And the winner is.....

Tim!    Tim, I gave your email address to CSN so they will be contacting you shortly to arrange shipping of your prize!   I used a state of the art system to pick a name, and it worked beautifully!   Wahoo!!    It's fun having someone pick a number for you. :-)

Thank you to everyone for participating in my first giveaway.. I already have another one planned, which I will do within the next month or so.   

I hope everyone had a good weekend.  Mine was fun, but way too short.  I had my stepdaughter this weekend for the first time in over a year, and we had a great time.  I can't believe she's 13...  It is just crazy!   We grilled some chicken, went to Dave & Busters, got a little shopping in, and slept late...  the life of a teenager! HA!   I had a lot more planned but she slept until noon one day, and until 1pm yesterday...    So needless to say, me waking up at 7 or 8 am didn't help me get a lot more done! hehe

I got to go to Whole Foods yesterday, and although it was a fun experience, going with my trusty POINTS calculator was a rude awakening for me.  So many of the foods that I thought would be good for me to eat were way too high in points for me to consider worth spending..  SIGH...  I did find a few new things, but a lot of the dishes I wanted to try were 8 points or more per serving.. NO THANKS!

Again, I apologize for the delay in drawing for the contest - I had forgotten about my half day at work when I mentioned Friday as the drawing day, and then the day just got away from me!
Hope you all have a great day and awesome week!!!

Thursday 13: Alternatives to Snacking (Plus Giveaway)

Happy Thursday everyone!   If you have a moment, please visit my previous post and enter my giveaway! It's for a set of kettlebells (basically handweights with handles!).. They're a great tool to work out with!  I've been doing Weight Watchers for a little over two weeks now (down 2 lbs!) and I'm becoming more conscious of my snacking/eating.   Below is a list of some of the things I do to avoid snacking!  

1. Blog - I read blogs and write blogs as a form of motivation and inspiration.   I read others to get inspiration, and I write my own to motivate myself.  The written word is powerful... it's proof that you actually had those thoughts at one point in time, and it's great to look back and see how you were doing when times were easy, tough, etc.
2. Clean - Since I'm working on "cleansing" my body of these last few pounds, I have been working on clearing my house of some clutter as well.   It's a great feeling.
3. Work on those Pearly Whites - Have you ever snacked while you have bleaching trays on?  If so, you're quite talented... and strange! LOL   I have 2 weeks worth of teeth whitening in the evening..  I just put them on a little earlier than I'm supposed to so I can prevent myself from snacking! 
4. Exercise - If you're not really hungry and are just in the mood to snack, turn that energy into something positive.. Walk around the block, do some sit-ups, get out the kettle bells, etc!  If you're still feeling the need to snack afterwards, treat yourself to a small snack.
5. Give yourself a mani/pedi - The more things you do to beautify yourself, the more you'll think twice about grabbing that cookie!
6. Turn off the TV - do you get the munchies when you're watching the TV? Turn it off!
7. Take a bath - It's another way to relax from a long day, and it doesn't add calories!
8. Do some Laundry! - Yeah, yeah, not fun.. but there is never a lack of it, and you can save yourself some time later on to do something more fun!
9. Create/Change your workout play list - I don't know about you, but my workouts get dull when my music has been the same for too long.  Change it up and get moving!
10. Read a book or magazine - a little distraction can go a long way.  
11. Go to bed!   If you've had a long, stressful day and want to eat everything in your home, why don't you just call it a night early?   You'll feel better and more refreshed in the AM.
12. Write a list - Yes, chronic list writer here...  Make a list of awards you will get for reaching your goal, a To Do List, or any other kind of list you can dream up! 
13. Play a Game - Whether you're into those Facebook games, want to shoot and kill something in a video game, or just like something like Pac-Man or Frogger (yes, I'm a child of the 80s), keeping your hands busy will keep them from transporting food to your mouth!

There you have it... What are some of the things you do to distract yourself from eating?

Join us in the fun!

My First Super Fantastic Giveaway!

CSN Stores graciously contacted me to host a giveaway for my lovely readers, and I hopped at the chance.  They have everything at their sites, from a great coffee maker (you know me, and my love of all things hot and caffeinated!) to treadmills, cookware, home decor, DVDs and more!

Since my website is mostly about health, fitness and weight loss, I picked a kettlebell package for you as my giveaway!   It's something I would love to win for myself, and I figured almost anyone could benefit from it, whether you are 150 pounds from goal, or at goal already!

 There are a few ways to enter (please post a separate comment for each entry so I can keep track easier!):

1. Become a public follower on my blogs via google friend connect (if you already are, just post a comment stating that).
2. Link back to this post on your blog.
3. Follow me on Twitter (@Laurie9797) and post about the giveaway.
4. Add my site to your blogroll.

I will draw a name for this contest on Friday, and CSN will send the kettlebells to you directly!  Offer is limited to readers in the USA and Canada!
Thank you so much for reading my blog, and good luck with the giveaway!