Why Did I Lie?

I've got this coworker. We have both been through a lot throughout our time of working together in these past 4 years, give or take. The biggest events that we have helped each other get through was when I was diagnosed with MS and when she lost her baby. We have had many a days when one of us would walk in to the others office, shut the door and just cry. We are there for each other at work, yet we never talk or see each other outside of it. It's that type of relationship. We're "work friends".

I've also been a big cheerleader for her as she has been trying to lost weight ever since I've been here. She went from 170 to 140 and is now back up to 170. I try to give her encouragement, and she's the only person at work that I would mention anything to when I would lose "a little weight". I've never talked numbers with her or told her about my exact plan of action. I've always been very vague with her.

Yesterday, I was chatting with her at the microwave during lunch as I waited for my soup to warm up. It was homemade Zuppa Toscana.




When I pulled my soup out, she said "Oh, still sticking to your plan, I see. How much have you lost so far?" There was a long pause as my face turned red and I tried to think of a way around the question. Finally, I told her "Well, I was just out on that business trip so I gained a few pounds, but overall I'd say about 15 pounds." (LIE!!!) She congratulated me and encouraged me to keep going. Then, she asked me what my overall weight loss goal was and I just laughed and said "a lot!" She asked how long I had been working on losing the weight and I told her since May, but not as consistently as I'd like. She continued to encourage me, then we went our separate ways.

Now I'm asking myself, why did I lie? I haven't lost 15 pounds, I have lost 30! That's something to be proud of, yet I felt too ashamed to admit it. I felt so much fear when she asked that question. Mostly, I think that I was scared that she wouldn't believe me or that she would think something like "if she lost 30 pounds, how much does she actually have to lose?" At 170 pounds, when she lost 30 pounds, the difference was incredible. When you weigh 268 and lose 30 pounds, I don't know how much people really notice.

Being so reserved about my weight loss, to the point where I lie about it, seems so silly. The lie was definitely influenced by fear. A fear that I believe I can get over in time.

Outside of sparkpeople/online weight-loss resources, how open are you with discussing your weight/weight loss with the people in your life?

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I'm back and so are a couple of pounds

I've returned home from my business trip and I am so happy to be getting back in to my routine. I actually had a really great trip, but there is just nothing like being home!

As I mentioned before, I took my sister with me on this trip. We had loads of fun! Facials, shopping, dining out, exploring, more shopping, and a movie. I fit some business in to this trip, as well, I promise! :)




Something that I strayed away from that I am planning on getting back to is tracking my nutrition. I want to track my nutrition strictly for the remainder of this week. Hopefully this will help me get back down to where I was pre-business trip. I put a couple of pounds on while out of town. Thankfully, I didn't go overboard and I just need to keep in mind that it could have been worse!

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Blog Free Weekend

I had an unintentional blog free weekend. I didn't get my stats posted from last week and for the week ahead, but I had no loss on the scale and I believe that is rightfully so.

I spent a lot of time planning for my business trip this weekend. I planned meals, packing, schedules, etc. I'm a list person as you can tell.




Not only did I plan my meals, but I planned my husbands, too.




Oh, and I planned my outfit situation that way I don't over pack.




I did a lot of gardening this weekend and I was excited to see that my carrots were ready to be picked.




I am out of town right now, finally finished with my 6 hour drive. I'm about to go out with my sister to shop and explore. Enjoy your evening, everyone!

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Business Trip Meals

I’ve got a business trip that will be taking me about 6 hours from home for three days next week. I’ll be driving down Monday, in meetings all day Tuesday, then driving back home on Wednesday. Good news for me is that my sister, who is in cyber school, is coming with me to keep me company while I’m away from home. We like to use my business trips as a “sisters retreat” whenever possible. In the evenings we will paint our nails, have facials, go shopping, go exploring and… go out to eat.

Business trips are always difficult for me temptation wise. I’ve got no other choice but to eat out for dinners. It’s even more tempting that I can order anything that I’d like and it’s going to be paid for! Dessert paid for? So hard to resist!

I’m going to ask my sister to help me stay strong while out of town and to help me stick to healthier options. I’m also going to pack snacks for in the hotel room. Planning seems to be the key for staying on track while out of town. I’m going to be working on a plan and will share it once I’m finished!

Incentive

As if going on a cruise next month isn't enough incentive to lose 10 pounds, I've got more!

I've kept some clothes that use to fit me when I weighed around 225 pounds. I'm only 12 pounds away from that weight so once I reach my 10 pounds lost for the cruise I will just be that much closer to getting a bunch of new old clothes! :)

Last night I didn't exercise like I planned on doing. I started making a hat and it took me about 3 hours from start to finish. I didn't want to stop! I was really excited to try something new!




It's a beanie style hat. I added a black flower to it and I think it turned out nice. I used a big needle that way it was easier for me, but next time I'm going to try a smaller one. I'm thinking about making a few for Christmas gifts. Oh boy, did I just type Christmas gifts? Too soon, too soon! ;)

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Oh, Geeze!

So, I watched the Biggest Loser season premier last night. I decided to exercise lightly on the gazelle in front of the tv throughout the first hour of the show, taking breaks during commercials. Within the first 5 minutes of the show, I had tears in my eyes. I remember thinking "Oh, Geeze! That's right! I get so emotional during this show!"

If you didn't watch the show, let me just tell you that there was really nothing to get teary eyed about in the first 5 minutes. My teary eyes ended up coming and going throughout the entire show. I was just so moved to see people like me get the chance that we all deserve, the chance to save ourselves!

When the younger and middle team ran to help the older team cross the finish line, I lost it! There I was, on the gazelle with tears running down my face. I was thinking about how I am so fortunate to have people like the ones who read my blog, to cheer me on to the finish line just like the teams I was watching on tv.

So, thank you readers and cheerleaders! You're support continues to help me move toward that finish line!

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Biggest Loser Premier!

This morning I woke up to some low calorie banana muffins and roses that my husband got me for our anniversary yesterday! I must say, I was one happy girl this morning! :)




For work, I packed grapes, a sandwich, crackers, and a fiber one brownie.




My husband is away at school again tonight, so I will be eating dinner alone. I'm planning on doing dishes, taking Max for a walk, then watching the season premier of Biggest Loser.

I was excited when I heard on the radio this morning that the Biggest Loser premier is tonight! I don't watch regular programming much (I love instant streaming with netflix) but this is one show that I'll turn the netflix off for!

Is anyone else going to be tuning in tonight?

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Celebrating!

Today, my husband and I are celebrating two years of marriage.




My husband, Nick, has and continues to be my biggest support in my weight loss journey. I thank God for him every day. He has proven to love me through "thick and thin". We have been with each other for nearly eight years. The feelings that I have for Nick grow more and more each year. The more my feelings grow, the harder they are to explain. The depth of love seems endless. Just as I feel as if I couldn't love him anymore than I already do, my love for him grows. It's truly amazing! God is good!

This morning, before Nick went off for work, he woke me up with a kiss and said some wonderful things to me. I'd love to spend the entire day with him, but unfortunately I will not see much of him at all. We both work today and he goes to school right after work. He will be home around 9:30/10:00 p.m. My good friend is coming over to keep me company tonight while he is away. We are going to have salmon for dinner and watch a movie.

After my friend leaves and Nick gets home, we are going to open a bottle of wine that we have been saving for today. We bought this bottle of wine last year while we were on our first year anniversary cruise in Mexico. It's from the Santo Thomas winery. It's a 2009, which is the year that we were married.

We have booked a cruise to celebrate our second year anniversary, which is the cruise that we will be going on next month. It's also the cruise that I've been using as a challenge to lose 10 pounds. We are flying to Miami, and leave from there. We'll be going to Key West and Cozumel. I'd love it if we could go on a cruise each year. There is nothing so relaxing than being on a ship in the middle of the ocean with the one that you love!

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Cruise Challenge Update

Now it's time for a recap of the plan for my current challenge:

1. Post Dinner Plans Weekly - 2/6 weeks
2. Post Exercise Plans Weekly - 2/6 weeks
3. Weigh-in Weekly - 2/6 weeks
4. Daily Blogging - 7/45 days

------------------------

Dinner Plan:

Sunday: Zuppa Toscana
Monday: Sushi
Tuesday: BBQ Chicken
Wednesday: Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls
Thursday: Chicken Stir Fry
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Saturday: Shrimp w/ Rice and Broccoli

Exercise Plan:

Sunday: Wii Fit
Monday: Walk
Tuesday: Wii Fit
Wednesday: Walk
Thursday: Wii Fit
Friday: Walk
Saturday: Wii Fit

Weekly Weigh-In:

Starting Weight: 240 lbs
Goal Weight: 230 lbs
Current Weight: 237 lbs
Total Loss: 3 lbs
------------------------

As you can see above, today I am making zuppa toscana for dinner. It's one of our favorite soups! It's a sunny fall-like day outside. The perfect soup weather! Yum yum!

Also, did you see the total pounds lost? I lost 3 pounds during the first week of my cruise challenge! Not only was this lost during my first week of the cruise challenge, but it was also during fair week! I'm really pleased with these results! Hoping to keep the trend going strong this week, too!

Lazy Saturday

I don't really have much to blog about today. For the first time in a little while, I had a lazy Saturday. I've been slowly cleaning my house in the middle of episodes of desperate housewives. It's about dinner time now and I'm excited to try a new wine with it.

Tomorrow, our friends asked that we show them the western reserve greenway in Ohio. It's a beautiful bike trail that my husband and I found a few weeks ago. That has the potential for some serious exercise!

Speaking of exercise, I'm going to do my Wii exercise after dinner. I haven't broken my exercise plan all week, and I'm not planning on stopping now! Ready to finish the week with a fun session of Wii fit! Have a good Saturday evening, everyone!

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Temptation Galore

Let me first start by declaring that I am feeling great today! I can actually see the difference in my face that people have been commenting on these past few weeks. I believe them now; my face does look a little slimmer! I guess that's what losing 30 pounds does to ya! ;)




Now, moving on to the reason for this blogs title, "Temptations Galore". Today is going to be tough. It seems like there is just one temptation after another lined up for today.

For breakfast, my boss brought in freshly baked cookies from a local chocolate shop. She called it "cookies for breakfast". I took a 1/4 of a cookie. They were large cookies, so I think I'll just track it as 1/2 of a cookie.




Since I was running low on both time and groceries this morning, I grabbed a water and some turkey lunch meat to bring with me for work. One of the attorneys that I work for offered to bring in pizza for lunch today, and so began the idea of having a "food day" in out office. I offered to bring a side of veggies (carrots) while others offered to bring chips, cookies, brownies, etc. Which brings me to my next temptation of the day, "the office lunch".




The photo above is a picture of my plate for the office lunch. While, I feel like I could have done better, I am choosing to focus on how good it was of me of get carrots and salad instead of chips!

Last, but certainly not the least of my temptations for the day, we have the fair. Friday night is one of the busiest nights for the fair. I'm planning on doing my exercise for the day at the fair tonight. Walking around the fair grounds 3-4 times equals out to be a mile. I know this because the fair grounds double as our local park and I've tracked it's distance before. The fair food is going to be my biggest temptation of the entire day.

If I conquer all of these temptations today by staying within calorie range, I have decided to reward myself with two fudge popsicles. They are 40 calories each and will be a great reward if I am able to maintain my self control. I can do it!

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I Caved

Okay, I went to the fair last night and I caved. My husband and I walked around the fair grounds about three times, smelling and looking at all of the yummy food. We were waiting for our friends to show up to eat dinner with them. By the time 8:00 rolled around, I was really hungry! I hadn't eaten since lunch and our friends were nowhere to be found. Finally, we got a call from them and they said that they were there and they wanted pizza. My first thoughts were "Oh no! That's one of my favorite fair food!" After some quick thinking, I finally caved and got a slice. My husband got garbage fries and we were both equally satisfied with our decision.




After that piece of pizza, we shared a milkshake and both got a cookie. Despite all of that, I'm not feeling very regretful about caving last night at the fair. I mean, yes, it would have been nice to have eaten something a little easier to track, but the good news is that I stepped on the scale this morning and I am actually down a pound from yesterday! I think that sticking to my exercise plan for the week, despite my dinner plans has really helped me!

Some good news is that tonight we are not going to the fair. We are actually eating a quick dinner and then taking the kittens that we have been fostering to their new homes! I feel a little sad to see them go, but I'm so happy that we have found loving homes for them!







Those two girls above are going to the same home! So glad because they have a good bond! The other kitten, Winston, is going to my sister. I get to watch him grow and will be able to visit him. I feel like all of my prayers for these kittens have been answered. I feel like this is the best case scenario and I'm so thankful!

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Fair week

Last night, my friend from out of town was in town for the fair. She asked me to go down with her to watch the fair queen contest. She also suggested that we get some food, but I got out of it by saying that I had already made dinner for myself. I went to the fair last night but didn't eat any fair food, instead...

I had two bowls of salad:



...and four pieces of chicken with barbecue sauce:




I'm really proud of myself for not eating anything at the fair last night! The fair is such a temptation, and I'm really glad that I stayed strong!

Tonight, my husband and I are eating at the fair for dinner with another couple. This was planned, however. I'm not going to be eating any of the bad food listed in my last blog. I'm going to stick with items that I feel will be easy to track! I can make it through fair week with a loss on the scale! I know it!

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Big Obstacle

Yesterday was my husband’s “first day of school”. He is working from 8:00 – 5:00 and then he goes to school from 5:30 – 9:00 on Mondays and Tuesdays. Last night, when he got home, I had the house cleaned and dinner waiting for him in the fridge. As he sat down to eat, I sat with him. I wanted to hear all about his first day of school. This was a bad idea. He was eating, and it was 10:00 at night. I hadn’t eaten anything since dinner, 5 hours prior. I was hungry and watching him eat made me feel like I was starving, naturally. I ate another helping of dinner with him and then went to bed 30 minutes later. Not a great start to my cruise challenge. I am happy to say, however, that I have been following my exercise plan. Yesterday, I was to go for a walk. I not only went for a walk, I also did some stretching while I watched one of my favorite shows and then I went on to do some Wii Fit. I took great advantage of my time to myself, with my husband being away at school. The only thing that I have to work on now, is my self control once my husband returns home.

A big obstacle for me to overcome this week is our town’s fair has begun. The fair is in town until Saturday. Our small town literally shuts down for this fair. The grocery store closes early, our local pizza shop closes for the whole week. The only thing still up and running is the gas station and the bars, of course. Just about everyone in our town, and from neighboring towns, comes to this fair. I actually fell in love with my husband at this very same fair. We really love going down there to eat, meet up with old friends, and bask in the fun atmosphere. The fair has the most delicious food, and it only comes “once a year”. My favorite things that I get from the fair each year are as follows:

1. Blooming Potato: This is a large potato, cut like a blooming onion. It’s smothered in melted cheese (the kind that you’d dip nachos in) and you can even add real bacon bits, ground beef, banana peppers, black olives and sour cream. This bad boy is going to be the hardest thing to stay away from all week long!

2. Deep Fried Oreos: If you have ever tried these, you know just how good they are! The serving at the fair gives you six deep fried oreos with powdered sugar on top. I almost always burn my mouth on this treat though, because they are so good; I just can’t wait to eat them! This is one treat that I think I will be able to avoid. The price is quite the deterrent.

3. Fair Pizza: The largest slice of pizza you’ve ever seen! They always have the wildest things on these pizza’s too! This is going to be a hard one to resist, as well. It’s funny how I feel like it’s tradition to eat this.

4. Pie: There is this one place at the fair that sells the best homemade pie. You actually get a deal with this one, so it makes it a little harder to resists. You can get a burger, a side and a slice of pie for a really good price! We are meeting our friends at the fair tomorrow night and I know they will want to get their dinner from this stand. I can easily track the burger, but the pie I will have to resist.

5. Real Lemonade: Yes, its real lemonade… with a really dangerous amount of sugar added. It’s really easy to gain 10 pounds from a week at this fair.

6. Doughboys: Naturally, every fair has to have a doughboy. I like mine with butter and cinnamon sugar on top. Another “tradition”; this week is going to be tough!

My goal for the week is to avoid all of the temptations listed above. I can already hear myself saying “but it’s just once a year” and that is true. Everyone should indulge a little every once in a while. The problem is that I just started my cruise challenge and I really want to lose 10 pounds by the end of next month. Eating the items listed above will not help my efforts. I’m going to stay committed to this challenge! Wish me luck!

Low Calorie Banana Muffins

Low Calorie Banana Muffins

Servings: 12
Nutrition per Serving: 79 calories, .6 fat, 17.3 carbs, 1.9 protein

 

 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup mashed bananas
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 

Directions

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tin or use paper muffin liners.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, beat banana, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir in applesauce.
4. Stir in flour mixture.
5. Pour batter into muffin cups. About 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.
(If you use paper liners, the muffins stick to the paper until they have set awhile.)

Recipe from Sparkrecipes.com: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=288655

Exciting News!

Okay, I've been working on my "Anniversary Challenge" for a couple of weeks now. My Anniversary is next weekend and I'm sad to say that I'm not going to reach my goal. Instead of losing weight this week, I gained a couple of pounds. I'm not too upset about this though, the weight gain was completely warranted. I made a choice between taking care of myself, or taking care of some kittens that needed to find good homes this week. I'm proud to say that I've found homes for all of the kittens that we have been taking care of! 15 kittens to be exact! We've got three left, and they are rummaging around our spare bedroom as I type this. They go to their new homes this Thursday. I'm going to miss them, but I can't wait to get my time and spare bedroom back! They just started eating kitten chow this weekend, so bottle feeding is pretty much over with. That took up a lot of my time, and I feel like I'm ready to refocus on me and my weightloss!

Now, I've got some really exciting news to share. My husband and I bought each other an amazing anniversary gift! We are going on a cruise!! We've booked the cruise for October 27th-31st. This is only 45 days away and I still can't believe it's happening! Everything is booked, but it still hasn't really "hit" me that we are going! Despite my unbelief, I am going to start preparing for this cruise right now. I'm ditching the "Anniversary Challenge" and starting a bigger, better challenge. A challenge to motivate me to lose weight for our upcoming cruise!

This morning I weighed in at 240 lbs. My goal for the Cruise Challenge is to lose 10 pounds before I step on the ship. I want to be at 230 lbs for the first time in over 3 years by the time that we go on our anniversary vacation! The plan for this challenge isn't very different from my Anniversary Challenge.

The Plan:

1. Post Dinner Plans Weekly
2. Post Exercise Plans Weekly
3. Weigh-in Weekly
4. Daily Blogging

------------------------

Dinner Plan:

Sunday: Chili
Monday: BBQ Chicken w/ Salad
Tuesday: Sushi
Wednesday: Shrimp w/ Rice and Broccoli
Thursday: Chicken Stir Fry
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Date Night
Sunday: Lasagna

Exercise Plan:

Sunday: Wii Fit
Monday: Walk
Tuesday: Wii Fit
Wednesday: Walk
Thursday: Wii Fit
Friday: Walk
Saturday: Wii Fit
Sunday: Walk

Weekly Weigh-In:

Starting Weight: 240 lbs
Goal Weight: 230 lbs
Current Weight: 240 lbs
Total Loss: 0 lbs

Daily Blogging: 1/45

------------------------

Cruise Challenge starts now...

Day 17 of 25: Chinese Food

Well, I suppose my body is trying to tell me to SLOW down. My throat is killing me and I'm extremely tired. These past couple of weeks have me worn down completely.

I checked the scale this morning and unlike my great week last week, I have not lost anything. I ordered Chinese today for lunch, that way I could get some wonton soup.

Tonight is going to be a couch, soup, blanket, pillow and netflix night. I can't wait until work is over so I can get to it!

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Day 13 of 25: Labor Day

Quick post tonight. We went to a picnic this afternoon, and this evening I went on a bike ride with my sister. Some pictures from our ride are below. Enjoy the remainder of your labor day, everyone!














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Day 12 of 25: Picnic Galore

We'll it's a holiday weekend and we've got picnic's galore! Two picnics today and a picnic tomorrow. I was trying to do well, by staying within calories, but then I got to thinking. One day off from being within calories is not going to ruin all of my efforts. It may set me back a bit, but these holiday weekends do not come around that often. I started thinking about an old blog that I wrote about "saying 'goodbye' to the wagon". Here's a recap from my previous blog post:

.:* Saying "Goodbye" to the Wagon *:.

"I always use to picture weightloss as an all or nothing kind of journey. After many years, I've realized that we are going to have days when we have a wedding to go to, an anniversary to celebrate, parties to go to, etc. We can't be "good" 100% of the time. If we could be good 100% of the time, this journey would be a really boring one. Not challenging at all, right?

After falling off of the wagon last night, I've come to the decision that I'm going to stay where I am and wave goodbye to that "wagon" that I've been falling off and jumping back on these past four years. When I use to fall off of that old wagon, it could have been days, weeks, sometimes months before I would catch up to it and jump back on. Well, no more of that! I am cutting my ties with that wagon and I am going to be focused. I'm going to walk the rest of this journey. During my walk, I'm sure that I will get distracted here and there; perhaps I may take a short rest on a rock and enjoy a sunset. That's a much nicer analogy compared to falling off of a wagon, and without a wagon to fall off, I have no wagon to jump back on. I will simply stand from my rest and keep on walking. No more time will be wasted, trying to catch up to that pesky wagon. It's all about getting refocused. Refocusing sounds a lot easier than jumping back on a wagon, now doesn't it?

So, for all of my other friends on the wagon, I urge you to JUMP! Jump off of that wagon and join me in walking the rest of our journey. Because, afterall, we should “focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” ~Greg Anderson.

I'm ready to stand up from my rest on this rock, and continue my walk. That wagon is long gone in the distance now, and I'm feeling better already!"

Looking back on that post makes me remember that it's okay to have a day where I go outside of my calorie range. No guilt here!

As for my Anniversary challenge, I am now at day 12.

Dinner Plans: 9/5 – 9/10

Monday: Chicken w/ Potatoes and Zucchini
Tuesday:Shrimp with Rice and Broccoli
Wednesday: Chili
Thursday: Chicken Stir Fry
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Saturday: Date Night
Sunday: Lasagna

Starting Weight: 241 lbs
Goal Weight: 231 lbs
Current Weight: 237.2 lbs
Total Loss: 3.8 lbs

I've got 6.2 lbs. to lose before my two year anniversary with my husband on September 19th. I know that today didn't really help my efforts for the challenge, but tomorrow I will be ready to continue onward with my journey. If there is one thing that I need to keep in mind right now, it is one of my favorite quotes: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.” ~ Brian Littrell.

Day 11 of 25: Canoe Trip

We've been blessed with another beautiful Saturday! You know what that means? Time to soak up some sun!!




It was in the 90's this afternoon with a warm breeze. My husband and I decided to go on a little canoe ride at a local lake.




We borrow his grandma's canoe, who just happens to live on land surrounded by the fingerlakes. Perfect! First step before we take the canoe out is always to check and get rid of any spiders. That's what my husband would be doing in the picture, above :)




Once the canoe is clear of spiders, we toss in our bags and off we go!




I've been determined to go canoeing at least once this summer. I'm so glad that we finally got the chance! We make it a point to go out at least once a summer. I'd love to go more. Maybe one day we'll own a canoe of our own.




I almost forgot how peaceful and relaxing canoeing can be. It can also be challenging at times, but if you take the time to stop paddling and look around, the surroundings are breathtaking!




We stayed out on the lake long enough to eat a small lunch before paddling back. Between the sun and paddling, I'm definitely feeling worked out!




I'm hoping to go canoeing at least once more this fall, when all of the leaves have turned. What a pretty trip that would be!




In the picture above you can see my husband's grandma's house on the left. What a nice location she has. It's always a treat visiting her.




To cap off our great canoe adventure, we stopped on the way home to admire a big rainbow. I wish the picture did it justice. Today was such a great day, with great sights to see. These outside activities are providing many great memories, and we're having so much fun with them! To think, all of these years that I would have rather stayed inside during a nice day like this. Boy was I missing out! Not any longer, though. I'm seizing every opportunity we are given to get out, and play! :)

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Day 10 of 25: Thirty Pounds Lost!

As you can imagine, I was completely thrilled this morning when I stepped on the scale to see that I had reached yet another milestone! Thirty pounds lost!

This feels so surreal. I have been feeling big changes all this week. My tight pants fit, the pants that fit me before are loose. I think that seeing the number on the scale really made it all the more real for me, today. Also, I received a major compliment today. My boss that I see once a month came over to me this afternoon and whispered "have you lost a lot of weight?" I was so happy to hear that today. Not only did she ask if I lost weight, but she asked if I lost "a lot" of weight! That made my day!

My husband is at his lowest weight in four years, too. I'm so proud of both of us! He asked me out on a date tonight, and I'm really excited. We are going out for dinner and you better believe that I'm taking my motivation with me. I'm getting a big salad and a small steak. I've even saved enough calories for a roll if I wanted one tonight. Speaking of calories, staying within calories is just one of the many reasons why I lost thirty pounds. Some other reasons are below:

~30 Reasons That I Lost 30 Pounds~

1. I am enjoying what I am eating!
2. I am having fun with exercise
3. I am not depriving myself
4. I have the support and love of my husband
5. I am motivated to be healthy, not just "skinny"
6. I haven't pushed myself too hard too fast, baby steps
7. I can really picture myself at a lower weight, and want to get there
8. I want my dog to be healthy, so I take him for walks which helps us both
9. I force myself to let go of perfectionism
10. If I go over calories, I accept it and MOVE ON
11. I feel empowered when I make healthy choices
12. I've realized that I can forgive myself
13. I've realized that I can love myself
14. I believe in myself
15. I trust what my body "tells" me when it comes to exercise
16. When I "indulge" I actually WANT to make up for it in exercise
17. I keep my journey fun and fresh with challenges
18. I reward myself for little accomplishments
19. I dream of what it will feel like to be at my goal weight
20. I let go of obsessing over the numbers, it will happen eventually if I keep going
21. I've banned the "all or nothing" mentality
22. I track nutrition on Sparkpeople
23. I've read books about nutrition
24. I want to feel comfortable in cute clothes
25. I want to be able to wrap a normal size towel around me after a shower
26. Being on this journey makes me happy
27. Free time is for activity more often than for lounging on the couch
28. My stomach is no where near the steering wheel now when I drive
29. Each lb. loss gives me that much more motivation to go on
30. Making healthy choices sparks a bigger crave for healthy living

I hope that at least one of those reasons can help you reach your goals. I wish you the best on your journey, mine is just starting and I'm having loads of fun!

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Day 9 of 25: Cooking for One

This was yesterday's post:

For anyone out there who is cooking for one, I commend you. I find that it is always so much easier for me to make up excuses not to cook dinner when I’m only cooking for myself. I’ve been cooking meals for two for at least three years now. I’m going to have to start getting use to cooking for one though because my husband is starting classes Mondays and Tuesday evenings in a couple of weeks.

My husband is away at orientation tonight. I had dinner planned for the evening, but once I remembered that I was the only one who was going to be eating it, I instantly found myself making excuses to order out or pick up something for dinner instead. The thought that stopped all of my excuses, however, was the thought that I am going to have leftovers to freeze for a quick meal in the future. I haven’t had any real cravings for fast food or anything of the sort, until today. Cooking for one brings on a lot of temptation for some reason. It reminds me of when I lived on my own in a small upstairs apartment in the city. It was so easy to drive down the street to Taco Bell, McDonalds, etc.

Tonight I will be making my Simple Salsa Con Queso Chicken. The recipe can be found under the recipes category at the top of my page!

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Day 8 of 25: Cat Whisperer

This is a post from yesterday:

I didn’t get the chance to blog the other night, but I had a good reason. Let me start by saying that I have been cursed with a tremendous amount of love for animals. We have been nursing 3-week old abandoned kittens since Saturday. The mother cat was nowhere to be found, and the kittens were crying in our backyard. My husband and I took pictures of the three kittens after work last night, and then we went to his mother’s house to take pictures of her 12 kittens that need homes. (It’s that time of year, I guess!) After taking pictures, we went over to my mom’s house. My husband and I took my little brother and our dog for a walk. My sister walked with us, too. We were able to get my sister to take one of our kittens, so I was very relieved. After we were done with our walk, and as we were pulling up in our driveway, we spotted the momma cat of the three babies that we have been fostering. She is a pure wild cat, and my husband said not to even bother trying to catch her, but I couldn’t let this opportunity pass. I needed to get that momma cat to feed her babies, to help them do their business, and to give them the TLC that only a momma cat can. So, I rushed out of the car and sure enough she bolted like lightning. I stopped and started meowing like a baby kitten and she stopped and looked back. I held my hands like I had one of her babies in my hand and started creeping toward her. (I was banking on her motherly instincts.) After about 10 seconds of creeping toward the cat, I pretended to lower the “kitten” down to the ground, and the mother cat started walking towards me. Mind you, by this time, Nick’s jaw was dropped to the ground, he was so shocked. If any of you have ever tried to catch a wild cat, you know that it’s impossible. Well, I beat those odds last night. As soon as she came close enough, I grabbed her and ran in to the house, up the stairs, to our spare bedroom where we are keeping the kittens. Happy ending, right? Well, I wish that were the case. After about an hour of trying to make it work, the mother wanted nothing to do with the kittens. They were scared to death of her, and she actually swatted at one before we finally let her back outside. (Before you ask whether or not it was the actual mother, there was no denying it. She still hadn’t gained back her figure from giving birth to these babies and she looked exactly like the two.) The kittens were running to me when the momma cat was in the spare bedroom. After just four days, I had become their new “momma cat”. If anything, I’m just relieved to know that the real momma cat isn’t moping around, worrying about her kittens. She wanted nothing to do with them, so I can let that worry slide off my back. Another relief is that I believe I have homes for at least one other kitten. I’m still hoping that they start “going to the bathroom” on their own soon, because I have been doing enemas the past two days since we have been to the vet. The vet showed me how to do it, gave me all of the stuff that I needed. I was scared to do it at first, but I am very gentle and they don’t seem to mind them at all. It has helped them so far, but tonight will be the last enema treatment, then I’m going to pray hard that they start going on their own.

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