Weigh In - Three

Today was fantastic! I had weigh in number three and my results couldn'thave been better. I'm down 4 pounds for the week. 16 pounds in 27 days! This is astounding to me. I feel better. I've been sleeping better. I've weeded out the bad and replaced it with the good. Not to say that I don't cheat from time to time. But, sometimes you just have to kick start yourself again. I was almost able to wear one of my favorite skirts today. The key word being almost. Just a couple more weeks and I am sure that I'll be able to pull it out and wear it to work. :o) This weekend we are having a cookout with some friends, and while this could spell disaster, I have a plan. There will be hotdogs and hamburgers. But mine, mine will be turkey dogs and turkey burgers. Anyway that I can knock out the fat, that's what I'll be doing. Will power. That's all I need.

Tonight... a nice long walk on the beach with Big Red. My favorite part of the day. That hour is the most calming hour in my life. We have such great conversations during our walks on the beach. Sure, there might be several hundred people around but they don't even phase us. It always feels like it is just us. Awesome.

Anywho... I'm off... Hope everyone is doing great! :o)

Rollercoaster

This week has been up and down for me. More recent unexpected downs than ups, but I pray that will change. This past weekend completely wore me out. We spent the entire weekend running around because my car broke down Friday night after Midnight. After the dealership having it for 2 days it was finally "ready" for pick up. We get the car and drive the rental back to Enterprise. We turn in the car and get back in my car and low and behold, my car won't start... again. Finally after getting the car started and BACK to the dealership we were able to pick it up today. Thankfully, everything was covered under warranty. I was so afraid that nothing would be. Oh! If you have a Nissan Altima or know someone who does... you might want to be aware of several recalls on the car that you may NOT have been notified of.

Tomorrow is official weigh in number 3. I'm quite excited about this weigh in as it marks one month since I began my journey and three weeks since I've been talking about it. My diet has been steadfastly good. My portions are completely under control. Not to mention the fact that I just haven't been too hungry. This bodes well for me since I'm a snacker. Also, Big Red and I have been taking hour long walks up and down the beach here. Bike rides haven't happened lately... But, the beach has seemed to be a lot more calming recently. I'm quiet proud of myself. If my calculations are correct, I've lost somewhere between 15-17 pounds since Memorial Day. This is fantastic as it puts me just a couple weeks away from my 10% goal. I can't wait to be able to say that I have successfully lost 10% of my starting body weight. Like I said, just a couple more weeks.

I'll check back tomorrow!! Cross your fingers!

Weigh In... Part Dos

Been a week since I last posted. I forgot to post my weigh in last week. I'm down another 1.5 pounds. That brings my total to 11.5 pounds! I was really excited because I had slacked that last few days before weigh in on exercise. I have no good excuse, besides I was just tired.

I didn't have the best weekend. Which has caused me to have some nasty anxiety attacks this weekend. Seeing as my husband is the only person that understands what I'm going through, I won't bore you with the details. I hate my anxiety attacks. Always happens at night as I'm trying to get to sleep. Anywho.

This week is a fresh slate. Let's see how it goes...

There is always tomorrow!

Today was not the best food day for me. And while I didn't eat horribly, one thing that I did ingest threw me all off track... I caved an had a mini personal pizza today. Mind you, it is the first thing in several weeks that I have eaten that strayed off of my diet plan. I figure one time, isn't going to kill me. But, funnily enough, after eating it, not only did I regret it, I no longer wanted it. It is my theory that sometimes you must indulge.

Short and sweet today, but I must get back to work!

Weekend Eats

This weekend was pretty good. May have gone a little overboard Saturday. But, it was a hectic day, still I feel like I kept my portions in check. We had to traverse two counties three times in order to make it to several family functions. Other than that, the weekend was good. I'm not sure why it is so hard to drink water on the weekends. During the week, I'm a pro, during the weekend, it's the last thing that I possibly think about. I'm going to have to make a valiant effort to keep up with the drinking fluids during the weekends.

Big Red and I went on a 45 minute bike ride last night. I hate summers in Florida. All you have to do is walk outside and you feel like you spent an hour exercising. And that's before you even close the front door!

The only thing that I have had an issue with this last week and a half is something that I'm sure will be considered TMI. I haven't been able to properly go to the restroom in about a week. I'm not sure what I should do to try and remedy the situation. I bought some fiber pills but they are becoming increasingly difficult to swallow. Last thing I want to do it choke on one... It would be just my luck... I downed a bunch of blueberries this morning since they are loaded with fiber, so I hope, that might help.

If anyone has any other suggestions, please let me know... It would be really appreciated.

PS - Did I mention that I am down 3.0 BMI points?? :oD

Official Weigh Day

I've officially reached a weight that I haven't seen in over 2 years today. I can't express how exciting this is to me. I'm down another 2 pounds officially this morning. 10 pounds. That's two sacks of sugar. My husband as a newborn. I've lost an infant; Whole human on the way... I couldn't be more happy! Last night, however, I slacked with the exercise, no excuses, I know. But, I've been busting my hump for days now, my thighs needed a break! Back on the saddle again tonight though.

Big Red made a comment to me last night about how much my food habits have changed. For both of us. You see, he's the tall thin guy and I'm the short chunky girl. So for him, he can eat 6 pizzas and not gain an ounce. I hate him for that! I'm not one to gorge or eat and eat and eat. But, I love potatoes, pasta, rice, breads. You know, all the staples that tend to help keep people fat. I still love all those foods, but I'm opting for the better version of them. Boy, I can feel a difference. I have more energy and I don't want to come home at night and crash. I attribute this to our exercise regimen as well.

My boss, who has been out of the office for 13 days, even mentioned to me that my face looks thinner and she can tell that I've been losing weight. This is the greatest thing that someone can say to help boost your confidence. I felt so good after that yesterday. Though, I can't tell much of a difference, I look at myself everyday.

Off to work... Just wanted to share my progress!! :)

Life Sometimes Throws Curves

This blog is me feeling sorry for myself and if you don’t want to read, I completely understand, but I need to get it out.

Why is it that the most strong, independent women have their low days? I am a 28 year old woman and sometimes I still feel like that little fat 8 year old that just can’t keep up with the rest of the kids. Granted, being called “Chunk” never helped, but even now, that nagging feeling stays with me. I see some of my co-workers and think, God, why can’t I have her body? Do I know if they have medical issues? No. Do I know if they work out? No. Do I know if they are on diets? Yes – they are not on diets, they have kids and they still have that perfect petite little body that just chaps my ass.

I am in the new lifestyle process of eating better and exercising, but I have to say that this is hard work. Here comes my 10 second b*tch session…but bare with me. How do people do this and enjoy it? I am walking my arse off and quite frankly, my body hurts. My body is saying “Hey, what is going on here, where is our lazy, self indulgent, loves to sit on her arse Sarah and who the hell are you that has replaced her?” Granted, I am not trying to make excuses for myself, but having fibromyalgia, heart problems and thyroid disease has me at a slight disadvantage. I am feeling this walking in my hip joints, in my back, in my knees, in my ankles. My bones crack like I am 80 years old and although I KNOW that this will help me in the long run, this whole process hurts and it is not easy.

I am going to continue on my diet and exercise, but today I woke up after having to take an anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxor (god bless the makers of Flexiril) last night, just feeling like my body was jelly. I jumped on the scale and luckily, I lost another 1.5 pounds because lord knows that if I wasn’t losing the weight, I would say forget this… but then I walked up the stairs to my office and felt all of the hard work that I have been doing. Damn I am feeling old. I guess I had this idea in my head that 28 year olds are supposed to be so full of energy and all bouncy, la la la la and I am just not. It makes me think, what is wrong with me, why can’t I be like them. I know I have my good days and bad, I guess today is just a bad day….

Ambition

Ambition.... What a bitch. Big Red and I went for our evening bike ride today. This is where my ambition almost killed me. I felt better today than I have in the last few weeks, so we went farther than we've gone before. A lot more! I'm not sure of the exact mileage, but it was at least 4-5 miles. We rode from our house to the Target off of Bay Pines. Pretty far. I'm happy with myself though. I wanted to give up several times and even had to stop on our way back for a couple minutes, but we kept pretty good pace the entire time. Sometimes you just need a breather for a second. Worked wonders. The Pinellas Trail is an amazing thing. No traffic and some very friendly folks. Discounting the few minutes we were stopped for it was a full hour of riding. I'll take that over walking any day!

I did very well food wise today. Need to get one more bottle of water down me for my goal today. Working on it now...

Keep on Trucking!

I started my new "lifestyle" on May 28, so let me think, that is...16 days and I have lost 6lbs. I am pretty excited about it. It has brought my giant (a.k.a the best husband in the world - but I could be biased) and I closer together, it has brought me closer to my in-laws (contrary to what most young brides would say, this is a good thing), it has given me better sleep which has made my work better at my work, the only bad thing is that I am getting stretch marks on my arms and my legs from them shrinking and quite frankly, that is not so bad.

I am not being so ridiculous on my diet that I can't enjoy my weekends, but let me tell you, it was not easy skipping Dairy Queen. I am determined that if I loose 10 more pounds by my birthday (July 9) that I am going to have my DQ and love it!

I have to thank God for Land and Sea Market. They have the best fresh cut meats, prepared chicken that is low in calories and carbs, the most delicious seafood and so much more that every time I walk in there, I spend $150. My most favorite thing so far has been their black and blu cheeseburgers. Low cal, low carb and full of so much flavor that it melts in your mouth.

If I ever figure out how to post pictures, let me see if I can figure this out.....wait, I just did. Up in the corner is the size that I want to get back to. I want to be a size 6, weigh about 130lbs and have my flat tummy back. I am about 56 pounds heavier so this won't be easy, but cross your fingers, I am on my way!

Revamped: Week One

It has been a week since I have really revamped my lifestyle. I don't consider what I am doing a diet. I've never succeeded on a diet, long term anyway. But, a lifestyle change I can deal with. I've lost 8 pounds total and really moved things around. No more refined flours or sugars. I never thought that I would really be able to do it. Don't get me wrong, I know that one week isn't a lot of time. But, you need to understand that for me, it's huge. I haven't even missed it. I think that is that thing that has scarred me the most in the past. I'm so used to certain things that I'm not big on change. Except when something scares me into it.

I spent my afternoon at the doctors, going through various tests. I needed to make sure that I was healthy enough to be attempting certain things in my life. I had an EKG which was completely scary for the first 40 seconds. For some reason, whenever a doctor hooks a machine up to me that is supposed to measure something, I slightly freak out. I felt my anxiety level rise, which caused the nurse to have to run the test a few times, because she noticed that my heart rate went way up as soon as she turned the machine on. It hadn't been that way my entire visit. I felt like my heart was going to bust out of my chest. I knew that I had to calm down, so I did what came natural to me. I became Comedienne Kerri. I instantly settled down in order to pass my EKG. This was fantastic news to me since heart issues run rampant in my family. They also took about 14 vials of blood. I hate that. I look like a heroin addict with this nasty inner elbow thing... I don't really know what one would call it.

Overall, I'm very excited about my progress over this last week. I feel energized and refreshed. Work on the other hand.... now that is a different story...

Exchanging the Bad for the Good

Last night, we had The Sterling's over for dinner. I spent most of the day trying to figure out what to make, until I was reading my new book "Reversing Diabetes". Not that I haven't ever thought about the idea of switching some ingredients in recipes to make them healthier, I just never took the time to actually think about it. I took my favorite lasagna recipe and switched it up to be very healthy. I was amazed at how just switching out a few items really changed the nutritional content of the meal.

Here is a list of the exchanges I made:

ground turkey replaced ground beef
organic spaghetti sauce replaced regular spaghetti sauce
whole wheat noodles replaced regular noodles
fat free ricotta cheese replaced whole fat ricotta cheese
low fat mozzarella cheese replaced whole fat mozzarella cheese

These few changes totally revamped the recipe. The organic spaghetti sauce had no sugar and no carbs, very different than any other sauce I've used in the past. The turkey didn't taste too much different than the ground beef. The fat content was practically nothing. I was surprised because everyone seemed to love it. The best part was that no one was tired like most people are after a meal like that. Though my exchanges made the recipe a bit more expensive than I usually make, the extra money was worth it. The taste was just as good if not better than any lasagna I've made in the past. I'm excited to take some of my favorite recipes and switch out stuff for more health conscious ingredients.

I also made some garlic bread, but opted out of eating any. I recommend taking your favorite recipes and trying to see how you can make them better. It will be well worth it!

Stress?? Fuggeddaboutit...

I've been a blogger on and off for a few years now. I've attempted blogs like this in the past, but with no success. I've done a lot of soul searching over the last few weeks (A LOT in the last few days). I am not predispositioned to be a fat girl. I actually, when in shape have a very athletic physique. I don't choose to be as skinny as someone like Nicole Richie or even Gwen Stefani. I do however have a goal to be healthy. I wish that I lived closer to a pool. I would make it a routine to hop in everyday for laps. I was quite the swimmer in my hay day. Then life happened.

Big Red has been fabulous in being supportive and helpful. He's begun getting my ass up and out the door for a daily bike ride. I hate exercise but I know that it is a necessary evil. And in order to reach my goals, I need to step up and get moving.

I've done a lot of the last couple days to de-stress my life. I can already feel it lifting. This... this gives me a sense of peace.

Off to my cuban pork chop and brown rice with green beans for dinner. :)

READ THE LABELS!

I am encouraging every soul out there that is allergic to anything (and even if it is a mild allergy) to please read all ingredient labels very carefully. I made that mistake as I was more concerned about calorie count so I didn't read my ingredients label, I ended up in the ER with my throat closing and some of my facial organs shutting down, just because of one small 60 calorie Jello pudding cup. It contains coconut oil and I developed this as an adult allergy. Prior to this day, I could manage it with benedryl, well apparently not anymore. My throat closed, hives came, my face went numb (and is still numb) and I was pumped full of steroids, benedryl and pepcid. After I got home, I read the label more carefully and it said less than .50% of vegetable oil (coconut and soybean). That teeny tiny percentage, almost cost me my life. So please, please, please read the ingredients labels above and beyond the nutritional value, especially if you have an allergy!

Hormones Amok

My hormones have been running amok lately. Over the last month I've felt awful. As of this morning, I'm down 5.5 pounds. Which is a good start. Big Red and I have decided to put babies on the back burner until I can get back to a healthy weight. This should also improve the constant pressue like state I"ve been feeling. So, back to the GYN and ask for BC pills... again. I need my hormones in check. They are making me feel like I'm losing it!

I got some distressing news yesterday which caused me to lose it and have to leave work early. I went to the doctor of a dull heat in my foot. She attributed it to some nerve damage and told me that if I don't get my blood sugar under control, it will get worse. That was the biggest wake up call I could have received. But, also, not good for my anxiety which then caused me to run through all the scenarios possible yesterday and last night. Needless to say, I've had a horrible upset stomach and awful night's sleep.

I need to pull it together and get off the pot. My mom and husband are both worried about me and urging me to keep my spirits high and not to drop into a depression like state. I'm trying. I really am.

Please say a couple prayers for me as I really need to find A LOT of strength right now.

- TC

Weekends, Water, and not enough sleep

I am officially done with my first full weekend on my diet and exercise program and I successfully made it through without going to Dairy Queen, any fast food joints and I managed to not hurt anyone or kill for chocolate (even though I said I would give up my pasta and bread calories for chocolate calories - a girl has got to do what a girl has got to do.)

I went to the grocery store as well as Land & Sea and figured out that eating healthy is not cheap. Macaroni and Cheese is cheap, spaghetti is cheap, but good meats, fresh vegetables, and low cal/low carb food is definitely not cheap.

I haven't lost any weight this weekend, but I am not discouraged because I managed to walk for 50 minutes instead of my usual 30. I need to really focus on drinking a lot of water on the weekends, it is easy at work, but on the weekends it is harder. So that is my goal for next weekend, drink at least 64 ounces a day next weekend (a significant improvement from before as I barely drank 20 ounces a water a day before.)

Stay tuned....more to come.