Wow has it been that long?

I was just looking back to my last post. Nov. 11th. Geeze time flies. We celebrated Thanksgiving last week and now here it is going on the first of December. Life has been pretty much status quo. Thanksgiving was a free for all for my diet. I ate what I wanted when I wanted and as much as I wanted. Thankfully I came through the other side pretty much unscathed. This Monday's weigh in was a wash. I just stayed the same. Wooo Hooo. It could have been alot worse.  Back to the point counting and making better choices. One choice I need to make is doing some cardio. Why is it so hard to be consistent with exercise? Oh wait, that's right I don't enjoy sweating! I know it would jump start my weight loss again and it would only take 15-30 minutes a day but most of the time when I get home I am tired, ready for dinner, oh and then there's the whole homework and bath/bedtime situation. I just don't feel like exercising at 9pm at night. That's ME time for mommy. I guess I could get up 30 minutes earlier than I already do, but 4:30am comes realllllly earlier. By the way did I mention I am soooo not a morning person? I just need to suck it up and decide if I am going to be important enough and make myself a priority. That's what it boils down to. Am I worth the effort? I think I am. Well speaking of 4:30am, it is rapidly approaching so I must be on my way.  Goodnight and eat well!

Everything is better as a panini

A couple of days ago I got a panini maker as a free gift from a program through my work. Why does everything taste better as a panini? I think I am addicted and it's only been a few days. If you pay attention what you are putting in there you can pull off a panini for a measly 4 points. Last night I had a rye bread(1 pt a piece), tomatoes marinated in a smidgen of balsamic vinegar (0 points), a slice of mozzarella cheese(2 points) and some basil. Count it up....4 points total. So I had two! YUMMMMM! And I still stayed well within my points budgeted for the day. So well in fact I wanted to try a new recipe I found for lower fat pumpkin pie. I found the recipe on Snackgirl.com. It's a fabulous website and if you are looking for some creative, tasty alternatives you should check it out. Ok back to important stuff...the lower fat pumpkin pie. Well technically I guess you can't call it pie, it has no crust. It's basically for people who love the middle of pumpkin pie and don't care about the crust. That would be me! According to the website a regular piece of pumpkin pie packs around 320 calories per slice! I know, I know I was shocked too! This version still gives you that pumpkin pie feel but only for around 180 calories per serving. AWESOME! Here's the recipe if you don't have time to check out her site:

2 cups of pureed pumpkin
1 8 oz package of Neufchatel cheese (it's just like cream cheese with 1/3 less fat) you will find it right in the same section where the cream cheese is.
1/4 cup of sugar (start with that and add more to your desired sweetness) 1/4 cup was good for me
1 and 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring Neufchatel cheese to room temp either by leaving it out on the counter or unwrap and microwave for 30 seconds. Use a mixer and blend cheese in a bowl till fluffy. Add pumpkin, sugar and spice and taste. Add more sugar at this point if you desire. Mix in eggs and spoons into ramekins. I used the 7oz size and was able to make 7 servings. Bake for 40 minutes or until the center of the pie is firm.

I tried this last night and it was fantastic. All the taste of pumpkin pie without all of the calories. The only thing I will add the next time is a little dollop of cool whip. It will definitely make an appearance on this years Thanksgiving menu.

A Minor Setback

It was bound to happen at some point in this journey I'm on. Yes, I had a plus at my weigh in this week instead of a minus. Really I was not all that surprised. Last weekend I had a stomach bug so I was probably a little light at weigh in time. Plus that in combination with some Halloween candy and less exercise I mean really what did I expect? It's ok though I am not discouraged. It was a measly 1/2 a pound. Whoopie. I will get back on track this week and reset my focus.Life is hectic, family is good. Work is calling. Eat well!

The journey continues

Well it's been a while, it has been so hectic lately with all the Fall festivities I haven't had a chance to blog. Richard and I have still been keeping up with the WW. We are both doing well. This weekend we both came down with a 24 hour stomach bug, so let's just say it was really enjoyable at our house! Ha! Nothing like a little vomiting and diarrhea to jump start weight loss.Hee Hee. Well Monday was my last weigh in and my total lost is 9.5 lbs. WOOOO HOOO! 3 weeks and 9.5 lbs I'll take it. Halloween candy is my next struggle to face Ughhhhh. Maybe I'll take some to work and pawn it off to patients who have to sit in the waiting room. We have so much of it Darien would never notice. If fact I am sending a bag of chocolate with him to school today because his class is putting together a basket for a silent auction at their fall festival. Hey it's going for a good cause and it gets it out of my house. To me that's a win win situation. This weekend we will be trying a new resturant for our free day. Today is our 9th anniversary so we decided to splurge a little more than normal for our Saturday free meal. I'm excited cause I've heard good things aboout this place. Then we plan on rounding out the evening with a scary movie. It should be fun. Well I've gotta run, work is beckoning me. Till next time, Eat Well! ~~~

Grandma's Pizza

Today we (Richard and myself) treated ourselves to a pizza. We went to this fabulous place in downtown Knoxville called Dazzo's. YUUUUMMMY! Our favorite kind is the grandma's pizza. I'm quite sure we probably consumed our whole days worth of points, weekly flex points, and next weeks flex points but it was well worth it. It's only one meal so don't think I've gone off the deep end. Sometimes you just gotta have something you like and throw caution to the wind. Other than the pizza, I've been doing really well on WW. I exercised 4 out of 5 days last week and when i weighed in  this am the scale said i am down 7lbs total. I am satisfied with that. I didn't gain this weight in 2 weeks, it will take more than that to lose it. Tomorrow we are planning for a motorcycle ride in the afternoon. The weather has been so beautiful and Richard has been itching to get out there.
I forgot to mention we won a cake at our fall festival last night at the kids daycare. Proudly I can say, I did not partake in any and really didn't want to. I love plain white cake with butter cream which is what this cake is. But I've got my focus set and my goal within sight. Take Care all. Eat well!

This will be a quickie

This will be a quickie cause I have about 10 minutes before I have to leave for work. The program is going well. It seems fairly easy to manage. I just have to learn to make better choices, which I've been doing. Yesterday someone at work was trying to be nice or funny I'm not sure which and gave me a small bag of cool ranch doritos. I LOVE LOVE LOVE those. They are my weakness. Some people like chocolate. Not me, cool ranch doritos are my chocolate. But you know what, the progress I've mad in the last 10 days is a great motivator. I didn't even consider eating them, especially after I calculated them for a whopping 6 points! I left them sitting on my desk so I can look at them everyday and be proud of myself that I have power over food, and it does not have power over me. My mom always says (yes, I know I sound like Forrest Gump) eat to live don't live to eat. For many years I've been living to eat. My mindset will not change over night. Years of bad habits take time to break, but I'm working on it. Well that's my 10 minutes, have a great day and eat well!

30 point Thursday

Well earlier this week I posted to my blog I was starting weight watchers to help get rid of some extra pounds. I figured out my daily points allowed and it's 29. When I heard that I thought wow no problem! This week I have had no trouble staying at or below that number, but Thursdays are always a challenge for me because it is my day off. Usually it starts my week end back slide. I made an effort this morning to make this day a little different. Instead of rushing out this morning I took the time to get a cool 7 point breakfast in my belly. My mom and I made a trip to the Tanger Outlets over in Sevierville for a little shopping. I got the cutest new Coach purse from the outlet store and it was a fantastic price too! I got the baby stocked up with some winter clothes from Carter's and then we started to head home. We stopped at one of my favorite little home town restaurants in Townsend called Miss. Lily's cafe. I never miss an opportunity to stop in. They have THE BEST homemade Hello Dolly cookies. Simmer down Beavis...I didn't do anything rash. I calculated my points for what I ate at lunch when I got home. WOW how that 29  points seems so small. It was a 15 point lunch. I had a chicken Waldorf salad sandwich, a few Hawaiian kettle chips and a side of coleslaw. I've been averaging about 10-11 points at lunch. So you figure the math 7 + 15 = 22. That leaves a whopping 7 points for dinner. Ahhhh and then there is Applebees. They actually have WW item on the menu that are pretty tasty. Garlic Heb chicken, steamed potatoes and broccoli, to the tune of 7 ity bity little points! Whoo Hooo, I made it. Ok Ok I did get home and have a sweet craving so I had a Edy's fruit juice bar for 1 point. That still only puts me at 30 points total. I'm ok with that. Hopefully I will see some progress at weigh in next week. If not I will keep going. I'm going to start adding in some exercise next week to speed the process along. Oh BTW, I HATE HATE HATE exercise. Unfortunately it is a necessary EVIL. Well it's late and 5 am comes really early. This is still not easy, but it's definitely worth it.

Vacation is over

Well we arrived safely home from our vacation to Florida last Friday. We had a great time visiting old friends and then we made our way up to Orlando and stayed a couple days at Nick Hotel and visited the Magic Kingdom too. Let's just say when I got home I was not trying to fool myself about how "undiety" I had been on my vacation. But I had hoped the scale would not be so cruel. No such luck, I indulged and then I bulged. I had a great time eating my way through Florida but now that I'm back it's time to get down to business. I've also recruited some people to join me in this struggle. First, my husband has decided to join with me and drop a few L..B...S's as he likes to say. Which I am thrilled about, it is soooo much easier when you do not have to live in a  house divided.  My co-workers have also decided it's time for a change. Last time I lost all my weight I did it with diet, exercise and Alli. I counted every little calorie that went into my skull and every stinkin' minute on that damn treadmill or elliptical machine. It was exhausting in a days time to keep track of all of that! Whew I get tired just thinking about it. This time I am going to try something different that I've never tried before. A friend of mine at work has had fairly decent success with weight watchers and the program as she has explained it to me seems fairly simple. No more of that  exact calorie counting crap!  No more "possibility of loose or oily stools" with Alli. I know, Eww right? Read the label people, it's right there in black and white.  I am going to count points and try to get moving some. I am going to make smart choices and stick to them. If I slip up I will not let it ruin my whole day, I will just get back on track for the next meal. I am excited at the prospects! I am excited to have more energy to be able to enjoy my kids and husband more. I am excited to have more than 4 outfits to wear that "sorta" fit me. More than anything I am excited to get healthy and live a long happy life. My new mantra is.....If Jennifer Hudson can do it, then so can I! LOL Skinny girl is getting feisty again, watch out world when I make up my mind I can be pretty stubborn!

Lets not call it a hiatus...

A hiatus would be a vacation of sorts by my definition. The past 3 weeks have hardly been that. My work has been crazy! I guess undertaking a blog during the busiest time of the year was not the best judgment call. Hind sight is 20/20. Well lets get down to it. I have done nothing to further my weight loss goals. If it's not nailed down, I've probably eaten it. Lack of planning and late nights at work along with 2 sick kids and myself now being sick are the culprits. No excuses people, it's just the facts. I have not made myself or my diet a priority. I am trying to get myself well this week because next week we are off to Florida for a few days for a little R&R. Well that's the plan anyway. We have so many people to visit and we are also going to the Nick Hotel and Disney. We will probably need a vacation from our vacation. Maybe next year we will go on a Disney cruise so I can pawn my kids off and lay by the pool with a cocktail in hand. I already know there is no point in dieting on vacation so I am not even going to try. I will think about my choices and try to be wise (most of the time) but it's my time to chill, relax and have a good time. Being a fatty for one more week never killed anybody! When I get back I will get going again and start posting more regularly. That skinny girl is there but this week I'm going to shut the bitch up with some cookies!

Kindergarten and Labor Day...a recipe for disaster

Well not really a disaster...but pretty close. Out of all the reasons I eat, I came to the realization this week that I am a stress eater. My five year old boy started kindergarten at the beginning of August. His teacher has a "sad board" for disciplining the kids. They get 3 verbal warnings then their name goes onto the sad board. Once on the sad board they lose 5 minutes of recess time. Then checks get added for continuing misbehavior and a check equals another 5 minutes of no recess. Apparently I have a very active child who likes to get out of his seat and I guess he has been missing a lot of recess time lately. I have communicated back and forth with his teacher a couple of times and basically I'm getting from her she thinks he is immature and should have waited a year for kindergarten. GREAT... now what do I do? Well I eat...ok that is not helping....let me eat some more...nope still not working. Dammit! I really see no benefit to pulling him out of a structured setting and putting him back into a less structured setting. The boy is capable of the work BUT he needs some extra attention to get it done. Did I mention there are 22 five and six years olds in his class and 1 teacher? I am sure that has nothing to do with him acting out for attention (sarcasm). So this whole situation has been stressing me out and I've been eating. Then there was Labor day weekend. It was all basically a wash. I ate like there was no tomorrow, but on Saturday I biked 11 miles around Cades Cove and Sunday I hiked 3 miles up hill in the Smoky Mountains. So hopefully I canceled everything out that I consumed. Next week is another week and another opportunity. I suppose tomorrow's weigh in will be a disappointing one but I have no one to thank but the person who looks back at me in the mirror. The skinny girl is still there but this week she has some food piled on top of her. She's pushing it aside and starting her journey once more. It will not be easy! It will be worth it!

Successful dinner....Lunch ehhh not so much

Well today was a wash I think. I did really well for breakfast, two boiled eggs and a banana. Then there was lunch. Tapatios  is this wonderful little Mexican place in downtown Knoxville. I met my hubby there for lunch cause he was working a split shift today. Chips and salsa chips and salsa MORE chips and salsa. Man I wish there was something healthier to eat with salsa other than chips. Salsa is so tasty.  I had a chicken chimi, rice and guacamole salad. I am proud to say that lunch did not define the rest of my day. I have a bad habit of if I go overboard on one meal to just say screw it for the rest of the day. That is not the case today. Dinner was a success. I had one piece of sourdough bread. Two no fat white turkey meat hot dogs (first time for those but they were pretty tasty), a bowl of mixed veggies and a few oven fries.  No night time snack for me tonight I think I will just skip it. Going out to lunch also means I skipped my lunch time workout today. I know, I know BOOOO. Don't worry, as I sit here and type I am sweating from being on the medieval torture device in my basement.  I have a love hate relationship with my elliptical. OK let me be honest I have a hate hate relationship with it and exercise in general. I know it is a necessary EVIL but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Tomorrow is another day and another opportunity to make healthy choices for me and my family. There's a skinny girl trapped inside but she's still  clawing her way to the top. It will not be easy! It will be worth it!

Comittment

I've done it time and time again, this weight loss journey. I've had some success but only temporary. When you do not really change your lifestyle and only "change" for a short time the weight always comes back. Today I decided to start this blog for accountability. I've been reading a few other weight loss blogs online and they are such an encouragement for me. Sean Anderson " The Daily Diary of a Winning Loser" is one that is an amazing story and if you have a chance you should check it out. Also Jack Sh*t, getting fit is hilarious! Last year I had a baby and gained around 30lbs. I know,I know big deal 30lbs. The 30lbs pounds I gained is piled on top of another 35-40lbs I already needed to lose. I am 5' 7 3/4" and currently weigh 226lbs. Lets go back a little bit and let me tell you where I started from. As a kid I was always a little on the chunky side. High school was no different. I was fairly active with sports and such so I was able to keep it under check to a point. After high school, my activity level went waaaay down and the weight piled on. In my early 20's I made a conscious effort to drop some weight and I was fairly successful in dropping close to 30lbs. BUT of course it was a short lived victory. I went back to my old ways and it came back. Over the years I've gained and lost, gain and lost. In 2005, I had my first child. Due to weight related health issues (high blood pressure) I had a difficult pregnancy and ended up having a baby who was born 8 weeks premature. The guilt I had and still have over that still follows me today. Thankfully I can say he is a healthy and happy well adjusted 5 year old boy. I really wanted to have more children but was so afraid I would have to go through the same issues due to my weight. In 2008 I committed to getting healthy for another chance at a baby. In 6 months I lost 53lbs. At the end of the same year I had gained 17lbs back and also became pregnant with my second child. With the pregnancy I gained another 30lbs. So you do the math....17 + 30 =47. That's right folks 53 lbs lost and 47 gained back. Thankfully he was born full term and at a normal weight.
 It is now nearly September of 2010 and I am still "trying " to get rid of the weight. When I say "trying" I know the sarcasm does not translate, but trust me it's there.  Anyone who says being overweight is not seriously affecting their health is just lying to themselves. It is time to get busy! Time to stop with excuses and make a lifelong commitment to healthy living and eating. I do not want to pass this kind of legacy on to my children.  I am going to try and post at least 3-4 times per week. I invite others to comment, give advice, vent, whatever you may want to do. But please I need to be held accountable! First thing...increase water intake and start counting calories. Meal planning instead of grabbing what is quick or easy. There's a skinny girl in there, for now she's trapped but she is starting to claw her way to the top. It will not be easy. It will be worth it!