Made My Goal!

Hi again!

I have news to report. . . I made my goal today!  I lost 10lbs.!

I’ve been doing WW since January 5th. It took a couple of weeks, but it finally kicked in. It’s actually been quite challenging and fun tracking all the points and finding new healthy meals to cook. I signed up for 3 months, so I hope I can lose another 10lbs.

Tonight we had Sloppy Joe’s. A meal that could be very high in points, but with a bit of modification, I got it down to 5 points for 1 serving. Keep in mind these are homemade, so they take a little while to prepare, but you can also put it in the crock pot and have it slow cook all day.

Enjoy.

 

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Why Weight Watchers

We are inondated with weight loss programs particularly at this time of year. Company’s hoping to capitalize on our New Year’s resolutions take advantage of our weak spirits and over indulging lifestyles.

The first time I lost alot of weight, I gave up Wheat for a year. You can see a glimpse of my Wheatless journey here. or by typing in Wheat in the search bar. I lost about 10lbs just giving up wheat for a year. I’ve added wheat back into my diet, but through that journey I learned the food items to stay away from that effected my digestive system.

In the past I’ve also lost weight using the app My Fitness Pal. I was able to lose at least 5lbs., and keep steady weight management.

I gained about 10lbs. when our pipes burst in our home January 2018, and we were put temporarily in a Residence Inn (blame it on the pipes, right?). Temporary turned into 7 months! I think I would have gained even more weight if we had not had a kitchen. We actually went out to eat very little, but in spite of the situation, here I am, 10lbs. heavier!

 

So why Weight Watchers?
Several reasons.

• I had good success with My Fitness Pal.  It’s a tracking system for calories, similar to tracking #WeightWatchers, so I was already familiar with this type of system.
• I wanted to learn how to change my eating habits through the foods that “I” chose to eat. I didn’t want to buy food from a weight loss program. I need to learn how to choose, and prepare my own food in a healthy way.
• Although I was afraid of the “point” system, it has created a calculator in my head that I can associate with food items. So grabbing a “zero” point snack is now associated with fruit, veggies, chicken, seafood, and eggs!
• I wanted to have the flexibility to plan meals ahead of time, and cook healthy meals that my family can also benefits from
• The cost was good

It’s only been 7 days, and my second weigh in is tomorrow. But so far it’s been a great experience. Based on my height, current weight and goal weight, I get 23 points a day. Here are some things that I’ve learned so far.

• “Zero” points are an opportunity to change your eating habits. Over 200 food items are zero points. So when you’re hungry, you grab one of those 200 items, that you can eat unlimited. Your old habit may have had you grab chips, or cookies, very high in calories, fat and sugar, and also unlimited in consumption, but doing alot of damage!
• Planning dinners ahead of time allows me to have more flexibility with meals during the day. So I plan weekly meals Saturdays, and shop Sunday. So far, many of my dinners are recipes from WW, Skinnytaste (included WW points), or  or recipes that I already love that I modify. Most of the dinners are between 0 and 6 points. Everyone is always looking for new recipes!
• Leftover points from the day allow me to have a dessert.
• Leftover points also rollover into the week if you don’t use them. They call them “weeklies.” Use your “weeklies.” Remember your body has to have enough calories to burn to lose weight.
• You can earn points by achieving Fitness activity.
• Join a WW facebook group for support, questions and ideas

I’m ready to take on my 2nd week!

 

Time to get healthy

So it’s 2019!! Time to get healthy.

I decided that I want to lose 10lbs. The possibility of being border line for several now common diseases is not appealing to me at 53!!

So I joined #WeightWatchers Saturday January 5th at 158lbs. I lost 2lbs. in 4 days. I’m very encouraged.

Blogging has always been like therapy for me, so I’ve decided to blog my weight loss journey.

Now there are many #weightloss blogs out there, but I hope to encourage others with my journey, delicious #low-calorie #recipes, tips and ideas.

Below is a great recipe. Sometimes I modify to original WW recipe to get the points down, or to eliminate food items that I don’t like.

 

Salmon with Warm Blueberry Vinaigrette

(WW Recipe. WW FreePoints per serving: 3pts.)

Yields: 1 filet and 1/4 cup sauce per serving

1 tsp. unsalted butter
1 large shallot, minced
1 cup fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 (5-oz.) skinless wild salmon filets
1 Tbsp. chopped chives

You can either grill or roast the salmon. If roasting, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray.

Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and add shallot. Cook, stirring constantly, until softened, 1-2 minutes. Stir in blueberries, vinegar, syrup, water, rosemary and salt. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally and pressing the berries with spatula to crush, until mixture is thickened, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, sprinkle salt and pepper over salmon and, if roasting, place on baking sheet. Bake until salmon is just slightly pink at center, 10-12 minutes.* Alternatively, you can grill the salmon 4 minutes per side.

Spoon blueberry sauce over each serving and sprinkle with chives.

Guacamole

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados
1/2 red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 jalapeño, minced
2 tablespoons cilantro (leaves and tender stems), finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh lime or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
A dash of freshly grated black pepper
1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped

Directions:

Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avocado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl.

Using a fork, roughly mash the avocado. (Don’t overdo it! The guacamole should be a little chunky.) Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. Chili peppers vary individually in their hotness. So, start with a half of jalapeño pepper and add to the guacamole to your desired degree of hotness.

Chilling tomatoes hurt their flavor, so don’t chop the tomatoes or add to the guacamole until ready to serve.

Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. Refrigerate until ready.

Just before serving, chop the tomato, add to the guacamole and mix.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Tailgate Chili

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 package McCormick® Original Chili Seasoning Mix

2 cans (15 ounces) kidney beans, undrained

2 cans (14 1/2 ounces) crushed tomatoes, undrained

Directions

1. Cook ground beef and onion in large skillet on medium-high heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain fat.

2. Stir in Seasoning Mix and remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped green onion