Weekly Weigh In

It's Friday! How did y'alls week go? Did y'all do good staying within your points & getting some activity points in? Anyone else besides Steph feeling like they are in a lull & hitting dreaded plateau? Allie told us once that there is no such thing as a plateau, according to our good friend Jillian, if you are burning off more than you take in, you will lose weight!

The one thing I can say is change things up! Someone once said that, "Learning is not learning unless behavior changes." If what you're doing right now has forced you into a plateau lull, it's not working! Change up your exercise, change up your eating habits, don't ever ever ever skip breakfast & plan for the weekends! Steph, I spend most nights of my weekend eating out, because it's what me and my husband do. In order to survive all the restaurant eating, I do NOT skip weekend workouts (new habit I had to get into), I keep my breakfast & lunch points low & keep my portion size to a minimal when dining out.

Losing weight is NOT easy, my friends, BUT I know we can ALL do it & we all WILL do it! Stay strong and keep up the hard work!

Week: -.5
Total: -14.5

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Ryan:

Week: O pounds
Total: 8 pounds

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Allie:

Week + .5
Total -21

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Christina:

Week: +1
Total: -12 pounds

Ice Cold Cocktails

It's going to be HOT this summer and I know a lot of us like to enjoy ice cold beverages. I found this article on Hungry Girl/Weightwatchers.com.

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Want to get together with friends for some cocktails without taking in a gazillion calories? Hungry Girl is here to help with her top eight must-have ingredients to keep on hand. Mixing these with a shot of the alcohol of your choice can keep your drink at around 80 to 110 calories (for a POINTS value of 2). Bottoms up!

1. Sugar-Free Drink Mixes

Keep low-calorie powdered drink mix packets on hand. Adding them to cocktails is a great idea because they're typically calorie-free and they taste great. My favorites are Crystal Light Lemonade and Disney Magic Sugar-Free Drink Mix in Grape.

2. Baja Bob's Martini Mixes

Baja Bob's makes all kinds of low-calorie mixers, but the best are their martini mixes. They come in Sour Apple, Blue Raspberry, Cranberry Cosmo, and Lemon Drop, and each only has only 10 calories per serving. Mai Tai fans should know that Bob makes a rockin' Mai Tai mix as well. Find these at bajabob.com and select stores.

3. Diet Sodas

Diet sodas are another great mixer for alcoholic beverages. The best (in my opinion) are Sprite Zero, Diet 7Up, any diet orange soda and Diet Rite Red Raspberry. Even calorie-free colas like Coke Zero are good for a guilt-free rum & Coke.

4. Light Juices

Juice, while sweet and delicious, often contains a lot of sugar and calories, so it's not ideal to mix with alcohol, which also contains plenty of calories. If you're looking for juice mixer, read labels carefully. There are lots of very low-calorie juice drinks out there—you just need to find them. My favorites are the 5-calorie Diet Ocean Spray drinks (which come in Cranberry and Cranberry Grape), and Tropicana Light 'n Healthy (half the calories of regular OJ).

5. Fresh Fruit

You can't go wrong with keeping fresh lemons, limes, oranges, strawberries, pineapple, etc. on hand for your at-home cocktail gatherings. Fresh fruit not only makes your drinks look more appealing, it's good for you, low in calories and delicious!

6. Club Soda

Club soda is a great mixer, 'cause you get the bubbles without adding extra calories. Pair your favorite alcohol with a few ounces of club soda and a splash of your favorite fruit juice (you can use an ounce or so of regular juice) and your cocktail will be tasty and fairly low in calories. Club soda is also a great way to make your white wine last longer. Remember white wine spritzers? They're back!

7. Torani Sugar-Free Syrups

These are sooooo good and a must-have for your bar. These sweetened-with-Splenda syrups come in a whole slew of flavors (over two dozen!). Not only are they ideal for cocktails; they're also perfect to use in smoothies and other recipes. My favorite flavors are mango, peach, strawberry and black cherry.

8. Good ice, cute glasses and fun straws Don't sell these items short! Never use old ice that doesn't taste fresh; it can ruin a perfectly good drink. And the cuter the straws and glasses are, the better your drinks will taste (it's true!).

Lesli's Work Out

Happy Wednesday, Sister-Friends! First of all... thank you ALL for being too kind to me last week! It kind of scary putting a picture like that out there knowing that there are enemies & ex boyfriends lurking around every corner & for those that aren't pointing and laughing my hope is that I NEVER come across as braggy or arrogant. I like to think of this as a meeting place for us to struggle, survive & live to tell it!

With that thought in mind, last week I received a comment from a Fat Chick Friend...

The GG says:
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 10:04:54 AM
“WOW you look AWESOME!!!! Dude, you can see the start of your six pack.. NICE!! I just had a baby (4 weeks ago csection) and bought the 30 Day Shred to help me lose the fat!! I think I will also do WW (always worked for me in the past) How often do you do it? How often do you do cardio? Way to go! You look great!

Hi, The GG! Great question!

Before December I NEVER worked out, so we can definitely call me a BEGINNER. Ok that's not entirely true... I would walk around Marshall's for cardio. I started with The 30 Day Shred By Jillian Micheals.

from December to February I did mostly levels 1 & 2 ~ Roughly, 2 months of only the shred. When I got stronger, I would do 2 in a row.

then I added Cardio in to supplement the little bit of cardio in the shred. Typically I would spend 20-30 minutes jogging on the treadmill in addition to doing the shred.

by March I felt ready to start Sculpting, so I added in The Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga & The Biggest Loser Power Scuplt & Jillian Michaels' No More Trouble Zones. this was also right around the time where I kicked my workouts up a notch and worked out 1hr in the morning and 1hr in the evening. mostly, I wanted to see what if I could do it, and I found out that I could, but it made me exhausted in my day to day life.

now I stick to an alternating pattern of Running {different mileage throughout the week}, yoga to properly stretch my muscles out & strength training so I can bulk up. I'm kidding. I only lift 3-5lb weights, but I strength train to make my muscles leaner & stronger.

~ My Advice ~

1. Throw out your excuses. There's ALWAYS going to be an excuse to NOT exercise. On any given day I can think of 1,000,000 things to do at my house or at work. Throw them out... you want to be fit & beautiful, right?

2. Make a work out plan that will work for you. My plan works for me now. Where do you have an extra 30 minutes in your schedule? It did not work for me to work out twice a day & carry on a normal life, so I had to scale back.

3. Set Goals & achieve them like it's your job. I have a weekly goal to get at least 6-7 hours of exercise from Sunday - Sunday. When I started treating exercise like it was something I HAD to do, it became a habit and apart of my routine. Remember, back in December I HATED working out and NEVER did it.

4. Enjoy becoming the new you. There is no magic exercise that you can do tonight, and be skinny tomorrow. There, I said it. It's going to take a lot of hard work and your muscles are going to ache and you might hate every minute of it, but trust me on this one... when you're healthy and you start seeing results, you are going to love the new you. And you should, you've worked hard for it!

~~~~~~Let's Come Together ~~~~~~~

Tell me about y'alls work out routines. I want to hear what y'all do ~ what you LOVE, what you HATE, what all of us HAVE to try!

1 Point Soup

The 1 point soup:
1 lb of ground lean turkey
1 LG bottle of V8 juice... low sodium
1 LG bottle of picante sauce
1 pkg of frozen mixed veggies
1 pkg of frozen green beans

ground turkey meat, boil the V8, hot sauce & veggies... mix together.

1 cup = 1 point ...... take out meat & it's 0 points

Weekly Weigh-In REVAMPED!!

Hola FFC Followers! It's Christina G. After some discussion, we decided to change up the whole weekly weigh in posts. Since our losses are smaller amounts of weight at a time now that we have gotten the initial big chunks out of the way, we are each going to take turns posting about how we are doing. Since there are four of us, this will give us 4 weeks to make huge changes, and tell all of you about what our progress has been during the month. We will still post our weigh in amounts each week to keep each other in check and of course our weekly blogs to keep giving you guys tips, and motivation for living a healthy lifestyle. :-)

So I am up first! Well I am very proud to say, I AM BACK IN ACTION!!! No more weepy eyes looking at the scale this week my friends... I am down 3 POUNDS THIS WEEK! I was not lying when I said I wrote down every morsel of food I put in my mouth, (technically i tracked it on my phone with iwatcher) and I exercised 4 times this week by taking dance class, running and some weight training.

Looking at that scale was just the boost of confidence that I needed to kick my self back into gear. I am so glad to be back on track! Even though I still have some work to do to get back to the 15 pounds that I lost, I feel confident that that mark is just a few weeks away! The next time you hear from me on weigh in day, I hope to FAR surpass that!!

Week: -3 pounds
Total: -13 pounds

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Allie: Week 0 pounds Total: 22.5 pounds
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Lesli~
Week: -1
Total: -14
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Ryan

Week: 0 pound

My favorite TV Dinners

Most of us are not huge fans of TV dinners. Usually they are trash and so tiny you finish them in one mouthful. WELL, I’ve been testing lots of them and have found 4 that will satisfy your taste buds and by adding just a little ingredients you will have a delicious fulfilling dinner on your hands!

#1 Pasta Primavera by Smart One’s

This is my favorite; it doesn’t even taste like a frozen meal. The pasta is al dente, and the sauce is delish! I add sautéed garlic, if you don’t have time sprinkle a tiny amount of garlic salt on top. I also add grilled chicken breast. I promise if you stick this in a bowl along with some chicken, no one will ever know it’s from a frozen box!

#2 Smart Ones Santa Fe Style Rice & Beans

I spice it up a bit with my favorite spices (mostly GARLIC)! And top it with ground turkey meat cooked in taco seasonings.

#3 Lean Cuisine’s Pepperoni Pizza

I had my favorite vegi’s and bake! I get my favorite low point spaghetti sauce and use it as a dipping marinara.

#4 Lean Cuisines Three Cheese Stuffed Rigatoni bowl

To make it a hearty meal, add a tiny amount of spaghetti sauce mixed with some ground turkey meat…its yum!

The Sports Bra Shot ~ Revisited

After many requests to revisit the sports bra pic, I decided to give in and give you what you ask for. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING can snap you back into reality like seeing a picture of yourself in a sports bra & tight work out shorts. Haven't done it? I can promise you that it is FAR more motivating than looking at a picture of an unrealistic skinny bitch!


Honestly, I thought about cheating and wearing looser shorts, but because of you guys, there was no cheating and MINIMAL sucking in. This is me in all my glory the minute I walked in from the gym yesterday evening.

Week 1 ~ December 10, 2008: 140lbs

Week 21(ish) ~ May 19, 2009: 127lbs

Total: 13lbs

{sorry, no side shot from week 1!}

Last week I saw some old friends that had last seen me 18lbs ago and didn't know I was losing weight, and all gave me a shocking reaction that was so encouraging and so motivating to me. Sometimes it's easy for me to think 13lbs, big whoop! I see the number changing, I wear a different size, but losing weight is so mental sometimes, and it's nice to actually see progress in a side by side comparison.

I know that I still have a ways to go, especially in the toning department... hello, chunky tummy, but I'm glad that y'all made me do this. Now I have double motivation ~ I can visibly see how far I've come and how far I still have to go.

I love iphone....

A few months ago, Lesli bought me the cutest spiral notebooks to track my points with. Unfortunately, they are so cute, I started using them for work instead of points tracking! I have really tried to make a better effort at writing everything down. My recent gains have me really focused on making sure that I am doing all the right things to keep my weight going down instead of up. I have an iphone.....and naturally I LOVE it. I found the perfect application to track my points and activity for the day. I ALWAYS have my phone on me, and it takes just a second for me to plug in a point or exercise value. I also have an application where I can plug in the WW formula, and figure out how many points something has. I have only been using it for a few days, but it is SO helpful. The name of the app I got was iWatcher. Has anyone else found an application that they would suggest?



DESCRIPTION:

iWatcher is the perfect app for keeping track of your physical activity and food intake.
iWatcher is for everyone. It is for those who are training, those who are on a strict diet, or those who are simply watching their diet to lose weight regardless of your diet method.
iWatcher has many features and built in tools. Some of these are:

Activity tracker—iWatcher will help you track your activity, its duration and the calories used during this activity.

Food intake tracker—Since all fields are optional, you get to choose what parameters of your food intake to track. iWatcher will automatically track Calories, Carbs, Fats, Fiber, and Protein based on what fields you choose to fill out.

Dashboard—View showing today's totals and your set targets as well as the most recent actions taken. View will also show your total calories consumed minus those used.
Favorites—Ability to set and use Favorite foods for quicker access and use. Ability to set and use Favorite activities as well.

Activity Based Calories Calculator—Simply choose your activity type and its duration and iWatcher will calculate the estimated Calories used. Points Calculator: Has a built in automatic Points Calculator.

Daily Needs Calculator—Has a built in Daily Calories Needs Calculator using your determined BMI.

Foods Database—Provide the means to set and quickly access your favorite foods database for quick look-ups.

Views—Recently, daily, and historical weekly views for your activity and food intake. Recently and daily views shows item by item details. Weekly view provides the data sums for the parameters you most care about such as like Carbs, Protein, Fats, Sugars, Points, activity duration, and Calories burned. As well the ability to access any week's daily details.

Want fries with that? If so, go for the healthiest options. And we'll likely do it again, we might as well know what our healthiest options are. WebMD compared the calories, fat grams, "bad fat" grams, percentage of calories from fat and sodium levels of the fries at 14 fast-food chains to find the best options.

LOWEST IN CALORIES:
Sonic Drive-In regular fries 220 calories
McDonald's small fries 230 calories

LOWEST IN FAT:
Sonic Drive-In regular fries 9 grams
McDonald's small fries 11 grams

LOWEST IN "BAD FAT":
Sonic Drive-In 1.5 grams saturated fat, no trans fat
McDonald's small fries 1.5 grams of saturated fat, no trans fat

LOWEST IN SODIUM:
Chick-fil-A waffle potato fries 80 mg
Sonic Drive-In regular fries 100 mg

AND THE WINNER IS...
Sonic Drive-In's regular fries, which are the lowest in calories, fat grams, % of calories from fat and total amount of "bad fats" and second lowest in sodium. The runner up in McDonalds small fries. So if you must indulge, try to find a Sonic.

Weekly Weigh In

Lesli~ Not to be an annoying turd-bird, but I've been away from my shiny glass scale since early Monday morning which means I totally missed weigh in. I have no idea where I stand, but I can tell you that I ran up and down a mountain and it made me feel like it was the first time to lace up tennis shoes! Holy Moly, friends! Running mountains ain't easy! Glad to be home tomorrow & back in my routine! Have a nice weekend!

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Allie~ Hey guys. I grilled the heck out of some turkey burgers & veggies and ate on them most of the week. Thankfully I lost the 2lbs that I had gained last week and an extra 1/2 a lb too. I was relieved to see that number. I'm not excited cause (bring on the broken record once again....) that just brings me back to the same place i've been for months. Insert exhausted faces here, "sick & tired of being sick & tired" right? Haha. But that's where I am right now. And honestly I just watched the 2 hr Grey's Anatomy and I'm emotionally spent! Did yall watch? OMG. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Love, love.
Week: -2.5 lbs
Total: -22.5 lbs

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Christina - I bought some "goal" pants yesterday. After stepping on the scale today, I am further away from that than i thought...I don't quite know what is going on, but I am up one pound. Two pounds in two weeks. I got a little teary eyed on the scale. I just felt that all my hard work is slipping away from me. All I can do is keep at it and stay focused. I hope to have better news next week friends.

Week: +1
Total: -10 pounds

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Ryan-I'm down -1 pound this week. It's been a circus around my house and I'm looking forward to next weekend! Were headed out of state to see some friends. This is going to be a busy summer and I'm hoping it's not going to be hard to watch what I eat! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Week: -1
Total: -9lbs

Do you have a pedometer?

Pedometer: Pedometers count steps. Step counting is a great way to keep active, aiming to increase your steps by 2000 per day towards a goal of 10,000 steps per day. The best pedometers can calculate and display other interesting stats such as distance, calories burned, speed, elapsed time, steps per minute, and function as a stopwatch and alarm. Some pedometers have fancy features such as talking, playing music or reading your heart rate.

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I’m in the market for a pedometer. I’ve been reading articles and watching TV shows and every doctor highly recommends at least getting in 10,000 steps a day. Well, I have no idea how many steps I take a day. Do you? I found this article on About.com below, here’s what Dr. Catrine Tudor-Locke has to say about your steps.

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How many steps per day are enough? Dr. Catrine Tudor-Locke has been studying pedometer walking and released a new opinion in the January, 2004 issue of "Sports Medicine."

10,000 Steps a Magic Number?

A goal of 10,000 steps per day has become common, based on promotion in Japan by pedometer companies and its adoption by walking clubs. But there was no body of research to back up that number. Numbers as low as 6000 steps a day were shown to be correlated with a lower death rate in men in the Harvard Study.

Many people view 10,000 steps a day as too few for children, yet not achievable by many who are aged, sedentary, or who have chronic diseases. Some suggest instead of using a blanket 10,000 steps per day that instead the goal be based on the individual's baseline plus an increment of steps. For example, a woman who wears a pedometer in her ordinary activities notes that she logs 4000 steps per day. Her goal should be to add the equivalent of a half hour of walking to her day, for example 2000-3000 more steps per day.

New Goals

Based on the best evidence, Dr. Catrine Tudor-Locke recommends the following:
Classification of pedometer-determined physical activity in healthy adults:

1) Under 5000 steps/day may be used as a "sedentary lifestyle index"

2) 5,000-7,499 steps/day is typical of daily activity excluding sports/exercise and might be considered "low active."

3) 7,500-9,999 likely includes some exercise or walking (and/or a job that requires more walking) and might be considered "somewhat active."

4) 10,000 steps/day indicates the point that should be used to classify individuals as "active".

5) Individuals who take more than 12,500 steps/day are likely to be classified as "highly active".

Top 10 Peometers from About.com

Omron HJ-112 Pedometer

Yamax Digiwalker CW-701 Pedometer

Omron HJ-720 ITC Pedometer

New-Lifestyles NL-2000 Pedometer

Yamax® Digi-Walker™ SW-200 Pedometer

Sportline Fitness Pedometer 360

Sportline Pedometer 330

Walk4Life Elite Pedometer

Freestyle Pacer Pro Pedometer

Sportline Talking Safety Alarm Pedometer

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If anyone has a pedometer I would love to know what kind! I have found serveral at Target and Amazon.com, but I can't pick one.

I Finished!

Well... I did it! I kept the faith, and finished the race. And let me tell you... it took a LOT of faith to finish this race! I totally thought that at any moment someone would jump out of the bushes and say, "PYSCH ~ You're on candid camera!"

It started when I woke up at 4:57am with killer cramps! Oh no you didn't! I was in so much freaking pain, but knew I had to go on, so I loaded up on the profen. Headed out to the race site a few hours later, and it totally began POURING RAIN. By the time the gun went off it was only sprinkling, but if you know me in real life there are a few things I don't like but one thing I really don't like is being wet with my clothes on. ICK!

Whatever... I'm tough and I had to do this. When I pressed shuffle on my iPod, guess what song started playing... you can stand under my umbrella ella ella eh eh eh. Rhianna was totally mocking me, and I could have SWORN that my iPod some how sensed what I was going through and played songs accordingly.

Before I left that morning I set a goal of finishing the race in 1 hour and 10 minutes. I did the majority of my training on a treadmill, so I assumed I could finish 6 miles in at least an hour, but wanted wiggle room. I did a google search and found out that when I ran the Cap 10k in 2001 I ran it in 1 hour 12 minutes and 48 seconds.

When I hit the 2nd mile of my race, the time they called out was 17 minutes. Holy crap... I am running MUCH faster than I thought, and assumed that I would more than likely slow down considerably. Then the next mile, I had gotten faster. And the next mile the bottom.dropped.out.of.the.sky. OMG. My mascara was stinging my eyes and my iPod was singing...OHHHHH I've been traveling on this road too long, too long just trying to find my way back home...no doubt!

I kept on and astonishingly finished the race in 58 minutes and 9 seconds! Can I get a what what? It would have been 58 minutes flat, but I stopped for a couple of seconds to program my iPod to play What have you done today to make you feeeeel proud so I could end the race Biggest Loser style! Lame, I know, but I could NOT be happier with myself. Me thinks there will be MANY more races in my future and I will definitely try and plan around my circumstances a little better!

{thank you ALL for your kind words of encouragement. i thought about your comments while i ran, and they cheered me on! xoxo}

Dance Dance....

My arms are sore....my back is killing me...my legs are burning....One hour of dance and my body feels like I worked out with Ty for 3 hours. It is a wonderful way to welcome me back to the world of dance. I walked in the studio, bought four classes and a pair of dance shoes. Dressed in all black and wearing my new dance shoes....i figured i looked the part....maybe I won't look like a complete klutz....

The instructor went through the first 8 count, and asked," Everyone got it?" Uhhhh....no. Don't got it lady...haven't danced in 6 years. She was a VERY good instructor, and by the end of the class, it was just like riding a bike...I was back in my groove again, and apparently shakin it a little too hard, cause my butt is sore too!

I looked up how many calories I burned dancing for an hour, and it calculated to about 500. Not bad! I felt so good after the class that I immediately wanted to take another. I fear I may go through all 4 of the sessions I got in this week alone!

Lesli is in Atlanta and gets to my house tomorrow afternoon and I can't wait! We have tentatively planned to take a class on Thursday night...but you can't talk in dance class and when her and I get together, we seldom shut up!

Anyone else out there dancing off the pounds??

"I want to save your life"

Have yall heard of the Diet Detective?

He has his own show on WE channel, called I want to save your life. Here is the blurb about him: Charles Stuart Platkin, JD, MPH, aka the Diet Detective, is one of the country's leading nutrition and public-health advocates. The author of five books and a syndicated health, nutrition and fitness column which appears in more than 165 daily newspapers nationwide, Platkin is also a certified personal trainer and host of the original WE tv reality show, I Want to Save Your Life.

I watched 2 episodes back to back and they were so moving. He hides and secretly watches the participant for a few days and makes notes of all the bad eating habits. Then reveals himself and challenges them to get healthy & lose weight. He admits that losing weight takes lots of hard working out & low calorie food choices, but more importantly admits that losing weight isn't just diet & exercise! He makes them tackle the mental aspect of why they gained the weight to begin with. He stays with them for a week, and cleans up their pantry & fridge and teaches them cooking tips as well as shows them how to work-out correctly. Then leaves them & checks back in 3-4 months later. The 2 shows I watched both had lots 30-40 lbs and looked great. SUCH inspiration!

So, does anyone watch? If so let us know what you think!

Weekly Weigh In

+ALLIE+ Hey friends. I'm gonna spare you the paragraph long excuse on why I gained this week. Yeah, you heard me right...I'm up 2lbs for no reason at all, except for that I'm LAZY. So there I said it and admitting it is the first step, right? Haha. I did have the thought last night that I bet the readers are sick to death of me and my sorry~ass weight loss for the last 2 months! So hopefully you're not as sick & tired of it as I am! But if you are as tired of it as I am, I thank you for at least coming back each week to check on me. I'm keeping my head up and forging through another week. Until then......hope you enjoy yours! Love, love the 4th Fat Chick.

Week: +2 lbs

Total: -20 lbs

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Ryan-HAPPY FRIDAY! MAN it's been a busy week, or should I say a busy 3 months. I have been doing a lot of stuff around the house, so I'm sure that helped me this week. I'm down -1 pounds as of today...yesterday it was 2 so I'm not sure what happened this morning. I'm happy with -1! It's better than last week. Have a great weekend!

Ryan: -1

Total: -8

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LESLI ~ Hola, Amigas! I am very happy to report in that I was down another pound this week! I am so thrilled with my progress and I may have broken a personal record this week for consecutive losses. I've gotten in a good routine with my eating habits, but this past week enjoyed the most delicious Chicken Tuscany pizza, and I still have a hard time not feeling guilty about dipping into flex and activity points. But, did y'all see Jillian talking about how you can not go through this lifestyle and completely cut out your favorites forever? I have to get that through my head... a splurge within reason is a very good thing! How are y'all doing? I encourage you to keep your chin up no matter where you are in your journey and if you're feeling like you're in a lull... change things up! Never know... it might not hurt! Have a good weekend!

Week: -1

Total: -13

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CHRISTINA -I had a break down via e-mail with the FFC yesterday. I am up another pound. I know that one pound isn't a big deal, but when you have been at a standstill for 2 months...another pound feels like 10. I was kicking myself for a moment, but then decided that that was counter productive. I came home yesterday, made my low fat wheat pasta that I love, then took my butt to the gym. And i will keep taking myself to the gym, and making good choices with food until every solitary pound i set out to shed is GONE. I am not forgetting the progress that I have made, but it is time to kick it up! I agreed with Allie when she said that our readers were probably sick to death of us hoovering around the same weight. We started this blog to hold ourselves accountable, and to encourage others. I hope you all still feel that this is a good resource for encouragement, simply because we are REAL ladies, just trying to navigate our way through this lifestyle change, like anyone else. Loosing weight, and changing your lifestyle is hard work, but we are up to the challenge...even if some weeks are better than others. If you are feeling discouraged this week like I was, I encourage you to turn that around and make next week the BEST week you have had since you started your journey....at least that is what i am planning to do.

Week: +1

Total: -11 pounds

10 Foods To Fill You Up

Beans

Beans are probably the most filling, versatile and healthy food you can find. They are packed with insoluble fiber, which can aid in lowering your cholesterol.

Beans are also loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and are a great source of protein. Try skipping the meat at least once a week, and having beans instead. There are so many varieties and can be put in everything from soups to salads or even as a main course (think beans and rice).

Whole Grains

This is a broad category, but the principle is easy to understand. Whole grain products (whole wheat bread, crackers, etc.) have countless more nutrients than refined grains (white bread, crackers, etc.) and more soluble fiber and protein. Fiber and protein are two components that work inside your body to fill you up and keep you full for a longer time. Try whole grains such as oatmeal, quinoa, barley, flaxseed or wheat.

Fruits

Fruits of all kinds have fiber as well as tons of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. And, since they also contain plenty of water, they add bulk when inside your stomach. The key is to mix fruits with fiber and protein; this will make you feel like you’re eating more and work to keep you full.

Green Vegetables

Green vegetables are packed with nutrients and provide a lot of crunch. A basic salad with a healthy dressing topped with nuts, beans or cheese makes for a great lunch. Add a whole grain product for a filling meal.

Starchy Vegetables

Starchy vegetables tend to be much denser than other vegetables. Try including potatoes, sweet potatoes or peas into your diet. These vegetables are great for you and will fill up your belly.

Low Fat Dairy

Dairy products of all kinds supply us with calcium and protein, and studies have shown a link between dairy consumption and wight loss. Be sure to choose low fat or fat free dairy products and add them to anything. Put cheese on a salad, milk in your coffee or try fruit and yogurt for a mid-morning perk.

Salmon, tuna and other fish

Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring and anchovies do have more fat calories than lean meats, but are also full of vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats are actually beneficial for your heart; they may increase levels of healthy cholesterol and reduce the amounts of bad cholesterol. The protein is also digested more slowly and therefore stays with you longer.

Nuts

Nuts have the same benefits as fatty fish do. Nuts are loaded with protein and healthy fats, and are great alternate sources for meat. They also have a lot of fiber, making them a healthy addition to any diet. Roast nuts and put them on salads, over stir-fry and even in desserts.

Eggs

While egg consumption has long been advocated as a great way to raise your cholesterol, these days” eggs can be eaten in moderation. Eggs have protein as well as plenty of vitamins and minerals. Try a low fat egg salad, or put hard boiled eggs over green salads. Fry your eggs, just limit the amount of oil you use.

Ready to Run!

We got home last night & after eating some chips and salsa for Cinco, we started Biggest Loser. Did y'all watch? OMG ~ how freaking inspiring was the marathon? Tears were POURING down my face when Ron crossed the finish line, and hear me now - he isn't even my favorite! So inspiring in fact, that my husband went and put on his running clothes (mine were already on) and suggested we head to the gym.

Thank goodness he did, because oh by the way... I'M RUNNING IN A 10K THIS WEEKEND! I am on the tapering end of training, so I only had to run 2 miles tonight, and almost slacked them off! ALMOST! Amazingly, it was probably the latest I've ever worked out, but one of the best runs I've had in a while! I ran the 2 miles easily at a 6.0 in 20 minutes.

I'm so excited for this weekend! It's my second 10k ever and my first race in many many years. I ran the Capitol 10K in Austin, TX back in 2002 with my good friend Meg {check out her blog... she's dazzlingly prego with TWINS!}. Since I registered a few weeks ago, I've been visualizing the race and visualizing myself finish in a good amount of time!

Please check back next Wednesday to see if I actually did it! Wish you were ALL going to be here to cheer me on ~ your encouragement means sooooooooooo much to all of us!

She's Baaaack!!!!!

Hello my fellow FFC followers....SOOO glad to be back in action this week! It's been two weeks of packing, stressing, moving, working, training.....blah blah blah.... However, I am very proud to say that I was convinced that I would not let all the changes going on in my life effect my goals for my healthy lifestyle....and i DIDN'T! The last time I blogged, I was talking about the changes that would make living a healthy lifestyle in the south much easier. I am here to tell you that they have already started!

First, I now work two days from home, so on those days, I am using the time I would have taken to commute and working out in the FREE GYM in the building right next to my townhouse. I am literally 20 steps away from all the cardio and weight equipment that I need! No more truckin' through the snow to get a workout in and fighting -20 degree wind chill to snag 45 minutes on an elliptical!

Second, before I left Atlanta 3 years ago, I desperately wanted to take dance classes at this awesome studio that offers them. When I found out about it, I was already moving. I looked up their website yesterday and they have DOUBLED the classes that they offer, and all the classes that I want to take conveniently fall at the right times. Also, it's on my way home from work. I grew up doing dance and cheerleading and I have missed using that to be active, because dance is seriously the only type of exercise I truly enjoy. I find that dance classes offered at gyms tend to not challenge me enough, and in Chicago, classes at studios were so expensive that it would have ruined my experience thinking about how much it was costing me. I have found the perfect answer with the studio here in Atlanta and I go to the first class tomorrow evening!

Finally, I GOT MY WORKOUT BUDDIES BACK! I speak often on my personal blog about how much I missed my friends and family here in Georgia. When I lived here I was ALWAYS doing something with them and the plans are already rolling in for that. Long walks with my dog, jogging on Silver Comet Trail, hiking up the mountain in Kennesaw were all part of my daily life before, I cannot tell you how happy I am that it is going to be a part of my life again.

I am going to post the WHOLE story of how this move happened on my personal blog this week. It really is inspiring how it all played out.

It's time for me to hit the gym my friends! Have you ever heard excitement about that from me before? I am looking forward to weigh in this week!!

On a side note....does anyone have any good suggestions about a pair of dance shoes I should buy? I need to pick some up today!

Back in Action!!!

- Christina G.

H-O-T Hot Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

My friend Monica came over for dinner the other night and I made us Hungry Girl's H-O-T Boneless Buffalo wings. They were easy and really yummy and at 175 calories per serving...it's dang good for you!



Cast of characters:

8 oz raw boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 10 nuggets

1/4 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original)

1 oz Pringles Fat Free Barbecue potato chips

3 Tablespoons Frank's Red Hot original cayenne pepper sauce (or other Tabasco type hot sauce)

Dash onion powder

Dash garlic powder (yall know I used more than a dash!!)

Dash cayenne pepper

Dash black pepper

Dash salt

This is what the crushed up cereal & b-b-q pringles looks like

Chicken in hot sauce

nuggets coated in breading before they were baked

close-up

The finished product all cooked & delicious

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

In a blender or food processor (I used my magic bullet) grind fiber one to a breadcrumb like consistency.

Crush potato crisps completely. In a small dish mix crushed crisps with cereal crumbs and add onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, black pepper and salt and mix well.

Place chicken in a separate bowl, cover with hot sauce and toss to coat.

Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray. Give each chicken piece a shake so its not dripping with sauce, and then coat evenly with crumb mixture. Lay crumb covered nuggets on baking sheet.

Bake in oven for 10 minutes

Flip nuggets over and lake for 10 more minutes, or until outsides are crispy and chicken is cooked through.

Makes 2 servings (I doubled the recipe and had leftovers for lunch)

PER SERVING: (5 nuggets) 175 calories, 1.5 grams fat, 14 grams of carbs, 4 grams of fiber, 27 grams of protein, <>

Weekly Weigh In

Ryan-This week I’m flat! I’m discouraged because I should have lost everything by now. I know I’m just in a rut and I’m trying my hardest to get out of it! I’m starting to feel chunky again, I can’t stand looking at myself in pictures and I need to tell myself it’s all in my head. Hopefully this next week will be a weight loss week for me. I need it! I am doing labor around the house and burning calories, I just think my chubbiness doesn’t want to leave me! Hope everyone enjoys their weekend! I have 11,000 pounds of tile to unload on my weekend. I do have helpers, but still! NO FUN!

Ryan: 0 pounds!
TOTAL: -7lbs
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Lesli: Happy Friday Friends! I'm spending sometime today in Memphis (Forever 21, Target, Marshalls) doing a little shopping, because I have a closet full of clothes and NOTHING fits!Hallelujah, right? {Also get to lunch with new bloggy friend LeAnna=)) I'm so proud of being to this point, but have been frustrated because I like all my clothes! Good problem to have, right? The alternative is gaining the weight back, and I think I'm too far gone! And I know what you're thinking... you've lost 12lbs, how can none of your clothes fit? I am very short little peanut! It's hard for me to believe too, and I totally look at things and think that would NEVER fit me and it fits perfect and even has wiggle room. I'm happy. I feel like I've hit my stride this month and I'm in such a healthy lifestyle routine.

Week: -1
Total: -12
{also, I realized the other day that my total didn't match up from week to week, so some week I must have messed up, but I am down a solid 12lbs.}
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Christina ~ {Lesli reporting in on behalf of Christina} I'm just going to stand back and by amazed by my good friend, because this past week she started a new job, in a new CITY & still managed to get her work outs in! Good girl for tackling those MAJOR life changes head on! Christina will be up and running and most importantly {connected to the internet} by early next week, so we will all get to hear from her then! We've all missed you, sister!


Week: 0
Total: -12
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~Allie~ Hey guys. Had to kick my eating into high gear after the nasty gain last week. I got in a lot of veggies, salad and lean chicken! I also tried the Hungry Girl's 200 Under 200 recipe for H O T hot buffalo nuggets I think they were only 160 calories & yummy....I'll report back with pictures and actual recipe soon. I'm happy to say that I lost 2lbs this week, which gets me back to where I started before the Four Fat Chicks weekend! Hope everyone has a great weekend and can get outside and get some exercise!
Week: -2lbs
Total: -22lbs
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