Author: julesfarm@yahoo.com

No, I’m not going vegetarian or vegan or 100% organic, or even clean (I think that’s what you call it), but I am trying to be more aware of what I am putting into my body and how it makes me feel. I am certainly reading more labels, and not just fat and calories. I’m actually reading ingredients. I hate it when I don’t know what I’ve just read. Must be bad for you if you don’t even know what it is??? I am going to eat less processed foods. I don’t think I’ve ever really been “in tune” with my body before, and what I am eating and how it affects me. Mike can eat something, then later have a headache, or feel tired, and immediately blames it on what he ate a couple of hours earlier. I used to just roll my eyes. Well, now that I’m paying […]

Boot camp began yesterday! Myself and four friends, (ah, the comfort in numbers), joined an 8 week, Summer Slim-down Challenge. I was super nervous. I never know just what to expect in a class situation, and many times I have done classes, I feel like I’m the least experienced, or possibly the class member in the worst shape of any of the other class members. These pictures were on a friends facebook page, so I had a visual of what to expect……..This is my friend Ellen. She has been doing the class for a while now and is getting some Killer Arms! She’s my idol.This all came about fairly quickly, but I have been exercising pretty regularly and felt like the class would be a good little boost for my weight loss, and I do love a variety. I also like the idea of having a group of friends to […]

(Revised to reflect Freestyle. June 23,2018) . This is an old WW recipe that is a favorite of mine and now with Freestyle, this Taco Soup is Zero SmartPoints. Please don’t eat the whole crockpot full. You don’t have to measure out a cup, but please remember portions sizes are still important in your success! Enjoy! Homemade Taco Seasoning   Brown meat and onion. Add the the cooked meat and onions to a large pot or crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients!   I like to make this early in the day and let it simmer in the crockpot. Of course it’s always better the next day! I like to serve this over a bed of baked chips or Roasted Plantains, then top with a little cheddar and sour cream. Plain Nonfat  Greek Yogurt taste good too and is Zero SmartPoints! This recipe makes about 8-10 cups. “love the life […]

I promised myself when I got into the 160’s, I would treat myself to a mani/pedi. I don’t do this very often, but probably should. Yesterday, I finally found some free time to do just that! I grabbed myself a Starbucks on the way. Tracey, her American name, was super sweet and convinced me to get the gel nails. Glad I did. I love them! Fingers…… AND toes! It was my last food challenge of the weekend. We were going to my brothers house for a birthday celebration. My plan was to eat fairly light throughout the day, then eat a Greek yogurt right before we left to go to his house (14 grams of protein!) and take a point friendly dessert to share. I did just that. Breakfast……Banana, 2 cookies, 1/4 C kashi dry. Lunch……..cottage cheese and veggies, celery stuffed with peanut butter. Snack before going to my brother, […]

This is an old recipe that I have hung onto. I am not a big pie or cobbler person. I prefer cakes and brownies and breads, but this is a keeper! Probably because of the cobbler part! I wish I could give credit to the original creator of the recipe, but I haven’t a clue. For some odd reason, I remember her name was Sue! Thanks Sue! I am going to my brothers today to celebrate his birthday and offered to bring dessert. The menu for dinner is fried chicken, mashed potatoes, rolls, and all that jazz. I don’t really care for fried chicken, and can pass on the other stuff as well, but don’t want to make a scene. I think I’ll take a veggie platter and eat small bites of the “other” food. I will be eating this though! Here’s the recipe! Nothing about this taste “light”, and […]

A relaxing morning in the kitchen with Neil Diamond on my Pandora (I have NO idea why), while trying out a new 1 PPV Cookie recipe. While the cookies were in the oven, I made myself a nice cafe au lait, (lots of practice steaming milk lately)………..And snacked on a small amount of Kashi cereal, dry. ……..and played on the computer downloading some pictures I took last night. After a few silly facebook post, it was time to get to work. Laundry, house cleaning and quite a bit of time doing yard work. Why does that NEVER end? My next door neighbor likes to make sure and put all of the branches that blow out of my tree, in a nice, neat pile beside my house before he mows. I think its a very friendly way to say….”Here you go! These fell out of your tree, so I picked them […]

Yesterday was just one of those days when……your not really sure what to expect. Great results on the scale? Not so great? Maybe plans? Maybe not plans? Things on your to do list, but could wait. Well, if you’ve been reading, weigh in yesterday morning was AWESOME! Then to the store to stock up on fresh fruits and veggies for this week. Got in some treadmill time, worked a bit, walked the dogs. The usual. Then a girlfriend and I decided to head downtown to First Friday’s for some art and a little bit of a cultural experience. We like to step outside the box. The husbands? Not so much. Oh, sure, they’d tag along if we insisted, but I’m pretty sure they were fine missing this one. Not only was it First Friday’s, where art galleries are open, some serving wine and appetizers, (or beer and crackers, the diversity […]

I’m not sure who I’m thanking here, but I believe it’s the scale. Maybe it’s myself. Okay, yes, I thank myself. I mean, after all, I am the one who made the choices that made the scale do what it did, right? The whole blogging thing was going to become quite embarrassing if I didn’t get out of the 170’s…..quick!! Today, I did it! 168.00. It felt great to step on that scale and see that happy little 6 in the middle. I don’t think I have seen a 6 there in over five years! Honestly, I was going to jump up and down for, 169.00, so at 168.00, I froze. Hehe hehe…..now I’m just giddy. I might as well weigh 120! Okay, small exaggeration. But I am extremely pleased with myself. So I need a new challenge, and a new goal. I have determined that I do best with […]

This 0.2 pounds is HEAVY on my mind tonight. (wanting a 0.2 loss tomorrow to get me at 160 something!) I have had such an awesome, disciplined two weeks. But to be honest, I am nervous. Being a girl and all, wouldn’t ya know it? This is the one week out of the month where I feel a little puffy! I know. I apologize. More any information than anyone wants to, or needs to know. Sometimes I think I’m in my private journal, then I remember, nope, pretty public! But hey, I’m just trying to be honest here. I made a corn and black bean salsa this week, and I may have had an inaccurate guesstimate on the points of the chips I ate with it while sampling my salsa! Or, the salt in the chips didn’t like me! Every morning I have stepped on the scale this week and […]

I have blogged numerous times about my two biggest obstacles on my weight loss journey. 1. Anxiety……then eating to deal with it. 2. Socializing……..too often I am out having a Grand Old Time! 🙂 I am doing much better with the anxiety, but still working on the socializing. I have made a couple of rules for myself to follow. I try my best! 1. Drink one time a week. 2. When I do drink, keep within the points allowed for the week. I am getting much better at following my own rule, and I must say it is getting easier. Once in a while, people will question why I’m not drinking, but for the most part, nobody really seems to notice. I am so open about WW and my long term weight loss plan, that most of the people I spend time with on a regular basis know why I […]