Noosa

Have you tried Noosa Yoghurt? It is seriously, hands-down, the most delicious yogurt I've ever EVER had!  But, my very favorite part is...only 9 grams of sugar per serving.  Which is unbelievable because it tastes like dessert. Most store bought yogurt and even a lot of greek varieties have 20+ grams of sugar per serving.  It is not greek yogurt, but does have a respectable amount of protein per serving as well. 

Week 4 Stats

Weight Loss:
1. Megan 4.13%
2. Melanie 3.87%
3. Shay 2.9%
4. Deanne 2.87%
5. Erin 2.7%
6. Amy 2.36%
7. Vanessa 2.0 %

Points:
1. Megan 36
2. Danette 34
3. Vanessa 33
4. Amy 32
5. Mandi 31
6. Deanne 29
7. Shay 28 / Andrea 28

Great Job this week!!

Banana Oatmeal Muffins and Some Exercise Moves...

Here is a link to a delicious Oatmeal Banana Muffin recipe.  They are only 93 calories!  They are really yummy and my kids love them too.  They are great for a quick on the go breakfast for you or the kiddos.

Oatmeal Banana Muffins

Also, I want to share a link to where I found some new exercise moves.  I just did these this morning.  The last one is especially tough.  I went through the routine 3 times and did about 15 reps for each exercise.  Except for the abs.  I did about 30-40 reps.  I feel like a got a pretty good all over body work out in a short amount of time.  I added a bit of jumping jacks in the routine just to get some more cardio.  Try it out and let me know how you like it...

Melanie's Favorite Moves

Green Monster Spinach Smoothie

Here is the link to the yummy smoothie that Deanne made at my house the other night.

http://iowagirleats.com/2012/01/04/my-top-secret-diet-weapon/

Here is the recipe in case you don't want to follow the link:

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 frozen sliced banana

1 Tablespoon peanut butter

1/2 cup 0% Vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt

1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze (or other kind of milk)

4 cups baby spinach (or more, or less)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Nutritional stats:

350 calories, 10g fiber, 21g protein

I know it says 'serves 1', but I made this recipe and I had half (it filled a glass) and my kids split the other half and it was totally enough for us. 

Ab Workout

I shared this at the get-together tonight and just thought I would post the link here.  I like it for a few reasons...
1.  I like to use my exercise ball.
2.  I like that it has modifications to each exercise.
3.  It blends cardio and ab toning.
4.  I feel good when I am done!

http://www.prevention.com/fitness/strength-training/2-week-belly-flattening-routine?page=3

Water

Quite a few of you have mentioned how hard it is to get your daily water in. What are some ideas that you have about getting your daily amount of water in?
For me, I just like to try to get through as much of it as early as possible. I try to have it more than half way gone by 10am.  Here is what Bob Harper (that trainer from The Biggest Loser) has to say about drinking your water...

Drink Water Before Every Meal

“Let me put this plainly: drinking water helps you lose weight,” Harper writes. Getting enough water improves digestion, helps you feel full, and can make your workouts more effective. Harper says that when his private fitness clients start making an effort to drink more water, they have less muscle fatigue, recover more quickly, and feel more active in the afternoon.

Kick off this habit by putting a full glass of water on your nightstand every night before bed, so you can sip it first thing the following morning.

Week 3 Stats

Points:
1. Megan 35
2. Vanessa 35
3. Danette 32
4. Amy 32
5. Erin 30
6. Mandi 30
7. Melanie 27

Percentage of Weight Loss:
1. Erin 3.35%
2. Megan 3.31 %
3. Melanie 2.21%
4. Amy 1.82%
5. Mandi 1.54%
6. Vanessa 1.2%
7. Melissa 1.02%

I dare you to try this!

I am obsessed with Tracy Anderson arm workouts- there are none better! This particular one is my favorite. It is just under 8 minutes long, but I dare you to try to make it through 5 minutes!

Soda Addiction

OK ladies,
I think I may have found a solution to the soda dilemma. At king Soopers the Kroger brand of seltzer water is pretty good. It's lemon lime flavored and all it has in it is seltzer water and natural flavoring. It's in cans which is even better, and Zero calories. Give it a try. It's located on the water isle. Oh and it's cheap too. Only $3 for a 12 pack.

Week 2 stats

Total % Weight-loss
1. Megan 2.86%
2. Erin 2.83%
3. Deanne 2.66%
3.  Mandi 2.19%
4. Shay 1.83%
5. Vanessa 1.6%
6. Andrea 1.57%
7. Melissa 1.02%

Points this week:
1. Megan 36
2. Vanessa 36
3. Mandi 33
4. Danette 33
5. Amy 33
6. Shay 29
7. Andrea 28


Great Job this week everyone!  And thanks to those who got me their numbers nice and early today. :)
***PS- I just adjusted the standings (12:45 pm 10/16) ---sorry if it bumped you off!!***

Guys....this was seriously me yesterday. yikes.

Free Day

I have had some free day issues this week and I wanted to get your input before I tally up my points this week.  I am not sure the best way to describe this, so I will tell you the situation:

All week, I had planned on having my free day on Thursday.  It was our anniversary and I did not want to worry about counting points or calories when we went out to dinner.  The day before, Wednesday, I got a migraine and did not exercise.  So what I am wondering is if we can switch up some of the categories on the free day.  What I ended up doing was working out on my free day and counting it as my Wednesday workout.  Is everyone ok with doing this when needed?  Is switching up some free day stuff when needed ok with the rules or is it too late in the game to make changes like this?  I hope this makes sense!

Asian Noodle Salad

OK, so I'm addicted to this stuff.  It's a great way to get your veggies in!  I chop up all the veggies, then put them in individual Ziploc bags.  I also put the cooked pasta in it's own bag.  Keeping the ingredients separate keeps them fresh all week!  I mix up the dressing too, and keep it in a container in the fridge.  It needs about 30 seconds in the microwave and a quick shake before using it, as the olive oil solidifies in the fridge.  Most of the calories come from the pasta and the dressing, so I measure out my serving of noodles and dressing, then toss in as many of the veggies as I want!  I also top it with soy nuts.  You can find them at king soopers on that rack of packaged sweets in the produce section ( like the chocolate covered pretzels, etc).  They add a nice crunch.  Check the back of your pasta box and soy nuts for nutrition info and serving size.  I use organic whole wheat linguine.  Here is the dressing nutrition info for 2 tablespoons-

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 28 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 128 Calories from Fat 125

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 13.9g 21%

Saturated Fat 2.0g 10%

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 722mg 30%

Total Carbohydrates 1.2g 0%

Protein 0.8g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% • Iron 1%

Nutrition Grade D

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Asian Noodle Salad



Prep Time 30 Minutes
Cook Time 10 Minutes

Recipe Description :
Adapted from Jamie Oliver, this salad is a triumph. A total winner. An explosion of color, flavor, and texture. And the beauty of this salad is, you can just wing it, adjusting the ingredients of the salad or the dressing as you like.

  Preparation Instructions Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on a platter.
Note: dressing keeps for up to three days before serving, without cilantro.

Ingredients
SALAD INGREDIENTS:
1 package Linguine Noodles, Cooked, Rinsed, And Cooled
½ heads Sliced Napa Cabbage, Or More To Taste
½ heads Sliced Purple Cabbage, Or More To Taste
½ bags Baby Spinach, Or More To Taste
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
1 whole Orange Bell Pepper, Thinly Sliced
1 bag Bean Sprouts (also Called Mung Bean Sprouts)
Chopped Cilantro, Up To 1 Bunch, To Taste
3 whole Scallions,


FOR THE DRESSING:
1 whole Lime, Juiced
8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons (up To 3 Tablespoons) Sesame Oil
⅓ cups Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Chopped
2 cloves Garlic, Chopped
2 whole Hot Peppers Or Jalapenos, Chopped
Chopped Cilantro

Meals

I have a lame problem.  I have a hard time finding low calorie, low fat meals to cook for my family.  The problem is that I am the only one who is trying to lose weight.  My husband is constantly trying to gain weight (don't we hate him!) and my toddler desperately needs to gain weight (as said by my dr.) and is a picky eater.  I feel like I end up making 3 different meals every time I cook.  So my question is, what kind of healthy meals do you make for your famiy of diverse eaters that also allow you to follow your individual diet plan? 

Week 1 Stats!

(remember I'm only going to post the top 7 in each category)

Percentage of weight loss:
1. Erin 3.35%
2. Amy 1.82%
3. Megan 1.65%
4.  Danette 1.45%
5. Deanne 1.44%
6. Natalie 1.34%
7. Vanessa 1.2%

Points:
1. Megan 36
2. Vanessa 35
3. Erin 34
4. Amy 33
5. Mandi 33
6. Danette 32
7. Deanne 31


Good Job everyone! If you didn't see your name in the top 7 this week, get it on there next week! This is only week 1, don't give up! :)
**And If you didn't get your stats into me, you still can and I can add you into the list, just try and get them to me as early as you can on Monday so that I can post the standings by Monday night. Inquiring minds want to know, people! :)

So I have a small soda addiction. It's not even a caffeine addiction, just soda of any kind. I was reading on Pinterest that if you are craving soda should try drinking sparkling water with lemon in it. So today I bought sparkling water and a couple of lemons. Let me tell ya, it was nasty! I should have bought a small bottle of sparkling water. I also bought a bottle of orange flavored sparkling water, also nasty. What do you all do to curb your soda cravings.
I have a really hard time drinking the amount of water i'm supposed to. I've found that if I drink it with a straw it is much easier to drink a large amount of water in a short amount of time.

So I feel like I did pretty good this week.  It helps to have a fitness crazy husband who won't let you cheat and makes you work out everyday!  I'm not following anything real diet plan.  I pretty much doing what President Kumpf told me he  did when he lost all of his weight last year.  " I just closed my mouth"!   I started out at 139.2, and my weight this morning was 137.2  I'm a little bummed because a couple of days ago I was 136.4, not sure what happened :-(
I got 31 points for the week.  My biggest problem is that I don't really like plain water.   Is drinking Crystal light the same thing??

Question

Does anyone else think it's a bad idea to have our weigh-in the morning after our free day (which apparently, I translated as pig-out day) ?  Should we move our weigh in to saturday mornings? I would then collect points for monday -saturday on sunday or monday. What do you think??

So, I pretty much blew week one. I had a grand total of 9 points! I feel like I'm just not in the frame of mind yet to do a challenge like this, but the fact is that I really want to get on track. So tomorrow I am headed back to Weight Watchers. There is a 1/2 Marathon that I want to run in only eight short months, and I am truly starting over at square one. I've never tried to exercise or get into shape with such a young baby. I'm not sure how to go about it. The combination of being extra tired and not being able to leave her because I am nursing is a challenge. After all of my other babies I've given myself at least a year before I even thought of exercising. That method did not serve me well in the long run. With this being my last baby, I don't want to put off getting in shape (hopefully once and for all) and living a healthy life.
Any way, these are just my thoughts today. Any Encouragement and advice is always welcome. HHere's to a better second week. You are all so inspiring.

Weigh-in today

Don't forget about today's weigh in. You can either send me your starting weight and your weight this morning and I can calculate it, or you can look on the blog and go to the percentage of weight loss calculator and calculate for yourself and send me your percentage. Also, send me your point totals for  last week. It is out of 36.  Get your totals to me asap, you can either email, text or just post it to the blog yourself. I will not post everyone's totals, just the top 7 in each category. And if you send me your weight for me to calculate, I will NOT be posting weight, just percentages of weight lost. :)

Laugh a little....

I am saving this for my "no points" day!

Trick

Does anyone else get a horrible hankering for something sweet after they eat a meal? (I mean, I have the urge to eat sweets at all times, but it is strongest after I eat lunch and dinner).  :)
But, I've found a little something that helps me fight this. Cinnamon. After lunch lots of days if the sweets urge is getting too strong, i'll pop in a piece of cinnamon gum. And after dinner i'll do the same, or i'll make myself a cup of herbal tea that is either cinnamon already or I just add a bit of cinnamon to it. Anyways, it helps me, just thought i'd share!

No-Bake Energy Bites.

This is one of mine and my kids favorite things to snack on.  They are all over pinterest and I've posted them on FB before but for those of you that have not seen them I'm posting the recipe here.

No-Bake Energy Bites

If you are really finding it hard to stay away from the treats or still feeling like you need a snack between meals this is a delicious option.  When I make them I replaced the chocolate chips for raisins and coconut for whatever I might have on hand(this makes them even healthier).  The coconut does help bind them a little better though.  Seriously though, these are delicious!  I made them for the Activity day girls and they LOVED them.

Question.  What has everyone been doing for their work-out?

<3 Happy getting fit,
Amy

Roasted Chickpeas

This is a really yummy snack. They have great flavor and a good crunch and are much better for you than chips if you are craving something salty!

Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients:
1 15-oz can Garbanzo Beans
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp paprika

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degree F.

Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans in a large colander. Continue to rinse until all the foamy liquid goes away.

Line the counter with a few sheets of paper towel. Place the drained garbanzo beans on top of the paper towel and let them dry for a few minutes.

Once the beans are dried, place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle on the spices. Using your hands, toss the beans around so they are all fully coated.

Place the baking sheet in the oven for 20 minutes to roast. After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and give the beans a little shake and then place back into the oven for another 20 minutes.

Sweet Treat

You may already know this one, but it's become a favorite of mine.  I take bananas and peel them, cut them in half and store them in the freezer.  Then when I'm craving something like ice cream, I take them out and put them in my blender (we have a vitamix so it can handle the larger bananas...if you have a different blender, you might want to cut yours into smaller pieces before freezing).  Sometimes I add a few drops of water or vanilla almond milk, but in the end what I get is the consistency of ice cream in a guilt-free treat.

What Diet are you following?

I'm curious what everyone is following for their 'diet'. I am counting calories using myfitnesspal.com. (which btw, let me know if you use myfitnesspal, too, we can be friends on there to see eachothers updates...)
I'm curious what you're doing and how you like it...

Protein Smoothie

This is one of my new favorite quick breakfasts.  It is a protein shake made of milk, greek yogurt, frozen banana, peanut butter and spinach.  It is not the most super tastey breakfast (I mean, how does any breakfast food compete with bacon?) but I feel good afterward and I am full all morning with no snacking temptations.  Plus, it is a lot cheaper to make this than buying those ready-made protein smoothies that are in the little cartons.
 
http://freckleberryfinds.com/2012/01/mean-green-protein-machine-recipe/

The recipe on the link makes a lot.  It is enough for both Chad and I for breakfast, or other times I just half it.  Halfed, the whole thing is 4 weight watcher points if made with 1% milk and no fat greek yogurt.  Enjoy!

Mandi

1st day done!

How'd your first day go? Mine went better than expected. I was prepared to have a major low from having no sweets. (I seriously have so many sweets per day it is horrible!) But I felt good all day, maybe the low will come today... :) I'd love to hear how all of your first day went!

I'll step out...

So, I looked at the names of those participating in the challenge and realized, but for two, I don't know anyone.  So I figured, you'd look at my name and think the same thing!  Thought I would take a minute and introduce myself.

I'm Shay and I live in the Castle Rock Ward, just down the road from Melanie Sedalnick which is how I became involved in this group.  I'm married to Frank, have two kids Jacob (15) and McKenzie (12).  We've lived here for 10 years and love the town.  I work full time in the DTC as a Paralegal and love it. 

I've been working on the weight watchers plan since September 1st and am feeling great so far!  I've struggled most of my life with food issues/weight issues but this time I'm committed no matter how long it takes so this challenge comes at a great time!

I've realized that I'll never hit 6 points in a day.  There are certain things I won't do without, like treats.  I treat myself to a dessert every night.  Generally a healthier one, but still something sweet.  And so far I've been pretty successful doing that so I don't see it changing anytime soon.

I look forward to meeting you all, and getting to know you through this blog.  Thank you, Vanessa for setting things in motion!  Good luck to everyone!

The No processed salty fast food point...

So, concerning the No Sweets and No Salty Processed snacks/fast food point...this will be very subjective. There are going to be a lot of foods that are sort of in the gray area, so you just need to decide for yourself. I listed the obvious ones (chips, fries, unhealthy crackers), but just decide for yourself if you have a question about what fits into the category. As far as the 'fast food' goes, it doesn't mean you can't ever eat fast food, that's not realistic. It's just more about making a good choice at the fast food restaurant. So order the grilled chicken sandwich instead of the the double whopper with fries. :) make sense?

Each point is subjective, really, but you know what you need to do to lose the weight that you want to and to feel good!

Baked Cauliflower Poppers

I made these today and they were SO easy and good! Just thought I'd share the recipe that I found on this blog.  Enjoy!

Members

Hey guys!
I have had a few people wondering who else is a member of this challenge, so here is the list (so we can cheer each other on!)

Vanessa Neal
Kim Hansen
Danette Schellhous
Natalie Tenney
Andrea Gorze
Deanne Blanchard
Erin Bringhurst
Melissa Bringhurst
Mandi Barton
Amy Richardson
Melanie Sedalnick
Shay Brackney
Megan Stancliffe