Two Pounds a Week

Tax Day, Baby!

Meg — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:40:18 +0000

Today, I went to the doctor for my monthly checkup. I am 16 weeks along…almost halfway through my pregnancy! Woo Hoo! I was a little disappointed that today’s visit didn’t include an ultrasound, but JD and I did get to hear our sweet baby’s heartbeat again — music to our ears! I also was happy that I only gained 4 pounds, which is just the right amount I should put on in a month during second trimester. (Unlike the 10 I packed on in the beginning…yikes!) I guess more mindful eating and exercise are paying off!

But the best part of my visit was finally setting an appointment date to find out if we are having a boy or a girl. We are absolutely dying to find out, and are having a hard time buying anything for the baby considering everything out there is gender specific. So, the doctor told me to come back in 5 weeks, which is April 15! While most Americans will be rushing to the post office to mail away their taxes, we will finally get the news we’ve been so eager to hear. Hopefully, baby will cooperate and not be too bashful. Ha ha!

I don’t know if it was all the excitement or what, but JD and I are sooo exhausted tonight! We decided dinner needed to be simple and quick, so we opened a box of Zatarain’s*:

And added some grilled Italian sausages. (Only 190 calories per link and no nitrates.) Easy peasy!

What a begger!

This was so good! I really liked the seasonings in the beans and rice, and the sausage was sweet + spicy.

Dinner just isn’t a complete meal in my opinion without veggies, so I threw together a lettuce-less salad with cucumber, sprouts, avocado, vine-ripe tomatoes and black olives. I also added a few shakes of light raspberry vinaigrette. Yum, yum!

I have a few more things to do before I hit the hay, so I guess I’ll sign off for now. Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week!

* I was not paid or asked to endorse any products made by the Zatarain’s company.

Cribs and cravings

Meg — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:35:00 +0000

Happy Monday, guys! I hope you are having a good start to the week. And I really hope you all enjoyed Sarah’s post as much as I did. I’m so proud of her for starting a new plan, and look forward to her future guest posts here at TPAW. She’s one amazing gal!

As for what I’ve been up to the past couple of days, I’ve been busy:

Taking waayyy too many pictures of Tex

Helping the husband put together the changing table

Doesn’t it match perfectly with the dresser we bought at auction? (And don’t worry…we aren’t keeping these right next to each other…just did it for the photo.)

And getting ready to tackle this monster (a.k.a. the CRIB!)

On the food front, pregnancy cravings have been coming in droves. These include, but are not limited to:

Fritos and bean dip
Avocados sprinkled with salt
My mom’s mashed potatoes and gravy
Fried bologna sandwiches
Garlic bread
Any and all types of fruit
Chocolate cake
Fried chicken

The list could seriously go on, but I will stop there. I’ve only given in to the fruit (yay!), and the Fritos and bean dip (boo!), which I’m pretty proud of considering I feel like a starving beast 24 hours a day. I’ve been trying to make good choices, and keep healthy snacks in the house when I feel like munching (ok, so when do I NOT feel like munching these days? LOL)

As for exercise, last week was not good. I only worked out twice, and I have no excuses for it. But, I have a whole new week ahead of me, and will be jumping on the elliptical as soon as I finish this post. When you fall off your bike, you get back on, right? And, I have a new motivation to keep up the exercise too after last night.

JD and I were putting groceries in the car, and the man that was in line behind us came up to JD while he was putting the cart away. He asked, “so, when’s the baby due?” I was shocked that a perfect stranger would be brave enough to ask that question…thank goodness I am expecting, or that would have been an even more awkward conversation. I guess I was taken aback a bit that I’m big enough for people that don’t know me to notice. I just hope that doesn’t mean I’m gaining too much. I only weigh myself when I go to the doctor, so I really don’t know how much I’ve put on since last month. I have another appointment on Wednesday (can’t wait!), so I guess I’ll find out then. I figure if I keep up the healthy eating and exercise, I’ll be A-ok. (And note to self: don’t let stranger’s comments bother you.)

So this post is verging on way too long, so I guess I better go eat and exercise. Hope you all have a wonderful, healthy week!!

Sarah’s Slim Down: Meg’s sister talks weight loss

Meg — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:46:15 +0000

Hello everybody! My name is Sarah and I’m Megan’s sister. I’m here at Two Pounds a Week to do some guest posting and I‘m very excited! As you know, Meg is pregnant and I’m so, so happy to become an aunt again. I can’t wait to have a sweet new baby in our lives! I gave birth to the last two babies in our family and, I must say, motherhood has been the most amazing, character-building, insane, joyful experience ever (I could keep going with these adjectives), but I‘m looking forward to being in the aunt role this time around. I’ve been very proud of Meg for doing this blog and all the hard work and dedication she put into losing weight and getting fit pre-pregnancy, but (of course) expecting a child means the weight loss portion is on hiatus for now. In the meantime, I thought I might share some of my own weight loss goals with you.

First, a bit about me: I’ve been married for almost 8 years to my husband, Terry, and we have two little girls named Elizabeth and Presley. They are 4 and 2, respectively. I work full-time from home as a website editor. These are my sweet girls:

As far as weight goes, I’ve been up and down over the years (like many of you, I’m sure) and I’ve tried plenty of different diet and exercise plans with varying degrees of success. I’ve done Atkins, The Zone, Weight Watchers, the Fat Flush Plan, the Suzanne Somers diet and more. I’ve probably had the most consistent success with Weight Watchers, but I’ve learned a little something from all of the plans, which is something I’ll talk about in more detail later on.

Pregnant the first time - wowza!

Getting pregnant changed everything for me. I gained a whopping 60 pounds during my first pregnancy, which I didn‘t expect. I lost 30 of it within 6 weeks, when I went for my follow-up doctor visit, but the other 30 stuck like glue. I started working out and trying to eat healthy, but my weight didn’t change (although I did tone up and feel better). When my daughter was 11 months old, I found out I was expecting for the second time - surprise! I was happy, but I worried about being pregnant again before getting the extra weight off. During my second pregnancy, I was more careful about how much I ate and I continued to exercise for the first few months. I ended up gaining just over 20 pounds and it all came off after six weeks. I was relieved, but still had the other 30 to contend with.

At the very end of my second pregnancy & not feeling big as a house this time!

Then I had a wake-up call. A few months after my second daughter was born, I came down with an ear infection and went to the doctor. When they weighed me, I found out I had gained 15 pounds in really short period of time - a matter of a couple months. I had no idea that I had gained more weight. My clothes weren’t fitting differently and I wasn’t aware of any big changes to my eating habits. But, the alarm bells definitely went off. I knew if I didn’t really do something to get the weight off, it was clearly going to keep creeping up on me. At that point, I joined Weight Watchers once again.

Slimming down post-pregnancy

Having an extra 15 pounds to lose on top of the 30 seemed like a huge feat, but I did end up losing almost 25 pounds on Weight Watchers. Then, I stopped doing it. I’m not sure why I stopped right when it was really working for me, but soon after I ended up going through one of those rough “desert” periods in life where things like losing weight go on the backburner. During this period, my husband’s mother unexpectedly went into a coma for six months and ended up passing away at 52, my grandfather died less than two weeks later, we moved to a different house and my youngest daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic syndrome called Cornelia de Lange. I don’t fault myself for not focusing on my weight during this time – it was enough to get by from day to day – but I do know that I’ve likely gained back all or most of what I lost. I haven’t weighed myself in a long time, so I‘m not sure where I stand.

Thankfully, life has bounced back and I’m ready to get serious about my weight loss again. After going back and forth on what to do, I’ve decided to try Weight Watchers because it worked for me before. I have a work trip I’m taking at the end of this month and it would definitely be a nice confidence-booster to lose a little weight before going. Since time is at a premium for that, I don’t want to try something new at this point.

I don’t consider Weight Watchers a perfect plan, but it’s a good tool for tracking and limiting how much you eat. However, I don’t intend on joining this time around. I’ve never gotten much from the meetings, although I can see how people do (it’s just not for me); however, I find that just the act of going in and getting weighed by a complete stranger does motivate me to stay with it. I don’t know why, it just does. But, I don‘t really want to pay $12 a week just to get weighed. For now, I’m going to use the materials I already have, execute the plan on my own, and hope to get the same kind of accountability by writing on this blog!

Since I won’t be joining, my first step is buying a scale. I haven’t weighed myself in forever and I dread doing it, but I know I have to because I need to know what I’m working with in order to track my progress. So, today, I’ll be getting one and finding out just how much of the weight I gained back. Yikes!

I’ll be sure and update this post to let you know what happens with the scale.

Coming up in future posts: What I’ve learned from my past weight loss attempts and how pregnancy changed my perspective on losing weight and exercising (for the better!).

An old favorite

Meg — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:41:50 +0000

Happy Wednesday! How’s your week going so far? Maybe it’s just because I’ve been busy at work, but this week seems to be zipping right along. I can’t believe it is almost the weekend! Not that I’m complaining…I’d much rather be closer to Friday than Monday.

I brought back an old favorite for dinner tonight: chicken enchilada soup. I made it for the first time back in October, and I have no idea why it has taken me so long to make it again, cause it is mmm…mmm…delicious!

I added zucchini and extra Velveeta Mexican-style cheese to this batch. And speaking of Velveeta, just about every time I check my blog stats, someone has found their way to my blog with the keywords, “Is Velveeta safe for pregnant women?” (I had a post awhile back that mentioned Velveeta Shells & Cheese, and I guess that’s a popular search term!) I’m happy for the new visits, no matter how you get here, and I Google those types of questions myself about 10 times a day.

I know that many soft cheeses and deli meats are off limits for pregnant women because of the risk of listeriosis, but I personally feel comfortable eating Velveeta (which isn’t very often) because it clearly states on the label that it is pasteurized.

(Note: I am not a medical professional. You should always consult your doctor for any concerns you have about foods you eat during your pregnancy.)

But let’s get back to dinner: I paired the soup with a lovely green salad drizzled with light raspberry vinaigrette, and a sprinkle of Salad Toppins.

The belly was happy after this meal!

Along with a nutritious dinner, I got in a great workout too. I did 30 minutes of hills on the elliptical, plus the 20-minute toning session on Denise Austin’s Fit & Firm Pregnancy DVD. I do this workout often and feel so good afterwards! I will be glad when it warms up though, so I can get outside for some exercise.

And in other news…today I am 15 weeks pregnant! It’s hard to believe I’m already almost 4 months along. Although we don’t know the baby’s gender yet (probably won’t find out for another 7 weeks or so), JD and I are already buying a few things for the nursery. We got this beautiful dresser for a steal last weekend at an auction. It matches perfectly with the crib and changing table we picked out, which we are purchasing this weekend. I’m so excited…I can’t wait to see it all come together!

I also bought the baby this sweet little stuffed elephant while shopping at the mall for maternity clothes. Boy or girl, this kid has to know early what college football team to root for! Ha!

Before I go for the evening, I’d like to thank Brittany for passing the Sunshine Award along to me!

You spoil me, girl! And here’s a few well-deserving bloggers that I’d like to pass this award to:

I have a very dirty kitchen calling my name, so I will sign off for now. Have a wonderful rest of the week!

Meg Makes It On Monday: Chicken Quesadillas

Meg — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:20:56 +0000

Hey, friends! Sorry for my absence the past few days. I have been battling a cold and a bit of a blog funk (do you bloggers out there ever hit a writer’s roadblock at times?) since Friday, but I’m feeling a lot better all around today. Good enough, in fact, to make a delicious, Mexican dinner — chicken, black bean and veggie quesadillas. You don’t really need a recipe for these, which I like, because the ingredient possibilities are pretty much whatever is your heart’s (or stomach’s) content. Quesadillas were one of my favorite dinners to make when I was on Weight Watchers, because if you watch your portions and use the right tortillas, they can be relatively low in points (but still really good!)

Here’s the ingredients the husband and I used for tonight’s batch:

Black beans, drained

Cilantro, onion and zucchini

Baby Bella mushrooms

Pan-seared organic chicken tenders, cut into chunks

Two whole-wheat tortillas (you can use one and fold it over to save calories if you like)

We assembled everything on one tortilla and sprinkled the top with cheese.

Put second tortilla on top (or fold over if you are using one tortilla)

Put in a 350 degree oven on a baking sheet for about 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted. We switched it over to broil for an additional 3-5 minutes to get the top nice and crisp.

Cut into squares and enjoy with whatever toppings you like. I used a drizzle of ranch sour cream sauce, a few extra sprigs of cilantro and a big helping of fresh salsa — delicioso!

I did, however, make two mistakes. 1. I forgot to spray the baking sheet, so it was a little hard to get off the pan. 2. We didn’t flip the quesadillas over to broil, so the bottom was a little less crispy than the top. But they were still wonderful and filling! I loved the zucchini in this — definitely making a comeback. The entire dish (with two tortillas) was right around 400 calories, which isn’t too shabby for a nutritious, complete dinner.

I’ve decided that this is going to be my last official “Meg Makes It On Monday” for awhile. I’m still going to share recipes and meal ideas as I get them, just not on the same day every week. I would still love recipe ideas from all you budding chefs out there, so if you would like yours featured on my blog, please e-mail me at twopounds2@yahoo.com.

Question for the readers: What are your favorite quesadilla ingredients?

In baby news…

I’ll leave you tonight with a picture JD took of me on Friday. Someone is definitely starting to show!

Night, night!

Day by Day

Meg — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 03:14:42 +0000

I’m learning very quickly that pregnancy is incredibly unpredictable. I had all intentions of writing a post when I got home last night, but instead, I was laying on heat packs, fighting back spasms. Not to mention continued round ligament pain. But today, I’m feeling really good and even got in my first long workout of the week — 30 minutes of hills on the elliptical, and 20 minutes of strength training. Each day is so different from the next in this crazy mommy-to-be journey! I’m soaking up every minute though — even the painful ones.

So let’s get to the 14 random things about me. As I mentioned in my last post, Brittany and Steph passed the Beautiful Blogger Award to me (thanks so much, ladies!), and I couldn’t be more honored. Brittany has become a fast friend that I met through blogging, and her positive attitude and determination to lose weight leaves me in awe with each and every post.

Steph and I are long-time friends, and she is one of the most fantastic and talented photographers out there! Seriously, you need to check out her work…phenomenal!! I haven’t asked her yet, but I’m hoping she’ll do some pregnancy pics for us. Fingers crossed she has a day open, cause she sure stays busy.

I hope I don’t have any repeats…it’s hard coming up with 14!

I hate ham, but I love prosciutto. Odd, I know.
I have a huge extended family — more than 14 cousins on one side alone!
I’m not a fan of scary movies, haunted houses and any other spooky things that other people find fun.
My first boyfriend was in the 4th grade. Our relationship lasted a week I think. Ha Ha!
I love to go dancing, even though I’m not very good at it.
I’ve been a bridesmaid 5 times.
I had bleach blond hair in high school, and braces. Luckily people were still nice to me. Ha!
I am obsessed with reality TV. Guilty pleasures include all the Real Housewives series, Jersey Shore, 16 and Pregnant…oh the shame!
I can’t sleep at night unless my kitchen is clean.
My husband and I’s first date was dinner at a sushi restaurant. We’ve been together (almost 4 years!) ever since.
I had a Michael Jackson doll when I was little. It had the full “Thriller” outfit and everything.
One of my favorite movies is “The Jerk.” Classic!
I am always cold. I keep a space heater running at work year round, and I always have a blanket or sweatshirt on at home.
I refuse to eat leftover chicken. It just tastes nasty to me heated back up!

And I’d like to pass the Beautiful Blogger Award to these terrific ladies:

A new episode of Real Housewives of Orange County is on, so I must go! But, I will leave you with a very cute pup pic I took tonight. Tex played so much at doggy daycare today, he went straight to sleep when JD brought him home:

What a sweet, sleepy baby!

Have a great night, all!

Meg Makes It On Tuesday: Sweet Potato Soup

Meg — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 03:21:12 +0000

I’m feeling a little better today, but the pains are still going. At least they’ve worn down in intensity, but now my lower back is starting to throb. I need some new parts! Ha Ha!

The husband isn’t feeling so hot himself (sinus troubles), so I thought a good batch of soup would be the perfect supper for a couple of sad sacks like us. We had three sweet potatoes that needed to be cooked, so I went in search of a soup that they would be of good use in. I thought this recipe from the Food Network sounded good, and simple to make. So without further adieu, here’s a little recap in pics!

Sorry this pic is so dark! I couldn’t get it to lighten up!

This soup was sooo good! It was creamy and had a wonderful flavor with all the spices mixed in. It really reminded me of fall, and this girl loves some fall! We doubled the recipe so there’s plenty of yummy leftovers for lunch.

I’m going to cap off the night with a Popsicle and the rest of The Office marathon. I love that show!

And a big thanks to Brittany for passing a Beautiful Blogger Award to me. Made my day! I had one passed back to me awhile ago from Steph as well, (thanks, girl!) so I will get to 14 random facts about me tomorrow. For now…goodnight!

Aches and pains

Meg — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:10:54 +0000

Ok, so don’t hate me forever…I am saving this week’s “Meg Makes It On Monday” for Tuesday. It’s going to be a really good one though — sweet potato soup! I can’t wait to try it. So why did I not make it tonight? Well friends, the past two days have been really rough for me. While some pregnancy symptoms (i.e. all-day nausea) have packed their bags and moved on, I now have a new and mean-spirited visitor: round ligament pain. Basically, my uterus is expanding to make room for our growing baby, and all the stretching and pulling going on in there is causing horrible shooting pains, and at times, it feels like my insides are being squeezed like a lemon. Ouch!

I called my doctor today to calm all my irrational fears (what if all this pain is because something is wrong with the baby?!), and it seems that what I’m going through is perfectly normal. As long as there’s not any symptoms associated with the aches — fever, chills, spotting, etc. — everything is A-OK. Good news, but unfortunately, I was told there’s really nothing I can do to ease the pain. And trust me, I’ve tried! Last night, I did Summer Sanders prenatal workout to try to stretch out and took regular Tylenol (which is on my approved medicine list), but to no avail. I did tough it out at work today, and went to the grocery store tonight, but I could barely make it through the aisles I was so uncomfortable. So no soup for us tonight, since I’ve decided to take it easy and rest, but hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

On a happy note, I did achieve my goal of working out 5 days last week! Yay for me! I was going to reward myself with shoes, but I saw something at the store tonight that seemed to be just the thing I need right now:

I can’t wait to fill up the tub and soak in some of this mineral bath. It smells so good, too! (And no, I was not compensated or asked to endorse this product. Ok, FTC?)

And a big shout out goes to my husband for starting his own weight loss plan today! He wants to lose 25 pounds by August, and joined Sparkpeople.com to track his calories. I’m so proud of him — love you, honey!

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Paint me a Picasso

Meg — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:46:22 +0000

Hello, all! How’s your weekend so far? Today, I am nursing a killer food hangover. Friday, I had a ladies night with Lori, Jessica and our friend and co-worker Judi, and we had such a great time! We drove about an hour to a painting class called “Sips n Strokes,” where an artist takes you step-by-step through creating your very own Picasso (ha, ha). The “Sips” part is you can bring your own beverage — naughty or nice — to enjoy throughout the class. We were eager to go to this particular session, because the picture on the agenda was near and dear to our hearts: an Alabama national championship print. (You can check out the artist’s picture on the Sips n Strokes calendar.)

UA is my alma mater, and I had some of the best years of my life there! We are all HUGE Crimson Tide fans, and were so excited when Alabama won the 2009 national championship title. So this picture was right up our college football lovin’ alley!

Before the painting commenced, we stopped at one of my favorite BBQ places, Jim n Nicks, to grab an early dinner. They have the absolute best burgers, so that’s what I ordered. With fries. And lemonade. I ate pretty light yesterday, so I thought a little indulgence would be ok. But I know I should have perused the menu for a healthier item, or subbed a veggie for the fries. Sigh. I still struggle with making good choices sometimes, obviously.

We made it to the class, bellies full and ready to paint.

Jessica was pumped!

What started out like this…

Turned into that!

Ok, so my painting looks nothing like the artist’s, but I still love it! It was really cool to look around the class and see how each person’s work was so different from the next. Very fun and worth it if you have something similar in your area. I’m not sure where I’m going to hang my masterpiece yet, but JD and I have talked about doing an Alabama football-themed nursery if the baby is a boy. A little artwork from mom would be a perfect addition, no?

My friends’ pictures turned out awesome! What a talented group of ladies.

Lori’s.

Judi’s.

Jessica’s.

After the class, we headed over to the Cheesecake Factory for coffee and dessert. But the menu looked so delicious, we all ended up ordering food and dessert. I got the avocado roll appetizer, plus a piece of red velvet cheesecake. I ate about half of both, left the rest of the rolls and got the cake packed up to take home (which by the way, was heaven on a plate). So I basically had two dinners, which I never do. And now I remember why. I was way too full, and today, I had bad heartburn, indigestion and just an overall feeling of icky-ness.

Luckily, I was able to redeem myself with healthy food choices today, and hopefully balanced out the bazillion calories I ate last night with a good workout. I won’t be overdoing it like that again anytime soon though. My body does not respond well to it, and I know I will definitely put on too much weight during my pregnancy if I eat that way.

I do notice that I tend to over do it when I’m having a good time with family or friends — that because it’s a special night, birthday or festive occasion, that makes it ok to throw healthy eating out the window. It’s definitely something for me to think about and work on.

On a lighter note (no pun intended), I think we found our nursery furniture today! I can’t wait to start decorating our baby’s room…we have so much to do!

Questions for the readers: Do you have slip ups in your healthy living journeys? What foods trigger you to overeat?

Brain freeze

Meg — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:07:46 +0000

I realized today that I completely forgot to do my usual “Meg Makes It On Monday” this week. Oops! Maybe my absent mindedness was because I had the day off, or all the cold weather put my memory into a frozen stupor, or it could be the early onset of “Mommy Brain.” Whatever the reason may be, my apologies to everyone for the oversight, and I will make it up to you. No not next Monday — TONIGHT! I made an awesome chicken recipe, compliments of my wonderful mother, and wanted to share it with you guys. So let’s get cookin’!

You only need three main components for this dish:

Rice — I used whole grain brown, but white or other varieties will work as well
One can Cream of Mushroom soup. I have two in the picture, but a quick call to mom confirmed one can is plenty! I used the regular kind, but you can always sub for a lower fat or sodium soup.
Pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. We got organic chicken for a great price at Publix. I love deals!

Now that you know the top-secret ingredients, here’s the instructions:

Cover the bottom of an ungreased baking dish with a thin layer of rice

Pour in just enough water to cover the rice

(you can use chicken stock instead of water, which I forgot to do. What is with my brain?!)

Add chicken breasts — these look gigantic, but they cooked down a lot! Sprinkle with your favorite seasonings — I used a little bit of salt, pepper and garlic powder

“Frost” (as my mom says) the chicken/rice mixture with the Cream of Mushroom soup until completely saturated

Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 90 minutes

When done, enjoy!

The chicken was so delicious and tender! I had half a cup of the rice (terrific flavor with the mushroom soup!) and a few spoons of sliced carrots and zucchini. Of course it wasn’t as good as my mom makes, but definitely a close contender. The husband gave it a thumbs up, too! If you decide to try it out yourself, let me know what you think.

On the exercise front, I’ve worked out 3 days in a row! I’m so proud! It’s been so hard to get motivated with the nausea and sleepiness, but I’m starting to feel so much better now that I’m getting farther along in my pregnancy. (13 weeks today to be exact — baby is the size of a peach. Too cute!) Only 2 more workouts to go before reward time — and I think my feet I already know what I want.

I hope you all are having a fantastic week! Goodnight.