A smashing sucess in the kitchen = Everything in moderation!

As some of you may know, I Love to cook/bake!I actually used to have a Blog devoted to sharing old passed on recipes as well as newly discovered ones. My purpose was to try to get people to spend quality time together at meals as well as making memories in the kitchen with our children for the generations to come. I grew up watching my Grandparents cook/bake for everyone/anyone. My Grandfather made the best soup, pig n blankets, cookies etc.. My Grandmother was always bringing over homemade breads and muffins. My grandparents have both passed away but are never far from my heart!
I haven't really been doing much when it comes to baking since I started on my weight loss journey. I sort of feel like a piece of me has been missing when I stopped doing something that I loved. So the other day I put my skills to the test and... I havent lost my "gift" ;)
This is one of my favorites:)

Kentucky Chocolate Chip Pie

*This is not a low calorie or low fat dessert by any means. But worth every single bite:) I love that on Weight Watchers you can have everything in moderation..even pie:)

"Momdays" Ramblings

Good afternoon everyone! I hope everyone is starting there week off well:)
I am:)

I have been doing really well with tracking as I said yesterday. I am looking to see a really good number on the scale on Friday:-) I can feel that things are going well so far. Does anyone else feel like you can just tell when your body is losing? I feel less "puffy" is the word I will use;) hehe....:D
I am sorry for the negative post last week:( I felt bad after, but blogs are for honesty right!?

Live, Laugh, Love,
Michelle:)

Sunday's Thoughts

Quick post here as the Super Bowl is on;)

The switch back to WW is going great!!:) I have been tracking and exercising and I am excited to see the results at the weigh in on Friday:)

Have a wonderful night everyone!

God is always aware of me

Yesterday was a rough day for me, but with lots of Prayer and some special people, today is a new day:) Weight loss is never easy. Don't let anyone tell you different! Sometimes God puts roadblocks in our path so we stop and refocus on the task that lies ahead. Yesterday was one of those days for me. I felt like I was at a fork in the road and now needed to decide whether to go left or right.

I decided to take out my WW info and read it over and Pray! This morning I got out of bed and with an answer..Weight Watchers is the path I need to take:)

I know some of you are thinking, "man this girl needs to make up her mind already!!" If you are honest with yourself, I am sure we have all been here at some point. It doesn't make us bad people. Some of us are still trying to find our way on this journey:)

Lord, I thank you for listening me. You answer my Prayers more than I realize...

"Carbophobic"

I am seriously in tears right now:'( I happen to come upon a podcast from July from a blog I occasionally follow called Roni's Weigh.

She was answering questions she received from followers emails. It was like she was speaking to me...

One of the questions in particular was about switching from low carb to WW. WOW....is that not what I have done and back again! I am that person she talks about. Can't go out to restaurants or go to peoples houses because you are afraid of what you will be able to eat. Going through your life with tunnel vision, only concentrating on one goal "lose weight". While everything moves on around you and you are "missing it".

"Carbophobic"..that sums it all up!

I do not want to be this person. I want to enjoy everything, food included. I know that life is short. Having lost so many close people to me recently. As Roni says she decided to switch to WW and it was the best decision she ever made. Roni also speaks of going back and forth with different diets, but this is and was the best choice for her(WW).

I have some thinking to do, but I am pretty sure I have come to a decision. I own my life and want to make the best choices for me. Sometimes it takes a few "signs" for you to realize what the path is....

Week in review

So I am taking a good hard look at the things I have been eating this week. I have come to some conclusions.

*1- I have been eating way to many processed foods!

*2- I have been feeling very bloated since switching diet plans. This is caused by too much salt in my diet.

*3- I drink way to much diet pop.

*4- Since switching diets I now haven't been eating enough protein.

All in all I think this contributed to my stand still on the scale this week. I am going to do somethings different this next week and eat more whole foods and add eggs back into my diet. No coffee for a week and less pop...more water. Let's see how this impacts the scale at the next weigh in.

Good things come in time ~ Weigh in #16

This pretty much sums up my weigh in for this week. I lost/gained -0. I stayed exactly the same. This is not a suprise. I am learning to read my body pretty well and when messaging with a friend today I told her that very thing:)

I am totally ok with this. The scale will move, just not today:)

Have wonderful Friday everyone!

Getting friendly with food again. It's not the "enemy".

What a gorgeous day here in Michigan yesterday! Upper 40's, sunshine..couldn't ask for more in the middle of January:) Usually we have a ton of snow by now!

Yesterday my husband gave me a wonderful gift!! I will share with you tomorrow what it was:)I will keep you in suspense for now;)

On to the post topic food is not the "enemy". I really have felt like most of my journey has been so consumed by the thought of "forbidden foods". There is NO food that is forbidden or off limits anymore. If you eat things in moderation you can still lose weight!! Who would have thought?! I always had the mentality that the less you eat that is less calories, so you will lose more...wrong! I am glad that through this weight loss journey I have not just made physical changes, but mental ones.

Yesterday I think I really enjoyed my food for the first time in a long time! I had such a good feeling about things yesterday. I guess it wasn't willpower it was brainpower!

Here is some of the "fuel" I enjoyed yesterday:

*90 calories, 1 fat, 5 fiber

* 4 slices: 60 calories, 1.5 fat, 0 fiber

*These are one of my favorites!! 130 calories, 7 fat, 1 fiber

*190 calories, 2.5 fat, 1 fiber

Well there was my lunch:) Are you hungry yet?

I will end this post with a favorite quote:

"Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everday epiphanies, those transcedent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world." -Sarah Ban Breathnach

Week #15 Weigh-in

Good Morning Friends!!:)

I know it hasn't been a full week since my last weigh-in but since I am switching my weigh-in day to Friday's I thought I would start today:)

It has been a full week now that I have been counting WW points, from switching diet plans. I wanted to let all of you know that I donot pay to go to WW, or attend meetings. I am doing this all from home with the materials I kept from the last time I attended Weight Watchers(which was a long time ago). I know things have changed a million times since then but it ALL works if you stick to it!

So here it goes time to get on the scale:)

-1.8 pounds!

WHOOT HOOT!! I am super excited about this:-) Time to go shopping...TJ Maxx here I come:-)

Have a great one,

Michelle

Talking about yogurt ~ Taste test #4

Good Morning everyone!!! Hope you day is going terrific:)

Here is what I was hoping to have for Breakfast this morning.

Yuck!! I know that is not nice, but I had heard so many good things about FAGE that I was expecting more. More being the operative word here. There was just not enough flavor for me. The fruit flavor you had to add was good there just needed to be more.

At 130 calories, and at $1.53 each. I give this a 2 thumbs down. Now I need to come up with something else for Breakfast this went in the trash!

On to a happier note:) Here is what I am going to have later today...

I love this because it has 2 individual servings in this box. So one for another day:) @ only 5pts! The only question now is should I have this for a snack or part of my lunch? ;) Oh to have such worries...hehe.

P.s. I am switching things up a little for 2012. I am going to be weighing in on Fridays now, starting tomorrow..so watch for a Week #15 weigh in post:)

Michelle

Talking about yogurt #3

Hello again:)

I am catching up on things now that my computer wants to work correctly:)

Here is the yogurt I taste tested today-

OMG!! YUM-O!!
You have to try this it is delicious:9
*2 WW points

I have nothing bad to say about this yogurt. I even caught myself shutting my eyes and licking the inside of the lid pretending it was frosting...It was that good!! It is a "Must Try" :)

Here's my Lunch one again today:)

*The Lean Cuisine meal= 7pts.
*The Pretzles are AMAZING!! 2pts for 10

I had a glass (1cup) of this for a snack. YUM-O I feel like Rachael Ray every time I type or say that;)

*1 cup= 90 calories, 1.5 fat, 2 fiber

Here's what's for dinner tonight:)

Homemade Loaded Baked Potato Soup(recipe from Gooseberry Cookbook)
I saved a lot of points for a cup of this tonight considering I do not know the point total...but it is worth it!! It taste amazing!

Who knew I had so much to talk about today:)

Michelle

Talking about yogurt #2

Well let's see if my computer will let me load pictures today.

Thank goodness!! It's still slow but working:)
Ok, the first yogurt I tried yesterday was Dannon OIKOS Fruit on the bottom Greek Nonfat Yogurt.

*Calories= 130
*Serving size= 1container
*Total Fat= 0
*Dietary Fiber= 0

Well overall it was very good! It is super rich and very thick in texture. I could hardly eat the whole thing it was so filling! Almost dessert like:) The only bad thing I can say about this yogurt is the price which comes in at $1.25 a piece, and it was a little too sweet for me personally. Other than that it is a good pick!

I also wanted to share with you my lunch choices from yesterday because they were SO good!! :)

My taste buds were screaming for joy, I am loving all of the new choices I can have on this diet compared to the Low Carb!! P.S. I only had 1 apple not the whole bowl:)Hehe

First weigh in of 2012- Weigh in #14

Well after my vacation to Florida and basically eating more carbs than I had in months I was up about 8 lbs. I didn't do a weigh in last week because of illness.

This being the first weigh in of 2012, I am super excited about my weigh in this week considering how much I was up and switching over to Weight Watchers from a Low Carb diet I knew there would still be a gain...

+3.2 lbs.

This is wonderful considering I was up more. When you switch over to a different diet there are a lot of things you body needs to adjust to. Everything is going so well with the switch that 3.2 lbs. is not going to get me down....I will lose it next week:)

2011 Changes

A short post on how far I have come this last year.

*The first picture is me this past summer on vacation.
I hardly recognize this person anymore.

*The last picture was me yesterday at our families Christmas party. 40 pounds lighter and trying on a beautiful apron I was given for a gift. ( I <3 aprons!!) Starting 2012 off with a bang.. I feel like I am keeping a little secret, since changing my diet:)

I guess I am still getting used to the huge variety of foods that I am now enjoying. I just feel a little like I am "cheating" still;)

Have a wonderful New Year everyone!!

Michelle

Note to self: Don't skip breakfast!

During my weight loss attempts I always have one constant thing that I have to make an effort at each and every day...

Eating Breakfast

They say people who skip breakfast are more likely to be overweight than people who eat something at the beginning of the day.

So that is "me" a "breakfast skipper". I have to make myself eat something in the morning instead of getting up and just starting my normal daily routine without thinking about food until around 10 a.m. ( granted I get up around 5:30 a.m. each day)But I never miss Snack Time...It's my favorite:)

My "fuel" of choice in the morning so far since switching to WW is Strawberry Yogurt Burst Cheerios with Almond Milk.

I love this, it's super yummy! You have to give it a try:)

Getting used to the changes

Well I am a few days into my diet change over to Weight Watchers and I definitely had some not so pleasant side effects last night.

We had hot dogs for dinner...not my first choice but my younger children love them.

Keep in mind I haven't had any processed meat in many months. Not even 30 minutes after our meal I was running to the bathroom:( I had never felt so awful in my life!!! I first thought maybe I had the flu, but I am feeling fine this morning now that I got rid if all the "nasty" food I ate.

I and my stomach are not ready for some of these foods yet. It looks like I will need to add more carbs in slowly.  Otherwise the switch is going well, and I am loving some of the new options I can enjoy. I will share some of them with you all tomorrow:)

Weight Watchers Day #1

Yesterday was the first day of my new Weight Watchers diet plan. It actually went well:) I did feel like I was cheating most of the day. The reason for this is because most of the foods I ate would have been a huge no, no on my low carb diet. But I did feel good at the end of the day that I stuck to it :) I like to think of each day as a huge step towards the bigger picture.

When you get up in the morning say to yourself " I am a beautiful person, I value my health and the body God has given to me, and for this reason I am worth taking care of myself each and everyday!"

I am looking forward to this new journey....

I hope you will join me:-)

<3 Michelle

Confidence and Contentment in 2012

Lots of changes are in store for 2012.

The biggest change is my diet. I will be switching from my current low carb diet to Weight Watchers. The reason for this is to give my body back some of the nutrients that it has been lacking as well as some variety food wise.

So follow me in 2012 while I make this change. Progress is on the way...

I have set 2 personal goals as well for myself in 2012.

1st personal goal is to run/walk my first 5k.

2nd personal goal is a new goal weight for this coming year. * New goal weight 160 lbs. That would give me a total loss of 65 lbs.

Whatever you decide to make your goals for 2012, I know you all will do amazing!! With support of one another we will do this and rob food of the power it has had over us!!

<3 Michelle