Weigh in Wednesday and Ready for Summer Goals!

Hi all!

I haven't updated much these last couple days because it has been insane at work. I feel like I'm running from sun up until sundown. It really isn't the number of patients I have but more how high acuity they are. I feel like everyone is demanding my attention every hour of every day! And then this weekend I didn't even get a minute to myself to relax! Constant phone calls, trying to go out and do visits, not to mention trying not to lose my mind. I've had a horrible headache the last 4 days that I've been nursing with water and excedrin; I think its a combination of weather change, allergies, and stress.

But I've been good on plan until last night... yesterday was really hard for me because I got an emergent call to go see a client who has mental retardation. And he started becoming violent and coming at me, which is very frightening. Especially when you are the only person in someone's house...this person lives alone and I didn't have anyone there to help me. Long story short, I did get help and so did the patient but I was so scared. I was shaking and felt so sick...and on top of it I then had to drive an hour away to see a patient who was in a very bad mood...I was ready to cry my eyes out the entire trip home as I sat in deadlock traffic for another hour and a half.

Thankfully my mother works right near my house so I had called her and she came over...and we decided we needed to have some girl time. I didn't make the best food choices last night but I have made improvements. Instead of coming home and bingeing, I went out with my mother and I had one beer and we shared a plate of nachos. Old me would've had several beers and eaten the WHOLE plate of nachos and probably have had dessert or an entree. I still ate to comfort (Although at this point it was after 6pm and I had eaten lunch at 11:30am... so I was hungry for sure). But I think that I did an okay job of making choices.

So, weigh in today...

Previous Weigh In: 258.6
Weigh In 3/21/12: 257.2 (-1.4)

HEY! That's not too shabby! Especially with a bad meal last night!!! The upcoming week I am going out tonight for dinner but I'm going to make good choices. But then this weekend I'm going to be away. I'm going with my mother to drop my brother back off at college and we're staying overnight (its a six hour drive each way). So I need to rely on good food choices, I'll be tracking what I eat and getting lots of exercise!

Tonight I am going out on a date...yes, a date! As some of you know I started online dating and I think its been going pretty well. I'm extremely nervous...like, can barely eat nervous. I still have this voice in the back of my head that's telling me that no one is every going to want me. I'm working on this a lot in therapy and in my life...but I still can't make that voice go away. So tonight I'm going out with a really nice guy who I have a lot in common with...I'm dipping my toe into the pool of possibility! For my safety, I told my mom I was going out...and we're meeting in a very public place. So don't worry, I am being safe! I'll let you know how things go!

Today is also my day to set goals for the Ready for Summer Challenge! WOO~


I'm setting very general goals today!

1) Weight Loss - Duing this 10 week challenge, I want to be in the 230s. So 239.0 is my goal for this challenge. That is a loss of 18.2 or approx  1.8lbs per week. I can DO THIS!

2) NSV - During this challenge I would like to be wearing a size 16/18 in pants. I also want to be comfortable dating and work on my self esteem. I want to get to know myself better during this challenge as well.

3) Exercise - Couch25K program, walking, riding bike. I am looking for a weight loss buddy to help keep me motivated. Exercise is where I have the most issues with during this. I don't love exercise but it nees to become part of my routine.

4) Nutrition - Clean eating x 1 week, I want to get away from eating so much processed food. Recipes, I would like to post 10 recipes during this challenge that I have made or have made from other people's blogs/Pinterest (Skinnytaste, Dashing Dish, etc). I will track my food religiously and stick to my nutritional levels (which I am already good at but it keeps all my other goals focused).

I'll tinker these as necessary when I go along but these seem like great goals to me! Can't wait to get started!

NEW RECIPE: Cheddar Veggie Turkey Burgers

There's nothing like Spring and Summer to make delicious burgers...and there's nothing worse than a big fatty burger to weigh you down or possibly even worse--a flavorless patty that tastes like nothing! I was so busy yesterday (today is just as bad). But I decided I wanted to make turkey burgers because I had bought ground turkey to make another recipe and realized I didn't have all the ingredients. With no time to go to the store, I decided to rifle through my cabinets and use up what I had and OH MY GOODNESS these turned out AMAZING!

Cheddar Veggie Turkey Burgers

Minutes to Prepare: 5

Minutes to Cook: 15

Number of Servings: 6

Cheddar Veggie Turkey Burger and some Alexia sweet potato puffs. YUM!

Ingredients

1lb 93% Lean Ground Turkey
1 packet Vegetable Soup Mix
1 cup Sargento Reduced Fat Mexican 4 Cheese Blend
1/4 Cup Minced Onion

6 Light White Buns (included in calorie count!!!!!)

Directions

1) Combine ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands until combined. (Do Not Overmix)

2) Form into approx 6 patties approx 3oz each

3) Cook in a skillet or grill at medium high heat for approx 12 minutes (6-7minutes per side), until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees (74 C)

3) Serve on light white buns and top with all your favorites!

Serving Size: Makes 6 Burgers
 

 

Nutritional Breakdown

 

 

The Verdict:

 

These are super moist, delicious, FILLING turkey burgers. You don't need to add any ketchup or anything because they are just so flavorful and delicious. The cheese inside makes these super gooey and delicious too. No need to smother with cheese! And if you want to add shredded lettuce, just add 2 calories for 1/4 cup! I served these with Alexia Sweet Potato Puffs and this was an amazing dinner. You will love these!!! Give them a try!

Spring Chick Wrapup!

This weekend is insane...I hate it when its like this. I keep getting calls and then there's the visits I have to do. I really can't wait until this weekend is over. Monday is the first day of SPRING! And the wrapup of the spring chick challenge.

I set a very advantageous weight goal and I didn't get there. But you know what? I have made BIG PROGRESS.

My weigh in at the start of this challenge was 271.2. Now, I am at 258.6! A loss of 12.6 pounds!! Also known as 50.4 sticks of butter. And it also means I averaged a loss of a little over a pound a week during this challenge. Not too shabby! Especially with a 2 week trip to Italy in there! Although I didn't meet my weight goal, there were a lot of other things I accomplished during this challenge. I stopped focusing on the scale and started focusing on my overall health. I started seeing a counsler who has been extremely helpful to me! I also found new friends and a new confidence which has enabled me to put myself out there and start dating! I also decided to stop going to Jenny Craig and start my weight loss journey on my own terms!

There were some things I could have done differently. And I know I need to change my habits in order to maintain my weMy ight loss long term. I do a lot of walking and staying naturally active, but I need to up my exercise. And start exercising on purpose! I also am working on giving up the processed foods that I love so much...I think I would've liked to make more recipes during this challenge.

I am springing right into spring...and continuing on my journey! I also will be starting the Ready for Summer challenge! I like the challenges because it forces me to be focused.

My advice to anyone signing up for a challenge is that support is what it's all about. Support your peers and accept constructive criticism! We're all in this together!

Onward I go! Ready to take on the world!

My new scale and weigh in Friday!

Hi all!
Well my new scale arrived from Amazon.com and I couldn't be happier. If you're looking for an awesome scale, I would TOTALLY reccomend the EatSmart Precision Digital Bathroom Scale. It can hold up to 400lbs, it has large numbers that are easy to read, and you just step on it and it reads your weight. No toe tapping it and waiting for it to zero out! No sir!

And it's pretty. It cost $28 but it came with a TAPE MEASURE and the scale is clearly very high quality. I think it's a really good scale (for a really good price). I'll just say for reference I bought a Tanita bathroom scale from Jenny Craig back in 2008 and I paid almost 100 dollars for it. I was told there was NO better bathroom scale. It measured BMI, weight, and remembered your weight and told you if you had a loss or a gain that week. It basically did everything...but it broke after just 4 months of my having it. And the design got really dirty and grimy very quickly. Ick. Price does not equal quality (every time).

So I'm weighing in this morning! On a NEW SCALE! So let's just say this is my starting weight for my new journey of losing weight WITHOUT Jenny Craig!

Starting Weight: 259.8
Weigh In: 258.6 (-1.2)
Target Weight: 240
Pounds Until Goal: 18.6

YAY! I mean, I know that I stayed awesome food-wise this week and have been walking a lot. But I'm not totally sure if the loss is higher or lower because this is a brand new scale. From now on I know that my start weight on this one is 258.6! A total loss of 51.4 pounds...and I have more proof than just a scale to help me recognize it! Woo! FYI: Weigh ins will return to Wednesdays this week.

I have a lot of personal things going on these next few weeks...I decided that I'm going to try online dating and made myself a profile! And I have a few dates lined up that seem promising. I'm extremely nervous...especially since I always think to myself 'they're not going to want me when they meet me, I'm a fat girl'. It's hard to break out of that way of thinking and start recognizing that I'm pretty kick ass. Yeah I'm not at my goal weight but I've got a lot going for me! And someone to support me through this journey and to have a good time with is always a plus! I know a lot of people have had sucess with online dating...my cousin recently married his girlfriend that he met online. And I have two very good friends from college who met their spouses online. That's good enough for me!

Hope you are all having a splendid Friday. I am working this weekend, oi. But hopefully it won't be crazy. TGIF!

NEW RECIPE: Meatless Buffalo Chopped Salad

I was feeling creative in the kitchen today and I found myself something new at Target the last time I was there. Morningstar Farms meatless Buffalo Wings. I am a conisseur of buffalo wings...they are totally my downfall. I love their spicyness and the richness of the sauce. Nom! But they're not exactly calorie friendly...according to That's Fit.com in "One dozen sauce-spun wings with their bleu cheese sauce have 1,014 calories and 76 grams of fat." No thanks, I'll take my yummy recipe any day!


Check these out! YUM!

These are amazingly yummy little nuggets and totally meat free! YUM! And they are perfect for my easyyyy chopped buffalo salad! WINNER WINNER NOT CHICKEN DINNER!

Meatless Buffalo Wing Chopped Salad
Serves: ONE!

Ingredients

1 serving (5 wings) Morningstar Farms Buffalo prepared in the oven according to package.

1 cup Dole Shredded Lettuce

1 slice of tomato chopped (or to taste)

1 large slice of onion chopped (or to taste)

2 tbs Fat Free Bleu Cheese Dressing

OPTIONAL:
Frank's Hot Sauce
Fat free bleu cheese crumbles
Celery
Carrot

Directions

1) Cook Buffalo wings in the oven according to package (Forget the microwave, you want these crispy)

2) Put lettuce, tomato, onion into a bowl.

3) Cut buffalo wings into bite sized pieces. Top salad w/ bleu cheese dressing (I did 2 tablespoons frank's hot sauce and 2 tablespoons blue cheese dressing)

4) ENJOY!

Nutritional Facts

A delicious meatless meal, made in under 20 minutes, that is healthy and yummy? YES PLEASE! Enjoy!

Non-Weigh In Wednesday

It kind of bummed me out not to weigh in today... I really wanted to see how I was doing. But you know what? I think the obsession with the scale needs to stop. I ate really well this week and tracked, drank all my water, exercised, and that number doesn't really matter! I FEEL GREAT! I put on a pair of jeans that were tight a few weeks ago...they're getting really baggy. Especially in the back, they were practically falling down my butt! I've also noticed it in the legs. My thighs are definitely smaller and I think they stretched out my jeans, because right around my knees there's a lot of bagginess in my pants (a really odd place to have bagginess LOL). You can see it in my latest progress picture how that happens. WIERD!

So...today my furntiure arrived at 6:45AM!!!!!!! Yeah. I'm not kidding. Blah. I got up at 6 and had to rush through my morning shower and getting dressed. Thankfully I had everything else in order for when the guys came this AM. Only half my furniture came, the other half is scheduled to be delivered 3/31/12...because the couch and ottoman were on backorder and I wanted the one with the memory foam mattress. But it's a start! That's a little over 2 weeks away and time is flying; it'll be here before I know it!

I have made a decision on the Jenny Craig issue that I've been having. Even from the start of this weight loss journey, I have had problems with my consultant and the Jenny Craig team. I called on Monday (2 days in advance) to let them know my Wednesday was going to be busy and was forced to make an appointment I knew I couldn't keep. SO I called back and said, please just let me weigh in and get food. The woman on the phone was very rude...so I said "Okay well I won't come in then. Not a big deal". Then she changed her song and dance...and said that my consultant would call me and get my food order so they could pull it and have it ready for me when I arrived at whatever time to weigh in. I never got a call. No one ever followed up. And when I checked my messages this morning there was one phone call from Jenny confirming the appointment that I cancelled two days ago.

This was not that hard a decision.

I will end my time with Jenny Craig which is not a problem at all. I've been doing 85% of food on my own whether it is breakfast cereal for breakfast, a lean cuisine meal (love the new Market Collections) or cooking up a healthy chicken breast with veggies for dinner. I am tracking on Sparkpeople.com religiously and actually not going to Jenny Craig is going to save me money, time, and GAS. No more fighting to get to Jenny Craig in the mornings on my day off. Not going to happen. What I've told myself is that if I find that I want to return, I paid for a year of service (no refunds, ugh) so for this year, if I wanted to I could go back. But honestly? I got this...

Thanks for the supportive e-mails and blog posts! I feel like this is a super positive thing for me! I need to buy a scale though, haha. When I do update my weight, there may be a fluctuation that's strange as I adjust to a new scale in my own house. So be aware of that!

SO per request, I took some pictures of the pieces I do have! Please enjoy!

New Loveseat! Situated by the front door, it looks amazing! New lamp coming soon



New dresser all set up with my clothes in it! There I am! I'm looking good! ;)

For those of you who haven't seen it, the other side of my room (taken from my doorway)

Have a great day all!

Goals! OOPS!

I was supposed to write up my goals yesterday but I was absolutely SWAMPED at work. I am usually supposed to have 6 visits a day which equals 24 a week which I'm salaried for. With my patient load, that's a lot for me! Yesterday, I had NINE VISITS. Which made for an extremely busy day AND a lot of charting last night. After I did it, I didn't feel like writing anymore.

Just a quick update for those who follow my weigh ins...the loveseat and my dresser/mirror are being delivered tomorrow so I can't get to Jenny Craig to weigh in. I called and asked if I could just pop in and weigh in and get food...and the static I got was extremely disheartening. I am NOT going to be going to Jenny Craig tomorrow. And honestly, I'm thinking about leaving the program for good. THIS DOES NOT MEAN I AM ABANDONING MY WEIGHT LOSS! What this means is that I'm going to stop buying the JC food, buy a good scale for my house, and continue on my own tracking on Sparkpeople. I've given this a lot of thought recently because..I am not even really buying that much Jenny Craig food. I am buying healthy food items at the grocery store, cooking, and eating lean cuisine meals for quick lunches and such....all of which I did last week and had a nice loss. Thoughts? I could use an objective opinion!

Goals for this week:

NSV:

1) Move all my clothes/sheets/linens into my new dresser when it arrives!!!!

2) Clean up around the house - too much clutter for my taste right now.

3) Clean out the fridge/freezer. I have some old stuff i nthere that's gotta go.

Exercise:

1) Walk 7x a week

2) Bike 2x week

3) 30DS x 1

Food:

1) Track on Sparkpeople.

2) Make recipe I was planning on psoting last week (was missing key ingredients :( )

3) Decide whether to stick to Jenny or do this on my own!