This is a test... Am I set up now?

Announcement!!!

I couldn't wait to post this...

As you know, my sisters and I are each other's support group.  We're constantly emailing or texting to keep each other on track and motiviated.  Today, our total combined weight loss is:

64 pounds!!!

64 pounds!!!

64 pounds!!!

Yes, we doing fantastic!!!  Love you, Amy and Grace!  Couldn't do this without you!!

MIA! Who me?

Goodness, it’s been a while since my last post.  A lot has happened in the past few weeks…

First of all, the tornado that demolished a large part of Joplin, MO affected my life.  No, I do not live in Joplin, but I do a lot of shopping and other business there.  In fact, I had shopped in and ate at several of the places that were wiped out in the tornado.  We were in town when the tornado hit, but by God’s grace, the house we were in was completely unaffected. 

Work – now that another story.  I work for an insurance company that had a very large amount of business in Joplin.  The last I knew, we’d received over 800 claims and losses were in the multi-millions.  A few years back, I worked in Claims so now have been recruited to help cover the workload over there.  I have been spared a large portion of the work, but enjoyed being able to pitch in and help.  Our company has been hugely affected by this event. 

Vacation – My DH and D2YOS went on a nice little vacation over Memorial Day weekend.  It was wonderful to get away for a few days and just breathe.  I was able to do a little shopping but mostly, we just enjoyed each other and spent time together.  Yes, I ate too much on vacation!  But the good news is that even though I was eating too much, my choices were healthier foods.  WW has impacted my choices positively!

WW – Speaking of WW, due to work related stress and that mini vacation, I let my tracking go.  Not a good idea and yes, I saw a 2 pound gain because of it.  Guess what this week’s topic was at WW?  If you said “tracking” then you are absolutely correct!!  Yep, so back to tracking it is.  I’m actually quite proud of myself as I’ve done extremely well with my tracking this week.  It could have something to do with my new-to-me iPhone and the great little WW app that is available!  Whatever the reason, it’s keeping me on track and making better decisions.

“Track only on days you want to lose!”

~Borrowed from my WW leader

Oil – one of the Good Health Guidelines set up by WW is to include 2 teaspoons of healthy oil in your diet every day.  This means two points per day used up on oil… seems contradictory to me… but they’re the scientists right?  I’m paying them to tell me how to do this, right?  Thanks to some serious motivation from my DS, I’m now trying it this week.  I want to see how it affects my weight loss.  I’ve been adding it to my smoothies each day… tried it in oatmeal, but that wasn’t my preferred method.  Smoothies covers up the taste completely!  I’ll report back on oil and the results later.

Smoothies – an excellent, quick, breakfast… that’s oh so low in PointsPlus values!  Plus it’s an excellent way to get my D2YOS to eat fruit… he normally won’t touch it with a stick!  How do I make a smoothie? Well… there is a science to it:  make it like you like it!  I normally start with ½ cup of juice or milk, add frozen fruit of my choice, and blend away!  The only thing with PointsPlus values is the juice or milk (and oil – if you add it).  Awesome, quick, and nutricious!

So what’s been going on in your life lately?