Oh hey!

Well well well my little weight-loss blog. No I have not forgotten about you! And no I have not stopped my weight-loss journey! I've simply been having too many issues with Blogger lately that posting on here is frustrating. I do however have a weigh-loss Tumblr that I am very active on and try to update with both personal posts and inspiration/recipes I happen to find.

http://kickingthecupcake.tumblr.com/

I promise to start blogging here again too. Tumblr is just more convenient for what I'm doing at the moment! So, do not fret I'm still going strong! :)

Oh yeah, I have a blog

Sorry for the lack of updates! I've been really busy lately, but no worries, I haven't fallen off the wagon. I'm still going strong with my WLJ and still working every day to reach my goals!

Saturday morning was weigh-in, and much to my surprise I was down 2.6lbs!!! This is the first time in almost a month that I’ve lost more than a pound in a week as I’ve been teeter tottering around 187lbs. So I’m definitely happy that I’ve finally broken the plateau I was at! It’s great to finally see a little more significant loss that reflects on the scale what I’ve been seeing change in my body. Here’s where I’m at currently:

Starting Weight: 199lbs

Current Weight: 185.2lbs

Weekly Loss: -2.6lbs

Total Weight-Loss: -13.8lbs

I have 5.2lbs left until I reach my 10% goal. Ideally I’d love to reach that by the 28th because a couple my family is close with is renewing their vows and I have put myself at a spending freeze (as far as clothes are concerned) until I reach that goal. So, I’d love to buy something new to wear to that. But, I’m not going to obsess over it. I’ll get there when my body is ready. All I can do is keep up with healthy eating and my workouts. As long as I’m still following through and pushing myself the numbers on the scale will come down when they’re ready!

This week has gotten off to a somewhat slow start. It's Wednesday and I have yet to workout! The weather has just been chilly and dreery, not very motivating. But, I'm going to get ready for a workout shortly and I might even take my pup for a walk to try and catch back up. I'm making a roast for dinner with lots of veggies in it so that should be nutritious and delicious!

Looking to the rest of the week I'm hoping to keep on track. Even though I've faltered a bit so far I think I can get back into my routine with no problems. Weigh-in is on Saturday as usual, so I have about 4 days to make good choices!

An Update

I'm knee deep in finals week and am super sick to boot, so this post is going to be a little short and sweet. Weigh-in on Saturday went well, I was down 1 pound! It's been a couple of weeks since I've seen 2 pounds + of weight coming off like I was at first, but any loss is a good loss in my book! With that here's a quick stat update...

Starting Weight: 199lbs
Current Weight: 187.6lbs
Total Weight Loss: -11.4lbs

I've been getting a little discouraged lately because ever since I hit the 10 pound mark, I've been teetering back and forth between small losses and small gains. While I am discouraged I am in no way giving up! This just means I need to push myself that much harder and switch things up. I am a little worried for weigh-in this week because in being sick I haven't been able to get any good workouts in thus far. I did do a good 25 minutes of Pilates today just to get something in, so that's better than nothing. Also, it is only Tuesday so I have a few days to get better, and get back to work!

Weigh-In Always Comes So Fast

It seems like my last weigh-in was just a couple of days ago, but alas, another week has already flown by! I don't really know how I'm feeling about this weigh-in. I've been tracking and drinking lots of water, plus workout out of course, but I can't get a handle on how I think I've done. Usually I can kind of tell, but today I think it could go either way. I think I'm getting sick (I have the stuffy/runny nose and sore throat) so I'm sure that may be why I'm not feeling on top of my game. I can definitely feel my hard work. My stomach is feeling a little tighter as are my legs. I'm currently sore from a week of doing a variety of new exercises so at least I can feel good with that aspect of the week. I am keeping in mind that Easter did happen, and while I am pretty proud of myself for staying away from the candy, I did splurge a bit and treated myself to some delicious food.

Overall I'm going to be optimistic about the outcome of tomorrow. I feel like even though I let myself indulge a bit on Sunday there has been enough time for me to recover from it. Think of me tomorrow morning around 10am as I step on the scale! As my mom always tells me "skinny thoughts!" haha.

Cooking, Cooking, Gone

This week I bought a new cookbook called Fresh, Fabulous Fast. It is a Weight Watchers sponsored cookbook that contains "130 recipes all under 30 minutes". I'm really excited about it because, for one I love cooking, and also because being on the go/busy all the time makes it hard to cook a real meal without it getting late.

Making grocery lists and going to the store are among two of my favorite things so today I sat down and went through it and decided on a few things I'd like to try out this week. The menu for this week includes: Greek Chicken with Peppers and Pasta, Chicken and Broccoli with Black Bean Sauce, Caramelized Risotto with Chickpeas, Grilled Lamb Koftas with Yogurt-Cilantro Sauce, and Mixed Berries with Honey-Caramel Sauce. (yes I PROMISE that all of these things are healthy!) I'm really excited to try some new things and experiment a little more.

Tonight I tried the Greek Chicken with Peppers and Pasta. It was delicious and light yet hearty all at once! While according to the book it should have only taken 15 minutes it took me about 20-25, but that's still pretty speedy. Here's the recipe!

Ingredients
8 ounces whole wheat penne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 sweet onion, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 cup sliced pepperoncini
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped oregano

Directions

1. Place pasta and salt in large skillet (I actually just used a pot); add water to cover. Bring to boil over high heat; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally. about 8 minutes, then drain.

2. Meanwhile, spray large skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 3 minutes. Add chicken, pepperoncini, and red pepper, stirring often until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add pasta and oil, toss until combined then add in feta.

Serving: 2 cups, 8 WW P+, 312 calories.

I am undecided about what I want to fix for dinner tomorrow, but I hope it's as easy and yummy!

Setting Goals

I haven't really shared where I hope to be as I progress on my weight loss journey. To be honest, I don't really think about it that much. I'm realizing more and more that, while it is an amazing feeling to see the numbers on the scale go down, the other changes happening to my body are great as well. My rings are getting looser, my jeans fit a little better, and I can see my face thinning out. All of these are not things that are reflected directly on the scale, but they are still victories. I am also noticing changes and improvements in my fitness level. I can now power through workouts that in the beginning made me feel like I was dying. In deciding on setting goals I kept these and other non-scale victories in mind. So, I have broken my goals into scale and non-scale goals.

Scale Goals
10 % goal: 180 (-19lbs)
1st goal weight: 160lbs
2nd goal weight: 135lbs

Non-Scale Goals
shirt size: Medium
pant size: 8 or 6
short-term fitness goal: run for 10 minutes without stopping
long-term fitness goal: participate in a 5K

For my scale goals I really had to think of what's plausible for me. Weight Watchers set both my 5% goal (which I've already reached) and my 10% goal. The last two I made on my own. I hope to reach my 10% goal by May 14th. As for my 1st goal weight, I'm really taking it week by week. I think it would be do-able to reach the 160 mark by mid August. That would mean I would need to lose 27.2lbs in around 4 months. That's 1.7lbs a week for 16 weeks (still with me? haha). With the average amount I've been losing per week it is a very reachable goal. As for reaching 135lbs that may be a few months after, or a year from now. Either way I'm fine with it. 135 would be my absolute goal weight, as that is considered the healthy weight for my height. I really more than anything want to stick to a healthy lifestyle and lose weight in a healthful manner. I'm not going to obsess and try to speed the process up. When it happens it happens.

As for my non-scale goals they are more for the long-term. The size of shirts I normally wear are usually larges with some mediums sprinkled in. I would like to be able to just wear mediums all the time. Ideally I'd like to be around a size 6 for my pants. I have big hips and curves and I know those aren't going to go away, nor do I want them to. With that in mind I think being a size 6 or even an 8 would be wonderful and is probably right on target for what is plausible for my body type. The biggest feat will be reaching my fitness goals. I really hate running. It wears me out, makes me winded and makes me feel like I'm going to collapse. However, this is exactly why I want to make running both of my fitness goals. I think if I really push myself and start with baby steps (maybe something along the lines of a Couch 2 5K - C25K program). I know that I'm not going to be sprinting down the block anytime soon, but they will be nice goals to reach.

All in all the biggest thing I'm keeping in mind is that goals are just that, goals. They are not things I need to do right this very second. I need to work towards them and be smart in working to achieve them. With that in mind I know I can keep plugging along to get to where I want to be.

A Quick Update

I've been really busy lately, but I haven't been slacking in my WLJ by any means! Here's just a quick idea of how I've been doing over the past week.

Workouts: I upped my workouts to 4 for the week. Each one was 30 minutes or longer and I switched it up between dance, cardio/aerobics, and strength training. I also finally got around to getting my bike out and riding for about 40 minutes two nights in a row. I plan on trying to get a decent bike ride in every night I can from here on out.

Eating: I didn't really cook much this week. My groceries have run out for the most part, so I'm trying to use up what I have left before venturing out for a more lengthy shopping trip. I did make this for dinner on Monday night, and it was pretty delicious. I honestly can't remember if I made anything new on Tuesday or not. Wednesday I went out to eat with a couple of friends, but I did really good, getting a little marinated chicken breast with steamed broccoli. Thursday I made a taco salad and Friday I resorted to Subway because nothing else seemes appetizing. Over all I think I did well. I've been converted to egg whites after being afraid of them for so long and honestly I think I prefer them. I also tried to eat a lot of fruit and veggies because I definitely slacked in getting them in as much as I could have the previous week.

Water: I really struggled getting a lot of my water in for much of the week. There were a couple of days where I know I got in 100 ounces easy, but others I wouldn't be surprised if the number was more around 40-60 ounces. I know getting as much water as possible in is important, but sometimes I just can't get myself to even sip on it.

Tracking: Basically, I'm still super into tracking. I don't even put anything into my body without tracking it first. I make a point to stay on plan and don't want anything to get in my way of that. Although I haven't been tracking my Saturday's because I treat them as "cheat days" (but I'll go into that in a later post).

With all that touched on I also want to give a quick glimpse of where I currently am.

Starting Weight: 199lbs

Last Week's Weight: 189.8lbs (+.8lbs)

Weigh-In: -2lbs

Current Weight: 187.8

Total Weight Loss: 11.2lbs

This week should hopefully be a little calmer, so I hope to actually devote a little time to some more in-depth posts!