Holy Moly Weigh in Wednesday!!!

Well as we all know...I kind of had a bad weigh in last week. And I was kind of upset about it...but the one thing that I said to myself is that I am not going to let a few potholes in the road ruin my trip. :D

So I was pretty good this week. I ate on plan 95% of the time except that one wierd Sunday where I ended up making some pretty bad choices. Probably because my period is back again...yes, again. I had it for a solid 2 months, then it went away...and now it's back with a venegence. I feel like utter crap...and I really should go to the doctor...but as many of you know, nurses are the worst patients in the world. I already know what's wrong with me...why do I need to pay an expensive copay for them to tell me the same thing? Bleh. If it stays this bad, I will go. Otherwise, I'll live. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger???

So... now the results of my weigh in...

I LOST 4.2 POUNDS!!! That brings me to 283 even! WOW! Down a total of 27 pounds...and I feel fantastic (other than the cramps and bloating and general PMS). I'm very happy and excited!

In other news, the new food came into Jenny Craig today and I am a sucker for trying new things. This morning I had the apple cinnoman waffles and sausage! It was VERY good! I decided though it needs more cinnamon, so when I make it next time (I ordered 3) I am going to add some myself. The apples are very tender and delicious, the sausage actually tasted really good to me too! Like I said, I am a total sucker for all things Fall. Apples, pumpkins, the crisp smell of leaves, WAHOO!

So for today's recipe I decided to share my delicious low fat/calorie version of one of my favorite fall treats!


Apple Crisp
Makes: 8 Servings

Ingredients

3 medium granny smith apples (or other tart, firm apple)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp Splenda for Baking
2 Tbsp all purpose flour

Topping:
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Combine apples, cinnamon, splenda and all purpose flour. Spread mixture into a 9x9 baking dish.

2. In a small bowl mix topping ingredients, mixing with a fork until crumbly. It is okay if there are bits of butter left visible, that's okay, they will melt!

3. Bake approximately 25-30 minutes until top is browned and apples are soft.

Nutritional Breakdown

 

WTH WEDNESDAY!?

Seriously I think being fat has warped my mind...I look at myself in the mirror and I can see a little bit of a change...my clothes are looser but not SO much looser than last week. I get anxious and worried before weigh- in and convince myself I'm going to fail. You're ALWAYS going to be fat...why don't you just forget this whole thing? I'm always the hungriest before weigh-in day (6 out of 7 days, for the most part, I'm comfortably full all the time, I eat my meals and my snacks and am satisfied) and I just want to give up.

Then I go to weigh in day, like I did today...and lost 4.2 pounds!? WHAT!?!?!?! How is that even possible!? Yeah I've been exercising a little bit more, but not enough to break the bank--maybe just enough to bust my buns? My eating as usual was good, even though I didn't make the GREATEST choice at lunch (although I didn't make the worst choice either!? Progress?)

My total weight loss is now 23.4. I had to readjust my labor day goal last week, which I am participating in on the Jenny Craig forums. My initial goal was to be down 15 by Labor Day...last week I adjusted it to 25...I don't know if I should just leave it alone or adjust it again. I think I'm going to leave it and have my new Ireland goal in mind. In November I am going away to Ireland for a week. This is a trip that I booked back in April and I'm going with a tour group!! My ultimate goal was to be down 40lbs by the time I went. I will not be bringing my JC food, this tour included all meals and I feel like I can make good choices AND I'll be out walking a lot. Think I can do it? I am sure as heck going to try!

My JCC was in a good mood when I saw her today...but this week I did not purchase ANY breakfasts and am doing MOMO for a lunch and a couple of dinners. I could see that she was not happy. I, however, am extremely happy. I'm saving money, losing weight, and I feel empowered...even if I am slightly delerious from having my period for five weeks now, UGH.

I have to see a couple patients today on my day off but that means extra money! So after I see them I have to run to the grocery store...which happens to be next to Target. And I may just slip into the DVD players section and see what there is. There's one on sale that got great reviews so...we'll see!

Good luck to my Wednesday weighers! Hope everyone has an awesome day!

Wednesday Weigh-In!

I've come to the conclusion that I really don't understand my body's signals very well and I don't know how to fix it. Yesterday I was feeling bloated and like I was retaining water, I'm still bleeding, and I wanted to curl up and kill a bag of salt and vinegar chips. But I didn't, instead I talked to some close friends, watched A League of Their Own on AMC, and then went to bed. I talked myself down from the ledge (not literally) telling myself that sometimes people gain and that doesn't mean I'm a failure.

Well, I got to my JC appointment and my regular JCC was on vacation. I already knew this and I had prepared. The girl I had was AWESOME! I wish she was working on a day that I could see her because she was supportive and approachable,she told me I was doing a great job doing MOMOs... I felt comfortable with her! Anyway, I weighed in and lost...2.8!!! Bringing me to 290.8 and that means a PHOTO UPDATE! I did it in my weigh in clothes, the clothes I ALWAYS wear to weigh in...but I can see a change, I really can! It's very exciting!

So far, I haven't gotten any calls. I desperately need to go grocery shopping and so after I finish my breakfast scramble smothered in hot sauce (My WI breakfast treat) I am going to the store. One thing that I have been buying are the Weight Watchers English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich with Canadian Bacon. Basically its a cheaper, more delicious Sunshine Sandiwch...you get two in a pack for 3 dollars at target as opposed to OVER 3 dollars for one at JC. Also need another big pack of lettuce, mushrooms, green peppers, cucumber, broccoli crowns, banana, yogurt and SELTZER!

Hope that everyone is having a great day!

Recipe: BBQ Pulled Pork Wrap!

BBQ PULLED PORK WRAP!!!

Don't be fooled, once again No Thanks to Cake has inspired me to create a recipe! I went shopping at Target today with my mom and we started talking about Jenny Craig and meals on my own. I told her I planned on making BBQ Chicken Baked Potatoes tonight! My mother was intrigued but has had too many baked potatoes lately (typical mom!)...and I also had a broccoli and cheese stuffed potato for lunch. So after some calorie counting, etc, I decided to make a similar recipe in a wrap!!

So here it is! My Pulled Pork Wrap! VERY JC FRIENDLY! My mom ate one too (I portioned hers out too because I was portioning out mine) and she LOVED IT! This would be a perfect family friendly meal, I promise! EVERYONE is going to go gaga for it!

Materials Needed:
Small saucepan to heat up BBQ Pork
Spoon
Willpower not to scarf everything before it's done cooking.
Ingredients (FOR ONE SERVING):

1/4 cup Lloyds BBQ Pulled Pork
1 ounce Kraft 2% Cheddar Cheese
1 Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Tortilla (This is a 70 calorie wrap, you cannot taste a single difference between it and a regular wrap and its soooo soft and delicious, not hard and icky)
4 thin slices of Cucumber
2 slices Tomato
3 thin slices of Red Onion
1/4 cup shredded Carrot
1/4 cup Green Bell Pepper
1/4 cup Lettuce (I used Nature's Promise Organic Spring Mix)

Directions:

Wrap before pork was added.

1) Heat 1/4 cup of Lloyds BBQ pork in a small saucepan over medium heat until warmed through.
2) Arrange wrap on a plate. Measure out 1 oz of cheese and put it on the wrap. (I did not heat the cheese...it was fine. I would probably melt it next time but that's just personal preference)
3) Deck your wrap out with veggies.
4) Add BBQ Pork onto of the veggies/cheese.
5) Wrap it up and serve!

NUTRITIONAL INFO: I used Sparkpeople to do this analysis for me, SO EASY! For this recipe exactly like it's written WITH the veggies I put on there are:

Calories: 284
Fat: 10g
Carbs: 33g
Protein: 23g
Cholesterol: 35g
Fiber: 9g

Note: This recipe took me literally less than 10 minutes to put together. If you don't eat pork, this could easily be substituted out for the BBQ chicken (which has slightly higher calories) or BBQ Beef (same amount of calories). Feel free to put on whatever veggies you want, whatever. This wrap was literally bursting at the seams when I sat down to eat it, I definitely had to eat it with a knife and a fork!!! Note: This is also a full sized plate, this is not a small plate that I used to make this dish look bigger. Nope, these are full sized dinner plates, YAY!!

Still no pulled pork, JUST veg and a little cheese. WOW!

FIRST GOAL ACHIEVED!

WOW!!!
I was not expecting a 3.2lb loss this week. I've been feeling bloated. As many of you know I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome...and my body does WIERD stuff. I've been having my period for the last three weeks. Isn't that just SPECTACULAR!? I thought so. So I know that I'm retaining some fluid, I've been drinking a lot of water to stay hydrated in the heat and to fill me up so I'm not so hungry before, during and after meals! I've been consistently getting my 8 glasses a day (and running to the bathroom about 45 times a day).

My goal of getting to 294 is accomplished! Today I was 293.6, WOO! This means that I have lost 10% of my weight AND have lowered my risk of Type II Diabetes!!! I didn't plan it like this but I am having a little party tonight with some close friends to hang out and watch movies. This is my prize for 10% lost! Yeah yeah I know I scheduled the party a couple weeks ago but it can still count, right? Right! :D

The party is at my house so I've made all the food. Made onion dip with Breakstone's fat free sour cream- for 2 tablespoon serving of onion dip its 20 calories. I figure I'll have a little with some veggies that I'm cutting up. I have a big fruit salad. I have reduced fat potato chips and some hummus and low calorie pretzels. These are things I know my friends will enjoy but that  I can also eat without feeling too guilty! I'm setting myself up for success! I know I can make good choices and stay on plan. I know there will be a little splurging but I can do fine!

So now that I've achieved my first goal, it's time for me to reveal my second goal!! IT IS VERY EXCITING! I've been talking a lot with another wonderful blogger who writes Fat Girl in a Skinny World! She is awesome! And when I make it to my halfway weight which is 235, I am rewarding myself with going to visit her in Canada! WOO HOO! What a goal! I better get my buns moving!

In other news my JCC was better today. After last week and me telling her very clearly that I need to do meals on my own for my financial security and telling her I would reassess if my weight didn't show the results I wanted, it really sunk in for her. I CAN lose weight doing meals on my own...and I HAVE to do it. I need to learn how to eat without Jenny Craig food (and I figure it's going to take a long while before I'm comfortable doing every meal on my own, that's why I'm starting now with just a handful). Not to mention I find the idea of paying 2.95 for one serving of cereal to be outrageous. I bought a box of Special K with Red Berries for 1.99 after using a coupon...and that's a whole BOX, DOZENS of servings! The cost is a little inflated for something like that. JC is definitely worth it to me, but I also don't see any harm in substituting a more cost effective solution when able to!

After having to get up at 5am to work today...on my day off...running around to get my patients seen and then speeding (ahem, I mean driving exactly the speed limit the entire way) to my appointment, I am exhausted. Getting everything prepped for the party tonight and maybe a little nap... maybe.

Sending out skinny vibes to my other Wednesday weighers, like another fellow blogger Fat in Suburbia! Have a great day everyone.

And happy 19th birthday to my little brother! Love you <3

Feeling Better

After my majorly long rant this afternoon, I decided to make up a list of ten things that I'm thankful for and that make me feel better. It's better than dwelling on what's annoying me!

1) My blogging buddies - You are all awesome and a huge inspiration to me. You make me feel like I'm not actually a crazy, irrational biotch (even if I am, lol).

2) My family - I'm lucky that I have living parents and that I have a relationship with them. They might drive me up and down the wall but I'm lucky to have them. And I love them.

3) Today I fit into a pair of shorts that I haven't been able to squeeze into for a LONG time...and I looked good. I didn't have to struggle to get the zipper up or end up throwing them in the dirty hamper (yes again) to get rewashed. AND my capris and pants that did fit are getting way too loose!!

4) I went out to eat today and I made great choices, I felt confident and was not influenced by other people's choices, even though SORELY tempted.

5)  Best Friends - My friend Tracey is awesome. I had a tough day and she drove out 45 minutes to see me <3 And we vented and drank some Crystal Light, and it was awesome. I love her!

6) Rain. I know it inhibits a lot of things (like me going out for a walk) but tonight the thundering of rain on my window is comforting. I don't know, I just sleep better when it's raining!

7) Central Air. It is SO humid...you can't even get in a good breath of air. Even though its raining and stormy, the humidity is NOT dropping. So I'm so glad I have AC so I can keep it cool in my house.

8) Key Lime Cheesecake - Oh how I love you. At my last JC appointment I bought 28 of them...I cannot live without the key lime cheesecake. It's my favorite! I'm so happy to have a stockpile in my freezer. Looking forward to having one tomorrow!

9) Yoga - love yoga. Relaxing yoga, core building yoga...as soon as my DVD player stops being a pain in my behind, I will start doing my Yoga for Beginners every day. Maybe even get up to be able to do advanced yoga someday!?

10) Work - Work is stressful sometimes but I adore my patients and my coworkers. I am very happy to be a nurse and to have a career. I am happy to be employed in a time where many are struggling to get and keep a job!

Here are ten of the many things I am thankful for. I'm thankful that people are reading my rambling blog posts! Have a wonderful night and a beautiful day tomorrow! Let's keep our fingers crossed for some sunshine!

Weigh In Wednesday!

Happy Wacky Wednesday everyone! My toilet is broken...ahhhh! It's had a problem since I moved in that it doesn't flush appropriately and fills up about every hour, which is disturbing when you're sleeping. But now it's doing it more often...it can't even get down one square of TP! So thankfully I have a guy coming out today to fix it. Toilet is not something I can compromise on! I only have one in the house!!!

But you aren't here to read about my toilet woes.

I lost another 3.8 pounds today. AND I AM OFFICIALLY UNDER 300!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I haven't been 296.4 since...probably middle of my senior year of college. I am seriously SO excited. Under 300!! That's amazing. I almost cried when I stepped on the scale and watched it go there...especially since TOM just ended this morning and I was afraid I was still carrying some water weight. I had set myself up to possibly maintain if not go up a bit! Boy was I pleasantly suprised!!!!! WOOO!

I told my consultant today that I'm going to start doing more meals on my own. I bought some cereal to eat for breakfasts and I'm doing a dinner on my own. The cereal I compared side by side to Jenny cereal, they match exactly with calories, fat, etc. She seemed to be a little put off...so I know she's really doing this for her comission. So before she could say anything, I very nicely said 'I need to do my plan the way it works for me. And if I start doing these meals on my own and my weight loss stops or my weight goes back up, we can reassess the situation then'. Well that quieted her down fast!

But hey, she can't be that mad...I bought 28 Key Lime Pies. She definitely will get a good comission this week. I can't live without the key lime pie when they're gone! I am going to have them for a long time to come (I bought other snacks to eat in between, so I will have something to toss in my bag if I need to take my snack to go). My freezer is FULL of pie right now, I barely have any room! But now I have my favorite snack and I won't be upset when it's gone.

I am very motivated and happy! Looking forward to a great week! How is everyone doing?

Treat Yourself!

Today was crazy at work...I kept getting calls about emergencies with my patients, I barely had a second to stop and breathe, and I was sorely tempted to stop for fast food today. Blame TOM but I have been absolutely DYING dying for chicken nuggets. When I finally stopped to have lunch, I realized I had a cheesy potatoes with chicken...wow! It really satisfied my craving. I, of course, added my usual allotment of hot sauce and really enjoyed! Thankfully I didn't give into my craving and stuck to plan, TAKE THAT CRAVINGS!

I had my last visit which ended at 4:30pm and I was not too far from the grocery store. Since I'm running low on lettuce and mushrooms (been obsessed with them lately). I also had pick up more fruit --pineapple, oranges, and some raspberries! Mushrooms, green pepper, red and vidalia onion, romaine, arugula, and...a special treat that I HAD to share!!

Over the last couple weeks since starting JC, I've been looking for ways to get some extra fluids. Well I've been obsessed with seltzer. I bought Polar Banana seltzers because they were on sale...THEY TASTE EXACTLY LIKE BANANA LAFFY TAFFY. I kid you not! The delicious taste of candy with NO CALORIES! I am savoring every delicious sip! I also got a pina colada one and I'll let you know how it is. Seriously, this is such a treat! I'm so excited.

Which makes up for the fact that I almost DIED tonight. I was coming out of the grocery store and I walked into a GIANT thunderstorm. As I was running to my car, lightning slammed into a jeep about 25 feet from me...it was one of the scariest things I've ever seen. Needless to say I ran the 50 yard dash in record time--pretty sure I'm eligible for the Olympics now. Now I'm home, sipping on my delicious seltzer and enjoyed a traditional lasagna for dinner. Lemon cooler cookies for dessert, I can't wait :D

Have a great evening! WI is two days away! FINGERS CROSSED!

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!

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!