Shoes to Lose

Flipping the Switch

2011-10-09T20:02:00.001-07:00

I am so overwhelmed by the comments on my last post. I seriously have the best readers and it is no wonder that I was doing so well when I was checking in regularly with you guys. You make everything sound possible. Thank you all so much for your love and support. I feel so blessed to have received your encouragement.

Many of you gave me recommendations that I should get to a good place emotionally before I try to tackle my body issues. I've considered this and come to the conclusion that I feel better emotionally when I treat my body well. I've never regretted eating well or felt worse after a workout than I did before. I'm hoping that in an effort to take care of my physical self, that my emotional self will take care of itself.

Tomorrow morning I'm starting anew. I'm going to count calories and am setting my goal at 1800. Even if I go over my goal, it will be a big step for me just to keep a journal of everything that I'm eating. I'm also making a goal to workout at least 3 times this week. I'm hoping to work in a kettlebell routine during a few naps and on a few evenings head down to the gym to meet with my good old friend the elliptical.

You know how it is easier to lose weight when you have a buddy? Good news, the hubs has also expressed a desire to get healthier. We'll take turns on days that we workout so that we still have the majority of an evening together. I know that when we put our minds to getting healthier, that it happens.

One final thought, do you think it is easier to be healthy, or unhealthy? For instance, when I'm not working out and eating well, I feel like I have a lot more choices and freedom. But when I am being healthy, I have more energy, it is easier to find clothes that fit and look good, and I'm less self conscious. So, which do you think is easier?

Well Hello There

2011-10-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

I stand before you a completely different person than I was when I last wrote. I'm overweight and unmotivated. I'm no longer a full time employee and am now a part-time employee and a full-time mom. Last June I gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl this world has ever seen. (There is a good chance that I'm biased.) I struggled with my pregnancy. I wasn't expecting the appetite that I developed and with an early warning of hypertension, I was on modified bed rest for over 12 weeks and unable to workout. I gained weight. A lot of weight. But I also gained one of these, meet Isla:

Since the birth of my daughter I've had a hard time motivating myself again. I'm often tired at the end of my day and have no desire to workout. Having both hands frequently full, I've not made the effort to prepare healthy meals for my family. There is no room in the budget for a new pair of shoes for each 10 lbs lost and when I finally get to see my husband at the end of the day, I want to spend time with him, not leave him at home with the baby and head off to the gym.

The first time I lost weight, it was like I flipped a switch. I made the decision to be healthier and I did it. I put in the work and the time. I wanted it and I wanted it more than I wanted pizza. This time, I'm having a hard time flipping that switch again. Last time I spent time reading several weight loss blogs and I weened a great deal of motivation from them. I also motivated myself by writing my own blog. I'm committing again to both read and write weight loss blog posts. I need a constant reminder of why I'm trying to be healthy. I will create that perfect weight loss storm again.

A few things you should know about me now:

-No, I'm not breastfeeding. Yes, I know it is the best choice for my daughter and I worked very hard to try to be able to breastfeed. However, after a difficult deliver, hours of pumping, and several meetings with lactation consultants, I had to come to the conclusion that I would not be able to breastfeed this child of mine. No need to judge me on this one.

-I am a stay-at-home mom 5 days of the week. I'm not financially able to stay at home full time so I have arranged my schedule so that I go into the office twice a week for a 10 hour day.

-I currently weigh 245 lbs.

-I'm dealing with a colic-y baby and a touch of postpartum depression.

It's about Balance

2011-03-02T18:29:00.001-08:00

One of my biggest fears when it came to losing weight was that I'd gain it all back. The statistics are staggering. It seems that nearly two thirds of those who lose weight gain it all back, and then some within the same amount of time it took them to lose it. Why was I going to be any different? What would separate me from the others?

I thought I would be good for a while. At least while I was young and childless. I'd be motivated by the shopping for clothes and shoes. I'd workout often because I'd have the time and energy. I would be just fine until I got pregnant. Long before becoming pregnant, I knew that I would struggle with it. I knew that I would put on weight (even if rightfully so) and have a hard time getting it back off. I was worried I'd return to my old ways of mindless eating and lazy evenings at home.

Several of you have asked how I have managed to gain so little in my pregnancy and you've express fears that becoming pregnant will make you gain all of the weight you lost back. I assure you that you are SO not alone in this fear. If anything, I know that my weight loss before pregnancy has done wonders to help me control myself when the hormones hit. Its a hard shift to make from eating to lose weight, and eating to be healthy, but in the end, that is what the goal is, right? It's not just to get skinny and then eat whatever we want. It's about finding balance. It's about eating that brownie and going for a walk or doing some yoga.

I am by no means a perfect example of health. as a matter of fact, today I had two Reese's peanut butter cups and a fun-size kit kat. Something about chocolate just calls my name. Other days, I have things very much in control. I eat my planned meals and supplement with healthy snacks. But now, having lost the weight, I know that I need to balance that out. Today I also went on a long walk on my lunch break and have made and effort to eat several vegetables and fruits. Earlier this afternoon I noticed myself leaving the company kitchen with a snack pack of carrots in one hand, and the Kit Kat in the other. (Like I said...all about balance.)

Another lesson I learned was how to actually use food to fuel my body. Before, I was eating thousands of calories of whatever I wanted. I wasn't looking to provide my body with nutrients. I was looking to feel full and satisfied. Dieting taught me how to make the most of my calories. I know that I can a whole lot of fruits and veggies to keep me full without eating too many calories. I cannot tell you how valuable this lesson has been. I never knew just how hungry I would feel at times and now I don't immediately go straight to high-calorie, low-nutrient foods that I ate before.

I guess what I'm trying to say to those who fear getting pregnant for what it will do to them, is you do not need not be afraid. All of your efforts to get healthy will come in handy. It is not easy and there are definitely times where you will getting bigger and gaining weight will be hard emotionally on you. However, you'll have good days and you'll have bad days and you just have to take it one step at a time.

Recipe for a Meltdown

2011-02-16T20:18:00.000-08:00

Several months ago while dining at one of our favorite restaurants, Matt and I shared a dish that I still dream about. It was cheesy and buttery but not too heavy. It was flavorful and tender. It was ricotta gniocchi. We left assuming that it was a specialty item that we'd likely never get again until I stumbled upon a recipe for it at allrecipies.com.

The recipe was highly reviewed and had several comments stating how wonderful and easy it was to make. I knew this was going to be on our menu. Since the recipe called for the dough to be refrigerated before cooking I decided to make the gnocchi the night before we were going to eat it. I also took pictures of every step along the way because I knew this was going to be something I'd want to share with you.

I got all my ingredients lined up.

Mixed them into a soft beautiful dough.

Kneaded and formed the dough into rolls.

and cut the dough into small dumplings.

I laid the little puffs onto a floured baking sheet and placed in the refrigerator over night.

I dreamed about dinner the whole next day. I couldn't wait to get home to my cheesy dumplings that were sure to melt in my mouth. I came home and pulled the cookie sheet out only to see that my gnocchi had turned an unappetizing grey color. I decided to ignore the color and move on to boiling the pasta, thinking that it might breath some color back into them. It didn't. They were still brown and now they looked sticky. Refusing to give up on the dinner of my dreams I began to saute them in butter with some zucchini. The color was really getting to me. They looked like sausage, but they weren't. They were supposed to be a light fluffy pastry, not the atrocious sticky lumps I was seeing before me.

Suddenly I was hit with a wall of emotion. I was inadequate. I couldn't cook. I couldn't even cook something hundreds of other people had success with. How was it possible I was a wife? How was I ever going to be a good mother. I turned to Matt with tears in my eyes and asked, "Why did you marry someone who can't cook?" And immediately the tears began rolling down my cheeks. They couldn't be stopped. I was sobbing over a failed recipe. Matt lovingly snatched a gnocchi from the pan and ate it. He told me it was just fine. I retorted that it looked like sausage and I was not going to be eating it. He hugged me until I stopped my sobbing and I apologized for my meltdown.

I'm so lucky to have a man who can deal with my meltdowns like Matt does. So far this pregnancy I've only had three major cries, another one of which I'll be blogging about in the near future.

Dinner was wonderful.

I spent the rest of the evening cuddling on the couch watching Glee.

*Note: You can find the original recipe for the ricotta gnocchi here. I made a few adjustments to the recipe by using part skim ricotta and by using half whole wheat flour. I'm not sure if these changes are what messed up the recipe, but I do intend to make another attempt, but without refrigerating overnight.

It's a...

2011-02-14T19:56:00.001-08:00

GIRL!

Isn't she lovely?

I am now almost 23 weeks pregnant and I've gained a total of 11 lbs.

I'm Famous!

2011-02-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

I’ve always loved magazines. The glossy pages, the full-color pictures, the perfume samples that make the whole thing smell good. Oh, I love magazines. Magazines have also been very helpful to me when it comes to my journey to get healthier. Its motivating to see success stories in magazines and helpful tips to get the most out of your food and your workouts. I subscribe to many fitness magazines including SELF, Shape, Weight Watchers, and Women’s Health. I may have a problem, but you can get them for so cheap! (Think $0.50 an issue.) I love that they give me extra motivation when I see them on my counter and they also give me wonderful recipes to try out.

So, it is no surprise that I was beyond thrilled when I was interviewed for a magazine. A real-life, glossy-paged magazine. If you pick up “My Weight Loss 2011” (a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Magazine) on shelves through March, you’ll find my face and interview on page 17. I was interviewed back in July before the craziness of pregnancy set in but I wanted to wait for it to come out to tell you.

The one thing I would change about how I was portrayed is the title “Secrets of Success.” I always get irritated when people use terms like that or “so-and-so reveals her weight loss secret.” There isn’t a secret. Eat good, whole, healthy foods and work that body of yours. You’ll get healthier and if you have weight to lose, you’ll lose it.

Pick up a copy of the magazine. It has very few advertisements compared to other fitness magazines and a ton of helpful recipes along with some pretty darn awesome success stories.

What you Need to Lose Weight

2011-02-03T19:54:00.000-08:00

I know this post is long, but hear me out.

One of the biggest things that has helped me get back on track is the fact that Matt is currently participating in a "Transform Your Body" competition at a local gym. As part of his participation he has a free gym membership and a personal trainer for 12 weeks. He's been on track for almost 4 weeks and has lost 25 lbs. (Yes, irritating, I know) However, this has become a huge lifesaver for me because I know I can't really keep sweets and snacks around the house and I can't justify cooking him a fattening meal. Its easier when I put him first. I may want pizza, but my husband needs a meal that will fill him up and won't be too high in calories. (More on this later)

As part of his participation he needed to attend a seminar at the gym. His personal trainer, who is also trained as a sports nutritionist, was putting on a seminar on nutrition and told him she wanted his wife to attend. At first I was hesitant because, I'll admit it, the people at the gym intimidate me. Most of them are very healthy and I just know they're judging me. Ok, ok, they probably aren't, but I'm still working on the self-confidence thing. I finally agreed to go because I thought they might give me some information on how to better feed my family and provide some fun recipes or insight that I hadn't previously considered.

The meeting was nothing like I had imagined. It started out with a manager introducing the 5 levels of fitness which are:

1. Nutrition

2. Supplements (along with a shameless plug to purchase their specific brand because it was the best)

3. Cardiovascular training.

4. Resistance training.

5. Professional Aid

I was annoyed that I was already trying to be sold something, not only their supplements, but also the idea that I needed professional help to be fit.

Then Matt's trainer stepped in and began with a quick true or false nutrition quiz designed to make class members feel stupid. One question was "Muscle weigh more than fat." The trainer proceeded to tell us that the statement was false because a pound of muscle weights the same as a pound of fat. Well, duh. A pound of anything weighs as much as a pound of anything else. We're talking about density and yes, muscle is more dense than fat.

Another question was "You can lose weight by doing cardio only." The trainer then again told us the statement is false. That is so not true. I lost weight for months by doing only cardio because I was scared of the weights. Is cardio only the best way to lose weight? No. Does it work? Yes. If all you can fit in is a walk around your neighborhood, you're still making an effort to be healthier and that will pay off. For each person that answered one of the trainers questions correctly she would give them a protein bar. (I made sure I got my hands on one of these so that I could check out the label and see what she thought I should be eating. Apparently this trainer's idea of a healthy food involves corn syrup, vegetable glycerine, sorbitol. maltitol, palm oil, and margarine)

The rest of the seminar consisted of complicated formulas to figure out your target heart rate and how many calories you should be consuming. I glanced around the room and saw a lot of confused faces. The trainer also mentioned what portions of our diet should come from carbs, protein, and fats but failed to mention complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, or the right kind of fats we should be eating.

The presentation then ended with an overview of an expensive website ($13.00 a month plus a $30 set up fee) where users can track calories in and calories out with the help of a calorie counter and a devise similar to a "body bug." There was a lot of interest and a lot of questions being asked about the website. I had to use some serious self control to not just stand up and say, "There are free websites out there that do the exact same thing!" However, I was a guest and my mama taught me to have manners.

It makes me sick how companies prey on the overweight, waiting to sell them the miracle pill, or exercise machine, or magic workout that will instantly make them thin and happy. They don't empower people to make the healthy changes themselves. Rather they tell people that they NEED all these products and services in order to be healthy.

So let me tell you what I wanted to tell my fellow classmates.

You don't need any supplements to help you lose weight. (I would however recommend a multivitamin but whatever one you buy is completely up to you.) If you eat food, real food, something that comes from the earth and not a lab, you'll be getting relatively good nutrition. You don't need expensive, chalking-tasting, highly processed protein bars.

You don't need a gym membership to lose weight. A gym membership can be a wonderful thing to have and I myself have one. But I believe that people can lose weight with a simple resistance band and some willpower. You can walk or run your streets (weather permitting). You can do jumping jacks until your heart wants to pound out of your chest. Don't let not having a membership stop you from taking steps to be healthy.

You don't need a personal trainer. These can also be wonderful help to you on your journey, but I've never had one and I don't know that I ever will. It simply does not fit in my budget. I believe that with some research you can figure out what exercises are right for you and you can see proper form for weight training in countless DVDs. Can a trainer help? yes. Do you need one to be "fit"? No.

I guess the thing that bothered me the most about the whole meeting was that I walked away feeling completely unmotivated. I wanted to be empowered. I wanted to be given tools that I could take with me to improve my life. I felt like all I was given was a list of things I needed before I'd ever be successful. I understand that gyms are businesses, they need to make money however, I believe a gym could be successful simply by empowering their members.

You already know how to be healthy. You know what foods, fundamentally are best for you. You know that sitting in front of the TV for hours is unhealthy and that going for a walk, swimming, or playing a basketball game is healthy. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you don't know how to be healthier. You know how, you just need to put your own common sense to use.

Note: This post is not a gym hating, personal trainer bashing post. I simply want you to know that there are other ways. The only thing or person you should depend on to make you healthier is yourself. Also note that I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist and I've had no formal weight loss training. I'm just a girl who has found a way to become healthier and I want to share it with you.

Home Sweet Home

2011-02-01T06:05:00.000-08:00

I have been feeling the love since my last blog post! I am so grateful to have such an amazing support system to come back to and I'm glad to hear that you all won't mind a few (a lot) of baby posts coming up in the future.

Those of you that have been following me for quite some time know that the elliptical is my go-to workout. It was the only exercise I did when I started my healthy journey because it was something I didn't have to think about, and I could burn a lot of calories in not a lot of time. I was best friends with my elliptical for several hours a week and it really helped me to achieve my goals. I have to say that during my recent exercise hiatus I did miss it a little. I missed the feeling of my heart pounding in my chest and the sweat starting to form on my head. Thats not to say that I missed it enough that I actually sought it out.

When I decided to resume my exercise routine I spoke with my doctor about it first. It used to be that when you were pregnant you were not supposed to raise your heart rate over 140 BPM. I asked my doctor if this measurement was still in effect and she suggested that I just maintain a easy enough pace that I'd be able to carry on a conversation while still working out. The problem with that is that I don't talk when I work out -unless you count me randomly screaming out Jeopardy answers.

I decided to just do what I'd been doing and see how I felt afterwards. After a sweaty 30 minutes on the elliptical my heart rate was around 170 and I was tired. Really tired. I didn't realize just how tired I was until I stepped off the machine and was immediately dizzy. There was no hiding this from DH as I quickly sat down to regain composure.

A few days late he told me he was concerned about me using the elliptical because he thought I pushed myself too hard. I could see his point. I didn't want to risk hurting the baby but that was how I was used to working out. His solution to keeping me in line was to banish me to the bike when we went to the gym. I really hate the bike. I feel like I'm not even working anything, even if I put it on a difficult level and I hate watching my belly move in the mirror as my feet peddel up and down. I agreed to give it a try but after 45 minutes and nearly no sweat I'd had it. I wanted my elliptical back.

Upon discussing my frustration with DH we agreed that I could use the elliptical again however, if the machine ever displayed my heart rate over 150 BPM I'd get off and ride the bike.

Home Sweet Home

Its good to be back to a familiar exercise and a familiar sweat. I'm not able to go nearly as quickly as I used to but I feel good about the exercise I'm getting for me and for my baby. I've also been spending my lunch breaks going on walks with a coworker and I have two prenatal workout DVDs I'll review later. While it was really easy to stop working out, I feel really wonderful about myself for getting back into the swing of things.

What is your go-to exercise?

Confessions and Fears

2011-01-27T08:55:00.000-08:00

I haven’t blogged in over a month and it is because I’ve been afraid. I know that sounds strange as there really is nothing to be scared of when it comes to writing down your thoughts but sometimes it makes it that much more real. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not scared to be pregnant (well other than the usual concerns, ya know) I’m scared of the changes that will be happening to me. Here are the three biggest reasons I’ve been MIA.

1. I’ve gained weight. There. I said it. I know that I’m pregnant and that gaining weight is acceptable and healthy for me and baby. My doctors (Yes, I had two of them. The first turned out to be a jerk. More on that to come.) both agreed that I should gain about 25 lbs throughout my pregnancy. However, before I even knew I was pregnant I had gained weight and I didn’t want to confess it to you. I struggled with my diet all through September and October before I even knew I was pregnant. That was probably a blessing since I don’t know if I would still be blessed to carry mini-me if I had stuck to a 1200 calorie a day diet plus exercise.

I figure that I weighed around 195 when I became pregnant. I currently weigh 205 and am 19 ½ weeks pregnant. That doesn’t sound outrageous, but it is on the high end of the spectrum of where I should be. I’ve spent countless hours hating the fact that I let myself gain so much weight so quickly but upon talking with some close loved ones I’ve come to accept it and be proud of it. Because while it may be at the high end of where I should be, it’s still within a healthy range (considering my pre-pregnancy weight). Not only that but in those 19 weeks I went on an 8 day cruise, a mini-vacation to Las Vegas, and celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not too shabby when you look at it that way eh?

2. I was not the healthiest of soon to be mommies in the first few months. I know that being pregnant is not an excuse to “eat for two” and that baby only needs about 300 extra calories. But that is 300 calories over what I would need to eat for me to maintain my weight. To maintain my weight I would need to eat about 2000 calories a day so in essence, this permits me to eat about 2300 calories a day. Do you know what 2300 calories looks like to someone who has been eating 1200 for months?!? It looks like a party for my mouth is what it looked like. I had a very hard time envisioning those extra calories being in the form of apples and carrots. Those extra calories quickly turned into foods I’d restricted for so long. I ate pasta and pizza galore. I’m not proud of it.

It was very hard for me to go from a mindset of eating to lose weight and eating to be healthy. I’ve never eaten to be healthy before. There was always a purpose for what I was putting in my mouth. It was either pure enjoyment, or to lose weight. Getting on track has certainly been a challenge for me. This particular fear is hard for me to share because I feel like I was weakest at a point where it was so important for me to be strong. I should have been better for me and the life that is depending on me for its life. Those months have passed and there isn’t anything I can do to change them now. I can only be healthy today.

3. I was scared that I’d lose my audience. I know that people come here to see me lose weight. I don’t know how many people will be interested in reading what I have to say if the numbers on the scale aren’t going down. Then I realized something. You come here for my story, and that is exactly what I’m living right now. Sometimes life gives us a curve ball just when we think we’ve got things figured out. Maybe there is another expectant mom out there who will read what I have to say and will be able to connect with me. And you better believe that after I have this baby that I will most certainly be back to doing the whole weight loss thing. If my current situation is of no interest to you, please come back in July and see how I’m doing.

Now that you all know what I’m up to, you should know that in the past several weeks I’ve been far more active about hitting the gym and going on walks for my lunch break. I’ve started counting calories again, but not to lose weight, just to keep myself in check. I feel like I’m back in control again and that I’m doing my best to live healthy in my situation. Now that you all know the things I’ve been hiding, I’m not going to be as scared to show my face around here anymore. Sorry for the hiatus and thank you all for your congratulations and support!

Where I've Really Been

2010-12-06T18:45:00.000-08:00

So, I told you I've been here:

Acapulco

and here:

Zihuatanejo

I've also spent a lot of time here:

The office

But that doesn't really explain why I haven't been here (as in, blogging like a good girl).

The truth is, I've also been here:

Hospital

And shopping for some of these:

Yep folks...that's right. We're going to be having one of these!:

I'm currently 12 weeks along and Due in June. We weren't expecting to be parents but we are grateful for the opportunity that we've been given. Be back soon to give you more details!

Vacation Recap

2010-12-02T18:27:00.001-08:00

Hello my friends! I'm back and I'm here to tell you all about it. Note: this post has quite a bit more to do with my vacation than it does weight loss, so if you'd like to just skim it, I won't blame you. Matthew and I went on an 8 day cruise through Carnival and it rocked our world. :) This is the second cruise we've taken and we've loved them both. The first two days were spent at sea without porting anywhere. We used this time to familiarize ourself with the ship (we were on the Carnival Spirit for those wondering) and to eat a whole lot of free ice cream. We played adult dodge ball and shuffle board on the deck. We sun bathed and listened to Jack Johnson and just really enjoyed ourselves.

The third day we ported in Acapulco. The view from the bay was absolutely beautiful. The water was blue and the city was striking.

Getting off the ship and getting down into the streets was quite different though. The streets were full of pot holes and garbage and there were people asking for money everywhere. We chose to go on a sail boat ride around the bay where we'd stop for some ocean swimming.

I was a little nervous.

After the tour we spent a few hours at a local market and then got back on the ship.

The next day we ported in Zihuatanejo. Have you ever heard of that place? I hadn't before we booked the cruise but now I'm so happy I know about it. The city streets were lined with bricks and the locals were much better about not pushing us to buy their merchandise. We'd heard of the nice beaches there so we stopped to ask an American woman how to get there. She gave us excellent directions and within minutes we were in a water taxi headed over to the beach "Las Gatas".

We arrived to an umbrella lined beach, clear blue waters, and beautiful flowers. We rented some snorkel gear and settled in under an umbrella and beach chairs. We were then asked if we'd like a massage. Of course I wanted a massage. The woman took us to a hut on the beach that was draped with sheets. There were two massage bed covered in flower petals awaiting us. The massage was quite good, assuming that they were not licensed professionals and it was only $40 an hour for two people. Excellent deal if I may say so. We got back to our chairs and ordered a pair of virgin pina coladas.

After some more relaxation, Matt convinced me to go snorkeling with him in some rocks just about 30 feet off shore. The fish were all over the place and so beautiful! I even saw sea urchins. I'd never been snorkeling before so I did get a few mouthfuls of water, but it was so worth it!

While we were relaxing on the beach, some local fisherman pulled up to the shore and tossed out two giant fish!

After a few hours of loving life on the beach we headed back over to the city to find some food. Since I am weird about my meat I just ordered cheese quesadillas, I know not the healthiest of things, but probably one of the safest. Matt didn't hesitate to eat his fish tacos.

It was a no makeup day. Don't judge me.

We did some more shopping before we sadly got back on the ship to leave this beautiful place behind.

Manzanillo was also a great stop. It was slightly cleaner than Acapulco but not nearly as beautiful as the day before. We went again on a snorkeling excursion out to a place called Elephant Rock. There were a lot of fish but I was much more nervous because it was deeper and there was a strong current.

We also went snorkeling over a ship wreck but that really just freaked me out so I headed back to the boat. I know, I'm a pansy. We took some pictures of the pretty areas of the island and saw the motel where "Ten" was filmed. Have you ever heard of that movie? Me neither, but the locals really made a bid deal of it.

We quite enjoyed our time on the ship as well. The food was always quite good and they had a lot of healthy options. Each menu has a "spa selection" that is lighter in calories and fat. Fresh fruit is always available and I felt like if I had chose to be strict with myself on my diet, I could have easily stayed on track. They had excellent gym facilities and offered aerobics classes as well as classes on detox and secrets to a flatter stomach.

I chose not to be strict with my diet on the cruise because it was a vacation. I didn't want to have to worry about counting calories. However, I did make far better choices than I did last year. I tried hard to get a lot of fruits and vegetables in each day and didn't gorge myself on the other food available.

Remember back in this post where I told you I intended to wear a specific dress. Well, that didn't happen. But knowing that my dress was 6 sizes smaller than It was last cruise was enough success for me.

If you've made it this far, thank you for letting me tell you about my vacation. I assure you I return well rested and ready to take on the world, and blogging, once more. I'll be back tomorrow with a big announcement!

Oh...and by the way, I gained 2 lbs on my cruise. Not to shabby for a place where food is available to you 24/7.

SUCCESS!

2010-11-25T17:48:00.000-08:00

This is ShaReece again and I come to report what i like to refer to as "TURKEY DAY SUCCESS"! As I woke up this morning, I mentally rehearsed (I know, totally geeky) what I was going to do to make today enjoyable and still be down 2 lbs. by the masquerade. I told myself, "I can have a small amount of anything I want, and a large amount of healthy foods." It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be and I totally enjoyed my meal with my family.

Although I don't know what the scale will say (no bathroom scale at my parents house) I made way better choices than I normally would have and I didn't even feel the "post dinner turkey coma". I give myself an A for the day and will let you know what the scale says at the beginning of next week.

How did your Thanksgiving 2010 go for you? Success? What did you do to make sure you had success?

Also, I found this turkey comic and thought it was way funny!

oooh...A Masquerade!

2010-11-19T16:45:00.001-08:00

So...Let's get you up to date. I attended my weekly weight watcher meeting on Wednesday and Weighed in at 171! Also, I have been invited to go to a masquerade ball on December 3rd. My goal is to be in the 160's before the ball. That is totally doable 2 lbs in 2 weeks. However, it's Thanksgiving and all.

In addition, I have a problem. A big one. So...I am still single and go on dates fairly regularly. How is it possible to eat good when you are at places like Outback Stakehouse? Does anyone have any coping strategies? What is your Turkey Day game plan? HELP ME OUT!

Do We Really Look Alike?

2010-11-14T21:45:00.000-08:00

So I had the opportunity go visit my parents this weekend and while I was at the wedding of a family friend I had many people calling me SherRon and getting in arguments over which one I am. Personally, I don't feel like we look that much alike (but that's because we continually fight over who is cuter).

What do you think? Let me know. I'm curious...

Hello All

2010-11-13T07:22:00.000-08:00

Hello there...as mentioned in the previous post. I am ShaReece, SherRon's sister. She asked me if I would guest blog. I am not a blogger and have never done this in my life, but...here goes.

A little about me. I am 25 years old and have been trying to promote a healthier lifestyle since last January. My starting weight was 232 lbs. My current weight is 172 lbs!! YEAH!

SherRon and I have some things in common like: we share the gene pool, innate poor eating habits, love of pretty shoes and desire to lose weight and become more healthy. However, in all other ways, we are polar opposites. I have a LOVE for working out (Zumba, TurboKick, Hip Hop Hustle, most sports). I have a total different body shape as well that SherRon has often referred to as "built like a football player." This lovingly means that I have no hips or butt. When asked about my body shape I call it brick of cheese. Note pictures below.

Well... is there anything else you want to know about me? Or anything about SherRon?...she is on a cruise and can't stop me...

BRB

2010-11-11T20:03:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! I just wanted to check in and let you all know that I'm all still very much alive. Tomorrow I head out for my anniversary cruise with my husband where we will be spending 8 days doing nothing but enjoying ourselves. In the meantime, my sister, as mentioned in this post, will be keeping you entertained with her weight loss story and other happenings. I'll be back in just over a week and I have some very exciting news to share!

Freezing Cold

2010-10-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

Alright peeps, I'm here for your help. I usually a very cold person and I'm not talking about my personality. What I mean, is that even if a room is at 70 degrees, I'm still chilled. My toes and fingers get the worst of it.

Matt learned this quickly about me and he also noticed that when I'm cold I'm not a very pleasant person. My Christmas gifts last year included a snuggie, an personal space heater, and a down blanket. I guess he likes his woman happy!

Anyway, my latest problem is that after I work out and come back to my apartment to cool down I get really cold. Like teeth-chattering, body shivering-ly cold. I'm not quite sure why this is but I don't like it.

Any recommendations?? Does this happen to any of you?

Wear the Skinny Jeans!

2010-10-19T05:35:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I found myself in a dressing room wearing a pair of skinny jeans. I stood there and looked in the mirror for a long time, debating if I would ever dare wear them out of the dressing room. I'd been wanting to try them for a while, just because it would add something new to my current selection of boot-cut jeans.

It was a conflict within myself. My negative self talk was saying that I was still too fat to wear them and that I looked silly in them. They made my calves look huge and my stomach look even bigger because it was not proportional. However, I could also hear 286lb-SherRon screaming in the back of my mind, "WEAR THE SKINNY JEANS!" My perception of my size was so much different when I was larger. How many of us have once been a size, and thought we were so fat, but would kill to go back?

I left the fitting room undecided. I would try them again, but those certainly weren't the pair. I couldn't shake the experience. Why was I so scared to try something new? I resolved that I was going to stop being worried about how silly I was going to look. It was a simple pair of jeans.

I wondered how many other things I'd not done because of my size. How many times have I been too worried about what people would think of me?

I went back to the store, I bought the skinny jeans, and I rocked them!

I realized that this is not about simply wearing a pair of jeans. This is about living life right now, not waiting until we reach our goal weight. There is nothing magical about that number we all have picked out in our mind. Life won't start being wonderful then, but it can start now.

So, I'd like to challenge all of you to do one thing that you otherwise wouldn't do because of your size or appearance. You can wear skinny jeans, or red lipstick, or a two-piece. You can get up and sing karaoke or dance on a raised floor. Sent me a picture of what you did, or write me about your experience and I'd be happy to share it.

Grab a button and put it up on your blog so that people can see you're choosing to live life now and they can join us in the challenge.

PS: I'll be posting a picture of me in skinny jeans shortly.

Before Me

2010-10-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

I've been wondering for quite some time now if I should remove old pictures of me from my Facebook. I look at the pictures and my smiles seem fake. They don't look like the me that I know. I didn't even see myself in them when I was that size.

But the thing is, that IS who I was. That is what I looked like. That was the sum of a lot of decisions I made. But I've decided not to delete or untag those old photos of me.

Before SherRon was pretty darn awesome. She nailed a pretty great job. She was a loving wife and sister. She was a good friend. She had the courage to walk in the gym that first time. She was smart enough to know that she needed to make a change and that it was up to her to do it. Before SherRon stays. She is both a warning and a beacon of hope.

What I've been up to lately

2010-10-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

Well...lets just say that Matt bought me a new camera and I'm in love. Firstly with Matt, then the camera :) So here is a little of what I've been up to lately:

I've been going on walks every day during my lunch hour. This is the view from my office window. How could I possibly stay inside?

I've been doing a bit more cooking.

and I've also been eating some other, not so great things....

But life is good,

and it's all up from here.

I hope everything is going great with all of you! I'll check back in tomorrow with a bit more details.

I'm SO Blessed

2010-10-07T19:48:00.000-07:00

I've recently started to notice something very special about my journey. I have SO much support. I've always had that support. Even though Matt hasn't always been on board with the diet, he was always willing to eat where I felt comfortable. He put up with my low calorie dinners and was a sport when I'd leave him each night to go to the gym. But I haven't had just Matt. I've had many, many more supporters.

My Mother in law started her weight loss journey last August and she was a driving force in me deciding to change my ways. I saw how it was possible for her to lose the weight and for some reason it just clicked that if I really committed and did what I knew I should do, I could do it too.

My sister, ShaReece, started weight watchers at the first of this year and has since lost 50 plus pounds. She's great to talk to about her struggles because we come from the same background, eating the same foods, and participating in the same activities. She gets where I'm coming from and knows where I want to go.

My sister in law, Mariah, has also been a huge inspiration to me. She works long hours, cares for two small children and still finds time to make it to the gym. If she can do that, then I have NO excuse. She's also great to have around family functions where I can see what she's choosing to eat and I no longer feel alone.

My Cousin, LaraLee and I have gotten much closer this year. She lives about 4 hours away from me but we talk nearly every day. She was the one that made me decide to go on a diet in the first place. We were going to be each others weight loss buddies. We'd hold each other accountable. It worked. She kept me motivated. She can also help keep you motivated. Check her out over at her blog.

My friend, Eileen, at work. She is one of my best friends and is on this journey as well. Its great to have someone facing the same work temptations as I do. We both smell the pizza when it is brought into the office. We both know that the cupboards in the kitchen are stocked full of cookies, and crackers, and chocolate. We also both know that the fridge is full of apples, grapes, oranges, and carrots and we help each other make good decisions. Lately she's even started to join me on walks around our office park during lunch. Not only are the walks helping me get more movement in for the day, but I also have way more energy after them and I'm more awake at work.

There are many, many other people who have inspired and motivated me along the way. Some to of the biggest players have been fellow bloggers. I cannot begin to think where I'd be without the daily motivation and support I get from all of you. I am truly blessed to know, without a doubt, that I am not alone in this fight. I know that no one buy myself can make the healthy food choices and do the workouts in they gym, but having people that continue to support me and hear me ramble about what I've eaten or what I'm struggling with, makes it that much easier.

A Non-Scale Victory.

2010-09-30T20:10:00.001-07:00

I've never been able to wear my friends clothes. I've never even considered asking. I've always been the fat friend. I used to be so jealous of other girls that had 4 times the wardrobe because they could share and swap back and forth. The only person I've been able to share clothes with was my sister and I haven't been able to do that for years.

This past weekend, that changed. I was with some friends and sat down on a bench that had recently been sprayed off. My whole back side was soaked. I was upset because I knew this meant that I had to spend the rest of the evening in soggy jeans. Then one of my friends piped up, "You can borrow a pair of mine!" and rushed off to her bedroom to find something suitable.

I had a quick flash back to "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" when they come up with the idea to share pants and the larger of the girls says, "You think that a pair of pants that fits all three of you is going to fit...all of this?!"

I was scared. I was scared that they wouldn't fit and I'd either be stuck in soggy jeans with my friends questioning why I was still wearing them, or in sausage casing tight pants that I couldn't move or breath in. My friend came bouncing back with a pair of pajama pants that I quickly changed into. THEY FIT! They weren't too tight, they weren't too lose. Granted...they were stretchy pajama pajama pants that probably could fit an array of people, but it didn't matter. They were my friend's pants and they were on me!

As for being back on the wagon...I'm pretty much rocking it. I've been to the gym every night this week. My eating has been on track. I lifted weights. I go on walks around my office park on my lunch break. BOYAH!

The Dress

2010-09-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

This year I've found a lot of motivation in competitions like the biggest loser group I participated in. I also was inspired by the thought that if I could lose just 2 lbs a week, I could lose over 100 lbs in a year. There is a third inspiration I haven't shared with you. Back in March, Matthew and I booked our anniversary cruise. This November will mark our second year of marriage and we're celebrating by taking an 8 day cruise down to Acapulco, Mexico and I couldn't be more excited!

Since the time we booked it, I've had visions of what my vacation pictures could look like. How healthy I'd look. Last November we went on a cruise and our pictures were so bad I didn't really want to show anyone. I was so embarrassed of my size. We didn't even purchase any formal pictures on the cruise because I couldn't find one that I liked.

This year will be different. This year, I'll be hunting down the professional photographers on the ship an posing for all the pictures I'd like. I won't worry about onlookers and I'll take pride in what I see on the prints.

One of the things I've been the most excited for is the formal night. I've spent a lot of time looking for a dress that I just love and I finally found it. This little number stole my heart.

Looks hot huh? I found the dress at TJ Maxx and I couldn't stop thinking about it. THIS is the dress I want to be wearing. Well, there is one big problem. It doesn't do up in the back. This dress is a size 12. I'm not a size 12. I thought about finding the dress online and in a size up but when I found it, it was $5o more and I'm kind of a cheap girl.

I know that in order to make this dress happen, I'm really going to have to buckle down and try hard. I've lit my own flame. I have my motivation back. I'm focused. I'm eating right. I'm planning my evenings so I can exercise.

So the plan for the next 7 weeks is:

Log my food and exercise EVERY DAY! I've been slacking at this and I can really tell a difference.
Workout at least 5 days a week for at least 45 minutes.
Focus on toning and strength building exercises.

The photo of me in the dress is now my background on my phone so I am always reminded of my goals. I've got 45 days to lose a dress size but I've got a mountain of motivation. And how is this for a start?

What motivates you?

CSN Winner and The Fair

2010-09-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

If you knew how I'd been eating this past week, it would come to no surprise to you that I gained on the scale again. My Saturday morning weigh-ins have become things I dread now when they used to be one of the highlights of my week. I felt like all of my efforts were validated and that I was headed in the right direction.

Now it seems like I'm getting a test back that I know I didn't study for. I'm not really sure why I'm off my groove most days of the week. I can understand allowing myself special occasion food, but I'm having a hard time deciding what counts as a special occasion.

I remember when I first started my diet I had to come to terms with not always eating what I wanted, whenever I wanted it. I had to understand that just because something sounded good, didn't mean that I should eat it. I'm finding myself falling back into that hole more and more lately and I need to find a way to reel myself back in.

Speaking of special occasion food, this last weekend Matt and I went to the state fair.

Matt and I shared a deep-fried PB&J

I had some cinnamon roasted almonds.

And we shared some funnel cake with some friends.

I probably should have been a little quicker with the camera on this one.

It was a great time and I don't regret anything I ate there. I do regret the large dinner I had after the fair. I also regret the large chicken wrap from a drive-in I had on Saturday.

Anyway...enough about me. Let's give this gift card away!

And the lucky winner is....

Leane from Leanne Lately

Send me your email address and I'll get you the gift card.

Thanks everyone for entering!

CSN Gift Card Giveaway

2010-09-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

Do you guys remember way back in June when I told you to look forward to a review and a giveaway from CSN stores? Well, that day has finally arrived.

The hardest part about this giveaway was choosing what I wanted. There are so many items in so many stores! They carry everything from dining tables, to fitness equipment, to shoes and accessories.

I browsed through many, many different stores but kept going back to the shoe section. (Can you blame me?) Being a good weight loss blogger I would have purchased something in the health and fitness section, but where is the fun in being good all the time?

After several hours pouring over the different shoes, I picked a pair and submitted my order. Immediately afterward I got an email telling me my order had been received and that it would ship from the warehouse within two days. The first day came and went with no news from the store. The second day I received an email telling me they were checking with the warehouse to see why my item had not shipped and within just a few hours I had tracking information. My item arrived within two business days. TWO!

I was thrilled to come home to a package that contained another box that looked like this:

I'm a sucker for a cute shoe box.

and on the inside....

EVEN BETTER!

(If you're loving these shoes as much as I am, you can find them here.)

I really enjoyed my experience with CSN and I'll definitely be shopping there again.

Here is your chance. CSN is giving away a $40 gift card to one of my readers. There are 4 different ways to enter.

1. You must be a follower of my blog.

2. Follow me on twitter @shoestolose

3. Like Shoes to lose on Facebook

4. Post about this giveaway on your blog.

Please be sure to leave a comment for each entry. Contest ends Saturday at Midnight MST.

Good Luck!

Fine Print: US and Canada only and international shipping charges may apply for Canada addresses. CSN Stores did provide me with a gift card so that I could share my opinion of their stellar customer service with y'all.

Finding a Balance

2010-09-13T20:16:00.001-07:00

As I approach the 100 lb mark, I have done a lot of reflecting about the changes I've made. I know that it is all too easy to slip back into my old ways. Its always easier to just not care but this certainly isn't something I want for myself and my future. I need to make sure that the changes I'm making are truly lifestyle changes and that they are sustainable.

I've done some experimenting. I've stopped counting my calories religiously and I've loosened the reigns on what I'm eating. This resulted in a gain of 2.9 lbs on the scale. Its certainly not the result I was looking for but I think that I'm finding my balance and deciding what is important to me.

I don't want to always be the person at diner ordering a salad with no cheese or bacon and dressing on the side.

I don't want my family and friends to plan meals around "What I can eat."

I don't want to log my calories and exercises every day.

I do want to go on a date with my husband and really enjoy dinner.

I do want to go to festivals, fairs, and holiday meals and enjoy the foods of the season.

I'd like to enjoy all life has to offer and if that involves occasionally eating things that aren't always the best for me, than so be it. This weekend was full of life and wonderful food and if that means that I gained weight, I'm ok with that. I know that I'm going to be back on track this week. Eating healthy and working out.

Friday night Matthew and I went on a date night to a local pizzeria. Together we shared an appetizer of ricotta gniocchi and it was quite possibly the best thing I've ever eaten. I'm so glad that I didn't pass because I would have gone over my calories.

We spent Saturday at a local amusment park where I shared a carmel apple with the hubs and afterwards we went out to dinner with some of Matt's family.

Sunday was spent at the Salt Lake City Greek Festival where I was able to try some really amazing Greek food. I had my first taste of Tyropita, Baklava, Gyro, and Loukoumades. These aren't foods that I would normally be able to get and I wasn't going to let the opportunity pass me by.

I'm sure I went over my calories every day this weekend but I had a great time and I don't regret any of my choices. . I did a lot of walking both days and I'm right back on track tonight. Next weekend Matt and I will be attending the state fair and I have every intention of eating something deep fried. I want to become healthy, but I'm not going to let life pass me by while I get there.

Besides, who wants to live life without the occasional burger and fries?

Contest and Compliments

2010-09-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't know, Matthew and I were participating in a friendly round of couples biggest loser. Well.....Drum roll please.....We won! This news is coming a little late as the competition ended a little over two weeks ago but I realized that I never shared that with you. Matt and I lost an average of 16% of our body weight in 11 weeks. Holy smokes! Matt did such a wonderful job and lost 60 lbs. Losing weight is much easier when you're married to an inspiration.

I'd like to send a shout out to my brother and sister-in-law who made the competition a challenge and kept the competition steep. They lost a combined 13.9%.

Today I wore a size 14. 14! I'm still shocked at that number. The smallest size I ever remember wearing is a 12 and I wore that when I was in jr. high. In high school I wore an 18 so I'm not quite sure when 14 got jumped, but lets just say I was young.

The pants I got from my sister when she came down to visit nearly a month ago. She's lost about 55 lbs herself and they were just hanging on her. So I made a deal with her. If I could put the pants on and do them up, she had to leave them with me. I was able to do that however, they were far from being acceptable in public. You know those items that you could wear out, but you really shouldn't? Yeah, thats where this one fits in. Well today I thought I'd give them a shot and low and behold, they fit.

Today while walking in to my office, one of my co-workers said "Wow! You look so skinny!" She later told me that it looked like I'd lost 20 lbs over the weekend. I guess this means that the jeans were a hit.

I'm starting to get a lot more compliments these days. They are very nice but I'm finding I'm having a hard time accepting them graciously. I was once told that when you are complicated you should simply say Thank you and accept the compliment. Am I the only one that has a hard time accepting compliments?

Questions Game

2010-09-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

Lyndsay over at Thinspiration tagged me in a question game where I answer 8 questions she made up and then make my own questions and tag my friends. So here goes....

Who's your favorite Muppet?
I never watched the Muppets. I'd probably have to say Kermit just because he puts up with Miss Piggy.
What's your favorite school supply?
Pencil boxes. They were always such a big deal in elementry. I've been considering getting a funky one for my work desk.
What's the best costume you've ever worn?
One year I went as a Chip-munk. I work a monk robe with little bags of chips pinned all over it. I'm all about the play-on-word costumes.
What's your least favorite word?
Anyways. Its anyway. There is no need for the "s" at the end. You covered all of the ways available when you said "Any".
If you had to be named after one of the 50 states, which would it be?
Virginia, Alaska wouldn't be too bad either.
Who's your favorite Care Bear?
Are there different ones?
What did you have for lunch yesterday?
Lean Cuisine Three Cheese stuffed Rigatoni. Today I tried the Michelina's version. Mistake.
What's your favorite Broadway musical?
Mama Mia! Matt and I went and saw the movie the night he proposed. Plus....it is just cheesy ABBA music. How could a girl not like that?

1- If you were a spice, what spice would you be and why?
2- Are you more likely to be caught bare-foot or with shoes on?
3-If you could only watch one tv channel for the rest of your life, which channel would you chose?
4-What is your favorite guilty pleasure song? (cheesy, awful...but at the same time, great!)
5- What do you top your salad with?
6- What is your favorite season and why?
7- Are there any animals that absolutely terrify you?
8-What is your favorite low-cal snack?

Alright. I want the following to answer the questions.
Kendra- Kendra Through the looking glass
LaraLee- Lardy No More
Crystal- Bye bye fat pants
Sarah- Operation Size 8
Skye- Skye's The Limit

No pressure ladies. Just have fun with it.
Have a great weekend!

Could it be love?

2010-09-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

So my friend Dawne over at "It's My Time" always talks about falling in love with exercise. I agree that it is definitely something that will need to happen in order to be able to maintain this weight loss. To be honest, I'm not in love with the elliptical. There. I said it. I know it is surprising that I don't enjoy moving in the same spot, looking at the same thing, but I just don't.

Lately I've really enjoyed riding my bike but let's be realistic. I live in Utah. In a few months that isn't going to be an option for me.

I dabbled a bit in tennis, but I was really bad at it right off the back (who would have suspected) and I ended up just being really frustrated.

I'd like to think I'm going to be a runner, but I have pretty bad knees and I'm not sure that will ever happen.

I have, however, found a fondness in doing yoga. It was very unexpected. I tried it out a little at the beginning of this year when I was much larger and it just wasn't going to happen. As I've revisited the practice, I find myself really enjoying it. I finish my session sweating and shaking and the following day I'm usually sore.

I'm not sure Yoga is "The One" but it just may be. There is certainly some chemistry.

Have you fallen in love with exercise?

Back in the game!

2010-08-30T19:16:00.001-07:00

Why is it that when we're feeling down we don't do the one thing that will make us feel better?

I just got back from a bike ride with the husband and it is just what my spirits needed. The weather was a perfect 65 degrees and the sunset was beautiful. It was the type of scene summer love movies are made of.

Just what my soul needed!

Hitting the Reset Button

2010-08-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not proud of this last week. I've mad bad decisions and I've made them on purpose. I've eaten way past the point of being full and I've ignored the voice of reason telling me that I should take it easy.

This last week has been a rough week, even on the day to day stuff. A new position has me stressed at work and the free food that is all over my office has been tempting. Some persistent health issues haven't helped either. But this time is different than all the times before. I know that I can control what I put in my body. I can't control what goes on around me, but I can control how I chose to react to it and this week I've let myself down.

I'm pushing the reset button. I'm going to stick to the plan. I'm not going to go over my calories, I'm going to work out at least five times this next week and I'm not going to have soda unless it is the weekend. I'm going to care, and not just think "I shouldn't be eating this" as I put it into my mouth.

I know how to do this. I've been doing it for the last 8 months and I'm going to continue doing it.

Are you with me? Are you going to hit your reset button and fully commit again?

Something Strange is Afoot

2010-08-26T07:52:00.000-07:00

I've never felt more out of control on this journey, or more like I don't really care. The fact that I'm even noticing this shows me that I care but lately I've just been holding on to the bandwagon for dear life.

I ate as planned yesterday until about 8 o'clock. I went and worked out and after I came back I ate a yogurt, a skinny cow ice cream bar dipped in PB2 (which, by the way, is quite delicious)...and then a second ice cream bar. I was never satisfied.

The scale has also been doing some strange things. It appears that I've gained nearly 4 lbs in the past half week. I've not been eating my best, but I've certainly not been eating 4 lbs gained worth. I think my body may just be adjusting after the end of the competition. Maybe my subconscious is giving it a break that I wasn't made aware of.

Maybe it is healthy for my body to take a break from all the losing and this is its way of telling me that?

I've had a constant headache for about 3 weeks now and I think it could be due to a medication that I've been taking. I stopped taking it a few days ago to see if that was the reason but its still here.

Either way, I'm not giving up. Maybe I'll take a week and just eat the number of calories needed to maintain my weight to give my body a break. But this weight will come off. I won't give up until I've reached a healthy BMI.

In a funk

2010-08-24T20:46:00.000-07:00

Hey friends! Sorry for my absence this past little bit. I've been feeling a little drained. There is something about going from not caring at all about what goes in and out of your body to obsessing about it all the time that is just exhausting. I've not worked out since last Thursday. I have not logged a complete day of calories in over a week. As you all know, I haven't blogged in a week. I haven't even stuck to my "no diet soda except for the weekends policy." Don't get me wrong. I haven't given up. I've simply taken a break from all the measuring.

In spite of my slacking off at all of these things, the scale was exceptionally nice on Saturday with a loss of 4.4 lbs. (PS. This is really shocking to me. I have no idea why I continue to lose quite a bit of weight week after week. I expected it to slow down by now. But hey, I'll take what I can get.)

Today however, I was a bottomless pit! I simply could never feel satisfied. I had some fruit and cottage cheese for breakfast. Then I went back for an apple and some PB2 followed by a 100 calorie bag of kettle corn. 30 minutes later I heated my lean cuisine in hopes I would finally stop feeling hungry.

I don't know exactly what was was happening. I asked myself several times what I was feeling but my witty, but ever-so-useless inner voice replied "I'm feeling hungry." So, I listened to what I was craving and tried to find something to eat that wouldn't throw off my whole day.

Do you get into these funks? Are there days where you can just tell that your umph isn't there? How do you get back into your groove?

Totally NUDE...pumps

2010-08-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend! Mine was mostly spent cleaning my apartment, although I did manage to sneak in a Jack Johnson concert, Shoe Shopping, Seeing "Eat, Pray, Love", floating down the provo river on an inflatable tube, and a lunch with Matt's extended family.

So with no further ado-

I've been wanting some nude pumps for quite some time but haven't been able to find just the right pair. (I've secretly been coveting a pair of Christian Louboutin's that I'm sure didn't make it any easier) This Saturday I wandered into the clearance section of DSW and there they were...on clearance none the less!

I wore them out Saturday and they don't like me as much as I like them. It will be a while again until my feet are ok to wear them, but I can look at them as much as I'd like.

What are your methods for breaking in your shoes?

On the healthiness front, things are going well. My eating has stayed on track but I haven't worked out in several days. I'll get on that tomorrow!

Size 8!!

2010-08-14T08:05:00.001-07:00

No, its certainly not my pant size, or even my shoe size, but it is my ring size! This probably isn't a big deal to most of you because I know a lot of people who's fingers aren't as affected by weight as mine are. My original engagement ring was a size 10.5. Its beautiful but always a little embarrassing when other girls would ask to try it on and it was huge on their fingers.

This is what my wedding set looks like. Photo by Laurie Terry Photography.

When my Matt and I were engaged we went to a bridal show and there was a drawing at the end for several prices offered by different wedding industries. They were choosing the winners by asking for different traits in the brides. There was a prize given for the youngest bride, the oldest bride, the bride who's wedding was the furthest away, and the bride who's weeding was the closest. Then they asked for the bride with the biggest ring size. I knew my ring was big but I didn't realize how big it was. I raised my hand and shouted out a boisterous "Ten and a half!" Dead silence. Then I heard someone a bit behind me say, "Really?"

Well, size 10.5 no more. My rings have been getting bigger and bigger on me since I started losing weight. A few months ago I had to go get a ring snuggie to stop my ring from falling off. It lasted a while but then I started getting really nervous to wear my ring because it would fall off so easily. I can get my rings resized, but it weakens the ring each time they do it, and it costs money each time so I've decided to wait until I get to goal weight to have this done.

Instead, I decided to buy a titanium ring because they're cheap and they won't turn my finger green. I ordered it in a size 8 and then began stressing that it wasn't going to fit. My new ring got here Thursday and it fits! I've lost 2.5 ring sizes. That is a Non-Scale Victory if I've ever heard one! Btw, I got the ring pictured above here.

As for my actual scale victory, I lost 3.3 lbs this week making it an even 90 pounds lost! You all know what that means!...New Shoes! Check back later to see my newest pair.

Have you seen this?

2010-08-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

Earlier today I posted about my savory cravings and was later shown this video by one of my co-workers. The woman in this video is angry because she ordered McNuggets at a drive-thru and they told her they couldn't give them to her because they were serving breakfast. Wackiness and jail time ensue. (You can skip the first minute.)

I have to say that I've very grateful that I've never had craving THAT strong.

Sweet or Savory

2010-08-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

Sweets have never been my weakness. They are good and yes I do indulge in them every so often, but they aren't the foods that I find myself craving all the time. I could easily give up cake and cookies without feeling too bad about it.

However, tempt me with a cheese burger, pizza, or a taco and I'm a gonner. I love actual food. Something thick, meaty, salty....something that will fill me up.

Here is the problem: I can easily satisfy a sweet tooth with skinny cow ice cream or a jello pudding snack. I cannot find a satisfying savory snack. The other night I had a knock down drag out fight with myself and nearly ended up in the taco bell drive thru for a crunchy beef taco al fresco. It would have only been 150 calories, but none of them would have been good for me.

So, what are your go to snacks for your savory cravings?

Weigh-in and Recap

2010-08-09T12:23:00.001-07:00

Mondays are so hard after a great weekend! Mine was indeed a wonderful weekend so lets get down to talking about it.

I've wanted a bike for months! I work in an office building surrounded by bike trails so I see bikers all day long. They look like they actually enjoy exercising. I want to enjoy exercising...so therefore I need a bike ;). Matt and I have been looking for bikes for a while but never really decided on any. The apartment had been straightened up when I got home and while walking back to the bathroom Matt informed me that he even cleaned our bedroom. Because I was curious to see what he had done with all of my clothes piles I opened the door. A BIKE! Matt bought me a bike! (Have I mentioned before that I'm lucky? I think I have but I'll go ahead and stick another one in just to be safe. I'm the luckiest girl ever!)

After adjusting my helmet and practically riding it out of our bedroom I informed Matt that we needed to go shopping. I'm not going to ride alone...so therefore he needs a bike ;). We spent the evening adjusting things and going for a long bike ride. SO much fun to get out of the gym and freely go wherever I wanted to.

Saturday started off at the bank, setting up new accounts so that we can ditch our old bank. Sorry Wells Fargo. After that I met up with a friend from work and we went up to the farmers market where I got some roasted garlic bread, pistachio pesto, and fresh gruyere cheese. We also picked up a new wedding ring for Matt since his no longer stays on his finger and they just don't make ring snuggies wide enough for men's ring.s

After the farmers market we went to my neice's birthday party. I can't believe that she is three! She was just a baby when I met her! I had to leave early to meet my sister. We rode out to Wendover to see Pat Benatar live in concert.

The concert was really amazing. She still sounds just like she did it the 80's. You never would have guessed that she's 57 years old.

Sunday was spent with one of my best friends and fellow bloggers LaraLee. You can find her at Lardy No More. You should definitely check her out! She lives several hours from me and we haven't seen each other in years but have stayed close. She is also a very talented photographer and offered to do some pictures of Matt and I. Here are some of her beautiful photos:

After our little family photo shoot was over we went to The Red Iguana for dinner. I had a cream cheese chicken enchilada covered in mole sauce. It was so amazing! I probably wouldn't feel too bad about eating all of it if I hadn't eaten my weight in chips and salsa before it even came to the table.

LaraLee and I outside of The Red Iguana.

It was such a great day. I truly am so blessed to have wonderful friends that know exactly what I'm going through trying to lose weight. I have such an amazing support team!

Oh..I forgot to mention, I lost 1.1 lbs and that means I'M OFFICIALLY UNDER 200 lbs! Never again will I see them again. (unless of course I'm pregnant with sextuplets...and lets all cross our fingers that doesn't happen)

Numbers

2010-08-04T19:56:00.000-07:00

I used to think the mind games that I play on myself would go away the more weight I lost. I've noticed quite the opposite effect. I'm feeling better about myself now. I look much better. For the first time ever I was tagged in a facebook photo and didn't cringe as soon as I read about it.

However, I'm getting to the point where I'm a bit reluctant to admit to people how much I've lost. Yes, it does show that I'm working hard and have come a far way. But now I'm embarrassed that I'm not smaller than I am having lost 85 lbs. I feel ashamed that I let myself go that far.

Do any of you feel this way? Do you tell people how much weight you've lost? Do people ask you for numbers or just compliment that you're looking well?

Things are still going well as far as eating and exercising. I'm still determined to get this weight off and I know I can do it. I've come so far and if I want to be a smaller size, I have to work for it. I'm not a success story yet, but one day I will be.

Wrong Fit Jeans

2010-08-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried the right fit jeans? They are a brand of jeans available at Lane Bryant, FashionBug, and Cathrines. I had my first experience with these last weekend and I'm still thinking about it. There is supposed to be a fit for every different shape, Straight, Moderately Curvy, and Curvy. When I saw these I thought it was a great idea since us girls are certainly not all shaped alike.

I am currently wearing a 16/18 but the jeans looked a little small so I grabbed a size 20, to avoid any dressing room meltdowns, and since I didn't know if I was a yellow, red, or blue, I took one of each.

First I tried on the red- moderately curvy pair. They fit alright around the middle but had a little extra material in the hip. Certainly not the place us larger women want extra material.

Next I tried the blue- Curvy pair. The waist was a little roomy but I expected that since they were a size or two too big. These had A TON of room in the hips. I almost wish that I would have taken a picture of me wearing these because it was really quite comical.

At this point I'm thinking the yellow- straight pair are definitely going to be the jeans for me. I go to put them on, and as I'm pulling up them up around my theighs, I notice that they are much tighter than the previous pair. MUCH tighter. I get them up and around my waist, suck in, and squeeze the sides together to button them up. No way would this look ever be acceptable in public unless I was trying to make an apperance on people of walmart. The fit on the leg was good but the waist was really not going to happen.

Frustrated, I took all three pair of jeans out of the dressing room and back to the shelf where I was met by an enthusiastic store employee.

"How did you like our right fit jeans?!" She asked.

To which I replied. "I didn't."

She continued to tell me that with the yellow ones you usually have to go up two or three sizes to get the right fit that they promise.

Now, in months past I've criticized women who wear clothing that is seriously too small for them, thinking that it must be that they are too scared to go up a size and have it actually look right on them. However, at this point. I could at least sympathize with them. I've worked really hard to get to the size I'm in right now and like hell am I going to buy another size 24.

I told the associate that and she said she understood and that I was not the first person to mention that to her. So why would a store that specializes in plus size clothing not understand the problem and size their jeans accordingly? I'm shocked that the business model of making women feel bad about themselves is effective.

I left the store that day without any jeans only to find an excellent pair of size 16 Calvin Klein jeans at my local Ross that happen to have the "right fit."

Have any of you tried the right fit jeans? Where do you buy your jeans? Do you refuse to go up in size?

THREE Brownies

2010-08-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

Yep, thats right. I ate three brownies on Saturday. Along with some cheese curd, bacon, BBQ chicken, potato salad, and some miracle concoction of Fritos, peanut butter, and M&M's. I had a few other things but that is my confession of food sins.

I am a little angry about my lack of self control with the sweets, but in all honesty, I know that last year, that list would have been SO much longer. I also ate quite a few steamed veggies and fruit. My moment of shame was the third brownie. They were made with zucchini which I think caused some momentary insanity and allowed me to think they were somewhat good for me. Oh boy brownies are my kryptonite.

Regardless of my lack of self control, the scale was pretty darn nice this morning and showed a loss of 4 lbs. I didn't quite reach my goal of being below 200 by the end of July, but if this is what I get, I'll certainly take it. I'll for sure have it down by next week.

I also wanted to apologize for my lack of cooking something new last week. I realized it was only my second week on this challenge and I've already not done it. I WILL do it this week. Last week was much busier and many evenings I had to chose whether to cook something new or to work out and working out always won.

My goals for this week are 2.5 hours of cardio, 2 sessions with my kettlebell, and to make something new.

Family Reunion Plan of Action

2010-07-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

How have you been doing on your exercise goals this week? I have to admit that I've really been slacking. I only made it 3 of the five weekdays. :( I'll be leaving straight from work tonight and heading to my family reunion in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere Utah. I really excited to see members of my family that I haven't seen since last year. The reunion is always a great time.

It does however, come with its temptations. Temptation #1: My mom's potato salad. Normally, I would not be tempted AT ALL by potato salad but what my mom makes is truly heaven sent. It is definitely one of my favorite foods. Too bad that it is swimming in miracle whip and sugar. I have decided that I will eat a small portion of it. I only get it a few times a year and its what family reunions taste like. Other than the potato salad I plan to stick with fruits and vegetables for my sides and just a hamburger patty if that is on the menu.

Temptaion #2: Dinner in its entirety. The dinner menu seems to be just as heavenly. Each year my uncle makes AMAZING dutch oven chicken, and dutch oven potatoes. Usually served with a giant glass of home-made root beer. (Don't you all wish you were invited?) My game plan fro dinner is just a whole lot of portion control. I'm not going to pass on something I can get only once a year. Its not like I'll be tempted to go through a drive through and binge on it after I've had a rough day.

For exercise, I'm not really sure what the plan is. My sister invited me to go running with her in the morning but there is only one bathroom and my grandparent's house and I'm not so sure the family would welcome the idea of me using it long enough for a shower. I'm sure the human slingshot will be there and that is always a work out.

Other than that, I plan to chug a lot of water, enjoy some great food, and visit with my family.

Speaking of Dutch ovens...I was recently contacted by CSN stores to host a giveaway for their site so keep an eye out for that! They sale everything from cookware, to furniture, and even SHOES!

A Year Ago

2010-07-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I have a hard time keeping myself motivated. Its hard to to make lasting changes and occasionally it just doesn't seem worth it and it feels extra hard. I look in the mirror and don't see any changes. The end goal seems so far away!

The one thing I've found that will constantly remind me why I'm doing this, isn't trying on a new smaller size in the store. In fact, it is the opposite. I love to try on my old clothes. Its a great visual reminder of how far I've come and why there is no way that I'll stop now.

A year ago, this week, I had the honor of being a bridesmaid in a wedding for a pair of close friends. Usually, a girl can get away with an unflattering dress by saying it isn't her style, the color didn't suite her, and it wasn't her fault because the bride picked it out. I don't have any of these excuses. I helped to pick out this dress. I even thought I should buy a 24 and work to lose some weight but I took the easy way out and grabbed the 26.

Over the next 2 months I believe I managed to pack on approximately 15 lbs. (Being unemployed and working on perfecting my cheesecake recipe certainly didn't help) By the day the wedding came I felt horrible in the dress. It was SO tight and showed all of my "curves" especially the ones in the wrong places. I was ashamed to be part of the wedding. Everything else was beautiful, why couldn't I be?

This is me one year ago (wearing a control tank top and a full SPANX suit:

This is me today (ignore the frame in the background that is framing my head. It was Matt's little way of getting back at me for making him take pictures) :

Please excuse the bra strap. The dress was falling off of me.

I had no idea there was such a big difference! I never would have imagined that I would be grateful to have a picture of me on that day.

What do you do to continue to stay motivated?

P.S. Happy Anniversary Scott and Chelsea!

New Addition

2010-07-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not dead! This I can assure you. Things have just been a little bit crazy around these parts and I'm a slacker at updating you all. Weigh in on Saturday went well. I'm down 2.2 lbs. It isn't quite where I need to be to get under 200 by the end of the month, but I'll take it!..especially since it means a new pair of shoes. More on that to come.

This weekend was pretty eventful. Friday night Matthew and I headed over to our local nickelcade where we proceeded to clean house!

The rest of the weekend was spent shopping, cleaning, watching fireworks from the roof of Matt's grandma's house, and attending a pool party.

Here is the newest addition to my shoe wardrobe:

Only mine are black, not pewter. And the best part is, I only paid $29.00 for these little babies because they are from last season. (Although this season's were on the shelf and they looked exactly the same, except for the $60 price tag)

However, there are a few problems with these shoes: A) I have no idea how to wear ankle boots, I was just feeling fashionably adventurous when I bought them. and B) Matthew really hates them.

So my fashionable friends, what does one wear with ankle boots? And all of you that are attached, do you care if your significant other dislikes your clothing?

So far things are going well this week. I didn't work out at all this last weekend but I'm not too concerned because I was up and moving a lot. I plan to work out every weekday this week. (which will include an early morning session on Friday because we'll be headed to a family reunion right after I'm off work.(Have I mentioned that I hate morning workouts?))

What are your workout plans for the week? Have you tried any new exercises I should know about?

Do any of you have a recipe that I need to try this week for my kitchen adventures? Debbi, I'm counting on you!

Home Cookin'...ish

2010-07-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

Tonight Matt and I decided to make homemade pizza for dinner. I am counting this as a new recipe for the week since this is something we rarely make and this time we tried it with a different crust. We found a pizza crust mix at the store that was so low calorie I wasn't going to mess with it.

We also used a store-bought pizza sauce. I know that some of you are saying that this barely counts as cooking, but give me a break. :) Small steps.

We topped the pizza with some tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil (picked up from the farmer's market), and then sprinkled the top with a bit of gruyere. So delicious! We definitely will be making this again.

Everything else on the food front has been good. I recently discovered there is a salad bar in a grocery store located just up the street from my work. I've been heading up there almost daily for my salad fix. When it looks like this can you blame me?

How have your weeks been going so far? Do you have a favorite salad combo I should try?

July Goals

2010-07-19T20:16:00.001-07:00

This week has started off really well. Eating has been on track both days and I'm really enjoying our farmer's market finds. I have eaten a panini with the pesto that we bought twice this week...and its only Monday! Ill definitely be heading back there soon to pick some more up.

It feels so nice to have everything just seem to fall into place. I love when this journey comes easy to me. I feel so reassured that I can do this. That I'll be able to not only reach my goals, but to also be able to sustain them once I get there. Healthy food can be delicious and I'm always reminded of this when I make more of an effort to cook. So....I've decided to set a new challenge for myself. I am going to try to make a new recipe once a week. I know that to stay on this healthy path, I'm going to need an arsenal of healthy, amazing recipes. I'll be sure to place pictures and recipes.

Lately I haven't posted many goals because I always think I'll regret telling you if I didn't make them. Then I realized that you guys are my support. You help me to reach those goals and you deserve to know what I'm striving for. So while my goal this month (yeah, I know its a little late in the month to be telling you a monthly goal...but oh well) is a little bit lofty, I'm going to strive really hard to get there. By the end of the month I'd like to be down to 200 lbs. That gives me about 2 weeks to lose 6 lbs.

Its been done before and I think that if I really work hard, I can get there. Most importantly I think it will help me to refocus. Lately I haven't been as rigid with myself as I was in the beginning. Its like I've been on auto-pilot for the past two months. This challenge should shake me up and remind me why I'm working so hard.

On a lighter note...I'm pretty sure I'll be shoe shopping this weeks. Can you suggest any cute ones?

A Perfect Day

2010-07-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

You know those days where everything seems to go just right and you feel refreshed and renewed and ready to tackle the journey again? Well....yesterday was that day for me. It still seems like a dream it was such a perfect day.

Matthew and I woke up on our own Saturday morning, had our weekly weigh in (Down 1.8 lbs) and then headed down to our community gym to get our workout out of the way. After a sweaty gym session we came back home and got ready for the day. We drove north to the Downtown Salt Lake City Farmer's Market. I've never been but had heard it was really great. What an understatement! The rows of fresh produce and flowers were gorgeous. The scents of kettlecorn, flowers, and fresh herbs were intoxicating. (Although the smells from some of the hippies walking around wasn't!) There were samples everywhere. We tried honey butter, goat cheese, fresh made pesto, Jam, artisan breads.....it was endless! What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning.

We left with a bag summer squash, pistachio pesto, Lemon Artichoke pesto, Chipotle meat rub, green beans, apricots, and some of the best garlic bread I've ever eaten. Not too shabby for a morning in the park.

Afterwards, Matthew took me to a little cafe looking over some beautiful gardens. I had a salad with spinach, berries, fresh brie and walnuts. So Yummy. Our check came with two coconut macaroons and I couldn't resist. After lunch we came home and napped for a bit. (Does life get any better than Saturday afternoon naps?)

We then packed up some blankets and headed to Park City where we had tickets for the Deer Valley Music Festival. The concert takes place on a ski lift turned into an amphitheater. We spread our blanket out on the lawn and had a picnic. Dinner was a basil, mozzarella, turkey sandwich and a fresh fruit cup from a local sandwich shop while we waited for the show to start

We also ran into a friend of mine from high school! Hi Lauren.

Yesterday's concert was Ben Fold's with the Utah Symphony. It was a great show. Ben Folds is such a funny guy and the symphony backing him up was beautiful. During intermission I ate one of these:

The view was incredible.

For the final song, Ben Folds played "The Luckiest." This song holds a special place in my heart as it is mine and Matthew's song. Matt grabbed my hand and lead my down the hill off to the side to dance. It was as though no one else was around. It was just us, off in our own little world. (Have I told you lately how lucky I am to have a man like Matthew?) It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

I rode home filled with peace and renewed on my journey to being healthy. I really needed yesterday and I was so blessed to get it.

Flattered or Offended?

2010-07-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

The halfway results for the biggest loser competition are in!

That's right! Yours truly, and her dear, sweet, husband, are in the lead but being followed very closely by Matt's brother and sister-in-law. This is clearly a two dog race and the boys have really stepped up to make it a tough one. Matthew lost nearly 40 lbs in the last 5 weeks! Now don't freak out on me. He hasn't been doing anything unhealthy. He eats less and moves way more. Sometimes he even keeps me in the gym longer than I'd like.

The email informing me of the half-way results, however, was bittersweet. It ended with this paragraph:

I'm fairly certain that this was just short of accusing us of cheating!

The competition doesn't have many rules. No surgery, no prescription weight loss medication, No HGC, and meal replacement drinks can only replace one meal a day.

I'm not sure whether I should be offended because my character in in question, or flattered that we worked hard enough to make people think that we are cheating. Either way, I find myself more motivated to work hard and at least give Dustin and Mariah a run for their money. Even if we are never invited to do another biggest loser competition with this group. :)

Big News

2010-07-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

My driver's license was issued nearly a year and a half ago, and my weight on it is no longer a big FAT lie! Woot!

Do you think DMV workers have a really skewed perception of weight?

The Smell of Success....sorta

2010-07-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure I could do without my sense of smell. This diet thing would be a whole lot easier if I didn't have to smell all the delicious food that always seems to be around.

Example #1: Today is the hub's birthday and so a few days ago I allowed him some time in Cabellas. You would think that Cabellas would be a safe place to go, even if you're hungry. Wrong! They have these amazing Cinnamon glazed almonds that you can smell throughout the entire store. It is really hard to ignore the smell of something as good as glazed almonds, when there is nothing else of interest in the store. Luckily, I made it out without giving in. (Although my attitude was probably a little less than pleasant for a few moments following) Phew.

Example #2: I'm not sure I told you this already, but at my work, every Thursday's lunch is catered. Usually this doesn't bother me too much since my office is way down the hall from the kitchen and occasionally they bring in really yummy, healthy things to eat. Today, however, is pizza and the smell is practically assaulting my nose. Its not even noon yet and I'm thinking I'm hungry. I know I'm not. I had a good filling breakfast and I usually don't eat my lunch until one o'clock.

I have a plan though. Right after I finish this post, I'm going to talk myself up. I'm going to remind myself of why I'm choosing not to eat the pizza. (I'm not depriving, I'm deciding!) Then I'm going to waltz right on into that kitchen, fill up two bottles of water so that I don't have to go back anytime soon, and put on some smelly, flowery, lotion that smells nothing like something I'd want to eat.

Wish me luck!

Try This!

2010-07-07T11:13:00.001-07:00

So I've been trying not to make this blog a little too product-review-y but sometimes when you find something you love, you've just got to share it.

I really like peanut butter. Like really, really like it. Only problem is, when you only eat about 1200 calories a day, 190 calories just doesn't seem worth it. I know it is healthy fat but seriously, I'm not spending 1/6th of my calories on 2 tablespoons of the stuff. Enter PB2.

This is peanut butter powder and 2 tablespoons of the stuff is only 45 calories. It is made by roasting the peanuts and then smashing most of the oil out of them and grinding them into a powder.

I love that there are only three ingredients in each jar. Peanuts, sugar (1 gram per serving, I can live with that) and salt.

I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that this tastes just like peanut butter. It doesn't. But, when mixed with a banana or when you dip apple slices into it, the difference won't be so noticeable. I've been eating this nearly every day for the past 2 weeks and have about finished my first bottle!

As a matter of fact, My breakfast this morning:

They also make a Chocolate pb2 that is pretty amazing in shakes and on bananas.

You can order PB2 here at bellplantation.com

*Note....I don't know anyone at Bell Plantation. I just seriously like their stuff. :)

Lets share the love. What is your favorite "diet" food find?

Trash Talking

2010-07-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

Do you ever find yourself trash talking your food?

I do. I have a bag of Swedish fish sitting on my desk. I LOVE Swedish fish. They pretty much rock my world and I'm certain I could polish off a 5 lb bag of them in just a few days if I wasn't watching it. My company has a kitchen that is fully stocked with goodies all the time and I saw these little puppies a few months ago. Growing up with brothers and sisters, I knew that if I didn't take one right then, I wouldn't get one. So I snuck it off to my desk for when I could work it into my calories one day.

That day has never come. When I think of all the other treats that I could have for 200 calories (Red Mango, anyone?) they just don't seem to measure up. I know what you're thinking. "You don't have to eat the whole bag. You could just have a few." Well..that would be an excellent idea if I could just have a few. However, I know that within minutes of opening the bag, it would be gone.

There have been times when work has been stressful, when I've been hungry and I want nothing more than to rip the bag open and lose myself it its sugary goodness. Yet I haven't given in. As a mater of fact, this bag that sits so temptingly on my desk, has become a symbol of my ability to resist my cravings. I find myself trash talking the bag. "You think you can throw my day off? You think you can make me spend an extra 20 minutes on the elliptical for just a few moments of sweetness with you?" I'm stronger than a bag of Swedish fish. My goals are far more important.

I certainly could eat this bag of candy. I believe that no food should be completely off limits, but it is way more fun to think of my will-power when I look at the bag.

Do you trash talk any of your food?

I'll decide

2010-06-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all of your support during that rough patch there! I'm slowly but surely crawling my way back into having a positive attitude about myself and my journey. While the past few days certainly have not been my best, I have learned a very important lesson, and I think it was all worth it.

Even on my bad days, I could control myself. I was mad at the world. I was mad at myself. I was stressed out at work and had some other personal things going on. But I stayed within my calories and I worked out (well, I worked out on Monday but c'mon....). I still made choices that I didn't think I could.

My emotions do not always control my actions!

My emotions usually play a huge roll in what I do. I consider myself to be a very emotional person. Usually feelings are the biggest motivators for me. But this time I knew better. Yes, I was feeling bad, but did I want to throw off my progress and set myself back? Heck no!

Months ago I never would have been able to stay on track. My husband and I would often joke after one of us had a bad day "Wanna go eat some emotions?" It was my excuse to behave badly. I could have ice cream, I'd had a bad day. I got in a fight with someone I love so I'm going to eat Chinese food until I'm sick. WTFreak!? Since when does having a bad day equal ice cream!?

Its nice to know that I've established healthy habits. I know that I need to work out and I know that eating food that is bad for me, won't make me feel any better.

I feel empowered with this knowledge.

I decide what I eat and what I do.

I'm in control!

Focusing on Failures

2010-06-28T19:08:00.000-07:00

Some days this journey is so hard. I have hesitated writing this post because I like for my blog to show the positive side of this fight, to give you energy to keep fighting. But only posting on days when I was feeling great would be a lie.

I struggle. I cry. I feel like a failure.

There are times when I can't stay on the elliptical any longer because the only thing I can feel is the jiggle of my backside as I move.

There are times when my thoughts are so mean. Hating myself for not having more control, for not making better choices. For eating things just because they are in front of me.

Some days I can't look in the mirror because I still see 286 lb SherRon. I say to myself, "You've lost 70 lbs and you're STILL this fat!"

Today is one of those days.

I've eaten on track and I made it to they gym tonight even though I didn't stay long. But the fight today has been hard. The inner thoughts that I'm not worth it.

I'm not posting this because I want your pity. I'm posting this so that you know if you have struggles, you aren't alone. We all have bad days. Tomorrow is a new day.

The Foxy Shoes and the Hound

2010-06-23T17:55:00.000-07:00

I have officially reached my 70 pounds lost mark so you know what that means...NEW SHOES! Ah...one of my favorite parts of this journey. I don't waste any time getting my shopping on so I headed out early Saturday afternoon to find the newest member of my collection.

No luck at the first store, but located right next to it was a Nordstrom Rack. I decided to wander in and just see if they had anything desirable and Oh boy, did they!

I walked out wearing, (yes, wearing) these hot little shoes:

Aren't they foxy? I love them.

One afternoon nap later.....I wake up to this:

Charlie had completely destroyed one of the heels. Such a tragedy! My new shoes....ruined the same day that I got them! At least I know that Charlie liked them.

I really cannot wait for this destructive puppy phase to pass.

Any ideas how I could make these wearable?

Dear Self,

2010-06-23T09:00:00.001-07:00

Dear Self,

Nice job on your hike this weekend! However, one good workout on a weekend does not take the place of regular workouts during the week. I know, I know, you've been sore. It hurts to walk, but moving your muscles will make them feel better and you'll feel better about yourself. You know you aren't going to get much of a workout in this week since you are going out of town this weekend and have appointments until late in the day on Thursday. So, let's push it tonight. I'm talking HARD. mmmmk?

As for your eating: What was with the footlong? I'm pretty sure you could have been satisfied with just half of that and an apple. Why did you eat the rest? Just because it was there? Well there is a lot of food that is just there. You're going to have to learn how to deal with it.

Also,your snacking habit has gotten a little crazy too. I know you're excited about the pb2 that you just received this week but that doesn't mean you have to eat a whole jar of it in just a few days. How about today we focus on getting the fruits and veggies that make me feel full and give me lots of nutrients.

We have goals. Let's achieve them!

Timpanogos Cave

2010-06-20T20:58:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone! I hope you have had an excellent weekend. This weekend I decided to follow my own advice and use my body to do something active. I often take for granted how beautiful the area I live in is so Matthew and I decided to head up the canyon that is only about 10 minutes from our house to hike to Timpanogos Cave. I've never been on the hike before but I've heard the caves were amazing and the hike was steep. They certainly weren't lying about how steep it was. Oh my goodness there were several times I regretted attempting to hike but I knew I could make it to the top so I just kept on going.

Once we got to the top we were able to catch the next tour into the caves. The cold air of the cave was very welcomed after the hike to the top and the formations were beautiful. It was definitely worth the hike up (although, if you would have asked me that on the way up...I probably would have disagreed.)

I feel so accomplished. Its not that the hike was all that hard. It was only 3.5 miles. But compared to last year, I never would have even attempted it. I'm proud that I'm making choices to be more active and to try things I wouldn't before. Its great when I can see my waistline shrinking and my character growing :)

As a reminder of what I've done, and what I want to continue to do, I bought myself a ribbon.

The ribbon says : "I survived the climb. Timpanogos Cave National Monument Utah" This ribbon is going straight up on my fridge...even if it is a little lame.

The rest of my weekend went really well. We picked up another bountiful basket so we are set for the week on produce and the scale on Saturday morning gave me a 4 lb loss. Woot woot!

PS...I got my 70 lb pair of shoes....more on that to come!

Healthy Bodies

2010-06-17T17:39:00.000-07:00

A few years back there was a commercial that featured a woman who was rock climbing. I can't for the life of me remember what they were advertising, but I remember that the woman said something along the lines of "Because healthy bodies have more fun." When I thought about it back then, I disagreed. "My body had more fun. I could eat whatever I wanted. Did healthy bodies know what kind of deliciousness they've been missing out on?" I've been thinking about that a lot more recently. I'm way more ambitious with this weight off than I ever was before.

When Matthew and I first started dating I decided to lay down the law. I don't hike. I've never enjoyed it. If I want to enjoy the outdoors, I'll go camping and stay by the fire. Dragging myself up the side of the mountain was certainly not my idea of a good time. Things have changed! This weekend we are going on a hike and I'm actually looking forward to it.

These days I know that healthy bodies have more fun. Healthy bodies play with their children. They shop in the stores without wondering if the store carries their size. They ride horses without wondering if they are just a bit too much for the horse. They wear swimsuits and play in pools and oceans without worrying what other people are thinking of them. They climb. They run. They dance. They ski. They discover.

I can do those things. I can have a healthy body. I'm so excited to be able to do these things with my body...and I certainly wouldn't trade it for a cheeseburger! (yes, even if it had bacon on it.)

What are your plans for your healthy body?

Hurts So Good!

2010-06-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first workout with my new kettlebell. I decided to add this workout in instead or replacing my cardio workout. I did the video before work and didn't have a problem following along with the routine at all. It was actually kinda fun and I didn't feel bored at all. At the end of the video I was a little disappointed because I didn't feel the burn as much as I expected to.

I finished my day with 45 minutes on the elliptical and then went to bed expecting to do the next video in the morning. OH MY GOODNESS! When I woke up this morning I could hardly move. I am so remarkably sore. I can't say I'm much of a fan of being constantly uncomfortable but there is something about being sore that gives me a great sense of satisfaction. I know that I made a difference in my body and this means that I worked hard.

I didn't do the routine this morning because I want to give my muscles a little time to repair themselves. I did do 30 minutes on the elliptical tonight to get my heart rate up but my legs were so over it way before the 30 minute mark so I decided it would be plenty for one day. As for the video, I think it is a definitely a keeper!

Do you love or hate the feeling of being sore?

Goals and Shopping

2010-06-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

Hey friends!

Happy Monday! How did you do with your goals last week?

I was able to complete one of my goals. I did 5 days of 45 minutes on the elliptical. However, I did go over my calories on Saturday due to the shockingly high calorie content of a soft pretzel. Oh well. I was rewarded in my efforts with a 3.5 lb loss. Woot woot!

Except for the pretzel issue, I stayed on track and I had a pretty active weekend.

Thank you for all of your suggestion on how to work more strength training into my routines. I've decided to try a kettlebell workout. I did quite a bit of research on them and they look like something I could enjoy. I purchased a kettlebell this weekend and this morning I did my first workout. It wasn't too hard but I have a feeling that I'll definately feel it tomorrow.

This weekend I decided to do a little shopping and wandered into a Forever 21. Now I've never shopped there before because of my size and when they came out with thier "extended sizes" last year, I felt like it was a HUGE slap in the face to the entire plus size community. Their extended sizes barely cover what other stores carry as standard sizes. I know when I wandered into the store...even though I could find things in my size, I didn't want to buy them. Why would I want to buy a 3X? Rant over.

This week my goals are to do 4 sessions on the elliptical that are at least 45 minutes, to workout with my Kettlebell 3 times (One down, Check!) and to stay on track with my eating. Also....I'd like to wear heels at least once this week to work.

Time to Tone

2010-06-10T19:26:00.000-07:00

So lately I've really been thinking I need to add some weights into my routine. I know that muscle burns more calories than than fat does so the more I have...the more I burn. Plus it would help me look super fine.

Problem is...I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to weights. I don't go into the weight room at the gym because it always smells bad and is inhabited by men. If I had a choice, I'd probably use free weights but I don't know what to do with them.

I've been thinking about getting a personal trainer but I really don't think we can afford that right now and I kind of like working things through on my own.

Do any of you know were I could find some simple weight training routines?

An Unwelcome Guest

2010-06-09T08:18:00.001-07:00

So how about that Glee finale eh? Do Journey songs make any one else cry? If I were Lea Michelle I would sing all day long just so I could hear myself.

This week has been right on track so far. I've stayed within my calorie limits, drank at least 120 oz of water, and I've kept with my 45 minute cardio promise. Working out with Matt has helped a lot! Last night was a struggle for me at the gym and I'm sure I would have somehow rationalized jumping off the machine at around 30 minutes but Matt was there pushing me and reminding me of his goals. Go him! (PS...last week he lost close to 20 lbs. I have a strange mixture of pride and jealousy.)

This morning I was greeted in my office with this:

Several months ago a co-worker came around with a fundraiser for his daughter's school. I didn't want cookies but I feel good about supporting schools and I knew Matt would enjoy a few. I had forgotten about this until they showed up, unwelcome, on my desk.

I have a game plan though. The dough is already pre-portioned into balls and I have nutrition information. Since I can't eat frozen cookie dough...these are going straight into the freezer. If I want one I'll have to wait for it to defrost so I'll know if I really want it or if I'm just eating it because it is there. Or there is always plan B: Give it to my brother and sister in law in an effort to assist our win of the biggest loser. :)

How are you doing on your goals so far this week? Any obstacles pop up in your way of succeeding?

Frozen Deliciousness

2010-06-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

I have a confession. I eat a frozen meal almost every weekday for lunch.

I know these aren't the healthiest foods I could be eating, but they are simple and cheap. I love to eat warm food. Sometimes I feel if I haven't eaten something warm, I haven't eaten. I've tried packing sandwiches or salads but when I do that I tend to go out and get fast food.

Usually frozen meals are really nothing to get excited over. I buy either the vegetarian kind or I pick the meat out. (In case you haven't noticed this yet..I'm really particular about my meat.)

Lately though, I've been eating 2 or three Lean Cuisine Three Cheese Stuffed Rigatoni a week. I find myself craving them throughout the day and continuing to enjoy them week after week.

This meal has huge chunks of zucchini, peppers, and carrots. The tomato sauce is really more flavorful than you'd expect as well. And there is real cheese in it that melts so wonderfully.

Is there a frozen entree that you can't get enough of?

Weekend Recap

2010-06-07T05:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! I hope you all had an excellent weekend. I sure did!

Saturday was spent cleaning our apartment, shopping, swimming and meeting up with one of Matt's old friends that now lives in Arizona. We even made it to the gym. For date night we went to restaurant called "The Blue Lemon." It is a clean eating restaurant and the food was so good! It isn't often that my plate looks exactly like the picture of the food but check this out:

That is a grilled chicken breast topped with tomatoes and artichokes on a bed of caramelized onions, mashed potatoes and roasted red pepper sauce. YUM! We'll definitely be going there again.

After dinner we went for a drive up the Alpine loop and dropped down into Sundance. The drive was beautiful. I really need to spend more time enjoying the beautiful area I live in.

Sunday was spent relaxing and grilling. We even tried grilling Bok Choy. I cut head in half, brushed it with olive oil and garlic and tossed it on the grill for just a few minutes. It was pretty good. It tastes like cabbage but a little bit more peppery. We'll be making more of it for sure.

Sunday ended with a long walk with Matthew and Charlie. There was an amazing sunset because of storms in the next valley. What a perfect way to end a weekend.

Anyway...

I've got plans for this next week. I'm going to kick it up a notch. This week I will not go over my 1300 calorie a day limit and I'm going to do at least 5 sessions of cardio for 45 minutes or longer.

What are your goals for this week?

Apples, Peaches, and Baby Bok Choy. Oh MY!

2010-06-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Bloggers!

I hope your weekend has started off nicely. Mine certainly has. This morning was weigh in and I now currently weigh 220.7. That is a 5.1 pound loss! A far cry from what I expected after my weekend in Vegas. Is there a better way to start out a day? I think not.

Matthew and I cleaned the apartment and then headed out to pick up our "Bountiful Basket."

Bountiful Baskets is a co-op in our area (Includes AZ, ID, NV, TX, UT, WA, and WY) that allows us to buy produce directly from the farmers so it is WAY cheaper than the stuff you get in the store. Only issue is, you can't chose what you get. You buy a basket and you get whatever is available.

This week's basket looked like this:

For $15.00 we received:

1 package of Blackberries

1 bag of Grapes

7 Bananas

1 Honeydew

3 Red Peppers

7 Apples

11 Peaches

4 Beef Steak Tomatoes

1 Head of Romain Lettuce

6 Russet Potatoes

8 Ears of Corn

and 14 heads of Baby Bok Choy

That, my friends is a steal and the produce is very high quality. I'd have a hard time finding this quality at a store. I'm so excited that I found this program for a few reasons. It will force us to work more fruits and vegetables into our diet and it will make me be more creative with the things I cook. Any ideas for what to do with Baby Bok Choy?

I hope you all are having an excellent weekend!

60 Calories

2010-06-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

Things that you can eat for 60 calories:

1 cup of watermelon:

1 cup of grapes:

3 Triscuit Crackers

Half of an English Muffin

1 cup of broccoli

9 Almonds

3 cups of Celery

2 Hershey's Kisses

or my personal favorite....one of these!

Jell-o Mousse temptations ROCK MY WORLD! You should definitely try them out!

Chosing Success

2010-06-03T19:05:00.001-07:00

Did anyone catch the first episode of "Losing it with Jillian Michaels"? I didn't seek it out but I happened upon it while at the gym and thought it could provide some much needed motivation. Mission accomplished. Although most of that motivation came after I left the gym.

There was a time in the episode when Jillian was talking to one of the family members and she said,"Why would you chose failure when success is an option?"

I've been thinking about that a lot the few days and reminding myself that success IS an option. I know how to lose weight. If I can lose 10 pounds, I can lose 100 pounds. It is the same formula!

Why would I chose to ease up on my workouts or to eat more calories than I should? Where does that get me?

Each time I make a decision to eat a healthy snack or to get out and move my body, I'm going to remind myself that this is a step towards success. A healthy weight is obtainable...and its going to be mine! :)

Biggest Loser Couples

2010-06-02T19:03:00.000-07:00

So today is day 1 of a neighborhood round of The Biggest Loser- Couples Edition! That means that my hubby is now trying to make some healthier choices with me! So proud of him!

I did a biggest loser competition at the beginning of this year and I lost by just a half of a percent. Total bummer but since I was in it for the long term benefits I was OK with it. This time I'm back and I'm in it to win it! Matthew is my secret weapon and the contest couldn't have come at a better time. I needed some summer motivation.

Matt is a big lover of the Dr Pepper and I think that will be the hardest for him to give up. This afternoon I got this picture message from him:

"Look at me make an effort"

Hahaha! I love this man so much!

Wish us luck! The competition is 10 weeks long and the prize is $600.00 (ie weekend getaway).

Did I just think that?

2010-06-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

Do you ever hear yourself thinking things that sound completely crazy?

This has happened to me a few times since changing how I use and feel about food.

Case in point: A few months ago as several of my co-workers, including my office-mate, were getting ready to go out of town for a conference, I heard myself think, "Now I can eat whatever I want and no one will know!" Immediately after having that thought I corrected myself. I reminded myself that if I cheat on the diet I'm only cheating myself. It doesn't matter if no one else sees what I eat...calories consumed are still calories consumed.

Second Example: On Thursday while I was waiting for my lunch to heat in the microwave, I was standing next to a GIANT dessert try filled with cookie bars, lemon, bars, brownies, cookies, fudge, and other delicious things, I talked myself into having just one. After all, they were cut into bit size pieces and as long as I logged them on my food log I'd be alright. Immediately after finished the first bite size brownie I went for a second. As it was on its way to my mouth I hear myself think "And No one has to know about THIS brownie!"

As soon as that thought crossed my mind I became aware of the situation and spit out the brownie before I actually ate it. Phew.

This just goes to show how utterly messed up my relationship with food is. I know that if I eat it, it counts. I know that even if no one sees it, it still counts.

Do any of you "hear" yourself think things about your eating that you know isn't right? Even if you've lost all of your weight and are now a success story do you have to deal with these thoughts?

Thank you, Thank you!!

2010-05-31T19:55:00.001-07:00

So this last weekend I had the honor of receiving two blogger awards!! Woot Woot! Both of these awards require me to write 7 things about myself that you don't already know. Here goes nothing.

1. I don't eat meat off of the bone. It seems so...barbaric. This drives Matthew crazy as he grew up in a house of fried chicken and chicken wings.

2. I have lived in Utah my whole life.

3. My very favorite food of all time is mashed potatoes and gravy but the mashed potatoes have to be real and the gravy has to be made from scratch.

4. I got married when I was 21 and have yet to regret it. My husband is the best man I know and continues to amaze me. I could not have found someone better than him and I am so blessed to have him.

5. I'm a runner. Yep..that is right. Don't get me wrong, I don't actually run. I've always just known that somewhere deep down inside of me, under all the layers of bad choices, is a runner. I'm excited to uncover her.

6. I'm addicted to TV. Some of my favorite shows are One Tree Hill, Glee, The Office, and Modern Family.

7. I love to cook but I hate the clean-up afterwards so I rarely do it.

I'd like to pass the versatile blogger award on to the following if they would kindly accept it.

Fashion Meets Food

Monica at Confessions of a + sized girl

Ashley at The Opposite of Thin

I'd like to pass the Beautiful Blogger Award on to:

LaraLee at The Complete Saga of Me

Kendra at Kendra Through the Looking Glass

and Debbie at Weigh to Go: Diary of a Fat Chick

Thanks to River and Dawne for these awards! I'm so lucky to have such supportive people helping me on this journey!

Diet Fail

2010-05-31T09:35:00.001-07:00

This weekend I had every intention of behaving. I really, really underestimated how much traveling can throw you off! First off, before I left on Thursday I had a bit of a binge. (more on this later) We stopped for dinner at KFC and I had two grilled chicken breasts and some green beans. Later that evening I had some frozen yogurt but the day wasn't a complete bust because my calorie count came in right in around 1300.

Friday morning my mom wanted to take us out to breakfast so we went to a cafe in the hotel. I had an egg white omelet with ham, green peppers, and onions with a side of fruit. So far so good.

After breakfast we said goodbye and headed down to Las Vegas.

We met up with Matt's friends around 2 and they just wanted to go to the food court for a quick lunch. I had a BLT Salad from McDonald's and only used a small amount of the dressing. This is where things take a turn for the worse. For dinner we ate at The Grand Lux cafe. (think Cheesecake factory) I already told myself that I certainly wasn't going to beat myself up for this meal as I had been good the rest of the day. I ordered my favorite food: Chicken Parmesan.

(This picture really doesn't give it justice, The romantic lighting wasn't good for pictures)

OMGoodness!! This was one of the most amazing things I have ever eaten and it was huge! I didn't even get halfway through before I was completely stuffed. We went out for the rest of the evening but when I came back to the hotel room the leftovers were too much to resist. I had a bit more before giving what was left to Matthew. Again...I'm OK with this, It was my birthday.

The rest of the weekend is a bad blur of bacon, fruit crepes, more chicken Parmesan, Jack in the Box, McDonald's, and Panda Express. :(

Not my proudest moment.

But I'm back. Today is Monday. It is a new day. I can do this! I'm jumping back on the wagon with both feet. When I finish this post I'm heading to the gym for a sweaty session on the elliptical.

How is your weekend going so far?

Pump up Jam

2010-05-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

You know when you're working out and you really just feel like you should quit? You're tired and sweaty and you've already put in a good 35 min but you told yourself you were going to do 45?....yeah, that time.

What song comes on your iPod to get you through it?

Here are a few of mine:

Gotta get Through This by Daniel Bedingfield

Imma Be by BEP (if you don't know what BEP is by now....turn on a radio)

Just Dance by Lady Gaga

What is your pump up jam? What song do you run extra fast to?

Also....guess what is on its way to my house!

Weekend plans

2010-05-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

So earlier in this post I mentioned that I was headed to Vegas for a weekend. Well that weekend happens to be this weekend and I can hardly wait. Matthew and I only live about 5 hours from Vegas so it makes for an excellent quick getaway.

Friday is my birthday so I'm taking off work and going to America's Playground. (It is my opinion that the day you decide to work on your birthday is the day you are truly old.)

Matthew is from California and all of his good friends are still there so they are driving up to meet us there. It will be fun for Matt since he hasn't seen them since our wedding.

There is one thing that I've been trying to decide though....Do I give myself a free pass on my birthday or do I stick with it? You decide. There is a poll just to the right of this post. My birthday fate rests in your hands. :)

Adventures in Tofu

2010-05-24T12:55:00.000-07:00

So if you don't know who hungry girl is, go find out and then come back. :)

I found Hungry Girl's recipe for Hungry Girlfredo and the promise of a 100 calorie bowl off creamy goodness drew me in. But was it too good to be true? Since the recipe had mostly ingredients that I have on hand anyway I decided to go ahead and give it a test. I read around online so I would know what to expect and make sure I did everything correctly.

I started with the Hungry Girl endorsed House Foods Shiritaki Noodles.

Rinsed them well...

Laid them out on a paper towel and dried them off the best I could before tossing them in a bowl and into the microwave for a minute to make sure they were really dry.

I added the final ingredients of Fat free sour cream, a laughing cow cheese wedge, grated Parmesan, and a dash of pepper. So far this is looking good.

One Minute later and Voila! 100 Calorie pasta.

So...the verdict.

The sauce was pretty good. I actually really liked it and would consider using the ingredients to put over regular pasta. However...the noodles....not so wonderful. The taste wasn't bad. There wasn't much of one. The thing that got me was the texture. It was very un-pasta-ish. I'm big on texture. It is the reason that I won't eat dippy eggs and my steak must be COMPLETELY brown (it's chewy if it isn't). I think that if I weren't a true pasta lover, this might have convinced me. But since I only allow myself so many calories a day.....

I wasn't going to waste them on tofu. :)

Have you tried anything new lately?

Sleep over with Grandma

2010-05-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling hungry. Not because I haven't eaten in a while. Not because I smell something that is delicious. Not because I was just looking at the "This is Why You are Fat" web page.

Nope tonight I'm feeling hungry because I'm spending the evening in the hospital with my grandma and I have to say that I'm a little stressed out about it. She isn't in the ICU anymore but sometimes at night she becomes disoriented and attempts to rip out her feeding tube and oxygen. I'm nervous that I will sleep through it.

I keep telling myself that "Hunger is not an emergency" and that I'm not even really hungry. Hopefully this feeling goes away soon. It not....the cafeteria is open until 3AM :)

Meet the Newest Member of the Family

2010-05-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! Thank you for all of your sweet compliments and best wishes for my grandma!

I'm sure you are all waiting with baited breath to see my newest pair of shoes so I won't make you wait long to see them. Here they are: This time it was a little harder to find a pair of shoes because they had to fill two purposes. They not only had to be fabulous but they also had to get me through a weekend in Las Vegas without killing my feet.(More on that trip later) especially since now that I've chosen shoes as my reward Matthew rolls his eyes every time I need to get a sensible pair and not count them.

The best part of these shoes is that they are remarkably comfortable. I don't know that I would go as far as Dr. Scholes and say they "feel crazy good" but it's pretty darn good.

This week's weight loss really did come as a shock to me since I was unable to workout all week with the exception of Monday. I stayed on top of what I ate and tried to get in a lot of extra steps but I knew that they certainly weren't going to add up to a full blown workout. Thank you, Body, for not letting me down this week!

Tonight I'm making shiritaki noodles for dinner. Check back to see how it goes! :S

I'm Going Shopping!

2010-05-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

That's right people...I have officially lost 60 lbs according to my scale this morning. I'll be picking up a new pair of shoes today to reward myself for my progress. I'll check back a little later to update you on the newest member of my wardrobe.
Also check out this post to see a postcard with 1 of my reasons to lose weight.

My Favorite Food

2010-05-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

Grandma is doing much better! She has been moved out of the ICU and into a recovery room. Spending my days at work and my evenings at the hospital was a little rough but it certainly wasn't all bad. It was great to see a lot of my extended family members...even if it wasn't the best circumstances.

Another perk, It gave me an excuse to eat here:

Chipotle is my FAVORITE place to eat. Now I know what you are all thinking. "Chipotle! Is this woman crazy!? That is SO unhealthy!"

But hear me out. I get a barbacoa burrito bowl with rice, black beans, tomato salsa, a tiny bit of cheese and lots of lettuce. Doesn't it look AMAZING!?

And according to this site and caloriecount.com it runs at only about 600 calories. I know that is a pretty high calorie meal for a dieter. As a matter of fact it is nearly half of my daily intake. But this is one of those meals that really fills me up and I don't feel too guilty about eating.

What are your favorite places to eat out and what do you order?

Also, remember to check back in tomorrow to see if I will be doing a little shoe shopping this weekend ;)

A wrench in the works

2010-05-20T08:17:00.001-07:00

So this week has really thrown off my workout and eating schedule. Monday evening my mom called and told me that my grandma had fallen and broken her neck and that they were bringing her up to a hospital near me.

Tuesday right after work I headed up to the hospital for a visit. My grandma was SUCH a sweetheart. Her face was swollen and bruised and she couldn't move her neck because of the brace it was in. She sill opened her eyes and looked and me and told me that I looked really good and that I must have lost some weight (I'm sure my mom had told her.) That's the way my grandma always was. It was never about her. Such a sweet lady!

We stayed at the hospital until about 10:00 that night before we went home. I took my mom home with me since we only live about 30 minutes from the hospital and she lives a good two and a half hours away and is scared to drive on the big city streets. So no working out on Tuesday.

Yesterday was nearly the same story. Up early in the morning to take mom to the hospital and then back to work. After work I went back up to the hospital until about 10.

I haven't been working out and I feel pretty bad about that. But as soon as I feel bad about that I feel guilty for making such a big deal out of working out when my grandma is in the hospital. I feel selfish for wanting to make my eating and exercise a priority.

Any ideas of how I can work up a sweat and still have time to help out the family?

Thanks for your support! Sorry the blogs this week have been few and far between.

The Saga of the Specktacles...and other tales

2010-05-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

I promised you a weigh in on Saturday and I failed to deliver. I apologize blog world. After sweating away all week and watching what I ate, my scale rewarded me with a .7 lb loss. Woot, it wasn't a gain. I wasn't expecting a loss this week and if you are female and can recognize simple patterns on my week by week loss chart....I'm pretty sure you can figure out why :)

Friday was a hectic evening...and not the one that I had planned. Matthew and I had originally made plans to visit his Grandma for her birthday and go to dinner with Dustin and Mariah.

However, my eye was still killing me and I was dead tired from not getting any sleep the night before. Luckily, my boss, bless his heart, could see my pain and let me go home early. I came home and took a nap and woke up with my eye hurting even worse than it was before. I called my optometrist and made another appointment. Unfortunately while I was on the phone with him, Charlie (my monster of a beagle) took my glasses off of my night stand and completely destroyed them within a matter of moments. I'm talking unwearable.

Matthew drove me to meet my doctor who upon inspection of my eye prescribed me with a stronger medicine and gave me a few (life-saving) numbing drops. After that the search was on to find a place that made 1 hour glasses at 6 pm on a Friday night. The first few places we went could make glasses in an hour, but didn't have lenses strong enough for my prescription. Eventually we found a place that could do it and I picked out some new eye wear.

1 hour and some fajitas later, I could see again. Thank goodness for new technology. I can't wear my contacts for 2 more weeks so I guess I'll get used to them. I'm also quite impressed with my ability to pick out cute glasses while nearly blind. :)

Saturday we headed out of town to visit my parents. Today is my moms 50th birthday!

Happy Birthday Mom!

( This is my mom exactly as she'd like to be seen to the world. She is a wonderful lady that often dresses up and reads stories to children at local schools, libraries, and day cares. This year she will be graduating with her teaching degree. Go Mom!)

The visit was great and included a lot of good healthy choices and a few not so healthy ones...see photo of cheesecake brownie below.

Note: My brownie wasn't this big...but I certainly wouldn't call it small either. I stand firm in my belief that the first piece of birthday cake you eat is calorie free as long as you eat it with the birthday person. If you go back for a second piece though....double the calories.

While I was visiting my family I didn't have access to a gym so instead I went on a walk with my sister. (Who also has lost about 37 lbs this year. I'm surrounded by inspirational women!)

It was great to spend time with my family but making good food choices when I'm home is hard. I let my guard down. I just want to relax and not care. I'm back home now and back on track for the day. I've already clocked an hour on the elliptical.

Do you have a harder time eating well when you're around your family? What do you do to stay on track?

Sweat and Tears

2010-05-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

Yesterday I woke up with a burning in my right eye. I immediately took my contacts out and wallowed in pain on the bed for a bit longer. My eyes were watering like I'd just been dumped and they were SO sensitive to light.

I decided that it wasn't bad enough that I should miss work. (Especially since I'm taking a day off at the end of this month for vacation. Vegas Baby!) I struggled through work and decided that this certainly wasn't going to get any better without the help of a doctor. I called my optometrist and got in at 5. Luckily, my boss was nice enough to let me leave a little early.

I was in and out of the doctor in a matter of about 10 min. I have an ulcer on my eye....and that pain I'm feeling, is bacteria eating my cornea. (yikes!, I know)

Here is a picture of my eye:

Note: this is when it wasn't feeling all that bad. It got much more red and much more swollen but when that happened I really wasn't all that interested in taking a picture of it for my blog.

The doctor gave me a numbing eye drop and a prescription for some eye drops and sent me on my way. Since my eye still felt alright I decided it was a great time to work in some exercise. I did 35 min on the elliptical.

When I finished I looked like this:

but I felt a lot like this:

PS...no making fun of my sweaty face. It is my "I-mean-business face", and I certainly mean business!

I spent the rest of the evening and the very early hours of the morning in a whole lot of pain. Fortunately, when I woke up this morning the pain was much more bearable. All I can say is that yesterday was definitely a day full of sweat and tears. : )

Saturday is weigh-in day for me so check back to see my progress...or lack thereof.

Really Hungry?

2010-05-13T11:17:00.001-07:00

Lately I've been having several days in a row where I just feel like I'm ALWAYS hungry. I don't ever feel satisfied and I'm sure if I allowed myself, I could eat the world.

I never expected to feel like this. I don't really have hunger pangs but I just can't shake the thought that I'm hungry. If anything I expected this feeling in the first few months of my lifestyle change...not now. Not 5 months in.

So the question is, How can I tell if I'm really hungry? Is my body trying to tell me something? Am I really not getting enough calories? or, is it all mental?

How do you decide whether or not your feelings of hunger are real? Do you allow yourself to give into them or do you practice some will-power and fight them off until your next planned meal or snack?

2010-05-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

One thing you will soon learn about me is that I eat out...a lot! It has definitely been a challenge these last few months but I was determined when I started this diet, not to make my husband feel deprived because of it and Matthew loves to go out.

Since my new habits are a lifestyle change I decided it would be much more effective if I just used my resources and find ways to eat out and still have a healthy, balanced diet.

Some of my favorite tools are:

Calorie Count.com

Eat this, not that

and all of the nutrition information available online.

Meet My Family

2010-05-10T18:57:00.001-07:00

A little bit about me... I live in Utah with my husband, Matthew, and our monster of a beagle, Charlie. Look at the innocent act he pulls. If you look closely you will see the remnants of our ottoman that he thought looked tasty.

Matthew has been a huge support in my efforts to becoming a healthier version of myself. He is always around to let me steal a fry off of his plate but if I go back for a second one to threaten to stab my hand with his fork : )

Me and my husband a year and a half ago:

Here is a picture of our fabulous footwear on our wedding day:

You will get to know both Matthew and Charlie more as we go on. Also soon to come, current pictures of where I am today.

Who are your biggest supporters in your weight-loss journey?

About me

2010-05-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

My name is SherRon and this year I'm losing weight and gaining a fabulous collection of shoes. Here is how it works: I eat less and move more and for every 10 lbs I reward myself with with a new pair of shoes.

I've been on this journey for several months and about 56 lbs. So if you do the math that means that at this point I should have about 5 pairs of outstanding footwear.

Meet the collection:

The first 10 lbs- Miss Me Garnet-8 Shoe.

My 20 lb pair- Madden Girl Setra Faux Suede T-Strap Platforms-

Clearly I was on a bit of a ruffle kick.

My 30 lbs pair- Madden Girl Sabelle Pump
The pair I got are in a dark Burgundy color but this was the only pair I could find.

My fancy 40 lb pair- Rocket Dog Women's Orient Dress Pump

And my most recent 50 lb pair- Madden Girl Jazzii
So there they are. The motivation that has gotten me this far.

Welcome to my blog! Follow me as I work for a more healthy me.