Its Working.... and a Brief Update... 256.4

Hello everyone, the computer is up and running again. YAY!! I don't have much time at the moment because I owe you all a BIG update. But for now, just wanted to let you all know that I will be writing again very soon. PS. the scale says this morning that I am 256.4... only 6.4 away from my September goal. Feeling confident that I will make it. This also officially marks a mile stone I have lost 203.6 pounds in just over a year.  See you all soon!

I Am So Sorry, But Still Alive

hey guys... i am still alive, computer has been down. i am trying to do this from my phone so punctuation and caps are out the window. i miss blogging but will hopefully be able to again real soon. for those of you wondering   i am still doing good, last weigh in  found me at 263 down 197 pounds from a year ago.  missing you all! will also comment on your comments  as soon as i can.

276 - Weekly Report (3 days later).... And My Little Experiment

I am late again in posting an update, surprise surprise... I was however, on time with the weigh in itself which was 276 pounds on Friday morning. Only 26 pounds to go until I reach my first huge goal!!

Ok, I know I kind of left you all hanging with an update on my mom (another crazy week)... I am happy to report that this surgery was her best yet from start to finish. Normally when she has surgery she requires several blood transfusions, is out of it when she comes out, and can't hardly move for days. When they wheeled her out of recovery this time, she was alert, her face had great color, she required no blood, and was cracking jokes about finding someone who had the opposite side amputated so they could share shoes. Just a day after surgery they had her up out of bed and despite being right side dominant, now without a right leg, she moved better than she has for a year. She is now at a rehab center where she will learn how to function with her new body, and we couldn't be happier. I am sure that there will be trials ahead but, nothing compared to what she has already gone through. Honestly she should have done this a long time ago. I am excited to see my mom get her life back, and proud of her for making such a hard decision. Thank you all for your prayers, I firmly believe that without them or the blessing and Temple prayers, things would not have turned out so well, so THANK YOU!!!

Do you guys remember when I talked about my pig out day I was planning for when I was under 279?? Well... This weekend it happened, and I'd like to share my experience with it. At 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning, we ventured out to begin this day. I had not eaten fast food (other than Subway or Papa Murphy's "diet" menu) in a year. The first place I chose to start my adventure was Apollo Burger. I ordered a mushroom swiss burger meal, could not even eat the whole thing, only about half. While it was very tasty and everything I had hoped for, I couldn't help but notice how sluggish I felt afterwards. Normally when I eat I get energy, but not this time.... I only wanted a nap. Our second stop of the day was at the New China Buffet, I used to love that place and have wanted to go there for so very long... We get there at around 2:00 p.m. and find that all of the food had been sitting under the lights for a long time, the food was pretty gross. I barely finished a small plate and again was full beyond recognition. In the past I was able to eat 2-3 plates without even thinking about it. I am glad the food was gross and my stomach was done. I was then left with the feeling of having a rock in my stomach. We went fishing after this and I had brought along a bag of Jalapeno Cheetos, another one of my old time snacks. Normally I would have eaten a bag in one sitting, usually in about 15 minutes. I nibbled on them and this lasted about 4 hours, I shared with my sister and between the two of us ate about half of the bag. Our last stop of the day (not really a stop) was pizza delivery from Pizza Hut... I love this place, or at least used to. I had 2 slices of pizza, 3 chicken wings, and a bread stick. I don't know if this day was the Lord's way of saying you don't need this, but this place was gross too! Not at all what I had remembered. I capped off the night with a Twix candy bar, and not a minute after I ate it the regret set in. I felt so sick to my stomach, and this continued through Sunday. I was so happy that it was fast Sunday because I don't think I could have ate if I wanted to. I am so happy to be back to my regular food today. I never realized how bad junk food made me feel until Saturday. It is evident that the stuff is toxic. I can testify to that as I was not feeling right from the beginning. Anything that has the power to make you sick for 24 hours can not be good for you. Am I glad that I decided to do this? Yes, because it showed me that I do not really miss this stuff, not sure how I ever ate like that, it used to be a daily thing (only much more). No wonder I never felt good. It also showed me the difference between the types of "fuel" I give my body. I choose to have energy and not feel like a slug. I choose to eat healthy. Am I saying that I will never do it again??  I don't plan on it, but I am sure there will come a day when I forget this little lesson, and will crave something stupid again, but it won't be for a VERY long time. The rest of this week will be spent trying to make up for my very crappy day, I am hoping to at least break even on the weight. I don't really expect much of a loss on Friday, if any, but am hoping I can prevent a gain.

Well, I had better get going, I will be back tomorrow or Wednesday for another update on some future plans that are in the works and a new recipe. I hope you all had a great week last week and will have an even better one this week.

277.2 - Weekly Report

That's right folks, a big week for the scale. I knew I was bloated last week lol. Lost 4.4 pounds this week leaving 27.2 pounds to reach my first BIG goal of 250. Originally I had hoped to reach it by the end of September but it may be close. I have to lose a little over 3 pounds each week to do it, it is possible but likely that I will not make it until the first week of October. That is ok, but I really am going to push for September.

It has now been 11 months since my journey began, and I could not be happier. When I first started I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be sitting here nearly a year later having lost 182 pounds. Some days it does not seem like such a big deal and then I have days like these where I reflect and it is a huge deal. I have lost a full grown man in less than a year.... Crazy!

I know that it is not yet August, but soon enough... I am ready to set some new goals to help rejuvenate my journey. I have been doing this for so long that it has become somewhat routine, and at times feels like I am not doing my best. I was doing Zumba quite regularly and then I hurt my knee. Picked it back up and then hurt my back (moving furniture). My back feels better now and me knee not too many problems so I feel it is time to pick that back up again and leave the excuses behind. I know I made that a goal in my "Slacker" post but to be honest it was an epic fail because it never happened. My goals for August I will make simple 1) Exercise on purpose 4 out of 7 days 2) Drink 8 glasses of water 5 out of 7 days. Seems easy enough, and I know I can do it!

I have not posted since my last report, so I will fill you in a little on this week. Saturday I had an amazing day with my mom, "sister", and youngest daughter. We had a real girls day. We started out at the beauty shop to get our hair cut and styled. My hair that used to reach my butt is now at my bra line. I love it!! It is bouncy and full of life now. We followed up the haircut with lunch at Denny's and then shopping. I used to hate shopping but it is fun! Tried on new clothes and found that I am really close to a size 24 jean, can get them on and buttoned but that darn zipper won't go up lol. I did get something to wear at the swimming pool though, a 2x bottom and a 1x top. I also got a new CD, Kenny Chesney.

This week at home has been real busy, my eldest decided that she wanted to move out, so I've been helping with that and then of course re situating the room for my youngest. Becky is over the moon that she has her own room now, in fact it's all she talks about. She can't wait to have a sleep over in her very own room. The moment is kind of bitter sweet for me as I am a little sad that Sarah is moving because I know we won't see each other as often and am a little afraid of what she will do now that she has no one watching her every move lol. I will admit though after taking a deep breath it is nice because now I can't see everything she is doing. I just have to hope that I taught her well enough that she will stay out of any major trouble. I miss her!

My family needs big prayers this coming week from anyone who believes in the power of them. My mom is having surgery on Monday to have her leg amputated. Her health has not been so great for a very long time. She has been mostly chair bound and on oxygen for the last 7 years or so due to problems with her back, neck, knees, and COPD. She developed type 2 diabetes in the meantime, making it hard for her to fight infection. Last year she underwent surgery for her back and neck which went amazingly well, and regained movement in her leg which they said would not happen. Once she was up and walking around a bit more the need for knee replacement was obvious, so last August she had her knee replacement done. It was a fail, she got a terrible infection and they had to remove the replacement, leaving in it's spot a cement block and a broken femur. When the infection had finally cleared they put in a new replacement and just a short time later, we were facing the same infectious problem. This time it took 3 surgeries just to get her to the point were she could come home, and again she is stuck with the cement block. We are now a total of 6 surgeries into the knee replacement and are being told that she is a carrier of infection and most likely it will return when they put in a new knee. Following her last surgery she almost left this world, her heart and lungs stopped 3 times during the night. She does not want to go through this again and I do not blame her, so she opted to have the amputation, which they would have done if this attempt failed anyway. I am grateful that this should be a cure to to problem and with a good prosthetic, she should be up and walking again. I am worried though because of her health and her state of mind. She has been through sooooo much in the last year, I guess I am afraid that she'll decide she's tired. No one could blame her. I am hoping though that my mom will continue to be tough and will make it through with no further problems. BIG prayers and positive vibes her way please.

Anyway, that is my week at a glance and my reason for not blogging as often as I should. I did get some more great recipes for you though. Enjoy!

Teriyaki Chicken

This is a horrible picture, but not indicative of the flavor, this dish is amazing!

Pita Pizza

281.6 - Weekly Report

I wake up this morning to find I have a visitor, and that I am now bloated... Thinking wow, this is weigh in day, that's going to be unfortunate. I get out my trusty scale and begin the weigh in process, zero out the scale, use the little girls room, and make sure I am wearing as little as possible, fingers crossed I step on the scale and...... Thank the good Lord, even bloated I weigh in at 281.6 for a loss of 2.4 pounds this week. I only need to lose 1.6 more pounds to bring my total loss to -180, I am only 31.6 pounds away from my first major hurdle (250). Wow, that is a lot of numbers LOL.

I have made a decision, since I have been feeling the fast food cravings for quite awhile now, I know that it is only a matter of time before I cave. Rather than caving, I am going to give myself permission when I reach 279 to have one day that doesn't count in my mind. I know me, and I know that if I cave without permission, I will sneak it. From whom I don't know but I will sneak it and hide it and then it will become a habit. This I do not want because I REFUSE to turn back after coming this far. It has been nearly a year since I have had any fast food besides Subway or Papa Murphy's DeLight. I am going to heed this warning and just give myself a day. Why you ask am I waiting to get to 279?? It's simple. You can't have a day like this without some sort of consequence, and I know that the consequence will come in the form of a gain. I am giving myself a 1 pound buffer so that I don't go over 280. Another consequence I am sure will be feeling sick, my body does not handle junk food the way it used to, particularly grease. I am sure once I have this day, I will enjoy it at the time, but when it is all said and done, and I am sick to my stomach, I will remember why I do not eat fast food anymore. LOL

Did you know that it takes 3500 calories to make a pound? I will use myself as an example... I burn approximately 2494 calories a day, now that is if I laid in bed all day. To gain a pound in a day I would have to consume 3500 calories more than what I burn (5994). Or over the course of a week I would have to consume 500 more than what I burn every day (2994). Given this math, gaining a pound really does take some effort. That would be a heck of a lot of calories to eat in a day. I am sure my little day venture will equal at least a pound but I have 6 more days in the week to make up for it :)

I am off to start my busy weekend, but.... I have another yummy recipe to share. I apologize for the quality of photos, I only have 2 sets of plates lol....but you get the idea and the food is amazing!!

Spicy Pecan Crusted Chicken

Journaling

I have been wanting to write about this for a very long time, as it has been key to my success. Journaling is a word that a lot of people cringe at, for many different reasons. Some of the reasons that people have given me are: 1. Afraid to see what they are eating. Here's the beauty, weather or not you are aware of what you are putting in your body, not writing it down does not take it away. If you ate it you ate it. 2. It takes too much time. Losing weight takes a lot of time too, perhaps if I had journaled when my doctors told me to 20 years ago, I would not have a need for a "my journey" blog. 3. I just don't see how it would help. Seeing what you put in your body creates both an awareness, and accountability factor.

When I first began my journey, I was not journaling, and not aware of what I was still putting in my body even though I had cut out a lot of things. For instance, liquid... The silent diet killer. Many of us do not think of liquid calories because we are not eating them. I was definitely in this category, I had cut out most junk food but was hanging on to my soda. I did not think about the calories in this because I was only focused on food. Another silent diet killer, spices & condiments. There are a lot of spices and condiments that do contain calories, fat, sodium, and other things we don't normally think about. It wasn't until I began journaling that I became aware of this. I was finally able to see something that I could not deny or justify, it was what it was. Now that I could see what exactly I was doing to myself it made it easier to see where I needed to adjust. To this day it still helps, because lets face it... sometimes we think things are a good idea, until hind sight smacks us in the face. That is ok, because once we've been smacked  we usually won't make the same mistake twice, at least I hope.

I am a firm believer that journaling is essential in any lifestyle, not just for those trying to lose weight. I think that weather you are trying to lose, gain, maintain, or just be healthy, you should know what you are eating. I will probably journal until the day I die. Now lets not be ridiculous, there are times when journaling is not really feasible, i.e. parties, buffet's, etc... it is nearly impossible in these situations because you don't know exactly what went into a dish or how it was prepared. Sometimes and I stress sometimes ,it is ok to have a day when you don't log (vacation), one day did not make anyone fat or unhealthy, it is ok to live a little.

I keep my food journal on the computer at Calorie Count, I like using this form of journaling because it has other tools to further help me determine the quality of my nutrition. It gives the lows and highs of foods, and also helps me know if I am consuming enough or too much of a certain nutrient.  In addition it helps me to find info on certain foods that may not come with a nutrition label (produce, and meat). There have been times when I could not get to the computer and a piece of paper did just fine. My grandmother for instance, does all of hers in a notebook. She says it is fun to her, kind of like a little game. I have to agree with her, I spend my calories like I spend money, I want the most bang for my buck! Contrary to what people think, journaling does not have to be torturous or boring.

These are just my thoughts and feelings on the subject, I would never want to derail anything that may be working for someone else. I do feel that no matter what diet you are on or what lifestyle changes you are making, that journaling is just another essential piece of the puzzle. Awareness is power in this battle. Good luck to all of you, no matter what your journey may be, or the method you choose, anything is possible.

In closing, I have another recipe for you all... have a great week & ENJOY!

Greek Beef & Orzo

284 - Late Weekly Update

I know, I know, I said I would try not to be such a slacker, and here I am 4 days late on my update. Go on... Shake your head and tsk tsk.. Ok, now that we have that done and over with, my weigh in was good, I lost 1.8 pounds last week. It was a smaller loss but a loss at any rate, so I am happy with that.

Had another busy weekend, on Friday my youngest did a little performance for her last day of summer school and we had a lot of fun watching her. They did the hokey poky, and the chicken dance (this was adorable). Our mandatory grocery trip also took place this day, and though I am finally beginning to like shopping, I must admit, I don't think I will get over the crowdedness of a Wal Mart shopping center. I arrive in the best mood and by the time I leave I am ready to enter the psych ward. I don't do well with crowds especially rude ones. I should really work on this but... there is nothing more aggravating than being cut off at every pass. I'm not kidding, if half of the people drive like they walk, I am frightened. Later in the evening we attended my little sisters birthday party (she's 17 now) and had a blast. We sang karaoke and hung out. My mom and I even planned out a great girls day for next weekend. Going to the hair salon, lunch, and a little shopping. I haven't had my hair cut in a very long time (almost a year) it is very long (to my butt) and curly, unless I straighten it. I want a cute do, not that you can see a style in my curly hair, but when it is straight I want something cute. Anyone have any suggestions? I don't want to go short, but am willing to lose 6-8 inches.

Saturday was fishing, we woke up early and picked up a buddy to go fishing with. The first place we went was a dud. We sat there for nearly 2 hours and not a bite, so we packed up, and wouldn't ya know.... As soon as we started heading for the car, the fish started jumping. We continued to our new location anyway and am glad we did. I lost count of how many we caught, but we ended up with 5 large catfish that we could keep. I am looking forward to cooking that.

Sunday was church, and the day that we got our family pictures back, and dealt with family drama. Church went really well. I am the 2nd counselor of the Young Women, and was assigned to teach a lesson on forgiveness. The irony of this will come into play in a minute. We had a new young woman so it was nice to be able to actually do a lesson. We are from a branch and not a ward (not enough people) so generally we do not have anyone on Sunday (for young women). Anyway, I get home and find out that two of my siblings have completely thrown me under the ex's bus. Saying things that were so far from the truth it's not even funny. I felt very betrayed, I won't get into any details but I was feeling so angry, and thoughts about the two of them were thoughts that I should not be having. I went and talked about this to a church leader and let him know how ugly I was feeling on the inside. This is not me, I am a nice person, and feelings of hatred are not typical for me. I thought to myself, how ironic, I just did a lesson on forgiveness and here I am feeling that I will never be able to forgive these two. I feel better after talking to our church leader, I don't think I am quite at the forgiveness stage as I am still really hurt. But, I do think there is a reason that I was assigned this particular lesson. The Lord works in mysterious ways, and may not be able to or choose to take away a certain trial in our lives, but he certainly makes sure we have the tools to deal with them. Someday I will be able to forgive them, but I do not know if I will ever be able to let them in my life.  On a lighter note, here is one of our family pics.....

I also have another recipe to leave you with, and a new blog entry to look forward to (Journaling).....

Chicken & Black Bean Burrito

New Recipe

I don't have a lot of time today, but wanted to share this great meal with you.... See you tomorrow for the weekly report.

Portobello "Philly Cheese Steak" & Baked Fries

Confessions of a Slacker....

Ok, so I have been slacking a little on this blog and commenting on the blogs I follow . Mind you, it has not been intentional, things have just been crazy busy this week. I am still trying to figure out if I a coming or going at this point. I think that this summer is going to be quite full of busy, so what I need to do is sit down and figure out how to fit every little thing I want to do into 24 little hours. Seriously as much as I will probably regret saying this, I kind of wish that the day was a little longer just so that I could do everything. It seems the older I get, the shorter the days become. Does anyone else feel this way?? Today I will commit to blogging at least 3 days a week, and commenting on the blogs I follow the same 3 days.

I have also been slacking in regard to exercise. I haven't done my Zumba in about 2 or 3 weeks, gosh that's bad I can't even remember. I have been doing plenty to stay active, but I really need to get back to the on purpose exercise. I felt so much better when I was doing it. Really there is no excuse, just my lack of motivation. Time is only a small piece because honestly I could probably make time. Today I will commit to making time for Zumba, or any other form of on purpose exercise at least 3 days a week.

I have been slacking a tad on my nutrition, I am still within my calorie range but am not eating the things that I know are the best for me. Especially where snacks are concerned. Too much on the go, and being above 100 degrees lately I have fallen victim to the Ice Cream Monster. Today I will commit to only eating Ice Cream on the weekends, instead I will eat my much more nutritious yogurt creamies when I am craving the monster.

Whew.... now that I got that all out on the table, I feel much better, and feel it is time to move on. I had the best experience on Friday.  We were shopping at a local thrift shop for some work shoes my hubby needed. I decided that I would just go see what they had on the rack for me (usually nothing). To my surprise I found some jeans that were a size 26, decided to try them on not thinking I would have any luck... Well, they fit!!! This excited me so, because my clothes are getting too big at such an alarming rate, the thought of spending $30 on a pair of jeans that would only fit for a month or two was kind of frightening. I have decided that from now on (at least until I can get 6 months out of my clothes) I am going to buy my pants at the thrift store. They look brand new and are only a fraction of the cost. I got 2 pair for $9. This is not the most exciting part though... When we were checking out, the woman at the register looks at me and says "I don't mean to be rude, but how much weight have you lost?" I was shocked that she knew and wondered how she knew, but proudly I told her 174 pounds. Her eyes welled up with tears and she told me that I was beautiful and so inspiring to her. She asked how I did it because she has been trying without any luck. I talked to her for a few minutes and then gave her my phone number. This is exactly what I hoped being open about my journey would accomplish. I want to give hope to those who feel that it is not possible, to let them know that they are not alone. I really hope that she uses that phone number, I am looking forward to supporting her in any way that I can. On the downside, I now know that other people can see my sagging skin, that is the only way I can figure that she knew I lost weight. (you can't see it but I am frowning at that thought).

Okay, so to not overwhelm you with all the thoughts floating through my head, I am going to end here for now. As promised though, I have another tasty recipe to share with you.... Anyone craving a healthier Asian dish???

Asian Beef & Peas
So So Good

285.8 - Weekly Report

Woo Hoo! 285.8 this morning, only 35.8 pounds away from reaching my first major goal! This brings my total to -174.2 pounds. I am so excited, this week was definitely kind to me, I was only expecting about a 1.8 pound loss. I am not going to question it though, my mamma taught me to never question a blessing, just accept and appreciate it!

This week was a good week all in all, though I feel a little like I have lacked motivation, at least for exercise. I am glad that it was not reflected in my weight loss. I need to dig deep again and find the motivation I had for Zumba. I have decided to take on the 5 day challenge again, alternating between Zumba and calisthenics. I will begin this on Monday. I am proud of how the 4th of July celebration at the park went though. I had planned out my menu the night before. It was really hard watching everyone walk around with nachos, cotton candy, fries, kettle corn, and stuff like that. But I did it, I stayed at the park for nearly 12 hours and only ate what I had planned. The fireworks were amazing, and we had fun hanging out.

I promised another recipe, we fixed it up last night, and it was really good... Here's what we had:

Chili Garlic Glazed Salmon
This whole meal under 200 calories and very filling!

New Recipe.... Yum

Hello everyone, just checking in to share a new recipe with you guys. Will be back tomorrow with my weekly update, weigh in, and a new recipe. Hope y'all had a great 4th of July.

Mexican Beef & Bean Stuffed Peppers

Rub A Dub Dub, I Finally Fit In The Tub.... Another Small Milestone

Mini Mile-Stone

I know this doesn't seem like a big deal to a lot of people but for me it is huge. I have not been able to take a bath in my own tub for so long I can not remember. Getting in and out of any tub was a major feat. I love baths and this was hard. I am happy to say that I was able to take a lovely bath and getting out was a cinch! Showers are fine and dandy but there is nothing like relaxing in a nice tub of hot water.... Calgon, you can take me away now! P.S. The tub in the picture is not mine, but I wish it were.
Since we are on the subject of fitting into things, I also took a trip through a clothes box (ones that were too small) and found that one of my favorite pairs of shorts fit now. They are a size 26 and I have been hanging on to them for at least 6 years. You heard me right, lol, I have hung on to these bad boys for a very long time. Thankfully they did not dry rot like my swim suits. Now I just got to get up the nerve to wear shorts again.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how I can change my perception of myself. I know I have talked about it before, but even though I have lost 170 pounds, I find that I still think about myself as being 460 pounds. Being over weight for so long has forced me to adapt to and avoid certain situations. This is turning out to be somewhat of a bravery test for me. I worry very much about fitting in chairs, even though I fit in most now. I worry about going to restaurants and theaters for fear that their seating will not be adequate. I worry about trying on clothes that look smaller than the clothes I wore before. I worry about what people might say if the "fat girl" goes walking by, even though most people don't look at me the way they used to. I worry about wearing those shorts, even though I've been told that they look nice. In the past few days I have caught glimpses of myself in the mirror and stupidly had to ask... Is that me?? It can't be. It is... Oh wow! I worry most of all about identifying myself as a smaller person, especially when I reach goal. Will I know how to act... Is this normal?? I looked this skewed idea up on the internet, hoping to make myself feel better and I succeeded. I found a piece on MSNBC on just that, a story of a lady who is going through the same thing. Apparently it is pretty common to have this distorted self image after losing a lot of weight. I don't feel so alone now. I need to find some way of changing that perception. I have not made it that far in the thought process yet, so any suggestions would be great.

I will leave you now with a picture of our very first tomato (from our garden).... It was sooo yummy and sweet. I have a new recipe that I will post on Thursday. Hope you all have a wonderful and amazing 4th of July Holiday!

289.4 - Weekly Report

     Oh my... Surprise, surprise... I weighed in this morning at 289.4, much to my surprise losing 2.8 pounds this week. I really didn't think that much would come off after last weekend. I couldn't be happier about this!
     This all being said, I do think some calorie adjustments are in order. My BMR is currentyly 2,092 calories. This is the amount of calories I would burn if I stayed in bed ALL day. Obviously I do not stay in bed all day so that number is probably greater. Right now my Daily Calorie Target is 1,784 (this is also if I am sedentary, meaning if I stayed in bed all day). Now, I have eaten under this nearly the whole time (my beginning calorie target was over 2,000). Under the advice of my doctor I was consuming 1,500 calories a day, allowing for maximum SAFE weight loss. When everything slowed down I figured that because the 1,500 was given to me at still over 400 pounds that I could safely move that number down to 1,400 and be ok. My body is telling me otherwise. I have never felt so hungry during this journey. My stomach talks to me (growls) nearly all day, and I find that I am craving things I normally wouldn't. I never would have thought that 100 calories would make such a difference. I will be moving back to 1,500 where I felt satisfied. Yes this means that weight loss may be slower, but a growling tummy all the time means I am potentially doing more harm than good. For once in my life I think I can trust my body.

Today I am 170 pounds lighter than I was 10 months ago, I am 29.4 pounds away from losing 200 pounds, 39.4 pounds away from my next goal, and only 89.4 pounds away from my final goal. Today, I am happy!

         An average car tire weighs 20 pounds
        I have lost 8 1/2 car tires!



     Good morning! I am slow at getting an update in, shame on me :( . So my anniversary dates went amazingly. I do have to admit, while I did well the night we went out to dinner, I decided that I was in need of a true cheat weekend. Normally on my cheat days, I do not go over my calorie limit and I always log, the cheat consists of a non healthy food and that is about the extent. On a true cheat weekend, I do not log and most likely go over my calorie limit. I have not had one of these since New Year's Eve. I did not suffer any grave consequences as it was only for a day. Saturday and Sunday I ate with reckless abandon and though I am sure I did not eat over my BMR, I am positive that I exceeded my calorie limit and blew the sodium and fats out of the water. Needless to say I do not expect big losses on Friday, just hoping for no gain. I will not be surprised either way. Now that I have it out of my system, I am back on track this week. I will be sharing some new recipes over the next month or so. I am really excited because July's calendar is full of new things for dinner. Here is what we had last night:

Sweet & Sour Pork 335 Calories

     Now, to tell you about my dates.... Friday night we ate at the Outback Steakhouse, it was really good, and I love lobster! My only complaint was their silverware, it was HUGE. I know, silly thing to not like, but I felt a little like Alice In Wonderland. After dinner we went to a place called Boondocks and played miniature golf, I lost LOL. We also hit the arcade area of this place and let me tell you, I don't remember ever having such a good time on a date. We were total kids, played things like ski ball, and air hockey. When we were done there ,it was off to Dairy Queen to have Ice Cream. We took that to a local park (this was like 10 at night). The childish playing continued as we played on the playground. This experience reminded us of the importance of laughter. On Saturday, we attended my family reunion. It was so great to see everyone. Later that night, Daniel and I went to the Drive In and watched a couple of movies. What a great way to close out a great weekend. Daniel must have also enjoyed our time because Sunday morning he says: "What do you think about a date for every year we are married, to celebrate our anniversary."... I love this idea though I must admit that when we get up in the double digits it will be interesting. LOL.
     I guess that will be enough rambling for today, stay tuned for tomorrow, where I will talk about..... something else. LOL  Have a great day yall!

292.2 - Weekly Report

     Well good morning... The good word today is 292.2, I have lost 3 pounds this week. I am kind of surprised because it has not been a stellar week. I must admit that the 5 day challenge was an epic fail this time. Thanks to my non cooperative ankle, I skipped Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. By the time it felt ok on Thursday, I did not want to do it. I know, I know, naughty me! I also struggled with many junk food cravings over the last week. Don't worry it's not as bad as you think. I was able to stave off most of them and stay at least close to my calorie range but I did go over a couple of days and blew the sodium and fat intake on a few. Hence my surprise at a 3 pound loss, oh and bloating on top of that.
     In all my junk food madness, I found some new things to curb the cravings. I will start with what I like to call "Devil's Chips". Special K Cracker Chips are absolutely AHMAZING!!!!!!!!!! I was wanting some potato chips something fierce so I decided to give these a whirl. Almost a mistake, I am super glad that they come in small packages, otherwise I may be unable to stop myself. I paired this little gem with a sour cream dipping sauce made with fat free sour cream and calorie free ranch mix. So for a total of 130 calories I was able to have 30 little pieces of heaven (chips), and some scrumptious dip. This did a wonderful job at curbing the chip craving, however, it did make me crave soda.... Weird, since I don't really care for the stuff anymore. I have decided that I will only buy "Devil's Chips" on the weekends from now on, just to be on the safe side LOL. Another little beauty this week that saved a sweet tooth was Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch, really not as un-healthy as I thought they were. Of course a little high in sugar, I really could have done worse. This is the first time in my whole journey that I have craved things so badly, and junk at that! So considering what could have been, I am pretty pleased with myself.
     Yesterday was my 4 year wedding anniversary, and we have made some plans for this weekend. I am excited because due to finances we have never really done anything aside from going out to dinner. This year our anniversary is being celebrated over 3 days. Yesterday, was just a really sweet day at home. I decorated the car and snuck a card inside of Daniel's lunch box. He made me the sweetest card. Last night we watched movies in our room. Tonight we are going to the Outback Steakhouse where I will have lobster for the first time. I did my research ahead of time to see how many calories I would need to make room for. I decided on the Fillet & Lobster Tail with Grilled Asparagus and Loaded Baked Potato.... It is a special occasion so I am splurging a little. The calories in this meal are huge, a little over 1,000. I have decided that I will only eat half of the meal (probably all I can fit anyway lol) and get out of there for a little over 500. After dinner we are going to play miniature golf and air hockey. Not the most romantic date, but SUPER fun I think. I am looking forward to it. Saturday we have a family reunion to attend during the day and then the oldest is staying with my mom and the youngest will go to Daniel's mom's. We are going to the drive in movies. Again, very excited. The best part.....Coming home to an EMPTY house!
     So my goals for this week are as follows:
-     Get back with the program and exercise 5 days
-     Drink 8 glasses of water
-     Stay on calorie target and not go over (target may be changing, will explain in another post)
-     Clean out the closets (not diet related, but needs to be done lol)

HAVE A BEAUTIFUL WEEKEND EVERYONE


New Recipes And Recipe Pictures Added Today As Well

Favorite Recipes & Snacks

   

A Different Perspective

     Well hello my friends, I am very sorry for my absence the last little while. Father's Day activities have kept me pretty busy over the weekend, and then of course came the Monday clean up ha ha! It was a great weekend, starting with a fishing trip up to Deer Creek Reservoir. The fishing was not great, but I did manage to catch our only fish of the day! We also found our camp site for our camping trip in August. It was hot but a lot of fun!
    



I made Daniel hold it because I didn't have my gloves on LOL!
Too small to keep but still fun to catch!

     So, getting to the real point of this post "A Different Perspective", On Fridays we do our weekly trip to the grocery store and as we were getting home with our goods, I found myself thinking a familiar thought, and wanted to share it. We live up a pretty decent flight of stairs which always makes bringing anything home a lot of fun. (sarcasm noted). Knowing this and what a pain it is we carry up as much as we can handle to avoid making too many trips. As I was carryng up my first load I was really feeling it. Now, normally people don't think of 20-25 pounds as a whole lot, but I must say, it was really difficult to carry up those stairs. My back hurt, my knees, my calves were burning, you get the picture. Then I got to thinking, I used to carry around 8 times that ALL THE TIME. I honestly don't know how I did it! For anyone who has never been extremely over weight, or anyone who wonders what it would feel like, or needs to remember, pick up a 20 pound bag of flour and carry it around for a little while. That should give you a good idea or a good reminder of where you don't want to be or be again.

     I am going to participate again this week in the 5 day work out challenge, though I am getting a late start because I over did it this weekend and my ankle is again protesting. I am going to try  tonight and hope I don't fall over LOL. Of course, that may be good entertainment! I am also going to continue with the same goals as last week. On a side note, I have been hearing a lot about fluctuaing your calorie intake. It is supposed to help when you are heading towards a plateu, by shaking things up with the metabolism. I have been giving this some thought and may try 2 weeks 1400 and then 1  1500 (repeating process), just to see what happens. This means that I have last week and this week at 1400 and next week I will try 1500. If I decide to do it (trying to gather courage for experiment) :)

I hope you all are having a great week so far, I will check back in soon!

295.2 - Weekly Report.... Back In The Game!

     Well, I did it, I stuck to all of my goals that I set last week, and it paid off. I lost 3 pounds this week and am back to being happy about it. Funny how a 1.4 pound difference (from last week) can be such a big deal in my head, but it is.
     My 5 day Zumba challenge is going well and today will complete 5 days, then I get a rest. Thank heaven because I am sore! It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be though, taking the initiative was the hardest part. Day 4 was weird because my muscles were the sorest they had been all week but, I had more vigor in my routine. I am definitely feeling it this morning. It feels good!! Tomorrow I will be going on a fishing trip with Daniel (big surprise lol) but we are going somewhere new and there is supposed to be a bit of hiking involved. I pray that my tired muscles won't protest ha ha. This 5 day work out challenge was amazing and I am going to continue it, thank you for the inspiration spunkysuzi ! Anybody else wanna take the challenge?
     The illusive picture (for my measurements) is coming I swear... Excuses, excuses, I know, but I can not locate my tripod so I will need Daniel to take them for me. It will be up this weekend, I must not chicken out! In the meantime, I did find this cool website where you can create a virtual you, it is kind of funny. Other than taking in account for saggy skin it is pretty accurate. It also helped me to put into perspective that I am no longer the girl who started this journey, often times in my minds eye I still see her.

Current                                Goal
My Virtual Model

Like I said, other than putting into account my loose skin, pretty accurate, and fun to create. I wish that I had saved the site because now I can not remember where exactly I got it. If you type in Virtual Weight Loss, there are several different places you can do your own.

Have A Great Weekend Everyone!!

   

Eyes On The Prize

     I have been working really hard this week to achieve the goals I set for myself last Friday. I am happy to report that so far, I have succeeded in keeping my calories around 1400 (100 less than I normally eat), drinking at least 64 oz of water per day, and am 2 for 2 on Zumba days. A fellow blogger had set a personal challenge to achieve 5 days of physical activity and I thought that was a good idea. I was only doing 2-3 days of Zumba before so it is going to take a little positive self talk, but I can do it. Will all of these changes be enough to shake up my metabolism and see bigger results?? I hope so, tune in on Friday to find out.
     Although last Friday found me a little less than ecstatic, I do have good news to report, I have lost several inches over the last month! After all the great comments I received about weather or not to post a pic of myself to illustrate my measurements, I have decided, in the interest of staying true to why I started blogging, I am going to do it! The pics should be on my measurements page by tomorrow, provided that I do not get too busy (i.e. distracted :) ). Anyway, here are the comparisons from last month:

                          Last Month                          This Month


Neck                             17.25 inches                   16.5 inches                 lost     .75 inches
Bust                                51.5 inches                   49.5 inches                 lost        2 inches
Under Bust                    47.5 inches                  46.25 inches                 lost   1.25 inches
Waist                            52.25 inches                  50.25 inches                 lost        2 inches
Hips                                   61 inches                       58 inches                 lost        3 inches
R. Bicep                             16 inches                13.875 inches                 lost 2.125 inches
L. Bicep                             16 inches                       14 inches                lost        2 inches
R. Forearm                   11.75 inches                      11 inches                 lost    .75 inches
L. Forearm                     11.5 inches                      11 inches                 lost      .5 inches
R. Wrist                          7.11 inches                 6.125 inches                 lost  .985 inches
L. Wrist                          7.11 inches                        7 inches                 lost    .11 inches
R. Thigh                       24.25 inches                   23.5 inches                lost    .75 inches
L. Thigh                         24.5 inches                      24 inches                lost     .5 inches
R. Calf                            18.5 inches                   17.5 inches              lost       1 inches
L. Calf                             18.5 inches                17.75 inches            lost    .75 inches
R. Ankle                          10.5 inches                10.25 inches            lost     .25 inches
L. Ankle (Swollen)         10.5 inches                   10.5 inches             lost        0 inches
                                                                                                   TOTAL   18.72 INCHES

     So there you have it, even though the numbers have slowed, the inches are falling, and that makes me smile!!

Handy Tools I Can't Live Without

     Ok, so I am not sure what made me feel like I needed to share this, but I do, so here I am. My weight loss has not been without the help of some very handy tools, and honestly I could not do it without them.

    First, I take you to the kitchen. Now here we have all of my measuring tools. Calorie counting is impossible without them. I HIGHLY suggest a digital scale, it has been by far the most accurate way to measure my food. I tried to use a non digital one first as they are cheaper, but I noticed that it was not very accurate when weighing really light things (think pasta, and salad). Anyway, a good digital scale will give you weight in many formats (ounces, grams, pounds, etc.) It is however, not the most convenient tool if you are not at home, or if you are measuring loose things like spices. Therefore I have the liquid and dry measuring cups (no heaping cups are not a sign of accurate measuring :) ). You may be wondering why I have so many measuring cups and only 1 measuring spoon, if not, I am going to tell you anyway LOL... Well that is because I use this for condiments, most condiment serving sizes are done by the TBSP. I recommend a few sets of these because you go through them quickly. (I don't like washing dishes all day and learned that real fast)

Here we have some of my favorite kitchen gadgets (some are not pictured because they would have been a big hassle to get out, don't worry, I'll fill you in). I could not live without my air popper... I absolutely love me some pop corn but the microwave variety is so high in calories and doesn't taste near as good. You don't get as much for the calories either. There are sprays and such that you can buy that are low or no calorie to put on it making it a great treat, high in fiber too. For me, I splurge on the topping and use Popping and Topping Oil from Orville Redenbacher. It is a little high in calories, but so worth it, and still less than microwave pop corn. Moving on, the cutting board and knife are pretty self explanatory, when you are calorie restricted you eat a lot of fresh food from produce to meat, you need to be able to cut them. The apple corer is fantastic, it slices and cores those yummy apples. Now for the not pictured items... George Foreman grill & BBQ grill. This is the healthiest way to cook most meats. I use the foreman on days that I can't grill outside. Did you know that with beef especially, you can almost double the calories by cooking it in the pan. When you grill it, a lot of the fat drips off of it, saving calories. I almost fell on the floor when I learned this. My rice cooker is another fav go to, I can perfectly cook a batch of rice and steam my veggies all at the same time. It comes out perfect every time, I will never eat minute rice again.

     Last but not least my other devices I could not live without... First my scale, for my weekly weigh in of course! A good trusty measuring tape. I wish I had used this all along so I could say exactly how many inches I had lost, but last month was the first time that I had any desire to do so (doing monthly from now on). The next 4 items kind of go together Zumba DVDs (not pictured because I don't need any trouble with the folks over at Zumba), my Zumba toning sticks, jazz shoes (this makes doing the workout so much easier, it is hard to move the way they want me to on carpet without them), and lastly... water, it is absolutely essential to good health and hydration. Your body will thank you for it, mine does! It has also been proven that, often times thirst is mistaken for hunger. I didn't really buy that when I heard it, so I tried it. It is true as far as I can tell. Next time you are feeling hungry and don't really have a reason to be (i.e. you just ate not too long ago) try it and see how it works for you.

     I hope at least some of this information helps, I will try to get it on to a separate page soon for quick reference. I hope you all have a fabulous week!

                                

298.2 - Weekly Update

     Ok, so again, I find myself not trying to beat myself up. A 1.6 pound loss is not bad, it's not up, and I am still losing. Why oh why then am I so disappointed??? I am used to the big losses, almost always has been at least 2-3 pounds per week. I knew this day was coming, and tried to prepare myself for the slow down. I thought I was ready for it, next will be the plateau I fear. Before I turn this around and dig deep for motivation, I just have to say: I blame it all on my ankle, if only it had cooperated with me I might have been able to do Zumba this week and there might have been a bigger loss. End of the blame game. Time to take action!
     Here comes the part where I need to dig deep, put on my big girl panties, and cowgirl up. I will own this 1.6 pound loss, and try to be happy about it. I am the only one who can make things change if I want to lose faster. I have been thinking about a plan this morning to make that happen. First, I am going to amp up my water consumption, I have kind of slacked the last couple of weeks on that. Funny, when you retain water, the remedy is to consume more. Next, I am going to find something active to do that my lame ankle can handle. I miss my exercise and is yet probably another reason I have slowed down a bit. No more excuses, I will simply adapt. I also reevaluated my calorie consumption, when I started, calorie count said that I needed about 2100 calories to run my large body. I only ever consumed 1500-1600 a day as it was hard to eat that much once my stomach had shrunk. I plugged in my new numbers and now it says I only need about 1600 calories a day. Makes sense, it takes more gas to fuel a big car than it does a little one. So, I am going to lower my calorie intake a little more. This is where it gets fun, and I mean that, because I get to play with my food again and learn what works in a lower calorie budget.
     I apologize for being a bit negative at the beginning of this post, but, it was how I was feeling. The purpose of this blog was to give an honest and accurate account of what my journey is like. I feel that if I had held back I would only be painting a picture of how easy this was. The truth is, it isn't always easy, sometimes it is disappointing, and sometimes it is hard. But in the end I know it will ALL be worth it. I do have some good news, I have lost quite a few inches over the last month. I haven't got all the measurements down yet but when I do I will post them here: Weight & Measurements I am trying to decide how brave I am. Last month I used a drawing to illustrate my measurements. I have had a few people say that I should use a picture of myself. I think it's a great idea but am not sure if I am ready to be that out there yet. I have a lot of loose skin and that might be kind of embarrassing... Do you guys think its a good idea?
     Well, it is time to get started for the day, I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, and will leave you with this:

I am a strong woman, 

I will put all excuses aside and remember

that I AM CAPABLE!!

Goals to Achieve:

1. Drink more water.

2. Find exercise I can achieve even with a hurt ankle.

3. Lower my calorie intake.

4. Be happy and proud of ANY loss, and don't focus so much on the slow down.

Gardening With Brandie & Other Tidbits

     In April, my husband and I decided that we would take a stab at growing our own vegetables. Now normally this would not be such a task except we live in an apartment. Our garden is being grown in pots on our back porch. We got into it not really knowing what we were doing, but had seen other neighbors have success. $63.00 later this is what we got:

From Left to Right: Hot Pepper Mix, Icicle Radishes, Green Bell Peppers, Red Bell Peppers, Green Onions, Swiss Chard (neon), Early Girl Tomatoes, Better Bush Tomatoes

Fast forward 2 months, this is what they look like now: (not in the same order)

Hot Pepper Mix, these were a little slow going at first, I think due to the colder weather. Doing great now though.

Icicle Radishes, Had a bout with the aphids so it has
been quarantined. I think we got rid of them though.

Green Bell Peppers, Just look at those big boys!! Can't
wait to eat them!!



Green Onions, These have been interesting to watch grow.

Red Bell Peppers

Early Girl Tomatoes, going to have to
share these, we have about 6 tomatoes
so far and a bunch of blossoms.

Neon Swiss Chard, also interesting to watch grow.

Better Bush Tomatoes, also going to have to share
I think :) at least until I learn to can.

            








     This has been a fun little venture and will be a good way to supplement some of our produce budget. We started using some miracle grow on them about 3 weeks ago and wow... It's a miracle!!

    
    





     Anyway, enough gardening.... Weigh in is tomorrow and I must say, I am a little bit nervous because due to my ankle's mysterious injury, I have not been able to do much exercise. I have been pretty on point for nutrition though and I hope that is enough to give me a loss this week. I normally wouldn't worry but just want to make sure that I stay below the 300 mark. I also want to make good progress towards my next goal in 4 months.(250) More on the weigh in tomorrow when I give my weekly report.
     Went to the DMV today to get my married name put on my license (4 years later), and I was super excited to put my new lower weight on it. I am smaller than I lied to be the last time I renewed it. I had said I was 350, when really I was around 420 at the time. It feels so good to be honest!!! Guess what??? I think for the first time in the history of Brandie, I like my photo. I had to laugh though because compared to my other photo, I don't even look like me... Maybe like I could be a sister or something. LOL I will post the comparison tomorrow when I have a bit more time.

Have a great night y'all, and tune in tomorrow for the weigh in results!!!

I Am Hungry People

   Well, I survived the busy chaotic weekend, and managed to stay nutritionally intact. It was however, not without many challenges and many self talks. My daughters graduation went swimmingly, I still can't believe she graduated. It seems like yesterday we were playing with her dolls. I did shed some tears, she's a woman now and not a little girl. Friday night was her ceremony and we had to eat dinner at 4:30 in the afternoon. Needless to say by the time graduation was over and we were headed home it was about 10:00 and we were all starving again. We stopped and grabbed a sub from Subway, and though I still managed to stay in range on calories, my sodium was through the roof that day. Saturday, I packed up and headed to the park to reserve our spot for the party at 10:30 in the morning (party @1) I forgot to eat my breakfast so yeah I'm a little hungry. I was dreading lunch because it was BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs. I wanted to be a part of the group so I fit a hamburger and a bun into the calorie budget, and with miracle whip it was a whopping 530 calories. I figured I had better stay away from anything else there other than the few pieces of fruit that I had (grapes, and melon). Man O Man did I want a piece of that cake. That cake has been

taunting me this ENTIRE weekend. I did cave and have A bite which was a mistake because now I only want more. I have been successful so far at beating down the voice in my head that says "eat me". I do think though that the 6 or so pieces left on the counter should disappear quickly before my resolve to not eat it caves in. All food temptations aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the party and got to see many faces I had not seen in quite awhile, sort of a mini friend/family reunion. When I got home Saturday night and began to finally relax a little I noticed that my ankle was starting to hurt a bit (muscles I think) anyway by morning it looked like I had shoved a softball inside it. While it does not hurt to stand on it, at all, bending it when I walk is quite painful. It is strange because I do not recall hurting it in anyway. In a way I do wish I had remembered so that I would know what to avoid in the future. Who knows.... It may make Zumba a little interesting this week though. I think for today I will try keeping it up and see if it improves.

     Sunday was fast Sunday at church so no food until at least 3 or in my case 4 cause that's when church gets out. I grab a fiber bar on my way out the door to my Mom's to celebrate my brothers birthday. I was going to grill a piece of chicken for myself before we left because dinner was sloppy joes and macaroni salad, I did not have time to do this so now I have to fit this meal into my calorie budget. People, I am STARVING, or at least it feels like it. All these calorie expensive meals are not allowing me to eat much and my belly is telling me so! I eat the meal they have so graciously provided, but in the back of my head I just want to eat, I am still hungry.... and there is ANOTHER cake and ice cream to avoid. Normally, I would have allowed for a little bit of a cheat but 299.8 does not leave a lot of wiggle room if I want to avoid being over 300 pounds. I refuse to go back there. I was a good girl and waited until I got home to eat something to fill me up and take up the rest of my calorie budget. I feel so yucky when my diet consists of junk food, even when it does fit in the calorie range. It is a far cry from the way I used to eat, and thinking about this I am proud of myself. I am glad that junk makes me feel gross now because it used to be all I ate. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with SOME junk on OCCASION, but trying to fit it in just does not seem worth it anymore, especially when it is going to result in a tummy ache.

     Today I am super grateful to be back to my normal menu, I can finally eat and feel full and not gross. Ahhhh.... relief. This week should also not be quite as busy, at least after laundry day is over, and I have finished cleaning up the mess in my house from this weekend. Bonus... The little one starts summer school today and will be gone for 3 hours so I will have a little bit of a break! I will check in again before the weekly report I am sure. I hope you all had a fabulous weekend !!!!

Back Row L-R: Sarah (our eldest), Daniel (my hubby), Me
Front: Sandee (my mom), Becky (our youngest)