HOLY COW!!

So, I reluctantly got on the scale this morning. I was looking at the last two digits of the weight to see how much damage was done this week. When I saw "98" I was confused, so I looked at the first digit: "1." Well, that didn't make sense. That would mean I lost..... FOURTEEN POUNDS??!?!!!?? WHAT???!?!?!???

Yeah, I didn't believe that for a second! So, I got on again.....199. Third time's the charm? 198. Something wasn't right! This was all done on the Biggest Loser game, so I decided to see what Wii Fit had to say. The little scale/widget guy has never lied to me before (he always grunts in pain when I step on the balance board...rude!). 197

I called Kathi and my mom in complete shock. How could this be. My mom was convinced something was wrong. I was as well. I had decided to weigh in on Kathi's scale as well when I got to her house. In the mean time, I thought that I should try it at home one more time. I had put the balance board away, so I got it back out and made sure it was how it was supposed to be. This time, I weighed in at 211. THAT'S more like it! The balanced board must have been unbalanced somehow with the earlier weights.

Not a funny joke, but I'm glad I caught it. I'm glad it was such an outrageous number that I thought to question it. I would have hated to count it and then gain 10 pounds next week. That would be bad! I'm just glad I didn't gain. I'll take 1 pound this week! I think that's great!

So, yeah. That was my weigh-in this morning. Sure woke me up fast, that's for sure! :)

Oh, and I gained 1.75 inches....I knew it!


Breakfast:

• Multigrain Cheerios
• Special K cereal bar

Lunch:

• Black beans, brown rice and cheese (not a burrito)

Dinner:

• Corned beef
• Baked Lays potato chips 
• (You think that's bad....you should have seen what the kids had!)

Snacks:

• Protein bar
• Fiber One bar
• Captain Crunch cereal (small bowl...no milk)
• A scoop of ice cream

Date --------------2/19/10------------2/26/10------------Total Lost ------ Grand Total
Neck -------------- 13.5----------------- 13.75 ------------ -0.25 ---------------- 0.75
Right Arm--------- 15 ------------------- 15 --------------- 0 ---------------------- 0
Left Arm----------- 16 --------------- 15.75 -------------- 0.25 ---------------- 0.25
Bust ---------------- 50.25 ------------- 49 ----------------- 1.25 ---------------- 3
Midriff ------------- 38.25 -------------- 38.5 ------------ -0.25 --------------- 1.55
Waist -------------- 40.5 ----------------- 40.5 ------------ 0 ------------------- 2.5
Belly --------------- 46.5 -------------- 48.75 ------------ -2.25 --------------- 2.75
Hips --------------- 51 ---------------- 51.25 ------------- -0.25 ----------------- 2.5
Right Thigh ------- 26.5 --------------- 27.25 ----------- -0.75 ---------------- 0.75
Left Thigh --------- 27.25 -------------- 26.75 ---------- 0.5 ------------------ 1.25
Right Calf --------- 15.25 ------------- 15.25 ------------- 0 ------------------ 0.25
Left Calf ----------- 15.5 -------------- 15.5 -------------- 0 --------------------- 0

Total Inches ----- 355.5 ------------- 357.25 
Inches Lost ----------------------------- -1.75 --------- -1.75 ---------------- 15.5

Weight ------------ 212 ---------- 211
Weight Lost ---------------------- 1 --------------------------------------------- 20
Percentage ----------------------- 0.47% ------------------------------------- 8.66%
Lost

*Is it just me or does it seem like I don't actually "lose" inches....they just relocate to other parts of my body?

Low expectations

That's what I've got for the weigh-in tomorrow. I'm really crossing my fingers that I don't gain weight. However, I'm fairly certain I've gained in inches.

I was reminded of Shrek 2 yesterday. I wanted to use Fairy Godmother's words to this....this....boy who is causing me frustration: "You force me to do something I really don't want to do. My diet is RUINED!!....Somebody get me something deep fried and smothered in chocolate!" THANKFULLY I didn't go that far. I didn't eat anything deep fried (okay, I did have a bite of Lucas' corndog), but I did have some chocolate. I think I had 4-5 orange-chocolate balls....and 5 or so chocolate covered pretzels.

*sigh*

Then there's the exercise part of the week. Sure, I danced to Dance Dance Revolution, but I'm so bad at it, can we really count that? I must say, however, today I got TWO A's. They were for the "basic" level, but still! Anyway, I digress. My point is, I didn't do nearly as much exercising as in weeks past. Not good! Not good!

I did come to a realization tonight though. It was similar to the time that I realized too much ice cream left me feeling ill. You see, aside from being frustrated about this guy not calling, I haven't been feeling too great, either. Physically I wasn't ill or anything, but I was a little off in the head (no comments, please). Then this morning I woke up with a headache, which didn't really go away all day.

So, I've been feeling crappy, frustrated, and I'm super tired! I really just wanted to do a little dancing and call it good, but since tomorrow is a weigh-in, I decided to have a good last chance workout. So, after my dancing, I got out my Biggest Loser game and had a good workout with Bob. Imagine my surprise when I started feeling good. Sure, I'd heard of this before, but again, I've always thought of it as "yeah, right." No! It's true! Exercising helps you feel better in the head! I've got to remember this! I've got to remember that when I'm frustrated, I should pine over it while exercising, not sitting around!

I'm slow, I know.

Anyway, I've got to wrap this up. Not only did I start feeling better while exercising, I also started falling asleep (really bad sign for my metabolism). That's probably a good indication that I should go to bed. So......

Wednesday:

Breakfast:

• Egg
• Toast - 2 slices
• 1 1/2 slices turkey bacon
• Milk

Lunch:

• Salmon

Dinner:

• Chicken (small cubes marinated in Italian dressing, cooked in a frying pan)
• Brown rice

Snacks:

• Orange-chocolate balls
• Chocolate covered pretzels
• Special K cereal bar
• Protein bar

Thursday:

Breakfast:

• Oatmeal Squares

Lunch:

• Egg
• Toast
• 2 slices turkey bacon
• Milk

Dinner:

• Bubble pizza (not nearly as much as last time!)

Snacks:

• Mini Delights
• Special K cereal bar
• 1/2 marshmallow brownie

Dumb Boys!

I've been having kind of a slacker week. This is not good!! I am about to start my period ANY DAY! I should be working extra hard to counteract that!! What do I do? Sit around and pine for some guy who won't call. STUPID boys! Okay, I did dance a little today during nap time....I think I woke up the baby who was sleeping in the room underneath me. Oops. But still! I could have done something more this evening. Bah!

And I'm hungry.

I need to end this day and go to bed.

BAH!

(stupid stupid stupid...)

Breakfast:

• Multigrain Cheerios

Lunch:

• Black beans, brown rice and cheese burrito

Dinner:

• Beef flavored pot pie...with a cheese slice in it

Snacks:

• Mini Delights
• 6 Tootsie Rolls
• Captain Crunch cereal

Let's dance!

The other day I got the Dance Dance Revolution Wii game that I had ordered. I didn't have a chance to try it out until tonight. It's tough. It's fun! I'm so bad!! However, it's right up there with volleyball for a fun workout (and that's saying a lot!). I'm excited to try it out more. I was so surprised at how fast the hour went. I need to start playing it earlier in the evening so I can play it longer. Fun stuff! I also ordered a Disney Dance Revolution game...with classic songs like Chim Chim Chiree....not modern Disney like High School Musical. I think that will be fun when it comes! I love trying out these new ways to exercise....the non-traditional ways. It really is very fun!

I've made a decision with my eating. Since I really don't eat much, I'm not going to try to put extra calories in the food I do eat...like put a little more cheese in my burrito. Who knew I would ever be to a point where I was not eating enough? Where I have to consciously eat more? It's just crazy!!!


Breakfast:

• Egg
• Toast
• 2 slices of turkey bacon
• Milk

Lunch:

• Black beans, brown rice, cheese burrito

Dinner:

• Sushi

Snacks:

• Tootsie roll

Hands-On fun

I'm entering another photo for I ♥ Faces. This week's challenge is photos to do with hands. I took this picture of my brother's family's hands (at the request of his wife) when his youngest was born.

Be specific

Last night I went to a movie with some friends and afterwords we went to TGI Fridays for desert. The menu included things like: cheesecake, brownie sundae, peanut butter pie, etc.....really rich in calories. I really didn't want any of that, but thought I would be safe with a bowl of ice cream, and ordered that. In my head, I was picturing a small bowl with a scoop of ice cream....you know, the complimentary kind you get on your birthday? Boy was I surprised when a big bowl with six scoops of ice cream was set in front of me. Wow! Yeah, I learned my lesson to be more specific.

Last night, after I went to bed I was feeling pretty hungry. I started to go over my day and realized that I really didn't eat enough. I mean, it was bad! I don't count calories, obviously, but if I had to guess, I would say I ate maybe 1000 calories, and that is being very generous! I should have had the whole bowl of ice cream! As it is, I don't think I even ate one scoop. Whoops! I tell ya, weekends are tough!!

Oh good heavens!!!! I just realized that I never did have my weekly piece of the best chocolate on earth. What is wrong with me????!?!?!?!!??

Okay....let me report....

Saturday:

Breakfast:

• Oatmeal Crisp with almonds

Lunch:

• A piece of salmon

Dinner:

• Black bean, brown rice and cheese burrito

Snacks:

• 3/4 scoop of ice cream
• 5 tootsie rolls

Sunday:

Breakfast:

• Oatmeal Crisp with almonds

Lunch:

• Frozen flatbread sandwich

Dinner:

• Chicken and rice
• Carrots

Snacks:

• Part of a protein bar
• Mini Delights

Slow and steady

I was pretty pleased with my measurements yesterday. I was down 3 pounds and 4.5 inches. Wahoo! I am right on track to meet my first goal. I do need to lose 3 pounds a week to make that goal, but I've got a little bit of wiggle room if I don't quite reach 3 pounds every week. It'd do-able.

I'm feeling pretty good, too. I'm having a little more response from men lately and I don't know if it's because I've lost some weight and look better. Or, maybe I am feeling a little more confident and radiating that a bit more. Or, perhaps I just don't really care about attracting the guys but having a good time, whether it attracts someone or not and my awesome personality is showing more (hehe). It's probably a combination of all of the above. All I know is that as long as it's the right guys I'm getting attention from, I am completely fine with it (and, so far so good...for the most part).  :)

Anyway....here's my food log from yesterday, as well as the measurment results:

Breakfast:

• Multigrain Cheerios
• Yogurt

Lunch:

• Strogenoff with steak and rice

Dinner:

• Salmon
• Fried red potatoes
• Broccoli with cheese

Snacks:

• Protein bar

Date --------------1/15/10------------1/22/10------------Total Lost ------ Grand Total
Neck -------------- 13.5----------------- 13.5 ---------------- 0 ---------------------- 1
Right Arm--------- 15.25 ------------ 15 --------------- 0.25 ------------------ 0
Left Arm----------- 15.75 --------------- 16 -------------- -0.25 ----------------- 0
Bust ---------------- 49.25 ------------ 50.25 ----------------- -1 ---------------- 1.75
Midriff ------------- 38.5 -------------- 38.25 ------------ 0.25 ---------------- 1.75
Waist -------------- 42.5 ----------------- 40.5 ------------ 2 ------------------- 2.5
Belly --------------- 49.75 ----------- 46.5 --------------- 3.25 --------------- 5
Hips --------------- 51.5 --------------- 51 ---------------- 0.5 ------------------- 2.75
Right Thigh ------- 26.25 --------------- 26.5 ----------- -0.25 ---------------- 1.5
Left Thigh --------- 26.75 -------------- 27.25 ---------- -0.5 ------------------ .75
Right Calf --------- 15.25 ---------------- 15.25 ------------- 0 ----------------- 0.25
Left Calf ----------- 15.75 ------------ 15.5 ------------- 0.25 ----------------- 0

Total Inches ----- 360 ------------- 355.5 
Inches Lost ------------------------ 4.5 -------------------- 4.5 ---------- 17.25

Weight ------------ 215 ---------- 212
Weight Lost ---------------------- 3 -------------------------------------------------- 19
Percentage ----------------------- 1.40% ------------------------------------------ 8.23%
Lost

Awesome

I just wanted to post this picture. It's one I took of myself last weekend. When I saw it, I was amazed at how good I am looking (I really am humble, really!). It's hard to see your progress when you look and analyze every day. Then, you see a picture of yourself and you see that your face is thinner and you really do look like you're making progress. It's great!

....or a lack thereof...

A lack of energy, that is. I have been soooo tired this week. Tonight, when I got home, I had to take a nap before I did anything else. It was a quick one, just to give me some energy, and it helped a lot. I was able to get in a good workout -- which I wasn't able to do last night. Normally, I babysit at Kathi's house until late on Wednesdays and I use the time after the kids go to bed to catch up on any t.v. I've been missing while exercising. Unfortunately, last night I had to work on some computer stuff (that never worked) so I could get my dad's computer back to him. It was such a wasted night. I was not happy.

So, yesterday morning, I was curious as to how much damage was done over the weekend, so I decided to weigh myself. I was pretty excited to see that I was down 2 pounds. I certainly wasn't expecting that! Now, let's just hope that my lack of energy and opportunities to exercise and my potentially crazy body keeps it off for tomorrow's weigh in!


Wednesday

Breakfast:

• Multigrain Cheerios
• Yogurt

Lunch:

• Sushi 

Dinner:

• Egg
• Toast
• 1 1/2 slices of turkey bacon
• Milk

Snacks:

• Protein bar
• Special K cereal bar

Thursday

Breakfast:

• Oatmeal with blackberries and milk

Lunch:

• Oatmeal Squares cereal
• Apple

Dinner:

• Stroganoff with steak and rice

Snacks:

• Fiber One bar

Energy

I have lots of it! Not in the traditional sense, but anxious energy. In times past, when I would feel like this, I found myself ripping paper into itty bitty pieces....or cut it very quickly (although this would sometimes result in nipped fingers). I'm grateful to have another outlet for it: exercise! I'm going home to do just that right now!

Breakfast:

• Egg
• Turkey bacon (2 slices)
• Toast
• Milk

Lunch:

• Bowl of Multigrain Cheerios
• Yogurt

Dinner:

• 2 pieces of fried chicken minus the skin

Snacks:

• Small piece of cake
• Little bit of ice cream (it was my nephew's birthday)

I'm baaaa-aaaack!

I went on a little trip over the weekend and really didn't have time to do anything with the blog. I back now and can update everything. Wahoo!

So, to start off, I did post the results from my weigh-in on Friday. I was pretty happy with that! The night before, after my workout and before I took my shower, I was examining my body in the mirror (I know you don't really want to know that, but it's something I do regularly). I sucked in my gut and guess what I saw.....I saw some definition starting to take form. I have a two-pack. Isn't that so great?!?!!??? I poked it and it was soft and gushy, but there was definition and I've never had that before. Pretty dang exciting! I'm looking forward to the day I don't have to suck in my gut to see it. Maybe by that time I might have a 4-pack when I suck in.

I'm not going to list everything I ate for my meals over the days I didn't blog. It's just too much for my little brain to remember. However, I do know that despite traveling, I did very well with my food choices, and my birthday was Saturday, so I did especially well! On Friday, my sister and friend took me out to dinner. Knowing it would be more calories, I didn't really eat lunch. I tried sushi for the first time that night. It was pretty good! I had eel in it. Crazy stuff!

For my trip, I got a suite with a kitchen so I didn't have to worry about eating out at all. We went to the grocery store on Saturday night and got stuff to eat on Sunday. That helped with eating better. Some of the things I ate were:

• cheese stick
• protein bars
• bowl of cereal
• frozen penini
• apple
• tortilla chips
• rice with pulled pork stuff and vegetables (that's what they had for dinner at the activity I went to)

I definitely would have done better at home, obviously, but for traveling, I'm pretty happy with how it all went.

Today we celebrated my birthday at home with my family, so I gave myself permission to not be so strict with what I ate, although I think I did pretty good. I didn't have breakfast at all (I wasn't really hungry and I knew I would be eating plenty of calories the rest of the day). I went to lunch with my niece and her boyfriend and my family. I didn't do too bad at the restaurant. For my birthday dinner, I chose to have vegetable pizza and fruit pizza. Sure, it sounds very healthy, but lots of calories with cream cheese in both pizzas and a cookie crust on the fruit pizza. It was good. :)

As for exercise, I got a good workout at the dance Saturday night. I didn't do anything today though. Saturday night I only got like 3 hours of sleep, so I was pretty much dead to the world today, trying to catch up. I'm pretty excited, though. The activity I went to was a luau and they had some hula dancers. I realized that hula dancing would be a great workout, and it would be fun! So, I'm going to look for a training video on how to hula dance and that will be my workouts. I'll do it with the kids, cause they'll love it too! I think that would be lots of fun, not that anyone would ever, EVER see me doing it (other than the kids).

Okay, I'll post the result charts I missed on Friday then go back to bed. :)

Date --------------1/15/10------------1/22/10------------Total Lost ------ Grand Total
Neck -------------- 14----------------- 13.5 ---------------- 0.5 ---------------------- 1
Right Arm--------- 15.25 ------------ 15.25 --------------- 0 ------------------ -0.25
Left Arm----------- 16 --------------- 15.75 -------------- 0.25 ----------------- 0.25
Bust ---------------- 50 ------------ 49.25 ----------------- 0.75 ------------------ 2.75
Midriff ------------- 39.25 -------------- 38.5 ------------ 0.75 ---------------- 1.5
Waist -------------- 42 ----------------- 42.25 ------------ -0.5 ------------------- 0.5
Belly --------------- 49.5 ----------- 49.75 --------------- -0.25 --------------- 1.75
Hips --------------- 52 --------------- 51.5 ---------------- 0.5 ------------------- 2.25
Right Thigh ------- 26.25 --------------- 26.25 ----------- 0 ------------------- 1.75
Left Thigh --------- 27.25 -------------- 26.75 ---------- 0.5 --------------------- 1.25
Right Calf --------- 15 ---------------- 15.25 ------------- -0.25 ----------------- 0.25
Left Calf ----------- 15.25 ------------ 15.75 ------------- -0.5 ----------------- -0.25

Total Inches ----- 361.75 ------------- 360 
Inches Lost --------------------------- 1.75 -------------------- 1.75 ---------- 12.75

Weight ------------ 218 ---------- 215
Weight Lost ---------------------- 3 -------------------------------------------------- 16
Percentage ----------------------- 1.38% ------------------------------------------ 6.93%
Lost

Checking in

For anyone who is extremely curious....I lost 3 pounds (WAHOO!) and 1.75 inches. I do not have time to post any more info than this, but will get to it as soon as I can. Thanks!

EEEEEeeeee!

I'm so nervous for tomorrow! Kathi says I've done well and assures me that I'll have good numbers, but I'm still worried about it. If the trend of the last few weeks continues, I'll gain weight. I'll be so mad! Must think positive thoughts. And speaking of positive thoughts, I pulled my jeans out of the dryer this morning (we all know how freshly washed jeans fit), and they actually felt a little loose. Wishful thinking? Perhaps. But, yesterday when I put on my workout pants, it was the first time I didn't feel like they were stretching across my hips. I sure hope it's not all in my mind!

Breakfast:

• Egg
• Toast
• 2 slice of turkey bacon
• Milk

Lunch:

• Frozen flatbread thingy

Dinner:

• Chinese Sundaes

Snacks:

• Special K cereal bar
• Mini Delights

Bubble Pizza

You read that right....Bubble Pizza. It's what Kathi made for dinner last night. It was my downfall. Of all the things for me to be weak about...Bubble Pizza? Really?? Yeah, I kept eating and eating it! It was crazy! I had to make sure I got a really good workout in to make up for my weakness. Thankfully she used turkey sausage!

I worked out on Kathi's Elliptical again. This time I did it for an hour. I swear the last 15 minutes took at least 2 hours though. I was watching Biggest Loser and I swear there were three weigh-ins and when I looked at the time, only 15 seconds had gone by. It was crazy! What is with this Elliptical?? It didn't help that the Bubble Pizza was just sitting in my stomach like a rock. I wasn't feeling so great by the time I got to bed. Ug!

Breakfast:

• Multigrain Cheerios

Lunch:

• Frozen flatbread thingy

Dinner:

• Bubble Pizza
• Carrots

Snacks:

• Bubble Pizza
• Mini Delights
• Bubble Pizza

A step backwards

So, I didn't have such a great day yesterday. I would have reported last night, but (shocker) my internet wasn't working.

Anyway, I don't know what all contributed to my down day yesterday. I kind of had a headache and I was really tired and I wasn't feeling so well. I didn't go all out, but I didn't do so well, either. I boycotted working out altogether, and I indulged in the last of my ice cream (there was only enough for a small bowl of it). Yeah. I'm back on track today, though!

Breakfast:

• Bowl of Multigrain Cheerios
• Protein bar

Lunch:

• Egg
• 2 slices of turkey bacon
• Toast
• Milk

Dinner:

• 2 black beans, brown rice and cheese burritos

Snacks:

• Fiber One bar
• Ice cream
• I also snuck into some frosting just a little bit and a few chocolate chips

I Heart Faces entry

I came across a site that has a photo contest. I love entering pictures in contests, so I decided to do it. You're supposed to enter through your blog, so you'll have to live with it. :)


This week's theme for the contest is "We ♥ Kisses." My parents had their 50th wedding anniversary a little over a year ago, and I took some pictures of them. I thought it would be fun to submit this one....my dad surprised my mom with a kiss. I love the look on her face. :)

Bubbles

Okay, so the title has nothing to do with this blog entry. I just couldn't think of anything else to put for the title.

I just got done with a good workout with Bob. I like my custom one. Eventually I may make a custom workout with more challenging exercises, but right now, I like the easier ones...and I do them a lot faster than he does, just because I feel I'm getting a better workout. My hesitation with going with more challenging stuff is the possibility that I might not be able to breathe. For some reason, I find that very valuable.

That reminds me of taking swimming lessons. I don't know if it's because of all the extra fat I carry around (let's just call it like it is, shall we?), but for some reason, I have never been able to sink in the water, even when I try. For this reason, I have never been afraid of drowning. All I have to do is be still and I bob right to the top (it's true....I can be completely vertical, not moving a muscle, and I just bob with my head out of the water). I never learned how to swim as a child. I would just pretty much bob and move my arms and legs and I could get where I needed to be.

When I went back to college a few years ago, I decided to take a swimming class. That was the first time I ever had a fear of dying in the water....I just couldn't breathe! It was crazy. Eventually, though, I got some breath control and got a little more used to moving my body (I had just quit my job as a secretary....a job not very conducive to "moving") and got over the fear of dying. I absolutely love swimming now! I always loved the water, but I really, really enjoy the actual swimming, and wish I could do it more. It seems even if I get a chance to go to a pool, I don't get to do much "swimming". I'm usually with my nieces and nephew or something. It's hard to "swim" when you're keeping the kids safe.

Anyway.....why am I talking about swimming, anyway? Oh yeah, breathing. I like it.

Breakfast:

• Yogurt
• Protein bar

Lunch:

• Black beans and rice and cheese burrito

Dinner:

• Chicken pieces, marinated in Sundried Tomato Dressing and cooked in a frying pan
• Fried red potatoes
• 1/2 piece of fresh corn on the cob

Snacks:

• Mini Delights
• Pistachios
• A few chocolate chips

:)

I really like Sundays. They are so relaxing (for the most part)....at least they are for me. I don't have any children. I get to take a nap and just relax. Love it!

Breakfast:

• Yogurt
• Protein bar

Lunch:

• Frozen chicken/pasta meal thingy

Dinner:

• Spaghetti pie
• Slice of cheese toast
• Broccoli salad

Snacks:

• I haven't had any yet, but I'm about to eat a piece of the best chocolate in the world

Travel day

Traveling is never good. I mean, really, how can it be? I tried to make somewhat good choices, at least. I made me a good sandwich for lunch; I tried to get some healthy snacks and I did my best with what I had to chose from for dinner. It's just never good, though.

I went to Boise for the day to visit with my brother, his wife and kids. Actually, I was there more to be with the kids than with the adults. Since the weather and temperature were much more conducive to being outside than it is here in Idaho Falls, and since I'm starting to feel the cabin fever, the kids and I took a walk to the playground and played. I even went down the slide a couple times. It's a good thing I've lost 1.75 inches in my hips, otherwise I'm sure I would never have been able to make it to the bottom (hehe). I did my best to get the kids involved in a game of tag, just so I could get some exercise in. They didn't last too long. I guess the toys were too enticing. That's alright, though, running is probably my least favorite form of exercise, so I wasn't too sad about stopping. I did have everyone run across the field back to the fence before we walked back to their house. Sure, I'll call it good (at least I put forth some effort).

Breakfast:

• Yogurt
• Special K cereal bar

Lunch:

• Roast beef sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, provolone cheese, avocado, and my new Vegenaise (not too bad)
• Cheetos (I know, not the best choice, but I really wanted some!)

Dinner:

• Grilled chicken sandwich from Wendys (only half the bun and a little mayo....it came with lettuce and tomato)

Snacks:

• Special K cereal bar
• Mini Delights
• Honey Nut Cheerios snack mix (snuck a little of my nephew's)
• Protein bar

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I got enough calories today. I'm glad I'm not weighing in tomorrow! :)

Side by Side

What's that? You couldn't tell that I've lost ANYTHING with just the one picture? It isn't obvious? You'd like to compare the 'before' pictures with these latest, to see if there really is a change? Okay, fine. (I felt the same way.)

Frekerreckerrackeneckenrecker

That is my best impersonation of Yosemite Sam. *SIGH*

It was another bad week for measurements...I didn't even lose anything. I didn't gain anything (thankfully!) but if the trend continues, I will next week.

It's so stinkin' frustrating! I really work hard and I have nothing to show for it. I was brainstorming with my friend, Anna, today about what the issues might be. We touched on several things, and as the conversation was closing, I mentioned how tired I've been feeling lately. That reminded me that I haven't been getting to bed very early. We decided that very well could be a big factor in it all. For the next week I'm going to take another dose of Tai Slim at dinner (as well as breakfast and lunch) and make a conscious effort to go to bed earlier....by 11:00 at the latest. We'll see how that works out next week. If it doesn't kick my body into gear, I've got a couple more things I'll try.

Plus, I'm trying to look at the big picture (no pun intended)....I have lost 13 pounds in 4 weeks. That's not so bad, right? And, even though I've been steadily gaining a little bit of inches the past few weeks, I've still lost 11 total...in 4 weeks. In fact, besides my right arm (where I've gained a total of 0.25 inches) and my left arm (where I've neither gained nor lost) (who really cares about your arms when you've got so much more to work on?) I've lost inches in all my other measurements -- overall. I've got to remember that.

Thankfully, this does not discourage me to the point of saying "why even bother trying." In fact, just the opposite is true. I'm so frustrated I wonder what MORE I can do. Really...I'm ready to do whatever it takes (well, as long as "whatever" doesn't involve doing careful calculations of every calorie I even look at and cutting out anything with flavor). I just don't know what that could be. Well, besides go to bed earlier. And speaking of bed, it's almost 11:00....I've got to hurry with this post.

On another note....I got my Vegenaise in the mail today. I haven't used it, but I did take a little taste with my finger. To me, it tastes pretty much the same as regular mayo, so I'm excited to try it out. Thanks, Salena, for the suggestion!

It was a crazy day today, with lots going on. While I was able to get breakfast and lunch in, I didn't have any snacks. By the time dinner came around, I decided to figure out a rough estimate of exactly how many calories I had eaten up to that point. I figured it out to be about 600. My dinner was a little over 600 more, so I had some ice cream tonight to supplement. Not the best choice, I know, but I still have some, and I only had a little bit. Once it's gone (one more small serving left), I really won't be tempted to buy any more (I had purchased this before this whole thing started) and I'll go with other things to supplement my calories. Hey, it was good, though! Plus, I didn't have very much at all, so I didn't get sick.

After weighing and measuring today, I had some pictures taken again. You'll notice the look on my face isn't so pleasant. That was my "okay, let's get this over with, even though I feel crappy about the results (or non-results) of the measuring today" look. I'm wearing different clothes, but I'm this particular outfit is what I'm hoping to wear for pictures from now on....or something similar, just because it's a little more form-fitting. I figured that would make it a bit easier to see any changes.

Breakfast:

• Egg
• 1 slice of turkey bacon
• 1 cheese slice
• 1/2 a bun

Lunch:

• Black beans and brown rice and cheese burrito

 Dinner:

• 2 Black beans and brown rice and cheese burritos
• Broccoli

Snacks:

• Ice cream

 

Okay....on to the nitty-gritty, ugly measurements...

Date --------------1/15/10------------1/22/10------------Total Lost ------ Grand Total
Neck -------------- 14----------------- 14 --------------------- 0 ---------------------- 0.5
Right Arm--------- 15.5 ------------ 15.25 ------------------ 0.25 ------------------ -0.25
Left Arm----------- 16 --------------- 16 --------------------- 0 ------------------------ 0
Bust ---------------- 50.5 ------------ 50 --------------------- 0.5 ------------------------ 2
Midriff ------------- 39.5 -------------- 39.25 ------------------ 0.25 ---------------- 0.75
Waist -------------- 43 ----------------- 42 --------------------- 1 ------------------------- 1
Belly --------------- 45.75 ----------- 49.5 ----------------- -3.75 ------------------------ 2
Hips --------------- 52.25 --------------- 52 ---------------- 0.25 --------------------- 1.75
Right Thigh ------- 26.5 --------------- 26.25 ----------------- 0.25 ---------------- 1.75
Left Thigh --------- 27.25 -------------- 27.25 ---------------- 0 ---------------------0.75
Right Calf --------- 15.5 ---------------- 15 ------------------- 0.5 -------------------- 0.5
Left Calf ----------- 15.5 ------------ 15.25 ------------------ 0.25 -------------------- 0.25

Total Inches ----- 361.25 -------- 361.75 
Inches Lost --------------------------- -0.5 -------------------- -0.5 ------------------- 11.5

Weight ------------ 218 ---------- 218
Weight Lost ---------------------- 0 -------------------------------------------------- 13
Percentage ----------------------- 0.00% ------------------------------------------ 5.63%
Lost

Shock!

My internet is working tonight! Wahoo!!

Okay, so I just got done with a workout on my Biggest Loser Wii game. I made a custom workout with my favorite things. However, I decided that many of them are too slow for me, so I don't bother trying to "match" his movements. It was a good workout. I even put in a plank....and standing jacks (I couldn't bring myself to do full-out jumping jacks).

Normally come Thursday night, I'm excited about the weigh in, but I'm so nervous tonight! Like I mentioned before, I am out of excuses for not having good numbers, and I'm so afraid the trend will continue. If I were one to bite my fingernails, they just might be bleeding right now! I'm going to bed early (by 11:00) and hoping my body will burn enough weight and inches during my sleep to show me some good numbers tomorrow!

Breakfast:

• Bowl of cereal (Oatmeal Squares...did you know they have 9 g. of protein?)

Lunch:

• Leftover spinach chicken parmesan
• Carrots

Dinner:

• Spaghetti pie
• Slice of cheese toast

Snacks:

• Mini Delights
• Protein bar
• Pistachios

How do you like me now!

*gesturing to blog background* What do you think? Let me just brag a bit....I designed this background. I even made the flowers. Pretty cool, huh! :)

Okay...on to my progress for today. You know, for lunch, I put my regular black beans/brown rice in a tortilla with a little bit of cheese and warmed it up....de-licious! Really. I was wishing I could have another one.

On another note...since I was at Kathi's house tonight (I work late on Wednesday) I decided to try out her Elliptical. W-O-W. That is a workout. Yup. I forced myself to do it for 40 minutes (with only a couple short breaks in between). After that I did a little toning stuff....crunches, leg lifts, etc. My inner thighs are feelin' it.

Breakfast:

• Egg
• Bacon (turkey)
• Toast
• Milk

Lunch:

• YUMMY black bean burrito thingy 

Dinner:

• Leftover salmon and fried rice
• Carrots

Snacks:

• Mini Delights
• Protein bar
• Tootsie roll
• Slice of lemon cake

Another day, another...pound? I hope :)

My goal for this week is 3 pounds. I'm tired of having bad measurements and I am out of excuses. I've already talked to my body about it. I hope it's in agreement.

Last night I worked out for an hour....step aerobic stuff and some toning. I really think that I am sabotaging my efforts, or at least not allowing my body to get the best results it can by not getting to bed until late. I've got to get out of that habit!

I'm a little irritated with L.L. Bean. I really wanted to order at least one of the shirts I found the other day. I couldn't find them on their website by just a general search, or even browsing. I finally found the catalog I found the shirts in and searched for the item number. It didn't exist! How irritating is that??? So, I'll have to find a new goal shirt. Dang it.

Breakfast:

• Boiled egg
• Toast
• Milk

Lunch:

• 1/2 turkey sandwich - with lettuce, tomato, avocado, bacon and provolone cheese

Dinner:

• Salmon
• Fried rice
• Jello - with peaches

Snacks:

• Mini Delights
• Protein bar

Titles are highly overrated

I've decided to update this thing before I go home tonight, just in cast there is an issue with my internet connection. I haven't exercised yet, but I'm on my way home to do just that as soon as I hit "publish post."

It has been a pretty good day. Actually, it's been kind of a crazy day, but I've done pretty good towards my goal. And with my hour or so of exercise I'm planning, it should finish out good as well. Wahoo!

On a side note. I decided to order a shirt from LL Bean, but cannot find the shirts I want online. It's so crazy! I even browsed their catalog online, and it was nowhere to be found. What'supwiththat? It's a good thing I still have the physical catalog at home, so I can find it there. Phew! That would be disappointing if I couldn't order one!

Breakfast:

• Egg
• 1 slice of turkey bacon
• Toast
• Milk

Lunch:

• Roast beef sandwich - a little bit of mayo and mustard, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and a little bit of provolone cheese

Dinner:

• Leftover spinach chicken parmesan and spaghetti
• Corn on the cob

Snack:

• Mini Delights
• Fiber One bar
• A few chocolate chips

I'm back

Have I mentioned that I don't like my internet provider?

So, I was back on track yesterday. Wahoo. I find it encouraging that I don't feel like giving up after a day like yesterday. This certainly is a first!

Breakfast:

• Oatmeal Crips with Almonds cereal
• Protein bar

Lunch:

• Peanut butter and honey sandwich
• Orange

Dinner:

• Spinach Chicken Parmesan - served over spaghetti

Snacks:

• Mini Delights
• A piece of the best chocolate in the world