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.