Weigh In Victory!

Today at weigh in I was down another 1.6 lbs, despite my poor food choices this week, lack of working out, and alcohol consumption. That brings my total loss to exactly 10 lbs in 6 weeks! I'm hoping to continue at this pace and hit my 10% in 2 weeks and my goal by the end of the year. While I still lost this week, it wasn't as much as I wanted, and I'd like to continue to lose at least 2 lbs every week from here on out. I just need to stick to the plan, get my butt in the gym, and stay motivated....... 

Back On Track

I've been in software training for the past two days, but it's given me the opportunity to really get back to planning my snacks and meals ahead of time and making healthy choices. 

Breakfast:

-Tea w/ Splenda

-Mini Clif bar

Lunch:

-Tuna salad w/ 12 Club Crackers

-1 sliced red pepper

-1 kiwi

Afternoon:

-100 calorie Jello pudding 

Dinner:

-1 Sea Bass filet 

-steamed zucchini & yellow squash

-mix of brown & wild rice 

I'm planning on either hitting the gym tonight or doing Pilates at home, so dessert will probably be a Mini Clif bar or piece of fruit leather. 

A Little Hiatus...

I haven't been on for a few days, but I had a great weekend filled with family, friends, and unfortunately FOOD. Friday night was a Halloween party thrown by one of my favorite couples where I had 2 glasses of wine, 2 beers, and some snacks I should not have eaten. However, I may have made up for it with activity points earned from dancing and singing karaoke... : ) Not the best choices I ever made, but I had the flex points for it and I had a ton of fun with some great people. As you can see, I went as Sarah Palin and I'm joined by Mary as Victoria Beckham. 

Saturday night was a great friend's birthday, so her boyfriend invited us to a birthday dinner at a Mexican restaurant followed by a trip to the bar. After spending the entire day sleeping after the Halloween party, I hadn't had a thing to eat until dinner. Chips, salsa, cheese enchiladas and a jumbo margarita ended up being my supper followed by 2 beers at the bar afterwards. I did get some dancing in, so that may have been my saving grace : ) Again, another great night with great friends (picture with the birthday girl). 

Sunday was spent cleaning, doing laundry and spending time with my family and later some friends. Breakfast was a Smart Ones Breakfast Sandwich, but when lunch rolled around, I just wasn't hungry. I ate dinner at yet another Mexican restaurant with my parents and got a chicken burrito with chips and salsa. Later that night, I met up with two friends at a sports bar and had 2 beers, but managed to stay away from the wings! I guess I drank my lunch points! 

I've got weigh in on Wednesday, so we'll see how the scale looks. I've gotta get back in the gym tomorrow, recommit myself and stick to my goals.  Here's today's menu:

Breakfast:

-Tea w/ Splenda

-Mini Clif Bar 

Lunch:

-Smart Ones Pasta Primavera

-Sliced red bell pepper

-cucumber slices

-kiwi

-100 calorie pack Jello pudding

Snack:

-Baked Tostitos

-salsa

Dinner:

-Whole wheat pasta with zucchini, squash and mushrooms in a lemon garlic sauce

Daily Menu 10/23/08

Breakfast:
-tea w/ Splenda
-1/2 cup red grapefruit

Lunch:
-Chicken Ranch Wrap, dressing on the side
-green beans & carrots

Pre-workout snack:
-Mini Clif Bar

Dinner:
-Whole wheat pasta with zucchini & yellow squash

Dessert:
-100 calorie pack Jello pudding

Pilates

I've decided to add Pilates to my usual workout routine of cardio and strength training to mix it up a little bit. Pilates is also a great way to increase flexibility and balance, maximize toning and improve posture. For me, the best part of Pilates is that it emphasizes the use of your "powerhouse" or your core to strengthen and tone your abs. I also love the soothing, controlled motions of Pilates that remind me of yoga.

At Target last night, I found a set of Pilates DVD's and equipment by Gaiman that included body bands (resistance bands). After dinner, I rolled out my mat and did the basic workout to refresh my memory on Pilates basics (breathing, stance, etc) and then moved on the the body band workout which incorporates resistance training with traditional Pilates moves to increase strength and toning. Afterwards I felt relaxed and like I'd gotten in a great full body stretch. I actually felt a little bit taller after I was finished!

I plan on doing the body band routine again tonight after cardio at the gym. I would highly suggest Pilates to anyone, especially people who have bad joints and can't do high impact cardio. I'll be back later with the daily menu!

Victory!

Just came back from weigh in a little while ago, and I was down 3.6 lbs this week!! I thought for sure that my cheeseburger had sabotaged me, but I guess my running last night paid off! I feel even more committed that ever to my progress, and I only have 6.7 lbs til I hit my 10% goal. So now I'm going to set some new goals for this week since this seemed to work!

1) Lose at least 3 lbs this week
2) Stay within my points everyday (except Saturday, when I'll use some flex points for a friend's birthday dinner).
3) Work out at least five days this week
4) Keep drinking more water!!

I did see something at my weigh in today that was a little disappointing. The girl who weighed in in front of me stepped on the scale, placed her hands on the counter in front of her and raised herself up. At first I was outraged that she did this and wanted to scream "CHEATER!!", but then I thought, She's only hurting herself. We all do things to try to "trick" the scale on weigh in days- I only drink tea before weigh in, I take off my belt, I pee right before I get weighed, etc., but I actually felt bad for this girl, because she is lying to herself. I just wish that she would realize that the plan does work- when you follow it.

So far, today's food has been:

Breakfast:
-tea w/ Splenda- 0

Post Weigh-in snack:
-Pretzel thins- 2

Lunch:
-Smart Ones Chicken Enchiladas- 6
-Green salad w/ light ranch- 1
-Lite Arnold Palmer Tea- 3

Afternoon Snack:
-Red grapefruit -1

Dinner:
-Whole wheat pasta -3
-Light Alfredo- 2
-Zucchini & yellow squash -0

Dessert:
-100 Calorie pack jello pudding-2

Still leaves 4 points, and I'll be going to the gym tonight again for running and upper body weights.

Approaching the moment of truth....

I've got weigh in tomorrow and my goal was to be down  2 lbs. I've been making really good food choices, working out, and sticking to the plan all week, but I'm a little worried that I may have sabotaged myself today. We went to Hooter's for a coworker's birthday and I love the food at Hooter's. I decided to go with a cheeseburger, no mayo, no fries. I hadn't had any breakfast, so I had a whole day's worth of points ahead of me to use. Even though I stayed in within my points today (the burger took 14 of my 24 points) and ran for 30 minutes tonight, I can't help but feel a little guilty for eating the cheeseburger the day before weigh in.  I guess the scale tomorrow will let me know just how guilty I should feel, so I'll check back in with my results tomorrow. 

Checking in on my goals for this week

Earlier in the week, I made a few goals for myself, so I figured that I would check back in on the goals for accountability:

1. Lose at least 2 pounds this week
-WI isn't til Wednesday, but I still weigh myself every night and every morning. As of this morning, we are right on track!
2. Stay within my points everyday and not dip into my flex points
-With the activity points I've earned so far, I've stayed within my points everyday.
3. Work out at least 5 days this week
-I've gotten in workouts on Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and I'll be going tomorrow and Tuesday as well!
4. Make some new dishes that I can make and eat throughout the week
-I'm making the Weight Watchers Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe tonight, so I'm crossing my fingers that I actually like it and can eat it the rest of the week.
5: Drink more water!!
-This is my downfall..... I just can't seem to get in 8 glasses a day! Especially now that it's getting cold.

My meals today have been really good- I'm trying to use up some of the Smart Ones meals that are taking up room in my freezer.

Breakfast:
-Smart Ones English muffin sandwich
-tea with Splenda

Lunch:
-Smart Ones Chicken Enchiladas Suiza
-Green salad with light ranch dressing
-water

Snack:
-1 cup red grapefruit

Pre-Gym:
-1/2 whole wheat bagel with 1 tsp light butter

Dinner:
-Tuna Noodle Casserole
-Green salad with light dressing
-iced tea (unsweet)

Snacks at the movies

I had a great start to a cold morning with a warm bowl of oatmeal and an hour in the gym (30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of upper body). But the temptation of the day looming ahead is going to the movies. I'm very excited to see the movie (The Duchess) and spending some quality time with my friends, but I'm afraid of the popcorn with extra butter and the candy that lies ahead. So to combat the temptation, I'm going prepared with my own snacks, to both stay on plan and not spend $8.00 on a bottle of water. I'm packing a mini bag of 94% fat free popcorn, a 1 point dark chocolate raspberry mini bar and a huge bottle of water. Thank god I carry a huge purse to hide all this stuff in so I don't get thrown out of the theatre! 

For lunch I'm having tuna salad (made with fat free mayo of course), a sliced red bell pepper and a few club crackers. Dinner is looking like tomato sauce over spaghetti squash with mixed vegetables (red pepper, asparagus, yellow squash and zucchini). 

Back from the gym

I just got back from the gym a little while ago, and I have to say that I actually loved it. I had to leave because they were about to close! I can't wait to get back in tomorrow morning and do both cardio and weights. I'm on my two week trial membership right now (because thanks to my last gym I have commitment issues!) but I'm pretty confident that I'll get a membership because I'm really happy with this gym. 

My challenge for the day was lunch. I had two scrambled eggs, a light english muffin and tea with Splenda for breakfast but then Mom & Dad wanted to go to a Chinese restaurant for lunch- one with a buffet. Rather than diving face first into egg rolls and sweet & sour sauce, I got vegetables, a little vegetable lo mein, and egg drop soup. I'm in Week 4 of the plan right now, so I feel like my ability to make good food choices is becoming second nature. 

Dinner is looking like a big green salad with fat free dressing and a Smart Ones frozen meal. After a very early morning and some manual labor, I'm looking forward to a lazy Saturday night with the book I'm reading and maybe a movie. 

A random mix of things...

Today is Mom's birthday, so "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!" I was feeling funny when I woke up this morning, so I didn't eat any breakfast. I met Mom for lunch at California Pizza Kitchen where we spilt the Veggie Pizza on honey wheat dough. Even though we were supposed to be celebrating, I didn't feel like eating and ate something even though I didn't want to. When I got back to work, I still wasn't feeling well and eventually came home from work early, which bummed me because I missed shooting trap with my coworkers. 

Dinner consisted of 4 Morningstar Farms Mini-Corn Dogs (vegetarian, but still delicious) and I'm not sure if I'll have anything else tonight. I just plan on relaxing, sipping some tea and reading my book. The most important thing to remember is that just because I only used 10 of 24 points today, I don't get to eat the other 14 points tomorrow!! :) 

My other blog....

Hey everyone- 

Just wanted to let you know that I'm blogging for the local paper where I grew up, the Fauquier Times Democrat. It's not necessarily about weight loss, but it's called Twenty-something and is about the typical issues facing people in their 20's- work, a social life, relationships, balancing everything in life.... 

So check it out and let me know what you think! I'll be posting 2 or 3 times a week!

http://www.fauquier.com/blogs/twenty-something 

Goals for next week....

I am more determined than ever after losing just one lb this week.... so, to refoucs myself, I've decided to make some new goals for myself this week (Wednesday through Wednesday):

1. Lose at least 2 pounds this week
2. Stay within my points everyday and not dip into my flex points
3. Work out at least 5 days this week
4. Make some new dishes that I can make and eat throughout the week
5: Drink more water!!

I've decided that I am going to join Washington Sports Club, so I've got to go in and pick up my 7 day pass and then begin my membership... that should help me achieve my workout and weightloss goals.

I've reintroduced the candy bowl at my desk and I also baked White Chocolate Macadamia nut cookies last night to bring into work. Luckily for me, I don't really like candy or cookies (I'm more of a potato chip/mac n' cheese girl) so I'm not tempted by it. But some people brought in Dunkin' Donuts this morning and it took serious will power to resist..... had it not been for weigh in today, I may have jumped into the donut box face first!

A Small Weigh-In Victory!

Let me start by saying that I weighed in at the noon meeting today rather than the 5:30 meeting so I can play volleyball tonight with my coworkers (which is high intensity when you play with these people!). I went into my weigh in a little bit skeptical because I went out to eat three times this week, and two of these times I made VERY bad food choices. I was still religiously on plan the rest of the time, but it wasn't enough to convince me that my weigh in was going to go well. I set myself up for disappointment, expecting the worst. However, I was down exactly 1 lb! Not as much as I would have liked, but it's one pound less than I was a week ago. After this small victory, I was excited to eat my lunch after a liquid breakfast (always trying to trick the scale.....).

With that said, I've still got my meals planned for the day.

Breakfast:
-1 glass Light & Fit orange juice
-1 cup herbal tea with Splenda

Lunch:
-6 inch veggie sub with fat free mayo (but regular cheese)
-Baked Lays
-Water

Afternoon Snack: (pre-volleyball nourishment)
-1 sliced bell pepper
-1/4 of a canteloupe
-fat free yogurt

Dinner:
-Spaghetti squash with ground turkey and tomato sauce
-green salad with fat free dressing
-water

Dessert:
-100 calorie Devil's Food pudding
-strawberries
-1 glass fat free milk

Menu 10/14/08

I've got weigh in tomorrow morning, so I'm keeping it extra light today with lots of fruits & veggies.

Breakfast:
-1 glass fat free milk
-1/2 cup strawberries
-1/2 cup red grapefruit
-1 packet low sugar apples and cinnamon oatmeal

Morning Snack:
-fat free vanilla yogurt
-1/4 canteloupe

Lunch:
-Balsamic Chicken & mushrooms w/ brown rice (leftovers from last night)
-Green salad w. FF dressing

Afternoon Snack:
-1 red bell pepper w/ FF ranch dip

Dinner:
-Pasta Primavera (Smart taste pasta with zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, aspargus and red pepper and 1/2 cup light alfredo)
-green salad w. FF dressing

Dessert:
-100 calorie pack Devil's Food pudding

Menu 10/13/08

I'm getting to this a little late, but better late than never I guess..... 

Breakfast:

-1 glass Light n' Fit OJ (wasn't hungry)

Lunch:

-Chicken wrap at Champps with ranch on the side

-grilled veggies instead of fries

Dinner:

-Balsamic Chicken with mushrooms (WW recipe) 

-Asparagus

-Brown rice 

Dessert:

-100 calorie Devils Food Jello pudding

-glass of fat free milk

Weigh in is Wednesday, but I'm weighing myself Wednesday morning instead of going to the meeting so I can play volleyball. Hopefully I'll be down 2 lbs. 

Lazy Sundays and Skinny Lattes

For those of you who don't know what a skinny latte is, it's a flavored latte made with non-fat milk and sugar free syrup. Not as good as the original, but it definitely hits the spot for me. Whenever I have one of these for breakfast, I'm usually not hungry til lunchtime. I'm not a big coffee drinker by any means, but sometimes I want a warm beverage in the morning to wake me up, especially on weekends when I'm running my morning errands. So this morning as I'm strolling around Target looking for a dog bed and a fall wreath for the front door, I found a lot of comfort in my skinny latte knowing that I could have my delicious drink and not feel bad about it (only 3 pts). 

I'm going to take my measurements today to start tracking not only how much weight I lose, but how many inches I'm losing. With almost 8 lbs lost already, my clothes are fitting better, so I thought measurements might be a good thing to keep track of too. 

I'm still debating about whether or not I should keep attending WW meetings or just do the online version where you weigh yourself each week. Online is cheaper and I'm not really finding much motivation in my meetings thanks to a few women who feel that the meeting should focus on how they're not losing weight and take up the entire time with their comments and opinions. I'd like to be supportive of everyone at the meetings, but its hard when a few select people make the experience a chore for the rest of us..... 

Trip to the Grocery Store.....

For most people, the grocery store isn't the Devil. But for me, it's a real threat. I have to carefully dodge the aisles and sections that are dangerous for me like the potato chip aisle, the mac n' cheese section and the frozen pizzas so that I'm not tempted to fill my basket with things I shouldn't be eating. 

I've come to love the produce section, and at Wegman's, how could I not? Never before have I seen such fresh, quality produce that actually makes we WANT to eat tons of veggies. I've started planning my meals in advance, making grocery lists and STICKING TO THEM!! 

Part of my battle is my own fridge. My roommate eats pretty healthy, but last night I came home to half of a chocolate cake in the fridge..... thankfully I had the willpower not to touch it. 

So tonight I'm relaxing, planning my meals for the upcoming week, munching on 94% fat free popcorn and watching UFC.  

Great meal last night

Mary and I went to Carmello's last night, one my favorite restaurants. I saved up my flex points so I could splurge...... I had three glasses of chianti, 3 small pieces of bread with butter, 1/2 of my pasta (cheese tortellini in a cream rosa sauce with shrimp & mushrooms) and split a piece of cheesecake with Mary. It's more then I wanted to eat, but it was sooooooo good. I'll just have to get in the gym today, work it off, and stay on plan to the tee for the rest of the week.  

Not sure what will be on the menu for today....... 

Breakfast:

-1 scrambled egg

-3 slices turkey bacon 

-2 slices WW toast w/ light butter 

Lunch:

-left over veggie pizza on honey wheat crust 

Dinner:

-not sure yet... maybe tuna salad or Smart Ones frozen meal with salad

California Pizza Kitchen

I went to CPK with some coworkers today (who kindly asked me if it was Weight Watchers friendly) and had some really great, low point pizza. I got the Vegetarian with Japanese Eggplant pizza, but on the honey wheat crust and it was delicious! It already had eggplant, broccoli, mushrooms and roasted corn, but I added black olives and green pepper. Plus, the pizza is smaller than others that CPK makes, so I could eat three pieces because they were so little. Now I have enough left over for dinner! :)

Menu 10/10/08

Happy Friday! Volleyball last night was so fun but I was definitely sore this morning :) Can't wait to do it again next week, it's like working out with out even knowing it!

So here's the planned menu for today, I'm excited about getting to drink some wine with Mary tonight!

Breakfast:
-Smart Ones breakfast sandwich
-Low sugar Oatmeal
-Non-fat, sugar free Vanilla latte

Lunch: Going to California Pizza Kitchen with Patty!
-Veggie pizza on whole wheat thin crust
-side salad w/ FF dressing

Dinner:
-Smart Ones frozen meal
-some type of veggie (I've got a lot in the freezer)

Dessert: WINE!!!!

Not Hungry!!

I have so surprised today by the fact that I have not really been hungry. I have not needed a snack until now (not a surprise because it's 4 o'clock!). I'm sure that I'll be starving by the time I get done playing volleyball tonight but hopefully I won't be tempted to chow down at Fudrucker's with everyone else. I'm hoping to just have one beer and head home to make dinner. But I'll earn a few activity points with volleyball, so I may treat myself to another 1 point Chocolate Rasberry mini-bar tonight for dessert. Soooooo good!!

Menu 10/09/08

Even though I'd love to eat a box of Velveeta Shells n' Cheese after my weigh in victory last night, I resisted the urge and I'm eating my leftovers today. I'm still working on the package of ground turkey I bought!

Breakfast:
-Breakfast burrito with whole wheat wrap, 1 egg, 2 slices turkey bacon and 1 slice low fat provolone with a glass of fat free milk.

Lunch:
-Turkey taco salad (no shell) - using my leftovers from last night

Dinner:
-Smart taste pasta with ground turkey meat sauce
-green salad with fat free dressing

Dessert:
-Possibly meeting up with coworkers for a beer- light beer of course!

Not sure what I'll do for snacks today, possibly some fat free yogurt or unsweetened applesauce.

Great night at weigh in!

I had my week 3 weigh in tonight, and I was down 4 lbs!! I'm so excited because I've been sticking to my plan religiously and my hard work is paying off! 

Now it's off to walk the dog to get my activity points for the day. And my turkey tacos were delicious and filling :0) 

Menu 10/8/08

So, here's the game plan for today! I have my weigh in tonight at 5:30, and I'm hoping to be down at least 4 lbs.

Breakfast:
-Smart Ones Breakfast Egg & Cheese muffin -4 pts
-1 cup red grapefruit - 1pt
-water

Lunch:
-Turkey, LF provolone, FF mayo, lettuce & tomato on a whole wheat wrap - 3.5 pts
-1 cup steamed asapargus - 0 pts
-FF yogurt - 1 pt
-water

Snack:
-1 Kiwi - 0.5 pts

Dinner:
-Turkey Tacos with lettuce, salsa, FF cheddar, FF sour cream and FF refried beans on whole wheat tortillas - 10 pts for two tacos
-water

Dessert:
-Weight Watchers Chocolate Rasperry mini bar -1 pt

Total: 23/24 points

I'm going to make extra taco meat for lunch tomorrow and save the rest of the ground turkey for meat sauce for tomorrow's dinner and Friday's lunch.

Excercise for the day will be walking the dog for 30 minutes after dinner.

Back in the gym!

After weeks of talking about it, I finally went to the gym with Christina tonight. We spent 30 minutes on the treadmill, which was plenty since I haven't worked out in a while and because my shoulder is incredibly sore from shooting trap with a 12 gauge today... the good news is that I shot pretty well! Anyways, getting back in the gym felt great and having Christina for a workout partner made it more enjoyable. I'm going to use a one week pass before I commit, only because it's $45 a month for a two year membership and I have access to two free (but not so great) gyms at work and in my apt complex. The upside to the gym is better equipment, more equipment and lots of different classes to take. I'm pretty sure that I'll join- the gym is really nice with all of the equipment I'm looking for to get back into my routine and maybe incorporate some new things. So, thanks Christina for getting my ass in the gym! 

PS- the Shrimp Scampi was really good, but you may want to use less lemon juice (1/2 cup total rather than 1 cup) because it's REALLY lemony!

Lemon-garlic shrimp recipe

This one is kind of like a healthy shrimp scampi. I know that I could never give up pasta, so I've been using either Barilla Plus (4 points per serving) or Ronzoni Smart Taste (3 points per serving), which has the same nutritional value as whole wheat pasta and tastes better in my opinion. I choose to add asparagus to this, but zucchini, peas, or green beans would be good too.

Lemon-garlic shrimp- 7 points per serving, including pasta and vegetables
Serves 1~Prep time: 5 minute~Cook time: 10 minutes

-3 oz cooked shrimp, defrosted with tails off
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1/8 cup white onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup lemon juice
-1 tsp garlic powder
-2 tsp lemon zest
-1 tsp olive oil
-1 cup Smart Taste pasta
-1 cup asparagus, steamed

Cook pasta according to directions and steam asparagus to desired firmness (I sprinkle mine with sea salt and garlic powder before steaming). Over medium high heat, cook garlic and onion in olive oil until soft. Add shrimp, 1/2 cup of lemon juice and garlic powder and cook over medium high heat until shrimp is pink. Toss contents of skillet with pasta, lemon zest and remaining 1/2 cup of lemon juice. Asparagus can be added to pasta or served separately.

Menu 10/7/08

So, here's what I have eaten today and will eat later. This was my first time eating a whole wheat bagel and fat free cream cheese rather than a regular bagel and the "good" cream cheese, and I wasn't exactly crazy about it. I guess I just have to get used to the taste... maybe low fat cream cheese would be better. I'm still getting used to drinking milk too, it's never been one of my favorites....

Breakfast:
-1/2 whole wheat bagel w/ 2tsp fat free cream cheese
-1 glass fat free milk
-1 cup tea with Splenda

Morning Snack:
-Weight Watchers fat free yogurt

Lunch:
-leftover Eggplant Rollatini from last night (even more delicious the 2nd day!)
-green salad with 1 tsp shredded cheese and fat free balsamic dressing
-1 bottle of water

Afternoon Snack:
-small banana

Dinner:
-Lemon-garlic shrimp with whole wheat pasta and asparagus (recipe to follow later)
-water

I'll probably use my extra points to have some honeydew melon or a kiwi for dessert. My goal for the rest of the day is to keep drinking water, I'm not drinking nearly enough! I was happy with the scale this morning, so lets hope that it reads the same (or less) at weigh in tomorrow!

Eggplant Rollatini Recipe

So here's the delicious recipe that I made tonight for dinner.... I did rip it off from the Weight Watchers' site, but I tweaked it a little! And only 4 WW Points......

Eggplant Rollatini

Serves 2~Prep time 5 minutes~Cook time 20 minutes

-1 medium eggplant 

-1/4 cup diced onion

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-1 tsp olive oil 

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-1 large egg 

-1/2 cup part skim ricotta

-1 oz part skim mozzarella cheese

-1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

-1/8 cup parsley, chopped

-1 1/2 cups Ragu Old World Style Traditional Tomato Sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place sliced eggplant on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam. Bake for about 8 minutes, then flip eggplant. Bake for 8 more minutes and set aside. Meanwhile, add olive oil, garlic and onions to a small skillet and cook over medium high heat til soft. Combine ricotta, egg, salt, garlic powder, parsley, garlic and onion to make filling. With the oven still set to 400 degrees, spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Take 2 tbsp of the filling and place it on the eggplant slices, then roll. Place rolls seam side down in baking dish and top with remaining sauce, mozzarella and parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Serve with pasta and side of vegetables. Makes 4 small rolls, 2 rolls is one serving. 

Menu 10/06/08

Today's menu was pretty straight forward, but I didn't find myself hungry today. I also tried a new recipe for dinner which was delicious (and only 4 points!). I'm finding that planning my meals has helped me stay within my daily points (24) and use the food I have in my fridge. 

Breakfast:

Breakfast Burrito 

-1 scrambled egg

-3 slices turkey bacon

-1 slice low fat provolone

-Whole wheat tortilla

-1 glass fat free milk 

Lunch:

-Turkey Sandwich with fat free mayo, low fat provolone and tomato 

-1 sliced red bell pepper 

-1 banana

-1 Diet Coke 

Snack:

- 1 cup honeydew melon 

Dinner:

-Eggplant Rollatini (recipe to follow later) 

-Barilla Plus Pasta 

-1 cup peas

Snack:

-Fat free yogurt

I've got my weigh in on Wednesday night, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be down at least 3 lbs from last week. 

Getting this started....

So to give everyone a little background about why I'm starting this blog, I'll start by saying this is not your average weight loss story. There will be no boo-hooing, poor me, sad fat girl stuff on this blog. I have always been the skinny girl- I never struggled with my weight. I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and never really gave it two thoughts. I was always involved in sports, so working out was just part of my everyday routine. It wasn't until about a year ago that I noticed the weight was slowing adding up. My slowing metabolism and lack of involvement in sports after college had taken a toll on my body and my health. When I would try to work out, I didn't have the endurance to keep up with the types of activity that I was used to. After a year of sporadic dieting and exercising for a few weeks at a time, I decided to get serious and make a commitment to being healthy, not just losing weight. So, I'm using this blog a journal, to track my progress, my successes and my setbacks. Maybe my methods will work for some other people, maybe other people will have suggestions to help me. I'm using Weight Watchers to help me with my food choices, so you'll see me tracking points and logging my weekly weigh-ins. Each day I'll be posting my daily menu and my activity for accountability. I'll also post some of my favorite low-fat, low-calories recipes and meal ideas. I may include some off topic posts too, so thanks for checking in and check back! 

~KB