LFL Prep Day #1

Today is the first day of my Lean for Life diet/lifestyle change. For the prep days you are preparing yourself for weight loss, there are 3 days total. By doing this you don't 'shock' your gall bladder as much with the weight loss causing problems. For the meals each one includes a protein, salad w/dressing, potato or other starch, veggies, fruit, and milk or the calorie beverage. Then you have snacks that are 'protein' snacks.

Here is my 'plan of action'
I decided it was time to do something about my weight when : I hit my all time high in July of 2008, it was 250#, my 'lounge' pants were also tight around my thighs. I also had to get size 2X for my scrubs for work. THAT was my life changing moment.

My personal motivators: How I'll benefit by becoming Lean for Life.
1. I will feel proud of how I look
2. I will be able to become more active
3. My health will improve
4. My PCOS will be under control therefore possible allowing me to get pregnant (if it be God's will).
5. My joints won't be as taxed

After 2 more prep days, I will have 3 protein days where I will eat nothing but protein, if as I remember correctly these days are HARD BUT I can also have 6-12 servings of protein on these days. Then I will have 4 Weight Loss Menu Days, then once a week I will have a protein day. I follow this cycle for 28 days then I have 14 days of Metabolic adjustment, if I still need to lose weight (which I will) I start the Weight Loss cycle again until I have reached my goal, then I will move into Phase 2 which is the maintenance phase, I will be able to add a variety of foods in at that point.

I am VERY excited for this diet. I lost about 60# on this diet back in 2003 so I KNOW I can do it.

New Dieting Adventure

So I've decided to go back on Lindora's "Lean for Life" diet. I was on this diet 4 years ago before I got married. I lost about 70# on that diet and felt great. I've lost 36# doing a 'loose' program of Weight Watchers and cutting back on sweets etc, but I need more. My hubby didn't want to buy the book so I've been impatiently waiting for it to get transferred to a Library close to my home...next time I'll just drive to get it! It took almost a week to get it transferred to the closer library! I'm psyched! Hopefully I can get rid of the extra 60# I've still got to lose.

Lean for Life is low carb but not as extreme as Atkins, it's about 50-100 carbs per day depending on how your body does.

Low Carb Pancakes (Pork Rhinds)

Ewww...gross was the comment my hubby made when I told him I wanted to try them...my curiousity got the best of me and I made them tonight, they aren't half bad...actually I like them better than regular pancakes (I have to be in a 'mood' for pancakes to actually enjoy them). They puff up just like regular pancakes and to me are more 'moist' they have a nice flavor. Here's my picture:


Low-Carb Pancakes (Pork Rinds)


(1 serving) Printable Version

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup HEAVY Cream
• 1/2 of a 3-oz bag of unflavored pork rinds
• 3 packets of Splenda (or other sugar alternative)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 dash nutmeg

Crumble pork rinds until they resemble bread crumbs.

In a seperate bowl, beat eggs until frothy then add remaining ingredients and continue to beat until well mixed. Add pork rinds to the egg/cream mixture and set aside for 5 minutes to allow batter to thicken.

Cook on a lightly greased skillet as you would any pancake recipe. Drop batter on surface large spoonfulls. Cook until each side is lightly browned.

Serve with butter and a low-carb store bought syrup. Or for an interesting low-carb topping, mix 1 Tablespoon of sugar-free jam with 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons water and microwave for 45 seconds.


These pork rinds are surprisingly low in fat and have zero carbs. They may sound pretty crazy, but these little pancakes are fantastic! For more low-carb recipes try Mr Breakfast's Low-Carb Breakfast Index.

Where I would like to be + a loss of 20#, I still had a little 'flab' in my thighs and butt.

Latest Progress Pictures

Here are the 'befores' they were taken at 228.8# August 6th
http://notime2weight.blogspot.com/2008/08/fat-people-clothes.html

Today I weighed in at 214.6#

My weigh in today!

Today is my weigh in. I am down to 215.0# So I'm down 1.8# since last week, and that is without any exercise, well other than the manual labor at work, where I work my butt off. I didn't exercise this week because my chest has been hurting me. I am down 35# since July, also I have lost 14% of my original weight. I'm so excited!

November 7th

Water: Got it all in
Exercise: 15min on the Orbitrek Elliptical 2.23 miles (I did 15 min straight----well besides getting off for my inhaler, which is a first for me, I did it a little slower than I normally do but I was able to do the entire 15 min all together which I think is better than 5 min here and there high intensity)
Food: See my food journal http://notime2weightfood.blogspot.com/
Thoughts: 4th day Diet Cokeless!Today was more difficult with the Diet Coke. I was SOOOOOOOOOoo sorely tempted yet didn't give in. It was stressful at work as there was an issue I had to deal with and didn't want to....oh the joys of working with family . I am feeling better, more energetic, getting more done during the day etc. I was also SHOCKED with my 'slight' gain since Weds morning as I've had Chinese for 2 meals since then . Feeling good today, I actually got off my butt and REALLY exercised, I broke a nice sweat, got the heart rate up, I feel good na na na na na nuh! LOL! I knew that I would....once I got off my big butt and did it!

Biggest Chooser Pictures

November 6th

Water: Got it all in (love using the Crystal Lights...it's helping)
Exercise: None too lazy :(
Food:
Breakfast: Woke up too late
Lunch: Left Over chinese
Snacks: 2 Peanut Butter Cookies made w/splenda
Dinner: Hubby's Wine Broiled Chicken w/Baked Potato & Green Salad
Thoughts: 3rd day Diet Cokeless! Wow I am on a roll where it comes to the diet coke. I'm not even craving it! Tomorrow at work will be the 'true' test as I am always a stress/guzzle gut drinker at work, and I have to have a 'sit' down with my receptionist AGAIN about things so that's going to stress me out tomorrow.

Natural Dr Visit

had my follow up visit with the Natural Doctor today. I am still very i impressed with him. I weighed in at 231 there today which was depressing but I know on my scale at home I weighed in at 219.8# this morning.....so that's keeping me happy. I am down 4# according to their scale (which is one of those inaccurate sliding ones). He was happy with that. I know I'm down as I had to make a new notch for my belt this morning and my pants are practically falling off...yet I'm still not 100% ready for the next size down...at least in my levis.

He actually took the time to discuss all my lab results and explain what they meant. He was a little concerned with my Glucose as it was 94 normal is 65-99 however since I was fasting it should have been down around 70. I do have PCOS/Insulin Resistance so that is what is causing the elevated Glucose. He discussed more about my diet and really wants me to cut back on the carbs by quite a bit, increase protein and vegetables. He doesn't want an extreme low carb diet but I need to do 'lower' carbs. Which is gonna be tough for me as I LOVE my pasta. I have done a low carb before and did quite well on it (lost 70#), so we'll see....my problem is the funding for the low carb diet...it's expensive to eat lots of meat and veggies. ARGH So I need to go research low carb I guess....if anyone has any good website feel free to share

We discussed my Vit D deficiency as well. My levels are at 30 normal is 32-100 he likes to see it at 80 so it's got to come up quite a bit. Right now he wants me on 5000 I.U twice daily for 2 months! So I'm taking 5 pills twice a day.....trying to find a higher dose Vit D pill.

My gastric reflux is doing AWESOME! I'm only taking 1 Prevacid a week now and going to try and get off of those this month. I take DGL Licorice Root after meals, and before bedtime and for flareup, but I'm down to just 1-2 flares a week and that is because I love my tomatoes. The local college (BYU) is doing a study on the risks of osteoporosis from taking longterm Acid Reducers. Here is something I found on that: http://www.virginiahopkinstestkits.com/heartburnosteo.html SCARY Stuff...glad I am getting off of it! I've never had a broken bone and don't plan on it! Knock on wood So in one month I've gone from 1 Prevacid and several Ranitidine Tablets as well as tums as needed and puking about 1-2 times a week to not puking at all and only having the DGL Licorice Root. YEAH!

Also discussed Caffeine, and I told him I am cutting back, told him yesterday I did not even have 1 Diet Coke and haven't today so far either. He was excited. He told me that In order to prevent the caffeine withdrawal headaches I needed to make sure to drinkof lots and lots of water. He was saying it simulates the dilation of the vessels/flow that the caffeine causes....I can't remember exactly what he said.

Overall I am VERY happy with this Dr. He knows his stuff and is into full education of the patient something that I've NEVER had before. He shows genuine concern. Also I'm feeling better so that's good too. Now if I can just find something good for my arthritis/joints I'll be in great shape. He said the Vit D will help with that some, rechecking me in 2 months and at that point we will see how I am doing, but may find something to add to help joints.

My next plan is to find a Podiatrist, I have an toe nail that's been bothering me off and on for the past 3 years, but now it's persistant painful and swelling....

Biggest Chooser Challenge

I've joined another challenge, the "Biggest Chooser Challenge" over at Choosing 2 Lose. I'm excited. Challenges keep my 'motivated' and strong. I am setting a slightly smaller goal as I haven't been doing the best lately with the weight. I'm planning on losing 6#. The challenge ends Dec 12th.

Kelly on C2L Shared this about Motivation. I think it's awesome!
M ~ Make short-term goals
O ~ Out with negative thoughts
T ~ Think why you want it
I ~ Imagine how you will feel
V ~ Visualize the future
A ~ Acknowledge yourself with respect
T ~ Treat yourself with respect
I ~ Investigate new ideas and foods
O ~ Observe your healthy lifestyle
N ~ Never give up and never give in

Hot for the Holidays Challenge

No loss this week...still recovering from TOM! ARGH!

Lyn's Habit a Week Challenge Week 4

I am doing Lyns Habit a Week Challenge we are on week 4 of 16
Week 1- Fix your water intake
Week 2- Move Get up and move daily
Week 3- Eat a Veggie
Week 4- Increase your Fiber

Didn't do so hot with the eating of the veggies this past week. TOM kicked my butt! It made me wanna shovel anything and EVERYTHING I could into my mouth. UGH! This will be a good challenge as my 'witch' Dr wanted me to increase my fiber without a 'pill'...ugh....going back next week and so far NOT so hot :( BUT my Acid Reflux has pretty much diminished to once or twice a week instead of 5 or 6 times a day! I'm all but off of the Prevacid, just taking the Licorice Root. YEAH!

Just a funny for all us 'exercisers'

Lyn's Habit a Week Challenge Week 3 Eat a Veggie

I am doing Lyns Habit a Week Challenge we are on week 3 of 16
Week 1- Fix your water intake
Week 2- Move Get up and move daily
Week 3- Eat a Veggie

Last week's challenge went well for me but I didn't push it until Saturday when a 'light' went on and I have done very good since then. I've walked for 15-20 minutes with the Walking away the Pounds dvd's which are more 'intense' than normal walking. I am doing the 1 Mile ones right now and I am feeling the burn and feeling great about it!

This week's challenge is to increase your veggie intake. This will be somewhat hard for me, I do eat a lot of salads for lunch and have started having more and more veggies as snacks, but I need variety, having carrots & green bell peppers for snacks every day in and out gets mundane.....gonna try and 'spice' things up a bit.

Chubby Chicks Christmas Challenge Week 8 Weigh in!

Name: Heather
Pounds Lost This Week: 2.6 (Weigh in 219.2#)
Total Christmas Challenge Pounds Lost: 8.8
Pounds to Go to Reach Christmas Goal: 21.2
Weekly Summary: I have started exercising more and I think it is really paying off! I am doing the Walk At Home DVD's. Right now I am doing a 'Walking Away the Pounds 21 Day Challenge' (my own), and it's very motivating so far...day #3

Pushing myself!

I pulled a muscle in my chest somehow today at work, it hurts when I breathe deep but I was BOUND and determined to get the exercising in and even though I set out for the 2 Mile High Calorie Burn, I was only able to do 1 Mile of it. Which IMO is better than nothing. I was going to give up after 5 minutes too and I told myself I needed it, then looked at my 'poster' on the wall and WANT that Better Fit in my clothes after 3-4 days walking dang it! Thanks everyone for the encouragement! It helps!

Walking Away The Pounds 21 day Challenge
Day 3: WATP for Abs: 1 Mile of the 2 Mile High Calorie Burn

Justa lazy sunday

Walking Away The Pounds 21 day Challenge

Day 2: WATP Abs: 1 Mile Walk w/waist belt (hoping to be up to 2 miles this week)

I'm proud of myself! It's just a little after 12:30 and I've already done my exercise for the day. I am psyched for this challenge I've done for myself! I hope I can keep it up!

I am SO Munchie today. TOM is coming this week, I think that's why! It's BAD! ARGH! Definitely using flex points today! I ran out of my Woman Vitamins from Watkins and the past 2 months have been HECK with the TOM. My Natural Dr, suggested Evening Primrose Oil to help so I'm trying that.

Walking away the pounds!

I received this in my email this week from Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home Program
and it's just what I need...'kick in the butt' to get me walking again! I do good sporadically then just taper off and quit.

What you can expect after 21 days walking our way:
Instantly, during your first walk...your mood improves! You know you are doing something good for your life! You can overcome any setbacks or challenges. Walking makes you feel that GOOD!
After 3-4 days of walking...you will notice the "better fit" or more room in your clothes!
After 7 days of walking...real changes are happening! You have used body fat as energy (fat burning!) Muscles feel more toned! Do you notice that you make healthier choices at meal time as well? That's the POWER OF WALKING!
After 14 days of walking...you have lost REAL body fat! 4-5 pounds of actual body fat looks like 7-10 pounds lost! A more proportioned body is emerging!
After 21 days of walking...you are down a size of clothing! Muscles are more defined, inches are lost, 6-10 pounds are gone! Your energy is through the roof! All health measurements improve- blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose levels and so much more!

Start Walking Strong!

__________________
I'm going to challenge myself to do 21 days of the Walk at Home DVD's! This is a difficult thing for me, especially on my day's off....gonna do it!

Today's DVD: Walk away the Abs 1 Mile walk (couldn't handle more...too stiff/sore).

Friday Focus October 17th

This weeks good n bad
1- Bad: Not planning the meals
2- Good: Lots of days drank all my water
3- Bad: Not enough Exercise didn't exercise EVERY day
4- Bad: Too many Sweets
5- Good: Increased Vegetables
6- Good: Realized that 4 days of the week at work, I get about 5 hours of exercise in, (cleaning, washing walls, windows, making beds, scooping litter boxes, carrying about 5 18# garbage can loads out to dumpster)
(Goodness I tend to have lots of the same Good N Bad's)

Next Weeks Goals:
1- Stay on Plan! (Plan and Prepare....last minute meals are a weakness)
2- Exercise 5 days This is a start for me
3- Contine with water drinking EVEN on day's off!
4- Make an eating out "Safe Bet List" Basically a list of my favorite fast food places and 'safe' meals so I don't go overboard like I did

I need to continually focus on my goals. I'm going to type them up and print them out and put them EVERYWHERE so they are in my constant attention!

Healthier 'Alternative' Recipe

For the Plumping your Pumpkin challenge over on Choosing to Lose, this week's bonus challenge was to find a healthier alternative to your favorite 'fatty' recipe. My ALL TIME favorite is Taco Salads...decked out:

Here's what I found:

The new recipe is quickly becoming a favorite! I love Hungry Girl's recipe. We have it regularly here now! Here's the old one, Taco Salads have ALWAYS been my favorite! Now I eat them with a lot less fat & lots less calories: Traditional Taco Salad: Shell, Refried Beans, Hamburger, Quacamole, Cheese, Tomatoes, Sour Cream Serving Size: 1 salad (including shell) Calories: 945 Fat: 57g Carbs: 72g Sodium: 1,910mg Fiber: 12g Sugars: 8g Protein: 38g POINTS® value 23* Hungry Girls Rockin Taco Salad HG's Rockin' Taco Salad Taco-tastic! Taco salads have been around since the '60s. And they seem to be getting greasier and more calorie-packed as the decades pass. Not to worry -- HG is here with a version that has a mere FRACTION of the calories and fat of your typical taco salad. Here's the scoop... Ingredients: 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce 1/2 package Boca Meatless Chili (or about 2/3 cup of another low-fat veggie chili**) 1/4 cup chopped tomato 1/4 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese 2 tbsp. fat-free sour cream 1 tbsp. chopped or sliced black olives 6 Guiltless Gourmet Tortilla Chips (any flavor -- or any other baked tortilla chips**), crushed Directions: Prepare chili as directed on package. Place lettuce in a big bowl. Top with tomatoes, chili and cheese. Then add the olives and sour cream. Finish off with the crushed tortilla chips, and enjoy! MAKES 1 SERVING Serving Size: 1 salad (entire recipe) Calories: 230 Fat: 3.5g Sodium: 794mg Carbs: 31g Fiber: 10g Sugars: 7g Protein: 23g POINTS® value 4*

My 5 Weight Loss Tips

1- Drink all your water EVERY day, limit sodas/carbonated beverages
2- Plan for snacks each day etc so you don't have 'binge' moments (moments where you've got the munchies and just grab whatever's closest). For me my 'binge' moment is the 30 minute drive home from work.
3- Keep on top of your weight. I know you're not supposed to weigh in every day but for me it helps me keep track of major fluctuations so I can make adjustments to my plan, BUT I only record it for MY records 1 x a week. Just don't dwell on the dailies or you'll go NUTS! Basically if you only weigh in once a month or every few months...that weight'll creep up on you!
4- Indulge in Healthy Desserts --For me I do the Smart One's desserts, staying within points but not 'going' crazy with points and most of the time they 'hit the spot'.
5- Support Groups --I LOVE the Choosing To Lose Forum Weight loss is a DIFFICULT task and one that shouldn't be attempted alone. Support systems, whether it be WW, C2L, Friends, Family etc are GREAT as it keeps you on track and supports you with your ww.

Share your weight loss tips! I'd love to hear them!

I'm Deficient.....

Well I got my blood test results back yesterday...WOW only 1 week! I STILL haven't heard from my other Dr other than that my pap was normal. Anyways I'm Vit D Deficient. Normal ranges are 32.0-100.0 My level was at 30.3. It says Recent Studies consider the lower limit of 32.0 ng/ml to be a threshold for Optimal Health. So I guess I need more sunshine :). He wants me to start taking 5000mg twice daily for 2 months then down to 1x day with rechecking levels in 6 months. It explains some of the bone/muscle weakness/pain I've been experiencing while exercising.

Lynn's Habit a Week Challenge Week 2

I am doing Lyns Habit a Week Challenge we are on week 2 of 16
Week 1- Fix your water intake
Week 2- Move Get up and move daily

This is a hard one for me, I'm not an exerciser by any means, I have spurts where I'm motivated but most of the time I'm just ....blah about it! I NEED to do this. I even bought an Elliptical machine a few months back and have only used it about a dozen times. I can do this!

Cute Diet Crafty Ideas....

~ MAGIC WEIGHT LOSS BEANS ~

1 Remove beans from bag.
2 Throw them on the floor.
3 Bend down and pick up each bean.
4 Repeat hourly as needed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
~ HOME EXERCISER ~ (a block of wood)
1. Place in middle of the floor
2. Walk around it two times
3. Rest, you've just walked around the block two times.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
~ Three-Step Diet Program ~

Three plastic forks,
Step 1 :for 20-30 lbs weight loss, 1 has only one tine removed and label the fork with "1"
Step 2: for 30-50 lbs weight to lose, 2 has two tines removed and label the fork with "2"
Step 3: 50 lbs + has all tines removed and label the fork with "3"
All three are put into a bag together and they can diet in a 3 step program.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
~ Diet Rock ~
I am a little diet rock
As cute as I can be.
Although I'm sweet to look at,
I'm both fat and sugar free.
When you get up each morning
Lift me high into the air,
Then set me on the floor 10 times
Before sitting on the chair.
Please place me on the table
At the place YOU plan to eat
And remember I am watching
What YOU do and what YOU eat.
When you are serving up your plate
Please leave my section free,
And I'll reduce the calories
By the space you saved for me.
After you have eaten,
Although I'm just a rock,
Please slip me in your pocket
And take me for a walk.
If YOU do this faithfully,
Then in a month or two,
Although I'll still be just the same,
YOU'LL be a slimmer you.
- unknown

Chubby Chicks Christmas Challenge Week 7 Weigh in!

Pounds Lost This Week: None
Total Christmas Challenge Pounds Lost: 6.2
Pounds to Go to Reach Christmas Goal: 23.8
Weekly Summary: Week went well, had a lot of Reflux so had to watch what I ate which didn't help much in the Weight loss dept.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Ever since I saw the movie way back when I've wanted to try some and have just never gotten around to it. Well here in Utah we had SNOW this weekend....and this weeks forecast is 71! LOL! You know you live in Utah if you have SNOW and 70's in the same week :). Anyways my mom and dad had a TON of tomatoes and a lot were green so I picked some up and made some Fried Green Tomatoes tonight!
YUMMY! I really enjoyed them! Here's the Recipe I used:

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES from Southern Living

Yield

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 medium-size green tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch slices
• Vegetable oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation

Combine egg and buttermilk; set aside.

Combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or pan.

Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour; dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.

Pour oil to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a large cast-iron skillet; heat to 375°. Drop tomatoes, in batches, into hot oil, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels or a rack. Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt

***IMO they could have used a little more flavoring in the breading...not sure what though.

How much water a day?

Hydration Calculator Results - How Much Water You Need to Drink Today

Here is how much water you need to drink today.

A person who is 220 pounds
and is exercising for 30 minutes ,
is not pregnant,
is not breastfeeding,
lives at a high altitude,
lives in a dry climate,
drinks 0 alcoholic drink(s),
when the weather is not very hot or very cold,
and is not sick with fever or diarrhea should have:

129 ounces of water today, or 3.9 liters.
If you eat a healthy diet, about 20 percent of your water may come from the foods you eat. If you eat a healthy diet you can drink 103.2 ounces of water today, or 3.1 liters.

Remember that water is the best source for your daily fluid needs. Other good beverages include milk, herbal teas, low-sodium broth, 100% fruit and vegetable juices. Soft drinks will also count toward your daily total of fluid, just remember that sugar sweetened soft drinks and fruit juices add extra calories to you daily diet that you don't need.

Chubby Chicks Christmas Challenge Week 6 Weigh in!

Pounds Lost This Week: 2.3
Total Christmas Challenge Pounds Lost: 6.2
Pounds to Go to Reach Christmas Goal: 23.8
Weekly Summary: Good week, had some upset tummy issues, but I'm determined to stick with the diet and lose this darn weight!

Friday Focus October 3, 2008

Here's this week's Friday Focus:

This weeks good n bad
1- Bad: Not planning the meals
2- Good: Lots of days drank all my water
3- Bad: Not enough Exercise didn't exercise EVERY day

Next Weeks Goals:
1- Stay on Plan! (Plan and Prepare....last minute meals are a weakness)
2- Exercise 5 days This is a start for me
3- Contine with water drinking EVEN on day's off!
4- Make an eating out "Safe Bet List" Basically a list of my favorite fast food places and 'safe' meals so I don't go overboard like I did

So I sort of blew last weeks goals but am going to work on it! I NEED this! I am down to 221.8 which is the lowest I've been in a while! I am SO going to lose the rest of this weight for the holidays!

Hot for the Holidays Challenge

Well I am at 221.8 which is a 2.8# loss from last weigh in. YEAH!

My 'Push it" moment was one night after work I was pooped (my work is physically demanding) anyways I didn't really want to exercise and pushed myself and did some on my elliptical machine. It felt great after I was done :).

The Root of the Pumpkin!

Got your attention didn't it! As part of the "Plump your Pumpkin" Challenge we can earn cool things for our pumpkin by doing 'mini' challenges.

This week's challenge was:
Our challenge for this week is to get to the root of why you are overweight. This is about self-reflection, understanding why you behave the way you do with food. On your personal thread (or on a sheet of paper if you do not want to make this public) please list 10 reasons why you believe you are overweight. Then go through each reason and mark them as either "medical" or "me." For instance, if you are overweight because you have a thyroid problem, your parents are both over weight, you have pcos, etc- mark it medical. If you are overweight because of lack of exercise, you love cheeseburgers too much, etc- mark it "me." Then write a small paragraph about what the list taught you and what you think the root of your weight loss problem is.

My 10 Things that Cause me to keep the weight:
1- PCOS (Medical)
2- Medications I take for other reasons (Medical)
3- Genetic tendancy & at risk for diabetes, HIGH risk for thyroid (Medical)
4- Easier to eat unhealthy than not (Me)
5- No time to exercise--working 4 10's by the time I get home I am pooped and can hardly move. Although I get quite the workout at work sometimes....16,000 steps today at work! (Me)
6- I am a stress eater Stress causes hormones that tell you you need something......(Medical/Me)
7- Low Self Esteem (Me)
8- Hurts joints to exercise I know when I lose weight my joints won't be so tender....but I also have Arthritis. (Medical/Me)
9- Laziness on my part it's easier to sit at computer and search/goof than to exercise (me)
10- Not listening to my body --there are days when I binge almost (no vomiting though) and eat so much my stomach hurts. I mindless munch (Me)

My Tally:
5 Medical
7 Me
2 that are both Medical & Me

I think this really made me realize that if it is to be it's up to me. I have more that are in the ME part, although there are a lot in the medical, I can do what I can to help. A lot of the medical issues are 'aggravated' by weight issues. I KNOW that I can do better. I can MAKE time to exercise, even if it means giving up sleep (but getting to bed earlier) in the mornings to do it, or even exercising during my lunch hour. I need to find healthier outlets to deal with stress. Make it 'easier' to eat healthy. I've been doing pretty good at this preparing my lunches/healthy snacks the night before so they are all ready for me. I need to get off my duff and JUST DO IT! I NEED to take control and listen to my body...ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

I'm Plumpin My Pumpkin!

I've joined another challenge! Can you tell I just LOVE challenges? It is on the Choosing 2 Loose Forum that I am a member of (and TOTALLY love!) I am setting a "Small Goal" of 8# for this challenge. I have been stuck for the ENTIRE month of September just kind of gained/lost the same pounds. So I think 8# is a good challenge goal as it will challenge me.

• Everyone will start out with a skinny pumpkin that she will plump up with her own fat! If you lose weight each week of the challenge your pumpkin will get plumped up and you can use your pumpkin graphic to show off your progress. Your pumpkin graphic will automatically update each week and show how many pounds you have lost. Updates will be made on Thursdays following the wednesday weigh in.

Weigh Ins:
10/1-
10/8-
10/15-
10/22-
10/29-

Here's my pumpkin no watch it Plump

Non Scale Victory!

I work as a Vet Tech and I LOVE to wear different designer cute print scrub tops. I always try and get some for the Holidays. Well I have a Halloween one that I loved but it was a size Lg so I couldn't wear it last year well guess what! I can wear it! I have been wearing 2X tops! My butt still needs to shrink but other than that it fits GREAT! Excuse the hair; I only had 4 hours of sleep last night.

Here is a before picture back in July do you think I'm making progress?
I know I can see a difference in my thighs and my waist line. Hmmmm gonna have to have hubby take a pic of my butt LOL, no really, A LOT of my weight is in my butt and thighs. He's told me it's getting smaller though.

Chubby Chicks Christmas Challenge Week 5 Weigh in!

Name: Heather
Pounds Lost This Week: 7# But is just water weight so only countiny .3 of a #
Total Christmas Challenge Pounds Lost: 3.9#
Pounds to Go to Reach Christmas Goal: 26.1#
Weekly Summary:
Overall a good week even though it was TOM. I ALWAYS gain a zillion pounds with that. So lots to lose this week to catch up!

Greek Chicken & Pasta

I made this on Friday night. Got the recipe from: E-Mealz Menus & Meal Planning which is a site that has different options and will give you a weekly menu with a shopping list etc. I love it, I have a REALLY hard time coming up with stuff on my own so this works great for me.

Greek Chicken & Pasta Makes 3 servings 6 WW Points Each
3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
4 c fresh spinach
4oz sliced mushrooms
2 Roma Tomatoes sliced
1/3 c Reduced Fat Feta Cheese
1/2 c Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigerette**
1 1/2 cup cooked Angel Hair Pasta

Cut chicken into tenders. Layer spinach, chicken tenders (I seasoned with Garlic & Onion Powder and Seasoned salt), mushrooms, tomatoes & then feta in a sprayed 9x13 baking dish. Pour vinaigerette over all ingredients and bake 30 min at 350 uncovered. Divide into 3 portions and serve each portion with 1/2 cup pasta.

**I had no balsamic vinaigerette and didn't feel like making any so I used: Two Sisters Gourmet Garlic Parmasan Vinaigerette and it TRULY made the meal way NUMMY! My hubby is NOT a big fan of vinegar products but he REALLY like this one, said it was a keeper, he suggested instead of the Angel Hair pasta to use toasted italian bread underneath it.

Weigh in Sept 28, 2008

Starting Weight (July 10, 2008): 250#
Last Week: 232.2#
Today's Weight: 225.2#
This Weeks Gain or Loss: Lost 7# (Gotta love TOM gains!)
Total Loss: 25.6#

I stepped on the scale this morning and was shocked, I fulled expected it to still be up considering the week I've had, but yesterday was a GREAT on plan day and exercise day, so I'm sure that helped. I've started a Food Journal to not clog up this blog with long posts and so I can better keep track of my eating so I am more accountable. http://notime2weightfood.blogspot.com So feel free to visit it as I will be recording daily what I eat. I know this will help. Right now I don't have the 'Weight Watchers Online' thing as we had to cut back on things as funds are tight right now. But hopefully in the next month or so things will be better and I can join again. It's much easier to have the points 'calculated' for you :)

Not enough points?

Breakfast: 5 Points
Low Carb Ham N Egg Tortilla 5 Points
(2 servings southwestern egg beaters, 1 piece low fat walmart ham, 1 low carb tortilla)

Lunch: 4 Points
Green Romaine Salad w/tuna 4 Points
Romaine Lettuce, Cucumbers, Carrot sticks, tuna, mandarin orange segments, homemade light ranch dressing

Dinner: 8 Points
Shake N Bake Chicken Breast 4 Points
Instant Mashed Potatoes 2 points
Broccoli cooked 1 cup 0 Points
WW Cheese Slice 1 point
Salad w/tomatoes, cucumber homemade light ranch dressing 1 point

Snacks: 7.5
Cheetos 1 Serving (21) Savoring & Making them last ALL day! 4 Points
1 Green Bell Pepper .5 points
20 Baby Carrots .5 points
1/2 cup Cucumber .5 Points
Light Homemade Ranch Dressing 2 points

Exercise Points: 4 points
Flex Points Used: None
Todays Total: 24.5 points -4 exercise points =20.5 (ARGH I can't eat anymore! What do I do?)

I guess today will make up for yesterdays awful day but goodness what do you do when you haven't eaten all your points for the day? I'm alloted 28.

Something new: Friday Focus

I am going to start something new! Called Friday Focus! It will basically be a review of things that I have done good, bad etc for the week with my diet, and goals I have for the next week! Let's get started:

This weeks good n bad
1- Bad: Too many off plan days
2- Good: Lots of days drank all my water
3- Bad: Not enough Exercise
4- Good: Not getting discouraged even though I'm off plan a big
5- Bad: TOM always makes me snacky!
6- Bad: Friday's 42 Point Lunch!

Next Weeks Goals:
1- Stay on Plan! (Plan and Prepare....last minute meals are a weakness)
2- Exercise 5 days This is a start for me
3- Contine with water drinking EVEN on day's off!
4- Make an eating out "Safe Bet List" Basically a list of my favorite fast food places and 'safe' meals so I don't go overboard like I did!

Think before you eat!

So today at lunch I had to run and pick up some turtle food and some lights for my turtle, and I figured since I was out and about I should just pick up something to eat....so I grabbed one of my favorites....the Guacamole Bacon 6 Dollar Burger from Carl's Jr, in a large meal, so large fries, large diet coke!

Lunch Points:
Guacamole Bacon 6 Dollar Burger 28 Points
Large Fries 14 Points
Total (do I dare post it?) 42 Points!

OMG! Hating myself BIG TIME! That's like 2 days worth of points, almost! So in the future I think I will stick with trying to prepare my own lunch which tends to be a lot less points. AND either that or be prepared if I have the 'fast food' munchies with a lower point meal!

Happy Birthday to me!

To me...Happy Birthday to me......
Another year gone by....man that was fast! I have been pretty stagnant with my weight for the past few months, partially because I've been lacking a little in the motivation to stay 100% on plan as well as haven't been doing the intensity of exercise that I should be. So for my birthday gift to myself, I am going to 'step it up' a bit and REALLY focus on weight loss. I NEED to lose this darn weight. It's really hard on my body physically as well as emotionally! I'm sick of being in the 220's gosh darn it ;) Wish me luck!

Why we can't lose weight....

Slump

So I'm in a slump partly due to lack of motivation but partly due to TOM with a VENGEANCE! I was 5 days late (NOT NORMAL) and it is just horrible. I think I've gained 5-8# of water weight, am wanting to eat everything it sight and it sucks! GRRRRRRRR!

A new baby to love....

Meiko has been up for adoption since the time he was 8 weeks old at the Vet Hospital I work at. Anyways he has a bad heart and will need specialized care/medications/feeding. He is really small for his age, only about the size of an 8-10 week old kitten right now and he is about 5 months old. He had a cage mate named Mouse but mouse passed away on Friday due to complications from a perforated bowel. Meiko was really sad and lonely so hubby said I could bring him home for the weekend....here he is....

Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.

~~Lou Holtz

Confidence

Got this on a Google Group I'm on. I LOVE it! Been lacking a bit in the motivation department lately. So this is just the boost I need.

If you put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world
will not raise your price."
~Anonymous

**********************************************

Confidence is honoring yourself...taking action to build self-esteem.
What we believe, we create. If we believe that we are somehow "not
enough", that is the very image we project. What we project we also
tend to attract.Those who are self-critical, or who feel "less than"
others, will tend to draw people and circumstances into their lives
that are not in their best interests.

We live in a consumer society which sends the message that we never
have enough. We feel compelled to acquire things to make us thinner,
less wrinkled, more beautiful, powerful etc. The end result often
leaves people feeling empty at the end of the day. Direct your
attention instead to your positive qualities & talents.

Confidence doesn't come from diet pills, beauty products, or any
other "confidence" creator. Confidence is the result of focusing on
our natural talents and positive qualities. The more confident we
become, the more capable we are. The end result of developing a
strong sense of self worth is that we begin to naturally attract
healthier conditions and healthier relationships.

And, remember, what you think about, you bring about!

Life's Struggles

Saw this on one of the Google Groups I'm on......very needed today!

Life’s Struggles

A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon. On the day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled to force the body through that little hole.

Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. It just seemed to be stuck. Then the man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The moth then emerged easily.

But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the moth because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening was the way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Freedom and flight would only come after the struggle. By depriving the moth of a struggle, he deprived the moth of health.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled.

We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance, leave no room for regrets.

~~unknown

Hot for the Holidays Challenge

Today was weigh in, I'm back down to where I was last week. YEAH! 224.6. So now I gotta start losing more! Baby Tea Leaves wants to know what we want to do...here are some of mine....

1. Finish Veterinary Technology School
2. Become Self Sufficient (money, etc...not living paycheck to paycheck)
3. Have children (we have been trying for 3 years)
4. Lose and maintain a healthy weight continuously
5. Go back east to Virginia/West Virginia again, spent 18 months there and I miss it....all but the humidity.
6. Purchase a house /townhouse with my hubby
7. Own/Manage a successful Pet Resort, Veterinary Hospital
8. Become more creative by exploring/using different options with scrapbooking and paper crafts, cardmaking
9. Get over my fear of dealing with people
10.

Yummy Seasoning

I picked them up at Walmart, it's actually a popcorn seasoning but it's really yummy on baked potatoes and vegetables. There are TONS of different flavors: White Cheddar, Butter, Nacho Cheddar, Parmesan Garlic, Ranch, Sour Cream & Onion, Salt, Caramel, Kettle Corn, Jalepeno, Cajun, Barbeque, Apple Cinnamon, Chocolate Marshmallow.
http://www.kernelseasons.com/

Life in Pieces

I was going through my 'blog' list of the ones I read every day and Lyn over at Escape from Obesity has an AMAZING blog today:
http://escapefromobesity.blogspot.com/2008/09/wake-up-and-live.html
Everything is SO true and applies to my life as well. My weight got out of control I was the heaviest I've ever been, my finances are a muck, my house got really messy, I was stressed and all I wanted to do was eat and eat and eat! So I decided when I moved to our new house it would be a 'NEW START' for me. Well actually a few weeks before...when I stepped on the dreaded scale after a few months hiatus from it. I seriously CRIED when I saw 250# It was then and there that I decided If things were going to change it was up to me. No one else can lose the weight for me. No one else can exercise for me (wouldn't that be nice ;-). I think I am doing pretty good although this past week has been upsetting. Dunno why, just really hungry and picky and not eating good portions....and it shows on my scale.

Thank you Lyn for your awesome post! You totally made my day! It really makes you think! I know if one of those things (house, diet, exercise, finances) is out of whack the rest just sort of follows suit or so it seems!

Headaches

Today I had Migraine and a Sinus Headache....seriously thought my head was going to explode! Took Migraine Headache stuff and then had the sinus so I took a benadryl which normally doesn't make me drowsy but it did today. Didn't feel like eating much for breakfast so just had a banana, and then lunch was a Progressive Light Soup with a 100 calorie Popcorn bag :) Yummy huh? Then on the way home I had 3 (100 calorie packs) chocolate covered pretzels, pringles and popcorn cakes. I don't know why but I get SUPER DUPER DUPER munchie on my way home from work. It's NOT a good thing. I need to start being more diligent on watching my food intakes and points. I have sort of fallen off the wagon a bit. So far for September I've lost 1# and promptly gained it back...better start exercising more or something!

Could this day have been worse?

UGH! I got to work at 7:10 (10 min late...my cat was being snuggly :). Anyways the ENTIRE Daycare area for both little and big dogs were FLOODED with water. We have this hose that we use to fill up mop buckets and the darn things doesn't shut off easily.....so it had a field day. I immediately got to cleaning that up....took 4 hours of sucking up the water with a Shop Vac and then dumping it out....definitely got my weight lifting in today....weighed the 1/2 full vac once and it was at 47# OMG! YIKES! No wonder I'm pooped tonight! Then I did some more cleaning.
Oh and we had NO phones today at work, which meant SLOWER THAN MOLASSES computer and NO internet/credit card processing.....UGH! NO FUN AT ALL!

Then hubby didn't take a lunch to work with him so I took him something from Carl's Jr. I had their low carb burger. It was good. Then I got home and someone had YET again parked in the parking spot I usually park in....we've been told they are going to be 'assigning' the uncovered ones too as each townhouse is supposed to have 2 parking spots with a few 'visitor' spots here and there.

Update on my kitty, her kidneys are inflammed and painful. We put her on a pain medicine and if she's not improving we will do bloodwork and x-rays. She is our 'heart' baby, she seriously is the 'BEST CAT' I have EVER owned...super sensitive to my emotions, and very sweet and loving!

Chubby Chicks Christmas Challenge Week 3 Weigh in!

Challenge Starting Weight: 228#
Today's Weight 225.6
Pounds Lost This Week: 0
Pounds to Go to Reach Christmas Goal: 27.6#
Weekly Summary: Ugh! I gained this week...too much eating out! Not enough exercise :(

Macho Nacos

Another 'staple' at our house is easy and YUMMY! We LOVE Mexican!

Basically make 1 pound of taco seasoned meat (we use Lowery's----got the recipe off of www.topsecretrecipes.comThen take nacho cheese sauce (you can buy it in a can at walmart), and tomatoes and olives and anything else you might like to add. Quick and easy and WAY YUMMY

On another front...our Kitty DeeJay is still really sick. She's starting to really worry me. She's been on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories for almost 2 weeks, and we added a very powerful antibiotic on Friday. She's been really 'clingy' today and is VERY VERY tender to the touch on her tummy, to the point of biting. Guess she will be seeing Grandpa (aka vet) tomorrow. She has a bladder infection, with secondary kidney infection and upper respiratory infection.

Work

For those of you who don't know I work for a Veterinarian (my Father). It has been the 'love' of my life up until I met my hubby. I love it! It is very rewarding (emotionally NOT Financially :). We do a lot of rescue and it's always nice to hear 'success' stories. For about 2 years we have had an influx of Siamese Kittens brought into us by one of our clients who had too many cats...anyways we FINALLY got their male neutered so hopefully we won't be getting any more. Anyways we actually shipped a couple about a year ago and they came in today looking for another kitten. It warms my heart to know that the little kitties got a great home.

Right now we have probably 30+ kittens for adoption and 5 adult cats, 3 dogs. We have this one Black Tortoiseshell Momma kitty who has 3 ALL WHITE kittens, 2 boys and 1 girl, the biggest boy, Finnigan who is 4 months old and bigger than his momma is Deaf, because he is an all white kitten with blue eyes. We have most of our kittens on our website (for those looking for a 'kitty' fix) http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/UT88.html
We spay/neuter, microchip and vaccinate each of our kittens prior to adoption. We didn't used to do the spaying/neutering before adoption but we ended up with 3 pregnant cats one year that people had adopted from us....since we are trying to 'save' kitties....adding more to the world wasn't a good idea :)

Easy Fajitas

I made easy Fajita's for dinner.

Chicken or Beef Sliced/Diced into small strips or chunks
Fajita Seasoning (using McCormicks)
Sliced Onion
Sliced Green Pepper
Cook all the above
Then I use Low Carb Tortilla shells and then add fresh tomato and cheese. WAY easy and WAY yummy. Rob (hubby) has been craving them a lot lately.

Feeling 'Loaded'

I don't know exactly how to describe it. I did pretty good today, I read an article in Woman's World about the "Lunchbox Diet" and decided to give it a try today, so I packed my lettuce, veggies and protein and did pretty good today. Didn't really feel like snacky until the drive home then I couldn't get enough. Got home and neither hubby nor I had any 'cravings' for dinner (another weakness) so I popped an older "Easy Mac" in the micro and downed 2 100 calorie chip packs (one doritos and one sun chips). I think it's all adding up because I feel just LOADED and bloated BIG time! UGH! I feel like EVERYTHING I have eaten this week is catching up with me. Not sure what's up. Hopefully it will pass.

Baking Soda does the trick! Just VERY VERY gassy tonight from something...bloated up. Hubby taught me a trick of Baking Soda in water it'll either make you belch or make you puke :) I am already feeling somewhat better, although Gastric Reflux is acting up big time. Been having lots of issues with that lately.

Breakfast of Champions

Today I went to get my Smart Ones breakfast sandwich out of the freezer for breakfast...and apparantly hubby has been enjoying them :) So I settled for a couple of Breakfast Taquitos. Hubby and I are trying to watch our spending so I was trying to figure out 'breakfast' items. Well the Breakfast sandwiches my hubby likes from Costco have 9 and 11.5 points! OMG! WOWZERS! So I picked up some lowcarb tortillas, some egg beaters, and some ham I already have cheese. It'll be a quick low-carb breakfast, hopefully won't be too many points...gotta figure it out still.

IHOP will be my demise :P

Today was a good day, although didn't stick to the diet too well :) We went out to run some errands and hubby wanted IHOP for breakfast, so of course I went overboard (crepes with cream cheese and fruit, bacon, sausage, eggs and hashbrowns), it was SOOOOOOOO yummy! I could have just had about a dozen of those crepes! Then we had a big dinner as well...steaks, baked potatoes, and corn on the cob. Not doing so hot on the diet.

Ugh! I blew the diet today!

So I was doing good, I did have a piece of pizza at lunch time. We had a seminar from Royal Canin at work. It was very informative. ANYWHO......my hubby forgot to take a lunch to work today, so I told him I would come and we could go out to eat. Well we picked a chinese buffet place, I had a large garden salad to start, then had a little bit of everything (sweet n sour chicken, breaded shrimp, cashew chicken, teryaki chicken, and some sesame chicken, oh and beef n mushrooms) well none of it was very good, and now both hubby and I have gurgling tummies.......lesson learned about that place! It was EXPENSIVE too! GRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

The Bathtub Test LOL!

The Bathtub Test

During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director how do you determine whether or not a patient should be institutionalized.

'Well,' said the Director, 'we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub.'

'Oh, I understand,' said the visitor. 'A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup.'

'No' said the Director, 'A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?'

ARE YOU GOING TO PASS THIS ON

(OR DO YOU WANT THE BED NEXT TO MINE)?

Icky Icky Feet (don't read if feet bother you)

My feet are 'genetically' bad....thanks to my father I believe. Anyways I have HORRIBLY AWFUL dry skin to the point that my feet crack and bleed on a REGULAR basis, and we're not just talking about little cracks we're talking GRAND CANYON type cracks! My latest is between my big toe and my 2nd toe on my right foot. They are horribly painful and make it unbearable almost to walk. I've tried just about everything I can think of. I've been to a podiatrist (about 3 years ago) whom proceeded to screw up my pinky toe nail to the point that all it does is grow huge calluses on it. I've tried prescription strength Urea cream, just about every foot lotion, potion, scrub & soak known to man :). Right now I am using Village Naturals Foot Essentials in hopes that it may help. I'm sorry if this is a 'touche' topic, I just need to vent! LOL!

My dear sweet hubby (bless his heart) periodically takes my feet and 'shaves' some of the dead skin off and when I get bad cracks will 'dig' them out so they can start healing. He's such a trooper.

Chubby Chicks Christmas Challenge Weigh In

Challenge Starting Weight: 228#
Today's Weight 224.4
Pounds Lost This Week: 1.4#
Pounds to Go to Reach Christmas Goal: 26.4
Weekly Summary: Great week overall. Stayed on plan, exercise is becoming less of a 'dread'.

Weigh In Sept 7, 2008

Starting Weight: 250#
Last Week: 225.6#
Today's Weight: 224.4#
This Weeks Gain or Loss: Lost 1.2#
Total Loss: 25.6#


I've met my first goal! 10% (25#) gone! YEAH! I'm so excited!

Are you Coordinated?

Girly Comments & Graphics

If not EXERCISE! Holy cow! One thing I've discovered in the past month since I've added regular exercise to my life is how UN COORDINATED I am! Good grief. Mostly I do the Leslie Sansone Walk at Home DVD's Today I did the Walk Slim Fast Start 2 Mile Walk (35 Min) and goodness...how does one move from side to side and clap at the same time if they are not coordinated at all? Ask my hubby, I am the MOST accident prone person he knows...well close tie with his niece Autumn I believe. It's just about every day that I hurt myself 'stupidly'. Yesterday I bonked my head in the shower...and HARD! LOL! Go ahead and laugh it's okay I do :). Anyways I think I am becoming more and more coordinated, maybe I can work my way up to doing the Dance away the pounds DVD I bought and have made a COMPLETE fool out of myself once with.....NOW you know why I'm not a "Gym Going Person".

Girly Comments & Graphics

The "Jello" Effect

I drive 30 Minutes each way to work, so you can imagine the traffic some days. Well I've noticed a pattern...if ANYONE is off to the side of the road, irregardless of why, EVERYONE on the road (Freeway) has to slow to a CRAWL to see what's going on....well as soon as they pass they are back up to speed. I've determined the cause of this....it's what I call the "Jello" effect. I live in Utah and we are WELL known for our 'Jello' heck they even had an olympic pin that was a bowl of Green Jello...YIKES! Anyways my thinking is that EVERYONE has to slow to a crawl so they can see if they may know the person so they can take them Jello or a Casserole to soothe them after their 'incident'. GRRRRRRRRRR It drives me batty! As you can tell it took me 45 minutes to get home tonight!

How does this affect my diet? Some days by the time I get home I am so nerve wracked from dealing with traffic I can hardly see straight.....so what do I do....go for fattening convenience foods that don't help out the diet too much, that and usually don't exercise, I just veg in front of the computer and/or TV

Banana Bread

Shortly after we moved to West Jordan (Jan 07) we had some bananas that were on the verge of going bad so hubby wanted banana bread. Well being the 'non-homemaker' that I was/am I had never made it (to my recollection anyways) so I searched online and found a recipe for 'Easy Banana Bread' it is so simple! Rob absolutely loves it! He says it's the best he's ever had!

1 Cup Sugar
8 Tablespoons Butter/Margarine
3 Bananas
Cream Sugar/Butter, Mash Bananas and add to the mixture
***The thing that Rob LOVES about my nanner bread is that I don't completely mash the Bananas but I leave some chunks....he loves that!
2 Eggs Beat and add to the mixture
Then slowly add
1 & 1/4 cup flour
1 t Baking Soda
1/2 t salt
You can also add Walnuts but Rob and I prefer it plain.
Set oven to 350 for 30-45 Min (I have found that mine usually need about 1 hour on 350) so just keep that in mind, do the toothpick trick to test for doneness.

To make it less calories for us dieters, use Splenda instead of Sugar, also use low fat or fat free butter or margarine, although make sure it says for baking or you'll end up with really gooey 'heavy' bread! I'll post pictures later of my masterpiece I made today!

It's a Barbeque!

So hubby gave me JUST the motivation I needed to get the rest of the miscellaneous boxes out of the living/front room and down to the basement for sorting out later.....he invited a guy from work over for a barbeque along with his wife!

It was a lot of fun, we had Steak, Baked Potatoes, Corn on the Cob and Tomatoes. The corn on the cob and tomatoes were from a farmers market we have discovered and are ABSOLUTELY enjoying! We also had watermelon for dessert! If you haven't I strongly suggest you checkout Costco's meat selection....they have AWESOME Steaks/Roasts/Chops.

Afterwards we played Cranium in which Rob & I got our butt's kicked! Normally we really do well at that game as we think so much alike we can figure out what the other one is doing...well all except for "Dr Leonard McCoy" hubby has that one recorded for future blackmail.....LOL

Mindless Munching

Who else has this problem? I know I'm a MEGA mindless muncher. What exactly is a mindless muncher you may ask? Well I can grab a family size bag of cheetos (crunchy) and just snack away while watching tv or surfing the web...and before I know it the whole bag is almost or all the way gone! YIKES Do you know how many freaking calories I just consumed by doing this?
1060 Calories in one SITTING! YIKES Never mind the fat grams, sodium etc! 29.1 WW POINTS! OMG! That's like my whole day!
Here is the nutritional value page for any interested: http://www.cheetos.com/retro/nutrition.php?prod=cheetos-crunchy
No wonder I look the way I do! LOL. Doesn't it make you sick to your stomach just thinking about that? I know it does me. I haven't done this (eaten a whole bag of cheetos) for a VERY VERY long time, well about 4 or 5 months now.

So what is the solution? I am trying VERY hard to do either the 100 calorie packs which are already made or when I buy a bag of something I divide it into individual serving sizes (snack bags) and figure out the WW points value and write that on it in marker on the outside of the snack bag. Such as today, I picked up some YUMMY Garlic Pita Crisps from Costco that came in a double bag in a box, so I took 1 bag and separated it out into 9 piece portion sizes (which isn't that little) in snack size ziploc (walmart brand to save $$). I also measure out my water in individual containers so I can make sure I get my 117oz in a day (from what I've researched supposed to be 1/2 of your weight).

I'm interested to hear how others manage things such as the "Mindless Munchies" PLEASE leave your comments. I'd like to know what works for you.

Exercise

So I need to make a confession, I HATE exercise. Mostly I think because I feel like a total idiot doing it, plus I have had arthritis essentially since I was 20 years old in my hands and legs so exercise is often painful for me. Well I sort of did a 'cheaters' way to exercise today. Hubby and I were snuggling on couch watching Food Network, and I decided to run downstairs and use my elliptical machine. So I basically did it during commercials in about 2 minute increments, so I got more exercise in that I would if I did it all in one bout but it worked LOL! So hopefully this will help me get some of my exercise in and get off the couch! LOL.
Todays Exercise stats:
Orbitrek Magnetic Elliptical
Time 20:04
Distance 4.10 Miles

Stair Stepper 10 Minutes

Amish Friendship Bread

I received an Amish Friendship Bread starter from my mom 10 days ago...today I made it...I used Lemon Pudding....YUM!

Amish Friendship Bread Recipe

Day 1 - receive the starter (the recipe for the starter is below)
Day 2 - Mush bag
Day 3 - Mush Bag
Day 4 - Mush Bag
Day 5 - Mush Bag
Day 6 - Add 1 cup each bag of Flour, Sugar, Milk & mush
Day 7 - Mush Bag
Day 8 - Mush Bag
Day 9 - Mush Bag
Day 10 - Follow Directions Below:

Add 1 & 1/2 cups flour, 1 & 1/2 cups sugar and 1 & 1/2 cups milk. Divide into 4 ziploc bags, with 1 cup each for three of your friends and 1 cup for your own loaves. Give friends the instructions for Day 1 through Day 10 and the following recipe for baking the bread.

After removing the 3 cups of batter, combine the remaining cup of Amish Friendship Bread starter with the following ingredients in a large bowl:

1 cup oil
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup milk
1 lg box instant pudding (vanilla, chocolate, lemon)

Using a fork beat by hand until well blended. You can add 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (optional).

Grease two loaf pans with butter, sprinkle with sugar instead of flour.

Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans. Makes two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

This is the Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe that you’ll need to make the Amish Friendship Bread (above). It is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when making this. Do not use metal at all!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110°F)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.

2. In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.

3. Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Loosely cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap. The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle, or the day you receive the starter.

For the next 10 days handle starter according to the instructions above for Amish Friendship Bread.