Weekly Weigh-In: Week 6

Another week down in the books and I'm finally starting to see progress! I didn't have a perfect week but I'm continuing with smart choices and working out a few days a week (need to step it up and try for 4 days this week). I am definitely on target with my birthday goal, so as long as I can keep this up, I'll be happy!

This week's weigh-in brought me down .8lbs for the week for a total weigh loss of 9.6lbs! I was really hoping to make it in the 140s this week, but there's always next week!

In other news, I reached 100 followers! And you know what that means?! It's giveaway time! Tomorrow I will host a giveaway for a custom made pom pom necklace as a way to say thank you for all the love and support I receive here.

I hope you had a successful week if you too are trying to shed those lbs! Keep up the good work!

H54F

Sorry for my lack of posts this week. I'm not sure what it is, but I have not felt like doing ANYTHING! It's really bad. Not only have I not blogged, but I haven't cleaned or done crafts like I normally love to do. Nothing is wrong, just having a "blah" week. I'm sure things will pick up again. Soemtimes you just have to have those weeks, right?

Enough of the Debbie Downer nonsense. Despite what the previous paragraph mentioned, I did manage to capture some high fives!

1. My little neice came over to say hi last night. She has the sweetest disposition, I adore her! I think she wanted me to paint her nails in this picture.
2. I redid my sewing nook a bit. Basically I put the bookcase upright and bought the desk attachemnt from Ikea for only $50! I LOVE this new setup. Thinking about actually using it this weekend.
3. Of course this week was the NFL draft, so on Thursday I deemed it "Wear Your Jersey to Work Day". So excited that I now have my gold TOMS to go with my football ensemble!
4. No week is ever complete without a sweet Milo picture. Here he is displaying his love an affection of my shoes!
5. My mother-in-law came to visit us last Sunday and took us to breakfast! I of course indulged in a little sparkling wine flight!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoys the weather. Let me know what fun activites you have planned!

Oh, and don't forget, once I reach 100 followers (only have 2 more to go!), I will do a givewaway for a custom made pom pom necklace like I made a few weeks ago! Just a way to say thank you for reading and holding me accountable.

Linking up Lauren for H54F!

Weekly Wigh-In: Week 5

This was by no means a perfect week, but am happy to report I am down again! I only exercised last Monday and majorly slacked off the rest of the week. But the good news is my dad and are going to start running outside Monday and Wednesdays after work and then one day on the weekend. I'm thinking this will really hold me accountable.

Even though I didn't run, I managed to keep my eating in check. I haven't been depriving myself of food, but just eating half of what I normally would eat. I used to go to my favorite local Mexican restaurant a few times a week and bath in their cheese dip on the regular. When my friend tempted me to go on Friday, I turned her down! It might not seem like that big of a deal, but it was one of the hardest things I've done. Say no to a 36oz beer and cheese dip on a Friday?!

Instead, it got late and we still hadn't had dinner so we drove through McDonald's (I know what you're thinking....how is that any better than Mexican food?!). I'll tell you how, I got a kids meal that consisted of a small cheeseburger, the babiest of fries and apple slices. It was delicious AND guilt free. So here's the lesson: Allow yourself cheat foods in moderation and you will still be successful!

Enough of my preaching. Let's see what the scale said!

Woohooo! I'm down 2.8lbs from last week which brings me to a total weight loss of 8.8lbs in 5 weeks!

My goal for next week is to say goodbye to the 150s FOREVER! Think I can do it?! I KNOW I can! I am finally starting to see consistent numbers on the scale and for the first time, I feel like my goal is reachable. If you're on a similar journey, how did your week go? I'd love to hear about it!

High Five for Friday!

I always love a good Friday! I can't believe we are nearing the end of April. Before we know it, it's going to be summer (although it already feels like it)! Nothing extremely exciting happened this week, but sometimes those are the best. It's all about the little things in life, right?

1. I stole my little niece, Hadleigh, to go on a walk with my friend and her son. A little play date, if you will. We walked 4.5 miles around a lake and she loved every minute of it. This was her riding home after her walk. Perfect Sunday activity.
2. One of my favorite things about where we live is having cute little restaurants right out our front door. We decided to eat on the patio of our favorite pizza place for a mid-week treat.
3. After my 10K on Saturday, my mother-in-law and I got pedicures.
4. My friend knows me all too well. She found this adorable little Minnie Mouse "Flashdance" shirt at Target for 70% off. THANK YOU!
5. Lastly, as I mentioned before, I ran a 10K on Saturday with my sister-in-law. It was the longest I've run since October and it felt great!

This weekend is a busy one, but should be another nice one. Too bad the weather won't be as warm as it has been. Oh well, can't have it all I suppose!

As always, linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F!

Guilt Free Jello Puddin' Pops

By now you have probably figured out that I'm not much of a cook. Why you ask? Simple, I'm not adventurous in trying new things (picky) plus I don't get any enjoyment from cooking at all whatsoever. Maybe one day that will change, but right now it's really not a priority.

Of course with being on a diet, I find myself wanting dessert after dinner but usually don't cave for fear of undoing all the good from the day. When my friend pinned this Jello Pudding Pop recipe, I knew it would be perfect for me! It's only 1 weight watchers point AND doesn't require advanced cooking skills. WIN WIN!

So for this week's "Saw it. Pinned it. Did it." I made Jello Pudding Pops to take to work for a guilt-free afternoon snack.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of milk

1/2 cup of light vanilla yogurt

1 package of sugar free, fat free chocolate or vanilla Jello pudding mix

Simply mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until it's smooth and creamy. I had a little trouble with this step and decided to whip out my mixer to get rid of all the "powdery magma" (aka lumps). Then all that's left is to pour into popsicle molds and pop in the freezer!

I didn't have popsicle molds so I used little Dixie cups instead.

Update: I just had one for dessert with my lunch, and it was DELICIOUS! Because it was frozen, I had to work for it so I felt like it was so much more than just 3 ounces! I recomend these to anyone who needs a little chocolate fix without the guilt that comes after!

What to Wear - Monochromatic

Mint isn't the only hot trend this season. Monochromatic styles seem to be popping up everywhere. I've seen a lot of different looks incorporating various shades of one color, so why not give it a try myself?!

So into my closet I went searching for enough of one color that I could turn into an outfit. It wasn't long before I came up with this outfit:

Dress: Me (more about it here)

Cardigan: Old Navy (old)

Shoes: Target (here) 

Necklace: Caroline G (here)*

Belt: Target (came off a dress) 



Getting into the monochromatic mindset was a bit more difficult then I thought it would be because I'm the queen of contrasting. I'm so bad that I can't stand to wear blue with denim! Usually with this dress I wear a wide white belt and a white cardigan, so I was definitely stepping out of my comfort zone by pairing it with a teal sweater and necklace. I had to throw the yellow belt in there to add a contrasting color (and because I didn't have a blue belt of any kind), but I think it all worked. What do you think? Was this a hit or a miss?

I hope this outfit inspires you to get creative with your closet. I felt like I had on a brand new outfit because I had never worn these pieces together before.

*To get my bubble necklace, enter code "Melissa" at checkout for 15% off your purchase!

Linking up with Lindsay @ The Pleated Poppy for WIWW

 

Weekly Weigh In - Week 4

Staying motivated is the key. I just completed my 4th week of making an effort to get back to where I was just a few years ago. It is challenging to say the least. Everyday, I pass up temptations but still feel guilty that I could've done better. I just have to keep telling myself that I am cutting a lot of bad food out and getting into better habits in general.

Even if it's only a few ounces, a loss is a loss. I know I say that a lot, but hopefully I start believing it. I keep wanting bigger numbers every week, but then quickly tell myself to just be happy for not gaining.

So here are the numbers:

This week I lost .4lbs which brings my total weight loss to 6lbs in 4 weeks.

I'm satisfied with the progress I've made so far, but I think I'll actually be happy once I get out of the 150s, then I'll really feel like I've done something!

Here's what I did in the way of running this week:

Thursday - 4 miles
Saturday - 6.2 miles (Monument 10K)
Sunday - 4.5 mile walk
Monday - 3 miles

Here's to another week! Tell me know how you are doing with your goals!