Weigh In Eve...again!

Today was a really good day. I had a nice long talk with my boss and I feel like everything got straightened out. I did my breathing exercises in the car and when I got home...and would you believe it worked like a charm!? I'm looking forward to my weigh in (although it is at 8:15am which I'm not AS excited about) but I've been really good...since Saturday, haha. Maybe we'll see a loss? Who knows!!

I thought today I'd share my new obsession for dinner... Boca Spicy Chick'n Patties.

 I am OBSESSED. They taste like those delicious fried chicken patties they used to serve to us at the school cafeteria. And only 4 points plus (also known as about 160 calories). They're loaded with fiber and good yummy things. Compare that to a chicken patty that has 226 calories and so much fat that we don't want to talk about it! Put it on a light bun, a slice of reduced fat cheese and I had some Alexia chipotle sweet potato fries with it. Oh dear god...it's amazing. It's like splurging on fast food...but not. You do have to cook the boca patty in the oven otherwise it doesn't get crispy (the way I like it). But believe me it tastes good even if you microwave it. Mmmm mmmm mmm...

Today I walked a lot, approx 3 miles! WOW!! That's without any planned exercise...which I have barely had time for. It snowed last night and my mom stayed over, so I had to be up and out early this morning. It took me over an hour to get to my first patient (usually takes about 30 minutes) due to ice, driving carefully and safely...and a few idiots who don't know how to drive...but I'm working on it. Tomorrow I'm planning on doing my new exercise DVD that I bought at the goodwill. I'll let you know how it is!

I have a lot of chores to do tomorrow in addition to my Jenny Craig appointment. And I made an appointment at this cool salon to get a manicure/pedicure. YAY! Getting things done for me!! I'm going away this weekend so I want to have nice looking nails and toes ;) I also printed out everything I needed for Italy tonight and put it in a nice easy to access folder! Getting things accomplished! Hooray!

NSV:

1) I will do 2 minutes of deep breathing each day to help with stress relief. - 3/7

2) I will organize and print out the papers that I will need for going to Italy in February

3) I will do one thing just for me, haven't decided if it'll be a haircut, mani/pedi or something else!

Exercise Goals:

1) Exercise Bike for 20 Minutes 3x

2) Wear Pedometer Every Day and Track Miles - 3/7

3) Do Exercise DVD 2x this week

Nutrition:

1) I will track religiously on Sparkpeople.Com - 3/7

2) I will drink at least 80oz water daily - 3/7

3) I will make good choices when going out to eat!

Manic Monday

More like Maniac Monday.

I don't know why I'm suddenly the office scapegoat...or why people feel the need to be rude and nasty to me when I do nothing but work SUPER hard to make sure that my patients are well taken care of. But you know what? I did 2 minutes of deep breathing today...and I suddenly feel a lot better. Usually when you do an exercise (or just exercise in general) it takes a while to see the result. You see the scale move --but not immediately--you see your muscle tone improve, but definitely not that minute. But a few seconds after I did my breathing exercises which I found here! I've been doing all three but I love exercise #2 because it really does relax you. You have to focus on the counting and the breathing and not think about anything else. It really does work! Is my stress all gone? No. But I feel better able to manage everything and that's a good start.

I put on my pedometer today and without even trying, I've walked 1.5 miles. WOW! That's not bad. Walking between visits and around the house is adding up! Plus I'm fulfilling my goal of wearing my pedometer every day! Hooray!
 

NSV:

1) I will do 2 minutes of deep breathing each day to help with stress relief. - 2/7

2) I will organize and print out the papers that I will need for going to Italy in February

3) I will do one thing just for me, haven't decided if it'll be a haircut, mani/pedi or something else!

Exercise Goals:

1) Exercise Bike for 20 Minutes 3x

2) Wear Pedometer Every Day and Track Miles - 2/7

3) Do Exercise DVD 2x this week

Nutrition:

1) I will track religiously on Sparkpeople.Com - 2/7

2) I will drink at least 80oz water daily - 2/7

3) I will make good choices when going out to eat!

Superbusy Saturday

Woof today has kind of been a whirlwind. I needed to do my CPR recertification this morning which was a three hour class. It wasn't bad...it was as fun as any CPR recert class can be. Followed by going to visit a couple of my friends. We ended up going to the Olive Garden for lunch. I had a cup of minestrone soup and one serving of the salad with low fat Italian...but then I blew my good meal with a piece of cheesecake. I've been craving it and I made the decision to have it. And I don't feel bad about it...but I counted it in all my calories and I'm a little over for the day.

So extra exercise to shred those extra calories is in order! I've already done by required 20 minutes for day but I'm planning on more this evening before dinner. Right now I'm cleaning the house, doing laundry, and moving. It's also a form of exercise! So I hope this one splurge isn't reflected in my weigh in on Wednesday! I'm not too worried though, I enjoyed myself and sometimes a few extra calories (I only went 250 over for my daily allottment. I already put in my breakfast and my plan for dinner) can help kick your metabolism in the behind. SO hey...good choices, good plan...we'll see what my friend the scale has to say!

Tomorrow will be the last day of this week's goals...and I think I have some good ones for next week! But let's recap!

NSV:

1) I will not let any one tempt me with leftover holiday goodies.

2) I will take time to read a magazine cover to cover without any interruptions.

3) I will take down all of the Christmas and Hannukah decorations and put them away.

Exercise:

1) I will exercise for at least 20 minutes each day.

2) I will work up the courage to try the 30 Day Shred

Nutrition:

1) I will track my calories religiously on Sparkpeople.Com EVERY DAY!

2) I will drink at least 80oz (10 glasses) of water EVERY DAY!

3) I will do at least 2 meals on my own on my Jenny Craig program.

As far as I'm concerned we can say SUCCESS!!! I met my goals for the week!! I am still working on water today but I've already had 6 glasses and I usually have 2 with dinner and then 2 in the evening when I start to get hungry. RIGHT on track!

Hope everyone is doing great with your goals this week! I'm loving reading all the new blogs of my SCC chickies!

Happy Saturday!

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!

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!

The Shot Heard Round the Blogosphere

April is an awesome woman and blogger, and someone who is inspiring to me. Her latest blog post depicted another blogger trashing her for making "mistakes" while on a diet. And it got me thinking...

Are there such things as mistakes on a diet?

Did I eat too much broccoli this week? Was that Skinny Cow ice cream I treated myself to a "bad" idea? Was my lack of exercise today (Due to my EYES BEING SWOLLEN SHUT) an indicator that I'm doomed to be fat my whole life? Are foods really "good" and "evil"? Why ISN'T a bite a standardized unit of measure!?!??!?!?

Maybe this resonates with me so deeply because of the weekend I had with my family. Or maybe it's something that I think about more because I AM overweight. I've been bullied and teased about my weight since I was a kid. I remember so many cruel jokes and nicknames and "crash diets" that my mother put me on to "make me lose 5 pounds". I have a patient right now who I went to see one Sunny morning. I was wearing my pink scrubs and I thought I looked pretty good. Down about 25 pounds, had exercised that morning so my endorphins were up...and I walked into her house where she promptly told me I looked like a big fat pig. Just what everyone wants to hear from a little old lady...if she's thinking it, you know there are others out there.

But somehow, when I look back on everything...it got me to where I am right this very second.

Maybe I needed to learn grace or humility...maybe I needed to evolve my sense of humor...or learn to appreciate what gifts I've been given...maybe I need more hobbies if this is what I'm thinking about on a Friday afternoon!!!

In any event, in honor of April...today I will post a BONUS RECIPE.

Yes, it's another alcoholic beverage. So sue me.

BUT it's also worth TWO FRUIT SERVINGS!!!!!!!!!!

Strawberry Slush
Servings: Just one. Yum.

Ingredients

1 jigger (1.5oz) Strawberry Flavored Vodka (Or regular)
1 Cup Frozen Unsweetened strawberries
3 tsp Splenda (or to taste)

Directions

1. Add frozen strawberries, splenda and vodka to blender.

2. Blend until slushy! You might need a few drops of water to add some liquid (only if needed, depends on how frozen your strawberries are)

3. Kick back, enjoy.

Nutritonal Breakdown

Do I have to compare it to a 600 calorie strawberry daquiri? I don't think so.

This one's for you, April!

It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To!

Party: Not such a success. I invited a bunch of people over and many RSVP'd maybe or yes on Facebook but others texted me and said they could come. Well last minute I got a bunch of texts and messages saying that people weren't coming. Now, I won't say I slaved over this party...but I made a huge fresh fruit salad, I cut up veggies, I made onion dip with fat free sour cream instead of buying it prepackaged, bought fat free lays potato chips, had hummus and low calorie pretzels, and I made crystal light lemonade...I also did a big housewife workout getting the house in tip top shape. Only to find out that only one person was coming and another person "might" stop by after work.

So then I was all alone with all this food and I'll admit...I ate some. I was feeling a little upset and eating to comfort is one of my biggest downfalls. I managed to stop myself after stealing a few potato chips and munching on some cucumber with dip. I stopped myself and went to sit down with some lemonade and from there it was great. When my friend came I just had some fruit salad and a bit more veggies with dip. I know I went a little off plan but it really wasn't that bad. I also sent ALL of the leftovers home with my friend. She's thin as a rail...and she said she didn't even know that anything was low fat/low cal. She enjoyed everything! AND I got rid of the leftovers!

Tonight was a really good experience for me because I did catch myself stress/comfort eating. I had already eaten my JC dinner too (Sesame chicken!) and I wasn't even HUNGRY! I just...wanted to do SOMETHING and food was available. I won't make that mistake next time. I also won't have a whole bunch of snacks for people I think are coming! Yikes!

Tomorrow is another busy day...but my Friday looks amazing :D Very light day so, fingers crossed, it will stay that way! I am on the weekend but so far it looks pretty light. I could use the break! And my dad might come help me put up the rods and the curtains...maybe.

Goodnight to all my wonderful blog readers. Thank you so much for your support, it really means everything to me. I couldn't get through this without you!

Love,
Katelyn