AMEN, Fortune Cookie!

I finally had my Chinese!!!!! I made better choices than usual, and kept my unhealthy choices to a medium. I savored every bite, I was in Heaven! My husband picked the best treat! The snow is starting to pummel us again, so we had to drive out in that mess, but it was sooooo worth it. I still feel like crap, but not as bad. I did make a full food diary today, but I will try to get around to publishing it tomorrow.



I took some pictures of me today, similar to glamour, but I didn't have make-up on. If you do little things like that for yourself, it can make a world of difference for your self-esteem. After all your hard work, you deserve to be pampered! And it doesn't have to cost a fortune either! Last week, I gave myself a much needed pedi to get ready for spring, and it felt so good!



Anyways, to get to my title, my fortune cookie said, "The road to success is often a lonely one." AMEN! Even if you have a crowd of support, it is you who makes the choices to lead to success. I am the one making the choices, not anyone else. I am doing this for myself first; then my family, to be able to be active with my kids, and so on. If I succeed, its on me, if I fail, its on me. Although, failure is not an option for me. I am seeing this through all the way. For the rest of my life. I am a food addict, and addictions don't get broken just like that. It takes a lifetime of beating temptation from here on out. It's not easy, but good things never do come easy! With this said, don't get me wrong: I love every supportive message I have gotten, and it helps me push myself that much further. I am not saying I don't need anyone supporting me.....I do! I am simply saying your success lies in your choices, and your choices alone. Only you have the will to succeed, and it is support that helps you keep focus on your goal.



Ok, here is my menu:



MENU





I have been making a dish I will call CRAZY CRAISIN CHICKEN. Don't scoff, the craisins make the meal. Yum. Yum. It adds a sweet tang to it. Here is the recipe:



2 chicken breasts or 4 chicken thighs

1 1/2 cups of brown rice

1 16 oz. frozen bag of stir fry veggies, or just broccoli

2 cups Kraft Light Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing (Yes, I LOVE this stuff!!!!!)

1 oz. Craisins

kosher salt to taste

pepper to taste



Boil chicken until thoroughly cooked. Take chicken out of pan and put it in your freezer to cool. Add rice to the broth in the pan, and cook for about 4 minutes alone. Add frozen veggies, and boil until alot of the liquid is dissolved. Take the chicken out of the freezer, shred it, and add it to the pan. Add the salt and pepper to your taste. Keep boiling for another 5 minutes or so, however long it takes for the liquid to be nearly gone. Add the Dressing, and let stand for about 5 more minutes. Add the Craisins, and stir. Serve. Enjoy! =)


This makes ALOT of food! I have started to put 1 1/2 cup portions in my Healthy Choice Steamers bowls and freezing them. I ate one bowl for lunch today.

With all this being said, 'tis time for the.....


Thought of the Day
Success doesn't find you, you have to earn it.

I'm a LOSER, Baby!!!!!

I haven't been feeling well lately, so I haven't been keeping intricate food diaries. They are very essential in weight loss, so you see just exactly what you are eating! As I start to feel better I will actually start posting them. That also helps as well, knowing that other people see what I eat!

I am VERY pleased to announce I have lost 8 pounds! As I stated in another post, I thought I would be lucky to lose 2! As I continue to perfect my eating habits, I can't wait to see how much more I can lose, as well as being HEALTHY! When I went to go weigh myself, I was apprehensive to step on that scale. I was hoping I didn't gain! I had to have a Nurse help me weigh myself.....I hate those scales at the Doctor's office!!!!!! When she told me my weight I gasped as my husband patted me on the shoulder and told me I did a good job. Once outside I did a victory dance and whooping, and there was this older woman sitting in her car that was next to ours just glaring at me. I told my husband she was thinking I was a nut, but I didn't care. I was in Heaven.

That feeling didn't last long though, I called my Mom to tell her the good news, and she told me just not to let this be a fad that will only last a month or two. Gee, thanks for the support Mom.
Anyhow, not feeling good and trying to stay focused on a diet DO NOT go hand in hand! I have been a bit stressed with it, and made a few wrong choices. But, that's ok. I am just going to move on. They weren't too awful of choices, no overeating or oversplurging. But, it definately was not in my new plan, and it is something I don't plan to let myself do.

My oranges are starting to rot, so I have been chowing on those. At least the Vitamin C will come in handy right now. I had some oatmeal today and put a banana and Craisins in it, and sprinkled some Cinnamon sugar in it. It was pretty good. It was the instant kind of oatmeal mixed with water, so it had a gooey texture to it. Blecch! I am just so used to Southern-style cooking. Fried foods, gravy, all that good stuff that isn't good for you. And we did go to alot of buffets, and that's what I have to steer clear of, because that is the biggest invitation to overeat there is. I still want Chinese..... I could eat it everyday, all day long.

Since I don't have complete menus, I will skip to the.....

Thought of the Day
"Be the like a postage stamp, and stick to one thing until you get there."
- Josh Billings

Reality "Bites"

I morphed my diet today into multiple small meals today. I read the suggestion Stacie left on Facebook, and it is clearly the best choice for me. Thanks Stace! =) It works for me since I have the need to eat in quantity, and constantly. I ended up consuming less calories throughout the day, and feeling fuller. I read that doing this speeds your metabolism, helping burn the calories and fat you consume. YAY! I need all of the help I can get!

I ate mostly veggies, and my night snack was 2 sugar cookies and a rice treat with mini chocolate chips. I don't exactly want to say that is ok, and I am going to be decreasing my treat intake. But, on the other hand, my low caloric and fat intake for the day well makes up for the splurge. I am wanting to decrease my treat intake to maybe 2 times a week. One day at a time.....

I feel 100% better physically since starting my diet, and I figure I am consuming a third of what I was prior to my diet. Splurges included. There are still unhealthy foods in my household, but I have chosen to eat my healthy choices. I am on the right track! I can't wait until Wednesday, I have a weight check planned. I want to see if my new regime has paid off. I will be elated to have lost 2 pounds. That will be a great start!

Ok, here is my menu for today:

MENU

I want to personally thank everyone that has joined my Facebook page, and following me on Blogger. It means alot to me, thank you everyone! I will actually start posting my Thought of the Day on the page.

Now, 'tis time for the.....

Thought of the Day
"Those who can laugh without cause have either found the true meaning of happiness or have gone stark raving mad."
-Norm Papernick

Change is GOOD!

Sigh. Ugh. I had my husband take full length pictures of me today. Although I am very, very embarassed to do so, I will publish them. This has been the biggest I have ever been. I have always been big, but compared to then, I am downright huge now. I steadied around 250 in high school, gained weight being pregnant with my son, lost alot of weight afterwards, going down to 180, gained ALOT being pregnant with my daughter, and have been ballooning ever since. These pictures prove that I need to change my weight, and change it NOW!

I can't blame noone but myself. I chose to put myself in this position, and I choose to get out of it. And keep it off!

Ok, here is my menu for today:

MENU

No more splurging for me. Don't get me wrong either, I'm not depressed, discouraged, or any other negative dis words. I am not going to eat myself into a sugar coma. This is merely fueling my fire even more to lose weight. I am just so disgusted at myself for letting this happen. I just can't wait to show off my "after" picture. I'm gonna look damn good! Woo hoo! Now its time for the.....

Thought of the Day

Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You have to set yourself on fire!

Splurge Day

Today was my Splurge Day! I didn't eat much during the day, so I decided today would be a good day for treating myself for my efforts. When I did my splurging, I am both surprised and elated that I didn't OVER-splurge! YAY ME! I actually like my new habits! I like being retrained from my old ways. It feels good. I feel good. I am looking forward to chewing away 172 pounds, nom nom nom you bad fat! That is what this blog is all about, not the usual idiomatic expression.

Today I thought about beauty. I am the epitome of "BBW", inside and out. In fact, all people have beauty, most don't know how or don't want to use it. I have come to accept myself as a Big, Beautiful Woman because that is who I am. Although, on the inside I am thin. That thin, or at least healthy woman will be coming soon. While I believe everyone is who they are, and should be proud of it, there comes a time when our downfalls must be dealt with. I have too many downfalls, but the major one is my weight. As I get older, it is affecting my body in a way that unsettles me.

I am lucky to not have high blood pressure and diabetes now, but the road I am going down doesn't guarantee I won't have those diseases say, 10 years from now. The buck stops here before it is too late. As my wonderful mother says, "Enough is enough, and too much is nasty!" I am completely overjoyed at me fighting temptation. Sure, this is the beginning of my journey, but I am on the right path, and that is ALL that matters.

Ok, here is my menu for today:

MENU

Hehe, by the way, I had my pity potty and flushed. I wasn't exactly discouraged, just frustrated.
Be yourself, love yourself, don't be afraid to change for the better. Here is the.....

Thought of the Day
Today is today, tomorrow is tomorrow. Yesterday was in the past, so let it stay there!

1 is a Lonely Number

I have been frustrated all day at the fact I am in this by myself. I have always been alone in everything that I do, but I thought this time would be different. I believe everyone needs encouragement, and I am not an exception. It seems only negative things get attention in my life, like noone wants me to succeed.

I made it to Dean's List in college, and I got a mere "ok" from my Dad. My first successful diet went unnoticed. These are instances in which I quit striving for my goal, I had nothing or nobody to fall back on, and it extinguished my inner fire.

This time, I choose to keep the fire burning at no expense. I am doing this either by myself or with support. When I reach my goal, I will glow even brighter for keeping the course I have laid out. Like my header says, one day at a time..... I am slowly but surely progressing into a healthy lifestyle.

As you can see from my ticker, I did choose to reveal my weight: 332 pounds. A healthy weight for me is: 130-160 pounds.

Here are my stats:

30 year old female
5'11"
large frame

Everything looks BIG right now, but I will reach my goal at a steady, healthy pace. I know and BELIEVE I can do it. Once I put my mind to something, IT GETS DONE. PERIOD.

Ok, here is today's menu:

MENU


It feels good knowing I can count on myself and trust myself to be there for me. Me, Myself and I.....that's all I've got in the end.....haha shameful Beyonce song reference. Gotta love it. Now here is the.....

Thought of the Day
YOU are the architect of your own destiny.

Bad Choices, Good Choices

Today started off with me craving food, food, and more food. I have been craving Chinese all day long! I have an immense love for Chinese food, buffets in particular. The thoughts of food consumed my mind, for I am a quantity eater. What makes matters worse is that I am stuck in the house because of the mass snow we have been having here. If there is one thing I have learned about Indiana, it is that the weather here changes its mind faster than the mind of a female. =D

It got better for me after we went out and got active. I then went to the store to get a couple more Healthy Choice dinners, but came out with $100 of food! lol What can I say? I am a female, I love to shop. There is NOTHING that retail therapy can't fix. Well, it can't fix the dent in your wallet, of course! lol While I was there, I floated pass the bakery (WHY DO THEY PUT THE PRODUCE NEXT TO THE BAKERY?! ARRRRGGGHH!) and took a gander at the cakes, pies, DONUTS!, and such. I looked at the labels and promptly put them down. I wanted to stomp my foot and cry like a 2-year-old, I wanted those delectable, sugary sweets! But..... I just went on. I am sooooo proud of myself for not giving in.

Which brings me to my final thoughts of today: I am retraining my bad eating habits that I have had my entire life! This does NOT happen overnight! Will and tenacity only gets you so far. It's the choices you make that seals the deal. I replaced my old bad choices with new good choices when it comes to my eating habits. Is it easy? haha - NO! But I did it, and I am glad I did rather than regretting my bad choices.

I did weigh myself today. I am very uneasy to publish the number. I also took pictures of my "before" body. I will definately post these things after I lose weight. I do not like the numbers, and I do not like the way I look. That is a big part of why I am losing weight, the other being for health reasons. The key is I am doing it for myself. That is the ONLY way it will work, and that should be the only reason anyways. While at the store, I saw people who were way more overweight than I am riding scooters. Most were probably only in their 40's! That is NOT how I want to live, and I thank God I still have the ability to function on my own. If I continue to make bad eating choices, that is the road I will be traveling on. That is not what God has planned for any of us. He wants us to live full, healthy lives, but it is up to us whether that happens or not.

Ok, here goes my menu for today:

MENU

Now that I have filled your eyes with today's meanderings, I leave you with the.....


Thought of the Day
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of
enthusiasm."
-Sir Winston Churchill

My First Day

Life is all about choices. I have chosen to lose weight for the sake of my health, and to feel better about myself. I have chosen to rethink my eating habits that I have had my whole life.

As I say goodbye to overeating, comfort eating, and sugar and fat laden treats and sodas, (WHO LOVES ORANGE SODA?! I DOOOOOOOO!) I will document my goals, frustrations and menu for the day. I promise to be completely honest with myself, and hope to not have an anxiety attack while looking at what I eat on paper (and laptop screen).

I hope I can be an inspiration to not only myself (most importantly!) but to others as well. I will be doing this with humor, tenacious will, and reality. I do realize there will be setbacks. I have to remind myself this is normal, as noone is perfect, chuck it up, MOVE ON and try not to make the same mistake(s).

I realize I am without an essential part throughout this process at the moment, which is a scale. I am going to be getting one soon! I will find some way to weigh myself within the next day or two to accurately record my weight loss. I will be recording video, audio, (or both) for my blog as well.

So here goes my menu for today:

MENU


I am going to be drinking alot of Crystal Light to transition myself into plain water. I can't quit sweet drinks cold turkey! Well, that's all for now, and I will leave you with the.....

Thought of the Day
Go ahead. Have yourself a pity potty. Just don't forget to flush when you are done.