Recipe: Mama Mia it's Lasagna!

I have never really made lasagna before, but I gave it a try yesterday. It turned out really good (and all Core)! It looks like a long recipe, but really didn't take to much time to assemble. I think next time I will add mushrooms

Melanie's Meat Lasagna

1 lb. lean ground beef
2 tsp. olive oil1 medium chopped onion
4 gloves garlic minced

1 (26 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

3 tsp. Italian Seasoning (divided)

2 tsp. garlic powder (divided)

2 tsp salt (divided)

1 tsp pepper (divided)

15 oz container Fat Free ricotta cheese

1 lg. egg, beaten

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained & squeezed very dry

2 cups or more shredded Fat Free Mozzarella cheese (divided)

9 whole wheat lasagna noodles cooked

1/2 c. grated Fat Free or soy Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a heavy pan, brown the ground beef. Drain excess fat and set beef aside. Pour oil into pan and add chopped onion and garlic. Cook till soften, around 5 minutes. Add the cooked beef and crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add 2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Simmer, uncovered about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook noodles as directed on package; drain.

Combine ricotta cheese, beat in egg, drained prepared spinach, 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/2 cup Fat Free or Soy Parmesan cheese.
Spread about 1 cup of the cooked meat sauce in the bottom of a 9"x13" baking pan and top with 3 cooked noodles. Add layer ricotta cheese mixture, spreading lightly with the back of the spoon. Layer 1 cup of meat sauce on top of cheese. Repeat one more time and top the last noodles with remaining sauce.
Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes or until top is browned and bubbling freely. Add remaining Fat Free Mozzarella cheese to top and bake until melted, about 10 minutes.

Let sit for 10-15 minutes for cutting and serving.

Makes around 12 servings.

Tales from the Scale: Getting the momentum going

So, I changed my weigh-in day to Friday and guess what...3.2lbs down! Wooooo Whooo! 202.4lbs, awesome.
I looked back on my week on Core and I realized that I didn't deprive myself one bit. This was my week:
Thursday: Went out with coworkers and had 3 glasses of wine. I managed to stay away from the greesy popcorn and the urge to order takeout! Yay Me!
Friday: I honestly don't remember what I did that day. I don't think I went out, looking back on my planner, looked like I ate great.
Saturday: Worked out like A MAD women, earning probably 10 APs. That night I went out with my girlfriends. We went to a great Thai place and had some wine and presecco. I had my dish steamed with sauce on the side and brown rice--CORE BABY other than the sauce which I didn't have much of.
Sunday: Went for a nice long walk with my WW Buddy, yay AP's.
Monday: We had a celebration for 2 coworkers and I had cake. A piece of delicious chocolate cake with raspberry filling and then a piece of red velvet with cream cheese icing...oh and a mimosa or two. Totally worth the points!
Tuesday: I went out to eat Mexican. Mexican is probably my most favorite food ever. I lost count of how many tortilla's I ate and sipped a sinful margarita.
Wednesday: Typical Core day. Went to my spinning class and ate great.
Thursday: Was home sick, so I tried to drink lots of water instead of eating.

Even with all of the eating out and cocktails, I still lost weight! Everything I had that wasn't Core, I counted the points so simple!
That's the beauty of WW, it really is NOT A DIET! It's a lifestyle. This is something that I can do for the rest of my life, no joke. I may not have amazing weigh-ins every week, but I know that if I keep on this road, I will keep losing and never see it come back.

A change of Seasons and new Beginnings

Well people, I think Fall is officially upon us and for me, that means work is gearing up. Tonight is our Opening Night of the 2008-2009 season, scary. It's kind of like the first day of school...kind of.
Fall always reminds me of a new beginning. In the past that meant a new year of school, the start of Football season, my birthday and a change to my favorite season. I tend to look at the beginning of Fall like some people do January 1st, its a new slate for me.
In recognition that I need a jump start and a fresh beginning I thought about the WW meeting that me and my friend attend. I love her, she is fabulous! We try and walk each week to earn some Activity Points and catch up about life. Its the one activity that I do with a friend that DOESN'T revolve around food. So last weekend, we were walking around Central Park and discussing the meeting, leader, and the other people there. I was a bit put off last week since she put me on the spot about The Core program. I was the only one in the meeting that follows this and it is rarely mentioned, only in passing about how people are too scared to try it! As we walked I said that I particularly didn't like our leader, she was odd and I didn't feel a good connection to her. Not to mention there was some people that also attended our meetings that I didn't care for. I was relieved to find out that she felt the same. The leader always talks about her weight loss of 40lbs and how she did it on the old plan. That's fine and dandy, but what about now? What can I do now to lose the weight? We both want someone that is a bit more up with the times. So, since we like the location, we are sticking with that, but will be weighing in on Friday's. I am hoping that this leader and the people who attend are a good fit. Here's hoping for a new change and fresh beginning.

Recipe: Pumpkin Pumpkin all around!

This is one of my favorite soups to make in the fall/winter. Plus I have an obsession with Pumpkin. Maybe I need Pumpkin Anonymous??
Anwways, its Core as long as you use Soy or FF Parmesan. I also use my immersion blender right in the pot, works great!

Tuscan Pumpkin-White Bean Soup

1 sprays olive oil cooking spray, or enough to coat pot
1 medium onion(s), coarsely chopped
15 oz canned pumpkin
3 1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth
15 1/2 oz canned white beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 tsp ground oregano
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
6 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Coat a large soup pot with cooking spray and set over medium-low heat. Add onion, cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes.
Stir in pumpkin, broth, beans and oregano; simmer 8 minutes.
In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth. (Note: Make sure not to overfill blender in order to avoid splattering.) Return soup to pot and reheat; season with salt and pepper.
To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top each with 1 tablespoon of grated cheese. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

POINTS® Value: 2 Servings: 6

From http://www.weightwatchers.com/

Tales from the Scale: Back to the beginning

Well, yet again I had a weigh in that wasn't so steller! However, this time, I knew it was coming. I had a good friends Bridal Shower this past week and I completely lost track. This continued into the week, and for some reason couldn't snap myself out of it! So, I am back to where I started 205.6 lbs. Funny huh?

Today at my meeting we talked about our internal voice (something I am trying to change!). How sometimes what we say to ourselves is what will come true. Mine? I will never make it to goal. This is something that always runs through my mind and I need to silence this voice. I can do this. Hell, from my highest weight of 230lbs, I have lost almost 25lbs! That is amazing if you think about it. I also need to focus on the fact that this is for my health. My BMI puts me at obese. OBESE! How scary! I don't feel obese, I certainly don't think I look it! But according to the rules, I am and that is scary and sad at the same time. I need to push aside the negative voices and feelings and focus on becoming HEALTHY! Food is never the answer so I need to stop letting it be.

Tales from the Scale: FINALLY!

Yes everyone, it finally happened. I lost weight. 3lbs to be exact. The receptionist looked at me and was amazed! I was expecting to lose weight this week as I have been on a plateau for about a month. I knew my body needed to catch up with what I was doing. I was really excited. It was nice to know that my hard work has paid off and the program does work. I had a good week on Core. I really didn't change much. To be honest, I think I went over my WPA's! I had company in town, we ate out and went bar hopping last Saturday. I then decided to stuff my face on Sunday night after they left with Mexican takeout, yeah, still working on that binging thing. I did change to Flex over the weekend. I think that's what helped the most. I may continue to do that, especially if I have weekend plans that involve a lot of drinking or eating out. That way I can eat whatever I want, but just count points.
All in all a good weigh-in and week!

Recipe: Core Dinner in a Flash

I have made this meal 3 times now and it officially has become a staple in my house. Its quick, simple, and tastes great.

I need a name for it...still working on that.

1 cup cooked brown rice (I like Trader Joe's premade packets of Brown rice, pop in the microwave for 2 minutes, and its done!)
1 Amy's California Veggie Burger chopped up
1/2 cup to 1 cup frozen pepper stirfry mix
Salsa to coat

Mix together and enjoy! You can also add some FF or soy cheese and other flavorings such as garlic and Mrs. Dash.

Tales from the Scale: Inching forward

I couldn't get myself to post yesterday after my meeting and weigh in. Why? Cause the scale reflected another +.4. I was crushed. I so desperately wanted to see a loss. But as I sat through the meeting and listened to my Leader and others in this journey of Weight Loss, I heard something. Someone who had also gained 2 weeks in a row with .2 and .4, weird right? Was this a sign? She said, it maybe a gain but her clothes were getting looser and she had seen inches lost. Our leader agreed and stated something that I need to keep remembering, "If you keep going and working the program, you will see results in the scale".

I'm not sure why I got so upset. Maybe it was the fact the the receptionists saw that in the 2 weeks I have attended meetings, I have gained? I need to remind myself that I have been doing this for little over a year now, I am NOT a newbie by any means. Maybe I thought meetings would be this "magic pill" where I would automatically lose weight? Stupid to think I know, but deep down a part of me was hoping.

I went home last night and took out my tape measure. I have seen a half inch gone in my neck and arms. My waist and hips, just a little loss, but still something. Although I wish the scale would reflect my hard work (I did great this week on Core by the way), sometimes it just doesn't happen. Sometimes your body is fighting so hard to keep you at a weight. Its those times that I need to keep fighting through, cause in the end I will win this battle.

Recipe: CORE Oatmeal Muffins

Muffins....on Core??? Can't be true. Well, I found a recipe that brought my dream to life. A Core Muffin Recipe. I went ahead and made these tonight and...they aren't the real thing. BUT, they hit the spot if you are desperate.

Oatmeal Muffins

2 cups Rolled Oats

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2/3 cups Splenda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 whole egg

1 egg white

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 mashed banana

1 tsp vanilla

Blueberries or other fruit to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all dry ingrediants in bowl. Mix all wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine dry and wet. Fold in desired fruit.

Pour into a muffin pan that has been coated with non-stick spray. Bake 35-40 minutes making sure the top is slightly brown and toothpick comes out clean.

I got this recipe from the Core board on the Weight Watcher website. This is a Core recipe and only 1 pt per serving if you are doing the Flex plan.

Tales from the Scale: Are you kidding me?

Week 2 at my meetings and what happened, gained .2, FREAKING POINT 2. I could have peed that much out! Honestly I shouldn't be that mad. Last week on Thursday I went out for drinks with a coworker...2 dirty martinis. Then, that night, came the HUGE chicken burrito with chips and salsa that I HAD to have because well, I deserved it! It would have been fine if I tracked and moved on, but I didn't. I played dumb. It came to Friday and I started on Core like nothing happened the night before. Then came Sunday. Oh Sunday. Drunk Brunch was in full action, plus a cupcake from Magnolia. Bellini's, Bloody Mary's, and Champagne...oh, I also had food, but that wasn't near as good as the cocktails. So I guess in hindsight, gaining .2 is really not bad. Yay for me!!

At my meeting today we talked about 3 words. Stop, Rest, Assess. Easy right? For some reason, this is difficult for me. My head is telling me EAT, while my stomach is "Ok, we are good, you can stop". My head usually wins this fight. I, for some reason, don't trust what my gut is telling me. Why? I am not sure, but something I am going to start thinking about actively. We also talked about Treats. I never really realized that at times, I am eating a treat when I really should have be eating something that would satisfy me. So this week, I plan on making it a priority to stop, rest, and assess myself when eating anything. I also am going to start treating treats as TREATS! Something I should savor and enjoy. Here's hoping that next week I can get back on the losing train.

Recipe: Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

I don't know about you, but I love Fall. I love everything about it. The weather turning a bit crisp, the smell in the air, the heavier comfort foods, and the holidays.
Another thing I love about Fall is Pumpkin! I am a huge fan and love trying new recipes with it. I adapted this one from another WW post. It does require a WW product, but I think it can be made with Carnation Instant Breakfast Classic French Vanilla.

Pumpkin Vanilla Smoothie

1/2 cup of the canned pureed pumpkin (this is NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1 packet WW Vanilla smoothie
1 cup milk
1 packet of splenda
10 dashes of pumpkin pie spice
3 ice cubes

Add all ingredients and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

To me it tastes like melted pumpkin ice cream or a runny pumpkin pie filling. Also, for ease I use my fancy Immersion blender, so all I do is add everything in my glass and blend away. I highly suggest getting one.

It's been a long time.

I shouldn't have left you.

Wow, so I haven't posted since May huh? Well, lots have happened. Let me take you through (short version):

The Wedding
It was fabulous! I loved almost every minute of it. The week was great, lots of sunshine and beach. The actual wedding day couldn't have been more perfect! I am so happy for my brother and new sister-in-law.
A sad note, I gained about 5lbs there...we will get to my actual weight later!

June
Lots of trips were happening. Saw my BFF Michael in San Francisco. Did lots of things that I won't repeat. Ate and DRANK too much. Then met my Mom in Washington D.C. to sight see, then came back up to NYC for a few days. Again...ate and drank too much!

July
Enjoyed much of July by having Friday's off from work and loving the great weather. Saw lots of friends, had my cousin up from Jersey and again, ate and drank too much!

August
The final summer trip back to the Midwest for the wedding reception. Total fun...again, ate and drank too much!

Soooo today I stand at 205.6lbs. Yeah, you read that right. Summer has always been a difficult time for me. Everyone wants to go out to eat, meet for drinks, go to brunch. I didn't have my trainer anymore and my workouts (I was still working out 5-6 days a week) were not as intense as I needed them to be. I also threw caution to the wind and ate more than my share worth of Flexies each week. I did manage to weigh in almost every week and I did see the gains and didn't stop myself. Until now.

I am taking back control. After getting my promotion and raise, I am back with my trainer Roger. I love him, he makes me work! Also, I started to attend WW meetings on Thursdays at 12:15. I have a friend who also does WW and we are going together. Its nice to think that I'm not alone, that there will be one friendly face in the crowd.

I read somewhere that life is easier being OP (on program). Its completely true. My life (and health) are much better when I am eating and working out correctly. So Internet world of blogging, please welcome me back!

Patience is not a virture I was given.

For shiz, its been awhile. I haven't updated Tales from the Scale, cause well...its scary. I have to say that I'm not completely letting myself go, but the self control I had is not there. As for gym time, that has been awesome. I have been getting at least 5 days of workouts in. Yay for me!
So what has been leading to my demise, STRESS! Yes I am blaming it on that and here is why:

1.) My apartment. I live in a fabulous 1 bedroom, rent controlled apartment in SoHo. How is this possible you say? Well, I illegally sublet it. With this wonderful sublet comes the crazy lady who actually has her name to the lease. She really is crazy...I am so not kidding. Most months, I don't even speak to her. I send her her part of the money and as long as she gets that, all is well. Previously mentioned, I have been having some problems with mice. So much so, that I had to throw away some great bags and purses because the buggers decided to poo and piss all over them (gross I know!) I had her call the Super to come and help me pull out the fridge to plug up the hole. 2 weeks later, he arrived. I acted as her "friend" and let him know what was happening. After saying "Yeah, she has been seeing a lot of mice", he said "I know she doesn't live here" Which my response was, "Of course she does, she just works a lot". Anyways, this had me spooked, cause if they found out, I would be homeless. However, I find that not likely as I have only seen him 3 times (including that day!) and I have lived there for 9 months.

2.) Wedding. No not mine, my bro's. I leave on Saturday to go to Hilton Head, SC for a much needed vacation. We have a second row beach house with a pool and hot tub. My bro and future sister-in-law are bringing Rock Band and wii (and plenty of booze). I am super excited and just want it to be here. I have gotten my dress and am actually worried if I did lose any more weight, that it wouldn't fit (very unlikely, but whatevs). I have been running around NYC looking for new summer wear, as nothing from last year fit, and that is stress in of itself. I love me some Old Navy cloths, but seriously, they don't know what a woman's body is. Just because I am a 14 doesn't mean I have a huge stomach and no ass. Opposite, I have a nice waist but some junk in the truck. Why can't they make pants that FIT correctly! I digress...

3.) Job situation. Although, this did get solved today. I got promoted!! Yay for me! I pretty much knew this was going to happen, but got the "official" word today. So, that is a big load off my mind. I just wanted to know, and now I do.

Well, I guess that is about it for stress. I guess really its not stress, more of my lack of patience, which in turn causes stress because I can't control it. Ahh a vicious circle.

Full...must stop!

Finding a good lunch in midtown is like finding a fat girl turning down chocolate cake, it doesn't happen. There are a few places in my area that do have a reasonable lunch offering for cheap. But after trying all of them (at least a few hundred times) I was in a quest for something different. A new place that has a cheeseburger for less than a hundred calories, ok not really. I was in search of a new salad place. Yes, true "diet" food!
For those of you who don't live in a major city, there are these amazing deli lunch places where you can create your own salad. You get a container of a leafy green, hand it over to nice gentleman behind the counter, and pick your toppings. Not being originally from New York, this was a new concept to me when I moved here 4 years ago. People don't make their own salads, craziness!
Anyways, I talked to a coworker of mine who I know enjoys a nice salad like I do. She suggested her new favorite place, Printon (I totally did my first link!). I diligently looked at their topping selections and it was quite impressive, boarding overwhelming. Cheeses, nuts, different types of chicken, olives, roasted peppers....I could go on. So, I got a bowl of romaine lettuce, added some grilled chicken, corn, mushrooms, black olives, red onion, and topped it off with some fat free lemon herb dressing (this is all Core I might add). The outcome...amazing, all I have to say is wow. I know that its only a freakin salad, but it was delish. The chicken was so good, the black olives added a nice flavor and the red onion a good kick. It was just really good tasting. So tasty it was that I almost ate the entire thing and we are talking a HUGE salad.
Yeah, I'm in pain.

Tales from the Scale: Back to the Core of things.

Oh my, another Tuesday has rolled around. The weeks go by fast, don't they? Well I was hoping for some good news today, but alas my body doesn't seem to want to agree. 196.2, not a huge gain, but still a gain. I want to say that I was exactly on point the whole week, but I wasn't. I used my 35 flexies and all of my Activity points and maybe a few more. I think where I went astray was on Saturday. I weighed myself in the morning, 193.8 (awesome, right?). Once I saw that number, I gave myself free access to eat more than I should. I did only have 2 beers that night, but there were some nachos that kept calling my name.
As my mom says, it is what it is. Today, as a way to semi-control myself, I went back on Weight Watchers Core plan.

The basics of Core (taken from the WW website)?

Eat from the Core Food List: When you follow the Core Plan, you can eat until you’re satisfied from a list of wholesome, nutritious foods from all food groups. The foods are low in energy density, meaning they’re more filling, and you’ll consume fewer calories. (More on energy density later.)
Know your Comfort Zone: After some practice, you’ll find your personal Comfort Zone, which measures how full or hungry you are throughout the day. The Core Plan teaches you to recognize and respond to your body’s signals of hunger and satisfaction.
Use your weekly POINTS®: Allowance for non-Core Foods. You get a weekly POINTS Allowance of 35 to spend on non-Core Foods that add the variety you need for lasting weight loss. So don’t worry that you’ll never get to eat your favorite foods again.
Follow the 8 Good Health Guidelines: By sticking to our health guidelines, you’ll get the nutrients you’ll need while following the plan.

I have done this plan before and it helped break through a plateau I was having. I'm going to give it another go and see if it won't help me get below 195 for more than a day. Fingers and toes crossed for a good week!

That is so money.

The Food Network is like my porn. My favorite thing to do on the weekends is to have a cup of coffee and turn to channel 50. You talk to anyone who watches the Food Network and they almost all have their favorite "Chef", mine?

1. The old school Paula episodes (when she lived in her old house and when she hadn't met Michael yet). Her food was more "homey" and reminded me of many things I had growing up in the Midwest.

2. Sandra Lee, cause that bitch always has a weird ass cocktail at the end and who doesn't like her table scape's? I know I love em.

And then there is my absolute favorite,

3. Ina. She (along with Paula) makes no excuses for using butter and a ton of oil in her recipes. I love her kitchen and overall house and really enjoy her recipes. I have adapted many of hers to more point friendly ones. But I think more importantly I love the fact that she is fat. There is only one episode I can think of that she creates a "low calorie" dish. It was kind of like a tzaki sauce (that amazing creamy garlicky-dill sauce on gyros that I could eat by itself!). Sorry I got off track...all in all, she works it. She has fun and doesn't give a shit. I would totally be her friend.

But as much as I love my girls, a new favorite has come into the picture, Guy Fieri. I'm not too keen on his cooking show, but I love one of the shows he hosts. Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Anyone who has seen this show knows what I am talking about. He goes around the country looking for great diners, drive-ins, and dives (duh). The episode I saw today, he went to a place where they deep fried a hamburger patty. But not to be out done, Guy freakin deep fried the ENTIRE hamburger! Amazing. I would SO eat that! The place also had deep fried Twinkies and Oreos. Ok, my mouth is watering, I need to stop.

The only problem with watching this truly hardcore "porn" show, I get hungry. It doesn't matter if I just ate or if I am eating at the moment, I really want what he is eating. I wonder if they have Food Network Anonymous?

Hi my name is Soho Fat Girl and I am addicted to the Food Network.

Ole!

Who doesn't like some good mexican food? Meat, cheese, tortilla. Delish! Tonight I met up with one of my good friends, A. She's fabulous. She crazy blind dates and does improv, she is very much the people person. We hadn't seen eachother in awhile, so we decided to do dinner. Since I live in Soho and she works in Soho, we met on my corner and walked around and enjoyed the great weather we were having. We decided on Dos Caminos. I hadn't yet tried it, plus we could eat outside. We started out with their famous guacamole! Totally worth the $12.00 price tag.

Oh, she had a margarita and I had the red sangria. It would have been better if they were a bit bigger. $9.00 bucks for some sangria?? You kidding me? Especially when the glass is so full with ice! Total rip off, but whatevs, we hadn't seen eachother in awhile. We then ordered, her the mahi tacos. Me, the chicken tacos. We decided to share them and try each. Wow, for $14.00, they were some TINY tacos! I think I had 2 pieces of chicken in them. The mahi tacos, were fabulous. Enough spice and kick to it, I suggest.

We talked and caught up, it was great. We ordered another round of "refreshing beverages" and called it a night. Overall, Dos Caminos is overpriced average mexican food. Taco Express on Varick does it better and you get a ton of food.

Tales from the Scale: Lack of Focus

Ah yes, another Tuesday has yet rolled around. Ok, so again, I wasn't expecting a miracle. It would have been nice to think that I was within my points for the whole weekend, but I know that its not true. I did however, lose weight. 195.8, so that is a plus from last week.

Anyways, enough with the scale. I really wasn't in the mood this morning to weigh myself. And no, its not because I knew I didn't lose. You see, my apartment has been taken over by mice and I was up late last night resetting traps. At 2:45 am, I heard another one go off in the kitchen and then heard the trap slap around. Oh great, I didn't quite get him. I just got his arm, the poor thing. I went to the bathroom and didn't hear anything, so I thought that he finally died, but after climbing back into bed I heard him again. Well, I couldn't just let him suffer so I went and grabbed some plastic bags, put the trap in there (with the little guy still attached), and grabbed my tea kettle. I am almost in tears just thinking about it. I really don't like killing animals (cockroaches, I don't mind), but the little thing looked at me as I was putting him in the bag. I did it quick and made sure he was gone, so he didn't suffer anymore than he had to.
Needless to say, it took me awhile to go back to sleep.

Pizza, Beer, and Cake. Oh my

My loyal readers (ok, so I don't think that anyone reads this), but I am back. I went home to the midwest to visit my family and go to my future sister-in-laws bridal showers. So, here is the run down:

Day 1: I arrived the evening before (Thursday) very late. My planes were on time, woo whoo!, that totally never happens. My mom picked me up and we headed back to the house where I grew up. Woke up in the morning and went to the local hair salon to get my hair did. They do a great job, plus my mom pays for it. After getting all beautified, we headed out to my grandparents to say hello and see my Uncle D. My Uncle D was leaving to go back to Iraq where he is a civilian contractor on a army base in Bagdade. After eating about 6 of my Grandma's chocolate chip cookies (they are SO good), my mom and I headed out to the mall! Ahh suburban life. We were both in search of dresses for the upcoming nuptials of my brother and his fiance. I was also in need of some new jeans and over new wardrobe. Most everything I have is a size too big! Long story short, I ended up getting an Antonia Melani dress. Size 14 thank you very much! Its really cute and very comfortable. I also got some new jeans and said goodbye Lane Bryant. I am now too SMALL to fit into their clothes. It feels great! Amazing right? After the mall we headed to Panera Bread, a calorie landmine if you ask me, but whatevs I'm on vaca. We then went to Target, my favorite store in the whole world. You can find everything there, and its pretty cheap too! After shopping away the day we headed back to my small town and met up with my Uncle D, his friend P, and my Uncle A at the local bar. The joint was jumping as the sand volleyball tournaments had started. Pitcher after pitcher of Miller Light, we drank away the evening. We also polished off a plate of the best nachos ever..mmm. I headed back home, drunk, and passed out cause I had only slept for a few hours the night before and had shopped all day.

Day 2: Bridal Shower #1. My mom, grandma, and I were heading up an hour north to go to the first bridal shower being put on by my future sister-in-laws side. We had some time in the morning, so we headed out to the outlet mall (yay, mall!) to go get me some new bras. I hadn't been fitted in a long time, so I tried on a bunch of them. 36D! Crazy, back in September I was a 38DD. I'm hoping that I don't lose any more weight in my chest, it probably will :( After the outlet mall we went to Grandma's for supper (or as most people call it lunch, don't ask me why they call it supper!) , as my Uncle D's last meal before going back to Iraq. My grandma made roast, mash potatoes, corn, green beans, and homemade rolls. So freakin good. I then had a piece of her homemade chocolate cake with fudge icing. Yes, it is as good as it sounds. After eating, my mom and I went and filled communion cups for church and then she dropped me off at a high school friends house. I had been invited over to catch up with her and bunch of girls I went to school with. All I have to say is wow, it was weird. Ok, just for awhile. You see, 3 of them are married, 1 has a serious boyfriend, and one of the married girls is pregnant. None of them have ever left the midwest and ventured out. Hell, one teaches at the high school we went to! Anyways, it was really good catching up with them. They all seem really happy and I am happy for them.
Ok, shower time! We drove up the scenic route an hour away and was greated by the brides family. The normal bridal shower things happen. Cake and presents. This one, however, had wine! Yay. Totally made it better to attend. After drinking half of a bottle, we headed home, ordered chinese, and fell asleep at 9:30. Yeah, totally exciting.

Day 3: Another Bridal Shower! Ahhh. But first, my mom and I went to visit Margret. The coolest 94 year old I know. She is somewhat losing her hearing, but she is still very with it. Always asks about my job and living in NYC. She is awesome. We chatted and then went back to get ready for the final shower. My grandma and I drove into town to get my Great Aunt (also a kick ass chick). Shower time! Walmart cake (not as good as my grandma's, but was amazing still), mixed nuts, some slushy drink thingy that was like a Flinestone push pop, and mints. But not just plain mints, these bad boys are homemade cream cheese mints. Its a tradition in my family that we make these for special occasions. Needless to say that I have made hundreds. After all the present opening, the family headed back to my grandparents for pizza and beer. All my cousins came with their significant others and we had a grand time. It was great catching up with them.

I headed back to NYC today and I am exhausted! Boy that was a jam packed weekend full of family, old friends, lots of food, no time at the gym, and lots of drinks. Oh well, back on the bandwagon today.

Tales from the Scale: Water makes you float and bloat.

Tuesday. D-Day. Weigh in day. After this past weekend, I wasn't too confident about weighing in. At least I don't go to meetings, I am an online girl, so the weighing in process is extremely personal. After my third time at the bathroom (have to get everything out!) I got on the scale, then again, and then again. Could this be right? This scale must be broke! 196.8...what??? Seriously. Did my Saturday night binge really make me gain almost 3 pounds? Is that even possible? Well apparently yes. As a veteran WW (Weight Watcher), I know that the scale doesn't always reflect the whole truth. There are so many factors that go into the scale. Water is a huge influence. Did I drink enough water the day before, am I bloated because "Aunt Flow" is in town, did that extra bit of salt make me retain even a bit of water? Yes, yes, and yes. Ok, so maybe blaming the gain all on water is really not the whole truth. I'm sure that consuming over 5,000 calories on Saturday played a role in it, but I much rather take the easy road and say "stupid water weight!". Call it denial if you will, but I can't beat myself up for taking a bit of a detour over the weekend. So in the end what has this set back cost me you ask? Nothing really. I'm not here to do a quick fix, this is my life and I am not going to stop living it. Will I end up quiting over it? Absolutely not. If I did that everytime I failed, I would be living in my Mom's basement watching reruns of Dr. Phil. I do what most people do, pick myself back up and move on. Today is a new day and also marks a new "week" for me. 35 new flexies to eat and a clean slate to start off with.

Who you calling fat?

Ok, so I'm fat....well not as fat as I used to be. My highest weight known was 230, jesus, I was like a linebacker. As of last Tuesday, I weighed 194 lbs. Almost 40lbs, not too shabby if I do say so myself. I wanted to blog to document the 20-30lbs of weight I have left to lose.....
Soooo Day 1:
Well, I wouldn't be fat without my so-called "friends". Yesterday overall was a good day. I met up with my touch football team to play our game (we lost, but I scored a touchdown). After eating all of my flexie points, I was planning on just having some diet coke and a bit of a dinner. Hell, I had 13 points to use. Well...that didn't exactly happen. One flip-cup round after another and I was drunk! I hoped in a cab with two other teammates to head to ANOTHER bar and continued to drink. That led to the burrito the size of my head, and don't forget the side of chips! After that I was toast. I headed home cause I was going to fall asleep at the bar. Well, what else could top off the night? Ben & Jerry. If I couldn't spend it with an actual guy named Ben or Jerry, I was going to spend it with a pint. I can say that I didn't eat the entire carton, but I could have if I didn't fall asleep. Lesson learned, right? Probably not. Everyday is a challenge for me. Getting up and going to the gym, making sure I drink enough water, getting enough calcuim, fruits and veggies. Its a never ending struggle, but I am determined to get to my goal.