Zucchini sausage alfredo

Who says you can't enjoy some carbs occasionally?
I had some sausage defrosted and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with it.  For some odd reason, meatballs is what stuck in my mind.  And what to eat with my meatballs...  I already knew my delicious zucchini from the farmers market was gonna be involved.  I finally decided on spaghetti provided I still had any whole grain spaghetti left.  I did!  :-)  Started my meatballs cooking and water boiling while trying to pull the rest of dinner together.  Pulled a carrot and a couple of mushrooms out of the fridge and grabbed Alfredo sauce from the pantry.  Things were starting to look up!  After slicing and dicing and serving things up, my plate looked gorgeous!  Just a little pasta on the bottom, finely coated with Alfredo sauce and heaped with a generous portion of zucchini and sausage!  Punched the recipe into Lose It and only 250 calories for a gigantic plate of food!  Dinner is good tonight!  Enjoy!

4 More Lbs Lost in This Cause!!!

I have been working on my lost cause with dedication for more than 2 months now.  I am up to 14 lbs lost! (and only 1/2 a lb from 15!!!)  I am so surprised to step on the scale every week and see more weight loss.  I know I am working hard, sweating out the calories and watching what I eat, but still I can't believe that it is actually working and I am losing the weight on target!
I watch all of my Lose It! friends on their journey.  We all work together, supporting and encouraging each other as we walk down the same road.  Everyone understands where you are because they are there or have been there.  We share tips, tricks, ideas, recipes, fitness plans, phone apps, anything that is related to fitness and becoming healthier. 
If a weight gain is posted, everyone is there to keep you upbeat and not let you get discouraged.  If a major burn is posted, everyone congratulates you.
I started 2 new programs this month, 1 of which was suggested from a Lose It! friend, 100 pushup challenge after I hurt my foot and was expressing concerns about the wisdom of my usual walk / bike workout.  It is getting so much attention.  More people are thinking about trying it, soon we will all be working towards 100 pushups. 
Lose It! is the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I do at night.  Any time I start feeling like I can't do it, all I do is log on, start reading and I am ready to get out there and do it. 
My grandpa was in the hospital for almost 2 weeks, and I was having a difficult time.  I wasn't exercising, eating correctly, and just generally stressed out.  Everytime I checked my email, there was such encouragment, prayers, good thoughts, completely overwhelming. 
It really is a family, united together, protecting everyone, noticing when something is wrong and trying to do something about it.

My July fitness plan / tools:
Monday -  - Adidas MiCoach Lose Weight Level 2 workout & continue walking / jogging my regular route at the park. 3 miles
Tuesday - EA Sports 9 Week Program Easy & Wii Fit using wiifitroutine.com rotating weight loss, strength, yoga & endurance workouts. Medium difficulty, 1 hour - 100 pushup challenge
Wednesday - Adidas MiCoach Lose Weight Level 2 workout & continue walking / jogging my regular route at the park. 3 miles
Thursday - EA Sports 9 Week Program Easy & Wii Fit using wiifitroutine.com rotating weight loss, strength, yoga & endurance workouts. Medium difficulty, 1 hour  - 100 pushup challenge
Friday - Adidas MiCoach Lose Weight Level 2 Workout & bike my regular route at the park. 3+ miles
Saturday - EA Sports 9 Week Program Easy
Sunday - EA Sports 9 Week Program Easy - 100 pushup challenge
I may not accomplish all of these everyday and obviously all outdoor activities are weather permitting, but I do have alternate indoor plans.

July exercise goals:
Get back on track with both MiCoach & EA Sports Active workouts
Recap from June exercise plan: 
I did not go swimming, but rather started EA Sports program.
I did not accomplish any of my goals in June

I hate the word diet. I can't say that I have ever attempted a diet. Lose It! is not about dieting. It is all about life style changes: committing to the long haul, losing the weight and keeping it off.

My dietary commitments to a life style change:
No bad or added carbs - means limiting pasta and bread consumption
Add fruits, veggies and protein to every meal
Drink at least 4 bottles of water a day - 96 oz
Control sodium intake

Recap from June dietary plan:
I received 19 free meals from Chick-Fil-A but it was for a chicken sandwich, fries, drink.  With grandpa in the hospital, I used many of these coupons.  Although I was eating fast food, I kept in mind my dietary plan and only ate the chicken breast from the sandwich.  I have thrown the bread away every time.
I have made a couple of pasta dishes, which are obviously added carbs, but I add so much veggies & protein that instead of being the pasta with extras that I grew up eating these are extras with pasta dishes.  For example, the other night I made:
1 cup pasta
1 1/2 cup cauliflower
1 cup broccoli
1 can tuna
Seasoning and simple olive oil dressing
With every single bite, I was getting more veggies than pasta and so delicious!  And cured the pasta craving I was having!
Another trick shared on Lose It! to avoid carbs is cauliflower rice and OMG!  So delicious!  Takes a while to prepare without a food processor, but it is a great filler to add to a stir fry and my tongue cannot tell the difference.  I have made it several times with different dishes.  I am interested in trying it with Chinese or something similar that my body is so used to have rice.  If this is successful, I can see foregoing rice on a permenant basis!  :-)

Changes I have noticed:
My belt is almost ready to go down a hole.  When I go for my walk in the park, I do actually move it down to the 2nd hole, but it would still be a hair too tight for all day long
My roommate and I went and bought new pants to fit me.  1 of the new pair are already loose.
I don't have a single shirt that is tight on my stomach anymore.  I used to have that unsightly belly button indent in my shirts...  No more!  Can't even see my stomach except in shirts that are mean to be snug.
Exercise intensity is increasing and though it is difficult, I am completing workouts I would not have imagined 3 months ago.  With grandpa in the hospital, I was not working out after work, but rather going straight to the hospital.  Once morning I woke up early and popped in a Leslie Sansone video.  When I first bought the video, at least 3 years ago, I was only able to complete 1 mile of a 4 mile workout.  The only reason I was not able to complete all 4 miles of the video is because I needed to get ready for work.  I had the stamina and ambition to keep going through the whole workout!  Also the 2 biggest hills at the park, I am able to power walk and push myself up them rather than just crawling and hoping and praying that I would make it to the top.
Comfortable enough to start jogging while on my walk
Saw a couple of friends for the first time in 2 - 4 months and they both commented on my weight loss and that I was looking good
I can feel muscle definition underneath of the fat on my arms and my legs!


I certainly can't see a difference in my pictures although with only 4 lb difference I wouldn't expect to see much.  I also realized before taking this months pictures that I needed a tighter shirt to actually be able to see a difference, hense the change in shirt for July.