Hi you Biggest Losers! You guys are chewing us up the past 2 weeks!! Congrats!

I don't know if y'all have seen this, but I wanted to post the fat vs muscle pic to remind us all of how much less space the muscle takes in our bodies. Yes it does weight more than fat, hence the scales not wanting to move down when we are building up muscle, but it takes up so much less space, which is why our waistlines shrink, our clothes fit loser and muscle helps us burn off more calories in the long run, even while resting. How cool is that? So get to strength trainng chickies!

yay i lost another pound this week...

i also had a tooth pulled yesterday, but still had my 1400 cals (due to a 500 cal frosty i had when got out of the dentist's office)

Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli

POINTS® Value: 5
Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 45 min
Level of Difficulty: Moderate

This casserole-like dish hits the spot when you’re in the mood for a hearty pasta recipe. Serve right away for the best flavor and texture.

Ingredients

* 2 sprays cooking spray
* 12 oz uncooked pasta, gemelli or other twisted pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)
* 1/8 tsp table salt, for pasta cooking water
* 10 oz broccoli, small florets (about 2 1/2 cups)
* 1 tsp butter
* 1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
* 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, divided
* 2 1/2 cup fat-free skim milk
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup onion(s), diced
* 1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, sharp-variety
* 1 tsp Dijon mustard
* 1 1/2 tsp table salt
* 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

* Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a shallow 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

* Cook pasta in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water according to package directions, adding broccoli to water 3 minutes before pasta will be done; drain pasta and broccoli and return to pot.

* Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add bread crumbs and cook, stirring often, until light golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer crumbs to a small bowl; stir in 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese and set aside.

* In same saucepan (wipe clean if necessary), whisk together milk and flour until blended; add onion. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes.

* Remove from heat and whisk in Cheddar cheese, mustard, salt, pepper and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Pour over cooked, drained pasta and broccoli; toss to mix and coat.

* Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle top evenly with bread crumb mixture. Bake until bubbly at edges, about 20 to 25 minutes. Divide into 8 pieces and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.

My notes: I was short on broccoli and threw in some frozen cauliflower. It was great. I used whole wheat elbow macaroni because it was what I had on hand. I didn't have reduced fat cheddar so I used reduced fat Velveeta. Next time I'll use slightly less flour and not cook the sauce as long because I like a thinner sauce. You could add chicken if you wanted . . .

Caitbeans - Congratulations on being TBL!! You are so consistent!!

Dea - I hate plateaus. When I hit one, I start doing double days. Exercising in the morning and then more in the late afternoon. It helps me. Good luck!!

Rainlips - WOW! Possibly another baby?? You are one BUSY girl!!

Manda - 4 pounds???!!! WOW! I bet you are TBL next week. Wouldn't it be awesome if the black team had a 3 week sweep??!!

Those Nike shoes sound amazing. If I was a runner I'd be for buying them and an Ipod.

I'm sending happy, healthy, op thoughts to you all!!

ggmugsy---That recipe sounds great. If I didn't already have a WW recipe in the crockpot I would cook that tonight. I have been craving pasta all week. I am going to make it tomorrow for sure.

Good luck being OP today everyone!

ggmugsy - I'm hoping for a 3 week sweep! You are all ROCKING!!!

Diva - thanks for posting that picture of the fat and muscle! It makes so much more sense to see it like that!!!

ehhhhh... i feel so icky!!

i'm still sick. i ate some pretty yucky, gross stuff yesterday and now i am paying for it. it's a good thing though because i am going to be so POP today that my body won't know what hit it! i am thinking of doing a cleanse... gotta get this yuck out of my body. any suggestions?

diva- ewgh! that is so gross to think my body is full of that yucky yellow stuff! thanks for the visual.. i will most definitely go harder on the the strength training!

ggmugsy- that recipe sounds so delicious! if only i could eat pasta...

sally- congrats on the pound! keep it up!

Holy cow Rainlips! Keep us posted!!!!

GGmugsy - that recipe sounds yummy!

Diva - try not to let the stress of the visit make you an emotional eater
and be careful with that foot of yours!

michie - how about a nice dinner tonight of baked/broiled fish, steamed veggies, and some brown rice? That is one of my favorite "clean" dishes. I have it at least once a week, and feel so good afterward. Even DH likes it.

Manda - what's in the crockpot?

Caitbeans - congratulations!

crap - I had more to say, but I can't remember it now...lol!

Thanks girls My body is so weird with losing, I lost a decent sized #, then about a pound, then nothing. I didn't notice that before with my weight loss, I'm sure it has to do with TOM. But, I'll take it!!

Okay. I did make a mistake in my addition on our team totals.... we did, as a team, lose 30.1 pounds... but our percentage was off. I wrote that we lost .39% and really (now that I put everything in the "books") we lost .41%!!!!!

We lost 4 people, I believe. But as Melissa says when they lose someone on their team, we're just weeding out the ones who are "weighing us down". So, our team started with 57 and we now have 37 left.

I had the best lunch today! Baked Tilapia and something that I've hated my entire life, but I have just recently started loving them.... sweet potatoes! Baked in the microwave. It was SO good!!!!

Ok went to the doc today and got a neg on the pg test. I am O.K. with that. I started looking back at my tom log, and it has been off so they are doing blood tests and making sure everything is a ok. I am sure everything is fine I just have issues!
So I haven't done any more running.... I have been watching what I eat so not tooo bad! I have to work the next to nights I hope that it is kinda slow and I can go down and use the treadmill here. Other wise I wont be able to do it until Friday. I am feeling like I need to run or something. Does anyone get that feeling after not doing something for a while?
I am so proud of our team!!! This is so cool that we own again .
Does anyone know where I can find goo tofu recipes? I want to try something new.
Well I am off to do some work.....I will check back later.
Hope everyone has a great night, course it is midnight.. night

Hey team,

I'm still under the weather and kind of down. I just wanted to stop by and say congratulations on being the Biggest Losers two weeks in a row. Great job! I'll try and be more active soon.