Super Lazy Sunday

Today I really don't feel like doing anything at all... except maybe eat. And that's a problem for me. Being a nurse, I don't get that much time off. And of that time off, very little of it can I actually relax. This is precious me time and I don't want to waste it!! But at the same time I'm so tired from running all week, that I'm stuck. I want to sit in front of the TV and mindlessly munch...and that's not helped any by the fact that it's TOM and I'm doubled over with cramps.

I'm doing well though, I have totally avoided the munchies all day by sipping on Cherry Limeade seltzer by Target. I looove it, it feel like it tastes exactly like a watery slushy but doesn't have any of the calories, dyes or fat! I am enjoying seltzer right now, the bubbles in it make me really full and I'm getting fluids. AND the taste makes me feel like I'm splurging when I'm really not!

That's really all from me today. I really am being lazy...I should exercise but it's incredibly hot and humid out today. My win for the day is I'm not eating and eating while I'm relaxing. I'm reading up on the JC forums, checking out some new blogs, and enjoying my day off! And popping the midol...

Looking forward to a great week and my WI on Wednesday!

30 Before 30

This was an idea I got from reading another GREAT blog Fat Girl in a Skinny World!! Hope you don't mind I'm borrowing the idea! I just love this concept...it's a bucket list...without actually having to kick the bucket! I've never met the lovely author of Fat Girl in a Skinny World but we have a LOT in common. We're similar in age and we're both nurses! We also have the same goal weight and basically the same starting weight!

Check out her blog! She's awesome :D And plagarism is the highest form of flattery? Right? Right!?

Here is a list of 30 things I want to accomplish before I turn 30! Approximately 7 years!

1)      Be able to go shopping and fit into “normal sized” clothes.

2)      Hike up Talcott Mountain in CT

3)      Get my APRN (nurse practitioner certification)

4)      Completely redo my 70s bathroom

5)      Get a tattoo

6)      Learn to Grill

7)      Visit Canada! Road trip anyone?

8)      Participate in a triathalon

9)      Buy a car with 4WD – being a homecare nurse out in blizzards without 4wd stinks!

10)   Be able to do real pushups!

11)   Learn to dance –without causing major injuries to everyone in my general area

12)   Master the Spanish Language

13)   Go to Mexico and Spain!

14)   Go on a goodwill trip with Doctors without Borders or another similar agency!

15)   Be part of a live studio audience –at the Talk? The View? Jerry Springer? Looks fun!

16)   Get married and have kid(s)

17)   Start acting again! Audition for plays!

18)   Buy stock in Frank’s Hotsauce – I eat enough of it to drive shares up I’m sure.

19)   TMI  - get a bikini wax? I’m scared.

20)   Skydive!

21)   Visit Hawaii

22)   When I reach my goal weight, have a sexy photo shoot. Lingerie anyone?

23)   Go on a whale watch

24)   Run…not a 25k or a 5k…just be able to run. The rest will fall into place

25)   Pay off all my student loans

26)   Get myself something designer! Jeans, dress, something flashy when I reach goal

27)   See the Aurora Borealis

28)    Karaoke in public…never done it before. Hopefully I can muster my strength! Tequila anyone?

29)   Make a difference in one person’s life.

30)   Become a success story!

What are some things that you want to accomplish before 30 or 50 or 100!! I'd love to hear your goals and your dreams!!

Thanks again to Fat Girl in a Skinny World for this idea!

Volumizing!

Err...please ignore the ugly dirty dishes. Pretty please?

JC food is definitely filling but I struggle with being hungry in the evening. And I often get 'eyes bigger than my stomach' syndrome. Which means I see my tray of delicious food and thing: THAT is supposed to fill me up? Yeah right!

Well I have been finding ways to volumize my food. Putting in ingredients that are free on the plan that make my dinner bigger and better!! Tonight I used a JC chicken fettucini, half a bag of steamfresh broccoli and half a pound of baby bella mushrooms that I cooked in Frank's Hot Sauce!! Then I used fresh cracked black pepper over the top and WOW! I felt like I had ordered dinner from a restaurant!!!

Yummm...sorry for the poor picture quality on my phone!!

Some other things I like to volumize are the broccoli and cheese stuffed potato--I add extra broccoli to it! I also like to put extra veg on my rising crust pizza.

What are some of YOUR favorite ways to volumize your JC food or your healthy dishes? I'd love some suggestions!

Eating Out Success

Tonight I had a wonderful evening planned with two good friends. We went to see Richard III in the outdoor theatre at our alma mater! It's something I do every year, it's 'Shakespeare in the park' amped up. And the performance did NOT dissapoint! I suggest anyone in the CT area to go see it, it will just blow your mind.

Half the fun of going is bringing a picnic and enjoying it outdoors. I debated back and forth about whether I wanted to bring a JC meal I already cooked and bring my snack...but I have not eaten out since starting my JC journey and after having purchased the new dining out guide, I wanted to test my mettle. I want to start with the disclaimer that I believe that I did a great job first of all resisting all the temptations and made a good choice based on my dining guide and my plan.

My JCC may have other ideas...during my session on Wednesday we talked about going out and I got a lot of mixed messages. Yes, I am on JC but I also have a life and I want to enjoy going out occasionally. SO using the guide I picked out that I was going to have a cup of chicken noodle soup and half of the mediterranean veggie sandwich and bring my salad from lunch with just a small amount of dressing...total calories, WELL WITHIN RANGE. Not to mention I was not eating my JC snack, I saved my fruit AND both my milks to have at this meal. The exchanges worked out and I may have splurged a little bit...but I didn't think it would break the bank.

And what I got in return was a kind of snotty 'well you can do what you want'. So...I did. I made great choices while I was out, I had my cup of chicken noodle soup and half a sandwich (as reccomended in my JC Dining Out Guide if I might point that out) and ate about 1/2 of my salad before I knew I was full. Good choices all around if you ask me! Not to mention I was very active today and I'm not going to let my perception of my JCC's attitude deter me from enjoying!

We will see what the almighty scale has to say about it next Wednesday!

Best. Lunch. Ever.

I cannot take credit for this! This was ALL my JC buddy on her blog No Thanks to Cake! Please check it out, she is awesome and is totally my inspiration. And my new best friend because she gave me the idea to make buffalo chicken salad and garlic bread out of my JC chicken sandwich.

To slice, I used my mandolin...if you do not have one of these, you really should get one. Ever see those restaurant perfect slices of cucumber and carrot and other veggies? This does it for you!

I sliced up cucmber, fresh jalapeno, tomato, carrot, onion, green pepper and mixed greens of arugula and baby romaine. I cooked the chicken part of my chicken sandwich for 90 seconds, then put it in a sandwich baggie with sriracha and Frank's Red Hot Hotsauce. I put in extra hot sauce which doubled my dressing. I "splurged"...but not really. I bought a Light Bleu Cheese from Kraft that's 70 calories for 2 tablespoons. I used only one tablespoon and thinned it out with the excess hot sauce from the chicken. IT WAS PERFECT!!!!

Then the bun I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray and put on garlic salt and garlic powder...I ate one side with my salad and then used the other side to soak up the extra hot sauce/dressing. SO YUMMY.

Thank you thank you thank you to No Thanks to Cake! I am totally going to order a chicken sandwich every week now...I almost wish I got two!

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!

This week's weigh in was a source of a lot of stress for me...I've been very anxious about losing. I feel bloated and maybe a little bit depressed. It's getting to the time of the month for me, which could be it. Last night and the night before, I had horrible nightmares that I stepped on the scale and was up ten or twenty pounds! I envisioned my family and friends being disappointed and my JC consultant being angry at me!!!

Okay so maybe I'm a little crazy...

I got to my appointment 20 minutes early today--I just couldn't sit in the house anymore, everything was already clean, hahaha. (When I get nervous, I clean.) So I took out the garbage, got gas,and went to my appointment. Luckily Wednesdays are not the most popular WI day so my consultant was ready to take me. We talked first and I told her about how I had been feeling...and she told me not to worry. I need to remember that weight loss is a journey. I will NOT lose every week. I might even *gulp* GAIN! But it's all about learning to embrace a healthy lifestyle, staying on plan, and doing the right thing.

So, the verdict? I LOST 2.4 pounds!! That brings me down 10.4 pounds total!!! And I'm right on the verge of being out of the 300s since I weighed in exactly at 300.0 (give me a break scale! couldn't I have had that 0.1 lbs?) But it's a goal for next week!

I celebrated with a breakfast scramble smothered in hot sauce and a glass of skim milk! I need to stay focused this week. I am going out to dinner on Thursday with some good friends of mine. We're going to see Richard III by Shakespeare in the outdoor theatre, which is so much fun. We're getting Panera for dinner and then eating our picnic at the performance. I bought a new dining out guide (SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE OLD ONE!!! If you haven't gotten one yet, go...go now...and get one) and it is awesome. FINALLY some restaurants that are actually in CT!

So, with my head screwed on (mostly) straight, I am going to have a great week! I hope you all do too!

CARROT FRIES!!!!

HOLY MOLEY WITH FRIES ON TOP!

I was reading around the JC forums and I found out about something absolutely fantastic: CARROT FRIES!!!!!!!!

After much searching for the perfect recipe I found…there wasn’t one. I combined a bunch and made my own! So here it is. JC exchange = FREEEEEEEE!

Kitchen Tools Necessary:

Cookie Sheet (with a lip) – Like this one :

Spatula –to move the carrots around

Knife – A SHARP one!

Cutting Board

Aluminum Foil (optional)

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds of Carrots – I used whole organic carrots…yum. I’ve heard people like to use baby carrots and cut them in fours, that would probably be easier! 

PAM – no calorie cooking spray.

Crazy Salt- My own blend! Recipe follows!

Instructions:

1)     Preheat oven to 425. Cover cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray liberally with PAM.

2)     Cut carrots into sticks, about the size you see in the final product above. The thinner they are, the crispier they get!

3)     Spread the carrot sticks out on the sheet, spread out as much as possible.

4)     Spray the carrot sticks with PAM and then apply a sprinkling of crazy salt. As much or as little as you like!

5)     Bake for 15 minutes. Leave them alone, don’t peek!

6)     After they’ve baked for 15 minutes, take them out and stir them around. Spray with a little bit more PAM and then put them back in the oven.

7)     Bake for another 15 minutes. Check the fries again, I baked mine for another 10 minutes to get them really crisp.

8)     EAT THEM!

They are so. GOOD. SO GOOD! And I am not embarrassed to say that I ate the whole batch. By myself.

Crazy Salt:

1/4 cup kosher salt

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon minced onion flakes

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon sage

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon marjoram

1/4 teaspoon parsley

2 teaspoons orange zest

Instructions:

1)     Put all the ingredients into a food processor, blender, or coffee grinder. I used a blender.

2)     Pulse until blended into a fine powder

3)     Viola!

WOO HOO! I'M GETTING GOOD AT THIS!

Went to my BBQ today as planned! I ate a cheesy baked potato for lunch and added extra broccoli to it! I've never done that before but last night I made a steam fresh bag and added some to my chicken fettucine PLUS some cracked black pepper-- oh man, this was so much better than a restaurant! I was telling my friend about it and she was so jealous! I added about 3/4 of the bag to my chicken fettucini but I had about half a cup left over so I thought, why not! Add it to my potato!

I didn't have a meat serving at lunch so I saved it for dinner. At the BBQ I had a hamburger, I checked the exchanges in my dining out guide, it was a small patty and I added just about a teaspoon of ketchup to it. To the picnic I brought a HUGE green salad and I covered my plate it in --I went back for salad twice and I only added a tiny bit of dressing. Then someone made macaroni salad and I did really well, I only had about five noodles. I did not drink! I bought Polar seltzer on sale at Stop and Shop and I brought my favorite kind (mandarin orange) and kept refilling my glass. I used my meat portion from lunch to have a small hot dog (no bun). Honestly, I didn't go off the plan at all as far as I'm concerned and I still have calories left over to have my Jenny snack tonight as planned!!!

Look at me go!! I used to be unable to resist macaroni and potato salad...those are my WEAKNESS. But I barely ate more than two tablespoons of it!! I loaded up on the salad and stayed focused! I can do this! :D

I think I'm going to reward myself with triple chocolate cheesecake tonight!

Temptations...

I've been very very good on my plan. Getting my fruits and veggies and milk in! I've also been staying on track with my food. But this weekend a coworker of mine invited me to a big BBQ at her house. I told her that I'm doing Jenny Craig and that I'm keeping my eating healthy. I don't want to feel like I can't go to things because there will be food temptations, that's so stupid! But I know my habits and I also know that there's going to be BBQ food, and not many 'healthy' choices.

So I am debating. Either I should eat before I go and avoid munching...or I'll go and use it as a learning experience for the future. Making the best choices I can from what's there! I think I can be good...I need to believe in myself! I did great at my friend's grad party...I can do great again, right?

Anyone else struggling with events that crop up? How do you stay on plan and make good choices!

WOW!

I went in for my first weigh in this morning and I was so nervous. It's stupid, right? I've been following my plan perfectly.

This week I went to a lovely graduation party for my best friend and I did a 'meal on my own'. JC has a very structured meal plan but they do encourage you to go out on your own. I think I did really well. I had a huge salad with low cal dressing, a big amount of fruit salad, and then had about 5 ziti noodles, three meatballs, a chicken wing, and three shrimp. I had saved my meat serving from lunch too so it made everything perfect. Then I 'splurged' on some cake. But the point was I didn't overdo it on the fattening stuff and filled up on salad and fruit!

Another thing I've been doing is I put Frank's hot sauce on EVERYTHING. You think I'm kidding? I eat it with breakfast, my favorite is the breakfast scramble which I douse in hot sauce. Lunch I douse it over a baked potato or other JC entree. And dinner is no exception! I LOVE the way it compliments my delicious Jenny food. I also love to add jalapeno to my food too. I'm a bit of a spicy freak...but I think it's paying off! Capsacin which is in hot peppers and hot sauce boosts metabolism. And with all the yummy hot food I've been eating, I think it's definitely kicked up!

I LOST EIGHT POUNDS THIS WEEK! EIGHT WHOLE POUNDS ALSO KNOWN AS THIRTY-TWO STICKS OF BUTTER!

I could not be more excited. I celebrated with a sunshine sandwich doused in hot sauce with jalapeno on top...and I'm looking forward to a great week on my plan!

Once Upon a Time...

Hi Everyone!

I'm Kate! I'm 23, a registered nurse...and I need to lose 150 pounds. My weight has always been an issue as far as I can remember. I've fluctuated up and down my whole life from preschool on. As a kid I used to be more active, riding my bike, playing tennis and soccer, and I was a champion swimmer (1st place medal in 50 butterfly!). But once I got into highschool I was very focused on doing well. I also started working at my first job, a bagel shop--with all the free bagels I could eat. I had a hectic schedule...and it's never slowed down. I went to nursing school after I graduated and entered the most difficult program in the state.

The first time I went on Jenny Craig was between my freshman and sophmore year. I lost 75 pounds on the program and I was thinner than I had been since 4th grade. I never hit goal...but life got more and more overwhelming with school, work, clinical and my social life. With nursing school being so diffficult and stressful, I used food as an escape. I never exercised anymore-- who had time with a million assignments due all the time! When I graduated with my BSN, I was the heaviest I've ever been. And over the last year I've only gone up. Bad eating habits, not getting any breaks in my  very demanding job as a homecare nurse...

But on July 13th I decided I needed to do something about it. I'm back on the Jenny Craig program and I'm going to lose 150 pounds to get to my goal. I think about that number and I get overwhelmed...it's such a long way to go. But then, I need to do it. I need to do it for myself and nobody else!!

I will chronicle my ups and downs here on this blog--of which I'm sure there will be many. Thanks for taking this journey with me...and I hope you'll comment often and leave me some motivation!

Love,
Kate