Week 4

Weight Loss- (31 to go)  The scale has finally moved!!!  I lost three pounds this week.  I really haven't changed what I eat, I have just been eating less of it.  Brian and I have also been cutting down on how much we go out to eat.  We are supposed to go to the gym three times a week.  That really didn't happen this week.  We went on Sunday.  Yesterday I didn't feel like driving in the wind storm we were having so I did one of my exercise DVDs.  I did it, but it was kind of torture.  There are just too many distractions at home.  I need to be at the gym when this winter weather permits, and of course on the trails once spring gets here.  I will continue to do these horrible DVDs as a last resort though.  I am excited that I lost three pounds this week, and hope this motivates me to keep going.

***In the midst of typing this, one of my friends sent me a text asking me if I wanted to start going to the gym with her on Saturday mornings, so it looks like I will start going to the gym 4 times a week :)

Recipes- (30 to go) On Sunday we had beef stroganoff.  The recipe came from the Cook This Not That cookbook.  I thought it was really good.  Brian thought it was just OK.  Brian and I have a few of the Cook This Not That and Eat This Not That books.  They are full of good tips for people like us who are not wishing to go on a super strict diet, but are looking for ways to make small changes to get healthier.

Movies- (28 to go) No new movies this week.  Shocking I know :)

Books- (33 to go) This week I finished Who Could That Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket.  It's a kids book about a detective who travels to a lighthouse to solve the mystery of a missing statue called the Bominating Beast.  It was a good book, and had the same dry sense of humor as the Series of Unfortunate Event Books.

Week 3

Weight Loss- (34 to go)  I finally made it back to the gym!!!  We went to the gym three times this week, which was the goal.  Each time I did 3 miles on the elliptical and then about 10 minutes on weight machines.  Each day I didn't want to go.  I had to drag myself kicking and screaming, but once I was there each time I felt much better.  I need to keep that in mind and use that as my motivation.  I am never going to want to go to the gym, but will feel better for having gone.

Recipes- (31 to go) Nothing new to report this week.

Movies- (28 to go) Brian and I have watched three movies since my last entry.  Saturday night we watched Despicable Me 2.  I wasn't a huge fan of the first one, but I actually really liked the second one.  This was one of those rare occasion that the sequel was better than the original.  Sunday we went to the movies and saw Inside Llewyn Davis.  It was good.  John Goodman was hysterical, but unfortunately his role was pretty small.  John Goodman has been popping up in all sorts of things lately, and he seems to steal the movie when he is in one.  I love him.  Finally, last night we rented Fruitvale Station which is based on a true story about an unarmed black man being shot to death by police at a train station on New Years Eve.  The end of the movie was pretty intense (obviously), but the movie spent a lot of time trying to make the main character look like a saint so you would feel more emotionally involved.  This is OK, but this movie was a little too obvious about it.

Books- (34 to go) I am still in the middle of Mockingjay and Who Could That be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket.  I will most likely finish the Snicket book this weekend.

Week 2

Weight Loss- (34 to go) Two words for you Polar Vortex.  I was locked in the house for three days and kind of ate my way through the polar vortex :(

Recipes- (31 to go) Earlier this week I made Parmesan crusted chicken (recipe can be found on my Pintrest board).  It was super easy to make, and was delicious.  It wasn't very healthy because the base of the crust is mayo, but I am sure you could make it with a low fat mayo if you want it to be a little healthier.  I highly recommend this recipe.  Like I said easy and delicious.

Movies- (31 to go) Right in the middle of the snow storm on Sunday, Brian and I ventured out to the movies (luckily the movie theater is only about two minutes down our street) and saw The Wolf of Wall Street.  I am a little confused on my own feeling towards this movie.  A week later, and I'm still not really sure if I liked it.  Leonardo DiCaprio did a great job and it was an interesting story, but it was soooooo long.  It was three hours long, and it wasn't one of those long movies that doesn't seem very long.  It was three hours long, and it felt like it was four hours long.  Maybe I was just distracted by the snow storm outside, but come on already!  

Books- (34 to go) I am still in the middle of Mockingjay and Who Could That be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket.  Mockingjay is going really slow.  I just can't get into it, which is strange because it is a final book in a series and I really want to know how it all ends.  Who Could That Be at This Hour? is pretty funny, and I am enjoying reading it so far.

Week 1

Weight Loss- (33 to go) I lost one pound this week.  It was a slow start as I knew it would be. I am still on vacation and I have been sick for over a week.  I did go grocery shopping yesterday, and the holiday leftovers are almost gone, so it will only get easier from here.  For week two I am going to focus on drinking more water, and getting over being sick, so I can get to the gym.

Recipes- (32 to go) On New Year's day Brian and I tried two new recipes (both can be found on my Pintrest board).  We made a mashed potato bake, and lemon rice soup.  I had no idea lemon rice soup was so hard to make.  A couple of people commented about how hard it was when they heard we were making it.  They were right!  We had to try to twice.  You have to temper and egg, which means using an egg in the broth to thicken it without cooking the egg.  Ugh!  Brian finally got it after I had given up.  It was worth it though, both the bake and the soup was wonderful, and we enojoyed a nice New Year's dinner.

Movies- (32 to go) We saw the new Hobbit movie this week.  It wasn't as terrible as I thought it was going to be.  I had no desire to see it after not really liking the first one, but it was surprisingly enjoyable.  I liked it a lot better than the first one.  I also watched this movie on Netflix called Prince Avalanche.  It was terrible. It was about these two guys that work together, and their messed up lives.  

Books- (34 to go) I didn't get as much reading done this vacation as I was wanting.  As I mentioned earlier, I was sick all week, and everytime I sat down to read, I ended up falling asleep.  I am in the middle of reading Mockingjay right now, as well as Who Could That be at This Hour? which is by the same author of Series of Unfortunate Events.