The Dirt on Calories

I have been so busy in the yard this week and I was wondering how many calories you burn while playing in the dirt? To my surprise you burn a lot! Gardening for 1 hour burns 272 calories! Shoveling dirt burns 341! This is good! I enjoy being outside and planting a garden is the perfect exercise in my eyes. It’s rewarding to watch your plants and vegetables grow, and I bet you’re more likely to eat your vegi’s if they were fresh from the garden.

Here are some pictures of the tree’s I planted this week. I’m not done!
You can find all your burnt calories at www.fitday.com. I used them to calculate my gardening.

Sausage Cream Cheese Purses

I started making these sausage cream cheese purses long before I started weight watchers, and they were wildly popular with my husband, so I had to figure out a way to make them WW friendly! They are so delicious and I think if you let yourself, you can easily forget that you're even on a weight loss journey. Ok, get a pen and paper, because this recipe is a doozie!

Sausage Cream Cheese Purses

Ingredients:
1 Roll of Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls

1/2 Package of Fat Free Cream Cheese (4oz)

1/2 Roll of Turkey Sausage

Makes: 8 purses


Directions:
Brown your sausage in a skillet and sprinkle on your favorite seasoning. I like to use italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes, because The Flowers like the heat! Once the sausage is browned, stir it in with your room temperature cream cheese. Put one spoonful of the sausage and cheese mixture at the big end of the crescent roll and roll it together. Repeat for the 7 other rolls. Bake at 365 or 375 for 10-15 minutes depending on how your oven works and how brown you prefer your rolls.



Now that I've modified it to be 5 Weight Watchers Points per purse, we like to eat this for a quick and easy dinner during the week. These were also the perfect appetizer for the Four Fat Chicks weekend in Dallas party. Of course if you need more than than 8 purses, double the recipe and enjoy!

Exercise Stats

20% Percentage of American gym-goers who join clubs in January (the most popular month)



30 The number of minutes a day that a person should walk to cut her or his heart attack risk by up to 40%



30% Percentage of American adults who actually get the recommended amount of exercise



52% Percentage of Americans who think their spouses should go to the gym. So much for "love" handles! (hehe)



288 Number of calories burned playing an hour of miniature golf. (you'll double that burn shoveling snow, but wouldn't you rather putt off the pounds?)



"When I'm at home, I work out five days a week. It's a battle, I have to say. I have to stop myself from eating. Ask anyone around me: I have to struggle to have this hot body!" Gwen Stafani

6 Point~Baked Chicken & Roasted Broccoli

Cast of Ingredients: boneless skinless chicken breast, broccoli florets, fat free Italian dressing, canned diced tomato, part skim mozzarella cheese, salt & pepper & garlic

I thawed some frozen broccoli and added to a small baking dish. Sprinkled with some fat free Italian dressing, garlic powder, salt & pepper and roast in a 375 oven for @ 25 mins. I prefer to roast my broccoli (I think it gets limp when it's boiled).

I salted & peppered both side of my chicken breast, then opened a can of diced tomatoes and poured on top of my thawed chicken breast. I added some garlic powder too, cause I add garlic to just about everything! Cooking time on the chicken depends on the size & thickness, usually around 20-30 mins. This is also a great meal for any size family. I'm single, but made 2 chicken breasts and took the other one for lunch the next day....but you could make a bunch or just one!

Here is what the broccoli looked like once it was roasted. All toasted and crunchy!

When the chicken was almost done I added some mozzarella & put back in the oven to melt

Here is the finished product! It was really good and guilt free at only 6 points!

Weight Watchers Points: Chicken 3 pts (120 cal, 3 grams fat) Dressing 0 pts (10 calories, 0 fat) Cheese 2 pts (80 calories, 5 fat) Broccoli 0 pts (11 cal, .1 fat, .8 dietary fiber) Tomato 1 pt (66 cal, .5 fat, 2.6 dietary fiber)

Weigh In Day!

Lesli: When Allie said that we weren't going to count points this past weekend, she was NOT lying! When I'm in my day to day routine I RARELY splurge. And by splurge I mean a couple of fries from Justin's plate or a bigger scoop of fat free ice. This weekend though, I put the urge in splurge! Angie baked us the most fabulous cake, and her cakes are honestly the best in the entire world or at least that I've ever eaten, and I just left a fork in the box. Which lead to me eating 3/4 of the CAKE! How do you calculate 3/4 of a cake into WW points? DON'T EVEN TELL ME! On Friday morning I was down 1 pound from the previous week, and decided by Saturday that if I didn't go home 5lbs UP I'd be disappointed. Luckily, I came home flat. Not exactly sure how, and I'll admit I wish I had of been up, so it would kick my ass into high gear, but be careful what you wish for! The guilt kicked my ass plenty and I am back on the wagon this week! Sure was nice to splurge!

Week: 0
Total: -11

Ryan: I gained! Why? Because I ate 4 bean burritos from Taco Bueno, a whole keg of salsa with chips, crab dip and I could go on and on, but I won't. I'm back on track this week. I had a great time with the 3 fat chicks and I can't wait to meet up with all of them again! Love you girls!

Week: +1.2

Total: -7

Allie: Hey guys, I hosted one hellova Four Fat Chicks Party this weekend. And it was only successful because all four of us cooked wonderful treats on Fri & Sat and drank fabulous concoctions on top of that! I def gained this week & completely expected to. To be honest I'm not even sure what my weekly total is....but the total is UP :( No Bueno. LITERALLY, I had NO Taco Bueno by the way!! Gonna kick up the diet this next week. LOTS of veggies in my future.

Week: +2???

Total: -20lbs

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Christina - I tried on a new pair of pants that i bought 2 weeks ago yesterday. They went from looking like a perfect fit....to looking bootylicious.... i knew right then that this weigh in day was not going to be fun. It has been two weeks of splurging for me. Once I announced that i was moving back to Atlanta, everyone wanted to take me out for "one last" dinner or lunch or happy hour. I don't think it would have been such a big deal if i had been going to the gym regularly....i only made it there 2 times in 2 weeks!!! Not good...I think we all get the picture about the weekend in Dallas....it was a blast and as you can see, and I am glad that we are all back on the right track. It was great seeing my girls and indulging these past few weeks with all the exciting changes in my life. I will think of it fondly while Jillian kicks my butt this week, and Special K cereal meets me in the morning....

Week: +2

Total: -12

Allie, Lesli, Christina & Ryan

Yummie Tummie

Look what I found! I love clothing lines that help me out. I’m a huge fan of Spanx and Yummie Tummie tanks is the icing on the cake. Here is a description of what they are below.

Yummie Tummie is the first shapewear that’s comfortable, sexy and meant to be seen!
Yummie Tummie was created by Heather Thomson, a fashion designer and celebrity stylist. The creative force behind P. Diddy’s Sean John line, the several labels launched by Beyoncé Knowles as well as Jennifer Lopez’s Sweetface brand, she understands the needs of both celebrities and consumers.

When Heather became frustrated with the existing shapewear options available to her and her clients – all of which compressed the bust, didn’t stay in place, were horribly uncomfortable and hideous to behold – she schemed, sketched, cut and sewed to come up with an ingenious solution to a universal problem: No matter how young, fit and slender you are, a so-called “muffin top” or tummie bulge will rear its ugly head.
Within six months on the market, Yummie Tummie has become the go-to solution for celebrities and their stylists, who rely on it to look smoother and sleeker in everything they wear.

The effects of Yummie Tummie are dramatic, both physically and mentally. You will look better, feel more confident, and stand taller. The core stability it provides is akin to the benefits you derive from taking yoga or practicing Pilates

Think of Yummie Tummie as a tank top or T-shirt on steroids: that favorite, super-soft, lightweight cotton wardrobe staple you wear alone or under everything you own. From your bust up and your hip bones down, it is exactly that. But, made with a patent-pending dual fabric technology, its extra bonus comes from its same-tone, firm control midsection panel, which smoothes and shapes your tummie and hips, eliminating pounds off your appearance, and camouflaging any lumps and bumps.

Because that panel is made with a microfiber fabric that actually wicks moisture away, you will always feel cool and comfortable. And, it never, ever rolls or rides up. It is made with sleek yarns that do not cling, so you can wear it under anything. Yummie Tummie is truly a fabulous undergarment that can be worn each and every day as a foundation, a layering piece, or even on its own.

“I designed and created the first Yummie Tummie out of personal need. I just knew there had to be a better and more comfortable way to feel fit and slim. Bras and panties have long been the yin and yang of undergarments, Yummie Tummie is the new third essential, a basic necessity every woman must own. I hope you enjoy your Yummie Tummie as much as I do!!"

Be Yummie!

get right back to where it started from

The 4 Fat Chicks weekend was beyond! The 4 of us had such a good time together, so naturally it was so hard to leave. Many tears were shed. We threw a party on Friday night so our Dallas friends could meet all 4 Fat Chicks at once, and the most popular question of the night was, "So, how did all of y'all meet?" It occurred to me that maybe y'all wonder that same thing, because it is a little confusing since we live all over the country.

So, this is how it all started.

When I graduated college in the summer of 2003, I moved to Austin & started working my first job, where Allison also worked. After about a month or so of working there, she emailed me to ask for suggestions of where to take a bachelorette party downtown. Of course I had suggestions, I was a single girl just out of college! Since that day, my email has never been the same. Allie and I lived around the corner from each other for 3 years in Austin, and before I moved to Chicago, I lived with her. To this day, it was one of my most favorite times of my life. We are living breathing proof that long distance relationships do work if you're willing to put in the time & effort, because we haven't lived less than 500 miles away from each other since 2007 & our friendship thrives today!

{Lesli & Allie ~ Dolly Parton Concert way back during our austin life}

Fast forward to August of 2007 I moved to Chicago & got a temp job at a downtown hotel. My first day was on a Friday, and we had a group outing at our boss' house. I thought it would be a good way to meet people & get to know my workers, so I tagged along. I rode in the car with a girl named "Driver." Driver was a very friendly girl & began asking me "get to know you" questions. When I told her I was from Texas she said, "Oh, then we're going to be best friends." Her prediction was right & we were basically inseparable until the time I left Chicago to be with my husband in Kentucky. I believe that God brought us together to feel less alone, because our lives are so similar most of the time that it's scary. When I met Christina I had to share her, so for fun on Saturdays we'd conference Allie into our days and gab our heads off. The two officially met at my wedding and the rest is history for the three of us.

{Lesli & Christina on a yacht tour of Lake Michigan ~ thank gawd for WW}

Last year this girl kept commenting on my blog at random... we got married two months apart, we got fit flops at the same time, our birthdays were 2 days apart and kitchen aid mixers as wedding gifts. It was so obvious that we had to be friends that we began emailing each other and that girl turned out to be Ryan. We emailed pages and pages of emails detailing our lives & I promptly forwarded all of these emails to Allie, because that's what we do. In September of 2008 Ryan & I took our relationship to the next level and began talking on the phone. Then I started conferencing the 3 of us in on the phone, because I knew she and Allie would get along famously & they did! We didn't meet Ryan face to face until we all went to Vegas in February.

{Lesli & Ryan in Vegas}

In December, we all decided to lose weight and knew we couldn't do it alone & that's how the 4 Fat Chicks came together. Girls, did I leave anything out?

STAY TUNED FOR PICTURES OF THE 4 FAT CHICKS DOIN' DALLAS!

200 Under 200

Hi Friends I'm very excited to tell yall about my newest cook-book. My sweet friend Holly got me Hungry Girl's latest cook-book...200 under 200. 200 recipes under 200 calories. Can't wait to share all the great meals I discover.

Stay tuned.......

Weekly Weigh In

Allie: Hi guys. OK, no excuses this week. Amazing huh? So I got back on track, AND returned my broken scale for one that works. Yeah. I thought those 2+ weeks of eating take-out and not counting points would have sent me right into GAINING land, but thankfully I'm back to where I was before my scale broke & pre-move. BUT this is Four Fat Chicks Weekend in Dallas & I'm pretty sure we aren't counting points....so next week might be a different story. I'll eat dry lettuce & water Mon-Thurs and hopefully reverse the damage of the fabulous weekend with the girls (just kidding....I won't eat dry lettuce).

Week: 0 lbs.

Total: -21 lbs.

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Ryan-I'm in DALLAS right now! I'm writing this on Wednesday night excited about my trip. I stepped on the scale this morning and I was down 1 pound! THIS MEANS I have finally passed into a new number! This makes me so happy but this weekend is going to be dangerous! I'm HOPING it stays -1 pound this week! FINGERS CROSSED!!!


Week: -1


TOTAL: -8 lbs :)


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Christina& Lesli:

Hey!!! We are posting together this week because we have the same update....
Flat!!!
Lesli: - 11
Christina: -14

TONIGHTS THE NIGHT!

I’m leaving good old Florida again to meet with the 3 other “Fat Chicks” in Texas! I can’t tell you how excited I am for this weekend. We have so many fun things planed! I finally get to meet Mrs. Christina for the first time, see Allie’s new house, and meet all of her family and friends, and see Mrs. LESLI again. It’s going to be GRAND! Tonight I won’t lie, I’m having my Taco Bueno and I will eat over 20 points in one setting, but I don’t care, it’s worth every point! I have a love for Taco Bueno. I grew up eating it and when I moved to Florida I had to leave it. So I know I am a bad example but if you only knew how much I truly loved Taco Bueno then you would understand.

Tomorrow night Allie is throwing a party! All of us fat chicks get to dirty up Allies new kitchen. Each one of us will make an appetizer for the party. I have YET to pick out what I will make. I know it must have a Florida theme to it, any ideas?

I will take tons of pictures and I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! I know we will! CHEERS TO 4 FAT CHICKS GETTING TOGETHER!

Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga

I had never tried yoga before, but I've been doing Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga for the past month or so, and I am hooked! I had always thought about it before thinking it would be a great morning exercise, because it's so easy, but I never tried it.

I was WRONG! Bob has this line in the DVD & I love it... "I love when people say, Oh yoga ~ I don't get a real work out from yoga. Try this weight loss yoga, you'll get a work out!" On Sunday I did the entire DVD and I'm in pretty good shape, but I felt it in every inch of my body for 2 entire days after! Impressive for little old relaxing yoga, right?

What I like about this DVD is that the menu is organized into 5 different exercises & you can chose before you start the work out which sequence of exercises you want to do. There is also a maximum results program that you can follow that properly divides the workouts into weekly sections. The 5 different exercises are as follows...

1. Warm Up - 5 minutes

2. Work Out 1 - 20 minutes

3. Work Out 2 - 15 minutes

4. Work Out 3 - 10 minutes

5. Cool Down - 5 minutes

Work Out 1 ~ is typical yoga moves that you would find in any yoga class. Downward Facing Dog, Warrior 1, Warrior 2, Chair Pose, etc. {every time I do Downward Facing dog & Lola is around she comes and nuzzles my face. It's like she knows the name of the pose & we connect}

Work Out 2 ~ yoga/pilates abs. this routine utilizes a water ball which I don't have, because I am VERY new to this yoga bit and I didn't know they existed until I started this work out.

Work Out 3 ~ typical yoga poses with WEIGHT! ah ya ya... this is where my sore muscles came from. Bob kills it. He also sniffs around and says, "Sniff Sniff... I smell something cooking!" when your legs start to shake. It's like he can see me.

If you're looking for a different angle of work out, I would DEFINITELY recommend this DVD to you. I enjoy doing this in the morning, because it stretches out my sore tired muscles from the cardio I do the night before & also gets me centered and focused for my day ahead. I can definitely see a difference in my stress levels on days that I get my BL Yoga in!

{Justin secretly snapped a pic of me doing a yoga move on the beach. Nothing like getting centered before the crashing waves. Very spiritual moment.}

From Fat to Fit....

I have mentioned several times that after my move to Chicago 3 years ago, I gained about 30 pounds. Most of this weight gain happened in the first 9 months, a bit came off before my wedding, and then it all came tumbling on after that. I blamed my weight gain on a lot of things. First, moving from a warm climate where I was always active (Atlanta) to climate that experiences 8 months of winter (Chicago). Seriously, 8 months of the year here I spend trying not to leave my house. Being cold and gloomy really wears on my mood, and by the time I got home from work from trudging through the snow and sub zero temperatures, the only thing I want to do is curl up on the couch and be warm.

Last week, I accepted a new job back in Atlanta and will be moving back down in the next 30 days!! I am so excited to be back near my family and friends, but even more excited about the lifestyle I am going to be able to enjoy again!

This got me thinking about the effects of where you live on your weight. I am certainly not making excuses for being overweight. If you live in a "fat" city, you just have to work that much harder to lose weight and keep it off. Men's Fitness Magazine comes up with a list of 25 fattest and fittest cities each year. Chicago ranks number #13 on the FATTEST cities list, where Atlanta ranks #22 on the FITTEST cities list. It all makes sense now!

Here are the links to the articles. Where does your city fall? How has it effected your weight gain or loss?

Fittest: http://www.mensfitness.com/lifestyle/217

Fattest:http://www.mensfitness.com/lifestyle/216

I'll do better next time!

Good morning! I know I've been such a sluggish blogger & a sluggish weight watcher for that matter! I know I'm bad & I'm admitting it.

Raise your hand if you are sick & tired of hearing that I recently moved. (You can't see it, but my hand is raised.) Excuse? YES. Reality? YES. I finally broke down and got a new digital scale on Friday. I got it home, out of the box, battery installed, stood on it...BROKEN! No reading, no bright light, no nutting! Just my luck.

My family tradition is to have fried chicken on Easter. Strange? Yes. But we hardly ever do holiday food traditional! Easter is the one day out of the year that my mom agrees to stink up her house and fry some chicken. There is NO telling how many points I ate last night. Fried chicken, onion rings, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes & rolls. OH MY. It was delicious! I did was it down with a salad, but it was covered in Caesar dressing so I guess that doesn't count as good for me either, huh? OH WELL. Back on it today. I just had a 1 point cereal bar & I brought my healthy lunch, so I'm good to go.

All of the Fat Chicks are coming to my house this weekend. HOW FUN IS THAT? We are all meeting in Texas from the four corners of the US for one hellova fun weekend. And I think it's pretty safe to say we won't be counting out points. YIKES. But we will get in plenty of cardio doing what we do best (besides eating) SHOPPING! And I'm sure Lesli will make us do the The Shred all together at least once!

Hope everyone has a great week.

Love, love
The 4th fat chick Allie

Weekly Weigh In

Christina - I must be honest...this week was a very bad week. I have been traveling and eating really bad foods. It was no wonder that I had a gain this week. I am fully prepared to take every single pound off next week. It is disappointing coming off such of an awesome week last time, but I have decided that I am going to be really focused this upcoming week. What kills me is if I would have beefed up the workouts, I probably wouldn't have gained weight! Its okay though... I am looking forward to loosing even more weight!!!!!

Week: +1 pound
Total: -14 pounds

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Ryan-I almost forgot to post my weight today! This week has been so busy I haven't even thought about getting on the scale. I have been riding my Wizard of Oz bike all week and it makes me feel like I'm burning calories :) Today I'm off work for Good Friday so Mom and I are headed to Apopka Springs to go kayaking. This will be my second time to take my new kayak out, wish my arms some luck :) Hope everyone has a wonderful EASTER. I lost 1 pound this week so I'm back to 7 total pounds. THANK GOODNESS!!


Week: -1 lb
Total: -7lbs

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lesli ~ everyone has had a "pass" week, so this is my pass week! i just got home late last night from being gone for almost a week. completely missed weigh in day, because there was no scale. i am so happy to be back into my routine and in control of my food and my work outs! good luck to all of you this week and i'll see you next!

xoxo
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Allie- Allie has moved and is in the process of getting her Internet hooked up.  She also is sick and trying to get over a cold.  We love you ALLIE and we hope you get to feeling better!  WE WILL ALL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!! WOOHOOO!

Happy Easter!

Sushi!

Have you ever wondered how many calories there are in sushi? I have, it’s one of my most favorite things to eat. While rice contains a fair amount of carbs, sushi can be eaten without it (as sashimi) and a standard sushi item can be a healthy treat without breaking the calorie bank. I found the points of some popular sushi rolls so you can use this as a guide.

Avocado Roll: 2.5 Points
California Roll: 5 points
Kappa Maki (cucumber roll): 2 Points (I have this at AKINA, I tell them to add tuna, eel, or fish eggs in the center, and then drizzle some rice vinegar over the top, its DELISH!) Here is the picture below :) This Kappa Maki had crab and flying fish roe

Spicy Tuna Roll: 6 Points
Shrimp Tempura Roll: 11 Points
Salmon & Avocado Roll: 6 Points
Tuna & (Maguro) Roll: 3 Points
Eel and Avocado Roll: 8 Points
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Last week I chose Akina, a popular sushi/Asian restaurant for my birthday dinner! I took some pictures of my most FAVORITE things to eat there. Here they are!

My most favorite dish, Garlic Shrimp

King Dragon Roll (Lobster and Tuna)

Mom with her King Dragon Roll

My B-day cake (Tempura Cheesecake)

NO, I didn't eat all of it, only 2 bites :)

~Sweet Potato~

With the onslaught of low-carb/no carb diet craze we all kind of got it in our head that all potatoes are BAD BAD BAD! I recently caught wind that sweet potatoes rank #1 in nutrition as far as vegetables go, and figured I would give it a try. I've always loved sweet potato casserole at thanksgiving, but why not try a healthier version? Recently, I've enjoyed baking them and finding healthy complimentary toppings like organic cinnamon, ground cloves, and if I'm feeling wild & need some savory, sprinkles of goat cheese. They make a perfect filling lunch or a light dinner ringing it at only 2 WeightWatcher Points (pre toppings)! Hard to beat that!

Read this article below from Food Reference

Sweet Potato Ranks Number One In Nutrition

According to nutritionists at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), the single most important dietary change for most people, including children, would be to replace fatty foods with foods rich in complex carbohydrates, such as sweet potatoes. CSPI ranked the sweet potato number one in nutrition of all vegetables. With a score of 184, the sweet potato outscored the next highest vegetable by more than 100 points.

Points were given for content of dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars and complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. Points were deducted for fat content (especially saturated fat), sodium, cholesterol, added refined sugars and caffeine. The higher the score, the more nutritious the food.

Sweet potato baked 184
Potato, baked 83
Spinach 76
Kale 55
Mixed Vegetables 52
Broccoli 52
Winter Squash, Baked 44
Brussels Sprouts 37
Cabbage, Raw 34
Green Peas 33
Carrot 30
Okra 30
Corn on the Cob 27
Tomato 27
Green Pepper 26
Cauliflower 25
Artichoke 24
Romaine Lettuce 24

The reasons the sweet potato took first place? Dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. The sweet potato received a score of 184; the vegetable ranked in second place was more than 100 points behind with a score of 83.

The numbers for the nutritional sweet potato speak for themselves: almost twice the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, 42 percent of the recommendation for vitamin C, four times the RDA for beta carotene, and, when eaten with the skin, sweet potatoes have more fiber than oatmeal. All these benefits with only about 130 to 160 calories!

Sweet Potato Nutrition Facts(for one medium size sweet potato)
Calories 130
Fat 0.39 g
Protein 2.15 g
Net Carbs 31.56 g
Dietary Fiber 3.9 g
Calcium 28.6 mg
Sodium 16.9 mg
Potassium 265.2 mg
Folate 18.2 mcg
Vitamin C 29.51 mg
Vitamin A 260
81.9 IU Source: US Department of Agriculture

Get RID of it!!!

Last week, I decided to get some spring cleaning done. I started with the kitchen, moved over to my "spare" room, and ended up at my closet. I had already started a small pile of clothes that no longer fit well, and placed them to the side. After going through the whole thing, I had QUITE a pile. At first, this made me feel really good. But then I started to look at some of the cute things that I had bought in my fatter days. Even clothes that I had from the LAST time i gained weight, that came in so handy when the pounds started slipping back. What if i get pregnant and i need bigger clothes? What if someone comes to visit and they need something to wear??

And then I stopped myself....

There was ABSOLUTELY no reason to keep those bigger clothes. This is how i let the weight get out of control in the first place....there was always SOMETHING i could wear, no matter how big i was getting. I started to feel better about this when i went through some clothes that i couldn't fit into 4 months ago, that now fit perfectly again. I felt even better when I tried on some clothes that were too tight and could say to myself....5 more pounds, and this will look GREAT!

So ladies, clear your closets, and donate your too big clothes with the confidence that you will NEVER need them again!

Moving, It's a Workout!

So, it's official I got all moved in this weekend. House painted, cleaned & everything moved in. Here is a fun little article I found on how many calories you can burn while moving!

Packing up and moving an entire house is a time consuming process. People often feel pressured to put their other hobbies and interests on hold in order to dedicate more time to the move. However, cutting out a few trips to the gym shouldn't’t hurt because the good news is that the activities associated with relocation burn a significant number of calories.
America is heading into moving season – most of the 43 million Americans who will relocate this year will do so between May and September. Consider the calories they will be burning.
A 140-pound person burns per hour:

222 calories packing and unpacking boxes;
381 calories moving furniture;
191 calories moving household items; and
572 calories moving boxes/furniture up stairs.
So, just how many hours does it take to move? That depends on whether you do it yourself or hire a professional. For context, it takes about 70-80 boxes to pack and move a 1,500-square-foot home, and about 150-160 boxes to pack and move a 2,500-square-foot home.
It takes an experienced, professional packer about one hour to pack eight to 10 boxes, so the average person could probably pack five to seven boxes per hour. That’s at least 10 hours of packing for a 1,500-square-foot home, for a total calorie expenditure of 2,220! And, packing for a 2,500-square-foot home would burn at least 4,662 calories. If you’re moving the boxes and furniture yourself, you can expect to burn even more calories.

Packing & moving DOES burn calories, but I suggest finding a better way to get in your weight lifting...cause moving sucks! I'm SO thankful to Sarah, KFoo, Adam & Angie for all their help. Stay tuned for great healthy recipes from the new kitchen! Have a great week....love, love 4th Fat chick Allie!

Weekly Weigh In

Ryan-Today's the day we leave for Longboat Key..he he he :) Can't wait! This is much needed since Jim and I haven't had the house to ourselves for over 2 months. This weekend I'm splurging since it's my birthday weekend!

This week I lost 1 pound, which I gained 2 last week! Happy FRIDAY to ALL! Have a great weekend! LESLI, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRL, I hope you have a wonderful time at the beach!

Ryan - 1 pound

Total: -6 pounds

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Allie- Hey guys, my scale is packed, so I'm taking a free pass for this weigh-in. Moving this weekend...hope to get un-packed, grocery shop for good healthy food, get a new scale & get back on track for next week! Happy Birthday to 2 of the 4 Fat Chicks...love you girls!

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Lesli ~ I am overwhelmingly excited to report my weigh in this week. I wasn't sure how the weigh in would go, but like every week I hoped for the best. When I stepped on the scale this week I saw a brand new number that I haven't seen in at least 6 years. This week I crossed over into the 120s! I'm at the very very end of the 120s, but omg I got there! The last thing I want to do is to come across braggy, but I felt like this blog is about celebrating milestones and also surviving through struggles. I probably would have never made it this far without my fellow fat chicks & this blog. Thank you! However, I'm not done, because my brain instantly thought ~ I'm doing so good, I'll just have another cookie. Oops! Isn't that kind of thinking what got me here in the first place? This month is going to be tough with birthday, vacation & girls weekend, and I don't want to miss out on good food, so I'm going to have to kick the work outs up a notch! Jillian & I are going to be BFF! Happy Fat Chicks birthday weekend to you!

Week: -1

Total: -11

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Christina - I feel really good this week. I ate really well and i got my body moving. I did a really good job this week of packing my lunch and bringing it to work instead of eating the lunch provided. I feel like I am really in a groove again, and i was so happy to get over the hump i have been at for the past few weeks! I bought a new suit today, and it felt so good to be one size down, with room to spare!

Week: -1

Total: -15 pounds

Food, Food, and more Food

Jim and I are headed down to Longboat Key this weekend to celebrate #26. Longboat Key holds a special place in our hearts. It was the first beach Jim took me to when I first moved down to Florida and little did we know we would be getting MARRIED there. We haven’t been back since our wedding day and I can’t tell you how ready I am to relax and enjoy Longboat Key.

Longboat Key is close to Sarasota, it’s about 1 ½ hours south of where we live now. They have wonderful restaurants and shopping! I have all my meals already picked out. Sorry girls, I don’t know the Weight Watcher calculations but I thought you might like to know what I will be eating over the weekend.

My first stop, Friday night dinner at the Chart House located on the pass. This restaurant has beautiful views of the boats headed out to sea. They have this wonderful salad bar equipped with palm of hearts (one of my favorites..and 0 points!). The dressings are made fresh. For my main course I’m choosing the Spiced Yellowfin Ahi, Cajun spiced and grilled, ginger soy butter, wasabi cream, spinach & bok choy. This can’t be that bad for you!

MORNING…LBK has wonderful breakfast choices and I will be getting my usual, Lox. It’s my favorite; I could eat this for breakfast, dinner, and supper!

My next stop is for lunch in downtown Sarasota…I must visit this place every time I’m in town. It’s GREEK and the name is EL GRECO. Here is where it gets bad…Souvlaki lunch Platter - Marinated Bits of Pork Tenderloin in a grilled pita, garnished with onions, tomatoes and House Made Tzadziki Sauce. Served with rice…YES! I know I’m going to Weight Watcher hell.

To top things off for my last dinner down south we will head to MOSAIC. Now, this is a tricky menu because every item sounds delicious. Here are a few I might choose…what sounds best to you?

-Tagine of braised petite veal shank with cardoons and root vegetables
-Pan-roasted Chilean sea bass and homemade herb papardelle with tomato anchoyade beurre blanc
-Pan-seared diver scallops and heirloom tomatoes with fennel and lemon anise vinaigrette
-Papardelle pasta with rock shrimp, blue crab, and scallops with sauteed ribbon vegetables

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend! I really don’t think this trip will do too much damage to my tummy. I guess we will see in the WEIGHT INS to come!

Ellie's Turkey Meatloaf

Allie recently emailed me Ellie Krieger's recipe for Turkey meatloaf and a light bulb went off and I thought, Justin and I love all these ingredients... this will be a GREAT "new" recipe to introduce to our meals. We love turkey burgers and are really proud of "our" recipe, so why not tackle scary meatloaf? Scary meatloaf... did y'all turn your nose up to meatloaf when you were a kid? I did, and I have no idea why?

So, after one bite Justin happily proclaimed that it was a "do over" which thrilled my soul! I cut the recipe in half, so we wouldn't have many left overs and I thought it was good. Honestly, I would leave it in a little longer, because I prefer a "crustier" meatloaf. Because I'm the best dog-mommy in the world, I chopped up the few bites that were left and put them in Lola's bowl & she's never been so protective!

I served it with Tyler Florence's baked fries and threw in some sweet potatoes too. They were delish! Loved the sweet & savory combo with garlic. YUMMMM!

{Sorry ~ does NOT photograph well! }

Ingredients
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup skim milk
1 medium onion, peeled
2 pounds ground turkey breast
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, stir together the oats and milk. Thinly slice 1/4 of the onion and set aside. Finely chop the remaining onion. In a large bowl combine the turkey, oat mixture, chopped onion, bell pepper, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix just until well combined.

Transfer the mixture to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and shape into a loaf about 5 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches high. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatloaf and sprinkle with the sliced onions. Bake for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees.F.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to15 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition Facts
Nutritional Analysis
per Serving
Calories: 205
Total Fat: 3.5
Saturated Fat: 0.5
Protein: 32
Carbohydrates: 13 grams
Fiber: 2 grams

WW Points: 4