Birthdays and Pajama Jeans

Good Evening!

Today I celebrated my 31st birthday.. and I indulged ;)

At lunch, I ate an entire can of progresso soup instead of my usual serving.. 

this led me to feeling bloated thanks to all the sodium, but it was tasty at the time :)

This evening Ron and I took our kiddos out to pizza hut.. I don't know how many calories that entailed , and I am sure I do not want to know ;) And then it was back to Memeres and Peperes for cake and ice cream.. I had been looking forward to it all day! delicious! 

I received some gifts from family and friends , but my absolute favorite would have to be this

No judging , people! hahaha :) These jeans are as comfy as pajamas ;) ... 

And now my birthday is coming to an end and I am snuggled up in bed gearing up for my weekend of working . 
Also, I want to thank all of you for your Birthday wishes!! xoxox

Enjoy your weekend , Every one!

Parsnips Taste Like Carrots on Steroids

So, as promised, I made the parsnip french fries. I went in to this with so much excitement and anticipation..
However, the moment I started cutting them up I knew I was going to possible dislike them... All I could smell was an intense carrot scent.
I like carrots, I guess.. but I wouldn't say they are my very favorite dish... or scent.. unless its in cake form ;)

here they are..

I REALLY wish I could have gotten past the carrot taste.. but it wasn't happening. Next time I will either just do baked potato wedges or baked sweet potato fries. Anything is OK in moderation :)

I also attempted a new recipe.. Tuna cakes. Sounds strange.. but trust me, they were Delicious and I was even able to get some shredded veggies in them. At 70 calories a serving.. I was totally OK with it

I'm not a fan of fish at all, but these were good! I paired mine with a salad and yogurt :)
So the parsnips were a no and the tuna was a yes.. 1 out of 2 isn't bad!

Grocery Shopping and Parsnip Fries

Today was a productive day! I have been so busy working the last week or so that I had to take my day off and catch up on some grocery shopping and errands. 

Right off the bat I realized that I had succumbed to one of my worst old habits...

I left the house with out eating breakfast. 

I realized this when I had already made it to Caribou and was grabbing a Latte Lite at DD.  This unfortunate incident had me googling DD menu's/calories for a healthy choice. I ended up with an egg white wake up wrap that was around 200 calories. Crisis avoided.. lesson learned!

I have also been thinking a lot about french fries lately.. the reasons are obvious.. 

French fries are the most amazing , salty, delicious, snack pretty good. 

I have been trying to find less starchy , less calorie filled alternatives and there were lots of contenders
butternut squash fries
Zucchini fries
Avocado fries { I just might try these something! love me some avocado!}
Carrot fries

.. which led me to purchase these,,

My very first parsnip purchase :) in hopes of turning them in to this..

{ You can find the original recipe here -- http://applecrumbles.wordpress.com/2009/03/31/parsnip-french-fries/}

:) to be continued tomorrow..

ohhhhh the suspense!!

Thirty-one is creeping up on me!

In 2 short days, I will be celebrating my 31st birthday!

In full disclosure of this blog's topic.. I want to state out right that I will be eating chocolate cake that day.. and probably something not good for me at the Sporting Club... and that is A-ok!  

And as for something i think I am ready for..

I officially 100 percent have to let go of my 20's now.. at least last year I could pull the old, " but I just turned 30" ... not any more! Its time to get comfortable and happy with my 30's because I am going to be here a while ;) 

And lets be honest, who would really want to go back to their 20's?! .. 
Not I. 

My 30th year was honestly a pretty good one.. I made lots of choices and decisions that are leading me to such wonderful things this year. I am heading in the right direction and have a lot of great things going for me right now..
Great family..
Wonderful, supportive friendships..
Jobs that I love..

And I know I do not have to point this out, since every one knows.. but damn it.. it feels good to say it. 

I quit smoking in my 30th year! ! 

Now I am focusing on my skin and working on fixing those wrinkles that smoking 2 packs a day for 15 years caused me.. ! I want to look like I am in my 30's as well.. not my 50's :)

It's really the perfect age.. I look old enough to no longer be carded.. but young enough to still have my youthful glow about me..

Or at least I hope so!

Monday! Otherwise Known as Weigh in Day!

Good morning every one! 

This week I did my best to stay on track.. and I must admit.. I did SPECTACULAR :) I no longer feel like I need snacks in between meals and smaller portions are making me much more satisfied. 

I have to say that I am impatient and want to get to the end result ..

but I am certain that all of this hard work will pay off in time :) like when I am NOT buying a size 18 swimsuit this summer. :) That will be a nice change. 

This morning was weigh in day and i weighed in at.... DRUM ROLL PLEASE......

222.2 ! 

So lets recap! 

1-1-2014   weighed in at 235 lbs

1-6-2014   weighed in at 232.4

1-13-2014 weighed in at 231. 6 

1-20-2014 weighed in at 226.2

1-27-2014 weighed in at 222.2

That's 4 lbs exactly from last week, and 13 lbs this month!!! :)

Bokwa Fitness! My Next Step :)

I am so excited with my progress and determination. I really attribute it to the boost of confidence I had when I quit smoking almost 6 months ago. I had worked myself up and worried endlessly over how hard quitting smoking would be, and it turned out to be one of the easiest transitions for me :) Now I know that my will, and self control are there , I just need to apply them to weight loss as well! :)

So this month I have really been working on taking out a lot of the things that are no good for me..  Soda? Good bye! White foods and refined sugars? See ya! Super large portions? Get out of here... And then I added things I was lacking as well.. Water, sleep ( hmmm.. still working on this one ;) , a new skin care regimen, positive thinking.. and naturally, the next thing to add will be exercise! 

( I am hoping this doesn't last long? haha!!)

As some of you know, I am really interested in running.. I am not sure why, but I can tell you that I get excited thinking about possibly doing a 5k. However, it is icy and cold here in Van Buren and I think I will wait a few weeks until it warms up :) 

Recently , I was turned on to a new dance work out, Bokwa. 

Bokwa is a high intense work out, but is easy to learn well. It all centers around making movements in the shape of letters and numbers. There is a 6 week class starting in caribou February 4, and I couldn't be more ready to have fun and excel my weight loss!

Its F - up Friday!

When I made this healthy life style change in the beginning of the month, I vowed I would balance my will power and my love of sweets. I decided that Friday's I would allow myself an indulgence of some type.. Since I behave so well all week long I earn myself a tasty treat on Friday evenings :) This week was no exception.. my indulgence of choice? Chocolate pudding pie with sprinkles..

Some thing must have gotten through to me though because I used sugar free cool whip and sugar free pudding. 

Worth the entire 180 + calories ..

Gosh.. I am such a rebel ;) 
Enjoy your weekend , Every one!

A before picture.. while I still can ;)

Before I go any further, I really wanted to be able to capture myself at my *before weight... in no time at all I am going to be fit and trim and slim and.. ;) haha..you get the point... Capture it now before I can no longer do so. 

And here is full frame, beautiful me!

And I want to take a moment to really reflect on "me" right now. I do not necessarily dislike the way I look.. I guess you could say that I have always been pretty content with myself at any weight.  I am pretty well proportioned so I tend to carry the weight well, however, it still cant be avoided, whether I love myself or not.. I AM over 230 lbs.. I have a BMI in the morbidly obese range.. its time for a change!!

And my goal is to loose 92 lbs but keep my smile.. I rather like my smile ;)

Brownie Temptations and Latte Love

This healthy life style change is getting easier by the day! Today I made brownies, and didn't eat any. It wasn't even much a challenge, per say.. and those of you who know me are well aware of my addiction to sweets :) 

I have also found that it is a lot easier to stop eating when I feel full. In the past I have gone on a strict calorie diet and split my calories up for the day. I would make sure that I was getting the most calories I could for each meal or snack and I would eat every last bite of it... and then, more often then not I would sit around thinking about how hungry I was until my next meal. This time around is a lot more relaxed.. I am not counting every little calorie but I can tell you that I am not coming close to consuming the amounts I was in the past.

I am just 

1. eating less 

2. eating off smaller plates 

3. taking my time to eat so I can feel when I am satisfied 

4. not eating every last thing on my plate 

5. eating a more balanced diet 

6. Saying no to the white carbs! ( for the most part) 7. drinking more water 
8. ( one of the biggest impacts) I stopped drinking soda.. and when I say soda, I mean that up until the beginning of 2014 I was drinking a few bottles of Mt. Dew a day.. pretty much, I was {drinking} over 1000 calories a day in just soda. Yikes!

9. allowing myself a couple of my old faves..

and that brings me to this... 

A small mocha iced latte .. about 200 calories of true love. 

I said no to the brownie.. but today is Wednesday and since Wednesday is dance night for my oldest daughter , that means I get a treat from DD .  I had one last week and still managed about a 5 lb weight loss , so the lattes stay. ;)

Enjoy your evening , every one!

It's Wing Night!!! .. Well, kind of :)

I am pretty proud of myself! Today was a little frustrating and I was left feeling a tiny but disappointed. Now usually in this type of situation I would comfort eat.. but this time was different.

NO MORE COPING WITH FOOD!

I resisted the urge and went on with my afternoon..

Now on to the good stuff!! Even though I am eating healthy , it doesn't mean I cant enjoy it :) Tonight I had my own healthier version of buffalo wings.. Buffalo Chicken Meatballs.. 

and at only about 40 calories a meatball... I don't need to feel guilty about it! haha. 

"Wing night Chicken meatballs"
1 lb ground chicken
1 egg
{1 carrot, celery and half an onion, cut in chunks and ground up in the food processor}
1/4 of wing sauce or Franks red hot
1/2 cup of bread crumbs

Mix ingredients, make in to 24 balls and cook on 350 degrees for 20 mins.

Drizzle with wing sauce or franks red hot

YUM!!


Enjoy your night , every one!!

Today Was Weigh in Day!

Today has boosted my self esteem, and shown  me that if I put in the work I will reap the benefits! I LOST :) I am no longer in the 230's ! If any one looked at my weight loss ticker post they will see that it now reflects a 9 lb loss. I will break that down for every one..

1-1-2014   weighed in at 235 lbs

1-6-2014   weighed in at 232.4

1-13-2014 weighed in at 231. 6 

1-20-2014 weighed in at 226.2

9 lbs down this month :) I will certainly take that! Last week was rough and I only saw a less then 1 pound loss.. but i also believe that is what pushed me to loose what I did this week. 

I am going to be so healthy ( skinny.. haha)  for Disney in October! :D

Will Power

In a little less then 2 weeks, I will be 31 years old. Its funny to realize that I have never fully stuck with any health kick I have been on . I always go in to it thinking I want to loose weight but then give up the moment I want to eat something... This entire scenario usually occurs within the first few days of said diet. 

This time is going to be different. This time IS different.

 As I lay in bed typing this, all I can think about it eating a snack. That's very typical of me.I am a night eater and i love to snack. I could mindlessly put away a bag of chips or a box of crackers.. awful. 

So this time it is different.

I am learning my bodies signals. I know how it feels when I am hungry because for the first time ever, I am making myself feel hungry instead of eating even when I am not. And I am choosing to not eat after supper. I find that when I eat at night, I get carried away and eat too much.. so instead, I have a bottle of water by my bed and I will wait for breakfast ;)

My Weight Loss Ticker!

It has been a successful weekend so far! I was nervous because I did so well last week and then completely derailed on the weekend 

Pasta

take out

bread... lots and lots of it.

BUT NOT THIS WEEKEND :P I am focused! I didn't even let Saturday morning breakfast stump me :) I made pancake apple slices.. they were a hit.. and at about 100 calories a serving, they didn't leave me feeling guilty. 

I have also found that after just a few days of portion control and staying on track, I am starting to feel satisfied with less food :P

and so here it is.. it looks pathetic right now.. but I can tell you that this is the last time you will see it only reflecting a 1lb weight loss!!!

Created by MyFitnessPal - Nutrition Facts For Foods

Over Being the Over Weight Mom

Today felt like a challenge, but I suppose that is because I had a little more stress then normal. 

This morning I woke up and convinced ( begged and pleaded ) with my 3 children to get dressed and ready. This may not seem like much of a challenge but I am blessed to be the mother of a 12 year old daughter, Cea ( can any one say pre teen angst?! haha) and 2 children diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Ev is 9 and Kinzzy is 6. My two little ones are not fans of sleep..

I might get to sleep again when I am 45.. and I am okay with that ;)

So today, I get them ready and head to their psychiatric appointment 45 minutes from home. Typically, on these days I would just get Mcdonalds for breakfast...

to be totally honest, on these days I would usually get Mcdonalds for breakfast.. go to the drs appointments and come out 2.5 hours later and get Mcdonalds for lunch. 

Today I did not eat Mcdonalds.. I ate a semi healthy breakfast at home, went to the appointment and came back home to eat a healthy lunch. I am very proud of myself.

I am going to continue to stay positive and look forward to a skinnier future :)

Goals

Today was less of a challenge for me, but I attribute that to last nights epiphany. I CAN DO THIS. I recently quit smoking after smoking 2 packs a day for over 15 years.. it was a challenge, but nothing compared to this. I lack in will power.. and my food cravings are insane. I am waiting for it to be easier. 

Short term goals- 

2 lbs a week loss

up my water intake

Add exercise 

Fight temptations

Long term goals- 

Loose 92 pounds 

run a 5k 

I am well on my way ! Staying hopeful and positive! 

Saying No to the Toaster Strudel..

In my (almost) 31 years of existence, I have spent a great amount of time making myself happy. I have given in to most temptations concerning food, which has no led me here.. 232 pounds. I have never told myself no, or even allowed myself 20 minutes to get over the temptation of what ever sugary food I want at the moment... That is until tonight! I am very excited to say that I DID NOT eat a toaster strudel. I am feeling a small victory..and I think this is what I needed to propel my self further on my weight loss journey. I am so over being over weight.