Fit Friday!

I finally weighed in and it wasn't pretty. It was actually shocking to see a number staring me in the face that I had never seen in my whole life. YIKES. But you know what? It was just the motivation I needed to get back in the game and start seeing results! I weighed in Tuesday and had already seen results when I weighed in today.

The stats this week:

Pounds Lost: 2 pounds
To Go: 42

That is a scary big number of pounds to go. But I got myself into this mess so I can get myself out. The key to success is the will and I have that now. More than ever. Bring it on! 

I have been weighing in everyday. I know most people say not to, but it really helps me. My dad says it best, "I know most 'experts' don't recommend frequent weighing. That's because they know that many dieters become discouraged when the number doesn't drop after a "good" day. The key is to know about natural fluctuation and realize that there is usually a delay between healthy eating and weight loss. The trick is to be consistent, day in and day out, and the weight will go down. But that's hard. We all start with great intentions, but then we get sidetracked and forget about our goal, and resume our bad eating habits. The daily weigh-ins are a daily reminder of your goal... and your strategies to meet your goal."

Isn't he wise? I could not have said it better myself. It truly is about being consistent. I know this sounds lame, but I have a calendar and I put a star on each day that I'm good. I just like the visual reminder and look forward to being able to put a star for a hard day's work. 

My workouts have been pretty boring now that I spend my mornings walking a pup, feeding him and taking him out before work. Since we have established a routine now I could get up at 5:30 and work out before getting Manny up. It just hasn't happened yet because we are still getting up two to three times a night to let him out. I'm still active though! I walk 15 minutes with Manny before and after work along with a 50 minute walk on lunch with the girls. 

Walking is great and all, but my main focus is  what I'm eating and portion control. I'm a fast eater so I'm also trying to work on slowing down and truly enjoying each bite. I love weeks where we just eat what have in the house to clean it out. I love restocking. So this week has been pretty random - protein shakes for breakfast, Kashi bars and apples for snack, Costco Spinach Pasta and edamame for dinner.

I do have to give myself kudos because last week I made a huge batch of Chicken Chili for dinner and froze half of it. We ate the leftovers for lunch all last week and I took out the frozen chili for our lunches this week. It is so healthy and filling with so much less sodium than any canned soup I could eat for lunch. 

So now our freezer and fridge are pretty bare so Wednesday night I put together a really yummy meal plan for our next grocery run this weekend. If I plan healthy meals that can be easily prepared and also delicious I know we can stick with this. Having a dog to rush home to also helps avoid the take out traps. Here is my menu for next week:

Monday - Crock Pot Steak (I threw this together last year and have been wanting to make it ever since. It's basically just flank steak, onions, beef broth all thrown int he crock for 8 hours on low and served with a salad and brown rice or mashed potatoes).
Tuesday - Easy Quiche (I usually skip the ham on this one. I could seriously eat quiche everyday of my life).
Wednesday - Skinny Ms.' Crock Pot Enchiladas (I made them once and they were such a hit I can't believe I haven't them since!)
Thursday - Leftovers (Always a favorite before small group because it's so easy).
Friday - WW Taco Casserole (Another favorite I haven't made in ages).
Saturday - Crock Pot Jambalaya (I've been dying to make this!)
Sunday - Copy Cat Panera Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich

Do you find weighing in daily to be helpful? 

How do you meal plan?

Does a visual reminder help you stay on track?