Monday, February 28, 2011

calling all foodies!

Well, my weight watchers friends, I have been kind of shitty at updating you in regards to my progress! Actually, last week I was so busy, I really did not post at all!

As of last Thursday, I am down 18 pounds total. It feels great! My clothes fit better! I am wearing smaller sizes, and my waist feels smaller which is nice to actually see! This weekend I ran 2.6 miles in preparation for the 5k in two weeks, the 5k I will be doing on my birthday. I also made sure to do the 30 minute shred yesterday as I splurged with some Mexican Saturday night! It was after my run however so let’s call it “refueling”!

I am so motivated to stick with Weight Watchers it is not even funny! I have not lost motivation or faith in this eating adventure. I have splurged a variety of times, including the occasional weekend meal or valentine’s day and such, but I always come back to my tracking, back to my healthy eating, back to my working out. And I have still lost, so that makes me feel fine splurging occasionally! And the great things, those weeklies generally cover my splurges! That is why I love this new weight watchers program! And of course the 0 point fruit and veggies! I did read on a blog however that you should not over do it on the fruit so if you are in a slump, or your weight loss has stalled, make sure you are not going over 5 servings of fruit in a day. If you do, you should start counting it (this is feedback someone received from Weight Watchers directly!).

So without further ado, a few healthy foods I have been enjoying!

Pop Chips 22 chips for 3p+ (love the large serving)
Light Vanilla been ice cream with light chocolate sauce and strawberries 4p+
Plain instant oatmeal, 4 tbsp. skim milk, 1 tbsp brown sugar 4p+
Sugar Free Fudge pops 1p+
Dairy Queen Fudge Bar 1p+
WW Amaretto Cheesecake Yogurt with grapes 2p+
WW English Muffin and Simply Fruit jelly 4p+
Coffee with fat free creamer 0p+
Diet Hot chocolate made with water 1p+
Diet hot chocolate made with 1 cup skim milk 3p+
Hot chocolate made with 1 cup skim milk and 1 tablespoon light Hershey's syrup 3p+

If you are looking for more recipes, check out some of my links on facebook and the blogs on my blog roll! I am becoming addicted to food blogs and especially those based on WW and Healthy eating!

And this weekend, during my run, I was watching the food network! Ina Garten showed the perfect way to make a baked potato! Thought I would share as this is a great food with loads of potential in regards to dressing up.

Wash potatoes and dry thoroughly. If they are dry going in, this ensures a crispier skin. Do not poke holes with a fork or knife. Place directly on rack for 45-50 minutes! To test if they are done, simply insert knife into center of potato. Slit down the middle, add salt and pepper, and start adding your fav toppings!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

RING!

The month of love it coming to an end. I would repeat my “where does time go post”, but I would hate to bore you all.

Instead, I will take this time to tell you about the time my husband lost his wedding ring. Be it lack of love, the need for freedom, or just plain boredom, we will never know. One can only hope that he truly did not realize the ring had fallen off, but again, we will never know. I AM JUST KIDDING!

So the story starts about two weeks back. Chaz had mentioned that his ring was getting lose and told me he was walking down the hallway at school and the ring slipped off. Obviously with hard floors he easily heard it and found it but I told him that he needed to get it re-sized or stop wearing it. Cut to last Monday. Chaz called me panicking, with a hint of hyperventilation, stating that his ring had fallen off and he could not find it. At first I was shocked, but then I moved into: “Where did you last see it?” “Feel it?” “Where have you been today?” “When did you last have it on?” “What color are your underwear?” “Did you bring in the cat urinary sample (another story)?” “Did you look for it?” “Did Julian help you look?” “Did you take it off at home?” “Ok, stay calm….we will find it.” All while telling myself, “How are we ever going to find this ring!!!!”

Chaz has a methodical mind and he had already calculated that the only place it could be was the McDonald’s parking lot where he had helped Julian change his battery. I was skeptical as they had already stripped search the parking lot but with the crazy snow fall, I was sure we would not find it. Then one of us had a light bulb: Let’s get a metal detector. I searched online, found a number, then remembered that Michael’s friend had a metal detector. Called Mikey, his friend said it was a go, mom and Mikey hoped in the car to come help us. SCORE! But I was still worried we would never find it.

We pulled up to the McDonald’s, which was bustling with the dinner crowd rush, and headed to where Julian’s car had been parked. SHIT! They had plowed. Now is about when I had lost all hope. Mike and mom pulled up while Chaz went inside to let the manager know what we were doing. Mikey started swinging the metal detector back and forth, informing us of how stupid he must look. Any little beep I was on the ground pawing through snow. Then there was a louder beep. I pulled a pile down and separated every little piece of snow. Mikey had moved on to another area when I saw just a glimmer of metal in the snow. I picked it up, shocked, got up and started running towards the McDonalds where Chaz was. I had to double check to make sure I actually had a ring along the way ( I was seriously in shock), and just as I was getting close he walked out and I started screaming I found it! Flash forward *screaming, jumping, excitement*. What a relief to have found that little, meaningful, handcrafted ring amidst a winter wonderland of snow.

Ring is now safely in a jewelry box awaiting it's trip to the jeweler! Thank you to everyone who prayed and wished us luck! It sure payed off!

Monday, February 21, 2011

blah BLAH blah...

This week I am planning on getting back on track by including more 0p+ food back into my diet. I have to remember to always keep the fruit and veggies stalked so when I need to snack, there is a 0p+ option. And I am a night snacker, so not saving any points for those late night treats does not benefit me. Here is to a week filled with 0p+ snacks throughout the day and ice cream after dinner!

I am also about 3 weeks away from my second 5k. I am so excited that this 5k falls on the birthday, is St. patty’s day themed, and I am doing it with my mom and 2 of my weight watchers buddies, Laura and Tonya, and LeeAnn! I ran Lake Calhoun on Saturday…it was tough running outside. I vowed that I would only run outside prior to the race. Then the snow hit. So back inside I go. But I am determined to run my butt off this week on the treadmill and when I have the opportunity to test the outdoor “waters” again, I will do so! I am nervous to transition from running inside to outside as I am one of those people that SOOOOO notices a difference. Once I have been training inside, outside feels like running up a canyon, and vice versa.

And after the shitty week we had last week, I am looking forward to this week being better! Last week was a pile and mash up of stress, and money issues, and sadness, and more stress, and homework, and work, and school, and some additional stress, and car problems, and bills, and fricken craziness. But, we get back to the basics, we work our way back up, and we realize how blessed we really are and that others out there are in a worse situation.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

love...


Sometimes I look at my husband, and wonder if I am dreaming. My breath catches in those moments when I realize how lucky I am.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

A day of love...and pondering

Valentine’s day was a great day in the Durgin household!

I got home and we all exchanged little Valentine’s Day gifts!

Then the man and I got all dolled up and headed out to Redstone!

We dined on Lobster Bisque and Calamari and I had Rotisserie chicken while he had prime rib! Then we finished of the night with some chocolate cake!

We talked about our past Valentine’s Days, we talked about the future. We talked about our dreams and goals and ambitions and where we see ourselves in the future. I used to be a person who settled easily. I used to dream about stability, and money, and comfort. Now, I want adventure. I don’t want to turn 60 with my retirement all nestled away and realize I have sat in front of a computer my whole life. Don’t get me wrong, this girl always has and always will have a retirement account and a savings account. I can’t just drop all my sanity from the bucket! And maybe I have to spend ¾ of my career at a desk with a computer, but I will have fun and seek adventure and really push the envelope with all my other time. I am lucky right now to work for a company that has a boat load of opportunity. It is so multifaceted that it really dabbles in a bit of everything. And on top of that, I get so much reward and satisfaction from being in school. I love knowing that I am learning more and increasing my knowledge and soon, I will have another degree under my belt! Stuff like this excites me! But when I come to the age of 60 or 70, I want to say I traveled the world, I painted the mountains while I sat in front of them, and took photos of other countries, I knit blankets and scarves for those in need. and I raised a worldly family with all the love and support I received.

So yeah, it was a great Valentine’s Day...lots of good conversation and good food! Oh yeah, and love!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day!

So today it is valentine’s day! And we had birthday treats at work. One girl brought little cake balls and Cheetos. I had a cake ball and some Cheetos. Thought I would treat myself since it is V-day. I felt sick 5 minutes later. What I need to learn is, yes, these things are good, but my body doesn’t like them that much anymore. Especially not in large doses. I get an instant sugar high stomach ache and feel like poo…I wonder if I will ever learn my lesson. I did follow it up with water and green tea so hopefully my body liked that!

I did find a great, satisfying iced coffee drink. A blog I just recently found, danicasdaily.com, showcases what the author calls a dirty latte. A large iced latte with a shot of mocha for 4pp. the large iced latte being 3 pts and the mocha being 1. Since mocha’s are expensive, I decided to get an iced coffee for 0 pp, add one shot of mocha for 1pp, and top off with ¼ cup milk for 1pp. A two points, much cheaper, yet super satisfying version. If your coffee shop has a sugar free syrup you like, get that and minus 1 point! I like to ask for a medium iced coffee in a large cup so there is room to add the amount of milk I like! And with skim milk, why not!?!


Wednesday, February 9, 2011

on and on and on and on...

There is a list of stuff that I need to do, someday, but the tasks are just so easy to push out day after day after day.

For instance, my wedding dress. Every time we run across it, Chaz says to take it in to get it cleaned and boxed up so it doesn’t yellow. I tell him, no worries, it is already ivory. Still, I know it needs to be done. I just don’t have time! Then in the next sentence, he will say he can’t wait till I wear it again for our vow renewal. Since we have had “my” style of wedding, someday, probably in 5 years, we will do a beach renewal “his” way! Very exciting, but how is that to motivate me to box this big baby up, just to take it back out in 3-4 years. Oh the dilemma!

Then there is the storage room/man cave. This is an area of my grandma’s basement that is unfinished so we store boxes in there. Since we moved in rather quickly, this area is still unorganized, a few boxes need to be unpacked, and Chaz’s “man cave” still needs to be finished. But there for sure are not enough hours in the day to tackle this little project!

And there is that blanket I am working on. Sometimes I get in the mood to work on it, and other times, homework, and working out, and life in general take precedence. It will get done someday, but not today.

And I go online often to see how much tickets are to fly to Colorado. I need to make a trip out there to visit my family but there is always some excuse to not fork over the money. I need to for sure make this a priority!

There are the clothes and items I have been wanting to Tye Dye...it seems to be a project in itself to find time for Chaz and I to set aside time to do it...maybe within the next month, eh?

I could probably keep going, but I will keep this list short. Maybe then I can use it as a honey do list! Once I complete these, I will throw some more out there...who knows. I just may be motivated to get some of this business done now!

Happy Hump Day!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

wedding traditions...

Ever notice how, come late winter, early spring, everyone and their mother is getting engaged. Seriously, this time of year is all a buzz with engagement news. Granted the Holiday of love is right around the corner, and the abundance of ring ads and commercials probably encourages those “less motivated” men to get out and just get it over with. And yes, there are those sentimental men who have put a lot of time and effort into their proposal and “now” just feels like the right time. No matter the reason, everyone is getting engaged. So with all these recent engagements taking place, I thought I would throw some more fun ideas out there! And this post is not going to focus on the bride or groom, but rather the attendants.

Some may think TheKnot.com is just for brides but it actually has loads of tips for the family, attendants, and guests. Just a host of wedding information right at your fingertips! I for sure suggest keeping this website handy if you know anyone that is even hinting wedding! I would also suggest The Knot’s book of Lists for any bride! This book is amazing and I often gift it to newly engaged friends…my mother-in-law gave it to me and I just couldn't keep the tips to myself! So far I have bought three for people I know who have taken the plunge!

My advice for the wedding party however is simple, easy, and makes the bride or groom’s life a little bit easier during this time of stress. If you are hosting any party or event for the couple, have each guest fill out the envelope of a thank you card. Once the party is over, give the bride, groom, or both the envelopes along with the cards so all they have to do is write in the card, lick it, stamp it, and put it in the mail. This also works great for baby showers, retirement parties, birthday parties, you name it!

You can consider this your gift to the couple, by maybe providing stamps and once the party is over, tie them up with some raffia or a cute bow and pass them off! Believe me, this will be a gift they will truly appreciate and remember!

Monday, February 7, 2011

puts me in the mood...

Do you ever get those spurts where it’s like, “Ok, this shit’s got to get done?” Whenever I get into those moods, there are little steps I take to prepare myself for the upcoming tasks. If I am at work, I grab a soda, or a cup of tea, put on the head phones and get plugging away! Or if I am home, and I want to get stuff cleaned, I turn on the tv or music, grab some water, and get moving. As stuff starts to get going, the results motivate me to continue on, but I always need to prepare my mind just to get the task started. Same goes for homework…turn tv on low or some calming music, grab some coffee and open my book. When I need to exercise, looking at a magazine or putting on my shoes totally gets me in the mood.

Do you have things you do to get yourself going? It is interesting to really step back and take note of how you prepare yourself!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

KeTcHuP...

Life has been busy, which means less posting. I love writing posts and keeping everyone up to date, but sometimes, there are not enough hours in the day.

I have been busy with homework, recouping from last weekend, and cleaning. Also put in some great workouts this week to make up for last weekend. And it was a great success that even after a few too many drinks last night, I am down 2 pounds. I am going to move my weigh in day though...Sunday's come with just too much pressure! So for a total I am down 13 pounds! It feel f*cking good to have accomplished that! And this weekend brought about more craziness with Emma down and us celebrating her birthday but I stayed with in my points, used some weeklies for alcohol, but all around maintained pretty well!

I have paid off my car so now I feel like a big girl! However, we were also in a miner fender bender on Thursday night with Chaz's car so we may have taken a small hit financially. Luckily everyone is ok, but it certainly is not super fun.

SO here we start a new week! I am hoping for a Packer win...that will be a great start to my week! If not, I may fall into a deep and somber depression where I sleep 18 hours a day and eat nothing but snowballs and funyons....I am just kidding! GO PACK GO!!!!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Busy Busy Busy Time (sung to Will Smith's Summer Summer Summer time)

Well hello there...It has been a pretty busy time here at the Durgin household. This past weekend I kicked Mr. Chaz out to go play with his friends in St. Cloud while I hung out with my friends and the guest of honor, Emma! She is back from Africa and it was the first time we have seen her since June! It was a blast being together again and we really hung out just like we would have during college (a.k.a. eating, sleeping, drinking, putting on makeup, drinking, making frozen pizza in the wee hours of the morning, drinking, waking up early cause who sleeps after drinking, laying on the couch watching mindless tv, and toenail painting).


But last Thursday I made a no no that started a train wreak of events...those events led me to this:


CRAZY ASS FOOD UPDATE:


Last Thursday for lunch I decided to get a burrito bowl from Chipolte...my recovering foot got the best of me and I let myself self-loath and self-medicate (and duh I am blaming this on my toe! Why not use a crutch when I have one). Needless to say this led to a vicious cycle of bad eating for four days straight. And the crazy part, I felt like shit. I was full and sick and not really upbeat. I was on a sugary, creamy downward spiral and I knew it had to stop! So Sunday night I realized that never ever ever ever ever again do I not want to keep track of my points. I can eat whatever I want, as long as I own up to it. And the reality is, none of the food I ate was worth being sick and feeling sluggish.


That being said, I only gained .5 pounds so I am still down 11 pounds. that needs to be my motivation to continue on. I also took some photos and am pretty proud of the changes I am already seeing. These will also be motivation to stay strong and stick this out!

This picture is a bit funny looking but the other day Chaz pointed out that my arms were looking thinner. I had not realized this but once he pointed it out, I do see a difference!

And here is a full frontal view (lol)...love saying full frontal!
So this new shape that is beginning to form is of course due to the food I am putting in my mouth but I am making sure to also change up my workout. I go to the gym and while there I run or do the elliptical, but I have realized that I get better stretches and strength training through dvds. they provide instruction that I just can't get at the gym.
And last, I told you about my Nike Free Ones earlier. While here they are in all there glory! I fricken love these shoes!
So next weekend we are having another girls weekend. there will be crazy partying, tons of food and of course alcohol, but I am looking more forward to the challenge of maintaining my eating habits way more then I am looking forward to the junk food! I will focus on my friends and being surrounded by them and while doing so, maybe I will just munch on some carrots!

*Would like to thank my wonderful husband for A. going to St. Cloud, and B. Always saying supportive things that make me melt and feel proud of myself.
*Would also lie to thank Michael for the pic of my new Nike Free Runs...love him and love these shoes!