Weigh In Wednesday.

First the important stuff. While I won't technically declare another pound lost, the needle did move a smidge and landed halfway between two marks. That optimism has me thinking that I am securely down a half pound this week, although that is hard to say for sure because I don't have a digital scale. But I will be optimistic and say that I am down a total of 3 1/2 pounds. This whole process is going very slow. As I recall, my initial goal was 12 pounds by June. Well, it's already May, and I seriously doubt I will be shedding 9 pounds in four weeks. But that's okay. Slow and steady wins the race.

So today lets talk about tools. No, not hand tools, or power tools. But tools to aid in weight loss. Last week on a shopping trip, I picked up a little something that I wasn't really looking for. But once I saw it, I thought it might be helpful. A Pedometer. Remember when McDonald's was giving these little bugger away? It was a big deal, and people all over were discussing that 10,000 steps a day is best and the way to lose weight. Well, ever since then, I've been curious as to how many steps I actually take in one day. Well, for less than $4.00 I was able to satisfy my curiosity and learn a few things along the way. First thing, I had to figure out my stride length. So I took the required steps, measured, and then inputted my stride length into my new equipment. Then I started walking. I found my stride length to be a little off, so I adjusted, and then just wore the pedometer for an entire day.

So what exactly did I learn? A lot, actually. This particular pedometer is able to convert my steps into calories burned. And I learned that one walk to school and back to pick up Abigail actually burns up 150 calories! And I learned that on a really busy day where Zander and I take more than one walk, I can walk over 14,000 steps, and that is an equivalent of 700 calories. How exciting! I can honestly say that while I knew that my daily activities contributed to my weight loss, I wasn't aware how much. I definitely don't need to worry about making the 10,000 step mark. I do that on almost a daily basis. And yes, my pedometer is quite accurate, actually. I imagine the 10,000 steps was deisgned more for people who may work at a desk or computer, and don't get the movement I get all day. Yikes. No wonder my feet hurt a lot at the end of the day, I really should look into new shoes...

And in other news...

I know some of you are waiting on baited breath to see my choice for my Iron Chef challenge. I looked carefully over the suggetions given, and decided that there really was only one item on the list that hasn't been "featured" in my kitchen. And that is Ricotta Cheese. So over the next week or so, my challenge is going to be to find 3 different ways to use Ricotta Cheese. I admit that I have only ever used it to stuff pasta- including just the other night, so this will be an interesting challenge. If anyone has suggestions, please pass them along, otherwise, it will be a day or two before I get my thoughts wrapped around the Ricotta.

And finally, for this morning, a shout out for the Virtual Recipe Club. Alysha, over at the Savory Notebook, has posted this month's VRC roundup- which was themed Salads. Check out this month's round-up right here. And stay tuned for the next theme, maybe you would consider participating!