This week's goal

Now that we are all drinking our water thanks to Jenn, here is a new goal.
Change up your workout somehow. It doesn't have to be a huge change, but if you do the same workout routine for weeks on end, your body gets used to it. While the exercise is still good, it's not as effective anymore. The week I lost 3 pounds, I completely revamped my workout. So- if you go to the gym, try spending some time on the bike instead of the treadmill. If you work out at home, pop in a new exercise video. If you walk around the neighborhood, go to a park that has a few hills, or get inexpensive light weights you can put around your ankles (I'm assuming we're all pushing strollers while we do this- if not, hand weights are great, too!) Here's what I'm doing: instead of going to the Y for my normal workout, I'm doing classes. I'll do cardio sculpt tomorrow, then whatever the 5:30 AM class is on Thursday, and water aerobics on Saturday. On Wednesday and Friday I'll be walking the mall with the moms group I recently joined. Next week will be the normal Y routine because Mike will be in TN, and I doubt I can find a babysitter for 5 AM. Anyone else have good ideas on how to change your workout? Post 'em here!
Cat

Week 10 weigh in!

Jennifer: -1 lb

Catherine: +1. It was -1 until Sunday. I don't know how I gained 2 lbs in 2 days!

Zoë:-8 lbs

Laurie: +1/2

Lora: -2 lbs

Heather: -2 lbs

Our total group weight loss for week 9 was: 13 lbs
OUR TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS SINCE THE BEGINNING: 102.5 lbs

How did ya'll do? Did anyone earn any awards this week. Let's have a reason to CELEBRATE!!!

The award goes to: Zoe!!

AWARDS AWARDS AWARDS AWARDS AWARDS AWARDS AWARDS

Ok - Heather is back on track and we have everything updated for her!! Since we didn't have her stats from last week...we'll give her the award this week! She has earned her first 5lb star!! Way to go girl!!





In addition - I just wanted to say



to all of you guys, for as a group, we have lost over 100 pounds!!

Creamy Macaroni Salad

This is one I found in Moosewood Restaurant's Lowfat Favorites long before I did Weight Watchers for the first time, but it has adapted itself well and helps get the veggies in. I just whipped up a batch to have around the house over the weekend.

PASTA
½ pound whole-wheat penne
Cooked until al dente, rinsed with cold water and set aside.

CHEESE MIXTURE
½ cup fat-free cottage cheese
¼ cup fat-free mayonnaise
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (not using this will reduce the points per serving to two points, but it's good fat and I always keep it in for balance and flavor)
1 garlic clove, pressed or minced (as tempting as it may be, don’t use more)
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill (if you must use dried, use just 1 teaspoon full)
Combine these in a blender or food processor, puree until smooth, and set aside.

SALAD
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces
20 grape tomatoes, whole
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite sized strips
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 stalk of celery, chopped
2 dill pickles, diced
You should have about twice the veggies that you do pasta, so adapt as needed.
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste, don't be shy

Steam the broccoli for about 5 minutes, until crisp-tender and bright green. Briefly submerge into icy water to stop cooking process and maintain its color and texture. Steam the asparagus until just tender, then submerge it into ice water for about 30 seconds.

Mix together the pasta, the cheese mixture and all the salad ingredients into a large bowl. Chill for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.

Makes 8 servings (about 1 ½ cup each)
Per serving: 3 points

Lora

Adjusting your points..

Hey guys - don't forget like I did. When you are losing all of this wonderful weight...make sure you adjust the amount of points that you can have. I forgot to adjust and have been eating the wrong amount of points for the last two weeks. Maybe that will kick start my system again!! If you need a reference for the points alloted - look at the very first posting on this site - Jenn

Goal for this week!!

Ok ladies - each week I think we should set a new goal for all of us to follow. I think for this first week... we should start with a really basic one!! Water!! This week we will drink our minimum of 8 glasses of water a day. Then, next week - (we'll go in order of how the tickers are listed) Catherine - it will be your turn to set a new goal for all of us to follow. Sound good to everyone?? Jenn

Just me thinking out loud!

Hey guys - I had a complete computer melt down the other day and lost everything in Outlook (my primary email account)... so anyways, I've lost all of your email accounts and previous emails that you've sent me..ugh what a mess!! If you guys could all shoot me an email again so I can put you back into my files I would appreciate it. Jenn

Heather - I think you had sent me an email with the amount that you wanted to lose...but it was lost as well. I can't update your ticker if I don't know the origianl amount that you want to lose - so if you could just update me again I could get you on board.

Catherine - You are doing fantastic! My questions is this... I've been thinking about bumping my GOAL weight down so that I feel like I actually accomplish something completely (kinda like Lora does) When you accomplish your weight goal of let's say 25lbs.. you set another smaller goal. That way, you feel like you acccomplished something. What are you thoughts on that?? Also. regarding the email you sent me the other day about MothersINC - I did respond to you, but I am not sure if you got it! Did you? If not I need to send again to you...and if you responded back to me - - - I didn't get it due to the email crash!

Lora - have you come across any new favorite recipes that you would like to post up?? I sure have enjoyed having you as an addition on to this group!! I would like start having some more postings up - - I think the more things that are posted here..the more focused I stay on WW. Oh yeah - whats your family blogger site? I love to look at mine and Zoe's!!

Zoe - Hey girly girl... how was your trip?? I bet it was GREAT seeing all of your old friends again. Was your dad amazed as to how much Brodie had grown? I've checked your website for pictures...but nadda yet! I know how it is coming back from vacation though - you need a vacation from your vacation!! Alex has two little teeth popping up!! YEA!!!

Laurie - WHERE'S LAURIE?? My gosh - you must have a ton of company over!! I've been slacking a bit on the MothersInc boards so I feel totally out of the loop for sure! Hope all is going well girl.

WEEK 9 weigh in!!

Hey guys - how was your week... glad to see that some of you guys check this more than once a week... I check it daily as well... and usually post more frequently then this - but was cooped (sp?) up downstairs due to my foot procedure this past week. Ugh - what a mess. Anyways - I can't wait to see how your totals were this week!! Oh yeah - and welcome back ZOE!!! How was your trip?? Ok girls - give me the scoop:

Jennifer: -1 lb

Catherine: 3 lbs

Zoë: no loss no gain

Laurie: no gain no loss

Lora: -2 lbs (That puts me at a total of -6.5. I get my first 5 lb star!)

Heather: no stats to report

Our total group weight loss for week 9 was: 6 lbs
OUR TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS SINCE THE BEGINNING: 89.5

How did ya'll do? Did anyone earn any awards this week. Let's have a reason to CELEBRATE!!! (Sorry guys - I kinda slacked in this area last week... I will be sure and make a big deal about this week. I know the extra encouragement and "the award" that you get when you meet a goal is a HUGE deal - a sense of accomplishment...so look out ladies - I feel some medal handing out coming on!) Ugh - I am not sure if that made any sense...but we'll just go with it!! LOL

The award goes to: Catherine

AWARDS AWARDS AWARDS AWARDS AWARDS AWARDS AWARDS

Catherine - WAY TO GO GIRL!! You have hearned your 20lb star!!! Just a couple more and you will get the super duper 25lb award!








Jennifer - has earned her 15lb award!!








Lora - you're doing great!! What a fantastic month you're having!! Melting away right before our eyes!! You've earned your first 5lb award!!

Mid-week Check in

I don't know if anybody except me checks the site mid-week, but I figured I'd try to give everybody a little cheer before we hit the weekend. I know a lot of people find the weekend to be harder then weekdays, especially during the summer and holidays.

I started the week of pretty well, but have been starting to slip as the week has progressed. Today, I didn't write down any of my points. It's not like I pigged out, but I definitely went over plan. I'm hoping to start tomorrow off with a little exercise. My goal for the weekend is to write down every point I plan to eat before I bite it.

What time of week do you find the most difficult? How do you get around it?

Lora

Week 8 weigh in!!

Hello ladies! After a great meeting last week...I think it really got everyone pumped up again for a new start!! I look forward to seeing all of your results!! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.

Jennifer: -5 lbs (Whoa mamma - back on track!!)

Catherine: -1/2. At least it's something...How do you jump start so the losses are more like what happened earlier?

Zoë: ON VACATION IN L.A. - see ya when you get back!!!

Laurie: No loss, no gain. Holding steady

Lora: -1 lbs

Heather: -5lbs

Our total group weight loss for week 8 was: 11.5 lbs
OUR TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS SINCE THE BEGINNING: 83.5 lbs

How did ya'll do? Did anyone earn any awards this week. Let's have a reason to CELEBRATE!!!

The award goes to: JENNIFER AND HEATHER!!!

Zero Point Soup

2/3 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fat-free broth (beef, chicken or vegetable)
1 i/2 cups diced green cabbage
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup diced zucchini

In large saucepan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, saute the carrot, onion, and garlic over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add broth, cabbage, beans, tomatoe paste, oregano and salt; bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until beans are tender.

Stir in zucchini and heat 3-4 minutes. Serve hot

Makes 4 servings (about 1 cup each)
Per serving: 0 points, 42 calories, 0 g at, 2g fiber.

This is the soup that I mentioned. It's a great way to get your veggies in and have a filling lunch. The recipe is really adaptable, so you can tweak it to your individual tastes.

Lora

Welcome

I wanted to give an official welcome to Heather and Lora...glad to have you here with us!!! Jenn

I see more salads in my future!!

Lost and found

Hey ya'll,
I found a bumblebee after everyone left today, and I don't know who it belongs to. The wings are all different colors- one is blue and filled with liquid, one is a rattly thing, one is orange with yellow polka dots, and the last is red with white stripes. This sound familiar to anyone?
Cat

Thanks for coming today!

I really enjoyed having everyone over. I know just talking to people helped get me motivated again. I really hope we keep up these monthly meetings. And Jenn, I'm looking forward to the board becoming more active again. I really think it will help all of us. And now that we have fresh blood (no pressure Lora and Heather!) maybe it will stay more active and not lapse again. Lora and Heather- it was great meeting you two!
Cat

Can I still sneak in?

Just posted as a comment but realized it posted under Eric's login since that's what we use for our daughters blog. So I have to confess I have been lurking a bit since I saw the posts on mothers inc. I printed out the point logs and went through the website to start figuring it all out but didn't move much past that. I was talking with Lora on Monday evening and it's time I step up and get going. Ryleigh is 4 months old and I am still eating like I am 8 months pregnant and trying to gain weight. Suppose that is why I have put on 10 pounds since I left the hospital. Well I did have a little thryoid issue as well. Either way it's time to get on the ball and get this weight off. I want Ryleigh to be proud of her mama and I want to be able to keep up with my active little one. To top it off I have a wedding dress to fit into in less than 4 months. What do you say girls can I join in and be held accountable to someone?

Looking forward to it!!

Heather Stewart (soon to be Phillips)
(mother of Ryleigh Marie Phillips, 2/27/06)

Week 7 Weigh In

So I thought I'd give Jennifer a break and post the week 7 weigh in by copying the week 6 one...and I almost deleted the whole post! Guess I'm not as computer savvy as I like to think I am LOL! Hopefully y'all did better than I did this week - I gained :( I am soooo glad we're having a meeting tomorrow, hopefully it will whip my butt in the right direction :) Hope to see y'all tomorrow! ~ Zoë

Jennifer: 0 It's been another rough week..but I am ready to get on the ball again!

Catherine: 1/2. I'm not liking 4th of July right now. :(

Zoë: +2 lbs

Laurie:

Lora: -3.5 (beginners water lost, I'm sure)

Our total group weight loss for week 7 was: 4 lbs
OUR TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS SINCE THE BEGINNING: 72 lbs

How did ya'll do?

The award goes to: LORA!!! Way to go girl!!!

My Long lost friends....

Hey guys - I haven't forgotten about ya'll ... I PROMISE!!! It was a hectic weekend in Arlington and then I had to come home to go straight to work for 12 hours in the ER. Ugh - I just crashed last night! I promise when I get off work today I will put up the board so we can post our weight. If someone else wants to just copy and paste from another post - you guys can do that too! If not - I will be home around 8pm or so and I can do it then!! WELCOME LORA!!!! I am so glad that you decided to join us... and I can't wait to meet you on Wednesday!! Hope you guys are having a great week!!

New Member

Hi everybody,

When I first joined Mothers Inc about a month ago. I saw what great success everybody was having. I wasn't ready to commit to it then, but I was excited to see that you had this going and planned to join you when I felt that I could commit to it. Now I'm ready.

I lost over twenty-five pounds with WW a few years ago. I regret to say that with time and my pregnancy, I have regained each and every one of those pounds back, plus a few. So far my first few days on plan have been pretty painless. It helps that I'm suppose to eat more than I did last time because I'm breast feeding.

So thanks for letting me team up with you and I look forward to cheering on your successes.

Lora

How is everyone

Hey guys...hadn't heard from anyone in a while!! Did you guys have a good 4th of July. They cancelled our fireworks in Round Rock so we headed out to Georgetown and had a great time!! A bit misty...but Alex just layed back and watched the lights and KABOOMS - without any problem at all!! How is your week going?? Jenn

Week 6 Weigh In!!

Sooooo... it was a HARD HARD HARD week for me. I don't think that I have lost my drive..but my husband was home a couple days, we went to WACO for the weekend, and on top of that "AUNT FLOW" had to come and visit me this week. I was down 3 more pounds this weeked until all that occured. I FEEL HUGE RIGHT NOW! I am not sure how accurate my weigh in is... due to being on my monthly...but I will post it anyways!

Jennifer: +3 (YUCK!)

Catherine 2 lbs

Zoe 1/2 lb

Laurie 1/2 lb

Our total group weight loss for week 6 was: 3
OUR TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS SINCE THE BEGINNING: 68

How did ya'll do?

The award goes to: Catherine

4th of July

Anyone have any tips for the 4th? I'm thinking I don't want to completely throw the diet out the window, but traditional foods on the 4th aren't exactly diet friendly. What are everyone's plans?
Cat