points) and fruit (1 point) at lunch. I am going to have to forgo the key lime pie if I want to stick to my points budget. Darn my quad! I should have about 20 more activity points that I could use as a slush fund, but no luck :p I can have the Key Lime Pie for breakfast tomorrow :) I am going to track it right now :) I'll have a piece of pie and a 5.5 oz of V8 :) The breakfast of champions. I'd better go and mentally rehearse me not eating the pie right now. Please pray for me :D

Time in a bottle :) Could I have some more???

Did you all survive the storm yesterday?? Holy smokes! My 5 year old looked out the front window and exclaimed, "There's a flood in the front yard!!!" Sure enough, the storm drain was blocked by debris and the water was rushing over the sidewalk and on to the grass. Cool Beans! I took off my shoes, rolled up my pants, grabbed the hoe and was off to save the farm . I love the adventure :) ....and drama. We came back in SOAKED and full of victory and purpose.

Have you ever wondered how you could get more into these busy days of ours? How do some people seem to accomplish so much? This week in the meetings, we are going to learn some GREAT ways to help us get all we can into our days and the most out of them. I love this meeting and can't wait to get to my very own meeting as a member on Thursday :)

Be sure to leave comments on the blog when ever the mood strikes. I love to hear from you :)

Friday's Frolicks

Breakfast-
Egg McMuffin 4 points:
egg & egg white
Thomas' light English muffin
2% cheese slice
Lunch-
Costco hot dog 13 points
baked chips 2 points
1 fat free home made granola bar that tasted like DIRT!!! YUCKY!!! :p I have never throw food away before, but I did last night. I remade them with all of the oil for 3 points a piece and those were MUCH better.
Snack-
1 slice swiss cheese 2% 1 pt
1 light string cheese 1 pt
4 points worth of pizza crusts from the kids dinners while I was waiting for hubby to get back to go out to dinner. This may be a bit high, but I'd rather go over than under.
4 double stuffed Oreos 6 points - Darn that cute husband of mine bringing that home from the store!
Dinner-
4 fresh spring rolls with sauce 7.5 points
14.5 of my WPA used and 1 activity point swapped. Normally this would not bother me, but I need all of my WPA for Father's Day tomorrow. I am not sure how I am going to be able to eat any of the CRAP I am fixing for my husband :( I was just noticing that I had next to no fruits and veggies on Friday :( What is up with that??? Oh, and my quad is injured so I will be light on the activity for a week or two :(::::::::::: I CANNOT go over my daily points target at all when I am not active :(::::::::::::
Tomorrow is going to be a MAJOR challenge. We are having onion and cheese bagels and fruit for breakfast. I can have a 1/4 (the 1/4 with the most cheese and onions ;) with a titch of light cream cheese and then 2 C of fruit. For lunch we bought pastrami and 2% REAL cheese slices and the Ciabatta rolls from Costco. I will have a 1/2 of a roll with little meat and one little slice of cheese and more fruit. Then for dinner we bought the fresh ravioli with a tomato cream sauce. I am going to have to make a HUGE green salad for dinner. For dessert we bought Key Lime pie. This may kill me :p I am off to track this all and see what I am going to do to help me participate and enjoy with out breaking the points bank. Why don't I remember that these things are coming up??? It's not like I wasn't at the store with myself buying this all. :(

---

Insert movie times and more without leaving Hotmail®. See how.

This tasted better than it looks ;)

Costco hot dog for lunch :) 13 fabulous points bite the dust!!!

Will I Ever Learn???

How many times do I say, "Figure out your points BEFORE you eat the food???" 30, 40 , 50 times a week? Well, I am a total MORON and need to take my own advice. Story following...
Yesterday I decided to make a recipe that my friend made for Playground Granola Bars. So I Google'd the recipe and started to make them. First mistake- I CAN'T READ!! I looked at the nutrition label. There were 131 calories so I figured 2 points per bar and ate them while I was figuring the "real" points because I had modified it a bit and cut more bars than the recipe called for. The problem here is that the 131 was NOT calories, it was the fat grams for the WHOLE recipe!!! Problem #2- I CAN'T COUNT!!! I thought I had made 64. So, with my modifications, the bars now had THREE points per bar... HOLY CRAP... I had already eaten 4!!!! Then I go back in the kitchen to double check my math and have another bar.. and SUPER HOLY CRAP, I had only cut 48!!!! The bars now have 4 points per bar. So, I ate one more bar and went to work a defeated woman... full of despair and raw oats!
I went over my points budget for the day by TWENTY!!! On a lighter note I was still down 1.6 lbs today :D The extra ten I gained over night from the marathon are coming off finally :) That is the one good thing about water retention... it eventually comes off!!! :)
Here's to a better day and higher mental function ;D
Here is what I ate for the Thursday:
2 c watermelon..2 pt
2 mini bagels...2pt
1.5 C mixed fresh fruit...2 pts
2 C pasta...7 pts
6 granola bars...26 POINTS
6 oz raspberries...1pt
milk... 1 pt
1 slice sour dough...1 pt
2.5 servings of G2...1.5 points
total 45.5 points for the day. 20.5 points over :( No activity for the day :( My left quad is not very happy and I am resting it :D

Technichal Difficulties :(

I am so ticked off! I typed out the greatest blog entry and it is gone!!! I am going to have to go to bed and see if I can muster the strength and humor to recreate the blurb. DARN IT!!!
In short- READ, figure points BEFORE you eat and don't delete a great entry :( ::::::::::::::::

Oh- I went TWENTY points over my budget because I am a MORON!!!

Blender Waffles and Afternoon Confessions

Here is the recipe for the BEST waffles in the WHOLE world!

Whole Wheat Blender Waffles
1 C milk
1 C wheat kernels
Blend 4 minutes in the blender. Then add:
3 eggs
2 t sugar
½ t salt
½ C oil (you may substitute half of the oil with ¼ C applesauce)
3 t baking powder
2-4 t vanilla
*to make Belgian style, separate eggs. Only add yolks to the blender. Beat whites to stiff peaks and fold in at the end.
3.4 POINTS with all the oil, 2 POINTS with half oil and half applesauce. This makes ~12 waffles.

I am trying out the Comic Sans font. A few of my dearest friends SWEAR it is the best font in the WHOLE world, so I thought I'd give it a try :) Do you like it???
So far for today, I have had the a fore mentioned breakfast. A hot dog with the bun, some strawberries and watermelon and an avocado for my snack. I feel very full and am thinking Salmon for dinner. Mmmmmm.... the perfect day :) Now if I can stay away from the 1 POINT Cookies and Cream (filled with addictive drug filled) bars, I will be OK!
Oh, I made some fruit dip for the Granny Smith apples I got on sale this morning. It is FF cream cheese and splenda brown sugar. It is GOOD! No idea the points values, cause I just put a little of this and a little of that. I will work out some real measurements and let you know.
Hang tight and will chat tomorrow :)
xoxoxoxoxo

Recovering Well... Still Elated!!!

I am recovering well from the marathon, but have not been tracking well for the past 2 days. I promise a detailed report tonight! So far today, a V-8 and 1 C or raspberries :) I am off to have an egg scramble and a TON of water. I am still retaining a TON of water from the marathon. Usually it takes only a few days to get the water weight off after a long run. I am guessing this marathon thing is a bit more than just a regular long run and will take a bit more time :( It's all good! Thanks so much for all of your well wishes!!!
Hey- it has been SO great to see y'all in the meetings. Attending your meetings is going to make all of the difference. ALSO- if you do not have your next goal in mind, think of one so we can record it on your progress card and get working on it. Think of something that you can do in the next 6-8 weeks. Think of a reward for yourself! I am personally working toward my 5% award. I earned my first 5# sticker last week and that was AWESOME!!! Your next achievement needs to be close and WELL CELEBRATED!!!
See you soon!!!!
xoxoxoxoxo

The Red Hot Pink Chicks 1/2 Marathon

The RHPC 1/2 Marathon is almost here. It will be July 11th down Provo canyon. The entry fee is a treat to share at the end AND a prize for another runner. The prize should have something to do with Red, Hot, Pink or Chicks/chickens. The grand prize is being created by Patty's Ceramics in Provo. I commissioned a ultra tacky red hot pink glitter covered chicken. It should be awesome! Now please know that ALL are welcome, runners, walkers, wheelchairs, bikes, strollers, dogs, WHATEVER! Please come in costume (red and or hot pink) and be ready for fun. The winner will most likely be cast into the river :) We are looking for volunteers to help shuttle us up the canyon. Please pimp out your spouses, children or other unsuspecting loved ones for these duties. There will be no aide stations, so you will need to haul your own fluids and fuels. We will have finisher medals- they are going to be SO cool! There will be "special" prizes for any men who are courageous enough to do this run, and seriously, what red blooded male would not want to do this run with all of the super HOT chicks running around? :)
PLEASE forward this to others who may want to do it. I need a head count for medals, so please RSVP asap. I will have a large cooler of gatorade and water at the end.
*** A 1/2 marathon is 13.1 miles. Please note that you participate at your own risk :o

Back in the Saddle Again!

Lunch at Jason's Deli- 1/2 turkey on rye with fruit and a salad bar trip :) Are you jealous MissB? My sandwich wasn't as tall this time :( Oh, and a chocolate vanilla twist ice cream cone.

As the saying goes, "Back in the saddle again!" After a weekend of EATING THE WHOLE WORLD, I am back and ready to live the plan. I am quite sure that I ate all of my points and a few of my neighbors points too. The only thing I have to offer as an excuse is that I RAN A MARATHON THIS WEEKEND! I feel good about that excuse and can live with the consequences of my actions.
Tomorrow I will run again. Saturday and Sunday, I was REALLY sore. Today I am MUCH better and tomorrow I will attempt a slow jog or maybe I will jog to the pool and then swim and then jog home. Hmmmm.... I think I like that idea.

tired...sore...sleepy...more sore...cant wait to d

tired...sore...sleepy...more sore...cant wait to do it again next year!!! No matter what I say or do DO NOT LET ME DO TOU!

Oatmeal on the Brain :D

What is with this monsoon season? I didn't think we had monsoon season here.
Well, I finished my first marathon today and my brain is OATMEAL! And speaking of oatmeal, this weeks meeting is all about the best kept secret in the whole world. It turns out that our mothers were right and that breakfast is quite possibly the most important meal of the day. I'd write more, but as I said, I have mush for brains and can't type. Even my fingers are sore ;)
I can't wait to see you all this week! Be sure to bring in your favorite breakfast recipes to share. It is going to e a GREAT meeting :)
Oh, the blog has some of the marathon pictures on it, if you want to see :) It was SO fun!!!

pictures

Anna Lisa, Luz, Me, Susanna, and Maurine at the finish :)

My shirt for my first marathon ;)

Anna Lisa and me at the starting line :D
Aren't we cute?

Me and my medal! Oh and my roses from David,
my SWEET HUSBAND!!!

Maurine and me at the finish :)

Oh does it feel good to stop running :)

Sweet David and the Roses!

The marathon is finished. It

The marathon is finished. It went GREAT! I will report more later when I get the pictures :D I cant believe I did it!

The MARATHON is TOMORROW!

Yep, the marathon is upon me. I am eating crabs like a nut case. I tracked yesterday and went WAY over my points for the day and today is going to be more of the same. I still should be within my total points for the week as I will be earning a ton of activity points :) I am going to Chinese for some noodles today and The Brick Oven for some pasta tonight.
Wish me luck. I will post the results tomorrow night or Sunday, depending on how I am feeling :)

Weekly Report.... "A" for loss.. "B" for effort

Here goes- I am on a new mission, hence the blogging of ALL I eat! I really want to get down to a 100 pound loss. I am working hard at it. Here is what I am doing.
#1 TRACK EVERY LAST STUPID OR BRILLIANT THING THAT GOES IN MY MOUTH!!!
#2 Bog it for the universe to read ;)
#3 Be active EVERY day.
#4 ATTEND MY WEEKLY MEETINGS NO MATTER WHAT!!!!
#5 Read and REREAD all of my materials. One booklet a week, REPEAT!
#6 Continue to work on the 8 Helpful Habits and the Tools for Living
#7 Follow the Good Health Guidelines----ALL OF THEM!
#8 Report my loss/gains to y'all each week.
**** Now please remember that this is Member Marion speaking. I am NOT perfect nor do I profess to be. I hope that my postings will give any who read inspiration and motivation to keep going. Please feel free to comment on these crazy "ramblings."

Thursday report-
I earned 46 activity points
I ate ALL of my WPA and Activity Points, mostly, I have .5 left.
Drum roll please..... I lost .8 lbs today. I am happy with that.

Just for the record, the previous week, I lost 1.4 lbs. I earned 47 activity points and only ate 2.5 of them and ALL of my WPA.

My total loss since I have been attending meetings for the past month is 5.2 lbs. I got my first 5# sticker today and I was SO excited. I forgot how cool it is to get them :)

Now at the top I gave myself a B for effort. This is mainly because of ALL of the cookies I ate this week. It would be a much lower grade, but I was barely over my points budget, so I am not going to penalize myself too much :) Biggest problem--- I scummed to the treats that were dropped off and I am working on a plan to NOT DO THAT AGAIN!!! I am using Mental Rehearsing, Anchoring and Manage Your Environment to help me with this weakness. (see your week 4 materials)

WISH ME LUCK!!! xoxoxoxoxo

Oh, yesterday I was pretty good about following my plan for the day. I went 4 points over my daily points target. I was REALLY hungry after I got home from the meeting last night. I had some cheese, an egg and some yummy green salad that my Hubby made.

Some Days are Better Than Others ;)

Tuesday-
LOTS of fresh cherries :) 3 points
Marvelous Egg McMuffin (Double fiber english muffin, 2% swiss single, 1 egg, 2 egg whites, 2 slices Cosco ham)- 5.5 points
leftover Veggie Stir Fry (2 c veggie, 1/2 C rice)- 2.5 points
8 large pieces of California Roll Sushi- 6 points
1 beef rib- 2.5 points
5 C Popcorn with 2 t olive oil 3 points
2 light string cheeses(1 morning, 1 night)- 2 points
25 points for the day. No activity as I am tapering for my marathon and have a few little aches and pains that I am making sure are not serious. I have turned in to quite the paranoid hypochondriac with 3 days to go ;)

Wednesdays plan-
1 egg... 2 points
3/4 of a medium cantaloupe... 2.5 points
119 g banana... 1.5 points
1 Weight watchers smoothies ... 1 points
2 servings EAS protein powder... 6 points
Walmart salmon ...2 points
1/2 cantaloupe ...1.5 points
2 c veggie stir fry ... .5 points
1 egg ... 2 points
2 c grapes ...2 points
1 serve EAS protein ... 3 points
1 pkt WW smoothie... 1 point
This should equal 25 points on the nose. Tomorrow I start my carbo load for the marathon. Today was mainly protein and veggeis and fruit. The protein is for healing of the muscles for the 26.2 miles. The fruits and veggies are GOOD for me and they provide hydration. The carb loading is not a carb free for all, but my points will be mainly all from carbs. I have been drinking Powerade Zero since Monday and for Thursday and Friday, I will be drinking G2 for all of my fluids. Fruits and veggies will be limited as to not create tummy trouble on the LONG run :)
***Please note that my eating is a bit weird and skewed because of the marathon. I have read TONS about pre marathon training and am following their advice. Normally my days are much more balanced :)

Time to Bring Out the BIG Guns!

Last night, just before bed, another plate of homemade cookies came to my home! DARN IT!!! I had two chocolate chip cookies. The activity points are gone.... oh well... I am running a marathon on Saturday :) Any how, I dusted off my week 4 materials and retook the Helpful Habit Profile. No surprise to me but the Manage Your Environment jumped off the page. So I am going to enlist the help of the Reframing Tool for living.. also in book 4, and get to work. I have to be able to have treats come into my home and NOT EAT THEM ALL! I will report later.

I am a WIMP!!!

Breakfast-
1 egg, 2 egg whites ...2.5 points
Orowheat Double Fiber English muffin...1 point
spray butter
2 pieces of Kirkland Ham
Lunch-
Mini Bagel- one point
30 g cream cheese
2 pieces ham
1 slice onion
TREAT-
2 sugar cookies dropped off by Ashley's friend :) shall we say 12???
I have a really hard time with sugar cookies. I LOVE them :) Now I only have 2.5 left for the rest of the day :( I am going to have an small piece of salmon for dinner with a BIG green salad. I need to head to the store for some cucumbers for snacks.
Live and learn. Oh, maybe I will do a veggie stir fry for dinner. That will be tasty and I can have a 1/2 C of rice. Mmmmmm.... that will be more filling, I think. I am going to have to ponder this one.
Tomorrow, I will have a more normal day. I think I will put a sign on the door saying.."NO MORE FOOD !!!!"

3 Activity Points Bite the Dust! +10 more :(

I decided to eat a 1/2 Cup of my yummy homemade granola for my evening snack. It is 3 points and with my marathon coming up this weekend, I thought it was a good choice. Good carbs :)
AND... then later, I ate TEN more activity points!!! I ate an egg with two egg whites for 2.5 points, another string cheese for 1, a chocolate dipped creamie for FOUR points, a 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes and a teaspoon of peanut butter. I think I am missing something here? Hmmmm....
SO... the lesson learned here is, 13 points worth of fish and chips is YUMMY, but it is not filling enough for that many points. Now my binge was not all that big, or loaded with bad choices, BUT I did go WAY over my daily points target :( No problem, this is why I earn SO many activity points. I don't always need them for food, but when I do, they are there for me :)

Sunday Dinner

Because I have the NICEST neighbors in the WHOLE WORLD, I was blessed with a home cooked dinner :) Shanelle brought over homemade fish and chips from halibut her hubby caught in Alaska last month. I had 3 small pieces and 2 medium onion rings. I am guessing about 13-15 points. I had a tablespoon of her yummy tartar sauce made from miracle whip. I don't know what kind of oil she used, but if it was canola, I can count that for my oils :) I was going to have pop corn with my olive oil tonight, but I will forgo that, as my points are TOAST!! :) It was SOOOOOooooo good.
If I get hungry later I will eat a few tomatoes :)

Afternoon Snack

Ice cream cone.... 1 point
1/2 C homemade ice cream... 1 point

Lunch

1 U-bake tortilla... 3 points
1/2 C black beans... 1 point
2 T ff sour cream...0 points
1/2 C chopped tomatoes...0 points
1/2 C salsa... 0 points
4 C Crystal Light

Morning Snack-
light string cheese...1 point

Get Active.. Cut Costs!

Happy June :) What a nice temperature it is. Don't you just wish we could have it stay like this? You know, this is just the perfect weather to get out and get moving!
Speaking of activity, activity is one quarter of Weight Watchers Four Way Approach to weight loss. If you just do the "eating" part, you have a diet. Add in the other three, Move More, the Helpful Habits, and Attending Meetings, and you have a lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle is the only way to get weight off and KEEP IT OFF! Be sure to schedule in your meeting this week and come see how you can cut costs while cutting up the rug! Moving more does not have to be expensive or complicated. Come in and see how.
Speaking of Activity, how is our little "Loser Lagoon" competition coming along? Remember you earn a little "swimmer" for every four days you are active for at least 30 minutes. You may add up 10 minutes bouts during the day to equal 30. You also may enter another way too. If you attend every meeting between the first of June and the last week in August, you can enter again as well :) I will have little tracker sheets in the meetings this week to help you keep track of what you have earned. As far as the meeting attendance goes, you have to actually ATTEND the meetings, not just weigh in ;)
I can't wait to see y'all this week.
Oh- I get lots of questions about what I eat. So on my blog, you will find out more about how I live the Weight Watchers Momentum Plan. Feel free to leave comments. I'd love to hear from you! :)
Don't forget to sign up for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event in October. There is a link to my team page on my blog. This year we are the Red Hot Pink Chicks :) All men are invited to be on the team as well. Just think how cool you will be with all of these GORGEOUS women!!!

Breakfast

Bubba's Mini Whole Wheat Bagel - 1 point
2 T light cream cheese- 2 pts
2 slices Kirkland lean ham- 1 point
158 g fresh strawberries- .5 points
*** I love using my digital scale and e-tools to find out EXACTLY how much fruit, meat, dry cereal or anything I am eating. I can select grams in e-tools and then type in exactly how much I have eaten. It is a great way to make sure I am eating the right amount of food, or at least calculating the points for the food correctly :)

Lunch ;)

I have been craving cream cheese lately. So, for lunch I had a 1 point bagel with the light cream cheese.. all two tablespoons of it!.. and the lean ham from Costco. I also had a light string cheese and an orange. I am very satisfied and have planned out the rest of the day:
3.5 points for 1 C of black beans and salsa
3 points for a yummy homemade tortilla
3 points for 5 C of 94% ff popcorn and 2 t olive oil :) w/ a little Canadian Steak Seasoning
0 points for a cucumber and salsa
0 points sugar free snow cone

STRESS!!!

I BEGGED for a few boring weeks before the marathon, and I should have said NOTHING!!! Well, my dad is sick again, and they are running tons of tests :( AND my poor 15 year old had to come home early from EFY. We took her straight to the doctor to find out that she has Influenza A, the worst kind. The doc is sending her swabs off to the state for further analysis. She is quarantined for 10 days. The three kids who had no contact with her were sent off to family and friends as to avoid their exposure. Hubby, the two youngest and I are left here to wait it out. Hopefully none of us will come down with it. We have been wearing masks and using sanitizers EVERYWHERE. The poor sick dear is doing alright, but feels HORRIBLE.
So, here is the part that is ALL about me and what I am eating... I had some chocolate chip oatmeal cookies for breakfast that the neighbor sent over. I had three, and I am guessing about 7-9 points. I'll record nine. I should be able to get a grip for the rest of the day, as the house is clean and I have done all I can do to help the situation around here. I am going to fold some laundry and have a sandwich for lunch. Dinner will be some yummy black beans that I cooked in the crock pot over night. I drained them this morning and poured some of my homemade salsa on them to simmer today :) It will be yummy. I'll send DH (dear hubby) to the grocery store tonight for food :) I went last night but only got "sick" stuff for Sweet Sick-o.
On a very exciting note, my weight was fantastic this morning. It was good yesterday too, which was a SHOCK as I spent ALL of my WPA the day before. ;)
Happy day!
I am planning on working ALL of my meetings this week. Of course, if I get sick, I will have an amazing fill-in take care of you! No missing meetings guys! We need this- and I do mean "we." I am not missing my meetings for anything accept being sick. Oh- if you are sick, please stay home :) We LOVE you and want you to get better, and the best place for that is at home in your bed watching sappy movies :)
xoxoxoxo

Infidel !!! ;D

This is what happens when you give chocolate to an amateur! What a waste of perfectly good Chocolate Mouse Royale! ;)

Another test to see what this looks like. Now I can take pics of my weird sandwiches and other adventures!!!

Dorky Kids- I figured out how to send it so y'all can see them ;D

Just trying to figure out how to send photos to my blog. How's that for some ugly runner feet?

When is "BAD" actually Good???

This is an age old conundrum, all the way back to Adam and Eve. As to not start a religious debate, let me premise my entry by saying that when talking about HOW to use our Daily Points Target and Weekly Points Allowance, there is a TON of room for interpretation and latitude. Having said that, here's the deal-
Last night, it was getting late. I took my boys out for Snow Cones at dinner time ;) I am such a COOL mom ;) Anyway, by 7 we were all STARVING and pancakes were the only option. My 5 year old suggested pizza and I said, "Yes sir!" Even after my YUMMY lunch at Mi Rancherito, I still had 23 of my WPA left. So I pick up the phone and ordered 2 large pizzas and bread sticks. I got the special :) One was deep dish crust with sausage and peperoni and the other was THIN CRUST WITH MUSHROOMS AND OLIVES. Now, I would love to tell you that I just had 2 squares of the thin, but I had more like 5. (The thin crust comes cut into squares). I DID NOT HAVE A SINGLE PIECE OF THE DEEP DISH!!!! This is my FAVORITE kind of pizza, greasy, with TONS of meat ;D I did have two small bread sticks and one of my sons crust of the deep dish. My WP is gone the way of the world, but my pizza craving is gone ;) This morning there were two DD crusts on the table and one piece of deep dish left. I threw them into a bowl and then tossed them to my hubby with orders to eat them straight way to SAVE me!!! I am now relaxing and drinking my protein/recovery shake writing to y'all.
Oh, I just got back from the pool. HOLY COW, it kicked my bum! I will conquer this beast, called the Payson Pool! I will win, and it will bow down to me in honor and respect! ;D (Yes, I am a delusional DORK!)

Sugar Free Tigers Blood.... A++++++++

I may be WAY behind the times, but the Snow Shack is my NEW favorite place. My WW comrade, MissB, told me that she had been researching the sugar free Tigers Blood to see if it had any points at all. Well, she called the company and found out that the actual flavor has NO calories until it is added to the sugar syrup. Well, the sugar free syrup has NO calories :) So for now, at this moment, it looks like our sugar free snow cones are ZERO points! Hurray for the small blessings in life :) MissB is doing a little more research to verify these findings. We should all pray that this current information is ratified and confirmed!!!
xoxoxo

To Eat (the WPA) or Not to Eat???

EAT!!!!
I get asked a lot, "Do you eat your Weekly Points Allowance?" My answer is "YES!!! Always!" Today I weighed in at MY Personal Marion Member meeting. It was a GREAT weigh in. I am trying to lose a bit more weight and attending meetings just PLAIN WORKS!!! Anyway, I went out to lunch with one of my dear friends to a local mexican restaurant, Mi Rancherito. I have been getting the chicken salad without cheese and having salsa for dressing. Today, I ordered my FAVORITE- Chicken Enchilada with a side of guacamole. It was PERFECT and SO tasty. Needless to say, I dipped into my WPA. I still have 23 left for a treat this weekend, so I am good in that regard. My favorite thing about the Momentum Plan is the Weekly Points Allowance. It gives me the slack I need when the lunch special is calling and I am hearing it! And how I was hearing it today baby!
Now last week I ate all of my WPA and only 3 of my activity points. I am really working hard to see exactly how many points I need to eat to lose weight and still have the energy I need to run. It has been a bit tricky to figure this out. I am feeling like I am getting a hold of this and seeing the success to prove it :D

I might be cooler than I think ;)

I woke up at 5am and couldn't get back to sleep... so I threw on my shoes and went for a run. I didn't go very far as I needed to be back to meet my friend for a bike ride. BOY WAS THAT AN ADVENTURE!!! We went from Peteetneet to Elk Ridge to Woodland Hills to Salem to the Payson Cemetery and then back home. WOW!!! I need to figure the activity points for that one. I probably did too much, but with a bit more than a week from the marathon, I think I will be ok. (There are 10 days to the marathon ;) YIKES!!!

Crack in the Cookies & Cream???

The new Cookies & Cream 1 POINT bars are OF THE DEVIL!!! I should have NEVER tried them. Once I had one, I had to have another. I would have eaten the WHOLE box, but DARN IT, I am NOT going over my daily points target.. NO WAY!!!! There needs to be a warning on the box, "DO NOT START... YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STOP!!" Danger, Will Robinson, DANGER!!! I have to say, I may actually dream about them tonight. I am going to have to figure out how to free my soul from their chocolaty, creamy grasp! DARN THEM, darn them all to HECK!!! (please add the Charlton Heston accent from The Planet of the Apes)
Lots 'a Love xoxoxoxo
(so much for my perfect salsa egg scramble for dinner... oh well :), some times the points just have to go for some nummy goodies ;)

What do I do???

It's 4:40 and I have 2.5 POINTS left! I had an amazing lunch today with my dear friend MissB and actually made great choices :) I would like a cheese slice, but that would take up 2 points :( I am thinking and egg and an egg white omelet with ..... nope. OK- an egg and an egg white scramble with salsa and a 1/2 point worth of FF sour cream. That's it. I am still FULL from lunch, so I will eat that when I get home from work. I had better head out, I am cutting it close ;D

YOU are Amazing!!!

I love this quote:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a Child of God

Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

- Marianne Williamson

Black Bean Banana Brownies

This is a VERY moist, cake-like brownie with a hint of banana flavor. You can leave out the bananas for the same point value ;)

POINTS® Value: 1 Servings: 20

Ingredients

	2 large egg(s)
	1 serving(s) Brownie Mix, 9x13 Family
	1/4 cup(s) water
	1 can black beans, with
	2 large banana(s) 2 t baking powder In a blender, puree the can of beans, with the liquid. Add bananas to blender with the 1/4 C water, blend. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir until just mixed. Bake according to package directions. I bake it in a 9x13 baking dish. Cut into 20 pieces for 1 point each.