Tag: Weight Watchers 360


Dec
2013

Goalgetter2013 – How did I do in December?

categories: #goalgetter2013, accountability, December, goal, goals, meeting, progress, scale, tracking, weigh-in, weight, weight loss, Weight Watchers 360

Another wrap-up post to end the year… When I joined in the first Goalgetter2013 post in January, I hoped to keep it up all year. And I did! I set different goals each month. Some I met, some I did not. But what I learned most from all of it, is that setting short-term goals is the best way to tackle them. it’s much easier to look at things for one month than to tackle something for a whole year. That’s actually one of the things we talk about at Weight Watchers – be specific when setting goals. Set a specific goal, for a specific amount of time. It really does make sense.

So, how did I do in December? As a reminder, here is the goal I set for this month….

 

goalgetter2013 december

 

I did not hit 145 pounds. The lowest I’ve gotten down to is 148 two Saturdays ago, and then I had a gain this past Saturday. I am, however, still in the 140’s.

But, I am not upset about this. Like I mentioned in my weigh-on post on Saturday, it’s really hard to be upset about a gain after buying skinny jeans the day before. And that’s the truth. I have come so far this year, I’ve worked HARD to lose weight, and I feel the rewards of it every day. It’s not just about how I look in the mirror or the clothes I wear, but it’s all physically how I feel. Gone are the days of being so uncomfortable and feeling so blah. No more. I will continue to work towards my goal!

Going into 2014, I will continue to set small goals. It works for me. There is so much I want to accomplish in the new year, to keep pushing forward towards my weight loss and fitness goals.

 

A look back at my goals for the year… It’s been fun!

 

goalgetter2013 January goalgetter2013 february goals INST goalgetter2013 march

goalgetter2013 april goalgetter2013 may goalgetter2013 june

goalgetter2013 july goalgetter2013 august goalgetter2013 september

goalgetter2013 october goalgetter2013 november goalgetter2013 december

 

 

And here are all of my Goalgetter2013 posts for the year…

 

I want to thank these gals who put this challenge together… It’s been fun participating!

 

Did you participate in Goalgetter2013? What did you enjoy most?


Dec
2013

Favorite posts of 2013

categories: #11in2013, 2013, Autumn, Best Damn Race, Best Damn Race Ambassador, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pinellas County, Big Couple, blog, bloggers, Bon Jovi, bridge repeats, bridges, Christmas, Daddy, Daughtry, family, goals, grief, Half Fanatics, half marathon playlist, half-marathon, holidays, hot yoga, hubby, inspiration, Instagram, Jingle Bikes For Kids, Little Brother, Live Life Active, miss you, motivation, Orlando, progress, running, Trader Joe's, vlog, weekend, weight loss, Weight Watchers 360

 

end of year 2013 post pic

 

Another year is coming to an end… As I look through posts from this past year, it’s amazing how much has happened, how much was accomplished. Running, weight loss, personal growth, and more…. My blog has turned out to be the best form of a scrapbook I have ever done. And now it’s time for me to share my favorite posts of 2013. Since I just shared all my race recaps for 2013 yesterday, I did not include those in this list…

 

 

I have so much to look forward to in 2014 and continuing my blog is one of them. I hope you’ll stay with me and follow along!

 

Have a safe and Happy New Year! I hope you have a wonderful 2014!


Dec
2013

WW Weigh-In #52

categories: #beamazing, #expectamazing, ActiveLink, meeting, non-scale victory, running, Simple Start, tracking, weigh-in, weight, weight loss, Weight Watchers 360

Holy cow… Fifty-two weeks. Twelve months. One year. This last week of 2013 seems a bit surreal. It almost feels like I just went back to WW, walking into the meetings at my highest weight ever. I was ashamed of the weight I had put on, but also knew that WW worked for me before and I had to commit to it again. And commit I did. 2013 was the year I would lose weight. I never rushed it or pushed it too hard. I took it week by week, celebrated many losses, had a few weeks of maintaining, and also faced gains.

This morning, I had a feeling I would be up, and I was right. I indulged for Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day dinner and I don’t regret either of the family meals I enjoyed. If I can share a little too much information, I am seriously bloated this morning. I had also gone a month without a gain and knew that I was due for one. And, I’m okay with that.

 

WW Weekly weigh-in Week 52

 

I did Simple Start *most* of the week, with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners. I will be doing a separate post on Simple Start….

I also had another non-scale victory this week. I went shopping for a pair of boots and jeans and ended up buying a pair of skinny jeans. I have never worn skinny jeans before but these fit wonderful and they fit great. It’s hard to be upset about a 1.4 pound gain when you are in a pair of jeans you’d never consider buying before….

 

skinny jeand and boot

 

Things I did right this week are:

  • Ironically, I actually tracked every day this week, with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners. I say ironically because I don’t have to track on Simple Start. I did, though, because I am curious to see how my points stack up compared to doing regular Points Plus.
  • I made homemade minestrone and homemade meat sauce this week, as part of the Simple Start plan. Both came out great and I will definitely make them again.
  • I took snacks with me when I knew I’d be gone most of the day.
  • I added in a new workout, Focus T25. It’s pretty much all cardio, different workouts each day, 5 days a week (ultimately), 25 minutes a day. I’ll be able to incorporate it into my running schedule and not have to take anything away from it.
  • I also got 3 runs in this week!

 

homemade minestrone insta

 

 

What I will focus on this week:

  • Sticking with Simple Start again this week. I still have plenty of foods still from when I stocked up last week, so I will be good for a few more recipes this week.
  • Aiming for 4 days of running this week (to hit my goal of 625 miles for the year!) and at least 4 days of T25.
  • I bought the new WW Success Kit, so I look forward to reading through it, as well as using the steamer that came with it.
  • The end of 2013 means it’s time to focus on new goals for 2014!

 

My activity was up this past week, which I love to see on my ActiveLink. 43 points earned for the week is a win!

 

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I love looking ahead to 2014. I am excited to be close to goal, excited to see and feel progress, and I can’t wait to see what I accomplish next.

 

I hope your last weekend of 2013 is fabulous!


Dec
2013

{Recipe} Homemade Minestrone

categories: homemade, Italian, points, recipe, Simple Start, soup, tracking, veggies, Weight Watchers 360

After deciding to give WW Simple Start a go, I went to the grocery store and stocked up on all the power foods recommended. What is so wonderful about the list that WW provides, is that you have ingredients on hand to make so many things. I couldn’t resist making homemade soup and of course, it had to have an Italian flare.

Little known fact here on the blog… I spent my much younger years in my parent’s different Italian restaurants, up until about age 10. After restaurants our family businesses went in another direction. Then, in 2006, my dad decided he wanted to open one more restaurant. Much to my and my mom’s strong desire to NOT do that, my dad won and he opened a great little place in Dunedin. My mom, the amazing cook that she is, and the recipes that he and my dad created over the years (and food that I grew up on) made for a pretty amazing menu. I actually worked in the kitchen, cooking alongside my mom. And while I will never have the cooking skills that my mom does, it helped me to not be so afraid to be creative when making new dishes. We sold the restaurant after just a couple years, but I still love to cook. This is a great quality to have when you also love to eat!

minestrone 5 edit

min·e·stro·ne

A thick soup of Italian origin containing assorted vegetables, beans, pasta such as vermicelli or macaroni, and herbs in a meat or vegetable broth.

Homemade Minestrone

Makes 4 servings

  • 4 cups chicken broth (reduced sodium)
  • 1 can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
  • 1 can cannellini beans (drained)
  • 2 tbsp. minced garlic
  • 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • Carrots
  • Zucchini
  • Celery
  • White onion
  • Basil
  • Oregano

 

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add carrots, zucchini, celery, and onion and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add broth, deiced tomatoes, and cannellini beans and bring to a boil. Add basil and oregano and simmer for about 15 minutes.

minestrone 2    minestrone 1

minestrone 3    minestrone 4

 

I like soup chock full of veggies, so I tend to put a lot in. You can add veggies to your liking. Serve with a little bit of shredded parmesan cheese on top.

These are all power foods, except the shredded parmesan. On the Simple Start plan, I do not have to track the points, but I would track the parmesan cheese. This could come from my extra 7 points I have to use per day on non-power foods, indulgences, and more.

This recipe is so easy and delicious! I am sure it will be a regular in my house, especially during the cooler months!

 

What is your favorite soup? Do you enjoy soup as a way to add veggies into your meals?


Dec
2013

WW Weigh-In #51

categories: #beamazing, #expectamazing, ActiveLink, goals, lifetime, meeting, non-scale victory, running, Simple Start, tracking, weigh-in, weight, weight loss, Weight Watchers 360

It’s so hard to believe it’s the weekend before Christmas. This year is so very quickly coming to an end. I am so excited that as of this morning’s FANTASTIC weigh-in, I am that much closer to my goal. I knew I would have a loss this week, I could feel it. I just didn’t realize it would be such a big loss. Losses like this are harder to come by at this point. I was ecstatic!

 

WW Weekly weigh-in Week 51

 

And even better….. This loss puts me solidly into the 140’s. When I made it into the 140’s back at the end of November, it was more of a tip toe. I could not wait to share my excitement this morning… A 30 pound loss is incredible. It’s more than I lost when I originally did WW in 2006 and made Lifetime. I don’t know how I carried 30 extra pounds around on my short frame.

 

30 pounds gone

 

So, this puts me 8 pounds from my goal of 140. More exciting than this, though, is that I am 6 pounds from Lifetime status again, since I can be within 2 pounds of my goal weight for Lifetime. This is SO exciting. I can’t wait to say that I’m Lifetime again AND also to be a FREE member of WW. That will be awesome. Every dollar I have invested into this journey this year has absolutely been worth it, but it will be so nice to not have to pay either. I see a shopping trip for smaller clothes in my future!

 

Things I did right this week are:

  • I tracked 5 1/2 days! Fantastic!
  • Water, water, water, water, water!
  • Breakfast for dinner a couple times this week. I love it and it’s always a great source of protein.
  • Several times now, I’ve pulled clothes out from the back of my closet. It’s like shopping for free. Non-scale victories are awesome!
  • I ran my best 5K last Saturday night. It was so great. You can read my recap here.

IMG_3675    IMG_3673

 

 

What I will focus on this week:

  • So ironically, the last time I hit the 140’s, it was the weekend before Thanksgiving. This week, hitting the 140’s again and it’s the weekend before Christmas. I am also playing hooky from work most of this week so I will not be doing my usual routine, but I will be pretty active as well. Holiday weeks are a challenge, but hitting this huge goal this week is a great motivator.
  • Proper planning prevents poor performance…. This means I need to have healthy snacks on hand.
  • Hoping to get 3 days of running in this week. I don’t have any more races this year, but I am trying to keep it up!
  • More than likely I am going to start the Simple Start program this week. It’s similar to Simply Filling, where I don’t have to track. Change is always hard for me, but after discussing it this morning and hearing Marilyn’s (awesome receptionist at my meeting) success with it the past few weeks, I think now is a great time to try it as I approach my goal. I will do a separate post on Simple Start.

 

Activity points this week were better than last week, but still on the low side. I am thinking about starting a new ActiveLink challenge after the 1st to keep myself going!

 

image

 

I am so excited to end this year so close to my goal. I have worked so hard at it and it’s so rewarding for it to pay off. I am also excited about 2014 – there is so much I want to accomplish! Now more than ever I know that I CAN and I WILL!

 

Have a fantastic weekend and a wonderful holiday!