Day 42

My weigh-in went fine yesterday. I stepped on the scale to see that I had lost 5 pounds from January 17th. I wish it would have been more for 6 weeks of work, but it was something. Then they did some other measurements and calculations which put me at 6.5 pounds of fat lost, 1 pound of lean muscle mass gained, and 3% decrease in my body fat percentage. It was actually good for me to see that I lost more of the bad, and gained some good...that's why the scale doesn't always reflect the work I'm doing. I'm not proud of how the rest of the day went, however. I guess I felt I was entitled to a bit of a break or something. I didn't consume a whole bunch of food...just not very good food.

Breakfast 9:00 am: oatmeal, banana, skim milk, brown sugar (before weigh-in and workout)

Post-workout snack 12:30 pm: protein bar

Lunch 2:00 pm: 2 very large slices of pizza (Anthony's...how I ate both of these I do not know, but I know I was good and hungry after the tough workout), water to drink

Snack 5:00 pm: 1/2 cup Cap'n Crunch, milk

Dinner 7:30 pm: 3 slices of Outback bread (with butter), Chopped pecan side salad, crab stuffed shrimp appetizer (4 shrimp), 1/2 of the sample portion of the Chocolate Thunder Down Under brownie dessert, Mr. Pibb to drink, and a glass of water too

I had a really tough circuit class work out yesterday. I am still incredibly sore from it today, especially in my hips. It makes walking up and down the stairs a nice adventure. I'm tempted to make this my "off" day for a work out. However, I know the next week is going to be a strange one since I have a trip coming up. Maybe I should make it in there. I don't know....

It is good to know that I can order appetizers for meals and be satisfied. I couldn't have imagined ordering one of the full meals, complete with a couple of side dishes and some hunk of meat! I'm not sure how bad, calorically, everything was that I had yesterday. I guess I'll find out when I start plugging it all in on the website. I do know, it's back to good stuff today :) I did cave and have pop with our dinner....I was feeling tired and we were on our way to our son's concert so I wanted to feel more awake! It seemed to help. I know...excuses, excuses....

Day 42: Already halfway done with this challenge. Not quite where I thought I might be as far as weight loss. But it was motivating to hear that like half the participants didn't show up for their weigh in. That cuts my competition in half :)

Day 41

You would think with a weigh-in looming large today that I would have been on my best behavior yesterday. That wasn't the case. I'm bummed that I didn't make better snacking choices...but I'm also wondering why I was doing all the snacking!

yesterday:

Breakfast 8:30 am: 1 cup shredded wheat, 3/4 cup skim milk

Lunch 12:30 pm: leftover ham and potato soup, 1 breadstick, 2 cups spinach with fat free Catalina dressing

Snacks from about 2:00 to 3:00 pm: 1 mini Nestle crunch, way too many donettes, cashews

Snacks from about 4:00 to 5:00 pm: more cashews, protein bar, Gushers

Dinner 7:30 pm: 1 slice cheese thin crust pizza, about 6 crackers and cheese, 2 cookies, 1 slice french bread

Drinks 10:00 pm: Coors Light

I had my swim lesson in the morning which felt like a really good workout. It was a good 35 minutes, at least, of lap drills. I think I got about 80 ounces of water in yesterday.

I probably should have passed on eating the leftover soup, but it was easy and needing to be used up. It still tasted really good...and I accompanied it with a nice big spinach salad, so I felt a little better about it :)

I guess you can see the snacking was a little bit out of control. I grabbed things I shouldn't have, and things that just made me want more snacks. I just now realized I didn't have any fruit yesterday. That would have been a much better choice! Not sure why I did all of this. Like I said, I thought I would be eating very well knowing that I had to check in at the halfway mark of this challenge at the gym. I guess it's too late now...I can't dwell on the fact that I 'messed up'. I'll just go see how far I've come, and put in a good workout at my circuit class today!

I was out painting pottery last night...out with the girls! We had snacky foods and I abstained from the wine while we were there. It was the heading out to LoDo's that had me grabbing a beer or two. It's all good...there was a day I would have had pop while we were painting, and still done the beer later. I've cut out some of those calories I used to consume! Thinking positive, thinking positive, thinking positive :)

Day 41: Not a stellar day. BUT, I love swim class and the new exercise variety it is giving me. Had a fun night with my peeps....So there was definitely good that came out of the day! (Am I allowed to say 'peeps', at almost 40 years old?)

Day 40

Oh happy day! I woke up with no headache today! I still had one yesterday, except for when I worked out. Not sure what that is about...but I am cautiously optimistic at the moment. Maybe today will be headache free!

yesterday's foods:

Breakfast 8:00 am: egg scramble: 2 egg whites, 1 egg, 1/4 green pepper, 1/8 cup monterey jack cheese, 1 cup skim milk, 1 piece whole wheat toast w/ Skippy natural peanut butter (about 3 tsp)

Snack 10:00 am: 4 Hostess Donettes (who bought these anyway?!)

Lunch 12:45 pm: 1 chicken nugget, 4 bites of cheeseburger, 2 apple slices, 1 6" Subway tuna on wheat w/ lettuce, tomato, provolone cheese, 3/4 of a white chocolate chunk macadamia nut cookie (at the mall....yes, I was hungry :( )

Post-Workout Snack 3:45 pm: APEX workout shake

Dinner 6:30 pm: cashew rice, stir fry chicken, 1 Coors Light

Snack 8:30 pm: protein bar

I worked out for 50 minutes on the elliptical, burning 545 calories. I probably got just about 64 ounces of water in...not enough, I'm sure!

So, today is Friday, and if I'm switching to a Friday weigh-in, I guess I will report that I am down 1/2 pound from last Friday. Tomorrow is the 6-week weigh-in at the gym. I hope to see some good results there!

I do feel like I am creating some good new habits. It is hard not to get frustrated that it isn't going a little faster. It would seem with a trip to the gym every day, that I would be seeing results faster...but the whole nutrition piece needs to get in line, I guess. I am encouraged though, that I am wanting to go to the gym every day, and not dreading it. I hope this continues....I just know that it's important for me to incorporate exercising in to my 'normal' life, not just when I want to lose weight. I am almost 40...and I need to keep my heart healthy, my bones, muscles, organs healthy! Sitting on the couch isn't gonna do that...I am fortunate that I am able to take the time every day to get up and go to the gym. I encourage anyone who is struggling with finding the time, to make it a priority. So much good comes from it...for you and even for the people surrounding you. Even if it's for a 20 minute walk outside...no gym membership required :)

I bought some new jeans yesterday. I haven't wanted to buy any clothes because I want to think I'll be getting out of my current size soon. But I am in love with the fact that these were a size 12. I can't believe I was putting on size 22 jeans about a year and a half ago. And they were feeling snug. I want to cry, thinking about how sad I was to be so much bigger. I really tried to be happy with myself, and accept that I was going to be that size forever. I wanted it to be ok, no matter what size I was...I was still 'me', after all. And I didn't want to do the work to lose weight. But I had the worries in the back of my mind...what if I get diabetes? what if I have a heart attack? Although I know I can't really prevent these things from happening...I can do what I can to make them less likely. I was "obese", and it was a good day when I decided that wasn't going to be ok anymore.

Not sure where the reflectiveness is coming from today, but I'm just feeling like I need to look at how far I've come to maybe encourage me in the continuing journey. :)

Day 40: It was another good and bad day :) But mostly good!!!

Day 39

I am thankful that I did not experience a migraine yesterday. I am still experiencing a headache which is really bumming me out. Guess it will be time to check things out if it goes on much longer. I still feel as if my muscles are tight all over and I'm just wondering if that could be why the head hurts. Oh how I can't wait for that massage to get scheduled!

Yesterday's foods:

Breakfast 8:30 am: 1 cup spoon size shredded wheat, 3/4 cup skim milk

Snack 10:15 am: 4 Hostess Donettes

Lunch 12:30 pm: Scrambled 2 egg whites, 1 whole egg, 1/4 of a red pepper, 1/8 cup monterey jack cheese; 1 orange, 1 graham cracker

Post-workout snack 4:00 pm: APEX workout shake, banana

Dinner 6:30 pm: small bowl of cheesy potato and ham soup, 1 pillsbury breadstick (I did make the soup with skim milk, and it has celery and onion in it....It was super yummy, and a hit with the family! Just kept my portion on the small side :)

Snack 8:00 pm: 1 package of Gushers 'fruit' snacks

I worked out for an hour on the treadmill, burning 645 calories according to stats on the treadmill. Not sure how I'm able to burn more calories on the elliptical in the same amount of time...but I continue to go back and forth between the two machines to try and use different muscles, and so my body doesn't get used to any one thing. I'm missing my weight work outs with my training partner. I hope we'll be able to meet up again soon. Without him, I have just been choosing to kick up the cardio a notch.

I got about 70 ounces of water in yesterday. I did take Advil on two occasions as I felt my headache start to intensify.

Day 39: Ah, no blinding headache!

Day 38

Yesterday was a rough day. That headache I came down with on Monday night was still there when I woke up in the morning. And then, oh joy...it went right on in to being a migraine. I spent a good portion of the day in bed, trying to stay away from the brightness of the sun, with compresses on my face. I haven't had a migraine in like 6 years. I wasn't real pleased to experience one again. So, let's just say that eating and exercise were not a major concern yesterday. I couldn't think about even sipping water, much less eating, while I was in the middle of this darn thing. Thankfully, it went back to just being a headache in the late afternoon. I still have a dull ache in my head today. I hope it just stays that way and doesn't develop in to anything else! I hated missing a workout yesterday. I am anxious to get back at it today.

Day 38: Ouch!

Day 37

Ah, Monday. Back to 'real life' yesterday. No "made to order" breakfast and free happy hour. But real life is good too! Especially at the moment, since my son just called to me out of the blue.."Mommy!" me: "What?" Beau: "I love you." Yeah, I'm good with real life right about now!

Yesterday:

Breakfast 9:45 am: 1 cup spoon size shredded wheat, 3/4 cup skim milk (yep, back to that again :)

Snack 12:15 pm: 1 graham cracker (ok, so maybe it counts as 2 or 4, but it was one full sheet)

Lunch 1:45 pm: 1 leftover Popeye's chicken breast with skin and breading removed, 1/2 biscuit, water to drink

Post-workout snack 4:00 pm: protein bar, 2 stalks celery w/ 1 T. peanut butter

Snack 6:00 pm: 2 graham cracker sheets

Dinner 8:30 pm: 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, water to drink

I worked out for one hour on the elliptical...according to the machine, I burned 700 calories :) I also got in about 70 to 75 oz of water in yesterday.

Was a good day, however, I came down with a headache in the evening. I didn't much feel like eating, and had to really force myself to even eat the cottage cheese as my "dinner". Woke up with the same headache this morning. I do feel a lot of tension in my shoulders, so it may have to do with that. I am glad to be keeping the food diary I am keeping because I can look back and see exactly what I've done to see if it can clue me in to where these headaches might come from. I'm wondering about hormones, my bed, caffeine, my pillow...hope I can narrow down the cause soon. It's not fun dealing with these headaches! Especially when taking some meds doesn't work. I've got a call in for a massage...hopefully I can get in soon and see if that will help out!

Day 37: Return to the real world complete with a real headache. Dag nabbit!!

Days 34-36

The last scrapbooking retreat I went on was in September. I gained five pounds over 3 1/2 days. I was concerned that I would come back home and see similar fruits of my labor for this weekend as well. However, I am up just a pound from Friday. Considering the silly things I did this weekend, that is very good news.

I won't really recap all that I ate this weekend. It wasn't all terrible. But let me just mention the hotel we stayed at had free happy hour drinks from 5:30 to 7:30 both Friday and Saturday nights. I am a sucker for free things, so I got my money's worth :) Hee hee! But I split a dinner with a friend Friday night, worked out for over an hour on Saturday, and chose to have egg white omelettes both mornings. What's that? Did I hear someone asking what else I had with those omelettes? Well, only the best dang waffles I have ever had in my life. Seriously, the thing melted in my mouth. I'm sure it was whole grain, and low fat. :/ Oh, and the Mr. Pibb I had along with my breakfast? Just my 'coffee' to get me going. See, I told you I did some silly things. I did manage to have a terrific time, and accomplished some scrapbooking as well!

I do want to have a very good week this week though....My six week weigh-in at the gym is on Saturday. I will be very interested to see what the change is in my body fat percentage. Although I don't seem to be seeing drastic results on the scale, I am fairly confident that there are some good things going on in this body!!!

Days 34-36: Fun, fun, fun...and a nice break for this momma!

Day 33

Yesterday was a bit of a crazy day. When there are doctor's appointments, along with other appointments and broken garage doors, the little bit of a 'routine' that I have, gets thrown out of whack!

Breakfast 8:30 am: 3 egg whites scrambled with 1/4 of a green bell pepper and 1 oz of cheddar cheese, 1 whole wheat piece of toast with 1 tsp honey, 1 cup skim milk

Lunch 1:45 pm: 1/2 Carl's Jr. Kid cheeseburger that my daughter didn't eat, 8 fries, 1/2 cup mixed veggies (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli) w/ cheddar cheese, 2 oz chicken, 1/2 slice whole wheat bread, 1 tsp Miracle Whip Light, 1 sweet gherkin, tiny bit of cheese melted on top. (I actually made one whole slice of bread, with more of everything on it, but I couldn't eat the whole thing, perhaps because of the 1/2 a cheeseburger I inhaled prior to this).

Snack 3:15 pm: Chocolate cake protein supplement

Snack 5:30 pm: 2 Tagalong cookies

Dinner 7:00 pm: 1.5 slices leftover pizza, 1/4 of a can of Dr. Pepper, 4 Thin Mint cookies.

The day started off so well! I purposely tried to have a 'good' breakfast knowing that I would want to eat the leftover pizza for lunch or dinner. The things I did wrong were done out of being too hungry...going too long w/o eating. Running to a Doctor's appt in Denver with the kids took up a good portion of the morning. I should have taken snacks with me. I ran some other errands, and by the time we got home, I was starving and ate the half of a cheeseburger before I got my meal prepared. On the bright side, at least I didn't get something for myself in the drive thru!

I was stranded in the house for a while because our garage door broke. Therefore, I did not get a work out in yesterday. I intended to go in the evening instead, but with it snowing outside, and the couch calling my name, I didn't go. I had another appointment at 4:30 which took longer than I anticipated. By the time I got home, I was starving again and grabbed cookies while I started to reheat pizza. A bit later, I popped open a DP, and downed a slice of pizza but couldn't drink much of the pop. That's good news! At least I know it is getting harder for me to do some of these 'bad' things. The FOUR Thin Mints were just there...yikes! At least all the Girl Scout cookies are about gone. That is, until the last little girl I ordered from gets in touch with me.

I will be attending a scrapbooking retreat this weekend, so I won't have another blog entry until Monday. We'll see how the weekend goes....There is usually a lot of snacking that goes on at these things. I will be taking some veggies...but I know I'll be tempted by other things. I just hope I can keep it together for the weekend, so all my progress isn't lost!

I weighed in at 177.5 today. I'm going to see how a Friday weigh-in works. Considering I was 179 on Monday, I'm already liking the switch to Friday! :)

Day 33: Some good, some bad. Busy, and lazy, at the same time...Story of my life!

Day 32

I had a lovely day yesterday celebrating our 20th anniversary. I ended up eating out every meal. I did not plan that...but I did pretty ok:

Breakfast 9:30 am: Starbucks perfect oatmeal w/ everything, splash of skim milk, 1/2 of a short skinny vanilla latte (I didn't know that you could order a 'short' since it isn't on the menu. This is plenty for me! I ended up giving half to my son because that's what moms do sometimes.)

Snack 11:30 am: 1/2 bag of Crunchos (protein snack)

Lunch 12:15 pm: caesar salad, no croutons, no dressing (asked for it on the side, dipped my fork in about every 4th bite) 1/2 pound snow crab legs, 1.5 garlic cheddar biscuits, water to drink

Post-workout Snack 3:15 pm: Apex workout shake

Snack 4:00 pm: banana

Dinner 6:30 pm: 1.5 slices Domino's pizza, 2.5 cinnastix, water to drink

I did 45 minutes on the elliptical, as well as a 10 minute ab workout.

I probably should have had a salad along with my pizza last night. I just wasn't in the mood. In fact, I really would have liked a beer with my pizza, but I didn't have one in the house. I guess that was a good thing! Saved me a few calories!

I was proud of myself at Red Lobster...I usually go overboard with my meals there. This time, I just ordered the crab legs, which are actually an 'add on' to any meal, but they will let you get them by themselves. I also asked for just a salad. I have learned to order caesar salads with the dressing on the side, because I prefer to eat the romaine lettuce rather than iceberg, which is what comes in most house salads. I would rather get more nutritional value out of my salad! I don't soak my crab legs in the butter anymore...although I do dip about every third piece in it...just a dip, not a soak!

Day 32: Emotional day...was riding high most of the day...took a tumble at the end. Glad I didn't start stuffing my face with junk when I took that tumble!

Day 31

Let me start by saying today that I can't believe I have been married for twenty years. Today is our anniversary...and I am truly amazed that I have the man beside me that I do. He doesn't seem to mind if I am 200 pounds or 145...he just wants me to stop complaining! :)

Yesterday:

Breakfast 8:00 am: you guessed it...shredded wheat and skim milk :)

Snack 10:45 am: 10 cheese puffs

Lunch 12:30 pm: 6 oz chicken breast, 1/2 cup green beans, 1 Tagalong cookie

Post-workout Snack 4:00 pm: protein bar, about 10 kettle cooked potato chips

Dinner 7:00 pm: 1/2 french dip sandwich (thinly sliced pot roast, provolone cheese on a hoagie bun), 1/2 cup mixed veggies w/ cheddar cheese, 2 Thin Mints

I did a half hour workout on the treadmill and a half hour of weights.

Craving salty food lately. Hmmm...wonder what that could mean. I still feel pretty good about yesterday, even though I had a handful of cheese puffs and of potato chips. My water intake is staying pretty consistent this week, which makes a big difference. I have been battling headaches the last two days, for some reason. They seem to go away after my work outs, so I'm wondering if it is some sort of tension in my neck or shoulders that gets relieved when I start to move around more. But they may be a symptom of something else that is kinda girly :)

Day 31: Just another day! Are you guys getting bored with this yet??? :)

Day 30

30 days already? Down 2.5 pounds in 30 days. Not exactly what I was hoping for. However, it is a loss, and that is what I have to be happy about. I haven't gained! :)

Yesterday:

Breakfast 8:30 am: 1 cup shredded wheat, 3/4 cup skim milk (I'm stuck on this right now...it's just tastes so good and it's filling. I'm usually in a hurry, so quick and easy is the way to go!)

Snack 11:00 am: protein shake w/ banana

Lunch 12:15 pm: 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, Green Giant Garden Vegetable Medley

Dessert 12:45 pm: Cinnamon twists that my son made from refrigerated biscuits. They were really good and I probably ate too many. Oh, and 1/2 a Dr. Pepper which was an attempt at relieving a headache that wasn't going away. It didn't help. Believe it or not, the headache went away after my workout!

Post-workout snack 4:45 pm: protein bar

Dinner 7:00 pm: 4 oz baked chicken breast, 1/2 cup green beans, romaine salad w/ 1/2 tablespoon of ranch dressing, 1 Tagalong

Snack 8:30 pm: Edamame, 8 cheese puffs

I surprised myself by staying on the elliptical for an hour, burning over 700 calories. I was really not wanting to go to the gym for some reason. To actually make it there and then do such a long workout was a victory.

I was trying real hard to restrain myself last night as I was watching the Olympics. I finally gave in and had a snack of edamame even though I should have been done eating for the night. At least I chose that, and not something else...oh well, then I had a few cheese puffs. Oops.

Day 30: The kids were home, and my son made those darn cinnamon twists. Without those yesterday, I think I would have had a really successful day. Instead, it was a fairly successful day :)

Day 29

Well, for a good portion of the week, I was down about 3 pounds. My activities on the weekend almost erased all of that progress. At least I am down one pound from last week. But, hello, I am frustrated with myself. This is where I've been sitting for so many months. No matter what progress I make, I end up right back in this vicinity. I know it's my own fault for continuing to 'mess up'. What I think I'm realizing, is that the kinds of things I was doing before, are not enough now. I have to work harder at losing these next 40 pounds than I did the first. Why would it take me 6 months to realize this? I blamed it on our vacation, the holidays, the lack of workouts...you name it. Instead, cutting my portions down and doing those several workouts a week, just isn't going to cut it anymore. I am going to have to be diligent about cutting out things I really don't want to cut out. My 'little' indulgences are making it so my progress is at a standstill. My philosophy to not deny myself anything looks like it may have to change.

Yesterday:

Breakfast 8:30 am: the remaining 1/2 of the egg white veggie omelette from Village Inn, one piece whole wheat toast w/ honey

Snack 9:30 am: 1 Tagalong

Lunch 11:00 am: 1 waffle w/ one banana sliced on top, skim milk, homemade syrup

Can't make it until dinner snacks...throughout the afternoon: 1 graham cracker, 3 Thin Mints, 2 Reese's cups (Why didn't I make better choices???? )

Dinner 6:00 pm: Turkey breast, mashed potatoes w/gravy, stuffing, corn, dinner roll, cranberry sauce, broccoli salad, 2 celery sticks, 2 baby carrots, about 8 green olives, pumpkin bars. Thanksgiving in February? pretty much....my mom's wonderful meal put on for a family dinner. At least I only drank water....

I find it very hard to pass up the kind of stuff I listed above for dinner. There was a lettuce salad available, of which I had none. I did have a few vegetables, but for the most part, I went carb crazy. Wish my will power had been better.

I didn't go to the gym yesterday either...decided it should probably be my one day off for the week because my knees were hurting. I really hope they don't become a problem. I really need these workouts.

I did go to the grocery store yesterday, so now I have a few more sensible things to snack on. Back to it today. Next weekend is another challenge, as I will be away from home. Better make lots of progress during the week.

Day 29: Fun visit with cousins, aunt and uncle, sister, nephew, brother-in-law and Mom and Dad. Great food.....I just ate too much!

Days 27 and 28

So yesterday I didn't quite get around to blogging! I'm not sure if it was because I really didn't want to talk about Friday or if I just got too busy :)

Friday's foods:

7:00 am Breakfast: 2 egg whites, 1 egg, all scrambled together with 2 T. salsa, on a Smart and Delicious whole wheat tortilla, 1 cup skim milk to drink. Note: I was unable to finish this breakfast...

9:50 am Snack: protein shake blended with a banana

12:30 pm Post-workout Snack: 1/2 apple

1:15 pm Lunch: chicken caesar salad leftover from the night before...about 20 minutes later, 1 graham cracker, 2 Thin Mints and 1 Tagalong.

5:00 pm Dinner: The Melting Pot (fondue restaurant, cheese course, salad, meat course, and chocolate course) :)

8:00 pm Drinks at Baker St: Coors Light

I did a 1/2 hour workout on the treadmill at about 11:00 am.

I was pretty successful at taking it easy on the calories the first part of the day so that I could consume many in the evening. I just didn't quite do enough filling food at lunch because I grabbed some sweets right after. I haven't tried to log in any of the food from The Melting Pot on my livestrong site....I have no idea what kind of calories we're looking at there!

Saturday's Foods:

9:00 am Breakfast: 1 cup spoon size shredded wheat and 3/4 cup skim milk

12:15 pm Post-workout snack: protein shake

1:15 pm Lunch: Village Inn 1/2 of a 3 egg white veggie omelette, 3 multigrain pancakes, a small dish of fruit, water to drink

5:00 "Dinner": popcorn at the movies, 5 Butterfinger minis, WATER to drink!

8:45 "Dinner?": 1 slice leftover cheese pizza

I attended an hour-long circuit class at my gym for my workout Saturday. (It was challenging!)

Here's another weekend filled with eating out challenges...It's Valentine's weekend, and our anniversary weekend...a couple of things we want to celebrate! Let's look at the good things I did: chose the egg white omelette over an entire menu of other stuff that looked enticing, tried the multigrain pancakes, and they were yummy. I have to look up calorie stuff...I guess they have more calories than their buttermilk pancakes (I found out afterwards). Hopefully, they were a better choice in other areas :/ And I was only able to eat half of the omelette! At the movies, I didn't break down and get a soda, although I did sneak a couple drinks of my husband's. I know the popcorn is terrible for you there, but come on, it's the movies...I probably ate more than I should have, but not near as much as I used to!

So, today...I need to be a good girl! I don't want to completely undo everything that I accomplished during the week this week.

Day 27: Some good choices, some indulgences...Celebrated 20 years with my sweetheart with a fondue feast. Yummy!

Day 28: Some good choices, some indulgences... Continued to celebrate by taking in the movie "Avatar" (which was amazing, by the way!)

Day 26

The morning got away from me yesterday, and I ended up not eating breakfast. I do not recommend this sort of thing. I was so hungry about 11:00, I was ready to eat just about anything. Thankfully, I kept it together enough to get home and have something sensible.

Breakfast: Oops...nada

Lunch: 11:30 am

Tuna melt, (1 pouch chunk light tuna, 1 sweet gherkin, 2 tsp Miracle Whip Light, 1 slice whole wheat bread, 1 Kraft single), Green Giant Immunity Blend frozen veggies (broccoli, peppers, carrots), 1 Tagalong cookie

Snack: 1:45 pm

Chocolate cake protein supplement. Oh my goodness, sooooooo yummy!

Snack: 3:00 pm

1 orange

Post-Workout Snack: 5:45 pm

1 graham cracker, 1 banana

Dinner: 7:00 pm

Domino's Pizza....1.5 slices of sliced Italian Sausage, 1 slice of pepperoni, 1/4 of the bowl of Chicken caesar salad (did not use but one little tsp or so of the dressing), 1 Cinnastix

I got about 80 oz of water in yesterday, and I had a 45 minute weight workout along with 15 minutes on the elliptical. My workout was a little later, at 4:15 pm, which threw my routine off a little bit. But it had already been thrown by the whole missing breakfast fiasco. I guess I just have to learn to adapt, because my life does not run on routines too much anyway!

The chocolate cake protein supplement I had this afternoon was a nice treat. And it was 120 calories, with 12 grams of protein. Not too shabby!

The 1/2 a piece of pizza occurred because my 4-year-old son didn't eat his, so as I walked by the table and saw it sitting there, after I was already done, I grabbed it and ate a few bites. What the hecky?! I was not hungry. I had already finished my meal. Darn mentality that has me thinking we shouldn't waste food. I mean, I know wasting food is awful, and there are plenty of starving people in the world. But somehow, I need to realize that by eating what someone else can't finish, I am not solving the issues of a starving world.

I have a major challenge tonight, as my husband and I will be heading to The Melting Pot to celebrate our anniversary, (and Valentine's Day too, I suppose). After the bit of indulgence in pizza last night, my plan is to go real easy on the calories and salt the whole day. Stick to some veggies, and proteins, and allow myself a bit of fondue tonight!

Day 26: Not bad....wish I had stopped at just one piece of pizza. Ok, next time, I'll stop!

Day 25

Feeling pretty darn good about this right now. Man, I hope that feeling stays around for a while!

Breakfast: 8:00 am

1 cup spoon size shredded wheat, 3/4 cup skim milk

Snack: 10:00 am

Honeymaid graham crackers, 2 full ones

Lunch: 1:00 pm

1 hard boiled egg, Green Giant Healthy Weight frozen veggies (these were super yummy and included carrots, sugar snap peas, black beans and edamame. I ate the whole little package and it was very satisfying!)

After-workout snack: 3:00 pm

protein bar

pre-dinner snack: 4:45 pm

1 cup romaine lettuce, dab of caesar dressing, croutons

Dinner: 6:45 pm

Qdoba grilled chicken, mixed with lettuce, 1/4 cup brown rice, about a tablespoon of sour cream, a spoonful of pico de gallo, and some sort of spicy sauce. About 6 tortilla chips with a dab of guacamole. And a brownie, and two cookies.

My workout yesterday was interesting. I decided I was going to do 45 minutes on the stationary bike. However, my butt was hurting so bad after 25, that I got up and finished with 20 minutes on the elliptical. For a while last year, the bike was the only cardio I could do because I was wearing a boot for a broken bone in my foot/ankle. I don't know how I did it! This was like torture yesterday. Maybe I had the seat in the wrong place, I don't know...but it was not very fun!

I was at a meeting last night where we ordered in Qdoba. I was proud of myself for staying away from some stuff. And I drank water, where I would normally choose something else to drink at our meetings. Little victories, every day...that's what I look for!

Day 25: Positive attitude, positive choices...positively pleasant!

Day 24

I am so pleased with yesterday! I done good!

Breakfast: 7:30 am

1 cup spoon size shredded wheat, 3/4 skim milk

Lunch: 11:30 am

2 hard boiled eggs, Green Giant Healthy Vision frozen veggies

pre-workout snack: 2:00 pm

1 piece whole wheat toast, 2 tsp peanut butter

post-workout snack: 4:00 pm

protein bar, 1 orange

Dinner: 6:00 pm

1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, Wendy's caesar side salad, minus the dressing.

Dessert: 7:00 pm

2 Thin Mints, 1 Tagalong (Oh crap...the Girl Scout cookies are here...it's ok, I can enjoy them in moderation!)

I had 64 oz of water yesterday and a 45 minute elliptical workout.

It's about grocery store time. I really needed a salad last night and had no available greens in my fridge. My son said he was grabbing something on his way home so I asked him to get me a side salad. I was very happy I didn't break down and get anything else. I did snitch two of his fries, but hey, that was enough to satisfy me with just a taste!

It felt good not to screw up too badly yesterday. I don't even consider the cookies screwing up. I am allowed to enjoy things like that...but stopping at two thin mints and not eating the whole sleeve is really the key here :)

I'm not sure what's in the house anymore, as far as the "healthy stuff". I will try my best to stay away from the cookies for most of the day. Then, if at the end of the day, I've done enough of the "right" stuff, I will allow myself a couple of cookies.

Day 24: Whoop whoop! Feels like I'm getting back on track....

Day 23

So yesterday was a "Steak Day". I took a suggestion from a friend, in order to shake things up. I was not to eat anything all day until 4 pm. Upon reaching 4 pm, I was to eat a big steak and an apple. Lots of water throughout the day, of course....There are a lot of things I realized during this day. Number one, I would never be able to make it on Survivor. Number two, I don't think I ever have to worry about suffering from anorexia. Here are some of the other realizations that I journalled about throughout the day:

It wasn't until 11 am that I actually got a bit hungry. What I was battling up until then was just the habit of grabbing things to eat. I was dealing with some stressful bank issues for a couple of hours in the morning. Sitting there on the phone, I was really wanting to eat something. Even though I had already determined that I wasn't feeling hungry, I felt the need to grab something as I got all worked up. I didn't do it. I was also seeing things sitting out on the counter, like loaves of bread, an apple, bags of chips...Just seeing them was triggering something in me that said "eat". I didn't do it then either! (Gum became my friend). It seems like this going without food for a time, was bringing some sort of clarity to me on what my mind does to me on a regular basis regarding food.

About noon, I wrote this in my journal: "I'm realizing that I really look forward to eating. I start to think about, "yay, it's almost lunchtime!"...then I realize I won't be eating anything today. I really don't think it's just hunger for me. It's the pure pleasure of eating." About this time, I took four bites of my daughter's peanut butter and jelly sandwich that she didn't finish. So much for following instructions exactly.

It was not advised that I work out as I was trying this thing yesterday. I probably would have passed out! I did just want to lay around...and sleep, so I wouldn't think about food. When I finally ate my steak and apple at about 4:15, it really tasted good! Crazy thing though...I wasn't starving. I felt like I could eat, and I did. And afterwards, I was ok the rest of the night without anything else. I really wasn't even tempted. Of course, I hit the hay early...that had to help!

This little experiment helped me to drop 2.5 lbs. in one day. Not something I would want to do on a regular basis...but it seems to have helped me get back on track a little. So far today, I'm not near as hungry as I usually am, and not near as tempted by the food that is sitting around.

Day 23: Interesting day. I almost feel like it woke me up a bit.

Day 22

There's really nothing to see here today :) Since I was on a time out this weekend, I enjoyed the Super Bowl with cabbage burgers and hot wings. I didn't go crazy...but because of the type of week it was, I am up a pound from last Monday's weigh-in. Today I'm shakin' things up. I'll definitely let you know how it goes!

I didn't make an effort to get to the gym yesterday either. Bad, bad girl....Honestly, I was feeling pain in my knees and was too scared to go do anything that might aggravate them more.

Today, I have some crappy things to deal with. I hope that I'm able to handle the stress and forge onward in this battle!!

Day 22: Yay Saints!

Day 21

I am not giving up. But....I am taking this weekend off. This week has been torture on me mentally. I got so fed up yesterday, as I was trying to make good choices...I decided I wanted a break from thinking about whether I should have this or have that. This doesn't mean that I then went and raided the fridge and cupboards, and ate everything in sight. (It does mean that I pretty much had cookies and beer for dinner... :) I'm blaming all of you people too! Every time I think about eating something that isn't so great, I think about having to put it in my blog. I have been very honest about everything that I've been eating and doing. Friday was the first day that I actually said I wasn't going to 'fess up to everything on here. That is not going to fly with me! Once I start omitting pieces of info, there would be no point to continuing! So, I needed a free day or two....a break from reporting to you. If you really want to know what I ate yesterday, you can contact me privately and I'll tell ya. Heeheehee!

I did a great circuit workout class at my gym. It was cool to try something a little different. I drank lots of water when I went to lunch at PF Chang's. I laughed a lot last night....had to be a good workout for my abs. These are positives! Today is Super Bowl Sunday....I won't go overboard, but I'm still going to take that mental break. I have to shake things up tomorrow. But for today, I'll have a hot wing or two :)

Day 21: Time out!

Day 20

Here's really all you need to know about yesterday: I ate at Smashburger for lunch. The shredded wheat I had for breakfast, and the avocado slices and Mexican casserole thing for dinner don't really matter. I "saved up" for lunch, because I knew I was going there. I even went online trying to find nutrition and calorie information so I could make an informed choice when I got there. Big red flag: no info to be found. I told myself that I would get a kids meal and a side salad. I walked in the door extremely hungry and my plan went awry. I wanted the whole shebang. I created my own, chose a multigrain bun, got water instead of pop. Got home and logged in to my food diary, where a smashburger came up at 1010 calories. WHAT?? Are you serious? I could have just gotten most of my allowed calories today in just the burger I ate? I googled some more, and just about everywhere came up with this figure. Since Smashburger doesn't provide this info, I guess someone could have made this up, and it got out there somehow and this is what everyone is using...That's what I'm hoping for. :) It was brought to my attention that I don't do this every day, so it's not that bad. I appreciated those kind words....and it really was very good. I enjoyed every bite. But I'm not enjoying it today. And, oh yeah, it was my day off from the gym. I think my body was grateful for the break because I was very sore. However, no exercise + 1000 calorie burger = good luck with losing any weight any time soon!

Day 20: Can I have a do-over please?

Day 19

I don't have a whole lot to say about yesterday. It wasn't too bad of a day. I made some healthier snack choices...but I also found a bag of Brach's candy in the cupboard. Sometimes I feel like some sort of junkie...

Breakfast: 7:30 am

protein pancakes w/ strawberries on top, plus 1 tsp butter w/ 2 tsp brown sugar, 1 cup skim milk, more strawberries (about 1 cup sliced, in all)

Snack: 11:00 am

2.5 stalks of celery w/ about 2 T. peanut butter

Lunch: 11:45 am

4 oz 93% lean ground beef, on a "Smart & Delicious" whole wheat tortilla, w/ 1 tsp ketchup, 2 cups romaine lettuce w/ red wine vinegar and olive oil (The ground beef needed to be used...I would've normally picked ground turkey).

Snack: 4:00 pm

protein bar...but that wasn't 'enough' so... Smartfood popcorn, 2 Brach's cinnamon hard candies, 2 caramels

Dinner: 6:00 pm

about 4 oz pork chop, about 1/4 cup diced apples and 1/4 of a sweet potato, all done in the crock pot. This was a yummy first time recipe. I really love the crock pot!

Dessert: 8:00 pm

one butterscotch hard candy, about 10 pieces of Life cereal

I did only cardio at the gym today. 45 minutes on the treadmill, at 10 incline...about 4 mph, although I would slow it down a little at times. This treadmill thing kicks my butt! I did actually move in to a jog about three times, for about a minute each, then take it back to a walk because my knees would begin to hurt. I am very nervous about my knees, so any time I feel a little pain I get freaked out. Several years back I spent too many weeks unable to do anything, because of my darn knee pain. I don't want that to happen again.

There is a local weight management center where I like to get my protein supplements. On my last visit there, I discovered they had a pancake one, and chocolate cake one. I have yet to try the chocolate cake, but the pancakes were sure yummy yesterday!

I would highly recommend La Tortilla Factory, Smart and Delicious Whole Wheat Tortillas. They are hard to find in my grocery store because they are in their own little section in the bakery, not with the other tortillas. I was nervous to try them, but they are really good! And only 50 calories! (Much less than a regular flour tortilla, which doesn't have much nutritional value either!) Much to my surprise yesterday, my four-year-old sat and ate one along with me at lunch, and not one complaint. Ah, maybe these younger children of mine will actually eat well.....

I was famished after my workout. I couldn't wait to get home to eat something. I made the 'good' choice of the protein bar...and then the Smartfood popcorn. I bought that popcorn thinking it would be a healthier alternative for snacking, but I dip my hand in the bag way too many times, so I just need to leave that at the store. Oh, and those darn candies....just wanted a taste of something sweet. Those itty bitty candies sure can add calories if you don't stop at just one!

Day 19: 10 glasses of water: check. workout: check. Did not completely lose my mind: check. Pretty good day!

Day 18

It's just crazy to me how different each week on this challenge has been so far. The first week, insatiable hunger. The second, very little appetite. This week....I don't have a clue. I don't seem to have that hungry feeling all the time, but I do have a pretty good appetite. The snacking thing seems to be an issue again. And I mean, the wrong kind of snacking. Snacking isn't a bad thing. I believe it is important to do, but only when you make good choices! Yesterday:

Breakfast: 7:45 am

1 cup spoon size shredded wheat, 1 cup skim milk, 1 tsp sugar

Snack: 9:00 am

The remainder of the Bit O Honey bar from yesterday, because it was sitting there staring me in the face on the counter...and yes, jelly hearts.

Snack: 10:45 am

Damn chocolate chip cookie sitting on the counter staring me in the face.

Lunch: 12:30 pm

8 Chick Fil A nuggets, polynesian sauce, 5 small waffle fries, water to drink

Snack: 1:30 pm

Smartfood popcorn...I can't even guess the amount....too much, anyway.

After-workout Snack: 4:30 pm

protein shake w/ banana

Dinner: 6:30 pm

2 buffalo chicken sliders, 2 cups romaine lettuce, 1 stalk celery, 3 baby carrots, water to drink

So, I had a few good things happen yesterday. I did not get a combo meal at Chick Fil A...I chose to just get the nuggets, and satisfied my want for a taste of fries by snitching from the kids. No pop...just water. Good girl, right? Let's not even ask the question, "why were you at Chick Fil A in the first place?" or the other question, "Don't they have salad there?" I don't want to answer those at the moment.

Another good thing was that I worked out. I was again dreading it yesterday...not sure why. This week has just been tough for me to joyfully head to the gym. Did 30 minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes on the weights. I am proud of myself for making the time to go.

I was told that 70% of this losing weight thing was gonna come from my nutrition. Perhaps I need to remind myself of that daily, as certain things are staring me in the face.

Day 18: The snack monster showed up again. Gonna try and get him fired today.

Day 17

I wonder if any of you are getting tired of hearing the same frustrations over and over again. I know my husband is...but he's been listening for 20 years! For him, it's as easy as, "Just don't eat that". Oh, if only it were that easy for me! Yesterday wasn't bad:

Breakfast: 9:00 am

1 cup Life cereal, 3/4 cup 2% milk....I usually always use skim, but my skim milk was tasting funky....

Lunch: 11:45

1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, 1 cup cooked mixed veggies (Birdseye Steamfresh, broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas and water chestnuts...yummy!) I actually ate those veggies with no butter or salt or anything. They were good just au natural! Water to drink.

Snack: 1:30 (pre-workout)

1 whole wheat slice of toast w/ a about 2 tsp peanut butter

Snack: 4:00 (post-workout)

protein bar

Snack: 5:30 (post-grocery store)

10 cherry jelly hearts

Dinner: 7:00

93% lean hamburger, on 1/2 whole grain white bun, 1 tsp ketchup, 10 (frozen)french fries, water to drink This was homemade stuff...not fast food! :) What am I doing making homemade fast food? :) Well, the calories are like half that of the little meal I get at McDonalds....

After dinner snack: 8:00

1 3/4 cup SmartFood popcorn, 1 baby carrot, 3 pieces of Bit O Honey

I went to the grocery store, which is good and bad....It's good because I got more fruits and vegetables that I needed, along with food for dinners this week. It's bad because I bought those candy hearts and a Bit O Honey ;) Oh well!

I had a much better day. I did find myself at the pantry and refrigerator, several times, wanting some type of junk. So, I fought with myself a bit. Good news was, as I stood there, trying to find something, I realized, "I'M NOT HUNGRY", and would step away. Although I ended up in the same spot a couple more times, I did not give in to the mindless snacking. (Well, not until I was putting groceries away and opened the candy hearts. Wait, that wasn't actually mindless snacking...I was very mindful of what I was doing at that point.....)

I had a bad attitude about working out yesterday. I found myself dreading 2 pm, when I would need to go change and get ready to leave. I actually texted my brother-in-law seeing if he wanted to cancel. No such luck. It was a tough leg workout, and I should have done my cardio first, because my legs were shot afterwards. I was only able to do 15 minutes on the bike, after about 30 minutes on the weights. BUT, I then went to the grocery store and walked around for an hour, which was probably really good for me to do. I walked it out, that's for sure! Probably much better than going home and planting it on the couch.

There's a rather touchy subject that I should address, but I'm even more reluctant to 'go there' than I was the 'cycle' thing. It's the whole 'regular' issue....Not sure I want to reveal anything, but I do know this is a part of what's going on with my body, and everyone else's! If I get brave enough, I'll go in to it at a later date. Let's just say, I think I will be paying more attention and making note of what's happening in this area...There, was that so bad?

Day 17: Not a bad day. Glad I worked out even though I didn't want to. Triumphed over the nasty snacking monster that was on my back, for the most part. Hope that monster doesn't show up for work today.

Day 16

Sometimes I think I am a crazy person. My behavior yesterday really helped to reinforce this suspicion. Here is a 5:00 pm text I sent to my husband: "On a bender...eating everything in sight...and have no frickin clue what's for dinner." I'm gonna go ahead and document what I can remember:

Breakfast: 7:30 am

protein shake w/ banana

Lunch: 12:30 pm

Leftover Chinese take out, water to drink (shouldn't have had this AGAIN, but there was so much left over, and I have mentioned to you that I am cheap. And, well, I'm lazy too...this was easy).

Holy,What the Heck is Going On, Have You Lost Your Mind Snack: about 4 pm continuing until about 5 pm

Two Hostess Donettes, snack bag of Fritos, Hunts Snack Pack butterscotch pudding, Giant chocolate chip cookie.

Dinner: 7:30 pm

1.5 slices of frozen pizza, water...lots of water

Just when I think I'm getting things under control....a day like yesterday happens. I have a theory. I was very disappointed with my weigh-in. I think that played quite a mind game with me. I began thinking about how I had worked out every day but one last week, I had been so good, and what little results were showing...and I lost it. I'm so glad this doesn't happen all of the time. It can't happen again. I felt so icky afterwards. Not only physically, but emotionally/mentally. I hate for my weaknesses to show up like that.

I did have a strength training workout in the afternoon. I ran out of time, though, and was unable to do any cardio, as I was supposed to pick up my son from school. I told myself as I left the gym, that I would have to take a walk when I got home, or fire up the Wii...instead, I got home and fired up my hand to my mouth. I HAVE to have a better day today. I HAVE to keep an even keel, and realize this isn't going to happen for me, if I continue to let my emotions lead me to crazy behavior.

I have been hovering around this weight now for close to six months. My body is comfortable here, and I'm going to need to work harder to break through this plateau. Oh joy!

Day 16: Disappointing day. So glad today is a new day, and I can put it behind me.

Day 15

I really don't feel like blogging this morning...But I'm gonna try to stay positive! Yesterday:

Breakfast: 7:30 am

Cream of Wheat, skim milk

Snack: 10:30 am

Rhode's cinnamon roll

Lunch: 1:45 pm

2 cups romaine lettuce, 1 T. creamy caesar dressing, 1 slice Fazoli's pepperoni pizza, water to drink

Snack: 2:30 pm

protein bar

Continued snack: 3:15 pm

2 licorice twists, 2 Hostess powdered donettes

Dinner: 7:30 pm

Royal Chicken w/ 1/2 cup brown rice, one spring roll, one crab wonton, skim milk

So, I weighed in at 179.5 this morning. That is down another 1/2 pound from last Monday. I was fine with being down 1/2 pound last week, but I'm not this week. See, I snuck a peak earlier in the week and I was down two pounds already! I was really hoping to be able to come and report a 2 pound loss for the week. No such luck. Looking at what I did this weekend, though, it's easy to see why that wouldn't have been the case. Weekends are tough!!!

I did a whole bunch of lifting and hauling of stuff this weekend, along with my work outs. I was pretty hungry yesterday, as I was doing all of this. That would explain the grabbing of the cinnamon roll. And just so you know, I DID NOT buy the licorice or the donuts. My husband brought those home and I found myself grabbing those as well. And then the take out from Spring Thai last night...well, it was delicious, and I did get brown rice, and there were vegetables in my meal, but I'm sure it was laden with sodium, so I would bet I'm retaining some water at this point. If I really want to see the quicker results, I really need to stop doing this stuff! Otherwise, I just need to be happy with half a pound a week, and not dwell on it. There's a lot of positive stuff going on here, like how I'm feeling, and the added energy I have. I can't get totally ticked off just because of a darn scale.

I did a 30 minute weight workout, along with 30 minutes on the treadmill. My back was really hurting by the end of my time on the treadmill. I continued to experience back trouble last night. It seems to be better this morning, but I think I'm gonna have to watch what I do today. I guess all of the folding, hauling, lifting, shoving, bending, and vacuuming, that I was doing this weekend was a little much on my poor back.

Day 15: Productive day in the house. Not so great a day for what I was eating. I'll try to get back on track today.