There's an app for that

Lets face it, I'm kinda a sissy and like it when people hold my hand. Apparently theres an app for that. For my birthday I got an ipod touch and I downloaded two new apps that are AMAZING! They go hand in hand. With the first one, when I opened it up it asked me how much I weighed now, how much I wanted to weigh, and when I wanted to reach my goal by. Then it calculates how many calories I can have in a day and keeps track of all my foods Ive eaten. It seriously knows everything, you can even pull up restaurant menus and find which dish has the least calories. You can also add what exercise you've done for the day (the library is full of billions of different "exercises" and how many calories they burn over x amount of time. I've never been more motivated to do laundry or clean my toilet before.) and yeah, the more activities in the day, the more calories you can have. Pretty awesome. Genius. Easy. The second app creates a workout schedule around your abilities and what supplies you have. For instance, I have resistance bands and weights, but no exercise ball or space to run. Pretty cool. A map of the human body pops up and you just click on what area you want to work on and it seriously gives you 25 different exercises you can try. Just thought I'd share with ya!

First Goal Met

I'm now down 10 pounds! (and it only took me 3 months!) Next goal: another 10 pounds or down a jeans size, whichever I hit first.

By The Way,

Is everyone okay with the new background? Me likes.

Yes, We're Still Using This Blog

So somehow, even though I've fallen off the Weight Watchers Wagon both of my first 2 weeks, I have lost 2 1/2 pounds. I think I'll attribute it to nursing, cuz it sure ain't all the sweets I've been eating. But my doc gave me the go ahead for exercising now. Anyone want to do a challenge with me next week? See who can exercise the most or something?

Yummy dinner

Yesterday I made a soup that is only 2 weight watcher points and was really yummy even though it is vegetarian. It was from taste of home called "spicy black bean soup", it isn't on their website so call if you want it.

Update

Down five pounds, ten to go. Now that it's FINALLY warm outside I went for my first run today... and got attacked by two yorkies! yeah! Wicked scratch on my leg from one of them. Who woulda thought? Guess I need to find another route...

Status Report

So is anyone still using this thing as a motivational tool? You know to keep track of each other's success? Anyway, I'm not afraid to put it out there. I am now down a total of 8 pounds! Yeah, let the Disneyland training commence!

Gym Membership?

While driving past Wal-Mart the other day I noticed World Gym has a banner up advertising $9.99 a month memberships... Hmmm...

Better than any exercise DVD

So we've just made our best investment in physical fitness ever, even though it was not intended as such. Weight for it...(ok had to throw that in) It's the new Michael Jackson CD "This is it". I mean it. We discovered this by putting it on one evening as a motivator to help the kids clean up. Before you could say "moonwalk", we were all dancing. We spent the next half hour dancing til we dropped. Come on, I dare you to put on "Thriller" and not rock out just a little bit. Better yet, have 2 DVD players. This morning I put MJ on one machine and Shelly's Power 90 DVD on the other. Made the soundtrack to an effective but boring DVD much better. And I actually got through the whole thing!

Snack Recipe

I just emailed this to Hilary and Shelly before I realized what a great addition it would be to the blog. Hopefully the rest of you are still following this so you can try it! It's very tasty, filling, and low W.W. points. Kind of like a black bean hummus. And the tortilla strips are kind of like pita chips.

Black Bean Dip (3 T.=1 point)
4 cloves garlic
1 can black beans
2 T. tomato paste
2 T. olive oil
5 t. fresh lime juice (I used bottled, still worked)
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. coriander (don't skip this; it gives it it's zing)
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. cayenne pepper

Simmer garlic in some water for 3 minutes. Drain all but 3/4 cup. Blend rest with garlic and 1/2 c. garlic water. Add more water as needed.

Tortilla Strips (6 strips=1 point)
2 T. melted margarine
6 flour tortillas
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion salt or powder
1/8 t. cayenne pepper

Brush tortillas with margarine and sprinkle with spices. Cut each in 9 strips. Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes.

Dad's Goals

My target is 180 by summer. That's 16 pounds from this morning's weigh in. That's where I was after the Herbalife program that Jim Hollingshaus put me on.

I've got to get past my split personality approach. I drink SlimFast sometimes at lunch, but then one of my colleagues keeps his table full of treats. Everybody contributes. So when the morning and afternoon hungries hit, I can't resist. I'm sure some corn chips and salsa don't harm much, but the other goodies include more sugars and fats, including donuts. Sometimes I can resist donuts by thinking, "starch, fried in fat, coated with sugar, no redeeming value." But only sometimes.

Cooking for myself, I should be able to drop some pounds. My biggest challenge is finding a time slot for exercise, when my work day lasts 11.5 hours, including commute.

Justin's favorite WW recipe

This is a Justin's favorite weight watchers recipe mostly because it is sooo filling.

Weight Watchers Enchiladas

2 tsp canola oil
1/2 lb hot italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 cup canned stewed tomatoes (I used can enchilada sauce, since I had some)
3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained (really not as gross as they sound)
1/8 tsp ground white pepper
4 6" flour tortillas
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat MJ cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 pan. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Saute the sausage, and bell pepper, stirring frequently, until browned. Add chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, beans, and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
Spoon mixture down center of tortilla, then roll. Place seam side down in baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 30-35 minutes.

makes 4 servings 4 points each. Calories=404, Saturated fat=3g, carbs=48g, fiber=7, protein=23g

last week

Justin is down 3 lbs!!!!! I didn't do anything. My goal is to exercise 3 times this week.

Update 2/22/10

So are we supposed to be posting every week with our status? If so, unfortunately I am up 2 lbs this week. But the sun has been shining so we are getting out for more walks. A friend and I took a nice long one today with the kids. Hopefully, that did us some good even though we had to go SLOW. Also, I would do better if John would stop bringing me Truffle Madness Blizzards. I mean, really, have you tried these things? HOw am I supposed to say no?

Justin's Goal for 2010

Lose 25 lbs by mid July.

Laurel's Goals 2010

I'm gonna copy Heather's post. I want to lose my freshman fifteen by summer. Help! I hate exercise videos, I can't take them seriously and I would rather not go running in two feet of snow. Any ideas?

I have cut sugar from my diet. Also, I've been inspired by Aunt Karen to start cooking with whole ingredients (aka no more eating things with ingredients I can't pronounce) except for on weekends. I like knowing what I'm putting in my mouth... Can you say ferric orthophos-what? Mmm... tasty.

p.s. did you know a box of sugar free jello has 40 calories? I think I've found a new friend.

Heather's Goals 2010

OK, so I'll be the first one to post this stuff. I would like to lose 30 pounds by June. As of Monday I've already lost 5.

This week my goal is to exercise 3 days and to take walks with the kids 2-3 days, depending on rain.

Chicken Cordon Blew Casserole Recipe

We had a hit tonight with dinner, with the kids asking for seconds and thirds. That rarely happens, so I thought I'd pass this gem on over to you. Enjoy!


Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
From JoAnna M. Lund's Make a Joyful Table

(I doubled this recipe. If you're going to go to the trouble, why not double it so you can have it for lunch the next day?)

1 can Healthy Request cream of chicken soup (bah, I just used regular)
1/4 C. fat-free mayo
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 C. (5 oz.) diced cooked chicken breast (can I tell you how much I've been loving the already cooked/grilled chicken strips from Costco? My lifesaver of late.)
1/2 full cup (3 oz.) diced 97% fat free ham (I used lunchmeat)
2 C. hot cooked noodles, rinsed and drained
4 (3/4 oz.) slices reduced fat Swiss cheese (we've discovered that if you don't care much for Swiss, try it melted. It's a totally different animal.)

Preheat oven to 350. (Also, start water on stove to boil for noodles). Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine chicken soup, mayo, and parsley. Add chicken, ham, and then noodles. Mix well and spread in pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Evenly arrange Swiss cheese slices over top. Continue baking for 10 minutes. Place baking dish on a wire rack and let set for 5 minutes. Divide into 4 servings.

Nutrition info: 289 calories, 9 gm fat, 21 gm protein, 31 gm carbs, 968 mg sodium, 15 mg calcium, 1 gm fiber.

This dish is 3 proteins and 2 carbs for me. So I was left with 1 protein and 2 carbs for dinner. I made a pineapple/cottage cheese salad that was 1 protein and 1 carb, and a glass of milk, which was my last carb. And green beans for the veggie. Turned out to be a healthy, filling meal. :)