Yes. It has been AGES since I last posted here. This is for a variety of very legitimate reasons (moving/starting a masters program), but it has also been for one very bad reason. That reason is that I have been a very bad WWer. I haven't tracked in weeks, I haven't attended a meeting in weeks, and I have the resultant gain to prove it. Ugh. I feel terrible. So in an effort to get my lazy butt back in gear, I am blogging here again to remind myself of what I need to do.
First, EAT BETTER. I have been a gluttonous wretch for weeks. Seriously. No holding back by this girl. Everything deliciously bad for me has been consumed to excess. Not pretty.
Second, MOVE MORE. When simply painting a room can send my body into a fit of cramps and soreness, I clearly need to get my butt off the couch and out the door. I am going to plan on taking a walk after work everyday this week. I figure this will be a nice gentle way to get myself back in the habit of moving, without overdoing it with Billy Blanks water tae-bo-arding (that's a joke). A simple walk is easy to manage and will definitely make me feel better. We can up the intensity once I stop acting like an old lady.
It is amazing the difference in how I feel now compared to how I felt when I was actually trying. I have a hard time getting up in the morning because I don't feel particularly rested; I wake up really achy with tight muscles (which is new for me and not surprisingly unpleasant); and I just in general feel yucky. I am hoping that within a week of paying attention to what I am eating, TRACKING, and moving more that I'll start feeling better.
So here's to yet another re-commitment to being healthier. Accountability is key for me, so thank you, lucky readers, for being the invisible kick in the pants that I need to point myself back in the right direction (yet again). A new post in about a week (hopefully) will be forthcoming detailing the results of my efforts.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
The Greatest Recipe Site... EVER.
So here I am home from work today with a wicked sore throat, so I finally have some free time for a new post! I've been meaning to write this one for quite some time, but I just haven't gotten to it yet due to work/starting school/moving/life. I'm always on the look-out for awesome new recipes that will work with Weight Watchers (a.k.a. low cal/low fat/high fiber/lots of protein). While I have had some successes with the WW cookbooks/on-line recipes, I still find myself looking for something that doesn't use as many weird things (miso for instance... that crap is hard to find and EXPENSIVE), or has so many veggies that no matter how hard I try, I just don't like (mushrooms anyone? Blech).
So a few months ago, I was introduced to the "Emily Bites" website/blog by a good friend (love ya, R!). She and I were going to be baking some Christmas goodies, and we tried one of Emily's recipes for Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. Dear Lord, I think I died and went to heaven. They were so delicious and moist and tasted completely sinful despite being actually pretty decent in the Points department. I even took some to work to share with my co-workers and they received rave reviews).
Since then I have tried several other recipes with continued awesome success. I made the Tomato and Sausage Risotto which pretty much blew my mind. Again it tasted like 10 pounds of butter wrapped in cheese and fried, but was actually very point-conscious. I'd also like to mention that before this attempt, I was convinced that risotto was one of those gourmet dishes that even the Next Food-Network Star candidates can't get right, so I had no business trying to create it. But with the instructions that Emily provided and with allowing enough time for the liquid to absorb during the cooking process, I am now a risotto champ. I was so excited about my conquest that I completely forgot to take pictures... oops.
I've also made Emily's Taco Pasta, which AGAIN was a brilliant success. It contained both pasta AND a generous amount of cheese, and it was still point-friendly. Here is a picture of that yummy goodness:
I added a pile of shredded lettuce to give it a little crunch and it was fabulous. The other thing that is always awesome is that the portion sizes are hugely satisfying. Look at how much pasta is on that plate! I have yet to have a recipe turn out anything less than amazing.
Needless to say, I am now an addict and will be trying the Chicken Alfredo Pizza this week. I strongly suggest at least perusing her site (http://www.emilybites.com/). She has everything from sweets to BBQ to soup. Thank you, Emily for being the WW-friendly-culinary-genius that you are!
So a few months ago, I was introduced to the "Emily Bites" website/blog by a good friend (love ya, R!). She and I were going to be baking some Christmas goodies, and we tried one of Emily's recipes for Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. Dear Lord, I think I died and went to heaven. They were so delicious and moist and tasted completely sinful despite being actually pretty decent in the Points department. I even took some to work to share with my co-workers and they received rave reviews).
Since then I have tried several other recipes with continued awesome success. I made the Tomato and Sausage Risotto which pretty much blew my mind. Again it tasted like 10 pounds of butter wrapped in cheese and fried, but was actually very point-conscious. I'd also like to mention that before this attempt, I was convinced that risotto was one of those gourmet dishes that even the Next Food-Network Star candidates can't get right, so I had no business trying to create it. But with the instructions that Emily provided and with allowing enough time for the liquid to absorb during the cooking process, I am now a risotto champ. I was so excited about my conquest that I completely forgot to take pictures... oops.
I've also made Emily's Taco Pasta, which AGAIN was a brilliant success. It contained both pasta AND a generous amount of cheese, and it was still point-friendly. Here is a picture of that yummy goodness:
I added a pile of shredded lettuce to give it a little crunch and it was fabulous. The other thing that is always awesome is that the portion sizes are hugely satisfying. Look at how much pasta is on that plate! I have yet to have a recipe turn out anything less than amazing.
Needless to say, I am now an addict and will be trying the Chicken Alfredo Pizza this week. I strongly suggest at least perusing her site (http://www.emilybites.com/). She has everything from sweets to BBQ to soup. Thank you, Emily for being the WW-friendly-culinary-genius that you are!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Resolutions are Stupid.
Happy 2012 everyone! I suppose now would be an appropriate time for a progress report on my WW journey and the past year (well, past couple of months anyway). All in all, the holidays were not a total bust. Yes, there was a several pound gain over the past month, but I am still below where I started, so I'll consider it a win. I even attended my meeting and weighed in yesterday, despite knowing that I had gained and that my weight record card would forever memorialize my holiday indulgences. But by sharing with the group my trepidation about coming to the meeting, and my victory over it by actually attending, I got a sticker from my leader. So it was clearly worth it. Stickers are awesome. Hell yes to the BRAVO sticker for Megan.
I don't know what it is about the new year, but it always instills in me a strong feeling of having a "fresh start". I am not really one to make New Year's resolutions, so I'm not going to make any this year either, but I really am excited about the proverbial "blank slate" that the new year seems to bring. So with that fresh start in mind, I am beginning 2012 with renewed resolve and motivation. I have been sorely lacking in the activity department since re-joining WW, so I am planning on slowly working more movement into my week. Starting today. I am allowing that evil-genius-tae-bo-ing-freak Billy Blanks into my house this afternoon to kick my butt. Billy and I had a great relationship once of regular butt-kickings, but sadly I have not invited him over in quite a long time. So here goes. I'll be hurting tomorrow for sure.
I am also going to be making crock-pot lasagna this week, which I am very excited about. Actually I had kind of forgotten about it until I was reading some of my past posts and saw the entry I had written about it. BRING ON THE CHEESE. See? This blog just justified its existence to me!! I am also planning on trying more new things this year (I think I'll tackle eggplant next), and I will try to not neglect this blog as much as I have lately... 5 weeks is too long to go silent.
Stay tuned for my account of the tae-bo induced butt-kickings. I am not a crazy person, and I don't enjoy crowds (in fact I become homicidally angry in crowds) so I will not be buying into the cheap gym-memberships on offer this time of year. My theory about new year's resolutions is that they generally do not last beyond the third week of January, so the initial wave of resolutioners at the gyms will probably be 95% gone by the first week of February anyway. At that point I might consider taking advantage of my health insurance's partial reimbursement for memberships as an added incentive to work-out. But until then, my host of home work-out DVDs will suffice to get my kiester moving again. Happy New Year!!
I don't know what it is about the new year, but it always instills in me a strong feeling of having a "fresh start". I am not really one to make New Year's resolutions, so I'm not going to make any this year either, but I really am excited about the proverbial "blank slate" that the new year seems to bring. So with that fresh start in mind, I am beginning 2012 with renewed resolve and motivation. I have been sorely lacking in the activity department since re-joining WW, so I am planning on slowly working more movement into my week. Starting today. I am allowing that evil-genius-tae-bo-ing-freak Billy Blanks into my house this afternoon to kick my butt. Billy and I had a great relationship once of regular butt-kickings, but sadly I have not invited him over in quite a long time. So here goes. I'll be hurting tomorrow for sure.
I am also going to be making crock-pot lasagna this week, which I am very excited about. Actually I had kind of forgotten about it until I was reading some of my past posts and saw the entry I had written about it. BRING ON THE CHEESE. See? This blog just justified its existence to me!! I am also planning on trying more new things this year (I think I'll tackle eggplant next), and I will try to not neglect this blog as much as I have lately... 5 weeks is too long to go silent.
Stay tuned for my account of the tae-bo induced butt-kickings. I am not a crazy person, and I don't enjoy crowds (in fact I become homicidally angry in crowds) so I will not be buying into the cheap gym-memberships on offer this time of year. My theory about new year's resolutions is that they generally do not last beyond the third week of January, so the initial wave of resolutioners at the gyms will probably be 95% gone by the first week of February anyway. At that point I might consider taking advantage of my health insurance's partial reimbursement for memberships as an added incentive to work-out. But until then, my host of home work-out DVDs will suffice to get my kiester moving again. Happy New Year!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)