What we're missing

Sue and I just realized we haven't cooked a potato in 3 weeks. We've had rice once and pasta once. One english muffin last Sunday morning is all the bread we've had, except for weekday morning breakfast bars which aren't half-bad. That's pretty crazy for us. She misses potatoes, me rice, both of us pasta. Instead we eat more fish and chicken and lots more salad, with fruit almost every night. Ridiculous. Oh, and a little red wine definitely helps the digestion ... and our sanity.

shocking loss for Grandma Z

Okay ... so sorry to have been awol so far ... tried to post last week and it didn't take for some reason, and I've been out of town until today. Grandbabies definitely take precedent!!

Did okay on the weight loss last week ... in fact, I was pretty shocked at how okay I did! My elliptical isn't even assembled yet (that's our project for this weekend)! But I've been definitely watching calories, eating more often (apples and bananas in the middle of the day) and drinking lots of water. I think this ol' body was ready for a change!

Man this is a pain

Running everyday, lifting every other, watching what I eat, time to "GET ER DONE!! "

Hope to report more than a pound lost next week. We had homemade Pizza at Mom's house for the Packer game and I only had three pieces.

2 down 13 to go.

Slowly but surely

I'm down another 1 lb, which puts me at 2 total. I only missed one day at the gym last week, which still left me with 3 solid runs of about 2.5 miles each. Hopefully as my metabolism ramps up, the pounds will start shedding quicker. I'm thinking along the same lines as my dad...at least after our Packers loss, I know I won't be tempted to chow down at a Super Bowl party...cause I won't be watchin the game!

This week I'm going to increase my speed on my runs which should bring in more mileage. Good luck to the rest of you! Especially Ben...I know how much you love those pizzas. Hang in there man!

It's a New Day

Well, I'm glad that's over. Now at least we won't have to worry for a while about drinking beer and eating brats because there's a Packer game on. On the other hand, I need to look for a different brat/beer excuse. I'm gonna miss those weekends. But I'm not worried ... 7 months and two weddings from now they'll start up all over again. In the mean time, Sue lost another 1.5 (yes Dave, that's one AND A HALF pounds) to go to 3-0, and I somehow lost another 2, so I've lost 4 after two weeks. Look at it this way ... It took the Packers 18 weeks to lose 4.

2 for 2

Second straight week of making it to the gym 4 times. I would like to get 5 in once but that would require being in town for the weekend for once. And since were headed to Peoria to see Erin/Cam and Co. it doesn't look like this will be the week. The eating has definitely gotten better too as the pantry didn't have quite the goodies like the previous week but the opportunities always manage to present themselves to cheat now and again. I basically justifiy it by adding time to the elyptical which helps a little but won't in the long run.

Pizza

Yeah, Jack's are pretty good. We've got a couple of Tombstone pepperoni pizzas in the garage freezer ... but at 390 calories a slice, Sue says they're going to stay there for a while.

Jack's Pizza's are the BEST!

Not like a Walgreens brand or something... They are "Jacks" pizza's. Been eating them since 8th grade. They are delicious by frozen pizza standards. They are made by Kraft so actually they are all over Wisconsin and you get even better selection of toppings up there too.

They are by far my biggest vice. Especially when they are 4 for $10!!!

13 to go!

I was really expecting to have possibly gained a pound after last week to be honest. The gym went great however the diet didn't mainly due to the game and other activities that just didn't leave much in the way of healthful meals. But like I said, I did get to the gym 4 times and 3 of which I spent 30 min on the elyptical..

If I can lose 2 lbs like that, I can certainly lose a few more once I get diet under control. Still have a few fast food gift cards from x-mas burning a hole in my wallet. And to top it off, Hillary found my favorite frozen pizza brand (that I thought was gone forever from the area) again in Walgreens of all places. My initial thought was it would be expensive for a pizza being at walgreens and everything but of course they were practically giving them away at 2 for $5!

The devil has pepperoni and onion on it people so beware!

Weigh Day

Well, I'm down 1 pound. I guess that makes me 1-0...kind of like the Packers in the post-season. Time to kick it into high gear! My first run of the week felt great, so I know I'm making progress with my cardio. Hope everyone has another healthy week!

Week 2 Weigh-In

Jogged once. Played 2 on 2 basketball twice. No fast food (I could definitely go for a Whopper or two right now). No desserts since last Tuesday.

Although I had a couple brews while watching the Packer's game, my body was totally caught off guard by the exercise.

3-0.

oophs

I worked out all week and then the Packer game happened. Mike Jess, Mike and Kelly along with Kim and I all had some Alasken Salmon and cheese and chips and I lost 0 LBS for the week.

Dave

yea baby!

I just burned 700 calories watching the Packer game. We go all the way and this diet thing is a piece a cake.

Temptation

The road to and from our gym seems different. There's a 1/4 mile fast-food alley I've driven down and back every time and I hadn't noticed until this week that it's got everything but a KFC. I know cuz I checked. Now when I leave the gym and I'm hungry, which is about 100% of the time, this stretch of road drives me crazy. My main weakness most recently is/was an Arby's roast beef ... just the regular please with some horsey sauce. But I wasn't above a BK or Mc D burger if there's no line. My favorite ridiculously-bad-for-you-drive-thru-treat is/was Arby's deep fried potato wedges. So hot you gotta let em cool off. Nuf said. I gotta find another route.



It's hard to type and munch granola at the same time. Later. J

Off and Running

well, not really running. I wish. But I did turn my stationary "runner" up to 40 minutes today. I'm trying Tom's advice (finally) and keeping my heart rate down to burn more fat. And whadayaknow .... it works. Before I usually worked out pretty hard, but according to my heart rate monitor, only 30% of the calories I was burn were from fat. Yesterday- 40%. Today-45%.

We're totally off potatoes (Sue's favorite), rice (mine) and pasta (both). Another great veggie to try is cabbage, chopped and sauteed with the same stuff you'd throw into b sprouts. Great with a pork chop and a side of applesauce. Another fruit side to try is sliced fresh pears or apples. Lay the slices on a plate and squeeze half a lime on 'em. Then eat 'em all.

I gotta go make some popcorn. Even without the butter, I can't go too long w/o it. It will be my one/first vice during this ordeal. J

Week 1

Hi family!

So I just got done with my 3rd run of the week and am feeling great. But I'm not going NEAR a scale til I check my loss on Monday...I've found from past experience that checking myself for the slightest change each day is inconsistent and depressing. So I recommend that you all do the same. Waiting the full week between visits to the scale keeps you happier and increases the amount of progress you will see!

As for food...I am lucky to have a Whole Foods Market near me...and I guess I'm lucky I actually like the stuff they have in there. But my mainstay when I'm watching my weight is chicken breast. I love it, and its such an easy way to get protein. I'm actually a big fan of bringing a leftover marinated chicken breast in my lunch and eating it cold or as part of a sandwich. One way that I have found to get my "carb" fix is whole wheat couscous....I made some chicken breast and couscous the other night and it does the trick by being both filling and healthy. Instead of cooking it in water, I use chicken broth to give it more flavor. I've also adopted my mom's new way of doing brussel sprouts...I cook them up with  a little extra virgin olive oil and some minced garlic. A new twist on an old veggie.

And good for you Ben for using real Ranch dressing! Its the best...and after all, everything in moderation. Now I'm hungry for a salami wrap.

Hey!

Good to go frown down South! So far so good with the exercise.. It did take an extra day or two though to clean the cabinets/freezer out of everything...

I have sweated more in the last 4 days than I have in a long time!

Any tasty (healthy foods) people are leaning on?

Primarily as Mom knows I eat a lot of wraps. I buy low-carb wraps (the wrap itself taste fine) and then I put turkey-pastrami as the main meat. I add jalapenos/banana peppers/a pickle in there too with just a little ranch (I use the real stuff but I hardly put any on). The peppers and everything add a lot of flavor. I really lean on those though day in and day out so I am desperate for anything creative...

Hi Everyone.

What's up guys? I'm a long time reader, first time blogger. I now believe the first weigh-in is going to be more of a challenge than I initially thought. I figured that just by not eating 7 - 10 cookies every day (and keeping away from prime rib & cheesy potatoes), that the holiday weight would just begin to melt away of its own accord. I guess it doesn't work like that.

Do any of you exercise outside in below 32 degree temps?

off to work

Off I go into onto the wide elliptical, jogging hard into the sun. All I need at the end of the day, is a good Old Fashion or maybe a glass of merlot. 30 minutes of aerobics and then I am done.

First and and 15

Alright so here it is....the Watts family blog. This here is a spot to post weight loss number etc. If you have any questions let me know. So post away....and get on them treadmills.