What is it about the holidays?

I must be the only person that gets to the holidays & starts to want to lose weight.  It happened around this time last year.  I decided on December 18, 2012 that I would go on a weight loss plan & so I started this blog. 
Can you imagine how far along I'd be if I had stuck with it?  It would be almost a year now....
Anyhoo, I'm getting back into that mode.  I feel it coming.  I've been trying to get back on track now for several months but I just haven't felt it, but I can feel it coming back.  Isn't that crazy that I want to start around the holidays? 
Anyway, I doubt anyone still reads this blog & that's ok.  I like to have something for myself to look back on. 
I tell you what though.  Besides my favorite blogger Tiffany (who takes really long in between posts, but it's not her fault she's a newly wed!!)  If you want some really great inspiration, get on Instagram!  There are some GREAT pictures and accounts of people who have lost weight all kinds of ways.  Surgyer, WW, counting calories, working out, you name it they've lost weight doing it & it's a great place for inspiration.  I guess I already said that huh? 

Anyhoo, I'm aloooost done with school.  I graduate in May, so only 6 months left!! Thank God!  I am SO ready to be done with school.  Well, at least this part.  I'm ready to start working & making some real money & then hopefully I can get my life in some sort of regular routine. 

Ok, that's all I wanted.  Just to say I am still here & that I'll probably be starting back real soon.  My weight has crept right back up where I started last year, so I guess you can say I'm starting over, AGAIN......

Long time no "see"

I know I've been MIA & my eating has gone totally downhill.  I have gained back 8 lbs & I feel like CRAP, especially after working a 12 hour tech (CNA work) shift at work!! Man does this 8 lbs really make a difference.  You wouldn't think that 8 lbs would show so much but it really does! My stomach is such a noticable difference.  I wouldn't have thought that, but it's true.  But alas, tomorrow is another day & I HAVE to get back on track, if not for anything more than to not feel like my back is broken & my feet are about to fall off after my 12 hour shift!!

Weekly Weigh In...

Sorry that I haven't been around much guys.  It's the end of my hardest semester & I have been super busy.  Thank God I only have ONE WEEK left of this semester!!  Woohoo!!  I'm very much looking forward to this summer.  I recently got a job working as a PCT (Patient Care Tech/CNA) at a hospital a town over so I am also looking forward to that.  I haven't started yet, I'm still waiting to hear about my final acceptance & then orientation & all that.  But, I have been trying really hard to watch my eating.  I haven't been counting my calories like I should & doing Insanity has made me realize that that is NOT for me. Even though, I'm still down a pound from my last weigh in.  This morning I got on the scale & was back at 267.  I can't complain too much, at least it was a loss right?  I've been reading my blogs & I have seen some really great recipes that I want to try.  And of course as soon as I do you know I'll share them with you.  But for now I am studying my big ol' booty off but I'll be back blogging regularly soon!

Hope you all are doing great!




Previous weight 268
Current weight 267
- 1 lb
Total weight loss to date
-16 lbs

Day 107 Ok I'm insane...

I know I said I wasn't going to do Insanity.  I know I said I didn't think I COULD do insanity.  I know I said only a REALLY fit person could even do this, but......I did it.  I couldn't help it. My husband has been doing it now for about 5 days & although he did make it look like pure torture, I couldn't help but try it.  Seriously, you have to hear the noises he makes while doing it.  But anyhoo.  So today while I was home alone I decided to give it a try & here are the results. 

The first day you do what's called the Fit Test.  I guess you do that periodically throughout the program to see how far you've come.  And here is how I did:

Switch Kicks - 107
Power Jacks - 25
Power Knees - 50 on the L leg & 51 on the R leg
Power Jumps - 35
Four Corners (I don't remember what this is really called) - 5 rotations
Suicides - 8
Push up jacks - 18
Plank Obliques (I think this is what he said) - 25

So for the breakdown.  The only thing I physically couldn't do were the Push Up Jacks.  I physically can't do a push up on the floor.  BUT I compromised & I did them on the wall. :)  It's the best I could do.  Maybe one day I'll be able to do them on the floor.  The other thing I THOUGHT I wouldn't be able to do when he was demonstrating them were the suicides & the plank obliques.  But I gave them a try & I was able to do them.  Of course my plank obliques were PITIFUL.  I mean it's hard to bring your leg up when your big ol' stomach is in the way.  BUT I know that's not the point.  The point is I did it & I survived.  So I guess tomorrow will start the real workout (maybe).  I have clinical & I have to leave my house by 5:00 am to get there on time, sooo I may do Day 1 on Friday instead.  Either way, I have to say that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be & I am looking forward to doing Day 1 & then doing the Fit Test again in a week to see if I've progressed.  Yes I know, I am eating my words.  Do you want to see a picture of me afterwards?

 

I was a little sweaty & a LOT red, lol.  Now on to study time. 

Weekly Weigh In...

So my husband has caught the "Insanity" bug.  Like I said in the last post, he's in pretty good shape already & has decided that he's going to give these workouts a try and so far he's doing pretty good.  He found a girl on youtube that does them & records herself & while she's recording them you can see what the people in the videos are doing too.  He's been doing really great & he said that the workouts are REALLY hard.  By the time he's done he's dripping with sweat.  I'm really proud of him.  Have I started doing them too?  Uh no thanks.  BUT what I have started doing is some yoga.  Have you guys seen the video of the guy who lost 140 lbs doing yoga?  If not you should watch it, it's really inspiring if you haven't seen it I've posted it for you :D.  Even if you're not interested in yoga, he's still a great inspiration of what happens when you never give up. 

 

 

How many time have we started this weight loss thing & then given up?  How many times have we looked back six months later & thought "Man if I had only just stuck with it where would I be now?"  Well this guy stuck with it & what a difference it made. 

So, I decided that doing a little yoga might help me with my creaking bones give me a little flexibility.  I have to say though, it's a bit harder than I originally thought.  So far I've only done some starter workouts, they're about 20 minutes long but dang it takes some good balance to do those suckers!  You know what I would really love to do? The couples acroyoga.  Have you seen that?  It's FANTASTIC!  Of course you'd have to have a partner willing to do it.  I don't know though, once I lose a bit more weight, I bet I could talk my husband into it, lol.  If you haven't seen that then check out this video, it's so cool. 

 



 

Serously how cool is that?  But anyway, I guess my post for today is about finding something & just doing it.  Even if you change it up & do something else, just do SOMETHING.  Today was yoga, tomorrow may be something else, but at least I'm moving my body. 

 

And now to the weekly weigh in. This morning I was back down to 268, so that's a 2 lb loss from last week where I was up 2 pounds.  I'm tired of this stall & yo-yoing and I am hoping for a much better number next week.  How about you guys?  How are you doing?

 

 

Previous weight 270
Current weight 268
- 2 lb
Total weight loss to date
-15 lbs

Day 100!

I can't believe I'm at day 100.  Of course I'm not where I was hoping to be at this point but you know what? I'm getting back on track & I can't wait for my weigh in this Sunday. 

Today I want to talk about dieters & their visions.  As you all know my favorite dieter is Tiffany over at Victorious Eating, Thinking & Weight Loss who has lost over 175 lbs the RIGHT way.  She has incorporated diet & exercise into her life & over 3 years has taken the weight off sensibly.  She is my inspiration for sure.  But you know what I love most about Tiffany?  It's how real she is.  She admits that she is just doing what works for HER.  She doesn't try to shove her "way" down your throat.  She knows that what worked for her may not work for everyone and she's just a very supportive person.  In this world of dieting everyone has their own way of doing things & instead of trying to push your way onto others I think we should all just encourage each other in our own ways.  My 2nd favorite blogger is Katie over at Runs for Cookies and boy does that girl run AND eat some cookies!  I love that she admits that she does all of this so that she can enjoy a treat every now & then.  That's what it's about people.  It's not about following a crazy diet where you only eat one type of food, it's about everything in M-O-D-E-R-A-T-I-O-N! If you want to eat a cookie then eat a cookie, but work it into your plan.  Don't eat a BAG of cookies.  If you like bread then switch to a healthier version, don't just say that all wheat is the devil.  Do what works for YOU and realize that what works for you may not be what works for everyone. 

Both of those bloggers have lost well over 100 lbs & they did it their way & that is what I love best about them. That is why they inspire me to be a better me and they encourage me to do things that I may not necessarily want to do (like exercise)!  Those bloggers who are just chugging along doing their own things & being an inspiration to others, those are the bloggers that I like to follow & I highly recommend if you don't follow their blogs that you get on over there asap & read them, you WILL be inspired, I promise!! 

Hope everyone is enjoying this spring weather as much as I am!!

Day 98 Insanity!! (& Weekly Weigh In)

Ok so my title isn't talking about me going insane (although with school I'm halfway there), I'm talking about the workout Insanity.  Have you seen this workout? It's the one that touts that you can lose a year's worth of weight in 2 months.  But seriously, have you SEEN this workout?  My husband & I were watching the infomercial yesterday & I was like "Ok, NO obese person can even DO this workout".  He said "Well you could do a version of it until you get better at it".  And I guess that's true, I guess you could work your way up to some of those exercises, but DANG they look soo hard.  I mean when you're using your body for resistance and you weigh 250 lbs or more, that's a LOT of resistance.  I mean I can't even do ONE regular push up so I know for sure I wouldn't be able to do half of those things in that video.  Still though, a year's worth of weight loss in 2 months sounds pretty good.  I would definitely say that workout video is NOT for me, although it would be great for my hubs who is already halfway to buff.  Speaking of my gorgeous hubs, we had a date night on Friday & I have some pics of the two of us :)  Wanna see? 



That's my hubs on the right, as you can see we I LOVE for us to match :)

This is my favorite pic, I wish I hadn't of cut half of my hubs' face off!

NOT my hubs ;)

 

 



This was such a fun night.  There is this band that comes every year and they play old school jams & we go & dance & just have such a great time.  I wish we had stuff like that more often. 

Anyhoo, time for my weekly weigh in.  I cannot believe it's been almost 100 days & yet I am still stuck around the same weight I've been.  This morning I was at 270.  It's that TOM so I expected to be up a little bit, plus of course I just haven't been as vigilant as I know I need to be, so this week was up some.  Looking at the fact that it's been almost 100 days really put into my mind how much time I've wasted these past few weeks.  100 days means I only have 265 days left of my self imposed 100 lb challenge!  I'm not going to beat myself up b/c that's not why I started this journey, but I am going to get back on my blogs & start reading more & getting some more inspiration. 

But for now this is where I am, 270 lbs. 

Hope everyone else is doing good!! 




Previous weight 268
Current weight 270
+ 2  lb
Total weight loss to date
-14 lbs

Day 94 Eat FRESH!!



Today Gwen over at Sky & Surf had a great article from a heart surgeon about how eating foods low in cholesterol & low in saturated fats has NOT reversed the tidal wave of people getting heart disease.  It was a really great article and something I have believed for a long time now.  It basically said to go back to how your grandparents ate.  When your grandparents were growing up they didn't have any of this pre-packaged, processed food.  They made their biscuits from scratch.  They cooked with animal lard.  They ate meat, veggies and fruit and baked their own bread.  And more than likely they had dessert EVERY night.  But guess who has a higher incidence of heart disease? Them or us?  You bet your bottom dollar it's us. 

If it comes from nature, either in plant form or animal form, it's fare game (pun intended).  This is how our grandparents were raised and how people lived before there was refrigeration and foods that could "live" on shelves for 10 years!! I mean seriously, if something has a shelf life of over one year, can that really be good for you?  (Not counting canned goods of course, not that canned veggies are the best, but they're better than nothing.)  That's why I love finding new recipes that allow me to make dinners from real food.  There's nothing worse than making my family a dinner from a box (not that I haven't done it a billion times for times sake).  I KNOW that stuff is so bad for all of us.  Of course then this leads me down the path of not having time, which leads me down the other path of why it's better for women to stay home, BUT that isn't a topic for this blog, so I will stop there.  My point is, the closer we can make our food to how it NATURALLY came, the better.  Our bodies were made to consume all things from nature, it KNOWS how to do that.  It's made to process those things because that's all we had in the beginning.  Our bodies aren't made to process all of this pre-packed, processed stuff! 

So my take away message for myself is to go back to what I was doing at the beginning of the year.  Look for more recipes that I can make at home that use fresh, natural ingredients.  I KNOW that is what's best for me and for my precious family.  And they deserve the best, and yes I do too. 

Hope everyone is having a great week!!

April is Here...

So March has come & gone & unfortunately my weight has not.  Meaning I have not gained nor lost since my last post & just about since the beginning of March.  Still hanging out at 268.  While I'm happy to not have gained, I am a bit bummed with myself that I haven't lost any weight.  Of course it's my own fault.  I haven't made weight loss a priority this month. 

This morning I was laying in bed thinking of my goal of 100 lbs this year & I started to get a little down on myself but then I realized that I still have NINE months left in this year & I can't give up now!!  Just because March was a bust doesn't mean I have to go back to my old thinking & give up.  I have proven to myself that I CAN do this when I put my mind to it, and right now I just need to put my mind BACK to it.  One month does NOT a failure make, right?  I just have to get back on the horse. 

I know I'm overdue for a weekly weigh in & my April goals are due so I will get on them asap & get them posted, as well as revisiting my March goals.  Although I'm preeeety sure I didn't do too swift on those. 

Good news is school is almost out, 4 more weeks!!  I'm happy b/c this is supposed to be our hardest semester, so I'll be glad to get it done & over with. 

Anyhoo, how is everyone else doing?

Day 80 Spring is here!!



Seriously I CANNOT believe it's already 80 days into the year!! And 80 days that I've been watching (mostly) what I eat and losing weight.  This is probably the longest I've gone and I'm happy to say that I am BACK on track.  Not only am I back on track with my eating, but today is the first day of spring & I'm feeling a little spring in my step.  It's sunny & gorgeous outside & I HAVE to get in some exercise, there's just no excuses left, I have to start exercising.  I know that exercise is what's missing in my "program".  Yes I can cut out calories, but I know that exercising is the boost that I need to really kick my weight loss into gear. Plus I am feeling very squishy.  I carry my weight in my stomach & before I lost weight it was bulging out & tight (and oh so horrible).  But now that I've lost some weight the tension is gone & it's just all squishy.  And I don't want to lose all this weight to just be a big ol' bag of squishy skin. 

So TODAY is the day that I am going to start with some exercise.  I'm not sure yet if I'm going to run (have I mentioned how much I dislike running) or if I'm going to bike.  I think my tires need some air.  Either way, today is IT.  I am going to get some exercise in and I'll even take a picture of my red face when it's all said & done :)  Also, I got on the scale this morning & I am BACK to 266!!  So excited!  I know it's not my weigh in day so I'm not going to say this is my official weigh in.  I'm hoping that by my real official weigh in day that I'll be down to 263 & will be able to post my first "after" picture.  You know, when I started this process I totally didn't think it would take me over 80 days to lose 20 lbs but I've had a few stalls & set backs (of my own doing of course) but I am back on track & feel so happy to be back down to 266. Can't wait until Sunday's weigh in!!

Hope everyone else gets to enjoy the first day of spring!

Weekly Weigh In...

A day late but not a dollar short.  This morning I got on the scale & I was down another pound.  This morning's reading was 267, so at least I'm going back in the right direction even though I'm still a pound UP from my lowest weight, but I'll get there.  I know I will!!

Sorry this post is so short.  School is back in full swing, but I will try to post a longer post on Wed. since I don't have school that day.  :)

Hope everyone has a great week!!





Previous weight 268
Current weight 267
-1  lb
Total weight loss to date
-16 lbs

Day 74 NS Victory Link Up

 

 

Today I'm linking up again with Katie & Lex over at KTJ Weighing In for the Non-Scale Victories link up.  Here goes:

My first NSV is another one I found at school.  My nursing school bestie is a wee little Asian man (ok he's not THAT little, but he's much smaller than me) who walks like the devil is chasing him ALL the time.  Now when I was bigger I REALLY had a hard time keeping up with him, sometimes I would just say "Go on, you don't have to wait on me" (although I don't know WHY he's always in such a hurry, he reminds me of the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, but I digress) and he would slow down.  And God forbid we really had a REASON to hurry, sheesh, it was like running a marathon to keep up with him.  I mean by the time we reached the nursing building where our classes were I'd be totally out of breath. Since losing the weight not only can I keep up with him while he's walking at his normal pace, the other day we wanted to get a coffee during break & we sprinted to Starbucks to make it there & back in the time we had & I kept up with him the whole time AND I wasn't even out of breath!! It's such a good feeling knowing that even this small amount of weight that I've lost has made a difference. 

My second NSV is about my stomach.  I carry all of my weight in my stomach, I am a true apple shape (unfortunately) & there are MANY times when my stomach is just in the way. Tying my shoes, bending over to pick something up off the ground, etc. I've noticed that after losing the weight my stomach isn't in my way so much & it's a really great feeling.

And lastly my third NSV actually has to do with my weight.  I am excited to see that I have been able to maintain my weight loss even when I'm not perfect on the plan.  It makes me excited to get to that finish line & know that I won't have to constantly worry about every bite of food I put in my mouth.  Does that make sense?

Anyhoo, those are my NSV's for this week.  What are yours?

Day 70 Weekly Weigh In...

Well after all of my lamenting, moaning & griping, I got on the scale this morning to 268.  So basically I'm up 2 lbs from my last weigh in.  Yuck, but not as bad as it could have been.  My weight has yo-yo'd this whole week (thanks to my erratic eating habits), but I am getting back on track.  I did pretty good yesterday if you don't count those FOUR Krispy Kreme donuts.  Hey, the hot sign was on!!  But really I didn't eat that much yesterday since I was at the ball field all day with my sister & nephew, so that's why the donuts didn't make a huge impact, thank God.  I started out the day with my usual egg tostada's & for lunch I had one ballfield hamburger, then the KK's & for dinner I made some kind of cheesy pasta thing, so all in all it wasn't too terribly bad, but I didn't track which is a problem.  I find that when I'm tracking my food I do SO much better.  Then yesterday when I got home I got on FB & several of my friends had posted either about their weight loss or about exercising so I felt like God was trying to tell me "Look, they're doing it & so can you!".  So, I'm getting back on track & I'm feeling better about where I am now, as opposed to where I was a week ago.  We'll see next week what the scale says about this.  I'm going to go make me some water now :)




Previous weight 266
Current weight 268
+2  lb
Total weight loss to date
-15 lbs

Day 68 Better now...

Ok so I know I sounded pitiful & desperate in my last post & I guess I was but probably not in the reason you're thinking, or in the reason I said.  Let me clarify. 

When I said I was on a week long binge it wasn't in the traditional sense of binging.  Since I had the lapband I can't really go on a true binge where I eat tons of food at one sitting like I used to be able to do (Thank God).  These past two weeks or so I have been binging but in a different way. 

See, a lot of people have trigger foods that start them down the road of a true binge, and so far I'm not sure if I have a certain food, but what I do know is that eating out is my nemesis.  I don't really know how to explain this.  I LOVE to go out to eat, and it's really not all about the food.  For me eating out gives me a sense of feeling "normal".  I know that may sound weird to some people but it's true.  I know that this is a psychological thing inside of me & it probably stems from the fact that growing up we were pretty strapped for money.  My mom was a single mom & she raised me & my sister on one income with no child support & needless to say that strict budget did NOT include going out to eat, like never, not even to McDonald's.  So I guess you could say as an adult I look at going out to eat as a sign that I'm ok.  I'm not struggling, I'm "normal".  Does that make senese?

Since starting back to school full time I've had to stop working & that means we're down to one income & on that strict budget guess what got cut out?  Yep, eating out. Now that actually turned out to be a really good thing b/c it forced me to make all of our meals & probably facilitated the good decisions I was able to make b/c I didn't have the temptation of eating out.  Buuuuttt a few weeks ago we got a little thing called a tax refund & now that I have a bit of money guess what I've been doing?  Eating out every chance I get!!  That is where my binge comes in.  It's not binging in the sense of eating too much food, but more of eating the WRONG food at EVERY meal. So I guess you could say my problem really isn't with the food as much as it is with the money, which I know is a totally different problem not covered on this blog.  But in a sense the two are tied together & it's not good. 

Soooo, I got on the scale this morning & saw that it's actually 5 lbs that I've gained back, but still a gain is a gain & it's very disappointing.  Also my own lack of self control is disappointing.  But the good thing is that I know that I can do this, I mean I did it for over 60 days & did a great job at it.  I've just got to find my way back, and I will, starting today!!

Thanks for the encouraging comments. 

 

I'm on a downward spiral & I can't stop...

It started about a week ago, I have been binging for about a week now & I can't seem to stop!!  I have gained EIGHT pounds in a freaking WEEK, heck actually less than a week!!  I don't know what to do to stop myself.  I have been hiding it from my husband too. I'm out of control & I know I need to stop but I can't seem to stop myself......what am I going to do???  I don't want to continue down this path, especially since I've done so good for so long!! Why am I doing this to myself????  I went SIXTY THREE days following the program & now I'm all derailed....I'm sorry to let all of you guys down as well :( 

Ugh, I need to get it together.................

Day 63 March is here...(Weekly Weigh In, late)

So March is here & I know I've been MIA on my posts but school is a little hectic.  This is our last week before spring break & it's a doozy so I'll try to catch up today.

Weekly weigh in for Sunday - nothing new to report, holding steady at 266.  No gain, but no loss either & that's just become unacceptable, this "plateau" is going on way too long & I know that it's my fault. 

And it's the beginning of a new month so that means it's time to review my "goals" for February & set some new ones for March so here goes:

February's goals:

• I plan to continue with my fruits and vegetables. I'd like to try to get in at least 3 servings of fruit & 5 servings of vegetables each day. I'd say I met this one about half of the time & it's not really from a conscious effort, sometimes I get them in by what I eat for the day & sometimes I don't. 
• I want to incorporate exercise into my week. My goal for February is to exercise 3 times a week. No time limit, just three times a week for every week in February. Ugh big FAT fail on this one, unless of course I can count clinicals 2 days a week (definitely lots of walking that I'm not used to).  This semester kicked my butt as far as time was concerned so this one didn't happen.  Fortunately though it's about to slow down so I think I'll try this one again, plus the weather is getting warmer & that's always great.
• I'd like to plan some menu's so that I can get a better grip on my eating in the evenings since school has started back. Hmm, I didn't really use any new meals that I made up, but I did continue to use the great ones I got from Runs for Cookies, so maybe that's a half accomplished?
• And lastly I'd like to weigh 260 by the end of the month. Unfortunately that one did NOT happen.  I've been steady now at 266 for the past two weeks & I am over it.  This one has got to get kicked in the bootay! 

So on to my goals for March:

• Exercise!!! I know I've said it before, but this time I'm serious!!  Again, my goal is to exercise 3 times a week, minimum of 20 minutes each time. 
• Track/get in my water every day.  I have REALLY been slacking on my water. 
• Not eat out more than once a week.  This last week I have eaten out WAY too many times & now that my schedule should be easing up I want to go back to more healthy, home cooked meals.

So those are my goals for March.  I think I'm going to print these out & put them several different places around my house, say one of my bathroom mirror, one on the fridge, one in my car somewhere as a reminder of what I'm supposed to be doing. 

Now I'm off to do more paperwork for school.  How did everyone else do for February?  Did you meet your goals?  I hope so!!

Later gator!




Previous weight 266
Current weight 266
-0 lb
Total weight loss to date
-17 lbs

Day 59 NSV Linkup!

Soooo, this week I've been at a bit of a self imposed stall.  Like I said previously I weigh myself daily so that I know where I'm at.  I don't think I have tracked one time this week, because my schedule has been so helter skelter.  I knew that this week was going to be like this though.  Yesterday was my 16 year anniversary to my wonderful hubster.  Unfortunately we didn't get to do a big thing b/c we had to go to a basketball banquet for our daughter but we did end up going out to eat afterwards.  We went to Logan's & I don't care what anyone thinks I was FULLY prepared to have me some dessert to celebrate, but alas my stomach just said no.  There just wasn't any room left.  But I didn't do that bad really & was proud of my choices actually.  Here's what I had:

6 oz. filet & lobster tail
1/2 serving of their fried onion petals
mac & cheese as my other side (of which I ate every bite)

Pretty ok right?  Well I'm pretty sure that's not where the calories came in.  The real calories were in this drink that I ordered.  I wish I could remember the name, but it's some Mango/Rum drink that they served in this HUGEMONGOUS mason jar that didn't taste like it had a bit of alcohol in it, but it was really sweet & yummy. So I guess technically you could say that I did have my dessert. 

All in all I made a pretty good choice & I was happy with myself, plus I ate a pretty good lunch yesterday beforehand & this morning my weight was only up by 1 lb, but I'm sure that's just sodium.  My goal is still to get to that 263 so I can take my first set of "after" pictures & I promise I will get there soon!! 

Now on to my NSV linkup

 

Last night when we went out to eat I put on this coat that I've had for forever.  Sadly since I've owned this coat I have never zipped it up.  It fit ok, it was just too tight to zip but guess what?  Last night I put that sucker on & not only could I zip it up but I could wrap OVER the zipper.  I was pulling it around me & could actually pull the closure past each other.  Seriously, I am starting to love NSV's more than the scale itself, it's so fun to discover these new things!!  I would love to hear some of my reader's NSV's as well!

Hope you guys have had a great week!!

P.S.

Guess who is now a follower of this little 'ol blog??? That's right, TIFFANY!!!!!!!!!!!  My super gorgeous, healthy, 187 lb weight loss champion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited that she's following my blog & I hope to be just as inspirational to others as she has been to me (and tons of others I'm sure).  Now the pressure's really on to do good....:)

Weekly Weigh In...(Better late than never)

Hey guys! Sorry I was late this week posting my weekly weigh in. There wasn't really anything special to post anyway, I am still at 266 lbs. So no loss, but thankfully no gain for this week!



On a positive note, my FAVORITE weight loss blogger ever actually visited my blog today & left me a comment!! :) Tiffany rocks!! I was looking at her picture that she posted today & I was so impressed. She had on those skinny workout pants & a t-shirt that fit her like a t-shirt. Meaning, she didn't have to make sure it was long enough to cover her lower belly & her butt, b/c guess what?? She didn't need to!! She looks hot!!! She inspires me every day.

Ok, I know this was a super short post but I have got to get some sleep before 5 am clinicals tomorrow.

Talk to you guys soon!!




Previous weight 266
Current weight 266
-0  lb
Total weight loss to date
-17 lbs

Day 54 More Non-scale victories (Pics)!

Today I'm linking up (yes a day late) to KTJ's Non-Scale Victories post (NSV's).



Tomorrow is weigh in day and while I don't see myself being at my goal of 263 I'm totally ok with that b/c you know what? I will get there!!  And you know what else?  I am very excited about my NSV's! 

My first NSV for today is the fact that I am now actually able to tell that I am shrinking!  I have these pants that are getting very loose on me, I mean one little tug & those suckers are falling down.  I actually love wearing them b/c they are a constant reminder of the weight I've lost.  Second, today I was wearing a shirt that before was SKIN TIGHT on me & guess what? Now it's baggy!! I noticed it in the mirror today & was totally amazed!!  How cool is that??  And my third NSV is that I FEEL so much better.  Not just better, but more energetic.  How much more energetic?  Well, as you know if you've been following this blog, exercise is still on my to do list.  I know I NEED to do it, but I just don't really want to yet, but yesterday that feeling was starting to actually go away.  Yesterday I was feeling so energetic I actually considered putting on some jogging pants & sneakers and....wait for it....going for a jog!!  I seriously can't even believe I just typed that.  I have NEVER been a runner.  The longest I've ever jogged has been 3 minutes & I seriously thought I was dying, but I just felt so energetic yesterday that I was seriously considering it.  I know that that comes from the energy I've gained from the weight I've lost, and it feels really good.  

I've always been a slave to the scale & have never really paid much attention to NSV's, but this time is different.  I can really see a difference from all of the hard work that I've been putting into this with counting my calories & it's really inspired me to keep going.  When you're this big sometimes even though you see the numbers on the scale moving you really can't tell a difference in your body right away, and that can be frustrating.  I've heard before that smaller people change sizes every 10 lbs & larger people change sizes every 20.  So, it was so exciting to see that since I'm almost to 20 lbs that I can definitely tell a difference & I can't wait to get there.  And in that spirit I am going to post a picture of me in my nursing jacket.  I bought this jacket last semester.  It has the name of our school on it, "School of Nursing" & the year that we graduate.  I feel very proud when I wear it but I was disappointed that when I bought it that it was so small.  When I bought it I ordered a 2X thinking surely that would fit, but it wasn't even close!  At first I was so embarrassed at how it fit (the sides didn't even come close to coming together in the middle) that I didn't even wear it at all last semester.  But I'm so happy to say that it a-l-m-o-s-t fits!  Every time I wear it it seems like the zipper is getting closer & closer to coming together & I have to say that the day I can finally zip that thing up will be a major accomplishment.  I wish I had taken a picture of how it fit before, but since I didn't I'll go ahead & take one now of how it fits.  Then when I can finally zip it I can take another picture.  Hopefully that will be soon!!! 

So, how about everyone else? What are your NSV's for this week?

This was how it fit at first, I mean no where near coming together in the front, so embarrasing! Oh & btw, this is the shirt that used to be SKIN tight & my baggy jeans too :)



And this is how it fits now.  Sooo close to coming together, I can't wait to be able to zip this thing!!







Day 52 This isn't a race...

The other day I was looking over my friends' posts on MFP & there was one by this girl who was really frustated because she'd been "at it for a while now" & had only lost 8 lbs.  She was frustrated by her lack of loss with the amount of time & effort she had been putting into losing the weight, and man can I identify!  Every other time I've tried to lose this weight I've just wanted to see immediate results.  It's that mindset of "I'm going to do this for this amount of time so that I can lose this amount of weight" & you make the changes & wait for the "miracle" to happen but the truth is, there is no miracle, and honestly that sucks!!  We all want the magic pill, I know I do, but it's that thinking right there that stops so many people from succeeding at weight loss.  We want it to be fast & easy. We want it SO bad, but we're not willing to do the work to get us there and it gets frustrating.  But this time I came to the realization that it's not about how fast I get there, it's really not even about the final destination, it's about the journey.  This whole thing is about making itsy bitsy, teeny tiny changes in our lives that will add up to a big loss down the road.  It's about chosing diet pepsi over Hi-C, it's about bringing your lunch to school/work instead of eating at the cafeteria, it's about doing that 20 minute work out video, instead of watching that hour long tv program.  It's little changes that we can & will make for the rest of our lives that will add up to US being changed in the end.  Our choices will change, our bodies will change & in the interim our lives will change. We'll look back on the road behind us & realize that we never gave up & we made it to where we wanted to be. We made it to our "new" selves, and all we have to do from there is to keep going & by then it will be easy because we've been doing it for so long.  You see that's why the road has to be long.  We have to make real changes & real changes take time to incorporate into your life. Real changes take a while to "take hold".  So if we were to be able to snap our fingers & lose the weight in 1 month, what would we have learned?  Not a darn thing & a month or two later we'd be right back where we started because we wouldn't have LEARNED the things we needed to learn to make this a LIFELONG change.  New habits have to be FORMED to replace old ones & we've all heard that it takes 30 days to either make or break a habit.  How many habits do you think you need to break? How many new habits do you need to form?  Well give yourself the TIME to do that!  It's not a race, it's a journey of 1000 miles & we're getting there step by step. 

Day 49 Yogurt taste test...

Ok so I know I have professed, probably on more than one occasion, my love for Noosa yogurt, but now I am on a search for a new yogurt.  NOT because I don't still loves me some Noosa, but mainly b/c Noosa is kinda expensive. 



I don't do fat free/sugar free yogurt, I hate the taste of those yogurts.  I eat the full fat/flavor ones & just treat them like a treat & count the calories.

So the search has begun & here's what I've tried so far:

Fage - So far I tried the one with honey in it & all I can say is YUM! That one is a great choice & so far I think it's a little cheaper than Noosa, but about the same amount of calories. I have the berry one in my fridge still.

 

 

Liberte (Mediterranee) Yogurt - Great taste, not as thick as Noosa & Fage (I love the thicker ones) BUT it was a smaller portion & the calories were WAY higher for the size, uh no thank you.

 

 

Muller Fruit Up - First of all, when I bought this I didn't realize it was lowfat, therefore it had that sachharin-y taste that is the reason that I don't eat low-fat/low-sugar yogurts so that was its first detractor.  Second it had some really thick fruitish stuff on top that I didn't really care for, and although it was thicker it was mainly b/c of that fruit more so than the yogurt, so this one is definitely out.  I didn't even finish eating the blueberry bliss one. 

 



 

 

So there you have my latest yogurt hunt.  Now that I know I like the Fage I think I'm going to have to sit down & figure out if it really is less expensive than the Noosa or not.  If so then I think I've found my new yogurt.  If not then I'll keep shelling out the $2.40 for my 8 oz of Noosa & be happy about it.  We'll see...



Day 48 Weekly Weigh In...

Ok so on Wed. I was lamenting my lack of tracking my calories & how I didn't think February was going to be much of a stellar month, well that was BEFORE I stepped on the scale this morning & saw 266 lbs!!!!!  Yep, that's right, that's two pounds down for this week!!

 

I was so excited to see that loss, especially after last weeks plateau, which really wasn't so much a plateau as a binge the Friday before Sunday's weigh in.  Needless to say I was very excited to see a loss this morning AND guess what else?  That means that I am only THREE lbs away from my first "after" picture!  Like my weight loss idol Tiffany, I am going to post an after picture for every 20 lbs that I lose up until 200 lbs (after that I'll post one every 10 lbs). 

 

Since I am so close to that 20 lb picture I have decided that this week my goal is to lose those 3 lbs so that next Sunday I can post my first official "after" picture!!  I can do it, I mean 3 lbs is doable right? 

 

Today I also wanted to share one of my new lunch fav's.  It's a ham sandwich on a bolillo roll (roll from Walmart bakery section) and it is soo delish!  Here it is in all its glory:

 

 

 

Bolillo Roll 170 calories

Walmart Deli Sliced Cooked Ham (2 slices) 140 calories

Mustard & 1 tsp. of horseradish

Sliced onions & tomatoes (I don't count the calories when I use vegetables as a garnish, or if they are very low in calories, like the cucumbers)

So total calorie count for this lunch was only 310 (with the veggies it would be somewhere around 336 or so).  Also, I sprinkled on some Oregano & I think a little salt.  Of course if you're watching your salt intake you could totally skip that part.  It was very yummy & I had it for lunch on several days.  I'm pretty sure that they also had wheat bolillo rolls, but I usually prefer white, but I'm sure the wheat is pretty good too if  you prefer wheat.  

 

And lastly I will leave you with a picture of me & my beautiful baby girl.  This was the day she was presented an award from the mayor for writing a story about what she liked about the town we live in.  So proud of her. 

 

 

Hope everyone else had a great weekend & let's kick this week's BUTT!!!!!!!!

 



Previous weight 268
Current weight 266
-2  lb
Total weight loss to date
-17 lbs

Day 44 Eh...

It's looking like my monthly goal of just 8 lbs is probably a good one, heck hopefully I can meet that!!  Last week was no loss & this week I just haven't been able to track like I need to, so I'm a little worried about this weeks weigh in & of course there's only one more weigh in for this month after Sunday, sooooo we'll see.  Maybe I can fit in some work outs & get this weight loss back in gear.   It's just hard to fit working out in when you come home from school/clinicals TOTALLY exhausted.  I came home yesterday, ate dinner & was in my bed by 7:30.  I talked to my daughter for about an hour & was OUT by 8:30.  Thankfully this is supposed to be my hardest semester of nursing school & the next two are all downhill from here so I guess I just need to tough it out for a few more weeks. 

Sorry this post has sort of turned into a bitch fest.  On a more positive note, I can really tell that my eating habits are starting to become a real part of me, not just something I do b/c I have to.  For instance today I was getting a drink at lunch & I started to fill my cup with Hi-C Fruit Punch, but then I thought about it & thought to myself "I don't think I need or want those extra empty calories" & so I switched to Coke Zero & never looked back.  When I thought about it later I was very happy that I made that choice.  I really need to start giving myself more credit when I make choices like that.  It's little changes that will add up big time in the end.  It's also those little things that sneak up on you if you DON'T watch them.  For instance, say today I had gone ahead & gotten the Hi-C.  Then next time I was faced with that choice I'd think "Oh it was no big deal the other day, it won't hurt if I get it again today" and then the cycle would start all over & every choice would be a "little" choice & "no big deal" but in reality those little choices do end up being a big deal.  A big FAT deal - ME! 

So, for today I am going to give myself a pat on the back for making a healthier choice & know that every decision I make towards being healthy, no matter big or small is a choice that leads me in the right direction. 



What about you?  Have you made any small, healthy choices lately that maybe you thought weren't a big deal, but when you think about it you realize that all these little choices really add up?

Day 41 Weekly Weigh In...

First of all can I just say that I can hardly believe it's been FORTY ONE days since I've been blogging about this journey?  This in and of itself is an accomplishment! I started this journey on December 18, 2012.  Just a random day that I decided, "I'm going to lose weight starting today", and I did it.  I made the decision to start & I can hardly believe that here I am still going strong more than a month later!!  Not to toot my own horn, but I am really proud of myself!! 

On to today's weigh in.  I didn't expect anything really spectacular when I stepped on the scale this morning b/c Friday I had a little double Mexican fiesta.  After I left school on Friday afternoon some of my classmates & I decided to go to Chuy's for a Tres Leche cake.  Ok, first of all, have you ever had this?? If not, I HIGHLY recommend it.  It was SO delicious, and that sucker was HUGE!!! 

Seriously, even in this picture you can't tell how big it really is.





But, I didn't eat the whole thing, nope, I cut it in half & only ate half of that deliciousness.  The total calorie count that I found online was 460 calories, so basically I had 230 calories just in that cake alone.  Now that wasn't too bad, but then I also had some chips & salsa/guacamole & their creamy jalapeno dip.  Again, if you've never had the creamy jalapeno dip, highly recommend it. 

This is totally what I would have been doing had I been alone in that restaurant!



Ok I know you're thinking "Well that's not too bad Candi, don't worry about it."  Well, guess what?  Then about 2 hours later my husband comes home from work & he's like "What's for dinner? Why don't you call & order us some Mexican food?"  Welllllll, technically I didn't really have dinner the first time, we just had some snacks after class, right?  So, I proceeded to order two crunchy beef tacos & some cheese dip (of which I ate most of) & then ate again. Now I have to admit, 2 crunchy tacos still isn't that bad compared to what I would have eaten prior to starting this weight loss journey, so honestly I still didn't feel too bad.

Anyhoo, after Friday night I really tried to keep it under control yesterday & I did pretty good.  I'm pretty sure I stayed under my 1700 calorie allotment, and so I got on the scale this morning & voila still at 268 lbs, which I'm totally ok with.  Honestly I was happy not to see a gain. 

So, for this week I'm logging no loss/no gain, but I'm ok with that.  I'm living a normal life & sometimes that includes eating Mexican food twice in one day!!

How about everyone else? How did you do this week??



Previous weight 268
Current weight 268
-0  lb
Total weight loss to date
-15 lbs