Weigh-In Wednesday: Week 25

WIW graphic for post
Weigh-In Wednesday Weekly Stats

Weight Watchers Week Number: 25

Lbs Lost this Week: – 1.2

Lbs Lost Total: – 18.2

WW Stars Earned this Week: None

Food of the Week

honey

 My husband got some raw, unpasteurized, local honey from a friend who is starting a business. I normally don’t sweeten things, but this is really good. I put just a tad (less than a teaspoon) in my tea and it has been a nice treat. I am thinking the health benefits of honey outweigh the sugar!

Activity of the Week

Not as much as I wanted, but I did get some exercise in, which made me feel good.

Sunday: 30 minute walk with a sprint thrown in at the end

Monday: 30 minute walk with the dogs

Personal Weight Loss Goals (crossed off when reached)

I want to lose…

10 lbs
20 lbs
30 lbs
35 lbs
40 lbs
45 lbs
50 lbs
55 lbs
60 lbs
65 lbs
70 lbs

Personal Fitness Goals (crossed off when reached)

I will…

Run a 5K  Read all about it here.
Run a Quarter Marathon or 10K
Run a Mud/Obstacle Race
Run a Half Marathon
Start Strength Training (again)
Backpack (more)
Start Biking

Reflections

I was fighting a cold last week and I really think taking propolis helped. I took it daily and it greatly diminished the length of my cold to about 2.5-3 days for the worst of it.

Reader’s Recap

Catch up with my plan to start exercising again.

Blog School Update

I’m in Blog School with Rita over at Blog Genie and for the next six months I’ll be working really hard to make this blog the best it can possibly be. I’m really excited about this, especially since I was the recipient of one of the Fall Scholarships (for which I am extremely grateful). This week’s update: I am working on site speed! I hope you notice it is a little faster loading so far. You can check your own site speed for free here. It should load in under 2 seconds, ideally.

Photo Recap

tiny


Everyone needs an excuse to smile!

Question of the Week

Do you consume honey or propolis?

Until the next mile marker,

Weigh-In Wednesday: Week 24

WIW graphic for post
Weigh-In Wednesday Weekly Stats

Weight Watchers Week Number: 24

Lbs Lost this Week: – 3.0

Lbs Lost Total: – 17.0

WW Stars Earned this Week: None

Food of the Week

Dragon Tea

 I haven’t been eating a lot this week, in all honesty. I have been fighting a cold and stressed out so my food intake has been kept to a minimum I think due to no appetite. It’s been a warm soup and hot tea kind of week.

Activity of the Week

Last week, I made a plan to move for 30 minutes a day and while I didn’t exactly meet that goal due to some unavoidable personal circumstances out of my control (and requiring immediate attention), I did get more exercise in than I have in quite some time and I feel really good about that. Plus – I think it shows in my loss this week!

Thursday: 30 minute run-walk

Friday: 30 minute run-walk

Personal Weight Loss Goals (crossed off when reached)

I want to lose…

10 lbs
20 lbs
30 lbs
35 lbs
40 lbs
45 lbs
50 lbs
55 lbs
60 lbs
65 lbs
70 lbs

Personal Fitness Goals (crossed off when reached)

I will…

Run a 5K  Read all about it here.
Run a Quarter Marathon or 10K
Run a Mud/Obstacle Race
Run a Half Marathon
Start Strength Training (again)
Backpack (more)
Start Biking

Reflections

I knew it was true, but now I am reminded – EXERCISE MATTERS! If I can add on a third day of walking this week (provided I kick the cold), I will feel even better about it.

Reader’s Recap

Catch up with my plan to start exercising again.

Blog School Update

I’m in Blog School with Rita over at Blog Genie and for the next six months I’ll be working really hard to make this blog the best it can possibly be. I’m really excited about this, especially since I was the recipient of one of the Fall Scholarships (for which I am extremely grateful). This week’s update: I’m working on design so you might see some changes in the sidebars and posts to cut down on clutter and make things easier to find. Although, I feel myself headed towards another design change. If you haven’t already, please subscribe and get content delivered right to your mailbox! (Also, can someone pretty please let me know if the subscription box works)?

Photo Recap

book

I got to hear blogger, speaker, writer, entrepreneur Peter Shankman speak last week and it was awesome. Who’s that, right? He’s the author of Nice Companies Finish First (stay tuned for more) and per his website, “Peter Shankman believes that everyone has to power to be better. Whether it’s the CEO who needs help empowering his employees to create magical customer moments, to the Fortune 100 who needs better marketing, to the small business who doesn’t know where to begin, Peter helps people, companies, and brands be better, be nicer, and make more money. Call it the trifecta.” Pretty cool, right? Being nice pays.

Question of the Week

Are you happy with your blog design or are you in a constant state of change?

Until the next mile marker,

Weigh-In Wednesday: Week 23

WIW graphic for post
Weigh-In Wednesday Weekly Stats

Weight Watchers Week Number: 23

Lbs Lost this Week: – 3.2

Lbs Lost Total: – 14.0

WW Stars Earned this Week: None

Food of the Week

apple

 I’ve been eating more raw vegetables and fruits this week – like a salad or fresh apples. I am not sure if it is what helped the weight loss or not. If I’m hungry, I grab a fresh-picked from the farm Honeycrisp apple!

Activity of the Week

Yesterday I had my 16-month follow-up appointment with my hematologist (medical specialist who treats diseases and disorders of the blood and blood-forming organs – sounds scary, right?!). I talked to him about my lack of motivation to exercise ever since I ran the 5K in June. He thinks I may have done too much, too fast and my body wasn’t really ready for that – even though I did it without outwardly hurting myself, even thought it was over a year after my blood clot. I told him I had to do something, but the motivation wasn’t there and it was feeling more like a burden than anything. I told him it wasn’t that I didn’t know what to do or how to do it because I did – it is just a matter of making the commitment.  For some reason this time, either my heart or brain or both isn’t into it. He told me to commit to walking at least 20 minutes a day, even if it is on my treadmill while I am surfing the internet (he showed me how to fashion a desk for my treadmill) or watching TV at night. He asked, “Do you work on the computer for at least 20 minutes a day?” I said, “Oh my gosh yes!” He does the same with his dictation notes every night before he goes home. Just gets on the computer/treadmill and types them up/walks. He said, “Add some running in here and there as you feel like it, but don’t set out to run if it’s stressing you out, just walk and see what happens.” I have made the commitment to walk for at least 30 minutes a day, starting tomorrow. Time goals worked really well for me the very first time I started running to help me weight, health and run a half marathon. I would run for seconds then minutes then miles at a time. My hematologist also agreed to following-up with my other doctors about the current status of my thyroid, which I already have planned.

Personal Weight Loss Goals (crossed off when reached)

I want to lose…

10 lbs
20 lbs
30 lbs
35 lbs
40 lbs
45 lbs
50 lbs
55 lbs
60 lbs
65 lbs
70 lbs

Personal Fitness Goals (crossed off when reached)

I will…

Run a 5K  Read all about it here.
Run a Quarter Marathon or 10K
Run a Mud/Obstacle Race
Run a Half Marathon
Start Strength Training (again)
Backpack (more)
Start Biking

Reflections

Thank you a thousand times for all of the kind things you said last week. It helped more than you know. I feel infinitely better not only having lost this week, but having spoken to my doctor and come up with a set, doable plan in my eyes.

Reader’s Recap

Don’t miss my Pepper Palace Fall Hot Sauce Review. It’s divine.

Blog School Update

I’m in Blog School with Rita over at Blog Genie and for the next six months I’ll be working really hard to make this blog the best it can possibly be. I’m really excited about this, especially since I was the recipient of one of the Fall Scholarships (for which I am extremely grateful). This week’s update: I switched my subscription manager to MailChimp (it’s free too!) and have to rebuild my subscription list from the ground up. If you like reading my blog (or you just like me or want to humor me with my practice at putting a form in a post!) and never want to miss a post by having it delivered weekly to your inbox, please subscribe below:


Photo Recap

sunflower

Just because it is fall and I love this.

Question of the Week

How did you first start exercising? What kind of goals did you set?

Until the next mile marker,

Weigh-In Wednesday: Week 22

WIW graphic for post
Weigh-In Wednesday Weekly Stats

Weight Watchers Week Number: 22

Lbs Lost this Week: + 1.4

Lbs Lost Total: – 10.8

WW Stars Earned this Week: None

Food of the Week

Cock-A-Leekie Soup

It’s definitely starting to feel like fall around here, and I found a really delicious fall recipe, which I made this past week. It is just about 7 points a bowl for this Cock-A-Leekie-Soup – and it’s good!

Activity of the Week

None except some walking. I don’t know what happened to me since I ran in July and backpacked shortly thereafter.

Personal Weight Loss Goals (crossed off when reached)

I want to lose…

10 lbs
20 lbs
30 lbs
35 lbs
40 lbs
45 lbs
50 lbs
55 lbs
60 lbs
65 lbs
70 lbs

Personal Fitness Goals (crossed off when reached)

I will…

Run a 5K  Read all about it here.
Run a Quarter Marathon or 10K
Run a Mud/Obstacle Race
Run a Half Marathon
Start Strength Training (again)
Backpack (more)
Start Biking

Reflections

I don’t know why I keep gaining weight when I am keeping my food under control. I’m pretty frustrated with it and while I know I shouldn’t think this way, I’m pretty near just giving up, throwing in the towel an settling for “always being this way.”

Reader’s Recap

Blog School is keeping me busy! In case you missed enrollment for this class, go sign up at Blog Genie for freebies, tutorials and great information – Like how to be prepared Blogging Apocalypse – it’s free and will spare you time, money and tears in an emergency. Also, check out some of my all-time favorite bloggers.

Photo Recap

grace in my car

Puppies make everyone smile, right? Gracie likes to think so!

Question of the Week

Have you ever given up on weight loss? Why or why not?

Until the next mile marker,

Weigh-In Wednesday: Week 20

WIW graphic for post
Weigh-In Wednesday Weekly Stats

Weight Watchers Week Number: 20

Lbs Lost this Week: + 2.6

Lbs Lost Total: – 12.2

WW Stars Earned this Week: None

Food of the Week

Vegetables of the Vine

I am excited to say I made an effort to increase the amount of vegetables I ate this week and have conquered my fear of how-to-cook-eggplant! I made this old Native American Recipe (I found it online, but am not sure where) called Baked Vegetables of the Vine and it was sooo good!

How to Make It (a.k.a Be Creative, I adapted this recipe to suite my tastes)

You Need:

(Takes about 15 minutes to prep)

2 onions, peeled and chopped (I left mine in rings)
2 gloves garlic, peeled and crushed (I buy mine that way in Olive Oil)
2 cucumbers, zucchini and/or yellow squash, washed and sliced (I used a little of each, cut into rings)
1 large eggplant, washed and sliced (I cut mine into rings)
2 green, yellow, red or orange bell peppers, washed, cored and cut (I used red and green and cut into rings as well)
2 fresh from the vine tomatoes, washed, cored and sliced (again, rings)
Olive or other oil of your choosing
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste (I use fresh cracked peppercorns)
Oregano, to taste
Cumin, to taste
Sage, to taste
Dill, to taste
Garlic Powder, to taste

Instructions:

(Takes about 1 hour, 15 minutes to cook)

Heat oven to 350 degrees
Mix all dry spices (enough to lightly cover all the vegetables) in a large bowl and set aside
Pour some of the oil and crushed garlic in the bottom of a large (enough to hold your vegetables) baking pan or casserole dish
Spread oil and garlic to coat bottom of pan
Place all of the sliced onions on top of the garlic and oil, in one flat layer
Sprinkle onions with dry seasonings and a touch of oil
Repeat with each vegetable (except the tomato), ensuring each vegetable has it’s own layer
Season and oil between each layer
Cover and bake in the oven for 1 hour
After 1 hour, remove vegetables and add sliced tomatoes to the top layer
Return to oven uncovered and bake for 15 minutes more
Serve hot and enjoy!

Activity of the Week

I did not run Pretty Muddy Central Ohio. I did not think it would be a good idea considering I have not run since I hurt my ankle several weeks ago now. I need to get back on track with something, though.

Personal Weight Loss Goals (crossed off when reached)

I want to lose…

10 lbs
20 lbs
30 lbs
35 lbs
40 lbs
45 lbs
50 lbs
55 lbs
60 lbs
65 lbs
70 lbs

Personal Fitness Goals (crossed off when reached)

I will…

Run a 5K  Read all about it here.
Run a Quarter Marathon or 10K
Run a Mud/Obstacle Race
Run a Half Marathon
Start Strength Training (again)
Backpack (more)
Start Biking

Reflections

I’m pretty disappointed this week, to be honest. I worked hard at keeping track of what I ate and it was much healthier. We didn’t eat out and I actually went to the grocery store with a planned out menu and left $120 later to avoid mindless eating on the fly! I especially paid attention to portion sizes and increased the amount of vegetables I ate. I even felt like I lost weight. I was actually feeling great until I got on the scale.

Reader’s Recap

Nothing to share since last Wednesday. Lately I feel like I am in a blogging slump (not to mention running, eating and weight-loss slump), but I am hoping Blog School helps with that! I am working on my first assignment this week and am already loving all of the ladies I have met through the community group.

Photo Recap

Cherokee Chicken

On Monday I made Cherokee Chicken, which consisted of fresh chicken breasts, onions, green peppers and cranberries. I wasn’t sure about the combination of flavors, but it was also very good. My husband ate his with Butternut Squash risotto. I skipped the risotto and had a peach after dinner.

Question of the Week

What vegetable to you avoid cooking because you don’t know how?

Until the next mile marker,