Current Weight: Week Twenty-Five

151.0 (-1.4)

Woo hoo! Another good loss!!!!

Friend Makin' Monday: A Short Survey

Link up over at Kenz Blog!

A Short Survey

1) What is your favorite household chore?  And what is your least favorite?
I have NO favorite household chore.  I hate them all, but I think laundry is my least favorite.

2)What is your favorite city?
Where ever my home is.  Cheesy answer, I know, but its true.

3) Have you found real love yet?
YES, YES, YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am married to my best friend and he means the world to me. 

4) What's one thing you eat almost everyday?
Some sort of fruit everyday.

5) What was your last thought before falling asleep last night?
How thankful I am to have such an amazing supportive family and how much I am in love with my husband.   

6) What's the worst injury you had as a child?
I fractured my face just below my nose when I was 17.

7) Will you/have you worked out today?
I have not yet and not sure if I will.  Mondays are busy days for me!

8) Do you tweet? If so, what's your name?
Nope.

9) List three things you wouldn't want to live without:
My family, my friends, and my phone. 

10) Hold old were you when you had your first kiss?
I was 14 in high school and his name was Mike.

Winter Wonderland Warriors: Week 5

Positive Picture of the Week:

My beautiful, little family!  This picture is from a while ago, but its a happy one!

What have you done this past week to help you achieve your goals?

This week has been a VERY hard week.  I have done GREAT drinking my water!  

January is coming to an end! How do you think you did in the month of January? Review time!

I was doing great at the beginning of the month making some serious progress towards my goals, but the last few weeks have been nuts and I somewhat lost my focus.  I did however lose a total of -6.4lbs this month! YAHOOO!!!!

Do you feel like your motivation is tapering off now that a month has passed, or are you just as motivated as the beginning of the challenge?

My motivation has waned for sure, but I am starting back at it with vengeance now that February is here.  I need to pull up my girl girl panties and get my bum in gear again!  Who's with me????

Who/what inspires you to keep going?

First and foremost, I need to keep MYSELF going!!!  I am on this journey for ME first and then I am also doing it for my family so I can live a long life to drive them all nuts! LOL!  I keep in mind what the future me is going to look like and feel like and that is such a huge inspiration as well!

Fun Question of the Week:  What is the first thing you think of/do in the morning?

First thing I think of when my peepers open is that I want more sleep! LOL!!!  Once I am over the shock and dislike of my alarm going off, I mentally prepare for my day; think about what I have going on and what I need to do to get through my day and make it the best it can be.  Then I usually head for my laptop! {rolling my eyes}

Winter Wonderland Warriors: Week 4

Positive Picture of the Week:

My little girl.  She is my world right now and I need to keep in focus that it is ALL ABOUT HER!

What have you done this past week to help you achieve your goals?

  I haven't done much to work towards my goals to be perfectly honest, however I did manage to lose -4.6lbs.

How are you feeling about the goals you set for yourself? Overwhelmed? Too easy? Just right?

I am feeling good about most of them.

Do you prefer to exercise inside or outside?

During the warm weather, I like to do a mix of both and in the winter I am an inside girl 100%!

Are you a self-starter or do you need a little push?

It all depends on what it is!  In this journey of weight loss, I have certainly needed a push!

Fun Question of the Week: Why did you decide to start a blog?

This blog is a chronicle of what I am going through, as well as a way for me to get some accountability. 

Current Weight: Week Twenty-Four

152.4 (-4.6)

Yep, it was a GREAT weight loss week!

Progress Pictures: -21lbs

To see these compared to my starting pictures, click here.

Jan 28, 2011

Here is today's menu! I used a few of my weekly points+ because I had a snow day and DH took the 3 of us out to lunch! It was lovely to get to spend an entire day with just my little family with no interruptions! I so needed it!

Current Weight: Week Twenty-Three

157.0 (-2.8)

YAHOOOOO!!!  Thank you Jillian Michaels for kicking my ass!!!!  That means I am down a total of 21lbs!!!

Winter Wonderland Warriors: Week 3

Positive Picture of the Week:

What have you done this past week to help you achieve your goals?

This week I finished TWO books (granted one was only a few chapters away from completed) and picked up another one that had been sitting around for a very long time that I am about 1/2 through! 

Also I lost -2.8lbs this week!  WOW! I am so thrilled as I didn't make the best food choices this week; I stayed with in all my points, but we ate fast food three times this week! 

 I exercised 4 times this week, hence my positive picture! It's not because I am aspiring to look like her, as that will NEVER happen, but I used her 30 Day Shred DVD for the first time and I was so sore for days after! LOL!! It was well worth it, though since I think that's what put me over the edge for such a great weight loss this week! What a kick ass work out in just 20 minutes time! Woah.  

If you haven't tried it, YOU MUST!

Do you find that your motivation/mood changes in the winter? If so, what do you do to help/avoid it?

Normally, I would say yes to this, but this year I am DONE being fat.  I want to be thin and feel better about myself in so many ways.  I am very motivated to lose this weight and I want to move on with my life; its not going to beat me any more!

Do you have any advice for your fellow challengers on staying on task?

PLAN, PLAN, PLAN!!!!!!!!!!  Plan ahead and know what you are going to eat for the day!! Going off the cuff when you are hungry often means its too late!  

What day{s} of the week/month do you find it difficult to stay on task/motivated?

The weekends are extremely difficult for me!  I try so hard to stay on task, but some how I always seem to mess up somehow!  DH and I often go out to eat at least once over the weekend and I have the best intentions to make good choices; sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

Fun Question of the Week:

If you were going on a road trip {longer than a day} who would you take with you? Where would you go?

I think I'd go away with DH.  I'd love for us to drive up to Canada for a long weekend and stay in some luxurious hotel and get room service all weekend, if you get my drift!!!!  ;)

Friend Makin' Monday: A Survey

Please join us over a Kenz blog!!

1. Why do you blog? I started blogging about my adventures with my daughter, but then realized how wonderful blogging can be as a chronicle of what I am doing day to day and thought it would be great for accountability for weight loss as well!
2. What is your favorite TV show? Right now I am hooked on Dexter!! I have a ton of shows that I LOVE to watch, but Dexter is taking the cake right now!
3. What's the first thing you drank this morning? Coffee!!!  Always the first thing I drink every day!
4. Are you married, single or in a relationship? Married, for 5 years!
5. List three of your hobbies. Scrapbooking, video gaming, and reading.
6. What do you like most about yourself? Hmm... I like that I am good with the preschoolers I teach.
7. List a couple of your favorite sites: Facebook, DWLZ, blogger
8. What's the last book you read? I just finished the book Living Dead in Dallas.  Its book two the Sookie Stackhouse series.
9. Can you whistle? Yep!  No problem!
10. List your favorite pro sports teams.  I don't really have a favorite, but do root for the teams local to me - Bruins, Red Sox, Patriots.
11. What's the last thing that made you smile? Something on Facebook.
12. Do you prefer mayo or mustard? Mustard!!! 
13. Do you have a crush on someone? Um... my husband???
14. Do you get up early or sleep in? The only day I get to sleep in is on Sundays and the lastest I sleep til is 9.
15. Do you attend church? Not on a regular basis.
16. Would you rather see a movie at home or in the theater? Depends on the movie! If its one I REALLY want to see, the theater for sure! Otherwise I can wait for DVD.
17. Was there a teacher or authority figure that ever truly stood out to you? Yes, my first grade teacher, Mrs. Owenson.
18. What is your favorite game? Hmm... farmville at the moment.  Hehe... Oh and Wii Fit Plus!
19. Cupcake or potato chips? Chips any day!! I LOVE the crunch and the salt!!!
20. Tell us something random that we wouldn't know to ask. I was born in CA, but now live on the opposite coast!

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Natasha over at Girl Stuck in a Rut posted a GREAT sounding recipe for Mexican Stuffed Peppers! Take a peek!  

Jan 14, 2011

I am crazy sore from the 30 Day Shred workout I did last night, but I knew I had to keep moving so I used the Wii Fit for a total of 43 minutes!
MUST .... KEEP... EXERCISING!

Jan 11/12/13, 2011

30 Day Shred

O-M-G!  

'Nuf said right??  I did the Level 1 section of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD and I want to pass out.  I figured 20 minutes couldn't be all that bad, but boy was I WRONG!  Jillian Michaels kicked my a*s!  Woah....  It was a great workout and I feel so good for sticking with the full 20 minute session.  I can tell already that I am going to be super sore tomorrow, but as I feel that burn I will know that I did a GOOD thing!  :0)  Not sure when I am going to attempt Level 1 again; hopefully this weekend I can try it again!

Current Weight: Week Twenty-Two

159.8 (+1)

Yep, I am up 1lb. I am ok with it though! I know last week I did everything I could and did my best, so I know it will be different next week!  I am not going to let it throw me off. It happens!  Over the summer when I first started running, I went through the same thing and then the following week I had a good loss!!  So here's hoping!!!

Winter Wonderland Warriors: Week 2

Positive Picture of the Week:

In the words of Kati Perry:

"Cause baby you're a firework

Come on show 'em what your worth

Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"

As you shoot across the sky-y-y"

What have you done this past week to help you achieve your goals?

- I drank my water every day this week!

- I exercised 6x this week! YAHOO!

- Sunshine ate a few more normal type meals this week! Its a work in progress for sure!

- I went through the kitchen cabinets and purged/organized the food and took stock of what we have.  I am going to try and use as much of the foods we have in the cabinet to do some meal planning.

- Bedtime routine is a nightmare for me and my DD so I have been working on a way to make it more pleasant for both of us.

Are any of your goals repeat offenders (i.e., have you made them before and not succeeded)? 

If so, what do you intend on doing this time to ensure you achieve them?

But of course!! LOL!  I have tried many times in the past to lose weight, yet here I am; as well as organizing my home.  As to why I have not succeed in either - I just get discouraged easily with losing weight if I am not making progress, but this time it seems different as of late because I am taking control of it! Its all up to me and me ONLY.  In my home DH and I are both clutter bugs and it makes it difficult to keep things organized.  I am trying hard to purge things I don't need or use and I know if I can succeed at this then my life will be less chaotic.

Do you have a support system in place to help you achieve your goals?

Yes I do! I am very lucky to have a supportive DH, parents, co-workers, my WW Leader, and all you lovely ladies in blogland!

Are you a planner when it comes to meeting your goals, or do you tend to “wing it” and hope for the best?

In the past, I have certainly been a wing it kind of person, but now I am realizing that I NEED to plan in order to succeed!!!  I need to plan my meals, I need to plan time to exercise, I need to plan how I will take care of myself and my family!

Fun Question of the Week: Who knows about your blog? Are you on blogger lockdown or do the “real” people in your life know about your blog/read your blog? 

I am not on lockdown about my blog. I have many friends and family IRL that know about it!  

Sunday 1/9/2011

Didn't do too badly today!!!

Used yet MORE weekly points+!  Oh well! I know I can use them, but I hate to use so many all at once so close to my WI!!!

Yep, I dug into my weekly allowance by 10! Oh well! It was a snacking kinda night I guess! That's what they are there for right?

Plant a Garden of Success!

I am a member of the Dottie's Weight Loss Zone (DWLZ) community and get their email newsletter.  In todays edition of the newsletter, I found this and wanted to share it with you all!  It is just WONDERFUL!

Plant 5 rows of peas:
Patience
Perseverance
Preparation
Planning
Positiveness

Include 3 rows of squash:
Squash negativity
Squash dieting
Squash deprivation

Add 5 rows of lettuce:
Let us be positive
Let us take responsibility
Let us be in control
Let us reward our accomplishments
Let us be empowered

No garden is complete without turnips:
Turn up with a positive attitude
Turn up with a smile
Turn up with new ideas
Turn up with real determination
Turn up with success

MAY YOUR GARDEN FLOURISH!!! 

Newsletter Sign Up

Dotti's Newsletter Subscription Page -
http://www.dwlz.com/eletter.html

(You can also unsubscribe from Dotti's Newsletter there.)

Recipes To Try Part III

1.  Chicken Couscous Salad
2. Cuban Sandwich Quesadilla
3. Red Pepper Egg in a Hole

Non-scale Victory!

I have had a pair of size 12 jeans sitting in my bureau for some time now; I tried them on last week and they FIT! They are a WEE bit snug, but they fit!  Today I put them on for work and one of my co-workers commented on how good I am looking! She asked me how much I had lost and told she me is so happy for me! She can tell I am trying really hard and it is paying off!! YAHOOO!! Thank you Deanna for making my day!

Thursday 1/6/2011

Off topic, but Happy Birthday to my Grammy! She turns 90 today!!!

Wednesday 1/5/2011

Current Weight: Week Twenty-One

158.8 (0)

Yep that's a maintain through the holidays, which I am SOOOO happy with!  Now back to my regularly scheduled programing!!!!

Winter Wonderland Warriors: Week 1

Positive Picture for the Week:

 What are your ten goals for the WWW challenge?

1. Lose 12 lbs (that's 1lb a week, which I think is doable).

2. Drink 48 oz of water each day.

3. Exercise 3x a week.

4. Read more of my books.

5. Get my daughter on a more "normal" eating routine/habit.

6. Scrapbook more!

7. Organize my home.

8. Be more patient with my daughter.

9. Make more home cooked meals and eat out LESS!

Why did you choose them?

Goals #1,2,3, and #9 are all about helping me be a more healthy, active person.  Goals #5 and #8 are to help me be a better mother.  Goals #4 and 6 are things that I enjoy doing and do not do often enough because I get caught up in the every day things that life throws my way.  Goal #7 is to help my life stop spiraling out of control and be less chaotic.  

Are you making a New Year’s Resolution beyond the WWW challenge?

Yes I have one, but I do not want to talk about it publicly.

What does this challenge mean to you?

I am thrilled about this challenge as I need some structure in my life right now.

Fun Question of the Week: What did you do when the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve?

I called my husband to wish him a Happy New Year.

Friend Makin' Monday: What Did You Do?

If you want to link up, head over to Ken'z blog to join in the fun!!!

How did you celebrate the new year? Details, please!

We spend NYE at my brother-in-laws house.  We have done this for nearly 8 years now and its a fun tradition!  We do several things: Secret Santa swap for the adults (makes the holidays a wee bit easier since my DH has 4 siblings who are all married), Secret Santa swap for the nieces/nephews from the aunts and uncles (there are 9 nieces and nephews!), and a joke yankee swap.  Of course there is food and fun had by all!

 

DD opening a gift from her Godparents.

 

Two of our beautiful nieces and a boyfriend!

 

My SIL modeling her gift from the joke yankee swap.

A very tired DD opening her gift from her aunt Anne and Uncle Jeff.

NYD we spend with my family and celebrate Christmas with my aunts.  It means more presents and MORE toys for my daughter.  Hehe...  which of course she loves!!! (Unfortunately I forgot my camera at home, so no pics!)

December 2010 Exercise Recap

Yep, pretty pathetic.   I know.  Moving on.....
Dec 1 - *

Dec 2 - *

Dec 3 - *

Dec 4 - *

Dec 5 - WATP 2 Mile (30 mins) & Bowling

Dec 6 - *

Dec 7 - *

Dec 8 - *

Dec 9 - *

Dec 10 - *

Dec 11 - *

Dec 12 - *

Dec 13 - *

Dec 14 - *

Dec 15 - WATP 2 Mile (30 mins)

Dec 16 - *

Dec 17 - *

Dec 18 - WATP 2 Mile (30 mins)

Dec 19 - 2 Miles in Boston

Dec 20 - *

Dec 21 - *

Dec 22 - *

Dec 23 - *

Dec 24 - *

Dec 25 - *

Dec 26 - *

Dec 27 - *

Dec 28 - *

Dec 29 - 45 Mins Wii Fit Plus

Dec 30 -

Dce 31 - 30 Mins Wii Fit Plus