Thoughts for Thursday: Weight Watchers Update!

Hi friends!! 

Happy Thursday!! We're almost to the weekend!!! 

So- I have to tell you- I was SO blown away by how kind all of you were to respond to my post on Tuesday!!! Seriously- it was SO fun to read where all of you are from and some fun facts about you!!! It just made my heart so happy to know that this tiny little space of the internet is a place of encouragement for you and that you enjoy my random ramblings so much. So THANK YOU for taking the time to comment!! My girls have just been SO tickled learning about where all of you live!! 

Okay- so it's been a month since I last shared where I am at with my journey to become a lifetime member with Weight Watchers and because it's your lucky day- I decided to do a little update today! HA!

Progress: I reached my goal weight!! Woo-Hoo!!!

I lost a total of 8 pounds in 2 months- putting me 2 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight and I feel great! This Saturday will be my 2nd of 6 'weigh-ins' where I need to be +/- 2 pounds of my goal weight. On my 6th 'weigh-in' is when I will achieve my lifetime status!! 

At that point- I will qualify for a FREE Weight Watchers membership and need to weigh in monthly, being within +/- 2 pounds of my goal weight to continue to qualify as a lifetime member.

Now...while I am super excited that I reached my goal- I did NOT lose the 10 pounds I was hoping to. When I re-joined WW as a "meetings member" back at the beginning of January- they were running a promotion where you could get 2 months of your membership free- if you lost 10 pounds in the first two months. When I weighed in at my first meeting- I knew it was going to be almost impossible to lose 10 pounds- but I really wanted to try and get the 2 months FREE! Needless to say- my body was just not having it and I was starting to drive myself a little bonkers. HA!

I absolutely HATE not achieving goals I set for myself...but I just had to let it go. My husband is such a HUGE support for me and he has been so encouraging about me celebrating where I am at...so that's what I am doing! It's a bummer to not get those 2 months free (a meetings membership is $45/month- so it's NOT cheap)- but I am so happy to be at a weight where I feel comfortable, HEALTHY and STRONG!!

So now- what I am working on is shifting my mindset from "weight loss" to "maintaining." I think almost any person you talk to who has been on any kind of weight loss journey- will tell you that maintaining a healthy weight is A LOT harder than losing weight. I am not finding it physically hard...but mentally- I am seeing where I need to change my mindset on certain things. I have either been pregnant, nursing or trying to lose weight for the last 10 years...so it may take me a little but to settle into the "new me." Does that make sense?? 

Anyway- that's where I am right now and I feel SO GOOD! Once I hit lifetime, I plan to do one more post and share a little bit more about my looonnngg journey of weight loss and becoming the healthiest version of myself- so stay tuned for that in the next month or so! :)

And now- I thought I would share one of my favorite, quick, healthy (weight watcher friendly) meals I make for dinner!

It's starts with cooking a spaghetti squash! Have you ever had spaghetti squash?? I love it!

It is 0 Smartpoints and it is so filling and yummy!

Click HERE for some great directions on how to cook your spaghetti squash in the microwave! 

I prefer to cook my in the stove- go HERE to see the best method for that!

(FYI- in place of olive oil- I spray my squash with olive oil spray for 0 Smartpoints)

Next, I cook some ground turkey and season it with salt, pepper, some garlic powder and italian seasoning. Depending on my mood and how many Smartpoints I have left for dinner- I will either make 99/1 ground turkey or 93/7 ground turkey. I get my 93/7 ground turkey from Aldi- it is only $3.29 per pound which is an amazing price! The 99/1 ground turkey is a little harder to find and it is more expensive. I have the best luck finding mine at Target or at my local Fresh Thyme store. 

After I have cooked the ground turkey, I put some spaghetti squash down on my plate, sprinkle it with some salt and pepper, then pour 1/2 cup marinara sauce on the squash (2 Smartpoints- my favorite kind is from Aldi) and then top it with some ground turkey! I use a food scale to measure everything I eat- if you have never measured or weighed your food- you should try it!! It is a REAL wake up call to see what a CORRECT portion size is!!

Anyway- I usually have about 4 ounces of ground turkey. If I am eating the 99/1 turkey it's only 1 Smartpoint; if I am having the 93/7 turkey it's 3 points for 4 ounces. 

Being totally honest- the 93/7 ground turkey tastes better!! HA!

As you can see in my picture- I also have some sauted spinach mixed in with my squash...I was feeling fancy that night and decided to add that in too!

So there you have it- this is NOT a unique meal idea- there are tons of ideas out there for using spaghetti squash to make an alternative spaghetti like dinner. 

Just search spaghetti squash on Pinterest!

Mine is SUPER simple- because Mama doesn't have time for involved recipes! HA! When I eat this meal, my husband will eat the same thing (he loves it and really likes that he doesn't feel all heavy and gross like you sometimes do when you eat real pasta) and my kiddos will have meatballs (I just make them some mini meatballs from the ground turkey before I cook the rest of it in the pan), a steamed veggie and some kind of noodle or a piece of cheesy bread. 

Now- if you are a pasta lover and are hoping this is going to replace your craving for a big bowl of spaghetti with meat sauce- you will probably be disappointed (just keepin' it real here!)- BUT- it really is delicious and a GREAT alternative. I am not a big pasta person- so I actually prefer this meal over "real" pasta. I say give it a try and see if it's something you might enjoy too (if you haven't already :)

Thanks for listening to me ramble about my Weight Watchers journey!! I really am such a HUGE fan of the program and love talking about it...but I know it's not for everyone :) 

Hope you have the BEST day!!

Linking up with Annie and Natalie today!