Weight Watchers

If you have it, add me up! My username is beauty2ashes!

Something new

So my bosses amazing wife just joined weight watchers and asked me to join to! Last time i got involved with a "group" weight loss situation i lost 33 lbs in three months just by changing my eating and nothing else. So i figured if i can do that, plus a little exercise added on to my already awesomely insane schedule then i think we are good to go!! Wish me luck!! Goal weight here i come!! I will weight myself tomorrow and post my current weight. Can wait to see where i end up!!

1 step forward 100 steps back.

That is how I feel a lot! I kinda fell by the wayside with my eating right and running. I was scared to admit it was just to hard. Plus all the personal things going on were very overwhelming. So I am ready to try try again! I am happy to say that even though i am far from my goal that I am down to 224.8 I want nothing more then to be under 200!! I am ready, ready to be healthy and happy in this new life in MI! Sorry i have been away for so long in this, i promise to do better.

Week 12 weight in... and PCOS

starting weight: 247.0
todays weight: 232.2
total so far: 14.10 lbs

This was last Monday though, since then I am sure i have gained weight.  It has been a great but emotional week. Also I have been really struggling with my PCOS Poly-Cystic overy syndrome. It has made losing the weight so much more difficult this time around and I am in pain all the time. I am heading to the Dr. soon but in the meantime, I am putting running on hold due to the heat ( i have been over heating really easily) but my goal for the week is to do Richards three times and get back to eating right.

Sorry for the late posting... week 11 weight in

 Sorry for the late post. but I did weight myself on Monday...
Week 11 weight in!
starting weight: 247.0
todays weight: 233.4
total so far: 13.8 lbs

Week 10 weight in. Count calories, Count Calories, Count calories...

As you can guess my goal for the week is to count my calories!!! Thats the plan, the working out is doing good not I need to really focus on everything that goes in my mouth!! Wish me luck and send me a prayer!
Week 10 weight in!
starting weight: 247.0
todays weight: 234.4
total so far: 12.8 lbs

not sure why the pic never coems out right side up, oh well. but lost almost 1 1/2 lbs this week! yay!

Week 9

Soo....week 9 weight in was so traumatizing that i was to ashamed to post about it. I have been working so hard, up to almost 6 miles a week jogging/walking and doing Richards. I splurged two days, one on two pieces of pizza and one on a taco salad and I gained weight this week, all week I have really had to push myself to keep going. I want this though, I want to be healthy and I will not give up! I have been keeping up with my running and feeling great! I have been watching my eating and eating less but not really counting calories so that is a big goal of mine and I could use prayer for strength in this area! See you on Monday all for week 10 weight in.

Week 9 weight in!
starting weight: 247.0
todays weight: 235.8
total so far: 11.4 lbs

Week 8 and feeling great!!

Although there are some serious pain with working out I  feel a 100% mentally and physically better!! Here are some updated body picks, compared to week 1 i look fantastic!

week 1

week 1







Week 8!!

Summer Salads

First of my light and tasty summer salad ideas is one I wiped up this afternoon. I am the master at finding new ideas in my fridge with who know what!

Ingredients:
1 large Fugi Apple ( or apple of choice)
1/2 Basket of Strawberries
1 large spoon full sour cream
1/2 single serving yogurt of choice ( I used mixed berries)

448 calories in the salad, 112 per serving

Fry it up...Stir Fry that is!! 15 mins to awesome goodness!

Here is how to make a awesome, healthy, and tasty stir fry in less then 15 mins!

First, take a bag of your fav. Stir fry frozen veggie mix. ( Birds eye mix has huge cut veggies and sauce packets included)




Place desired amount of veggies ( for 3 people we use 1/3 bag of veggies)  in medium skillet, add about 1/4 cup water and let cook over med/high heat for 5-7 mins ( or until heated through)

+

Add to the skillet 1/2 a bag of pre cooked shrimp ( or pre cooked chicken)














add fav. sauce or the sauce included with the Birds eye veggies and cook another 5-7 mins.




While the Stir fry is cooking Pop some 90 sec. Rice into the microwave, you can use Uncles Bens and he has brown or white or terraki!












=

A Delicious Stir fry Dinner in under 15 mins! Try different veggie combos and meats for a whole new taste!

Week 8 already

Week 8

Week 8 weight in!
starting weight: 247.0
todays weight: 235.4
total so far: 11.8 lbs!!

 Splurged on the eating a bit this week because new company arrived but i am so proud to say that I did my 3 mile goal AND richards once and lost 1.5 lbs this week!! Cant wait for it to kick up with my new running app on my iphone called C25K ( Couch to 5k in 9 weeks) I am so pumped!!

Week 7!

Week 6 weight in!
starting weight: 247.0
todays weight: 236.6
total so far: 10.6 lbs!!

 Getting the eating under control and with the warm weather it is fun to get out! My goal this week is to run 3 miles! And do Richards once.

Simple Easy ways to cut calories, cut fat, add flavor and feel full!

Drop it...

Leave off the mayo on your sandwich or burger and you can save yourself 50-100 calories, not to mention a whole bunch of fat! Wooh! Use Olive oil mayo for almost half the calories and fat when mayo is required but we warned it does have a slightly different taste.









Spread it...


Peanut butter, whether great snack, great topping for pancakes or just another way to get your daily protein. Drop the Jiffy and Peter Pan PB which is full of hydrogenated oils and other things I cant even spell and try all natural peanut butter, yes it has a "healthier" taste but the benefits are great, plus if you buy a brand like Naturally More and it has flax seed included which has many health benefits, and it is sweetened with honey! Yumm! It can also save you 20-30 calories and up to 50 fat calories over the name brand PB.

Add it...

Add green chilies to your morning omelet, tacos, mushroom chicken casserole, and other dishes for a good twist of flavor, without the calories (only 5 calories in the whole can!)and for all you spicy wimps they do not add any "heat"! Yay!





Swap it...

 Swap out half of the mayo in a recipe with plain yogurt ( like in macaroni, potatoes or egg salad )and cut the calories by more then half, mix half yogurt with half sour cream and have a lower fat/lower calorie taco topper and you wont even know the difference!




Spritz it...

We all know salads are good for us but smothering them with fattening dressing is not. So spritz your way to good health with salad spritzers, they have a great flavor without the calories! Only 1 calorie a spray, that can be a 100-200 calorie save!









Snack it...

 Pickles...very low in calories big on taste! usually only 0-15 calories each! try the new "snack um's" for a great crunchy snack! Wrap a pickle with a slice or two of deli ham and have a nice tasty mid day snack.

Protein bars, really do keep you fuller longer! My favorite is the Kashi peanut butter and chocolate bars, although they are 200 calories they can be a meal on the go or cut them in half and you have a filling, pretty tasty snack that will keep off the hunger feeling until dinner!




Drink it...
                                     

 Like everyone already says, water, it's good for you! But it also can help you eat less if you drink it while you are eating. Also don't forget water helps cleanse your body of toxins and waste as you lose weight!

Tea, 0 calorie cup of goodness, weather you brew it cold or drink it hot, tea has great antioxidants, vitamins and can give you that little sweet you need to make it through the day, and for all of you non caffeine drinkers like me, it is easy to find great tasting caffeine free tea!







Switch it out...

Switch out that fatty breakfast sausage for some grilled thin sliced ham and save up to 150 calories, sliced deli ham averages 30 calories for 1 oz and contains less then a 1/3 of the fat over sausage.



For all you who are wanting to go fat free, sliced deli turkey is 99% fat free and has only 40 calories for 2 oz! Switch out that Italian sausage for lean sliced turkey and save over 100 calories a sandwich! And although grilled chicken is tasty and healthy if you are really crunching down on your calories, add chopped sliced deli turkey in place of grilled chicken on your chef or Caesar salad.

Week 6 already!?

Week 6 weight in!
starting weight: 247.0
todays weight: 237.2
total so far: 9.8 lbs!!

I will not deny that I had hoped to further along but I am still happy to be losing none the less!!

Slow and steady wins the race?

Man... bummed about the weight in. No more words for now.
Week 5 weight in!
starting weight: 247.0
todays weight: 239.4
total so far: 7.6 lbs!!

You have to know where you've been.

The other day I found some old film. So i went and got it developed. I was excited to see that it was from 2006 when we lived in Oregon...the sad news....I looked huge! Huge! i remember being bigger but gees, I felt so ashamed and a little tear welded up in my eye. I have been feeling like I am just not trying hard enough and I was feeling so much like a failure at this who losing weight thing....but those pictures reminded about where I have come from. In those pictures from Oregon I weight in at 276, that is also how heavy i was when i got pregnant with Zoey, I managed to only gain 8 lbs the whole pregnancy until i became ill at 30 weeks, from 30 to 32 weeks i skyrocketed from 276- 297! 297!! Once I had Zoey and with the help of my works biggest loser competition I was able to drop to 222 in 5 months, although I gain a bit back I am back down to 239 and continuing, even if it is slow to my goal of 160-170. I know I can do it and seeing how far I have come means alot!
 Taken in 2006..276!












                                                                               taken 2 days ago...239!

Tortilla Soup for cold winter days! Easy, healthy, crockpot recipe

For soup:
1 carton chicken broth
2 cups water ( if your crock-pot will hold it)
1 can yellow corn
1/2 lime ( optional, or sub with 2 tablespoons bottled lime juice)
1 can pinto beans
1 can Ro-tal diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 can black beans
5 large Chicken tenders, browned and chopped
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 teaspoon of the following spices:
 pepper, cumin, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder ( add more of the spices for personal taste)

*Topping:
4 corn tortillas, warmed in microwave and cut into strips
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 


For Soup:
Combine all ingredients ( just dump those cans on in, juices and all) in a crock-pot let cook from morning to dinner time on low heat (option 2 cook in crock-pot for 4 hours on high heat

Once soup in ready, it makes 5, ~ 1 1/2 cup servings ( 180 calories per serving without topping)
*For a more filling, hearty meal add the topping to each serving, top soup with 1 chopped tortilla and 1/4 cup cheese for a total of 320 calories per serving!

Here ya go! Another healthy, flavorful dinner for under 400 calories!

Salmon done right...

Salmon Cakes with dill yogurt sauce ( a healthier way!)
230 calories per cake, including 2 tablespoons sauce (recipe makes 5 cakes)
Serve with your favorite vegetable, or salad and have a filling,delicious dinner under 400 calories

For cakes:
1 can of canned salmon ( de-boned and drained)
1 tablespoon olive oil mayo
1/4 a lemon
5 club crackers ( crushed)( option 1, sub crackers for 1/4 cup cooked white rice)
1/2 tablespoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon  parsley
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4-1/2 teaspoon pepper (depending on taste)

For lemon dill sauce:
1/2 cup non fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil mayo
1/4 lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dill ( add more for personal taste, i usually use almost 2 teaspoon)

For breading:
1/2-1 cup bread crumbs, i use parmassian bread crumbs
1 egg

Directions:
For cakes:
Combine all "cake" ingredients in medium sized mixing bowl.
In a med-lrg skillet heat 1/4- 1/2 cup olive oil ( another option to frying is baking but I have not tried that yet!), turn on med-high heat
In a small bowl, beat egg
In another small bowl put bread crumbs
Roll cake mix into 5 even balls and shape into discs
one by one dip cakes into egg and then into bread crumbs and add to heated oil
cook until golden brown
For sauce:
Mix all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and serve over cakes

Pleased to welcome.....Joy

So, my friend Joy, who is a amazing hard worker and house mom at a group home wants to join the cause and help out children while getting healthy as well!! She already lost a whooping 15 pounds! I am so excited to have  a buddy come along with me on this journey!check out her amazing blog here http://myfullnessofjoy.blogspot.com/

Also I have a good friend named Ruthie who is also working her booty off, literally! She has been my inspiration to run and is a fantastic encouragment!! Check out her updates at http://mylife4good.blogspot.com/

You go girls!!

Week 4 weight in!!

Hey guys!!!
Week 4 weight in!
starting weight: 247.0
todays weight: 239.8
total so far: 7.2 lbs!!

And we press on!

I am getting Balls-y! I wrote Oprah!!!

 o I figured if all these other amazing people could get help losing weight why cant I, I would love more then anything ti surprise Justin next time I see him face to face and would love to raise a lot for money for Compassion! so...I wrote her this...wish me luck!
My name is Robin Ashworth and I, like many others have struggled with my weight all my life! I love to help others and after many failed weight loss attempts I decided to transform my love to serve/help others into a goal to help myself. I started a blog and asked my friends to sponsor me at $1 a pound. For each pound I lose from now through May 25th I will send all the proceeds to Compassion International to help feed hungry children! Can you help me out? I cant do this on my own, I have two friends sponsoring me so far and I have lost 7 lbs. My husband moved to MI last week to start a new job, i miss him desperately and we ( my daughter and I) will be moving up there in May, I would love to lose the weight and surprise him, as well as lose as much as can to help the children of Compassion, my blog is http://compassionateweightloss.blogspot.com/ Thank you so much for reading my mail and for your amazing giving heart to help others. God Bless!

Ok...so my blog is poop brown...I know

Time to change! Not sure what it will be yet but I'm sure it will be exciting!

Random thoughts:
My Friend Joy, had a great post on living for God, You all should join her blog, wouldn't let me comment but I still loved it!
A book, I do need to write a book just my wedding and honeymoon alone could tickle a few funny bones not that I look back on it, ( not so funny when it all went down) but that is for the future, right now...lose the weight, be healthy and feel good, enjoy life with the Zozo and see more of nature!

To workout or not to work out...now that is the question...

Been a hard week with Justin gone but.. I managed to run once, do Richard 3 times and do "ok" on my food intake, I weight in tomorrow but I also want to up the exercise! I have been under the weather and had a kid with Bronchitis so my usually playing and exercise buddy was been down for the count! Prayers for fast healing for her and strength to make wise food choices for me! Thanks all!!

A delicious/ healthier alternative to Baked Potato Salad...

This light and fresh tasting salad tastes similar to baked potatoes salad but the total recipe contain 900 calories, makes 6 serving at 150 calories a serving!!!!

Ingredients:

1 lb baby red potatoes ( sub option:regular red potatoes cut  in 4ths)

2 pinches salt

Dressing ingredients:

3 tablespoons mayonnaise ( sub option: use olive oil mayo)

3 tablespoons plain non-fat yogurt

1/2 a small/med lemon squeezed

2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon whole grain ( spice) mustard ( sub option:yellow mustard)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill  ( sub option: put 2 teaspoons of dry dill in 1 tablespoon of water and let it "rehydrate" for about 5 mins)

black pepper (add as little or lot to taste)

2 -4 tablespoons chopped green onion

Directions:

1. Wash potatoes, leave skin on ( cut lager potatoes in half), boil for 15-20 mins until tender

2. Combine all dressing ingredients in small mixing bowl

3. Drain and let the potatoes cool a bit, place in large mixing bowl

4. pour over salad dressing and mix everything together

5. Chill in fridge and serve with your fav. chicken or pork meat dish!

Week 3 weight in

Hey guys!!!
Week 3 weight in!
starting weight: 247.0
todays weight: 240.6
total so far: 6.6 lbs

Now that Justin is gone it will be easier to kick into high gear eating right ( we had a great date night but i ate way too much sushi!) and i got my workout video which I will start tomorrow! Yay!!

Perfect winter weather of 80 degrees!

Here are some pictures of us getting out, we have been getting out and about everyday and I jog every other night! I am so proud of myself, I usually do it for a day or two and give up but it really has been getting easier and much more enjoyable. I plug in my earphones and jam and sing while I run! I look like a crazy dancing, running fool but i couldn't care less because I feel good! worn out but good!

Week 2 weight in

Week 2 weight in!
starting weight: 247.0
todays weight: 241.6
total so far: 5.6 lbs

I was a bit disappointed about my weight lost this week. But I am not giving up! I will continue to go strong. This weeks goal is to make smarter choices when eating out and to continue to add .25 mile to my jogs every other night!!! I will also be getting my "disco sweat" on Friday! Richard Simmons baby! Cant wait tell next Monday weight in! I also start a job babysitting three 2 year olds with no bakes for 9 1/2 hours tues and thurs so I am sure that will help!

Walking ( or jogging)

You just gotta do it. Period.

Once upon a Taco...

Tacos... who knew they could be a excellent "eating right" choice of food, but they can be! No joke!!

I have found that if I make a nice breakfast taco it out lasts cereal hands down!

Here how:

Start off with a good low cal breakfast meat, that right meat!

 ie, cut up one 98% fat free Oscar Myer turkey hot dog - 40 cal

                            or

      2-3 slices thin ham -- 35-40 cal

                             or

       2 slices turkey bacon -- 30 cal

                             or

       if you cant deal with the "low fat/cal meat" then cook up some pork sausage, keep it in the fridge and  measure out 30-40 cal worth ( check package for serving size and calories)

Add a dash of chopped green onion ( optional) for a bit more pzazz to your taco. -- 0 cal

Not all tortillas are created equal!

Look for a calorie torilla around 100-110 cal.

Scramble one egg - 70 cal.

Add in  cheddar cheese, about 30-40 cal worth ( check labels for portion size)

This is a total of 250 cal a taco, add a half a banana (~50 cal) or a 1 cup strawberries ( for a healthy, filling breakfast under 300 calories!!

Week 1 weight in!

Week 1 weight in!
starting weight: 247.0
todays weight: 242.8
total so far: 4.2 lbs
Check back tonight for a new blog..."Once upon a taco...."

Been walking everyday and making wealthier food choices....on the menu for this next week...stepping it up on the exercise!

Salsa adds spice to life!

How to make a great fresh salsa to add flavor without the calories!
What you will need:
2 large tomatoes diced
1/4 med onion diced ( I personally prefer red)
1/2-1 jalapeno diced ( you can use it fresh or for more spicy roast it first and peel the skin)
1/4 cup chopped of cilantro ( add more for personal taste)
one tablespoon lime juice ( fresh is best!)
2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoon vinegar ( optional)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl for chunky salsa, or add it to the food processor for smoother salsa! Add to most dishes for a good spice of flavor. Only 110 calories in the whole recipe!

Let the battle begain!

Ok everyone! And it begins!
Starting weight, 1/17, 2011 is 247.0 lbs!

 ( not to self...paint toenails!...)

Check in often for recipes and tid-bits!