Day 15 - Weigh In Number 2

I lost again this week :)  Not as much as my unrealistic hopes, but I know better.

Another 1.8 pounds down this week and a little over an inch lost all around which brings my actual weight to 223.6 lbs. I'll take it! Especially considering I had a couple rough days. But I kept myself accountable and on track and it paid off. Here's to an even better week this week!

What are my plans? Getting all of my GHG's (good healthy guidelines) in and planning my week's menus according to the TAMALE PARTY I'm hostessing with my siblings this weekend! It's the theme we chose to explore next after sushi night. This one excites me more than you could imagine! I <3 tamales :) And of course, I'll share the making of them and my photos.

For now, time for a smoothie... in a bowl.

Day 246 - Back To Weighing In

Well, it feels good  to be back to my Sunday morning routine. I actually missed doing this, it centers me and focuses me. I get re-motivated for the week ahead and make decisions about what I need to improve upon versus the previous week. Oh! You want to know how I did this last week, huh?

I lost 2.6 lbs. : )  So my current weight is 211.0. I may re-weigh in an hour or so...

My husband hasn't been counting points, just eating the foods I have been all week, staying away from restaurant foods and soda, and paying attention to portions and he lost 4 lbs.! (Men. Honestly. I look at a Twinkie and put on 5 lbs., they eat 10 Twinkies and nothing happens.)

My goals for this week? Get in all of my GHGs (Good Healthy Guidelines) each day, including water and vitamins, and starting the Couch 2 5K program with my sister. I've always wanted to like to run, but I've always hated it. I'm determined to like it. So, off I go to get started!

Day 232 - Weigh In Day

It wasn't horrible. I gained .4 pounds. It could have been a no gain/no loss week had I abided by my GHGs (Good Healthy Guidelines). I missed most of my veggies/fruits, didn't get my dairy in most days, and may as well have been in the Sahara for all the water I drank.

But, what did I expect? Nothing less than this actually. I'm owning this small, though significant, gain and am going to take care of it. Here's my action plan for the week, beginning today:

• Clear the kitchen of trigger foods (chocolate, desserts)
• Get more fruits and veggies to have on hand
• Make a dinner plan for the entire week (for the whole fam)
• Make a daily meal plan for me for the week
• Get a master 'To-Do' list accomplished and stick to it

My meal plan will be posted later today--accountability.

These things are key to my success in changing my lifestyle. When I set myself up for success, I succeed. That's what I need to get back to.

Let's do it! 

Later that day... (my weekly meal plan I promised)

See? There it is : )

Day 166 - Weigh In Day

Yes... I missed yesterday's post. I'm a naughty blogger. Please forgive me? Thanks : )

DOWN 3 MORE POUNDS!

*Happy dance* *Happy dance* *Happy dance*

I'm officially at 201.2 lbs. and so close to Onederland I can taste it! (no pun intended) I anticipate that next week I will have made it below 200 for the first time in approximately 8 years. Pre-mommy weight here I come! I had begun to feel like I was working towards a plateau, so to ward it off I changed up some of my foods. Simple changes, but they seem to have reinvigorated my metabolism. And I ended my week with a few bite sized Snickers at the movies with my boys (Lion King 3D--highly recommend btw).

You CAN eat normally and lose weight people! You do not have to remove food groups or indulgences to take the pounds off. No need to deprive yourself.

Also this week I concentrated on getting in all of my GHGs (good health guidelines) especially regarding heart healthy oils. They really do play a key role in your over-all health and I had been slacking. Got back on track and look at what my body did!

In other Kara news... I told you that yesterday I would show you what I've been up to all week... Check it out : )

I've mentioned before that I have a special occasion cake business and this was my food muse through the past week. It was a fantasy pillow cake  in the birthday girl's colors-- fuchsia and metallic gold-- and was being served at her masquerade themed Quinceanera party. The tough thing was not snacking on all of the cake trimmings. It was red velvet. It was delish.

No matter what I do, I"m centered around food. Hobby, work, school, blogging. Life can be lived with amazing food around so long as you understand how to interact with it. I'm proof : )

Day 132 - A New Beginning

After a not-so-surprising gain of 1.4 lbs. last week I'm getting myself refocused by planning out my meals for the entire week. Here's what I'll be eating each day, from first bite to last crumb:

Breakfast:

• Corn Chex with 1 cup skim milk (or one container of yogurt)
• 3 egg whites cooked in EVOO or safflower oil, topped with fresh sliced tomato
• 1 large nectarine, 1 cup of grapes or 1 medium apple
• Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. With 1/2 cup of fat free milk. 

AM Snack:

• 1 large banana slice lengthwise (like for a banana split)
• 32 grams of peanut butter sandwiched between

Lunch:

• Extra-lean ham sandwich; made with 2 slices whole wheat bread, 3 oz. lean ham, 1 slice American cheese, yellow mustard
• String cheese
• 1/2 cup sliced cucumber or green bell pepper
• 2 Tbsp. tomato and basil hummus

Dinner (all tossed together):

• 4 oz. chicken breast sauteed in 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup grilled zucchini 
• 10 grams shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 oz shredded mozzarella (full fat)

PM Snack: 1/2 cup Sugar free/fat free Jell-O pudding or Sugar free Jell-O

My Declaration of Eating. I will:

• Not eat after 7:30 pm
• abstain from Snickers and all related products (at least for now)
• drink all of my water
• get in all of my GHGs
• give my relationship with carbs a timeout

Coming this week: Some of my favorite foods. And perhaps a few recipes. Photos, of what I'm not sure. : )  And we're working on the mans perspective.

Day 131 - Weigh-In Day!

I knew this was coming- sooner or later. It's a normal matter of course during a weight loss program. But It hurts nonetheless. My first gain.

Up 1.4 lbs. this week, taking me back over the 210 lb. mark that felt so good.
The positive things about this is that I knew it was coming. I knew how poorly I had eaten all week, failing most days to fulfill my GHG's and eating a lot of carbs. I've made a meal plan for the week ensuring that I don't leave much to chance. I doing my best to keep carbs at a minimum and not eating past 7pm. (Except maybe sugar free Jell-O, which is more like water suspended in gelatin). I need to revisit my posts on my goals, remotivate by reviewing what I want from my efforts.

Time to get refocused, let last week go as a lesson in what doesn't work for my body, and do better this week. Now that I've had my morning coffee and weighed in I can begin my day...

For tomorrow: How I'm letting go of the upset over a gain. And perhaps my weekly menu.

Days 120 & 121 - The Forgetful and Naughty

So I completely forgot to post yesterday. What did I do yesterday you ask? I ate HORRIBLY! And am hanging my head in shame today because of it. I ate breakfast, forgot to take lunch with me to school, so I pigged out for the remainder of the evening once I returned home. Including pizza and fudge. I tracked and stayed within my points, so I did a little bit right... Today I planned and brought food with me to school and I am on plan including my GHGs. Feeling better.

Of course I sneaked onto the scale the past few mornings, as I always do (so I guess I shouldn't call it 'sneaking') and the scale has been against me : (  It shows a gain! But I can't count my eggs till Sunday when my time to hatch arrives. We'll see...

OoH!!!!! New picture ----->

Day 119

Kind of a failure of a day today... I forgot to bring lunch with me to school so I ate a plate of pasta. I drank zero water until 5pm. I ate pizza for dinner. I did have some fruit and got in my dairy, but as for the remainder of my GHGs, they had the day off I guess. We'll do better tomorrow.

Day 93

Awesome day!!! Walked the streets of New York in search of the best macarons the city had to offer. We visited four places (only four because we felt any more may have been glutinous) and stopped at one place for lunch as well. If you have never been to Bouchon Bakery in NYC not only do they have gloriously large macarons, but they have a delightful array of menu items for lunch. I had the grilled cheese and tomato soup. That may seem boring, but I find that in the simple things you can discern how well a kitchen can execute anything. As expected, Bouchon's EVERYTHING was phenomenal. The grilled cheese was second to none.

I have maintained my points and stayed on plan for the day, though I may have only achieved one of my GHGs (good healthy guidelines). The point is I'm still on track, I didn't go overboard, and I can live with how the day went and the really good time we had. We'll definitely do this again!

And stay tuned to see who has the best macs from the places we visited. I'll be sampling one of each (plus my school's macarons) side-by-side later this evening!

Days 77, 78 & 79

Busy, busy, busy times... And I'm worried that falling out of my better habits is going to show this week. I've been eating within my plan, haven't gone astray, but I've been bad about getting all of the good and healthy stuff in everyday. I did better today though- all of my GHG's! And still a few points left for a treat : )

Also during these last few days I picked up my new swim suit from the store I had it shipped to and am sooooooooooooooooooo excited to wear it in Virginia beach in exactly 16 days! I also purchased a cute new pair of panties and some bright green nail polish... Feeling pretty good!