Menu July 27 - July 31

Menu for July 27 - August 2

Monday, July 27

Breakfast

2 Special K Waffles - 2 points
Syrup - 2 points
Turkey bacon - 2 points
Creamer for coffee - 0 points

Snack #1

Fiber One Bar - 2 points

Lunch

Chicken Cordon Bleu - 5 pointsCauliflower and cheese - 4 points
Green Beans - 1 point

Snack #2

Pistachio pudding - 2 points
Almonds - 2 points
Coconut (1 tbs) - 1 point
Dinner

Spinach salad - 1 points
Dressing - 2 points

Snack # 3
Smoothie - 3 points

Total points for day: 29
Points rolled over: 0

Tuesday, July 28

Breakfast

2 English muffin w/ ICBINB - 2 points
Hard boiled egg - 2 points
2-Turkey Bacon - 2 points
Creamer for coffee - 0 points

Snack #1

Fiber One bar - 2 points

Lunch

Chicken curry with potato and channa - 7 points
Brown Rice - 3 points

Snack #2

Wheat Crackers - 3 points
Turkey pepperoni - 2 points
Cheese - 2 points

Dinner

Spinach salad - 1 points
Dressing - 2 points

Snack # 3
Smoothie - 3 points

Total points for day: 29
Rolled over points: 0

Wednesday, July 29

Breakfast

1 cup Multigrain Cheerios with milk - 4 points
1 english muffin w/ icbinb and reduced sugar fruit spread - 2 pt
Creamer for coffee - 0 points

Snack #1

Fiber One Bar - 2 points

Lunch

Jerk Chicken - 4 points
Rice - 3 points
Red beans - 2 points
Veges - 1 point

Snack #2

Pistachio pudding - 2 points
Almonds - 2 points
Coconut (1 tbs) - 1 point

Dinner

Spinach salad - 1 points
Dressing - 2 points

Snack # 3
Smoothie - 3 points

Total points for day: 29
Point rollover - 0

Thursday, July 30

Breakfast

1 cup Multigrain Cheerios with milk - 4 points
1 english muffin w/ icbinb and reduced sugar fruit spread - 2 pts

Snack #1

Fiber One Bar - 2 points

Lunch

Chipolte Cilantro Rice - 4 points
Chicken - 3 points
Veges - 1 point

Snack #2

Wheat Crackers - 3 points
Turkey pepperoni - 2 points
Cheese - 2 points

Dinner

Spinach salad - 1 points
Dressing - 2 points

Snack # 3

Smoothie - 3 points

Total points for day: 29
Point rolled over - 0
Friday, July 31

Breakfast

Oatmeal - 3 points

Snack #1

Fiber One - 2 point

Lunch

Arnold Thin Bread - 2
Chicken Breast - 4 points
Turkey Bacon - 2 points
Cheese - 2 points
Mayo - 1 point
Lettuce and tomato - 1 point
Pasta salad - 5 points

Snack #2

Tortilla Chips - 3 points
Salsa - 0 points

Dinner

Spinach salad - 1 points
dressing - 2 points

Snack # 3

Smoothie - 3 points

Total points for day: 31
Points rolled over - -2 points

Weight Loss Week 1

Hey everyone!!!
Well I did it. I lost 4 pounds last week!! That was with no exercise, so can you imagine the amount of weight I'll lose when I incorporate exercise. OUTSTANDING!!!
One thing I realized is that on the weekends...I CANNOT wing it. I have to also plan my meals for that.
Also, my water intake was horrible, so I need to think of something to do so that I can get my water in.

Other than that, I am very pleased with my eating thus far.

Have a great day!!!!!

Week 2 Menu

Menu for June 8th - June 14th

Monday, June 8th

Breakfast

Hard-boiled egg - 2 points
English muffin - 2 points
Turkey bacon - 1 point
Cheese - 2 points
Creamer for coffee - 2 points

Snack #1

Fiber 1 bar - 2 point
apple - 1 point

Lunch

Saucy Chicken - 4 points
Potato Casserole - 3 points
Greens with smoked turkey necks - 2 points
Recipe - Saucy Chicken....4 servings, each 4 points4 (4 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breasts2 Cups chicken broth, divided 34 scallions chopped1 (16 oz) can stewed tomatoes2 cloves garlic, minced1/4 cup flour mixed with dash and a little salt & pepperPut 1/2 cup of broth in wide bowl; put flour mixture on plate. Dip each chicken breast in broth and then flour both sides. Spray skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Cook chicken over med. heat until done (use broth or water to keep from burning/sticking). Remove from skillet. Add remaining flour to skillet and stir constantly until browned. Stir in 1/4 cup of broth. Cook until thickened. Slowly add the rest of the broth and cook until slightly thickened. Add tomatoes and scallions and garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add chicken and simmer until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Snack #2

Popcorn - 1 point
Cookie - 3 points

Dinner

Spinach salad - 1 points
Dressing - 2 points

Total points for day: 28
Points rolled over: 0

Tuesday, June 9th

Breakfast

2 Vitatop muffins - 2 points
Fiber One Yogurt - 1 point
Creamer for coffee - 2 points

Snack #1

Turkey Sausage - 1 point
cheese - 2 points
crackers - 2 points

Lunch

One Pot chicken and spaghetti - 8 points
Green beans - 1 point

Snack #2

Cookie - 3 points
Popcorn - 1 point

Dinner

Spinach salad - 1 points
Soup - 1 point
dressing - 2 points

Total points for day: 27
Rolled over points: 1

Wednesday, June 3rd

Breakfast

Cereal - 2 points
Milk - 3 points
Apple - 1 point
Creamer for coffee - 2 points

Snack #1

Fiber 1 bar - 2 points

Lunch

pork chops w/ bok choy- 7 points
potato casserole - 3 points

Snack #2

Popcorn - 1 point

Dinner

Spinach salad - 1 points
Soup - 1 point
dressing - 2 points

Total points for day: 29
Point rollover - 0

Thursday, June 4th

Breakfast

English muffin - 2 points
Hard boiled egg - 2 points
2-Turkey Bacon - 2 points
Creamer for coffee - 2 points

Snack #1

Fiber 1 bar - 2 points
Vanilla covered yogurt raisins (18) - 3 points

Lunch

Broccoli Casserole - 2 points
Chicken Quesadillas with corn-tomato salad - 6 points

Snack #2

Grapefruit - 1 point
Sugar in the Raw - 0
Popcorn - 1 point

Dinner

Spinach salad - 1 points
Soup - 1 point
dressing - 2 points

Total points for day: 27
Point rolled over - 1
Friday, June 5th

Breakfast

2 Vitatop muffins - 2 points
Creamer for coffee - 2 points
Slice of cheese - 2 points

Snack #1

Fiber 1 bar - 2 point
apple - 1 point

Lunch

Southern oven fried chicken - 5.5 points
Baked Sweet potato - 2 points
Splenda Brown sugar - 0 points
Sprays of ICBINB
Squash and Zucchini medley - 1 point

Snack #2

Popcorn - 1 point
Cookie - 3 points

Dinner

Spinach salad - 1 points
Soup - 1 point
dressing - 2 points

Total points for day: 27.5
Points rolled over - .5 points
Total points rolled for week: 2.5 points

Update

Hi everyone
Well I've been neglecting this blog, but I came in to say that I have had a FABULOUS week. I have stayed on my plan even though there were temptations to cheat (ie, cake, ice cream, etc) but I stayed strong because I had my eyes on the prize. I didn't get to work out this week, but I'll definitely be incorporating that into my life change plan next week.

I need to up the anty on my water intake. It's so easy for the day to go by without me drinking my water, so I'm developing a plan for that too.

The kids get out of school next week so I'll be able to go to work earlier and catch ZUMBA at the YMCA...whooo hooo!! I've done it once and it's SOO much fun. If there are any Zumba classes in your area, I encourage you to sign up for it. It doesn't feel like a workout at the moment but shoo...the next morning..yeah, you feel it...LOL.

Well that's all for now. Weigh in is on Sunday and I'm feeling lighter, so if I've even lost 1 pound, I'll be happy because I'm on my way!!!

Peace and Blessings.
MB

Day 1

Today is day 1 of my 90 day challenge.

I did extremely well with following my meal plan. I got down my 8 glasses of water and stayed away from the skittles in the snack vending machine that was calling my name..lol.

I did not go to the gym as I wanted to today because my children both have project coming up.. Can someone please explain to me how 2 weeks before school is over why my kids still have projects?!?!?! Oh well, the price we pay for good education!!!

I'm sure I will get to the gym this week to get my 3 days in, so stay tuned!!

Coupons 101

Hi everyone!!
Well yesterday was my first day of couponing. I don't know if it's really a word, but it's my word :)

A friend of mine came to the town I live in to do a short seminar on couponing. She explained how to use them so that you get the most for your $$$.

Well Saturday I went to Harris Tetter and got my shop and save on because they had triple coupons going on!!!
I purchased $75.49 worth of items for $24.24!!! I'm talking about name brand top of the line things......how cool is that!!!!

I will be posting more about couponing like how to keep coupons organized, scope out the best deals and some great websites that helps you find the best deals.

Stay Tuned!!!

Pay it Forward....

Pay it forward...............
I remember hearing that phrase but never really knowing what it meant. A friend of mine then told me about the movie with that title and I later found out about the book from which the movie was developed.

In short, the movie is about a young boy who is given an assignment by his teacher. The assignment was to help 3 people, and in turn those 3 would help 3 others and so on and so forth.

Before I get to what happened to me on Saturday, let me go back to last month (April). My aunt who lives in Florida was in the hospital and dying. I drove down to be by her side and on the way back after her funeral, I got to SC and pulled into a rest stop because the drive was taking a toll on me. Anyhoo, I got out of my car to get my jacket out of the trunk. There was this guy in the area and he got out of his car and he began yelling "ma'am, please help."Me not knowing what was going on went back into my car, turned off the ignition and I locked my car door (my kids were in the back asleep). He explained to me that he, his wife and his daughter were there and had no more money for gas. They had driven to the other side of SC to attend a family member's funeral and they were tired and feeling helpless because they were trapped.
Now normally don't carry cash but I happened to have some. I gave it to him and explained that was all I had. He graciously took it and said thank you so much, God bless you. I went to sleep for a few hours and then got back on the road home.

Driving home, I thought about them and prayed that they made it home safely and that the $11 I gave them was enough to get them home. I called a friend of mine and after she blessed me out for doing that in the middle of the night, she said "you know what...you're a giving person and you can't be anything else. I wouldn't expect anything less from you than what you did. God is going to bless you."
Within a week or 2, I forgot about that situation and got back into the hustle and bustle of every day life.

On Saturday, I was in the checkout aisle at Aldi's, a grocery store. There was a woman behind me and she didn't have a buggy, but had two large boxes of groceries. I told her to go ahead and put her items up on the belt and just put my groceries in front of hers.
My order came up to $40.24 and I swiped my ATM card. For some unknown reason, it came up as declined. That happened 3 times and after confusion came embrassment. I told her I would run across the street to the ATM machine and come right back.
That SAME woman behind me said "I got it." As soon as she said that the first thing I said was "Oh no you don't have to do that."...Thinking about now, why do we block our blessings?
Anyway.....she spoke very softly and said again, "I have it...I'm paying it forward".
I almost started to cry and wanted to hug her, but I didn't, I guess because I was in shock.

I KNEW I had the money, I called my bank when I got back in the car and the money was there but for whatever reason it would not work at the store.

The first thing I thought of was what she said..."pay it forward"...I said alright God...it's my turn now to bless someone.

Today, I had a revelation of sorts....I believe that was my blessing from helping that family back in April. Of course it wasn't the same amount, but the situations were very similar. I was at the store with a buggy full of groceries and didn't know what to do. I felt helpless because I could not understand why my card did not work. That gentleman felt helpless because he couldn't get home.
Thinking back, if I said something mean, looked at her in a strange way-with an attitude (you know how we do sometimes), or didn't ask her to place her items up on the belt, would I have received that blessing. We have to be so careful because one wrong move can block out blessing.
I don't know if I'll ever see that woman again, but what I do know is that the generosity she showed me yesterday will be passed on to strangers I may meet, and the cycle will continue. It is my hope and prayer that the gentleman in SC and his family have also passed on their blessing.

Week 1 Menu

Hi Everyone!! Thought I forgot about ya...nahhhhhh!!
I have so busy planning my meals for this week and getting geared up for this lifestyle change.
So many things have happened in the past week and I will share it in hopes that it will encourage, motivate, and bless you.
Well..without further ado, here is my weekly menu. I only did Monday - Friday because well the weekends I just wing it, but I will still eat healthy!!!!

I will be using the WW points system for a few weeks, then stop counting. I don't think I ever realized what "healthy eating" is, so I'm using this system to I guess teach me the way.

Menu for June 1st - June 7th

Monday, June 1st

Breakfast

Hard-boiled egg - 2 points
English muffin - 2 points
Canadian Bacon - 1 point
Cheese - 2 points
Creamer for coffee - 2 points

Snack #1

Fiber 1 bar - 2 point
apple - 1 point

Lunch

Chickin with a kick - 4 points
rice - 4 points

Snack #2

Popcorn - 1 point
Cookie - 3 points

Dinner

Spinach salad - 1 points
Soup - 1 point
dressing - 2 points

Total points for day: 28
Points rolled over: 0



Tuesday, June 2nd

Breakfast

2 Vitatop muffins - 2 points
Fiber One Yogurt - 1 point
Creamer for coffee - 2 points

Snack #1

Turkey Sausage - 1 point
cheese - 2 points
crackers - 2 points

Lunch

Steak - 4 points
rice - 4 points
Green bean medley - 1 point

Snack #2

Cookie - 3 points

Dinner

Spinach salad - 1 points
Soup - 1 point
dressing - 2 points

Total points for day: 26
Rolled over points: 2

Wednesday, June 3rd

Breakfast

Cereal - 2 points
Milk - 3 points
Apple - 1 point
Creamer for coffee - 2 points

Snack #1

fruit bar - 3 points

Lunch

pork chops - 6 points
pasta - 3 points
Ratoutouille - 3 points

Snack #2

Popcorn - 1 point

Dinner

Spinach salad - 1 points
Soup - 1 point
dressing - 2 points

Total points for day: 28
Point rollover - 0

Thursday, June 4th

Breakfast

English muffin - 2 points
Brummel and Brown spread - 1 point
Fiber One Yogurt - 1 point
2-Turkey Bacon - 2 points
Creamer for coffee - 2 points

Snack #1

Turkey Sausage - 1 point
cheese - 2 points
crackers - 2 points

Lunch

Turkey Burger - 4 points
Slice of bread - 3 points
tomato - 0 points
spinach - 0 points
mustard - 0 points
Butternut squash fries - 1 point
Ketchup - 1 point

Snack #2

Grapefruit - 1 point
Sugar in the Raw - 0

Dinner

Spinach salad - 1 points
Soup - 1 point
dressing - 2 points

Total points for day: 27
Point rolled over - 1

Friday, June 5th

Breakfast

2 Vitatop muffins - 2 points
Fiber One Yogurt - 1 point
Creamer for coffee - 2 points
Slice of cheese - 2 points

Snack #1

Fiber 1 bar - 3 point
apple - 1 point

Lunch

Grilled chicken breast- 2 points
Sweet potato - 2 points
Cabbage - 1
Sugar in the raw - 0 points
ICBINB spray - 0 points

Snack #2

Popcorn - 1 point
Cookie - 3 points

Dinner

Spinach salad - 1 points
Soup - 1 point
dressing - 2 points

Total points for day: 24
Points rolled over - 4 points
Total points rolled for week: 7 points

The beginning....My introduction

Hi!!
My name is Marsha and I'm on my way to being PHATABULOUS!!! I've heard the term P-H-A-T for some time now and for some it stands for Pretty Hot And Tempting. In Wikipedia, I saw a phrase I like... Perfect Hips And Thighs. Yep....I like that better and that where I'm headed.

This is my journey to ONE-derland. I've been part of the 200+ club for wayyyy too long and before I even THINK about getting comfortable here, I need to put a plan into place, so here I go!!

A little bit about myself. I'm Marsha from NC. I'm a 35 year old mother of two children, a 14 year old boy and an 11 year old girl. I work full time and in August I will be starting grad school to obtain my Masters of Social Work degree. I am really excited about that.

My family is originally from Trinidad and Tobago and Trinidadian cuisine is known for it's fatty meats and starches. A typical meal for me growing up could be was oxtails with peas and rice and callaloo, cowheel soup, curry chicken, curry goat, souse, macaroni pie, provisions, salads, black cake, soursop ice cream....the list goes on and on.
Of course these items were not eaten all at once, but you know what I'm saying.

Growing up I was always slim and always ate a lot because I kept moving. My metabolism was out of this world.

During high school, I remember there was a deli my classmates and I frequently went to for breakfast. The breakfast of champions for us was a bagel with cream cheese and bacon and a Snapple iced tea to wash it down. And YES, I stayed slim. People commented to me all the time how much I ate and how they were envious of my frame.

After high school I joined the Navy where I continued to eat what I wanted to but I was exercising daily, so there was no weight that came on.
When I went into the military I was 150 pounds. I am 5'10 so people usually told me it did not look like I weighed "that much."
My son was born in Key West Florida and at the time I did not have a car. I bought a bike and rode it back and forth to work which meant I spent 60-90 minutes per day doing cardio. The weight came off very quickly.

Once I got to the end of my obligated service, I moved to NC and progressively through the years the weight has come on a little bit at a time.
am now at a point where I weight 236, but people still say "you don't look like you weigh that much." I know that because I am tall the weight is distributed, but this is an unhealthy weight for me. I know that my eating habits are not healthy and what I must do is have a complete lifestyle change, not simply follow a diet for the rest of my life.

I'm what people would call a serial fad dieter. Everytime a new diet book comes out, I'm there. Dr. Atkins, Dr. Ian Smith, South Beach, Body for Life, The Zone....all of these books have sat on my shelf because the cravings for "regular" food are out of this world. Now, I understand that those plans have worked for some, it's just not for me.

Also, because I have two children, with those plans I would still subject myself to temptations.

This blog will definitely help me because I will have a sense of accountability because well sheesh...the whole world is watching right :)

So that's it. I will be posting daily, updating you on menus, moods, random thoughts, politics, humor, etc.

It's the beginning of the rest of my life to living PHATABULOUS!! I hope you come along for this ride with me.