Weigh Day

I lost 2 lbs this week which puts me at 205 lbs. I'm at a total loss of 97.5 lbs. . . 2.5 lbs until I've lost 100 lbs & 6 lbs until I'm under 200 lbs. This is so exciting! I'm praying I can lose 2.5 lbs this next week. I want to report a 100 lbs loss to you next week.

We're off to Eugene Oregon today. Jason's running in his first half marathon on Sunday. I'll post pictures sometime next week. I'm so excited for him and so proud of him. I can't wait to cheer him on to the finish line.

Three Accomplishments

I want to share three of my accomplishments last week.

1. I woke up at 6 AM every morning to get 1 hr of my work out in before the day began.  (If you know me, even a little, you know that's a BIG deal.)

2. I ran 5 mls on Easter morning and averaged an 11.77 minute mile. (The fact that I was running on a holiday shows a major life change and I'm super excited that I'm back up to 5 miles.)

3. I finally used my massage gift certificate on Saturday. Ya know, the one my sister gave me when I lost 50 lbs? It was AWESOME!! If you want a fantastic massage go see JoJo at Zao Massage inside Chic Salon. 

Menu Monday

Hey, look at me posting this recipe on a Monday.  :) 

My entire family enjoyed this chili.  It has great flavor! I hope you like it too.

White Bean Chicken Chili


Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes Ready In: 35 Minutes
Servings: 9

"Canned white beans and cooked chicken meat are incorporated in chicken stock with tomatillos, green chilies, chopped tomatoes and fresh corn kernels in this chili seasoned with cumin, coriander and oregano."

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
2  (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (7 ounce) can diced green chiles
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 pound diced, cooked chicken meat
1 (15 ounce) can white beans
1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil, and cook onion and garlic until soft.
2. Combine broth, tomatoes, chilies, and spices in a blender.  Blend to desired consistency. Add to onion 
    and garlic.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add corn, chicken, and beans; simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2011 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 2/6/2011



Nutritional Information

Svgs Per Recipe: 9

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 220
Total Fat: 6.1g
Cholesterol: 40mg
Sodium: 857mg
Total Carbs: 21.2g
Dietary Fiber: 6g
Protein: 20.1g

Weigh Day!!

I lost 2.5 lbs this week.  I weighed in at 207.  Ahhhh!  I'm getting so close.  I've lost 95.5 lbs.  I was really hoping to be down 100 lbs next weekend but it may be by Mother's Day, and that's okay with me.  I'm seeing the scale move consistantly again and that makes me happy.

Weigh In

I was just sitting here thinking through what I was going to write when I realized I didn't post my weigh in last week.  Shame on me. . . I weighed in at 209.5, down 3.5 lbs from the last weigh in.  I'm really hoping for at least another 3 this week.  I've shaken up my calories for the past two weeks and worked out 2 hours a day.  I'm hoping this will break me out of the plateau I've been in.  I'm weighing on Saturday mornings now so I won't post another weigh in tomorrow.  Hopefully I'll remember to post it on Saturday. 

So I have to tell you that I'm so excited and so proud of myself.  I've managed to get up at 6 AM three mornings in a row. I am not a morning person! (That's putting it lightly.) I realized my workouts were taking away from my time with my family in the evenings.  Getting up at 6 allows me to work out for an hour so that I only have to work out for an hour in the evening after the kiddos go to bed.  (Unless I'm running. I run right after work. I learned my lesson about running in the dark.)

Have a fantastic Friday!

Menu Monday. . . on Wednesday

This is one of the best things you'll ever eat.  I've been making it for years and it's always a hit.  I like it even more now because of the low calories.  This is what we're having for Easter dinner.

Apricot-Glazed Ham

This delicious ham from our Test Kitchen gets a spicy-sweet tang from its glaze, which also adds a sumptuous sheen to the meat. The zip from the mustard and subtle apricot flavor permeate every tender juicy slice. Count on this ham to entice company to the table and make a great impression with your dinner guests.

16 Servings Prep: 5 min. Bake: 2-1/2 hours

Ingredients

• 1/2 boneless fully cooked lean ham (4 pounds)
• Whole cloves
• 2 cups ginger ale
• 2/3 cup apricot spreadable fruit
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

Score surface of ham, making diamond shapes 1/4-in. deep. Insert a clove in each diamond. Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan; pour ginger ale into pan. Loosely cover with foil. Bake at 325° for 1 hour. In a small bowl, combine the spreadable fruit, brown sugar, mustard and ginger; brush some over ham. Bake, uncovered, for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 140° and ham is heated through, brushing occasionally with glaze. Serve with remaining glaze. Yield: 16 servings.

Nutrition Facts: One serving (3 ounces cooked ham with 1-1/2 teaspoons additional glaze) equals 182 calories, 5 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 47 mg cholesterol, 1,200 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 21 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1 fruit.

Copyright Taste Of Home

Weigh Day

Frustration and discouragement are the two words that describe the feelings I’m having this morning. I weighed in at 213 today. That’s 3 lbs from last Friday but only 2.5 lbs for 3 weeks. It has taken me 6 weeks to lose 10 lbs. I am clearly in a plateau. My body doesn’t want to let go of the weight. Last week on Biggest Loser they addressed this issue with Courtney. They upped her calories and lowered her burn for the week.  It didn't work.  She only lost 1 lb.  At this point I wish I could get some professional help to break through this.

As I was writing this post an email from http://www.jillianmichaels.com/ came through.  How fitting. . .  It's about Plateaus.  This is what it said. . .


Busting Plateaus


There is nothing more discouraging than stepping on the scale after a week of diligent dieting and grueling workouts and not seeing any drop in the number. The plateau is a common problem among dieters and can typically be waited out, but there are measures you can take to keep your metabolism fired up even as you reduce your caloric intake.


The best way to break a plateau is to keep your salt intake below 2,000 milligrams a day and drink lots of water. Make sure you're not eating any processed carbs, period. That's right — no chips, sugar, white flour, and so on. And hit the gym hard! The boost in exercise will make your body swell and hold fluids for a few days, but after a week you should see the benefits on the scale.


You can also try playing around with your caloric intake a bit, varying it from day to day throughout the week while keeping the same weekly total. The body can't slow its metabolism to adjust to a reduced caloric intake if the intake isn't fixed from one day to the next. For instance, to bust my plateau, I might have 1,200 calories on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and then eat 1,500 calories on Tuesday, 1,600 on Thursday, 1,400 on Saturday, and 1,700 on Sunday. Get it?


The plateau effect can sometimes simply be a matter of flagging resolve. If mixing up your caloric intake just isn't working, make sure you're not slipping up on your diet or slacking off in your workouts. I'm serious; it happens.


As with any program, there will be highs and lows, but stay with it. Your body is trying to adjust to the weight loss. Don't get scared or discouraged. Just be patient and know that you are worth it!

So this is the plan for the week. . .  I'm hoping for the best!!

Vegas Here I Come!!!

Guess What!?!?!?! Huge breaking news. . . . My sister is taking me to VEGAS baby!!!  She told me she wants to reward me for reaching my next big milestone.  My next milestone is reaching the 100 lb weight loss, as you already know.  I’m so close she decided to go ahead and book the trip.  We are going in June.  I’m so excited!  Two of my sister-in-laws are also going.  Girl’s trip!  I have such a wonderful family.  My sister ROCKS!! 

Favorite Things

One of the tricks I have up my sleeve to help me through this journey is Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate 100 calorie bars.  They are so yummy!!!!  (I keep them in my refrigerator for emergencies.)  They are sweetened with sugars your body recognizes so it doesn't go into shock.  They are individually wrapped so I'm not tempted to continue eating more than I should and the best part is they are only 100 calories.  Yeah!!! 

Menu Monday

So I made this one the other night because I thought the kiddos would love it.  (They are so tired of chicken.)  I just knew this one would hit the spot.  Turns out it wasn't their favorite, however every adult loved it; couldn't get enough of it in fact.  I'm making this one again.  Next time I'm going to use less Crescent dough to see if the kids will like it better.  I also used ground turkey instead of ground beef to lower the calories.  Enjoy!!





Make Over Nacho Beef Bake


Ingredients


• 1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean)
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 envelope reduced-sodium taco seasoning
• 2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated reduced-fat crescent rolls
• 1 cup (8 ounces) reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 4 ounces baked nacho tortilla chips (about 2 cups), crushed
• 3 cups shredded lettuce
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped

Directions

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the beans, water and taco seasoning; mash slightly. Cook and stir for 4-5 minutes or until heated through; set aside.  Unroll crescent dough and press onto the bottom and up the sides of a 13 in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray; seal seams and perforations. Spoon beef mixture over dough. Spread sour cream over
beef mixture; sprinkle with cheese and chips.  Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 18-22 minutes or until cheese is
melted. Top with lettuce and tomatoes. Serve immediately. Yield: 12 servings.

© Taste of Home 2010

Nutrition Facts: 1 piece equals 357 calories, 15 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 41 mg cholesterol, 728 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 20 g protein.

Weigh Day!

I don't know what book this is talking about,
but I love the line in the yellow box!

I said in my last blog I wasn’t expecting to have a loss this week. I weighed this morning and I’m up ½ lb from two weeks ago. I know that sounds bad, but with where I’m at in my month, I am thrilled. This means I could see a dramatic loss next week. I’m inching my way to 100 lbs. I work hard every week, but this week I’m going to pay extra attention to my water, sleep and sodium intake. I want to see a large loss next week.


I went for a run with my sister last Tuesday. You know me; I have to talk things out, out loud. While we were running I shared with her that over the past few weeks, when I think about my cheat night, I really haven’t craved anything, but I’ve still eaten junk. Why is that? Why do I still eat when I don’t want any of the food? My conclusion is, my body is letting go of its dependence on food, but my mind isn’t. I told her that if I’m not craving anything this Saturday I’m not going to just eat to eat. That scares me a bit. It reminds me of when I first started this whole journey. When food was my closest friend; I was petrified to think of removing it from my life. That fear is what keeps so many people from starting and finishing their weight loss. I fooled myself into thinking I conquered this. I could handle not meeting my friend all week because I knew I was going to meet it on Saturdays. My physical body doesn’t want the junk food on Saturdays anymore, but my mind does.

I shared with my mom a few weeks ago that I’ve never been a happier person. I always thought I was happy. I’ve had my seasons of stress, depression, anxiety, etc, but I thought I was happy. However, there was so much self-hatred going on inside, I could never be truly happy. Even with everything we’re going through there is a genuine feeling of peace and contentedness inside. On my blog I talk through things that are bothering me or things that are surfacing that I need to deal with, but I am genuinely content. I don’t know that I’ve ever been content. My mom said it right, “You are happy inside now.” That’s the difference. I’ve never been happy inside. While things looked good on the outside a battle was raging internally. That’s what’s changed. Now the storm is brewing outside but inside the battle has stopped. This is a strange place to be. Sometimes I find myself trying to find some of those old feelings. I have to stop myself, assess what’s going on and let myself feel the peace. Wow!

As I move down this road on my weight loss journey I’m continually amazed at the things I learn. This journey has been like peeling an onion. Each time a layer is peeled away and I think I’ve dealt with everything, another layer is exposed. What an exciting thing to know I am working on things that are going to make me better, happier and healthier. If you haven’t started your journey yet or you’ve been stagnant, I encourage you to grab the bull by the horns. Take a chance on yourself. You’re worth it!