Think Thin Thursday - Volume V

More of the same... more of the same....

I met my goal but still no change.

I slipped up a few times on food (I've got some excuses but I'm sure you don't want to hear them). But I really thought I've been working out enough to combat that.

Usually I can drop 5 to 10 pounds pretty easily if I set my mind to it. I guess I'm just not eating well enough. I think the beer and Mexican is not helping me on Wednesday nights.

I do feel better drinking more water and working out often. I even got out and played tennis twice this past weekend because it was so beautiful. It is cold again this week but should warm up for some more tennis this weekend.

This week's goal

I would like to work out 6 days a week alternating workouts.
Workout #1 - 30 minutes on the elliptical machine and upper and lower body workout
Workout #2 - 30 minutes on the elliptical machine and cardio ab workout

I'm telling you... I'm gonna make that scale move.

This is going to be a real challenge to get all this in but I've got to get serious with this and just do it.

*** I'm supposed to tell you smart ways to dessert. I could tell you that I keep FF Jello puddings in my fridge but then I'd also have to tell you that I've been bypassing the pudding for cupcakes that Lucas's boss's wife made us for our anniversary and Ben and Jerrys that Lucas bought for us to share on our anniversary. Very bad.

Think Thin Thursday - Volume IV

Yes, yes, I know. Today is Friday. I just got busy yesterday and didn't have time to post this week's results. I would've had time if I posted earlier in the day but to tell the truth - I was procrastinating. I really didn't want to write this post yesterday because I was defeated. But I feel better about my future progress today.

I did not complete last week's goal. I only exercised three times. Twice for 30 minutes and once for an hour. During one of the workouts I also did my core, upper body, and lower body exercises. I did that on Tuesday night. I actually really enjoyed it. I exercised on the elliptical then worked out - all while watching television. It was nice to still catch all my shows but remain active and give myself something to do rather than lay on the couch and stuff my face.

Yet again, I did not lose or gain. I'm ready to see some changes. I did the elliptical and worked out upper and lower body this morning. I'm fired up and ready to go!!

This Week's Goal
My goal is to get some form of exercise in at least five days this week. I don't have long to drop my lbs and I better get my butt in gear!

You know my motivation......
To look more like this.....

.... and less like this


Sorry for that image, folks. That should be motivation.

***I'll be announcing the winner of my giveaway later today***

Update: I'm a slacker. I'll announce the winner on Monday. Ya'll have a great weekend!

Think Thin Thursday - Volume III

My goal for the second week of 'Think Thin Thursdays' was to exercise 4 times this week. I got off to a very slow start but knew I had to make it up to reach my goal. So I've done 30 minutes on my elliptical machine the last four days. See - having you all hold me accountable really does work!

The good news is that I didn't gain a pound this week. That's right. That is definitely good news if you know anything about this week. Let's re-cap the pertinent information:

Saturday - We ate lunch at a fried catfish restaurant to celebrate my dad's birthday. Then, we headed to Nashville where Lucas and I ordered up a big burger and fries at a steak house downtown. AND if you read my blog about our trip to Nashville, you should know that none of those rum and cokes, cocktails, or beers that I had in my hand were part of an approved diet.

Sunday - We were starving after our late night escapades and hit up Cracker Barrel on the way home. I had southern fried chicken fingers with hashbrown casserole, fries, and macaroni and cheese along with the gratuitous biscuits and cornbread (with butter, of course).

Tuesday - Cracker Barrel leftovers for lunch. Tasty, but not so diet-friendly. Date night with the husband to P.F. Chang's led to lettuce wraps (which sound healthy but they aren't) and Chang's Spicy Chicken.

Wednesday - I attended a luncheon for my college tennis team's alumni. I had a great time while stuffing my face with lasagna, bread, and sweet tea. Oh, and there was cake. AND - you all know that Wednesday night is my Mexican night. So last night I had chips and salsa, a taco salad, and a couple of beers.

NOW - do you understand why I am happy that I didn't gain weight this week? Lord have mercy on my soul for this week's meals. I vow to do better this week.

This Week's Goal
I wonder what I could do if I worked out 4 times a week AND ate healthy? Well, let's find out. My goal for my third week of 'Think Thin Thursdays' is to make healthy food choices (except for Wednesday night's Mexican) AND exercise at least 4 times for at least 30 minutes on my elliptical. This should be a good week.

My task this week is to tell you about my breakfast. Well, there's not much to tell there. Thankfully (and sometimes regretfully), my work keeps stocked up on all kinds of snack foods. I generally just snag a 100-calorie treat of some sort or a 90-calorie rice krispy treat out of the basket. This morning my breakfast was a 100-calorie pack of Oreos. Not as good as the real thing but they hold me over. :)

Also, I want to fill you in on something I just found.... like just a few second ago. Over at fitnessmagazine.com, you can sign up for their free weight loss program. They'll send you an email once a week with healthy recipes and work out tips. They have a program going on right now to lose 10 pounds in 8 weeks - perfect for me. The best part of this site is all of the features you can take advantage of. They have an activity and food log, where they calculate the caloric content of what you have eaten plus keep track of your calories burned through exercise. Just plug in what you've eaten and what you've done and they take care of the rest! There is a tracker that helps you find calorie information for all the foods you can imagine - even from restaurants. This is very similar to Weight Watchers online, but you don't have to pay! Here I am raving about it and I haven't even had it for 30 minutes but this just seems so useful. I've already plugged in today's food and exercise and am off to a good start! I also noticed a video log where you can put together your own personalized workout based on the equipment you have at home and the exercises and order in which you want to do them. I'm off to check that out right now...

Good luck to everyone participating in 'Think Thin Thursdays' this week!

Think Thin Thursday - Volume II

My goal last week was to eat healthy, work out, and drink lots of water in order to start losing weight. I think we got off to a pretty good start.

• I have been guzzling water like nobody's business. I think swapping over those Diet Mountain Dews and Coke Zeros for water and crystal light has really made a huge difference. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy an occasional soda but nowhere near my previous levels.
  
• I have also been eating healthy (by myself since the husband has pretty much been gone all week with work). I made an unbelievably delicious sandwich this week. I whipped out my George Foreman and threw on a piece of chicken as well as some red onions, green bell peppers, and tomatoes all cut in strips. I put a little bit of light mayo on some whole wheat bread, cut my chicken in strips and layered it on the bread, then added the grilled veggies for an amazing sandwich. I took the leftovers and a tortilla shell to work the next day for a delicious and healthy lunch (much better than the usual Lean Cuisine). I'll probably make these again soon whenever Lucas is home. He'll really enjoy it. My one problem is that Wednesday night is our Mexican night. I will maintain this tradition and have no problem rewarding myself for being good. But then I have to weigh in on Thursday mornings! How cruel! I'll just have to be really good during the week.
• My work out routine has been less than stellar. I worked out twice. My problem is that I definitely won't do it after work so I just need to make myself wake up early to get on the elliptical. I just hate waking up! Once I'm awake, I'm golden... it is just the urge to fight getting out of bed that keeps me from my much needed exercise. I'm gonna take care of that this week....
• All this leads up to the best news:
  

I lost 3 pounds!!!

(Take in mind that this total is actually over a week and a half since I weighed in and started my own little weight loss journey on Monday.)

This Week's Goal
My new goal for the week (as I continue to eat healthy and drink lots of water) is to exercise at least 4 days. My only condition is that I must work out on the elliptical for at least 30 minutes. But if I can cull myself out of bed in time I plan on adding some ab and upper/lower body workouts in, as well. We are T-minus 6 weeks 'til Cabo! I've got to get serious!


Looking for a good website to help you out with your diet? Even though I am no longer officially on Weight Watchers, I know it works and I'm pretty loyal to their plan. I am always checking out the recipes they have on their site (there are more if you pay but there are millions of WW recipes floating around so no need for that). One neat thing to do on the site is check in on the Forums. Women are always posting recipes or providing links to new websites with WW recipes. Check it out!

Good luck to everyone else @ Think Think Thursdays this week! We can do it!

Think Thin Thursdays

I am now going to take this moment to depart from the Colombia vacation recap and let you know about an awesome new bloggy program.

Bridgette @ The Not-So-Blog Blog recently started "Think Thin Thursdays" (Thanks Aubrey for helping me find it). I'll let you jump on over there to learn more about it.

Lucas and I decided we need to start eating healthier for several different reasons. I'll admit that the main reason for me is to lose weight... because what girl doesn't like to be skinny. I'm not going to kid myself about being supermodel skinny. As my mom says - "You're just curvy." Thanks, mom. You also told me it was 'just baby fat' through the seventh grade. Haha! Anyway, my body isn't made to be a stick. But I would be more happy if my tummy were just a little more flat.

So my goal is to lose 15 pounds in 8 weeks. This should get me bikini ready for our trip to Cabo San Lucas at the end of February! That is definitely a big motivating factor.


Monday night I cooked an incredible Weight Watchers' dish. If you're interested give it a try.

Tuesday night I cooked "Slowcooker Chicken and Dressing" from a diet recipe I found online. It was terrible! But it was healthy and we ate it. Needless to say, I won't be cooking that again.

Wednesday was Mexican... it's our one night out. I'll have to find a way to lose weight while keeping this in my diet for sure. It is a main stay.

So we're staying on course thus far. I took Rafa on a 40 minute run this morning. He did great for such a small little doggy! Then I came back and did 10 more minute on the elliptical machine and an upper body workout with my exercise ball and weights.

From now until our trip, I'll be using Thursday to update you about our progress, share any good recipes I've found, and keep myself accountable. Yes, thank you blog readers for keeping me accountable. I'm counting on you!