What on earth?
I can't believe it has been so long since I've updated.
I'm less Mondichewan now and am wearing size 18s. I've worked through all of my clothes I had put away and will have to start buying new clothes. I know, what a problem!
Work is good. I have been promoted again and am now an Account Manager. I will get to start working from home half the time right after Labor Day.
I've lost 114 lbs so far with about 50 to go to my goal.
Moving is a lot easier now.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Shopping in my closet
I have gone from 4X (26/28) to 3X (22/24) clothes. I have been able to start wearing clothes I had stored for "someday" and even those are starting to get loose. Getting ready for work is more fun and I have been keeping up my New Year's resolution to wear my earring, bracelets, etc. every day. It just makes me feel more polished and pulled together.
I have been lucky in finding work pants at Wal-Mart. I cannot fathom spending $50+ on a pair of slacks that I'm only going to be wearing for a month or so. $15 is a much better price and best of all, the Wal-Mart petites are the right length - no tailoring needed.
I have been following some great plus-size bloggers and Pinterest boards. Even at my goal weight of 180 I will still be considered 'plus-size', but there are a hell of a lot more choices at size 14 than 26.
People are really starting to notice the weight loss. It is so strange how every time I gain weight it accrues differently than the last and the same goes for the weight loss. Since I lost in the abdomen and waist first this time I am once again rocking a serious hourglass figure - even at 276 lbs.
My knee and ankle pain has all cleared up. I'm going to go back to belly dance in June. I'll tell you why June in a second. Why belly dance? Dance is the only form of exercise that I ever enjoyed, that I would do just for the fun, not because I need to rack up some Physical Activity (PA) points. In the meantime, I need to find a good beginner Yoga DVD to do at home to start regaining my flexibility, which has greatly diminished over the last 7 years since I stopped dancing.
I took the recommendation of some women in my class and have discovered the Clear American flavored waters (also at Wal-Mart). So tasty! I'm drinking them at home instead of soda, so I am down to one can of Diet Coke with Lime at lunchtimes.
Work is going great, and I can't help but feel that my increased ambition is partly spurred on by the weight loss. I just got a promotion (and serious raise!) and am going to apply for the next account manager position that opens up. This is a quantum leap in that it would be a complete change in my focus and responsibilities. I feel excited by the challenge and know that I could do a good job. It would definitely be a growth experience!
I have been lucky in finding work pants at Wal-Mart. I cannot fathom spending $50+ on a pair of slacks that I'm only going to be wearing for a month or so. $15 is a much better price and best of all, the Wal-Mart petites are the right length - no tailoring needed.
I have been following some great plus-size bloggers and Pinterest boards. Even at my goal weight of 180 I will still be considered 'plus-size', but there are a hell of a lot more choices at size 14 than 26.
People are really starting to notice the weight loss. It is so strange how every time I gain weight it accrues differently than the last and the same goes for the weight loss. Since I lost in the abdomen and waist first this time I am once again rocking a serious hourglass figure - even at 276 lbs.
My knee and ankle pain has all cleared up. I'm going to go back to belly dance in June. I'll tell you why June in a second. Why belly dance? Dance is the only form of exercise that I ever enjoyed, that I would do just for the fun, not because I need to rack up some Physical Activity (PA) points. In the meantime, I need to find a good beginner Yoga DVD to do at home to start regaining my flexibility, which has greatly diminished over the last 7 years since I stopped dancing.
I took the recommendation of some women in my class and have discovered the Clear American flavored waters (also at Wal-Mart). So tasty! I'm drinking them at home instead of soda, so I am down to one can of Diet Coke with Lime at lunchtimes.
Work is going great, and I can't help but feel that my increased ambition is partly spurred on by the weight loss. I just got a promotion (and serious raise!) and am going to apply for the next account manager position that opens up. This is a quantum leap in that it would be a complete change in my focus and responsibilities. I feel excited by the challenge and know that I could do a good job. It would definitely be a growth experience!
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Spring is springing
It seems nuts, but here we are at the end of February and we have daffodils in bloom. The Pacific Northwest is such a wonderful place. I love living here as the climate is so temperate all year long. It rarely gets above 100 degrees (hell, it rarely gets above 90 degrees) and our freezing days in the Winter are also few and far between.
My best friend moved back home to Wisconsin this Summer. She says that it has been -9 degrees for the past few mornings. Insanity!!
Things are going well. I am in the 280's now and so happy not to have a "3" in the front of my weight. I'm the closest to actually weighing what it says I do on my drivers license than I have in years.
I will be truly grateful when I make it to One-derland!!
Lots of non-scale victories happening as well.
I can zip my coat up comfortably, even when sitting on the bus. That hasn't happened for a long time.
I am 'shopping' in my clothes that I had packed away. I've spent lots of money over the years on my career-appropriate clothes and am glad I packed them away in hopes of wearing them again. I am!
I have had people actually stop me and say "cute outfit". That is even better than when they notice the weight loss so far.
I have been pinning and following a lot of plus-size career boards on Pinterest. So many great ideas!
I made only one New Year's Resolution: To actually wear my accessories. So far I have been keeping that up, and it does make me feel more put together in the morning. Just that small moment of looking at the mirror and choosing something to finish an outfit. I guess dressing with intention rather than by default.
Although my weight loss has been steady, it is usually in the 2 lbs or less area. I have gotten in the habit of eating a multigrain cereal for breakfast and then also using it in the risotto latkes I love so much. My group leader suggests that I cut the cereal down to only one serving a day to help increase the weight loss.
So, I have decided to keep the "second breakfast" at the office and only make the latkes on the weekends.
I have also been losing without doing any additional physical activity, like swimming. I had a bad cold for a couple of weeks and just have not gotten my act together to get my butt to the gym. I know that this isn't going to last forever and I really do need to get it going again.
In order to reach my personal goal of 180 lbs, I need to lose on average 3.5 lbs. a week.
Now that my knee no longer hurts I am thinking about switching up the activity and adding yoga and maybe Zumba. I definitely need to stretch and am going to find a good DVD for yoga that I can do in the mornings.
It makes me so happy to see sunny skies again, especially now that the days are getting longer and it is still light for a little bit on my way home from work.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Goodbye 300s
I have once again gotten below the 300 lb. mark. I don't want to tempt the fates by saying I will never be there again. However, I intend to never get there, and all I can do is do my best from now on.
Only 49 more pounds and I'll no longer be lying on my driver's license!
I have found a couple of HMR recipes that are so satisfying and filling.
The first is Risotto Latkes. If you just look at the ingredients it seems like it would be awful. The biggest issue with the HMR diet is the lack of texture. For someone like me, I really want the 'tooth-feel' of biting through something. These latkes really fit the bill.
1 HMR Multigrain Cereal
1 HMR Mushroom Risotto entrée
1/4 c water
Seasoned salt, garlic powder, whatever spices you want.
Stir the water with the cereal to let it rehydrate a little. Stir in the Mushroom Risotto and the garlic powder or other spices. Drop by spoonful's on a med-high non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. The original recipe says to make four patties. I make about nine small ones and press the heck out of them while cooking. More surface to get nice and crispy. Sprinkle with the seasoned salt while cooking.
Yum!
My new night-time favorite is the HMR mousse. It makes a large bowl of fluffy mousse that isn't so cold like a shake and is very satisfying. It feels like eating a big bowl of ice cream.
1 HMR Shake
8-10 ice cubes
1/2 c water
Flavor add-ins: SF FF Jello, SF syrups, etc.
You need a good food processor for this. A blender just won't cut it.
Blend the ice cubes until they are pulverized to sno-cone consistency. Add the rest of the ingredients and process for 3-4 minutes. You may have to scrape the bowl and under the blades at least once to make sure all the 'snow' is incorporated.
So good.
Only 49 more pounds and I'll no longer be lying on my driver's license!
I have found a couple of HMR recipes that are so satisfying and filling.
The first is Risotto Latkes. If you just look at the ingredients it seems like it would be awful. The biggest issue with the HMR diet is the lack of texture. For someone like me, I really want the 'tooth-feel' of biting through something. These latkes really fit the bill.
1 HMR Multigrain Cereal
1 HMR Mushroom Risotto entrée
1/4 c water
Seasoned salt, garlic powder, whatever spices you want.
Stir the water with the cereal to let it rehydrate a little. Stir in the Mushroom Risotto and the garlic powder or other spices. Drop by spoonful's on a med-high non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. The original recipe says to make four patties. I make about nine small ones and press the heck out of them while cooking. More surface to get nice and crispy. Sprinkle with the seasoned salt while cooking.
Yum!
My new night-time favorite is the HMR mousse. It makes a large bowl of fluffy mousse that isn't so cold like a shake and is very satisfying. It feels like eating a big bowl of ice cream.
8-10 ice cubes
1/2 c water
Flavor add-ins: SF FF Jello, SF syrups, etc.
You need a good food processor for this. A blender just won't cut it.
Blend the ice cubes until they are pulverized to sno-cone consistency. Add the rest of the ingredients and process for 3-4 minutes. You may have to scrape the bowl and under the blades at least once to make sure all the 'snow' is incorporated.
So good.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Still losing, still in the box...
But it isn't always easy.
I'm recognizing moments that when I was on previous weight loss attempts I would say 'the hell with it" and go through a drive-thru.
I have done a lot of secret eating in the car in my past. The trick is getting rid of the evidence before you get home.
So disordered. I've never purged, but I have definitely binged and hidden the evidence in the past.
A struggle right now is missing textures.
I am not a Taco Bell fan, but I would go through the drive-thru, get two Crunchwrap Supremes, and maybe a bean burrito. It's all about contrast. Crunchwraps have a tostada shell with beans, meat, cheese sauce and lettuce wrapped up in a tortilla (folded like an old-timey change purse) and grilled. Hot, smooth, crunchy, melty, saucey. The bean burrito is this hot melted mass of refried beans with cheese, sauce and little crunchy bits of onion. I don't know why, but does call to me sometimes.
The only thing I like at McDonalds is the classic McChicken sandwich. At $1, you feel you can justify it, "It's only a buck!". Crispy fried chicken, soft white bunch, warm mayonnaise and shredded lettuce that usually falls out while you are eating in the car.
Burgerville has lots of good stuff, but the go-to is the small cheeseburger. The Burgerville sauce is what makes it special. Again, soft bun, good bite-feel burger and warm secret sauce and ketchup. You have to sort of suck the sauce out of the burger before you take a bite, or it will be all over you and that isn't very stealthy is it?
Taco Times are few and far between. It was somewhere that I went with my Mom while I was growing up, so it is more nostalgia than taste. The deep fried bean burritos only have crunch going for them. Man they hit your stomach like concrete. I would always order the Taco Burger, which is taco meat, cheese and lettuce on a bun. The mexi-fries are just tator tots, but I haven't met many tator tots that I don't like.
I realize that eating these foods are not going to be much in my life once I start eating real foods again. I would hope say that they are never going to be, but that is just setting myself up for failure. I think it is more that if I eat these foods it will be because I decide to eat them and recognize their impact on my intake for that day, rather than mindless, impulse, crazy binge eating in my car.
I can do without that soul-crushing activity ever again.
I'm recognizing moments that when I was on previous weight loss attempts I would say 'the hell with it" and go through a drive-thru.
I have done a lot of secret eating in the car in my past. The trick is getting rid of the evidence before you get home.
So disordered. I've never purged, but I have definitely binged and hidden the evidence in the past.
A struggle right now is missing textures.
I am not a Taco Bell fan, but I would go through the drive-thru, get two Crunchwrap Supremes, and maybe a bean burrito. It's all about contrast. Crunchwraps have a tostada shell with beans, meat, cheese sauce and lettuce wrapped up in a tortilla (folded like an old-timey change purse) and grilled. Hot, smooth, crunchy, melty, saucey. The bean burrito is this hot melted mass of refried beans with cheese, sauce and little crunchy bits of onion. I don't know why, but does call to me sometimes.
The only thing I like at McDonalds is the classic McChicken sandwich. At $1, you feel you can justify it, "It's only a buck!". Crispy fried chicken, soft white bunch, warm mayonnaise and shredded lettuce that usually falls out while you are eating in the car.
Burgerville has lots of good stuff, but the go-to is the small cheeseburger. The Burgerville sauce is what makes it special. Again, soft bun, good bite-feel burger and warm secret sauce and ketchup. You have to sort of suck the sauce out of the burger before you take a bite, or it will be all over you and that isn't very stealthy is it?
Taco Times are few and far between. It was somewhere that I went with my Mom while I was growing up, so it is more nostalgia than taste. The deep fried bean burritos only have crunch going for them. Man they hit your stomach like concrete. I would always order the Taco Burger, which is taco meat, cheese and lettuce on a bun. The mexi-fries are just tator tots, but I haven't met many tator tots that I don't like.
I can do without that soul-crushing activity ever again.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Making it through the Holidays
I have managed to stay 'in the box' this holiday season.
I started on Halloween, so candy held no appeal as I was so excited about finally starting the program.
My daughter cooked Thanksgiving Dinner at my house, and I was concentrating more on hosting than the food.
The same at Christmas. I did more cooking, but managed to not be focused on the fact I wasn't eating ham with everyone else.
Now, I am not some paragon of willpower. My willpower usually consists of good intentions, then impulsive sabotage, and finishes with lame rationalization.
My strategies have included staying full (the whole "more is better" concept), trying some new recipes and asking myself if I really want to go out of the box for some mediocre cheese and crackers.
It also helps that I recognize that every time I have fallen off a program it has started with one impulsive trip through a drive-thru or bakery aisle, or even as simple as eating a kernel of corn.
Then comes the game-playing. I would wait until I weighed in and hit Burgerville on the way home. After all, I have a whole week until the next weigh-in right? Then when a lunch gets catered at work or someone brings in bagels, it is just that much easier to eat off program.
So far, I'm good in the box.
I started on Halloween, so candy held no appeal as I was so excited about finally starting the program.
My daughter cooked Thanksgiving Dinner at my house, and I was concentrating more on hosting than the food.
The same at Christmas. I did more cooking, but managed to not be focused on the fact I wasn't eating ham with everyone else.
Now, I am not some paragon of willpower. My willpower usually consists of good intentions, then impulsive sabotage, and finishes with lame rationalization.
My strategies have included staying full (the whole "more is better" concept), trying some new recipes and asking myself if I really want to go out of the box for some mediocre cheese and crackers.
It also helps that I recognize that every time I have fallen off a program it has started with one impulsive trip through a drive-thru or bakery aisle, or even as simple as eating a kernel of corn.
Then comes the game-playing. I would wait until I weighed in and hit Burgerville on the way home. After all, I have a whole week until the next weigh-in right? Then when a lunch gets catered at work or someone brings in bagels, it is just that much easier to eat off program.
So far, I'm good in the box.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
A little over a month in...
I'm down 19.20 lbs and off all of my blood pressure medication. I feel good and have been getting to the pool 2-3 times a week at LA Fitness. My physical activity still isn't where it needs to be, but I'm getting there. I try to make water aerobics and when I can't I run in the pool up and down the swim lane.
I'm enjoying the food still and shakes are fun to flavor with sugar-free fat-free pudding mixes and sugar-free flavored syrups. Now that I can have the soup, I have been making it into a gravy and adding it to entrees to change up the flavor and texture. It is also good just as a nice, hot savory soup. It is like a creamy chicken bouillon with herbs.
I really enjoy the hot multi-grain cereal, which I have every morning at work. There are recipes to make muffins and pancakes with the cereal, but it makes such a nice big bowl of hot cereal, I'm not all that tempted to trade it for a low-volume option.
Thanksgiving wasn't as big a challenge as I feared it might be. I stayed 'in the box' and really didn't feel deprived. I mean, I've had my mom's devilled eggs hundreds of times, turkey is just turkey and I don't really like pumpkin pie anyway.
It definitely helped that my daughter took over the cooking for the second year. She is a talented cook and does a wonderful job.
Honestly, there hasn't been much of anything that I have been missing or jonesing for in terms of food. (Other than I still dream about tater tots.) I'm sure down the road I will have some struggles, but I think I'm still in the honeymoon phase and am just very pleased that I am able to lose weight, eat food that isn't horrible (yeah, I'm talking to you Nutrisystem) and feel like I'm not damaging my health in the process.
I'm enjoying the food still and shakes are fun to flavor with sugar-free fat-free pudding mixes and sugar-free flavored syrups. Now that I can have the soup, I have been making it into a gravy and adding it to entrees to change up the flavor and texture. It is also good just as a nice, hot savory soup. It is like a creamy chicken bouillon with herbs.
I really enjoy the hot multi-grain cereal, which I have every morning at work. There are recipes to make muffins and pancakes with the cereal, but it makes such a nice big bowl of hot cereal, I'm not all that tempted to trade it for a low-volume option.
Thanksgiving wasn't as big a challenge as I feared it might be. I stayed 'in the box' and really didn't feel deprived. I mean, I've had my mom's devilled eggs hundreds of times, turkey is just turkey and I don't really like pumpkin pie anyway.
It definitely helped that my daughter took over the cooking for the second year. She is a talented cook and does a wonderful job.
Honestly, there hasn't been much of anything that I have been missing or jonesing for in terms of food. (Other than I still dream about tater tots.) I'm sure down the road I will have some struggles, but I think I'm still in the honeymoon phase and am just very pleased that I am able to lose weight, eat food that isn't horrible (yeah, I'm talking to you Nutrisystem) and feel like I'm not damaging my health in the process.
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