I'm a loser!

And that's meant in a good way!  I logged in another 4.8lb loss last week!  I know I'm late in posting this but I thought I'd update it!  Maybe I'll get a ticker or something for my side bar...

-7.0

That's now much I lost after week one of doing Weight Watchers!  SEVEN pounds!  I realize that this amount of weight loss won't last but it's still exciting!  My weeks run from Wednesday - Tuesday, and I weigh-in Wednesday mornings.

I'll sum up some of this week in bullet points:

• I went a week without Dr. Pepper, decided to splurge with some points one day and I could barely drink it, it was WAY too sweet.  Never thought I'd say that!  Now it's been another 4 days since that too sweet one and I really have no desire to drink it.  I don't do diet pop either, aspertame gives me a wicked headache.  
• I have a VERY hard time eating all my daily points, and the weekly points?  Forget it!  I think I used them once last week.  Just once.  And we even went out to eat one night. 
• Chicken salads are becoming a favorite, especially with this new Zesty Lime Vinegarette from Kraft.  
• I love turkey wraps for lunch.  And I even get to use real mayo (I love mayonnaise).  
• Girl Scout Tagalongs are only 2pp per cookie.  I immediately bought a box from my troop when I figured that out.  They're my absolute FAVORITE.  I can eat two and I totally take forever eating them savoring each bite.  
• I still log my calories because I use the nutrition info to figure out how many points a food is.  I'm keeping a log of my frequently eaten food so I can just reference that on the fly.  I also log calories to keep my sister motivated too! (we're in an ass kicking competition :p )  Smaller numbers work better for my brain which is why I rely more on points. 
• I bought an Erin Condren life planner with their annual combo sale to keep track of all my weight loss goals and achievements.  It also helped that I recently won a $100 gift card from them! 
• I brought my food EVERY DAY for two weeks at work.  Before I'd eat out at least two meals and numerous snacks which usually consisted of Dr. Pepper and a candy bar.  Now when I need a snack and I don't have any left I'll hit McDonald's and get the parfait.  They're perfectly sized and delicious!  Let's not even get started on the money saved.  
• I still hate Greek yogurt.   

I've embarked on the weight loss journey before and always gave up within a week.  I tried to do too much too quickly.  Now I'm focused on the food portion and then I'll add in some regularly planned exercise once I have the diet part down pat.  

Since I can't really afford the official Weight Watchers (I really wish is wasn't so expensive!) I'll give you some links to things that have helped me:

• LoseIt - this is the free app I use to track my calories.  I use the free version but there is a yearly paid premium version with more options (FitBit connectivity, Nike+ connectivity, etc).  The free works just fine for my purpose.  What I like about this app is that you can scan the bar codes from your food and it automatically pulls up the food and it's nutrition values, it also automatically adjusts your calories for weight loss.  I scan ALL my food at the beginning of the day when I make my lunch for work, it takes a bit longer but it works.  Find me on there!  My username is audreyj84.
• Exercise 4 Weight Loss - this website is amazing.  If you click here it will take you to all the weight watchers stuff.  They have calculators for EVERYTHING.  They have a listing of restaurant foods and their points (this came in handy yesterday when I forgot to bring a sandwich or wrap on the road with me and the nearest thing was McDonald's, Grilled Chicken & Ranch McWrap is 11pp).  There is so much more on the website and while it's not the flashiest site around it's pretty damn accurate.
• Runs for Cookies - Katie is amazing.  She lost 125 lbs and has kept it off through diet changes and running.  She doesn't sugar coat things and has a wealth of information on her site.  It updates daily at 8pm.  When I feel like giving up I go here.  
• Spark People Recipe Calculator - you have to be a member here to use this but it's a free membership.  It's VERY helpful when you make something and it doesn't come with nutrition facts.  Also, it helps when you want to make a recipe but would like to know what the nutrition facts are before you make it.  You can also input the recipe with substitutions you want to make and see how they affect the nutrition.  Some ingredients are non-negotiable for me such as butter.  I hate margarine and refuse to use it in cooking.  I do like reduced fat cream cheese and 1% milk so I'll substitute those if a recipe calls for regular cream cheese or whole milk or 2% milk.  I hate whole milk and skim milk too.  I only get skim in my Starbucks drinks.   
• Nutrition Factor EX app - I'm not sure how I found this app but I'm sure it was from some random search a while ago.  I've kept it on my phone and am SO glad I have.  It's been a life saver when trying to figure points.  You have to input the carbs, fiber, protein, and fat yourself, it's a very basic app, and it'll calculate the points.  It's amazing.  For the iPhone it's an app with a blue background with a fork and a knife.  Not sure if it's the same for Google play but it's an awesome app to have.  
• Instagram - SO many inspirational quotes and photos on there.  

Why I don't use myFitnessPal.  I've used it before.  I don't like how it doesn't have the food scanner and frankly it saves a lot of time.  I've never had a food come up wrong.  My fiance uses it and likes it because he says it's easier to input a custom amount of calories burned in exercise.  He weighs significantly less than I do so it's more important to him to use that feature.

I also paid for Ultimate Food Value Diary which combines calorie counting and Weight Watchers points.  I immediately deleted it from my phone because it was VERY overwhelming.  It had so many things to do and seemed really overloaded with crappy information and nutrition values.  It was very difficult for me to navigate and I got very frustrated by trying to figure it out.  It was a total waste of $3.99 for me.  My current system works just fine for me.  

I can already tell some very small differences.  I'm currently wearing a fleece right now that was a little snug in the midsection this time last year.  Now it fits well.  Just 7 pounds!  I also have a pair of Danskin capris (meant for working out) that were snug, they fit well and aren't as tight around my calves.  Just a couple small things but it's nice to be feeling something.  I can't wait to buy smaller clothes when the time comes!

Wahoo!!

Last week I didn't post anything for my personal one goal challenge.  Instead I focused on making healthy changes to my diet.  I tracked all my food on Monday and it was horrible!  On Tuesday I gave up mid way through the day and made a promise to myself to start getting healthy for good.  This meant changing my diet, completely.  

Most of the time I never bring food to work.  Last week I brought ALL my food to save money.  I work Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and even though I bought the occasional snack $5 a day was easier to digest than $20 a day.  But something changed on Wednesday, I didn't get a sausage mcmuffin like I normally do on Wednesdays, I ate breakfast at home, counted the calories in the app I use, AND I measured it out.  Then I did the same for lunch.  And dinner.  And it's stuck.  I have done it every day since then.  I actually have struggled a couple days to get all my allotted calories in.  I am also calculating weight watchers points too and it's getting difficult to use all my points in a day.  

I actually enjoy doing this.  I need to switch up my foods because I was only eating what I had at home but I've noticed food is lasting longer in my house, I'm actually paying attention to what real hunger is, and I've been paying attention to food labels.  Another thing I've done is that when I think I feel hungry I drink about 16 ozs of water, if I'm still feeling slightly hungry I'll grab carrots or fruit or something healthy for a snack, especially if it's between meals.  

We went out for dinner on Friday and I ordered a blackened chicken sandwich with veggies instead of fries.  Didn't put anything on the sandwich but the onions and green peppers.  It was amazing! The chicken was cooked on a cast iron skillet with green peppers, onions and seasoning and the veggie side was yellow squash (which surprisingly I LOVED), zucchini, and broccoli.  I could tell there was very little added fats in this too.  It was amazing to taste the food and how satisfied I was after I was done.  The portions were awesome too, just the right size.