Under 200!

Yay! After a loss of 1.6 at the weigh-in today I'm finally under 200! That road block has been up for quite a while and I'm so glad I made it through! There were several times I wanted to give up because it seemed to hard to get rid of those five pounds. I'm glad I stayed with it. I've seen losses for three weeks in a row now and I'm feeling good. My next goal is 190--then I'll be lower than I've been for five years!

The meeting today was awesome--motivational and helpful. We talked about emotional eating and Nancy put up a great quote:

"If hunger is not the problem, eating is not the answer."

Isn't that the truth? I posted just yesterday about that cheesecake that I ate without even really enjoying it--and I was definitely NOT hungry. Goal for this week--think about the food before I eat it and make sure I'm eating for the right reasons.

Oh, and my sister has started Weight Watchers... she has been super successful in the past and I know she will this time too. It's SO nice to have someone who really understands--and who shares my genes! She has been really helpful to me this week with solutions to problems and motivation to keep going. Thanks Renée!

With my husband leaving on a deployment this past week, I didn't even think to post about the weigh-in last Friday--I was too busy trying to soak up every last minute with him!

Last week was good--I saw a modest loss of 1.2 lbs, so I'm FINALLY over the hump I've been stuck on for weeks now. Yay!

Weigh-in is tomorrow morning and I'm not sure what will happen. I went overboard over the weekend because my mother-in-law was here and she spoiled us with eating out--I just couldn't pass on the pumpkin cheesecake at the Olive Garden--they only have it once a year! Unfortunately, while I was eating it I realized that it wasn't really all that good, but even that didn't stop me from eating the whole thing. I've got to start thinking when I'm eating--especially desserts. I tend to decide on a dessert and then eat it without thinking if I'm actually enjoying it or not.

So, after pizza at Old Chicago and cheesecake at Olive Garden, I had blown all my weekly allowance points plus some. That was Saturday . . . since then, I've been super strict and had great workouts. I even did an extra 60 minutes of cardio tonight during Survivor. Sooo, maybe I'll still see a loss tomorrow. I've been working on this same five pounds for so long, it sure would be great to finally get that five-pound star and have everyone clap for me. Here's hoping!

Finally!

Finally the scale was nice to me this week! I had a loss of 1.4 lbs, which I'm very happy with. It wasn't huge, but I've had to learn over and over that this journey is "baby steps" not leaps and bounds (think Bill Murray in "What About Bob").

If I get too impatient, I start stressing out about small losses and plateaus and it makes me freak out! I start wondering what I'm doing wrong and how I can speed up the process. I keep having to remind myself (over and over!) that I'm not doing ANYTHING wrong, I'm just living! There was no way I was going to pass on the homemade clam chowder this week, I just tried not to eat 2 quarts of it.

Anyway, hopefully I'm over the set-backs that have plagued me the past few weeks. I'm back down to my lowest weight and I'm going to work hard for a loss this week--however big or small!

Soup's on!

My meeting was nice today, we talked about Soup! I love soup! Fall is a great season for soup and there's nothing like a big pot of something yummy simmering on the stove. Eli (my six-year-old) will be the first to tell you that Split Pea Soup is his favorite food. We've been known to have it in the middle of summer just to satisfy him.

Here are some of my favorite recipes:

White Bean Chicken Chili(I usually omit the butter or use just a couple of teaspoons)

Beef Macaroni Soup

Smoky Pinto Bean Soup (I add 1 c. chopped carrots, 1 c. chopped zucchini and 1/2 cup honey barbecue sauce at the same time as the tomatoes--and I only use half or even less of the bacon it calls for. You don't need much bacon to get all the flavor.)

Nana's Pea Soup
1 ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks
4 quarts water, more if needed
1 bay leaf
1 medium onion, whole and unpeeled
1 Tbsp salt
2 lbs split peas
2 large carrots (I sometimes use more)
3 medium potatoes
1 Tbsp salt
Cubed ham (optional--well, not in my family)

Combine bone, water, bay leaf, onion,salt and peas in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 2-3 hours. Once the peas are mushy and the soup is thick, remove the ham hock, onion and bay leaf. Add the carrots, potatoes and salt. Simmer until the vegetables are very tender. Add some leftover ham if you have it and heat through. Makes a huge pot and freezes well.

Broccoli Cheese Soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can 98% fat-free broccoli cheese soup
1 pkg frozen broccoli, thawed
3 1/2 cups 1% milk
2 cups frozen hashbrowns
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup low-fat cheddar cheese (optional)
cubed ham (optional)

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until broccoli reaches desired tenderness. Add cheddar cheese as desired. Serve with croutons and additional cheese or bacon bits. YUM!

I have figured out the points values for most of these soups, but I'm not including them because sometimes I'm lazy and I just round the numbers--I don't want to upset anyone if they get different numbers. If you want the points values that I use or have any questions about the recipes, please email me: benandluella@netzero.net. Enjoy!