Monday, April 27, 2009

April 27, 2009.....I'm In Onederland!!

Hey all!

Its been a couple of weeks I know, but the week before last I was just plain lazy, and this past weekend I have been really busy.
Alrighty, so I worked hard last week, and this week it paid off. I lost 3.6 lbs, which put me below 200 lbs!!! I have lost 35 lbs total, since starting my weight loss attempt. I will confess and tell you that the week of Easter I gained .6 oz...hehehe.

So, I had to drop down 2 pts, which puts me at 24. I totally don't think this will be a problem for me, since last week I didn't eat all my points. For some reason, every time I tried to eat meat, it made me feel sick. Also, with my sinuses draining, that also makes me feel kinda sick to my stomach. Hopefully, this week will be better, but I think I will be okay with 24 pts.

My mom and sister have decided to give WW a try. I made them copies of all my stuff, and they seem to like it. My mom lost 3 lbs in about 5 days, and my sister lost 5 lbs in a week!! Go them!!

One bad side affect with Charles seems to be this: now whenever he eats a large meal, his gallbladder hurts. It has happened 3 times in the past month. Before that, it has never hurt. Everytime it hurt was when he overate: fried catfish and french fries, Easter, and yesterday at a big meal we had at church. Now, my gallbladder used to hurt me, but since starting WW, it has only hurt maybe once or twice which is great for me. I think Charles' problem is that he has lost the weight SO fast. I mean, he has lost 60 lbs in 3 months. That is ALOT of weight to lose in such a short amount of time. Now, I know that it isn't good to pig out on meals, but my personal motto is that it doesn't hurt to cut loose every now and again as long as you have the control to get back on the wagon, and we have been able to do that. I would hate for Charles never to be able to cut himself a little slack on holidays. My hope is that eventually his brain will catch up with his body, and he'll be able to eat on holidays again. We don't have insurance and if Charles has to take off work, it would devastate our finances. So...I am hoping my theory is correct.

Now, still depressing mood: I still can't fit into size 16 jeans. I mean, come on, I am under 200 lbs, and I've lost 35 lbs, but still the 16s aren't comfy. Ggrrr...its b/c my belly isn't shrinking as fast as other parts of me. I know belly fat is the last to go, but it will be really nice to fit into some smaller clothes. My current pants are too big, but 16s aren't small enough...sigh...oh well, at least the 18s are too big; thats a good thing at least.

Okay, well thats all for now. I am continuing my lazy streak this week, and not posting a recipe. I am not feeling too chirpy still (Charles' gallbladder attack last night made ME tired), and I feel a little drug out. I will continue my recipe posting next week. Sorry.

Starting Weight: 233 lbs
Current Weight: 198 lbs

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Saturday, April 11th....Are You Sure??

Hi All!! Hope everyone is having a great (and blessed) Easter weekend. I certainly started the weekend off in a good way when I got on the scales this morning, and saw a 4.8 lb loss!! Yep, you are reading that right, 4.8 lbs gone. How this happened, I don't even know. I only walked twice this week, and my little fried catfish supper last Saturday...well, I weighed myself two or three times, and waited a coupe of minutes between each weigh-in, so I am saying that its correct. I was just surprised to see that much of a loss. I was expecting at most 1-2 lbs, and would have been happy with that. I really don't know why I lost so much this week. I am definately at the stage where I should only be losing 1-2 lbs a week, max. We have been on WW now for almost 3 months. Now, I ain't complaining, it just seems unreal to be able to drop that much in a week. I am just gonna except it and move on.

I have another theory on why I lost that much. I think the Good Lord knows I am gonna throw down on some food tomorrow for Easter, and maybe he let me lose alot this week cuz he knows I am gonna gain some of that back next week...hehehe. My mom wanted to have grilled hamburgers for Easter...GRILLED HAMBURGERS!! I was like "Are you kidding me???" Then, I felt bad for whining cuz my mom cooks most of the food for the holidays, so I told her that if she really wanted to do hamburgers, I'd be okay with it. However, she went ahead and decided on REAL food (thank goodness). That means: ham, chicken and dumplings, chicken and dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, pecan pie, chocolate pie, cheesecake...sigh...and the list goes on. How am I going to avoid falling into this evil pit of food, you ask?? Well........I'M NOT!! Easter is one of the few days of the years I am gonna eat whatever I want. I am going to try, TRY, to not totally go overboard. I am definately gonna have me a piece of good ole cheesecake though...my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Yummy!! After we eat, the kids will hunt Easter eggs. All of my nieces and nephews are prolly actually too old to hunt egss, but who really cares? I think think the Easter Egg Police will come to the house and arrest them. I love dying Easter eggs, even though we don't have any kiddos, and my mom dyes some too. The kids like to hunt them and we like to dye them, its a win-win situation. So next week, if I don't gain any weight, I will be extremely happy. It won't bother me not to lose weight, I won't even care too much if I gain a little, but not more than a pound. I am definately gonna have to exercise more next week to help work off that food.

My husband is on his way this week to a 50 lb weight loss. He is gonna weigh in tomorrow morning instead of Monday afternoon. I told him it would be best to weigh in before eating all that food :) If he gets to a 50 lb loss, he said he is gonna enjoy a piece of pecan pie. Somehow I am thinking even if he doesn't lose 50, he will still eat some pie LOL.

So, now with me losing that much, I have lost a total of 32 lbs!! However, I can still not really tell I have lost when I look at myself in the mirror. And I still haven't moved down a pants size. I can fit into the next sized down jeans, which are 16s for me, but they aren't comfy yet. That is kind of disappointing. There is my thoughts on that. I am currently wearing 18s, but I think most of them are 18 stretch jeans. So I might have actually been in a bigger size jeans if they would have been just regular fitted jeans, and not stretch jeans (and no, I don't mean they have stretchy elastic. I'm not that old...yet). However, the day I can comfortably fit into some 16s will be a happy day indeed. I actually think I need to lose about 10 lbs more to fit into them well. I am waiting anxiously for that day :)

I will soon be moving down 2 more pts....gah....I realize its necessary to keep losing the weight, but just the thought of its hard. I know I thought that too, when I went down to my current 26 pts, so I am hoping to adjust just as well with 24 pts. I need to lose 2 more pounds to get to 24 lbs a day. That will put me below 200 lbs!! That will be a great GREAT day indeed. Do you know how long its been since I've been below 200 lbs??? ...................................Well, I don't either but its been a very long time. I would say at least 6-7 years. I got close a couple of years ago when I was taking Adapex (bad me, I know), but I never got there, and of course, after I stopped taking the pills, I gained back all the weight I lost and then some. This time around, I am doing it the healthy, and long lasting way. Sometimes I still have a hard time wrapping my brain around the idea that I won't be able to eat all my beloved junk food all the time like I used to, but I know I will be able to resist my trigger foods, and just treat myself occasionally. I am totally okay with that, as long as I will have a decent looking body and a healthy body :)

I wanna give a shout out to my sister, Dana. She is doing LA Weight Loss, and doing fantastic!! She has a blog on here too. Its called "My Weight Loss Story". You can see it under my list of followed blogs, if you wanna check it out. We are actually close to the same size now, so we can look hot together!! Hehehehe. We're gonna have a Prom when we lose all our weight. Its Prom time here, and we've been talking about having a Prom of our own! LOL. Its a nice though anyway. I would love to dress up in a nice skinny, formal dress.

I bought a new cookbook at Wal-Mart. Its not a WW cookbook, but it is a healthy cookbook and it has all the nutritional info with the recipes so I can still figure out my points. It has some good recipes in it, and I'll be trying them out soon. I'll let you know how it goes. Also, I am looking into buying a (or some) workout DVDs for cardio, so if anyone knows some good ones, let me know. I am kind of interested in Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred, but she scares me on The Biggest Loser, LOL, so I am thinkin she will scare me on the DVD too. I have heard some good things about her DVD, but also that she kicks your butt, so if anyone has any thoughts about that one, or any other good one, please let me know. I know there is someone's blog I am following that is doing the 30 Day Shred, so I have been checking her blog to see how she is making out.

Starting Weight: 233 lbs
Current Weight: 201 lbs

BBQ Beef Cups

1 cup diced onion
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1/2 cup bbq sauce
1 can diced potatoes, drained
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
16 Pillsbury Biscuits, reduced fat if possible
1 cup Fat Free shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Cook beef and onion, until beef is browned. Add bbq sauce, potatoes, pepper, and chili powder. Cook until hot. Stir in the cheese and remove from heat. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Flatten each biscuit with the palm of your hand and place each biscuit into a well of the muffin tin. Place 1/4 cup of the meat mixture into each biscuit. Bake for approximately 15 minutes.

Pts per serving:3 pt/muffin

** I don't have access to the recipe builder, so I don't know if using regular biscuits would add a point or not. The person I got this from didn't say they used reduced fat biscuits, so I don't know. I went ahead and added a pt just to be safe. So for me, I said 4 pt/muffin, instead of 3.**
** Side note: Be careful when you use bbq sauce. Its not all the same. I had some where 2 tbsp was 110 calories!! I checked a different brand I had and it ws only 40 calories for 2 tbsp, so checking NI on labels is very important!!**

Sunday, April 5, 2009

3 Make-Up Recipes

Alrighty folks, so here they are. My three recipes that I owe you!

Hearty Shepherd's Pie

1 and 3/4 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2/3 cup fat free milk
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 pound ground lean beef (5 % fat or less)
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas and carrots
1 cup reduced sodium beef broth

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick spray. To make the topping, place the potatoes in a large pot with enough cold water to cover; bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, 10-12 minutes. Drain; return to the pot. Add the milk, butter, 1/2 tsp of the salt; and 1/8 tsp of the pepper; mash and set aside.

2. To make the filling, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the beef, breaking it apart with a spoon, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Return the skillet to the heat. Add the onion, garlic, and oregano; cook, stirring, until the onion is lighly browned. Add the wine and tomato paste; cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is slightly thickened. Add the peas and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables thaw. Stir in the broth and cook until the mixture is slightly thickened. Stir in the beef and the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/8 tsp of pepper.

3. Transfer the filling to the baking dish. Spread the potato topping over the filling and bake until the filling is bubbly around the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove the pie from the over. Increase the oven temperature to broil and broil the pie, 5 inches from the heat, until the topping is lightly browned, 1-2 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serves: 6
Pts per serving: 5 (1 and 1/3 cups per serving)
**This recipe is an actual WW recipe, so the point info should be correct. Also, I have never put red wine in my meal when I make it, and it still turns out fine.**


Salsbury Steak

1 and 1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 regular sized can of Fat Free Cream of Mushroom soup
1/3 cup water

Mix throughly beef, bread crumbs, onion, and egg; shape firmly into 6 patties. In large skillet, brown patties; pour off fat (shouldn't be much fat). Blend soup and water. Pour over patties in skillet. Cover; cook over low heat 20 minutes or until done. Serving is one patty and about 1/4 cup of gravy.

Pts per serving: 6
**Not an actual WW recipe, so you might want to check yourself, if you can**


Blackened Catfish

2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper
4 (6 oz) catfish fillets
2 tsp olive oil

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of the fish with the paprika mixture. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add fish; cook 4 minutes on each side, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Serving: 1 6-oz fillet
Pts per serving: 5
**Not an actual WW recipe, but the person I got it from is pretty reliable, so check if you want to. I used tilapia on this recipe b/c I didn't have catfish at the time, and it wasn't so great. It was too much of a fishy flavor. I am going to try it again with catfish, and I'm sure it will be much better.**


Okay, folks, so there is the recipes. Hope you enjoy at least one or two of them :)

April 5, 2009.....Not Quite There Yet...But So Close!

Alright, so I had had high hopes this week for weighing in. If I lost 3 lbs, then it would put me at the 30 lb weight loss mark. I was going to "fall off the wagon," so to speak, on purpose, and go eat Chinese food. Chinese food is the one thing I miss being on WW. I know that there are healthy options at Chinese restaurants, but if I went, I wouldn't want to be healthy, so it has been best to avoid that temptation :)

However, I wasn't sure how good I would do since I've had good weight losses the past couple of weeks. Plus, I still haven't gotten in my exercise mode...I still haven't recovered completely from being sick. Not that that's really a good excuse, but I did try to go walking one day, and my chest hurt so bad, I barely got home. I had to stop for a few minutes and take a breather.

Okay, so back to the story finally...I got on the scale on Saturday morning, and lost.................1 lb. Not the 3 lbs I needed, but I am happy with 1 lb, since I have all the conditions listed above. I just gotta keep reaching for that 30 lb mark a little longer :)

And as I mentioned up above, my sickness hasn't left me completely. I am still coughing, but not nearly as much, which I am so thankful for. I really don't even have to take cough syrup any more. However, now, my sinuses are acting up. The pollen around here is killing me..ggrrr...I haven't been able to taste anything since Wednesday night. Which makes me very sad, because Thursday I bought some Skinny Cow ice cream that I've never had before (it looks DELICIOUS!!) but I haven't tried it b/c I can't taste it. Every time I open my freezer, it's there, just staring at me...sigh...just today I have started getting my tastes back, not completely, but it gives me hope...LOL. Last night we went to my mom's to eat, and I totally went off points anyway, even though I couldn't really taste it...hehehe. We had fried catfish and fried french fries. Sigh...I could catch a glimpse every now and again of taste, and it was SO good. I don't feel at all guilty for eating it. That's the first time in a little over 2 months that I have had an unhealthy meal. I think I deserve it. However, now even if I lose 2 lbs this week, to bring it up to 30 lbs, I still won't be able to have Chinese cuz Easter Sunday is this weekend, and that is definitely not gonna be a good, healthy day for me LOL. I already admit that freely and fully. I am gonna try not to get too crazy on eating, but I know I am gonna have one or two good desserts. The good thing is, my weigh in day is Saturday and Easter is on Sunday, so I will have almost all week to recuperate and get the weight off. I am still hopeful I am gonna lose 2 lbs this week, even though I ate the fish. I am gonna start walking again, and doing my arm exercises, even if I fall over.

Oh, I received my first issue of the Weight Watchers magazine, and I really like it. It has a LOT of recipes in it. I don't know if I will ever use most of them, but their still nice to have. I wish the magazine would come every month, but its every two months. I will deal with that.

Well, I think my long post today will make up for last week's not so great post. I also have 3 recipes to make up for. I will follow this blog with another one with the three recipes on it.

Starting weight: 233 lbs
Current weight: 205.8 lbs