I am about to go spend time on my favorite trail!

I am so excited to be going alone today and not be held back by anything but myself.  My workouts have really suffered because I have had others holding me back.

I am even going to leave my dog at home today because the trail is so hilly and I don't think she can make it 5 miles especially with the heat.  I took 3 little kids 4 miles on this trail earlier this week.  I was so happy to just get my miles in even though it took a lot longer than I would have hoped.

Diet drink without Splenda

We are back from our trip and I found something great I had to share with all of you!

I really love a glass of crystal light or a diet coke on a hot day but I worry about the splenda and all the artificial sugars that are in diet drinks.  We will be trying to get pregnant soon and I haven't heard great things about them especially when you are expecting.

My refreshing alternative is cucumber water!

It really is quite yummy and so great on a hot day.  Best off all it's all natural so I don't have to worry if I drink an entire pitcher.  All that you have to do is add thin slices of cucumber to a pitcher or glass of ice water.  My cousins who showed it to be let it soak in for a little bit but I don't think that's necessary.  They also like to add a slice or two of lemon as well.  The slices are great floating in the top of the glass and are a nice little crunchy snack at the end!

I made 4 Quarts of it today and added almost all of a very long but skinny cucumber.

Hope you enjoy!

Our anniversary

We are heading out in the morning for our third anniversary trip.

We are driving up to Steamboat Springs and I will be attempting to not throw away everything that I have accomplished these past few weeks.  I will hopefully have some hints and be able to share my experience of following ww while on vacation when I get back!

why diet and not just working out

I am assuming that most of you have someone in your life that says 

"I don't diet I would rather just work out".

We have all encountered these people especially when we talk about diet.   

Hopefully most of you have realized how easy following Weight Watchers is compared to all the other crazy diets there are out there.

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I just wanted to give you this perspective of working out vs dieting.

To loose one pound you need to burn or cut out 3,500 calories.

I was shocked the first time I heard that fact.  That would mean to loose a pound a week I would have to work out 7 days a week and burn a minimum of 500 calories every time. Having a heart rate monitor and accurately seeing how many calories I burn in a workout I know that the average person isn't getting in a 500 calorie workout every single day.  I would guess the average would only be around 200 calories.  I went three miles today on the treadmill (almost an hour) and only burned 424 calories.  Who has almost 90 minutes everyday to put towards working out?

Remember that you have to burn 3,500 calories if you have only eaten EXACTLY what your body burns a day.  Remember life before ww and realizing wow I ate two or three times what my body needed a day? Adding on all of those extra calories will only add to weight gain unless you are burning them off or not eating them to begin with. 

If you have been following weight watchers long enough you know that it really isn't that hard to loose a pound a week! Now knowing all of this would you rather be mindful of what you eat or only work out to loose weight?

the bluffs

Today I had one of those days where working out feel amazing and I got tons in! I burned 1,334 calories total today. 

(This may sound like a lot of calories but 3,500 is equivalent to only 1 pound.)

 First, I went with a friend to visit a trail in our area called the bluffs,  I had never heard of it before she told me about it.  It is a 2.7 miles loop that is super hilly but has amazing view around the city.  It is the prettiest place around outside of the mountains.

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I went to babysit and the little boy wanted to play wii boxing with me.  I made sure to start my heart rate monitor before so I could count it as a workout!  Between that and a one on one game of basketball I burned 300 calories!

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I got home early enough to show my husband the bluffs.  I made sure to bring my camera to show you how amazing it is. I can't wait to walk/run it all summer and really work my butt! That next 20 lbs is going to fall off the way I am going, hopefully!

Mr Unimpressible

Today I went the the gym with my husband, I didn't want to go but I felt so much better by the time I was there! I ended up running for about 1.25 miles on the treadmill before my stomach hurt so badly I had to walk.  It felt good though to run straight for that long! I also got in a lower body weight lifting workout as well! It had been so long since I had done one that I took 10 pounds off what I lifted last time on each machine. I am really excited to get back to it though.

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When we got home my husband and I were talking about our time at the gym and he commented about how long I ran for! He said that he though he was taking forever and that he would look over to my treadmill and I will still running!! I think I impressed him, Mr Unimpressible.

don't throw it all away

So something has clicked in my life lately and after today I have been on track two full weeks!! That's 14 days! I really think the biggest motivator for me has been seeing exactly how many days I have been following.  Two weeks isn't worth throwing away for one splurge. 

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Don't forget though I still plan one splurge meal every week. In the two weeks I have had two very different splurge meals. The first one I started like a normal day if I were to be following my points.  I think I had eaten less than 10 points (out of 20) before I had my cheat meal.  That evening we picked up sushi, beers and some ice cream for desert. Really not a terrible splurge meal.  

Two days later I had a busy day full of activities with friends. I woke up late and didn't get a chance to eat before heading out.  I ate the chicken salad, a croissant, lemonade and about 10 cookies before I had left. Don't you hate when the desert is right in front of you? 

We then had friends over for dinner that evening and that was another cheat meal full of chips, burgers, sides and more cookies. (My splurge meal turned into a full day.)

I was noticing a difference in my body every morning when I woke up,  after my over the top cheat day though I didn't see the changes I was use to.   It has taken me at till now to fully recover from going so over the top.

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  If I would do it all over again I would have woken up earlier and eaten before I went to hang out with friends so that I only had one cheat meal for the day.  I like to bring something to drink when I go to a party that I am not planning on eating at, coffee or tea works great.  People, especially hosts, get nervous when everyone is eating but you.  I would also have limited the number of cookies I had that evening.  I looked later how many points one cookie was and discovered one pretty small cookie was 3 points.  I would guess I ate 40 points in just cookies that day. 

I learned my lesson though, it was too easy to ruin all the hard work I had put in for one day of splurges.

A picture is worth a thousand words

At first glance this photo may not be the most flattering...

I look past the fact that I am brushing my teeth and focus on the fact that my husband took this photo because he thought I looked great! Ha ha see him in the background! Here are a few others he has taken lately...

Me getting ready for a run in my running skirt!

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The fact that my husband is taking photos of me didn't happen overnight.  I believe I asked him to encourage me and tell me when I was looking good.  I may have even handed him my phone a few times to take a photo a few times to get a more accurate picture of exactly what I looked like.  I also ask him to point out others who have a similar body type or others who are about the same size as me so that I can get a more accurate picture in my brain.  This may sound silly or egotistical but it is because we as women very rarely have an accurate view of ourselves.  I would have never guessed that I looked like I did today in those photos if it weren't for my husband.  I thought my legs were HUGE but I get a more accurate mental image when I look at these. 

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I had a conversation with one of my closest friends the other day about weight loss and how we see ourselves and how it is never truly accurate.  She just went on a trip and on the way home she requested to look at the photos multiple times because she couldn't believe it was really her in the photos.  It is so hard when you have gained weight and then lost it to truly know where you "fit" in.

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Take the time to look through photos of where you were and how far you have come.  Ask those around you to take photos to encourage you and give yourself an accurate picture of where you are at. If you like what you see good job! If you aren't happy then hopefully it will motivate you. It will hopefully change your life either way!

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Just a photo of how far I have come

June 2007

3 point ice cream candy bars

I saw these tonight at the grocery.  I passed on them since they are somewhat high in points for what I like to eat, they may be great though.  I have yet to try a Weight Watchers product I didn't love!

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My favorite products are the cheeses (string cheese, cream cheese and american cheese for eggs or melting on broccoli).

What is your favorite WW product?

Matthew 7

I am going to be really honest and really share my heart today with you.

I have been listening to Redeeming Love on tape and God really spoke to me through this book. At the beginning of every chapter there is a verse or quote. 

Chapter 14 I came across this...

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"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

 Matthew 7:1-2

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Since I have struggled with my weight I figured it was ok to judge others harshly on their weight if they had at one time made me feel bad about my weight gain.  I had one friend in particular who really was never a good friend, the extent of our friendship is only facebook friends now.  Since she was so nasty I figured it was ok to judge her harshly and find pleasure her weight gain, I even posted something about it last month. I felt so terrible after hearing this verse and I realized that I wasn't pleasing God with my actions no matter what she did to me in the past.  I have also been trying to change the way I think about and look at others.  It really is so much harder than I expected and I am so much more aware now of when I do it.

 It's a scary thought to be judged as harshly as we judge.  

scrambled eggs

I was browsing through Mojito Maven's past Weight Watchers posts and came across a great idea.  Three egg whites scrambled (I add water instead of milk) and dried herbs, I used basil and it turned out to be a great 1 point snack. I cook mine in the microwave in a glass bowl and it takes under two minutes. First I mix the eggs with a tablespoon or so of water and stir them with a fork like normal.  I put them in the microwave for 1 minute and stir them after then I do the same for 3o seconds.  You may not need another 30 seconds but I usually do, just make sure it is all cooked and there is no liquid left. I just stirred in the basil then and ate it!

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I still really like my old way to make scrambled eggs for a full 4 point meal not just a snack. The only difference is that I add one full egg to the 3 whites before cooking.  I add a 1 point piece of American ww cheese after the eggs are finished cooking.  The cheese will melt from the heat of the eggs, by adding it last it doesn't disappear when you cook them. They will be more cheesy if you add it last. I guess you could also add the cheese to three egg whites as well!

Cheap and easy!