Tuesday, October 30, 2012

It's the Magic Number


If you've heard the Curious George Soundtrack, you know that 3 is the magic number to reduce, reuse, recycle. Now I'm gonna have that song stuck in my head.

But you guessed it! I lost three pounds this week for a total of 18 pounds since I started (down 23 fromy 
heaviest). I still can't seem to get over the fact that I've lost 18 pounds in just under 6 weeks. Who does that? If I keep up this weight, I will be out of the 170s this next week. That's absolutely crazy to me! Awesome, but crazy!



10.30.12 Day 40, Lost:3 Total:18, Weight: 172


I'm definitely beginning to get real tired of the food and shakes. I could really go for a tuna fish sandwich with a pickle right about now. Or pumpkin bread. I kinda miss the physical act of eating. I drink the majority of my calories. I miss being able to bite and chew my food. Is that weird?

Anyways. More to come later.

All in.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

YYYYYYYYAAAAAYYYY!!!

So if y'all remember a few posts ago, I set up a few incentive ideas for myself in this weight loss journey. One being that I was going to set aside $1 for every pound I lose (so far so good) and when I reach my goal weight, I will do or buy something with that money. I still have not decided what that money is going towards, but I will let you know. 

The other incentive is every time I take off another 10 pounds, I will treat myself to something like download a new cd from itunes or by myself a new Starbucks mug. So when I hit my first 10 pound mark a week and a half ago, I knew what I wanted. I had wanted a couple of pairs of earrings that my friend Katie makes. Katie's awesome and she has her own business (http://www.onedelightfulbutton.com/). Katie and I were on Young Life at the same time and were even roommates for a very brief time. She and her husband, Philip, are now on staff in Massachusetts with their son, Judah, and we miss them here in Virginia Beach.

As I was making myself a shake this afternoon, I saw the mailman pull up with a large envelope and I knew just what is was. The earrings I ordered for Katie! I was so excited! Mostly because I knew I had worked hard to get some of the weight off and that was my reward. And now I have a pair of yellow earrings to my Oregon tshirt! Yay! Thanks Katie! 

Here are some pictures...

 They're here! Aren't this boxes really fun?!


Katie's Classic Button Earrings.
Katie has more color options and a great variety of earrings and other fun accessories.
Go to her website to check out more...

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

3lb Average

3. 3. 3. 4. 2. Those are my weekly numbers. In 4 1/2 weeks (33 days) I've lost 15 pounds. I'll take it! Feeling real good about myself!

10.26.12 Day 33, Lost: 2 Total: 15, Weight: 175

Keep up those prayers and encouragement!  Consistency is hard, but good too. The newness and excitement is wearing off. 15 down. 70 to go.

All in.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Frank's, The Pants, and a Bridal Shower

I love Frank's Red Hot. A lot. If you've ever had my buffalo chicken dip, you've had Frank's. When I started this program we had just opened a small bottle of Frank's. And because this food isn't very good, I've been adding a little (okay a lot) of Frank's to my food. I've already used up that bottle. I went a head and bought a huge bottle of Frank's and it's already been opened and used. Love it.

Yesterday I had the privilege of celebrating one of my dearest friends' from high school, Jess, at her bridal shower. Avoiding the amazing food was so hard, but what a fun afternoon it was!



Also, I've had some requests for a picture in the smaller sized pants! So here it is:



Stay tuned for weigh-in Tuesday! All in.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Cravings and Incentives

I knew there would be times that I would rather eat something other than the food I have to eat. I also thought that I would get use to that feeling. However, that's not the case. I am pretty much always wanting something I can't have. And I want these things as soon as I'm allowed to have them. The list is kind of always changing/evolving, but as of right now here are some things that sound REALLY good:

Fried Egg on Toast
Swedish Pancakes (which I had never had until this spring while I was living with the Browns - so good!)
Pickles
Fried Egg on Toast
Tuna Fish Sandwiches
Chicken Tortellini Soup
Fried Egg on Toast
Pizza
Subs - any kind
Pumpkin Bread
Chili and cornbread
Have I mentioned a Fried Egg on Toast?

Sigh. Hopefully these cravings will be going away soon. 

On a different note, a couple of weeks ago Sara and I were talking about incentives for this weight-loss journey. She found a list of 100 possible incentives for weight-loss and it was a pretty cool list. So, as of right now, I've got two kind of incentives going. The first is I'm putting aside $1 for every pound I lose and when I'm at my goal weight I will treat myself to something real cool. Haven't decided what yet, but it'll be awesome.

The second incentive is at every 10 pounds I will treat myself to a little gift or guilty pleasure like a new Starbucks coffee mug from a city or state I don't have yet (out of town friends, let me know if you'd be willing to look for/send me one and I'll pay you back) or a new cd or something fun like that. So for my first 10 pounds, I bought myself a couple pairs of earrings from my friend Katie who has her own business called One Delightful Button. I just bought a couple of her classic button earrings in different colors. Nothing fancy, but I've wanted to get them for awhile, but just haven't nought them until now. I haven't decided what my next 10 pound incentive will be yet, but I'll keep y'all posted! If y'all have any fun ideas of something smallish, let me know!

All in.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

THE Pants

So just over two years ago I moved to the great state of Oregon. I love Oregon and pray everyday that the Lord opens a door (or maybe a window) for me to move back. Just before I moved to the Canyon, I bought a pair of khaki corduroy pants. In a VERY casual neighborhood and job, they were my "fancy pants". I distinctly remember wearing them for the first time. Every October these two dear ladies of the Canyon, Mary and Sally, host a dinner and evening of fellowship for the women in our community known as the Canyon Ladies' Dinner.

You know the feeling you have when wearing new clothes? You feel good, right. Okay guys, I know you feel good too, it's not just a feeling gals get with clothes - y'all feel good too! But I was excited that I had these new pants that fit me well.

Until I gained some weight. I didn't realize how "snug" these pants had gotten until I put these pants on for the Canyon Ladies' Dinner the following year (last year). But they were my fancy pants and it was like 10 minutes before I was suppose to leave and I had no other option. So I wore them. I was not comfortable in them, I did not feel good in them, and I could not wait to take them off and throw them away.

For some I didn't throw them away or give them to the Goodwill Store like I wanted to and probably should have. Instead, I shipped them back to Virginia with the rest of my clothes - which only about half of my clothes actually fit me the right way.

Well just last week they had the Canyon Ladies' Dinner and I wish more then anything that I could have been there for this occasion. But in this last week these pants have been staring at me like they actually have eyes or something, saying "Try me on! I'm your Canyon Ladies' Dinner pants". And all week I've mentally told these pants "No! You won't fit! You're a size smaller than the pants I'm wearing now."

Well last night, I pulled a pair of jeans out of the dryer, put them on then headed out the door to babysit some friends of mine's two kids. Their 4 1/2 year old stopped me at one point and asked "Why do your pants keep falling down and why do you keep pulling them up?" I replied with "Because my pants don't fit; they're too big." To that Trey suggested "Why don't you just buy new pants". Thanks Trey.

So this morning I walked into my closet to grab a pair of shoes to go on a walk and those Canyon Ladies' Dinner Pants were calling my name. So right then and there I tried them on and ta-da! They fit! I knew my pants were getting too big, but I didn't know they were that big!

So here's to you, Canyon Ladies' Dinner pants! Hopefully we'll have a couple of good wears before you get too big!!!!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Day 26: Double Digits!

I'm pretty tired so this won't be a very long post. This week was long. I felt tired most of the week. I didn't want to work out. I wanted to sit at my sewing machine, work on the blankets I'm making for my nephews, and watch tv. But I didn't. I worked out. All week I felt like it wasn't a great week. I felt like no matter how hard I tried, my work outs weren't that great and I wasn't going to lose much weight. My guess was one, maybe two, pounds. Maybe. However, when I hopped on the scale tonight, I was shocked when I saw that the scale said 177!!!! That's a four pound loss this week and 13 overall. I've lost 13 lbs in 26 days!! I was floored! I might have scared my nurse, Jen, when I let out a small scream. I was totally not expecting a four! When I started this, I was 190. In the first week, I got out of the 190s. Now I'm out of the 180s and I'm not looking back!

10.16.12 Day26, Lost:4 Total:13, Weight:177

On a different note, I'm not sure why I haven't tried this before, but I just added Sugar Free Pumpkin Syrup to my chocolate shake. It's good. It almost tastes like a liquid version of my homemade chocolate chip pumpkin bread. Almost. 

More later, friends! All in.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Babies (No, I'm not having one!)

Just recently a family friend of mine, Sarah, gave birth to a sweet little girl name Jane. Baby Jane entered the world weighing 9 lbs. It's weird to think that I've "lost" baby Jane. Okay, I didn't really lose baby Jane, but the amount of weight I've lost thus far equals how much she weighed at birth. Welcome to the world baby Jane.

On a different note, I was just reading my friends Tommy and Ellie's blog. If y'all don't know the Sibigas, please go to their blog: tommyandellie.com and click on the link at the top right labeled Tucker. Their son, Tucker, was born at 25 weeks and 5 days weighing in at 1 lb 10 oz. Tucker's weight is now up to 5 lb 8 oz and they're praying for a weight gain. By gaining weight, the doctors will be able to do some more tests and surgeries to bring Tucker up to speed. Will y'all join me in praying for Tucker's weight gain and my weight loss. Maybe I can "give him" a few pounds ;)

Thanks for praying!

All in.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Tuesdays = Weigh-In And Picture Day!

The first sign of physical change has come and it's not big. My watch is now a little loose. And apparently I'm pretty good at losing three pounds a week....




10.9.12 Day 19, Lost: 3, Total: 9, Weight: 181


I was really hoping that I would hit four pounds this week to make it an even 10, but I'll take three. Next week. That's three weeks in a row of losing three pounds. When I texted my family tonight to tell the that I had lost three pounds this week and nine overall, my dearest friend and sister, Sara, texted me back saying that I should imagine nine one pound packages of butter. That is no longer on me! Nine pounds of butter! That's just gross!

I'm pretty stoked about 9 pounds. Here's to getting out of the 180's this week!!

All in!

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Being Grumpy and My Watch

So I've learned something about myself in the last couple of days. If I don't work out, I become grumpy. This weekend I had family in town and yesterday's weather was perfect so we headed down to the beach for several hours. After the beach we went out to dinner to our favorite Mexican Restaurant - don't worry, I brought my dinner in my fancy pants thermos. Although I did eat what I should, I only did a 30 minute walk yesterday for exercise which is really light for me. This morning I skipped church since my family was still in town figuring I could go for a walk, bike ride, and/or swim. Well just as everyone was getting ready to leave, it started pouring. Which just made me grumpy because all I wanted to do was be outside and to go for a long walk or bike ride in my neighborhood. You know when you can't have something, you want it that much more? That's how I felt about working out outside today - because it was raining, all I wanted to do was go outside and not get soaked. Well I finally made it outside for two 30 minute walks and a 45 minute swim at the pool. It definitely felt good to move a bit ore today then yesterday.

On a different not, my watch is a smidge loose. My watch fit perfectly at the start of this program, but now it's a smidge loose. Not to the point that it's annoying, but I can just tell its loose. This is the first real sign that I'm noticing (other than the numbers on the scale) that I' beginning to lose weight. I'm already not looking forward to when my clothes get too big because I hate shopping. I like knowing about what size I am, running into the store grabbing just a few things to quickly try on, and getting out of the store. I'm gonna have to for real try stuff on soon. I know that's a great thing in a lot of ways, but I really just don't like clothes shopping. We'll see. But for now, I'm encouraged with the watch getting a bit looser.....

All in.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

What Do I Eat?

So I've had people ask me what I eat while on this new program. First off, let me clarify I'm doing this weight-loss program through a place called Tidewater Bariatrics (for more information click here!) When you start the program, they help you choose from one of their different programs. I chose to go with the Decision-Free plan. On the Decision-Free plan you really don't have to plan a thing. There's no grocery shopping or meal planning. Which is great for me. I like/need the structure. They just said that on the Decision-Free plan, you'll eat two entrees and five shakes a day (normally it's three shakes a day, but I'm lactose-intolerant, therefore I'm special and get to drink five shakes a day. Note the sarcasm). I can always eat more then the 2 entrees and 5 shakes a day, but that's the minimum. They also have oatmeal and soup that you can use as a shake replacement and bars that can't be exchanged for a shake or an entree, but they're good to have around if you need a little extra something. They also have this peanut butter that they've taken the oil out of that you can add to the shake. It's pretty crazy. So each Tuesday when I go into my meetings, I fill out a little form saying which entrees and which shakes I want for the week (shakes only come in chocolate and vanilla), if you want bars, oatmeal, soup, or peanut butter. The bars, oatmeal, soup, and peanut butter are all optional, but the shakes and the entrees are not. So instead of just talking about what I eat, I figured I would should you in pictures as well. For those of you who know me, you know that I like adding pictures to tell a story....





So this is my shelf in the pantry. The blue boxes on the left are my entrees, the brown box in the middle holds the bars, the boxes on the right have shakes and oatmeal. So when it's time to eat, I come here and just pick out whatever I like - as long as I get in at least five shakes (or oatmeals) and two entrees a day.



I usually start off with oatmeal. It's a smidge bland on it's own, but not bad for diet food. You can eat this in replace of drinking a shake.



Then a little bit later I have a shake, It could be chocolate or vanilla, which ever I prefer. I can also add flavoring like syrups or spices to it as long as it's 0 calories or the oil free peanut butter.



This is one example of an entree that I can choose from. The five-bean casserole is one of the better ones in my opinion. Especially if you add Garlic Powder and Frank's Red Hot - both are 0 calorie. This would be a lunch or dinner option. 



A couple hours after lunch, I usually do a double shake. In this picture I'm doing 2 chocolate shake packets with water and ice, some peanut butter and 0 calorie Raspberry syrup. It's one of the better shakes.




The above two pictures are of the canister of peanut butter you get from Tidewater Bariatrics. They've removed the oil to make it a bit healthier. Now do you know why I call it astronaut food. You add it to the shakes.



This is the above double shake after it was blended.



Dinner - another entree. One of the better ones, after you add the Garlic Powder.



A bar, obviously. I kinda like them as a dessert.



And after dinner, a final shake.


And that makes five shakes (well four shakes and an oatmeal) and two entrees. Every day - five  shakes and two entrees. Yes, I still crave weird things at weird times, but so far this is working for me!

All in.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Day 12 and a picture

The cravings are weird and happen at random times. Today while swimming laps in the pool, I had this sudden thought: I want biscuits and gravy. I can't tell you the last time I had biscuits and gravy. It's been a couple of years! Biscuits and gravy, much like doughnuts, I enjoy but rarely eat. I eat doughnuts more often then biscuits and gravy. And while I was swimming I had this craving how random is that?

Also while on a walk with my mom this morning, it starts POURING during the last 10 minutes of our walk. It was crazy. All I could imagine was how cool it would be if Chariots of Fire just started playing out of the middle of nowhere. Too many Young Life Operas? Possible. Still entertaining.

Anyways. Tuesday night = weigh-in and meeting nights!

The sign says: 10.2.12 Day 12 Lost: 3 Total: 6 Weight 184

Still can't really tell physically yet, but we're getting there. Here's to another week and hopefully being out of the 180s in the next week or two....

All in.