Valencia Michelle

Green Smoothies and Debt Free

2012-01-24T11:59:00.000-05:00

Hello Bloggerland!

I'm on a roll right now and trying my best to stay on course. Here's the rundown...

Since November or so I've been thinking about resolutions. And every conclusion I've come to involved eliminating debt, being healthier and fit, and family.

I totally gave up on the idea of "losing weight" because 8 times out of 10 if you lose something, you eventually find it, or it finds you. I can't! I'm so done with the weight loss yoyo. Instead, I resolved to eat better, keep hitting the gym,and shed this last 63 pounds for good.

I had to go back to basics. Avoid processed foods, avoid store brought breads, cut back on pasta, rice, and turbinado sugar, avoid white products, avoid fried foods etc etc. I started the year on a salad kick, then moved into stir fry and although I love them both it got old so quick. A few years ago I could eat salad or stir fry EVERY DAY and never get tired of it. Same with oatmeal (as you probably remember from my blogs about oats) but now I rarely eat it. I had to get the good stuff in my system.

In walks green smoothies. This is not by any means my first run in with them. But this is the first time I've made them without yogurt and without fruit juice. I LOVE THEM. For the past two weeks I have had at least 32oz of green smoothie every single day without fail. My skin loves me for this and so does my hair, nails, and digestive system. I'm avoiding the scale right now (since the gym has only seen me 3 times in the past two weeks) so I'm not sure if green smoothies are having any effect on my weight or not. I'm finally using that damn Ninja blender I paid over $140 for well over a year ago :o). I simply put in about 40% greens (spinach, turnip greens, celery, lettuce), 60% fruit (bananas, frozen berries, frozen peaches, mangos, pineapple, 1-2 cups water, and some agave nectar to sweeten if needed. I try to make this the first thing I put into my body each day because it gives me tons of energy and seems to stop snacking and cravings during the first half of my day.

On to money matters...

I also made a resolution to be debt free this year. Seriously. Our household has approximately $180,000 in debt including a mortgage, student loans, an auto loan and credit debt. Each month we shell out $1500 plus to those debts alone, nevermind our fixed and variable monthly expenses. We shell out just over 70% of our household income each month. That has to stop and we have to do better financially. Hubby LOVES to eat out and sad to say he can, will and does do this daily...sometimes two and three times a day. It drives me INSANE! I eat out as well but no more than 3 times a week and it's generally once a day.

In the first three weeks of this month, I had eaten out 8 times. On January 16th, I made the decision that unless I had a gift card or was going to the casino (where me and a guest eat free on my Elite card) I was not spending any money eating out. Period. I haven't. Not one single time, not one single meal. Grant it, it's only been a week but I have a picture collage taped near my computer monitor at work, one on the wall next to my side of the bed, one on the bathroom mirror and one in my purse. This collage is a collection of pictures of my ultimate debt action goals.

1. To save for the future, invest, give freely and live comfortably

2. To have no student loan, credit card, or auto debts

3. To travel to exotic island paradises, Vegas, new York, Africa, Europe or wherever my heart leads me

I am on a mission and Perkstreet and its numerous financial resources is helping me to get there. Are you on board for better health and finances? I'd love some company!

Natural Hair Journey 2000-2012!!!

2012-01-14T22:36:00.000-05:00

Oh how I've MISSED MY BLOG!

2012-01-12T13:09:00.000-05:00

Wow! It has been FOREVER since I've blogged and I have entirely too much to share with you. I will also be doing a video entry either later tonight or sometime this weekend.

Ok, first things first.

Weight Loss

37 pounds so far. I SHOULD BE so much further in my journey BUT I must look at the bright side I now only have 63 pounds to lose instead of 100 :o) andddddd I'm wearing size 14/16 tops and 18/20 pants :o). I also feel soooooo much better and have tons of energy.

Exercise

Zumba is STILL my exercise of choice and it STILL kicks my butt!!! Went from only two days a week at my church to joining 24hr Fitness and going 5 (soon to be 6) days a week and I LOVE it!

Now onto other things...

1/12/12

My hair is GONE! lol I did a big chop (BC) this weekend and I am so in love with my hair!

Let me back up and get into the hair story. Back in 2000 I swore off chemicals in my hair. I wore tons of braids/microbraids and weaves until January 29, 2003 when I decided I wanted locs. I loc'd my hair myself and have always maintained them myself using the latch hook method.

My locs at graduation June 2009

Over the Thanksgiving weekend in 2009 I decided I wanted to try something different and I unraveled/removed my locs. Notice I didn't say I cut them off. I loaded my hair with water and conditioner, sat down with a latch hook and comb and took every single loc out. Over the course of 4 days it took about 24 hours to do. For about two months I was going to the salon and getting twists, I had my niece put in some rope twists etc BUT of course I missed my locs. On Valentine's day 2010 I started them again.

My second set of locs 2/14/10

I continued to use the latch hook method for about a year or so then got beyond lazy. I found a loctitian who was AMAZING and she retwisted my hair using the palm roll method. I LOVED it!

Palm rolled locs

June 18, 2011

Roller set on freshly palm rolled locs

BUT... the cost was $45 per session and they'd only last about two weeks versus when I was doing the latch hook method it lasted for 4-6 weeks. I was spending $90/month to get my hair retwisted and decided that was entirely too much so either I had to buckle down and maintain them myself or...

11/20/11

I took out EVERY SINGLE LOC again! But I also severely heat damaged my hair the first day

I took them out. I HAD to blow dry it and then decided I HAD to flat iron it straighter to achieve the look I wanted...

HUGE mistake! From this point forward no matter what I did to my hair it didn't come out right

My research, and my sister who is a hair dresser, made it painfully clear: the only way to reverse heat damage is to CUT IT OFF! For weeks I continued to create styles that looked semi good and try to pin up or tie back the heat damaged sections to avoid the ultimate. I said I was going to wait about 6 months until I had more new growth before I BC'd. But on 1/8/12 I buckled down ...

Now there's no turning back! My blog will now become about my natural hair journey as well. Next few posts will discuss products, methods I've found beneficial as well as vloggers and bloggers who make my natural hair journey worth while.

Thanks for stopping through. See ya!

Daniel Fast- Day 3

2011-09-14T23:31:00.007-04:00

I successfully completed my 3rd day of the Daniel Fast.

I ate fresh fruit, nuts, raisins, salad with tons of avocado, mushrooms, tomatoes and lemon mustard vinegrette (lemon juice, spices, lemon flavored EVOO, dijon mustard), 4 bean and mushroom soup, drank Bolthouse strawberry banana and 8 cups of water.

I resisted temptation, did my 50 minute kettlebell workout and prayed throughout the day.

I DID NOT complete my Bible study and I am now TWO DAYS behind arghhhhhh!!! I'm on a mission that either on my lunch break tomorrow or on the train ride home I WILL get caught up.

I feel good and I am truly proud of the decision I made to start fresh and complete my fast.

See you on Day 4

DISASTER!

2011-09-14T12:12:00.001-04:00

Man! I've had ZERO discipline for the past two days and I pray the Lord forgives me for it.

On Monday, I returned to work after having been out of the office for my birthday 9/8 and 9/9 as well. I completely forgot that I had requested my boss's wife bake me brownies for my birthday and who showed up first thing Monday morning with a huge pan of brownies and flowers? Sigh. She asked if I liked salmon croquettes and left. I had a brownie for breakfast and it didn't stop there. My friend and coworker Torina didn't get to take me to lunch for my birthday soooooo she and two of our deputies talked me into Duffy's for lunch her treat. Not only did I get my free birthday appetizer (mini crabcakes that were soooooooo good!) I also had one of the best plates of shrimp scampi and garlic bread I've had. Topped that off with a slice of pizza when I got home. Did my kettlebell workout, did my Bible study (Dan. 3 & 4, Psalm 81, Rev 17), and went to bed.

On Tuesday, my boss walks in with homemade salmon croquettes and homemade buttered bisquits. I had FOUR salmon croquettes over the course of the day and FIVE bisquits!!! I did not eat anything other than 2 kiwi and some other fruit for the rest of the day but I had two glasses of Moscato at a poetry event hubby and I went to last night and a slice of mushroom pizza at about 12am while we were out. I stayed out later than I had planned so not only did I not do my workout, I also didn't do my Bible study.

So today I decided I'm back on track and today is going to be Day 3 for me. I won't start over but I will pick up where I left off and wipe the slate clean. I was tempted (and almost conned lol) into going back to Duffy's for lunch today with the crew. I logged onto In Touch Ministries web site this morning and to the right I saw an advertisement for a free reference guide with the heading “Discipline Determines Destiny”

I clicked the link and read that this document was "a quick reference to help you remember the seven principles for living a disciplined life from the sermon by Dr. Charles Stanley".

Those seven principles are:

1. Have a definite goal or purpose.
2. Attach to the objective and detach from distractions.
3. Pursue your goal with diligence.
4. Be consistent about seeking your objective daily.
5. Practice self-control.
6. Say “no” to hindrances in the strength of the Holy Spirit.
7. Accept failures as opportunities to start again.

In that very moment I made a concious decision. I told my coworker "nope... I need Jesus" and I read this to her to which she replied "yep that's the Lord telling you we are a distraction right now". AGREED!

I failed and I am taking the opportunity to start again! Today is day 3.

Day 2- Daniel Fast

2011-09-11T22:43:00.001-04:00

Day 2 is now complete.

Today I ate fresh fruit (bananas, plum, kiwi), curried gold & sweet potatoes and homemade 4 bean mushroom soup that was SO DAMN GOOD! Too bad I was just adding ingredients as I went and have NO CLUE wth I did to make that soup come out so good lol. I sauteed onions and mushrooms in grapeseed oil, added black beans, red beans, great northern beans and pinto beans (all rinsed except the black beans), a can of diced tomatoes, more diced mushrooms, vegetable stock and Lord only knows what seasonings lol. THE BEST soup and I'm generally not a fan of soups that aren't creamy but man I love this soup and I'm so gonna love eating it all week :) I drank about 24oz of Bolthouse Farms strawberry banana smoothie and 10-12 cups of water.

This morning for my Bible study session I read day 2 of my devotional, Obadiah (shortest book of the Bible at 1 chapter), Daniel Chapters 1 & 2 and Revelations Chapter 16.

I prayed once again for clarity, healing and peace. I also prayed for everyone who lost their lives on 9/11/01. I asked that the Lord bless their loved ones, the survivors, and the brave men and women who risked their lives on that fateful day.

I'm still working out... did 50 minutes of kettlebell yesterday and 30 minutes of kickboxing today (I SOOOOOO miss kickboxing...I must figure out a way to work it back into my schedule).

All in all I'm feeling great... so not deprived like I thought I would be and I'm also not bored with eating soup because it's so damn good! I'm still undecided about whether or not I'm going to eat oats and brown rice this week. Every Daniel Fast doc I've read online allows them so probably. I mean stir fry for dinner tomorrow night would be great. I'm also undecided as to whether or not I'll do more than 7 days. I keep seeing the Red Lobster endless shrimp commercials and all I keep thinking is...oooohhhh I can't wait till Saturday so I can make hubby take me to Red Lobster lol. I'll decide as I go.

Day 1- Daniel Fast

2011-09-10T22:47:00.001-04:00

It is 10:34pm and I have completed day 1 of my Daniel Fast :)

I ate grapes, almonds, a plum, salad, pineapple and gold & sweet potatoes baked w/EVOO, rosemary, Hymalaian salt and yellow curry. I drank 10 cups of water and 8oz of Bolthouse strawberry bannana smoothie. I discovered this won't be as difficult as I thought.

I am truly seeking clarity, healing and peace over the next 7 days. I want to be closer to the Lord and I am opening my heart and mind to him right now. For about a total of 2 hours today I watched nothing but TBN. I watched a cartoon version of the story of Sampson and Delilah and loved every minute of it. I was amazed at how glued to the television I was. In Touch Ministries had an AWESOME segment regarding "Living Through Circumstances & Remembering 9/11" It was truly inspirational. I was told to jot down 3 lessons and make them my living principles:

1. Focus on Christ rather than circumstances

2. Forcus on the soverignty of God not the will of man

3. Focus on the positive results not the personal pain

I decided that if and when I do watch TV, the majority of my watching MUST BE centered around the Bible and/or biblical teachings. I'm not cutting off my dramas but I'm limiting the time I spend watching them and increasing my time with the Lord. The same applies to when I'm in the car... WRMB it is :). When I wasn't watching TV today I was resting. It felt so good to not stress at all today and to focus all of my energy into praising the Lord.

I began Day 1 of "A Thirty day Walk in the Freedom of Grace: The Grace Awakening Devotional". I've had it forever and decided today is the day to begin.

I also began to "read the Bible in 365 days". Today I read all 5 Chapters of Lamentations, Obadiah, as well as Chapters 14 & 15 of Revelations. Next year this time I pray to have completed the entire Bible.
Day 1 complete....see you tomorrow :)

Update & Start of Daniel Fast

2011-09-10T14:22:00.001-04:00

Wow... I haven't blogged in a month now! I didn't even realize it's been that long. I'm doing HORRIBLE at keeping my commitment to regular updates on my weight loss progress but that ends today :)

So here's the rundown of the past month.... 4 weeks ago I started working out to the Firm Weight Loss DVD. There are two 20 minute segments: Cardio Power Burst and Interval Blast. I LOVE this workout! I mean I LOVE kickboxing as well but since starting the Firm I've decided to put kickboxing down for a bit. In 20 minutes with either of these workouts I burn anywhere from 480-550 calories and I so love that! I do it 3-4 times a week now but intially it ws 6-7 days.

2 weeks ago I added another monster of a workout. I went to Walmart and purchased a Danskin 8lb kettlebell. It came with a workout DVD which has a warm up, 3 workouts and a cool down. Completing the entire DVD is 50 minutes and I know this because I've done it 3 days a week for two weeks straight so far :). LOVE LOVE LOVE working out with the kettlebell. I burn over 1000 calories and every part of me knows it lol. I feel so good now that I'm exercising every day and making every workout count.

I'm down to 275.4 and strongly feel I should be soooooooooo beyond that weight but I'm not and I'm finally okay with that. I'm finally okay with the fact that I may only lose 1/2 pound a week some months. It's not about getting it off quickly... it's about getting it off once and for all and I'm in this for life now.

I am desperately in need of a deeper spiritual meaning. I STILL have not returned to church regularly and it's been over a year since I've gone every Sunday. I think my church has seen me maybe 4 Sundays so far in 2011. I've decided that I'm doing the Daniel Fast for 7 days beginning today. I know the Daniel Fast is 21 days but I'm not ready to set myself up to fail. I MAY go the full 21 days but I need to see where I am after a week to truly determine that. This is going to be really hard for me even though I've already eliminated processed foods because it requires tons of biblical reading and prayer. I'm fasting for healing, clarity, and peace. Per the Daniel Fast I can eat grains, fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and olive oil. What's making this extremely difficult in my mind is that it's very different from eliminating processed foods because no matter what I eat on the Daniel Fast it can only have ONE ingredient lol. No breads unless I make my own flatbread using just whole wheat flour and water. No eggs, no seafood, no pasta (b/c it truly is processed).

Hopefully this will enable me to focus more on my writing. To make sure I am staying dedicated each night I will post a blog detailing my day and ending with a prayer for direction and guidance for the next day.

So far today I have eaten about 2 cups of red grapes, a handful of whole almonds, and about 4-6 cups of water. It's 2:23 right now and I'm already praying that I can make it through the 7 days lol. Pray for me :)

Week 53 (of my FINAL year of battling my weight)

2011-08-03T09:51:00.001-04:00

Ok people... I'm officially 2.8 pounds away from reaching my 4th goal of 275 pounds (my wedding weight 3 yrs ago :0)

I've lost 27 pounds and 14 inches all over and I'm feeling good as hell. I had a coworker comment on my cute new shirt I bought this weekend (one of my rewards) and say "you look so good, how much have you lost?" I'm feeling better and finding clarity.

I had a rough weekend at home and started fasting (against my will...damn headache!) on Sunday. It hasn't been a "true" fast b/c on Sunday I had a tropical smoothie, water, and pretzles. Monday, Tuesday, and today I've had Bolthouse Farms juices, bananas, grapes, strawberries, and these:

http://www.truenorthsnacks.com/

OMG I LOVE these things! It has more than 6 ingredients (because the nuts are listed individually lol) but it has almonds, brown rice syrup, pecans, cashews, organic sugar, sea salt and sunflower oil. I gave up gummies and every candy other than dark chocolate almost 3 months ago... these TOTALLY make up for it lol. They have just the right amount of "sweet" and "salty". Only 90mg sodium, 5g sugar per serving but it also has 5g of protein and 3g of fiber per serving. Of course the Fat content is high at 12g BUT hell there's 3 types of nuts in these things.

This is my new favorite "candy". I found it at Sam's of all places and I am definitely a fan now.

So there's the past week of my life. See you next week :0)

Week 52

2011-07-28T19:10:00.000-04:00

Ok so this is a YEAR that I've been on yet another roller coaster ride with my weight loss journey. Last year this time I had vowed to be 100 lighter by now.

HAS NOT HAPPENED! However what has happened is that I've found strength and motivation that for whatever reason I didn't have before. What has happened is that I've FINALLY transformed my diet and eliminated 90% of processed/over processed food with more than 6 ingredients (junk!) from my diet. I just had a potato chip this week for the first time in over 75 days (yes chips only have 3 ingredients but that doesn't mean they're healthy lol). I have also been exercising EVERY SINGLE DAY since June 8 and that's huge for me. I finally took a day off yesterday and couldn't even enjoy it b/c all I could think about was OMG I'm missing a workout! Crazy.

What's also happened is the Lord continues to put the right people in my life every single time. My inspiration for getting my health in check, Jackie Carbonell, has volunteered to help me in any way she can including training. She's been so awesome on counseling me through this journey. I don't feel like I'm battling myself anymore even though the scale is still my enemy. I've only lost 1 pound over the past week so I'm at 282. I still have 78 pounds to go. But I'm not defeated. I'm so victorious.

I have all the tools I need at my disposal and I'm FINALLY using them. I'm showing up every single day with or without the scale showing a loss and I'm putting in my 30 minutes of kickboxing. Last Wednesday I started walking as well. I even do 20-30 minutes of power walking 2-3 days a week. Today I decided I'm going to be taking Tri-Rail to work every morning instead of driving. I even walked the half mile from the train station to my job in this morning and did the reverse this afternoon. I no longer make excuses! I still can't bring myself to wake up at 6am to exercise but I be damned if I go to bed without doing it.

I am still a work in progress... difference is this time the progression is REAL :0)

Week 51

2011-07-20T11:59:00.000-04:00

Well... the scale STILL says 283 (techically 283.2 but ummm yeah lol). I'm annoyed but for some odd reason I'm not upset or frustrated. I KNOW how hard I workout. I KNOW that I do 30 minutes of cardio kickboxing EVERY SINGLE DAY since June 19th and that I've been getting a minimum of 15 minutes of physical activity every day since June 8th. I KNOW that I have been "eating clean" for SIXTY NINE DAYS now. I know all of these things and because of this the scale is no longer my enemy.

I've been talking to my new fitness guru, Jackie Carbonell Love. She's the BEST support system for me throughout this journey because she's a fitness model and married to (an extra sexy lol) body builder. I read A LOT of articles, books, blogs etc on fitness and nutrition so I'm not clueless but Jackie gives the best fitness and nutrition advice. Since talking with Jackie I'm thinking I'm going to increase cardio by starting a walking regimine. Not sure whether I'll walk daily like I do with kickboxing or what but I definitely need to add more cardio. I'm not fond of treadmills but I do love walking outside.

My brother's neighbor Angela has been wanting me to join her family on their daily 7pm walks at a local park for a few weeks now and that was probably the Lord nudging me in the right direction and me ignoring it as I sometimes do lol. My 14 year old also started nudging me about walking with her this week so I'm convinced that's where I should be. I'm sure it will only help to move the scale and will have me at an hour of physical activity on the days I decide to do it. So for now, I'm going to commit to 3 days of walking for 30 minutes to 1 hour a day. We'll see where this goes.

Other than that... I'm very content with where I am healthwise. I'm drinking tons of water, green tea (nothing added), herbal teas (natural creamer & sugar/agave/honey added), and I'm avoiding processed foods like the plague. I won't take my measurements again until the end of July but I'm convinced that I'm still losing inches because I LOVE to see myself when I look in the mirror now. I can definitely see the toning happening and I credit that 100% to kickboxing.

I am in a good place right now but again...still annoyed and still taking it out on the hubby and kids from time to time. I love them all and it's not intentional but this has been a lifelong battle for me and I can't change the fact that I HATE being fat over night. I'm learning and growing and looking for other ways to channel my frustrations instead of lashing out, yelling, or closing myself off from everyone when I'm dealing with weight issues. I've been researching meditation a lot lately and I actually found a few videos on youtube that I've tried out. So far so good but I truly need to dedicate 10 minutes a day to the practice and I've only managed to do it once this week. I will get better and I will lose this last 79 pounds.

It's crazy how big I smiled when I typed that. For some reason, 79 seems a lot more manageable than 100 did. 21 down....79 to go :0)

Three Weeks Straight of Kickboxing!!!

2011-07-08T09:52:00.000-04:00

Today will be the 20th day...tomorrow will be the 21st day! I'm so amazed at myself and so PROUD! I'm noticing a difference in my clothes too... can you?

One month and my stomach and butt have shrunk to the point where my shirt is longer lol WEIRD! Same shirt, same pants... different look!

Week 49

2011-07-05T08:50:00.002-04:00

I am in LOVE! I don't know where it came from or why.

I am in love with... S A T I E T Y! I know, I know... you think I'm nutz (and you're probably right) but let's explore:

Last Thursday, June 30th I did my weigh in. My weight has been up and down and driving me crazy all month and I finally lost ONE WHOLE POUND *blank stare*. I was so annoyed and and frustrated that I failed to meet my 10 pound goal for the month. Then something clicked. I hadn't measured myself in a month and I KNOW my clothes look and feel different. 10 and 1/2 inches all over...GONE!!! I have been kickboxing 30 minutes a day for 15 days straight and it's obviously starting to have an effect on my body :0). And apparently my mind. You see... I refuse to miss a work out. I traveled over the weekend and took my laptop, heart rate monitor and gloves with me just so I could do my kickboxing DVD. I also refuse to destroy my hard work but putting poison into my body.

I'm am so amazed that satiety has put me in a place where I can go to restaruants and even buffets and make excellent choices. Without a second thought I choose whole wheat, brown rice, veggies, fruit, brothy soups, salads w/o crutons and dressing on the side, grilled/baked seafood and an occasional fried fair but ONLY when I haven't had bread or rice :0), and I generally avoid the bread basket at all costs. I've been splitting appetizers and desserts. I'm also notorious for keeping almonds, air popped popcorn, tortilla chips, fresh/canned/plastic container fruit in 100% juice in my car, purse, desk drawer to avoid mindless eating.

I eat the wonderful things I love BUT I stop when I'm no longer hungry. Notice I didn't say "when I'm full". This is HUGE. This is S A T I E T Y...this thing that thin people know all about and obese people are clueless over. You don't eat to get full, you eat to curb hunger and you don't eat again until you're hungry.

I LOVE this concept and can't help but think that if I'd learned it sooner in life I would've already met my goal or never been in a position to have to meet it. But here I am and I will lose these last 80 pounds.

Week 47

2011-06-22T15:10:00.002-04:00

I can smile.

Not only when something is funny or when something good happens I can wake up in the morning and smile... just because. That probably doesn't even remotely seem like a big deal to you BUT... it's huge for me. My entire outlook has changed and I love the way I feel.

Speaking of love...

LOVEEEEEEEEEEEE LOVE LOVE this workout! I bought this about a year maybe 2 years ago now. I did it once or twice then put it down. It came with these cute pink weighted gloves.

Today will make 4 days in a row of doing 3 of the 10 minute segments a day. But this will officially become my daily routine and here's why...

Hubby got me one of these the other day. This is the Timex Personal Trainer Heart Rate Monitor and it's awesome! The Knockout Body DVD has five 10 minute segments that you can mix and match and/or do all at once. Depending upon which segments I select each day, my Timex clocks me burning anywhere from 700 to 800 calories IN THIRTY MINUTES. Need I say more?

And now we EAT!

So I found the best recipe for flatbread online yesterday BUT you know me... I HAD to make it my own. Switched from bread flour to whole wheat and used olive oil instead of vegetable oil, also decreased the salt.

Flatbread My Way

3 cups white whole wheat flour

2 tsp instant yeast (or active using package instructions)

1 cup water

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

Mix all of the ingredients together and form a ball. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes then allow to rise for 30-90 minutes. Break into about 10-15 small pieces in a ball shape and roll them out fairly thin. I personally prefer to use a griddle or grill to cook them but you can use a dry frying pan on the stove. Only takes about 2-3 minutes for it to brown. (FYI this same mix can also be used to make pita bread and the only difference is that you would place one of the rolled out balls in the oven and allow to bake for 3 mins... it really truly puffs up and when you cut it it's JUST LIKE store bought pita bread... I was in awe lol). And just before rolling out the balls, you can add any herbs, spices, etc to the dough you'd like. One of mine had rosemary in it and the smell was so intense as it was grilling... LOVE it

This is what they look like after they've sat for about 2 minutes :0)

I also mixed up a YUMMY batch of roasted red pepper hummus to go with my flatbread (see the dough rising in this picture lol)

Hummus
1 can chickpeas drained
2 tbsp garlic

1/2 lemon squeezed

1/4 c olive oil

2 tbsp roasted red pepper olive oil

2 roasted red peppers

Salt and/or pepper to taste

Put everything in a blender and mix until smooth. This is REALLY delicious!

DINNER IS SERVED!!!!

Week 46 and Changes

2011-06-15T08:39:00.001-04:00

New week... new me? I definitely think so!

I'm noticing many changes over the past 34 days. Yes, today marks THIRTY FOUR days of me staying the hell away from processed foods in drastic ways :0). Here are a few of them:

Lighter periods (yes I know probably TMI but it excites me lol)- I've always been a heavy bleeder and I clot and I cramp VERY severely. Fibroids run in my family and I of course did not escape them, or cysts. I think I've found a cure! And I'm not joking about that AT ALL. This is my first period I've been eating a diet of unprocessed or very minimally processed foods and if I didn't "happen" to go to the bathroom when I did on Sunday afternoon I would've never known my period started. I didn't even FEEL it...wow! And the bleeding is so light that I only knew when I wiped.

More energy- I can go the whole day without feeling tired. It's amazing. Usually around 2-3pm I start to crash and by the time I get home I take a nap then I'm up ALL NIGHT. Not anymore! I've been going to bed between 8-11:30pm and I wake up BEFORE the alarm most mornings. It's crazy. I'm not groggy in the mornings and I'm ready to go instead of needing to lay in bed for 30 minutes before I actually get up and get ready for work.

More conscious- I am extremely alert and aware of my body, feelings and overall surroundings. I love this because I am able to deal with every day issues differently. I'm able to eat out and make appropriate food choices even if I go to a buffet. My drink is always water or seltzer and I load up on veggies, sample all the seafood, and eat very little rice/potatoes, and no bread at all.

More adventurous- If you take a look at my goals I'm sure you'll understand this one. I want to do more and do things I've never done. Play paintball... laser tag... hike etc. I want to see the world in a way I've never seen it before.

In the kitchen more- I think I've eaten out 6, maybe 7, times over the past 34 days. I've gone to the buffet three times, but other than that I've only eaten at Panera, Duffy's or Starbucks. I make healthy choices when I eat out and when I eat home. I've been baking and cooking for myself more than usual. I've also been experimenting with different tastes and textures and I LOVE it. Last night I made cajun dijon panko flounder and ate a piece on homemade whole wheat bread with avocado, tomato, and some sauteed cajun sweet potato slices... it was DELICIOUS! This morning I woke up to the best oatmeal EVER... made overnight in my crockpot. I'm starting to love cooking again and somewhere along the line I had lost that.

Eating much less- I've read it time and time again but now I truly believe it. When you eat whole foods less is more. That's how the fast food and junk food industry sucks everybody in. I NEVER want to go back to eating processed foods. I've never felt "full" or "satisfied" until I ate the whole bag of chips or my entire fast food meal or entire pint of shrimp fried rice. It's so different now that the extra salt, sugar, and fat isn't sapping my taste buds and preventing me from truly enjoying and savoring my meal. Instead of having to scarf down an entire bag of gummy bears or eat a huge candy bar... I am content with two squares of Ghiardelli dark chocolate a day. I also don't "snack" or "graze" much...when I do, it's fresh fruit or fruit canned in 100% juice or almonds or tortilla chips. Almonds have become my FAVORITE!

These are just a few things I've noticed but I'm sure there are changes I've missed.

Have you been eating clean? What changes are you seeing?

Back to loving oatmeal again :0)

2011-06-15T07:48:00.039-04:00

Ok so for years I've been saying I was going to make crockpot oats and last night I finally decided to do it.

Ingredients

1 cup steel cut oats

2 cups water

2 cups So Delicious! original coconut milk

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on medium overnight for at least 7 hours.

When I finally made it to the kitchen this morning at about 7:00am I was truly disappointed when I lifted up the lid of my crock pot. All I saw was what looked like a bubbly gooey MESS! I wanted to cry. I retraced my steps last night to make absolutely sure I used steel cut oats and YEP I did.

I was ready to dump it and try again tonight but something told me to STIR it. OMG... all of the liquid had "bubbled" to the top but underneath were yummy, creamy, delicious OATS! I was SO excited! The texture was exactly like my grandma's oatmeal. But it sure didn't TASTE like my grandma's oatmeal. You see, my grandma used cream, and probably 1/2 of a 5 pound bag of sugar in her oatmeal lol. I scooped some oats in a bowl added 1 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp craisins, 2 tbsp raisins and 2 tbsp pecans and this was the absolute BEST oatmeal I've ever eaten. I no longer have to go to Starbucks for oatmeal because mine is so much better than theirs and theirs WAS my favorite (after Grandma Cilla rest her soul)! It had just the right amount of sweet... but I was so excited that I totally forgot to add vanilla and cinnamon but I so won't forget tomorrow :0).

The ingredients above probably made about 7-10 cups worth of oats and the toppings are endless. I didn't add salt, sugar or anything else to the base mix so it can be whatever I want it to be. Maybe I'll do pumpkin pie oatmeal tomorrow or maple brown sugar cinnamon. Since I'm avoiding cereal like the plague at least once a week I'll make myself a pot of crockpot oats.

Cajun Dijon Panko Fish

2011-06-14T19:40:00.001-04:00

Ok so tonight I created THE BEST fried but not fried fish ever :0)

Ingredients
4 flounder filets
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp lemon EVOO
Cajun seasonings to taste
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 lemon

Combine the mustard and EVOO. Season the breadcrumbs with the Cajun seasoning. Squeeze lemon over the fish and sprinkle with Cajun seasoning. Using a pastry brush, brush the mustard mixture over the front and back of each piece of fish. Coat each piece of fish front and back with breadcrumbs then place in an aluminum foil lined pan. Bake until golden (takes about 15-20 mins). This fish is DELICIOUS!!!!

Week 45

2011-06-10T09:17:00.000-04:00

I PROMISE I'm still alive!!!

Hello all! I've missed you so. I know I've been neglecting my blog BUT I've also been neglecting my youtube video blog so don't feel bad :) Ok here's the rundown...

I am STILL in a slump. Everytime I start to crawl my way out of this hole... it's like something comes along and dumps more dirt in. I'm now down to 10 weeks... 10 WEEKS to meet my 40 pound weight loss goal. I'm 287 this morning which is huge considering I've lost 7 pounds this past week...but I need to be at or below 260 by my physical on August 20th. I KNOW it can be done. It's just a matter of doing it. I got so overwelmed with the exercise schedule I created in week 41 that I gave up after 9 days!

This past Wednesday, after reading several blogs and articles relating to weight loss, I decided to start small (even though in my mind this is dumb I'm doing it anyway). During week one- 4 days a week I am doing ONLY 15 minutes of cardio and nothing else... the other 3 days I am doing 15 minutes of cardio AND 15 minutes of strength training using an exercise ball, 5lb weights, 2 pound ball weights, and my own body weight. That's only 2 and 1/2 hours of exercise weekly BUT it's better than nothing right? I will add 5 minutes to both until I reach 30 mins cardio/30 mins strength at which point I will be putting in a total of 300 minutes/5 hours of exercise a week. This is the only sure fire way for me to get back to a place where exercise became a habit for me.

On May 25th, I started keeping a food/exercise/grateful journal. Some days I start w/scripture (I SHOULD do that daily but I digress) but every day I record the time I ate, what and how much I ate and close at the end of the day with what I am grateful for. May 25th was the 13th day after I decided to go back to what I know I should've been doing all along: eating a CLEAN diet and avoiding processed foods as much as possible.

I am VERY happy to report that for 29 days straight the only things I have eaten from a box, package, bag have been things that have only one to three ingredients: brown rice/whole grains, pasta, couscous, whole wheat sugar free bread bread, fruit, veggies, On the Border tortilla chips (corn, oil, salt), Giardelli or organic dark chocolate squares. I've also pretty much all but eliminated fried food from my diet (even though it was a rarity anyway). OMG I feel so much better! I haven't had nor craved a potato chip, a candy bar, cookie, cake.... and I'm in awe. I truly believe that if you're able to eliminate or minimize processed foods, you will see drastic improvements in your overall health. My skin is amazing right now. My nails are growing and I'm having to file them regularly.

Yesterday I also decided that I would go back to something I did back in 2003-2004. Each week in my journal I split the page in half on one side I write my desires for the week, on the other...the actions I will take to make those desires a reality. Oddly enough... something as simple as that has been driving me to keep at it every day.

Week 42

2011-05-16T12:31:00.000-04:00

Hello my loves!

So... per Bob Greene's instructions on an episode of Oprah from last week (which I watched via DVR over the weekend) I am not doing any weighins until ONE MONTH from now (sigh). I had to push my scale under the bed yesterday lol. He reiterated what I've always known... every time the scale fluctuates it reeks havoc on my mind and my spirits. I'm tired of the cycle and I'm moving away from that.

What I am doing (since Thursday) is following the plan in my previous post which is to get some physical activity EVERY day but the type and minutes required varies with each day. I notice that because I HATE exercising... even when I do find something I like or that's "fun" to me... I get bored so easily and have zero motivation to do it. The variations (20 mins plus strength training one day, 40 minutes the next etc) seem to keep me on track and so far so good.

I've also realized that I HATE walking at the park or around my new neighborhood. I miss Barwick Park in Delray Beach and I can't move beyond that or drive down there daily to walk so I've also come up with a great solution for that. I DO like walking around the courthouse during the day so I'll do that once daily. But also I'm going back to a resource that I should've been using since I discovered it months ago. Exercise TV On Demand.

Each month our cable company provides tons of free workout videos from Exercise TV. They even have the Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds which I love. They also have a HIIT video called "Cardio Fat Burn" which I did yesterday... it kicked my ass but man oh man what a workout and it was only 20 minutes!

I just finished a 21 minute walk at work and now I'm trying to figure out what's for lunch. I've been slacking like hell since we got back from Vegas with regard to meal planning but slowly but surely I'm going to pull my life together and get to where I need to be.

Slowly but surely.

Week 41

2011-05-12T12:19:00.000-04:00

It has been almost a month since I've blogged anything. A MONTH! I haven't done a video, haven't updated anyone on my progress. Why?

I could make TONS of excuses. But I won't. I'm not doing what I'm supposed to do and I don't want anyone to know it. I've been back to Tampa, Vegas, and home and I ate, drank (not so much) and partied like a wild woman and I LOVED every minute of it.

When I came home from Vegas last Monday... I was 296 pounds and not happy. Since this past Monday I've fluctuated between 289 and 291. I'm no where near where I should be and although eating habits are a factor, lack of exercise is and has been my biggest obstacle.

I HATE it! It's sad and annoying because I remember a time.... in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and even 2008 when I LOVED to exercise. I loved it. If I didn't wake up at 5:30am and go for a walk.... I felt empty all day and no matter what time it was when I got home, I went for my walk. Then in 2007 it became the gym... I HAD to go. If I didn't go in the morning, I sure as hell went before they closed at 10pm. Even went before church on Sundays... it was crazy! I never took off ALL of the weight I wanted to take off but I sure as hell was 25 pounds lighter than I am now.

Something has changed and it is hard as hell for me to get back whatever is missing.

Yesterday I looked at the calendar and counted. I have exactly 100 days....14 weeks to rid myself of 40 pounds or as close to it as I can get or my doctor is putting me on a low dose beta blocker. I CANNOT be on medication. I just can't. I sat down and came up with a plan to force myself to exercise. I'm going to go back to walking.

I've created a weekly workout schedule and there's no reason on earth this won't work.

Sundays: exercise 20 minutes, do upper and lower body strength training

Mondays: exercise 40 mintues

Tuesdays: exercise 20 minutes, do upper body strength training

Wednesdays: exercise 30 minutes

Thursdays: exercise 40 minutes, do lower body strength training

Fridays: do something physical for 20-30 minutes

Saturdays: exercise 60 minutes

I just finished a 20 minute walk at work but because today is Thursday... I have 20 more minutes and some lower body strength training to do before I go to bed. I got this ;)

Week 38

2011-04-17T19:44:00.001-04:00

Ok so here's the rundown.... I am 4 pounds away from a goal I SHOULD HAVE met back on March 31st... yep... I'm WAYYYYY behind! But I'm not quitting and my weight loss WILL catch up to my goals :). I weighed in at 291.6 (where in the hell is the 0.6 coming from? seriously it's ANNOYING!!! lol)

I'm good with that. That means I'm down 13 pounds and I had hubby get me an early reward:

I've been saying... I want one of those for MONTHS now... ever since I saw an infomercial but I DON'T DRINK SODA lol. I'm now addicted to seltzer though ever since I started drinking it on the 8th. And that's what I'll use it for. I made a liter of Lemon Line seltzer and OMG it tastes just like the liter I paid $1.50 for in the store... I'm in awe lol

I feel great about what I'm doing for my body and my health overall. It's really sinking in. I'm making better choices every single time. Hubby took me to Chipotle for lunch on Friday. I ordered a burrido bowl with cilantro lime rice, black beans, tomato salsa and corn salsa. It was my first time at Chipotle so I didn't know what to expect...whoaaaaaaaaaa they LOADED my plate! I ate probably less than 1/4 of that rice (which has to have been about 2 and 1/2 cups of rice), all of the black beans, which was 1/2 cup and all of the salsas. The rice that was left over I took home, measured out 1/2 cup and put it in four containers. I had one with dinner, one for breakfast Saturday morning and again this morning. I did the exact same thing when I went to Offerdahl's for lunch yesterday... I ordered a pacific rim salmon bowl w/brown rice, tomatoes, broccoli, and teriakyi sesame sauce. I ate exactly half for lunch and the other half was dinner. Two meals in one. I bought a 8-10 inch tuna salad sub at the casino last night... half was lunch today, half was dinner. You see a pattern? I'm learning. I don't have to "clean my plate".... that mentality is gone. I CAN save it for later.

I've also added a new video blog to youtube... you can check it out right here :)

Good News/Bad News

2011-04-11T12:39:00.000-04:00

Bad news first.... I'm SO BEHIND on my 30/30 poems... the last one I did was on April 7th... I have to do FOUR (or five if I don't do it today) poems ASAP to stay on track. I've just been all over the place, trying to read Power of a Praying Woman, trying to plan for my meals, exercise etc and I truly haven't made time to do my poetry. That's why it's been so long since I was actively writing in the first place... sooooooo the cycle continues *sigh*

Now the good news.... THE SCALE IS MOVINGGGGGGGG! I weighed in at 294.8 which means I'm back on track (although behind schedule) towards reaching my goal for the month of April. I was given an ultimatum by my doctor that I needed to lose at least 40 pounds before my next visit on August 20th or he's going to have to put me on a low dose beta blocker because the bottom number of my blood pressure is 87 which is too damn high! It's gone up since I went back on birth control and since I don't want to get pregnant anytime soon... it's time to kick all my efforts into high gear.

Last week I put myself on a 1200-1600 calorie restriction which obviously worked because I've lost close to 3 pounds this past week which is awesome. I took my measurements this morning so I'll be monitoring that weekly as well. I've gone back to basics and have been eating branflakes w/raisins and light vanilla soymilk for breakfast, salads for lunch, and a balanced dinner including protein, good carbs, and lots of veggies. I also no longer eat after 8pm... which is going to drive me INSANE when hubby and I are in Vegas at the end of the month lol. I've noticed I'm staying fuller longer and the 8pm cut off isn't as bad as I initially thought it would be so far.

So there you have it... still a work in progress and I refuse to give up until I get where I want to be :0)

Week 37

2011-04-10T09:24:00.002-04:00

7/30: Kindness for Weakness

2011-04-07T23:56:00.001-04:00

Your kind preys on those like me
Mistaking kindness for weakness
Weak minded to say the least
Because you make the mistake
Of taking pleasure in others pain
Your sole purpose in life is to breed misery
Deceive
Mistreat
Aggrieve
Those you deem
Worthy
Or shall I say
Worth less
But
I am not the one
Please believe my kind can never be weak
I will not be the spokesperson for your agenda
Nor the doormat beneath your feet
I value self so disrespecting me is never an option
I disregard your selfish ways
And selflessly proclaim
Me, myself, and I to be
Strength in numbers
And you can’t handle us

© Copyright 2011 Chynapoetic

6/30: Illegal Love

2011-04-06T13:01:00.001-04:00

If loving you is a crime
I will stay locked in this place
Until such time
My breath ceases to exist
I plead guilty
To loving you so much
That I will defend to the death
My right to do so
I commit crimes of passion
Every time you are near me
I await my sentencing to life
In your arms
Beneath your body
With no possibility of parole
I am guilty with no remorse
So if this is what wrong feels like
I refuse to ever be right

5/30: Time

2011-04-05T23:40:00.002-04:00

Time waits for no man
Nor does man wait for time
Everyone looking to the future
Yet we refuse to live in the present
Hurrying through our existence
Because there’s always somewhere else to be
Something else to do
Someone else to see
Today is all we have
You never know when it will end
It’s ok to dream and dream big
So long as you never forget to live
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone
Neither is today
Love everyone and hate no one
Forgive those who offend
Be the change you wish to see
Today, tomorrow, forever
Because time waits for no man

© Chynapoetic 2011

I am a wreck

2011-04-04T10:19:00.002-04:00

On Friday I braced myself. I went to Sam's and bought EVERYTHING I need to prepare healthy salads for lunch this week. Then on Sunday (Sunday is ALWAYS the day things go awry for me *blank stare*) I had major drama which in turn threw my spiritual, physical, and mental centers totally OFF.

I'm angry because not only am I going to have to make drastic changes in general but those 6 avocados I bought are "probably" going to go bad lol and that seriously ticks me off!!! I am a wreck right now and I am fasting because I need healing and answers that only the Lord can bring. I need strength to make it though this day. I won't go into details but I am asking for prayer from anyone who comes across my blog. Please pray for me.

I have no clue how long this fast will last. I am eating fruit and drinking fruit juices, water, and green tea. I need so much guidance right now and prayer and fasting are the only things that have ever in life worked for me. So I will have my devotional Bible in hand. I will regain balance in every aspect of my life and I will feel whole again.... soon.

4/30: Liars

2011-04-04T09:26:00.003-04:00

Liars irk me
Telling so many lies
They forget the first
Which is the worst
Because they can’t recover
The words
Powerful words
Like the stone
Once thrown you can’t return
Liars
Never
Learn
Damage is done
To everyone
Caught up in that bullshit
You spit
Without regard
Leaving a trail of scarred
Broken hearts in your wrath
Mad at the world because
You lied and got caught?
I don’t get that part
And obviously you don’t either
Because you tell another lie
Then another
And the cycle repeats
But trust you will reap
Exactly what you sow
So
Brace yourself
For the lonely road ahead
I said it before
And will say it again
Liars never learn

© Chynapoetic 2011

3:30: Mighty Long Way

2011-04-03T09:03:00.004-04:00

Trials and tribulations
may come
but I know my Lord stands firm
like my beliefs
I believe
he will always make a way
out of no way
Come what may
he comes in my time of need
he heals me and sets me free
freedom from all hurt, pain, and sorrow
he brings me joy
joyful is my heart
knowing I serve a mighty God
who has brought me from a mighty long way

© Chynapoetic 2011

2/30: Poetry, I miss you

2011-04-02T17:40:00.004-04:00

I have been searching
heart and soul
for lost flows
and poetic bliss
I miss
putting pen
to paper
and writing
what can be labled as nothing
but love
A spiritual love
that can only be achived when
poet, pad, and pen
are
one
I miss
my notebook
and how I held it
while it held parts of me
parts of my life
so dear
so real
so true
but somehow my life got in the way
and poetry took a backseat
I have been lost without you
searching heart and soul
lead me back to you
I am now found

30/30 featuring 1/30: Deadbeat

2011-04-01T14:34:00.014-04:00

To you today is April Fools Day... to me and every poet alive today marks the start of 30/30. This is our month! 30 poems, 30 days in honor of April being National Poetry Month. I have not put pen to pad in YEARS everything I've done since probably 2003 has be TYPED and the feeling is just NOT THE SAME. So I'm making it a point this month to get back to actually WRITING. I have my notebook, I have my pen, I have my heart and I pray this will mark my return to poetry on every level.

1/30: Deadbeat

I am a deadbeat

I have neglected my duties as an artist.
My duty to put pen to paper
Every chance I get
And consummate greatness thereof
I have refused to rhyme
Write lines
Define
Anything that flows through my mind
I sit aimless
Yet wondering why
I
can’t
find
my
flow
I am a deadbeat
And that’s not who I want to be
So I will take 30/30 as my opportunity
To be
Chynapoetic once more

Lack of Preparation and Organization

2011-03-28T10:50:00.000-04:00

Ok sooooooooo I had another BAD week. Let's see... because of a hectic weekend last week, I neglected to prepare breakfast or lunch for the past week. Dinner was homemade shrimp alfredo so I DID manage to do something. And this weekend it got WORSE! Our family had a planned trip to Tampa Friday, Saturday and returning Sunday.

The trip started great... from the time we left home and throughout our 3 hour plus drive I ate nothing but fresh pineapple and cantaloupe I had prepared. And then it was lunchtime. I went to Subway and ordered a 6 inch tuna on 9 grain honey oat with every veggie except jalepeno peppers and a little vinegar. I also ordered a bowl of my fav soup... cheddar broccoli. I ate half the sandwich and all of the soup. Not bad....until dinner. Hubby and I went to the seafood buffet at the Hard Rock where we were staying. I ate...and ate... and ate. I stayed away from rice, mashed potatoes etc and stuck to every type of fish they had, tons of crablegs and I had one helping of seafood alfreado and 1 square of cornbread. And it was downhill from there.

I hadn't prepared snacks for myself or sat down and came up with a meal plan for the weekend so whatever was available was what I ate. No measuring, no weighing no nothing. Needless to say... I weighed in at 298.6 this morning. I also went to a birthday celebration for my friend Torina at Quaterdeck's Sunday evening where I ate an entire appetizer of buffalo shrimp w/blue cheese as well as a tuna philly w/fries. I'm disappointed BUT I am not giving up on myself or my health. So here's my plan B with regard to meal prep. I need to plan out a month's worth of meals at a time so I always know what's going on. Since we'll probably be going to Tampa once a month AND we have Vegas coming up at the end of April I'm going to pay careful attention to designing a meal plan for when I won't be at home and will have to rely on something other than my own cooking.

I also missed a workout on Friday and even though I walked around the aquarium for 3 hours or so on Saturday, I have to do two workouts tonight to make up for the missed one because I'm on a mission to complete my first EA Fitness 2 challenge :)

This morning I've been eating grapes and watermelon from home because I haven't done what I needed to do. My meals for this week aren't planned either but once things die down at the office I'm going to pull out my planner and get to work. Now I have to tell the world on youtube this evening that I'm not on my A game at the moment...sigh. So there you have it. I see what I've done wrong and I'm going to fix it immediately so that I can get this weight off once and for all.

The SCALE

2011-03-21T11:21:00.002-04:00

I weighed myself this morning. And to my dismay... the scale only moved 2 OUNCES. But I'm not upset. This is very odd for me because I've always allowed the scale to dictate what and how I feel about my weight loss efforts. Not today.

I've finally made the eversoimportant brain and body connection. I finally understand that my success isn't based whole or in part on the numbers on the scale. The scale says 295.0 but my body says.... we can wear a size 22 pants again :) we can also wear a size 18/20 top again. Yesterday I posted this picture on facebook:

I was SOOOOOOO excited that I could fit into my favorite jeans again! I haven't worn them in over a year. This morning I decided to pull out a pair of gray pinstriped slacks that I haven't worn in over a year because they were too tight in the legs and couldn't zip or button AT ALL. They are a 22 petite and I am rockin' them at work right now!

Am I saying the scale doesn't matter? OF COURSE IT DOES... that's the whole point of this... I want to look down and see myself being 100 pounds less. BUT... I see myself getting into clothes that I'd moved to the side of my closet because I couldn't fit them. I see myself getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity EVERY DAY and since Valentine's day yesterday was the first day I didn't put in 30 minutes. I see myself planning my meals every week and making sure I'm prepared by keeping nutritious snacks in my desk drawer, purse and car. I see myself changing my life for the better and I love it.

I know the scale will move. I am doing what needs to be done and I won't give up.

2011 2010 2009

I am a work in progress...

Shrimp Fajitas

2011-03-15T12:29:00.002-04:00

Ok so this week's lunch features my new "healthier" version shrimp fajitas. I'm amazed that even without the oil and taco seasoning I used to use they still taste SO GOOD! Now I don't have a "recipe" per say because as I've explained in previous blogs, I make each serving separately so that I know exactly what's in it and exactly how many calories (well...as exact as my Perfect Portions Scale can get lol). So I'm gonna tell you what's in it, how I cooked it, and you can use your own amounts, ingredients, etc. Do note that the serving pictured below has 423 calories and 16 grams of fat ( I HATE light versions of things so needless to say I use full fat sour cream lol which is responsible for 5 grams of that fat, the tortilla and avocado are the other grams).

Ingredients
Shrimp
Red peppers
Green peppers
Onion
Mushrooms
Fajita seasoning
Lemon juice
2 tbsp Sour cream
2 tbsp Salsa
1/4 Haas avocado
10 inch flour tortilla

I coat my stainless steel pan with olive oil using my Misto sprayer and let it sit on medium high heat for about 2 minutes then add the shrimp. When they start turning pink I add a squeeze of lemon juice. Then add thinly sliced peppers, onions, and mushrooms and sprinkle with the fajita seasoning. Heat the tortilla either in a dry pan on the stovetop or in the microwave. Put everything on the tortilla, including your avocado, salsa, and sourcream and VOILA!

I can TASTE the oil in potato chips

2011-03-14T09:21:00.000-04:00

A very ODD thing happened to me this weekend. I was at the casino gambling (and losing I might add lol). I'd racked up enough points to get a food "comp" (which is a $40 voucher to use for FREE food). I went to the Sunset Grill and ordered a salmon salad w/crispy onions and balsalmic vinaigrette on the side, an order of onion rings, three 230 calorie bags of chips, 2 orders of fried shrimp with blue cheese on the side, and a brownie (which is smothered in fudge and topped with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream). I got my $40 worth! lol yes I know this is sad.

I had every intention of eating everything except the salmon salad which I was going to save until today and have for lunch. While I waited the 30 minutes plus it took for my order to be completed... I ate a bag of the BBQ Lays. They tasted ODD....but I ate them anyway. In the car I started dipping the shrimp in the blue cheese and a little of the cocktail sauce.... the shrimp were very crispy and appeared to have been fried with cornmeal instead of flour. I ate two of the onion rings and stopped because they tasted odd and GREASY. I then tried to eat another bag of Lays...this time classic. I made it 1/4 of the way through the bag and I had the oiliest taste in my mouth I've ever experienced. Needless to say... I stopped.

I did eat my way though 16 shrimp with blue cheese and later in the evening I finished off the brownie and half the ice cream. Overall the for the day I didn't do horribly with regard to my calories oddly enough. I woke up in the morning and didn't have a taste for anything other than fruit so that's all I had eaten up until that point.... fresh fruit and I drank about 2 cups of fruit juice.

But I can TASTE the oil in potato chips and I don't like it. I don't know how I ever liked it before.

Grilled Strawberry Cream Sandwich

2011-03-12T08:53:00.001-05:00

YES...the title is strange and YES the ingredients are even stranger lol BUT this is about to become a new favorite

Grilled Strawberry Cream Sandwich
1/2 c sliced strawberries and 2 large berries
2 tbsp whipped cream cheese
2 slices 100% whole wheat bread
1 pk Sugar in the Raw

Mix/mash the strawberries in a bowl with the cream cheese. Try to leave some strawberry pieces for texture. Spray the George Foreman grill with olive oil (Misto) put the strawberry/cream cheese mixture between the two slices of bread and place the sandwich on the grill. Grill for about 5 minutes or so until all the ingredients are heated through. Garnish by slicing the remaining strawberries and spreading them around the plate.

Voila! 271 calories 10 g fat

SO DAMN GOOD! Don't believe me? TRY IT lol

Importance of Meal Planning

2011-03-09T10:16:00.000-05:00

Ok so over the years I've downplayed how important it is to meal plan and always be prepared. NO WONDER I'VE BEEN STUCK IN THIS CYCLE! On either Saturday or Sunday I spend 2 hours at least measuring, weighing, and portioning out my lunch, dinner, and snacks. Sometimes, I wait until the morning while I'm doing breakfast but typically I do it on the weekend. This has been the BEST decision I've made thus far. I always know what I'm going to eat. And since I eat 5-6 times per day now it's so much easier. In the morning I put my containers in the bag I take to work everyday and when I'm hungry I eat whatever I've prepared for mini meals, lunch, or snacks.

My "perfect portions scale" is awesome because I always know the calorie count in what I'm eating because it tells me when I'm weighing out my food and I record it right then and there. Sometimes I write it down and record it later in the day but I know. Knowing also helps keep me within my calorie ranges for the day because each meal is around a certain number of calories and I account for all of them.

I also feel so much more organized. I mean I really used to think the people I read about who meal plan were nuts. Who does that crap? Who has hours to spend planning out what you're going to eat? Just eat and move the hell on... righ? If you're hungry, stop and grab something. That's why we're obese....that mentality right there. Because 9 times out of 10 what you "stop and buy" or "pick up on the way home" is 3 servings or more instead of the 1 serving you're supposed to have. Now I keep things like 90 calorie granola bars and 100 calorie rice crispies treats, nuts, fruit, dried fruit, pretzles, 100% juice Capri Suns etc in my desk drawer at work and in the console of my car "just in case" I get hungry.

But I've noticed that since I've started sticking to meal planning and eating 5-6 meals a day.... I don't snack! I'm seriously having a hard time believing that but I don't. And it's really odd because I've been doing this since Valentine's day but I'm just noticing today how little I snack. I used to go to the snack machine downstairs w/my coworker pretty much every day. Or we'd go to Publix and load up on apple chips and sweets to keep in our desk. I don't do that anymore. I haven't seen that snack machine in well over a month.

I think the reason for this is the quality of my mini meals as well as my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast this morning is the same as it's typically been for me... 2 egg omlette w/ Feta and some fresh fruit... this morning it was pineapples and grapes. I usually eat breakfast between 7:20 and 7:45am. Sometimes I have toast w/my eggs or make some type of egg sandwich but lately I haven't been. And right now, as I'm typing I'm eating a small baked sweet potato which I reheated in the microwave with some craisins. It's sweet but it's also very filling. My body knew it was time to eat again and in a few more hours my body will want something else. Planning is HUGE when you eat more so that you don't over eat or eat empty calories that won't do anything for your hunger.

I can't believe I FINALLY get it!!!!

Curry Shrimp and Broccoli Rice Bowl

2011-03-08T19:49:00.054-05:00

Ok so I LOVE curry... I won't begin to lie. Island Curry, Thai Curry, Indian Curry.... you name it... I LOVE it. I used to make it alot. It's VERY fattening lol because of the coconut milk and coconut oil I use.

Soooooo I was craving curry something fierce last week so I decided to try to create a healthier version which means no coconut milk or coconut oil. Now they have "light" versions but blahhhhh I'd rather not have it than to fool with "light" lol. This is the meal I'm eating EVERY DAY for dinner this week and I'm LOVIN it thus far.

The instructions here are for one serving...which is how I prepare my meals now. I stay away from "one pot" meals and things of that nature so that I can accurately account for my calories. Once it's all in the pot even if you use measuring spoons, you don't know how much of what you're measuring is broccoli, how much is rice, how much is shrimp etc. Also, since I cook pretty much daily, I cook my rice in batches then store it in the freezer until I need it. I also tend to zap frozen veggies in the microwave.

Curry Shrimp and Broccoli Rice Bowl
4 oz raw shrimp
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup steamed/microwaved broccoli
2 tbsp garlic
1-2 tbsp curry powder (or however much you like)
1 tsp butter (or however much you like)
2 tsp Emeril's Essence
1 tbsp Olive Oil (optional if you have non-stick spray or a Misto)
Salt to taste

Heat your frying pan on medium high and coat with olive oil (I use a "Misto" sprayer). Season the shrimp with some of the curry powder, Emeril's Essence, and salt. Put the shrimp in the pan, add the garlic, and let it cook until it starts to turn pink. Add the rest of the curry powder, broccoli, brown rice, and butter then stir to combine all ingredients and coat everything with the curry/essence/butter.

FYI... the finished product would have 350 calories and 9 grams of fat if prepared as listed above w/o optional ingredients. I don't use a full cup of rice, but I use my scale to weigh out 100 calories worth so my version has 301 calories and 7 grams of fat. And looks and tastes DELICIOUS!

Video Diary Entry 4

2011-03-07T20:43:00.000-05:00

Week 32

2011-03-07T10:33:00.000-05:00

Ok so back in July 2010, 32 weeks ago, I started tracking my stats on this blog and focusing on getting healthy. I "failed" miserably... in my mind. My stats indicate that I was doing well at one point. My weight was up and down from July to October and then somewhere along the line I just stopped doing anything. I stopped blogging, I stopped logging my meals, I stopped caring about me.

2011 came and I was destined to NOT make a new year's resolution. I'm SO SICK of resolving to do something then failing miserably at it. So I didn't make a weight loss resolution. I instead resolved to cook more at home...at least 4 meals a week at home. I stuck to that and had an "aha" moment as Oprah would say, in February. I've spoken in a previous blog about how one of my Magistrates at work conned me into eating 5-6 times a day. BEST thing I've ever done.

I also found Habit Forge and told myself I'd do 45 minutes of exercise every day of the week except Sunday. I failed miserably at that part. So I regrouped. I went back to Sparkpeople, I started rereading articles I had saved on my PC and clipped from magazines. I got a daily planner and I started planning. I decided that in order for me to get healthy I had to purposely plan my life, my meals, my workouts as if they were doctors appointments, dentists appointments, or my JOB. On February 14, 2011 I think "aha" finally woke up inside of me. I had a to-do list in that planner and it read: log all meals, 8 cups water, read "The Spark" for 10 mins, declutter/clean for 15 minutes, eat 5 fruits & veggies, write in journal, get to bed by 10:30pm. This corresponded with my goals on Sparkpeople. In the empty column to the right of the "monthly" calendar in my planner I listed "meal ideas". I came up with a total of 15 different combinations of veggies, grains, seafood, fruit, eggs, beans/nuts, rice pastas etc to use for either breakfast, lunch or dinner.

This has made meal planning SO EASY. I look at my list on the weekend and determine what I'm going to have for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for the following week. I then spend about 2 hours weighing, measuring, and portioning out everything except breakfast (I do that first thing in the morning). Sometimes I don't prepare my dinner portions but I do create my menu. So for this week lunch is a tuna salad sandwich w/cheese on a deli flat with fruit and pretzles. EVERY DAY this week that's what I'm going to eat. The fruit probably won't be the same each day and neither will the type of cheese and/or veggies I put on the sandwich IF I put veggies on it but that's the base. Dinner this week is going to be a grilled or sauteed curry shrimp with brown rice and veggies. Now my curry will NOT be prepared the island way that I LOVE it with full fat coconut milk so I'm going to need to play with it to make it to my liking. But you get the idea. I eat 3 meals, 1-2 mini meals, and I snack on fruit and/or 100 calorie packs of items throughout my day.

This is my 4th week of doing this. When I started on Valentine's day, I weighed in at 304.6 pounds. And even though I slipped up the week I came back from Tampa by not prepping my meals, I still managed to watch what and when I was eating. And this morning *drumroll* I weighed in at 296.2 pounds! Yayyyyyy!

I've lost a total of 8.4 pounds since I started this eating 5-6 times a day thing. So not only did I lose the 2 & 1/2 pounds I gained in February but I lost 5.6 pounds more! I've also been getting in 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week and THAT works for me. I use our Kinect and my co-worker and I walk around our courthouse twice and we do that two times a day. On the weekends I also work in my yard one or two days. I feel better and I truly feel accomplished. I'm SO EXCITED and I can't wait to post my video blog on youtube tonight lol. Now... if I can get my home life to flow as smoothly as my current health streak I'd be in heaven!

mmmmmmmmmm Breakfast!

2011-03-05T08:52:00.001-05:00

Ok so I decided I didn't want eggs this morning and wanted something different. Ended up creating a yummy baked apple dish that only has 277 calories and 7 grams of fat :)

Ingredients:

1 apple cored and cut in pieces with skin on
Sprinkling of allspice
2 pks of Sugar in the Raw
1/4 cup of Bare Naked Classic Granola (or any granola you choose)
1 tsp Land o' Lakes butter

I put in the apples, sprinkled them with allspice and sugar in the raw, topped that with the granola and put the butter on top. I baked it in the cast iron mini oven with lid for about 20 mins total. It's SO GOOD!

Before

After

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Video Diary Entry 3

2011-03-04T21:12:00.001-05:00

Ok so I'm LOVING the accountability I'm "forcing" myself to have since I've started uploading youtube videos about my progress. I think long and hard about what and how I eat because when I record my video I want to be PROUD of what I've done and for some reason, I want those who are following me to be proud as well. It's a huge sense of accomplishment when I've done what I've set out to do and I love it.

So here's my 3rd youtube video and you can also check out my channel ---->here<------ and feel free to subscribe to me :)

Also PLEASE disregard my HUGE error in my calorie count for the day... I have NOT eaten 13,085 calories lol but I was too lazy to redo the video... it's 1385 of course :)

I Confess

2011-03-01T11:27:00.001-05:00

Dear Hubby, Kids, Family, Friends, Blog Followers and Facebookers,

I have committed to making some BIG changes. I'm trying to eat more nutritious food and less processed food, exercise regularly, and live a healthy life. I have a goal of losing 100 pounds. It has NOT been easy, but I'm taking these commitments seriously, and I would appreciate any help you can offer.

Be honest with me. I know I am overweight, and I want to lose weight safely and slowly. Listen to me and offer me advice, but please don't minimize the problem.

Stop lecturing me. Talk to me like you care about me, but please don't yell at me, nag me, or criticize me for wanting to change for the better.

Let me be in control. It's my choice. No one besides me can decide how much weight I'll lose, how I'll do it, or whether I want to lose it in the first place.

Don't monitor my food. Don't tell me I don't need a second helping or such a large portion. It only makes me feel bad about myself, which sometimes leads me to overeat.

Be there for me. Support me, encourage me, and compliment me. I want your help finding affordable ways to exercise and I'd like more healthful foods in the house. Better yet, start eating better and exercising alongside me! I want us all to live long, healthy, happy lives.

Don't exclude me. Don't make me the black sheep because I'm eating differently. Instead of focusing on me, try to get the entire family to take small steps to eat better. Don't make fun of me because I'm overweight or trying to lose weight.

Love me. Tell me that you love me regardless of what the scale says. Tell me I'm smart, beautiful, successful, loveable and talented at any weight. I need to hear it.

Be patient with me. Losing weight doesn't happen overnight. I want to commit to good habits and that takes time, patience, and sometimes more than one try.

Be realistic. I might never be as skinny as you or others might want me to be. But I will be a happier, healthier—and yes, lighter—me.

Thanks for listening, and please take this advice to heart.

Love,

Valencia Michelle

Sparkpeople has been instrumental to helping me get my life on track so I thank them whole heartedly for putting into words exactly what I've been thinking for the past 8 years.

Video Diary Entry 1

2011-02-26T22:10:00.002-05:00

Eating Every 3 Hours WORKS

2011-02-26T07:39:00.000-05:00

well... it works until you take a 2 day trip to Tampa and cease to meal prep while you're away or once you get home lol. Yup that's me! Hubby and I went to Tampa last Sunday-Tuesday. I ate, and ate, and ate while we were there. Once we got home.... I didn't pack one single breakfast, lunch, or prepare dinner this past week. But I learned that eating on a clock will probably be the best thing for me. I was eating cereal with nuts and soymilk for breakfast, brown rice, baked fish, steamed string beans, and black beans w/tomatoes for lunch and I believe brown rice, fish, and veggies for dinner. Mini meals were a pack of instant grits w/1 hard boiled egg and 1 tbsp of earth balance spread as well as fruit and/or yogurt in the afternoons. I also ate fruit throughout the day as snacks. I did not get hungry at all for the entire week I ate this way. I also didn't do the "mindless eating" thing I do out of boredom or any emotional eating.

Rollercoaster!

2011-02-14T10:45:00.001-05:00

Yep....soooooooo once again I'm annoyed b/c last week instead of losing 2 pounds I GAINED 2 pounds. Of course you know I want to quit b/c that's what I do when the scale doesn't look the way I want it to. But guess what? I actually did 3 of 5 days worth of Your Shape, Biggest Loser, and Zumba...so I'm feelin pretty good. :)

Yesterday I prepared a weeks worth of brown rice, baked flounder, string beans, and black beans w/tomatoes & garlic and weighed/portioned out my lunch servings. I did the same with my multigrain cheerios and pecans. I'm prepared for this week so let's see how I do :)

Today is none other than Valentine's Day. Hubby got me a cute little "love bug" stuffed animal and a card. When I unzipped the love bug Dove milk chocolate hearts (a favorite of mine) came tumbling out! I debated all morning as to how I'm going to ONLY allow myself to have two a day until they're gone lol. Problem solved... I forgot the love bug on my way out the door lol. Needless to say... sitting on my desk when I got to work this morning... you guessed it GODIVA chocolates from one of my Magistrates. Thank GAWD there are only two in the box b/c those are filled with calories...I believe 70 something calories EACH. I also forgot my hardboiled egg which was supposed to be a snack w/my grits so I guess a chocolate would balance it out.

I'm really annoyed with this "routine eating" thing I'm attempting to do but I'm going to tough it out. It's been a rollercoaster though. But it's been reaffirmed that this is the best way for me to stay on track. Another of my Magistrates is a health freak. He works out one body part a day for an hour a day every day. We also see him microwave food at least four times from the time we arrive to the time we leave for the day. He overheard out health convo and stopped to give input. He eats 4 meals while at work and they consist of protein (either fish or chicken), a baked or sweet potato, and steamed veggies. Occasionally one of those is breakfast like hardboiled eggs and grits or something or other. He says he probably eats 5-6 times daily and it's generally the same meal...on Fridays he and his family do pizza for dinner. I can imagine he has ZERO body fat because I sure as hell can't see any lol. He said your body is trained to eat what you tell it to eat, it shouldn't tell you what it wants to eat. He also said he's learned that the older he gets the less he needs carbs so he limits bread and rice because he doesn't crave it and it doesn't agree with him. He also said something that I thought was VERY strange. Everything I read basically says you should only eat when you're hungry. But my Magistrate said he eats every 2-3 hours or so whether he's hungry or not. That way he doesn't get hungry, doesn't over eat, doesn't eat mindlessly b/c his body automatically knows when those 2-3 hours have passed.

I'm not ready to back away from bread or rice but I am ready to try eating more fiber, whole grains, protein and veggies throughout the day. I'm thinking it'll sustain my appetite and cut down on some of the "boredom" eating I often do. I may also try the eating every 3 hours thing. By throwing some hardboiled eggs in my bag in the morning to go with my instant grits packets I keep at my desk. I am STILL a work in progress and I'm on a mission to lose 5-8 pounds a month until I get where I need to be.

Things I LOVE right now

2011-02-11T11:30:00.000-05:00

Ok so since Christmas I've gotten a few new toys so I'm about to give you the rundown on my favorite things :)

1. Your Shape Fitness Evolved for Kinect XBox360

Ok this is my FAVORITE new workout game. I raved about it already this week it is AWESOME. It has 3 sections with numerous activities on each... Gym Games is where you find everything FUN like hula hoop and brick breaking... Personal Trainer KICKS ASS (literally) depending upon which level and which type of training you choose the workout is unreal.... and Fitness Classes is where you find things like Tai Chi and Kickboxing. My favorite part about YSFE is that I see ME on the screen... not a replica of someone else...ME and yes I'm horrified by the image staring back at me lol but that's what it's going to take for me to change it! And if you're not doing the exercises correctly believe you me it's going to tell you...repeatedly...and your score will suck lol. The game scans your body, you input your weight, and age and VOILA... it calculates how many calories you burn while you sweat it out. My 13 year old daughter loves this one too.

2. Perfect Portions Food Scale

I have NO IDEA how I've ever lived without this thing! Hubby bought me this little gaget from work last night. Needless to say I used it first thing this morning and even brough it to work with me today lol. It's THAT awesome. Basically it's a food scale that creates a "nutrion label" for pretty much every food imaginable. You place your bowl/cup on the scale, zero it out, select whether you want ounces or grams, then you key in a 4 digit code that corresponds to whatever you're about to weigh. Once you place that food item in your bowl/cup it will tell you how much your portion weighs, the amount of calories, fat, sodium, sugar, carbs etc etc etc it contains....SERIOUSLY! And of course I tested it's accuracy by using things that already have nutrion labels that say "serving size= 1 cup, 100 cals/serving etc". But what about items that don't have a nutrion label, serving size, or prepackaged fish that has a serving size of 2oz but doesn't say how many oz each package is? This scale takes away the guess work and I love it so :)

3. Kinect for Xbox360 is my FAVORITE thing right now. Hubby just got me Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout and Zumba... I haven't quite used these two yet even though I played with them for about an hour the other day but... I think I love them too :)

Kinect, Your Shape Fitness Evolved, and ME!

2011-02-07T11:33:00.000-05:00

So I just noticed that I didn't blog around Christmas...shame on me! I had so much to say. For one... Santa aka hubby was VERY good to us this year. He also received two VIP tickets to Miami's Supercon Convention for his birthday weekend as well as a hotel stay but that's neither here nor there :)

I got a new laptop which I've wanted for quite some time and the family as a whole got a Kinect with about 4 games...something for everyone. Well for me it's Your Shape Fitness Evolved and I LOVE THIS GAME! Now I've become a slacker since the 2nd week of January so I haven't done a single workout but...this game makes working out FUN. And I actually "sweat" it out. All of the games are interactive and you have to move, run, jump, squat, dance or something or other to get your blood flowing. But somehow hubby knew YSFE was for me. It has Tai Chi, kickboxing, training sessions, hula hoop, balancing games and so much more. It also tracks my height, weight, calories burned and I earn points which I can use to upgrade or "unlock" other levels/activities once I have enough.

You don't even realize that you've done 45 minutes when you finally decide you're tired and don't want to play anymore lol. But I love it and I highly recommend it. I found out that Kinect also has a Zumba work out game so that's next on my list to buy. It's so strange that video games are trying to change the face of exercise and fitness when they've been accused of being the culprit for childhood obesity.

I'm getting back on track with my eating as well. Like yesterday I made my infamous Southwestern Salad and chipotle ranch dressing for lunch. I took it upon myself to use a full head of lettuce and make four servings instead of just one. So I have lunch already prepared for 3 days this work week and this evening I plan on stopping by the store to pick up another head of lettuce for the remainder of the week. I've decided that not only am I going to eat salad everyday for lunch again, but I'm also going to stick with eating cereal everyday for breakfast. As for dinner... I've decided to stick with some type of seafood/Gardein product, brown/yellow/whole grain rice or rice pasta, veggies, and beans topped w/salsa. I'll try this out for the remainder of February but only Monday through Friday. On the weekends I'll try to spice it up a little without varying too much.

I've also decided that YSFE needs to become a daily workout for me like it was the first 3 weeks after Christmas. I love doing it and it really doesn't seem like exercise. Some of the sets are frustrating because you'd swear you were following the instructor EXACTLY but then score really low or have to repeat the sequence because it didn't register correctly. Hubby got a new 62 inch TV last week so I'm ready to go :). Have you found your exercise addiction yet?

What a Rollercoaster!

2011-02-06T09:49:00.000-05:00

My life has been chaotic! I say this not to make excuses for why I haven't lost the 100 pounds that I'm so destined to lose but to admit that "chaotic life" has been my primary excuse. I want the weight off. Not so I can be "skinny" because skinny and I have never been nor will we be friends. But to say I've accomplished yet another of my "major" life's goals.

I've been reading alot about people who've lost 90 plus pounds as of late. I mean, I've been following Tyler's blog for over a year now and his progress continues to amaze me. He is the exception to a pattern I'm noticing. When asked how they did it and/or what they ate everyone (other than Tyler) pretty much had the same diet each day....some ate cereal for breakfast, some ate egg white omelettes...some ate salads for lunch, some ate grilled chicken/fish and veggies....some ate grilled chicken/fish, brown rice, and veggies for dinner, some ate some form of stir fry....snacks were veggies, fruit, yogurt, cottage cheese etc. And that was what they ate....EVERY SINGLE DAY. Ugh! that's so frickin BORING. But you know what....I think some of us (including myself) need boring. When given too many choices I tend to go overboard....just like I would if I were starving and went to a buffet. I'm deciding that my body is calling for consistency and it's time I answer.

My meals are about to become routine. I don't know how I feel about this yet but I do know that in order to get this weight off I need to be consistent. I've mapped out my Monday-Friday meals for February but I'm working on Saturday & Sunday. I'm going to allow myself a "little" variety on the weekends and see where I end up. Here goes!

First week down.... the rest of my life to go!

2010-11-19T10:41:00.000-05:00

Ok so I've done it. Short of choosing to walk this evening instead of at 6:15 this morning I've completed an entire week of eating right, journaling, and exercise :). It's probably the 5 millionth time I've restarted or decided to try again BUT that's just it... I'm not giving up. But this AM workout thing is NOT the bizzness. I have no clue how I used to wake up at 5am and go walking every frickin day a few years back or wake up at 6 and go to the gym before work last year. I HATE waking up early lol but I'm gonna try my best to do this in the morning so nothing stands in the way.

On to better things.... tonight is CUNNILINGUISTICS Erotic Open Mic Poetry Night at the Literary Cafe and since getting the nerve up to perform last week I want to perform tonight too :). I'm still trying to decide which of my pieces I want to do but I'm workin on it and hopefully I'll be able to practice throughout the day.

That's about all I have for now. Work waits

I know I know... I've been MIA for over a MONTH!

2010-11-15T14:30:00.001-05:00

I'm angry at myself for it because I was on a frickin roll! I was doing SO WELL with my eating and exercise and logging everything I ate and keeping up with various blogs that were motivating me and dealing with relationship issues with my husband and my daughter and working full time and dealing with two toddlers at home and....

Yeah BURNOUT! Dear self: this is what happens when you have entirely too much on your plate and try to fix it all at once by yourself knowing full damn well you need GOD to accomplish any of it but you don't surrender to him.

You win.... I surrender.

And surrender I have. I started going back to church. I've actually been twice in the past 3 weeks and that's a huge accomplishment since I hadn't been in three months prior. I even took a trip down to Key West with my church family and had a blast.

I've since regrouped... I'm back up to 295 pounds and I'm fighting tooth and nail to get it off. Last week I found a food journal from October 2003 which was the first time I ever REALLY got serious about my health and losing weight. I started at 317 pounds and by the time the journal had ended around April 2004 I had lost close to 50 pounds. I was reading a book at the time called "Free to be Thin" and following every lick of advice it had to offer. In 2004 I noticed I had begun to eat a vegetarian diet often but not completely b/c I was still eating chicken (as I recall I didn't totally stop eating meat until after my little cousin Alexis' birthday party in November 2004). I noticed something very different from then and now. I never counted a single calorie and I lost 50 pounds.

I did however weigh and measure everything and make sure I got the minimum recommended serving from all food groups. I started walking only for 20 minutes a day and worked my way up to close to an hour and 1/2. It was gradual and I didn't rush it. I was dealing with loss (a miscarriage and the split from my fiancee that followed) and my focus was on dealing with that loss the healthiest way possible.

So it begins... I bought a book last year called "Never Say Diet". I read all of 3 pages of the book. But last Thursday I pulled it out and read the entire first section as well as the plan for weeks 1-4. The book is about this woman from right here in South Florida who managed to slowly lose 200 pounds and change the course of her life forever. I love that she's a Christian and the book speaks to that and is very motivational because of it in my opinion.

What I've taken away from the book so far is that I need to:

a. change my brain

b. surrender to that change daily until I get it right

c. learn to love exercise and healthy eating for a lifetime

So here goes. I'm starting AGAIN. Yes again dammit. See... that's the beauty of being on a lifetime journey you fall 7 times but you get up 8.... I can fail as many times as necessary to reach my 100 pound weight loss goal as long as I pick myself up and continue to strive for it every single time whether it's the next day or the next year... change is inevitable.

I've gone back to basics and I'm keeping a pen and notepad with me constantly. I did that A LOT back when I lost that first 50 pounds. It proved to be very effective for me. Each page I write has 6 colums, 6 rows at the time. The categories for each column are whole grains, fruit, vegetables, soy/dairy, protein/seafood, and healthy fats/dessert. The numbers in each column correspond to how many servings from each category I'm allowed to have each day. I use the lower numbers of the food pyramind so mine looks something like this:

whole grains fruit vegetables soy/dairy protein/seafood healthy fats/dessert

6 5 4 3 2 1

But I list each item individually so the numbers 1-6 would be listed row by row under grains, then 1-5 under fruit etc etc etc. I have a row for water with the numbers 1-8 listed side by side. A similar row for tea with the numbers 1-4 and one for wine/alcohol with the numbers 1-2 (all of which are optional). I also have a section where I'm required to check off whether or not I did 10 minutes of meditation as well as 30 minutes of exercise. I write down everything I put in my mouth throughout the day. Each time I eat a serving I draw an "X" through 1 number and the same holds true for water, tea, wine.

So say I ate 2 cups of cereal and an apple, the numbers 1 & 2 would be crossed off under grain which leaves 4 more servings for the day and the number 1 would be crossed off under fruit which leaves 4 more servings for the day.. And although I use the food pyramid as a guide I don't use it's serving sizes... I use the serving sizes on the packages/boxes and by looking at how large or small an item is to determine whether it's 1 or 2 servings. This is NOT an exact science but I know for a fact it works for me and I documented 50 pounds of it working from 2003-2004. So I'm back to weighing and measuring everything, adhering to portion sizes indicated on packaging, eating cereal for breakfast almost every day, and not so much planning but knowing what I'm eating throughout the day based on what I've already eaten (if that makes sense).

I've been doing this since Veteran's day and so far so good. It's much easier than counting calories because I'm not constantly using applications to determine how many calories I'm eating daily. Also I eat what I want and I'm not restricting anything BUT what I eat has to fall under one of those categories so as you can see there is no "junk food" category but french fries ARE vegetables lol. Chips, candy, white products and things with zero nutrional value are definitely out for the most part. BUT... tortilla chips, crackers (including cheezits) etc will fit under grains as far as I'm concerned and the occasional chips/candy may be "dessert" lol. I may not blog weekly or weigh in weekly as I've done in the past but I will try to keep my blog as up to date as possible.

Journal 10/1/10

2010-10-01T11:02:00.003-04:00

Ahhhh October has arrived! I'm 4 lbs away from my October goal weight. Hopefully I can get there :)

Day 2: Do at least one unexpected gesture to your spouse as an act of kindness. Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

Ok so I know that hubby has read my blog but I don't know whether or not he's reading it right now QQn... but I won't actually discuss the "act of kindness" until later tonight or tomorrow once it's been completed.

I was instructed this morning to "figure out what you want to do tonight" so I'm trying to get some date night ideas goin. It's hard because I want to do something we haven't done before but I have no clue what. I do know that I want to try Snappers seafood and wine bar because I haven't been there yet so that's an option and the movies is right down the street from there so we'll see.

Breakfast (166 cals)

1.5 c red seedless grapes

Lunch at Brewzzi's
1/2 bowl NE clam chowder
1 bite of my albacore tuna wrap
6 tortilla chips and 2 slices bread w/ 1/2 c lump crab meat dip
1/2 of a lobster ravioli
16oz pineapple juice

I have NO CLUE on the calorie count for my lunch lol but I just found out that my "kindness" reached my hubby this afternoon@ work. He called to thank me for the chocolate covered strawberries I sent him :)

Journal 9/30/10

2010-09-30T10:19:00.002-04:00

Waking up with a song in your heart has to be the most gratifying thing in the world. By this I don't necessarily mean a song literally but just the feeling of love, joy, happiness, peace etc... the kind of emotions that truly make you want to sing. Lord I thank you that you are taking over my heart and mind again and are helping me to see life as you will have me see it. I pray for your continued blessings today and throughout my journey. I pray that you will continue to strengthen me as a wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend. I pray that you will continue to encourage growth, togetherness, and friendship in our marriage. I promise to always seek you first in all things and never let my life become as chaotic as I have by forgetting who was in control all along. I know that you will never give me more than I can handle and that you can bring me through anything if I just come to you and pour out my heart. I love you Lord... all that you are and all that you have been to me is so Holy and blessed.

Breakfast (273 cals)

1 lg banana

2 lg strawberries

1/2 c Greek 0% yogurt

AM Snack (110 cals)

1 svg pretzle crisps

Lunch (540 cals)
6 c spinach
10 asparagus spears
1/4 sweet red pepper
1/4 c red onion
1/2 of 1/4 slice avocado
1/4 c raw-milk gorgonzola
1/2 c corn
4oz breaded flounder
2 tbsp Marie's balsamic vinaigrette

PM Snack (150 cals)
1 svg Parm/Garlic cheez-its

Dinner (442 cals)
4oz breaded flounder
2 slices weight watchers whole wheat bread
1 laughin cow cheese wedge
1 tbsp BBQ sauce
1/2 c grapes

Only got in about 4 cups of water and I finished the day with 1515 cals.

Well... on Wednesday I told you about the 40 day challenge that hubby and I may embark on. I found out tonight during a spat that it started today lol good thing I didn't mess it up!

Day 1 says: Resolve to say nothing negative about your spouse today. Ephesians 4:2 "with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love".

Yes I did say this knowledge came during a spat but oddly enough it was a somewhat peaceful one. Even when I got upset not one time did I get angry at my husband or think of him as anything other than my husband. I asked questions, put exactly how I was feeling into words, was respectful...even though I cursed during the convo I didn't curse AT him and I asked him to place himself in my shoes and try to understand where I was coming from. Eureka...there was UNDERSTANDING! Needless to say the discussion took place while he was at work and was resolved....when he got home nothing else was said about it. We cuddled, we laughed, talked, watched TV and had a wonderful evening. I think I'm finally growing up and I like it :)

Journal 9/29/10

2010-09-29T09:53:00.004-04:00

Ok so I won't go into details but over the weekend hubby and I had our first REAL fight. Mind you, we've been friends for 6 years, together for almost 4 years, and married for 2 years. I was already upset with him over financials and then I blew up over something else and we HAD AT IT! It took seriously sitting down at 4am Monday morning to discuss everything and decide that we took vows til death do us part for better or worse and there's no changing that. It's a process and I've decided to educate myself as well as my husband in dealing with marriage because this is the first one for both of us. He has no children on his own and I came into our relationship with a daughter who's now 13 and to top it off...we decided to get custody of my two toddler cousins when they were taken away from their mother by the State last September and we've had them ever since. Our house is chaos, I'm an emotional wreck and this is a new experience.

The reason for this blog entry is to say that I'm in a "cleansing" phase right now and it feels really good to actually be able to sit down and tell my husband what's going on in my head without shutting down the minute I'm angry or feeling hurt. Grant it... it's only been 3 days but this has been a huge release for me. I feel so much better. Yesterday I wrote my husband a 3 page letter as well as a sort of "instruction manual" on me and how to love me. I asked him to do the same. Yes, that may sound crazy to anyone reading this blog and I thought the same thing when I read the idea on one of the marriage blogs I've started following this week BUT it is a great idea for a relationship at any stage. Those two things opened a huge amount of dialog between my husband and I and we've honestly talked more over the past 3 days than we have since we first started dating. To be totally honest... it boils down to what I've known all along and the reason I married my husband in the first place... communication is EVERYTHING! I've just been too stubborn and too willing to completely shut down and shut him out anytime I was angry or had things on my mind. I've made a vow to stop doing that as well as to stop holding onto things for so long and then blowing up about all of them at once.

Check out the following because they are GREAT blogs and they're helping to shape my relationship and could be beneficial to you as well:

1. Project Happily Ever After - this one is officially my FAVORITE. She's brilliant!

2. Marriage Missions - another very informative site

3. Simple Marriage - do NOT let the title fool you... excellent resource with great info

4. Engaged Marriage - FANTASTIC... especially with regard to money matters

5. Romantic Vineyard- I fell in love with this one since I am such a wine lover anyway!

From Romantic Vineyard I discovered the 40 day "fireproof your marriage" challenge and I told hubby this morning that I think we should do it so I'll keep you updated on that as well. I saw bits and pieces of the movie Fireproof at a friends' house one evening and I loved it but we can only order it in the mail from netflix not instant...but I have to get this movie so I can watch the entire thing!

Breakfast (595 cals)

1 lg banana

1 med egg & cheese crossaint from our courthouse cafe

Lunch (343 cals)
leftover salad from yesterday (about half or a little less than half of what I didn't eat)
1 c Select Harvest tomato basil soup

Ok my lunch calories aren't truly accurate because technically the only thing I ate is the soup since I logged the full calories for the salad yesterday lol

PM Snack (105 cals)
1 med banana

Dinner (560 cals)
4oz breaded flounder
10 med asparagus spears
1/2 c Success brown rice w/2 tsp EVOO and Mrs. Dash seasonings
5oz Merlot wine

Pre Dinner snack (105 cals)
1 med banana

Finished the day with 6 cups water and 1708 calories. The weather's been really crappy and hubby and I have been talking and spending time all week so sad to say I've TOTALLY neglected exercise this week. I do plan on walking tomorrow evening w/my cousin Erica so I pray the weather doesn't ruin it!!!

Journal 9/28/10

2010-09-28T09:34:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a pretty rough day for me. Not only was I recovering from a horrible weekend at home but I would have been my twin's 40th birthday had she lived to see it. Debbie was so near and dear to my heart and we were both alike in so many ways. I will never forget the hurt I felt when I got the phone call that she'd passed in her sleep on Jan 15, 2009. It was a HORRIBLE experience but her husband and I developed a friendship that we may not have had otherwise just because we grieved together and talked often from that point on.

I didn't want to address my feelings yesterday because I was truly an emotional wreck and had been all weekend. I'm looking to be more positive in the coming weeks and Lord willing everything in my life will improve tenfold. For well over a year now I've been feeling unwanted, unloved, unattractive and so many other things because my mind was somewhere my heart wasn't. Demons from the past were haunting me in the worst way and I didn't know what to believe about myself or life as I know it. Yesterday signaled a new day and a new beginning because I feel like I somehow got closure. Heaven knows I need the strength to discern what is from what is imagined and I pray the Lord will guide my thoughts and my words from this day forward.

Breakfast (157 cals)

1/2 c Chobani 0% greek yogurt

1 ex-lg strawberry & 2 med strawberries

1 tbsp honey

Lunch (652 cals)

6 cups romaine

1/4 c black beans

1/2 c corn

3 cherry tomatoes

1/4 c red onion

1/2 of 1/4 slice Florida avocado

1/4 med red pepper

1/4 c raw-milk gorgonzola

2 tbsp Marie's balsamic vinaigrette
1 bowl Subway broccoli cheddar soup
6 Zesta crackers

Ok Subway's broccoli cheddar is my fav soup! Needless to say I was half way done w/my salad when I decided to walk w/my co-worker to Subway to get her lunch. I ordered soup and when I got back I let it cool then devoured it! Needless to say I couldn't finish my salad lol sooooo leftovers for lunch tomorrow

PM Snack (110 cals)
1 svg Pretzle crisps

Dinner (555 cals)
4oz breaded flounder
2 slices Weight Watchers whole wheat bread
1 laughing cow cheese wedge
1 tsp spicy mustard
1 c select harvest tomato basil soup
1/4 c shredded mozzarella

I had about 6 cups of water on the day and finished with a whopping 1474 calories... YIKES! No wonder my stomach was growling at about 3am lol

Week 9

2010-09-27T09:37:00.003-04:00

GOODBYEEEEEEE 290s... I won't miss you at all!!!

So this morning I weighed in at 288 a few times and 289 a few times so I've decided I'll use the latter as my weigh in...either way I've lost 10 pounds total since July 1 (even though I've gained and lost that same 10 pounds repeatedly during that time but that's neither here nor there lol) and I've lost 6.4 pounds over the past week :)

I had a REALLY rough weekend so I truly didn't feel like blogging. Saturday I finished the day with 1923 cals and yesterday I finished the day with 1043 cals... most of which were from alcohol. Yup it was one of those weekends and I pray the storm is over.

Breakfast (219 cals)

1/2 c Chobani fat free Greek yogurt

5 sliced strawberries

1/2 c yellow cling peaches in 100% juice

1 tbsp of honey

I wanted oats so badly but I was running so late this morning since the whole house overslept. This did hit the spot tho. I MISS Greek yogurt... I've been avoiding dairy all together and not only had I cut out cheese but I cut out Greek yogurt too. For a year or so it's been the only yogurt I like. But the other day I decided that since yogurt and cheese are the only dairy products I eat EVER... I DO NOT drink milk under any circumstances... that I'll continue to eat them because I love them... so there!

AM Snack (315 cals)
1 lg can Dole pineapple chunks in 100% juice

Lunch (740 cals)
Subway 6" tuna w/spinach, tomato, lettuce, pickles, red onion, banana peppers, black olives, green peppers and cucumbers :) I DID NOT have cheese but the calorie count includes it *blah*
1 bag Sun Chips Monterey Jack and Sundried Tomatoes

Dinner (370 cals)
4oz breaded flounder
1 svg Alexia Oven Reds

Late Night snack (325 cals)
1 loaf Tandoori naan
2 tbsp classic hummus

Finished the day with 1969 cals and 6 cups water instead of the usual 8.

Journal 9/24/10

2010-09-24T10:59:00.001-04:00

I am in control of all my choices.
You do what's important to you in life.

Breakfast (259 cals)
2 cups pineapple
1 cup green seedless grapes

Lunch (1027 cals)
BB King's!!!!
10 catfish bites (omg so good but I shouldn't have eaten all 10 lol)
Shrimp Louie salad (but it wasn't tossed in the dressing and idk how many calories that dressing has so I used the calorie count for a Seafood Louie salad on Fatsecret)

Dinner (724 cals)
4.65 oz baked salmon w/peppers and onions
1 med baked potato
1 loaf Tandoori naan
1 tbsp kalamata olive spread
2 tbsp Sabra classic hummus

Finished the day with 2010 calories... 10 calories over what I've been allowing myself to have but it's all good! I also got 6 cups of water today

Journal 9/23/10

2010-09-23T09:26:00.004-04:00

Breakfast (373 calories)

2.5 cups watermelon

2 cups pineapple

1 cup green seedless grapes

AM Snack (230 cals)

1 pk Rold Gold thin pretzle twists

Lunch (340 cals)

4 cups romaine lettuce

2 cups spinach

3 med strawberries

15 green seedless grapes

1/4 med red pepper

1/4 cup red onion

1/2 of 1/4 slice Florida avocado

1/4 c raw milk gorgonzola

3 cherry tomatoes

2 tbsp Marie's balsamic vinaigrette

This salad was damn good BUT so far my southwestern salad trumps them all!!!

Dinner (779 cals)

4.65 oz baked salmon w/peppers and onions

1 med baked potato

2 tbsp Sabra classic hummus

1 loaf of Kontos Tandoori Naan (found this product at the Boy's Farmer's Market. I also bought their flatbread... DELISHOUS, flavor-filled and a very nice, fluffy texture...even the toddlers and my 13 year old love this stuff!)
5 tbsp Silk french vanilla creamer
1 mug spiced chai tea

Late Night Snack (149 cals)

2 c diced pineapple

Yesterday I was reading an article this woman wrote to Oprah about weight issues and how she used to suffer from eating disorders and through prayer came to what I've deemed the mantra of all mantras "I am in control of all my choices". I'm not sure why but that statement was so profound to me. I mean I may have heard it before in a roundabout way "I can choose" or whatever but it wasn't the same. It meant something different coming from a person who overcame anorexia/bulimia. I created these preprinted thin strips of paper with the mantra on them and I placed one on my PC at work, one of the mirror in my bathroom, the fridge, the microwave, and the front glass in my car. I also placed one in my purse and gave one to my 13 year old. Repeating and understanding this actually worked for me last night. I got the urge to snack because I was frustrated. I went to the pantry and I looked.... there were cookies, snack pies, all kinds of stuff for the kids but as I was walking through the house and seeing the signs I made a better choice. Fresh fruit... and it was filling and I was proud of me :)

I drank my 64oz of water and finished the day with 1871 cals. I didn't exercise AGAIN b/c of the weather... even though I could've worked out inside BUT I've made a commitment to exercise for the next 3 days instead of taking the weekend off like I normally would.

Journal 9/22/10

2010-09-22T09:19:00.002-04:00

Breakfast (263 cals)
2.5 c watermelon
2 c pineapple

AM Snack (240 cals)
1/2 c Bear Naked vanilla almond crunch

Lunch (430 cals)
3.35 oz baked salmon
4 c green leaf lettuce
2 c spinach
1/4 c reduced sodium black beans
4 cherry tomatoes
1/4 c red onion
1/4 med red pepper
1/2 of 1/4 slice Florida avocado
1/4 c raw milk gorgonzola
2 tbsp Marie's balsamic vinaigrette

PM Snack (240 cals)
1/2 c Bear Naked vanilla almond crunch

Dinner (816 cals)
4.65 oz baked salmon w/peppers and onions
1 medium baked potato
1 whole Tandoori Naan (mmmmmmmm)
2 tbsp Sabra classic hummus

Naan and hummus is like my FAVORITE thing to eat :) so dinner was exciting and yummy for me tonight. I probably should've halved the Naan but hell I had the calories to burn so whatever! lol

I was a total bum and didn't walk, strength train, or do a video last night. Today I'm definitely going walking. I drank my 64oz of water and finished the day with 1977 calories :)

Journal 9/21/10

2010-09-21T15:22:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to my Tellybear!!!

Breakfast (346 cals)

2 & 1/2 cups diced fresh pineapple
8oz Whole Soy strawberry soygurt :)
Lunch (344 cals)
4 c green leaf lettuce
2 c spinach
1/2 c corn
1/4 c reduced sodium black beans
1/4 c red onion
1/4 med diced red pepper
3 cherry tomatoes
1/2 of 1/4 Florida avocado
1/4 c reduced fat feta cheese
sprinkle Mrs. Dash southwestern chipotle seasoning
2 tbsp Marie's balsamic vinaigrette

Ok so even without my "chipotle ranch" dressing or veggie chik'n I still LOVE this salad. OMG the flavors are so awesome no matter what dressing I use. I don't care if I never mix my seasoning in ranch dressing again... I <3 this salad!

PM Snack (530 cals)

1 two inch square of chewy fudgy brownie goodness made by one of the JA's at work.... whewwwwww it was so good and I was SO CAREFUL to cut the tiniest piece (which I now regret because I didn't realize how low my calories were today lol)
1 sm bag Old Tyme pretzles (on the way home from work last night)

Dinner (589 cals)
7.2 oz baked salmon w/peppers and onions
1 med baked potato
8oz 100% cranberry raspberry juice

Post workout snack (165 cals)
2 cups watermelon
1 cup pineapple

Drank my 64oz water and got in almost 35 minutes of exercise today :) I finished the day with 1974 calories.

Week 8

2010-09-20T11:17:00.001-04:00

Weighed in at 295.4 this morning and I'm beyond happy for the 1.4 pound weight loss considering I've gained weight for the past 2 weigh ins.

Breakfast (527 cals)
1/2 c WF organic quick oats
1 c Silk vanilla soymilk
1tbsp lt agave nectar
sprinkle allspice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 med banana
2 tbsp walnuts

AM Snack (149 cals)
2 cups diced fresh pineapple

Lunch (684 cals)
4 c green leaf lettuce
2 c spinach
1/2 c corn
1/4 c reduced sodium black beans
1/4 c red onion
1/4 med diced red pepper
3 cherry tomatoes
1/2 of 1/4 Florida avocado
1/4 c reduced fat feta cheese
1oz Red Lobster Caesar dressing
1 tsp olive oil
sprinkle Mrs. Dash southwestern chipotle seasoning
1 cheddar bay biscuit

PM Snack (150 cals)
1 cheddar bay biscuit

Dinner (220 cals)
1 Gardein Sicilian Trio meal

No pic tonight because it didn't look much different than the Thai chicken one last night other than the color of the sauce....EXCELLENT once again but I'm out of them now so I gotta start cooking lol

Post workout snack (230 cals)
1 pk Zoo animal crackers

Ok so I did it.... not only did I get in my 64oz of water and finish the day with 1960 cals but I also got in FIFTY whole minutes of exercise :) My cousin Erica and I walked her neighborhood and the one next door for 50 minutes. My feet actually burned like hell when I got in my car to leave her house lol. But I feel so damn good that I finally got back on track with my walking. Now my mind and body have been telling me all evening that I need to wake up at 6:30am and attempt to jog *blank stare* I dunno about that one.

Journal 9/19/10

2010-09-19T19:13:00.001-04:00

OMG I was out in my yard weeding, fertilizing, treating pests, hand watering etc etc etc for an HOUR AND 45 MINUTES this morning... it was sooooooooo frikin exhausting!

Breakfast (385 cals)
1 can tropical fruit salad in light syrup and fruit juices
1 banana

Lunch (770 cals)
Red Lobster's hand tossed Caesar salad w/wood grilled shrimp
1 cheddar bay biscuit
(only had 2oz Caesar dressing because it wasn't "tossed" in since I ordered take out)

PM Snack (263 cals)
1/2 cup homemade potato salad
1 dinner roll

I haven't been to church in ohhhhhhhh say 2 months... to make a long story short... for 4 years I was the administrator then I started working for the State.... but since no one took over technically I was still the administrator just no longer paid to do the job. Well earlier this year the treasurer quit and guess who got handed that job? The office was a mess because since I'm not there full time no one else did anything and the Diocese was streaming about reports, audits, fix this, fix that blah blah blah and I got sooooooooo frustrated that I just stopped doing anything all together and today I went over there for our annual Patronal Festival. That's where the potato salad comes in lol

Dinner (400 cals)

Gardein Thai Trio

1 cheddar bay biscuit

mmmmmmmmmm I KNEW this one would be delish and I was so right. Amazing combination of flavors and textures. Gardein has truly outdone themselves (and others) with these Trios :) Best Thai Chik'n ever! I think I'm gonna duplicate it one day lol

Finished the day w/1818 cals and I got in 64 oz water... no lemon today or yesterday I think.

Weigh in is tomorrow... let's see how I do :)

Journal 9/18/10 Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

2010-09-18T14:34:00.008-04:00

So I went to Whole Foods today and bought a box of Thisilyn Cleanse because it was on sale. I'm working on detoxing so that I can really truly start taking care of myself. I told hubby this morning that I wanted to learn to start running and he said he'd teach me tonight. He didn't understand why I said I didn't know how to run which really frustrated me to a point where I said "just because you can do it doesn't mean I can" lol. I mean I get winded easily and I'm also embarassed so we shall see how this goes or IF this goes.

Breakfast (210 cals)
1 can GV chunky mixed fruit in 100% juice

Lunch (454 cals)
4 cups spinach
2 cups green leaf lettuce
1/4 cup corn
1/4 cup lower sodium black beans
3 cherry tomatoes
1/2 of 1/4 slice Florida avocado
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 medium red pepper
1/4 cup reduced fat feta cheese
1 MSF chik'n patty
dash southwestern chipotle seasoning
2 tbsp Marie's balsamic vinaigrette

What a DELISHIOUS salad this was!!!! The red peppers and avocado added a somewhat "sweet" taste that I truly loved. And red onions are ALWAYS my favorite for salads... just haven't been able to find a good one in the stores for the longest. But I went to the Boys Farmer's Market after Whole Foods and found a beauty.

Take a look for yourself

PM Snack (140 cals)

7 OTB tortilla chips

Dinner (282 cals)

1pk Gardein Burgundy Trio (beefless tips, veggies & rice)

1/3 c corn

1/4 lg green pepper

WOW! Gardein is truly taking over the meatless meal industry and these "trios" are great. It's like a microwave dinner but it's fresh. Fast food w/o all the guilt, calories, fat or excess sodium... I likes! The flavors and textures are amazing... of course I had to add extra veggies because that's just how I get down but Gardein has impressed me once again. I purchased 2 other "trios" today. I think dinner tomorrow is going to be the Thai one :) They're $3.99 each so it's definitely cheaper than fast food restaurants. I know they say you shouldn't eat less than 1200 calories as woman but I'm at less than 1100 and not hungry. I might decide on a glass of wine or some 100% fruit juice to up the cals for the day.

I did have a glass of Merlot to end the day (123 cals) for a total of 1209 calories on the day... my lowest calorie count yet!

FYI I also got in n15 minutes of strength training... not much but hey it's somethin :)

Journal 9/17/10

2010-09-17T12:10:00.002-04:00

What a CRAZYYYYYYYYYYY morning at work. Ok so Fridays are our Paternity/Support hearings every week. There's a process where the clients show up, sign in, view a brief video, go to mediation, then go to see the Magistrates. We have 2 Magistrates that handle these DOR matters and typically 3 attorneys from a firm contracted by DOR to litigate.... wellllllllllllll today there was ONLY ONE ATTORNEY! 30 cases to be heard. What chaos lol

But on a lighter note (hopefully lighter indeed) I'm starting a mini fast today. I'm rediculously bloated and retaining water and I don't know why. Legs, ankles, feet etc swollen but I monitor my salt like you wouldn't believe and my BP is normal, so normal that my doctor was proud of me last week! I'm thinking maybe I took in TOO much sodium on the cruise and since I wasn't drinking water like I should on the boat it's still here :(. I'll know by Monday whether or not excess sodium is the culprit. My co-worker wants to go to lunch today so I'm gonna grab a salad w/her from somewhere which will probably add to the sodium but the plan is to do fresh fruit and fruit juices all weekend with very little if any "food".

Breakfast (350 cals)

8oz 100% Cranberry Raspberry juice

1 can Delmonte yellow cling peaches in 100% juice

Lunch (690 cals)
Panera full portion Caesar salad
3oz Caesar dressing
1/2 Artisan baguette

PM Snack (464 cals)

6 cups diced watermelon

1 Oats n dark chocolate granola bar (delish!!!)

Dinner (260 cals)
7 OTB tortilla chips
6 triscuits

64oz lemon water finished the day with 1778 calories.

Journal 9/16/10

2010-09-16T09:32:00.003-04:00

I'm seriously frustrated as hell. The scale goes up every frickin time I get on it. I understand our weight fluctuates daily but that means it goes up AND down... mine is just going up!!! Grant it... I'm not exercizing... I'm being lazy as hell and I understand that is a huge factor in this. But I AM NOT overeating and I'm monitoring my portion sizes etc.

Breakfast (382 cals)
1/2 cup WF organic quick oats
1 cup Silk vanilla soymilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp light agave nectar
1/2 med pear

AM Snack (137 cals)
3 cups diced watermelon

Lunch (454 cals)
4 cups spinach
2 cups iceberg
1/4 cup canned Atlantic salmon
1/2 med pear
15 red seedless grapes
1/4 lg bell pepper
1/2 cup gorgonzola
2 tbsp Marie's balsamic vinaigrette

Whoa! I think this may be the best salad for me yet. The tastes and combinations of flavors were EXCELLENT! I purposely didn't add any nuts and I truly don't regret it... yum! I've never had a pear in a salad but this definitely won't be the last time I try this combo. Very filling, very flavorful.

PM Snack (140 cals)
Chex Mix Chocolate Chunk Bar (WOW! This is beyond good and at 140 cals/3grams fat I'll take this over a candy bar anyday)

Dinner (555 cals)
2 slices 100% SGWW bread
4oz breaded flounder
1 cheddar veggie slice
3.5oz baked potato
1 tsp earth balance
1 oz pretzel crisps

64 oz lemon water for 1793 cals for the day

Journal 9/15/10

2010-09-15T08:49:00.002-04:00

First and foremost.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my big sis Vickie and my bestest male friend Mawee :) May the Lord continue to bless you both!

Breakfast (366 cals)
1/2 cup WF organic quick oats
1 cup Silk vanilla soymilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 sprinkle all spice
2 tbsp craisins

AM Snack (166 cals)
1& 1/2 cups red seedless grapes

Lunch (512 cals)
4 Gardein 7 grain crispy tenders
3 cups iceberg
3 cups spinach
2 tbsp cranberries
2 tbsp walnuts
1/3 cup Veggie Shreds "Italian blend"
2 tbsp Marie's balsamic vinaigrette
1/4 c bell pepper
1/4 c onion

This was a GREAT salad but I was kinda pissed that I didn't think to slice up one of my pears and add it to the mix... it would've been great. Now I'm debating whether or not I should save a pear instead of having them both for my snack this afternoon :)

PM Snack (597 cals)
1 cup cracked conch
8 lg fried shrimp
6 fries

Whoaaaaaaa... umm this is NOT what I should eat as a snack in the afternoon. My coworker went to this Bahamian spot and picked up some wings, cracked conch, shrimp, fries etc etc etc for lunch. She wanted me to try it b/c she knows my family is Bahamian and I'm big on island food. I tasted the cracked conch and thought it was pretty good. She decided half way through this meal that she didn't want anymore and didn't plan on reheating it later. So of course I had to finish it off. I DID NOT go crazy with the fries but I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE CONCH!!! Sigh... this too shall pass.

Dinner (687 cals)

2 slices Pepperidge Farms 100% Stoneground Whole Wheat bread

4oz breaded flounder

3.75 oz baked potato

1 cheddar veggie slice

1 tsp earth balance

5 leaves spinach

2 cups watermelon

I was over my calories for the day but not by much so I'm ok w/that. Ended w/2328 cals on the day. I got in my 64oz lemon water as well

Journal 9/14/10

2010-09-14T09:55:00.002-04:00

Breakfast (522 cals)
1 sm banana
1/2 cup WF organic quick oats
1 cup Silk vanilla soymilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 sprinkle all spice
1/4 c raisins

AM Snack (110 cals)
1 cup red seedless grapes

Lunch (578 cals)
3 cups iceberg
3 cups spinach
1/4 lg bell pepper
2 tbsp dried cranberries
2 tbsp walnuts
1 cup tuna salad (leftover from yesterday's lunch)

PM Snack (96 cals)
1 med pear

Dinner (622 cals)
4oz breaded tilapia cooked on the grill
2 Gardein crispy chik'n tenders
3.75 oz baked potato
1 tsp Earth Balance
1 med pear
1/2 cup grapes

For a total of 1928 cals on the day and I drank my 64oz of lemon water as well.

Week 7

2010-09-13T10:56:00.002-04:00

Ughhhhhhhhh@ my weigh in!!! I've gained 1.6 pounds. Check out My Stats here. I'm not going to dwell on it or go into "I don't know why I've gained weight" blah blah blah. I do know why and it's laziness. I've been slacking on my workouts and by now I should be over excuses. I've known for years that as long as I keep it movin I'm successful at weight loss but even when I eat right, if I don't exercise the scale doesn't budge. I went to the doctor last week, my blood pressure was normal, my cholesterol is 119 LDL/54 HDL, and my thyroid is great. There is nothing "medical" preventing me from doing this. It's all me and I've got to do better.

Breakfast (566 cals)

1 small banana
1/2 cup WF quick oats
1 cup Silk vanilla soymilk
1 tbsp light agave nectar
1 sprinkle allspice
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp walnuts
2 tbsp raisins

AM Snack (348 cals)
2 cups seedless grapes (red & green)
6 Triscuits (original)

Lunch (320 cals)
1/2 cup crab salad

1/2 cup slices cucumber
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
2 thick/large slices tomato
1/4 cup tuna salad

Went to Tina's Cafe across the street from our courthouse and ordered their Trio Salad. I LOVE their tuna and crab salads because it's not soaking wet with mayo. They use "just enough" to give it some flavor but it's not all sticky and thick like most places. It tastes "fresh" and although I was angry because there wasn't as much "green" as I like with my salads, I was happy that there 2 scoops of tuna and 1 scoop of crab salad. I had alot of tuna left over so that will be a part of tomorrow's lunch.

PM Snack (222 cals)

2 lg peaches

1/4 slice choc & vanilla cake from publix (did not eat the frosting)

Dinner (456 cals)

4 Gardein seven grain crispy chik'n tenders

3.75 oz baked potato w/skin on

1 tsp Earth Balance soyfree

1 cup frozen greenbeans

1/2 cup yellow squash

1 med pear

Late Night Snack (90 cals)

1 sm banana

I drank my 64oz lemon water but I still didn't do any exercise. I'm not sure why my body is fighting my brain on the exercise but I have to come to a happy medium or this will all be for nothing. I finished the day with 2002 cals.

Journal 9/12/10

2010-09-12T15:57:00.003-04:00

Breakfast (385 cals)
1 lg peach
1/2 cup WF quick oats
1 cup Silk vanilla soymilk
1 tbsp light agave nectar
1 sprinkle allspice
1 tsp vanilla

Breakfast was good... I rarely use fresh fruit when I make oats but the peach made this taste great.

AM Snack (250 cals)

1 & 1/2 cup green seedless grapes
1 small banana

Lunch (724 cals)
3 cups iceberg
3 cups fresh spinach
2 tbsp dried cranberries
1/4 lg bell pepper
1 Gardein Marinara Chik'n Good Stuff (these are SO YUMMY! Try them)
1/3 cup Veggie Shreds "Italian" blend
2 tbsp Marie's Blue Cheese Vinaigrette (first time tasting this... FAB!)
7 Tortilla Chips (On The Border= my FAV brand because they're crispy, delish and taste so fresh)

I had a pretty hearty lunch thanks to the Gardein but I didn't eat lunch until 3 ish because of this football frenzy I'm in. GOOOOOOOOOOOO DOLPHINS!!!! But this salad was definitely a great mix of good stuff and it's a happy belly afternoon for me :)

PM Snack (215 cals)
1oz pretzel crisps
1 tbsp almond butter
a drizzle of Hershey's Special Dark choc sauce (this was pretty damn good!)

Dinner (462 cals)
4.75 oz baked potato
1 tsp earth balance soy free spread
1 Tofurkey Kielbasa sausage
1/4 green pepper
1/4 c onion
1 tbsp garlic
1 tsp olive oil

Got in my 64oz water w/lemon today as well. Tomorrow is another day...

Journal 9/11/10

2010-09-11T11:32:00.004-04:00

Breakfast (549 cals)
1 lg peach
1 cup red seedless grapes
1/2 cup WF quick oats
1 cup Silk vanilla soymilk
1 tbsp light agave nectar
1 sprinkle allspice
2 tbsp raisins
1 tsp vanilla

I was rushing out of the house this morning because I had to go to a friend's "groundbreaking" ceremony at Habitat. I grabbed some grapes and a peach and was out the door. After the ceremony I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things, came home, and immediately remembered that I HAVE TO eat oats everyday for breakfast. So I whipped up a batch of my "basic mix" zapped it for 2 minutes and breakfast was yummy as usual :) I probably won't have an AM snack since I'm writing this at 11:32 and I'm still satisfied from breakfast but we'll see... maybe I'll have 2 snacks later in the day or something.

AM Snack
None

Lunch (641 cals)
3 cups iceberg

3 cups fresh spinach
1/3 cup cranberries
15 seedless red grapes
1/4 cup reduced fat gorgonzola
1/4 cup walnut halves
1/4 cup canned Alaskan salmon
2 tbsp Marie's balsamic vinaigrette
Slight variation of my new gorgonzola salad (I forgot the apple!) but it was delish anyway.

PM Snack (61 cals)
1 lg peach

Dinner (495 cals)
4.6 oz grilled swordfish
1/2 c Rice a Roni savory whole grains rice mixed w/ 1/2 c Success brown rice
1 long ear corn

I closed out my evening with a cup of Spice Chai with 3 tbsp French Vanilla Soy Creamer and 1 tbsp agave nectar for 120 cals :)

I also got in my 64 oz of water w/lemon

So my total calore intake for today was 1873!!! Fatsecret says I should have 2600 cals a day, I cut that to 2300 but I've been trying to stay as close to 2000 for now. I've been paying very close attention to how and when I eat and I'm noticing I do a lot of eating "just because". Not necessarily "emotional" but just because... I'm trying to keep an eye on this because it may be a huge factor in my success in the long run.

Positively moving into week 7

2010-09-10T16:15:00.001-04:00

Ok so last night I made my oats, made my salad, measured everything (except the spinach & lettuce b/c I forgot!). I also packed 2 peaches and a pear for snacks. Today has gone remarkably well so far and it's 4pm!!!

Breakfast 378 cals
1/2 cup Whole Foods quick oats
1 cup Silk Vanilla Soymilk
1 tbsp light agave nectar
2 tbsp raisins
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sprinkle of all spice

AM Snack
1 lg peach

Lunch 624 cals
3 cups iceberg
3 cups fresh spinach
1/4 medium gala apple
1/4 cup raisins
12 seedless red grapes
1/4 cup reduced fat gorgonzola
1/4 cup pecan halves
1/4 cup canned Alaskan salmon
2 tbsp Marie's balsamic vinaigrette

This particular salad will definitely be one of my favorites. My old boss took me to lunch at Watercolors Restaurant at the Bridge Hotel in Boca as a pre birthday celebration on Tuesday. I ordered their gorgonzola salad with grilled swordfish. When it came out I looked at it weird because from experience I usually don't like apples on my salad. Then I saw the grapes and was like oh gross lol. FABULOUS salad... I loved it and not to toot my own horn but my version tasted damn good too :).

PM Snack (157 cals)

1 pear

1 lg peach

Dinner (784 cals)
5.1 oz swordfish grilled on my Foreman :)
1/2 cup Rice a Roni savory whole grails mixed with 1/2 cup Success brown rice (I opened the boil in a bag and cooked the brown rice & rice a roni in the same pot no added salt etc. just the seasoning packet it came with.... it was yummy! Plus it stretched the rice so this is my new trick if/when I buy rice mixes)
1/2 cup frozen green beans
1/2 cup frozen yellow squash
2 long corn on the cobb
1 tsp bbq sauce (I was "testing" the sauce I made to go on the fam's chicken)
8oz NSA 100% Cranberry Raspberry juice

So there you have it... that was my day in food and under 2100 calories at that :) I'm off to a good start. I even got in 64 total ounces of water with lemon juice in it.

I DID NOT do my 2 mile walk away the pounds today but I did do 15 minutes of yoga this morning.

It's only the 6th week....I want to quit

2010-09-09T13:55:00.003-04:00

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I'm so angry and I want to scream. I want to cry and scream. I went to the doctor for bloodwork this morning. Good news....my blood pressure was 122/80 bad news my weight was 295 pounds and he wants me to see a dietitian.... ummm wow. I know I shouldn't be shocked but I am. And it gets better.

When I called the dietitian I was referred to by my insurance she told me they don't cover pre diabetes only post.

So I made up my mind that I'd do this on my own. Oats for breakfast, salads for lunch, sensible well balanced dinners. I know what to do... it's just a matter of doing it and doing it consistently.

Ok then I said I wanted a better scale. One that measures body fat etc. Found a beauty@ Bed Bath &Beyond. It's a Homedics and it even gives calorie recommendations. Well that is if your body fat percentage doesn't cause an Err4 message like mine apparently does. You've got to be frickin kidding me??!! Seriously? I'm so fat my bfp doesn't register???

For the first time in a long time I binged. I ate 3 handfulls of chips. I now feel like crap. I then ate a peach and I'm sulking. I know this is a lifelong process but does it have to be this frustrating? Sigh. I'm officially turning my blog into a food and exercise journal to see if that makes a difference. I want to quit right now but I want to lose 100 pounds sooooo much more! Oats for breakfast, salads for lunch, sensible, well balanced dinner, weigh and measure till I get it right. I'm discouraged but I'm not giving up on myself again.

I'm Back... and fatter :(

2010-09-06T13:19:00.000-04:00

Ok so I'm back....

My hubby, the kids and I went on a cruise to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands from Aug 28th to Sept 2nd. We had a frickin BLAST! In Cayman I got to see a childhood friend and her hubby which totally made my week since I hadn't seen them since their wedding day six years ago. And the water was sooooooooooooooo beautiful! OMG I can't wait to go back.

See the beautiful water and all of my fat? *puke*

Ok so back to this cruise... I DID watch what I ate for the most part and I kept a food journal but I DID NOT exercise (well I did ONCE).

And to add insult to injury... I didn't drink water as I should have either and I STILL haven't started back walking...sigh... not this again :(. I got my period as soon as I got back and I've just been feeling like blahhhhhhhhhh so I'm praying this is bloating and not an actual gain... we shall see next week ;)

Needless to say I didn't weigh in last Monday (our anniversary) because I was on the boat and didn't take my scale but boy oh boy when I weighed in at home on Thursday I almost passed out....304 lbs....*blank stare*

Thankfully when I tried that again this morning... my regular weigh in day I was at 295.2. Still a huge gain from the 23rd but this only means I have work to do!

Week 4

2010-08-23T10:43:00.003-04:00

Ok the scale finally moved in the right direction :)

Aug 16- 294.0

Aug 23- 292.8

I lost a whole 1.2 pounds lol hey it's not much but it's PROGRESS!

I've loaded a "google docs" excel sheet here so you can watch the paint peel with me... oh joy!

I have a column for "body fat percentage" but as you can see it's empty. I ordered a caliper from Ebay a week or so ago and it said it would take 12-16 days before it arrives so I'm awaitin.

This morning's breakfast was another one of my overnight concoctions... it had raisins and strawberries and it was delicious! I'll take a pic of it tomorrow since that's what I'll be having again. And for lunch I'm having a very simple spinach salad with salmon, red onion, cranberries, pecans, veggie shreds italian mix, and a chipotle ranch/caesar dressing I threw together last night. I LOVE Mrs. Dash. I have this fascination with Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning and have come to the conclusion that no "creamy" dressing is complete w/o it lol. As I stated yesterday I HATE that Walden Farms Zero Calorie Caesar but I bet I'll love it today since I made it chipotle and added a touch of ranch :).

Lunch

2010-08-22T12:22:00.004-04:00

Salmon Caesar "my way" over Spinach

This was fab.

about 3 cups spinach
3.75 oz grilled salmon (leftovers from yesterday's lunch)
3 red onion rings copped
1 hard boiled egg
4 tbsp Archer Farms Multigrain garlic & herb croutons
2 tbsp Veggie Shreds "italian blend"
2 tbsp pecans
1 tbsp Walden Farms Caesar Dressing

I wish I had tomatoes :( but I'm going out today to get some because this week will definitely be a "spinach salad" lunch week :)

*Note to self... I DO NOT like calorie free salad dressing AT ALL lol no more Walden Farms for me.... ilk!

Buffet dinner=banana breakfast

2010-08-22T10:28:00.002-04:00

Yup.... a banana. It was delicious but it was a banana lol. I woke up this morning and didn't have an appetite.

I was proud of myself last night though. Hubby and I did go to the buffet... even though I secretly prayed it wouldn't stop raining so we would stay at home (I know, I know evil).

When we got there, there was a line of course... but the head chef is a very dear family friend and he had us seated immediately. I was disappointed in the selections because I wasn't in a salad mood and that was about the only green veggie they had out which is unusual.

I opted for tilapia in a creamy caper sauce (which I pretty much scraped off), mahi mani, mashed potatoes and custom made penne from the pasta station.....I had them do garlic, shrimp, peppers, onions, spinach, a little olive oil and pesto and some white wine. I didn't even add the grated parm :-)).

I had a dark choc cookie w/m&ms inside for dessert and a spoon of choc mousse (which was unsweetened and I DID NOT like it which is the only reason I didn't devour that tart!).

Finished dinner off w/a glass of Zinfandel and a $180 loss at the slots hmph!

2010-08-21T13:53:00.003-04:00

Raisin pecan oats for breakfast

Mmmmmmm salmon steak

I had 1/2 of that salmon steak w/stir fried broccoli and greenbeans for lunch....delish!

I'm kinda PISSED though because in my quest for these delicious fresh "local" salmon steaks I bought.... some friggin lady scraped the whole side of my gray car with her RED car and of course it's very visible! Didn't call the cops but exchanged info and I took a pic of her tag and got her DL number from her license. She's SUPPOSED to have "her people" take care of it next week so we shall see.

Dinner will be tricky... my sister gave hubby and I her "buffet for two" coupon for the Seminole Coconut Creek Casino.....whewwwww Fresh Harvest (their restaurant) has the BEST FOOD EVER! They have chef's from all over and every variety of food imaginable lol. I haven't been to a buffet since last year sometime so hopefully I can remember this is NOT my last meal and I don't have to eat everything I see lol.

Panera for lunch

2010-08-20T13:48:00.002-04:00

Ok so I'm really doing it this time! My coworker had an errand to run and said when she got back we'd go grab lunch. (Friday has become my day that I eat out for lunch). I decided it would be Panera.

I went to their website, plated w/the meal planner and decided on the deliciousness above! I checked fatsecret to make sure the calories were the same and they were.

So..... I got the "you pick 2"

1/2 Mediterranean veggie sandwich on tomato basil bread

1 sm Broccoli cheddar soup

1/2 baguette

All for a total of 565 cals 17.5g fat... very filling indeed :)

Banana Nut Oats!!!

2010-08-20T12:01:00.001-04:00

Now THAT's Italian!

2010-08-19T11:18:00.006-04:00

Ehhhh not really but it's DELISH! So if you've paid attention at all... You'd know I don't eat meat. That obviously hasn't stopped my love affair w/food but I'm getting better about what I eat.

Penne ala me

1 package cooked rice penne (or any type/flavor pasta you like)

1 c pint grape tomatoes halved

3 diced roasted red peppers
1/4 c diced red onion

1/4 c olive oil

2 tbsp red pepper infused olive oil

1/2 c white cooking wine

1/4 c minced garlic

6 fresh basil leaves (picked from my yard!!!)

2 Tofurkey Sweet Italian Sausages

1/3 cup Veggie Shreds italian mixture

Rice pasta is something new for me and I'm learning to like the taste... it's different but not gross. Cook the pasta, rinse w/cold water and let it sit a minute.

I pulled out my wok and combine the garlic and 1/4 cup olive oil and let it simmer until the garlic started to turn brown slightly. I then added "sausage", roasted red peppers, onion, tomato halves, white wine and let it simmer a bit more. The smell was AMAZING! After about 10 minutes I added the pasta & basil to the mixture and gave it a stir. When I turned off the stove I put the veggie shreds on top and voila!

This made four servings. I put it in tupperware containers and it's been lunch all week and I love it :) I'm really strange when it comes to food because I just throw things together as it comes to mind (must be the Bahamian part of me lol).

So there you have it!

Banana Nut Oatmeal

2010-08-19T10:55:00.001-04:00

Ok I was eating while I was driving to work (shhhhhhhhhh) so needless to say I neglected to take a picture lol.

This morning's overnight concoction??

Banana Nut Oatmeal
1/2 cup oats
1 cup vanilla soymilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp all spice
1 tbsp Agave Nectar
1/2 large banana
2 tbsp pecans (use whatever you want)

Ziploc Twist 'n Lock

Ok so last night I placed all of the above ingredients in one of these little guys ^^^^ and shook vigorously to mix everything together.

Now ziploc twist 'n loc containers are FABULOUS! I no longer do breakfast without them :). I take it out of the fridge in the morning, put it in the microwave for 2 minutes and I have a QUICK hot, healthy, delicious breakfast.

Try it!

7 days!

2010-08-17T13:13:00.000-04:00

I'm psyched.... I've gone walking for 7 days since last Monday. I've even recruited my husband and daughter to walk me with on occasion. Heck my 13 year old wanted to go to the library on Saturday and I told her we could go only if we walked... she wasn't happy about the idea but we walked over 1/2 mile there, she picked out two books, I cooled down a bit, and we walked back home. It was SO HOT but so worth it. :) Runkeeper has been AWESOME at keeping me informed w/how far and long I walk. I'm not sure the estimation of calories burned is accurate but I don't care. I just want to know how far and how long I walk. Again, at the end of this month (while I'm on my cruiseeeeeeeeeeee) I'll re-evaluate my exercise and determine whether I need to walk more or add strength training etc and set new goals from there. I rested on Sunday but I made sure hubby and I went walking when he got home from work last night.

But for now... I'm so proud of myself for taking a step forward and walking daily.

Week 3- I was ANGRY

2010-08-16T10:16:00.004-04:00

Ok so ummm I woke up this morning knowing today was my day to weigh in. I was excited because I KNEW I'd lost weight. I knew because I ate right, didn't go over my RDI, and I walked 1 mile a day for 6 days. Yes I "rested" yesterday but I still picked up two 5 lb weights first thing yesterday morning and did 1 rep of 10 for 8 different arm, shoulder, chest exercises and it took me 10 minutes to do it :).

I knew I had to weigh at least 290 at this point because I've been SO GOOD.

I stepped on the scale.... nope that can't be right. I got off and moved it to another location on the bathroom floor because there had to be something wrong with that spot. Whoaaaa that's more than it was the first time so no... I have to move it again. You've GOT to be frickin kidding me??!! Seriously? Seriously? All my hard work and dedication and I'm weighing in at close to TWO POUNDS heavier than I did last week???? :( I seriously wanted to cry.

If this had happened two months ago I would've quit. I would've said it's not doing any good so I'm gonna eat whatever, drink whatever and sit around doing nothing. But I looked in the mirror and said.... when the fat caliper I ordered comes in the mail I'll know the truth. There's no way I've gained 2 pounds because my RDI clocked in at 2600 on the fat secret website but I changed it to 2300. Not one day this week have I gone over 2300 calories and I log EVERY morsel of food I put into my mouth. I've only burned 888 calories with my walks according to runkeeper but it's more than I've been burning at all since July 1st because I wasn't getting any exercise in.

I've been actively reading so many blogs and taking in so much informaition over the past few years and everything in me tells me it's either water weight, muscle, or waste hasn't been released yet. I'm still irritated though because this puts a damper on my birthday goal weight of 285lbs :(

So I'm proud of myself right now. I'm proud that I didn't allow my anger to sabotage my goal like I normally would have. I was angry....but I haven't given up :) 95 pounds to go!

July 1- 299

July 26- 294.8
Aug 2- 293.6
Aug 9- 292.2
Aug 16- 294.0

2010-08-15T11:54:00.002-04:00

Almond butter and apple slices snack
*aren't the pics from my Samsung Captivate greattttt?! :-)*

2010-08-15T09:04:00.001-04:00

Happy Peaches and cream oatmeal one and all! This isn't my overnight concoction but it's delish anyway. This is Whole Foods organic instant oats (no fillers colors additives just plain oats!!!) with vanilla soymilk, cinnamon, agave nectar, and yellow cling peaches in 100% juice. Trying it as an overnight concoction tomorrow w/old fashioned oats and I can't wait :-)

Dinner

2010-08-14T17:58:00.002-04:00

Dinner was DELISH...baked tilapia w/peppers and onions, brown rice and black eyed peas...mmmmmm

Tilapia
4 oz tilapia
1/2 cup of diced onions & tricolor peppers
sprinkling of Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning
sprinkling of Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning
drizzle of lemon infused olive oil
sprinkling of Himala Salt

I use canned black eyed peas that I rinse several times then cook them in water, onion, and garlic.

I put both over brown rice and mmmmm!

I LOVE oatmeal!

2010-08-14T12:50:00.004-04:00

Ok so I've been a true fan of oatmeal since 2003. When I decided I was no longer eating meat I read up on tons of grains, fruit, veggies, seafood, protein sources etc. I started eating oatmeal daily because it was easy. Then in 2007 oatmeal became an OBSESSION... I started mixing in things like pumpkin, sweet potatoes, every fruit known to man, spices, even CHOCOLATE lol. I somehow allowed my love of oatmeal to disappear and I honestly believe that's how I gained back the weight!!! When I have a hearty bowl of oatmeal in the morning food cravings don't exist. I'm satisfied until lunch. Oatmeal had always made a great snack for me as well (even tho it was the instant packets I refuse to eat now). In comes "Kat Eats" who's blog I've been reading for about a year now. Up until two weeks ago I'd just "read" her blog.... now I'm living it. She talks alot about "overnight oats" and I couldn't get the "eeww gross" look off of my face long enough to try it. Then one day... I did and

I HATED IT!

Eeeeewwwww cold oatmeal! Even with all the flavors I added I hated it. I was pissed! I just KNEW this would be something I loved and something I did every frickin day. I'm entirely too cheap to throw anything away and I hate to waste food so I said to myself "I'll put it in the microwave and suffer through it". OMG it was the best oatmeal EVER!!!! And for pretty much every day since then I've prepared at least two days of oatmeal at a time, left the concoction in the fridge overnight and heated it for 2 mins on my way out the door every morning. I'm back into eating oatmeal EVERY SINGLE DAY and I'm truly excited about it :) I missed oatmeal and the way I prepare it now... it doesn't bubble over and ruin the microwave!!!!! (the most exciting part lol) And I still add all the things I used to love in my oatmeal years ago and it tastes even better to me now.

This morning's concoction:

Chocolate Coconut Oatmeal :)

Ok so here goes with regard to preparation the night before....

Basic Mix

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 cup vanilla soymilk

a drizzle of Agave Nectar

1 tsp vanilla extract
a sprinkling of cinnamon or allspice

Now, if you don't want anything else in your oatmeal combine the above ingredients in a microwaveable container, cover, give it a shake then let it sit in the fridge overnight.

In the event you want to add fruit, nuts, syrups etc you can do that prior to placing in the fridge or you can do it in the morning.

When you wake up, put it in the microwave for 2 minutes and breakfast is served.

For my "chocolate coconut oatmeal" I added 2 tbsp of unsweetened coconut flakes, 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa, and 2 tbsp of pecans with my "basic mix" and left in the fridge overnight.

I was in love when I had breakfast this morning... the flavors were awesome :)

Week 2- Still on Track!

2010-08-13T14:00:00.003-04:00

Ok so apparently THIS has been my week! Not only did I prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the entire week but I've FINALLY started walking and I've walked a mile every day for 4 days straight :) I won't lie and say I actually get up and do it when my alarm goes off at 6:25am like I'm supposed to lol but I do it. I've been using Jog Tracker on my new android phone and I liked it BUT last night I came across Run Keeper and I like it even more :). The GPS tracking is way more accurate w/Run Keeper.

www.runkeeper.com

I've also been using an app called Fat Secret calorie counter and I love that more than Sparkpeople's app :( (not good considering I love SP and have been using their site since 2008). Fat Secret is effortless because the need to manually enter things is pretty much gone now. Almost everything I can eat or would eat from every source, including restaurants, is in their database.... I'm seriously amazed. And get this... there's a barcode scanner (which I play with just because at this point lol) and omg it uploads calories, serving size, fat, everything instantly w/o me having to type a thing. Yes I'm lazy! But with Fat Secret the task of loggin meals isn't as daunting...which I think is what causes me to give up and get frustrated in the first place. So far so good and I'm on track and eating 2300 cals/day or less.

http://www.fatsecret.com/

I went to Red Lobster today w/ a coworker for lunch. And via Fat Keeper I had already picked 8 entrees and 4 sides that I would allow myself to have just for variety. I settled on their broiled seafood platter (280 cals), with a side of broccoli (45 cals), caesar salad w/the dressing on the side (270 cals *but that's w/ dressing so mine is way less since I dip my fork lol), and ONE cheddar bay biscuit (150 cals) for a total of 745 calories. I drank water w/lemon so that was that. I still have 860 calories remaining for dinner and my afternoon snack (which I doubt I'll need since I hate GOOD at lunch). I haven't been allowing myself to eat out at all but I did eat out today and last Saturday. I'm monitoring what I eat very well and I'm also conscious of what I eat.

I didn't do a journal entry on Monday so here are my weight loss stats:

July 1- 299

July 26- 294.8
Aug 2- 293.6
Aug 9- 292.2
Aug 16-
Aug 23-
Aug 30-

Slowly but surely I'm gettin it off... 6.8 pounds since July 1 :)

Week 1- I forgot!

2010-08-03T12:22:00.003-04:00

I was SO excited to write about my new cell phone that I neglected to post my weight stats.
July 1- 299
July 26- 294.8
Aug 2- 293.6

Ok so I only lost 1 pound 2 oz BUT that's pretty darn good considering I only went walking ONE DAY out of the 5 that I'm supposed to! (Humor me people)

I also didn't go walking yesterday or this morning! I'm trying SOOOOOOOO HARDDDDDDDD but that 6am wake up thing is no longer easy... I mean 6-7 years ago I did it w/o thinking about it and now it's like "snooze". I'm going to win this battle though. I've told myself I ONLY have to commit to 20 minutes, Monday through Friday. Lord I need your strength more than ever right now.

First Week back on track

2010-08-01T16:06:00.001-04:00

Ok so I DID IT! I made it through an entire week where I prepared enough of 1 meal to fit into 5 tupperware containers and TOOK MY LUNCH AND SNACKS TO WORK EVERY DAY! I also made my own breakfast and dinner all week :) I didn't eat out ONE SINGLE TIME (yay me!). And even when presented w/the opportunity to eat out (Pizza at a church function yesterday) I had 1 and 1/2 slices of pizza and a capri sun.

Although I did well with regard to my eating habits, I only went walking ONE TIME and that's not good. Sheer laziness got the best of me this week but I've set my alarm to go off at 6:00 am Monday through Friday and I am SO ON A MISSION!

On another note... on Wednesday I bought myself a Samsung Captivate...OMG I'M OBSESSED W/ MY PHONE!!!! lol I loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee this thing and I totally dig the android platform. It's the coolest little device EVER! Hubby tried to talk me into an Iphone (since he's been addicted to that for years and recently got the I4) but after playing with the demo of the Captivate in the store I was SOLD.... I've played with his Iphone on several occasions but I've never instantly LOVED it :)

Not only is this phone gorgeous...but it's so easy to use (I seriously learned it in a day) and omg the app market made me love it even more.... I have Kindle (w/tons of free books I've downloaded), Pandora, and a couple of apps that'll track my walking/time/mileage etc. I also downloaded the Sparkpeople app.

So I'm psyched about my walks this week and I'm READY TO ROLL!

Goals

2010-07-26T11:31:00.001-04:00

Ok I've been looking at these SAME goals since January 1st. The numbers have constantly changed b/c I haven't been meeting the target because of SHEER LAZINESS!!! At the start of July I weighed in at 299 pounds. This morning I was 294 pounds. I've lost 5 pounds this month and that is PROGRESS no matter how small so. I am rewarding myself by downloading music when I get home tonight for my walk this evening. Yesterday my 13 year old and I started walking. I've decided that until I get healthier I'm going to walk for 20 minutes a day EVERY day and do nothing more. At the end of August I'll re-evaluate this. My rewards may "seem" small but man they're huge to me! So check out the "My Goals" link and track my progress :)

All talk, ZERO action

2010-07-26T11:11:00.001-04:00

Ok so it's official... I talk a good game and deliver absolutely NOTHING! Yet something a friend of my posted on her facebook page the other day has stuck in my head like you wouldn't believe!

"Why is it that people think you have too much time when you take care of yourself? Is it because you are trying to make yourself feel better about your sheer laziness?? Don't label me... I work, go to school, and have a home to take care of, but I STILL find the time to train, do healthy grocery shopping and cook... You do what is important to you in life, so stop hating! "

OUCH! This post had NOTHING to do with me so ummm why did it sting? Jackie and I went to Nova together and debated with and against each other in legal courses. She's engaged to a body builder and over the past year (maybe 2) she's been training and competing in fitness competitions and she looks FABULOUS! Apparently... her habits of packing lunch, eating healthy at work etc cause others at work to essentially "harass" her about why she's doing what she's doing. She goes on in another post to state how she "hates" getting advice from people with "zero physical fitness who think cracker diets are the way to go".

I truly felt like Jackie was talking to me directly but then again MAYBE just MAYBE this was the Lord's answer to a prayer I've been repeating forever... asking for motivation, asking for direction, asking for guidance. And the responses of her friends were even more damning lol... one of them stated how "these people" constantly make excuses and argue why they don't have time to get/stay fit and are angry at people who do.

I've ALWAYS said I don't have time... I HATE waking up at 5 or 6am... I HATE going to the gym... I have my 13 year old AND custody of my cousins 2 & 3 year old girls... I have a husband, I work full time and until last year June I was a full time student as well. Let's not forget the fact that I pretty much do everything that has to do with the administration of my church and since March I also handle all the finances as well.

Well thanks to Jackie I've been analyzing my life since the day of her status update. WHY don't I have time? I mean I don't get the kids ready for school in the morning b/c I'm too lazy to get up at 6:30am so my husband does it... I RARELY feed the kids because I'll have my daughter put something in the oven or I'll cook, set out their plates then retreat to my room leaving EVERYBODY ELSE to do everything after that.... I rarely bathe the kids; either my husband or my daughter do it. Why? Let's see... I'm ALWAYS tired, something always aches or hurts. I have to stop telling myself that I CAN'T do these things and I have to stop wasting my life away. Yes it is "sheer laziness". I am the person Jackie was talking about. And I've allowed all of my "manufactured" excuses to take over my life.

And OMG I've been SO HORRIBLE to my husband! It's not intentional but I don't like myself at all and because of that I tend to not want to do anything or be anywhere and I'm extra moody sometimes. It's gotten to the point where Beyonce's "Flaws and All" is the story of my life. I DO love that man with all that I am and I never want to be without him. Although he does everything in his power to make me happy... I don't allow myself to be "completely" happy because I don't like what I see when I look at me.

I'll be posting a set of goals and I'm going to attempt to tackle them one month at a time. I'll give myself oh say 3 months to get to a certain weight but every month I'll evaluate what I'm doing and where I stand. I have to make better choices, cook at home, and exercise regularly.

I can't live like this anymore. I'm MISERABLE because of my weight and I have to learn to love me again. I have to love me enough to be healthy. I have to.

New Home

2010-04-24T10:58:00.000-04:00

Ok the drama and suspense in my life was officially over on March 28, 2010... we moved into our NEW HOME! Needless to say... I JUST unpacked the last box yesterday which was April 25 lol. I'm finally at a place where I feel I can get back to taking care of me and being the best me that I can be. I've re-evaluated my weight loss goals and once I get my mind together I'll have a set of goals/dates to share.

I FINALLY visited Sparkpeople today... it's been well over a month. I logged in and tracked my breakfast, morning snack, and lunch. Based on targets and goal I have to eat between 1760 and 2110 calories/day and burn 324 calories daily. I've been eating out for lunch and even dinner A LOT lately but as of today I'm back in the zone... I even packed my lunch :)

The pressure is truly on and I'm watching the clock. The weather is SO CRAPPY here today, it's been raining nonstop. I wanted to go for a walk either after lunch or this evening but I may be doing kickboxing or bellydancing indoors instead. I need to make my health a priority and for the past few months I haven't.

Day 7

2010-03-20T11:07:00.000-04:00

Ok ok ok... so I HAVEN'T been blogging EVERY DAY.... it's starting to overwhelm me lol. But nevertheless....I've had a pretty damn great week. Grant it... I only exercised with my kickboxing DVD ONCE but I took the stairs at work and everywhere else every single opportunity I had... I even went to the bathroom on other floors in the courthouse so I had to walk more and I ran errands just so I would walk more. Last Sunday I weighed in at 290 and THIS MORNING I'm weighing in at 286.2 :). For a total of 17.8 pounds since December. Every day since Sunday I've drank 64oz of water, ate within my calorie range, and moved more than I normally would. I think it's working and I think I like it.

Stats
3/20/10: 286.2 (3.8 pounds lost in 1 week)
3/14/10: 290

Day 2

2010-03-15T22:45:00.001-04:00

Ok so today was somewhat of a success.

I chose to:

1. Eat between 1890 and 2240 calories I was even able to have a wholeeeeeee Hershey's special dark bar w/almonds and not go over my calories :)

2. Drink 64oz of water

3. Prepare my breakfast, lunch, and dinner at home (no fast food) :)

I DID NOT choose to exercise other than walking at work all day and taking the stairs without fail. I had to go to the new house, water the grass for an hour, then go home and make dinner and once I sat down and started looking at items for the new house on Lowe's and Home Depot's websites I didn't feel like it! I WILL NOT skip out on exercise tomorrow though. No matter what I'm getting 30 minutes in!

Day One

2010-03-14T22:25:00.001-04:00

Ok... so I DID IT! Today I chose to:

1. Eat between 1890 and 2240 calories for the day. I created a meal plan for the entire week on Friday. Although I had to completely change my lunch and dinner I was prepared to make healthy choices and that made all the difference in the world!

2. Get in 30 minutes of kickboxing. I created a playlist of tunes and turned the volume down on the video. I was hot... I was sweaty but I DID IT! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and the time actually went by pretty quickly.

3. Drink 64oz of water. No explaination needed.

This is only ONE DAY but it's a huge step in the right direction for me. I also feel GREAT now that it's over :)

I'm about to go shower and mentally prepare myself to do it all over again tomorrow. Lord, I thank you for this day and the strength you have given me. I ask that you guide my choices tomorrow as well.

The Choice Is MINE

2010-03-12T13:47:00.006-05:00

It's official.... I'm NOT where I want to be right now and I'm so unmotivated. The scale has offically hit 290 again. Grant it, I'm still down 14 pounds since December but around the end of February I was down to 283. I have every tool imaginable before me but yet I continue to sabotage my efforts. I'm not exercising regularly other than taking the stairs all day and walking more while I'm at work. This has been the story of my life. I thought Tyler's site and all of the other sites I frequent would be enough motivation for me but apparently they arent. So... today I decided to make a commitment to myself and God right here and right now. Life is about choices and I finally had the revelation earlier this year that I CAN CHOOSE. I am making new choices today. I printed out several copies of the attached list as constant reminders of the choices I have decided for today. I am choosing to be healthy right here and right now.

1. I choose fresh fruit over sweets.
2. I choose baked or mashed sweet or white potatoes over French fries.
3. I choose fresh crunchy vegetables, nuts, popcorn and whole grain crackers over chips.
4. I choose grilled, broiled, sautéed or steamed seafood over fried.
5. I choose whole grain cereal, bread, pasta, and rice over anything white.
6. I choose to cook at home instead of fast food.
7. I choose to pack my lunch and snacks and the start of each week instead of ordering out.
8. I choose to eat at the dinner table with my family instead of alone.
9. I choose to drink 64 ounces of water a day.
10. I choose to drink fresh fruit juices, vegetable juices, and herbal teas when I need something "extra".
11. I choose to eat plain Greek yogurt topped with fresh fruit, dried fruit, granola, nuts, or apple butter instead of the “fruit” varieties in the store.
12. I choose healthy fats (mono/poly) over saturated and trans fat.
13. I choose to make homemade pizza instead of store bought or delivery.
14. I choose to exercise for 30 minutes a day in any manner I desire.
15. I choose to love me enough to make positive choices every day.

6 Changes

2010-02-28T20:54:00.004-05:00

Ok so I'm back to viewing Zen Habits. It's a page I stumbled upon some years back. The most positive and informational blog ever has expanded into even more than that. The blogger now has an additional site called 6 Changes. He explains how to create or get rid of habits 6 at a time over the course of a year. Basically you choose 6, break each 1 down into 8 steps, then tackle only 1 habit every 8 weeks. I'm intrigued and last Wednesday I decided I'm going to do this. He suggests building up momentum and letting everyone know you're doing this....soooooo here goes. I've decided that instead of trying to implement changes right now I'm going to wait until we're settled in our new house around the first week of April. I WANT to do this and I want it to work. If I'm trying to close, move, and life is chaotic I know I won't be successful.
My 6 Changes will be:
1. To wake up at 5:45am every day
2. To jog for 20 minutes per day
3. To prepare my meals and snacks weekly
4. To keep my home, car, room organized and clutter free
5. To read 2 books per month
6. To use my creative mind regularly (poetry, spoken word, journaling)

By next April I hope to have accomplished all 6 changes. Once I start, I will be blogging DAILY about each habit to give an update on my progress. I've also decided that I'm going to notify EVERYONE I know/love about my blog so they can hold me accountable! I'll make a new post when I'm OFFICIALLY starting my 6 changes.

Weekly Weigh In

2010-02-24T12:31:00.000-05:00

Ok people it's official.... last week I did something WRONG apparently. It had to have been the cracked conch I ate for two days in a row :). I've gained 3 pounds putting my weight at 286.8 this morning. I have yet to take my measurements even though I generally do them every Sunday. I have 6.8 pounds to lose before I can treat myself to my first "real" reward.... I SO NEED MY MASSAGE DAY!!!!

On to better news.... I THINK I may have found the perfect exercise regimine...something that I enjoy and can stick to. I bought the most awesome kickboxing DVD over the weekend. It even came with the lightweight gloves. Hubby also brought home a striptease DVD I requested and I'm anxious to get to that one :). But back to kickboxing... man it's emotional, a lot of work, and makes every part of me ache. I think I like it though. It has five 10 minute segments which you can program to play in any order or combination you like.... you can do as little as 10 minutes or as much as 60 minutes in your programmable session.

So my goals through next week are to get in at least three 20 minute sessions of kickboxing in, continue hitting the stairs and walking at work throughout the day, continue drinking my 8 cups of water, and continue to allow myself to eat what I love in moderation.

Hopefully that 3 pounds plus some extra will be gone when I blog again

Weight Loss Goals

2010-02-18T12:54:00.003-05:00

Ok... here's the deal. I have 110 pounds to get rid of. Like most overweight/obese people I've been trying to lose weight for as long as I can remember. Since 2003 something clicked in my head and being healthy has taken center stage. I've been able to lose and gain 40-50 pounds (reapeatedly lol) from then till now. This year I'm putting myself in the mindset to lose it for good and end this cycle. Soooooooooo I'm telling ALL THE WORLD that I'm going to do this and showing you my goals. I've always kept them to myself so this is a huge step for me. I'm also going to be BOLD and weigh in weekly right here on this very blog (ouch!!!). I started this journey (again) on January 1st... no I don't do New Year's resolutions but all New Year's Eve I was thinking about this. On Christmas morning I was 304 pounds. I nearly passed out. I hadn't seen the 300s since 2003 when I was 317 (wow did I just tell people that *blank stare*). I'd somehow managed to stay in the 275-285 range since 2003 and a few times even dipped down to 250-260. WELLLLLLLLLLLL I got scared and I got serious. By January 1st I was at 298 and this morning (even though this ISN'T my weigh in day) I weighed in at 283.8 :). I'm down 20.2 pounds total since Christmas. Massage Envy is SOOOOOOOO CLOSE!!!

My Goals: Effective January 1, 2010

Goal: 280 lbs
Target: 4/1/10
Reward: 1 hour massage @Massage Envy
Met:

Goal: 262 lbs
Target: 7/1/10
Reward: Mini makeover
Met:

Goal: 250 lbs
Target: 09/08/2010 (32nd Birthday!)
Reward: New workout gear, accessories, and shoes
Met:

Goal: 232 lbs
Target: 12/1/2010
Reward: Full Spa Day @Natural Trendsetters
Met:

Goal: 214 lbs
Target: 3/1/2011
Reward: BOCA Wellness Expo (Memorial Day Weekend in DC!!!)
Met:

Goal: 198 lbs
Target: 6/1/2011
Reward: Weekend getaway
Met:

Goal: 188 lbs
Target 9/8/2011 (33rd birthday!!!)
Reward: New FIT & FABULOUS wardrobe!!!
Met: