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