I am nervous, nervous, nervous to weigh in tomorrow. I gotta be honest...I am losing steam. Yes, the month of June is a new month! New goals! New competition! However, today is still May. I have not been a huge fan of May, 2011.
Today's gripes include a minimally (if at all) working A/C in the house, my van which is currently at the Firestone Complete Auto Care getting it's oil changed, and the 90+ degree weather outside. Oh, and the no school day. Oh, and I. Am. Hungry. No...let's keep it honest. Not hungry - BORED. Utterly bored. However, this boredom is a lot like when I was bored in my teens...there is plenty for me to do. I just don't want to do it. The more I move around the house, the higher my body temp seems to rise...this is the best excuse for sitting on my butt all day I have ever heard! The boys are watching a movie, Zoe is taking a (very early) nap, and I am hiding out in my bedroom with the computer, just watching the minutes tick by...and I do mean minutes. How slowly time passes when all you want is for it to be tomorrow!! Better yet - I can hardly wait for Thursday!
I guess I should start with dealing with today, though. So, here's the deal. Today I will eat my allotted calories, drink my allotted Slim Fast shakes, and drink my required water. I will walk to Firestone when Shaun gets home (1.3 miles), rather than hitch a ride with someone. I will NOT step on the scale until tomorrow morning. I will not beat myself up for having a couple (maybe few) off days this past month.
Let's see if I can drum up a little excitement for June, though...I did work up my month plan this morning! First three days will be Slim Fast because I have some left over and I cannot go grocery shopping until Thursday. The 4th through the 20th will be the 17-day diet. I have bookmarked the important parts in my Kindle book and I will eat exactly what they suggest for the first 17 days. At the end of these days, I will decide whether to continue with "Cycle 2" of the 17-day-diet, or switch it up to Special K for the final 10 days of the month. I am setting my own personal goal of 10 pounds for the month. This may go up based on tomorrow's weight, but I want my goal to be less than 190 by July. Technically, based on my original goal and number of weeks, I could weigh 208 and still be on track. Wow. I hadn't done the math before right now...
That does fire me up!! That is awesome!!! To think I have actually SEEN the 190's already is just flat out fantastic!! Rock on, sister Audrey. You have come far. You are wearing clothes you couldn't even squeeze into 4 months ago. You are run/walking over 2 miles in under 30 minutes three times a week!! You are well on your way to meeting Goal #1 of 80 pounds AND Goal #2 of completing a 1/2 marathon!! Do it. Not only for yourself and your family, but for the sweet friends and acquaintances reading here and cheering you on. YEEEEHAW!!!
Yeah, this post ended differently than I thought it would, but I think this is much better. :)
xoxo
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Week Fifteen: Day Seven
Well, hello! I have been thinking a lot about the upcoming competition - The Skinny Dippin' Rally! I have been in such a dieting rut and truly suffering from some major boredom. My thoughts have changed several times about which diet plan I will use...I am currently planning to start with the 17-day diet.
Couch to 5K is going very well...I'm heading out tomorrow morning to run before the heat gets too unbearable, but this isn't an option for the next two workouts this week! Weather.com is telling me Wednesday will be 89 degrees and Friday will be 94! Whew. I will be increasing my water intake over the summer, for sure!
So, I decided to take a full day off from dieting. Last night I hung out with friends and had a great time. Today I have been enjoying summer things with my family! We had hot dogs and cherries for lunch, then Klondike bars for an afternoon snack. I will finish up the Slim Fast drinks and meal bars over the next two days and report an official weight on Wednesday morning.
By the way - my sister is currently avoiding my calls. Not returning voice mails. I won't threaten to drive to Virginia and force her butt on a scale, but I will employ some family members who can corner her! Jo Dunkle, the game starts Wednesday! June 1, 2011. You don't want me sending you all my fat pants when I'm too skinny to wear them!!!
:) Ha, ha, ha. I love my sister.
My husband has joined us in his own way...I have asked him to commit to working out 4 days a week for the month of June. He will need to log at least 30 minutes of physical activity. I will report his measurements (from the 1st and the 30th) in my end of the month summary!
I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day!!
xoxo
Couch to 5K is going very well...I'm heading out tomorrow morning to run before the heat gets too unbearable, but this isn't an option for the next two workouts this week! Weather.com is telling me Wednesday will be 89 degrees and Friday will be 94! Whew. I will be increasing my water intake over the summer, for sure!
So, I decided to take a full day off from dieting. Last night I hung out with friends and had a great time. Today I have been enjoying summer things with my family! We had hot dogs and cherries for lunch, then Klondike bars for an afternoon snack. I will finish up the Slim Fast drinks and meal bars over the next two days and report an official weight on Wednesday morning.
By the way - my sister is currently avoiding my calls. Not returning voice mails. I won't threaten to drive to Virginia and force her butt on a scale, but I will employ some family members who can corner her! Jo Dunkle, the game starts Wednesday! June 1, 2011. You don't want me sending you all my fat pants when I'm too skinny to wear them!!!
:) Ha, ha, ha. I love my sister.
My husband has joined us in his own way...I have asked him to commit to working out 4 days a week for the month of June. He will need to log at least 30 minutes of physical activity. I will report his measurements (from the 1st and the 30th) in my end of the month summary!
I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day!!
xoxo
Friday, May 27, 2011
Week Fifteen: Day Five
Boo for no posts!! Sorry, sorry. I have been keeping track of things on SparkPeople to keep myself accountable, but there just hasn't seemed like enough time to blog!!
I do notice a difference in my attitude towards everything when I don't get on here and recap, though, so I am ignoring a whiny Henry to just update quickly!! (no worries, he is fine. just loves to whine)
Well, I have been discouraged by an apparent plateau I have hit. I keep reminding myself of how far I have come in a short time and how the loss is more likely to stay gone if I do it "slowly" and I am making a true lifestyle change rather than just losing vanity pounds to look good. All of these things are great, but there is still that small part of my mind that says, "Hey, you were losing 3-4 pounds a week, what must you be doing wrong now?!?" Grr to you, small part of my mind. Ha, ha.
I am still doing the combo Slim Fast/Special K meal plan. It is fun to have something different to look forward to at night, rather than just another shake or meal bar. Also, there is something truly satisfying about eating a bowl of cereal. This may come from the times I had gestational diabetes and cereal used to shoot my sugars WAY high, so I wasn't "allowed" to eat it. I'm getting back at those doctors now!! Isn't it a little ridiculous the way our minds can work sometimes?
I have been following the E-Mealz plan for this week, but haven't had any recipes to share because they gave me some really basic stuff this week! Pizza one night (hawaiian bacon bbq) and meatball sandwiches last night. I did make breaded tilapia two nights ago and the kids actually ate it - success!! Even Shaun liked it and he has always sworn he doesn't eat fish...unless it is "grilled by my father-in-law" (yes, meaning MY dad).
I will do my third workout of Week 3 on C25K this evening. Yesterday was magazine delivery day, so I concentrated on tightening my stomach as I got in and out of the car, and tried to carry an equal amount of magazines in each arm. Ha, ha. i was definitely worn out last night, so it must have burned something.
I am so excited next week is JUNE!!! Zoe will start attending the boys' Parents Day Out on Thursdays, so I will be solo one day a week. What on earth will I do with myself? Ha, ha. Plenty, trust me. I have on the calendar Spring Cleaning Day for the 2nd, the 9th is Closet Clean Up 2011 at church...after that, I will hopefully be starting some volunteer work at either Siloam Family Health Center or The Next Door. Or both! These are two organizations that have truly touched my heart recently and I am sincerely looking forward to helping them in any way I am able.
I am also hoping to start a tradition for the summer of Thursday Night Dinners here at my house! I need to do some more planning, so it may not start until July, but I am really excited about the idea forming in my head! More to come...
Pray for me as I try to think of something entertaining to do with these very energetic children today! Have a great one,
xoxo
I do notice a difference in my attitude towards everything when I don't get on here and recap, though, so I am ignoring a whiny Henry to just update quickly!! (no worries, he is fine. just loves to whine)
Well, I have been discouraged by an apparent plateau I have hit. I keep reminding myself of how far I have come in a short time and how the loss is more likely to stay gone if I do it "slowly" and I am making a true lifestyle change rather than just losing vanity pounds to look good. All of these things are great, but there is still that small part of my mind that says, "Hey, you were losing 3-4 pounds a week, what must you be doing wrong now?!?" Grr to you, small part of my mind. Ha, ha.
I am still doing the combo Slim Fast/Special K meal plan. It is fun to have something different to look forward to at night, rather than just another shake or meal bar. Also, there is something truly satisfying about eating a bowl of cereal. This may come from the times I had gestational diabetes and cereal used to shoot my sugars WAY high, so I wasn't "allowed" to eat it. I'm getting back at those doctors now!! Isn't it a little ridiculous the way our minds can work sometimes?
I have been following the E-Mealz plan for this week, but haven't had any recipes to share because they gave me some really basic stuff this week! Pizza one night (hawaiian bacon bbq) and meatball sandwiches last night. I did make breaded tilapia two nights ago and the kids actually ate it - success!! Even Shaun liked it and he has always sworn he doesn't eat fish...unless it is "grilled by my father-in-law" (yes, meaning MY dad).
I will do my third workout of Week 3 on C25K this evening. Yesterday was magazine delivery day, so I concentrated on tightening my stomach as I got in and out of the car, and tried to carry an equal amount of magazines in each arm. Ha, ha. i was definitely worn out last night, so it must have burned something.
I am so excited next week is JUNE!!! Zoe will start attending the boys' Parents Day Out on Thursdays, so I will be solo one day a week. What on earth will I do with myself? Ha, ha. Plenty, trust me. I have on the calendar Spring Cleaning Day for the 2nd, the 9th is Closet Clean Up 2011 at church...after that, I will hopefully be starting some volunteer work at either Siloam Family Health Center or The Next Door. Or both! These are two organizations that have truly touched my heart recently and I am sincerely looking forward to helping them in any way I am able.
I am also hoping to start a tradition for the summer of Thursday Night Dinners here at my house! I need to do some more planning, so it may not start until July, but I am really excited about the idea forming in my head! More to come...
Pray for me as I try to think of something entertaining to do with these very energetic children today! Have a great one,
xoxo
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Week Fifteen: Day Two
Good morning! I am having a fabulous day thus far...it's only been happening for thirty minutes, so I do recognize the potential for "jinxing", but I feel pretty confident about today. Ha!
I just wanted to say two quick things this morning...
1. Last night I didn't want to drink my second Slim Fast shake after my workout because it has (energy) calories in it and I was feeling plenty energized for 6:00 pm. I didn't want to eat a Meal bar because they are 200 calories and I just felt so good after my run, and I wasn't hungry, I was just eating because I knew I could get hungry later. All of this to say, I have decided to mix up my Slim Fast and Special K plans this week (9 days)! I will do Slim Fast for breakfast, lunch set aside from the dinner I prepare the night before, and cereal for dinner. I am eating fruit and vegetables throughout the day as snacks, and I have one box of Slim Fast snack bars if I need them.
2. I successfully completed my first workout for Week 3 of Couch to 5K!!! It was hard, I'm not going to lie. Week 3's three workouts consist of a 5 minute brisk walk, 90 second "jog", 90 second walk, 3 minute "jog", and 3 minute walk...repeat everything after the warm-up once and you're done! Running/jogging for 3 minutes in a row is interesting...it was tough, but I promise you I did it! No stopping early, no breaks...it felt SO good!! I did an extra cool down lap and ended at 2.25 miles. Not too sore this morning, and I am really excited about getting out there again tomorrow. I have decided, for this week, if I'm not completely comfortable with the whole routine after Friday's workout, I will do it again Sunday. Next week, Tuesday/Thursday will be good for me to commit to running, but I am going to have to find someone to help me out over the weekend in order to find time...anyway, focusing on today! Today I will not do an official workout, but Zoe and I have some big plans so I will be on my feet moving all day.
Well, for dinner last night I made "Baked Ziti Florentine". Except I used Rigatoni noodles. So, maybe Baked Rigatoni Florentine? According to Shaun and the boys it was delicious, and I am so excited about my serving for lunch today!! I did the math and set aside a serving that should be about 300 calories...and a piece of garlic bread. Mmmmm. Recipe below...
Have a great day!
xoxo
Baked Noodle Florentine!
16 oz. box of pasta (original recipe calls for ziti, I used rigatoni)
1T olive oil
3/4 t salt
1 large onion, diced (didn't have, used onion flakes)
1 lb. ground beef (I used ground turkey...it was on sale!)
3 cloves garlic - minced (again, didn't have...used garlic powder)
24 oz. jar pasta sauce
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
15 oz. ricotta cheese (my calorie count is using "whole milk" ricotta, could use skim)
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (oops, didn't read that part last night. I thawed it,
practically cooked it, and drained)
8 oz. mozzarella
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Heat oil in large pot (used skillet, no oil/just cooking spray). Add onion and salt. Cover & cook 5-7 minutes until onion is soft. Add beef; cook until no trace of pink remains. (Okay, here I just browned my ground turkey, sprinkled with onion flakes and garlic powder in a skillet). Add garlic & cook 2 min. Add sauce & heat 3 min. Remove from heat. Add cooked pasta, Parmesan, ricotta, & spinach. Toss to combine. Spread in a sprayed 9x13 dish and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake @400 until cheese melts, about 15 minutes.
WELL - I combined the parmesan, ricotta, and spinach in a bowl to the side. The meat and sauce were combined in the skillet. I put the cheese mixture in the dish first, then the noodles, stirred those up, then added the meat/sauce mixture and stirred it all up. I didn't use the whole package of shredded cheese because about 3/4 of the package was enough to cover the dish.
Sorry for all the changes!! I guess I'm getting a little "cocky" in my cooking and feel I know best. Ha, ha.
I just wanted to say two quick things this morning...
1. Last night I didn't want to drink my second Slim Fast shake after my workout because it has (energy) calories in it and I was feeling plenty energized for 6:00 pm. I didn't want to eat a Meal bar because they are 200 calories and I just felt so good after my run, and I wasn't hungry, I was just eating because I knew I could get hungry later. All of this to say, I have decided to mix up my Slim Fast and Special K plans this week (9 days)! I will do Slim Fast for breakfast, lunch set aside from the dinner I prepare the night before, and cereal for dinner. I am eating fruit and vegetables throughout the day as snacks, and I have one box of Slim Fast snack bars if I need them.
2. I successfully completed my first workout for Week 3 of Couch to 5K!!! It was hard, I'm not going to lie. Week 3's three workouts consist of a 5 minute brisk walk, 90 second "jog", 90 second walk, 3 minute "jog", and 3 minute walk...repeat everything after the warm-up once and you're done! Running/jogging for 3 minutes in a row is interesting...it was tough, but I promise you I did it! No stopping early, no breaks...it felt SO good!! I did an extra cool down lap and ended at 2.25 miles. Not too sore this morning, and I am really excited about getting out there again tomorrow. I have decided, for this week, if I'm not completely comfortable with the whole routine after Friday's workout, I will do it again Sunday. Next week, Tuesday/Thursday will be good for me to commit to running, but I am going to have to find someone to help me out over the weekend in order to find time...anyway, focusing on today! Today I will not do an official workout, but Zoe and I have some big plans so I will be on my feet moving all day.
Well, for dinner last night I made "Baked Ziti Florentine". Except I used Rigatoni noodles. So, maybe Baked Rigatoni Florentine? According to Shaun and the boys it was delicious, and I am so excited about my serving for lunch today!! I did the math and set aside a serving that should be about 300 calories...and a piece of garlic bread. Mmmmm. Recipe below...
Have a great day!
xoxo
Baked Noodle Florentine!
16 oz. box of pasta (original recipe calls for ziti, I used rigatoni)
1T olive oil
3/4 t salt
1 large onion, diced (didn't have, used onion flakes)
1 lb. ground beef (I used ground turkey...it was on sale!)
3 cloves garlic - minced (again, didn't have...used garlic powder)
24 oz. jar pasta sauce
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
15 oz. ricotta cheese (my calorie count is using "whole milk" ricotta, could use skim)
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (oops, didn't read that part last night. I thawed it,
practically cooked it, and drained)
8 oz. mozzarella
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Heat oil in large pot (used skillet, no oil/just cooking spray). Add onion and salt. Cover & cook 5-7 minutes until onion is soft. Add beef; cook until no trace of pink remains. (Okay, here I just browned my ground turkey, sprinkled with onion flakes and garlic powder in a skillet). Add garlic & cook 2 min. Add sauce & heat 3 min. Remove from heat. Add cooked pasta, Parmesan, ricotta, & spinach. Toss to combine. Spread in a sprayed 9x13 dish and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake @400 until cheese melts, about 15 minutes.
WELL - I combined the parmesan, ricotta, and spinach in a bowl to the side. The meat and sauce were combined in the skillet. I put the cheese mixture in the dish first, then the noodles, stirred those up, then added the meat/sauce mixture and stirred it all up. I didn't use the whole package of shredded cheese because about 3/4 of the package was enough to cover the dish.
Sorry for all the changes!! I guess I'm getting a little "cocky" in my cooking and feel I know best. Ha, ha.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Week Fifteen: Day One
Good morning!
No suspense for you today...last week's weight loss was 2 pounds! I am trying hard to be excited, seriously. I am not sure what happened over the weekend because I really stuck to "plan" (my personal alteration of the Scarsdale diet), but I didn't do any exercise. Anyway, 2 pounds is 2 pounds and this DOES make a total of 41 pounds in 14 weeks. Really, Audrey? Gonna be upset about averaging 2.93 pounds per week?!? I'm crazy. Ha, ha.
Well, I hope you are all as excited about The Skinny Dippin' Rally (love/hate the title? need feedback!) as I am!! I have heard from a couple of friends who want "in", but haven't totally committed just yet so I am not announcing any names. I think this is going to be really fun and motivating and a great way to start the summer!
I want to say a couple words about The Scarsdale Diet. It really was an effective diet. It was a great way for me to not have to think about things, just eat what was allowed and try not to overdo it. I think it helped me a lot to rearrange the allowed foods throughout my day, just to match up with my schedule...and, maybe, to have some of the control back? I'll work through that later. Ha, ha. Seriously, the foods allowed were yummy and I didn't feel hungry during the day. The boredom that set in was quite easy to ignore when I found other things to focus on. My whiny kids, for example. Running mainly, but trying to work through why my kids' whining is driving me so crazy has been good for mentally getting out of the kitchen. Other mothers surely understand, right? I welcome you all to check out the link if you are looking for something low calorie and mentally easy!!
This week I will do Slim Fast again. My old friend. It's been a while and I really want to do a no-brainer before embarking on whatever tricks I will pull for The Challenge! Ha, ha. Top secret for now, but I will stay true to form throughout June by posting what I am trying...look forward to a few change-ups. The next 9 days, however, will be all Slim Fast. My official weigh in on June 1st will serve as my "monthly weigh" which will involve the instructions for pledge donations.
I am beginning Week 3 of the Couch to 5K program. Very exciting. I felt SO good on Friday evening when I finished Week 2!! I am very much looking forward to this week. Those who are ahead of me might be snickering, but I think I am ready. Ha, ha. I downloaded Week 3's mix from DJ Steve to my ipod and I plan to either hit the track when Shaun gets home or drive out to the new gym in our area that gave me a month free! I really hate treadmill running, so let's pray the rain goes away.
Have a great day!! Please don't hesitate to contact me, either on Facebook or email aldunkle@msn.com, if you would like to join up with the SDR! Also, to give your feedback and input on the name...I want something cute and creative and I took the name from the prize sign. Biggest Loser is already taken. Ha, ha! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, though...well, go here.
xoxo
No suspense for you today...last week's weight loss was 2 pounds! I am trying hard to be excited, seriously. I am not sure what happened over the weekend because I really stuck to "plan" (my personal alteration of the Scarsdale diet), but I didn't do any exercise. Anyway, 2 pounds is 2 pounds and this DOES make a total of 41 pounds in 14 weeks. Really, Audrey? Gonna be upset about averaging 2.93 pounds per week?!? I'm crazy. Ha, ha.
Well, I hope you are all as excited about The Skinny Dippin' Rally (love/hate the title? need feedback!) as I am!! I have heard from a couple of friends who want "in", but haven't totally committed just yet so I am not announcing any names. I think this is going to be really fun and motivating and a great way to start the summer!
I want to say a couple words about The Scarsdale Diet. It really was an effective diet. It was a great way for me to not have to think about things, just eat what was allowed and try not to overdo it. I think it helped me a lot to rearrange the allowed foods throughout my day, just to match up with my schedule...and, maybe, to have some of the control back? I'll work through that later. Ha, ha. Seriously, the foods allowed were yummy and I didn't feel hungry during the day. The boredom that set in was quite easy to ignore when I found other things to focus on. My whiny kids, for example. Running mainly, but trying to work through why my kids' whining is driving me so crazy has been good for mentally getting out of the kitchen. Other mothers surely understand, right? I welcome you all to check out the link if you are looking for something low calorie and mentally easy!!
This week I will do Slim Fast again. My old friend. It's been a while and I really want to do a no-brainer before embarking on whatever tricks I will pull for The Challenge! Ha, ha. Top secret for now, but I will stay true to form throughout June by posting what I am trying...look forward to a few change-ups. The next 9 days, however, will be all Slim Fast. My official weigh in on June 1st will serve as my "monthly weigh" which will involve the instructions for pledge donations.
I am beginning Week 3 of the Couch to 5K program. Very exciting. I felt SO good on Friday evening when I finished Week 2!! I am very much looking forward to this week. Those who are ahead of me might be snickering, but I think I am ready. Ha, ha. I downloaded Week 3's mix from DJ Steve to my ipod and I plan to either hit the track when Shaun gets home or drive out to the new gym in our area that gave me a month free! I really hate treadmill running, so let's pray the rain goes away.
Have a great day!! Please don't hesitate to contact me, either on Facebook or email aldunkle@msn.com, if you would like to join up with the SDR! Also, to give your feedback and input on the name...I want something cute and creative and I took the name from the prize sign. Biggest Loser is already taken. Ha, ha! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, though...well, go here.
xoxo
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Week Fourteen: Day Seven
Hello!!! I have some exciting news to share about the blog! I have been getting a little bored with the ol' day to day recap of what I eat and what exercise I complete. This has led me to initiate a challenge. I have challenged my sister to a weight loss competition!!
So...starting June 1, 2011, it's going to Sister v. Sister. We haven't completely discussed the rules, but here is how I see it.
Joann Dunkle, age 29, starting weight TBD on June 1st...restaurant manager, lives with her boyfriend of 6 months? 8 months? Anyway, lives with her boyfriend, works late nights, loves to party even later nights! Ha, ha. Does this all sound right, Jo-Bean?
Of course, you all know me. Mother of four under 5, in bed by 10 every night, girls night out once every other month. Saaaaaad. Ha, ha. Just kidding.
So, it will be interesting, to say the least, to see how this all pans out! I am going to make Jo a co-author here and she will be expected to post updates as often as possible. She will choose whether she details her food/exercise/etc. as I do, or she may choose to just write a quick "hello, I'm still trying" each day. We will both weigh on June 1st and post a starting picture of the scale (I think she's okay with this). I would like to do measurements, too...Jo? How do you feel about that? We can weigh in weekly and then the contest will officially end on June 30th. The morning of July 1st (yes, Jo, you have to get up early), we will both weigh and that will determine the "winner"!
What does this winner receive, you may be asking? Well...when Conner was just a month or two old, Joann and I went to some street festival thing in the town of Dexter (Michigan, where Shaun and I used to live) and we bought this super cute sign that reads, "We're not skinny dippin'...we are chunky dunkin'!" This sign has passed back and forth between the two of us ever since (almost 5 years), and this contest will determine the next owner of the sign. Ha, ha.
Please, I encourage you to pick a "team"! Team Jo vs. Team Aud!! We are ruthless with each other, so expect some taunting and teasing...
What do you think of this idea? Excited? Feel free to let me know if you would like to be in on the competition!! That would be really fun...I have around 50 more pounds to go (being vague before weigh in tomorrow morning!), and Joann thinks she would like to lose 40+. Bring it on!! If others would like to join the fun, I will come up with something cool for the prize...I would hate to lose the sign. Maybe I could find another one somewhere...
Well, I hope everyone has a great evening and I will be posting a little something in the morning...weight and plans for the next 9 days while I anxiously await the start of our duel!
Ha, ha!! Good night!!
So...starting June 1, 2011, it's going to Sister v. Sister. We haven't completely discussed the rules, but here is how I see it.
Joann Dunkle, age 29, starting weight TBD on June 1st...restaurant manager, lives with her boyfriend of 6 months? 8 months? Anyway, lives with her boyfriend, works late nights, loves to party even later nights! Ha, ha. Does this all sound right, Jo-Bean?
Of course, you all know me. Mother of four under 5, in bed by 10 every night, girls night out once every other month. Saaaaaad. Ha, ha. Just kidding.
So, it will be interesting, to say the least, to see how this all pans out! I am going to make Jo a co-author here and she will be expected to post updates as often as possible. She will choose whether she details her food/exercise/etc. as I do, or she may choose to just write a quick "hello, I'm still trying" each day. We will both weigh on June 1st and post a starting picture of the scale (I think she's okay with this). I would like to do measurements, too...Jo? How do you feel about that? We can weigh in weekly and then the contest will officially end on June 30th. The morning of July 1st (yes, Jo, you have to get up early), we will both weigh and that will determine the "winner"!
What does this winner receive, you may be asking? Well...when Conner was just a month or two old, Joann and I went to some street festival thing in the town of Dexter (Michigan, where Shaun and I used to live) and we bought this super cute sign that reads, "We're not skinny dippin'...we are chunky dunkin'!" This sign has passed back and forth between the two of us ever since (almost 5 years), and this contest will determine the next owner of the sign. Ha, ha.
Please, I encourage you to pick a "team"! Team Jo vs. Team Aud!! We are ruthless with each other, so expect some taunting and teasing...
What do you think of this idea? Excited? Feel free to let me know if you would like to be in on the competition!! That would be really fun...I have around 50 more pounds to go (being vague before weigh in tomorrow morning!), and Joann thinks she would like to lose 40+. Bring it on!! If others would like to join the fun, I will come up with something cool for the prize...I would hate to lose the sign. Maybe I could find another one somewhere...
Well, I hope everyone has a great evening and I will be posting a little something in the morning...weight and plans for the next 9 days while I anxiously await the start of our duel!
Ha, ha!! Good night!!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Week Fourteen: Day Five
Good morning!
Well, so much for posting at night! I don't know why I feel the need to explain things here...4 kids = unpredictable days and nights. The End.
FOOD: I will be happy to be done with this Scarsdale Diet, but I will also admit I am a little nervous to switch things up when it's going quite well! I am bored to death with the food, but maybe I needed that to get my mind focused on other things. I believe I will go back to Slim Fast for a week or two. Shaun's new job is too far from home for him to eat lunch here, so he is wanting his lunch packed. I have no interest in getting up early enough to pack something, so I think I will fix large dinners for a week with enough leftovers for both of us to have lunch the following day. I'm going to follow my E-Mealz plan for the week! There is a little sale on Special K, so I might even do one week Slim Fast and one week Special K to finish out this month.
**Quick note: For those who have pledged (and you have the option of doing this at any time!), I didn't give any instructions at the end of the last 4 weeks, so we will combine last month with this month. Last month's total loss was 7.5 pounds, so far everyone has pledged $1, so this would be $7.50 per person. If you want to go ahead and donate that amount NOW, you can go here and donate in my "honor". OR, you are welcome to send/give a check to me and I will make the donation. OR, you can wait until Week Seventeen: Day One, I will provide the link again and you can choose from the two options I mentioned!
EXERCISE: Walked 2.5 miles with a friend yesterday, pushing strollers and stopping on occasion to please a baby or toddler! Ha, ha. It was nice and relaxing, but no less exercise!! I didn't pay attention to the time. I will go for my 3rd walk/run this evening. We have a pretty big weekend planned, but I really hope to get out for Week 3's day 1 on Sunday morning.
I hope you all have a great day!! We are having family pictures taken tomorrow by a sweet friend from church, and I am headed out to buy something beautiful and new and SMALL! Well, probably still size "Large", but definitely without XXX's in front! Ha, ha.
xoxo
Well, so much for posting at night! I don't know why I feel the need to explain things here...4 kids = unpredictable days and nights. The End.
FOOD: I will be happy to be done with this Scarsdale Diet, but I will also admit I am a little nervous to switch things up when it's going quite well! I am bored to death with the food, but maybe I needed that to get my mind focused on other things. I believe I will go back to Slim Fast for a week or two. Shaun's new job is too far from home for him to eat lunch here, so he is wanting his lunch packed. I have no interest in getting up early enough to pack something, so I think I will fix large dinners for a week with enough leftovers for both of us to have lunch the following day. I'm going to follow my E-Mealz plan for the week! There is a little sale on Special K, so I might even do one week Slim Fast and one week Special K to finish out this month.
**Quick note: For those who have pledged (and you have the option of doing this at any time!), I didn't give any instructions at the end of the last 4 weeks, so we will combine last month with this month. Last month's total loss was 7.5 pounds, so far everyone has pledged $1, so this would be $7.50 per person. If you want to go ahead and donate that amount NOW, you can go here and donate in my "honor". OR, you are welcome to send/give a check to me and I will make the donation. OR, you can wait until Week Seventeen: Day One, I will provide the link again and you can choose from the two options I mentioned!
EXERCISE: Walked 2.5 miles with a friend yesterday, pushing strollers and stopping on occasion to please a baby or toddler! Ha, ha. It was nice and relaxing, but no less exercise!! I didn't pay attention to the time. I will go for my 3rd walk/run this evening. We have a pretty big weekend planned, but I really hope to get out for Week 3's day 1 on Sunday morning.
I hope you all have a great day!! We are having family pictures taken tomorrow by a sweet friend from church, and I am headed out to buy something beautiful and new and SMALL! Well, probably still size "Large", but definitely without XXX's in front! Ha, ha.
xoxo
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Week Fourteen: Day Four
This will be another quickie...I tried posting yesterday, but had to stop after 4 sentences because I was being summoned for something. It never ends!
So, my mornings have become less desirable for a "regular blog time" for me. This has happened because Shaun started a new job. This new job's hours are 7-4, which means he leaves the house before we get up (except Henry!). The new job had to happen for a number of reasons, which will not be explained here, but I think the time change is going to be the biggest transition. Truthfully, the mornings have been calmer...Shaun is not around, so everyone is more laid back. He just tended to feel like he needed to "help" me out by making sure everyone was at least dressed before he left the house at 7:50 every morning. The problem is we are a family of non-morning people and his yelling just made everyone go slower!
All of this to say, I will try to blog each night again. Detailing the days' food and exercise. I will tell you I have altered the Scarsdale Diet a bit. I already mentioned switching the food around a bit. I also have added in a couple (maybe just one?) of recent grocery finds that I feel like are suitable. I have learned of some snacks I really enjoy, and I know I will continue eating those in the future. Carrots dipped in Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese, strawberries dipped in Honey Greek Yogurt (No fat!). These are the only two I am remembering at this moment. Ha! I believe I mentioned the "non-morning person"?
EXERCISE has become my new favorite activity! Well, running has, at least. Couch to 5k is going very well. I completed Week 2: Day 2 last night and felt SO great afterwards. I have been completing 2 miles and using one final lap as my cool-down. Since I downloaded that "C25K mix", I have not been paying any attention to the time, but last night I almost go through the full 2.25 before the workout was finished! That would be 26 minutes. Nice. Today I am meeting a friend to walk at the park...I was going to wait to do my run/walk today, but I really needed to get out of the house last night.
Well, I will likely post this evening. I have really been missing the accountability of this blog and the readers. I have been staying on track, but just slacking a bit, as well. Does that make sense? Yesterday, for example, I took a bottle of wine to a party my mom couldn't attend...they had some hors' douvres (spelling?) there, and I just popped a couple of spinach quiches in my mouth without thinking. I didn't touch the cake and it was very literally "a couple" of those quiches and I knew I was going to miss dinner because I was heading out to run...still not really "on plan". And by "not really", I mean not at all! Ha, ha.
I hope you have a great day!!
xoxo
So, my mornings have become less desirable for a "regular blog time" for me. This has happened because Shaun started a new job. This new job's hours are 7-4, which means he leaves the house before we get up (except Henry!). The new job had to happen for a number of reasons, which will not be explained here, but I think the time change is going to be the biggest transition. Truthfully, the mornings have been calmer...Shaun is not around, so everyone is more laid back. He just tended to feel like he needed to "help" me out by making sure everyone was at least dressed before he left the house at 7:50 every morning. The problem is we are a family of non-morning people and his yelling just made everyone go slower!
All of this to say, I will try to blog each night again. Detailing the days' food and exercise. I will tell you I have altered the Scarsdale Diet a bit. I already mentioned switching the food around a bit. I also have added in a couple (maybe just one?) of recent grocery finds that I feel like are suitable. I have learned of some snacks I really enjoy, and I know I will continue eating those in the future. Carrots dipped in Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese, strawberries dipped in Honey Greek Yogurt (No fat!). These are the only two I am remembering at this moment. Ha! I believe I mentioned the "non-morning person"?
EXERCISE has become my new favorite activity! Well, running has, at least. Couch to 5k is going very well. I completed Week 2: Day 2 last night and felt SO great afterwards. I have been completing 2 miles and using one final lap as my cool-down. Since I downloaded that "C25K mix", I have not been paying any attention to the time, but last night I almost go through the full 2.25 before the workout was finished! That would be 26 minutes. Nice. Today I am meeting a friend to walk at the park...I was going to wait to do my run/walk today, but I really needed to get out of the house last night.
Well, I will likely post this evening. I have really been missing the accountability of this blog and the readers. I have been staying on track, but just slacking a bit, as well. Does that make sense? Yesterday, for example, I took a bottle of wine to a party my mom couldn't attend...they had some hors' douvres (spelling?) there, and I just popped a couple of spinach quiches in my mouth without thinking. I didn't touch the cake and it was very literally "a couple" of those quiches and I knew I was going to miss dinner because I was heading out to run...still not really "on plan". And by "not really", I mean not at all! Ha, ha.
I hope you have a great day!!
xoxo
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Week Fourteen: Day Two
2 minute post...
I was awful yesterday. I allowed demons in my head and binged on a sweet treat I made for the kids. It wasn't tasty, it wasn't healthy, it wasn't one single thing I needed yesterday, but it quieted the "Monster". The kids were wild, I was stressed.
No excuses.
I went for a run last night and talked to God the entire time. He consoled me and reminded me to turn to HIM, not food.
I got back to good for "dinner", breakfast this morning has been wholly satisfying - even if it is carrots and coffee! Ha, ha. I have my lunch packed, full day planned with my baby girl, and I will not stray today. I am determined and the One I need is on my side!!
I hope you all have a great day!
Until tomorrow...xoxo
I was awful yesterday. I allowed demons in my head and binged on a sweet treat I made for the kids. It wasn't tasty, it wasn't healthy, it wasn't one single thing I needed yesterday, but it quieted the "Monster". The kids were wild, I was stressed.
No excuses.
I went for a run last night and talked to God the entire time. He consoled me and reminded me to turn to HIM, not food.
I got back to good for "dinner", breakfast this morning has been wholly satisfying - even if it is carrots and coffee! Ha, ha. I have my lunch packed, full day planned with my baby girl, and I will not stray today. I am determined and the One I need is on my side!!
I hope you all have a great day!
Until tomorrow...xoxo
Monday, May 16, 2011
Week Fourteen: Day One
Good morning!! We have some icky weather here in Nashville, so I'm trying to get myself pumped up for a third day of keeping the kids IN. Whew. Not my favorite situation to be in.
Well, I (somewhat) successfully completed one week of The Scarsdale Diet! Saturday night we had some friends over for play time and dinner...I totally ate 2 cookies! My friend brought over some whole wheat oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that looked flat out delicious and called my name until I quieted them! Ha, ha. Outside of the two cookies and a little dressing on some salad, I really was good, though.
FOOD: I took the "menu" for this week and sort of rearranged the food and the times it would be eaten each day. Basically, I don't like eating a lot at dinnertime. It is easier for me to prepare food for everyone's dinner and then get out of the kitchen. I also feel like eating more a little earlier in the day sets me up for a less stressful afternoon...last week, each afternoon I would just be wanting to snack on anything I could find. I would resist, but then there would be days like Friday: Cheese Day and I would just go nuts with the "all you can eat" food that was allowed. Crazy girl! So, for Sunday, the website calls for this:
Lunch:
Well, I (somewhat) successfully completed one week of The Scarsdale Diet! Saturday night we had some friends over for play time and dinner...I totally ate 2 cookies! My friend brought over some whole wheat oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that looked flat out delicious and called my name until I quieted them! Ha, ha. Outside of the two cookies and a little dressing on some salad, I really was good, though.
FOOD: I took the "menu" for this week and sort of rearranged the food and the times it would be eaten each day. Basically, I don't like eating a lot at dinnertime. It is easier for me to prepare food for everyone's dinner and then get out of the kitchen. I also feel like eating more a little earlier in the day sets me up for a less stressful afternoon...last week, each afternoon I would just be wanting to snack on anything I could find. I would resist, but then there would be days like Friday: Cheese Day and I would just go nuts with the "all you can eat" food that was allowed. Crazy girl! So, for Sunday, the website calls for this:
Lunch:
Cold or hot turkey or chicken
Tomatoes, carrots, cooked cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower
Grapefruit, or fruit in season
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Dinner:
Plenty of broiled (grilled) steak, all visible fat removed before eating; any cut of steak you wish- sirloin, porterhouse, London broil, etc.
Salad of lettuce, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes (sliced or cooked)
Brussels Sprouts
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Tomatoes, carrots, cooked cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower
Grapefruit, or fruit in season
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Dinner:
Plenty of broiled (grilled) steak, all visible fat removed before eating; any cut of steak you wish- sirloin, porterhouse, London broil, etc.
Salad of lettuce, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes (sliced or cooked)
Brussels Sprouts
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
7:00 - banana, apple, coffee with Splenda
9:00 - orange
9:30 - 3 slices of cold turkey lunchmeat
12:30 - Perdue Short Cuts chicken, carrots
2:30 - 3 slices of cold turkey, one slice toasted protein bread
4:00 - green tea, apple
6:30 - steak (not sure the "cut", but it was stew meat), spinach leaves, broccoli
Good job, right?
EXERCISE: Here is where I am starting to get excited. I completed week one of Couch to 5K. It was actually great! I went out Sunday morning at 8:00 am and got my workout done early. The rest of the day was so nice to know I had already completed it!! I have downloaded music to my (mother's day gift) ipod that corresponds with the walk/run time for week 2. This week is 5 minute warm up, 90 seconds run, 2 minutes walk...the music changes at each time interval. Cool, right? I'm looking forward to not staring at my stopwatch. Ha, ha. I got the download at this site (totally free!). DJ Steveboy! The best part (for me) is the music doesn't have words, so no more embarrassing myself as I run and sing around others!
Well, last week I hoped for more, but i am quite happy with the results anyway. I lost 3 pounds...this brings today's weight to......
199.5!!!! Now to stay in the 1's and never re-enter the 2's!!! Yee-haw!
Have a great day!
xoxo
Friday, May 13, 2011
Week Thirteen: Day Five
Hello!! Blogger was down all day, so I am only able to post now. I wanted to write something, though, because this weekend is shaping up to be pretty busy!!
Yesterday went very well. I had forgotten how much I love cottage cheese, but I was happily reminded yesterday when it was on my "menu"!
FOOD: From the website I am following -
THURSDAY
Lunch:
Two eggs, any style (no fat used in cooking)
Low-fat cottage cheese
Zucchini, or string beans, or sliced/stewed tomatoes
One slice of protein bread, toasted
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Dinner: Roast, broiled or barbequed chicken (skin and visible fat removed before eating)
Plenty of spinach, green peppers, string beans
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
My food diary from yesterday:
Yesterday went very well. I had forgotten how much I love cottage cheese, but I was happily reminded yesterday when it was on my "menu"!
FOOD: From the website I am following -
THURSDAY
Lunch:
Two eggs, any style (no fat used in cooking)
Low-fat cottage cheese
Zucchini, or string beans, or sliced/stewed tomatoes
One slice of protein bread, toasted
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Dinner: Roast, broiled or barbequed chicken (skin and visible fat removed before eating)
Plenty of spinach, green peppers, string beans
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
My food diary from yesterday:
THURSDAY
b'fast - Activia, toasted protein bread, coffee with Splenda
late morning snack - Large bowl of Low fat cottage cheese
Lunch - 2 scrambled eggs, slice of toasted protein bread, small bowl of cottage cheese
Dinner - Diced chicken, spinach leaves, carrots, green beans
Before bed snack - Small bowl of cottage cheese
From website - FRIDAY
Lunch:
Assorted cheese slices (preferably lowfat)
Spinach, all you want
One slice of protein bread, toasted
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Dinner: Fish or shellfish
Combination salad (any fresh vegetables desired, raw or cooked)
One slice of protein bread, toasted
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Lunch:
Assorted cheese slices (preferably lowfat)
Spinach, all you want
One slice of protein bread, toasted
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Dinner: Fish or shellfish
Combination salad (any fresh vegetables desired, raw or cooked)
One slice of protein bread, toasted
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
My food diary:
B'fast - Activia, toasted protein bread, Laughing Cow Swiss cheese spread, coffee
Mid-morning snack - Laughing Cow swiss cheese, carrots
Lunch - Oops! 2 bites of a recipe "creation" I just HAD to try. I made a bbq chicken spaghetti lasagna (obviously my own name), and had to taste it. Yep. I had to...sigh.
Mid-afternoon - 2 slices toasted protein bread, low fat cheese melted on bread, spinach filling the "sandwich"
Dinner - Laughing Cow swiss cheese, carrots
EXERCISE: Zoe and I visited a friend and her 7 week old baby, and the four of us went for a 60 minute walk covering 2.5 miles of some hilly neighborhood! Ha, ha. We managed to keep up our conversation throughout the walk even with the slight huffing and puffing. After picking up the boys, we headed to a park to meet up with some other friends. I fully intended to head out for my 2nd Couch to 5K workout after dropping the kids off at home, but the rain began as soon as I got home! Booo. Truthfully, my legs were feeling the walk from earlier, but I really was going to hit the track!! It was pouring for long enough that I got settled in at the house and decided to go Friday instead...which I did this evening. As soon as Shaun got home, I put on my tennis shoes and headed to the track at the middle school. I am assuming this track is a 1/4 mile around? This is what I remember from the high school track...of course, that one was around a football field and this one is just around an open field. It seemed similar in size, though. I did my 5 minute warm up walk, then 60 seconds of running followed by 90 seconds of walking, repeated for 20 minutes. I completed 8 laps and I'm calling that 2 miles. I don't know the exact time...close to 25 minutes.
TIPS/ISSUES: So, obviously today's food intake wasn't so good. I may have gone a little overboard with the whole "eat all the cheese you want" instruction, and I know I shouldn't have had those bites of the bbq chicken thing. BUT, I had planned on my walk/run for this evening and I think I just allowed myself some lee-way. Is that even how you spell that word? Anyway, I had planned to have dinner after my run, but I was just NOT hungry. Except for some cheese, of course, but I was sort of eating that just because I knew I needed to eat something. At least I stuck to approved foods! I really enjoyed my exercise this evening. I know in the past there have been times when I would decide I was ready to lose weight and I would start working out daily or every other day, but I would always tell myself I would work on diet LATER. "Once I am comfortable with working out, then I will switch my diet." That would never happen. I could be on an elliptical machine for an hour every day for a month and lose nothing. So, while I am happy to have started with diet this time, and I am seeing results, I am just a little frustrated to see myself falling back into some old habits. Justifying snacking and extra bites with exercise. Grrr. I am planning to find at least 30 minutes to myself tomorrow to dive into some Bible study. Not the book I have been working on with my group, but my own personal mission. More on that tomorrow....
For tonight, I will end just by saying, I know it's okay that I wasn't 100% compliant today. It does NOT mean I will not be good tomorrow. It does not mean I have ruined all my hard work. It does not mean I should throw in the towel and "quit". It simply means I have some more work to do...mental work. This will be overcome. Tomorrow I am planning to follow the "plan" perfectly, and I am guaranteeing I will stick to my plan!!
Have a great night!
xoxo
TIPS/ISSUES: So, obviously today's food intake wasn't so good. I may have gone a little overboard with the whole "eat all the cheese you want" instruction, and I know I shouldn't have had those bites of the bbq chicken thing. BUT, I had planned on my walk/run for this evening and I think I just allowed myself some lee-way. Is that even how you spell that word? Anyway, I had planned to have dinner after my run, but I was just NOT hungry. Except for some cheese, of course, but I was sort of eating that just because I knew I needed to eat something. At least I stuck to approved foods! I really enjoyed my exercise this evening. I know in the past there have been times when I would decide I was ready to lose weight and I would start working out daily or every other day, but I would always tell myself I would work on diet LATER. "Once I am comfortable with working out, then I will switch my diet." That would never happen. I could be on an elliptical machine for an hour every day for a month and lose nothing. So, while I am happy to have started with diet this time, and I am seeing results, I am just a little frustrated to see myself falling back into some old habits. Justifying snacking and extra bites with exercise. Grrr. I am planning to find at least 30 minutes to myself tomorrow to dive into some Bible study. Not the book I have been working on with my group, but my own personal mission. More on that tomorrow....
For tonight, I will end just by saying, I know it's okay that I wasn't 100% compliant today. It does NOT mean I will not be good tomorrow. It does not mean I have ruined all my hard work. It does not mean I should throw in the towel and "quit". It simply means I have some more work to do...mental work. This will be overcome. Tomorrow I am planning to follow the "plan" perfectly, and I am guaranteeing I will stick to my plan!!
Have a great night!
xoxo
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Week Thirteen: Day Four
Good morning!
I have to be honest. I'm having a terrible morning. My 4 year old is being rude, throwing things at his brother's, yelling at everyone, mad because his bike has a flat tire. One of the 3 year olds has decided HE is the boss and he does NOT have to listen to his parents. At all. He is talking back, pitching fits, getting himself so worked up I am afraid he will have a heart attack. UGH. Add in the 18 month old with a sassy attitude, love of bugs and dirt (no matter how pretty her dress is!), and some crazy no sleeping drama overnight...thank God I have one 3 year old who is completely content to ride his bike in circles in the driveway.
Sorry for the rant. This is all why I have been unable to write anything until now, and I really shouldn't be writing now, but those children can just scream to themselves while I have 5 minutes. Don't worry, I'm a fast typer. :)
FOOD: Wednesday description from website I am following:
Lunch: Tuna fish or salmon salad (oil drained off)
I have to be honest. I'm having a terrible morning. My 4 year old is being rude, throwing things at his brother's, yelling at everyone, mad because his bike has a flat tire. One of the 3 year olds has decided HE is the boss and he does NOT have to listen to his parents. At all. He is talking back, pitching fits, getting himself so worked up I am afraid he will have a heart attack. UGH. Add in the 18 month old with a sassy attitude, love of bugs and dirt (no matter how pretty her dress is!), and some crazy no sleeping drama overnight...thank God I have one 3 year old who is completely content to ride his bike in circles in the driveway.
Sorry for the rant. This is all why I have been unable to write anything until now, and I really shouldn't be writing now, but those children can just scream to themselves while I have 5 minutes. Don't worry, I'm a fast typer. :)
FOOD: Wednesday description from website I am following:
Lunch: Tuna fish or salmon salad (oil drained off)
with lemon and vinegar dressing
Grapefruit, or melon, or fruit in season
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Dinner:
Sliced roast lamb***, all visible fat removed
Salad of lettuce,tomatoes,cucumbers,celery
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
*** Can be subsituted with fish, seafood, chicken or turkey, or veg protein
My Food Diary:
Grapefruit, or melon, or fruit in season
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Dinner:
Sliced roast lamb***, all visible fat removed
Salad of lettuce,tomatoes,cucumbers,celery
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
*** Can be subsituted with fish, seafood, chicken or turkey, or veg protein
My Food Diary:
Well...I didn't keep up with it like I have been, so I will have to do this from memory. Darn!! Sorry, folks...remember what I said about having too many good days in a row? Well, yesterday was okay, but nowhere near as good as Monday and Tuesday! It was to be expected.
Same breakfast - Activia, slice of toasted protein bread, coffee with Splenda
Snack - some carrots (a lot) and an orange
Lunch - tuna fish with 1 Tbsp of Light Mayo (the diet states you can have some ketchup, cocktail sauce, mustard, etc. in moderation...I decided mayo would be fine as long as it was "light"), spinach leaves, strawberries.
Snack - Ummm? I don't think I had anything else?
Dinner - Shrimp (oh, YUM), spinach leaves, carrots. I did use a little bit of light dressing on my spinach.
EXERCISE: Nothing yesterday, but today I am meeting up with a friend and we are going to walk. I will do my second Couch to 5K workout this evening after dinner. Or maybe before dinner. Either way, it will be done. :)
If I can stay on track, I believe there will be HUGE news on Monday. :) I am not going to jinx it by saying anything too soon.
Thanks for listening.
xoxo
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Week Thirteen: Day Three
Good morning! I am feeling SO good this morning! Yesterday was (*gasp*) another great day, and I am looking forward to breaking my previous record of two pleasant days in a row with a third!! Ha, ha.
FOOD: First things first, I got all of my water drank yesterday and then some. It was close to (maybe even hit) 90 degrees and just downright HOT outside!! Trying to remember to make sure myself and all four kids are well-hydrated is tough work...and poor Shaun ended up getting sick last night after a full day outside and likely very little water intake. So, yesterday's blog, I realized I didn't put the day's description before writing what I ate. Here is the description of TUESDAY from the Scarsdale Diet website (there are many, this is just the one I'm using)
Lunch:
Fruit salad, any combination of fruits
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/WaterDinner: Plenty of broiled, lean hamburger
Tomatoes, lettuce, celery, olives (limit 4), cucumbers
EXERCISE: I went out to meet up with my friend, and I was a little early arriving and Zoe had fallen asleep in her carseat. I decided to go ahead and try Week One: Workout 1 of the Couch to 5K program! 5 minutes of brisk walking warm-up, 60 seconds of jogging, 90 seconds of walking all to total 20 minutes. It was awesome!! I do believe now that the Born to Run book is getting to me a bit...I tried to focus on the awesomeness of the blue sky and the green trees, the slight breeze, and just the peacefulness of my surroundings. Beautiful! In the beginning I realized I kind of don't know how to "jog" (long legs=long stride), but by the final 60 seconds, I am pretty sure I had slowed down plenty to count as jogging. I completed 2 miles, but may have gone over the 20 minutes a little bit. I was pushing the stroller, and kept alternating which hand was holding the phone/stopwatch and which hand was pushing the stroller. I am looking forward to this program, thanks, Ashley!! After that, Zoe was wide awake and wanting to play at the playground we kept going past, so I let her get out and slide and climb a bit. When my friend showed up, Zoe went back in the stroller with some snacks and we headed back out to the track. We only got 1.5 miles in before Zoe had had enough of the heat and the being pushed around in the heat. I felt great, but a little worn out when we got home for her naptime, so I decided to lay around while she was doing the same. In between all the fruit salad I was eating. Ha!
Have a great day!!
xoxo
FOOD: First things first, I got all of my water drank yesterday and then some. It was close to (maybe even hit) 90 degrees and just downright HOT outside!! Trying to remember to make sure myself and all four kids are well-hydrated is tough work...and poor Shaun ended up getting sick last night after a full day outside and likely very little water intake. So, yesterday's blog, I realized I didn't put the day's description before writing what I ate. Here is the description of TUESDAY from the Scarsdale Diet website (there are many, this is just the one I'm using)
Lunch:
Fruit salad, any combination of fruits
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/WaterDinner: Plenty of broiled, lean hamburger
Tomatoes, lettuce, celery, olives (limit 4), cucumbers
and/or Brussels Sprouts
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
My food diary:
The cottage cheese and sour cream are part of the fruit salad "substitute lunch" that is available to be eaten in place of any day's lunch. I was super hungry and this did the trick to get my stomach to settle down! Although I was very hungry, I actually didn't feel bad at any point...I think it was just due to the heat and the extra exercise. When I was trying to lose weight a few months after having Zoe, I decided to start with exercise only and try to incorporate diet later. Something about working out just makes you justify every last morsel put in your mouth!! When you see the elliptical showing 700 calories burned, it just makes that extra sandwich or cookie or french fries so much easier to sneak. I'm very happy I started with dieting first this time...it is actually working, which is the major difference in all the other times in my life I have decided to lose weight. Woo-hoo!
7:15 – Activia8:00 – coffee with Splenda, one slice toasted protein bread9:45 – orange11:40 – ½ orange12:15 – large bowl of fruit salad (strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe)12:45 – another bowl of fruit salad with ½ cup cottage cheese, 1 Tbsp sour cream3:30 – some watermelon and cantaloupe (a very small amount, few bites)6:00 – turkey burger, some turkey taco meat (homemade), ½ tomato, spinach leaves
EXERCISE: I went out to meet up with my friend, and I was a little early arriving and Zoe had fallen asleep in her carseat. I decided to go ahead and try Week One: Workout 1 of the Couch to 5K program! 5 minutes of brisk walking warm-up, 60 seconds of jogging, 90 seconds of walking all to total 20 minutes. It was awesome!! I do believe now that the Born to Run book is getting to me a bit...I tried to focus on the awesomeness of the blue sky and the green trees, the slight breeze, and just the peacefulness of my surroundings. Beautiful! In the beginning I realized I kind of don't know how to "jog" (long legs=long stride), but by the final 60 seconds, I am pretty sure I had slowed down plenty to count as jogging. I completed 2 miles, but may have gone over the 20 minutes a little bit. I was pushing the stroller, and kept alternating which hand was holding the phone/stopwatch and which hand was pushing the stroller. I am looking forward to this program, thanks, Ashley!! After that, Zoe was wide awake and wanting to play at the playground we kept going past, so I let her get out and slide and climb a bit. When my friend showed up, Zoe went back in the stroller with some snacks and we headed back out to the track. We only got 1.5 miles in before Zoe had had enough of the heat and the being pushed around in the heat. I felt great, but a little worn out when we got home for her naptime, so I decided to lay around while she was doing the same. In between all the fruit salad I was eating. Ha!
Have a great day!!
xoxo
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Week Thirteen: Day Two
Good morning!! We got up a little early today for some reason? I could so curl back up in bed!!
Yesterday was a good day...in fact, a GREAT day! I met up with a good friend I haven't seen in quite a while and our kids (6 total) were actually VERY well-behaved at the park. It was so nice to be able to catch up and only occasionally have to redirect the kids or (once) deal with a bumped noggin. When we got home, ALL four of my kiddos took a nap, and I was able to just relax. Then, our afternoon was outdoors practicing riding 2-wheelers with no training wheels (yep, even the 3 1/2 year olds!), and dinner went great. Now I am just a little nervous for today because we all know 2 great days in a row are rare...ha, ha.
FOOD: Yesterday was not so bad, food-wise.
EXERCISE: Nothing yesterday, but today I have a walking date scheduled (after being twice REscheduled due to my chaotic life!) with a friend. My plan is let Zoe play on the playground for a bit, then we will walk while she eats and (hopefully) naps. I took Ashley's advice (comment on yesterday's post) and printed out the Couch to 5K program...I would like to start this today, but that may depend on how the walk goes this morning. If I'm feeling up to it tonight, I will head out after dinner.
TIPS/ISSUES: Truly, I wasn't too hungry yesterday. The early afternoon (while the kids were napping) was a little bit rough-going...it usually is. When the house is quiet and I'm chilling, it just seems so perfect to open up a bag of chips or snack on some cheese and crackers! I stuck with the allowed cold cuts and drank water, water, water. I know I've mentioned before how much I like spinach leaves, well they were very helpful with dinner last night. Also, I was concerned about the "protein bread" (Pepperidge Farm, Light Style, 7 Grain) with no butter or margarine or anything, but it tastes pretty good! I dipped it in my coffee in the morning, and then sort of stacked the spinach and fish on top at dinner.
I hope you all have a wonderful day! The temps are supposed to reach 90 today around here...maybe time to invest in a kiddie pool for the yard!
xoxo
Yesterday was a good day...in fact, a GREAT day! I met up with a good friend I haven't seen in quite a while and our kids (6 total) were actually VERY well-behaved at the park. It was so nice to be able to catch up and only occasionally have to redirect the kids or (once) deal with a bumped noggin. When we got home, ALL four of my kiddos took a nap, and I was able to just relax. Then, our afternoon was outdoors practicing riding 2-wheelers with no training wheels (yep, even the 3 1/2 year olds!), and dinner went great. Now I am just a little nervous for today because we all know 2 great days in a row are rare...ha, ha.
FOOD: Yesterday was not so bad, food-wise.
The numbers are the calorie counts for each thing, except the fruit and vegetables. I was just checking...it is not a part of the Scarsdale Diet to count your calories. I love math. Ha! I drank all my water, as well.7:30 – Activia (80)8:00 – coffee with splenda, one slice toasted protein bread (45)10:00 – some carrots11:45 – container of ham (240), rest of carrots2:00 – container of turkey (240), one sliced tomato3:45 – few watermelon chunks6:45 – fish (80), spinach leaves, slice toasted protein bread (45)
EXERCISE: Nothing yesterday, but today I have a walking date scheduled (after being twice REscheduled due to my chaotic life!) with a friend. My plan is let Zoe play on the playground for a bit, then we will walk while she eats and (hopefully) naps. I took Ashley's advice (comment on yesterday's post) and printed out the Couch to 5K program...I would like to start this today, but that may depend on how the walk goes this morning. If I'm feeling up to it tonight, I will head out after dinner.
TIPS/ISSUES: Truly, I wasn't too hungry yesterday. The early afternoon (while the kids were napping) was a little bit rough-going...it usually is. When the house is quiet and I'm chilling, it just seems so perfect to open up a bag of chips or snack on some cheese and crackers! I stuck with the allowed cold cuts and drank water, water, water. I know I've mentioned before how much I like spinach leaves, well they were very helpful with dinner last night. Also, I was concerned about the "protein bread" (Pepperidge Farm, Light Style, 7 Grain) with no butter or margarine or anything, but it tastes pretty good! I dipped it in my coffee in the morning, and then sort of stacked the spinach and fish on top at dinner.
I hope you all have a wonderful day! The temps are supposed to reach 90 today around here...maybe time to invest in a kiddie pool for the yard!
xoxo
Monday, May 9, 2011
Week Thirteen: Day One (weigh day)
Good morning!
And so ends another 4 weeks of my journey...a less successful four weeks, but I guess I really need to be looking at the BIG picture, right?
RECAP: Week one of this month I continued the Right Size smoothies. I really liked those and continued to like them, but I ran out one day early of 14 days. I began the cabbage soup diet and lasted until day 7, but really hit a mini-"rock bottom" and indulged in a bit of a "cheat day". For Easter. Ha, ha. Refreshed after that day, I began 2 full weeks of the Special K diet. I was going strong and quite happy, but discovered I didn't like the final box of cereal I had and had to find a substitution that was already in the house. I'm not sure if this mentally got me off track somehow, or if it was all the compliments and Mother's Day "festivities"...I have to confess I was baaaaaaddd this weekend. I am fitting into some pants that wouldn't even button when I began this dieting, took some pictures I just loved (conceited!), and was receiving compliments from a lot of different people. All of this allowed me to feel somewhat "relaxed"...add in a Girls Night Out for Mother's Day (hanging at a friend's house, so sort of girls night in), the planning for a new diet these next two weeks, and my 4 year old who has developed a new attitude I am NOT liking.
Well, I don't have time to rehash everything, just know there was some alcohol involved, finger foods, chocolates, and a way too yummy lunch yesterday that I just couldn't stop eating!
All of this to bring us to today. I am beginning the Scarsdale Diet, recommended by a dear friend. I will add the website to my Diets Used page, but I plan to post every morning with EXACTLY what I ate the day before. For week one I will be making one small substitution because I am still in the Activia Challenge. Breakfast every morning is supposed to include one fruit serving and I will be replacing this with my Activia Light.
Here are the scale pictures over the last four weeks!!
(see the progression pictures "page" for this morning's shot in the brown pants/green shirt!)
Right Size smoothies resulted in 2.5 pounds lost in it's second week. Cabbage soup diet and a cheat day resulted in 2 pounds lost. Special K diet week one lost 3.5 pounds (no cheats), week two gained 1/2 pound (indulged).
Overall, in 12 weeks, I have lost 36 pounds!!
I tried to redeem myself last night by going for a walk/run - I did 2 miles in 28 minutes! My plan is to keep trying to beat my "best" time...maybe one more week of the 2 mile route and then I will add another mile next week? The training I downloaded doesn't start until June 21st, so I am just trying to get comfortable with myself (and my SHOES!) before then.
So, I am promising full disclosure EVERY morning for the next two weeks. I will use this blog as my food diary...I remember the first few weeks of this journey when I would post every day with details, and I will be getting back to this. It is important for my own accountability and this diet is pretty specific about what you can eat each day, so I think it will be helpful if someone is reading this to try the diet themselves!
Have a great day.
xoxo
And so ends another 4 weeks of my journey...a less successful four weeks, but I guess I really need to be looking at the BIG picture, right?
RECAP: Week one of this month I continued the Right Size smoothies. I really liked those and continued to like them, but I ran out one day early of 14 days. I began the cabbage soup diet and lasted until day 7, but really hit a mini-"rock bottom" and indulged in a bit of a "cheat day". For Easter. Ha, ha. Refreshed after that day, I began 2 full weeks of the Special K diet. I was going strong and quite happy, but discovered I didn't like the final box of cereal I had and had to find a substitution that was already in the house. I'm not sure if this mentally got me off track somehow, or if it was all the compliments and Mother's Day "festivities"...I have to confess I was baaaaaaddd this weekend. I am fitting into some pants that wouldn't even button when I began this dieting, took some pictures I just loved (conceited!), and was receiving compliments from a lot of different people. All of this allowed me to feel somewhat "relaxed"...add in a Girls Night Out for Mother's Day (hanging at a friend's house, so sort of girls night in), the planning for a new diet these next two weeks, and my 4 year old who has developed a new attitude I am NOT liking.
Well, I don't have time to rehash everything, just know there was some alcohol involved, finger foods, chocolates, and a way too yummy lunch yesterday that I just couldn't stop eating!
All of this to bring us to today. I am beginning the Scarsdale Diet, recommended by a dear friend. I will add the website to my Diets Used page, but I plan to post every morning with EXACTLY what I ate the day before. For week one I will be making one small substitution because I am still in the Activia Challenge. Breakfast every morning is supposed to include one fruit serving and I will be replacing this with my Activia Light.
Here are the scale pictures over the last four weeks!!
 |
| 4/11/2011 |
 |
| 4/18/2011 |
 |
| 4/25/2011 |
 |
| 5/2/2011 |
 |
| 5/9/2011 |
(see the progression pictures "page" for this morning's shot in the brown pants/green shirt!)
Right Size smoothies resulted in 2.5 pounds lost in it's second week. Cabbage soup diet and a cheat day resulted in 2 pounds lost. Special K diet week one lost 3.5 pounds (no cheats), week two gained 1/2 pound (indulged).
Overall, in 12 weeks, I have lost 36 pounds!!
I tried to redeem myself last night by going for a walk/run - I did 2 miles in 28 minutes! My plan is to keep trying to beat my "best" time...maybe one more week of the 2 mile route and then I will add another mile next week? The training I downloaded doesn't start until June 21st, so I am just trying to get comfortable with myself (and my SHOES!) before then.
So, I am promising full disclosure EVERY morning for the next two weeks. I will use this blog as my food diary...I remember the first few weeks of this journey when I would post every day with details, and I will be getting back to this. It is important for my own accountability and this diet is pretty specific about what you can eat each day, so I think it will be helpful if someone is reading this to try the diet themselves!
Have a great day.
xoxo
Friday, May 6, 2011
Week Twelve: Day Five
Did I really not post yesterday?!? Oops! More sleeping in, I guess.
Good morning!
I hope you aren't getting sick of the progression pictures...because here is another one! Shaun and I love hockey. Truth be told....Shaun LOVES hockey, I like competition and sports and hockey involves both. Plus, the games are REALLY fun to attend. Okay, this leads me to picture number one...taken at the Nashville Predators vs. Detroit Red Wings game. Shaun is from Michigan, so this is a very fun match-up for us.
Nice, right?!
EXERCISE: Well, I tried to take Zoe for a neighborhood walk, hoping she would just fall asleep, but she got VERY fussy about 10 minutes into it, so we just went back home. 20 minutes of walking is better than no minutes of walking! Oh yeah, and we parked a few blocks from the arena last night! Does that count? Today I am taking the kids all out to see my grandfather and we are going to stop by this very large park to play for a bit. I will concentrate on keeping my abs tight while I make a fool of myself on the playground.
Good morning!
I hope you aren't getting sick of the progression pictures...because here is another one! Shaun and I love hockey. Truth be told....Shaun LOVES hockey, I like competition and sports and hockey involves both. Plus, the games are REALLY fun to attend. Okay, this leads me to picture number one...taken at the Nashville Predators vs. Detroit Red Wings game. Shaun is from Michigan, so this is a very fun match-up for us.
 |
| February 5, 2011 |
Last night, exactly 3 months later, we attended the second home game of Round 2 in the playoffs, Nashville Predators vs. Vancouver Canucks. Picture number two was taken at the same booth.
 |
| May 5, 2011 |
Nice, right?!
FOOD: As I stated before I do NOT like the chocolatey delight Special K cereal. I tried it one more time, added bananas, and still was not a fan. I checked the labels of the other cereal options in the house (luckily, there are MANY...lots of coupons and kids who will eat cereal anytime leads us to have a stocked pantry!), and the Honey Nut Crunch has the same calories and less fat grams, so I assumed it would be an okay substitution. YUM. Still eating the Activia first thing in the morning, too, so I am not adding any fruit to the cereal. Zoe and I had quite a full day planned, but absolutely nothing went as "planned". We ran to the grocery store after dropping off the boys to get that out of the way and came out to find a flat front tire! I was on E, so I had to stop at the gas station ($95+ to fill up. UGH) and put some air in the tire to get over to NTB across the street. They said it would be about an hour, so the manager suggested I take the groceries home and then bring the van back. Shaun called the NTB closer to our house and they told him the wait would be about 2 hours! To plug a tire?! Luckily, I complained to my next door neighbor who has a handy tire patch kit and had me all fixed up in minutes!! We were going to head out to meet with a friend and go walking, but Zoe was verrrrry sleepy by this point. With all of this "drama" and confusion, I just snacked on broccoli, carrots, and apples. Never got around to that mid-day bowl of cereal (we were meeting friends for dinner, so I was saving my meal). I ate a Special K snack bar on the way to pick up the boys from school, then really paid NO attention to any calorie count for my dinner last night. I don't even want to know. Haha! I feel like I ordered the "healthiest" option (outside of a salad) on the menu...it was a Turkey Melt. I only ate 3 french fries! I did drink 2 beers at dinner...and a few more at the game. I drank a LOT of water when we got home, and had already drank all my 100 ounces during the day. I peeked at the scale this morning and haven't lost any ground (yet). :) I've blogged before about continuing with real life and living...I'm not going to do it again. LOL
EXERCISE: Well, I tried to take Zoe for a neighborhood walk, hoping she would just fall asleep, but she got VERY fussy about 10 minutes into it, so we just went back home. 20 minutes of walking is better than no minutes of walking! Oh yeah, and we parked a few blocks from the arena last night! Does that count? Today I am taking the kids all out to see my grandfather and we are going to stop by this very large park to play for a bit. I will concentrate on keeping my abs tight while I make a fool of myself on the playground.
TIPS/ISSUES: I may have said this before, but WATER IS SOOOO IMPORTANT!!! I am shooting for 100 ounces per day. It can be annoying to have to pee so often, but your body really does adjust to that rather quickly. It is cleansing and nourishing and just so darn good for you.
Have a great day/weekend!!! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Week Twelve: Day Three
Good morning!!! I am having a fabulous day already...wanna know why?
Well, let's start with the step on the scale being thisclose to under the 200's. Then...drumroll please...I am very frustrated with all of my pants these days because I can't even put anything in my pocket without them falling to the ground. I mean this literally. SO, against my "better judgment" I once again tried on THE pants that prompted me to get serious about losing weight. THE pants that I couldn't even get the button and button-hole to come together at the beginning.
THEY FIT!!! And I don't just mean they fit because I sucked in. These pants FIT. They look great!! I am so excited to leave the house today and just flaunt my butt in some size 16's. Ha, ha, ha.
I will tell you something. I love this dieting. I love this blog. I love having people out there who hold me accountable and rejoice with me when things are going well. LOVE IT!
...and back to reality. The children are yelling from the living room their "requests" for "MORE BREAD!" One of the twins apparently attempted to hang himself with the mini-blinds yesterday so he has a large scab across his neck covered with a SpongeBob band-aid. The littlest two are laying in the living room under blankets watching some cartoon.
FOOD/DRINK: I have been out of coffee for a couple of days. This may have resulted in a pretty bad headache last night - or it could have been the kids. Who knows? So, just water yesterday. Special K going well! Yesterday for lunch I ate the night before's dinner - Chicken-Broccoli Alfredo (recipe below) Yum, yum. I have to admit, Zoe and I visited my grandfather yesterday and he kept pushing chocolate-chip cookies on her...I had 2. They were small, but they were still cookies. I justified it mentally by reminding myself I didn't bring an afternoon snack. Ha, ha. Anyway, picked up the boys at 3 and headed home. This is about when that headache kicked in. I don't know much (anything) about caffeine, so I'm not sure if it makes sense that I could have the headache that late in the day? Anyone know? Bowl of cereal for dinner.
EXERCISE: Due to the timing of my grandfather's visit, I took Zoe downtown to the library for storytime right after dropping off the boys at school. I brought the stroller and planned to take her for a walk after storytime around downtown. The rain had other plans, so I put her in the stroller and began to walk the parking garage. It was kind of fun for me, but apparently not so much for Zoe. She began to squirm at 10 minutes, but I continued walking. At 18 minutes she was SO done. I got back to the car at exactly 20 minutes after beginning my walk. At least we did walk up and down the different levels and I really tried to maintain a quicker pace than a leisurely walk...I didn't find another opportunity throughout the day to do more walking. I have a walking "date" planned for tomorrow and there is no rain in the forecast!
TIPS/ISSUES: I just love this Special K diet. I love the results I am seeing. I wish I could give everyone in the world the motivation to JUST TRY! I was telling my sister the other day about everytime I encounter someone who is overweight, I just want to hug them and tell them, you don't HAVE to eat like this! When I see people walking out of a McDonald's, I just want to yell at them! I don't want to sound self-righteous, and I realize I totally do. The thing is, I had to get right in some other areas before I got serious about this. I mean, I've been complaining about my weight since Zoe was born. Shoot - since before she was even conceived! She is 18 months old now, stopped nursing at 10 months...I dragged my feet for 14 months, looking in the mirror in disgust. Eating everything in sight. Using fast food as the easy way to not have to cook every day. Using fast food on days I was out and about and just didn't have the "time" to head home for lunch. I had every excuse you can think of!!! I even got to the point of justifying things with God...well, God loves me no matter what I look like. While this is, of course, true, I also feel God would want me to be happy with myself. Happy and confident. I have been wanting to share my testimonial for a long, long time, but have not had the confidence to get up and speak in front of others. I don't know if I'm there yet, but this weight loss is certainly helping. God wants me to share His love with others and I was absolutely NOT going to do this without losing some weight and getting happy with ME first. I am still working with myself mentally and really exploring WHY I'm turning to food, WHY I am wanting to snack...I'm sure I should be talking to a professional about this, but I think my close friends are doing a pretty good job. Not to mention my husband!
Okay, end of my soap box rant...we are having a pb & j situation. Yep, even at 8:00 am. Ha!!
I hope everyone has a great day!!!!
Chicken-Broccoli Alfredo
1/2 of 16 ounce package of linguine (we only had fettucine, same diff!)
2 c fresh broccoli florets
2 T butter
1.5+ pound package boneless chicken breast, cubed
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (only had cream of potato...mmmmm!)
1/2 c milk
1/2 c grated Parmesan
1/4 t pepper
Prepare linguine per package directions, adding broccoli for last 4 minutes. Drain. Cook chicken in melted butter in skillet (use a large skillet! I used 10" and ended up having to transfer everything to the pot I cooked the pasta in) until well browned. Add soup, milk, cheese, pepper, and linguine "mix". Heat, stirring occasionally, until hot and bubbly. Garnish with additional Parmesan, if desired.
Well, let's start with the step on the scale being thisclose to under the 200's. Then...drumroll please...I am very frustrated with all of my pants these days because I can't even put anything in my pocket without them falling to the ground. I mean this literally. SO, against my "better judgment" I once again tried on THE pants that prompted me to get serious about losing weight. THE pants that I couldn't even get the button and button-hole to come together at the beginning.
THEY FIT!!! And I don't just mean they fit because I sucked in. These pants FIT. They look great!! I am so excited to leave the house today and just flaunt my butt in some size 16's. Ha, ha, ha.
I will tell you something. I love this dieting. I love this blog. I love having people out there who hold me accountable and rejoice with me when things are going well. LOVE IT!
...and back to reality. The children are yelling from the living room their "requests" for "MORE BREAD!" One of the twins apparently attempted to hang himself with the mini-blinds yesterday so he has a large scab across his neck covered with a SpongeBob band-aid. The littlest two are laying in the living room under blankets watching some cartoon.
FOOD/DRINK: I have been out of coffee for a couple of days. This may have resulted in a pretty bad headache last night - or it could have been the kids. Who knows? So, just water yesterday. Special K going well! Yesterday for lunch I ate the night before's dinner - Chicken-Broccoli Alfredo (recipe below) Yum, yum. I have to admit, Zoe and I visited my grandfather yesterday and he kept pushing chocolate-chip cookies on her...I had 2. They were small, but they were still cookies. I justified it mentally by reminding myself I didn't bring an afternoon snack. Ha, ha. Anyway, picked up the boys at 3 and headed home. This is about when that headache kicked in. I don't know much (anything) about caffeine, so I'm not sure if it makes sense that I could have the headache that late in the day? Anyone know? Bowl of cereal for dinner.
EXERCISE: Due to the timing of my grandfather's visit, I took Zoe downtown to the library for storytime right after dropping off the boys at school. I brought the stroller and planned to take her for a walk after storytime around downtown. The rain had other plans, so I put her in the stroller and began to walk the parking garage. It was kind of fun for me, but apparently not so much for Zoe. She began to squirm at 10 minutes, but I continued walking. At 18 minutes she was SO done. I got back to the car at exactly 20 minutes after beginning my walk. At least we did walk up and down the different levels and I really tried to maintain a quicker pace than a leisurely walk...I didn't find another opportunity throughout the day to do more walking. I have a walking "date" planned for tomorrow and there is no rain in the forecast!
TIPS/ISSUES: I just love this Special K diet. I love the results I am seeing. I wish I could give everyone in the world the motivation to JUST TRY! I was telling my sister the other day about everytime I encounter someone who is overweight, I just want to hug them and tell them, you don't HAVE to eat like this! When I see people walking out of a McDonald's, I just want to yell at them! I don't want to sound self-righteous, and I realize I totally do. The thing is, I had to get right in some other areas before I got serious about this. I mean, I've been complaining about my weight since Zoe was born. Shoot - since before she was even conceived! She is 18 months old now, stopped nursing at 10 months...I dragged my feet for 14 months, looking in the mirror in disgust. Eating everything in sight. Using fast food as the easy way to not have to cook every day. Using fast food on days I was out and about and just didn't have the "time" to head home for lunch. I had every excuse you can think of!!! I even got to the point of justifying things with God...well, God loves me no matter what I look like. While this is, of course, true, I also feel God would want me to be happy with myself. Happy and confident. I have been wanting to share my testimonial for a long, long time, but have not had the confidence to get up and speak in front of others. I don't know if I'm there yet, but this weight loss is certainly helping. God wants me to share His love with others and I was absolutely NOT going to do this without losing some weight and getting happy with ME first. I am still working with myself mentally and really exploring WHY I'm turning to food, WHY I am wanting to snack...I'm sure I should be talking to a professional about this, but I think my close friends are doing a pretty good job. Not to mention my husband!
Okay, end of my soap box rant...we are having a pb & j situation. Yep, even at 8:00 am. Ha!!
I hope everyone has a great day!!!!
Chicken-Broccoli Alfredo
1/2 of 16 ounce package of linguine (we only had fettucine, same diff!)
2 c fresh broccoli florets
2 T butter
1.5+ pound package boneless chicken breast, cubed
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (only had cream of potato...mmmmm!)
1/2 c milk
1/2 c grated Parmesan
1/4 t pepper
Prepare linguine per package directions, adding broccoli for last 4 minutes. Drain. Cook chicken in melted butter in skillet (use a large skillet! I used 10" and ended up having to transfer everything to the pot I cooked the pasta in) until well browned. Add soup, milk, cheese, pepper, and linguine "mix". Heat, stirring occasionally, until hot and bubbly. Garnish with additional Parmesan, if desired.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Week Twelve: Day One
Good morning!!
Well...3 and a half more pounds gone!!! This brings my total since beginning this endeavor to 36.5 pounds. Woooohoooooo!!!!
FOOD: Yesterday I was good. I was concentrating on being good. Even though I made carrot cupcakes for my family and the neighbors, spinach calzones for the neighbors, fish sticks (a weird, but very real weakness of mine!) for the kids...it was rough going, but I definitely felt way better about the scale being so low this morning than I would have felt if I had indulged. WAY better. I saved a calzone for myself for lunch today, so I have that to look forward to. This morning I had my first bowl of the Special K Chocolatey Delight and I am definitely NOT a fan. Yuck. I will have to go buy another box of something else...the "chocolate" doesn't even turn the milk brown! It coated my mouth with some sort of a nasty film and was hard to chew and I ended up with a lot of it as my last bite. Bleah. I love the Vanilla Almond and Fruit and Yogurt styles. Mmmm. Cinnamon Pecan was tasty, but not with any fruit added. Too weird of a flavor, I guess.
I forgot to mention something in yesterday's post. Shaun and I have been having some "tummy issues" lately and I decided we would try the Activia Challenge! Shaun started Saturday and I started Sunday, so I will be letting you know how that goes. No worries...I'll keep it "clean". Ha, ha. So far I feel no real difference, but I'm not sure what exactly the "difference" we should be feeling is?? I am eating healthier than i have in a long, long time, so I would expect to be more "regular", but I am also eating fewer calories and my sister (who has her bachelor's in nutrition) said I may be burning all the calories in other ways and there isn't much left for my body to digest. Or something along those lines...we'll see. After our first week of eating the yogurt once a day, I will add a quote from Shaun each day on how he is feeling. :)
There will be other news two weeks from today, but I'm not sure who reads this so the news will wait until then. Stay tuned!
EXERCISE: Took yesterday off. We had church, and then I ran to Harris Teeter to take advantage of the super double coupons one more time! After naps, the kids played outside while I did all the aforementioned cooking! I know running around my kitchen doesn't count as exercise, but I sure was exhausted by the time the kiddos got into bed last night. I also attribute a little of that to this new book a friend recommended. It's called Born to Run and he said it really motivated him to get into the marathon circuit...it's not doing that for me just yet, but I really am enjoying the "story". It's tiring, though, reading about all the 100-mile marathons and sprints up mountains and through canyons...I would imagine I'm dreaming about it, as well, but I haven't been remembering any dreams lately. Sleeping too hard!
I hope everyone has a great day!!
xoxo
Well...3 and a half more pounds gone!!! This brings my total since beginning this endeavor to 36.5 pounds. Woooohoooooo!!!!
FOOD: Yesterday I was good. I was concentrating on being good. Even though I made carrot cupcakes for my family and the neighbors, spinach calzones for the neighbors, fish sticks (a weird, but very real weakness of mine!) for the kids...it was rough going, but I definitely felt way better about the scale being so low this morning than I would have felt if I had indulged. WAY better. I saved a calzone for myself for lunch today, so I have that to look forward to. This morning I had my first bowl of the Special K Chocolatey Delight and I am definitely NOT a fan. Yuck. I will have to go buy another box of something else...the "chocolate" doesn't even turn the milk brown! It coated my mouth with some sort of a nasty film and was hard to chew and I ended up with a lot of it as my last bite. Bleah. I love the Vanilla Almond and Fruit and Yogurt styles. Mmmm. Cinnamon Pecan was tasty, but not with any fruit added. Too weird of a flavor, I guess.
I forgot to mention something in yesterday's post. Shaun and I have been having some "tummy issues" lately and I decided we would try the Activia Challenge! Shaun started Saturday and I started Sunday, so I will be letting you know how that goes. No worries...I'll keep it "clean". Ha, ha. So far I feel no real difference, but I'm not sure what exactly the "difference" we should be feeling is?? I am eating healthier than i have in a long, long time, so I would expect to be more "regular", but I am also eating fewer calories and my sister (who has her bachelor's in nutrition) said I may be burning all the calories in other ways and there isn't much left for my body to digest. Or something along those lines...we'll see. After our first week of eating the yogurt once a day, I will add a quote from Shaun each day on how he is feeling. :)
There will be other news two weeks from today, but I'm not sure who reads this so the news will wait until then. Stay tuned!
EXERCISE: Took yesterday off. We had church, and then I ran to Harris Teeter to take advantage of the super double coupons one more time! After naps, the kids played outside while I did all the aforementioned cooking! I know running around my kitchen doesn't count as exercise, but I sure was exhausted by the time the kiddos got into bed last night. I also attribute a little of that to this new book a friend recommended. It's called Born to Run and he said it really motivated him to get into the marathon circuit...it's not doing that for me just yet, but I really am enjoying the "story". It's tiring, though, reading about all the 100-mile marathons and sprints up mountains and through canyons...I would imagine I'm dreaming about it, as well, but I haven't been remembering any dreams lately. Sleeping too hard!
I hope everyone has a great day!!
xoxo
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Week Eleven: Day Seven
I cannot believe the third month is almost over. Awesome!
Good morning!!
I am sure I'm not the first "blogger" to discover how much their children REALLY pay attention and mimic their actions, but I wanted to share a cute picture...
I promise this was NOT staged. This is lunchtime last week...they all told me what they wanted (they LOVE cereal, no matter what time of day) and then ran to get their "laptops"! Conner even brought the extra one out for Zoe. Cuties.
Okay, so back to the dieting! It's truly going great. This week my parents were in town and I don't know what kind of "trigger" that is, but I really wanted to eat! Like, all day! They don't stress me out or frustrate me at all, so it was kind of strange to discover. Truth be told, when I had gestational diabetes, being around my parents made my blood sugars low, so my doctor said I must be very NOT stressed around my family. It was fun to eat what I wanted around them and not worry about what my sugars were going to test! So, I'm not sure if just being happy and relaxed makes me want to snack? Either way, I did fine - even made a pizza for the kids and kept "visiting" it, but also demanded to my mom and dad that they eat the leftovers. Ha, ha!
FOOD/DRINK: Still only doing water and a cup of coffee in the morning. My dad was asking me why I wasn't drinking any Crystal Light or anything like that, but I really am not craving it at all! I just figure there is no need to drink anything other than water if I'm not missing it, right? On Thursday I delivered magazines and it was a FULL day of delivering...started at 9:30 and still had a couple more stops to complete when I picked up the boys at 3:00. Whew. It is really fun, though. It is my quiet time to myself to concentrate on working hard (lifting sometimes 4-5 bundles at a time=80-100 magazines!) and thinking through stuff...my close friends and husband know to expect lots of texts and phone calls on delivery day because I figure all sorts of things out with all that time to think! I didn't want to be stopping every half hour to pee, so I only drank 2 glasses (20 ounces each) of water that morning. I was THIRSTY when I got home that evening!! I also took the kids to the park after school, so didn't get to my third "glass" until 6! That was completely unintentional. Food-wise, I am thinking I will get back to eating my meal at lunchtime. I enjoy eating dinner with the family, but our dinners are getting later and everyone is enjoying playing outside or at the neighbor's house so much that it ends up being a grab and go type of deal anyway...or I set out the plates of food and they "graze", dropping by the table between fights or whatever is on tv or whoever "cool" is outside. It's interesting around here!
EXERCISE: I went for a long walk yesterday with Zoe in the stroller. There is a HUGE hill not far from my house and we went up it! Then I noticed another HUGE(er) hill off of that one and we went up that one, too!! I was a little tired and wobbly at the top, but felt quite accomplished! The walk down, interestingly, was kind of hard, too. The steepness and concentrating on not falling and trying to make sure I didn't let go of the stroller was tricky. I think all in all the walk covered a distance of 1.7 miles (just measured at http://www.geodistance.com/) and it took me 40 minutes, but I defend my time by reminding you of the HUGE HILLS! Ha, ha.
TIPS/ISSUES: Truly my only issue has been the desire to snack. It has always been my "go-to" stress reliever, or happy enhancer, I guess! I just love food and the tastes...when something tastes good I just want to keep enjoying that! I have learned to not try (yet) to control my portions. If I know something is yummy and not great for me and high in calories, I just choose to not have any rather than try to have a little. It is what works for me now...I hope to "cure" that in the future.
So, I need to run, but I have a quick story to share! It brightened my day considerably and I hope it will provide someone with the knowledge that YOU CAN DO IT!!! The rewards are so much more than just the feeling better!!
I literally have two seconds to try to type this...the gist is a good friend who I used to see quite regularly, particularly when I was pregnant with Zoe and directly afterwards, hadn't seen me in a few months. I ran into her yesterday and she DIDN'T RECOGNIZE ME! I wish I had longer to hang with her and chat, but I was in a huge hurry (story of my life).
xoxo
Good morning!!
I am sure I'm not the first "blogger" to discover how much their children REALLY pay attention and mimic their actions, but I wanted to share a cute picture...
I promise this was NOT staged. This is lunchtime last week...they all told me what they wanted (they LOVE cereal, no matter what time of day) and then ran to get their "laptops"! Conner even brought the extra one out for Zoe. Cuties.
Okay, so back to the dieting! It's truly going great. This week my parents were in town and I don't know what kind of "trigger" that is, but I really wanted to eat! Like, all day! They don't stress me out or frustrate me at all, so it was kind of strange to discover. Truth be told, when I had gestational diabetes, being around my parents made my blood sugars low, so my doctor said I must be very NOT stressed around my family. It was fun to eat what I wanted around them and not worry about what my sugars were going to test! So, I'm not sure if just being happy and relaxed makes me want to snack? Either way, I did fine - even made a pizza for the kids and kept "visiting" it, but also demanded to my mom and dad that they eat the leftovers. Ha, ha!
FOOD/DRINK: Still only doing water and a cup of coffee in the morning. My dad was asking me why I wasn't drinking any Crystal Light or anything like that, but I really am not craving it at all! I just figure there is no need to drink anything other than water if I'm not missing it, right? On Thursday I delivered magazines and it was a FULL day of delivering...started at 9:30 and still had a couple more stops to complete when I picked up the boys at 3:00. Whew. It is really fun, though. It is my quiet time to myself to concentrate on working hard (lifting sometimes 4-5 bundles at a time=80-100 magazines!) and thinking through stuff...my close friends and husband know to expect lots of texts and phone calls on delivery day because I figure all sorts of things out with all that time to think! I didn't want to be stopping every half hour to pee, so I only drank 2 glasses (20 ounces each) of water that morning. I was THIRSTY when I got home that evening!! I also took the kids to the park after school, so didn't get to my third "glass" until 6! That was completely unintentional. Food-wise, I am thinking I will get back to eating my meal at lunchtime. I enjoy eating dinner with the family, but our dinners are getting later and everyone is enjoying playing outside or at the neighbor's house so much that it ends up being a grab and go type of deal anyway...or I set out the plates of food and they "graze", dropping by the table between fights or whatever is on tv or whoever "cool" is outside. It's interesting around here!
EXERCISE: I went for a long walk yesterday with Zoe in the stroller. There is a HUGE hill not far from my house and we went up it! Then I noticed another HUGE(er) hill off of that one and we went up that one, too!! I was a little tired and wobbly at the top, but felt quite accomplished! The walk down, interestingly, was kind of hard, too. The steepness and concentrating on not falling and trying to make sure I didn't let go of the stroller was tricky. I think all in all the walk covered a distance of 1.7 miles (just measured at http://www.geodistance.com/) and it took me 40 minutes, but I defend my time by reminding you of the HUGE HILLS! Ha, ha.
TIPS/ISSUES: Truly my only issue has been the desire to snack. It has always been my "go-to" stress reliever, or happy enhancer, I guess! I just love food and the tastes...when something tastes good I just want to keep enjoying that! I have learned to not try (yet) to control my portions. If I know something is yummy and not great for me and high in calories, I just choose to not have any rather than try to have a little. It is what works for me now...I hope to "cure" that in the future.
So, I need to run, but I have a quick story to share! It brightened my day considerably and I hope it will provide someone with the knowledge that YOU CAN DO IT!!! The rewards are so much more than just the feeling better!!
I literally have two seconds to try to type this...the gist is a good friend who I used to see quite regularly, particularly when I was pregnant with Zoe and directly afterwards, hadn't seen me in a few months. I ran into her yesterday and she DIDN'T RECOGNIZE ME! I wish I had longer to hang with her and chat, but I was in a huge hurry (story of my life).
xoxo
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