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A man's man! That's who I will be marrying :)
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Ah, nothing makes me happier...
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Uh oh

This afghan isn't going to match ANYTHING!!
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Confession time

It has been brought to my attention that this blog needs updating. I am sorry. I didn't forget about the blog by any means... But I did fall off the wagon. I didn't make my pre-vacation goal of 255, though I came extremely close. Then I went on vacation and honestly thought I could eat whatever I wanted and swim a lot and be OK. I was wrong! Lesson learned! I gained 4-5 pounds on vacation. Then I came home and was so happy and excited about getting married that I never left celebration mode and put another 4-5 on in the three weeks that followed. About a week ago I snapped out of it and have taken off the post-vacation gain, but I still have the vacation weight to lose. I guess I was ashamed and wanted to lose it all before telling the internet about it... Oh well.

How is everyone on this rainy Monday?
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Yum!

New obsession: smoothies!!
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Sunday Diet Update.

Weigh-in = 256.6
DOWN 1.6 pounds since last week!!
DOWN 75.4 POUNDS!***

***I finally hit the 75lb mark. This is very exciting!

I am on track for making my goal, exactly. I am not ahead. I am a little nervous because goal date is next week! I need to do everything I can to make goal early (1.6 more pounds!) and maintain it for the rest of the week.

I have also realized that I never made goals for this week. Whoops. It's lucky for me, though, because I was ragging this past week and didn't do much of anything.

For the next week I want to really work on my calories and get a couple workouts in.

Clothes.

I am halfway through going through my "too small" clothes. A lot of this stuff, besides other times going through the "too small" bags, I haven't seen in 7-8 years. I should say I haven't successfully worn...

I'm getting a lot of clothes that fit again! Woo. I'm also getting a lot of clothes that went right from being too small to being too big.

From now on, everytime I drop into a new 10lb range, I will try the clothes on again.

So, when I drop under 250 I will try them on again. Under 240, try them on again... etc, etc etc. I can't imagine I will have ANYTHING left once I am under 230.

I am sure I will post again to brag once I am out of "too small" clothes.

Planned Cheat Days

Every once in awhile I have "planned cheat days". Yesterday was one of them.

I do not want to take these days away from myself. As long as they are few and far between, I think it is OK with a few "ground rules". Would you guys agree? My thing is that with my allergies, I miss out on SO MUCH already. Why should I miss special occasions?

I had a "planned cheat day" yesterday, and I did not gain today. I am pretty happy about that.

So... holidays, vacations, and the rare trip away from home. Does that sound fair? Also maybe birthdays or other restaurant celebrations. These would happen only once every few weeks IF EVEN. In July's case it would be 4th of July and vacation, which would be a weeklong event. But but but, for vacation I would also be swimming for hours everyday, so I am not worried about weight gain.

Rules would be...

#1 Don't eat more than you are hungry for. This means, seriously consider going back for seconds.
#2 Still make healthy decisions, even if the calories aren't being counted. This means 2% cheese, eggbeaters vs. eggs, low-fat vs. full fat, etc etc etc. This will especially matter on vacation. I still plan to enjoy a couple of my mother's fried eggs, but I will be packing the eggbeaters so I will still have healthy options to choose from.
#3 Don't pig out. This is a repeat of rule number one, but my biggest downfall is always eating my way into a stomachache that lasts for days. I don't have any regret today for yesterday, even though honestly I probably ate 3000 calories. I didn't pig out.

That's all, folks.

Sunday Diet Update!

Weigh-in = 258.2
DOWN 2 pounds since last week!!
DOWN 73.8 pounds since I started last summer.

GOALS FROM LAST WEEK:
#1 Try again to bring Wii Fit clock up to 10:00hrs. -- Totally failed. Totally.
#2 Bring daily calories down to 1725 for regular days. -- Absolutely achieved.
#3 Keep rounding up on the calories. I think I can do better, though I am on the right track. -- Pretty much achieved.

I am back on track for making my goal.

Also, YAY for being back on track to make my 7/19 goal of 255lbs. I want to be at the lowest weight possible when I go on vacation on 7/24. I will be seeing a lot of people I haven't seen in a very, very long time... and yes, I want to feed my ego. I won't even lie about it.

I am including my weight-loss goal chart and my body measurements chart. I don't think I have been taking measurements long enough to really know if I am shrinking. I think it will be months before the daily fluctuations and changes in measuring spots evens out and a downward trend can really be visible.

:D

Today my calories are pretty low. I'm at 732 and it is 7pm and I am not hungry. I think that I will probably get home around 10pm tonight and have a small snack and go right to bed.

Tomorrow is "spike day", which is good since I have planned a big day of eating. My friend Ashley and her boyfriend are coming over for the 4th. We are doing burgers and baked beans and all sorts of stuff.

I made a gluten-free ice cream cake!

I packed the bottom and sides of a spring-form pan with a crust made of cocoa crispies, butter, and marshmallows. Then I loaded it with Mayflower Rocky Road ice cream, which is soy-free, peanut-free, and gluten-free. I made a layer in the middle of Hershey's Syrup and Enjoy Life chocolate chips.

It will all be topped with Light Cool Whip, marshmallows, chocolate chips, and chocolate syrup drizzle.

Yummo!

Back on Track!

Reasons

Another weight-loss blog that I read says that it is important to write a list of reasons for losing weight, and review it often.

Here is my list, which I plan on adding to:

#1 So that I don't have to exclude myself from activities that I can't keep up with.
#2 So that I never have to worry about being too heavy for a chair or an amusement park ride.
#3 So that I can be more attractive to the man who loves me.
#4 So that I can buy more clothes more often and look good in them.
#5 So that I can have more confidence.
#6 So that I can succeed at work.

Woo!!!

Cause for celebration!

Today I am down to 259! I haven't been in the 250s in... oh, God, I don't remember EVER being there, though clearly I must have been at some point on my way up.

4lbs to my vacation goal!

Awh

I am going to miss having her as my boss!
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So nice!

I am so happy about my plants growing so big!
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Sunday Diet Update

Weigh-in = 260.2
DOWN 1.4 pounds since last week!!
DOWN 71.8 pounds since I started last July.

Now, I want to mention again that I had three VERY bad days this week. My weight spiked over twelve pounds and I was in such total pain that I could NOT work out or do anything much other than complain.

GOALS FROM LAST WEEK:
#1 Bring my Wii Fit clock up to 10:00hrs. Right now it is at about 5:00hrs. -- totally unachieved. I have an excuse for three or four days, but other than that I just didn't get it done.
#2 Begin rounding up on everything I eat. This means leveling off every scoop or cup, or adding extra food to my food log to make up for it. -- mostly achieved, but I can work harder on that.
#3 Lower regular calorie days to 1750. -- One day I got depressed and ate an extra two hundred calories. Besides that, and my spike days, I kept it under 1750.

GOALS FOR THIS WEEK:
#1 Try again to bring Wii Fit clock up to 10:00hrs.
#2 Bring daily calories down to 1725 for regular days.
#3 Keep rounding up on the calories. I think I can do better, though I am on the right track.

Also, I wanted to say that I am technically NOT on track to make my goal, but I am VERY close. For this reason, even though my "rule" is to adjust my goal if I am not acieving for two straight weeks, I am going to stick with it.

Here is a chart to show you just how close:

Dirty Bird

She's a nasty bird, but she is MY nasty bird.

Please disregard my gross voice. I wish I could say I sound better in real life...

Doctor's Appointment

I went to the doctor today. It's been a really long time since I have gotten to sit down and talk to a doctor about the things that plague me. Maybe it sounds stupid, but I have felt the last few years as though I haven't earned the right to fix what ails me. Like I don't deserve health like people who never fell in the pit do.

I won't let myself feel that way anymore. From now on, I am keeping up with my yearly appointments... be it pap smears, neurologist check-ups, etc. I am even going to schedule a dentist appointment once I am back on my feet money-wise.

Anyway, I had a few things to talk to my doctor about:

#1 -- I hadn't had a "female" exam in three years. I haven't been on any birth control, and that needed to be remedied. Result: Pap smear done, and with my next period I will begin on birth control again. This isn't just for mindless sex (ha, ha) but it is just good for an adult female to be on the pill. It has a lot of other benefits. My period is HORRIBLE so I am looking forward to the next one (after the one coming up) being much, much better.

#2 -- My allergies have been very bad. I have been waking up in the morning with blood-red eyes and wheeziness, on top of other symptoms. She got me Singulair for that and said to switch from OTC Claritin to Zyrtec.

#3 -- I talked to her about my asthma. It has been getting bad when I work out. I have been scared to talk about it, because it feels like an excuse or like something I "can't prove". Since I said is happening frequently she gave me a daily inhaler AND a rescue inhaler. Sweet.

#4 -- I talked about my constant urination. She checked my bladder and said it was fine, so she is taking me in for more testing. Also, they are going to take care of my blood tests for my neurologists. I thought that was so nice of them! Yay! I am going back next Friday after a fast, and then coming back for a follow-up appointment after the tests. I think she didn't want to worry me, but she listed some serious things it could be and said she wants to rule them out.

So, that's that's that.

Good News

I peed off 12 pounds last night.

Yesterday at work, I was freaking myself out with my need to urinate every 30 minutes. I mean having to go BAD. Bad as in, it hurts to wait. I drink a LOT of water, usually about six bottled waters a day, and my cube-mates always tease me for excusing myself to go to the ladies room every hour, but it was excessive even for me. For those of you, like my mother, who hear that and think something is wrong -- nothing is wrong. I have ALWAYS been like that. Anyway, though, yesterday was excessive even for me. During the day I deliriously wondered if I was peeing weight off, but I still FELT huge. I came home and immediately stripped down to my underpants and weighed myself and was still right at 272. I was depressed, and I ate some cocoa crispies and passed out on the couch.

When I dragged myself off the couch and went to bed at 9pm, I was still at 272.

I got up and peed at least once an hour until I woke up at 6am. I slept a little sounder each time I went back to bed, since everytime I weighed myself before going back to bed I weighed a little bit less.

Now, I am still not on track to make my goal of 255 by 6/19... but I'd take that over a ten pound gain ANY day of the week.

Sorry to freak my readers out, and Mer, I am especially sorry to you for crying on your shoulder.

Ten-Plus Pounds

I have gained more than ten pounds in the last three days.

I am also constipated, but I don't think I could have gained ten pounds from erratic BMs. I am so confused and upset. I feel out of control, but I have NOT been bad. I haven't been. Tonight I said "eff it" and went to eat my sorrows away... but I caught myself and stopped at 1875 calories... only about 125 over goal, so it could have been worse.

Has this ever happened to anyone else?

Sunday Diet Update

Weigh-in = 261.6
DOWN 0.8 pound since last week!!
DOWN 70.4 since I started my weight-loss journey. Finally can say 70lbs!

The bad news is that I didn't even lose a whole pound this week. My weight had gone up and then back down this week, so the number looked low until I actually compared it with last week's weigh in and realized that it was less than a pound. Also, as of this morning I am not on track to make my goal. I am not horribly far off, but I am not on track. That's not acceptable. Something has to change.

I have not done my measurements. I will make a separate post about my measurements once I have taken them, but I forgot and got dressed this morning and don't have time to get undressed again before leaving for work.

GOALS FROM LAST WEEK:
#1 Lower regular calorie days to 1799 (rather than 1814). This does NOT include spike days. -- Achieved. I also only spiked once, because yesterday I just woke up too late and was out too much to meet my calorie limit, let alone spike past it. I may spike today, instead.
#2 Make my spike days higher-calorie and/or fat or just a higher volume of food but DO NOT BE A PIG. -- Achieved! The fact that I SKIPPED A SPIKE DAY speaks for itself.
#3 Work Out. Honor your 30 Day Shred obligation when the DVD arrives (tomorrow?). -- 30 Day Shred didn't arrive as planned, but I still worked out. I did NOT work out as long as I should have, though. Friday I worked out for 2 hours, but a few days I didn't even work out at all. I will say, though, that I am STILL SORE from working out!

GOALS FOR THIS WEEK:
#1 Bring my Wii Fit clock up to 10:00hrs. Right now it is at about 5:00hrs.
#2 Begin rounding up on everything I eat. This means leveling off every scoop or cup, or adding extra food to my food log to make up for it.
#3 Lower regular calorie days to 1750.




Questions for my readers:
#1 Do you have a blog I have never commented on? Please reply and let me know. If I have commented it most likely means I have you bookmarked, and I check my bookmarked blogs every day or two.
#2 What goals do you set for yourself every week?
#3 What is your weight, goal weight, and calorie intake goal?

Look what Mike bought me! I think I earned it. I wanted an mp3 player for the 32 hr drive to and from New Hampshire next month. It should be here on Monday!

Promotion!

I didn't post about this originally, because I didn't want to share my stress with my readers and I didn't want to have to post about rejection if it happened, but... I applied for a "pro" position at work a month ago. I interviewed two and a half weeks ago and have been extremely stressed out ever since then. I had interviewed for the position in the past and been rejected, so I was very nervous. I knew that if I didn't get it, it would mean a rough couple months (at the very least) ahead, because I have been getting burned out on my job and just wouldn't handle the rejection well because I would only have myself to blame. I had a good feeling after the interview, but was worried because I WAS nervous and was scared that they could tell. But I also felt good after the interview when I was rejected, so I didn't put much stock in my own reflections! But to make a story that is already too long short, I was offered the promotion yesterday and jumped on it. It will be a 15% raise, which is awesome, and it is a position that will be a much, much better opportunity for advancement in the future. I also think that I will be happier with the change. I am not sure when I will get to start, because there are a few issues with covering the queues I answer. (The entire call center is trained to answer certain queues, but then there are other queues where additional training is required... I am trained on additional queues, so they will need to train other agents before they can afford to lose me during those time slots.) There is also my vacation coming up in July and I begged them to work around it so that I don't have to worry about it.

So, that's where I am today. It's my day off and I can actually completely relax. I have some errands to run. Last Friday I took Mike's guitar to a shop in Statesville to get it fixed for his birthday, and today I am going to go pick it up. I also have a great coupon for Kohl's and Mike got a gift card for Christmas that he never used, so I am going to go stop by there and find some clothes for him. I may also look at bathing suits. I also was hoping to go to Winston-Salem tonight and go to Target and Ed McKay's, the awesome used book store. I also have plans to lift weights at Brian's, but I am going to ask if he would like to go to Winston with me instead. If he says no, though, I am going to honor my obligation to work out! (If he said yes, just FYI, I am still planning on getting a private workout in today!)

How is everyone else doing on this Friday?

The List...

I had a very good day today. Nothing happened, nothing special, but I just felt "on" all day. You know what? Today was the first day following "the list". I woke up at 6am and when I left for work at 8:15 I had accomplished everything that I wanted to. I came home from work and made dinner and did some time on the Wii Fit while my friend Brian chatted with me. He is injured and couldn't join me, but wanted to get into a routine. It took until now to get my list completed, but I know I will sleep well knowing that everything is done. And no, I don't feel stressed out. I feel just right. For once!

Healthy chili, yum!

Wow this was good. This was a what-i-have-in-the-pantry version of Cook Yourself Thin's turkey chili.
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http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/cook-yourself-thin/recipes/turkey-chili-crunch

I skipped the cilatro, scallions, and the chipotle pepper. I also skipped the tortilla chips, because it didn't need any garnish. Instead I threw in some hot pepper flakes and used green onions on top.

This was pretty easy to make. I am shocked how good the yogurt was instead of sour cream!

Try this! It was only 355 calories WITH the tortilla chips.

Baby steps to a healthier, happier, (and prettier) life.

There are things that should be a part of my routine... but aren't. I am embarrassed enough to say that even basic things get skipped over. So, I have decided to keep a check-list to check off before I go to work in the morning, and before I go to bed at night. I think that I will be happier if I do them, even if at the time I would rather stay in bed or watch television.

Here is my list. Amendments will be made, I am sure.

Morning:
coffee and a real breakfast
empty the dishwasher
use the wii fit even if just to check in
shower
blow-dry hair
make-up
firming lotion on top half of body
gradual tanner on legs
load car with things "to go" (recylcing, donations, etc.)
make lunch

Evening:
get one thing out of the car that doesn't belong or one bag of trash
check water intake for the day
charge ipod
"30 minute shred"
check laundry/no wet clothes
vitamins/meds/fiber
wash face
brush teeth
put on acne lotion
quick teeth whitening
lotion up feet/put on socks
update blog
kitchen - cleaner than when woke up
bathroom - cleaner than when woke up
bedroom - cleaner than when woke up
water plants
run the dishwasher

I will be making quick updates to say if I had any short-comings.

I started halfway through the day today, but what I could do was achieved EXCEPT the water intake. I only had 3 bottled waters today instead of 4. I didn't want to pee all night so I decided to skip it.

Goodnight, internets. It is way past my bedtime.

Yucky veins

Anybody know how to minimize the look of veins? I started a gradual self-tanner tonight. I swear I get new gross spots every day.
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Tonight's episode of Cook Yourself Thin is absolutely awesome and I just CANNOT WAIT to start cooking. I may make some of these recipes tomorrow night!

Feet

I was just reading another diet blog, where they posted about feet that grew during a pregnancy. It reminded me that I meant to blog about this before.

I have lost at least a shoe size. Luckily, my sneakers, peep-toes, and flats all still fit just fine... but my sandals and flip-flops were all a loss when I brought them out of storage. Probably because those are shoes with straps that can be stretched out.

Anyway, the new shoes that I have bought for this summer are all 9s or 9 1/2s. The ones I got rid of were all 9 1/2s, 10s, and 10 1/2s.

Also, when I was a teenager I remember having a vein on my foot that popped out and wiggled around and was a little "cringe-worthy" that I poked at a lot. It dissapeared one day. It never occurred to me that it was still there, covered in fat. I noticed yesterday that "creepy vein" is back, and have resumed giving it a shuddering poke every few hours. :P

My mother says that weight makes your feet spread out, rather than just feet getting "fat". I'd love to hear if anyone else has had any experiences, and if I should expect my feet to shrink anymore. I bought four pairs of sandals for the summer, and hope they last more than just a year. Then again, the smaller my feet get, the easier it will be to find cute shoes in the future.

The Sunday Night Diet Update!!

Weigh-in = 262.2
DOWN 2.2 pound since last week!!
Down 69.8 since I started my weight-loss journey. I really thought that today I would get to say 70! Boo!

Here is my big news: My BMI is now down to 39.87. You know what that means? I am now obese, rather than severely/morbidly obese. To those of you that have never been "morbidly obese", this probably doesn't sound like much - but those of you like me who have been SO overweight for SO long, please join me in a self-indulgent fist pump!

Last week I stated: "This week I seem to have lost an inch from my waist and an inch-plus from my hips. I refuse to celebrate that until I get the same measurements a second week!" -- I got those measurements a second week! I also seem to be going down in some other places, but up in my forearms (which may be from the handweights that I have been using while I watch TV this week).

I am ON TRACK for my new goal of reaching 255lbs by 7/19.


GOALS FROM LAST WEEK:
#1 Water and vitamins. -- Achieved!
#2 Keep up with my calorie goal, allowing for a "spike" day every three days. Try to follow spike days with a lower-calorie day. No spike days if there was a cheat within the day or two before. This is to keep my metabolism guessing. -- Achieved!
#3 Use the Wii Fit at least twice. -- Unachieved :(

GOALS FOR THIS WEEK:
#1 Lower regular calorie days to 1799 (rather than 1814). This does NOT include spike days.
#2 Make my spike days higher-calorie and/or fat or just a higher volume of food but DO NOT BE A PIG.
#3 Work Out. Honor your 30 Day Shred obligation when the DVD arrives (tomorrow?).

OKAY EVERYONE, Now tell me about your achievements for the week!

Mayo

Someone (I don't remember who - maybe even one of you!) recently told me that I could buy mayonnaise made with olive oil instead of soybean oil. I found the "mayo with olive oil" at the grocery store and guess what - soybean oil is STILL the number one ingredient.

Does anyone know if there is a soy-free mayo that I can buy online? Now that I am doing small amounts of egg, I have been dying to chow on some mayo. (Not large amounts, don't you worry!)

I've been waiting for you!

I am so happy to see you, but I am not leaving the shade unless I see a treat!

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I love living in the country

My ride home looks like this. Does yours? :P
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Picked up weights!

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The Belly Attacks

After watching some YouTube clips of the workout video, I noticed that there were a lot of jumping jacks. I haven't done a jumping jack in years. I decided to clear some space and do a few jumping jacks, just to remind myself what it was like.

My stomach, which is very large and loose and flabby since I have lost four sizes off of it, immediately started flopping up and down. I was literally slapping myself with it. It made this horrible farting noise as it moved. Like the sound adolescent boys make with their hands in their armpits. Fwoot fwoot fwoot.

I am so mortified. Also, I cannot keep doing that. It hurt, it was uncomfortable.

I hope I can find some high-waisted spandex shorts in my size or something. A sports bra for my stomach.

Any suggestions?

From SparkPeople.com

4 Signs It's Time to Step Off the Scale
Does Weight Weigh Heavily on Your Mind?
-- By Jason Anderson, Certified Personal Trainer
It cannot talk yet it speaks to you. Some days it makes you giddy with delight. Other days it puts you into a deep depression. It judges you on a superficial level. The thought of it is enough to worry even the most optimistic person. What am I talking about? The notorious bathroom scale.

What is with this obsession we have with the scale? For most people, the scale can be an adversary or an ally, depending on the day. We often hate what it says or argue with it, but we still feel the desire to use it. When used properly and taken for what it is, it can actually be a very useful tool for weight management. But for many, the scale does more than measure the total weight of all your various parts. It somehow defines who you are as a person. And sadly, it can determine your own self-worth. We read way too much into this single-purposed tool.

Here are four signs that you might put too much weight on weighing in:

1. You constantly worry about weighing in.
When you're trying to lose weight, it's normal to experience some hesitation when it's time for your weekly weigh in. After all, you want to see the numbers go down as confirmation that all of your hard work has paid off. We all want to be rewarded for our efforts, and it can be discouraging when you have done everything right and things still don’t pan out. However, if you find yourself preoccupied with worrisome thoughts of what the scale is going to say tomorrow or the next day, then you might be a little too obsessed with the scale.

2. You weigh in more than once per day.
SparkPeople recommends weighing in once a week (or even less). Ever wonder why it's not a good idea to do it more often? Your body weight can and will fluctuate from day to day, and change throughout a single day, too. There is no sense in putting yourself on that roller coaster of ups and downs. In the war on weight, if you become so concerned that you weigh yourself daily or several times a day, you are fighting a losing battle and you will be discouraged. If you feel like you can't control yourself or stop yourself from weighing in each day, then you could be headed for trouble.

3. You can recite your weight to the nearest fraction at all times.
This is a sure sign that you are relying too heavily on the scale. Anyone who can tell you not only how much she weighs each day, but measures her weight loss to the nearest quarter of a pound is probably weighing in too often. There is nothing wrong with wanting to see a lower number on the scale, even if it's a quarter pound lower, but remember that weighing in is more about trends (an average decrease or consistency in weight over time).

4. The scale determines how you feel about yourself for the day.
When the number is down, you step off the scale singing and have a jump in your step all day. When the number goes up (or stays the same when you expected a loss), you feel like Charlie Brown walking around with a rain cloud above your head. To me, this is the saddest situation of all—to let the scale dictate how you should feel. How would you feel about yourself if you hadn't weighed in that day? What other ways would you determine your self-worth if weight didn't exist?

If one (or all) of these situations sound familiar to you, it's time to step away from the scale. Go cold turkey. Or at the very least, weigh in less often. But what's a "compulsive weigher" to do?

Instead letting the scale alone determine whether you're a success or failure, use more reliable measures to determine your progress. My philosophy is that weight loss is not a goal, but the result of healthy habits like a better diet and regular exercise. When you do step on the scale and don't see the reading you had hoped for, ask yourself these questions: Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing? Am I making healthy food choices most of the time? Am I exercising consistently? If you are, then rust that your body is making positive changes, and the results will come. If you are not, then resolve to be consistent in healthy behaviors to see the results you want.

Weighing yourself is definitely helpful and it has its place. Just make sure you don’t go overboard and give too much credence to this one measurement! After all, other measures (like how much energy you have, how much easier it is to climb a flight of stairs, or how well your clothes fit) might not be as precise or scientific, but they're sure to make you feel happier and more successful than a scale ever can.

30 Day Shred. Alternate Title: Scared To Death

One thing that I don't think I have ever posted here is about my DIET BUDDIES. I have three that I rely on: Jenny, Mer, and Marie. I email Jenny every day to "fess up" to what I have eaten and what I am proud of, etc. I chat with Mer throughout the course of the day and we talk about little other than positive lifestyle changes. Marie and I try to coach each other through trials and tribulations.

Well Mer (her journal) has decided she wants to start doing Jillian Michael's "30 Day Shred" (she's from The Biggest Loser). Mer is like me, though, and knows she won't stay on a program like that without a buddy/coach. She asked me if she bought me the DVD and sent it to me, would I do it? Would I absolutely positively swear that I would do it every day and we would hold each other accountable for it?

This sounded like too big an obligation for me.

I went on Amazon.com and read the reviews. It is almost all 5-stars. But it was the content of those reviews that terrified me:

--This is a really good workout. It's geared a little more to advanced exercisers, but the choreography is fairly basic and you will definately feel this the next day.

--It's been 2 and 1/2 hours since I finished and I'm still shaking and finding it hard to go up and down stairs.

I am sure that those reviewers are in better shape than I am, too!

And then I started thinking about what a pain in the butt it is to move the coffee table back and forth to make room to work out. I thought about how it would be hard and I don't like things that are hard.

THEN I thought about how absolutely stupid I was being. I can't work out because I don't want to move a table?? Have you ever heard something so ridiculous? So before I could think better, I agreed. Even if it is too hard, I can commit to watching it every night while swaying in place trying to find a spot where I can "hop in".

So... we'll see what happens! I will have to start including this in my Sunday Diet updates.

Bragging rights.

My stomach has definitely shrunk! Looking at these pictures I realize my arms have, too!
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Yay, new used grill!

Mike's parents gave us this grill over the weekend that they just replaced. 20+ years old and still grilled a damn good burger!
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Tommy-toes

My tomato plant is looking good! I wonder how much longer until there are actual edible fruits on it?
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Hummingbird Garden

I really hope I get flowers soon, since right now it just looks like I need to weed!
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Do Vitamins Help You Lose Weight?

Everyone knows vitamins are good for you, but do vitamins help you lose weight? The answer is yes, some of them can help you lose weight. Vitamins also help take away that haggard wore out look people get when they're on a diet or not eating properly. The bad news is that in our fast paced, fast food society it's pretty easy to get that look. How many times have you looked in the mirror and saw a tired, wore out face starring back at you?

The good news is there's something you can do about it. Vitamins can make a huge difference in your overall health and appearance, if you know which ones to take. Of course, you get vitamins naturally in your food, but these days the over processed food we eat usually isn't up to par. Therefore, most people opt to take a multivitamin at least.

However, if you're overweight on top of being tired and stressed out, you need extra help. Keep in mind that vitamins can't do their job properly if you aren't making an effort to eat a somewhat balanced diet and do some form of exercise, whether it's a sport, a workout at home or fitness routine in a Health Club.

As you know, if you do nothing you'll get nothing you can't expect vitamins to do it all. When you have the right type and amount of vitamins your body's weight related functions such as appetite, metabolism and calorie burning can operate more efficiently this is how they help you lose weight. It's not one specific vitamin, but a combination of them working together.

The core vitamins that help you lose weight are: vitamin C, several of the B complex vitamins such as B2, B3, B5 and B6. There are a couple of minerals worthy of mention that are part of the B complex vitamins, and they are: Choline (also good for the brain) and Inositol (helps lower cholesterol), both assist with fat metabolism.

Vitamin E is another great vitamin to add to the list for it helps prevent aging and keeps skin healthy. It's also good for the heart and circulation. Moreover, it's one of the most widely taken supplements on the market. However, before you buy any vitamin or supplement you should do research to find the recommended dosage for your gender and age.

Now, when someone asks you, "Do vitamins help you lose weight?" You'll know what to tell them.

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OK after reading this, I am proud of myself for picking up a wide variety of vitamins to add to my anti-epileptic/fiber/allergy meds routine. I am taking daily: vitamin C, vitamin D-3, vitamin B-12, vitamin B-6, vitamin E, vitamin D, plus calcium.

I have written a shopping list of what to buy next: B-2, B-3, B-5, Choline, and Inositol.

Does anyone know any other vitamins that can help with metabolism, weight loss, and energy?

This is because....

I never posted about how cute my new haircut is.
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Weight Loss...

It has been a little frustrating that I am not making my goals for weight loss. I know, though, that I could be working harder... I had a lot of personal "stuff" going on that I'd rather not blog about, but it's mostly over now and I think I will be in a better place this week to center myself and get a workout routine going.

I feel like I am in a little bit of a slump. What do we do when we're in a slump? We reflect on our accomplishments. I would like to show you a chart of my weight loss over the last year. After seeing this, I feel a little less like a failure and a little more like saying "OH HELL YEAH".

Sunday Weigh-In

Weigh-in = 264.4
DOWN 1.6 pound since last week.
Down 67.6 since I started my weight-loss journey.

This week I seem to have lost an inch from my waist and an inch-plus from my hips. I refuse to celebrate that until I get the same measurements a second week!

For the second week in a row, I am not on track to make my goal of 249lbs by 7/25. I want my goals to be realistic, so I am going to alter my goal just a tiny bit. 255lbs by 7/19. A little less weight to lose, but a slightly closer goal date. That's actually a better date for me, anyway. The date I had chosen is a date I will be traveling on and unable to weigh-in on!


GOALS FROM LAST WEEK:
#1 Continue with the water goal. -- Unachieved
#2 Continue with the new calorie goal. -- Achieved except one day where I went over. I didn't go over by much.
#3 Get at least one good workout in. -- Shamefully unachieved
#4 Eat a fruit and a vegetable every day. -- Unachieved

GOALS FOR THIS WEEK:
#1 Water and vitamins.
#2 Keep up with my calorie goal, allowing for a "spike" day every three days. Try to follow spike days with a lower-calorie day. No spike days if there was a cheat within the day or two before. This is to keep my metabolism guessing.
#3 Use the Wii Fit at least twice.

Vitamins

I have more vitamins and medications than will fit in one container.
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I need a life

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My best friend and her son, along with my very good friend, are all hitting the road on the fourth of July weekend. I just spent a pretty long period of time labeling and decorating a map for the kid so that he can look at the map and feel like he is part of the trip. He probably will just glance at it and crumple it up. I don't know why I get so wrapped up in things!

265

I am 265.0 right now. 15lbs away from goal. This is NOT my official weigh-in, that won't happen until Sunday, but as of right now I am not on track to make my goal of 249 on 7/25. If I am not on track by Sunday, instead of lowering my calorie intake I may change my goal weight/date. I want to be realistic, and feel like I am beating myself up even though I am working very hard. But hopefully I will be on track to make my goal by Sunday. I think I may have learned a thing or two.

Banana Muffins

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Banana Muffins
3 cups oat flour
2 cups gluten-free baking mix like Pamela's or Namaste
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Splenda

6 mashed bananas
10 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
12 tablespoons of fat free half and half
1 egg

Mix wet ingredients, mix dry ingredients, then mix together. Line two
muffin pans with muffin liners. Makes 24 muffins. 125 calories a
muffin.

I also topped mine with a little mix of cinnamon, Splenda, and Splenda brown sugar mix. These will have very pale tops, so a little topping will make them much more aesthetically pleasing.

Sunday Night Diet Update #3

Weigh-in = 266.0
UP .4 since last week.
Down 66 since I started my weight-loss journey.

I am no longer on track to make my goal of 249lbs by July 25th. I am not too far off, though. I re-calculated my maximum daily calorie intake and have a new goal of 1,814 calories per day. It had been 1890.

My measurements haven't changed yet except going up or down such small amounts that it is most likely due to shifts in where I am taking the measurements.

Those two days I took off from counting calories were a mistake. I have proven to myself that without rules, I cannot trust myself. Lesson learned. Next time I take a day or two off, I am still setting ground rules. It shouldn't happen again for awhile, though.

GOALS FROM LAST WEEK:
#1 Three meals a day. -- Not achieved every single day due to my trip away from home, but I did very, very good at this.
#2 Three bottled waters, or the equivalent - 60 oz - per day. -- Achieved quite a few days, which was a massive improvement. I have been peeing every five minutes.
#3 Eating at work must be limited to my lunch hour and my two breaks. No more mindless eating because call volume is stressing me. -- COMPLETELY ACHIEVED
#4 Stay on track with my calorie goal of 1890 per day. -- PARTIALLY ACHIEVED -- Every day that I counted my calories I made goal.

NEW GOALS FOR NEXT WEEK:
#1 Continue with the water goal.
#2 Continue with the new calorie goal.
#3 Get at least one good workout in.
#4 Eat a fruit and a vegetable every day.

Just in case you haven't heard

My town got all 'effed up with all the rain that we're getting. Flash floods, the Red Cross coming in and rescuing people, at least nineteen families have temporarily or permanently lost their homes, and... oh yeah did I mention the highway caved in?

Hiatus

I am going to be taking a 1-2 day hiatus from counting calories, because I will be away from home, away from tools, and not in a controlled environment. If it was going to be longer than a day or two than I wouldn't make that allowance... but this is going to be a fun weekend staying in someone else's home and I want to be horrible guest and most of all, I will have fun!

I am just saying this now so I don't seem like a horrible failure when I make my Sunday Night Diet Update.

Egg Update

Eggs definitely give me painful gas if I have more than one. The test continues though to see how much I can handle.
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Cookies!

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Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

makes 24 cookies
136 calories per cookie

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1 cup Splenda brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup 2% milk
3 cups oats
1 cup oat flour (should also work fine with a gluten-free baking mix, all-purpose flour, etc.)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla **
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 serving (1/8 bag ) Enjoy Life chocolate chips

** I replaced this with sugar free caramel coffee syrup. No calories!

Combine liquids and egg, beat until blended. Combine dry ingredients in another bowl and slowly mix in. Cook in an oven pre-heated to 375 for 10-12 minutes. I use parchment paper so I don't have to waste calories on greasing the pan.

You could also add in raisins or nuts, but remember that they weren't figured into the calorie count.

Pink Silver Dollar Pancakes

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1 1/4 Cup Gluten-Free Trader Joe's Pancake Mix
1 Egg, beaten (could replace with applesauce or 1/2 banana)
1/4 Cup 2 % Milk (could replace with water or alternate milk)
*I used raspberry sugar-free (calorie-free) baking syrup in the mix instead of oil, which shaved about 30 calories off each serving. I eyeballed the amount, until the mixture was the consistency I wanted.

Silver dollar pancakes are about a tablespoon of batter each. The amounts listed above will make 5 equal sized servings.

Figuring that you will use four tablespoons of canola oil to cook the entire batch, like I did, plus 1/2 tablespoon of butter and 1/4 cup of lite syrup to top your serving, these are 277 calories per serving.

Sunday Night Diet Update #2

Weigh-in = 265.6
Down .4 this week.
Down 66.4 since I started my adventure last July.
Down 7.4 since I started counting calories recently.
I am ON GOAL (barely) to meet my goal of 249lbs by July 25th.

I took my measurements today. Not much has changed except my neck somehow grew by an inch. I do not believe this, and think I probably typed my inches in wrong last time.

I had a rough week. My weight went up, and went up again. I was very, very scared that I would have to report to my three readers that my weight went up this week, but my hard work caught up to me at the last moment. I would have liked tot have lost more than that, but I'll take it.

Yes, I made my calorie goal EVERY SINGLE DAY this week.

I have decided that on Sunday nights when I do my "diet update" I am also going to include a list of goals for the week. Note that this is a list for the week only, and not permanent goals. Yet.

GOALS:
#1 Three meals a day.
#2 Three bottled waters, or the equivalent - 60 oz - per day.
#3 Eating at work must be limited to my lunch hour and my two breaks. No more mindless eating because call volume is stressing me.
#4 Stay on track with my calorie goal of 1890 per day.

Reflections

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I wanted to eat another egg for dinner so that I could really tell if it is "situation: pass", which so far it is.

I made one poached egg with three strips of bacon and a cup of hashbrowns cooked in a tablespoon of olive oil with a quarter cup of shredded cheese.

Since I am being very conscientious with regards to what I am eating, I wish that I had skipped the bacon or only had one or two slices rather than three. I also wish that I had skipped the cheese or only used a tablespoon instead of a quarter cup. I think it took away rather than adding to the taste! Then I would have saved enough calories to have a second egg and still have consumed less calories. More protein! I need more protein, it has been decided.

Something to look forward to...

Next Friday, to celebrate that I can drive again and that it is summer, I am going to Charlotte to visit my NC-BFF Meg. We are going to spend the day swimming in the pool at her complex, but we are also going to go get our hair done. Any idea what I should do? It is going to be a reward for being on track with my calories...

Hammy is going to help make dinner.
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The Egg Test

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I really, really hope that the egg thing works out, because that breakfast/lunch was just SO delicious. SO, so, so delicious.

It is 1/2 cup of hash browns (70 calories) with a half a tablespoon of olive oil (60 calories), which I browned up until it was nice and crispy.

I poached an egg (mission: success!) but took it out before the yolk cooked through. The egg is 70 calories and since it is poached there are no extra calories added when cooked. I topped it with a slice of swiss cheese (80 calories) and a slice of honey ham (20 calories).

The total meal, which was so good and something I have missed so badly, was 300 calories.

Yum yum yum yum yum.

Allergies

...Kickin' my butt.
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Goo Balls!

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Ingredients:
1 bag of SmartPop popcorn
3 1/3 cups of mini-marshmallows
3/4 tablespoons of butter
3/4 cup cocoa crispies
1 serving (1/8 bag) Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Melt butter in large pot.
Slowly add and melt in marshmallows.
Turn off heat and slow begin adding in popcorn and cocoa crispies, alternating between the two, folding the goodies in.
Lastly, sprinkle chocolate chips in.

Transfer the mass onto parchment paper and mold into 12 similarly sized balls.

Cool in fridge.

Each "goo ball" will be 85 calories if you use the same measurements I do.

I love how the popcorn is most of the mass but still transfers all the gooey goodness, making it taste like a much more evil snack than it really is. I had two this evening!

This one was all mine. :D

I have a new favorite meal

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Ingredients:

2 Portobello mushrooms, stemmed and gills removed
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 ounce pack of albacore tuna in water
1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper
2 slices of Swiss cheese
2 slices of tomato
1/4 cup mixed baby greens

Instructions:

First, preheat the broiler. Next, use a small spoon to remove the gills. Basically just scrape around with it. If the mushroom breaks a little, don't worry too much. It will end up just fine. Use half of the olive oil to brush on the mushrooms. Set them under the broiler for about ten minutes, moving them around a bit every couple minutes to make sure that they "collapse" evenly. Cook until they're soft.

While they are cooking, mix the tuna, celery, parsley, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt amd 1/8 pepper and the rest of the oil.

***Note that I didn't have parsley available and just used a handful of dried. I also didn't actually measure the lemon, I just squeezed half a lemon in. I also loaded in the salt and pepper, since I love both.

When the mushrooms are done, split the tuna mixture into both of them. Plop a slice of cheese on each and broil again until the cheese is melted.

Top with a slice of tomato and a handful of baby greens. Yes, this is for more than just making it pretty - they went perfect.



For those of you who are soy-allergic, like I am, be VERY careful to make sure you find tuna that is packed in JUST water and has no soy in it. If I don't get sick at all, I will tell you what brand worked for me. It was the only one in the grocery store that didn't say "soy" on the package.

Oh, and best of all this recipe was 539 calories, and tasted bad for you.


EDIT:
The tuna I ate had soy in it, even though it wasn't on the label. If you're soy-allergic, please be careful when you choose your tuna. I know that safe tuna is out there! If you're not soy-allergic, seriously, you need to try that recipie TODAY.

THANKS, COOK YOURSELF THIN!

Ugh.

I have been waiting for over an hour for an entry I wrote about my dinner from tonight to post, and it is very aggravating!

Eggs

I am seriously considering trying eggs this weekend. Is that a bad idea?
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I used my new Bare Minerals make-up today, which I bought for my birthday with a check my grandma sent me (the rest went to credit card bills, in case I seem irresponsible)... I am loving it!

Also I soaked chicken in a marinade of lemon juice, garlic, and rosemary for lunch today. It smelled AWESOME, I can't wait to gobble it up later.

My weight went up two days in a row and stayed there for the third day. I can't figure out why I would have gained when I eat less than 1900 calories a day. I even worked out (although not as much as I should have). I am frustrated and hoping to be able to lower my calorie count even more.

Blah, blah.

OMFG Sweet Potatoes!

Wow, wow, wow.

I bought some microwavable sweet potatoes today at Walmart. They were only $1.30 each. I microwaved this one and put 8/10th of a tablespoon of butter (approx.) and about an oz (a rounded tablespoon) of sour cream. I also added salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

This is seriously the best baked potato of any sort that I have ever had. Ever. Even the skin was delicious.

245 calories.

I have awesome friends!

These came today from my friend Jason, who recenty toured the factory. Thanks, Jason!
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Muscles, sort of.

I like the word muscles because it is fun to say wrong on purpose.

LOOK AT MY MUSKILS!

This morning I atually worked out a little. I did as many sit-ups as I could handle and then did ten minutes on the gazelle... which was hell on wheels because it is still set to the hardest setting from when Ryan visited. I can't figure out how to change it back. I haven't used it in months, but I am going to start again. Mike DID spend like $300 on it for me. I will ask him to try to lower the resistance for me tonight.

Anywho, I wanted to see if you all would be impressed to see that there are actually some muscles peeking through my fat. I can see two on my calf and one on my thigh. And, of course, more fat than you can shake a stick at.

Please pardon my leggy nakedness.