Day 539 - Thursday Weigh-In, Pigs in a Blanket and Pudding

No matter how hard I try, I just cannot stay away from the scale at home.  I was a dummy and weighed this morning.  Saw a gain of about 2 pounds.  My initial reaction was to skip weigh-in and eat chocolate.  I sat down with my morning cup of coffee and checked my Facebook page.  I had some WONDERFUL comments from people who were telling me what an inspiration I am and that I am such a role model to others.  I thought to myself "SUCK IT UP CUPCAKE" (I so need one of those shirts).  People are inspired my me because I am REAL, I share the ups and the downs.  They don't just like me because I am losing weight.  One page in particular that I follow (New Figure Forward) has really inspired my journey to loving myself and seeing my self worth as MUCH more than a number on a scale.  SO, I was not feeling well (MIGRAINE), but I went and weighed in at Weight Watchers.  And I was up:

I did not stay for the meeting because I was just not feeling well.  BUT I WENT!  I am not going to go into a long list of excuses for not losing this week.  IT IS WHAT IT IS AND IT WILL NOT DEFINE ME OR MY WORTH!  SO THERE SCALE, TAKE THAT! 

Today is National Pigs in a Blanket day!

So we celebrated with Weight Watchers friendly pigs in a blanket!

This is how I made them for me (SHHHH! Don't tell it is turkey sausage).  3 points+ for the pig (sausage) and 3 points+ for the blanket (roll)around it! No need for cheese because the sausages have cheese in them! YUM!  Here is what my plate looked like tonight:

2 pigs in a blanket - 11 points+

5 oz of baked fries - 5 points+

steamed veggies - 0 points+

And I saw this on Weight Watcher Girl's blog and had to try it.  It is a new pudding out from Snack Pack:

I thought is was pretty good and tasty, especially if you are looking for a rich chocolate taste to satisfy a craving for only 3 points+.  There are other flavors, but this is all they had at my Wal-Mart.  

And a bit of sad news! I was planning on travelling to Evansville this weekend to walk the March for Babies with my sister.  However, my other sister is not feeling well and she is my transportation since I am not allowed to drive that far (for those of you who don't know, I am legally blind).  One bit of good news is that there is a March for Babies here where I live on Sunday.  So I can still participate.  

That is it for today! Sending you all love and healthy wishes!

Keep Losing,

Kari

Day 538 - Take a Chance - Wowzer Wednesday

Sad news for today! No new Wowzer Wednesday story for you.  I have reached out to several different people for stories and have not received a response.  If you are interested in sharing your story, please send me all your info at klgoodman1976@gmail.com.  You do NOT have to have a page or blog to participate.  I just love sharing successes with everyone!  Here are the general questions to guide you in writing your story:

1. Tell us a little about yourself. 

2. What made you decide to live a healthier lifestyle? 

3. What changes have you made? 

4. How is your life different now? 

5. Any advice for others on their own journey?

If you have pictures, send those too!!  And if you have a page/blog/instagram/twitter/e-mail send those links so I can share!

Today is National Take a Chance Day.  I have NO idea who makes up all of these days, but I really like this one.

It can be scary to take a chance, but the results are worth it.  Now I am not saying you should go out and risk EVERYTHING you have, but find something that you are nervous about doing and JUST TRY IT!  Today I did just that. I had been wanting to look into joining a gym, but I was too nervous to walk into one.  Today, I made myself get in my car and just go.  The lady who showed me around was SUPER sweet and I really loved the facilities and the atmosphere.  I am 99% sure I am going to join.  I love this quote by Mark Twain:

The fear of failure is so real for us that have lived life inside of our shell.  But WE ARE WORTH TAKING A CHANCE AND EXPLORING, DREAMING, AND DISCOVERING all the things we are capable of.

So today, I am asking you to TAKE A CHANCE! Pick something that has been difficult for you and just jump in, take a chance.  You never will know if you never try!  

What will you do to celebrate Take a Chance Day?  Please share with us!

Sending you all love and healthy wishes! Tomorrow is weigh-in day!

Keep Losing,

Kari

Days 536-537 - Transformation Tuesday, Recipe, and MORE

Hi everyone!  I hope you all had an AMAZING Easter weekend.  I know I did.  I really enjoyed the time I spent with my family!  Here is my most recent Transformation Tuesday pic:

I am not even halfway to my end goal, but I cannot tell you how different I feel already!

On Saturday I tried out a new recipe that I saw on Emily Bites (if you have never checked out her site, GO NOW).  It was for Carrot Cake donuts.  The recipe makes 6 donuts and each one is 5 points+.  They were very yummy!  Not too sweet, but enough that you felt like you were having a treat!  Click here for the original recipe.

Carrot Cake Doughnuts

yield: 6 DOUGHNUTS
INGREDIENTS:

1 cup white whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur Flour – yes, you can use all-purpose instead)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ cup brown sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup grated carrots
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
¾ teaspoon vanilla (divided)
¼ cup + 2 teaspoons skim milk (divided)
2 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon reduced calorie pancake syrup
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Make Raspberry-Coconut Chocolate Cupcakes

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly mist a 6 cup doughnut pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and brown sugar until well combined.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg and then add the carrots, oil, applesauce, ½ teaspoon of the vanilla and ¼ cup of milk. Stir until well combined and then add to the dry ingredients from step 2. Mix until well combined. Spoon the mixture evenly into the 6 prepared slots of the doughnut pan. Bake for 15 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Flip the pan to release the doughnuts onto a cooling rack and allow the doughnuts to cool.
In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ¼ teaspoon vanilla and 2 teaspoons milk and add the cream cheese, syrup and powdered sugar. Using a hand mixer, mix until well combined. When doughnuts are cooled, spoon the cream cheese glaze over top.

Weight Watchers Points Plus:
5 per doughnut (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)

Nutrition Information:
181 calories, 27 g carbs, 6 g fat, 5 g protein, 3 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com)

I also wanted to share a verse that has really stuck with me this weekend:

For some reason, I have had this feeling of weight or stress on my shoulders.  This verse really speaks to me. Whatever it is will NOT overwhelm me!  I thought maybe you could use His words today as well!

Tonight for dinner I made an AMAZING pork tenderloin, steamed broccoli, and baked sweet potatoes.  I tried out my new Potato Express Bag:

It worked really well, but was only big enough to cook 2 potatoes at a time.  But they were tasty and it made cooking in the microwave quick and easy!

That is it for today! Tune in tomorrow for a Wowzer Wednesday! Sending you all love and healthy wishes!

Keep Losing,

Kari