Boring

Sorry about the lack of posts during the past month. There really hasn't been anything exciting in my life to report. It's been the same ol' stuff day in and day out. I eat mostly cottage cheese and run as much as I can.

Movement

The scale finally moved in my favor today.... DOWN.

9 pounds to go until goal!

12

12 to go!

Moving Down...

The scale is moving down again. Hip Hip Hooray! I've been doing really good the past few days with my diet and exercise. It's paying off!

13 pounds to go!

Once I reach my initial goal I think I'll reevaluate and maybe shoot for 140, but I'm not going to even think about that right now. 13 sounds better and more doable than 23 at this point. I can't believe how much weight I've lost.

I'm still having a difficult time recognizing myself in the mirror. I don't look like the same person and I still kinda feel fat. I'm starting to wonder how I appear in the eyes of other people. I find myself sizing up other women and wondering if I'm close to their size or not. I just can't grasp all of this yet. Someday....

Coming Clean...

OK... So here's the deal. I guess I better document what I've been cheating with lately so I can learn from my mistakes.

Here it goes...

- light popcorn (totally not on the list of things I'm allowed to eat)

- fruit (maybe I've been enjoying too much? I know it's a healthy sugar, but sugar is still sugar.)

- chocolate (dark chocolate still isn't good for me; why do I love it so much?; the tiny taste I enjoy really does add up)

- Russel Stover SF Marshmallow Easter Egg (these things are amazingly wonderful and are a rare treat, but those treats still have calories that add up over time)

- Twizzlers bites (I've been really enjoying these after a run... but the frozen scale makes me not enjoy them so much now)

On top of all that, I haven't been exercising as much lately. This is a really bad combination. I can't help but wonder if I'm subconsciously trying to sabotage my diet or if I'm scared of reaching goal. Well, whatever it is needs to be corrected immediately.

Have any of you ever experienced something like this?

On A Positive Note...

I only have 15 more to go!!!

Disappointed...

What can I say? I've been cheating a bit and I'm really disappointed. It's time to get back on the bandwagon.

Tomorrow is a new day!

2/25/2010

A Day In My Belly:

Breakfast-

Coffee

Lunch-

Pure Protein Bar- Chocolate Peanut Butter

Raw almonds and walnuts (6 pieces total)

Dinner-

Chicken- 1/3 breast (pre-cooked mesquite chicken from Sams... So Good!)

Black beans- 20 beans?

Fire roasted bell peppers- few small slices

2% cheddar- just a sprinkling

Salsa

Oopsie-

1 Sugar Free Russell Stover Marshmallow Egg

Losing My Britches

It took me a few minutes to decide whether I wanted to wear my cute corduroy skirt or my black dress pants to work today. The pants won because they're just so darn comfortable and they don't require leggings.

As I was putting on my pants, I felt like I was about to get lost. There was so much fabric! How can this be? I purchased these pants a couple of days before Christmas and they're a size 12. According to my calendar, I've only lost about 20 pounds since they were purchased.

I wore my saggy britches today and felt like an absolute slob. It was actually quite embarrassing. I expressed my concern to my husband after work by giving him a mini fashion show. He instructed me to buy new pants.

If I make it to the mall this weekend I might be purchasing a new pair of black pants. I did recently purchase a pair of jeans in size 8 and they fit great. So I'm wondering if a size 8 in dress pants will fit. And while I'm wondering if the 8 will fit, I still feel like a size 24. My brain still hasn't caught up to all the changes. Will I ever see myself as long and lean?

Not so good..

A Day In My Belly

Breakfast:

Protein Shake-

Cold water

Cookies and Cream protein powder by Pure Protein

1 packet Taster's Choice decaf coffee

2 pumps or 2 Tbsp. sugar-free vanilla Torani syrup

ice

Lunch:

Pure Protein Bar- Marshmallow Eclipse

Dinner:

1/2 can tomato soup

1oz. 2% sharp cheddar

A small handful of oyster crackers

I didn't feel well tonight and have been having some major constipation problems. I'm guessing this is due to my extreme lack of fiber. Even though they are major "No-No's", hopefully the soup and crackers will help loosen things up a bit, along with the MiraLax.

Tomorrow is a new day.

Protein Packed

I've been eating a lot of this lately.....

Lowfat Cottage Cheese

It's lowfat, decently low carb, and high in protein. It's great alongside some vegetables, fruit, or sprinkled with some cayenne or just salt and pepper. I think my absolute favorite way to eat cottage cheese is with slices of home grown tomatoes with salt and pepper. It's the best!

My local grocery stores charge about 3 bucks (sometimes more) for a 16 oz container of this stuff. I have found that I can get this huge 3 lb tub of it at Sams Club for less than 5 bucks. Buying in bulk obviously makes more sense. When I have it on hand I usually eat cottage cheese once a day and end up making my Carb Man (Carbohydrate loving husband) some lasagna with it. It's great stuff.

Anyways, that's my bit of advice for the day.

Happy Eating!

Valentine's Day in My Belly

I realized I don't post much about the foods I eat. I'm going to try to do a better job of that in case there's anyone that's considering WLS.

A Day In My Belly:

Lunch:

Deli Roll Ups - Deli Ham (Castlewood from Sams Club) slices rolled up around Trader Joe's Light Cream Cheese (3), no sugar added bread and butter pickle chips (4), green olives (2)

Dinner:

Teriyaki Chicken (3oz?), edamame (2 Tbsp), green beans (just a few) with melted 2% Velveeta

......And in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I did enjoy ONE chocolate truffle that Bones got me.

I'm absolutely stuffed.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day,

Everybody!

I hope you're having a wonderful day and are able to pamper yourself and/or spend it with someone you love.

I'm spending today with my husband, Bones. He spoiled me with some gifts yesterday evening. I received a gorgeous pot of orchids, some dark chocolate truffles (they're mostly for him), and some gummies (glucose for my runs).

We've just been having a lazy day so far. It snowed all night and was snowing when I got up this morning. We're definitely having a White Valentine's Day. Now, while I do enjoy a good White Christmas, I have to ask what's up with a White Valentine's Day??? I guess we won't be doing any fun couple activities outside like tennis or playing catch. Hmmm.... Maybe we'll just go window shop at the mall.

I hope that at this time next year I'm maintaining my goal weight in a fit and healthy manner. I know the Holidays sure can be tough with all the yummy chocolates and pretty candies, but I must remain strong. Skinny feels better than any of that tastes.

Did you get anything special for Valentine's Day?

Lost Another...

Somehow I lost another pound during the night. That's pretty awesome!

17 to go!

NORMAL!

I weighed this morning and my scale informed me that I'm NORMAL for the first time in my life. Yes, folks! I have a NORMAL BMI (24.8) !!! I'm NO LONGER considered overweight.

119 Down, 20 To Go

Hey, everybody! Sorry I haven't posted a blog in a while. Things have been a little crazy. And to add to my craziness, the scale was stuck and I didn't really have any good news to report. With all that being said..... HAPPY FEBRUARY!

Today is a great day! As I stepped on the scale, I was expecting it to still be stuck. I'd been hanging around the same numbers for days. I was getting really irritated that the number wasn't getting any smaller. Well, today it finally did. As of today I only have 20 pounds to go until I reach my weight-loss goal.

Now with all that being said, I should probably give a little more history. When discussing goals with my doctor many months ago, I told him that I'd be happy to get down to 200 pounds again. He said he thought I could do better than that, so I told him 175 would be even better, but that it would be a stretch. He then asked how I would feel weighing 150 and wearing a size 8/10. Are you kidding me? I was floored! I didn't ever remember being that size. Was this possible for me?

So, here I am now weighing in at 170. I've done better than I could even have imagined. I seriously can't believe I've gone from a size 24 to a 8/10 and I'm not even done. I still have 20 pounds to go.

That 20 pounds brings me to a whole new thought. What if I go past my official goal of 150? Is that something I'm capable of doing? Why yes, I do think so, but I can't even imagine it at this point. I'm quite aware I'm still losing and well on my way to 150, but I'm having a difficult time grasping that idea as it is. So, maybe I should shoot for 140. Well, it would be more like extra credit. I don't think I'll make it an official goal, but I'll take it. I just want to be healthy!

I'm still completely floored and in shock by all of this. I don't feel much smaller, but I am. Some of my size mediums absolutely swallow me and I did buy a jacket in size small the other day. It's crazy how much I've changed.

Great Finds!

I purchased a few new items from White House Black Market. Here's what I bought: A black dress in size 8, a form fitting top in size 6, a cami in size medium, and some stellar heels. Best of all.... EVERYTHING was on CLEARANCE! Go me!

Now I'm watching a documentary called "Ultra Marathon Man: 50 Marathons, 50 States, 50 Days." Talk about inspiring!!!

What inspires you?

Stats

Current:

Height: 5' 9"

Weight: 1XX pounds

BMI: 26

Body fat:

Size: 8/10, S/M, 34DD/36D

Starting:

Height: 5' 9"

Weight: XXX pounds

BMI: 44.6

Body fat:

Size: 22/24, 2X, 42DDD

I'm almost in the "normal" range. That's incredible!

8

I am the proud owner of a skirt in size 8!

Vegetarian Chili

Healthy and affordable can coexist. Here's proof! Enjoy!

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients:

1 can stewed tomatoes (with onion, celery, and green pepper), do NOT drain

1 can diced tomatoes, do NOT drain

1 can rotel, do NOT drain

1 can chili beans, do NOT drain

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can red beans, rinsed and drained

1 can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can chickpeas aka garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 pound dry lentils

2 cloves garlic, crushed (optional)

1/4 tsp. cumin

Chili powder to taste (add 1/4 tsp. at a time if you're not too familiar with spices…. you can always add more, but you can't take it out)

4 cups water

1 Tbsp. Vegetable Soup Base & Seasoning

Directions:

1. Get out your trusty Crockpot and turn it on HIGH.

**This recipe completely fills my 6-quart Crockpot**

2. Rinse lentils thoroughly and sort.

3. Add all canned ingredients to the Crockpot, lentils, spices, water, and vegetable soup base.

4. Stir well.

Let it do its thing for about 4 hours (or turn it on low for about 6-8 hours).

The lentils will soak up most of the liquid and the final product will be thick and hearty.

* You may pre-cook lentils in the water and vegetable broth in another pot and then add to chili. If you do this, you can omit adding water and broth to the crockpot.

Serve with 2% shredded cheddar. If you're not watching your figure you can also serve it with corn chips, saltines, sour cream, ranch, salsa, etc. I'm sure leftovers would be delicious on a baked potato, hot dog, a bed of Frito's, etc.

It tastes great the first day, but even better the next! As it sits in the fridge overnight it thickens even more.

I purchased most of the canned goods used in this chili at Aldi. I'm betting it cost under 6 bucks to make this giant batch of chili. It freezes well too.

Are you there?

Now that all of the Holiday Festivities are over I'm hoping to kick things up a notch around here. Maybe one of my New Year's Resolutions should be to make more posts on this blog.

What would you like to see more of on this blog?

Photos? Recipes? Exercise/Workout Information? Nutrition Information?

What do you think?

I know I have some readers out there. Can you hear me?

Caught a bug....

I caught a nasty stomach bug of some sort this past week and am down another few pounds. It was not the way I wanted to lose weight, but weight-loss is still weight-loss, right? So I'm now down 113 since June.... making me 126 lbs. lighter since Feb. 2009. That's some serious weight-loss.

Un-Stuck

Hallelujah! I successfully survived the Holiday Season.

The scale finally budged and I lost a few more pounds. I'm now -109 from where I started. It feels fantastic!

I treated myself to a few nice things during the past couple of weeks. I purchased new dress pants for work, some tops, shrugs, and shoes. It'll all help so much. Some good news is that I'm able to wear the size 10 short denim skirt I bought on clearance for 5 dollars at Walmart a couple of months ago. I've been wearing the 14 and felt that it was getting a little big on me. Boy, was I right! I know it's a little cold out to be wearing short skirts, but the leggings keep me plenty warm.

It's still weird to think that I've gone from a size 24 to size 10 in just a few months.