The Good News and the Bad News.....

I'll start with the good news: Working out with Curtis, my trainer, was great last night. I wanted him to really kick my ass and he sure did! His work out was fun but tough and didn't involve a single weight machine. My legs felt like Jello at the end of the session thanks to lots of squats and balance exercises. In my opinion, there are few things that are better than the feeling you have at then end of a great workout. It's exhaustion in the best sense of the word......

Now on to the bad news: I stepped on the scale this morning for my "Pre Weigh In" weigh in (so that there are no nasty surprises) and was up 0.2 lbs from last week. I knew that I would gain a little or at least maintain my weight from last week thanks to Mother Nature's monthly visit and all the glorious water retention that goes with it (ladies, you know what I mean). I'm sure the cheeseburger splurge at lunch yesterday didn't help either, but that boot camp work out last night may have been my cheeseburger saving grace. A slight gain isn't really what disappoints me (I haven't gained since Week 1), it's the fact that I didn't reach my mini-goal of reaching my 10% loss by Thanksgiving. I'm so close I can taste it, but with new resolve I am determined to get there next week and move on to my next goal of losing 25 lbs total by Christmas. Thankfully my picky eating helps with Holiday meals since I've never really been a big fan of Thanksgiving and Christmas food, but we'll see if a renewed spirit and Curtis' boot camp workouts can get me there! I'll check back in later with the official results of weigh-in.

Why I am excited to get my ass kicked??

I'm meeting with my trainer, Curtis, tonight for our first workout after my initial consultation and I'm really looking forward to it. I've worked out with a trainer before and had success, but my first trainer was into bodybuilding and I ended up looking a little "bulky" in the arms and shoulders if you know what I mean..... Curtis seems to have a good game plan for helping me strengthen and tone without looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I really hope that he has a plan in store that is going to really push and challenge me. I've got the diet part down, now I really need a great workout to maximize my results and jump start my weight loss.

I've got weigh in tomorrow, but to be truthful, I don't think it's going to go well. I'll either have a slight gain or maintain my current weight thanks to Mother Nature's monthly visit (gotta love retaining water, right ladies?). I also splurged on a lunch outing with coworkers today and got a cheeseburger and fries (Hey, when I'm bitchy, it's best to just let me eat it! :) I'll check back in tomorrow with the results of training session #1 along with the results of my week 10 weigh in. I have a feeling I'm not going to meet my "10% by Thanksgiving" goal........

Slow Cooker Spicy Three Bean Chili

I made a great chili tonight that warms you up on cold winter nights and keeps you full. It's low in points (only 5 per serving) and works for those of you on the core plan too. Best of all, it's really cheap and easy to make. I put mine in the crock pot and just let it cook. You can add ground beef, ground turkey and any of your favorite beans, vegetables or spices to make it your own. 

Slow Cooker Spicy Three Bean Chili:

-1 28 oz  can crushed tomatoes

-1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

- 1 15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed

-1 15 oz can white beans, rinsed 

-1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed 

-1 medium onion, diced 

-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

-2 tbsp chili powder 

-1 tbsp ground cumin 

-1/4 to 1/2 tbsp cayenne powder 

-3 cups water 

Mix all ingredients together in crock pot and cook either on low for 8 hours or on high for 4. Add seasonings to taste, especially if you don't like your chili too spicy. If you like your chili a little thicker add only 2 cups of water. Makes about 6 scant 2 cup servings. Great with chives, fat free sour cream or some reduced fat shredded cheddar. 

Meal Planning for the week

When I got up this morning and made breakfast, I started looking through the fridge and cabinets to decide what my meals were going to be for the week. I had plenty of basics work with like high fiber pasta, spaghetti sauce, ground turkey, frozen vegetables, chicken, and rice. So, here are some of the meals I came up with based on what's in my pantry and fridge:

-Spaghetti with ground turkey sauce

-Creamy chicken & mushrooms

-Vegetable stir fry with rice 

I've got plenty of soups and Smart Ones frozen meals for lunches, so all I'll really need from the store is produce and bottled water. 

Getting my butt in gear....

I had a great time at the gym last night with my friend Christina and got in my interval training on the treadmill. The more I run, the more I remember how much I used to like it when I ran cross country in high school. I also met with my trainer, Curtis for the first time who is going to get me on a weight and resistance training plan to really tone up and lean out. I have the ability to get very muscular arms, shoulders and thighs, so he's going to help me get on a plan to strengthen and tone my body without looking like a female bodybuilder... not pretty in my opinion. Tonight I'm going to get in 25 minutes of interval training on the treadmill and then do a 20 minute upper body and ab circuit followed by LOTS of stretching.....

Here's the meal plan for today:

Breakfast:
-1/2 cup All Whites scrambled egg whites
-Weight Watchers English muffin with 1 tsp light butter
-1 cup fat free milk

AM Snack:
-Was supposed to be an apple, but I got busy and couldn't eat it

Lunch:
-Three mushroom soup
-Lemon-garlic shrimp with vegetables and 1 cup brown rice
-1 cup strawberries
-Diet Dr Pepper

Pre Workout Snack:
-yogurt
-2 hard boiled egg whites

Dinner:
-Gorton's Lemon-butter fish filet
-green salad with light dressing
-Weight Watchers English Muffin

Weigh In Excitements and Disappointments

This week's weigh in was bittersweet for me. The great news is that I lost exactly 2 lbs, which is a good loss for a person my height and weight (the less you weigh, the slower it comes off). I should be happy, right?? For some reason, I can't help but feel disappointed for not losing more. I'm so close to my 10% goal (only 1.8 lbs away) that I can smell it and my goal was to be at my 10% by Thanksgiving. I've still got a week to lose that 1.8 lbs, but for some reason I really wanted it to be this week.

I read this guy's blog last night, and I could totally relate to the way he's feeling. I have the "never enough" attitude in life towards a lot of different things, but I've really been feeling this way when it comes to weight loss. I keep hearing the "It's a marathon, not a sprint" sentiments, but I feel like telling people to stop feeding me lines of bullshit. I just need to realize that when you have less to lose, you're not going to drop 4 and 5 lbs a week (at least not in a healthy way). What I've lost so far is an accomplishment and I just need to own it and be proud of myself......

Delicious new meal....

First of all, I have to start by singing the praises of Eating Well for their delicious, healthy and easy meals. Last night's Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Vegetables recipe was no exception. If you like shrimp scampi, this is the recipe for you......I made brown rice to serve it with and I couldn't believe how delicious and filling it was! I always try to look for meals that are well-rounded with protein, carbs and of course vegetables which can be hard since I don't eat a lot of meat. Even though this recipe is amazing as is, you could easily substitute your favorite vegetables in place of the red pepper and asparagus or replace the shrimp with chicken or beef for those who don't like or are allergic to shellfish. The best part of this recipe was that it made 4 servings, so I had three meals leftover when dinner was done, taking care of lunch today, dinner tomorrow and lunch on Thursday!

I've got weigh in tomorrow and I'm very excited because I've been peeking at my scale all week to check my progress. I have to admit, I can't stay away from the scale and I weigh myself every morning and night.... it helps keep me accountable. I had both an SV (scale victory) and NSV (non-scale victory) this morning because I was only 0.8 lbs away from my 10% goal and my pants are definitely too big, so I can't wait to see the official results of my weigh in tomorrow. There is something very therapeutic about recording the amount of weight you've lost.........