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

Week Seven: Monday

I did terribly all weekend long - but I got right back on track today.

Breakfast: Special K Bar - 90 calories

Lunch: Schloztsky's kids meal cheese pizza (terrible, but I was in a huge rush and made the quickest choice available to me. blah.) - 479 calories

Dinner: Salmon and Asparagus in Foil Packets (recipe link: http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/fishandseafood/r/salmonasparagus.htm) with 1 serving of whole grain brown rice, and a Fuze Drink - 408 calories

After dinner, I was only at 977 calories so I had two s'mores as a snack (150 calories each)

So my calorie total came in at 1,277 for today. Right on track.

I'm going to go to Pilates tomorrow morning, and if I can figure out how to make my calorie tracker watch work, I'll post results with how many I burned. It seems much more difficult than I originally thought to make that gadget work.

weigh in: week 6

So, I just weighed in:

Weight loss for week six: 2.2 pounds
ummmmm..... okay scale. Whatever you say.

Stats:
first weigh in: 163.5 lbs
today's weigh in: 161.4 lbs
total weight loss: 2.1 lbs

Can't explain this one. I've done really well for 2 out of the 7 days.
Honest to goodness, don't know what to say. I'm pleased, but can't tell you how that happened in the two days I've put in effort.

Oh well, I'll take it!

Off to the gym.

Thursday check in

Breakfast: 1 scrambled egg: 90 calories
Lunch: Opti-Meal Chocolate Shake (aka: off brand slim fast): 180 calories
Dinner*: Green Salad (20 calories), Fat free Zesty Italian (15 calories), Grilled Atlantic Salmon (309 calories), Steam Fresh Vegetables (120 calories), 1 cup of white short grin rice, cooked (241 calories), water (0 calories). Total dinner calories: 705 calories
Snack: 1 s'more: 175 calories

Total calorie intake today: 1,150 calories

I apolgoize for the lack of photos in this post. I was fvcking hungry by dinner (1 egg and a slim fast between 9am and 7pm) I could not stop for one second to take a picture. I had to dig in and pratcially swallow the whole thing because my stomach was pretty sure I was starving to death.

I slept in today and missed my class at the gym. Argh. I will be there tomorrow morning though.

I had another doctor appointment today (for something minor, unrelated to thyroid issues) - and asked her opinion on calorie intake, weight loss, ect. She suggested 1,300 calories - with a bit more on workout days. I told her I had been shooting for 1,200 and she said that was fine - but to open up my range to between 1,200 and 1,300 each day to allow myself a bit more flexibility. Today I was at 1,150 - so I'll plan accoringly for tomorrow.

Tomorrow morning will also be the first weigh-in in a while. I'm not holding my breath for good news - I'll give it another week before I expect any changes.

I've got a fun weekend planned with friends and family. I can only hope you have as much friendship, love, and fun planned into your next few days!



*dinner was one of my favorite ways to prepare salmon. A little bit of chili powder and a tiny bit of cinnamon sprinked on skin and flesh side. Then sauteed in (very little) sesame oil. Just 3-4 minute per side - and delish.

Back on track.

Heard from the nurse today at my obgyn. Bloodwork came back normal in regards to the thyroid. (but no good reasons why I'm not getting a period...)

Sigh.

Moving forward.

I've been working out. I've been making smarter choices (compared to previous choices/desires). I've been drinking more water. I know that muscle gain is a good thing, but I need to see the numbers on my scale go down. I need the numbers to change for my own sense of success.

I have the "my fitness pal" on my iphone that tracks my food and I can keep a food diary with calorie intake. I used this a while back... but I'm going to give it another go. It says I should eat about 1,200 calories on a non-workout day, and a bit more when I workout. I also bought one of these which will track the calories burned. So I started today:

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with pepper: 180 calories

Lunch: Peanut butter (1 tbs) and jelly (1 tbs) sandwhich with 1 cup of shredded wheat and a 5 calorie fuze drink: 490 calories

Dinner: 1 bean buritto from Taco Bell (no DH home tonight) and 1 cup of shredded wheat: 570 calories

Total calories for 4/14/10: 1,240 (40 over)

I guess I did pretty well. It took some planning, but I can handle it. Honestly, the calorie intake seem a little low, but if I see results - I can get used to being a bit more hungry than I have been in the past. I imagine the beginning will be harder as my stomach adjusts to not having so much food. I didn't workout today, but I have plans to attend a class on Thursday and Friday. I'll report back with how many calories I burned.

Just in case you don't already know: The fuze drinks are awesome. I love the fruit punch, slenderize. They're only 5 calories and much more exciting than water. Highly recomended!

pout.

I haven't totally abandoned the blog. Just trying to figure out what to say and what to do.

I have been working hard on this. I have seen no results. None. Honeslty, I've probably gained in the last week out of pure frustration. I cannot fit another day at the gym in my work schedule. I have changed my eating, I work out regularly. I continue to gain weight.

Off topic (but acually not, in a round-a-bout way).... I got off he pill back in January. We're not going to be making babies (on purpose) any time soon - I just wanted to get off. I have had one period since. Not normal, clearly. (Seeing as though it's Apirl 13th).

I called my doctor and she said this could be a thyroid issue and asked me to have bloodwork done. (note: had my bloodwork done back in December for thyroid concerns from my "significant" weight loss in the past year (approx 20 pounds). I did that last Friday morning.

Upon further (internet) research, my lack of menstration would fall under the "hyper" cateogry, where my weight gain and difficultly to lose weight would be "hypo" - so now I'm all confused.

The doctor was supposed to call me today and didn't. Clearly a thyroid is not life or death and she's probably off delivering babies or something more important - but good lord... I need to know. I'm not sure why I need to know so badly, but I do.

ugh.
weight loss.
ugh.
weight gain.
ugh.
failure.
ugh.
thyroids.
ugh.
doctors.
ugh.
bloodwork.
ugh.
seems
like
nothing
is
going
my
way.

Monday Meal

After Saturday night, when I apparently decided I was a *rockstar* - my Easter Sunday was spent hydrating and laughing at myself. Weekends like that are very few and far between... but man, I had a blast.

Monday was a light(er) day at work - so I came home and made the recipe that looked the most difficult for the week. We used this link: http://www.thenest.com/Recipes/37793/detailview.aspx?id=37793&type=7&recipe_ingredients=Seafood&recipe_type=Healthy.

It didn't work out very well. It was bland, and the potatos where not cooked through, and I really did not enjoy any it.

Ah well, ya live and ya learn.

After the failed dinner Monday night, the husband and I were both still hungry. I decided I would make myself some garlic toast, and I asked the husband if he wanted any... his response "I want something... but I'm not sure what". So I go into the kitchen and make 2 pieces (for myyyyyself). I sit down on the couch to enjoy my garlicy goodness and the husband reaches over to pick up the other piece.

I lose it and have a full blown, grade A, temper tantrum.

Husband, take some notes: do not attempt to take food from a hungry woman... it will not be pretty, and you will not win. Don't fvck with my garlic toast.

well hello there portion control...

...I don't think we've met before.

That will be the theme of week five: portion control.

I've been working out approx 3 times per week and have been eating better but have yet to see any (real) weight loss. I think eating less is the next step. I haven't been tracking calories too specifically - but if I can't make something happen this week... I'll start counting next week.

Tonight's dinner was very very yummy. . I think next time I will use a bit less pepper than they called for - but otherwise this was very very good, and pretty simple. We used Mahi Mahi for the fish, but I think it would also be awesome with tilapia. I'll grade this recipe an A-. You can see in the photo that I served it with corn and (canned) peaches. The husband also had rice with his dinner -but I held back and didn't have any. I tried to keep my portions small and I think the plate looks really pretty - so I was pretty proud all around. Recipe is called: Peppered fish with Vinaigrette

http://www.thenest.com/Recipes/8604/detailview.aspx?id=8604&type=7&recipe_ingredients=Seafood&recipe_type=Healthy

Honestly, I'm still hungry. We'll see how the rest of this week goes.

week four: weigh in

Well, it's Friday and weigh-in day!

Weight loss for week four:
0.9 pounds

Stats:
first weigh in: 163.5 lbs
today's weigh in: 162.7 lbs
total weight loss: 0.8 lbs
amt to final goal: 29.7 lbs

Four weeks - and I've only lost 0.8 pounds. And this blog is focused around weight loss.

Shameful.

I haven't been 100% on the eating better front, that's for sure - but I'm making strides working out for sure - all while and trying to figure out what is realistic.
(I can actually tell a slight difference in the shape of my arms. The working out is toning me a bit, but hasn't been helping with the weight loss at all!)

I have today off of work, and I plan on cleaning the house and going to the gym. I didn't make it to my regular 9:30am class today because I couldn't roll myself out of bed in time. I'll go eventually though...

Happy Friday.

Dinner tonight: Win.

Tonight was Paprika rubbed Salmon. I used this recipe: http://www.thenest.com/Recipes/50761/detailview.aspx?id=50761&type=7&recipe_ingredients=Seafood&recipe_type=Healthy

Although I used a bit too much of the rub on each salmon - they turned out yummy. I served it with cous cous and broccoli. I had never had cous cous before - and it was delish! I picked up a box on a whim at HEB and this was a great night to whip it up. I used the whole wheat (olive oil and herbs flavoring) cous cous and I think it was an awesome alternative to rice. The broccoli was the steam in a bag - and worked for a little color on my plate. I worked till 9:30pm tonight so the husband marinated the salmon in advance. Once I got home this meal was super easy to throw together. I'd grade this one an A. I think I'll do it again.

Tomorrow morning I'm meeting a friend for a circut workout class - and Friday I have plans to attend a Body Sculpt class. That will make three times at the gym this week, which is pretty much as much all I can fit in my schedule at this point. It's been a crazy week at work - but I'm trying to stay focused with eating well. (Surely those M&Ms as a mid-day snack didn't mess anything up too much... right???)

This Week - Dinner Plans

Although a bit late... here they are:

• Smoked Paprika Roasted Salmon with Spinach
• Tacos (with fat free refried beans for me... extra lean meat for the husband)
• Tuna Noodle Casserole (not healthy, but delicious)
• Salmon (slow cooked) with herbs
• Peppered Mahi Mahi with Vinagerette
• Angel's Pasta

Sunday we did the Angels Pasta and used this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Angels-Pasta/Detail.aspx. I would give it a C+. Just okay.

Monday was Tuna Casserole (I ate it before I remembered to photograph). And it's a home spun recipe I got from my mom - so no website to reference.

Tuesday was Tacos. No photos needed, as we all can guess what I tacos looked like - right?

Tonight is one of the salmon dishes - I haven't decided which one. You'll find out in my next post.

I went to the gym yesterday for the first time since my knee stuff happened. It was okay. The squats were still too painful, so I had to 'cheat' some stuff. I'm taking today off, but I have plans to return on Thursday and Friday. Oh, and I cheated today and weighed. I'm down 0.9 pounds - so I'm feeling good that I can at least drop a pound by Friday.

Happy Wednesday!!!

the National Enquirer...

Can kiss my (fat) butt.
I snapped this photo in line at the grocery store a week or two ago.

The lower part says...

"heart attack risk as her binge eating habits turn deadly"

"109 (lbs) in 2000"

"She's only 5 foot 3!"

well.

I'm 5'2''.

I probably weight about 109 pounds in 2000 also. And ya know what... around that time I developed an eating disorder.




Clearly, I have weight to lose, but this whole cover actually hurt my feelings. I guess I could just see myself and my own struggles in it - and I took it personally.

Motivation.

stop the press.

Can we take a second to observe the beauty of his man?

....
....
....
....
....

Yeah... I'm going to need a few more minutes.

I saw this photo at work, while diligently working... um, well... actually, I was surfing the web. Photo compliments of this article.

This man (in my opinion) is lick your lips georgous. Swoon.

I pretend I've never heard his music - or seen his dancing... and I swear on all that is holy... my cheeks get flushed. Very flushed. Sigh...

If you know me, you know I've got 'thing' for the latino men. Ricky Martin just hits the spot. And this photo takes the cake.

My husband is latino, and beautiful - and I love him eternally. (a plus is that the husband, thankfully, prefers women) - but if Ricky ever decides to give females a 'go' he will be at the top of my list. Ya know, the list of 5 celebs you could have a 'thing' with - and not ruin your exisiting (real life) relationship. Yeah, he might be my #1. Laugh all you want.

Who is on your list of 5???

spill it.

weigh in: week 3 and knee update

After last week's weigh in I was very frustrated.
Friday night we left for the in laws and there was a mini family reunion where there was nothing but eating. And I partcipated fully... all weekend long.

When I got back home on Monday, I had gained two more pounds since Friday. Upset, I didn't eat well at all this week, thus - not posting on this blog. This (past) weeks dinner:

• Monday: Pizza
• Tuesday: Leftover Pizza
• Wednesday: Spaghetti
• Thursday: After a failed attempt at cooking a healthy dinner (it looked disgusting), we ordered Pizza.

I'm embarrassed and sad by this week.

Somehow, I lost 1 pound of the weekend weight... but overall, it's still bad news:

Current Weight: 163.3
Starting Weight: 163.5
Total Weight loss (after two weeks of ups and downs): 0.2 pounds
Goal Weight: 133

I am starting over. Next week will be a new week.

An update about my busted knee that I posted about Wednesday:
I went to my doctor on Thursday. As I was turning into the parking lot - I got rear-ended by somone who was too busy talking on his cell phone to apply the breaks. ugh.

Once I got into the doctor 30 minutes late - she (thankfully) still saw me. After a lot of pushing pulling and turning on my knee she said she thinks it is tendonitis in my left knee. With my career - it's probably been in my knee a long time, but the spinning class brought it out in full force.

From now on, no more spinning classes - and I need to be careful running. Thankfully, I hate hate hate running so I won't be doing of that anytime soon. I was given so higher dosage pain killers and she said to take it easy for the next week.

I still plan on working out next week - but i may focus more on weights than cardio to rest my knee. I will also do a meal plan for next week - and will post that by Sunday.

I can do this. I can do this. This will not beat me.

busted knee.

Well, I went to my first cycling class yesterday (tuesday).
I wanted to die. It was so hard. The cardio was awesome.

About 45 minutes into the one our class I kind of 'slipped' off a petal on one side. It wasn't a big deal and I kept cycling. A few minutes later, my knee started aching.

I slowed down for the rest of the day and took it very easy. It was very sore last night, but I figured I would just rest and feel better today.

Nope. Worse. Very much worse. I can't bend my knee past 90 degrees. It just won't go. Other positions make me scream in pain. This is bad news.

This is bad news on so many different levels. I teach dance for a living. If I can't bend my knee this creates a major issue. Major.

I'm going to the doctor tomorrow. I fully expect them to send me off for an MRI. I'm trying to stay positive but I'm very worried.

I'll keep you posted.

week two: weigh in

I gained a pound.

Don't really have much to say. Just frustrated. I did well 75% of the week and worked out three times. I know that I need to do 100% --- but reeeeeally.... no wiggle room??? The amount of effort but in this week was far and beyond what I was doing three weeks ago. What the hell. I thought the weight would come off easier in the beginning and get harder as my fat % decreased.

uuuugh.

I'm off for the weekend to visit my inlaws with the husband. I'm sure there will be eating out for three meals of the day. Hopefully I can figure out the best choices with the situation at hand.

Pissed.

picky.

Growing up my mom was vegetarian, but my dad was not. A lot of nights she would make a meal for herself and a meal for the rest of our family. By the time I was about 10 years old I had decided that I did not like meat and my mom would make a vegetarian meal for us, and a meat meal for my dad and sister.

My dislike of meat is purely taste-based. I don't like the smell, the taste, the texture - nothing. I do however love me some fish. Strangely enough, my mom abanonded her vegetarian ways when I was in college and now I'm left alone with my anti-meat pickiness.

The husband is awesome with this. He doesn't really love turkey, chicken, but enjoys gettting a steak when we eat out... and is all for fish. The husband mentioned he was kind of 'fished' out on Monday night so Tuesday we did Chicken Tacos and I figured I could suck it up and try chicken again (it had been about 8 years since I tried it).

yuck.

I've heard raves and raves and raves about this recipe so I KNOW others will love it - but it was not our thing. We made it in the crockpot, shredded it, cooked it again for another 30 minutes then put them in tortillas with cheese and lettuce. Here's the link: http://sherj.blogspot.com/2009/11/kas-crockpot-chicken-tacos.html

I ended up scraping out all the chicken and just eating the whole grain tortillas with cheese.

I also suck at working out this week and haven't gone once. Not once. Ugh. I do have plans to go this afternoon, so I know I'll be able to get in at least 3 workouts... but I'm a bit disappointed in myself. My mind is on spring break - and I need to get back on the bandwagon pronto.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Monday dinner = win!

This meal was awesome for several reasons:

• It had fish - and you all can tell how much fish I eat
• It had veggies of multiple colors - and makes me feel healthy
• It took approx 1 minute to prepare - it does not get easier than put fish in pan, sprinkle seasoning, throw FROZEN vegetables in with it and put it in the oven. Seriously.
• There was one dirty dish at the end of this meal (with our plates as an exception). My husband (the do-er of dishes thinks this is fantastic!

This was maybe the most simple meal I've ever made and you would never guess it buy tasting. YUM!

This is the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Baked-Tilapia/Detail.aspx?prop31=5

This is the photo of it all - straight out of the oven... all together.

Go make this! Really. Do it.

Week Two, plans.

Well, after a fun weekend that rated as a mega fail on the diet front... I'm back on the bandwagon. I just finished my weekly meal plan and I'll head to the grocery store very soon. Thankfully, I have this week off work - so I plan on spending lots of time on cooking and working out!

Monday - Jillian Michaels workout DVD at home
Tuesday - Pilates and Kickboxing at the gym (doubling up due to the double mexican martinis on Friday)
Wednesday - Step class at the gym (Movements performed on and off a step platform with or without risers. This class consists of medium level movement patterns. Intensity level determined by speed, travel, and execution of movements.)
Thursday - Camp 24 at the gym (Pace yourself, or go the limit in this ultimate circuit workout. Improve cardiovascular and muscular strength and endurance in 24 Hour Fitness boot camp style! One of the most fun ways to get fit! Suitable for all levels.)
Friday - Body Sculpt at the gym

Meal Plan for Week two:
Fish Tacos
Salmon with veggies
no bake whole wheat macaroni with broccoli
Easy Bake Tilapia
Chicken Tacos
Zucchini Pasta

Hopefully I can do as well as last week (or even better!) with weight loss.
As always, I'll post recipes through the week with my experiences and thoughts as I push through to a lighter me.

And to my readers: I already feel your accountability. I think this blog is going to be great for me, so thanks for reading!

weekend warrior

Well, Friday didn't go so well on the 'eat healthy' front. We met up with some friends for dinner at Trudy's downtown. Just for fun... here is what I had:

Chips

Salsa

Another round of chips

Mexican Martini

A few sips of water

2 Cheese Enchiladas... with queso sauce on top

Refried Beans

Rice

A second Mexican Martini

...I was fun and had reached the drink limit - so what shall we do?

Just (have the husband drive, then) head to a friends place and have a Rum and Dr. Pepper... of course. By the time I finished my drink, I was barely awake and we came home to pretty much fell into bed.

Saturday the husband and I woke up and took the dog to the Farmers Market in town. It was a beautiful day and we had such a great time people watching.

Afterwards, we came home and caught up on our DVR and then I made dinner. I used this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Angel-Hair-Pasta-with-Shrimp-and-Basil/Detail.aspx I used wheat pasta and this was soooooooo yummy. It gives me a pasta fix in a new way, and this is probably a bit healthier than what I usually make. This really was so good. Certainly giving this one an A+. It really reminded me of what I order at Carrabas Italian Resturant.

I anticipate that I got myself into a situation where I will need to 'make up' for Saturday's eating fest. However, that's life and I am not going to pretend it is realistic for me to cook at home every night. Losing weight or not, our lifestyle is one that includes going out with friends. I just need to find the best balance possible for my life and my health.

week one (official) weigh in.

Well, it's only 8:45am and today has been a HUGE success. I got on my wii fit (my only digital scale) and 'squeeeeeeed'.

Weight loss for week one:

2.1 pounds

first weigh in: 163.5 lbs

today's weigh in: 161.4 lbs

total weight loss: 2.1 lbs

amt to final goal: 27.9 lbs

In other news, last night's dinner was very yummy. I can't find the recipe online, but it was a tablespoon of butter, some lime juice, pepper, and a bit of salt. Baked on 375 for 8-12 minutes. I added steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. I am still missing my huge servings of carbs... but I imagine it will get easier. I felt like this meal could have used something else... as I was still a bit hungry after I finished it.

I also had a slim fast for lunch... so maybe that's why I was wanting to keep chewing on something.

p.s. The wii fit said 'you're overweight' to me this morning when I weight in instead of 'you're obese'. Which was (ironically) AWESOME.

I cheated.

Okay readers... I needed a little confirmation that I was on the right track. So, I weighed this morning (instead of Friday like I had previously said I would). This is not the ideal way to track weight loss. I really should only do it once a week so I don't get influenced by the unavoidable fluctuations that happen through the week. Plus, my 'monthly gift' is here... so I knew the results could be skewed.

Well, I did it anyway. And I've lost 1.1 pounds! Not a lot... but it hasn't even been a week yet (really, only 4 days!) I know that potentially the results could be skewed due to an early weigh in - but I DON'T CARE. I'm thrilled.

Whoot. This is what I needed to get through the week.

Tonight is spaghetti night. I've checked my iphone Ap "my fitness pal" - and it looks like I'll just be having a cup of noodles with sauce and a big salad. Pasta shall be my enemy, yet long lost love.

Looking forward to Friday to see what else I can accomplish before then!

I thought today was Wednesday... all day.

I woke up today and took my vitamins, got dressed, and started thinking about dinner plans. The husband and I had discussed tacos for Wednesday... so naturally, I took the meat out of the freezer to thaw for taco Wednesday.

I worked all day, got home and started preparing the dog's things for this dentist appointment tomorrow morning (ya know... Thursday morning). I start making dinner and the husband mentions "I thought tacos were our Wednesday plan".

Ummmmm.... obviously, dear husband, that's why I'm whipping up this meal.

Oops. It's Tuesday. So we had Taco Tuesday. Not a disaster, but it really threw me for a loop to find out it's Tuesday after the day was practically over.

No recipe for Tacos. The husband gets extra lean ground beef with taco seasoning and I prefer refried beans. This is one of my classic "oh dear lord... what are we going to eat tonight" meals. Not that you couldn't imagine what tacos look like - but a photo kind of brightens up these posts - so there ya have it.

I took a Body Flow class this morning at the gym. It was the same class that I took on Friday with a different instructor. It was so freakin hard. So hard. Hard to the point where I had to stop several times and breathe deeply and remind myself that I was capable of completing that class. There were moments during that hour that I looked in the mirror and thought "CAN I do this?" "Look at how easy it is for everyone else", "Look how far I have to go". These thoughts are fleeting, but there. Working through them every day. It will be a long road that will require millions of baby steps. I probably have only taken 2.

Steps taken in weight loss: 2 of 1465453 million.

overwhelmed.

yucky describes today.

I didn't get to workout today because I had to take the puppy for an emergency vet visit. I'll spare you the details and just ensure you that he's fine. So, I missed Monday's workout (yoga) - but that just means I'll workout Tues, Wed, Thur, Fri so I can still get my four days in at the gym.

Tonight's dinner was Crab cake Burgers with whole grain buns.

I made myself a salad as a side dish and the husband had some frozen French fries. I won't be making these again anytime soon. They weren't bad... but they weren't good. They were bland, boring, and had a strange texture. Plus, the 1/2 pound of crab was TWELVE DOLLARS at Heb. That's just for the crab... not any other ingredients (and I needed to purchase several of them!)!!! All in all, this was an expensive meal that was nothing to write home about. The husband's comment "They were edible". I'm not impressed.

My monthly 'gift' (finally) showed up. I'm not sure what that means for Friday's weigh in. I'm anxious to see the results of a good week of work.

Recipe for crab cake burgers: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/crab_cake_burgers.html

(full) week one.

I'm still ridiculously sore from Friday's gym class. Arms, Abs and Hamstrings are certainly feeling the burn. I'm excited to put a full week in and see the results!

I did take a few "before" photos yesterday (of myself in shorts and a bra top). I am not brave enough to post them. They make me sad, honestly. I'm thinking maybe I'll post before and after photos when I hit my first goal of 20 pounds. That way I can do a 'before' and 'after' and hopefully feel proud... not sad.

Workout plan for this week, March 8-12 (I have no real plans to do weekend workouts).

• Monday - Yoga (description: Designed to enhance vitality and a sense of well being, this workout will help participants gain improved flexibility, balance, strength and posture. The class will borrow from each instructor’s experience with Yoga and may incorporate basic poses from various Yoga styles.)
• Tuesday - Power Sculpt (description: Class designed to utilize a variety of equipment for resistance training. Hand weights and barbells may be used to sculpt and define.)
• Wednesday - Day off
• Thursday - Pilates (description: A workout designed to develop core strength and coordination, the focus of this class will be on traditional Pilates movement patterns, the use of breath and correct alignment. Participants will enjoy improvement in posture and overall toning.)
• Friday - Power Sculpt (see description from Tuesday)

I've put my schedule out there... and there is no getting around it. I will go to the gym four times this week. I also want to peek in on a cycling class to see if it's something I'd be interested attending.

Meal Plan for the week: This week we will eat in 6 of the 7 nights, which is pretty much unheard of around our house. Bonus to my goal of cooking more: saving money. Our eating out budget is silly when we could be eating meals at home that are healthier and just as satisfying.

• Salmon, Green beans, Rice
• Crab Cake Burgers on whole wheat buns, Broccoli
• Angel Hair Wheat pasta and shrimp
• Tacos
• Spaghetti and Salad
• Tilapia, Broccoli, Cauliflower

As the week goes on I will post recipes, photos and reviews. But I'll use this post to share tonight’s success! Tonight was Salmon again. We used this recipe: http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/fishdishes/r/roastsalmon.htm. Again, it was very easy and tasty. I also made whole grain rice (surprise!) and heated up soem canned green beans. Overall - a very good dinner and a great new way to cook Salmon. We eat a lot of it - so it's nice to have a low fat alternative. I'll do another post soon on choices in regards to food.

...but then I ate a s'more. It was delish. I only feel a smidge bad about it... can how bad could one graham cracker, a marshmallow, and a tiny square of chocolate be??? And, I'm not like I'm 'cheating' because I've given myself not assigned diet. So there.

Overall, I think I'm doing pretty well with portion control and I re-stocked my fridge with some (off brand) Slim Fast drinks for lunch. This should be a good week and I am dedicating myself to some of the major changes I listed in my orginial post. I've already drastically increased the amount of fluids I consume each day (Specifically water!). I normally drank very little each day, but the more I drink over the last few days I'm actually noticing when I'm thirsty which is different. When I wasn't drinking much, I was never thirsty. I'm pretty sure that's an obvious sign of dehydration that I've been ignoring.

Today I also bought some vitamins. I've never taken them as an adult. From some advice of my doctor, I decided to go with a Calcium supplement, and I added in the Women's One a Day vitamin. I don't expect any "results" from this... but it kind of goes hand in hand with my health goals.

All in all. Excited to get this week rolling.
And I'm even more excited that next week is Spring Break and I have a whole week off!

well, ain't that a kick in the pants?

Today I called my 89 year old grandfather to check in, say hi, and tell him that I was thinking about him. Our conversations are generally pretty random - but sweet. Let me share a little piece of our convo from today that didn't share that same sweet sentiment:

(about 5 minutes into the conversation)
Him: "Well, how's your health?"
Me: "ummm... fine."
Him: "Well, are you sure?"
Me: "Yep. Sure." (wondering what in the world he's talking about)
Him: "I noticed the last time I saw you (mid December) that you had gained weight".
Me: "uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhh....."
Him: "But I guess if you stay active that weight shouldn't be too much of an issue... Are you active?"
Me: :::: changes subject ::::

In December my (incredibly unsympathetic) doctor made a comment about my weight. It stung, but I felt like she was doing it from a doctor/health view - so went to my car, cried my eyes out and tried to suck it up. This, however, is the first time that someone who knows and loves me has said anything. And this was far less painful to hear from my Grandfather than my doctor. I think I'm just in a difference place than I was in December. Just 3 months ago I was refusing to look at the facts. Now, there is not hiding and it's something I'm accepting as a challenge. Just think, if all these people are noticing how I've gained weight - they'll all notice that I've lost it too... right?

My grandfather my have zero tact... but he's right. He was being honest. Hopefully the next time he sees me he'll say something equally inappropriate about how dang good I look in my jeans! ha!

here we go.

Action is required. I have big goals and they're not just going to happen. Wednesday, March 3rd I joined a large chain gym with a branch very close to my job. It's convenient and they had a special offer that sealed the deal. I am not a treadmill kind of girl. I enjoy taking classes and having an instructor guide me through a workout.

On Thursday (yep... the very next day!), I headed off to Pilates. The class was a great size and the instructor really explained everything really well. In college, I did tons of Pilates so I was thinking it might be a bit too beginner... but I think it ended up being a great fit for my current body. It was an hour and offered a lot of abdominal work, which I really need. I woke up Friday morning fairly sore in my deep, lower abs -- yay! Friday I also met up with my online friend, at the gym and we took a Body Flow class. Holy Moly - THAT was a workout. We did arms, abs, back, squats, and everything else under the sun. I left drenched in sweat and feeling great!!

That is two workouts this week, and I didn't start until Thursday! I feel totally confident that I can get 3-4 workouts in each week... and really enjoy them.

Now, check out our yummy dinners!
http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/fishandseafood/r/salmonasparagus.htm

(link above) Salmon and Asparagus: This one was very very easy and good! Cooking in foil packets is awesome - and you can't beat the clean up time. This husband felt the salmon could have used more spices, but I was very happy with it. We also made a serving of whole grain instant rice. All in all, I'll give this one at A-. I'll certainly cook it again, but maybe add more flavor before cooking. Check out how healthy this looks!

We made this on Thursday night for dinner: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Honey-Grilled-Shrimp/Detail.aspx

These were great too! It required a bit more setup time... but they turned out beautifully. I steamed the asparagus we didn't cook on Wednesday and made more whole grain rice. Yes, the sides were the same... but why change a good thing. This meal was in my belly before I remembered about photography.

I think I'll be posting numbers on Fridays (weigh in days). This is very difficult for me. My husband doesn't even know these numbers... (and I may not let him read this) but here goes nothing:

Current Weight: 163.5
Goal Weight: 133

• My first goal is 20 pounds, which would put me at 143, and I would still be overweight. Sigh.
• Long term, I would like to lose 30 pounds and stay around 133 pounds.
• Based on this website, it says my 'ideal weight' should be 115 pounds (being 5'2''). However, my healthy weight could be within 10% of this (up to approx 126 pounds). I think I would feel incredible at 133, and I really feel confident putting my goal at that number. Once I meet my goal - I'll re-evaulate based on how I feel.

I've been at this 2 days and I'm feeling great! Please comment if you have any questions, suggestions, dinner ideas, anything! I'm hoping this can create a great accountability for me and I'd love to help you too.

the start.

I'm a 25 year old woman living in Texas with my husband. We've been married a little over a year and all-in-all... life is good. We love our jobs, our families, friends and our dog. We're enjoying spending time together before it's time for the next step that life will bring (whatever that may be). As I said, life is good. However...

I feel like I could be a happier and healthier person if I lost weight. A significant amount of weight. Compared to a lot of people, I'm very fortunate. I haven't had to worry about my weight at all until the last year and a half. Marriage has, to quote my (incredible sympathetic) doctor, made me very "fat and happy". For a long time I thought 'I don't know how this happened'... but if I was honest, I know exactly how it happened. I ate crap, all the time, thinking there would be no consequences. I was wrong, very wrong.

My goal to lose weight has several different facets:
1. Cooking more, eating out less.
2. Cooking better, more healthful meals.
3. Creating a meal plan each week.
4. Drinking lots more water.
5. Eating well at work.
6. Working out regularly.
7. Losing 25-30 pounds.

I will post my weekly meal plan, and results of recipes I find and cooked. I also plan on logging my weekly exercise plan/results and weekly weigh-in results. Hopefully I'll come across some interesting facts, good foods, and something that will make this blog worth reading!!

I will be very open and honest on this blog about my journey to turn a lighter leaf. I plan on posting actual numbers (scary!), photos (even more scary!) and as many yummy and healthy recipes that I can find. Struggles and triumphs are inevitable - and available for all to read.

If you have any advice, information, (constructive) critiques, or anything else to share please please please comment or you can email me!