Exercise Bingo

What exactly is exercise BINGO?  Well I am so glad you asked!  See my Weight Watchers leader issued this challenge to her members and I am extending it to you...along with a giveaway.  Nothing fancy, just something fun for playing along.  How do you play?  Well let me tell you.  First of all it's blackout bingo.  You get one free square.  For each letter think of a kind of exercise to do.  W could be walking and Z for Zumba.  When you do an exercise black out the square and write down what you have done.  So far I have two.  C:  Clean out car....that was a real work out!  And W: walking.  Now you should be able to click on the picture to make it bigger and then print it off.   Check back on Monday to see my progress and tell me yours!!  Each time you report and comment with me it will give you an entry.  When you call BINGO you will be given 5 bonus entries.  See so easy! 

A New Year For A New You!

The best thing about a new year is it gives us all a chance to start fresh.  Starting fresh is as simple as making a different choice.  Instead of reaching for the chocolate (as I often do) grab an apple.  It takes time to eat it and it takes longer to digest than those chocolates.  Now I am not saying you can never have chocolate.  Have some...allow it.  But in moderation.  I prefer the hard stuff aka dark chocolate.  It actually has fiber in it!  Don't get excited now, it still has fat and empty calories.  But you can allow yourself an occasional chocolate bar--the regular size one. 

How many among us have said I am going to start exercising?  You know I did.  How are we (me!) going to follow through?  How about a challenge...an exercise challenge.  It's 100 days of exercise.   You can also find it on FaceBook.  Everyday for 100 days you commit to 30 minutes of exercise.  Do you have to do it all at once?  Absolutely not.  Can you call mopping the floor exercise?  I would!  On their main page(the first link) is link for a pdf file to print out the chart.  Every time you do 30 minutes of exercise you mark it off.  Sounds fun!  Gasp!  Did I just say exercise is FUN!?  What do you say?  Are you with me?

Coming up next:  Power Foods and Exercise BINGO!

In 2011 I Want To...

New Year's Resolutions?  Okay, if you want to call them that.  I think I will go with the Weight Watchers term:  Winning Outcomes!  So here are my winning outcomes for 2011.

• Continue with the Weight Watchers program.  How:  By attending my weekly meetings and applying the things I learn along with trying new recipes.
• Reach my personal goal...almost there.  How:  keeping track of what I eat.  Being careful of what I bring into the house.
• Maintain my personal goal.  How:  Sticking with WW and attending my meetings.
• Exercise at least one time a week.  Friday's...ZUMBA!  With exercise we need to be realistic.  We also need it to fit into our lifestyle.  I am not going to announce that I am going to take up running 5 times a week because I don't run.  And 5 times a week?  Really?  I admire those of you who do!!  Boy do I!  But for me...one time a week is one time a week more than I am doing right now!  I will increase this goal as I go on.

My other "winning outcomes" are not weight related, but I will still share them here. 

• Decluttering my house.  This is not going to happen in one day or even 10.  I am giving myself 365!  On January 3. 2012 I hope to be able to see a marked difference.  I did it with my body, why not with my house!
• Learning something new.  I haven't decided yet what that will be.  But I am going to learn something new this year.

Come back Wednesday for the first installment in 2011 of my continued weight loss journey.  I will be sharing new ideas and reminding us of some old tricks that still work!
What are your winning outcomes for 2011?

Another Reveal!!

It's a busy crazy time of year.  We are faced with parties, treats, feasts, and loads of stress.  I want you all to know, that it is entirely possible to get through this holiday season.  You can choose healthier options at the parties, split menu choices with your spouse or friend.  You can grab a piece of fruit and chomp away.  Yeah, I want the chocolate too...but I will show you what I want more...

before Jan 2010

20 pounds down Aug. 2010

30 pounds down Dec. 2010 --5 more to go.

Two of my favorite sayings are:  Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.  And...
The first and last bite taste the same.

Don't "eat right"...eat smart! 

Aftermath

Two down and two to go.  We survived Halloween and got through Thanksgiving.  Now it is time to tackle Christmas and embrace the New Year.  Let's start with reviewing Thanksgiving.  How was it?  Did you enjoy the company?  Did you have lots of happy noises?  Did the food police show up?

My Thanksgiving was lots of fun.  The work was split three ways.  We had a great big juicy bird and lots of yummy sides plus four different flavor pies to choose from. What's a person to do?  Well, I had myself a nice breakfast.  I made pumpkin pies and the house smelled wonderful.  We watched the parade and after it was over we had a nice lunch and did some final cleaning before guests arrived.  I peeled potatoes and Kristin cut them.   As those potatoes cooked family and food arrived.  It got busy and loud real fast.  But it was nice.  The food was good...no it was awesome.  I had small helpings of everything I wanted.  I indulged by eating two rolls and and extra (smaller than the first) helping of yams.  Love it.  I did something scary too.  I weighed myself that morning, and again that night.  I showed a three pound GAIN!  The next morning it was two pounds.  Right now, I am at a maintenance. And I am fine with that.  I don't have to brow beat myself over any of it.  I made a plan and I stuck with it.

So now what?  It's time to take a look back at holidays past to see what we did and if it was a success or not.  Take a moment to think back on past holidays to see what helped us and what did not.  By doing this, we will improve our weight loss success!

In Weight Watchers,  Kim talked about writing a letter to ourselves telling ourselves how good we have been doing.  There is even a model to follow:

Dear Me-I-Want-To-Be:

What a terrific year it has been!  Over the past 12 months you've made great strides:  You're holding steady at (or nearing) your weight goal, exercising regularly, feeling healthier than ever and actually looking forward to the 2011 holidays--because now you know you'll be able to enjoy them without losing ground.  And you reached this point because you were able to adopt positive habits and behaviors.

(List these successful habits and behaviors.)

•  eating slower
• grabbing fruit instead of cookies
• brushing my teeth after dinner (no more snacking after dinner)

Not only that but over the past year you've built on those initial behaviors and strategies by adopting healthy habits that have become as natural as breathing (well almost!) Here's what you wanted to achieve over the past year--and did!

• No more letting a slip up set me back
• getting the exercise in.  No excuses.
• saying no thank you to the food pushers.

It hasn't always been easy this past year, but you have had an excellent tool on hand to help you stay on track going forward:  Winning Outcomes, goals that boost your motivation and bring your vision to life.  Remember winning outcomes are positive, specific, within your control. and a good fit with your lifestyle. 

Winning Outcomes:

By the next holiday season I would like to ( lose X pounds, maintain my goal weight,  I want to handle challenges without reaching for food)  By making changes this holiday season, we will be all fired up and ready for the next season.  

What will your letter say?

What's Your Favorite?

I have been a bad multi-blogger lately.  I have been in  a funk as of late and feeling uninspired, but with Thanksgiving breathing down our necks, I decided now was the time to kick it back into high gear!! 

My first question is....do you know the calorie count in a typical Thanksgiving dinner?  No?  Let me break it down for you:

Turkey white or dark  6 ounces 450 calories
1 cup (about the size of a tennis ball) homemade stuffing 400 calories
1 cup of giblet gravy 300 calories
1 cup of mashed potatoes  350 calories
1 cup of candied sweet potatoes 400 calories
1/2 cup cranberry sauce 200 calories
2 rolls with butter 300 calories
1 slice (1/8 of 8inch) pumpkin pie  with whip topping 450 calories
1 slice of pecan pie 650 calories
Grand Total:   3500 which incidentally is equivalent to a pound.  So are you really going eat that much of everything?  Can you have smaller amounts of everything?  I mean do we really need an entire of cup of gravy?  What do you want the most? 

Do you have food police or food pushers you will be dealing with?  Tell the police to remove their badges.  You are in charge of what goes in your mouth.  Tell the food pushers firmly you have had plenty. 

Here are some Thanksgiving strategies for you:

• Eat a good breakfast
• eat lunch too...or a nice snack if you are eating earlier
• go for a walk after dinner.  There is a cool site here where you can map a walk in your own neighborhood!
• use portion control
• what is it that you want the most?
• what can you put on your plate that is low cal?
• Nothing?  Bring something to the table that is.  Start a new tradition!

Have a wonderful holiday! 

Fun Soup

I know it has been far too long since I last posted here!  Please don't give up on me.  I certainly have not given up.  I have about 8 pounds left.  EIGHT!  Do you think I can do that before the holidays are over?  Meh, me either.  Not because I lack confidence but because there's not much time left!  So I would like to lose 5 pounds by the end of the year.  Okay...now onto that Fun Soup.  If you are not a bean person this recipe is not for you.  But worry not, I will be posting others that are not bean filled.  If you like beans...this yummy soup is for you!  At two points per one cup you can't get a tastier deal.  Two points in calorie land would be in the neighborhood of 100-150 calories. 

Ingredients:

1 can fat free chicken broth
1 can corn (drain)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can fat free refried beans
1 jar of salsa (it doesn't specify mild, medium or hot, but I imagine the choice is yours)
1 can black beans (rinse and drain)
1 can of chicken or fresh cooked chicken breasts.

Are you ready for how hard it is to make?

Heat all together in a pot.  It gets better each day.   

This soup is super good.  Perfect for a cold day.  Tonight I made hot dogs for the kids and I had the soup for dinner.  Easy (since it was already made, thanks mom!) and very satisfying.