Here I am--At least I didn't give up

I didn't give up.  I'm not going to lie and say I didn't think about it though.  I stopped blogging, tracking, and just gave in to everything--I caved and decided I should be happy with the way I am no matter what size I am.  While that is somewhat true, when I stepped on the scale at 200 pounds, I didn't feel happy.  I felt defeated and weak and ashamed that all my hard work in the past went to waste.

So you want to know what brought me back?  What was my breaking point?  I went to DFW to visit some family.  My Aunt had found an old camera that she got developed and it had some old pictures of me on there--I'd say 7 years old?  I took one look at one of the pictures and decided right then and there that I was done being fat.

I took the photo--(it was of me and my Father)--I posted it on the fridge, and since I don't have a relationship with my father, I put a big magnet over the picture.  Now everytime I go to the fridge there it is.  I also put the photo on my wall paper to my cell phone.  It's important that I have that in front me at all times.

I don't expect to get that small again--I know that after having children some things just aren't realistic, but I'll get as close to it as I can.

So what's changed?  When did I start?  I started a little over a week ago.  As of today I've lost 6 pounds.  What a relief to not step on the scale and see that 200 anymore!  What have I done differently?  I stopped worrying!!!  I stopped putting pressure on myself.  I don't track what I eat, I don't track my exercise, I don't stress if I don't get exercise in.  I still follow the weight watchers diet to a point.  Weight watchers gave me a guide and showed me how to portion control and what to avoid  I really only eat when I'm hungry.  I've learned not to rely on food for when I'm bored or stressed.  Instead--I drown myself in a book--I've got a lot of reading done! 

So I don't plan on blogging everyday--only when I feel like it--when I feel inspired.  I haven't been doing any exercising, but I have been more active--and I can tell you that having 6 pounds off makes a difference!  I don't feel sluggish anymore--and I know it'll only get better and better.  I do have some work out tapes--walking with Leslie Sansone and The Firm workout tapes--that I'll be doing.

Thank you for reading and I hope you'll follow up on me.  This is what's working for me--I realized everyone is different--some people work better having to track--I do not do well with that.  As far as a goal weight?  I'd like to be at 140--we will see where this takes me.

I'm here...

It's been longer than it should be since I've updated this.

I'm embarrassed to say, but I really have gone way off track. In fact, I haven't been tracking at all. It's amazing how a couple days of doing what you want can get you off track for so long!

This is a new week though and I'm going to just nip it in the butt and start tracking again. I need to start exercising as well too and my period certainly threw me off.

So other than that I've been doing pretty well. I got the boys registered for soccer yesterday and went to a pretty Daffidoil garden in Gladewater. I had never been there and it was amazing to see the flowers grow up wild like that.


Jon has been out of town for the past..umm..3 days? I think. Yes. Hopefully he will be home late tonight. I was going to take the kids to fly a kite today but Wal-Mart had zero kites! I will have to look at Target next time I go to Longview. Instead we ended up going through all their toys and organizing their bedroom. It looks much better now and now we have lots of good toys to donate.

After that the boys played and then I decided to tackle my craft/junk closet. That is also nice and neat and organized. And now I can honestly say that almost my entire house is organized. For now. Sometimes things get to a certain point where it utterly stresses me out with all the disorganization and messiness.

I feel better now that it's taken care of. When things are organized I think it helps me with myself and hopefully from now on things will start going better for me. It's vital to my health that I get this weight off and I have to keep thinking that. If I ever want this PCOS to go away I'm going to have lose the weight.

I'll leave it at that and next time you hear from me I will be doing great on my weight loss journey! Thanks for reading!

Weigh In Day

Today is weigh in day and it's been the worst weigh in day I've had yet. I gained 2 pounds and I am now at 184.

I have to be honest, it's def my own fault. We went to Dallas this weekend for the Color Run and I ended up splurging on every meal I had. I definitely enjoyed my weekend, but I'm paying for all those calories now.

On top of that I finally started my period. I know that's TMI, but I've been dealing with Polytheistic Ovarian Syndrome for almost 3 years now. It's a hormone dissorder and I believe it has a lot to do with being over weight. As it stands, I had not had a period in 6 months. I was determined that once I started getting the weight off my periods would come back. And sure enough--they have. Now this is without taking a hormone pill to induce a period. I was having to do that, but I gave up the meds and decided I was going to just get the weight off. Now to say I'll have a cycle next month is not for certain. I don't know what's going to happen. I do have an appointment with my gyno next week to disscuss it though. I know that I"m on the right track though.

So---yes, the weight gain could be in relation to that. But I know what I did and now I'm paying for it. Today I am officially back on track. Working out however, has not been in my agenda so far this week because I am feeling so crummy.

Tonight we are having chicken fajitas for dinner. Jon is working late and Glee and Raising Hope comes on tonight so it'll be a great evening. Anyhoo, I better get going!

The Color Run was SO Fun!!

I just wanted to post quickly that I had an awesome weekend! We had tons of fun at the color run and it was so worth it!!

Next year I'll take the boys and my husband! I'm also really interested in finding local walks/runs here in East Texas!

I splurged a lot this weekend on my food and just had fun and enjoyed myself. I'm trying not to worry about the scale too much because if it's a bad result I can get it back off. :-)

I'll post some pictures and I'll update this week!

Weigh In Day!!

Sooo....today was weigh in day...and guess what? Someone's (ME) happy.


Yes! Yes! Yes! I know I'm doing something right!! Yesterday when Kim & I were in Tyler I almost had a hamburger over a healthier lower point item at Apple-bees. She stuck with the healthier option. I knew I'd end up beating myself up if I ate that hamburger. And it helped that she still stuck with it too--so I didn't chose the hamburger.

Believe it or not--there is a lot that goes through my mind when I'm faced with an option like that. I have to admit though--it gets easier and easier turning things down.

Today has been a pretty busy day today. I took BOTH dogs to the vet to finish up on there vaccinations and get them some heartworm/flea/tick monthly meds. That was fun. Remmy has to get neutered in a month! If you haven't already, I think it's VERY VERY important to get your animals spayed/neutered. I get updates from the local shelter and you wouldn't believe how many unwanted pets there are.

Okay--so off my ramble. I'm about to take Charles to basketball practice here in a few and Kim is going to take their pictures for the season! I just wanted to post a quick update! Thanks to everyone who is following my journey!!

One Step at a Time

Hello there. I hope everyone is doing well today. It's been a chilly past couple of days and I'm a bit happy about it. It means winter is finally coming and then will come Spring! Kim is going to show me how to prune my roses this week to get ready for Spring. My canas are already trying to come up because of this cold weather. I haven't decided what to plant in front of them just yet.

I've been doing really well so far as far as tracking my points. I've managed to stay on top of tracking except for yesterday. We were in town and doing some running around. I did really well except for those fries I had at Smash Burger (with my grilled chicken.)

My appointment to the RA doctor is tomorrow morning and I'm pretty excited about it. I"ll finally have a diagnosis and get some treatment (I hope.)

I borrowed the workout DVD "The Firm" from a friend and I loved it so I bought my own copy today. It's the dance one and the work outs were a lot of fun. I also tried these Smart Ones fudge cake that were 4 points and O.M.G...they were to die for!! So if you have a chocolate craving, I'd highly recommend those!

Tonight for dinner we are having Chilli. It's cold outside so I thought, why not? And it's weight watchers friendly. It's called Souper Chili.



Anyhoo--I'll let ya know how it turns out tomorrow. I hope everyone is having a great weekend and thank you for reading!

10 Pounds Lost!

So I wanted to wait and update after I weighed myself this morning but it's official I am at 184!

It was so odd because on Tuesday the scale showed 186. So I weighed yesterday morning and again today and now I'm convinced that I'm at 184n

This is a big accomplishment for me and gives me the will and determination to keep going on this journey!

So today is day at Mops where there will be lots of goodies! I made some 3 point cupcakes using strawberry cake mix and diet 7 up. My friend made so 1 point banana muffins and I'll have to ind the recipe and post it!

Anyhoo I better get going but just wanted to update. I hope everyone has a great day!

Weigh In Day

This morning was weigh in day. Since I'm in the BBL on a DFW Area Moms we had to send in a scale picture this morning.

Here is my scale picture.


So as you can see--there has been no weight lost. Yes, I'm really dissapointed in myself. I think it's unavoidable to feel some discouragement. But this is the 2nd time that I've had a weigh in where I didn't lose any weight. I can move forward and I always have another chance to get things right.

I just finished breakfast and I had a bowl of oatmeal. No milk today--just going to take my vitamin with some water. I've got laundry going in the washer and dryer and that's what I'll be doing today along with some other chores.

It's a rainy day here and a bit cold as well so perfect indoor weather. I'm not sure what I'm having for lunch yet but it will either be a turkey sandwich or a frozen dinner. And I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing for dinner at this moment either. Whatever it is, I'm going to stay within my points.

I worked out on the elliptical last night for 45 minutes. Today I'm going to play on the wii for a little while too to work up a good sweat. Hopefully if I alternate work outs than I won't get bored.

I better get going and I hope everyone has a great Tuesday.

I need to------>S-W-E-A-T!

Sitting here listening to some Oldies music (You Can't Hurry Love by the Supremes) right now, LOL. My husband is on his way home and should be here soon.

I had a pretty good day today. I went over and worked on a special project with Kim & then came home and started up on laundry. For some reason I was in a "funk" today. One reason to explain this was because I weighed myself this morning. My weigh in day isn't until tomorrow morning. I'm not going to tell you what it was because it could be different tomorrow, but I wasn't too pleased. I've decided that okay--I'm eating right--I've got the hang of that. Now I just need to start adding some exercise in it. Yes--I've been doing walking at the track but I don't really break a sweat.

...So...even though I didn't feel like working out--after talking with my husband I got on the elliptical and did it for 45 minutes. Whew. You know, it didn't get easy until I was 5 minutes away from my goal! LOL.

I have to give my husband tons of brownie points for getting me motivated. I really didn't want to do it and he said "Hey! You never know, you could lose 2 pounds by tomorrow!" I don't think I will, but who knows!

So one of my goals this week and every week thereafter is to do an exercise that gets me sweating at least 3 times a week. And I mean, fall on the floor, can't breath, sweating.

So I'll be back tomorrow with my weigh in post. This weight loss seems to be a roller coaster. Wish me luck because I'm going to need it!

Here's to SWEAT!

Busy is My Middle Name!

I apologize for not having posted as often as I should or would like. Not to worry, I am still here!

Yesterday we had a basketball game for Charles and then the boys went to my in-laws for the evening. Jon and I decided to have dinner at Smash Burger followed by some frozen yogurt.

At Smash Burger I had a chicken sandwich that was 11 points. I split the fries with Jon so that was another 7 points. 18 points total. Which is rather high for dinner, but I had a low point lunch and breakfast so I had the points.

What sent me over my points was the frozen yogurt-3 points for 1/2 a cup and I had 1 cup. So 6 points for the frozen yogurt and then when we got home I had some popcorn-about 4 points with the movie that we were watching.

So yes, I did dig into my weekly points this week but not by a whole lot. The main important thing is that I haven't been exercising as much as I should be. This week I'm going to get my butt back on that elliptical and start doing more Just Dance and make sure I'm out on that track almost every day.

For dinner tonight I'm making:

Hamburger Noodle Casserole



This serves 10 and is 7 points plus per serving. I actually pre-made it earlier so that it's ready to go in the oven for dinner. The only things I forgot to add was the green onions--I even had them on my list at the grocery store! I will have this with a salad and some fat free Italian dressing.

So every Tuesday I weigh in. I am trying not to put myself on a schedule. Like I have to lose ___lbs in April. Or whatever month you want to put there. I think it puts more stress on me doing it that way. Instead I'm going into my weeks with the mindset that I'm going to the best that I can do. If I don't lose what I want to lose in a week than I'll try harder next week. I'm not going to let myself get down, especially when I've already come this far.

My stretch marks are coming in more on my stomach area, my sides, and my chest. While I complain about how ugly they are, I am actually rather proud of them. As I lose the weight I see them more--it's a helpful visual to me that I'm making progress.

So anyhoo--I'm hopeful for the week ahead no matter what the outcome of weigh in day is on Tuesday. I just finished reading "The Hunger Games" and if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. I'm going to start on the 2nd book either today or tomorrow. There are 3 books in the series. My friend bought books 1 and 3 and I bought book 2 so we are going to trade off. I love to read and I'm so excited to have found something new that I love.

Well I hope everyone has a great Sunday and stay optimistic for the week ahead. It's a brand new week and tomorrow's another day to get it right.

Deary Thursday

I think this day accounts for my mood as well today. Bored, dull, bland. It looks like it's trying to rain, but it's not raining. It's 66 degrees so it's still fairly warm. The groundhog saw his shadow but you know we haven't even had a winter yet! Today was also the 100th day of school for Charles. He comes home, shows me a picture he drew--at the top it says: You would like to have 100 things of _____. He put guns. Then drew a bunch of guns. But he's so cute-he says "Mommy, I PROMISE they are fake guns, they are really really fake!" LOL. So I'm here writing since I have a few before I head to the track.

You know--when it comes to breakfast and lunch I'm usually pretty routine. I don't like to change it up a lot so if you see the same things, that's why. My dinners are usually different though.

Food log for today:

Breakfast:

1 packet of oatmeal
1 cup of milk

=7 points total

Lunch:

Turkey sandwich
1 serving of special K chips

=7 points

Snack:

I just had a banana

I haven't had dinner yet and really I don't know what we are having for dinner. I took out some hamburger meat this morning to make a hamburger noodle casserole (weight watchers friendly) but it hasn't thawed out yet. I also do not know if my husband is working late or not so that also is a deciding factor on dinner. If he comes home than I'll try and whip up something so he doesn't have to suffer through frozen pizza or sandwiches.

We also have basketball practice tonight but that isn't until 7pm. Either or I have like 13 points left for the day so I'm good.

I haven't done any yoga and I haven't really done any workouts so I need to get on the ball with that. I have been walking at the track and unless it's super cold or rainy, I intend to go every day that I can. It's something right?

Tomorrow I'm headed to town to take Samuel and his friend to story time and they get to paint something at the pottery place. Then I've got to find some more workout pants. Mine are seriously falling off of me!

LOL--speaking of, I have to share this little convo I had with my husband yesterday. He always knows how to make me laugh!

Well I better get going--I hope everyone has a good evening! I'll leave with a little inspiration to help you get through the rest of the week!

Since I just recently finished reading "The Help" I thought this would be appropriate!

Weigh In Day-Total Loss 8 pounds

Hi There!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I would have posted yesterday however between grocery shopping and whatnot I just got so busy. I had a really good weekend--my husband was off the weekend so we were able to enjoy it more. Charles had a basketball game, but they didn't win, and I did really good staying within my points.

So today was weigh in day and I'm super proud of myself! I weighed in at 186.4! I have a total loss of 8 pounds! I have to say that seeing results only motivates me more to continue on the path I'm on.

Today I'm going to the track with my friend to walk a couple miles and then I'll probably do some Just Dance 2 on the Wii. It's a lot of fun and gets me sweatin! We are also officially registered for the Color Run on the 19th. We now just have to get our hotel reserved and whatnot. I'm really looking forward to it!

So Here is my food log for today:

Breakfast:

1 packet of oatmeal
1 banana
1/2 cup of milk

=7 points

Lunch:

1 turkey sandwich
1 serving of Special K Chips

= 8 points

Snack:

I haven't had it yet but I will probably have a triangle of some Laughing Cow Cheese and some special K crackers

And if you havent had laughing cow yet, I really enjoy it and it's only 1 point!

=2 points

Dinner:

I'm having shredded pork tacos

-8 points each plus sour cream for 1 point

Pork Taco Recipe

Looks yummy right?!! I can smell it in my crock pot now! So not really a whole lot going on this week. We are waiting for our tax crud to get here so I'll be doing that. I'm adding another cable box in the bedroom because we really need to watch more T.V. LOL. I'm still reading The Help and really enjoying it--I'm getting close to the end though!

I hope everyone has a great day and I can't wait to read up on how you all have been doing!

Great Day!

So I had a pretty awesome day today. Mainly because I got to spend it with my next to favorite person, my friend Kim. (My husband is my favorite.) :0) We spent the day in Longview. I had to return Samuel's glasses and get him some new ones and we did a little shopping.

I did really really well today. I'm really proud of myself actually. Even though during lunch my kid's french fries were staring at me in the face, I resisted the urge.

Food Log for today:

Breakfast:

1 packet of oatmeal
1 cup of 1% milk

total of 7 points. I also always take my multivitamin BTW-which multi do you take? I take a women's "Alive."

My snack/treat before lunch:

A tall skinny vanilla latte on ice at Starbucks-only 2 points!!

Lunch:

Chick fi la Grilled Chicken Club

-10 points and 1 point for the ketchup I added.

Snack: Banana

Dinner:

Turkey sandwich with special K chips-8 points

So that all equals to 28 points for the day. I'll probably have a piece of fruit later before I go to bed and that will be zero points. I had a really good day food wise, even when I ate out. And I found a new eyeglass place that I love!

While I was at Wal-Mart I picked up a 10 dollar Jillian Michael's Yoga DVD that I did yesterday with Kim and a yoga mat. I didn't get to the yoga today, but I'll do it in the morning. Since my husband is home maybe he'll watch me--I'm sure he'll like the view from behind, LOL. I really enjoyed it so I'm going to be adding that into my work outs.

We ended up going to the track for some walking and walked 2 miles. I also got 3 points for 45 minutes of low workout. And NO! I haven't weighed myself! LOL--I'm doing great this week for sure!

I wanted to mention also that I'm doing the Color Run on Feb. 19th in Fort Worth. It's a 5K run/walk (of which I'll be walking) and I think it's going to be a ton of fun! Here is the link to it if you want to check it out. I'm going to register next week and get a white t-shirt.

The Color Run



So anyhoo--not much going on this weekend. Going to hang out with my honey and the boys tomorrow. Going to try to go to the track and we have a basketball game at 5 p.m. Sunday will be at home too! I've got to do some meal planning this weekend and relax. I hope everyone has a good weekend and I will sign off here for now!

My Tummy is Happy

...or a little too happy?

So today--I ate a lot. Well, it seems that way, and it probably will be once I log it all down here. But I wasn't really eating unhealthy things, just too much of healthy things? Make sense? LOL. I had MOPS today and that was fun--I stayed away from the donuts so I"m proud of myself for that.

I also ended up doing some Yoga today for the first time, and I have to admit, even though it was hard, I really really enjoyed it. I was able to get really in tune with my breathing and what my body could do. It's amazing! I loved it so much that I'm going to pick up a DVD & a yoga mat and add that into my work outs.

We also did some non-stop dancing and that was a lot of fun too--I really worked up a sweat! After about an hour we were done, but I have to admit that was a fun work out day!!

Okay so here's the embarrassing, but true food log for today:

Breakfast:

1 packet of oatmeal
1 cup of milk

Snack:

banana & half of a muffin-the muffing being 3 points for the whole

MOPS:

2 muffins
1/2 cup of breakfast casserole
1/4 cup of grapes

Lunch:

Subway turkey sub with mayo/lettuce
Special K crackers
Another muffin

Insert work out here

Dinner:

1 meduim baked potato: sprayed with PAM, salt/pepper, 1/4 c. fat free cheese & a small dallop of fat free sour cream
salad with fat free Italian dressing
1 sugar free cup of jello

Soooo....yes, I've ate a lot today. I well went over my points and dipped into my weekly points but you'll be surprised--I really didn't go over by much. The muffins that my friend made were only 3 points each (I'll post the link for the recipe) and so my overall day was pretty good--not really junk.

So as I go back and look on everything it really doesn't feel like I'm doing that great, but I am. It would really be nice for me just to buckle down without having to go into my weekly points. I suppose come next Tuesday we will see what happens. And BTW-I have not stepped on a scale SINCE Tuesday and I have no intention to either.

Muffin Recipe

And just a little info on those: She used a spice cake mix that went really well with the pumpkin.

Well, I'm off to basketball practice with an extremely cranky, tired, 3 year old little boy. This should be interesting. Ta Ta for Now!

Weigh In Yesterday

Sorry I'm late, but better late than never! It's been a fun, busy past couple of days. My weigh in was yesterday morning and I am still at 189. I didn't lose a pound for the week but that's okay-I'm keeping my head up!

A few things could have attributed to that though: 1. I'm on a steroid for my inflammation which causes water retention. I actually just have 4 more days of that. Which is bittersweet because I've been pain free since I've been on it! 2. I had Mexican food and that chocolate cake at my in-laws, not to mention some evening slip ups at night. 3. I didn't work out as hard as I usually do. I did some walking at the track but it really wasn't enough to get me sweating.

This morning after I took Charles to school I came home and did 30 minutes on the elliptical and 50 crunches. I was sweating pretty good. I did really good on my points today and here is my log for today:

Breakfast:

1 packet of oatmeal
1 cup of 1% milk

Snack:

Banana

Lunch:

Lean Cuisine Cheese Ravioli
Special K Sour Cream & Onion Crackers

Snack:
Banana & a handful of grapes

Dinner:

Chicken enchilada bake with a small dollop of light sour cream and 1/4 c. re-fried beans

I'll have to eat something before bed so I'll probably some strawberries and fat free cool whip which is totally free. I've managed to hit even on my points today and I'm really proud of myself. This week is already looking up and I'm super excited.

Tomorrow is our MOPS meeting. That is going to be a challenge that I'm ready to tackle. There are usually lots of yummy sweets there. My plan: Make sure to have breakfast and a snack before I go. If there is any fruit there I can snack on that because those are free points.

Oh--I wanted to post a picture of something that I made yesterday to help me visualize my weight loss. And when you look at how many pounds I have to lose this way, it really doesn't look like much and looks like an easier goal to achieve.

I think I might change the letters on it to make it stand out more, but other than that I really like it. I put it in my kitchen on the window seal where the counter is that I prepare food at and whatnot. I'll see it everyday and it will be a wonderful reminder in the kitchen. I got the idea from Pinterest! Who doesn't love pinterest! I actually even made 2 crafts today from there.



Yes, I know. Way way cool. I'm going to hang this one up in my "purple" room where I do my workouts in. I totally love it!

Alrighty, going to get going now. I hope everyone has a good night and I will do my best to post another blog tomorrow!

Hello Monday!

So how is everyone this fine Monday morning? Got a case of the Monday's? How was your weekend? Were you able to stay on track or did you fall short? Whichever the case, it's a brand new week!

My weekend was pretty good. Charles had a basketball game on Saturday (they didn't win, but it was still fun to watch) and then we went to town to get a few things done and stayed at home the rest of the day. I was a bit stressed out Saturday evening though so while my husband was laying down with our youngest, I snuck in a bowl of cereal. I know..that it so bad. But really---that's how I started gaining weight in the first place. Eating when I'm stressed. It's not a good habit and it's a hard habit to stop. And I felt every bit of guilt for it afterward. Worst of all, I knew I was doing something wrong and so I did it while my husband couldn't see.

How many of you guys do that? Do you ever have moments like that? Well Sunday came and we went to my in-laws. I really have to watch what I eat there and it was def a test...that I didn't pass very well. I am going to give myself credit though--that chocolate cake I had was a very small piece and I watched my portions when it came to lunch over there.

Today I'm doing well--I've made it past breakfast. I really need to buckle down this week. I went walking yesterday with a friend and I intend to go every day this week after the kids get out of school, weather permitting. I figure that if I don't make time to do it at home, than I'm still getting out and getting some moderate exercising in.

Tomorrow is weigh in day--and to be perfectly honest I've been weighing myself almost every other day--which is another thing I need to stop doing. Tomorrow I'll post my weigh in date. I'm not going to be surprised if I don't loose a pound. But nevertheless this is a brand new week--it's a chance for me to get it right and to keep going. There is no sense in pouting or wishing I didn't eat that bowl of cereal or have that chocolate cake. I have no one to blame but myself so if I don't see the results I want tomorrow morning, than it's my own fault.

I did cook a pepperoni pasta Saturday evening and it was wonderful! It's only 6 points and I'll be eating left overs for lunch today and possibly tomorrow. It's that good, in my opinion.

Can you believe that's healthy? For the recipe: Pizza Pasta Casserole I had it with some green beans-the kids had corn and garlic bread--it was a hit with the whole family.

And just a little insight into dinner time at my house--When I cook, I cook for the whole family. If my kids don't eat, they don't eat. The only time I will make something for myself is possibly a side dish or if it's pizza/leftover night. With that being said, I have to find meals that are healthy, while making my husband and my kids happy as well. It's challenging, but so far so good.

So just a couple more things to add before I close off here. My husband went in for a blood test this morning to check everything. I am a bit worried that his cholesterol levels are higher than they were last year. This is his 2nd year going in for a annual check up and I suppose we have around a week to wait to find out if he checks out okay. It's just something to keep in mind--eating healthy is not just about loosing weight--it's about taking care of your health. They aren't the same thing--they really aren't. I'll leave with that. I hope everyone has a great day!

Sore Today, but Managed Points

I never know what to title these things, LOL. Today was a much better day with my points. I had a little more discipline and I still have 3 points left for the day. So I won't feel guilty having a little snack before bed.

Today I accomplished sheet washing and doing laundry. There wasn't a whole lot going on. I did however, look at my toosh and realized that not only has it become more painful, but I have never seen a bruise that purple before. I had dragged working out all day until I finally decided not to work out at all. I really am in too much pain. And I probably won't work out tomorrow either. Who would have thought a little bike crashing into me would have caused so much damage? Don't worry, I won't post a picture of it. Not until I have a butt that looks like the one Jennifer Lopez has!

So I'm not going to post my food for today--not right now anyways because I left my phone in the other room that has everything on it and it really hurts getting up and down. I did do well though--for snacks I had a banana and my favorite-fresh strawberries and fat free whip cream.

I have been craving sweets latley so I'm thinking of trying a Diet Soda Cake. It sounds odd but I believe i"m going to give it a whirl. Here is a link to how you make it!

Diet Soda Cake

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. My son has his basketball game tomorrow so we should have fun and it's always a nice weekend when my husband doesn't have to work! Until tomorrow, I hope everyone has a good night!

We all have our Days

I'm a little late in getting to this post that was supposed to be posted yesterday! My husband is out of town so after taking care of everything and getting the boys into bed I had some down time. Yesterday was a pretty good day. I got some exercise in, but I went over my points again. I'll tell ya--this points thing is easier said than done. I need to have more discipline for sure. I don't want the hard work I've put in already to go to waste so I need to buckle down.

My friend came over and we did 45 minutes of the Wii Active and then we went walking at the track that afternoon for 45 minutes (2miles.) Then, my wonderful 6 year old son, ran over me with a bike. Took me completely down. Yes. And I have a battle wound on my ass to prove it...which I might add makes sitting down a little uncomfortable. But never the less-I still must work out!

So here is my food log from yesterday:

Breakfast:

*Quaker Oats instant oatmeal - 4 points
* 1 cup of milk - 3 points
* 1 banana - 0 points

=7 points

Lunch:

*Turkey Sandwich with mircale whip/lettuce- 5 points
*Special K cracker chips Sour Cream & Onion- 3 points

=8 points

Dinner:

*3 tacos from Wednesday's dinner- 8 points
* 1 cup of mac & cheese that I made the kids-8 points

=16

Anytime/Snack:

*1 Jello Pudding sugar free snack-2 points
*1 Bowl of cereal before bed- 6 points

=8 points

Total points I used: 39 points.

So you can see I really did not do well yesterday at all. I think the main reason why I did so poorly was because I didn't snack in between meals. I was famished when I got back home from the walk and so I just ate everything in sight. As for the cereal--there is no excuse there. I just need to stay away from it and eat something healthier. I'm a bit embarrassed by my point use but if I'm going to be successful at this than I need to be totally honest. And sometimes it's important to see it out in front of you like that.

Today is a new day and I'm determined to stick within my goal and get some exercise today. There is nothing that I can do about yesterday but to make today a better day.

One of those days!

Today has been...rough. I ended up having to take my 3 year old to the doctor. It's nothing serious, just an upper respiratory infection. What was frustrating was having to wait 45 minutes for his antibiotic and THEN being told that his cough medicine has been taken off the market. So...after calling the doctor back and getting no response we decided to leave. I went and got some lunch at Chick fi la. The doctor eventually called another prescription in but my husband is going to have to pick it up on his way because I'm not getting out again, LOL.

I did pick up a new DVD tape--Jillian Michaels I think it is. I haven't done it yet, but hopefully this evening or tomorrow.

Okay so I'll go ahead and post my menu for today (including dinner)

Breakfast:

* 1 packet of Quaker Oats instant oatmeal-4 points
* 1 cup of 1% milk- 3 points
* 1 banana-0 points
-and my multivitamin

=7 points

Lunch:

*Chargrilled Chicken Club from chick fi la, no fries-9 points
* Special K pretzel bar-2 points

=11 points

Snack:

*weight watchers Jello- 0 points

Dinner:

* beef and bean soft tacos (2)-6 points
*added sour cream-2 points

Recipe:









=8 points

So all of that is total for 26 points. I still have 2 left. I'll probably have some popcorn later or a piece of fruit before bed. Lunch was rough for me because I was out and in my car--I still haven't mastered "eating out healthy" yet. Next time I should bring a healthy cold sandwich with me. Overall I'm proud of myself for not going over my points and making it through.

Today has been pretty stressful, but I'm staying positive and tomorrow is another day!

Weigh In Day!

Today was my official first weigh in for the online biggest loser competition that I'm in. When I weigh in, I do it first thing in the morning, after I use the restroom and at the same time everytime.

Today I weighed in at 189lbs. That really surprised me because I really wasn't expecting to have lost any since Saturday. I'm super excited--I've finally hit my 5 pound mark. It does seem like lately I have struggled with exercise. I was looking at what I was actually doing on the elliptical and realized that it was only moderate exercise. So I've tried a couple DVDs that I had and I've done the Wii Fit game, but for some reason I'm just not really digging any of it. I think when I go to town I might stop by Wal-Mart and see if there are any other better work out DVDs that I can try. I really need to get a variety going so I don't feel bored.

I am also noticing some visible stretch marks on my stomach. Most of my weight resides in my stomach. I purchased some Miderma at the beauty supply store on Sunday and I've been using that-I really hope it works!

Anyhoo--here is what I did today (not including dinner because I haven't had that yet)

Breakfast

*1 packet of Quaker Instant Oatmeal
* 1 cup of 1% milk
*my multivitamin

= 7 points

Snack

*1/4 cup of air popped popcorn with Pam & seasoning

=1 point

Lunch

* turkey sandwich on Sara Lee 45 Calorie bread with lettuce and 1 tablespoon of miracle whip
* 1 serving of Special K Sour Cream and Onion chips

= 8 points

Snack

* 1 cup of strawberries with 1/4 cup of fat free cool whip

=0 points

Exercise

*10 minutes on Wii Fit
* 5 minutes on elliptical
* 5 minutes doing crunches-around 50 crunches

Snack:

* banana

= 0 points

We are going out to dinner tonight so I'm not really sure how I"m going to do. I will end up dipping into my points for the week however I am not going to let this be a set back. I'm going to enjoy my dinner out and do the best that I can do.

Anyhoo, I better get going and I hope everyone has a great night!

Well today has been a productive day.  It was Martin Luther King Day so Charles was off from school.  Samuel woke up feeling crummy with a fever and a cough so we stayed home today.  I think he's actually feeling better now-I gave him some Tylenol around 1pm and it hasn't come back yet so maybe it was just a little thing.

Tomorrow is weigh in day for the Biggest Loser Competition that I'm in on a DFW Mom Forum.  Of course I was weighed at weight watchers on Saturday and I was 190.  I'm not expecting to have dropped another pound tomorrow.

So here is a look at my day:

Breakfast:

* 1 packact of instant quaker oatmeal-maple and brown sugar = 4 points
* 1 cup of 1% milk = 3

Snack:

*1/4 cup of air popped popcorn, seasoned with Pam and Cheddar Popcorn Seasoning = 1 point

Lunch:

* Weight Watchers Smart One Lasagna Florentine = 7 points

 Exercise:

* I did 10 minutes of a high intensity work out tape, 5 minutes on the elliptical, and 50 crunches

Snack:

*1/4 Cup of fat free cool whip & cup of fresh strawberries = 0 points

Dinner:

*4 oz, of rump roast = 4 points
* 1 baked potato, cooked 5oz = 3 points
* 1/2 cup of green beans = 0 points
* 1/4 cup of fat free shredded cheddar cheese = 1 point
* 2 tablespoons of Kraft Simply Light Sour Cream = 1 point
* 1 cornbread muffing = 4 points

So that's my day in a nutshell.  I did pretty good--Dinner looks like it's a lot only because of the potato add ons.  I actually finished everything on my plate and it was just enough.  I did get a food scale so that I could measure out the meat and potatoes.  I also measure the sour cream and cheese.  I pretty much measure everything except the things that are free points.  I think it's okay to just do an estimate on those.  So I pretty much broke even for today.

I still have a medicine that I have to take before I go to bed with some food so I'll probably have a banana with that so I don't go over my points.  I am really learning that I can eat things I enjoy and still manage my weight.  Weight watchers is all about healthier choices and portion control.  I'm really enjoying it.  Until tomorrow, I hope everyone has a good night and keep up the good work!

Hello!

Writing here this evening before I make up my grocery list for tomorrow.  I went to my first weight watchers meeting this morning and it went pretty well.  I purchased the calculator and a cute sporty water bottle for a friend and I.  And also some pimp sun visors for when we walk, LOL.

I haven't exercised.  Going on the 3rd day.  Def going to exercise tomorrow.  I'm thinking of doing a Biggest Loser DVD that I have.  If you haven't done one of those, I highly recommend it.  You will be sweating with in 3 minutes of it!

Okay so here is what I had today for breakfast & point wise and I have 28 points for the day:

Breakfast:

*1 whole wheat slice of bread, toasted-2 points
*2 tbsp creamy peanut butter-5 points
* 1 cup of 1% milk

Lunch

* 1 chicken sandwich with lettuce and 1 tablespoon of mircale whip
* around 27 Special K sour cream and onion chips

All equals 10 points.

Snack

*banana-0 points
*Special K Chocolatey Pretzel Bar-2 points

Dinner

* Weight watchers Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes-6 points

As it stands right now I have 2 points leftover.  I will have an apple before I go to bed with my meds and that is free.  All fruits are free as well as most veggies.

I wanted to add that when I went and weighed on the scale at weight watchers I weighed 190lbs.  Since I have started this journey I have officially lost 4 pounds.  So far that puts me at 2lbs a week.

Update on Medical Issue

When I saw the doctor on Thursday I really loved him.  I wasn't sure if I posted, but he's pretty great and I'm really happy with him.  He thinks that I have what is called Connective Tissue Disease.  It's a branch from RA and Lupus.  He did some more blood work and he's putting me on a steroid for 16 days.  I started this morning.  He wants to see if the steroid helps.  Then he's going to take me off it and I go see him back in a month.

I should finally have an answer by then and we can look at some long term treatment.  Finally.  This morning I woke up with terrible pain my hands that went away quicker than usual.  I thought it was due to the steroid, however this evening, while at my son's basketball game the knee pain started and progressively got worse.  I will not get discouraged.  The steroid takes a few days before it starts working.  Keep in mind, that during this time, I most likely will retain water, which could fluctuate my weight a bit.  I am going to do my best to drink as much water as I can during this time.



So there's the update on everything.  I'm going to start making my grocery list for in the morning and I'll be back to report later that evening.  Oh-the score was 29-18 at the basketball game.  We didn't win but they did an awesome job.  And please say a little prayer for my great grandmother.  I just found out that she is in the hospital with pneumonia and feeling pretty bad.  I do love her very much.  Goodnight!

Rest Day

Well to start off, I have taken a rest day today.  I've been working out for the past 4 days and today just felt like a good day to give my body the day off.  I think it's important to remember to give yourself that.  I do admit, I always feel better when I work out, however, I needed today.

I have an appointment this morning with an RA/Lupus doctor.  This is the 2nd doctor I am going to see about this.  The first doctor said I tested positive for Lupus but then said I didn't have Lupus.  It's complicated.  So I'm going this morning to get a second opinion.

I bring this up because dealing with the pain I get in my joints has an effect on my exercise.  If I have a bad night with pain, I wake up sore the next morning.  Or several times a week I'll wake up with swelling in hands that are sensitive to touch.  It's a problem that's effecting my productivity and it's important to my health that I get treated, no matter what the diagnosis is.

I have also decided to join weight watchers.  The two closest girlfriends I have are also joining so it's going to be exciting to have them alongside with me.  I go to my first meeting Saturday morning.  I will not be going to the meetings regularly because of sports with my son and my husbands work schedule, but I won't need to because I'll have all the motivation I need already.  I'm really looking forward to it.

Well I better run for now, need to get up and going.  Thanks for keeping up with me and following me!

Hello!

Welcome to my blog.  With the help of my friend I have got just about everything set up and going for this blog.  You can even access it on your phone!  Isn't that neat?

I started this blog because I am on a journey to loose weight and find myself again.  It seems like since I gained all this extra weight, my clothes fit tighter and my self esteem went down.  I went through a long struggle with depression and getting settled in my marriage, only to come out stronger and better in the end!  My inspiration was myself.  I took a look at the things that I overcame in life and realized that if I did that and succeeded than I can certainly do this.

I think sometimes as Mothers we forget who we really are and loose ourselves.  We spend so much time taking care of others that we forget to take care of ourselves.  For example, I don't put on make up anymore, I'm a little more reserved, my hair is usually up in a pony tail, and 9 times out of 10 I'm wearing sweats!

I am going to make it a point to record as much as I can every day.  This includes: Food, exercise, and how I"m feeling or what my day is like.  I will also keep you updated of my progress in loosing weight.

I really hope that you will join me on this journey to find myself again, or as I like to call it, my inner beauty, and maybe you will learn some things about yourself as well.

Please feel free to share this with your friends or send me links to other people making this journey too.

Thank you for reading!

Nicole