Weekly Weigh In

Ryan: I’m not going to lie to all of you; I ate like a lion while on my trip. I didn’t care how much butter the food had caked on it, I was happier than a pig in turds! I was going to say I felt bad, but then I got to thinking about it and I don’t feel bad at all. It was a once in a lifetime trip and I have my whole life to loose weight. I know this might seem like harsh words but that’s how I feel. I wasn’t going to go count calories when I had some of the best restaurants around. When I stepped on the scale I just knew I had probably gained it all back but I hadn’t, I was at 0 pounds. Now, I’m sure this will eventually catch up with me, it usually does so next week I will probably be up, but that’s ok, it was worth every bite!

P.S. I hope Biggest loser doesn’t read this post, they would be so disappointed in me, Jillian probably would fly to Florida and kick my as**.

Ryan: 0 pounds
Total: 6 pounds
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Allie: I should just say ditto to Ry's post. I too ate ANYTHING I wanted on vacation. I loved every bite. Asian, sushi, burgers, southwestern, cocktails, soft drinks do I need to continue? But unfortunatley I wasn't as fortunate as Ryan, I DID GAIN. But back on track now.
Week: +3
Total: -19
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Lesli: Wasn't vegas fun girls? I'm still sad that Christina couldn't have been there with the three of us, but I'm not sure vegas could handle it. And oh my word the food. If you are looking to actively be off your diet, Vegas is your destination. I did dance my little heart out the first night, but then my feet remembered that they hadn't worn heels on a dance floor in AGES and ached the rest of the trip. The hardest part is being home and getting back on the weight loss bandwagon. I keep having to remind myself COUNT YOUR POINTS MAMA! Plus eating my veggies has been a nice little detox from all the gluttonous intake.

Ps ~ Ry, I would LOVE for Jillian to come kick my ass. Anyone see the previews where she does the meanest thing ever? Doesn't matter what it was... I could handle it! Bring it Jill!

Week: 0
Total: -8

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Christina~ {from Lesli} I got an email from Christina last night, and her hubby is in the hospital and they are supposed to be heading to jamaica this weekend. Say a little prayer that Kenny will be better and we'll look forward to hearing from her next week!

We love you Christina & Kenny!

Ry's Mesa Meal

When we all decided to head to Vegas, Lesli and Allie requested to eat at Bobby Flay’s restaurant, Mesa Grill. Well, their wish came true last Sunday, and I must say it was a treat for our taste buds. If you don’t know me by now I’m addicted to seafood, and my favorites are scallops and shrimp (I’m worried one day I might turn into a crustacean). So when I was looking at the menu my eyes were drawn to ANCHO CRUSTED SEA SCALLOPS, with Crawfish-Green Onion Sauce. I was so glad I chose this dish because it was pure luxury to my mouth. The scallops were dusted with ancho pepper which means Poblano pepper in Spanish; it gave off a mild peppery flavor. The scallops were cooked perfectly, seared with a rare center. They were sweet and tender and melted in my mouth. The crawfish-green onion sauce was the icing on the cake, they had mixed crawfish meat in with the sauce, so every nibble had a crawfish tail on top. I must say it was great and different and if I’m ever at Mesa again I will be sure to order the same thing.

P.S. I’m sure this was only 4 points. ha! OH and Bobby, if your reading this please contact me, I have something very important to ask you.

and we're back

Hi All~

Three of the four fat chicks have made it back safely from weekend getaway to fabulous Las Vegas. We enjoyed every succulent morsel of food, life and amazement that the city had to offer and we are happy to share with YOU the delicious tastings of our trip.

The three of us are working hard getting our pictures downloaded, edited, shared. I always get the vacation blues, but looking back at my pictures makes me want to go ahead and look for flights and check my calendar. Please look forward to the next few days of us sharing with our favorite meals in Las Vegas.

We missed y'all!

xoxo

In the meantime.....

This is my old faithful....never lets me down...only ever lifts me up....my solid as a rock Gut Buster...it has seen me through dresses that were a little bit too small, jeans that were a little bit too snug, and hid that bump in the front that was starting to get as big as the bump in the back...

I loaned my lovely black gut buster to a friend on her wedding day. I was so thrilled when i received it back in the mail last week, just in time for a wedding i am attending this weekend. I am all about loosing weight and toning up as you all know, but sometimes you need just a little bit extra support....something to help a sister out at her size 2 ex-model friend's wedding in Jamaica.

As you can see from this picture, my trusty buster is pretty tattered...but it still gets the job done! It was given to me by my mother, without any tags or labels, so i have no clue where it came from. I know all about Spanx, and they are great, but i am telling you there is nothing like this thing.... it is the perfect amount of support to pull everything in, but leaves you with just enough room to breathe. The worst part is, i don't even know where to begin to find another one.

So, my fellow weight loss buddies, do you have any suggestions for a body shaper? Have you found anything that works great? I am DYING to hear...don't be ashamed... I am sure we are all on our way to rock hard bodies, with perfect abs and tiny little waistlines.......

but in the meantime.....

Italian Balsamic Chicken--5 Points per serving

Of course I revised the original recipe, but only in flavor and not in WW points. I will tell you what I did and then give you the actual recipe at the bottom. Let me know if you try either one.

Cast of marinade ingredients: balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, fat free Italian dressing, garlic, lemon zest, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, fresh ground pepper
I used 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts and then pounded them out until they were really thin

Then added a tablespoon of: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, redwine vinegar, fat free Italian dressing & garlic. Added a few dashes of Italian seasoning and pepper and the zest of 1 lemon.


While the chicken marinated....I sliced a small yellow onion and sauteed



I salted the onions to draw out some liquid and then added a few dashes of balsamic vinegar and let cook on low heat



It cooked down to just about nothing!

I boiled a 1/3 of the package of vermicelli and drained, dressed with lemon juice and then added the sauteed onions to the pasta

I heated the grill pan till screaming hot and added the marinated chicken in batches and cooked

Check out how much chicken there is, this is why you should pound it really thin...it doubles the servings (and cuts the points in half, love that math!)

Here is a serving of vermicelli & onions with chicken. I added a bit of kosher salt & lemon juice. So fresh and yummy!

Chicken is 3 points & vermicelli is 2 points (I added the pasta to the recipe, it was originally just the chicken)

Here is the actual recipe:

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic cloves, minced
2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, 4-ounces each

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top bag. Add chicken to bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours. Can freeze at this point.
To prepare: thaw overnight Prepare grill. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until done. Cool and serve.
Makes 2 Servings.

Weigh In

Allie~ hey guys, I broke down and bought the 30 Day Shred; how many times have a done it this week you ask? Well, not one single time. I haven't even been motivated enough to shred off the plastic wrapper! Surprise, surprise. Don't know what my deal is. Mental block or just plain L A Z Y? I'm following a lot of work-out freaks on twitter (Lesli included), hoping that would motivate me. Hasn't yet. And so it is with heavy heart that I report in that I only lost 1 lb. My Nana reminded that if you loose 1 lb a week in a year you will be 52lbs lighter, which is encouraging! Sooooo, perhaps when I get home from Vegas I'll get motivated to actually get off the couch and shred or better yet actually go to the gym!

Week: -1 lb
Total: -21 lbs
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Ryan-My family is here and I thought it would be hard to stay on track but to my surprise I have been really good. I have stayed within my points all week and have even cut back on wine. My goal was to loose 10 pounds by Vegas, well I'm still at 6! I stepped on the scale feeling great and looked and was down 2 tiny ounces, I don't even think that equals 3 shrimp. I'm going to say I lost 0 pounds this week. After Vegas I will get back on track. Happy Friday!

Week: -0 lb

Total: -6 lbs

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Lesli - I'm still in a funk! I think my mind and body are having life/work senioritis and it's shutting down and ready to go on vacation. I worked out 4 days this week, but it felt like I had to force myself to move when it had come so easily and more often the weeks before. I'm really nervous about gaining next week while I'm in Vegas, but I do plan on dancing like it's my job when we go out at night. Wait, that didn't sound right. Oh well, dancing is my cardio. Also, this was the week I said good bye to my spring scale and ONLY use my glass scale. On my spring scale, I was down 2lbs putting me at 10, but the glass scale was flat 0 putting me at 8. Like the responsible fat chick I am, I'm going with ZERO! Viva Las Vegas, Friends! We wish you could ALL join us!

Week: 0

Total: 8lbs

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Christina: Just got back from a fab week in Vegas and am happy to say that i actually LOST weight! I believe it was all the dancing, staying up until after 5 am each night, and my liquid diet. This week reminded me of exactly why i was so skinny at 22....barely eating a thing and clubbing all night every night....its a good way to burn off some calories! Now let's see if i have the same story in 2 weeks after my trip to Jamaica with the husband.....

Week: -1

Total: -14 pounds

Beating the Diet Blues

I was doing some research on weighing more then once a week and came across this motivating article. She has some great points, read below:
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Beating the Diet Blues:

Have you ever found times during dieting that you get discouraged and down and you just want to give up. I can’t tell you how many times I have been there in my quest down the dieting road. What do you do when you get there and how do you move forward with your diet and have success?

I have found the major cause of the diet blues is what is called: The PLATEAU -- The plateau comes at a different point in dieting for each individual but it always comes. This is how it works. You cut your calories down to 1200 a day (1500 for men), you are losing weight steadily and then all of the sudden your body stops. It isn’t losing weight at the same rate it was before. It has hit its plateau. For me this happens at about every 15-20 lbs (for some it may occur every 10 lbs). No matter how many days I continue on at my 1200 calorie diet I don’t lose a thing. At this point I get the blues, because I’m hungry and I’m not seeing any results from my efforts. I feel like dieting isn’t working for me. I want to give up. More then anything, I want to eat chocolate. Instead of giving up I went to go find out if this happens to other people and it does. In fact it is a common thing that every adaptive body should do if it is working right. When your body hits its plateau there are 3 things you can do to shake it up.

1) Take a 1 week break and VARY your Calories. For example on day 1 - you will eat 2000 calories (2300 calories for men), on day 2 - you will eat 1200 calories (1500 calories for men) , on day 3 - 2000 calories , on day 4 - 1200 calories, day 5 - 2000 calories, day 6 - 1200 calories, day 7 - 2000 calories. On your 2000 calorie days make sure that most of your extra calories are coming from high protein sources. Protein helps to build muscle and allow your body to lose fat. (On a regular basis during your normal 1200 calorie diet days you want to make sure approximately 20% of your calories come from protein.) At the end of this week, go back to your regular 1200 calorie diet. The break and High Protein will have shaken things up enough that your body should be ready to go.

2) Vary your exercise, if you are doing mostly Cardio exercise now is a good time to add in some strength training exercises, if you are doing mostly strength training switch over to cardio. The reason for the switch is to help build different muscles. After a while your muscles don’t require as much energy to do the same exercise. They have become strong enough to do it and don’t burn as many calories to complete the task. So when you switch you are building different muscles and will again start to burn higher calories which will help speed the weight loss process. (If you haven’t been exercising now is a good time to start that morning walk. Exercise is a great way to burn extra calories along the way and speed up the weight loss process).

3) Eat more frequently. Although your calories will be the same at the end of the day you will eat more often in the day. Instead of 3 meals a day, try eating 5 or 6 times a day. This means smaller main meals and several snack times. This will keep your blood sugar levels stable, giving you more energy during the day while helping to control your hunger. This should help to boost your metabolic rate.

The last tip I’ve learned that will help out with the plateau blues is how frequently you weigh yourself. I only allow myself to step on the scale 1 time a week. I know that each week I should lose approximately 2 lbs. Even though it is fun to see that ½ lb come off every 2 days, I can’t get on the scale that often because I get too discouraged when the scale doesn’t move the way I want it to. Once a week seem to be enough. Every Sunday morning I get to step on the scale to see if all my work that week has paid off. The plateaus may last 2 weeks but I will only see it the one Sunday I weigh my self and then my body is back to losing weight the next time I’m on the scale. There isn’t time to get discouraged when you weigh your self less frequently.

When you’re Plateau hits don’t let the diet blues come your way. Vary your routine a bit and stay away from your scale and with in a week or so you should be back on track down the happy successful trail of weight loss.

By: Shawntel

Link to article
http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:HoI_NQfMvqUJ:www.caloriebalancediet.com/articles/Beatingthedietblues.asp+when+dieting+step+on+the+scale+once+week&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us

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I Hope you enjoyed this article as much as I did, and for the record I had my mother hide my scale, so now I can only weigh in once a week!

30 {60} day shred

Lesli here... let's talk the 30 day shred. I've been doing the 30 day shred for 60 days now. I can not tell a lie... it hasn't been 60 consecutive days, but it has taken me 60 days to get where I am now. Before you start pointing fingers and calling me a slacker sister, please know that I like to mix it up to give my body a break and make sure my mind doesn't get bored. In my off time I enjoy spending time with the elliptical, the treadmill, free weights and machines. Oh and there was a spontaneous dance party in my living room on Saturday.

I enjoy the shred, so I do a lot of blog searching and twitter searching for shred mention and let me tell you ~ it's out there! I suspect that many of you reading this here post are either 1 of 2 things... 1. Doing the Shred or 2. Own a copy of the Shred!

This past Sunday I finally made it to level 3 and I thought that some encouragement/insight might be nice to share with those of you that are in my same Jillian Michael's Shredding boat. Hey, it's always nice to know you're not alone.

1. The first couple of times you do workout #1 you are going to feel like you are going to fall down with each step you take. Justin did the shred with me the first few times I did it and after the first time he shredded I had to check his pulse for life, because I was afraid that Jillian made me a widow.

2. Jillian is not lying when she says that you're probably seeing a difference in your endurance. Do NOT get down on yourself if it isn't on day 5. You WILL see a difference in your endurance and you'll be surprised when you wake up and you aren't all that sore.

3. If you are an out of shape fat-ass (like myself) you will probably not move on to work out #2 on day 11 or work out #3 on day 21. I definitely thought I'd be able to advance to each work out after 10 days, and it just wasn't that easy for me. I'd spent the last 10 years getting out of shape and expected to be back there in 10 days.

4. If you have the routines memorized, turn Jillian down and turn your music up! By now I have Jillian memorized... "For years you've been told to just take the stairs. That is a false message of lethargy that isn't doing you any favors."

5. IT GETS EASIER! I promise. For the past week or so I've been too chicken to do level 3, so I would do level 1 & 2 back to back. Then I did level 3 and you know what... it wasn't easy, BUT it wasn't nearly as hard as that very first work out!

I think that can only mean one thing... I'm getting stronger! All of you can too if you keep up the good work and stick with it! I'm guessing y'all are wanting to see a progression picture? How about next week? Next week I PROMISE I will strip down AGAIN and show and tell. Then you can be the judge of how well the Shred is working!

xoxo happy hump day friends!

Ty the Terminator.....

This is my trainer Ty. The sales coordinator at my gym suggested that i work with a trainer when i joined, and after mulling it over for a few weeks, i decided to sign up for 12 sessions. I told her i wanted someone tough but informative. I wanted someone who would push me, but not be annoying.....i got Ty... and he was a perfect fit.

Our sessions are..... hmmm... interesting. He is very good at what he does, but i spend half the time laughing at him....he is hilarious, although i don't really think he means to be funny. He doesn't say much, he gives me instructions, watches intently and corrects me when i am doing something wrong. Sometimes he breaks out into song...last week in the middle of bicep curls, he started singing a random Phil Collins song. He is probably the worst singer i have ever heard...seriously, he could be on the American Idol audition shows....i started laughing so hard, i almost dropped the bar on my foot.

When i first started with him, i would get faint of breath and dizzy while working out. I told him that i couldn't breath....his response was, (in his very deep husky voice) "Christina, you can't breath because you are holding your breath. You need to exhale up, and inhale down. You're a very intense woman." umm...ya think??? Another time, he asked me to please stop doing the exercises half-assed......i was making him look bad. LOL!

His training style is a mix of strength training and intense cardio in between rotations. Also, he is an amateur boxer, so he gives me private boxing lessons instead of just our normal workout sometimes.....he wraps my hands, gives me gloves...he even has a bell. I could never be a boxer...the workouts are too intense!

Sadly, this week was my last session with him. I have myself on track now, and i am trying to scale back my spending. I asked him to take a picture and look tough so that all you blog readers could see my super intense trainer. I will miss our sessions, but i am sure i will see him at the gym. I highly recommend trainers. If you have a good one, they can be the extra help you need to push just a little bit harder. I didn't have the heart to tell Ty the truth....that Jillian and Bob replaced him!

Are any of you working with trainers?

Sushi on the brain!

So I was thinking about sushi, and wondered if it would be a good WW choice.

Found this fabulous site, and the good news....sushi rolls has very low points!

Avacado Roll 2.5 points
Spicy tuna Roll 6 points
Shrimp Tempura Roll 11 points

Please note, these are per roll, not per piece. Click here for the fabulous website, full of great info.
Fat Chick's PJ's. And I wondered why I had Sushi on the brain!

Weigh In

Fat Chicks Friends ~ the 4 of us are soooooo proud of you guys and your weight loss success! thank you for sharing with us your accomplishments, and please please continue to update us on your progress each Friday in your comments! we appreciate ALL of you! xoxo

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Allie: Hey guys! I'm pumped to say that I met my Vegas goal weight the week before I leave for Vegas. Although I only lost 1 lb this week, I hit the 20lbs mark and I feel great about that. I went shopping yesterday and was pleased with the results....whereas 3 months ago I HATED buying clothes. I'm disappointed in myself that I didn't work out, but I DID start drinking 8 glasses of water a day, so at least I stuck to one goal this week! Happy Weigh In.

Week: -1lb

Total: -20lbs

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Ryan: I have to admit I have a problem. I step on the scale at least twice a day. I know the rule is to only weigh once a week and at the same time, but I can't help myself. Wednesday I weighed in and I was down one pound. Then last night I weighed and I had lost 0 pounds. Then this morning when I popped on the scale I was down two. I get confused, I haven't got the scale part of it figured out. I'm going to say I'm down 1 pound, which totals 6. Congrats to all of you for loosing! You guys are doing GREAT! TGIF!


Week: -1lb
Total: -6 lbs


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Lesli: I have accomplished a breakthrough in my thinking this week. This was my lovely week to start my period and I was in a bad mood already, so I succumbed to the idea that I'd just be flat or be down, because I am NEVER up when I start. It's my thing, I accept it. I was very pleased with myself overall this week, as I stayed easily within my points, worked out 40-60 minutes 6 days & drank my 64oz of water each day. To my shock and amazement, I was down a POUND this week! Honestly, I could not have had a happier personal victory on top of my scale! Happy Valentine's Ya'll ~ and remember ~ it's ok to enjoy your sweet tasty goodies in moderation!

Week: -1
Total: -8

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Christina: Hey everyone! Lesli and I are nsync* this week...i too am having a visit from Aunt Flo. I am sooooo bloated. My goal for this week was to work out 4 times, and not gain any weight. I was anticipating a weight gain since i lost 5 pounds at last weigh in, and i figured once i started to eat normally again, the pounds would come tumbling back. I am happy to say that i got my 4 workouts in and my weight stayed flat.

Week: 0

Total: -13 pounds

Answers

Here are the answers from last week’s questions post.

First was a question from Rikki: OK girls! I've been following weight watchers for the past 3 months (down 12lbs!) My biggest challenge with a lot of the desert recipes is that I am allergic to artificial sweeteners. I can't eat any of them, or anything that has them in it without getting nausea, any suggestions for sweet treats that are healthy and don't have the sweeteners?

Rikki, I did some exploring and found 4 dessert recipes that look delish! The recipes are below.

Pumpkin Angel Food Cake

You will need:

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 (16 ounce) box 1-step Angel Food Cake Mix

14 tablespoons Cool Whip Lite (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.In a large bowl combine the pumpkin, vanilla extract, cinnamon and spices. Mix well and set aside.In another bowl prepare the cake mix according to the package instructions. Fold the pumpkin mixture into the cake batter. Spoon into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan.Bake for 38-44 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove pan from oven and turn upside down to cool.Slice cake into 14 slices and serve with 1 tablespoon Cool Whip.3 points per serving1 slice with cool whip = 151 calories, 1 g fat, 33 g carb, 1 g fiber

Passionfruit Ricotta Cupcakes

Ingredients:
500 g low fat ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of plain flour
1 teaspoon of grated orange zest
2 tablespoons of orange juice
1 egg
1/2 cup of cream
2 passion fruit
This is what you do:
You've got to preheat your oven 320 F
Combine the ricotta cheese, sugar, flour, orange zest, juice and egg in a mixing bowl till smooth.
Coat an 8-muffin tray with cooking spray, and pour the mixture evenly into the 8 muffin holes.
Bake the muffins for about 15 minutes (or till firm). Let them cool down, and remove them from the tray.
To do the passion fruit cream you just whisk the cream and combine it with the passion fruit.
Pour the cream on each muffin/cake, and enjoy!

8 servings
2.5 points per serving

Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 large egg white -- lightly beaten

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 cup raisins

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup sifted cake flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or coat with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, applesauce, egg white, oil and vanilla until smooth. Stir in raisins.
In a medium sized bowl, stir together oats, cake flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. using a wooden spoon, stir the dry ingredients into the wet, mixing just until blended.

Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto a prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.

1 point per cookie.

Gold Cookies

Very very good, especially at using up egg yolks
Hands-on time: 10 minutes to mix, 20 minutes to rollTime-to-table: 2 hoursMakes 4 dozen cookies but easy to halve
· 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
· 1-1/2 cups sugar
· 4 egg yolks
· 2 tablespoons milk
· 2 teaspoons vanilla
· 1-1/2 cups flour, fluffed to aerate before measuring
· 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
· 1/2 teaspoon table salt
· 1/2 cup coconut, preferably unsweetened, ground fine in a small food processor (or 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts, preferably toasted first)
· 1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the yolks, milk and vanilla, beat in thoroughly. Add the flour, baking powder and salt, beat in thoroughly. Collect the dough into a big ball, cover and refrigerate for an hour.
Preheat oven to 400F. Stir together the coconut or nuts and cinnamon in a small bowl. Form dough into small balls, roll in coconut-cinnamon mixture. Place on baking sheet with plenty of space between. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes. Let cool a bit, then transfer to a rack or a paper towel to finish cooling.
- 1 point

Question #2

What types of jobs do you each have, and how do you think that may help or hinder your weight loss? Many jobs require sitting behind a desk, and this may make it more difficult to burn calories throughout the day. Just wondering. Thanks!

Picture of my desk

Ryan-I’m in Investor Relations, which is marketing for a stock. My job is to get our clients stock in front of investors eyes. I’m behind a desk 5 days a week and 8 hours a day. I know it plays a huge roll in my weight. I’m working on changing my lifestyle and becoming more active at least 30 minutes a day. It’s something I have to do since I have a desk job. It sucks! I’m jealous of all the interior decorators out there that can do “HANDS ON” jobs all day! That’s my goal!

Picture of Allie's desk

Allie: I work in an insurance office, selling & servicing policies…picture the most boring grey cubical you’ve ever seen and paperwork and files laying in every square inch of the tiny grey cubical! I sit at a desk staring at dual computer screens all day long. I do enjoy my job, (although it doesn’t sound like it) but it’s not very good for the weight. I can feel my bottom spreading as I type this! Oh, and we have vendors and company reps bring in all kinds of treats on a regular basis; which again is fine…unless you’re trying to lose 30lbs those treats added to your body in the first place. I do get up occasionally to go to the big printer/scanner/fax machine, but a lot of what I do I can do via websites or email, so I don’t get up as often as I should!


Lesli: Here's an old picture of me and my boss. I sleep with my boss... and that is what I like to call benefits! Not that any of you would want to or should sleep with your boss, but my husband and I run a restaurant together! How's that for losing weight at work? Here's the deal, I have two ways of looking at our situation. 1. I can make this into an opportunity to better my health by making wise decisions, or 2. I can give into the pressures and indulge my every desire. As far as being active, on most days I find myself running in 90 different directions 100 miles per hour, lifting this, running up the stairs for that. THAT part of the job is great, but in the past I definitely used the activity as my excuse to eat whatever I chose. Now it's great, because it enables me to be active at work and also maintain a healthy lifestyle.


Christina: I am a Sales Manager at a boutique hotel in downtown Chicago. Anyone who works in the hospitality business can tell you its about the worst job you can have on a diet...especially when you work in sales. My job is to literally wine and dine clients and that includes eating at great restaurants, cocktails in our bar/lounge, and traveling to do this as well. They see it as a treat, and so they tend to indulge....which in turn makes me want to indulge too. When i am not eating out, we have a cafeteria here that offers free lunch and dinner everyday. However, the food is far from anything healthy....fried chicken, mashed potatoes, lasagna, french fries etc. As far as activity is concerned, one day i could be out and about visiting clients all day, the next day i can be sitting on my rear with the phone glued to my ear. Since i am not changing careers at the moment, i have to find a way to make this work. It has been all about pre-planning for me. I look at all my appointments at the beginning of the week, plan what restaurants i am going to eat at and what i will order, then plan my points accordingly. When i am going to eat in the hotel cafeteria, i bring a piece of grilled chicken to put over salad, or the left overs from my healthy dinner from the night before. A co-worker and i take the stairs to the 16th floor, and then jog down for exercise throughout the day when we know that food consumption is going to be an issue. It only takes 15 minutes and it gives a couple extra activity points. When there is food floating around that is just too good to pass up, i indulge and reach for my flex points...that's why they're there.

grocery store finds

Jillian mentioned tonight on BL that it is best to eat 85% of your meals at home or if you're going to be away from home plan your meals in advance. I invite you to take a look at some of the foods that I enjoy at home on a weekly basis.

The easiest way I can plan ahead is by bringing my own bread especially if I want to eat a sandwich out at a restaurant OR I can bring my own sandwich from home. Do not be embarrassed to just ask for the chicken breast or meat... it's fine - I promise! I recently found this bread Nature's Own Wheat with double fiber, which means by some calculations it comes out to 0 points and some it comes out to 1. No cheating ~ go with 1pt to be on the safe side, but I mean really... 1 point bread with all that good fiber? Hard to beat!





2 slices equals:



-Calories: 100



-Fat: 1 gram



-Fiber: 10 grams



-WW Point: 0-1


To accompany my lunch sandwich or my dinner sandwich I'm the kind of girl that needs a little salty and crunch, know what I mean? I hate to say it, but those baked chips always seem a little stale to me, so on a whim I tried the Pringles Fat Free Sour Cream & Onion. They were fantastic! Justin has even taken to the barbecue flavor, so your non-weight watching husbands/boyfriends/lovers/significant others can par take and still be happy! If you aren't portioning according to serving sizes, try it... I think you'll surprise yourself how satisfied you can be if you just PORTION!

14 Chips equals:

-Calories: 70

-Fat: 0

-Fiber: 1 gram

-WW Point: 1

While I've been following a healthier lifestyle plan I honestly haven't felt deprived or like I'm missing anything. Lately I have been having a hankering (that's Mississippi talk for CRAVING) for asian. I found some low cal healthier options for stir fry at my local kroger last week, and I've made this meal a couple times now. I start by following exact serving measurements for the Stir Fry Veggies and then the Stir Fry Veggies with noodles and saute them until they are soft and basically done. As soon as I take them off the heat, I stir in 2 tbsp of Iron Chef General Tso's Glaze, also found at Kroger. It was shocking to me how restaurant-like this was. I accompany it with edamame and think it would be fabulous with chicken!

Stir Fry Veggies 1 cup:

-Calories: 30

-Fat: 0

-Fiber: 2

-WW Point: 0



Stir Fry Veggies with Noodles 1 1/4 cup:

-Calories: 80

-Fat: 0.5

-Fiber: 1

-WW Point: 1



General Tso Glaze 2 tbsp:

-Calories: 60

-Fat: 0

-Fiber: 0

-WW Point: 1

My "go to" after dinner snack is my sweet treat ~ Breyers Fat Free French Chocolate ice cream. I first read about this on hungry-girl, and I thought I would give it a try. I was shocked that it TOTALLY taste like rich, creamy ice cream! I thought it would be very thin tasting and closer to a sorbet. The one thing I'm disappointed in is that my 3 little small town grocery stores on sell Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry. Where's the love for the chocolate cookies and cream? Again, portion is HUGE... well actually it's small, but the point is - you need a TASTE not a CARTON.

1/2 Cup Serving equals:

-Calories: 90

-Fat: 0

-Fiber: 4 grams

-WW Point: 1

When people tell me they are following a weight watchers plan I always inquire about their food, because, in my opinion, the trick to changing your eating life is to NEVER make yourself feel like you are on a diet. So, because I'm nosey ~ what are some of your favorite eat at home foods?

Eat This, Not That....

It always amazes me how points shake out with the Weight Watchers plan....i hate it when i "eyeball" an item thinking it will be 2 or 3 points....then when i get home and look it up and it turns out to be really 5 or 6! I heard from a fellow weight watcher that getting this book opened up such a wide range of options that she never thought of before....remember this is not just about weight loss, its about living a healthier lifestyle all together. I typically go to the grocery store and buy whatever is on sale. This book actually breaks down each brand of the food that you normally eat, and gives easy substitutions to save you calories and fat grams. I have ordered this book, and look forward to sharing all the secrets i learn with all of you!

Eat what you want, when you want--and watch the pounds disappear! Americans spend more than $400 billion a year eating out, and behind each burger, turkey sandwich, and ice cream sundae is a simple decision that could help you control your weight—and your life. The problem is, restaurant chains and food producers aren't interested in helping you make healthy choices. In fact, they invest $30 billion a year on advertising, much of it aimed at confusing eaters and disguising the fat and calorie counts of their products. All of that has changed with EAT THIS, NOT THAT!. This book puts the entire food industry under the spotlight, and arms you with the savvy tricks and insider information it takes to eat well no matter where you are. With EAT THIS, NOT THAT! you're the expert in every eating situation, from the frozen food aisle to your favorite fast food joint to your local sports bar. You control your food universe—and lose the pounds you want--because, unlike every other customer, you'll know the smart choices to make—instantly! EAT THIS, NOT THAT! is jam-packed with secrets the restaurant industry doesn't want you to know. For example: • Burger King doesn't want you to know that a BK Big Fish® Sandwich and fries have a whopping 1000 calories—nearly half your daily caloric intake! (Fish is usually healthy, but not this kind. Find out why with this book.) • Pizza Hut doesn't want you to know that a standard pizza in Italy contains 500 to 800 calories, but the same meal at Pizza Hut can top 2,100 calories! (You'd need to ride a stationary bike for more than three hours to burn off this mistake. Instead, eat all the pizza you want by making smart choices. EAT THIS, NOT THAT! shows you how.) • Macaroni Grill doesn't want you to know that a single serving of their Grilled Teriyaki Salmon has more than three times your daily allowance of sodium! (Cut your risk of high blood pressure by making smart choices at the same restaurant. You'll find them inside.) If only you knew the industry secrets, you could eat at any of your favorite restaurants—or chow down on everything from the company vending machine to your kids’ Halloween buckets—and know that every decision you made was smart, healthy, and the best possible choice for you. For example, did you know: • At McDonald’s, an Egg McMuffin® is actually a healthy choice, with just 300 calories. (The Hotcakes pack more than double that amount!) • At Krispy Kreme, all you need to do is order the Very Berry Chiller instead of the Mocha Dream Chiller, and you'll save 500 calories! (Do that once a week and you'll drop more than 7 pounds this year—without trying!) • At Chipotle, you can cut 570 calories out of your Chicken Burrito just by ordering it as a bowl (without the tortilla) and asking them to hold the rice. (Same great taste, but with 94 fewer carb grams!) • Choosing a cinnamon roll at Au Bon Pain over Cinnabon will save you 463 calories and 20 grams of fat! • In the freezer section of your local supermarket, a turkey pot pie from Swanson’s has 610 fewer calories than a turkey pot pie from Pepperidge Farms. • In the produce aisle, you'll get twice the vitamin C—and nine times as much vitamin A—simply by picking red bell peppers over green ones. (Who said eating healthy was difficult?) And that’s why EAT THIS, NOT THAT! is going to change everything. It’s time to level the playing field. We're all tired of sneaky calories adding to our waistlines, and having to starve ourselves or spend hours on the treadmill trying to burn off the damage. Now—for the first time—you're in charge. With this simple illustrated guide to thousands of foods--along with the nutrition secrets that lead to fast and permanent weight loss--you'll make the smartest choice every time!

My Trainer Bob

Jillian gets ALL kind of love on this blog in the posts and the comments...so I thought I'd share the love and tell yall about an awesome website my boyfriend Bob Harper has started. It's called My Trainer Bob, click HERE for the website.

I really can't tell you HOW cool this site it, and unlike Jillian's weight-loss site, this one is free! When you sign up, you totally customize the page for yourself. YOUR weight, your goals, your journal, your pictures, etc. You can keep track of what you eat, and it figures the calories for you, and then you track your work-outs and it subtracts the loss from your total. Bob offers a Tip of the Day and you can read his blog. It also has a VERY cool calorie counter, that you can type any food into and how many servings and it calculates the calories for you.

I just joined yesterday, so not sure how all the features work, but so far so good. It has a myspace/facebook feel to it...you can have friends called BOBS and message each other. If you join, become my friend...my user name is alliem0825

And my FAVORITE part of the site, is that you get to look at that hottie, hot, hot Bob!

Weekly Weigh In

Lesli: The night before weigh in I dreamt all night that I would wake up and still be at ZERO and then I'd have to promise you I was working really hard and staying within my points and spending time at the gym 6 days out of the week. Then all of you would think of Joelle from Biggest Loser except you'd picture me being her and walking around the gym and thinking about exercising. After that bad dream I had to really encourage myself to get out of bed and face the facts. I hopped on the scale and thought is that 2 ticks or 3 ticks. Apparently I am losing my eye sight along with the extra weight. Let's just say 2 to be on the safe side! I am thrilled to have lost 2lbs this week, because I've been really focused and feel like I am getting visual results, so numerical results are icing on the cake... err... the fiber in the kashi bar.

Lesli: -2lbs
Total: -7lbs
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Allie: Hi friends! I'm a bit discouraged this week, and it's the first time I have been since I started this journey; Wednesday December 17th, so by my calculations that is SEVEN weeks of loosing weight and feeling great. I haven't lost pounds every one of those weeks, but still wasn't discouraged until this week. I blame that 6lbs week, what a fluke! I lost a pound this week....and before all you followers start wagging your finger at me telling me to be thankful and proud of that 1 measly pound. I AM THANKFUL! But I am discouraged too, cause I'm eating really good, and hardly ever go over my daily points. My good friend Jillian told me (via an interview on the Rachael Ray show) that plateaus don't exist. Trainers tell clients that to make them feel better about themselves and not get discouraged and quit. But it's bogus. Loosing weight is simple math, if you burn more calories than you take in you will loose weight. PERIOD. So, guess what that means friends? Allie has to BURN more calories or she won't loose any more weight. And that friends is scary to me. Hopefully by next week I will be able to report in how many days I worked out this week. Wish me luck!
Week: -1 lb
Total: -19 lbs
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Ryan-This is the first week I have noticed my waist becoming smaller. It shows in my jeans and in my shirts and I'm loving every minute of it. My family arrived yesterday and the first thing my mom's husband said was, "Ryan, have you lost weight?" It made my night! I know I have only lost 5 pounds, and I have 15 to go, but at least it's a start. I'm down 1 pound this week and though I wished it were 2, I'm happy it's coming off, even if it's slow.

Week: -1 lb

Total: -5 lbs

_________________________________________________

Christina - I would love to write that i have been working out excessively and putting perfect portions of food in my mouth for the past 2 weeks....but that would be a lie. My recent surgery prevented me from working out for 2 weeks, but i cheated and worked out today since i needed to weigh anyway. So i looked down at the scale and couldn't believe my eyes....or maybe i could... the upside to surgery is that you are too doped up for multiple days to eat much food. To my defense, i did refuse the fried chicken, mac and cheese, and deep dish Chicago pizza that was served in my house because i was too sick to cook....In my opinion, i worked very hard to get well over the past week, so i should feel like i really earned my weight loss right??

Week: -5 pounds

Total: -13 pounds

Have a question?

I'm dedicating this post for all of you to ask us questions. They can be personal, nutritional, they can be ANYTHING. If I don't know the answer, I will research it and get you the correct one. For now I have some popular diet questions below answered for you, and don't forget, WEIGH in is tomorrow!


Is there one small diet fix that will help me lose weight?

YES, stop drinking your calories. Fruit juices, soda, and milk are packed full of calories, choose no calorie beverages like tea, skim milk, and diet sodas.


When eating fast foods, what things should I avoid?


One slice of Pizza Hut's pizza with Italian sausage packs 320 calories and 20 grams of fat; Burger King's Double Whopper with Cheese weighs in at 1,070 calories and 70 grams of fat. So if your stomach is craving for the Golden Arches control your portions by ordering a small grilled chicken sandwich minus the cheese, or opt for thin crust and vegetable toppings on your pizza. If you have to have a burger, make it at home. Buying lean ground meat is not high in points at ALL.


Do I need to cut back on salt if I don't have high blood pressure?


A high-sodium diet has also been linked to osteoporosis; taking in more than 3,000 milligrams daily may interfere with calcium absorption, which can weaken bones over time. You also hold more water, which you know this :). Frozen dinners, canned soups, popcorn, and cookies are all loaded full of salt.


What are my triglycerides? There simply a form of fat. When a blood test indicates that your triglycerides levels are high, it's a tip-off that they're hovering in the bloodstream instead of being stored in the body for energy. Losing weight, reducing alcohol consumption, quitting smoking, and excising regularly can all help lower triglyceride levels.


Are organic foods more nutritious?


They contain the same amount of vitamins and minerals. However, they have higher levels of disease-fighting antioxidants, since their grown without pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers.


Hope this helps some of you!

Lesli got new shoes!

This past weekend I hung up my old $35 new balance tennis shoes that I had gotten at TJ Maxx in Chicago. {Side note: I lived in Chicago from Aug 06- Oct 07; i.e. ~ they were OLD} They had seen better days, and if I got real honest with myself they were never really that comfortable.

I've had my eye on these adidas shoes since Christmas, but could never pull the trigger due to being uncertain on the size. These shoes are totally different than my last pair and I thought they'd be perfect at the gym and major (I've noticed I say MAJOR a lot in conversation lately) cute when I wanted to wear them with my yoga pants.

Do not be deceived... they are hot pink not red and I loved them. Saturday I decided that I HAD to get new tennis shoes due to the exercise plan I've introduced into my lifestyle, and was dead set on these. They didn't EXACTLY have my size, but with any good shoe size is not all that matters. They were so sassy! But dern, they were a little uncomfortable and I'd been in cute but uncomfortable shoes for 2 years now.

So, Ladies... I hiked up my big girl panties and did something terrible rational. I got the stark white, little more expensive shoe that was comfortable and perfect for my athletic needs.

Honest to gawd I think I deserve a big gold star for this, because if I'm guilty of anything I'm certainly guilty of shopping on the cheaper end of things AND buying based on looks instead of functionality.

I just finished up my 4th work out in them and I have to brag... they are great! They are the kind of shoes that you look forward to putting on at the end of a long day. Plus my gym is very close to the airport and I think my new bright white kicks are helping out traffic control.

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PS ~ The Fat Chicks are VERY interested to hear about what work outs y'all are doing! We're wanting to feature reviews of the different dvds and routines on our site, but there are only 4 of us and many of you! Please let us know what you're doing and leave us a way to contact you so we can share your story. REMEMBER ~ we're all in this together!

How I Start Almost Every Morning....

I call myself the smoothie master in my house....its not hard to be the "master" in a household of two...but still...my smoothies are pretty darn good if i do say so myself....

I came up with this smoothie recipe during my first run with Weight Watchers. I was doing the CORE plan, and found that i could have a large smoothie every morning for minimal points. I don't know if any of you have tried the Weight Watchers 1 point smoothie, but I was pretty disappointed with it. If you go to Smoothie King, a 20 ounce smoothie (their smallest size) will cost you between 7 and 15 points. I am not even going to go into what the larger ones total to. My smoothie recipe makes a 24 ounce serving, is sure to fill you up, and will only cost you five points.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen unsweetened peaches



• 1 small peeled banana



• 1 cup Orange Peach Mango Juice (i typically use the Trader Joe's brand, but Dole makes a delicious version of this too and can be found in any grocery store)



• 1/2 cup of Fat Free Plain Yogurt



• 4 packets of Splenda



• 1 cup of cubed ice

Directions: Throw it all in, blend and ENJOY!

Points: Flex Plan= 5 points, Core Plan = 2 points

Turkey Sausage with onions & mushrooms

I made a delicious self created dinner, lean smoked turkey sausage, caramelized onions, garlic and mushrooms served over vermicelli (I was really shocked to find out how low calorie & fat vermicelli is) Pleasantly surprised!

Jennie-O lean turkey sausage

Serving is 7 per package, so I cut into 7 equal part and then cut again lengthwise, sauteed in a little bit of no-fat beef broth. Then removed from pan. Sausage is 2 points per serving


Added a large sliced red onion & minced garlic to the pan and sauteed

While that was cooking I boiled some vermicelli until al dente. 4oz of pasta (1/3 of package) is 2 servings and 4 points for the 2 servings.

SORRY ABOUT THE COLORING, I'm terrible about the silly flash. This is the sauteed onions and then sliced mushrooms added to it. Once they were all sauteed, I deglazed the pan with Worcestershire & redwine vinegar

I combined everything together into the saute pan and transferred to a very low heat oven.

The low and slow oven combined all the flavors and made the pasta a bit browned and crispy.

Here is the lovely finished product.
It was a 6 point dinner. Sausage 2 Points, pasta 2 points (since I only ate 1 serving of the pasta), and then I added 3 more points for the veggies and liquids I used to make the sauce.

I dare anyone to tell me that THIS is diet food!

Love and encouragement to all my Four Fat Chicks Followers, hope you have a great week!