IowaJen1979 Member

I have heard vodka is the best and I like to drink it with soda and a spritz of cranberry and a slice of lime. Lately, I've skipped the cocktails and just had Diet Coke or water with lemon while socializing. Then I don't have to worry about the calories. Alcohol is a diet killer for me!

Another one of my faves: Frozen waffle (toasted) Peanut butter 1/2 sliced banana on top Glass of skim milk YUM!!!!

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! :-) I read somewhere you should have a protein, a whole grain, and a fruit. Usually, I cook something on Sunday then eat it all week for breakfast. One of my absolute faves is the recipe for chocolate chip banana pancakes from skinnytaste.com. You can freeze them then pop them in a…

Try getting an extra hour or two of sleep. Also, it helps if you can go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time every day. The human body responds better to consistency. I started sleeping around 7.5 hours every night and have found that works for me. I also phased out hitting "Snooze". When you hit snooze and…

Nothing quite tastes like cream in coffe. :-) I used to be a double whammy - cream and sugar Now I warm up half a mug of skim milk and use a frother to make some foam. A poor man's latte. :-)

I'm keeping one pair of "fat pants" to remind myself how far I've come. :-)

I made these last week and they were delicious! I found the recipe on Emily's Bites.

My cat had some litterbox issues that stemmed from anxiety. After moving, losing a cat to illness, starting a new job, and adopting a dog, she was pretty wound up and would go outside of the litterbox if I was away overnight or if I had houseguests. I took her to the vet to get checked out and she was perfectly healthy, so…

I don't eat back my exercise calories. My goal is 1200 calories a day. If I worked out and I'm hungry, I'll go up to 1300 or 1400 calories. I asked my doctor and she said try not to eat them back. I also read an article that said people naturally overestimate calories burned and underestimate calories eaten. That being…

There are some good recipes on skinnytaste.com. I especially like the blue cheese dressing. It's yogurt based.

1. Fatigue. After a long day all I want to do is order pizza and pig out on the couch. 2. Social settings - happy hour, dinner with friends, lunch with coworkers, parties... all tempting me to go overboard!

As long as you're logging it and staying within your calorie goal it doesn't matter. Calories are calories, no matter where they come from!

Thanks for posting! PW: 214.6 CW: 213.6 Loss of one pound. My goal weight was 216! I can't wait for the next challenge!

I LOVE Zumba!!!! It is the only workout I do regularly and I love it. When I first started I could make it through the whole class but had to take out some of the jumps, etc. Now, after going 5 times a week for 12 weeks, I can make it through the whole class without modifying. I like going to classes rather than doing it…

I usually just cook a big batch of something on the weekend and take the leftovers for lunch all week. I love to cook so this works for me. :-)

Same for me. Drinking alcohol sabotaged my weight loss every time so I gave it up. Drinking a beer or glass of wine is like eating a full candy bar but worse, because with a candy bar I can limit myself to just one but if I'm drinking I always have more than one. I still drink for really special occasions but most times I…

Are we having a challenge this week?

PW: 218 CW: 214.6 Loss of 3.4 pounds. I passed my goal for the challenge!!! Thanks everyone for your support!

Blurg! I'm bummed I never got a chance to respond to this! I got hit with bad allergies over the weekend and only got off the couch long enough to go to my Zumba classes (hoping that they would help). Part 1: I used this approach when setting my New Year's resolutions (which is what brought me back to MFP!). I read some…

Same for me. It helped to keep me on track when I started to lose weight. I didn't want to let my team down.

Wear the pants I have on today. :-)

As long as you count it in your calories you should be fine. I gave up alcohol but its not necessary for everyone.

That used to be my biggest issue. It was kind of a "Free For All" during the weekends. It was hard to break the habit but now I plan my meals and snacks in advance and attend morning workouts. It gets easier after a few weeks.

PW: 220.4 CW: 218.0 Loss of 2.4 pounds. Bye bye 220's!

I have only been doing cardio since January and have lost 30 pounds. I've noticed a drastic increase in energy and endurance. I know that I will need to add weights into my routine soon, just haven't gotten to that point yet. I think both are important.

I like this site because she takes dishes I love and lightens them up without sacrificing flavor.

I have been on a BIG Skinnytaste kick the past few weeks. I have made a dozen recipes from the site and all but one of them was really, really good. Here are the ones I made that I like: Baked macaroni and cheese Avocado egg salad Banana chocolate chip pancakes (one of my faves) Garlic lovers roast beef Chicken Nuggets…

I think it's WAY MORE ADMIRABLE to do what you're doing rather than taking a shortcut that doesn't last. By someone saying that to you, they are admitting they don't have the drive and discipline to schedule workouts and be mindful of what they are eating. WE are doing things the right way and will have long term success…

I'm ready for tomorrow's weigh in! Woot woot!

As if I needed am excuse NOT to run. :-) Congrats on working your way back! I sprained my ankle 2 years ago and it took me forever to get back into the swing of things. It was so hard!