Water

We all have heard how important it is to drink our daily 8 glasses of water but are we truly drinking them? Living in Colorado I have always been preached to about how important this is. There are so many health benefit to being fully hydrated. Remember that most of the time we think we are hungry we are really thirsty. One of the best ways I have found to get in my daily water is to get a cute water bottle and making sure you keep it filled next to you. You will be shocked by how much you will drink and how little you think about it.

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The first one should be sold at any sporting good store. It is made by Camelbak and should sell for about $15. Make sure yours has the straw thing, not all do.

These ones I found at Target recently.

They were so cute especially with Valentines Day coming up!

Just don't leave yours at the gym like I did last week, luckily I got it back.

What keeps you going?

Ladies I apologize for the lack of posts lately.

I haven't been feeling super great lately.

I did want to ask though what keeps you from eating the temptations that come along.

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I know for me if I plan something special into my day that I am looking forward to I am less likely to cheat. It doesn't have to be anything big or something huge in points, even a 1 point sucker, sugar free pudding or a ww fudge pop works quite well!

WW Chili

Tonight I decided I would be a good wife and cook dinner for my husband!

I made WW Chili that is only 1 point for 1 cup. A great meal considering it is 7 degrees and so cold here. Hubby just had more of it than I did, he also went back for seconds!

It really is more a vegetable soup but still it is really good. Search it on google and you will have no trouble finding it! Don't worry if you aren't fond of the separate veggie that are in it. They all mix well and none of them stand out if you hate one of them.

(I really hate celery and green peppers that are crunchy)

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Do you have any recommendations of alternative ww friendly receipts?

Meetings vs Online

I was asked if the meetings are really worth it or if following online is just as easy.

I started online and lost some weight, I then lost my motivation and climbed to my highest weight ever. I finally started going to meetings and they made such a difference. I am not sure what it is about the meetings but they really keep you on track. I found you lose weight faster when you are attending. I was terribly embarrassed/nervous the first time but I survived. Just make sure the first time that you arrive early and leave time after to set a goal weight and get some start up info from the meeting leader. You won't be disappointed, it isn't just a bunch of fat women sitting around crying.

Try it they really work!

Sneaky foods

Ladies I am sure that we have all encountered foods that are masked as healthy choices but really are much higher in points than we would have ever guessed.

Some of the biggest shockers for me were avocados, granola and tortillas. Just one cup of granola is 12 points. Tortillas are also seen as a great alternative but really they can be higher in points than we would have imagined.

I would love to hear from you what foods have shocked you?

My heart rate monitor

Wow, I am shocked by the amount of questions that I receive every time that I mention my heart rate monitor!

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It has been one of my best purchases in my quest to get fit because it makes me work so much harder and tells me when I am coasting. I don't have a preference of one over another because I only have used the one.

The biggest thing that I was looking for though was one that kept a constant heart rate, not just one that I could use to check my heart rate. I have a strap that I attach around my chest below my sports bra so that I have a constant read going to the watch. I knew that I could hold the handles on the gym machines and get a read but that wasn't what I was looking for. They are a little pricey but I am SO glad that I splurged on mine. It is the Polar RS100 but I am not sure if I would have done more research if I would have gotten this one as it is designed for running. I later found out that they have ones geared more towards losing weight than mine was. I think that those ones are more pricey though. The polar site has a comparison questionnaire that may help you do more research.

I love polar though because it links to the machines at the gym so that I can just look at the machine screen rather than my watch to know where I am at.

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The greatest thing about using one is that it is programed for your individual body.

I type in my resting heart rate, height and weight (just the first time). It gives me a much more accurate read on how many calories I have burned.

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I like to keep track of my calories burn and think for every 50 calories I have burned a point! If you are trading out these points it isn't quite the same math though. The equation I have been told is

weight * how many minute you worked out * .000807

It may be less but really how many points do you need to swap anyway? I was also told that the max number is 4 per day.

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Ladies I really hopes this helps answer any questions you have.

Activity points

I don't have a lot to talk about today but I thought I would mention exercise.

I wanted to remind you how easy it is to get activity points without thinking about it. These don't have to be earned in a gym or by making a huge effort. Yesterday we went to a local park and just threw around a lacrosse ball, nothing big just something fun to do with the hubby on a nice day. I wore my heart rate monitor so I know that I got in an hour of exercise and burned 400 calories while spending quality time with hubby.

What do you enjoy doing that burn calories?

The momentum program

Ladies I still am no expert on the new momentum program from Weight Watchers but what I can gather from your comments it is pretty much the same thing. They were finding that people weren't using their points on foods that would fill them up so they have made filling foods the focus. I am hoping that you have already figured this out though because this really is the key to success.

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I have a cousin who was "trying" to lose some weight before her wedding this past fall. I say trying because she was never fully able to find success with ww, remember I say this to encourage you not discourage you. The thing that she was never able to master was planning her foods out ahead (SO IMPORTANT in the beginning). She would eat a lunch that was huge in points and would have to eat 0 pt soup for dinner because she had used all her points already . That to me is a diet and will never work. She didn't make it a lifestyle by figuring out foods that will fill her up all day, she made it a restrictive thing. The other thing that contributed to her failure was a lack of support from her fiance. I know that not everyone is going to be supportive but he said things like "the only reason you are doing this is for you" "You don't need to be losing weight". Now we all love it when our significant others make us feel better when we are having an off day but when you are 5'1 and can no longer fit into clothes at a normal store something has to be done. We couldn't have a conversation for years that didn't include weight and how bad she felt. I am assuming her fiance didn't want her to lose weight because he also needs to. If someone is giving you a hard time about losing weight I am guessing you have hit on some insecurity in their life. They may need to lose weight or feel threatened by how great you will look when you do!! Just brush it off and smile because you are going to look hotter than them!

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Hubby and I are getting in some activity points today! We are going to go to the park and play lacrosse. I have never played before so it should be interesting but at least it will be a fun afternoon with my hubby and doggie!

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I want to make sure that you are reading the comments on my blog! I have amazing readers who post tips in the comments. They are so amazing and really make my blog complete. If you post a tip you can have the tips that are posted after e-mailed to you, just check the box! I am constantly checking my e-mails because I love seeing the follow up comments.

Thanks to all of you who leave great comments!

fast foods

I figure that some of you have had moments already where you are out and starving but not sure what fast food places carry low point options. I was at a Chick-fil-a the other day with a bunch of other women and they were discussing what foods there were low in points. One of the women who has lost 150 lbs on ww said it was the char grilled sandwich. Another woman had order the wrap because she thought it would be the lowest. I think that foods we assume are healthy turn out the be the worst options. I always order the kids 4 piece chicken nugget meal with a diet drink and fruit instead of fries. I think it is only 4 or 5 points. I know the fruit is 1 pt for sure. I would encourage you to figure out low point foods that you can pick up on the run rather than just guessing.

I love knowing that I can get a tall caramel macchiato for 3 points and a grande for 4, this is just as satisfying as a 6-8 point salted caramel hot chocolate. Also remember tea is 0 pts, brewed tea in a tea bag, not a sweetened drink.

I read today in my runners magazine that people underestimate the calorie count by up to 93% when they are eating out.

I would love to hear if you have a go to food that is lower in points to pick up while you are out.

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I also figured I would address 0 pt foods. Yes a few foods are 0 points, so great!! Remember that it is only 0 points for one serving. Carrots easily jump in points when you go above a serving.

How to read nutrition labels

I was reminded yesterday by Amy at Chapters that not everyone knows how to read a nutrition label. This is obviously so important if you are going to be counting calories or points. Go check out her post even if you think you are doing it correctly.

Right now before you finish reading this.

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Ok glad you are back! Do you always remember to check out how much a serving is and how many servings are in a package. Remember no matter how small a package is there isn't always one serving in it!

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I also want to address being married or in a relationship and following your points. My husband also counts his calories but he does it for a totally different reason. He makes sure that he eats enough calories everyday to build muscle, more calories than he would need to lose or maintain weight. This is a picture of his lunch today...

A full plate and only a 5th of his calories.

He eats roughly 72 points a day if we were to put it into ww points.

No wonder we gain weight as soon as the wedding has passed.

I have found that I need to eat separate food than my husband. We still try to make sure to eat together though. I cook my meals and he cooks his. This may not work for you and your significant other but maybe you can cook a ww friendly meal for dinner and he could just have a bigger portion. Remember to measure everything out!

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Have you noticed how much better you are feeling!

When I first started there we so many great changes, the list is long but here are a few highlights

I no longer needed a daily nap, I have so much more energy, I feel so much better about myself, I am so much less bloated and no longer always uncomfortable.

I may not be cooking for my husband all the time but at least I don't look like this anymore...

It is a terrible photo but a great reminder of how easily it can happen again. I was a J Crew 14 in this photo. This is a life change not just a temporary phase. I ask my husband which wife he would rather have, a skinny one or for me to cook for him. He jokes that he wants both but he really will admit that he like me now so much better.

We need to remember to take care of ourselves and not just everyone else.

Weight Watcher Twinkies?

Yesterday I had a new family that I babysat for. It is always hard going the first time to a new house because you have no idea what food and temptations they will have. I discovered that they had 4 open container of frosting. I love frosting and use to eat it by the spoonful in college. It might even be my favorite sweet. I was able to resist it though and I didn't even have any of the left over mac and cheese either!! They also had a tons of other food that would normally be a temptation. I have learned though that if I start it is too hard for me to stop.

After I got done working I realized I had better run to Walmart and get some food since we were all out. I make sure that I shop on the 1st and the 16 th and get enough for 2 weeks. This really cuts down on temptation and saves us money as well. As much as I don't love shopping at Walmart it really saves us a lot of money on our food. I noticed that they had cut down lots of prices, they dropped lean cuisines down to $2 each from $3. I must have been hungry or tired of eating the same foods because I picked up foods that I hadn't been eating recently but did when I started following ww.

I saw these, aren't they just low fat twinkies. They didn't appeal to me but 1 pt is good! I did pick up the lemon cakes though. They are little but good if you need a little something sweet. Just remember that 2 of these doesn't equal 2 points.

I have picked these up before. They were so great to keep in my car for a quick snack, 2 pts. I have figured out that almost all cereal is the same points per serving (serving size may vary a little). Don't eat something you don't like because it is lower in points. Why not eat something you will enjoy and will satisfy you. You can always bag up your own little individual servings. I have mentioned it before but it is best to do right when you get home from the store.

I like to keep my food in a drawer all together in the fridge. It makes it so much easier to just grab on the go. The more things you do like this the easier it will be.

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I have been asked about V8 and if it is bad to drink because it is so high in sodium. I am not too worried about this because I am eating so much better than I normally would if I wasn't following my points. One fast food meal has days worth of sodium in it. Moderation is the biggest key to ww as I am sure you have figured out. One serving isn't going to affect you.

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I am hoping that your dishwasher is filled with your measuring cups and spoons every time you run it! If it is it means that you are paying attention to portions. Our everyday dishes have mugs that are one cup. I use them all the time since 1 cup is a very typical serving size. My husband doesn't get how manage to use everyone of them!

Inspired

Hello ladies! I am so absolutely inspired to see how many of you have celebrated a lose this week! It is so inspiring to hear all of your stories and I really think it helps keep everyone on track. Keep up the amazing work! We are two weeks into the new year and I am so proud that you all have kept it up. This really is a lifestyle not just a temporary thing. If you haven't been doing great remember, today is a new day and a great day to start. One of the best things about ww is that you don't have to start over again if you go over your points one day.

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I know that a lot of you have iPhones, for those of you who do download the PointsCalc application. This is so great to always have with you, especially when you are at the grocery store. I also use my phone to track my daily points everyday. It really helps to have it with me all the time.

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Does anyone know anything about the new momentum plan? I still follow my points everyday but I am not currently enrolled so I know nothing about the new program. I would love to hear more.

Why Weight Watchers works

Recently I saw a comment that someone left on another blog that made me think "Wow, whoever wrote that is very confused". It said something to the effect of "I know people who have lost weight on ww but I have a different views on food and weight loss. Also I am not sure if I would write about losing weight on my blog." I was really upset when I read this on my e-mail but I finally realized it was just a follow up comment on a post I had left a comment on.

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I think the reason I got so upset was because WW is based on the only way to lose weight. It can even be broken down into a very simple math problem.

You have to burn more calories than you take in or you will gain weight.

That's it plain and simple. Don't make it any harder or more complicated than it really is. Its not about carbs or fat or any of the other things we have been taught to fear. That's what is wrong and so hard about following all of the fad diets that are popular these days. They have taken part of what is true and made it the focus of the entire diet. When we do this our body starts to crave these the things that are missing and we fail on our diet. Most of us have learned that it is better to not eat all carbs or thing full of fat. These foods are so high in points that we can't truly get full on them and stay with in our points. You may lose weight when you do these fad diets but how hard are they to stick to. When we fail we tend to gain more weight after as a result because even though we may have lost some water weight we still have been eating to many calories everyday. These will catch up with you someday.

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I recently watched a friend sit at a holiday party and eat a large bag of assorted nut because she was on a diet that cut out all sugar, flour, carbs and alcohol. They are missing the basic math equation for this diet. Yes you may lose some weight but you will gain if you are not eating less calories than you burn. If I was to eat a cup of cashews I would have eaten 75% of my daily points. How easy is it to eat a cup of nuts.

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As far as the not writing about weight lose on our blogs, why not? We write about our lives and what is going on. We love comments and feedback and to know that we are not alone. I would even encourage you to talk about it with your friends and family. When you have told them about it they will hopefully help encourage you and keep you on track. Let them know that meeting up for coffee works better for you now than meeting up for lunch. Also if you include it in all part of your life you are more likely to follow through with it. You don't have to tell everyone you encounter but don't be ashamed that you are taking charge of your health and your life. I have also found that most woman friends are also trying and failing at losing weight. Why not share this amazing thing that you have found! I do warn you though, as excited as they may seem at first most can't stick to it. Don't let this get you down. You will also encounter people who say some variation of "Oh I did that a few years ago. I lost 20 lbs but gained it all back again." Of course if you start eating more calories than you burn you will gain weight. You need to make a lifestyle change not just go back to what you were doing when you gained the weight.

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The other thing that I love about WW is that you are forced to figure out what works for your life. If you are delivered food or told exactly what to eat how do you continue on your own? How will you make good decisions when you are at a party or out to eat. I also have heard that most of these are very expensive, upwards of $1,000 a month.

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I hope this all makes sense and isn't to much information at once, let me know if you have questions.

Your great comments and questions are what keeps me writing!

Let's talk about alcohol

Why is Weight Watchers so amazing? You can eat anything you desire as long as you fit it into your points. This obviously includes alcohol.

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I have had a few of you ask me about it so I figured I would talk about it. I love wine and at times I include it in my daily points. I also like a light beer every once and a while. It is very easy to fit both of these in because it they are low in points, 2 each serving.

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We all know what happens when we start to drink though. We have one drink and it turns into another, this turns into drunken cravings and ransacking your kitchen for foods to put you over your daily points. Trust me I know, last night I was right on track for my points till I had 2 beers. Before I knew it I was eating leftover chocolate and pizza, my husbands otherwise it would never be in our house. I was very tempted tonight to go and pick up a bottle of wine. As much as I would enjoy it right now I am forcing myself to stay home because I know what will happen if I give in. One thing I have found that works is to make sure you drink a huge glass of water before and after. For me it is about drinking fluid not the alcohol, I am just as content when I do this.

So yes you can drink on ww but what happens when you include it?

Motivation, I'll take it where I can get it.

Ladies on this journey we have gotta get our motivation anywhere we can. I am having one of those days where I just want to be skinnier and not do the work. We all have these days but we need to figure out for ourselves what works to fight this off. I have been looking through old photos and have been wondering an I skinnier now than in this photo, I am guessing we all do this. I think I will just have to try on the clothes I have on in the pictures to truly be able to tell.

I took this photo last night at the Mammoth game and it makes me happy to know the truth about my size and not just what I think in my head. I would guess that most of us think we are bigger than we truly are.

Also I was incorrect on how to figure how many points you burn when you work out. I was informed the formula is

your weight * how many minute you worked out * .000807

Thanks Mojito Maven!

She also thinks the most points you can earn from working out is 8. Don't let this get you down though. Push yourself during your workouts, 30 minutes at the gym isn't the same thing as 3o minutes of working out.

How I stay on track and have a night out!

Tonight my husband and I have tickets to the Colorado Mammoth game (professional lacrosse). We are planning on making it a special evening since we will already be downtown and obviously that means dinner out. I have already decided not to simply give up for the day and not worry about what I am eating. Instead this is what I am doing.

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Coffee 1pt

Special K 2 pts

V8 0 pts

We went and spent 30 minutes on the elliptical (don't forget to add resistance to up your heart rate and calories burned) and lifted upper body. I am working towards doing a full pull up someday so for now I was able to do 6 assisted ones with 120 lbs help. It may be a lot of help but you have to start somewhere. According to my heart rate monitor I burned 795 calories in the hour I was there. (Don't be fooled it is only this high because I work my butt off when I am there. Coasting on a machine will only burn minimal calories. I even smell like a guy by the time I am half way done, tmi I know but I work that hard.)

String cheese that is in my gym bag 1 pt

Scrambled eggs for lunch 4 pts

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So I have had 8 points of my daily 20 but have added in 16 so I have 28 to play with at dinner. I may also bring a low point snack to eat on the way so I am never starving.

One of the biggest things that I will have to worry about is minding portions while I am out. We will most likely be going to the Old Spaghetti Factory and that means lots of pasta. I need to realize I have been eating smaller meals more often, resulting in a smaller stomach. I don't want to feel uncomfortably full all evening.

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I wouldn't swap out your work out points everyday, just think of them as a job well done or for special occasions. When I think of them as extra things (on just an average day) I can eat I tend to go WAY overboard and eat all sort of bad food and wake up the next morning feeling guilty.

Keeping motivated

One of the biggest things that I struggle with on Weight Watchers is following my points everyday and I am guessing it is something we all struggle with. I have a mindset that the holidays are over and I shouldn't have anything that will tempt me. I have been so incorrect in this assumption. We are going to have temptations everyday. I think that if we take on a mindset that temptations are everywhere we may be better prepared when the temptations do come along.

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I have been thinking about ways to motivate me to follow my points more days in a row without fail. One idea that I have come up with is to make chains with construction paper, similar to the countdown ones we made in elementary school counting the days till the holidays. My idea though is to add days to your chain. Start with one color and everyday that you follow add a link in the same color. If you have an event or need a reason to cheat that day just start with a new color the next day and continue with that color till you have another off day.

I think for me having this visual item that shows the work I have been doing may be worth not eating something extra that day and going over my points.

Do any of you have any ideas to reward yourself or to keep yourself motivated?

How to burn more calories at the gym part 2

There are a few things that I forgot to add to yesterday's post.

When I lift I bring my phone with me and use the notepad to write what weight I lifted and how many times. I would have no idea what weight I lifted the time before if I didn't do this. It is ok to lift the same weights a few times but I would push yourself to always make it hard.

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Also make sure that you have 2 days of recovery before you work the same muscle. Also give yourself days off from the gym. This will improve your time spent at the gym and give your body time to heal.

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I was asked if I add the points I burn to my daily points total.

I guess I don't worry if I go a little over my points that day. Technically I could eat the extra points but I try not to, I just stick to my points for that day. I do make sure that I eat carbs before I go for extra energy and have a cheese in my bag to eat on the car ride home.

How to burn more calories at the gym

Ladies I am going to say this again but I am still a big believer that you should master following your daily points before you add working out to your list of things to do. Too many new things and changes means another failed diet and another year of unfulfilled out resolutions.

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I know though that some of you are ready to start working out, or won't take my word for it so, here is my two cents on how to make the biggest impact there.

When I go to the gym I warm up by running and walking on the treadmill for half an hour. I am just starting to run and can't really make it the full hour that I would like to. When I started I would be immediately exhausted if my heart rate got above 150, now I can go much higher than that without having to stop or slow down. My heart rate monitor has taken my time at the gym to the next level, I no longer coast. I watch so many people get on a machine and never even break a sweat. If your machine can check your heart rate do it every 5 or so minutes and make sure that you are at least in the fat burning range if not higher. (most machines will have a chart) If you are using an elliptical machine use the arms, they are there for a reason and you will burn more calories. You should not be able to carry on a conversation like you normally would, you should be breathing hard enough that it would be uncomfortable. I use a polar running heart rate monitor and love it. It has a strap that goes around my chest and sends constant reading to my watch. It even links to the machines at the gym so that I don't have to watch my watch.

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I try to lift weights a few times a week. I use the circuit machines and divide it by upper body and lower body. I start on the machine that works the biggest muscles, this way I can give it my best effort. I don't want to fatigue myself by lifting the smallest muscle that won't make a huge impact. When I am lifting upper I do rows first because it builds my back (think less back fat!). This is the machine where you extent your arms in front of you and pull them back, focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together when do you this. When I am lifting lower I do leg press because it really works all of your leg and butt!

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Before I give you further advice I am going to share how using it has changed my body. I am a lists girl and took measurements before I started lifting and two weeks later. These two weeks I was not a gym rat either just a girl starting to work out. I lost 1/2 an inch in both arms, 3/4 of an inch in my waist, 3/4 of an inch from my stomach, a full inch from my butt, my legs didn't change in measurement but that shelf below my butt definitely went down! These may not seem like a lot but they say that 1 inch is a size and this is only after two weeks.

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I share all of this with you because what I am about to write will most likely go against everything you have ever been told. I am guessing most of you lift 5 lbs and do more reps so that you tone and don't get bulky. There is no such thing as toning a muscle, only building it. If this is the case forget everything you have been taught as hard as that is. I didn't lose inches from doing this I lost them from lifting heavy weights. My goal is to find the biggest weight that I can lift and do that 8 to 10 times before I have completely fatigued the muscle I am working. I keep up my heart rate this way and I am in and out fast. My heart rate is higher during my lifting time then when I am doing my best on the treadmill. I am burning more calories and by building muscle I will be burning calories after my workout is done unlike when I am doing my cardio. Also remember to do slow controlled movements, let the muscle do the lifting not momentum.

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I know that this may be so different than everything you have been taught but next time you are at the gym look at who is lifting heavy weights and who is lifting 5 lbs. The ones I see lifting 5 lbs are the super heavy ones who look like it is their first trip to they gym. The ones who are pushing themselves are skinny and have the body you are "working" to get when you are barely making a dent with your 5 lbs.

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I know that you are still scared of getting bulky but think about sitting at home on the couch after a great workout. How great would it be to still be burning calories because you built muscle at the gym. Also know that women won't build muscle like men do, we are missing the testosterone that allows them to. The body builder women who look like men do because they have been taking steroids. They also are spending hours a day at the gym. The women with the skinny arms that we want have muscle that is making them look skinny.

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Because of this I burn around 8 to 14 points at the gym every time I go. This is only counting the time that I spend there not the extra calories I will burn because of my extra muscle.

I hope all of this make sense to you. Please feel free to leave any questions you may have for me as a comment.

I get this information from what I have seen but most importantly from my husband who has a health and exercise science degree and is the fitness coordinator for his fire department. He spends all of his free time reading everything he can get his hands on about working out.

my typical food for a day

I have been asked what I eat typically so I figured I would share.

I have 20 points daily but I am about to drop down to 19 in a few lbs. I woke up earlier than normal and knew I HAD to make a list off all the things I planned to eat if I wanted to follow my points today.

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Breakfast

coffee 1pt

I was still hungry so I had some brussel sprouts before lunch since I am out of ww yogurt

brussel sprouts with olive oil 1pt
(I cook them in the microwave till warm and add a teaspoon of olive oil and salt,

the pt is from the oil.)
V8 0 pts

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Lunch

shrimp marinara lean cuisine 3 pts

2/3 cup frozen peas

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I went to run some errands today so I threw some cheese in my purse. Make sure to keep snacks around when you will be gone for a while. These are just so easy to grab on the go.

ww string cheese 1 pt

baby belle low fat cheese 1 pt

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I needed something to tide me over till dinner so I had some soup and coffee.

coffee 1pt

progressive soup 0 pts

(I like the kind with noodles in it)

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I still have a huge list of things to choose from for the rest of the day to get all my points

scrambled eggs for dinner 4 pts

corn 2 pts

green beans with olive oil 1 pt for the oil

grapefruit with splenda 1 pt

apple 1 pt

popcorn 1 pt

ww fudge pop 1 pt (need a chocolate fix? these are amazing... they are in with the ice cream)

carmel apple sucker 1 pt

If I am still needing something tea is a great option for 0 pts

(chamomile is the exception)

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I know that I have a lot of veggies planned today. I love them since they are yummy, filling, cheap, easy and fast. The are also just as good with just a little salt, skip the butter, or they a great way to get in your oil that day. Olive oil is a healthy fat and will help you lose weight, don't skip this step.

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My husband brought up a good point the other day. He asked if I was eating way under my points to lose weight faster or if I was eating all of my points. I try and get in all my points unless I am content and ready for bed. Eating only part of your points will make your body do the opposite of what you are trying to do. You will start to hold on to the calories that you eat because it doesn't know when it will be getting more. It goes into starvation mode and will kill your metabolism.

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How have you girls been doing? We are a week into the new year already.

Have you been able to follow your points and resist temptation?

Only lost half a pound and upset?

Hello fellow WW girls! I have finally gotten an accurate weigh in this morning.

Drum roll please!

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My total weight loss since June 2007 is 37.6 lbs!

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I set my first goal at 130 and now that I am 2.4 lbs away from it I know that I can go to 120 to fit into a size 6 at J Crew.

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If you follow my other blog Simple Yet Classic you know that I have been doing some new years organizing around my house. One of the things I moved was my husbands 10 lb weight plates and I was shocked at how much 10 lbs really is. If you have already lost weight go and pick up a weight that is equivalent to your loss. Even 1 lb is a shock, don't forget a loss no matter how small is still a great thing. They say somewhere on the WW site that 1 lb is equal to a stick or of butter. Doesn't that change the way we look at 1 lb?

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If you do the math for my weight loss journey I have only lost 1/2 a lb a week. I know that we have a tendency not to celebrate that but rather to say I should have lost two lbs a week. It really adds up fast when you see the bigger picture that it is 38 lbs so far.

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Another thing I love to do to celebrate is ask how much my friend's kids weigh. A child may not weigh a lot at first but carry him for any amount of extended time and you will be tired. Think about carrying this extra weight on your body all the time. When I had a full day of cleaning the other day I was thinking about how I use to rationalize skipping the gym to clean because by the time I was done for the evening I was so exhausted. My legs would literally ache from moving around for a couple of hours. Now I never feel that way anymore!

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Have any of you had an "ah ha" moment where you realized a lb is more than you use to think?

Or do you have any questions for me?

I know some of you have already asked a few. I plan on answering them later this week in a post, just leave a comment with your questions!

What about working out?

I have to say for myself that all I could focus on when I first started Weight Watchers was the food and keeping that on track. I don't think I would have done as well if I felt like I had to make it to the gym as well. You didn't put the weight on in a day or a week and you can't turn your entire life around in one day. I make following your daily points your main priority at first since it really is something you will need to work at and figure out how it fits into your life.

80% of weight loss is what you eat, or don't eat

I realize I may be challenged on this but as yourself are you in this for a lifetime or is it just another resolution that you won't have followed through on in a few weeks.

*photo from daily candy

My must have grocery items

Here is my list of things I get every time I go to the store.

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0 point favorite foods

V8

Brussel Sprouts

Progressive Soup

Splenda with fiber for my coffee or sugar free Vanilla Syrup

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1 point

WW string cheese

Babybell lowfat cheese

grapefruit

apples

peas

fat free creamer for coffee (6T)

Turkey Breast deli meat

WW yogurt

WW ice cream bars!!

!!Carmel apple suckers!!

most suckers

portabella mushroom veggie burgers

prunes (start out slow on these)

apricots

single serving smart pop kettle corn or butter

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2 points

corn

grilled cheese made with 2 slices sara lee 45 calorie bread and one slice of ww american cheese (use a little cooking spray instead of butter)

Special K (I am liking the yogurt ones best now)

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4 points

1 egg and 3 egg whites scrambled (use water not milk) with a slice of ww american cheese

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REMEMBER THIS IS THE POINTS VALUE FOR ONE SERVING. IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE AT A TIME IT CAN MULTIPLY THE POINTS, 2 ONE POINT ITEMS IS NOT 2 POINTS ALWAYS.

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As I type this I am watching the Oprah where she is talking about how she has fallen off the wagon. She is talking about how important planning what you are going to eat.

THIS IS SO VERY IMPORTANT

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Look over my list of foods again and think about how many points you get daily. If you plan smartly and eat low point items you really will never be hungry.

Why Weight Watchers?

Wow I can't believe the amazing response I have already had since starting this blog yesterday! 20 followers already.

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I was asked yesterday why Weight Watchers? I will give you a basic rundown of why I love it and it works.

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The biggest and best thing is that it is not a diet. If you want a cheeseburger you eat a cheeseburger, you just have to make sure to fit it into your daily points. (Points are based on weight.) Obviously you are going to get to eat a lot less cheeseburgers than if you were to eat vegetables instead. You will have to join (online or at a meeting) to figure out exactly how many points you need daily. They also have a huge database of foods to look up the points value on the website. Roughly 50 calories is a point, it goes up or down depending on fiber and fat content.

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When I started I was shocked to see that I was daily eating at least double the calories that I needed. It is very hard at first but I found the best luck when I planned out EVERYTHING that would go into my mouth the night before. (Remember that everything has calories, everything even just bites of food.) It also helped if I had stuff already in serving size bags, if it wasn't purchased that way do it right when you get home from the store. If you go to the meetings you get a points slider, I would recommend taking this to the store with you so that you don't bring home the tempting foods that are high in points. My other salvation especially when I started and still today is frozen meals. Lean cuisine and smart ones both list the points values on the boxes. I try to get ones that are under 5 points so that I can have lots of low point snacks between. (Lean cuisine has the points listed on the side of the box not the front.)

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Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have on any of this!

Are you ready to lose weight?

One of the biggest and most frustrating things that I have encountered in my weight loss journey has been my friends. I know that may of you have written about this but you really never realize how much they can affect your weight positively or negatively.

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I have had many friends join me on Weight Watchers and none of them have followed through with it no matter how interested they were at first. Now I am not telling you to frustrate you but so that you are realistic that it will take some work.

So how ready are you to do this?

Are you willing to plan out EVERYTHING that will go into your mouth?

Are you willing to bring food along with you?

Are you willing to change your lifestyle?

Are you willing to get rid of the food in your house that tempts you?

These are only a few of the questions you need to ask yourself. If you are not ready that is fine but be aware of that.

Welcome!

Hello girls and welcome to my new blog! Some of you may already be familiar with my and my story but for those of you who aren't I will tell you my weight gain and then loss story.

This is my and my hubby this summer!

This was me though the summer before, 170 lbs and my heaviest.

I was REALLY skinny till I was about 17. My friends in high school would joke that they didn't see me standing there because I was turned sideways. I went to work at a camp the summer between my Junior and Senior year where I worked as a cook. I gained weight from my time there and it didn't help that I didn't participate in springboard diving my senior year. I went off to college the next year and you all know that means the freshman 15. It all added up to weight gain and me being heavier than I ever expected to be. I walked 4 miles a day the summer after freshman year with a friend and was able to lose 17 lbs. I kept it off the next year of school until I started dating my husband. We went out to eat every night and I was so busy with him that I didn't have time to walk that summer. I started to gain but my biggest gain was after our wedding.

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I would try and follow the fad diets I had heard about but they made me gain weight rapidly. I was trying not to eat carbs and was eating a thing of Brie every few days. Cheese isn't carbs and that's Atkins right? I also tried the lemonade diet but decided it wasn't for me when I was sitting on the toilet and throwing up into a bucket on my lap.

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I had heard about Weight Watchers but that's for old frumpy ladies who sit around and be fat right? I also hadn't heard of anyone who had tried it. All of a sudden I heard of multiple people who had lost weight on it. I signed up for it online and lost some weight. I wasn't super motivated though and ended up hitting 170 the summer of 2007 on my one year wedding anniversary. I also had an amazing friend who wanted me to go to meetings with her and said she would pay for it if I went. I finally found something that stuck and was working!! I have lost over 30 lbs now from a 14 to a size 8. I am so excited to see how much farther I can go!

I know that a lot of you may only be doing online but try and check out a meeting, it will change your life as well.