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Yesterday was a good day. A friend joined me for a nice long walk. Walking goes quicker when you have someone to talk to. We walked almost 3 miles. Eating has been going well. I have been logging all of my food and exercise. I need to get back into my workout routine. I have really been slacking in that department and I am kind of missing the gym. This weekend I am going to pick up a new pair of headphones and start back to the gym on Monday. I need to get back into a weight training routine. I would really love to start taking a kickboxing class. A real kickboxing class, not a cardio one.

I have been feeling really good about myself lately. My jeans are fitting much better and my energy levels are going back up. Increasing my eating has definitely helped. Guess my doctor really doesn't know what he is talking about.

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A New Record.

I got the most amazing news this morning. I stepped on the scale and was down another 2 lbs. I am now at the the lowest I have been since I began my journey. I am only 3 lbs away from my mini goal of breaking 200. My weight has not been this low since before I got married (7 years ago). It feels so good! It is also helping me to continue making good choices.

Matt sent me a text and asked me what the plan for dinner was. I spent the entire day repainting our guest bathroom, so I did not make any dinner plans. He suggested we go to the Mexican Restaurant that we love. I told him to take the kids without me. I love Mexican food but I am not ready to tempt myself with it. Chips and Salsa sounds so good! But, I am going to pass.

42 lbs to go and I am there! I am so close, I can taste it  I can fit it!

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Good Choices

I am down another pound this week. That makes me very happy. Seeing results always pushes me to strive to see more results.

Today I met a friend for lunch and was slightly nervous. Eating out is usually my downfall. I always give in and have the things that I shouldn't have and I get very enticed by the desserts. I was very proud of myself for the choices I made today with my eating. I decided beforehand that I would stick to a salad when I met my friend. The original plan was to go to a sandwich place that is in the building she works in. Instead, she recommended a nice place down by the Canal. Creation Cafe. The menu items looked SO good! I wanted so many different things; all bad things. I decided on a Waldorf Salad. Romaine lettuce, turkey, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, celery and blue cheese. Right before our food came out, I realized something. My salad had a lot of carbs in it thanks to those darn walnuts and cranberries. DANGIT! I decided to just eat around the cranberries and walnuts. Who likes those deliciously, tasty, sweet things anyway! ME, THAT'S WHO! I compromised. I ate a few of them (not even half). As much as it pains me, I ate around most of them. The salad was still pretty good. I passed on dessert, even though I really wanted some. I knew I had carbsmart icecream at home.

TIP: Instead of pouring your dressing over your salad, lightly dip your fork into the dressing before each bite. You eat much less dressing.

For dinner, I planned on making a roast. Correction, I DID make a roast. It was in the crockpot cooking and smelling good. At about 4:00pm Matt sent me a text:

Matt: Did you put the roast in the crockpot yet?
Me: Yup
Matt: Oh. I was gonna suggest we go to BJ's Brewhouse if you didn't.
Me: Oh.
Matt: Ok, let's just go anyway. Let the roast cook and we can have it tomorrow.
Me: Lol ok

So we ended up going out to eat, again! I looked over the menu and debated on Salmon or porkchops. Then I thought, "how hungry am I? Really?" I wasn't starving, so I ordered an appetizer instead. Thai Shrimp Lettuce Wraps. I definitely do not regret that decision. They were DELICIOUS! It felt good to not feel guilty for cleaning my plate. I passed on dessert again.

I did end up going slightly over my carb allowance today. I had 62g instead of my 50g. I am ok with that. It is still a lot better than the amount I was eating.

I am very happy about my choices today. The weekend will be the real challenge. I am hoping that I keep my determination and don't fall back into old habits.

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Motivated, Motivated, Down Right Dedicated!

You check us out, you check us out....Smoooothhh!

I am happy to report that I am no longer at a stand still. I started back with Myfitnesspal (Melli907) on Monday and have stuck to it. I also took the dog for a 2.5 mile walk. I wanted to walk more but Savannah is getting old and got worn out faster than me, so I needed to take her home. This morning I hopped on the scale. To my (happy) surprise, I was 1 lb lighter. It doesn't sound like much but when you are working your buns off and not seeing anything, one pound can mean a lot. One pound can increase your motivation and your confidence in the things you are doing to loose weight. One pound or 20, it's a loss that I am VERY happy to report. This one pound is what I needed to keep me going. I was getting very discouraged that I stopped loosing, despite all of my efforts. Tomorrow I am meeting a friend for lunch, I plan on sticking to my low carb ways and making good choices.

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I Get Knocked Down, But I Get Up Again.

And, I fell off the wagon again!

The good news is, I am back on it.

I'll start with a recap. I lost 50lbs between last summer and the beginning of this spring. However, I began eating poorly again. I was still going to the gym but my food choices were pretty bad. I began gaining some of the weight back. I kicked my butt back into gear and I am back at that 50 lbs mark.

I am at a standstill, AGAIN! I keep going up and down between the same 3 lbs. I hate these plateaus that I keep hitting. No matter how little I eat and how much I work out, I'm not loosing right now. GR! I went to my doctor to talk to him to see if maybe the problem was that I wasn't eating enough. He didn't seem to care that I was only getting 300 calories a day (after deducting my calories burned from working out). He said, if you burn more than you take in, you will loose weight. Maybe he's never heard of starvation mode. At the moment, I am convinced that that is what the issue is.

Today I am getting back into using myfitnesspal. I am going to work on eating around 1200 - 1300 (But no more) calories but keeping my carb intake under 50g. My husband and I used this app on our phone 2 years ago and it worked great! we both lost 30 lbs while using it (without exercise).

Some days I feel like I am a work horse and someone is dangling a carrot in front of my face. It's right within my grasp but no matter how much i walk towards it, I just can't grab it! I feel like I am so close to my goal but I can't get over this hump! I am only 40 lbs away. I lost is pretty easily the first time, I know I can do it again.

Even though I am at a stand still again, I still feel better about myself. A few years ago, we went to Holiday World with my in-laws. Grandpa and I were taking the kids on the Zinga. I know some of these rides have weight limits, but I did not expect to have to get on a scale before getting on the ride. The four of us stepped onto the giant scale and we were told that we would have to split up. I was mortified! I know where the extra weight came from. ME! I didn't want to ride anything else that day so I stayed with my husband in the kiddie pool and watched my youngest play. That trip was a big eye opener. I did not ever want to have to feel like that again. This past summer, we went back to holiday world. I may not be skinny, but I am a lot smaller than I was back then. I felt much better about myself while I was there. I felt like I could actually enjoy the park with my kids. It couldn't have come at a better time. My youngest is such a little man now. He didn't want to spend the whole day in the kiddie area (although he did want to play there a little). He wanted to ride the big rides. He could, he was tall enough. I didn't go back on the zinga but I did ride a lot of other rides.  My husband has the same fear at these parks that I do. We are scared that we are just to big. I am proud of him though. He bit the bullet and rode some of rides with the kids. I had a blast this year and can't wait to go back (hopefully another 40 lbs lighter this time).

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What in the World am I Doing?

I have let myself fall back into old habits. Old, bad habits. I worked extremely hard to loose the weight that I lost. It's time to get serious again and get back to it. NO EXCUSES!

I went to Wisconsin to visit my sister for a few days. I ate horribly. I can't think of a single healthy thing that I ate. Cream Puffs are definitely NOT paleo.

Katina and I hit the gym in full force. We did our cardio and then started a new workout. We did a few machines for upper body. We increased the weight on them so make it harder. After some upper body stuff we utilized one of the raquetball courts to do our new "challenge". When we entered the court, I realized there was no door handle on the inside of the door. We had no idea how we would get out if we closed it, so we decided to leave the door open. We began by sprinting to the other end of the court. This was followed by 20 jumping jacks. Then we side stepped back (quickly). We finished with 20 squats. We did the entire thing one more time. We ended our workout with 40 crunches.  It was a good workout.

We didn't stop there. After we took the kids to school, we walked a path that was up the road. It was a perfect day for it.

Today we had another fantastic workout. We began with some cardio, as usual. About 10 minutes into the cardio, I couldn't stand the loud girls behind me any longer. We had to move to the other side. After cardio, we did our 40 crunches and headed to the raquetball court again. This time I decided to shut Katina in the court so we could figure out how to get out. She figured it out pretty quick. We did the same routine as yesterday except we did an additional set. We felt great afterwards.

My eating has been right on track so far. I'm really happy about that. The key is keeping the same mindset everyday. No more of this "one day wont hurt me crap". It WILL hurt me! One day leads to two days and then before I know it, a week has gone by and I've gained again. Time to kick butt again. My own butt!

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Tough Road.

We are still eating Paleo and we still like it. I have made several yummy things for us to eat, even desserts!

Banana Nut Muffins ( I added nuts to mine )

Apple Crisp with Coconut Whipped Cream I LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. It was so delicious! I love the Whipped Cream too. You can add cinnamon, honey, vanilla, even dark chocolate to it to change it up a bit.

I feel much better on this diet. I am waking up earlier in the mornings without feeling tired. I have been able to eat breakfast with my husband each morning before he goes to work because I am able to get out of bed earlier. 

It does get hard when I am around other food that I used to eat that I can't eat during my 30 days. I was at a friends house and she made Chicken Enchiladas for dinner. They looked SO good, but I couldn't eat them. 

Today, I am in a rut. I am not happy at all today. Even though I feel great, I am a tad put off today. I have gained 2-3 pounds in the last couple of days and I have no idea why. I have been eating very little carbs. The carbs I have been eating are natural (from fruit). Yesterday I logged my eating to see if I was eating to many Calories. I ate 1245 calories and burned 693 at the gym. Surely, I should be loosing weight since I do this every day. Right? This is normally the time that I would start being honest with myself and come clean about "cheating" with my eating. However, I honestly have not been cheating. I have been put to the test so many times and have always come out on top. I even made Snickerdoodles for the kids yesterday. My husband offered me one last night and as hard as it was, as bad as I wanted one, I said no and walked away. I am really hoping that our scales is messed up or that I am just gaining muscle faster than before (since I am eating so much protein now). Sigh....

My 29th birthday is on Saturday. A friend is taking me out tomorrow and my husband has arranged a family dinner outing for Saturday. The question is, do I loosen the strings and enjoy my Birthday or do I stick to my diet? Do I pass on my own birthday cake?

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Marco. Paleo!

I know it has been awhile (again), since I have posted. But I finally have stuff to blog about, again.

Before the holidays I got down to 204 lbs from 242 lbs. After the holidays, I hit a bump and gained some of the weight back. Going into the new year I was at 213 lbs. I do NOT want to go backwards. I have worked way to hard to go back to where I was. 

I am very happy to say that I am back in my normal gym routine and back down to 205 lbs. 

On Sunday (January 27th) My husband sent me an article about a diet that he was interested in trying. I read the article and was interested myself. That night, we sat down and discussed it. We made the decision to try it for 30 days.

On Monday my husband and I began our 30 day trial of the Paleo Diet. I will admit, It was some what difficult during the first few days. Not because of the lack of eating (I get to eat plenty), but because of my body getting used to a healthier way of eating. At first, I was skeptical. I thought, "I'm not going to be able to eat anything on this diet". But I quickly learned that was not the case at all, and I began to have fun with it. There are things that I can't eat, but there are nice alternatives, especially if you aren't afraid of trying new and different foods.

I really enjoy cooking, and I get to do a lot of it with this diet. I get to eat bacon and eggs every morning for breakfast, that tastes much better than plain oatmeal. I have a salad and an apple for lunch (that is my choice because I am not very hungry after coming home from the gym but I have to eat something). If I feel hungry before dinner, I grab a handful of nuts or some fruit, however, I am rarely hungry between meals. For dinner, I get to have fun cooking. I started simple and made things that I already knew how to make like, Talapia, Lemon and Garlic Chicken, and Steaks. Then I looked up a few recipes and the fun began. 

Friday night for dinner I made Chili. It looked very different (because of the lack of beans and noodles that I usually put in my chili), but it tasted good. For desert (yes, I can have dessert), I made a Honey-Almond Cake. It was delicious. 

Saturday morning, I made pancakes! Banana almond pancakes, to be exact.  Saturday night I made Paleo Spagetti. Again, It was different, but tasted good.

I have 3 kids. My youngest is going through a picky eating phase, the middle child will try anything and my oldest is autistic and it can be hit or miss when it comes to food. Sometimes he likes food we think he will hate and hate food we think he will like. All 3 of my kids enjoyed some of these meals. My oldest did not eat the pancakes because of the texture of them (due to the bananas in them). Other than that, all the meals I have made so far, my kids have eaten and enjoyed. 

We are on our 6th day of this diet and I have lost 8 lbs! My husband has lost 7 lbs! I am super thrilled. I have 45 days left until I have to buy my dress for my parents vow renewal ceremony. My goal is to loose at least 30 lbs by that time and another 10-20 lbs before the actual ceremony. I am pretty confident that I can do it!

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A New Year. A New Me.

I'm back.
I fell off the blog wagon for a bit but I am working on posting more from now on.
Oh the down side, I will admit. I did gain a few pounds back. I am at 210 lbs right now. However, after coming clean to my husband about my "cheating" on my diet (and being honest with myself about it), I am ready to start again and finish the 2nd half of my journey to a healthier me.

This is where I am at right now.
My goal is to loose 40 more pounds. Who knows, maybe a little more once I get there.
My sister and I have been planning my parent's vow renewal that is coming up this June. I am hoping to work my butt off to loose as much weight as possible before then. 

I had a training session today. My husband had already forewarned me last night that my trainer was going to work me out pretty hard. I was pretty nervous, but also looking forward to it. I needed to get my butt into gear and I knew my trainer was going to do just that. We did a little bit of everything today. A full body workout. Lunges, squats, abs, chest, back, all of it. I actually felt nauseous for the first time. I felt sick, but I felt good. 

Briana suggested that I try eating vegan a couple days a week. She is going to send me a list of things that I can and can't eat. I'd like to try to eat vegan at least 3 times a week. We will see how that goes. I like eating raw veggies  so it might not be TOO hard. But, if loosing weight was easy, we would all be skinny.

Tomorrow, I am going back to the gym for more cardio. I can't wait for the snow to stop and the wind chill to go away so that we can start going on our family walks again.

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