weight watchers week 2

Okay, Saturdays will be my Weight Watchers update days. I'm thinking I'll post recipes and whatnot too because I have found some delightful things this week and I fully expect that to continue. And I want to write about it and share my progress and whatnot, but I don't want to be obnoxious. One day a week that you can skip if you so choose ought to be good.

I lost 5.6 pounds! How freaking great is that?!

I thought about it last week as I was getting started and decided that I need to have small goals otherwise I will simply throw my hands in the air and give up. According to the nifty little charts everywhere, I need to lose almost one hundred pounds. That is a ridiculous thought to me at the moment. That's an entire person practically and I know I'm fat but I didn't think I was that bad. Obviously, it's a pride thing and I'll work through it. In the meantime, I decided to make my goals as such: stay with Weight Watchers and go to the meetings for 8 weeks in a row. Focus on losing 5 pounds and celebrate that. Then focus on losing 10 (total), then 25 (total). Yay for me for having met my first goal!

The first week is probably the most dramatic weight loss and the next two weeks could be higher than I'll face the rest of the time I'm going to Weight Watchers. But it's still pretty awesome.

Here's my favorite snacks and meals from the week:

-rice pudding in individual servings. It's 3 points for the full fat/sugar kind and it is delicious. It also counts as a dairy which is something I need to try harder to make sure I'm getting in every day.
-water is easy when you can break it down into increments. I grab a small bottle of water out of the fridge (it's a little over 16 oz) and then make sure to refill it twice. I can usually do that by lunchtime at work so that's pretty nice to have all that crossed off so early in the day. My skin is already looking better!
-Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. I'm not a big fan of the diet soda, but this one tastes pretty good. I still need a little caffiene boost, but it's zero points so that's awesome. One can a day instead of Pepsi all day probably made a pretty big difference for me.
-penne pasta with italian sausage, mushrooms, and broccoli--it made a ton and so K took some home and I had a few meals out of it later too. It's good hot or cold.

And I think that's about all my rambling about eating and losing weight for the day!



recipe: penne with mushrooms, italian sausage, and broccoli

Ingredients:

1/4 pound italian style turkey sausage, any casings removed
1 (10 oz) package white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups cooked broccoli florets
4 cups cooked, drained penne (10 oz dried)
3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
crushed red pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Crumble the turkey sausage meat into a large nonstick skillet and cook until golden brown. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel lined heatproof plate. Pour off and discard any fat in the skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are golden brown and all the juices have evaporated (about 10 minutes).

2. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and the drained sausage; cook until warmed through. Stir in the penne, broth, lemon juice, and the crushed red pepper; cook just until heated through. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

per 2 cup serving: 412 cal, 7 g fat, 2 g Sat Fat, 26 mg Chol, 787 mg Sod, 65 g Carb, 6 g Fib, 23 g Prot, 162 mg Calc.

8 Weight Watchers points per serving