Day 24

Learning how to not be an emotional eater is one very hard lesson that still hasn't gotten any easier. I had this idea that now that I'm in the the fourth week of my journey, it'd be easier. Needless to say, I was way off base.

During the day, even though I eat breakfast and lunch then plan ahead by packing 'good for me' snacks, sometimes just watching my co-workers coming back from the vending machine with all the things I love, just makes it hard. Even smelling different foods that people are heating up in the microwave for lunch is not easy. Now, I mentioned this before, but I used to be an all day snacker before I changed my eating habits and night-time snacking was the worst. I could easily eat chips and cookies by the bagful. As a matter of fact, when I would buy Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies, my husband would have one row and I'd have the other. (I could just kick myself when I think about it. I wasn't checking my glucose then and even though I knew it would be dangerously high, it didn't stop me from pigging out).

You know, most nights, I almost always want more food after dinner, even though I'm usually satisfied. It's always then that I think about running to the store, (which is very close, by the way) for something crunchy or sweet. There are times that I just find it difficult to get through movie night without brownies or a big bowl of ice-cream... or sometimes both. Even at the end of a difficult work day, it's comfort food I'm craving, not an apple with peanut butter or a boiled egg... those snacks just aren't the same.

I'm still trying to get a handle on my uncontrolled snacking and learn to just eat maybe 2 cookies... which I'm still scared to try. I mean, I haven't had just 2 cookies for a snack since I was a toddler. What if my addiction kicks in and I can't stop until 'my side' of the bag is gone?

Okay, basically it comes down to this. I can give in to the temptation...



Or I can fight... fight... fight the urge and make a much healthier choice.



I know that the key to successful weight loss is to find healthy balanced snacks. I also know that I am the only real obstacle in my path, so I close my eyes, search deep within me for that willpower that I am in desperate need of, take a deep breath then tell myself NO! Whew... Now, I just need to be prepared to do it all over again tomorrow... LoL.

Inspiration picture:



Weight: I didn't check my weight this morning. I'm getting tired of seeing the same number. I'm actually thinking of trying a once a week weigh in instead of doing it daily. I'm still debating.
Glucose: 136 (I made chicken, stuffing and cabbage last night and I had extra stuffing.)

Daily Food Journal:
Breakfast: Special K with berries, decaf
Snack: 6 strawberries
Lunch: Tuna on wheat, 1 apple
Dinner: 1 Veggie burger, cauliflower, green beans and a hot cup of green tea with honey

Notes: Sorry I was missing for a couple of days. I was really busy for Father's day weekend and I didn't even look at the computer.

Love yourself enough to keep going.

Day 21

Today, I've come to the end of 3 weeks of eating healthy. In all of my life, I've never not had sugar for 3 entire weeks and I'm still surprised that I'm even managing to do this at all. It almost seems surreal. There are times, like right now, that a craving hits me like a big bag of quarters. I guess it didn't help that 20 minutes ago, I watched my husband eat a big bowl of Breyers chocolate and vanilla ice-cream. I thought about having a bowl, but tomorrow will be the start of my 4th week. To me, that's a really big deal. Now, I will say that next week is our 4 year wedding anniversary and I am giving myself the green light. Yes, I'm going to allow myself to go for it and have whatever my heart desires for dinner that night. I still don't know what restaurant he's taking me to, but wherever it'll be, I've decided that I'm even having desert, too.

Inspiration picture:



Weight: 182
Glucose: 95 (2 points lower than yesterday)

Daily Food Journal:

I wanted a big breakfast this morning. Since I had the day off and my husband had to work, I thought it would be the perfect time to scramble some eggs with peppers. My husband hates peppers, but I think their delicious, so I brought three of them... red, yellow and green.

I sautéed the peppers and added the eggs, put some Jimmy Dean turkey sausage links in the microwave then made some coffee.

Oh and I had one slice of whole wheat toast, too.

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, 2 turkey link sausages, 1 slice of toast, decaf

Lunch: Plain nonfat yogurt with strawberries and muesli added, 1/2 banana
Snack: 12 almonds

Dinner: 2 slices of rotisserie chicken, 1 baked sweet potato, French style green beans and hot tea

Notes: A big breakfast before my journey consisted of a whole lot more food, but I guess we're all trying harder these days. Until tomorrow.

Day 20

As much as I love salads, I have been purposely avoiding them since I started my journey. See, I'm one of those people that love salad, but I can only enjoy them with half a bottle of salad dressing poured over my veggies. Okay, I'm exaggerating... maybe not half a bottle, but I do use a lot. Well today was just one of those days where I had to eat out for lunch. I figured I'd go for a salad, but worried about choosing French dressing, (which is what I usually choose). I noticed a balsamic vinaigrette dressing and decided to try it. I've been reading a lot about how balsamic vinaigrette dressings are better for you, but I just never tasted it before. Well, it was delicious and I didn't even need to use that much of it. I am absolutely hooked.

Tonight. I wasn't in the mood to cook dinner either. Like I said, it was just one of those days.
I wanted to pick up dinner from somewhere, but I also needed to stay on track. The last thing I wanted to do was blow all the progress that I've made so far on my journey. I decided to pick up one of those rotisserie chickens, I just needed something to go with it.

I went over to the deli department and something new in the case caught my eye. It was pasta called Greek pasta salad and I was thinking that it might be nice to try since I'm always hearing how the Mediterranean diet is great if you're looking for a heart healthy eating plan. I noticed that it was the only salad in the case that wasn't mixed with mayonnaise. It was mixed with canola oil, vinegar and skim milk, (I checked the ingredients on the label). There is also spinach, red peppers, parsley and feta cheese added. It looked healthier than the potato salad I was checking out at first, so I grabbed 1/2 a pound. It was awesome and my husband loved it.

Inspiration picture:



Weight:182 (No change.)
Glucose: 97 (Okay, I'm under 100 again, this is good.)

Daily Food Journal:

Breakfast: Plain nonfat yogurt with muesli and strawberries added, decaf

Snack: 15 grapes

Lunch: garden salad with vinaigrette dressing and 5 crackers

Dinner: 2 slices of rotisserie chicken, 7 almonds, Greek pasta salad and a hot cup of green tea with honey

Notes: Even though I ate out... twice. I'm happy with the food choices that I made. I think today went very well.

If you don't take care of your body, who will?

Day 19

Tonight my daughter and I used our 3 day complimentary passes for the second time and worked out at LA Fitness.

I have to say, it's a much larger facility than the little gym at my apartment. When I first stepped foot in there, I was like, wow! Size really does matter. I mean the place is humongous. The music was pumping and there was so much energy in the atmosphere. It's almost overwhelming. After our tour, my daughter and I were just standing there wondering what in the world should we try first. Seriously, it made my gym at home feel cluttered and claustrophobic. Now, I'm actually wondering if I should join.

Here's the thing, at my gym there's less equipment and it's more tightly spaced together, but at LA Fitness, they have lots of amenities with way more equipment that's up to date. Okay, there's a full sized basketball court, a raquetball court, aerobic classes, zumba, yoga, pilates and spinning. There's a pool. a sauna and a juice bar... and that's only downstairs...lol.

Also at my gym, I'm pretty much on my own. I can always report a problem with the equipment to one of the ladies in the rental office, but they're not going to show me the proper form or give me any fitness advice or anything. However, there's always staff around at LA Fitness so I won't have to worry about getting injured... again. I can even book a personal trainer if I'm in the mood to splurge. I didn't want to sign anything tonight and lock myself into a contract until I gave joining the gym a little more thought, even though they sure do their best to talk you into it. I told my daughter when we go back the third time to try a zumba class, I'll decide. 

Inspiration picture:



Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to put these two pictures side by side. Before and after: Nyla shed an impressive 157lbs with help from ABC show Extreme Make Over: Weightloss Edition

Weight: 182
Glucose: 123 (This is getting a little frustrating. Last night for dinner, I had 15 almonds with my vegetables. Maybe that has something to do with it.)

Daily Food Journal:
Breakfast: Plain nonfat yogurt with muesli and strawberries, decaf
Lunch: Tomato basil hummus on 12 grain with lettuce and tomatoes, 15 grapes
Dinner: 1 veggie burger, mixed vegetables, 5 almonds and a hot cup of green tea with honey


Notes: I think today went great. I managed to get through the first 5 minutes of the spinning class, then I had to stop. My goodness, it was hard. My daughter made it through the entire hour. I did however manage to do 30 minutes on the treadmill.

Did I mention that the treadmills all have miniature fans on the sides to cool you off while you're working out. I got a real kick out of that.

Why make today great? Because you can.

Day 18

I have to admit, blogging has become one of my favorite things to do. I am so pumped up when I grab my laptop to put up a new post, it's yet another way to keep me motivated. According to Spark People, motivation is like cold hard cash: You can never have to much. And when you're trying to lose weight (for the umpteenth time for many of us) you know that you need a wealth of motivational strategies you can count on.
Here are a few ways to help you to stay motivated.

Remember why you are losing weight.
Plan something to look forward to... a day at the spa, a new outfit or a trip.
Remember that losing weight won't happen overnight.
Find a weight loss partner.
Visualize the body you want when you reach your goals.
Look at how far you've come.
Read some great quotes.
Talk or write about your feelings... through blogging or a food diary.
Try a new exercise or sport.

Inspiration picture:



Weight: 182

Glucose: 80 (I couldn't believe it! I'm under 100!!! I am still in shock from seeing this number this morning.)

Daily Food Journal:

Breakfast: Plain nonfat yogurt with muesli and strawberries, decaf
Lunch: Tomato basil hummus on 12 grain, with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, 1 apple
Snack: 1 hard boiled egg
Dinner: Cabbage, mixed vegetables, 15 almonds and a hot cup of green tea with honey

Notes: Tonight I walked for one hour around the neighborhood. Normally, I let my stomach rest right after dinner, but I didn't want to get caught in another rainstorm so this time I didn't wait.

You can't accomplish anything you give up on.

Day 17

A couple of days ago when I was coming out of the grocery store, I noticed that someone had put complimentary 3 day passes for LA Fitness on everyone's car in the parking lot.

I have no idea know how this picture ending up getting turned around. Anyway, I had to put my bottle of water on the ticket, because it was getting windy outside. I didn't want it to get away from me.

I'd never been to LA Fitness, so I figured why not. It's free and it'll be a change of scenery. So I went for it. One of my daughter's went with me and oh my goodness, we loved it! We ended up working out for about 45 minutes.

Inspiration picture: Phylicia Rashad



Weight: 182
Glucose: 120!!! (Wow! I thought it jumped up yesterday because of the medicine, but maybe it was something I ate? I have no clue, but it sure was good to see this number on my meter this morning.)

Daily Food Journal:
Breakfast: Plain nonfat yogurt with muesli added and strawberries, decaf
Lunch: Tomato basil hummus on 12 grain with romaine lettuce and tomatoes, 1 apple
Snack: 10 Walnuts
Dinner: 1 piece of tomato based chicken, cabbage and mixed vegetables (I decided to skip the white potatoes altogether tonight.) and a hot cup of green tea with honey.

Notes: I think today was a good day. I still can't believe that I'm hanging in there and it's been over two weeks. Well, it's 9:45 p.m. I'd better go to bed now, because I'm starting to get hungry and I don't want to eat this late at night...until tomorrow.

Who's in control, you or the food?

Day 16

I know this is going to sound weird, but my husband doesn't know how much I weigh. When I weigh myself in the morning, he's still asleep. If he happens to already be up, then I wait until he goes to the bathroom or jumps in the shower. He doesn't read this blog, so he'll never find out that way. In all honesty, that's actually my fault, since I don't exactly invite him to check it out. He also doesn't know what size I wear. I just can't bring myself to tell him. I know what you're thinking... he can just look in the closet and check one of the tags... right? Wrong. I've cut out every single label from every article of clothing in the closet and in every one of my drawers. Do you know how some hangers have the sizes directly on them? Well, any hangers displaying the size 16, get wrapped in a dark plastic trash bag and shoved towards the bottom of the trash can.

Okay, my husband's not blind in one eye and unable to see out the other one. Yes, he knows that I've picked up weight and thank God he doesn't seem to mind one bit... bless his heart. I'm the one who minds. It's just that he guesses that I may have only gained around 20 or 25 pounds. I'm not really lying to him, I simply don't admit that he's way off. I feel bad about it, though, but it's just one more way to keep myself motivated. I really want to be honest with him... just not until after I'm at my goal weight, or at least near it.

Inspiration picture:



Weight: 182 (Even though I didn't lose any more weight, I didn't gain any either.)
Glucose: 160??? I'm a little confused as to why it jumped up. I didn't mess up yesterday. I stayed on track. I did however go to the dentist for a cavity that I should have had taken care of a long time ago. My dentist said it was infected and he gave me two prescriptions... Tylenol Codeine for the pain and Amoxicillin for the infection. My guess is that maybe it's the pain medication that is affecting my glucose. I have to take it every 6 hours for 10 days until the infection clears up, then I have to get the tooth pulled... (This is just another perk from all the sweets that I've stuffed my face with before my journey.)

Daily Food Journal:
Breakfast: Steel cut oatmeal, with strawberries, crushed walnuts, flaxseeds and a cup of decaf
Lunch: Plain nonfat yogurt with mueslix added and mixed vegetables on the side
Snack: 10 walnuts

I'd like to share the recipe I used to make the chicken for dinner. It's a hit at my house. My husband and kids love it.

Tomato Based Chicken

Ingredients:

2 medium unpeeled potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large green sweet pepper, cut into strips
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tablespoon quick cooking tapioca
2 pounds chicken thighs or drumsticks, skinned and fat removed
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker place the potatoes, sweet pepper and onion.

Sprinkle tapioca over potato mixture. Place chicken on top of the vegetables. For sauce. in a small bowl, stir together tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce mustard, garlic, and salt.

Pour sauce over chicken. Cover; cook on low heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high heat setting for 5 to 6 hours.

Transfer chicken and vegetables to a large serving bowl. Skim fat from sauce. Spoon sauce over chicken and vegetables. Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Dinner: Tomato based chicken with potatoes, cabbage
and a hot cup of green tea with honey

Notes: I used two cloves of garlic instead of one. Oh and you probably noticed that I didn't use the green peppers and onions. I don't like onions and my husband doesn't like peppers, so I just leave those two ingredients out. I only had a very small amount of the white potatoes, but I sure wanted a larger helping. I put extra cabbage on my plate to make up for it, though.

Turn I wish into I will!