Friend Makin' Monday

A Short Survey

1) What is your favorite household chore? And what is your least favorite?
I like vacuuming. And my least favorite is folding laundry.

2)What is your favorite city?
Florence Italy

3) Have you found real love yet?
Yes, we've been married 10 1/2 years.

4) What's one thing you eat almost everyday?
chocolate

5) What was your last thought before falling asleep last night?
I'm usually in prayer as I fall asleep and last night I was praying for a friend and an aunt.

6) What's the worst injury you had as a child?
Hmm...I didn't get hurt often, never broke a bone or had stitches. I did get a goose egg bump on my forehead in grade school when a classmate accidentally tripped me in gym class and a slid head first into the wall. Or there was the time that I fell while roller skating in high school and hurt my tail bone pretty badly.

7) Will you/have you worked out today?
I'll work out with Jillian's 30 Day Shred tonight, maybe doing two levels. Roads are too slick to get to the gym and I'm getting windows installed in my house today, so I'm not working out in front of those guys!

8) Do you tweet? If so, what's your name?
I have twitter, but rarely use it. I'm @AnnieWeighs

9) List three things you wouldn't want to live without:
Bible, family, computer/iPhone

10) Hold old were you when you had your first kiss?
I don't remember if I was a jr. or sr. in high school. Just a quick peck and it certainly didn't send off any fireworks! Haha!

Go HERE to see how others answered these questions!

Water Challenge

I'm doing a little water challenge today on my facebook page. Water is SO important when trying to lose weight and I haven't been good about getting in my daily requirement lately, so I'm getting back to it and challenge you to do the same.

Head on over to Annie Weighs on facebook and join me!

AGain

I gained a pound this past week. I was only one pound away from losing seventy pounds and was certain that I would make it happen this last week. One stinking pound was all I needed! I was so frustrated during my WW meeting over that one pound. I was mad that I did everything "right" and stayed completely on track and still gained a pound. I was crabby about it and wanted to temporarily throw in the towel and be done with it.

 Then I remembered that I've lost 68 pounds and that is something to be proud of! 68 pounds, total, in 39 weeks is an average of 1.7 pounds a week. 1-2 pounds a week is healthy, so I'm losing at a healthy, normal rate. I lost 5.4 pounds in January and that is something to celebrate! I haven't lost 5 or more pounds in a month since September! I also remembered that I usually don't see as high a loss, or even will gain, when I'm mid-cycle. Most women lose then, but I tend to gain or have a very small loss compared to other weeks. So this shouldn't have been a surprise to me if I had paid attention to that. So, now that I really think about it, I don't need that scale shouting out "Help!", I'm doing just fine and am moving on to a fresh week. I shouldn't allow the scale to impact my moods like that and take each week, no matter the result, as a learning opportunity and keep in mind that no matter what the scale says from week to week, I'm making life-long changes that good and healthy and a gain one week isn't going to change that.

Stylin'

Apparently I'm a stylish blogger! Both Moving Mertle and Eve gave me this award! Thank you both! :o)

Award Rules:

Post and link back to the person who awarded you this award
Share 7 things about yourself

Award 5 bloggers who have "Stylish" blogs.

1. Click on their names above to read all about these two terrific gals. :)
2. Seven Things about me:

My favorite nail color is OPI Bogota Blackberry

 

 

My favorite flower is a hot pink gerbera daisy. White calla lilies take a close, close second.

My favorite pampering thing is a long bubble bath.

 

 

My favorite book in the Bible is Isaiah

My favorite cardio machine is the elliptical, at the same time it is my least favorite!

My favorite beverage is water with lemon in it, in just three weeks I've acquired a love for it.

My favorite material item is my Coach purse. It was a splurge for me to get it, I used birthday and Christmas money, but I love it!

5 Stylish Blogs that I'd like to pass this award onto are:

1. Chris at A Deliberate Life
2. Kenz at All The Weigh
3. Whitney at Slimming Down for the Gown
4. Kimberlynn at Minding My Weigh
5. The Curvy Housewife

Quick Rant

I need to rant just a little bit about something that is just buggin' me! There is a local news station hosting a weight-loss competition through a local gym. They have 13 constestants working with a personal trainer and such and in the end someone will win a membership to the gym, food from Complete Nutrition, and...something else, I don't know. Anyway, they're giving daily tips to people on their Facebook page. The first tip was "you are what you eat" (uh...that's not a tip). Today's tip is "Avoid sugar! We all have cravings, but don't give in. Sugar can be our worst nightmare when it comes to weight loss." WRONG! If you cut out any type of food altogether, you're going to end up wanting it more and binging on it later! Be responsible for your food intake, treat yourself every now and then, and you'll be much more likely to keep the weight off for the long haul! It irritates me to no end when people tell you to cut this or that out. No, go ahead and have that brownie, ice cream, or margarita, just don't have your indulgence every day, or even every week! If you cut it out, you'll be much more likely to binge on it later and you'll never be satisfied! It isn't worth it and it isn't a way to lose weight for LIFE.

 

Rant over.... ;)

Weigh-In 1-18-11

On a week when I ate all of my daily points, all of my weekly points and a few of my activity points...I lost 2.8 pounds! TOM just started last night, too, so this is a huge victory for me. In my WW meeting today we talked about those 49 extra weekly points and how not to be afraid of them. I shared that last week I hardly touched my weekly points and certainly didn't eat any activity points and I just maintained. This week I ate all of those points and a few of my activity points, too, and lost 2.8. It goes to show that deprivation does NOT work! My body needs fuel to lose weight. It seems that it shouldn't work that way, but I've seen it time and time again on this journey of mine. That 2.8 loss this week brings my total to 69 pounds down! Unbelievable!

Question of the day: If you could indulge in one food item a week and still lose, what would you choose?  

I would choose chocolate ice cream with a peanut butter fudge swirl. MmmMmm!

Friend Makin' Monday

FMM: A Survey

1. Why do you blog? I started this blog to hold myself accountable for my weight-loss and to hopefully inspire others to get healthier, too. Most of my family and friends are not local to me, so it was a way for them to keep up with me, too.
2. What is your favorite TV show? Grey's Anatomy is my current favorite, but my favorite past show is Friends.
3. What's the first thing you drank this morning? water with some freshly squeezed lemon juice
4. Are you married, single or in a relationship? I've been married for 10 1/2 years.
5. List three of your hobbies. Music (singing, piano), crafts (decoupage, knitting, painting, sewing, making hair accessories and tutus...etc), and blogging.
6. What do you like most about yourself? I'm a hard worker and woman of my word
7. List a couple of your favorite sites: Facebook, Weight Watchers, 365 Project and you can see a list of great weight-loss related blogs on my sidebar.
8. What's the last book you read? Eat, Pray, Love. Book was far better than the movie.
9. Can you whistle? Yes I can
10. List your favorite pro sports teams. I don't follow sports, therefore I don't have a favorite team. I could say Vikings to please one side of my family, Packers to please another, or Lions or Raiders to please my DH....but I just don't care.
11. What's the last thing that made you smile? My son, he's 4 and so silly.
12. Do you prefer mayo or mustard? Yuck, I don't like either one!
13. Do you have a crush on someone? I think my husband is pretty great, but I think I'm far beyond the crush phase!
14. Do you get up early or sleep in? I sleep in once a week, usually, but most days I'm up around 7/7:30.
15. Do you attend church? Yes. I'm working on making it a weekly thing.
16. Would you rather see a movie at home or in the theater? I like both...it depends on my mood.
17. Was there a teacher or authority figure that ever truly stood out to you? Yes, I've been blessed with many great teachers.
18. What is your favorite game? Word searches or Sudoku, I play a mean scattergories, too. :)
19. Cupcake or potato chips? Can I pick both? If I had to choose, I'd pick the cupcake, but only if I didn't have to count the points for it!
20. Tell us something random that we wouldn't know to ask. I despise folding laundry. It is my least favorite chore.

Visit Kenz's blog to read more surveys!

Turkey Meatloaf Recipe

Last night I cooked a new recipe for my family...turkey meatloaf! Strange? Yes, but oh.so.good! I loved it, my DH liked his with a little hot sauce (his favorite condiment) and my DS liked it with a little ketchup. It had a lot of onions in it, but we like onions, so it was fine. Perhaps I can tweak it a little to cut the onions just a bit without messing it up, but I liked it the way it was. The turkey meatloaf is only 4 PointsPlus per serving and it makes 8 servings out of a regular bread pan.

Here is the site where I found the recipe. They have many other recipes that look great, so look around!














If you try this recipe, let me know if you liked it!

100!

By the way, thank you for reading my blog!! If you've been reading, and lurking, please send me a comment! I love to get to know my readers. :)

A Good Problem To Have

After being without them for four weeks to be re-sized and repaired, I finally got my wedding rings and my right hand right back today! They had to be re-sized because they were constantly falling off of my fingers, especially if I got a little cold, and I was afraid I was going to lose them. I hated being without them for so long, but it is a good problem to have to re-size my rings because my fingers are thinner! I got a Bravo! sticker today at my WW location when I stopped in to buy some snack bars and told them I had to get my rings re-sized. Another NSV to write down and celebrate!


What NSV's are you celebrating lately??


My next post will be my 100th post since starting this blog! I'll come up with something fun for that one!

Weigh-In 1-11-11

I maintained my weight this week. I'm not thrilled about that, but at least it isn't a gain! I tracked my points, cut out my soda, exercised...and maintained. I did everything right, but sometimes the weight just doesn't budge. This week I'll keep doing what I'm doing and I'm sure I'll see a loss. If not, then I'll sit down with my WW leaders and figure out if maybe my PointsPlus allowances aren't quite right.Or maybe I should give this a try...

New Page on Facebook!

I just created a new page on Facebook! Previously you had to "friend" Annie Weighs in order to follow me on Facebook. Now you can just click on the page and "like" it to follow me! So much easier for my readers and me, too! There is a link on the right sidebar, so click on it or the one below to see my new page! :o)

Friend Makin' Monday {New Year Resolutions}

I haven't done a FMM in a long time, so I thought I'd join in today!

Did you make any resolutions? If so, what are they? Have you stuck to them so far?

I did make resolutions this year! My resolutions are:

1. Continue on my weight-loss journey. I have stuck with this so far! I'm tracking all of my WW PointsPlus, going to meetings, working out, drinking my lemon water and making healthy food choices.
2. Continue growing in my faith. I have stuck with this! I went to church services yesterday and it was great as usual. I find myself reading my Bible a bit more, too.
3. Take a picture every day, just for fun. I have done this all but one day! I did post a picture for that day, but it was taken last summer. You can see my photos HERE!
4. Organize my house. I have been working on this!! I cleaned out two kitchen cabinets, the closet under our stairs, and our front coat closet so far. I've written out, on our family calendar, a goal to organize one part of our house each week.

Would you like to read about others New Year resolutions and if they're keeping them? Go to Kenz's blog!

New Cooking Show!

Hungry Girl has many books and a fantastic website full of tips, ideas, and recipes to slim down your favorite foods and now she has a brand new TV show that starts today on the cooking channel. I'm so excited to see it, I've set my DVR! Learn more about it here: http://www.hungry-girl.com/show  For those on WW, she often gives the points values for her recipes, too, so it takes the work out of it for you!

The first episode is all about pizza and who doesn't like pizza?! If you don't have the cooking channel, you can still get the recipes and tips. Here's the link from the first episode: http://www.hungry-girl.com/show/episodes/you-wanna-pizza-me

Enjoy the new show, I'm certain I will!

I'm a Loser!

I lost 3.6 pounds this week! I gained 4.4 last week over Christmas, so I'm only 0.8 away from being back to my pre-Christmas weight. I was hoping to lose at least 2 pounds this week, so 3.6 is great! I'm

New Inspiring Verse

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 

1 Corinthians 9: 24-27

I just read this verse on another blog and had to share it with you! What race are you running? This verse can apply to so many aspects of our lives. Your race could be an illness, weight-loss, a literal race, or any number of things. Whatever it is that you're racing against, race to win! Give it all you've got and, with Jesus, you'll get to the finish line!

I weight in tonight. I'm hoping to have lost at least two of the 4.4 I gained last week. Wish me luck!

Nifty

I found a fun site where you can create word clouds or some people call it subway art. You can either put in a url to your blog, like I did above, or type in your own words to create a "word cloud". How neat would this be to do with the names of the people in your family, 2011 resolutions, goals, favorite book titles, a list of your hobbies or a favorite Bible verse? You can save them and print them out to frame, too. Here is my 2011 Resolution cloud:

Go HERE to make one of your own. If you make one and put in on your blog, but sure to leave a comment so I can see it! Have fun playing!

PS Have you seen my new blog?! I started a blog for one my New Year resolutions, taking a picture every day of the year. There's a link on the left side bar of this blog for you to find it, or just click HERE!

New Loser Tips

Just a quick post...

New Year resolutions almost always means many new people trying to lose weight. I thought of a few tips I would give someone if they were just starting out. Here they are:

1. Take a before picture, or several! You don't have to share it with anyone if you don't want to, but later you won't regret having one. I have front, side, and back view pictures along with just my face. Sometimes different angles like that show your loss at different times. Then take a new picture every 5-10 pounds, the difference is huge!
2. Take your measurements! It won't be pretty, no matter how big you're starting out. You most likely won't like doing it, but time and time again I've heard people at my WW meetings who are close to making Lifetime wish that they would have taken their measurements. Do it! I take my neck, chest above bust, bust, ribcage, waist, hips, thighs, calves, biceps and wrist measurements. I also keep track of my pant sizes. Sometimes you'll see inches lost when the pounds aren't going down, so it is a great motivator! 
3. Drink your water. WW says that any beverage that has no caffeine counts. I say drink your H2O! Nothing beats it. Get yourself a pretty water bottle to drink from, I find bottles with straws helpful as I drink more with them. I recently was given a pretty bottle that looks like something you'd put coffee in. I love that it looks like I'm drinking some posh coffee when in fact I'm drinking water. ;)
4. Wear your shoes! Put on some tennis shoes throughout the day and I bet you'll move more! Just make sure you aren't wearing the same shoes to the gym on the equipment if you're a member. They tend to frown on that.
5. Get plenty of sleep. 8 hours is a must for me to function well. If you don't sleep enough, you'll have a tendancy to eat more, at later hours and choose caffinated drinks over water.
6. Stop eating at least two hours before bedtime. Three is better, but two is good.
7. Exercise. Find something you enjoy and go with it! Park farther away from the store, take the stairs....etc. It all adds up. No one says you have to join a gym or run marathons in order to get in shape! Small things really do make a difference.
8. Don't say NO all of the time! It is okay to have a treat. It is okay to have a brownie, cookie, soda, chips, pizza, burger....etc. It is okay! Just count the points, track them, and stay on point. Use those 49 weekly points you get, they're there to be used. You're more likely to keep the weight off in the long run if you use them now. Also, don't go "cold turkey" on anything. Just set limits. If you cut something out completely that you really enjoy you'll like end up binging on it later. Don't do that to yourself.
9. Don't give up! If you have a rough day, tomorrow is a new one. If you have a meal that wasn't so great, start over with your next meal. If you have a bad week, weigh-in anyway and then move forward. It is okay to gain weight when you're trying to lose it. It is normal to do so. As long as you're accountable for every BLT (bite, lick or taste) that goes into your mouth, you're going in the right direction!
10. Enjoy this journey you've started! You CAN do this!!

Races?!

Yesterday after I wrote my New Year Resolution post, I had a "God wink", as I call them. A God wink is defined, by me, as a little feeling or intuition that tells you to do something when you weren't thinking of it already. Like back in August of 2005 when I wasn't a day late yet for my TOM and I thought to take a test and found out I was pregnant. Yesterday the God wink was to go to the Fargo Marathon site to see about participating in their 5K this year. I'm originally from Fargo ND and I have many family members and friends who participate in the marathon events. The God wink lead me to sign up for the 5K race and the 10K! Yikes!!! I walk 5K's all of the time, but not 10K's! I know I can do it, though. I got my DH to sign up for the 5K, too, and I'll be walking the 10K with my mom. I'm not doing the events for speed or anything like that, just to do it and know that I can do it (and get a little medal, too!). ;) So God gave me a wink and said, "Go ahead and resolve to do the 5K and 10K...I'll be there with you!" I have two little tickers up on the right sidebar to show when the races are. I'm nervously excited!