Calories my beagle ate today: 1,050 + a serving of dog food (who knows how many calories dog food would be)

The beagle ate five chocolate bars while the husband and I were out enjoying the lake. We did a quick trip to the Animal Emergency Room and we're all feeling much better now. The poor guy had vommitting induced - but we're glad he's back to his normal fiesty self.

Breakfast: Today I had 2 granola bars: 190 calories. These granola bars are awesome! Worth the purchase if you're needing breakfast on the go. They come with two per package and are yum.

Lunch: Jason's Deli salad bar. I did use ranch dressing, but it was a salad and not a cheesy baked potato like I normally order. Overall, I still think the salad was a better choice... as I used a bit of restraint with the dressing.

Dinner: Honey Ginger Grilled Salmon. I used a recipe from a delish blog: www.delish-blog.com/2006/11/honey-ginger-grilled-salmon/. We eat so much salmon, I was thrilled to find yet another new way to prepare it. (Gotta keep my husband guessing). This was incredibly easy to prepare. I only spent about 2 or 3 minutes to prep everything and toss it into a gallon sized zip lock. The fish marinated in the fridge for an hour and then we grilled in on our indoor grill. Delish! My husband requested that this one go into the regular rotation, and I'm in agreement.

I have no idea how many calories I ate today, but I think I did fairly well. Plus, I got the arm workout of the centruy kayaking with the husband on the lake for 3.5 hours. I anticipate some sore arms tomorrow.

the return of lighter leaf

I took a 'rest' from the blog that lasted about 40 days. I was get overwhelmed with my work load and then paired with my frustrations of not losing weight - it was time to step away. However, I've returned.

During my time away I certainly took time away from my weight loss goals. I didn't abandon everything, but I didn't do well and I know I've gained. I'm not ready to step on the scale again... but it won't be pretty. I also have not been to the gym in about a month because of my insanity at work. I would go into the boring details - but it got really crazy there for a few weeks and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and will be slowing down significantly within the next few days. Hallelujah.

I have the same goals, and I'm going to focus on counting calories as best possible and maintain a consistant workout schedule. I am also hoping to get a measuring tape and do some measurements so I can see change even if the weight isn't coming off as quickly as I hoped. This is not an impossible task... I just need to figure out what works for my body and where the "sweet spot" is for seeing results.

In other news, I went shopping today for a pair of shorts and purchased the largest size I have ever worn in my life. Talk about a reality check in the Macy's dressing room... ugh. I bought them anyway, because that is my reality and I'm learning to accept that. Change will come. This blog has pretty much turned into a "pep talk" for myself - so I hope you don't mind reading my "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can". Chugga Chugga Chooooo Chooooooo.

The husband and I are leaving for a vacation on Tuesday and will be gone 6 days. I'm looking forward to the time away to reconnect with my husband and seeing my family again too. (yep, a family vacation that includes my parents, myself and my husband, and my sister and her boyfriend). It should be ...interesting. My entire family struggles with weight issues - so I'm hopeful I can still make some positive choices while we're out of town.

Dinner tonight:














It was very good. If anyone has comments on portioning - does this look appropriate? I *think* this was a healthy meal... but I'm unsure about what is realistic on portions. I know that the rice said it made three servings... and the husband and I ate probably half of it, total. In regards to the tilapia, is one full fillet appropriate? thoughts?
Tilapia (a la 'me'): I chopped garlic very fine and sprinkled over the fish. Then I added lemon juice, a tiny bit of chili powder, garlic salt and pepper. Then I added a thin slice of butter on each fish. I cooked for about 15ish minutes on 350 degrees until it looked flakey. This was very good.
Boil in a bag whole grain rice
Steamed vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower and carrots