Week 3 Weigh in

Last week's weight: 256.0
This week's weight: 254.6
Difference: -1.4
Total weight loss: -8.8

Another good week.

I didn't meet my goal for New Orleans....I'm 1.2 pounds short. I'm probably going to do the unthinkable and weigh in on Friday morning to see if I happened to make it before the actual trip.

Zero Points Ice Cream

This is a post from Apartment Therapy, which is an amazing website dedicating to making your life better. I've tried it. It really does taste like ice cream. Creamy, rich, delicious ice cream....not weird, diet ice cream.

How To Make Creamy Ice Cream with Just One Ingredient!

Yes, that's right; you heard us. Creamy, soft-serve style ice cream with just one ingredient — and no ice cream maker needed! What is this one magic ingredient that can be whipped into perfectly rich and silky ice cream, with no additional dairy, sweeteners, or ingredients needed whatsoever?

If you guessed BANANA, congratulations! You're right!

What? You didn't know that bananas can make some of the best ice cream? Well, I didn't either until last week, when my sister called me up and mentioned that she's been freezing bananas and then pureeing them into ice cream.

"That's the sort of thing you discover," she sighed, "when all your friends are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-allergic, and you're on a sugar-free diet." I'd deal with a list of dietary restrictions twice as long, though, if it meant discovering more treats like this one.

It turns out that frozen bananas are good for more than just dipping in chocolate. If you freeze a banana until solid, then whiz it up in a blender or food processor, it gets creamy and a little gooey, just like good custard ice cream. I was surprised at this bit of kitchen wizardry; I assumed that a blended banana would be flaky or icy. But no — it makes creamy, rich ice cream.

Some bananas, depending on their ripeness, have a bit of that green aftertaste. My sister has been experimenting with adding in another ingredient or two, like a tablespoon of peanut butter and another of honey. Delicious!

Have you ever tried frozen-banana ice cream? Try it! It's an easy way to stay cool and use up over-ripe bananas at the same time.

Here's how:

That mystery ingredient, of course, is banana! The smidgen of fat in bananas makes a magic trick when they are frozen and blended up. They turn creamy instead of crumbly, with a smooth texture any home ice cream chef would love to have in their frozen treats.

Here's a step-by-step of how to do it. The major tips can be summed up as:

• Peel your bananas first.
• Cut them into small pieces.
• Freeze for just 1-2 hours on a plate.
• Blend, blend, blend - scraping down the bowl when they stick.
• Enjoy the magic moment when they turn into ice cream!

Group weigh in progress

Our mini-Monday night group agreed to get mani-pedis once we hit a collective weight loss of 50 pounds. I am pleased to report that we are currently at a loss of 34.6 pounds. In two weeks.

It won't be long until we've lost a small child.

So long, kid. Good riddance.

Week 2 weigh in

Last week's weight: 258.8
This week's weight: 256.0
Difference: -2.8
Total weight loss: -7.4

Another good weigh in.

Tough week though. I drank a lot. Weight loss is easier if you're not drinking. (Fact.)

We have a new goal between my new newest WWFriends: we are going for manis/pedis once we hit a collective weight loss of 50 pounds. At the rate we're going, that should be in just a few weeks.

Broccoli Blah

I am uninspired by my lunch: broccoli.

So much healthfulness. So many yawns.

Even a random office guy said "your lunch is boring."

At least it's zero points.

Quote Of The Day

"What I'm saying is when you treat yourself with self-compassion, when you treat yourself like a friend or a loved one with love and kindness, you're more apt to eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full; rest when you're tired and move when you feel energized; and when you do that, you lose weight naturally."

Jean Fain, Harvard psychotherapist and author of "The Self-Compassion Diet"

Richard Simmons I can give or take, but it's tough to argue with these results.

Wonder when to buy organic?

Week 1 weigh in

Last week's weight: 263.4
This week's weight: 258.8
Difference: -4.6
Total weight loss: -4.6

I feel pretty good about this week. I kept track of points. Ate more fruit/veg. Didn't go over my points. And lost weight.

Imagine that.

Guidelines

From today's Chicago Tribune:

•Stop drinking calories: Studies say the increased consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks has contributed to the soaring rates of weight gain and obesity. And don't forget those liquid calories from alcohol.

•Eat more protein: People who eat a higher proportion of their calories from protein consume fewer calories overall.

•Eat more fiber: Fiber slows digestion and helps you feel fuller longer. Fiber can be found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains that are loaded with beneficial vitamins and minerals.

•Add 2,000 steps a day, which is about 20 to 25 minutes of walking, and you'll burn about 100 calories a day. It can be all at once or spread out through the course of the day.

•Cut screen time: Sitting burns about as many calories as sleeping. Research shows the more television viewing people indulge in, the heavier they get.

WW Success Story

It's pretty tough not to be inspired by this:

Fresh Year, Fresh Start

Out with the old. In with the new.

I could be sad about how much didn't happen last year. I didn't lose 100 pounds. I didn't find true love. I didn't make a million dollars. I didn't race to Mackinac.

Or I could be excited about what DID happen: I did lose 14 pounds. I did travel to Mexico, the British Virgin Islands, Germany, Greece and the Czech Republic. I did spend crazy weekends in Las Vegas and New Orleans.

Fresh start to the year:

Weight Watchers has a new plan. It's called the PointsPlusPlan. It's similar to the old plan. A couple of changes: fruits and veg have zero points and the emphasis is taken off calories and put on the relationship between carbohydrates and fats to protein and fiber. It encourages the participant to choose lean meats and fruits and veg over starchy veggies and bread.

Also excited to start the program this year with a couple of new pretty girls, bringing our WW posse to 6. Good times.

Here. We. Go.

Starting weight: 263.4

Goals:

1. Lose 10 pounds before New Orleans on January 28.

2. Track every day.

3. Attend four meetings in January.