Wednesday Weigh-in

I was down 4 lbs this morning! This thing is seriously the ultimate motivator for me. I'm loving it! This is normally the week I can't lose anything so 4 lbs is a miracle. I was hoping for 2 and I have my program set to lose 2 lbs per week so I don't expect huge losses every week but even 2 lbs a week will get me to my goal by May 1st! I just have to be REALLY good while on vacation so we'll see what the scale says next week. I'm hoping I can keep my burn above 2600 and my calories under 1800. It's a bit more than I usually eat but I figure I should allow myself a little extra wiggle room for vacation. A deficit is a deficit no matter how small so as long as my burn is higher than my calorie intake I'll still be on track. I have all my meals planned out so if everything goes according to plan (yeah right...) then I shouldn't go over my calories at all!

Thanks Grandma!

J loves to wear a cape and pretend to be Batman so I called my mom and asked if she could make him something that I wouldn't have to keep helping him with all day long. Of course she made M one too because that's what grandmas do.

Opening their package from the mail.
M in her Red Riding Hood cape.
J in his Batman cape.
Those are 2 happy little kids. She also sent them some money for Valentine's Day so we went to the store and M picked a Barbie and a ball toy and J picked a Batman with Batsub (submarine) and a Matchbox car. Then they called grandma to say thank you for spoiling them rotten.

Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs lean ground beef (93% or more)

1/4 c Egg Beaters

1 onion, chopped

1 cup skim milk

1 cup bread crumbs

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons mustard

1/3 cup ketchup

Direction:

*Preheat oven to 350.

*In a large bowl, combine the beef, egg, onion, milk and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in a lightly greased loaf pan or form into a loaf and place in a 9x13 baking dish.

*In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, mustard and ketchup. Mix well and pour over the meatloaf. (It seems like a lot but go ahead and pour it on there!)

*Bake at 350 for 1 hour. (Mine took 1.5 hours so definitely check in for doneness and be prepared to maybe stick it back in for a while)

***I drained the excess grease off of the meatloaf before serving.

Nutrition:

6 servings

Calories- 299

Fat- 10

Saturated Fat- 3

Cholesterol- 101

Sodium- 487

Carbs- 68

Protein- 28

Sugar- 4

Fiber- .5

It turned out really good! I thought the mustard sauce might be too strong because when I mixed it up you could really smell the mustard but it was perfect! You couldn't taste it at all. It was more of a sweet sauce.

Workouts and Vacation

It's been 5 days since I put on my Bodybugg and I'm getting a pretty good feel for it now when it comes to calories in vs. calories out but the amount I burn for workouts is kind of crazy. Yesterday I walked a few miles on the track at the Y before going to Turbokick and even though I came home sweaty, exhausted and thought I'd probably burned a ton of calories my burn for the day was 2674. We had an awesome instructor yesterday that really pushed all of us. She had so much energy it was unbelievable. The class even lasted an extra 15 minutes so we could do legs, stretching and abs. I'm not sure I've ever sweat so much during a workout before. She's amazing and I may consider doing her 5:30 AM class this summer. But the point is I really thought I'd burned more. These 2 hour workouts 7 days a week are killing me! I need a vacation! Of course I'm packing my workout clothes so I can use the resort fitness center if I decide to. It's inside the spa and those fancy places make me nervous. I'm hoping I can get a burn of 2200-2300 just walking throughout the day so I won't have to go. I could use a break for a few days. I'm so sore!

Speaking of vacation, the kids are really excited about going to Vegas in a few days. I've kind of showed M the places we are going and we're pretty much all packed and ready to go! Yay for a family vacation where there are no bottles, diapers, sippy cups, strollers or carseats! Also, no drinking during this Vegas trip. That will certainly be a first for me! Having to walk by Margaritaville every single day without going in for a drink is just torturous. I'm not sure how I'll survive. I hope the kids do ok with all the walking they'll have to do. It's a long walk up and down that strip with no stroller but the logistics of bringing a stroller just don't work. J will be fine I'm sure and I'm taking lots of children's Tylenol for M. I'm taking a backpack instead of my purse so I can carry water bottles and snacks for them. They aren't used to being outside in warm weather right now so it will be a nice change of pace from all this snow!

I have a new recipe I'm working on for tonight and I'll post my weigh-in on Wednesday before we leave town. Only 2 more days of this crappy weather and then we're outta here!

Bodybugg Week 1

Ok so I got my Bodybugg on Wednesday, charged it, set up the online account and strapped it on Wednesday night before bed. Yesterday was definitely a learning experience for me. It's really hard to guess how many calories you burn per day and my Bodybugg takes the guessing out of losing weight. I know how many calories I'm burning and how many calories I'm taking in. I really thought that I was pretty active before I got it but this makes me 100% accountable. Yesterday I burned 2700-ish calories and that included grocery shopping, 2 workout classes and lots of going up and down the stairs cleaning. It says on an average day I would only burn 1800 calories. I have to work REALLY hard to burn that extra 1000 calories per day! That's why my weight loss has slowed down so much I think. I was still treating my body like it weighs 220 lbs and I just don't weigh that much anymore. I don't burn many calories per day unless I work really hard for it. My daily goal is to burn between 2600-3000 calories and eat 1500-1600 calories. That means I won't be taking many breaks from working out, I won't be eating anything that isn't on my meal plan and I WILL be able to reach my goal before going back to St. John! Of course we're also headed to Las Vegas next week so I'm going to have to show some serious willpower. I've already scouted out all the places I feel comfortable eating and we've tried to revolve our plans around my eating plan. It kind of sucks to have to vacation while on a diet but I will make it work!

Chicken and Salsa Skillet

Ingredients:

2 cups multi-grain pasta

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1 small jar of salsa (1.5 cups)

1 cup of corn (I used a whole can)

1 large green pepper, diced

1 cup 2% Mexican style cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.

Add chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally.

Stir in salsa, corn and peppers and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium-low heat about 10 minutes or until chicken is done.

Drain pasta and add to chicken mixture and stir lightly.

Top with cheese and remove from heat. Let stand 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Nutrition:

Calories- 367

Fat- 8 g

Cholesterol- 85 mg

Sodium- 858 (which mostly came from the salsa so you could make your own)

Carbs- 50 g

Fiber- 5 g

Sugars- 9 g

Protein- 43 g

It was simple and fast to make so that's big plus for me! This made 4 servings and it reheated really well too. Enjoy!

Weekend Ramblings

Last night my friend Jen posted on Facebook that Costco was selling Bodybuggs so we bit the bullet and ordered 2! One for each of us! This has been a discussion in our house for a long time. We've debated it over and over but the price was awesome and came with a year of service so we decided to go for it. She's had such great success with hers (and I learned another friend is having success with hers as well!) that I really feel this could be the tool to help me lose these last remaining pounds. The biggest reason I didn't buy one before was because I've lost all this weight without one so I know it's possible but it's getting harder and harder. Also, my friend Mandy has asked me to take a class with her numerous times but I hate fitness classes. Hate them. So I've always said no but last week Sarah said she was going so I decided to try it. Turns out I actually had a good time and Sarah and I went again yesterday and are going again tomorrow! It's kind of nice to have something new to add to my fitness routine.

Speaking of adding things to routine, the kids start swimming lessons again today. We have to get all ready for summer! M also started piano lessons last week and my friend Sarah is teaching her. So far she really loves it and she's spent the last week practicing her rhythms. The clapping is pretty much constant. I think she greatly enjoys homework that starts to drive me crazy after a while. In the car the clapping is so loud! And then they're screaming at each other because one kid isn't clapping right or one of them is clapping too loud or too soft or isn't breathing right or something.

With all this snow on the ground we took advantage and went sledding with our friends this weekend. The sun was shining and we had lots of fun!

I have a new recipe I'm making tonight so I'll get it posted sometime in the next few days!