Gulp...

I have officially updated my goal weight to ten pounds higher than my original goal weight...

New number: 145.

That will take some getting used to! I have been dreaming of "135" for so long that "145" just doesn't look right.

But I know in my heart that I will be very happy at 145, and will not need to get down to 135.

How do I know this? I'm pretty darn happy at 151, and was actually pretty happy at 161, to be honest. I want to get to 145 because I'm still a little "fluffy around the edges" and would love to tone up. 6 pounds should be more than enough to help with that. Plus I would love to have a little more wiggle room in regards to any possible "holiday weight gain" that tends to happen to me annually...

So... I only have 6 pounds to lose until I reach my goal weight?!

How did that happen? :-)

Time to switch up my workouts? *thoughts about my weight, too*

Lately I've been considering adding more strength and stretching to my workouts...

...but I don't really want to!!! I love cardio more than anything else, and don't really have extra time to actually ADD exercise... so I'm afraid that in order to start a strength/abs/yoga to my routine, I will have to actually subtract from my cardio time.

I'm about to get a new piece of cardio equipment, YAY!!! It's a recumbent stationary bike, which will be placed in the living room where the dead Gazelle sits.

Did I not mention on here that my Gazelle died? Yeah, it was a sad day. It still is sitting in the living room, broken. And it's broken in a way that seems unfixable... I find myself looking at it, thinking insane thoughts like, "Well, if I strapped a BIG BAR to that leg with some harness-ing stuff and a tarp... maybe?" It's time to take it to the curb. :-(

But, my cousin Mollie (hi, Mollie!!!) has offered me her old recumbant bike (did I say earlier that it was "new"? I meant new to me), which I know isn't the most heart-pumping workout, but I'm determined to make it work! It's free, it's nice, and it's easy. :-) I'm sure that if I add enough resistance, it will be challenging. Maybe it's just what I need to switch up my cardio and to lose a few more inches of hips? We shall see...

I'm getting the bike this weekend, and will post pictures and discuss my first bike workout shortly afterwards. I'm stoked!

For now, I think that I will be adding in 15-20 minutes of light stretching, squats, lunges, and crunces/situps a few times a week. I'll do this in the evenings while I watch TV, normally after homework/study time and before bath/bed time. :-)

I'll let you know how it goes!

Thoughts about my weight: Lately I've been wondering if I am almost ready to start maintaining. A big part of me really want to go for those size 10's (weight = 135)... but I'm almost afraid that I wouldn't look healthy at that size anymore. The last time I wore those, I was severely restricting my diet and overexercising (eating disorder days...not fun...).

Is it possible that I should start thinking about a higher goal weight? I love how I look and how I feel right now, at 151. I'm thinking that 145 may be perfect for me.

I guess that I just won't worry about it, keep doing what I'm doing (eating right and exercising) and see where I end up. I'm hoping to find my "happy weight" this time around, and stay there forever. :-)

My first Green Monster!

As promised, here is a review of my first ever Green Monster smoothie!!! I used the most simple recipe from greenmonstermovement.com called "The Virgin Green Monster"I didn't photograph the ingredients, but here is the recipe directly from the site linked above:

• 2 cups organic spinach (I didn't use organic...)
• 1-1.5 cups milk (I used light soy)
• 1 tablespoon flax
• 1 banana
• ice

Place the ingredients into the blender in the following order: 1) flax, 2) spinach, 3) banana, 4) milk

I put them in that order, plus added the ice right away. I also didn't use a regular blender, I used my magic bullet.
This was delicious! It was so delicious that I had it three nights in a row and ran out of soy milk. :-( I am sweaty and gross in this picture because I enjoyed my green monster right after an intense cardio workout on the Nordic Track!

I'm planning on incorporating a lot of these into my daily routine! They are so healthy, and besides the flax, are all Power Foods!

How do you enjoy your green monsters? Do you have a favorite combination?

My First SFT Weigh-In Results are in...

...down .6!!!

To me, this is an amazing victory, because I did a couple of "bad" things this week:

1) I emotionally ate. I ate 2/3 a pack of double stuff oreos on Wednesday... But this was also a victory, because I DID STOP eating eventually, and it wasn't after they were all gone! Amazing. I stopped after about 50 PointsPlus, and could have gone to 75. Victory. But still bad, especially on the Simply Filling Technique, especially after I had already eaten all 49 weeklies!!!

2) Wait. I guess there was just one. I have beaten myself up over ONE mistake?! I need to re-read over my "Tips For Weight Watchers", especially the section about not beating yourself up. Time to take my own advice!

Anyway, I ended the week with 5 PointsPlus in the hole. Which means that I earned quite a few Activity Points this week, mostly because I enjoy the exercise, but partly to make up for the oreos. I hope that's a healthy attitude, and not disordered thinking! Help me out readers, do you ever exercise to try and make up for overeating??

Anyway, this week I'm going to plan things out a bit (a LOT) better than last week. I've already pre-tracked all of my non-Power foods in my tracker. If I stick to this, I will eat all 49 WPA plus 7 out of 34 earned AP. That gives me 27 AP left for wiggle room, in case I just HAVE to eat some triscuits and hummus, or a peanut butter bagel. :-)

I am thinking that this is the last week that I will be in the 150's!!! Well, maybe next week will be the last week, who knows?! I have learned that this is NOT A RACE. Weight loss takes time, and with that time comes great knowledge. I am so looking forward to learning how to maintain my weight loss, but right now, I will just enjoy the ride.

All in all, I am LOVING THE SIMPLY FILLING TECHNIQUE. Outside the oreos debacle, I have never eaten healthier than I'm eating right now! Seriously, the Power Foods are all healthy and whole, and I'm feeling healthier because of this.
***Edited to add: Fatsecret.com just informed me that if I continue to lose at this rate (.6 a week), I will be at my goal weight of 135 in 6 months. That would be AMAZING. :-)

A few SFT "open-a-can" recipes!

Here are a couple of Simply Filling Technique recipes that are almost as easy to make as opening up a can (or two!). As I've mentioned, I absoultely love these "bowl" meals. They are so delicious, and to me, the look gorgeous! Just look at all of these bright colors. :-)

Cous-cous with beans and veggies

Ingredients:

• whole grain cous-cous, cooked (I actually cooked this cous-cous in the microwave!!! Just microwave the water for about 2 minutes, then slowly add cous-cous until you get a desired consistency!)
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can diced spicy tomatoes
• 1 can green beans, drained and rinsed

Rice, beans, and veggies done right!

Ingredients:

• brown rice, cooked
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 can corn kernels, drained and rinsed
• 1 can garlic tomatoes

Because I am now following the Simply Filling Technique, I no longer have to measure the Power Foods. I just eat them to satisfaction!!!

To enjoy these meals, SFT-style, I serve myself a small bowlful at a time, adding a teaspoon of healthy oil on top.

Up next: My First Green Monster! (FYI: It wasn't my last...)

Coming soon...

I just wanted to let my readers know that I am still here!

I've been going through some personal life stuff recently, which happens to the best of us from time to time.

But, I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel now, and am ready to get back to my regularly scheduled activities: working, studying, exercising, and blogging! :-)

Coming soon:

1) my first "Green Monster"

2) more "open-a-can" recipes!

3) how I'm doing on the Simply Filling Technique

4) my first SFT weigh-in

5) a look at my kitchen

6) me: a runner?!

Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

Simply Filling Technique: Week One!

I'm proud to announce that I have started the Simply Filling Technique this week. I just felt ready to try it!

Yesterday I ate 28 of my 49 weekly points (in vegan cupcakes and Taco Bell), and I'm planning to save the rest for peanut butter and other healthy add-ins through the week.

Yesterday, besides the cupcakes and bean burritos, I ate the following Power Foods:

- oatmeal
- light soy milk
- banana
- whole grain cous-cous
- corn
- white beans
- extra virgin olive oil

How healthy is that?! :-) I'm loving this so far, and I'm looking forward to what changes this week will bring to my diet.

Things that I'm most looking forward to about this change:

1) I never have to measure the Power Foods! (except for the healthy oils, I will still measure out two teaspoons daily to add to my bowl meals)

2) I can enjoy starchy Power Foods vegetables to satisfaction, without having to count PointsPlus for them. I love corn, peas, and potatoes the most.

I am planning to make a big bowl of healthy foods, and see how long it lasts. When it's gone, I will make another one. The first one will be brown rice, black beans, canned tomatoes, canned corn, and frozen (cooked) vegetables.

Eating to satisfaction has been tricky, but I'm learning, one meal at a time.