On Strike

Oh I'm in a sad sad place diet wise right now.  By diet I don't mean the evil 4 letter D word, I just mean my eating has not been Grade A this past week.  I am struggling really badly right now.  I had 2 pretty good weeks in a row that resulted in small gains....what the hell?!?!?!!?!?  So what happened after last weeks weigh in?

Yup you guessed it, my inner toddler is back and throwing one hell of a tantrum.  She hat a huge Italian meal, Chinese, a cupcake, some chocolate....over the span of week but still.  Not proud.  To say the very very least I'm just disappointed.

Today is the beginning of my week though and I vow to turn myself around starting today.  The countdown has begun to the BIG 3-0 and I really want to be closer to 50lb than 20.  Summer has KICKED MY BUCKET!   (thanks Megan, if you're reading this lol)

So, short post today, not much to say for myself as I hang my head in shame.  How is summer treating you?  This heat is killing me and I suspect it might have contributed a bit to the gain as I feel all swollen and yuck, despite drinking enough water to fill a pool.  Ok that might be a slight exaggeration but you get the point.

More later.

Get Your Head In The Game!

What the what????  You are probably wondering what the heck High School Musical has to do with this blog.  Right?  Well I will tell you!  The pics above are from a musical number about getting your head in the game.  Makes complete sense now right ;)

I ask you to bear bare be patient with me this week while we hit blog overload.  Another realization I've come to thank to a good friend, is that I've slacked big time in the blogging.  I have been in Plateau City (a weight loss reference to staying pretty stationery on the scales) for the past few months and it pissed me off.  I've spent  a lot of money on this program and shouldn't be screwing around when I know I have the drive, the ability and the need to make it happen.  In the beginning I blogged daily, sometimes multiple times daily and I was very successful.  I stayed on track, stayed accountable and was able to voice my feelings about this journey.  So I'm throwing myself full on back into blogging, no excuses...if I'm dormant for heavens sake CALL ME ON IT!  Shoot me an email, send me a text, leave me a not so nice comment on one of my posts about how LAZY I've gotten!  I may not like you right away if you are too mean but the point will get across.  Towards the end of the year I have a busy schedule so it will get harder but I need to keep going.  Just like tracking, blogging seems to be a tool I can't do without right now.

So feel free to not read everything that comes across your feed, my feelings won't be hurt at all.  I promise I'll have new pix and measurements and all that stuff soon!

My Eyes and My Brain Aren't Speaking

One of the things I'm struggling with a bit, and probably always will, is the warped way I see portions.  The way an anorexic sees herself in the mirror as a mega fatty....that is the way I see my food portions.  Not all the time but every now and then it sneaks up on me and I really have to struggle to overcome it.  Being overweight is (although most people wouldn't think so) and eating disorder in many ways.  I didn't WANT to be obese, I DID NOT DO IT ON PURPOSE!  I get so tired of judgemental folks who throw out their, 'just eat less' 'you brought this on yourself' 'you must not have any self control, how hard it is to not eat to much?' crap for the world to have to listen too.  I get ahead of myself though.  Let me explain what I was originally talking about.

Example: I made tuna casserole for dinner last night.  I use my favorite 9x9 casserole dish and its perfect because we get 9 easy to divide up servings.  6pts per serving.  Steve and I usually each eat 2 since we don't have anything along with is as a side dish..I'm cool with 12pts for dinner cuz, um, my tuna casserole rocks big time!  Anyway, that leaves 2 double portions in Glad containers for lunch the next day and 1 serving split between the kids.  So today I pull out my container to pop in the microwave.  I pop off the lid and my very first thought was, 'geesh what else can I eat, there is barely anything in there!'  Normally I dump the contents onto a plate or into a bowl to eat, part of my need to see it spread out so I can see that the portion is actually quite a lot.  Today I didn't want to mess with another dirty dish so I ate it right out of the container, all the while pondering what to eat to add to my lunch.  Well guess what, I didn't eat anything else.  By the time I finished I was very satisfied...because DUH THAT WAS A DOUBLE PORTION THAT WAS PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE LAST NIGHT ON A PLATE!!!

It was yet another reminder that while I feel in control of this whole weight loss thing most of the time, I still have some quirks in my brain that will throw up little road blocks here and there as I go.  I'm figuring out ways around the blocks, detours if you will.  I may need a little snack once the kids go nap but I've got cheese and grapes all planned out for that :)

Why I Hate Combining Buffets and WW

So today my husband had the day off and decided he'd really like to go to Hometown Buffet for lunch.  I slept through breakfast so I figured what the heck, I have plenty of points and I've done this before so I can make it work.  Now, like a good girl I started with a salad, lots of lettuce, peas, mushrooms and broccoli on top, just a teeny bit of egg and NO CROUTONS!  That's right, I went for the bacon bits and left my buttery, garlicky crunchy yumminess off and guess what...I didn't miss them at all.  I had light ranch and all was good.  Onto the actual food!

If you have been to a buffet recently then you'll understand this next part....their healthy selections are on the sucky side.  Sure they have green beans....swimming in a vat of buttery water (not to mention they are cooked until almost mushy and are usually an unnatural shade of brown green), baby carrots (I do actually eat those but we all know they aren't a FREE veggie) and today a very soggy assortment of zucchini and squash.  How do I handle this?  Does it get the better of me???? NO WAY BUFFET!  I ate the following...

• 1/4c mac n cheese
• 1 fish stick (more the size of a chicken strip)
• 1/2c white rice
• 1/2c orange chicken (not the healthiest but its actually quite good)
• 4oz of lemon pepper baked white fish...super yummy!
• baby carrots
• salad!!!!!!!!!!!!
• 1/3c of chocolate pudding for dessert

So, as you can see I 'sampled' my way around instead of loading my plate like a glutton and snarfing down uncountable amounts of crap.  To be honest, I didn't even finish most of the servings I gave myself, a few bites here a few there and then onto something else.  All in all I used 18 points...not bad considering I let myself have a dessert and there was a bit of Chinese food in there.  Now fab but hey, its eating out at a BUFFET, its not going to be low points.

Now you are probably thinking...okay she sounds like she did okay so why does she hate it so much?  Well I'll tell you.  It's actually sort of a twisted and complicated emotion I have for buffets while doing WW.  I don't feel like I eat enough to justify the cost, then I feel guilty about wasting money and have to battle myself not to get another plate and load up just to make sure I eat my dollars worth.  Crazy right?  We eat out more than we should, I know this, but at least when I get a meal at one of our usual places (yes my lovelies, Wendy's is one of our usual places) I know the points up front and feel like the cost to fulfillment ratio is right. 

I am probably all alone out here feeling that way, and you may be feeling a little let down that I didn't have some awesome train wreck of a story...sorry if my title was misleading ;)  but I feel better having faced one of my fatty demons and come away with a little peek into how my 'fat girl brain' works.  I will not let myself eat more than I want just to feel better about the cost.  Buffets make me feel guilty about that.  Buffet, I think we need to break up.  The End.

Oh My Avocado!

I so love when I discover a food that, previously, I might have claimed not to like (without ever trying usually) and it turns out that I really like it.  Avocados are a perfect example.  I got brave and tried a friends sushi (california roll actually) and with it, avocado, for the first time about a year ago.  I've been hook on sushi ever since and have eaten much avocado that way but not any other.  A few weeks back I got a super yummy salad at a local restaurant that had sliced avocado on it and it was the best thing I've ever eaten!  So I got the great idea last week to recreate this salad at home, thus able to control the ingredients and points value a little better...not to mention its so much cheaper!  I wish I'd have thought to get a picture but it was so good I gobbled it up to fast each time.  Want to make your own?  I'll show you everything I used :)

I've been using Spring Mix lately and love how colorful and tasty it is

 

I use about 1/2 of a medium size avocado, diced or sliced

I've found precooked and sliced grilled chicken in the deli section at Target, very yummy and ready to go out of the package

I only use about 1/2oz because these yummies are higher in points.  You could sub in sliced almonds as well.

Bacon bits...need I say more?

You could do any variation of ingredients, cranberries, fruits, cheese...whatever!  It's all yummy :)  I like the combo above because it's satisfying and crunchy.  I top it off with a few tbsp or Asiago Peppercorn dressing and voila!  I could eat this everyday and never get bored.  Because the avocado is creamy I find I don't have to use as much dressing, the creaminess covers the lettuce and I get the 'appearance' of tons of dressing without the tons of points.  SCORE!

Oh YES I did!

Is that big enough for you?  Does it drive the point home? 

Tomorrow is my 6th wedding anniversary and I didn't want to spend half the day away from my other half, so I weighed in this morning instead.  Not only did I lose the few pounds I needed to hit my 24lb loss, I went over by .4lb!  Hells to the yeah!  I was really good this week, still had a few yummies here and there but really ate to the boxes....also known as eating the healthy stuff and leaving the doritos alone.

I can't wait to tell my leader next week!  I am only 2.6lb away from my 10% and I am going to work just as hard this week to reach that goal next weekend.  It is long overdue and much anticipated.

Now I'm keeping this short as my littlest little has strep and has been a bear today and this tired momma needs sleep.  

Hooray for success!!!

Nothing Is Impossible

 

Today was weigh in day, down -1.2lb!  Wahoo!  I'm on track and feeling good.  I had a few weeks of slight ups and slight downs, a plateau of sorts.  After a mental makeover I've got my groove back and I'm working the plan like its meant to be worked.

Last night I was at Target and I saw this ring.  It was perfect for me.  It says everything that I need to remember....nothing is impossible.  If you want something bad enough it can happen, with hard work and determination. 

I told my husband that my shorts from the last 2 summers were so big and loose they were bordering on indecent, lol.  So tonight we went shopping!  I found a new pair of shorts and a really cute top....in an 18/20!  I'm so excited since the shorts that were falling off were 24's.  Wanna see?  :)

What the %$&*!!!!

So, because its a holiday weekend we don't have our regular WW class this week.  I didn't want to miss my weigh in though so I went to one of the WW centers for open weigh in.  I stepped on that scale, incredibly optimistic because I followed to the letter this week.  I didn't use any of my extra points and made sure not to miss my meds all week.

I step up and.... I lost a stinking -.4lb.  To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.  The receptionist tried to make me feel better by reminding me that it was 2 sticks of butter, my first instinct was to tell here where to stick that butter.  See, when I'm upset its better to just let me simmer for a bit, reassurance and 'its ok, its still a loss' just piss me off.  Not flattering I'm sure but it's how I am.  I called my husband on my way home and just bawled to him on the phone.  Now the logical side of my brain knows that its all a loss even if its small and it adds up over time, but the other part of me was just devastated.  I wanted that 25lb loss today, I earned it, I was desperate for it...and I didn't get it.  Like a kid not getting the doll they REALLY wanted on Christmas morning.  Oh well, maybe I'll get the doll for New Years instead.

So, my first reaction to this bad news?  You got it, FOOD TANTRUM!  Oh how I hate that.  I hate that I still want to throw in the towel because of one, not even bad, weigh in.  I got a sweet tea from McDonalds, and a hashbrown, and flipped the bird to my tracker.  Then after a few minutes I got my tracker, apologized and wrote down my points for my less than stellar tantrum breakfast. 

It's ok, it's ok, it's ok, IT'S OKAY!!!!!!  Long weekend ahead of me and I'm not going to let this get me down.  Sorry for the rant but I do feel much better :)

Choo Choo.....Chuggin Right Along!

Once again, I hop on here and realize how very far I've fallen behind with my blogging.  Someone give me a kick in the pants!  It has been a very busy month though.  Those of you who know me well know that I have my own business and 3 out of the last 4 weekends were spent at local craft shows.....NOT WORTH IT!  UGH, no more spring shows for me, they just don't draw the crowds...but that is for another blog.

I am proud to say I lost another 1.8lb this past week for a grand total of 23lb!  I'll post my pounds in food pic in a bit but lets just say I'm dancing on the inside...and out a little bit!  I am right on track to get that 25lb charm this week (tomorrow actually!) and am going to KICK SERIOUS ASS the next week because I'll only need 3 more little tiny pounds to hit 28lb and my 10% goal!  I had hoped to reach it about a month ago but....life happens.  I am realistic in realizing that part of life and weight loss is to have a few setbacks, its about the long term journey.

I cannot wait to get that keychain!!!  I can almost feel it in my hand.  Wouldn't you know, just 2 more little pounds after that and I'll reach 30lb gone.  It's amazing, all these little milestones about to happen and I'm so excited about each and every one.  I'm down a dress size WOOT WOOT and feeling all around better.  I am taking a trip to Disney in December and CANNOT wait to see how much better I fit in all those rides!

Now, here's the big news.  My 30th birthday is exactly 4 months from today.  My dream of all dreams would be to be down 50lb by then.  It has taken me 4 months to lose 25lb and had several weeks in there of setbacks or flat out self sabotage....if I get on a role I KNOW I can make this happen.  Will you all stick around to help me get there?  Because I need help.  DO YOU HEAR ME UNIVERSE??? I NEED HELP!!!  I thrive on compliments and motivation, tell me my face or butt look smaller and I'm like a sunflower turning towards that giant ball of light in the sky.  You may not know I've had a tough day but asking me about my journey and encouraging me to keep going can make a crappy day into the best day ever.  So yes, to be blunt, I'm on my knees begging and pleading asking for the compliments!  Keep 'em coming.

We are going to be visiting both families this weekend and it is my goal, my mini goal for the holiday weekend, to stay on track.  Here is how....

•  I will track every bite/sip I take, everything....EVERYTHING
• I will NOT snack in the car...I will crochet instead
• I will not be pressured into eating junk I don't want or need...if I want it then I will use my flex points
• I will pack my pants that I'm just fitting back into so I don't over eat
• I will look damn good doing it!

I hope you all have a happy and healthy and safe weekend.  Do not drink and drive, watch out for crazies and enjoy the time with your families :)

Enter Spaghetti Squash!

So here we go!  I headed to the store tonight and purchased my very first spaghetti squash.  To be honest, I didn't even know where to look for it!  HA!  I mean, I knew it was in the produce but I'd avoided anything gourd-like my whole life so I always kind of looked over that aisle.  I got a nice sized one and headed home.

I read about 2 easy ways to prepare it: in the oven or in the microwave.  Both were suppose to produce the same quality and texture with the microwave just being a bit faster.  I figured, if I have to cut the thing in half I should just try both methods for comparison!  I also decided on 3 different 'finished products' to try....
        1) with marinara sauce 
        2) with pesto sauce  and 
        3) with olive oil and salt and pepper

Here is what I came up with.

That sucker was not easy to chop in half!  It was easy to clean out though :)  Into the microwave with you!

About 10 minutes later and voila!  It turned into 'noodles' just like it was supposed to.  I have to say I got a little giddy.

 

I tried a bit with the pasta sauce and it was really quite good.  Then I tried a bit  with some pesto, which I totally love on regular pasta, added a sprinkle of mozzarella and some grated parmesan and HOLY COW!!!  That was super good and will probably be a new favorite lunch for me.  Stella helped me scarf this down after she'd already eaten all of her own dinner.

Next came the oven method.  I saw a recipe to rub it with olive oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper then place it cut side down and cook away...so I did :)

Tell me that doesn't look good!  I had some of this with some spray butter and S&P and it was very very good.  I'll definitely be making this again!

I have to say, while a lot longer to prepare, I think I prefer the oven method.  It was cooked consistently all the way through and every single bit came right out of the skin.  In the microwave the inside was soft but the closer to the skin was still crunchy so I just popped it back in for a few extra minutes.

So, to wrap it up...very yummy and will make again!

WW Homework : Try New Things

So.......I only blogged 2 times in April....LAME!  In my defense I spent the ENTIRE MONTH horribly horribly sick with this nasty, icky, mucusy, broncitisy type yuck.  Throw in my daughters 2nd birthday at the end of the month and it just slipped right by me.  I am still here though, still chugging along.  I roller coastered up and down the same pound most of the month so no big news there but some was medicine related (water retention) and some was just plain old comfort eating.

Onto some fun stuff now.  We had homework this week for WW, to try a new food.  Something we have always wanted to try or maybe been afraid to try, or had never even heard of before!  Just something, ANYTHING new.  I have always been a super picky eater, but I'm finding that as I've gotten older I am more willing to try new things, especially since many of things these I thought I didn't like I actually love!!!  Sushi, avocado, pesto, hummus....need I go on? 

Anyway, I got excited and decided to try spaghetti squash.  I have heard good things about it but squash is not something we ever had in our house growing up so I assumed I didn't like it.  I asked my friends for recipes, and googled then headed to the store.  I am so happy to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!  Agg where have you been all my life?  I have so much to say that I am writing a separate post about it!  I also got edemame and gave that a try, yummy and crunchy and totally something I plan on keeping on hand for snacking. 

Yay for trying new things!!!

20lb Pictures

I finally got around to having Steve take my pictures for my 20lb loss.  I'll stick them in the progress pictures page too, its fun to look and see if you can see any differences  :)

Week 13 Weigh In BIG TIME NEWS

Once again I find myself playing catch up.  I have a legitimate reason for being AWOL however, I have been SICK!  What the Urgent Care doctor believed on Wednesday to just be 'a bad cold' turned into an upper respiratory, lung hacking up nightmare.  I am coughing up crap finally but for 2 days have just been miserable with the dry coughing that never ends.  So anyway, here are the last 2 weigh ins!

Week 12 Weigh In : -1.4lb for the week and a total of -16.6lb.  Yay me!  That was great to see after the disappointing trip related gain the week before.

Week 13 Weigh In : -3.8lb.....if you're fast with your math then you'll realize what that means before I can type it!  That's right folks, -20.4lbs total!  I HIT MY 20 LBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That is such a huge excitement for me.  It always seems like after that first 20lb is gone I really start to fly.  I'm seeing results both in my naked body and in my clothing, I'm getting positive feedback from others on how they can see the difference and my cheer section went wild with excitement for me yesterday when I posted my loss on Facebook.  I'm so so happy!  Especially since that means I'm only 8lb away from my 10% goal.  It felt like I'd never get there and now I'm so close.  I want that keychain and I want it bad!!!  I'm hoping to reach that goal by Mother's Day, that gives me somewhere around a month.  In 3 weeks I'll get my Sticking With It (16 weeks on plan) charm and somewhere in the next couple weeks I'll hit 25lb and get my first metal circle charm for my keychain.  SO SO SO EXCITING!  My blog will be ablaze with happy posts :)  For now I will leave you with this.  This is what I see when I log onto etools and track my weigh ins.  Isn't it fun seeing that line go down down DOWN?!

I'm here I'm here!

Wow, 2 weeks without a post, that's soooo not like me! It's been busy and sucky and I just haven't had time or felt like it but lets play catch up.

Week 10 WI: up 1.8lb, not a super big surprise. We had a formal dinner event the night before for hubby's work, and while I had the points and planned ahead we did not have enough fluids that evening. There was 1 pitcher of water for the table which was never refilled. Needless to say, we had to stop for a diet soda on the way home because I was PARCHED! I could tell that I was retaining water from the dinner (and 1 cocktail I indulged in) because my feet were quite swollen after the hour long car ride home. I did however, look smoking hot lol. Would you like to see?



So, the following week I watched closely and after about 2 days the extra weight slid right off plus some. I watched and counted and stayed on track know that the following weekend would be spent on the road and out of town for a friends wedding. I had unrealistic high hopes that since the bride to be was also doing WW, as well as a good friend driving with me, that food choices would be made keeping that in mind.  I had also planned to weigh in early but the meeting times didn't work out for me and I missed it :(  I was very sad about that.

The drive there and back was quite successful, Erin and I made smart choices, packed wisely and made sure to have plenty of water and diet soda on hand to keep hydrated.  It all sort of crashed and burned when we arrived Thursday night.  Do to an hour time difference, we ended up eating dinner around 7:30 Missouri time which was 8:30 our time, we were starving.  The bride to be lives in a itsy bitsy teensy weensy little town that had very limited options for eating at that time of day.  The place we went was super cute and the food was great but being exhausted and starving and a lack of healthy options on the menu I fell into bad habits (as did Erin I'm afraid) and got an appetizer sampler.  I wrote it all down, each and every bite, but haven't been brave enough to figure out that meals points yet lol.

Friday was an incredibly busy and stressful day.  McDonald's breakfast (need i say more?), a higher point lunch (there WAS a grilled chicken on the menu but it didn't sound appetizing so I got fried shrimp...slaps head) followed by rehearsal dinner.  Now I at a SUPER HUGE TON of fresh veggies at dinner and removed the crunchy fried skin from my piece of chicken breast, but I couldn't quite say no to that delicious looking brownie.  SIGH  At this point I was just thoroughly disgusted with myself.  I vowed to not throw it all away just because I was on a trip and things would be hectic.  I blew it.  Lesson learned though, I haven't come as far as I thought I had and realize now that outside of my comfort zone I still need a little work.

Saturday could have been much much worse but because of circumstances out of my control (we weren't given a chance to eat lunch in all the disasters that happened leading up to the walk down the aisle) I only had eaten 4pts worth of food by the time we finally got to eat dinner.  The groom is Korean and his dad is friends with the owner of a local Chinese restaurant, so they served sweet and sour chicken, beef and broccoli, rice, egg rolls and crab rangoons.  GRRROOOOOAAAAANNNNNN!  Ah!!  Chinese food is like kryptonite to me!  I could eat sweet and sour chicken until the cows flew over the moon and not get tired of it.  I was very impressed with myself though.  I had equally smallish amounts of both choices, about a cup of white rice and 3, YES 3, crab rangoons.  I shudder to think of how many more than could have been if they hadn't run out.  By the time I helped cut and serve the cake though, I had absolutely no desire for it and ate about 2 bites of my super skinny piece that I had soooo been looking forward to and saving my points for.  Again, I looked good though :)

My body had reached its 'crap' limit after that and took its revenge with a 3 day long disgustingly horrible stomach and intestinal revolt.  I'm telling you, I felt SICK SICK SICK!  So, now you know.  Do not fall off the wagon like that or the gas and cramps you feel for days after may well kill you, lol.

Since Sunday morning though, and our return home, I've done great.  Keeping right on track, used about 1/2 of my weeklies trying to real myself back in, but feeling much better.  I've been drinking water like a camel, hoping to flush out the salt and ick from my system and feel like I'm back where I should be.  The scale is kindly telling me that I'm at least where I was before leaving so that's excellent.  I have my fingers crossed and my carrots cleaned and cut and ready to eat.  Next time I'm in a situation out of my normal routine I will fare much better.  I was so close to that 20lb I could just cry for not keeping that goal in mind.

I'm not at all in danger of quitting or giving up.  This just makes me more determined to lose the weight and keep going.  Check back Saturday as I will once again be at weigh in and here to share the results of this 2 week roller coaster ride!

Who's In Your Stands?

Do you have a support system set up? A cheerleader or entire cheer section? Who's sitting in the stands of your weight loss and cheering you on? Cheesy? Maybe, but in my opinion its extremely important.

Maybe meetings aren't for you, maybe you are confident in your ability to do it alone, that is awesome but you should still have someone you can turn to when you've hit a bump in the road. In my opinion anyway. I've been reminded a few times today alone what an awesome group of friends and family I have that are helping me through this long long journey. They are there when I need to vent or bitch or share my excitement, helping me pick out new clothes or sending me links to blogs and articles that I might find interesting. I could not be as successful without my cheering section (you know who you are!!) so I just wanted to send out a great big........

blah blah blah

I don't have much to say today, not feeling super witty or charming. I had a 'hungry day' yesterday and used about 11 of my extra weekly points. That's fine, its why we have them, BUT, I am only 3 pounds away from my 20lbs and was hoping to be super diligent this week and MAYBE hit that milestone on Saturday. I have to miss my very first meeting the following week since I'll be out of town for a wedding (I'm going to try and find a meeting that friday to weigh in at) and it would be awesome to go knowing I'd hit 20lb.

Realistically though, 3lb is a lot for a typical week so I'll take whatever comes my way. I feel kind of pooey though with this allergy/sinus crap that hit me with this wonky weather this week and just wanna munch. So I'm keeping busy with my business orders and napping! I am totally planning on taking a nap with the kids here in a bit.

So thats all really, I just needed to confess to my munchies and be done with it.

Week 9 Weigh In

Chalk another one up to the losing (winning) side! I'm down another 1.6lb this week for a total of 17lb :) I'm so excited and loving how the weight is just melting away. I've really been getting a ton of comments on how people can see a difference already and not just in one area but all over. I've noticed my hips and butt, sides/waist and pooch the most. Oh and my face, my lovely face is coming to the surface as the pudge disappears. I look younger, not as tired. I look awesome!

My plan for this week is to follow plan to the letter, get in my water as this is always a struggle for me, and limit my weeklies that I use. I want to hit it hard and if I'm lucky maybe lose that 3lb I need to hit my 20lb! Oh I can't wait to see that number on my card :)

Oooooh I Wanna Eat Like Yoooouuuuu

hummed to the tune of 'I Wanna Be Like You' from the Jungle Book :)

So, I'm always curious about what other people eat when on WW so I thought I'd take a minute to walk you through a typical day for me. Now keep in mind, I have 40pts a day currently so I get a bit more food than say, someone who is 10lb from their goal.

BREAKFAST: usually consists of a WW yogurt (I love the amaretto cheesecake and strawberry ones) with a 1/2 serving of lowfat granola w/o raisins. Yummy and only 5pts!
Or, another fav is poached eggs over light toast. I'll make 2 pieces of toast and 2 poached eggs and have a yummy breakfast for just 6pts!



LUNCH : this has been a favorite lunch for me this week. A HUGE salad of romaine lettuce, light italian dressing (2tbsps is 2pts) and 7g or crunchy bacon bits (1pt), 12 Old Wisconsin Turkey Bites (4pts), a Babybel Light Cheese (1pt) and a clementine (0pts) Total pts = 8



DINNER: A big family favorite (even the kids) is this WW Baked Ziti. It's 7pts a serving and makes 12 servings. We love it because Steve and I both have leftovers for 1 or 2 days lunch. It's always a plus when a meal is delicious and stretches! I usually pair this with broccoli or green beans for 0pts. I skip the butter and use the spray butter and a bit of salt, yummy and free!



So there you go. We have the ziti usually every week, along with the Parmesan chicken tenders I blogged about and the baked chicken. We try new recipes whenever possible but these are out staples, the ones I always have the ingredients on hand for and the kids love them. I usually have points leftover at the end of the day and can use those for a splurge like angel food cake with cool whip topping (4pts) or like tonight, 2 girl scout tagalongs (4pts!)

Feel free to ask questions! This is just for entertainment purposes and maybe to give someone a food option they hadn't thought of before.

Week 8 Weigh In

That's right my lovelies! I kicked WW ass this week and took names! Down 3.4lbs!!! I was not about to let last weeks teeny gain effect me in any way but a positive one. I stuck to my points, only used about half of my weeklies and got lots of water in. There was more 'junk' eating out this week than I'd planned on but you know what? That's life and it happens, you just have to learn to roll with it.



So as a little 'gift' of encouragement to myself I've decided to make a bracelet. For every 5 lbs I get to add a bead to it and so far it has 3 little beads but they are BEAUTIFUL! I wore it to a good friends baby shower today and a reminder to myself that if I was careful with what I ate I could enjoy a piece of cake without going nuts. I had a big plate of fresh fruit...0pts! I didn't feel at all guilty about the delisciously yummy chocolate cupcake with buttercreme icing either.

Here in a bit when the natives fall asleep I'm going to get my measurements again. I'm loving this point in my journey because people are starting to comment on noticing a difference, especially through my sides/hips and chin gobble. Yay!!! I'm thinking of posting that as well as my weight loss each week. I have nothing to hide and I know for others following their own journey to thin, it might be helpful to see that even if some weeks the scale isn't nice you could still be shrinking right out of your pants.

I'm also doing something incredibly brave on this post and if you have a weak stomach, small children in the room or are eating dinner you may want to stop right here.....because I'm going to post a picture of my stomach in its current condition! Laproscopy scars and stretch marks included. It's certainly not pretty and I'm not doing it for any reason other than...I've got 'fat pictures' galore but I've never taken a picture of my actual belly because, well lets be honest, its GROSS. I think though that I can tuck it away in a drawer and when I'm struggling I can use it for motivation. When my weight is gone I can use it with my 'before' pictures. I just need to do it. So..................................................deep breath............................here goes nothing!

Playing Catch Up

Phew, the past week has been really busy and I haven't had time to post on this blog but do not fear, I haven't given up! On the contrary I'm stronger than ever, just busy :)

So lets recap shall we? Last week I weighed in and to my immense surprise I was down .8lb, totally not expecting that! I really was just hoping that I'd maintain, I knew I had used my points loosely so this was a happy WI. I didn't get cocky though because experience has shown me that you don't always get what you expect when you expect it.

Fast forward to this past Saturday, up .8lb.....my first gain. I wasn't mad or upset or even surprised by it. I know that when I play roulette with my points that often the NEXT week is the one that kicks my ass as was the case this week. I stayed within my points and used most but not all of my weeklies but, BUT, I didn't get my water in like I should have and had more soda (diet of course) this week than I've been doing. Not everyone realized that soda is LOADED with sodium and I for one was feeling a bit whale like from the fluid retention.

So what did I do? Not a darn thing. Well not exactly, I just mean I didn't pout or cry or stomp my foot and tell my leader its not fair, its the scale I tell you, I swear I didn't earn this gain! I went home and made my grocery list for the week, making sure to have 4 meals worth of ingredients on that list and that at least 2 of those meals were ones that have tons of leftovers for lunches. I drank a few big glasses of water, took my meds (high blood pressure) and then ate very conservatively through the weekend.

So guess what? I hopped on my home scale this morning and low and behold, I'm down about 4lbs from Saturday. Crazy right? Not really because I've been peeing like a pregnant women! That tells me I was correct in thinking I was retaining water, this is why drinking water like a fishy is sooooo important. It flushes out the sodium and toxins and other crap that hangs around from processed foods and soda and junk. You can eat 100% within your points and not loose well if its all junk. You'll lose but not nearly as efficiently as you could and should be.

I've got romaine lettuce and black olives in the fridge, ready for a huge salad with light ranch for lunch. I've got chicken breasts for baked chicken for dinner and am almost drooling thinking of it paired with mashed potatoes and broccoli! I'm eating healthier and its showing. My face is slimming down, my love handles and more like little speed bumps now and shrinking by the day. I've had to retire my 'fat pants' in favor of a smaller pair. It's all coming together and I'm working it one day at a time.

This post might have gone a little preachy for my style but that's okay. I type what I think and what I think doesn't always flow smoothly or be easily understood but this blog is #1 for me to say what needs said and keep myself accountable. I can't wait to post that next progress picture meaning I've lost 20lb! If you don't mine, say a little prayer to the Weight Loss Gods for me....Cadbury eggs are in the stores now!

I swear I tripped and the chocolate broke my fall!

No really, it just jumped right up there into my mouth all on its own I tell you!

Okay so we all know that is not true, but it sounds better than the truth...I went a bit AWOL this week and I'm sad to say the scale will probably show it tomorrow. I'm not mad and I'm not upset and I plan on taking it like a champ for this reason, I earned it. I earned whatever tomorrow morning brings. I'm just saying a teeny little prayer that its not too much of a punch in the gut.

Let me elaborate, I didn't go hog wild and snarf down everything chocolate covered I could find but I did indulge in the 2 caramels in the kids valentine boxes (and I didn't track them, doh!) I ate out more meals this week than I have the past 6 weeks and I do not like how I feel at all. I did indulge in a bit way in sushi Wednesday night and OMG was it good! However, we snarfed it down so quickly that I was a bit fuzzy on the actual number of pieces I had. We got several kinds and shared so it came out platter style and we just picked away at it. NOTE TO SELF, next time keep a tally or better yet, know how many pieces you can have going into it and take those from the tray and then only eat whats on your plate. DOH!! It's not hard Cortney, you know these things!!!
Sigh.

So anyway, tomorrow is a new day and a new week and I've thoroughly kicked my ass back into shape. I know I can indulge in my favs here and there just not all in the same week! Looking forward to starting a new week.

Some Perspective

So there you have it!

Week 6 Weight In

I love it when I am actually excited to step on that scale! I have a good week and I'm confident I'll have a loss so the scale doesn't hold dread but actual excitement. That was me today! I KNEW that I would have a loss and I was crossing my fingers and toes that it would be at least 1.4lb so I could hit my 10lbs. So I show up, go potty one last time then hop on up and......-3.6LB!!!!!!!
YES PEOPLE, THAT IS -12LB TOTAL FOR ME!!! So what did I do?


I was jumping around like a kid who'd just been told they were going to Disney World! I am beyond thrilled. So now I'm only 3lb away from 15lb which is my next mini goal. I feel good and its starting to show in different parts of my body. I can tell around my waist, like when I put my hands on my hips I can feel my hip bones. There's still a lot of pudge to go but its awesome just feeling the difference. Janice mentioned that she could see it in my face and others agreed and that was AMAZING to hear. It's so hard to get past your own self-image and sometimes don't notice the changes like outsiders would. So to hear that someone who doesn't see me daily can see a difference just makes me feel great.

This was a perfect ending of a great week and hopefully a great beginning of another wonderful one! I'm more dedicated and determined than ever. 2lb away from my 5% goal, exactly 6 weeks away from my trip with Erin to MO for Dawn's wedding and halfway to my hopeful goal of -25lb by that trip. If I don't quite make it I'm okay with that as long as I know that I'm still losing in a healthy way and I'm doing my best to make good choices.

YAY ME!!!

New Do Does It All!

I've been planning for a few weeks to get my hair cut once I hit 10lbs. and although I wasn't quite there (only 1 more pound, fingers crossed for saturday!) I just couldn't take it anymore. I haven't had more than a trim since Stella was born so my hair was about 2" from my waist and driving me crazy! My daily do was either a braid in the back if it was dry or a top knot if it was wet......do you know how much 2 1/2 feet of wet hair weighs on top of your head??!?!?! I don't for sure but its a lot! Not to mention every where I went in my house you could see long strands of hair wrapped around stuff...gross. So Tuesday night I told Steve that I was getting it cut and he was watching the kids. Normally I'd ask as a kindness but this time I made the decision and that was that.

I went to Kenneth's and had a amazingly good time :) Allison was my stylist and I will definitely be returning to her. I think this is the absolute best cut I've ever had. She was about my age, has 2 kids same age and gender as mine and was very easy to communicate with. Nothing worse than a silent stylist! She listened to what I wanted, saw my example picture and was instantly excited about the cut. She was also thrilled that I had enough to donate :) The minimum length for Lock Of Love is 10".....I donated 15"!!! That's a lot of hair, especially when you see how much I still have. Once the bulk of my hair was chopped off we made a marvelous discovery, my hair has a wavy curl to it now! What?!?! When did that happen? Well apparently pregnancy hormones from having Stella changed my hair and it is no longer stick straight. Woohoo! I've longed for those 'beach waves' that you see all the time and could never get them to work without serious time with curlers or a curling iron. She showed me how to use a little bit of curl elixir and scrunch scrunch scrunch (or use the diffuser) and I can get that lovely wavy look with almost no time involvement. EXCELLENT!

I tried yesterday with the diffuser but didn't have quite the luck, although it was there, so I think I just need a little more practice. I actually had to dust off the hair dryer, its been that long since I've used it.The pictures do not do it justice though since Steve wouldn't get off the couch to take the picture and the angle is kind of sucky.

I can't believe how much better I feel, about how I look and my whole personality is just uplifted. I feel sexy and cute and young again. Being a stay at home mom is great but it can be so draining, like everything you do is about someone else and there's nothing left for you at the end of the day. Now I feel like I can do anything at all that I want, I'm not just mommy I'm Cortney again! I've found myself underneath all that hair!

NSV!!!!

I am in a wedding next month, so so so excited! I've got my dress and LOVE IT! Not to mention I look darn good in it. I still needed a dress for the rehearsal though and wanted something new and not my dresses that I wear to church, even though they are cute, I wanted something NEW to reflect the new me that I'm becoming.

I found that perfect dress this morning at Clothes Mentor, its like a Plato's Closet but for grown ups or those of us stuck in larger clothing sizes. They usually have decent quality gently used clothes and for the most part the prices are really good. It's hit or miss though, you never know what you'll find walking in there. Today I hit the jackpot :) I found a really cute, and super fun dress that....wait for it....is a size 20!!!

Ok that sounds like a really big number, and my face is a gorgeous burgundy as I post this, but you have to understand, I've been in a 22 since having Luca and really, lets be honest, it should have been a 24 recently. One should not take off their pants at night and still see the imprint of the button on their tummy. Anyway, SIZE 20! That was a super big deal for me. I grabbed it thinking it would probably not quite fit but maybe by the end of March and hopefully another 10lb it might, well it fits darn good right now! My big hope is that my tummy will continue to shrink while my boobs stay close to where they are in size, then the dress will fit awesome everywhere and if its a bit looser in the tummy then that's okay because of the style. No fat sucker inner for me! (umm that would be what I call those leotard looking torture devices that women wear to smooth out their rolls in the hopes of looking trimmer in their dresses)

So, lets recap... 1) Found awesome dress
2) dress is TOTALLY my style and personality
3) dress was ridiculously cheap at $12
and 4) dress is 2 sizes smaller than I was wearing 5 weeks ago!!

Oh, what? You want to see a picture? Well I forgot to get one in the mirror of me in the dress but I snapped a few when I got home so here ya go!