Half Way!

I am halfway to my (first) goal weight of 154 lbs. Down 12 another 12 to go! This is going a lot faster than I expected and so much easier than any other time that I have dieted. I have had plenty of "bad" foods put in front of me that I have very easily said no to. I can't even call them temptations, because they never really tempted me. I keep healthy snacks handy at all times, so the desire to binge due to being over hungry or because there is cake, etc around, is just not there.

In other news. I scored a treadmill today from a friend. She sold it to me for $50 which is awesome. I really wanted one, but being that I am broke, I couldn't spend big money. Right after I got the treadmill, another friend called and said she had a friend that was giving away some weight equipment and she knew that I was looking. She sent a picture and it is gorgeous and looks brand new! And the best part is that is free! That is definitely something I can afford.

The husband is actually excited about it, because while he wants to work out, he has no time to go anywhere to work out because of his crazy work hours. We are also going to do some major strength training with Carter to get him in shape for football this year. He is moving up a league this year and will be playing with the big kids. We want him to be able to keep up. If we put some muscle behind his weight he will be freaking unstoppable!!

I am just happy that I was able to get my family something we can all enjoy and improve our health with and the fact that they are just as excited about it as I am is the icing on the cake (no pun intended).

One Month

I have been doing this for one month. In one month I made the decision to become healthier. In one month I started making my family healthier. In one month I have lost 11 pounds. With everything I I have accomplished in one month, I can't wait to see what my progress looks like in month 2.

Next weekend Chad and David are coming into town so we can pick out the bridesmaids dresses for their wedding. I am actually looking forward to trying on the dresses. Being 11 pounds lighter has given me a good bit of confidence and I know when the time comes for me to stand up next to these two wonderful men while they pledge their lives and love too each other, I will be confident in myself and not trying to hide in the corner. I am proud to be Chad's best girl and I want him to be proud of me too.

Another Goal Met!

The scale this morning reflected a total of 11 lbs down. That marks off another mini goal that I had of losing 10 lbs. My new goal is to be down a total of 17.8 lbs which will put m at 10% of my starting body weight.

I have been doing pretty well on the eating front. A stressful situation has come about that makes it difficult for me to eat anything. I hope when this shit storm is over that I don't gain back. Maybe this will shrink my stomach even more so I won't need to eat as much.

I have decided to start working out in February. We have a small gym at the office that I am going to take advantage of. I will start out slow on the recumbent bike and work myself up to the treadmill and elliptical. I don't want to go in balls blazing because every time I do that I end up taking out my back. So starting on Monday, I will have my work-out clothes with me hoping to burn a few extra calories.

One Mini- Goal Met! One Pound Away From Another!

Got on the scale this morning and am now in the 160's! This was one of the mini goals that I set for myself. It is a 9 lb loss, but also makes me 1 lb away from my other mini goal of 10 lbs gone! I am very excited. These losses keep me motivated. I know the losing will slow down the closer that I get to goal, so I am going to enjoy it while it lasts!

Mine and my husband's 12 year wedding anniversary will be here tomorrow. Since we are a little tight on cash we are just going to spend a nice quiet evening at home. I am planning on making white chicken chili. I hope it is as good as it sounds.

Loose

I got on the scale this morning and now have a loss of about 8 lbs. I really can't tell that I have lost weight, but my clothes are a lot looser than they were before. I wish that I had taken measurements and the beginning of this journey so I could track the inches that I am loosing.

All in all, a good week food-wise. My friend Shanna sent me a recipe for an awesome looking Tuna Guacamole. I can't wait to try this soon! I also need to try the White Chicken Chili that I posted about here. I am going to wait for the weekend though so that I have time to let the ingredients meld together and not rush it.

I had a fantastic week food wise despite the great pasta incident. I even turned down several temptations this week at work. They had cake yesterday, I am usually not a big fan of cake, but I could smell the sugary goodness from other people's plates. I am glad that I had a bowl of blackberries with me, because they really helped me get past it.

I have been doing this for almost a month now and while my eating hasn't been "clean" per se, it has been better than what I have been doing in the past. As long as my clothes continue to sag and the scale keeps going down, I will be a happy girl!

Chugging Along

I had my first day introducing healthy carbs back into my diet. I made a pasta side that I love, but made it South Beach friendly. It ended up being a BIG mistake and I overindulged which resulted in a bit of upward motion on the scale. A little dissapointing, but, you live and learn. I just know that IF I make that again anytime soon that I have to limit myself, but I think it will be a while before we add that back into the mix. I just don't want to risk it.

Today for lunch I made the boy and I some delicious wraps. I used the Flatout 100% Whole Grain wraps and topped it with some pre-cooked fajita diced chicken, lettuce, fat free cheese and a little bit of ranch. When I picked him up from school today he said that was his favorite thing in his lunch today and wants it again tomorrow! Score one for mom!! We also got to have some blueberries as well. They were fantastic. It is nice figuring out the way to eat again. Hopefully I will see some results from my effort.

The boy spent 2 days with his granny this weekend and when he got home I could definitely tell that he had lost some weight. I am more excited about his weight loss than I am my own. I think seeing the progress in him is going to be what keeps me motivated this time.

Recipe I Want To Try

Just ignore this post, I just want to make sure that I don't lose this recipe.

White Chili Ingredients: o 1 pound Great Northern white beans (I use 4 cans of Great Northern white beans, but you could use more) o 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut into small portions/cubes) o salt and pepper, to taste o 2 medium onion, chopped o 2 4oz. cans of mild chopped green chilies o 4 garlic cloves, minced o 2 Tbsp. olive oil o 6 cups fat-free chicken broth o 2 Tbsp. ground cumin o 2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed o 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper o 3 cups shredded lowfat Monterey Jack cheese o Lowfat or Fat Free Sour cream o Salsa o Fresh cilantro - In large pot, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat and sauté onions until translucent. Stir in garlic, chilies, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. - Season chicken breast cubes with salt and pepper, then saute in a skillet using 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Add to the pot. - Drain and rinse beans, then add to pot with chicken stock. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Simmer for approximately 15-30 minutes (you're basically just looking to meld the flavors and heat the soup here. I usually go for 20-30 mins, but use your best judgement.) - Add 1 cup of cheese to chili and stir until cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper. - Serve with extra Monterey Jack, sour cream, salsa, and cilantro as toppings.

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