Weight Watchers: This Time It's For Real!

Have you ever gotten caught up in that vicious cycle? The one where you step on the scale, gasp at the number, and get depressed wondering how you let yourself get this far out of control. I was seeing numbers that never, in a million years, would I have thought I would be seeing on a scale. I was always so active and did my best to stay in shape. Every time I saw those numbers I felt hopeless. This has been me for quite some time. I have been miserable and feeling sorry for myself. Wishing I could change that number on the scale without REALLY doing anything about it. Yeah, I have exercised some here and there, but nothing to really make much of a difference lately. One day, something snapped and I realized I can't keep feeling this way and I can't keep watching the number on the scale creep higher and higher month after month. At that moment I realized just how miserable I had really been, for so long. It was time for me to really do something about it.  

I decided to go back to Weight Watchers for what seems like the 100 hundredth time. It was very hard for me to walk through those doors again. All I could think of is, them seeing me and thinking "Oh here she is again. How long is she going to stick with it this time?" But you know what...I realized it didn't matter even if they did think that. I had to do this for me. Not just to be skinny but for health reasons and to feel better mentally and physically. I also realized that if I joined I had to stick with the meetings instead of going to a few and then deciding I could do it on my own...which always resulted in me quitting the program all together. 

I walked into Weight Watchers, holding my breath, determined that this was it. This time it's the real deal, I am sticking with it and I am going to get myself back to being the healthy, physically fit person I used to be.  This past Saturday was my forth meeting...more than I had attended before. I earned my Weight Watchers charm/key ring.  

I am planning to fill that ring up with charms to show all of my accomplishments along the way. I am so excited and motivated, and look forward to going to my meeting each week! I am down 9 pounds in four weeks! I know I still have a long way to go... but I am off to a really good start! I feel so much better already, I can't even imagine how much better I feel as I continue to lose the weight.   Stay tuned.......

"Getting to Know You" er ummm...me

I am doing my best to get back in with the people and groups that used to be involved in. One of those groups is the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. I really miss the interaction I once had with the ladies of the fabulous group and miss the challenges too. To get myself back into the swing of things, I decided to partake in the questionnaire "Getting to Know You' So, here it goes:

Name, City/State: Misty Martinsburg, WV

How did you find the Sisterhood? A friend

What is your biggest strength? determination

What is your biggest weakness? Wish that I could be more outgoing. Too shy and don't always say what I'm thinking.

What do you like best about your body and why?As awful as it is, I'm at a point right now, there isn't anything I like about my body ;(

What do you like least about your body and why? midriff...that's where all my weight tends to go.

What is your favorite type of exercise? elliptical when I'm in good enough shape to do it. Can't wait until I'm able to do those 5 miles a day again!

Have you noticed any improvements (physically, mentally, or else) since finding us? Yes, all the way around while I was as active as I could be in the group. Been struggling while I've been "away"

If you could travel anywhere in the world without thinking about cost nor time, where would you go? Australia

What superhero power would you like to have? to read minds..but then again I may not wanna know,. Thinking of the Jim Carrey movie  lol

Recipe: Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

2/3 Cup evaporated fat free milk

1 pkg (8 oz) fat free cream cheese, softened

1 large egg

½ Cup granulated sugar (I used Splenda)

2 Tbsp all purpose flour

1 tsp grated lemon peel (lemon zest)

1 prepared 9 inch graham cracker crust

1 ½ to 2 cups halved fresh strawberries

3 Tbsp strawberry jelly, warmed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place evaporated milk, cream cheese, egg, sugar, flour and lemon peel in blender; cover. Blend until smooth. Pour into crust.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Arrange strawberries on top of pie; drizzle with jelly. Refrigerate for two hours before serving.

Recipe: Chicken Vegetable Casserole

Chicken Vegetable Casserole

                                                                Serves 4

                                                          8 Pts+ Per Serving 

 4 skinless boneless chicken breast 

1 Tbsp margarine

16 oz package of California Blend (broccoli, cauliflower & carrots) 

½ tsp garlic powder

1 can cream of mushroom soup 

¼ cup milk 

1 Tbsp lemon juice

 Cut chicken into strips. Melt margarine in skillet. Place chicken in skillet and cook until browned, turning once (about 10 minutes). Remove chicken from skillet.

 Combine remaining ingredients in skillet and bring to a boil. Return chicken to skillet; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables and chicken are done.     1 cup= 1 serving

Spring In 2 Action

I am super excited about the new challenge over at shrinking jeans. I so badly need this challenge! I haven't been very successful in my weight loss journey, I do well for a while and then let something get me off course to never find my way back. This time, I'm pulling out all the stops. I will do well on this challenge and I will finish this challenge no matter what! I will be getting my eating under control and I will be exercising five times a week. The end. No excuses... period. I have been battling with trying to decide with going on a "diet" or to just do my best make healthy eating choices. The 17 Day Diet, that I was doing at the beginning of the last challenge, worked well as long as I could keep up with it. After the first 17 days, I was ready to stab someone for a carb... any carb. Hence the reason I stopped doing the diet and that ended with me not finishing that challenge. I know the diet works. Do I give it another try? I know the first 17 days my exercise will be limited.. the book advises to only do 17 minutes of light exercise a day while on the first phase of the diet because of the lack of carbs your body is getting. Decisions, decision. I am giving myself until tomorrow to figure this out.

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Beef and Broccoli Stiry-Fry

Serves 4

5 Points+

2 ½ Tbsp cornstarch, divided

¼ tsp table salt

¾ pound uncooked lean trimmed sirloin beef, thinly sliced against the grain

2 tsp canola oil

1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth, divided

5 cups uncooked broccoli florets (about a 12 oz bag)

1 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced

2 tsp minced garlic

¼ tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

¼ cup low sodium soy sauce

½ cup water

On a plate, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch and salt; add beef and toss to coat.

Heat oil in a large nonstick wok or large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and stir-fry until lightly browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes; transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

Add ½ cup broth to same pan; stir to loosen any bits of food on bottom of pan. Add broccoli; cover and cook, tossing occasionally and sprinkling with a tablespoon of water if needed, until broccoli is almost crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Uncover pan and add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes; stiry-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.

In a cup, stir together soy sauce, remaining ½ cup broth, remaining ½ tablespoon cornstarch and water until blended; stir into pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer, simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Return beef and accumulated juices to pan; toss to coat. Serve. Yields 1 ¼ cups per serving.

Ravioli Casserole

Ravioli Casserole

Serves 6

Points+ Per Serving: 9

16 ounces lean ground beef

¾ cup chopped onion

15 oz can tomato sauce

14 ½ oz can stewed tomatoes undrained

Large can of diced tomatoes

1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning

3 cups rotini pasta

¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

½ cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray, brown meat and onion. Spray a slow cooker container with cooking spray and combine tomato sauce, tomatoes, Italian seasoning and brown hamburger. Stir in uncooked pasta. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Add cheeses, mix well, cover and continue cooking for 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese melts. Mix well before serving

Serving size is 1 1/3 cup