Fab Ab February

Punxsutawney (pronounced punks-a-tawn-E) Phil predicts an early spring. Yay!

I think every runner loves Spring.

No more layers!
No more long sleeves!
No more gloves!
No more fripple!
No more pre- and post- nasal drip! (Right??)

What better way to celebrate February and Spring than a challenge! I wouldn’t mind some fab abs by March. I’m sure I’m not the only one…

I found the original challenge via my friend (Hi WW Leader Kate!!). Since it was from last year’s calendar I’ve updated with my own because I knew seeing the days and dates slightly off would start to bug me. I’m a little OCD like that.

I’ll be checking in everyday on my Facebook page. Come join me!

Menu Planning 1/28-3/2/13

Since Weight Watcher 360 came out in November, every week at the end of the meeting my leader has been asking us to commit to one thing for the upcoming week. This week I decided it’s time to get back on the menu planning wagon. The last time I planned a weekly menu, I had written “Cousin Carrie’s Wedding” on it. Um… Cousin Carrie got married in October 2011. Oops.

And as extra credit (Oh you know I was teacher’s pet back in the day) I’m putting it in writing… er… blogging.

If Points Plus are available I will include it with menu.
If not I’ll add it in later when I put it in the recipe builder. Check back for my updates.

Let’s do this!!

MONDAY serves 24 mini muffin | 1PP+ per serving
Quinoa Pizza Bites
steamed zucchini

TUESDAY serves 6
Parmesan Meatloaf
side salad

WEDNESDAY serves 4
Mustard Maple Syrup Chicken aka The World’s Best Chicken*
oven roasted brussels sprouts
brown rice

THURSDAY serves 6
Spaghetti Squash Bake

FRIDAY
Date Night**

SATURDAY
My twin nieces’ birthday party (I can’t believe they are 3 years old already!)

SUNDAY***
Pizza and buffalo wings –> GO 49ERS!!

I showed you mine. Now you show me yours! What’s on your menu this week??

Want to learn more about WW360? The Daily Mel does a great job explaining it WITH pictures! If you are a visual learner like me, you’ll appreciate it!

* Recipe includes a crock pot version. Might have to try that next time!
** Could be husband’s choice of home cooked meal or eat out
*** I’m running my 4th Half Marathon (eek!) AND it’s Superbowl so not the healthiest dinner choice but I don’t feel guilty after running 13.1 miles!

Sometimes I need to see it

Sometimes I need to see it….

To remember how far I’ve come.

Embrace every part of your weight loss journey. It is in each step that we see progress.

Happy Friday Cupcakes. xo

One Amazing Day

Now that my heart rate has come back down to normal, I wanna tell you about yesterday.

Weight Watchers is celebrating it’s 50th Anniversary this year (2013). Yesterday many WW locations all over the country hosted an Open House themed “One Amazing Day” to invite current and potential members to listen/be inspired by member success stories, Pampered Chef demos, Antigulla Olive Oil taste testing, WW bar samples, clothes swap (I donated a 45gal tub full of clothes!), WW360 program overview and gift basket raffle.

That’s me! I was SO nervous!

I was humbled when my WW leader invited me to be one of the speakers at my meeting location. She explained that I would have about 10 minutes to share my story. Eek!

I talked about my “aha moment”.
I talked about my before picture and my fat pants.
I talked about the importance of asking for support.
I talked about adding activity.
I talked about how I stayed motivated when I gained.
and more…

I want to thank my fellow speakers, Barbara (lost 35lbs), Barry (lost 26lbs), Susan (lost 35lbs) and Erica (lost 101lbs). Their stories inspired me! I hope something I said inspired just one person in the audience. After everyone shared their stories, we took questions from the audience. I thought it was funny that people wanted to know how tall I am.

I am 5’1.5 but I round up to 5’2… in case you were wondering. lol

Did you go to “One Amazing Day” in your area? What’s one thing you took from it? I’d love to hear about it.

Thank you to my dear husband for holding his iPhone steady with minimal shaking for almost 12 minutes to tape this video! xo

That *IS* me on TV!

Can I just tell you all how perceptive you are?

After my 100 List post was published it wasn’t too long before I started getting the emails about #50 — I am a Weight Watchers magazine and commercial success story.  Pretty much all of them said the same thing “I THOUGHT THAT WAS YOU!!”

Yup.  That’s me.  I’m on TV.  Did you catch my 2 secs of fame?  The banner above is a still shot of my little TV moment.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.

This whole thing all started when I decided a week before Weight Watcher’s Celebrate Success contest ended, to submit my story.  It was totally on a whim.  It was late.  I couldn’t sleep so I said “What do I have to lose?” I knew it said all entries would be “considered” for a TV commercial but I was focused on the SURE THING – to win the Grand Prize $2500 NYC shopping spree.  Heck I would have been happy being one of the 100 First Prize $100 Visa Card winners.

Since I hadn’t heard anything for a few weeks after the contest ended I figured… Oh well… I tried.  No regrets (well except those Louboutin shoes that I was gonna buy with that $2500! lol). Normal life continued and I forgot about the contest.  Then on a random Monday morning, my phone rang.

“Hello?  Clara?  This is “X” from Weight Watchers.  You recently entered the Celebrate Success contest.  We not affiliated with choosing the winners of the contest but we were wondering if you would be interested in auditioning for a potential Weight Watcher’s commercial?  Clara?  Hello? Anyone there?”

I was literally speechless.  It took me a few seconds to remember I had a voice “Um… YES!! YES YES!”

Three weeks and 2 auditions later, a private town car picked me up at my house and drove me to Beverly Hills’ swanky Mr. C hotel.  The driver even had the whole chauffeur outfit on.  Complete with the hat.  I loved the hat.

There I met 11 other AMAZING castmates along with all the other thousands of people it takes to put on a production. And it was TOTALLY a production!

Enzo Angilerii (hair stylist), me and Collier Strong (makeup artist)
Two of the sweetest men you’ll ever meet.

Jennifer Harbour (WW Sr. Marketing Manager), Jory (PA), Me, Sharon Ehrlich (Creative Director), Vicky (PA) during the taping of WW Only Human YouTube project

Me and Negar Ali (wardrobe stylist).
My face is priceless. You want me to wear what now??

Here’s one of my “I have no more moves” pose.

Me and Peyton Wilson (director)

My husband and I played tourist over the weekend during non-shoot times.

Pete, Dan, Erin and me.
You probably recognize all of them from the WW #expectamazing campaign.

There are so many people I need to thank but I don’t know where to start.  From the camera crew, to the lighting crew, the producers, directors, personal assistants, contract writers, notaries, stage crew, makeup, hair, wardrobe, my castmates etc etc.  See what I mean?? 

You can see my Only Human YouTube project (here), my WW commercial (here), my direct mailer (here) and my WW magazine print (here).

It was an experience I will NEVER forget.

MORAL OF THE STORY:
It doesn’t hurt to try something out of your comfort zone. You might just end up on TV!

Motivational Monday:: My 100 List

Usually around this time of the year I make my customary “lose weight” New Year’s Resolution.  But this year I decided to focus on the things that have changed in the last 18 months since losing 60lbs on Weight Watchers instead.

At first my intention was to make it a list of 25 but once I got started I realized that I had so much more to add.  No matter where you are in your weight loss journey I hope you make your own 100 list.  I bet it’s easier than you think!

See you next year!  Be awesome in 2013.

Status Update

Hello Cupcakes!

Sorry that I left you high and dry with no forwarding address. I think my last blog update was in May *smacks hand* It was an emotional time for me so I decided instead of focusing on my blog, the number on the scale and a timeline, to readjust my personal goals to include NSWs (non-scale victories) like sticking to a 5x week exercise routine (running, pilates, yoga, zumba), eating 5-6 servings of vegetables and fruits per day, drinking at least 64oz of water per day, tracking every BLT (bite, lick, taste) diligently, going to WW meetings – no excuses – sometimes up to 3x a week! etc.

I really believe the mental adjustment helped me lose those last pesky 10lbs. As of the last 18 months, I’ve lost 62.4lbs, made WW goal on May 22, 2012, WW Lifetime on July 10, 2012, run 14-5K, 1-8K, 2-10K and 3-Half Marathons.

Thank you to all my readers for traveling on this journey with me. It has made all the difference.

Remember… You only fail if you quit. xoxo

Motivational Monday

Weigh-In #60 and Frustration

I won’t sugar coat it. See the picture? That is how I feel. DISAPPOINTED.

Except being a fat baby is way cuter than being an overweight 32 year old woman. According to my BMI, I’m still overweight.

WI#60 = +2 lbs
Total = -50.8 lbs

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Where did all my determination go? I know some of the gain is b/c I ran 2- 5Ks in a row right before weigh-in and my muscles are sore but… Come on Self. Let’s honest. It’s not all muscle water retention. It’s not all muscle gain. It’s the triple french toast you ate on Sunday. It’s the cheesecake you ate on Friday. It’s the chips and salsa you ate on Saturday. You can’t exercise away a bad diet. *primal scream*

The self sabotaging is getting old. *smacks hand*

Self, get back in the game. NOW!

In happier news, my Color Run 5K was awesome. Will post a recap and pictures tomorrow.

Motivational Monday