Weighing In - Week Twelve

"I love this crazy, tragic, sometimes almost magic, awful, beautiful life." Darryl Worley.

This pretty much sums up my week and as the scale shows, I'm just barely hanging on to all my previous hard work.
This week's blog isn't going to be about how hard I've worked out, because I haven't since Wednesday. And it isn't going to be about how I've stuck with my diet, since that too has become a bit erratic. No, this week, it will be about how sometimes life spins out of control and all you can do is go with the flow and hope that once the ride is over, you're able to stand up on your own two feet without losing your lunch.

It all began Sunday evening, after a Mother's Day feast of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, biscuits. Basically nothing I considered diet friendly. I was pleasantly stuffed and checking my email, when a well-intentioned friend sent me a link to a PETA video. Normally, I would avoid watching things that I knew would disturb me. I won't lie, "Ignorance is bliss," was my motto when it came to knowing where my dinner came from. But for some reason, I decided it was time to face my fears (big mistake) and burst my own personal bubble, so I watched... and I watched... horrified. And when it was over, I was crying. Physically ill and disturbed beyond any hope of erasing the images and sounds from my mind. And in that moment, Vegetarian-Cheri was born.

Now, because my choice to become a vegetarian is a personal one, I'm not forcing it on my children. No, I will not let my children watch the video (although the boys asked) and no I'm not stopping them from eating their beloved hot dogs, chicken breasts, or steaks. I firmly believe that a decision like this (much like politics and religion) can only be made for ones self. But because I, myself won't be eating meat anymore, I'm able to stretch my budget in a way that will allow me to purchase the pricier, independent, more humanely farmed meats and animal products. We are moving to soy milk as a household not just because of the pathetic life of a diary cow but because it often helps children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and some forms of ADHD. So it seems like a two-for-one, win-win situation, to me. But it becomes a bit trickier with cheese. That's a dilemma I'm still working on. You see, we eat a LOT of cheese in my household... and finding it produced in ways that are not factory/production-line'esque (I know, that's entirely my own language) well, it's something that will take a bit more research. Anyhow, I've gone a week without meat and surprisingly, I'm A-OK with that. I'll admit, it was a little hard trying not to think about where the chicken breasts came from, as I grilled the kids dinner on Monday night but I did it.

In an aside, please note that I'm not on a soapbox preaching to anyone about cutting meat from their diet. This is solely a personal choice and I have no problem with others continuing to be carnivorous. By all means, please, enjoy your cheeseburgers and fried chicken. I used to, so, enough said.

Now, the rest of the week was hectic as everyone in my household was plagued by horrible allergy attacks. The kids weren't sleeping- sneezing, wheezing and coughing their way through the night, which meant I wasn't sleeping either. The mornings were particularly difficult. As many of you know, a tired child is NO fun to get ready in the morning. Times that by three. Yes, it was beyond difficult. Then it seemed, no matter what I did, we were always running late and when I start my day in that manner, it stays that way for the remainder. Always two steps behind everyone else. It's very frustrating and tiring trying to constantly catch up.

Then of course, school was it's own difficulty this week. It turns out, I'm allergic to the hair color the school uses. Every time we began working with it, I became an itchy mess from head to toe. I wanted to crawl out of my skin I was so uncomfortable. I don't look forward to getting out on the salon floor where I'll be exposed to it 8 hours a day, three days a week, for 9 months. Just thinking about it now has me itching!

In addition to chemical allergies, I personally suffered from pollen allergies and with them came the headaches, sneezing, itching eyes, sore throat and body aches. This is where the "diet" flew out the window. Although I continued with my salad lunches and healthy snacks, for my sore throat, I used the "ice cream cure." Nothing better than a bowl of "Cookies & Cream Ice Cream" at bed time to help soothe a painful throat. My kids love this cure, too! And no, this was not the "light" version ice cream. Come on now, what's the point of that?

So now, it's Sunday again. I have one child coughing like mad, another sneezing and coughing, while the third has the sore throat, lethargy and overall "yuck" feeling. All three a whining and easily set off today. OK, all four of us are that way. I myself am a mess. Itchy inner ears, nose, throat (and now itchy skin recalling hair coloring week two of for at school) and I still feeling like I could use another 8 hours of sleep. I wish I could say that I am going to be able to stay in my pajamas all day to rest and relax but I can't. We have family coming in from out of town today and everyone is meeting up this afternoon. Joy! I bet it's going to be a backyard event. Believe me, my family will be well dosed with Benedryl and Claritin, for sure!

I hope everyone else had a wonderful week. All in all, I tell myself, "It could have been much worse." And for that I'm grateful it wasn't. Here's to hoping next week is a little easier and whole lot less itchy. Until next time!

Weekly weight loss: 0.6 pounds
Overall weight loss: 23.6 pounds

Weighing In - Week Eleven

It was bound to happen. I've actually been expecting this for some time now. I gained a pound and a half. While part of me is mentally screaming at myself, a large part is completely OK with this.
It bugs me that despite sticking with the diet and working out two times a day for most of the week, the scale has crept up on me. I know, I know- don't go strictly by the scale. I'm better off going by body mass index and how my clothes fit each day but admit it- when the scale shows weight loss it feels more tangible. So in an effort to put a positive spin on this week's weigh-in, I'm going to focus on the tangible results I've seen thus far.
First off, I've noticed that I've lost almost all the fat from my calves and forearms. They are showing definition which is fabulous. Also, my double chin has begun to melt away. I've still got some of the jowl-iness (Is that even a word? Well it is now!) but I have faith that it will also disappear over the next few months and that my jaw line will become more defined. As I mentioned last week, I've been able to wear pants that didn't fit just a few months ago. My most happy moment this week was when I managed to put on some old 32" waist jeans that I hadn't fit in since 2007. Although they are still a bit too snug for my liking around the waist, I must take into consideration the selling from the hernia in my abdomen. This will not fully go away until I have the surgery to correct it later this year. All in all, I'm pretty happy with my results.
Now, my goal for this week will be to lose that pound and a half again. I'll be perfectly fine if I hit 168.4 lbs again. Of course, I won't complain if I get to 168 lbs flat.
Thanks again to everyone who has cheered me on and those wonderful people who've complimented me in person over the past few weeks. I must say, it feels really good when other people notice and comment on all my hard work. I've been smiling a lot more lately, so thank you. Until next time, have a wonderful week!

Weekly Weight-loss: gained 1.6 pounds
Total Weight-loss: 23 pounds

Weighing In - Week Ten

Holy Crow! 5.6 pounds!?! Wait a moment. Let's try that again... I stepped off the scale, telling myself it was a fluke, a digital mistake. After a moment, I picked the scale up, replaced it on the floor, and waited for it to reset itself. I closed my eyes before stepping back on and counted to 5 before opening them again...

Heck yeah! 5.6 pounds! My best week ever! Wow! If you could have seen me at that moment, I had the most ridiculous grin on my face and actually giggled! Childish I know but I couldn't help myself!
I immediately ran to my closet and grabbed some size 12 pants that were unbearably tight in the waist on me just two weeks ago. No problem. I'm sitting in the now... loving every minute of it!

What is truly amazing to me is that this week I only worked out once per day (needed to let my leg slowly ease back into exercising as not to tear the muscle again) and I had a bit of a hiccup on Wednesday with brownies and cookies in class. Obviously the garden-clipping-tasting salads I eat for lunch each day and the bottles and bottles of V-8 that everyone makes fun of me for drinking, are paying off. Don't get me wrong, I eat other things too. Like the grilled chicken, enchiladas, stir-fry steak strips for dinner and tons of other veggies but instead of hitting up McDonald's for lunch or indulging with the rest of my class at Mountain Mike's Pizza on Friday, I've been really trying to make better food choices. I think the scale says it all this week.

On a bit of a side note... I have a few friends who are also trying to lose weight and who've been discouraged by stepping on their own scales. The diet and exercise changes they have made aren't showing the results they'd like number-wise. To them I say this- Give it time. It's taken me ten weeks to get results like this. My first few weeks were small numbers, sometimes only a pound, maybe less. The longer you stick with it, the better it gets. Don't get down on yourself! As your body adjusts, some weeks will have the snowball effect, each week better than the last while others will be the dreaded plateau where one pound is painfully hard to lose. Although we're all working our butts off for the finish-line, our goal weight, it's each little step of the race that counts. One foot in front of the other, we've got to keep trudging along. We will get there sooner or later. I have faith in us all! We can do it! Especially if we cheer each other on when the journey gets hard and we get discouraged. So many people have helped me get where I am so far, and without them, I don't know if I could have stuck with this and done as well as I have. Thanks to everyone for the great encouragement! I look forward to seeing what the scale says next Sunday. Until then, have a wonderful week!

Weekly weight-loss: 5.6 pounds
Total weigh-loss: 24.6 pounds

Weighing In - Week Nine

I'll take what I can get. In last week's weigh in I had incredible results. Results of hard work, regular exercise. This week's one pound loss is purely the result of adhering to my diet and the residual effects of a metabolism in overdrive from my previous month's workouts. As I said, I'll take what I can get.
Last Sunday, after writing my weekly blog, I decided to spend some time working in the garden. The weather was beautiful and I had loads of energy. My tiny patio garden was lost beneath six months of winter debris and neglect. After an hour of vigorous weeding, raking, and scrubbing of the patio furniture, I was ready to start hauling away the bags of clippings. In my characteristically ungraceful nature, I managed to tear my groin muscle trying to step over the numerous bags of garden waste on the ground. From previous experience with muscle pulls, I knew instantly this wasn't a normal strain. This was serious. Twelve hours of ice and a regular regimen of ibuprofen enabled me to hobble into work the next day but exercising was out of the question. In fact I haven't been able to exercise at all this past week. Not one single time.
I've literally been going a little bit insane from the lack of sweat. It's a sickness, I know. But after contemplating pushing myself and exercising through the pain, my better judgment (OK, the better judgment of my friends and family, who regularly checked to make sure I wasn't trying to over do it) took over and I decided against it. My poor elliptical, sitting alone in the corner, gather dust from disused. It's truly depressing. But now, one week later my leg is feeling better. I am no longer limping around. I'm ready to get back in the saddle and start burning off those calories. I look forward to this next week. I really can't wait to get back to work and start shedding those pounds again. More than one pound per week.
Thank you to everyone who scolded me this week when I complained about being so sedentary. Thank you to those who encouraged me to wait and rest. You helped keep me smart and from going completely insane. Check back in next Sunday and let's see if I've reached the 20-pounds-lost milestone. Until then, thanks!

Weekly weight loss: One pound
Overall weight loss: 19 pounds

Weighing In - Week Eight

Heck yeah! A four pound week! Four pounds!

I'm incredibly happy with my results this week. Can you tell?
If I could climb through the computer screen and hug each and everyone one of you, I would! I have to thank all of my followers. You guys are awesome! I get the best tips and encouragement from you all, so please, keep it coming!

And then I'd have to thank myself. I have almost never been able to stick with any kind of restricted diet. For what ever reason, this time, I am able to. I don't crave drive-thru, I'm not sneaking unhealthy snacks and most shocking to me of all, my sweet tooth seems to have mellowed out considerably! Th past few weeks, I have been living surrounded by buckets of Easter candy, tubs of ice cream in the freezer,and a huge bowl of "Ambrosia" salad in the fridge. Except for one little blip on Thursday at school when I let myself have one too many jelly beans. I've been able to ignore the rest for weeks! Yeah for me!

Now, a new food I tried this week that I should mention 1% Low Fat Cottage Cheese with No Salt Added. I will admit, I hesitated buying this when I read how the amount of sodium per serving compared to my regular 1% cottage cheese. Well, to say the least, I've been pleasantly surprised! My regular cottage cheese listed over 400 mg of sodium per serving where as the 'No Salt Added' only lists about 120 mg. To be honest, I have yet to be able to eat this new cottage cheese without adding a bit of salt (between 1/16 and 1/8 a teaspoon) and a whole lot of black pepper. Maybe I'll be able to wean myself off the added salt altogether but for now, I'll be happy with the significant drop in sodium my diet will be taking.

Another happy food find this week was a 210 calorie pre-assembled salad offered at my grocery store. First off, it isn't made with iceberg lettuce, it's made with a nice spicy greens mix. It's has chicken breast meat, walnuts, a bit of feta cheese and dried cranberries, to be topped with a low calorie cranberry vinaigrette dressing. Yummy! I'm making my self hungry writing about it, and it's only about 8:30 in the morning! I found the chicken meat to not be fatty or over salted. And the amount of dressing provided is in good proportion to the actual salad. This is important if you don't like your salads too dry or soggy. When I'm too behind schedule to pack a good lunch at home, I can swing by the store and pick up one of these delicious and good for my diet salads.

On a final note, I feel compelled to remind every one to start drinking more water. As the weather warms up it's very important to stay properly hydrated. I really noticed a difference in my water intake this week. I've gone from about 80-90 ounces a day, to 115-130 per day. I think this is really helping me stay on track with the diet and just feel healthier overall. Try it!
Well, it's 8:45 AM and I've got to go make my kiddo's some breakfast. I just want to thank everyone, one more time. Thank you! See you next week!

Weekly Weight-loss: 4 lbs
Overall Total Weight-loss: 18 lbs

Weighing In - Week Seven

Sweet! Finally below 180 pounds! Double Sweet! Finally a new pair of shoes! This past week has been pretty good to me. I was able to really stay on track with my diet and got in a number of great workouts despite a bum left knee/hamstring. I think the scale shows how hard I've worked. So far, on my weight loss journey, I've managed to lose 14 pounds!
The trick, I've discovered, is to fill up on "good" foods and make sure that I get in at least one, if not two, push-it-to-the-limit workouts each day. I've become a firm believer in the miracle of 'Low Sodium V-8.' It's amazing, the little kick of energy I get from just a half glass before and after each workout. Not to mention that it's incredibly filling and full of good stuff.
I'm still eating a half cup of 1% cottage cheese twice a day. I loved cottage cheese before I started this diet so I've really had no difficulty keeping it a regular meal choice.
I've had to 'up' my salad eating since I've not been known for consistent veggie eating. With a few good low fat / low calorie dressings in my fridge I'm able to sell myself on eating more leafy greens than I'm used to. One of my favorite dressings is still the 'Eating Right Blueberry and Pomegranate Vinaigrette.'
And when I have a munchy attack, just about every day around 3PM, I reach for either the RyKrisp Natural crackers or I make a package of Orville Redenbacher's Natural Simply Salted 50% Less Fat popcorn. Both are crunchy (part of my munchy craving needs) and full of fiber so they are actually quite filling when paired with an ice cold bottle of water.
And of course, I'm still making other non-dietary foods such as last Monday it was Split Pea & Ham soup and just yesterday another pot of Spicy Jambalaya. I've learned to serve half my usual serving (a half cup instead of a whole cup), cutting my calorie intake but still allowing me the more filling and flavorful dishes.
And finally, I've pretty much stopped eating sweets. I'm serious! I may have one or two jelly beans out of the kids Easter baskets (the Easter Bunny knew I was on a diet) but any more than that I can actually feel ill. The only 'sweet treat' I have a few times a week are the low sugar, 10 calorie jell-o cups. It's amazing how much better I feel now that I'm not eating all the donuts, cupcakes, cookies and ice cream that is available to me.
As for exercise, I've had to modified most of the 'cardio' parts to the workouts I follow. This means that jumping jacks are all arms and little bounces with my feet together. The jump-roping is much the same. Since I'm not able to go-all-out on the cardio during the actual workouts, I've reconnected with my elliptical and have been practicing sprinting through the level one sections (75+ revolutions per minute) after each 'Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and Fat Banishing: Metabolism Boosting' sessions. It helps that I changed my workout play-list a little after a friend of mine introduced me some songs off the 'Twilight' and 'New Moon' Soundtracks (Thanks Chase!). By adding a few new songs with really up beat tempos, I find myself able to go faster and further on the elliptical (Thanks Muse, Paramore, The Killers & The Black Ghosts).
Well, it's about 10:20AM now, and I hear my elliptical calling me. So, thanks for checking in! See you next week!

Weight loss this week: 3.8 lbs.
Total Weight loss to date: 14 lbs.

Weighing In - Week Six

So far, so good! I've reached my first 10 pound milestone on my journey of weight loss.
It's taken a bit longer than I had originally expected but I'm thrilled none the less. If you're anything like me, adhering to your diet will difficult today. Traditionally, in our family we eat sweets, sweets, and more sweets with a bit of ham and potato salad on the side.
I'm not sure I will actually eat the potatoes. I know, sounds crazy coming from this potato-aholic, doesn't it? I gave up potatoes for Lent but am thinking that for the sake of this diet, I might just keep off them for a bit longer. If not give them up all together, at least keep them to an absolute minimum. No point in undoing all the hard work I'm put in so far.
Well, I'm sorry to say that I don't have anything else witty to write for this week's blog. I've got some egg hunting to duties to perform with my children this morning followed by preparing a breakfast with none other than, hard boiled eggs! Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate; Happy Sunday to those of you who don't!
Total weight loss to date: 10.2 lbs