Update and Poison's Giveaway!

Hi all,

I need to get the junk out of my house. I seem to have no will power right now (what is wrong with me) and  I got into something I shouldn't have eaten. I only went a little over my calories and I tracked it RELIGIOUSLY on Sparkpeople...but I've been feeling bad. So I am bringing all the junk food in my house to work tomorrow and letting the ladies have at it before they start their new years resolutions! I made the most sinfully decadent Butterscotch Blondies with Peanut-Pretzel caramal from scratch. I made it for a couple of my friends for Hannukah and Christmas and I had some leftovers. Bad idea. ALl I want to do is eat them. REALLY bad. So I packed them all up and they're going into work tomorrow. No ifs, ands or butts (and yes I meant to spell it that way, I don't want these going to my butt)!

I need to get my groove back...that's for sure. And after this weekend, it should be a breeze. I'm working the weekend and Monday...but then I have Tuesday/Wedensday off to get my Christmas stuff down, to cleanse and get some exercise. And from there things go back to normal, hopefully! And then it's just a countdown until I go to Italy. WHICH I CANNOT WAIT FOR!!!! I want to be at 260 by the time I go! Can I do it? I sure hope so!!!

Now Poison is an AWESOME BLOGGER and an even more awesome inspiration. I want to be her, running like the wind! She has a giveaway for a Chicken Soup to Inspire a Woman's Soul. But what I LOVE about this giveaway is taht after you read the book, you give the book away on YOUR blog. WE should call it the Sisterhood of the Travelling Fatpants! WOO!

Check out her blog here: POISON'S BLOG AND GIVEAWAY!

Have a great day everyone and skinny vibes to my weekend weighers!

Weigh In Wednesday

After about two weeks of eating horribly...I faced the scale. And I really didn't like the number that glared back at me. I need to get back on track and I'm motivated to do so! This upcoming week is another crazy one...but I am comitted to my plan. I'm eating my breakfast scramble and a glass of skim milk as I write this.

I am going to Italy in just over a month. I leave Feb. 5th and I am going for two whole weeks. I really want to be down 50 pounds before I go!! It's going to be hard work but I live on hard work ;)

Today is my last day off until next Tuesday so I'm enjoying it. I've got myself in front of my Christmas tree (I will take it down next Wednesday, after New Years), my fireplace, with a good book. Tonight my mother is coming over and I'm making my delicious CHICKEN WRAPS! It's really easy to make.

 I use the Garlic Perfect Portions chicken by purdue. I know they're expensive as hell but I love how easy it is to just take out one perfectly portioned chicken breast and not have to worry about measuring and weighing and all that. Then I use about 1/2tbsp of olive oil and sautee the chicken in that, I put in mushrooms, onions and on a 70 calorie Joseph's Flax, Wheat and Oat Bran wrap, with a 30 calorie slice of fat free American cheese. Super yummy and really healthy too! Meat, vegetable, good fat, carbs, fiber (the wraps have 5 grams of fiber), dairy. YAY!

So my goal is to track my food every day at Sparkpeople and stay honest with myself. I can do this...and I'm not making this a New Year's resolution. This is my life, this is my weight loss, and I can do this!

Christmas Catastrophe

I am telling you, these few weeks around the holidays are some of the most stressful that I've ever had in my life. I have crap mounting on top of me from work, peers, and family. I've been working nonstop for the last couple weeks, my days jammed absolutely beyond full to the point where I come home and want to cry...but I don't have time because I have to chart on all of my patients. Not to mention it seems like around this time of year, everyone is getting sicker and more depressed and it sucks. Moving on to peers, why is it that there always seems to be a friend who doesn't understand that you have to work? And that everything is a personal insult to them? I really don't need that right now, thanks. And then we have family...my uncle (the one with head and neck cancer) had an air embolism and then has had a horrible bout of pain from an unknown origin. In other words...very bad news. Then I have my mom asking me constantly if he's going to die and if I think the cancer has spread.

So between having absolutely no down time, working from 7am-10pm just about every day...it's been crazy. I had to work Christmas Eve and Christmas day, and I was the only nurse on the day after Christmas. I have been doing barely any exercise other than running my butt from place to place trying to see patients before they crash and burn. And eating...I think I should be the poster child for stress eating. With all the temptations around and none of the willpower, I've eaten like crap. Cookies, buffalo chicken dip, pigs in a blanket, shrimp cocktail, meatballs, turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, fudge... I can go on but do I really need to?

I have to be honest with myself on this blog...but I tried to rationalize this bad eating in every way. Stress, it being the holidays, temptation. But really I knew it came from myself and my emotions.

I am going to Jenny Craig tomorrow and going to pick up some food...finally...I am not even sure I want to weigh in. I'm pretty sure I gained all the 40 pounds I lost back...

The next two days I finally have time off and I'm eating well, going to rest up, relax and jumpstart my weight loss as we kick off into a New Year!!

I hope everyone

Ugh.

I am swamped right now...at work, at home, with family...

And thusly I've been slacking on my JC. I ate OKAY over the weekend. I didn't go crazy but I also didn't do great either. I think I've been doing some stress eating too. I've been going a bit over my calorie count...which is not good. And now on top of everything, I have repairmen coming tomorrow to fix the cable, I have to bake for our office Christmas party...I don't have time to go to Jenny Craig. Which is fine, I have plenty of Jenny Craig food and healthy things I can cook.

I'm struggling with motivation right now. And maybe if my JCC was actually supportive...and didn't put me down. I might think about making time for it. But I feel like I get more support from my blogging buddies then I do from my consultant. I'm not complaining...I just feel overwhelmed. And driving 20 minutes to Jenny Craig then having a 5 minute consultation that really doesn't help and driving 20 minutes home is just a waste of my time. I have way too many other things to do.

So I'm going to try and eat well this week, track my calories, try and get through this slump. Any motivation would help right now. 

Weigh In Wednesday

Well, today started off with crap because I woke up SUPER early to do an admission. Yes, it's my day off. Yes, I don't have to work. But what am I supposed to do when my supervisor is telling me there's no one to do it and the other nurse has an admission too? And there are no per diems available? Come on. Ridiculous. So I was a very VERY nice girl and I went and did that at 7am. Followed by driving through the most horrible traffic I've ever seen back to my house. It took me 15 minutes to get into my street because all these people were stopped and refused to let me turn in! You're not going anywhere! Why do you have to block my street you can see me with my directional, sir! Yes, I am talking to you!

Anyway, then I ran like a mad woman to let the workmen into my house. Last year I had significant ice damming and flooding of my bedroom with all the winter weather we had here in CT...and they were coming to fix it. Today is their last day though thankfully, and my roommate let them in yesterday so I could get to see patients on time. Well they were late...and I was driving through thick construction traffic to get to my Jenny Craig appointment on time. Thankfully I got there only a minute or two after and my consultant was lounging anyway, it was a slooow day at Jenny Craig.

Good weigh in news though!! I lost 1.8 today bringing me down to my lowest weight 270.0!!!!! AND I have my period so I think that I even lost a little more than that. I am ready to kiss the 270s goodbye for GOOD. Total Loss = 40lbs. AND for the first time since before my vacation, my ticker has moved from where it was stuck. Yipee!

This weekend coming up is a bit hard for me. Friday we have our Seabury Christmas Party and there will be a lot of food temptations and such, plus we're celebrating Christmas early this weekend at my grandparents since I have to work Christmas and New Year's weekend this year. Suck. My grandparents butter and salt everyhting like crazy (so the food is so good). My goal is to eat in moderation and be a good girl. Santa Claus is watching, after all!

I hope that everyone has a great day. Skinny vibes to all my Wednesday weighers! And have a great week!

Sabotage.

Why am I doing this?

Is it because Aunt Flow is in town? Or what? I did a giant cleaning out of my closet this week and put all the old clothes that are way too big for me into a box to be cut up, thrown away and/or donated. But for some reason I am having trouble staying on plan these last few days. I feel like I'm purposely sabotaging myself! Yeah, I still track all my calories...except for yesterday which I don't even want to talk about. It was ridiculous. I'm embarassed with myself and with my choices...and there's no one here to blame by myself.

I love that I'm starting to look really good, I love my new sizes, I love that I'm recieving compliments too. But I also am afraid of what's going to come. WTF is wrong with me. That is SO stupid. I caught myself yesterday eating pizza, cookies I made with my mom, I came home and munched on junk... WHY!? Why would I do that? I wasn't even hungry!! What the hell. I'm pissed off at myself and I'm annoyed. I also have horrible cramps and feel like I might rip this uterus out at any second.

I need to stay on plan and track my calories. I need to make good choices even though it's the holidays. I have a lot of holiday parties comingup. My work party is on the 16th and there's going to be good food...but there will also be dancing. So maybe I can burn some calories off on the dance floor. Or maybe just do an exercise tape when I'm at home...I am still embarassed to go around showing off like that. I don't know if I'll ever be comfortable enough in my own skin to cut loose like that.

I am telling you this because I need to be accountable for it. I need to stop sabotaging myself and stick to plan. My goal is to lose at least 1.5 pounds this week so I can get lower than my lowest recorded weigh in weight! AND  I need to say goodbye to the 270s. That means kicking my ass into gear and I know it. This is a very busy time at work, I have a lot of food temptations, and for some reason my morale is dipping. The rest of this week until weigh in on Wednesday I am sticking 100% to plan, I am drinking water, I am exercising...and I will pray before my weigh in this week!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Weigh in Wednesday and a New Holiday Look!

Today I'm struggling not losing my temper. My boss is driving me crazy with constant phone calls, not listening to what I have to say, and basically forcing me to do work on my day off. Oh, I have a choice to do it on Thursday...if I want to work a 15 hour day...I feel agitated and upset. The pain in my side is kind of going away though, which is good. I haven't had a pain since yesterday! That's some good news. I am also enjoying a Jenny Craig Cheddar Cheese Omelette with a diet swiss miss hot chocolate. If you love hot cocoa, I would definitely reccomend this! It's 25 calories for  a delicious cup of hot cocoa -- I can't even tell the difference between the diet and the regular. So that's saying something!

Going to my JC appointment did not help my bad day any. I walked in and she said "Oh you had a 9am appointment". I've had 9:15am appointments since I started at JC...not to mention the fact that it was just a little after 9 (I'm always early). I also did not get a reminder call for my appointment so...how was I supposed to know that I had a 9? Well I apologized...weighed in and lost a lovely 3.6 pounds! YAY! But it was then that my JCC reminded me very rudely that my lowest weigh in to date was 270.6 and I was still a pound away from that. Annoying.

I feel really angry today...not sure if it's my period that's a'comin' round the mountain...or if its a combination of that and all the crap that's been thrown at me right now. Seriously?

I'm just focusing on trying to relax...I have a ton of things that need to get done today. I have a bunch of errands to run. And it's ridiculously nasty weather out. People are driving like manics. It's pouring so hard I can barely see, have the winshield wipers on high...and I'm going a safe 55mph in a 65mph zone on the highway. And people are honking at me and passing me like I'm not even moving. Safety anyone? I am not picking your dumb butt off the highway, buddy...and I'm not going to be your nurse when we have to put you back together like Humpty Dumpty!

Now to focus on the positives...I have a lovely new holiday themed blog! I love LeeLou Blogs! First of all, she is an excellent designer...and she has a ton of free blog designs whch I love! You have to be a little bit HTML and CSS saavy to put them into place, if you ask me, but the results are just fabulous! What do you think of the new design!? I'm also sitting in front of my beautiful 4 foot tall Christmas Tree! I LOVE IT!

Here's a picture of it just for you! Isn't it awesome! And all of those presents are for other people, by the way, ahha I just wanted something under there! My sister's gift for Christmas and her birthday were sent to her in Italy! Where I am headed in February!!

Okay, well I am going to get started on my long to-do list...trying not to let myself get annoyed. I hope that everyone has a great weighing week! Have a great day!

Foggy Monday

Hi there friends,

The weekend went well food-wise. I could've done more with exercise but I've been having a ton of abdominal pain since Friday. As many of you know I was diagnosed with PCOS and that's one of my major motivators for getting healthy and losing weight. During an ultrasound, the doctor said that my left ovary is not completely cystic but I do have some cysts on it and it was slightly dilated. The right one was normal, thank goodness. One of the issues I was having was this horrible stabbing abdominal pain that I would often get without warning. My periods were very irregular, I wouldn't have one for three months and then have one that lasted two months straight; I was all out of whack and feeling awful!

But with losing weight, not only have my periods been regular but I feel better. I don't get the same horrible symptoms that I did prior to losing weight. But for some reason this weekend I've had this stabbing pain right in my abdomen around where my ovary is. It's not constant but when it hits me, it's very sharp pain that takes my breath away. I feel slightly nauseous and my stomach gets upset.But then it'll go away and I can continue on my day. I really hope that nothing is going on with my ladyparts...I've been doing so well and the thought of having a problem really scares me and makes me upset. I called my OBGYN to try and make an appointment but getting in there is hard. He's a really great reproductive endocrineologist that I found by pure chance, going down a list of GYNs that took my health insurance, ahah. But he's been great and I just hope that nothing is going on!

So I've been taking it a little easy with exercise. I didn't slack off completely but if I get too active, the pain gets worse. So...we'll see what he says.

I'm actually looking forward to weigh in this week. I think that I've been doing excellent on my plan and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can kiss the 270s goodbye VERY soon! I was almost there before the storm and my vacations. I am sending out skinny vibes to everyone! Hope you are all having a great start to your week!!

Weekend Update

Hi all!

I thought I'd check in on this lovely, brisk Saturday to tell you about my week. I've been right on with my goals...except for drinking water. I've been getting eight glasses of water per day CONSISTETLY but what happens is when I start going over that...that's when the peeing starts. This may not be a problem if I worked in an office or if I had a place I could easily go to the bathroom. However I am on the road all day seeing patients. It's not always appropriate for me to ask a patient if I can use their bathroom (and some of their houses are NASTY let me tell you!) and I don't have the time to go stop somewhere to go. Therefore I end up holding it until I'm ready to burst...which is uncomfortable. At eight glasses of water I can manage everything and I feel hydrated without feeling like I'm going to float away...sorry if its TMI!

I have been exercising a lot. Lately I've been starting to jog...which I'm kind of proud of. Prior to starting my weight loss journey even walking short distances I got winded. I hated running and I thought it was horrible. But now that I'm losing weight and doing more activity...maybe I judged it too harshly. Ultimately my goal is to participate in a triathalon and a 5K. I am not currently training at this time but it's there in my goals...I want to kick butt!  You can find my goals here in my 30 before 30 list! So far, I have only completed #6 which is LEARN TO GRILL! I am pretty good at it, I'll tell you! There were a lot of grilled veggie and chicken salads in a hot sauce dressing that were very delicious over the summer. That reminds me to buy stock in hot sauce...

I'm slowly but surely working on Goal #1 right now which is to fit into normal sized clothes. I went to Old Navy and I was buying some transition clothes and I found that I am fitting into large shirts rather than XL or XXL. So I'm getting there...I'm working toward becoming a success story!

So I feel very motivated. I've been doing really great with eating. I had a few nights of eating the Easy Cheesy Broccoli Cheddar Soup from Dashing Dash. I had to tinker the recipe because I forgot some ingredients...oops. But it was amazing. And I ate it with lighter version of a grilled cheese! Light rye bread, fat free american cheese singles and I sprayed the bread with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray instead of using real butter! SO GOOD. The soup ended up being 100 calories for a cup, so I added a bit of shredded parmesean to it, which was delicious. I also put in some hot sauce and lots of black pepper. YUM! The leftovers are in the freezer now, I'm just waiting for the right time to take them out!!

It's a quiet weekend, getting laundry done and cleaning up the house. I'm also planning on cleaning out my drawers and organizing. I hope that your weekend is going as splendidly as mine!

Weigh in Wednesday and Reaffirmation

My vacation is definitely over and I don't like where the scale is! I admit I haven't been eating that great lately because I've been away from home and away from my good habits. There's no excuse so I'm not going to make any! Starting weight today is 275.4, which is not good! I am doing this dance with the 270s and it's time to say GOODBYE! This week I have some goals that I need to accomplish in order to get myself ready. The holidays aren't going to sabotage my motivation!! I can do this!

Goals for the Week:
- Drink 10 glasses water per day
- Exercise at least 30minutes per day
- Stick within my goals EVERY DAY - Using my Jenny Craig meals and meals on my own, tracking on Sparkpeople
- Do not beat myself up for weight gain and just move forward (harder than it sounds for me!)
- No diet soda!! I got into the habit of drinking it on vacation and it needs to stop!
- Take 10 minutes daily for "me", to give thanks for everything I'm grateful for.

I hope that everyone is having a great day and I hope you can pop by and give me some words of motivation! I really could use it! I'm feeling down today, wondering if I should just give up because the scale is creeping back up...but I need to stop that!

In other news, I LOVE DASHING DISH!! Katie is like my freaking idol and all her food looks amazing. I have toyed with making a few of them myself and today I decided I would I am making her Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup. I had the ingredients in the house except for the broccoli and cheese sauce which I picked up...only thing is I just got one small package, so my recipe is going to be a litttl different, oops! But it's cooking away in my crock pot and I'm making grilled cheese with fat free singles and light rye bread (80 cals for 2 slices!) tonight! What a way to kick off a healthy new weighing week! But seriously, if you don't know about Dashing Dish already...you're in for a BUNCH of treats!

Have a great day all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello everyone!

I wanted to say a very happy, blessed Thanksgiving to all of those who are celebrating! I wanted to do a list of things I'm grateful for. The first of which is I am thankful to have all of you in my life! You keep me strong and help keep me motivated in my weight loss, you listen to me bitch and moan and share in my success!!

I am also very thankful that I have my health and that I am continuing to work toward a healthier me. As a nurse, I always see people who are in poor health and are suffering this time of year. I am so grateful that I am not ill or in pain or suffering! And I pray that those who are find peace this holiday season!

I am so thankful to be employed in a time where so many are unemployed or underemployed. I'm thankful that I have patients who I adore and who brighten my day up! Even though it may be tough some days, I am always grateful that I have what I do!

I'm thankful to have a roof over my head and food on my table. I'm thankful that I have clothes to wear and shoes on my feet!

But most of all I'm thankful for my family. I'm here in Illinois with my family who I love and wish that I got to see more often. I'm thankful that my paternal grandparents are still living and are in good health, I'm so thankful that I have aunts and uncles, cousins, my brother and sister, and my parents!!

I'm heading off to my Uncle's house for Thanksgiving. He's fighting head and neck cancer and I'm so happy to be here with him this year and to enjoy each and every minute with those I love!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Have a wonderful day, enjoy yourself and life!

Weigh In...Monday

It feels strange to me to be weighing in on Monday, I like my Wednesday weigh in days! Especially since if I splurged a little on the weekend, I can get back on track! But Illinois is calling!!! YAY! I'm so happy to be spending time with my family who I haven't seen in a few years. And to enjoy joy and good company!

I had an excellent loss of 6.4 pounds this week! I knew that when I weighed in last week I was retaining a lot of water because of the flight and because I had just gotten my period that morning, ugh. But I knew there was some weight there too from not eating so well. So now I'm back to 271, YAY! Even though I'm going away for the week I'm going to do my best to eat well and exercise, my goal is a 0.5 pound weight loss for next week. I CAN DO IT! I better bust my buns!

These past few days I've felt really good about myself! I'm in smaller sizes and I have more energy, which is an awesome feeling.

Hope you all have a GREAT week and a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I am going to try and update this week but if I don't, for my American friends have a good Thanksgiving and a wonderful kickoff to the holiday season. And to my Canadian/EU/Other friends, have an excellent rest of your week! <3

Weekend Update

What a beautiful fall morning!

It's been really nice the last couple of days. Chilly but very autumnal, which is my favorite! Connecticut is still digging out of the wreck from Winter Storm Alfred! There are still a ton of CL&P and tree cutting crews out trying to clear branches and trees. And my insurance company is coming out this morning to look at the damage to my poor garage door! My condo association has been givnig me the run around with this and I'm not very happy. I own my condo but I do not own any land surrounding it; I pay condo fees for them to take care of the trees, the lawn, etc. And their tree damaged MY garage, ergo they need to fix my garage! However the condo president told me that 'oh, we'll see' and that she'll 'get back to me'. Yeah you will... because I called my insurance company and they're going to fight you if you don't fix it!

In other news, I gained last week but I feel like most, if not all, that weight has come off since I got home. I had a good eating week(except for Saturday night which I'll tell you about) and I've been exercising. I'm fitting into much smaller sizes, I almost can't believe it. Instead of struggling to get on my 3XL shirts and pants, I'm fitting into 18/20 pants AND I went to Old Navy and I fit into LARGE tops! NOT XL, not XXL...LARGE! HOLY MOLEY! I do have some tops that are still a bit bigger that fit well but really it's the bustline that I have problems with, not the waist or the hips. I have a whole bunch of cute clothes that are going to carry with me until I'm too small for them!!

So I had a good eating week, good exercise week. But Saturday I went out to lunch with my mom, but I counted all my calories, I had already allotted them into my plan. But then Saturday night I was at a party with some friends from college and I overindulged just a little! I had some chip and dip stuff, nothing crazy, I had 2 pieces of pizza (one was very small though, it was from a small pizza) and then I had 2 cookies. I also had an Irish beer, Murphy's which is a very dark lager that I LOVED to drink in Ireland. So all in all, definitely NOT the best calorie day. I did some extra exercise to make up for it and I'm back on track today, not too worried even though weigh in day is tomorrow! Let's pray for a good loss!!!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Weighing in on Wednesday

Not literally!! I'll be weighing in at Jenny Craig next Monday!

I started back doing really well on my healthy routine (I refuse to use the word diet!) on Monday and I feel really good. I was thinking back to the last two weeks and eating "whatever I wanted". Honestly, I didn't find it that satisfying. For some reason, I was ALWAYS hungry. I would eat a big meal and then like an hour later I'd feel like I was hungry again--just like  before I started my weight loss journey. Maybe it was the alcohol; It's Ireland so you know there was much booze to be found! It couldn't be the walking because honestly it was about the same that I do here at home. We took some walks but even the 4 mile scenic walk we took in Kinsale wasn't anything I wasn't used to! However 40 pounds ago, I'd have probably required a defibrillator and an oxygen mask!!!!

Another thing I wanted to share was that I didn't need a seatbelt extender on the plane! I had nightmares about needing one, about having to ask...but I buckled that sucker up AND I pulled it and it had a little tail! YIPEE! I didn't have any problems fitting into the seat at all which I was worried about.

Also since the first time--maybe ever--I felt cute and sexy. I bought new pants at Old Navy before I left and they are 3-4 sizes smaller than when I started. I was barely fitting into a 26 (in some pants, you know how random some of the sizing of pants can be) and now I am slipping into a 20 that fit perfectly!! I probably shouldn't be so excited about being in a size 20 but...hey, it's just a stepping stone on my way to my healthy body.

Thanksgiving is coming up next week and if I haven't told you already, I will be driving (YES, DRIVING) out to Illinois with my parents to see my mother's family. It's a 16 hour car ride, ew. So what that means is that I'm not bringing any of my Jenny Craig food. Out in the Midwest I know there is going to be a lot of junk and good food, alcohol, and especially on Thanksgiving! However I have been using Sparkpeople.Com which they talkabout the 80/20 rule. If you eat well 80% of the time and splurge only 20% of the time, you can still lose weight. I figure that I can enjoy myself in moderation, not go overboard, and be fine! Yes I know that I will probably gain a bit but I'm not worried. I know that I'm living my life, I'm aware of what needs to be done AND I'm doing it!

I'll keep you updated as to how I'm doing as we go along! I'll be bringing my computer up to Illinois with me!

Hope you all have a stunning day!

I MISSED YOU!

Yes, you!

I missed all of my blogging buddies very much over the last two weeks I've been away. First of all, I want to say that I am back in my home and the power/cable/internet has been restored. Winter Storm Alfred was absolutely out of control. For a whole 8+ days I was without power. I was staying with a friend who had a generator, we only ran it twice a day--enough to take a shower, cook a meal and charge a phone. At my house, I lost everything in my fridge and freezer including 15 Key Lime Pie and 10 Cinnamon Rolls that I had stockpiled for later. I also lost all of my Jenny Craig food and what was in my fridge, frozen veg...totalling over 500 dollars. :(

Over that week I had absolutely no control over what I ate. There was no place for me to get Jenny food or to store it. I was eating whatever I could get. Not even fast food places were open. I would literally sometimes just eat Halloween Candy for a day or when I was at my friend's house, whatever her mom cooked I ate wether it was healthy or not. I was surrounded by junk because that's what doesn't spoil! I feel like this week in particular screwed up my weight loss and I was honestly just eating whatever I could get my hands on. I don't feel guilty about it, I'm not deluding myself when I say I literally had no other choice but to eat what I could.

At around 1am Sunday (before I left) my parents got power back and so I stayed with them. Leaving for my trip to Ireland I was all in a funk. I hadn't been eating well, I felt off kilter. Work was a damn nightmare. I was out seeing patients in decimated, wrecked areas, driving through power lines with a police escort at times just so I could see patients. It was a huge disaster. And not one I'm likely to forget. I am so grateful to have a warm house, power, laundry, EVERYTHING!!!!

So enough of my whining about the storm. Ireland was FANTASTIC! Down below I have a slideshow of all my pictures for you. Honestly, I would have loved to spend weeks more in Ireland. I had a blast. I took pictures of everything I saw, ate, and did! Hahaha! I know that I overindulged but I called Jenny Craig this morning and made an appointment. No shock here but after a week of eating whatever was available and a week of Ireland, I had a gain. Of 7.2 pounds. OUCH.

However I think some of that is the fact that I got my period this morning. I also need to lose some water weight from retaining fluid after flying. I am back on track today, not dwelling that I had a gain! Coming up for me is tough because next week I am going to Illinois to visit my family for Thanksgiving. I know there's going to be a lot of drinking, eating, and having a good time! I will just strive to do my best!!!

I hope you all are safe and happy today. Cheers! Enjoy the pictures!

Smashed by Winter Storm Alfred

Hi all,

I am not neglecting you. I live in CT as many of you know and I have been hit very hard by Winter Storm Alfred. A big tree hit my house, thankfully there is only surface damage but I barely made it out with my car. I will post pictures when I am able to. Power is out all over the state including at my condo. I am displaced, staying with friends who have a generator who I cannot thank enough. Without them I would be totally lost. They have kept me fed and showered and able to go out and see my patients.

I am still going to Ireland at the end of the week and it'll be a welcome relief to have power and food and life at my fingertips again. I haven't been following my diet. All Jenny Craig food spoiled. I am eating what's available and trying to do portion control. It's been a real struggle.

I love you all. Thanks so much to Taryn for her lovely care package. I went through its contents when I stopped into my condo to pack, it was 38 degrees and I was frozen stiff!! So I will go through it more thoroughly when I get power back! And I'll take pictures :D

Thanks,
Katelyn

FRIDAY!

It's finally Friday!! And I am very happy. We have rotating weekends at work...which I hate. When I was hired I was told NO weekends and rotating holidays. They threw us this curve ball and made it mandatory. Well, this weekend it's my weekend. But thankfully I have no visits, so I get to get ready for Ireland this weekend! I feel like I have SO much to do! I am just buying some new clothes though in smaller sizes! Mine are too big...but I'm kinda broke right now. Between Jenny Craig and my mortgage, Electric bill, student loans...and my credit card bills for gas, etc...woof. I'm going to Ireland for a week and in February I'm going to visit my sister who's studying for a year in Milan! LOTS coming up and I need to watch my budget, eek!

Work has been a bit crazy but I feel a little better situated. I've been destressing with an apple scented candle from Yankee Candle and my fireplace. Ahh. And we're expecting a noreaster this weekend? WHAT!? I am not ready for snow. NO WAY! But at least I don't have to be out seeing patients.

I finally cleaned the house which feels amazing. I hate having a dirty house, it makes me so overwhelmed. Laundry is done...and I'm enjoying myself! I want to wish everyone a very SAFE Halloween weekend. Remember that your safety is #1! Don't drink and drive! Have fun!

Wednesday Weigh In Suprise!

I want to thank everyone for their kind comments and helping me feel better about the crummy couple of weeks I've had. Last night I destressed with some bubblewrap (yes, I love popping bubble wrap!) and some Sleepytime tea. Lately, tea has been my OBSESSION! I love having something warm and tasty at night around the time that I usually get hungry. Honestly, it doesn't matter if I ate my Jenny Craig meal or went out to eat, around 8/9pm I always feel STARVING. Before starting my weight loss journey I would eat most of my calories around this time. I recall having taken out and entire bag of Oreos...a pint of Ben and Jerry's...a small pizza... it's these kind of habits that got me in trouble! Now, I drink a hot glass of tea and eat my Jenny Craig snack.

So...as you may know already I didn't do that great with eating. I made some bad choices, I had some things that were outside of my control, and I did some stress eating. I have been walking a lot but I didn't do any Yoga or exercise tapes. But I lost...2.4 pounds~!?!????!?!? 

When I saw the scale, I almost cried! I chalk it up to the fact that when I did splurge, I went RIGHT back to eating healthy and I didn't continue to make bad choices! And I think I might have given my metabolism a little kick in the butt-- you have to do that sometimes!




I am so...close...to my Ireland goal. LOL Look at my Jenny Craig Ticker!!!! .1999999999999 to go until I reach this goal! I have ONE WEEK left to lose 0.2 pounds and I like my odds!

And in anticipation of meeting my goal, I am going to purchase my Camera!! I've decided on the Sony Cyber-Shot! And I want the pretty pink one! My sister has a slightly cheaper model and she LOVES it. I just wanted a little bit more feature-wise than she has!

Hopefully next week I'll meet my goal (I have big plans to get off those last few ounces!) and you'll get a picture update with my new camera! Now I'm off to Target to pick up things for the trip...I can't believe how many things I thought I had but I didn't!

Happy Wednesday All!

Having a Tough Time

These last couple weeks, I feel really overwhelmed. Things at work are very stressful and I've had a couple of patients who are really making my life miserable. I go so far above and beyond for these people, I don't think they even understand how much time and effort goes into keep them safe, healthy and at home. And yet for some reason, they're pitching hissy fits and cancelling services, refusing to let me come out to discharge them. And to make it worse some of the other nurses I work with love to badmouth each other behind their backs...I had to go in to get a PPD today and I heard them gossiping about me and how I suck at my job. Great. Just what I wanted to hear.

Seriously? I am so done.

I ate like crap this week and I know it. I mean, I stuck to my Jenny Craig almost every day but on Wednesday I had chinese food. I allotted it into my calories and I just ate a little bit of the rice and chicken, then THREW IT AWAY! But I finished my wonton soup, which was what I really wanted. Then the next day I went out to dinner with my mom after a horrible day. I caught myself stress eating Sunday night for no reason. I swear the last couple days I've just been so depressed. I've been crying and I feel overwhelmed. I feel like no one values what I do and that no one appreciates me. Then I feel bad because I feel like I'm being selfish. It's not all about me...

In short, I just have had a rotten couple weeks. I can't wait for my Ireland trip. I had a meeting on Saturday with the people who are going. I'm the only person under 65 going on this trip. Oh well. I'll meet some hot Irishmen and dance some calories away? A girl can dream! I just need a break. I'm off tomorrow and I'm planning on destressing, getting things ready for Ireland, and not thinking about work. At all. It's a hard thing to do for me but I'm seriously losing my sanity. And to top it off I'm on this weekend. UGH.

Okay this pity party is over. I'm moving on, hoping to just maintain this week before I kick my butt into gear for next week. I'm so close to making my 40lb goal that I can taste it!! I need to stop tasting junk and focus on moving my hiney!

Have a good day everyone <3 Skinny vibes to my Wednesday Weighers!

Feverish Friday

Caution: Very Angry Rant ahead...and some true confessions.

I feel extremely manipulated and taken advantage of by my job. Being forced to work on my scheduled days off, being told I have to work rotating weekends now even though that was not in my contract, and the complete and total crap I have to put up with day in and day out. The constant phone calls...yes, I am talking about being called five times in one day after you've already talked to this person face to face about the same exact thing they're calling you about. And the kicker was I had a full schedule yesterday, including going out to one of our group homes and doing a visit there. Now, I absolutely love my patients, especially these two. It's a treat for me to go out and get hugs and have sweet, enjoyable patients (for once, lol). However they go to a work program during the day and thusly, you have to go out late in the afternoon to accomedate them. Now, I had already been working since 7:30am and we're approaching 4pm without a break or a second to breathe.

So, I am at that visit and I get a frantic phone call from my boss telling me that I have to go out and see another patient tonight. I'm contracted to 6 visits per day and at this point, I had already had SEVEN visits. Which takes a lot of time and effort, believe me. Intense wound care, assessment, calling doctors, calling in refills on prescriptions...and that's not even dealing with patient and family issues. Which is a whole different story I won't even go into. I'm over my alloted visits for the day AND for the week, so technically any visits above and beyond that are per diem and I'm supposed to be able to refuse if I want. And at 4:30pm on a Thursday when I was trying to meet my mom so we could go to the Farmer's Market is NOT the time to be calling me to go do a visit. I was not on call, I'd done my work for the day...and I was also almost 45 minutes away from the patient who needed to be seen.

Needless to say, I had to go out to see that patient, I missed the Farmer's Market and I enjoyed a tension headache and pounding rage for most of the night. The ridiculousness of having a job where I've already worked a 9 hour day without a break and am being forced to cancel plans with my mother because of it...I just can't be doing that. But I took a deep breath, my mom and I sat and vented for a while and then we went out to dinner.

I need to get my behind back in gear. I ate really well on Wednesday morning and afternoon but in the evening I was still feeling sick and the only thing I wanted was wonton soup. Well, I got it and I allotted it into my calories. And I stayed within range, just went a bit nutso overboard on the sodium...I can't help that they drown soup in salt, lol. And on Tuesday I had a normal breakfast but I was so busy I didn't get a chance to have lunch...so my mom and I went out to dinner. I had a beer, I ate a portabello mushroom sandwich which I already know is pretty good on calories/fat etc, but then I had onion rings with it and I mowed down a piece of cheesecake. Damn freaking stress/emotional eating...I knew what I was doing too. I just...it made me feel better to put that junk in my body. UGH. Then I was mad at myself...

So today I'm back on plan. I have been eating my Jenny Craig food for breakfast/lunch and dinner, I've been drinking plenty of water and just relaxing. It's Friday. I am not on call this weekend. I will not be answering my phone. No, not even if there is a plague. :D

Sorry for ranting, I'm sure no one wants to listen to me bitch and moan about my job. I just feel so taken advantage of. I have a VERY heavy load of patients who have a LOT wrong with them. And I feel like there's never any break. I wake up in a panic sometimes worrying about whether my patients are okay...so I never give myself a break either!!

My goal for this weekend is to eat right, get some exercise, relax, and enjoy myself. I have a meeting tomorrow for my Ireland trip, which is exciting! And I'm looking forward to it! My new sweaters came from Target and they are SUPER CUTE! YAY!

Have a happy, safe weekend everyone!

Weigh In Wednesday!

What a yucky day out. I didn't want to leave my bed this morning!! But I need to get on with my day, I know! I had my Jenny Craig appointment and I lost 1.2 pounds! Yipee!! 2.6 to go until I reach 40lbs down and can get my camera for Ireland!

In other news, I am going to have to invest in new pants. I've been making do with the old ones but...I almost lost my pants yesterday. They are SO loose. They are also having a sweater sale at Target and I bought a couple online that I will hopefully be wearing in Ireland! FINGERS CROSSED! The selection at my local Target isn't that good for clothes, so usually I order online and have much better luck. I also hate trying on clothes...so...I'm hoping as I keep losing weight, everything will work out.

Today I hit another big milestone. I am officially 1/4 of the way through my weight loss journey! HOORAY!!!!!!! 25% of my weight is gone. I am ecstatic!!! When I first started, I didn't believe in myself. I kept thinking, you'll slip up and gain it all back...forget it, you're just going to be fat forever...

But I CAN do this! I am doing it! Woohoo! I'm hoping before the month is out I'll have another milestone photo and a new camera so you can have better quality milstone photos than my stupid phone, haha!

Hope everyone has a lovely day! It's nasty here but I have some tea, an apple scented candle burning and my electric fireplace going. Ahh, so nice.

Checking In!

Hi all!

It feels like a long time since I last blogged. I got in the habit of blogging my September Recipes every day and now I'm slacking off! Honestly, I've been so swamped with work it's been impossible. Between all the patients I have to see, case management out the wazoo, charting my visits and trying to get things in my own life accomplished, I've barely had a second to myself. I also worked on my day off last week and over the weekend I caught a NASTY cold. Oof it is still kicking my butt! My glands are so swollen, I have had a constant headache despite taking Excedrin, and the throat soreness is what's really bugging me.

Since I'm off tomorrow and will not be picking up my phone for any reason, I plan on taking a nice dose of Nyquil tonight and sleeping in. I have refused to take the nighttime cold medicine because I've had to be up early and I didn't want to be groggy driving. But hopefully with the medicine tonight and a good night's rest, I'll be good as new!

Eating wise I've done really well this week. I've had almost not appetite because I've been sick but I've been drinking a lot of tea. I have been drinking homemade mulled apple cider (which I've carefully counted into my calories). And 8oz of cider is a fruit serving, right? Right! :D I went out to lunch on Sunday, I had a portobella mushroom sandwich  which is relatively low in calories and a glass of unsweetened iced tea! I ate lighter during the day to even things out. That day I took a long walk with my mom too, which should help too! Exercise has been lacking just because just going to work and doing my visits takes so much energy when I'm sick, I can barely do anything but go to work and the crawl into bed.

Tomorrow is weigh in day and I'm hopeful that the last few pounds will be all gone before Ireland! Only 3.6 to go!!!!!!!!! :D

Skinny vibes to my Wednesday weighers and I hope everyone is doing well!

Ahhhhhhhhh!

Thank GOD it's Friday!!!

This week has been insane...absolutely insane. And I have had a really tough couple weeks. I had to work on my day off, I've had not a single second to myself except for a brief dinner with a good friend that saved my sanity! I need this weekend! YAY IT'S FINALLY HERE!

Went out to eat on Wednesday and did really well. I counted all my calories and ate lightly so I had a delicious salad and some cheesecake for a post weigh in splurge. Since then I've been eating well. I'm going out to lunch tomorrow with my mom but we're taking a nice long autumnal walk before it. Activity and good eating the rest of the day will be a success! Plus I'm in love with the portabello mushroom sandwich at the local bar and it's relatively low in calories and fat! As far as bar sandwiches go, it's an excellent choice!!

I am spending this weekend on ME. I'm relaxing, enjoying myself, and not answering my damn work phone! Countdown to Ireland 3 weeks and 2 days, yipee!!! That means 3 weeks and 2 days to lose 3.6 pounds so I can buy my camera and meet my Ireland goal. I can do this!

I hope that everyone has a relaxing weekend. Take time to focus on the positives. Rejuvenate!

Happy Friday!

Weigh In Wednesday

I am super annoyed today. And in a very bitchy mood. I do not want to be doing work or having to answer my damn work phone on my day off. And yet that is exactly what I have to do. Because of incompetent idiots who can't figure it the hell out for themselves. All I really wanted to do today was relax, do some yoga, and detox from the last two days of stress at work. But is that what I get to do? No. I have to deal with completely and total bullcookies. I've really had it and I'm almost at breaking point...having my period doesn't help either.

However despite having a crappy day so far, I lost 2.8 at my weigh in today. WHAT!? I swore I was going to gain. My pants were tight this morning and that's rare for me. I know it's just bloating because I've been eating really well and exercising so I tried not to let it bug me too much. But when I stepped on the scale I was shocked to see 273.8!!! A loss of 2.8 pounds and that means only 3.8lbs to lose before I go to Ireland! I CAN DO THIS! That brightened me up a little bit...but then I got caught in some stupid construction traffic. Seriously do you have to close an entire lane for 3 miles for ONE damn truck fixing the sign on the side of the road?! REALLY!?

I think I'm just in a pissy mood. And I need the rest of the day to not do anything at all.

I'm going out to dinner with a friend tonight, which I've allotted into my plan, so that'll be fun. I have that to look forward to tonight! Focusing on the positive.

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday!

Blogger Must Be Hungry Today...

Because it ate my post...

Sigh.

Oh well. It's been crazy for me. And I was manipulated into taking a visit on my day off tomorrow. Seriously, what the hell? What is wrong with me? Why can't I put my foot down and say NO. I am not working on my day off, don't call me, don't talk to me...I am not available. But for some reason I just can't. It could be because this particular patient is very special to me. And when other people see her they screw her up EVERY. TIME. I mean, it's ridiculous. Yes, I understand she's a difficult patient but...what I can't understand is letting that get in the way of doing things right. They better not even think about bothering me all day or I'll probably lose it... I really need a day off this week. I have tons of appointments to go to in addition to major grocery shopping.

Tomorrow is weigh in day and I'm not expecting anything. I'm hoping for staying the same or a loss... I've eaten really well but Aunt Flow has stopped by for a visit. I'm actually kind of happy, this is the first time in almost 2 years that I've had a normal period. I'm making sure to write it down so I can keep an eye on things. I feel very crampy and my body is soooo sore from working out yesterday in addition to body aches that I normally get. Really it's only my right leg and my lower back, but man is it sore.

Skinny vibes to my Wednesday weighers!

Crocktober!

Larry, Curly and Moe! My crock pots!

Hi all!

It's been a LONG time since this has happened but I have NO PLANS this weekend! Which means that I'm getting things done at home! I did some working out this morning. Also baked some banana chocolate chip muffins last night and had one for breakfast today, they were amazing!! I also am making Jambalaya in the crock pot for dinner tonight! Yum yum yum! I'm doing a total Jenny Craig day on my own, woohoo! My muffin for breakfast with milk, I'm having a buffalo chicken sandwich which I made in my crock pot a couple days ago, and Jambalaya for dinner! :D 2 of the 3 things were made in my crock pot!

For those of you who don't know about my obsession with crock pots...you're about to learn. I love crock pots...I have three of them! I love to cook in my crock pots! I have a six quart that I like to make spaghetti sauce and applesauce in. My 5 quart (which is my first and favorite crock pot) I've made everything from enchiladas to pork chops to jambalaya! And I also have a minicrock pot that I mostly use for making pumpkin spice lattes and dips!

If you don't already have a crock pot, this is something to add to your list of things to purchase. I may have posted about this before...but having an entire meal made in 20 minutes and completely cleaned up before you start your day is AWESOME. And October...aka CROCKTOBER is my favorite month to do it in.

Prior to starting my weight loss journey I would make up lots of yummy things and eat them, share them, and freeze them for later! And now that I'm watching my intake and everything, I've got a wealth of awesome healthy recipes to choose from :D. Looking to make my famous beef stew next weekend perhaps?

In other news, I am wearing my new jeans that I bought and...for some reason they're loose! I bought two sizes down from my starting size thinking since I've lost 33.4 pounds I'd be closer to the smaller size than the larger one. But these are a bit too big, thankfully they have a belt that I'm using to keep them fastened up! Oops!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous, relaxing, beautiful weekend!

A-Z About Me!

I've seen this floating around on several blogs and I decided to fill it out while I watch Grey's Anatomy!

A. Age - 23

B. Bed size - Queen

C. Chore you dislike - Taking out the trash....

 

D. Dogs - Used to :( My little Shea.

E. Essential start to your day -  Shower.

 

F. Favorite color - Red

G. Gold or silver - Silver I guess.

 

H. Height - 5'8

I. Instruments you play(ed) -  Piano, Oboe and Bassoon...and I was good too!

J. Job title - RN Case Manager

K. Kids -  My Patients are my babies

L. Live - Windsor, CT

M. Mom's name - Kathleen

N. Nicknames - Kate, my family has always called me Katebug. My brother calls me Kibbles. Do NOT ask where that came from because I don't know...

O. Overnight hospital stays - None, maybe being born? Lol.

 

P. Pet peeves - Traffic. Rudeness.

Q.Quote from a movie - "We're Going In!" - Twister. Because I could remember it.

 

R. Righty or Lefty - Righty

S. Siblings - Younger sister and younger brother.

 

T. Time you wake up - CHanges every day, that's part of my transient schedule!

U. Underwear - Cotton full coverage...and I have some slutty thongs for going out ;)

V. Vegetables you don't like - I don't think there's any veggie I really hate. I am highly allergic to Eggplant so I don't like that.

W. What makes you run late - Traffic.

X. X-rays you've had - R wrist (Growth plate), Patella

 

Y. Yummy food you make - I make tons of good food! Haha.

Z. Zoo animal favorites - Pandas...but my favorite animal is a pig. SO CUTE. Piggies!

 

 

Tiring Thursday

Today is a long day for me. I've been out early seeing patients and I have one late visit in a not-so-nice section of Hartford tonight. It isn't the worst area...and I do adore the patients there...but I really wish that I could actually catch a break. I've been working like a dog the last week. Lots of patients with a lot going on, very intense wound care...I have to say that a lot of my exercise comes from dressing wounds, ahaha. You are moving people's legs, holding them up, wrapping, applying alginate, bending over to measure, putting on TIGHT compression stockings...woo, that is a workout! Believe me!

Friday looks pretty amazing though. I only have a few visits and they're in the morning...so I can finally come home and make a dent in all of the things I need to get done! Today marks exactly 30 days until I leave for Ireland!! I can't believe it! That means I have one month to lose 6.6 pounds AND earn my next minigoal prize which is a CAMERA. I better get my buns moving. It shouldn't be too hard because I WON TARYN'S GIVEAWAY! WOOO!

Taryn writes Fat Girl in A Skinny World and if you don't already follow her, I would highly reccomend it! She is awesome...and her boyfriend picked my name out of a bowl! She's awesome and her man has good taste in sticky notes with my name on them :D

Food wise I've been very good the last couple days. On Wednesday I went to IHop with my friend Katie. They have a new simple and fit menu and they have egg white omelettes that are outstanding and are served with fruit! Very appropriate for those watching their intake! And then we went shopping!!!! I bought a cute new jean skirt on clearance and a pair of jeans...since most of my clothes are getting way too big. YAY! I also got an adorable carryon bag for when I go travelling this year, to Ireland and to Italy! And finally replaced my faithful pair of black flats that I've owned for 8 years...the strap broke on them over a year ago but I haven't had the heart to get rid of them. I'm still not sure I do but I have adorable ones from Payless (BOGO going on now!) that I love!

I made buffalo chicken in my crock pot the other night and I've been eating it for lunches...it's soo good. I did 1.3lbs of chicken (that's how much came in the package) and 12oz of hotsauce. Threw it in the crock pot on low for 6 hours. Shredded the chicken and viola! That makes 12 (1/4 cup) servings of meat! I've been eating it on a 100calorie sandwich thin with onion, shredded lettuce and fat free blue cheese...to die for. And SO filling for 238 calories. Can you possibly go wrong? I don't think so! The chicken is a little bit higher in sodium because of the hot sauce...but it's not that bad. Honestly if you went to a restaurant and got a buffalo chicken sandwich you'd be look at way more fat, calories and sodium that that!

Looking forward to Jenny Craig Chicken Carbonara tonight. I am sauteeing mushrooms and I add a little bit of Kraft grated parmesean (2tsp for 20 calories) to jazz it up! I also put on cracked black pepper, garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of Sriracha for good measure. Yum yum! Have a great day everyone! Looking forward to the weekend!!

Weigh In Wednesday!

Writing this blog post very quickly before I head out and have breakfast with a good friend! Ihop has a simple and fit menu where you get an egg white omelette and fruit and its under 300 calories. So I am so there!

I lost 0.8 this week! WOOHOO! I was kind of expecting a gain after the crap I ate this weekend but I was good the rest of the week, so things must have evened out! 6.6 pounds to go until I reach my Ireland goal, with over a month to spare...hopefully I'll get a little bit beyond 40lbs lost by the time I go!!!

I made buffalo chicken in my crock pot for lunches this week and on Friday I'm doing my Jambalaya recipe in my crock pot. Crocktober is well underway at my house!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day! Good luck Wednesday Weighers!

Weigh In Eve

Hi all!

Hope all is going well in weightloss land. I had a pretty good week last week but this weekend I ate like crap. But I got back on track Monday and Tuesday. Today I had a hard time because I've been SO busy. I didn't get to eat lunch at all...I brought a snack with me thankfully. But I came home and ate my Jenny Craig dinner around 5pm. And since I have a whole ton of calories to eat and am looking for a healthy snack, I decided to make my famous Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies. They are so freaking good. And since my shows are on tonight: Glee, New Girl and Raising Hope (YIPEE!!) I will have a delicious treat while I watch my shows.

Hoping for a loss tomorrow but not expecting anything...I really was a bad girl this weekend. I made good choices but I went out to eat too much and for some reason on Sunday I was ravenous. I got pumpkins and we went to the cider mill and I have 3 mini apple fritters (about the size of a donut hole). I enjoyed every bite of them...but I know I shouldn't have indulged!

Crossing fingers for a small loss! And enjoying the smell of cookies baking!

Skinny vibes to my Wednesday Weighers!!!!

Weekend Update

Well...I did really poorly with eating this weekend. I mean, it wasn't the worst but I definitely won't be winning any prizes. On Friday night my mom came over and on Saturday morning we went out to breakfast. I made good choices, had my Jenny Craig lunch and then I went to dinner with my best friend from highschool. I made good choices at dinner too but then we went to Price Chopper and she bought salt and vinegar chips and cookies. Well...let's just say I ate a few too many. And this morning I made some poor choices, haven't been eating the best...but I am ready to get back on track. I actually don't feel good. I haven't enjoyed eating like crap at all...

I did get some exercise but nothing over the top. And I almost had a freaking heart attack because I couldn't find my wallet. I looked EVERYWHERE. Finally I called the restaurant from last night and they said they found it in the parking lot. THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!! I about had a nervous breakdown!! I have a stress headache now.

This work week looks absolutely insane. I don't even know. But what I do know is that I am comitted to eating healthy. I have three beautiful pumpkins! Enjoy this blurry cell phone picture of them! :D And I got fresh apples...yum yum yum!!!

Happy Fall Everyone!

LAST DAY OF RECIPES!

Wow, can you believe I've posted an entire month of recipes? 31 (I had one bonus recipe) delicious recipes that are good for you and good for your diet (for the most part, hehe). I promise that there will be more recipes posted from time to time...but this concludes the September Recipe event.

This also marks the last day of No Soda September which I've been participating in! I know I haven't posted that much about it...honestly, I did not find it much of a challenge. I rarely, if ever, drink soda. I will occasionally mix it with booze or if I feel sick, have one. The biggest struggle I had was on Wednesday I felt like crap and all I wanted was a ginger ale to settle my stomach! But I was a good girl and I didn't!! Tomorrow there's a diet root beer with my name on it for all my hard work!!

Work was dismal today and I can't even talk about it without getting mega upset. SO...I'm going to focus on the positive weekend I have coming up. My mom is staying over tonight. SHe is moving to a different department at work and they're taking her out for a nice team dinner before she starts the new job Monday. My best friend from highschool is coming from New York City to visit on Saturday AND my little brother is home this weekend from college. It will be a weekend filled with friends, fun and probably food! I need to watch myself! I've done excellent this week so far.

Today I was starving and still had an admission to be done so I stopped by Subway and got a 6inch veggie delight sandwich. I love veggie delight <3 So much. Honestly, before I even started this weight loss journey I would've gotten the same sandwich! Except it would've been a foot long...and chips...and a drink...and probably a cookie too. :( Instead I had a 6 inch sub and an apple :D YAY!

Okay enough of my rambling...you wanted to know the recipe I've been saving for last. This is without a doubt my favorite comfort food of all time...and something that I adore eating throughout the fall and winter months...and occasionally make on cool spring days or in the Summer... it's SO easy to make. DUMP it in and GO! And everyone will love it.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon herbs de provence
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
2 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped

Directions

1) Put all the ingredients in the crock pot. Leave meat raw. Stir around.
2) Cover, and cook on low for 10-12 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high.

Nutritional Breakdown

 

Terrific Thursday

Today has been brilliantly productive, I must say. I woke up feeling like a whole new woman! No nausea, no stomach pain, nothing! I guess yesterday must have been a fluke. I wonder if I pulled something doing Yoga. I was moving my buns and the Gaiam Weight Loss Yoga tape I have is pretty intense. I may have just overdone it. I feel great today!

There is only one day left in September and that means just two recipes left! Today's (which is freaking AWESOME) and tomorrow! WOW! I can't believe it! Tomorrow my mom is coming over and I have a fairly busy day at work...but the recipe will make up for everything, it's AWESOME!

Peanut Butter Muffins with Strusel Topping
Makes: 18 Muffins (1 muffin = 1 serving)

Ingredients

2 cups All Bran cereal
1 3/4 cups Skim Milk
1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 cup Splenda for Baking
1 tbsp baking powder
1 medium banana, mashed
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup egg whites (approx 1 large egg white)

For topping:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons peanut butter

Directions

1) Stir together milk and cereal, allow to sit for 5 minutes.
2) Sift flour, sugar, baking powder into a large bowl. Create a well in the center.
3) Add banana, peanut butter, oil and egg into cereal mixture then add to the well in the dry ingredients.
4) Stir until ingreidents are just moist.
5) Spoon into greated muffin tins approx 2/3 of the way full.
6) Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over muffins.
7) Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8) Remove from pans immediately and cool on a wire rack.

Nutritional Breakdown

 

Weigh In Wednesday!

Down another 2 pounds this week, not too shabby!!! 277.4, woo! I am getting very close to my Ireland weight loss goal of 40lbs...should I change it to 50? I'm kind of wondering now! I still can't believe that I've lost that much. I look at myself in the mirror and still see myself at 310 pounds...

Last night was horrible. I had a terrible headache and around 1am I had the worst stomach pain. I felt nauseous, hot and cold...I did not sleep for more than an hour at best. I finally forced myself to get up around 6am and I had the dry heaves for an hour. After taking a shower, though, I felt better. I don't actually feel sick, I just have this stomach discomfort. No fever, no more chills, nothing. What's wrong with me!?

I went to my weigh in even though I was debating staying home and going back to bed...really hate losing sleep like that. But I went. Thankfully my JCC must have taken her prozac this morning and had a better attitude. Again I was the only person in the center when I walked in...and yet everyone acts like they're too busy to say good morning. Right. Oh well.

Today's recipe is one of my favorites of all time. I would make this every single day if I could! This is a total family favorite and saves you time and dough (haha, pun intended)!

Whole Wheat Pizza
Servings: 12

Ingredients

For Crust:

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white sugar (Do not substitute splenda)

For Pizza:
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup sliced onions
1 cup green pepper, strips
2 cups fat free mozzarella
1 cup tomato sauce

Directions

1) Dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2) In a large bowl, combine flour, oil, salt, sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3) Flour up your cutting board. Form dough into a round ball and roll out into a pizza crust shape.
4) Cover with sauce, cheese and toppings (I used vegetarian/low cal veg that I included in nutritional breakdown, you can use what you like!)
5) Bake 20 minutes or until crust is browned and cheese is melted!

Nutritional Breakdown

Weigh in Eve

Tomorrow I weigh in again, does it get any easier??

I did a pretty good job eating this week even though I went out on Saturday. I was running around like nuts today and had to stop for lunch. Went to Whole Foods and got a veggie sushi roll and seaweed salad. It was good and filling and very few calories! I waited too long to eat though, I have a terrible headache. Ugh.

I am hoping for a loss tomorrow...really a small one would do! :D I've noticed that my clothes are getting VERY loose which feels great. However that also means I'm going to need some new ones soon! Which is good because I looove fall clothes. Would love to get some new things for my trip to Ireland!!

Today's recipe is one of my absolute favorites of ALL TIME. This will make me break my diet again and again...now I don't have to!


Carrot Cake
Serves: 24

Ingredients

1 cup cake flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups grated carrots

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour one 9x13 inch pan or two 9 inch round cake pans.

2. Separate eggs and beat egg whites until frothy, then continue whipping and gradually add 1/2 cup of the white sugar. Beat until stiff.

3. In a large bowl combine; the cake flour, wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon, mix until blended. Add the oil and the buttermilk and mix well. Add the egg yolks and mix well. Fold in the egg whites and then the carrots. Pour batter into prepared pan.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 35 minutes.

Nutritional Breakdown

Monday Blues

Well,

Monday...

That's all I'm going to say. My sister is safely in Italy so that's a relief! She has her own little blog called Mom I'm Still Alive! Yes, I came up with that title and she stole it, hehe. But that's okay! It's cute! She's settled into her dorm and that makes me happy.

Work is crazy today! I still have one visit left to do that after I write this very brief post, I will be running out to do that. Gotta love late visits...at least it's not on a Friday, right!?

I love this recipe SO much. I love shrimp and this is such an easy recipe. Chop the veggies ahead to make it even EASIER. SOOo good. I add jalapeno and more hot sauce to give this a real kick in the pants spicyness...but I left it mild for wimps! Hehe, <3

Saucy Shrimp Casserole
Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 Green Bell Peppers, chopped
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
2/3 cup celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup uncooked long grain brown rice
1 can no salt added diced tomatoes (drain but reserve the juice)
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Black pepper to taste (approx 1/2 tsp)
1 pound raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 325.

2) Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add pepper, onion, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring often for 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

3) Add rice and cook 5 more minutes, stirring often. Add tomatoes (no juice), hot sauce, oregano, thyme and black pepper.

4) Add juice of tomatoes to a measuring cup. You need 1 3/4 cups of liquid, make up the difference with water. Add the liquid to the skilled and cook 2 minutes, stirring often.

5) Transfer mixture to a casserol dish (2 1/2 quart). Stir in the shrimp and bake, covered for 55 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

 

Nutritional Breakdown

 

Sad Sunday

Well my sister is off on her way to Italy!

We spent the weekend together hanging out and having fun. I splurged a little yesterday, I'll admit. I ate out for lunch AND dinner but I made excellent choices. And we had some frozen yogurt at TCBY which I just had a little bit and enjoyed it! I am back on plan today and eating well. I also cleaned up in the house and got some exercise.

Not really looking forward to work this week. Already I know I'm going to be annoyed. I just have to focus on the positive. I feel a little depressed and very annoyed...but it's going to be fine! Enough bitching and more moving my buns!

I made this recipe for my family this weekend...these cookies are AMAZING. They are gluten free, low calorie, and aboslutely AMAZING. Seriously, they have almost NO ingredients and they turn out amazing. And they are INCREDIBLY quick to make. Make these. Now.


Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes: 20 cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup splenda for baking
1 Large egg white (1/4 cup of egg whites from a carton)
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Cup Peanut Butter (Smooth)
1/2 cup Chopped walnuts

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) Combine all ingredients until smooth
3) Use medium cookie scoop and drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet
4) Bake 10-15 minutes
 

Nutritional Breakdown

 

Weekend Update

Hi everyone!

Hope everyone had a good week on plan. I know I did! But this weekend looks a little tough. My sister is leaving for Italy on Sunday (tomorrow!) and I'm staying at my parents' house. I had my Jenny Craig cinnamon rolls for breakfast and I'm planning a low calorie lunch, but I know we're going out for dinner. And then tomorrow we're having my sister's favorite bagels for breakfast so I'll be having one of those. I know I can make good choices but there's a lot of temptations around!! I'm trying to be good!

Not sure what time I'll be able to update tomorrow but you will get your recipe, I promise! We're coming to the end of September Recipes month and I've been saving the best for last!! ;)

Stuffed Peppers
Serves: 2

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
2 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup crumbled fat free feta cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. Cook rice according to package directions

3. Place the peppers cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender and skin starts to brown.

4. While the peppers are roasting, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato, and cook for 5 minutes. Spoon in the cooked rice, and stir until heated through. Remove from heat, mix in the feta cheese, and spoon the mixture into the pepper halves.

5. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Breakdown