Day 22- Weigh In, Tamales and a Bug

I know. Crazy title for a blog post, right? Well it actually fully encapsulates my last 3 days.

I did in fact have that amazing tamale party with my sister, her fiancee, my nephew, my brother and his girlfriend, and my hubby and my boys. And it was wonderful! I know I promised a post regarding this delicious event and you will get it tomorrow along with my review of The Last Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe You'll Ever Need To Know.In the mean time, enjoy this picture of the final product, a picture that was barely taken before I devoured one of my favorite foods. :)

This was the pork filled tamale. We also did a beef filled one. Yum.

Which brings me to why I haven't told you about that delicious Sunday yet... This year's flu bug found it's way into my home. Well, more specifically it found me. I'm the only one in the house that didn't get a flu shot and I'm paying for it. :(  Today, however, is the best I've felt since Saturday. So I'm on the upswing. (And considering today's my birthday, it's a pretty good birthday gift!)

Speaking of great birthday gifts... Weigh in results: -4.4 lbs! And I believe only part of this had to do with being sick. From last Wednesday through Sunday I tracked all of my food, ate responsibly and got in my GHGs (Good Healthy Guidelines). I even ate within reason on Sunday when we indulged in homemade tamales and terrifically sweet, caramel-y, salty cookies. Granted, the fever I was running for two days probably burned a bunch of stored fuel (yes, it's stored fuel, not chub... at least in my head).

This week's goals: Continue to get in my GHGs like last week, but while reducing the processed foods. I need to focus on eating more whole foods. It was the cornerstone to my success pre-baby and I need to get back there. So here's to another fantastic week!

Day 17 - Today's Meal Challenge

I'm so excited! I have a couple's date today with my hubby and a married couple friend of ours :)  We're going to do an early lunch at Panera. This could be difficult, but utilizing online resources I'm able to plan ahead and figure out what I want within reason (sooooooo much stuff there is really sooooooooo not good) and that I can be content and happy with. Eating out now requires planning ahead, but I'm good with that, especially when I'll be rewarded with a tinier waistline! So, what am I going to have?

Panera's pic, not mine :)

•  A Pick Two lunch combo (which I always like to get anyways) with a half tuna sandwich on Honey Wheat bread, and a cup of broccoli cheddar soup (Panera's broc/cheddar soup is my ABSOLUTE. FAVORITE. SOUP. EVER! So, win!)

• A sugar free skinny vanilla latte
• Possibly share a Peanut butter dream cookie with the hubs. 

I'm not usually one to share yummy cookies from Panera. I'll munch on it through the day, but It would be the 'pointy-est' item of the meal, even at half of a cookie. So we'll see if I feel like splurging once my meal is complete. If I can walk out of there peanut butter cookie free, I will have had a minor victory against my typical eat-cause-I-wanna behavior. I want to show the world that YOU CAN have a social life and go out and enjoy treats and still lose weight!

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Again, not my pic. I'll post mine Monday :)

This weekend will hold more food challenges. I have the tamale party with my siblings on Sunday (which makes me sooooooooo happy!). We're making everything from scratch, right down to braising the beef to begin and layering everything into corn husks. I'll share on Monday.

Also, and this will be a test of my strength, but I think I can handle it, I'm going to test out this new chocolate chip cookie recipe I found yesterday. I know they will not be point friendly, but the experimental baker in me has to have a go at the methods and their results. And as soon as I find that the recipes truly is The Last Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe You Will Ever Need, I'll gladly share the source with you. But not until I can personally vouch for it as a pastry chef :) 

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.