Menchies in Bellingham!

Bellingham has a lot to offer, good restaurants, good coffee shops, good farmers market, even good ice cream. However, when we moved back to Bellingham from Colorado we realized that something very important was missing (besides an abundance of outdoor pools) a self serve frozen yogurt shop!

In Colorado we mostly frequented the Yogurt Land near our house. And despite the droves of teenagers that it was always packed with, Yogurt Land rocked my socks off. I’ve been known to have Yogurt Land for dinner, seriously. Then I moved to Bellingham and it was goodbye Yogurt Land….sad. When Mr. Gaunt and I made a trip to Seattle in January, we went out of our way to go to the Yogurt Land in U District…sooo worth it.

Fast forward to late February when I posted on Facebook how sad I was that there wasn’t a self-serve frozen yogurt shop in Bellingham, and one of my friends commented that there would soon be a Menchies! A What? A Menchies! It’s JUST like Yogurt Land (sorry if they are actually more different than I realize) although they have a more cheerful decor, and WAY more topping options at one time. So me and all my friends spent the last couple months COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS until the Menchies would open…holla! So excited!

So on April 21st at 11 am the Bellingham Menchies opened its doors. I actually held off until about 5:00 because I usually prefer an evening “ice cream”, not a morning “ice cream”. So in place of dinner Mr. Gaunt and I headed to Menchies in search of my Frozen Yogurt fix.

I was not disappointed.

Check out that sweet patio!

I got Original Tart, Mango Sorbet and Cake Batter

Mr Gaunt got Original Tart, and Peach

This is the dried toppings section. I tend to go for the fruit and nut toppings

My toppings included: Strawberries, Kiwi, Mango, Almonds, Coconut, Yogurt Drops and Cheesecake Bites

Mr. Gaunts toppings were: Sour Gummi Worms, Butterfingers, Frosted Animal cookies, Gummi Bears, Strawberries, Bananas, Cheesecake Bites (I know...eww)

Happy as a clam

It was actually really cute because it’s a local family who bought the franchise. The husband was our SUPER FRIENDLY cashier, and the wife and her two daughters sat next to us eating some yogurt in between greeting customers. I love that a family owns and operates it, not some big company. It’s more Belligham that way.

Menchies also has such amazing options for Vegan, Gluten Free, Sugar Free and Dairy free folks. YAY YOGURT FOR ALL!

We are going again tonight with my sister. I’m stoked.

Weigh In #4

Date night at Boomer’s! They were having their anniversary $2.99 burger deal.

VALENTINE NAILS!

Honey Mustard Chicken Burger (no cheese) we split these fries.

I’m gonna get straight to the point and tell you I didn’t lose anything this week. Nothing. I worked out for an hour and a half five days this week. I haven’t consumed any sweets in 29 days, and all Ive lost is 7 pounds this month. I needed to lose 10 pounds each month to hit my 30 pounds in 90 days goal.

Mr. Gaunt also didn’t lose anything. He might be more angry about it than I am. He says “then why did I work out every day?!” and I tell him I just don’t know.

I look at the things I eat and I just don’t think I’m doing that poorly. Yeah sometimes I have sushi. Sometimes I eat Lean cuisine Spaghetti. Sometimes I drink two lattes in one day. But isn’t that just life? Shouldn’t working out all the time counteract those occasional poor choices?

The funny thing is, all week I felt really really good. I felt like I looked ok, that my clothes fit better. I was SURE I had lost some weight. So yes I’m a little annoyed that I didn’t, but I’m going to focus on feeling in shape, not the number on the scale.

However I’m going to tweek my eating habits just a little bit this week and see if by the end of the week I can’t be slightly closer to my goal. Also I missed food journaling twice this week, this wont happen next week. You will see all 7 days.

So I hope everyone else had a good week. I didn’t get any texts, and I havent heard of much weight loss success these days from others. Don’t lose faith, just keep working at it. It will happen.

LOVING DR. OZ’s 10 WEIGHT LOSS COMMANDMENTS:

1. Thou Shalt Not Wear Pants that Stretch

Your clothing is an early-warning system for weight gain. When it’s getting hard to snap your jeans, you know it’s time to be vigilant. Wearing stretchy clothes allows you to live in ignorance of how your body is growing, making it easier to pack on pounds without knowing it.

 2. Thou Shalt Not Keep Fat Clothes in Your Closet

When you keep the clothes you wore at an unhealthy weight, it gives you a back-up plan if the pounds don’t come off. Instead, force yourself to stay on track by 86ing your “fat pants.”

 3. Thou Shalt Not Eat Meat That Walks on Four Legs More Than Once a Week

Meat that comes from an animal with 4 legs is higher in saturated fat (the unhealthy kind) than that which comes from 2-legged animals such as chickens, or animals with no legs, like fish. Plus: women who eat large amounts of red meat more than once a week have a 50% higher chance of dying from heart disease and have higher cancer rates.

 4. Thou Shalt Not Graze

Plan your meal before you open the refrigerator, get what you need, and close the door. Opening it throughout the day leads to impulsive choices and overeating.

 5. Thou Shalt Not Eat After 7:30pm

When you eat late at night you are more likely to be eating in front of the TV (when you won’t pay attention to how much you’re putting in your mouth) and you’re more likely to pick high-calorie snacks.

6. Thou Shalt Not Pile Food More than 1 Inch High or Within 2 Inches of the Plate Edge

Larger portions equal more calories. ‘Nuff said.

 7. Thou Shalt Not Chew Food Less than 20 Times Per Bite

Chewing allows your body to realize that you are eating food, prompting it to create a sensation of fullness at the appropriate time. When you don’t chew enough, you get ahead of that process, eating well past when you are actually satisfied.

 8. Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Plate

Spend your day nibbling bites on someone else’s sandwich or afternoon snack, and you will add on 1,000 calories easy.

 9. Thou Shalt Not Carry Small Bills

Nothing loves a small bill better than a vending machine. When you have them at the ready, you are one step closer to an impulsive, calorie-loaded afternoon slip up.

10. Thou Shalt Not Eat While Standing Up

Eating sitting down enables you to be aware of what you’re eating and eat it slowly so that your body can tell you your full before it’s too late.