Weekly Weigh-In Results!

I haven't posted my weight loss progress for a while now. I don't really know why, either, as I sure haven't digressed from my plan.

When I got sick, in 2003, and came out of the hospital (finally) I was weighing in at 185. During this journey, 185 has been my magic number. I felt like once I reached that weight I had finally shed the shroud of gloom that being sick had left on me would be gone forever.

This morning I am proud to report that I weighed in at 184.7!!

*happy dance*

That's right, folks, that stupid illness that controlled me for so many years has now been completely and forever AKd from my life!! I foresee blue skies ahead, and a new hairdo, which is my gift for reaching this mini-goal.

Hugs & chocolate~

Jenn

x-posted to my LiveJournal & Fitting It In.

Week 11 Weigh-In

Wow, what a week! I'm so excited, because I lost 2.2 pounds this week.

This is a big deal, since Saturday was our eleventh wedding anniversary. I took the day off dieting, and we went to Red Lobster and A-T-E. I was miserable I ate so much. I needed it, though. It has made me appreciate the healthy way my new way of eating makes me feel.

I've now lost over 10% of my body weight, and am just under a third of the way to my final goal! *does the happy dance all OVER the place*

I'll end this by sharing a new recipe I came up with a little while back. I made it again this past week and was reminded of how good it was, so I figured I'd put it out there for whoever is interested.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Pine Nut & Garlic Spinach

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced
1/2 of a small red onion, diced
10 Kalamata olives, chopped
16 oz. package of frozen spinach
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat your indoor grill (an outdoor grill cooks too slowly, taking away the flavors).
2. Using a meat tenderizer, pound out the chicken to 1/4" thick.
3. Combine the feta cheese, diced red bell pepper and red onion, and Kalamata olives in a bowl.
4. Divide evenly between the chicken breasts, being careful not to overstuff.
5. Fold the chicken up so that the stuffing will stay inside when cooked.
6. Cook the chicken on the indoor grill until cooked through.
7. Combine the frozen spinach, pine nuts, and garlic in a microwave-safe bowl.
8. Cover and microwave according to the package directions.
9. When done, divide the spinach evenly between four plates.
10. Place a stuffed chicken breast on top of the spinach on each plate.

This is an incredibly easy dinner to make that even my picky 9-YO loves! From beginning to end it only takes me about 45 minutes to prepare and cook. Let me know what you think, and more importantly, ENJOY!!

I'm still alive...

but real life has attacked full force this week. Baseball games, puppy training, household chores (most of which have been ignored) - I don't know which way to turn first!

On the craft front, I found out Sunday afternoon that I had to have an afghan done for a wedding shower on May 16th. That's ample time; however, I've joined the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup on Ravelry, and the first day of classes is Friday! I can't have such a huge project on my plate with this starting, which means that I have until Thursday night/Friday morning to crank this thing out. I chose the Kitties in a Row afghan, by Beverly A. Qualheim. It's a fast one, to be sure. The pattern repeat is simple enough that I don't have to keep referencing it, and I don't have to focus my energy on counting - rows OR stitches. I started on it Sunday night, and am now around 35% on it, though I haven't been home much to work on it. Fingers crossed that I can get it done!

Here's a close-up pic of the kittehs. Can you see them?












I'm also working on Herringbone Slouch, by CanarySanctuary. These are my "Oh, wow, ANOTHER baseball game" project, as they're more portable and warm-weather friendly than the afghan. I'm almost halfway through the second one, and can't wait to cast them off and get them blocked!








I also just realized that I didn't post my weekly weight loss on Monday! I was only down .2 pounds from last week - but, hey, a loss is a loss!! I'm a little better than that now, so as long as I keep going down I'm pleased.

Time to go for now, though - laundry is calling and then I have to get back on the crochet wagon.

Hugs & chocolate~

Jenn

Week 9 Weigh-In

Drum roll, please .................................................

Today's weight as 197.1!! I've now officially lost 20.3 pounds, which is amazing.

It would have been more, but a horrible event Thursday sent me running for the chocolate. You see, my beloved Boxer - Lady - lost her battle with cancer. She was almost 8 years old, and the loss struck a blow that I still feel acutely. Because of this, I've totally forgiven myself for my chocolate binge. I won't be letting it happen again anytime soon, but it was warranted AND needed.

To end this post, I'll let you all see just what I lost.

Lady Anastsia Bragg
June 11, 2001 - April 16, 2009

SQUEE!

You all know by now that I get up and do the Wii Fit every morning. Well, this morning when I hopped on - man, I HATE the way that thing says, "OH!" when you step on it! - I was in for quite a happy surprise...

I have now lost 20 pounds!!!!!!!!!!

ZOMG! From 2/16/2009 to 4/15/2009 I dropped t-w-e-n-t-y pounds. Whoah. I feel like I could conquer the world right now.

Week 8 Weigh-In

Well, I flopped. Last week was just a train wreck for me! The hubby was on vacation, which was great, but it also meant that I was much busier than normal. The result? Continually making the wrong, albeit easy, food choices - which left me in a constant state of hunger. I finally caved in last night and did some major emotional eating. Enough that what was a .5 pound loss for the week turned into me breaking dead even.

I know, I know, it could have been much worse. I could have gained. I could be back over 200, instead of still below it. I'm trying hard not to beat myself up over it, but I'm having a hard time of it, so I'm going to list the positives of my self-imposed plateau.

1. I managed to go on vacation and NOT gain weight. I made the best choices available during the trip.
2. I got to spend 10 days of quality time with my hubby and accomplish a lot of the outside work we needed to get done.
3. I got to watch the Cincinnati Reds thrash the NY Mets - all from 200 feet behind home plate!
4. I'm still a heck of a lot healthier than I was 8 weeks ago!

There. Amazingly enough I feel better now. Now to get back to it and do this thing right! Goals for the week are going to be to have fun with the boys, who are on spring break; drink plenty of water, which I've been doing great on but want to continue; LOSE some weight, instead of staying the same; and do my Tai Chi at least 3 times.

One little thing - I met a goal last week! I managed to wean myself away from sugar in my coffee, sticking to just a bit of non-dairy creamer. Go me!!

Week 7 Weigh-In

I knew when I started this journey that I would have to set-up little successes along the way to celebrate- to keep me from getting bored and/or distracted. For my first mini-goal I really wanted to get below 200 pounds. That always felt like the point of doom for me - even when I was initially putting on the weight. I remember thinking "I'm okay, I'm still under 200." Then, when I crept past 200, I felt like all hope was lost. It just stood to reason that getting back below that mark would be my first goal.

I'm very ecstatic, today, to report that I finally reached my first mini-goal! I weighed in with a 3.3 pound loss, bringing my current weight to 199.1 pounds. If you could see me right now, you'd see the biggest smile - albeit a watery one because I feel like crying a bit, too. I just feel so relieved! Alright, moving right along to goals for this week.

Number one will be getting used to a new daily points value. Getting below 200 means that I have to drop 2 points from my daily total - down to 24 from 26. This shouldn't be too hard, as I usually find myself having to force something else in in the evening just to meet my points.

Number two will be to try, yet again, to ween myself off of my evening coffee. I'm really having a problem with this, as I love my after dinner coffee immensely. Any pointers or tips in this area will be greatly appreciated.

Number three will simply be to keep myself healthy! Spring allergies are displaying themselves in all of their wicked glory. Add to that the fact that my hubby is on vacation this week and we're doing a lot of hard, physical, outside work and I'm already feeling drained. Not good, as he still has another week before he has to report back to work. I'm just going to have to listen to my body and quit when I need to. I'm making sure to stay hydrated, and to take my vitamins daily - I just hope that's enough to keep me from getting too rundown!

Well, I think that is more than enough to get on with for this week. Anymore than that, with everything I've already got on my plate, and I'll fail on some of them and beat myself up.

Wish me luck!

Week 6 Weigh-In

Well, this week ended up being one of "those" weeks. I haven't been hungry since Thursday, had to force myself to eat, and have now spent the better part of the past 12 hours awake - which is bad on its own - but also with some horrible kind of stomach ick. The result was the scale saying that, since yesterday, I had put on 1.3 pounds. This dropped my total loss for the week to -0.6 pounds. Still a loss, but not much of one. I'm not down about it, though. I'm choosing, instead, to realize that I lost more weight than that, but this stomach crud is causing some nasty bloating - a fact that is confirmed by the feeling in my gut while drinking a glass of water.

I'm going to be taking care of myself today - obviously - starting with some oatmeal and ginger tea. I'm going to try to get a couple of glasses of water in my system first. Hopefully that will flush out some of this crud and get me back on my feet in enough time to get some cleaning done.

Goals for this week will be to

1. Use the Wii Fit for more than my daily Body Test at least 3 times.
2. Start weaning myself off of my evening coffee and onto a cup of chamomile tea. I'll use honey to sweeten it, so it will still have calories and points - but no caffeine.
3. Stay away from granola bars for breakfast. I've eaten them for the past 3 days and now have the dreaded, aforementioned stomach crud. I need a larger, more protein-filled breakfast and I need to force myself to do that!
4. Go to bed earlier. I'm not getting enough sleep lately, and I'm really starting to feel it!
5. Drink a glass of water every morning before drinking my coffee - and right after.
   

Okay, Fitties and friends - ciào!

Hugs & chocolate~

Jenn

Week 5 Weigh-In

I get up every morning and do the Body Test on my Wii Fit. I've noticed over the past week that my weight was fluctuating quite a bit from day to day, even though I was doing the test at the same time each morning! I'm thinking, though, that it's just the result of being a girl. I actually lost more weight this week than I have any other week since I began this journey. That being said...

drum roll, please.....................................

I'm down another 3.1 pounds! SQUEE!! That brings my total weight loss at the end of 5 weeks to 14.4 pounds. Wow. That even impresses me!

It also makes me wonder just why I failed every other time I've tried to lose this weight over the past 6 years. When it wasn't such a large amount, but only 20 pounds, only 30. Why could I not make the commitment stick then? Instead, like an idiot, I sit around bemoaning the illness that caused the weight gain until it becomes almost insurmountable. I've only got one thing to say to that - I am a DUMB ASS!

Oh, well, c' est la vie, right? I did it, can't change it, and have learned a lot about myself in the process. I've also learned a lot about the human body - how to read the signals that scream STOP! at the top of their lungs, yet are oh so easily ignored. I guess that may just be the reason that all of this happened. To teach me how to listen to my body and quit pushing it so hard.

Anyway, as I enter into my 6th week I find myself happy and content with the routine I've established. I'm much more active, don't tire out as much. My skin is clearer, my hair is shinier, and I'm just generally happy now. The gray cloud that hovered over me is still there - it will be until the weight is gone - but I've pulled ahead of it now and it's just trying to catch up. It can try all it wants, but it's not going to. I'm determined this time, and the longer I stay on track the more determined I find myself becoming. Okay, so goals...

1. The ever-present "exercise more". I've increased my activities A LOT, especially over the past week. The return of beautiful weather has helped, I've spent time 3 different days playing in my garden - affectionately named "The Burrow" - preparing it for spring blooms. The thing is, as I increase my activity, the more energy I have! Why not use it to be up and about more?
2. I still need to work on drinking more water. Especially this week. I've woken up the past 2 mornings with severe sinus issues, and I think that hydrating more during the day would really help this. I'll let you know!
3. Because of the sinus issues I'm having my 3rd goal is a little step away from the norm. I want to focus this week on taking better care of myself. I'm eating good, I'm exercising, but I've been awful about getting enough sleep! I'm getting older now, and going to bed at 1 AM and popping back up at 5:45 AM to get the boys to school and the hubby off to work is just not good enough any more! I've been exhausted for DAYS now, and I'm afraid that if I don't challenge myself to get it in hand that I'll end up sick.

Alright, that's if for this week's goals. Fingers crossed that I'll reach my first benchmark either this week, or next!

Hugs & chocolate~

Jenn

Week 4 Weigh-In

Another great week of weight loss! I'm down another 2 pounds, making my grand total lost 11.3 pounds!

This is just getting better and better for me. I no longer feel cheated when the hubby and boys have pizza for dinner - I feel happy that by eating my Weight Watcher's Smart Ones meal and some salad and fruit I'm taking care of myself.

Everytime that I move around I can feel my body move inside of my clothes - instead of feeling restricted and uncomfortable. I envision my waist getting smaller as the days go by, and it helps me walk straighter. Each step that I'm taking is bringing me closer to the place I need...no, it's more than that, I WANT to be. Already I can look in the mirror and feel happy with the changes I'm seeing in my body. I'm working towards being able to look in the mirror and feel happy with everything that I see. I want to be proud to be me again.

Now for some goals for week 5. I'll be going light on goals this week, as baseball practices start for my 9-year old and my 17-year old started his first job over the weekend. I've got to get used to the change in scheduling, and transitory weeks can be full of doom for me if I pressure myself too much! So, yeah, goals:

1. Drink more water. I only drink coffee in the morning and evening and water the rest of the day, but the amount of water I ingested last week dwindled some. I need to get it back up there!
2. Quit pushing myself on "errand" days. I found last week that worrying myself over running the sweeper, making the beds, and what-not on a day where I've been out shopping for clothes, groceries, running to the dry cleaners, etc., was just too much for me. This week I want to tell myself that it's okay if the sweeper doesn't get run one day - either that or muster up the will to ask my husband to take care of it on those days. (Errand days are his days off.)
3. As always, I want to exercise a bit more. This really seems to be my short-coming. It seems like there is always something - alright, someone! else demanding my time and attention, so I've been pushing exercise to the back burner. This needs to stop immediately!
4. Lose at least another pound. Every little bit counts, and a pound a week is fine and dandy with me!
   

Alrighty, then, I guess that about wraps it up for this week - wish me luck!

Hugs & chocolate~

Jenn

Week 3 Weigh-In

Drumroll, please . . .

Last week I lost 1.6 pounds! A little ways off from the 2 pound loss that I was aiming for, but the numbers speak for themselves and a 9.3 pound loss in 3 weeks is nothing to sneeze at.

The best part about this loss is not even feeling my clothing get gradually looser on my body, it's the way I'm starting to feel. I'm not tiring out as quickly now. I still need to rest the day after running around doing grocery shopping and domestic Goddess duties, but the sick-achy-drained feeling that normally plagued those days after is gone. I'm finding myself wanting to be active - Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 2 has fast become something of an addiction for me - and I've even been out playing with Bradley!

One thing I've figured out is that setting a 2 pound goal for myself to lose every week is kind of overdoing it. I'm looking to lost weight and lose it for good, not go for another yo-yo type of loss. That being said I'm going to lower my goal for week 4. So, hmmm, goals. I guess I need some . . .

1. I want to lose at least a pound.

2. Add in a bit more exercise time. Maybe shoot for 40 minutes a day, not counting Mondays or Tuesdays. Those are the days that I clean all day and count that as my activity.

That should do it! Nice, attainable, productive goals that it is possible to meet and help boost me along. 'Til next time!

Week 2 Weigh-In (& a food journal recap)

Wow. This past week was just . . . wow. I totally failed at posting my food journal, as well as not getting in my recommended amount of points 2 of the days. My baby's 9th birthday was Friday, so the whole of that day was spent icing cupcakes with *hangs head in shame* quite a bit of finger licking. I did manage to refrain from eating anything taboo at the party, but running through the Taco Bell drive-thru at 9PM for dinner - even if it was a Fresco style chicken soft taco and a pintos 'n' cheese - just isn't good diet fodder.

All that aside, imagine my surprise when I discovered that I still lost 1.7 pounds this week! I'm kind of glad that I struggled this week, because now I know that even when life gets crazy I can still keep this thing going.

This week's goals are to:

1. Update my food journal online daily.
2. Lose 2 pounds.
3. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day.

Wish me luck!

Week 1 Weigh-In

I bounced out of bed this morning, jumped on the scale, and then freaked out a bit. After a second I took a deep breath, let it out, and looked down . . .

and found that I'd lost 6 pounds!!

I know that most of it was more than likely water weight, but I still feel proud, happy, and motivated. Let's get on with week 2 and see if I can keep it up!